ART Grand Prix

BELGIUM FORMULA 3 RECAP 🇧🇪 While initially wet, the track dried pretty quickly and performance saw a drastic improvement in the last few minutes of the #QualifyingSession. As a result, the final few drivers to cross the line had a significant timing advantage, and due to astonishing traffic on the final lap, the ART Grand Prix drivers were unable to exploit the potential shown during #FreePractice. Christian Mansell made a mistake on his fastest lap and finished in 20th position while Laurens Van Hoepen and Tuukka Taponen couldn't improve their times and ended up 15th and 13th respectively. All drivers started the #SprintRace on slicks despite the track being still wet in places. Tuukka was hit at the start and completed the first lap in 20th position, behind Laurens (17th) and Christian (18th). Laurens and Tuukka gained several places to finish 10th and 14th, while Christian struggled with his tires towards the end. Tuukka's #FeatureRace got off to a bad start when he had to slow down considerably at the exit of the first corner to avoid a crash. Two laps later, he was forced to retire after being hit by another driver. Laurens and Christian made good starts, and both took advantage of the chaos to climb to 11th and 14th place. After the race, Christian was demoted from 14th to 21st place for causing a collision. With three neutralizations during the event, opportunities to move further up the ranks were scarce, and they both finished just outside the points. Tuukka Taponen: “I had no experience with the team, the car, or the tires, but ART Grand Prix put me in ideal conditions for my F3 debut. I didn't set any goals, only to have fun and improve each lap. I was 6th fastest in free practice in the rain and with 13th place in qualifying, it was an excellent result. Unfortunately, in the race, I had all the bad luck possible and couldn't reward the team for their welcome and hard work.” Sébastien Philippe: “Everything comes down to the small details to be with the leading pack or outside the points, and after several successful weekends, we lacked luck at Spa. But before the Monza finale, I note the team's and drivers' fighting spirit and their adaptation to complex conditions. A special mention to Tuukka who integrated very well into the team and whose performances were remarkable for his debut at short notice.” 📸 Dutch Photo Agency #Formula3 #F3 #ART #artgrandprix #Belgium

BELGIUM FORMULA 2 RECAP 🇧🇪 On Friday, Victor Martins was unable to participate in the #QualifyingSession due to a mechanical issue forcing him to stop before completing a single lap. On the other hand, with evolving track conditions and slipstreaming, Zak O'Sullivan did a good job to secure the 10th fastest laptime, which granted him pole position for the Sprint race. After several delays and a race shortened to five laps, the #SprintRace allowed Zak to claim his second victory of the season with a great start. As for Victor, he managed to gain 10 positions, climbing back up from P22 to P12. On Sunday's #FeatureRace, Victor found himself unable to avoid contact with a rival who spun out just in front of him. He was forced to retire after a heavy crash into the barriers, fortunately without any injury. Zak moved up to 7th place before his pit stop on lap 10. He then found a very good pace and gained three more places achieving his best overall performance of the weekend. Zak O'Sullivan: “Without having driven in the rain before the downpour of the first race, there's always some uncertainty. On pole at this legendary circuit, I was ready to give it my all and managed two key factors well: the start and the first lap. I wish the race had lasted longer, but I'm happy to deliver this victory to the team. The strategy worked very well in the main race where it was crucial to stay calm and gradually move up the ranks. Towards the end, I was one of the fastest, and it's a bit disappointing to miss the podium by such a small margin.” Sébastien Philippe: “Everything that could go wrong for Victor did. An electronic failure prevented him from taking part in qualifying despite being extremely fast in Free Practice. Another stroke of bad luck in the second race with a retirement caused by a competitor. The first race was reduced to three laps without a safety car, but he made an astonishing recovery, while Zak executed the perfect scenario: leading, gaining a two-second advantage, and avoiding pitfalls before the Sprint race was definitively stopped. The next day, he made a great comeback to 4th place, showing that, like the team, the further he goes into his first F2 season, the more competitive he becomes.” 📸 Formula Motorsport Limited / Dutch Photo Agency #Formula2 #F2 #ART #artgrandprix #Belgium

BUDAPEST FORMULA 2 RECAP 🇭🇺 Around the challenging and technical Hungaroring circuit, Victor Martins came to grips with the track conditions during the first part of the #Qualifying session, securing a promising 5th place finish to thus start from 6th position in the sprint race. After an encouraging first run, Zak O'Sullivan was unable to extract the full potential from his tires when the car was at its fastest. He started 15th in both races. On Saturday, under a cloudy sky and with the track losing about twenty degrees compared to qualifying, both Victor and Zak started on soft tires while half the pack opted for the hard tires in this #SprintRace Zak gained several positions in the first few laps and was aiming for the top 10 when his tires significantly degraded. He had to switch tires and finished down in 19th. Victor maintained his 4th position from the first lap without pushing too hard, but kept a consistent pace. By saving his tires, he was able to climb into 2nd place without suffering too much from tire degradation. On Sunday's #FeatureRace, Victor and Zak got off to perfect starts and gained several positions at a pivotal moment for gaining ground on their rivals. They finished the first lap in 1st and 9th position. Both drivers switched to hard tires when a safety car came out on lap 7. Victor was first, and Zak P7 when a second safety car period helped their competitors who still needed to make their pit stops. Zak became an easy target and dropped to 14th place, while Victor capitalized on the small gap he had created to fend off his rivals. Unfortunately, he had to give up 1st place but still secured a second podium for this Hungarian weekend. Victor Martins: “We are generally happy to have been competitive in qualifying and both races, but a bit frustrated to have lost the victory in the feature race because of the second safety car. The soft tires were much more efficient, and I knew I couldn't keep 1st place. Two 2nd places in Hungary are still very good. We were only 0.2 seconds off pole position, made two good starts, and had great race pace. We are definitely on the right track!” Sébastien Philippe: “There are many positives to take away from this weekend. The two podiums, of course, which are always good and reward the hard work, but also, and especially, the fact that we were fast in all conditions, in both qualifying and the race. Zak and Victor made two crucial starts to climb up the standings, and Victor managed the tires fantastically in both races. The safety car played against us in the Feature race, but that doesn't take away from our confirmed return to the front over the past few weekends.” 📸 Dutch Photo Agency #Formula2 #F2 #ART #artgrandprix #Budapest

WHAT A ROLLERCOASTER WEEKEND FOR OUR FRECA TEAM! 🤯 Thursday's test didn't produce much in the way of results, and neither did Qualifying 1 and Race 1 on Saturday, which didn't bode well for the weekend, but in the end we came out on top!🔥 We still can't get over it, Alessandro won his first race of the season with us in Le Castellet. It was a one full of twists and turns, from which we celebrated a well-deserved victory!🏆 Evan also showed his skills with an amazing performance in Race 2, climbing from P19 to P5, impressing everyone. He put in a lot of hard work in this first half of the season and it shows!👊🏼 Despite a tough weekend for Yaroslav and Léna, there were valuable lessons learned. The team is taking both the positives and negatives out of it and is committed to work hard for better results in the future.💪🏼 This weekend was filled with highs and lows, but the team's determination and resilience shone through! We come back home with significant points for the championship! We'll remember our 2024 home race for sure!🇫🇷 📸 Dutch Photo Agency #FRECA #art #drivers #France

BUDAPEST FORMULA 3 RECAP 🇭🇺 Traffic, car balance, tire management, and heat, ART Grand Prix successfully met all the Hungaroring challenges. In #Qualifying, Laurens Van Hoepen secured his first #Formula3 pole position, ahead of Nikola Tsolov, thanks to a decisive final run before a red flag was waved. A bit less successful on his fastest lap, Christian qualified 8th and was able to start from 5th in the sprint race. On Saturday, Laurens made an excellent start in the #SprintRace, gaining 3 positions and climbing to P9. After a race full of battles, Christian Mansell eventually crossed the line in the same place he started. Nikola’s race was compromised by an average start and ended when he had to change his front wing after colliding with a competitor. On Sunday's #FeatureRace, Nikola Tsolov took advantage of a good start to snatch 1st place from Laurens. The Bulgarian and Dutchman then built a small gap and led the entire race without being challenged. Sadly, due to a radiator leak, Laurens finished the race under the legal weight, which led to a disqualification. Despite the difficulties in overtaking, Christian gained three positions to finish the weekend with two 5th places. Nikola Tsolov: “I am very happy because this race was very important for my season and for the future. The beginning of the year was difficult, and it is important that we show our true potential. I took the lead at the start of the feature race, which was exactly what I had in mind because I knew the first lap would be crucial in Hungary. From there, everything came down to tire management and making sure Laurens couldn’t try to overtake me. It wasn’t always easy, but the communication with the team helped me a lot.” Sébastien Philippe: “It’s hard to do better than a front row, a one-two finish on track with the fastest lap in the feature race, and 48 points. It is extremely frustrating Laurens was disqualified from the feature race due to a radiator leak for which he was not responsible. ART Grand Prix on track results were well deserved considering the work of the entire team. The drivers were extremely effective and smart in Budapest. We need to be just as precise and determined in Spa to have a good vacation before the Monza finale.” 📸 Dutch Photo Agency #Formula3 #F3 #ART #artgrandprix #Budapest

GROUPE WIIO et ART Grand Prix annoncent leur partenariat pour l’innovation dans le sport automobile 🤝   Paris, le 16 juillet 2024 – Le Groupe WIIO , acteur majeur dans l’intégration et l’édition de solutions nomades ainsi que dans la formation professionnelle, est fier d'annoncer un partenariat avec ART Grand Prix, l'une des écuries les plus prestigieuses du sport automobile français. Ce partenariat ambitieux vise à fusionner l'expertise technologique du Groupe WIIO avec l'excellence sportive d'ART Grand Prix pour repousser les limites de l'innovation et de la performance. Cette collaboration vise à renforcer la notoriété des deux marques tout en illustrant leur engagement commun envers la qualité et la performance. Une collaboration pour l'innovation. "Nous sommes ravis de nous associer à ART Grand Prix, une équipe qui partage notre passion pour l'innovation et la performance," déclare Fabien Dupuis. " Ce partenariat représente une opportunité unique de démontrer notre engagement envers l'innovation et la technologie dans un environnement aussi exigeant que la compétition automobile." Une expertise technique au profit de l’univers automobile. Grâce à ce partenariat, WIIO apportera son soutien à ART Grand Prix en mettant à disposition son expertise technique. Cette collaboration permettra de mettre en lumière les technologies avancées et les solutions de gestion et de traitement des données développées par le Groupe WIIO. Témoignage ART Grand Prix. « Nous sommes heureux de ce partenariat avec le Groupe WIIO et nous les remercions pour leur confiance. C’est une étape supplémentaire dans notre quête de performance à tous les niveaux » . déclare Sébastien Philippe, Directeur d'ART Grand Prix. « Collaborer avec WIIO, leader dans son domaine des solutions technologiques nous permet des synergies cohérentes et efficientes qui renforceront notre compétitivité ». Des valeurs au cœur du partenariat Le partenariat entre le Groupe WIIO et ART Grand Prix repose sur des valeurs partagées qui sont au cœur des deux organisations : Innovation : Ensemble, nous cherchons à explorer de nouvelles technologies et à améliorer continuellement nos produits et services. - Excellence : Nous nous efforçons de fournir les meilleures performances possibles, que ce soit sur la piste de course ou dans les solutions que nous proposons à nos clients. - Esprit d'équipe : La collaboration et le travail d'équipe sont essentiels pour atteindre nos objectifs communs. - Durabilité : Nous nous engageons à adopter des pratiques durables et à contribuer positivement à notre environnement. 📸 Dutch Photo Agency #artgp #partnership #artgrandprix #WIIO

SILVERSTONE FORMULA 2 RECAP 🇬🇧 In Qualifying, Victor Martins matched his best performance of the year (2nd), while Zak O'Sullivan, who was very strong in free practice (7th), got his best laptime deleted due to track limits and had to settle for 14th.   On Saturday, starting from 9th and 14th position on the grid, Victor Martins and Zak O'Sullivan made some excellent overtakes to climb up into 6th and 7th place. In the last quarter of the race, a misunderstanding between the two ART Grand Prix drivers caused them both to retire after an attempted overtake.   On Sunday, Victor Martins had a very good start on hard tires and led the race until his pit stop on lap 10. While battling with an opponent, he was forced to go off-track. As he lost important seconds going back on track, Victor went down 3 places and regained the track with dirty tires. He ended up scoring points for 5th place. Starting on soft tires, Zak O'Sullivan had a good first stint in the top 5 before his pit stop. He rejoined in 16th position with 8 laps to go and climbed back up in 11th position.   Victor Martins: “To be back on the front row and competitive in the race was very motivating for us, despite our double DNF in the Sprint. We optimized everything we could, and we are moving forward, which is particularly rewarding on such a demanding circuit as Silverstone. I had a good start and led most of the feature race. The battle was intense, and I couldn’t avoid going off track, which cost me time and damaged my tires. The podium and victory were within our reach, and that's what we need to remember from this weekend.”   Sébastien Philippe: “The entire team performed well in all conditions and on a complex circuit. It is satisfying and validates all the hard work of the past few weeks. Despite everything, we are left with a bitter taste due to the double retirement in the Sprint and a sense of unfinished business in the feature race where Victor perfectly executed the strategy and Zak lacked just a bit of luck to get up into the points.” 📸 Formula Motorsport Limited / Dutch Photo Agency #Formula2 #F2 #ART #artgrandprix #Silverstone

SILVERSTONE FORMULA 3 RECAP 🇬🇧 The #FreePractice session was held on a wet track, which made the process of getting to grips with the track and making adjustments for the qualifying session hard, especially as they started on a dry track. During #Qualifying, the three ART Grand Prix drivers found the right window to place themselves in the top 8 before the rain returned after mid-session. Laurens Van Hoepen achieved his best result of the season (5th), just ahead of Christian Mansell (7th) and Nikola Tsolov (8th).   After originally being postponed due to heavy rain, the #SprintRace eventually took place on a dry track in the late afternoon. Starting from P5, Christian finished in the same position with Nikola close behind, despite tricky tire management. Unfortunately, Christian will take 12th place in the rankings due to a 5-second track limit penalty. Starting 7th on the grid, Laurens lost 4 places at the start but managed to finish 9th. With rain expected for the #FeatureRace, most drivers started on wet tires despite the track being mostly dry. The numerous appearances of the safety car and the rain repeatedly altered the standings between drivers on slick and wet tires. The ART Grand Prix drivers were unlucky in this back-and-forth situation and finished just outside the points (Laurens 11th, Christian 13th, Nikola 15th).   Christian Mansell: “We expected a lot of things at Silverstone, but not a Russian roulette! We had to anticipate, try to guess what would happen, and then wait an eternity for the first race. Then scoring points was finally very satisfying after so much uncertainty and difficulty in finding and maintaining the perfect rhythm. Sunday was a bit crazy. We went up and down the standings without controlling anything. It was like winning the lottery, and in the end, it just wasn’t our day, but that doesn’t diminish our motivation for Hungary and Belgium.”   Sébastien Philippe: “At Silverstone, it is crucial to get into a good rhythm right from free practice and gain the confidence to push harder and harder. The weather decided otherwise, and there are no real lessons to take away from this weekend in terms of points, as our main championship rivals also struggled. However, on an individual and technical level, the team reacted quickly and well to all the changing conditions, adapting quite successfully, and this experience now strengthens our morale as we approach the final stretch of the summer where we will need to be mentally strong in order to achieve our goals.” 📸 Dutch Photo Agency #Formula3 #F3 #ART #artgrandprix #Silverstone

SPIELBERG FORMULA 2 RECAP 🇦🇹 Free practice set the stage for a good qualifying session with Victor Martins achieving the 5th fastest time, while Zak O'Sullivan was getting accustomed to driving an F2 car at the Red Bull Ring for the first time. Unfortunately, the team and the drivers were unable to put all the pieces of the puzzle together for a final flying lap. Zak improved towards the end of the session, but Victor, who started the session in 4th place, ultimately finished 13th behind Zak in 12th position. On Saturday, Victor and Zak fought hard from start to finish, gradually climbing up the grid. Despite the threat of track limits and tire management, they each gained 3 places. On Sunday, Victor started on super-soft tires, while Zak went for softs. The Frenchman experienced tire degradation faster than expected and had to wait until his pit stop window opened to get some relief. He was in 16th place when he came in before climbing back up to 11th at the finish. Zak had a very long first stint, being in the top 4 before coming into the pits. He returned to the circuit on super-soft tires down in 15th position. He scored points by finishing 9th thanks to running a very aggressive second stint. Victor Martins: “Qualifying went well until my last run. I was in the top 5 and had the potential of aiming for the front rows. But on my last attempt, the car balance changed slightly, and I felt less comfortable. The conditions were not right for me to improve my lap time. Tire degradation was difficult to manage, but at the end of the Sprint race, I was able to overtake several cars. In the feature race, I was an easy target in the early laps, losing many places and time before being able to change tires. In the end, we were close to scoring a point, but sadly we started from too far back to achieve this.” Sébastien Philippe: “At the Red Bull Ring, everything needs to be perfect in qualifying because the gaps are so small. That wasn’t the case, and we paid the price in the race where using the super-soft tires wasn’t easy, especially with a DRS train. Zak and Victor still gained several places on Saturday, narrowly missing out on points. On Sunday, with his super-soft tires, Victor had to survive until his pit stop to change tires, but by then he was down in 16th place and too far back to score points. Zak was able to exploit the super-soft tires with a better-balanced car at the end of the race, allowing him to finish 9th.” 📸 Formula Motorsport Limited / Dutch Photo Agency #Formula2 #F2 #ART #artgrandprix #Spielberg

SPIELBERG FORMULA 3 RECAP 🇦🇹 With the fastest lap on the championship calendar, qualifying at the Red Bull Ring is always a very hotly contested session. By securing 7th (#LaurensVanHoepen), 10th (#NikolaTsolov), and 11th (#ChristianMansell), the three ART Grand Prix drivers achieved their first goal in Austria: being well placed on both starting grids for a circuit where overtaking is possible. On Saturday, Christian and Nikola quickly overtook the poleman and battled cleanly at the front of the race. The Bulgarian driver got the better of his Australian team-mate by perfectly handling a safety car situation at the end of the race to claim his second victory of the season and the fastest lap of the race. Christian secured his third consecutive podium and his fourth of the year. Laurens had a remarkable race by managing his tires and defending against his opponents’ attacks to achieve the best possible result. On Sunday, by managing their tires, keeping their lines clean and embroiling in some very smart battles, Christian and Nikola worked their way through a dozen places to climb up through the rankings. Laurens lost several positions at the start but managed to stay calm and keep his goals in sight. He gained five positions to finish in the top 8, with the fastest lap of the race. Nikola Tsolov: “The Sprint Race was very enjoyable because you can overtake, and you need to be strategic with tire management. It’s great to be one of the few drivers with two victories this season and to contribute to the team’s collective effort, which is 2nd in the championship. In both races, our pace was excellent, and we adapted well to achieve very good results on both days. ” Sébastien Philippe: “ART Grand Prix rose to the challenge of the Red Bull Ring, where the acceleration/braking configuration is very different from Barcelona or Monaco. Despite a difficult session, with three drivers within 2 or 3 tenths of pole position and all in the top 12, qualifying was a springboard for having two good races. Nikola and Christian battled equally at the front in the Sprint Race, and it was a close call. Laurens was equally fearless with an excellent 5th place, allowing ART Grand Prix to take 2nd place in the team standings. The Feature Race allowed us to consolidate our gains with three finishes in the top 8 and another 25 points scored, but also two fastest laps, which proves our race pace was very good. This is our best total of the year (50 points), and the goal should be to do just as well on yet another different circuit, at Silverstone.” 📸 Formula Motorsport Limited / Dutch Photo Agency #Formula3 #F3 #ART #artgrandprix #RedBullRing