Stoneman two massive steps closer to Formula Two title.

10/09/2010

High Quality Jpeg (1.4 MB) High Quality Jpeg (1.47 MB) High Quality Jpeg (2.45 MB) High Quality Jpeg (1.08 MB)

Dean Stoneman struck what could well be the decisive blows in his bid to win the 2010 FIA Formula Two championship with two convincing race victories at Oschersleben, Germany on September 4^th/5^th. The 20 year old mounted a master class in wet weather driving to win Saturday's race by almost 16 seconds and, in his words, 'just went round the track nice and slowly' to control Sundays race from pole position and win by a none-the-less comfortable 2 seconds ahead of Lithuania's Kazim Vasiliauskas.  Comma-sponsored Jolyon Palmer - Stoneman's only rival for the F2 title - kept his challenge alive in race 1 with a brilliant drive in the soggy conditions to third place from eighth on the grid, but yellow flags on his 'hot' qualifying lap for Race 2 left him languishing on the seventh row of the grid - his worst qualifying result of the season; just when he needed his best!

Qualifying 1

The two main contenders were for once overshadowed by drivers out of the title race but still fighting for the third championship spot which earns the invaluable FIA 'A' class licence required for competing in Formula 1. The Russian, Sergei Afanasiev finally translated his fourth front row start of the season into pole position, with Vasiliauskas alongside in second place. Italy's Nicola De Marco, a winner at Brno last time out, was next up alongside Belgium's favourite son and winner at Zolder, Bejamin Bailly. Stoneman was partnered on the third row by fellow Brit, Will Bratt, with Jack Clarke and Jolyon Palmer filling row four. But the real interest all centred on if and how the two title challengers would get to grips with one another. Separated by only four points in the championship table - Jolyon on 221 to Dean's 217 - they both had serious work to do to make it on to the podium.

Race 1

Rain! Heavy and consistent in the hour before the race, it made it certain to be a true challenge - which didn't displease Jolyon. "I'm happy in the wet," he said, confident that the conditions would help him overcome his mid-field starting position. Neither did it phase Stoneman, who made what will probably be judged his best ever start to take the lead even before the first corner, despite putting a wheel on the grass as he dodged around the four cars ahead of him. In just those few seconds, it proved to be set and match for the Southampton driver, as he extended his fist lap lead of nearly 2 seconds to over 14 seconds by mid-race. Secure and settled, he reeled off the remaining laps to win as he pleased, almost 16 seconds ahead of Vasiliauskas. With the issue of who was going to win looking pretty clear from the outset, the TV cameras now devoted much of the race to monitoring Jolyon's progress. The opening laps were an inevitable scramble through the spray, but by the end lap 5 he had dealt with Bailly, Clarke and the fast-starting Romanian Mihai Marinescu to be in fourth position, albeit some 9 seconds adrift of Afanasiev in third place. Lap by lap, Jolyon gradually wound the Russian in. By lap 12, he was on his tail, and two laps later, he had him. Now, only Vasiliauskas stood between him and second place, and despite posting his fastest lap of the race on lap 15, Jolyon could not find a way past the determined Lithuanian who headed him across the line by just over half a second. True, Stoneman had regained the thoroughly well deserved championship lead by 6 points, but Jolyon's exercise in damage limitation had been heroic. There was everything still to play for!  

Qualifying 2

The weather once again played a hand in sorting out the grid for Race 2. Starting on a wet but drying track, a marginal dry line had emerged by mid-session. Once everyone had switched from wets to slicks, the timing charts began to tumble like the reels on a fruit machine. Departing from the racing line spelt disaster, so there was little prospect of equalling the times set in the dry first qualifying session. Stoneman decided to roll the dice by opting for a set of scrubbed-in slicks for his big - turbo boosted - lap, and vaulted to the head of the table with just two minutes of the session remaining. With everyone else on new rubber, there was still every chance that his time could be topped, not least by Jolyon who was hovering close at hand. And then it all went pear-shaped as Plamen Kralev spun off in sector three. Out came the yellow flags, and that was that!  Jolyon was among those to suffer, conceding 2 seconds to Stoneman's time and winding up disastrously on the second to last row in 14^th spot. Could he possibly repeat his Race 1 performance, keep Dean within realistic striking distance and take the title race to a dramatic finale in Valencia in two weeks time?

Race 2

The lap charts at Oschersleben tell their own story. It's a featureless place - boring even - and presents very few overtaking opportunities. Different in the wet, of course, but in the dry, you really have to rely on - or pressure the other guy into - making a mistake........that, or invest all your money and bravery into a late braking move into turn 1.

It was sunny and dry, meaning the odds were stacked heavily against Jolyon harvesting any substantial points. But he nevertheless gave it his best shot. Tenth by the end of lap 1, he was at least on the scorecard, but Dean had made another perfect start, blocking a challenge from fellow front row man De Marco into the first corner and leading him by just under a second at the end of the lap. For lap after lap, that's how it remained, Dean's lead never looking really under threat, but never greater that just over 2.5 seconds. He was helped by De Marco having his hands and mirrors full of Vasiliauskas and Afanasiev, these three having opened an ever growing gap back to Bailly. Meanwhile, Jolyon's progress was bottled up behind the iron curtain of Russia's Ivan Samarin. On lap ten, he decided to make his move, braking late - too late! - down the inside line on turn 1. It was his only hope of making ground on the next four cars within striking distance ahead, and it may have salvaged a few more places in the time available. It just didn't quite come off. With brakes locked, he sailed across Samarin's bow and into the gravel, narrowly avoiding a collision with the tyre wall. He managed to gather it all up, but by then, he'd lost three places and dropped back to 13^th. It was the bitter end, and the only time this season that he had finished a race - 12^th at the chequered flag after De Marco's car cruelly let him down with just three laps to go - without scoring any points at all.

Now, the championship gap to Stoneman is a seemingly insurmountable 31 points. So Jolyon can do little else but throw caution to the winds and go all out to win both races in Valencia. And for sure he will. He knows the track well and was consistently quick there in pre-season testing. Dean has never raced there................but then, he'd never seen Oschersleben before last Friday either!                    

Visit the Formula Two website for total coverage and live streaming of every Formula Two event, plus a wealth of background stories on the drivers and other essential features to keep you fully informed on the championship. It's the best, most comprehensive motorsport site on the internet. There is also complete HD TV screening of every race on Eurosport and Eurosport 2. Don't miss a minute of the action. 

In addition to sponsorship of Jolyon Palmer's car, Comma is also the official Technical Partner to the FIA Formula Two Championship. All 24 of the identical 480bhp Williams F1 designed JPH1B cars competing in the series use engine oils, coolants and maintenance products supplied by Comma.