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Robin Frijns takes maiden GP2-victory!

BARCELONA – Robin Frijns has claimed his debut GP2 win as the Series returns to Europe, claiming victory in the feature race in Barcelona by utilising a sharp get away and smart race strategy to lead home a fast charging Felipe Nasr and Jolyon Palmer. Poleman Marcus Ericsson made a super start when the lights went out to easily lead his rivals away, while behind him Sam Bird was not so sharp off the line: Fabio Leimer pushed left around him but James Calado was already there, and the inevitable contact pushed the pair backwards as Frijns got off the gas and followed Bird into turn one behind Ericsson, Stefano Coletti, Nasr and Stéphane Richelmi. Lap 6 was the first time the pitlane opened for fresh tyres, and Frijns (P9), Palmer (P11) and Alexander Rossi (P14) jumped in to take advantage of the fresh air behind. Ericsson, Bird and Jon Lancaster were forced to respond next time by, with the Swede’s stop slow enough to drop him back into the pack and Bird re-emerging just behind Frijns, an early indication of the Dutchman’s speed, while Coletti and Nasr had little choice but to stop next time by.

Frijns continued to head the already-stopped field, with Palmer, Bird, and Coletti circulating right behind, and finally claimed the overall lead on lap 28 when Evans eventually pitted. But out in front Frijns was supreme, delighted to be able to pull away from the war behind him to win by 3.3 seconds from Nasr.

Robin commented: “First of all, I did not expect it. I had a tough race in Bahrain, having to learn the tyres. I had big troubles in Bahrain. I learned quite a lot there. Everybody knows that Barcelona is quite a hard track on the tyres as well. But I managed them quite well and left a pretty decent gap to Palmer the whole race and then Nasr came back and he was quite quick. I still had some tyres left so I could pull away a bit. That’s how I won. It’s a great result for the team. They work pretty hard. Hopefully there is more coming.”

Stefano Coletti has claimed his second win of the season with a mature drive after a storming start for a dominant victory in the sprint race in Barcelona, controlling the pace all the way to lead home Robin Frijns and Felipe Nasr. The win was set up at the start: poleman Johnny Cecotto made a decent getaway but Coletti’s was even better, getting alongside the front man ahead of turn one before going all the way round the outside for the lead. Behind them Tom Dillmann stalled, but Frijns snuck inside while his rivals tripped over each other, giving the Dutchman a clear run to the first corner. Out in front Coletti had eased his pace from a gap of over 4 seconds to lead home yesterday’s victor Frijns by 0.6 seconds at the line, with Nasr on the podium again 7 seconds behind them. Palmer had a quiet run to fourth place, with Cecotto the next man to see the chequered flag just ahead of Rossi, Ceccon, Abt and Fabio Leimer.

Robin Frijns: “At the start I went to the right and overtook everybody and had a god at Rossi in the first corner round the outside. He is always a good driver to race against. I like the guy. Then, I tried to push for Coletti in the first lap. We had the same speed, but I was killing my front left so I left a gap for about four seconds, taking it easy and just waited for the final five laps. When I started to push, I was closing in quite fast and I saw him struggle with the rear a bit. He was pushing as well. He told me that and I was hoping that his tyres would go away. Maybe I waited too long before starting to push. I don’t know…”

“I’ve enjoyed myself this weekend yes. I have to thank Franz Hilmer for giving me the opportunity to drive here. If it wasn’t for him, I would not be here. As for Monaco, I don’t have high hopes there because Coletti, Leimer, they have much more experience on that track. I only raced once there and I did not even finish the race. I’ll do the best I can and hopefully score some points, but I don’t see myself winning. The plan is to be there.”

Robin Frijns to make GP2-debut

Hilmer Motorsport have confirmed that Dutch ace Robin Frijns will race with them this week in the second round of the 2013 GP2 Series season at Bahrain International Circuit. Frijns had previously tested during the pre-season and showed a lot of promise. He will have to adjust quickly to the car having to learn the track in the thirty minute free practice session on Friday.

Team Principal Franz Hilmer said: "We are very happy to have Robin in our car in Bahrain in and we hope that we can do the whole season together. I would like to thank his manager Werner Heinz and of course Monisha Kaltenborn who both helped make this happen. We will do everything we can to help Robin get comfortable in the car and get the chance to be in the front of the grid.”

Robin Frijns testdriver at Sauber F1 Team

Robin Frijns is going to be the Sauber F1 Team’s new test and reserve driver. The 21-year old Dutchman also started his career in karting. In 2008 he entered single seater racing, improved constantly and went on to win the Formula BMW Europe title in 2010 by taking six race wins. One year later he took the title in the Formula Renault Eurocup before going on to win the title in the highly competitive Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2012.

“Monitoring Robin’s racing career“, said Kaltenborn, “makes it easy to spot his potential. This was the reason we gave him the chance to drive the Sauber C31-Ferrari at the Young Driver Days in Abu Dhabi. He managed this very well. We will now carefully guide him to Formula One. This is a long way, but Robin has got the skills to do that successfully.”

Robin Frijns said: “I'm very happy the Sauber F1 Team has given me this opportunity. I would like to thank Monisha Kaltenborn and Peter Sauber for their belief and trust in me by signing me to join their team as a test and reserve driver. With this opportunity I will try to help the team as much as possible and get the chance to learn how Formula 1 works in an extremely professional environment. I am already very much looking forward to getting the 2013 season started and working together with the team.”

Great opportunity Robin Frijns in Red Bull RB8

ABU DHABI - The final day of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi saw Robin Frijns at the wheel of the RB8. Robin earned his place in the cockpit by virtue of winning this year’s Formula Renault 3.5 series and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The Dutchman’s morning was spent on aero work but in the afternoon, around some mechanical testing, there was time for some performance runs and the talent from Limburg ended the day with a lap of 1:43,233. That left him fourth on the timesheet, just under six tenths off pacesetting GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi.

Of his efforts Robin said: “It was a long day and we tested a lot on the car. I think I did a good job for the team and team worked hard with me so I’m pleased with how it all went.

“In the morning I was driving a little in cruise control as we were doing some aero work and the team needed accurate data with the flow-vis. In the afternoon there was some mechanical work, which was good and I think the team gathered a lot of useful data.

“I’d like to thank Renault for the opportunity to come to Red Bull Racing for this test in the RB8,” he added. “It’s the quickest car at the moment, so it was a real pleasure to drive for them today. Thanks also to Red Bull Racing for giving me this opportunity to drive the car.”

Frijns excited about first Sauber Formula One test

ABU DHABI - Robin Frijns had a succesfull first day of testing at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abi Dhabi on Tuesday. He tested the Sauber C31 to the satisfaction of the terrific and extraordinary SwissFormula One team.

Giampaolo Dall’Ara (Head of Track Engineering): “We had a good day with Robin. He did fine. Physically he coped well and also, for his age, gave us good feedback. The mileage is a lot and the lap time is also good. We started with hard tyres and did some aero work in the morning before actually working on his lap time. Towards the end of the day we gave him an idea of different tyre compounds and went with a set of medium and a set of soft. But we never sent him out with a qualifying fuel level.”

Robin Frijns:  “Gosh this was hard work! Not in the beginning but then suddenly I felt it, especially from the brakes. I am really tired now and know I have to go and exercise more. In the morning we started with installation laps so that I could get used to the car and the steering wheel, which isn’t that easy. In the afternoon I found it hard to understand the tyre compounds. I had only driven on Michelin tyres before, and with the Pirelli medium and soft compounds it was difficult for me after only one lap. I had the feeling the more careful I handled them the worse it became. There is obviously a lot to learn. On my fastest lap with the soft tyres I made a mistake, so there was more to come. The team did a great job during the day and I want to thank them for that.”

Robin Frijns celebrates Renault World Series title

BARCELONA - The joy was great for Robin Frijns at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain on Sunday. In a breathtaking race the 21-year-old driver of Fortec Motorsport won the spectacular World Series by Renault (WSR).

"This is unbelievable", the blissfully happy Frijns stammered. "All my family and friends were here. The Fortec team deserve a big compliment. They have done a great job this year, the team members earn the title as much as I do. They have always been there for me and a driver is as good as his team after all. I would like to thank everyone of the crew. I would also like to thank Renault for giving me the chance to move on to the Formula Renault 3.5L. The events of the World Series by Renault and all its racing disciplines, such as Formula Renault 2.0L, the Mégane Trophy, Clio Cup, Formula Renault 3.5L and F1 demonstrations, are all superb public events."

In a thrilling final Frijns finished in seventh place after he had been the fourth fastest in qualifying. Jules Bianchi, the other main title contender, had already retired after a touche with Frijns. The Dutchman tried to outbrake the Frenchman in the Repsoil corner in a valiant effort to recover the position that he had lost to Bianchi the lap before.

After Bianchi's failure, the championship had been decided in Frijns' favour and he continued his race conservatively in order to make sure he would see the chequered flag. The fact that he got overtaken by Arthur Pic in the closing stages didn't matter anymore.

A day earlier, Frijns, who was five points behind Bianchi before the weekend had started, had already greatly increased his title chances. During the first race he came in third at the Formula One circuit near Barcelona (after having clocked the sixth fastest time in qualifying) while Bianchi came in seventh. As a result, Frijns started Sunday's race as the championship leader with a four points advantage over Bianchi.

Frijns' statistics in the Formula Renault World Series are impressive. He earned 189 points, three race wins, three pole positions and one fastest lap. Moreover, the rapid racing driver is the first ever to win three single seater classes consecutively. In the previous two seasons he  won the Formula BMW and Formula Renault NEC 2.0 titles. "Robert Kubica was the first rookie to claim the title in the WSR. I'm glad I've also succeeded winning this prestigious title in my rookie year!"

Rain at Paul Ricard causes chaos

Robin Frijns and the Fortec Motorsport Formula 3.5 squad, part of the prestigious World Series by Renault package, were back out on track this weekend in their penultimate round at the French track of Paul Ricard. Robin Frijns and team-mate Carlos Huertas put in credible performances, however after suffering with tyre issues, due to the wet weather, Frijns now sits second in the points table – only five points adrift of new leader Jules Bianchi.

The morning’s qualifying session was red-flagged due to a downpour at the start of the session; however minutes later the sun came out and after an inspection by the race director it was deemed safe enough to go back out on track. The session was restarted 20-minutes later. With 18-minutes left on the clock, Fortec’s Robin Frijns set the fastest lap of the session, however Nick Yelloy was pushing hard and soon after posted his flying lap time. Frijns consistently traded lap times throughout and showed the pace the car had by being at the top of the times throughout the session. The end of the morning’s qualifying ended seeing Frijns starting in second on the grid for the afternoons race.

The start of race one saw tricky weather conditions, although with no rain there were dark clouds looming overhead making tyre decisions crucial. As the lights went out Dutchman Frijns made a good start and soon found himself challenging for the race lead. However the start also proved to be a good one for Tech 1 Racing’s Jules Bianchi, who stormed ahead to take second from Frijns who then dropped down into third. The team had gone for a dry set-up taking the gamble that the track would dry out, but it was taking longer than first thought and some aggressive driving from Frijns saw his tyres wear quickly. It was soon clear the race wasn’t to go the 21-year-olds way when, with 12-minutes left of the race, rain fell on the track and a loss of traction saw Frijns drop down the field and cross the line in seventh.

The second qualifying session of the weekend finally saw some dry weather and Dutchman Robin Frijns qualify eighth. It was another wet race for the FR 3.5 guys as rain fell at the French circuit, leaving the field no other option but to put wets on. Frijns had a great start and as Nico Muller who had started third on the grid slid down the pack, the Fortec racer took advantage of the situation powering up the field, slotting into fifth behind Antonio Felix da Costa and in front of Nick Yelloly.

Yelloly was hot on Frijns tail and by lap two had pushed passed the Dutchman to take fifth, leaving Frijns in sixth. Frijns continued to push hard but as the race continued, the rain claimed many victims as cars spun off track and into the gravel. The conditions made the race hard work as all the drivers fought against the spray and concentrated on staying on track. Frijns was eighth as he made his way to the pits for the compulsory pitstop, with the team going for a four-wheel change instead of two due to heavy wearing. Despite the new rubber Frijns couldn’t hunt down the race leaders and crossed the line in ninth.

The weekend’s results see Frijns drop to second in the title hunt, but with just five points separating him from leader, Jules Bianchi, the championship win is still all to play for.

The final round of the World Series by Renault takes place on the 20th/21st of October at the Spanish circuit of Catalunya.

Robin Frijns maintains lead in championship

The summer break is over for the Formula Renault 3.5 Series guys and this weekend they returned to action at Silverstone alongside the FIA World Endurance Championship event. Rain brought havoc to the first race of the day with only 11 of the initial 26 cars that started the race finishing. Fortec driver Dutchman, Robin Frijns kept cool, calm and collected a second place.

There was water in the air right before the start of race 1, but with the sun looming the cars were sent out on slicks. However, the weather quickly changed with dark clouds appearing, and by the end of the starting lights rain was pouring down on the Northampton circuit.

Frijns, who recently turned 21, started P2 on the grid, however the rain proved difficult to contend with whilst on slick tyres, which caused Frijns to wheel spin on his getaway as he lost grip. He slipped back behind Jules Bianchi who had started in P4, whilst pole sitter Kevin Magnussen charged on trying to widen his lead. The rain however was to quickly catch its first victim as Magnussen span on track at Becketts and hit the wall, causing him to retire from the race.

"I made a bad start, there was very little grip as the rain had begun to come down heavily and I ended up just wheel spinning," commented Frijns. "After seeing Magnussen come off I was then just concentrating to keep the car on the track."

With the combination of wet weather and slick tyres, mayhem was certainly the right word to describe what was unfolding up ahead. In total 8 cars were caught by the wet track and span off, leaving a red flag as the only safe option to enable a clear up of the track. Under red flag all cars were bought back to the start grid where teams were allowed to work on the cars until the 5-minute board, giving them vital time to make some last minute changes.

After a brief stop the cars were soon back out on track behind the safety car and Huertas and Frijns were holding their own focusing on staying out of trouble. After 3 laps the safety car was called back in and Frijns made a storming getaway chasing Jules Bianchi for first place. Frijns had a good lap after the safety car and was closing in on Bianchi until contact on corner 15 let Bianchi extend his lead. Frijns was chasing hard but with the dangerous conditions the young Dutch man knew he needed to focus on defending his position in order to extend his championship lead.

Commenting after his 2nd place finish, Frijns said: "The weather played havoc with the race but it made interesting - it wasn't easy but that's racing and I like it! Bianchi drove away but I took it easy to keep the car on track as I wanted points towards the championship and to maintain my top spot."

Taking place on a dry track, the second and final race of the weekend saw Robin Frijns maintain his lead in the championship. Frijns made a great start from 3rd on the grid, overtaking Frenchman Jules Bianchi and going straight into P2. However the success was short lived as Sam Bird who started in P5 found an opening and snuck past before the end of the first lap, overtaking Frijns and snatching P2.

For Frijns, current championship leader, the race was not to go in his favour when despite his strong start he flat-spotted his tyres on lap 6. As the race went on, the vibrations from the tyres resulted in damage to the suspension, with this and a loss of grip it saw the young Dutchman slip down the field to 11th place in the space of a few turns. After the front-runner suffered from a puncture, Frijns was able to gain 2 places and cross the finish line in 9th.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances Frijins remained positive: "Although the race result was disappointing I am very happy about still leading the championship. It's racing and that's the nature of the sport - anything can happen!"

Robin Frijns commented: "I am looking forward to Hungary but need a few days to recover from this weekend! It's a great circuit and I can't wait to see what the race brings - I'll be working hard to prepare myself and to extend my lead in the championship.”

Robin Frijns gets chance in 2010 Red Bull Formula 1 car as Formula Renault 3.5 prize after Nurburgring-weekend

Saturday
Robin Frijns had a good race, chasing down Nico Muller. Towards the end of the race Robin was on Muller's tail, finishing in 3rd. Robin explains: “I didn’t get off to a good start, to say the least. But after that, the race went well. We have the car to win and I was faster than Nico [Müller], but he defended his position perfectly without making the slightest mistake. I’m top of the championship tonight, but all I’m thinking about now is qualifying well tomorrow and getting a good result.”

Sunday
Robin Frijns scored his first pole position, having had a fantastic qualifying time of 1m 39.991s. A lap record: “I’m not really at my best in the morning but my car’s so good that it’s a real pleasure to drive. We’ve got everything perfectly set up and we’ve optimised our level of performance. I just have to make a good start as that’s been my weak point so far. Being in the championship lead doesn’t change my approach.”

The drivers all lined up with slick tyres on a track that was damp in parts. Unfortunately Robin didn't have a great start, with Sorensen in second, trying to keep Bianchi and Sam Bird at bay. The safety car came out for 5 laps, with Robin leading the pack. By the time the race restarted the track was very wet, Robin battled with Sam Bird throughout the race, including the pit stops finally finishing in 5th place behind Sam Bird.

After the weekend Robin is in joint 1st place of the Drivers Standing alongside Sam Bird. Therefore he earns a prize demonstration run in a 2010 Red Bull RB6 Formula 1 car at the next World Series by Renault meeting in Russia. The Dutchman has earned the outing for being the highest placed driver not associated with one of Red Bull's F1 rivals at the mid-point of the FR 3.5 season.

"It's a huge opportunity to be able to take the wheel of a world championship-winning Formula car, and it will be my first experience of F1," said Frijns. The 20-year-old will get 25 minutes of track time on the Friday of the meeting at Moscow Raceway (July 13-15) to get acclimatised to the car. He will then perform his demo run after the first race the following day.

DNF for Robin Frijns after impressive Monaco-debut

Robin Frijns was forced to retire the race in Monaco with a pneumatic pump problem. Team-mate Huertas made it to the podium but it was not such a straightforward race for Robin Frijns. The Dutchman, who arrived at the Monaco circuit as the championship leader, was extremely impressive throughout practice and qualifying, taking fifth place on the grid for the 45-minute race. After a faultless getaway, Frijns suffered slight damage to his front wing when Carlin racer Kevin Magnussen hit the wall at Ste Dévote but the Fortec racer continued, moving his way up to fourth place and showcasing stunning pace on his first ever visit to the principality. Robin was however left wondering what might have been after a pneumatic pump issue forced him to retire from the race on lap nine but he was nonetheless encouraged by his pace and performance and is now looking ahead to the next race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps in just a few days' time.

The next rounds of the World Series by Renault season take place at Spa-Francorchamps, June 2-3.

Robin Frijns took a dominant victory in the second Formula Renault 3.5 race of the World Series by Renault weekend at Motorland

 
Frijns qualified third for today’s race after a last-gasp effort in this morning’s qualifying session. Double pole-sitter Arthur Pic got away poorly, falling down the order, while Sam Bird found his way past Frijns at the start to take second place. The Fortec star was hot on the heels of second-placed Bird, executing a classy overtake on lap six to move up to second as he began to hunt down Marco Sorensen for the lead. An issue for the Lotus driver on lap ten saw Frijns inherit the lead as the crowd was denied what looked set to be a close battle between the pair. From then on, victory for the 20-year-old never looked in doubt; the Eurocup champion’s compulsory pitstop was faultless, and, once back on track, the Dutchman was in a league of his own, building an impressive gap over Sam Bird. Robin eventually crossed the line just under ten seconds clear of the Briton to take victory in only his second ever Formula Renault 3.5 race and the lead in the drivers’ standings.
 

Robin was delighted with his victory: “We had a lot of problems in yesterday’s qualifying session but the team did a great job to improve and the car was fantastic in yesterday’s race. Today, we didn’t have any issues with the car in qualifying – we put it together and got a strong result. I was running in second when Marco had a problem - I don’t know what the problem was but it was a shame as I think we would have had a good battle and once I was out in front it was quite easy for me. To win here in only my second race feels great – I’m really happy. Looking ahead to Monaco, I’m thinking of it as a learning procedure; I’ve never raced nor even watched a race there so if I get a top-five finish there I’ll be very happy.”

After two races, Robin Frijns leads the drivers’ championship with 37 points, twelve points clear of race one winner Nick Yelloly. The next race on the Formula Renault 3.5 calendar takes place in Monaco over the FIA Formula One weekend, May 26-27.

Frijns completes Fortec Formula Renault 3.5 line-up

Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup Champion Robin Frijns will join Fortec for the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 campaign, racing alongside Carlos Huertas and completing Fortec's team line-up.

Frijns has an outstanding proven racing pedigree; he enjoyed a fantastic season in 2011, taking five wins on his journey to title victory in a remarkably consistent season for the Dutchman, who finished in the top five for every race of his 2011 campaign. Robin eventually won the title by 45 points from Carlos Sainz Junior, proving that he has exactly what it takes to progress up the motorsport ladder.

The 20-year-old tested with the Fortec squad at Motorland in November, making the step up to the Formula Renault 3.5 car with relative ease, showcasing his unquestionable talent and meshing well with the Fortec team.

Formula Renault 3.5 Team Manager Jamie Dye is delighted to have Robin with the team for 2012, "Robin has always been one to watch - his consistency throughout the 2011 season was phenomenal and he's proven himself to be the complete package. We're absolutely delighted to have him with us for 2012 and he has shown that he thoroughly deserves a place in the Formula Renault 3.5 series. We're very much looking forward to working with Robin and we're confident that both he and Carlos will be strong contenders this season."

Renault Sport Sporting Manager Emmanuel Esnault also expressed his pleasure that Robin is moving up to Formula Renault 3.5 with Fortec : "We are all happy to see Robin joining Fortec Motorsport for his maiden season in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and we are proud to observe that the prize money of €500.000 offered to the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Winner allow him to make concrete the step forward in our unique stairway to F1. We wish him all the best."

The Formula Renault 3.5 season begins at Motorland, Aragon in Spain May 5-6.