THIS WEEK IN THE MARKET #4

With the final round of the season just around the corner, it is time for us to review the market events since the previous edition of the feature some six weeks ago.

The most significant events were the announcements that both Salty Singapore F1 and RWB Racing would return to the championship for Season 15. SSF1, four-time constructors’ champions, will race with Honda engines upon their return for the first time, having previously been supplied by Renault, Mercedes and Ferrari. Two-time constructors’ champions RWB, meanwhile, have partnered with Sunoco Race Fuels and Haas Automation to form Sunoco-Haas RWB Racing. There was much speculation about the potential driver lineups for these two returning giants, however, in RWB’s case at least, this matter was settled fairly quickly with the announcement that their cars would be piloted by American rookie Colton Herta and Season 12 champion Jose Maria Lopez. For SSF1, on the other hand, the situation proved trickier, with several big names rejecting the Singaporean outfit’s advances, including Jacob Davies and five-time series champion Fernando Alonso. Nonetheless, little over a week ago, it was confirmed that young German superstar Lukas Fischer, who previously raced for SSF1 in Season 12, and Season 5 champion Marcin Stepien would drive the white-and-red-liveried machines in Season 15. The announcement of Stepien took many in the paddock by surprise, with the Pole now set to make his second comeback after an ill-fated return with the Renault squad during Season 10.

Meanwhile, among the previously confirmed entries, there was the shock announcement that Justin Labonte would be leaving 5395racing at the end of Season 14, with the American to be replaced by countryman Kaz Grala, a fast but as yet unproven talent. Grala will pilot the #05 car in Season 15, partnering current points leader Boris Said in the 5395 stable. In a similar move, the outgoing constructors’ champions Woldi Tm confirmed that, at the age of 43, two-time iGP winner Radoslaw Borowiec would retire at the end of the season, with young Polish driver Natalia Kowalska to be promoted to replace him. However, in a surprise turn of events, Borowiec was sacked ahead of the Italian iGP having failed to score in the previous three races, with Kowalska filling in with immediate effect. It remains to be seen whether Borowiec will drive in the series again.
 

Elsewhere, after two seasons at Enstone, it was confirmed that Serdar Aslan would leave Renault after an underwhelming second half of the campaign, with his seat to be taken by Thomas Li, the Canadian driver making the shock decision to quit Subaru, the team for which he has raced for the past seven seasons. It was later announced that Aslan would, in fact, replace Li at the Japanese manufacturer, with the Turk and 16-time iGP winner Louis Dupont set to form a formidable duo. Further down the grid, both Andretti and Jaguar confirmed that they would retain their drivers, Rossi and Lessard and Bilic and Locatelli respectively. Meanwhile, Jacques Tambay is set to return to the paddock in Season 15 as the Audi reserve driver after an announcement last week by the German marque. Unfortunately, the seasonal musical chairs resulted in several drivers missing out on seats, notably Luke Robinson, who will leave his role as Renault reserve driver at the end of Season 14, eight-time iGP winner Olivier Panis and three-time iGP winner Callum Williams, while two-time drivers’ champion David Faustin will not make a sensational return despite persistent rumours linking him to several seats on the grid.

Since the previous edition of This Week in the Market, the AIF also announced a provisional calendar for Season 15. The season is set to begin in Melbourne, Australia once again on 23 October, followed by a cross-Pacific trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil, with Round 3 taking place on the streets of Baku, Azerbaijan. Sepang and Barcelona have lost their places on the calendar, with these two races set to be replaced by Turkey, China and the United States to form a 17-race schedule. The returning American race is due to close the season on 12 February, although it has been suggested that this date could be pushed back as a result of a managers’ vote not to race on either 25 December or 1 January. It remains to be seen whether these races will be rescheduled or whether a three-week mid-season break is in store.

​With all bar one seat, the second Renault seat, confirmed for Season 15, the craziest silly season yet has drawn to a close, although there will undoubtedly be more surprises before the lights go out in Melbourne next Sunday.