2011 Superleague Formula season

The 2011 Superleague Formula season was the fourth and final season Superleague Formula championship. The series reverted to being known simply as "Superleague Formula", with 2009's two-year sponsorship deal with Sonangol also having expired.[1] The first race of the season was held on 5 June at Assen and was due to finish at a venue in New Zealand after 8 race weekends.

After three seasons in which the cars were run in club team colours, the 2011 season saw drivers competing in the colours of their nation,[2] with countries adorning team names as had been set out by Team China in 2010, thus beginning a severing of the strong links the series had attempted to make by linking each team entry with a football club. As many as eight of the announced fourteen entries no longer had links with football teams.

The season ended after just two of the scheduled rounds after a number of complications, which saw tracks not being ready in time for the series,[3] and disagreements with race organisers.[4]

Teams and drivers

  • All teams competed on Michelin tyres for the fourth season in a row.[5]
EntrantRace teamNo.Race driver(s)Rounds
Belgium – R.S.C. Anderlecht[6] Azerti Motorsport1 Neel Jani[7]All
Netherlands – PSV Eindhoven[8]2 Yelmer Buurman[9]All
France – Girondins de Bordeaux[10]3 Tristan Gommendy[11]All
Czech Republic – AC Sparta Prague[12] Atech Reid Grand Prix[13][14]4 Filip Salaquarda[15]All
Luxembourg[2]5 Frédéric Vervisch[2]All
New Zealand[12]6 Earl Bamber[11]1
Chris van der Drift[16]2
Japan[11]7 Duncan Tappy[11]1
Robert Doornbos[9][17]2
Netherlands[9]81
Russia[18]17 Mikhail Aleshin[18]2
Spain – Atlético de Madrid[11] EmiliodeVillota Motorsport[11]9 María de Villota[11]1
Andy Soucek[11][19]2
Turkey – Galatasaray S.K.[11]101
Duncan Tappy[19]2
China[12]11 Ho-Pin Tung[11]1
South Korea[12]19 Max Wissel[20]2
Brazil[11] Alan Docking Racing[21]14 Antônio Pizzonia[22]All
Australia[2]24 John Martin[21]All
England[2]31 Craig Dolby[21]All

Driver changes

Entering/Re-Entering Superleague Formula

Leaving Superleague Formula

Mid-season changes

2011 Schedule

  • Superleague Formula announced its full 2011 calendar on May 2, which saw the championship embark on a "Nations Cup", with races on four different continents this season in 8 rounds. For the first time, races were scheduled to be held in Russia, Brazil (two races), the Middle East and New Zealand.[33] The Russian round, due to be held at the newly built Smolensk Ring, was later cancelled.[34] The Middle East round was later replaced by a round in South Korea and a second round in China was added to replace the Russian round.[citation needed] The two rounds in Brazil were cancelled after apparent issues with the track in Goiânia.[3] The series finale in New Zealand was later cancelled. The "Nations Cup" branding also had to be abandoned due to issues with naming rights which the series was still looking to resolve.[35]
  • With the announcement of the calendar, it was confirmed that each round was known as a 'Grand Prix'.[33]
  • The SF World Feed commentators at Zolder were Andrew Coley and Earl Bamber.

Race calendar and results

RoundGrand PrixDatePole PositionFastest LapWinning ClubWinning TeamWeekend WinnerReport
1R1 GP Assen – Holland4–5 June France – GDB France – GDB Netherlands – PSV Azerti Motorsport EnglandReport
R2 Czech Republic – SPR Japan Atech Reid Grand Prix
2R1 GP Zolder – Belgium16–17 July England New Zealand England Alan Docking Racing LuxembourgReport
R2 Australia Australia Alan Docking Racing

Cancelled races

Grand PrixDate
GP Russia[34]3–4 September
GP Goiânia – Brazil[3]8–9 October
TBC[3]15–16 October
GP Beijing – China[4]29–30 October
GP Shanghai – China[4]5–6 November
GP Seoul – South Korea[4]12–13 November
TBC[36]10–11 December

Test calendar and results

  • There was a two-day pre-season test session at Spain's Circuito Monteblanco on 9–10 December 2010.[37]
  • The Circuito de Navarra in Spain was due to host a two-day test on 30–31 August 2011.[38] However, the scheduled event was cancelled, without an explanatory announcement.[39]

Championship standings

PosEntrantDriversASS
ZOL
Pts
R1R2SR1R2S
1 Australia John Martin624712158
2 Japan Duncan Tappy716136
Robert Doornbos576
3 Luxembourg Frédéric Vervisch313DN341134
4 Netherlands – PSV Eindhoven Yelmer Buurman1103667130
5 Belgium – RSC Anderlecht Neel Jani497293125
6 England Craig Dolby281113X124
7 New Zealand Earl Bamber95X113
Chris van der Drift485
8 Brazil Antônio Pizzonia832912X102
9 Czech Republic – AC Sparta Praha Filip Salaquarda5651210X95
10 Turkey – Galatasaray SK Andy Soucek137X88
Duncan Tappy105X
11 South Korea Max Wissel82471
12 Russia Mikhail Aleshin113856
13 France – Girondins de Bordeaux Tristan Gommendy144X1411X52
14 China Ho-Pin Tung1011X34
15 Spain – Atlético de Madrid María de Villota1212X28
Andy Soucek1314X
16 Netherlands Robert Doornbos11DNX16
PosEntrantDriversR1R2SR1R2SPts
ASS
ZOL
ColourResult
GoldWinner
Silver2nd place
Bronze3rd place
GreenFinished
PurpleDid not finish
RedDid not qualify (X)
BlackDisqualified (DQ)
WhiteDid not start (DN)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankExcluded (EX)
Withdrew (WD)
BoldPole position
ItalicsFastest lap

NOTE – R2 starts
with reverse grid
S = Super Final

Race 1 and 2 points
Position1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22ndDNFDNS
Points50454036322926232018161412108765432100
Super Final points
Position1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8thDNQDNS
Points6543210000
  • New for 2011 was the alteration that the top 8 points-scorers from the weekend would compete in the Super Final, in contrast to 2010 where only the top 6 would qualify.[2]

References