The second of the 2021 Team Review articles, in which each team’s season is briefly assessed, along with comments from certain teams. This article features the teams from eleventh up to eighth in the championship. Arnello Milner & Ronson Autosport Drivers: Finn Schnyder, Max Meyer, Dmytro Kovalenko (Reserve) Standings: 11th Wins: 0 Poles: 0 Podiums: 0 Points: 15 Best Finish: 4th AMR came into 2021 having set a new, unenviable record of 52 races without a single point, and just one point from their last 62; a run that dated all the way back to mid-2017. Immediately, though, the AMR-FV-7 seemed much more competitive than its predecessors and Finn Schnyder finally ended the points drought at the team’s home race in Melbourne – where he crossed the line just in time with his engine on the brink of obliterating itself. Two more points finishes followed in the next three races, before a stunning drive from Max Meyer in Germany was rewarded with a fourth-place finish – something that would’ve been almost unthinkable for the team who racked up a staggering 45 DNQs over the previous two seasons. The combination of Schnyder, in his fourth season at AMR, and Lopez loanee Meyer proved very solid and the Australian team comfortably avoided the perils of Q1 with their points finishes in the first half of the year. The second half of the season was noticeably less dramatic, but the popular team never looked in danger of dropping back into Q1 and were always in the mix in the midfield battle. AMR are a team who have really been through the wringer since the heady highs of 2015-2017, with their multiple financial issues, change in ownership, struggles with engines, and huge performance headaches. But, finally, they seem to be over the worst of it and looking onwards and upwards to better days. Schnyder is the bookies favourite to remain with AMR for 2022, but the second seat is anyone’s guess. Raj Sharma will join on loan from Lopez to act as reserve driver but will be focusing on his final VWRS year instead of making the step up to Formula Virtual just yet. If Arnello and his team can secure a driver able of doing a similar job as Meyer this season, hopes will certainly be high for another step upwards. Team Principal Adrian Arnello on AMR’s 2021 and thoughts on 2022: “Yeah nah, definitely can't complain mate! We had some awesome results like Meyer's P4 and Schnyder's points scores, and that's leagues above anything we did the last few [sic], so here's to a great next year, and hopefully many reasons to clean out a few bottle-o's and inflict some healthy liver poisoning!" Finn Schnyder: “We made the most of what we had. Getting out of Q1 was huge, and scoring points was a wonderful feeling knowing how hard we've worked and how little we've had in hand the last couple of years. I've seen what's to come next season and I can't wait to see how it turns out!" Max Meyer: “I can't complain. Nearly getting a podium was the best thing to happen for sure. I think that's as high as we've scored for a long time. I think AMR will do well next season." Samsung Galaxy S Porsche UK Team Westwood Racing Technology Drivers: Tumo Kinnumen, Jules Barclay, Jochem van Snelheid (Reserve) Standings: 10th Wins: 0 Poles: 0 Podiums: 0 Points: 16 Best Finish: 6th (x2) After their relatively successful return to Formula Virtual in 2020, the Westwood team headed into their second season back with increased technical and financial backing from Porsche; becoming effectively a works team. Tumo Kinnumen returned home after three seasons away from the team in which he raced 69 times for, from 2014 to 2017, where he took the only two wins of his career to date. Joining him for 2021 was Jules Barclay; the 26-year-old Canadian who originally joined Westwood as their reserve the season before, but made the step up for 2021 having taken the VWRS title in 2020. With the return of Westwood’s prodigal son, alongside the VWRS champion, with additional backing from Porsche and coming off the back of their very solid 2020 campaign; expectations must’ve been slightly dented when the team failed to score a single point until Turkey – dropping into Q1 in the process. However, it was in Turkey that Barclay had his best race of the season and came home a superb sixth, lifting Westwood clear of any Q1 danger. Just two races later, in Italy, Kinnumen produced another sixth-place finish; scoring his first points for Westwood since Canada 2017. Other than the two sixth places, there were few highlights for the team based in Bolton. Kinnumen beat Barclay 8-6 in races where they both finished, as you’d expect, but it was apparent that neither driver could truly shine in a car that just didn’t quite live up to its predecessor. Overall, though, Lilly and the Westwood team will surely be retrospectively pleased with how 2021 panned out. Securing tenth place in the Constructors’ Championship was a very respectable achievement in a season which looked like a write off at the halfway point. Barclay being on the pace of Kinnumen most of the time is certainly another positive to take away, too. Looking ahead to next season, Westwood’s line up remains entirely to be confirmed, but it looks highly likely that both Kinnumen and Barclay will be retained. Other than Kinnumen, no driver has raced for the team in more than 22 consecutive races; that being Finn Schnyder in 2017 & the early stages of 2018. So, consistency in their full line up could set the British team up for a better year in 2022, with Barclay looking to kick on in his second season, and Kinnumen entering his tenth season in Formula Virtual – six of those with Westwood. Team Principal Lilly Westwood on Westwood’s 2021 and thoughts on 2022: “We got a lot of stuff wrong initially this season, which put us on the back foot for the rest of the year. But everyone has put their all into this season regardless of that, and I've never been more proud. For now we focus on building up to something bigger. There's something exciting waiting in the wings and I can’t wait to share it - but until pen hits paper that’s all I can say!” Tumo Kinnumen: “This season has had some ups and downs, for sure. We weren't where we expected or wanted to be, but we made excellent damage limitation to stay inside the top ten.” Jules Barclay: “It was a tricky first season, no doubt about that! But the guys at the factory and trackside worked their asses off all year long and it showed - Turkey was a personal highlight, I felt like I was having an out of body experience! But I've learned a lot from Tumo this year and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.” Royal Phoenix Motorsport Drivers: Sergio Alvarez, Thierry Xylander, Dominic Hanson (Reserve), James Thompson (Reserve) Standings: 9th Wins: 0 Poles: 1 Podiums: 0 Points: 31 Best Finish: 4th Things looked as promising as they’d ever been for Phoenix heading into the start of this season. Having been saved from the brink of liquidation by Lucas Wilson last winter, the financial situation of Phoenix was solidified further before the 2021 season when Royal Blondes joined as the title sponsor. Sergio Alvarez and Thierry Xylander both retained their seats to keep the team’s stable line up for a third consecutive season, however, this year proved to be a struggle for ‘The Worker Bees’. A pre-season cycling accident for Xylander ruled the Belgian out of the season opening Japanese V-Prix, and the calamitous stand-in of James Thompson – and subsequently Hanson after Thompson ended up in A&E after a night of drinking – set the tone for the first half of Phoenix’s season. Alvarez looked well off his usual pace from the outset, with some journalists speculating that the Argentinian was already looking ahead to his destination for 2022, but did eventually pick up seven points when the car improved. It was actually Xylander who stole the show, on multiple occasions. Strong points finishes in Melbourne and Jerez saved Phoenix from the perils of Q1, before an unbelievable pole position at the German V-Prix stunned the paddock. The Belgian ultimately retired from the race but he had done enough to show the world his capabilities, backed up further by a sublime drive to fourth in the following race, coming oh so close to his – and Phoenix’s – first ever podium in Formula Virtual. The season did tail off a little after Xylander’s heroics in Dubai, but ninth place is still a respectable finish for a team that has embedded itself as a clear midfield runner in the four seasons since joining in 2018. It is interesting that Phoenix seemingly hit a peak in 2019, under the part ownership of DS Automobiles, and have since experienced consecutive seasons with less points than the previous year. 2022 will be a big year for Phoenix. Both Alvarez and Xylander are departing the team for Lopez and Highwind respectively; with eVirtual driver Will Taylor making the switch to Formula Virtual where he’ll be joined by Porsche Mathershaw driver – and multiple race winner – Allar Kangur. The line up is an ambitious statement from the Mancunian team and they’ll surely be hoping for an upturn in results if they can provide Kangur and Taylor with a car capable of fighting for regular points. Team Principal Alex Easton on Phoenix’s 2021 and thoughts on 2022: “I’ll be honest, 2021 could’ve been much better for us in terms of our results across the season. It’s a strange one because we’ve had our worst season as a whole since joining Formula Virtual, but we’ve experienced incredible highs; like Thierry’s pole in Germany then his fourth place in the next race. Overall though, as ever, we’re just so grateful to be here competing with all these great teams and drivers, getting the best out of what we’ve got, and enjoying ourselves the entire time! As for next season, well, it’s incredibly exciting to be working with a driver of Allar’s calibre. Both him and Will are joining the team with multiple wins at the top level of Virtual Motorsport and I think that really shows a lot of ambition from Phoenix to sign two drivers like them – which, of course, is only possible because of Royal Blondes and Wilson Oils. We’re all buzzing to get going again!” Driver Coach Dominic Hanson: “I had a top time this year. I’ve said it before to you guys but to be able to say I’m one of 83 people to have ever raced in FV is amazing. It’s mad how so much has changed since I first joined the team in 2015, but at the same time nothing’s really changed and it’s still all the same faces around the place, I love it. Hopefully 2022 is another step in the right direction for the team, and I can’t wait to crack on with helping in any way I can.” Sergio Alvarez: “This year is, a big challenge for me. It is not enough, what I want of myself is so far from where I am this year but 2022 is the chance for me to be back to where I have to be. Emotion fills me as I leave the team I am with for four years now, I will miss all of the people in Phoenix. I thank them all with my whole heart as I move to my new team Lopez. Gracias chicos, los amo a todos, buena suerte.” Thierry Xylander: “This season felt like a huge step in my career. 2020 was just… so unbelievably unfortunate, and frustrating for me, then I broke my leg in pre-season and it just felt as if it was all happening again. I knew I had to pick myself up, work and study harder than ever to achieve what I wanted to achieve and finally the rewards started to come with some good points finishes and the pole in Germany. I’m so proud of that pole position because of the work I’d put in, and the data I’d looked at which allowed me to make the right decision on when to go out for my lap. Then, in Dubai, that race felt like a culmination of everything in my career before that point. The fact that I missed out on the podium was a shame, yeah, but I don’t get too emotional about maybe finishing third instead of fourth. Fourth place was an incredible reward for all the hard work. To be perfectly honest, I did expect to be lining up on the grid in 2022 in a car capable of winning races, but the way that the driver market has played out this year really worked against me in that sense. So, with everything now finalised, I am very much looking forward to my new challenge at Highwind, I think there are exciting times ahead.” Ingram V-Prix Drivers: James Vasquez, Jean Mattson, Oleksandr Zozulya (Reserve), Urmo Kruuda (Reserve)
Standings: 8th Wins: 0 Poles: 0 Podiums: 1 Points: 37 Best Finish: 3rd After a successful debut season with Jaguar in 2020, Ingram entered their second season with the British manufacturer with their famed consistency as strong as ever. The same line up – Mattson and Vasquez – for the fourth season in a row and Jaguar finding their feet in Formula Virtual looked set to maintain Ingram’s push towards the front of the grid. Unfortunately, due to a combination of factors, the team dropped back slightly. Jean Mattson had an unusually anonymous season, with 2021 becoming just the Frenchman’s second point-less season; along with 2017. The difference to 2017, though, was that Nikolai Milkovich – and Diego Campos – also struggled in 2017 and both failed to score a point, however, in 2021, James Vasquez brought home 37 points and a podium. Vasquez dragged the IGP Tawny to heights it should never have seen; the third place in Australia and fifth place in Mexico standing out as particularly impressive drives from the ever-impressive Colombian. Ultimately, the year was saved by Vasquez’s performances, Team Principal William Ingram would be the first to admit that. However, Formula Virtual is a team sport and it pays to have drivers capable of such outstanding quality when it matters. Vasquez, and Ingram, proved that in 2021. Next season, it’ll be much of the same for Ingram. Vasquez and Mattson have once again – for the fifth season – been retained as Ingram head into their third season with Jaguar power, where they will be joined by AMR; the Australian team making the switch from Ford. Nikolai Milkovich makes a welcome return to the team he spent five seasons at between 2014 and 2018, and will provide a huge boost to development behind the scenes. In an all important even numbered year, Ingram will be hoping to maintain their record of finishing fifth every other year (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022?). Team Principal William Ingram on Ingram’s 2021 and thoughts on 2022: “We hoped 2021 would prove a step forward but unfortunately it hasn’t worked out that way. The car wasn’t a good one and while we managed to unlock a bit more pace early on we quickly realised that the limitations of this car meant it wasn’t worth pursuing. Our ’22 car is a change of direction so hopefully it will be a stronger year next season. Ultimately though, thanks to various bits of brilliance from our drivers, we still created some great memories. James took a fine and completely unexpected podium and Jean won back to back Virtual 24hrs through our partnership with Campos Motorsport.”
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