GP4 2010 Offline Championship

Drivers' Champion : Florian Völker

The 2010 GP4 Offline Championship was the fifth official season of the championship. It was contested on Grand Prix 4 using the F1 2010 mod. The series was hosted by Jyri Määttä a.k.a jyrr123. The championship was won by Florian Völker becoming the first German to win the title.

## Signed Teams and Drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 2010 Grand Prix 4 Offline Championship.

* Rens Jans was originally Red Bull's reserve driver, but after a 3rd warning by Jyri Määttä, he was removed from the GP4 OC. He was signed by Mercedes as reserve driver a few days later after things were sorted out.
* Xavier Quinlan has signed for Virgin Cosworth until the end of the season as reserve/test driver.
* Franco Lopez has signed for Force India Mercedes as a reserve/test driver until the end of the season

## Pre-Season Testing Results

 8th February 2017
 9th February 2017
 10th February 2017

## Season Calendar

1. ↑ The German GP will be held at the Hockenheimring in 2010. Both German circuits share the right to host an Grand Prix 4 OC race, the German GP took place at the Nürburgring in 2009.
2. ↑ The Korean GP has been added to the GP4 OC 2010 Calendar. The race will be held at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam.

### Pre season topics

2010 in the actual F1 championship was a year of tremendous upheval on and off track, and the OC was no different. Having 3 new teams was slightly compromised by the fact that the OC has to have 22 cars, minimum and maximum. In addition to this, Lotus under that rule had already competed in the previous season, albeit failing to score, becoming the only team ever, before or since not to score points apart from Toro Rosso in 2007. The 22 car rule also excluded HRT from the grid after they lost the vote to Virgin. Refuelling was also banned in 2010 but as you can't take it out of the game and it adds so much to the spectacle, it stayed Anyway, enough about regulations, let's talk about the runners and riders. Brawn GP had won the previous WDC and WCC comfortably but pulled out, to be replaced by uber-team Mercedes. Mercedes set a target of 2014 to win titles but until then they will be just another upper-midfield team. They will retain Alex Southgate, who missed his big break last year when a lack of consistency caused him to lose the championship to Miklós Gál. He is joined by the redoubtable German, Felix Sonntag. Sonntag has enjoyed a successful career, driving for the likes of McLaren and Ferrari. despite some people's mutterings that he is past his best, he rounded 2009 off with a fantastic victory in the rain at Interlagos, and gave the most successful OC driver so far, Joseph Willows, a fright. So, who are actually the favourites then? Well, for the next 3 seasons, Red Bull Racing, McLaren and Ferrari will have that honour. Florian Völker, however is the mooted new super-talent. He offered a stern challenge to the mighty Brawns last year, with impressive victories in Monaco and Hungary, and should have had another in Turkey. However, there are still chinks in his armour to be exploited, and that is where the 5 other main threats come in. James Willows( brother of Joe) won handsomely at Silverstone and Suzuka, two of the last real drivers tracks on the calendar. He has been in the Red Bull team since 2008 and knows more than anyone how it works. Down at Maranello, they are still wondering they let 3 possible titles slip through their fingers in 06, 07 and 08. This year, like Red Bull, they are keeping some much needed stability after tumultuous years with Sonntag and Bruno Junqueira. Ferrari stalwart and perennial 'unlucky man' of the OC- Will Neller. Hungry for a title, he shouldn't be making the errors that his younger, more inexperienced rivals will. He is joined by the talented Belgian Wais Kuba. Since being picked up has a prodigy after a successful year with Renault in 2008, he had a challenging 2009. In a difficult car in a season punctuated with crashes, he was dominating Valencia when he threw it in the wall. He is no longer one of the young rookies and needs to show it. Finally, at regular champs McLaren, they have possibly the most exciting driver line up ever. The previous two champions. The two Mr Consistency's. Joseph Willows and Miklós Gál. Willows and Neller's battles for championships are the stuff of legend. And with new recruit Gál set to add impetus, McLaren are certainly gunning for an extraordinary fourth title in five years- when in actual F1 they only won 1 of those titles. Elsewhere, there is plenty of other interest. Renault are looking to threaten Mercedes for 4th in the Constructors championship, and with proven race winner Jay McKenzie and underrated Irishman Evan Byrne they have the tools to do just that. Meanwhile, the midfield scrap, looks set to become just as entertaining, with Force India, Sauber and Williams and occasionally Toro Rosso all duelling. Force India are fresh from an inconsistent 2009 campaign, in which they experienced the highs of winning at Spa and taking 2nd and 3rd on the grid in Italy to having many more mediocre, at times even back marking performances. This year, though, with retained bad luck lackey Roland Mótyán and race winner and BMW refugee George Roke, they should be more consistent. Speaking of BMW refugees, however, does lead us onto Sauber, picking up the rubble from the financial crisis induced exit. With Viggo Holst and Finlay Strachan both joining after being dumped by the social climbers at Renault, they should be ready for the mid-grid war. As indeed, so should the great British war horses at Williams. After a quite frankly dreadfully disappointing 2009 even by recent Williams standards, they need to regain some dignity back by claiming that all important 6th place in the WCC. They should really have the pace to do so. Their driver line up consists of the architect of that incredible Spa 09 Force India win, Sam Thompson, and solid returnee Adam Wolf. Meanwhile, Red Bulls breeding ground, Toro Rosso need a miracle to rise above 9th and a horrendous disaster for them to finish 10th. After a disappointing 2009 which only yielded 1 point, courtesy of the slightly maniacal car wrecker Victor Ibobo( who has now disappeared to the new DTM series This year, they have promising Romanian Robert Ionescu, who debuted well at Canada last year in an uncooperative Renault (before being barged off by Jo.Willows) and young British hopeful Armar Cah, who drove for the 2nd half of last year. Finally, there are last years rear enders Lotus, who have retained the at times overly aggressive Michael Mocho and GP2 talent Romain Quag, and Toyota replacement Virgin, who are the slowest team on the grid. However, they have pulled off a coup by luring former Renault race winner Kellin Bryce back to the sport. It remains to be seen how he will do after a 2 full seasons away against last year Lotus driver Jordan Mathurin. However, this season is really all about the delicious prospect of a Völker, Neller and Willows duel- and the small prospect of their 'co-operative' teammates. Roll on 2010!

### Bahrain

Germany aside, Joseph Willows had endured a 2009 unlike anything he had experienced. An uncooperative McLaren, yes but not vastly more uncooperative than his 2006 machine, and look where that had taken him! But Willows, being Joseph Willows, wasnt going to just disappear. And yet the sheer outrageousness of his pole was quite remarkable. Half a second, no less! For a bloke who isnt regarded as one of the greatest qualifiers, this was magnificient. Völker would line up alongside, as expected given how quick his Red Bull was, although his teammates struggles in 8th hinted at something more than just the car...Neller stunning start. Völker cautious but just avoids losing P2 to Neller before passing Willows for the lead at the following corner. Mathurin up to P14 Southgate collapse Jo willows falls apart behind Kuba on lap 2 for 4th, Strachan Renaults Thompson collide Völker 4s clear after lap 1 alone Renault pit lane accident Byrne out Ja Willows Holst contact Mótyán takes advantage until engine blow out on lap 3 when 6th, Ja Willows suffers same fate on lap 6 when P10. Ionescu 14th to 8th. Vol Gál Nel Kub Owi Soin Hol Ion Awi Sou on lap 3. Mathurin P12 before contact with Wolf moves Quag into P12. Vol 8.2 secs clear by beginning of lap 6. Holst failed overtaking attempt on Owi for P6 on lap 7 drops him behind Ion. Cah charge Southagte passed by Quag and battles Mathin for 11th. Völker 16s clear of Gál on lap 12. Southgate and Wolf collide launching Williams into air and Southgate spins, but somehow both avoid damage. Mckenzie crashes out after locking up while battling Southgate,braking hugely early and causing Quag to pile-drive the back of him. Völker pits lap 14 rejoins 6s behind Gál. Ionescu pits lap 17 and almsost collides with southgate and Roke battling while rejoining. Gál pits and passes Kuba for P2 on lap 19 as Neller simultaneously pits rejoins 5th. Willows wide on lap 21. Holst up to 6th Willows even passed by Ionescu then Roke for 8th. Völker now 23s clear of Gál lead cut suddenly to 18s. Ionescu pits again on lap 31 triggering stops rejoins 10th Gál pits same lap rejoins safe P2 Neller pits lap 37 rejoins 4th Völker rejoins well behind Gál on lap 38. Völker brilliantly catches Gál on lap 43 passes in T1. Behind the two dominant figures, the Ferraris trailed home 3rd and 4th, although not without controversy. Kuba had looked like an obedient number two for Neller in the early stages- however he had a one stop strategy up his sleeve. Having already pitted, Neller came up against the hitherto quick but erratic Belgian at turn 19. However, belieng the two very different characters, it was Neller who gave into impatience and spun himself off into Kuba. Despite having a clearly large speed advantage on his more aggressive strategy and passing him properly eight laps later, that mistake would come back to bite him when he finished 4s behind. Sonntag had a strangely quiet race, although anything better than 5th would have been a brilliant result- nonetheless, he was concerned but not wholly surprised to be almost lapped. Meanwhile, the midfield scrap was won brilliantly by Holst after an engaging early scrap with the two Toro Rossos, who had taken advantage of Force India and Williams's individual disasters. However, it was not inconceivable that the impressive Cah may have defeated Holst had it not been for a doomed overtaking attempt and the doomed turn 19 by the doomed Willows, who eventually trailed in 8th. He even almost suffered the igominy of finishing out of the points on merit, were it not for the passive defending of Ionescu ( although his charge from 14th to 8th in the early laps had raised some eyebrows, not least at Big Brother Team) who earlier survived a hairy moment coming out of the pits when he rejoined straight into the path of the duelling Southgate and Roke. Roke ended up 10th, outpaced by the unforntunate Mótyán throughout. Strachans error strewn race ended with 11th, with Bryce, Quag Wolf and Mocho completeing the finishers.Thompson dropped out from 15th with transmission trouble towards the end, not that it really mattered, given that he had vanished from the action after lap 1 repairs and a spin almost immediately afterwards. Mathurins enjoyable early cameo came to nothing when he suffered an electrical shutdown and the unfortuante Bryce piledrived into his teammate. And Southgate? Reeling from his title defeat of the previous year, passed by the Virgins and Quag, locked up and caused McKenzie to crash out, got passed by seemingly everybody and crashed on the last lap while chasing Quag. And he now he headed to Malaysia, scene of his stunning triumph the previous year. However, some minds were focused purely on the future...

## Results

1. ↑ Wais Kuba was supposed to start on pole position at Spain, but due to a grid penalty, he was demoted to 11th, promoting Neller to the pole position.

## Drivers Championship

Points are awarded to the top eight classified finishers using the following structure:

* *Italic*means the drivers who sets the fastest lap in the race.
* **Bold**means the drivers who took pole position in the race.

* George Roke originally finished 12th in China, but due to an avoidable collision with Will Neller, George suffered a 25 second penalty and was demoted to 14th.