Daniel Juncadella
The Double R Racing Team, established by the Formula 1 racer Kimi Raikkonen, recruits school and college graduates who go on to work for Formula 1 teams at Woking – a town located in the west of Surrey, UK – and is considered a major standout sporting success story. But this successful story is now being threatened and the team may be forced to leave town after its landlord refused to renew its lease.
Team principal Anthony Hieatt, cited by getsurrey.co.uk, said its possible departure “will deprive the area of employment and crucial local training opportunities for young mechanics”.
Many of the staff at the Goldsworth Park Trading Estate-based team pursue work for Formula 1 teams, and in particular McLaren, which is also based in Woking.
“We’re all surprised and very disappointed with the decision the landlord has made regarding the lease,” Mr Hieatt said.
“If we have to move elsewhere in the country, there is obviously a very high risk that some of our skilled professionals will lose their jobs with the team and it will bring an end to the apprenticeships and work experience the team provides locally too,” he continued.
The team was founded in 2004 by Mr Hieatt and Finland’s former Formula 1 World champion and current Ferrari Formula 1 racer Kimi Raikkonen. It has since won the Macau Grand Prix and the Formula 3 championship, proving a hub for startup racers such as Bruno Senna and Roberto Merhi before they went on to compete at the highest level.
The team has also a strong relationship with Macau and its Grand Prix as well as with local sponsors such as the Galaxy Entertainment Group.
Meanwhile, Mercedes DTM racer Daniel Juncadella is back to Formula 3 for the 2015 edition of the Macau GP. The Spaniard is set to return to Formula 3 over the coming weeks, looking for a second win in Macau since his first in 2011.
According to sources inside Fortec Motorsport’s team, the ex-Force India Formula 1 test driver who stepped into the DTM in 2013 will race in Macau this year with the Mercedes-powered squad, replacing the early advanced name of Pietro Fittipaldi from Brazil in Fortec’s line-up.
No concrete reasons were given for this replacement. However, Fortec’s Richard Dutton told Autosport that “Fittipaldi didn’t want to do it”, generating a large amount of enquiries, including from Juncadella. “The deal was done with Mercedes’ blessing,” assured Dutton. RM
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