Phoenix

Page last edited 3 days ago
From F1 Fanatic Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png Phoenix-Downton
Phoenix Logo.png
Full name Phoenix Motorsport
Base Middleton, Greater
Manchester, United Kingdom
Team
principal(s)
Alex Easton
Chief Technical
Officer
Gary Haythornthwaite
Technical
director
Andy Davies
Founder(s) Alex Easton
Christian Sear
Website TBC
2024 Formula Virtual World Championship
Race drivers 41. 23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png Will Taylor
42. 23px-Flag of Estonia.svg-1-.png Ott Eskola
Reserve driver(s) 43. 23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png James Thompson
43. 23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png Chloe King
Youth driver(s) 23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png Barney Hoskins
23px-Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg-1-.png Zayna Radif
23px-Flag of Seychelles.svg-1-.png Theo Marengo
Chassis PX7
Engine Downton MCL-2024
Tyres Goodyear
Formula Virtual World Championship career
First entry 2018 Australian V-Prix
Latest entry 2024 Australian V-Prix
Races Entered 100 (200 starts)
Constructors'
Championships
0
Drivers'
Championships
0
Race Victories 0
Podiums 6
Career points 497
Pole positions 2
Fastest laps 2
2023 position 6th (129 points)

This article is about the team competing in Formula Virtual. For the team that previously competed outside of Formula Virtual please see Phoenix Motorsport.

Phoenix Motorsport is a British Formula Virtual team based in Greater Manchester, England. The team was founded by Alex Easton and Christian Sear, and is part owned by the pair along with Lucas Wilson.

Origins

Phoenix Motorsport was originally formed in December 2014 by Alex Easton and Christian Sear with the goal of helping young British drivers get their chance to prove themselves in Virtual Motorsport, the team providing a pathway to Formula Virtual.

Easton and Sear established the team in late 2014, setting up the team's base in Manchester, United Kingdom. The team built their base just behind the Vitafoam factory just off Don Street in Middleton, Greater Manchester, on the area previously occupied by the old Rex Mill which burned down in August 2000.

2015 was Phoenix's first season competing in Virtual Motorsport, entering the FV2 series before expanding into FV3 the following year. Phoenix operated in both FV2 and FV3 until 2018, when they gained entry to the top tier of Virtual Motorsport; Formula Virtual.

Ownership

Initially, Phoenix was part-owned by Easton and Sear following the pair founding the team in 2014. This continued throughout the team's time in the junior series and their first year in Formula Virtual, before DS Automobiles purchased a stake in the team in late 2018.

DS Automobiles

In late 2018, it was announced that DS Automobiles had purchased a 30% stake in Phoenix as part of a deal which saw the Mancunian team become a full DS works team for the 2019 season. As well as the deal with DS Automobiles, Phoenix also signed a title sponsorship deal with Ecotricity and so, for 2019, the official team name became Ecotricity DS Automobiles Team Phoenix.

The partnership was prematurely ended after just one highly successful season after DS Mathershaw switched to Porsche power for 2020, then DS Automobiles pulled out of Formula Virtual altogether; leaving Phoenix in a dire situation. DS Automobiles' stake in the team was sold back to Easton and Sear, but heavy debts were mounting.

Lucas Wilson

Following the departure of DS Automobiles - along with all the sponsors associated with them - Phoenix were left in a financial disaster, with the team entering administration in November 2019. Phoenix were reportedly days away from closing their doors for good before, in mid-December, investment from Lucas V-Prix owner and Team Principal Lucas Wilson saved the team.

Wilson, who owns the multi billion pound oil company Wilson Oils, purchased a 35% stake in Phoenix Motorsport as part of a deal which saw the two Downton powered teams enter a technical partnership in an effort to aid Lucas and Phoenix in their respective battles. Phoenix also made the switch from TotalEnergies fuel to Wilson Oils EcoPlus.

Phoenix's name reverted back to Phoenix Motorsport, however a title sponsorship agreement with energy drinks company XXX Energy saw the official team name for 2020 become XXX Energy Phoenix Motorsport.

Team logo and identity

Racing history - Formula Virtual

Judd engines (2018)

2018 season

DS Automobiles engines (2019)

2019 season

Downton engines (2020-present)

2020 season

2021 season

2022 season

2023 season

2024 season

Other Virtual Motorsport

Phoenix Driver Academy

Main article: The Hive

Like most Formula Virtual teams, Phoenix operates its own Young Driver Academy. Affectionately dubbed 'The Hive', Phoenix officially formed the Academy in 2018 after they made their Formula Virtual debut.

The current members of The Hive are: Barney Hoskins, Zayna Radif, and Theo Marengo.

Complete Formula Virtual results

(results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Chassis Engine Tyres No. Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Points WCC
2018 PX1 Judd
FV-18
G AUS JPN CHN MAL GBR FRA ESP AUT GER SVK CAN USA BHR TUR BEL ITA MEX BRA 19 7th
41 23px-Flag of Portugal.svg-1-.png Carson Davenport 14 19 23 Ret 14 10 12 11 Ret 11 11 19 Ret 8 11 Ret 9 17
42 23px-Flag of Argentina.svg-1-.png Sergio Álvarez Ret 18 18 91 12 11 13 13 10 8 12 14 10 Ret Ret 11 8 12
2019 PX2 DS
Automobiles
FV10-19
G AUS JPN CHN MAL GBR FRA ESP CAN USA AUT GER BHR TUR ITA BEL MEX BRA 49 7th
41 23px-Flag of Argentina.svg-1-.png Sergio Álvarez Ret 15 Ret 7 13 13 7 21 9 8 Ret 6 Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret
42 23px-Flag of Belgium (civil).svg-1-.png Thierry Xylander 19 23 15 9 22 21 11 10 8 11 9 10 10 8 11 12 11
2020 PX3 Downton
MCL-2020
G JPN MAL AUS RSA GBR FRA ESP GER USA CAN BHR TUR BEL ITA MEX BRA 37 9th
41 23px-Flag of Argentina.svg-1-.png Sergio Álvarez 8 13 15 15 15 Ret 13 8 5 7 8 Ret 8 Ret 13 9
42 23px-Flag of Belgium (civil).svg-1-.png Thierry Xylander 11 Ret 16 14 Ret Ret 19 15 Ret 10 11 13 Ret 9 17
23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png James Thompson 22
2021 PX4 Downton
MCL-2021
G JPN MAL AUS RSA GBR FRA ESP GER UAE TUR BEL ITA CAN USA MEX BRA 31 9th
41 23px-Flag of Argentina.svg-1-.png Sergio Álvarez 14 17 12 19 19 19 13 9 8 13 Ret 10 13 17 11
23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png Dominic Hanson 21
42 26
23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png James Thompson WD
23px-Flag of Belgium (civil).svg-1-.png Thierry Xylander 16 7 13 21 13 8 Ret 4 17 19 11 12 9 20 25
2022 PX5 Downton
MCL-2022
G JPN AUS MAL RSA FRA GBR GER CZE TUR UAE BEL ITA CAN USA BRA MEX 214 3rd
41 23px-Flag of Estonia.svg-1-.png Allar Kangur 9 Ret Ret 6 5 5 3 2 5 5 9 19 8 5 5 8
42 23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png Will Taylor 8 Ret 2 5 6 26 10 3 3 15 4 Ret 4 7 Ret
23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png James Thompson 17
2023 PX6 Downton
MCL-2023
G AUS MAL JPN RSA UAE FRA GBR GER BEL ITA TUR CAN USA MEX ARG BRA 129 6th
41 23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png Will Taylor 7 Ret 10 6 6 5 6 10 18 12 8 4 9 13 Ret 21
42 23px-Flag of Estonia.svg-1-.png Ott Eskola 8 14 Ret 3 5 9 16 6 8 11 5 5 11 7 Ret Ret
2024 PX7 Downton
MCL-2024
G AUS MAL SIN FRA JPN GBR GER NED BEL ITA KWT CAN USA MEX ARG BRA 18* 3rd*
41 23px-Flag of the United Kingdom.svg-1-.png Will Taylor 4
42 23px-Flag of Estonia.svg-1-.png Ott Eskola 7

* Season in progress.

1 Sergio Álvarez completed more than 90% of the race distance of the Malaysian V-Prix and so was credited as classified in ninth and was awarded the two points that accompanied this position.