Phillippe Nicolas
Phillippe Nicolas (Born 11th April 1990 in Marseilles, France) is a French racing driver most famous for his time in the Formula 1 Rejects World Race Series driving for Melrose Racing Team which is run by Former Formula One World Champion Daniel Melrose.
F1RWRS Career
2012-Present - Melrose Racing Team
Nicolas was initially signed on as MRT's test and development driver in the F1RWRS and was touted as a possible replacement for outgoing MRT driver Jeroen Krautmeir before the team signed on 2011 champion Nathanael Spencer. Nicolas got his debut at the season ending Budweiser 500, deputising for the injured team boss Melrose. Whilst he got involved in a mid-race pileup, the Frenchman was consistent around the Brickyard and ended up finishing 18th on the road but 5 laps down.
2013 was Nicolas' first full season for the team, replacing Melrose on a full time basis as he joined the ArrowTech ART outfit. Whilst the MRT M4 was a fundamentally good chassis, the all new BMW powerplant that went with it proved to be a disaster and Nicolas only scored 2 points all year from a pair of 6th places at Bathurst, where MRT scored 3 of their 4 points of the year, and Monaco where the MRT was genuinely competitive. While he may have ultimately been beaten by teammate Nathanael Spencer, another new MRT driver, he was often fairly close to the former F1RWRS champion and received praise as a result. Nicolas was rested for the United States Grand Prix when he made way for the money from Spanish-American debutant Vidal Reyna-Sanchez came knocking on the door of MRT.
Nicolas stayed on for a third season at the team for 2014 alongside Spencer while MRT gave both drivers a much better car than the previous season. So good in fact that it turned out to be the best car in the field and Nicolas found a new level in his driving to consistently take his highly rated teammate to the cleaners. Whilst he qualified behind Spencer in Adelaide for the Tasman Grand Prix, Nicolas picked up the pieces when Spencer's engine expired, giving the Frenchman his first race victory. This didn't last however as multiple engine failures from the new BMW powerplant meant that Nicolas didn't finish any of the next 4 races, losing vital ground to leader Mark Dagnall and teammate Spencer, who had found his feet again and taken home 2 more victories for MRT.
Complete F1RWRS Results
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Qantas Melrose Racing Team | BAV | SAX | GER | LUX | BEL | NED | GBR | KEN | ENG | TAS | SUR | NSW | AUS | CHN | USA | 500 18 |
27th | 0 |
| 2013 | Qantas Melrose Racing Team | TAS Ret |
AUS 6 |
MEX 10 |
USA | MON 6 |
FRA Ret |
GBR Ret |
GER Ret |
NED DNQ |
BEL DNQ |
POR Ret |
MED DNQ |
MAC DNQ |
CHN DNQ |
JPN 16 |
BRA DNQ |
=24th | 2 |
| 2014 | Virgin Melrose Racing Team | TAS 1 |
AUS Ret |
BRA Ret |
MEX Ret |
USA Ret |
MON | FRA Ret |
GBR Ret |
GER 1 |
BEL Ret |
ITA 1 |
MED Ret |
NED 1 |
MAC 2 |
CHN Ret |
JPN Ret |
2nd | 46 |
| 2015 | Virgin Melrose Racing Team | TAS Ret |
AUS Ret |
MED 2 |
MON Ret |
GBR | GER | BEL | AUT | ITA | NED | CHN | JPN | BRA | =6th* | 6* | |||
| Kingfisher Racing | MEX DNQ |
USA | CAN |