Rodin Motorsport 2024 Review: A successful campaign that ends with a victory

Manager Sam Waple believes Rodin Motorsport’s 2024 season has been successful as he praised each member of the team for their contributions to helping them progress through the campaign.

They made a stuttering start to the year after going without scoring points and sitting at the bottom of the Standings for the first three rounds of the season.

However, they scored points in both Monte Carlo races through Joseph Loake before also scoring in six of the last eight races to finish eighth in the Championship with 85 points.

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“In general, I think we should be pleased with how the year has gone,” said Waple. “Obviously, it's our first year as Rodin Motorsport and it's basically got better as the year has gone on.

“We had a couple of fast rookies who took a bit of time to get use to the series and the car and through the year, I think we did a good job of moving it on and actually finding our feet with how this car worked and really how this year's tyres were operating.

“So, I think the combination of the guys getting more mileage and feeling more comfortable with what we are doing and how we approached the weekend, and I think the pace improved as the year went on and that’s reflected in the results. As a whole, I think we can put it down as a successful year.”

Waple did admit he was slightly disappointed to be pipped to seventh by Van Amersfoort Racing at the final round in Monza, but given the competitiveness of Formula 3, he was happy with their points total.

So, how did they go about achieving those points after a slow start? Well, Waple says a change in approach played a big part in their turnaround.

“I think that we did have some good pace in the car early on in the year, but it was never really materialising into good results,” he explained. “I think we sort of changed our approach to a weekend, we started to go a lot more aggressive with how we used the tyres in Free Practice.

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“Then we were on the front foot for Qualifying, ultimately working through the whole weekend. Previously we might have gone a bit safe in FP and Quali to try and use more of our tyres and try and get our drivers better prepared for Saturday and Sunday.

“But we were hindering ourselves with tyre usage through the weekend. Our approach to the weekend in that aspect has improved, and it meant that we carried the results through to Sunday as well.

“But I think it just ended up being a little bit of everything really. I think we've got a great team and there were no silly mistakes from top to bottom. We basically had a better understanding, and each team member including the drivers were better prepared.”

Such was the step in performance that Waple says Rodin were not satisfied just to be battling in the top 10 at both Monza races.

What has been satisfying though is the performance of Callum Voisin, who scored 67 of their 85 points this season. The Briton also won the Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race from Pole Position and Waple was full of praise with his contribution in 2024.

That victory was Rodin’s first in Formula 3, a statistic Waple called “remarkable”. He also labelled it as his and every team member’s “standout moment” of the season.

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“I think Callum is a complete pro,” lauded Waple. “He has been with the team for two years previously in GB3 and even before that was getting testing mileage in F4, so he has been with the team a long time, so we know him very well which is great.

“He conducts himself around the office and the circuit very well. He has the right people around him, management, coaches, and all that. He embodies what we want from a driver. So, what was nice was having him at the beginning of the season feeling so comfortable with the team already.

“That certainly would have helped his trust in us and us trusting him with his feedback and what he can deliver. As the year went on, his raw talent and speed has really shone through and being able to deliver when it matters, I think is the main thing.

“There are still bits that everybody can improve on, I am sure he is going to keep doing that, it's just one of those things that first-year guys in F3 always take a bit of time to get up to speed, but once it clicked it really clicked.”

He then also praised Loake and Piotr Wisnicki for their contributions on and off track to Rodin’s season.

“Joseph was certainly thrown in the deep end,” he acknowledged. “He had basically done zero testing until the year started, didn't really know that he was going to drive for us until after Christmas, so it was a late deal with him, it made it that he was less prepared than others.

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“He has had some great flashes of speed, Monaco being the highlight, scoring points, Australia as well, it wasn't really shown but, in the racing, he was really fast. His natural talent has been great, and he has been a real joy to work with in the office, he is a real character, and we've loved having him this year.

“With Piotr coming back after a half season last year, he already knew the car, which helped us a lot and helped him understand what he needed to do. He benefited from having some really fast teammates as well and using their data.

“The highlight for him was scoring points at Silverstone in a great race, going for slicks in the wet. He is such a great character to have around, he is funny, gets on really well with all the team, so we have really enjoyed working with him.

"From the environment in the office, I think it has been the best I have had in F3, it's been a terrific vibe in the office and everybody pulling in the same direction so that has been terrific.”