INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Bakhru, Samervel win Ajmera IndiKarting Clash of Pros

    Bakhru, Samervel win Ajmera IndiKarting Clash of Pros

    Mumbai, 7 Feb 2021: Mumbai teenagers Raaj Bakhru and Raiden Samervel won the Ajmera IndiKarting Clash of Pros racing event here in Wadala, Mumbai on Sunday.

    Bakhru won 2 races and was second in one race to win the Pro Senior, while Samervel won all three races to win the Pro Junior.

    Some of India’s best talent from around the country participated in the 2 day FMSCI sanctioned event, inspite of numerous Covid related protocols in place. More than expected entries in the Pro senior meant that the seniors would be split into groups and would therefore get 4 races each, with 6 races in total.

    Bakhru qualified on pole in the Pro Senior with a laptime of 27.491, a mere tenth of a second ahead of Rahul Deshpande and Ojas Surve. Samervel bagged pole in the Pro Junior ahead of Veer Sheth and Nirvaan Chandna.

    Race 1 saw Bakhru stamp his authority to win from pole ahead of Deshpande and Neville Tata who climbed up from seventh on the grid.  Deshpande won race 2, while Bakhru won race 3. Surve and Aditya Patnaik, were second and third in race 2 and 3. Former National Karting Champion and JK Formula 1300 Champion – Aaroh Ravindra started last and showed his class to win race 4 ahead of Bakhru and Ishaan Barde who completed the podium.

    Barde won race 5 after an intense battle with Ravindra. Surve followed in third. Race 6 was won by Aditya Pandit ahead of Patnaik, while Paarth Damani drove well to make it on the podium for the final race.

    Samervel dominated the Pro Junior. He started from Pole in Race 1 and won ahead of Sheth and Chandna. Race 2 grid which was based on Race 1 results reversed, saw Samervel start from eighth and carve his way through the field to eventually win the race. Hoshmand Elavia and Chandna were second and third respectively. Samervel started from pole in race 3 and won ahead of Sheth and Elavia.

    The overall Pro Senior was won by Raaj Bakhru on 21 points, ahead of Aaroh Ravindra by a mere half point. Aditya Patnaik’s consistency took him to third with 18 points. Raiden Samervel on 30 points dominated the Pro Junior ahead of Elavia and Sheth on 18 and 16 points respectively.

    “We are very happy to see motorsport pick up again. Young racers travelled from Delhi, Hyderabad and other places around India for the race. Some of them will be traveling abroad to race as well and we wish them the very best” said 8 time National Champion and promoter of IndiKarting, Rayomand Banajee.

  • Ferrari Driver Academy 2021 starts with 8 drivers

    Ferrari Driver Academy 2021 starts with 8 drivers

    Maranello, 8 Feb 2021: This morning marked the twelfth year of courses for the Ferrari Driver Academy, the Prancing Horse programme established in 2009 with the aim of preparing talented youngsters to one day drive for Ferrari in Formula 1.

    Seven young men and Maya. This year, there are eight young drivers that will be trained and supported by the Ferrari Driver Academy, six of whom were in Maranello this morning. Mick Schumacher was absent with the good reason that he is working with the Haas F1 Team with whom he will make his Formula 1 debut this season. Dino Beganovic will join his fellow students tomorrow as he is returning from Abu Dhabi, where he took part in the second and third rounds of the Formula 3 Asian Series. As at the start of any academic year, the more experienced drivers who, partly because of the pandemic, had not seen one another for a while, spent some time before the bell sounded to recount what they had been up to over the winter. For two of them, this was a more nerve wracking and serious moment: Australian James Wharton is just 14 and was selected at the FDA Scouting World Finals, as the best of the youngsters from around the world and 16 year-old Dutch girl Maya Weug, who very recently won the FIA “Girls on Track – Rising Stars” to become the first girl to join the FDA. They make up the 2021 intake.

    Busy week. Welcoming the students was Head of FDA, Marco Matassa, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto and Sporting Director Laurent Mekies. This week the drivers will take part in the usual start of the year Camp, consisting of five demanding days of lessons on various topics, from technical matters to regulations, marketing and communications, as well as some physical and mental aptitude tests, as well as sports and two days of karting on the Lonato track, run by Tony Kart, a long time partner of Maranello’s young driver programme. Over the course of the year, the FDA will follow each driver personally with support on and off the track, organising specific activities, depending on their level of experience and the type of race category in which they will be competing.

    Programmes. Mick Schumacher will continue his development in Formula 1, at the wheel of the Haas F1 Team car. The arrival of the German means there are now four FDA members past or present on the F1 grid: apart from Charles Leclerc, one must not forget Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll. Also on the scene and present at several races will be Callum Ilott in his role as the Scuderia test driver. The youngster from Cambridge will still enjoy the thrill of racing as he will also be taking part in a GT programme, at the wheel of a Ferrari for some of the most famous sports car races.

    Formula 2. Robert Shwartzman and Marcus Armstrong will race in the junior category. The Russian stays with the Prema team and his clear goal is to win the title, given his 2020 performance in the category when he took four wins, the most of any driver, as well as proving to be very consistent. Marcus, who drove a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time two weeks ago in a test at Fiorano, has recently switched to the DAMS team and is more determined than ever to be a front runner.

    Formula 3. Last year, Arthur Leclerc finished second in the Formula Regional championship, even though he took more poles and wins than anyone else. His performance has earned him a step up to Formula 3 for this year. Arthur can once again count on the support of the Prema team and right from the start he should be a protagonist.

    Formula Regional. Last year, Ferrari Driver Academy students did very well in the European Formula Regional championship and this year, the Maranello marque can again count on a very quick driver in the shape of Dino Beganovic. The Swede, born in 2004, made his single-seater debut last year and made a very positive impression in the Italian F4 Championship certified by FIA, taking his first win at Imola and demonstrating consistency on his way to third in the championship. Over the past two weeks, as part of his training, Dino competed in the Formula 3 Asian Series, which uses the same car that he will race in Europe in Formula Regional. He has already demonstrated a clear affinity for the car, finishing on the podium four times from nine races.

    Maya and James. Lastly, two new arrivals, Maya Weug and James Wharton. The Dutch girl had her first taste of a Formula 4 car during the FIA “Girls on Track – Rising Stars” programme and will continue in this category. As for James Wharton, his age means he has to continue racing in karts in 2021 and so the FDA has prepared a programme to get him ready for single-seaters, including a series of tests in the second part of the season. Have a good year guys!
    Mattia Binotto Team Principal & Managing Director Scuderia Ferrari
    quoteToday marks the official start of the new season for the Ferrari Driver Academy. It’s an important moment, not just for the eight participants in the 2021 academic year but also for the whole Scuderia. We have always said that the FDA is not just a school that has to help the best youngsters make it to Formula 1, but that above all it must train those that one day will be the standard bearers for Scuderia Ferrari in the top level category of motor racing.
    We achieved that with Charles Leclerc and we are pleased that this year, another driver who grew up with us, Mick Schumacher, will also make his F1 debut. Apart from the well known names of Callum, Robert, Marcus, Arthur and Dino, listed in order of their ages, I am very pleased to welcome the two new students, Maya Weug and James Wharton, who join the Academy this year. Their arrival is important because it also confirms the effort we are putting in when it comes to making motorsport more inclusive.
    I wish all of them the very best of luck and hope that they will progress and be successful during this season which they should tackle with humility, determination and with a desire to learn, without ever forgetting that they are following their dream.quote
    Marco Matassa Head of Ferrari Driver Academy
    quoteThe start of a new year for us at the Ferrari Driver Academy is always a very special moment. We are pleased to see our drivers again and say welcome to our new intake knowing that we can expect an intense season. In 2020, our drivers got excellent results and that can only spur us on to try and do even better in 2021, because looking for continuous improvement is the basis of Ferrari’s and therefore also the FDA’s philosophy.
    I want to extend a special welcome to our newcomers, James Wharton and Maya Weug, whose arrival signals new frontiers for the Academy. James is actually the winner of the first FDA Scouting World Finals. This event featured six finalists battling it out for a place on our programme, chosen from a large group of very young drivers from around the world, thanks to our collaboration with ACI, Tony Kart, Motorsport Australia and Escuderia Telmex.
    Maya is the first girl to join the FDA through our partnership with the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission’s global programme to find the best young female drivers, a project we really believe in. We can’t wait to start working with all these youngsters to prepare the groundwork for another year of good results.
  • Hamilton to continue with Mercedes for 9th year

    Hamilton to continue with Mercedes for 9th year

    • Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton will race together for a ninth season in 2021
    • New agreement includes joint commitment for greater diversity and inclusion
    • With six drivers’ championships and 74 race wins, Lewis is the most successful driver in the history of the Silver Arrows

    Brackley, 8 Feb 2021: The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team announced that the reigning Formula One World Constructors’ Champion, Mercedes, and the reigning F1 World Drivers’ Champion, Lewis Hamilton, will continue together in 2021. The Mercedes works team and Lewis agreed a new contract which will see one of the sport’s most-successful collaborations will continue for a ninth consecutive season.

    A press release on Monday said: “A significant part of the new agreement builds upon the joint commitment to greater diversity and inclusion in motorsport that was made last year by Lewis and Mercedes. This will take the form of a joint charitable foundation, which will have the mission of supporting greater diversity and inclusion in all its forms in motorsport.

    “Lewis made his F1 debut with Mercedes F1 engine customer team McLaren in 2007 and has been powered in all his 266 Grands Prix by Mercedes-Benz engines. He joined the Mercedes works team in 2013 and has since won 74 F1 races as well as six Drivers’ Championships with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. In 2020, he broke Michael Schumacher’s win record and is now all-time race win record holder in Formula One.

    Lewis Hamilton
    “I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes teammates. Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track.

    “I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue. I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can’t wait to get back on the track in March.”

    Toto Wolff, CEO & Team Principal
    “We have always been aligned with Lewis that we would continue, but the very unusual year we had in 2020 meant it took some time to finish the process. Together, we have decided to extend the sporting relationship for another season and to begin a longer-term project to take the next step in our shared commitment to greater diversity within our sport. Lewis’s competitive record stands alongside the best the sports world has ever seen, and he is a valued ambassador for our brand and our partners. The story of Mercedes and Lewis has written itself into the history books of our sport over the past eight seasons, and we are hungry to compete and to add more chapters to it.”

    Markus Schäfer, Non-Executive Chairman
    “We’re very happy to keep the most successful F1 driver of the current era in the most successful F1 team of the current era. Lewis is not only an incredibly talented driver; he also works very hard for his achievements and is extremely hungry. He shares his passion for performance with the entire team which is why this collaboration has become so successful. But Lewis is also a warm-hearted personality who cares deeply about the world around him and wants to make an impact. As a company, Mercedes-Benz shares this sense of responsibility and is proud to commit to a new, joint foundation to improve diversity in motorsport. Opening the sport to under-represented groups will be important for its development in the future and we’re determined to make a positive impact.”

  • Mujeeb, Musa win INRC contender Hampi round

    Mujeeb, Musa win INRC contender Hampi round

    Hampi (Karnataka), 7 Feb 2021: Seven-time National champion co-driver Musa Sherif combined with Mujeeb Rehman as team Kasargod to drive their INRC2 car to overall honours in the Indian National Rally Championship Contender round that concluded the INRC 2020 season here on Sunday.

    The Kasargod duo rallying a Snap Racing prepared VW Polo clocked the best time of 01 hour, 01min, 2.200seconds for the 50.4-km special stage distance run in four Special Stages. Ritesh Guttedar M and co-driver Lokaranjan HJ, also in INRC2 class Volkswagen Polo, took the second spot trailing by over one minute, despite clocking best times in two of the four Special Stages timing 01:02:30.700. However, they were later disqualified by the stewards for a Parc Ferme violation.

    Thus, PSR Yeswanth and co-driver Bharath SM came second overall bringing their INRC4 car home in 01:03:36.300. Ruthvik M Gowda and co-driver Sudheendra came third. Avinash DC and co-driver Kenneth Harsha came fourth in their Honda City VTech while Deepak Chandra and co-driver Mohan Raj, also in an INRC4 car came fifth. Nidhi Sachdeva and co-driver Dheeraj KV brought their Gypsy home in sixth, the last car to finish among the 9 entries. BC Roopesh and Phalguna Raghavendra had a DNF, as they pulled out in the second stage due to a mechanical breakdown.

  • Jehan Daruvala wins another race; Kush adds some points: Asia F3

    Jehan Daruvala wins another race; Kush adds some points: Asia F3

    Abu Dhabi, 7 Feb 2021:  Mumbai Falcons’ Jehan Daruvala brought down the curtain on two back-to-back rounds here on a glorious note, winning Race 3 of Round 3 of the Formula 3 Asian Championship from start to finish on Sunday evening.

    His three victories and two second-place finishes over four days elevated him in the points table to second position after he had briefly slipped to third in the morning. Debutant Mumbai Falcons too climb to the second place in the Team Standings, with 2 rounds and 6 races remaining in the Championship.

    “As a new team, we are constantly learning and getting better. For the first time in the championship, we have had both our cars in the points in every race. It’s great to be second in the Team’s Standing, and we hope to get even better,” Moid Tungekar, CEO of Mumbai Falcons, said.

    “I was happy with the pace we had in Race 3. I was able to control my pace the way I wanted. It feels good to be back on the top step of the podium.  The race in the morning was not ideal. I’m looking forward to relaxing for a few days and then focusing on a good Round 4,” Jehan said.

    Every racer is allowed two sets of tyres per weekend and India’s top racing star smartly held back his fresh set of tyres for the last race, to make the most of his pole advantage that he had won during the qualifying rounds on Saturday.

    Jehan Daruvala, car #19, in action before he won the Race 3 in Round 3 of the Asia F3 series at Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Photo by Ishaan Bhataiya / Red Bull Content Pool

    Jehan had an excellent start from pole, and led into the first corner. China’s Guanyu Zhou, starting second, followed Jehan while the two Frenchmen behind them were almost side by side. Isack Hadjar, starting from fourth, however, managed to overtake Championship leader Pierre-Louis Chovet to climb into the third position.

    Zhou soon mounted a challenge on Jehan and came right beside him, but couldn’t get past him. The Indian held his nerve and soon settled into a good rhythm and reeled out a series of quick laps to open up a small gap on Zhou.

    A brief safety car period neutralised Jehan’s lead, though. But once the safety car pulled into the pits, Jehan made an excellent restart and immediately pulled away from Zhou. Jehan posted a couple of fastest laps and cemented his lead to win ahead of Zhou, while Hadjar finished third.

    Mumbai Falcons picked up a few more points, thanks to Kush Maini having another good race. Kush also had a good start and quickly gained two positions. He was involved in a thrilling battle with Lorenzo Fluxa, who tried to overtake him for most of the race. Kush drove a highly intelligent, defensive race to keep Fluxa behind and finished eighth.

    The grid for Race 2, earlier in the day, was based on the fastest lap from Race 1. Kush Maini continued his fine form from Saturday. He started tenth and soon made up a couple of places. He then made an incredible move to dive down the inside of Williams F1 Junior Driver, Roy Nissany.

    Kush somehow made it stick and got ahead of Nissany, who then mounted several overtaking attempts, with the duo banging wheels on more than one occasion. The Indian however held on and eventually Nissany had a separate incident and retired. Kush climbed up to eventually finish seventh, right behind Jehan who had a forgettable race starting and finishing sixth. 

    Round 4 will take place next weekend at the Dubai Autodrome.

  • Jehan Daruvala manages 2nd for fourth podium

    Jehan Daruvala manages 2nd for fourth podium

    Abu Dhabi, 6 Feb 2021: Mumbai Falcons’ Jehan Daruvala continued to sparkle in the Formula 3 Asian Championship, grabbing the second position in Race 1 of Round 3 here at the Yas Marina International Circuit late on Saturday evening.

    After winning two out of the three races in Round 2 over the last two days, India’s top racer underlined his form by grabbing a Double Pole in the two qualifying sessions in the morning.

    This is his fourth consecutive podium finish over three nerve-wracking days. On Sunday, the last two races of the round will take place.

    The Mumbai Falcons duo of Jehan Daruvala and Kush Maini seemed to be in their elements as the action began. Jehan straightaway went to the top of the time sheet, on his first flying lap itself. His laptime of 1:53.399 earned him his third pole position of the Championship.

    Chovet, 0.190 slower, came in second while Alpine F1 Junior Guanyu Zhou from China took the third position.

    Jehan did well in the second qualifying session too, immediately going to the top of the time sheets to earn his second consecutive Pole position. Zhou and Chovet were second and third respectively.

    Jehan did not have the best of starts from Pole in Race 1 though. Chovet made the best of the opportunity to reach the first corner even before Jehan. Zhou also had a sluggish start but managed to retain third.

    Chovet steadily began to openup a small lead and Jehan could not catch him. But Zhou who was close on his tail made sure that he remained alert.

    Mumbai Falcons’ Kush Maini, meanwhile, had a good race even though he started from eleventh. He overtook 2 cars on the run down to the first corner moving into ninth. A few corners later Kush managed to overtake yet another car, to move into eighth. A few laps later Kush was up into seventh and drove an excellent defensive race. Eventually he dropped back down to eighth.

    The starting grid for Race 2 is based on the fastest lap from Race 1, which means Chovet will start on Pole while Jehan will from sixth position and Kush from tenth. Race 3, though, will see Jehan start from pole.

    “After the bad luck I have had with engine issues and a brake pump failure and multiple incidents on track which were out of my control, I just wanted to have a clean race and get some points for the team. I am now much happier and confident of doing better tomorrow.” Kush Maini said.

    “After being on pole in both qualifying sessions, it is disappointing to fall to second. I did not have the pace to challenge for the lead. But we will work hard, and I am looking forward to the races tomorrow,” Jehan, who relinquished his championship lead to Chovet, said.

    Moid Tungekar, CEO of Mumbai Falcons, said: “The championship is very competitive at the top. We have had 3 separate championship leaders before the halfway mark in the championship. Tomorrow’s races are going to be exciting to watch.”

    Race 2 and Race 3 will be streamed live from Abu Dhabi, on the Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited YouTube Channel.

  • FMSCI curtails INRC 2020 for 4-Wheeler season to 3 rounds

    FMSCI curtails INRC 2020 for 4-Wheeler season to 3 rounds

    Chennai, 5 Feb 2020: The Rally Commission of the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India (FMSCI) announced on Friday that the 2020-21 Indian National Rally Championship stands concluded after penultimate Round 3 in Coimbatore as the minimum criteria for the Championship to hold was three rounds taking into account the Covid-19 pandemic.

    The points accumulated in each category over the three rounds will help in deciding the respective winners, according to a press release by the FMSCI.

    Rally Commission chairman Farokh Commissariat revealed that the Council deliberated at length the circumstances and issues that had developed in the last few days.

    Gaurav Gill, left, and Musa Sherif after winning the 7th title at Coimbatore recently.

    “But due to unavoidable operational and non-operational issues it became virtually impossible to even consider postponing as that would adversely affect next year’s calendar, which has to begin shortly.” it added.

    It may be recalled the 2020 season had got severely affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns across the country.

    “Despite all hiccups all our prime National championships for 2020 were completed. The INRC also seemed to be on course but due to unforeseen circumstances all 4 rounds as planned before launch, could not be completed within the stipulated time frame,” the Chairman Rally Commission said.

    Champions of INRC 4w 2020 (Provisional)

    Team Anumolu sponsored Sahil Khanna of Snap Racing team along with co-driver Vidit Jain emerged as the Champions in INRC2 class for 2020 season. Photo by David Bodapati

    With the cancellation of the K1000 round, the fourth and final round of the Indian National Rally Championship 2020 for four-wheelers, the following emerged as champions from the points they garnered after the three rounds. The first two back-to-back rounds were held at Itanagar on Dec 16 and 17, and Dec 19 and 20. The third round was held in Coimbatore on January 30 and 31.

    Gaurav Gill, who swept all the three rounds winning with much to spare, emerged as a deserving champion as he conquered the INRC for the 7th time to join all-time legends club along with Naren Kumar as he surpassed another giant N Leelakrishnan’s number of 6 Driver Championship titles. His Co-driver Musa Sherif too is on seventh heaven with his 7th title.

    In INRC2, Sahil Khanna emerged as the champion in INRC2 ahead of Dean Mascarenhas (77) and Rahul Kantharaj (65).

    In INRC3, while Fabid Ahmer with 98 points from three rounds won the class, Aditya Thakur (90) and Maninder Singh Prince (84) finished second and third respectively.

    Defending champion Vaibhav Marathe became champion in the INRC4 class garnering 67 points with Mujeeb Rehman second with 61 points and Mysore’s Rohit Iyer third with 58 points as the three leg 1 points helped him to edge out Khyati Mody who did not take part in the third round.

    Yokohama manager flanked by Vaibhav Marathe, right, and Suhan M Kabir at Coimbatore on Jan 31. Photo by David Bodapati

    As per Final Audited Points Table:

    Champion Drivers: INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill; 2. Karna Kadur; 3. Fabid Ahmer. Co-Drivers: 1. Musa Sherif; 2. Nikhil Pai; 3. Eldo Chacko.

    INRC2: 1. Sahil Khanna 78; 2. Dean Mascarenhas 77; 3. Rahul Kantharaj 62; Co-drivers: 1. Vidit Jain 83; 2. Shruptha Padival 77; 3. Vivek Bhatt 66;

    INRC2 Team: 1. Snap Racing; (Sahil Khanna 117; Lakshay 24) Total=141;

    INRC3: 1. Fabid Ahmer 98; 2. Aditya Thakur 90; 3. Maninder Singh Prince 86; Co-drivers: 1. Eldo Chacko 98; 2. Virender Kashyap 90; 3. Vinay Kumar Padmashali 86;

    INRC3 Team: 1. Snap Racing; (Maninder 77; Amer Beg 7; Arjun Rao 7) Total =91.

    INRC4: 1. Vaibhav Marathe 68; 2. Mujeeb Rehman 65; 3. Rohit Iyer 55; Co-drivers: 1. Suhan MK (68); 2. Goutham CP (65); 3. Manjunath (62); (Corrected restoring Goutham to 2nd)

    Junior INRC Drivers: 1. Harikrishan Wadia 77; 2. Pragathi Gowda 70; 3. Rohit Iyer 49;

    Gypsy Challenge (No National Championship Status): 1. Sanjay Razdan 90; 2. Daksh Gill 74; 3. Mohd. Kaif Khan 64;

    Gypsy Co-drivers: 1. Karan Aukta 90; 2. Mrinmoy Saha 82; 3. Arjun Dheerendra 68.

    Editor’s note: Rankings were corrected with official rankings released on 19feb2021 by official time keeper VGoNext; Results will be provisional and only treated as final post 25 Feb 2021 after 5pm.

  • Honda extends commitment to MotoGP for 5 more years

    Honda extends commitment to MotoGP for 5 more years

    Aalst (Belgium), 5 Feb 2021: Honda will continue to add to their illustrious history in Grand Prix racing as an agreement is signed with Dorna Sports S.L. to compete for the next five years, from 2022 to 2026, a similar release from Dorna and Honda said.

    A journey which began in 1954 when Honda’s founder, Soichiro Honda, declared entry into the Isle of Man TT, the premier motorcycle racing event of the era, with the aim of becoming the best in the world. This journey has so far seen 100 different riders win on Honda machines and amass over 800 wins across all categories. In the premier class alone, Honda has claimed 850 podiums and 25 Rider World Championships, more than any other brand in history.

    The journey will continue for at least five more years as Honda have agreed with commercial rights holder and series promoter Dorna Sports S.L. to guarantee their place on the grid until 2026.

    Noriaki Abe, Managing Officer, Motorcycle Operations, Honda Motor Co., Ltd: “First, I would like to express my respect and gratitude to Carmelo Ezpeleta and everyone at Dorna Sports for their hard work in organizing races during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “I am very pleased that we have renewed our contract to compete in MotoGP from 2022 to 2026.

    “Honda has been competing in the FIM Grand Prix World Championship since 1959, and won its 800th Grand Prix last year. Honda believes MotoGP racing is vital to our motorsports activities. MotoGP is the pinnacle of motorcycle racing – it allows us to develop various technologies, and through fierce competition, teach our engineers and nurture their skills. With these engineers working on the development of production vehicles, Honda can create better products for its customers. Honda will continue to bring dreams and joy to its customers worldwide through its motorsports activities, including MotoGP.”

    Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “This important announcement brings great pride to MotoGP because Honda is one of the first names that comes to our mind when we think about motorcycling racing. The Japanese manufacturer has been such an important part of the past, present and future of the FIM MotoGP World Championship and this renewal reinforces, even more, the commitment between both parties.”

  • Jehan Daruvala wins a thrilling battle for 2nd Asia F3 win for Mumbai Falcons

    Jehan Daruvala wins a thrilling battle for 2nd Asia F3 win for Mumbai Falcons

    Abu Dhabi, 5 Feb 2021: Mumbai Falcons and Jehan Daruvala continued their winning spree with a 2nd consecutive victory in the Asian Formula 3 Championship. A thrilling battle kept fans on their toes as Jehan had to fight tooth and nail to win Race 2 and also completed a hat trick of podiums to finish second in Race 3 and move into the championship lead.

    The Mumbai resident and the Red Bull Junior driver, had a near perfect launch from pole position and held his position into the first corner. Behind him, Isack Hadjar of France also held onto second, while championship leader Guanyu Zhou dropped a position to allow Dino Beganovic into third. The first few laps were uneventful and once the top few settled into a rhythm, Hadjar seemed to have more pace than Jehan. He soon started piling on the pressure, with numerous attempts which did not stick. Hadjar then had a good run out of the corkscrew section and came alongside Jehan. The two entered the corner side by side, but Jehan held on.

    A few laps later a similar situation repeated, this time however, the duo went side by side for more than one corner. This allowed Beganovic in third, to also pull alongside Jehan. In the run down to the braking zone, it was three cars wide with barely centimetres between the cars. The Mumbai Falcons’ racer in the middle of the sandwich, momentarily fell behind the duo. He was the bravest though, and braked last, allowing him to surge ahead. Jehan somehow managed to stay on track and held the lead.

    Proceedings settled for a bit, before Hadjar made another attempt, but Jehan was able to fend that off in spite of Hadjar pulling ahead slightly. Jehan held off a final attempt on the last lap as well, and crossed the finish line to take his second consecutive victory. Hadjar and Beganovic were second and third respectively.

    The grid for Race 3 of Round 2 was based on the second qualifying session yesterday. Pierre-Louis Chovet from France started on pole and straightaway went into the lead. Championship leader Guanyu Zhou was unable to get going initially and Jehan from third moved into second, with Hadjar third. The championship format allows only 2 sets of tyres per round, to be used and Chovet was on a fresher set of tyres, while Jehan and Hadjar were on an older set, and therefore unable to challenge Chovet, who comfortably won the race. The Mumbai Falcons’ racer was second, ahead of Hadjar.

    “I was under a lot of pressure from behind, and was fighting hard to hold my position. Hadjar drove well and I really enjoyed the moment when we were three wide. It was an enjoyable battle and it is  good that we were all able to race close and clean.” said Jehan, the new championship leader.

    “We were all on edge, watching the really close battle for the lead in race 2. Jehan drove superbly. We must continue working hard and hope we can build on this momentum we have now. We are really proud to have an Indian from an Indian team, lead the championship.” said Moid Tungekar, CEO of Mumbai Falcons.

    Racing action will resume tomorrow with Round 3 also in Abu Dhabi, on the same corkscrew layout of the Yas Marina Circuit. Fans can watch the races live on Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited YouTube Channel.

  • McLaren F1 team partnership with Coca-Cola to continue

    McLaren F1 team partnership with Coca-Cola to continue

    Woking (England), 5 Feb 2021: McLaren Racing on Friday announced a partnership extension with The Coca-Cola Company, which will see the iconic beverage brand continue as the Official Soft Drinks Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team. 

    Since McLaren and Coca-Cola first partnered in 2018, a range of commercial activations have engaged consumers globally through the McLaren Formula 1 team. Following the success of the ‘Coke Driven to Deliver’ campaign, in collaboration with Coke customer Amazon in 2020, the brands will continue to work together on new campaigns with the new McLaren F1 driver line-up of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. 

    As part of the partnership, Coca-Cola will maintain branding on the cockpit side of the McLaren MCL35M Formula 1 race cars and on the beverage bottles of Lando and Daniel.   


    Mark Waller, Chief Commercial Officer, McLaren Racing, said:

    “Coca-Cola is an iconic brand and one of the biggest consumer brands in the world. We introduced Coca-Cola to Formula 1 three seasons ago since then, our collaboration has created innovative campaigns and activations with fans around the world at their centre. We are delighted to extend our partnership in 2021 and continue to support Coca-Cola and its commercial partners in reaching consumers through McLaren and Formula 1.”

    Matthew Tarallo, Global VP, Amazon, The Coca-Cola Company, said:

    “We are excited to be extending our partnership with McLaren into the 2021 season. Since 2018, we’ve executed incredibly impactful global activations, leveraging Amazon’s total ecosystem, and providing direct engagement and exclusive offerings to our consumers around the world. I’m looking forward to continuing this powerful partnership to drive joint value and growth into 2021.”

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    About McLaren Racing: 

    McLaren Racing was founded by New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren in 1963. The team entered its first Formula 1 race in 1966, since then McLaren has won 20 Formula 1 world championships, more than 180 Formula 1 grands prix, the Le Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt and the Indianapolis 500 three times.

    McLaren Racing currently competes in Formula 1 globally and INDYCAR in the US. The team will contest the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. In 2021 McLaren Racing will race in the INDYCAR Series with drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, while Juan Pablo Montoya will compete for the team at the 105th running of the Indy 500 in a third Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.


    About The Coca-Cola Company:

    The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. Our portfolio of brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta and other sparkling soft drinks. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS.

    We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide.