INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Oliver Rowland takes maiden Formula E win

    Oliver Rowland takes maiden Formula E win

    Oliver Rowland produced a peerless performance to convert pole position into victory in the penultimate Berlin E-Prix (12 August), leading home Robin Frijns and René Rast in what turned out to be a race to forget for some of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship’s biggest names.

    Berlin, 13 August 2020: From his third career pole position, Rowland led the 24-strong field away when the lights went out, and by lap ten, he had established a two-second margin over nearest pursuer Frijns.

    Not putting so much as a wheel out-of-place, the Nissan e.DAMS star maintained that margin throughout, never once surrendering his lead – although Frijns got close when Rowland employed ‘ATTACK MODE’ for the first time. Taking the chequered flag just over 1.9 seconds ahead, his maiden win vaulted the Briton from ninth up to second in the title table with one race remaining.

    Frijns extended his run of good results at Tempelhof Airport, adding another runner-up finish to the second and fourth places he achieved for Envision Virgin Racing last week, with the result helping to make up for a failure to start Sunday’s race due to a powertrain issue.

    Behind the top two, all eyes were on the tussle for third. Following an excellent qualifying effort, Neel Jani held the position for much of the race but subsequently conceded ground to TAG Heuer Porsche team-mate André Lotterer and Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler’s Rast, who proceeded to engage in an enthralling battle for the final spot on the podium.

    Lotterer – one of the race’s main movers early on as he scythed his way past Rast and Alex Lynn – looked to have the situation under control in his defence against his countryman, but with less energy remaining, he found himself under increasing attack in the closing stages. In an incredible duel, the pair went side-by-side through several corners on the last lap, as Rast boldly prised the door open and eventually made a pass stick.

    Lynn took fifth for Mahindra Racing, the Briton sagely conserving his energy in order to pull off a late overtake on Jani, who nonetheless scored his first Formula E points in sixth after what was by far his most competitive performance to-date.

    From 14th on the grid, Mitch Evans (Panasonic Jaguar Racing) climbed through the field well. Despite losing ground when he was baulked on lap two, thereafter he picked his rivals off and made full use of ‘FANBOOST’ to cross the finish line in seventh and remain in the mix for the championship runner-up laurels.

    Edoardo Mortara claimed his second points finish of the week in Berlin with eighth place for ROKiT Venturi Racing, ahead of Mercedes-Benz EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne, who raced up the order from 18th at the start.

    The points-paying positions were completed by Rowland’s Nissan e.DAMS stablemate Sébastien Buemi, who enjoyed an entertaining duel with recently-crowned champion António Félix da Costa (DS Techeetah). The pair had started at the rear of the field following a disastrous qualifying session for all four Formula E title-winners, but fought their way through to the fringes of the top ten. Da Costa was on-course to finish 11th until he dropped out of contention on the last lap.

    Fellow champions Lucas Di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler) and Jean-Éric Vergne (DS Techeetah) were similarly in the wars; the Brazilian picked up a puncture and a five-second penalty for a collision with da Costa, while the Frenchman was handed a drive-through penalty for battery over-cooling.

    BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s Maximilian Günther – third in the standings heading into the race – had to pit for repairs after contact early on left him with a punctured tyre, but he remains one of nine drivers still in the hunt for the championship runner-up spoils, a battle that will be decided tomorrow (Thursday, 13 August) in the season finale.

    NISSAN E.DAMS – OLIVER ROWLAND

    “I didn’t expect that today. The team has done a fantastic job, qualifying went well and in the race the car was amazing. I can’t believe it, it is an amazing feeling so let’s work for more of these moments.”

    ENVISION VIRGIN RACING – ROBIN FRIJNS

    “I was struggling to hang on to Oliver at the beginning since he was very fast – he just pulled the gap since he was one lap longer in ATTACK MODE. I was trying to get back, but Oliver did a great job and he was much quicker than me. I’m quite happy with second place but we are here to win so we need to keep working towards that goal.”

    AUDI SPORT ABT SCHAEFFLER – RENE RAST

    “The team told me I had more energy left than Andre on the last lap and I saw he was struggling in sector two. He was lifting quite early so I tried to overtake him and we had some contact and then went side-by-side in T12 and T13 and there was a bit of rubbing. If I have learned something over the past few races, it is that rubbing equals racing in Formula E, so I tried it today and had a much better result!”

  • Faster Mercedes cars suffering high tyre degradation

    Faster Mercedes cars suffering high tyre degradation

    Max Verstappen won the F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday, overcoming the challenge of the mighty Mercedes. Pole man Valtteri Bottas slipped to third and a late electric charge saw Lewis Hamilton finish second. Verstappen became the first non-Mercedes race winner this year.

    By Malhaar Khaladkar*

    New Delhi, 10 August 2020: As expected, Mercedes locked out the front row of the grid in qualifying, this time Bottas in pole and Hamilton starting in P2. Nico Hulkenberg put in a solid lap, out-qualifying his teammate Lance Stroll and Verstappen. He started P3 and Verstappen P4. Stroll was in P6 and Verstappen’s teammate Alex Albon lined up in P9, behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Daniel Ricciardo put in a mega lap to start P5, Pierre Gasly was in P7 and Lando Norris completed the top 10. Sebastian Vettel lined up P11, after a 3-place grid penalty applied to Esteban Ocon for impeding George Russell in Qualifying meant that he started P14, alongside Russell in P15. Second McLaren of Carlos Sainz started in P12 and Romain Grosjean gave Haas the highest grid position of the season in P13. Daniil Kvyat’s mistake in qualifying meant he could only achieve P16, behind him were the second cars of Haas and Williams. Alfa Romeo locked out the last row of the grid. Contrasting to the first-ever Formula 1 race held at the same venue in 1950, where Alfa Romeo’s started P1, P2, P3 & P4 on the grid. Get in touch with Jeep Dealership, if you need to buy such cars.

    Important to note that Verstappen was the only person to start on hard tyres in the top 10. This was the first race since Pirelli became the exclusive supplier to Formula 1, that no car started the race on the softest tyre available.

    This weekend’s tyres were one step softer compared to last weekend and with hotter track temperatures. This meant that there would be high levels of tyre degradation. Optimum predicted strategy was a two stops, with one set of medium tyres and two sets of hard tyres.

    The race start was uneventful apart from Vettel spinning at turn 1 and falling to the back of the grid. Hulkenberg had a poor getaway and Verstappen stole P3 running behind the two Mercedes cars. It looked like the two Mercedes cars on medium tyres would pull away from Verstappen, who was on hard tyres. Albon was the first driver to pit on lap 6, to get out of traffic and dirty air of other cars. Gasly followed suit a lap later.

    Around lap 8, both Mercedes cars started to show blistering on their tyres and were radioed to warn them about tyre temperatures. By lap 11, Verstappen was all over Hamilton, lapping faster than the Silver Arrows. Bottas pit for fresh hard tyres on lap 13, Hamilton did the same one lap later, releasing Verstappen in the lead to manage his own pace.

    As the Racing Points and Leclerc pitted, Bottas and Hamilton emerged in 2nd and 3rd respectively. They were unable to make inroads into Verstappen, as the gap between them kept increasing, even though the Mercedes drivers were on fresher tyres. As soon as they tried to push, the tyres were overheating and blistering making them back off. Verstappen lapped faster on older tyres. He pitted on lap 26 emerging just behind Bottas, but by turn 7 overtook him and bolted off. Red Bull and Verstappen had pulled off a great overcut on the Mercedes cars.

    A Pirelli graphic

    Lap 29 onwards the midfield cars started pitting for the second time. McLaren’s Norris was the first one to do so, trying to undercut the cars in front of him. Stroll, Hulkenberg and Albon covered Norris by pitting on lap 30 and 31. Ricciardo had an uncharacteristic spin which dropped him out of contention for points as he had to pit again.

    At the front, after only six laps on the mediums, Verstappen pitted with Bottas on the same lap, both going for hard tyres. Meanwhile, Hamilton was left out in the lead to take an advantage if the safety car emerged. Hamilton on his blistering and worn tyres, maintained a gap to Verstappen of around 10 seconds. At one point, it looked like he would try and go to the end of the race. Ultimately, he pitted on lap 41, as Mercedes did not want to risk tyre failures similar to last week.

    Bottas could not keep up with Verstappen as he was overheating his tyres when pushing them. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s pit stop meant that he emerged in P4. Ahead of him was Leclerc who had pit only once, and his teammate Bottas. Using the fresh tyres, he overtook Leclerc and then Bottas with two laps to go. In the process setting fastest lap of the race. Hulkenberg pitted for a third time due to vibrations on his set of tyres. He bolted on softs, the only driver to use them for the race. His teammate Stroll, was overtaken by Albon on the penultimate lap.

    Verstappen cruised to victory, Hamilton finished second and Bottas in third. Leclerc miraculously pulled of a one stop strategy – one of only three drivers to do so. He finished P4. Albon had a good recovery drive after disappointing qualifying as he finished P5. Racing Point got a double points finish in P6 and P7. Ocon was in P8 and Norris in P9. Their teammates finished out of the points. Alpha Tauri’s Kvyat completed the top 10. Vettel finished a disappointing P12. Williams, Haas and Alfa Romeo were unable to score points. There was no safety car appearance in the race and only one retirement of Kevin Magnussen.

    Mercedes struggled with tyres in the hot conditions. They had unexpected blistering on medium and hard tyres. Also, the minimum tyre pressure increase by Pirelli meant that it was difficult to manage overheating. Mercedes is still class of the field as they qualified almost a second faster to the nearest team. Mercedes were at the worst end of the spectrum regarding tyre blistering. It could be due to their car being much faster than last year, therefore, increasing the load on the tyres, which are 2019 specification. Red Bull have worked on the balance of their car, as both drivers showed good race pace and tyre management. Red Bull did not suffer any blistering issues on the tyres. Verstappen qualifying on hard tyres was an advantage as he was able to go longer in the race and overcut the Mercedes cars. Ferrari still lack qualifying and race pace as they only managed to qualify in P8. Leclerc made the one-stop strategy work to get P4 but his teammate was way behind outside the points.

    Racing Point looked the strongest behind Mercedes and Red Bull. Ferrari’s one stop strategy, Albon’s recovery and an extra pit stop for Hulkenberg meant they were unable to finish higher than P6 & P7. Ocon, similar to Leclerc pulled off a one stop strategy to finish in points. Renault and McLaren showed similar race pace, though in qualifying McLaren seemed to lose out to their Anglo-French rivals. Behind them is Alpha Tauri as they were the second team apart from Mercedes to struggle with heavy blistering. Williams once again in the hands of Russell showed good qualifying pace. Both drivers were happy with the balance of the car but still lacked the pace to compete with their rivals in the race. Haas too showed promise in qualifying but withered away in the race. Alfa Romeo looked to have improved their race pace but to capitalise on that they need to qualify higher, which is their current Achilles Heel.

    *Malhaar Khaladkar is an intern with INDIAinF1 and will be writing on F1 and technical aspects of the sport. The passionate student is also a keen student of the sport. This is his third article and you can read the first and the second articles here. We invite your comments below.

  • Antonio Felix da Costa wins Formula E championship

    Antonio Felix da Costa wins Formula E championship

    Berlin, 9 August 2020: António Félix da Costa has been crowned the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Champion after finishing second behind DS Techeetah team-mate Jean-Éric Vergne in round nine at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport today (9 August). The Portuguese driver claimed his maiden all-electric title with two races to spare, while Vergne converted pole position into his first victory of the campaign. The one-two also wrapped up the Teams’ Championship for DS Techeetah, while Sébastian Buemi completed the podium, taking third for Nissan e.dams.

    Racing on the regular configuration of the Tempelhof circuit, reigning champion Vergne started the race from pole position after pipping da Costa by just over one tenth-of-a-second in the Super Pole shoot-out. And the two DS Techeetahs enjoyed excellent starts when the lights went green, holding station through Turn One ahead of Oliver Rowland and Buemi.

    However, the race was immediately neutralised when the safety car was deployed after Maximilian Günther and Oliver Turvey came together at Turn Four. Vergne controlled the re-start perfectly and once again led away from Da Costa, although a light sprinkling of rain began to create difficult conditions.

    Nissan ace Rowland was the earliest of the leaders to take ‘ATTACK MODE’ and was rewarded by jumping up to second ahead of Da Costa when the champion-elect similarly activated his additional power boost. But the DS Techeetah duo were not separated for long with da Costa getting back past Rowland into Turn One, using his ‘ATTACK MODE’ after the Brit’s had expired.

    And it was then all change at the front, as Vergne ceded the lead to Da Costa in order to conserve energy. The pair swapped back again in the closing stages and ran line-astern to the finish, although Da Costa was forced to defend against a late charge from a fired-up Buemi. The Swiss driver had been bottled up behind team-mate Rowland for much of the race and was also caught out by the Mercedes-Benz EQ of Nyck de Vries after taking his second ‘ATTACK MODE’.

    However, Buemi swiftly re-passed the Dutchman before swapping places with Rowland and attempting to hunt down the DS Techeetah pair. De Vries vaulted himself back up to fourth spot by overtaking Rowland on the final lap, while the Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler car of Lucas Di Grassi came home sixth. The Brazilian had started down in 12th but made a number of eye-catching passes, taking full advantage of ‘FAN BOOST’ along the way.

    Despite losing out to Di Grassi, Mitch Evans enjoyed a strong race as the New Zealander piloted his Panasonic Jaguar through from 11th on the grid to seventh at the chequered flag. André Lotterer completed a trio of regular Formula E front-runners fighting their way up from lowly grid positions, bagging eighth for TAG Heuer Porsche after starting only 18th.

    Alex Lynn finished ninth for Mahindra Racing, fading in the closing stages after mixing it in the top six during the early running. Felipe Massa rounded out the top ten for ROKiT Venturi Racing, although the Brazilian was left ruing what might have been after producing an excellent lap to reach the Super Pole session.

    The teams and drivers will be back in action next week for the final two rounds of the 2019/20 season. Taking place on Wednesday (12 August) and Thursday (13 August), the finale of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship will be held on a reconfiguration of the Tempelhof track. From Turn Four, the new circuit features a more technical middle sector with a series of tight-and-twisty turns leading to the usual hairpin and long left-hander that runs to the flag.

    Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah)

    “As a team we couldn’t dream of a better day. We won the teams’ championship, Antonio won the drivers’ title and I jumped to second in the standings. With two more races to go, I’ll keep my head down and race for the runner-up spot. It’s a fantastic day and I’m extremely proud to be a part of this team. I know the feeling that hits you on the last lap just before crossing the chequered flag and you’re about to win your first championship. It’s probably the best moment in the life of a racing driver and Antonio should enjoy every second of it.”

    Antonio Felix Da Costa (DS Techeetah)

    “I’m speechless. Sometimes I’ve been so close to giving up during the tough times, and thanks to the people around me I never did. I’m very grateful to these guys who believed in me and my capabilities, even when I was finishing nowhere near the podium. Massive thanks to JEV, I know this is hard for him, but he pushed me all the way and helped me out a lot and it’s mainly thanks to him I settled so quickly in the team. Today we had a plan and we executed it perfectly. JEV and myself helped each other out, but it was very intense at the end since both Seb and Oli were always there. Everyone was very fair today and raced as the champions they are!”

    Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams)

    “I tried to save as much energy as I could, and I felt the call to overtake Oli was a bit late to be honest. By the time I managed to do so, it was the end of the race. I’m a bit disappointed because I feel like I could’ve had the opportunity to finish second, if I had used the energy properly. I’m sad for Oli as he deserved better today. We scored some good points for the team and congratulations to Antonio, he has done an amazing job and I’m happy for him. But there’s still work to do. It’s my second podium here in Berlin and I’m looking forward to the final double-header.”

  • Jonathan Rea wins Race 2 to take Championship lead: WorldSBK

    Jonathan Rea wins Race 2 to take Championship lead: WorldSBK

    Portimao, 9 August 2020: The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standings have a new leader in 2020 following Race 2 at the Motul Portuguese Round as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) moved to the top of the standings following his third race win in 2020 at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

    Rea initially faced a challenge from Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) and Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) with the Turkish sensation on the inside at Turn 1, but Rea swept around the outside of both Razgatlioglu and Baz to keep the lead and pulled out a gap to claim a dominant victory; moving to the top of the Championship by four points.

    Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) claimed a stunning second place after making up three places from his starting position, the British rider ensuring Rea could not pull too far away in the Championship standings, having an almost race-long battle with Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team); the Dutch rider finishing the 20-lap race in third place.

    Redding’s Ducati teammate, Chaz Davies claimed a fourth place finish as he fought his way through the field, finishing two seconds clear of Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) as the Spanish rider secured his best finish of the 2020 season; battling his way through the field to secure a top five finish. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) claimed a sixth place finish after showing another solid performance as he continued his impressive recent form.

    Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) secured a seventh placed finish for BMW, two seconds back from Rinaldi but almost 12 seconds clear of the recovering Razgatlioglu in eighth; the Turkish sensation battling back from a crash at Turn 5 to claim a points finish. He battled with Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) in the latter stages of the race, taking advantage of the Italian running wide at Turn 5 with just a couple of laps to go.

    Leandro “Tati” Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) secured his best result of 2020 with 10th place, holding off a challenge from American star Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) who finished 11th. Gerloff had an incident with five laps to go with Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) with the pair coming together at Turn 2; Fores having to retire from the race while Gerloff could continue. Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) bounced back from a Turn 5 crash to claim points with 12th place, while Leon Haslam (Team HRC) finished 13th; also after a fall at Turn 5.

    Marco Melandri (Barni Racing Team) finished in 14th place with Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) in 15th; Frenchman Barrier securing his best result of 2020 as he picked up the final point available in Race 2.

    Baz was forced to retire after a high-speed crash at Turn 15 in the early stages of the race while Maximilian Scheib (ORELAC Kawasaki VerdNatura) retired from the race following an incident on Lap 2. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) joined the list of fallers at the Turn 5 hairpin as he came off his bike on Lap 7, remounting the bike but bringing it back to the pitlane to end his race early.

    Rea taking the Championship lead means there have now been four different Championship leaders after Razgatlioglu, Lowes and Redding.

  • Max Verstappen wins 70th Anniversary GP ahead of Hami

    Max Verstappen wins 70th Anniversary GP ahead of Hami

    Silverstone, 9 August 2020: Max Verstappen took a well-worked 70thAnniversary Grand Prix victory at Silverstone beating Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Despite starting from the front row both Mercedes were hampered by significant tyre degradation during the race, while Verstappen, who started fourth, managed his tyres well to steadily pull away in the final third of the race. The Red Bull driver eventually took his ninth career win with 11 seconds in hand over the lead Mercedes of Hamilton. 

    At the start, Verstappen made a good getaway and as Bottas fought off Hamilton to hold the lead, the Dutchman powered past third-place starter Nico Hülkenberg as the field swept through Turn 1. 

    As the opening stint developed Verstappen was able to keep pace with the Mercedes pair but midway through the first phase of the race his race engineer warned that that his tyre temperatures were high and that he should back off. The Dutchman was in no mood to comply and replied that this was his only chance to clear the Mercedes. 

    Bottas made his first stop on lap 14 and a lap later Hamilton made his switch to hard tyres. Verstappen now led the race, had clean air ahead and began to pull away from the Mercedes cars.

    On lap 20 he led Bottas by 13 seconds, with Hamilton third. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz was fourth on starting hard tyres, with Hulkenberg fifth ahead of Stroll. Sainz made his stop for medium tyres on lap 23 and he rejoined in 13thplace. 

    Verstappen made his first pit stop on lap 26 and took on mediums. As he rejoined, Bottas went past and took the lead. The Red Bull driver attacked immediately and the pair went through Brooklands side-by-side. However with more grip, the Dutchman was able to make the move stick and he reclaimed P1. 

    After a short, quick stint on mediums Verstappen arrowed towards the pits for another set of hard tyres on lap 32. He rejoined in P2 behind Hamilton who needed a second pit stop. 

    Hamilton, though, stayed out until then end of lap 41 before making his final stop and after taking a set of new hard tyres he rejoined in fourth place as Verstappen once again took the lead. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who had only made one stop, was now third, 2.8s behind Bottas and just 1.7s seconds ahead of hard charging Hamilton who was setting fastest laps. 

    On lap 45, Racing Point made the odd decision to pit Nico Hülkenberg from P5 for a third time. The German took on a set of softs tyres and rejoined in P7, 12 seconds behind the second Red Bull of Alex Albon. 

    At the front, with five laps to go, Verstappen led Bottas by 6.8s. Hamilton, though, was closing in, and having dismissed Leclerc he was now third and just two seconds behind his team-mate. 

    Bottas did his best to defend the position but with little life left in his tyres he was forced to brake earlier than Hamilton into Brooklands on lap 52 and the champion swept past to take P2. 

    There was no catching Verstappen, however. And two laps later the Dutchman crossed the line with 11.3 seconds in hand over the lead Mercedes with Bottas a further 7.9s behind in third place. 

    Fourth place went to Leclerc with the Monegasque executing a risky one-stop strategy and behind him Alex finished in a superb fifth place. 

    In the final laps Albon had closed quickly on the Racing Point of Lance Stroll and with a couple of laps remaining chose the run to Copse to make a move. At full speed he pulled out from behind the Canadian and powered past around the outside of the flat out turn to secure fifth place. 

    Stroll was forced to settle for sixth place, with team-mate Hülkenberg in seventh after his mystifying late pit stop for soft tyres. 

    Like Leclerc, Esteban Ocon made a one-stop strategy work to take P8 for Renault ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and the final point on offer was taken by AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat. 

    2020 FIA Formula 1 70thAnniversary Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 52 1:19’41.993 
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 52 1:19’53.319 11.326
    3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 52 1:20’01.224 19.231
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 52 1:20’11.282 29.289
    5 Alexander Albon Red Bull/Honda 52 1:20’21.139 39.146
    6 Lance Stroll Racing Point/Mercedes 52 1:20’24.531 42.538
    7 Nico Hülkenberg Racing Point/Mercedes 52 1:20’37.944 55.951
    8 Esteban Ocon Renault 52 1:20’46.766 1’04.773
    9 Lando Norris McLaren/Renault 52 1:20’47.537 1’05.544
    10 Daniil Kvyat AlphaTauri/Honda 52 1:20’51.662 1’09.669
    11 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 52 1:20’52.635 1’10.642
    12 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 52 1:20’55.363 1’13.370
    13 Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren/Renault 52 1:20’56.063 1’14.070
    14 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 51 1:19’48.644 1 Lap
    15 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 51 1:20’05.037 1 Lap
    16 Romain Grosjean Haas/Ferrari 51 1:20’07.207 1 Lap
    17 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 51 1:20’13.007 1 Lap
    18 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 51 1:20’13.889 1 Lap
    19 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 51 1:20’14.496 1 Lap
         Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 43 1:08’20.363 Retirement

  • Brad Binder takes maiden MotoGP win at Brno

    Brad Binder takes maiden MotoGP win at Brno

    The first win for KTM in the premier class, the first for South Africa and the first for a rookie since 2013, Brad Binder’s scintillating Czech GP ride to victory puts him – and KTM – in the history books

    Brno (Czech Republic), 9 August 2020: Sometimes things come together so perfectly, they can appear easy to the casual observer – like a five-second gap at the front in only your third MotoGP™ race. That reads like an easy ride for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as he made history in the Monster Energy Grand Prix České Republiky, and he certainly dominated a field of experience to make it look so. But the blood, sweat and tears that go into winning, and making history, are often not caught on camera. That doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

    For Binder, the path to MotoGP™ victory and the first South African win in the premier class is one that starts in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, ascending via the 2016 Moto3™ crown with Red Bull KTM Ajo and a trophy cabinet full of lightweight and intermediate class silverware. For KTM, the journey began full time competition in 2017 as the Austrian factory took on the premier class armed with a mission, a philosophy, and an incredible record of sporting achievement. In their fourth season, a vital first part of that mission is accomplished, their philosophy remains unwavering and victory is a reality.

    Behind the rookie and factory taking victory for the first time in Brno, there were two more firsts after the awesome race day shake up at the Czech adrenaline factory too. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took second and his first podium in the premier class, with Johann Zarco back on the box in third to give Esponsorama Racing their first MotoGP™ podium… via a spectacularly precise, pitch perfect and full gas Long Lap Penalty.

    Morbidelli was the man fastest out the blocks as the lights went out, picking teammate Fabio Quartararo’s pocket round Turn 1 and bolting into the distance almost immediately as Zarco lost out from pole. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) also managed to get past the number 5 as he launched from fourth into the top three, before he even struck for second and dispatched Quartararo. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Pol Espargaro and Binder made great starts to slot into fourth and fifth too, leaving  Zarco initially down in P6.

    Binder was then a man on a mission. The South African cut past teammate Espargaro and then Aleix Espargaro, soon stuck to the rear wheel of Quartararo as Zarco followed suit to strike back against former teammate Pol Espargaro… but that would soon to serve up some drama. Before that though, the number 44 made it through on Lap 6 and immediately set sights on his teammate and Quartararo as the battle for second became a double factory KTM vs Quartararo fight.

    On Lap 9, Binder was through on El Diablo, striking at Turn 3 – a little wide but more than making it stick – and Pol Espargaro was next through. He then also headed wide at Turn 13 and lost the place, but drama was about to unfold at Turn 1 next time around: the KTM of Espargaro was a little wide and the Ducati of Zarco kept it pinned on the inside, leaving both heading for the same piece of tarmac. As the KTM swept back to get the run up through Turn 2, the two made contact and Espargaro was skittled off – earning Zarco a Long Lap Penalty for the incident.

    Despite the heartbreak for one orange bike, there was plenty still to celebrate a little ahead on track. Honing in on Morbidelli and the race lead, Binder wasn’t showing any signs of slowing up, reeling in the Yamaha at speed and soon within striking distance. With nine laps left in Brno, the rookie sensation struck and Binder was in the lead of a MotoGP™ race for the first time. Could he now stay steadfast under pressure? It appeared he more than could, with the KTM immediately starting to bolt into clear air at the front.

    On the same lap, Zarco took his Long Lap Penalty and despite preconceptions, that was a show in itself and one of the most spectacular moments of the race. Inch perfect, rear tyre smoking and absolutely pinned on the right side of the line, the number 5 saw his gap back to Quartararo in fourth evaporate but screamed out of the Long Lap area just ahead of his compatriot, holding third and keeping that first podium with Ducati still very much in sight. 

    Meanwhile Binder raced on, Morbidelli held firm, and the battle at the front became one of nerves. The fight just behind the top two was starting to heat up though, and with Zarco staying ahead of Quartararo it seemed like solid damage limitation for the Championship leader if he held fourth. The double Jerez winner was struggling, however. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) were all starting to hunt him down, with the Suzuki striking first with five laps to go. Nine-time World Champion Rossi soon followed suit on the same lap, and Quartararo quickly found himself lingering down in sixth. With four laps to go, the number 20 also fell victim to Oliveira’s charge and the focus shifted back to Zarco… who now had Alex Rins for very close company.

    Binder – barring a mistake – was a few kilometres from making some very big dreams a very big reality, and Morbidelli looked secure to hit his own milestone too. But Rins was hot on the heels of the Ducati in third and the gap was just 0.6 between the GP19 and GSX-RR with a couple of laps to go; soon down to nothing as Zarco stared down a momentous final lap.

    First to complete that would be Binder, however. The South African made the graft and grind look easy, over four seconds clear after more than four years of tireless work from the Austrian factory to see the RC-16 come home first and Binder etch his name into premier class and KTM folklore. Childhood dreams realised across the board, Morbidelli continued the trend as he brought his Yamaha home second to secure a fantastic maiden MotoGP™ podium, and he moves into P3 in the overall standings.

    In the duel for third, Rins was looking menacing on the final lap but Zarco was holding firm, keeping the the Suzuki man at bay. The Frenchman closed the door and did so brilliantly to secure his first MotoGP™ podium since the 2018 Malaysian GP, making it a huge day for the Avintia team too, who achieve their first MotoGP™ podium to add to pole position gained on Saturday.

    Fourth place for Rins remains remarkable, however, with the number 42 taking some valuable points after suffering a dislocation-fracture to the shoulder at the Spanish GP. Close to the Suzuki man was Rossi, who climbed to P5 from a P10 starting place in another great ride for ‘The Doctor’. Oliveira finished P6 to cement his best premier class finish, having started 13th, but Quartararo won’t be too pleased to have finished 11 seconds from the win in P7. Nevertheless, those are valuable points in the title race as key rivals remained behind the Frenchman on race day.

    Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) finished one second adrift of Quartararo, in P8, and two seconds up the road from Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) after the Australian recovered from a tough start to pip Aleix Espargaro to P9 on the last lap. Miller ended the day just over a second up the road from Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), but the pair did salvage P9 and P11 from P14 and P18 starting positions.

    Aleix Espargaro’s P10 was his first finish of 2020, important for the Spaniard and team, and Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) finished 12th but on the way into a historically good track for Ducati…

    LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow finished 13th as he continues to battle a left scaphoid injury, and nine tenths behind him, Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) takes just two points home in P14, losing valuable ground in the Championship and now 17 adrift of Quartararo. Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took 15th to continue his record of scoring at least a point in his first three MotoGP™ races.

    In other key stories, Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) lost the front and collected Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in the early stages as the duo crashed out of contention.

    That’s it from Brno and a truly history-making race. For Binder, for KTM, for South Africa, and for MotoGP™. The last time a rookie won a race, it was Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). Before that, it was Jorge Lorenzo, and before that, Dani Pedrosa – legends both. Pedrosa is also a man who shares some of the pay off after KTM’s stunning first win, now in the role of test rider with the factory. What can Binder go on to achieve now? It couldn’t really have been written better, as the tidal wave of glory now carries the paddock south to Styria and the stunning Red Bull Ring, home race for the newest winners on the block.

    Come back for more – and we know you want to – as MotoGP™ revs the hills alive with the sound of horsepower in the Austrian GP next weekend.

    Brad Binder: “It hasn’t sunk it yet. Today was the most incredible day of my lief so far, it’s a day I’ve dreamed of since I was a child, and for it to come true in my third Grand Prix is scary. I honestly can’t believe it. From the day starting in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup it’s been a consistent grind trying to get here. You know I came through all the classes with Red Bull KTM, and here we are on top. We’ve finally won in MotoGP.”

    MotoGP podium:

    1 Brad Binder – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM – 41:38.764
    2 Franco Morbidelli – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +5.266
    3 Johann Zarco – Esponsorama Racing – Ducati – +6.470

  • Tsunoda wins as Shwartzman and Schumacher collide: F2

    Tsunoda wins as Shwartzman and Schumacher collide: F2

    Silverstone, 9 August 2020: Yuki Tsunoda benefitted from a sensational late collision between race leaders, and PREMA teammates, Robert Shwartzman and Mick Schumacher, to take his first-ever FIA Formula 2 victory in the Sprint Race at Silverstone.

    The Carlin driver patiently sat behind the PREMA duo for the first 19 laps of the race, steering clear of any drama and putting him in the perfect position to benefit from their coming together. He swept into first with two laps to go, and calmly closed out the victory to become the 25th different F2 winner since the Championship began.

    Schumacher was able to retain second place at the chequered flag, and avoided a penalty as Race Control deemed the collision to be a racing incident.

    Shwartzman suffered damage from their clash and dropped out of the top ten entirely. This promoted Jack Aitken up to third for his second podium of both the weekend, and the season.

    Callum Ilott, who took the Championship lead in the Feature Race on Saturday, managed sixth place to stretch his lead at the top of the table by a further four points.

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Shwartzman was completely unfazed at the race start, getting away cleanly off the line ahead of teammate Schumacher. The German was equally cool when the lights went out and lined up in tow of the Russian.

    Schumacher appeared impatient in his desire to take the race lead, attempting an audacious move at Hangar Straight, but it failed to come off and he lost momentum, allowing his teammate to open up a bit of a gap.

    Behind them, Tsunoda had also started well, but it was Aitken who made the strongest start of all, flinging his Campos down the right to make up two places to fourth.

    Louis Delétraz was all over the back of Christian Lundgaard and eventually forced the ART Grand Prix man into a mistake, as he went wide at Copse and allowed the Charouz Racing System driver to snatch fifth. The Dane lost another position to Guanyu Zhou on the following lap, as the UNI-Virtuosi driver made a delightful dive around the outside.

    There was no form of reaction from Lundgaard, whose tyres were sporting visible blisters, and he fell into the clutches of the Championship leader, Ilott. Eventually the pressure proved too much. The Dane locked up several times and then ran wide, allowing the Briton past. It didn’t get any better for the Renault junior, as his left-front tyre then gave way and he was forced to retire.

    Tsunoda had been ticking along nicely in third, building up a 13s gap on fourth placed Aitken. In front of him, Shwartzman and Schumacher had been close throughout the race and eventually came to blows at Turn 6 with just two laps to go – handing Tsunoda the lead.

    Schumacher attempted a move around the outside of the Russian, but the two made contact. Shwartzman, having led the race up until that point, suffered damage to his front wing and plummeted out of the top ten. Schumacher escaped any damage and held on to second behind the Carlin at the chequered flag.

    Aitken benefitted from the chaos to take his second podium in as many races, while Delétraz clinched fourth, ahead of Zhou. Ilott, Dan Ticktum and Nikita Mazepin claimed the final points positions.

    Ilott retains first in the Drivers’ Championship on 106 points, with neither of his main challengers finishing in the points. Lundgaard is second on 87, with Shwartzman third on 85. Mazepin and Delétraz sit fourth and fifth. In the Teams’ Championship, UNI-Virtuosi lead with 167 points, 21 ahead of PREMA Racing. ART Grand Prix are third, ahead of Hitech Grand Prix and Carlin.

    KEY QUOTE – YUKI TSUNODA (CARLIN)

    “I am really happy to take P1 today. Congrats and thanks to Carlin, who did a really great job with the car. It was quite a tough race, and both of the PREMA guys were really fast in the beginning. I could see that they were struggling towards the end, so I saved the tyres as much as possible to prepare.

    “I was a bit lucky for the overtake at Brooklands, but after that, I had a good pace and I am happy to take the first win.”

  • Gunther holds off Frijns to take thrilling win: Formula E

    Gunther holds off Frijns to take thrilling win: Formula E

    Berlin, 8 August 2020: Maximilian Günther pipped Robin Frijns to victory after a stellar drive in round eight of the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship here on Saturday.
    The BMW I Andretti star secured his second win of the season by just over a tenth-of-a-second, having chased down pole-sitter Jean-Éric Vergne to pass the DS Techeetah ace with just three laps remaining.

    Günther came under intense late pressure from a hard-charging Frijns but was able to hold off the Envision Virgin Racing driver in a drag race to the line.

    Vergne finished third ahead of team-mate and championship leader António Félix da Costa, who took another step closer to the title after fighting his way through from eighth on the grid.

    Running on the regular circuit configuration at the iconic Tempelhof Airport, having raced the track in reverse last week, Vergne was the class of the field in qualifying and took pole position by nearly half-a-second. 

    And the reigning champion got off to a flying start when the lights went green, pulling out a two-second gap at the front of the field after a single lap.

    Mahindra Racing ace Jérôme D’Ambrosio also enjoyed a lightning getaway, jumping Günther off the line to move into second.

    However, the Belgian struggled to live with Vergne’s early pace. Despite an average launch, Günther wasted no time fighting back and found a way past D’Ambrosio on the second lap with a well-judged move.

    The German soon set about hunting down Vergne and quickly closed the gap at the front before the race was neutralised by the safety car following a collision involving James Callado, Sérgio Sette Câmara and Neel Jani.

    Günther kept the pressure on at the re-start and came close to passing Vergne, only to lose three places after taking ‘ATTACK MODE’.


    This didn’t deter the 23-year-old, who swiftly dispatched the Mercedes-Benz EQ of Stoffel Vandoorne then found his way past Frijns to latch back onto the leader’s tail with some breathtaking driving.


    Günther even briefly found himself at the head of the race after Vergne enabled ‘ATTACK MODE’, but the Frenchman pulled off a cut-back pass to regain the advantage once more.


    The BMW i Andretti star did finally make a move stick with three laps remaining and just about had enough energy in reserve to stave off a late challenge from the rapid Frijns.

    Vergne faded in the final laps but managed to remain ahead of da Costa, who had carefully picked his way through the field with some clinical overtakes – including a brilliant dummy pass on Mahindra’s Alex Lynn.

    Da Costa is now 68 points ahead of his nearest rival Günther – who jumped from ninth to second in the standings after his win – and the Portuguese driver can wrap up the title tomorrow if results go his way.

    André Lotterer brought his TAG Heuer Porsche home in fifth, climbing his way up from seventh on the grid, while Oliver Rowland benefitted from Vandoorne suffering a left-rear puncture to secure sixth for Nissan e.DAMS.

    D’Ambrosio finished seventh ahead of Lucas Di Grassi, with the Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler team leader recovering well from a half-spin following contact, while Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Mitch Evans was in superb form to secure ninth after starting 19th on the grid and Alexander Sims rounded out the top ten.

    The breathless end to the 2019/20 season continues tomorrow (Sunday, August 9) with round nine of the championship, but can da Costa clinch the crown?

    Maximilian Günther (BMW I Andretti Motorsport)

    “It was important to qualify on the front row, or at least close to the top drivers. The race was very close until the end and we managed it very well. We dropped one place at the beginning, but we kept cool and recovered the position. Robin came from behind and I knew he had more energy. So, I had to be quick to make the move on JEV and it paid off. I’m incredibly happy for the team, myself and everyone to win this home race here in Berlin!”

    Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing)

    “It feels really good to be back on the podium. It’s my first time this season, which has been quite a strange one so far, but we had a good race today. We were really good on energy halfway and also at the end. Guenther and JEV were fighting a lot and when that happens you sit back and see what comes next. I knew I could overtake at the end, so I tried to save as much energy to make it to the finish line. I’m pleased with the result today. The team did a good job and I’m really happy to be back.”

    Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah)

    “We did good to get a podium finish today. I don’t know what happened, but we need to investigate on the energy management after taking ATTACK MODE, since that made me struggle quite a lot at the end of the race. I was fighting with Max for the lead but when I saw Robin coming, I thought it was useless fighting, as that would have meant losing the podium for me. We still have some work to do ahead of tomorrow to win the race. But it’s good to be back on the podium.”

  • Rea takes commanding Portimao Race 1 victory

    Rea takes commanding Portimao Race 1 victory

    Portimao, 8 August 2020: The weekend racing action started at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve with thrilling battles on track with Race 1 from MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed a dominant victory of five seconds to reassert himself in the Championship fight.

    It was the perfect way to bounce back from Rea’s worst race finish in six years when he finished sixth at Jerez in Race 2 by taking a commanding victory from pole position, with no one able to match the Northern Irishman throughout the 20-lap race. He was initially challenged by Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAHAMA WorldSBK Official Team) but a stunning lap time on Lap 4, half a second quicker than Razgatlioglu, meant he pulled out around a second from the Turkish sensation.

    Razgatlioglu finished a comfortable second, five seconds behind Rea but almost two seconds clear of his PATA Yamaha teammate Michael van der Mark as Yamaha secured two spots on the podium; showing impressive pace in both Tissot Superpole and Race 1 to cement their status as front runners in WorldSBK.

    Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished in fourth place after starting the race in third, having battled his way back through the field in an epic battle with Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) and, initially, van der Mark. While van der Mark was able to escape after passing Baz and Lowes at Turn 2 on Turn 10, the rest continued their epic battle. Van der Mark also dramatically lost pace when he had a false neutral on his bike, losing around six tenths before fighting back for a podium.

    Redding had initially made his way from eighth to fight for a podium but lost pace in the later stages in the race, as he fell back to Lowes on Lap 15 before Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) passed him on Lap 18 at Turn 1 before Baz followed him through at Turn 3. It meant Rinaldi finished fifth, continuing his impressive recent pace, ahead of Baz as the two Independent riders claimed a top-six finish. Redding finished in seventh place, just holding off the challenge from Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team); Sykes claiming a top 10 finish after starting fourth.

    Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) finished in ninth place after showing some late-race pace to apply the pressure to Sykes and Redding, but the Spanish rider was unable to gain enough. Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed a top 10 finish as BMW scored a top 10 finish with both riders. Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) finished in 11th place, holding off the challenge from Leon Haslam (Team HRC) by one-tenth as they crossed the line.

    Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finishing in 13th place onboard his Kawasaki, holding off a late-race challenge from Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team); the pair having a drag race to the line with Spanish rider Fores holding on by just 0.042s. Gerloff’s teammate, Federico Caricasulo, claimed the final point paying position in the race with 15th.

    Sandro Cortese (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) was the only rider who crashed during the race, as he fell on the last lap at Turn 11, but Cortese is conscious following the accident. The German was transferred to Faro hospital following the incident where he will undergo surgery to stabilize a fractured vertebra, with Cortese currently showing no signs of neurological impairment. He also suffered from a fracture of the right tibial bone.
    P1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    “It was a fantastic race; I want to thank my team because they gave me a great bike. I felt good from Lap 1. We’ve been working all day yesterday with our rhythm to understand all the tyres available to us. I want to thank them because we made a good decision together. I set my rhythm at the start and managed the race in a good way. It was my first proper long race win of the season and I want to dedicate it to all the fans who aren’t here, especially everybody from back home, normally Portugal is full of my fans but I see your messages on Facebook and Instagram and it really gives me a lot of power after last week so this one is for you.”

    P2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team)
    “We tried for a win today, but it wasn’t possible as Jonny was so fast. I tried for a good position, I followed Jonny for maybe four or five laps but after that, he went. I started sliding too much, so finished in the second position. I’m happy and tomorrow we try a different setup for a better position.”

    P3 Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team)
    “I’m really happy with this podium. If I look back at the race, I was really comfortable with the bike. My bike went in neutral, so I went off track, and I had some moments at Turn 9 so it wasn’t easy. I’m happy to get back on the podium, and it’s great to have Toprak on the podium as well. I think we just need to make some small changes on the bike for tomorrow, especially when it’s warm, but I’m happy with this podium and it feels great to see some fans around the track again.”
    #PRTWorldSBK at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve – Race 1.
     
    1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Team) +5.142
    3. Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Team) +7.029
    4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +9.851
    5. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) +10.705
    6. Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +12.226
  • Callum Ilott takes a facile win, snatches F2 lead

    Callum Ilott takes a facile win, snatches F2 lead

    Silverstone, 8 August 2020: UNI-Virtuosi’s Callum Ilott put the frustrations of Round 4 behind him to control the Formula 2 Feature Race from start to finish, and emphatically snatch the Championship lead from his fellow Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman on home soil at Silverstone.

    The Briton’s day got off to a flyer as he thundered off the line when the lights went out, but arguably, the key to his victory was tyre management. Ilott finished nearly 9s ahead of Christian Lundgaard, whose visibly degraded Pirellis prevented him from mounting any form of serious assault on P1.

    The top three remained unchanged from Qualifying, as Jack Aitken secured his first podium of the season at his home race in third.

    Shwartzman managed to make up three places from 11th, but it wasn’t enough to retain his grip on the Drivers’ Championship. The PREMA racer will have an opportunity to make up some ground in the title race from reverse grid pole in the Sprint Race tomorrow.

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Last weekend, Ilott had stalled from second ahead of the formation lap, but there was no sign of something similar from pole in Round 5. The UNI-Virtuosi racer enjoyed a dream getaway from first, peeling away from the pack cleanly into the first corner.

    The Briton’s cause was helped by compatriot Dan Ticktum, who stole the attention of front row starter Lundgaard, darting down the right from fourth and ahead of the Dane for P2.

    All of Ticktum’s hard work was undone four laps later, as he skidded off the road at Chapel to allow Lundgaard back past, and then went wide at Stowe to allow Aitken ahead too.

    Mick Schumacher had vaulted off the line himself and watched gleefully as Ticktum fell into his clutches. The German went side-by-side with the DAMS driver into Turns 3 and 4, and eventually edged past in a protracted, but hard-fought move. Nikita Mazepin immediately followed the PREMA through, to drop Ticktum to sixth.

    The majority of those who started on the softs changed on Lap 7, including Lundgaard from P2, but Ilott opted to wait and switch to the hard Pirellis a lap later.

    His decision proved well-founded, as he maintained his position ahead of Lundgaard on his return from the pitlane, top of the drivers on the option-prime strategy. This handed Schumacher the lead ahead of Mazepin, both on the alternate strategy.

    Ilott was wary of putting too much pressure on the hard tyres on their maiden laps, but did manage to fight past Artem Markelov for P9 and put some breathing space between himself and Lundgaard.

    The Briton got the tyres up to temperature and felt comfortable enough to fling himself ahead of Giuliano Alesi and Roy Nissany too. Lundgaard was already sporting visible blisters on his front left and complained to his team on the radio that the hard tyres were struggling as he got stuck behind Alesi, in a train with Aitken and Delétraz.

    Schumacher pitted from first on Lap 21 and returned in P12 behind Ticktum. The German took a couple of laps to warm up his tyres, but once he had, wasted no time in reclaiming the position from the DAMS driver.

    Mazepin went in for his change on Lap 22 and returned the race lead to Ilott, who had made the most of the traffic between him and Lundgaard to build up a mega 8s advantage.

    When the Russian returned, he slotted into P8 behind Schumacher, but was revelling in his decision to pit later than the German and used the fresher rubber to fire ahead of both Schumacher, and Yuki Tsunoda, for fifth. He’d follow this up with a last gasp dash past Delétraz on the final lap.

    Little else changed on the final lap, as Ilott calmly claimed his second win of the season ahead of Lundgaard. The Dane managed to cling onto second ahead of Aitken, who scored his first podium of 2020. Mazepin ran home fourth, ahead of Delétraz, Tsunoda, Schumacher and Shwartzman. Guanyu Zhou and Felipe Drugovich completed the top ten.

    Ilott moves into first place in the Drivers’ Championship for the first time since Round 2, on 102 points. Lundgaard also makes up a place to second, 15 points behind the UNI-Virtuosi racer. Shwartzman drops to third on 85, ahead of Mazepin and Ticktum.

    In the Teams’ Championship, UNI-Virtuosi strengthen their lead at the top on 157 points, ahead of PREMA on 132 and ART Grand Prix on 121. Hitech Grand Prix are fourth, ahead of Carlin.

    KEY QUOTE – CALLUM ILOTT (UNI-VIRTUOSI)

    “It is great to come away with the win. It was quite a long race, I have to say, but I did everything right and I got the start right.

    “I had to extend the first stint because of where we are in the pitlane, otherwise I probably would have missed out on a couple seconds, because I’d have had to let some cars by. It worked out well in the end and I extended the gap a little bit to Christian.

    “From there, I just kept it going and kept it on track. It wasn’t easy, the wind was in a different direction to how it has been this week and how it had been last week, which made it very twitchy through the high-speed sections.

    “I feel really good to get the win. I should have done it last week, but it couldn’t have gone any better this week. I’m really happy, and a great job from the team.”