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Author: David Bodapati
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Splendid double for Max Defourny; Andreas Estner, Patrick Pasma win a race each; MRF Challenge
Andreas Estner (No.11) edging past Jamie Chadwick (55) on way to winning Race-3. Photo: Aditya Bedre Dubai, 17 Nov 2018: Five races and four winners accurately reflected the highly competitive grid of MRF Challenge as Belgium’s 20-year old Max Defourny achieved a splendid double while Andreas Estner (Germany) and Patrick Pasma (Finland) won the previous two races of the day at the Dubai Autodrome here on Saturday.
For Defourny, the Round-1 of the MRF Challenge proved memorable as he won Race 1 and 5 apart from podium positions in the other three races. Defourny finished the Round 1 with 106 points, ahead of Great Britain’s Jamie Chadwick (78) and Singapore’s Danial Frost (70), winner of Race 2 yesterday. The MRF Challenge heads to Bahrain (Dec 6-8) for the next round before moving to Chennai (Feb 8-10) for the championship finale.
Max Defourny. Photo: Aditya Bedre Defourny could have done even better, but he messed up his pole-position start in Race-3 where he lost track position by Turn-1 itself in the very first lap, but recovered to finish third. “I think, I could have done better and won a couple of more races. I made a few mistakes, but more important was that I picked up points at the start of the championship. My win in Race 5 was far more satisfying than that in Race 1. I won more comfortably and on tyres that I had used in the previous four races,” said Defourny.
In the day’s first race, Andreas Estner, was off to a great start, moving from fourth to first as the pack dived into Turn-1, and, thereafter, literally won as he pleased as he left rest of the field, including pole-sitter Max Defourny, scrabbling for positions. While Estner disappeared into the distance, Britisher Jamie Chadwick slotted herself into P2 which she defended gamely against close attention from Defourny with the Belgian first dropping to fourth before tucking himself behind the British girl for the rest of the race.
Race-4 was all about Pasma who made capital of his reverse grid pole-position start to open up a sizeable lead. Behind him, Defourny set a scorching pace to move from fourth to second and bore down on Pasma. In a tense battle, the Finn defended well to win while Defourny picked up his fourth podium with a second-paced finish ahead of fellow-Belgian Michelangelo Amendola.
“The pole position gave me a lot of confidence and I managed to open up a good lead. In the last couple of laps, Max (Defourny) was close behind me, but I managed to survive,” said Pasma.
In the fifth and final race of Round 1, it was Defourny all the way after starting from pole position and with each of the 10 laps, he increased the lead for his second win of the week by nearly 10 seconds. Meanwhile, Chadwick, the only female competitor on the grid, came through a tough midfield battle to finish a deserving second ahead of Singapore’s Danial Frost, winner of Race 1 yesterday.
India’s Chetan Korada, though finishing way down the grid in all the five races, took some positives from the first round. “I am gradually getting used to the car and this is reflected in my ever-improving timings. I hope to have a better outing in Bahrain next month and hopefully, by the time we get to Chennai in February, I should be more competitive and fighting for mid-grid positions,” said the 32-year old Chennai-based driver competing with a prosthesis leg.
The results (all 10 laps):
Race-3: 1. Andreas Estner (Germany); 2. Jamie Chadwick (GBR); 3. Max Defourny (Belgium). Fastest Lap: Defourny (01:57.038). Race-4: 1. Patrick Pasma (Finland); 2. Defourny; 3. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium). Fastest Lap: Max Defourny (01:58.729). Race-5: 1. Defourny; 2. Chadwick; 3. Danial Frost (Singapore). Fastest Lap: Jamie Chadwick (01:59.402).
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Abu Dhabi’s Shaun Torrente on pole for Grand Prix of India; Team Amaravati’s Anderson 5th
Shaun Torrente of Sweden take pole position for the Grand Prix of India. Photo Tony Titus Amaravati (AP, India) 17 Nov 2018: Team Abu Dhabi’s Shaun Torrente produced a stunning final run in today’s top-six shootout to cap a thrilling BRM Official Qualifying session, setting the fastest time with a 44.54s lap around the five-pin 1.125km circuit on the Krishna River and will start tomorrow’s Grand Prix of India from pole position.
Norway’s Marit Stromoy produced her best qualifying session of the season and went second quickest for Emirates Racing with a 44.72s lap, Abu Dhabi’s Erik Stark sealing third spot with a time of 45.00s.
Torrente was made to work hard for his seventh career-pole and his third of the season, leaving it late into Q2 and sitting outside the top six before jumping to the top of the time sheets to progress into the shootout on his final lap as the clock timed out the 20 minute session, his Abu Dhabi teammates Thani Al Qemzi and Stark locking out the top three spots.
Victory Team’s Alex Carella was the big loser in the middle session after having his best lap time of 46.27s deleted for cutting the course, dropping him to eighth and elevating Stromoy to fourth, Victory’s Ahmed Al Hameli to fifth and handing a lifeline and shootout slot to Team Amaravati’s Jonas Andersson.
Andersson opened the shootout with a best lap of 45.22s which Al Hameli was unable to better, missing out by a mere one hundredths of a second.
Next out was Stromoy and targeting a first pole position since Portugal in 2011 and immediately posted the fastest time of the day with a staggering 44.72s lap to take the provisional pole. Stark followed and produced his best time on his first run but missed out by 0.26s with Al Thani’s time of 45.06s eventually putting him fourth.
Torrente was last out and the tension mounted as he pulled out of his first run and was suddenly under massive pressure to deliver the team its fourth pole of the season, but then produced a simply breath taking run to snatch pole position from Stromoy by 0.18s. “The whole day was a series of mistakes by me and then to get it done at the last second is great,” Torrente said. “In Q2 I changed to a bigger propeller which I thought I needed and I did. But with less than 30 seconds to go I was out. But I made a good solid lap and went P1. Then in Q3 having seen Marit’s time which was huge I pressed too hard and made a mistake so I aborted and just had to pull out a near perfect lap, which I did.”
It was another massively frustrating day for the CTIC Shenzhen China F1 duo who have been struggling with engine issues and ahead of a race that they really need to be running in the top three or four to keep any flickering title hopes alive, but now face a huge mountain to climb with Peter Morin qualifying in seventh and Philippe Chiappe in tenth behind Blaze Performance’s Francesco Cantando, the man who won in Mumbai in 2004.
Today’s result, with the Abu Dhabi trio starting one-three and four tomorrow, brings the likelihood of them all but closing out the title race a step closer as they bid for an unprecedented third successive Grand Prix podium lockout, the woman standing in their way is Marit Stromoy who is bidding for a second Grand Prix win.
BRM Official Qualifying – Top Six Shootout
1. 6 Shaun Torrente (usa/*uae) – 44.54s
2. 50 Marit Stromoy (nor) – 44.72s
3. 35 Erik Stark (swe/*uae) – 45.00
4. 5 Thani Al Qemzi (uae) – 45.06s
5. 14 Jonas Andersson (swe) – 45.22s
6. 3 Ahmed Al Hameli (uae) – 45.23s
(*denotes international racing super license)
For full classifications:
https://www.f1h2o.com/results/2018/grand-prix-of-india/f1h2o
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Mad Croc’s Mihaldinecz wins Race 1 in F4-S: Powerboat Racing World Championship
F4 S winner on Saturday. A F1H2O image Amaravati (AP, India) 17 Nov 2018: Veteran driver Rudi Mihaldinecz used all his experience to take victory in the first of this weekend’s two races in the F4-S Championship in Amaravati, the support race for the UIM F1H2O powerboat racing World Championship at Vijayawada on Saturday.
In a highly entertaining race Mad Croc BABA Racing’s Hungarian driver led the race from pole position, but a mistake on lap 4 allowed series debutant Jeff Jelf to take the lead for Team Amaravati which he held onto until lap 12 when yellow flag was raised to allow race marshals to remove the stationary Blaze Performance driver Max Stilz.
At the restart on lap 16 Mihaldinecz immediately jumped Jelf to retake the lead, going on to win the 20-lap race by 5.22s with Jelf in pursuit but coming up short.
The middle order produced a great scrap before and after the yellow, Stilz running in third from F1 Atlantic’s Sam Whittle until both were passed on lap 9 by Victory’s Ahmed Al Fahim.
The yellow flag bunched up the pack with Whittle making up a place after Al Fahim hooked and dropped to sixth, with Emirates Racing’s Tom Chaippe also taking advantage as well as getting the better of Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed Al Mehairbi to move up and take fourth.
For full classifications:
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F1 powerboat racing champinship inaugurated; Team India’s Anderson 2nd fastest in extra FP
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu poses with Amaravati Team India after inaugurating the event on Friday. An F1inIndia image Amaravati (AP, India), 16 Nov 2018: US driver Shaun Torrente representing Abu Dhabi team was the fastest topping the time-sheets in the Extra Free Practice session that was held after the inauguration in the as the UIM F1H2O Grand Prix of India in Amaravati, started on Friday.
After a colourful inauguration by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the event began with an extra FP. Free Practice and Qualification will be held on Saturday while the races will be on Sunday. F4 race will also be on Saturday.
Team Abu Dhabi trio was the best in the opening session and Torrente ran 16 laps with a best time of 45.64s around the 2.125km 5-pin circuit on the Krishna River waters, I.40s quicker than teammate and championship leader Thani Al Qemzi. “The session went well and backed up the testing that we did earlier this month in Abu Dhabi,” Torrente said. “I didn’t have to run too many laps and the engine is not a 100 percent yet and as it was practice I didn’t want to push too much or take any risks. Now we just have to try to figure out what the weather is going to do over the next couple of days. Today it wasn’t great!”
Erik Stark who sits between the two in the overall standings was limited to just two laps due to an electrical issue and failed to post a competitive time.
Team India’s Anderson finishes opening session time sheets in second Jonas Andersson gave the enthusiastic home crowd something to cheer posting a 46.25s lap in his Team Amaravati DAC to go second quickest, 0.61s off top spot, with teammate Erik Edin struggling with engine issue and down in 14th. “I took it easy at the beginning and was struggling to find the right setting on the engine but in the end it was good,” he said. “Now I am just going to check everything is okay and decide which engine to use tomorrow.”
Alex Carella gave Victory Team a much-needed boost of confidence running 32 laps in the new boat and setting the third fastest time of the session with a 46.58s lap, teammate Ahmed Al Hameli four-tenths back in eighth. “Today was really encouraging for us. I have a very good feeling in this new boat which we tested in Dubai and then shipped out here,” said Carella. The set-up was pretty good and I just really felt comfortable in the boat. For me it is the best boat we have run this season.”
Despite some issues with a power drop off when she went tight into the turns Emirates Racing’s Marit Stromoy was still able to pull off the fifth quickest time with a 47.13s lap and edging teammate Bartek Marszalek by 0.06seconds.
Peter Morin was the best of the CTIC F1 Shenzhen China duo in seventh with Philippe Chiappe in tenth and ahead of Mad Croc BABA Racing’s Sami Selio who ran both his boats and was relieved to get through a session without breaking anything.
Today’s session, which marked the return of the UIM F1H2O World Championship to India for the first time in 14 years, was flagged off by the Chief Minister of the State of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naido, who was accompanied by Nicolo di san Germano, President of H2O Racing and Dr. Raffaele Chiulli, President of the Union Internationale Motonautiqe (UIM), the sport’s World Governing Body and who was recently confirmed as the new head of The Council of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).
Saturday’s practice session is at 11:15hrs [local] with BRM Official Qualifying starting at 15:30hrs.
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Danial Frost, Max Defourny share honours on Day One in MRF Challenge
Danial Frost, winner of Race-2 on Friday. Photo: Anand Philar Dubai, 16 Nov 2018: Danial Frost from Singapore and Belgian Max Defourny scored a race and a podium apiece to open their accounts in the first round of MRF Challenge at the Dubai Autodrome, here on Friday. Three more races are scheduled for tomorrow.
Frost, 17, in his second season in the championship, thus notched his maiden win by topping Race-2 after having finished third in Race-1 that Defourny, 20, won from pole position.
In Race-1, Frost made five places to come in third and in the next outing, climbed from fourth on the reverse grid to win. In contrast, Defourny dominated Race-1 with a lights-to-flag victory and in the next race, sliced his way through from sixth on the reverse grid to finish third behind pole-sitter Czech Republic’s Petr Ptacek who did well to hold off the Belgian over the last couple of laps.
“I had a good start and made positions in the very first lap before taking the lead. Thereafter, I consolidated my track position and it was quite comfortable in the end,” said Frost.
Earlier, Defourny put his pole position start to best use in Race-1 and was never seriously challenged even as he nursed his early lead though eschewing risk. Behind him, Jamie Chadwick, 20, who started second, slipped a bit, losing a couple of track positions, but recovered to regain her second spot while Frost drove well to finish third from eighth on the grid.
India’s Chetan Korada, making his debut in the championship, was placed 10th and 12th in the two races. He started Race-1 from the pitlane following an engine change, but said he was pleased to improve his lap times while getting used to the car.
After Race-1, Defourny said: “The race wasn’t too bad. Missed the fastest lap as I was trying to be a bit cautious on the tyres because it was the first race of the season. Was saving my tyres in the beginning and was expecting more track improvement as the race progressed. I opened a comfortable gap and did not want to make any mistakes, though I missed the fastest lap in the last two laps, wanting to save the tyres.”
Earlier, the qualifying session in the morning gradually developed into a two-way battle between Defourny and Chadwick who was provisionally on pole with just a few minutes left on the clock with a 01:57.177. The 20-year old Belgian’s response was a 01:56.819 which eventually ensured him the pole position. Chadwick, also 20, then replied with her best lap of the session, 01:56.937, but had to be content with the second spot on the grid.
“It was my first time out here and it was ok. We managed to get pole for Race 1 and Race 3. So we are positive. We had some issues with the gearbox leading to loss of speed, but we managed to sort it out. I already have two points for pole position and we hope to take as many points as possible from this round,” said Defourny.
The results:
Race-1 (10 laps): 1. Max Defourny (Belgium); 2. Jamie Chadwick (GBR); 3. Danial Frost (Singapore). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Frost; 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic); 3. Defourny.
Qualifying (30 minutes): 1. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:56.819); 2. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01:56.937); 3. Andreas Estner (Germany) (01:57.502); 4. Dylan Young (Australia) (01:57.730).
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Jamie Chadwick sets the pace in MRF Challenge
Jamie Chadwick, who topped the free practice sessions on Thursday . Photo: Aditya Bedre. Dubai, 15 Nov 2018: Jamie Chadwick, the only female driver on the 12-car grid, put the marker down for the first round of the MRF Challenge championship by topping both the Free Practice sessions at the Dubai Autodrome, here on Thursday.
Chadwick, 20, from Bath, England, came out on top in the two, 30-minute practice sessions, clocking a best of one minute, 59.218 in the first outing and 01:59.774 in the next around the 5.390 Kms circuit as she made her debut in the MRF Challenge on a high. She survived a tough battle with Czech Republic’s 16-year old Petr Ptaceck who was second fastest in both the sessions, clocking 01:59.581 (FP1)and 01:59.918 (FP2).
Jamie Chadwick. Photo: Aditya Bedre Chadwick, who created history in 2015 when she became the first female and youngest winner of the British GT Championship, and Ptacek exchanged fastest laps in the closing minutes of FP-2. However, Chadwick went quicker on last flying lap to top the time charts. Less than a second separated the top eight drivers.
“I learnt a lot today – new circuit, new car. I am happy with the way we ended up today in these conditions and I look forward to the races,” said Chadwick.
In the first free practice session this morning, one second covered 10 of the 12 drivers, promising a close contest over the five races scheduled for the first round of the championship.
Chadwick recorded her fastest lap of the session on her 14th and final lap as did the rest who all went quicker through the 30-minute practice. The top four, Chadwick, Ptacek, Defourny and Young, all posted sub-two-minute laps.
For the lone Indian entry, Chetan Korada, 32, from Chennai, it was his first run at the Dubai Autodrome and he focused more on learning the tricky track with its blind crests leading into corners.
Korada, who was 11th on the time sheets in both the sessions clocking his best laps of 02: 03.734 and 02:04.100, said: “It was my first run on this track and so, it was more about learning the circuit. However, with each lap, I managed to cut my timing. Overall, it was a reasonably good outing, all things considered. I hope to improve as we go along over the next couple of days.”
The results (Free Practice):
FP-1: 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01min, 59.218secs); 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic) (01:59.581); 3. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:59.656); 4. Dylan Young (Australia) (01:59.697).
FP-2: 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01:59.774); 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic) (01:59.918); 3. Danial Frost (Singapore) (02:00.115); 4. Andreas Estner (Germany) (02:00.276).
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What is Formula One H2O?
The UIM F1H2O World Championship is the ‘flagship’ international series of single-seater inshore circuit powerboat racing.
Highly competitive, intensely challenging, risky and entertaining, the F1H2O World Championship is the ultimate adrenalin rush and regarded as one of the most spectacular and exciting sports in the world.
The series attracts up to 20 of the world’s leading drivers and is a sport that has to be seen to be believed as these diminutive tunnel-hull catamarans enter hairpin turns at over 90mph and top 140mph on the straights.
Picture the scene; 18 to 20 sleek, powerful and lightweight catamarans lining up on the start pontoon. Inside each cockpit sits a lone individual peering through a tiny windscreen. One hand grasps the steering wheel, the other poised over the start button. The tension inside the cockpit is intense as the drivers wait for the crucial start. Beyond the cockpit, an eerie silence descends over the entire arena, all attention fixed on the start.
No sooner does the wait end when 10,000hp of highly tuned brute power bursts into life sending the fleet screaming towards the first corner leaving nothing but a glorious fountain of white spray in its wake.
Now in its 35th year the four decades of the World Championship have witnessed considerable change and evolution; the seventies and eighties saw multiple promoters and two giant corporations of the sport OMC and Mercury vying for supremacy to be the pinnacle of the sport.
OMC were touting their 3.5litre V8 package that became known as the OZ class, Mercury pushing their 2.0litre engine and called the ON class, the disparity in power would soon lead to bitter wrangling and infighting amongst competitors.
The split came in 1981, FONDA was formed running the ON class engine with the OMC backed PRO ONE run series running the OZ class engine, both rival championships claiming the right to use the title World Championship, a dispute settled by the sport’s governing body the UIM later that year awarding the OZ class the accolade.
1984 saw the beginning of yet another twist as safety became a major concern with engine development and increasing power of the V8s taking its tragic toll and signaled the slow demise of the OZ class internationally, ending in 1986.
The door was now opening for the existing FONDA World Grand Prix series to reinvent itself. From 1987 to 1989 there was no official UIM World Championship, and with no challenger, the UIM reinstated the World Championship status and in 1990 the FONDA World Grand Prix Series became the UIM F1H2O World Championship, Mercury’s 2.0litre engine the preferred power-plant of the time, the Mercury 2.5litre engine coming in in 2000 and used today.
Over the last 34 years the sport has played out 273 Grand Prix in 32 countries across five continents, 13 drivers have captured the World title, 47 becoming members of the illustrious Grand Prix winners club.
Of the 13 World Champions seven are multiple title winners; Italy’s Guido Cappellini is the most decorated winning 10, Italy’s Alex Carella and American Scott Gillman with four, France’s Philippe Chiappe and Italy’s Renato Molinari with three each, Finland’s Sami Selio and Wales’ Jonathan Jones with two apiece.
While today’s F1H2O catamarans bear a striking resemblance to those in action throughout the 1980’s there is a world of difference in terms of driver protection and general safety.
The early boats were constructed from thin plywood with drivers sitting in an open, exposed cockpit with the risk of injury a high probability in the case of an accident.
With safety at the forefront of boat development, British designer and racer Chris Hodges set about improving the situation and constructed a safety cell that was produced from an immensely strong composite material.
Instead of the cockpit being part of the main structure Hodges’ capsule was separate and was fitted to the hulls and centre section. For the first time drivers were actually strapped into their seats. The idea was that if a boat was involved in an accident, the timber hulls could break up and absorb the impact forces while the driver remained well protected inside his cell.
In the late 1990’s further developments saw the introduction of an airbag in the cockpit that would inflate in a crash to ensure the capsule wouldn’t sink before rescue crews could attend.
Over the years boat construction has been developed and today few if any are built of timber, now replaced by modern composites.
In 2018 nine teams and 19 drivers from 12 countries will compete at Grand Prix in Europe, the Middle East and Asia for the coveted World title, the prestigious number 1 plate will be carried by the defending four-time World Champion, Alex Carella.
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F1H2O Powerboat racing World Championship returns to India
Powerboat World Championship returns to India after 14 years. File photo courtesy F1H2O Amaravathi (AP), 13 Nov 2018: Team Abu Dhabi is very much in control of proceedings as the championship heads into the business end of the season, kick-starting the crucial three-race run in to year-end and title honours with the Grand Prix of India, Amaravati on 16-18 November, round 5 of the UIM F1H2O World Championship – the penultimate and final rounds taking place in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in December.
After 14 years and 99 Grand Prix since the first visit to India and Mumbai in 2004 the championship returns, this time to Amaravati and Vijayawada on the banks of the Krishna River in the State of Andhra Pradesh and time is fast running out for any remaining title hopefuls, other than Abu Dhabi’s imperious trio of Thani Al Qemzi, Erik Stark and Shaun Torrente.
The Abu Dhabi triumvirate lockout the top three spots in the title race with Al Qemzi perched on top on 54 points with just two points splitting all three teammates and Abu Dhabi a comfortable 42 points clear at the top in the Teams Championship.
The concern for those in the chasing pack and still in with a shot at the title is that Abu Dhabi has locked out the Grand Prix podium for the last two races; Stark and Torrente each have two poles and two GP wins this season with Al Qemzi picking up three runners-up slots and a fourth. And whilst the inter-team driver vibe is currently very much ‘all for one and one for all’ it may well soon be tested to the limit with all three bidding for a first world crown.
The CTIC F1 Shenzhen China duo of Philippe Chiappe and Peter Morin are the immediate challengers and best placed to mount a challenge, 20 and 24 points off top spot and if either still harbours any title aspirations the fightback must start in India and a win or at least a podium has to be the target to keep in touch.
Chiappe and Morin are the only drivers other than the Abu Dhabi trio to make the podium this season, Chiappe in Portimao and both in London and Chiappe, in particular, needs to rekindle all the elements that delivered him three world titles on the bounce if he is going to carry the fight to Abu Dhabi.
Heading the group of five that currently round out the top ten and split by just six points is Victory Team’s Ahmed Al Hameli who has battled hard for his 15 point tally with two top six slots his best results.
It has not proved an easy season for the Dubai outfit so far, trialling new boats at the beginning of the year and upgrading with two more at the last Grand Prix but with little reward for all the effort, especially for four-time and defending champion Alex Carella whose season and title defence started well with third in qualifying and fourth in the race, but has since derailed with two crashes and no points to show from the last three Grand Prix and is down in 10th place on nine points.
Jonas Andersson in seventh place on 14 points heads to India on great form and on the back of his best race weekend of the season after an excellent third in qualifying and fourth in the race in China last time out. The Team Amaravati lead driver is quick and a real fighter and will be optimistic that he can again seriously challenge Abu Dhabi. Keeping him on his toes and a place and a point behind him is teammate Erik Edin who is enjoying a very solid first full term in the championship delivering strong results in qualifying and a career-best fourth place finish in France.
Emirates Racing’s Marit Stromoy will be itching to get back out on the water and vent her frustrations after power issues in China in both qualifying and the race robbed her of the opportunity to reproduce the form and pace that she showed in practice and move up in the standings. The Norwegian enjoyed a thrilling middle order battle with teammate Bartek Marszalek for the majority of the race before her issues resurfaced and a spin dropped him back to the tenth spot.
Two-time champion Sami Selio and Filip Roms will be desperate for their fortunes to turn around in India after a season to forget so far, the Mad Croc BABA Racing duo blighted with season-long engines issues and Selio failing to get to the chequered flag last time out and rooted in 11th place with just 7 points. Roms did go the distance but a lack of acceleration and power saw him finish outside the points and he languishes in 17th place and is till to post his first points of the year.
F1 Atlantic duo Grant Trask and Duarte Benavente will be looking to bounce back after a double DNF in China, with Cedric Deguisne targeting a points’ finish after missing out in China, with rookie teammate Suttiphan Sookbuangbon making just his second start in the championship.
Both Francesco Cantando and Simone Schuft will have carried out repairs to their boats following a double dose of bad luck in practice in China, Cantando hitting debris out on the circuit and Schuft tipping her boat over, with Cantando heading back to India as the man who won there in 2004.
The race weekend gets underway with a first practice session on the 2.125km 5-pin circuit on the Krishna River on Friday afternoon, with a second session on Saturday morning and followed by BRM Official Qualifying at 15:30hrs [local]. A final practice session takes place on Sunday morning with the UIM F1H2O Grand Prix of India starting at 16:00hrs [local].
2018 UIM F1H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS – after round 4:
- 5 Thani Al Qemzi (uae) 54pts
- 35 Erik Stark (swe/uae*) 53pts
- 6 Shaun Torrente (usa/uae*) 52pts
- 7 Philippe Chiappe (fra) 34pts
- 8 Peter Morin (fra) 30pts
- 3 Ahmed Al Hameli (uae) 15pts
- 14 Jonas Andersson (swe) 14pts
- 15 Erik Edin (swe) 13pts
- 50 Marit Stromoy (nor) 11pts
- 1 Alex Carella (ita/uae*) 9pts
- 11 Sami Selio (fin) 7pts
- 9 Grant Trask (aus) 5pts
- 10 Duarte Benavente (por) 5pts
- 51 Bartek Marszalek (pol) 4pts
- 73 Cedric Deguisne (fra) 3pts
- 37 Francesco Cantando (ita) 3pts
- 12 Filip Roms (fin) 0pts
- 36 Simone Schuft (ger) 0pts
- 70 Mette Brandt Bjerknaes (nor) 0pts
- 74 Suttiphan Sookbuangbon (tha/fra*) 0pts
- 35 Rashed Al Qemzi (uae) 0pts
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MRF Challenge 2018-19 to be held in Dubai, Bahrain and Chennai
MRF Challenge file photo by Anand Philar/MRF Dubai, 13 Nov 2018: The MRF Challenge, one of Asia’s premier single-seater championships, and an FIA-approved series, is again set to light up the winter season with a clutch of young, exciting talent from Europe and elsewhere in the fray as the seventh edition commences at the Dubai Autodrome here, on Thursday, November 15.
The MRF Challenge 2018-19, organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club, will comprise three rounds, to be run in Dubai (Nov 15-17), Bahrain (Dec 6-8) and Chennai (Feb 8-10, 2019) with a total of 15 races, and offers cars powered by 2-litre engines producing 230 BHP while almost matching Formula 3 in speed and power
Mr. Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Tyres, said: “It has been an exciting journey for us as we present the seventh edition of the MRF Challenge which, among other things, offer young drivers a platform to showcase their racing talent. We provide identical cars to all the drivers and so, the key differentiating factor is the driving ability. It has also been our constant endeavour to develop the car which is now among the fastest single-seaters in Asia. The MRF Challenge also offers us rich data that in turn helps us to develop further the MRF Z.L.O. slicks and wet tyres.
“The positioning of the MRF Challenge in the winter months between November and February also offers an opportunity for drivers across the World to keep themselves race-fit during the off-season. As such, we have had some very exciting talent taking part in the MRF Challenge over the years and it will be no different this time around.”
Mr. J Anand, Managing Director, JA Motorsports, who built the car in technical collaboration with Dallara, said: “We carried out lot of improvements for last year. From the data we collected, we have only refined the aerodynamics package for this season. Apart from that, the car remains the same as last year.”
The MRF F2000 car with Dallara chassis, is powered by a 2-Litre Mountune Duratec engine producing 230 BHP with advanced aerodynamics. The car boasts of a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox equipped with Integrated dash and paddle-shift system.
Europe is expected to have a strong representation as in the previous seasons of MRF Challenge. Several young hopefuls with exposure to junior Formula racing are likely to participate.
Chennai-based Chetan Korada is the lone Indian in the fray. A regular in the Indian National Championship and one of handful of racers in the World competing with a prosthesis leg, Korada is making his debut in the MRF Challenge. “I have been racing in India for over a decade now and I thought I should step outside to race in higher categories. The MRF Challenge car is far more comfortable in terms of space for leg movement than the F1600 I have been driving in India. My target for MRF Challenge is to be in in front. I am putting in lot of time on the simulator at home, besides daily gym work. So, I feel I am fit and ready for MRF Challenge,” said Korada.
This year’s MRF Challenge grid will have Australian Dylan Young who has been participating in the championship since its inception. Returning for a second season of MRF Challenge is Singapore’s Danial Nielsen Frost along with Belgian Michelangelo Amendola.
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Hamilton wins as Ocon pulls Verstappen down: Brazilian GP; Mercedes win Constructors’ title
Hamilton wins on Sunday at Interlagos. An FIA image Sao Paulo, 11 Nov 2018: Max Verstappen was denied an almost certain Brazilian Grand Prix victory when he was taken out of the lead in a collision with Racing Point Force India’s Esteban Ocon. The dramatic incident gifted Lewis Hamilton the second career Brazilian Grand Prix victory that helped Mercedes to a fifth consecutive FIA Formula 1 Constructors’ title, with the Abu Dhabi round to spare in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
Though Verstappen called Esteban Ocon `such an Idiot’ in the post-race press conference, both Ocon and his Racing Point Force India team Principal, Szafnauer, defended their action and said that the Force India was much faster at that time and the rules permitted ` unlapping.
Esteban: “It’s disappointing not to score when we had a good pace. I had made some good overtakes throughout the race, but it all came to nothing after the contact with Max [Verstappen]. He came out of the pits, I stayed behind him for nearly two laps but I was much faster than him and the team advised me to unlap myself. I went on the outside at turn one – the same move I made on Fernando [Alonso] and on many others before, but Max didn’t give me any space. Once I was beside him I couldn’t just disappear, so we collided. But it was my corner and I had the right to the space. I was saddened by his behaviour after the race: he was very aggressive and the guys from the FIA had to intervene. That’s not the way to handle these things.”
Otmar Szafnauer, team Principal and CEO said: “Esteban had done a good job making up ground from the back of the grid and would have probably finished in P11 if it hadn’t been for the clash with Verstappen. The rules state that you’re allowed to unlap yourself and Esteban was much faster than Max at that stage. Unfortunately, he wasn’t left any space in the corner and that ruined the race for both.”
Earlier, Verstappen had stormed through from fifth on the grid to put pressure on polesitter and early race leader Hamilton and the Red Bull driver eventually seized the lead from the recently crowned champion on lap 39.
On lap 44, however, Verstappen went to lap 14th-placed Ocon, making a move down the inside of the French driver’s car in Turn 1. Ocon took a wide line but appeared to fight to hold his position, and when Verstappen turned in for the second corner the pair collided.
Hamilton kneels down in gratitude after his race win on Sunday. Mercedes Photo by Steve Etherington, Verstappen was pitched into a spin, and as the Dutchman recovered, Hamilton swept past to reclaim the lead. Despite significant floor damage, Verstappen fought back in the closing stages, but he was unable to reel in the Briton and Hamilton took his 10th victory of the season. That, allied to a fifth-place finish for Valtteri Bottas, handed Mercedes an unassailable lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.
At the race start, Hamilton held his advantage from pole position to take the lead but a poor getaway by fellow front-row starter Vettel allowed Bottas, starting third, to get past the German through the opening two corners.
Verstappen, starting from fifth, was already beginning to work his way forward. He closed on Kimi Räikkönen and at the start of lap three, he went past the Finn around the outside into Turn 1. Vettel was the Dutchman’s next target and at the start of the next lap he again used DRS to close but this time he opted for a dive down the inside to claim P3.
Behind him, team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was also gaining places, and after passing Haas’ Kevin Magnussen on lap one he quickly began to pick off the cars ahead, rising to P6 on lap seven, ahead of Sauber’s Charles Leclerc.
On lap 10 Verstappen made another move, this time choosing the inside of Turn 1 to dive past Bottas and claim second place. Race leader Hamilton was now just 1.7s ahead.
Bottas was the first of the leaders to pit, the Mercedes man heading in for medium tyres at the end of lap 18. Hamilton then ceded the lead to Verstappen at the end of lap 19, with the Briton also stopping for medium compound rubber. Hamilton emerged in P6 behind Charles Leclerc but by lap 25 he was past the Monegasque and closing on fourth-placed Daniel, who was just under six seconds ahead.
Vettel then pitted at the end of lap 27 and the German also opted for medium tyres before rejoining in ninth place. Freed from behind the Ferrari, Daniel moved up to third and set the fastest lap of the race to that point, a 1:12.919. And when Räikkönen pitted the Australian was promoted to second place behind his team-mate.
The Red Bulls began to pull out a lead from those who have already pitted but Verstappen was unable to build a big enough margin before his own stop, and when he rejoined on lap 35 he was in third place, 3.0s behind Hamilton. Verstappen was armed with newer rubber and greater pace than the champion, however, and as the pair arrowed towards the start-finish line to begin lap 39 he eased past Hamilton.
The Dutchman’s lead wouldn’t last long, however. At the start of lap 44, he went to lap Ocon, making a move down the inside of the Force India. Despite being lapped, Ocon protected his position and tried to deny the pass. Verstappen turned in to take the second corner and the pair collided. Verstappen was sent into a spin and sustained serious floor damage in the incident, while Hamilton was allowed to sweep past into the lead. Ocon was later handed a 10-second stop/go penalty for causing the collision.
Ricciardo, meanwhile, was having his own close calls, twice banging wheels with Vettel as he tried to get past the Ferrari. At the second attempt the Australian won out and he climbed fifth place behind Bottas.
Both Red Bulls began to close on the cars ahead, with Verstappen edging to within two seconds of Hamilton and Ricciardo getting inside DRS range of Räikkönen but neither could make a move stick in the closing stages and after 71 laps Hamilton crossed the line to take the second Brazilian Grand Prix win of his career, ahead of Max, with Räikkönen third ahead of Daniel.
Bottas was left with fifth place ahead of Vettel, while Leclerc finished in a best-of-the-rest seventh place. Grosjean took eighth place for Haas ahead of team-mate Kevin Magnussen and the final point on offer went to Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Pérez.
2018 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes –
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1.469
3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 4.764
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 5.193
5 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 22.943
6 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 26.997
7 Charles Leclerc Sauber 44.199
8 Romain Grosjean Haas 51.230
9 Kevin Magnussen Haas 52.857
10 Sergio Perez Force India 1 L
11 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1 L
12 Carlos Sainz Renault 1 L
13 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1 L
14 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1 L
15 Esteban Ocon Force India 1 L
16 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 2 L
17 Fernando Alonso McLaren 2 L
18 Lance Stroll Williams 2 L
Nico Hulkenberg Renault
Marcus Ericsson Sauber.
