INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Indian racer Arjun Maini of Trident tops first session to beat Carlin duo

    Indian racer Arjun Maini of Trident tops first session to beat Carlin duo

    Indian racer Arjun Maini of Trident tops 1st session at Bahrain on Friday. An FIA image.

    Sakhir (Bahrain), 6 April 2018: Arjun Maini drew first blood in the first 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship practice session at Sakhir, Bahrain, setting a 1:44.459 midway through the session to beat the Carlin duo of Lando Norris and Sergio Sette Camara to the quickest lap.

    Warm and breezy conditions greeted the drivers on their first free practice session of the 2018 season, and most drivers needed to set installation laps in the opening five minutes of running to acclimatise. ART Grand Prix’s George Russell led an early flurry of activity out of the pits, while the first timed lap was courtesy of BWT Arden’s Maximilian Günther, which was given short shrift by teammate Nirei Fukuzumi.

    Alexander Albon of DAMS was the first to wind the times below the two-minute mark before Fukuzumi briefly re-emerged on top of the standings to bring the laps below the 1m50 mark. Albon then took almost five seconds out of the Arden driver’s lap, leading the way after the first 20 minutes.

    The Carlin duo then struck, as Sette Camara pipped the Thai driver before Norris went quicker than his teammate by just 0.05s. Both were then put in the shade by Maini, who had languished at the bottom of the timesheets during the first half of the session. Setting the quickest first sector, the Haas F1 protégé grasped the first position by half a tenth, which he would not relinquish for the remainder of the session.

    The final five minutes were punctuated with a brief Virtual Safety Car test, allowing all teams to trial the new VSC functionality with the new car. Although the green flag returned for the final stages, nobody was able to improve on their lap times. Behind the top three, Albon stayed ahead of Russell for fourth, while Artem Markelov (RUSSIAN TIME) was the last of the drivers within the 1m44s.

    Roberto Merhi (MP Motorsport) was seventh, ahead of Günther and Antonio Fuoco (Charouz Racing System), as Sean Gelael of PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing completed the top 10.

    With the top 16 drivers all within a second, this evening’s qualifying promises to be incredibly close fought, especially with cooler conditions and option tyre running to contend with.

    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship – Round 1 Free Practice Classification
    Driver
    Team
    Time
    Laps
    1
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    1:44.549
    12
    2
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    1:44.600
    14
    3
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    1:44.613
    11
    4
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    1:44.769
    15
    5
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:44.812
    13
    6
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:44.861
    10
    7
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    1:45.005
    13
    8
    Maximilian Günther
    BWT Arden
    1:45.010
    16
    9
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    1:45.080
    15
    10
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:45.214
    13
    11
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:45.268
    14
    12
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:45.291
    16
    13
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:45.329
    12
    14
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:45.331
    14
    15
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:45.344
    14
    16
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    1:45.419
    14
    17
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    1:45.564
    13
    18
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    1:45.849
    16
    19
    Louis Delétraz
    Charouz Racing System
    1:45.958
    14
    20
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:46.407
    15

     

  • We can still win podium places, says Alonso

    We can still win podium places, says Alonso

    Sakhir (Bahrain), April 5: The second round of the 21-round FIA Formula One World Championship began with the traditional Thursday press conference here with drivers Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes, Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari and Fernando Alonso of McLaren present. Former World champion Alonso, who is struggling with the pace, is on a mission this season and was just a few places down to the leaders in the first race in Australia. Alonso believes that anything can happen in a race and he is ready to fight for podium places.

    From left: Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas at the Thursday press conference. Photo: FIA.Q: Kimi, if we can start with you. It was third place in Australia for the opening and it could have been even better and you said you were happy with the car during the first weekend. Could you just tell us what about this car you like and does it suit you more than last year’s car? 

    Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Obviously it’s hard to say. I think it was a pretty straightforward weekend. For sure, we could have done more things and improved always, but it’s the same: it doesn’t matter if you win or are a tenth of something; there are always things to improve or work on. Obviously, we have a very limited amount of time over the weekend to do things, with the practice, and also with the weather, it was a bit tricky. Overall, I think we were quite pleased with how things went. You want more, better positions, but I think we take that happily. As a team, we did a pretty job out of it. Not much to complain about really. We want to win races, but it’s the first race out and we managed to do decent points, so we go forward here, try to make a good practice. So far the car has been working well, even with pretty limited testing over the winter, with some illness and obviously the weather was not ideal on the first test, so I’m pretty OK with how things are running, so let’s just keep doing our normal things and improving.

    Q:     Valtteri, it was a difficult weekend for you in Australia, especially with the crash in qualifying. How much does a weekend like that play on your mind in the gap between races and how eager are you to get out on track this weekend? 

    Valtteri Bottas: Well, not so much been in my mind, because everything was kind of processed during the weekend. It was a bad weekend, that’s it. Now we still have 20 races to go and we’re here in Bahrain, so nothing really to worry about at this point. We have a competitive car. We know we still have a lot of work to do to make it better. Just a bad weekend, so looking forward to this one.

    Q:     Fernando, you said on Saturday evening in Melbourne that hopefully you’d finish higher than P7 or P6 in Australia and you finished in fifth place. So where will you finish this weekend?

    Fernando Alonso: I don’t know, I don’t have the crystal ball anymore! I think definitely the car has some potential. Over the winter we had some ups and downs in testing and then in Australia, it was the same thing – the free practice was affected by the weather and the qualifying was not smooth enough for us to show the potential. It was a good race, a lucky race with the two Haas retirements and the Virtual Safety Car. Nevertheless, I think we take this fifth place and we move on. There is still a lot to improve for us if we want to catch up to the top three teams, but I think we have the potential there and hopefully, we can unlock some performance in the next races.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: Fernando, following on from that: as you say, ups and downs and still potential to come, but are happy days here again?

    FA: Well, I think there’s still quite a reasonable gap to close with the leaders, but I think it’s up to us now. It’s up to the team to deliver the performance in the next weeks, in the next four or five or six Grands Prix. If we are able to bring the performance to the track and close that gap and, you know, being in a reasonable distance to the pole position and the podium finishes and things like that, then it’s up to us to deliver the result on the weekend. I think the next two months are crucial for our hopes in this year’s championship, but hopefully we can keep improving the car, keep putting more performance and if it’s not a world championship fight, it will hopefully be some podium positions during the year or it can be regular top six or top five positions, not only in Australia P5 because of the Virtual Safety Car and the two Haas retirements. Maybe P5 could become a normality. That’s something we need to discover and to find out and as I said before, it’s probably the first time in the last three years that it’s up to us now to deliver that result, so we will try to do our best.

    Q:     Kimi, you have eight podiums here, but the qualifying results have not been that good – only one P3. Is that the biggest difference you have between racing and qualifying in any circuit, and, if yes, where is that coming from?

    KR: I don’t look too closely what has happened in the past, you probably know better. To be honest we try to do our best. Sometimes it works; sometimes not and obviously, you start where you qualify. If it’s a good place or not that great you try to make the best out of it. To be honest some years it’s been working out well here. You can choose the tyres and do a different race and it worked out well. Could it be better if you started at the front? Who knows? Another weekend where we try to do a good job and be up there and see where we end up. It’s a bit unknown. This is a completely different circuit to the previous two where we’ve been in Barcelona and Australia – so yeah, we have to see how everything plans out and where we are, where others are – but it’s been a pretty decent place in past years.

    Q:     To Kimi and Valtteri, starting with Kimi. Kimi, you were almost seven-tenths slower in qualifying in Australia. Do you think Mercedes can also have such an advantage in qualifying here? And, in race conditions, if you believe Ferrari will be more or less in the same gap to Mercedes – or even smaller due to characteristics of the track, and considering the history of Ferrari in this track?

    KR: Who knows. You can keep guessing as long as you want, we see over the weekend where we are. I have zero interest to start guessing where we are, what’s the difference in qualifying. There are so many things that will change that and you know, we’ll do our best and see where we end up in qualifying and the race – but the most important part is the Sunday after the race where it will be finished. I am finished to be two seconds off if we win every Sunday. I don’t care. It’s pretty irrelevant on Saturday in that way. But yeah, I don’t know. That’s why we come here. To find out.

    VB:     I think pretty much the same. You can always guess but at this point, we can only guess, so yeah… I think historically Ferrari has been good here. They had good race pace in Australia. Last year they had stronger pace here than in Australia, so I think it’s going to be a threat and they’re going to be close to us. Even Red Bull. But more than that, just can’t say. We will see how the weekend develops.

    Q: Interesting day coming up tomorrow where we understand Liberty Media will be presenting their blueprint of the future of Formula One to the teams. I was just wondering, as drivers, what input you’ve had, what consultations you’ve had and where you see any changes necessary from a racing perspective to improve Formula One for the future. It’s a question to you all.

    FA: I don’t think that there is anything thing that we can probably say about that. Definitely, Liberty has been quite open to us from Day One and they’ve been asking us all of last year about opinions and different ideas that we may have. So, they were very productive conversations. So, now I think they have a plan. They will show it tomorrow to the teams and we will agree with whatever their decision is because they have all the power and they have all the knowledge of who to do things. Hopefully, they’ll bring new ideas, new things that can improve the show and that will be welcome from all of us.

    Q:     Kimi, has there been any feedback you’ve been giving to Liberty about the direction of Formula One?

    KR: No, in the end, it’s not our decision, it’s up to them. It’s their business. They make plans and obviously take decisions they feel are correct. I don’t know what they’re doing now. I know very little about it and I’m not interested in it, so we’ll see tomorrow what they say. It’s in many years’ time anyhow. I doubt I’ll be here so it doesn’t really bother me.

    Q:     Valtteri, anything to add?

    VB: Not really. I think Fernando covered well. In the end, it’s their decision and tomorrow we’ll see what they will recommend. It’s difficult to speculate more than that – but it will be interesting to see what they recommend.

    Q: Valtteri, you say it’s been processed –  what happened at the Australian Grand Prix –  but how much pressure do you feel to have a good performance here? 

    VB: I think it’s a normal race weekend, that’s my feeling at the moment, honestly. Sometimes you have bad races and then there’s always the next one and of course, you always want to perform but there is no point in gathering pressure from one mistake in qualifying. Of course, I always hope for a good weekend but yeah, I feel a normal race weekend ahead.

    Q:     Just coming back to the previous question, to all drivers, Fernando said they have the power to change Formula One. If you had the power, what would you change in the Formula One we have today?

    KR: I don’t have it, so…

    Q:     Nothing you’d change at all?

    KR: No, I don’t have the power so what’s the point of wasting… even thinking about it because I don’t understand why you… what’s the point for me, to give you a list, because, in the end, I have zero power? I can’t. You understand? We can’t, we don’t make the rules, that’s my point. What’s the point of even making a story out of it?
    FA:  Well, I think it could be a close battle, that will always be welcome but it has always been like that in F1. I remember watching the TV in the very old days… it was on television last week a race from ’90 or ’89 and apart from the first four cars, everyone was flat. We remember that era like a golden era, with big names etc and they’ve always been a big spread but I think if you see now, other series, if you watch a race of IndyCars or whatever, that unpredictable result until the last ten laps makes you excited in front of the television and now we can put (down) the qualifying order for this race right now, on Thursday and that’s a little bit sad.

    VB: Well, I think, like everyone, all the spectators, all the drivers, we would all love closer racing like Fernando said but how to do that? It’s not in my hands.

    Q:     Fernando, one of the current stated objectives this year is to return to the podium. Now based on what you’ve experienced in testing and the race, what you’ve just said etc, in order to get onto the podium you have to beat both or one or both Ferraris, one or both Mercedes, plus two Red Bulls which have got the same engine. Do you honestly believe that that’s do-able and achievable this year?

    FA: Yes. We were two places from that podium already in Australia. They were very close, the last ten laps, Ricciardo and Kimi fighting together so anything can happen in a race. I won two races in 2008 with that ING Renault. I was on the podium in 2009 with the introduction of KERS and that car that we were, I think, ninth in the World Championship or something like that, and I was on the podium so anything can happen in F1. If you are close to that position, sooner or later that opportunity will come and we will be there to take it. I think it’s very much possible this year.

    FIA press release

  • Swapping the tarmac for river waters, Zarco, Rodrigo and Granado make a splash

    Swapping the tarmac for river waters, Zarco, Rodrigo and Granado make a splash

    Zarco, Granado and Rodrigo take to boats in Buenos Aires ahead of Argentina MotoGP on 4 April 2018. Photo: Dorna Sports

    Buenos Aires, April 4: Ahead of the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina in Termas de Rio Hondo, MotoGP first stopped off in the nation’s capital, Buenos Aires, to take a boat trip around the jewel of the region. Home hero Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) was joined by premier class front-runner Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and a newer face on the Moto2 grid, Brazilian Eric Granado (Forward Racing Team), for the unique taste of the country before it’s back-into-race mode.

    Beginning in Tigre, the riders got to see the warehouse that all the boats are stored in before they set off, with five levels of boats hanging in designated spaces like a car park with a unique difference. And then they were off, sailing first to San Fernando and stopping to take pictures of the houses and sights along the canals, with tourism on the agenda before the race weekend gets in gear.

    But, as ever, speed wasn’t far away, with the next stop downriver at San Antonio – with jetskis there and waiting. After an hour hitting the water with a little more horsepower, it was time to refuel and get some lunch. Stopping off at the Sarthou Complex for some food and interviews ahead of the Grand Prix, the final leg of the journey then brought them back to San Fernando.

    Now it’s time to head for Termas de Rio Hondo in the interior of the country as the second race of the season is about to begin – are you ready? Track action begins on Friday!

  • We made mistakes and did not perform to our maximum: Toto Wolff

    Bahrain, April 4: Torger Christian “Toto” Wolff, Executive Director, Mercedes, AMG Petronas Formula One team, admitted to a few mistakes made during the season-opener Rolex Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne.

    In his own words, “Toto” explains: “We suspected that the new season would be closely fought and the first race confirmed those suspicions. We made mistakes and did not perform to our maximum – and it reminded us that this is the toughest racing series in the world, where every error is punished. It hurt to leave all those points on the table, especially because we know we had the pace to win in Australia.”

    “Back at base, we did what we always do after a tough weekend. We made sure that we understand what went wrong and put a process in place to make sure that we don’t see a similar issue in the future. These painful moments are the real learning experiences. Mistakes become training,” he added.

    “We expect Bahrain to be another challenging weekend, although the challenges will be of a completely different nature. The race in the desert is tricky because the conditions change drastically between sessions. FP1 and FP3 take place in the heat of the day whereas Qualifying and the race itself take place after sunset so it’s much cooler. That makes it extremely difficult to find the right set-up with the car.

    “Bahrain is also a power-sensitive race with the long straights. We saw in Melbourne that the Ferraris, in particular, were very quick, so I expect it to be a close battle. We’ve seen some great racing in Bahrain in recent years, particularly between our drivers back in 2014, so I think we can look forward to an exciting and competitive weekend.

    Featured this Week: What Are Engine Modes? 

    Over a million working hours have gone into designing, developing and constructing our 2018 Formula One car. While the result of some of that engineering work can easily be spotted by the untrained eye – for example, the complex aerodynamic bodywork – other equally important areas are hidden from sight.

    One of the all-important elements that lie underneath the bodywork is the Power Unit (PU). In this modern, 1.6-litre V6 Turbo era, it’s much more than just an engine. The Power Unit is made up of six different elements – the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Turbo, MGU-K, MGU-H, Control Electronics, and Energy Store.

    These elements are combined together to deliver different Power Unit modes, which drivers and teams can utilise throughout a race weekend. Over the course of the 2018 season-opening Australian Grand Prix weekend, these proved to be a particularly hot topic and sparked plenty of debate. So, what are Power Unit modes and why are they necessary?

    PU modes are a combination of settings that adjust the performance of the ICE as well as the flow of electrical energy. The ICE performance is changed, for example, by varying the amount of fuel that is injected into the combustion chamber or by changing the timing of the ignition. For the Hybrid side of the Power Unit, the modes will alter the interaction and scheduling of the electrical energy for both deployment of the 120kW (maximum) MGU-K and recovery of both the MGU-K and MGU-H.

    The main task of PU modes is to balance performance and reliability. Formula One is all about performance, but with just three Power Units per driver in 2018 (and only two of some systems), reliability is increasingly important. This is why the drivers have reduced mileage allocations of the higher power modes.

    At Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, we use three basic modes over the course of the weekend – one for the majority of the free practice sessions, one for the majority of Qualifying and one for the majority of the race.

    All three can be altered with various sub-settings for different situations, which control whether electrical energy is being net deployed over a lap, recovered or used in a balanced manner (with energy deployment and recovery balancing each other out).

    At the start of the race, for example, performance is particularly important, so drivers will choose full deployment to either defend a good position on the grid or try and gain positions in the opening laps. But F1 is about a blend of ballsy on-track passing and tactical strategy, so the drivers will later switch to a recovery energy management mode and charge the battery – just to make sure they can have more energy available for their next attack.

    Both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas switched their race mode to lower performance during the Australian GP when they were stuck in traffic and the turbulent air of the cars ahead, in order to cool the engines and prevent them from overheating. A Safety Car presents a similar challenge – drivers want to conserve energy and the Power Unit, so the engine mode is set to reduce the duty and cool the hardware.

    Conserving damage and the reliability of the Power Unit is also important in free practice. Pushing the engines to the limit in practice just doesn’t make sense, as they need to last seven race weekends. There is one session, however, when the Power Unit is pushed to the absolute limit and gives the drivers everything it can: Qualifying.

    In terms of engine modes, the setting for Qualifying will be the most powerful one. This mode is only required for a few laps each race weekend, and usage varies according to the competitive context – sometimes this Qualifying mode will be used throughout Qualifying, sometimes only in the final Q3 session.

    The available mileage is dictated by what is termed the “phase document”, which defines the limits to which the Power Unit may be used during each race weekend, and which is the same for the works cars and the Mercedes customer teams.

    PU modes are defined when the first set of hardware is tested in Brixworth and the mileage limit is determined by the success of the long-run programme. Some of these are circuit-specific, others are more general. Making the call on which mode to use can either be the driver’s decision or through the advice of the engineering team – who will communicate over the radio which settings to adjust and which mode to switch to.

    If you hear some technical-sounding instructions over the team radio, it might well be the Power Unit mode being changed. The drivers will then change the mode through the switches on their steering wheel.

    PU modes are particularly significant at power-sensitive circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps or Monza, which are dominated by long straights and acceleration zones. The first power-sensitive track on the 2018 F1 calendar is Round 4 in Baku.

    It will be interesting to see how the storyline around engine modes develops as the season progresses, particularly when F1 reaches those more power-sensitive venues.

    Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Release

  • Sahara Force India prepares for the intense mid-field battle: Bahrain GP

    Sahara Force India prepares for the intense mid-field battle: Bahrain GP

    Preview photo by Sahara Force India F1 team.

    Bahrain, April 3: After an unusually poor beginning to the season on the street circuit at Albert Park, Sahara Force India who are now famous for punching above their weight, are preparing for the Bahrain GP.

    Acclaimed Indian racer and rallyist of yesteryears, Harish Samtani of `High Octane’ fame will bring forth his columns live from the Shakir circuit. Watch out for the `High Octane’ logo on the top right-hand corner of the home page.

    In the curtain raiser, team Principal and liquor baron, Vijay Mallya, who is facing a deportation case reiterated from London that the team will continue to work hard and fight for better positions after both the cars finished outside points in the first race of 2018.

    “Melbourne was a clear indicator that the competitiveness of the grid has closed up in 2018. We’ve got to work hard to maintain our fourth place in the championship and there’s going to be an intense development race at the front of the midfield. We are certainly up for the challenge and there are further changes to the car in Bahrain. We are a motivated team, with determined drivers and we will be targeting points this weekend,” said Mallya about the team which got a fighting fourth place for consecutive years by spending budgets that were a fraction of the huge amounts that the top three teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull spend.

    But Chief Operating Officer Otmar Szafnauer retorted saying: “It’s where you end the season that counts.”

    A brief interview with the COO:

    Q: One race down, twenty to go. How is the mood in the camp…
    “Melbourne is always a peculiar race. We came within a whisker of scoring a point with Sergio having caught Carlos Sainz, but overtaking was especially difficult at Albert Park and the tenth place remained out of reach. The race pace was stronger than our qualifying speed, but without track position, we couldn’t really show our true performance. Esteban’s front wing picked up some debris early in the race as well which compromised his pace, especially in the second stint.”

    Sergio Perez says: “Racing in Bahrain is good fun. It’s unusual because you’re in the desert and we also race under the lights. It’s actually one of my favourite tracks of the year and I’ve always gone well there. It’s where I had my first podium with Force India [in 2014] so I have those memories every time we go back there.

    “The Bahrain track often creates good racing. I still remember the battle I had with my old teammate, Jenson Button, in 2013. The layout really allows you to race wheel-to-wheel at times. If you lose a position in turn one, you can fight back through turns two, three and four.

    “It was difficult to overtake in Melbourne, but Bahrain should be a bit easier because it’s a more traditional track. We’ve got to be targeting points this weekend. Melbourne showed just how close all the teams are in the middle of the grid, so it’s especially important to have a clean weekend and maximise every session.

    “The development race will be very intense this year, but I know we have good things coming. We need to do what we have done in the last few years by making improvements to the car at each race. We’ve already made a step forward since pre-season testing so we need to keep working in the same direction.”

    Esteban Ocon, feeling good and ready, says: “When I think about Bahrain I always remember the beautiful paddock, which has so much space and looks amazing at night with all the trees lit up. Every year there’s a barbeque for the paddock and it’s nice that all the teams and media can come together before the racing begins.

    “I love racing at night. It almost feels quicker under the lights and it looks better on television. Hopefully, the fans like it as much as the drivers. The track is good fun and there are a few good overtaking spots, such as turn one and turn four.

    “It’s a track that feels very satisfying when your car is working well. I particularly enjoy turns five, six and seven because they are so quick and then you’re immediately into a big braking zone for turn eight. It’s tricky because you approach at really high speed and it’s easy to make a mistake and run wide.

    “It’s a tough weekend physically because of the heat. The daytime practice sessions are the most difficult, but fortunately, it gets a bit cooler in the evenings for qualifying and the race. You need to drink lots to be hydrated and make sure you don’t lose concentration.”

    Q: What can we expect from the next couple of races in Bahrain and China?
    “It’s business as usual in terms of developing the car. We’ve got a new front wing coming for Bahrain, which will complement the upgrades we introduced in Melbourne. The car we have now is totally different from the spec we used during testing and we’re still on a learning curve. There is huge development potential with this new aerodynamic platform and we have things in the pipeline, which will bring performance steps in the first quarter of the season.”

    Q: How do you see the competitiveness of the 2018 grid? Were there any surprises?
    “Testing showed us that the midfield has closed up considerably, so there were no big shocks in Melbourne. I think the points will be spread among the teams more evenly this year and retaining fourth place is going to be a big task. But we’ve only had one race and things can change very quickly in Formula One. The development race is only just beginning and it’s where you end the season that counts. Last year we out-developed the teams around us and we have to do the same this year. Our goal is to defend our fourth place and we will be fighting hard to get back up there.”

    Q: The pink livery continues to turn heads. It’s surely the most eye-catching car on the grid…
    “The BWT pink identity is even stronger this year. I remember standing in the pit lane in Melbourne and thinking how much better this year’s paint scheme looks. Commercially it’s been another strong winter with Ravenol, DUO and PEMEX coming on board, whilst also developing our existing partnerships with NEC and Hype Energy. It was fantastic to unveil our partnership with Havaianas in Melbourne. The branding on the halo is very powerful and it’s great to see a young lifestyle brand supporting us and recognising the value of F1. We hope to have more news to announce over the coming weeks.”

     

     

  • Gaurav Gill: Switching tracks for betterment of Indian rallying

    Gaurav Gill: Switching tracks for betterment of Indian rallying

    Gaurav Gill as the TC marshal giving countdown ahead of a timed lap on the last day of the ADA programme in Coimbatore. Photo – Anand Philar

    By Anand Philar

    Bengaluru, March 30: Like a hitherto dormant volcano slowly coming to life, there are rumblings within Gaurav Gill who is all set to burst forth with a plethora of initiatives and activities while giving wings to his fledgling driving academy which is founded on his intense passion for the sport and an all-consuming desire to contribute to the sport in the best way that he can.

    As in his motorsport career, Gill, a restless soul even otherwise, is seeking to move up to the next level that will not only provide a platform to the businessman in him but also help share his experience with the hope that at least one more talent emerges to follow his footsteps.

    “I will be happy and proud to see another Indian on the international rally circuit and win laurels,” said the triple Asia Pacific Rally Championship title winner, in the course of several conversations over two days that I spent with him in Coimbatore where he held another round of his Advanced Driving Academy programme, in conjunction with Chettinad Sporting.

    With his own rallying career struggling to progress from regional to World stage even after proving over and over again that he belongs to the elite group of rally drivers on the planet, Gill, now on a strict diet and looking leaner than last year, has decided to channel his frustrations rather than drown in them.

    Competing against and beating the best of factory-supported European drivers with WRC exposure and seat time as his MRF team-mates, Gill won the APRC title thrice in 2013, 2016 and 2017. Through it all, he hoped and prayed that his achievements will give him a leg up to the WRC stage. Gradually, when the wait prolonged, he realized that it was best for him to focus on the “attainable”.

    ADVANCED DRIVING ACADEMY

    “Like my driving, I too have evolved as a person. I am at peace with myself and the World at large after realizing that it was pointless for me to fret about things beyond my control. If I am destined to move to the World Rally Championship scene, then it will happen, and until then, I don’t even want to talk or think about it, because it is pointless. I have to move on,” he said, while deftly steering my car through the Coimbatore traffic.

    The Advanced Driving Academy is probably a logical step forward. “Through the academy I can share my knowledge and contribute to at least raising the level of rally driving in India,” he added, though it meant getting even busier while still finding time to be with his young family, especially his two boys, the elder of whom is already showing evidence of his father’s driving genes in him!

    DABBLING IN BOLLYWOOD AND MODELING!

    At 36, Gill is a dealer for Royal Enfield bikes in his hometown New Delhi; has invested in mining property in Goa; is all set to launch a Rally Park sometime in late April; has taken up modeling assignments for a leading fashion designer in Mumbai; will soon be driving premium luxury cars in Bollywood films; working on plans to start pan-India franchise academies for beginners. system. On top of all this, there is this small matter of rallying!

    As for his entry into Bollywood, he said: “I will be driving some top-end luxury cars for scenes in some films. Some of these scenes will be shot at the BIS (Buddh International Circuit, Noida). The modeling shoots will also be happening pretty soon.”

    “Yes, my plate is getting filled up, but then, I have look ahead to my post-retirement (from motorsport) life too,” he said with a distant and dreamy look.

    ADA – LESS EXPENSIVE OPTION FOR INDIANS

    Retirement at 36 when he has barely tickled the tip of his potential as a rally driver? When I told him he would be driving competitively even 20 years from now, for, after all, rally drivers get better with age, he responded with a happy chuckle.

    “Perhaps, but who knows? For the moment, I am keen that my academy takes off in a big way. It is not just the commercial thing, but like I said, I have the knowledge and experience to share with my compatriots. The Indian rally drivers are generally fast, but there is more to competitive driving than just speed. They can getter better if they iron out certain technical flaws, and that is what I hope to do.

    “It is not just about the pace, but there is a lot of science to driving, understanding the limits of the car beside yourself. These are some of the aspects that I dwell on during the training sessions. Also, the academy is a far less expensive option than going abroad to attend driving schools,” said Gill as he shared his vision.

    “When I look back on my career, I wish I had an Indian driver with international achievements I could have looked up to and learned from. There was no such icon at that time. I can say without being falsely modest that I have achieved something internationally and in a position to share my experience with young Indian drivers who are trying to make a mark. I started the academy since I am still very much active and fairly well known rather than wait until retirement after which you will be forgotten,” he said.

    Further, the academy offers plenty of options and packages depending on the trainee’s budget, beginning with “arrive and drive” where a fully-prepped Rally car along with fuel, tyres and service back-up is offered for hire to bringing one’s own vehicle and merely hiring the support system.

    THE RALLY PARK

    Besides the ADA, Gill’s other major project is the Rally Park in his hometown Delhi that will be thrown open to all-comers with a formal launch in April.
    The Rally Park facilities include:

    • 3 Kms of Rally track with timed lap option and available for rent
    • 1 Kms of Grade B motocross track
    • Off-roading zone for SUVs
    • Karting zone

    “The Rally Park is on a 15-acre plot and open to people across all age-groups, from eight to 80, besides Corporates and manufacturers who wish to test their products. Also, as we go along, I want to start academies on a franchise basis to tap the talent at the grassroots level. These franchise units will train beginners. There are so many youngsters around who wish to get into rallying and these franchise academies will help them get a start,” he explained, shedding light on his future plans for expansion.

    The two days at the ADA in Coimbatore was certainly an eye-opener in many ways. If anything, it gave driving a totally different perspective. Those who attended the sessions were unanimous that they benefitted hugely from Gill’s inputs and shared his belief that there was more to Rally driving than just pedal-to-metal.

  • Audi India racing talent Aditya Patel returns to Blancpain GT Series Asia with OD Racing

    Audi India racing talent Aditya Patel returns to Blancpain GT Series Asia with OD Racing

    File photo by Aditya Patel’s team.

    Mumbai, March 29: Indian racer and Audi India race talent Aditya Patel will be driving for OD Racing again this year, a team announcement said on Thursday.

    Patel said that he will join forces with Mitch Gilbert and OD Racing in their Audi R8 LMS GT3 once again to fight for the title of the Blancpain GT Series Asia, which the duo missed out on by a single point last year.

    This year, however, the car will be serviced by Team WRT. WRT is known for their exploits in GT Racing worldwide, having won titles such as the Nurburgring 24hr, Spa 24hr, Dubai 24 hr, Bathurst 12hr, Blancpain GT Series and the TCR International Series to name a few.

    Aditya Patel, backed by Audi India, Jubilant Motorworks, and 2Go Activewear, along with teammate Mitch Gilbert put in a string of fine results in 2017, grabbing more podiums than anyone else on the grid, only to fall short of the title by a single point. Talking about the association, Aditya Patel said,“It’s a pleasure to be back again this year with OD Racing and Mitch. We may have missed out on the title last year but we are sure we have a strong package this year, with the support from WRT, to be able to fight for the title again. WRT is considered to be one of the best GT3 teams in the world with an impeccable track record and I’m really looking forward to working with them this year! Once again, I must thank Audi India for their continued support over the years!”

    The Blancpain GT Series is known to be one of the most challenging championships in the world made an entry into Asia in 2017 and did not disappoint. With nearly 25 GT3 cars on the grid, the series instantly grew in popularity by attracting some of the best drivers from around the world.

    This year the series will visit Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and China over six race weekends and will witness multiples manufacturers such as Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Mclaren etc, vying for top honours.

    “Mitch and Aditya proved last year that they are one of the strongest driver pairs in Asia and we now have the opportunity to partner with the renowned race team, WRT, a team that Audi Sport have entrusted to run their factory cars in Europe. Like us, WRT may not have been around for very long but their impressive successes and solid experience with Audi in the European races is sure to be an advantage for us moving forward.”, said ODRacing team boss Cornelius Ee.

    This season’s six-round, 12-race Blancpain GT Series Asia campaign begins at Sepang in Malaysia on April 14/15. The second race will be at Buriram, Thailand on 12, 13 May 2018.

    Audi Media info

  • Chaz Davies of Aruba.it Racing wins 2nd Race: WorldSBK

    Chaz Davies of Aruba.it Racing wins 2nd Race: WorldSBK

    Chaz Davies of Aruba.it racing wins 2nd race on Sunday at Buriram. Rnd2. Photo: WorldSBK

    Buriram: In an unpredictable second race in the Motul Thai Round, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) surged through the field to take a 28th career victory and a first around the Chang International Circuit, becoming a third different winner in the opening two weekends of the 2018 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship.  Davies produced a stunning ride with an average gain of a position per lap over a seven-lap period, hitting the front by the end of lap eight and controlling the race from there.

    Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1st said: “It was a fantastic race, something special. To come away with a win here makes me so happy. At Buriram we’ve always struggled in the past, it’s been a long process to get into a race-winning position. I want to thank the whole team because they’ve given me such a great bike today. The Panigale R was working really well, we found a little bit more consistency and I could be more adaptable to the bike. It was quite hectic out there but, if you can get through it OK, it’s so much fun. Our package is competitive and in Europe, it will be like starting from zero. I’m looking forward to Aragon.”

    Taking advantage of the reverse grid format, it was the Pata Yamaha duo of Michael Van Der Mark and Alex Lowes who made the early break, but as they squabbled among themselves the remainder of the pack stayed in touch.  Lowes was the second of three riders to lead a lap on the Chang International Circuit as he passed teammate Van Der Mark on lap two, but the Dutchman came back through and led for the next five laps.  Eventually, both overhauled by Davies the Yamaha pair nonetheless did enough to secure second and third positions, the first double podium for Yamaha since 2016.  Lowes, in particular, was satisfied with an extra surge of pace in the seven closing laps that helped him to claim an eighth career podium.

    Kawasaki´s unbroken record of victories at the Motul Thai Round was finally ended on a day where neither of their top performers could make it on to the podium at all.  Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) failed to take advantage of his front row grid slot, dropping back to ninth by the end of the opening lap and eventually retiring from the race.

    Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), meanwhile, finished just three seconds from the podium places after an action-packed ride.  Following an excellent first lap that saw him surge through from ninth to fourth with a series of aggressive inside overtaking moves, Rea had put himself among the favourites for victory and threatened to make it back-to-back wins.  But the Race One victor struggled in handlebar-to-handlebar combat, making a series of errors that ruled him out of contention for the win.  His first duel was with Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), a shadow of the rider that looked in command in Philip Island, and the pair swapped positions on no less than five occasions before Rea eventually came out on top.

    By the time Rea passed Melandri on lap nine and then shook the Italian off, Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team) had overhauled the pair of them to move clear in fourth.  But Rea in clear air was a different proposition to the rider who had struggled under side-by-side pressure earlier on, and he hunted down the lead independent rider before an overtake on lap eighteen.

    Upon reflection, despite not being the result he would have hoped for, Rea´s fightback to fourth could prove critical in the Championship Standings overall.  Marco Melandri, series leader coming into Race Two, had another disastrous race in which he was relegated to seventh and never looked comfortable on the bike.  And Xavi Fores, who had looked set to close on both Rea and Melandri in the Championship Standings and leave the three separated by just five points, conceded fourth place three laps from the finish to change the complexion of the series standings.  With the riders of him in the race well adrift of him overall, Rea becomes the Championship leader and the man with the momentum as the highest scorer of the series´ top three for the second race in succession.

    Meanwhile, three of the top ten in the points coming into Race Two failed to finish.  Tom Sykes retired with mechanical problems after seven completed laps and therefore drops 26-points back from the leader and down to seventh overall.  Retirement for Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was more spectacular, the pair coming together on lap five when dicing over the eighth place: both riders will now arrive in Europe next month out of the top ten in the Championship leaderboard.  Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the rider to take advantage in Thailand, finishing best of the rest in eighth ahead of Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia), who did well to nurse his injured shoulder into the top ten in the race.

    The Championship resumes with the Pirelli Aragón Round in three weeks´ time.
    P1 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 
    “It was fantastic, what a race. For the first few laps it was absolute carnage but brilliant carnage. It was such good fun trying to figure out where you can make the pass and to be honest everyone has had such a good pace every weekend and its been so difficult to know who was fast where, so it was an exercise of patience. Just so happy with the win, its not been an easy few months but thanks to the team and Ducati for the fantastic package today.”P2 – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
    “After yesterday I was not feeling that happy at all, and we made a few changes in warm up and I still wasn’t happy. But we made some changes back to Friday’s set up and changed the front tyre and and we made a podium, so I hope it’s the first of many.”P3 – Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
    “To be honest I was to slow in the first 12 laps, like yesterday, Michael just passed me and pulled away. It was a bit annoying I had to dig deep and kick on, it’s a bit frustrating so we need to work out what the issue is. But it’s fantastic for Yamaha and the whole team, and amazing to have such great racing.”
  • Stunning win for Vettel; Hamilton overcomes technical glitches to take 2nd: Rolex Aussie GP

    Stunning win for Vettel; Hamilton overcomes technical glitches to take 2nd: Rolex Aussie GP

    Melbourne: Sebastian Vettel took a sensational Rolex

    Vettel celebrates Aussie GP win on Sunday. Photo: Ferrari

    Australian Grand Prix victory, as the Formula One 2018 World Championship began at the traditional street circuit of Albert Park. Taking advantage of a mid-race safety car he beat arch-rival Lewis Hamilton, who suffered soft-ware glitches. The defending champion was forced to settle for second place ahead of the second Ferrari of Kimi “Räikkönen. Local hero Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth.

    Sahara Force India duo of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon failed to finish in the points, thus ending a successful run of double points finish at the Rolex Australian GP.

    “There could have been no better start for Ferrari in this Championship. Listening to Italy’s national anthem echo around Melbourne was an emotional moment for us all, and for every fan of the Scuderia. It’s the best possible reward for the team, which built a competitive car and used a perfect strategy to take advantage of the way the race evolved. Congratulations to Sebastian and Kimi, both drove a great race. Of course, there’s still a long way to go in the series, with 20 more Grands Prix. So it would be wrong to celebrate too much. We know that we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but the first step has been taken in the right direction,” said Ferrari Chairman  Sergio Marchionne.

    Hamilton led away comfortably at the start, dismissing a brief challenger from Raikkonen as they made their way through the first corners. Vettel held third place but behind Haas’ Kevin Magnussen got the jump on Verstappen who dropped to fifth ahead of Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Ricciardo.

    At the back of the field, Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley had a major lock-up into Turn 1 and pitted at the end of lap one. The New Zealander took on soft tyres in a bid to reach the end of the race on the yellow-banded set.

    Ricciardo was soon past Hulkenberg to take P7, but further ahead team-mate Verstappen was struggling to put pressure on Magnussen. The result was a rapidly degrading set of tyres and on lap 10 the Dutchman lost control into Turn 1 and spun. He dropped to eight behind Hulkenberg.

    At the front Hamilton was attempting to build a gap, but both Raikkonen and Vettel were tenaciously hanging on and by the end of lap 15 Hamilton only had three seconds in hand over the Ferraris.

    On lap 22 Magnussen made his first stop of the race, but almost immediately afterward he pulled over at the side of the track. The Dane reported an engine issue but Race Control later stated that the team had possibly released Magnussen unsafely.

    That boosted team-mate Grosjean to fourth but under pressure from Ricciardo and on fading ultrasofts the Frenchman also pitted. Again though, as soon as he rejoined the circuit, he immediately pulled over and stopped in a mirror image of the Magnussen incident, this time with the front left wheel of Grosjean’s car not being properly attached.

    With Grosjean’s car at the trackside on lap 24, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Ferrari seized the opportunity and pitted Vettel for soft tyres. Hamilton, though, lost a huge amount of time under the VSC and when Vettel emerged from the pit lane he swept into the lead.

    The VSC was replaced by the real thing as Grosjean’s car was cleared and when racing resumed Vettel held his lead over Hamilton, with Raikkonen third and Ricciardo fourth. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso had vaulted up to fifth place under the SC and was being shadowed by Verstappen who had also recovered from his early woes.

    The second half of the race became a cat and mouse battle between the Ferrari and Mercedes driver, with Hamilton regularly getting to within DRS range of the leader only for Vettel to drag the gap back out to beyond a second.

    Six seconds further back, Raikkonen kept Ricciardo at bay in the same manner, with the Australian getting to within DRS range and the Finn pulling away as he carefully managed his defence of the final podium position.

    Behind them, in the battle for fifth place, a little under two seconds covered three Renault-powered drivers in the closing stage, with Fernando Alonso leading Verstappen and Hulkenberg.

    With 10 laps remaining Hamilton got on the radio to his team saying that he was going to attack for the lead. The attempt came to nothing, however, as the Briton suffered a heavy lock-up at Turn 9, losing almost two seconds to Vettel.

    He clawed half that back over the next two laps and with seven laps remaining was 1.5s behind Vettel. A lap later and the deficit was just one second.

    But there Hamilton’s charge ended. On the next tour, he was 1.3 slower than Vettel and then drifted to 4.4s off the Ferrari, and having been warned about high engine temperatures, Hamilton voted to save the engine on his car and settled for a safe second place.

    A handful of laps later Vettel crossed the line to take his 48th career win ahead of the Briton. Raikkonen clung on to third place ahead of Ricciardo, while Alonso gave McLaren a positive start to life with Renault power by keeping Verstappen at bay to take fifth place. With the Dutchman sixth, Hulkenberg finished seventh ahead of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne. The final points position went to Renault’s Carlos Sainz, who battled to the finish despite suffering from nausea caused by the fluid in his drinks bottle during the race.

    2018 Australian Grand Prix – Race
    1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1h29:33.283
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 5.036
    3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 6.309
    4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 7.069
    5 Fernando Alonso McLaren 27.886
    6 Max Verstappen Red Bull 28.945
    7 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 32.671
    8 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 34.339
    9 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 34.921
    10 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 45.722
    11 Sergio Perez Force India 46.817
    12 Esteban Ocon Force India 1’00.278
    13 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1’15.759
    14 Lance Stroll Williams 1’18.288
    15 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1 lap
    16 Romain Grosjean Haas 34 laps
    17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 36 laps
    18 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 45 laps
    19 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 53 laps
    20 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 54 laps.

    Source: FIA

  • Halo blocks drivers’ vision, starting lights shifted: Season Opener

    Melbourne: “After the winter debates, pro and against the protective device, all focus shifted away from the halo and on to the cars’ performance,” claimed an F1 release.

    But it had to admit: …“the halo still managed to hold on to a bit of the limelight, as the starting lights were shifted under instruction from FIA Formula 1 Race Director Charlie Whiting. This because the drivers
    could not see through the halo to the lights high above them, this problem being worse for the cars on the front row of the grid.”

    Now one can decide if that is a bit of the limelight. Read the High Octane Column by Harish Samtani here: F1 running out of fresh ideas to breathe life back into racing!

    The 2018 season has finally got underway at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit as the Friday practice sessions were run under a hot sun and blue skies. Mercedes posted the best times across the two sessions, confirming what was seen in the Barcelona tests a few weeks ago. Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in both practices, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen managing to split the Mercedes drivers, pushing Valtteri Bottas into 3rd place in the second free practice. Fourth and 5th were the Ferrari, with Kimi Raikkonen ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

    The Melbourne weekend also witnessed the debut of Brendon Hartley’s social media collaboration with Formula 1 as he takes us on a journey with him on his first full season as one of the top drivers in the world. Follow Toro Rosso’s Kiwi here:

    Also, new this weekend is Brian Tyler’s newly-composed music for the Formula 1 starting sequence. Recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the score reflects the power and the fury of F1 cars as interpreted by one of Hollywood’s most successful film and game music
    composers.

    F1 Release!