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Author: David Bodapati
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Lorenzo beats Rossi to pole at Misano
Rossi takes P2 at Misano on 10 Sept. 2016. A Movistar Yamaha image Misano Adriatico (Italy), 10th September 2016 The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team was unbeatable during qualifying this afternoon as Jorge Lorenzo set a scorching pace to become the first rider ever to drop into the 1‘31s at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. He bettered the previous Circuit Best Lap record by 0.278s, which was set by himself last year. Teammate Valentino Rossi delighted the home crowd when he made a late charge, securing second place on the front row for tomorrow‘s ‘Grand Prix di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini‘ making it a perfect 1-2 for the team. Lorenzo was the second to last rider to head out on track for the start of the 15-minute qualifying heat and immediately put the hammer down. His first flying lap delivered a 1’32.310s for pole position. He kept pushing for the perfect lap and took his efforts to the next level dropping a blistering 1‘32.076s before returning to the pits with seven minutes remaining.
He was back on track less than two minutes later and was feeling confident that he would be able to further extend his lead. The latter stages of the session saw numerous protagonists put in hot laps but none were able to match Lorenzo‘s pace. In the final minute the Mallorcan delivered a scorching 1’31.868s lap time, putting his #99 YZR-M1 on pole for the third time this year.
Rossi took his time to leave pit lane as qualifying got underway, allowing the pack to depart before heading out into clear space. Eager to make his fans cheer and to secure a front row starting position, he put in an initial 1‘33.416s to slot into fifth place, before he was pushed back as the other riders completed their second flying lap. Rossi shaved a little off his time on his second attempt, delivering a 1‘32.918s, but a flurry of activity put him in provisional seventh position halfway through.
The Doctor then returned to the pits with a little more than seven and a half minutes remaining, before hitting the track two minutes later to put on the pressure. The nine-time World Champion set a hot 1‘32.342s for second place but this result was cancelled due to exceeding the track limit in turn 16. However, the man from Tavullia was not done yet. He pushed even harder on the next lap and delivered a stunning 1‘32.216s to move up to second again. Unable to better his time on his last try, he wrapped up the day just 0.348s from Lorenzo on pole.
eom/Movistar Yamaha press release
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Jaguar returns to racing: Formula E
Thursday 8 September 2016: Jaguar today takes the wraps off its new electric motorsport future, revealing its Formula E team’s official name, vision, title sponsor, driver line-up and electric racing livery.
From this October, Panasonic Jaguar Racing will compete in the third FIA Formula E season with the first all-electric Jaguar racing car in history: the I-TYPE 1.
At the launch event at the Jaguar Collections Centre, the new I-TYPE 1 made a dramatic debut driven by the team’s official reserve driver Ho-Pin Tung and outlining the brands commitment to ‘Race To Innovate’ – a mission to change the perception of electric vehicles,
to develop new electric technology and to inspire future generations.
In addition, Jaguar revealed an exciting race driver line-up with Adam Carroll and Mitch Evans confirmed to drive the I-TYPE 1 in the team’s inaugural season. This driver line up will spearhead Jaguar’s return to top-level racing.
Jaguar detailed its partnership with Panasonic that will see the leading electronics and automotive technology company partner with the Jaguar Racing Formula E team to develop a future that promises to push the boundaries of electric technology in a performance environment. In addition, Jaguar was pleased to announce Lear Corporation will join the team as an Official Team Partner.
Jaguar Land Rover employs 9,000 engineers and is Britain’s largest research and development investor across any business sector.
The Panasonic Jaguar Racing team has successfully completed 21 days of testing, up to and including the last Formula E public test, which finished at Donington Park Circuit yesterday.
eom/Jaguar Racing press release
A Panasonic Jaguar Racing image -
FIA statement on acquisition of F1 by Liberty Media
The FIA, the governing body of the Formula One World Championship, was recently informed of the intention of Liberty Media Corporation to acquire Delta Topco, the parent company of the Commercial Rights Holder organisation of Formula One from CVC Capital Partners.The FIA was obviously not party to the negotiations surrounding the intended sale. As such, the Federation awaits further information regarding the proposed terms of the transaction and welcomes the opportunity to discuss with all parties the possible consequences of this agreement on the promotion of the FIA’s flagship championship.
Commenting on the sale, FIA President Jean Todt said: “While it remains to be seen how this acquisition will influence the promotion of the FIA Formula One championship, we welcome this long-term investment in Formula One by a company that has such a broad portfolio of sports, media and entertainment businesses. As motor sport’s governing body and regulator we acknowledge Liberty Media’s wide expertise in these fields and we look forward to working in close partnership with them in the future in order to further develop Formula One and bring it to new generations of motor sport enthusiasts around the world.”
eom/FIA press release
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Liberty Media Press Release: Liberty Media Corporation Agrees to Acquire Formula One
September 7, 2016
Transaction price represents enterprise value for Formula One of $8.0b
Chase Carey appointed as Chairman; Bernie Ecclestone to remain CEO
Initial sale of 18.7% minority stake in Formula One, with 100% sale subject to satisfaction of conditions
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. & LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Liberty Media Corporation (“Liberty Media”) (Nasdaq: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, BATRA, BATRK, LMCA, LMCK) and CVC Capital Partners (“CVC”) announced today that Liberty Media has agreed to acquire Formula One, the iconic global motorsports business, from a consortium of sellers led by CVC.Liberty Media owns interests in a broad range of media, communications and entertainment businesses. Those interests are attributed to three tracking stock groups: the Liberty SiriusXM Group, the Liberty Braves Group, and the Liberty Media Group.
The consideration comprises cash and newly issued shares in the Liberty Media Group tracking stock (LMCK) and a debt instrument exchangeable into shares of LMCK. The transaction price represents an enterprise value for Formula One of $8.0 billion and an equity value of $4.4 billion(1).
The acquisition will be effected by Liberty Media acquiring 100% of the shares of Delta Topco, the parent company of Formula One (Delta Topco herein referred to as “Formula One”)(2). The acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions and is described in more detail below.
Concurrent with the execution of the agreement to effect the acquisition, Liberty Media has completed the acquisition of an 18.7% minority stake in Formula One for $746 million, funded entirely in cash (which is equal to $821 million in consideration less a $75 million discount to be repaid by Liberty Media to selling stockholders upon completion of the acquisition). Prior to completion, CVC Funds will continue to be the controlling shareholder of Formula One.
After completion of the acquisition, Liberty Media will own Formula One and it will be attributed to the Liberty Media Group which will be renamed the Formula One Group. The consortium of sellers led by CVC will own approximately 65%(1)(3) of the Formula One Group’s equity and will have board representation at Formula One to support Liberty Media in continuing to develop the full potential of the sport. In addition, a CVC representative will be joining the Liberty Media Board of Directors.
Chase Carey has been appointed by Delta Topco and will serve as the new Chairman of Formula One, succeeding Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, who will remain on Formula One’s board as a non-executive director. Bernie Ecclestone will remain Formula One’s CEO.
Greg Maffei, President and Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Media, said: “We are excited to become part of Formula One. We think our long-term perspective and expertise with media and sports assets will allow us to be good stewards of Formula One and benefit fans, teams and our shareholders. We look forward to working closely with Chase Carey and Bernie Ecclestone to support the next phase of growth for this hugely popular global sport.”
Chase Carey, Chairman of Formula One, said: “I am thrilled to take up the role of Chairman of Formula One and have the opportunity to work alongside Bernie Ecclestone, CVC, and the Liberty Media team. I greatly admire Formula One as a unique global sports entertainment franchise attracting hundreds of millions of fans each season from all around the world. I see great opportunity to help Formula One continue to develop and prosper for the benefit of the sport, fans, teams and investors alike.”
Bernie Ecclestone, Chief Executive Officer of Formula One, said: “I would like to welcome Liberty Media and Chase Carey to Formula One and I look forward to working with them.”
Donald Mackenzie, Co-Chairman of CVC, commented: “We are delighted Chase Carey is joining Formula One as its new Chairman and that he will be working alongside Bernie Ecclestone. Chase’s experience and knowledge of sport, media and entertainment is as good as it gets and we are very pleased to secure his services. Bernie has been a wonderful CEO for us over the last 10 years. There have been many successes and the occasional challenge but there has never been a dull moment and we have had a lot of fun. The combined skills of Chase and Bernie mean that the successes should continue and we wish them well. We would like to thank Peter Brabeck-Letmathe for his outstanding contribution during his tenure as Chairman. His leadership has served the company well, and we are pleased that he will remain on the board as a non-executive director.”
In the acquisition the selling stockholders will receive a mix of consideration comprising: $1.1 billion in cash, 138 million newly issued shares of LMCK and a $351 million exchangeable debt instrument to be issued by Formula One and exchangeable into shares of LMCK. Funding for the cash component of the acquisition is expected to come from cash on hand at the Liberty Media Group. The newly issued LMCK shares will be subject to market co-ordination and lock-up agreements.
The Teams will be given the opportunity to participate in the investment in Formula One, and the detailed terms of that investment will be agreed in due course. Certain teams have already expressed an interest in investing after completion of the acquisition.
The interest in Formula One already acquired by Liberty Media, and the remaining interest to be acquired upon the closing of the acquisition, along with $4.1 billion of existing Formula One debt (which will be non-recourse to Liberty Media) and $0.7 billion in Formula One cash, is being attributed to the Liberty Media Group tracking stock.
Upon completion of the acquisition, the Liberty Media Group will be renamed the Formula One Group and the ticker symbols for the Series A, Series B and Series C Liberty Media Group tracking stocks will be changed from LMC (A/B/K), respectively, to FWON (A/B/K), respectively. Formula One will remain based in London.
The completion of the acquisition is subject to certain conditions, including the receipt of: (i) certain clearances and approvals by antitrust and competition law authorities in various countries, (ii) certain third-party consents and approvals, including that of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the governing body of Formula One, and (iii) the approval of Liberty Media’s stockholders of the issuance of LMCK shares in connection with the acquisition and the name change of the Liberty Media Group to the Formula One Group, and is expected to close by the first quarter of 2017. Additional information regarding the acquisition and Formula One will be included in a proxy statement to be filed by Liberty Media with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the matters to be voted upon by Liberty Media’s stockholders described above.
Liberty Media’s President and CEO, Greg Maffei and Formula One’s Chairman, Chase Carey will host an investor conference call at 6:00pm ET / 4:00pm MT on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 to discuss the acquisition in more detail. The call can be accessed by dialing: (i) (844) 838-8043 (U.S. / Canada), (ii) (678) 509-7480 (International) or (iii) 0800-028-8438 (U.K.) at least 10 minutes prior to the start time. The call will also be broadcast live across the internet and archived on Liberty Media’s website. Presentation materials to be used during the investor call have been posted to the Liberty Media website. To access the webcast and the accompanying presentation materials go to http://www.libertymedia.com/events. An archive of the webcast will also be available on Liberty Media’s website for one year after appropriate filings have been made with the SEC. Relevant images for media use will be posted to Liberty Media’s website under the “What’s New” section of the Liberty Media homepage.
Morgan Stanley is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Baker Botts LLP is serving as legal advisor to Liberty Media. Goldman Sachs International is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Weil, Gotshal & Manges are serving as legal advisers to Delta Topco.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the proposed acquisition of Formula One, the expected benefits of the transaction, other potential third party investments in Formula One, the renaming of the Liberty Media Group and the corresponding change in ticker symbols and other matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including, without limitation, the satisfaction of conditions to the proposed acquisition of Formula One. These forward looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Liberty Media expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Liberty Media’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Please refer to the publicly filed documents of Liberty Media, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for risks and uncertainties related to Liberty Media’s business which may affect the statements made in this press release.
Additional Information
Nothing in this press release shall constitute a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell shares of Liberty Media’s Series C Liberty Media common stock or any other series of its common stock. Liberty Media stockholders and other investors are urged to read the proxy statement to be filed with the SEC because it will contain important information relating to the proposed acquisition of Formula One. Copies of Liberty Media’s SEC filings are available free of charge at the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of the filings together with the materials incorporated by reference therein will also be available, without charge, by directing a request to Investor Relations, (720) 875-5420.
Participants in a Solicitation
The directors and executive officers of Liberty Media and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of any proposals relating to the proposed acquisition of Formula One. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of Liberty Media and other participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their respective direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be available in the proxy materials regarding the foregoing to be filed with the SEC.
About Liberty Media Corporation
Liberty Media Corporation operates and owns interests in a broad range of media, communications and entertainment businesses. Those businesses are attributed to three tracking stock groups: the Liberty SiriusXM Group, the Liberty Braves Group and the Liberty Media Group. The businesses and assets attributed to the Liberty SiriusXM Group (Nasdaq: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK) include our interest in SiriusXM. The businesses and assets attributed to the Liberty Braves Group (Nasdaq: BATRA, BATRK) include our subsidiary Braves Holdings, LLC. The businesses and assets attributed to the Liberty Media Group (Nasdaq: LMCA, LMCK) consist of all of Liberty Media Corporation’s businesses and assets other than those attributed to the Liberty SiriusXM Group and the Liberty Braves Group, including its interests in Live Nation Entertainment and Formula One, and minority equity investments in Time Warner Inc. and Viacom.
About CVC Capital Partners
CVC Capital Partners is one of the world’s leading private equity and investment advisory firms. Founded in 1981, CVC today has a network of 24 offices and over 400 employees throughout Europe, Asia and the US. To date, CVC has secured commitments of over US$85 billion in funds from a diverse and loyal investor base, completing over 300 investments in a wide range of industries and countries across the globe, with an aggregate enterprise purchase value of over US$250 billion.
Source: Liberty Media Corporation
eom/News Provided by Acquire Media
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Maiden MotoGP win for Vinales; Becomes 7th winner in 7 races
Vinales wins maiden MotoGP race on Sunday. A Michelin image A piece of history was made during the OCTO British Grand Prix at Silverstone in England today as Maverick Viñales (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) won his first MotoGP race and in the process equalled the record of seven different winners in seven races.
Pole-setter Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) got the holeshot at the start of the race, but was passed by Viñales on the first lap. The Suzuki man then gapped the rest of the field on his machine which was fitted with a Michelin Power Slick hard compound front tyre and a medium rear. Viñales led for the rest of the race, increasing his lead as the laps ticked down. His victory is the first for Suzuki since 2007, when Chris Vermeulen was triumphant at a wet Le Mans, and the first dry win since Kenny Roberts Jr. won at Motegi in 2000. It also sees Viñales become the first rider to win a MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 race.
The battle behind was a treat for the 73,310 spectators at trackside as Crutchlow eventually got the better of Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) to secure second place and give the British fans something extra to cheer about. Rossi was involved in many tussles throughout the 19-lap race before taking the final rostrum position ahead of championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) in fourth and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) in fifth. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was the first man home for the Italian marque as he took sixth, with Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in seventh. Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was eighth and Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) was ninth, Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) rounded out the top 10 to complete five different manufacturers in the first 10 places.
Today’s race was held in dry, but overcast conditions and the main event had to be restarted and reduced to 19-laps following a first lap incident which saw Loris Baz (Avintia Racing) and Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) collide. This resulted in a red flag and an immediate stoppage, fortunately neither rider was injured and the race resumed soon afterwards. The result today saw Viñales become the seventh winner in seven races, this is the first time this has happened since the 1999/2000 season when all seven winners also used Michelin rubber.
Michelin and the MotoGP spectacle will now head directly to Italy and the round 13 of the championship, which will be held at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Sunday 11thSeptember.
Maverick Viñales ̶ Team SUZUKI ECSTAR:
“It was incredible today! We worked so hard with the tyres this weekend. We tried the harder ones on Friday and the team did a great job. Also we worked so hard with Michelin and I am very happy with the result. Richard is our guy at Michelin and he said that the hard tyre was the best choice for us and we trust him 100%, so we took his advice and it gave us the perfect position.”
Piero Taramasso ̶ Manager of the Two-Wheel Motorsport Group:
“Today was a very good race and we would like to congratulate Maverick Viñales on his first win. We have not had an easy weekend here at Silverstone with all the different weather, it has been warm, cold, wet, damp and dry, with some wind there as well, but our tyres have coped well in all conditions so we are pleased with the performance over the weekend. During the dry practice sessions a number of riders went under the lap-record, so that was very encouraging and today’s race lap-times were very competitive. That is despite the cold track and the heavy rain yesterday which made the track very slick again as it washed away any rubber that had already been laid down over the weekend. It was not easy for us or the teams to make the correct choice today, as dry track time had been very limited, but at the end it worked out very good as we used two different compounds on the different bikes front and rear and they all performed well. We will now head straight to Italy and Misano. There it is a very demanding track, but we will look to continue with the impressive performances we have had recently, despite all the different weather in the last few races ̶ hopefully we can have a whole weekend of warm sunshine on the Italian coast.
eom/Michelin press release
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I had an awesome start and that made the win: Rosberg
DRIVERS
1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)
2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)
PODIUM INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Eddie Jordan)
Nico, I don’t need to tell you, your 50th podium, your 21st race win and more importantly, his first win in Monza!
Nico ROSBERG: Thank you very much everyone, it’s absolutely amazing. It’s a very special day for me. I’m very happy to finally win here in Italy. You guys are unbelievable and it just makes it phenomenal to be up here so thank you very, very much and I’m going to enjoy this day.
Come on, tell us a little bit about the race. It was pretty much trouble-free, could your sort of control it from the front all the time apart from the pit stop?
NR: It was all down to the start. I had an awesome start and that made the win, so it was all there.
We’ll be back to you in a second. Ladies and gentleman, we know this man. Come on, how good is it to be here in front of all your adoring fans. Lewis, was it all down to the start?
Lewis HAMILTON: Firstly, look at this crowd. A big thank you to everyone for coming out. This is the best crowd we get all year; this is incredible. Obviously the start, but it’s still a great day for Mercedes Benz and I’m proud to be a part of it.
I’ve got to say, 14 race gone, two points between you two guys, I mean it’s all to play for isn’t it? it’s fantastic for us, the fans.
LH: Yeah, it’s good for you guys. I don’t know it it’s fantastic for the fans in the sense that there should have been more of us racing, there should have been a bigger race between Ferrari and us this weekend but hopefully in the future there will be.
Lewis, fantastic, well done and well done yesterday, great qualifying. Sebastian, first of all… it’s hard to believe this, isn’t it? It’s unbelievable.
Sebastian VETTEL: Unbelievable. This is the best podium in the world. Noi, Ferrari abbiamo i migliori tifosi del mondo. Grazie a tutti, grazie per essere venuti, grazie!!
This is dreamtime but nevertheless I’ve got to ask you the question: when do you think, how soon can you take these boys from Mercedes on? How soon can you be on the top of the podium?
SV: Well, we’ll try. We’re working very hard. They are doing a very good job, so you have to say “well done” and show them the respect for what the achieved in the last couple of years, but we’re fighting. I’m sure Ferrari will come back. I can’t make any promises about when, but I know we will, so keep believing, keep it up, I know that we believe in it and I’m sure we will succeed.
Why don’t you just say a few words to them in their Italian tongues?
SV: Un’altra volta – grazie, grazie mille. Noi siamo Ferrari.
Nico, a wonderful day for you, can you describe it?
NR: Oh yeah, it’s unbelievable. This makes it unbelievable. A part of me is Italian in a way, because I have a lot of friends and grew up with the culture, so all the more special. Siete i migliori del mondo, veramente. Incredibile. Grazie mille. Troppo bello. Proviamolo!! (then he sings).
We knew you were a driver but we didn’t know you were a member of The White Stripes! Anyway, please tell us, you’ve come back from the summer break and you’ve won those two races, you’re like a new man aren’t you, what’s happened to you?
NR: I’m feeling great. The race is on with Lewis of course, it’s always going to be a great battle and I look forward to what’s to come.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Nico, congratulations, your first Monza victory, second win in a week. Obviously you won it at the start. We talked about the start as an opportunity here yesterday, so tell us about that? Two points in it now in the championship and it looks like you’ve got a future in singalong as well?
NR: As we discussed, the start was the big opportunity and that worked out fantastically. I got a great start, because of course we had the soft and Ferrari had the supersoft and that worked out great and that gave me the race win in the end, because from then on I was able to control the pace and we had good speed. The singalong was awesome. The Italian crowd is just the best in the world and it’s really good fun.
Is that become a new signature when you win now?
NR: It just works here with them.
OK. Lewis, conversely, you lost it at the start. I understand you told the team by radio that it was your mistake and you obviously did everything you did to recover but were the 10 laps behind the Williams of Bottas… did that leave you too much to do in the end?
LH: Well, obviously yeah it was lost at the start. To be honest, I knew my engineers would be worried and nervous of how the start went, so that’s why I tried to put their minds at ease. I don’t really know what happened at the start, though obviously I will try to understand it later. I did everything normal. But, yeah, it’s hard to overtake here. Live to fight another day and you know a great audience here, as every year just an incredible crowd. A lot of Ferrari fans but also a lot of British flags were here today so I appreciate them coming out.
Q: Sebastian, obviously a slightly different strategy, supersoft, supersoft, soft. Was there nothing more you could do to protect the track position that you got after Lewis’ poor start in the first stint, with the tyre choices you had. And what positives do you take from this weekend in general?
SV: Well, he did one stop less, so obviously it was clear after our second stop he would be ahead of us – and I think the problem was that he was too far ahead of us. Simple as that. I think we were slightly quicker, we were on a fresher set of tyres but not quick enough to really catch up. I think in the end the gap was still fairly big. Nevertheless I think it’s been a great day. We’ve had a really good start, got a bit stuck. Maybe I should have gone to the left, I wasn’t sure what Lewis was going to do. Then I decided to go in the middle of them and was side-by-side with Nico but he did a good job braking for Turn One. I was hoping that he’ll go on the brakes a bit sooner but he didn’t. And then I had another crack, another look into Turn Four but I wasn’t close enough to be honest. After that I think we had good pace but it was sort of expected that they are obviously a bit quicker than us, in race pace as well. And I think you could see at the end the result was fairly clear. Still, I think it’s been a mega day for Ferrari. To get so much support. I think it felt even more than last year, which is great and hopefully it all peaks next year. Still, I can’t complain: two podiums in Monza two times at the start with Ferrari. I think it’s a great achievement, really happy and proud of that. But for sure, you’re always aiming for the top step, also to give the maximum support back. It’s been incredible. Coming into the track, leaving the track, even leaving late at night, they’re just happy to wave, with all the Ferrari kit, with all the flags equipped, it’s great to see the passion in this country for Ferrari and to be part of that is great. Obviously our mission doesn’t stop here. It’s only the beginning. We want to win. That’s what we really want. That’s what the people deserve as well.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Nico, I would like to congratulate you to become the first ever Finnish national who has won a grand prix on Italian soil. Winning at Spa and then Monza first time, legendary places, how does that feel in your career.
NR: It feels great.
SV: Being a Finn, you should answer in Finnish…
NR: Just talking about today it’s special because I really feel close to the Italian culture in many ways. All my best friends are Italian, I speak Italian and have a lot of connections with Italy and a lot of support here also, so it’s amazing to see. On this historic track it’s been a special place to win.
I didn’t… Imola, Monza, no Finn has ever won? Wow. Cool.
Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action / Speed Sport) Lewis, you said you don’t know exactly what happened in the car at the start but can you tell us what was going on in there and how you felt to see all those cars go screaming by.
LH: To be honest I don’t really remember. I do remember a bunch of cars coming by but, as I said, I did the sequence, everything exactly the same and yeah, I think I just got lots of wheelspin. A bit like Nico’s start perhaps in Hockenheim. Yeah.
Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Sebastian, yesterday in qualifying, bigger difference to Mercedes than last year, today in the race, maybe a smaller difference, you were even closing on the Mercedes with the soft tyres at the end. What was the reason for that? That you were so much quicker today. And how encouraging is it for the next two races especially?
SV: Well, we had a different strategy so obviously we had fresher tyres, different compound at the end, it was clear and expected that we were quicker and catching up – but probably not enough really to put them seriously under any pressure. I think we extracted our best race which obviously, y’know… it’s been a while since it’s been the case. It speaks for the team. I think we’ve done a very good job this weekend, everyone has been really focused and, y’know many times I hear that coming to Monza, yeah, it’s a sort of extra burden and pressure and all this. I think it’s much the opposite for everyone in the team. You come here, people are able on Thursday, Friday to bring some of their family to the track, Ferrari is very helpful and open to give the chance to some of the mechanics and engineers, a lot of their families come here to see them and support them. And equally we has so much support from all the fans around the track, so of course you want to do well, it’s family in the end. We have probably the largest family we bring to a race track in that regard but I think everyone knows when I’m saying you want to do well in front of your family. So, of course, there is a bit of tension but if anything I think it lifted us up this weekend. It was great to see also the majority of the board of Ferrari coming, turning up, our president, giving the support and it’s been exactly the opposite of what people thought – or wrote probably – about. Really no pressure. We knew it would be tough against Mercedes, it has been tough and we didn’t beat them. Nevertheless, I think we did a great job, we pulled out our best, we had a great race. We finished third and fourth is the optimum we could get. That’s a lot to be proud about. Obviously the fans deserve nothing else but the top step and hopefully we can give it to them the next couple of years.
Q: (Ralf Bach – AutoBild Motorsport) Two questions for Nico: firstly, are you the new Pirelli ambassador or why do you wear this cap here? And secondly, for what reasons didn’t you and Lewis use the supersoft tyres here
NR: I apologise for that mistake to Mercedes, sorry for that. I didn’t realise. I’m sure I’ll hear about that later on.
And what was the second part? Why didn’t we use them? Because the best race for us was soft-medium, that was the fastest way to get to the end of the race, as you could see. It was good speed.
Q: (Livio Orrichio – GloboEsporte.com) Lewis, curiosity, when you face a situation like today and you see your opponents overtaking you at the start, knowing that you have a very fast car, do you have time at that moment to think ‘oh my God, maybe I lost the race’ or do you only concentrate yourself to try to get some positions back?
LH: I think at that moment you only think about getting back to where you started. So I’d fallen back and my goal was to try and get back up to where I was. But of course, I could see Nico pulling away, and I know from my experience of being here in Formula One that whilst anything can happen, the chances of the win decrease lap by lap, second by second so of course I knew that at quite an early stage that winning the race was not going to be possible but I would try but I got up to second and that’s the best I could do with such a loss at the start.
Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Sebastian, it was quite unusual to see you leaving the pit lane after your second stop with the DRS open on the run down to the first corner. I presume that’s because you were in the activation zone behind Kvyat coming into the pits. Can you talk about that? It’s quite interesting. And b) you had a big lock-up coming in and I wondered if that was due to the DRS being half-closed or not?
SV: No, I had lock-up because to be honest the mindset when you come in is that you don’t really care about those tyres any more and you just to try to hit the brakes as hard as you can and stop for the line, so I had a bit of a lock-up but at that point you’re not really bothered, you just stamp on the brakes so that’s what triggered it. And then on the way out, I did have the advantage of the DRS so even if it’s 0.0 or something, you still go for it.
Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) To the Mercedes drivers; it was the seventh time this year that either of you lost the leading position, just after starting from pole. Usually you very quickly adapt to every technical rule change so can you explain why it’s so difficult to get it right with this simple clutch?
Q: I think he means single clutch.
NR: It’s the rule change, it makes it more challenging. Because now it’s down to the driver to do it. It’s more difficult.
LH: Don’t agree that it’s more down to the driver. I think the driver thing is the same as it was before, it’s just that we have a relatively inconsistent clutch and it’s hard to… In the past we were able to be told our clutch temperature and it was easier to hit our target as well but now it’s a lot less easy to know what your clutch is going to be delivering and what it’s not.
Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Nico, just following up from what you were saying earlier about starting on the harder tyre than Ferrari, are you able to simulate that, practise that, given the allocation situation with tyres? Are you able to be that precise in practice starts?
NR: Well, that’s the thing. No, because we’re not even practising on the grid, we’re practising at the end of the pit lane which is a whole different world. Everybody’s practising, their rubber’s going down so it’s a little bit trying to make the best guess and that’s what makes it so variable
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Sebastian, after Spa with Kimi, were you more cautious at the first corner than usual?
SV: Er, well, I was side-by-side with Nico so yeah, but as I said, they did a good job on the brakes and obviously I didn’t see the car behind. To be honest, at no point did Spa cross my mind. I think after plenty of starts, I think Monza at turn one, we all know it’s tight so I did what I felt was right and it seemed to be right. I think I left enough room for Nico, obviously I wasn’t really a challenge for him into turn one and for the cars behind, obviously I saw down to turn one that Nico and myself were putting up a shield and giving a lot of tow for the cars behind so it was natural that they closed up. Equally I think they behaved well, doing their job right under braking, not overshooting so it all seemed fine coming out of turn two at least.
Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Nico, it’s often said that it tends to go, for some reason, in waves, between Lewis and yourself. Both of you have waves when you are winning more races one after another and then it tends to change. So after now, winning two races in a row in one week, do you feel that the tide is in, it’s with you now?
NR: No, not at all. I don’t see waves, I just see it race by race and today I’m very very happy to have won here and next is Singapore and I will try to win there and that’s it.
eom/FIA transcript of the post-race press conference
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Hamilton scores his 7th pole at Monza
Hamillton after taking Monza pole on Saturday. An FIA image Lewis Hamilton scored his seventh pole position of the 2016 and his fifth at the Italian GP with a dominant performance at Monza where he beat team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg by almost half second. Sebastian Vettel qualified third for Ferrari ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
The first casualty of Q1 was Manor’s Esteban Ocon. With eight minutes gone in Q1, the Frenchman, who made his race debut at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, suffered a technical problem that forced him to pull over at Turn 1. He exited the session without setting a lap time.
At the front, Hamilton set the early pace; recording a time of 1:21.854, well over half a second clear of Rosberg, with Vettel third ahead of Ricciardo. Vettel and fifth-placed team-mate Kimi Raikkonen set their best times on the session on soft tyres.
As the clock wound down on the session that order remained static, but at the back things were more fluid, with Sauber’s Felipe Nasr, McLaren Fernando Alonso; Renault’s Jolyon Palmer and Magnussen, the second of Marcus Ericsson; in the drop zone ahead of the unfortunate Ocon.
Only Alonso made it out of that group with the Spaniard posting a time of 1:23.783, just four hundredths of a second clear of Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat who was first to be eliminated in P17. Behind him were Nasr, Ericsson, Palmer, Magnussen and Ocon.
At the start of Q2 both the Mercedes and Ferrari pairings went out on soft compound Pirelli tyres. Rosberg set the first time of the session with a lap of 1:21.809 but he was quickly eclipsed by Hamilton, who went 0.311s better to claim provisional top spot. Rosberg slotted into P2 ahead of Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, and Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, all cars powered by Mercedes engines.
Both Ferrari drivers swiftly moved supersoft tyres and Vettel jumped up to P3 with a time of 1:22.275, 0.777s adrift of Hamilton’s soft tyre time. Raikkonen took P5 behind Bottas with Massa in sixth ahead of Esteban Gutierrez and Perez. In ninth and tenth places after the initial runs were Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, both having set their times on soft tyres.
The Red Bull pair bolted on supersofts for their final runs in the segment, however and Verstappen jumped to P6 to ensure passage to Q3. Ricciardo went quicker to claim the same spot as Verstappen dropped to eighth behind Esteban Gutierrez who have Haas something to cheer about by handing the team it’s first Q3 berth. It was also the Mexican’s first Q3 since the Korean Grand Prix of 2013.
Behind Verstappen, the final two Q3 places were taken by the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg. Out at this stage from P11 back went Massa, Romain Grosjean in the second Haas, Alonso, Wehrlein, the second McLaren of Jenson Button and Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz.
In the first runs of Q3 Rosberg was first across the line but his time was slower than his Q2 best and Hamilton quickly demoted his team-mate to P2 with an opening lap of 1:21.358, 0.140s faster than his own Q2 best. Raikkonen slotted in to third, seven tenths adrift of Hamilton with Vettel fourth ahead of Bottas, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Perez and Gutierrez.
And there was no significant improvement by Rosberg in the final runs. The German made a marginal gain but Hamilton once again appeared to effortlessly carve a chunk out of his own personal best time to take his seventh pole position of his career and his 56th overall.
Ferrari will line up for its home race in P3 and P4, with Vettel beating team-mate Kimi Raikkonen to the forward slot of row two by just under a tenth of a second. Valtteri Bottas gave Williams hope of a good points with fifth place ahead of the Red Bulls of Ricciardo and Verstappen, with the Force Indias of Perez and Hulkenberg set to line up on row five.
2016 Italian Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:21.854 1:21.498 1:21.135
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:22.497 1:21.809 1:21.613
3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:23.077 1:22.275 1:21.972
4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:23.217 1:22.568 1:22.065
5 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:23.264 1:22.499 1:22.388
6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:23.158 1:22.638 1:22.389
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:23.229 1:22.857 1:22.411
8 Sergio Perez Force India 1:23.439 1:22.922 1:22.814
9 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:23.259 1:22.951 1:22.836
10 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:23.386 1:22.856 1:23.184
11 Felipe Massa Williams 1:23.489 1:22.967
12 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:23.421 1:23.092
13 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:23.783 1:23.273
14 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:23.760 1:23.315
15 Jenson Button McLaren 1:23.666 1:23.399
16 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:23.661 1:23.496
17 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:23.825
18 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:23.956
19 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:24.087
20 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:24.230
21 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:24.436
22 Esteban Ocon Manoreom/FIA press release
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Facile win for Ahamed; Jagan crashes out but still keeps the championship lead
Chennai, 3 Sept 2016: Nineteen-year old KY Ahamed of Team TVS Racing notched up a comfortable win in the premium Super Sport Indian 165cc class in the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing championship at the MMRT track near here, on Saturday.
Starting from P2, Ahamed made the best of the absence of his teammate and championship leader Jagan Kumar. He moved past pole sitter Rajini Krishnan at the second corner in the very first lap to take the lead. But with Rajini dropping out with a technical problem after three laps, Ahamed opened a huge gap over second-placed Sarath Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing for an easy win. Deepak Ravikumar of RACR was further behind in third.
Jagan, who was disqualified on technical grounds after taking pole on Friday, still leads the championship by three points over Deepak Ravikumar (80). Starting from the back of the grid, Jagan crashed at Turn-2 in the second lap. “I was pushing too hard and crashed out. I will come back strongly in the next few races to keep my chances alive,’’ said Jagan
who will start from pole position on Sunday.
In the Pro-Stock 165cc race, Kannan Karnan of Performance Racing pipped D Dinesh Kumar of RACR while Prabhu, also of RACR came third.
Once again Rockstar Racing dominated the Super Sport Indian 300-400cc class by winning all the three podium places in Race 1. It was a facile win for Ami van Poedeooijen while Abhishek Vasudev came second and Amarnath Menon K was third.
Antony Peter of Performance Racing notched up his third win in five starts in the Stock 165cc category while Joseph Mathew of Sparks Racing finished second followed by Anish Damodara Shetty of United Tech Torque Racing .
The results (Provisional, all six laps unless mentioned):
National Championship:
Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race 1): 1. KY Ahmed (TVS Racing) (12mins, 05.530secs); 2. Sarath Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:12.355); Deepak Ravikumar (RACR) (12:12.516).
Super Sport Indian 300-400cc (Race 1): 1. Ami van Poederooijen (Rockstar Racing) (11:59.648); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Rockstar Racing) (12:04.426); 3. Amarnath K Menon (Rockstar Racing) (12:10.435).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race 1): 1. Kannan Karnan (Performance Racing) (12:40.607); 2. D Dinesh Kumar (RACR) (12:41.444); 3. Prabhu A (RACR) (12:45.290).
Stock 165cc (Race 1): 1. Antony Peter (Performance Racing) (13:21.828); 2. Joseph Mathew (Sparks Racing) (13:22.315); 3. Anish Shetty (United Tech Torque) (13:26.890).
One-Make Championship:
Honda-MMSC CBR 250 Open (Race 1): 1. Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:20.800); 2. Hari Krishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:22.797); 3. Ananth Raj P (Pro Lap Racing) (12:32.051). CBR 150 Novice (Race 1, 4 laps): 1. Soorya PM (Chennai) (09:02.273); Anish Shetty (Hubballi) (09:02.312); 3. Mahesh Murali (Kerala) (09:03.395).
TVS-MMSC Apache RTR 200 – Open (Race 1): 1. Kannan Karnan (Chennai) (13:17.989); 2. Jaden Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) (13:21.168); 3. Arvind Ganesh (Chennai) (13:21.892). Novice (Race 1, 4 laps): 1. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (09:01.585); 2. Hari Prasath R (Chennai) (09:14.317); 3. Kamran Alam (Patna) (09:15.274).
Suzuki Gixxer Cup – Novice (Race 1, 4 laps): 1. Joseph Mathew (Chennai) (08:58.965); 2. Antony Peter (Coimbatore) (09:04.755); 3. Amarnath Rajan (Chennai) (09:21.467). Race 2: 1. Mathew (09:08.007); 2. Peter (09:09.585); 3. Alan Victor Fernando (Mumbai) (09:25.974). Rookie Cup: 1. Aaron Gunaderdan (Sri Lanka) (08:57.368); 2. Sachin Choudhary (Ahmedabad) (09:20.422); 3. AS Alexander (Chennai) (09:21.865). Race 2: 1. Gunaderdan (09:03.310); 2. Choudhary (09:10.101); 3. Alexander (09:34.239).
Support Races – Superbikes (Race 1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (11:32.877); 2. Naresh Babu J (Chennai) (12:03.117); 117); 3. Rizwan Khan (Mysuru) (12:06.281). AATA Ladies (4 laps): 1. Olesya V Dias (Goa) (10:04.499); 2. Renuka Gajendran (Bengaluru) (10:15.490); 3. Pratheeba P (Chennai) (10:19.253). Honda Ladies (4 laps): 1. Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru) (09:49.114); 2. A Ryhana Bee (Chennai) (09:49.564); 3. Shruthi N (Chennai) (10:06.350).
About Madras Motor Sports Club
The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.
eom/AP Media Communications Release
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No special treatments; I just took some rest: Kevin Magnussen
DRIVERS – Esteban GUTIERREZ (Haas), Carlos SAINZ (Toro Rosso), Kevin MAGNUSSEN (Renault), Jenson BUTTON (McLaren), Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari), Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Kevin, obviously a horrible accident in Spa. How are you and what did you have to do to get ready for this race?
Kevin MAGNUSSEN: I have just relaxed. Nothing was broken, I wasn’t injured so just a bit sore in my body and I didn’t need to do anything special. No special treatments or anything. Yeah, just took a couple of days at home and ready for the next race.
And what happened?
KM: I spin at the top of Eau Rouge. I hit a bump and lost the rear. I thought I was going to go left into a spin, but then the car caught grip again and I went right and into the wall. Yeah, that’s what happened.
Thanks for that. Kimi, coming to you: some strong feelings after the Spa weekend, especially with regard to Max Verstappen. What would you like to happen now with regard to the rules of engagement between drivers out on the track when it comes to attacking and defending?
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: I think it’s quite clear what they are and obviously sometimes you feel it’s not correct what happens on circuit but obviously I think the biggest problem is it’s not always the same. I think as drivers we always discussed it and it’s a bit up and down and I think that could be improved. Personally I have nothing against Max. He is doing a good job and he’s fast. It’s not a personal thing but certain things, at least in my feeling, were not correct if you have to slow down or brake under full speed but those things are never ending discussions but let’s see what happens.
You’ve also now had a chance to study video of the collision at the start with Sebastian. Have you discussed it together during the week and what conclusions did you come to?
KR: Obviously it was an unfortunate thing. Not really an awful lot to discuss except probably he said sorry and I said OK and you know we go forward. It wasn’t ideal for us or any of the three to be involved, but that’s how it goes sometimes. So next time we try to give a bit more room but it’s done now.
Thank you for that. And your side of that, Seb? Kimi’s said you apologised to him. You’ve had a good chance to review it, to think it through again, what are you feelings now in the cold light of day?
Sebastian VETTEL: Not so much to talk about,. It’s clear what happened. Obviously I thought there was Kimi on the inside but as it turned out there was three cars. The room that I gave was for Kimi, it was not for three cars because I think Max had a bad start and was out of that fight, but decided not to, so in the end we had three cars with not enough room. From my side, it’s clear. Obviously if I know that – I can’t see much in the mirrors, I could see that Kimi was there and I was slightly ahead – if I had to do it again, knowing that, I would give a little bit more room, at least I make I don’t know about the cars on the inside then, but I think it was a pity for all three to be involved and not to come out of the corner being able to race for the podium after that.
OK, moving forward, Italian Grand Prix this weekend, special atmosphere here as always. You had a great experience here 12 months ago, on the podium, all that warmth from the tifosi. Is it fair to say, though, that this race comes at a slightly difficult moment for the team – you haven’t had a podium for a few races and Red Bull have moved ahead of you in the championship?
SV: No, I think it comes at the right time, I think we need a bit of a boost and support, so very much looking forward to this weekend. Last weekend was very positive for us. Obviously the race didn’t unfold the way we expected or we hoped for but it was very positive in terms of pace. I think we had a couple of races before the summer break where we were struggling a bit and we seemed to reconnect to the group ahead again, so I’m pretty confident the car should be fine here. Obviously it’s a different track and unique in many ways, but like I said, I think it comes at the right time, with people supporting us. Already now the couple of hours this day has had it was very positive with a lot of fans and it’s one of the biggest pleasures for us to race in front of the home crowd.
OK, thank you very much for that. Coming to you Esteban, you’ve finished just outside the points four times this season, do you feel that breakthrough points-scoring finish for Haas is just around the corner?
Esteban GUTIERREZ: Yes, it is and it’s very important to have found the consistency and the rhythm we have in the last three months, because by being consistent and being persistent we will go an break through the top 10, which for us is obviously the target in every race from now to the end of the season. It hasn’t been an easy task, especially with how my season started, but we have been making very good progress inside the team in many ways and we can look into the positive sides and keep pushing and keep doing our best to get there.
Haas obviously has a technical partnership with the home team here this weekend, Ferrari, a special weekend I’m sure, but how do you see the collaboration evolving?
EG: I think it’s an important part for the team of course. It is something that gives a lot of confidence right from the beginning to have the support and obviously the relationship is important for the whole team. So I think that’s going to keep going and it’s going to keep going forward in the way that it has to be done, properly considering the regulations that have to be well respected but the relationship is there and it’s going to continue forward in the next years.
Thank you very much for that. Carlos, coming to you, 22 years old today, happy birthday. A little bit of a frustrating race for you last weekend going out with a puncture and presumably it’s not a great moment as well for the championship for you, as it seems that the lack of updates now on the power unit is beginning to cost in terms of performance. What are your feelings about the rest of the races this season?
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, we are not going through our best moments at the moments. Yeah, since Hockenheim and the last race in Spa it looks like it’s taking us a lot more effort to get close to the top ten. Spa was kind of expected; Hockenheim not so much, but we are definitely not where we want to be. In theory we think were prepared for the performance drop-off of the engine in the second half of the season but it has been maybe a bit more than expected, so now there is a lot work going on in Toro Rosso, a lot of analysis, a lot of testing coming up in free practice to try to turn around this bit of a bump we are going through. I still have full confidence. Spa – it would have been nice to see what we could have achieved after being P7 at the start, but it’s how it is sometimes.
Just looking at your record this year: when you’ve finished you’ve scored points in all but two of those races. So, from a personal point of view, comparing last season with this one, do you feel pleased with the progress you’re making?
CS: I think I have to be very pleased, because last year I went through very difficult moments with the reliability and I kept telling the people ‘wait, because the moment I stop having these issues I will be able to show what I am more capable of in Formula One’. And that first half of the season was also to prove myself and to prove also that when I don’t have so many problems I can score some points. This consistency has allowed me to create a lot of points in the first half of the season… that will be probably be very difficult to keep for the second half!
Thank you. Coming to you Jenson, obviously the power unit upgrades in Spa seemed to work pretty well, and rival team engineers tell me your corner speeds were very impressive in Spa as well, so it seems that it’s all starting to come together for McLaren?
Jenson BUTTON: Well, yeah, I only did four corners, but I think they all look fantastic, so very happy with them! No, seriously, as a whole we probably did better in Spa than most people expected. I think we were probably running a little bit more downforce than other people as well. But if you look at Fernando, if you forget the first few laps, if you look at the actual pace of the car, Fernando was actually good in the race. It’s promising coming here, you know these are two reasonably difficult circuits for us, but we’ve definitely made good progress. Honda have done a great job of bringing the upgrade to Spa and it’s good to see progress pretty much every race we have with Honda and also with the car, so yeah, I think it’s progressing well.
What about yourself? When do you expect to announce your plans, what you’re going to do next?
JB: That’s progressing well as well. So, progress is the name of the game? So it’s good.
Before we move on to the floor, just a few moments ago Felipe Massa announced that he is retiring from Formula One. Just some thoughts from each of you maybe about him, his contribution as a driver and as a colleague. Kimi, you were a team-mate of his, so maybe you could start?
KR: Obviously it’s a big shame, but this is his choice in the end. We had a good relationship when we were in the same team and obviously he has had some difficult moments in F1, with the accident, but he’s been strong always and he’s a very nice guy. So, life goes on, and I’m sure he made the right choice for himself, so hopefully he has a good end to his F1 career.
Kevin?
KM: He’s had a long career. I don’t think I’ve seen Formula One when he wasn’t racing, so he’s had a long career. He’s had a good one. As Kimi said, if he feels it’s the right time then good luck to him and not much more.
Sebastian?
SV: He’s a really nice guy, really funny. It’s a shame to see that he quits because he will be missed. Obviously I wish him all the best for whatever he decides to do in the future. I think apart from the talent and speed he has on the track, as I said, he’s a great guy and very easy-going and he will be missed.
Esteban?
EG: Well I think it was quite a wise decision to make – which is probably not an easy one to make for everyone’s career. I have great memories for when he accepted my call and invited me for dinner back in 2008, when I was racing Formula BMW. At that time, that meant a lot for me. Now, I wish him the best. He has made an incredible career and he has to be proud of that.
Jenson?
JB: I’ve raced with Felipe since he started in Formula One, I think it’s about 15 years we’ve been racing together, so yeah, it’s always a strange feeling when someone retires from the sport that’s achieved so much, so many victories, and being so close as well to a world championship. But we all have our own reasons. I think it’s a brave decision but he’s chosen to retire so it’s definitely the right one.
And finally, Carlos.
CS: From my personal side I remember meeting him for the first time in 2005. I think I was 10-11 years old. He was really kind to me and was my hero Formula One driver. He was very funny, very kind to me and since then I’ve had lots of respect for him. Five minutes before coming here I went to give him a hug, wish him all the best and I’m sure he’ll have a good life from now on.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) This is for anyone who cares to comment on Max Verstappen’s driving but especially to the Ferrari guys. Sebastian, you said last weekend you were not a fan of punishing drivers because of how they drive. Have you maybe talked to Max about it and what do you think is the way to go to make him understand that he’s sometimes overstepping the limit. And Kimi, could you please clarify, when you overtook Max on lap 12, I think, when you both went off because he outbraked you after you left him on the straight. Who was it who asked you to let him pass again.
KR: Obviously I asked from the team if I have to give the position back or not and they asked the FIA or Charlie and the answer was that I have. I haven’t seen where he went or if he stayed on the circuit or not and… kind of stayed on the circuit, much more than me, so obviously that was a pretty easy decision from my side.
Sebastian?
SV: Not sure I remember all of it but haven’t spoken to him yet. I think the thing that we’ve spoken about before and has come up again in Spa was the bit that is the moving under braking which obviously, as the lead car, is the wrong thing to do. The following car can react but there are situations where you can’t react any more and it will end up in a crash which has been something that we’ve talked about. I think he understood when we spoke about it so we obviously need to maybe have another chat. But as I said in Spa, I’m not a big fan of running to the stewards and complain there. I think it’s much better if we do it face to face. Unfortunately we haven’t done that yet but I’m sure we will.
Q: (Nadia Enevoldsen – bmf1.dk) I have a question for Vettel. In 2008 you won your first grand prix here where you were the youngest driver ever – can you win on Sunday and if so will the feeling be even better than this feeling from 2008?
SV: I think we should have a good weekend. I think Spa was a good step to come back and obviously this race means a lot to us, means a lot to me. Not only… I mean of course because being one of the Ferrari drivers driving on home soil is… with all the tifosi coming and supporting is great – but it also means a lot to me because it’s the place, as you mentioned, where I won my first race. I think the first race win is always something that will stand out and something that you don’t forget. Obviously I’ve been very lucky in the last couple of years to have some more wins but for sure, after last year’s experience here, being on the podium in the red suit, I probably realized that, yeah, people don’t hate me as much as I thought after the last couple of years with Red Bull! Very much looking forward to the race on Sunday and that’s definitely something that would be a dream coming true to win here dressed in red. We’re working very hard for that.
Q: (Ralph Woodall – L’Equipe) Question for Kevin. After such a big crash how to you feel about going back in the car? Are you apprehensive? What are your expectations for the weekend?
KM: After a crash like that it’s clear that the car is very safe and there’s not too much to worry about. I’m going to be flat-out again and pushing as hard as I can. I think in terms of expectations for this race, we had a stronger weekend in Spa and were a little bit surprised by our pace in qualifying especially. On this track the setup is not too different, the setup is very similar, so hopefully it will show that we are still on that level.
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, you have never won in Italy and have had three podiums here. How would you describe your relationship with the Monza circuit?
KR: I enjoy the circuit, usually it’s always a great weekend, even before I raced for Ferrari. I had some good memories and some not-so-good memories from here. It’s never been straightforward weekends of races for me. But it’s a great place to come and, for racing, it’s quite a special place. The circuit layout and obviously the history what is in the place, plus being part of Ferrari, we have amazing support and obviously our home race so hopefully this weekend goes well. We feel we have a good chance so hopefully we make all the right things and… choose right things when it comes and get the best out of it. But I enjoy to come here and race.
Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Question for Seb, couple of things. Why do you think this season hasn’t gone how you guys would have hoped. What reasons do you have in your mind for that, that you haven’t met the targets you set yourselves. Second to that, you moved to Ferrari to win the championship. How much patience do you have with the team to get it right? Are you going to be here until you win?
SV: Maybe I start with the second one. I don’t feel old so I think I’ve got some time. I’m not a patient person, I’m pretty much the opposite, which I think goes hand-in-hand with your first question. It’s very simple: we were not quick enough up to that point. We didn’t therefore collect as much points as we wanted to. Obviously if you’re a lot quicker then you’re in a much better position to win races, you score more points and you get nicer questions. That’s usually how it goes. I’ve been on the other side as well. But yeah, I’m pretty confident we’ll have better days again and we have our home race ahead of us. Sounded pretty negative but I think actually it’s a lot of positives to look forward to. I think it will be amazing in terms of support. It’s great to come here, the place means a lot to us, to myself and I think we have a good chance to fight for a good and strong podium – maybe even more. We will see. I think it’s clear that all of us inside the team, we are not very patient, we have very high expectations which I think we’ve expressed many times at the beginning of the year. We want to fight for the championship but, as I said, as a net result so far we haven’t been competitive and quick enough – yet. We are trying our utmost to improve it. There’s a lot of things happening on the track, even more things happening back in Maranello at the factory to work on that and change that. People are fired up – even if it still takes a little bit.
Q: (Fulvio Solms – Corriere dello Sport) Question is for Seb and Kimi. You have a very good relationship, that’s clear and that’s OK but wouldn’t you like to live every race with a really stressing weekend, fighting each other with a winning car like Lewis and Nico at Mercedes?
SV: I don’t understand the question… the first part you say we get along and the second part you ask if we… wouldn’t like to get along basically! Oh, of course, if both of us could choose we’d love to drive the car that is more competitive and is a bit easier to win races – but I don’t think it would change anything in the relationship. Obviously we’re driving the same car, as you saw on Sunday we’re fighting for the same bit of tarmac, sometimes things go wrong which, obviously, is bad when it happens, but it happens. So in that moment, or after, nothing you can do but overall, I think that’s what we’re working for. Us and the whole team. To have that winning car and fight for the championship.
Kimi?
KR: We race as hard as we can against each other, we try to beat each other every time and what would it change? We all want the team to be fighting for wins and fighting for the championship with both cars. I don’t see what… nothing would change. We still try to beat each other but we can still be friends. Would be just better for all of us.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) To all drivers. It looks like each group of [stewards] have their own interpretation of the rules. For example, what we saw in Spa, in other circumstances, probably Max would be punished, as Alonso also, when he left the pits, concerning with Perez. Do you believe that with the same group of [stewards] it would be clear, the rules would be more clear, you know exactly what you can and can’t do?
CS: I full agree on that point. Since I have been in Formula One the consistency on the penalties has been not good enough. Sometimes you run people wide on the track and you get a 10-second penalty, like I did in Russia, or a five-second penalty, I don’t remember. Then you do it again in Spain, like I did but you don’t get anything. Some other drivers get the same or not. I would say it’s just not consistent enough ajnd I think we all agree on that.
JB: yeah, I agree. I think we all understand that the consistency is the most important thing, but it’s also very difficult to get that because you are not going to get the same stewards at every race, so it’s a tricky one.
EG: Yes, I agree with the two guys here. Consistency has not been great. It’s something that has been the case in the last few years, some strange things happen from time to time but yeah, probably having more consistency would be a bit more fair for everybody.
Kimi, you spoke about this earlier on in your earlier answers, anything more to add?
KR: No, not really. I think it’s been discussed many times in our drivers’ meetings but obviously it’s still not anybody’s fault.
Kevin?
KM: I agree with the rest of the guys. It would be better to have the same guys but I don’t know if it’s possible.
Sebastian, is it possible to solve it?
SV: I think it’s tricky one. We had a permanent steward and we shied away from it because we felt it wasn’t good. It’s actually something I wouldn’t like to do – I wouldn’t like to be a steward. We ended up developing too many regulations and therefore taking every scenario as a different one we ended up with every scenario being treated differently. I think it’s actually impossible to consistent, 100 per cent consistent, in that regard. I think the problem is that, as I said, we try to regulate too much. I think it would be much better if it was more in our hands and you leave us to deal with. Obviously there are limits, you can’t just take somebody off the track and there have been some issues that deserve to be talked about recently or in the past, whatever. I think it would be much better if you leave us to deal with it and I think it would also enhance the amount of respect amongst drivers, just to talk about it, and if you’re angry sometimes just out of the car and hit the other guy! Well, we’re not allowed to do that anymore. In many regards we have too many things and too many people with opinions that… I don’t know, do you say you have ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’? Amongst those lines so…
Q: (Ralf Bach – Auto Bild Motorsport) Sebastian, you said something before about nice questions. So what is a nice question for you in the current situation with Ferrari?
SV: No, I think what I said was that obviously if you keep winning races and doing a good job people don’t ask you what’s wrong because clearly everything is fine. If you’re not winning, then obviously everybody is curious why you’re not winning. I think there’s always a reason and obviously, as I said, the more competitive you are the less then you have to deal with that sort of question, which is not a problem but it’s just a little boring if every weekend it’s the same question. You give the answer, you thought you’ve answered their question and then it comes up again and again and again. I think we’ve all been there so it’s part of the deal.
Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) To the Ferrari drivers: you were quite unhappy with Max’s driving in Spa but he said that you should be ashamed for causing a collision and destroying his race. Sebastian, you are 29, Kimi you’re almost 37. Looking at the fact that he’s just a teenager, does this make his comments and actions even more annoying for you?
SV: Well, I think it’s nothing. I don’t think we have anything to be ashamed about, first of all, and secondly, I think as I tried in the answer before, it’s a question of respect. I think we’re all here to race, we love what we do, we share one great passion which dictates a very very big part of our lives. It’s something we all have in common. We might get along, we might not get along but that’s not really that important, but I think we should always have respect for each other.
KR: Everybody is allowed to say what they feel like. Like I said before, I’ve nothing personally against him. It’s just certain things in my view that are not correct. I’ve no interest to call Max into it but obviously if somebody says during the race that he does something because of what happened in the first corner, that it’s payback, I don’t think it’s the correct sport to start doing purposely paying back something that has happened. It can end up in a very bad way. Yes, people make mistakes, everybody has made it and it will happen to probably all of us and you just have to accept it but it’s not the place to start acting silly in a way and paying back for something that has happened.
Q: (Ralph Woodall – L’Equipe) Jenson, would you be interested in going to Williams or is your priority elsewhere, staying with McLaren? Now you know there’s a seat.
JB: I would love to make this really exciting because yeah, but I’ve got nothing else to say on what I’m doing next year or my future. Sorry to say.
Q: (Jens Nagler – Sport Bild) Sebastian and Kimi, the two of you obviously made contact at the start in Belgium and you did in China earlier in the year as well, even if in both cases another driver was involved. I can imagine you will be quite keen to avoid a repeat of making contact with each other here in Monza. I don’t imagine as racing drivers you will admit to going a little more cautiously but will you be doing any extra homework, looking maybe at tapes of earlier races to avoid making contact with each other?
SV: You answered the question yourself there. I don’t think we have to explain anything.
KR: Nothing to add, not really.
Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Carlos Sainz, I want to know what changed in the team after the change-over between Daniel and Max?
CS: Not much. My teammate has changed but my approach and my attitude to work, to Formula One, is exactly the same. The team, internally, had a bit of a reshuffle but it was all in a good direction. I think we can be happier with the first half of the season of Toro Rosso. We will see how the second half goes but it’s going to be tough for us. We need to make sure we put everything in our hands to keep McLaren in our sights. I think it’s going to be very difficult because they’re already ahead but it’s going to be tough but we’re going to try our best.
Q: (Peter Varkas – Auto Motor) Jenson, last year you often said that you felt like a sitting duck while trying to defend, because of the engine deficit. From the cockpit, how much easier has it become to defend against other people this year and is it fair to say that Monza will be one of the toughest tests of the Honda progress?
JB: Yeah, especially here and Spa, it limits your strategy massively or it has done in the past, it really does because you can’t hold people up on the straights but it’s very different now, very different situation I think in terms of the power unit itself. We’ve moved on a lot but also with the deployment; I think we’ve probably got the best deployment out there. I’m much happier coming here, especially after… the whole weekend of Spa was positive, the feeling of the car, the feeling of the power unit. We still know there’s a long way to go with it before we’re properly competitive but it’s great to see progress at almost every Grand Prix we go to, whether it’s a qualifying map becoming a race map or something completely new. The guys back at Woking as well, at the MTC, bringing new parts to almost every race and I think that’s probably more than most teams out there so we’re still pushing and obviously a lot of the stuff that we do that we are putting on the car is stuff that will help next year’s car as well, so yeah, it’s good to feel that progress and it’s so much more enjoyable to drive when you’re inside the top ten and fighting even further forward. It’s a really nice feeling, considering where we were last year which was very difficult, so big big progress but you always want more. When you finish sixth or seventh, it’s a good job for where we are right now but you’re still sixth or seventh, it’s not winning the race. When you’re used to winning – quite a while ago now – but you still want to get back there and it’s obviously the aim for the team.
eom/FIA transcript of the press conference
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MRF MMSC Motorcycle Racing 3rd round begins
Chennai, 1 Sept 2016: The heat is on as the competition intensifies with nearly 200 entries in fray, including several international riders, and 22 races scheduled for the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship which gets underway at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here on Friday
The weekend fare includes races in the three main classes of the National Championship – the Super Sport Indian (165cc and 300-400cc), Pro-Stock 165 and Stock 165 – besides the MMSC One Make Championships for the three major manufacturers Honda (CBR 150 and 250), TVS (Apache RTR 200) and Suzuki Gixxer Cup.
The programme also showcases two support races in the Superbike (600-1000cc) category and two Ladies races by Honda and Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy.
Much of the focus this weekend will be on the top-end Super Sport Indian class that has a combined grid of 300-400cc and up to 165cc bikes piloted by established riders, some of them like TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar, Sarath Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing and veteran Rajini Krishnan (Team RACR), with international experience.
Jagan heads the 165cc leaderboard with an 18-point lead over RACR’s Deepak Ravikumar. Behind the pair of front-runners, five riders are bunched tightly within 14 points of each other. TVS Racing’s Harry Sylvester leads this chasing pack ahead of Sarath Kumar, team-mate Kannan Subramaniam, Rajini Krishnan and young gun KY Ahmed (TVS Racing).
Another international rider Hari Krishnan of Honda Ten10 Racing heads the Pro-Stock category, having won all four races over the previous two rounds. Behind him are RACR’s Dinesh Kumar and Honda Ten10’s Rajiv Sethu, who like Hari Krishnan is a regular on the Asian circuit, with just one point separating them.
Coimbatore’s Antony Peter (RMC Racing) and Anish Shetty from Hubballi (United Tech Torque Racing) are within nine points of each other at the top of the Stock 165cc class which attracts first-timers and young, aspiring racers.
The three MMSC One Make Championships have proved to be very popular going by the huge number of entries and have produced keen competition in the previous rounds. It will be no less fierce this weekend with more than a handful of riders in contention for the championship titles.
About Madras Motor Sports Club
The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.
