INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Hamilton tops Friday times: Penultimate Grand Prix

    Hamilton tops Friday times: Penultimate Grand Prix

    Sao Paulo, 12 Nov 2021: Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap of the opening practice session for this weekend’s FIA Formula One World Championship São Paulo Grand Prix, beating championship leader Max Verstappen by almost four tenths of a second. Sergio Pérez was third, just under a tenth of behind Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.

    With a Sprint Qualifying format in place this weekend, first practice represented teams’ only opportunity to find a way forward on set-up for qualifying and as a result the session was busy throughout.

    Bottas was the first of the likely front runners to show and a medium-tyre 1:12.666s put him on top before he was nudged aside by Pérez’s 1m11.774s, also set on medium compound Pirelli tyres. Verstappen then moved ahead on a 1:11.484s eventually working his way down to a time of 1m10.189s as the opening 10 minutes came to a close.

    There was then a brief lull in track action, with Hamilton being one of the few to put in extended running on medium tyres.

    Soon after the halfway mark though the field began to emerge for qualifying simulations on soft tyres and Verstappen lowered the benchmark to 1:09.417 with a lap that included a purple second sector. Pérez slotted into P2, just 0.075s adrift of his team-mate. Bottas then took to the track and he took third place with a lap of 1:09.867s, 0.450s adrift of Verstappen.

    Hamilton finally ventured out on the softs with a quarter of an hour left and initially finished 0.351s behind Verstappen with a lap of 1:09.768s. But the Briton went for another run on the same set of softs and over the course of two further attempts he stole top spot from Verstappen with a lap of 1:09.050s.

    The Duhctman didn’t respond and so took second place, 0.367s behind Hamilton. Pérez ran late in the session but he finished third ahead of Bottas, who was over half a second off his team-mate’s pace.

    AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly took fifth ahead of the Ferrari cars of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, while Esteban Ocon was eighth ahead of Alpine teammate Alonso, the pair setting the best times on the medium tyres, and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completed the top 10 order.

    2021 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:09.050 31 224.654
    2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:09.417 0.367 22 223.466
    3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:09.492 0.442 28 223.225
    4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:09.567 0.517 30 222.985
    5 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:09.880 0.830 32 221.986
    6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:10.124 1.074 31 221.213
    7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:10.142 1.092 32 221.157
    8 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:10.145 1.095 27 221.147
    9 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:10.201 1.151 26 220.971
    10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:10.352 1.302 27 220.496
    11 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:10.374 1.324 33 220.427
    12 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:10.413 1.363 28 220.305
    13 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:10.443 1.393 31 220.212
    14 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:10.587 1.537 31 219.762
    15 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:10.610 1.560 27 219.691
    16 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:10.885 1.835 27 218.838
    17 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:10.902 1.852 23 218.786
    18 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:10.938 1.888 24 218.675
    19 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:10.990 1.940 25 218.515
    20 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:11.342 2.292 28 217.437

  • Miller, Pol Espargaro, Bagnaia: Ducati vs Honda on Day 1

    Miller, Pol Espargaro, Bagnaia: Ducati vs Honda on Day 1

    Just 0.068 covers the top three after a rainy morning gives way to a sunny afternoon in Valencia

    Valencia, 12 Nov 202`1: It was a close Day 1 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, with Ducati vs Honda at the top and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) taking final honours by the end of play. FP1 was wet before the sun came out in the afternoon and created a frenetic mini-qualifying session, leaving Miller, Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) in second and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in third covered by just 0.068. 

    FP1
    Valencian Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) started the day on top as he impressed in the wet. The Spaniard’s 1.40.569 was good enough to beat second place Miller – who was a late crasher at Turn 1 – by 0.155s, while Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed the top three.

    Unexpected rain started to fall just before the premier class’ opening session, handing the riders some tricky conditions to deal with on Friday morning. Danilo Petrucci’s (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) final MotoGP™ weekend got off to a painful start as the Italian suffered a nasty off-throttle highside at Turn 4, but thankfully Petrux was able to walk away from the crash.

    Bagnaia tucked the front at Turn 2 soon after – rider ok, as was Luca Marini (Sky Avintia VR46) as he also took a tumble.

    The rain did stop and conditions improved towards the end of the session, which saw plenty of riders improve their times. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) rounded out a top five split by 0.374s, and less than a second covered the top 12.

    FP2
    With the track dry enough for slicks, FP2 was all action from the get-go. And just like 2021 rival Bagnaia did in the morning, World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) tucked the front at Turn 2 – rider ok. It was Bagnaia who led the way in the early stages of FP2, but Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) moved the goalposts with just over 20 minutes remaining, a 1:31.832 the new benchmark.

    Heading into the ever-exciting final 10 minutes, Morbidelli led Miller by 0.071s, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and fellow HRC rider Pol Espargaro going well in the top four. New rubber than came out for many as attentions turned to the top 10 and a provisional place in Q2.

    Immediately, the standings changed. Miller went top with a 1:31.409, with Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT) launching to P2. The timing screens were changing constantly though and it was a proper mini qualifying session in Valencia – Miller, Pol Espargaro and Bagnaia all exchanged P1.

    Pol Espargaro then crashed on his final lap at Turn 6, rider ok, with Miller’s penultimate lap handing the Australian P1 to prove the final decider.

    As well as Quartararo and Pol Espargaro, Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) and Lecuona also took tumbles.

    Combined timesheets
    With rain in the morning it’s FP2 times that make the combined timesheets. You could split the top trio of Miller, Pol and Pecco with a tyre blanket, but then there’s a bit of a gap to Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in fourth. The Spaniard is 0.409s down on P1, while Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) rounded out the top five – also 0.4s shy.

    Nakagami had a solid opening day in P6, the Japanese rider just ahead of 2020 World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in seventh and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in eighth. Dovizioso slipped to P9 by the time FP2 had ended but a top 10 is a fantastic Friday result for the Italian as he cotninues to adapt to the 2019 M1. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) occupies P10 ahead of Saturday’s action.

    That starts at 9:55 (GMT +1), before the final qualifying of the season from 14:10. Pecco has six poles so far and Quartararo five… will that change in the season finale? With Quartararo down in P11 after Friday, the Frenchman will be looking to bounce back strong in the morning…

    FULL RESULTS

    1 Jack Miller – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – 1’30.927
    2 Pol Espargaro – Repsol Honda Team – Honda – +0.012
    3 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.068
    4 Alex Rins – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +0.409
    5 Jorge Martin* – Pramac Racing – Ducati – +0.469

    *Independent Team rider

  • The VR46 farewell Press Conference; Thank You Valentino Rossi

    The VR46 farewell Press Conference; Thank You Valentino Rossi

    The nine-time World Champion speaks to the press and enjoys a special surprise on Thursday

    Valencia (Spain), 12 Nov 2021: The end of an era is nigh and ahead of the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) sat down for a farewell Press Conference before he bows out. 26 seasons and one final Thursday sit down later, here are some key quotes!

    How is he feeling?
    Valentino Rossi: “It’s a particular season especially in the second part after I said it’s my last one. The last race is… I want to try and make it normal but it’s not possible. It’s a great emotion, and already from today to see all the bikes together, all the riders from MotoGP here all together is a great feeling. We’ll see! I’ll try to give the maximum during the weekend, I hope we can have good weather, especially for Sunday, and we’ll see!”

    How was it seeing all his title-winning bikes together?
    VR46: “I have the bikes at home except the Hondas, I have the Aprilias and Yamahas, the Yamahas are in my house. The 2004 model is in my bedroom. Every morning what I wake up I see the bike, but all together like this is a great emotion. It’s a long long way if you look at the first one it’s a really long time ago. And if you consider that after the last one there was another ten years… it’s a long time and a great emotion.”

    Announcing retirement vs actually retiring…
    VR46: “From Austria when I said it, I had a lot of great messages and support from all the other riders, now, and from the past. All my rivals, this is very good. It was great. I always imagined this Press Conference, and here in Valencia… a special place and the opposite for me, a not special place at the same time. It’s strange, a strange feeling but I’ll try to act normal because normally Valencia is a good moment for everyone, it means holidays start after a long season, and everyone is ready to stay at home a bit… but you always think that from Monday, it will be different. Another life. I’ve tried to not think a lot in this way, because I’ll also continue to race, with cars as a driver in this case. But I’ll try to enjoy it because for sure life when you’re not a MotoGP rider anymore will change.”

    Now it’s time to get back out on track, so all that remains is…. GO!

  • Col. Kulbir Singh Chauhan recalls eighties’ Himalayan

    Col. Kulbir Singh Chauhan recalls eighties’ Himalayan

    New Delhi, 12 Nov 2021: One of Col (Retd) Kulbir Singh Chauhan’s most vivid memories of the great Nazir Hoosein revolves around a stage of the Himalayan Rally in 1989. Col Chauhan, a four-time winner of the Himalayan Rally was, along with co-driver Col (Retd) SS Sekhon, a part of the most competitive Indian team on the circuit at the time. 

    “The leg started from Lansdowne towards Mussoorie. I was perhaps the fifth car to flag off, and say after about 30 kilometres, I saw the cars ahead of me, driven by international rallyists, turning back,” he reminisces. “I didn’t really understand why that was happening, and with a true fauji mentality, went on anyway. There was a village, with some crowd and then I reached the checkpoint, where the time controller told me my time and asked me to move ahead. I refused because it felt unsportsmanlike. I’d seen drivers ahead of me turn back, and it played on my mind.”  

    Within a few hours an announcement cancelling the leg came through. The cars turning back had been scared by the crowds gathered at the village. Col Chauhan ended up being the only car that had braved through, even if he had refused to cross through the line and, technically, finish the stage. “Much later, when Mr. Hoosein met me, he admonished me, saying if I’d crossed the line, I’d have been the overall winner,” Col Chauhan says, “But in the same breath he also commended my sportsmanship, and in that moment, I truly understood what a great man he was — a true rallyist who understood competition but also understood motorsport ” 

    As the 100-car cavalcade of participants at the Nazir Hoosein Memorial Drive drove through Jalori Pass yesterday, Col Chauhan watched their progress with keen interest, regularly checking up with some friends who were taking part. Jalori offered them the best views of the Himalayas yet, with the Dhauladhar range spreading to the west and the Great Himalayas stretching off to the east, right into Tibet.  

    But despite the beauty that surrounds the pass, for most travellers the real joy is in driving through it — a test of mental fortitude and skill. A single, narrow, curving road is all there is and as you approach the pass, the climb gets steeper every 100m, making even the smallest mistakes cataclysmic — for the car and those inside. 

    “In my opinion, there were faster stages at the time in the Himalayan Rally. What made Jalori different was that you needed to have power to climb it efficiently, which few Indian cars did, at the time,” Col Chauhan says. “If you had guts, you could do it. It is a test of your endurance more than anything else.” 

    The fleet of cars participating in the NH Memorial Drive reached Manali, via Auth and Kulu to take in a well-deserved break from hard mountain driving over the past few days. The drivers will proceed to Koksar, via the Atal Tunnel, before being allowed a free run to Rohtang and return to Manali, for the final day of the Drive.

  • Valentino Rossi, the legendry Italian on his last leg

    Valentino Rossi, the legendry Italian on his last leg

    Valencia (Spain), 12 Nov 2021: Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few days, you’ll be acutely aware that a certain Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) is calling it a day. The legendary Italian will say his final goodbye to an adoring audience at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana and naturally, he was the name on everybody’s lips at the pre-event Press Conference on Thursday evening.

    Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) were in attendance, and they were all keen to pay tribute to an icon of the sport.

    “I remember growing up watching that yellow bike winning everywhere, and the way he celebrated victories, I remember that. I watched him and thought, this guy is my idol! It’s been a pleasure to ride with him,” Joan Mir said leading the platitudes.

    The Mallorcan’s sentiment was echoed, Quartararo admitting that Rossi inspired the Frenchman as a child while VR46 Academy graduate Bagnaia believes he is lucky just to have raced alongside his mentor. As for Alex Marquez, younger brother of Rossi’s famed Honda rival Marc, he couldn’t help but congratulate the Doctor on an incredible career despite actively rooting against him when growing up.

    “I remember the battles with Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. I’m a Pedrosa fan and was always pushing for Dani! I remember the battles in Catalunya when I was a kid. It was an honour to share the track with a legend.”

    The LCR Honda rider went on to mention that, inevitably, the end always arrives but life will go on. Speaking about Rossi, but it was also relevant for another Italian who sitting just a couple of seats away as Danilo Petrucci will hang up the MotoGP™ leathers after the action in Valencia.

    Petrux is set to take on new challenges further afield in 2022 with the Dakar Rally set to be the focus of his attention after ten seasons of premier class racing, which included two MotoGP™ victories and eight further podium finishes. It’s been a hell of a journey for the Italian, and one he has been incredibly thankful for.

    “Ten years ago, nobody knew me, but it’s been a long way to go and I really had a lot of fun. Since last year I started struggling and that made me think. Thanks to KTM I have a new opportunity. Here (in MotoGP™) I found some problems with my weight and my size. I’m proud to have fought against some special riders.”

    Before either Rossi or Petrucci can bow out from the show, they still have one last dance to do. Circuito de Ricardo Tormo sets the stage for the season finale, with a strong performance to end 2021 on a high the general consensus among riders.

    World Champion Quartararo won’t break the 300 point barrier this season after a fall last time out, and is keen to make amends in Valencia, targeting a return to the front row after missing out in consecutive Grand Prix.

    “To be honest, qualifying has been the key, not for pole position, but to be on the front row 14 times, I think. It helps a lot for the race when you start P3, P2, P1, it’s totally different. I struggled a lot in Portugal when I started in P7. Of course, it is something, the last races I haven’t been great, but I want to focus on that during this race.”

    Indeed qualifying seems to be the name of the game for Joan Mir also, with the Suzuki rider keen to show his Portimao performance wasn’t a flash in the pan and that the GSX-RR can become a front row regular.

    “I’ll be glad to know if the bike works well on this track. Hopefully yes, and we can enjoy the weekend, and this is the key in the end. In Portimao, we started from FP1 with a good base with the bike, I was able to be competitive and then session by session I was more competitive and feeling better with the bike. That’s what we’ll try find here, that feeling with the bike and then improve session by session. It will be important to understand the qualifying in Portimao was only in Portimao, or if we can do it in different places.”

    For Miller and Marquez, it’s about continuing the good work from the Algarve GP, but Bagnaia is out to snap a streak of poor Valencia form. The Italian has only once recorded a top 10 finish, back in his rookie Moto2™ year and is aiming to change that record while in red hot form.

    “I never did a podium or finished a race here. I’d like to continue this work we are doing, that is being a great job. I’d like to do a weekend like the one in Portimao. I’d like to be very competitive here at a track where last year was a disaster. Even in the second race and in 2019, when I had a highside. Yes, I’d like to be competitive and fast.”

    The MotoGP™ season closer returns to its traditional home in Valencia for the first time since 2019, and it promises to be as thrilling on the track as it will be emotional off of it.

    Action from  MotoGP Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana Qualifying Race will be
    LIVE on EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD from 17:00 Hrs (05:00 pmIST) onwards on Saturday, 13th November, 2021. Eurosport channel can now be streamed on the discovery+ app.

  • Vizag to kickstart INRC 2021 season on scenic beach tarmac

    Vizag to kickstart INRC 2021 season on scenic beach tarmac

    Visakhapatnam, 10 Nov 2021: Popular as INRC, the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship for Cars will kick-start the delayed 2021 season with Vizag hosting the first round next month, announced Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, Minister of Sports, Andhra Pradesh, here on Wednesday along with the Promoters.

    “This is the first time we are bringing a high-profile motorsports event to Vizag, which last hosted a National karting event in 2012. While karting is an entry level sport, the historic National rally is a flagship discipline in motorsports and we are expecting huge crowds as an array of stars and fast race cars will be seen in action,” the minister added.

    The Minister on behalf of the Promoters also released the four-round Calendar for 2021 season at a Press Conference here. “The Jewel of the East Coast will host the first round on the high-speed tarmac roads on the scenic Beach road from December 17 to 19. Many National rally champions including multiple Asia Pacific Rally champion and Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill have entered the fray,’’ said Merla Vamsi, the Promoter of Champions Yacht Club, which will jointly organise the Vizag round along with the Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC), which runs the famous Karnataka-1000, the oldest rally in the 34-year history of INRC, that got the National status in 1988. The other rounds will be Bengaluru (K1000) in January, Coimbatore in February and Nagaland in March. A fifth round, the contender round is also expected in Hyderabad, subject to clearance from FMSCI.

    The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI), the National Authority that governs motorsport and promotes safe, sustainable and accessible mobility for all road users across India, is affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). FMSCI runs 12 Nationals in different motorsports disciplines like Rallying, Road Racing, Super Cross and Karting.

    The beautiful Vizag-Bhimili beach road from Ramakrishna Beach to Kalinga, where the Special Stages will be held may not see Dolphins in the sea nor spotted deers crossing the road like they did in eighties when Navy used to conduct the Hill Climbs and TSD treasure hunts for motorsports lovers in this region, but the speed maestros like Gill, Karna Kadur, Dean Mascarenhas or Amittrajit Ghosh will be literally flying on the smooth tarmac, with road humps providing a visual treat to the crowds. “To cut the high-speeds we are creating artificial chicanes with soft tyres or tubes and the Stages will be cancelled if average speeds cross 110-kmph. But we are retaining the speed-breakers which will be negotiated with ease and the car jumps will provide a thrilling spectacle at high speeds for the crowds. Also the Police department is kind enough to provide over 400 police and we have trained marshals and local village safety volunteers to guard the route. The roads will be closed for traffic with windows to release the piled up traffic in intervals between the stages. A team of over 35 rally experts and 40 HAM station operators from KMSC Bengaluru, and 10 FMSCI officials will monitor the safety of the rally,” informed Vamsi.

    The rally will have 12 Special Stages, eight to be run on Saturday and four on Sunday. The ceremonial start at Ramakrishna beach will be on Friday, Dec 17. All the cars from teams like MRF, JK Tyre, Mahindras, Yokohoma, Arka Motorsports, Chettinad Sporting, Snap Racing, among others will arrive on Thursday for scrutiny. Many lady drivers, who are provided free entries, will compete on equal footing with men. Bhaskar Gupta will be the Clerk of the Course and every car will have a co-driver who will give navigational calls to the driver based on the Road Book (tulip) provided by the organisers and the notes of the driver prepared during recce (reconnaissance), a practice run which is allowed at normal roads speeds on Thursday or Friday. The actual rally will be on Saturday and Sunday.

  • Sergio Perez, first to claim podium in home race

    Sergio Perez, first to claim podium in home race

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    Max Verstappen took a dominant win for the third time at the Mexico City Grand Prix as he extended his championship lead over rival Lewis Hamilton to 19 points. Hamilton finished second on the road as he held off home hero Sergio Perez who achieved a podium for the first time at his home race.

    London, 8 November 2021: The race got off to an explosive start as Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were side by side, three-wide going into turn 1. Bottas backed off but was tagged by Daniel Ricciardo in the McLaren, the Finn spinning and falling to the back of the grid. In the process Ricciardo lost his front wing. Verstappen now lead the grand prix with Hamilton in P2 and Perez P3- a dream start for Red Bull. Behind an incident between Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher meant that both the AlphaTauri and Haas car had to retire bringing out the safety car.

    Racing resumed on lap 5 as Verstappen pulled off quickly, building a 1s lead over Hamilton. Behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz overtook the Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi for P6- the Italian gaining five positions at the start of the race. Meanwhile, Bottas and Ricciardo were stuck behind back markers at the far end of the grid.

    Verstappen gradually increased his lead over Hamilton as the Red Bull’s superior race pace was showcased, the Mercedes was unable to keep up. By lap 21 Verstappen was more than 7s ahead of Hamilton with Perez hanging onto Hamilton and staying around 2s behind the Briton. Behind the leaders, Pierre Gasly was running a superb P4 for AlphaTauri ahead of Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Sainz.

    Mercedes decided to bite the bullet and boxed Hamilton for a set of hard tyres on lap 29 to avoid getting undercut by Perez and lose P2. Verstappen continued for four more laps before doing the same, emerging comfortably ahead of Hamilton. Perez continued as he became the first Mexican driver in history to lead their home grand prix.

    Leclerc pitted on lap 30 and Gasly followed suit one lap later to cover him as both ran in net P4 and P5 position with Sainz continuing for longer on the medium tyres. Sainz eventually pitted on lap 42 for hard tyres gaining quickly on Leclerc as the team swapped the cars on track, so that Sainz with fresher tyres could attack Gasly up in P4.

    Perez pitted on lap 40 and emerged about 9s behind Hamilton but with 11 laps younger tyres. The chase was on! Mercedes did not have the race pace to challenge Verstappen as he was in the lead by over 10s and Perez was closing in on Hamilton rapidly, especially through the middle sector of the lap where the W12 struggled.

    By lap 60 Perez was just 1s behind Hamilton, as he looked for ways to get past Hamilton. The saving grace for Hamilton was that Mercedes had greater straight line speed compared to their rivals, which helped the 7-time world champion stay ahead of the Red Bull driver in the DRS zones.

    Ultimately Verstappen won in a dominant fashion by over 16s increasing his lead in the championship to 19 points as Hamilton held off Perez for P2 in what was a damage limitation race for him. Perez gave his all to get past Hamilton but in the end had to settle for P3, albeit first ever podium for him at his home race. Gasly delivered another consistent race to finish in P4 ahead of the Ferrari pairing of Leclerc and Sainz in P5 and P6 respectively.

    Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel finished a brilliant P7, making use of the first lap and a good strategy to get a decent haul of points. Alfa Romeo too had a good strategy to help Kimi Raikkonen finish P8, though the same cannot be said for teammate Giovinazzi as his strategy was compromised and meant he finished P11, just outside the points. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso finished in P9 ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris in P10 who had started at the back of the grid after taking a power unit penalty.

    Ricciardo could not make it back to the top 10 after lap 1 incident as he finished P12 ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in P13 and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in P14- who received power unit penalties as well. Williams pairing of George Russell and Nicholas Latifi finished in P16 and P17 ahead oh Haas’ Nikita Mazepin in P18 with Tsunoda and Schumacher the only retirees from the grand prix.

    Red Bull had superior pace compared to Mercedes as Verstappen on average was 0.3-0.5s/lap faster than Hamilton in the race. They underperformed in qualifying as Mercedes locked out the front row but delivered on Sunday. The higher downforce nature of their car working better at the high altitude of Mexico City as air is thinner. Mercedes locking out the front row was a surprise for everyone but ultimately did not have the pace to challenge for the win on Sunday. Compounded with the fact that Bottas fell to the back of the grid they were handicapped in terms of race strategy at the front. With Red Bull in the ascendency, it looks like a tall order for Mercedes if they want to win the championships.

    AlphaTauri had an incident free weekend with Pierre Gasly as he qualified P5 and finished P4 in the race, ahead of both Ferrari and McLaren cars. With that result they are level on points with Alpine in the constructor’s championship. Ferrari achieved another double points finish and leaped ahead of McLaren in the constructor’s championship. They certainly have a superior car compared to the McLaren and it remains to be seen if the Woking squad can fight back. McLaren had a dismal weekend by their standards, Ricciardo finishing outside the points and Norris adding a single point to their tally after taking an engine penalty.

    Alpine and Aston Martin had positive race weekends as good strategy calls enabled them for points finish on Sunday with Vettel and Alonso respectively. Alfa Romeo may not have had the pace on paper for appoints finish but with a brilliant strategy and driving by Kimi Raikkonen helped them get P8. They were unable to maximise their race as they could have achieved points with Giovinazzi had he not pitted early went on for long. Williams lacked the pace in qualifying and the race to challenge for the top 10 positions and Haas finished bottom of the pace charts.

    Saturday Qualifying results were:

    P1: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes)P2: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes)
    P3: Max Verstappen- 33 (Red Bull)P4: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull)
    P5: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri)P6: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari)
    P7: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren)P8: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari)
    P9: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri)P10: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren)
    P11: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Aston Martin)P12: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo)
    P13: George Russell- 63 (Williams)P14: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo)
    P15: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine)P16: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine)
    P17: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams)P18: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas)
    P19: Nikita Mazepin- 9 (Haas)P20: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin)

    Note – Russell drops 5 grid places for taking on a new gearbox after exceeding his allocation. Ocon, Stroll, Tsunoda and Norris start from the back of the grid after taking on new PU components.

  • Verstappen finishes ahead of Hamilton, extends lead

    Verstappen finishes ahead of Hamilton, extends lead

    Mexico City, 7 Nov 2021: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen extended his 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship lead over Lewis Hamilton to 19 points with a controlled drive to victory ahead of the Mercedes driver at the Mexico City Grand Prix as Sergio Pérez claimed third place to become the first Mexican driver to stand on the podium at his home race.

    When the lights went out Verstappen got a good start from third place on the grid and on the long run to Turn 1 he got a powerful tow from Hamilton. He drew alongside the Briton and as they went into the first corner he braked later and hung on around that outside to take the lead. H rise to the front was aided by Valtteri Bottas spinning out midway through the corner after the Finnish polesitter was tagged by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. That allowed Pérez to take third place, through the Mexican had to take evasive action when Bottas spun to his right.

    Further back AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Haas’ Mick Schumacher were involved in a collision and with the cars stranded at the side of the track the safety car was deployed.

    When racing resumed four laps later, Verstappen comfortably held his advantage as the safety car left the track and he quickly settled into his first stint.

    And by lap 19 the Dutch driver had pulled out an almost seven-second gap to Hamilton. Pérez stuck close to the Mercedes driver, maintaining a two-second deficit as the race edged into the pit window for a one-stop race.

    At the end of a long first stint, Hamilton was the first to blink and he headed towards the pity lane at the end of lap 29. He took on hard tyres in a 2.4s stop and rejoined in P5 behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

    The Monegasque driver made his visit to the pit lane on the next lap and then Gasly pitted from third place. That freed Hamilton and he began setting purple laps. On lap 32 he was 17 seconds behind second-placed Pérez.

    Verstappen then made his sole pit stop at the end of 33, taking on hard tyres. That promoted Pérez into the lead of his home grand prix and when Verstappen rejoined in second place he was 7.5s clear of Hamilton in third.

    Pérez extended his stint to end of lap 40 and after switching to hard tyres he rejoined in third place, 9.9s behind Hamilton, but with tyres that were 11 laps newer. The Mexican quickly began to reduce the deficit and by lap 50 he was six seconds adrift of the Briton.

    At the front, Verstappen was racing comfortably towards the flag and on lap 53 he set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:18.999. That opened the gap to Hamilton to 13 seconds and the Dutchman then began to manage his pace as he marched to his 19th career win and his third in Mexico City overall.

    Behind him, Pérez was still clawing back the gap to Hamilton and by lap 56 the Mexican was 2.8s behind the Mercedes driver. Over the course of the next 10 laps he gradually reeled in the Mercedes but despite a speculative look to the outside of the Mercedes in Turn 4 on the final lap, he couldn’t find a way past and Hamilton took second place ahead of the Red Bull driver who became the first Mexican to score a podium finish at his home race.

    Behind Pérez, fourth place went to AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and the Frenchman’s 12 points put the Italian squad level with Alpine on 106 points in the battle for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

    Ferrari took fifth and sixth places with Leclerc ahead of Sainz, while Sebastian Vettel took seventh place fort Aston Martin. Kimi Räikkonen scored four valuable points for Alfa Romeo with eighth place, ninth place went to Alpine’s Fernando Alonso and the final point on offer went to McLaren’s Lando Norris.

    Verstappen’s win means he now has a 19-point lead over Hamilton with four races remaining. The double podium finish means Red Bull Racing are now just a single point behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship.

    2021 FIA Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix – Race
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 71 1:38’39.086
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 1:38’55.641 16.555
    3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 71 1:38’56.838 17.752
    4 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 71 1:39’42.931 1’03.845
    5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 71 1:40’00.123 1’21.037
    6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 70 1:38’41.516 1 lap /2.430
    7 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 70 1:38’49.144 1 lap /10.058
    8 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 70 1:38’54.245 1 lap /15.159
    9 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 70 1:39’02.775 1 lap /23.689
    10 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 70 1:39’05.312 1 lap /26.226
    11 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 70 1:39’40.085 1 lap /1’00.999
    12 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 70 1:39’40.975 1 lap /1’01.889
    13 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 70 1:39’52.459 1 lap /1’13.373
    14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 69 1:38’47.037 2 laps /7.951
    15 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 69 1:39’12.019 2 laps /32.933
    16 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 69 1:39’17.888 2 laps /38.802
    17 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 69 1:39’32.376 2 laps /53.290
    18 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 68 1:39’26.403 3 laps /47.317
         Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 0 Collision
         Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 0 Collision

  • In a tense thriller, rookie seals the deal: Moto3 World champ

    In a tense thriller, rookie seals the deal: Moto3 World champ

    Algarve, 7 Nov 2021: Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is the 2021 FIM Moto3 World Champion! In a tense thriller at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, the rookie sensation sealed the deal with a win as sole remaining rival Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) hit some bad luck on the final lap. Acosta has led the standings since the second Grand Prix of the season – his incredible win from pitlane in Doha – and takes his place in history as the first rookie lightweight class Champion since Loris Capirossi in 1990.

    Acosta’s ascent to the crown began at five years old when his family bought him a dirt bike. But it wasn’t quite love at first sight, although the young Spaniard did have an apt hero: Kevin Schwantz. And he did keep going, starting a path that would really take off in 2017 as he took the pre-Moto3™ title in Spain with two races to spare, starting to stand out.

    He then moved into the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship for 2018, and had some solid finishes. But in 2019 his incredible ascent gained even more traction as he paired the FIM Moto3 JWCh with his first season in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. In the FIM CEV Repsol paddock he started running at the front and finished in the top five, and in the Rookies Cup he came overall runner up after a stunning first season in the series. Three wins and five podiums didn’t secure him the crown, but then came 2020.

    Acosta was a force to be reckoned with in the FIM Moto3™ JWCh and came third overall, with three wins and five further podiums. In the Rookies, however, he was absolutely unstoppable. He won the first six races in a row and wrapped up the crown with two races remaining.

    Making his debut in the Moto3 World Championship in 2021, then, came with some hype. But that hype was outgunned in just two races: in the first he took second and debuted on the podium, just 0.042s off the win. Second time out, Acosta won. And somehow, he did it from pitlane.

    It was a truly stunning race as the Spaniard was given a pitlane start and then emerged to take his first Grand Prix win, slicing through the pack lap after lap. In Portugal he won again, this time in a duel vs future title rival Foggia, and in Jerez it became three in a row. Goosebump-inducing greatness was the name of the game in his first four races, with history made nearly every weekend.

    Three top 10s followed but Acosta was back on top in style at the Sachsenring, before only just missing out on the podium at Assen. Another win at the Styrian GP after an incredible duel against earlier season rival Sergio Garcia (MuchoNeaumatico GASGAS Aspar Team) cemented an incredible lead for the number 37, and another fourth in the Austrian GP added more good points.

    A few tougher races then followed, including his first and only DNF at Aragon, but by the time the paddock arrived back at Misano for the Emilia-Romagna GP, it was match point time. Foggia was on a roll but the points were still very much in Acosta’s favour, and as the Italian won to keep the fight rolling to the Algarve GP, the number 37 was at least back on the podium in third – for the first time since his Styrian GP win.

    And so the rollercoaster beckoned. Foggia vs Acosta had decided the Portuguese Grand Prix, and in Acosta’s favour, but everything was on the line at the Grande Premio Brembo do Algarve. 21 points clear, a race win would guarantee a title win, but Foggia was right in the fight at the front.

    Starting P14 made life difficult for Acosta, but in true Acosta style, it didn’t take long for the number 37 to be fighting for the race lead. An epic, enthralling, and, in the end, dramatic encounter followed. Acosta dived up the inside of Foggia at Turn 3 on the final lap to take the lead. Unfortunately for Foggia, the Italian was then taken out not long after and lost the right to reply, with Acosta going on to claim victory and with it the 2021 Moto3 title.

    Acosta has been an absolute sensation in Moto3 this season, and the World Champion has one more lightweight class race to contend before his Moto2 adventure with Red Bull KTM Ajo begins. Congratulations, Pedro!

    #RookieChampInStats

    Pedro Acosta is the first rider to take the title in his rookie season in the 125cc/Moto3 class since Loris Capirossi in 1990.

    Aged 17 years and 166 days old, he also becomes the second youngest ever World Champion in GP racing, one day behind Loris Capirossi (17 years and 165 days old).

    Acosta is the sixth Spanish rider to win the Moto3™ title since the introduction of the class back in 2012 and the 15th different Spanish rider to clinch the title in the lightweight category (the 22nd in GP racing). In addition, Acosta’s title is the 21st in the lightweight class for Spain and the 55th in Grand Prix racing.

    This is the fifth time that a KTM rider has won the Moto3™ world title, adding to the championships won by Sandro Cortese (2012), Maverick Viñales (2013), Brad Binder (2016) and Albert Arenas (2020).

    Acosta becomes the second successive rider to clinch the title in the lightweight category without a single pole position, after Albert Arenas last year. 

    In Styria, Acosta won for the fifth time in his rookie season in Moto3, becoming the first rookie to take five wins in the 125cc/Moto3 class since Alex Criville in 1989 (on his way to clinching the title).

    Following Qatar, Doha, Portugal and Spain, Acosta becomes the first ever rider to stand on the podium on his first four GP races.

    At the Spanish GP, Acosta won for the first third time in what was only his fourth race in Moto3. Aged 16 years and 342 days old, he becomes the youngest rider ever to take three successive GP wins, taking the record off Marco Melandri (17 years and 29 days old).

    Acosta has stood on the podium eight times in 2021 (including six wins), two less Dennis Foggia. They are the riders with most podium finishes during the season.

    At the Doha GP, Acosta became the first rider to start from pitlane and win the race since the introduction of Moto3 in 2012. 

    Pedro Acosta: “It’s unbelievable, I was thinking on the in-lap about everything that’s happened this last year. Less than a year ago I lost the opportunity to come here with another team, and finally Aki, Red Bull and KTM gave me the opportunity. But they didn’t give me a team, they gave me a family. I didn’t win this alone, we won this together. The guys didn’t stop believing in me when in the middle of the season I had some bad races or when I crashed, you know. Everyone believe in me and this is for everyone in the team, for Aki, Red Bull, KTM, all my mechanics. Everybody.

    “I’m not proud of myself, I’m more super proud of them who didn’t stop believing. Everybody was talking about it… we did it together for sure. I think they gave me the mentality of not riding alone, I ride with my team, with my close circle. We know we won this together.

    “I preferred to not look behind and just try to push. The only thing I could do was push and I did. I’m proud to fight with Dennis, and for sure he’s going to fight for the Championship next year. I’m proud to fight with these guys.”

    First Grand Prix: Qatar 2021, Moto3™
    First podium: Qatar 2021, Moto3™
    First victory: Doha 2021, Moto3™
    Grands Prix: 17 (17 in Moto3™)
    Victories: 6 (6 in Moto3™)
    Podiums: 8 (8 in Moto3™)
    Fastest laps: 1 (1 in Moto3™)
    World Championships: Moto3™ (2021)

    World Championship career:
    2021: Moto3™ World Championship – 1st, KTM, 259 points
  • Bagnaia hands Ducati Constructors crown in red-flagged race

    Bagnaia hands Ducati Constructors crown in red-flagged race

    Algarve (Portugal), 7 Nov 2021:Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was unstoppable at the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve and picked up his third victory of the season, with his latest 25-point haul handing Ducati the 2021 Constructors title. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the podium in Portimao as the race ended prematurely, with an Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crash at Turn 13 bringing out the red flags – riders conscious, Oliveira headed to the medical centre for a check-up.

    Bagnaia in cruise control, Ducati retain Constructor crown, Quartararo crashes

    Miller propelled his GP21 off the line very well and grabbed the holeshot diving down the hill into Turn 1, but the Australian was slightly wide, allowing polesitter Bagnaia through and into the lead. Lap 1 saw Mir pass Miller at Turn 8, the Spaniard making his front row start count, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) losing a couple of positions.

    Pecco and Mir soon found themselves nearly a second clear of Miller, who had Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Quartararo in hot pursuit. Pecco started to get the hammer down on Lap 7, his lead was up to 0.7s over Mir, who in turn was a second up the road from Miller. Third place soon went to Alex Marquez though, the double World Champion got the job done at Turn 1 at the beginning of Lap 12.

    As things stood, with Pecco leading and Quartararo 7th, Ducati would be crowned Constructors Champions. And Pecco’s lead was stretching. With 12 laps to go, the Italian’s lead was up to 1.9s over Mir, who was sat 1.3s ahead of Alex Marquez. 2.4s was Bagnaia’s advantage with nine laps to go, Mir was holding Alex Marquez and Miller at bay by just over a second, with Martin, Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) and Quartararo a second and a half down on the podium fight.

    A fantastic fight between Marquez and Miller was unfolding for the final podium spot. Turn 1 witnessed Miller dive up the inside of the Honda rider, but Marquez was able to make the cutback work – so it was as you were with six laps remaining. Quartararo was struggling to dismiss Pramac duo Martin and Zarco, with Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) now joining the scrap for P5.

    With five laps to go, at Turn 5, Quartararo slipped out of contention. A first DNF of the season was endured by the World Champion, not the way he imagined his Algarve GP going – rider ok. Focus turned then turned to the Miller vs Alex Marquez fight, the Aussie still leading that ding-dong, before a crash involving Lecuona and home hero Oliveira at Turn 13 brought out the red flags. Both riders were conscious and eventually up on their feet, but with three-quarters of the race completed, the race was declared a result at the beginning of Lap 24.

    Pecco’s victory ultimately ensured Ducati retained their Constructor crown, a fantastic way to bounce back after the disappointment felt by the Bologna camp at Misano. Mir returns to the rostrum for the first time since Aragon, Miller too ends a podium drought that stretched back to the Catalan GP.

    Portimao’s points scorers

    Alex Marquez’ fantastic weekend ended with the Spaniard unluckily missing out on a chance to attack Miller for the final podium spot, but it was nonetheless a brilliant rider from the LCR Honda Castrol man – a best result of the season for the number 73. Zarco claimed a lonely P6 in the end, a result that confirms the Frenchman as the top Independent Team rider in 2021. Pol Espargaro’s P6 was a job well done for the Spaniard, and talking of jobs well done, Martin’s P7 was fantastic.

    Only a few months on from his Turn 7 horror crash, Martin returned to Portimao to pick up an impressive result to help Pramac Racing become Independent Team Champions – with Martin now just three points down on Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) in the Rookie of the Year fight. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) finished 8th ahead of Bastianini in 9th, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rounded out the top 10.

    Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia), Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Marc Marquez’ stand-in Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) completed the points positions, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) were the other finishers in Portimao.

    Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) suffered DNFs in the Algarve.

    Pecco is back on top! The Italian has secured the silver medal in the MotoGP™ World Championship, as well as helping Ducati secure the Constructor crown. Now, Ducati Lenovo Team and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP go head-to-head for the Teams Championship title in Valencia. The season finale is just around the corner – don’t miss out on all the action.Top 10:1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)2. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 2.4783. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 6.4024. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) + 6.4535. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 7.8826. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 9.5737. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) + 10.1448. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 10.7429. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) + 13.84010. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 14.487