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Author: David Bodapati
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Ruhaan, Rohaan, Nikhilesh continue their exploits
Bengaluru, 27 August 2021: Talented Bengaluru teenage pilot Ruhaan Alva once again dominated the proceedings with complete authority to take overall honours as ‘fastest driver’ in Round 2 winning all the four races on the menu in the Senior class of the Meco FMSCI National Karting Championship NC Racing MSport IAME X30 India races at the 1.2-km Meco Kartopia, about 20 km from here on Friday.
In the Junior section, Rohaan Madesh stamped his class once again dominating with controlled aggression to bag three victories after a surprise loss in Race 1 where Guwahati karter Jaden R Pariat won to take 31 points from this round for a total of 50 points and is now 2nd on the leaderboard. Rohaan Madesh, with 65 points (32+33) is the deserving leader with another round of 4 races scheduled for Saturday. Younger of the two Madesh brothers, Ishaan, the reigning Cadet champion, fetched 23 points to add to the 20 (Round 1) for a total 43 points is in third place after two rounds. The third of the five rounds will be held on Saturday.
Nikhilesh Raju, the 11-year 6th Class student of Vibgyor School, Bengaluru won the Round 2 in Cadet Class winning three of the four Round 2 races to garner 34 points to add to the 34 from Round 1. He is leading the championship table with 64 points. Arafath Sheikh, the baby of the grid at 10 years, a 4th class student of Bishop School in Pune, won Race 2 to bag 31 valuable points (to add to the 26 from Round 1) and jumped to second place in the standings with 57 points. Local rookie, a 12-year 7th Standard girl, Zarah Mishra, who has managed 23 points is third in the championship with a total of 39 points from two rounds. Three newcomers from Gujarat Shrili Manish Mistry (19 points), Hrydan S Patel (16) and Ateev Khandelval (11) helped retain the 6-kart grid as Aditya Suresh Kamat and Vedha Vishnu from Chennai did not turn up for this round.
Ruhaan, the 15-year-old champion performed a classic act once again conquering everything that came his way taking four victories, four fastest laps, best qualifying and second best qualifying times for pole and became the fastest man on the grid with a best lap time of 56.530 in Round 2 qualifying session. Earlier on August 1, he won three races in Round 1 and is currently leading the championship. He also clocked a best race time of 14min, 22.799seconds in Race 3 over 15 laps of 1.2 km Meco Kartopia tarmac run clockwise.
Former champion Ameya Bafna, who made a surprise visit in Round 1, failed to turn up for the two rounds this weekend, thus reducing whatever competition Alva had. Another Bengaluru karter, Nigel Abraham Thomas, took full advantage of the depleted grid to showcase his talent, taking three silver after his bronze in the first race behind former champion from Chennai Nirmal Umashankar. After his second in the first race, Nirmal could not beat Nigel and had to be satisfied with three bronze in the rest of the three races.
Raaj Bakhru from Mumbai was consistent, after he overcame a bad first race which he `Did Not Finish’ (DNF) to improve steadily in the next three races. He came 5th in Race 2, 4th in Race 3 before finally taking a bronze in the final race. Another rookie from Garden City, Sawan Sathyarayan, finished 4th in the first two races.
Cadets will have two races on Saturday and two more on Sunday to complete Round 3 while Juniors will complete all four races of Round 3 on Saturday.
Round 2 Final (provisional) classification :
Seniors (15 laps) Friday Grid: 6
Race 1: 1. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:29.122); 2. #25 Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (14:31.631); 3. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengluru) (14:34.483); 4. #31 Sawan Sathyanarayan (Bengaluru) (14:45.525); 5. #30 Vidyali Reddy (Bengaluru) (15:17.922); DNF Lap 1 #32 Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (1:11.022). Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 56.892. Best Speed: 75.9 kmph. Margin of win: 2.509sec.
Race 2: 1. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:37.013); 2. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengaluru) (14:38.755); 3. #25 Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (14:39.737); 4. #31 Sawan Sathyanarayan (Bengaluru) (14:43.322); 5. #32 Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (14:43.636); 6. #30 Vidyali Reddy (Bengaluru) (14:54.725); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 57.174. Best Speed: 75.5 kmph. Margin of win: 1.742sec.
Race 3: 1. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:22.799); 2. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengaluru) (14:25.169); 3. #25 Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (14:28.438); 4. #32 Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (14:32.912); 5. #31 Sawan Sathyanarayan (Bengaluru) (14:45.760); 6. #30 Vidyali Reddy (Bengaluru) (14:48.863); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 57.131 Best Speed: 75.616 kmph. Margin of win: 2.370sec.
Race 4 (Restart): 1. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (18:57.927); 2. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengaluru) (19:09.296); 3. #32 Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (19:41.131); 4. #25 Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (19:53.111); 5. #31 Sawan Sathyanarayan (Bengaluru) (19:20.087 – 14laps); 6. #30 Vidyali Reddy (Bengaluru) (19:42.753 -14laps); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 1:14.544 Best Speed: 57.952 kmph. Margin of win: 11.369sec.
Friday’s Juniors and Cadet results of Ro2 to be updated!
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Quartararo bounces back to dominate at Silverstone
Silverstone, 27 August 2021: Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) shot out the blocks at Silverstone, the Championship leader ending Day 1 of the Monster Energy British Grand Prix over half a second clear despite an FP2 crash. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) was second quickest, with Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) also bouncing back, in his case from an FP1 tumble, to take third on first contact with Silverstone on MotoGP™ machinery.
FP1
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) stole all the headlines in the morning. The eight-time World Champion was the fastest, and the only rider under the 2-minute barrier, but he also brought out the Red Flag for a fast crash through Maggots and Becketts. It was a lowside but a 270km/h lowside, leaving rider and bike sliding over the grass and gravel. The result was rider ok, bike not so much, and the Red Flag came out.0.250 behind Marc Marquez was Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) as the Spaniard slotted into second, pipping Quartararo by 0.110. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), who had a grandstand seat for teammate Marquez’ slide in the closing stages, took fourth by just 0.035, with Miller closing out the top five within less than a tenth.
Jake Dixon (Petronas Yamaha SRT) made a solid first impression, ending FP1 on a 2:03.939 and only seven tenths off Luca Marini (Avintia VR46).
Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) crashed and Martin also went down, both at Turn 12 and both riders ok.
FP2
There was another headline-grabbing crash in the afternoon, this time for Quartararo. The Frenchman went down at Turn 8, avoiding a highside by letting go early, and was initially holding his ankle and appeared in some pain. He was able to walk away and head back to the garage, however, as well as heading back out on track and going… even faster. So he was quickest, with a whopping 0.512 in hand over Miller.Graphic courtesy Twitter Chequered Flag @CFmagIndia Martin bounced back from his FP1 crash to leap up into third late in FP2, with Pol Espargaro and Marc Marquez completing the top five as they retained some good speed. Marc Marquez later explained he did have some sand in his eye from the crash though, causing irritation and affecting his FP2 running. Heading to the hospital for the ok, the number 93 says it should be fine for Saturday.
Alex Marquez was the other crasher in the afternoon, after Quartararo.
Combined timesheets
FP2 timesheets are the combined timesheets as everyone improved, leaving Quartararo dominant after Day 1 ahead of Miller, Martin, Pol Espargaro and Marc Marquez.Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was sixth quickest, just ahead of Aleix Espargaro. Austrian GP winner Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) impressed with one of his best Fridays of the season so far, riding at the track for the first time in the premier class, as he took eighth.
2019 Silverstone winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was ninth, with Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completing the top ten on Day 1 after a solid day at the office for the ‘Doctor’ as he makes his last call at the British GP.
Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), riding at the track for the first time in MotoGP™ after having missed the 2019 edition through injury, was 13th.
Dixon shaved another 1.3 seconds off his best lap in the afternoon, getting to within around 1.2 of Alex Marquez and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ahead of him.
That’s a wrap on Friday, come back for more on Saturday as the grid gets decided from 14:10 (GMT +1)!
1 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 1:59.317
2 Jack Miller – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.512
3 Jorge Martin* – Pramac Racing – Ducati – +0.622
4 Pol Espargaro – Repsol Honda Team – Honda – +0.718
5 Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda – +0.734*Independent Team rider
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Advait Deodhar in top-2 in both practice sessions
Autodrom Most (Czech Republic), 27 August 2021: 2020 runner-up Tobias Dauenhauer is leading the EuroNASCAR 2 Championship after scoring his first win of the season at Brands Hatch. The German Hendriks Motorsport driver sits 9 points ahead of Most’s local hero Martin Doubek, who dominated the season opener at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia with two wins. Will the German and the Czech be battling for the overall lead or will there be a surprise winner like Advait Deodhar in the UK?
The ace Indian driver of CAAL Racing team clocked the second fastest time in the Final Practice today putting in 13 laps, the highest than anyone else in FP2. He clocked 2:00.020 for the 4.212-km Autodrom Most here in his #56 Ford Mustang. Tobias Dauenhauer clocked the best time of 1:58.298, 1.722 better than Advait who did averagespeeds of over 126km better than all of the 13 of them except the leader. One can discard the surprise winner of July round at their own cost and all the Indians are behind him cheering in every available channel. Earlier, in FP1 Deodhar clocked 1min 53.046, just 0.240sec behind Lanza Massimiliano of Cheverolet Camaro Caal Racing team.
The Indian in a relaxed mood with Anish Gohil on Friday. Photos Stephane Azemard Wet track for Nascar2 FP2
While the best times were almost equally split between sessions 1 and 2 in EuroNASCAR PRO, the best lap times in EuroNASCAR 2 were driven in Free Practice 1. The second session was declared wet after moderate rainfall in the preceding EuroNASCAR PRO session. In the end, Max Lanza clocked the fastest lap of the day with a 1:52.806.
Brands Hatch race winner Advait Deodhar closed the day in second, 0.240 seconds shy of the Italian in first place. Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport’s Vladimiros Tziortzis followed in third, while Valencia double race winner Martin Doubek finished fourth. Tobias Dauenhauer, who topped the standings in Free Practice 2 on a soaked race track, completed the top-5.
Read Thursday’s Preview article below
Not Only Motorsport’s Alberto Panebianco was the fastest Rookie Trophy contender in sixth, while DF1 Tiger Justin Kunz was classified in seventh. Leevi Lintukantu was among the fastest rookies on the grid in eighth. Legend Trophy leader Yevgen Sokolovskiy, who’s piloting the #48 Marko Stipp Motorsport Camaro, ended up ninth ahead of Paolo Valeri.
One of those possible first time winners could be Vladimiros Tziortis at the wheel of the #1 Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport Ford Mustang. With three top-5 and four top-10 results so far, the Cypriot is only 15 points shy of the Championship leader. Brands Hatch winner Deodhar follows in fourth with a 20-point deficit. Double V Racing’s Pierluigi Veronesi is fifth, only 1 point behind the Indian in the CAAL Racing colors.
You can’t push me out, I will bounce back, Advait seems to be sending out a loud message with P2 in both practice sessions on Friday. Israel’s Naveh Talor is another dark horse for the NASCAR GP Czech Republic. The Not Only Motorsport driver shone with one top-5 and three top-10 results so far and is eager to score his first EuroNASCAR 2 win. Simon Pilate and Alberto Panebianco will make their Most debuts at the upcoming weekend, while Justin Kunz from Germany has scored one top-5 and two top-10’s at Most in the 2019 season. Youngster Francesco Garisto rounds out the top-10 of the overall standings.
The NASCAR GP Czech Republic at Autodrom Most takes place on August 28-29. Qualifying and all races will be broadcasted live on the EuroNASCAR social media platforms – YouTube, NWES App, Facebook and Twitch – as well as on Motorsport.tv.
IST Qulaifying time for NASCAR2 for Advait Deodhar: 1.30 pm IST
Saturday Race 1 of Round 5: 5.30pm IST
Sunday race: Round 6 race: 1.35 pm IST
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Pragathi Gowda beats `big boys’ to bag fastest-driver tag
Bengaluru, 22 August 2021: Pragathi Gowda of Bengaluru claimed overall honours bagging the fastest driver tag powering her Volkswagen Polo to a stunning time of 2 min, 22.268 seconds over two-laps of the 1-km United Off-road track in the 2021 Time Attack organised by Chetan Shivram Motorsports, a two-day FMSCI-licensed event that concluded here on Sunday.
Ashwin Reddy, Abhin R Rai and Syed Salman bagged a double each in the professional class on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Moin Pasha, Sahil Khan and Asad Pasha also won their classes in the pro section. The event supported by Eco-Life, Anvitha Estates, DC Motorsports and Unite Motorsports received overwhelming response with 176 entries which were divided into professional and amateur sections. Trophies were provided by 6T9th.com and Starttline Motorsports manned the timing equipment that gave one by thousandth of a second times for every driver.
You can watch the Time Attack on Unite Motorsport YouTube here!
Beating many top male drivers in the 13-car start list of the feature event, the 2nd year MBA student who is just three caps in the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), slided the corners and attacked the straights to top the time-sheets in Race 1 to beat Ashwin Reddy to second and Moin Pasha to third place. Pragathi eased off on Day 2 due to the slippery track where rookie Syed Salman, proved his mastery on the slushy terrain to beat Asad Pasha and star driver Dhruva Chandrasekhar who was not in his elements on the day due to technical issues with his car.
Pragathi Gowda, who bagged the Overall honours in the Chetan Shivram Motorsports Time Attack at Unite Off Park in Bengaluru on 21 August 2021. “It’s always a good feeling to improve times and Time Attack provided me the right stage as the terrain is very technical and it helped me sharpen my skills to be ready for the INRC. Beating the big boys is a bonus,” added the Bengalurean, who made pundits take notice with her speed in a rally-prep INRC3 spec, in her debut at Itanagar last December.
Jayanth Samynathan won Race 1 in the Rally Cars class beating Reddy brothers Ashwin and Tarun while in Race 2 on Sunday, Syed Salman took the honours with Ashwin Reddy taking a second again and Asad Pasha completing the podium.
Ruthuparna Vivek, Amrut Shekar and Mohammad Uzair won the Amateur races on Day 1 while Ruthuparna Vevek got a double gold on Day 2 in 1600cc and 2000cc even as Arvind won the 1400cc and Mohammed Shabaz bagged 1100cc class.
Naresh of Bro Racing won the Tuner class with veteran INRC tuner Yusuf of Snap Racing taking second and Amju of Ideal Racing came third.
“Since a lot of newcomers including first-timers are there. We wanted to provide a platform where they would not be fighting with the veterans which is very de-motivating. So we had separate class for modified cars driven by professionals,” explained Chetan Shivram, the Clerk of the Course. Shivram, the 2019 Indian National Rally Champion, is a top motorsports mentor training every month scores of rally drivers to excel and was recently roped in by the INRC Promoters to conduct a Driver school to train over two dozen lady drivers ready for INRC. “I thank Nikhil of Unite Off-track for preparing and providing the beautiful track,” added the man behind the show.
“We conducted the event in a bio-bubble following all the COVID protocols of the government as safety is always a top-priority in motorsports. With virtually no events for drivers to get their seat time, Time Attack is a great op for them to brush up their skills for the National rallies and gain some practice in a competitive environment,” said Sanjeev P Shah, the Chief Steward and Secretary of Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC).
Final (Provisional) Results:
Professional Race 1 (2 laps):
Pro United Off-road Open Class: 1. Pragathi Gowda (02 min, 22.268 seconds); 2. D Ashwin Reddy (02:23.665); 3. Moin Pasha (02:24.242).
Pro Upto 1100cc: 1. Moin Pasha (02:30.027);2. Abhisek Gowda (02:32.517); 3.Prakash R (02:34.459).
Pro Upto 1400cc: 1.Abhin R Rai (02:27.936); 2.Sahil (02:29.277); 3. Moin Pasha (02:29.516);
Pro Upto 1600cc: 1. D Ashwin Reddy (02:24.567); 2. D Tarun Reddy (02:25.160); 3. Sahil (02:26.295).
Pro Upto 2000cc: 1. D Ashwin Reddy(02:27.808);2. Dhruva Chandrasekhar (02:28.423); 3. Sahil (2:28.471).
Pro Rally-tuned cars: 1. Jayanth Samynathan (02:31.352);2. D Ashwin Reddy (02:32.004); 3. D Tarun Reddy (02:34.349).
Esteem: 1. Abhin R Rai (02:31.543); 2. Jayanth Samynathan (02:32.193); 3. Arvind (02:37.280).
Ladies Class: 1. Pragathi Gowda (02:40.718); 2. Tarushi Vikram (03:07.681).
Professional Race 2 (2 laps):
Pro United Off-road Open Class: 1. Syed Salman (02:37.315); 2. Asad Pasha (02:38.029); 3. Dhruva Chandrasekhar (02:38.803).
Rally-tuned Cars: 1. Syed Salman (02:34.858); 2. Ashwin Reddy (02:39.594); 3. Asad Pasha (02:39.947);
Race 2 (2 laps) Upto 1100cc: 1. Sahil Khan (02:30.521); 2. Mohan Raj (02:33.592);3. Mohin Pasha (02:34.171).
Race 2 (2 laps) Upto 1400cc: 1. Asad Pasha (2:29.207); 2. Mohin Pasha (02:30.336); 3. Sahil (02:30.852).
Esteem Class: 1. Abin R Rai (02:38.745); 2. Jayanth Samynathan (02:41.746); 3. Mohan (02:50.228).
Ladies Class: 1. Pragathi Gowda (02:40.567); 2. Tarushi Vikram (03:20.593);
Pro Tuner Class: 1. Naresh (Bro Racing) 2: 53.780; 2. Yusuf (Snap Racing) 2:55.513; ; 3. Amju (Ideal Racing) 2:57.946.
Diesel: 1. Dheeraj Manae (03:12.696); 2. Kiran (03:18.420).
Gypsy: 1. Ravi Kumar (02:54.534).
Amateur Race 1 (2 laps):
Upto 1100cc: 1. Mohammad Uzair (2:37.150); 2. Mohammed Kaisan (02:38.687); 3. Syed Imran (02:41.670).
Upto 1400cc: 1. Amrut Shekar (02:37.446); 2. Yuvaraj M (02:43.020); 3. Humayun Pasha (02:44.342).
Upto 1600cc: 1. Ruthuparna Vivek (02:35.347); 2. TS Rekha Niranjan (02:59.701); 3. Rituraj Das (03:01.861).
Ladies Class: 1. TS Rekha Niranjan (02:52.6551); 2. Tarushi Vikram (02:56.566).
Amateur Race 2 (2 laps):
Upto 1100cc: 1. Mohammad Shabaz (2:43.579); 2. Manu (02:52.338); 3. Syed Imran (02:52.358).
Upto 1400cc: 1. Arvind (02:38.155); 2. Amrith (02:44.359); 3. Yuvaraj (02:48.107).
Upto 1600cc: 1. Ruthuparna Vivek (02:37.782); 2. Nidhi (02:53.035); 3. Agasthya (02:58.240).
Upto 2000cc: 1. Ruthuparna Vivek (02:35.654); 2. Arvind (02:36.205); 3. Nidhi (02:40.946).
Ladies Class: 1. Tarushi Vikram (03:05.334); 2. Rekha Niranjan (03:13.305).
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Max Verstappen tops FP2 at Spa: F1 Round 12
Spa-Francorchamps, 27 August 2021: Max Verstappen set the pace in the second practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix, narrowly beating Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton by less than a hundredth of a second, but the Red Bull driver’s session ended in disappointment when he crashed out in the final moments of the session at Spa-Francorchamps in the Round 12 of the Formula 1 World Championship here on Friday.
Verstappen lost the back end of his RB16B as he went into the Les Combes sequence at the end of the long Kemmel straight and he spun into the barriers on the left side of the circuit, causing substantial damage to the rear right of his Red Bull.
As with the morning session, the afternoon running got off to a slow start as drivers gingerly tested the damp conditions. Once the conditions proved suitable for dry tyres, McLaren’s Lando Norris got running properly underway with a lap of 1:48.219 on hard tyres. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi then took turns at the top as the track improved before Bottas then took a significant step forward with a lap of 1:44.513 on medium tyres.
Verstappen then took P2 before Hamilton went just 0.031 slower than his teammate to establish a Mercedes one-two.
The Mercedes pair were then among the first to make the switch to soft tyres though neither was able to improve on the red-banded Pirelli rubber. Verstappen, however, did make gains and he claimed top spot with a lap of 1:44.472, 0.041 ahead of Bottas.
However, his good work was then undone in the final moments when he lost the rear end of his car in Les Combes.
At the flag, Fernando Alonso set the fourth fastest time for Alpine, ahead of AlhaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Ocon finished in seventh ahead of the seodnde Aston Martin of Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Pérez, newly confirmed for another year at Red Bull Racing, completed the top 10 order.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Free Practice 21 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:44.472 12 241.350
2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:44.513 0.041 14 241.256
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:44.544 0.072 13 241.184
4 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:44.953 0.481 15 240.244
5 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:44.965 0.493 17 240.217
6 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:45.180 0.708 14 239.726
7 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:45.302 0.830 15 239.448
8 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:45.336 0.864 16 239.371
9 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:45.386 0.914 18 239.257
10 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:45.404 0.932 13 239.216
11 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:45.517 1.045 14 238.960
12 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:45.758 1.286 17 238.416
13 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:45.789 1.317 16 238.346
14 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:45.967 1.495 18 237.945
15 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:46.118 1.646 14 237.607
16 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:46.198 1.726 17 237.428
17 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:46.665 2.193 14 236.388
18 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:46.836 2.364 13 236.010
19 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:47.335 2.863 14 234.913
20 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:47.529 3.057 15 234.489 -
Valtteri Bottas fastest in FP1
Spa-Francorchamps, 27 August 2021: After its traditional summer break Formula 1 returned to action at Spa-Francorchamps this morning, with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas quickest in the opening practice session for the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. The Finn set beat title hopeful Max Verstappen by just under two tenths of a second as championship leader Lewis Hamilton finished in 18th place.
The one-hour session got off to a slow start as rain the hours preceding the start of running meant that the track was still damp and teams opted to wait out the opening minutes as the track began to dry.
A number of drivers took the track on intermediates, but after 10 minutes it became clear that dry weather tyres were necessary. McLaren’s Lando Norris led the way on me3dium tyres but the Briton was soon eclipsed by Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and then by Daniel Riccardo in the second McLaren, Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri and then by Hungary race winner Esteban Ocon who put his Alpine in P1.
Verstappen then emerged in hard tyres and promptly bounced the French driver out of top sport with a lap of 1:46.879s. Over the course of a long run he then whittled the benchmark down to 1:45.905 before teams began to make a switch to soft tyres.
As the session entered its final quarter Bottas jumped P1 with a softy-tyre lap of 1:45.199s. Hamilton though was struggling with a larger wing than his team-mate and the Briton complained that he had poor straightline speed.
However, despite his difficulties, Hamilton looked set to edge past his team-mate on soft tyres but unfortunately he was slowed when he came across Williams’ Nicholas Latifi at the Bus Stop chicane and his run was compromised.
Verstappen then also moved to soft tyres in the final phase of the session but he failed to dislodge Bottas and had to settle for second place, 0.164 behind the Mercedes man.
Drizzle was now beginning to fall and that meant little hope of late improvement. Hamilton therefore was left languishing in P18 on the timesheet.
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly took third place at the flag ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver’s team-mate Carlos Sainz finished fifth, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was sixth ahead of Vettel and Norris, with Ocon and his Alpine team-mate Fernando Alonso rounding out the top 10.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
1 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:45.199 18 239.682
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:45.363 0.164 14 239.309
3 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:45.699 0.500 20 238.549
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:45.818 0.619 19 238.280
5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:45.935 0.736 20 238.017
6 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:46.127 0.928 17 237.587
7 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:46.177 0.978 19 237.475
8 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:46.336 1.137 17 237.120
9 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:46.497 1.298 16 236.761
10 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:46.612 1.413 16 236.506
11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:46.649 1.450 19 236.424
12 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:46.683 1.484 20 236.348
13 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:46.755 1.556 17 236.189
14 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:46.772 1.573 19 236.151
15 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:46.928 1.729 19 235.807
16 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:47.101 1.902 20 235.426
17 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:48.125 2.926 15 233.196
18 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:48.224 3.025 17 232.983
19 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:48.705 3.506 16 231.952
20 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:49.059 3.860 15 231.199 -
Silverstone beckons MotoGP riders: Round 12
The pre-event Press Conference and a key Triumph announcement kick off the Monster Energy British Grand Prix
Silverstone, 26 August 2021: Is everybody ready for the British GP? The MotoGP grid certainly is, with the pre-event Press Conference seeing Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) joined by closest challengers Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Austrian GP winner Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and rookie superstar Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), as well as home heroes Cal Crutchlow (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and MotoGP debutant Jake Dixon (Petronas Yamaha SRT) ahead of track action on Friday.
Here are some key quotes!
Fabio Quartararo: “I was super happy about the second race in Austria because the first one I finished quite far from Jorge, close to 10 seconds from victory, in the second one I improved my pace a lot and I think I had a chance to fight for victory. I think it was one of the most fun races from this year, I enjoyed it a lot and I was feeling great. We know Austria is the most tricky track for us and we were there fighting for victories and podiums. Of course it’s not the result we wanted but I was more happy with the second one than the first one.
“Two years ago was one corner on Sunday here, but this is one of my favourite tracks on the MotoGP bike, the Yamaha suits the track really well and it’s just a matter of going out tomorrow morning, enjoying it straight away, having a good time. I hope we get good weather and let’s see!”
Advice for Jake Dixon:
“To be calm. Because already when I started in Valencia, it’s a short track but the first day I was totally lost. It was a day of testing. I’ve already told him it’s totally different. He will already feel the power and the brakes, don’t look at the lap times so much and yeah, take it easy!”Francesco Bagnaia: “For sure I’m happy. I recovered more points like this than in fully dry conditions because Fabio was in trouble with rain tyres. I was close to fighting for a win but in any case I am happy because I did my best race in MotoGP I think. I was setting my pace and feeling comfortable. It was better the second race, the first one we had a bit of bad luck with the restart but the second one we managed to be fast enough to stay in front.
“I’m really confident to ride this track, it’s one of my favourites. I really like the layout and our bike maybe suits good, maybe not like a Yamaha but we will try to be fast enough to stay with Fabio because we really need to recover more points. Still we’re at 47 and if Fabio wants to enjoy the Championship more maybe we can fight until the finish, it’s better!”
Joan Mir: “The last race was a little bit crazy. I would say that in Austria the feelings were nice at both weekends, the race in the second GP was unexpectedly difficult but finally we could be really close to the podium which was our goal. Now we come to this track which as you say Alex was strong here in 2019, he was able to win, Suzuki got two victories in the modern era and this is for a reason. The bike can fit well with this track, it will be important to be fighting with the top guys. I will give my best. It will be difficult because it’s the first time coming here after a long time, and it will be important to be strong straight away in FP1 and FP2, to get the correct feeling, the correct lines and I will give my best.
“I’m not nervous. I think that the important thing is once you get the feeling, is to put the feeling here. Not the track. I haven’t ridden a bike here since ’18 and for sure this will be a bit difficult in the first laps. But if you have a great feeling and you know, we did a lot of races this year and I think I’m in good form, but I think I will be able to adapt quickly on this track. The track is quite long, wide, difficult to find the line, but yeah. It’s important to find it as quickly as possible.”
Brad Binder: “Now I’ve had a bit of time to go back and watch it all over it again, I’m really glad there wasn’t one more lap. It was cool. It was a big risk to stay out, and yeah, the last lap was super sketchy. I’m glad I made it home safe but sometimes you have to take a chance and this time it worked so really happy about that, happy to come out of the two Austria races with two good results and hopefully looking at keeping that momentum going.
“I mean we’ve all been to Silverstone a few times. It’s always a bit of a challenge I find at a new track on the MotoGP bike, no matter how many times you look through the data, I always find it completely different to how I remember. The big goal for me is to be comfortable straight away and not start too far down the order like I have done many times when I come to a circuit for the first time on a GP bike. It’s a special track, last time I was here I really really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to riding the big bike around here for sure.”
Jorge Martin: “I would be so confident if the race was in Austria again but we come to a new track and I need to be focused and start from zero. I don’t know how it will be, so just try to find a good feeling with the bike. I will give my 100% as always, it won’t be easy but I’ll try my best.
“From my side it will be the same as always, because I’ve come to the track with MotoGP so I’m not nervous, I’m ready and raring to go.”
Cal Crutchlow: “It’s great, it’s great to come to Silverstone. I never thought I’d be racing a Silverstone GP again after I retired so to come back, already we missed last year with was disappointing, but to come back this weekend with Monster Energy Yamaha is a privilege. It’s a privilege to ride Silverstone anyway, and then now with a full crowd it’s going to be entertaining for everybody. I’m looking forward to it. Riding in Austria was not easy after being so long off the bike, but to come this weekend here, maybe in a little bit better of a situation after the last two races, I look forward to seeing what we can do.
“I think Austria wasn’t too bad. On paper its always going to look bad, but we expected nothing, and we got nothing. We got information for Yamaha and I did my job, and I enjoyed it which was the main thing. After so long off the bike to ride again is always enjoyable. Speed wise we weren’t too bad, I qualified half a tenth slower than what I did last year on the Honda. After 5 months off it wasn’t too bad, I enjoyed it, I felt good and in the end hopefully I’ll feel a little bit more comfortable with not such a big a gap off. Silverstone is a good circuit for that, I know a few tricks of the trade around here and in Austria I really really don’t. So let’s see what we can do at the Monster Energy GP here.”
Jake Dixon: “It’s obviously fantastic and obviously thanks to Petronas for giving me the opportunity to ride the MotoGP bike. To do it at home is pretty special, if anyone could do their debut I think they would do it at home so yeah, I can’t wait. We’re going to have a full house in front of the full crowd, Silverstone seems to suit the Yamaha in the past. I can’t wait, it’s definitely going to be a massive learning curve, but I’m ready to take it on and see what we can do.
“I was just saying to Mir that I’ve had a few sleepless nights yeah. It’s definitely excitement, so much excitement but also nervous times. I’m not expecting anything from myself it’s just a massive learning curve. I can’t be expected to do anything, I’ve never ridden a MotoGP bike, everything is so different. I’ll just try to do the best job I can do at the weekend, take it on and see if I enjoy it!”
That’s a wrap on the Press Conference at Silverstone! Free Practice begins on Friday, before MotoGP™ heads out for another battle of Britain on Sunday at 13:00 (GMT +1).
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Yes, they are not F1 drivers, they are MotoGP riders
One of Formula 1’s most successful-ever teams welcomes MotoGP defending champ Mir and Suzuki teammate Rins for a tour ahead of the British GP
Silverstone, 26 August 2021: Ahead of action stations at Silverstone for the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, Team Suzuki Ecstar riders Joan Mir and Alex Rins enjoyed a different kind of motorsport experience: a tour of Williams Racing. One of the most decorated teams in the history of Formula 1, Williams Racing were founded by motorsport legend Sir Frank Williams in 1977 and have won nine constructors’ titles, seven drivers’ titles and 114 Grands Prix so far. All in all, a perfect taste of British heritage and speed ahead of Mir and Rins taking on Silverstone on two wheels, with the riders getting to see some of the most emblematic Williams cars before trying their hand at some sim racing too.
The tour started with a look at the FW43B, which is the 2021 Williams Racing car driven by George Russell and Nicholas Latifi. An overview of the aerodynamics concept, fuel, engine and rear impact structure gave Mir and Rins a deeper delve into what makes these machines tick (and stick), before it was next stop: Experience Centre.
There the riders got to know the FW40, raced in 2017 by Felipe Massa. They also got a closer look at the steering wheel and the incredible array of different functions and buttons drivers have at their disposal before a look through the different tyre compounds used throughout an F1 weekend – two things where a shared experience of speed diverges for MotoGP™ riders and F1 drivers.
Mir and Rins then headed for the museum to see a little more of Williams’ incredible history, back to the start in the 1970s and even the very first winner: the FW07, driven by Clay Regazzoni to the team’s first Grand Prix victory in 1979 at the one and only Silverstone Circuit. From there the focus turned back towards the engineering side with the FW14B, the car that Nigel Mansell drove to the World Championship crown in 1992. The car was a gamechanger with its active ride suspension, again making for an interesting contrast between two and four wheels.
Next up Mir and Rins were shown the FW16, the car driven by legendary three-time F1 World Champion Ayrton Senna in 1994, before they then got to sit in the FW16B from the same season. The FW16B was driven by Damon Hill, who would go on to claim the crown with Williams in 1996.
After a trip to the Heritage Workshop to see how this incredible history is maintained and serviced, it was then time for Mir and Rins to get back to what they know best: racing. In the Williams E-Sports lounge, the two riders tried their hand at sim racing in an F1 car. Taking on Williams F1 Esport driver Alvaro Carreton and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s MotoGP™ eSport rider Cristian Montenegro, the virtual venue was – where else? – Silverstone. To round out the event they then put in a few laps on their GSX-RRs on the MotoGP™21 videogame to compare two and four wheels.
That’s a wrap on an incredible experience for the reigning MotoGP™ team Champions. Make sure to tune in as Mir and Rins take on the behemoth that is Silverstone this weekend, with lights out for MotoGP™ set for 13:00 (GMT +1) on Sunday 29th August!
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Nikhilesh Raju bags Round 2 honours in Cadet class
Bengaluru, 26 August 2021: Nikhilesh Raju, a 6th class student from Bengaluru, won three of the four races to emerge champion of Round 2 at the Meco fmsci National Karting Championship X30 class at the 1.21 Meco Kartopia here on Thursday.
The 11-year Vibgyor High School karter impressed with his driving skills and won three races and finished fourth in Race 2 to bag 35 points out of a possible 40 in Round 2 on Thursday. Arafath Sheikh of Pune took Race 2 and came second all the three other races. Though he set the fastest laps in three of the four races, he could only get 31 points and is second in the Championship table. Another school girl from Bengaluru, Zaarah Misra took the third place thrice and is third in the points table.
The four third round races will be held on Saturday and Sunday.
Round 2 (At 1.2km Meco Kartopia, Bengaluru)
Cadet Class
Race 1 (10 laps): 1. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (10:56.783); 2. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (11:02.144); 3. #1 Zaarah Misra (Bengaluru) (11:11.585); 4. #8 Shrili Manish Mistry (Gujarat) (11:18.667); 5. #3 Hrydan Patel (Gujarat) (11:30.206); Fastest lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:04.340; DNF after 5 laps #6 Ateev Khandelval (Gujarat). Grid 5 karters.
Race 2 (10 laps): 1. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (11:06.221); 2. #8 Shrili Manish Mistry (Gujarat) (11:18.288); 3. #1 Zaarah Misra (Bengaluru) (11:24.746); 4. #3 Hrydan Patel (Gujarat) (9 laps 11:21.108); 5. . #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (10-laps 11:06.334) 4 position penalty for Art. #18 ‘edge into’; Fastest Lap: 1:04.415 by Nikhilesh Raju. Grid 6 karters.
Race 3 (10 Laps): 1. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (10:44.573); 2. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:46.400); 3. #1 Zaarah Misra (Bengaluru) (11:16.815; 3-sec penalty for false start); 4. #6 Ateev Khandelval (Gujarat) (11:17.512; 10-sec penalty for avoidable collision); 5. #3 Hrydan Patel (Gujarat) (9 laps – 11:47.522); 6. #8 Shrili Manish Mistry (Gujarat) (11:19.602; 2-positon penalty added for avoidable collision); Fastest lap: Fastest lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.498; Grid: 6.
Race 4 (10 laps): 1. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (10:43.483); 2. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:44.433); 3. #6 Ateev Khandelval (Gujarat) (11:02.264); 4. #1 Zaarah Misra (Bengaluru) (11:03.516); 5. #8 Shrili Manish Mistry (Gujarat) (11:19.936); 6. #3 Hrydan Patel (Gujarat) (9 laps – 11:06.125); Fastest lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.560; Grid: 6 karters.
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Czech point for Team MRF Tyre development
Zlin (Czech Republic) 26 August 2021: The 2021 FIA European Rally Championship heads to the famous tarmac of the 50th Barum Czech Rally Zlin this weekend. It marks the halfway point of the 2021 season and Jari Huttunen joins Team MRF Tyres.
The 50th Barum Czech Rally Zlín, is a tarmac rally held in Zlín, Czech Republic. It is currently part of the European Rally Championship and previously has been part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Founded in 1971, it is part of the ERC schedule since the championship’s streamlining in 2004. Barum Czech Rally Zlín is based in the South Moravian university city, 300 kilometres south of the Czech capital Prague. It is a Tarmac test like no other due to the bumpy and sometimes broken nature of the road surface. To add to the challenge, several stages feature high-speed blasts through forests and intermittent showers are always possible. While the weather might be hard to predict, huge numbers of fans follow the action, especially on the opening night-time Zlín superspecial stage. The long-term ERC rally turns 50 in 2021.
Huttunen with codriver, Mikko Lukka are joining Team MRF Tyres as the team’s tyre development strategy evolves.
Through the driver pool that Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing has developed, MRF Tyres can take advantage of the feedback from a variety of drivers, starting with Huttunen and Lukka who are joining the team for the Barum Czech Rally Zlin.
Coming into its 50th edition, the Barum Czech Rally Zlin will offer a tarmac rallying feast for drivers and fans alike.
The crews face 15 special stages and 210.92km of competitive action. Friday sees the qualifying stage, with an early start for the crews. From 7:30 am local time (11:00 am in India), Huttunen and Lukka will have the opportunity for shakedown before qualifying starts at 9:30 am (1:00 pm in India).
The 4.07km stage will set the starting order for the rally that gets underway with a street stage through Zlin on Friday evening.
Saturday is a monster day with eight stages and 127.18km of action.
After a late finish on Friday, there is no chance to catch up on sleep with the first of the day’s stages getting underway at 9:31 am local time (1:01 pm in India).
The day sees two stages Březová (12.73km) and Hošťálková (18.86km) before morning service.
After service, a loop of four stages awaits the crews, with Komárov (8.46km) and Pindula (18.95km) before a repeat of Březová and Hošťálková. With almost 60km in the loop, a measure of speed and patience will be important.
The day then ends with a repeat run through Komárov and Pindula with the last stage due to start after sunset.
It is another early start on Sunday with the day’s six stages getting underway at 8:03 am local time (11:33 in India).
Sunday sees two loops of three stages with repeated runs through Halenkovice (8.85km), Biskupice (7.59km) and Májová (25.43km).
With the longest stage of the rally making up the final stage of the loop and of the rally, there will be no chance for the drivers to relax throughout the event.
With a huge field of world-class competitors, the 50th edition of the Barum Czech Rally Zlin is one not to be missed.
You can follow the action at home with every stage live on radio (www.fiaerc.com/ive-radio) or with SS5 and SS7 streamed live on Facebook or Youtube on Saturday and SS12 and SS15 streamed live on Sunday.
You can follow Team MRF Tyres throughout the rally on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Quotes
Jari Huttunen, driver, Hyundai i20 R5
“It is nice to be part of Team MRF Tyres here at Barum Czech Rally Zlin. I am looking forward to getting into the rally on the tyres. It will be my first rally on MRF Tyres. So far in testing, I am impressed.”“We have come to Zlin to help develop the tyres. Our main aim is to gain data for the development of the tyres. I am looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to the team.”
“I have rallied here before in 2017. Rally Zlin is a difficult rally and the weather will also play a part. I will try to drive without any mistakes as gaining data here on this unique rally is very important for me and for Team MRF Tyres.”
