INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Arjun Maini hoping to build on his experience before DTM Round 2

    Arjun Maini hoping to build on his experience before DTM Round 2

    Lausitz (Germany), 23 July 2021: Mercedes AMG racing driver Arjun Maini is looking to secure his first points of the season as the DTM visits the popular Lausitzring track for the second round of the 2021 championship. 

    The Omega Seiki Mobility and J.K.Tyre backed driver had a baptism of fire, having had limited testing in the lead up to the first race of the season and a DNF ultimately ending his weekend prematurely. Nevertheless, Maini gained valuable experience over the course of the race weekend, and with his GT debut now firmly in the rearview mirror, the Indian will be looking to build on his experience as looks to secure his first points of the season. 

    Speaking about this weekend’s event Maini stated, “I’m looking forward to this race. The track is going to be interesting because going into Turn 1 we will be using the oval banking while the rest of the track remains the standard GP layout. 

    “The set-up will be key as everyone will have to compromise somewhere, though I am confident the boys at GetSpeed will be able to work around any constraints. Obviously pre-season testing here went well for me, however, with the new layout, which is challenging for everyone, it will be interesting to see how the weekend progresses. 

    “As always I’d like to thank my partners OSM, J.K.Tyre and Mercedes AMG who are all playing a crucial role in helping me build my experience in the DTM, as the days progress I am feeling more confident in the Mercedes AMG GT3 race car and I am confident that a strong result is right around the corner.”

    As touched on by Maini, the Lausitzring track is famous for its banked turn 1, which is reminiscent of the final turn at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The weekend is set to get underway this Friday, July 23, with the qualifying and races themselves taking place on Saturday, July 24, and Sunday, July 25. 


    The sessions will be broadcasted live in India on https://www.youtube.com/user/autocarindia1.

    Saturday
    Qualifying1:   14:00
    Race 1:         17:00
     
         		Sunday
    Qualifying 2: 13:40
    Race 2:         17:00
  • Hamilton claims fourth win as on-track collision ends Verstappen race

    Hamilton claims fourth win as on-track collision ends Verstappen race

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    Lewis Hamilton achieved his fourth win of the season overcoming a penalty received after a on track collision with title rival Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc got his first podium of the season after leading the majority of the race ahead of third place man Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes.

    This was the first experimental weekend where Formula 1 trialed the F1 Sprint qualifying. A 100-kilometer race to determine the grid positions for the Grand Prix on Sunday.

    New Delhi, 19 July 2021: Lewis Hamilton took his 99th career victory and first one since the Spanish Grand Prix in May, overcoming a 10-second time penalty for a on track coming together with Max Verstappen which resulted in the Dutchman not finishing the race. Charles Leclerc led the majority of the race bar 3 laps from the end as he got his first podium since the 2020 Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas capitalised on a slow pitstop for Lando Norris to finish P3, with the Briton finishing P4. Norris’ teammate Daniel Ricciardo finished a strong P5, holding of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz for more than half of the race as the Spaniard finished in P6, just 0.8s behind.Alpine’s Fernando Alonso finished P7 and teammate Esteban Ocon crossed the line in P9 helping the Anglo-French squad to achieve a double points finish. Sandwiched between them was Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in P8. Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda rounded of the top 10.

    AlphaTauri teammate Pierre Gasly finished P11 ahead of Williams’ George Russell in P12 and Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi in P13. Nicholas Latifi brought home his FW43B in P14 ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in P15 who spun around late on in the race after getting tangled with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who could only manage P16. Nikita Mazepin outraced his Haas teammate Mick Schumacher as they finished P17 and P18 respectively. Sebastian Vettel retired late in the race after suffering a spin early on and circulating at the back of the grid.

    Title protagonists Verstappen and Hamilton started on the front row for the fourth time this season with both wanting to lead the race and the end of lap 1 to control the rest of the race. As the race got underway, both were wrestling for P1 but keeping it clean. Hamilton tried to overtake through the Wellington straight into Brooklands corner, but Verstappen swept ahead and maintained the lead. Hamilton got a better exit out of Luffield and went on the inside of Verstappen onto the old start-finish straight. As they approached the high-speed turn 9 Copse corner, they made contact and Verstappen hit the outside barriers at high speed. Fortunately, he was able to escape on his own. The damage to the car and the barrier caused a red flag. Behind, Leclerc had got a good start overtaking Bottas in the process. He passed Hamilton for the lead when the Briton lost momentum after making contact with the Red Bull.

    With the red flag period over, race was to begin with standing start procedure. This time Leclerc in P1, Hamilton maintaining P2 and so did Bottas in P3. Both front row cars got off well as Hamilton tucked behind Leclerc. Bottas behind had another slow start and lost a position to Norris with unable to find a way past him. Vettel too had made a good start and was running in the top 10, but he got on the throttle too early on the exit of luffield and spun, falling to the back of the grid and ending any hope of points.

    Hamilton was unable to find a way past Leclerc who to his credit was matching the Mercedes’ pace. The Monegasque was also managing an engine software issue which was resolved a few laps later. Hamilton who was running in the Ferrari’s hot air decided to back off as he was unable to pass and was circulating around 2s behind the leader. By this time the FIA had issued the Briton a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Verstappen as well.

    Ricciardo was the first one to pit amongst the front runner on lap 20 for a set of hard tyres. As Bottas had been unable to pass Norris, McLaren brought him in to protect from Bottas’ undercut on lap 21. But, a slow stop for Norris meant he lost crucial time to the Mercedes and Bottas duly pitted on lap 22 to emerge ahead of the McLaren. Sainz was running in P3 but he had not pitted. Hamilton complained on the radio of his tyres having no grip and pitted on lap 27, serving his 10-second time penaltyand emerging behind Norris. Sainz pitted on lap 28 and the Ferrari crew had a miserable pit stop as he was stationary for 12-seconds in the box. He lost positions to Hamilton and Ricciardo. Ferrari brought in race leader Leclerc last of any runners and served an error free pitstop to release him in the lead again.

    Hamilton was charging through the field as he quickly caught up to Norris and passed him in the Copse corner on lap 31, same place where Verstappen and Hamilton had entangled. Next up was Bottas who was instructed to let his teammate through and dutifully he did so, playing the team game. Behind Sainz was running within a second of Ricciardo but could not find a way past the Australian. The McLaren driver making his car as wide as possible and holding off the Spaniard.

    Hamilton was running in P2 with 12 laps to go and 9s behind race leader Leclerc. It seemed difficult for the Briton to achieve a record eighth home victory. Hamilton kept up the pace as on average he lapped 1s faster than his Ferrari rival. The only doubt being would he be able to keep up this pace as everyone’s tyres were suffering from blistering issues. By lap 50 Hamilton was within a second of Leclerc as he had been able to manage the tyre wear and pace. Whole Silverstone erupted in delight as Hamilton once again passed Leclerc into Copse corner where he had touched Verstappen.

    Ultimately Hamilton was too quick for the Ferrari and achieved a record eighth British Grand Prix victory as he cruised on the last two laps. Another dramatic chapter concludes as title rival Verstappen failed to score points and Hamilton maximised his. With both Drivers’ and Constructor’s championship very close it is game on!

    Mercedes were arguably the faster car in qualifying as shown by Hamilton’s pole position on Friday. Arguably he could have gone even faster had he not made the mistake in the final chicane. Mercedes seemed on par with Red Bull regarding race pace as Saturday’s sprint race showed that whoever had the early advantage was able to maximise their lead. The W12 was kinder to its tyres as well compared to the RB16B as seen in the sprint race. Mercedes brought a significant upgrade package with new bargeboards, side pod endplates and a new floor. All aimed at greater downforce generation to bring them closer to Red Bull’s performance and numbers show the performance has converged, similar to start of the season. Red Bull had a miserable race with Verstappen out on lap 1 and Perez scoring no points. Unlike past races they were not the dominant car but had the pace to win the race as seen in the sprint race on Saturday. Red Bull arrived with a new floor to aid their charge for the championship.

    Ferrari have made great strides especially in race pace. Keeping a Mercedes behind for the first stint was a big improvement for the Italian squad. They also did not struggle for tyre wear especially on the fronts as they had in some past races, notably France. One of the major improvements they have made with SF21 is the set-up. Ferrari can optimise their set-up better compared to start of the season which has unlocked race pace. McLaren similarly showed great race and qualifying pace. Slow pitstop for Norris meant they were unable to challenge for the podium. They could have beaten Leclerc and potentially won the race if not for the slow pitstop.

    Alpine had their strongest weekend in terms of race pace according to Alonso, as they achieved a double points finish. The Alpine cars were able to hold off the Aston Martin and Alpha Tauri cars. Alpine too brought minute aerodynamic upgrades to optimise their car. Aston Martin once again showed better race pace than qualifying pace. Had Vettel not spun during the start, a double points finish for the Silverstone based team could have been on the cards. AlphaTauri struggled throughout the weekend as they had mediocre qualifying pace compared to their rivals. They were unable to make it to the top 10. Due to a lower starting position, they could not make up positions in sprint race or the grand prix. Admittedly Gasly was running in points position before a late puncture forced him to pit and eventually finish outside the points. Tsunoda scored a solitary point.

    Russell made it to Q3 for the second consecutive race but admitted the car outqualified its own performance as they did not have the race pace to fight for the points. Mediocre starts only added to his problem as he lost positions on both the race starts. Alfa Romeo once again had the pace to be on the fringes of top 10 but not threaten them. Raikkonen complaining on the radio about the need for upgrades to make the car faster if points are to be achieved. Haas’ Mazepin had a positive race as he beat his teammate Schumacher who struggled for tyre management at a hot British Grand Prix.

    Sprint Qualifying Results were:

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

    Note: Russell was penalised three grid places for causing a collision during sprint qualifying. Perez required to start from the pit lane, as car modified whilst under Parc Ferme conditions.

  • Hamilton takes 8th British GP win despite penalty for Verstappen collision

    Hamilton takes 8th British GP win despite penalty for Verstappen collision

    Silverstone, 18 July 2021: Lewis Hamilton overcame a penalty for causing a lap one collision with Max Verstappen that ended the Red Bull driver’s race to take an eighth British Grand Prix win ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the Round 10 of the Formula 1 World Championship here on Sunday.

    Verstappen started the race from pole position and at the start the Dutchman made a good getaway to take the lead as the field streamed through the first corner. Hamilton, though, was quickly on the attack and though Verstappen resisted, the Mercedes driver attacked once again on the high-speed run to Copse. He went down the inside of the Red Bull and as Verstappen turned in the Mercedes clipped the right-rear wheel of the Dutchman’s car.

    Verstappen was sent off track at high speed and he hit the tyre barriers hard, severely damaging his car. Fortunately, Verstappen was able to climb out of his wrecked car and was taken to the medical centre and later to a nearby hospital for precautionary checks.

    With the tyre barrier severely damaged the race was soon red flagged and the race stewards quickly placed the incident under investigation.

    Under the red flag, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was in first place, the Ferrari driver having passed Hamilton on track in the immediate aftermath of the lap one incident. And after a 35-minute stoppage the cars formed up on the grid once again. 

    When the lights went out, Leclerc made a good getaway from pole position to take the lead ahead of Hamilton, with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas third ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. 

    At the back, Sergio Pérez took the restart from 19th place on the grid but he was quickly on the march and within a handful of laps he had climbed to 12th-place and was chasing down AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, though his progress was halted as he joined a DRS train containing 10th-placed Kimi Räikkönen and 11th-placed Pierre Gasly.

    At the front, meanwhile, Hamilton was handed with a 10-second time penalty by the race stewards. Leclerc was now experiencing difficulties with his engine and that gave Hamilton hope that he might attack for the lead but the Ferrari driver managed to solve the issues with the aid of his pit wall. 

    Hamilton then made his way to the pit lane on lap 28. He served his time penalty and then switched to a set of hard tyres and rejoined in fifth place. Leclerc made his stop soon after and he was able to resume in the lead. 

    Further back, as the pit stops played out, Pérez rose to ninth but once again in a train of cars he was unable to salvage anything better for Red Bull. The result was that Sergio pitted again on lap 39 for another set of mediums and dropped back to P17.

    At the front, Hamilton had overcome his penalty with relative ease and he was pushing to catch Leclerc. The Monegasque driver resisted as hard as he could but with two laps remaining Hamilton, armed with fresher tyres and more pace, powered past to claim the lead and then the race win. 

    With Hamilton holding fastest and the point associated with it, the gap to Verstappen in the Driver’s standings would have been narrowed to just seven points. Red Bull therefor sacrificed Pérez’s hopes of clawing his way back to the points and pitted the Mexican for

    soft tyres. And in the closing moments he grabbed the fastest lap of the race to deny Hamilton and Mercedes.

    Behind Hamilton and Leclerc, Bottas took third place ahead of Norris, with Daniel Ricciardo fifth in the second McLaren. Carlos Sainz fought back from a slow pit stop to finish sixth in the second Ferrari, while Fernando Alonso took seventh place for Alpine. Lance Stroll finished eighth for Aston Martin ahead of Esteban Ocon and the final point was taken by AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. 

    2021 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix – Race
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 52 1:58’23.284
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 52 1:58’27.155 3.871
    3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 52 1:58’34.409 11.125
    4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 52 1:58’51.857 28.573
    5 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 52 1:59’05.908 42.624
    6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 52 1:59’06.738 43.454
    7 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 52 1:59’35.377 1’12.093
    8 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 52 1:59’37.573 1’14.289
    9 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 52 1:59’39.446 1’16.162
    10 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 52 1:59’45.349 1’22.065
    11 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 52 1:59’48.611 1’25.327
    12 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 51 1:58’23.643 1 lap /0.359
    13 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 51 1:58’28.035 1 lap /4.751
    14 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 51 1:58’29.618 1 lap /6.334
    15 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 51 1:58’30.736 1 lap /7.452
    16 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 51 1:58’35.676 1 lap /12.392
    17 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 51 1:59’29.823 1 lap /1’06.539
    18 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 51 1:59’31.393 1 lap /1’08.109
    Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 40 1:41’35.184 Retirement
    Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 0 Collision

  • Verstappen wins F1’s first Sprint Race to qualify on pole

    Verstappen wins F1’s first Sprint Race to qualify on pole

    Silverstone, 17 July 2021: Max Verstappen made history by winning the first Sprint Qualifying of the FIA Formula One World Championship Round 10 at Silverstone after he beat title rival Lewis Hamilton off the line in a thrilling fight to the flag that left Hamilton with second place ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas. However, the new format was tough on Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Pérez who spun off early on. He dropped to 19th place and then retired his car just before the chequered flag.

    Verstappen’s win was secured at the race start and he took the pole for the main race on Sunday ahead of Hamilton. From his P2 grid slot the Red Bull driver made a superb getaway to power ahead of Hamilton as the frontrunners roared towards Turn 1. Behind them, Bottas settled into third place ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and the Alpine of Fernando Alonso who also made a great start, climbing from 11th place to fifth at the end of the opening lap. 

    Behind them, though, Pérez dropped back. He quickly fought back to seventh place but then, on lap six, as he pushed to close in on McLaren’s Lando Norris, he lost control and spun off. He managed to keep his car out of the wall but he rejoined in P19. 

    At the front Verstappen was beginning to build a gap and on lap eight he had two seconds in hand over title rival Hamilton. Bottas was a further three seconds back with Leclerc fourth, while Norris was now fifth after managing to get past Alonso. 

    The Alpine driver, who had started on soft tyres, was trying to hang on but Norris’ team-mate Ricciardo was next to attack and the Australian muscled his way past the Spaniard on lap nine.

    With three laps to go, Verstappen was firmly in control and despite noticeable blistering on his front right medium compound tyre, the Dutchman was a comfortable 2.3 seconds clear of the Mercedes driver who was also suffering with tyre wear.

    Towards the rear of the field Pérez was struggling. He had climbed to P18 but in the final moments his team told him to retire from the Sprint and he thus qualified for the race in last place behind the Haas cars of Mick Schumacher and 19th-placed Nikita Mazepin.

    Eventually, after 17 exciting laps, Verstappen crossed the line 1.4s ahead of Hamilton to claim the eighth pole position of his career in a novel manner.

    In a reverse to the front row after qualifying yesterday, Hamilton will start second, while Bottas will line up at the front of row two alongside Leclerc. McLaren locked out row three, with Norris ahead of Ricciardo and Alonso took seventh ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettell, Williams’ George Russell and the second Alpine of Esteban Ocon. 

    2021 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 17 25:38.426
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 17 25:39.856 1.430
    3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 17 25:45.928 7.502
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 17 25:49.704 11.278
    5 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 17 26:02.537 24.111
    6 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 17 26:09.385 30.959
    7 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 17 26:21.953 43.527
    8 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 17 26:22.865 44.439
    9 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 17 26:25.078 46.652
    10 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 17 26:25.821 47.395
    11 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 17 26:26.224 47.798
    12 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 17 26:27.189 48.763
    13 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 17 26:29.103 50.677
    14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 17 26:30.605 52.179
    15 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 17 26:31.651 53.225
    16 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 17 26:31.993 53.567
    17 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 17 26:33.588 55.162
    18 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 17 26:46.639 1:08.213
    19 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 17 26:56.074 1:17.648
    20 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 16 25:09.289 Not running

  • Hamilton takes pole for F1’s first Sprint Race ahead of Verstappen

    Hamilton takes pole for F1’s first Sprint Race ahead of Verstappen

    Silverstone, 16 July 2021: Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton will start Formula 1’s first sprint qualifying race from the front of the grid after he beat Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen in Friday qualifying at the British Grand Prix. Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas will start third ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

    In the opening phase of Q1 it was Verstappen who set the pace, with the Dutchman jumping to the top of the timesheet thanks to a lap of 1:16.751, despite a nervous moment in the final corner. That put the championship leader four tenths of a second ahead of Hamilton, with Bottas almost four tenths further back in third.

    Verstappen stayed in the garage for the final run, but team-mate Sergio Pérez headed out for a second attempt as his opening time left him in P13 in the final moments of the segment. However, the Mexican put in an excellent final lap of 1:27.121 to jump to P4 at the flag, just behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Hamilton also went for a final run and his 1:26.786, just 0.015s slower than Verstappen showed that the session would be hard fought. 

    Eliminated at the end of Q1 were AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in P16 ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen, Williams’ Nicholas Latifi and the Haas cars of Mick Schumacher and 20th-placed Nikita Mazepin. 

    Verstappen was again on top at the end of the opening run of Q2. Hamilton set the early benchmark with a lap of 1:26.602 but within moments Verstappen was across the line just under a tenth clear of the Mercedes driver. Bottas lay in third place after the first runs almost two tenths behind his Mercedes team-mate, while Pérez was fourth, two tenths further back. 

    On his final run of the session Hamilton lit up the timesheet with purple times in every sector and he took P1 with a time of 1:26.023. Verstappen improved too, but he settled for P2 with a final flyer of 1:26.315. 

    Ruled out at the end of the middle segment though were Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in P11 ahead of AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, the second Alpine of Esteban Ocon, Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. 

    Hamilton took P1 in the first run of Q3 thanks to a lap of 1:26.134, 0.172 ahead of Verstappen, who complained that his car was suffering from “oversteer to the moon”. The balance issues heaped pressure on the Dutchman in the final run and though Hamilton went wide in Sector 3 on his final flying lap, the Dutch driver couldn’t wrestle enough time out of his RB16B on his final flying lap and he was forced to settle for P2, between the two Mercedes cars. 

    Pérez’s final flyer put him into fourth place behind Bottas but the Mexican’s time was deleted for a track limits violation. That meant he was leapfrogged by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and the Red Bull driver will start the Sprint at the front of row three, in fifth place. 

    Pérez will be joined on the third row of the grid by Lando Norris. The McLaren driver took sixth place just 0.002s ahead of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. George Russell gave Williams hope of a good starting place for Sunday’s race by claiming seventh place on the Sprint grid, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and the final top-10 place was taken by Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel. 

    2021 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix – Qualifying
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:26.134
    2 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:26.209 0.075
    3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:26.328 0.194
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:26.828 0.694
    5 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:26.844 0.710
    6 Lando Norris McLaren 1:26.897 0.763
    7 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 1:26.899 0.765
    8 George Russell Williams 1:26.971 0.837
    9 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:27.007 0.873
    10 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 1:27.179 1.045
    11 Fernando Alonso Alpine 1:27.245 1.111
    12 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 1:27.273 1.139
    13 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:27.340 1.206
    14 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1:27.617 1.483
    15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:27.665 1.531
    16 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:28.043 1.909
    17 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 1:28.062 1.928
    18 Nicholas Latifi Williams 1:28.254 2.120
    19 Mick Schumacher Haas 1:28.738 2.604
    20 Nikita Mazepin Haas 1:29.051 2.917

  • Piastri takes maiden pole; Jehan Daruvala P12: F2

    Piastri takes maiden pole; Jehan Daruvala P12: F2

    Silverstone, 16 July 2021: Oscar Piastri became the fourth different polesitter in as many rounds with a dominant performance at Silverstone, setting the fastest lap of the session in the first stint, before a Robert Shwartzman crash brought out a Red Flag and ended Qualifying prematurely.

    Indian racing ace Jehan Daruvala could only qualify P12 due to the Red Flag situation but is looking to do better in the races. “P12 is not my best out there today. I will keep working hard to make sure we can do better tomorrow, the Carlin team Red Bull junior said on twitter after the race.

    Championship leader Guanyu Zhou snuck into second with a late lap, but was 0.221s off Piastri’s poletime of 1:39.854. MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor scored his best Qualifying position with third, just over four-tenths off the leader.

    Christian Lundgaard escorted the field out onto a hot and sunny Silverstone circuit, with a track temperature of 42 degrees. Lapping at 1:40.962, Felipe Drugovich led the first round of fast runs, beating Dan Ticktum’s Free Practice topping time by more than a second.

    There was enough life left in the medium Pirellis for another flyer and Piastri was determined to make the most of it, lunging to first with 1:39.854. Meanwhile, Drugovich was bumped down to third by Ticktum, although the Carlin driver remained half a second off Piastri.

    After a stint in the pits for fresh rubber, the field returned to the track with just a second separating the top 12. Piastri couldn’t make any improvements on his quickest time, but neither could his rivals, with the Australian retaining his half a second buffer in first.

    Zhou was left thanking his lucky stars as the UNI-Virtuosi racer crossed the line just moments before a Red Flag ended the session. And it was a significant improvement too, with the Chinese racer leaping from 10th to second in the order, thanks to a purple first sector and a personal best second sector.

    The session-ending Red Flag came when Shwarztman spun and beached his PREMA in the gravel at Stowe with just two minutes to go. Although, the Russian could consolidate himself with a solid finishing position of P7.

    Like Zhou, Verschoor had also managed to beat the Red Flag and nabbed himself a top-three spot, setting 1:40.259s to drop Ticktum down to P4.

    Théo Pourchaire completed the top five for ART Grand Prix, ahead of early pacesetter Felipe Drugovich. Roy Nissany scored eighth for DAMS, as Jüri Vips and Lundgaard completed the top 10.

  • Verstappen achieves third consecutive victory: Austrian GP Analysis

    Verstappen achieves third consecutive victory: Austrian GP Analysis

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    Max Verstappen achieved his third consecutive victory of the season as he extended his championship lead over title rival Lewis Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas achieved his highest finishing position of the season in P2 as McLaren’s Lando Norris completed the podium positions.

    London, 5 July 2021: Max Verstappen made a clean sweep of the triple header with a win in France, Styria and now Austria as Valtteri Bottas finished a distant second just being able to stay ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris who got his third podium of the season. Lewis Hamilton nursed his car to P4 as he suffered downforce loss, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Sergio Perez recovered to P6 after falling to P10 on the opening lap. Daniel Ricciardo recovered his McLaren to P7 after a disappointing qualifying on Saturday ahead of Charles Leclerc in P8. Pierre Gasly could only manage P9 in AlphaTauri and Fernando Alonso completed the points paying position.

    George Russell finished P11 after a long battle with Alonso, losing out at the end of the race.  Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda finished in P12 and Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll crossed the line in P13. Both Alfa Romeo drivers Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Raikkonen finished P14 and P15 respectively, with Raikkonen having a late coming together with Sebastian Vettel, the German not finishing but classified in P17. Williams’ other driver Nicholas Latifi finished P16. Both Haas cars finished two laps down with Mick Schumacher in P18 and Nikita Mazepin in P19. Esteban Ocon was the only non- classified DNF as he retired due to contact on lap one.

    Rain threatened once again this week but eventually failed to materialize. Verstappen got off cleanly from pole on lap one. Behind, Ocon’s contact meant he retired, and a safety car was called out.

    Racing got underway on lap 4, with once again Verstappen starting smoothly. In P2 was Norris who being challenged by Perez. Perez tried to pull off a move outside turn 4, but the gap closed,and he ended up in the gravel falling to P10. Meanwhile, Bottas got past teammate Hamilton, but Hamilton returned the favor by passing Bottas after 2 corners.

    With Perez out of the way, Hamilton chased Norris trying to overtake him. Finally on lap 20 Hamilton was able to get past his countryman. But the damage had already been done as Verstappen already had a lead of 5s in the lead. The stewards gave Norris a controversial 5 second time penalty for the incident with Perez after the safety car restart.

    Spectators seen during the FIA Formula One World Championship 2021 in Spielberg, Austria on July 4, 2021. Photo Philip Platzer for Red Bull Content Pool

    The AlphaTauri pair of Tsunoda and Gasly were the first cars to pit as they started on the soft tyres and changed to hard tyres. They pitted on lap 12 and 13 respectively. Everyone else was on mediums in the points, hence, they carried on longer.

    In the midfield Ricciardo was the first one to pit for hard tyres. In the lead Bottas and Norris pitted on the same lap, Bottas getting ahead of Norris as the McLaren driver served his 5-second time penalty before the pit stop could be completed. Hamilton pitted on lap 31 and Verstappen followed him one lap later. The last one to pit and change to hard tyres was Leclerc on lap 34. The only exception being his teammate Sainz who started on hard tyres and went long. Finally pitting on lap 48 for a set of medium tyres.

    Ahead Hamilton was unable to close up to Verstappen and started losing time relative to the Dutchman. Behind Bottas and Norris were closing as well. As it emerged, he had lost a piece of bodywork on the left rear of his car due to the aggressive nature of kerbs at the Red Bull ring. It cost him 30 pints of downforce according to Mercedes. He let Bottas past him and tried to defend from Norris but to no avail lost out to him. He pitted again on lap 53 for a new set of hard tyres but remained P4 for the rest of the race.

    In the midfield four cars were involved in the fight for P5, the leader of them being Perez. Leclerc tried to pass Perez on the outside of turn 4, much like the Mexican had tried at the start of the race. Leclerc got squeezed on the gravel and Perez was duly handed a 5 second time penalty. Leclerc once again tried to pass Perez on the outside of turn 6, again resulting in the same outcome with Perez getting another 5 second time penalty. Sainz who was on fresh medium tyres got past Leclerc and Ricciardo. He finished ahead of Perez due to the Red Bull driver’s penalties.

    Alonso overtook Russell at the dying moments to extend his point scoring streak after a proper battle with the Williams driver. On the last lap ex-teammates Vettel and Raikkonen tangled with the Finn getting a 20-second time penalty for the mishap. The day belonged to Verstappen as he took a dominant victory and made a clean sweep of the triple header.

    Red Bull have wind in their sails and their car on average is faster than their German title rivals. With Perez up to speed and supporting Verstappen, arguably it’s their championship to lose for the first time since 2013. Mercedes’ W12 clearly lacks pace especially in qualifying trim as they were outqualified by a McLaren. They have confirmed that they will bring upgrade packages in the near future to claw back performance, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough to return to the front.

    McLaren, especially in the hands of Norris almost got pole position, missing by less than 0.05s. Ricciardo is still struggling to extract one lap pace from the car but does well to recover positions in the race, exhibiting the McLaren’s race pace. Norris was just about to keep up with Bottas in the race as well. This is a positive step for the team who are looking to stamp their authority on P3 in the constructor’s championship. Ferrari struggled in qualifying as both cars were eliminated in Q2 but were the fourth fastest car in the race. Leclerc even had the pace to challenge Perez for positions. Ferrari need to solve the consistency problems with their car as some tracks they are faster in qualifying but struggle in the race and vice-versa.

    AlphaTauri showed impressive qualifying pace once again. They lost out to superior cars of McLaren and Ferrari in the race, admittedly a big part of it was due to an inferior strategy as they had to start on the soft tyre instead of the mediums. Tsunoda had a positive race as well if not for penalties received for crossing the pit entry line, an amateurish mistake on his behalf. Alpine were on the fringes of points as Alonso got P10, but they still lack the pace to challenge the midfield front runners. Alonso was blocked by Vettel otherwise he could have made into the top 10 in qualifying. Ocon retired on lap 1, therefore it was a race of ‘what could have been’ for Alpine. Aston Martin struggled in qualifying and race, as the softer allocation of tyres did not seem to suit them compared to last weekend. They made it to Q3 but were unable to convert position into points as both cars finished outside the top 10.

    Williams have showed a turn of speed since France with Russell progressing into Q3 on the medium tyres and then holding onto P10 until a late pass by Alonso. It is not long before Williams score points with their current form. Alfa Romeo similar to last weekend lacked pace in either of the main sessions as they finished well outside the top 10 and points. Haas’ struggle continue as scoring points looks bleak with an underdeveloped car and rookie drivers.

    Saturday Qualifying Results were:

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

    Note – Vettel penalised three grid places for impeding Alonso in Q2.

  • Advait Deodhar takes another well-deserved podium: EuroNASCAR2

    Advait Deodhar takes another well-deserved podium: EuroNASCAR2

    Brands Hatch (Kent, England), 4 July 2021: Ace Indian racer Advait Deodhar of CAAL Racing notched up another well-deserved podium taking a third place in EuroNASCAR2 Race 2 (Round 4) at the 1.94 kilometre Indy Circuit on Sunday. Tobias Dauenhauer scored his first win of the season and took the points lead from his teammate Martin Doubek.

    You can watch Sunday’s Round 4 race here on Auto Track You Tube.

    The 31-year old, Deodhar, in a #56 Ford Mustang, created history at the Saturday’s American SpeedFest 8 by taking a stunning victory in Race 1 of Round 3 as he became the first Indian pole sitter and race winner in the EuroNASCAR series.

    The London-based Mumbaikar’s victory proved to be a historic one in many ways. His victory is not only a first for an Indian driver in the Euro Series but his win also stopped the 12-race win streak that Hendriks Motorsport in the EuroNASCAR 2 division which is the longest streak of the most consecutive wins for any team in Euro Series so far.

    Race Report: Dauenhauer made a great start on the outside from second and got past poleman Deodhar at Paddock Hill Bend. The 23-year-old pulled away from his chasers and sped to victory after 30 laps under green. It was the first win of the season for the driver of the #50 Hendriks Motorsport Ford Mustang, who was handed the red Whelen banner for being the Championship leader.

    Deodhar, who lost the lead at the start, put up a stubborn defence against DF1 Racing’s Simon Pilate. The Belgian started from third and tried several times to get past Deodhar for second and managed to overtake on lap 27 for his best EuroNASCAR 2 result so far. Deodhar, the first Indian to win a EuroNASCAR race had to settle in third after a solid performance at the wheel of his #56 CAAL Racing machine in the 30-lap race. The Indian is supported by TJB SuperYachts and Strange Brew.

  • Verstappen extends title lead; Hamilton limps to fourth

    Verstappen extends title lead; Hamilton limps to fourth

    Spielberg, 4 July 2021: Max Verstappen scored the first grand slam of his career thanks to a dominant Austrian Grand Prix win that saw the Red Bull driver lead every one of the 71 laps of the Red Bull from pole position to take victory and take the extra point on offer for fastest lap. 

    The Dutchman was faultless throughout and managing an early re-start following a short safety car period caused byt Esteban Ocon’s crash on lap one, Verstappen effortlessly controlled the following 68 laps to finish almost 18 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Nursing a damaged car, Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth place. 

    When the lights went out at the start, Verstappen made a good start to take the lead ahead of front-row starter Norris and Sergio Pérez who made a good start from third place on the grid. 

    The race was soon neutralised, however. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was hit by the Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi and the Frenchman pulled over off track on the run down to Turn 4. The Safety Car was immediately deployed.

    When racing resumed at the start of lap four, Pérez piled pressure on Norris and attacked as they went down to Turn 4. The Mexican tried a bold move around the outside of the McLaren but as Norris held his line, Pérez was forced off into the gravel and he dropped to P10 behind the second McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo. 

    The soft tyre starters then began to pit. That boosted Pérez back up the order and on lap 20 he found himself in seventh place behind Charles Leclerc and within DRS range of the Ferrari. At the front, Max was 8.6s ahead of Norris but then the McLaren driver was hit with a five-second penalty for causing the earlier collision with Pérez. His pain was increased when moments later he was passed by Hamilton.

    The Mercedes driver’s move past Norris made little immediate impact on Verstappen’s advantage at the front, however, and by lap 24 the Red Bull driver was 10.2 seconds clear of his title rival. 

    Norris and Bottas then sparked the main round of pit stops for the leaders on lap 31 and during his stop Norris served his five-second penalty. That allowed Bottas to exit the pit lane ahead of him, in third place.

    Hamilton was the next to make a pit stop, on lap 32, with Verstappen following a lap later and when the order shook out Max found himself more than 13 seconds ahead of the Mercedes driver. 

    Pérez made his first stop on lap 34, attempting to undercut Leclerc, and despite a slow stop caused by a problem with his front left wheel, the Red Bull driver leapfrogged the Ferrari driver pitted when he pitted on lap 35. 

    On lap 41 Leclerc attacked Pérez in Turn 4, and the Ferrari and the Red Bull made contact. Leclerc went off track and rejoined and Pérez was handed a five-second time penalty for forcing another driver off track.

    The battle between the two flared again on lap 46. Leclerc once again got into DRS range and attacked into Turn 4. This time the battle continued through the following corner, but in Turn 6 Pérez held a wide line and Leclerc was forced off track a second time. The Mexican soon received a second five-second penalty.

    Hamilton now began to report that he was struggling with damage to his Mercedes and with Norris once again looking competitive in P4, Mercedes opted to allow third-placed Bottas to pass his team-mate. Hamilton then fell back towards Norris and on lap 53 the young McLaren driver powered past the Mercedes man in Turn 6. With a sizeable gap behind him to Pérez Hamilton then pitted to take on another set of hard tyres.

    Verstappen now had an almost 30-second advantage over Bottas and Red Bull pitted the Dutchman for another set of hard tyres. He emerged with over seven seconds in hand over Bottas and on lap 62 he then grabbed the fastest lap of the race and an extra point with a time of 1:06.200. From there it was a cruise to the flag and after 71 Verstappen grabbed his 15th career win.

    Behind him Bottas took second, while Norris scored the fourth podium finish of his career. Hamilton had to settle for fourth ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who managed to pass Leclerc and Ricciardo in the final few laps. 

    With two five-second penalties to take at the flag, Checo needed to eke out a 10-second advantage over the sixth-placed driver, but as Sainz rose through the order, Checo ended up missing out by just 0.7s and had to settle for sixth. With Ricciardo and Leclerc seventh and eighth respectively, ninth place went to Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly. The final point on offer went to Alpine’s Fernando Alonso after he came out on top of an enthralling battle that denied Williams’ George Russell a first point of the season. 

    2021 FIA Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix – Race
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 71 1:23’54.543
    2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 71 1:24’12.516 17.973
    3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 71 1:24’14.562 20.019
    4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 1:24’40.995 46.452
    5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 71 1:24’51.687 57.144
    6 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 71 1:24’52.458 57.915
    7 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 71 1:24’54.938 1’00.395
    8 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 71 1:24’55.738 1’01.195
    9 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 71 1:24’56.387 1’01.844
    10 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 70 1:24’05.587 1 lap /11.044
    11 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 70 1:24’11.219 1 lap /16.676
    12 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 70 1:24’21.962 1 lap /27.419
    13 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 70 1:24’28.620 1 lap /34.077
    14 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 70 1:24’31.561 1 lap /37.018
    15 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 70 1:24’37.844 1 lap /43.301
    16 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 70 1:24’39.438 1 lap /44.895
    17 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 69 1:23’02.087 2 laps
    18 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 69 1:24’00.507 2 laps /5.964
    19 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 69 1:24’51.577 2 laps /57.034
         Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 0 Collision

  • Advait Deodhar becomes first Indian to win a EuroNASCAR race: NWES

    Advait Deodhar becomes first Indian to win a EuroNASCAR race: NWES

    Brands Hatch, 3 July 2021: Advait Deodhar created history by becoming the first Indian to not only take pole position but win a EuroNASCAR race at the Indy Circuit on Saturday.

    He held off Tobias Dauenhauer to win Race 1 of Round 3 of NASCAR2 Whelen Euro Series at Brands Hatch on Saturday.

    The 2018 European NASCAR Elite Club champion, Deodhar of CAAL Racing, in a #56 Ford Mustang, led from start to finish, surviving a caution restart to win his first-ever EuroNASCAR career race. He also claimed the fastest lap with Tobi Dauenhauer second and the shadow of Francesco Garisto in third in the first race of the Round 3. The London-based Indian is supported by TJB SuperYachts and Strange Brew.

    You can watch the race video at YouTube Auto Track here.

    Race Report by BY ANDRÉ WIEGOLD

    Advait Deodhar (centre) on the top of the podium. Credits: NASCAR WES/ Stephane Azemard

    Advait Deodhar made a lifetime dream come true at his home track of Brands Hatch, UK. The Indian living in London grabbed the maiden win of his NASCAR Whelen Euro Series career at the 1.94 kilometer Indy Circuit. Deodhar led all 30 laps and defended his lead against a charging Tobias Dauenhauer, who ended up second at the wheel of the #50 Hendriks Motorsport Ford Mustang, reported euronascar.com

    Starting from the pole for his 21st EuroNASCAR 2 race which began on dry conditions, Deodhar successfully held on to the lead on the start and kept Dauenhauer at bay in the first few laps despite all the attempts the German made. The race was halted not too long after, however, as contact between Hollamby and Leevi Lintukanto sent the No. 23 Barot’s Camaro in the gravel trap at Paddock Hill, ending the Finn’s race early.

    After a lengthy Safety Car period, the race was restarted with Deodhar successfully managing to keep the lead once again. Deodhar was pressured by Dauenhauer throughout the race, but the 31-year old Indian driver showcased his experience by putting a masterclass in a defensive race, keeping the German at bay and skillfully getting past the lapped cars on his way to score his first career victory in the EuroNASCAR 2 division, crossing the finish line 0.433 ahead of Dauenhauer.

    “I will never forget this moment in my life”, said Deodhar, who posted the fastest lap and thus also secured pole for the race on Sunday. “I need to pinch myself because I cannot believe I have won. It was a tough race with Tobias at my back bumper during all laps of this round. Thanks to CAAL Racing for giving me an awesome car. It was only the second win of my life and it’s something very special to score one here at Brands Hatch.”

    Starting from fifth place, Francesco Garisto was on a mission in EuroNASCAR 2 Round 3 at the wheel of the #17 42 Racing Shadow DNM8. The Italian overtook his fellow countryman Alberto Panebianco and settled down in third. He crossed the finish line on that position but was demoted back to seventh after a post-race penalty for an avoidable collision with Panebianco.

    Simon Pilate inherited third place with a strong run after a safety car period that was triggered by Levi Lintukanto on lap 3. The Finn got stuck in the gravel of Paddock Hill Bent and the caution was necessary to clear the turn. Green flags waved again on lap 11 and Pilate powered his way up to fourth after passing his DF1 Racing teammate Justin Kunz and Not Only Motorsport’s Panebianco.

    Deodhar gets maiden pole before the rain

    Earlier, Advait Deodhar scored his first ever NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Pole Position at Brands Hatch on Saturday. The Indian, who’s living in London, clocked a 49.918-lap and beat Tobias Dauenhauer by 0.192 seconds. Deodhar had some help from the skies as rain started to fall right around the half-time of the 30-minute session. NWES rookie Miguel Gomes spun with his slick tires and triggered a short red flag period.

    As the session resumed, the track prevented teams and drivers from driving faster laps so a lot of V8 engines stayed quiet until the end. Only Michael Bleekemolen and Yevgen Sokolovskiy tried out their cars on wet tires. DF1 Racing’s Justin Kunz was third quickest ahead of the impressive EuroNASCAR 2 rookie Alberto Panebianco at the wheel of the #89 Not Only Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro. The Italian also topped the Rookie Trophy standings.

    Advait Deodhar on way to his pole on Saturday. Photo by Stephane Azemard

    42 Racing’s Fracesco Garisto completed the top-5 with a 0.594-gap from the pole setter. Valencia double winner Martin Doubek followed in sixth ahead of Max Lanza and Simon Pilate. Pierluigi Veronesi and Sokolovskiy, who led the Legend Trophy standings, closed the top-10. Alina Loibnegger beat Arianna Casoli in the battle for the best starting position in the Lady Trophy.

    The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will be back in action on Sunday for Rounds 4 of the 2021 season. The NASCAR GP UK will continue at 1:43 pm CET with the EuroNASCAR PRO race, while the EuroNASCAR 2 race will follow at 4:58 pm CET. All races will be broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s social media platforms – YouTube, Facebook, Twitch – and Motorsport.tv.