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Author: David Bodapati
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Smolyar takes victory from Novalak in frenetic season’s 1st race
Barcelona, 8 May 2021: Alex Smolyar sealed an impressive first victory in Formula 3 for ART Grand Prix, scampering ahead of Jonny Edgar in the early stages before managing out the remainder of Race 1 to finish ahead of Trident’s Clément Novalak and MP Motorsport’s Caio Collet.
After a convincing opening stint, Smolyar was spared a late encounter with Novalak as the race ended under Safety Car conditions, following a spin from Oliver Rasmussen. The Trident had risen from fourth and begun to close the gap to P1, but wouldn’t get the chance to have a go at him.
MP rookie Collet briefly dropped off the podium but recovered to seal a rostrum on his first start in F3, ahead of 2020 title challenger Logan Sargeant.
Despite dropping down to P5 at the flag, 17-year-old Edgar did at least come away with plenty of points on his debut, finishing ahead of PREMA’s Olli Caldwell.
AS IT HAPPENED
Lining up on reverse grid pole, Edgar’s first F3 race start was delayed by an issue for his teammate, Ido Cohen, who had struggled to a stop on the formation lap. The Israeli was pleased to get his Carlin going, albeit from the pitlane, as the grid were forced into a second formation lap, shortening the action from 22 laps to 21.
The additional formation lap meant Edgar had plenty of time to think about his start, and he made no mistake when the five lights did eventually go green, thundering off into the distance with a great getaway.
Smolyar brushed off a challenge from Collet to hold onto P2, as Novalak and Logan Sargeant tussled their way through to fourth and fifth.
Having kept his cool at the start, Smolyar was picking up the pace and fast catching the race leader, Edgar. The polesitter had spoken about tyre management in the leadup to his debut, saying that he wouldn’t fight an overtake if it meant destroying his Pirellis, and that bore out on Lap 4, as Smolyar glided past with the aid of DRS.
Further down the order, Smolyar’s teammate Frederik Vesti was struggling to keep Caldwell at bay. The PREMA had dropped back at the start, but recovered to go on the charge, picking off Vesti and David Schumacher for P6 within a matter of laps.
An all-rookie battle was emerging for P2 between Edgar and Collet, but the duo’s clash took them away from the racing line and allowed the more experienced Novalak to sneak in between them, after Collet skewed ever so slightly onto the marble.
Having briefly managed to hold off Novalak, Edgar eventually succumbed to the Frenchman, who clinically swept around the outside at the first chicane for P2. The Briton was visibly struggling and watched on as Collet and Sargeant followed Novalak past.
Having looked so controlled out in front for much of the race, Smolyar’s lead was suddenly under threat from Novalak, who was nearly within DRS range after eating into the gap between them. So, Russian was relieved to see a Safety Car come out with three laps to go, after Rasmussen spun off into the gravel.
The length of the clear-up meant that the Safety Car led the drivers over the finish line, allowing Smolyar to clinch a maiden victory over Novalak and get his title challenge up and running.
He may not have been able to hold off Collet and Sargeant, but the late drama ensured Edgar kept P5, ahead of Caldwell and Vesti. Friday’s form driver, Dennis Hauger, took P8 ahead of Victor Martins and Matteo Nannini. Enzo Fittipaldi will start Race 2 from reverse grid pole, ahead of Schumacher.
KEY QUOTE – ALEX SMOLYAR (ART GRAND PRIX)
“My first win of the season and I am really happy with the race. I had quite a comfortable lead at the beginning, but then had to fight off the pace of Novalak.
“I am quite pleased with the win and I will now try and keep earning as many points as I possibly can this weekend.”
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Lewis Hamilton tops timesheets in FP2: Spanish GP
Barcelona, 7 May 2021: Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheet in second practice for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya beating Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas by over a tenth of a second as Max Verstappen finished in ninth place following an error during his qualifying simulation.
Bottas, the morning’s fastest man, set the early pace in the one-hour afternoon session, working his way to a time of 1:18.419, with Hamilton 0.042s slower than his team-mate, while Verstappen sat in third place, three tenths off the pace.
The session was briefly slowed when a Virtual Safety Car was deployed after 10 minutes to allow marshals to clear a piece of bodywork that had become dislodged from Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
When the track went green again teams set about preparing for their qualifying simulations with Bottas getting down to 1:18.309 before Hamilton toppled him with lap of 1:18.170.
It was then Verstappen turn to bolt on soft tyres and after losing a small amount of ground to Hamilton opening sector the Dutchman then went wide on the entry to Turn 10 and as he tried to recover he got a snap of oversteer that sent him off track. He kept going but backed off in the final corners and finished in ninth thanks to his earlier lap on medium times.
With Verstappen down the order, third place in the session went to Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver was just 0.165s slower than Hamilton. Esteban Ocon took fourth place just ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso on an encouraging afternoon for improving Alpine, while Pierre Gasly finished in P6 ahead of AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
Sainz was eighth for Ferrari ahead of Versatappen and the Dutch driver’s team-mate Sergio Pérez, finished in P10 as he too failed to complete his qualifying simulation. He ended the session 0.748s off Hamilton’s best time.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 32 1:18.170;
2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 31 1:18.309 0.139;
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 28 1:18.335 0.165;
4 Esteban Ocon Alpine 29 1:18.466 0.296;
5 Fernando Alonso Alpine 30 1:18.518 0.348;
6 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 32 1:18.593 0.423;
7 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 30 1:18.619 0.449;
8 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 30 1:18.674 0.504;
9 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 26 1:18.785 0.615;
10 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 23 1:18.918 0.748;
11 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 30 1:18.947 0.777;
12 Lando Norris McLaren 28 1:19.092 0.922;
13 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 29 1:19.122 0.952;
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 29 1:19.134 0.964;
15 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 28 1:19.195 1.025;
16 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 30 1:19.213 1.043;
17 George Russell Williams 29 1:19.957 1.787;
18 Nicholas Latifi Williams 26 1:20.046 1.876;
19 Mick Schumacher Haas 30 1:20.326 2.156;
20 Nikita Mazepin Haas 27 1:20.753 2.583. -
Hauger takes first F3 pole beating Doohan
Dennis Hauger continued his excellent start to life with PREMA Racing to take his first ever pole position in Formula 3, beating out Trident’s Jack Doohan by 0.006s. The Red Bull juniors traded places throughout the session, but it was the Norwegian who came out on top, with MP Motorsport’s Alpine prodigy Victor Martins nabbing third late on.
Barcelona, 7 May 2021: Track temperature had risen from 28 to 39 between Free Practice and Qualifying and the majority of the field opted to head out at the first opportunity. At the front of the queue were Hitech Grand Prix, with Jak Crawford the first to complete a flying lap, but it was Trident’s Doohan who set the standard, beating the fastest time from Free Practice with a run of 1:33.580.
The fastest man from practice, Hauger, very briefly nabbed first with a storming final sector at the start of his second run, going round at 1:33.138, but Doohan responded by reclaiming the position at the first opportunity.
Hauger had more luck on his third run, with the Red Bull junior setting a purple middle sector to snatch pole from Doohan by 0.006s.
The top two were in a league of their own, but there was a flurry of late activity behind them, as Frederik Vesti and Matteo Nannini both briefly held third, before falling to fourth and fifth. The duo were dropped down the order thanks to a last gasp effort from Martins, who came within 0.055s off the front two, beating Nannini by two tenths.
Olli Caldwell and Clement Novalak beat 2020 title challenger Logan Sargeant to sixth and seventh, with the final Trident of David Schumacher settling for P9. Caio Collet completed the top 10 ahead of Alex Smolyar.
Jonny Edgar beat Juan Manuel Correa to reverse grid pole for Race 1 by less than a tenth, with the Carlin Buzz racer finishing 12th.
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Formula E moves to Monaco to tackle most-iconic street circuit
The hunt for honours is wide open as ABB FIA Formula E World Championship protagonists prepare to unleash more Monaco magic
Monaco, 7 May 2021: The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is Monaco-bound this week, as competitors in the all-electric single-seater series get ready to tackle the most iconic street circuit in the world in the glamorous Principality on Saturday (8 May).
The three previous editions of the prestigious Monaco E-Prix have all proven to be hard-fought and thoroughly entertaining affairs, and the forthcoming race – round seven of the 2020/21 Formula E campaign – looks certain to deliver more of the same, especially as it will use the full track (3,33 km) for the first time, lightly modified in the chicane layout at T11 on the harbour front at the exit of the tunnel to suit the series’ requirements. Its tight, twisty and technical layout is sure to pose a stern challenge, and its unforgiving nature means no mistake will go unpunished.
Mercedes EQ’s Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne lead the Formula E field into the weekend, separated by nine points at the summit of the standings following the opening three double-headers. Between them, the pair have won half of the races disputed so far this season, but they have also notched up four retirements and neither scored in the most recent contest in Valencia. They will be determined to regain their momentum in Monaco, where de Vries twice triumphed in FIA Formula 2 and Vandoorne emerged victorious in GP2
Jaguar Racing’s Sam Bird and his former team-mate, Envision Virgin Racing ace Robin Frijns, are the Mercedes duo’s nearest pursuers, currently tied for third place in the classification. Bird was a winner in Diriyah and reached the rostrum again in Rome but endured a difficult weekend in Valencia, while Frijns has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign that he is aiming to build upon this weekend.
Mitch Evans in the second Jaguar entry is just behind in fifth, and like Bird, the New Zealander is eager to quickly bounce back from a subdued Spanish double-header for the British outfit.
With four top six finishes to-date in 2020/21, René Rast has been a model of consistency for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler and has twice tasted victory champagne in Monaco in the Porsche Supercup. DS TECHEETAH’s Jean-Éric Vergne, meanwhile, is one of only two drivers on the grid to have won around the streets of the Principality in Formula E, leading from lights-to-flag in 2018/19 en route to his second championship crown.
The other active driver to have mastered Monaco in Formula E is Nissan e.dams’ Sébastien Buemi, who converted pole position into the top step of the podium in both 2014/15 and 2016/17. The Swiss driver is searching for a repeat performance this time around, following a disappointing start to the season that sees him just 22nd in the title table. His team-mate Oliver Rowland qualified fastest for the race in 2018/19 prior to a grid penalty being applied, so hopes are high for a bumper points haul on Saturday to fire the pair up the order.
Fellow Briton Jake Dennis launched himself spectacularly into the top ten in the standings courtesy of a brilliant maiden triumph in only his sixth Formula E start a week ago in Valencia. The BMW i Andretti Motorsport man has never previously competed in Monaco, but buoyed by his breakthrough success, he is excited to push for more silverware.
Edoardo Mortara and rookie ROKiT Venturi Racing team-mate Norman Nato have both displayed flashes of real pace over the six rounds so far, with the latter in particular unfortunate not to have more to show for his efforts. The Frenchman won in Monaco in Formula Renault 3.5 and raced to the runner-up spoils in GP2, so will surely fancy his chances of securing his first big Formula E result this weekend on his team home event.
Pascal Wehrlein has also shone in the Principality in the past – posting fastest lap in the Formula E race there in 2018/19 – while TAG Heuer Porsche stablemate André Lotterer finally got his challenge off the mark with a superb second place in Spain, following a troubled opening five outings.
Somebody in need of a similar result – and who has twice finished second in Monaco in Formula E – is 2016/17 champion Lucas Di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler), who is languishing down in 19th place in the points at present. Both the Brazilian and fellow title-holder António Félix da Costa (DS TECHEETAH) have been left ruing missed opportunities to win this season, but both are more than capable of kick-starting their campaigns around a circuit renowned for springing surprises.
The Monaco E-Prix is set to begin at 16:00 CET on Saturday, 8 May.
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It is a good learning process for me, says Arjun Maini ahead of DTM season
Lausitzring, 6 May 2021: Arjun Maini, who is set to race for the Mercedes-AMG Performance Team GetSpeed in the upcoming 2021 DTM season at the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 expressed that he is looking forward to seeing how he goes up against the best, during an official DTM virtual media conference on Thursday, “One thing that I have had to get used to is the small margin for error. Even a small mistake can cost you and of course the level of the drivers is extremely incredible, like it always is in DTM. And I think the main thing is going to be that we cannot afford to make any mistakes throughout the season. I am looking forward to seeing how I can go up against the best.”
Maini, who is backed by JK Racing and Mumbai Falcons so far , has completed a three-day pre-season test in Lausitzring, Germany from May 4 to 6, further added that he has shown a lot of improvement since the first time he drove a DTM car, “It’s been a really good learning process for me. The team has been absolutely great while helping me get up to speed with the car and the way everything works, and also adjusting the car a bit to my driving style. I have shown a lot of improvement since the first time I drove. We have been focussing on our own program so far and it’s going really well.”
Maini posted the fastest time in testing over the two and a half days so far but when asked about it said that the real times will come out in Qualifying at the First Race in Monza.
The 23-year-old expressed that it’s a privilege for him to be a part of DTM and the Mercedes AMG family with the support from the GetSpeed team, “I first saw the DTM atmosphere when I was racing in Formula 3 in 2015 and you could realize how big it was already back then. It’s a massive privilege for me to be a part of DTM and the Mercedes AMG family with the support from the GetSpeed team. I am really looking forward to getting the season going with a lot of support coming in from home.”
The racer, who will be taking part in eight rounds (16 races) in the series, which will be held across Europe from June 2021 to October 2021, said that he is looking forward to making the DTM series more popular in India.
“It’ll be great to have a race in India sometime in the future. With me in the race, I think a lot of Indians will start following the DTM series and I think this series will be quite interesting and different for them. This type of racing is not quite well known as of now in India, so I am looking forward to making it popular for the Indian people and hopefully entertain them,” said Maini. -
Viñales and Rins fastest as MotoGP heads out for more track time at Jerez
The duo pull clear at the top of the timesheets as Mir slots into third and Honda steal some headlines
Jerez, 3 May 2021: The post-race test at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto came to a close on Monday with Maverick Viñales on top with a 1:36.879, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider putting in a characteristically busy day at the office as he did 101 laps. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was second just 0.034 back, with Joan Mir making it two Suzukis in the top three although the reigning Champion was four tenths off Viñales as the duo on top pulled clear.
Yamaha were represented by Viñales, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Valentino Rossi ((Petronas Yamaha SRT) as Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) sat the test out following his arm pump troubles on Sunday. Still, it was a busy day. Adding to Viñales’ full century at the top of the timesheets, in which the number 12 went a few tenths quicker than qualifying, Morbidelli did 67 laps and was P9; Rossi 73 laps for P12.
Morbidelli focused especially on braking and hopes improvements made will help in Le Mans. Both he and teammate Rossi also had a few new parts to try from Yamaha, including a front fender and swingarm.
Rins led the Suzuki charge and despite finishing the test just after lunchtime, the Spaniard put in 59 laps. Once again, he was testing the “possible” 2022 engine that he, teammate Mir and test rider Sylvain Guintoli tested in Qatar. He also worked on improving on used tyres, impressed with the pace as it was a step up on the weekend. He headed to Barcelona for a check up on his shoulder in the afternoon. Mir did 64 laps.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was the top Honda in the test as he was on race day, both times in fourth. He did 71 laps. Five different aero packages were seen at Honda between him, eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez, which gained a few glances up and down pitlane.
Nakagami tried aero, but then mainly focused on setup. He said he was more consistent and really comfortable, looking forward to Le Mans, and that the 2020 chassis is working well. He also warned against seeing that change back as something signifying the new chassis was negative. Teammate Alex Marquez also felt he made improvements on Monday, and did 75 laps to end the day in P15. That was just ahead of Marc Marquez as the eight-time World Champion only did seven laps, feeling some after effects of his crashes during the weekend.
Pol Espargaro focused on aero, electronics and ergonomics, things he says seem fairly small but when a rider is adapting to a bike, can make a big difference. He says he’ll remain on the same chassis, as he thinks there remains a good margin of improvement. The number 44 was spotted riding at least three different HRC bikes during the test though – his standard, one with different aero and a completely carbon coloured bike.
At Ducati, most recent race winner Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) was straight back to work on Monday as he and World Championship-leading teammate Francesco Bagnaia completed a combined total of 84 laps, one day after securing the Bologna factory’s first 1-2 since Brno 2018. Bagnaia was tenth, Miller in P18.
Zarco was the fastest Ducati in fifth Zarco was the fastest Borgo Panigale machine, however, putting in 75 laps. The Frenchman said he was focusing a lot on suspension rather than new parts, looking for a way to get the full potential of the new bike. Stand-in teammate Tito Rabat also tested on Monday, P20 after 65 laps. Rookie Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) moved up into eighth after 66 laps after a good day’s work, with Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) in P13 after 54 laps.
Pitlane reporter Simon Crafar reported new chassis to try for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder, but the two said the key focus was about the tyres. Oliveira said he was trying to make changes to make the bike work better on the softer front without compromising their existing positives. He found an improvement in pace and was pretty positive. Binder repeated Oliveira’s words that the focus was on making the softer tyre work, purposefully staying away from using the harder front that normally suits them better. He said they found something that seemed to make life a little easier and ended the day in P11 after 66 laps. Oliveira was top KTM in P7 after 72 laps.
Danilo Petrucci in the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing ranks was seen sporting a different tank/seat area, the Italian seemingly trying some ergonomics to improve his feeling on the RC16. He was P19 after 63 laps, teammate Iker Lecuona 64 in P16.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro had a tougher day at the office following his closest ever finish to the MotoGP™ winner, crashing early and then calling an early end to his test not long after, feeling under the weather after the incident although not sustaining any injuries. He ultimately did 12 laps and was P14. Lorenzo Savadori did 54 laps, however, and completed the timesheets.
That’s it from Jerez. It’s now next stop Le Mans, with the SHARK Grand Prix de France now less than two weeks away
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Hamilton achieves 150th points-finish; Bottas gets fastest lap and a point
Lewis Hamilton took his 97th career victory and second of the season ahead of chief title rival Max Verstappen in 2nd and Mercedes teammate and pole sitter Valtteri Bottas in 3rd. The race win also meant that Hamilton achieved points for the 150th time since joining Mercedes in 2013.
London, 3 May 2021: Lewis Hamilton passed Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas on track to take a well-managed victory with the latter two completing the podium, Bottas bagging an extra point for the fastest lap of the race. The second Red Bull of Sergio Perez finished P4, his highest result since joining the Austrian squad. McLaren’s Lando Norris achieved P5, meaning he’s finished in the top 5 in all three races this season. Charles Leclerc brought home his Ferrari in P6 as Alpine achieved consecutive double points finishes with Esteban Ocon in P7 and Fernando Alonso in P8. Daniel Ricciardo recovered his McLaren to P9 after a disappointing qualifying with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly rounding out the top 10.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz crossed the line in P11 due to a strategy mistake, ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi. Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll finished P13 and P14 respectively for Aston Martin. Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda came home in P15. George Russell complained the Williams of being undrivable as he only managed P16 by the end of the chequered flag. Mick Schumacher overtook Williams’ Nicholas Latifi in the last stages of the race to finish P17. Haas teammate Nikita Mazepin finished last- P19 and the only retiree was Kimi Raikkonen.
The top four cars of Bottas, Hamilton, Verstappen and Perez started on the medium tyres. The top 3 got off the line well as they maintained the order heading into the uphill turn 4, while Perez lost a position to Sainz. Behind Ocon had jumped Norris, but the Briton pulled off a move on the outside of turn 11 to regain his position. Ricciardo too had made up three positions from P16. Meanwhile, Raikkonen was trying to slipstream Alfa Romeo teammate Giovinazzi when he ran into the back of him, dislodging his front wing and going into the gravel at turn 1. This brought out the safety car.
Bottas did a brilliant restart on lap 7 as Hamilton was slow to react, eventually being overtaken by Verstappen for P2. Behind, Sainz made a mistake as he dropped to P6 and Norris passed Perez for P4. Perez complaining that the McLaren driver had passed him off the track.
Hamilton repaid the favour to Verstappen on lap 11, using DRS and sling shotting past the Dutchman in turn 1, with the Red Bull power unit unable to match Mercedes. With that Hamilton was on the gearbox of Bottas, eventually passing his teammate on lap 20 to take the lead. The running order now was Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen and Perez, albeit Perez far behind the top 3. Norris was best of the rest ahead of Sainz, Leclerc, Ocon, Gasly and Ricciardo.
Ferrari blinked first as they brought in Sainz for medium tyre on lap 21. To cover Sainz, Norris and Ocon pitted on lap 22, McLaren opting for the medium tyres whereas Alpine choosing the hard tyres. Gasly pitted on lap 24, choosing mediums as well while Leclerc pitted a lap later changing from mediums to hard tyres.
Pirelli Graphic At the front of the field to undercut Bottas, Verstappen pitted on lap 35 for hard tyres. Bottas following suit the next lap came out just ahead of Verstappen but on colder tyres. As Bottas struggled for traction Verstappen with help of DRS moved ahead of the Finn before turn 5. Meanwhile race leader Hamilton pitted on lap 37 for hard tyres, emerging in P2 but having the net lead as Perez was yet to pit.
Behind the Leclerc passed Sainz on the instructions from Ferrari as the Spaniard struggled on the medium set of tyres. Ocon passed Sainz on lap 44. A fast-charging Alonso was flying on his set of the hard tyres as he passed Ricciardo and Sainz in quick succession to take P8. The final nail in the coffin came when Gasly passed Sainz dropping the Ferrari driver out of points.
Meanwhile, at the front Perez did a mammoth 51 lap stint on the medium tyres, eventually pitting for soft tyres in a bid to set the fastest lap of the race. Bottas was closing in on Verstappen but an exhaust sensor issue meant he suffered a power loss and lost 4s to the Red Bull. Bottas had enough of a gap to pit for soft tyres and emerge in front of Perez, in a bid to set the fastest lap. On lap 63 bolting on the softs the Finn set about going for the fastest lap point. Verstappen did the same thing next lap and although he did set the fastest lap due to track limits the time was deleted and the point went to Bottas.
With Hamilton’s second victory of the season, he now leads the championship by 8 points over Verstappen while Mercedes double podium means that they lead the constructor’s championship over Red Bull by 18 points. With 20 more races yet to come it is game on!
Pirelli Graphic Mercedes was the outright fastest car this weekend as can be seen in both qualifying and the race. It is not the case that Mercedes have brought upgrades but more of the circuit characteristics suiting the W12 compared to the Red Bull. Red Bull evidently struggled in the low grip of the Portimao circuit, especially in race trim. Red Bull brought some upgrades to their floor and bargeboard area which seemed to make gains for them. The picture between the top 2 will be clearer next time out in Barcelona which is a more conventional circuit.
McLaren once again were the best of the rest behind the top 2, though this time they had a less of an advantage over immediate rivals Ferrari. Ferrari will be happy to beat McLaren in qualifying, but they struggled in the race to manage the tyres, especially mediums. Once again, the caveat being that this race was an outlier in terms of surface grip being very low. Alpine will be positive about the aerodynamic package introduced in the last race at Imola, as they achieved double points finish. The A521 showing top 10 qualifying pace in the hands of Ocon as well. AlphaTauri lacked both qualifying and race pace to challenge any of the midfield cars with Gasly picking up a solitary point in P10. After showing promising pace in the opening two rounds of the season they will be looking to bounce back at Barcelona next week.
A safety car period at Round 3 at Portimao on Sunday. A Mercedes AMG F1 team image Aston Martin were nowhere near top 10 this weekend. Vettel impressed in qualifying as he reached Q3 but that pace disappeared come race day. Stroll’s car had some new aerodynamic parts, but it remains to be seen if they are enough to make a leap forward for the British racing team. Alfa Romeo were on the fringes of points once again but could not break through to top 10. With Raikkonen retiring they had one less car on the strategy side, but the potential is there to achieve points. Williams had a contrasting weekend with Russell showing blistering qualifying pace, starting P11. But the FW43B was edgy and undrivable on heavy fuel in the race. Williams need to sort out these unpredictable characteristics of the car if they are to achieve points in 2021. Haas had a positive weekend with Schumacher able to split the Williams in the race and both drivers able to complete the race without any major incidents.
Saturday Qualifying Results were:
P1: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes) P2: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes) P3: Max Verstappen- 33 (Red Bull) P4: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull) P5: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari) P6: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine) P7: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren) P8: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari) P9: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri) P10: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Aston Martin) P11: George Russell- 63 (Williams) P12: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo) P13: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine) P14: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri) P15: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo) P16: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren) P17: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin) P18: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams) P19: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas) P20: Nikita Mazepin- 9 (Haas) -
Di Giannantonio disappears for dominant first win: Moto2
Jerez, 2 May 2021: Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) has come close before, but the Italian is finally an intermediate class race winner after a Moto2 masterclass at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, the fourth round of the Moto2 World Championship here on Sunday.
Getting a near perfect start from the front row, the Italian then pulled away for glory and left his rivals battling for best of the rest. Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) won that fight as the Italian took his first rostrum of the season in second, with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) taking a solid third to get back on the box.
Fabio Di Giannantonio: “I feel amazing, honestly it feels amazing to come back to first spot and take my first victory in moto2, I sweated a lot to get this victory in the last two years and now it came… wow. Amazing! The race was amazing and I made a fantastic start which I didn’t expect because always at the start I’m not so good, but I made a fantastic start and when I was there I just said, ‘ok do your rhythm and lines, enjoy the bike… 41.5/6 was coming quite easily so in the end just an amazing result, what can I say, just a big smile.!”
Di Giannantonio took the holeshot from the middle of the front row of the grid, squeezing ahead of poleman Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) on the brakes. Bezzecchi held third place on the first lap but then very nearly found himself in the Turn 6 gravel trap when he got it out of shape under braking, the Italian somehow missing Gardner’s rear wheel but running well wide to allow both Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) through.
It didn’t take long for remarkable rookie Raul Fernandez to move into the podium places too with a smooth move on the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team’s Fernandez into Turn 1. The number 25 then quickly closed on to the rear wheel of teammate Gardner, before disaster struck behind for Augusto Fernandez he crashed out at Turn 6. He was joined there by Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) as the front of the Italian’s Kalex washed way in a very similar crash.
At the front, Diggia’s lead had stretched out to 1.5 seconds as he laid down both searing pace and consistency, so attention switched to the fight for second and third, with Gardner having managed to get his nose in front of Raul Fernandez. Behind the pair of Ajo riders, Lowes was pushed back to fifth as Bezzecchi came steamrolling through. The Brit got himself back in front of the Italian but, into Turn 1, the Sky Racing Team VR46 man pulled off a carbon copy move to take fourth once more.
Raul Fernandez then pulled off a brave overtake on teammate Gardner to retake second, all the while Di Giannantonio was streaking further clear; 3 seconds his lead with 15 laps of Jerez left. It went from bad to worse for polesitter Gardner as Bezzecchi pounced on the Australian’s apparent struggles, nudging him down a further place to fourth. The Italian was on a charge as he looked to make amends after his early error running wide.
A mistake then came from Raul Fernandez as a serious bobble at the final corner forced him off line and gave a chance that Bezzecchi wasn’t going to turn down. The Italian moved through to second and got his head down in the closing stages as Gardner and Lowes started piling the pressure on Raul Fernandez in the fight for the final place on the podium. Only a handful of laps were left, and both Di Giannantonio and Bezzechi seemed comfortably clear in first and second.
A mistake from Gardner into Turn 6, whilst trying to find a way through on teammate Fernandez, then saw Lowes slice through and into fourth. Onto the penultimate lap and the fight for third was really heating up. Lowes elbowed Fernandez out of the way into Turn 2 as the number 25 started dropping back, sending the Spaniard wide and allowing Gardner to pounce too. The Australian was trying to apply some pressure to Lowes too but the Brit’s late-race pace was untouchable and third was his.
Di Giannantonio pulled a huge stand-up wheelie over the line to celebrate a maiden Moto2™ victory in style, with Bezzecchi and Lowes joining him on the Jerez podium. Gardner took fourth ahead of Fernandez in fifth, with the title standings taking a significant shuffle as a result. Heading to Le Mans in a fortnight, it’s still Gardner that leads the way but Lowes now sits only three points adrift, with Fernandez a further three back in third.
Petronas Sprinta Racing’s Xavi Vierge was pushed all the way by Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) for sixth place, with the Spaniard holding on by just over a tenth of a second to the best the Japanese rider to ten valuable points. Italtrans Racing Team’s Joe Roberts took the chequered flag in eighth, ahead of Inde Aspar Team’s Aron Canet in ninth. The fight for the final place inside the top ten was settled on the final lap when Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) crashed out whilst trying to find a way through on Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), meaning the German took tenth.
Marcos Ramirez (American Racing), Jorge Navarro (Lightech Speed Up), Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP40), Lorenzo Baldassarri (MV Agusta Forward Racing) and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) completed the points. Albert Arenas (Inde Aspar Team), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP40) and Simone Corse (MV Agusta Forward Racing) all crashed out.
That’s a wrap on the Spanish GP. Next stop Le Mans in two weeks, with the Championship remaining close as ever ahead of another classic venue.
Moto2 Podium:
1 Fabio Di Giannantonio – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – Kalex – 39:07.396
2 Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex – +1.722
3 Sam Lowes – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – +2.229 -
Italian takes impressive first MotoE victory in Jerez
Aegerter and Torres complete the podium as Granado slides out the lead in a drama-filled first race of the 2021 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup
Jerez, 2 May 2021: Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) has had some pretty solid speed in preseason testing and throughout the first FIM Enel MotoE World Cup race weekend of the season, but the Italian really pulled it out the hat on race day. Moving up to fight at the front early on, a crash out the lead for Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) saw the Italian take over and he kept cool, calm, collected, and, even more importantly, FAST on his way to his first ever MotoE win. The riders he held off were 2020 challenger Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and reigning Cup winner Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) as both put in showcases in pace and consistency to take second and third, respectively.
Tech3 E-Racing’s Lukas Tulovic took the holeshot from the middle of the front row as the lights went out for the first time in 2021, the German rolling around the outside of poleman Granado, but his lead didn’t last for long as the Brazilian steamed back through on the run down to Turn 6. Meanwhile, both Corentin Perolari (Tech E-Racing) and Kevin Zannoni (LCR E-Team) were caught in a tangle through Turn 5, bringing an early end to their afternoons.
Back nearer the front, Tulovic was starting to get bullied as Zaccone and Aegerter also found a way through in the final sector as the first lap was ticked off. Some drama came not long after for the number 3, however, as he came together with Openbank Aspar Team’s Fermin Aldeguer at Turn 6 and both went down, the Saturday star and speedy rookie ending the day with real disappointment.
Meanwhile, Granado was starting to pull clear thanks to the fastest lap of the race, and although Zaccone was digging in and trying to stay with him, there was daylight appearing between the two. Then, with five laps remaining, disaster struck for the Brazilian. Victory was surely his for the taking but a mistake at Turn 6 cost him dearly as he crashed out of the lead, at least remounting but riding round to grab the last few points.
Zaccone was looking pretty collected as he took over at the front, but soon enough Aegerter closed in on the Italian’s rear wheel and began applying some serious pressure. He threw the kitchen sink at it, but the Pramac man stood firm throughout the closing stages and that was all she wrote. From a broken leg at the start of last season to a victory at the start of this, Zaccone crossed the line to announce some big progress in 2021 as he settles in with Octo Pramac MotoE.
Aegerter took second after warning late on from a bit of a moment, and he was pleased to have started the season with a podium, as was last year’s World Cup winner as Torres began his defence with a solid third place. From both, consistency was a calling card once again.
Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Mattia Casadei clinched fourth as he comes back from injury that saw him miss the first preseason test, and LCR E-Team’s Miquel Pons took the final spot inside the top five after another good performance from the impressive rookie. One of the rides of the day came courtesy of 2019 World Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE) too, who managed to move through from the back of the grid to take sixth and recover some ground after his track limits infraction in E-Pole.
Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) was seventh, ahead of Andrea Mantovani (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE), Maria Herrera (Openbank Aspar Team) and Yonny Hernandez (Octo Pramac MotoE) rounding out the top ten in the first race of the year. Granado eventually took 13th.
And so the sun sets on Spain and, MotoE™, like the rest of the paddock, now saddles up and heads for Le Mans. Last year conditions were mixed and the round had the title on the line, so what will 2021 bring as the track hosts Round 2? Find out in two weeks.
MotoE Podium:
1 Alessandro Zaccone – Octo Pramac MotoE – Energica – 14:33.776
2 Dominique Aegerter – Dynavolt Intact GP – Energica – +0.419
3 Jordi Torres – Pons Racing 40 – Energica – +0.614 -
2nd win and crucial points for Hamilton ahead of Verstappen
Portimao, 2 May 2021: Lewis Hamilton took his second consecutive Portuguese Grand Prix victory after passing both Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas in a close battle at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. Verstappen took second place ahead of Bottas but had to cede the point for fastest lap to the Finn after exceeding track limits during a last-lap flyer, in the third round of the 23-round FIA Formula 1 World Championship race on Sunday.
At the start pole sitter Bottas took the lead ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen. Behind them, though fourth-on-the-grid Sergio Pérez was passed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon also lost a place, dropping to seventh as McLaren’s Lando Norris stole through to P6.
There was little time for further progress, though, before the safety car intervened. Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen collided with team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi on the pit straight at the start of the second lap and lost his front wing. The Finn pulled over in a run-off area but with debris scattered across the main straight the safety car was dseployed.
When racing resumed on lap 8, Bottas held onto his lead but Hamilton was passed by Verstappen the outside into Turn 1. Pérez also profited on the re-start getting ahead of Sainz. However, later in the lap the Mexican went backwards again when he was mugged into the hairpin by Norris. Pérez quickly fought back, though, and on the next lap muscled past the McLaren driver into Turn 1.
At the front Verstappen was under pressure and after a moment of oversteer in Turn 14 Hamilton closed in on the main straight and passed the Red Bull in Turn 1 to take back second place.
The Mercedes drivers then began to eke out a gap and by lap 18 Hamilton was 1.5s clear of Verstappen, with Pérez eight seconds further back. Norris lay fifth ahead of Sainz, with the Spaniard’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in P7. Ocon had slipped to eighth ahead of AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo.
The lead changed on lap 20 when Hamilton got a good exit out of the final corner and pounced at the end of the pit straight to overtake Bottas around the outside of Turn 1.
Red Bull pitted Verstappen at the end of lap 35 for hard tyres. Mercedes tried to cover the move by pitting Bottas at the end of the next lap and though he emerged from the pit lane marginally ahead of Verstappen, the Dutchman was quickly on the attack and passed the Mercedes into Turn 5.
Hamilton then pitted for hard tyres and handed the lead to Pérez. On lap 41 the Mexican held a 11.8s lead over Hamilton, with Max third, 3.4s behind the Mercedes man.
Hamilton quickly began to claw away at Perez’s lead and after the Red Bull was seriously impeded by the backmarking Nikita Mazepin, the Mercedes driver was just 5.5s behind the Mexican on lap 47. Mazepin was later handed a time penalty for ignoring blue flags.
On lap 51 Hamilton made his move, passing Pérez into Turn 1. Red Bull then pitted Pérez and he slipped to the fourth place he would hold until the chequered flag.
With Bottas enjoying a sizeable gap to Pérez in the closing stages Mercedes opted to pit the Finn for a fresh set of soft tyres and a fastest lap attempt and the Finn went quickest on lap 65 of the 66.
Red Bull responded by pitting Verstappen at the end of the penultimate lap and soon after Lewis Hamilton had crossed the line to take victory, Verstappen set the fastest lap of all at 1:18.849. However, his hopes of taking the point on offer were dashed soon after the chequered flag as officials deleted his lap time for exceeding track limits at Turn 4.
Behind the top four Norris took a well deserved fifth place for McLaren with Charles Leclerc sixth for Ferrari. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon dropped back to seventh from a starting place of sixth but for team-mate Fernando Alonso it was a better day, with the Spaniard climbing from 14th on the4 grid to eighth place at the flag. McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo also did well, recovering from 16th place on the grid to finish ninth and the final point on offer went to AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes F1 W12 EQ Power+ Mercedes –
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda RB16B Red Bull 29.148
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes F1 W12 EQ Power+ Mercedes 33.530
4 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing-Honda RB16B Red Bull 39.735
5 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes MCL35M McLaren 51.369
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari SF21 Ferrari 55.781
7 Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault A521 Alpine 1:03.749
8 Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault A521 Alpine 1:04.808
9 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes MCL35M McLaren 1:15.369
10 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda AT02 AlphaTauri 1:16.46
11 Carlos Sainz Ferrari SF21 Ferrari 1:18.955
12 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari C41 Alfa Romeo 1 lap
13 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR21 Aston Martin 1 lap
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR21 Aston Martin 1 lap
15 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda AT02 AlphaTauri 1 lap
16 George Russell Williams-Mercedes FW43B Williams 1 lap
17 Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari VF-21 Haas 2 laps
18 Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes FW43B Williams 2 laps
19 Nikita Mazepin Haas-Ferrari VF-21 Haas 2 laps
Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari C41 Alfa Romeo
