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Author: INDIAinF1 Desk
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Max Verstappen overcomes time penalty to win at Las Vegas
Las Vegas, 19 Nov. 2023: Max Verstappen overcame a time penalty and car damage to take his 18th win of 2023 in an exciting inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in which Charles Leclerc overtook Sergio Pérez on the last lap to take second place. Pérez’s P3 at the flag sealed the Drivers’ Championship runner-up sport for the Mexican.
When the lights went out at the start, polesitter Leclerc got away well to take a narrow lead. However, even though he started on the dirty side of the track, Verstappen also made a good start and he took the inside line on the way to Turn 1. The champion braked late but slide wide, forcing Leclerc off track. When they rejoined, Verstappen was ahead and in the lead. However, the incident was soon put under investigation by the stewards.
Further back, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso also spun in Turn 1 and that caused a number of cars around him to take evasive action including Ferrari’s Caros Sainz One of them was Pérez and as the Mexican tried to react he tapped the back of Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo, sustaining front wing damage.
At the end of the first lap Pérez pitted for a new nose and a set of Hard tyres. He rejoined in 18th place, just as a Virtual Safety Car was deployed to allow marshals to clear debris in Turn 1. However, almost as soon as the VSC ended, the physical Safety Car was deployed when Lando Norris crashed at Turn 12.
The Safety Car left the track at the end of lap six and Verstappen controlled the re-start well to hold the lead but on lap eight, the stewards handed down their decision on the start and Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty for forcing Leclerc off track. The champion, who was now two seconds clear of Leclerc, held position, expecting to serve the penalty in his first stop.
Pérez, meanwhile, was on the move and after rising to 16th under the SC as rivals pitted he then breezed past Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the AlphaTauris of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo to take P13.
At the front, Verstappen was trying to shake Leclerc but the Ferrari driver was grimly hanging on to the back of the Red Bull and was just a second behind the race leader. And on lap 12, Leclerc attacked. The Ferrari driver closed up on the long run to Turn 14 and he passed the champion on the inside under braking to take the lead. Red Bull pitted Verstappen and after serving his time penalty and taking on a set of Hard tyres he rejoined in ninth place.
But as others pitted, Pérez vaulted up the order and on lap 18 he was in P2 just 14 seconds behind Leclerc. The Ferrari driver made his first stop on lap 22 and after a 3.9s stop, he rejoined in P3 behind Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and new race leader, Pérez. The Ferrari driver was now four seconds ahead of Verstappen who was back in P7 but being hampered by Alonso and Russell who were battling over P5.
Verstappen was soon past Alonso and after Russell had passed Sainz, the champion followed suit, powering past the Spaniard and tucking in behind the Mercedes. Verstappen went on the attack at the end of lap 25 but Russell was unsighted, turned in and there was contact. Verstappen took third place but was left with a damaged front wing and with debris on the track, the Safety Car was deployed.
The Dutch driver pitted for checks and new tyres while behind him a stream of cars filed into the pit lane for new tyres, including Pérez, who took on another set of Hard tyres and rejoined behind Leclerc who stayed out. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was now third ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with both on one stop, and Verstappen was in P5.
The Safety Car left the track at the end of lap 28 and Leclerc kept the lead ahead of Pérez. He tried to quickly shake off the Red Bull driver but the Mexican clung on and when DRS was enabled he closed up and on lap 32 powered past the Ferrari driver into Turn 14 to take the lead once more. Behind them Verstappen muscled his way past Gasly to take P4 and then on lap 33 he passed Piastri for P3, just 1.6s behind Leclerc and 2.4s off Pérez.
On lap 35, Leclerc fought back and the Monegasque surprised Pérez with a late dart down the inside of turn 14 to steal back the lead. Verstappen was now inside DRS range of Pérez and on lap 36 he roared past the Mexican to begin the hunt for the lead. On lap 37 the Dutchman pounced, powering past the Ferrari drive on the run to Turn 14. Leclerc fought back with a late braking lunge but Verstappen was already ahead and into the lead.
Now it was Pérez’s turn to reel in the Ferrari and on lap 43 the under pressure Ferrari driver locked up into Turn 12 and the Red Bull driver swept past.
Leclerc wasn’t done, though, and though the Mexican tried to break DRS, the Ferrari driver stuck closer and on the final lap he went for broke, diving down the inside into Turn 14 to ambush Pérez and steal P2 just a few hundred metres from the flag.
Verstappen, meanwhile, was already there, powering across the line to become the first winner of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Behind Pérez, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon took fourth place ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Sainz was sixth in the second Ferrari, while Hamilton and Russell were seventh and eighth respectively for Mercedes. Fernando Alonso finished ninth in the second Aston and the final point went to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
2023 FIA Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 50 1:29’08.289
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 50 1:29’10.359 2.070
3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 50 1:29’10.530 2.241
4 Esteban Ocon Alpine 50 1:29’26.954 18.665
5 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 50 1:29’28.356 20.067
6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 50 1:29’29.123 20.834
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 50 1:29’30.044 21.755
8 George Russell Mercedes 50 1:29’31.380 23.091
9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 50 1:29’34.253 25.964
10 Oscar Piastri McLaren 50 1:29’37.785 29.496
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine 50 1:29’42.559 34.270
12 Alexander Albon Williams 50 1:29’51.687 43.398
13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 50 1:29’53.114 44.825
14 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 50 1:29’56.814 48.525
15 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 50 1:29’58.451 50.162
16 Logan Sargeant Williams 50 1:29’59.171 50.882
17 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 50 1:30’33.639 1’25.350
18 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 46 1:23’38.931 Gearbox
19 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 45 1:21’43.790 Not running -
Jorge Martin wins the Sprint; Bagnaia finishes 5th
Qatar, 18 Nov. 2023: Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) made super Saturday into statement Saturday at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar. With a potential match point on the line on Sunday for title rival Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) depending on the Tissot Sprint, the pressure was absolutely on, and the number 89 soaked it up and then some. After battling Bagnaia early in the race as the two started in P4 and P5, Martin made his way into the lead and then held off a charging Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) over a tense final lap, halving Pecco’s points lead in the process as the Championship leader came home only fifth.
Diggia took a stunning second and from second on the grid, with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) taking third after leading much of the Sprint from pole. Then came Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), and then Bagnaia after a fascinating showdown in the desert.
It was an immediate shot of adrenaline in the title fight in Turn 1 too, with Marini getting the holeshot as Alex Marquez slotted into second – but there was contact right behind the two between Martin and Bagnaia. Martin, the rider on the inside, just kept third, with Bagnaia left with a few metres to make up. Later round the lap both Alex Marquez and Martin were slightly wide though, and Pecco shot back past Martin as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) also attacked and got through.
Martin hit back not long after, putting him right back on the rear wheel of Bagnaia. On Lap 2, it got seriously close again as the number 89 opened the door for himself and made it through, with Diggia trying to do the same. A few corners later, he did.
Meanwhile in the lead, Marini was under attack. Alex Marquez got through but the Italian answered straight back, holding on to it as Martin got the hammer down just behind and set the fastest lap.
Over the line for seven laps to go, Alex Marquez had reloaded and was ready to try again. He once again made it through too, but Martini was even quicker to respond with an immediate cutback. That gave Martin a few more metres too as they squabbled, and the number 89 struck as soon as he had the chance to take over in second, homing in on Marini as Alex Marquez was left to defend against Diggia.
The move from Martin came at the final corner, taking over in the lead and able to hold Marini off into Turn 1. Alex Marquez couldn’t say the same, with Diggia able to get through at Turn 1 and set off after the battle ahead.
Bagnaia, meanwhile, was in fifth and just off the back of the gaggle at the front, but with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) charging on, around half a second back.
The next move saw Diggia attack Marini for second, and from there the number 49 set off after Martin. Or more, the mission began to keep up with the title contender as the hammer went absolutely down. Lap by lap, they both pulled away, with Marini holding a safe third and Alex Marquez able to gather up a bit of breathing space ahead of Bagnaia.
The leading duo were locked together at the start of the final lap, with Diggia shadowing Martin’s every move. But the number 89 just kept turning the screw and the Gresini machine lost a few metres here and a few there, unable to quite get back on terms with the race leader. Martin crossed the line 0.391s clear to take a valuable 12-point haul from the Tissot Sprint, with Diggia impressing once again after an incredible weekend so far. Marini completes the podium on Saturday.
Alex Marquez held on to fourth as Bagnaia was only able to take fifth, and under some late pressure from Viñales, who got past Binder and was on the march. But the number #1 was just about able to respond and keep a two to three tenth buffer, defending P5 but seeing his lead cut to just seven points.
Binder came home in P7, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) putting in an even bigger charge up from P14 on the grid. The Frenchman was able to get past Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), who was forced to settle for 10th as Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) – now officially Rookie of the Year – grabbed P9 and the last point on Saturday too.
An early, multi-rider crash saw Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) make contact with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) was also caught up. Oliveira was declared unfit due to a scapula fracture, and Aleix Espargaro has to be passed fit in a review on Sunday morning – with that penalty from Fp2 pending as well…
And so it’s just seven points between Bagnaia and Martin, with 62 still on the table. 25 more go up for grabs on Sunday in the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar, and if the Sprint is anything to go by, there will be fireworks. Don’t miss it – tune in for more on Sunday at 20:00 (GMT +3) for another spectacular showdown under the floodlights.
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Luca Marini strikes late to take pole position
A stunning qualifying session at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar bubbled up to an incredible crescendo on Saturday, with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) striking late with a near-perfect lap to take pole position with a new lap record. He pipped Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) by just 0.067s, with Sepang Tissot Sprint winner Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) completing the front row.
The two title contenders both got bumped off that front row, but they aren’t far away by any means: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) takes P4 and has Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) right alongside in P5, with the duo split by just 0.022s. On Friday it was 0.007s, with incredible parity so far in the desert to set up two fascinating showdowns under the floodlights.
Q1
After the first runs in a star-studded Q1, it was Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) leading the way ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), after just losing out on making the cut in Practice, next up. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), meanwhile, was dead last despite topping FP2, having seen his hot lap interrupted by a front end save.
As soon as Quartararo headed back out though, the red sectors started coming in. Two tenths up in the first sector, nearly half a second in the second, and with company from Alex Marquez tucked in behind setting similar sectors too. As both crossed the line, the number 73 took 0.087 out of El Diablo as it became an AM73-FQ20 1-2 in Q1, and under the lap record. Could anyone beat it? Zarco could indeed, pipping Alex Marquez by just 0.055 as the two moved through, leaving Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Quartararo just missing out.
Q2
The first benchmark came from Diggia as two pairings made their way around: Bagnaia followed by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), slotting into fourth and fifth, and Martin behind Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing). That nearly saw some drama as Martin tried to pass but couldn’t find a way through, but next time round with some more space, the number 89 put in a fast one and shot up to third behind Marini and Diggia at the top.
Then, Martin pulled back intp pitlane just as Bagnaia pulled back out of the garage, with… you guessed it, Marc Marquez for company once again. And the two were setting red sectors, but so was Diggia. The number 49 completed his second shot at it by cutting a stunning three and a half tenths off his own provisional pole time, setting the first ever 1:51 of Lusail.
Bagnaia was next and took over in second, two tenths off, with Marc Marquez not quite able to pip him to it but taking a provisional front row. The next assault was from Alex Marquez and it was CLOSE, with the number 73 making it a Gresini 1-2 to push Bagnaia down to third. Next up there were red sectors from Martin but the lap went away, and then it looked like Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing)) could challenge at the top before the Aprilia lost time in the final part of the lap.
But then came Marini. The Italian kept it absolutely pinned, just able to deny compatriot Diggia by 0.067s, and that was that after an awesome flurry of activity on the timesheets late on. Marini heads Diggia and Alex Marquez, with all three setting 1:51s and a second quicker than the 2021 lap record. The Independent Team riders shine under the floodlights, pushing the two contenders down to Row 2 as the penultimate 37 points of the year go up for grabs.THE GRID
Behind Marini, Di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez, the two contenders will be looking to make big gains from the off from Row 2, Bagnaia just 0.020 ahead of Martin. Zarco in sixth will be an interesting one to watch too.
Then comes Marc Marquez, Viñales and Friday’s fastest Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) on Row 3. Aleix Espargaro is down in P10 ahead of a Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) looking to make a classic Binder charge when the lights go out, the South African in P11. Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) locks out the Q2 crowd in P12.
After losing out in Q1, Bezzecchistarts P13 just ahead of Quartararo. Sepang winner Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) is next up in P15, and after coming across Iker Lecuona (LCR Honda Castrol) on a hot lap in Q1. Lecuona has a three-place grid penalty for that. Miller heads Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) in P16 and P17 after the Australian also thought the Portugese rider held him up in a tight, tight Q1 -
Ruhaan Alva continues to dominate; Tjil, Arya steal a win each: JK Racing
Coimbatore, 18 Nov. 2023: Championship leader Ruhaan Alva (MSport), Arya Singh and Tijil Rao from Dark Don Racing shared a race win each on an eventful Saturday in the final round of the 26th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam here.
It has never been this close between the top three in the LGB Formula 4, the premier class of the championship. All the three races went down to the wire. With just a few points separating them, they knew it was now or never and gave their all for one more time.
Bengaluru’s Ruhaan started with a fighting win over Tijil of Dark Don Racing in the opening race. It did boost his confidence and further his points tally going into the second race. The former took advantage of starting on pole and raced to a quick lead. He was in control for over four laps but quite soon found Arya and Tijil breathing down his neck. The duo even managed to go upfront.
It was wheel-to-wheel racing between the three from there. Even as Arya and Tijil were fighting right up in front for some time, Ruhaan made a clever move in the first corner of 11th lap to take the lead yet again only to surrender it soon.
The duo maintained a steady pace to finish one-two for Dark Don, while Ruhaan had to rest content for the third spot on the podium.
In the last race of the day, Ruhaan was quick off the blocks. So did Tijil and T.S. Diljith of Dark Don Racing. The battle royal had the spectators on the edge of their seats but Tijil held his nerve to finish on top.
The JK Tyre Novice Cup was as close as the LGB Formula 4 class. Neythan McPherson of Momentum Motorsport edged out teammate and championship leader Arjun S. Nair in the first race. But Arjun, a fighter that he is, shot back to win the second race in style and further strengthened his chances of clinching the championship crown
with a tally of 62 points.
Anish Shetty underlined his class in the JK Tyre Presents RE Continental GT Cup with a well-deserved double win.
The results (provisional):
LGB Formula 4: Race 1: Ruhaan Alva (MSport) 19:48.550, 2. Tijil Rao (Dark Don Racing) 1:16.555, 3. T.S. Diljith (Dark Don Racing) 1:16.875.Race 2: 1. Arya Singh (Dark Don Racing) 20:55.669, 2. Tijil Rao 20:56.711, 3. Ru+haan Alva 20:56.738.
Race 3: 1. Tijil Rao 20:32.887, 2. Ruhaan Alva 20:33.254, 3. T.S. Diljith 20:34.282.
JK Tyre Presents RE Continental GT Cup: Race 1: 1. Jagadeesh Nagaraj (Bengaluru) 6:05.395, 2. Anish Shetty (Bengaluru) 6:06.322, 3. Vignesh Goud (Hyderabad) 6:07.141.
Race 2: 1. Anish Shetty 12:55.273, 2. P.M. Soorya (Chennai) 13:00.965, 3. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) 13:00.965.
Race 3: 1. Anish Shetty 12:57.123, 2. Jagadeesh Nagaraj 12:59.901, 3. Rajkumar (Coimbatore) 13:00.209.
JK Tyre Novice Cup: Race 1: 1. Neythan McPherson (Momentum Motorsport) 14:39.144, 2. Arjun S. Nair (Momentum Motorsport) 14:39.459, 3. Jigar Muni (Momentum Motorsport) 14:42.854.
Race 2: 1. Arjun S. Nair13:57.412, 2. M. Abhay (MSport) 13:57.615, 3. Joel Joseph (DTS Racing) 13:57.909.The races will be webcasted live on JK Tyre Motorsport’s social media handles:
Sunday, 19th Nov from 10.15am onwards
YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/zn__E7azfyE?feature=share
Facebook: https://fb.me/e/3lLWs714X
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Aldeguer unbeatable as Acosta clinches the title at Sepang: Moto2
Sepang, 12 Nov 2023: Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is the 2023 Moto2™ World Champion thanks to a P2 finish at the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia. The Spaniard becomes the youngest Moto2™ title winner – taking that accolade off Marc Marquez – as Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools Speed Up) strode to a commanding third win of the campaign. Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing) kept his composure to secure a hard-earned debut Moto2™ rostrum in P3.
There was drama from the off as polesitter Aldeguer and Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Team) made contact on the exit of Turn 1 which saw the latter crash out. Thankfully everyone managed to avoid the Spaniard but one rider who had to take evading action was Arbolino. The Italian lost ground and was down to P7, with Acosta capitalising on Gonzalez’s misfortunes to climb up to P2.
On Lap 2, desperate to pick off the riders ahead of him, Arbolino’s slim title hopes then all but vanished. The #14 made small contact with Ai Ogura’s (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) rear wheel at Turn 9, then made more contact with Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40), as Arbolino ran onto the grass. That dropped him outside the top 20.
Back at the front, Aldeguer was operating on another level. By Lap 4, the Spaniard was over two seconds clear of Acosta, who in turn was over a second up the road from third place Ramirez. Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools Speed Up) was P4 and had Ogura and Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) for company, with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) just slightly adrift of the fight for P4.
Aldeguer’s lead kept growing and with seven laps left, six seconds split him and Acosta. Ramirez was holding Lopez, Ogura and Dixon a second behind him, with Ogura beginning to climb all over the back of Lopez’s rear wheel. With six to go, Ogura was through and then set about chasing Ramirez for the final spot on the podium.
With three to go, Ramirez was coming under increasing pressure. Ogura was taking two or three tenths a second a lap out of the Spaniard’s advantage but up the road, there were no issues whatsoever for Aldeguer and the Champion elect Acosta.
Aldeguer took the chequered flag a sensational 7.1s clear of anyone to claim a dominant victory, but it was all eyes on the rider in P2 as Acosta crossed the line to become the 2023 Moto2™ World Champion and a two-time Grand Prix Champion after his 2021 Moto3™ success. Take a bow Pedro, what a season!
Just behind, Ramirez did manage to fend off Ogura to claim a first Moto2™ podium, with the latter coming from P13 on the grid to challenge for a podium, as Dixon rounded out the top five. Chantra and Lowes take home P6 and P7, with Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and the recovering Arbolino rounding out the top 10. A disappointing day for the #14 sees his title hopes disappear for 2023, but he’ll be back stronger in 2024
Barry Baltus (Fieten Olie Racing GP), Jeremy Alcoba (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™), Alex Escrig (Forward Team), Filip Salac (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) and Dennis Foggia (Italtrans Racing Team) were the final points scorers in Malaysia. With the title wrapped up, Acosta will head to Qatar with only one thing in mind: winning. So will the likes of Aldeguer as we get set for what could be a spell-binding end to the 2023 Moto2™ World Championship!
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Title fight heats up as Bastianini blasts back to glory at Sepang
It’s early race fireworks in the title fight, but up ahead Bastianini and Alex Marquez pull clear on Sunday.
Sepang, 12 Nov 2023: Pecco vs Martin: it’s official. The fight for the 2023 FIM MotoGP World Championship is now a duel, and it’s a duel split by just 14 points as we head into the final two race weekends. It was also an early race duel at Sepang as the two went toe-to-toe in the fight for the podium, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) defending with everything he had against now sole challenger, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). But that was the fight for third!
Up ahead, Enea Bastianini’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) fantastic return to form continued as the number 23 moved through to the lead, set some absolutely searing pace, and wasn’t to be seen again. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) kept him honest enough, however, with the number 73 following up his Sprint win with another Grand Prix podium.
It was almost three abreast into Turn 1 once the lights went out, with the front row side-by-side. Bastianini played it safe, Bagnaia was on the outside, and it was Martin who let the brakes off – diving up the inside to very briefly take the holeshot. But he was deep and Bagnaia took the chance to try and cut back in, but the #1 wasn’t in the postcode of the apex either. He got back past Martin but Bastianini was already through, as was Alex Marquez.
Pecco held on to third against Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) but Martin wasn’t so lucky, getting shuffled back behind the Italian and left with a little more work to do from fifth.
And so Bastianini led Alex Marquez, with a small but increasing gap back to some stunning early race fireworks. Once Martin was able to get back past Bezzecchi, he was right on the tail of Bagnaia and the teams, factory and grandstands held their breath as the show began.
The number 89 was all over the number 1 but he attacked and was denied, attacked and was denied as the two scythed round Sepang near side-by-side. It was stunning, and it could prove important in terms of more than just points. On Sundays when they’ve both seen the flag, the reigning Champion has only finished ahead of Martin once since the Red Bull Ring – on the day of Johann Zarco’s history-making win in Australia. Bagnaia hasn’t beaten Martin in a Sprint since Catalunya. But at Sepang, the reigning Champion also turned the tables in qualifying, nabbing pole from Martin and outqualifying the number 89 for the first time since Barcelona.
From that huge shot of adrenaline though, it became an ebb of tension as the laps ticked down. Bastianini led Alex Marquez, both in some clear air. Bagnaia was in a “safe” third, and Martin a “safe fourth” as the battle behind was the next.
By five laps to go, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had arrived at Bezzecchi, and this time the Yamaha rider struck quickly, slicing through almost immediately. The he was left trying to hold off the mighty power of the Ducati out the final corner and down the main straight into Turn 1, but it was mission accomplished – Quartararo was up into the top five as Bezzecchi officially dropped out on title contention.
At the front, Bastianini pounded on. With just over a second in hand, sometimes up to 1.5, the Beast was keeping very calm as he carried on – and very, very fast. He crossed the line for his first win since Aragon last year with a second and a half in hand, becoming the seventh different winner this season. Alex Marquez returned to the Grand Prix podium in second, Bagnaia took that vital third, and Martin was forced to settle for fourth to end the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia 14 points adrift. Still, there are 74 left in play.
Quartararo took fifth from Bezzecchi, with Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™’s Franco Morbidelli putting on a charge into seventh and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) P8. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was hot on the heels on the Australian, and they had Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) for company too as he completed the top ten.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and his teammate Pol Espargaro completed the points – with one notable name missing out on some being Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as he crashed out of the battle with Miller and Diggia, rider ok.
That’s it from Sepang and another stunning weekend. Every point is pivotal, and now it’s just 14 of them with 74 to play for. This is it: Pecco vs Martin. One of them will be crowned the 2023 FIM MotoGP™ World Champion… and the first match point comes in Qatar for Bagnaia. So don’t go anywhere… it’s GAME ON next weekend!
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Alex Marquez fends off Martin as Bagnaia defends against Bastianini
The Gresini rider steals the headlines as the title protagonists duke it out and Martin gains two points in a tense Sprint at Sepang.
Sepang, 11 Nov 2023: The final chapter of the 2023 Championship story is underway and the momentum swung a little more in the direction of the purple corner in Saturday’s Tissot Sprint. With Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) taking a classy, dominant victory and absolutely charging through to it too, that left Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) to battle it out. And the former claimed P2, with polesitter Pecco having to settle for P3. Now, the gap ahead of Sunday’s race is just 11 points.
The rider who got the best start on the front row was actually Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), but the Beast played it to perfection for teammate Bagnaia (spoiler alert) as the Championship leader didn’t come under attack as he grabbed the holeshot and the number 23 slotted in behind. Alex Marquez struck soon after to take second though, with Martin shuffled down to fourth early doors.
Bagnaia led Alex Marquez led Martin as the number 89 hit back against Bastianini on Lap 1, and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was past the second factory Ducati not long after.
Heartrates then hit the roof at the end of Lap 2 as Alex Marquez went for a dive on Bagnaia for the lead at the final corner. The reigning Champion let the Gresini machine steam past and head wide, taking back the lead, and that left Alex Marquez nearly side by side with Martin instead, squabbling for second. The Gresini decisively grabbed it at Turn 1, however, and from there was able to start reeling Bagnaia back in.
He did just that, with Martin able to stay close and Bastainini coming back at them too, back past Miller, and with five to go Alex Marquez struck with a brutal, clean move for the lead. And then came Martin, the number 89 attacking Bagnaia almost immediately. The hammer went down.
That left Bastianini with some decisions, right on the tail of his teammate and Pecco looking to recover after losing two positions in fairly quick succession. There was another twist in the tale too as something white then appeared on the front fairing of the #1 Ducati, some debris stuck on the bike. But it didn’t last too long as the battle for third was allowed to continue regardless.
Bagnaia held on, and Bastianini may not have attacked, but he definitely put on some pressure and proved two points at once – his speed and a little team spirit, certainly in terms of avoiding too much risk. It almost cost him fourth too, with a late charge from Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) saw the South African and the Beast nearly side-by-side over the line after a last corner squabble.
One second back from that battle was Miller as the Aussie kept himself within the mix for most of the Sprint to bring home a solid 6th-place finish. Another second back was Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), who fended off Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) to take 7th place. The Italian’s teammate Luca Marini took the final Sprint point in 9th ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) who rounded out the top 10.
As the title battle continues to rage on there’s no telling which way the pendulum will swing. The PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia still has plenty to give in the 2023 Championship story with 25 Grand Prix points up for grabs on Sunday and a gap of just 11 between the top two.
Can Bagnaia bounce back, or will Martin continue to apply the pressure? Find out at 15:00 local time (GMT +8)!
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Max Verstappen win Sao Paulo GP ahead of Lando Norris
Sao Paulo, 5 Nov 2023: Max Verstappen took a controlled São Paulo Grand Prix victory, fending off an early challenge from fast starting Lando Norris to power to his 17th win of the season. With Norris a comfortable second, late-race drama was provided by Fernando Alonso who beat Sergio Pérez to the final podium spot by less than a tenth of second at the end of a thrilling drag race to the flag.
There was drama ahead of the race start at Interlagos, with front-row starter Charles Leclerc exiting with a hydraulics issue on the formation lap. The Ferrari driver managed to pull into an escape road, allowing the remaining cars to form up on the grid.
There were more incidents when the lights went out. Verstappen got a good start from pole position to take the lead. Further back, Norris reacted to the lights superbly and passed the of slow-starting Fernando Alonso to jump from sixth on the grid to second as the leaders went into Turn 1.
At the rear of the grid through there was contact. Williams’ Alex Albon went to the outside on the run to Turn 1 and he was clipped by the Haas’ of Nico Hülkenberg. The Williams driver was pitched into the side of the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen and both spun into the barriers. In the chaos, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was also hit and sustained rear wing damage, while Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri was hit by a loose wheel from Magnussen’s car and also sustained rear wing damage.
The Safety Car was immediately released but with debris all across the track in Turn 1 and with the barriers damaged, the red flags were soon flown.
When the lights went out for the second time, Max again got away well to take the lead ahead of Norris. Hamilton, who had taken third ahead of the red flag, tried to go around the outside of the McLaren but locked up and that allowed Alonso to tuck in behind the Mercedes and then use the slipstream to steal P3 from the Mercedes driver on the run to Turn 4. Behind them, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was passed by Mercedes’ George Russell and the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez.
Norris then began to close on Verstappen and on lap 8 the McLaren driver went on the attack, attempting a pass on the outside of the first corner. He followed that up with a look at Turn 4, but Verstappen defended well and the McLaren driver then had to back off having used the best of his tyres.Pérez was soon on the attack and on lap 14, he powered past Russell into Turn 1. The Mercedes driver then used DRS on the Reta Oposta to try to retake the position, but Pérez position his car well and held position as they exited Turn 4. Freed from the DRS train, Pérez next targeted Hamilton and on lap 18 he powered past the slower Mercedes into Turn 1.
That was the cue for Mercedes to pit Hamilton and he was followed on the following tour by Russell, with both switching to Medium tyres. That sparked the first round of stops and Peerez pitted from P4 at the end of lap 20. Hamilton’s undercut was powerful, however, and the Mexican emerged behind the Mercedes once more. Pérez was flying, however, and he soon passed the seven-time champion once more.
Verstappen made his first stop at the end of lap 27, with Norris pitting right behind him and the pair held their positions as they too moved to Medium tyres.
Behind the top two, Pérez began to edge closer to Alonso and at a little after half distance he was just 1.3s behind the Spaniard. The Mexican’s pace on the Medium tyres wasn’t as good, however, and over the remainder of the second stint he slowly dropped back from the Aston Martin.
However, after his final stop for Soft tyres, on lap 47, the Pérez’s found his pace again and he once again began to chase Alonso down.
At the front, Verstappen was firmly in control and after briefly surrendering the lead to Norris following his final switch to Softs, on lap 56, he returned to the front three laps later and began to manage his march to the flag.
Pérez, though, was deep into a tense cat and mouse battle with Alonso for the final podium place, with the Mexican using DRS to draw close and Alonso deploying battery to defend hard through the final 20 laps.
And as the laps ebbed away, it look like Alonso would comfortably hold on. However, on lap 70, Pérez at last got an opportunity. The Red Bull driver closed in at the end of the lap and with aid of DRS dived to the inside of the Aston on the run to Turn 1 to get the move done. Alonso, though, fought back and with DRS on his side on the long straight battled his way through to retake the position. Pérez wasn’t giving up, though, and he tucked in behind the Spaniard for a final-lap lunge.
It came right at the end of lap 71. As Verstappen crossed the line to take his 17th win of the season, Pérez got DRS at the exit of Junçao to kick off a stunning drag race to the flag. And though the Mexican drew alongside the Aston Martin, Alonso had just enough pace to nose across the line in third as they took the flag.
Behind the top four, Stroll was fifth in the second Aston Martin, with Sainz sixth ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. Hamilton slid to eighth at the flag with Yuki Tsunoda taking two points for AlphaTauri in P9. The final point went to Esteban Ocon in the second Alpine.
2023 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 71 1:56’48.894
2 Lando Norris McLaren 71 1:56’57.171 8.277
3 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 71 1:57’23.049 34.155
4 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 71 1:57’23.102 34.208
5 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 71 1:57’29.739 40.845
6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 71 1:57’39.082 50.188
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine 71 1:57’44.987 56.093
8 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 1:57’51.753 1’02.859
9 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 71 1:57’58.774 1’09.880
10 Esteban Ocon Alpine 70 1:56’58.735 1 lap /9.841
11 Logan Sargeant Williams 70 1:57’15.102 1 lap /26.208
12 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 70 1:57’18.854 1 lap /29.960
13 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 70 1:57’58.855 1 lap /1’09.961
14 Oscar Piastri McLaren 69 1:56’52.530 2 laps /3.636
George Russell Mercedes 57 1:40’53.898 Retirement
Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 39 1:17’30.833 Retirement
Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 22 55’50.383 Retirement
Kevin Magnussen Haas 0 – Accident
Alexander Albon Williams 0 – Accident
Charles Leclerc Ferrari 0 – Not started -
Zarco takes maiden MotoGP win after an unbelievable finish at Phillip Island
The Frenchman catches Martin in a last lap rush, with Bagnaia slicing through to extend his lead to 27 points as the number 89 plummets to fifth. The MotoGP main race was held on Saturday due to bad weather forecast and the Sprint will be held on Sunday, weather permitting.
Philip Island, 21 October 2023: The backflip is back! Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) took a stunning maiden MotoGP win at the MotoGP Guru by Gryfyn Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, stalking his way onto the rear wheel of teammate and title contender Jorge Martin before making a brutal, clean and perfectly-judged move to take the lead on the very last lap. He also opened the door for a perfectly-judged lunge from Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) too, with Pecco picking Martin’s pocket and the Pramac on the soft rear tyre then finding himself mobbed by both Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) late on.
As the dust settles and some more history is made, Zarco gives away his record as the rider with the most MotoGP podiums without a win, Martin licks his wounds as he faces down a 27-point deficit in the Championship, Bagnaia celebrates another stylish bounce back from Q1 to the podium… and ‘Diggia’ enjoys that sweet Prosecco of a first ever premier class podium.
Before all that, Binder threatened the holeshot with a great start but Martin held firm from pole, immediately getting the hammer down as the two shot off into the lead and the shuffle began just behind. And that was that. Except this time, it wasn’t.
Martin’s strategy was clear: the number 89, an incredible four tenths clear on pole, had gambled on the soft rear hanging on as he escaped at the front and nursed it home. And the strategy was absolutely perfect until the very last handful of laps, when the Jaws music really began and Martin’s odds dropped off a cliff as the chasing group closed in.
The gap was over three seconds when it was Binder trying to keep tabs, and after an impressive start from an impressive qualifying, next came Diggia, and then Bagnaia at the head of a serious battle for fourth. The reigning Champion led Zarco, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), with elbows out all over the shop in the first third of the race.
Bit by bit as Martin edged clear in the lead, however, Binder held onto second but Diggia homed in on the KTM – and Bagnaia and Zarco started to create their own daylight to the duels behind them.
By 16 laps to go, Di Giannantonio had Binder well within a second and was only continuing to close in, but Bagnaia and Zarco had been able to go with the number 49. The gap kept see-sawing, however, with the Gresini machine homing in on the KTM and Bagnaia losing ground before another few laps would see it close back up. By nine laps to go, Di Giannantonio then made his move and pulled alongside the KTM on the Gardner straight, taking over in second.
The chase was on and the gap to Martin started to come down, but the number 49 wasn’t making the charge alone. Binder, Bagnaia AND Zarco were all locked together on the simple but difficult mission of catching the race leader, and that they started to do. But was it enough? When Binder attacked back with five laps to go, the group ran the risk of losing time in the battle but the gap was still coming down – just over two seconds across the start-finish line.
On the third to last lap, Martin’s advantage started to really tumble in tenths, with Binder still on the chase and Zarco now next in line as he’d taken over in third. Over the line with two to go it was 1.2 seconds, but Turn 4 saw another huge shuffle and another risk of losing time. But it was Zarco who went for a dress rehearsal and equally well-judged attack, snatching second place and quickly setting off after Martin.
Over the line for the last lap the number 89 had just four tenths left in hand ahead of his teammate, Bagnaia was now the bike behind Zarco and Binder had dropped to fifth. And again, it came at Turn 4. The number 5 slammed up the inside of Martin to take the lead, Bagnaia cut back in in a flash to also demote the number 89, and suddenly everything had changed: Zarco was just corners from a maiden MotoGP™ win, Bagnaia was on the verge of a huge change in momentum, and Martin was left trying to fend off Di Giannantonio and Binder.
That he could not. As Zarco crossed the finish line to take that first ever premier class win, Bagnaia took second and Di Giannantonio was more than able to grab third and his first MotoGP podium, with Binder ultimately also demoting Martin right on the finish line.
The battle behind was no slouch either. After elbows earlier in the race there were plenty more, with Bezzecchi slicing through to take sixth from Miller. Aleix Espargaro was even closer behind in eighth, ahead of a seriously impressive charge from the still-recovering Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP). Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the top ten ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) after Top Gun was shuffled down the order in a Turn 1 shuffle, and Marc Marquez, another gambler on the soft rear tyre, ultimately finished P15.
That’s that from a historic, unique and instantly iconic Saturday Grand Prix race at Phillip Island, and it’s Johann Zarco who writes his name into the historic books with a maiden MotoGP win. Bagnaia proved once again he can’t be written off, but Martin showed yet more pure speed. Now we look to the skies as we wait for Sunday, with races all set to start an hour early and fingers crossed for more awesome action Down Under if the weather holds out. See you on Sunday!
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Charles Leclerc takes US pole; Verstappen crosses track limits, loses pole
Austin, 20 October 2023: Charles Leclerc claimed pole position for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix after Max Verstappen lost a possible 11th pole position of the season to a track limits violation in the final corner of his final flyer of a close-fought qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Leclerc claimed provisional pole with a lap of 1:34.723 but Verstappen beat the Ferrari driver’s pace over the first sector of his final lap. The three champion looked to have done enough as he crossed the line 0.005s ahead of the Ferrari driver, but within seconds Verstappen’s time was deleted for exceeding track limits in Turn 19. He dropped to sixth place at the end of the session. Lecler will be joined on the front row for the race by McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes.
At the start of Q1 Verstappen made an instant impression, jumping up to P1 with a lap of 1:36.470, 0.152 clear of Leclerc. With eight minutes remaining Nico Hülkenberg moved to the top of the order in his upgraded Haas, posting a time of 1:36.235 before being quickly outpaced by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly who went seven hundredths of a second quicker than the German.
However, with five minutes remaining and just ahead of the final runs, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz set a new target time of 1:35.824, with three tenths of a second ahead of Leclerc who also improved.
Verstappen was back on track, however, and the champion returned to the top of the order with a lap of 1:35.346, 0.478 clear of Sainz. In the final moments, however, Verstappen was edged out of P1, with Hamilton moving to the top ahead of Norris. That left the Red Bull driver with P3 at the end of the session, ahead of Sainz and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Ruled out at the end of the session were 16th-placed Hülkenberg followed by Aston Martin’s Ferrnando Alonso, Williams’ Alex Albon, the second Aston of Lance Stroll and last-placed Logan Sargeant in the other Williams.
Leclerc set the pace at the start of Q2 with a lap of 1:35.888, but the Ferrari driver was swiftly eclipsed by both Mercedes drivers and by McLaren’s Oscar Piatsri who took P1 with a lap of 1:35.576. Verstappen was just behind the Australian on track, however, and when he crossed the line he was 0.085s ahead and in top spot. Sergio Pérez then moved to P5 in the other Red Bull and just 0.188 covered the closely matched top five.
In the final runs, Leclerc managed to hold on to top spot – just. The Ferrari driver was first on track and he set the benchmark at 1:35.004, almost three tenths of a second ahead of team-mate Sainz. Verstappen booked his Q3 spot in P2, just 0.004s off Leclerc and more than two tenths ahead of Hamilton.
The drop zone’s first faller was Tsunoda and the 11th-placed Japanese driver was followed to the exit by Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and AlhaTauri’s returning Daniel Ricciardo dropping out in 14th and 15th respectively.
Verstappen was first on track at the start of the final 12-minute session and the Dutchman stopped the clock at 1:35.081. However, he caught Pérez in the final corner and he ended the first run in P3 with a time of 1:35.081, behind Leclerc and second-placed Hamilton.
In the final runs Leclerc set a stern target, posting a lap of 1:34.723. Verstappen looked to have done enough but in the final corner, he slid wide and slid back to sixth.
Norris took P2 0.130 off Leclerc with Hamilton just 0.009s further back in third. Carlos Sainz took P4 for Ferrari ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell with Verstappen sixth. Behind the champion Gasly will start in P7 ahead of team-mate Esteban Ocon with Pérez in P9 ahead of Piastri.
2023 FIA United States Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:34.723 – –
2 Lando Norris McLaren 1:34.853 0.130
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:34.862 0.139
4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:34.945 0.222
5 George Russell Mercedes 1:35.079 0.356
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:35.081 0.358
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:35.089 0.366
8 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:35.154 0.431
9 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:35.173 0.450
10 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:35.467 0.744
11 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:35.697 0.974
12 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:35.698 0.975
13 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:35.858 1.135
14 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:35.880 1.157
15 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 1:35.974 1.251
16 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:36.235 1.512
17 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:36.268 1.545
18 Alexander Albon Williams 1:36.315 1.592
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:36.589 1.866
20 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:36.827 2.104
