INDIA in F1

Author: INDIAinF1 Desk

  • Aishwarya Pissay completes Stage 1 successfully: Morocco Desert Challenge

    Aishwarya Pissay completes Stage 1 successfully: Morocco Desert Challenge

    Agadir (Morocco), 24 April 2023: India’s only world champion in motorsports Aishwarya Pissay began Rally Raid competition with a flourish as she successfully completed Stage 1, the competitive stage, in the Morocco Desert Challenge 2023 here on Sunday.

    Earlier, she finished the scrutiny without any problems. The Desert Challenge offers eight stages from April 21 to 30. The tough rally-raid which started here in Agadir will conclude in Merzouga after eight stages on April 30.

    “I am happy to tell you that I cleared scrutiny with flying colours and completed Stage 1. This being my first Road Book Race, I am looking to gain a lot of experience from this challenge. I finished Stage 1 yesterday (23 April 2023), which was a 124-Km Prologue,” said Aishwarya Pissay, the Bengaluru based Sherco-TVS rider. She clocked 01H 06’ 53”.

    “A 610-km-long Stage2 beckons today and I am really looking forward to tackling this,” she added.

    She also posted a few pictures on Instagram and said: “A few photos from my first few days here which included meeting some amazing people and acclimatising to the environment. The atmosphere is electric and I am really glad and thankful to be back in Racing form.”

    Aishwarya Pissay after completing the scrutiny. Photo: Pissya’s social media FB handle

    Morocco Desert Challenge literally is what it promises to be, a real challenge in the Moroccan desert. It has been three years since the MDC raced through Morocco. A lot can change in such a long period, even in a desolate environment like the desert. That’s why we choose to drastically change course with a completely new route!

    0 kilometre liaison

    Not only is Morocco Desert Challenge an adventure full of surprises, with technical parts, fast African plains, many dunes, salt lakes and legendary Paris-Dakar stages, it also offers something really unique: 0 kilometre of liaison from the start of the first special till the finish of the last one. That’s right: no liaison, only pure rally experience.

    Early December, Sports Director Jean-Claude Kaket left Agadir, Morocco with his team to validate those new tracks and write the new road-books. As soon as these are finalized, you can find the updated descriptions here.

    Stage 1 – Agadir to Agadir

    On Friday April 21 and Saturday April 22, 2023 the Morocco Desert Challenge kicked off with a scrutiny in Agadir, one of Morocco’s friendly seaside resorts with an international airport. Bivouac 0 is at Place for Al Amal, Agadir’s largest public square. The rally hotels, where everybody is accommodated, are located along the square.

    Prologue

    Prepare for a prologue that will make you lick your fingers. The general comment during the verifications in late February: “This is one of the nicest stages we have ever ridden in Morocco!” In this first 38-kilometre special, you get a nice succession of turns, bumps and jumps in front of your wheels. Following the winding tracks, you ride through a landscape reminiscent of an African Savannah. The tracks consist mainly of a soft, sandy yet fast surface, and above all: there is not a stone to be found! The pistes are narrow, making overtaking difficult at times. Towards the end, the final kilometres present you with a tough navigation exercise. In short: a stage where you can immediately make the difference if you aim for a top position on Plage Blanche.

  • Outspoken ahead of Assen: WorldSBK

    Outspoken ahead of Assen: WorldSBK

    The 2023 season has just started but even at the first European round of the year, 2024 is coming onto the radar!

    The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is BACK in action and the Pirelli Dutch Round at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands is shaping up to be a belter. There’s plenty of hype coming into this round; it’s our first chance to catch up with one rider who has been testing MotoGP™ machinery, an opportunity to speak to a home hero, the Championship leader and Assen’s most successful rider. This week’s outspoken certainly touches all bases as we look ahead to racing.

    Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “It’s all young riders’ dream to ride a MotoGP™ bike”

    “For the MotoGP™ test, I can say I enjoyed it and finally, I rode in good weather, as last year I only did 28 laps due to the weather. Thanks to Yamaha for the opportunity. It’s still a dream but we will see it in the future. This is just testing, for me to understand the bike and for Yamaha to see the potential. It’s all young riders’ dream to one day, ride a MotoGP™ bike. I’ve done it and enjoyed it but now I come back and doing my job again, because, for me, WorldSBK is important this season, to fight again for the Championship. This break was a lot, I was really bored and now I am fighting again. For me, the last two years at Assen, it hasn’t been a good race weekend, especially Race 2. This year, I was thinking of not riding in Race 2, because I always end up crashing! I’ll try again this year, for the podium or the win. Jonny is always very strong at this track. Every year, this race weekend is different and I’ll try to do my best.”

    Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “Toprak’s an incredible talent, he could do a great job”

    “I’m excited about Assen. I have a pretty good track record here, it’s a track I enjoy. I rode for a team based just up the road for many years of my career. I don’t know why I work so well here, it’s also a combination with the bike. I know Kawasaki is very strong here as well. While one eye’s on performance, you have to keep an eye on what the weather’s doing. Tough’s a great word. Although we have to try and start from zero and reset, and the results have been pretty poor, we can also draw positives from some of the races we’ve had; steps forward we’ve made with the bike. We haven’t put it all together. We’ve had two tests at Aragon and Barcelona to try a different direction with the bike and to focus on our weaknesses. This season, it’s been overstressing the front and the front tyre, especially in the latter stages of races. We showed some good speed in Australia and Indonesia. The speed’s not in doubt, it’s about the longevity of the race. I think here at Assen should suit us, especially with cooler conditions. It’s a hard situation to be in. All I know is that Toprak’s an incredible talent and given the right opportunity to go to MotoGP™, with the right people around him, he could do a great job.”

    Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I don’t have a clear idea about my future… in the case, I don’t want to stay, they have to know”

    “I look forward to this weekend as I started the year so well. The feeling at the Barcelona test was incredible, I’m very happy. I have good memories at this track as I won with Ducati three times and last year, we were competitive, fighting with Toprak and Jonathan. I haven’t thought about my future because right now, we have only had two races; maybe after this round, I start to think about what I want to do. I am not old, but I have a lot of experience in motorcycle racing. At the moment, it’s not my first worry, I just want to be focused on this weekend. I don’t have a clear idea about my future. I will decide very soon, not just for me but for my team. In case I don’t want to stay, they have to know as soon as possible and also for my side. We’ll see, but at the moment, I don’t have an idea. About Toprak, for sure he wants to go to MotoGP™, at least what I heard. It’s a different Championship, different bikes, different tyres… I know he’s doing some tests with Yamaha, but he has to understand if he has the potential to go there and do well. Otherwise, he has a big name in WorldSBK and he’s an important rider here, so he has to choose, but it’s not an easy decision. Every rider wants to try MotoGP™ at least once, but it’s not easy, now that the category is so close with a gap of almost nothing between first and last. He has to understand if he can also be fast there.”

    Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “It’ll be something special if I can get the first win here”

    “We are at Assen, it’s a special track for me as I have good memories from the first year in WorldSBK in 2021, so we’ll see what happens this weekend. We hope for good weather, but we’re ready to fight. It’ll be something special if I can get the first win here at Assen; it’ll be hard but for sure, we’ll try. Why not? We’re here after a really good start to the Championship; we’ll try to be fast and fight for the podium. For me, it’s difficult to say about Toprak because I don’t know but maybe for him, it’s interesting to go to MotoGP in the future. In my opinion, it doesn’t change anything; we’ll continue to work on my side, together, to be fast and to finish this season in a good way.”

    Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “I think we can fight for top positions” 

    “I started training and I don’t have any pain; I’ve been training with the practice bike and I don’t feel pain, so this is positive. I am here, ready to fight again. Honestly, I am very happy with the direction; I think we did a very good step with the race distance, this is the area we’ve improved a lot because last year, we struggled with the tyre performance as it was dropping a lot in the last laps. In almost every race, we lost this potential to fight for the podium or good results. I am really happy, also the team and Japan have done a very good step so then, the reality is that if the tyre life makes it to the end with a good performance or not, we are happy. I spoke with my crew chief Pete this morning and we said that I’m very excited, so I need to be calmer; last year, I went fast with the old bike and got a podium. So, if you put this into 2023 when in Australia, with the improved tyre performance, we overtook Jonny in the last two laps, and the fact it’s a new season, testing went well and I’m excited, I know the package was amazing, so we need to see day by day. I think I am ready; I think we can fight for top positions.” 

    Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I want to stay with BMW”

    “I’m really happy to be back racing again, especially at Assen. I’m always looking forward to being here. Unfortunately, it’s only once a year but it’s nice to be back here at Assen! It was nice to ride again at the test after Indonesia. We had a lot of things to test and, for us, it was to see what direction we have to go for the future. Nothing really decided about what to use here but we had some swingarms. It was all to confirm the direction for the future. I want to stay with BMW for sure. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the results yet like we wanted for different reasons. One reason was my injury which cost us a whole year. I want to improve this project, to start winning with this project, hopefully, we can stay together.”

  • ‘F1 race’ in the oceans: It is not F1 H2O

    ‘F1 race’ in the oceans: It is not F1 H2O

    Ronnie Kuriakose tracks in The New Indian Express, Indian aquaman Commander Abhilash Tomy’s cruise in the Golden Globe Race, considered one of the world’s toughest yacht races!

    KOCHI:  The morning of April 15 saw the who’s who of the Indian Navy poring over reports of the wind pattern and weather system over the North Atlantic. They were plotting the position of Bayanat and its skipper, Commander (retd) Abhilash Tomy.

    A former naval aviator, Abhilash is contesting the Golden Globe Race (GGR), considered one of the world’s toughest yacht races. In its final leg, just when he was gaining ground, Abhilash had made a manoeuvre that surprised many.

    While his fellow competitor and race leader Kirsten Neuschäfer of South Africa navigated east towards their final stop at Les Sables d’Olonne (LSO) on the French coast, Abhilash continued to climb north.
    Various theories were floated, but they all had a common denominator: Abhilash knew what he was doing. “There have been numerous instances in the race where he demonstrated just how good a sailor he is. Abhilash always has a plan,” says Sandra Shipp, his team manager.

    Indeed! On April 17, Abhilash’s “risky” move paid rich dividends. Nearing the Azores islands, Bayanat had the wind on its stern and was picking up speed. “Boldness and panache were Abhilash’s signature this weekend,” read the race report on Monday.

    On Wednesday, the 43-year-old had eked out a 25-nautical mile lead over Kristen for the first time in months. With less than 1,000 nautical miles to go, it promises a thrilling finale, uncommon for a yacht race. “This is an F1 race right in the middle of the ocean,” remarks Captain D K Sharma (retd), a former Navy spokesperson.

    Meanwhile, the sheer brilliance of Abhilash’s manoeuvre is only sinking in. “He is one hell of a mariner,” says his friend Ramesh Menon. “Even after months of hardships on the sea, to have the sharpness of mind and the gut instinct to know where he must go to get the wind is simply stellar.” 
    Unlike other sailing competitions, GGR does not permit the use of modern navigational instruments.

    Only what was available to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in the inaugural race of 1968. So, no GPS, electric autopilot, chart plotters, or electronic compasses. The sailors must rely on celestial navigation, the sextant, and the barometer.

    According to Don McIntyre, the race’s founder and chairman, this retro experience is in homage to the ‘Golden Age’ of sailing, when the marriage of traditional seamanship and the sailor’s ingenuity and passion decided the outcome of races.

    The race
    The nearly 30,000 nautical mile-long, solo, non-stop circumnavigation around the world is no easy task. Only a handful of people have done it. The GGR, however, is a different game altogether. It imposes further limitations on the sailor beyond what the elements unfailingly do.

    “It is like going to outer space. You have to be 200% ready,” says Commander Vijay K Vadhera (retd), former skipper of INSV Samudra, which completed the Navy’s maiden round-the-world voyage in 1988.

    Instruments from 1968 mean that sailors have to manually adjust their boat’s course at regular intervals while also tending to a slew of tasks onboard. “That’s perhaps the defining feature of GGR: to man the entire boat single-handedly with limited technological assistance,” says Vice Admiral I C Rao (retd).
    According to the veteran, what saps most sailors undertaking this odyssey is lack of good sleep. In the case of Abhilash, it is worse. 

    The two knockdowns that Bayanat endured early on in the race rendered its electrical system and the wind pilot useless. This means Abhilash has had to steer the boat on rough seas manually. So, not many winks. Besides, the fuel lines that powered his boat’s engine were fouled, the main sail tore, and the wind generators, the halyards, and the wind vane were damaged in a storm.

    Amid all these, Abhilash’s resourcefulness and humour shone through. On one occasion, he tweeted: “I need a toilet door. Not used to such lack of privacy,” — a reference to how he had to chop up his toilet door to rebuild the damaged wind vane. “Though the other entrants are all fantastic sailors, not many were able to tackle the problems with such great ease,” notes Vice Admiral Rao.

    Of the 16 sailors, only three contestants remain. Two participants were moved to the GGR’s ‘Chichester’ class after they made a stopover for repair works.

    Sailing: inherited and earned
    Unlike the other participants, Abhilash does not hail from a country wherein sailing is popular. Yet, he is the race’s strongest contender. “The training that Abhilash received from the Navy has certainly played a major role. It has taught him how to take challenges in his stride,” Commodore Srikant B Kesnur (retd), navy historian and director of the Maritime Warfare Centre.

    “The specialist training he underwent as a naval aviator gave him key insights into how to read the weather, wind, waves, barometric pressure, and other technical aspects. We saw Abhilash putting this technical prowess to good use this weekend.”  Equally influential was his childhood. “A deep affinity for the sea and sailing was fostered from a very young age,” says his father, Lt Commander V C Tomy (retd).

    “Once, in Mumbai, we found Abhilash punting through the backwaters on a makeshift raft made out of thermocol. We didn’t scold him. There was no need to.”  The 72-year-old does not believe in holding children hostage to lofty ambitions or caging them with rules. “They should be left free to be who they are, follow their passions,” he says.

    This silent consent meant there was one less burden on Abhilash’s shoulders as he went about realising his desire — to take part in the GGR. “It is the next natural stop for any adventurer, and Abhilash is no different,” says Captain Sharma.

    Second chance
    The 2022 GGR was Abhilash’s second shot at the race. He participated in the 2018 edition, which marked the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s voyage. However, the race didn’t go as intended. 

    On September 21, 2018, a little over two months into the race and when Abhilash was cruising in the third position, a storm, with winds reaching 70 knots and waves as high as 14 metres, battered his boat in the remote southern Indian Ocean. His boat Thuriya capsized, leaving the sailor with a debilitating back injury, immobilised and adrift, at the mercy of the fickle sea.

    Abhilash’s rescue was one of the most dramatic moments in the race’s history, highlighting the dangers and challenges that sailors face in this iconic event. Abhilash’s resilience, and unwavering spirit enthralled many.

    With titanium rods in his spine and five vertebrae fused into one, Abhilash “had to learn to walk again” following the 2018 injury. Yet, his eyes were set on the far horizon. When he announced his interest in competing again, the sailing community rejoiced.

    Commander H S Rawat, the last commanding officer of INS Vikrant, who had followed the 2018 race closely, calls Abhilash’s return “a miracle” and adds Urmimala’s  (Abhilash’s wife) backing is equally admirable. 

    “Hats off to her for being an absolute champion of Abhilash,” he says. It was not an easy decision for Urmimala to let her husband race again. “We arrived at it over time. I realised that it was his eagerness to race again that eased the mental trauma of 2018,” she says. 

    In the latest edition of the race, Abhilash seems to have set his course for victory, and Urmimala is his loudest cheerleader. “The toughest parts of the sea are over. What’s ahead is the home run,” assures Cmde Srikant. Several veterans echo the same confidence. 

    But Urmimala is wary of such predictions. After all, the wind, sea currents, and weather are all unyielding elements. Nobody can predict them. There’s also the sailor’s physical and mental weariness and the boat’s condition to consider. 

    “But, I have complete faith in Abhilash,” says Urmimala.

    Indian king of oceans

    • Commander Abhilash Tomy is a retired Indian naval aviator and yachtsman
    • Commissioned into the Navy in 2000.
    • Completed his flying training in 2002, qualifying as a maritime reconnaissance pilot.
    • On November 1, 2012, Abhilash departed on the Mhadei from the Gateway of India in Mumbai to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world.
    • First Indian, second Asian, and 79th person in the world to accomplish this feat. 
    • Kirti Chakra – 2013 (Second Navy officer to receive the medal)
    • Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award — 2013
  • Loeb and Al Attiyah head to Sonora Rally, Mexico, to resume W2RC duels: Rally Raid

    Loeb and Al Attiyah head to Sonora Rally, Mexico, to resume W2RC duels: Rally Raid

    Sébastien Loeb and Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah resume their fascinating duel for supremacy in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) at this weekend’s Sonora Rally, a new event in the FIA cross-country calendar that runs over varied terrain through northern México from April 22-28..

    Loeb and his Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurquin currently lead the Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ Championships by 16 points from the Qatari and his Andorra-based team-mate Mathieu Baumel, although both crews encountered problems at the recent Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. That enabled Czech rival Martin Prokop and round two winner Yazeed Al-Rajhi to close the gap at the top of the points’ standings.

    Al-Rajhi’s maiden win in Abu Dhabi means that Toyota Gazoo Racing holds a 41-point cushion over Bahrain Raid Xtreme in the Manufacturers’ standings, with the Baic ORV operation in third and the X-raid Mini JCW Rally Team two points further adrift in fourth.

    Organised by Aventura Events with the support of Mexican ASN OMDAI and series-promoting A.S.O., the Sonora Rally has attracted 27 FIA entries, including 12 in the FIA T1+ category. Italy’s Eugenio Amos and Argentina’s Juan Cruz Yacopini join Al-Rajhi at the wheel of Overdrive Racing Toyotas, while Loeb’s Prodrive Hunter BRX is joined by Guerlain Chicherit at the wheel of a GCK Motorsport Hunter and a pair of X Rally Motorsport Hunters for the Brazilian duo of Cristian and Marcos Baumgart.

    China’s Guoyu Zhang and Yunliang Zi represent the BAIC ORV team in a pair of BJ40s. Sebastien Halpern currently holds seventh in the Drivers’ Championship in his Mini John Cooper Works Plus and the Argentine is joined by Denis Krotov in a two-car X-raid Mini JCW Team that rounds off the T1+ entries.

    American trio top T3 field in México

    Eleven crews will line up in the FIA T3 series-production cross-country vehicles in a competitive section that is being dominated by three American drivers after two rounds. Third overall and maximum T3 points in Abu Dhabi have given Seth Quintero a five-point category lead over his Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA team-mate Austin Jones, both at the wheel of South-Racing-built Can-Ams. Quintero’s co-driver Dennis Zenz leads Jones’s navigator Gustavo Gugelmin by five points in the T3 Co-drivers’ Championship.

    Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch have persevered with the prototype MCE-5 T3M this season and are a distant third in the points’ standings.

    Red Bull Can-Am Factory Racing’s Francisco Lopez and Cristina Gutierrez hold fourth and fifth in the rankings and are entered in their Maverick X3s.

    Competition comes from four South Racing Can-Am Team Mavericks in the hands of Sweden’s Mattias Ekström, Chilean driver Hernan Garces and the Argentine duo of David Zille and Diego Martinez.

    The X-raid Team has entered a prototype Yamaha YXZ 1000 R for the Portuguese duo of João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro and French veteran Claude Fournier drives a BRR-run Can-Am to round off the FIA entries

    Rokas Baciuška heads FIA T4 category

    Only four FIA T4 crews have made the trip to the Sonora Rally. Red Bull Can-Am Factory Racing’s Rokas Baciuška won the category in Abu Dhabi and finished second at the Dakar Rally and leads the series by 48 points after two rounds.

    The Lithuanian again teams up with Spaniard Oriol Vidal and faces competition from an Xtreme Plus Polaris in the hands of Japan’s Shinsuke Umeda, Spaniard Eduardo Pons in a South Racing Can-Am and Italy’s Rebecca Busi, who teams up with Frenchman Sébastien Delaunay to drive an FN Speed Team Can-Am.

    The new addition to the FIA cross-country calendar is also the first event of its kind to be staged in México that is sanctioned by the sport’s governing body. Formerly a round of just the FIM series, the event has been revised to adhere to FIA regulations and is the brand child of American racer Darren Skilton and his team.

    Action will be fought out over five legs and a provisional 1,249 competitive kilometres in a route of 2,091km between the bustling city of Hermasillo, the fishing and resort city of Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) on the Gulf of California and the Arizona-México border town of San Luis Rio Colorado in northern México.

    The demanding off-road event will pass through the state of Sonora en route towards the Sea of Cortez and across the cactus deserts of historical Caborca before reaching the famous dunes of the Altar Desert and on to the ceremonial finish in San Luis Rio Colorado’s El Bosque park

  • Jehan Daruvala to test Mahindra Car for the first time in Berlin: Formula E

    Jehan Daruvala to test Mahindra Car for the first time in Berlin: Formula E

    London (UK), Tuesday, 18 April 2023: Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala is scheduled to test a Formula E car for the first time at the Berlin round from April 22 to 23.

    Daruvala is a Mahindra Racing reserve driver. The 24-year-old is fulfilling his Mahindra duties alongside a fourth full season in the Formula 2 Championship.

    ”ROOKIE TEST: @DaruvalaJehan will drive for us at the @FIAFormulaE Official Rookie Test after the Berlin E-Prix, making his debut outing in a Formula E race car,” Mahindra Racing tweeted.

    Mahindra Racing is the only Indian outfit competing in Formula E though Tata-owned Jaguar is also part of the electric racing series. The Indian team will have two drivers taking part in the test.

    Formula E Press Release

    Formula E and the FIA today revealed the full line-up of the 23 drivers confirmed to participate in the first rookie test for the GEN3 race car next Monday (24 April) following Rounds 7 and 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the Tempelhof Airport circuit in Berlin.

    The test is exclusively for drivers with no previous experience driving a Formula E car on-track and who hold a minimum International Grade B license. The test day is designed to encourage new and emerging talent in the premier electric racing series with the chance to showcase their skills in the driving seat of the GEN3 race car – the fastest, lightest, most powerful, and most-efficient electric race car ever built.

    Since the last rookie test in 2020, several drivers have made the step up to a full-time race seat. Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing), teammates Sacha Fenestraz and Norman Nato (Nissan Formula E Team), Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team), and Sérgio Sette Câmara (NIO 333 Racing) all participated in the last rookie test held in Marrakesh.

    Following the 2023 SABIC Berlin E-Prix double-header of races on Saturday 22 April and Sunday 23 April, rookie drivers representing all 11 teams in the championship will get the opportunity to shine in two three-hour sessions on Monday 24 April. Tackling the high-grip and energy-sapping concrete slabs initially designed for aircraft – not cutting-edge electric race cars – means the Hankook tyres will be pushed to their limits on the abrasive surface.

    Alberto Longo, Co-Founder & Chief Championship Officer, Formula E, said:

    “Formula E is leading the way in motorsport for technological progress and innovation, so we are excited to capture that same dynamic spirit and give the next generation of racing talent the chance to show what they can do in the GEN3 race car.”

    “The roster of drivers set to take part is a ‘who’s who’ list of the most exciting and ambitious talent in all of the motorsport with some huge accomplishments among them. We cannot wait to see what they will do behind the wheel of the GEN3, a race car at the leading edge of performance and innovation.”

    Pablo Martino, Head of Sporting Matters, FIA, said:

    “Nurturing the next generation and developing the stars of the future is a cornerstone of our focus in Formula E. We are working hand-in-hand with the championship to maximise opportunities for up-and-coming talents. A key aim of the test day in Berlin and the FP0 session in Rome is to offer promising young drivers an insight into the championship and allow them to familiarise themselves with the ground-breaking GEN3 car – another significant step towards our longer-term goal of integrating rookies even more tightly into the heart and the fabric of Formula E race weekends.”

    Formula E is increasingly seen as a proving ground for the most talented drivers. After winning the 2019 FIA Formula 2 title, Nyck De Vries joined Formula E where he immediately showed his world-class racing ability to become the 2020 FIA Formula E World Champion. De Vries races for F1 team Scuderia AlphaTauri this season.

    Current Formula E world champion Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE) combines his electric racing career with F1. As well as defending his Formula E title this season, Vandoorne is a reserve driver for the Aston Martin team in F1. Vandoorne moved to Formula E following success in his early career and has earned a place on the McLaren Young Driver Programme.

    Building upon the Berlin test, in Rome just under three months later, a 30-minute Free Practice session will be held prior to Rounds 13 and 14 of the Rome Hankook E- Prix (Saturday 15 July and Sunday 16 July), for competitors aged 18 and over who have never previously raced in Formula E. All teams are obliged to run at least one driver in this session.

    Drivers to watch:

    Victor Martins, Nissan Formula E Team: Current reigning champion of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, Victor Martins will be testing with the Nissan Formula E Team. Martins has been a member of the Alpine F1 Academy since his 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup Championship win. Following his success to date, he has made the step up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship where he is currently competing for the 2023 season.

    Felipe Drugovich, Maserati MSG Racing: 2022 Formula 2 Champion and reserve driver for Aston Martin and McLaren F1 teams will test for Maserati MSG Racing. He was the first member to be announced in the AMF1 Driver Development Programme, two days after winning the F2 Championship. He had his first go behind an F1 car in November 2022 when testing at Silverstone. This opportunity allowed him to obtain his FIA Super License and to drive in Free Practice at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Alongside Formula E’s Stoffel Vandoorne, Drugovich was added to the list of reserve drivers for Aston Martin for the first 15 races of the 2023 season.

    Sheldon van der Linde, Jaguar TCS Racing: Reigning 2022 DTM champion, Sheldon van der Linde will get his first opportunity in Formula E with Jaguar TCS Racing. He currently competes in the DTM Championship alongside Formula E’s Rene Rast. As a BMW Factory Works driver, he is also competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Championship and IMSA SportsCars Championship, where he took P2 in class in the 2023 12 Hours of Sebring. His older brother Kelvin van der Linde, two-time ADAC GT Masters champion also debuted in Formula E earlier this season as a replacement for the injured Robin Frijns in Diriyah, Hyderabad, and Cape Town.

    Jack Aitken, Envision Racing: Current competitor in the IMSA SportsCars and DTM Championships, Jack Aitken makes his debut in Formula E for Envision Racing. Racing in the new Cadillac V-LMDh, he won IMSA’s 2023 12 Hours of Sebring following an incident that saw the GTP cars in front of him crash into each other in the final minutes of the race. He is a former reserve driver for the F1 team Williams Racing where he raced for the team at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, replacing George Russell. His previous experience includes ADAC GT Masters, European Le Mans as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    Linus Lundqvist, Avalanche Andretti Formula E: Reigning Indy Lights champion and 2020 Formula Regional Americas Champion, Linus Lundqvist will test for Avalanche Andretti in the rookie test. No stranger to single-seater racing from his F3 days where he was named the BRDC British Formula 3 Champion, he has also raced the infamous 24-Hours of Daytona in 2019 and 2022.

    Daniil Kvyat, NIO 333 Racing: Former Red Bull and AlphaTauri Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat will make his debut in Formula E for the NIO 333 team. He currently competes in LMP2 in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and next year will race for Lamborghini Squadra Corse as a Factory Works Driver. He has also driven at the infamous brickyard in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Indianapolis Road Course race and is scheduled to make three more appearances later this year.

  • WRC Round 4 resumes in Croatia on a sombre note: Craig Breen remembered

    WRC Round 4 resumes in Croatia on a sombre note: Craig Breen remembered

    It’s a return to Tarmac and Croatia for round four of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship for what will be a sombre occasion following the passing of Craig Breen in a team testing accident last week (Thursday).

    Zagreb, 17 April 2023: While the 33-year-old’s death has left the entire WRC community in a state of shock, Croatia Rally’s third appearance in the world championship presents an opportunity for his peers to honour his memory.

    Croatia follows on from Rally México where a second victory of 2023 for Sébastien Ogier has put the eight-time WRC champion on top of the provisional standings, albeit with a slender three-point advantage over Thierry Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä, the defending champion, is just one point further back. Rally Sweden winner Ott Tänak is fourth for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, nine points adrift of Ogier, with Elfyn Evans 12 behind his Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate.

    Taking place from April 20-23, Croatia Rally first hosted the WRC in 2021 when Ogier overtook and beat Evans by 0.6s in a thrilling final-stage battle. The top two positions were also reversed on the deciding stage last season, as Rovanperä defeated Tänak.

    As well as counting for overall FIA WRC2, FIA WRC2 Challenger, FIA WRC3 and FIA WRC Masters, Croatia Rally forms round two of the FIA Junior WRC Championship, which is currently led by William Creighton following his victory in Sweden.

    THE ROUTE IN SHORT

    Croatia Rally organisers have elected to follow a tried and tested route, albeit with some minor adjustments.

    The Stojdraga – Gornja Vas stage on leg one now runs through to the village of Hartje, a move that has increased its length from 20.77 to 25.67 kilometres and the rally’s timed distance to 301.26 kilometres. Replacing Jaškovo – Mali Modruš Potok, the Ravna Gora – Skrad stage, meanwhile, is new for 2023 and takes place on leg two.

    Getting underway on Thursday, April 20 on the 3.65-kilometre Shakedown stage near Okić, an ancient town with records dating back to 1193, the National University Library and Zagreb Fountains is home to the Ceremonial Start from 18h30.

    The Samoborsko Gorje, Žumberak and Karlovac hills west and southwest of host city Zagreb on Friday, April 21 provide the setting for four repeated stages run either side of service at the Zagreb Fair exhibition site.

    Four more double-use stages west of Zagreb and split by service in the capital offer the challenge on Saturday, April 22 with leg two’s Platak stage including a section in view of the Adriatic Sea.

    The deciding leg on Sunday, April 23 is formed of two stages that run twice and start with Trakošćan – Vrbno, the rally’s northernmost stage. The day also features the 14.09-kilometre Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec Power Stage from 13h15 CET with the INA building located adjacent to the service park providing the backdrop for the podium finish from 15h30.

    CROATIA RALLY DATA

    Stage distance: 301.26 km

    Total distance: 1650.68 km

    Number of stages: 20

    SUPPORTING CATEGORIES

    Twenty crews are entered for the WRC2 category with the three class winners of 2023 – Yohan Rossel (PH Sport Citroën C3 Rally2) plus Toksport Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 pair Oliver Solberg and Gus Greensmith – all in action. Nikolay Gryazin will also contest the country’s WRC round along with a number of others, including Sami Pajari, Czech driver Erik Cais and Adrien Fourmaux, who is representing M-Sport.

    Croatian brother and sister Martin and Dora Ravenščak are among the WRC3 crews getting a taste of the world championship competition, while eight fellow rising talents are in contention for the Junior WRC victory. They include the Junior ERC champion from 2022, Laurent Pellier and Belgian Tom Rensonnet, who is supported by the RACB National Team initiative from his national ASN.

    WHAT’S NEW IN THE WRC FOR 2023?

    – WRC2 Junior becomes WRC2 Challenger as the criteria switch to focus on competitor experience rather than age

    – WRC2 Masters for drivers 50 or over in Rally2 cars expands to also allow Rally3, Rally4, Rally5 and RGT cars. The name has changed to WRC Masters as a result

    – Central European Rally featuring stages in Austria, Czech Republic and Germany joins the WRC schedule for the first time in October

    – To further promote sustainability, testing away from nominated test venues for Rally1 manufacturers is cut from 28 to 21 days

    – In the interests of reducing the hours that volunteer officials must be in duty, morning service on gravel events is removed from the itinerary

  • MotoGP: 539 days later, Rins puts Honda back on top

    MotoGP: 539 days later, Rins puts Honda back on top

    Rins wins, Pecco crashes, Marini takes a debut podium and Quartararo returns to parc ferme after another shake-up on Sunday.

    Austin, Monday, 17 April 2023: 539 days and 24 Grands Prix have passed since Honda were last on top, and Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) has brought that long wait to an end with a truly-impressive ride to glory at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.

    The number 42 was pressuring Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) at the front of the field until the number 1 slid out, and from there on out Rins was on a mission to just keep. that. gap. And that he did, getting the hammer down once Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) had made it past Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and taking the flag with time in hand to celebrate. That brings Honda’s longest winless streak since they returned to the premier class in 1982 to an end, it’s  the first LCR victory since 2018 and the team’s 100th podium in the Grand Prix paddock. It also means Rins has won a staggering 50% of the last six MotoGP™ races… and on two different bikes. How’s that for a one-man stat pack?

    Behind Rins’ headline-grabber, Marini made his own as he held station in second once he was past Quartararo, and the Italian takes his first Grand Prix podium to follow up a first Tissot Sprint podium last weekend. For Quartararo, meanwhile, it’s a return to the rostrum for the first time since Malaysia last year as he turned the page following a tougher opening stint to 2023.

    As the lights went out, it was the perfect start for Pecco as the Italian took the holeshot, with Rins in hot pursuit. There was drama on Lap 1 for others though as the Ducatis of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) crashed out, the latter losing the front and then collecting a hapless number 73. Then more drama as Aprilia Captain Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) also fell victim to an issue, reportedly after an issue with his holeshot device.

    In the meantime, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) has come flying through the field to put himself in third place from 10th on the grid. Quartararo was hot on the tail of the Aussie too as Marini sat just inside the top five.

    Bagnaia was putting on pressure early on as he attempted to stretch out the field, but Rins wasn’t having any of it as the Spaniard latched himself onto the back of the factory Ducati. Rins, in return, piled the pressure on the number 1… and Bagnaia did, indeed, slide out of the lead. Now Rins was in a race against himself and the couple of seconds he had in hand, with some history on the line just waiting to be made.

    Meanwhile, with 14 laps to go Miller had crashed out, rider ok, and that put fast-starting Quartararo up into second once Rins was the lone star in the lead. Marini was shadowing Quartararo’s every move though, and with 3.5s to the battle for 4th behind, the duo was putting the hammer down in hopes of catching the LCR Honda man out front.

    With the laps ticking away and the gap not coming down, Marini decided it was time to make a move on the flying Frenchman and got past, then able to stay ahead and solely start to edge away.. With five to go, the Italian had just under a second in his back pocket and that second place was his barring any drama.

    He couldn’t catch Rins, however, and the LCR rider had time to celebrate over the line as he took yet another impressive win. He doesn’t always win – although lately, he has done half of the time – but when he does, it’s usually a highly notable day at the office and deserves a chapeau, this time cowboy-styled.

    Marini brought home his Ducati for second and a first Grand Prix podium in the MotoGP™ class, with Quartararo snatching his first podium of 2023 in third as his focus switched to fending off fourth in the latter stages.

    That fight was won by Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) as he stretched away from Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) despite plummeting down the order at the start, with Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) taking sixth. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out of that fight, rider ok and rejoined but took three points at the back.

    Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) were next up, with Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) completing the top ten and taking his first rookie top ten in the process.

    The Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas did not disappoint as MotoGP™  leaves the USA after another shuffle, but it remains Bezzecchi in the points lead and Bagnaia second. Now get ready for more action at the Gran Premio MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn de España in two weeks!
     

  • Bagnaia outruns Rins, Martin duels Aleix Espargaro as Quartararo slides out at COTA

    Bagnaia outruns Rins, Martin duels Aleix Espargaro as Quartararo slides out at COTA

    Rins on the podium, surprise errors at the front, some serious charges through the field, and a single point in it at the top of the standings: Saturday sent it with another shuffle.

    Austin, Sunday, 16 April 2023: There was adrenaline from the moment the lights went out for the Tissot Sprint at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) lined up on pole position for the first time in 2023, and it was game on as the chasing pack was eager to get the better of the number 1. Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) tried it early but was shaken off as Bagnaia sprinted free to take victory, but the number 42 battled back into second for a first taste of Prosecco with Honda. It was a duel to decide the final place on the podium, with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) storming up from 12th on the grid to fend off Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) for third on the final lap.

    Rins got the perfect launch as he took the holeshot into Turn 1, but the Honda then ran wide and allowed Bagnaia back through. It only took a few corners before Rins threw it back up the inside of the Ducati again, but the Italian bit back and used his Borgo Panigale power to blast past the Spaniard on the back straight. Meanwhile, Aleix Espargaro and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had also made impressive starts, shooting up into third and fourth, respectively.

    With one lap down, Rins was still all over the rear wheel of the factory Ducati, but then the LCR rider out-braked himself at Turn 12, allowing Espargaro through. It almost let Quartararo through the door as well, but despite a little contact, Rins was able to fend the Frenchman off. A lap later and it was Martin next on the scene to duel Quartararo, and the number 89 made shortish work of it, blasting past up into fourth.

    Quartararo did his best to find off the Ducati rocketships, but next, it was Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). On the brakes, the 2021 World Champion then overshot Turn 12, allowing Alex Marquez through. Half a lap later it all came tumbling down as Quartararo’s Yamaha slid out at Turn 1, with the Frenchman rejoining but well down the order.

    Back at the front, Bagnaia began to stretch out the field as he put down some lightning-fast pace. Aleix Espargaro and Rins were holding station in second and third, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long. With four laps to go Rins muscled his way past the Aprilia, but as the battle for P2 came to the end of the back straight once again, Rins barrelled into the braking zone ever so slightly over the limit of his LCR Honda. That sucked in Aleix Espargaro, who followed Rins into the corner and ran wide. Alex Marquez was also caught out, the number 73 then down and out of the Tissot Sprint.

    Meanwhile, Rins was able to make it stick and make his escape, with Aleix Espargaro left to duel Martin. The Prima Pramac rider had made an attack stick, but onto the final lap, Espargaro was almost riding pillion through the slalom section, desperate to find a way past. The Spaniard wanted to get through on his compatriot before the Ducati could stretch its legs on the back straight, but it wasn’t to be. The final sector arrived and there was only one thing for it: a lunge. Espargaro dived up the inside at the penultimate corner, but he ran wide and the Pramac cut back up the inside, giving Martin his second Tissot Sprint podium of the season.

    Whilst the riders out front scrapped it out, the battle for the top five was hotting up too. It was Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who led the group, with Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and teammate Luca Marini in hot pursuit. In the end, the South African was able to fend off the Mooney VR46 Racing riders and bring home fifth from 11th on the grid. Bezzecchi, however, retains the points lead overall by one single point.

    Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) got the better of Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to bring his Aprilia home in P8, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) rounding out the top 10 after a tough start for Top Gun.

    That’s a wrap! A Bagnaia win, a first for Rins, and a return for Martin… following an action-packed start to the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, we now have a chance to catch our breath before it all starts again on Sunday. If Saturday is anything to go by, you do not want to miss any of the action as the Grand Prix race gets underway at 14:00 local time (GMT- 5)!

    PECCO BAGNAIA: “It was one of the best days I’ve had in MotoGP considering the performance we had all day. We’ve worked so well since yesterday morning and my feeling with my bike is growing on this track for the first time, I’m feeling great. So we worked well. This morning with used tyres I was feeling OK so I was already understanding where to improve. But today for the Sprint it was quite difficult because the conditions were quite hot and it was difficult to stop the bike. I was having a lot of locking and sincerely it was a bit of a problem at the start of the race, but then I got used to it and I was managing it. But I think tomorrow will be another story about the conditions.

    How are you feeling and who do you see as potential threats over 20 laps?
    “First of all 20 laps are a lot, even today with 10 laps it was quite long. We have to remain calm, I think you can push from the start like today. I had to wait a bit and the first part of the race was a bit slower for sure. Then we will see if I can improve the pace a bit and if I have the pace to open up a gap like today. In any case, we have to keep calm and see like today what will be the conditions that will change for sure. I just saw that maybe it will be colder so it will be easier to be competitive. Let’s see…”
    ALEX RINS: “We had a really great day today, qualifying and the Sprint. I gave my maximum, I tried to overtake Pecco as soon as possible because I knew he had a good pace and I tried to ride on my own but he overtook me and then I went straight at T12, with the hot temperatures it was difficult to not lock the font and to stop the bike. But we did a great race, let’s see tomorrow, for sure this bike isn’t the same as the bike I was riding last year, and what I can say is I need more strength in my body to be fast through the chicanes to be fast, but let’s see tomorrow. 

    “We have a good bike, a lot of information, today honestly the hot temperatures we didn’t expect and didn’t ride with them before so for us, or for me, the electronics weren’t at 100%, so let’s see if tomorrow it’s warmer like this but we have information. As Pecco says, the race today was fast so we’ll need to take more care of the tyres to arrive with better performance at the end of the Grand Prix race.”
    JORGE MARTIN: “Today I was struggling a lot in qualifying. In FP I felt super confident, I had a really good pace, was really close to the top guys, and I was feeling great. I think the antibiotics did their work and in the race, I was struggling a lot with my physical condition. But anyway the team did an amazing job preparing both bikes to be ready to race. Finally, we chose a bike that I thought was the good one even though we had some issues in the race. Coming through from 12th to 3rd position is not easy but I gave my 100%. Yesterday I was feeling worse so I feel like tomorrow I will maybe be better and have more strength to battle a bit better also.”

    Talk us through the battle with Aleix!
    “As soon as I overtook him I felt so weak, so I just waited for his overtake. I was just going slow and braking hard, and finally, I could use that to beat him. You know, I was super slow but I was just taking my time to understand how to manage the battle. It wasn’t easy but I was cleverer than him today and I hope tomorrow I feel better. I will try to rest today a lot and to gain a lot of energy tomorrow!”
  • Bagnaia bags pole, Rins gives chase as the mind games heat up in Texas

    Bagnaia bags pole, Rins gives chase as the mind games heat up in Texas

    Lap record pace? A little cat and mouse? A grid guaranteed to create some stunning racing? Check. Check. Check. Here’s how the riders line up in Austin.

    Qualifying quickly came around at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, and as ever the premier class did not fail to entertain. The mind games were in full swing in Q2, but the number 1 plated Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) held strong to set a new lap record and take pole with a stunning 2:01.892. Second place went to a magical lap from Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) as he flew the flag for Honda and secured the middle spot on the front row, with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) lining up alongside in P3.

    You could cut the tension with a knife in Q1 as several big hitters sat in their garages ready to compete for promotion to Q2. Only two could go through as perennial frontrunners Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team), Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), and Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) all got ready to race.

    Bezzecchi and Oliveira took initial control of the session and put themselves 1st and 2nd, but fast laps came in from Morbidelli and Zarco, the latter of whom bumped Oliveira out of contention. The riders then returned to the pits before the final fight for Q2 glory, which Bezzecchi started strongly on his first flyer, setting the fastest first sector, before pulling out the lap half way round. The Italian didn’t therefore manage to improve on his 2:05.253, but it was no bother as his earlier flyer proved enough to secure him a Q2 spot.

    Mir put in the first punch of run 2, and with just two-thousandths of a second in it, the Repsol Honda rider snatched the provisional second spot. But it still wasn’t done. Hot laps were once again coming in, and Zarco was able to snatch first from Bezzecchi, putting the Championship leader under pressure.

    No once else could improve though, putting Zarco and Bezzecchi through as Mir, Morbidelli and Oliveira just missed the cut.

    Q2
    As the first banker laps came in, it was Bagnaia who went top, but it was nothing to shout about for the Italian as a 2:02.576 was three-tenths shy of the fastest lap from Friday. There would surely be more to come, and there was.

    Just a lap later, the red sectors began to light up the timing screens, and it was Bagnaia who moved the goalposts once again – although with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) matched his lap time of a 2:02.242 just seconds after. With two-tenths to find to reach Jorge Martin‘s (Prima Pramac Racing) pole record from 2022, The Martinator himself then crashed out of the session, meaning it would likely be someone else trying to beat that lap.

    Then came the pitlane cat and mouse. Bagnaia went to head out on the circuit first but pulled to the side of the pitlane after seeing Alex Marquez and Marini shadowing him. Despite the trying to shake him off, Marquez latched onto the number 1 machine in hope of finding the perfect tow for a chance at pole, and the psychological warfare continued on the out lap too, with the number 73 remaining close company. 

    Time was ticking, however, and it was time to put the hammer down. At first though, Bagnaia set a slow couple of sectors before then making a big mistake on his first flyer, forced to regroup for his final chance with one minute left on the clock.

    In the meantime, Rins had the bit between his teeth and was focussed on the job at hand. The Spaniard nailed the final sector to set the new fastest lap of the session and knock Bagnaia down to P2, making a serious statement in the process and throwing down the gauntlet.

    Bagnaia was back in the groove though, and the reigning World Champion made a little history on the way to stealing back that pole position with the first-ever 2:01 lap of the Circuit of the Americas. Marini shadowed the factory Ducati rider to continue his dream weekend and bag himself the final spot on the front row, with Rins forced to settle for second but splitting the two Borgo Panigale machines.

    Martin went back out on the circuit hoping to sprinkle some of his one-lap magic but went down once again, losing the front at Turn 2. Alex Marquez also went down and out of the session, but luckily for the Gresini rider he had done enough to end the session fourth fastest to head the second row ahead of Bezzecchi and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing).

    The third row will also be one to keep an eye on as the lights go out, as 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) is set to start from seventh, just ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Zarco.

    The depth of field in MotoGP™ is as hot as ever, and with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Jack Miller and Brad Binder fronting the fourth row of the grid, the squad in orange cannot be underestimated. Miller will be looking to fight his way through the field, and Binder’s Argentina Tissot Sprint proves exactly why there’s still plenty on the table. With two crashes in Q2, Martin will also be looking to use his strong pace to battle through the pack from P12.

    There’s plenty to look forward to as the attention now turns to the racing action in MotoGP™. Make sure to tune in as the first story unfolds in the Tissot Sprint at 15:00 local time (GMT -5)!

  • Alonso reveals a bit of insights about Aston Martin to Indian reporter Niharika’s query

    Alonso reveals a bit of insights about Aston Martin to Indian reporter Niharika’s query

    The following drivers Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing – Winner); Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing – 2nd) and Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin – 3rd) attended the FIA post-race Press Conference.

    The ace Indian reporter Niharika Ghorpade took up the tyres issue with the popular driver Fernando Alonso, who got a historic podium for Aston Martin. Her question (and the answer) is given before the full transcript.

    Q: (Niharika Ghorpade – Sportskeeda) Question to Fernando. Yesterday, Checo mentioned that the strong point of your team is tyre management, and that your team banks on that on race day. So how much did that play into effect, compared to other areas in performance, and also, when it comes to your race pace, at some point in this race, you will almost matching the two drivers next to you. If it weren’t for the start, do you think you could have been slightly closer to them within the race?

    FA: I think on the tyres, yes. It seems that this is one is strength of our car, some legacy from last year as well, because Aston Martin was very strong on Sundays last year as well. So yeah, let’s try to keep that theme on the car and just improve the Saturdays, which was maybe the weak point of last year for the team. And also yesterday, we were not mega-competitive. So let’s work on that. And yeah, on the race pace, obviously we lost time in the first stint. I just sat behind the Mercedes. In the middle stint I have to pass George and Valtteri. And then on the final stint I had to pass Lewis and Carlos. So, all in all, I’m sure that you lose 10 or 15 seconds on all those battles. So if we are 40 seconds behind the leader, we could have been maybe 20 seconds, or 30 seconds. Yeah, not real fight – yet – to Red Bull.

    TRACK INTERVIEWS (Conducted by Nico Rosberg) 

    Q: Fernando, how awesome was that start to the season. P3 for you there.

    Fernando ALONSO: Yeah. Thank you. First of all, I think congrats to Lance, my team-mate, you know, he had the surgery 12 days ago and now he’s fighting right with everybody. So yeah, amazing for the team. It was a great weekend and, yeah, finishing on the podium in the first race of the year, this is just amazing, you know, what Aston Martin did over the winter to have the second best car in race one, this is just unreal.

    Q: How did it feel to pass that Ferrari and Sainz, and that Mercedes and Hamilton out on track there? I mean, you were shouting on the radio?

    FA: Yeah, obviously, I would love to start in front of them and then use the pace. But yeah, we had not the best start today and we had to pass on track. So yeah, it felt like more exciting, more adrenaline for sure. So people enjoyed it. We did enjoy as well. So let’s go into Jeddah.

    Q: Great. And you have more wind tunnel time as well. Do you think that’s going to play into it, your development rate of the car?

    FA: I hope so. But we will not get much next year!

    Q: Alright, let’s move on to… who’s coming next Sergio or Max. Sergio is coming next. Sergio, that’s a dream start for the team, isn’t it, with a one-two here in Bahrain?

    Sergio PÉREZ: Yeah it’s a great start. I mean, when we look back at last year, and how we started here, it’s really nice. It’s a nice comeback. As a team, you know, we worked really hard over the winter. So it’s great to see all the boys enjoying the first race. And yeah, we have a strong package. So yeah, it was important today to get both cars until the end.

    Q: But of course you are also fighter and you want to win. Which area is it you still need to like work on most to try and to try and get closer to Max and beat him?

    SP: Well, I think today was really that start that really put me out of contention from the race. But it was all about minimising the damage. So finishing second is the maximum I could do today. It’s a long season. I think I’m getting closer every single session.

    Q: So you’re confident you’re going to give him a run for his money?

    SP: Yeah, certainly. I think I’m feeling comfortable with the car and we have a strong package. So, yeah, I will do my best.

    Q: Thank you. We’ll move on to Max now. The race winner. Max, what a dream start and what an awesome drive there.

    Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it was a very, very good first stint, where I basically made my gap. And from there onwards it was all about just looking after the tyres, because you never really know what’s going to happen later on in the race. So we just wanted to make sure that we had the right tyres and in good condition as well. So yeah, of course, very happy to finally also win here in Bahrain.

    Q: True, your first win here. Were there any issues during the race? I mean, you were complaining a little bit about downshifts and also the car balance not being so great throughout the whole weekend.

    MV: Nothing big, just little things you always want to fine tune so I think they’re quite easy to get on top of.

    Q: And are you looking forward to Jeddah? Different kind of track.

    MV: Very, very different.

    Q: But you’re very confident now that you can get on top of the balance issues and everything and be just as strong?

    MV: I think we have a good race package. I mean, of course it will depend a bit, race to race, but we can definitely fight with this. And yeah, also a big thank you to the team, you know, over the winter what they’ve done again, to give us such a quick race car again.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Max, your first win in Bahrain, it was the perfect way to kick off 2023. You delivered what you’ve been threatening to do in testing. You must be delighted?

    MV: Yeah, I mean, it was a really good race. I do think it was important to have that first stint where I could open up a gap a little bit and after that I could look after my tyres quite well. But also the car was working well – a bit like what we’ve seen in testing and the long runs we’ve done throughout the weekend. But you still of course need to show that in the race. You never know really what can happen to you throughout the race. But yeah, we were on top of things. And it was quite straightforward. But yeah, I think also, with all the calls and pit stops, we did a good job.

    Q: You said yesterday that you weren’t that happy with the balance of your car over one lap? Was it much better today in the race?

    MV: Yeah, but you know, in the long run, you anyway have quite a different car, and you never really are able to push to the limit. So naturally, that was less of an issue anyway, when I was already not happy in the beginning of the weekend. But I do think that there are still a few things that need to be looked at. But for now, we’re happy. And then tomorrow, once we get back home, we’ll get on top of everything before we get to Jeddah.

    Q: Max, were there any issues for you at all? I mean, you came on the radio at one point, talking about some rear locking. How serious was that? Any other issues?

    MV: It happens here and there. I mean, this is not something new. This has happened also in the last year or two years. This is something we are consistently working on and trying to make better. But yeah, I think overall, nothing too big of a concern.

    Q: OK, and will this stunning pace that we’ve seen today translate elsewhere, to Saudi for example?

    Max Verstappen: Well, Saudi is quite a different track to this one. You have a lot more like straights, fast corners, and a lot less deg. And I think here we were particularly good on the deg. So I do expect in terms of race pace that everyone is closer in Jeddah.

    Q: How much confidence, Max, do you take from this performance this weekend?

    MV: It has been a great start for us, for the for the whole team, you know, so this is not something we were used to! So yeah, we are very happy at the moment. But yeah, we always keep working.

    Q: Alright, many congratulations to you. Very well done. Checo, coming to you now. We saw great pace from you in that race. But it seemed it all came on done at the start. Is that is that the case?

    SP: Yeah, that was really the case, missing out to Charles on that first stint. It was really difficult to get by him. He had the new tyres. So you could see the difference on that first stint. And as soon as I was getting a bit closer to him, trying to attack him earlier on, I will just deg and destroy my tyres. So I had to be really patient and get my way through it. And once he did, I was able to drive some fast laps and, let’s say, that my tyres and on the second stint were in better shape than his and I was able to get through. But yeah, it was just too late. It was just a few laps too many, too late, and that put us quite behind Max. Once that happened, we basically just maintained the gap throughout the race. So we had no chance to fight for the win. But today was all about minimising the bad start. And we’ve got plenty of things to analyse, to try to improve and get this consistency throughout the season.

    Q: It must have been an interesting fact finding mission for you being behind the Ferrari in that first and what did you learn about that car?

    SP: Yeah, I actually learned a lot about their car, you know: where they are weak, where they’re strong, or stronger than us. So yeah, I think I need to make sure that it stays fresh for my engineers later in the briefing.

    Q: Go on, share it with us now. And are you happy with where you’ve got the car? Do you feel confident in the RB19?

    SP: Yeah, I’m comfortable. I’m comfortable with the car. I’m happy. I think we’ve got some work to do. I think we, both drivers are pushing the car in the same direction, which is good. And yeah, I think it’s been an amazing start to the season. Yeah, our best ever start ever, so very different to last year.

    Q: Fernando coming to you, podium number 99 of your career. Your first podium here in Bahrain since you won in 2010. Just how sweet is this moment for you?

    FA: It is! Obviously, a perfect start for this project. We didn’t expect to be that competitive. I think the aim in 2023 was, you know, getting the mix in the midfield, maybe leading that midfield and get close to the top three teams eventually. But even a podium maybe was not in the radar in 2023. And, and we found ourselves second best car today in Bahrain, or the whole weekend, like just behind Red Bull. So, this is, yeah, a little bit of a surprise. But we are extremely proud, happy with the job done at Silverstone in the factory. So big congratulations to everyone. Let’s enjoy this moment and build from here, hopefully a good 2023 campaign and get closer and closer to the top guys.

    Q: So, are you having to reset your expectations for the rest of this season? Given what’s happened today and this weekend?

    FA: Let’s see. I think, like, I have the same feeling from testing, like, too good to be true. And you’re always expecting that something will get… you will get a step back and you will get back to reality. But it seems real, the performance. Let’s see in Jeddah. I am curious to go to Jeddah and Australia. Very different circuits. I think Max touched on before, high-speed corners, very little degradation. I think in Bahrain, we were strong in things that maybe we don’t find in Jeddah, and Australia. So, if we are strong in the next two races, I think we will have a very good 2023.

    Q: Final one from me. Can you talk us through those overtakes on Hamilton and Sainz? How much did you enjoy them?

    FA: I obviously did enjoy them because I ended-up in front. That’s always the same thing in any battle. But yeah, we say it’s always the same, but when you fight at the front, with these great drivers, great champions, it is more intense, more adrenaline when you are wheel to wheel. So yeah, I didn’t want to have any mistake, or any contact because obviously when you are P12, you lose nothing, but today, we were fighting for big things. And yeah, I was happy. And the car was very nice to drive. That was probably our strength, all through testing. And this weekend, even though the race felt very long, the last 10 laps, because I wanted to see the chequered flag and being on the podium, the car was very good to drive and I could have driven for another hour or something, just alone on track.

    Q: You mentioned contact there. Was there any contact between you and Lance?

    FA: Yeah, apparently into Turn 4. I thought it was George. But I saw the replay on TV later on, and it was Lance. So yeah, he had a very good start because, you know, he was alongside me into Turn 4. We got lucky. Obviously the two cars, they didn’t have any problems and we could continue. It was our lucky day. For many things, you know, for this contact, and also to be both cars with strong points. So, I’m very happy for the team because they deserve it.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Frédéric Ferret – L’Equipe) Question to Fernando. Is there any weakness in your car that you already can make it better? And we heard you were speaking about something on your car at the end, avoiding the kerb. Did you have any concern about it?

    FA: No. But, you know, we had a very comfortable position. So, I slowed down the pace and I informed the team that you know, I could go faster, but I was avoiding the kerbs and just bringing the car home. So yeah, I mean, there are a couple of areas that we have to improve that I will not share. But I think the most important point is that the new Aston Martin is just a new car, a new project. This is just the beginning. You know, this is not the final car, this is just the starting car of this concept that we changed over winter. I think some of the top teams they just kept the philosophy that they had last year. Red Bull or Ferrari they kept more of the same shapes. Just, fine-tuning things and making perfection of that good baseline that they had. For us, it was much more difficult. We have to change 95% of the car. So, I guess there is more to learn from the car, and there is more to come on our side. So full trust in our team, obviously they know what they do. So let’s hopefully improve soon.

    Q: (Jesús Balseiro – Diario AS) Question to Fernando, could you elaborate how was your move over Lewis on Turn 10?

    FA: Yeah, I think we were not very fast on the straight. So, eventually you normally pass into Turn 1 or into Turn 4. And I think I pass Lewis into Turn 10 and Carlos into Turn 11. So not the normal places, because we could not match their straight-line speed. So, yeah, we had to make some moves in the corners before Turn 10 and Turn 11 and change trajectory, and then get the overtake done, I think to Lewis was more playing a surprise move there, because no one overtakes into Turn 10, let’s say. And then with Carlos, it was close into Turn 10 again, he closed the door, and then I have a better exit into Turn 11. But, yeah, we need to see that because obviously, we will love to pass just on the main straight like everyone does.

    Q: (Niharika Ghorpade – Sportskeeda) Question to Fernando. Yesterday, Checo mentioned that the strong point of your team is tyre management, and that your team banks on that on race day. So how much did that play into effect, compared to other areas in performance, and also, when it comes to your race pace, at some point in this race, you will almost matching the two drivers next to you. If it weren’t for the start, do you think you could have been slightly closer to them within the race?

    FA: I think on the tyres, yes. It seems that this is one is strength of our car, some legacy from last year as well, because Aston Martin was very strong on Sundays last year as well. So yeah, let’s try to keep that theme on the car and just improve the Saturdays, which was maybe the weak point of last year for the team. And also yesterday, we were not mega-competitive. So let’s work on that. And yeah, on the race pace, obviously we lost time in the first stint. I just sat behind the Mercedes. In the middle stint I have to pass George and Valtteri. And then on the final stint I had to pass Lewis and Carlos. So, all in all, I’m sure that you lose 10 or 15 seconds on all those battles. So if we are 40 seconds behind the leader, we could have been maybe 20 seconds, or 30 seconds. Yeah, not real fight – yet – to Red Bull.

    Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Another question to Fernando, please. In both your battles with Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, you had big moments at Turn 4. It looked like the car suddenly snapped left on you. Can you just talk through the two incidents there and what was causing that? Thanks.

    FA: I think we know what is causing that, but I will keep it for me. We’re still working. As I said, the car is very new. We need to learn more from the car, I need to get used to the car. So those moments were more coming from me getting used to the car, getting used to the driving input, feedback from the steering wheel and power assistance. So things that they are not 100% tailormade yet.

    Q: (Ronald Vording – motorsport.com) Max, but Checo can add if he wants to. Given the balance issues that we talked about on Friday and Saturday are you surprised to see how big the gap actually is in the first race compared to the first non-Red Bull car? And secondly, you talked about Jeddah a little bit; we can see the data that Ferrari at least made a step in their top speed so what do you expect from Ferrari in Jeddah?

    MV: Yeah, I think I already said before that the one lap performance to the race is very different in balance requirements anyway. So even like I said before, on Friday, I was unhappy with the one lap performance, my long runs were still okay, so not really surprised. I’m just, of course, happy that it worked out like this but Jeddah is going to be quite different again. Our car seems quite strong in high speed but you’re right, I think Ferrari is quite quick on the straight which in Jeddah, of course, is very nice to have, let’s say like that. But yeah, time will tell. It’s really hard to know.  We’ve only really driven these cars here in Bahrain so we just have to wait and see. We’ll, of course, try and get there in the best shape possible and then we’ll find out throughout practice where we are exactly.

    SP: Oh, it’s nice to see three Red Bull cars on the podium!

    Q: (Carlos Miguel – Marca) Fernando and the Red Bull drivers: for Alonso…

    SP: We are all Red Bull drivers.

    Q: (Carlos Miguel – Marca) Fernando, after that podium, do you think of the 33rd victory? And I ask after to the Red Bull drivers.

    FA: Yep. I would say yes because when you are P3 in race one, there are 22 opportunities this season. And even last year, I remember in Canada, wet qualifying, we were in the first row of the grid. You know, anything can happen in 22 races with different conditions. And, you know I will try my best to do have the opportunity. Maybe we need some help. Last year, we needed some help from the top teams just to get the podium. Maybe this year, if there is this help or there is some retirements in front of us or some problems maybe it’s more than a podium. So let’s hope for that.

    Q: (Carlos Miguel – Marca) Question for Max and Checo, do you read that Fernando could be a contender for the championship this year?

    MV: I hope so for Fernando as well because he has had a few years where there was not really a possibility to fight at the front so I’m happy to see him sitting here already in race one. I think also again, I mentioned it before, but at Aston Martin they really have the spirit and drive, they want to win and they’ve hired a lot of good people. So I guess it can only get better for them. And I think for this year, difficult to say if they’re going to challenge for the championship, but race wins are definitely on the table. I’ve been in the same position where some races I’m finishing 20 to 40 seconds behind the winners and you still win two or three races a year because sometimes they are some tracks which really suit your car and everything just comes together and you can win a race with maybe sometimes a bit of help or luck. But for sure they have a really strong package. And now of course it’s all about developing it further.

    SP: I’m first of all very happy to see Aston and Fernando up here. I think it’s been a tremendous effort and it’s great to see Fernando in his first race for the team on the podium. I think they certainly have a very good car. They will be a contender for sure in a few tracks. You know that the seasons in Formula 1 are extremely long, so anything can happen. So yeah, it’s just nice to see Fernando and Aston.

    Q: Fernando, when did you last feel this positive? This upbeat after race one of a season?

    FA: I think 2013. Yeah, we were leading the championship, I think, after Barcelona. So we had a contender package but after that I think I didn’t feel as good as now.

    Q: (Aaron Deckers – Racing News 365) Last year, Aston Martin ended up seventh in the constructor championship.  Obviously, with the new rules, is this the ultimate proof that now Aston Martin is fighting for the podium, that the rules are working since last year?

    FA: I don’t think so. No. I think you need to have the vision and the ambition of Lawrence Stroll, or our leadership and our management because the opportunities are there for everybody but it seems that only one team is willing to do whatever it takes to win. And you know, I’m proud to be part of this organisation.

    MV: Yeah, Fernando’s absolutely right.  I think you mentioned all of it and I think it doesn’t matter if it was the previous generation or this one. I think if you have the right people in charge, and they really want to win and they hire the right people, anything is possible.

    SP: Nothing more to add.

    Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Max, this is the first time in 12 years that Red Bull have won the opening race of the F1 season, how different do things feel at the team, compared to say this time last year when there was the double DNF start?  And what does that say about the rest of the season, the strength that you can carry through the  year ?

    FA: A double DNF would be nice. 

    MV: Well, last year was very disappointing, of course. That normally was a P2. I do think our mentality also has changed a bit compared to a few years ago, in terms of how we are operating and how we are developing a car. And yeah, it’s great to finally have a car which is able to win from the start. And it also helps the car’s not so overweight. It’s perfectly fine now. But yeah, this is a great start but we also know that throughout the season you have to keep on developing. Of course, we are on that, but we hope of course that’s going to be more than the other teams because you have to try and keep that advantage going.

    Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Checo, just going back to the very start of the race what happened there? How come you weren’t able to follow Max from second?

    SP: Yeah, I basically lost the position to Charles and that very much defined my race. As I say, he was very strong on that first stint and every time I could get close to him, I was just taking off my tyres so it was very important for me to get to lap 15/16 and still having a good tyre which I could push and make a bit of a tyre delta so I could get by him and once that happened, Max was just too far down the line.

    Ends