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Author: Darshan Chokhani
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MotoGP: Bastianini takes first pole in Austrian GP from Ducati pair
Pramac’s Enea Bastianini took his first MotoGP pole in Austrian GP from Ducati pair of Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller.
Q1:
The first part in MotoGP qualifying in Austrian GP at Red Bull Ring saw the Espargaro brothers lead the way at the halfway mark where Aprilia’s Aleix was on top with a 1m29.430s lap from Honda’s Pol, who was only 0.045s behind.
VR46 Ducati’s Luca Marini wasn’t too far ahead in third with Gresini Ducati’s Fabio di Giannantonio and LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami making it a Top 5. The second running from the riders saw a crash for two riders at the same Turn 3 corner.
LCR’s Alex Marquez and VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi were the ones to crash out, as they then rushed back to the pitlane to try and hop onto the second bike. Aprilia’s Espargaro upped his pace to a 1m29.231s to make it into Q2 at ease in a good show.
Gresini’s di Giannantonio pushed out the other Espargaro to be second and into Q2 with a 1m29.350s lap. The Honda rider ended up fifth to start 15th behind VR46’s Marini and LCR’s Nakagami, as Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli was 16th.
KTM’s Miguel Oliveira only managed 17th from Honda’s Stefan Bradl, with Tech 3 KTM’s Remy Gardner in 19th and RNF Yamaha’s Andrea Dovisioso 20th. Having crashed out, Bezzecchi couldn’t manage to set a new lap to be 21st.
RNF’s Darryn Binder was 22nd from Tech 3’s Raul Fernandez, Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori and LCR’s Marquez, who was the another one to not get a quick lap time after a crash.
Q2:
The second part in MotoGP qualifying in Austrian GP saw Ducati’s Jack Miller set the pace early on with a 1m28.898s lap as he headed Gresini’s Enea Bastianini and Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco in the Top 3, with Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo only sixth.
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia was out of sequence in the order due to work on his bike. He slotted in second after his first lap as other riders started their second run at that moment. Out of nowhere, Bastianini set a solid lap of 1m28.772s to take MotoGP pole in Austrian GP.
Bagnaia remained in second as he leapfrogged Miller in the process, while Pramc’s Jorge Martin made it a Ducati 1-2-3-4. Yamaha’s Quartararo ended up fifth from Pramac’s Zarco, with Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales ending up seventh to beat his teammate.
Espargaro slotted in ninth behind Suzuki’s Joan Mir, after the former’s lap was deleted due to track limits. Gresini’s di Giannantonio was 10th from Suzuki’s Alex Rins and KTM’s Brad Binder.
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MotoGP: Bagnaia resists Vinales’ late charge to win British GP
Francesco Bagnaia resisted late pressure from Maverick Vinales to win MotoGP British GP as Jack Miller ended up third.
It was a clean start from MotoGP pole-sitter Johann Zarco in British GP at Silverstone on his Pramac Ducati as Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo slotted in second from Ducati pair of Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia with Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales in fifth.
He dropped places at start with teammate Aleix Espargaro in seventh behind Suzuki’s Alex Rins, as Pramac’s Jorge Martin was eighth from Suzuki’s Joan Mir and KTM’s Miguel Oliveira in the Top 10 with Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini in 11th.
As Zarco led the way, Quartararo had to serve his Long Gap Penalty from Assen where he dropped from second to fifth behind Bagnaia. Amid this, Rins was the MotoGP rider on the charge as he moved up to fourth to slot behind the leading trio.
But things changed when Zarco crashed out from lead in the left-hander. He got going but was forced to retire eventually. Miller took the lead from Rins and Bagnaia, with Quartararo just behind him as Vinales started to get into pressure from Martin.
Miller and Rins went fighting where the Spaniard eventually got him to take the MotoGP British GP lead as the Australian dropped behind Bagnaia in third. For once, Quartararo looked to retake the podium but Martin had other ideas behind him.
He not only passed Vinales but also cleared Quartararo to be fourth. The Frenchman dropped behind the Spaniard in sixth as Mir brought himself into seventh. Espargaro was eighth from Oliveira and KTM’s Brad Binder, who gained five places since the start.
However, Bastianini got him for 10th, with VR46 Ducati pair of Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini in 12th and 13th. The Top 15 points position midway in the race saw Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli in 14th and Tech 3 KTM’s Remy Gardner in 15th.
At the front, Bagnaia started to close in on Rins and eventually went past him to take the MotoGP British GP lead, as Miller stood third from Vinales who cleared Martin for fourth. Quartararo was sixth from Mir, Bastianini, Espargaro and Oliveira in the Top 10.
Amid this, Miller made it Ducati 1-2 after passing Rins for second, as behind them Martin and Vinales started their duel for fourth. The former retook fourth but the latter came back on him to retake the place, while Mir crashed out of the the race.
Bastianini started to gain after passing Quartararo for sixth, as Oliveira passed Espargaro for eighth. At the front, Rins started to lose places as both Vinales and Martin passed him for third and fourth, with Bastianini looking to get through him as well.
The podium places started to shuffle when Vinales passed Miller for second with two laps to go. The Spaniard pressed on to pass Bagnaia for the lead and did so, but the Italian came back to retake it and kept it to win the MotoGP British GP race
Vinales had to settle for second after some wide moments on the final lap, as Miller rounded out the podium from Bastianini who passed Martin on the final lap. Oliveira came through to sixth after passing both Rins and Quartararo late in the race.
The Frenchman almost lost eighth to Espargaro, but managed to held onto it, with Bezzecchi rounding the Top 10 after passing Binder. Marini ended up 12th from LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami, Honda’s Pol Espargaro and Morbidelli in Top 15.
Missing out on points was RNF Yamaha’s Andrea Dovizioso in 16th with LCR’s Alex Marquez behind him from Gardner, Honda’s Stefan Bradl, RNF’s Darryn Binder, Tech 3’s Raul Fernandez and Gresini’s Fabio di Giannantonio to round out 22 finishers.
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MotoGP: Zarco beats Vinales by 0.098s to British GP pole
Johann Zarco broke Silverstone’s lap record to take MotoGP pole in British GP from Maverick Vinales and Jack Miller.
Q1:
The first in MotoGP qualifying in British GP at Silverstone post the summer break saw and early crash for LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez at Turn 8-9 sequence. He was agitated with someone but replays showed he had a fall on his own and not while in a fight.
He was shown to be angry at VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi with whom he had a run-in earlier. On track, Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini led the way initially with a 1m58.804s lap from KTM’s Miguel Oliveira with Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli slotting just behind them.
Bezzecchi had more run-in against Honda riders as Bastianini upped his pace to a 1m58.609s to make it in Q2 from Bezzecchi who put in a late lap of 1m58.756s to go through as well, where Binder was knocked out of contention.
A late lap from his teammate Oliveira put him in third and 13th for the British MotoGP race, with Binder in 14th from Gresini’s Fabio di Ginannantonio in the Top 15. Tech 3 KTM’s Remy Gardner put in a good lap to be 16th from Marquez, who hoped onto the second bike.
He led the two factory Honda riders Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaro, as LCR teammate Takaaki Nakagami was 21st behind Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli. Tech 3’s Raul Fernandez was 22nd from RNF Yamaha pair of Darryn Binder and Andrea Dovizioso.
Q2:
The second part in MotoGP qualifying in British GP saw Aleix Espargaro hit the track on his Aprilia after a heavy crash in FP4. He was 12th after his initial lap despite the pain he was in as Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo led the way with a 1m58.259s.
Remarkably he was only 0.001s quicker than Ducati’s Jack Miller, as Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales rounded the front row after their first run. The Pramac Ducati pair of Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco rounded out the Top 5 positions.
The second run started with Espargaro going fastest with a 1m57.966s lap, but Quartararo and Miller toppled him with Zarco ending up quickest with a 1m57.767s lap to not only break the lap record but also secure MotoGP pole in British GP.
A late lap from Vinales put him in second as he was only 0.098s down on Zarco, with Miller in third from Quartararo and the other Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia in the Top 5. Espargaro managed sixth in the end from Q1 runners Bezzecchi and Bastianini.
Martin could only manage ninth in the end with VR46’s Luca Marini in 10th from the Suzuki pair of Alex Rins and Joan Mir in the Top 12.
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Maini finishes NLS race in Top 10; suffers DNF in 24 Hours of Spa
NLS:
With a solid performance, the two DTM drivers Lucas Auer (AUT) and Arjun Maini (IND), as well as Jordan Love (AUS) achieved a strong 6th place overall in the blue and yellow BILSTEIN Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the Haupt Racing Team at the “ROWE 6-Stunden ADAC Ruhr-Pokal Rennen”.
For Maini and Love it was their first race in a GT3 car on the Nordschleife and for Auer it was his first outing for the Haupt Racing Team, drawing attention with a lap time of 7:52.848 in qualifying – and this despite the fact that his last NLS start was 2 years ago.
The likeable Austrian then started the race from 6th place and completed consistent stints – just like his teammates. For the new HRT driver trio, however, the priority was to collect race kilometers on the Nordschleife but also finish the race. All three drivers fulfilled this task with brilliance and showed strong performance, battling within the top 10 for the entire race, which lasted 43 laps.
Lucas Auer, Haupt Racing Team #6: “The Nordschleife is brutal. You really have a lot to manage – but it was great fun and we can be really happy with the result.”
Arjun Maini, Haupt Racing Team #6: “After my first lap with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the Nordschleife I had a big smile on my face. It was really fun and we did quite well.”
Jordan Love, Haupt Racing Team #6: “My first race in a GT3 car on the Nordschleife was just great. I learned so much and kept learning with each lap that went by. Thanks to the Haupt Racing Team for this opportunity. I couldn’t be happier.”
Ulrich Fritz, Managing Director Haupt Racing Team: “We decided to use the 6-hour race to give the drivers the opportunity to develop and gain race kilometers on the Nordschleife. All three drivers absolutely met our expectations and showed a solid performance to build on.”
24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps:
It was Maini’s first time in 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps with Haupt Racing Team in the #5 Mercedes GT3 alongside Hubert Haupt, Gabriele Piana and Florian Scholze in the Gold class category.
The final qualifying saw them end up 39th in the overall standings, while they were fifth in the Gold Cup. It was a steady start for the team initially and by the end of the fourth hour, they were in the lead of their category.
They kept the lead until the sixth hour but a crash by the end of the seventh hour ended their race early from the lead of the race.
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Hungarian GP: Verstappen wins from P10 ahead of Mercedes pair
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came through to win F1 Hungarian GP from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
The threat of rain continued to rumble at the start of F1 Hungarian GP at Hungaroring, but it was dry as Mercedes’ George Russell fended off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz’s charge into Turn 1 where the Brit remained in front of the Spaniard on the soft tyre.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third with the two of them on the medium from McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was on the soft tyre. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was up to fifth from Alpine pair of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso on the medium tyres.
The Red Bull pair were on the soft tyre with Sergio Perez initially passing Max Verstappen, but the Dutchman was back ahead in seventh, as Haas’ Kevin Magnussen passed McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo to make it in the Top 10 but had some damage due to minor contact.
There was a Virtual Safety Car period to clear the debris after contact between Williams’ Alexander Albon and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel. The Thai racer was forced to pit, while later on Magnussen was shown black and orange flag for his front wing damage.
The VSC re-start worked well for Russell as he generated a 2s gap over Sainz and Leclerc. Behind them, Hamilton was up to fourth after passing Norris, who also lost out to Verstappen on the same lap. The Dutchman came through after passing the Alpine pair.
He brought Perez along with him as the pit stop game started soon enough. A slow stop for both Russell and Sainz allowed the Brit to retain the lead after all the pit stops were completed. Leclerc having extended his lead jumped his teammate to second.
Verstappen was up to fourth from Hamilton, Perez and Norris. The Alfa Romeo pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu slotted in eighth and ninth without having stopped, as Ricciardo passed both Ocon and Alonso in a solid move to be 10th.
Alonso was anyhow furious with Ocon after he was pushed towards the wall at the start. The two jumped to hard tyres and the Frenchman came out just in front of the Spaniard on the track when he was being chased by Ricciardo in the fight for track position.
As Alonso tried a move on Ocon, it allowed Ricciardo to sneak through both on the inside and secure track position. At the front, Leclerc closed in on Russell lap by lap and tried a move on him for couple of laps but the Brit had a solid defence.
He eventually ran out of it on the main straight as Leclerc took the outside line to take the F1 Hungarian GP lead from Russell who then had Sainz on his tail. Verstappen was a bit far off in fourth from Hamilton, Perez, Norris and Ricciardo.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll did well to be in ninth ahead of Ocon in the Top 10, as Vettel passed Alonso for 11th with the two Alpine drivers struggling a bit on the hard tyres. The German also caught the back of the Frenchman for the final point.
AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, had a spin on his own in the left-hander after losing slight control as teammate Pierre Gasly did well in 13th after starting from the pitlane using his fourth power unit which he took along with third for both the Red Bull drivers.
The second round pit stops saw Sainz and Hamilton extend their strategy along with Perez. But with Leclerc switching to hard tyres, it allowed Verstappen to catch him and pass him for track position. But he couldn’t keep up the place for long.
A moment in the left-hander send him into a spin which allowed Leclerc to retake the place as Verstappen held off Russell. The recovery was quick for the Dutchman as he back on tail of the Monegasque and passed him for fourth place.
In the lower half of the Top 10, there was contact between Ricciardo and Stroll when the Canadian tried a move around the outside in the curve corner. It dropped them to outside of the Top 10 as the Australian was handed a 5s time penalty.
At the front, Verstappen took the F1 Hungarian GP lead after Hamilton’s pit stop. Leclerc was second but came under tremendous pressure from Russell as his hard tyres just didn’t give him any grip. He eventually passed him for second at Turn 1 going around the outside.
The strategy didn’t work as Leclerc eventually pitted for soft tyres to drop behind Sainz, Hamilton and Perez in sixth. Norris stationed in seventh from Alonso and Ocon, where the Spaniard got ahead of the Frenchman in the latter laps.
Bottas held to 10th but had Stroll and Vettel on his tail in the fight for the final point. The Finn lost out to both with the Canadian making it in the Top 10 from teammate, much like how it was at Paul Ricard where the German was chasing him for the final point.
At the front, Verstappen was out in the distance as Hamilton passed both Sainz and Russell to move up to second. It was a good fight between the two teammates as Sainz, Perez and Leclerc more or less settled down in the order.
In the lower half, Vettel passed Stroll for the final point as the VSC period was deployed when Bottas stopped on track with a problem. At the front, amid drops of rain Verstappen took the F1 Hungarian GP from 10th on the grid ahead of the Mercedes pair.
Hamilton ended up second from Russell with Sainz in fourth from Perez who fended off a late charge from Leclerc. Norris was seventh from Alonso, Ocon and Vettel in the Top 10. Stroll was 11th from Gasly, Zhou, Haas’ Mick Schumacher and Ricciardo in Top 15.
The Australian dropped back after his penalty, with Magnussen in 16th from Albon, Williams’ Nicholas Latifi, Tsunoda and Bottas where the Finn was classified despite not finishing the race – everyone from Alonso ended up a lap down with Tsunoda being two laps down.
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Hungarian GP: Russell takes surprise pole ahead of Ferrari pair
Mercedes’ George Russell took a shock pole in F1 Hungarian GP ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
Q1:
While the clouds hovered around the Hungaroring circuit, it was dry to start the first part in F1 Hungarian GP qualifying. With soft tyres use all-through the grid, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace initially at the front with a 1m18.509s lap.
The Ferrari pair of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc slotted in second and third. Late laps from Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell put them first and second, with the former setting the pace after a 1m18.374s lap which was 0.033s quicker.
Sainz was third, as the knockout zone had both the AlphaTauri cars along with the Williams pair. Yuki Tsunoda (1m19.240s) was 16th, missing Q2 by 0.035s with teammate Pierre Gasly (1m19.119s) only 19th in a bad show from both.
The Frenchman was frustrated on the radio, as Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m19.256s) was 17th with teammate Nicholas Latifi (1m19.570s) 20th while another frustrated driver Sebastian Vettel (1m19.273s) was 17th in his updated Aston Martin car.
Q2:
The second part in F1 Hungarian GP qualifying saw a bad start for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez whose initial quick lap was deleted due to track limits. But his lap was reinstated by the stewards which brought him inside the Top 10 but just in ninth.
But he was eventually knocked out in 11th with a 1m18.516s lap, missing out on Q3 by 0.071s. On replays, it was shown that he was blocked by Haas’ Kevin Magnussen (1m18.825s) as he complained on the radio.
The Dane was out too in 13th behind Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu (1m18.573s), with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll (1m19.137s) in 14th from Haas’ Mick Schumacher (1m19.202s). At the front, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fastest with a 1m17.703s lap from Leclerc and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso.
Q3:
The final part in F1 Hungarian GP qualifying had Ferrari’s Sainz on provisional pole with a 1m17.505s lap after the first flying lap, with teammate Leclerc third behind Mercedes’ George Russell with the Brit beating one of the Ferrari cars.
Red Bull’s Verstappen did not have the best of laps to be seventh after a lock-up in the left-hander which pushed him onto the run-off. The problems for the Dutchman continued on his second lap as he complained about ‘no power’ on his radio.
At the front, Ferrari’s Sainz upped his pace to seemingly take pole but Mercedes’ George Russell came out of nowhere to take his first F1 pole in Hungarian GP with a 1m17.377s lap after not going purple in any of the sectors on his fast lap.
Sainz (1m17.421s) had to settle for second being 0.044s down, with Leclerc (1m17.567s) in third as McLaren’s Norris (1m17.769s) slotted in fourth from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m18.018s) who managed to beat his teammate Fernando Alonso (1m18.078s).
While Russell took F1 pole, teammate Lewis Hamilton (1m18.142s) was only seventh after aborting his final lap due to DRS issues. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m18.157s) was eighth from McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m18.379s) in ninth, while a frustrated Verstappen (1m18.823s) rounded out the Top 10.
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Hungarian GP: Latifi was fastest in wet FP3 from Leclerc, Albon
Williams’ Nicholas Latifi was fastest in a wet FP3 of F1 Hungarian GP as Alexander Albon was third behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The wet weather arrived at expected at Hungaroring for FP3 in F1 Hungarian GP with wet tyres used mostly. The latter stages saw may using the intermediate compound too, to understand the tyres better for qualifying ahead.
There were some offs and spins which included AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell. There was a red flag for an incident for Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, who smashed onto the tyre barrier.
Post red flag, there was a surprise lap time on the drying track and the intermediate tyres, as Williams’ Nicholas Latifi set the pace with a 1m41.480s lap whereas teammate Alexander Albon was third after setting a 1m42.381s lap.
Ferrari’s Leclerc slotted in second with a 1m42.141s who was surprised by Latifis late lap. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fourth after his 1m43.205s lap with Mercedes’ Russell (1m43.434s) in fifth from Alpine’s Fernando Alonso (1m43.570s).
McLaren’s Lando Norris was eighth being the last of the intermediate runner, with Aston Martin’s Vettel slotting in ninth from Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in the Top 10 who set their pace on the wet compound. His teammate Mick Schumacher did same in 12th.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was 11th on the intermediate tyres, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in 13th from McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. There were wet tyre runners Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in 16th and 17th.
AlphaTauri’s Gasly was 19th, with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez ending up 18th and 20th using the intermediate tyres.
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Hungarian GP: Leclerc quickest in FP2 from Norris, Sainz
Ferrari was on top again in FP2 of F1 Hungarian GP with Charles Leclerc on top whereas teammate Carlos Sainz was third behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Ferrari remained on top in FP2 of F1 Hungarian GP at Hungaroring with Charles Leclerc setting the pace with a 1m18.445s lap whereas his teammate Carlos Sainz (1m18.676s) was third this time in a swap from FP1 session.
McLaren’s Lando Norris (1m18.662s) put in a solid lap to end up second despite some iffy moments for him during the session, with teammate Daniel Ricciardo (1m18.872s) doing well to be fifth behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (1m18.728s), who was only fourth.
The Dutchman did not have a good lap, much like teammate Sergio Perez (1m19.397s) who was only ninth. Leclerc, meanwhile, had to wait a bit inside the garage after the team found some issue. He also had a late moment at Turn 4 where he ran wide.
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso (1m19.049s) was sixth from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel (1m19.253s), with the German getting a good lap time with the new rear wing. Mercedes’ George Russell (1m19.355s), who had a major lock-up at Turn 1, was eighth from Perez.
Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m19.411s) rounded out the Top 10, who made his first presence after missing the FP1 for Robert Kubica. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was 11th as he didn’t get a lap time in after being held-up by Norris.
The Mercedes driver also had a moment off track, much like Haas’ Mick Schumacher. Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu was 12th from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in 14th from first of AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly.
Despite the updates, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen was only 16th from Schumacher, with Williams’ Nicholas Latifi in 18th ahead of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’ Alexander Albon, who lost his rear and spun around at Turn 1.
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Hungarian GP: Sainz tops FP1 from Verstappen, Leclerc
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz headed the FP1 session in F1 Hungarian GP with Charles Leclerc in third behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
It was a relatively sedate FP1 session in F1 Hungarian GP where only couple drivers had some minor off moments like Yuki Tsunoda and Fernando Alonso. The weather remained dry all-through, but Saturday is slated to be a wet one mostly.
The standings saw Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz lead the way in FP1 of F1 Hungarian GP after his 1m18.750s lap as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (1m18.880s) slotted in second ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (1m19.039s) to break them apart.
The Spaniard seemingly had more time after a small twitch on his initial fast lap. McLaren’s Lando Norris (1m19.299s) did well in fourth from Mercedes’ George Russell (1m19.606s), with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (1m19.622s) only sixth in the order.
The other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton (1m19.710s) was seventh from McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m19.841s), as Alpine pair of Esteban Ocon (1m20.348s) and Alonso (1m20.377s) rounded out the Top 10, leading the Aston Martin pair.
It was Sebastian Vettel ahead of Lance Stroll, with the team bringing in a rear wing update having armchair endplates which generated lots of eyeballs towards them. The AlphaTauri pair followed them with Pierre Gasly in 13th and Tsunoda in 14th.
Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu was 15th from Williams’ Alaxander Albon, whereas the Haas pair of Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher slotted in 17th and 18th. The Dane had all the updates on his car, with taunts of ‘white Ferrari’ echoing in the paddock.
Alfa Romeo once again fielded Robert Kubica in the FP1 session in place of Valtteri Bottas – with the move not related to giving youngsters a chance. The team is yet to utilise either of its two sessions, as Williams’ Nicholas Latifi rounded out the 20 runners.
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Vettel will retire from F1 at the end of 2022 season
Sebastian Vettel has announced his retirement from F1 at the end of the 2022 season in a special post on his first day on Instagram.
Despite hints of staying at Aston Martin and in F1 in recent weeks, Vettel dropped the bomb on his first day on Instagram by announcing retirement from the sport at the end of the 2022 season, thereby ending a career spanning for over 10 years.
Vettel made his F1 presence in 2006 as a test driver at BMW Sauber and got his first drive with them in USA. He had his first full year in 2008 and has been a regular since then with four world championships against his name in this period.
Post the BMW Sauber stint, he has raced with Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and most recently Aston Martin. He has 53 races thus far with 122 podium finishes to go with 57 pole positions and 38 fastest laps against his name in this period.
The 2022 F1 season will be his last in the sport as he looks to life outside the sport as he spoke on his Instagram post. His departure will open up a seat at Aston Martin and likely shuffle up the 2023 grid in the midfield.
“I have had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula One over the past 15 years – there are far too many to mention and thank,” said Vettel. “Over the past two years I have been an Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team driver – and, although our results have not been as good as we had hoped, it is very clear to me that everything is being put together that a team needs to race at the very highest level for years to come.
“I have really enjoyed working with such a great bunch of people. Everyone – Lawrence, Lance, Martin, Mike, the senior managers, the engineers, the mechanics and the rest of the team – is ambitious, capable, expert, committed and friendly, and I wish them all well. I hope that the work I did last year and am continuing to do this year will be helpful in the development of a team that will win in the future, and I will work as hard as I can between now and the end of the year with that goal in mind, giving as always my best in the last 10 races.
“The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it; at the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next; it is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family. But today is not about saying goodbye. Rather, it is about saying thank you – to everyone – not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula One could not exist,” summed up Vettel.
Team boss Lawrence Stroll shared his thoughts too: “I want to thank Sebastian from the bottom of my heart for the great work that he has done for Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team over the past year and a half. We made it clear to him that we wanted him to continue with us next year, but in the end he has done what he feels is right for himself and his family, and of course we respect that.
“He has driven some fantastic races for us, and, behind the scenes, his experience and expertise with our engineers have been extremely valuable. He is one of the all-time greats of Formula One, and it has been a privilege to have been able to work with him. He will continue to race for us up to and including the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will be his 300th Grand Prix entry. We will give him a fabulous send-off.”
And finally, Mike Krack added: “Sebastian is a superb driver – fast, intelligent and strategic – and of course we are going to miss those qualities. However, we have all learned from him, and the knowledge that we have gained from working with him will continue to benefit our team long after his departure.
“Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team is a great project, with unlimited potential, and the groundwork that Sebastian has done last year, and is still doing this year, is crucial. When we become fully competitive – and we will – one of the architects of that future success will be Sebastian, and we will always be grateful to him for that.”
