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Author: David Bodapati
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Kush Maini rallies from P22 to P7 after missing pole start: F2
Sakhir (Bahrain) 2 March 2024: Despite securing a pole for the Feature race, Kush Maini, driving for the Invicta team, starting absolutely last in the opening round of the Formula 2 Championship due to a technical infringement and subsequent disqualification of the qualifying time, but did a fantastic job to finish the 32-lap race in P7.
Kush, who is part of the Alpine academy, driving car number 9 went on the Prime tires like the majority of the drivers and ensured that he had a long and consistent stint before changing to the faster Soft tires.
He was the last to pit and fortunately well timed with a Safety car and he exited the Pits in P11. With Fresher tires he made good progress through the field by first passing both the Prema cars driven by Bearman and Antonelli. Was continuously closing the gap till he finished the race in P7.
SAKHIR (BH), Kush Maini #09 take P7 in the Round 1 Feature race at Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit for Invicta Racing. Photo by Dutch Photo Agency After the race, Kush Maini said,” I was really happy when we got Provisional Pole on Thursday because that meant that we were able to deliver over one Lap. Was a day with the highest of highs and then the Low when we were told much later that my Qualifying times wouldn’t count because I was disqualified due to a technical reason. Even though it did not change the performance, I had to start both races from the back of the grid. I tried to make as many positions as I could in both races and so as a team we also have enough data to go into the next round. It was also good to get some points in the feature race. Looking forward to racing in Saudi next week.”
Formula 2 returns next week alongside F1 in Saudi. The races can be watched live on F1 TV and in India on Fancode.
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JK Tyre, Vamcy Merla to sponsor Ruhaan’s GB4 campaign in the UK
Bengaluru, 6 April, 2023: Ruhaan Alva, the young 16-year-old racing prodigy’s next big international outing will be the 2023 GB4 Championship, which gets underway this kon Friday at Oulton Park in the UK.
Ruhaan, who had a dream run in his racing career with four National titles and multiple club titles, for a total of seven titles under his belt, will take part in the GB4 Championship, an extremely-competitive single-seater motorsport series based in the United Kingdom. Indian rising star, Ruhaan Alva will race with renowned Fortec Motorsport team in the upcoming season.
Ruhaan Alva said: “I’m really excited to be racing in the GB4 Championship this year with such a fantastic team as Fortec Motorsport. The aim is to use this as a springboard and to be as successful in single seaters as I have been throughout karting. I’m grateful to the support JK Tyre has extended to me throughout my racing career. I also thank Mr. Vamcy Merla for his belief in me and my talent. I look forward to represent our country and our Indian motorsport fraternity.”
In 2021, he won four Championships in India at a very young age of 15 years. The driver from Bengaluru, has already represented the country on several international platforms like the Rotax Grand Finals in Bahrain in 2021, Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific selection programme and the World Motorsport Games in F4 in 2022.
JK Tyre Motorsport known for nurturing motorsport talent from India for over four decades inducted Ruhaan in their scholarship program last year.
The talented Bangalore boy, graduates to full-time single-seater Formula cars after an impressive karting and racing career, including winning the Indian X30 title and front-running appearances at both the IAME International Final and Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Now, Ruhaan will contest the seven-event, 21-race GB4 calendar alongside Fortec’s other driver, Colin Queen. The third driver slot is yet to be announced.
Sanjay Sharma, Head of Motorsports, JK Tyre, said: “Ruhaan has been a trailblazer in Indian racing circuit and now it is time that he proves his mettle on international soil. Nothing gives us more happiness than supporting our racers who proudly represent our Tri-colour. We wish Ruhaan the very best and hope that this experience will propel him closer to his dream.”
In a recent announcement by Fortec Motorsport, Team Principal Oliver Dutton said: “We’re really looking forward to working with Ruhaan. His is a name that has been cropping up on a few people’s radars recently, and we definitely think he has a lot of potential. GB4 is a really tough championship, as we found out last year, but with the right development and some experience, he can be a force to be reckoned with, and his addition to the team puts us in even stronger shape heading to Oulton Park this weekend.”
About JK Tyre Motorsport:
JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades. The company laid down a long-term plan to popularize and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So, it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport. JK Tyre’s efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others. JK Tyre Motorsports is very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, the company also gave them opportunities in various national championships. With a vision to promote women in motorsports, the company has curated women-centric events such as JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to Valley, JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive, JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive apart from introducing an all-women’s team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship to encourage women to take up to the sport.
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Hard-fought podium for Kush Maini: F3 Sprint
Budapest (Hungary), 30 July 2022: Indian racing ace Kush Maini earned a hard-fought podium as he took the third place in the FIA Formula3 Round 6 Sprint race here on Saturday. His MP Motorsport teammate won the race.
Caio Collet brought home his first win in Formula 3 in an impressive fashion, mastering the wet to drying conditions in a race of attrition that caught several of the title contenders out. Starting fourth, the MP Motorsport driver made his presence known, slicing his way through the field and up into the lead before driving off into the distance to finish 8.7s clear of second place Franco Colapinto, who fought hard to hold off the charging Brazilian until the third Safety Car appearance.
There would be plenty of celebrations for MP, as Kush Maini made it a double podium for the Dutch team having carved his way up from P7 to P3 at the chequered flag. Isack Hadjar couldn’t quite cling on to the podium, but fourth place was enough to see him usurp Victor Martins at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
Oliver Bearman was the biggest beneficiary of a late squabble between his teammates Jak Crawford and Arthur Leclerc to seal fifth, ahead of Martins. Grégoire Saucy secured his first points since the opening round of the season in seventh, as Oliver Goethe kept himself out of trouble to achieve points on his debut. Trident added more points to their tally as Roman Stanek and Zane Maloney rounded out the top 10.
Kush Maini, left, celebrates with MP Motorsport team for the double podium. AS IT HAPPENED
Heavily predicted going into the Budapest weekend, the downpours finally began in the lead up to the race. If leading the pack on debut wasn’t enough of a challenge, Goethe faced a rolling start around a soaked Hungaroring. Bunching up the field, the white, black and orange Campos car couldn’t quite keep his car on the racing line and went wide into the final corner.
Not one to let an opportunity pass by, Goethe’s mistake allowed Colapinto to sit on his rear wing, slipstreaming along the pit straight and diving up the inside of the Monégasque driver. Experience paid dividends as Hadjar and Collet also swooped their way past him and up into second and third, as Crawford got the better of Martins up the inside of Turn 5 to move up into fifth.
No sooner had the racing started than it would swiftly ground to a halt, as David Vidales found the barriers between Turns 2 and 3 and the Safety Car was deployed at the end of the opening lap. Colapinto caught Hadjar napping on the restart, dropping the Hitech Grand Prix back into Collet’s clutches and the MP Motorsport driver wasted no time in diving around the outside of the silver car at Turn 1.
While Colapinto had the advantage of being out front, the pace appeared to be with the MP Motorsport car behind. Corner after corner, Collet tried to squeeze his way past the VAR driver, running out of grip into Turn 13 and despite selling the Argentinian the dummy down the inside of Turn 2, Colapinto’s valiant defence held firm as Collet failed to find a way through.
Although the track temperature continued to rise and the rain began to ease off, conditions were still a challenge for the field to overcome. Brad Benavides locked his brakes into Turn 1, running into the side of Jenzer Motorsport’s Ido Cohen to necessitate the return of the Safety Car on Lap 5.
Learning from his mistake earlier on, Hadjar was immediately alert on the restart, attempting to charge his way around the outside of both Colapinto and Collet. While he couldn’t move up into the lead, he did manage to repay the favour on the MP driver, recreating his overtake into Turn 1 to snatch second momentarily. The pair continued to swap and change positions when Colapinto closed the door on Hadjar, enabling Collet to swoop into second from under him.
In the fight for fourth, Maini was a man on a mission in the second MP Motorsport car, diving down the inside of Martins and then setting about putting Hadjar under pressure, while the leading duo began to pull away from the pack.
Martins’ morning got increasingly challenging and wet conditions led the Frenchman to make a run of errors. Going wide into the final corner left him vulnerable to the PREMAs behind, as Crawford squeezed past him along the main straight and forced him to go side-by-side with title rival Leclerc. Another wide moment on to the slippery run-off area proved costly as the Ferrari Driver Academy member sailed past him and up into fifth.
Out front, Colapinto continued to prove impossible for Collet to pass. However, a small mistake at Turn 2 gave the Alpine Academy junior the moment he had been waiting for to snatch the race lead on Lap 10. Now with a clear track up front, Collet put his foot to the floor and didn’t look back, giving himself plenty of breathing room with the gap up to 2.7s after only a single lap.
As the spray faded and the tyres waned, the race turned into survival of the fittest as the field attempted to conserve their wet Pirelli compounds to the chequered flag with five laps remaining. Nobody seemed to be immune – Leclerc’s moment of oversteer saw him take a hefty whack over the red and white kerbs at Turn 4, while Hadjar’s overly wide line off on to the run-off at Turn 13 gave Maini a chance to pounce.
The Indian driver had no hesitation in breezing past him at Turn 4 and forcing Hadjar to go on the defensive from fellow Red Bull junior Crawford. It was clear that the Frenchman’s tyres had fallen off their cliff as he slowly started to slip down the order behind Crawford and Leclerc and straight into Martins’ eyeline.
With his heart set on a maiden Formula 3 podium Maini refused to give up the fight, going side-by-side with Crawford on the penultimate lap as the MP Motorsport driver attempted to break the tow. Thankfully for him, the move paid off and the American driver dropped back, ultimately getting caught out in late drama and coming together with his teammate Leclerc.
Although he was able to continue, the damage was already done, and Leclerc found himself unable to turn left into Turn 13, drifting into Martins’ path.
While all the chaos unfolded behind, Collet cruised to his first victory in the third tier ahead of Colapinto and Maini. Hadjar hung on to fourth, as his teammates’ troubles benefited Oliver Bearman, who claimed fifth. Despite the contact, Martins crossed the line in sixth ahead of ART teammate Grégoire Saucy and newcomer Goethe. Trident’s Roman Stanek and Zane Maloney held off Reece Ushijima to take the final points in ninth and 10th, respectively.
KEY QUOTE – Caio Collet, MP Motorsport
“Really good day today! My first win in F3, I’m really, really happy. I think after yesterday the team deserved that one. Thanks a lot to them for the support this year, it’s been tough, but we got a win. We celebrate today and recover tomorrow.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW
The pendulum has swung and for the first time this season, Isack Hadjar leads the Drivers’ Championship by one point to Victor Martins as 104 points play 103. The late incident has proved costly for Arthur Leclerc who drops back off the two Frenchmen in third on 91. Jak Crawford remains fourth, one point ahead of Roman Stanek.
PREMA Racing continue to lead the way in the Teams’ Championship on 226 points. The top three teams remain the same as ART Grand Prix hold firm in second ahead of Hitech Grand Prix. A 1-3 finish has allowed MP Motorsport to leapfrog Trident into fourth on 113 points.
WHAT’S NEXT?
It’s all to play for in the final Formula 3 race before the summer break and MP will have the chance at doing the double with Alexander Smolyar starting on pole – the lights go out for the Budapest Feature Race at 10:05 local time.
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Jehan Daruvala gets second podium from 14th to P3: F2
Jeddah, March 28, 2022: India’s Jehan Daruvala raced to his second podium finish of the season with a fighting drive from 14th to third in Sunday’s Formula 2 Feature race at Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The 23-year-old from Mumbai, began his weekend on the back foot after a mechanical issue hampered him in qualifying.
But the Red Bull-backed racer used a mix of race craft, strategy and tyre management to claw his way up the order to third.
“It’s very satisfying,” said Jehan.
“Coming into this weekend I knew Prema had a really good car. I was really down after qualifying. But once we discovered that our lack of pace was down to a mechanical issue, it made me believe again.
“It was good damage limitation and honestly third was probably the maximum we could have had today.”
Jehan, who went from 13th to seventh in Saturday’s sprint race, earned his podium, his ninth in F2, with a mature drive.
He passed two cars off the line at the start, pulled off a bold pass around the outside of three cars into Turn 1 at one stage, and swept past fellow Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa on the start-finish straight.
He timed his one and only pitstop to perfection and used all his experience to keep his pace up, hunting down and passing Marcus Armstrong while managing tyre wear over a long second stint on the harder tyre.
Jehan leaves the Saudi Arabian round with a strong haul of points. He now heads to historic Imola for the next round of the season which will take place from April 22-24.
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Charles Leclerc leads a Scuderia Ferrari 1-2; Hamilton third
Sakhir, 20 March 2022: The Prancing Horse began its season with a stunning dance of success as the two Ferraris romped home with Charles Leclerc leading team-mate Carlos Sainz to a 1-2 finish, that gave Ferrari the perfect start to the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship Scuderia’s first one-two finish in almost three years brightened up the Bahrain Grand Prix for the Tifosi.
Starting on pole, Leclerc put in a polished performance to cross the line to claim his first win since Italy 2019 after leading the race from the start, while Sainz claimed second place and his seventh career podium finish in a dramatic final sequence of laps that saw defending world champion Max Verstappen and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez exit the race. Verstappen was forced to retire from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix after suffering steering issues, while Pérez suffered an engine-related spin that robbed him of second place just a lap from the chequered flag.
When the lights went out at the start, Verstappen made a good start from the front row but ahead of him pole sitter Charles Leclerc also got away well. And the as the pair went into Turn 1 the Ferrari driver managed to hold onto the lead despite pressure on the outside from Verstappen .
Behind them, Pérez made a good start but to his left Carlos Sainz bogged down slightly. And as the Ferrari driver clawed his way up to speed he moved across to defend against Pérez’s charge. The Red Bull was forced to the inside line and as the field flowed through Turn 1 Pérez lost places to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.
The Mexican was soon on the attack though and on lap three he closed up to Magnussen who had locked up at Turn 4. The Danish driver’s mistake allowed Sergio to pass with ease and he began to chase down Hamilton. Pérez was on the seven-time champion’s gearbox on lap nine and with the aid of DRS he muscled his way past the Briton into Turn 4 to return to fourth place.
At the front, Leclerc began to draw away from Verstappen as the opening stint developed and by lap 13 the Monegasque driver, who started the race on new softs, was almost six seconds ahead of Verstappen , who began on used tyres.
Red Bull then pitted the world champion on lap 14 and the undercut proved powerful. Leclerc made his first stop at the end of the following tour and when he rejoined Verstappen was right behind the Ferrari.
Verstappen attacked on lap 17 into Turn 1. He passed the Ferrari, but with following easier in the 2022 cars, Leclerc immediately fought back, retaking the lead in Turn 4. Verstappen stayed close and attacked again in the same place on the following lap. But despite once again getting past the Ferrari in Turn 1, Leclerc again stole back the lead in Turn 4. Verstappen tried once again on the next lap, but this time he locked up on entry and Leclerc was able to comfortably hold his lead.
Behind them, Sainz was being pushed hard by Pérez who took medium tyres in his first pit stop. After the action at the start of the stint, the remainder of the second phase of the race counted down without any significant movement at the front.
Verstappen made his second pit stop, for medium tyres, on lap 31, again seeking the undercut, but once again Ferrari reacted and thanks to a quicker pit stop the Italian squad managed to get the Leclerc back out in the lead, with Verstappen also complaining that he had gone too easy on his tyres on his out lap.
Sainz and Pérez made their second visits to the pit lane at the end of the next tour and the Red Bull driver went for a second set of softs in order to attack Sainz who had moved to medium compound Pirellis. But though Pérez was the fastest man on the track for a spell, Sainz was able to hold position and as the laps counted down Pérez’s times began to fade.
Behind the leading quartet, with 20 laps remaining, Hamilton held fifth place, though the Briton was almost 15 seconds behind the Red Bull driver. The Mercedes driver’s new team-mate George Russell was sixth and Kevin Magnussen in the surprise package Haas was seventh ahead of AlpaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, the Alpine of Esteban Ocon and the second AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda.
Red Bull brought both Verstappen and Pérez in for a third stop on lap 44 and both took on soft tyres. That dropped Verstappen behind Sainz and Pérez fell to fifth behind Hamilton. However Ferrari reacted by pitting Sainz, while Mercedes brought Hamilton in. That boosted Pérez back to fourth place behind Sainz. Leclerc stayed on track to maintain position at the head of the field. It was at this point that Verstappen began to complain of heavy steering.
On lap 46, Gasly pulled over at the side of the track just after Turn 3 with the rear of his AlphaTauri on fire. The safety car was deployed and Leclerc pitted. Verstappen , meanwhile, was continuing to struggle but despite his difficulties the champion stayed out on track as the Safety Car picked up the race leaders, who were now closely bunched with 10 laps to go.
When the safety car left the track Verstappen’s problems were compounded as he reported he felt that he was also losing battery power. His engineers informed him that it was not a battery issue but the champion continued to lose ground. On lap 55 he slowed dramatically and the field swept past as he limped to the pit lane to retire.
Pérez moved up to third place and initially the Mexican driver was able to hold off Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. But then with just two laps to go the Mexican radioed the Team to say he was losing power. Hamilton closed on and at the start of the final lap Pérez spun in Turn 1. “I lost the engine,” he yelled as Hamilton powered past.
Behind the top three of Leclerc, Sainz and Hamilton, Russell took a well worked fourth place after starting ninth. Magnussen claimed fifth place for Haas, with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in sixth ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, and the second Alpine of Fernando Alonso. Alfa Romeo rookie Guanyu Zhou took 10th place to score a point on his Formula 1 debut.
2022 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Race
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 57 1:37’33.584
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 57 1:37’39.182 5.598
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 57 1:37’43.259 9.675
4 George Russell Mercedes 57 1:37’44.795 11.211
5 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 57 1:37’48.338 14.754
6 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 57 1:37’49.703 16.119
7 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 57 1:37’53.007 19.423
8 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Red Bull 57 1:37’53.970 20.386
9 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 57 1:37’55.974 22.390
10 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 57 1:37’56.648 23.064
11 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 57 1:38’06.158 32.574
12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:38’19.457 45.873
13 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 57 1:38’27.516 53.932
14 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 57 1:38’28.559 54.975
15 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 57 1:38’29.919 56.335
16 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 57 1:38’35.379 1’01.795
17 Nico Hülkenberg Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:38’37.413 1’03.829
18 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 56 – 1 lap
19 Max Verstappen Red Bull 54 – 3 laps
10 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Red Bull 44 – Retirement -
Jehan Daruvala begins F2 season with a bang; 2nd in Sprint
Sakhir, 20 March 2022: India’s Jehan Daruvala opened his bid for the Formula 2 title with a second-placed finish in the Sprint race of the championship’s first round in Bahrain.
The 23-year-old from Mumbai, who races for Prema Racing and is a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, had started fourth after qualifying seventh under the championship’s reverse grid rules.
Jehan’s season-opening podium was founded on a good start. He was up to third straight away and, after fending off fellow Red Bull junior Liam Lawson in the Carlin, he set about in pursuit of second-placed Ralph Boschung.
The safety car was deployed on lap 3 to clear away the stranded Hitech of Marcus Armstrong.
It bunched up the field but Jehan, who took his first F2 win in Bahrain in 2020, held position, once again prevailing in a wheel-to-wheel battle with Lawson.
Red Bull Junior and Indian star Jehan Daruvala begins the season with a second in the F2 Sprint race at Sakhir on Sunday. A Prema Racing image He caught and passed Boschung on Lap 16 just before the race was interrupted for the second time by a Virtual Safety Car.
Boschung retook second as the race resumed. But Jehan seized the place back on the 18th lap with a bold move around the outside of the Swiss racer into the right-handed turn 4.
He crossed the line less than two seconds behind Verschoor.
Jehan said, “We definitely have a lot of positives to take. Finishing second in the first race of the year is a good start. I think we had the pace to fight for the win. Unfortunately, I mistimed the Virtual Safety Car restart which lost us a lot of time and eventually cost us the win. But overall we have a really good car and I’m quite pleased with our start to the season.”
Jehan now heads into Sunday’s feature race, which he will start from seventh, where he qualified. He is hoping for another strong result to round out an encouraging season-opening weekend.
He is eyeing a step up to F1 in 2023, which would make him only the third Indian to compete in motorsport’s top tier.
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Kush Maini, salvages 16th after a pitlane start: F3 Feature race
Sakhir, 20 March 2022: Star Indian racer Kush Maini, was handicapped by his starting position and waded through the field from the back, to put in a brave performance overtaking 14 cars in 23 laps and finished 16 in the Feature Race of the first round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship here on Sunday.
Starting both the races in the first of the nine-round F3 championship, he had to wade through the back-benchers, and progressed ahead overtaking many a car with an outstanding performance but had to be content with 16th in his first Feature race for MP Motorsports team in the season opener as he was bogged down by the pit-lane start here on Sunday.
In a field of 30 cars, out of which only 26 finished the feature race, the former Indian National champion from Bengaluru, displayed good pace and race-craft to move ahead admirably. He had no seat time before he entered his big season in F3 this year. Kush, the junior of the Maini brothers, clocked 47min, 22.5secs for his 23 laps with a best lap of 1:52.301 which is just a fraction of a second off the winner’s best of 1:52.031. However, the best time of 1:51.634 was clocked by R Stanek of Trident.
Earlier, Kush Maini finished 15th in the Sprint race, also starting from the Pit Lane. He clocked 38:01.026 and missed to log points for his MP Motorsport team. Maini Jr, who qualified a creditable third had to start from pit lane in both the races due to a penalty but showed enough promise displaying quick pace. “After putting it P3 in my debut FIA F3 qualifying, unfortunately we will have to start both races from the pit lane after a harsh penalty. Pace is there going to do my best to make up as many positions as I can! Thank you for all the support,” Kush said after the Sprint race.
ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins took the glory in the opening Feature Race of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 season in Sakhir, beating PREMA Racing’s Arthur Leclerc to victory on Sunday.
Martins stayed patient throughout the opening stages of the race after starting from third on the grid, keeping close to the rear of rookie pole-sitter Franco Colapinto, who led a majority of the race. However, on lap 15, the more experienced Martins made his move for the lead.
Leclerc produced another strong recovery drive from 13th on the grid, advancing all the way up to second place by the chequered flag.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Colapinto crossed the line in third place, but was issued a five-second time penalty for violating track limits, which caused him to drop back to fifth while Gregoire Saucy inherited the final spot on the podium.
AS IT HAPPENED
Although he produced a surprise result in Qualifying with pole position, it was arguably going to be a taller task for Colapinto to hold onto the victory as he continues to acclimatise himself to his new F3 surroundings.
However, in the opening stages of the race, the Argentine looked comfortable out in front. He was forced to deal with a Safety Car restart, which was required after Francesco Pizzi and Zane Maloney came to a stop on the circuit on the opening lap. Pizzi was nudged by Maloney, who was dropping through the field due to a mechanical issue following the opening corners.
Caio Collet was also a victim of the first lap, as he broke his front suspension while driving over a kerb at Turn 7, having taken his car off the circuit to avoid potential contact between his rivals.
At the Safety Car restart, Martins overtook Roman Stanek for P2, but the Trident driver would soon be eliminated from contention after coming together with Alex Smolyar. Stanek suffered a puncture and was forced back to the pit lane for a new set of tyres.
A brief Virtual Safety Car was called on Lap 6 after Hitech Grand Prix’s Nazim Azman was spun around following contact. At the restart, Leclerc made swift work of Saturday race winner Isack Hadjar and Campos Racing’s David Vidales to place himself in the top five.
Further ahead, Juan Manuel Correa appeared to have rapid pace and he moved into the top three after overtaking Smolyar, with the latter also soon finding himself behind the charging Leclerc. There was then heartbreak for Hadjar, who suffered a puncture while battling Smolyar for fifth place.
Leclerc progressed into the top three after moving past Correa, while behind and outside the points, his two PREMA teammates Jak Crawford and Oliver Bearman began to make headways into the top 10, progressing through a stream of 15 or so cars that were separated by just a handful of seconds.
Having hounded Colapinto for several laps, Martins made the crucial overtake on Lap 15, and three laps later, the pole-sitter found himself in third as Leclerc moved ahead. Although Leclerc was able to slightly narrow the gap to Martins, he couldn’t cut it enough to challenge for victory in the final laps.
Bearman and Crawford continued to progress further into the top 10 and at the chequered flag, they found themselves sixth and seventh, respectively. Colapinto was demoted back to fifth due to his time penalty, with Saucy and Correa gaining a spot each to classify third and fourth.
Vidales was eighth, while Williams Alatalo scored his first points of the season in ninth. American Kaylen Frederick rounded out the top 10 to take the final point on offer.
Race winner Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) said: “What a race, P1 today. It’s a great comeback after yesterday’s race and zero points scored.
“The race was just mega, the overtakes, I went for it. I waited a bit of time behind Colapinto but in the end, I managed to take the win. I think it’s a good start to the season.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW
In the Drivers’ Championship, Martins is the leader of the standings after round one, sitting atop with 25 points. He’s one point ahead of Leclerc in second with 24, while Bearman is third on 17 points.
In the Teams’ Championship, ART Grand Prix come away from the opening round with the lead, sitting on 54 points. PREMA Racing is close behind on 47, while Hitech Grand Prix sits further back in third on 14 points.
WHAT’S NEXT?
F3 will return next month for the second round of the season in Imola from April 22 – 24. Like Bahrain, it will mark the first time the category has visited the circuit.
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Oliveira stages a wet weather masterclass to put KTM on top at Mandalika
A truly stunning performance from the Portuguese rider puts him back on the top step and gives KTM the lead in the Teams’ and Constructors’ standings
It was worth the wait, wasn’t it? On a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) put in an absolute masterclass in wet conditions to claim victory and bounce back in style from a tough opening round. Reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) sliced back through to second for his first podium of the season, ahead of compatriot Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in third. The win for Oliveira sees KTM head the Constructors’ standings for the first time, as well as putting Red Bull KTM Factory Racing top in the teams’ title fight thanks to their Qatar podium and, now, first victory of the season.
The drama began early on Sunday, however, as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) suffered a huge crash in Warm Up and was forced to miss the race due to concussion. Then, after Moto2™, the rain came down as thunderstorms hit Lombok, but after more than an hour’s delay, at 16:15 local time, it was lights out in Indonesia for the first time in 25 years. Quartararo got an outstanding launch from pole position, comfortably collecting the holeshot, as Oliveira made a lightning start from P7 to grab second and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) shot swiftly up to P3 from sixth on the grid.
At the start of Lap 2, both Oliveira and Miller passed Quartararo as the early pacesetters started to stretch their legs, with the Australian then picking off Oliveira for the race lead too. Now down in third, Quartararo had Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), compatriot Zarco and a rapid starting Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) for company too – the 2020 Champion up from way down the grid after a nightmare Q1.
Rins and Zarco then got the better of Quartararo early on, but they faced an already substantial 2.4s gap to Miller and Oliveira… and that order was about to switch. The Portuguese rider carved his way past the Ducati of Miller at Turn 12 on Lap 6 to retake the lead, and then he got the hammer down.
Meanwhile, there was a big moment for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), the Italian somehow staying on after a snap into Turn 1. Still, he slipped down to P12 behind Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) struggling even more, dow in P20 from fifth on the grid.
Back in the top ten though, Turn 1 was about to bite again. Having just got the better of Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) for P7, Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) then became the first and only crasher of the race in the braking zone into the first corner, the 2021 Rookie of the Year down, out, but ok.
At the front, there were no such dramas. Oliveira had stretched his lead to 1.6s, Miller was second, Rins third, Zarco fourth, and Quartararo fifth with 12 laps to go. At half race distance though, Zarco was the quickest rider on track and a quality move came on Rins at Turn 12 for P3. Miller wasn’t far up the road from the Frenchman either, and he looked desperate to pass the Australian as Quartararo really started to find his groove behind them. Sure enough, El Diablo was back into P3 with five laps to go, with he and Zarco fighting it out in spectacular style.
Oliveira was 3.5s clear as the battle raged behind, but with Quartararo now the fastest rider on track and back up to second on Lap 16 of 20. Zarco also managed to follow the Yamaha man through on Miller, and with three laps to go, it suddenly started to look like Oliveira might be in the crosshairs after all. The gap was slashed by a second and the lead was down to 3.4s – was it game on?
Quartararo took a tenth more here and there as the laps ticked down, but Oliveira responded. At the start of the last lap, it remained a healthy 2.8s and the Portuguese rider just needed to bring it home, with Quartararo enjoying a 0.9s buffer to Zarco, who in turn had 2.3s in hand over Miller. The podium seemed decided, and it was.
Crossing the line for his first win of the year, Oliveira’s masterclass sees the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider take 25 points, puts KTM on top in the title and factory fights, and moves him up 16 places in the riders’ Championship to boot. After a tough start in Qatar and for much of the latter half of 2021, it was quite a statement ride by the multiple MotoGP™ winner.
Nevertheless, Quartararo celebrated P2 like a win as the Frenchman showed his wet weather prowess for the first time in the premier class, taking some valuable points too. Zarco completed the podium, the third place marking a return to the rostrum for the number 5 for the first time since Barcelona 2021.
Miller, always strong in the wet, takes home a hard-earned P4, with Rins putting in a solid ride to claim P5. P6 for Mir, having started from the lower echelons of the top 20, is also a job well done for the 2020 World Champion too, and he got onto the back of his teammate by the flag. Morbidelli ended up a somewhat lonely P7 despite his three-place grid penalty as we witnessed an almighty battle for P8 behind the Italian.
It was won in the end by Brad Binder, who was just ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) over the line. But the South African had to get his elbows to take that eighth place by force, and it was none other than his brother, WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team’s Darryn Binder, standing in the way.
The rookie put in a tour de force and one of the rides of the day, leading the battle for eighth onto the final lap before Brad Binder struck, then only losing out to the number 33 and Espargaro’s Aprilia. The number 40 claimed his first points and top ten after an absolute barnstormer, top rookie by some margin.
World Championship leader Bastianini, who retains that moniker by two single points ahead of Brad Binder and recovering well in the latter stages, took P11 ahead of Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). Bagnaia slipped down the order after his earlier moment to a tough P15, making it one point from the opening two races for one of the pre-season title favourites.
Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) was the only other non-finisher alongside Martin after the Italian encountered an issue with his YZR-M1 and was forced to retire.
That’s take one on Lombok in the history books, and it’s safe to say the Indonesian GP was full of action. Oliveira goes home with the race-winning trophy, Bastianini remains the title leader, and there’s only 10 points between the top nine heading to Argentina for Round 3… as well as a new manufacturer on top in the standings. Join us for more as MotoGP™ returns at Termas de Rio Hondo!
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Charles Leclerc takes pole ahead of Max Verstappen
Sakhir, 19 March 2022: Charles Leclerc claimed the tenth pole position of his career as Ferrari roared to the top of the pecking order in Formula 1’s new era. Defending world champion Max Verstappen will line up alongside the Monegasque on the front row, while Carlos Sainz claimed third place for Scuderia ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will start from fourth place.
At the start of the session, Verstappen, who had looked ominously quick through the practice sessions at the Sakhir Circuit quickly moved to the top of the Q1 order with an opening flying lap of 1:31.909. Pérez then joined his team-mate by taking P2 with a lap four tenths off top spot.
Leclerc then stole P1 with a lap of 1:31.471, while Sainz slotted into P2 in the second Ferrari. Hamilton moved to fifth with six minutes remaining but with the 2021 Constructors’ champions struggling with the ‘porpoising’ that hampered many teams during pre-season testing, the seven-time champion found himself eight tenths of a second off the pace set by Leclerc.
Verstappen elected to stay in the garage for the final runs but Pérez was in tenth place and he needed to make another attempt. The Mexican driver delivered a string of personal bests through the mini-sectors of the 5.4km circuit but his lap of 1:32.311 only took him to 11th place. Top spot in Q1 went to Leclerc with Sainz second and Verstappen third. Fourth place went to Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and fifth to Haas’s Kevin Magnussen as the order was shaken up by the new regulations in place for 2022.
Ruled out after the opening 18 minutes were AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in P16 ahead of the Aston Martin’s Nico Hulkenberg, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, the second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi.
With no rules in place governing starting tyres in Q2, Verstappen emerged on soft tyres and again the Dutchman jumped to P1 with this opening lap of 1:30.757. That put him almost six tenths of a second ahead of Leclerc, while Pérez took third place ahead of impressive returnee Magnussen, Hamilton, who was more than seven tenths of a second off his 2021 title rival’s pace, and the second Mercedes of George Russell.
Verstappen again stayed in the Red Bull garage for the final runs of Q2 and his opening time proved good enough to hold top spot. Sainz got closest to the Red Bull, with the Ferrari driver finishing just three hundredths of a second off P1. Leclerc took third a little under two tenths off Max while Pérez progressed to Q3 in fourth place with a final lap of 1:31.008.
Eliminated at the end of the second session though were Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in 11th, Haas’ Mick Schumacher, McLaren’s Lando Norris, the Williams for former Red Bull driver Alex Albon and Alfa Romeo rookie Zhou Guanyu.
Verstappen’s dominance of the opening runs ended in Q3, however. This time it was Sainz who powered to the top of the order, with the Spaniard posting a lap of 1:30.687 to sit five hundredths of a second ahead of Leclerc. Verstappen, meanwhile, was third, a hundredth of a second further back.
And there was to be no final-run recovery for Verstappen as Leclerc claimed pole with a lap of 1:30.558. Verstappen got close, but in the end missed out by 0.123, with Sainz just 0.006s behind and with Pérez in fourth place.
Behind the leading quartet, fifth place went to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton while surprise packages Alfa Romeo and Haas claimed sixth and seven respectively with Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen. Fernando Alonso was eighth for Alpine ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and top 10 order was rounded out by AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.
2022 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:30.558 6 215.146
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:30.681 0.123 6 214.854
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:30.687 0.129 6 214.840
4 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 1:30.921 0.363 6 214.287
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:31.238 0.680 6 213.542
6 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:31.560 1.002 3 212.791
7 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1:31.808 1.250 3 212.216
8 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:32.195 1.637 3 211.325
9 George Russell Mercedes 1:32.216 1.658 6 211.277
10 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Red Bull 1:32.338 1.780 6 210.998
11 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:31.782 1.129 6 212.276
12 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:31.998 1.367 5 211.778
13 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:32.008 1.251 1.378 6 211.755
14 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:32.664 1.907 5 210.256
15 Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:33.543 2.786 6 208.280
16 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Red Bull 1:32.750 1.279 8 210.061
17 Nico Hülkenberg Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:32.777 1.306 6 210.000
18 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:32.945 1.474 8 209.620
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:33.032 1.561 6 209.424
20 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:33.634 2.163 8 208.078 -
Verstappen fastest in FP2 ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari
Sakhir, 18 March 2022: F1 World Champion took top spot in the second practice session for this weekend’s season-opening FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand with the Red Bull Racing driver finishing ahead of the Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth and ninth place respectively.
Leclerc set the pace in the first half of the one-hour session, with the Monegasque driver posting a time of 1:33.121 that kept in at the top of the order for the bulk of the first half hour.
Both Red Bulls and Mercedes’ Hamilton were among the last to take to the track and as the opening phase on medium tyres evolved Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Pérez were almost half a second off Leclerc’s pace on the yellow-banded tyres. Hamilton, meanwhile, was struggling with the handling of his W13 as he once again experienced significant ‘porpoising’ on the main straight.
When the switch to soft tyres for qualifying simulations came Aston Martin pair Lance Stroll were the first out on track, though neither was able to beat Leclerc’s time on mediums. It was left to Alpine’s Fernando Alonso to eventually push past Leclerc’s benchmark with the Spaniard setting a time of 1:32.877.
Leclerc was soon back in control, though, and his lap of 1:32.263 returned him to top spot.
Verstappen then emerged on softs and though he lost time in the middle sector his lap of 1:31.936 was still good enough for him to take P1 and hold it until the end of the session.
With Sainz third, George Russell finished fourth 0.593s slower than Verstappen.
Hamilton had to abandon his first qualifying run after he locked up again at Turn 1 and suffered with a malfunctioning DRS. His eventual soft tyre time was a 1:33.144 that left him ninth, 1.208s behind Verstappen.
Alonso’s quali sim saw him finish fifth ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, while Sergio Pérez was seventh ahead Mick Schumacher in the lead Haas. Team-ate Magnussen finished 10th behind Hamilton.
2022 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 20 1’31.936
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 20 1’32.023 0.087
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 22 1’32.520 0.584
4 George Russell Mercedes 25 1’32.529 0.593
5 Fernando Alonso Alpine 24 1’32.877 0.941
6 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 30 1’32.951 1.015
7 Sergio Perez Red Bull 20 1’32.958 1.022
8 Mick Schumacher Haas 24 1’33.085 1.149
9 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 23 1’33.144 1.208
10 Kevin Magnussen Haas 23 1’33.183 1.247
11 Lando Norris McLaren 27 1’33.280 1.344
12 Esteban Ocon Alpine 25 1’33.360 1.424
13 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 24 1’33.621 1.685
14 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 26 1’33.789 1.853
15 Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo 27 1’33.953 2.017
16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 25 1’33.958 2.022
17 Nico Hulkenberg Aston Martin 28 1’34.061 2.125
18 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 12 1’34.166 2.230
19 Nicholas Latifi Williams 28 1’34.486 2.550
20 Alex Albon Williams 22 1’34.735 2.799
