Your basket is currently empty!
Category: Comment-Edit
Editorial
-
Top-Down on 2021 F1 pre-season: A viewpoint from our Technical Writer Malhaar
London, 11 March 2021: The Formula 1 pre-season testing is set to begin on March 12 through to March 14. This year it is being held at the Sakhir International circuit for the first time since 2014. With the 2021 cars about to hit track, here is all you need to know about teams and drivers in pre-season testing.
Key regulations changes in 2021 include floor-space reduction ahead of the car’s rear tyre which is aimed at downforce reduction. The length of diffuser strakes has been shortened as well to aid the reduction in downforce. Reduction in downforce was stipulated by the FIA so that the Pirelli tyres can handle the lateral forces going through them as they were effectively introduced in 2019 and meant for slower (2019) cars.
Other key change is the carry-over of the survival cell, the monocoque chassis to reduce costs for teams due the ongoing Covid pandemic with the revolutionary new cars to be introduced in 2022 instead of 2021. The FIA also introduced a two-token system by which the teams can use their tokens to develop certain homologated parts of their cars. Aerodynamic surfaces can be developed freely. The ingenious DAS system introduced by Mercedes last year has been banned as well. Other small changes include the weight of Power Unit increasing slightly and the weight of cars going up by 3 kgs to 749 kgs.
Mercedes AMG F1:
The reigning champions will be gunning for a record-extending eighth consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ title this season as they ended the 2020 season on a high with 15 pole positions and 13 wins.
Formel 1: Präsentation des Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance Formula One: Launch of the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image Their 2021 car is called the W12, which has a major carry over of parts and monocoque chassis (as stipulated by the 2021 regulations). They have openly admitted to keeping their cards close to their chest and not showing either the new floor or where they have spent the tokens to develop their car. Mercedes stopped the development of W11 (2020 car) midway through last season to focus on the W12. A lot of work has also gone in the Power Unit side, with Mercedes claiming it to be more powerful and reliable than last year. So, expect them to come out of the blocks quickly.
Mercedes keep their drivers unchanged, only one of the three teams to do so, with Lewis Hamilton signing a one-year contract in February and Valtteri Bottas staying on. For Mercedes this means stability as this gives them the best opportunity to gun for both the titles yet again.
Red Bull Racing:
Red Bull on paper are the closest rivals and challengers to Mercedes for this season. Them winning the season ending Abu Dhabi GP in 2020, means momentum is on their side going in 2021.
The RB16B will be their challenger for 2021. Red Bull, too, have kept their cards close to the chest as they barely revealed the RB16B to the public. They are also hiding their floor details. Red bull have spent their tokens on a new gearbox transmission and rear suspension of the car. Honda has also introduced a new engine, which has the upgrades planned for 2022 originally, but brought forward as they will be leaving the sport at the end of this season. Red bull will be hoping to start the year much closer to Mercedes as this year’s car is 60% carry over of last year’s car.
In the driver department, Red Bull chose to go for Sergio Perez instead of retaining Alex Albon to partner Max Verstappen. Perez brings the consistency and the knowledge of Mercedes power unit to Red Bull which could be key for them to win both the championships. It remains to be seen how Perez adapts to the Red Bull car which in recent history has been tricky to get grips with.
McLaren Racing:
McLaren’s P3 in the constructor’s championship was their best result in the turbo-hybrid era. With a new driver line-up and a new car under the skin they look set to consolidate P3 and move closer to the top 2 teams.
The MCL35M’s biggest change is the power unit. McLaren swapped the Renault power unit for the Mercedes one in 2021, reinvigorating the classic McLaren-Mercedes brand. Mercedes has arguably been the class leading Power Unit since 2014, thus the switch. As Mercedes PU has a different architecture compared to the Renault PU, they have had to modify their monocoque chassis to fit the Mercedes PU, thus, spending their two tokens on it. According to McLaren, this year’s car is a better package compared to last year with the integration of Mercedes.
Daniel Ricciardo replaces Carlos Sainz and will be partnered by Lando Norris. Ricciardo brings race winning experience to McLaren while this will be Norris’ third season with the papaya squad. With Ricciardo having the ability to adapt to a car quickly, podiums can be expected from this season.
Aston Martin F1:
Famous rebranding and signing of a four-time world champion show the intent and commitment of Aston Martin, previously Racing Point to reach the top and… winning! They almost achieved P3 last season and were narrowly beaten by McLaren, Aston Martin will be determined to finish as close as possible to the top-2 teams, beating their rivals in the process.
Aston Martin during the Test. Photo by Aston Martin added on 15 March Their new car is called the AMR21, which is the most different car compared to last year’s car of any team. That is due to them having spent their tokens on a new monocoque chassis, to redesign the sidepod inlets and cooling configuration. They have also got the 2020 Mercedes rear suspension and the improved Mercedes PU. Aston martin have retained the Mercedes low-rake aerodynamic philosophy for this year.
Sebastian Vettel has come on-board to be alongside Lance Stroll. Once again, Vettel brings championship winning experience and feedback to improve the car. If the drivers are able to capitalise on the car’s “expected” potential, then they could finish P3 by the end of the season.
Alpine F1:
Another team which had a re-brand and signed a world champion for this year. Alpine, previously Renault, will be hoping to make gains to consistently challenge McLaren and Aston Martin in the fight for P3.
The A521 is an evolution of the RS20 with main changes coming internally. They have introduced a new power unit. To supplement that Alpine has spent its tokens on the rear of the car with a new gearbox transmission and rear suspension. As Alpine do not have power unit customers, they will be at a disadvantage in testing due to less data compared to other manufacturers. It remains to be seen if this will hinder their progress in 2021.
Alpine have signed two-time champion Fernando Alonso in the wake of Ricciardo leaving for McLaren. Alongside him will be Frenchman, Esteban Ocon. Alpine are hoping that with the speed and experience of Alonso they can take the fight to McLaren and Aston Martin, with achieving regular podiums their top priority.
Scuderia Ferrari:
Ferrari had their worst season in F1 in 40 years as they finished P6 with a draggy car and a sub-par engine. They will be looking to bounce back getting ahead of the pack with the new engine and new driver line-up.
The SF21 is a radical evolution of previous year’s car. It has a new front wing and nose, coupled with an all-new Ferrari engine which is better than last year. According to Mattia Binotto their straight-line speed for this year has improved compared to last year. Ferrari have spent their tokens on a new gearbox transmission and rear suspension as they look to make the rear of the car even tighter for aerodynamic gains.
Ferrari have signed another young blood, in the name of Carlos Sainz who though young, will be going in his seventh season in F1. Alongside him will be Charles Leclerc in his third season with Ferrari. Both drivers are proven so it remains to be seen if the car can propel them to the front of the field and at least secure P3 in the constructors by the end of the season.
AlphaTauri:
AlphaTauri had a good baseline to end with last season and with the introduction of a newly promoted driver it could be a fantastic season for the Faenza based team.
Pierre and Yuki sample the AT02 for the fist time on March 11. Alpha Tauri pic AlphaTauri’s 2021 challenger is called the AT02. With a good baseline from last year, AlphaTauri elected not to use Red Bull’s 2020 rear suspension, instead sticking with 2019 rear suspension setup in a bid to optimize it fully. Instead, they have spent their tokens on a new thinner nose cone structure and a new front suspension setup. Along with that, they too receive the upgraded 2021 Honda engine.
AlphaTauri has retained 2020 race winner Pierre Gasly and signed a promising F2 driver, Yuki Tsunoda. AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost is confident that if they maximise the potential of their car, they will be able to challenge the likes of McLaren and Aston Martin.
You can watch the 11 March 2021 video here.
Alfa Romeo:
Alfa Romeo had a difficult season in 2020 as their chassis was not up to their expectations and the slower Ferrari engine accentuated their problem. They have also opted for stability in sticking with the same drivers this season.
The C41 shows promise according Alfa Romeo as they have heavily reworked the car. They hope to get better performance from the new Ferrari engine. They have spent their tokens on the new thinner nose cone as well as a new front suspension setup to iron out the inherent understeer in previous years car.
As mentioned, Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi will stay with Alfa Romeo for a third consecutive season as they hope the experience of both will propel them into the mid field fight.
Haas F1:
Haas had another mediocre season as they finished P9 at the end of the 2020 season. With a completely new driver lineup and injection of funds, Haas will be hoping to turn their fortunes around.
Haas have not revealed their 2021 challenger, the VF21 yet. This will be done on the morning of pre-season testing in Bahrain. They did reveal the livery of the car. Haas are also yet to fire up their power unit for the first time as due to covid restrictions it has not been possible. Haas have also confirmed that no upgrade packages will brought to the VF21 as the team will fully focus on 2022 car.
Haas field a new driver lineup of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. Both are rookies and will be their first season in F1. Inexperienced yet both are fast as Schumacher won the 2020 F2 title and Mazepin finished in the top 5.
Williams F1:
A fast driver lineup and improving car Williams look on the rise as they will try to get back in the midfield and contest for points regularly. Their aim is to beat Alfa Romeo and Haas this season.
The Williams 2021 car, the FW43B is an evolution of last year’s FW43. A Williams image The FW43B is an evolution of last year’s FW43. Their main focus has been weight reduction of the car for 2021. Williams have not spent any development tokens this year, instead electing to fully optimise their package. Williams have also said that they will aggressively develop the FW43B in the early stages of the season in a bid to challenge the mid field rivals.
Williams will continue with George Russell and Nicholas Latifi. With this stability and speed of both driver Williams are hoping to be consistently in the midfield battle and score points.
*Malhaar Khaladkar writes on F1 and technical aspects of the sport. The passionate student based in London, is also a keen student of the sport. After successfully completing one year of an analysis piece, after every race last year, Malhaar will continue to bring to you the nuances of the sport with a Monday comment piece after every race. We invite your comments and suggestions.
-
Some rare feats in INRC history; Some honest questions!
By David Bodapati
Bengaluru: Indian Motorsports is still running and breathing life because there are some mad people who are passionate about motorsports. Once the bug bites, it is very difficult to leave motorsports. Once Vicky Chandhok, the man who brought F1 to India said: `”You can make Millions in Motorsports, but before that you have to spend Billions.”
So many enthusiasts, organisers, promoters end up spending huge amounts in the belief that the amount spent, is promoting motorsports. They end up paying from their pockets. Indian Rallying saw the likes of Red Rooster Racing, then the likes of a popular cine artiste Ajith, then teams going to MotoGP and then Sidvin sponsoring a team in WRC. Many others have been there. As far as sponsors are concerned, names like Bosch, Castrol, Yokohoma, Bharat Petroleum’s Speed, MAK, Ceat, have all came, saw and left. I have missed many names… though.
All faded in their time because of lack of returns. Now it is interesting to see, big jewellers and Construction giants from Andhra Pradesh coming in as sponsors due to the efforts of the INRC promoter. But only time will tell, if we can sustain, provide them with good media, and retain them as supporters of the sport.
All the officials, stewards, Federation, marshals, organising clubs, promoters and everyone, including media, should realise that without drivers and riders, we are zero. We think that because we are organising or the Federation is there, so sport is there. Sport is never there because of all of us, the sport is there because there are sportspersons, who sacrifice many things in life, work hard and showcase their talent. Only because or riders, drivers and co-drivers the sport exists. Whether it is a karting kid of six years or an 80-year-old veteran in racing. Oldies may be `BIG’, but bumping out youngsters, playing dirty and spoiling the mood and spirit of sport should be nipped in the bud.
Or else, Indian motorsports will remain like this for the next 50 years. Glad that COVID 19 prevented many of the `Oldies’ to stay indoors this 2020. An youngster who won the first three races on his debut, disappeared and did not take part in the second year of that championship and switched to a different championship. Another talented driver, retired prematurely and became a coach! A driver from the East or a rider from the South were famous 20 years back, for their aggressive tactics which intimidated their rivals. With the current President being strict with the stewards and demanding immediate reports, the governance has improved a bit, if one can say so, and cleaning up the sport is of utmost priority.
Coming back to FMSCI, Akbar Ebrahim, during his previous tenure in 2018, made efforts to increase the membership of the council as recommended by the Ministry of Sports. However, he did not get his amendment passed as the council blocked it, only increasing the membership by one member. Now we have 10 members. As long as this undemocratic number continues, the Union Ministry of Sports is not likely to recognise motorsports as a sporting discipline.
We are already not an Olympic sport which is a big disadvantage. FMSCI does not have an India selection committee. Those who represent India are handpicked and not selected on merit or talent or the number of wins they have. The sports ministry considers it as being done as per the `whims and fancies’ of the council. There are 27 federations in the recognised list of Sports Federations and who are on the Ministry’s list for priority funding. The Ministry has also put out guidelines for all the National Federations to promote transparency, good governance and accountability. So if FMSCI wants to be National Federation, as an ASN of FIA andbe a member of Indian Olympic Association, it has to fulfill and follow certain norms and conditions.
So it is time we clean up our own act. In 2018, when Ebrahim informed about many changes and developmental programmes he is planning to introduce, much of it did not appear in the media, because the same evening, Gaurav Gill announced his entry into WRC, at the K1000 press conference in Bengaluru.
That year, he finished his tenure and there was a break and now in his second stint as FMSCI president, one hopes he continues his sincere efforts to bring some discipline into the administration of motorsport and elevate sportspersons to the level they deserve. Being an active racer himself, like Vicky Chandhok and many others in the council, it is time we respect the drivers and riders, who are being ill-treated by many officials in many championships. Almost all council members, except one or two, have been sportspersons at some point of time. So it would be easy to understand the plight of drivers and riders. Hope this article is taken in good spirit.
In let us see in what way and how, fmsci can promote sport. Any rider or driver getting a sponsor is a difficult job. So if one gets a sponsor, the fmsci charges more money to allow him to take part. Is this what other sports are doing. No federation charges money from sportspersons, so exorbitantly, to take part in sport. Instead of encouraging more sportspersons, are we chasing them away. Time to introspect.
These are some of the things that should be discussed in the council about how to make things easy for more sportspersons to take part in the 10 different National Championships. Not whether Coimbatore or CASC, should be thrown out. CASC has not done its society registration renewal for many years. But when they joined FMSCI 50 years back, too the Society renewal of CASC was not done. So the status quo remains. Why did then FMSCI accept them as founder members. If that is the case many of the founders will lose their membership.
The criteria for becoming a founder member is to pay their subscription and conduct activities as prescribed by the council. The actual question that needs to be asked is why are Founding members given a veto power. The Ministry of Sports did not recognise motorsports not just because we are not an Olympic sport. Every federation in the country which is member of IOC, is truly representative and all India in nature, having federal Units in each state. The Ministry wanted the council to be increased to 18 or 19, by taking other active clubs as council members, so that slowly the representation will improve. This has been resisted by the founding members.
In an interview to this website in 2018 at Bengaluru after the K1000 press conference, Akbar Ebrahim, said that he was planning to introduce an amendment to expand the council membership to 18 or 19 members. But since it has to be approved by the council, he has first introduced 11 members. Then there will be five founding members and the other six can override the founders, if they are `blocking the development of sport’. So that transparency, governance and accountability will increase. But fmsci has increased the membership fee of the clubs from Rs.2000 a decade back by about five to 8 times bigger. How can a club conduct sport by paying such huge amounts to federation. Why is the federation paying income tax of a few lakhs. Why cant they use the money to buy sporting equipments, or spend for other sporting activities, which will then reduce their income tax. Why should a hosting club pay the stewards flight fares, their hotel accommodation in a star hotel, and their fancy food bills… these are some of the things council should discuss. Not whether a founding member should be barred, because they are not in the same camp. Coimbatore is one of the first clubs to conduct drag races much before Sholavaram, in Sulur, an old air strip, according to Britannica Encyclopedia which used to attract more than a lakh spectators. Unfortunately, these were not documented.
They are one of the few clubs along with KMSC (formerly BMSC), MMSC, now defunct APMSC (Charminar challenge), Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) and the Kerala KASC, who used to be active.
Coimbatore also had the honour of hosting the first rally, after INRC got the status of a National Championship in 1988 with Mr L Gopalakrishnan and Mr R Mahendran, winning the rally in a Maruti 800, the only time a Maruti won INRC round before Gypsy’s took over. I know I will be termed immediately as a biased reporter. But I have been in Jodhpur too. It is then FMSCI president who conducted the Press Conference along with Mr Vamsi Merla, the promoter, which this reporter attended. Things would have been much better but for the local uprising. CASC has also been hand-holding and supporting the Popular rally for many years, as my good friend late George Francis used to reel out stories as he was a regular in Kerala, as every rally used to provide a chance for him to visit his native place. I too attended a few of them, with Kuttikanam, the Misty Meadows Rally of Kerala in 2010, being my favourite.
Obviously, drivers and riders will not comment. Why a particular journalist is painted Red Or Yellow. Are we promoting sport, or is media becoming a rogue element in killing the sport… A moot point to debate and food for thought. Will stop here. I and George, have been mulling over this story for the last five years, but did not get the courage to write. I will be killing my conscience and will be doing disservice to my later friend George Francis and wanted to do this before his death anniversary on April 11. As a senior journalist, I feel I should not shun my duty of being a watchdog! I request everyone to take this in the right spirit and do something to sort out the mess!
The year 2020 is a no-nonsense year in the history of Indian Rallying: It is also a year which began on a negative note and ended on a positive note. The COVID19, has changed the world and the evolving situation demanded that FMSCI, the governing body of motorsports in India too, had to make rules and ban huge gatherings. The year started with the arrival of Corona virus and ended with hope, as vaccination entered the market and by Jan 16, the roll out of vaccination was undertaken. But no rally (INRC) was held in 2020. The 2020 calendar is being completed in January and February 202`1, with two back-to-back rounds in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh on super-fast Tarmac on National Highway NH415.
Disclosure: This reporter covered the Rally of Arunachal Pradesh and his one-way travel to Guwahati and both ways Helicopter rider from Guwahati to Itanagar was paid by the Promoters, Champion Yacht Club, and his stay was offered by the Tourism Department of Arunachal Pradesh. INDIAinF1 is thankful for providing a chance to our reporter to attend the INRC Rounds 1 & 2.
-
Horrific F1 accident and miraculous escape puts safety in perspective
Seven-time world Champion Lewis Hamilton took his 5th consecutive victory of the season as Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Alex Albon completed the podium in a race which was overshadowed by the horrific accident and miraculous escape of Haas driver Romain Grosjean. This case of accident was handled by traffic accident lawyers based in Highland area. You can also get their help if you want to deal with legal accident issues. You can get info from moto accident lawyers based in Atlanta area based, if you need help with car accidents. Since accidents are inevitable on the road, it is a smart move to hire personal injury attorneys located in Riverside, CA area who can help legally.
London, 30 Nov 2020: With a 5th consecutive win, Lewis Hamilton won his 11th race of the season ahead of Max Verstappen in P2 and Alex Albon completed the podium for Red Bull’s first double-podium since the 2017 Japanese GP, even as the race finished under the safety car.
The McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz finished fourth and fifth respectively, their 22 points haul shooting McLaren to 3rd place in the Constructor’s Championship overtaking a disappointed Racing Point, as Sergio Perez, running in third was forced to park the car with an MGU-K issue with three laps remaining. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly finished in P6 ahead of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo in P7 and teammate Esteban Ocon crossed the line in P9. Valtteri Bottas placed his Mercedes in P8 as his race was compromised by tyre puncture and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top-10.
Daniil Kvyat finished P11 in his AlphaTauri. Kvyat’s future looks uncertain in F1, as F2 star Yuki Tsunoda is tipped to replace him next year. George Russell dragged his Williams FW43 to P12 ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel who was seemingly unhappy about the antics of his Monegasque teammate during the race. Nicholas Latifi finished 14th ahead of both Alfa Romeos of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen was P17 and was the last person to be classified. The injury attorneys from The Galvan Law Firm, PLLC can help with the legalities when it comes to accident cases. Accidents are not always road accidents. You can get help with construction accidents too.
Sergio Perez, who had heartbreak as he retired from a podium position with an engine failure, was philosopohic. “It’s really hard for both myself and the team to take today’s result, but in the grand scheme of things, it almost becomes irrelevant after Romain’s crash at the start. At the end of the day, it’s either one more or one less podium or trophy for me, but the important thing is that Romain is still with us and that he’s ok. I wish him all the best.”
Racing Point scored no points as Lance Stroll too DNF’d after his car was flipped over with contact from Kvyat’s car. The story of the day was Romain Grosjean as his car plunged through the barrier after turn 3, split in half and was engulfed in fire. It was a technological miracle that Grosjean was able to get out of the car and was saved. The day belonged to Dr. Ian Roberts and Medical car driver Alan van der Merwe and all the marshals who responded to the accident. In all the hullabaloo, the tweets, the articles and stories around the world has forgotten the `unsung heroes’, the Marshals, who were the first to reach the spot with their fire extinguishers. INDIAinF1.com is trying to get their names with a special article soon.
The start of the race was hectic. Bottas lined up 2nd on the grid but fell down to P6 as he had a bad start and was overtaken by Verstappen, Perez, Albon and Ricciardo. Meanwhile, behind Grosjean saw free space on the right-hand side of the track and tried make through. In the process he tagged Kvyat and his car plunged into the barrier at 221 kmph, bursting into flames. The session was immediately red flagged and cars returned to the pitlane.
There was a delay of one hour and 25 minutes as the charred Haas car was recovered and the barriers repaired. Meanwhile, video footage of the incident appeared as all the drivers looked visibly shaken by what had happened. Positive news came about that Grosjean was conscious and was being taken to a hospital for a checkup.
The race would be initiated by a standing start. Bottas this time started from P4 as he was in that position before the safety car line 2. The race started on lap 3 as everyone lined up on the grid. Vettel was unimpressed by his teammate Leclerc’s dive-bomb on him in turn 1, which according to the German ruined his race. Meanwhile, a bit ahead Stroll was tagged by Kvyat and sent barrel rolling. The safety car was called out as Stroll emerged from his car unhurt and his car recovered. Bottas, had a suspected puncture and therefore, pitted under the safety car for hard tyres to rejoin in P16.
Racing got underway on lap 9 with Hamilton leading the way, Verstappen and Perez following him. Leclerc was running in P7, by lap 13 he fell down to P10 as he was overtaken by future teammate Sainz, Ricciardo and Gasly. Ricciardo was the first person to pit among the midfield on lap 16, changing from mediums to hards. Ocon, Kvyat and Norris followed suit. Hamilton was the first to pit of the leaders on lap 19, Albon following him in, the same lap. Hamilton bolted another set of mediums, while Verstappen and Perez pitted on the next lap for hard tyres. Meanwhile, Sainz had managed his soft tyres to last till lap 21 and pitted for medium tyres.
The second round of pitstops occurred on lap 34, as Verstappen pitted for another set of hard tyres as he was unable to cut into the 4-sec lead of Hamilton. Albon followed the Dutchman. Hamilton was brought in on lap 35 for hard tyres and subsequently, Perez did the same thing on lap 36.
Behind, Ocon had pitted on lap 34 and undercut Ricciardo when he emerged out of the pits on lap 36, Renault teammates seemingly tripped over each other and lost time. Norris and Sainz pitted for hard tyres on lap 38 and 39 respectively. Gasly, on the other hand, was trying an audacious one-stop after switching to hard tyres on lap 25.
Albon, Norris and Sainz overtook Gasly and slotted into P4, P5 and P6 respectively. Everything unravelled for Perez on lap 54 as his car started producing plumes of smoke from its exhaust. Ultimately the car caught fire and he retired from P3, what could have been his second successive podium. This promoted Albon into the podium position. Meanwhile, Verstappen had pitted for medium tyres on lap 46, to set the fastest lap. Due to the recovery of Perez’s Racing Point, the Safety Car was deployed again.
The race finished under safety-car conditions for a second consecutive year in Bahrain as Hamilton took the victory at the chequered flag and both Red Bull drivers completed the podium. McLaren were the happiest of the midfield teams as they outscored rivals Racing Point who scored zero and Renault who wasted time by having an intra-team battle between Ricciardo and Ocon. It was a day to forget for Bottas as bad luck struck again and he could only manage P8. Same goes for Ferrari as Leclerc managed one point and Vettel finished outside of the points.
Sunday belonged to all the marshals and medical staff of the FIA for bravely handling the situation of Grosjean. It also shows how far the safety of racing and F1 has advanced and that racing is and will always be dangerous. Each and every driver should be respected, for every time they step in a car, they put their life on the line and it is not as easy as it looks.
Mercedes dominated this weekend especially in terms of qualifying and race pace. Returning to a familiar circuit showed that Mercedes W11 is still the fastest car on the grid and Turkish GP qualifying result was down to extenuating circumstances. Red Bull closed the gap in terms of race pace but were ultimately unable to challenge Hamilton at the front. Racing Point had a weekend of `what could have been’ as they were pointless at the Sakhir international circuit. Stroll’s unfortunate incident and Perez’s car’s unreliability has made achieving P3 in the constructor’s championship much more difficult. They showed Red Bull challenging race pace as Perez was able to keep a check on Albon throughout.
McLaren may not have been the fastest midfield car but made most of the opportunities that came their way. They are still behind Racing Point in terms of car performance. Their Anglo-French rivals Renault faltered too, as strategic errors and teammate battles cost them higher-finishing positions. Renault showed good qualifying performance as they were able to beat both McLaren and AlphaTauri. AlphaTauri have shown improved qualifying pace in recent races as once again both their cars made it to Q3. Gasly finished an impressive P6 while Kvyat too finished on the fringes of points as once again clever strategy had enabled them to challenge the upper midfield. Ferrari had a dismal weekend as they were unable to make to Q3 and salvaged one point from the race. All this owed to their inferior power unit for 2020, and as the Sakhir circuit is a power-limited circuit, their weakness was magnified.
Williams showed improved race pace as both drivers finished ahead of Alfa Romeo and Haas drivers. This bodes well for them looking ahead for 2021. Alfa Romeo and Haas too were plagued by the Ferrari engine as horsepower disadvantage to rivals meant they neither could make it to Q2 nor challenge for points on Sunday.
Saturday Qualifying results were:
P1: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes) P2: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes) P3: Max Verstappen- 33 (Red Bull) P4: Alex Albon- 23 (Red Bull) P5: Sergio Perez- 11 (Racing Point) P6: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (Renault) P7: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Renault) P8: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri) P9: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren) P10: Daniil Kvyat- 26 (AlphaTauri) P11: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Ferrari) P12: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari) P13: Lance Stroll- 18 (Racing Point) P14: George Russell- 63 (Williams) P15: Carlos Sainz- 55 (McLaren) P16: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo) P17: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo) P18: Kevin Magnussen- 20 (Haas) P19: Romain Grosjean- 8 (Haas) P20: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams) -
Double blow for Hamilton; Bottas gets his second win: Russian GP analysis
Valtteri Bottas took his second win of the season at the Sochi Autodrom, Max Verstappen finished P2 in his Red Bull and pole man Lewis Hamilton recovered to P3 after serving 10-second time penalty for practice start infringement.
London, 3 Oct 2020: Lewis Hamilton took pole position as Max Verstappen split the Mercedes cars in P2 and Valtteri Bottas lined up in P3 for the Round 10 FIA F1 World Championship last Sunday.
Alongside him was Sergio Perez of Racing Point. Renault and McLaren lined up in chequerboard pattern with Daniel Ricciardo in P5, Carlos Sainz in P6, Esteban Ocon in P7 & Lando Norris in P8. Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri started the race in P9. Alex Albon qualified a dismal P10 in his Red Bull but started P15, due to a 5-place grid penalty for changing the gearbox. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc lined up in P10, Gasly’s teammate Daniil Kvyat in P11. Lance Stroll had a mechanical issue in qualifying and therefore, could only start as high as P12 ahead of Williams’ George Russell in P13. Sebastian Vettel started in P14 after crashing his car in qualifying. Romain Grosjean and Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen started in 16th& 18th respectively, with Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi between them. The last row was occupied by Kimi Raikkonen and Williams rookie Nicholas Latifi.
Hamilton was already at a disadvantage regarding strategy as he had to start on the soft tyre, compared to Bottas and Verstappen who started o the mediums. This was due to Hamilton’s initial lap getting deleted due to track limits in Q2, then Red Flags barring him from setting the second lap.
The fastest strategy was a one stop, from medium tyres to hard tyres.
The race start was eventful. Bottas caught the slipstream from Hamilton and passed Verstappen. Behind Sainz went wide at Turn 2 and therefore, had to go through the bollards to join the track. In doing so, he hit the circuit wall and was out. His teammate Norris ran through the debris and damaged the steering of his car. Ahead at Turn 4, Leclerc tagged the rear wheel of Strolls Racing Point, thus, sending him spinning into the barrier. The safety car was called out.
The safety car came in on lap 5 and racing resumed with Hamilton in the lead, trailed by Bottas and Verstappen. Meanwhile, Russell, Norris and Albon had pitted under the safety car for hard tyres. Sergio Perez slotted into P5 after overtaking Ricciardo as Ocon was running in P4. On lap 7 Mercedes got the confirmation that Hamilton will get a 10-second time penalty (2×5-seconds).
Lewis Hamilton pitted on lap 16 for hard tyres, serving the penalty in the process and emerged in P11. Ricciardo had pitted one lap before to try and undercut Perez but came out in traffic and was unable to gain time on Perez. Ocon pitted on lap 18 and slotted behind Hamilton but ahead of Ricciardo. Perez managed to overcut Ocon on lap 20 as he too pitted for hard tyres.
Pit stops at Sochi. Graphic courtesy Pirelli Eventually Verstappen pitted on lap 25 for Hard tyres and Bottas followed suit one lap later. Bottas holding a steady 7-second gap to Verstappen. Hamilton emerged in P3 but 10-seconds behind Verstappen due to his penalty. Renault employed team orders and switched Ocon and Ricciardo, Ricciardo now ahead. In that process, Ricciardo cut turn 2 and got a 5-second time penalty. Leclerc who had pitted on lap 28, was behind Ricciardo and looked like he could take the advantage of his penalty.
Bottas scored his second victory of the season as Verstappen in P2 and Hamilton in P3 completed the podium. Perez had an uneventful race but scored good points for Racing Point in P4. Ricciardo maintained P5 as he finished well ahead of Leclerc making the time penalty of no consequence. Leclerc dragged the Ferrari to P6, their best result since the 70th Anniversary GP in Silverstone. Ocon got P7 as Renault managed another double-points finish. Kvyat and Gasly finished in 8th and 9th respectively, Kvyat coming very close to overtaking Ocon in the final laps. Albon occupied the final points paying position.
Vettel finished in P13, behind Ferrari PU customer Alfa Romeo’s Giovinazzi and Haas’ Magnussen in P11 & P12 respectively. Raikkonen crossed the finish line in P14, ahead of Norris in McLaren. The Williams cars finished P16 & P18, Latifi finishing ahead of Russell as Grosjean split them in P17.
Bottas won his first race since the season opener in Austria as Mercedes continued their dominant run this season. They have taken every pole position this season, 8 of them going to Hamilton. Mercedes have also won every Russian GP in the history of F1. Red Bull expected themselves to struggle at Sochi, having never achieved a podium finish here prior to 2020. Verstappen was able to split the Mercedes in qualifying and the race. On the other side, Albon struggled with the balance of the car as he barely made his way to the top 10. Ferrari brought upgrades to the under nose cape, barge boards and rear wing. These upgrades were more to do with correlation of data than performance. The upgrades performed as expected by the simulation which will give them a direction to develop their car. Ferrari have a long way to go if they want to catch the likes of Renault, McLaren and Racing Point.
Renault have unlocked the pace from their car since the Belgian GP. They got another double points finish. The drivers are happy with the setup and balance of the car. They seem to be on par if not better than McLaren when it comes to race pace. Encouraging signs for them then, for rest of the season and next year. McLaren showed improved performance compared to the Tuscan GP, especially in qualifying. They were running two different cars, Norris had the new Mercedes style slim nose whereas Sainz was running with their older specification of broader nose. The performance difference is yet unknown, but McLaren confirmed it is part of a bigger upcoming upgrade package and they were correlating the simulation data. As Sainz crashed out and Norris picked up damage their true race pace could not be seen this race. Racing Point are arguably the fastest midfield team as Perez managed P4 in the older specification of the RP20. Stroll once more had the upgraded version but unfortunately DNF’d due to Leclerc tagging him on the opening lap.
AlphaTauri too achieved a double points finish as they are making most of the opportunities awarded to them. Their car still lacks the pace to challenge the upper midfield teams consistently but given the right circumstances, they are able to beat them. Alfa Romeo have made strides as they are making it to Q2, but the lack of straight line performance still hurts them. Haas’ car has balance issues with both drivers complaining about it in free practice, particularly Grosjean being vocal on the team radio. Lack of upgrades this year and straight line performance of the Ferrari PU is accentuating their problems. Williams were encouraged by their performance at Sochi compared to last year, which proved the improvements they have made this season. Russell once more made it to Q2 as well. They struggled with tyre temperatures, therefore, could not make headway in the race. They have also managed to reduce the drag on their car, making full use of the class leading Mercedes PU to give them a higher straight line speed.
-
Multiple crashes mark Ferrari’s 1000th race and a record 90th win for Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton won the first-ever Grand Prix held at Mugello as Valtteri Bottas finished second and Alex Albon scored his maiden F1 podium. The 1000thrace for Ferrari saw multiple car crashes and two red flags as Hamilton took the 90th race win of his career, one behind Michael Schumacher.
London, 19 Sept 2020: Qualifying saw Mercedes maintain their Saturday pace advantage as Hamilton qualified on pole and Bottas second. Max Verstappen and Alex Albon lined up astern of the Mercedes drivers in P3 & P4. Charles Leclerc managed to qualify P5 in an inferior Ferrari, ahead of the two Racing Points of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll. Ricciardo wasP8 and Renault teammate Esteban Ocon in P10. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz qualified in P9. His teammate Lando Norris lined up in P11- missing out on Q3 for the first time this season. Daniil Kvyat started in P12, while his AlphaTauri teammate and surprise Monza race winner, Pierre Gasly could not get out of Q1 and settled for P16 on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen dragged his Alfa Romeo up to P13, his ex-teammate Sebastian Vettel could only manage to qualify his Ferrari in P14. Haas drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen qualified in 15th& 20th respectively. Antonio Giovinazzi was in P17 and the Williams duo of George Russell and Nicholas Latifi lined up in 18th& 19th.
P2 looked like the place to start from the grid as Bottas got a better start than Hamilton and used the slipstream to get ahead of the championship leader. Behind them, Verstappen too had a good start, but due to power unit issues bogged down and lost places. As the field approached turn 2, Sainz spun with contact from Stroll and Gasly was squeezed by Raikkonen and Grosjean. The trio of Raikkonen, Gasly and Grosjean collected Verstappen. Due to the contact Gasly and Verstappen were beached in the gravel trap. Raikkonen escaped with front wing damage and Grosjean survived but with lot of car damage resulting in downforce loss. Understandably, Verstappen showed frustration as this was his second consecutive DNF. Meanwhile Vettel had collected spun Sainz and damaged his front wing.
The safety car was called- which was red in colour as a tribute to Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix. The race resumed on lap 7. The start/finish line is halfway down the straight on this circuit. Therefore, so as to not give slipstream to Hamilton, Bottas left it late for the restart. The middle of the pack accelerated as they pre-empted Bottas’s start. This resulted in a horrific crash which included Giovinazzi who reared into Magnussen and collected Latifi. Sainz could not evade Giovinazzi and crashed into him. Barely 3 corners of racing had taken place and the race was red flagged-second time in as many races.
The two Mercedes and Williams’ Russell changed to medium tyres as the field got ready for a second standing start. This time it was Bottas on pole and Hamilton in advantageous P2. Leclerc had made up to P3 before the safety car and red flag.
History repeated itself, Hamilton darting past Bottas into P1 as they exited turn 1. Behind them Leclerc was running in P3, Stroll P4, Ricciardo P5, Albon P6 and Perez in P7. As Leclerc’s tyres faded he fell down to P7. He pitted on lap 21 for hard tyres.
Hamilton takes the flag for his 90th win at the Tuscan Grand Prix, on Sunday – A LAT Image for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team Stroll was in P3, in the running for a second consecutive podium. Renault pulled the trigger and boxed Ricciardo from P4 in an attemptto undercut Stroll. It worked as Stroll emerged behind Ricciardo on lap 30 after pitting for medium tyres. Meanwhile Perez and Norris had pitted on lap 27 & 28 respectively. Ahead Bottas was unable to close up to Hamilton and requested for an alternate tyre strategy. Due to vibrations on Bottas’s medium tyres Mercedes pitted him on lap 31 for hard tyres, subsequently pitting Hamilton for the same on lap 32. Bottas request was overruled by Mercedes as they had flashbacks to the British GP and tyre blowouts. As the race progressed Ricciardo maintained his P3 and Russell was running in P9, on the cusp of achieving his first career points.
The drama was not over yet. On lap 43 Stroll smashed into the barriers at turn 9, fortunately unhurt. The safety car was once more called to duty. The race was red flagged a second time as the damaged barrier had to be repaired. The whole grid bolted on soft tyres for a 12-lap sprint race in the end. This was the first race to see 2 red flags since 2016 Brazilian GP.
This time Bottas was in P2- prime position to take the lead as Hamilton was once again on pole for the third start. Hamilton had his best start of the race, as Bottas had the opposite and fell behind Ricciardo. Bottas was able to overtake the Renault on the next lap. Behind Ricciardo’s dream of a podium was shot down as Albon passed him for P3.
Hamilton won the race and with it took the fastest lap point as Bottas completed 1-2 finish for Mercedes. Albon achieved his first podium in F1, thanking Red Bull after the race for sticking with him. Ricciardo missed out on podium and unfortunately Ocon retired under the second red flag as his brakes overheated. Perez finished in P5, Norris had an uneventful race in P6 and Kvyat finished in P7. Leclerc finished in P8, Raikkonen in P9 due to a 5-second penalty because of entering the pit lane after the pit line.Vettel rounded of the top 10.Russell just missed out on his inaugural points in P11 and Grosjean finished last in P12. There were 8 car retirements in the race.
Mercedes still maintain pace advantage over Red Bull. Red Bull looked closer to Mercedes in terms of race pace, but due to Verstappen DNF, we do not know if Red Bull could have challenged for the race victory. Renault did not have the pace in qualifying as they could not find the optimum downforce set up. Their race pace was much better as Ricciardo might have got a podium had there not been the second red flag. McLaren performed below their expectations in qualifying and race as they finished behind Racing Point and Renault. Interesting to note, McLaren trialed Mercedes style thin nose cone in Friday practice. It remains to be seen if they will incorporate it permanently on their car.
Racing Point arrived at Mugello with significant upgrades around the bargeboard and sidepod area. The opening of the sidepods was overhauled, they start behind the mandatory crash structure for better airflow management. The sidepod shape changed too, they drooped down at the rear and made a sharper coke bottle shape to accelerate the airflow for greater downforce generation. This upgrade was worth three-tenths of a second (0.3s). Only Stroll had the package on his car because only one was available. After their surprise win, AlphaTauri slipped into their customary midfield position. Gasly underperformed & DNF’d while Kvyat made the most of red flags to finish in a respectable P7. Ferrari were disappointing in their 1000th GP as their race pace was slower than Alfa Romeo and Williams. Vettel barely managed to get to Q2 while Leclerc was overtaken quickly as he neither had straight line speed nor the tyres as he was unable to conserve them. Alfa Romeo and Williams can be encouraged as they showed better pace than Ferrari, especially in the latter stages of the race when tyre wear was a factor. Haas’s true pace could notbe seen as Magnussen retired and Grosjean had damage through which he lost 70 points of downforce.
Breaking story before the race weekend was that Vettel would be joining Racing Point next season (2021) as Sergio Perez was let go. It remains to be seen if Perez will drive for any team next season.
-
Hamilton beats Schumy record for highest number of F1 podiums
Lewis Hamilton romped to a dominant victory in the Spanish GP as he broke Michael Schumacher’s record for the highest number of podium finishes achieved by a driver in Formula 1. With his 88th win, he was on the podium for the 156th time in his career. Max Verstappen split the Mercedes cars and Valtteri Bottas completed the podium in P3.
New Delhi, 17 August 2020: In qualifying, it was the usual suspects who occupied the front row. Hamilton on the pole, while sister Mercedes of Bottas in P2. Verstappen qualified P3 and his teammate showed better form to qualify P6 on the grid. Sandwiched between them were the two Racing Points of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll in P4 & P5 respectively. Carlos Sainz out-qualified his younger teammate Lando Norris, who has reached Q3 at every race this season. Ferrari only started as high as P9 with Leclerc, as Vettel was knocked out in Q2, starting P11. Gasly completed the top 10 and Kvyat was one place behind Vettel. Renault had a dismal qualifying as Ricciardo started P13 and Ocon in P15. Brilliant effort in qualifying by Raikkonen saw him start P14 while his teammate Giovinazzi started last for the first time in his career. Then it was a two by two grid as Haas occupied out P16 & P17, Williams locked out P18 & P19.
All cars in the top-10 were starting with soft tyres. The track temperature was around 50C. But Friday Practice showed that the hard tyre offered a low level of grip, thus, to be avoided for the race. The predicted strategy was a two-stop, starting on the softs and then two sets of mediums.
Hamilton had a clean race start and maintained P1. Contrary to him, Bottas bogged down at the start and fell to P4 behind Verstappen and Stroll. Norris too lost out by two positions and fell to P10. As the DRS was enabled, Bottas got past Stroll on lap 5 to run P3 and started his hunt for Verstappen. Hamilton was maintaining a constant gap of 1.5-2s to Verstappen in P2.
The big question mark was that would Mercedes have tyre blistering issues again, similar to last week, as track temperatures were hovering around 50 C. This was answered on lap 10. Hamilton opened his taps and started extending his lead on Verstappen. Verstappen tried to keep up, but as soon as he pushed, the Red Bull overheated its tyres. He was struggling to match Hamilton’s pace, meanwhile Bottas was catching him from behind. A frustrated Verstappen signalled to his team that his rear tyres were finished.
Pirelli Graphic – Pit Stops Verstappen’s teammate Albon was first to pit on lap 17 and surprisingly put on hard tyres-only driver in the race to do so- which everyone wanted to avoid. Maybe this was a way by Red Bull to check the pace on hard tyre and if Verstappen could be fitted onto them to make a one-stop work. Ultimately this move compromised Albon’s strategy as he was stuck behind slower cars and was overcut by Sainz who finished ahead of him in the race. Both the McLaren’s were on a two stop as they looked to use the fresh rubber to get past their rivals.
Red Bull finally pitted Verstappen at the end of lap 21 on a new set of mediums, Hamilton and Bottas followed suit two laps later for the same tyre. Behind them both Racing Point cars pitted for medium tyres as well and made way to their original positions of P4 & P5 by lap 35. Renault were trying a one-stop strategy with both their cars, as at one stage Ricciardo was running in P4 and Ocon in P9.Leclerc and Vettel pitted on lap 29 for medium and soft tyres respectively.
Meanwhile, dark clouds appeared north of the circuit, with Vettel’s race engineer indicating rain to hit the track around lap 50. Alas, rain failed to materialise just like it had in the middle of the Hungarian GP. Hamilton now was around 8s clear of Verstappen and Bottas just behind the Dutchman. The one-stop strategy looked like a miss hit from Renault as both cars dropped out of points once pitted. Gremlins struck Leclerc on lap37, as his engine was cut off and he spun in turn 15. He managed to start the car but ultimately retired, later diagnosed as an electrical issue.
Verstappen pit for a second time on lap 41, taking another set of medium tyres to get to the end. Hamilton was not in the undercut range and therefore, carried on. Bottas went long till lap 48 and then pitted onto soft tyres, to create a tyre offset to Verstappen. The soft tyre didn’t work well for Bottas as he was unable to close the gap for Verstappen, let alone overtake him. Hamilton pitted on lap 50 for a second set of medium tyres, as he cruised home to a dominant victory, 24.177 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Bottas pitted for a third time to bolt on a set of medium tyres, to score a fastest lap point and in the process broke the lap record of the circuit. He finished P3.
Racing Point cars finished in lofty P4 & P5, Stroll finishing ahead of Perez as the Mexican got a 5-second time penalty for ignoring blue flags. Sainz finished P6, a confidence boost after couple of bad races in Silverstone. Vettel held off Albon to finish P7 thanks to an audacious one stop strategy and good tyre management. Vettel did 36 laps on the soft tyres. The top 10 was completed by Gasly and Norris. Interesting to note, only the podium finishers finished the race on the lead lap, everyone else was lapped in the race. Renault cars finished out of the points, so did the cars of Alfa Romeo, Haas and Williams.
Mercedes were expected to struggle once again in hot conditions, but they did not. They had a big advantage over Red Bull regarding race pace and also looked after their tyres better. Tyre management from Mercedes drivers was on point as they did not face any issues similar to last week. Mercedes had reverted to their Hungary specification high downforce rear wing with double swan neck pillars and a t-wing on the engine cover. Red Bull are inherently slower than Mercedes and they were slightly worse on their tyres as Verstappen complained of the rear tyres being finished. Albon also struggled to preserve his tyres, especially in the first two stints.Red Bull too reverted to Hungary specification rear wing with louvred endplates and a deeper main plane.
Like Mercedes and Red Bull, Racing Point, Renault, Ferrari and AlphaTauri used high downforce rear wings with a deeper main plane. The reason being, rear stability is essential in high speed corners and sector 3 is made up of slow speed corners.
Racing Point showed expected pace, just behind the top 2. McLaren had a resurgence in race pace as Sainz was able to finish in P6 and Norris in P10. Arguably Norris could have finished higher, had he had a better start. Ferrari and AlphaTauri were similar on pace. Ferrari’s move to put both drivers on one stop worked as Vettel finished ahead of the two stopping Gasly and Leclerc would have finished in points had he not retired. Renault slumped after two encouraging races as they could score no points on the basis of pace-which they lacked compared to their rivals- or the strategy.
Alfa Romeo showed improvement in pace as Raikkonen briefly ran in the top-10. Meanwhile, Haas have to find answers as they looked competitive on Friday but were unable to explain their loss of pace on Saturday and Sunday. Williams will be encouraged by the race pace and the ability to fight other cars. Saying that Russell was unable to make it to Q2, for the first time since round 1, prompting Williams to find answers for their lack of one-lap pace.
*Malhaar Khaladkar is an intern with INDIAinF1. You can read his articles here. We invite your comments below.
-
3-time National champion driver, Chidanand Murthy is no more
File photo of Chidanand with the trophy in 2014. INDIAinF1 photo Bengaluru, 24 Jan 2020: Well-known motorsport personality and multiple-National champion driver in the Indian National (TSD) Rally Championship, Chidanand Murthy passed away here in the early hours of Friday. He is 43 and leaves behind wife and a daughter.
A businessman, who spent most of his free time either organising or taking part in motorsport activities, Chidu, as he was popularly known, was a dynamic and jovial person with a friendly nature. He won the Indian National Rally Championship in the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format for three successive years with BS Sujith Kumar, the current chairman of the 2w Rally Commission. The duo won a hat-trick of National titles culminating in 2014 and had many other achievements as driver-navigator pair from Bengaluru. They last took part on behalf of Tata Motors Full Throttle team in the Pro-Stock class.
“It is really shocking and sad news. I can’t believe that he is no more. My deepest condolences to his family at this hour of grief. Rest in peace, Chidu. You will be in our hearts forever,’’ said Sujit Kumar.
Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) of which Chidu was part of, sent their condolence message. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of a champion. KMSC sends our heart-felt condolences to all the family members and freinds of Chidanand,” said Shivu Shivappa, president of KMSC and vice-president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).
-
Final MotoGP calendar for 2020
Following is the final MotoGP calendar for 2020
Date Grand Prix Circuit
8 March Qatar* Losail International Circuit
22 March Thailand Chang International Circuit
5 April USA Americas Circuit of the Americas
19 April Argentina Termas de Rio Hondo
3 May Spain Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto
17 May France Le Mans
31 May Italy Autodromo del Mugello
7 June Barcelona Catalunya
21 June Germany Sachsenring
28 June Netherlands TT Circuit Assen
12 July Finland** KymiRing
9 August Czech Republic Automotodrom Brno
16 August Austria Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
30 August Great Britain Silverstone
13 September San Marino Misano Circuit Marco Simoncelli
4 October Aragón MotorLand Aragón
18 October Japan Twin Ring Motegi
25 October Australia Philip Island
1 November Malaysia Sepang International Circuit
15 November Valenciana Valenciana – Ricardo Tormo
* Evening ** Subject to FIM Homologation
-
Popular Indian motorsport mag #AutoTrack enters digital platform through Magzter
http://autotrack.ind.in/ Bengaluru, 17 Sept 2019: Popular and only exclusive motorsport magazine in India, Autotrack, makes the informative Indian content available all over the globe through Magzter, an online platform to read many magazines at one place.
Entering the 13th year, the bi-monthly Indian magazine which is popular among the motorsport community in India fulfills a long-standing demand from many NRIs and fans abroad, who want to keep abreast with the Indian motorsport scene.
Ashok Tiwari, founder and Editor-in-Chief said: “Indeed, it is a moment of joy to step into the 13th year and looking back, little did we know the journey which began 12 years ago as a passion, has gradually converged into a profession, and we stand tall with the increasing subscriber base. We are also utilising the digital platform, releasing from this issue, as most of our NRI friends who have now migrated across the globe, had this long-pending demand and they would now be able to have access Autotrack through Magzter.”
The magazine is also available online at www.autotrack.ind.in where a lot of videos from Indian motorsports are available.
You can watch the latest video of the 2-wheeler INRC at Coimbatore here.
Magzter has over 12,000 digital magazines that you can read with 1 click! Get Magzter on Apple iOS, Android (Google Play) and the Web. Twitter: @mobilemagzter
-
Arjuna Award for Gaurav Gill – a recognition long time coming, but fully deserving! #GillRacing
Former Sports Editor and respected senior journalist, Anand Philar, who specialises in motorsports, has tracked Arjuna Award winner Gaurav Singh Gill from his nascent days, and chronicled and photographed his exploits throughout his career, both at home and abroad.
In a special article to IndiaInF1, he shares his thoughts on Gaurav Gill.
Gaurav Gill receiving the Arjuna Award from the President of India on August 29, the National Sports Day. Photo courtesy @GauravGill FB page
By Anand Philar
Bengaluru, 30 August 2019: Back in 2005, a new sensation called Gaurav Gill burst on to the National Rally scene as a “replacement driver” for Vikram Mathias who was injured in a major crash the previous round in Delhi. Vikram’s navigator, Sujith Kumar, was asked to partner the tearaway Gill at a time when few were willing to sit in the co-driver’s seat. Gill finished Overall second to JK Tyre’s lead driver, VR Naren Kumar, after dominating most of the event by clocking seriously fast Stage times. Gaurav Singh Gill has arrived.
The following year, in Pune, it was the turn of veteran Farooq Ahmed, to partner Gill who again finished behind Naren Kumar, who went on to win the championship. Both Sujith and Farooq sang praises of not just Gill’s extreme pace, but his “phenomenal memory”.
Sujith recalled: “I have never sat with any driver with such memory. I realised then that he was a special talent and a superstar in the making.” Farooq said much the same. “Just phenomenal talent Anand. He will go places. I have never co-driven for a guy with such raw pace and memory. I mean, he remembered every corner and dip. I wondered whether he needed a navigator at all!”
File photo of Gaurav Gill negotiating a corner in the Coffee Day Rally 2017. Photos by Anand Philar For sure, Gill had cast a magical and mesmeric spell on the Indian motorsport fraternity which continues to this day. MRF Tyres, taking note of his immense talent, was quick to sign up Gill and thus began the Delhi lad’s long journey to international stardom. APRC titles in 2013, 2016 and 2017, cemented Gill’s status as a World-class driver. At home, his dominance was even more absolute as National titles came his way.
From the raw pace of the youth to mature driving of the experienced, Gill has come a long way. “Over the years and with experience, I learned to pace myself in a rally. It meant, knowing when to push and when to nurse your position without taking undue risks. It has made me a better driver and in rallying, much like a good wine that tastes better with age,” he had told me in a rare moment of introspection as we drove to Chikmagaluru for the Coffee Day India Rally a couple of years ago.
Gaurav Gill signals six, after his sixth win in a row. He won the APRC for the third time, winning all the rounds. Photo by Anand Philar Through his decade-long campaign in the APRC with MRF team, Gill was pitted against more experienced team-mates, not necessarily in terms of age, but seat time and the number of competitions.
“These guys do about 20 to 25 rallies in a year as against five or six in my case, and another few in INRC. A couple of my team-mates have been factory drivers, constantly testing the cars that were being prepared for APRC. They literally lived in them! So, straight away, I am at a disadvantage going into an APRC round. Yet, I am able to match and beat them on the Stages. This is what people back home should know, understand and appreciate,” has been Gill’s constant refrain each time we met at an APRC event abroad.
For me, there is more to Gill than the titles (including one track racing championship). Statistics do no justice to his talent that is so apparent even to a novice watcher. For Indian motorsport, he is once-in-a-lifetime beacon leading the way and setting benchmarks.
The Arjuna Award came his way exactly 20 years after he made his rally debut on a bike before switching to cars. Through those two decades of living on the edge, as it were, Gill has maintained his focus and motivation, while blossoming into a man who is officially certified fit enough to pilot a monstrous Formula 1 speedboat!
Gaurav Gill takes a huge jump during the APRC Malaysian round in 2017. Photo by Anand Philar For Gill, speed is the elixir of life, beautifully complemented by his unshakable belief and confidence in his ability to drive quick but safe, take calculated risks that would deter a lesser mortal, the special bonding with the car that becomes an extension of self, quickly learning its limits to push it to the very edge and, sometimes, beyond – all traits of a man who belongs to the elite class of motorsport drivers.
Gill is a natural. “Give him a bullock cart, and he will still be the quickest!” This is not said in jest, but with awe and admiration. I have had the privilege of sitting with him in the Skoda ahead of Rally of Hokkaido. I barely noticed the stunning acceleration, the cornering, and braking. The silken touch and precision driving had me mesmerised, just like it has always been when I focussed my camera on his car power-sliding through the corner or attacking a crest!
Family Time: Gaurav Gill with family at the Coffee Day round in 2017. Photo by Anand Philar Hailing from a family of rally drivers, his uncle Dicky Gill (Team MRF) being the best known among them, Gaurav took to driving like a duck to water. “I learned to drive very early in life, taking our family car out without informing anyone. Then came the Play Station games and the bikes, which are still my first love, before I moved to cars. So, I grew up in such an environment and here I am, driving Rally cars!”.
Hopefully, the Arjuna Award would not only motivate Gaurav further, but also spawn a generation of young guns who will not just emulate him, but go a step further. He has waited long for this overdue National recognition, dealing with frustrations and triumphs with supreme equanimity, never once taking his eyes off the goals he had set. Now, looking to his 38th birthday on December 2, Gill has his sights set on the big stage, the WRC. “My ultimate wish is to compete with the best in the World and prove to myself first that I belong to.” His words, spoken over a year ago. It’s time we all got behind this maverick of a driver.
Pursue your dreams champ and conquer new horizons.
