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Category: India In F1
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Everyone’s a winner: vast, fast and formidable, Silverstone awaits MotoGP riders
Five riders and four factories have conquered the venue in recent years. Here’s to another modern classic in the UK Silverstone, 19 August 2019:
File photo of Marc Marquez at the Red Bull Ring in Austria . A MotoGP image In 2013 it was Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) who took on now-teammate Marc Marquez in one of the all-time great showdowns. The year after, Marquez returned the favour. 2015 saw Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) emerge from a rain-soaked race day to take to the top step, before Maverick Viñales, now at Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, took the spoils for Suzuki the following year. Then it was Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) painting Silverstone red in 2017, and that makes it five riders and four factories who have made British turf their own in the last five races there. They’ve also all done it in style, because Silverstone usually stages a classic. Can 2019 deliver the same?
As we return to the venue for another year, there’s certainly one big difference: the track surface. The British behemoth is back open for business with high expectations and new asphalt, and Friday’s feedback will be an interesting listen. But one thing that’s never changed is the stunning layout, with 18 corners pushing man and machine to the maximum around a high-speed ribbon of tarmac that snakes it way around the former airfield. Vast and fast is apt.
So who will rule Britannia in 2019? Almost all the likely contenders really have been a winner in the UK. The most recent victor, Andrea Dovizioso, also arrives on top of the world after his stunning Austrian GP triumph. He’ll be one to watch, as is usually the case. But then so will Marquez, who has sometimes had a rockier road on race day at Silverstone but whose pace in qualifying has seen him take four premier class poles at the venue. Could we get another duel? Will the reigning Champion strike back?
Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales, meanwhile, will be aiming to make sure it’s a much bigger fight at the front. Rossi’s speed at Silverstone seems to grow year on year and Viñales’ record at the track is impressive. He won his first race there so there are some good memories, and he was also the man closest to Dovizioso last time we raced in the UK. And then there’s Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT)…
The French rookie will know the venue has often been a good one for his bike, but does that even make that much difference? The number 20 equalled Yamaha’s best result at the Red Bull Ring, where it should have been a much harder task than he made it look, and everywhere he goes, he goes fast. He’s back at the top of the Independent Team rider standings as well, and could be a key contender.
And what of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar)? His bike is a winner at Silverstone, before he was the man on it or even in the class, and it was a landmark day back in 2016 for the Hamamatsu factory. Rins himself is now back on form after ironing out two uncharacteristic mistakes before the summer break, and he’s unlikely to settle for anything that’s not an assault on the win at the very least. He’s a man with a bigger box to tick than many now he’s taken his first win this season, and is a big candidate to be the sixth different winner at Silverstone since 2013.
The man just ahead of him, Ducati Team’s Danilo Petrucci, could be another although he’s looking for more of a bounce back after a tough Austria, as is Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), the man now behind Quartararo in the aforementioned Independent Team rider standings. And lurking just behind him is Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol). It’s been a tougher year at times for the Brit, but on home turf he’ll give it everything to be back in the fight at the front he’s so often been part of. And he’s had pole at Silverstone before, so the speed is there and he’ll want to convert it into big points and a podium in front of the home crowd. He’s done it before.
The man for whom a return is the real key phrase, however, is Jorge Lorenzo. After a long period of recovery from his injuries sustained in Assen, the five-time World Champion is expected back on track at Silverstone and it’s a good venue for it. Lorenzo has three wins there, including that stunner in 2013, and good memories aplenty. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is also back in action at Suzuki after his Brno testing crash, so he’ll want to get stuck in to making up some ground to those ahead of him: the likes of Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). There’s a lot at stake in the tight fight for the top ten.
The Great British behemoth awaits, and the Great British weather is in the wings too. But come rain or shine, Silverstone usually serves up a storm – so tune in for the GoPro British Grand Prix, with lights out for MotoGP™ at 13:00 local time (GMT +1).
Championship standings1 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) – 230
2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) – 172
3 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) – 136
4 – Alex Rins (SPA – Suzuki) – 124
5 – Valentino Rossi (ITA – Yamaha) – 103 -
Charles Leclerc becomes 2nd youngest to get a pole; Ferrari lock-out front row; Hami p3
Leclerc takes pole on Saturday. An FIA image Sakhir, 30 March 2019: Charles Leclerc took the first pole position of his career, beating Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel by almost three tenths of a second as the Italian squad locked out the front row of the grid for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, the second round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
Defending champion Lewis Hamilton was forced to settle for P3, 0.030 behind Vettel, ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
At the start of the session Ferrari quickly seized control, with Leclerc taking P1 thanks to a lap of 1:28.495. Vettel slotted into P2, 0.238s behind his team-mate, while Valtteri Bottas took third place, a full second adrift of the pacesetting Monegasque. Hamilton’s final Q1 lap of 1:29.262 then moved him to third place
In a tight battle, in which P6 to P15 were covered by just half a second, there was no escape at the end of the segment for Alfa’s Antonio Giovinazzi who was the first man eliminated in P16.
The Italian was bounced out ahead of surprise casualty Nico Hulkenberg of Renault, Racing Point’s Lance Stroll and the Williams cars of George Russell and Robert Kubica.
At the top of the table Leclerc’s opening time kept him in P1 ahead of Vettel with Hamilton third ahead of Lando Norris of McLaren who put in a superb lap to split the Mercedes drivers. Toro Rosso’s Alex Albon took sixth ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Red Bull’s Max. Romain Grosjean was 10thfor Haas.
Leclerc again led the way in the first runs of Q2, setting a time of 1:28.046. That put him more than four tenths of a second clear of Hamilton, with Bottas in third.
Verstappen slotted into fifth place with a lap of 1:29.143, ahead of Vettel who made a mistake in Turn 10 and was forced to run again as the top two stayed in the garage for the final runs.
Pierre Gasly in the second Red Bull was in trouble though, down in P12, with a lap of 1:29.526 after the first runs.
And in the final runs the Frenchman couldn’t find the pace to break out of the Q2 drop zone. He failed to improve on his first-run time and was bypassed by Toro Rosso’s Alex Albon who finished behind the first driver eliminated, Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo. Behind Gasly, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez was ruled out in P14 ahead of the second Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat.
Vettel’s error in Q2 and the need for an extra run meant he was restricted to the garage for the first run in Q3. That left the door open for Leclerc and the Monegasque driver took top spot with a time identical to that with which Vettel claimed pole position in 2018.
The gauntlet was laid down, therefore, and Vettel was the first of the Ferraris on track for the final runs.
Despite getting running his team-mate close through S1, the lap went away from the German over the two remaining sectors and he could only claim P2 with a time of 1:28.160.
Hamilton edged close to the front row with his final run, but in the end he had to settle for third place, three hundredths of a second behind Vettel.
Leclerc, though, was going even quicker than on his opener and he eventually claimed his maiden pole, and the first in for a driver from Monaco, with a new track record of 1:27.866.
With Bottas fourth ahead of Verstappen, who was also restricted to a single run, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen finished in P6 ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and the second Haas of Romain Grosjean. Kimi Räikkönen was ninth for Alfa Romeo and the top 10 was rounded out by Norris.
2019 FIA Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:27.866
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:28.160 0.294
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:28.190 0.324
4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:28.256 0.390
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:28.752 0.886
6 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:28.757 0.891
7 Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren 1:28.813 0.947
8 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:29.015 1.149
9 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 1:29.022 1.156
10 Lando Norris McLaren 1:29.043 1.177
11 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1:29.488 1.622
12 Alex Albon Toro Rosso 1:29.513 1.647
13 Pierre Gasly Red Bull 1:29.526 1.660
14 Sergio Perez Racing Point 1:29.756 1.890
15 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:29.854 1.988
16 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1:30.026 2.160
17 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:30.034 2.168
18 Lance Stroll Racing Point 1:30.217 2.351
19 George Russell Williams 1:31.759 3.893
20 Robert Kubica Williams 1:31.799 -
A new era: Moto2 chases their first triumph of 2019
New faces, returning veterans and a shake up in the corridors of power Doha, 6 March 2019: They say knowledge is power but as Moto2™ gear up for 2019, there are many unknowns that await them. They aren’t racing in the dark though, so to speak, and from development to testing the stage is now set as the intermediate class prepare to go racing powered by British marque Triumph.
What we, and they, already know is that the timesheets in testing have been tantalisingly close and the field are more than ready for the new challenge. And despite the biggest change to the class since inception, there are some things that seem to have remained the same: the pace of the likes of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), as well as fellow bastions of experience Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) and Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP). And what of Schrötter’s teammate Tom Lüthi? He, like Lowes the year before, returns from MotoGP™ with a point to prove – and a long rap sheet of intermediate class success.
Alongside the experienced runners this season, however, there are also host of superstar rookies. Reigning Moto3™ Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Fabio Di Giannantonio (+Ego Speed Up), Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech3), teammate Philipp Öttl, Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) move up from the lightweight class, and they’re joined by Brit Jake Dixon (Angel Nieto Team) and Idemitsu Honda Team Asia duo Dimas Ekky Pratama and former Asia Talent Cup rider Somkiat Chantra as nearly a third of the field race for the title of Rookie of the Year. There’s also the debut of the new MV Agusta in the hands of Dominique Aegerter (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward Racing) and Stenfano Manzi, bringing the chassis count to up to five alongside Kalex, KTM, NTS and Speed Up.
In testing it’s never been closer – now all that remains to be seen is the contest on race day. In Qatar at least it was Lowes who held firm at the top, and the British rider seems more than #OnIt as we head back to Losail to race. But timesheets rarely tell the tale of a race weekend entirely, so who’s going to strike first?
Tune in to see a little history made and a new era begin on Sunday 10th March as Moto2™ go racing at 17:20 (GMT+3) in Qatar. Last year says Baldassarri could hold an advantage at Losail, but this season remains unwritten as yet.
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0.003 seperates Vettel and Hamilton on final day of testing at Circuit de Catalunya
Vettal tops test on Final day in Barcelona 1 March 2019. An FIA image Barcelona 1 March 2019: Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheet on the final day of pre-season Formula 1 testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Ferrari driver ended the day just 0.003s ahead of 2018 F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, as Mercedes at last showed some true pace.
Vettel’s final day benchmark arrived in the morning session. The German bolted on a set of C5 compound Pirelli tyres shortly before the lunch break and posted a time of 1:16.221.
Vettel’s day ended early, however. The German added 42 laps to his morning total of 68 but then stopped on track on the exit of Turn 2 bringing out the red flags.
Ferrari later reported that an “electrical issue” had caused the stoppage and that due to the nature of the problem Vettel would not return to the action.
His morning time continued to serve as the benchmark during the afternoon, but only just. After days spent on long stints run on tyres from the harder end of Pirelli’s compound spectrum Mercedes finally put in performance runs on the final day and Hamilton made them count.
Bottas had run for the world champion team in the morning and the Finn ended his pre-season work three tenths of a second off Vettel’s best time of testing.
In the afternoon Hamilton chipped away at his lap time and when he switched to the C4 tyres he jumped to third with a 1:16.628s effort. With a little over an hour left on the clock he took on the softest tyres in the range and pushed past Bottas’ time to set a lap of 1:16.224s, just three thousandths of a second behind Vettel.
Those looking to see whether Honda-powered Red Bull Racing could join the battle at the top of the order were left disappointed, however. The team did manage to get the RB15 damaged in Pierre Gasly heavy day three crash on track in the morning, but Max Verstappen was only able to complete 29 laps before a gearbox problem halted his running. Red Bull attempted to resolve the issue but in the mid-afternoon called a halt to testing. Verstappen ended the day in P11.
With Bottas third, fourth place on the final day went to Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg who set a C5 time of 1:16.843s late in the session. Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat took fifth place for Toro Rosso ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz.
Hulkenberg was separated from eighth-placed team-mate Daniel Ricciardo Haas’ Romain Grosjean Haas who set a best time of 1:17.076 on the C5 tyres. The lap put him 0.038s ahead of Ricciardo.
Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen finished ninth ahead of the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen and Verstappen. The order was completed by Racing Point’s Sergio Perez and Williams’ Robert Kubica.
2019 Formula 1 Pre-Season Test 2, Day 4
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:16.221s 110
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:16.224s +0.003 61
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:16.561s +0.340 71
4 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:16.843s +0.622 51
5 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:16.898s +0.677 131
6 Carlos Sainz McLaren 1:16.913s +0.692 134
7 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:17.076s +0.855 73
8 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1:17.114s +0.893 52
9 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 1:17.239s +1.018 132
10 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:17.565s +1.344 94
11 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:17.709s +1.488 29
12 Sergio Perez Racing Point 1:17.791s +1.570 104
13 Robert Kubica Williams 1:18.993s +2.772 90 -
Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu grabs pole: SS165cc
Chennai, 14 Dec 2018: Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing snatched the pole position in the premier Super Sport 165cc category with a blistering 01:54.906 flying lap to set up an intriguing clash with his TVS Racing rivals as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship commenced at the MMRT, here on Friday.Sethu, lying a distant third in the championship behind the TVS Racing duo of leader Jagan Kumar and second-placed Ahamed Arif, put in three laps in the 10-minute qualifying session as he scorched the track, displaying impressive pace. Jagan (01:55.231) qualified second ahead of Ahamed (01:55.951) for tomorrow’s Race-1 of the double-header.
Also grabbing pole position was Prabhu Arunagiri of Team Alisha Abdullah with a lap of 01:53.872 in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category where he is third on the leaderboard for this class with 114 points. Championship leader Satyanarayana Raju of Gusto Racing (119 points) qualified third behind Sparks Racing’s Rahil Pilarishetty (66). The other title contender, Amarnath Menon (118), also of Gusto Racing, and struggling for pace, will start fourth on the grid tomorrow.
In the Girls section, leader Ann Jennifer of Sparks Racing comfortably bagged the pole position (02:13.615), well ahead of Kalyani Potekar (Apex Racing Academy) and privateer Nivetha Kumar.
Bengaluru-based Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing), enjoying a 16-point advantage, took the top spot on the front row in the Pro-Stock 165cc category with a lap of 01:59.630 while Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) and Soorya PM (TVS Racing) completed the front row of the grid.
The results (Qualifying – National Championship):
Super Sport 165cc: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (01min, 54.906secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (01:55.231); 3. Ahamed Arif (TVS Racing) (01:55.951).
Pro-Stock 301-400cc: 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (01:53.872); 2. Rahil Pillarishetty (Sparks Racing) (01:53.880); 3. Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (01:54.411).
Pro-Stock 165cc: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (01:59.630); 2. Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) (02:00.091); 3. Soorya PM (TVS Racing) (02:00.243).
Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (02:13.615); 2. Kalyani Potekar (Apex Racing Academy) (02:15.406); 3. Nivetha Kumar (Pvt) (02:16.555).
Stock 165cc: 1. Abhimanyu Gautam (Jind) (02:08.638); 2. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (02:08.721); 3. Anand R (Chennai) (02:08.821).
One-Make Championship – TVS Apache 200 (Novice): 1. Kathik Mateti (Hyderabad) (02:16.433); 2. Alexander AS (Chennai) (02:20.305); 3. Anand R (Chennai) (02:20.720).
Honda Talent Cup – CBR 150 (Novice): 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (02;07.829); 2. K Vasant Habib (Gadag) (02:09.132); 3. Anandhu KK (Chennai) (02:10.042). CBR 250: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubballi) (02:01.251); 2. Amit Richard Topno (Ranchi) (02:01.271); 3.Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (02:02.076).
About Madras Motor Sports Club
The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors, and to this end, it has chalked out various progressive programmes. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2014, making it the only club which owns such a facility that has been further upgraded with international-standard Paddock, complete with VIP hospitality suites, 20 spacious garages and a separate Paddock on the western side with its own circuit. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championships (2-wheelers) besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.
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Lance Stroll to race alongside Sergio Perez in 2019 for Racing Point Force India
Lance Stroll who joined Racing Point Force India team. A RP Force India image Abu Dhabi, 30 Nov 2018: With the last F1 race of the season producing vintage stuff and the after-race entertainment of three multiple world champions who indulged in donuts to thrill the crowd in honour of Fernando Alonso, though duly after permission from Race Control, it not just some famous names that will miss in the next season.
Among the casualities may also be the one with which India has identified itself from 2007, the Force India name.
The team has announced the expected driver from the Stroll family, but it is anybody’s guess if the tag Force India will remain for next season.
Racing Point Force India, for now, is delighted as they announced that Lance Stroll will join the team for 2019 to race alongside Sergio Perez. Lance has pledged his commitment to the team as part of a long-term deal.
Lance’s father Stroll, who was one of the keymen that saw Force India survive after it went into administration early this year, has also invested much as the Canadian consortium took over the team. But since the chassis is registered in Force India name, they could not change the nomen clature completely but did lose all the points which were earned by Force India until that point and still managed to gain and continue their entry as on of the F1 teams. All the teams also agreed to share the exploits with Force India despite such favours are not due to a new team as per the rules. 2019 will tell us if the team can bounce back into its fourth place from the current 7th.
Team Principal and CEO, Otmar Szafnauer, who took over from the beleaguered Vijay Mallya said: “I’m pleased that we can finally confirm Lance’s arrival to race alongside Sergio next year. It gives us an exciting line-up with the perfect blend of youth, talent, and experience. Lance is only twenty and already has two years of Formula One experience under his belt, as well as a podium finish and a front row start. We see huge potential in Lance and believe we can create an environment in which he can flourish. Our team has enjoyed great success nurturing and developing young and talented drivers, and we are very excited to begin our journey with Lance. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Esteban Ocon for his contribution to the team over the last two seasons and wish him well for the future.”
Lance Stroll: “This is the beginning of an incredibly exciting journey in my Formula One career. I look forward to working alongside a successful team with a great culture. It’s a new challenge and I am excited to embrace this new opportunity!”
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Hamilton signs off Formula 1 2018 season with 11 wins; Alonso retires; Hulkenberg unhurt
Hamilton celebrates after winning the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday. An FIA image Abu Dhabi, 25 Nov 2018: Lewis Hamilton signed off on his title-winning 2018 FIA Formula 1 campaign in style by taking a controlled and composed 11th win of the season in the 21st and final race of the FIA Formula One World Championship, ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen at Yas Marina here on Sunday.
The final race of the season ended with Hamilton and Vettel joining McLaren’s Fernando Alonso for a series of tyre-smoking donuts on the start-finish straight to celebrate the Spanish two-time champion’s final race as a Formula 1 driver.
Earlier, at the start, Hamilton got away well from pole position to claim the lead advantage ahead of fellow front row starter and team-mate Valtteri Bottas, Vettel and Räikkönen.
The race was soon neutralised, however. As Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean tussled into the chicane, the pair collided and the Renault man’s car was flipped into a series of frightening rolls. He came to rest upside down on the barriers. The Renault driver soon emerged unscathed but the Safety Car was swiftly deployed.
When the SC left the track Hamilton held his advantage and was soon building a lead over Bottas and Vettel. Further back, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was making moves and he attacked the Force India of Esteban Ocon soon after racing resumed. He got past but then seemed to struggle for power and Ocon swept past to reclaim the position. The Red Bull man was told to try a reset and with that in place and effective, he muscled his way past the Force Indian driver in the second chicane to claim eighth place after dropping back from sixth at the start.
Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen then ground to a halt on the start-finish straight with a total loss of power, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car.
That was the cue for Hamilton to pit on lap 7 and that vaulted Ricciardo up to P3 behind Bottas and Vettel. The Australian was now just four seconds behind Vettel, with Max two second behind his team-mate in P4.
Vettel was the next of the frontrunners to pit, the Ferrari driver taking on supersofts on lap 15. He emerged in P6 behind Ocon and then Bottas made the same move on the next lap. The moves meant that Ricciardo now led the race.
Verstappen’s opening hypersoft tyres were now beginning to fade and the Dutchman was the next to pit, taking on supersoft tyres and rejoining in P5 behind Vettel.
Race leader Ricciardo was now the only one of the top six to require a pit stop, but the Red Bull driver insisted his starting ultrasofts were in good shape. He proved it by managing a steady gap to Hamilton as he extended his opening stint.
Ricciardo finally made his sole stop on lap 33, taking on supersofts and rejoining in P5 behind Verstappen. He quickly began to make the most of his new tyres, closing a seven-second gap to Max to just 1.5s by lap 36.
Verstappen was also gaining ground, putting heavy pressure on Bottas, who twice locked up and went off track. Max continued to probe and on lap 39 he took a wide line through Turn 11 and then tucked in on the inside to pass in the next corner. The pair banged wheels but Verstappen claimed third place.
Ricciardo, juts behind, also got a run on the Mercedes man and on the next lap, under DRS into Turn 8, he breezed past to take P4.
The order at the front then settled, with Hamilton holding an advantage over Vettel of between four and five seconds while the Ferrari man managed a three-second gap back to the Red Bulls.
And, after 55 laps, Hamilton crossed the line to take his 11th win of the season ahead of Vettel. Max claimed his 11th podium of the season, and fourth place in the Drivers’ championship, ahead of Daniel who ended his final race of his five seasons with the team with fourth place.
Behind the Bulls, Bottas finished in fifth place ahead of Renault’s Carlos Sainz, Sauber’s Charles Leclerc, the Force India of Sergio Perez and the Haas cars of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. Fernando Alonso ended his 311-start grand prix career with 11th place.
2018 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes –
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 2.581
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 12.706
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 15.379
5 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 47.957
6 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 1:12.548
7 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1:30.789
8 Sergio Perez Racing Point Force India 1:31.275
9 Romain Grosjean Haas 1 L
10 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1 L
11 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1 L
12 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1 L
13 Lance Stroll Williams 1 L
14 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1 L
15 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1 L
16 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso
17 Esteban Ocon Racing Point Force India
18 Marcus Ericsson Sauber
19 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
20 Nico Hulkenberg Renault. -
Torrente takes Championship lead winning the Grand Prix of India in dramatic style
Amaravati (AP, India), 18 Nov 2018: Team Abu Dhabi’s Shaun Torrente capped a perfect weekend in Amaravati with a faultless drive to win the UIM F1H2O Grand Prix of India and move to the top of the world championship standings.Emirates Racing’s Marit Stromoy produced by far her best performance of the season to finish in second with Erik Stark making it an Abu Dhabi one-three.
There was drama almost immediately when CTIC F1 Shenzhen China’s Philippe Chiappe crashed heavily on the start lap at the first turn, ending his title hopes with defending champion Alex Carella’s race ending almost before it began, retiring on the same lap with technical issues.
It was disappointing afternoon for the local favourite Jonas Andersson, the Team Amaravati driver retiring after running in fourth place for 33 of the 44 lap race.
Pole-sitter Torrente made the perfect start but would have to do it all again when the yellow flag was shown for Chiappe’s dramatic exit, the incident benefitting Stromoy who had a poor start and dropped several places but with no laps completed the boats reverted to their starting positions.
Torrente made no mistake at the restart and took off and opened up an early lead, but for the majority of the race was unable to shake off the challenge of a very persistent Stromoy who would not let him get away, but the Abu Dhabi driver was faultless, absorbed the pressure from behind and maintained his relentless pace to complete the 44 laps and win by 2.17s to record his seventh-career victory and leapfrog his two teammates to hit the front in title race. “Marit did a wonderful job. She pushed so hard and I knew she would,” said Torrente. “I made two great starts and it was all about managing the race. For me it’s about winning the championship not just races. The goal is to be in this position after Sharjah. Our home race is next so we hope we can keep it going.”
Stromoy’s drive to second sandwiched between the Abu Dhabi duo for the full race distance received high praise from both her rivals and was by far her best outing this year, keeping Torrente in her sights and fending off a relentless challenge from Stark. “I tried and pushed as hard as I could till the bitter end but it was a great race for me,” Stromoy said. “I had a bad start and was a bit lucky with the yellow flag but I could see Shaun was controlling things at the front and I also had to keep my eye on Erik.”
Despite all his efforts and a near coming together with Stromoy, Stark was unable to get passed. “I was a little unlucky with the yellow because for once I made a really good start,” Stark said. “After the restart I got up beside her but she held on and after that I pushed as hard as I could but it was not enough. The podium is great but the points’ after Sharjah is what matters and we have two races to go.”
Behind the front three it was a race of attrition with eight of the 18 starters failing to go the distance; F1 Atlantic’s Duarte Benavente retiring on lap 1 after the coming together with Chiappe and teammate Grant Trask going out on lap 13, with Thani Al Qemzi seeing his championship lead disappear with his retirement on lap 5, Cedric Deguisne’s race ending on lap 27.
Andersson was looking strong in fourth before his exit with Peter Morin taking over the slot and running a solitary race to the chequered flag and some consolation for the CTIC China Team, with Francesco Cantando, the winner in India in 2004, picking up his best result of the year bringing his Blaze home in fifth.
Team Amaravati’s Erik Edin produced one of the drives of the day, moving up from 18th off the pontoon to finish in sixth ahead of Mad Croc BABA Racing’s Filip Roms and Ahmed Al Hameli who was struggling with technical issues.
It was a very good afternoon for two championship rookies, Simone Schuft and Sutthiphan Sookbuangbon both picking up there first championship points in ninth and tenth.
With two races to go Shaun Torrente leads the championship standings on 72 points from Stark on 65 and Al Qemzi slipping to third on 54, with Morin now the closes challenger in fourth on 39 points.
The penultimate round of the season is the Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi on the 6-8 December.
For full classifications:
https://www.f1h2o.com/results/2018/grand-prix-of-india/f1h2o
For championship standings:
https://www.f1h2o.com/standings/2018/f1h2o
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Andhra Pradesh planning to start Water Sports Academy
Nicolo di San Germano, Promoter, H2O at Vijayawada on Saturday 17th Nov 2018. Photo Tony Titus Amaravati (AP), 17 Nov 2018: A high-standard powerboat Racing Academy is in the offing in Andhra Pradesh and it is only a matter of time before we see Indian drivers taking part in high-performance water sports, said Nicolo di San Germano, Promoter, H2O.
Talking on the sidelines after the official Formula One H2O driver inter-action on Saturday, the long-standing promoter allayed fears that the World Championship event on the waters of River Krishna will remain as a one-off event. “Our dream is to come back again for many years to come and if our plans go well, even many times in a year in the future. We had talks with the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and he is very keen to develop a sporting culture in Andhra Pradesh which has a huge coastline. It is not just River Krishna, we are looking at similar circuits on the beach front too,’’ added Nicolo, who has 25 years of experience running the sport worldwide. But the current round of the World Championship agreement is for one year and it is likely to enter the calendar for next year. However, it is not confirmed.
The Academy would be for children in the age group of 8 to 12 years. It would start from basics and help those aspiring a career in this sport to take up high-performance coaching. “The sport is much cheaper organise and run than a normal level Karting championship and with beautiful rivers like Krishna and other water bodies AP is well suited to embrace the sport,’’ the promoter said.
“Your CM not only wants to see Indian drivers in international events but one-day we want to see boats made in India take part in Indian colours. If the interest generated and the official thinking is any indication, that day is not far off,’’ he concluded.
As Promoter, Nicolo was instrumental in his ongoing 25-year tenure in bringing stability, a new direction, improved safety and an ever-broadening geographic footprint encompassing Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia and this expansion in India is set to help a growing commercial value. The Andhra Pradesh Government through AP Tourism has pumped in Rs.140 million (Rs.14 crore) into the World Championship Round in Vijayawada, near Amaravati.
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Anderson qualifies 5th; Shaun takes pole: UIM F1h2o World Championship
Anderson on a flying lap which got him the P5 with one minute to go in Q3. Photo Tony Titus Amaravati (AP, India), 17 Nov 2018: Sweden’s Jonas Andersson of Team Amaravati, the Indian team for the F1H2O World Championship was the fifth quickest in the Q3 after just managing to enter the last qualyfying session at the fag end with 6th best time. Torrente Shaun clocked the fastest time in the 2.125km circuit doing the fastest of the two laps in 44.54sec.
In his 8th season, he got his third pole from 45th start and being third in the championship with 53 points, will be gunning for a victory to take the lead as the Formula 1 H2O goes into the final stages with three more rounds left.
Anderson of Team Amaravati was 0.68 seconds behind in P5, timing 45.22. Stromoy Merit timed 44.72 to qulify in P2 while Stark Erik did 45 dead for the third place.
Earlier in the second practice session on Saturday morning. Driving the Powerboat in Yellow and Red Amaravati colours in the #14 livery, Anderson clocked 47.22sec for P5 even as top guns Team Abu Dhabi’s Erik Stark grabbed top spot in the closing stages of an intriguing second practice session with a handful of drivers enjoying a spell at the top of the time sheets.
Stark’s teammate Shaun Torrente ousted Victory’s Alex Carella from top spot and went quickest with 10 minutes of the 60 remaining but was then eclipsed by Ahmed Al Hameli who looked to have put Victory back on top with a 46.42s lap.
But with a minute to go Stark produced his best run with a 45.97s lap and was the only driver to go sub 46 seconds.
Team Amaravati’s Jonas Andersson was again in the mix and on the pace in fifth place, with Marit Stromoy, who topped the session early on, ending the morning in sixth spot.
SECOND PRACTICE – results (top six):
- 35 Erik Stark (swe) – 45.97s
- 3 Ahmed Al Hameli (uae) – 46.42s
- 6 Shaun Torrente (usa/*uae) – 46.74s
- 1 Alex Carella (ita/*uae) – 46.84s
- 14 Jonas Andersson (Swe- Team Amaravati) – 47.22s
- 50 Marit Stromoy (nor) – 47.29s
(*denotes international racing super license)
POS COUNTRY BOAT DRIVER Q1 Q2 Q3 1 6 Shaun Torrente 0:47.85 0:45.82 0:44.54 2 50 Marit Stromoy 0:47.63 0:46.38 0:44.72 3 35 Erik Stark 0:47.50 0:46.04 0:45.00 4 5 Thani Al Qemzi 0:47.02 0:45.91 0:45.06 5 14 Jonas Andersson 0:46.81 0:46.58 0:45.22 6 3 Ahmed Al Hameli 0:48.08 0:46.55 0:45.23 7 8 Peter Morin 0:47.89 0:47.04 8 1 Alex Carella 0:47.65 0:47.25 9 37 Francesco Cantando 0:48.24 0:47.50 10 7 Philippe Chiappe 0:47.95 0:47.52 11 10 Duarte Benavente 0:48.56 0:47.91 12 51 Bartek Marszalek 0:48.09 13 9 Grant Trask 0:48.82 14 12 Filip Roms 0:48.98 15 11 Sami Selio 0:49.37 16 73 Cédric Deguisne 0:50.84 17 36 Simone Bianca Schuft 0:54.85 18 74 Suttiphan Sookbuangbon 0:55.00 19 15 Erik Edin 0:57.03 For full classifications:
https://www.f1h2o.com/results/2018/grand-prix-of-india/f1h2o
Amaravati (AP, India), 18 Nov 2018: Team Abu Dhabi’s Shaun Torrente capped a perfect weekend in Amaravati with a faultless drive to win the UIM F1H2O Grand Prix of India and move to the top of the world championship standings.
