INDIA in F1

Category: Indians Abroad

News about Indians racing in different motorsports events abroad

  • D-2: On your masks, get set…

    2021 has ushered in a wave of enthusiasm and relief for the competitors and crews of the Dakar, who have complied with COVID-19 prevention measures along with the entire race environment. Over 2,400 PCR tests have been carried out to ensure the integrity of the “Dakar bubble” in which the rally caravan will remain isolated for almost two weeks. The competitors are now going through the technical and administrative scrutineering at King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah. The whole process has been compressed and will end around lunchtime. The clock will start ticking in tomorrow’s 11 km prologue, which will provide an early snapshot of the pecking order and, most importantly, a rational starting order for the opening stage on 3 January.

    ROMA À LA FRANÇAISE

    The Bahrain Raid Xtreme team intended to strike the perfect balance between French and Spanish drivers by matching the Loeb-Elena duo with Nani Roma and Dani Oliveira. However, their plans were thwarted by the involuntary withdrawal of the co-driver of the two-time Dakar champion, who had to scramble for a back-up solution for the 2021 edition: “Dani tested positive on 9 December, so he was no longer supposed to be contagious at the time we were scheduled to leave for the rally. However, come 24 December he had yet to develop antibodies, which meant he was still potentially contagious and forced us to look for another co-driver.” An urgent headhunt began straight away to find the right person for the job: “The list of first-rate co-drivers isn’t that long, and they’d all been recruited by someone else. I asked Michel Périn and he was unwilling to commit on such short notice, but he told me Alexandre Winocq might be available.” The co-driver who had been taking part in the Dakar since 1999 had no bucket seat with his name on it for this edition, but he was nonetheless busy with some business a world away from the Saudi desert: “In my family activity, I work with horses, and we were bang in the middle of moving from Val d’Isère to Tignes“, explains the navigator who had already shaken up his schedule after his joint project with Guerlain Chicherit fell through. “When Nani called, my first thought was to say it was too late. But I’ve known him for quite a while. We were on the same team when we used to race in X-Raid’s ‘Zebra’ buggy with Guerlain, so I quickly changed my mind because it’s an amazing opportunity. Bahrain Raid Xtreme have done a sterling job in a short time. In turn, I also had to move fast to find an alternative solution, as I needed to find someone to take care of the horses. I couldn’t just pack my suitcase and hop onto the next flight!” Swift decisions and reactions —the bread and butter of a Dakar co-driver.

    A NEW START FOR DE SOULTRAIT

    The ugly scar on his right wrist is nothing more than a bad memory, a memento of the crash that truncated a stellar rise.  Two years ago, Xavier De Soultrait crossed the finish line of the Dakar in seventh place overall with a stage win to his name. Then, after starting the last edition with the final podium in his sights, the biker from Moulins bowed out of the race in stage 4 after sustaining a cut affecting 80% of his radial nerve. De Soultrait’s mishap has made him more sensitive to the cold. “My physiotherapist and I worked really hard to fully regain the function of my hand, but I can’t deny that the cold makes me a bit more apprehensive now. I’ll have to wear thicker gloves in the morning.” If Adrien Van Beveren’s former teammate is willing to push so hard, it is also because he recently took a big weight off his shoulders with his transfer to Husqvarna. “I’m not the kind of person who likes to shake everything up, very much the opposite. However, this year I realised it could be a great move. I plucked up my courage, explained the situation to my sponsors and got them to follow me. This new scenario gives me a sense of fulfilment. I feel in my element and have got stronger.” Xavier De Soultrait is having a blast on his 450 Rally, especially with the Austrian race service keeping a close eye on him. “I won a race in Turkey this year and, although I wasn’t near the top in Andalusia due to a mistake on the second day, my pace was very good.” The biker from Moulins has no other goal in his eighth Dakar than to give it his best… without giving up on his dream of a podium place.

    FEWER TYRES FOR A SAFER RACE

    It is a question as old as motorbike racing itself: how can one go faster than the competition without being too reckless? Even the Dakar has to come up with an answer to this dilemma for the world of motor sports, as bikers seek to squeeze every last ounce of speed from their machines while organisers place the safety of the competitors at the heart of their concerns. Bikers, manufacturers, organisers, federations and other stakeholders came together in Lisbon in autumn to bridge the gap between these ambitions. “It has become obvious that motorbikes go too fast nowadays”, stresses David Castera, the director of the Dakar. “Today’s 450 cc single-cylinders are just as fast as the 800 cc twin-cylinders of the late 1980s, and they accelerate even faster to boot. There are two main approaches to boosting safety. Active safety is about improving the equipment used, for example, by requiring the use of airbags, whereas passive safety can be increased by capping the speed of the bikers and similar rules. Too many bikers want to ride as if it were a motocross race, but a rally raid is completely different. The focus is on endurance and stamina. This is why top bikers will not be allowed to use more than six rear tyres throughout the two weeks of racing. “Going full gas on stony terrain will no longer be an option for anyone who wants to win this race“, insists David Castera. “They will have to take care of their gear to make it to the finish.” Race official Jordi Pérez was in charge of marking the batch of six tyres for each of the competitors subject to the new rule. “36 bikers are affected, explains the Spaniard, who is serving as a technical scrutineering official. The tyres all have to be the same model and are branded with a red-hot iron. We also put a special sticker on them and paint them with a stroke of coloured reactive marker.” As abrasive as it is, even the Saudi sand should be unable to erase these markings.

  • Mumbai to Dakar, the great escape by Ashish Raorane

    Mumbai to Dakar, the great escape by Ashish Raorane

    Ashish Raorane’s journey on the Dakar won’t just start on the 3rd of January in Jeddah for the launch of the 2021 edition, it actually kicked off way before, on the 3rd of November. Indeed, the current Covid pandemic situation in the world forced the Indian rider to leave Mumbai early, in order to reach Europe (Paris and then Barcelona) to ship his KTM on the boat to Saudi and mainly to be sure he wouldn’t be locked down at home when the Dakar starts. The 39-year-old knew the rally wouldn’t be a walk in the park, he probably hadn’t anticipated it would be so complicated before even day 1. But his passion for bikes and rallies seem to be far stronger than any outcome and he’ll certainly need that in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Raorane is no factory rider. He spends most of his time on boats as a marine engineer. As a kid he started riding on the old rusty bike of his father. Several decades later he was participating in a cross-country rally in the Himalayas that gave him that taste and desire for the Dakar. Inspired by CS Santosh, the first Indian biker to start and finish the Dakar (back in 2015), he wanted to prove to his fellow compatriots that the Dakar wasn’t only for top factory riders. A very competitive table-tennis player back in his youth, he wanted to show that a normal biker could give it a go. And that’s also why he’s decided to register in the Original by Motul class for riders with no assistance.

    “My first goal was to escape out of India to make sure I wouldn’t be stuck in India in case of a lockdown that would prevent me from doing the Dakar. My wife who rides bikes as well has been very supportive and helped me a lot. I started riding motorbikes as a kid when I would steal the old rusty bike of my father. But I only got interested in rallies six years ago. A friend of mine was at home and he showed me a documentary about the Baja 1000. We were both fascinated. That’s what pushed me to compete in Baja races in India. In 2015, I did my first cross-country rally in the Himalayas. I then built on that experience with the aim to one day do the Dakar. My experience on the Africa Eco Race helped a lot, spending a night in the desert is a good preparation. I followed the Dakar thanks to CS Santosh. He was an inspiration. I raced with him in India and he’s been very helpful. But it seemed that only Indian factory riders were able to do the Dakar and my idea is to change that perspective and show that a privateer like me can do it. I want to show it’s possible. I decided to register in the Original by Motul class. As an engineer, I know how to deal with the bike, it’s easy for me, and of course there’s the financial aspect. My goal is to manage my race in a consistent way and of course make it to the finish. This Dakar is not a one-time thing and I want to build on that first experience.”

  • CS Santosh, Harith Noah and Ashish Raorane, 3 Indian musketeers at Dakar

    CS Santosh, Harith Noah and Ashish Raorane, 3 Indian musketeers at Dakar

    Jeddah, 2 Jan 2021: CS Santosh of Hero Motosports, TVS Racing’s Harith Noah, who will enter as a privateer with Sherco, last-year’s combo of Sherco TVS team, and another privateer Ashish Raorane will take part in the Malle Moto category of the 2021 Dakar Rally as a privateer, riding a KTM 450 Rally Replica.

    TVS Racing, the first Indian team in Dakar in 2015, despite not fielding the team this year due to the pandemic and the costs involved, is sponsoring Harith Noah on a TVS RTR 450 bike. However, the technical support from TVS Racing will not be there for the Kerala rider who made his debut in Dakar last year.

    Dakar rally kicks off on January 3 with a prorogue on Jan 2. And it will aired in India by Isport.

    Noah will have his Sherco Rally Factory Team riders Lorenzo Santolino and Rui Goncalves on a Sherco TVS RTR 450 Rally motorcycle.

    “TVS Racing, the factory racing team of TVS Motor Company, will not be participating in Dakar Rally 2021. Harith Noah, TVS Racing factory rider, will participate as a privateer in the Dakar Rally with Sherco Rally Factory Team and will be sponsored by TVS Racing. He will ride the Sherco TVS RTR 450 Rally motorcycle.  We would like to wish Harith and Sherco Factory team racers, technical team and support staff the very best for the Dakar Rally,” TVS said.

    A special rule introduced last year, helped Noah, who retired after stage 3, but continued and finished the rally with a superb performance that caught the eye of all. He clocked good time after good stage and in the later stages to finish 25 but was not ranked kdue to his Stage 3 retirement.

    The 2021 Dakar Rally will be the second edition of the event held entirely in Saudi Arabia, largely due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions. The rally will flag off on January 3 in Jeddah and cover varied terrain across the region before concluding in the same city on January 15.

    The route itself will be entirely new, and according to organisers, a lot more challenging compared to the 2020 edition. Participants will have to traverse a total of 7,646km, and 295 vehicles will compete across all classes – the lowest participation figure since the 1997 Dakar rally.

    The 2021 edition will also see the introduction of digital roadbooks along with a host of rule changes to improve safety.

    Harith Noah – SHERCO FACTORY

    • Mark : SHERCO FACTORY
    • Model : 450 RTR
    • Performance tuner : Sherco TVS Rally Factory
    • Assistance : Sherco TVS Rally Factory
    • Class : G2.1 Super production

  • #33 Harith Noah better prepared in 2021

    Harith Noah’s journey to the 2021 Dakar started early. As soon as August he moved to the south of France, living with his former team mate Michael Metge to get ready for his second Dakar, fully focused on training and never actually returning to India. In the footsteps of pioneers Santosh CS and Aravind Prabhakar, the young man from Kerala, but born in Germany who conquered multiple national titles in motocross and supercross was last year the latest Indian to take on the Dakar. His path to the rally was however a long one. It started on his sixteenth birthday when he was given a motorbike. A weekend later, he was racing and although he finished last of that first race, his passion grew. His first encounter with the Dakar came thanks to the video tapes his dad would bring back from his business trips all over the world. He was 5 years old then and far from imagining that he would be on the start line of the 2020 Dakar. Part of the Sherco TVS factory team, Noah’s first encounter with the race was a hard one. He was indeed forced to retire from the rally as soon as day 3 due to technical issues. But thanks to the new “Dakar Experience” that allows competitors to carry on while no longer being in the general classification, he was able to learn and gain experience. For his second attempt, his goal is simply to reach the finish and carry on enjoying the Dakar vibe, alongside his team mates Lorenzo Santolino and newcomer Rui Gonçalves.

    “I got my first bike in 2009 and on the next weekend I was racing in the paddy fields by my house in Kerala. I fell in love with it immediately. Two years later I became national supercross champion in the privateer class. My focus was really on supercross, not the Dakar and then TVS got involved.
    Honestly the Dakar 2020 was a really great experience. I had done some rallies before but the Dakar is another game. I fell in love with it. There’s such a vibe and I really enjoyed it. The Dakar is a small family but it’s like no other family. After being forced to retire for technical reasons which was unfortunate, I was able to carry on thanks to the Dakar Experience and I felt so grateful. I gained so much experience and learned. On the Dakar everything is tougher. It’s two weeks long. It was in a new country and you have to adapt to all the dunes and sand. My family was super stressed and they were calling me all the time.
    This year was full of question marks. I was stuck in one place, in Kerala, but I continued training and it was actually great. I then went to Europe in August and competed at the Andalucia Rally which was really nice with tricky navigation. It was important to get used to the bike again and it was great motivation.
    What I expect for the 2021Dakar? Well finishing is the number one priority. I just want to ride as well as I can. The plan isn’t to compare myself to others. I know I’ll make mistakes but I’m ready for that.”

  • #50 CS Santosh, returns to 7th Dakar with Paulo in mind

    On the startline of the 2021 Dakar in Jeddah, CS Santosh will, like many others, certainly have a thought for his former team mate Paulo Gonçalves who passed away a year ago while living his passion. Naturally devastated by the news, the Indian and his entire Hero team decided to leave the rally. With Paulo in mind, he returns for his seventh Dakar. How time flies. In the Dakar’s 40 years of history, Santosh Chunchunguppe Shivashankar will be remembered as the first ever Indian competitor to take part in the event. It was back in 2015 and not only did the man known as “CS Santosh” start and finish the rally, he also managed to raise enough awareness back home to seduce Hero, the biggest selling motorcycle brand in India. Six years after his debut, the rider from Bangalore has finished three out of five Dakar rallies managing his best performance (34th) in 2018. After taking part in the Andalucia Rally and Baja PortoAlegre, the 37-year-old returns as part of the three-man Hero team alongside Joaquim Rodrigues and Sebastian Buhler on a brand new 450 Rally bike.

    “Funnily I never watched any motorsports before the age of 16. I have absolutely no motorsports background in my family. I was raised to go to college and probably work in software. Then my dad bought me a bike to go to school and that’s when my love of riding really started. Racing probably saved me from getting into trouble. It gave me something to focus on with passion. As a kid, while growing up, I remember being fascinated by adventure, and that fascination continues to this day.
    My heart sank when I was told about Paulo last year. Dakar didn’t feel like Dakar anymore. You never imagine that the worst could happen. It was overwhelming, Paulo was always jovial. The expectations sat lightly on him. He never looked at racing as a job. He created a good atmosphere where the pressure was lifted off the others riders. He gave me small tips, which were so helpful. Paulo was a real leader. Paulo would have wanted us to keep going and continue to race hard -that’s what I intend to do.”
    With the new regulations in place, it’s going to be different for the riders. This also means there will be more focus on race strategies. I think it will be interesting as teams with good strategies and riders aware of how to maintain the bike in good condition everyday, will probably end up winning the Dakar. It’s also a safety issue. The rider has to bring the bike in one piece. That we have to conserve our tyre (6 rear tyres for the entire rally) means we cannot go as fast as we want all the time. Riders have to be more cautious. Sometimes you might have to ride slowly. As a rider, it won’t be only about speed. One will also have to learn to look after the tyres,
    Every time the Dakar comes around it’s an exciting time for us to go racing on our rally bikes and I would say that this is the most exciting year considering we have an all new bike and new team colours! I have loved riding this bike in the few tests we had and I am looking forward to see what fortune awaits us this time around.”

    HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY

    • Mark : HERO
    • Model : 450 RALLY
    • Performance tuner : HERO
    • Assistance : HERO
    • Class : G2.1 Super production
  • Naveen joins Narain Karthikeyan and Arjun Maini for Asian LeMans

    Naveen joins Narain Karthikeyan and Arjun Maini for Asian LeMans

    Mumbai, December 22: A star-studded lineup of Indian drivers, including Narain Karthikeyan, Arjun Maini and Naveen Rao, will spearhead Racing Team India’s campaign in the 2021 Asian Le Mans Series in February, with an eye on competing in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in France later in the year.  
    Racing Team India shall create history by becoming the first team of all-Indian drivers to compete globally in the world of endurance racing, according to a press release from the team on Tuesday.

    The Asian Le Mans Series, to be held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on February 5-6 and February 19-20, comprises of four races spread over the two race weekends, with each race lasting four hours. The Indian team will drive an ORECA 07 car in the LMP2 class, and have technical support from the Championship-winning Algarve Pro Racing Team.
    Padma Shri Awardee and India’s first Formula One driver Narain was delighted at getting another shot at Le Mans. “I have been dreaming of going back to Le Mans for a few years now. This is probably the most exciting project in my career as a racing driver,” Narain said. “We have a young and fledgling team and it will no doubt be a big test for us, but I am confident of doing well,” he added.
    Gautam Singhania, who is a member of the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) World Motor Sport Council and is also an accomplished racing driver himself, will lead Racing Team India.
    Bangalore-based Arjun Maini’s experience in endurance racing will come in handy for the team, having driven for Algarve Pro Racing Team in the 2020 European Le Mans Series (ELMS). 
    He knows what it takes to do well in a competition like this and vows to focus on doing his job by taking little steps. “I am glad to be back to racing so soon after the 2020 European Le Mans season, and I do believe that Algarve Pro Racing Team, the defending Asian Le Mans Series champions, gives us the best possible chance of securing an entry to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
    Naveen Rao, who is the reigning 2020 IMSA Prototype Challenge champion, looks forward to driving as part of Racing Team India. “I’m super excited to be partnering with Narain and Arjun to bring the first-ever Racing Team India to Le Mans!  Le Mans has a magical quality and is the dream of many kids to be a part of.”
    Cyrille Taesch Wahlen, CEO of the Asian Le Mans Series, welcomed Racing Team India into its fold. “Having an Indian flagged LMP2 team is not only a first for the Asian Le Mans Series, but it is also a first for ACO racing around the world.  We have a growing supporter base in India, and now they have a team to support! I wish the team all the best and look forward to seeing them in Abu Dhabi,”
    Racing Team India is also very proud to be associated with JK Tyre, as one of our inaugural partners. JK Tyre has been and continues to be the largest supporter of Indian motorsport for over 50 years. They have been instrumental in developing and supporting both Narain and Arjun over the past two decades and their commitment to the Racing Team India program demonstrates their commitment to the future of the sport as well.

    From Left: Naveen Rao, who has been taking part in the endurance races in Abu Dhabi, has put up an Indian team in the final round and now has brought together two of India’s biggest drivers to prepare for Le Mans 24hr – An INdiaInF1 image
  • Mich Schumcher wins F2 title

    Mich Schumcher wins F2 title

    Sakhir, 6 December 2020 – Mick Schumacher has won the 2020 Formula 2 title in his second year in the series. In today’s final race of the season, the 21-year-old Ferrari Driver Academy student failed to score points, finishing 18th, but as his only rival and Academy colleague Callum Ilott also finished outside the points in tenth, the Prema team driver won by the existing margin of 14 points. The race took place on the Outer Track at the Bahrain International Circuit.
     
    Academy success. It was a memorable season for the FDA with three of its students finishing in the top four of the championship. Reigning Formula 3 champion Robert Shwartzman also had a great season, managing to win four races in his debut season, more than any other driver, soon establishing himself as a front runner in the Formula 1 feeder series. The other two FDA drivers, Marcus Armstrong and Giuliano Alesi had a very good start to the season, but it tailed off towards the end. FDA drivers took 9 wins in Formula 2, 24 podiums (an average of one a race), five pole positions and four fastest race laps, with 61 points finishes.

    Mick Schmacher with Ferrari Academy family on Dec 6 at Sakhir Photo @Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

    The race. Mick started from third and got alongside Dan Ticktum (DAMS) and Jehan Daruvala (Carlin) ahead of Callum in the UNI-Virtuosi Racing number 4 car. On the first lap, Schumacher locked up his wheels braking for turn 4, but kept going and then overtook Daruvala a few laps later. But the Indian driver fought back and retook the place and Mick wisely did not respond. On lap 19, the German began to struggle with his tyres and Ilott got ahead, as did Prema team-mate Robert Shwartzman and Guan-Yu Zhou (UNI-Virtuosi Racing). The team called Mick in to change tyres and give him a shot at setting the fastest race lap. That’s just what he did, getting a step closer to the title because at that point, Ilott would have had to win the race to take the title. In the closing stages, the Englishman also struggled with his tyres and could only finish tenth. The win went to Daruvala, followed by Ticktum and Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda (Carlin). Shwartzman was fifth, one ahead of Giuliano Alesi (MP Motorsport). Marcus Armstrong (ART Grand Prix) finished outside the points.

    For the record. Mick Schumacher who will race in Formula 1 next season with the Haas F1 Team, is the second FDA driver to win the Formula 2 championship after Charles Leclerc in 2017. He is the first German to do so, since the series went by the name of F2 in 2017. Six Germans have won the series in previous guises: when it was Formula 3000, Christian Danner (1985), Jörg Müller (1996) and Nick Heidfeld (1999); as GP2 Nico Rosberg (2005), Timo Glock (2007) and Nico Hülkenberg (2009).

    Laurent Mekies, Sporting Director, Scuderia Ferrari: “It’s been a great season for the FDA drivers in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, with three drivers in the top four of the classification and a total of nine wins. Mick Schumacher is the second FDA driver to win the F1 feeder series, following on from Charles Leclerc in 2017. Mick progressed throughout the year, showing great consistency and demonstrating the ability to make the most of any situation. Callum Ilott was a more than worthy adversary right to the end. He was fantastic in qualifying, taking five poles, more than any other driver and he was also very quick in the races. It was great to see him and Mick fight it out wheel to wheel today in the early stages. There were no holds barred but it was entirely correct. 
    Robert Shwartzman finished fourth and in his rookie season, he won four races, more than any other driver. The other rookie, Marcus Armstrong had a more difficult time of it but he will be able to make the most of what he has learned. Less fortunate was Giuliano Alesi, but at least today he could take satisfaction from his second points finish of the year.
    The FDA development programme continues to produce results for the Prancing Horse youngsters. Proof of that is the fact that Schumacher, Ilott and Shwartzman will all take part in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi on 15 December. Mick has already secured a Formula 1 drive and we can’t wait to see him in the Haas F1 team next year. As for the other two, we believe it is only a matter of time.

    Mick Schumacher: I am very happy to have won this title. I really wanted to come to Formula 1 as a champion and I’m very happy to have done so. Today’s race was pretty dramatic, because I flat-spotted my tyres on the opening lap and after that, I had to try and live with the situation. But on lap 19 I lost a few places and the team rightly chose to pit me to go onto the Softs. Unfortunately, that compound was not particularly quick today and so I couldn’t make up many places. I was kept informed on the radio about what was going on at the front and I knew other drivers were also struggling with their tyres. I want to thank the Prema team and the Ferrari Driver Academy for what has been an unforgettable season. We did not get the most race wins, but none of the others performed as consistently as us in bringing home points. I think that was the key factor that brought me the championship title.

  • Historic Maiden F2 win for Jehan Daruvala

    Historic Maiden F2 win for Jehan Daruvala

    By David Bodapati

    Bahrain, 6 Dec 2020: In an immensely proud moment for Indian sport, India’s F1 hope – Jehan Daruvala won the Formula 2 race at the Sakhir Grand Prix. A thrilling battle against F2 Champion, Mick Schumacher and Daniel Tictum saw the 22-year-old star emerge on top in the support race of the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

    Jehan had a good launch from 2nd on the grid and was up alongside pole sitter – Daniel Ticktum. Tictum squeezed Jehan on the inside which allowed Championship Leader Mick Schumacher to go around the outside of both of them. Eventually, Ticktum emerged in the lead, followed by Schumacher and Jehan in third. A few corners later Jehan made a good move to pass Schumacher and get into second.

    A few laps later Schumacher passed Jehan, to relegate him to third. Jehan however did not give up. A thrilling battled ensued and eventually, Jehan got past Schumacher once again, to get back into second. Jehan then reeled off a series of quick laps to catch the race leader. However, Jehan was unable to overtake. The battle for the lead intensified as Ticktum seemed desperate to win the last race of the season. Jehan, however, kept his cool and kept up the pressure. His excellent racecraft forced the race leader to start making mistakes, but Jehan found it tough to get past.

    Eventually with less than ten laps to go, Jehan made another fantastic move to get past Ticktum and grab the race lead. Thereafter Jehan drove well to slowly start opening up a gap to the cars behind. Jehan finally took the chequered flag to win his maiden FIA Formula 2 race. His Japanese teammate Yuki Tsunoda was second, over 3.5 seconds behind Jehan, while Ticktum was third.

    Jehan Daruvala on his way to maiden F2 win on Sunday. Photo by James Gasperotti

    “Motorsport is pretty big in India. We obviously have a lot of people, so I have a big fanbase back home, and my goal at the end of the day is to do myself proud but also do my country proud and to prove to people from back home that even though we don’t have the same facilities and stuff that guys have in Europe, as long as you can work hard you can fight right at the sharp end of the grid.”, said an elated Jehan.

    The Indian National Anthem being heard across the Bahrain International Circuit was the best possible way for Jehan to end his season first Formula 2 season. Mick Schumacher won the F2 championship.

  • Tsunoda takes 3rd win; Jehan Daruvala ends up 8th

    Tsunoda takes 3rd win; Jehan Daruvala ends up 8th

    Sakhir, 5 Dec 2020: Yuki Tsunoda took a brilliant third victory of the season from pole, but it wasn’t as simple as lights-to-flag, with the Carlin racer locked in a race-long dogfight with the entirety of the top five. Guanyu Zhou came out of that brawl in second, after a magnificent charge through the field from 11th, while Nikita Mazepin was forced to settle for third, despite leading for large parts of the afternoon.

    Zhou’s efforts weren’t enough to prevent PREMA from sealing the Teams’ Title, as Robert Shwartzman finished fifth, behind Felipe Drugovich, confirming the Italian outfit as Champions with one race to go.

    Tsunoda’s win may not have been enough to keep him in the Drivers’ Title fight, but the battle between Callum Ilott and Mick Schumacher for the crown will go down to the wire. The pair had started the day in ninth and 18th after a tough Qualifying session but recovered strongly to finish in sixth and seventh.

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Tsunoda initially got away without a hitch, but could then be seen adjusting his helmet heading into the first turn, allowing Mazepin the chance to steal the inside line. By the time they exited the first corner the Russian was in-front, while Tsunoda had fallen to P3 behind Shwarztman.

    The second Carlin of Jehan Daruvala was sucked up by the pack and fell behind Artem Markelov who’d bombed off the line from P7. Title rivals Ilott and Schumacher only managed to make up a couple places, sitting seventh and 16th.

    Starting on the prime tyre, Schumacher made up another few places in the opening 15 laps, getting up to P11 behind Marcus Armstrong, while Ilott dropped back to ninth ahead of his pitstop, appearing to struggle on the soft Pirellis.

    Mazepin and Shwartzman pitted from the lead, handing first to Tsunoda, who remained out at the front. Ilott done the same as Schumacher launched ahead of Armstrong to put himself directly behind his title rival. The two wouldn’t get the chance to fight as Ilott finally opted to swap the softs for the hards and returned in 15th.

    Mazepin and Shwartzman were on the charge, but couldn’t solely focus on getting through the pack as they had Tsunoda to contend with, the Carlin racer had pitted two laps later and possessed slightly fresher tyres.

    Schumacher pitted from the lead on Lap 20, but his stop wasn’t the quickest and he returned in 13th behind Dan Ticktum. Mazepin, Shwartzman and Tsunoda were handed back the race lead, with Ilott up to fifth, in-front of Drugovich.

    Tsunoda was given a shock as he attempted to pass Shwarztman ahead of the first turn. He’d flung his Carlin down the side of the PREMA, but Christian Lundgaard – a lap behind – appeared from the pits and Tsunoda needed lightning-fast reactions to evade the ART, diving back behind Shwarztman. Tsunoda had another attempt at Turn 4, easing past the Russian, who then lost a place to Drugovich as well.

    There was movement in the race for the title as Schumacher bravely forced his way past both Dan Ticktum and Pedro Piquet for P8, while Ilott fell behind Guanyu Zhou.

    Mazepin and Tsunoda were locked in battle for the lead. The two went back and forth, and it was the Carlin driver who eventually made the position stick, thanks to a brilliant late braking move. Having lost momentum, Mazepin was then at the mercy of Drugovich, before Zhou stunned the both of them and came out of nowhere to steal second in one fell swoop.

    In the end, Tsunoda crossed the line with a 5.6s advantage over Zhou, with Mazepin retaining the final podium position. Drugovich settled for fourth ahead of Shwartzman. Ilott clinched sixth, directly in-front of his title rival, Schumacher, who’d made a late move on Daruvala. Ticktum and Piquet completed the top ten.

    Schumacher retains a 14-point advantage heading into the final race of the season, sitting first on 213 points, ahead of Ilott on 199. Tsunoda is up to third on 186, with Mazepin fourth on 177 and Shwartzman fifth with 169.

    PREMA are the new Teams’ Champions, finishing first with 382 points, ahead of UNI-Virtuosi on 342.5 and Hitech Grand Prix on 281. Carlin are fourth with 241 and ART Grand Prix fifth on 201.

    KEY QUOTE – YUKI TSUNODA (CARLIN RACING)

    “I am really, really happy with my result and I want to thank Carlin again. We’ve had really good pace this weekend, especially in the race, and I done my job.

    “The start was really bad, but I trusted my driving and my tyre management. Both went well and I got P1 back, so I am really happy and looking forward to tomorrow.”

  • Tsunoda takes pole; Jehan Daruvala races to P3: F2

    Tsunoda takes pole; Jehan Daruvala races to P3: F2

    Sakhir, 4 Nov 2020: Yuki Tsunoda nabbed his fourth pole position in Formula 2, beating out Nikita Mazepin by a tenth of a second to keep his slim title chances alive heading into the final two races of the season. Tsunoda’s teammate Jehan Daruvala took third, with almost all of the top ten setting their best times early on.

    The top racer in India currently and the country’s best prospect for F1, Jehan Daruvala, was quick but lost out by hundredth’s of a second but felt that the front-row lock-out for Carlin was possible. “I was kind of under-powered on the acceleration out of Turn 1, and I didn’t make the most of it. The next lap I found almost six or seven hundredths in the first sector, but the rears were done by then. I think pole was definitely a little bit out of reach, but a front row lock out for the team was possible,” the Mumbai-based star said.

    Mick Schumacher’s chances of winning the title on Saturday took a battering, as the German racer collided with Roy Nissany at the end of the session, meaning that he will start from outside of the top ten for just the second time this season, all the way back in 18th. Things didn’t go much better for his main rival, Callum Ilott. The UNI-Virtuosi racer could only manage ninth, his second worst performance this year.

    20 of the 22 cars were straight onto the Sakhir tarmac for Qualifying under the lights, with no one really knowing what to expect on the shortest lap on the 2020 F2 calendar. Christian Lundgaard leapt to P1 on the first set of flying laps, setting the standard at 1:03.798, before Tsunoda dived into second, with Mazepin third.

    The Hitech Grand Prix man found more time on his next tour and stole provisional pole from the ART racer by breaking the 1m 3s barrier. Tsunoda, Daruvala and Felipe Drugovich all managed the same feat to go second, third and fourth.

    PREMA had opted against sending their duo out straight away, but finally let them loose after the first set of flying laps, though neither of them was able to crack the top ten with their initial efforts.

    Tsunoda had gone fastest in Free Practice and was impressing in the second session of the weekend as well. The Carlin driver needed the four points from pole to stand any chance of winning the Championship and managed to nick first from Mazepin by a tenth of a second.

    The field dove into the pits for a fresh set of boots and returned in unison. Shwarztman enjoyed a much better time of things second time around, leaping to fourth, before a number of flying laps were spoiled as Luca Ghiotto spun off and came to a halt on the gravel trap, causing a red flag.

    Action resumed with just four minutes on the clock and very little time to warm up the tyres, with two laps of the Bahrain outer track needed to truly get them up to temperature. Traffic also played a huge role, with all 22 cars attempting a push lap at the exact same time. This caused chaos as Schumacher attempted to weave his way through the pack to find the racing line.

    It all ended in disaster as the German collided with the side of Nissany, which sent them both spinning and resulted in Nissany running over the back of Schumacher’s rear wing. Qualifying was red flagged and both drivers were out of the cars, with Schumacher down in 18th. Only a minute was left on the clock and the decision was taken not to restart, confirming Tsunoda on pole.

    Mazepin followed up the announcement of his promotion into Formula 1 at HAAS with his joint-best starting position in F2, qualifying second. Tsunoda’s teammate Daruvala took third ahead of Shwarztman and Drugovich.

    Lundgaard was sixth ahead of Artem Markelov, who scored his best qualifying position of the year. Dan Ticktum sealed eighth, ahead of Ilott and Louis Deletraz.

    Schumacher will need one of his trademark strong starts if he is to clinch the title on Saturday, while Ilott will fancy his chances of slashing the PREMA driver’s advantage at the top of the standings. At the front, Tsunoda and Mazepin will be battling toe-to-toe to add to their tally of wins when the Feature Race begins at 3.10pm (local time).