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Ruhaan Alva completes clean sweep in Novice class; Vishnu, Sohil win a race each
Coimbatore, 24 October 2021: Young Ruhaan Alva of Bengaluru made it a memorable day as he completed a clean sweep in the Novice Class winning the third and final race in the first round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.
The talented Team MSport driver, steered his yellow #27 to another clinical finish and did it in style starting from 13th on the grid. After winning the two rounds on the opening day of the season on Saturday in the Novice Class, the Bengaluru teenager changed his gear-box and suffered a 5-place grid penalty and along with the first-eight reverse grid, made him start on P13. Undaunted, the calm and lanky Ruhaan, overtook one by one and drove a fantastic race to claim another seemingly improbable victory.
He came out triumphant posting 30 out of 30 points and is leading the 4-round Championship table in his Class.
Behind him Chetan Surineni, who started on P5 had a consistent race as he made up a few places and defended his place even as another karting graduate Jaden R Pariat, was actually the ‘Driver of the Day’. Having started among the back benchers at P17, he exhibited good driving skills and made up postions one-by-one to get on to the top and took the final place on the podium for a well-deserved third place.
Meanwhile, in the Senior section, former champion and mentor Vishnu Prasad from Chennai and experienced youngster Sohil Shah of Bengaluru, also from MSport, won a race each in the premier LGB Formula 4 class.
A quick get-away from the lights saw, Vishnu Prasad take the lead from P3 as he was adept at his reflex timings won the first race, and after dilly dallying midway through with his ward, Amir Sayed of Ahura Racing. Amir, the Novice Cup 2020 champion graduated to F4 this season.
The experienced Vishnu, winner of several titles year after year, managed to break free towards the end for a place atop the podium. “I think we got a lucky break in the beginning when everyone else was fighting,” said the 28-year-old, who mentored Amir last season.
“Amir is doing really well and I am very happy for him. The guys are fighting it out in the middle with their teachers and are coming up the ranks,” explained Vishnu. Sohil Shash wh got a 10-second penalty finished 10th. But, Sohil came back strongly to take the chequered flag in the second race ahead of Vishnu.
Earlier, Anish Damodara Shetty of Hubli won the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup’s second race too.
The results (provisional): FLGB4:
Race 1: Vishnu Prasad (MSport) 22:45.828; 2. Amir Sayed (Ahura Racing) 22:49.736; 3. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsports) 22:53.650.
Race 2: 1. Sohil Shah 19:01.088; 2. Vishnu Prasad 19:02.222; 3. A. Sandeep Kumar 19:03.875.
Novice Cup: 1. Ruhaan Alva (MSport) 21:48.110; 2. Chetan Surineni (Quest Motorsports) 21:48.714; 3. Jaden R. Pariat (MSport) 21:48.985.
Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubli) 13:57.731; 2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur) 14:06.374; 3. Anfal Akdhar (Thrissur) 14:08.009.
Saturday results (revised): FLGB4: 1. Arya Singh (Dark Don Racing) 23:27.088; 2. Raghul Rangaswamy (MSport) 23:29.179; 3. Mohamed Ryan (MSport) 23:29.308.
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Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton finish fifth for MRF: ERC Rally Hungary
Nyíregyháza (Hungary), 25 October 2021:Team MRF Tyres successfully completed the data and development exercise at the FIA European Rally Championship at Rally Hungary.
The day’s action saw seven stages and 78.83km of action on the unique tarmac roads in north-east Hungary that took in forest and farming paths.
Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton were flying the flag for Team MRF Tyres in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo and started the day in eighth position.
The aim of this rally was to gain data for the development of the tyres, as MRF Tyres looks forward to further tarmac developments into 2022.
The rapid development of the MRF Tyres tarmac product is aimed to pay dividends into next year.
The Sunday action in Hungary saw high speeds with, the MRF Tyres duo pushing on the super-fast stages, clocking average speeds of more than 120km/h over a stage.
Throughout the rally, the MRF Tyres ran faultlessly with the tarmac tyres proving to be more than a match for the rough tarmac and gravel sections that this rally provides.
Campedelli and Canton were consistent throughout the day and were able to move up the field, moving into fifth place by the end of the rally.
Nil Solans and Marc Marti did not start the day.
The FIA European Rally Championship now has just one round to go, on the tarmac surface of the Rally Islas Canarias.
The Spanish Island offers yet another different type of tarmac surface with smooth and flowing tarmac on offer.
In the meantime, Team MRF Tyres will not rest with the aggressive testing regime and the final round of the Italian Gravel Rally Championship (CIRT) with the 12th Liburna Terra where Paolo Andreucci and Rudy Briani have an outside chance of becoming champions.
The final round of the FIA ERC will take place from 18-20 November.
Quotes
Simone Campedelli, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
“Rally Hungary was a challenging rally. The speeds were very high and the tarmac was unique. We tried many things with the tyres to get the data we needed.”“I also pushed a lot through the rally and particularly on stage 12, I enjoyed the drive and my performance with the MRF Tyres. In the dark, I was on the limit. The long straights on the limiter and into a tight corner, there was no margin for error.”
“It is my first time in Hungary, it is a beautiful rally. Warm, people, warm fans. I would like to thank everyone at Team MRF Tyres for their work at this rally and I am looking forward to the final rounds of the season with the Liburna Terra and Rally Islas Canarias. I am happy to bring the car home and for now, I am happy.”
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Max Verstappen holds off late pressure from Hamilton
Austin, 24 October 2021: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen fended off intense late-race pressure from title rival Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes to claim a well-worked United States Grand Prix win at the Circuit of the Americas. Sergio Pérez doubled Red Bull’s celebrations by taking third place and the Team’s 200th podium finish.
When the lights went out at the start Hamilton was quickest off the line and though he was forced to take a deep inside line on the run up the hill to Turn 1 as Verstappen defended, the Mercedes driver held firm and as the title rivals went through Turn 1 the Red Bull driver had to go off track on the outside, handing the lead to Hamilton.
Behind them Pérez held third place ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc but McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo passed Carlos Sainz at the start to take fifth position. Sainz ended the first lap in P6 ahead of Lando Norris in the second McLaren and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda who had risen to eighth from P10 at the start.
Vertsappen shadowed Hamilton for the first 10 laps but unable to get close enough in the turbulent wake from the Mercedes. And with his starting medium tyres overheating, the Dutchman pitted at the end of lap 10 to take on hard rubber. He rejoined in P5 behind Ricciardo but soon passed the McLaren driver.
Pérez made his first stop on lap 12 taking on medium tyres and Mercedes reacted to the Red Bull stops by bringing Hamilton in at the end of lap 13. The Briton’s move to hard tyres was clean and quick but as he left his pit box Verstappen powered down the start-finish straight to take a 6.7s lead.
The leaders then settled into the second stint, with Verstappen carefully trying to managed the gap. Hamilton though showed greater pace and he edged to within three seconds as the race headed past half distance.
On lap 29 Verdstappen dived into the pits for another set of hard tyres. He weas followed a lap later by team-mate Pérez, with the Mexican this time taking hard tyres. Verstappen now found himself just over 16.5s behind Hamilton who was being told to extend his second stint.
Armed with fresher tyres, Verstappen closed to within 13 seconds of Hamiltin and after 37 laps the Mercedes driver eventually made his second stop for more hard tyres. When he emerged he was 8.7s behind Verstappen but with tyres that were eight laps newer. He quickly began to once again reel in the Red Bull driver.
With 10 laps remaining, Hamilton was within three seconds and Verstappen was warned by his pit wall to save rear tyre life to fend off attacks through the DRS zones.
With three laps remaining, it looked like his efforts might be in vain. Hamilton closed to within 1.2 second and then broke into DRS range of the Red Bull. Verstappen, though, had done a good job of preserving tyre life and he was able to keep Hamilton at bay. And when Hamilton made small mistake with a lap left and the gap expanded back to 1.7s, the race was won. Verstappen crossed the line to take his eighth win of the season. The victory means he extends his Drivers’ Championship lead. He now has 287.5 points, 12 more than Hamilton.
Hamilton finished second, 1.3s behind the Dutchman, and soon after Pérez crossed the line to hand Red Bull a double podium finish.
Pérez’s podium, allied to a sixth place finish for Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes, means that Red Bull close the Constructors’ Championship gap to Mercedes to 23 points.
Behind Pérez, Charles Leclerc claimed fourth place for Ferrari ahead of McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Bottas. Seventh place went to Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari, with McLaren’s Lando Norris eighth. Yuki Tsunoda scored two points for AlphaTauri with ninth place and Sebastian Vettel finished tenth to take a single point for Aston Martin.
2021 FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 56 1’34:36.552
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 56 1’34:37.885 1.333
3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 56 1’35:18.775 42.223
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 56 1’35:28.798 52.246
5 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 56 1’35:53.406 1:16.854
6 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 56 1’35:56.680 1:20.128
7 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 56 1’36:00.097 1:23.545
8 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 56 1’36:00.947 1:24.395
9 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 55 1’35:10.081 1 lap /33.529
10 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 55 1’35:12.119 1 lap /35.567
11 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 55 1’35:21.613 1 lap /45.061
12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 55 1’35:35.793 1 lap /59.241
13 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 55 1’35:39.194 1 lap /1:02.642
14 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 55 1’35:41.751 1 lap /1:05.199
15 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 55 1’36:13.510 1 lap /1:36.958
16 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 54 1’34:42.164 2 laps /5.612
17 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 54 1’36:09.665 2 laps /1:33.113
Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 49 1’25:09.274 Wing
Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 40 1’10:46.671 Retirement
Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 14 25:27.042 Suspension -
Fabio Quartararo is the 2021 FIM MotoGP World Champion!
Quartararo is the sixth-youngest rider to clinch a premier class world title, aged 22 years and 187 days old, behind John Surtees (22 years and 182 days old) and ahead of Valentino Rossi (22 years and 240 days old).
In the MotoGP era, Quartararo is the third-youngest Champion behind Marc Marquez (20 years and 266 days old) and Casey Stoner (21 years and 342 days old).
In addition, Quartararo became the youngest Yamaha rider to clinch the premier class world title, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, who was 23 years and 159 days old when he took the title in Malaysia back in 2010.
Quartararo became the first French rider to clinch a premier class world title and the seventh overall in GP racing along with Johann Zarco (two titles), Mike Di Meglio (1), Arnaud Vincent (1), Olivier Jacque (1), Christian Sarron (1) and Jean-Louis Tournadre (1). Thanks to Quartararo, France became the seventh different nation to win a premier class Championship.
Quartararo became the first European rider to clinch the premier class world title without having previously taken a title in one of the smaller GP classes since Franco Uncini in 1982. Overall, Quartararo is the 17th rider to do so along with Les Graham (first Championship season in 1949), Umberto Masetti, Libero Liberati, Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts, Marco Lucchinelli, Franco Uncini, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan, Kenny Roberts Jr., Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner.
In the MotoGP™ era, Quartararo is the third rider to clinch the title without having previously taken a title in one of the smaller classes along with Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner.
By taking the crown, Quartararo brought to an end a sequence of nine premier class titles from Spanish riders: six with Marc Marquez, two with Jorge Lorenzo and one with Joan Mir (the longest sequence for a country in the class).
Quartararo became the first Yamaha rider to take the premier class crown since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015 and the seventh overall along with Giacomo Agostini (one premier class title), Kenny Roberts (3), Eddie Lawson (3), Wayne Rainey (3), Valentino Rossi (4) and Jorge Lorenzo (3). This is the 18th title for a Yamaha rider in the premier class.
Quartararo is tied in sixth place with Max Biaggi and Maverick Viñales on the list of Yamaha riders with most premier class wins, just behind Kenny Roberts (22 wins). Valentino Rossi leads the way with 56 premier class wins with Yamaha.
With 20 premier class podiums so far, Quartararo is the French rider with most podiums in the class ahead of Christian Sarron (18 podiums).
With eight premier class wins so far, since his maiden premier class wins at the 2020 Spanish GP, Quartararo has almost tripled the number of French victories before him (one for Régis Laconi, plus Christian Sarron and Pierre Monneret).
This season Quartararo has stood on the MotoGP™ podium more than any other rider (10 times), including five wins. This is this first time that a Yamaha rider has taken five (or more) premier class wins since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015 (seven). The last Yamaha riders with more than 10 podiums in a single season were Valentino Rossi (15 podiums) and Jorge Lorenzo (12) in 2015.
For the seventh successive year, the rider who clinched the premier class world title failed to win the opening race of the season. The last to do so was Marc Marquez in 2014.
Fabio Quartararo: “I already don’t have my normal voice just a few hours after, I’ve cried a lot an screamed a lot! It feels amazing. When I crossed the finish line I thought about all the tough moments I had, and to be World Champion in MotoGP is something I never expected when I was in bad situations only a few years ago. So right now I feel like I’m in a dream and I don’t realise what’s happening to me right now!
“Of course I had extra nerves, I never started further back than P11 in MotoGP, and I’m starting P15 in one of the most important races of my career! We chose the safe, let’s say, tyres but for us the hard would have been better and I think the podium was there with the hard. I didn’t have stability when I was with the group, I couldn’t overtake. But I’m really happy with my race, even if I hadn’t won the Championship it’s great to finish P4. Super happy about the race and of course with the Championship it’s something extra.
“Just before starting the race I was with Tom in the office and I was nervous, feeling stressed and he said, ‘just think about the last three races you had last year’. They were a total disaster and I just wanted to finish the Championship whatever the position was. And today I started the race that made me World Champion. I think everything that happened last year helped me a lot to win the title today. Thanks to the people for supporting me in these tough moments, I think I learned a lot during these years in MotoGP and still have a lot to learn to achieve more results like that.
“To be honest, last year we fought to have the factory bike but with Covid and everything, the 2019 bike was better. But with the 2021 bike I felt much better, the feeling with the front is what has made me win this year, I think. The feeling I had. We know the power is something we have to work on, but the feeling on the braking to overtake – not this race but in general – has been much higher than 2019 and 2020. Yamaha has worked a lot, we still have a lot to improve for next year because we know that power is something important, but right now with the bike I was feeling like on, I’m enjoying riding. Also today I had a lot of struggles with the front but I still enjoyed it a lot, and that was the most important thing of the day.”
Biography
First Grand Prix: Qatar 2015, Moto3™
First pole position: Jerez 2015, Moto3™
First podium: Austin 2015, Moto3™
First victory: Barcelona 2018, Moto2™
Grands Prix: 116 (49 in MotoGP™)
Victories: 9 (8 in MotoGP™)
Podiums: 24 (20 in MotoGP™)
Pole positions: 18 (15 in MotoGP™)
Fastest laps: 10 (9 in MotoGP™)
World Championships: MotoGP™ (2021)World Championship career:
2015: Moto3™ World Championship – 10th, Honda, 13 races, 92 points
2016: Moto3™ World Championship – 13th, KTM, 18 races, 83 points
2017: Moto2™ World Championship – 13th, Kalex, 18 races, 64 points
2018: Moto2™ World Championship – 10th, Speed Up, 18 races, 138 points
2019: MotoGP™ World Championship – 5th, Yamaha, 19 races, 192 points
2020: MotoGP™ World Championship – 8th, Yamaha, 14 races, 127 points
2021: MotoGP™ World Championship – 1st, Yamaha, 16 races, 267 points -
Bagnaia crashes out to hand Quartararo the 2021 title; Marquez wins;
Emilia Romagna (Italy), 24 October 2021: Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) is the 2021 MotoGP World Champion. After Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashed out of the race lead in the closing stages of the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna, the title was decided as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) emerges victorious, with Pol Espargaro securing his maiden podium with Honda. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) passed Quartararo on the last lap to bag his second podium of the season, but the day – and year – belongs to the Frenchman.
Bagnaia crashes, Marc Marquez wins, Quartararo crowned Champion
From pole position, Bagnaia got a decent getaway but it was teammate Jack Miller who got the best launch from the front row. Pecco grabbed the holeshot though as Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) carved his way into P2 from the second row. Miller grabbed P2 from Oliveira at Turn 4 though, with Marc Marquez then getting the better of Oliveira down into Turn 8. Quartararo didn’t make a rapid start, but more importantly, he stayed trouble-free.
The top three of Pecco, Miller and Marc Marquez soon found themselves 1.3s clear of Pol Espargaro, who had also dispatched Oliveira, before drama unfolded for one of the Ducatis. Miller, at Turn 15, was down and out of the race from P2 on Lap 4, Bagnaia’s wingman was no longer able to help the Italian. Now, Pecco had Marc Marquez swarming all over his rear wheel. Meanwhile, Quartararo was up into P10, scrapping with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing).
By Lap 9, Quartararo was up to ninth. Martin, on Lap 13, crashed at Turn 1 as Quartararo become embroiled in a five-rider battle – fifth to ninth split by less than a second. Quartararo, keeping calm, picked his way past teammate Franco Morbidelli and Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) to climb to P7 on Lap 15 of 27, with Pecco continuing to hold the relentless Marc Marquez at bay.
With 10 to go, Quartararo sliced his way past Rins for P6, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) next on El Diablo’s radar. And sure enough, with nine to go, Quartararo was ahead of the Aprilia RS-GP and now in P5. Baring a disaster from Oliveira, that was as good as it was going to get for Quartararo, with the KTM star eight seconds up the road. Or so we thought.
17 seconds ahead of Quartararo, Bagnaia was holding up his end of the bargain. All Pecco could do on home soil was win, but he had an eight-time World Champion hanging onto his coattails. Pecco was looking incredibly strong, starting to pull clear of Marc Marquez, before Lap 23 of the Emilia-Romagna GP became the title-deciding lap of 2021. Turn 15, where Miller crashed earlier in the race, saw Bagnaia crash unhurt. Straight back up on his feet, Pecco knew. Ducati knew. Yamaha knew. Quartararo knew. A new MotoGP™ World Champion was about to be crowned.
Pecco’s crash, closely followed by an Oliveira crash, left Marc Marquez P1, Pol Espargaro P2 and Quartararo, the new World Champion a sensational P3 from P15 on the grid. Enea Bastianini wasn’t going to allow Quartararo to have an easy cruise home to the podium though, the Italian was hungry for a second P3 of the season.
The chequered flag came out and Marc Marquez won his second race in a row, his third of the season, with Pol Espargaro coming home second to hand Repsol Honda a fantastic 1-2. Bastianini, with a move at Turn 14, got the better of Quartararo on the last lap to cement another wonderful rostrum to take the lead in the Rookie of the Year fight, but just behind, introducing the 2021 MotoGP™ World Champion: Fabio Quartararo! Jubilation ensued for the Frenchman and Yamaha – what a phenomenal season for all involved.
A historic day as Rossi earns top 10 in final Italian race
Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) crossed the line in fifth to beat sixth place Rins by 1.2s, with Aleix Espargaro taking P7. P8 went the way of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) who claims his best result in Aprilia colours, Marini secured a second top 10 of the season in P9 sporting a special Grazie Vale colour scheme, and speaking of, Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crossed the line in 10th in his final MotoGP™ race on Italian soil. A fitting send-off to the nine-time World Champion in front of his adoring fans. Two races remain in Portugal and Valencia to enjoy The Doctor doing what he loves best – racing motorcycles.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had an eventful day. The South African crashed on the sighting lap, started from pitlane and ended up finishing P11. Michele Pirro (Ducati Lenovo Team), Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Morbidelli and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) – despite a crash – were the final points scorers at Misano.
There we have it. The 2021 MotoGP™ World Champion is crowned, congratulations to Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha on an incredible season, as we now look forward to the final two races of the season. (Source: EuroSport Press Release)
MotoGP Top 10:
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team)
2. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 4.859
3. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) + 12.013
4. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 12.775
5. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 16.458
6. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 17.669
7. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 18.468
8. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 18.607
9. Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) + 25.417
10. Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 27.735
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Max Verstappen takes pole at COTA ahead of Hamilton
Austin, 23 October 2021: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen took his ninth pole position of the year at the Circuit of the Americas beating title rival Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes by two tenths of a second as Sergio Pérez claimed third place on the grid for the United States Grand Prix for Red Bull.
In Q1, Verstappen led the way early on with an opening flying lap of 1:34.521 with Pérez slotting into second place just five hundredths of a second behind. They were edged out of the top two places by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo but on their second runs the Red Bull drivers re-established supremacy, with Verstappen taking P1 with a lap of 1:34.352 and Pérez making his way to second just 0.017s behind.
However, in the final moments of the session Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc put in a good lap of 1:34.153 to shuffle the Red Bull pair back, while Ricciardo progressed in P4 ahead of team-mate Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas went through in sixth and seventh places respectively.
Eliminated at the end of the first session were Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in 16th place ahead of Williams’ Nicholas Latifi, Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen and the Haas cars of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.
In Q2, on medium tyres, Verstappen powered to the top of the order with his first flying lap – 0.333s ahead of Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris – but Pérez’s opening push lap was deleted, as he fell foul of track limits at Turn 19.
After the first runs Pérez sat in 11th place and in the drop zone at the head of a squad of drivers who had either had times deleted or who had chosen to sit out the first runs due to tyre strategy. But after bolting on another set of mediums, Pérez used his second run to make his way to seventh place and safety with a lap of 1:34.178.
The man in danger then was McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo who had also exceeded track limits on his first run. The Australian made no mistake on his set attempt and he jumped from P12 to P9 with a lap of 1:34.643.
That pushed AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda into the drop zone in P11 but the Japanese rookie put in a good lap of 1:35.137 to clamber back to 10th place and edge out Alpine’s Esteban Ocon by two tenths of a second.
In the final top-10 shoot-out it was Pérez who made the biggest statement of intent with a superb lap of 1:33.180 that put him on provisional pole, almost two hundredths of a second ahead of Verstappen, with Bottas third ahead of Hamilton.
The Mercedes pair were at the head of the queue for the final runs and when Hamilton crossed the line at the end of his final flyer he jumped to P1 with a lap of 1:33.119.
Behind him Bottas failed to improve but the Bulls were just starting their final flyers. Verstappen went purple through the first sector and then powered a sequence of personal bests in the mini-sectors of the middle part of the track. And when he crossed the line it was a convincing 0.209s clear of Hamilton and his ninth pole of the year was sealed.
Pérez almost joined his team-mate on the front row but the Mexican missed out to Hamilton by the tiny margin of 0.013s. The Mexican did beat Valtteri Bottas, however, to put the Team in a strong position for the race as the Finnish Mercedes driver is set to take a five-place engine-related grid penalty for tomorrow’s race.
Behind the top four, Charles Leclerc qualified fifth for Ferrari ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz, while McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris finished seventh and eighth. The top 10 was completed by the AlphaTauri pairing of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda.
2021 FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:32.910 7 213.613
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:33.119 0.209 0.225 7 213.133
3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:33.134 0.224 0.241 7 213.099
4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:33.475 0.565 0.608 6 212.322
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:33.606 0.696 0.749 6 212.024
6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:33.792 0.882 0.949 6 211.604
7 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:33.808 0.898 0.967 6 211.568
8 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:33.887 0.977 1.052 6 211.390
9 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:34.118 1.208 1.300 6 210.871
10 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:34.918 2.008 2.161 6 209.094
11 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:35.377 1.913 2.047 6 208.087
12 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:35.500 2.036 2.178 3 207.819
13 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:35.794 2.330 2.493 3 207.182
14 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:44.549 11.085 11.860 6 189.832
15 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 5
16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:35.983 1.830 1.944 7 206.774
17 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:35.995 1.842 1.956 6 206.748
18 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:36.311 2.158 2.292 7 206.069
19 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:36.499 2.346 2.492 9 205.668
20 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:36.796 2.643 2.807 8 205.037 -
Francesco Bagnaia gets 4th straight pole for Ducati
23 October 2021: For the first time since Casey Stoner in 2008, a Ducati rider has taken four consecutive MotoGP pole positions and that rider is Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Italian stormed through from Q1 to grab a crucial Saturday afternoon pole at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna, and on a day that saw Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) falter as he failed to make it through to Q2. El Diablo is therefore set to line up in 15th ahead of his first match point in the title fight.
Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) made it a factory Ducati a 1-2, missing out by mere hundredths, with Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) earning a maiden MotoGP™ front row to make it three Ducatis on the front row for the first time ever. After Saturday, despite the standings, it’s very much Advantage Bagnaia.
Q1
Q1 was a serious clash of the titans. Featuring both the title contenders and a whole host of fast faces after difficult conditions so far this weekend, it could have proved pivotal – and it did. All eyes were, understandably, locked on Bagnaia and Quartararo, and the two were putting on quite a show. Pecco, the lap record holder at the track but back from fully dry, peak conditions at the San Marino GP, was putting the pedal to the metal around a slightly damp Misano, and by mid-session the Italian was shearing chunks off his laptimes – beating his own best four times.That was as Quartararo struggled a little but remained in contention to move through, the Frenchman seemingly finding enough time when he needed it, just not enough to threaten Bagnaia. But then Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) split the two. Then it was Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Finally, Iker Lecuona (TEch3 KTM Factory Racing) took over in second behind Pecco and it was all coming down to the final push.
The Italian’s gap at the top was seven tenths, so with Quartararo hovering half a second down it seemed possible. But crossing the line, possible it proved not – and it was Lecuona heading through to Q2 in second, with the Championship leader in Q1 for the first time and failing to make the cut. To add insult to injury, his best lap was then also cancelled so it’s actually 15th for the Frenchman.
Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) crashed in Q1, rider ok, as did and were Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Ducati wildcard Michele Pirro and Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) – leaving all looking for a comeback when the conditions look like they could change for the much better on Sunday.
Q2
From the outset, the spotlight remained on Bagnaia and the show continued to roll in from the Ducati rider. Setting a 1’33.045 early in the session, he was on rails and just kept putting in the laps. The drama came from elsewhere.An out-the-seat moment for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) left him pulling off a hero save but then looking a little uncomfortable, Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) crashed twice, Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) took a tumble and then so did teammate Lecuona. Then, Marc Marquez’ struggles went from wobble to crash, the number 93 tumbling late on but rider ok.
That created a few Yellow Flags for riders to navigate in their quest for a lap, and Bagnaia did just that – even on his final push, just far back enough from the Marquez crash to put in another effort. But he wasn’t going faster than the 1’33.045, although all was not lost as only two riders were putting together a serious challenge.
The first of those was Miller. A mixture of red and orange sectors showed the Australian was very much on terms with his teammate’s provisional pole lap, and as he crossed the line it really was incredibly close. But it remained in Pecco’s favour, the Italian staying top by just 0.025 but a Ducati 1-2 set to take on Misano.
That was despite the next challenge for the front row, because the only rider who made any threatening gains elsewhere in the session was Marini. The rookie put in a stunning effort to move himself onto a provisional front row for his home Grand Prix, and even more impressively within a tenth of pole. Ultimately unchallenged, that’s therefore the first Ducati 1-2-3.
The final dash of drama came courtesy of Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) as the Frenchman slid out and kept sliding, still hanging on but rider ok.
The Grid
Bagnaia’s dream grid was probably him on pole and Quartararo outside Q2, so whatever incantations the Ducati rider has been doing, there’s an argument in there somewhere for the existence of magic, religion, luck, or a combination of all three. He’ll head the grid from Miller, the Australian already stating he’s riding with common sense and Ducati in mind, with Marini aiming more for the top ten from third.Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) heads Row 2 as top Honda, and the top Honda at Misano since 2017, and he’s joined by Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – the latter the only Yamaha rider in the top 14.
Marc Marquez had to settle for seventh after a troubled Q2, but Lecuona lines up alongside his compatriot in P8 for his best-ever MotoGP™ qualifying result. Petrucci makes it a day to remember for Tech3 KTM Factory Racing on the Italian’s final race on home soil in ninth, with Zarco’s late crash in his pursuit of a better starting place leaving him in tenth. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and the double crash for Martin see the Spaniards launch from P11 and P12.
The perfect adjective for Saturday at Misano must exist, but with such a rollercoaster of a day for the weather and the contenders, it may take a while to find. Bagnaia’s mission for qualifying is most definitely complete, however, and now all that remains is race day. The skies are expected to be dry and El Diablo has some serious speed in those conditions, so the MotoGP™ race is absolutely not to be missed. Make sure to tune in at 14:00 (GMT +2) for the first Match Point in the premier class!
MotoGP™ Warm Up has been re-scheduled for 10am.
MotoGP front row:
1 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – 1’33.045
2 Jack Miller – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.025
3 Luca Marini* – SkyVR46 Avtintia – Ducati – +0.085*Independent Team rider
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Ruhaan Alva dominates with a double; Arya Singh crowned
Coimbatore, 23 October 2021: Talented Bengaluru adolescent Ruhaan Alva, dominated the proceedings for the second consecutive day with a double in the JK Tyre Novice Cup but it was Sohil Shah who stole the fastest lap of the day before his he forefeited his LGB Formula 4 ‘win’ in the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship held at Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday.
Sohil, who started on P5, moved to 4th in the very first lap overtaking Diljit and clocked the fastest lap of the race at 1min: 17.326sec (Lap 3). By the end of fourth lap he was leading the race. Dilijit who followed him into P2 lost position to Arya Singh after Lap 11. But the honour of the fastest lap is no consolation as Sohil lost the hard-earned race due to a technical infringement and the 10-sec penalty.
Thus, young Arya Singh who crossed the flag second, actually won the gold thanks to his clean race. Starting on P2, he overtook the experienced Raghul Rangasamy in the very first lap. But he slid to 8th position (P8) at the end of Lap 4 and used the two-lap Safety Car period to his advantage and jumped to P2 in Lap 11, and thereon, drove a steady race to keep P2 and eventually win the race as he was alert not to make any fouls. A great result for the talented Kolkata youngster, who is growing with experience as he managed two Safety Car periods to his advantage.
“I am happy to start the season with a win, though it was not easy. I was in the lead but once the safety cars came out, there was a lot of bunching. The net effect is the lead which you had in time and distance gets shrunk. I waited for the right moment in the final lap and won,” said Sohil, after the race before he was penalised.
LGB F4 podium before results were audited: Bengaluru’s Sohil Shah, centre, 1st, followed by Arya Singh of Kolkata, right, 2nd and Diljit TS, 3rd (2nd from left) and Sohil’s tuner at Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday. Arya Singh won the race after Sohil was relegated to 10th following his penalty by the race stewards. Bullets weigh 180kg and are quite demanding, especially at small tracks like KMS. But they did not deter Anish Damodara Shetty one bit, and the rider from Hubli eventually emerged winner in the 10-lap race, timing 1:18.325, ahead of Allwin Xavier from Thrissur by just 0.117 seconds. Telugu rider Jayanth Prathipati took the final spot on the podium.
‘”It was a great challenge to win the maiden race and the last lap was electrifying,” said Anish. Speaking about the close second spot, Allwin took it philosophically. “It’s a new race in a new bike. There is speed and also your legs feel tired handling the weight. I am happy to come second,” said Allwin.
Teen sensation Ruhaan Alva from Bengaluru, well known for his exploits since the age of seven, began the proceedings with dominance. Competing for MSport, Ruhaan showed poise and purpose after the first race was red flagged.
Novie Race 2 Podium: Ruhaan Alva, centre, wins a double, while Jaden R Pariat, right, notches his maiden podium in Race 2 while Adithya Parusuram, 2nd from left, gets a second and third respectively in Race 1 and Race 2 in the Novice Class on Saturday. It had to be restarted. Ruhaan was fully focussed, not letting the brief stoppage affect him. On a pleasant and sunny afternoon, the 15-year youngster raced without any glitch, virtually, as he timed 14 minutes 22.061 seconds in the 10-lap race. His best lap time was 1:18.001, was actually not his best, but the he gained more time by being consistent as he was within half a second margin in all lthe laps except during the yellow flags. He best on Saturday came in Race 2 at 1:17.685, the second fastest time on the day as Sohil clocked 1:17.326 in a better car, the LGB F4 car.
“I am happy to have begun with a win. Once a race is red-flagged, it’s very important to remain focussed. I was happy with my start to the championship,” said Ruhaan, who took to karting at the age of seven. He idolises legend Ayrton Senna, which speaks a lot about how much he has followed the sport of Formula 1 racing.
Later in the evening, Ruhaan once again was in his elements in the fight between the ‘master and the student’. Fourteen-year school boy Jaden R Pariat from Guwahati, who was trailing by two laps in the first race eventually, staged a superb comeback in the second race, to take second on the podium. Race 2 also saw a crash and Ruhaan used a different technique to restart, once the safety car was in, as he slowed down before zooming off once again to create enough gap and thwart any chance that Jaden got with skilled driving. Ruhaan has been the mentor for Jaden in his first karting season and it showed good results. Jaden not only impressed with his driving skills but notched up many victories with good emotional control.
Provisional audited Results: (Editor’s note: corrected on 24 Oct 2021 at 6.30am)
Formula LGB 4: Race 1:
LGB Formula 4: Race 1 (Overall Race 3 of the day):
- Arya Singh (Kolkata, Dark Don Racing) 23:27.088 (best lapt: 1:17.512)
- Raghul Rangasamy (Chennai, MSport) 23:29.179 (Best 1:18.057);
- Mohamed Ryan (Chennai, MSport) 1:17.905;
Novice Cup:
Race 1:
- Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) – 14:22.061;
2. Aadithya Parasuram (Chennai)- 14:25.202;
3. Gaurav Kochar (Coonoor)- 14:34.275.
Race 2:
1. Ruhaan Alva –15:06.124;
2. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati)-15:07.429;
3. Aadithya Parasuram -15:09.109.
RE Continental GT Cup: Race 1:
- Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubli) – 14:07.754;
2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur)- 14.07.859;
3. Jayanth Prathipati (Hyderabad)- 14:08.859.
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Sergio Perez tops timesheets in FP2: US GP
Austin, 23 October 2021: Sergio Pérez set the fastest lap of second practice for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, beating McLaren’s Lando Norris by more than two tenths of a second. Lewis Hamilton was third, with title leader Max Verstappen eight after encountering traffic on his qualifying simulation.
Once again run in hot conditions, the session got underway with most drivers using the hard compound tyres. Valtteri Bottas moved to medium tyres, however, and he jumped to the top of the order with a lap of 1:38.887s. Pérez then took over thanks to a time of 1:35.883 and which he eventually lowered to 1:35.716 as the session reached the 15-minute mark.
The field then began to switch to soft tyres for their qualifying simulations, with Bottas being the first main mover. The Finn posted a time of 1:35.360s to reclaim top spot.
Pérez moved ahead again though with his time of 1:35.310 and Norris took second place with a lap of 1:35.203.
Hamilton might have moved well clear with a lap of 1:34.842 but he went over the track limits in the penultimate corner and had the time deleted. The Mercedes driver continued, however, and he posted a best effort of 1:35.310 to take third place.
Verstappen meanwhile failed to put in a quick lap on soft tyres after he was released into traffic. He abandoned the lap, vented his frustration on the radio and pitted. He ended the session in P8.
Earlier in the session, there was a moment of tension between title rivals Verstappen and Hamilton who had raced side by side from the final corner to Turn 1 with neither willing to back off. Verstappen was told by Red Bull to “ignore” Hamilton’s actions but consoled himself with a gesture towards the Mercedes man as he accelerated away.
At the flag, Bottas took fourth ahead of McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, with Stroll sixth ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Verstappen. The top 10 was rounded out by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi rounded out the top 10.
2021 FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:34.946 24 209.032
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:35.203 0.257 20 208.468
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:35.310 0.364 22 208.234
4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:35.360 0.414 24 208.125
5 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:35.457 0.511 21 207.913
6 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:35.561 0.615 25 207.687
7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:35.572 0.626 23 207.663
8 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:35.824 0.878 23 207.117
9 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:35.919 0.973 24 206.912
10 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:36.138 1.192 26 206.440
11 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:36.158 1.212 23 206.397
12 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:36.242 1.296 25 206.217
13 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:36.376 1.430 18 205.930
14 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:36.558 1.612 25 205.542
15 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:36.718 1.772 30 205.202
16 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:36.983 2.037 24 204.642
17 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:37.041 2.095 24 204.519
18 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:37.254 2.308 26 204.071
19 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:37.490 2.544 21 203.577
20 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:38.026 3.080 23 202.464 -
Ruhaan Alva leads karters domination on Formula cars
Coimbatore, 22 October 2021: MSport’s Ruhan Alva of Bengaluru clocked the overall best time in the second qualifying session to not only top the combined time-sheets but also became the fastest driver of the day with a stunning 1minute, 17.278seconds in the Novice Class of the 25th JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2021 which began at the 2.3km Kari Motor Speedway here on Friday.
Jaden Pariat, 14, who got into motorsports only in November 2020, making his debut at the Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru, missed the National Junior X30 Karting Champinship title by a whisker. But within a short period, he has shown that the genes of speed are blossoming. Qualifying second today behind Ruhaan, a much more experienced driver, is no mean task. His father, Atiqur Rehman, is a rally rider, and his photograph of jumping over 7-time National champion and current promoter Shyam Kothari in late nineties will be ever etched in the mind of yesteryear motorsports lovers, thanks to a late George Francis photograph. Jaden clocked 1:17.977 to take P2 in the combined quali timesheet. Chennai’s Aditya Parusuram of Hasten Performance took P3 clocking 1:18.003. Ruhaan’s father Umakanth Alva too, is a rally driver of yore.
In the LGB Formula 4, Raghul Rangasamy of Chennai took the pole position with a 1:17.453 followed talented Kolkata younster Arya Singh, who timed 1:17.473 for P2 and Dilijit TS (1:17.665) and experienced Sandeep Kumar (1:17.590) completed the second row, in that order.
The 15-year old professional driver, Ruhaan, who just graduated to Formula cars this season, caught the eye with good performance at the Madras Motor Race Track recently, and now got his Pole Position in the Novice class. Even Ruhaan, imbibed the professional motorsports culture of Europe, thank to his Rally-loving father, Umakanth Alva, and his inherent self-discipline.
Many other drivers including former National Racing multiple champion Raghul Rangasamy and experienced drivers like Vishnu Prasad, Sohil Shah, Sandeep Kumar (Karting Nationals CoC) and young Tijil Rao (Bengaluru Sim specialist), all pelted fast laps below 1min, 18 seconds, ie below 78 seconds for the Kari Motor Speedway, an F3 homologated re-laid Race track with a 2.3-km tarmac (earlier 2.1) built in the name of legend Karivardhan. Some, like Jaden Pariat, (Guwahati, MSport), who graduated from karting to Formula cars, also impressed in the sessions today displaying good pace for his age and experience.
Ruhaan Alva, is a picture of concentration, on Friday at the Kari Motor Speedway. INDIAinF1 commissioned Photo by JR Dhinesh Kannan Mira Erda, kept the flag flying for Women in Motorsports, with some quick laps beating many men to take P10. Another Faridabad girl, Muskaan Jubbal, daughter of popular rallyist Amandeep (Jubbal) Kaur, and Anushriya Gulati of Dehradun are among the lady drivers in the fray. Muskaan and Jasmehar Singh Jubbal from Faridabad are the only siblings on the grid in the same race.
The Unofficial Practice Session 4, was ideal for fast times on Friday, with Rahul Rangasamy setting his personal best at 1:17.382; Sohil Shah 17.450; Arya Singh 17.473; Vishnu Prasad 17.561, Sandeep Kumar 17.590; Diljit Singh 17.665; Tijil Rao 17.886 for other 1:18sec dippers on the day.
The popular JK Tyre championship has three classes, JK Tyre Novice Cup, LGB Formula4 and Support non-championship Royal Enfield single-make Continental GT Cup over Saturday and Sunday. Novices have two races of 10-lap each and one race of 12 laps on Sunday while the LGB F4 drivers take part in three, 15-lap races, one on Saturday and two on Sunday. The Bullet bikers also have two 10-lap races, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Sunny Kumar is the Clerk-of-the-Course.
Disclaimer: This reporter is not at the venue. The report is based on the timer app which are unofficial unaudited timings and subject to final audit. Any driver or rider can get back if a clarificatin is needed. Please do not call. WhatsApp first 98455 69496 with your profile and signed timesheet/s.
