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100th Victory for Lewis Hamilton; Late rain spoils Lando Norris dreams
Sochi, 26 Sept. 2021: Lewis Hamilton took a record 100th Formula 1 victory in a Russia Grand Prix that ended in dramatic fashion as rain in the final laps saw McLaren’s Lando Norris slide out of the race lead and out of contention for his maiden F1 win and which allowed Max Verstappen to rise to second place after starting the race in last place on the grid. The final podium position was taken by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
At the race start Norris got away well from pole position, but behind him Sainz got the benefit of a strong slipstream on the long run towards the first two corners and as they went through the complex the Ferrari driver powered past the McLaren man to take the lead as third-on-the-grid George Russell held third place.
Hamilton made a solid start from fourth place but got boxed in on the inside as the field went into Turn 1 and he was passed by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and soon after by Daniel Ricciardo in the second McLaren.
At the rear of the field Verstappen made a good start and quickly began to work his way through the pack. By the end of lap five he was up to 15th place and was closing in on Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas who had taken an overnight 15-place penalty for changing power unit elements and started from P16. Verstappen soon made his way past the Finn on lap six, powering down the inside of the Mercedes into Turn 13 to steal P14. He then caught Pierre Gasly and two laps later employed the same move to push past the AlphaTauri driver.
There was a nervous moment for the Red Bull driver soon after, though. Ahead of him Charles Leclerc was attacking Sebastian Vettel. And seeking to profit from the battle Verstappen dived to the right of the Ferrari driver. But fighting for position, Leclerc was unsighted and almost pushed the Dutch driver into the wall. Verstappen escaped and when Leclerc outbraked himself into the next corner, he pounced to claim P12. Vettel was next in his sights and once again the Red Bull driver made the move into Turn 13 .
At the front, Norris was closing up to Sainz and on lap 13 he tucked into the slipstream and powered past the Ferrari driver on the run to Turn 13 to claim the lead.
Versatppen was on a march and as Sainz, Stroll and Russell pitted ahead of him he rose to sixth place behind Alpine’s Fernando Alonso and found himself just four seconds behind third-placed Hamilton.
Hamilton and Verstappen made their sole visit to the pit lane at the end of lap 22. Hamilton rejoined in P9 on hard tyres with his title rival in 12th place. Hamilton began to make his way through the pack and by lap 30 he was back up to P5 as Verstappen laboured more behind Ricciardo in P10.
At the front, Sergio Perez, still running on his starting hard tyres, now led the Russian Grand Prix. Behind him, Alonso was in P2 ahead of Leclerc, who also needed to pit. Norris was now fourth ahead of Hamilton, Gasly and Sainz.
Leclerc pitted on lap 35 but a slow stop dropped him down the order. Perez then pitted from the lead at the end of lap 36 but the switch to medium tyres was hampered by a stuck rear left wheel and when he rejoined the action he was behind Ricciardo who was now fourth behind Sainz, Hamilton and race leader Norris.
Verstappen’s progress had halted, however. The Red Bull driver’s medium tyres were beginning to fade and he dropped to seventh behind Alonso. Ahead Perez managed to get past Ricciardo to sit in fourth place and as the race entered the final 10 laps and gaps appeared secure it looked like the order might solidify.
However, on lap 46 rain began to fall and as the umbrellas went up in the grandstands the race was suddenly thrown into chaos.
With rain predominantly falling just in the final two sectors, both Norris and Hamilton initially elected to remain on track on slicks. And for a lap it looked like both had made the right choice. But after a brief lull the rain suddenly intensified and Hamilton dived for the pit lane for intermediate tyres, matching a call being made throughout the order. With just four laps left Norris gambled on slicks.
It proved to be the wrong call. Hamilton quickly chased down the McLaren driver and when Norris slid wide in the final sector, Hamilton flew past to take his 100th career F1 win.
Verstappen though, read the conditions just right. The Dutchman made the switch to intermediate tyres at the right time and after emerging from the pit lane he scythed through the field to claim second place when Norris eventually pitted for inters.
Behind him Sainz took third place, with Ricciardo claiming fourth. Fifth place went to Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, despite the Finn spending the bulk of the race outside the points. Alonso took sixth, while Norris was left with seventh place. Eighth place at the flag went to Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen and Perez, who had also chosen to stay on slick tyres for too long, finished ninth. The final point on offer went to Williams’ George Russell.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 53 1:30’41.001
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 53 1:31’34.272 53.271
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 53 1:31’43.476 1’02.475
4 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:31’46.608 1’05.607
5 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 53 1:31’48.534 1’07.533
6 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 53 1:32’02.322 1’21.321
7 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:32’08.225 1’27.224
8 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 53 1:32’09.956 1’28.955
9 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 53 1:32’11.077 1’30.076
10 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 53 1:32’21.552 1’40.551
11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 53 1:32’27.199 1’46.198
12 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 52 1 lap
13 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 52 1 lap
14 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 52 1 lap
15 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 52 1 lap
16 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 52 1 lap
17 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 52 1 lap
18 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 51 2 laps
19 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 47 Not running
Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 32 Retirement -
Shahan Ali Mohsin dominates MRF F1600 with a double
Chennai, 26 Sept 2021: On an incident-filled day, 17-year old Shahan Ali Mohsin from Agra notched a fine double in the MRF Formula1600 category that headlined the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 which concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday.
Also achieving a double was Chennai’s seasoned campaigner 34-year old Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing) in the Super Stock class of the Saloon Cars category while defending champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore and Hyderabad’s Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing) split the honours in the Indian Touring cars class.
The day’s other winners included 18-year old Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) who topped the first of the three MRF F1600 races, Chennai’s Mohit Aryan (Quest Motorsport) in the Formula LGB 1300 category (race-2), Charan Chandran (Coimbatore) and Bengalurean Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class.
Agra teenager Shahan Ali Mohsin, who won a double in the MRF F1600 category on 26 Sept 2021 at MMRT. Photo by Anand Philar The day’s first race for MRF F1600, was run on grooved tyres as a precaution on a drying track with a few wet spots following overnight rains. Suriya Varathan won comfortably after starting from P3, but in the next outing, it was Shahan Ali Mohsin, a multiple National karting champion with an Asian title to boot, who took the chequered flag from a P2 start (reverse grid) with a command performance. Shahan went on to dominate Race-3, again starting from P2 for a well-deserved double.
“In the morning’s first race, I started from pole position, but lost positions due to overheating clutch. It was tough outing. In the next two races, both of which I started from P2, it was fairly comfortable,” said Shahan.
Mohit Aryan (centre), winner of Race-2 in the Formula LGB 1300 category flanked by second-placed Chirag Ghorpade (left) and third-placed Tijil Rao (Sept 26) In the Super Stock class, 34-year old Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing), the busiest competitor this weekend, participating in three different categories, completed a grand double while Charan Chandran, a private entrant from Coimbatore, and Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) shared the honours in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class. Anekar had actually won the first race, but was disqualified following a post-race scrutiny on a technical infringement pushing Chandran to the top step of the podium, but the Bengalurean shrugged off the disappointment by easily winning the second race.
Mohit Aryan (Quest Motorsport) from Chennai was declared winner in the Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2) category after Ruhaan Alva (MSport), the 15-year old from Bengaluru, who had finished first, was docked 20 seconds for overtaking under yellow flag which dropped him to fifth.
In a race marked by as many as eight retirements due to on-track incidents, Ruhaan kept his wits about him to move from P9 to the front and win, only to suffer a time penalty. Finishing second behind Aryan was Kolkata’s Arya Singh (DTS Racing) while Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport), only 18, completed the podium. Race-1 winner, Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport) also suffered the same fate as Ruhaan and finished ninth.
The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. K Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (14mins, 25.983secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (14:33.571); 3. Dillon Zachariah (Chennai) (14:37.196). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (17:03.129); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (17:08.117); 3. Rishon Rajiv (Bengaluru) (17:10.117). Race-3: 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (13:40.878); 2. Ashwin Dutta (Chennai) (13:47.046); 3. Chirag Ghorpade (13:47.567).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2, 9 laps): 1. Mohit Aryan (Quest Motorsport, Chennai) (17:36.308); 2. Arya Singh (DTS Racing, Kolkata) (17:36.822); 3. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport, Bengaluru) (17:42.901). Best Rookie: Ruhaan Alva (MSport, Bengaluru).
Saloon Cars – Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (15:10.042); 2. Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:14.040); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:18.511). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Anindith Reddy (22:46.971); 2. Jeet Jhabakh (22:47.931); 3. Arjun Balu (22:56.702).
Super Stock – Race-1: 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:06.931); 2. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:07.189); 3. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:12.150). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (23:43.580); 2. Divy Nandan (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (24:01.372); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts, Chennai) (24:04.515).
Indian Junior Touring Cars – Race-1: 1. Charan Chandran (Pvt., Coimbatore) (16:53.207); 2. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (23:30.019); 2. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing, Chennai) (23:59.409); 3. Charan Chandran ((23:59.737).
Volkswagen Polo – Race-1: 1. Aditya Swaminathan (Bengaluru) (14:00.605); 2. Anmol Singh Sahil (Ghaziabad) (14:01.650); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (14:03.285). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (19:46.949); 2. Ritesh Rai (Chennai) (19:48.035); 3. Sidharth Mehdiratta (Lucknow) (19:48.806).
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Razgatlioglu does the double in Jerez after fierce Redding battle, Rea fifth
The battle for victory in Race 2 at Jerez went down to the wire between Toprak Razgatlioglu and Scott Redding.
Jerez (Spain), 26 Sept. 2021: A familiar story to Race 1, with the same outcome but a different opponent for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) as he claimed his second MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship victory of the day at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the Motul Spanish Round after a late-race battle with Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
Repeating his start from Race 1, Razgatlioglu got a good start to lead into Turn 1 from Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and, while Rea was able to challenge into Turn 6 on Lap 1, the Turkish star was able to hold on to extend his lead over Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who made a great start to move into podium contention and passed Rea in the opening laps of the 20-lap race.
While Razgatlioglu was able to keep his lead and briefly extend his lead, both Rinaldi and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) were closing in. On Lap 6, Rinaldi ran wide at Turn 6 which almost allowed Redding through, but Rinaldi was able to hold on to second place until Turn 13, when Redding made the move for second.
While Redding was putting pressure on, Razgatlioglu held on until Lap 17 when Redding passed Razgatlioglu for the lead but just one lap later Razgatlioglu made a move into Turn 13 to take the lead onto the penultimate lap. Redding kept the pressure on Razgatlioglu throughout the final two laps, but the Turkish star held on to claim his second victory of the day in Jerez, and his tenth of the season while Redding claimed his 30th WorldSBK podium. -
Yamaha claim fifth consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship in Jerez
The Japanese Manufacturer have dominated the 2021 season with two of their riders battling it out for Riders’ Championship honours.
Jerez, 26 Sept. 2021: After nine rounds of the 2021 FIM Supersport World Championship calendar, the Japanese manufacturer claimed the Manufacturers’ Championship, their ninth title. With a strong 2021 line-up, Yamaha have won all 17 races so far in 2021 with Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) and Randy Krummenacher (CM Racing) all clinching victories throughout the season in the category.
With a 168-point advantage over Kawasaki, Yamaha secured the Manufacturers’ title at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. The Japanese manufacturer and their riders have dominated the 2021 season and have been able to achieve their fifth consecutive title.Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe, Road Racing Manager:“We are very proud of this important achievement, winning the Supersport title for a fifth time in a row really means a lot. For sure, it proves the competitiveness and reliability of our Yamaha R6, but even more the hard work done by our teams and riders. So, thanks to all of them for this fantastic result, as well as everyone at Yamaha who have worked so hard for this. We wish them good luck for the remaining races of the 2021 season.”
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Jehan Daruvala gets another podium in Sochi: F2 Feature
Sochi (Russia) 26 Sept. 2021: Ace Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala bagged his fourth podium of the season taking the 3rd place in a tricky Sochi Feature race won by Oscar Piastri who extended his lead in the Drivers’ standings with a commanding drive at the Sochi Autodrom. The Australian headed Théo Pourchaire across the line, with the Indian occupying the final spot on the podium.
“I am quite happy with the P3 in the Feature race. It was pretty tricky starting on the inside but we had good pace to get the podium in the end. Now another looong break before we go to Jeddah in December,” said the Mumbai-born Red Bull Junior driver.
Starting from pole position, Piastri retained his position at the head of the field at the start of the race, while Pourchaire moved ahead of Daruvala for second place at Turn 2. A fast-starting Ralph Boschung progressed into the top three, while championship-contending Guanyu Zhou slipped from fourth to eighth.
Piastri and Pourchaire slowly pulled away from the rest of the pack throughout the 28 laps, with Pourchaire briefly moving ahead of Piastri when he pitted one lap later than the PREMA driver. However, with his hot tyres, Piastri regained the net lead, which he did not concede for the remainder of the event.
Late drama for Boschung saw him retire, after being in contention for the podium for much of the race. With Daruvala third, local favourite Robert Shwartzman was fourth, ahead of Saturday’s Sprint Race victor Dan Ticktum.
AS IT HAPPENED
21 cars lined up on the starting grid, with Felipe Drugovich ruled unfit to participate following his crash prior to the commencement of Saturday’s race. At the front, Zhou endured a difficult start and dropped four positions, while Daruvala slipped from second to fourth having been overtaken by Pourchaire and Daruvala.
Further back, Bent Viscaal was forced to retire for the second race in a row following contact with Roy Nissany – Nissany would later receive a five-second time penalty for the incident.
A brief Virtual Safety Car was deployed, with Lirim Zendeli peeling into the pits to replace his front wing, which had been stripped from his car on the opening lap.
When the action resumed, Marcus Armstrong and Liam Lawson battled for 12th, with the latter attempting the alternate strategy by starting on the medium tyres compared to those on the Super Softs around him.
Pourchaire sat just over one second behind Piastri in the fight for the lead, but was unable to make a push into DRS range. Jüri Vips became the second driver to retire as his car slowed on Lap 6 – he returned to the pits, but was forced to park up his car due to an issue.
Boschung became the first of the front-runners to pit for medium tyres, while Jake Hughes, who starred for HWA RACELAB on Saturday, began to struggle. He dropped behind Christian Lundgaard and Ticktum and would eventually finish at the back of the pack following a spin later in the race.
Prior to his one and only pit stop of the race, Ticktum displayed strong speed on his worn Super Softs, overtaking Lundgaard and Zhou in consecutive laps before pitting.
Back up at the front, Piastri opted to come in for a tyre change on Lap 9, while Pourchaire stayed out for an extra lap. The ART Grand Prix driver was called in on the following lap and emerged back onto the track ahead of Piastri – it appeared as though the team’s overcut attempt had been successful.
However, with tyres that were already up to temperature, Piastri drew alongside Pourchaire and got back ahead into Turn 5, taking the net lead. There were a handful of cars ahead of the duo, however they were all running the alternative strategy and yet to pit.
Over the following seven laps, Piastri and Pourchaire navigated their way through those who had yet to make a move into their pit boxes, with Piastri managing to stay out in front all the way to the chequered flag. Behind them, a battle was underway for the final position on the podium.
Boschung held third but was under pressure from Daruvala. In the Turn 13 braking zone on lap 22, Boschung had a sizeable lock-up and ran deep into the corner, allowing Daruvala to sweep through to take his fourth podium of the 2021 season.
Shwartzman also passed Boschung with relative ease after the Campos Racing driver’s error, as Ticktum, Zhou and Lawson closed in from behind. Boschung’s race was soon run, as his lock-up proved to be too much for the front left tyre. He suffered a puncture on the run into Turn 2 and was left with no choice but to park his car trackside and retire.
Shwartzman couldn’t close in on Daruvala in time to challenge for a podium position and settled for fourth, ahead of Ticktum and Zhou.
Lawson was the highest placed driver on the alternate strategy in seventh with the fastest lap, while MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor finished in eighth place for the second time this weekend.
Lundgaard was ninth for ART, while David Beckmann benefited from Boschung’s late retirement to move up into 10th and secure the final point on offer.
READ MORE: Zendeli hoping for Sunday rain following strong Sprint Race surge
KEY QUOTE – OSCAR PIASTRI (PREMA Racing)
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Another Feature Race win – two in a row! I am very happy with that, it was a very tough race with no Safety Cars. Théo (Pourchaire) was pushing me the whole way.
“I’m glad I could hold on, I could keep the gap at one and a half, two seconds. I was pushing the whole way. I’m very happy I could pull that one off after a bit of a disappointing day yesterday.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW
Piastri extends his championship lead and sits on 178 points, ahead of Zhou who has 142 to his name. Shwartzman is third on 135, with Ticktum and Pourchaire in fourth and fifth with 129 and 120 points respectively.
In the Teams’ fight, PREMA sits out in front on 313 points, leading Carlin with 225. Third in the order with 201 points is UNI-Virtuosi, while Hitech Grand Prix is fourth on 182 with ART Grand Prix fifth with 163 points.
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Jehan Daruvala slips to 7th in F2 Sprint Race
Sochi (Russia), 25 Sept 2021: Ace Indian driver Jehan Daruvala of the Red Bull Academy had to be content with a P7 as his Carlin teammate Dan Ticktum converted reverse grid pole to victory at the Sochi Autodrom on Saturday, dominating the delayed Sprint Race 1 in Russia, the sixth round of the 8-round FIA Formula 2 World Championship. The race was postponed from Saturday morning to late afternoon, as treacherous conditions forced a deferred start time.
” I really don’t know what to say. The conditions were tricky out there but I managed to get myself into P5 and I was in contention for the podium. Then a mistake cost me,” he said with an apolegitic smiley. “Anyway, the positive is we had the pace and can show that in the Feature Race tomorrow,” the Indian, who won the Monza Sprint race, promised. He is currently in 7th place in the Champinship. Here is how Jehan Daruvala raced.
Jüri Vips was second on the road and bagged his fifth podium of the 2021 campaign, while Robert Shwartzman enjoyed a strong home race, taking the final podium position on offer in third place.
Ticktum was placed under pressure early in the race by Hitech Grand Prix’s Vips, however the Estonian driver couldn’t make the pass, not risking a move onto the wet surface that existed off the dry racing line.
From there, the Carlin driver pulled out a gap and stayed ahead of the pack to secure his second race win of the season.
AS IT HAPPENED
There was drama before the race even got underway. On the way to the grid, the UNI-Virtuosi duo of Felipe Drugovich and Guanyu Zhou spun with the former making heavy contact with the wall and retiring. Zhou, who is currently in championship contention, managed to avoid the barriers but stalled his car and was unable to take the start of the race.
With just one dry racing line on the track following the morning’s torrential rain, the pack ran two formation laps behind the Safety Car before being released for a rolling start. All drivers kept it clean in the opening stages, with Vips and his Hitech teammate Liam Lawson threatening Ticktum’s lead.
The first of two Virtual Safety Cars was deployed on lap four after Bent Viscaal retired. Upon its conclusion some two laps later, championship leader Oscar Piastri got out of shape and was overtaken by ART Grand Prix’s Christian Lundgaard for 10th. But Piastri’s troubles were not over, as a further wide moment at Turn 10 saw him drop behind Marcus Armstrong and Richard Verschoor.
Back at the front, one driver was taken out of contention for the win as Lawson made a mistake at Turn 13 while running in third place, damaging the left rear of his car, which forced him to park his car in a run-off area. The mistake promoted Shwartzman into the final podium position.
Another VSC was needed to safely clear Lawson’s stricken Hitech, and at the succeeding restart, Jehan Daruvala pounced on Théo Pourchaire and Ralph Boschung to move into fifth. While Pourchaire settled into sixth after moving ahead of Boschung on the run into Turn 2.
At the halfway stage of the race, Ticktum held a four second lead, aided by a mistake from Vips at the final corner. However, Vips would soon eat back into the gap, bringing it back down to just over two seconds in the following laps.
Jake Hughes had a sniff at a podium finish for HWA RACELAB, having run in fourth place for much of the race following Lawson’s retirement. The Briton battled Shwartzman who made a mistake at Turn 10, the PREMA driver dropped behind Hughes for a few 100 metres before moving back ahead in the Turn 12 braking zone.
As the drivers searched for the extra points for the fastest lap, it was Pourchaire who prevailed, clocking a 1:50.669 on lap 16. However, trouble befell Carlin’s Daruvala, who spun at Turn 16 and dropped out of the points and into 12th in the final order.
With the top three consisting of Ticktum, Vips and Shwartzman, Hughes held off Pourchaire in the final laps to take fourth, marking HWA’s best-ever result in F2.
Ralph Boschung was sixth, surviving to the chequered flag despite a series of tyre lockups into Turn 2. Lundgaard was seventh ahead of Verschoor who took the final point up for grabs in eighth.
KEY QUOTE –
Dan Ticktum (Carlin) “I’m pretty happy with that, it was sketchy to say the least, pretty scary! I said on the radio on the grid ‘if I’m scared, then it’s probably quite bad.’ To come away with a win is amazing.
“I’m very, very happy. Jüri was pretty fast, especially at the start. In the middle of the race, I heard he was closing the gap so I had to push a lot more. Taking risks in those sort of conditions is difficult, but I’m happy with the win.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW
Piastri and Zhou remain at the head of the Championship with 153 and 134 points respectively, despite failing to register points in the Sprint Race. Shwartzman has closed the gap and now sits on 123 points ahead of Ticktum on 119 and Vips on 102. PREMA remain top in the Teams’ battle with 276 points, ahead of Carlin on 200 points and UNI – Virtuosi, who have 193 points. Hitech Grand Prix are fourth with 174 while ART Grand Prix are fifth with 143 points
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Sensational pole for McLaren’s Lando Norris; Lewis Hamilton P4: Russian GP
Sochi (Russia), 25 Sept. 2021: McLaren’s Lando Norris took a sensational first position in Formula 1 at the end of a thrilling final top-10 shootout in a wet and dry qualifying session for the Russian Grand Prix that saw Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz grab his first front-row start and George Russell finish third. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth, while championship leader Max Verstappen put in a brief Q1 appearance in the knowledge that he will start tomorrow’s race from the back of the grid due to a power unit penalty.
Heavy rain throughout Saturday morning and into the early meant that final practice was cancelled but in the hour before the scheduled start of qualifying the sun began to appear and conditions improved enough to allow the session to go ahead.
Q1 began on a damp but rapidly improving track and after AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly got things underway with a lap of 1:51.519 the times rapidly began to fall as the track ramped up and drivers gained confidence.
Hamilton soon worked his way down to lap of 1:46.937 with team-mate Valtteri Bottas slotting into second place. By that point, however, Verstappen was already back in the garage and removing his helmet after two cautious laps. The choice to take a fourth engine for the season on Friday means the Dutchman will start the race from the back of the grid and Red Bull therefore opted to minimise risk and engine wear in qualifying.
It meant that Red Bull’s front-of-grid hopes rested with Sergio Perez. The Mexican’s opening flying lap of Q1 was compromised by a small lock-up in the wet conditions and as better times came in the error left him in 11th place. His next lap promoted him to fifth place, though this time he was held up by the slower Haas of Nikita Mazepin. On the next tour, however, he managed a clean run and with quickest times in every sector he vaulted to P1 with a lap of 1:46.455.
Hamilton managed to eclipse that late on and thanks to a lap of 1:45.992 the Mercedes driver went through in top spot ahead of Bottas and Perez.
Eliminated at the end of the session were Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen in P16, followed by Haas’ Mick Schumacher, the second Alfa of Antonio Giovinazzi, the second Haas of Nikita Mazepin and Max who saved both his PU and tyres.
Hamilton was again to the fore in the second segment and he took top spot with a lap of 1:45.129. Bottas again slotted into second place, but this time Perez couldn’t match his third place from Q1, with the Mexican’s best lap of 1:45.834 only being good enough for P5. Fernando Alonso took third place with a good final lap of 1:45.514, while perhaps in a portent of things to come claimed fourth place 0.007s ahead of Perez.
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel didn’t find the time he needed, however, and he missed out on a Q3 berth by just five hundredths of a second. Eliminated behind the German were Gasly and AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, Williams’ Nicholas Latifi and Ferrrari’s Charles Leclerc, both of whom will also take a PU penalty tomorrow.
As the drivers went out at the beginning of Q3 on inters it quickly became clear that the crossover point to slicks was close. The field opted to put in banker laps on intermediate tyres and after the first runs Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton led the way from Bottas.
However, rivals were already pulling into the pit lane to take on slick tyres to take advantage of the steadily improving surface. One of those was Hamilton, but in the pit entry the Briton momentarily lost control and clipped the wall, damaging his front wing. The delay to fit the new wing meant he would be one of the last to take to the track and that he would only get one opportunity.
And in the end it was McLaren’s Lando Norris who made the most of the conditions to claim his first pole position. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Williams’ George Russell also made their moves at the right time to take P2 and P3 respectively ahead of Hamilton who claimed fourth place with his opening lap.
Behind the Mercedes driver, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo took fifth place ahead of the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. Lance Stroll was eighth for Aston Martin, Pérez finished ninth for Red Bull and the final top-10 place was taken by Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:41.993 7 206.414
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:42.510 0.517 0.507 7 205.373
3 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:42.983 0.990 0.971 7 204.429
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:44.050 2.057 2.017 6 202.333
5 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:44.156 2.163 2.121 7 202.127
6 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:44.204 2.211 2.168 7 202.034
7 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:44.710 2.717 2.664 7 201.058
8 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:44.956 2.963 2.905 7 200.586
9 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:45.337 3.344 3.279 7 199.861
10 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:45.865 3.872 3.796 7 198.864
11 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:46.573 1.444 1.374 8 197.543
12 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:46.641 1.512 1.438 9 197.417
13 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:46.751 1.622 1.543 9 197.214
– Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 2
– Charles Leclerc Ferrari/Ferrari
16 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:49.586 3.594 3.391 10 192.112
17 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:49.830 3.838 3.621 10 191.685
18 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:51.023 5.031 4.747 9 189.625
19 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:53.764 7.772 7.333 10 185.056
– Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 2 -
Deepak leads Momentum 1-2; Defending champ Arjun Balu on pole
Chennai, 25 Sept 2021: Shahan Ali Mohsin, the 17-year old from Agra and a multiple National Karting champion, snatched the pole position in the MRF F1600 category just ahead of Chirag Ghorpade of Bengaluru while K Suriya Varathan from Coimbatore and Bengaluru’s Rishon Rajiv occupied the second row. Meanwhile, Deepak Ravikumar from Chennai led a brilliant 1-2 finish for Momentum Motorsport along with Ghorpade in the Formula LGB 1300 race in the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 at the MMRT here on Saturday.
Two other X30 karting talent, Ruhaan Alva, the reigning Senior champion and Delhi school boy Jaden R Pariat, originally from Guwahati, the vice-champion in the Junior section, posted competitive times making their debut in the National Racing championship at the Madras Motor Sports Track (MMRT). More than half a dozen newcomers made their debut in the National Championship taking part in the Formula LGB1300, the entry class on Saturday as the sounds of the single-seater Formula cars reverberated at Madras Motor Sports Club.
Deepak Ravikumar celebrates his victory in the Formula LGB 1300 race (Sept 25) at MMRT. Photos By Anand Philar Behind him, Ghorpade covered a lot of ground starting from P8 to finish a deserving second ahead of Kotagiri’s 10th standard student Amir Sayed (M Sport) who too cut through the field from P7.
In the popular Saloon car category, Coimbatore veteran and defending champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), expectedly took the pole position followed by the Rayo Racing pair from Hyderabad Anindith Reddy and Jeet Jhabakh.
Another Bengalurean, Aditya Sawaminathan, qualified for pole position in the Volkswagen Polo category with Bangladesh’s Aiman Sadat in second position and Kolkata’s Arya Singh third.
The results (Provisional):
Arjun Balu, who took pole position in the Saloon cars category (Sept 25) at MMRT. Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport, Chennai) (20mins, 04.575secs); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport, Bengaluru) (20:10.045); 3. Amir Sayed (MSport, Kotagiri) (20:12.571).
Qualifying – MRF F1600: 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (Best lap – 01:40.148); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (01:40.741); 3. K Suriya Varadhan (Coimbatore) (01:40.977).
All Saloons – Indian Touring Cars: 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (01:50.927); 2. Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (01:52.329); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (01:52.592).
Super Stock: 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (01:58.645); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (01;58.841); 3. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (01:59.433).
Indian Junior Touring Cars: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (01:58.911); 2. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing, Chennai) (02:03.402); 3. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai) (02:05.029).
Volkswagen Polo: 1. Aditya Swaminathan (Bengaluru) (1:56.609); 2. Aiman Sadat (Bangladesh) (1:56.747); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (1:56.993).
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Superbike rider Dean Berta Viñales passes away at Jerez
Jerez, 25 Sept. 2021: Following a serious incident during Race 1 of the Motul Spanish Round of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, it is with great sadness that we report the passing of rider Dean Berta Viñales (Viñales Racing Team).
Berta Viñales was involved in a multi-rider incident at Turn 1, with the race immediately Red Flagged.
The rider suffered severe head and thoracic injuries. Medical vehicles arrived at the site immediately and the rider was attended to on track, in the ambulance and at the circuit Medical Centre.
Despite the best efforts of the circuit medical staff, the Medical Centre has announced that Berta Viñales has sadly succumbed to his injuries.
The FIM, Dorna and the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto pass on our deepest condolences to Berta Viñales’ family, friends, team and loved ones.
Following the incident, the remainder of Saturday’s action has been cancelled.
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Jehan Daruvala posts stunning lap, misses pole by a whisker: F2
Oscar Piastri claimed his third consecutive pole position of the 2021 season in Russia, setting a blistering lap time of 1:47.465 at the Sochi Autodrom which was enough to beat Jehan Daruvala to the top spot. By adding four points to his championship tally, he further extends the gap to rival Guanyu Zhou, who was forced to settle for fourth place.
Sochi (Russia), 24 Sept 2021: Ace Indian driver and Red Bull Academy talent posted a stunning lap, but Piastri beat him after that by just 0.188 second in the qualifying session on Friday.
The Mumbai-born Indian prospect, driving for Carlin team is buoyed with the good session and will start the feature race on Sunday in P2 but for the Sprint race on Saturday he will be on P9 on the grid. “It was another close session and it was another P2 and I am really pleased with the session. The forecast for tomorrow is rain but the big one is on Sunday where I will start on the front row. The car is awesome and I thank Carlin, cheers,” said the Indian, who is considered as the best bet to become the next Indian in F1.
ART Grand Prix’s Christian Lundgaard was the first driver to emerge on the circuit at the start of Qualifying on Friday afternoon, with Ralph Boschung topping the timesheet at the end of the first runs with a 1:48.130.
However, after all drivers completed a cool down lap and then another push lap, it was Zhou who found himself positioned at the head of the leader board, becoming the first driver to dip into the 1:47s, while Daruvala moved into third position behind Piastri.
The cars then returned to the pits in preparation for the final runs. When the drivers returned to the track once more with 10 minutes to go, Piastri set the fastest time, going marginally faster than Zhou, who couldn’t improve on his third flying lap.
The fight for pole appeared to be on between the top two in the championship, however on his final push lap Carlin’s Jehan Daruvala found time to jump to the head of the table with a 1:47.653 and looked to be on for his maiden pole position in Formula 2.
However, the charging Piastri couldn’t be denied, and the Australian driver went almost two-tenths quicker than Daruvala to seal his third pole position of the season.
A late improvement for Théo Pourchaire saw him move into third place, while Zhou couldn’t improve on his final effort and was forced to settle for fourth, over half a second down on pole-sitter Piastri.
Boschung, who displayed strong pace in the Free Practice session as well as during Qualifying, was fifth fastest ahead of Jake Hughes, who makes another outing for HWA RACELAB this weekend.
Robert Shwartzman was seventh, while the Hitech Grand Prix duo of Liam Lawson and Juri Vips were eighth and ninth respectively, the latter securing a front-row start for Sprint Race 1. Rounding out the top ten and ensuring he would start on reverse pole for Saturday morning’s race was Carlin’s Dan Ticktum.
Sprint Race 1, which is forecast to be held in wet conditions, is set to get underway at 10:30am local time on Saturday.
