INDIA in F1

Blog

  • Lucas Di Grassi wins finale’s double-header opener

    Lucas Di Grassi wins finale’s double-header opener

    Victory for Lucas Di Grassi on Audi’s farewell weekend, a fighting drive by Edoardo Mortara, a non-score for Nyck de Vries and a race of two halves’ for DS Techeetah set the scene for a pulsating final day of the 2020/21 campaign…

    Berlin, 14 August 2021: Lucas Di Grassi delivered Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler a sublime second victory of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Berlin today (14 August), as he stormed into title contention on the German manufacturer’s home soil.

    From third on the grid around the Tempelhof Airport circuit, Di Grassi – a winner in the German capital two years ago – initially held station, closely shadowing fellow former champions Jean-Éric Vergne and António Félix da Costa ahead, with the DS TECHEETAH drivers trading places at mid-distance as the defending title-holder advanced to the front of the field.

    No sooner had he conceded the top spot than qualifying pace-setter Vergne found himself under pressure from not just one but two Audis, with René Rast having scythed his way up the order in ATTACK MODE from 12th on the starting grid. The pair wasted little time in making their move as they relegated the Frenchman to fourth, but they were not done yet, and a peerless display of teamwork saw Di Grassi and Rast depose da Costa from the lead in one fell swoop.

    Once Rast’s ATTACK MODE had run out, the German began slipping back down the order, but his team-mate was still very much on a mission and after relinquishing the initiative to ROKiT Venturi Racing duo Edoardo Mortara and Norman Nato when he activated his own ATTACK MODE, he swiftly set about reclaiming it.

    As the top three pulled away from Rast, Di Grassi relived Nato of second place with 13 minutes remaining, before rapidly zeroing in on Mortara in the lead. It was not long before the 2016/17 champion was through, and despite a late counter-attack from his Swiss rival, he held on to secure his 12th career Formula E win – a result that has vaulted him up the order from 14th in the Drivers’ table to sixth with just one race remaining.

    The runner-up spoils for Mortara have elevated the Venturi ace to second in the title standings, only three points adrift of the summit, while Mitch Evans similarly kept his own championship aspirations very much alive with a hard-fought third place for Jaguar Racing.

    From seventh on the grid, the New Zealander immediately gained a position at the expense of Nissan e.dams’ Sébastien Buemi before continuing to move forward, pulling off an ultra-committed switchback pass on Nato through Turns Six and Seven to squeeze through to third. Thereafter, he drove a defensive line to keep the Frenchman at bay, as the Venturi rookie narrowly missed out on the rostrum but nonetheless celebrated the best result of his season to-date in fourth.

    Jake Dennis was another to launch a late assault on the podium, the BMW i Andretti Motorsport man showcasing his excellent racecraft as he recovered from a slow start to wind up fifth and gain a spot to third in the championship chase. Behind the Briton, Vergne and da Costa ultimately faded to sixth and seventh, around a circuit where they had dominated only 12 months earlier.

    Maximilian Günther in the second BMW i Andretti Motorsport entry and Rast were the remaining two drivers in the hunt for silverware in the closing stages – ultimately placing eighth and ninth, as the latter posted the race’s fastest lap – with André Lotterer taking the last point on offer in tenth.

    Amongst the big names that failed to score, Sam Bird survived a first lap tag that sent him into a half-spin only for his Jaguar Racing machine to crawl to a halt on the start-finish straight just over ten minutes in, bringing out the safety car and spelling the British driver’s third straight retirement since briefly re-taking the championship lead in New York last month.

    Having begun the E-Prix from the back of the grid, Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-EQ) and Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing) could manage no better than 12th and 15th at the chequered flag, while Nyck de Vries in the sister Mercedes lost time due to a collision with Mahindra Racing’s Alex Lynn that necessitated a visit to the pits and left him a lap down.

    The Dutchman still leads the championship, albeit now by a reduced margin, with the gloves set to come off tomorrow (Sunday, 15 August) for one final showdown on the streets of Berlin, when the 2020/21 FIA Formula E World Champion will be officially crowned. The 15th round of the season on the circuit’s reversed ‘NILREB’ layout will get underway at 15:34 CET

  • Martin beats Quartararo to record-breaking Austria pole

    Martin beats Quartararo to record-breaking Austria pole

    Styria (Austria), 14 August 2021 : It’s back-to-back premier class pole positions for rookie sensation Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) as the Spaniard goes from Q1 to P1 with a new Red Bull Ring lap record. A scintillating 1:22.643 in Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich qualifying saw Martin oust World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) on his very last lap by just 0.034s, as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) claims P3 for Sunday’s outing.

    Q1 to P1: Martin produces yet more Saturday heroics

    Ahead of the pole position shootout, Styrian GP winner Martin found himself in Q1 after a late crash in FP3 cost him a top 10 shot. The likes of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) were expecting to head into the Q2 fight, with FP4 second place finisher Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) also looking strong.

    It all came down to the final flying laps for the top two places in Q1. Martin led Rins by 0.2s but Oliveira and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) were all setting red sector times, with the Portuguese rider eventually cementing P2 by just over a tenth from Rins, with Martin sailing through as the fastest rider with a 1:23.197.

    Pitlane then fell silent, Queen rang around the Red Bull Ring speakers as we waited to see who the King of qualifying would be in Austria. Johann Zarco’s (Pramac Racing) 1:23.984 was the initial benchmark time but that would be beaten on the next set of laps, as teammate Martin launched his GP21 went P1 by over three tenths.

    However, Quartararo was lighting up the timing screens and the Frenchman soared across the line to set a brand-new, blistering lap record: a 1:22.677. An unreal effort from El Diablo saw him hold a 0.360s advantage over Martin as the riders pitted for fresh Michelin rubber. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) went P3 with just over four minutes to go, before Bagnaia placed himself into P3 with his first accountable lap time of Q2.

    Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) climbed to P4 on his last lap but attention then turned to the two Pramac Racing Ducatis: Zarco and Martin. The latter was clinging onto the coattails of his teammate and through Sector 3, the rookie sensation was 0.176s under Quartararo’s time. Zarco took the chequered flag first and moved ahead of Marquez to P4, but Saturday afternoon belonged to Martin once again in 2021 as the Martinator claimed pole and a new lap record by 0.034s. A magnificent effort from Martin to beat Quartararo, the two finishing well clear of Bagnaia in third.

    How the other Q2 contenders finished

    Zarco was smiling back in the garage and will launch from the spearhead of Row 2 in fourth place, the Frenchman is joined by 5th place Marc Marquez and sixth place Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team). World Champion Mir lines up in P7, 0.7s away from pole, as Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Oliveira complete Row 3. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) will be hoping to pull another Sunday masterclass out the hat from 10th, the Hondas of Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) will start from 11th and 12th respectively.

    If Saturday is anything to go by, then Sunday’s MotoGP™ encounter is shaping up to be a stunner in the Styrian mountains. Can Martin make it two poles and two wins at the Red Bull Ring? Find out when Round 11 from Austria gets underway at 14:00 local time (GMT+2).Top 10:               1. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) – 1:22.6432. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.0343. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.4204. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 0.4775. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.5846. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.6777. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.7358. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 0.7809. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.85610. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.92

    Action from MotoGP LIVE – MotoGP Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Main Race will be LIVE on EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD from 14:15 Hrs (02:15 pm IST) onwards on Sunday, 15th August, 2021. The same will be live streamed on discovery+ app.

  • Arjun Maini forced out after a stellar start: DTM series

    Arjun Maini forced out after a stellar start: DTM series

    Zolder (Belgium), 9 August 2021: Mercedes-AMG DTM driver Arjun Maini had to end his weekend at the Zolder race circuit prematurely after suffering a damaged chassis through no fault of his own.

    Maini, who is backed by Omega Seiki and J.K.Tyre, made a stellar start during the first race of the weekend in Belgium. The 23-year-old overtook four cars, moving up to 11th before ultimately becoming a victim of circumstance as the pack made their way into Turn 5.

    The DTM rookie, who at the time was locked in a battle with title protagonist Liam Lawson, as well as experienced campaigner Daniel Juncadella, was battling for 10th place before Juncadella made an uncharacteristic error, missing his braking point and hitting Arjun from the rear .The cascading result meant that both Maini and Lawson were taken out too, with ensuing carnage forcing all three drivers to retire before they could complete a single lap.

    To rub salt into Maini’s wounds the damage sustained to his chassis was deemed so severe that the Indian had to miss the second race of the weekend entirely. Despite Juncadella’s public apology, the Mercedes-AMG driver was left bitterly disappointed after suffering yet another DNF.

    “I’m obviously very disappointed by the end result as it means my weekend ended before even it started,” a palpably upset Maini stated.

    “I made a great start and was able to make my way up to 11th, if it wasn’t for the incident, I’m sure I could have scored my first points of the season as I clearly had momentum on my side.

    “Fair play to Daniel Juncadella for apologizing both privately and publicly. We all make errors at some point and it was unfortunate that I was caught up in an incident that had very little to do with me.

    “There really isn’t much else to say and I’m looking forward to racing at the Nürburgring.”

    Maini’s debut in DTM has proved to be anything but smooth. The Indian driver has shown flashes of pace but has simultaneously had a large helping of bad luck thrown his way during the races so far.

    The latest incident has to hurt the most as the Mercedes-AMG driver will leave Belgium without even having completed a lap of racing. However, with more than half a season of racing to go, Maini is more than capable of securing a few strong results to round out his championship.

    The next race of the 2021 season is scheduled to take place at the legendary Nürburgring circuit in Germany on August 20-22.

    Note: Updated 14 Aug 2021

  • Martin reigns the Red Bull Ring for magnificent maiden win

    Martin reigns the Red Bull Ring for magnificent maiden win

    The wait is over for Pramac Racing as the rookie puts in a stunner for his first premier class win and the team’s first with Ducati

    Spielberg, 8 August 2021: On Sunday MotoGP saw a new winner! From injury to pole position to top step of the podium, comeback stories don’t get much better than Jorge Martin’s (Pramac Racing) first weekend back from the summer break. The Spaniard broke the lap record for pole on Saturday and then put in an imperious performance to outpace reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on Sunday, taking his first premier class win and becoming the first Independent Team rider on a Ducati to win a MotoGP™ race. And for Pramac Racing, the wait is over as that victory with Ducati finally comes their way.

    Mir took second and his best result of the season so far, with Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) completing the rostrum to do some impressive damage control in the standings at a tougher venue for Yamaha. 

    The first race start of two saw Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) take the holeshot as Mir and Martin slotted in behind, but it wasn’t long before a huge moment of drama would interrupt proceedings. A couple of laps later, MotoGP™ Legend and wildcard Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) slid off out of Turn 3 – and his bike was then struck by Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). Both riders were up and ok after the crash, but the bikes burst into flames and the Red Flag came out immediately – leaving a clean-up job to do.

    Savadori headed for a check up and was found to have fractured his right malleolis, therefore out of the restart – but Pedrosa was able to get back out. After a considerable wait for the track to get cleaned and race ready, a new distance of 27 laps was set and the grid lined up again.

    But again, more drama hit – this time for Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the number 12 couldn’t get away on the Warm Up lap and was forced into pitlane. That left a gap on the grid, and the lights then finally went out for the second time.

    This time around, Martin took the holeshot but Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) struck at Turn 3, with Mir slotted into third and a gap back behind the trio already. Quartararo was on the chase, with another – after the same in the first start – moment between Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) slightly shuffling the pack just behind as El Diablo took the inside line and the room ran out.

    At the front though, Miller led Martin led Mir, but Quartararo was homing in – and closest Championship challenger Zarco was the last man going with the front group. Bagnaia, meanwhile, had dropped behind both LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez and LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami. Another rider of note was Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), as the South African started to ignite his Sunday charge, up into ninth and looking like little would stop further progress.

    Up ahead, by the braking zone for Turn 3, Martin was into the lead and past Miller though, and Quartararo and Zarco switched and switched back. Mir then got past Miller to get on the chase for victory, and a gap started to open up behind the leading duo. By 21 to go, Quartararo moved past the Australian too, and Miller responded at Turn 4 before El Diablo elbowed his way back through. With that, the gap to the lead duo only grew…

    Quartararo managed to hold on in third, but then more drama hit behind him to assure it. Martin and Mir had disappeared in the distance and Miller was starting to put the pressure on the number 20 in the fight for the podium, but disaster hit for the Australian with 10 laps to go. Suddenly sliding out at Turn 7, his rostrum hopes were over and the Yamaha ahead was released into some solid breathing space.

    From there on out, the key question became: Martin or Mir? But as the laps ticked down, the answer became clearer. The number 89 was edging away, and then a mistake from Mir at Turn 3 just took the gap over a second… and that was that. If Martin could keep it clean, his first premier class win was there for the taking.

    Keep it clean he did. Mir did too from there on out, but it wasn’t quite enough as the Pramac Racing rider in the lead just pounded on. Over the line, the comeback fairytale was complete and Martin took the flag with a second and a half in hand, making some incredible history with an emotional victory, from a pole position lap record no less. Mir was forced to settle for second but was right back in the hunt – and moved up to third in the standings – with Quartararo a distant but valuable third as Ducati territory didn’t play out that way for his closest challengers in the points.

    Fourth place, meanwhile, looked set for much of the race. But Brad Binder had other ideas, and the South African absolutely smashed the final lap. Beginning it behind both Nakagami and Zarco, the KTM rider wanted more than sixth and that’s exactly what he got. Dispatching the Japanese rider AND the Frenchman in just one lap, the number 33 took fourth and the honour of top KTM on home turf. Sunday rider can also be a compliment!

    Nakagami then snatched fifth and Zarco was forced to settle for sixth, losing out some ground to Quartararo. Alex Rins slotted into seventh, with Marc Marquez able to salvage eighth after some dramas for the number 93 on Sunday. Alex Marquez faded in the latter stages to ninth but still took a valuable top ten… as did Pedrosa, in the end. Bagnaia was given a time penalty for not taking a Long Lap – he exceeded track limits – and that puts the number 26 back into the top ten in Grand Prix racing. An impressive achievement for any rider, but especially more than two years after retirement.

    Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) took P12 and managed to stay ahead of Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT), who in turn held off Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia). Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing), after a stronger start, completed the points in P15. 

    So that’s all for Styria… but not for the Red Bull Ring, the stunning venue welcomes MotoGP back for more next weekend for the Austrian Grand Prix, and there’ll be a new premier class winner lining up: Jorge Martin. Will the deck shuffle again or can he go back to back? We’ll start to see some answers on Friday!

    MotoGP Podium:

    1 Jorge Martin – Pramac Racing – Ducati – 38:07.879
    2 Joan Mir – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +1.548
    3 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +9.362

    *Independent Team rider

  • Hemanth Muddappa claims feature race: Drag Nationals

    Hemanth Muddappa claims feature race: Drag Nationals

    Chennai, 8 August 2021: Riders from Bengaluru, spearheaded by reigning champion Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing swept the honours in the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday amidst strict Covid safety protocols.

    Muddappa, 31, astride his Suzuki Hayabusa, was the quickest of all riders, clocking 07.882 seconds over 302-metres strip while winning the featured Super Sport Above 1051cc category ahead of fellow-Bengalureans Hafizullah Khan (08.116) and Harish Naik (08.538). Muddappa currently holds the National Drag record at 7.783 which he set here on 10th October in the 2020 first round last year. 

    Hemanth Muddappa (centre), winner of the Above 1051cc class, flanked by second-placed Havizullah Khan (left) and third placed Harish Naik in the 2021 Drag Nationals Round 1 at MMRT, Chennai on 8 Aug 2021.

    Despite the comfortable win, Muddappa said due to the high track temperature, the timing was a tad slower than he wanted. “The track temperature affected all the riders and we all posted slower timings. We were much quicker in January during the final round of the 2020 championship,” said Muddappa.

    Another Bengalurean, Mohd Riyaz (08.026) topped the time sheets in the Super Sport 851-1050cc class, followed by Muddappa (08.116), who was a bit slow off the mark, and debutant NV Satyanarayana Raju (08.191) from Hyderabad.

    On Saturday, Chennai riders swept the podium spots in the Girls (4-stroke, up to 165cc) category with Lani Zena Fernandez, Nivetha Jessica and Soundari Sindy finishing in that order.

    The results:

    Lani Zena Fernandez (centre), winner of the Girls race, flanked by second-placed Nivetha Jessica (left) and third-placed Soundari (Sindy) on Saturday. Photos by AB Photography

    Super Sport (Above 1051cc): 1. Hemanth Muddappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (07.882secs); 2. Hafizullah Khan (Bengaluru) (08.116); 3. Harish Naik (Bengaluru) (08.538). 851-1050cc: 1. Mohd Riyaz (Bengaluru) (08.026); 2. Hemanth Muddappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (08.116); 3. NV Satyanarayana Raju (Hyderabad) (08.191).

    Super Sport Indian – 361-550cc: 1. Aiyaz Rem (Bengaluru) (12.568); 2. Zuheeb Ahmed (Bengaluru) (12.860); 3. D Annish Samson (Speed Up Racing, Bengaluru) (12.942). 226-360cc: 1. Bharath Raj (Rockers Racing, Chennai) (12.602); 2. Yogeshwaran (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (12.798); 3. D Annish Samson (Speed Up Racing, Bengaluru) (13.050).  Up to 165cc: 1. Kevin Kannan (RACR Castro Power, Chennai) (14.573); 2. Anand R (Chennai) (14.824); 3. Chandrashekar (Bengaluru) (14.910).

    GIRLS (4-Stroke, up to 165cc): 1. Lani Zena Fernandez (Chennai) (16.591); 2. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (16.640); 3. Soundari Sindy (Chennai) (16.794).

    2-Stroke Up to 130cc: 1. Mujahid Pasha (Bengaluru) (13:547); 2. Prashanth (Chennai) (13.682); 3. Mohd Rafiq (Bengaluru) (13.733). 131-165cc: 1. Mohd Rafiq (Bengaluru) (12.818); 2. Husain Khan (Mumbai) (13.002); 3. Aiyaz Rem (Bengaluru) (13.047).

    Note: All photos published are taken by Shameem Fahath for `Aditya Bedre photography’

  • Thrilling maiden F1 victory for Esteban Ocon: Race Analysis

    Thrilling maiden F1 victory for Esteban Ocon: Race Analysis

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    Esteban Ocon unexpectedly won a thrilling race at the Hungaroring circuit, his first career win as Sebastian Vettel finished second but was later disqualified for a technical infringement. Subsequently Lewis Hamilton got the second spot and Carlos Sainz was promoted to the podium spot in third.

    New Delhi, 2 August 2021: Esteban Ocon achieved his first career victory as he led the whole race ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Later the German getting disqualified due to a technical infringement as race officials could not extract the required amount of fuel sample from his car. This promoted Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz on the podium, his second podium of the year after Monaco. Ocon’s Alpine teammate Fernando Alonso finished P4 who played a pivotal role in helping his teammate win. AlphaTauri duo of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda finished in P5 and P6 respectively. Both Williams drivers Nicholas Latifi and George Russell achieved points for the first time, crossing the line in P7 and P8. Max Verstappen could only manage P9 in his heavily damage Red Bull and Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the top 10.

    Ricciardo was unable to finish in the top 10 as he nursed his McLaren throughout the race with Haas’ Mick Schumacher and Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi the last two race finishers.

    Valtteri Bottas collided with two cars of Lando Norris and Sergio Perez with all three retiring atthe start due to terminal damage. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll skidded onto wet grass and took out Charles Leclerc and both were unable to continue in the race. An unsafe release by Alfa Romeo meant that Raikkonen tagged Nikita Mazepin in the pits, with the Russian’s car having suspension failure due to contact.

    Esteban Ocon, third from left, poses with Hamilton, right and Vettel, left, after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. A Mercedes image

    The forecasted rain arrived before the race start as everyone changed to intermediate tyres. The race got underway, and Hamilton was cleanly off from the pole. His teammate Bottas got a less than ideal start as he fell prey to Verstappen and Norris. Bottas overcooked his breaking point in turn 1 and speared into Norris who in turn damaged the right side of Verstappen’s car. Meanwhile, Bottas lost his front wheel and tagged Perez. The Mexican carrying on for another sector before his engine shut off due to damage. Stroll tried to get on the inside of Leclerc’s Ferrari in turn 1, but he lost control on the wet grass and collected Leclerc who tagged Ricciardo’s McLaren because of the knock-on effect. Leclerc and Stroll retired on the spot. Several cars retiring on the grid and debris meant the race was red flagged.

    When the race got underway, a bizarre sight was witnessed as only Hamilton started on the grid and everyone else on the grid pitted for dry tyres. Hamilton and Mercedes later realizing their mistake and pitting one lap after the race was underway as the Briton slotted into last position. Ahead briefly Russell lead the grand prix in his Williams before being asked to give the positions back due to overtaking in the pitlane. Ocon assumed the race lead with Vettel close behind followed by Sainz.

    Hamilton passed Giovinazzi and Schumacher but was stuck in a train as it is notoriously difficult to overtake at this track even if the car has superior pace. Mercedes pitted Hamilton again for hard tyres on lap 19. Both Ricciardo and Verstappen pitted a lap later trying to cover Hamilton, but his undercut was superior as he got past both of them and releasing the Briton in free air. By lap 32 Hamilton was up to P5 passing the likes of Schumacher, Latifi and Tsunoda in the process.

    To cover Hamilton’s undercut, Ferrari pitted Sainz on lap 32 and the Spaniard emerged in front of the Mercedes driver. Ahead Ocon was still in the lead defending from the relentless pressure of Vettel with Alonso in third. All three yet to pit. Vettel was the first to pit among the race leaders as he attempted an undercut with Ocon following suit for hard tyres a lap later. Ocon just about managed to stay in front and resume his defense for the victory. Alonso pitted on lap 39 emerging behind Sainz and Hamilton but on fresher tyres.

    Mercedes pitted Hamilton again on lap 47 for medium tyres, trying to do the ‘Hungary 2019’ strategy again with even Toto Wolff assuring Hamilton on the team radio. Hamilton quickly caught up to Alonso and Sainz. Hamilton and Alonso had a titanic duel as Alonso defended hard but fair with the Briton attacking lap after lap. This battle being reminiscent of the past two decades between this pair. Finally Hamilton managed to get past Alonso by lap 65 and overtaking Sainz by lap 67. But he could not challenge for the win as the battle with Alonso had cost him too much time.

    The day belonged to Ocon as he triumphed at Hungary for his first Formula 1 victory with Vettel getting another podium in his decorated career- later being disqualified. Hamilton had to settle for P3 but was happier of the two title rivals as he retook the championship lead alongside Mercedes.

    The Formula 1 circus heads for a well-deserved summer break as racing will resume at the end of August for the Belgian Grand Prix. See you then!

    Mercedes upgrades confirmed that they have clawed back performance compared to Red Bull. Hungaroring was expected to suit Red Bull’s car characteristics, but Mercedes got pole position by over four-tenths of a second, securing a front row lockout and had the fastest race car. If not for Mercedes’ strategy error, they would have won. Red Bull had a miserable weekend as they unexpectedly lost to their German rivals in qualifying. Already on the backfoot, both drivers’ race was ruined due to the turn 1 melee started by Bottas as they managed to salvage two points for this weekend. They lost both championship leads.

    AlphaTauri had an encouraging race weekend as the Gasly out qualified both McLaren and Ferrari cars. They also achieved a double-points finish which will help them in the fight for P5 in the constructors championship. The Hungaroring circuit suiting the characteristics of the AT02 as it requires high downforce. McLaren had a dismal race weekend scoring no points as they were caught up in the turn 1 incident and therefore it is difficult to judge how they would have done in the race. Ferrari had a positive race with Sainz as they managed to achieve a podium. Ferrari had decent qualifying pace and very close to Gasly and Norris’ pace as they were just separated by 0.013s in qualifying.

    This was a mega result for Alpine as Ocon got his first win. Qualifying pace wise they were behind the top three midfield teams this race but made most of the opportunity in the race. Ocon’s performance boosted in the last few races as he swapped his chassis. Alonso played a key role in Ocon’s victory as he held off Hamilton for more than 10 laps. Aston Martin arguably had a faster car in race trim than Alpine unable to pass Ocon for the race lead as it was difficult to overtake. Vettel’s car was later disqualified, and he lost P2 as the race stewards could not extract the required amount of fuel sample from his car. Aston Martin have lodged an appeal against this.

    Williams finally achieved double points finish which helped them jump to P8 in constructor’s standings. They showed mediocre qualifying pace as Russell was knocked out of Q1 for the first time this season but made full opportunity of the incidents at the start to achieve points. Alfa Romeo lacked race pace to challenge Williams but still managed P10 with Raikkonen. Haas were unable to make full use of the race incidents to achieve points with Schumacher and admittedly lacked pace to do so.

    Saturday Qualifying Results were:

    P1: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes)P2: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes)
    P3: Max Verstappen- 33 (Red Bull)P4: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull)
    P5: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri)P6: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren)
    P7: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari)P8: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine)
    P9: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine)P10: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Aston Martin)
    P11: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren)P12: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin)
    P13: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo)P14: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo)
    P15: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari)P16: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri)
    P17: George Russell- 63 (Williams)P18: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams)
    P19: Nikita Mazepin- 9 (Haas)P20: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas)
  • Ruhaan, Rohaan and Nikhilesh claim Round 1 honours

    Ruhaan, Rohaan and Nikhilesh claim Round 1 honours

    Bengaluru, 1 August 2021: In the battle between youth and experience,talented Bengaluru teenager Ruhaan Alva took the honours in the first round brushing aside the challenge of two-time National champion Ameya Bafna to lead the table in the MSport IAME X30 Senior Class of the MECO fmsci National Karting Championship 2021 at the 12.km Meco Kartopia track at Bangalru, near here on Saturday and Sunday.

    X30 Karting Nationals Round 1 Senior Class winners after 4 races. From left: MR Rishon 3rd, Ruhaan Alva 1st and Ameya Bafna 2nd;

    Making a comeback after a hiatus of five years, the 26-year Mumbai racer, Ameya Bafna, who won the National Karting Championship in Senior Class in 2012 and 2014, began with a bang posting a facile victory in Race 1 ahead of Bengaluru pilot Magehalli Rishon Rajeev in second. Ruhaan Alva, after dominating the Junior Class in 2020 upgraded himself to the Senior Class looking for better competition but struggled with the balance of the kart in Race 1 and could finish only third. But the talented 15-year-old, starting P4 on the reverse grid ahead of Rishon and Ameya Bafna, made amends and won Race 2. Behind Ruhaan, Rishon finished second again bagging valuable points and Ameya had to settle for third on the podium.

    Ameya came back winning Race 3 but suffered issues with the silencer and could finish only 8th in Race 4. Ruhaan, who kept himself with a striking chance taking second place in Race 3, won the last race with ease taking a six-second lead over Rishon and set a blistering lap of 56.360 on the way. He also clocked the fastest lap of the week-end, a 56.28 in warm-up. Ruhaan leads the points table with 33 points after Round 1 followed by Ameya Bafna and MR Rishon, both on 27 points.

    In the Junior Class, another talented Bengaluru racer Rohaan Madesh won three races to take the Championship lead with 32 points while his younger brother, Ishaan Madesh, the 2020 Cadet champion, won Race 3. Abhay M, also from Bengaluru, who was consistent bagging three second places and a third place, was second in the standings with 27 points ahead of Ishaan on 20 points.

    X30 Round 1 Junior Class – 1st – Rohaan Madesh (centre); 2nd – Abhay M; 3rd (right)- Ishaan Madesh (left)

    In the Cadet Class, Aditya Suresh Kamat and Arafath Sheikh won a race each on Saturday while Nikhilesh Raju clinched both the races on Sunday and with the two second places he bagged on Saturday, the 11-year, Grade 6 student of Vibgyor High School, Bengaluru took the Championship lead with 34 points. Aditya has logged 30 points while Arafath claimed 26 points after Round 1.

    This is the first of the five rounds in the National X30 championship. Each round has four races offering a maximum of 40 points. X30 Round 2 and 3 will be held together from August 13 to 15 while the final two rounds, Round 4 and 5 are scheduled for August 27 to 29. All rounds will be held at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru, unless Carona restrictions disrupt the schedules.

    MSport IAME X30 India 2021 National Karting Championship (at Meco Kartopia, Bengaluru)

    X30 Round 1 Cadet Class: 1st – Nikhilesh Raju (centre); 2nd – Aditya Suresh Kamat (right); 3rd – Arafath Sheikh (left)

    Round 1 Final provisional classification:

    Seniors (15 laps)

    Saturday: Race 1: 1. kart#32 Ameya Bafna (Mumbai) (14:41.597); 2. #25 MR Rishon (Bengaluru) (14:46.375); 3. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:49.808); Best lap: Ameya Bafna 56.880; Race 2: 1: Ruhaan Alva (14:30.977); 2. MR Rishon (14:33.300); 3. Ameya Bafna (14:33.468); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 56.703.

    Sunday: Race 3: 1. Ameya Bafna (14:23.399); 2. Ruhaan Alva (14:26.885); 3. MR Rishon (14:31.115); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 56.419; Race 4: 1. Ruhaan Alva (14:30.839); 2. MR Rishon (14:37.309); 3. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (14:42.481). Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 56.360.

    Juniors (12 laps)

    Saturday: Race 1: 1. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:08.116); 2. #11 Abhay M (Bengaluru) (12:08.299); 3. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (12:14.940); Best lap: Abhay M 56.983; Race 2: 1. Rohaan Madesh (12:23.232); 2. #17 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:24.523); 3. Abhay M (12:25.070). Best lap: Abhay M 56.871;

    Sunday: Race 3: 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:38.782); 2. Abhay M (Bengaluru) (11:41.156); 3. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:41.385); Best lap: Ishaan Madesh 56.452; Race 4: 1. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:41.008); 2. Abhay M (Bengaluru) (11:43.499); 3. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:46.559); Best lap: Ishaan Madesh 56.415;

    Cadet (10 laps)

    Saturday: Race 1: 1. #2 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Bengaluru) (11:05.088); 2. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (11:07.440); 3. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (11:07.686); Best lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.881; Race 2: 1. Arafath Sheikh (11:08.223); 2. Nikhilesh Raju (11:12.114); 3. Aditya Suresh Kamat (11:14.461). Best lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.657;

    Sunday: Race 3: 1 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (11:29.864); 2. Aditya Suresh Kamat (Bengaluru) (11:32.642); 3. #3 Vedha Vishnu (Chennai) (12:00.659); Best lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.846; Race 4: 1 Nikhilesh Raju (10:56.494); 2. Aditya Suresh Kamat (11:03.359); 3. Vedha Vishnu (11:05.795); Best lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.592;

    Standings after Round 1:

    Cadet Class (Total grid = 5)

    1. Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) 34;
    2. Aditya Suresh Kamat (Bengaluru) 30;
    3. Arafath Sheikh (Pune) 26;
    4. Vedha Vishnu (Chennai) 22;
    5. Zarah Mishra (Bengaluru) 16;

    Junior Class (Total grid = 12)

    1. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) 32;
    2. Abhay M (Bengaluru) 27;
    3. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) 20;
    4. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) 19;
    5. Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) 19;
    6. Ranvir Singh (Pune) 17;
    7. Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) 8;
    8. Neythan McPherson (Pune) 8;
    9. Tharun M (Bengaluru) 2;

    Senior Class (Total Grid = 8)

    1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) 33;
    2. Ameya Bafna (Mumbai) 27;
    3. MR Rishon (Bengaluru) 27;
    4. Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengaluru) 17;
    5. Shaurya Kapani (Mumbai) 17;
    6. Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) 13;
    7. G Rahul Reddy (Hyderabad) 11;
    8. Dhruv Mugugappan (Chennai) 7;
  • Vettel disqualified; Hami promoted to P2

    Vettel disqualified; Hami promoted to P2

    Sebastian Vettel has been excluded from the result of the Hungarian Grand Prix after his Aston Martin teams failed to provide sufficient fuel from his car after the race to meet regulations.

    According to the decision handed down by the FIA race stewards it was not possible to take a 1.0 litre sample of fuel from Vettel’s car after the race, stating that though “the team was given several opportunities to attempt to remove the required amount of fuel from the tank, however it was only possible to pump 0.3 litres out”.

    The stewards’ decision added: “During the hearing in presence of the FIA Technical Delegate and the FIA Technical Director the team principal of Aston Martin stated that there must be 1,44 litres left in the tank, but they are not able to get it out. This figure is calculated using the FFM or injector model.

    “Given this situation, car No. 5 is not in compliance with the requirements of Art. 6.6 FIA Technical Regulations. According to Art. 6.6.2 competitors must ensure that a 1.0 litre sample of fuel may be taken from the car at any time. The procedure was followed however the 1.0 litre sample of fuel was unable to be taken.

    “The Stewards determine to apply the standard penalty for technical infringements. Therefore they took into account, that it shall be no defence to claim that no performance advantage was obtained.”

    The decision therefore was that “Car 5 (Vettel) is disqualified from the results of the Race”.

    While Aston Martin have the right to appeal, Vettel’s exclusion from the result promotes Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to second place in the result with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claiming third. Haimilton will therefore will go into Formula 1’s summer break with an eight-point Driver’s Championship lead over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, while Mercedes now lead the Constructors’ Championship with 303 points, 12 ahead of Red Bull.

  • Stunning maiden win for Esteban Ocon: Hungarian GP

    Stunning maiden win for Esteban Ocon: Hungarian GP

    Budapest, 1 August 2021: Alpine’s Esteban Ocon held of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel to take a surprise maiden grand victory after collisions in turn one upset the order and brought out the red flags. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, fought back to third place after a tactical error at the restart left him in last place in the Round 11 of the Formula 1 World Championship on Sunday.

    Later, Vettel was disqualified and the rest of the nine drivers after him were promoted.

    At the start, held in drizzly conditions and with the field on intermediate tyres, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas made a poor getaway from P2 on the grid and was passed by third-place starter Max Verstappen, the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez and by McLaren’s Lando Norris, who moved in front of the Mercedes driver. 

    Bottas attempted to recover but when Norris appeared to brake slightly early to avoid trouble in Turn 1, the Finn driver locked up and ploughed into the back of the Englishman’s car. Norris cannoned into the side of Max’s RB16B with the championship leader’s car sustaining heavy damage to the floor. Bottas, meanwhile, bounced through the corner and collided with Pérez. 

    Seeing the incident unfolding, Lance Stroll tried to move to an inside line for Turn 1 but Charles Leclerc was already turning and the Aston Martin driver made heavy contact with the Ferrari driver who exited the race. The Safety Car was quickly deployed.

    Verstappen and Pérez were initially able to continue but midway thorugh the lap Pérez pulled over and retired from the race. Verstappen limped back to the pits for visual checks but as he rejoined his right bargeboard detached and with debris in the pit exit and scattered across Turn 1 the red flags were displayed.

    In the pit lane pole position man Lewis Hamilton held P1 for Mercedes ahead of Ocon and Vettel. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was fourth ahead of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’ Niocholas Latifi was sixth. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso sat in seventh place ahead of Williams’ George Russell, the Alfa Romeo of Kimi Räikkönen and the Haas of Mick Schumacher, while ahead of the wounded RB16B of Verstappen at the restart would be AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. 

    Race control informed the teams that a standing start would take place and the cars were led out of the pit lane by the safety car. The entire field went out for the formation lap on intermediate tyres but with the sun now rapidly drying the track it quickly became clear to all but Hamilton that slicks would be required. The race leader made his way to the front of the grid but behind him the entire field pitted to take on slicks. Hamilton was left alone on the grid to restart the race on his own. 

    As Hamilton powered away towards Turn 1, the rest of the order then filed out of the pit lane and took up position behind him. Mercedes immediately told Hamilton to pit at the end of the lap and Ocon soon took up the race lead ahead of Vettel and Latifi. 

    Hamilton dropped to P14 and last as Verstappen made his way to P11 but as Ocon and Vettel pulled away from the pack, the championship leaders struggled to get past rivals at the back of the field. 

    Verstappen  eventually made his way past Schumacher to claim P10 and that became ninth place when Räikkönen served a penalty for an unsafe release in the pit lane traffic ahead of the restart. Hamilton eventually made his way to P13 and then, on lap 20 he dived into the pits to take on hard tyres.

    Red Bull then pitted Verstappen for hard tyres, but with the Dutchman struggling for pace in his damaged car the undercut worked for Mercedes and Hamilton swept past as the Dutchman exited the pit lane. 

    Verstappen was now in 12th place just behind McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. But even though the Red Bull driver could get inside DRS range of the McLaren, the Australian was getting a similar boost from George Russell ahead and the champion leader found himself stuck at the tail of a train of cars. 

    Ahead, Hamilton continued his march forward and by lap 35 he was in fifth place behind Alonso, who needed to make another pit stop. The Spaniard briefly took the race lead when Vettel and Ocon took on fresh tyres, with Ocon holding the advantage, but a lap later Alonso made his stop and Hamilton swept past to claim fourth place behind Sainz. The Briton was struggling for grip on his hard tyres, however and Mercedes opted to pit him for new mediums and a renewed assault. 

    Further back, Verstappen pitted to find a way out of the train and after taking on new medium tyres began to attack the cars ahead.

    Hamilton then began to reel in the top four and on lap 54 he was just 1.8s behind Alonso. Verstappen, meanwhile, has made his way past Räikkönen and was up to P11 and closed in on Ricciardo eventually getting past the Australian with 10 laps to go to secure P10 and a single point.

    Alonso’s defence against Hamilton eventually expired at the start of lap 65. The Alpine driver had a momentary lock up into Turn 1 and Hamilton pounced to steal P4 on the run down to Turn 2. The Mercedes driver quickly closed on Sainz and at the start of lap 67 he powered past the Ferrari to take third place. 

    And there the odder solidified. Vettel could find no way to mount an attack on Ocon and though Hamilton pressed hard to reel in the Aston Martin driver he couldn’t close the gap and after 70 laps Ocon crossed the line to take a memorable first grand prix win ahead of Vettel and Hamilton. 

    Fourth place went to Sainz, with Alonso a brave fifth ahead of Pierre Gasly, who took the point for fastest lap. Seventh place went to Yuki Tsunoda, while Williams celebrated their first points in two years thanks to Nicholas Latifi and George Russell’s finishing eighth and ninth respectively.

    Verstappen now goes into the break in P2 in the Drivers’ standings. Hamilton now leads on 192 points with Max six points behind. The team is now P2 in the Constructors’ 10 points behind Mercedes. 

    2021 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Race
    1 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 70 2:04’43.199
    2 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 70 2:04’45.058 1.859
    3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 70 2:04’45.935 2.736
    4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 70 2:04’58.217 15.018
    5 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 70 2:04’58.850 15.651
    6 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 70 2:05’46.813 1’03.614
    7 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 70 2:05’59.002 1’15.803
    8 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 70 2:06’01.109 1’17.910
    9 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 70 2:06’02.293 1’19.094
    10 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 70 2:06’03.443 1’20.244
    11 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 69 2:05’00.261 1 lap /17.062
    12 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 69 2:05’12.032 1 lap /28.833
    13 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 69 2:05’21.793 1 lap /38.594
    14 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 69 2:05’22.828 1 lap /39.629
    Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 3 31’35.873 Collision
    Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 2 5’29.158 Collision
    Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 0 Collision
    Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 0 Collision
    Charles Leclerc Ferrari 0 Collision
    Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 0 Collision

    Pirelli KEY MOMENTS

    • Alpine driver Esteban Ocon took his first ever Formula 1 win at a dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix, which originally started with all the field (apart from Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi) on Cinturato Green intermediates in wet conditions. A collision at the first corner brought out a red flag, during which teams were allowed to change tyres and repair any damage.
    • Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who led the field away for the re-start, was the only competitor to keep the intermediates and start from the grid, while all the other drivers came into the pits for medium tyres. Hamilton then pitted for mediums too at the end of the first racing lap following the re-start, rejoining last but eventually finishing third after an early switch to hard followed by a final run on mediums.
    • Ocon effectively re-started on the P Zero Yellow medium C3 tyre after the second formation lap and then switched to the P Zero White hard C2 on lap 37, one lap after Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, who finished a close second on an identical strategy.
    • After record-breaking temperatures on Friday and warm conditions yesterday, the weather completely changed today with rain and 28 degrees ambient, plus 32 degrees of track temperature at the start of the race. The track then warmed up considerably after few laps, peaking at 40 degrees of asphalt temperature.

    Mercedes Session Report

    A race of high drama results in a P3 and a DNF for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix

    • Lewis completed a remarkable recovery drive to finish on the podium despite finding himself running last on lap five after an action-filled start to the race.
    • Valtteri suffered wheelspin in the heavy rain at the race start, losing position to the cars around him on entry to the first corner. He locked brakes and collided with NOR, sparking a multi-car accident with several cars suffering damage and a number of retirements, including Valtteri. Lewis was unscathed out-front.
    • The race was red-flagged and upon the standing restart, the Team chose to keep Lewis out on the Intermediate tyre and start from the grid, while the remainder of the field behind opted to pit for slick tyres and start from the pit lane.
    • On a rapidly drying track, Lewis was forced to pit just one lap later to fall in line with the other cars and found himself emerging from the pits 14th and last, with a mountain to climb.
    • Lewis carved his way through the field with a number of impressive overtakes to climb to fifth with a little over 10 laps to go, before encountering a stubborn ALO who defended strongly and cost Lewis precious time.
    • Eventually, Lewis made the pass on ALO and quickly dispatched SAI thereafter but ran out of laps and was forced to settle for a heroic P3, joining debut-winner OCO on the podium alongside VET in P2.
    • Lewis Hamilton (192 points) leads the Drivers’ Championship by 6 points from Max Verstappen (186) and Lando Norris in P3 (113), with Valtteri (108) in P4.
    • The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team (300 points) lead Red Bull by 10 points in the Constructors’ Championship.

    Estaban Ocon: I don’t know what to write I’m lost for words, we just won the Hungarian @f1 Grand Prix i will forever remember this moment !!

    Thank you to @AlpineF1Team without them I would not have make it, and what a drive by the legend himself @alo_oficial he’s part of this too.

    Sebastian Vettel says; “Second place is a great result and we can be proud of our performance, but when you are that close to victory, you always want more. At the start of the race, I could see the contact ahead of me, so I took the inside line and found myself with the leading cars. From then on, I felt like I tried to take the lead for the entire 70 laps, but it is so difficult to overtake here. I think we were quicker for most of the race, but there was not enough of a difference to make an overtake because it was very hard to follow in the dirty air. I tried to pressure Esteban [Ocon] into a mistake, but he did not make a single one. Congratulations to Esteban, it is his day and I am very happy for him. He deserved the victory. I will sleep well tonight knowing I gave it my all. We have a good fight on our hands in the midfield with Alpine and AlphaTauri, so we will take the summer break to rest up and come back ready to fight in Belgium.”

    Lewis Hamilton says: First of all, I want to say a quick congratulations to the Alpine Team and to Esteban – he’s been a shining star for some time now so it’s been a long time coming and I’m really, really happy for him. It’s great to see Aston Martin up there with their best result so far and I know there’s more to come from them. We’ve had an amazing crowd this weekend and I’m grateful for the support.

     Today was definitely tough, it’s crazy to think we were the only ones on the grid at the start, but these things happen in an unpredictable race, and we will learn any lessons that need to be learnt. I gave it everything today and I had nothing left at the end. I came into this weekend not knowing how we would perform and considering the circumstances today, I’ll take P3!

  • Akhil Rabindra-Conde finish P11 in Silver Category in Race 1

    Akhil Rabindra-Conde finish P11 in Silver Category in Race 1

    Spa Francorchamps, 1 August, 2021: Akhil Rabindra, the only Indian on the European GT4 Championship grid, racing for AGS Events Racing Team, finished P11 in the Silver category in Race 1 along with his team mate Hugo Conde in an incident laden round four of the championship in Belgium on Saturday evening at the iconic Circuit de Spa Francorchamps which also hosts  the much-awaited Belgian Grand Prix .

    The Indo-French duo driving the Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for AGS Events Racing Team had earlier finished at P13 & P12 in the Silver category at the Qualifying race 1 & 2 respectively. Akhil took to the steering wheel after the pit stop in Race 1 of the fourth round of the European GT4 Championship made an impressive run to finish P11 in the Silver category and an overall P23 from a grid of 37 cars. Akhil while being on the driver’s seat completed 21 laps in 1:02:22.434 minutes.

    Circuit Spa is known for inconsistent weather and the rain started with the formation lap which caused a lot of splashes and caused visual disruptions for the drivers on the grid. Akhil started the Race 2 and Hugo who took over the driver’s seat after the pit stop but with just few minutes to go for the final lap the damper broke and the duo finished the race at P14 at Silver cup category and completed 19 laps at 57:09.649 minutes and  overall P36.

    Akhil Rabindra commented, “We could have done much better and are definitely not happy with our performance. The rain made it difficult it impacted the speed and also the technical glitch at the end of the race which was unexpected. We will have to keep working on our performance and keep improving to ensure that in future such indirect and unforeseen hurdles do not impact our positions drastically.”

    Round 4 of the European GT4 Series saw #22 Allied Racing Porsche’s victory in Silver Cup, #42 Sainteloc Racing Audi in Pro-am and #12 BMW  in the AM Cup claiming the top honors. The European GT4 Series now moves to Circuit Nürburgring, Germany for round five of the Championship from September 3rd -5th , 2021. The race can be watched LIVE on the YouTube Page of European GT4 Series.

    About European GT4 Championship:

    The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Championship which utilized the GT1 and GT2 classes.

    GT4 class cars are mostly what can be referred to as track day cars, which are factory-built race cars available to the public. However, custom-built cars based on production models can also be built by teams. All cars are test driven by the FIA and then modified so that they all have near identical performance levels. Once a car has been approved by the FIA, it cannot be modified by the teams, eliminating continual development costs for constructors. All cars run on regulated Pirelli tires to further equalize performance.