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Theo Pourchaire takes pole for Feature Race; Jehan qualifies P6 in group: F2
Monaco, 20 May 2021: Théo Pourchaire will start his first ever Feature Race in Monte Carlo from the front of the grid. The 17-year-old putting on a magnificent drive in Qualifying to become the second tier’s youngest ever polesitter, beating Robert Shwartzman by nearly half a second.
Indian racer Jehan Daruvala of Carlin Racing has qualified P6 in his group which means he will start P11 in Race 1. “It is not an ideal qualifying session. But I will be pushing hard in the race tomorrow to move up the field from here,” promised Daruvala in a tweet.
Labelling Monaco as a home race ahead of the weekend, Pourchaire said he only lives around 45 minutes from the historic street circuit, but had never actually raced there before. Not that you’d have known, the Frenchman beating Oscar Piastri – who will start P3 – by 0.458s with a time of 1:20.985 in Group A.
Despite knowledge of the time to beat, and slightly greater track evolution, Shwartzman wasn’t able to better the ART Grand Prix driver’s time in the second group. Finishing first ahead of Dan Ticktum, the PREMA driver was still 0.418s offPourchaire and will start from second.
GROUP A
As is standard for Monte Carlo, qualifying was split into two groups of 16 minutes each, with Group A made up of even-numbered cars.
Jüri Vips and Felipe Drugovich leapt to first and second as the initial fast laps came in, but there was still more time to be found, with the latter scraping the barriers on his way around.
Vips improved on his time to retain first on his next tour, but then clipped the barriers on the final push and handed an opportunity to Pourchaire, who responded by going half a second faster than the Red Bull junior, with a lap of 1:20.985.
Oscar Piastri couldn’t find as much time as Pourchaire, but did better Vips’ effort to jump from sixth to second. Roy Nissany dove into P4, dropping Drugovich down to fifth.
GROUP B
With Pourchaire watching on intently from the pitlane, Round 1 polesitter Guanyu Zhou set the fastest time of the first push in Group B, but remained more than a second off the provisional polesitter.
The UNI-Virtuosi man fell to fourth on the second run with a poor middle sector, as Free Practice leader Shwartzman stole first, ahead of Ticktum and Christian Lundgaard.
Track temperature was continuing to rise as the last set of push laps began and Ticktum briefly snatched P1 from Shwarztman, but the Russian swiftly stole it back at the chequered flag, with a lap of 1:21.403.
One of just four drivers with experience of driving an F2 car around Monaco, Ralph Boschung put his Campos in third place, relegating Lundgaard to fourth and Zhou to fifth.
With the results aggregated, Pourchaire will start the Feature Race from pole, flanked by Shwartzman. Piastri will line up in third, ahead of Ticktum. Vips will start from fifth, with Boschung sixth, Nissany seventh and Lundgaard eighth. Drugovich and Zhou complete the top 10.
Finishing 10th overall, Zhou will start from reverse grid pole in Sprint Race 1 on Friday at 11.45am local time.
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Sergio Perez quickest in FP 1 ahead of Carlos Sainz
Monaco, 20 May 2021: Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez topped the timesheet in the opening practice session for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, beating Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen. There was misfortune, though, for home favourite Charles Leclerc who was sidelined by a technical issue for the bulk of the session.
The opening minutes of the hour saw Sainz quickly get into the groove as he traded P1 times with championship leader Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard should have been joined in that exchange by team-mate Leclerc but after 10 minutes the Monegasque driver headed back to the pits with a gerarbox issue. He would take no further part in the session.
Back on track, Sainz was steadily chipping away at his times and eventually the Ferrari driver worked his way down to a lap of 1:13.388 on this weekend’s C4 medium compound tyre.
Hamilton and Mercedes’ team-mate Bottas edged close to the Spaniard’s time with Hamilton taking P2 behind the Ferrari man. Verstappen then appeared to split the Mercedes as the half hour mark approached.
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso then had a close call as he clipped the barriers in the final corner, damaging his front wing and bringing out the yellow flags.
Verstappen then jumped to the top of the leaderboard with a lap of 1:13.191, set on the C3 hard tyre.
His tenure was brief, however. Both Mercedes drivers edged past the Dutchman’s benchmark with Hamilton taking P1 thanks to a lap of 1:12.995.
Sainz then retook first place by three hundredths of a second before AlpahTauri’s Pierre Gasy’s bolted on soft tyres to take P1 with a lap of 1:12.929.
With 15 minutes to go Verstappen moved to the top on 1:12.648s using medium tyres and team-mate Perez got into the mix with a P2 time of 1:12.817 set on soft tyres.
In the final moments Pérez jumped ahead of his teammate with a session-best time of 1m12.487. Sainz shuffled Verstappen to third with a medium-tyre lap of 1:12.606.
Gasly took fourth for AlphaTauri, just under half a second off Pérez, while Hamilton finished fifth ahead of Bottas. Lando Norris, who yesterday signed a new long-term contract with McLaren, finished seventh ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel. Yuki Tsunoda finished ninth in the second AlphaTauri ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
1 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:12.487 36 165.729
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:12.606 0.119 32 165.457
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:12.648 0.161 39 165.361
4 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:12.929 0.442 37 164.724
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:12.995 0.508 34 164.575
6 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:13.131 0.644 36 164.269
7 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:13.236 0.749 31 164.034
8 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:13.732 1.245 33 162.930
9 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:13.746 1.259 39 162.899
10 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:14.081 1.594 31 162.163
11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:14.090 1.603 33 162.143
12 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:14.106 1.619 27 162.108
13 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:14.205 1.718 37 161.892
14 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:14.268 1.781 41 161.754
15 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:14.281 1.794 36 161.726
16 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:14.320 1.833 37 161.641
17 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:14.616 2.129 33 161.000
18 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:14.801 2.314 35 160.602
19 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:14.840 2.353 35 160.518
20 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:19.618 7.131 4 150.885 -
Shwartzman tops times in Free Practice; Jehan P15: F2
Monaco, 20 May 2021: PREMA Racing’s Robert Shwartzman pulled off a storming lap in the final two minutes of a disrupted Free Practice in Monte Carlo, setting 1:22.041 to finish more than half a second ahead of Carlin’s Dan Ticktum and Hitech Grand Prix’s Jüri Vips.
Indian racer Jehan Daruvala useds the practices to get some crucial data was P15 on the timesheets.
There were three stoppages in the opening 20 minutes of the session, the first coming with only six laptimes on the board after Marino Sato came to a halt on track and brought out a Red Flag.
A second was required after Gianluca Petecof’s Campos went up in smoke, but not before a full set of fast laps from the grid, with Felipe Drugovich the quickest of the lot running at 1m 24s.
Liam Lawson was the first to try out the Super Soft tyres when action resumed, but the Hitech Grand Prix racer wasn’t able to set a fresh time due to a third stoppage. This time only a Virtual Safety Car was required, after Bent Viscaal clipped the wall.
The field finally got some uninterrupted running in with 17 minutes to go, Vips breaking the 1m 24s barrier to leap to first. The Estonian improved again on his next run, strengthening his place at the top of the table with a tour of 1:22.628.
The times started to tumble in the final two minutes of the session, with Shwarztman thumping around the streets of Monaco on softs to steal first, beating Vips’ time by nearly six tenths. Ticktum jumped the Hitech as well, but was still half a second off the Russian.
Vips did hold onto P3, beating out Drugovich by 0.035s. Ralph Boschung – who had briefly held P2 in the final five minutes – finished sixth behind the second PREMA of Oscar Piastri.
Taking seventh and eighth, Lawson and Marcus Armstrong were more than a second off the leading lap, while Guanyu Zhou and Roy Nissany completed the top 10.
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Akhil Rabindra makes it to Aston Martin Academy again
Bangalore,19 May 2021: Bengaluru based 24-year-old GT4 racer Akhil Rabindra, today made it to the coveted list of the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy third time in a row for the 2021 class. Akhil who is currently competing for AGS Events Racing team at the European GT4 Championships, is the only Asian to have made it to the prestigious AMR driving academy along with 14 others from across the world. The British luxury sportscar manufacturer made this important announcement today. Aston Martin through their driver academy aim to search for the next generation of GT4 endurance superstars and the 2021 class has only 15 elite drivers ( all between 17-26 years) from around the world competing with the hope to land up with an Aston Martin Junior drivers contract a year later. Akhil currently drives an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for AGS Events Racing team.
Akhil will be racing the second round of the 2021 season at the European GT4 Championships from 28th-30th May,2021. The race would be hosted at the Paul Ricard circuit.
A thrilled and excited Akhil reacted after the announcement saying, “I am extremely excited and delighted to be on the AMR Driver Academy again this season. This year I have all the experience gathered from the past two years and no excuses to perform to the best to my ability to prove to myself and AMR. I would like to thank my sponsors, AGS Events Racing Team for their continued support and faith in my dream.”
The selection criteria to this elite program are based on a wide range of criteria including pace, consistency and technical feedback. The judging panel included AMR President David King, Managing Director John Gaw, two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jonny Adam (GB), works star Ross Gunn (GB), and Hasse-Clot. The judging panel also evaluate each drivers’ ability to manage the strategic,teamwork, commercial and public relations aspects of their role.
Rabindra is the only Asian to have made it to the highly respected AMR Driver Academy for consecutive years in 2019-20 & 2020-2021. The 24 year old racer will also the only Indian driver in the European GT4 Championship this season.
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McLaren Racing extends Lando Norris driver contract
Woking, 19 May 2021: McLaren Racing is pleased to announce it has extended its relationship with Lando Norris, the team’s current Formula 1 driver, in a multi-year agreement.
The 21-year-old from Somerset, UK, has been part of the McLaren family since early 2017, initially joining as Test and Simulator driver, following championship victories in all but one of the single-seater junior formulae he competed in. Lando became McLaren Test and Reserve driver in 2018, taking part in a number of free practice sessions, before being promoted to a full-time race seat for the 2019 season.
Since his Formula 1 racing debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2019, Lando has emerged as one of the sport’s most talented and popular drivers, impressing with performances resulting in two podium finishes at the Austrian Grand Prix in 2020 and, most recently, at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix earlier this season.
This announcement cements the McLaren driver line-up for the coming years, confirming Lando Norris alongside 31-year-old Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who began a long-term relationship with the team at the start of the 2021 season.
The confirmation of its driver pairing beyond 2022 signals McLaren Racing’s commitment to stability for the future and represents a further step in the team’s long-term plan to compete at the front of the field.
Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing said:
“I’m delighted with the extension of our agreement with Lando for 2022 and beyond. He’s been instrumental in our return of form here at McLaren and we’re proud of the growth he’s shown since he first started with us back in 2017. Lando is one of the brightest talents on the Formula 1 grid and we look forward to seeing him continue to go from strength-to-strength both on and off track.”
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren F1 said:
“Our decision to confirm Lando’s long-term future at McLaren was very straightforward. Lando has impressed us since his rookie year with his performances, and his evolution as a driver since then has been clear to see. He’s an integral part of our performance recovery plan and his record so far, securing two podiums with the team over the past year, has shown he’s a formidable competitor on track. Like him, we have strong ambitions for our future together and I’m pleased we’re continuing this journey for both Lando and the team. In Lando and Daniel we have a hugely talented and exciting driver line-up, and this announcement is a strong signal of commitment to the next chapter for McLaren from 2022 onwards.”
Lando Norris, McLaren Formula 1 driver said:
“I’m really pleased to have extended my relationship with McLaren from 2022. Having been with the team for almost five years, I feel very much part of the family here and I couldn’t imagine starting the next phase of my career anywhere else. McLaren has been a huge support since my days in junior series and I’ve really enjoyed learning and developing as a driver since.
“My commitment to McLaren is clear: my goal is to win races and become Formula 1 World Champion and I want to do that with this team. Since joining in 2017 our progression has been consistent and we have clear ambitions together for the future.
“I want to say thank you to Zak and Andreas for the belief they’ve shown in me since the beginning, and to the whole team for giving me such a strong environment to continue my career in. We’ve already had some incredible moments together which I’ll never forget – two podiums and securing P3 in the championship – and together with Daniel and the rest of the team I’m looking forward to pushing for even more success in the years to come.”
About McLaren Racing
McLaren Racing was founded by New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren in 1963. The team entered its first Formula 1 race in 1966, since then McLaren has won 20 Formula 1 world championships, more than 180 Formula 1 grands prix, the Le Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt and the Indianapolis 500 three times.
McLaren Racing currently competes in Formula 1 globally and INDYCAR in the US. The team will contest the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. In 2021 McLaren Racing will race in the INDYCAR Series with drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, while Juan Pablo Montoya will compete for the team at the 105th running of the Indy 500 in a third Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.
About Lando Norris2021 (up to and including Spanish Grand Prix, round 4)
McLaren (4th, 1 podium, 41 pts)
2020
McLaren (9th, 1 podium, 97 pts)
2019
McLaren (11th, 49 pts)
2018
Formula 2 (2nd, 1 win, 1 pole, 9 podiums, 219 pts)
McLaren Test and Reserve Driver
2017
European Formula 3 (Champion, 9 wins, 8 poles, 20 podiums, 441 pts)
McLaren Test and Simulator Driver
2016
Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (Champion, 6 wins, 10 poles, 11 podiums, 316 pts)
Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup Champion (Champion, 5 wins, 6 poles, 12 podiums, 253 pts)
Toyota Racing Series (Champion, 6 wins, 8 poles, 11 podiums, 924 pts)
McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award winner
2015
MSA Formula (Champion, 8 wins, 10 poles, 15 podiums, 413 pts)
2014
CIK-FIA World Karting Championship (Champion)
2013
CIK-FIA European Karting Championship (Champion)
CIK-FIA Karting Super Cup Championship (Champion)
WSK Euro Series Karting Championship (Champion)
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WorldSBK returns for Round 1 from MotorLand Aragon
216 days will have passed since the last round of WorldSBK action, but now it’s game on at Aragon
Aragaon, 17 May 2021: It’s finally here, the moment we’ve all waited for: the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship fires back into life this weekend for Round 1 of the season, coming from the MotorLand Aragon venue in Alcañiz, Spain. For the first time since 2004, the Championship starts in Europe and with new names, new bikes and refreshed team line-ups all playing a part, we could be in for one of the most unpredictable seasons yet. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) may be the reigning six-time World Champion, but this may well be the hardest challenge yet.
Jonathan Rea has a sparkling record at MotorLand Aragon. He’s never missed the podium since joining Kawasaki in 2015, a run of 17 a record on its own. He’s also aiming for a 100th win in WorldSBK, which would make him the first motorcycle racer in an FIM Road Racing World Championship to win 100 races in one class. He took three wins at Aragon in 2020 and aims to start his quest for a seventh title strongly. His teammate is Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who, despite a preseason testing injury, is ready to make a step in 2021. Rea and Lowes have the new Kawasaki ZX-10RR at their disposal, which features a new fairing and more powerful engine.
The charge to toppling Kawasaki comes from Ducati and they’ve got a strong line-up in 2021. 2020 runner-up Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) remains for a second season, with charismatic Italian sensation Michael Ruben Rinaldi alongside him. Redding took two wins at MotorLand Aragon last year, whilst Rinaldi took a first of his career before going on to take two more podiums throughout the rest of the Teruel Round. Both have tested extensively in preseason, including at Aragon, and with Ducati being the most successful manufacturer at the venue in terms of victories, it may add a different dynamic and complexion to the start of 2021.
The next-best manufacturer in 2020 was Yamaha, with Turkish-ace Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) taking fourth overall last year with three wins. Toprak struggled at Aragon in 2020, breaking into the top five only once from six races at the track, a venue which has been tricky for Yamaha in recent years. Razgatlioglu will have a new teammate for 2021 with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) stepping up, having dominated World Supersport last year, taking 12 wins – of which four were at Aragon. He’s been chipping away in testing, whilst Yamaha have a modified front fairing for 2021 and an evolved engine, as well the new Brembo front brake calipers. Are these steps enough to start the year in competitive fashion?
Whilst Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) and teammate Leon Haslam remain with Honda for 2021 and achieved an identical points tally in 2020, there’s still plenty of big talking points at HRC for 2021. The first is ex-WorldSBK star Leon Camier is the new team manager, having retired from racing after an injury-hit 2020. The other major change is the technological advances with the motorcycle, such as an upgraded engine, new exhaust system and seat unit, not to mention a swingarm that had been trialled in testing. The HRC engineers back in Japan have invested a lot of time into making the Fireblade CBR1000RR-R SP a constant front-running contender and with Aragon being the scene of the bike’s first podium in 2020 and the scene of plenty of preseason testing, it could be a strong start. After all, Bautista did win three races at the venue back in 2019, when he was a rookie…
The last of the five factories is BMW, who come out fighting in 2021 with an all-new M 1000 RR, the first Superbike derived from their M-series department. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) starts a third season with the German manufacturer and the season starts where he achieved the first front row for the manufacturer on their return in 2019. Sykes has more poles than anyone else at Aragon, whilst new teammate Michael van der Mark was a consistent front-runner in 2020 across both Aragon weekends. Still adapting to the new bike, which features winglets, a new engine and a whole host of other advances, van der Mark hopes to start 2021 in solid fashion.Now to the Independent stars: the undisputed King of Aragon is Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven), who gets started with his new team. Seven wins and eight other podiums, Davies – the highest point-scorer of all riders from the final three rounds of 2020 – may be in the fight this weekend. Another top Independent threat comes from Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team), who took two podiums at the final round of 2020 and has the 2021-spec Yamaha for this year. Lots of testing, including at MotorLand Aragon, Gerloff should be at the front. Three other familiar names with Independent teams in 2021 are Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse), who debuts with the new team, Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team), with the Argentinean-ace starting a new challenge and Christophe Ponsson (Alstare Yamaha), who brings the iconic Alstare name back to WorldSBK.
There’s lots of rookies in Independent teams in 2021, with Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing) being the fastest coming into the season, whilst ex Moto2™ World Champion Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) joins the grid from MotoGP™. 2017 WorldSSP Champion Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) graduates and Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) brings his radical riding style to WorldSBK to fly the flag for Japan. Isaac Viñales (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) steps up to the class, whilst one of the youngest teams on the grid is the TPR Team Pedercini Racing squad, with 22-year-old Belgian Loris Cresson and 23-year-old Italian Samuele Cavalieri. Finally, the youngest rider on the grid is Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), who has made a solid first impression during testing. -
J Rod finishes overall 4th as two Hero riders in top-5
Villamartin (Spain), 16 May 2021: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the rally racing team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, completed their first rally of the new season on a strong note with two of its riders finishing in the Top 5 in overall standings.
Joaquim Rodrigues and Franco Caimi, placed fourth and fifth respectively after Stage 3 started the final stage with the best chances of achieving a Podium for the team. Joaquim made a strong start to the stage but settled on the side of caution owing to a couple of crashes and brought the bike home safely in the seventh position. This was enough for him to earn a fourth place in the overall standings, building upon his win in the Prologue and a strong performance throughout the rally.
Franco Caimi also made a strong final dash and managed secure a fifth place in the last stage of the rally, his efforts rewarding him with a fifth place in the overall standings too. With this he managed to achieve a Top 5 finish in his very first rally in Hero MotoSports colors.
Sebastian Buhler, who had received a 15 minutes penalty yesterday owing to an engine change effectively lost his chance of an overall podium finish. Yet, he put the new engine to good use and achieved good speed to finish the final stage in fourth place. He finished the rally on the eight position in the overall rankings.
Sebastian Buhler finishes overall 8th. A Hero MotoSports image With a report card that boasts of a stage win in the Prologue, three stage podiums, seven Top-5 stages and all the riders competing for the top positions, Andalucia Rally, undoubtedly turned out to be a highly successful and positive first step for the Team into the new season. The resurgence of Joaquim Rodrigues, the consistency of Sebastian Buhler and the fresh energy of Franco Caimi in the team augurs really well for the team’s prospects in the upcoming season.
Next up for Hero MotoSports Team Rally will be the Rally Kazakhstan scheduled from June 7– 13, where the team will be looking to gain more experience and saddle time for the riders while battling for top results.
Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: ”This has been a great start to our season. We tested some new configurations in the bike and also in the team. I am very happy that we have a lot of positives to take home. It was great to see JRod back among the top positions, while Buhler was very impressive with his consistency and in Caimi we have another top contender bringing fresh energy into the team. The bike has also performed really well and supported the riders to fight for the top positions, so all in all, I think we have a very good combination. Now we look to build on this further in the next rallies. Last but not the least, we want to express our thanks to everyone back in the Hero family and our supporters across the world. This is a tough time for all of us and we urge you to keep safe.”
Joaquim Rodrigues, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “Today was difficult day for me as I had a couple of crashes and hurt my hand and knee a little bit. So, I decided to slow down and focus on getting the bike to the finish safely. In the second part I got into a better rhythm and pushed through to the finish line. I am setting a good pace on the bike and the bike is also performing really well so I am happy with the results. I want to thank my team, entire Hero family and all our fans for their support.”
Franco Caimi, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “I focused today on improving my feeling and confidence on the bike so I am happy to be at the end and with the way things have gone in my first rally with my new team. I really enjoyed it and want to thank my entire crew for doing a fantastic job through the rally and also our supporters and my new Hero family. Now we will start our work for the upcoming Kazakhstan Rally.”
Sebastian Buhler, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “I am very happy that I managed to get some good stages for the team in the rally. The bike worked really well and the team also made a great job so everything was perfect. I feel that I am getting better day by day and even though the results could have been better, overall we had a very good rally. I want to express my special thanks to our team and fans across the world.”
Provisional Stage 4 Rankings:
1. Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy Honda Team 02h 09m 55s;
2. Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda Team +11s;
3. Lorenzo Santolino Sherco Factory Rally Team +47s;
4. Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally +01m 05s;
5. Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally +02m 00s;
7. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally +02m 50s;
Provisional Overall Rankings after Stage 4:
1. Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda Team 10h 47m 32s;
2. Lorenzo Santolino Sherco Factory Rally Team +03m 28s;
3. Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy Honda Team +10m 29s;
4. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally +13m 50s;
5. Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally +14m 05s;
8. Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally +26m 04s.
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Full GAS! Garcia takes stunning 2nd win at a wet Le Mans
The Spaniard takes the glory with a supreme charge to the front, ahead of a first podium for Salač and Rossi as the weather mixes up the field in France
Le Mans, 16 May 2021: Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) put in an absolute stunner on race day at the SHARK Grand Prix de France, the Spaniard making his way through to lead early on in difficult conditions and nothing able to stop him from there. It’s his second Grand Prix win, his first for GASGAS and the marque’s first victory since joining Moto3 this season. P2 went to Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team) as the Czech rider proved the only man able to push Garcia to the flag, ultimately forced to settle for second, with front row starter Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) completing the podium for his first career rostrum finish to top off an impressive weekend at Le Mans.
Sergio Garcia: “I feel very good! Because this victory was a very difficult victory, the track conditions were changing during the whole race but I kept focused and concentrating to win the race and I think this is the target! The track was really drying. I’m very happy with my ride, I pushed very hard to the limit. And this victory is for my team and my family.”
Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) took the holeshot from pole, but after a few corners of shuffle it was Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) in the lead. Not long after though, the dream was over early as the Italian crashed out, soon followed by Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Jeremy Alcoba (Indonsesian Racing Gresini Moto3). Then it was drama time for Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), and the biggest earthquake then came for his teammate Pedro Acosta. Up from outside the top 20 on the grid, the Spaniard then overcooked it and went down, but he was up quickly as he slotted back in pretty much where he started in P21.
Ahead of the drama, two riders had emerged in the early lead: Garcia and Salač. With three seconds in hand back to Rossi in his own little bit of clear air, it wasn’t plain sailing but the two pounded on. After a couple of wobbles, Garcia started to make his own gap too…
Rossi was being chased by Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), with a big group then fighting for sixth – and Acosta back in that. More drama hit not long after for one of the Spaniard’s key points rivals too, as Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) tumbled out from the front of the freight train fighting for sixth. The South African rejoined but right at the back, and with quite a gap. That left rookies Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) heading that group… the two up from the very back of the grid after an incredible charge through the chaos.
Meanwhile at the front, with 10 to go Garcia overcooked it at Turn 8 and headed wide, the Spaniard carefully getting straight back onto the racing line but Salač able to slice through to lead. It didn’t last long though, Garcia gathering it back up and soon taking over again – once again, pulling out a gap.
It would stretch and then Salač would pull it back, but by the last lap the Spaniard had 1.9 in hand and just one more tour of Le Mans to the top step. And he kept it calm in style to take his second ever Grand Prix win and the first Moto3™ win for GASGAS, a true masterclass from early doors to the flag. Salač impressed for second and his first podium, with Rossi setting the fastest lap on his last lap to stay out of the clutches of McPhee.
The Scot put in a late charge as he got past Sasaki and started to reel in the podium, but had to settle for fourth in the end. After a run of bad luck though, that’s the Scotsman’s first points of the season. Sasaki continued his run of fast consistency in 2021 to come home fifth.
Fernandez took his best ever result with a stunning charge to sixth, coming home top rookie just ahead of fellow debutant Artigas. The two came from the very back to cross the line almost neck and neck. Next up was another rookie: Acosta. The Championship leader sliced back into the fight for the top ten after his early crash, and took eighth and eight points – a good recovery, and enough to extend his points lead given the drama around him.
Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) lost out late on to Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) as the Turk pipped him to ninth, with polesitter Migno fading back to 11th, but still some solid points. CarXpert PrüstelGP’s Ryusei Yamanaka and Jason Dupasquier took P12 and P13, respectively, with rookies Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Andi Izdihar (Honda Team Asia) completing the points, the Indonesian despite a six-place grid penalty.
After a dramatic damp Sunday at Le Mans then, Acosta remains in the lead and even extends it after his recovery to P8. Now though it’s Garcia closest on the chase in an expensive day in the standings for many… what will Mugello bring? We’ll find out in two weeks.
Moto3 Podium:
1 Sergio Garcia – Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team – GASGAS – 42:21.172
2 Filip Salač – Rivacold Snipers Team – Honda – +2.349
3 Riccardo Rossi – BOE Owlride – KTM – +5.589 -
Raul Fernandez on fire to take 2nd Moto2 victory
A Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2, Bezzecchi in third and a dramatic crash out for Lowes sees Le Mans mix up the standings
Le Mans, 16 May 2021: Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) just continues to impress in the intermediate class, with the Spanish rookie taking a second Moto2 win in by-now signature style at the front. Teammate Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) kept him honest in the latter stages for another consistent top finish, with Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) completing the podium to continue his rostrum run. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) crashed out in an early DNF.
Raul Fernandez: “It was a really difficult race, especially the second sector was wet, the front tyre was too cool at the start and I waited four or five laps behind Marco. When I thought the tyre was warmer I pushed a bit more, overtook Marco and pushed like in FP2, and it was really good. In the end I could do a good race and I’m really happy. It’s amazing to win again and in difficult conditions. I like this track a lot I remember I got second in the Junior World Championship here in 2018. Incredible, I want to thank my team as they keep me calm in difficult moments and that’s the most important.”
With no rain falling since Moto2 Warm Up, the circuit had a clear dry line after the Moto3 race. That meant everyone was starting on slicks, and it was Bezzecchi who pounced into the lead from the start as Raul Fernandez managed to cement P2, the field safely negotiating Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 1. There was contact between Gardner and Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing), but disaster was avoided. Not for Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team) though, who was making early progress before the Spaniard went down hard at Turn 9 on the opening lap, rider ok.
Lap 2 saw Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) crash out of the top three as Raul Fernandez bridged the early gap that Bezzecchi had pulled on the field. World Championship leader Gardner and then-nearest challenger Lowes were P9 and P8 respectively, with the top three – Bezzecchi, Raul Fernandez and Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) – enjoying a second lead over the gaggle of riders from P4 to P11.
Lap 4 then witnessed three riders all go off the road at Turn 8 – including Lowes. Up the inside of Vierge, Lowes tucked the front as both went down, with Lorenzo Baldassarri (MV Agusta Forward Racing) running wide just ahead of the duo. Unable to get going again, Lowes’ French GP was over. Then, running P2, Roberts was down at Turn 9 after running in too hot on the brakes and clipping Bezzecchi. meanwhile, Raul Fernandez picked up the baton and took over at the front after a dramatic opening handful of laps in the Moto2™ race.
Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) was occupying P3 with Gardner now up to 4th, but he had hard-charging rookie Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) on his tail. More drama hit just behind too, as Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP40) crashed out from P6 at Turn 11 with a little helping hand from Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), the Italian handed a Long Lap penalty. Which he took quickly but overcooked so had to do a second.
At the front though, Raul Fernandez was edging his lead up to a second over Bezzecchi, the latter slowly falling into the grasps of the Bendsneyder, Gardner and Arbolino squabble. The leading quintet were six seconds ahead of sixth place Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), the German entangled in a fight with rookies Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and his teammate Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), up from well down on the grid.
Raul Fernandez was keeping his advantage around the one second mark, with Bezzecchi pulling nearly a second clear of the trio behind him. On Lap 14, the race leader set a 1:36.993 to stretch his lead to 1.2s over Bezzecchi. However, a lap later it was back down to below a second as Fernandez’s teammate Gardner poached third off Bendsneyder at Turn 11 – the Aussie then 2.2s behind the race leader. A lap later, Arbolino then slipped past Bendsneyder too.
Now in clean air, the Gardner charge was on. A fastest lap of the race came in from the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider but it was only narrowly quicker than Bezzecchi ahead of him, the gap separating the top three set at 1.7s with seven to go. Bezzecchi then made a mistake at Turn 8, running wide onto the green, allowing Gardner to stroll through into P2. With the bit between his teeth, Gardner started to reel in teammate Fernandez by four tenths on Lap 20 of 25, setting up a very intriguing final five laps between two title contenders.
Undeterred though, Raul Fernandez was holding his nerve. As he clocked another lap and headed onto Lap 23, the Spaniard set his fastest lap of the race and his lead was now 1.8s. And with one lap remaining in France, it went up another tenth. No mistakes were made from the rookie sensation on the final lap, and Fernandez crossed the line to win his second race of 2021. Gardner made it a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 as a single point splits Gardner and Raul Fernandez in the overall standings, and Bezzecchi pockets his second podium in a row with a solid P3 ride.
Arbolino landed his best Moto2™ result with a fantastic P4 at Le Mans, just ahead of an impressive ride from Bendsneyder as the Dutch rider earns his best result of the season, the same can be said for sixth place Schrötter. Ogura cements another top 10 in P7 as three rookies finish inside the top 10, Di Giannantonio took P8 after his two Long Laps, a solid salvage job.
Veteran Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) produced his best ride of the season to finish P9, with Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) completing the top 10. Somkiat Chantra, Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing), reigning Moto3™ World Champion Albert Arenas (Inde Aspar Team) and Hafizh Syahrin (NTW RW Racing GP) are the remaining point scorers.
Beaubier crashed out of sixth place at Turn 3 in the latter stages, Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) was another rider to crash out of the points.
And so it’s another day that belongs to Red Bull KTM Ajo, as Gardner and Raul Fernandez now sit P1 and P2 in the World Championship. Lowes loses crucial ground as Bezzecchi keeps tabs on his title rivals, with the latter’s home race at Mugello now next up. Tune in for more in a fortnight.
Moto2 podium:
1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 40:46.101
2 Remy Gardner– Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – +1.490
3 Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex – +4.599 -
Jack Miller wins at Le Mans for back-to-back victories
Le Mans (France), 16 May, 2021: If you like your Sunday afternoons to be packed with pulsating drama and unrelenting action, then it doesn’t get any better than the 2021 SHARK Helmets Grand Prix de France. In a rare flag-to-flag race, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – despite two long-lap penalties – became the first Australian since Casey Stoner in 2012 to win back-to-back races in the premier class to lead home a double French podium at Le Mans. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) sprayed the bubbly on the famous rostrum in an unforgettable MotoGP encounter.
Jack Miller: “Winning two races in a row is a dream for me, especially after such a difficult race where I even had to take a double long lap and ended up in the gravel. So to be able to get this result is really extraordinary! The race was really long and tough mentally. I tried to keep my concentration and kept telling myself to stay calm. In this way, I managed the tyres well and saved them until the end, managing the advantage over Johann, who was getting very close towards the end. It was really a fantastic victory!”
Ahead of lights out for the premier class race, the race was declared dry. No rain had fallen since Warm Up and after the Moto3 and Moto2 races, Le Mans was dry. There were some looming dark clouds in the surrounding area though and tensions were understandably palpable on the grid. The entire field had selected the soft-soft slick Michelins to begin the race on, with some forecasts suggesting there might be some rain on the way – drama was on the way.
It was dry for the time being though and as expected, Miller propelled his Ducati off the line excellently and grabbed the holeshot from third on the grid, with both Viñales and Quartararo holding firm to stay inside the top three as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) had two bites of the cherry for P4 against Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). First Turn 7, then Turn 8.
On Lap 1, coming out of Turn 10, Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) then had a huge moment. The Spaniard stayed on but it gave Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and his teammate Franco Morbidelli a sniff. Trying to overtake at the inside of Turn 11, the door was closed on Morbidelli and the Italian ran wide, before crashing in the gravel. It caused Rossi and Pol Espargaro to lose places too, with Morbidelli able to re-join.
It was a frantic start. At the front, Miller, Quartararo and Viñales were your top three with fast-starting Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Marc Marquez inside the top five, as the rain started falling. It was light to begin with and Quartararo made a phenomenal two-in-one move on Viñales and Miller at Turn 3, but the rain then started to fall a lot heavier. On Lap 5, the heavens properly opened and it was time for the field to come into pitlane for their second bikes.
Miller ran wide at Turn 11 as the riders struggled to finish the lap on the asphalt. Slick tyres and heavy rain don’t mix, and the reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) found that out. Mir crashed on Lap 5 when the rain started bucketing down, as more drama followed in pitlane. Both Miller and teammate Bagnaia were handed two long-lap penalties for speeding in pitlane, Quartararo pulled into Viñales’ box slot by accident, with Marc Marquez emerging as the race leader.
Jack Miller celebrates on the podium – Ducati Lenova Team image Rins was second as the riders re-entered the track, but at Turn 4, the Spaniard was down. This left Marc Marquez and Quartararo clear of Miller at the front, but the eight-time World Champion was then down at the final corner. Unrelenting drama at Le Mans, Marc Marquez squandered his lead but the 93 did manage to get back on track. Now, Quartararo was the race leader again but Miller was rapidly closing in. As we know, the Australian had two long laps to take, he did so on Laps 9 and 10, before immediately closing the gap to Quartararo.
On Lap 12, Quartararo dived through the long-lap penalty lane but still came out in P2, his advantage over third place Nakagami was 12 seconds. Miller was in the groove and had a four second lead over Quartararo, as Zarco grabbed P3 from Nakagami at Turn 3. The Frenchman then started to close down compatriot Quartararo at a high rate of knots, nearly two seconds a lap, as dry lines started to appear. There was no rain falling, could we actually see the riders come into pitlane for another bike swap?
Marc Marquez crashed at Turn 6, his second of the race, and he was out on Lap 18. One thing to note: Miller and Quartararo had one soft Michelin rain tyre on, Zarco was on the mediums. The mediums would last longer in these drying conditions as the wet tyres started to overheat, and we saw Miller kick his right leg out on the front straight – was he signalling to get the dry bike ready? We didn’t know for now, but what we could see was Zarco reeling in Quartararo, the gap now 2.5s with seven to go.
Astonishingly, the sun was now shining in France. Zarco was once again 1.8s quicker than Quartararo, as Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) got the better of Nakagami for P4 and P5 respectively. Bagnaia then overtook the Japanese rider with six to go, and further up the road, Zarco blasted past Quartararo on the home straight to take P2, seven seconds behind Miller. In turn, Quartararo had 12 seconds in his pocket to Alex Marquez.
Five to go. Ducati Lenovo Team Manager Davide Tardozzi was on pit wall to tell Miller that Zarco was hunting him. The track was dry now, but with four laps to go, there wasn’t time to come into pitlane, head back out and use the slick tyre advantage – not for the leaders anyway. Miller was doing a cracking effort though, his lead was staying above the five second mark as Bagnaia climbed his way to P4.
Three to go. Miller’s lead was 4.9s, Zarco was holding Quartararo at bay by nearly seven seconds, with Bagnaia eight seconds off the final podium place in fourth. Heading onto Lap 26 of 27, the gap was down to 4.3s between the leading duo, Bagnaia was cutting the gap to Quartararo by nearly two seconds a lap.
LAST LAP AT LE MANS! It was Miller’s to lose, his advantage was still above the four second mark to Zarco. Quartararo’s gap to Pecco was 3.4s, so he too should comfortably – relatively speaking – hold onto a rostrum finish. No mistakes were made from the race leading Australian and after banishing the early season demons in Jerez, Miller now sits just 16 points away from the title lead.
Zarco returns to the podium after a trickier couple of races in Portugal and Spain, he and Quartararo make it two Frenchman on the podium at the French GP – not bad from the latter who underwent arm pump surgery after the Spanish GP. Bagnaia’s fourth was a very, very good result after his two long lap penalties and a P16 start. He may have lost his World Championship lead, but only by a point.
Petrucci has endured a tough start to life as a KTM rider, but the 2020 Le Mans race winner delivered by far his best ride of the season to finish P5. LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez also grabs his best result of the season at a circuit he scored a podium at last year, the double World Champion led teammate Nakagami over the line. Pol Espargaro equals his best finish of the campaign in P8, with Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) snatching P9 off Viñales on the last lap to land a morale-boosting P9. Viñales had to settle for P10 at the chequered flag, a relatively disappointing result after leading the race in the early stages.
The Morbidelli incident cost Rossi valuable time in the early stages and The Doctor wasn’t able to make up ground when the rain fell, it’s P11 for the nine-time World Champion at Le Mans. Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) was 10 seconds behind his half brother in P12, the Italian comfortably beat 13th place Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Reigning Moto2 World Champion Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) and Tito Rabat (Pramac Racing) were the final point scorers, Morbidelli managed to finish the race but was a lonely P16.
Both Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini teammate Lorenzo Savadori suffered mechanical issues on Sunday afternoon, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) joined the Suzukis and Marc Marquez in crashing out.
That was another absolutely breathtaking MotoGP race, our first flag-to-flag in four years. An unbelievable afternoon in northern France sees the top four in the title race sit just 16 points apart, it’s Quartararo leading the way from Bagnaia, Zarco and Miller. Next up: the spectacular Mugello.
MotoGP Top 10:
1. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team)
2. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 3.970
3. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 14.468
4. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 16.172
4. Danilo Petrucci (Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing) + 21.430
5. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) + 23.509
7. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) + 30.164
8. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 35.221
9. Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing) + 40.432
10. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 40.577
All the action from MotoGP will continue on EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD with the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley. The qualifying race is on Saturday, 29th May and the main race is on Sunday, 30th May 2021. The same will also be live streamed on discovery + app.
