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MRF Tyres to launch into Italian Gravel with three cars
Cingoli (Italy), 23 April 2021: The first round of the Campionato Italiano Rally Terra (CIRT) or the Italian Rally Championship – Gravel gets underway this weekend with the Rally Adriatico and Team MRF Tyres will be well represented with three cars at the starting line.
Rally Adriatico will be run over nine stages and 64.71km of competitive rally action on Saturday April 24. The rally is staged around Cingoli, in the Macerata region, on Italy’s mid-eastern coastline.
Italian legend, Paolo Andreucci with Francesco Pinelli will lead the charge for Team MRF Tyres in the Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. The pair had a one-off drive in the opening round of the Italian tarmac championship and moving to gravel will prove to be an exciting prospect.
Simone Campedelli and Gianfrancesco Maria Rappa are also rallying the full CIRT for Team MRF Tyres in a Volkswagen Polo R5. Campedelli and Rappa are starting their full season in the CIRT on the back of a podium in the regional, Rally Della Val d’Orcia which was held in March.
The third car on MRF Tyres is for Tamara Molinaro and Piercarlo Capolongo who will rally a Citroën C3 R5.
Molinaro rallied on MRF Tyres for the first time in 2020, taking the class victory in the Female division and second in the Under 25s.
The trio represents a mixture of youth and experience as Team MRF Tyres gets its 2021 CIRT campaign underway. The Italian Championship is ultra-competitive and will allow MRF Tyres to compete against some of the world’s best drivers while maintaining its aggressive development program.
The crews have undertaken pre-event tests in preparation for the Adriatico Rally.
The rally sees nine stages broken up into three legs of three repeated stages.
Colognola is the first stage of the loop, providing a 5.40km blast. The second stage is Panicali at 5.24km meaning that the crews will have no room for error and must be immediately on the pace. The third stage of the loop is Dei Laghi and is the longest of the three at 10.93km.
Over 90 cars are competing in the Adriatico Rally, with 39 leading Rally2 (R5) cars entered.
The rally will get underway at 7:57 local time or 11:27 if you are in India. It will run throughout the day on Saturday, with the final stage due to commence at 17:35 in Italy or 21:15 in India.
Stay up to date with the rally on Team MRF Tyres Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.u
QuotesPaolo Andreucci, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo
“We have completed the test in the lead-up to the first round of the CIRT and the Adriatico Rally. We tested the adaptation of the tyres for the compact ground on these beautiful special stages.”
“The stages are very fast and we must be precise with our pace notes and tyre choice. We have several choices for this weekend with MRF Tyres and everyone will have to be careful with their tyre choice.”
Simone Campedelli, Driver, Volkswagen Polo R5
“We will be back in the Italian Gravel Championship this year, a championship I won at the beginning of my career in 2007. I have decided to go back to the Championship as I believe that we can have strong results with MRF Tyres.”
“The Adriatico Rally is one that I have had success with over the years with a lot of podiums. We are ready and we will have done a test before the rally.”
“There are a lot of cars in R5 and it will be difficult. I am looking forward to bring the best result possible for myself and for MRF Tyres.”
Tamara Molinaro, Driver, Citroën C3 R5
“I am very proud to be a part of the MRF Tyres family this year. We worked really well together last year and I am looking forward to this weekend. I will be trying my best to develop my own driving and look to the Ladies Championship.”
“I really can’t wait to get back in the car, the last rally I did was the Tuscan Rally in 2020 (where she finished 1st in Female and 2nd in Under 25 categories) and it has been quite a long wait.”
“I am aiming to close the gap to the top drivers as I continue my own development. This weekend, I am aiming for the best result possible for myself and Team MRF Tyres.”
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FIA WRC Junior championship to kick off in Croatia
The battle to seek out the next shining star of the WRC is just days away as the 2021 FIA Junior WRC Championship is set to kick off on the inaugural WRC Croatia Rally.
- 2021 crews fighting for a career boosting prize package in identical M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally4 cars.
- Junior WRC looking at one of its most competitive seasons in the championship’s 20-year history.
- Crews earn one point for every stage in addition to their classification points.
- Best four rounds out of five count towards the championship with double points available on the final round for crews that have entered at least three events previously.
The 2021 FIA Junior WRC Championship will see eight crews going head-to-head in a fierce fight on some of WRC’s most iconic gravel and asphalt roads. Croatia Rally, despite being an all-asphalt affair, is expected to test drivers of all abilities and experience thanks to an abundance of surface and elevation changes found on the 300 competitive kilometres offer.
This year’s Junior WRC drivers come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and experience. Crucially, they have all proved themselves as winners in Rally4 categories around the world on a variety of surfaces with many having already seen success in the Junior WRC. The 20th year of Junior WRC sees a true melting pot of young talents coming together to persuade the WRC service park that they have what it takes to follow in the footsteps of drivers such as Sebastien Loeb, Sebastien Ogier, Dani Sordo and Elfyn Evans.
Every crew will compete in identical M-Sport Poland-built Fiesta Rally4 machinery, using bespoke Wolf Lubricants, placing an emphasis on driver talent over set-up ability. The Ford Fiesta Rally4 is a proven Rally4 thoroughbred that has over 50 and 150 Rally4 category victories and podiums respectively – all coming in less than a year since its competitive debut in June 2020.
Crews are sure to be kept on their toes too when selecting their Pirelli tyres to equip their Ecoboost-powered Fiesta Rally4 cars with. There is a maximum allowance of 22 tyres (including shakedown) for the Junior WRC crews who can choose from an allocation of 18 Pirelli RA5 (hard), ten Pirelli RA7+ (soft) and eight Pirelli RWB (full wet). The tyre selection will be largely weather dependent but, even in dry conditions, tree-lined or elevated stage conditions could be vastly different to other stages within the same loop providing an exciting storyline to keep track of.
The stages on Croatia Rally should provide some fast-paced and close times with plenty of wide fourth and fifth gear corners balanced with narrow and tricky turns that are the equivalent of a rally driver’s tightrope walk, mis-step and it’s a long way back to service for an early bath.
Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager, said: “We are starting a very special year for the FIA Junior WRC Championship with a hotly contested lineup, there really is no clear favourite for Croatia Rally or even the championship overall. Six out of eight of our starting lineup have previously scored points in Junior WRC with five of those drivers also having stage wins to their names too. Those that haven’t scored points in Junior WRC shouldn’t be ruled out by any means either. All the drivers coming into the championship this year have proved themselves successful in various international and national Rally4 championships. Looking more specifically at Croatia Rally, I actually wish I was behind the wheel for some of these stages. They look properly challenging and I think we’re going to see some really tight battles and close moments on more than one of them with our highly motivated and competitive drivers! I’d like to give a final mention and appreciation to WRC Promoter, FIA and Croatia Rally organisers for putting the event on, I know a lot of hard work has gone on and is going on to make sure Croatia Rally happens.”
45. Martins Sesks / Renars Francis
“The main aim is to enjoy every single second in the car because these kinds of moments are very difficult to find for young drivers. Even if we are able to compete in the rally, we should enjoy every moment. We want to show we are some of the fastest guys in Juniors and a big goal is to be able to progress to WRC2 and WRC in the future. I think a new rally like Croatia equalises the competition so it will be interesting to see what happens.”
46. Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen
“I think we did a really good job in the pre-event test, we found a really good setup for the car and I felt very comfortable. Our pace notes were working very well, and I am really looking forward to the season. We did well in some places last year, so we need to look forward and try to improve this year. I am aiming to push myself to the limits and we will see what happens.”
47. Raul Badiu / Rares Fetean
“If you look back at the calendar, I am in my third year but when you look at the events I have only done seven WRC rounds. It’s my last my year to be eligible for Junior WRC so I think it’s the right time to put my experience into the stages and start collecting results, not only experience. It’s very tough competition, the calendar isn’t looking so bad for us this year though. We are fighting a lot of Scandinavian and Baltic drivers who are very fast on their own territory and have previously had more rounds that they were favourites on. This year we have three asphalt rallies and I think I am more experienced on asphalt than gravel.”
48. Martin Koci / Petr Tesisnky
“To be in the WRC is the dream and the target, I’m not the youngest, but Junior WRC is the best way to get into the WRC and start the ladder. I am super happy to be here, I know my mission, the competition is high but I’m happy about that and coming in with a lot of respect for everybody. Normally I don’t like saying I am coming to win, but of course, we want to do as well as possible while enjoying and learning from mistakes in previous years.”
49. Jon Armstrong / Phil Hall
“It’s great to be back here, it feels like yesterday that we were in Sweden in 2020 having the same training day. I’m really looking forward to getting into recce, they look like great stages here in Croatia and I think recce is going to be crucial to having a good result in the rally. I can’t wait to get back in a rally car either as I haven’t had too much testing with the Fiesta Rally4 which is something I will need to get used to.”
50. William Creighton / Liam Regan
“It’s been a really good experience so far, I’m trying to take in as much as I can. This year is going to be about learning so soaking up as much as I can about what it’s like to be in a WRC Rally. I haven’t set myself any expectations in terms of specific events because I think as soon as you do that, and you don’t reach them you’ve got a problem.”
51. Lauri Joona / Ari Koponen
“I expect a good season and my experience of Rally Sweden is not enough to give me an idea on how the rest of the year will go. I think it’s good for that there are three asphalt rallies which is very difficult, but it helps with my learning. Nobody has experience of this rally, which is good for all, for asphalt need to make sure I’m sensible though. I know how the team works which helps, I need to get more details for sure which will help me be more competitive on asphalt.”
52. Robert Virves / Sander Pruul
“It’s nice to be here and nobody is here this year to get second place, I am here looking to win. The experience on asphalt for me isn’t high, we did two asphalt rallies in Italy as preparation which is all of my asphalt experience. Croatia doesn’t look like an easy -
South India Rally postponed to June 23-25: INRC Round 1
Chennai, 19 April 2021: The South India Rally, a round of the 2021 Indian National Rally Championship, scheduled for April 23-25, has been postponed in the wake of fresh government restrictions due to rising number of Covid-19 virus cases, organisers Madras Motor Sports Club announced here today.
The tentative fresh dates for the event, promoted by Champions Yacht Club, and which doubled up as a round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, are June 25 to 27. The South India Rally had attracted a record 70 entries of which 21 were women crews.
Chairman of the event and MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok said: “Much as the sport is always our priority, we are very concerned about the huge spike in Covid-19 cases in the recent days. With an all-time record of 70 entries of which 21 are women competitors the enthusiasm for the sport has also spiked and is at its peak! But after discussions with promoter Vamcy Merla who had put in massive efforts, we decided to postpone the South India Rally keeping in mind the safety and health of those involved in the event.”
Promoter Vamcy Merla said: “Unfortunately, in the last couple of days, a lot of restrictions have been imposed in many States due to the spike in Covid-19 cases in the country. I am in total agreement with the decision to postpone, giving due consideration to the safety and health of participants and organizers.
“We have had extensive discussions with everyone concerned or associated with the event, and then decided to postpone the event to June 25-27 in the hope that the situation would have improved by then.”
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Mixed bag of results for AGS Event Duo Akhil Rabindra
Bengaluru, 19 April 2021:The AGS Events Duo comprising Akhil Rabindra, the only Asian participating at the European GT4 Championship this year, and Hugo Conde faced tough tests at Monza, Italy in the European GT4 Championship on Sunday evening (April 18, 2021). The duo finished thirteenth in Silver category in race two at the circuit after having retired in Race 1.
The Indo-french duo driving the Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for AGS Events Racing Team had to retire in Race. Akhil had to take to the steering for race twoto avoid action because of an incident where two cars crashed and stopped in front of him. This happened in front of him and thus resulted in him being pushed back in his position.However given the pace of the car (Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4)which resulted in his team finishing P11 at the qualifying, Akhil still managed to finish 20 laps in 50:34:074hrsthereby finishing 13th in the Silver Category.
“We are not content with Sunday’s result, especially after what we could have achieved on Saturday.Its fortunate that we could not convert our P11 position in the qualifying to better results, but we are confident that we will have better outcomes in the races ahead,” Rabindra stated.He further added, ” Saturday’s crash was quite a big one, and all credit to our team that our car was ready just in time for race two. Though the car was not like Saturday and we didn’t have the same pace for race two but we are confident of us having a great machine that will help us achieve favorable results.”
The European GT4 Series now moves to Circuit Paul Ricard, France for Round 2 of the Championship from April 26 – 28, 2021. Akhil earlier in the European GT4 Series had finished 5th overall and would look forward to better results in the upcoming weekend. 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.
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Hamilton charges through to 2nd after a mistake as Verstappen takes facile win
Max Verstappen took an excellent victory in a drama filled Emilia Romagna Grand Prix held at the iconic Imola circuit as Lewis Hamilton recovered to P2 after making a mistake and Lando Norris’s superb drive earned him 3rd position.
London, 19 April 2021: Max Verstappen took his 11th career victory as Lewis Hamilton charged through the field and recovered to P2 and got the fastest lap of the race with Lando Norris completing the podium at Imola. Home favorites Ferrari finished in P4 and P5, Charles Leclerc finishing ahead of Carlos Sainz. McLaren’s new recruit Daniel Ricciardo finished in P6, who admitted he could not match the pace of his younger teammate Norris. Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly finished P7, ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll as he received a 5-second post-race penalty for overtaking Gasly illegally. Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso completed the top 10, earning Alpine their first points of the season.
Red Bull’s other driver Sergio Perez had a dismal race as he finished P11, ahead of Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda. Kimi Raikkonen received a 30-second post-race penalty for start infringement which demoted him to P13, ahead of Alfa Romeo teammate Antonio Giovinazzi. Sebastian Vettel was classified in P15 but retired two laps from the end due to gearbox issue. Haas duo of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin finished in P16 and P17 respectively. Valtteri Bottas and George Russell were involved in big crash as they DNF’d, as did Nicholas Latifi on lap 1.
The heavens opened up 30 min before the race start as it poured down on the track. This meant it would be a wet start. 16 of the 20 drivers chose to start on intermediate tyres whereas, the Haas drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly chose full wet tyres. Verstappen got an excellent start in 2nd gear and jumped Hamilton, who started from pole. Hamilton and Verstappen made slight contact and the Mercedes driver went over high kerbs in turn 2 damaging his front wing endplate. Behind Perez lost P3 to Leclerc as well. On lap 2 the safety car was called out as Latifi and Mazepin came together, taking Latifi out of the race.
At the race restart, Hamilton tried to pull a move around Verstappen but to no avail had to back out and settle in P2. Meanwhile Perez was handed a 10-second time penalty for overtaking under the safety car. Gasly being on the wet tyres was much slower and therefore held up a train of cars. Eventually Norris, Ricciardo, Sainz, Stroll and Bottas made their way through. Gasly got rid of the wet tyres for intermediates on lap 14, emerging 17th in the race.
Team orders were at play at McLaren as Norris was allowed to pass Ricciardo due to the Britain having much stronger pace.Sainz caught up to the struggling McLaren of Ricciardo after making multiple mistakes and going off track.
The track had started to dry up with Vettel being the first one to pit for dry tyres on lap 20. At the front, Red Bull called in Verstappen for dry tyres on lap 27, meanwhile, Hamilton stayed out hoping to overcut the leader. Hamilton had a fast in lap, but due to a slower pitstop than usual he emerged 5-seconds behind the leader. As he tried hunting down Verstappen, in getting past a lapped car, he went onto a wet part at turn 7, slid off track and into the barrier thus, damaging his front wing. He slowly reversed and recovered his car onto the track.
Behind a huge crash happened as Russell in an attempt to overtake Bottas went onto the wet grass and lost control of the car. He collected Bottas and both went into the barrier taking them out of the race. The race was red flagged. This was a blessing for Hamilton as he had pitted and emerged a lap down, with red flag he would be on the lead lap again, in P9.
A Pirelli Graphic The race resumed in the form of rolling start, as Verstappen half spun but maintained the lead before green flag was waived. Both Norris and Ricciardo had changed to soft tyres in a bid to overtake the Ferrari’s early on. That is exactly what happened as Norris got past Leclerc in P2. Meanwhile, Verstappen had started to check out in the lead. Behind, a fast-charging Hamilton was making up positions. By lap 43 he overtook Ricciardo for P5, by lap 50 he was past Sainz for P4, lap 55 he overtook Leclerc for P3 and on lap 60 Hamilton was able to get past Norris for P2, in the process setting the fastest lap of the race and recovering to where he was before his off-track mistake.
Verstappen finished 22 seconds in the lead as he had a near perfect race. It means he is now just one point behind championship leader Hamilton. This was another close race with the honours going to Red Bull this time.
Red Bull did not have the dominant pace like they showed in Bahrain as Mercedes were much closer. But a near perfect execution of the race enabled them to take victory. Perez had a disappointing race as he spun and dropped out of the points. Red Bull will be hoping to have the support of the second car next time around. Mercedes showed improvement compared to Bahrain with drivers having much more confidence in the W12. It is evident from Hamilton’s pole position on Saturday. Mercedes has also worked on the drivability of the engine which has helped in better torque distribution and a more stable rear end.
McLaren had the pace to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull in one lap pace as evident from Norris’s lap in Q3 (which was deleted due to track limits violation). Race pace wise they are still behind the top 2 but look like the class of the midfield, ahead of rivals Ferrari. Ferrari has considerably improved compared to 2020 with Leclerc qualifying and fighting for podium on merit rather than being a one-off chance. AlphaTauri again impressed in qualifying but failed to capitalise in the race due to wrong strategy. They have showed good pace but remains to be seen if they can consistently challenge McLaren and Ferrari over the whole season.
Aston Martin have struggled to adapt to the new regulations as they argue that the low rake cars were hit harder than the high rake cars. They have taken the subject matter over to the FIA. On pace terms they seem slower than AlphaTauri or Ferrari but have managed points through Stroll in both the races. Alpine too, seem to be struggling as they were on the fringes of points. Their car has been unable to challenge the upper midfield teams so far even though they introduced an extensive aerodynamic package at Imola. It remains to be seen if produces the expected performance.
Both Alfa Romeo and Williams had positive race weekend as they had pace to run in the top 10. Raikkonen finished in the points but the post-race time penalty meant he scored nil. For Williams it was a positive weekend in that both cars had the pace to finish in the points. The negative was that either of them failed to finish the race. Haas had another dismal weekend, but it is to be expected a both the rookie drivers are getting up to speed and their car is underdeveloped compared to the rest of the field.
Saturday Qualifying results were:
P1: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes) P2: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull) P3: Max Verstappen- 33 (Red Bull) P4: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari) P5: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri) P6: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren) P7: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren) P8: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes) P9: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine) P10: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin) P11: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari) P12: George Russell- 63 (Williams) P13: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Aston Martin) P14: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams) P15: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine) P16: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo) P17: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo) P18: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas) P19: Nikita Mazepin- 9 (Haas) P20: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri) Note – Tsunoda failed to set a qualifying time within the Q1 107% requirement, so races at stewards’ discretion. Penalised five places for an unscheduled gearbox change and required to start from the back of the grid for use of additional power unit elements.
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Max Verstappen wins inciedent-packed race; Hamilton recovers
Imola, 18 April 2021: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen navigated a treacherous wet start, safety cars and red flags to take his first victory of 2021 as Lewis Hamilton recovered from a mid-race spin to fight back to second place at the end of an incident-packed Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The Imola circuit was hit by heavy downpours in the hour leading up to the race start and on the laps to grid the track proved difficult as Alpine’s Fernando Alonso when he spun off and damaged his front wing. The Spaniard made it back to the pit lane for repairs and took the start but his troubles were a sign of just how difficult the conditions would prove to be in the early stages of he race.
However, despite the treacherous conditions Verstappen made an excellent start from P3 on the grid and passed team-mate Sergio Pérezx and and pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton in the first chicane to taske the lead. In a bruising overtaking move, Hamilton was forced wide and the champion recovered recovered Pérez also tried to get past. The Mexican was forced to back off, however, and losing pace he lost a place to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Moments later as the field swept up the hill from Tosa, Williams’ Nicholas Latifi slid off track at Piratella. He kept his car going but as he rejoined the track he collided with Haas’ Nikita Mazepin and was bounced into the wall. The safety car was swiftly deployed.
When racing resumed at the end of lap six Verstappen controlled the re-start well to keep Hamilton at bay, while Leclerc held fourth ahead of Pérez. However, under the safety car the Mexican had a spin and afterwards was deemed to have illegally overtaken cars to return to fourth place behind Leclerc. He would later be handed a 10-second time penalty by the stewards for the transgression.
At the front, Verstappen was regularly putting in fastest laps and by lap 16 he had built a five-second gap to Hamilton. Leclerc was now 15 seconds behind the lead Mercedes, with Pérez a further eight seconds back.
As the one-third distance point arrived, Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel judged the conditions to be good enough for slick tyres and he pitted for medium compound Pirellis. Soon the German was setting personal best times and Red Bull responded by pitting Verstappen for mediums at the end of lap 27.
Mercedes then pitted the world champion at the end of the following lap. The stop was slow at 4.0 seconds, however, and as he made his way to the pit exit Max powered past in the lead once again.
Checo made his pit stop at the end of the next tour. The Mexican not only served his 10s time penalty but also changed his steering wheel and he rejoined in fifth place, behind Leclerc and Norris.
After a brief period of incident-free racing, drama erupted when Hamilton lost control and went off track at Tosa as he tried to navigate his way past back markers. He slid across the gravel and came to a halt just before the barriers. However, as he tried to get going again he hit the wall and damaged the front wing. The Mercedes driver rejoined eventually but it looked like his race was run. However, within moments he was granted a reprieve soon when Williams’ George Russell and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas were involved in a heavy accident.
Russell went to overtake the Finn but as Bottas defended, the Williams driver put a wheel on the grass on the right side. He slammed into the side of the Mercedes and both cars hit the barriers hard. The safety car was deployed but with debris strewn across the track at Tamburello the red flags were soon shown.
The race was suspended for some time as the track was cleared but at 1625 local time the cars flowed out of pit lane to prepare for a rolling start. The track was still tricky, however, and Verstappen was almost caught out by the conditions.
Trying to warm his tyres, the race leader lost control in the final Rivazza corner. He managed to regain control, however, and narrowly avoided a costly spin just as the safety car was about to leave the track. Within seconds racing resumed and Verstappen showed great composure to fend off a challenge from Leclerc to hold the lead.
Behind them, Lando Norris, who had moved to soft tyres during the suspension, managed to get past Leclerc to steal P2, with Pérez now in fourth place ahead of Sainz. Pérez then spun at the exit of Turn 4 and dropped back to P14. The Red Bull driver managed to claw back two places by the end of the race but it was a frustrating afternoon for the Mexican.
At the front, however, his team-mate was in total control. On Medium tyres Verstappen stretched away from Norris and then set about managing his run to the flag.
Hamilton, who took the rolling start in P9, put in a determined fight back in the final third of the race, but despite dragging himself back to P2 in the closing stages, he could make no impact on the yawning gap to Max and after 63 incident-packed laps, the Red Bull driver crossed the line 22 seconds ahead of the Briton to claim his first win of the year.
Norris’ gamble on soft tyres for the re-start paid off too. Although he was unable to jeep Hamilton at bay in the final laps, the McLaren driver nursed his fading tyres to the flag in third place to take his second career podium finish.
Behind him Leclerc finished fourth with Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz in fifth. Sixth place went to Daniel Ricciardo in the second McLaren, while Lance Stroll finished in seventh place for Aston Martin ahead of AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
Hamilton’s determined comeback netted the Briton fastest lap in the closing stages and the extra point for that means that he leaves Imola with a single-point lead over Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 63 2:02’34.598
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 63 2:02’56.598 22.000
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 63 2:02’58.300 23.702
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 63 2:03’00.177 25.579
5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 63 2:03’01.634 27.036
6 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 63 2:03’25.818 51.220
7 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 63 2:03’26.507 51.909
8 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 63 2:03’27.416 52.818
9 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 63 2:03’39.371 1’04.773
10 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 63 2:03’40.302 1’05.704
11 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 63 2:03’41.159 1’06.561
12 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 63 2:03’41.749 1’07.151
13 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 63 2:03’47.782 1’13.184
14 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 62 1 Lap
15 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 61 Not running
16 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 61 2 Laps
17 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 61 2 Laps
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 30 Collision
George Russell Williams/Mercedes 30 Collision
Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 0 Spun off -
Acosta ravages the rollercoaster for second successive win
A brutally brilliant last lap move from the Spaniard sees him take to the top step once again on the Algarve
Portimao, 18 April 2021: Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has done it again! The rookie sensation took a hard-fought victory at the Grande Premio 888 de Portugal after a brilliant last lap move on Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), keeping it pinned to the line to make a little more history. After becoming the first rider to win from pitlane in Moto3™ last time out, Acosta is now the youngest rider with three Grand Prix podiums in a row and the first rider since MotoGP™ Legend Daijiro Kato to take podiums on his first three GP appearances. Oh, and Acosta extended his Championship lead to a stunning 31 points after just three races. Behind the duel for the win won by the Spaniard, Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) converted pole into a podium after showing great pace all weekend.
It was Migno who took the holeshot, the Italian off like a shot from pole and into the lead ahead of a storming start from Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing). Foggia slotted into third ahead of Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Valresa Aspar Team), with a lead freight train forming from the off. Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) had his pitlane start first, before five seconds later Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) set off. Then, John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing).
Back at the front, Artigas took the lead at the end of Lap 1, but the rookie’s impressive race would sadly provide the first drama as a touch from Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) sent him tumbling out of contention. Rodrigo was given a Long Lap penalty for the incident, and the freight train rolled on.
Foggia was the man doing a lot of the work in the lead, the Leopard rider looking confident out front and Acosta tagged onto him, up at the sharp end immediately alongside teammate Jaume Masia, Garcia, Migno, Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and a few more familiar frontrunning faces. By nine to go, there was more drama as Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) collected Izan Guevara (GASGAS Valresa Aspar Team) and the two crashed out. The leading train was 11 riders, with Rodrigo back on their tail after his Long Lap.
The next drama came from Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) as the rookie collected the veteran, leaving a nine-rider group fighting for the win – and the familiar Leopard and Red Bull KTM Ajo colours at the front. As the laps ticked on the fervour went up a few notches, and with four to go the Turn 1 shuffle was getting brutal as Acosta headed a little wide with nowhere else to go, Migno took back the lead and Foggia had to settle for second.
By the penultimate lap, Foggia led Acosta and that’s how the final lap began as just behind, Garcia somehow saved a highside but that was the Spaniard’s podium hopes over. Meanwhile, Masia was up to P3 but then there was yet more drama at Turn 5 as the number 5 slid down the road, his hopes of a race win over too. Now, it was a straight fight between Foggia and Acosta.
Acosta was a monster on the brakes at Turn 11 and clawed back enough ground and then, at Turn 13, the rookie sensation made his move: late on the brakes, up the inside, full lean angle, clean pass. Just two corners remained before a run to the line, but coming over the crest of the final corner, Acosta’s KTM was squirming. Somehow he didn’t crash, but it did help Foggia as the two pinned it and tucked in for the line.
It was only 0.051, but Acosta held it and won his second consecutive race as he extends his points lead to a stunning 31, making yet another statement with another win. Foggia is back on the podium for the second time on the Algarve, and it was Migno who emerged from the battle to complete the podium to take third, just 0.013 ahead of Sasaki as the Japanese rider was back in the fight at the front.
Rodrigo finished P5 despite his long lap, and he beat Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) and Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) by less than a tenth as the fastest seven riders finish 0.773s apart after some incredible racing again in Moto3™.
Garcia was in amongst it throughout but that late, out the seat moment on the last lap cost the Spaniard and he took eighth. Despite the Turn 5 tumble, Masia salvaged ninth to slot in behind the freight train out front.
Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP) picks up another top 10 in 2021 with P10, and he led Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) and teammate Jason Dupasquier (CarXpert PrüstelGP) over the line. Filip Salac (Rivacold Snipers Team) took home P13 from Portimao, with Alcoba and Öncü doing well to pick up the remaining points despite pitlane starts on a five second delay.
That’s it from Portugal. Next up: Jerez and another track Acosta knows well. Will the dream Grand Prix debut season continue? You wouldn’t bet against it!
Moto3 Podium:
1 Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – 38:01.773
2 Dennis Foggia – Leopard Racing – Honda – +0.051
3 Andrea Migno – Rivacold Snipers Team – Honda – +0.584Pedro Acosta: “It was an amazing race, no? After this difficult weekend with the conditions and everything. I think that my mechanics did an amazing job to do this. Before the race Aki asked me, ‘what is the race strategy?’ and I said ‘have fun for 25 minutes and then take the trophy!’ It’s amazing to be here again!”
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Fernandez flies to first Moto2 victory
Last year he dominated in Moto3™ on the Algarve. This year, the rookie took to the top step in Moto2™ for the very first time – as Lowes crashes out
Portimao, 18 April 2021: Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) just loves the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. After dominating at the track last season to sign off from Moto3™ with a win, the Spaniard returned in Moto2™ with a podium already under his belt and it seemed somewhat like fate. Fighting his way through a few big rivals, the Spaniard crossed the line a second and a half clear for his first intermediate class win, underlining his impressive form so far and moving up to second in the Championship. Aron Canet (Solunion Aspar Team) took his first Moto2™ podium in second after an impressive ride, with Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) charging past Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) late on to complete the podium. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) crashed out at Turn 1, leaving his key rivals with an open goal…
Lowes was the first big headline, that sending shockwaves through the race. Late on the brakes into Turn 1 after a tough start, the Brit was careering straight towards Gardner’s rear wheel and was forced to pick it up and run wide, the rear end then kicking him off. Rider ok, but some big drama to start the Moto2™ race.
At the front, Gardner led on Lap 1 but Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) was the man on the move in the opening exchanges and blasted past on the home straight. Roberts had made a good start from P8 to battle Gardner for P2 as the latter got out of shape coming out of Turn 1. Bezzecchi was able to pull out a healthy one second lead at the front but Canet was making moves and soon, the lead was cut to nothing as Gardner and the five other chasers reeled in the Italian.
Yet more drama unfolded just behind as we saw a huge crash involving Yari Montella (Lightech Speed Up) and Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP40) at the final corner, both bikes catching fire in the gravel trap. Montella, who highsided, was taken to the medical centre for a check-up and later declared fit. And more: at Turn 5, the two Idemitsu Honda Team Asia riders were down as Ai Ogura made contact with American Racing’s Cameron Beaubier. Ogura got out of shape and couldn’t help but crash into Somkiat Chantra, an unfortunate racing incident between the two teammates.
Lap 11 saw Canet take the lead, but Roberts then pounced at Turn 1 as Canet and Bezzecchi went wide. Bezzecchi slipped to P4 as Gardner also passed the Italian, but one of the pre-race favourites then made a couple of mistakes in the soaring Portuguese heat. That saw the Aussie lose valuable ground as Canet and Roberts made a breakaway, but the Spaniard and American scrapped it out for a few laps and Canet also got a track limits warning. Enter Raul Fernandez. The rookie was lapping far superior to his rivals and he soon picked off both Roberts and Canet to take the lead with four to go, late race pace searing him through.
The rookie pulled 0.7s clear in three laps, setting another fastest lap of the race on Lap 21 of 23, a 1:42.86, and his teammate Gardner was finding some late pace too in P4, the Australian reeling in Roberts and Canet. Three personal best laps from Gardner was mega stuff but nothing was going to stop Raul Fernandez, on the final lap his lead was up to 1.2 seconds and it seemed the job was done as attentions turned to the three-way scrap for P2 and P3.
Roberts lunged up the inside of Canet at Turn 11, but Canet then dived back at Turn 13, but both ran slightly wide to give Gardner an invitation. Roberts switched to the inside for Turn 14 but the narrow line he took saw him open a small gap for the Aussie to squeeze into, an that he did – making some contact but getting through, Roberts staying on but watching th podium fade away.
Up the road though, Raul Fernandez had rounded the final corner to win his first Moto2™ race, with Canet cementing his first intermediate class podium with a hard-earned P2, escaping the discussion on whether rubbing is racing raging just behind him. Gardner’s third, however, sees him head to Jerez as Championship leader for the first time.
Roberts was unlucky to lose out on a podium in Portimão but it was nevertheless a great ride from the American. Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) backs up his Doha P6 with P5 as the Spaniard continues to find form in 2021, and Bezzecchi was eventually forced to settle for P6 having led in the early laps. Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was a second behind Bezzecchi in a solid P7, with Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP40) earning his first points of the season in P8. Beaubier is a top 10 Moto2™ finisher after a brilliant ride to P9 on his first visit to the Algarve International Circuit, and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) completed the top 10.
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team), Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team), Lorenzo Baldassarri (MV Agusta Forward Racing) and Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) were the remaining point scorers.
Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crashed at Turn 8 unhurt, with Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) taking out compatriot Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) at Turn 1.
As we leave the Algarve, the Moto2™ Championship is shaken up after another stunner. Heading to Jerez, three points split Gardner, Raul Fernandez and Lowes – so it’s game on in the Moto2™ title race!
Moto2 Podium:
1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 39:47.377
2 Aron Canet – Solunion Aspar Team – Boscoscuro – +1.600
3 Remy Gardner – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – +1.968Raul Fernandez: “Unbelievable. I want to say thanks to my team, they brought me the best bike of the weekend for the race. Yesterday I had bad luck in qualifying with the yellow flag, but this morning in warm up I said ‘eh, I have an incredible bike for the end of the race’. I had this problem in Qatar at the end of the race, I didn’t have too much tyre. It was incredible with my team and my family, it’s incredible. I don’t have words, I want to say thanks. We will see in the next race, this is one of my best tracks and we will see in Jerez.”
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Quartararo wins dramatic duel in style to lead title-race
Portimão (Portugal), 18 April 2021: As weekends go, they don’t get much better than that for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). The Frenchman converted pole position to victory at the Grande Prémio 888 de Portugal as the MotoGP™ race sees some big names crash out, but that wasn’t the case for second place Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and third place Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). The returning Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) battles through the pain to finish P7 in Portimao.
The initial getaway from polesitter Quartararo was about as good as it gets, but in the second phase of the start, third place Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) and second place Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) got the better of the Yamaha man and it was the Suzuki of Rins who grabbed the holeshot, but Zarco was the early race leader. Marc Marquez made a wonderful start and was battling Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) for P3. Mir made a typically great start and was up into the top five, and it was Mir vs Marquez again on the opening lap. The reigning World Champion shoved his GSX-RR up the inside of the Repsol Honda at Turn 11 for P3.
So it was Zarco leading the opening lap and at Turn 3, Marc Marquez and Mir came close again – too close. Marquez tagged the back of Mir, luckily stayed on, but it allowed sixth place Quartararo to squirm through to fourth past Marquez and Miller, the latter and then Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) passed Marquez as the eight-time Champion slipped to P7. Up front, Rins showed a wheel to Zarco at Turn 13 but there was no way through… for now.
Lap 3 saw Quartararo make a clean move up the inside of Mir at Turn 1 for P3, the Frenchman making swift progress after getting a bit beaten up at the start, with a Turn 13 move on Zarco sticking at the third time of asking a lap later. So on Lap 5, Rins was now your race leader, but Zarco blasted back through on the straight. Then, suddenly, the sound of a bike hitting the deck was heard and as the cameras panned out, we saw Miller down at Turn 3 at the beginning of Lap 6. The Australian’s Portuguese GP was over after just over four laps, a disaster for the factory Ducati man. On the same lap, Miguel Oliveira’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) hopes of another dream home round rostrum were over. The Portuguese star was down at Turn 14, he remounted but it was game over for Oliveira.
Fabio Quartararo takes second win in style. A MotoGP image Quartararo had followed Rins through on Zarco and the Yamaha man now had his radar firmly set on P1. Just like he did on the other Suzuki, Quartararo dived up the inside down the hill into Turn 1 and El Diablo was now at the spearhead of the race. This was now where Quartararo and Rins started to display some Portimao superiority. A handful of laps later, third place Mir was one and a half seconds down on the leading duo, with Lap 14 seeing Quartararo set a 1:39.680 – the fastest lap. However, Rins was matching the Yamaha every step of the way. The duo exchanged fastest laps on numerous occasions, but some colossal drama was about to unfold for two riders.
First, we saw Rins crash at Turn 5 on Lap 19 of 25. The downhill, tricky left-hander caught out the Spaniard who was right behind Quartararo, and it was race over for the number 42 in Portimao. This gave Quartararo a 4.2 second lead over Zarco, with Bagnaia grabbing P3 off Mir at Turn 5. Then, a lap later at Turn 11, the World Championship leader was down. Zarco’s front washed away the top of the hill and the Frenchman slid out of contention, just after Bagnaia had picked him off at Turn 5.
Barring a disaster, victory was Quartararo’s. The podium battle, however, was still well on. Bagnaia was holding P2 and looking good, with Mir having Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in his mirrors heading into the final exchanges. With two to go, the trio were locked together but Pecco wasn’t buckling, as fifth place Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was less than a second away from Morbidelli’s rear wheel. Mir was pressuring Bagnaia but the Italian was holding firm, and on the last lap, the Suzuki rider wasn’t quite close enough to make a move.
Five seconds down the road, Quartararo cruised over the line to pick up his second win of 2021. A commanding victory for factory Yamaha’s new recruit, and one that sees him take a 15-point lead into Jerez – a circuit he was quite successful at last season. Bagnaia’s recovery from P11 to P2 was awesome, a fantastic Sunday in Portimao for the Italian who rises to P2 in the standings with his first podium of the year. Mir eventually beats Morbidelli by 0.179s to earn his first podium of 2021, an important result from the World Champion and another rostrum after starting from outside the top two rows.
There’s a pool at Portimão, so of course… It’s a return to form for fourth place Morbidelli, the Italian in the podium hunt throughout to hopefully banish the Losail woes. Binder’s P5 proves once again the South African is a Sunday rider through and through, that’s a morale-boosting result for KTM and Binder ahead of Jerez. Aleix Espargaro earns Aprilia an equal-best MotoGP™ result in P6, yet another great ride from the Spaniard, who beats the seventh fastest rider by 4.3 seconds.
That man is Marc Marquez. The eight-time World Champion completed his first race since the 2019 Valencia GP finale, and the emotions were shown by the Spaniard when he arrived back in his box. A truly commendable performance from Marc Marquez upon his return to MotoGP™, the world salutes his magnificent ride in Portimao.
Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) bags his first top 10 in P8, with reigning Moto2™ World Champion Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) picking up his second top 10 MotoGP™ result in P9. Yet another brilliant ride from ‘The Beast’, and what an absolutely superb effort from 10th place Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). The battered and bruised Japanese rider has been in considerable pain all weekend since his huge Friday Turn 1 crash, but a P10 sums up just how tough – physically and mentally – MotoGP™ riders are.
Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) didn’t recover from a horror start, and in the end benefited from a few crashes to pick up P11. A disappointing day for Viñales in Portimao, he was 23 seconds shy of teammate Quartararo. Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) slipped to P12 from a P8 start but it was nevertheless a very promising weekend for the Italian, a job well done. Injured Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing), Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) completed the points, Oliveira was the final finisher in P16 after his crash.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crashed at Turn 11, rider ok, with Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) pulling into pitlane in the early stages with a technical issue.
Quartararo marches on in the 2021 title race, two wins from three is the Frenchman’s tally heading to Jerez, and it’s a soon to be 22-year-old brimming with confidence as rivals fall by the wayside in Portugal. A weekend off is followed by the Spanish GP at the end of April/start of May, and already the title race is twisting and turning. After all, this is MotoGP™.
Top 10:
1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP)
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 4.809
3. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 4.948
4. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 5.127
5. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 6.668
6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 8.885
7. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 13.208
8. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) + 17.992
9. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) + 22.369
10. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) + 23.676
All the action from the MotoGP™ World Championship 2021 Gran Premio Red Bull de España will be LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport HD. The qualifying race is on Saturday, May 1 and the main race is on Sunday, May 2. The same will be live-streamed on discovery+ app.
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Miami will join the F1 calendar for 2022 season
Formula 1 is delighted to announce that the Miami Grand Prix at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL will join the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship under a ten year deal. The exact date of the race on the 2022 calendar will be set out at a later time.
Imola, 18 April 2021: The circuit will be 5.41km, have 19 corners, 3 straights and potential for 3 DRS zones with an estimated top speed of 320km/h. Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, will sit at the heart of the circuit. Formula 1 and the FIA will be liaising closely with the promoter, who is working to build a brand new track that will provide high speed straights, multiple overtaking opportunities and exciting racing while meeting the highest safety standards.
Miami will be the 11th location Formula 1 has raced in the United States since the Championship began in 1950. Since that time Formula 1 has raced at Riverside, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, Indianapolis and Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
The race will provide an additional tourist boost and economic impact to local businesses in the greater Miami region. Formula 1 and the promoter will be working closely with the local community to ensure an allotment of discounted tickets for Miami Gardens residents, ensuring they have the opportunity to experience the thrill of the sport.
Additionally, there will be a programme to support local businesses and the community to ensure they get the full benefits of the race being in Miami Gardens, including a STEM education programme through F1 in Schools as well as the opportunity for local businesses to be part of the race weekend.
Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1, said:
“We are thrilled to announce that Formula 1 will be racing in Miami beginning in 2022. The US is a key growth market for us, and we are greatly encouraged by our growing reach in the US which will be further supported by this exciting second race. We will be working closely with the team from Hard Rock Stadium and the FIA to ensure the circuit delivers sensational racing but also leaves a positive and lasting contribution for the people in
the local community.”
“We are grateful to our fans, the Miami Gardens elected officials and the local tourism industry for their patience and support throughout this process. We are looking forward to bringing the greatest racing spectacle on the planet to Miami for the first time in our sport’s history.”
Tom Garfinkel, Managing Partner, Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix
“The Hard Rock stadium entertainment campus in Miami Gardens exists to host the biggest global events to benefit the entire greater Miami region and Formula 1 racing is as big as it gets. We have worked with specialist designers to create a racetrack that we, Formula 1 and the FIA believe will provide great racing and we hope to create best-in- class unique fan experiences that are reflective of the diverse and dynamic nature of Miami.”
“I want to thank Formula 1 and the Miami Gardens and Miami Dade County elected officials for working to bring this hugely impactful event here for years to come.”
