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Akhil Rabindra for 2021 European GT4
Bengaluru, 31 March 2021: Aston Martin Racing (AMR) Driver Academy product Akhil Rabindra of India, announced his participation for the 2021 season of the coveted European GT4 Championship on Wednesday.
The Bengaluru born Akhil, will be back with the AGS Events Racing team this year, a team he represented for the first time last year at the French GT4 Championship.
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.
Akhil’s campaign with AGS Events Racing Team will commence at the famed Monza circuit in Italy, on the weekend of April 16-18, 2021, with Round 1 of the 2021 European GT4 Championship.
Akhil will be driving an Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for the 2021 season, which comprises 12 races across six countries and as many rounds. 19-Year-Old French driver Hugo Conde will be Akhil’s team mate for the AGS Events Racing Team.
“I am really looking forward to getting back on the racetrack with AGS Events Racing Team and am excited about the upcoming European GT4 Championship. AGS have had a great GT racing record over the years and I am determined to help them better it even more,” said Akhil post announcing his association with AGS Events Racing Team.
After a successful debut, AGS Events has confirmed it’s come back to the GT4 European Series. The reigning Silver, Pro-Am and Team champions will field three Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4s in the series this season.
Around 30 cars will be competing for the 2021 European GT4 Championship with as many as 10 top Constructors fielding their latest GT4 models.
LIVE Streaming Times – IST
17th April 2021: GT4 European (Qualifying Race) – 15:10 Hrs (IST) Onwards
17th April 2021: GT4 European (Race 1) – 20:55 Hrs (IST) Onwards
18th April 2021: GT4 European (Race 2) – 16:40 Hrs (IST) Onwards
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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M-Sport Ford commit WRC hybrid era
Cockermouth (UK), 31 March 2021: M-Sport Ford have committed to the future of rallying – pledging to register and participate in the FIA World Rally Championship’s new hybrid era from 2022 to 2024.
This new commitment strengthens M-Sport’s relationship with the Blue Oval – a partnership which has delivered considerable success over more than two decades.
Joining forces in 1997, M-Sport Ford have secured seven FIA World Rally Championships, 61 victories, 262 podiums and more than 1500 stage wins – making them one of the sport’s most successful partnerships with an unbroken record of 258 consecutive point scores.
The introduction of hybrid technology into the FIA World Rally Championship signals a landmark development at the highest level of the sport – and M-Sport Ford remain committed to delivering top results with rally-winning technology.
The commitment also ensures M-Sport’s continuation at the pinnacle of the sport – safeguarding jobs and boosting engineering expertise at the team’s Dovenby Hall headquarters.
Aligned with Ford’s global strategy towards creating a more sustainable future, the world’s toughest championship for production-based cars is now fully committed to the introduction of greener technology; and M-Sport Ford are fully committed to the continuation of their successful partnership.M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“It’s always been important for our sport to move with the times, and this commitment to hybrid technology aligns the future of rallying with Ford’s global commitment towards a more sustainable future.
“As the toughest championship for production-based cars, the FIA World Rally Championship provides the perfect platform to test, develop and promote the latest road car technology – making this development integral to the relevance and continuation of our sport.
“It has also been integral to the continuation of our successful partnership with Ford and safeguards the immediate future of M-Sport in the FIA World Rally Championship.
“Over the past two decades we have delivered some fantastic performances and developed some of the championship’s most successful cars and drivers. Working closely with Ford Performance, it is our intention to continue that success in 2022 and progress on our latest challenger continues with testing both here in the UK and in America.
“There is still a long way to go, but we’re committed to delivering another rally winner as the world moves towards a more sustainable future.”
Global Director for Ford Performance, Mark Rushbrook, said:
“The WRC’s transition from pure internal combustion engine powertrains to hybrid technology comes at an opportune time for Ford.
“The company is rapidly moving towards an electrified future, developing hybrid and electric vehicle technology for our newest passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles around the world.
“Running a hybrid Rally 1 car next season will enable us to test and demonstrate this technology in the thrilling spectacle that is WRC, and we can’t wait to show you what it can do!” -
Superb last few laps gets Hamilton his 96th victory
Lewis Hamilton took a sensational win at the 2021 season opening Bahrain Grand Prix by just 0.7s from the rapid Red Bull of Max Verstappen, breaking Michael Schumacher’s record of most laps led in the process. Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas completed the podium as he set the fastest lap of the race on lap 56.
London, 29 March 2021: Defending superbly and nurturing the tyres in the last few laps, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took his 96th career victory ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who fought for the lead till the last lap. Valtteri Bottas finishing P3 with an extra point for the fastest lap for the race. McLaren’s Lando Norris finished P4 in their new Mercedes powered challenger, ahead of his latest teammate Daniel Ricciardo who crossed the line in P7. Sergio Perez finished P5 in his new Red Bull machinery, after starting from the pitlane due to power unit issues on the formation lap. Charles Leclerc finished in P6 in the much-improved Ferrari SF21, two places ahead of new teammate Carlos Sainz. AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda achieved his first points as he finished P9 on debut, ahead of Lance Stroll in the re-branded Aston Martin team.
Alfa Romeo pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi finished P11 and P12 respectively. It was an unsuccessful race for Alpine after Esteban Ocon only managed P13- partly due to being hit by Sebastian Vettel from behind- and veteran returnee Fernando Alonso retiring due to break failure. Williams’ George Russell finished P14, ahead of Sebastian Vettel in P15 as his teammate Nicholas Latifi DNF’d from the race. Other DNF’s included Pierre Gasly and Nikita Mazepin. Mick Schumacher was the last to finish in P16.
Drama ensued before the race started as Perez’s car shut down on formation lap at turn 13 and came to a standstill. Due to this, an extra formation lap took place while Perez’s car could be recovered. As luck would have it, Perez was able to start his car, but had to start from the pitlane as per regulations.
Verstappen covered Hamilton at the start and both maintained positions. Leclerc was aggressive and got ahead of Bottas in P3. Meanwhile, Norris got ahead of his new teammate Ricciardo. The new Aston Martin Vantage safety car was called into action as Mazepin spun and went into the wall at Turn 3, ending his first F1 race.
Red Bull better equipped for Qualifying sessions. A Pirelli image from 2021 Bahrain GP The race got underway on lap 4, with Verstappen leaving the restart as late as possible, to decrease the chances of Hamilton slip streaming and overtaking him. As Hamilton started chasing Verstappen, Bottas passed Leclerc for P3, Norris followed suit and passed Leclerc for P4. Gasly’s front wing unfortunately touched Ricciardo’s rear left tyre and dislodged it, sending the Frenchman to the back of the grid.
Alpine and Alonso pulled the trigger to initiate the first round of pitstops on lap 11, with Alonso electing the medium tyres. Lap 12 saw Norris, Leclerc, Stroll and Giovinazzi pit. Everyone going on the mediums except for the Alfa Romeo who chose hard tyres. At the front, Mercedes pulled the trigger and pitted Hamilton for a set of hard tyres in a bid to undercut Verstappen. It seemed to work as the Dutchman pitted four laps later albeit for medium tyres. Once he came out, Hamilton had a six second advantage on him.
Hamilton’s advantage eroded quickly as Verstappen was within 1.5-2s, this time Hamilton in a danger of being undercut. Bottas was close behind to the top two cars. Behind, Norris maintained P4, ahead of Leclerc, Ricciardo, Stroll and Sainz- who battled with former Ferrari drivers Alonso and Vettel to get up to P8.
Mercedes once more protected against the undercut, pitting Hamilton on lap 28 for another set of hard tyres, Bottas followed suit 2 laps later. Although a slow stop by Mercedes meant Bottas came out in P5, though, Norris and Leclerc were yet to pit, giving him a net P3. With Hamilton in P2 and steadily reducing the gap to Verstappen, Red Bull boxed him on lap 39 for hard tyres. This meant he would have 10 laps fresher tyres compared to Hamilton. He came out 8.6s behind the Mercedes.
Alonso’s F1 return ended abruptly on lap 33 due to brake issues. Meanwhile, Perez behind was making steady gains as he was now behind Ricciardo and Leclerc. Vettel too had a dismal debut for Aston Martin as he ploughed into the back of Ocon, spinning them both and earning the German a 10-second time penalty.
At the front, Verstappen was right on the gearbox of Hamilton as the difference was around about 1s. On lap 53, Verstappen with help of DRS got a run on Hamilton exiting turn 3 and seemed to get past him on the exit of turn 4. Only he had gone too wide and extended the track limits while overtaking the Mercedes car and thus, was instructed to give the place back to Hamilton. After that point Verstappen couldn’t get close enough to mount another challenge ultimately finishing second.
Straight-line speed is not Ferrari’s weakness anymore. Action shot from Bahrain GP by Pirelli. The first blow was dealt by Mercedes, but Red Bull know they can consistently challenge the Silver Arrows in the upcoming races. It is game on for 2021!
Mercedes clearly lacked qualifying pace as they for three-tenths off the pole position. In race trim they were matched with Red Bull as aggressive strategy and brilliant tyre management by Hamilton earned them the victory and double podium. The W12 is not in the sweet spot and clearly has lots of room for improvement. Mercedes will be hopeful to iron out these issues as soon as possible to challenge Red Bull, especially in qualifying. Red Bull’s RB16B looks like the class of the field at the moment. The car looks stable and with immense work put in by Honda over the winter they are the favorites this season. Once again reliability hampered them as Perez had to start from the pitlane. It will be interesting to watch the development race between Mercedes and Red Bull this season.
McLaren have made a step forward, owing to the new Mercedes power unit as they still look like the best midfield car, though, it is early to say that. Ferrari too, have made a step forward, especially in the power unit department as both cars were able to achieve points finishes, similar to their papaya orange rivals. The AlphaTauri car has looked stable and fast, but their true pace cannot be gauged due to Gasly’s incident which resulted in damage and Tsunoda’s starting position compromised due to qualifying.
The same can be said about both the Aston Martin and Alpine cars. Both teams did not have the best qualifying result, with only one of their cars reaching Q3. Race Pace remains a question mark too, as both teams exhibited good pace in the middle stints of the race but were unable to be consistent or reliability hampering their progress. Aston Martin admitted that the low rake (rake is the difference between the front and rear ride height of the car) cars getting disadvantaged the most from the new regulations.
A Pirelli graphic of Pit Stops – Round 1 Bahrain GP Alfa Romeo have made a clear step forward as they just missed out on points. Thanks to the brand-new Ferrari power unit, straight line speed is not their weakness anymore. Williams look like they have made a step forward with the car, as raw pace suggests they are faster than Haas. It remains to be seen if they can challenge for the points in future. Haas have admitted that their car is underdeveloped, and that the final version will make an appearance at Imola in round 2.After that no upgrades will be introduced for the whole of 2021 as they have shifted their focus and resources on 2022.
Saturday Qualifying results were:
P1: Max Verstappen- 33 (Red Bull) P2: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes) P3: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes) P4: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari) P5: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri) P6: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren) P7: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren) P8: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari) P9: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine) P10: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin) P11: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull) P12: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo) P13: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri) P14: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo) P15: George Russell- 63 (Williams) P16: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine) P17: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams) P18: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Aston Martin) P19: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas) P20: Nikita Mazepin- 9 (Haas) -
Lowes pulls the pin for faultless first win of 2021
The Brit pitches it to perfection to start the year on top, with Gardner on the chase and Diggia digging deep for third
Doha, 28 March 2021: Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) became the first British rider to win an opening round Grand Prix since the great Barry Sheene in 1979 after producing a faultless ride at the Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar. The polesitter kept a hard-charging Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) at bay as the Australian takes P2 from Round 1, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) coming out on top in a last lap duel with Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46) to hand Gresini Racing an emotional podium.
A lightning start from Row 2 saw Bezzecchi grab the holeshot, with both Lowes and Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) slow from P1 and P2 as third place Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) slotted into P2. Lowes soon got past a wide Fernandez at Turn 1 to recover to P3, and the Brit then made light work of Bendsneyder at Turn 6. Fellow Brit Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was also on the move, up into P5 from P10 on the grid.
Lap 2 saw Raul Fernandez also pass Bendsneyder for third place as the leading eight riders locked horns. Lowes then showed a wheel to Bezzecchi at Turn 6, and by Turn 1 on Lap 3, the British rider was through and leading. Seventh place Gardner set the fastest lap of the race though, with the Australian fighting hard to move through and give chase. Raul Fernandez was also swarming all over the back of Bezzecchi, and making a Turn 1 move stick on Lap 4.
Fernandez’s teammate Gardner, though, was the man on the move. The Australian slipped by Dixon for P4 but a small error then saw Gardner lose the time he’d made up, he was back down to P5. Sixth place Di Giannantonio was then wide at the final corner, and the Italian slipped to P8 as Lowes set the fastest lap of the race.
Fernandez was soon back to within a couple of tenths of the race leader though, Lowes making a mistake somewhere to allow the rookie to close him in. Meanwhile, a regrouped Gardner was now back ahead of Dixon and set the fastest lap of the race again, with Bezzecchi soon enjoying the number 87 for close company. With 13 to go, Gardner struck at Turn 4 and made a move stick on Bezzecchi.
With 12 to go, Fernandez was losing touch on Lowes and Gardner sensed it. The latter was through on his teammate and now had 1.2 seconds to bridge if he wanted to win his second Moto2™ race in succession, but Lowes had something in hand and set the fastest lap of the Grand Prix – a 1:59.529 – to keep his margin comfortable if not yet dominant.
A few laps passed by with stalemate, and the gap remained at just under one and a half seconds between the leading duo. Raul Fernandez continued to keep his teammate honest too, with Bezzecchi sitting 1.2 seconds behind the young Spaniard as Di Giannantonio, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and Dixon squabbled right behind the podium fight.
Gardner, on Lap 13, set the fastest lap of the race, but Lowes set his personal best too and on the next lap, the race leader was three tenths quicker. Pin pulled, the gap was up to 1.6 seconds and it would only increase in increments from there.
With three laps to go, it was two seconds and the top two seemed settled, but the battle for the podium was in full swing. Bezzecchi tucked in behind Raul Fernandez down the home straight and took third place away from the star rookie, with Di Giannantonio then on the scene and making it a six-wheel scrap for the podium. The Italian followed compatriot Bezzecchi through and locked his radar onto third…
Up the road, Lowes had a comfortable 2.2 second lead over Gardner and cruised to his first win of the year in style, with the Australian forced to settle for the 20 points but happy enough to do so this time. The final place on the podium was between the two Italians and Di Giannantonio sliced up the inside of Bezzecchi at Turn 11, a classy move pulled off, and Diggia held it on the drag to the line by 0.013s to hand himself and Gresini an emotional rostrum. The first for Gresini Racing in Moto2™ since Lowes in 2016 at the Aragon GP, and a fitting way to remember the late, great Fausto Gresini.
Bezzecchi lost out on a rostrum by the slimmest of margins but a P4 is a solid start to the year. Fernandez couldn’t hold onto a podium place in his first Moto2™ race but it was nevertheless a phenomenal ride from the Spaniard, who took fifth and beat Roberts by 0.6 seconds as the American put in a solid ride to pull out a couple of seconds on Dixon by the flag in sixth. The Brit forced to settle for seventh, ahead of Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) as the German eventually got the better of Bendsneyder. The German, Dutchman was followed home by Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) as the two completed the top ten.
11th place went to Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) as the American produced a fantastic debut Moto2™ race in a heated battle for the remaining point-scoring positions. Fellow rookie Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) also impressed as he lost out by just 0.142s to Beaubier and took P12, with both getting the better of the more experienced Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team), Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) – the latter trio completing the points.
Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP40), Lorenzo Baldassarri (MV Agusta Forward Racing) and Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crashed out, riders ok.
Lowes did the business after a Warm Up mishap and the British rider starts the year with a near-perfect performance. Gardner and the chasing pack will be hoping to make up ground when the riders attack Losail International Circuit again next weekend, so who will come out on top in Doha in seven days time?Moto2™ podium: 1 Sam Lowes – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – 40:03.123
2 Remy Gardner – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – +2.260
3 Fabio Di Giannantonio – Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 – Kalex – +5.228 -
Maverick Vinales claims stunning victory in season opener
Doha, 28 March, 2021: Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales unravelled a stunning race to claim victory at the Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar, as 2021 MotoGP World Championship season kicked off in sublime style in the desert. Viñales climbed his way through the pack to eventually beat second place Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) by just over a second, as the Frenchman and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) beat reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on the run to the line to stand on the rostrum.
The start of the race was something to behold. Bagnaia, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), Zarco and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) from 14th on the grid all propelled themselves to the front as Ducati’s holeshot device worked absolute wonders. Martin’s launch was insane and the rookie joined his fellow GP21 riders inside the top four, as Fabio Quartararo and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate Viñales got swamped off the line.
An utterly sensational getaway from the Ducatis saw Bagnaia lead Miller, Zarco and Martin, as Zarco then slipstreamed Miller down the home straight and grabbed P2 off the Australian. After sluggish starts, the two factory Yamahas were regrouping and soon found their way past high-flying rookie Martin on Lap 3. Just behind, Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was scrapping away with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and World Champion Mir, the GSX-RR duo did get past The Doctor and began hounding Martin.
Up top, the leading five were line astern. Quartararo and Viñales were attached to the back of Miller, good news for two Yamahas, but a disaster for 2020’s runner up. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was down in P20 after five laps, an awful start for the Italian. At the opposite end of the race, Pecco was dictating a slow pace as tyre saving modes immediately came into play, but Quartararo wasn’t messing around. El Diablo dived up the inside of Miller at Turn 15, the Ducati blasted by on the straight but sensational work on the brakes allowed the Yamaha man to take and hold P3.
A couple of laps later, Viñales decided to pounce on Miller too. Turn 10 was the Spaniard’s chosen passing point as Miller found himself down in P5 – was he struggling, or playing the long game? In free air, Rins was reeling in the leaders and was soon right up behind Miller’s exhausts. Viñales, meanwhile, was starting to look impatient behind Quartararo and this lead group, covered by 1.4 seconds, was over two seconds up the road from seventh place Mir.
12 laps to go. Viñales was up into P3 and immediately bridged the few tenths gap to Zarco. And with 11 laps to go, Viñales dived up the inside of Zarco for P2 and showed a wheel to race leader Bagnaia – the Yamaha man was swarming. Just behind, Rins got the better of Quartararo and as the race entered the halfway stage, Mir and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) were now tagged onto the back of Quartararo. This was a fascinating battle.
Viñales and Yamaha’s strengths in the middle of the corners were clear to see. As can be said with Rins and Suzuki compared to the Ducatis. Turn 10 once more was the chosen passing place for Viñales and for the first time, the race leader wasn’t Pecco. Viñales, on Lap 15, took P1 as the top eight riders were now covered by just 2.3 seconds, with Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) in P9 just 3.5 seconds from the lead.
Viñales flashed across the line and held a half second lead with six to go. Zarco drafted Bagnaia and took P2 into Turn 1, with Mir passing Miller to grab 5th – the two Suzukis, once again, showing awesome Sunday pace. Now though, with five laps to go, Viñales and Zarco were starting to break clear. Viñales had a 0.7 second advantage over the Frenchman, with Zarco, in turn, holding a one second lead over Bagnaia. Behind the latter, Mir was now ahead of teammate Rins for P4. But Viñales was checking out. Top Gun had the afterburners on, 1.6 seconds clear was the number 12 now.
The battle for the podium was in full flow. Mir, at Turn 6, sweetly stuck his Suzuki up the inside of Bagnaia’s Ducati. And now, second place Zarco was under threat. With two to go, this was Viñales’ race to lose as attention focused on the battle for P2, P3 and P4. Pecco was staying in touch, with Zarco defending well to keep a hard-charging Champion behind him.
The last lap saw Mir desperately trying to find a way past Zarco, but a move wouldn’t come until Turn 15 – the penultimate corner. One corner and a run to the line was all that stood in the way between Mir and a phenomenal podium, but two Ducatis were about to prove just how quick they were in a straight line. As Viñales took the chequered flag in P1, Mir – slightly wide a Turn 16 – was left helpless as both Zarco and Bagnaia flew past the GSX-RR to claim P2 and P3 in spectacular fashion. A quite remarkable end to a thrilling encounter.
Quartararo crossed the line three seconds behind his teammate in P5 as the Frenchman gets the better of Rins by just three tenths. Two and a half seconds further down the road, Aleix Espargaro proved the Aprilia now belongs at the pointy end of the timesheets with a fantastic P7 ride. Aleix beat younger brother Pol by just 0.056s as the latter enjoys a fantastic debut with Repsol Honda Team.
Miller’s race never really got going after the opening couple of laps. The number 43 slid backwards in the latter stages and crossed the line in a disappointing P9, not what he nor Ducati would have been hoping for. Top rookie honours went the way of reigning Moto2™ World Champion Enea Bastianini (Esponsorama Racing). Huge credit goes the way of the Italian, a top 10 on your MotoGP™ debut is nothing short of spectacular – just nine seconds split Bastianini from the race win. That is what you call impressive.
Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) did another top job standing in for Marc Marquez, the German finished P11 and led 12th place Rossi across the line. Not the race The Doctor will have been looking for from P4 on the grid as he and teammate Morbidelli enjoy a very difficult evening – the latter finished outside the points in P18. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the leading KTM rider in P13, teammate Brad Binder and Martin picked up the remaining points on offer in P14 and P15.
An utterly magnificent way to kick things off in 2021. Viñales was an unstoppable force in the desert for a second time, the best race win of his life? You’d have to say so. Zarco and Bagnaia ensure Ducati have something to shout about on a favoured stomping ground, with Mir proving exactly why he and Suzuki are reigning Champions – a classy Sunday ride. Stories everywhere you look, as usual, in MotoGP™. Round 1 is now in the history books, and Round 2 right here at Losail is just around the corner.
Top 10:
1. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP)
2. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 1.092
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 1.129
4. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 1.222
5. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 3.030
6. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 3.357
7. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 5.934
8. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 5.990
9. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 7.058
10. Enea Bastianini (Esponsorama Racing) + 9.288
Telecast: MotoGP races will be telecast on EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD for Round 2 the TISSOT Grand Prix of Doha. The qualifying race is on Saturday, April 3 and the main race is on Sunday, April 4. The same will be live streamed on discovery + app.
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Hamilton resists intense pressure from Verstappen to win season opener
Sakhir, 28 March 2021: Defending F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton resisted intense pressure from a charging Mac Verstappen to take a thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix win at the end of an epic battle between the two drivers at the Bahrain International Circuit. Valtteri Bottas took third place for Mercedes with Lando Norris fourth for McLaren, in the first round of the Formula 1 World Championship here on Sunday.
After a tight strategic battle across the first two third of the race, during which Hamilton undercut pole position man Verstappen to steal the race lead, the Red Bull driver emerged from his final pit stop eight seconds behind the Mercedes driver but on fresher tyres.
Verstappen closed in and a titanic battle ensued. Verstappen got past at one point but having done so by going off track was forced to cede the position back to Hamilton. Then, in the final laps, Hamilton defended masterfully to keep Verstappen at bay as the Dutch driver repeatedly tried to pressure the seven-time champion into a mistake. Hamilton eventually crossed the line with just seven tenths of a second in hand over his rival.
In a hugely entertaining season-opening race, there was drama even before the start. At the end of the formation lap Sergio Pérez slowed and pulled over at the side of the track on the approach to the final corner with what looked like complete electrical failure. However, after a reset he was able to get power back and as a second formation lap got underway he steered his RB16B into the pit lane from where he’d start the race.
When the lights went out, Verstappen got away well from pole to take the lead ahead of Hamilton into Turn 1. Further back Haas’ Nikita Mazepin went off track at Turn 3 and hit the barriers, causing the safety car to be deployed.
When the action resumed, Verstappen controlled the restart and after a short Virtual Safety Car period caused by Pierre Gasly clipping Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren and losing his front wing, the Dutchman began to build a slim lead that by lap 13 had reached 1.7 seconds.
With 14 laps gone Mercedes went for the undercut, pitting Hamilton for a set of hard tyres. Verstappen and Red Bull didn’t blink, however, and the Dutchman stayed on track as Hamilton began to set quick times on fresh tyres.
Bottas made his first stop soon after, with the Finn also taking hard tyres, and then Verstappen finally accepted that his tyres were fading and made his first stop on lap 18. The Dutchman bolted on a second set of medium tyres, but as he left the pit lane, Hamilton swept past to take the lead.
At the front, the gap ebbed and flowed across the second stint, but at the end of lap 28, Hamilton again pitted early taking another set of hard tyres as Mercedes sought to prevent any potential undercut by Red Bull.
Hamilton’s pit stop handed the lead back to Verstappen. A lap later Bottas pitted but he was hampered by a long stop caused by a stuck right front wheel. After 10.9 seconds stationary the Mercedes driver rejoined in fifth place behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Further ahead, Verstappen’s times were flagging and as Hamilton closed in Red Bull called the Dutchman in at end of lap 39 for hard tyres. That put Hamilton back into the lead but Verstappen, armed with fresher tyres, was just eight seconds behind.
He immediately began to close the gap to the leader and by lap 47 he was just over three seconds behind the world champion. And when the Briton locked up on lap 51, the red Bull driver got to within DRS range. He attacked into Turn 1 on the next lap and made his way past in Turn 4. However, he did so by going off track and had to give back the position.
Defending masterfully Hamilton then managed to keep the Dutchman at bay, forced Verstappen to settle for second place, with Bottas a distant third after his botched pit stop. Force place went to McLaren’s Lando Norris, while Pérez put in a superb drive to recover from his pit lane start by claiming fifth place after late charge following his final stop for hard tyres. He finished just five seconds behind Norris.
Sixth place wen to Leclerc, seventh place went to the second McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo, while Carlos Sainz completed a good weekend for Ferrari with eighth place. AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda scored two points on his debut with ninth place and the last point on offer went to Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 56 1:32’03.897
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 56 1:32’04.642 0.745
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 56 1:32’41.280 37.383
4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 56 1:32’50.363 46.466
5 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 56 1:32’55.944 52.047
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 56 1:33’02.987 59.090
7 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 56 1:33’09.901 1’06.004
8 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 56 1:33’10.997 1’07.100
9 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 56 1:33’29.589 1’25.692
10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 56 1:33’30.610 1’26.713
11 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 56 1:33’32.761 1’28.864
12 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 55 1 Lap
13 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 55 1 Lap
14 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 55 1 Lap
15 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 55 1 Lap
16 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 55 1 Lap
17 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 52 4 Laps
18 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 51 5 Laps
Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 32 Brakes
Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 0 Spun off -
I kept out of trouble and made some sensible moves in Race 1, says Jehan Daruvala
Sakhir, 28 March 2021: India’s racing star Jehan Daruvala began his 2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship campaign on a stellar note, clinching second place in race 1, during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, here at the Bahrain International Circuit over the weekend.
He showed his mettle in the second race too, climbing from eleventh to fourth after a brilliant run, to miss a second straight podium by the proverbial whisker. In the final race, he started in sixth and although he did move down & up the order, he had to settle for sixth place, inspite of severe vibrations from flat spotted tyres. This puts him in third place in the Points Standings, after Round 1 of 8.
“I kept out of trouble at the start of Race 1, and then made sensible moves up the order. Both, Lawson and I, had similar pace towards the end, but it was difficult to pass. It’s good to start the season with a podium,” the Red Bull Racing Junior driver said after his victory.
“I enjoyed Race 2 too, with the amount of overtaking in the last few laps. Unfortunately I flat spotted my set of soft tyres, causing severe vibrations that seriously compromised race 3 for me. A big thanks to Carlin for the excellent car which helped me finish in the points in all the races,” he added.
Earlier, Jehan qualified sixth out of 22 racers on the grid but started on P5, owing to the reverse grid rule for the opening race. He began smartly, overtaking the car ahead go him to move into fourth position.
Jehan then drove intelligently, staying just behind the pack, without pushing hard to protect his tyre life. Halfway through the race, he began mounting pressure on German racer David Beckmann, for third. He succeeded by first pushing him hard into a corner and then overtaking around the outside, to move into third.
French racer, Theo Pouchaire who had started on pole, was next. Jehan quickly closed the gap and just as he was about to make a move, the Frenchman’s car suffered a technical issue, allowing Jehan to move up to second.
Race leader Liam Lawson of New Zealand, was now 2.7 seconds ahead. Jehan reeled off a series of good laps to quickly close the gap to the leader. The extreme Bahrain heat, however, meant that all drivers were finding it tough to overtake, and Jehan was unable to make a serious attempt for the race lead.
Jehan ultimately crossed the finish line, less than a second behind Lawson who won the race. Such was the pace of the lead duo that Beckmann in third, finished over 13 seconds behind Jehan.
The top ten finishers of the first race were reversed for the start of Race 2. Thus Jehan started ninth for the second sprint race. A first corner melee on lap one brought out the safety car, while Jehan dropped a couple of places.
When racing resumed Jehan made one position and some laps later moved up to eighth. Another safety car situation saw Jehan and other drivers dive into the pits for a fresh set of soft tyres.
Jehan was eleventh after the round of unscheduled pit stops. He was on a charge the moment racing resumed and in just five laps, he drove another fantastic race, moving up steadily each lap to eventually finish a fantastic fourth.
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Marshals, firefighters who saved Grosjean get Special Awards from FIA
Sakhir, 28 March 2021: FIA President Jean Todt has presented Special Awards to the marshals and firefighters who helped rescue Romain Grosjean from the fiery heavy crash the French driver suffered at the start of last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
The FIA President also presented a Special Award to the Bahrain Motor Federation, the national sporting authority (ASN) responsible for the organisation of the grand prix and the training of race volunteers and officials. The specially commissioned 2020 FIA Prize Giving trophy designed by renowned sculptor Patrick Roger, was presented to His Excellency Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Motor Federation and Abdulaziz Al Thawadi, General Manager, Bahrain Motor Federation.
The prizes were announced by the FIA President during the virtual FIA Prize Giving in December of last year, but on the occasion of today’s 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, President Todt took the opportunity to present the awards in person to the seven local marshals and doctors and the firefighters who assisted Grosjean escape from the fire that engulfed his car following his crash on the opening lap of last year’s grand prix at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Abdulla Ahmed Qambar, Osama Al Sherooqi, Mehab Medhat Fawzi, Ahmed Abdulla Mohammed, , Ahmed Saeed Mohamed, Atif Turkey Alanbar, Dr Yasir Yar Muhammad and firefighters Joby Matthew and Thaer Ali Taher were honoured with commemorative medals for their bravery and exceptional reaction during the incident.
Medals were also presented to FIA Formula 1 Medical Rescue Co-ordinator Dr Ian Roberts and FIA Formula 1 Medical Car Driver Alan van der Merwe.
The combined heroics of this group of courageous individuals and the collaborative efforts of the local volunteers who come from all sectors of Bahraini society meant that Grosjean emerged with minor burns to his hands.
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Zhou takes a fighting victory; Jehan Daruvala 6th
Sakhir, 28 March 2021: UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou used all of his experience to take a hard-earned first Feature Race win from pole in Sakhir, but it wasn’t as simple as lights-to-flag. Initially tumbling down the order at the start, Zhou scythed his way back through the field, beating Carlin’s Dan Ticktum and Hitech Grand Prix’s Liam Lawson.
Indian racer Jehan Daruvala, who began on P6 managed to score 8 points from his sixth place in the Feature race and is currently in third position at the end of Round 1.
Starting on the hard tyre, Zhou couldn’t compete with those on the softs around him and fell out of the top 10, before a Safety Car gave the order a shake-up. Ticktum, Lawson and Richard Verschoor all benefitted, but the Chinese driver was imperious and won at a canter.
Verschoor – who briefly led the race – finished fourth and just missed out on a podium, after the MP Motorsport driver lost a late battle with tyre degradation.
DAMS’ Marcus Armstrong claimed an impressive eight scalps on his way to fifth, beating Jehan Daruvala and Robert Shwartzman, the latter doing well to fight back after an early drive-through penalty.
Théo Pourchaire and Felipe Drugovich finished eighth and ninth, ahead of HWA RACELAB’s Matteo Nannini, who took his first points in F2.
AS IT HAPPENED
After an intense late battle in Sprint Race 2, Zhou and Lundgaard reignited their fight at the start from the front row. Pounding off into a whirlwind of sand, Lundgaard got the better of his Alpine Academy rival at Turn 1, fighting against the gust and taking the inside line to come out in first place.
Having already lost P1, Zhou – who started on the hard compound – was then in a scrap for second with his Virtuosi teammate Drugovich, who eventually hauled himself ahead of the Chinese driver.
An early Safety Car brought a halt to the action after Roy Nissany was clipped by Shwarztman and forced to retire. Shwartzman survived the scrap but was handed a drive-through penalty.
Zhou lost another place at the restart and fell to fourth behind the in-form Oscar Piastri, who was still buoyant from his debut win in Sprint Race 2. The PREMA racer was far from finished, continuing his sparkling debut weekend with a fifth overtake, this time on Drugovich, braking late to take P2 at Turn 1.
Lundgaard complained of a “strange balance” on team radio, as Piastri started to reel him in too. Drugovich joined the battle and the trio went three-wide at the first corner, with the PREMA eventually coming out in P1.
Having lost first, Lundgaard opted to ditch the soft Pirellis on Lap 14 and jumped into the pits for a set of hards, returning 13th. Drugovich decided his softs had had enough as well one lap later, pitting for fresh boots and returning further back in 12th.
Piastri opted against a change, before his team sensed an opportunity when Gianluca Petecof retired. PREMA called in the Australian for fresh rubber just ahead of a Virtual Safety Car, and returned him in fourth place, with track position.
In the end, a full Safety Car was required and this shook up the order, with Armstrong leading Piastri and Verschoor. Though, the Kiwi dropped right down at the restart, with Verschoor dramatically taking the lead on the soft compound.
Also on the soft, Zhou had tussled his way back through and managed to nip past Piastri on the first corner of Lap 23 to put just one place between him and his first Feature Race win. In the background, Ticktum fired ahead of Lawson for fourth.
Lundgaard had lucked out in the Safety Car period, getting stuck down in 10th at the restart, before being handed a 5s time penalty for a SC infringement, along with a handful of drivers, including Drugovich, who was running seventh.
Verschoor was desperately trying to defend the lead from Zhou, but the Virtuosi man used all of his experience to take the better track position and drag himself in front.
The Dutchman’s attention switched straight to the dazzling red PREMA of Piastri in third, but thankfully for him, the Australian was busy defending from Ticktum. Their battle came to a heart-breaking conclusion, with the two coming together at Turn 2, spinning Piastri off the road and out of the race. Ticktum got away unscathed and a VSC brought the drama to a stop.
Racing resumed with two laps to go and Ticktum jumped Verschoor, who also lost third to Lawson and fell off the podium. Meanwhile, Zhou kept it calm out in front to run home as the winner.
Zhou now leads the Drivers’ Championship with 41 points, ahead of Lawson on 30 and Daruvala on 28. Piastri is fourth with 21 and Ticktum fifth with 19. In the Teams’ title fight, Carlin are first with 47 points, ahead of Virtuosi on 43 and PREMA on 37. Hitech are fourth on 30 points, ahead of ART on 24.
KEY QUOTE – GUANYU ZHOU (UNI-VIRTUOSI)
“My first Feature Race win and a great comeback from yesterday. Amazing. Today was a bit messy, especially towards the end. I saw the Safety Car coming out and thought ‘no, not again.’
“Richard (Verschoor) had a clean pit stop and I had to do everything on track. It felt good to come through the field – congrats to the whole team, we fully deserved it.”
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Soorya, Navneeth win overall title: TVS Enduro race
Chennai, 28 March 2021: The Chennai-Puducherry combination of Soorya PM and Navneeth Kumar rode a smart, tactical race to annex the Overall title in the TVS Eurogrip MMSC Motorcycle Endurance Race 2021 at the MMRT, here on Sunday. The pair also topped the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category while completing 55 laps over two hours.
Finishing second a minute in arrears were pole-sitters from Hyderabad Satyanarayana Raju and Sahil Shetty though they also completed 55 laps, while the team of Abhimanyu Gautam and Anand R was third with 54 laps.
Anfal A and Subramani Gandan, completing 52 laps, won in the Stock 165cc category, restricted to those under 15 years of age, while Lani Zena Fernandez and Arpitha Bhat emerged champions in the Girls (TVS Apache RTR 200), completing 48 laps.
Explaining their strategy, Soorya said: “I went out first and was very mindful of the flags and the slow traffic. The idea was to put in consistent laps. After my first stint, Navneeth put in some hot laps which also helped us to finish on top.”
A big disappointment was the retirement of experienced pair of Rajini Krishnan and Sarath Kumar who packed up after 39 laps. The pair led initially, but was docked a ride-through penalty after Rajini, going out first, rode for 46 minutes instead of permitted 45. It effectively ended their challenge.
The results (Provisional):
Overall and Pro-Stock 301-400cc: 1. Soorya PM / Navneeth Kumar (55 laps, 02hrs, 00:38.471secs); 2. Satyanarayana Raju / P Sahil (55L; 02:01:29.921); 3. Abhimanyu Gautam / Anand R (54L; 02:01:22.055).
Stock 165cc: 1. Anfal A / Subramani Gandan (52L; 02:02:05.716); 2. Mohan Babu / Udayi Prakash (52L; 02:02:18.551); 3. Jagadeesh N / Allwin Xavier (51L; 02:02:29.670).
Girls (TVS Apache RTR 200) : 1. Lani Zena Fernandez / Arpitha Bhat (48L; 02:01:11.352); 2. Rakshitha Dave / Baddam Dipika (47L; 02:00:44.209); 3. Nivetha Jessica / Lakaya Lee (47L; 02:01:20.940).
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About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
