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Williams Racing welcomes watch partner Bremont
Oxfordshire, 11 March 2021: Williams Racing is delighted to welcome Bremont as the team’s Official Timing and Watch Partner. Founded in 2002, Bremont craft beautifully engineered British watches, designed, manufactured and assembled in Oxfordshire.
The partnership draws upon the many similarities of the two brands, with a clear focus on precision and innovation allowing for collaboration on a deeper technical level. Bremont’s move to its new state-of-the-art Manufacturing and Technology Centre, which marks the start of a new era for British watchmaking, is perfectly timed to enable a knowledge sharing focused around their respective CNC machining capabilities.
Williams race drivers, George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, will proudly wear their Bremont watches along with other senior members of the team.
Jost Capito, CEO from Williams Racing commented: “It is our pleasure to welcome luxury watch manufacturer Bremont as Williams Racing’s Official Timing and Watch Partner, as we start an exciting new era for the team. As close neighbours in Oxfordshire we see the multitude of synergies between the two businesses and Bremont’s commitment to bring watchmaking back to the UK, with its unique positioning as the preeminent British watch manufacturer, makes the firm a perfect partner for us. The undeniable crossover in manufacturing skills and our sheer proximity to one another should make for some exciting and innovative future projects.”
Giles English, Co-Founder of Bremont added: “Everyone at Bremont is incredibly proud to be working with Williams Racing, a team with an incredible history and such a poignant name in sport. The links between our two industries are considerable and as Official Timing and Watch Partner our relationship will be beneficial on many levels. Over the years we have seen a substantial crossover between the manufacturing skills in Formula One and watchmaking; we have employed several individuals from the industry to date. Complex machining to very high tolerances requires a significant investment in machinery and technical skillset. We’re excited to be working with such a renowned British technology business and look forward to seeing where we can take the partnership.
About Bremont
Bremont is an award-winning British luxury watch brand, manufacturing mechanical watches in Henley-on-Thames, England. Bremont is making considerable investment with its UK watch making and manufacturing and at the end of 2014 launched a new Parts Manufacturing Facility which saw the firm starting to produce its own case and movement components. Cofounded by brothers Nick & Giles English in 2002, Bremont has made a substantial impact on the watch making industry in a very short period of time. The brand remains true to its original principles of aviation and military, British engineering and adventure. As well as manufacturing watches for some of the most exclusive military squadrons around the world, Bremont continues to play an influential role in revitalising the British watch industry, the birthplace of numerous timekeeping innovations still used today. The brand is now in the top handful of chronometer producers in the world.
About Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited’s core competencies are the design and development of racing cars to compete in the Formula One World Championship. As one of the world’s leading Formula One teams, the company has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles since its foundation in 1977. Nine of these titles have been won in the Constructors’ Championship in association with Cosworth, Honda and Renault. The remaining seven titles were won in the Drivers’ Championship with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.
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Top-Down on 2021 F1 pre-season: A viewpoint from our Technical Writer Malhaar
London, 11 March 2021: The Formula 1 pre-season testing is set to begin on March 12 through to March 14. This year it is being held at the Sakhir International circuit for the first time since 2014. With the 2021 cars about to hit track, here is all you need to know about teams and drivers in pre-season testing.
Key regulations changes in 2021 include floor-space reduction ahead of the car’s rear tyre which is aimed at downforce reduction. The length of diffuser strakes has been shortened as well to aid the reduction in downforce. Reduction in downforce was stipulated by the FIA so that the Pirelli tyres can handle the lateral forces going through them as they were effectively introduced in 2019 and meant for slower (2019) cars.
Other key change is the carry-over of the survival cell, the monocoque chassis to reduce costs for teams due the ongoing Covid pandemic with the revolutionary new cars to be introduced in 2022 instead of 2021. The FIA also introduced a two-token system by which the teams can use their tokens to develop certain homologated parts of their cars. Aerodynamic surfaces can be developed freely. The ingenious DAS system introduced by Mercedes last year has been banned as well. Other small changes include the weight of Power Unit increasing slightly and the weight of cars going up by 3 kgs to 749 kgs.
Mercedes AMG F1:
The reigning champions will be gunning for a record-extending eighth consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ title this season as they ended the 2020 season on a high with 15 pole positions and 13 wins.
Formel 1: Präsentation des Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance Formula One: Launch of the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image Their 2021 car is called the W12, which has a major carry over of parts and monocoque chassis (as stipulated by the 2021 regulations). They have openly admitted to keeping their cards close to their chest and not showing either the new floor or where they have spent the tokens to develop their car. Mercedes stopped the development of W11 (2020 car) midway through last season to focus on the W12. A lot of work has also gone in the Power Unit side, with Mercedes claiming it to be more powerful and reliable than last year. So, expect them to come out of the blocks quickly.
Mercedes keep their drivers unchanged, only one of the three teams to do so, with Lewis Hamilton signing a one-year contract in February and Valtteri Bottas staying on. For Mercedes this means stability as this gives them the best opportunity to gun for both the titles yet again.
Red Bull Racing:
Red Bull on paper are the closest rivals and challengers to Mercedes for this season. Them winning the season ending Abu Dhabi GP in 2020, means momentum is on their side going in 2021.
The RB16B will be their challenger for 2021. Red Bull, too, have kept their cards close to the chest as they barely revealed the RB16B to the public. They are also hiding their floor details. Red bull have spent their tokens on a new gearbox transmission and rear suspension of the car. Honda has also introduced a new engine, which has the upgrades planned for 2022 originally, but brought forward as they will be leaving the sport at the end of this season. Red bull will be hoping to start the year much closer to Mercedes as this year’s car is 60% carry over of last year’s car.
In the driver department, Red Bull chose to go for Sergio Perez instead of retaining Alex Albon to partner Max Verstappen. Perez brings the consistency and the knowledge of Mercedes power unit to Red Bull which could be key for them to win both the championships. It remains to be seen how Perez adapts to the Red Bull car which in recent history has been tricky to get grips with.
McLaren Racing:
McLaren’s P3 in the constructor’s championship was their best result in the turbo-hybrid era. With a new driver line-up and a new car under the skin they look set to consolidate P3 and move closer to the top 2 teams.
The MCL35M’s biggest change is the power unit. McLaren swapped the Renault power unit for the Mercedes one in 2021, reinvigorating the classic McLaren-Mercedes brand. Mercedes has arguably been the class leading Power Unit since 2014, thus the switch. As Mercedes PU has a different architecture compared to the Renault PU, they have had to modify their monocoque chassis to fit the Mercedes PU, thus, spending their two tokens on it. According to McLaren, this year’s car is a better package compared to last year with the integration of Mercedes.
Daniel Ricciardo replaces Carlos Sainz and will be partnered by Lando Norris. Ricciardo brings race winning experience to McLaren while this will be Norris’ third season with the papaya squad. With Ricciardo having the ability to adapt to a car quickly, podiums can be expected from this season.
Aston Martin F1:
Famous rebranding and signing of a four-time world champion show the intent and commitment of Aston Martin, previously Racing Point to reach the top and… winning! They almost achieved P3 last season and were narrowly beaten by McLaren, Aston Martin will be determined to finish as close as possible to the top-2 teams, beating their rivals in the process.
Aston Martin during the Test. Photo by Aston Martin added on 15 March Their new car is called the AMR21, which is the most different car compared to last year’s car of any team. That is due to them having spent their tokens on a new monocoque chassis, to redesign the sidepod inlets and cooling configuration. They have also got the 2020 Mercedes rear suspension and the improved Mercedes PU. Aston martin have retained the Mercedes low-rake aerodynamic philosophy for this year.
Sebastian Vettel has come on-board to be alongside Lance Stroll. Once again, Vettel brings championship winning experience and feedback to improve the car. If the drivers are able to capitalise on the car’s “expected” potential, then they could finish P3 by the end of the season.
Alpine F1:
Another team which had a re-brand and signed a world champion for this year. Alpine, previously Renault, will be hoping to make gains to consistently challenge McLaren and Aston Martin in the fight for P3.
The A521 is an evolution of the RS20 with main changes coming internally. They have introduced a new power unit. To supplement that Alpine has spent its tokens on the rear of the car with a new gearbox transmission and rear suspension. As Alpine do not have power unit customers, they will be at a disadvantage in testing due to less data compared to other manufacturers. It remains to be seen if this will hinder their progress in 2021.
Alpine have signed two-time champion Fernando Alonso in the wake of Ricciardo leaving for McLaren. Alongside him will be Frenchman, Esteban Ocon. Alpine are hoping that with the speed and experience of Alonso they can take the fight to McLaren and Aston Martin, with achieving regular podiums their top priority.
Scuderia Ferrari:
Ferrari had their worst season in F1 in 40 years as they finished P6 with a draggy car and a sub-par engine. They will be looking to bounce back getting ahead of the pack with the new engine and new driver line-up.
The SF21 is a radical evolution of previous year’s car. It has a new front wing and nose, coupled with an all-new Ferrari engine which is better than last year. According to Mattia Binotto their straight-line speed for this year has improved compared to last year. Ferrari have spent their tokens on a new gearbox transmission and rear suspension as they look to make the rear of the car even tighter for aerodynamic gains.
Ferrari have signed another young blood, in the name of Carlos Sainz who though young, will be going in his seventh season in F1. Alongside him will be Charles Leclerc in his third season with Ferrari. Both drivers are proven so it remains to be seen if the car can propel them to the front of the field and at least secure P3 in the constructors by the end of the season.
AlphaTauri:
AlphaTauri had a good baseline to end with last season and with the introduction of a newly promoted driver it could be a fantastic season for the Faenza based team.
Pierre and Yuki sample the AT02 for the fist time on March 11. Alpha Tauri pic AlphaTauri’s 2021 challenger is called the AT02. With a good baseline from last year, AlphaTauri elected not to use Red Bull’s 2020 rear suspension, instead sticking with 2019 rear suspension setup in a bid to optimize it fully. Instead, they have spent their tokens on a new thinner nose cone structure and a new front suspension setup. Along with that, they too receive the upgraded 2021 Honda engine.
AlphaTauri has retained 2020 race winner Pierre Gasly and signed a promising F2 driver, Yuki Tsunoda. AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost is confident that if they maximise the potential of their car, they will be able to challenge the likes of McLaren and Aston Martin.
You can watch the 11 March 2021 video here.
Alfa Romeo:
Alfa Romeo had a difficult season in 2020 as their chassis was not up to their expectations and the slower Ferrari engine accentuated their problem. They have also opted for stability in sticking with the same drivers this season.
The C41 shows promise according Alfa Romeo as they have heavily reworked the car. They hope to get better performance from the new Ferrari engine. They have spent their tokens on the new thinner nose cone as well as a new front suspension setup to iron out the inherent understeer in previous years car.
As mentioned, Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi will stay with Alfa Romeo for a third consecutive season as they hope the experience of both will propel them into the mid field fight.
Haas F1:
Haas had another mediocre season as they finished P9 at the end of the 2020 season. With a completely new driver lineup and injection of funds, Haas will be hoping to turn their fortunes around.
Haas have not revealed their 2021 challenger, the VF21 yet. This will be done on the morning of pre-season testing in Bahrain. They did reveal the livery of the car. Haas are also yet to fire up their power unit for the first time as due to covid restrictions it has not been possible. Haas have also confirmed that no upgrade packages will brought to the VF21 as the team will fully focus on 2022 car.
Haas field a new driver lineup of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. Both are rookies and will be their first season in F1. Inexperienced yet both are fast as Schumacher won the 2020 F2 title and Mazepin finished in the top 5.
Williams F1:
A fast driver lineup and improving car Williams look on the rise as they will try to get back in the midfield and contest for points regularly. Their aim is to beat Alfa Romeo and Haas this season.
The Williams 2021 car, the FW43B is an evolution of last year’s FW43. A Williams image The FW43B is an evolution of last year’s FW43. Their main focus has been weight reduction of the car for 2021. Williams have not spent any development tokens this year, instead electing to fully optimise their package. Williams have also said that they will aggressively develop the FW43B in the early stages of the season in a bid to challenge the mid field rivals.
Williams will continue with George Russell and Nicholas Latifi. With this stability and speed of both driver Williams are hoping to be consistently in the midfield battle and score points.
*Malhaar Khaladkar writes on F1 and technical aspects of the sport. The passionate student based in London, is also a keen student of the sport. After successfully completing one year of an analysis piece, after every race last year, Malhaar will continue to bring to you the nuances of the sport with a Monday comment piece after every race. We invite your comments and suggestions.
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Miller turns the tables on Quartararo as testing resumes in Qatar
The pace hots up in the desert as MotoGP gets back on track, with two familiar names beating the lap record at Losail International Circuit
Doha, 10 March 2021: After two days off, Wednesday welcomed the grid back down to business in Doha as the third day of official MotoGP testing got underway… and it was an absolute scorcher. The all-time lap record at Losail International Circuit fell first courtesy of Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), but late on Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) hit back to go even quicker. The Australian stormed his way to a 1:53.183 to finish 0.080s ahead, making that a new – although unofficial, since it’s testing – lap record. Maverick Viñales made it two Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bikes inside the top three in P3, although a couple of tenths further back.
Thankfully for all the riders and teams, the second leg of the Qatar Test was greeted by the best weather conditions we’ve seen since the paddock landed in Doha. The wind wasn’t causing issues, the sun was shining before setting and the riders were raring to get going again after two days on the sidelines.
At Ducati, Miller stole the headlines once again but after seeing the factory riders testing the intriguing new Ducati aero, Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) was giving it a whirl on Wednesday. Judging by the timesheets – although not all his laps were with the new package – the Frenchman was feeling good as he slotted into fourth overall with exactly the same laptime as Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team). Zarco was “pretty happy” with the progress being made, and the Frenchman added that the GP21 has “huge potential” – promising signs for the Bologna factory.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) ended Day 3 in P9 as the third fastest Desmosedici rider on track, putting in 51 laps as he ended the day 1.053s off Miller’s time. Bagnaia was concentrating on his longer run pace and made a big step compared to the first two days of testing; pleased with his work on Wednesday.
A little further down the ranks, Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was the fastest rookie in P14, finishing ahead of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) and Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) – impressive to say the least. The reigning Moto2™ World Champion was also just 0.120s behind nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and is settling into MotoGP™ life very well indeed.
The other two Ducati-riding rookies are looking great too. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) improved his previous best time by half a second and has been checking Miller and Zarco’s data, confirming that in “three or four corners” he could immediately go faster. Martin placed P19 with a 1:55.010, with Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) only three tenths behind Martin in P22.
In the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP camp, a new mudguard and front fork covers were getting put through their paces. Both Quartararo and Viñales were also doing back-to-back runs on the new and old chassis to get some final confirmation on whether any improvements have been made. The factory duo finished P2 and P3, with Viñales completing the most laps of anyone on Day 3. The Spaniard did suffer a crash at Turn 1 but rider ok, and he was also doing plenty of practice starts at the end of pitlane so it was a busy day.
Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi both finished outside the top 10 as the Italians ended the day 1.1 and 1.4 seconds adrift of the best time, respectively, but the focus was not time attacks. Rossi’s main concern was the rear grip previously, and The Doctor said that the new chassis was much closer to the 2020 one, rather than the 2019 one.
Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro’s adaptation to the Honda continues to be seamless. The Spaniard was leading the way at midday and eventually snuck into the 1:53s on just his third day on the RC213V. The number 44 is already only half a second shy of Marc Marquez’s official all-time lap record in Qatar. The new Repsol Honda kid on the block was also seen using Honda’s carbon bonded chassis and that could point towards that being chosen as the way forward. All in all, 53 laps were completed by Pol Espargaro on Day 3.
On the other side of the Repsol-liveried garage, Stefan Bradl’s day ended early after a crash at Turn 2 left the German with some pain in his neck. LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami also crashed, as did LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez, making it seven crashes between them in the Qatar Test. Nakagami was the quicker of the two and snuck into the top 10 though, and on a day where he tested some new items. The Japanese rider reported that they were working very well in some areas but that more time is needed, in his opinion, to confirm which chassis is the one to go with. He has a “much better” feeling on the bike than on Saturday and Sunday. Teammate Alex Marquez finished P15 on the timesheets.
Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini once again ended the day towards the summit. The all-new RS-GP in the hands of the Spaniard ended the day P6, although the number 41 completed the lowest number of laps of any full-time rider – 31. A couple of technical issues and a small crash on new tyres hampered his day, and he’s hoping for fewer problems tomorrow to complete the programme and do a race simulation. MotoGP™ rookie Lorenzo Savadori completed 39 laps to finish the day 25th, another day of valuable track time for the Italian.
Down at World Champions Team Suzuki Ecstar, we saw an extra set of fairings on the side of their bikes, with Joan Mir and Alex Rins claiming P7 and P8 on the timesheets. Between them, 120 laps were put in by the 2021 GSX-RR as the Hamamatsu factory continue to rattle through their busy testing schedule in Qatar. The big focus so far has been a new chassis and we’re still no nearer to knowing whether Suzuki have fixed their main 2020 Achilles heel – one-lap pace. Will Thursday and Friday welcome some time-attacks?
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), meanwhile, was the leading KTM rider once again in P12. The gap between the Portuguese rider and Miller’s time was 1.343s and it’s fair to say it’s been a quiet test for the Austrian factory so far at the Losail International Circuit, with no hand shown. Oliveira’s teammate Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) also suffered another crash at Turn 2, although he said he had started to get back a better feeling and just “seemed to be washing the front”. The South African was P20 but said the team have a good direction to work in. A new swingarm and mudguard – that test rider and MotoGP™ Legend Dani Pedrosa has been testing – has been spotted on Binder’s bike, with the KTM runners also using the new, skinnier fairing once again.
Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona were P17 and P21 on the timesheets respectively, with Lecuona suffering a small crash at Turn 2 early doors. Lecuona is expecting Thursday will be better and admits he need more time with the bike, but the Spaniard has tried many new parts during the test. And, whilst not a rookie, Lecuona’s first season was the shorter-than-normal 2020, so he’s still lacking the normal experience by this stage – as is Binder, despite taking KTM’s first premier class win in 2020.
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A new circuit joins WorldSBK 2021 Calendar
The Circuito de Navarra will make its debut on the WorldSBK calendar, while the Aragon Round becomes season opener due to Estoril postponement.
9 March 2021: Due to ongoing local restrictions the FIM and Dorna WSBK Organization (DWO) confirm updates to the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, for what is set to be an exceptional season.
Following a further modification to the 2021 season, a new circuit will join the calendar as the Circuito de Navarra becomes the fifth Round of the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Located in Los Arcos, in the north of Spain, the Circuito de Navarra was opened in 2010 and has already hosted events for both national and international level competition. The Spanish circuit will host, from the 20th to the 22nd of August, WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes.
MotorLand Aragon will now host the opening Round of the 2021 calendar from the 21st to the 23rd of May, due to the postponement of the Estoril Round, initially scheduled to be held from the 7th to 9th of May. All parties involved are working hard to confirm a new date for the event.
With the Supported Test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya taking place in less than a month, the FIM and Dorna WSBK Organization are constantly working with Government Officials and Circuits in order to continue putting everyone’s safety first. Any further updates to the 2021 WorldSBK calendar will be communicated accordingly.
WorldSBK Calendar 2021
# Date Country Circuit SBK SSP SSP300 1 21-23 May 2021 Spain MotorLand Aragón x x x 2 11-13 June Italy Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” x x x 3 2-4 July UK Donington Park x Nil Nil 4 23-25 July Netherlands TT Circuit Assen x x x 5 20–22 August Spain Circuito de Navarra x x Nil 6 3-5 September France Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours x x x 7 17-19 September Spain Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya x x x 8 24-26 September Spain Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto x x x 9 1-3 October Portugal Autódromo Internacional do Algarve x x x 10 15–17 October Argentina Circuito San Juan Villicum x x Nil 11 12–14 November Indonesia Mandalika International Street Circuit*** x x Nil 12 TBA**** Australia Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit** x x Nil 13 TBA**** Portugal Circuito Estoril** x x Nil ends/9March2021
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Jehan Daruvala post second fastest time in the afternoon
Sakhir, 9 March 2021: Red Bull Junior driver and ace Indian star Jehan Daruvala of Carlin team finished in the top-two in the afternoon session clocking the second fastest time on the second day of the F2 test here on Tuesday. He put in a very useful 71 laps in both the sessions together to get mileage in the 2021 car.
ART Grand Prix’s Christian Lundgaard continued his strong start to pre-season testing, following up second place on Day 1 with the fastest time on Day 2. The Alpine junior set the quickest lap of the tests so far in the morning session, his time of 1:41.697 more than three tenths faster than Trident rookie Bent Viscaal in second.
MORNING
Lundgaard’s name was a familiar presence at the top of the timesheets in the morning as the ART ace kicked into gear and swiftly set the fastest of the opening laps. The Dane’s time of 1:43.514 was just the start as he later cemented his position in P1 with the only sub-1m 42s lap of the morning.
There was a brief stoppage between those two laps as Alessio Deledda was forced to pull over at the final corner with mechanical issues. When things got back underway, Théo Pourchaire managed to climb as high as third, before falling to seventh as he begun a programme of long runs.
Fellow rookie Viscaal managed one better than his former Formula 3 rival, sneaking into second behind Lundgaard towards the midway point of the session. The Dutchman is desperate to impress those at Trident, in the hope of extending his current one-round deal at the Italian side, and did his chances no harm with a solid stint, lapping at 1:42.697.
Marcus Armstrong was looking more at home with DAMS on the second morning, bettering his P9 finish on Monday morning by breaking into the top three, just one hundredth off the marker for P2. The Kiwi’s Ferrari junior rival Robert Shwarztman was in and amongst it himself, breaking into the top five for the first time this pre-season.
Two of Red Bull’s hopes for the 2021 season, Liam Lawson and Jüri Vips, both made the top 10 with Hitech Grand Prix, sandwiching Shwarztman in fourth and sixth. Roy Nissany, Oscar Piastri and Marino Sato completed the top 10 as the drivers headed in for lunch.
AFTERNOON
With a number of teams getting in a qualifying simulation during the morning session, attention was focused on longer-runs and data gathering in the afternoon. Just 13 cars headed out when the lights went green, with Guilherme Samaia running the fastest of these.
A red flag disrupted the running after Gianluca Petecof stopped at Turn 13, before action resumed and the remainder of the field headed out for a taste of the track. Times were still well below the morning, as Richard Verschoor set the standard at 1:45.018. The Dutchman did manage to improve with a lap of 1:44.051, before dropping down to seventh.
There were two further red flags during the afternoon, with Lawson and Guanyu Zhou both stopping on track. Both managed to get back out there, with Zhou recovering to finish third.
A flurry of final laps when saw Dan Ticktum take control of the timesheet, breaking the 1m 44s barrier to go first. His Carlin teammate Jehan Daruvala followed suit, but couldn’t quite match the Briton’s effort, missing out on by just 0.003s.
Samaia found the time for a late lap to take him as high as fourth, ahead of Felipe Drugovich and Ralph Boschung. Petecof recovered from his earlier struggles to break into the top 10 and finish the afternoon in eighth, despite lapping just 10 times. Day 1’s top driver, David Beckmann finished ninth, as Bent Viscaal completed the top 10.
We’ll be back for Day 3 on Wednesday at 9am (local time).
2021 FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP – PRE-SEASON TESTS, DAY 2, MORNING SESSION
DRIVER TEAM LAPTIME LAPS 1 Christian Lundgaard ART Grand Prix 1:41.697 39 2 Bent Viscaal Trident 1:42.028 28 3 Marcus Armstrong DAMS 1:42.038 26 4 Liam Lawson Hitech Grand Prix 1:42.256 28 5 Robert Shwartzman PREMA Racing 1:42.257 27 6 Jüri Vips Hitech Grand Prix 1:42.299 22 7 Théo Pourchaire ART Grand Prix 1:42.347 42 8 Roy Nissany DAMS 1:42.419 31 9 Oscar Piastri PREMA Racing 1:42.462 32 10 Marino Sato Trident 1:42.997 27 11 Dan Ticktum Carlin 1:43.158 35 12 Ralph Boschung Campos Racing 1:43.206 40 13 Jehan Daruvala Carlin 1:43.616 35 14 David Beckmann Charouz Racing System 1:43.954 48 15 Guanyu Zhou UNI-Virtuosi 1:43.997 38 16 Lirim Zendeli MP Motorsport 1:44.346 31 17 Richard Verschoor MP Motorsport 1:44.485 31 18 Guilherme Samaia Charouz Racing System 1:44.575 50 19 Gianluca Petecof Campos Racing 1:45.419 33 20 Felipe Drugovich UNI-Virtuosi 1:45.865 46 21 Matteo Nannini HWA RACELAB 1:45.865 20 22 Alessio Deledda HWA RACELAB 1:46.413 13 2021 FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP – PRE-SEASON TESTS, DAY 2, AFTERNOON SESSION
DRIVER TEAM LAPTIME LAPS 1 Dan Ticktum Carlin 1:42.185 36 2 Jehan Daruvala Carlin 1:42.619 36 3 Guanyu Zhou UNI-Virtuosi 1:43.114 30 4 Guilherme Samaia Charouz Racing System 1:43.129 40 5 Felipe Drugovich UNI-Virtuosi 1:43.194 34 6 Ralph Boschung Campos Racing 1:44.320 25 7 Richard Verschoor MP Motorsport 1:44.335 20 8 Gianluca Petecof Campos Racing 1:44.569 10 9 David Beckmann Charouz Racing System 1:44.640 19 10 Bent Viscaal Trident 1:44.879 42 11 Lirim Zendeli MP Motorsport 1:45.052 21 12 Christian Lundgaard ART Grand Prix 1:46.913 45 13 Théo Pourchaire ART Grand Prix 1:47.429 47 14 Jüri Vips Hitech Grand Prix 1:47.497 47 15 Robert Shwartzman PREMA Racing 1:47.614 33 16 Marcus Armstrong DAMS 1:47.900 44 17 Alessio Deledda HWA RACELAB 1:47.904 30 18 Liam Lawson Hitech Grand Prix 1:48.814 39 19 Roy Nissany DAMS 1:48.974 42 20 Marino Sato Trident 1:49.501 30 21 Oscar Piastri PREMA Racing 1:49.824 32 22 Matteo Nannini HWA RACELAB 1:50.445 18 -
Abhishek stripped of 2020 TVS OMC title: IMSAC ruling
Chennai, 9 March 2021: Bengaluru rider Abhishek Vasudevamurthy, winner of the TVS One-Make Championship 2020 (RR310 category), has been stripped of his title in addition to the penalties imposed by Race Direction for his “unsportsman-like act” in the season-finale race last December.
The penalty is in accordance with the ruling by a three-member Indian Motor Sport Appellate Court (IMSAC) panel comprising Senior Advocates Silambannan (Chairman) and PR Raman (Member), and J Balamurugan, Chairman, FMSCI Disciplinary Committee (Member), after a hearing, attended among others, by Abhishek via Zoom Video Conferencing, on February 13.
In its ruling, IMSAC said: “Mr Abhishek Vasudevamurthy, competitor No.12 in the FMSCI TVS One-Make Championship 2020, be divested of his 2020 Championship title in the said Championship. The other penalties awarded by the Race Direction shall remain in force.”
The IMSAC hearing and subsequent ruling was a consequence of an incident in the eighth and final race of the TVS One Make Championship 2020 at the MMRT on December 20. On the start-finish straight, Abhishek grabbed and depressed the brake lever of fellow-competitor Anup Kumar (Chennai). Incidentally, Abhishek had already sealed the championship going into the final race.
After the race, the Race Direction summoned Abhishek for a hearing, following which docked him a fine of Rs 30,000 besides disqualifying him from the race. Further, under the provision in the FMSCI Disciplinary and Arbitration Code, the Race Direction referred the matter to IMSAC, recommending a minimum ban on Abhishek for one round of the next Championship he takes part in.
During his virtual disposition to IMSAC, Abhishek stated that he had apologised after the race for his action and accepted Race Direction’s decision (disqualification and monetary fine) while preferring not to appeal. During the hearing, Abhishek also conceded that “the worst-case outcome of the incident could have been one or more fatalities and accepted that it was a serious breach”.
After viewing the video recording of the incident and due deliberations, IMSAC observed that “the incident was a very serious and unsportsman-like act on part of the competitor (Abhishek) and that it deserved exemplary and deterrent penalty so that such actions are not repeated by him or by others in the future”.
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Jehan Daruvala begins with F2 pre-season test in third
Sakhir, 8 March 2021: Charouz Racing System rookie David Beckmann was a surprise name at the top of the standings on the opening day of the Formula 2 pre-season tests in Sakhir, beating out the more experience Christian Lundgaard in the afternoon session to top the table with a time of 1:42.844.
The two-time 2020 Formula 3 race winner looked right at home in the more powerful F2 machinery, also going faster than the morning’s top driver, Dan Ticktum.
MORNING
The grid were quick to set off onto the track for their first miles of 2021, but for the majority, it was only an installation lap as they headed back into the garage for further work on their cars. 10 did brave the windy and dusty conditions of the Bahrain International Circuit, led out by Ticktum.
There was an early red flag as Richard Verschoor came to a halt down the back straight in the leadup to Turn 14. The Dutchman’s stricken MP Motorsport machine was hauled back into the garage for a check-up, while his teammate, Lirim Zendeli, got to work setting the fastest time.
The 2020 F3 race winner got off to a sterling start, flashing round in 1:44.451 to top the opening laps of the season. The German’s time in P1 was short-lived, but he did manage to cap off a solid morning with a place in the top five, finishing fourth.
Zendeli’s 2020 rival, Liam Lawson, was another of the rookies to impress in the early stages, setting the first sub 1m 44s time of the day, which would end up being good enough for P2.
Experience did eventually come to the fore as Ticktum switched on the style towards the back end of the morning, beating Lawson’s time by sixth tenths to finish top, lapping at 1:43.021.
Ticktum’s Carlin teammate Jehan Daruvala picked up where he left off last season, running towards the front of the field, though his time wasn’t quite good enough for first, as he settled for P3, seven tenths off the pace.
Three more rookies caught the eye in the morning, as Oscar Piastri, Bent Viscaal and Beckmann all earned themselves places in the top 10, finishing seventh, eighth and 10th. The familiar names of Guilherme Samaia and Marcus Armstrong also appeared towards the front, taking sixth and ninth.
AFTERNOON
MP were straight back on it when action resumed in the afternoon, Zendeli taking back his place at the top of the timesheets with a time of 1:45.010. Backed up by his teammate for the tests, Verschoor, the duo got their fast laps out of the way early doors before focusing on longer runs and dropping out of the top ten.
Reigning F3 champion Piastri made his first appearance at the top of the charts towards the halfway point of the afternoon. Like Zendeli, his attention then switched to race simulations and this saw him drop to P6.
Last season’s surprise package Felipe Drugovich had swapped MP Motorsport for 2020 title challengers UNI-Virtuosi and looked to be quickly getting used to his new machinery, briefly setting the quickest time, before falling to fourth.
Fresh from a two-round stint with HWA RACELAB at the end of last season, Théo Pourchaire was back with his F3 team, ART Grand Prix, and managed third in the afternoon. The Frenchman was beaten by his teammate Lundgaard, who showed his experience and went 0.063s quicker.
None of them could match Beckmann’s Charouz, with the German rookie roaring to first in the closing stages of the afternoon as the only driver to break the 1m 43s barrier on Day 1.
Hitech duo Jüri Vips and Liam Lawson both managed to break into the top ten in the afternoon, going fifth and eighth. Marino Sato snuck into seventh with Trident, while Viscaal and Guanyu Zhou completed the top ten, in ninth and tenth.
We’ll be back for Day 2 on Tuesday at 11.30 am IST (9am -local time).
2020 FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP – PRE-SEASON TESTS, DAY 1, MORNING SESSION
DRIVER TEAM LAPTIME LAPS 1 Dan Ticktum Carlin 1:43.021 14 2 Liam Lawson Hitech Grand Prix 1:43.621 17 3 Jehan Daruvala Carlin 1:43.761 15 4 Lirim Zendeli MP Motorsport 1:44.095 35 5 Jüri Vips Hitech Grand Prix 1:44.143 16 6 Guilherme Samaia Charouz Racing System 1:44.332 31 7 Oscar Piastri PREMA Racing 1:44.346 8 8 Bent Viscaal Trident 1:44.408 19 9 Marcus Armstrong DAMS 1:44.480 13 10 David Beckmann Charouz Racing System 1:44.529 31 11 Marino Sato Trident 1:44.620 15 12 Felipe Drugovich UNI-Virtuosi 1:44.706 25 13 Richard Verschoor MP Motorsport 1:44.859 38 14 Christian Lundgaard ART Grand Prix 1:44.880 21 15 Théo Pourchaire ART Grand Prix 1:45.038 19 16 Guanyu Zhou UNI-Virtuosi 1:45.060 18 17 Roy Nissany DAMS 1:45.471 18 18 Matteo Nannini HWA RACELAB 1:45.486 26 19 Ralph Boschung Campos Racing 1:45.496 24 20 Gianluca Petecof Campos Racing 1:46.362 27 21 Alessio Deledda HWA RACELAB 1:48.816 28 22 Robert Shwartzman PREMA Racing 1:58.546 7 2020 FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP – PRE-SEASON TESTS, DAY 1, AFTERNOON SESSION
DRIVER TEAM LAPTIME LAPS 1 David Beckmann Charouz Racing System 1:42.844 19 2 Christian Lundgaard ART Grand Prix 1:43.534 32 3 Théo Pourchaire ART Grand Prix 1:43.570 36 4 Felipe Drugovich UNI-Virtuosi 1:43.871 28 5 Jüri Vips Hitech 1:44.079 18 6 Oscar Piastri PREMA Racing . 21 7 Marino Sato Trident 1:44.279 38 8 Liam Lawson Hitech 1:44.280 24 9 Bent Viscaal Trident 1:44.314 40 10 Guanyu Zhou UNI-Virtuosi 1:44.322 28 11 Marcus Armstrong DAMS 1:44.331 34 12 Roy Nissany DAMS 1:44.581 23 13 Robert Swhartzman PREMA Racing 1:44.678 18 14 Lirim Zendeli MP Motorsport 1:45.010 36 15 Richard Verschoor MP Motorsport 1:45.134 39 16 Guilherme Samaia Charouz Racing System 1:45.189 16 17 Matteo Nannini HWA RACELAB 1:45.316 27 18 Ralph Boschung Campos Racing 1:45.561 17 19 Gianluca Petecof Campos Racing 1:46.238 33 20 Dan Ticktum Carlin 1:48.885 24 21 Alessio Deledda HWA RACELAB 1:48.990 19 22 Jehan Daruvala Carlin 1:49.637 26 -
Quartararo and Miller split by just 0.077 on Day 2: Qatar Test
Yamaha and Ducati depose Aprilia as testing continues in the desert
Doha, 7 March 2021: Day 2 is done and dusted at the Official MotoGP Qatar Test and it’s Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo back in a familiar position: the top. The Frenchman was the first and so far only rider to dip into the 1:53s, but it was mighty close as Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller ended the day less than a tenth off. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was up at the sharp end on the brand-new RS-GP once again, this time in third but just 0.212 off Quartararo.
Sunday ushered in the best conditions the riders have enjoyed since pitlane opened at Losail International Circuit on Friday afternoon, with a bit of wind swirling across the track but nowhere near as much as the previous two days of track action. The improvements came quite early too as by the midway point, HRC test rider Stefan Bradl had beaten Aleix Espargaro’s Day 1 pace. It only got faster from there.
By just over half an hour to play, Quartararo struck in the first 1:53 lap time of the test as the pace intensified under the lights, with Miller slicing up into P2 not long after. That was all Day 2 wrote at the top.
Jack Miller in action on Day 2 of Qatar test posting top times on Sunday. A Ducati image So what was on the agenda barring simple speed? Fastest man Quartararo confirmed late on Saturday evening that Yamaha have a new chassis to try in Qatar, and the Frenchman was trying a carbon swingarm although he said he wasn’t using it when he set his best lap. After struggling to get the feeling on his YZR-M1 in the first “30 or 40 laps”, Quartararo was happy by the end of 59, but said that he needs a little bit more time compared to teammate Maverick Viñales to set that quick lap time from the off on new tyres, and it’s difficult to say whether the new chassis is better or not.
Viñales also confirmed that Yamaha have been trying plenty of things and his main focus so far has been rear grip. Judging from the timesheets, it’s going pretty well for the Iwata factory. Both riders seem to be very pleased with their progress so far with Viñales ending Day 2 in P7, 0.455s from his teammate. It wasn’t a totally slick day for Viñales though as both he and test rider Cal Crutchlow crashed at Qatar’s notorious Turn 2 – both were perfectly ok.
Both Petronas Yamaha SRT men also felt great after Day 1 and although Valentino Rossi’s was in P20 the day after, The Doctor seemed upbeat as he and Yamaha go through plenty of different things to try. After a “great first day at the office”, Morbidelli’s second day at the office also looked to have gone well after finishing up in P4 – a couple of tenths shy of former teammate Quartararo.
Ever the innovators, Ducati were seen with some more new toys on Day 2 in addition to the new aero we’ve seen Michele Pirro, Miller and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) riding wth. A new rear wheel that they’re using to monitor the forces going on at the rear end was seen, but this could just be for testing purposes and it remains to be seen whether this will be something the Bologna brand race with…
Their front-end holeshot device was confirmed today, however, and this is something that Aprilia, Honda, KTM and Suzuki have at their disposal too. The second fastest Ducati on track was Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in P6, with Bagnaia ending the day P9 on the timesheets. Chatting at the end of Day 2, Miller confirmed that he’s enjoying himself on the bike and was able to push a little for a time attack towards the end, and the Australian also ran with the new aero for pretty much the whole day – but hinted that something more is coming soon in classic Ducati preseason style.
Ducati’s trio of rookies were once again out on track finding their feet on the fire breathing Desmosedicis too, and it was reigning Moto2™ World Champion Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) who was the fastest of the three on Day 2. The Italian took it by just over a tenth to teammate Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) as the Italians claimed P16 and P18 respectively, a good day for both. Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin, meanwhile, suffered his third crash in three days and completed the least amount of laps of any full-time MotoGP™ rider on the second Official Test day. Martin was perfectly fine after the Turn 16 tumble though and was able to claim P19, only 0.027s behind Marini. All three rookies have impressed so far to finish one and a half seconds off Quartararo’s pace.
Over at Aprilia, the Noale factory tried to play down their Day 1 success but on the evidence that Aleix Espargaro was third fastest on Day 2, there’s plenty of reason to be excited. The entire new package seems to be going well as Aleix Espargaro put 69 more laps on the clock, with teammate Lorenzo Savadori adding 41 to his tally. The latter finished P17, 1.630 seconds away from top spot.
Aleix Espargaro explained that he did a long run to understand what the bike is going to be like over race distance, and he had good reports but said he and Aprilia need to find a way to enable him to ride it more relaxed as the new bike is more physical than last year. The number 41 improved by half a second though and as expected, they’ve been trying lots of different things. Overall, it was a happy Aleix Espargaro with three days of pre-season testing left.
At Honda, there was some new aero to try on Day 2 and all four riders were seen sporting the new fairing during Sunday’s action. Repsol-liveried duo Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaro were sitting pretty at the top of the timesheets at the halfway point as the latter’s adaption from KTM to Honda continues to be smooth. Eventually, Espargaro finished the Day in P12 after another 62 laps under his belt on the RC213V, with Bradl continuing to mix it with the top times to finish P5 and impress once again.
LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez crashed unhurt twice on Day 2, one at Turn 16 and one at Turn 2. Teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) also went down, the Japanese rider suffering his second crash of the Test – also at Turn 2 – but he too was ok. The duo were seen on Honda’s new fairing and finished together on the timesheets, P12 for Nakagami and P13 for Alex Marquez. Nakagami confirmed that some areas of the new fairings were good, others less so, with more testing needed to understand them better.
As aforementioned, Team Suzuki Ecstar were one of five teams to bring a front-end holeshot device to the Qatar Test. World Champion Joan Mir and teammate Alex Rins were both comfortably sitting inside the top 10 heading into the final hour of the day, with test riders Sylvain Guintoli and Takuya Tsuda out lapping as well. A new chassis is on the agenda for the Hamamatsu factory as well as some other as yet unconfirmed parts, but so far it looks like all is well in the silver and blue ranks as they packed up early on Day 2.
Mir confirmed that he enjoyed his second day on track, rediscovering his feeling from 2020 was on the agenda and the number 36 did exactly that. One of Mir’s main aims is to improve his qualifying pace, but the Spaniard said today wasn’t the day to properly delve into that. Rins confirmed he tried a new swingarm which made the bike a little more stable, and the number 42 also tried the 2022 engine that Guintoli has been testing. Great reviews, especially on top speed, were given.
KTM were another manufacturer that debuted a new fairing today in Doha. This was narrower than the previous one and it was pictured on Miguel Oliveira’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine, with initial feelings seeming positive. However, with the wind, the word was that it’s difficult to properly tell how useful it is. Oliveira was the fastest RC16 rider on circuit though, claiming P11, 0.726s from Quartararo.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), meanwhile, described his day as a “little bit challenging” and suffered two crashes towards the end of the day. The South African was fine and although P24 on the timesheets, he confirmed everything is running pretty smoothly. The number 33 also ran with the updated fairing. Danilo Petrucci and Tech3 KTM Factory Racing teammate Iker Lecuona were P21 and P23 respectively, a quiet day for the orange men as Petrucci settles in and Lecuona starts only his second MotoGP season.
That’s it for now! There are now two days of downtime before the action returns on the 10th of March in Qatar.
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Espargaro tops timesheets on Day 1 of Qatar test
The full grid roars back into action in the desert, with Aprilia leading the way as 2021 gets in gear
Doha, 6 March 2021: After the first day of action for the full grid at the Official MotoGP Qatar Test, it’s safe to say 2021 has started pretty well for Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini as they finish top of the timesheets. The Spaniard set a 1:54.687 to beat Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) by 0.256s, with reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completing the top three as the new MotoGP season officially got underway.
The wind played a key role on Saturday after also proving bothersome at the Shakedown Test, but all 29 riders on the ground in Doha enjoyed some valuable track time despite another blustery day at Losail International Circuit. And this time, having sat out the Shakedown, that included Aleix Espargaro on his near brand-new RS-GP he ended the day just a couple of tenths shy of Aprilia’s best time at 2020’s Qatar Test and put in 57 laps. Updates have been made to the engine, chassis and exhaust and there’s a new carbon swingarm at the Noale factory, as well as two new aero designs that the riders are putting through their paces. Aprilia also have a holeshot device on the front and rear – along with Honda and Ducati. Lorenzo Savadori, on the other side of the garage, completed 42 laps, ending with 1:56.511 as a best time.
Meanwhile, it was a huge day over at the Repsol Honda Team as Pol Espargaro made his eagerly awaited debut for the Japanese giants. A hefty 68 laps were rattled off by the Spaniard on his HRC debut as he, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) all headed out on 2020 Hondas, with each rider’s two bikes having different exhausts. Alex Marquez’ day didn’t get off to the best of starts after destroying his RC213V in a final corner crash, but the double World Champion was soon back out to spin some more laps. Marquez was the second quickest Honda on Day 1, behind the aforementioned Bradl, and finished P10 just ahead of Nakagami.
Bradl was again donning the famous Repsol livery on track and for a lot of opening day, the German was at the summit of the timesheets. He has three chassis to try in Qatar: the ‘standard’ 2020 chassis, the chassis he ended the 2020 campaign on which has carbon bonded to the main beam, as well as an entirely new chassis that we saw the number 6 testing in Jerez a few weeks ago. Bradl was very pleased with his and the team’s progress so far, looking for more of the same over the remaining four days.
Over at World Champions Team Suzuki Ecstar, who officially unveiled their 2021 livery ahead of the test, Joan Mir and Alex Rins were the last riders to head out on track. Similar to most teams, we didn’t see many changes to the bike, but we also didn’t see much change to their impressive pace. Third for Mir is a solid start to his title defence, with Rins also inside the top 10 in P8. The duo recorded a combined 91 laps, with test rider Sylvain Guintoli adding another 50 and Takuya Tsuda another 26. Tsuda was the first rider out on track for the Hamamatsu factory.
The World Champion is back on track! Mir heads out under the spotlights. MotoGP images Further down pitlane, both Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia suited up and headed out in Ducati Lenovo Team red for the first time to begin a new era for both riders and team. Miller was fourth fastest at the end of the day, completing 54 laps in total and glowing that it felt “unreal” to be back. Both riders were on 2020 Ducatis as they got back into the swing of things but did try the new aero, with Miller saying he couldn’t find any faults. Bagnaia finished P13 but was only 0.8s off the top despite a crash at Turn 3.
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro was also circulating with new aero on the front of his GP21; a third extra aero vane was seen fitted lower down on the fairing. In addition, Ducati have a ‘salad box’ that looks slightly different to last year’s. Simon Crafar also reported that the Bologna factory are experimenting with a holeshot device at the front of the bike, along with Aprilia and Honda, so look out for that over the coming days…
Johann Zarco, meanwhile, was in Pramac Racing colours for the first time and from the outside, it looked like the Frenchman enjoyed his first day in his new office. The number 5 was atop the standings at stages in the afternoon, eventually ending Saturday sixth overall with less than half a second splitting him from Aleix Espargaro at the top. Zarco’s teammate Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was back on track for his second day as a MotoGP rider, albeit with a sore leg after his Turn 3 crash during the Shakedown Test. Despite this though, Martin was the fastest rookie in P18 after setting a 1:56.147 – just a couple of tenths slower than Pol Espargaro ahead of him.
Rossi starts a new era at Petronas Yamaha SRT The other two Moto2 graduate rookies also got plenty more valuable laps under their belts. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was less than a tenth away from Martin in P20 while Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) finished P24 on the times. It’s a huge learning curve for all three riders in Qatar and there’s no doubt even more improvements will be coming over the next few days.
Over at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira were both sitting near the summit in the early stages of the test. By the end of the day, Oliveira was the fastest RC16 rider on track, the Portuguese rider setting a 1:55.084 to finish fifth overall on his first day as a factory rider. Binder fell at Turn 2 but was perfectly ok to head out, ending the day in P12 after 52 laps.
New KTM rider on the block Danilo Petrucci struck a bright figure out on track alongside teammate Iker Lecuona as the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing pairing lapped on their new orange RC16s too. Like the factory riders, there weren’t too many differences with the bikes they were riding compared to the 2020 model, and Lecuona and Petrucci finished P22 and P23 respectively.
Test rider Dani Pedrosa, however, was trying out some innovations for KTM. As Simon Crafar reported from pitlane, Pedrosa was riding an RC16 kitted out with a new chassis, a whole new tail section and a new exhaust inside that tail unit. The famous number 26 was 26th on the timesheets and completed 48 laps, obviously not focusing on outright speed.
Over in the Yamaha ranks, there was a headline stealer as Valentino Rossi headed out on a familiar bike but in unfamiliar colours. The new Petronas Yamaha SRT rider began his new adventure with the Malaysian team and was seen trying two different tank covers, likely for ergonomics, as he did more than 50 laps. It was teammate Franco Morbidelli who was the quickest YZR-M1 rider on Day 1, however, as the Italian finished P7 and 0.487s adrift. Rossi was P14.
It was a big day for Fabio Quartararo too, who officially began life as a factory MotoGP rider at Losail International Circuit. The Frenchman was the busiest rider out there on Saturday after completing 69 laps on his new Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP machine, and was just over a second off the pace in P15 – one place behind Rossi. Maverick Viñales was the fastest Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP man on Day 1 though, notching up 51 laps and taking P9.
There doesn’t seem to be too much different to what we saw last season on the Yamahas so far, but there was plenty of data gathering going on. Test riders Cal Crutchlow, Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Kohta Nozane were once more sharing bikes, so it’s very hard to tell who set the fastest times on each of the bikes labelled ‘Yamaha Test 1’, ‘Yamaha Test 2’ and ‘Yamaha Test 3’ on the timing screens, but the Iwata marque have a wealth of information at their fingertips.
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Team MRF Tyres in fourth place
Kouvola (Finland), 6 March 2021: Team MRF Tyres shone on the ice and snow in the Finnish Rally Championship and the SM OK Auto Ralli held near Kouvola today.
The crews were greeted with snow and icy conditions in the six-stage, 111km event but the weather conditions would play a major role in the outcome of the rally.
Team MRF Tyres drivers, Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen would be battling for a podium all rally, always within reach of the podium in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo.
The day got underway with the longest stage of the rally with the 29.8km Hermunen test, followed by the 11.7km Rämälä stage. The weather was perfect for ice rally, with ice and icy gravel, providing a good surface for the MRF studded tyre.
The first leg was 42km and Lindholm/Korhonen were in third at the end of the leg.
They would be involved in a great four-way fight for the lead with Juha Salo/Mikko Markkula, Mikko Heikkilä/Topi Luthinen and Teemu Asumaa/Marko Salminen.
It would continue through the 29km second loop of Teuroinen and Väärtti. Team MRF Tyres would lie in fourth at the end of the loop but just a handful of seconds off a podium.
However, the final two stages, repeat tests of Hermunen and Rämälä would prove decisive. The weather had turned, dumping up to 10cm of fresh snow on the stages.
The top runners would be disadvantaged by the road conditions and as Lindholm/Korhonen were running third on the road, the conditions poor.
The Team MRF Tyres duo, however, did well to keep their fourth place and were just 3.9 seconds off Riku Tahko/Markus Soininen.
It was a successful start to the season for Team MRF Tyres. Before 2021, the studded tyre had only competed once before. Now, it has three rallies, with another podium and a top-four finish.
The team were able to gain valuable data in one of the toughest national championships in the world and were able to show that MRF Tyres can run at the front in any competition.
Quotes
Emil Lindholm, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo“This winter we have tripled the number of winter rallies driven by MRF Tyres. We can be proud of our results and the progress that the entire team have made at MRF Tyres. We have been able to move forward again on tyre development. I had a lot of confidence before the start of the season that MRF will be able to prepare a competitive tyre for winter conditions. That has been proven correct!”
“This was a tough rally with horrible conditions. I was happy with our pace and we were fighting for a podium position for the entire rally. The last two stages we had sensor issue that cost us time a lot of fresh snow and despite this, we were able to keep our fourth place.”
“The MRF Tyres worked very well and we can be proud of our winter season. I look forward to the rest of 2021.”
