Your basket is currently empty!
Blog
-
Redding keeps title hopes alive with Race 2 win; Rea 4th
Magny Cours, 4 October 2020: The fight for the 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will head to the season finale as Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) claimed victory from fourth on the grid at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for the Pirelli French Round with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finishing in fourth after starting from pole position.
Rea had led from the start and for the first three laps of the race before Redding had made his way up to the lead battle and passed Rea on the fourth lap of the 21-lap race to take the lead; Redding would go on to dominate the race to take a valuable 25 points in the Championship battle. Redding was joined on the podium by Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) as the home hero claimed his second podium of the French Round, with Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) completing the podium.
Davies made the title-denying pass on Lap 14 as he pushed Rea down into fourth place, meaning Rea leads Redding by 59 points with 62 points available in the remaining three races. Rea had tried to fight back in the latter stages of the race to secure the Championship at Magny-Cours but Davies was able to stay ahead.
Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) finished in fifth place, more than nine seconds clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN); the duo battling on track for a top five finish before van der Mark pulled clear. Rinaldi and Davies also battled out on track as the fight for a 2021 Ducati seat hots up. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished in seventh place after running the opening laps in the top two positions, directly behind his teammate.
Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) secured another top eight finish as the American rookie continues to make steps forward as he finished ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team); the British rider completing the top ten.
Italian rider Federico Caricasulo (GRT YAMAHA WorldSBK Junior Team) finished four seconds behind Sykes in 11th place with Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) equalling his best result of the season with 12th place. Leon Haslam (Team HRC), Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) rounded out the top 15 to win points in the Championship.
Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) finished in 16th place, ahead of Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) and Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) completed the riders who finished the race with Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Xavier Pinsach (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) and Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) not finishing the race; Pinsach and Mercado suffering crashes during the race with Mercado out of the race on Lap 1.
P1 Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)
“I was on the back foot all weekend because I didn’t have the laps on the rain tyres, but I was getting faster and faster. With the setting of the bike that was holding me back a little bit, I said to the team that if we could get this fixed, I think I can fight for the win. From the first and second lap, I saw I had the pace. The second problem was how long would the Pirelli last in these conditions as I had no idea. I was trying to ride as smooth as possible but in the end I did everything to win today.”P2 Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
“I’m really happy. I have to thank my team, especially my crew chief because he gave me the confidence to choose the hard tyre on the grid. He wanted me to choose that one for the Superpole Race and I didn’t listen. It was a hard race. I was expecting to struggle a bit more at the beginning, but I had a good pace coming through the pack. I tried to overtake Jonny as soon as possible but Scott had something more and hats off to him.”P3 Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)
“It was a great race. Good to round this wet weekend off on the podium. A lot of pressure on that last lap, I knew what was on the line for Scott. I knew the points situation for him. And also, for myself, I knew van der Mark was sitting fifth in the race and obviously the main thing for me is to try and consolidate third in the Championship. A bit of pressure for me and for the team. Happy to bring it home on the podium. I felt really good out there, the bike was feeling really good. A great end to the weekend.”#FRAWorldSBK at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours – Race 2. 1. Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati)
2. Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +2.551s
3. Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) +3.648s
4. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.261s
5. Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +7.409s
6. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) +16.505s -
Poor day for Kush Maini and Yash Aradhya at different events
Sunday, the 4th of October proved to be a poor day for Indian racing drivers abroad. While championship leader Kush Maini failed to get on to the podium finishing 10th in Race 3 and completed the difficult day in 7th place in Race 4 but still keeps the Championship lead, which now is only 9 points ahead.
Meanwhile, in France, Indian racer Yash Aradhya who made his debut in the French F4 at Paul Ricard circuit had another day of learning as he finished 14th in Sunday’s race. Aradhya who missed the first three rounds in the FFSA due to visa issues and will take part in the remaining three rounds.
British F3 report
Snetterton, 4 Oct 20: Double R Racing’s Louis Foster and Douglas Motorsport’s Ulysse De Pauw were triumphant in the two BRDC British F3 races held in wet conditions at Snetterton today (Sunday), with both now staking genuine title aspirations.
Their victories ensured that each of the top four drivers in the championship have taken wins this weekend, with Kaylen Frederick (Carlin) and Kush Maini (Hitech GP) victorious yesterday. Just 32 points now cover Maini, Frederick, Foster and De Pauw in that order in the championship standings, with only six races remaining in 2020.
Race three
Foster claimed his third win of the year in treacherous conditions this morning. Heavy rain ensured a safety car start, which Foster controlled expertly and finished over two seconds clear of Frederick, with Benjamin Pedersen third.Foster took advantage of a clear visor to build a lead of 1.2 seconds at the end of the first racing lap, with the lead duo immediately establishing a clear advantage over Pedersen in third. Frederick began to put the leader under serious pressure, closing up to the Double R car’s rear wing at the end of lap five and the pair separated by less than half a second.
But a couple of quick laps allowed Foster to pull out a margin of over two seconds, and claimed his third victory of the year by 2.271 seconds, despite a fastest lap from Frederick on the final tour. Championship leader Maini finished 16th, allowing Foster and Frederick to claw back ground in the title battle.
Race four
Foster started from pole in race four, his third front of the grid start of the weekend, but after another safety car start, the race three winner went off the road at Wilson and handed the lead to De Pauw.The Belgian driver then led every lap with Frederick not quite able to get close enough to force a move, finishing just under a second behind at the chequered flag. Carlin’s Nazim Azman claimed a podium having started seventh, despite race-long attention from Hillspeed’s local driver Oliver Clarke.
Foster fought back to finish fifth after two brave around the outside moves at Palmer, and then finished just over a tenth behind Clarke. Maini completed a difficult day with seventh place, and having entered the weekend with a 54 point advantage over Frederick, leaves with a nine point margin and the top-four drivers covered by the equivalent of less than a race win.
Race one winner Foster said: “Kaylen behind me probably couldn’t see much, looking at those conditions! But equally on my side I was entering every corner first and there were so many puddles, I didn’t know where was safe and where wasn’t. On lap one at the exit of turn seven there was this massive puddle that we didn’t spot and I nearly spun round on it. I aquaplaned all over it, so it was quite difficult to lead the pack, they could just follow where I was going. But the car was amazing, Double R did a great job and it really clicked on towards the end.”
Race two winner De Pauw said: “Finally, I got that proper win! It was not in easy conditions, Foster went off at turn two and then from there I just controlled the race. Kaylen behind wasn’t faster than me, I was controlling him. I could see he was not able to get a move on me, so I just controlled the race, managed to bring it back to the finish line in P1, so it feels really good. After a tricky weekend where qualifying was really strange, we managed to recover pretty well and score some strong points again. So I want to say a massive thanks to Douglas Motorsport for a great car, the conditions were really hard and I always had a car that was able to fight for podiums and for the win as we saw now, so a big thanks to them.”
BRDC British F3 Championship, Snetterton race three top-six:
1. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, 8 laps
2. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, +2.271s
3. Benjamin Pedersen, Double R Racing, +12.101s
4. Manaf Hijjawi, Douglas Motorsport, +12.664s
5. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +13.343s
6. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +14.954sClick here for full result.
BRDC British F3 Championship, Snetterton, race four top-six:
1. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, 9 laps
2. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, +0.896s
3. Nazim Azman, Carlin +14.924s
4. Oliver Clarke, Hillspeed, +15.413s
5. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, +15.535s
6. Josh Skelton, Chris Dittmann Racing, +24.909sClick here for full result.
BRDC British F3 Championship, top-six standings after race 18 of 24:
1. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, 349pts
2. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, 340pts
3. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, 328pts
4. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, 317pts
5. Nazim Azman, Carlin, 278pts
6. Josh Skelton, Chris Dittmann Racing, 256ptsClick here for full standings
-
Rea holds off Baz for victory in dramatic WorldSBK Race 1
Thrilling wet race at Magny-Cours won by Jonathan Rea after the two BMW riders crash out from first and second on Lap 1
Magny-Cours, 3 Oct 2020: Thrilling action up and down the grid was the order of the day during Race 1 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with wet conditions greeting the 21 riders for the opening race of the Pirelli French Round at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed his 10th victory of the 2020 season.
The drama started at Turn 1 as both Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and teammate Eugene Laverty retired from the race on the opening lap; Laverty was taken out by a falling Sykes after the British rider was hit by Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team).
The incident left Rea, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Gerloff battling for victory after Gerloff fell back following a mistake at Turn 5. Gerloff recovered to third place but a crash at the Turn 6-7 Nürburgring chicane forced him to retire; the American star taken to the medical centre for a check-up. It meant Rea and Baz duelled it out for victory with Rea coming out on top by around three seconds while Baz secured his first podium at Magny-Cours. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished in third place as he secured his first podium since the Australian Round; Lowes securing his third podium of the season.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) followed up his victory at Catalunya with fourth at Magny-Cours as he continued to his strong end to the season as the Welshman finished ahead of the battling trio of Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team), Leon Haslam (Team HRC) and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Redding finished in fifth place ahead of Razgatlioglu in sixth after Haslam passed Razgatlioglu into Turn 12 before crashing straight after; Haslam retiring from the race.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) finished in seventh place ahead of Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) equalling his best result of the 2020 season with eighth place. Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) finished ninth after the Dutchman crashed on Lap 15 at Turn 13 while battling in the top four positions, ahead of Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) in tenth.
Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) finished the 21-lap race in 11th place with Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) finishing just ahead of French rider Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) finishing in 13th place as he scored more points. Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) scored his first ever WorldSBK points with 14th place and Xavier Pinsach (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) claiming points in his first WorldSBK race.
Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) finished the race in 16th; equalling his best result of his races in the 2020 season with Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) rounded out the classification in 17th place, with Haslam, Gerloff, Sykes and Laverty all retiring from the race.
P1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK):
“I felt pretty good out there straight from the get-go, but to be fair Loris and Garrett and Alex were in the group and the pace was incredible. Doing 48, 48, 49, 48. Every time I saw my dashboard, I thought I’d be able to get a gap but they were right there. It was a really fun race, Loris pushed me right to the end. He made a small mistake, I think, with five or six laps to go.”
P2 Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha):
“I’m so happy. It was a crazy race. I know I had a fantastic pace all weekend, but I took a gamble in Superpole, I went for the intermediate tyre. I just missed out on the right lap by a few seconds, so I was a bit annoyed at that. I had a great race, great pace and tried to be as close as possible. The pace he was putting was crazy, every lap he improved the time and for 12 or 13 laps we were going faster and faster. I had a moment on the kerb going into the last chicane, I lost a second, and then I just tried to manage the gap with Alex and then staying close to Jonny in case he made a mistake. He doesn’t make many mistakes so hats off to him because it’s not easy to put this kind of pace when you’re playing for a Championship. We have some fans here and it’s my first podium at Magny-Cours so I’m happy for them and we try again tomorrow.”
P3 Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK):
“I felt good in the wet all weekend. The start was a bit hectic, Gerloff got a bit too aggressive on the inside and I was lucky to miss that altercation. After that, I felt quite good. I got onto the back of the group and then from about half the race I struggled with the front. It’s been a long time since I was on the podium, so I had to manage the second part of the race. I’m happy to be back up here!”
#FRAWorldSBK at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours – Race 1.
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2. Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +3.342s
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +9.707s
4. Chaz Davies (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) +14.045s
5. Scott Redding (Aruba.IT Racing – Ducati) +16.427s
6. Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +16.976s -
Kush Maini wins Race 2, extends Championship lead
Snetterton, 3 Oct 2020: Talented Indian racer Kush Maini of Hitech GP team claimed his third win of the year with a dominant drive in Race 2 at Snetterton on Saturday.
The Indian driver finished over four seconds clear of Douglas Motorsport’s Ulysse De Pauw, who climbed from ninth on the grid to second, with Chris Dittmann Racing’s Josh Skelton taking third.
The top three finished nearly five seconds clear of Double R’s Louis Foster, who started 12th and claimed fourth with a last lap move on Lanan Racing’s polesitter Piers Prior who was fifth. Foster’s teammate Benjamin Pedersen was another to make big gains, starting from the back row of the grid and finishing sixth ahead of Douglas Motorsport’s Manaf Hijjawi, with Lanan’s Bart Horsten eighth.
Hillspeed’s Oliver Clarke claimed ninth at his home circuit ahead of race one podium finisher Nazim Azman (Carlin).
Earlier Report:
Championship contenders Kaylen Frederick and Kush Maini were victorious in the two races at Snetterton today (Saturday), on a day that saw both encounter highs and lows thanks to tricky track conditions. Frederick took advantage of a fast start in a very wet race one to claim his fifth win of the year, but a first lap incident in race two forced him to fight back to 12th in the reverse grid encounter.
Maini had an off track excursion of his own in race one, finishing 11th, but then fought back in this afternoon’s contest, held in slightly drier conditions. He surged from third on the grid to the lead on lap one, and then pulled out a decent margin to claim his third win of the year, reversing the damage to his title aspirations suffered in race one.
Qualifying
Double R Racing’s Louis Foster claimed a double pole in qualifying this morning, with a series of lap times towards the end of the session ensuring he secured front of the grid starting slots for races one and three.Foster was over six tenths of a second clear of Frederick, with fellow Double R-runner Benjamin Pedersen securing third on the grid for race one. Sasakorn Chaimongkol (Hillspeed), Manaf Hijjawi (Douglas) and Nazim Azman (Carlin) completed the top six in qualifying for race one.
Foster’s second quickest time secured him pole for tomorrow morning’s race three, a quarter of a second quicker than Chaimongkol, with Frederick set to start third. Pedersen, Hijjawi and Douglas Motorsport’s Ulysse De Pauw were fourth, fifth and sixth on second quickest times.
Race one
Frederick made a better start than pole man Foster to lead the field down to Riches on the first lap. The American led by 1.2 seconds at the end of lap one, a position he maintained at the end of lap two. Frederick then began to pull away, establishing a lead of over two seconds next time around, and had the gap up to almost five seconds at the end of lap six.With the win in the bag, Frederick was able to ease off slightly, with Foster clawing the gap back to just over three seconds at the chequered flag. Azman completed the podium after resisting pressure from Hillspeed’s local man Oliver Clarke in the closing stages, with De Pauw and Hijjawi completing the top six.
Behind them, Josh Skelton claimed seventh for Chris Dittmann Racing, while Bart Horsten delivered one of the drives of the season so far to surge from 18th and last on the grid to eighth for Lanan Racing. A mistake on the penultimate lap dropped Maini from eighth to 11th.
Race two
Indian driver Maini made amends in race two. Starting from third on the grid, he blasted past Alex Fores (Chris Dittmann Racing) and pole sitter Piers Prior (Lanan) on lap one, and immediately built a lead, while further back, Frederick starting 13th was swiped off the road and forced into delivering a recovery drive.Maini built a lead of over seven seconds with two laps remaining, but Douglas Motorsport’s De Pauw was a man on a mission. Having started ninth, the Belgian had picked off his rivals before moving into second on lap eight. He then lapped considerably quicker than the leader to bring the gap down to 4.2 seconds in two laps, claiming second place with Skelton third for Chris Dittmann Racing.
Foster was another to make continuous progress, climbing from 12th on the grid to take fourth, including a last lap move on pole man Prior, with Pedersen also carving through the field, taking sixth from a starting position of 17th.
After falling to the tail of the 18 car field after his dramas on lap one, Frederick recovered to 12th, including a gain of five places on lap eight, and very nearly claimed 11th at the flag, finishing 0.150 seconds behind Hitech’s Reece Ushijima.
Race one winner Frederick said: “The conditions were really tricky with a lot less grip than in qualifying, so judging the start was quite hard and even I got some wheelspin, and I had a relatively good start compared to everyone else. So the start was really key there, making sure you got traction and from that point I built up my lead and just kept looking forward. At the end I took a couple of chill laps to make sure we brought it home. There was no point in trying to set the world on fire in those last few laps.”
Race two winner Maini said: “After qualifying I’ll take that. We limited the damage but we don’t want to win the reverse grid race, we want to win the main ones. But today I’ll take it because we haven’t been the quickest and we’ve struggled a bit in the wet. But we did the job in the second race and I think tomorrow race three will be tough. We will see what the weather is like for the grid for race four. I’m happy with that but obviously today has not been my best day.”
BRDC British F3 Championship, Snetterton race one top-six:
1. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, 10 laps
2. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, +3.125s
3. Nazim Azman, Carlin, +15.281s
4. Oliver Clarke, Hillspeed, +17.166s
5. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +18.124s
6. Manaf Hijjawi, Douglas Motorsport, +23.351sClick here for full result.
BRDC British F3 Championship, Snetterton, race two top-six:
1. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, 10 laps
2. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +4.421s
3. Josh Skelton, Chris Dittmann Racing, +9.028s
4. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, +13.940s
5. Piers Prior, Lanan Racing, +14.351s
6. Benjamin Pedersen, Double R Racing, +18.716sClick here for full result.
BRDC British F3 Championship, top-six standings after race 16 of 24:
1. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, 328pts
2. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, 282pts
3. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, 274pts
4. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, 263pts
5. Nazim Azman, Carlin, 244pts
6. Josh Skelton, Chris Dittmann Racing, 239ptsClick here for full standings
For more championship information visit www.britishf3.com.
-
Yash Aradhya suffers a massive puncture, but raring to go for Sunday’s race
Bengaluru, 3 October 2020: Promising teenager and multiple National champion Yash Aradhya made his international debut at the FFSA French F4 Championship today.
The massive puncture on his Pirelli tyre cut short his opening stint but that has not dampened the spirit of the 18-year-old Bengalurean as he is looking forward to the race on Sunday at Paul Ricardo circuit in Le Castellet, France. Before his first race ended after four laps, the Indian racer was in P8 and with two retirements ahead of him would have at least got a probable P6, which was not to be. But the race did show that he had the pace and the skills to take it forward from here. Pirelli is investigating how the puncture had happened. The 20-lap race on Sunday will be at 9.30 am local time and 1 pm IST.
“It’s really good to be out here with some great competition and today wasn’t really good but will get back at it in tomorrow’s race. Keeping today’s incident behind, I am looking forward to doing well in the coming season,” said Aradhya to INDIAinF1 after the race from France.
Yash Aradhya suffers an unfortunate puncture in his international debut as the Pirelli gave way on Saturday. He will race again on Sunday. A Aradhya image The French Federation of Motor Sport Auto Sport Academy known as `FFSA Academy’ is organising the event under the aegis of the International Federation, the FIA, world Motorsports governing body. Aradhya is taking part in the Open Category of the FIA Formula 4 French.
After a successful debut in the JK Tyre National Karting Championship in 2012, Yash has made a terrific progress going through the ranks and graduating to single-seater Formula racing in the National Championship in 2017. He also took part in the F4 South East Asia Championship and did get on to the podium twice, finally getting place 9th in the championship standing which had many senior stalwarts competing for the honours.
-
Double blow for Hamilton; Bottas gets his second win: Russian GP analysis
Valtteri Bottas took his second win of the season at the Sochi Autodrom, Max Verstappen finished P2 in his Red Bull and pole man Lewis Hamilton recovered to P3 after serving 10-second time penalty for practice start infringement.
London, 3 Oct 2020: Lewis Hamilton took pole position as Max Verstappen split the Mercedes cars in P2 and Valtteri Bottas lined up in P3 for the Round 10 FIA F1 World Championship last Sunday.
Alongside him was Sergio Perez of Racing Point. Renault and McLaren lined up in chequerboard pattern with Daniel Ricciardo in P5, Carlos Sainz in P6, Esteban Ocon in P7 & Lando Norris in P8. Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri started the race in P9. Alex Albon qualified a dismal P10 in his Red Bull but started P15, due to a 5-place grid penalty for changing the gearbox. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc lined up in P10, Gasly’s teammate Daniil Kvyat in P11. Lance Stroll had a mechanical issue in qualifying and therefore, could only start as high as P12 ahead of Williams’ George Russell in P13. Sebastian Vettel started in P14 after crashing his car in qualifying. Romain Grosjean and Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen started in 16th& 18th respectively, with Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi between them. The last row was occupied by Kimi Raikkonen and Williams rookie Nicholas Latifi.
Hamilton was already at a disadvantage regarding strategy as he had to start on the soft tyre, compared to Bottas and Verstappen who started o the mediums. This was due to Hamilton’s initial lap getting deleted due to track limits in Q2, then Red Flags barring him from setting the second lap.
The fastest strategy was a one stop, from medium tyres to hard tyres.
The race start was eventful. Bottas caught the slipstream from Hamilton and passed Verstappen. Behind Sainz went wide at Turn 2 and therefore, had to go through the bollards to join the track. In doing so, he hit the circuit wall and was out. His teammate Norris ran through the debris and damaged the steering of his car. Ahead at Turn 4, Leclerc tagged the rear wheel of Strolls Racing Point, thus, sending him spinning into the barrier. The safety car was called out.
The safety car came in on lap 5 and racing resumed with Hamilton in the lead, trailed by Bottas and Verstappen. Meanwhile, Russell, Norris and Albon had pitted under the safety car for hard tyres. Sergio Perez slotted into P5 after overtaking Ricciardo as Ocon was running in P4. On lap 7 Mercedes got the confirmation that Hamilton will get a 10-second time penalty (2×5-seconds).
Lewis Hamilton pitted on lap 16 for hard tyres, serving the penalty in the process and emerged in P11. Ricciardo had pitted one lap before to try and undercut Perez but came out in traffic and was unable to gain time on Perez. Ocon pitted on lap 18 and slotted behind Hamilton but ahead of Ricciardo. Perez managed to overcut Ocon on lap 20 as he too pitted for hard tyres.
Pit stops at Sochi. Graphic courtesy Pirelli Eventually Verstappen pitted on lap 25 for Hard tyres and Bottas followed suit one lap later. Bottas holding a steady 7-second gap to Verstappen. Hamilton emerged in P3 but 10-seconds behind Verstappen due to his penalty. Renault employed team orders and switched Ocon and Ricciardo, Ricciardo now ahead. In that process, Ricciardo cut turn 2 and got a 5-second time penalty. Leclerc who had pitted on lap 28, was behind Ricciardo and looked like he could take the advantage of his penalty.
Bottas scored his second victory of the season as Verstappen in P2 and Hamilton in P3 completed the podium. Perez had an uneventful race but scored good points for Racing Point in P4. Ricciardo maintained P5 as he finished well ahead of Leclerc making the time penalty of no consequence. Leclerc dragged the Ferrari to P6, their best result since the 70th Anniversary GP in Silverstone. Ocon got P7 as Renault managed another double-points finish. Kvyat and Gasly finished in 8th and 9th respectively, Kvyat coming very close to overtaking Ocon in the final laps. Albon occupied the final points paying position.
Vettel finished in P13, behind Ferrari PU customer Alfa Romeo’s Giovinazzi and Haas’ Magnussen in P11 & P12 respectively. Raikkonen crossed the finish line in P14, ahead of Norris in McLaren. The Williams cars finished P16 & P18, Latifi finishing ahead of Russell as Grosjean split them in P17.
Bottas won his first race since the season opener in Austria as Mercedes continued their dominant run this season. They have taken every pole position this season, 8 of them going to Hamilton. Mercedes have also won every Russian GP in the history of F1. Red Bull expected themselves to struggle at Sochi, having never achieved a podium finish here prior to 2020. Verstappen was able to split the Mercedes in qualifying and the race. On the other side, Albon struggled with the balance of the car as he barely made his way to the top 10. Ferrari brought upgrades to the under nose cape, barge boards and rear wing. These upgrades were more to do with correlation of data than performance. The upgrades performed as expected by the simulation which will give them a direction to develop their car. Ferrari have a long way to go if they want to catch the likes of Renault, McLaren and Racing Point.
Renault have unlocked the pace from their car since the Belgian GP. They got another double points finish. The drivers are happy with the setup and balance of the car. They seem to be on par if not better than McLaren when it comes to race pace. Encouraging signs for them then, for rest of the season and next year. McLaren showed improved performance compared to the Tuscan GP, especially in qualifying. They were running two different cars, Norris had the new Mercedes style slim nose whereas Sainz was running with their older specification of broader nose. The performance difference is yet unknown, but McLaren confirmed it is part of a bigger upcoming upgrade package and they were correlating the simulation data. As Sainz crashed out and Norris picked up damage their true race pace could not be seen this race. Racing Point are arguably the fastest midfield team as Perez managed P4 in the older specification of the RP20. Stroll once more had the upgraded version but unfortunately DNF’d due to Leclerc tagging him on the opening lap.
AlphaTauri too achieved a double points finish as they are making most of the opportunities awarded to them. Their car still lacks the pace to challenge the upper midfield teams consistently but given the right circumstances, they are able to beat them. Alfa Romeo have made strides as they are making it to Q2, but the lack of straight line performance still hurts them. Haas’ car has balance issues with both drivers complaining about it in free practice, particularly Grosjean being vocal on the team radio. Lack of upgrades this year and straight line performance of the Ferrari PU is accentuating their problems. Williams were encouraged by their performance at Sochi compared to last year, which proved the improvements they have made this season. Russell once more made it to Q2 as well. They struggled with tyre temperatures, therefore, could not make headway in the race. They have also managed to reduce the drag on their car, making full use of the class leading Mercedes PU to give them a higher straight line speed.
-
Kush Maini fifth fastest on Friday Test session
Snetterton, 2 October 2020: Double R Racing’s Benjamin Pedersen set the fastest time of the week in the final Friday session at Snetterton. The American driver set a lap of 1m44.121s with five minutes remaining to eclipse anything seen across the two days of testing, and was over a quarter of a second clear of countryman Kaylen Frederick.
Earlier, in the opening Friday Session, Kush Maini set the fastest time which was twice affected by red flags. The Indian driver was 0.855 seconds clear of Chris Dittmann Racing’s Josh Skelton, while 2019 runner-up Johnathan Hoggard made a testing return with Fortec, setting the third fastest time.
Only eight laps were completed by most of the field thanks to two red flags, with Hitech’s Reece Ushijima bringing the first out with an off at Riches just before the midway point, with the session resuming when his car was retrieved from the run off area and returned to the pits. The session ended early when JHR’s Max Marzorati went off at the same corner with around five minutes remaining.
With the lack of running, Maini’s session best was around two seconds away from yesterday’s pace.
In the final test session, Pedersen topped the times on several occasions in the session and set three laps in the final 10 minutes to keep himself at the top. Carlin’s Frederick trimmed the margin at the end and was half a tenth clear of Chris Dittmann Racing’s Josh Skelton, with Fortec’s Johnathan Hoggard 0.070s further back in fourth.
Championship leader Kush Maini was fifth and over a tenth clear of Douglas Motorsport’s Ulysse De Pauw, who set exactly the same time as Carlin’s Nazim Azman in seventh.
Louis Foster (Double R), Roberto Faria (Fortec) and Reece Ushijima (Hitech) completed the top-10, with Lanan’s Piers Prior and Douglas Motorsport’s Manaf Hijjawi also within a second of the outright pace.
Lanan’s Bart Horsten was 13th in the session and nearly half a second ahead of Hillspeed’s Sasakorn Chaimongkol, with Chris Dittmann Racing’s Alex Fores just 0.004 seconds further back.
Max Marzorati set the 16th fastest time for JHR Developments, 0.066s clear of Hillspeed’s local man Oliver Clarke, with Marzorati’s teammate Carter Williams and Lanan’s Josh Mason completing the 19 runners, with Kiern Jewiss failing to set a lap today.
On the combined times for the day, the top-five drivers all set their best time in the final session, with Azman sixth overall courtesy of his session three effort. The full combined times are shown below.
The field are back in action at Snetterton with qualifying at 3.15 India time on Saturday, with live timing available by clicking here.
BRDC British F3 Championship, Snetterton Friday test session four result:
1. Benjamin Pedersen, Double R Racing, 1m44.121s
2. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, +0.253s
3. Josh Skelton, Chris Dittmann Racing, +0.307s
4. Johnathan Hoggard, Fortec Motorsports, +0.377s
5. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, +0.422s
6. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +0.557s
7. Nazim Azman, Carlin, +0.557s
8. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, +0.779s
9. Roberto Faria, Fortec Motorsports, +0.924s
10. Reece Ushijima, Hitech GP, +0.958s
11. Piers Prior, Lanan Racing, +0.981s
12. Manaf Hijjawi, Douglas Motorsport, +0.983s
13. Bart Horsten, Lanan Racing, +1.027s
14. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +1.486s
15. Alex Fores, Chris Dittmann Racing, +1.490s
16. Max Marzorati, JHR Developments, +1.785s
17. Oliver Clarke, Hillspeed, +1.851s
18. Carter Williams, JHR Developments, +2.135s
19. Josh Mason, Lanan Racing, +2.266sBRDC British F3 Championship, Snetterton Friday combined test result:
1. Benjamin Pedersen, Double R Racing, 1m44.121s (session four)
2. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, +0.253s (session four)
3. Josh Skelton, Chris Dittmann Racing, +0.307s (session four)
4. Johnathan Hoggard, Fortec Motorsports, +0.377s (session four)
5. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, +0.422s (session four)
6. Nazim Azman, Carlin, +0.527s (session three)
7. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +0.557s (session four)
8. Roberto Faria, Fortec Motorsports, +0.727s (session three)
9. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, +0.779s (session four)
10. Reece Ushijima, Hitech GP, +0.958s (session four)
11. Piers Prior, Lanan Racing, +0.981s (session four)
12. Manaf Hijjawi, Douglas Motorsport, +0.983s (session four)
13. Bart Horsten, Lanan Racing, +1.027s (session four)
14. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +1.486s (session four)
15. Alex Fores, Chris Dittmann Racing, +1.490s (session four)
16. Oliver Clarke, Hillspeed, +1.495s (session two)
17. Josh Mason, Lanan Racing, +1.665s (session three)
18. Max Marzorati, JHR Developments, +1.785s (session four)
19. Carter Williams, JHR Developments, +2.133s (session three) -
Honda to stop engines for Formula 1
Tokyo, 2 October 2020: Honda Motor Company Limited today announced that it has decided to conclude its participation in the FIA Formula One (F1) World Championship as a power unit supplier at the end of the 2021 season.
In 2015, Honda resumed competition in F1, the most prestigious automobile racing series in the world, with the goal to win using its own energy management technologies. Initially, Honda experienced a number of difficulties; however, by demonstrating the collective strength of `All Honda,’ including the utilization of its aircraft engine technologies, Honda has realized a high level of competitiveness.
Moreover, as a result of the growth Honda achieved together with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri under a strong partnership with both teams, Honda was able to attain its goal of earning victories with three wins last season and two wins* so far in the 2020 season.
In the meantime, as the automobile industry undergoes a once-in-one-hundred-years period of great transformation, Honda has decided to strive for the `realization of carbon neutrality by 2050.’ This goal will be pursued as part of Honda’s environmental initiatives which is one of the top priorities of Honda as a mobility manufacturer.
Toward this end, Honda needs to funnel its corporate resources in research and development into the areas of the future power unit and energy technologies, including fuel cell vehicle (FCV) and battery EV (BEV) technologies, which will be the core of carbon-free technologies. As a part of this move, in April of this year, Honda created a new centre called Innovative Research Excellence, Power Unit & Energy. Honda will allocate its energy management and fuel technologies as well as knowledge amassed through F1 activities to this area of the power unit and energy technologies and take initiatives while focusing on the future realization of carbon neutrality. Toward this end, Honda made the decision to conclude its participation in F1.
Motorsports activities are in Honda’s DNA, and therefore Honda will continue to be passionate about taking on challenges and striving to become No. 1 in all categories of racing in which Honda participates.
In F1, in order to fulfill the expectations of its fans, Honda will work together with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri to continue competing with its utmost effort and strive for more victories all the way to the end of the 2021 season.
With its `challenging spirit’ cultivated through motorsports activities, Honda will take on the new challenge of the future realization of carbon neutrality.
Honda will appreciate the continuous understanding and support for its motorsports activities and for the new challenge of Honda.
-
A Formula 1 kind of Wednesday for Robert, Callum and Mick
Maranello, 30 Sept 2020: This was a day to remember for Robert Shwartzman, Callum Ilott and Mick Schumacher at the Fiorano track. The Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) students each had a run behind the wheel of a 2018 Ferrari SF71H to experience driving a Formula 1 car as part of the #RoadToF1 programme. Mick and Callum are scheduled to take part in the first free practice session for the Eifel Grand Prix on 9 October, with Alfa Romeo Racing and Haas F1 Team respectively, and Robert will make his Friday debut on 11 December at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.
Robert. First up was Robert, who has three Formula 2 wins to his name so far this year. For the 21 year old Russian this was his very first time at the wheel of a Formula 1 car. He went out for an installation lap at 9.03 and twenty minutes later he began his first real run. The youngster, who has been part of the FDA since 2017, got off to a cautious start, but soon got the hang of the car and the track.
Callum. Callum Ilott’s turn came at noon. The Englishman has been with the FDA since 2018 and is currently second in the Formula 2 series with three wins to his name. This was his first time at the wheel of a Ferrari, although the 21 year old from Cambridge had experienced a Ferrari-powered Formula 1 Alfa Romeo Racing C38 at last year’s post-Spanish GP test at the Barcelona Catalunya circuit. Ilott completed a good number of laps of the 2.976 km track, running at a constant pace; perfect preparation for his debut at the Nürburgring.
Mick. At 3pm, it was the turn of Mick Schumacher, the current Formula 2 championship leader, with two wins. The 21 year old German has been with the FDA since 2019 and this was not his first time at the wheel of a Ferrari. In 2019, he drove that year’s SF90 in Bahrain, also having a drive in the Alfa Romeo C38 at the same test. Mick also completed his programme, aimed at familiarising himself with a Formula 1 car, after so many races in the junior category over the past few months.Next appointment. There is now a long break in the Formula 2 calendar until the two rounds planned in Bahrain on 28 and 29 November and 5 and 6 December.
Robert Shwartzman said: “I have dreamed of the day when I would drive a Formula 1 car for the first time ever since I was a little kid and finally today was the day. Driving this car was fantastic and great fun.
The power is what strikes you most: when you accelerate the horsepower never seems to stop. The brakes are equally impressive: the car stops when it feels as though it’s too late to make the corner. Apart from the actual driving, it was also special to work with the team. There are a lot of them and they pay attention to every little detail. They really work at a very high level. Thanks to everyone who made this memorable day possible.”Callum Ilot said: This was an unforgettable day. I’d already been able to drive a Formula 1 car last year, but today I was able to get to grips with the car with just ten days to go to my debut on a Grand Prix weekend. It was very useful and I thank Ferrari for giving me this opportunity.
What struck me about the SF71H was its aero efficiency, which means you have grip levels you just don’t find in other categories. Then there’s the extreme power from the engine and instant braking.Mick Schumacher said: “I would like to thank Ferrari and the FDA for giving me the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a hybrid-powered Formula 1 car, a few days before my debut at a Grand Prix weekend at the Nürburgring. It was very useful to get used to all the procedures again, which are pretty complex and also with how a team works in this top level of the sport.
A few weeks ago in Mugello, I was able to drive an F2004, an amazing car, but quite old fashioned now. Getting behind the wheel of a 2018 hybrid car allowed me to understand how important the electronics are for the Power Unit and how much progress Formula 1 has made in terms of aerodynamics.
I can’t wait to jump into the cockpit in Germany and it will be nice to take part in a practice session for the first time in front of my home crowd. In the team, there are some mechanics who worked with my father and that will make the day even more special.”Marco Matassa Head of FDA Technical Department “I am very pleased with how today went. I’d like to thank the Scuderia Ferrari race team for its support, because in the middle of such a busy season, it’s no small matter to change the car configuration to suit the individual needs of all three drivers, while helping them get to grips with something as complex as a hybrid-powered Formula 1 car.
On the technical front I’m happy with the way Mick, Callum and Robert quickly got used to the SF71H. For two of them this wasn’t their first time in a Formula 1 car, but even so it’s not easy to switch from the driving style demanded from a Formula 2 car to one best suited to Formula 1. The car has much more power, a significantly more sophisticated braking system and power steering that requires sensitivity and precision to use properly. However, they were all quick and immediately began running at a good pace. I believe the laps they did today will be very useful when Mick and Callum run on Friday at the Nürburgring.
On a purely emotional level, it was wonderful to see the lads in their red race suit in front of their Ferrari, posing for the group photo, especially with Robert who was having his very first drive in a Formula 1 car, which is an unforgettable moment for any driver.” -
Yash Aradhya to race in French F4
Bengaluru, 30 Sept 2020: Multiple National racing champion Yash Aradhya is all set to race in the French Formula 4 this week-end at Paul Ricardo circuit in Le Castellet, France.
He will be the only Indian in the FIA FFSA French Formula 4 for this season. Yash is also the first Indian motorsport talent to receive the prestigious `Pradhan Mantri Bal Shakthi Puraskar’ in January 2020.
The FIA Formula 4 French is organized by the French Federation of Motor Sport Auto Sport Academy known as `FFSA Academy’ under the aegis of the International Federation, the FIA, world Motorsports governing body.
The 18-year old Aradhya will be participating in the Open Category of the FIA Formula 4 French. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the championship calendar was rescheduled multiple times and finally kick started in August 2020. While Yash hasn’t been able to compete in the first three rounds of the Championship due to Visa related delays, he is all set to participate in the remaining four rounds, thereby, gaining a strong footing for the next year in Europe.
Looking forward to the weekend, Yash said, “Finally the wait is over, I am thankful to my sponsors who stood by me even at this time of adversity and made this a possibility. I am all excited to race in these tracks for the first time, I will focus and learn the tracks, adapt to the car as quickly as possible, I am confident that I will make them and my country proud.”
Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre said, “Though the entire world is crippled with the pandemic, it is important to see opportunity even in this adversity, that’s how champions are made. However, as the world is slowly regaining feet and so are the sporting events, I’m happy that our boys from India are geared up to make an impression in the global arena. Yash has time and again proved his mettle both in domestic and international racing and we wish him luck for this outing.”
