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Max Verstappen take pole for Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai (China), 20 April 2024: Max Verstappen scored his fifth pole in five races and Red Bull’s 100th pole position with a dominant performance in qualifying for the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, beating Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez by three tenths of a second. Fernando Alonso took third place for Aston Martin.
It was Alonso who made the early running at the start of Q1, with the Spaniad taking top spot with a lap of 1:35.226. Verstappen’s first flying lap of qualifying for Sunday’s first Chinese Grand Prix since 2019 put the champion in second place, 0.055s behind the Aston Martin driver. Elsewhere, Pérez was forced wide on his opening lap when he came across a much slower Alex Albon, a moment that almost cost the Mexican dearly later on.
McLaren’s Piastri moved ahead of Alonso at the top of the order but he was quickly ousted by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who in turn was bumped out of top spot by McLaren’s Lando Norris who reset the bar at 1:34.842.
Sergio, meanwhile, was for another run but on what he later called “hot, used tyres” his first proper effort only put him sixth, 0.615s behind Norris’ pacesetting time. It led to a nervous final few minutes for the Mexican as a barrage of better final runs came in across the field.
At the top of that list of quicker times was Verstappen, whose second run vaulted him to top spot. The China Sprint winner posted a lap of 1:34.742 to progress to Q2 ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Norris.
Pérez, however, was in trouble. With the track ramping up swiftly and with a number of drivers making big leaps up the order, the Mexican driver slid to 15th at the end of the session. “That was close,” he said as he slipped through to second session just under five hundredths of a second ahead of Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu who was eliminated in P16.
But while Pérez was lucky to escape the drop, there was no such good fortune for Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. Behind 17th-place Kevin Magnussen of Haas, Lewis Hamilton dropped out in P18, ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’ Logan Sargeant.
Verstappen maintained his grip on top spot at the start of the second session, with the Dutchman posting a strong opening lap of 1:33.946 to take spot, half a second ahead of Norris, with Piastri two tenths further back in third.
Pérez posted a lap of 1:34.883, putting him fifth behind Alonso and almost a second off Max, but as the Mexican crossed the line, Sainz was powering into the final corner. However, the Spaniard dipped the rear right wheel into the gravel and his Ferrari was immediately pitched into a 360 degree spin. He slid backwards into the barriers and the session was red-flagged. The Ferrari driver managed to get his car going again and under the red flag he limped back to the pits minus his front wing.
After an almost 10-minute halt to clear debris from Sainz’s crash, the session resumed with seven minutes left on the clock. Mercedes’ George Russell was first out on track and he jumped to P3 with a time of 1:34.609. Only Verstappen joined him on track at this stage and the champion extended his P1 advantage, posting a lap of 1:33.794 to sit 0.666s ahead of Norris.
Sainz, in his swiftly repaired Ferrari climbed to P2 in the closing moments of the session, ahead of team-mate Leclerc, but behind them Pérez was going quicker and the Mexican made it a one-two at the flag with a lap of 1:34.026 that put him more than three tenths clear of the Sainz.
Outside the top 10, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was eliminated in P11 ahead of fellow fallers Daniel Ricciardo of RB, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Williams’ Alex Albon and the second Alpine of Pierre Gasly.
In the final top-10 shootout, Verstappen Max stamped his authority on the timesheet in the first runs, setting a lap of 1:33.977 to beat Alonso by 0.394s. Pérez took third but was unhappy with a change to his front wing ahead of the session. Norris sat in fourth ahead of team-mate Piastri, with the McLarens ahead of the Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc.
And in the final runs of the session Verstappen was untouchable. The Red Bull pairing were last out on track but while there was movement on the timesheet, with Alonso moving up the order to initially take P2 ahead of the McLarens and Ferrari, Verstappen was going quicker than his own opening run and when he crossed the line he improved to 1:33.660 to take Red Bull’s 100th pole and to become the first driver since Mika Häkkinen in 1999 to take pole in the opening five races of a season.
“Before I jumped in the car [before qualifying] Christian told me that if I got pole it would be 100 for the team and I thought ‘that’s nice, I’ll try, I’ll give it a good go’,” he said. “It’s an incredible achievement for the whole team. Of course there was a good contribution from Seb back in the day! It just shows that the car is really working well. It’s a good start to the year and I feel very confident in quali compared to last year.”
Behind him, Pérez also improved but he finished two tenths off Verstappen as he took the 12th front row start of his career and his second of the season so far. Alonso finished third ahead of Norris and Piastri, while Sainz and Leclerc will line up on row three ahead of Russell, Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas.2024 FIA Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:33.660 – –
2 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:33.982 0.322 0.344
3 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:34.148 0.488 0.521
4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:34.165 0.505 0.539
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:34.273 0.613 0.654
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:34.289 0.629 0.672
7 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:34.297 0.637 0.680
8 George Russell Mercedes 1:34.433 0.773 0.825
27 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:34.604 0.944 1.008
10 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber 1:34.665 1.005 1.073
11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:34.838 1.178 1.258
12 Daniel Ricciardo RB 1:34.934 1.274 1.360
13 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:35.223 1.563 1.669
14 Alexander Albon Williams 1:35.241 1.581 1.688
15 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:35.463 1.803 1.925
16 Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber 1:35.505 1.845 1.970
17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:35.516 1.856 1.982
18 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:35.573 1.913 2.042
19 Yuki Tsunoda RB 1:35.746 2.086 2.227
20 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:36.358 2.698 2.881 -
Max Verstappen wins first Sprint race of the season ahead of Hamilton
Shanghai (China) 20 April 2024: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen won the first Sprint of the 2024 F1 season, powering through from fourth on the grid to beat Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, with Sergio Pérez third in the other Red Bull in the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix, the fifth round of the F1 World Championship at the Shanghai International Circuit here on Saturday.
When the lights went out at the start of the 19 lap, 100-km dash to the flag, it was Hamilton who got away best and he immediately attacked polesitter Lando Norris of McLaren as they went into the long loop of the first two corners. Norris, on the outside, tried to resist, but he was forced out wide on the dirty side of the track and slid wide. He tumbled down to P7 as Hamilton took the lead.
Behind them, Aston Martin’s Fernand Alonso was in third ahead of Verstappen, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, P´rez and the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Verstappen wasn’t happy, however, and as Hamilton began to build a gap at the front the Dutchman was on the radio complaining that he had a flat battery. He was given instructions to change settings on his steering wheel and during his phase dropped almost two seconds away from Hamilton and Alonso.
Just over a third of the way into the race, Hamilton had carved out a gap of 1.5s to Alonso, but Verstappen, with his battery issues fixed, was charging towards both. At the end of Lap 7, Verstappen closed in on Alonso and passed the Aston Martin driver into the hairpin to take P2.
On lap eight Hamilton ran wide at the hairpin and that was all the incentive Verstappen needed. He closed the gap to half a second as they crossed the start/finish line and then began to apply the pressure through the first sector of lap nine before getting the pass done into the hairpin. With the lead secured, Verstappen raced into the distance, quickly opening a sizable gap to the rest of the pack.
While Hamilton remained a comfortable second, Alonso began to fall back towards Sainz, Perez, Leclerc and Norris, and an exciting tussle developed.
On Lap 14, Leclerc attacked Perez around the outside of the final hairpin, but failed to pass. He tried again on the following lap but locked up and fell back slightly.
On lap 16, Sainz attacked Alonso heading into Turn 6. The pair went side-by-side into Turn 7 and the two Spaniards made contact, allowing Perez to sneak past both at Turn 8.
Alonso dropped back with a puncture and eventually retired. With Pérez in third, the battle for fourth was left to the two Ferraris who almost collided at the final hairpin – prompting an angry radio message from Leclerc – before Sainz ran wide at Turn 2 allowing his team mate to ease past.
From there, the lead positions remained unchanged, with Verstappen taking victory over Hamilton and Pérez, as Leclerc, Sainz, Norris, Piastri and Russell completed the top-eight positions and secured the points on offer.2024 FIA Chinese Grand Prix – Sprint
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing19 32’04.660
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 19 32’17.703 13.043
3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 19 32’19.918 15.258
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 19 32’22.146 17.486
5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 19 32’25.356 20.696
6 Lando Norris McLaren 19 32’26.748 22.088
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren 19 32’29.373 24.713
8 George Russell Mercedes 19 32’30.356 25.696
9 Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber 19 32’36.611 31.951
10 Kevin Magnussen Haas 19 32’42.058 37.398
11 Daniel Ricciardo RB19 32’42.500 37.840
12 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber 19 32’42.955 38.295
13 Esteban Ocon Alpine 19 32’44.501 39.841
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 19 32’44.959 40.299
15 Pierre Gasly Alpine 19 32’45.498 40.838
16 Yuki Tsunoda RB 19 32’46.530 41.870
17 Alexander Albon Williams 19 32’47.658 42.998
18 Logan Sargeant Williams 19 32’51.012 46.352
19 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 19 32’54.290 49.630
20 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 17 29’39.513 Not running -
Maverick Vinales makes it a grand double: MotoGP
Austin, 14 April 2024: If you’re going to make history, it’s best to do it in style – and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) got the memo. After a chaotic start that saw the #12 punted down to P11, the race was absolutely on to claw back through the field and unleash his stunning pace, so that he did. Pass after pass after pass put him back in the postcode of the podium, and from there he threaded the needle to the front and got the hammer down to make history as the first rider to win with three manufacturers in the MotoGP era. And did we mention it was one of the greatest races of all time?
Behind Batmav, and not by much, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) came home second to become the youngest rider to take back-to-back premier class podiums, and the rookie was box office – as ever. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the podium, making a late move on Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). So where was Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP)? The #93 crashed out after he’d just grabbed the lead back from Acosta, sliding out over the run off and forced to watch from the sidelines.
Turn 1 caused a shuffle and set the scene for what was to come. Acosta took the holeshot with a storming start, and Martin caused a chain reaction with a tough move up the inside that sent Sprint winner Viñales wide, and a few more. But Martin converted that smash and grab into second behind Acosta, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) up a storming eight places into third. Soon, however, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) were on the scene.
Martin attacked Acosta once for the lead and was repelled, and then again but was repelled. The rookie pounded on at the front as the Championship leader looked increasingly impatient. And he had reason to be, with Bagnaia now right on their tail and Marc Marquez right on his.
The next shuffle came as Martin attacked and this time took over at the front. Sensing the time was now, Marquez immediately made his move on Bagnaia, and then the rookie ahead was just wide – allowing the #93 through to chase down Martin. The #89, #93, #1 and #31 were locked together, and soon enough after enough shuffles, Bastianini and Miller were right on their tail too.
At quarter distance into the final corner, Marquez struck against Martin. But there wasn’t space, and the eight-time World Champion had to pull out of it, lightly tagging the Ducati GP24 ahead. No harm done as the #89 kept the lead, but the loss of momentum saw Bagnaia and Acosta able to steamroller past Marquez too.
Meanwhile, Viñales was coming. After dropping to P11, he’d made it past a handful of riders already, including Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), before passing Bastianini with 14 to go. His gap to the front was 2 seconds, next target Miller. That was done in Sector 1 with 13 to go. Now it was Bagnaia up ahead, with Marquez ahead of him and Acosta next. Meanwhile, Martin’s gap at the front had grown to just under a second as he started to make some breathing space.
Once Viñales was onto the back of Bagnaia, a spectacular duel ensued between the two as they danced a perfect 200mph ballet, but the reigning Champion couldn’t hold the Aprilia back. Now Viñales he was in pursuit of the top three and the podium, and Acosta had likewise been making hay.
The rookie had cut Championship leader Martin’s advantage right back down, and he had Marquez for company. Once a move was plausible the GASGAS struck for P1, pulling the door open to shoot past Martin and take over in the lead. Marquez was able to follow him through and take over second.
And so the rookie led the eight-time World Champion, as Viñales started to harry Martin for third. But the next move came from Marquez as he sliced through to lead, giving Acosta no right of reply. Was this crunch time for Viñales on the chase, if the #93 had the pace to start breaking away? If it could have been, it didn’t last long. It suddenly all came unravelled for Marc Marquez at Turn 11.
Sliding out from the lead, the American dream of an eighth win at the track was over for the #93, leaving the rookie to sail on to lead over the line. But that wasn’t for long either, with another dance about to begin – because Viñales was past Martin and onto Acosta.
The Aprilia was stuck to the back of the RC16 looking for a way past, which he found a lap later at Turn 11. From there he was able to pull out some tenths of breathing space for the moment, with the next action looking likely to come from Bastianini homing in on Martin. The Beast divebombed the Pramac at Turn 1 with five to go, but it was optimistic and the #89 hit back on the cutback, as you were.From there the gaps went out, came back in, and went out again, and by the final lap Viñales just had to focus on getting to the flag to make history. Crossing the line after plummeting down the order and ending even the first lap in P9, the #12 won with a third different bike, taking his 75th podium and completing the double for the first time in his career. The hat-trick of pole, win and fastest lap likewise go the way of Viñales after a spectacular Sunday. Chapeau, as Acosta mimed on the cool down lap, is accurate.
The rookie sensation took second though, able to stay ahead of the battle to complete the podium which was won by Bastianini. The ‘Beast’ swooped past on the back straight on the penultimate lap, ensuring he remains second in the Championship behind Martin. And behind Martin on track, Bagnaia took fifth after a tougher weekend of it at the Americas GP.
Di Giannantonio came across the line to take sixth position, finishing ahead of the second Aprilia Racing machine of Aleix Espargaro. Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) took P8, ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) after a great recovery ride following his qualifying in 17th. The South African finished the Grand Prix ahead of Raul Fernandez, who rounded out the top 10 at Trackhouse Racing’s home round.
That’s a wrap on COTA. What promised a tantalising showdown in one way quickly became another, with the 2024 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas sure to go down in history not just for the stats, but for the pure spectacle. One of those that has to be seen to be believed.
So now it’s on to the Spanish Grand Prix, with Martin 21 points clear of Bastianini in the Championship. And Viñales? He’s third, 24 points off the top. Those 20 that went begging in Portimao would seem to mask the fact that the #12 is currently the rider to beat in MotoGP™. Need we say more? See you in Jerez!
Moto2
Garcia denies Roberts the American Dream to take maiden win
Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) stunned at the Circuit Of The Americas to take a maiden Moto2™ win, just finding enough in the tank to hold off home hero Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing). Garcia steals the Championship lead in the process, and in only the MT Helmets – MSI team’s third race in the Moto2™ class, is now two points ahead of Roberts in the standings. Pre-season favourite Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) claimed a first podium of the year after a nail-biting race start and comeback in what’s becoming a calling card until the #54’s luck changes.
The Moto2™ field roared into action on the entry to the technical turn one, with Garcia claiming the holeshot, leading the field from home hero Roberts in second – sending the American crowd to their feet. Aldeguer and pole sitter Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) were swallowed by the pack on the opening lap – dropping down to eighth and 10th, back into the clutches of the Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI).
It was also gloves off for QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™ riders Manuel Gonzalez and Albert Arenas, with the teammates having a near miss and touching – handing Aldeguer sixth place which he happily accepted. Gonzalez would later receive a penalty for a start that was too good to be true – forced to serve a double LLP, dropping Gonzalez to a disappointing 15th.
The same fate could not be said for Aldeguer, who made his way inside the top five and latched onto the back of teammate Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp). Once Aldeguer and Lopez were together on the circuit it was riveting action with friendly fire on track in the battle for fourth place. The SpeedUp teammates did not give each other an inch of room before Aldeguer found a way through and did not look back, with nine laps remaining.
Meanwhile, Dennis Foggia was having a brilliant race on his Triumph-powered Italtrans Racing Team machine. Up to the Americas GP, Foggia was yet to score points in the Moto2™ class this year and was now keeping Roberts honest in second. However, as the race progressed and with Aldeguer fast charging behind, it did not take the Spaniard long to pass the #71 with no way for Foggia to respond – and Aldeguer then set his sights on Roberts.
As the race progressed, Garcia’s rhythm looked perfect – stretching a gap of over one second to Roberts. Roberts responded, matching Garcia’s pace, but then the American made a mistake, running wide at turn 12 and seemingly crushing the hopes of an American win in the process.
However, the Austin crowd was treated to a fantastic Texan duel for P2 with two laps remaining between Roberts and Aldeguer, with the American able to get the upper hand. Meanwhile, at the front, Garcia made a handful of mistakes in the braking zone – losing time and the gap coming back down…
By the flag it was down to just under half a second, but Garcia held on to take a maiden Moto2™ victory and celebrated his success in the Texas sunshine, taking that lead in the standings too. Roberts was forced to settle for second but took back-to-back podiums for the first time, and celebrated that incredible result on home turf for both him and the team. Aldeguer came across the line to finish in a rock-solid third, ahead of teammate Lopez who was just unable to match the podium pace. Marcos Ramirez added to the OnlyFans American Racing Team’s point tally at COTA – rounding out a talent-packed top five.
Foggia dropped to sixth after losing time in the late stages of the race, with Ogura seventh ahead of Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team’s Jeremey Alcoba. Portuguese GP winner Canet was ninth at the end of the race, receiving a 0.396 penalty after cutting a corner to add to his woes after a tough Turn 1 shuffle. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rounded out the top 10.
The Moto2™ class will return at the end of April for the next round of what is shaping to be a sensational season at the iconic Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, with the stage set for another stunner!
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Gaurav Gill-Molly end up in 9th place: APRC Otago rally
Dunedin, 14 April 2024: The Otago International Classic Rally has been won by Irishmen Kris Meeke and Noel O’Sullivan, with their Sunday speed capping off a fine weekend. Ace Indian driver Gaurav Gill from Delhi, backed by JK Tyre and Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation and co-driver Molloy in a Ford Excort M2, fell behind on the final day and ended up 9th.
The pair won all but one gravel stage on Saturday and followed it up with another impressive performance today in a Ford Escort RS1800 that’s been driven by some of the sport’s greats.
Meeke is a five-time World Rally Championship event winner and on his debut on New Zealand roads, added his name to the list of internationals to win the Otago Rally.
That list includes the likes of Jimmy McRae, Pasi Hagstrom, Markko Martin and Mikko Hirvonen, and Meeke was grateful for his experience at the Dunedin-based event.
Second to Meeke on the leaderboard throughout the entirety of the weekend was longtime Otago Rally competitor Deane Buist.
Buist has won the International Classic Rally in three different types of cars over the years and used his trusty Escort to get himself another fine results.
John Silcock and Donna Elder rounded out the podium in their crowd-pleasing Mazda RX7.Silcock’s Mazda was the only non Ford Escort to appear in the top nine positions and got there after a great drive all weekend long.
Richie Dalton made it three Irishmen near the top with his drive to fourth. After competing at the Otago Rally in four-wheel-drive cars previously, Dalton made the switch to a rented Ford Escort RS1800 this year and his result showed his talent behind the wheel.
He held off a fast-finishing Ally Mackay who, despite overheating issues, battled hard to reach a fine fifth overall in his Mk 1 Escort, ending just 6.2 seconds off fourth.
Mackay and co-driver Mikko Johnstone ended the event in great form, finishing the final three stages with top four stage times in the classics field.
Losing out in that day-long battle for the fifth position was Graham Ferguson, however, he’ll surely be content with his top six placing.Tim McIver was seventh, while first-time Otago Rally competitor, Queenslander Tristan Carrigan, overcame brake problems on Saturday to finish in eighth place.
Stephen Gill was ninth, followed by the giant-killing performance from Jake Thomas’ Toyota Levin in tenth.
Day two of the Otago Rally was held in fine and sunny conditions near Waihola, with little attrition affecting competitors throughout Sunday’s action, meaning many of the top positions remained unchanged.
The Rally is grateful for the support of Dunedin City Council Premier Event funding.Otago International Classic Rally | Provisional Results
1. Meeke/O’Sullivan, Ford Escort RS1800, 2hr 25m22.7s
2. Buist/Celeste, Ford Escort RS1800, +3m37.3s
3. Silcock/Elder, Mazda RX7, +8m24.4s
4. Dalton/Hudson, Ford Escort RS1800, +9m20.3s
5. Mackay/Johnston, Ford Escort Mk1, +9m26.5s
6. Ferguson/Moody, Ford Escort RS1800, +10m22.4s
7. McIver/McDonald, Ford Escort RS1800, +12m55.8s
8. Carrigan/Wooley, Ford Escort RS1800, +13m13.2s
9. Gill/Molloy, Ford Escort Mk2, +13m19.0s
10. Thomas/Webber, Toyota Levin, +13m36.3s
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Maverick Vinales wins Sprint race at COTA: MotoGP
Unstoppable on Saturday: rivals have no answer for the #12 as the Aprilia rider storms to a second Saturday win in succession
Austin, 13 April 2024: Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) is now a back-to-back Tissot Sprint winner! The #12 started from a lap record pole, took off at full chat and never looked back at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, leaving the King of COTA – Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – to battle it out for second on Saturday. That battle for second pitted the eight-time World Champion against rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) first, and then Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), but Marquez dug in and held on for P2. Martin was able to get ahead of the rookie by the flag too, further extending his points lead.
As the lights went out, there was potential for some statement moves at Turn 1, but for the Sprint it was a drama-free get away and for Viñales more than anyone. Top Gun was off like a shot to take the lead, with Marquez pipping Acosta at Turn 1 and the trio able to stay just comfortably clear of Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Martin.
Martin was the rider on the move in the early stages, getting past Bastianini when the gap to Acosta was hovering around a second and starting to hunt down the leading trio. By the time he’d cut that gap in half, Viñales was already over a second clear at the front, ominous from the off.
By seven to go, Marquez had Acosta and Martin for serious company, with the machines all locked together as they snaked round the mammoth Circuit of the Americas. The rookie didn’t take long to try a move either, attacking with five to go, but the number 93 was ready and repelled him on the cutback. That was Martin’s signal to try his own move and the #89 sliced past Acosta just before the back straight, shutting the door firmly on a reply and locking his sights on Marquez.
Up in the lead, Batmav was gone. Viñales’ lead was increasing and increasing until it hit the two second mark, where it then stayed within a few tenths here and there as his awesome pace continued. Neither the king of COTA nor the king of the Tissot Sprint had an answer on Saturday, with the #12 crossing the line for a second Sprint win in succession to depose both on the same day. Those 20 points from Sunday in Portugal forced to go AWOL on the last lap now seem even more expensive, with Viñales now 36 off the top instead of second overall.
Second on the road at COTA, meanwhile, went to Marquez. The #93 had enough in hand to make sure Martin had no chance to attack, although the Championship leader extended his advantage with third place. Acosta was forced to settle for fourth, able to hold off a late charge from Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing).
Bastianini came P6 at the head of a freight train fight late on. The ‘Beast’ duelled Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) on the last lap and was able to hold the Aussie off to the line, with reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) forced to follow both home after a tough day at the office. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) was next home in that tightly packed battle, taking the final Sprint point just ahead of a first top ten of the year for Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) as he starts to creep more and more into contention after missing pre-season.
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) had a technical problem and retired early, and Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team), Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda LCR) and Castrol Honda LCR’s Johann Zarco all crashed out, riders ok.
They’ll all be looking for some redemption on Sunday, and the likes of Bagnaia will hope to pull that classic magic out the hat to come out swinging too. Looking at Viñales’ pace, it’s going to take a lot to stop the steamroller… but Marquez, Martin and Acosta will most definitely be ready to try.
Tune in for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas Grand Prix race at 14:00 (UTC -5) to see if Batmav can make history as the first rider to win with three factories in the MotoGP™ era – or who has a joker up their sleeve to stop him. -
Sony to telecast Formula E in India; Jehan Daruvala excited
London/Mumbai, 10 April 2024: Formula E and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) today announced a new three-year media partnership to air all Formula E races live on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV across the Indian sub-continent.
SPNI will broadcast all races of the Championship’s tenth season on Sony Sports Network channels on television. Fans will be able to stream all practice sessions live, as well as qualifying and races this season, on SPNI’s OTT platform, Sony LIV.
Jehan Daruvala, driver, Maserati MSG Racing:
“I am excited to be pursuing my Formula E racing career knowing that I have a huge and passionate fanbase following me through Sony Pictures Networks. It is a dream come true to join Maserati MSG Racing, and I am committed to doing my very best for the team and the fans back home, and around the world.”
Following high-octane racing in Rome last year, Formula E will make its mark at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on 13th and 14th April 2024. The Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will see 11 race teams compete in 16 races across 10 iconic cities including debuts for Misano (Italy) and Shanghai. Alongside these new locations the Championship returns to Mexico City, Diriyah, São Paulo, Monaco, Berlin and Portland before the season finale in London on the weekend of 20 and 21 July 2024.
Sony Sports Network commenced its coverage of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with the 2024 Hankook Mexico City E-Prix this January. The 2024 Misano E-Prix scheduled on Saturday 13th April and Sunday, 14th April will be broadcast live across Sony Sports Ten 1 and Sony Sports Ten 5 channels as well as livestreamed on Sony LIV.
Sony Pictures Networks India will also broadcast Formula E’s behind-the-scenes series, Unplugged, and closely follow Maserati MSG Racing driver Jehan Daruvala in his first season racing in the championship.
Formula E’s tenth racing season will be broadcast live and exclusively across India on the Sony Sports Network, with coverage extending to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Sony Sports Network has a history with Formula E, having aired its content during the fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons. To launch the partnership, Sony Sports Network has launched a campaign promoting the Championship spotlighting India’s own Jehan Daruvala from Maserati MSG racing. The campaign, featuring Jehan as “Mumbai Ka Chokra,” aims to localize Formula E and garner audience support with the rallying cry: “The Ride has just begun.”
Link to view campaign film here.
Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer – Distribution & International Business and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India:
“We are thrilled to announce our multi-year partnership to broadcast all Formula E races live on Sony Sports Network. Formula E enjoys a loyal following among motorsports fans in India and we expect it to grow further with the inclusion of rising star, Jehan Daruvala. Formula E is the future of motorsports racing in the world and we are confident that the strong Indian connection is bound to ensure more love from sports enthusiasts in India.”
Aarti Dabas, Chief Media Officer, Formula E:
“With enthusiastic, diverse and young sports fanbase, India is an important growth market for us. As such, we are delighted to have teamed up with Sony Sports Network to supercharge this growth. This partnership guarantees that Indian fans will enjoy unparalleled access to Formula E content. This includes live coverage of every race on Sony’s linear and digital channels, featuring rookie driver and local favourite Jehan Daruvala and their home-grown team, Mahindra, who have been part of Formula E since the first season.”
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Despite a fall on Day 4 and an injured wrist, Harith Noah completes BP Rally
Portugal, 7 April 2024: From April 2 to 7, 2024, the riders of Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team completed in their first post-Dakar race, the BP Ultimate Rally Raid in Portugal.
Lorenzo Santolino started the event well and placed 2nd in the first stage. The following days, he once again demonstrated his ability to fight with the fastest riders in the World Rally Raid Championship, but was stopped in his progress by a big fall at 130 km/h on the last day. , because of a root hidden under the sand. He comes out of it with just some aches and pain, no broken bones.
Our rider from India, Harith Noah, the winner of the Dakar Rally 2 category, was penalized because of some racing incidents, small riding and navigation errors, but he is satisfied with his performance.
Harith Noah :
“This rally was a good experience to return to competition after the Dakar. The conditions were difficult and different, there was a lot of humidity, and it was cold. A racing incident during the second stage penalized me and caused me to lose time. I left motivated on the 3rd day and I gave everything, but a fall on the 4th day caused me to have pain in my wrist and on the last day, I just rode to finish the race, without taking any risks since I was now too far behind in the provisional ranking. I learned a lot from this event and gained new experiences. We learn from each experience. The bike performed very well. Now I will focus on training and be ready for the next race.”
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Samuel Jacob begins 2024 campaign on a winning note; Tanika tops Ladies class
Nashik, 7 April 2024: Samuel Sajan Jacob of Petronas TVS Racing began the season on a winning note snatching the Overall victory from teammate Rajendra RE in the MRF Rally of Nashik, the first round of the MRF Mogrip fmsci Indian National Rally Championship for two-wheelers here on Sunday.
“I am feeling really happy wining the first round of Indian National Rally Championship. A winning beginning after a long break is always welcome and I thanks all the Petronas TVS Racing team for all the support and specially for the wonderful bike. I have trained very hard for this win and am happy to get the overall victory. The stages were full of tarmac, yes for about 60 per cent of the terrain and the rest is broken tarmac and I like it as it was a fast track,” said Jacob after the rally.
Samuel Jacob with the Overall trophy in Nashik. While Petronas TVS Racing riders bagged three classes, with Imran Pasha (Supersport 260 Group B) and Syed Asif Ali (Scooters) also winning their classes, the lady rider from Satara, Tanika Shanbagh, kept the flag flying for Hero Motosports. Apart from winning the Ladies class, the two-time National champion finished Overall 30 in the field of 90 bikes. The TVS riders, however, swept the top class winning all the podium places in the Superbike Pro-Expert Group A with multiple national champion Aishwarya Pissay finishing fourth after the boys.
The first round of the bike Nationals organised by AW Events and promoted by Godspeed Racing attracted 90 entries and 85 bikes finished the rally with five logging a DNF which included Arjun Joy and Karthik Naidu. Zeitmesser provided the live timings to the thousandth of a second.
Former champion R Nataraj of Bengaluru won the Superbike Expert Group A Class 2 defeating compatriot Amogh Nag while Asad Khan of Chikkamagaluru finished third.
Shivamogga’s Abdul Reheman won the Supersport 165cc Group B class while Rajesh Narajan Swamy won the Supersport 400cc class. Bengaluru’s Suhail Ahmed won the SS 550cc class and Arshad Muhammed of Thrissur won the 450cc Group D class. Amarendra Sathe of Pune won the Star of Karnataka local class.
VS Naresh took a podium in the Supersport 550 Group B class on Sunday. Provisional Final Results: (#Bike number) (All privateers unless mentioned)
Class 1: Superbike Pro-Expert Group A:
1. #2 Samuel Jacob (Udupi, Petronas TVS Racing) (25 minutes, 03.831 seconds);
2. #3 Rajendra RE (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (25:12.092);
3. #1 Abdul Waheed Tanveer (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (25:32.225);
4. #4 Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) 29:41.198.
Class 2 Superbike Expert Group A:
1. #5 Nataraj R (Bengaluru) (26:53.905);
2. #6 GS Amogh Nag (Bengaluru) (27:43.780);
3. #7 Asad Khan (Chikkamagaluru) (27:51.600).
Class 3 Supersport 165cc Group B:
1. #15 Abdul Reheman (Shivamogga) (29:29.776);
2. #14 Bharat L (Bengaluru) (29:31.202);
3. #89 Arshad Ali AT (Kannur) (29:41.877).
Classs 4: Supersport 260 Group B:
1. #26 Imran Pasha (Mysore, TVS) (26:07.655);
2. #30 T Arun (Hassan, Hero Motosports) (26:34.469);
3. #29 Yuva Kumar (Bengaluru, Hero Motosports) 26:45.720.
Class 5: Supersport 400cc Group B:
1. #42 Rajesh Narajan Swami (Pen) (28:03.998);
2. #45 Anish Shetty (Bengaluru) (28:58.518);
3. #41 Akhand Pratap Singh (Rorkee) (29:29.648).
Class 6: Supersport 550 Group B:
1. #52 Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) (28:44.853);
2. #47 Naresh VS (Bengaluru) (29:40.304);
3. #48 Darshan Chaure (Nashik) (30:52.412);
Class 7: Scooters up to 210cc Group B:
1. #56 Syed Asif Ali (Bengaluru, TVS) (29:59.732);
2. #59 Venkatesh Shetty (Mumbai, Aprilia SR 150) (32:11.799);
3. #60 Goutham N (Bengaluru) (32:27.604).
Class 8: Women’s Class Group B:
1. #62 Tanika Shanbhagh (Hero MotoSports, Satara) (30:11.762);
2. #65 Somyya Chaudhary A (New Delhi) (31:31.733);
3. #64 Remya Ravi (Thiruvananthapuram) (35:10.889).
Class 9: Super Stock up to 450cc Group D:
1. #69 Arshad Muhammed (Thrissur) (29:53.709);
2. #72 Udayakumar M (Coimbatore) (30:15.197);
3. #68 Shivam Thakur (Kullu) (30:30.249).
Class 10 Star of Karnataka:
1. #85 Amarendra Sathe (Pune) (31:59.690);
2. #83 Lokesh Anik Bhosale (Pune) (32:29.292);
3. #84 Kishore Jadhav (Pune) (32:36.992).
Overall: (top-10 riders)
1. #2 Samuel Jacob (Udupi, Petronas TVS Racing) (25 minutes, 03.831 seconds);
2. #3 Rajendra RE (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (25:12.092);
3. #1 Abdul Waheed Tanveer (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (25:32.225);
4. #26 Imran Pasha (Mysore, TVS) (26:07.655);
5. #30 T Arun (Hassan, Hero Motosports) (26:34.469);
6. #29 Yuva Kumar (Bengaluru, Hero Motosports) 26:45.720.
7. #5 Nataraj R (Bengaluru) (26:53.905);
8. #27 Sachin D (Bengaluru, TVS) 926:56.007);
9. #32 Banteilang Jyrwa (TVS) (26:56.905);
10. #28 Sabarish R (Coimbatore) (27:32.179).
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Max Verstappen wins again; Sergio Perez makes it 1-2 for Red Bull: Japan GP
Suzuka (Japan), 7 April 2024: Max Verstappen led a dominant Red Bull 1-2 at the Japanese Grand Prix, beating team-mate Sergio Pérez as Carlos Sainz finished third in a race that was red flagged for a crash involving Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon in the F1 World Championship Round 4 here on Sunday.
At the start of the race Verstappen got away well to take the lead ahead of Pérez and McLaren’s Lando Norris. However, further back there was contact. On the run to Turn 3, RB’s Daniel Ricciardo, hemmed in and focused on Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll to his left, drifted to the right as he prepared to turn in. He failed to see Alex Albon coming on his right and the pair collided. Both went spinning into the barriers and while the drivers were unhurt the tyre barriers required substantial repairs. The red flags therefore came out.
After a near 30-minute halt, the cars left the pit lane for a standing start, with Verstappen and Pérez again on the front row ahead of Norris, Sainz and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. And when the lights went out for a second time, the Red Bull duo again took up residence at the head of the field.
With Suzuka basking in strong sunshine, tyre degradation was an issue and the Medium-tyre runners at the front of the pack soon began to struggle. On lap 12, Norris was the first of the leaders to pit, switching to Hard tyres and dropping to P10. He was followed a lap later by McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and then by Alonso. Norris quickly put in the fastest lap of the race as his new Hard tyres began to come alive and when Pérez pitted, the strong undercut meant that Norris jumped ahead of both Sainz and Pérez.
Verstappen made his first stop on lap 17 and after switching to Mediums, he rejoined in P2, behind Charles Leclerc who was still on starting Mediums. The champion was soon chasing down the Ferrari driver, and at the start of lap 21 he breezed past to regain the lead.
Behind him, Pérez was chasing down Norris and on lap 22 he closed right up to the Briton through 130R before diving down the inside into the chicane to take P3 behind Leclerc who was now visibly struggling. Pérez began applying pressure and on lap 26 Leclerc went wide in Turn 9, allowing Pérez to sweep past. That was enough for Lecerc who headed for the pits to make his first stop, along with Norris who was making another early stop. Both switched to Hard tyres for the race to the flag.
Pérez made his final pit stop at the end of lap 33, switching to Hard tyres in a swift 2.1s halt. He rejoined in fifth place, just half a second behind Norris. There was no stopping the Mexican, however, and at the start of lap 35 he powered past the McLaren on the approach to Turn 1.
In the meantime, Verstappen made his final visit to the pit lane, and after taking on a set of Hard tyres he emerged in P2, behind Sainz who was beginning to struggle on his medium tyres. The Spaniard gave up the fight at the end of lap 36 and when he switched to a final set of Hard tyres, Verstappen retook the lead. Behind him, Pérez picked off the one-stopping Leclerc to move back to P2 a little over seven seconds behind his team-mate.
With 10 laps left the Red Bull drivers were in control, with Verstappen 11 seconds ahead of his team-mate, who was 9.6s ahead of Leclerc. Sainz was on the move, however. After passing Norris at the start of the lap he began to quickly close in on Leclerc and at the start of lap 46 he swept past his Ferrari team-mate under DRS on the run to Turn 1 to grab a podium finish.
And that sealed the order at the top. Verstappen managed his pace and at the end of lap 53 eased to his third win of the season and to a hat-trick of wins at Suzuka. Twelve seconds later Checo crossed the line to take his 38th podium finish and to seal another dominant 1-2 for the Team.
Behind the Bulls, Sainz held on to third ahead of Leclerc, while Norris finished fifth for McLaren ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. George Russell finished seventh, though the Mercedes driver was placed under investigation for appearing to force the eighth-placed McLaren of Oscar Piastri off the track on his way through. Lewis Hamilton was ninth in the second Mercedes and the final point was taken by RB’s home hero Yuki Tsunoda.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 53 1:54’23.566
2 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 53 1:54’36.101 12.535
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 53 1:54’44.432 20.866
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 53 1:54’50.088 26.522
5 Lando Norris McLaren 53 1:54’53.266 29.700
6 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 53 1:55’07.838 44.272
7 George Russell Mercedes 53 1:55’09.517 45.951
8 Oscar Piastri McLaren 53 1:55’11.091 47.525
9 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 53 1:55’12.192 48.626
10 Yuki Tsunoda RB 52 1:54’25.168 1 lap /1.602
11 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 52 1:54’30.734 1 lap /7.168
12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 52 1:54’34.799 1 lap /11.233
13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 52 1:54’41.485 1 lap /17.919
14 Valtteri Bottas Sauber 52 1:54’42.459 1 lap /18.893
15 Esteban Ocon Alpine 52 1:55’04.718 1 lap /41.152
16 Pierre Gasly Alpine 52 1:55’18.632 1 lap /55.066
17 Logan Sargeant Williams 52 1:55’36.331 1 lap /1’12.765
Zhou Guanyu Sauber 12 49’29.022 Gearbox
Daniel Ricciardo RB 0 – Accident
Alexander Albon Williams 0 – Accident -
Sidvin commits long-term development deal with Pragathi-Trisha duo
Bengaluru, 7th April 2024: Pragathi Gowda, a rallyist from Bangalore, has signed a multi-year development deal with Sidvin, a globally renowned Oil and Gas Engineering services company specialising in Deep offshore Floating Production Systems, to help propel her career in the sport. The deal with Sidvin will enable Pragathi Gowda and co-driver Trisha Alonkar to make their mark on upcoming Rally Championships in Asia and Europe.
The 26-year-old Pragathi is a Junior Indian National Rally 2022 champion, winner of the Asia-Pacific Rally Star Cup in 2022, and was named the reserve driver for FIA Rally Star for JWRC in 2023.
As she gears up to set tracks on fire at the forthcoming Indian National Rally Championship and Asia Pacific Rally Championship, Sidvin’s multi-year deal comes as shot-in-the-arm for the racer whose career has been on a meteoric rise.
On signing the contract, Pragathi said, “I am beyond excited to announce that I am joining Sidvin and signing a contract for the next three years. The support, and passion within the team are truly inspiring, and I am honoured to be a part of it. Teaming up with Sidvin feels like a natural fit, and I am confident that together, we will achieve great things on and off the track.”
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the Managing Director of Sidvin, Mohan Nagarajan, a veteran rallyist himself, and the entire team for welcoming me and Trisha with open arms and for believing in our potential. I am eager to embark on this new chapter of my rally career with Sidvin by my side. Here’s to the hard work, determination, and victories together.”
Speaking on the association, co-driver Trisha Alonkar said, “I am thrilled to share that my rally journey, which began with Pragathi, has been a remarkable experience filled with growth and determination. Today, I am grateful to Sidvin for believing in us and taking the step to team up. This partnership marks a significant milestone in our rallying career, and we are eager to embark on this new chapter with Sidvin by our side. I want to express my gratitude to Pragathi for being an integral part of my journey so far and to Sidvin for their belief in our ability,”
Sidvin has backed prodigal motorsport athletes time and again. They were the first team to have had an Indian participation in the World Rally Championship way back in 2008. They have been associated with C.S. Santosh at the Dakar Rally and Ms. Aishwarya Pissay at the World Baja Championship, which she went on to win and become a world champion. Sidvin is also proud to be supporting Jeffery Emmanuel on his way now to the MotoGP. Now, as Pragathi and Sidvin join forces groundbreaking growth & development are expected to follow.
Speaking of the contract, Sidvin Chairman and Managing Director, Mr. Mohan Nagarajan said “Sidvin has always been at the forefront of encouraging and developing Indian talent on the world’s stage be it in engineering or sports and in empowering women athletes to achieve their best. Having worked with Pragathi and Trisha for the last year and a half I’m very confident that they will make our country proud in the world of rallying. Sidvin wishes the young athletes all the very best in the coming years.“
