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Aero changes to promote overtaking approved for 2019 Formula 1 season
Paris, 01 May 2018: Formula 1 aerodynamics are set to get simpler in 2019 with one simple purpose in mind: to promote closer racing and more overtaking. Following a presentation made to the F1 teams at the Bahrain Grand Prix regarding proposals aimed at promoting closer racing and more overtaking in the Formula 1 World Championship, the Strategy Group, the F1 Commission and the World Motor Sport Council yesterday approved a number of regulation changes for the 2019 season.The changes, approved by e-vote, are as follows:
- Simplified front wing, with a larger span, and low outwash potential
- Simplified front brake duct with no winglets
- A wider and deeper rear wing
The vote follows an intense period of research into the FIA’s initial proposals, which were made with the support of the F1 Commercial Rights Holder, conducted by a majority of the F1 teams. These studies indicated the strong likelihood of a positive impact on racing and overtaking within F1 and as such have now been ratified for implementation in 2019.
The approved changes are separate to the ongoing work being undertaken in regard to defining Formula 1’s regulations for 2021 and beyond.
In addition to the aerodynamic changes ratified on Monday, the FIA is continuing to evaluate a range of other measures aimed at encouraging closer racing and boosting overtaking in F1.
A raft of other measures have already been put in place for 2019, including an increase in race fuel allowance to allow drivers to race at full power for longer, the separation of driver weight from car weight to end the disadvantage of heavier drivers, and the requirement that drivers wear biometric gloves.
Ross Brawn, Managing Director – Motorsports (F1) says: “One of the key episodes of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was the collision between team-mates Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. I don’t want to comment on who might be held responsible or how a team should manage these issues during a race, but I do think the Steward’s decision to reprimand both drivers was the right course of action.
“But I would like to highlight a technical point. Once Daniel had settled for his line, and Max had changed direction blocking that line, the Australian became a passenger. The downforce loss experienced by Ricciardo in the wake of Verstappen’s car would have made it unstoppable. We often think of downforce applying in cornering, but the impact the extra grip has in braking is huge. Take away that grip in braking and what happened on Sunday was inevitable.
“Whilst this was a very severe example, it did highlight once more the need of finding a way to develop the rules to make the cars more raceable in these conditions.
“The decision of the Strategy Group and the F1 Commission taken yesterday, sanctioned by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, to approve a number of aerodynamic modifications, aimed at promoting closer racing and more overtaking for the 2019 season is definitely an important step.
“It’s also important to note that the decision has been taken after an intense period of research into the FIA’s proposals, which were made with the support of Formula 1 and, conducted by a majority of the teams. A good spirit, a good way of working together for a better and more spectacular Formula 1, which is what the FIA, Formula 1, the Teams, and most importantly, the fans want. Bravo.”
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Arjun Maini scores first points in F2; Kush Maini notches win and a podium in F3
India’s Kush Maini (centre) with the winner’s trophy. Baku, 29 April 2018: Haas Development driver Arjun Maini made an inspired comeback here at the weekend in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Starting from P17, he made 11 overtakes to finish the race in P6. However, a post-race penalty to Sette Camara meant Arjun moved up to P5, scoring his first points in his debut season of the F2 championship.
Meanwhile, in Rockingham, UK, Arjun’s younger brother, Kush Maini secured his first win in the BRDC British F3 Championship. The Lanan Racing driver won Race 2 at Rockingham and finished off with yet another podium in Race 3 to end the weekend on a high.
Arjun began his race weekend with a P7 in qualifying, and showed some great promise at the start of the Race 1 when he moved swiftly into P4, but problems with the engine meant an early retirement from the race.
Arjun Maini in Baku. Photo: Sebastiaan Rozendaal / Dutch Photo Agency Looking to make up for his rather unlucky start to the weekend, the JK Racing and TVS Motorsport supported driver began Race 2, which he started from P17 on the grid, on the front foot. He moved up into P9 by the end of the first lap itself with some great driving. He followed this up with some gritty racing and eventually passed a few cars ahead, a difficult task in the tricky streets of Baku and finished ahead of his fellow Trident teammate Ferrucci.
Arjun Maini said: “It’s nice to finish the weekend on a positive note and get my first points in the championship. After the disappointing end to Race 1, I felt it was important to come back strong and this race will hopefully give me and the team momentum going forward.”
Speaking about Arjun’s notable drive, Karun Chandok, Former F1 driver and Arjun’s mentor said: “Arjun did a great job all weekend. Racing for the first time in a new category on a street circuit can be quite daunting, but he coped with the challenge well.
Arjun Maini on a charge in Baku. Photo: Sebastiaan Rozendaal / Dutch Photo Agency “It was a real shame that he had a car problem in the first race when running strongly in the top 5 and that sent him down the grid for the next race. However he showed on Sunday that he’s got the speed and potential to mix it in the top 6 and that’s where we’re aiming to be going forward.”
Talking about the next round of the championship he added: “He knows the Barcelona circuit very well and won there in GP3 last year, so fingers crossed he can have some good reliability and deliver strong result.”
Arjun will be in action at Barcelona shortly, as round 3 of the FIA F2 Championship is set to take place in a couple of weeks, between May 11-13. It’s the same track where he, last year, created history by becoming the first Indian to win a GP3 Series race.
Arjun also joined the thousands of people in India in demanding justice for Asifa, in his own way, by having a message on the side of his car throughout the race weekend to raise awareness through his sport.
KUSH MAINI WINS RACE 2 AT ROCKINGHAM
ROCKINGHAM: Kush Maini secured his first win in Round 2 of the BRDC British F3 Championship. The Lanan Racing driver won Race 2 and finished off with yet another podium in Race 3 to end the weekend on a high.
Kush Maini’s determination to win finally paid off as he came from P5 to claim his maiden race win in the championship. Also combining his second consecutive podium in Race 3, this weekend’s results meant he acquired a considerable chunk of points towards the driver’s championship, putting him currently in fourth place with 113 points, just six points off third placed Gamble.
Kush Maini, who started off the weekend in the wet by qualifying in P6, was involved in an incident early on in Race 1, but fought back strongly to claim P7. As the track dried out over the next day, Kush started the race from P5, and won a couple of places off the start itself. He then chased down the front two, and was in the lead by the end of the first lap. A string of consecutive fastest laps helped him pull away from the rest of the pack as he ended the race with almost a 5-second gap back to the driver in P2.
In Race 3, Kush, starting from pole, couldn’t capitalise on his momentum from the previous race as he battled hard in thrilling encounter. Lundqvist and Kjaergaard got off the line quicker as Kush stayed right on their tail. However, a string of safety cars and yellow flags made it difficult for him to keep the pressure. Nevertheless, he managed his second consecutive Race-3 podium in a close race with the top 3 separated by just 0.638s.
Kush said, “In race 2, it was a case of keeping my nose clean the first lap. We knew from the start of the season, our pace in the dry is superior so as long as I could go the distance we could get a good result. It was disappointing to not win in Race 3 from pole, but it was a good race and another load of points so I’m looking forward to the next round.”
The next round of BRDC F3 Championship takes place at Snettorton at the end of May where Kush will be looking to make this momentum count.
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Rally Argentina: Tanak-Jarveoja snatch win for Toyota; double podium for Hyundai
Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja who scored a win for Toyota in Rally Argentina. Photo: FIA Villa Carlos Paz, 30 April 2018: Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja won the legendary Rally Argentina on Sunday after a weekend-long display of dominance in which they won 10 of the event’s 18 stages. The Estonians were able to manage their pace over the closing three stages to take their first victory with Toyota by 37.7 seconds. Last year’s winners Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were second and team-mates Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio made it a double podium celebration for Hyundai with third.
In the FIA World Rally Championship, Neuville has managed to close the gap to Championship leader Ogier to 10 points with Tänak 18 points further adrift in the standings. Hyundai’s double podium also sees the Korean manufacturer extend its advantage over M-Sport Ford to 15 points. Toyota is third with Citroen trailing in fourth.
In the second run of El Cóndor, counting towards all-important Power Stage points, Tänak was able to control the pace and points for fourth fastest added to his Championship haul. Neuville was flat-out however and the Belgian set fastest time to add five points to his tally, his objective always to be ahead of Ogier. Sordo was happy with his Rally Argentina outing and the Spaniard finished well ahead of Ogier in the overall classification.
Ogier and Mikkelsen went into the stage fighting for fourth but the reigning FIA World Rally Champion managed to hold onto his position by just four seconds at the end of the event. Both Elfyn Evans and Kris Meeke moved up the standings into sixth and seventh respectively after Lappi dropped time with a puncture this morning. He finished eighth on his debut outing in Argentina, the Finn lamenting a huge amount of bad luck in Argentina. Teemu Suninen finished ninth, another debutant on the event.
Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson snatched the FIA WRC 2 Championship category win after Škoda team-mate Kalle Rovanperä rolled in the penultimate stage while leading. Tidemand beat Gus Greensmith by over seven minutes to take the lead in the Championship standings.
The sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship takes the contenders back to Europe for Rally de Portugal (17-20 May).
Rally Argentina – Final Unofficial classification (subject to scrutineering)
1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 43min 28.9sec 2 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 44min 06.6sec 3 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 3hr 44min 44.6sec 4 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 45min 27.5sec 5 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 45min 31.5sec 6 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 46min 35.2sec 7 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 3hr 46min 54.6sec 8 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 48min 01.5sec 9 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 49min 07.5sec 10 Pontus Tidemand / Jonas Andersson Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 55min 44.7sec -
Tidemand keeps nerve to win Rally Argentina; leads WRC 2 Championship
Pontus Tidemand (right) and co-driver Jonas Andersson celebrate Rally Argentina win. The Swediesh pair leads WRC 2 Championship standings. Photos: SKODA Motorsports Villa Carlos Paz, 29 April 2018: Reigning WRC 2 Champions Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Jonas Andersson from Sweden repeated their last year’s victory at Rally Argentina, the fifth round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship, here on Sunday. The Swedish pairing takes the lead in the WRC 2 championship standings from ŠKODA teammate Jan Kopecký who did not compete in Argentina.
ŠKODA factory-supported crews Tidemand and Andersson, and Finland’s Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen were leading the WRC 2 category going into the event’s last day. But in the penultimate stage, Rovanperä went off the road close to the finish. Thanks to the safety package of the ŠKODA FABIA R5, the crew was unhurt, but had to retire. Norwegians Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermœn, another duo of ŠKODA juniors, finished second in RC 2 class, which includes the WRC 2 category.
On the final day of Rally Argentina, three more stages, covering 55.27 kilometres, had to be driven. Tidemand tried everything to catch their young Finnish teammate. With a tremendous effort on the opening “El Condor” stage, he was 13.3 seconds quicker than Rovanperä, reducing the gap to only 9.9 seconds.
Kalle Rovanperä On the penultimate stage, the Rovanpera went off the road close to the end of the stage. Thanks to the safety package of their ŠKODA FABIA R5, they escaped without injury, however. With the WRC 2 lead back in his hands, Tidemand drove cautiously in the last stage and won the category with the huge margin.
The Swedish crew moved as well into the lead of the WRC 2 championship standings. “Sorry for Kalle. We had a tense fight and I always followed our Team instructions. I believed in my speed myself and obviously did not want to win this way,” Tidemand said.
After two punctures on the Saturday stages, ŠKODA junior Ole Christian Veiby managed to regain the third position in RC 2 class after a fast time on the opening Sunday stage. In the end, the Norwegian finished in second place.
ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek commented: “Accidents are a part of the game. Luckily, the safety standards of modern rally cars like our ŠKODA FABIA R5 are extremely high. So Kalle and Jonne escaped from that accident without being injured. Nevertheless, I want to thank both crews for the tremendous performance they delivered, the whole ŠKODA Motorsport Team did an excellent job.”
Final Result Rally Argentina (WRC 2): 1. Tidemand/Andersson (SWE/SWE), ŠKODA FABIA R5, 03hrs, 55mins, 44.7 secs; 2. Greensmith/Parry (GBR/GBR), Ford Fiesta R5, +7:39.1 min; 3. Heller/Olmos (CHL/ARG), Ford Fiesta R5, +9:02.9 min; 4. Dominguez/Galindo (MEX/MEX), Hyundai i20 R5, + 15:49.6 min; 5. Solans/Ibanez (ESP/ESP), Ford Fiesta R5, +37:43.9 min.
Current standings WRC 2 (after 5 of 13 rounds): 1. Tidemand (SWE), ŠKODA, 68 points; 2. Kopecký (CZR) ŠKODA, 50 points; 3. Greensmith (GBR), Ford, 36 points; 4. Heller (CHL), Ford, 30 points; 5. Katsuta (JPN), Ford, 29 points.
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Lewis Hamilton wins incident-packed Azerbaijan GP; Force India’s Sergio Perez third
Lewis Hamilton celebrates after winning the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday. Photo: FIA Baku, 29 April 2018: Lewis Hamilton claimed a fortunate 63rd career win and control of the Drivers’ Championship standings at the end of a chaotic and incident-packed Azerbaijan Grand Prix that saw long-time race leader Sebastian Vettel drop to fourth after a collision between the Red Bull drivers and Valtteri Bottas exit the race from the lead with a late puncture.
Kimi Räikkönen was left to take second place behind Hamilton, with Force India’s Sergio Perez taking a second career podium finish in Baku thanks to a late pass on Vettel.
The 2018 Azerbaijan GP was full of drama right from the start. Pole position man Vettel held his advantage when the lights went out, taking the lead ahead of Hamilton, Bottas and the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.
Behind them, there was drama as Räikkönen and Force India’s Esteban Ocon collided in Turn 1. The impact pushed the French driver into the barriers and out of the race, but the Finn was able to make his way back to the pits for a new front wing and a set of soft tyres.
More incidents were to follow soon after when Williams Sergey Sirotkin tagged the front right wheel of Fernando Alonso’s McLaren. The Russian driver was forced to retire, but the Spaniard was able to limp back to the pits, though by the time he had reached the McLaren pit box he had shed both right side tyres. He too took a new front wing and soft tyres. With debris strewn across the track, the Safety Car was deployed.
When the action resumed, Vettel again held his advantage, demonstrably backing the field up to shorten the run to Turn 1. He quickly opened up a gap to the Mercedes and it was further back in the battle for fourth to sixth that the big battles began to happen.
Verstappen passed team-mate Ricciardo but in doing so Renault’s Carlos Sainz pounced and managed to slot between the two Red Bulls. The Spaniard then began to exert pressure on the Dutch driver and quickly made a decisive move past the Red Bull.
Behind them, Ricciardo was also a target for Renault. Nico Hulkenberg swiftly passed the Australian and then got past Verstappen as both Red Bull drivers complained of battery charging problems.
Hulkenberg’s stay in fifth place was brief, however, as on lap 11 he made an error in Turn 4. The German lost the back end of his Renault and the rear left hit the wall. He drove straight down the escape road at Turn 5 and retired.
The Red Bull drivers appeared to now be recovering from their woes and as Verstappen began to push back towards Sainz, the Spaniard opted to pit, shedding his ultrasoft starting tyres for a set of softs.
At the front, Vettel was busy constructing a comfort zone back to Hamilton, and by lap 20 the Ferrari driver had built a foufour-secondshion over the Mercedes man. Hamilton was in turn six seconds clear of team-mate Bottas.
Vettel’s advantage was stretched on lap 21 when Hamilton suffered a huge lock-up into Turn 1, flat-spotting both front tyres. He dropped three seconds to Vettel and immediately headed for the pit lane were he took on a set of soft tyres. He rejoined in P3.
The race then settled until Vettel, with a 4.8s lead over Bottas and 23.6s in hand over Hamilton, made his pit stop at the end of lap 30, taking on soft tyres. And when they crossed the line next, the German found himself 11.7s behind new leader Bottas (who needed to make a pit stop) and 7.9s ahead of Hamilton who was going to the end on older soft tyres.
Behind them, the Red Bulls, who had been duelling fiercely throughout the race, traded positions once more. Fourth-placed Verstappen complained of waning grip from his ageing supersoft tyres and Ricciardo, spotting the opportunity, pounced at Turn 1, using a good two from his team-mate to overtake around the outside. The Australian did well to keep his car out of the wall on exit as he locked up. It was all in vain, however, as when they pair pitted the Dutchman jumped his team-mate and re-took fourth place.
Ricciardo was urged by his engineer to “get it all done again” but in doing the Red Bulls set the pattern for the end of the race.
Ricciardo tried to pass his team-mate into Turn 1. The interplay between the cars was hard to judge, as Verstappen moved marginally right and then more decisively defended to his left, but the result was that Ricciardo slammed into the back of Verstappen’s car and both crashed out of the race.
The safety car was deployed, but as it dictated the pace, sixth-placed Romain Grosjean lost control as he weaved to keep heat in his tyres and he hit the wall.
The medical car was sent on track, the safety car stayed out and it took a number of laps before the Frenchman’s Haas was lifted off the track.
Racing finally resumed on lap 48, after all of the leading drivers had pitted for ultrasoft tyres, and Vettel desperately tried to get past Bottas. The German locked up though and went wide, allowing Hamilton and Räikkönen to get past.
The race took and even more dramatic turn later in the lap as Bottas suddenly suffered a punctured rear left, caused by debris, that dropped him out of the race. Further, back Vettel was struggling with his tyres and he was passed by Sergio Pérez.
And that was how the podium shaped up, with Hamilton taking a somewhat fortunate 63rdcareer victory ahead of Räikkönen and Perez. Vettel was left with fourth place ahead of Sainz, while Sauber’s Charles Leclerc collected his first F1 points with sixth place. Alonso brought his damaged McLaren home in seventh place ahead of Williams’ Lance Stroll, the second McLaren of Stoffel Vandoorne and the final point, for 10th place, went to Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley.
2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes –
2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 2.460
3 Sergio Perez Force India 4.024
4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 5.329
5 Carlos Sainz Renault 7.515
6 Charles Leclerc Sauber 9.158
7 Fernando Alonso McLaren 10.931
8 Lance Stroll Williams 12.546
9 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 14.152
10 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 18.030
11 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 18.512
12 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 24.720
13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 30.663
14 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 3 laps
Ret Romain Grosjean Haas 9 laps
Ret Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 12 laps
Ret Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 12 laps
Ret Nico Hulkenberg Renault 41 laps
Ret Esteban Ocon Force India –
Ret Sergey Sirotkin Williams – -
Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif clinch MRF South India crown for their 30th INRC title
Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif en route to winning their 30th INRC title since 2007. Photos by Anand Philar Chennai, 29 April 2018: One of the most enduring combinations, Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif picked up their 30th title in the Indian National Rally Championship since coming together in 2007 as the Mahindra Adventure pair won the MRF South India Rally, here on Sunday, sparing over two minutes to their team-mates Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik.
It was an untroubled ride to victory for 36-year old three-time Asia Pacific Rally Championship winner Gill as he built on his overnight lead to emerge a worthy winner. “I didn’t really push today, but was still fast enough. I had no issues with my vehicle (XUV 500) today and of course, it is always a nice feeling when you win,” said Gill who now looks forward to doing a few rounds in the World Rally Championship-2 category later this year, backed by MRF Tyres.
With Gill enjoying a sizeable overnight lead, Sunday was more about others down the field jockeying for positions. Ghosh, also in a XUV 500, drove fast and clean to take second position in the Overall standings, ahead of Karna Kadur (co-driver Nikhil Pai) of ARKA Motorsports in the Volkswagen Polo.
Gill and Ghosh also topped the INRC-1 category while veteran Vicky Chandhok (co-driver Chandramouli), driving a factory-supported Volkswagen Polo R2, and returning to rallying after a gap of 18 years, completed the podium. Chandhok belied his 61 years by not only being competitive, but also withstanding the extreme heat and humidity that had competitors half his age gasping for breath.The INRC-2 category saw ARKA Motorsports completing a 1-2 finish with favourite Karna Kadur taking the top berth ahead of the veteran pair and of Rahul Kanthraj and Vivek Bhatt while Sumit Panjabi (Shahid Salman) in a Mitsubishi Cedia finished third.
A fierce battle raged for the INRC-3 category honours through the day. Overnight leader Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival) met with misfortune in the day’s last Stage as his VW Polo stalled no fewer than five times and he slipped to second behind Vikram Rao (Somayya AG). Young and rookie Fabid Ahmer (Fayaz Arakkal) from Kerala displayed impressive pace and car control to come in third in the category.
The top prize in the FMSCI 2-Wheel Drive Cup went to Adith KC (co-driver Suraj K).
Unaudited Provisional classification:
Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (1hr, 28mins, 43.1 secs); 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (01:30:39.6); 3. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:30:59.4).
INRC-1: 1. Gill / Sherif; 2. Ghosh / Naik; 3. Vicky Chandhok / Chandramouli (VW Motorsports, VW Polo R2) (01:34:21.7)
INRC-2: 1. Kadur / Pai; 2. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:32:45.6); 3. Sumit Punjabi / Shahid Salman (Pvt, Mitsubishi Cedia) (01:35:53.4).
INRC-3: 1. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG (Falkon Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:31:55.5); 2. Dean Mascarenhas / Shruptha Padival (Pvt, VW Polo) (01:32:37.3); 3. Fabid Ahmer / Fayaz Arakkal (Pvt, VW Polo) (01:33:00.5).
Support class: FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Adith KC / Suraj K (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (01:33:28.7); 2. Suraj Thomas / Sob George (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (01:36:29.5); 3. Ravi MS / Priyamvada Saradhi (Pvt, Maruti Baleno) (01:41.17.5).
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FMSCI nominates Gaurav Gill for Arjuna Award
Chennai, 29 April 2018: Three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion Gaurav Gill of Mahindra Adventure team won the 40th South India Rally, the season opener of the Indian National Rally Championship, at Irungattukottai, about 40 km from here on Sunday to strengthen the Federation’s demand for an Arjuna Award.“Talent Personified,” was how former FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok, who brought F1 to India said about Gill on Friday. Talking to media, he had said that India needs a Hero in rallying and no one has come close. Gill is talent personified and definitely his going to the world stage will improve the profile of rallying in the country,” he added.
FMSCI, the Indian Motorsports Federation has announced in a tweet that the name of Gaurav Gill was nominated for Aruna Award. This is the third time that the federation has nominated his name. Gill, if selected, would become the first Indian sportsman from Motorsports to get the coveted honour. However, Narain Karthikeyan was honoured with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in 2010.
#FMSCI nominates India’s Top rallyist Gaurav Gill, a three-time winner of the prestigious FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, for the Arjuna Award.Coming back to INRC, Gill was ably navigated by his long-time co-driver Musa Sherif, a veteran of 266 rallies till date. The five-time National champion clocked 1 hour, 28 minutes 43.1 seconds to take a massive lead of close to two minutes to the nearest rival and teammate Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) who fought hard for the second place with 2016 champion Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai.
“The first South India Rally was held in 1953. It was a TSD Rally from Madras to Pondy and back,” recollected Vicky Chandhok, who took a well-deserved podium as a senior citizen taking the third place in the INRC 1 class behind Gill and Ghosh. Chandhok clocked 1:34:31.7 in his Volkswagen Polo R2 factory-prepared car. Incidentally, his last rally in 2010 was the South India Rally, before he retired. `I kept in touch with driving and had 100 other things to do with motorsports,” Chandhok said.
Vicky Chandhok tweeted soon after the rally saying:
Podium in class & 8th overall on my return to the driver’s seat with
@VWmotorsportind after 18 years!! Congratulations to the very talented@Gillracing on winning the@MMSCChennai South India Rally. He first rallied when i last did in the year 2000!! YES!!! -
Ott Tanak-Martin Jarveoja extend lead; set-up Toyota for Rally Argentina honours: WRC
Ott Tanak, navigated by Martin Jarveoja take a big jump towards Rally Argentina win for Toyota Yaris. Photo: FIA Villa Carlos Paz, 29 April 2018: Ott Tänak will take a 46.5 second advantage into the closing stages of Rally Argentina having once again dominated proceedings on Saturday. The Estonian won five of the day’s seven stages and only missed out on a clean sweep of victories in the mountains with a couple of technical problems in the final stage of the day. Thierry Neuville remains second overnight but when Kris Meeke was forced to stop and change a puncture, Dani Sordo climbed into the final podium position.
On 27th April, Tanak won his 100th Stage in WRC at Rally Argentina and tweeted: It’s my 100th
@OfficialWRC stage win in World Rally Car! What a journey it has been so far! #RallyArgentina#WRC#GoOttThis afternoon saw the crews head back out into the Punilla Valley for three stages, two of which were shrouded in fog this morning. Clear conditions were a welcome sight and Tänak was again immediately setting the pace, instantly claiming another two stage wins. However, in the final stage of the day, he briefly lost the power steering and then the oil from one of the dampers and could only manage fourth fastest. Even so, the Estonian’s 46.5 second advantage leaves him well-placed to take his first victory with Toyota tomorrow afternoon.Tyre preservation was the name of the game for Neuville this afternoon and he now heads team-mate Sordo by 21.7 seconds. The Spaniard has been flying again and set the fastest time in the final 40 Kms stage.
Sébastien Ogier has had a trouble-free run and is now up to fourth with Andreas Mikkelsen nearly 15 seconds adrift, the Norwegian with a better feeling having made changes to the i20 Coupe WRC before the final stage.
Esapekka Lappi passed Elfyn Evans for sixth and the rivals will head into the final day split by 6.2 seconds. Kris Meeke’s puncture dropped him to eighth, yet more disappointment for Citroën after Craig Breen retired during the mid-leg service with roll cage damage.
Teemu Suninen is ninth, comfortably ahead of FIA WRC 2 Championship category leader Kalle Rovanperä. The 17-year-old Finn won six of the day’s stages and has 23.6 seconds in hand to Škoda team-mate and reigning FIA WRC 2 Champion Pontus Tidemand.
The final day of Rally Argentina takes in three stages in the rock-strewn Traslasierra Mountains: El Condor and Mina Clavero, the second run through El Condor counting as the Power Stage.
Rally Argentina – Unofficial results after Section 8
1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 58min 33.9sec 2 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 59min 20.4sec 3 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 2hr 59min 42.1sec 4 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 00min 32.9sec 5 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 00min 47.7sec 6 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 01min 16.8sec 7 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 01min 23.0sec 8 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 3hr 01min 54.3sec 9 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 02min 51.5sec 10 Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 09min 24.1sec -
Sebastian Vettel grabs 53rd career pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton: Azerbaijan GP
Baku, 28 April 2018: Sebastian Vettel grabbed his 53rd career pole position at the Baku Circuit Circuit, edging Lewis Hamilton by just under two tenths of a second in an enthralling qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the fourth round of the Formula One World Championship here on Saturday.
Vettel’s party might have been spoiled by team-mate Kimi Räikkönen, who was on course to beat the German’s time on his final flying lap, but a mistake in Turn 16 mean the Finn lost all the time gained in his first two sectors and he finished sixth behind third-placed Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes and the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.
In Q1, Ricciardo set the early pace with a lap of 1:43.259 that put him three tenths of a second ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen. But the Red Bulls’ hold on the top two spots was brief as Räikkönen and Vettel stole the places, with the Finn topping the order with a lap of 1:42.985. He eventually improved that to a time of 1:42.538 as Hamilton worked his way to a time of 1:42.693 to sit in second place. That wouldn’t last, however, as Verstappen went for another attempt and stole into second place ahead of the Briton with a lap of 1:42.642. Vettel was third ahead of Ricciardo and Force India’s Esteban Ocon and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas.
In the drop zone as the clock counted down to three minutes left, were Sergio Perez, whose opening flyer has been wrecked when he locked up at Turn 15 and was forced to take an escape road, Williams’ Lance Stroll, Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson, Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley and Haas’ Romain Grosjean who had driven off track at Turn 3 early in the session with a gearbox problem.
Perez quickly hauled himself out of danger, rising to 10th before dropping back to 12th place at the end of the session. That dropped McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne into the danger area, and as the final runs played out the Belgian was unable to drag himself out of the mire and was eliminated in P16.
There was drama in the final moments as Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly was forced to take evasive action when he came across team-mate Brendon Hartley going slowly. The Frenchman was justifiably furious when his team-mate moved across on track, but he was told that Hartley had a puncture and had no choice but to drive slowly and the New Zealander apologised over team radio for his lapse. Both Toro drivers were eliminated, with Gasly in P17 ahead of Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson and with Hartley behind the Swede. Haas’ Romain Grosjean also exited the session, driving off track early in the session with a gearbox issue.
In Q2, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull opted to start the session on supersofts, looking to set their quickest lap on the compound and start on the red-banded Pirelli tyres. Räikkönen though struggled on the tyres, locking up twice and ruining flying laps as he tried to find a comfort zone. In P15 in the final minutes, he was forced to switch to the ultrasoft and his final run vaulted him to top spot ahead of Hamilton.
There were nervous moments for Ricciardo as he abandoned a final run on ultrasofts. His supersoft lap left him 10th and he snuck through to Q3 just a tenth ahead of William’s Lances Stroll who was eliminated ahead of team-mate Sergey Sirotkin, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, Sauber’s Charles Leclerc and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.
Vettel led the way in the first runs of Q3 with a time of 1:41.498 that put him 0.342s ahead of Hamilton, with Bottas third ahead of Verstappen and Ricciardo, who reported that he’d brushed the wall in Turn 15 on his first flyer.
In the final runs, as Vettel failed to improve and Hamilton made an improvement, but not enough to threaten the German’s opening time, it was Räikkönen who threatened to make the biggest move and spoil his team-mate’s party. The Finn was two tenths up on Vettel after the first two sectors of his final flying lap but a huge slide in Turn 16 wrecked his lap and he remained sixth.
Vettel, therefore, took his 53rd career pole ahead of Hamilton and Bottas. Ricciardo made a good step on this final run to claim fourth place ahead of Verstappen and Räikkönen. Force India’s good preparation was rewarded with seventh place for Esteban Ocon and eighth for Sergio Perez. Nico Hulkenberg was ninth with Renault team-mate Carlos Sainz tenth.
2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:41.498
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:41.677 0.179
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:41.837 0.339
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:41.911 0.413
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:41.994 0.496
6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:42.490 0.992
7 Esteban Ocon Force India 1:42.523 1.025
8 Sergio Perez Force India 1:42.547 1.049
9 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:43.066 1.568
10 Carlos Sainz Renault 1:43.351 1.853
11 Lance Stroll Williams 1:43.585 2.087
12 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1:43.886 2.388
13 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:44.019 2.521
14 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1:44.074 2.576
15 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:44.759 3.261
16 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:44.489 2.991
17 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:44.496 2.998
18 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:45.541 4.043
19 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1:57.354 15.856
20 Romain Grosjean Haas . -
Ferrari got a phenomenal car this year: Lewis Hamilton in Saturday Press Meet
Vettel takes pole on Saturday. An Fia image Baku, 28 April 2018: The Press Conference after qualification on Saturday at Baku, was attended by the three fastest qualifiers: Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes).
TRACK INTERVIEWS
Q: Sebastian Vettel is in pit lane and will be out here to speak to us soon, but let’s go and talk to the Mercedes guys who had such a quick car today but maybe not quite enough. Lewis, that first sector was phenomenal, just seemed to lose something in the second, but are you happy with your job today?
Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, well firstly you’ve got a great crowd here – hi, everyone. That was close! We did the best job we could. Jeez, I think I was up three tenths until Turn 15 and then I came across the line two tenths up, so I lost a little bit in the last sector. But regardless, Sebastian did a good job. They were quickest all weekend. They’ve obviously got a phenomenal car this year. But really happy with the job the team did to get us from where we were yesterday to where we are today. Valtteri did also a great job. We’re in the mix. This is the fifth-best track to overtake, I think. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible but I’ll try to give Sebastian a hard time tomorrow.
Q: As we saw from even the place markers being pushed away by the wind when you got here, how windy is it out there? How hard is it?
LH: Down the straight particularly it’s hard to keep the car straight. You’re getting crosswinds in between buildings, so you’re constantly correcting the car, but the track has been great today, so I appreciate everyone in Azerbaijan for having us.
Q: Great job, Lewis, and what about this guy? Seb, unbelievable job, three poles in a row, looked phenomenal out there. I know on your second run you were going for faster but a bit of a lock-up stopped you from doing that but you were phenomenal today.
Sebastian VETTEL: Thank you. I felt the car was good in Q2 and Q2 and then in the last segment of qualifying I knew I have it, I have the car that does what I want. Not have it as in pole position, but that I could get a good lap together. The first lap I was really happy, there were maybe two tiny bits where it wasn’t exactly perfect, but I knew on the second run that the track would ramp up and that I would have to go out and get it again. I was a little bit down on the time, a little bit faster and then I locked up. It caught me by surprise for Turn 3 and then I wasn’t sure, do I go straight or do I try to hang on to it. I tried to hang on to it but, yeah, fortunately it was enough. I really had a good lap on the first attempt, so really happy.
Q: Beautiful job. Don’t go anywhere. Hey Valterri, great car, quick car, can you take the fight to Ferrari tomorrow?
Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, for sure we can. We are there with both cars now. It’s been really happening this season so we are starting very close. The race here can be really crazy, so we are up for the fight.
Q: Right until the last lap, to the last inches it can be crazy, you know that better than anyone from last year?
VB: Yeah, sure. Last year I was one lap down after lap one and I ended up second, so anything can happen but at least now we have a good starting point.
Q: Seb, we come back to you. It’s been a great day, but this is only the start. Mercedes are in the mix, Red Bull are in the mix. How hard is it going to be tomorrow? Even just that run down to Turn 1, how tough is it going to be tomorrow?
SV: It’s not that long. That way is a lot longer! I think it will be an intense race. Here, anything can happen, safety cars are very likely. The good point is that our car was really good this afternoon, so we should be in a good place tomorrow. Yesterday I struggled a bit with confidence, with trust in the car, and just rhythm, which is important around here, but today, when it clicks it just keeps coming and it was really enjoyable. I’m a bit upset with my final run because I thought I had a little bit more but we got pole so we can’t be much happier with how the day went.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Sebastian, how happy are you after this one, particularly after yesterday when you said you were lacking confidence in the car?
SV: Well, lack of confidence in the car, leading into lack of confidence around the track. I think around this place you need to have the trust, otherwise you don’t dare go as quick as you might be able to. At the end of the session I was quite confident and today I was able to carry that into the day and the car was amazing. It just kept getting better. The track picked up quite a bit through qualifying. Q3 run one I was really happy. There was maybe a tiny bit in the middle sector – in Turn 6, Turn 11 – where I was a bit greedy and went a bit wider than I should, but the rest of the lap was really good. Also, I ha da good exit from the last corner, which was incredibly difficult today, with the wind playing tricks on all of is I guess, and even a little bit of a two with the car five, six, seven seconds ahead, so I was really happy how that lap came together. And then for the second run I knew there was a little bit more in those places that I mentioned and the car was on fire straight away but then I think I got a bit too excited for Turn 3 and tried to brake later, quite a bit later, than the laps before. I must have hit the bump as well and locked the front. From then onwards the front left was flat-spotted. I was quite upset at the time in the car, because I burnt my shot at an improvement and I didn’t know what was going around me. So when I then aborted the lap and I was told pole position then obviously I was really happy. I think the team has done well. We’ve changed the car again overnight and found even more performance.
Lewis, we haven’t had you in the qualifying press conference for the last couple of races, so what news from Mercedes? Is the car much more to your liking?
LH: It’s good to be back. I hope you haven’t missed me too much. Sebastian did a great job today, congratulations to him. Ferrari have been so dominant in the last couple of races and pace-wise we knew that they would be very quick here. Which they have been all weekend. I think Red Bull also looked really promising, not sure what happened to them. And we were struggling yesterday, but we came into today and the engineers did some really great work last night to understand where we were and how we could progress forwards, so a big thank you to them for all their hard work. Today was much more reasonable car. There were still areas where we were lacking but it’s a work in progress I would say and to be that close to the Ferraris is definitely a positive and to have me and Valtteri up there is a good booster for the team, to be right there in up in the mix. Excited for the race. It’s very hard to overtake here as it is anywhere around the world, but we’ll give it everything we’ve got.
Q: Valtteri, how was the session from your point of view, and can we also have a word from you about the conditions. The wind seemed to be changing direction the whole time.
VB: I think, like Lewis said, we made some good progress since yesterday. The end result today was a lot better than what we saw and thought it could be today. We believed we can fix the issues, just like we did here last year here actually, from Friday to Saturday and, yeah, we were still finding out way with the setup in Practice Three and made it even better for qualifying. Definitely the best car I had this weekend, so far. I think the session was pretty straightforward. At the beginning lots of yellow flags and difficult to put the lap together but after that Q2, Q3, really straightforward. I felt that I could never quite get the perfect lap. It is extremely difficult here – and, especially the second run I was still missing something. I feel maybe still Ferrari was too quick for us but yeah, as a team reasonable result now. We have both cars in pretty good position to fight for the win.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: A question for the two Mercedes drivers. What exactly did you have to change after yesterday’s session and how much of a difference did it actually make in the car? What was different about the cars’ handling today?
LH: Just setup. Yesterday we were sliding around a lot, so setup wing level, ride heights. Pretty much everything on the car. Did a lot of changes.
Valtteri, anything to add from your point of view?
VB: No, no I think we had similar direction where we were heading since yesterday with both cars and definitely it was better.
Q: Also for the two Mercedes drivers. You seemed to be able to match the Ferrari’s pace in Sector One, almost in Sector Three but Sector Two as the most difficult for you guys. What’s not happening in your car in the Old City section?
VB: Yeah, I think we have seen that all weekend really. Especially the sessions earlier to qualifying. Sector Two is the twisty section and I think we’ve been struggling a little bit more than other cars, riding over the kerbs in some places, which might cause a bit of lap time loss for us. I think the main issue has been getting the tyres to work, and that can be made through the setup of the car. I think we’ve made it better. Obviously, they are still doing something better in Sector Two and getting the tyres to work, and being able to ride over the kerbs.
Lewis, anything to add?
LH: The middle sector, I can’t really explain it. I think they have a little bit more downforce than us.
Q: Lewis, Bernie Ecclestone had some complimentary things to say about you yesterday. Said you’re super quick, super talented and a super nice guy – but he also said that he didn’t think you’re the racer you once were and that you appear fed up with things. Do you have any response or comment about that?
LH: Not really, no.
Q: Are you as good as you’ve ever been, do you think?
LH: We’ll see at the end of the year.
Q: Question for Sebastian. Sebastian, were you being made aware by your team how close Kimi had come to nicking pole from you. He was two-tenths up on you after the first couple of sectors. A second point to that, how much are you feeling from Kimi’s side of the garage this year. Are you noticing a renewed level of performance from him?
SV: I think one thing is always to look at the result and the other one, if you look a little bit deeper… I think it’s been incredibly close this year so far. He’s obviously… to be honest, most of the Fridays I think he had the upper hand so far. Yeah, here and there was struggling to understand the car and feel the car so I think knowing him, knowing his strength, he’s incredibly talented and able to drive around problems. So, as I said, it’s been quite close this year. The last lap, I wasn’t aware, obviously I was out because I took myself out but if you look also the previous years the image is a bit distorting. It wasn’t as one-sided as you might think if you look at the results. I think we’re… I don’t know where you’re going or why you’re asking but I think we’re a good pair, a good match. We just said recently there’s so little problem… there’s no problem at all between us ever and there were races where I messed up, crashed into him, took him out and yeah, life goes on. I think that’s a really big bonus for the team and for us to just enjoy our job.
Q: Lewis and Valtteri, you said that the Ferrari probably has more downforce and here also the power unit is also very very important. Can you make a comment about it? It looks, from the outside that they have a little step in front of Mercedes, which is a great surprise in Formula One.
LH: Well, I don’t know if that’s a surprise because they’ve had the same power units for all the races this season, so they’ve shown they’ve been very quick on the straights. They’ve got a very strong DRS in particular, quite efficient DRS as far as I’m aware. Yeah, but honestly I’ve not looked at the data so I don’t know where they are faster than us and where we’re faster than them but obviously they’ve made a big step forward this year and they are the number one team to beat at the moment.
VB: I think that was everything, really.
Q: To Seb: you’ve been involved in Formula One now for a great number of years. How hard is it to sustain it at that level? I say that slightly… bearing in mind Bernie’s remarks about Lewis. How demanding and draining is it for a high level driver?
SV: It’s certainly different… going into the season certainly feels different than it did ten years ago. I think that’s what ten years do to you. Don’t get me wrong, not in a bad way but I think as you grow up you change your views on some things, you hopefully get a bit wiser so you change… your horizon changes and also your motivation is different. Maybe you are looking at things a bit differently. It always depends on how you are as a person, which targets you have and what you’re ultimately trying to achieve. For me, I’m enjoying what I do, I love what I do, I love racing. Obviously there’s a lot of people that have an opinion on every single day that I’m in the car and sometimes they are right, sometimes they are not. I think the most important thing is that you know who you are and you’re true to yourself. Then, I think you can afford to listen less to what’s going on around, not be distracted and simply enjoy your racing. Whether you are at your prime or not, I think then – once you retire – you have enough time to analyse and look back and say… Of course, the level is high, if you want to fight at the front, you cannot afford to do many mistakes and for whoever is at the top and was at the top in the past for many years, usually has a high level and there’s a lot of effort going into it, not just putting everything together at the track but also away from the track. Yeah, without making it longer than it already is, it is a lot of work and sometimes it gets appreciated, other times less but ultimately it’s about yourself.
Q: The first two editions of this Grand Prix were very different. One was very tame, almost dull, and last year we had a crashfest, so what can we expect from tomorrow’s race, especially with the weather conditions getting even worse with more wind?
SV: I don’t have a crystal ball so I don’t know. The thing nowadays, that I don’t like, is that people tend to judge our sport straightaway based on one race. After Australia we had ‘catastrophe, these cars blah blah blah.’ I mean yes, it might have been a boring race but also it’s down to many things: the track, the race, whatever. Then we had, I think, an entertaining race in Bahrain and in China. Maybe tomorrow’s boring, maybe it’s exciting. I don’t know. Maybe it rains. Who knows? In the end, that’s why we go racing so that we will find out, I guess.
LH: Yeah, hopefully it will be fun and hopefully challenging. If you look at the GP2 (F2) race, there were lots of safety cars as there were last year. I really have no idea what’s in store for us but I know it’s going to be exciting and I just hope that we’re there in the mix, fighting with them.
VB: Yeah, I think it’s going to be a good race, because we have such a tight field this year and on a track like this, where we have a massive long straight and there’s the possibility for overtaking so at least we try to make it exciting with Lewis and battling for the win.
Q: Seb, it’s obvious that the guys next to you want to make the next undercut tomorrow. Will you be prepared for it?
SV: Well, I think certainly what happened in China, we didn’t like it but I think we have a good team looking after this sort of stuff. I think we will see how the start goes, how the first stint goes but certainly we are aware that this is a long lap here and the undercut power is probably there. Equally it’s tough, I guess, to make the tyres work straight away for everyone. I think what there was to learn from China we learned and we should be fine tomorrow.
Ends
Paris, 01 May 2018: Formula 1 aerodynamics are set to get simpler in 2019 with one simple purpose in mind: to promote closer racing and more overtaking. Following a presentation made to the F1 teams at the Bahrain Grand Prix regarding proposals aimed at promoting closer racing and more overtaking in the Formula 1 World Championship, the Strategy Group, the F1 Commission and the World Motor Sport Council yesterday approved a number of regulation changes for the 2019 season.
What a journey it has been so far! 
