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  • Cal Crutchlow wins a stunner amidst huge drama as Marquez, Rossi clash: MotoGP

    Cal Crutchlow wins a stunner amidst huge drama as Marquez, Rossi clash: MotoGP

    Crutchlow, centre, wins the MotoGP race on Sunday. A MotoGP image

    Santiago del Estero (Argentina), April 8: Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) has taken an impressive third Grand Prix victory in the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina, besting Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on the final lap to earn the honour of winning the 750th GP race for Honda in teh second round of the 20-race MotoGP World Championship.

    But the headlines must be shared, with drama for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the reigning Champion accrued a number of penalties and clashed with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), with the fuse on the title fight now lit up and on full power.

    There was drama even before lights out at Termas de Rio Hondo, with the conditions hard to judge and the race delayed as the majority of the grid went back into pitlane to switch tyres. That left Alma Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller alone on pole after the Australian didn’t need to switch, and the grid lining up a few rows back in order to not all start from pitlane.

    As the field came back round to line up for attempt number two at lights out, however, that wasn’t even the bigger headline – with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) stalling on the grid and not in his position. The number 93 was then able to get the bike going and took his position, but had been told to instead start from pitlane…

    With that unanswered question hanging in the air, the lights went out and Miller took off from his lonely pole position to get the lead. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) took second, with Zarco initially in third before Marquez struck as the Frenchman had a moment. From there, the rider from Cervera picked his way forward to behind Miller – as Zarco clipped Pedrosa and the number 26 found himself on a wet part of the track, race ending early as he crashed out.

    Sure enough, however, Marquez’ pitboard showed the words ‘Ride Through Penalty’ and the next bolt of drama hit the race.

    With the remaining Repsol Honda bike heading in, Miller was in the lead and being hunted down by a group of three: Zarco, Rins and Crutchlow, and they were soon on the scene.

    But Marquez, when back out on track, was lighting up the timesheets immediately – before an incident saw him get too close to Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and the reigning Champion was told to lose one position. That done and the bit then back between his teeth, it was game on for the number 93 to salvage as much as he could – which, by laptimes, seemed it may be an awesome recovery.

    Back at the front, Rins led briefly before an error, and Miller then suffered his own – with Crutchlow able to move through to lead from Zarco and the three able to pull away from Miller.

    The drama was far from done, however. On the fight back, Marquez had picked off Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and honed in on the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP duo of first Valentino Rossi and next up Maverick Viñales, until the number 93 made a lunge up the inside of the ‘Doctor’ – and misjudged it.

    Both running wide and forced to sit up, Marquez was able to stay ahead – but the number 46 went down as he clipped the grass. Able to get back in the race and restarted, Rossi was left far down the order as the incident lit the fuse on the race and the rivalry once again.

    The fight at the front, meanwhile, became three by the last lap, with Crutchlow and Zarco able to just pull away from Rins to duel it out over the final sector – and the Brit keeping ahead to take a stunning third Grand Prix victory. Zarco took second for another impressive visit to the rostrum, with Alex Rins visiting that podium for the first time in the premier class in third, pulling a big wheelie over the line.

    Miller took fourth after not quite being able to make up the ground to the front, ahead of Marquez on track – but not in the results. As the flag fell, another penalty for the number 93 came up – a ride through, or 30 seconds added to his race time.

    That means Marquez finishes 18th, and takes no points home from Argentina.

    Viñales therefore takes fifth, ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and an impressive ride for Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing). Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) came home eighth, with Hafizh Syahrin pulling a stunning to take ninth and top rookie for Monster Yamaha Tech 3. Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) completed the top ten, just ahead of KTM’s best result yet in 2018 in P11 as Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory) took solid points.

    The Championship fuse is lit, rivalries are heating up and Crutchlow heads to Texas as the points leader for the first time ever – the first British leader since the 1970s and an Independent Team rider to boot.

    Marquez, meanwhile, faces a mountain to fight back – with his first zero of the year marked in the dramatic and extraordinary Argentina GP. Texan turf awaits the king of COTA on Sunday 22nd April.

    MotoGP™ Race Results
    1st Independent Team Rider
    1 – Cal Crutchlow (GBR) HONDA 40’36.342
    —-
    2 – Johann Zarco (FRA) YAMAHA + 0.251
    3 – Alex Rins (SPA)   SUZUKI + 2.501

  • Vettel takes a thrilling victory ahead of Bottas, Hamilton: Bahrain night race

    Vettel takes a thrilling victory ahead of Bottas, Hamilton: Bahrain night race

    Sakhir,

    Vettel wins Bahrain GP on Sunday. An FIA image

    April 8: Sebastian Vettel took a thrilling 49th career victory on his 200th race start, nursing fading tyres to the chequered flag to hold off a determined charge by Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas. Lewis Hamilton took third place after starting ninth as Red Bull Racing saw both cars exit the race early on.

    At the start, Vettel held his advantage from pole, but behind him Bottas made a better start than Räikkönen and stole second through Turn 1. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was briefly passed by Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly but the Australian quickly retook the position.

    It all then began to unravel for Red Bull. Ricciardo slowed as he approached the end of the first lap with an electrical failure and pulled over at the side of the track to retire.

    Further back, in midfield, Max Verstappen was charging forward from his 15th place starting position but as he began the second he tangled with Hamilton, with the Dutchman sustaining a punctured rear left tyre as he collided with Hamilton’s front wing in Turn 2.

    Verstappen eventually made it back to the pit lane and after taking on a new set of supersofts rejoined in 19th place. It was a brief bit of action, though, and on lap three he pulled over and stopped his RB14, the damage from the collision with Hamilton preventing him from continuing.

    By lap 10 Vettel had carved out a three-second lead over Bottas, with Räikkönen a further three seconds back. Behind them, Hamilton had staged a remarkable fight back from ninth place at the start, and from his bruising battle with Verstappen, and was now up to fourth ahead of Gasly and Magnussen.

    Vettel pitted from the lead on lap 18, taking on a set of soft tyres, with Hamilton 10.2 seconds behind the Ferrari driver and in fourth place. Räikkönen followed his team-mate a lap later, rejoining 2.5s behind Vettel.

    Bottas now led from Hamilton, but on lap 20 Mercedes covered the Ferrari stops and brought the Finn into pit lane. He also emerged on medium tyres, splitting the Ferraris as he had through the first stint.

    Hamilton, who had started on used soft tyres and had not made a pit stop, was now in the lead, five seconds clear of Vettel, with Bottas third ahead of Räikkönen, Gasly and Magnussen.

    Hamilton was soon caught by Vettel on fresh tyres, and Mercedes quickly pitted the Briton. He took on medium tyres, targeting a one-stop race, with Vettel set to make a second stop. Hamilton rejoined in fourth, some 25 seconds adrift of Vettel, with Bottas second and Räikkönen third.

    Ferrari then pitted Räikkönen for a second stop on lap 35 but there was trouble for the Finn as the rear left wheel failed to come loose. There was confusion and when the Finn was released he collided with one of his crew, who had to be taken to the medical centre for checks. Räikkönen was told to stop in pit lane and the Finn quickly climbed out of the car and exited the race.

    That boosted Hamilton to third and by lap 45 he was 16.7s behind Vetted. Ahead, Vettel’s problem was Bottas, who was secure in second, some seven seconds behind Vettel and setting good times on his medium tyres. The proximity was forcing Vettel to push to the end on his soft tyres and Bottas was given the message to close the German down.

    With nine laps remaining Bottas was 5.4 behind the German and lapping half a second quicker than the Ferrari man. Behind the Hamilton was told to “keep his head down” and wait for Vettel’s tyres to fall away.

    On lap 52 of the 57 Bottas had carved a further two seconds out of the gap to the leader and was told to “just push to the end” as Vettel began to struggle on his degrading soft tyres.

    The German wouldn’t be denied, however. Bottas attacked with a lap remaining but Vettel held firm and though he was shadowed to the flag by the Mercedes driver in a tense finish, he crossed the line to score his 49th career win just over half a second clear of Bottas and 6.5s clear of third-placed Hamilton.

    Drive of the day though, should have perhaps gone to Pierre Gasly. In just his seventh grand prix the Frenchman handed the new Toro Rosso-Honda partnership 12 valuable points with a superb, pacey and precise driver to fourth place.

    Behind him Magnussen opened Haas’ 2018 account with fifth place ahead of Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne. Marcus Ericsson delivered a positive result for Sauber with ninth place and two points and the final point on offer was taken by Force India’s Esteban Ocon.

    2018 Bahrain Grand Prix – Race
    1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari –
    2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes Mercedes 0.699
    3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Mercedes 6.512
    4 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso Honda 1’02.234
    5 Kevin Magnussen Haas Ferrari 1’15.046
    6 Nico Hulkenberg Renault Renault 1’39.024
    7 Fernando Alonso McLaren Renault 1 lap
    8 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren Renault 1 lap
    9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari 1 lap
    10 Esteban Ocon Force India Mercedes 1 lap
    11 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault Renault 1 lap
    12 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes 1 lap
    13 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso Honda 1 lap
    14 Charles Leclerc Sauber Ferrari 1 lap
    15 Romain Grosjean Haas Ferrari 1 lap
    16 Lance Stroll Williams Mercedes 1 lap
    17 Sergey Sirotkin Williams Mercedes 1 lap
    Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari DNF
    Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG DNF
    Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG DNF

  • Sebastian Ogier, Julien Ingrassia take third win of the year: WRC Corsica

    Corsica, April 8: Defending FIA World Rally Champions Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia claimed their third WRC victory of the season today, winning the Tour de Corse by a margin of 36.1 seconds. Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja headed the Toyota challenge and finished second, ultimately ending up with over 30 seconds in hand to Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul, the Belgians having a late scare in the Power Stage with an unconfirmed engine problem.

    In the FIA World Rally Championship standings, Ogier increases his lead at the top of the table and now has a 17-point advantage over Neuville, who in turn has 22 points in hand to third-place Tanak. Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT tops the Manufacturers’ Championship, but with only four points between the Korean team and M-Sport Ford, the battle looks set to rage on.

    Today was the shortest of the event and took in just two stages. However, there was a sharp wake-up call for the crews early this morning as the competition kicked off with a daunting 55-kilometer test before closing with the much shorter 16 kilometer Power Stage. Ogier, who led from start to finish, was able to manage the pace and the five-time Champion cruised to the finish, picking up an additional three points on the all-important Power Stage. Victory in Corsica represents the 43rd WRC victory for both he and Ingrassia.

    After moving into second place by one-tenth of a second last night, Tanak was second fastest through the long stage, despite some understeer, but was gifted time by Neuville who was forced to complete the final stage down on power. He dropped nearly 15 seconds but had enough of a cushion to team-mate Dani Sordo to retain the final podium position.

    The fight for fourth between Dani Sordo and Elfyn Evans continued during the final day and the rivals were split by just 3.5 seconds at the end of the event. Esapekka Lappi suffered heartache in the first stage; after fighting his way into podium contention yesterday, the Finn clipped a kerb and had to stop and change a broken wheel, losing him nearly two minutes. As a consequence, he dropped to sixth but took some consolation from maximum points in the Power Stage.

    Andreas Mikkelsen has been at a loss to understand a lack of pace in Corsica and the Norwegian came home in seventh. Asphalt expert Jan Kopecky claimed the FIA WRC 2 Championship win, his second of the season, and finished eighth overall just ahead of Kris Meeke who returned for the final day of action after going off the road yesterday. After his Friday morning accident, Sebastien Loeb finished 14th, having shown the pace befitting a nine-time FIA World Rally Champion. The FIA Junior/WRC 3 Championship was won by Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, who finished over 30 seconds ahead of Terry Folb.

    The FIA World Rally Championship contenders now take the long trip to South America for one of the most popular events on the calendar, Rally Argentina (26-29 April).

    Tour de Corse – Final Unofficial classification (subject to scrutineering)

    1 Sebastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 26min 52.7sec
    2 Ott Tanak / Martin Jarveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 27min 28.8sec
    3 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 28min 00.2sec
    4 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 3hr 28min 55.3sec
    5 Elfyn Evans / Phil Mills Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 28min 58.8sec
    6 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 29min 26.2sec
    7 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 29min 36.1sec
    8 Jan Kopecky / Pavel Dresler Skoda Fabia R5 3hr 37min 27.5sec
    9 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 3hr 37min 33.2sec
    10 Yoann Bonato / Benjamin Bouilloud Citroen C3 R5 3hr 39min 18.7sec
  • EXCLUSIVE: Esteban Ocon, growing in stature and going for glory

    EXCLUSIVE: Esteban Ocon, growing in stature and going for glory

    Esteban Ocon. Photo: Sahara Force India F1

    By Harish Samtani

    Sakhir (Bahrain), April 8: In an informal chat with the 21-year old Frenchman Esteban Ocon confirmed something that I strongly believe in – It’s better to be the head of a fly than a tail of an elephant! Not that Sahara Force India is a fly by any standards, but compared to the might of the likes of the Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull etc, they probably are. And that’s what brings them admiration in the pit lane.

    Ocon the prodigy and the product of the young drivers Mercedes program chose to work with SFI when he was given the options. I guess, this faith in the highly motivated team and Vijay Mallya’s uncanny ability to spot young talent made this partnership an exciting one.

    Ocon’s 19 finishes out of 20 events last year speaks volumes of his maturity that certainly belies his age. His replies to my questions were concise and calm, conveying the confidence of a full-blooded F1 driver whose 320Kph speeds on four wheels are like a walk in the park to him.

    While trying to probe into the mind of a talented youngster as to his take on the driving style of the 80’s-90’s where no grit-no glory was the style of racing, and where approximately 3600 gear shifts took place in one GP, I was politely and smilingly informed that the paddle shift was as difficult and required even more skill and perfection.

    Incidentally, he raced just once in a manual car, an F3, in Macau in 2014. His best effort so far was his winning the highly competitive F3 Championship that he garnered in 2015.

    He further stressed that fitness plays a major role in the current F1 racing machine and the G-forces endured due to much higher cornering speeds do take a toll particularly in the region of the neck.

    While Mercedes will be his lifetime mentors, he will choose his own path as his racing career unfolds. But he is bound to remember his escalation in the ranks of F1 talents during his stint with SFI.

    Lastly, when asked about the current performance of his team, he brushed it off stating that it reminded him about 2017 when they were precariously at 5th-6th before they recovered and finished a splendid 4th!

    Esteban Ocon, may your tribe increase!

  • Last tango on slicks: Miller takes pole in crazy qualifying in Argentina

    Last tango on slicks: Miller takes pole in crazy qualifying in Argentina

    The front row boys in Argentina. Photo: motogp.com

    Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina), April 7: Jack Miller’s (Alma Pramac Racing) huge gamble to switch to slicks on a drying track certainly paid off as he snatched his first ever Premier Class pole position off Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa at the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina on Saturday. Miller also becomes the first ever Ducati Independent Team rider to secure pole position.

    Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was 0.212 seconds off the Australian’s time which put him third on the grid and impress once again with the Frenchman now having taken an incredible six front row starts in a row.

    After impressing all weekend, Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) will launch from fourth – his best Premier Class qualifying by some margin. Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Alex Rins lines up fifth after a great session, while Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) couldn’t convert his superior Free Practice pace into pole – the reigning World Champion starts sixth.

    Initially heading out on his second run to gamble on slicks, the number 93 gave it one lap before coming back in to switch back to wets. “Too much risk,” says a rider thinking of the Championship.

    Q1 graduate Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), who was the early pace setter in Q2 after eclipsing the Ducatis, heads up the third row of the grid in seventh. Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) starts eighth on the grid after progressing through from Q1, with Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) lining up alongside the Italian in ninth.

    After looking strong all weekend, Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) will aim to pick off some of the riders in front of him on Sunday when he shoots from tenth. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) couldn’t give the Termas de Rio Hondo grandstands a dream Saturday as he qualified in P11 – 0.022 back from Crutchlow. Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) will start P12.

    A breath-taking MotoGP™ qualifying session left the Ducati’s of Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), who qualified P14, and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) – who ended the day P18 – with plenty of work to do.

    Source: motogp.com

  • Kopecký and ŠKODA continue to dominate WRC 2 category in Rally Corsica

    Kopecký and ŠKODA continue to dominate WRC 2 category in Rally Corsica

    Jan Kopecky on a charge in Rally France. Photo: SKODA AUTO

    Bastia, April 7: ŠKODA factory team Jan Kopecký and co-driver Pavel Dresler (CZE/CZE) continue to dominate the WRC2 category at Rally France / Tour de Corse. Their young Norwegian team-mates Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermœn after a tense fight were second in the provisional category standings going into the last stage of the Saturday leg. Albeit, when their gearbox got stuck in first gear they dropped to third place behind Italian ŠKODA privateer Fabio Andolfi.

    The first special stage on early Saturday morning was a tough wake-up call for the crews. More than 35 Kms had to be driven in the north of Corsica. Veiby was fully awake and scored his first WRC2 fastest time on the fifth stage of the rally while Kopecký consolidated his category lead.

    “This was a very good start for us, but the stage was very tricky. Maybe I was at the end too cautious. But going into the corners, you always have to keep an eye for surprising gravel on the road,” commented Kopecký.

    Veiby was happy after his first WRC2 stage win on an asphalt event of the FIA World Rally Championship. “I found a really nice rhythm and I just kept pushing,” smiled Veiby at the end of the first morning stage. And his rhythm also led him to the next fastest time in special stage number six, while WRC2 category leader Kopecký fought back with the fastest time on the following one.

    After the regrouping in Bastia, the ŠKODA crews had to face the repetition of the morning stages and proved again their speed on the Mediterranean Island. On the second pass of the longest stage of the day, the 35 Kms, Kopecký was quickest in front of Veiby who moved into second position after a tense fight in the WRC2 category.

    On the next two stages, Czech champion Kopecký was fastest again, while on the last stage of the day the gearbox of Veiby’s ŠKODA FABIA R5 got stuck in first gear. The time loss cost him the possible second place in the WRC2 category.

    ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek emphasized: “Again, a great drive of Jan, who had no issues with his ŠKODA FABIA R5 and drove fast and faultlessly. Sorry for OC, that bad luck put him out of the fight for second place. We will fix his car at the final service. The rally is not over yet. Still a long way to go on Sunday is still a long way to go.”

    On the final day of the rally, the longest stage is waiting for the crews. More than 55Kms have to be driven on winding mountain roads before the rally-ending Power Stage, covering around 16Kms, will bring the final decision.

    Standings Rally Corsica after Day 2 (WRC2):

    1. Kopecký / Dresler (CZE/CZE), ŠKODA FABIA R5, 2hrs, 51mins, 30.6secs; 2. Andolfi / Scattolin (ITA/ITA), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +3:04.3 min; 3. Veiby / Skjaermœn (NOR/NOR), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +3:49.9 min; 4. Bonato / Boulloud (FRA/FRA), Citroën C3 R5, +7:05.9 sec; 5. Pieniazek / Mazur (POL/POL), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +12:08.9 min.

    SKODA AUTO Press Release

  • It’s raining red in the desert!

    By Harish Samtani

    Sakir (Bahrain): Formula 1 had a brilliant start in Australia. Qualifying painted a picture that was pretty for the Mercedes team, but like watercolours in the rain, it dissolved showing only the Scarlet colours of the Ferrari in full bloom.

    In motor racing, as in life, mistakes are waiting to raise their unwanted heads! These are the ones that all the planning and preparation on earth can’t erase. Mercedes looked invincible on Saturday but came to pieces when the hammer came down. They probably would have got Lewis on the top step but for the one glitch – if he had clean air he would have shown a pair of heels to the rest. But after a clever pit strategy by Ferrari that had Lewis in the dirty air, his car was gasping for cold air to maintain the right operating temperature. The rest is history.

    To further carry forward his misery the 4-times world champ has to deal with a five-place grid penalty for replacing a suspect gearbox. Entirely legal but with cost-cutting measures in place it invited a penalty. His team-mate Bottas did the same but wasn’t penalised again because he had already paid the price once earlier in the year for a similar swap.

    Force India, meanwhile, holds a record of sorts by never ever retiring a car in Bahrain. That’s a mean achievement by any standards! Their place in the top ten that they have held on to with ease, is now under threat with other mid-level teams snapping at their heels.

    While Chase Carey, the head honcho of Liberty, the new owners of F1, is trying to bring in a spending cap of 150 million (driver wages, marketing costs etc), I wonder how he will ever control and monitor this. Just one word – IMPOSSIBLE.

    He does come from a world of Indy 500 in which it’s one long left-hand-corner style of racing and wherein the manufacturer and technology is rather limited and this single or dual make concept will drive F1 quickly into the wrong kind of pits. The plus point for the American chapter is that a racing car is available to flat-pedal around with a little money and a lot of enthusiasm.

    Regardless of the result of the Bahrain GP, there is hope for this to be a better year for F1 than the 2017 season. Permitting liberal use of the aero tunnel has helped in closing the gap.

    The qualifying action was provided early on with the aggressive Max Verstappen going pedal down on a tight corner in Q1 and hitting a patch that careened him off into the barriers.

    With Kimi in full flow, he held the fort for the Scuderia but not long enough to gain pole that was ultimately taken with finesse by the crafty Vettel.

    In the frenetic scramble for positions, the main victim was Hamilton who finished a lowly fourth and then when it (Bah)Rains, it pours since he already had a five-place grid penalty staring down hard at him prior to this. However, his race-craft will see him make headway early in the race. History and his skill favour him in this aspect.

    It does seem that Mercedes flattered to deceive themselves with the risky tweak in Australia and for now the battle of the giants is excitingly poised.

    Red Bull is the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons and will add the much-needed flavour this year as will the surprise of the year, Haas. McLaren was a big loser of the day when they displayed a below-par performance.

    Force India saved itself the blushes with Esteban Ocon eventually posting a respectable 9th and 12th for Checo. Their hopes for valuable points must be soaring high!

  • Sebastien Ogier consolidates lead: WRC Corsica

    Corsica, April 7: At the end of the second full day of competition on the Tour de Corse, the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Sebastien Ogier heads the field with an impressive 44.5-second advantage and the Frenchman is on course to notch up a second WRC Corsican victory. Behind the Fiesta WRC driver, however, the battle has been raging for the final podium positions and Kris Meeke, Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak and Esapekka Lappi were all split by a mere 13.5 seconds going into the final stage. However, Meeke went off the road into retirement, leaving the fight in the hands of Tanak – who also overhauled Neuville – and fourth-placed Lappi.

    This afternoon the crews returned for a second run through this morning’s stages. Ogier remains comfortable in the Championship-winning Fiesta but isn’t taking any risks as he bids to extend his lead in the Championship with a win. Meeke, Neuville, Tanak and Lappi have all been battling behind the Frenchman. After the second stage Meeke and Neuville were, remarkably, tied in second with Tanak just 3.1 seconds further adrift. Meeke lost some time with a lock-up in the first stage while Neuville was down on grip, but both have been pushing to the maximum to claim the coveted second position. It was Meeke who made the error though, the Northern Irish driver mistaking a pace note and going off the road in the final stage, too fast into a corner. Tanak was joint fastest through the final stage to overhaul Neuville by one-tenth of a second, but a flying Lappi is hunting down the pair of them and is now 10.3 seconds adrift after setting two fastest times this afternoon.

    The Finn is a transformed man today; overnight changes to the suspension and differentials have increased his confidence and he was fastest through the afternoon’s opener. He has slashed the deficit to those in front and is now well and truly in the podium fight after going joint fastest in the final stage too. Sordo, in fifth, benefitted in the first stage with a good set-up but lost out in the second with understeer. The Spaniard nevertheless needs to press on with Elfyn Evans hot on his heels, just 3.1 seconds behind in sixth. Andreas Mikkelsen is seventh and rounds out the leading world rally car drivers. Jari-Matti Latvala went into retirement after hitting a tree and Bryan Bouffier was forced out with an engine problem. Sebastien Loeb set another fastest time this afternoon, once again showing he has lost none of the talent that has rewarded him with nine WRC world titles.

    Asphalt expert Jan Kopecky is eighth overall and leads the FIA WRC 2 Championship category ahead of Fabio Andolfi, youngster Ole Christian Veiby losing second position in the final stage with a gearbox problem. Jean-Baptiste Franceschi has maintained his lead in the FIA Junior WRC Championship standings this afternoon and has extended his advantage over Terry Folb.

    The final day of competition on the 2018 Tour de Corse takes in just two stages on Sunday but kicks off with the longest test of the event, the daunting 55.17 kilometre Vero-Sarrola-Carcopino. The event then closes with the televised Power Stage ahead of the finish in Ajaccio.

    Tour de Corse – Unofficial classification after Section 6

    1 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 43min 07.7sec
    2 Ott Tanak / Martin Jarveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 43min 52.2sec
    3 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 43min 52.3sec
    4 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 44min 02.6sec
    5 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 2hr 44min 54.4sec
    6 Elfyn Evans / Phil Mills Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 44min 57.5sec
    7 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 2hr 45min 21.2sec
    8 Jan Kopecky / Pavel Dresler Skoda Fabia R5 2hr 51min 30.6sec
    9 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 2hr 53min 49.1sec
    10 Fabio Andolfi /Simone Scattolin Skoda Fabia R5 2hr 54min 34.9sec
  • The car is excellent, so looking forward to the race: Sebastian Vettel at FIA press meet

    The car is excellent, so looking forward to the race: Sebastian Vettel at FIA press meet

    Sakhir (Bahrain), April 7: After taking a brilliant pole, Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) attended the mandatory FIA Press Conference along with second-placed teammate Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) who took P3. Hamilton will not be defended his last-years win from the first three rows, as a grid penalty will see him line up on P9.

    TRACK INTERVIEWS (conducted by Johnny Herbert)

    Q: Let’s talk to this man, who is on pole position. Nice smiley face. You must be a happy boy?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, let me breathe! It was quite intense. After the first run in Q3, I was very happy and then tossed it away in the last corner. No, really happy that I got the second run and I got it clean and I knew in the last corner I just knew I had to stay away from that kerb. Then obviously you’re looking around trying to see where the others are. Very happy. The car was excellent all weekend so far, so looking forward to tomorrow.

    Q: We’ve to talk about the car, because these guys, your mechanics, have done a brilliant job for you. But when we look at her, she just seemed to do everything you needed to do day and that seemed to be the comfort factor that you had?

    SV: Yeah, you know best. If the car is responding to what you want it to do it’s a pleasure. Otherwise, it’s a fight. Australia was more of a fight. I think we worked on the balance. I think we looked into it a lot and I think we improved it as well yesterday and today – even though it’s not easy because we do the practice session when the sun is up and qualifying and the race when the sun is down. But yeah, the car is responding, so very pleased.

    Q: Good to see that smile on your face. And Kimi… that was a battle and a half. How are you feeling now? A little bit of disappointment I guess? But that was a good performance for you this weekend?

    Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: For sure, not ideal. Far from ideal in the last run, with the traffic, but what can you do?

    Q: Yeah, what can you do? But again, everything seems to have started strong for you this season. It was unfortunate for you in Australia but coming here you look more at home than I think we have seen you for a long time. There are millions of people around the world who support you big time and this is maybe the start of something coming good for you.

    KR: Well, we’ll see. It’s one Saturday. Tomorrow is the main thing and tomorrow is the time when we get the points or we don’t get the points, so obviously see what we can do then.

    Q: Valtteri, happy with that performance today? You beat your team-mate, which is great. I know you had pole position last year, but these two guys in red, they were strong today.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, it felt OK, the laps were OK and getting better towards the end. In Q3, when you need to put everything together, we got it more or less. I think these guys with the red car they are just a bit too quick. We can’t be happy with this, so we are looking forward to tomorrow.

    Q: But tomorrow is something you can focus on, a totally different scenario because race pace looks a bit better than qualifying?

    VB: Yeah, I think it’s going to be a close race, even with Red Bull and with Lewis and Max coming from behind we’ll see. It should be interesting.

    Q: Well done. Seb, you’re going to be starting right at the front, no one in front of you. You’re going to be feeling pretty good once those lights go out.

    SV: Feeling good now, tomorrow’s a different story. It’s a long, long race and we’ve seen that it’s not easy to make the tyres last so… The car is quick – that usually helps! Let’s see when the lights out, but for now I’m very chuffed and for the team as well. We had some issues this morning but we overcame those, so, yeah, looking forward to tomorrow.

    Press Conference: Q: Seb, your 51st career pole position in Formula One. It didn’t look that likely after FP3. Was it as surprising to you, the way the weekend has panned out?

    SV: I think it’s surprising for us to be, after Australia, that competitive. So, obviously, we, I think, have a good base. The car is working; in Australia, I think we struggled with the feel for the car. Here it’s been better, so we improved a little bit, working the car, you know, the beginning of the season, it’s always difficult because you don’t know yet the car that well. It’s getting better, so obviously,

    Sebastian Vettel flanked by Kimi Raikkonen (left) and Valtteri Bottas, P3, after taking the Bahrain pole on Saturday. An FIA image

    today was quite nice and the car came alive. I didn’t have much session this afternoon, so it was a bit tricky to know what to expect but I felt quite good right from the start and knew that I could make progress throughout the session. Q3, that’s when I wanted it to peak, and I think I peaked in the first run, just before the last corner. I wanted a bit too much. So, I knew I had a bit in me and yeah, basically, it was a bit copy/paste the final lap I had, but the last corner I managed to stay away from the kerbs, so yeah, very happy with both laps in the end and happy obviously with the result, with the car, the way the car was handling and responding, so, yeah. Chuffed.

    Q: Kimi, coming to you, you’ve looked quick all weekend here, and it looked like you were one of the favourites for pole position today. Where do you think that pole just got away from you today, compared to Seb?

    KR: Somewhere around the lap. Far from ideal but with the traffic on the last run. I thought there is a lot we can improve but obviously, it was such a messy thing in the end, I was passing people and doing this and that, so it’s disappointing because it’s been good most of the weekend. Everything. You always want one more but we’ll see tomorrow.

    Q: Valtteri, coming to you. The gap between Mercedes and Ferrari at times looked even bigger this weekend than it is in the final result. Does that give you encouragement for tomorrow’s race?

    VB: Well yeah, of course. First of all, it’s disappointing not to be in the first row. Ferrari was quicker today – but yeah, for sure we made some good progress during the weekend, we tried some things which didn’t work, that’s why the gap was sometimes bigger. So, I think we have the right setup in the car for the race. So, it’s difficult to estimate really, with the race pace. I think it’s still a long race tomorrow so anything can happen. We’ll definitely go for it and hopefully Lewis can also come back to get some good points, and hopefully we can put pressure on these guys.

    QUESTIONS by reporters in bold:

    Q: Seb, do have an idea why you feel the car more here: is it the track characteristics, the updates you’ve got on the car, was it set-up that you made changes?

    SV: Well, we mostly tried to work on the set-up, understanding the car so we tried different things obviously. Across the weekend, you don’t have that much time so in Australia, the first race in Australia, it’s a tricky track, it’s improving a lot throughout the weekend, it’s very bumpy so it’s difficult to change too much in drawing conclusions. I think after the weekend, after the race distance, especially when you have so many laps, I think we had a very good understanding and feel and obviously we’ve been talking about it and looking into it and I think overall I’ve been happier this weekend with how the car has been responding, how the front end was responding so yeah, overall, I think you also see it in the results but I think the good news is that we are a lot closer in all the conditions, if you look at all the sessions across with everyone so I think that’s the only difference. For the rest it’s the same car as in Australia.

    Q: Kimi, P2 in qualifying in Australia and now again.  How difficult is it to start against your teammate compared to Lewis in Australia?

    KR: I don’t think it’s any different, it’s another car. We’re never next to each other at the start because it’s staggered but it’s no different, we’re basically in the same position, just a different way round with the start. Makes no difference.

    Q: Valtteri, in Australia Mercedes was very fast and here on a more normal circuit we expected you to be even faster but we saw exactly the opposite. What is going on with your car? Is it tyre management again like last year?

    VB: I don’t know what’s going on. I agree that we were not having the pace this weekend that we’ve been expecting coming here but we also didn’t have anything new since Melbourne. It’s a very different circuit, very different kind of tarmac, different temperatures, everything so for sure we still needs to understand completely why. For sure we are struggling a little bit with some overheating issues with the tyres. Obviously less so in the evening sessions but still, we have work to do. It’s like we’ve been saying all through the beginning of the season that we are not miles away. Today, Ferrari, this weekend so far has been the quicker car so that’s where we are. We were better in Australia, we need to understand why we were not quickest today but for sure we still have tomorrow to see how the pace is.

    Q: Sebastian, this pole position, is it only up to the better balance of the car or do you have a party mode working as well as the Mercedes one this time?

    SV: No, I think we answered that already in Australia. As I said, I was happier with the balance of the car so obviously, there’s a lot of factors. It’s how comfortable you are in the car, whether the car’s responding or not to what you like it to do. The track, Valtteri has mentioned, the surface, the temperatures, so there are a lot of things but I think we are very very happy that we build another very strong car and we are able to put it on the front row on our own, beating everybody today, so I think that’s a great result and deserves some credit for the team, the effort that everyone is putting in so I think that’s the best thing about today but the race is tomorrow so even if it’s a good day, the main day is coming tomorrow.

    Q: Kimi, you seem a lot more comfortable in the car at the start of this season compared to last year. Do you feel happier in the car and what’s different for you to access that higher level?

    KR: Every car is different, it’s a new car obviously and it’s been OK. Obviously, there are things we need to improve and we can improve but it’s reasonably fine. Like I said, it’s a new car, there are certain designs that have been done but it’s either good or not and there’s not one specific thing that is suddenly better for me than other years.

    Q: Looking at the new halo system, how is it functioning with the three of you and what would hold the key for success tomorrow?

    VB: It doesn’t feel so new any more, the halo. I think we’re used to it and I think it’s all good. I actually missed the second question, what was it?

    Q: What will be the key tomorrow?

    VB: Be quick. I think here tyre management is going to be really important but consistent things, whoever’s having the less drop-off with the tyres is going to be high in the end.

    SV: Just the first time in the weekend you get in the car it’s still a bit weird but as Valtteri said, you get used to it. I think it would be funny now if we take it off, it would feel a bit naked but yeah, it’s fine. I think the most difficult thing is to get in and out. And for the rest, yeah, nothing to add from Valtteri.

    Q: Key to success for you tomorrow? Is it the start against your teammate?

    KR: It’s the whole package, obviously, but I think we should have a good car. Make a good start and go from there.

    Ends

  • Vettel takes 51st career pole; Hami to start 9th after grid penalty: Bahrain GP

    Sakhir (Bahrain), April 7: Sebastian Vettel will make his 200th Grand Prix start from the front of the grid after the Ferrari driver claimed his 51st career pole at the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Mercedes Valtteri Bottas.

    Defending champion Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth place but the Mercedes driver will drop to P9 on the grid due to an unscheduled gearbox change.

    Räikkönen set the early pace in Q1, his first flying laps, on soft compound Pirelli tyres, yielding a time of 1:29.951. Ferrari team-mate Vettel slotted into P2 a tenth behind the Finn, and Valtteri Bottas took third place with a lap of 1:29.275.

    Fourth place was occupied by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen but after a solid opening flyer, it all went wrong for the Dutchman on his next quick lap. He lost control on the exit of Turn 2 and spun off at the following corner. He went nose first into the barriers, causing major damage to the left front of his car and the red flags were quickly shown.

    When the action resumed the drivers needing improvement to secure passage to Q2 were 16th-placed Haas driver Romain Grosjean, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso in P17, followed by Williams Sergey Sirotkin, Sauber’s Charles Leclerc and the second Williams of Lance Stroll.

    Alonso was the driver to progress, though only by virtue of having set a time of 1:30.530 before Grosjean matched the lap to the thousandth of a second. The Haas driver was left to rue a mistake late in his lap. Had he not erred the Frenchman might have finished the segment closer to seventh-placed team-mate Kevin Magnussen.

    At the top of the order, the top five drivers remained in the garage for the final runs of Q1 and Räikkönen led the way with his sole flying lap of 1:28.951.

    In the first runs of Q2 Vettel got the better of this team-mate for the first time during the weekend, taking P1 with a lap of 1:28.341. Räikkönen slotted into P2 but was dropped down a spot when Hamilton took P2 a tenth off Vettel. Ricciardo found himself fourth ahead of Bottas and surprise package Pierre Gasly continued to shine for Toro Rosso with sixth place, in front of the Renault of Hulkenberg, the Haas of Magnussen, the second Renault of Sainz and tenth-placed Esteban Ocon of Force India.

    In the drop zone ahead of the final runs were Sergio Perez, who had complained of a loss of energy on his first run, while P12 man Alonso was followed by team-mate Vandoorne, Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley, and the unfortunate Verstappen.

    And while they shuffled their order, none made it through to Q3 in the end, with Hartley rising to 11th ahead of Perez, Alonso, Vandoorne, and Verstappen.

    Vettel made the first move in Q3 but while he took P1 with a time of 1:29.196 there was a mistake in the final corner as he went marginally wide and kicked up dust. That allowed Räikkönen to sneak past and the Finn took provisional pole by 0.095s. Hamilton slotted into third, a tenth behind the top two, with Bottas fourth ahead of Ricciardo and Gasly.

    There were no errors on Vettel’s second attempt, however, and he rose to the top of the order with a lap of 1:27.958. The German was the only man to dip below the 1m28s mark and he thus took his 51st pole with just over four-hundredths of a second ahead of Räikkönen.

    It might have been assumed that Hamilton would have a say in how the front of the grid was drawn, but in the end, it was team-mate Bottas who took P3 as Hamilton failed to find an improvement.

    With the champion set to drop to P9 on the grid due to his gearbox penalty, Ricciardo backed out of his final run, safe in the knowledge that his time was good enough for P5 in the session and P4 on the grid.

    Behind them, Gasly put in a superb lap to qualify in sixth place ahead of Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Ocon, and Sainz.