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Pune’s Akshat Hupale crowned Junior National Champion: Supercross
Pune, 29 Nov 2022: Akshat Hupale, a 7th standard student of PICT Model school in Balewadi here was crowned National champion in the Junior section (Class 8) after the conclusion of the five-round MRF Mogrip Indian National Supercross championship recently.
A few years ago the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the governing body for motorsports in India, introduced Class 8 junior SX2 to provide an opportunity for young riders in the age group of 8 to 12 years to compete at the national level on the same terrain and courses, that top-class riders take part. This bold step to catch them young saw the Nationals blood many youngsters and it helped prepare riders for the international competitions at an early age, which is the norm abroad.
Akshat Hupale (Photo AH team) The 2022 season comprised six rounds—Nashik, Pune, Coimbatore, Vadodara, Goa, Bangalore. Akshat, who practices at his private facility in Wai in Satara on weekends with Russian trainers Georgy Gusev and, Vitaly Gusev and Dustin Phares from the United States and India’s Dakar Hero Ashish Raorane, aims to ride at Asian and international level in the coming years. Akshat’s total points at the end of six rounds were 225 and his championship winning lead over C. Bhairav was 42 points, which was maximum across all the eight classes.
After a victory in Class 8… The 12-year school boy, Akshat said, Goa Round was most challenging as he was battling with Viral Fever and nursing a bad throat. Having the championship lead was my mantra,” said Hupale.
“Going into last round and virtually sealing championship was great feeling. I just wanted to Win the championship and then consolidate the lead over the nearest competitor. Happy to have done it in style and sign off under-12 category with a victory. Consistency was key as I am the only rider across categories in 2022 to have won all six rounds with highest points,” is how the Champion narrated his 2022 season.
Incidentally, after the final round , which completed in bangalore on Sunday last, Thursday was an apt occasion here in Pune when Akshat was felicitated in presence of the top officials of the FMSCI, for his crowning glory. The occasion was the announcement of the first ever franchise-based Supercross league in India.
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Akhil Rabindra, Neel Jani star in Black Birds sweep: Indian Racing League
Irungattukottai (Chennai), 27 Nov 2022: Indian Racing star Akhil Rabindra displayed excellent driving skills and consistency to post a victory in the Sprint Race 2 and later combined with teammate Neel Jani, sharing the car, to win the Feature Race. The duo put strong contenders Black Birds Hyderabad on top of the championship table with a clean sweep of all the three races in the second round of the inaugural Indian Racing League at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday.
Godspeed Kochi’s Ruhaan Alva and Fabienne Wohlwend came second in the Feature Race clocking 37 minutes, 05.957 seconds, followed by Amir Sayed and Shohil Shah of Goa Aces who timed 37:23.507 for their third place. Winners Akhil and Neel posted a winning time of 36:55.401. Each of the 12 cars in the Feature race saw a driver change after a mandatory pit stop. Neel Jani also set the fastest lap in the Feature Race 1:31.274.
Akhil Rabindra of Black Birds Hyderabad who excelled on Sunday. Godspeed Kochi’s Ruhaan Alva and Fabienne Wohlwend celebrate on the podium after taking a second in the Feature race. Photos by Srinivasa Krishnan Talking to INDIAinF1.com, Neel Jani said: “It was great to see IRL finally lifting off, after a bumpy start! Obviously, I am very happy about the 3 wins that Akhil and I could give to Team Hyderabad Black birds!
“We had our fair share of issues in free practice but we managed to go through them step by step, and by qualifying we started to get ontop of things. Clean sweep this weekend, could not have hoped for more!”
“It is special as this is my first win on Indian soil,” the Swiss driver, whose father is of Indian origin, added.
Sprint Race 2
Earlier Rabindra, the 26-year old Bengaluru-born Aston Martin Racing Academy driver, who is a regular in the GT4 Euro Series, began the day with a deserving win in the Sprint Race 2, dominating from pole to flag. He clocked 46:48.660. The race saw a Safety Car period after an incident where Raoul Hymen of Goa Aces and Shahan Ali Mohsin of Speed Demons Delhi had a contact but later with about four minutes to go, the race was red flagged when Celia Martin of Speed Demons Delhi lost control, spun and slid backwards crashing on to the tyre barriers. All the drivers escaped unhurt.
Godspeed Kochi’s Fabienne Wohlwend from Liechtenstein came second in 46:49.383, defending admirably against a marauding Jon Lancaster of Chennai Turbo Riders, who clocked 46:49.963. Rabindra set the fastest lap at 1:32.108.
Ruhaan Alva in action on Sunday. Feature Race
Black Birds dominated the week-end and now top the table with 118 points, with their Team A comprising of Akhil and Neel, garnering full 100 points that are on offer from three races. But they had a heart-break when their second driver combo of Anindith Reddy and Lola Lovinsfosse, who garnered 18 points in the two sprint races together, were well on course for a podium finish but Lola outbraked and lost balance, suffering a DNF on the last lap.
A brilliant drive by 16-year old Ruhaan Alva and teammate Fabienne Wohlwend got them a well-deserved second place in the Feature race and they put Godspeed Kochi in second place with 84 points. Fabienne put the #1 Blue-coloured machine into fourth place after starting from P9, and handed over to Ruhaan in the 15th minute. Then Ruhaan stepped up the pace and overtook a couple of more cars to get into the podium zone and finished a creditable second.
“It was an amazing race, a great start from Fabienne getting up to p4 on the first lap. Then I had to really push in the second stint to get into the top 3 because we were trying to undercut the others. We weren’t as quick as we would have liked but we were always there, playing it smart in the races and fighting it out. So I’m pretty happy with the performance,” said Ruhaan Alva, who just returned from the World Motorsport Games a few days back.
Amir Sayed and Sohil Shah of Goa Aces, despite a 15-sec penalty came third. Yash Aradhya and Anshul Gandhi of Bangalore Speedsters came fourth to bag a valuable 24 points that pushed them to third in the championship table with 60 points. Only six of the 12 teams completed the Feature race which saw many incidents including safety car periods.
The first round in Hyderabad on Nov 20 was cancelled due to safety issues.
Provisional Results (Round 2):
Sprint Race:
1. Akhil Rabindra (Black Birds Hyderabad) 46:48.660;
2. Fabienne Wohlwend (Godspeed Kochi) 46:49.383;
3. Jon Lancaster (Chennai Turbo Riders) 46:49.963;
Fastest lap: Akhil Rabindra (BB Hyderabad) 1:32.108.
Feature Race;
1. Neel Jani/ Akhil Rabindra (BB Hyd) 36:55.401;
2. Ruhaan Alva/ Fabienne Wohlwend 37: 05.957;
3. Amir Sayed /Shohil Shah (Goa Aces) 37:23.507;
Fastest Lap: Neel Jani (BB Hyd) 1:31.274.
INDIAN RACING LEAGUE – Points Standings after Round 2 at MIC
# Team Name Car # Sprint Race 1 Sprint Race 2 Feature Race Total Points Team Total 1 Black Birds Hyderabad 9 25 25 50+50 150 168 Black Birds Hyderabad 10 6 12 DNF 18 2 GodSpeed Kochi 1 12 18 36+36 102 120 GodSpeed Kochi 2 18 DNF DNF 18 3 Bangalore Speedsters 3 10 10 16+16 52 100 Bangalore Speedsters 4 DNF DNF 24+24 48 4 Chennai Turbo Riders 5 8 DNF 20+20 56 67 Chennai Turbo Riders 6 4 15 DNF 19 5 Goa Aces 7 DNF DNF DNF 0 68 Goa Aces 8 DNF 8 30+30 68 6 Speed Demons Delhi 11 DNF DNF DNF 0 15 Speed Demons Delhi 12 15 DNF DNF 15 In Feature race both drivers get points. Note: Table updated on 1dec22 -
Neel Jani wins Sprint race: Historic Indian Racing League begins
Irungattukottai (Chennai), 26 Nov 2022: Swiss racing star Neel Jani of Black Birds Hyderabad won the maiden Sprint Race in the inaugural Indian Racing League (IRL) that began here Saturday.
Despite all the teething troubles, the launch of league is a historic milestone in Indian motorsports and it took the meticulous organisation and race management of Madras Motors Sports Club to bring back the morale and image of racing in India. The IRL is expected to be a turning point in offering better prospects and an international platform for the budding Indian racers.
Neel Jani, the winner of Sprint Race 1 at MIC on Saturday. Photo SK The 38-year FIA WEC champion and 24h Le Mans winner, Jani, took a commanding lights-to-flag victory that saw a safety-car period and clocked 21minutes, 33.773 seconds for the 12-lap race at the 3.7-km Madras International Circuit here. A celebrated international racer, Jani, started on pole following his teammate and Indian star Akhil Rabindra topping the times in Q1. Alister Yoong of Malaysia, representing Godspeed Kochi, came second in 21:40.234 and managed to keep Mitchell Gilbert of Speed Demons Delhi behind him in third place. Gilbert clocked 21:40.714. Neel Jani also clocked the fastest lap of the Sprint race 1:31.438. Yoong, a late replacement for Jordan Albert, arrived in Chennai only on Saturday morning and did a creditable job with only 6-lap seat time before he got a fantastic P2. Alister is the son of Malaysia’s first Formula 1 driver, Alex Yoong, whom this reporter had the pleasure of interviewing and covering his debut at Sepang in 2002.
Neel Jani, leads the pack, at the third corner (C3) on the first lap of the Indian Racing League (IRL) Sprint Race 1 on Saturday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan Talented 16-year Bengalurean Ruhaan Alva was the fastest Indian driver in the Sprint race and just missed the podium but did a brilliant job taking fourth after starting from last (P12) on the grid. The multiple National karting champion, who graduated to formula racing only in September 2021, has already won the JK Tyre National Rookie championship. Today, he clocked 21:41.502. Unfortunately, he started from P12 as his fellow driver Fabienne Wohlwend from Liechtenstein, could not set a time in the Qualifying session as her car was not ready in time. The IRL has a different format where Driver A will set the Qualifying position for Driver B and vice-versa for the second Sprint Race.
Black Birds Hyderabad had a special guest to cheer their winners… The winged visitor, a Black Drongo, seems to be surveying the Black Birds’ exploits at the Madras International Circuit on Saturday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan.
From left: Alister Yoong of Godspeed Kochi (2nd), winner Neel Jani of Black Birds Hyderabad and Mitchell Gilbert (3rd) of Speed Demons Delhi. Photo by Karan Ravi.International racing driver Anshul Gandhi of Bangalore Speedsters came fifth followed by Chennai Turbo Riders’ Nicole Havrda (Canada), the top lady driver today.
Earlier Black Birds Hyderabad dominated the qualifying sessions with Akhil Rabindra topping Q1 while Neel Jani setting the top time in Q2. The race saw a Safety Car period after Bengaluru driver Rishon Rajeev, who was doing well, stalled on the track in the fifth lap. Both the Goa Aces cars later dropped out. Akash Gowda of Speed Demons Delhi also logged a DNF after two laps.
Another Sprint Race and a Feature Race (45-min) will be held on Sunday. The second Round will be held at the same venue (MIC) next Sunday while the third round is scheduled to be held on the Street Circuit in Hyderabad during the second week-end of December. RPPL has not yet confirmed if a fourth round would be held.
IRL, is the brainchild of former Indian racing stars Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel, who formed Racing Promotions Private Limited and later roped in Akhilesh Reddy and Navjeet Gadoke. The duo have visualised a six-team city-based franchise teams for the league, a historic first for motorsports in India. They have also started X1 Racing earlier and IRL is the new avatar. They are also planning to bring Formula Regional Indian Championship and Formula 4 Indian championship in the future.
Both the drivers of the top-3 teams in Sprint Race 1. After a couple of minor incidents, the first round at the Street Circuit in Hyderabad was halted as a precaution due to safety issues after a decision was taken by the race Stewards and FMSCI, the governing body for motorsports as per the FIA safety regulations. However, a round of races in the JK Tyre National Racing championship were successfully held as a supporting race. The Street Circuit, attracted huge crowds and was hailed as a brilliant circuit by all the drivers. If the teething troubles and safety issues were sorted out, the street circuit around the Hussain Sagar lake, which acted a test run, is likely to host a Formula E race in February 2023.
Note: Updated on 27Nov22 at 11am
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Kush Maini tests F2 car for Campos Racing: Post-season test
Abu Dhabi, 22 Nov 2022: Kush Maini, the rising Indian talent completed 20 laps successfully in the pre-season F2 Test for his new team Campos Racing at the Yas Mairna Circuit here on Wednesday.
Maini clocked a best lap time of 1min 37.982sec on the first day in office in the new F2 machine and posted 20 laps in the morning session and went on to improve in the afternoon session standing 7th in the time-sheets after a productive 34 laps. Top Indian racer Jehan Daruvala, too took part in the post-season test for MP Motorsport and logged 29 laps in the morning and 30 laps in the evening.
It was a bright and early start for the field at the Yas Marina Circuit. Having already signed on for the 2023 season with Campos Racing, Ralph Boschung set the initial benchmark of a 1:37.820 during a relatively quiet opening 30 minutes of the Morning session.
Later, Kush Maini despite some initial hiccups had some valuable seat time and managed to gain good experience. There were three Red Flag appearances during the final hour and a half of the opening session. Enzo Fittipaldi for Carlin and Campos’ Kush Maini stopped on track in separate incidents but were both able to continue their run programmes later. Testing will resume at 9AM local time on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Campos Racing announced that Maini was signed to race in the F2 series for 2023. The Indian who has made excellent progress in recent seasons took part in the F3 races and enjoyed a podium despite a roller-coaster year.
Maini will drive a Campos Racing-entered Dallara F2 car alongside previously announced Ralph Boschung.
Campos Racing are delighted to announce that Kush Maini will join their driver line-up for the 2023 FIA Formula 2 Championship season at the wheel of one of their Dallara F2 2018 cars. Kush will join previously announced Ralph Boschung securing a lineup with a great mix of experience, new blood and driving skills.
Maini was born in Bangalore (India) on 22 September 2000 and made his single-seater racing debut in 2016 by competing in the Italian F4 Championship. Maini rapidly showed his talent as he managed to step onto the podium on his season debut. The Indian talent was then Vice-Champion in the 2020 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with 3 wins and 12 podium to his name. He entered the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship season with promising results as he also visited the podium.
Kush becomes the second Maini taking part in the FIA Formula 2 with Campos Racing as his elder brother Arjun joined the Spanish-based racing team for selected rounds back in 2019.
Both Boschung and Maini will carry out FIA Formula 2’s post-season collective testing in Abu Dhabi on 23-25 November in preparation for the 2023 season.
Adrián Campos (Campos Racing Team Principal): “On behalf of Campos Racing, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Kush (Maini). He is a very committed, professional racing driver with a great work capacity, so we expect he will be able to complete a strong rookie season next year. He carried out some strong performances in FIA Formula 3 this season and hopefully he will make further improvements in the ultra-competitive FIA F2 Championship.”
Kush Maini (Campos Racing Driver of FIA formula 2): “Super happy to be joining campos racing team! I’ve spent some time with the team at their workshop and really enjoyed the atmosphere and the professionalism, looking forward to the 3-day test at Abu Dhabi to officially start our relationship together! I would like to thank Mumbai Falcons, Omega Seiki Mobility and JK Racing for all their support”
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Abu Dhabi GP: Verstappen wins as Leclerc holds off Perez for second
Max Verstappen wins F1 Abu Dhabi GP as Charles Leclerc secured second after fending off Sergio Perez in the battle for second.
It was a clean start from the drivers at the front with Max Verstappen leading F1 Abu Dhabi GP from Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton fourth after a run-in with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
The Spaniard tried an inside move as Hamilton went off to keep the place. There was no further investigation in two separate investigations but the Brit gave up fourth with the Brit in fifth. McLaren’s Lando Norris was sixth from Mercedes’ George Russell.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was seventh from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel as Alpine’s Fernando Alonso rounded out the Top 10. While the leaders were ahead, the fight between Sainz, Hamilton, Norris and Russell continued on for fourth and sixth place.
Having given up the place, Hamilton came back on Sainz to retake fifth as Russell cleared Norris for sixth. The Brit then tried a move on the Spaniard but it didn’t work. They continued to tussle as Ocon and Vettel started their battle for eighth.
The German took the Frenchman but he came back on him with Alonso joining in. Just ahead of them, Sainz stayed on Hamilton’s tail and eventually passed him to retake fourth with Russell also clearing his teammate who seemed to be suffering a bit.
The pit stop game started but the order remaining the same with Verstappen leading Perez and Leclerc. There was a slow stop for Russell which turned into an unsafe release after he was released in front of an incoming Norris to pit.
Russell was handed a 5s penalty for it with teammate Hamilton keeping him in check. Vettel went long on his first stint as Alonso retired due to a problem with a potential water leak. It was another reliability issue which he has been talking about all-season long.
Verstappen kept his F1 Abu Dhabi GP lead from Perez but Leclerc kept the Mexican in check, with Sainz in fourth from Russell, Hamilton, Norris, Ocon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in the Top 10 points position.
Perez pitted the second time to drop to sixth but Verstappen, Leclerc and Sainz were trying for a one-stop which left the Mexican to not only catch them but also pass. At the back, Haas’ Mick Schumacher and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi had a coming together.
The German went for an inside move but a minor touch led to them spinning as Schumacher was handed a 5s time penalty for causing a collision. Sainz and Russell pitted for a second time with Verstappen and Leclerc trying to do a one-stop.
It started to get tasty with Hamilton trying to keep Perez off for third. The Mexican eventually got around to pass him in his chase of Leclerc. Hamilton was fourth with Sainz and Russell catching him as Norris was a lonely seventh from Ocon.
Stroll passed both Vettel and Ricciardo to ninth with the Australian being chased by the German along with Tsunoda for the final point. Up front, Hamilton was forced to retire due to a hydraulic problem after he was caught by Sainz and eventually passed too.
Verstappen held off well to win F1 Abu Dhabi GP from Leclerc who secured second after keeping off Perez in the Top 3. Sainz was fourth from Russell with Norris in sixth ahead of Ocon, Stroll, Ricciardo and Vettel in the Top 10, as the German scored the final point.
Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo tied on points in the championship but the latter’s fifth place finish helped them to keep the position. Tsunoda ended up 11th with Guanyu behind him in 12th from Williams’ Alexander Albon, Gasly and Bottas in the Top 15.
Schumacher 16th from Haas’ Kevin Magnussen as both Hamilton and Latifi were classified despite not seeing the chequered flag. Everyone from Tsunoda onward ended up a lap down on the leaders to end the 2022 F1 season.
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Abu Dhabi GP: Verstappen takes final pole from Perez, Leclerc
Max Verstappen took F1 Abu Dhabi GP pole in a Red Bull 1-2 with Sergio Perez second and Charles Leclerc third.
Q1:
The first part in F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying saw the Red Bull pair lead the way with Max Verstappen (1m12.754s) heading Sergio Perez, as the Ferrari pair followed with Carlos Sainz ahead of Charles Leclerc to comfortably make it in Q2.
It was a mighty lap through the traffic for Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel to make it in Q2 after ending up sixth. It was close for Alpine’s Fernando Alonso who was struggling in the session as he just made it in Q2 by 0.052s in 15th.
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen (1m25.834s) missed it in 16th from AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m25.859s), with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m25.892s) also out in 18th from Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m26.028s) and Nicholas Latifi (1m26.054s).
Q2:
The second part in F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying saw Red Bull’s Perez lead the way with a 1m24.419s lap as Mercedes’ Hamilton was second after the team selected an out of position run for both him and Russell, who was fourth in early part.
But the order changed in the final run where Perez maintained the top spot with Leclerc improving to second being 0.098s off with teammate Sainz up to third. Despite the traffic troubles with the Red Bull, Vettel still maintained his pace to be in Q3.
It was a miss for Alpine’s Alonso (1m25.096s) by 0.028s in Q3 with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda (1m25.219s) in 12th from Haas’ Mick Schumacher (1m25.225s), Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll (1m25.359s) and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu (1m25.408s).
Q3:
The final part in F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying saw Mercedes doing an out of position run again, as Red Bull’s Verstappen had provisional pole with a 1m23.988s lap as he and Perez in third were separated by Ferrari’s Sainz, while Leclerc was fourth.
Despite a close call, Verstappen actually bettered his previous lap to set a 1m23.824s lap to take F1 Abu Dhabi GP pole from Perez (1m24.052s), who had some help from the Dutchman. Crucially the Mexican was ahead of Leclerc (1m24.092s) who was third from Sainz (1m24.242s).
Hamilton (1m24.508s) looked good but was only fifth from Russell (1m24.511s), with Norris (1m24.769s) taking best of the rest in seventh from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m24.830s), Vettel (1m24.961s) and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m25.045s) in the Top 10.
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Abu Dhabi GP: Perez fastest from Verstappen in FP3
Red Bull pair led the Mercedes pair in FP3 of F1 Abu Dhabi GP as Sergio Perez was fastest from Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
There was some action in FP3 of F1 Abu Dhabi GP at Yas Marina circuit, with Red Bull pair leading the Mercedes pair and McLaren separating them and the Ferrari pair. It was Sergio Perez on top with a 1m24.982s lap from Max Verstappen (1m25.134s).
The Dutchman did a late lap but in qualifying, it would be deleted for track limits. Lewis Hamilton (1m25.222s) was third from George Russell (1m25.395s), with the two running different rear wings. The former is under investigation for not slowing under red flag.
McLaren’s Lando Norris (1m25.518s) slotted in fifth. The Brit had his brakes heated up which was same for teammate Daniel Ricciardo, while Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel having one too. The McLaren led the Ferrari pair who weren’t feeling superb.
Charles Leclerc (1m25.571s) was sixth after his late lap with Carlos Sainz (1m25.605s) just behind him, as Ricciardo (1m25.950s) was eighth from Vettel (1m26.012s) and Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m26.051s), who lost a bit of a car part from the rear on his final lap.
The Alpine pair were 11th and 12th with Esteban Ocon ahead of Fernando Alonso, where the Frenchman caught out the stewards. They raised the yellow flag for him thinking he was stopping but replays showed him just slowing for other cars.
AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda was 13th from Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, who dropped a bit of a pace in FP3. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was 15th after causing a red flag. His wheel cover came off after a kerb ride which needed to be recovered.
The Frenchman managed to return to the track after the mechanics fixed it up. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was 16th from Haas’ Kevin Magnussen & Mick Schumacher, Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu was 19th and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi 20th.
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Abu Dhabi GP: Verstappen quickest in FP2 from Russell, Leclerc
Max Verstappen was fastest in FP2 of F1 Abu Dhabi GP from George Russell and Charles Leclerc under the floodlights.
The FP2 session in F1 Abu Dhabi GP was mostly sedate as well under the floodlights at Yas Marina circuit as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen returned to the cockpit to lead the standings with a 1m25.146s lap from Mercedes’ George Russell (1m25.487s).
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (1m25.599s) was third to make it three different teams in the Top 3, as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (1m25.761s) was fourth from Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (1m25.852s) and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (1m25.932s) to make it the Top 3 teams in the Top 6 of the standings.
The Alpine pair led the best of the rest pack with Esteban Ocon (1m26.038s) ahead of Fernando Alonso (1m26.043s), while McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m26.124s) was eighth despite some floor troubles. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m26.300s) ended up in 10th.
The other McLaren of Lando Norris was 11th from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, who did have a run-off moment along with Verstappen and Leclerc. The Ferraris were also trialing experimenting with different wheel covers in the session.
Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu was 13th from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll with the lead AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda in 15th. Williams’ Alexander Albon was 16th from Haas’ Mick Schumacher, as teammate Kevin Magnussen was 17th.
The Dane had a moment with Hamilton, where he almost blocked him in the corner. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was 19th where he couldn’t set his best time on the soft tyres, with Williams’ Nicholas Latifi rounding the 20 runners.
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Abu Dhabi GP: Hamilton leads Russell in final FP1 session
Lewis Hamilton headed FP1 of F1 Abu Dhabi GP from George Russell, with Charles Leclerc ending up third amid rookies.
It was dry running in FP1 of F1 Abu Dhabi GP at Yas Marina circuit which went on smoothly apart from lots of sliding around for almost everyone on the grid. The Mercedes pair set the pace at the front with Lewis Hamilton on top with a 1m26.633s lap.
He headed George Russell (1m26.853s) with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (1m26.888s) in third from Red Bull pair of Sergio Perez (1m26.967s) and Liam Lawson (1m27.201s) – where the Kiwi replaced Max Verstappen. Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel (1m27.268s) started his final weekend in sixth.
Ferrari’s Robert Shwartzman (1m27.429s) was seventh in place of Carlos Sainz, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m27.619s) in eighth, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m27.655s) ninth and Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m27.840s) 10th.
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was 11th with teammate Yuki Tsunoda 13th behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. There was a moment involving the AlphaTauri pair and Haas’ Pietro Fittipaldi which surprised the Frenchman during the session.
Alfa Romeo’s Robert Kubica was 14th in place of Zhou Guanyu, as Williams’ Logan Sargeant was 15th in place of Nicholas Latifi. The American added another superlicense point despite a Turn 1 spin after a lock-up. He escaped the barrier just to continue on.
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen was 16th from Fittipaldi, who took Mick Schumacher’s car. McLaren’s Pato O’Ward had a scare on his session start but the team fixed Lando Norris’ car to send him out in 18th from Alpine’s Jack Doohan in Fernando Alonso’s car and Aston Martin’s Felipe Drugovich in Lance Stroll’s car.
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Indian Racing League: All six teams test in dry and wet conditions
Chennai 14 Nov 2022: Madras International Circuit, the first permanent racing circuit in India successfully hosted Indian Racing League’s season’s Pre-test on Monday where all the six franchise teams tested in both dry and wet conditions.
Each round will have two sprint races and a feature race. Qualifying session and the first Sprint race of 25 minutes will be held on Saturday while the second sprint and the Feature race (45 min) will be on Sunday. Each team will have two cars. Each car will be shared by two drivers for the two Sprint races. Both cars will see both drivers swap each other in a compulsory pit-stop for the Feature race.
With a vision to revolutionize motorsports in India, Indian Motorsports Company, Racing Promotions (RPPL) is bringing 24 prominent Foreign and Indian drivers who will take part in four rounds on consecutive weekends starting at the Hyderabad street circuit on November 19. The race will also act a test ahead of the big-ticket Formula E Championship slated to be held on the banks of Hyderabad’s iconic Hussain Sagar lake in February next year.
Madras International Circuit (MIC), which also hosts the Indian Racing Nationals, will conduct two rounds on Nov 25-27 and Dec 2-4 before the teams travel back to Hyderabad for the final round on Dec 10-11. The races will be telecast live on Star Sports 2 on Saturday and Sunday.
The six City-Based Teams are Chennai Turbo Riders, Speed Demons Delhi, Bangalore Speedsters, Hyderabad Blackbirds, GodSpeed Kochi and Goa Aces. Each team will have two foreign drivers including a lady driver and two Indian racers. Meanwhile, lady driver Fabienne Wohlwend replaces Aurelia Nobels at the Godspeed Kochi team.
Check the other teams line-up and details here.
Quotes from a couple of drivers after the test session at the MIC, Irungattukottai, near Chennai on Monday:
Amir Sayed, Sohil Shah – Goa Aces
“Really happy to finally sit in the car and begin an exciting journey. The Wolf GB08 Thunder racing car feels great to drive and is definitely very fast. I have completed pre-season Testing with my team Goa Aces and got a good feel of the car. The test day was interrupted by rain after the first hour but that also helped us to try the wet tyres. We got good track time in the car in both wet and dry conditions to learn and adapt to the new car. I am working with the team and my teammates now and look forward to a strong start to the season in the new Hyderabad Street Circuit,” said Amir Sayed, 18, who along with another talented teenager Sohil Shah will be the two Indian drivers in Goa Aces team. “Testing is done! With a lot of positives and bonding within the team I look forward to the first-ever street circuit in India,” added Sohil Shah.
Bianca Bustamante – Bangalore Speedsters
“Test is done. That was lots of fun… new country, new tracks, new car! Absolutely loved driving the car, it is pretty fast. I got to drive in the wet condition and gain more experience. Still trying to build my confidence up but we’re making progress. Lovely to meet the team as well. It’s gonna be mega working together with such experienced drivers.
“This is going to be some valuable single-seater experience for me. I’m not used to getting so much seat time in one month, so it is a great opportunity for me to develop my skills. There are also a lot of experienced drivers on the grid, including my teammate Oliver Webb, from whom I am sure I will learn a lot. Big thanks to the team at RPPL for the great opportunity,” said Filipina Bianca Bustamante of Bangalore Speedsters, on Insta @racerbia, where she is popular with nearly 1.4 lakh followers.
The passes are available on BookMyShow here.
Schedule for Round 1 in Hyderabad on Nov 19, 20
Timings Saturday 19 Nov 2022 – Hyderabad Round 1 8:00 – 8:30 Drivers briefing Indian Racing League 9:00 – 10:00 Indian Racing League- FP1 11:00 –12:00 Indian Racing League – FP2 12:00–13:00 Lunch 15:30–15:45 Indian Racing League – Qualifying (Driver A) 16:00–16:45 Indian Racing League – Race 1 – Sprint – 25 min + 1 Lap (Driver B) 16:45–17:00 Podium + Interviews Timings Sunday 20 Nov 2022 – Hyderabad Round 1 11:00 – 11:30 Indian Racing League – FP3 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch 13:00 – 13:15 Indian Racing League – Qualifying (Driver B) 14:00 – 14:45 Indian Racing League – Race 2 – Sprint – 25 min + 1 Lap (Driver A) 15:30 – 16:30 Indian Racing League – Race 3 – Feature – 45 min + 1 lap (Driver A+B) 16:30 – 16:45 Podium + Interviews Indian Racing League (2022): Teams & Drivers
Hyderabad Blackbirds:
1. Neel Jani, 2. Akhil Rabindra, 3. Anindith Reddy and 4. Lola Lovinsfosse;
Goa Aces:
1. Raoul Hyman, 2. Sohil Shah, 3. Amir Syed and 4. Gabriela Jilkova;
Chennai Turbo Riders:
1. Jon Lancaster, 2. Parth Ghorpade, 3. Vishnu Prasad and 4. Nicole Havrda;
Bangalore Speedsters:
1. Oliver Webb, 2. Anshul Gandhi, 3. Rishon Rajeev and 4. Bianca Bustamante;
Speed Demons Delhi:
1. Mitch Gilbert, 2. Akash Gowda, 3. Shahaan Ali Mohsin and 4. Celia Martin.
Godspeed Kochi:
1. Jordan Albert, 2. Nikhil Bohra, 3. Ruhaan Alva and 4. Fabienne Wohlwend.
Calendar 2022:
Nov 14: Pre-season testing – Madras International Circuit – MIC (formerly MMRT), Chennai.
Nov 19 – 20: Inaugural round, Street Circuit around Hussain Sagar lake, Hyderabad.
Nov 25 – 27: Round 2, MIC, Chennai.
Dec 2 – 4: Round 3, MIC, Chennai.
Dec 10 – 11: Final round, Street Circuit around Hussain Sagar lake, Hyderabad.
