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MotoGP: Martin takes Australian GP pole after breaking lap record
Jorge Martin set an all-time lap record to take MotoGP pole in Australian GP from Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia.
Q1:
The first part in MotoGP qualifying in Australian GP at Philip Island started with a multiple yellow flag periods for a rider’s run-off moment. In terms of the lap times, Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini set the pace after their first flyer in the first run.
The second lap saw Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco take top spot from Bastianini with a 1m28.498s lap. The second run had Honda’s Pol Espargaro go quickest with a 1m28.392s lap, with Suzuki’s Joan Mir taking second spot as Zarco was third.
Mir had a moment on the gravel to cause a yellow flag but continued on, as Zarco ended up fastest with a 1m28.132s lap to make it into Q2 alongside Suzuki’s Alex Rins, who set the second best time out of nowhere on his final attempt to push Espargaro.
In fact, Bastianini was third to start MotoGP Australian GP in 13th where he was under investigation alongwith KTM’s Miguel Oliveira by the FIM stewards. It was for the final lap impeding situation from the Portuguese rider against the Italian.
Espargaro eventually was fourth to start from 14th with Mir 15th ahead of KTM’s Brad Binder, RNF Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow & Darryn Binder. The pair dropped local ‘hero’ Remy Gardner to 19th onboard his Tech 3 KTM machine.
Gresini’s Fabio di Giannantonio was 20th from KTM’s Oliveira, with Tech 3’s Raul Fernandez in 22nd, Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli only 23rd and LCR Honda’s Tetsuta Nagashima 24th – the Japanese filling in for the injured Takaaki Nakagami.
Q2:
The second part in MotoGP qualifying in Australian GP saw Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia set the pace with a 1m28.054s lap from Pramac’s Jorge Martin and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, as Honda’s Marc Marquez had an almost wild moment at Turn 10.
His arm touched the kerb and he needed a moment to gather himself up before entering the pits while in fifth behind VR46 Ducati’s Marco Bezzecchi. The final run saw Pramac’s Martin break an all-time lap record of Jorge Lorenzo to claim MotoGP pole.
Martin set a 1m27.767s to take Australian GP pole from Honda’s Marquez, who fought back after an early moment to be second from Bagnaia. Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro rode his heart out in fourth from Yamaha’s Quartararo in the Top 5.
Zarco was sixth from VR46’s Luca Marini as local rider Jack Miller was only eighth on his Ducati, with Bezzecchi losing time in ninth from LCR’s Alex Marquez, Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales and Suzuki’s Rins in the Top 12.
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Pragathi Gowda makes India proud: FIA Rally Star cup
Chennai, 12 October 2022: Australia’s 19-year old Taylor Gill, a mechanic by profession, and Bengaluru’s Pragathi Gowda from India were declared winners of the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final which concluded at the Madras International Circuit, here on Wednesday.
A four-member Jury, after considering the timesheets and then interviewing the finalists, declared Gill, who hails from New Castle, as the overall winner of the Final while 25-year old Pragathi won in the women’s category. She will represent the Asia-Pacific region in the women’s World Finals in Peru in January 2023.
The qualifiers for Stage-3 today were put through two phases of timed runs. At the end of the first phase, the list was narrowed down to six contenders based on their times. The top six were then given another run to decide the quickest. The six drivers were then interviewed by the four-member jury who then announced the winner, taking into consideration the performances, fitness and driving skills.
Pragathi, a post-graduate in finance, who juggles between profession and motorsport, said: “I am super happy. I will do my best to make my country proud. Winning the Rally Star is the biggest recognition I have received and I have worked very hard for it. I would like to tell all the women out there to not lose hope. This is the happiest moment in my life.
“On the first two days, it was more of a tarmac run, but today, it was more gravel which I am very comfortable with and so was very confident. I just stuck to my basics and did what I had to do. I was not happy with my first run today, but I completed the second with ease.”
Taylor Gill, struggling to contain his emotions, said: “I don’t have the words to describe my feelings now. Coming into the Final here, I just wanted to enjoy myself and put everything together. A couple of weeks ago, I did one day in a cross car in Australia, but the Rally Star cars here are vastly different. Right now, I am over the moon.”
The Asia-Pacific winner will join the other continental finals champions. Two winners of these events join the selection of drivers for the first FIA Rally Star Training Season in 2023. The last spot in the FIA Rally Star Training Season will go to the winner of the Women’s Final, which is due to take place in Peru.
The winner of the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final will be representing the region in the 2023 FIA Rally Star Training Season. Besides six rallies in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3, the Training Season package includes physical and intellectual assessment, driver coaching and testing. The aim is to equip the successful contestants with the attributes they need as they attempt to secure a drive in the FIA World Rally Championship in the future.
At the end of 2023, the best four FIA Rally Star Team members are rewarded with a season in the FIA Junior WRC Championship in 2024. For 2025, three drivers go forward into a second Junior WRC season. And if one of the FIA Rally Star Team members wins the title, they secure a WRC2 campaign in a Rally2 car for 2026 with a Rally1 drive their next target.
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Pragathi Gowda, Taylor Gill win Asia Pacific trials to continue WRC dream
While Bengaluru’s Pragathi Gowda made India proud winning the slot for the female representative for the World Final trials, Taylor Gill is the latest young talent to secure a potential pathway to the FIA World Rally Championship after he was selected as the winner of the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final. It is just a coincidence that, he shares his second name with the Indian Rally king Gaurav Gill, but the Aussie driver from New Castle, near Sydney, has no Indian connection. But it is Gill all the way at famous South India Rally venue here at Irungattukottai.
Chennai, 12 Oct. 2022: Taylor Gill, 18, from Australia, was one of 40 participants representing seven ASNs to assemble at the Madras International Circuit in India on Monday morning for three days of intense competition and assessment with the goal to win a place in the FIA Rally Star Training Season in 2023. Read Pragathi Gowda report here.
Thirteen drivers, two of whom were female, excelled by progressing to today’s final in Chennai, which included a rigorous physical test, followed by the opportunity to showcase their skills behind the wheel of a Pirelli-equipped TN5 Cross Car from FIA World Rally Championship driver Thierry Neuville’s LifeLive organisation.
After taking to a 3.7-kilometre stage featuring gravel and asphalt sections but designed to be much faster than the layouts used on Monday and Tuesday, the drivers took part in a series of reflex tests before being interviewed by the five-person jury consisting of Andrew Wheatley (Chairman) and members Maciej Woda, Pernilla Solberg, David Terrien and Guy Botterill.
Following a period of deliberation, the Jury confirmed Taylor Gill as the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final winner, while Pragathi Gowda was selected as the Asia-Pacific region’s representative in the FIA Rally Star Women’s Final, details of which will be announced at a later date.
As well as the honour and achievement of winning the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final against very strong competition, Taylor Gill will represent his region in the 2023 FIA Rally Star Training Season.
In addition to six rallies in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3, the FIA Rally Star Training Season package includes physical and intellectual assessment, driver coaching and testing. The aim is to equip the successful contestants with the attributes they need as they attempt to secure a drive in the FIA World Rally Championship in the future. Indeed, the four best-performing drivers in the FIA Rally Star Training season will win an FIA Junior WRC Championship drive in 2024, the first step on the ladder to the top-level, hybrid-based Rally1 category.
Taylor Gill is the fourth FIA Rally Star Continental Final winner and follows Romet Jürgenson, the European Final winner from Estonia, Abdullah Al Tawqi, who won the MENA Final representing Oman and Max Smart (South Africa), the winner of the African Final.
Maja Hallén Fellenius (Sweden) and Katie Milner (United Kingdom) were the first to qualify for the Women’s Final following their performances in the European Final, while Farah Zakaria from Jordan qualified from the FIA Rally Star MENA Final with Kristie Ellis (South Africa) making it through from the African Final. Pragathi Gowda (India) joins the club of female winners, as they will prepare for the women’s grand finale in a few months’ time.
The South and North America Continental Finals will take place early next year with the two winners of these events joining the other Continental Final winners – plus the Women’s Final winner – for the first FIA Rally Star Training Season in 2023.
Taylor Gill, 18, from Australia, FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final winner: “You might have to give me ten minutes to put this into words! It’s pretty cool, obviously everyone goes for it, but you don’t expect to get it, so I’m over the moon!
For sure, there was a lot of pressure, especially to go out and do another run today, I couldn’t make any mistakes, that’s what I tried to do, so I’m super happy!”
Pragathi Gowda, 25, from India, FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final winner: “I’m very surprised, I didn’t think I would make it through because there were strong girls out there. But I told myself, that no matter what happens, I’m not going to give up and I’m going to do my best. Luckily it worked, I’m very happy to be here, a big thank you to the FIA Rally Star for organizing this in my country, as I think it’s better, you are more confident, and I think that’s why I’m here.
I got to prepare myself for that [FIA Rally Star Women’s Final], I’m looking forward to it and I’m going to do my best, let’s see what happens and hope for the best.”
Andrew Wheatley, FIA Rally Director & Jury Chairman: “It was a fantastic combination of enthusiasm and performance. We have seen incredible drives from the competitors. We have got winners, but we have also seen amazing drivers, who supported the winners and will go on to also compete themselves at a high level internationally around the world.
I think we have seen a good combination of people who have come with experience in rally and also grassroots level. But we have also seen people coming with pure esport background, and they equally been able to go toe-to-toe in these difficult conditions and cars to drive and to be able to show their skills and shine.”
David Terrien, Jury Member & Karting World Champion: “It’s not just a time trial, we are looking for a complete racing driver, with a mix of skills, preparation, how able they are to learn and implement some tips they will be given. It’s also about physical preparation and reflex.
We also do interviews with them, to know about their motivation, background, and how much knowledge they have about motor sport. Some drivers have experience some do not and that is also taken into consideration if we have a driver with no experience and performing very well.”
Guy Botterill, Jury Member & South African Rally Champion: “The level of the drivers was amazing! The level of the esport drivers and the women were incredible, they were really strong. Having such a mix of cultures, and countries, was also great, and putting them all together and seeing their times was impressive. Everyone had an immense passion, and they need to grow the sport in their country. I know there is a winner and a loser, they are all thinking about their projects in the future when they will go home to improve, but I think motor sport is the overall winner.
This week, the conditions were very tough. We had extreme heat, it was rainy, muddy and dusty, so the drivers that qualified to go through the days and the winners have done an exceptional job. It was a good experience for everybody because that is what rally is all about, it was a good test, and it was incredibly difficult with the layouts that were designed to be tough. The organisers of the event did a really good job in making it difficult because there is no point in an event like this to have roads that are too easy.”
Akbar Ebrahim, President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI): “It was a great opportunity for them, as they never had the chance to try such equipment like this and to participate in this kind of program. Looking at the pyramid that has been built and the aspiration, I think it was a wonderful opportunity for them and they really enjoyed it. The gaps were big when they started but as they got acclimatized, the level improved and that was satisfying.
For sure, using a cross car as a grassroot level for developing potentially rally talents, is a fantastic concept.”
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Pragathi Gowda, lone Indian to make Stage-3 cut: FIA Rally Star Cup
Chennai, 11 October 2022: Bengaluru’s Pragathi Gowda kept Indian hopes alive in the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final as she qualified for Stage-3 of the competition at the Madras International Circuit, here on Tuesday. Australia’s Jaidyn Gluskie was overall the quickest with a blistering best lap of 01min, 34.08secs over a 1,300-metre course.
The 25-year old Pragathi, who clocked a best lap of 01:41.96, was among 12 qualifiers for the final round which will be run on Wednesday when the Asia-Pacific champion is decided.
“I am extremely happy to qualify for tomorrow’s Stage-3. The conditions in the afternoon when I drove were much better than in the morning and I was able to perform well. Yesterday was my first experience driving a Cross Car, but now, I am a little more comfortable with it and happy for the opportunity to compete at this competition,” said Pragathi.
Earlier, six other Indians – Harkrishan Wadia, Arnav Pratap Singh, Tarushi Vikram, Vedant Jouhari, Jasmehar Jubbal and Jeremy Miller – were knocked out. Of the lot, Wadia, the quickest Indian yesterday, was distinctly unlucky to miss the qualification for Stage-3 as he was docked a two-second penalty for knocking down a couple of marker cones in his second timed-lap which put him third in the group, just one second behind Sri Lanka’s Eshan Pieris.
“In the first timed-lap, the gear slipped into neutral and I lost time. In my second outing, I think I knocked down a couple of marker cones. But overall, it was a good experience,” said a disappointed Harkrishan.
As in the case of Wadia, much was expected of Arnav Pratap Singh who had fared well in Stage-1 yesterday, but a couple of driving errors during the timed runs today cost the Delhi driver.
The 25 contestants in Stage-2 today were divided into five groups of five each. The two quickest in each group advanced to Stage-3. They were joined by two others who topped a modified version of Nacon’s WRC 9 game in the Digital Challenge, open to the drivers eliminated after Stage-2.
The conditions, following overnight rain, were tricky. The slush caught out many drivers, especially those starting down the order. The mud thrown up by the early cars rendered the terrain, which was a mix of tarmac and dirt, slippery, putting a premium on car control. The terrain improved considerably later in the day under bright sunshine and the drivers were able to clock faster times.
The winners of the Asia-Pacific region will be announced on Wednesday, October 12, after all the drivers have been interviewed by the four-member Jury comprising
FIA Rally Director Andrew Wheatley (Chairman), Pernilla Solberg, Maciej Woda and Guy Botterill (Driver Advisor).
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Harkrishan Wadia tops among Indian qualifiers: FIA Rally Star Cup
Chennai, 10 Oct 2022: As many as seven Indian drivers qualified for the Stage-2 of the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Finals following preliminary runs at the Madras International Circuit here on Monday. In all, 25 competitors advanced to the next round.
Delhi’s 24-year old Harkrishan Wadia was the quickest among the Indian qualifiers, clocking a best lap of 49.40 seconds over a 900-metre tarmac course in his second run which was an improvement over 49.90 that he did in the first timed outing.
The seven Indians, out of 16 home aspirants, who advanced to Stage-2 are: Harkrishan Wadia (Delhi), Jasmehar Jubbal (Faridabad), Jeremy Miller (Bengaluru), Arnav Pratap Singh (Delhi), Tarushi Vikram (Chikkamagaluru), Pragati Gowda (Bengaluru) and Vedant Jouhari (Bengaluru).
An elated Harikrishnan said: “Of course, I am happy to progress to the next stage, but there is still a long way to go. I am also very pleased that seven from India made it to the next round. For us Indians, it was our first experience in the Cross Car and so a steep learning curve. Now, we all are focussed on tomorrow’s Stage-2 and I hope, most if not all of us make it to Wednesday’s last Stage.”
Harkrishan Wadia from Delhi, a regular in INRC, tops the qualifier Day 1, on tarmac. The 40 qualifiers form nine countries of the Asia-Pacific region were divided into seven groups, each given one recce run and two timed outings with the best timed lap taken into account for classification. The top three from each group, along with four other fastest drivers across all groups, progressed to Stage-2 which will be run at the same venue on Tuesday when 12 finalists for the Wednesday’s final round will be chosen based on their performance.
Due to heavy overnight rains, the course was shifted from dirt to a tarmac configuration. On Tuesday, the course will be extended to 1800 metres and 3 Kms for Wednesday, but all subject to the weather conditions.
The winners of the Asia-Pacific region will be announced on Wednesday, October 12, after all drivers have been interviewed by the four-member Jury.
The jury comprises: FIA Rally Director Andrew Wheatley (Chairman), Pernilla Solberg, Maciej Woda and Guy Botterill (Driver Advisor).
The winner of the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final will represent the region in the 2023 FIA Rally Star Training Season. Besides six rallies in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3, the Training Season package includes physical and intellectual assessment, driver coaching and testing. The aim is to equip the successful contestants with the attributes they need as they attempt to secure a drive in the FIA World Rally Championship in the future.
At the end of 2023, the best four FIA Rally Star Team members are rewarded with a season in the FIA Junior WRC Championship in 2024. For 2025, three drivers go forward into a second Junior WRC season. And if one of the FIA Rally Star Team members wins the title, they secure a WRC2 campaign in a Rally2 car for 2026 with a Rally1 drive their next target.Apart from any initial registration fee to take part in a national selection event, plus travel costs to and from national selections and the Continental Final, all other costs are covered by the FIA and the FIA Rally Star Partners. The partners are M-Sport, Pirelli, the FIA World Rally Championship, Nacon, Thrustmaster, Playseat, Digital Motorsports, OMP and LifeLive.
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Bengaluru’s Chirag Ghorpade tops MRF F2000 Race
Chennai, October 9: Bengaluru teenager Chirag Ghorpade and Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) put in near-flawless performances for commanding wins in their respective categories before heavy rains led to abandonment of the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.
The day’s other winner was Mumbai youngster Zahan Commissariat who claimed the honours in the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) race which was red-flagged after five laps due to heavy rains.
Chirag, 17, led from the front after starting from pole position on the reverse grid of the MRF F2000 category race and barely had to look in the rearview mirrors as he opened up a big gap in the very first lap.
Such was his pace that was not apparent in yesterday’s Race-1 where he finished eighth, that he made an untroubled progress through the 12 laps that was briefly interrupted by a Safety Car period. Chirag made a well-timed getaway on restart and eventually spared four seconds to second-placed Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) with Chennai’s Dillon Thomas Zachariah finishing third.
Later, it was an Arjun Balu show in the saloon cars race that was run on a combined 27-car grid comprising all three categories – the premier Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars and Super Stock.
Balu, starting from pole, briefly slipped to second behind 2017 champion Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports), also from Coimbatore, after missing a gear-shift at the start. However, he swiftly moved to the front and increased the gap gradually for a comfortable win despite alternator failure and the car running only on battery power.
Narendran finished second ahead of Rayo Racing’s Jeet Jhabakh from Hyderabad who was in the brand new Volkswagen Virtus which made its debut in the championship this weekend.
Behind the front-runners, Chennai’s Gurunath Meiyappan (Race Concepts), racing in the championship for the first time since 1999, topped the IJTC category, followed by team-mate Diana Pundole (Pune). However, both were disqualified following post-race scrutiny for a “technical infringement”. Chennai’s Anand Prasad (Performance Racing), thus, moved from third to first, ahead of team-mate K Srinivas Teja and Charen Chandran (Arka Motorsports).
Ritesh Rai (Performance Racing), also from Chennai, won in the Super Stock class, followed by DB Motorsports pair of Jason Deepak Saldanha (Mangaluru) and Jarshan Anand (Chennai).
Provisional results:
MRF F2000 (Race-2, 12 laps): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (21:09.735); 2. Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (21:13.319); 3. Dillon Thomas Zachariah (Chennai) (21:15.235).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts) (15:14.085); 2. Arjun Narendran (Coimbatore, Arka Motorsports) (15:22.908); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad, Rayo Racing) (15:39.557).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Anand Prasad (Chennai, Performance Racing) (16:05.841); 2. K Srinivasa Teja (Chennai, Performance Racing) (16:18.879); 3. Charen Chandran (Coimbatore, Arka Motorsports) (16:30.685).
Super Stock (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Performance Racing) (15:19.989); 2. Jason Deepak Saldanha (Mangaluru, DB Motorsports) (15;22.778); 3. Jarshan Anand (Chennai, DB Motorsports) (15:58.631).
MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios – Race 2, 5 laps): 1. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai, Redline Racing) (10:44.711); 2. Angad Matharoo (Chandigarh, Redline Racing) (10:46.640); 3. Jai Prashanth Venkat (Coimbatore, Redline Racing) (10:50.412). Special awards for lady drivers (all Redline Racing): Race-1: Diana Pundole (Pune) and Tarushi Vikram (Chikkamgalur). Race-2: Shravanthika Lakshmi (Coimbatore) and Tarushi Vikram.
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Japanese GP: Verstappen takes 2022 championship after win
Max Verstappen not only won the F1 Japanese GP but also secured his second drivers’ championship after post-race penalty to Charles Leclerc.
Expectedly it was a wet start to F1 Japanese GP at Suzuka where pole-sitter Max Verstappen just kept his nose ahead in his Red Bull machine despite a slower start than to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who braked going into Turn 1 to avoid contact.
Teammate Carlos Sainz was a steady third until he was caught out by a puddle which led him into a spin onto the barrier. He brought out a sponsor board on track which AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly caught it which forced him to pit for a front wing change.
The Frenchman started from the pitlane due to rear wing changes but didn’t have the best of luck. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was third from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in fifth from Alpine’s Fernando Alonso who almost had him on the lap.
Alonso also had a bump moment against Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in the lead-up to Turn 1, which led the German into a spin and onto the gravel but he managed to continue on. Mercedes’ George Russell was seventh from McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian had a solid start unlike teammate Lando Norris who dropped outside the Top 10, which saw AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in ninth and and Haas’ Mick Schumacher 10th. There was a spin for Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu while fighting Williams’ Nicholas Latifi.
He managed to continue on but Latifi’s teammate Alexander Albon did not have the best of ends to his F1 Japanese GP where he retired due to mechanical issue. With the safety car deployed, the FIA eventually decided for a red flag due to worsening conditions.
Post red flag:
There was a movement when the rain lightened and the grand prix had a set reset time too. But before things could get going, there was another message of the race being suspended as the FIA then put up a set timer to complete as many laps possible.
The rain though continued on and there was little movement, as the stoppage allowed to re-look at a footage where a tractor was seen trackside while Gasly was on track. The Frenchman was furious considering what happaned to Jules Bianchi in 2014.
The FIA explained the matter initially but put the situation under investigation until after the race, while Gasly was also under investigation for speeding under the red flag. With about 45 minutes remaining, the grand prix was given a green light.
The cars headed out on circuit behind the safety car as multiple opinions was being shared on the radio about the conditions. But the FIA decided to still get on with the grand prix with about 40 minutes remaining as Verstappen led Leclerc amid spray.
The pit stop game kick-started with most of the grid switching to intermediate tyres. Verstappen retook the F1 Japanese GP lead from Leclerc and Perez, Ocon, Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Latifi, Norris and Tsunoda in the Top 10 places.
Haas’ Mick Schumacher ran in the Top 3 on full wets but his gamble didn’t work as a delayed stop left him last. At the front, Verstappen went flying in the lead with Leclerc in second but losing time lap after lap, while Perez was third.
Ocon was at a distant fourth being chased by Hamilton, while Vettel in sixth was being chased by Alonso. Behind them Latifi held onto eighth with Russell catching him as Norris was 10th where the drivers crossed the 25 lap mark.
Verstappen eased off to win F1 Japanese GP by 26.763s over Lelcerc, who only just managed to hold off Perez in the end to retain second. The Monegasque also took the run-off in the final part of the lap for which he was handed a 5s penalty after the race.
Perez ended up second with Lerclerc in third which sealed the second F1 title for Verstappen at Honda’s home event. Ocon was fourth who held off Hamilton for most of the grand prix, while Vettel was sixth by 0.011s from Alonso.
The Spaniard pitted for fresh set of intermediates in a bid to pass the German, but just failed to do so despite being side-by-side on the flag. Russell was eighth from Latifi and Norris in the points in the Top 10.
McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo ended up just outside points in 11th with Stroll 12th, Tsunoda 13th, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen 14th, Alfa Romeo pair of Bottas and Guanyu in 15th and 16th, Gasly 17th and Schumacher 18th.
There was some confusion over Verstappen’s title win especially the points situation where many took it that he was being awarded 19, but as the grand prix resumed after a red flag, the FIA awarded full points to the Top 10 which gave him 25 in the end.
Since Leclerc was demoted to third, this left him with 252 points in all while Perez sits second with 253 and Verstappen having 366 points to have a margin of 113 points and with only 112 available in the remaining four grands prix, the Dutchman had the title.
UPDATE: To add insult to injury, the FIA has handed a 20s time penalty to Gasly for his red flag infringement which takes his penalty points to nine in the year. The Frenchman was visibly upset to see the tractor on track and now gets penalised for speeding.
“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 10 (Pierre Gasly) and team representative and reviewed video and telemetry evidence,” the note said. “After passing the scene of the incident, car 10 continued under the red flag situation, at speeds which exceeded 200 km/h on multiple occasions, and which reached 251 km/h at one point.
“The driver conceded that he now understood that there could have been marshals or obstacles on the track,and admitted that he was too fast. However, in mitigation of penalty, we take into account that although the speed could not by any measure be regarded as “slow” as required in the regulations, it was slower that the maximum speed that could be achieved under these conditions. We also take into account the shock the driver experienced on seeing a truck on the racing line in the corner of the incident.”
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Sai, Justin, Diljith claim victories; Diana beats the boys for a podium
Chennai, 8 Oct 2022: Sai Sanjay, a teenager from Salem, stormed to a brilliant victory in the MRF F2000 category while Thrissur’s Diljith Shaji took the honours in the Formula LGB 1300 class as the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 commenced at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday.
In the day’s last race, 20-year old Justin Singh from Gurugram, claimed the honours in the MRF Saloons (Toyota Eitos) category with a lights-to-flag win ahead of Pune’s Diana Pundole and Angad Matharoo (Chandigarh).
Sai, 19, started from P2 on the grid and after a good start, moved into the lead. He then defended his position with aplomb despite coming under pressure from Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin for much of the 10-lap race for a deserving win.
Competing on equal footing, Diana Pundole, Pune, keeps the Women in Motorsports flag flying beating many of the boys on way to a 2nd on the podium in the Saloon class. A Shameem Fahath image Shahan Ali, last year’s MRF F1600 champion, had to be content with second place after starting from P4, while Yash Aradhya came in third, holding off pole-sitter and fellow-Bengalurean Rishon Rajeev.
Earlier, 29-year old Diljith led a 1-2 finish for DTS Racing with Viswas Vijayaraj from Nellore for company while Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair (Momentum Motorsports) was third. The eight-lapper, after much jostling in the early stages, settled down with Diljith forging his way to the front followed by Viswas.
The pair pulled away from the pack to finish in that order, well ahead of Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair (Momentum Motorsports) who did well to make four spots after starting from P7.
Coimbatore ace Arjun Balu, 47, the defending champion from Race Concepts (Bengaluru) stable, set the pace in the premier Indian Touring Cars category, by qualifying for pole position with a hot lap of 01min, 50.000secs. He was well ahead of 2017 winner, Arjun Narendran (01:52.560), also from Coimbatore, and who is returning to full-time racing after a five-year break.
The two Volkswagen Virtus cars, making their debut in the championship, and driven by Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) and Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) were fourth and fifth, respectively, some 2.9 seconds off Balu’s pace.
From Left: Shahan Ali Mohsin (2nd), Sai Sanjay (winner) and Yash Aradhya on MRF F2000 Race 1 podium at Madras International circuit on Saturday. A Shameem Fahath image Chennai veteran Gurunath Meyyappan (Race Concepts), staging a return to racing after a prolonged break, took pole position in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category as did another local racer, Ritesh Rai (Performance Racing) in the Super Stock class.
Provisional results:
MRF F2000 (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Sai Sanjay T (Salem) (15min, 47.253secs); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (15:47.856); 3. Yash Aradhya S (Bengaluru) (15:51.725).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Diljith Shaji (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (14:59.136); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (15:03.587); 3. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru, Momentum Motorsports) (15:12.926).
MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios – Race 1, 8 laps): 1. Justin Singh (Gurugram) (16:32.066); 2. Diana Pundole (Pune) (16:34.812); 3. Angad Matharoo (Chandigarh) (16:41.338).
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the Madras International Circuit (earlier MMRT), in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC installed Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
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Japanese GP: Verstappen takes pole but is under investigation
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took F1 Japanese GP pole from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz but the Dutchman is under investigation.
Q1:
It was dry to start the F1 Japanese GP qualifying at Suzuka with the Mercedes pair opting for medium tyres for their first run. Williams’ Alexander Albon had one of his fast laps getting deleted, while the AlphaTauri pair suffered brake problems.
At the front, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace with a 1m30.224s lap, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in second and third in Q1. The knockout zone saw Albon (1m31.311s) missing out on Q2 by just the 0.055s margin in 16th.
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m31.322s) was frustrated with the continuous brake issue to be only 17th with Haas’ Kevin Magnnusen (1m31.352s) 18th, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll (1m31.419s) 19th and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi (1m31.511s) 20th.
Q2:
The second part in F1 Japanese GP qualifying saw Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on top with a 1m29.925s lap as he led Alpine’s Fernando Alonso who set a late quick lap. The Mexican’s teammate Verstappen ended up third from the other Alpine of Esteban Ocon.
Replays showed a moment in the pits between Haas’ Mick Schumacher and AlphaTauri’s Tsunoda where the German overtook him as they headed out. On their out lap, the Japanese driver complained of dangerous driving/weaving from the German.
But eventually they both were knocked out, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m30.659s) was first in 11th – losing out by just the 0.003s margin. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m30.709s) was 12th from Tsunoda (1m30.808s), Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu (1m30.953s) and Schumacher (1m31.439s).
Q3:
The final part in F1 Japanese GP at Suzuka saw Red Bull’s Verstappen set the pace for provisional pole with a 1m29.304s but replays showed the Dutchman having a moment against McLaren’s Lando Norris in a bizarre moment.
There was a gap between Verstappen and Norris at the 130R, and the Dutchman went for tyre weaving where he lost a bit of his rear. The Brit just arrived at the left-hander and both were caught out as he had to take evasive action to avoid him.
He went on the grass as Verstappen apologised to him but the moment has been put under investigation. On the standings, the Dutchman led the Ferrari pair of Leclerc and Sainz ahead of their final runs in the fight for F1 Japanese GP pole.
Both of them came close in the end but it was not enough as despite Verstappen not improving on his final attempt, he took F1 Japanese GP pole by 0.010s from Leclerc (1m29.314s) while Sainz (1m29.361s) was 0.057s behind.
Replays showed a moment for Verstappen on the kerb where he lost a part of his car too. Teammate Perez (1m29.709s) was fourth from Alpine’s Ocon (1m30.165s) after the Frenchman put a late good lap from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (1m30.261s).
The Brit had the other Alpine of Alonso (1m30.322s) in seventh with the other Mercedes of George Russell (1m30.389s) in eighth from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel (1m30.554s) and McLaren’s Norris (1m31.003s) in the Top 10.
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Japanese GP: Verstappen sets pace in dry FP3 from Ferrari pair
Max Verstappen ended up fastest in the first dry running in F1 Japanese GP in FP3 from Ferrari pair of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
As expected, it was dry weather conditions in Suzuka for the FP3 session in F1 Japanese GP weekend, as Red Bull’s Verstappen set the pace with a 1m30.671s lap from the Ferrari pair of Sainz (1m30.965s) and Leclerc (1m30.980s) on the soft compound.
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso (1m31.320s) showed strong form in fourth from the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez (1m31.514s) despite a small moment for the Spaniard, with the Mercedes pair of George Russell (1m31.530s) and Lewis Hamilton (1m31.589s) in sixth and seventh behind them.
The Brit had couple of run-ins in the session, one against Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and other with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly. The leading McLaren of Lando Norris (1m31.747s) was eighth from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m31.750s).
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll (1m31.838s) put in a good lap to be 10th, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo not far behind in 11th. Williams’ Alexander Albon also showed pace in 12th from Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas who dropped outside the Top 10.
Vettel was 14th from the Haas pair of Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher, where the German returned to the cockpit with a new chassis fitted. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda was only 17th from Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu in the order.
Williams’ Nicholas Latifi ended up 19th despite a moment, while AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly – who will switch to Alpine in 2023 – was only 20th after he couldn’t stitch in a quick fast lap.
