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Aleix Espargaro pips Pecco to pole by just 0.031
A new all-time Lap Record sees the Aprilia rider take pole on home turf, with Bagnaia and Quartararo alongside
Barcelona, 4 June 2022: Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro reset his own All Time Lap Record to claim pole position for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, coming out on top in a three-way fight for pole in MotoGP™ Q2 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Aprilia rider’s 1:38.742 saw him prevail by just 0.031 seconds over Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia, with World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) also set to start from the front row on Sunday afternoon after ending Q2 less than two tenths further back.
Q1
Q1 saw Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) prevail, with the fight going right to the wire and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) snatching second, and the final spot in Q2, from rookie sensation and Mugello front row starter Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). From there, it was on to Q2 with both Aprilias…Q2
It was tight at the end of the first runs, with Quartararo top on a 1:39.055, Bagnaia second at just a hundredth of a second off the pace, and Aleix Espargaro only two thousandths slower again in third.While track temperature was approaching 60 degrees Celsius, the pace was just as hot when riders came back out for their second runs. Bagnaia raised the stakes when he punched out a 1:38.787, only 0.016 seconds away from the lap record which Aleix Espargaro had achieved in FP3, before taking an excursion through the run-off area at Turn 1. The Aprilia rider then snatched provisional pole back with that 1:38.742, while Quartararo consolidated third spot with a 1:38.959.
Aleix Espargaro was still pushing on his final lap when he outbraked himself at Turn 10, and Bagnaia was also continuing to chase time. This was it as the Ducati rider continued to find the pace to challenge, but it wasn’t quite enough as he crossed the line and was forced to settle for second. Quartararo, meanwhile, secured third but two tenths off the top.
The Grid
Behind three of the top four in the Championship as Aleix Espargaro heads Bagnaia and Quartararo, it’s a horde of Bologna bullets on Row 2. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) finished Q2 with a 1:39.027 to claim fourth, and he was just 0.072 seconds up on Mugello’s sensational rookie polesitter: Fabio Di Giannantonio. ‘Diggia’ impressed once more, taking another top five on the grid.Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) was sixth-quickest courtesy of the 1:39.142 he set on his first run, likewise Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in seventh on a 1:39.145.
While 0.403 seconds separated first from seventh in qualifying, Viñales was 0.252 seconds further back in eighth spot, with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) also making it onto Row 3. The fourth row will be headed up by Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), from Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and the second of Q1 graduate in Nakagami.
So where’s Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™)? The sole top five title contender out in Q1 lines up in P14, just behind Bezzecchi.
Row 5 is completed by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who took a detour through the Turn 10 gravel trap on his final lap.
Then it’s Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in 16th, ahead of 2020 Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™). Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) missed the session after a nasty-looking crash in FP4 which saw the Spaniard taken to the medical centre for an x-ray on his left wrist, rider to be reviewed before Warm Up.
That’s a wrap on Saturday, with a title contender showdown sitting on the front row and plenty of challengers looking to move forward and join the party. Can Aleix Espargaro take a second MotoGP™ win? Will Bagnaia and Quartararo have more in the locker on race pace? We’ll find out at 14:00 (GMT +2), so don’t miss it!
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Mahindra Racing profile in ABB FIA Formula E
Bengaluru, 1 Jan 2022: Mahindra Racing has competed in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship since Season 1, representing the Indian car giant on a global sporting scale in single-seater motor racing.
Indian Car Giant
Formula E is Indian car giant Mahindra’s first foray into international single-seater racing, and it has been committed to the series since its inaugural campaign. The company is a manufacturer of electric cars, and utilises its competition in the championship as a fast-paced test-bed to develop and refine its groundbreaking electric vehicle technology through its ‘Race to Road’ programme.
Breakthrough win
The team scored its breakthrough win in the 2016/17 campaign and in 2017/18, went on to score two further victories thanks to Swedish driver Felix Rosenqvist, who raced alongside German driver Nick Heidfeld.
In the 2017/18 season, the team got off to a strong start before technical issues reduced Felix Rosenqvist’s title hopes to nothing more than a distant dream. The team finished fourth overall, one place behind where it finished at the end of 2016/17.
In Season 5, the team was fronted by long-standing Formula E, and former Dragon driver Jerome d’Ambrosio as well as rookie driver Pascal Wehrlein. Another victory followed as d’Ambrosio scooped a win in Marrakesh, and was denied a second of the season by in heartbreaking fashion in Mexico City as Wehrlein saw the winner’s Moet & Chandon champagne stolen from his grasp at the last by Lucas di Grassi just meters from the finish line.
New M6Electro
After a strong season Season 5, Mahindra headed into the 2019/20 campaign with the new M6Electro. Jerome D’Ambrosio closed out a two-year stint with the team with 16th in the standings and four top ten finishes over the season, seeing him edge former team-mate Pascal Wehrlein’s Berlin replacement Alex Lynn by just a point. Lynn’s exploits at Tempelhof were impressive. Three Super Pole appearances were backed up with good points in the final three rounds on the way to 17th in the Drivers’ table.
Stunning home win for Lynn
Such was the intensely competitive nature of Season 7 that Mahindra found itself down in ninth spot in the Teams’ table. A stunning maiden win on home soil for Alex Lynn – as well as an expert suplex by Team Principal Dilbagh Gill in celebration in the pit-lane – crowned a glorious weekend for the team in London. A string of five retirements in 11 races stunted Alexander Sims’ progress after an encouraging podium in Rome. He wound up ninth with Lynn finishing the season 12th in the Drivers’ running thanks to podiums in New York and Valencia, on top of that victory in the UK capital.
All British line-up for 2021-22
It’s an all-British line-up again for the team in Season 8, with Oliver Rowland joining Alexander Sims for 2021/22.
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TVS RR 310 clocks 201.2 km per hour, becomes fastest Indian motorcycle
Sepang, 3 June 2022: TVS Racing, the factory racing team of TVS Motor Company, achieves a historic landmark by becoming the first Indian race bike to cross the 200 km/h mark. India’s first factory racing team’s Asia RR 310 OMC Race bike clocked a staggering top speed of 201.2 km/hr at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. The achievement is a testament to TVS Racing’s constant efforts to enhance its technological prowess and maintain its leadership in the two-wheeler motorsports scene. Participants in the TVS Asia One Make Championship 2022 are riding sixteen extensively modified Race-Spec TVS Asia One Make Apache RR 310 motorcycles, imbibed with TVS Motor’s racing DNA.
Commenting on the achievement, Mr Vimal Sumbly, Head – Premium Business, TVS Motor Company, said, “We are constantly exciting this segment by democratizing racing through initiatives like the TVS One-Make Championship and Apache Racing Experience. These initiatives give enthusiastic riders a platform to hone their skills and prove their mettle. It is also a means for us to push the technological and engineering limits of the TVS Apache series through our “Track to Road” philosophy, thus increasing the performance and fun quotient. The results of these initiatives are visible as TVS Apache has become the fastest growing brand in its segment.”
The TVS Apache RR 310 Asia OMC race bike designed and engineered from the ground up has received substantial technology for an uncompromised racetrack performance
- 312cc DOHC four-valve liquid-cooled engine
- 38 percent higher power output than the road-legal TVS Apache RR 310
- Forged pistons, Titanium valves and HLHD Cams
- RAM Air Intake system that boosts the top speed.
- Lightweight carbon fibre parts, including all bodywork, wheels and subframe
- Ohlins adjustable and custom-built suspension
- Dunlop soft compound radial racing tyres
Highlights of the first round of TVS Asia OMC, the first-ever road racing championship by an Indian manufacturer on a global level
- 16 riders from 8 countries, including three Indian riders, namely KY Ahamed, Deepak Ravikumar and 10-time INMRC winner – Jagan Kumar, battled it out on the track
- Race 1 witnessed Vorapong Malahuan riding to glory, followed by Decky Tiamo Aldy, who recorded the fastest lap time of 2:28:477.
- Race 2 saw Muhammad Fitri Ashraf set a staggering lap time of 2:27:433 and make an impressive climb to the top from the number five spot in Race 1
- It was a mixed weekend for the Indian riders as KY Ahamed, and Jagan Kumar finished in the top 10 in both races.
- Deepak Ravikumar met with a crash during Race 2 and hopes to make a strong comeback in the next round.
Race Results –
Race 1
1st – Vorapong Malahuan (Thailand)
2nd – Decky Tiamo Aldy (Indonesia)
3rd – Varis Felix Fleming (Australia)
Race 2
1st – Muhammad Fitri Ashraf (Malaysia)
2nd – Decky Tiamo Aldy (Indonesia)
3rd – Vorapong Malahuan (Thailand)
The second round of the TVS Asia One Make Championship is scheduled from August 12-14, 2022, at Sugo International Circuit in Japan. This will be followed by the final two rounds, for which venues are to be confirmed tentatively in October and November, respectively.
About TVS Racing:
TVS Racing, a pioneer in building Motorsports in India since 1982, has been integral in growing the racing performance culture and has been pivotal in engineering the TVS Apache series through the company’s “Track to Road” strategy. The brand has redefined the sports segment by focusing on race performance, making it a highly desirable product for sports enthusiasts. This has resulted in TVS Apache and TVS NTORQ 125 becoming the fastest growing brands in their respective segments. TVS Racing is also the pioneer of the One Make Championship in the country, the first Indian manufacturer to introduce the series in India in 1994.
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MotoGP riders gear up for the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Quartararo, Aleix Espargaro, Bastianini and Bagnaia talk business in Barcelona
Barcelona, 2 June 2022: Ahead of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, the pre-event Press Conference saw reigning Champion and Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) joined by closest challenger and home hero Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), three-time MotoGP™ race winner Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Mugello victor Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) to talk about the weekend ahead.
Here are some key quotes!
On a new deal with Yamaha:
Fabio Quartararo: “It was not an easy decision and we took a little bit more time to evaluate all of the project and, in the end, Yamaha made a lot of effort to bring a lot of new people and they know where they need to improve. The last two or three years they were working on some areas or another and now they know where they need to improve. They know clearly it’s the power, so I’m super happy because they really understand. They are doing their best to find what we are missing and I believe in the project, so that’s why we took the decision a few weeks ago. Of course, it was a good decision.”Why stay with Yamaha?
FQ20: “My first goal is to have the best bike and the best project like I said before. They convinced me because they’re bringing new people, they are working super hard and they know exactly where they need to improve. In the past maybe they were working on a few different areas but they don’t really accept the bike was slower than the others. Now they know and they are clearly working on this weak point, so that’s what made me take the decision to stay at Yamaha.”Thoughts on this weekend?
“Last year was a strange weekend. I always feel good in this track. I had my first podium here in MotoGP, first win in Moto2, last year we were really fast, so there is no reason we cannot fight for a great result this year. Of course, we know that we have the long straight here but in with Mugello, it was a problem, but we finished second. Hopefully here we can feel much better from tomorrow morning and work a lot better than in Mugello and see if we can have a great pace since FP1.”How special is it to come to your home race with a genuine chance of winning?
Aleix Espargaro: “It’s crazy, sincerely. Every year, the home GP is special, it’s very beautiful, very nice. During my career, when you’re young, it’s more difficult to deal with this pressure, to deal with a lot of people coming, but year-by-year, I have tried to improve this and I make it more normal. But this year again, it’s completely different because I arrive in the best shape of my career, fighting on top, so it’s fantastic. I feel very good and I will try to enjoy it as much as I can, working hard from FP1 to prepare the bike and put a good show on Sunday.”Do you feel any extra pressure here as a Championship contender, and if so, how do you deal with it?
AE41: “Not really. I had extra pressure here when I arrived in 10th, 12th place in the championship and I was dreaming of fighting for the podium. I crashed every year because I went 200 percent and I wasn’t myself and the bike was not ready to go at the results that I was dreaming about. So, actually this year, I don’t have more pressure, it’s the opposite. I know I will enjoy it, I have no doubt that the bike will be competitive here, and I have no doubt that I will be competitive here as well, so I am trying to keep the feet on the ground but enjoy it as much as I can.”What do you think will be the strengths of your RS-GP around this circuit?
AE41: “More or less, the bike is working everywhere. But, for example, in Mugello behind Fabio, I struggled a lot on the change of direction, he was able to carry a lot more speed than me. Here in Barcelona, there is less change of direction, but also the engine performance is very, very important, so Pecco and ‘Bestia’ will be very strong as well because they’ve been also on the last races. Of course, every circuit has its points that are good and bad for my bike, but I think Barcelona suits the RS-GP quite well.”Tell us about your helmet this weekend:
AE41: “Four years ago, here during the Barcelona GP, my twins were born, and my girl had a problem with her heart. She’s been operated on twice, and I suffered a lot then. It is to thank CorAll Family and the group of doctors that did everything possible. I have a feeling that I arrive now and I have a huge impact on people, on society, so it’s my way of saying thanks to them, and paying tribute to them. Mia is still too young to realise this, but for the doctors, for everyone at CorAll Family, it’s my way of saying thanks to them.”Thoughts on the weekend?
Enea Bastianini: “It’s a nice track for me. It’s fast but also a very technical circuit. I come from a not-so-beautiful race in Mugello because I crashed. I’m motivated to start in the best mood here. Last year it was a little bit complicated for me, the first time with the MotoGP bike and the grip of the asphalt is not too high. I have to adapt my riding style a little bit this year. We will see what we can do and we have to do our 100% percent.“I have to be more consistent because I’ve made some really good races but then some are not really nice like in Mugello and in Portimao. I have to do more to stay more concentrated in the future and also to enjoy it.
“In Le Mans but also in Mugello I missed a little bit of feeling on the front, especially in the entry of the corner. I think we understand why it’s been difficult for me to stop the bike in straight-line braking. We know what we have to modify on the setup to resolve this problem.”
Catalunya has not always been a great track for you; what are your thoughts going into this weekend?
Francesco Bagnaia: “In 10 years in the World Championship, I have never had a good result here. My last podium was in 2012, in the Spanish championship, so I have to change this situation a bit. In any case, it’s one of my favourite Grands Prix of the year, I always like to travel here, I like the track, I like the people, and it’s great. But, for sure it will be important to do the same work we did last weekend, from FP1. We already know that racing here is like doing flat track, so it will be very important to understand that and improve our grip with the setting.”Will the key focus in practice be on how to manage the tyres for the last 10 laps of the race?
FB63: “Yeah, the drop-off of the tyres on this track, especially on the right side, is heavy, so it will not be easy. Last year, the three guys on the podium, and Fabio, had the hard rear, so the consumption is high, and it will be very important to be smart in the race. It will not be easy because normally when the grip is low, we have to change the setting a bit, because my setting is a bit different, so let’s see. We will have a lot of work to do in these days but I am quite sure that we will be competitive.”Do you think you and the other three riders seated here are the clear Championship contenders now?
FB63: “It’s the same as what I said in Mugello. I think that we can be the contenders for the title. There is still a lot of races to go but at the moment, it’s like this…” -
Revised calendar for FIM India Mini-GP
Bengaluru, 2 June 2022: FIM and Dorna Sports, the promoters of MotoGP and FIM MiniGP world series have changed the calendar of the India events for the 10 to 14 year riders in India as they are clashing with the other two-wheeler Racing Nationals.
In what could be a game-changer for two-wheeler racing in the country, India has been included in the FIM MiniGP World Series 2022 with a five-round competition under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). The India series, comprising 10 races, will be held in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, from July.
FIM, the World governing body for two-wheeler racing, in conjunction with Dorna Sports, promoters of the FIM MotoGP, launched the MiniGP Series in 2021, as part of the Road To MotoGP programme, aiming to create an equal platform for young riders around the World to begin their motorcycle racing careers. The Series is restricted to riders in the 10-14 years age-group.
The FIM MiniGP World Series India 2022 kicks-off with selection trials in Bengaluru on July 2-3 at Meco Kartopia. The first of the five rounds will also be held at Meco Kartopia, on July 23-24, before moving to Hyderabad for the next two rounds and then returning to Bengaluru for the final two rounds. Each round will comprise two races.
The selected riders will compete on equal Ohvale GP-0 160 machinery (Mini bikes) while Pirelli is the official single tyre supplier for all the FIM MiniGP World Series with a standard tyre allocation given per event. All the five rounds (10 races) will be run on karting tracks that meet minimum standards set by the FIM or the national federation.
The uniqueness of the India series is that the reputed Italian manufacturer Ohvale will provide mini bikes and full racing kit besides service at no cost to the competitor. KYT will provide helmets while Videm, Ohvale India and RMS Motorsport are the main sponsors.
India, along with Australia, Austria, Indonesia, Japan and Qatar are the new additions to the Series that already includes 10 other countries – France, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, North America, Portugal, Spain, the UK and Alpe-Adria.
fmsci president Akbar Ebrahim said: “We welcome the FIM MiniGP World Series to India. It is a big step forward in our efforts to identify, nurture and promote young talent in our country. The Series also presents a massive platform for talented youngsters to showcase their skills and pursue their racing dreams. It is a great initiative on part of Ohvale to provide the machines and riding gear without charge and hopefully, this incentive will encourage and inspire more youngsters to take to the sport.”
Marco Rossetto, Product Manager, Ohvale India, said: “The FIM MiniGP World Series India is a fruition of the groundwork we did in the past few years. India is a logical choice considering the two-wheeler population. We plan to tap and harness the abundant racing talent, and hopefully, India will produce a MotoGP rider in the near future. The response thus far has been tremendous and we are grateful to the FMSCI for granting us permission besides actively involving in the programme.”
The 2022 Calendar
July 2-3: Tryouts and selections, Kartopia circuit, Bengaluru
July 23-24: Round 1, Meco Kartopia circuit, Bengaluru
August 20-21: Round 2, Chicane circuit, Hyderabad
August 27-28: Round 3, Chicane circuit, Hyderabad
Sept 10-11: Round 4, Meco Kartopia circuit, Bengaluru
Sept 24-25: Round 5, Meco Kartopia circuit, Bengaluru
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Monaco GP: Perez survives multiple difficulties to win from Sainz
Sergio Perez survived rain, red flag and late charge to win F1 Monaco GP with Max Verstappen third behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
What looked like a dry start turned into a wet one with the FIA delaying the F1 Monaco GP start with the rain pouring down. The race director gave them time to change the tyres to full wet as the rain started getting heavier as predicted.
After a delay, the formation started behind the safety car but with the rain getting heavier, the race was red-flagged. After a long delay, the race finally got going behind the safety car. With the cars behind the safety car, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll had a wall brush.
He had a puncture to dive into the pits while Williams’ Nicholas Latifi had a moment at the hairpin. There was an unsafe release situation from Aston Martin side as Latifi, Stroll and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly pitted to switch onto the intermediate tyres.
After few laps, Haas’ Mick Schumacher also pitted for intermediates, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc led the F1 Monaco GP from Carlos Sainz, Red Bull pair of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris in the Top 5.
Mercedes’ George Russell was sixth with teammate Lewis Hamilton eighth behind Alpine’s Fernando Alonso. His teammate Esteban Ocon passed Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel for ninth. With Gasly starting to set a good time on intermediates, others started to pit.
His tyres tarted to come alive as he started to pass the cars ahead on the wet compound, but the leaders had the plan to switch onto the dry tyres rather than choose the intermediates. That didn’t work out though as they switched to intermediates.
Sainz stayed out to switch onto dry tyres but Perez caught him up while Leclerc and Verstappen started to catch them too. Russell remained out to be fifth with Norris, Alonso, Hamilton, Ocon and Stroll in the Top 10.
But there was contact between Hamilton and Ocon when the Brit stopped for intermediate tyres and the Frenchman didn’t. The former tried a move on the latter at Turn 1 but the two collided as the Mercedes continued to chase for few laps after that.
He finally got ahead in the pits as there was drama up front as well. Both Ferrari and Red Bull drivers went for a double stack to switch onto the hard tyres. The gamble for Sainz almost paid off but Perez pounced onto the lead due to his intermediate stint.
While Sainz didn’t get the lead but he got ahead of his teammate Leclerc, who lost three places to be fourth behind Verstappen. The Monegasque was furious but both Red Bull drivers were in a spot of bother for pit exit situation.
Russell jumped Norris for fifth with Alonso seventh, Hamilton eighth, Ocon ninth and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in the Top 10. The race was nuetralised with Virtual Safety Car which changed to full Safety Car for a crash for Haas’ Mick Schumacher.
He lost control near Swimming Pool section and smashed onto the barrier where his car cut into half with the rear cut. This was a double retirement for Haas after a water pressure leak on Kevin Magnussen’s car. The Dane had just stopped a couple of laps ago, as the F1 Monaco GP was red-flagged for the barrier to be repaired.
Post red flag:
With the barrier repaired, the F1 Monaco GP started under rolling start. The grid had a mixture of tyres with some on medium tyres and some on hard where Perez led Sainz, Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, Norris, Alonso, Hamilton, Ocon and Bottas in the Top 10.
It was train at the front but Alonso slowed the pack behind him where he was lapping nearly 3s slower than others, holding up Hamilton, Ocon, Bottas and others behind. The Frenchman had a 5s penalty for causing a collision with Hamilton earlier in the race.
As Albon retired with a mechanical issue, Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu had a massive save on the exit of the tunnel where he nearly collided with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. Inside the Top 10, Alonso finally started to increase his pace as Norris took a free stop.
The race at the front started to close in with Perez struggling with tyres. That brought Sainz, Verstappen and Leclerc into the game with the four stuck together within a second of each other which raised the intensity of the grand prix in closing stages.
Despite some moments, Perez held off Sainz to win F1 Monaco GP with Verstappen and Leclerc in the Top 4 where they were separated by 1.4s. Russell was fifth from Norris with Alonso in seventh from Hamilton, Ocon and Bottas in the Top 10.
With the penalty to Ocon, Bottas moved up to ninth with Vettel making it into the Top 10. He dropped to 12th behind Gasly, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo in 13th, Stroll 14th, Latifi 15th, Guanyu 16th and Tsunoda 17th – where everyone from Latifi to Tsunoda ended up a lap down.
DNF: Albon, Schumacher, Magnussen.
UPDATE: Ferrari has lodged a protest against both Perez and Verstappen for ‘allegedly failing to stay to the right of the yellow line at pit exit’. During the grand prix, the Mexican was noted for this incident, while an unclear video of the Dutchman was aired but no other notification was shared post that. Team is expected to meet the stewards at 19:15 local time.
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Kush Maini, the lone Indian star in Formula 3
Kush Maini is the youngest of the Maini brothers from Bengaluru. He is one of the top three Formula drivers currently in India and is taking part in the FIA Formula 3 races. Here is the Formula 3 interview with the Indian star: Get to know MP Motorsport’s Kush Maini as he runs through his driving style, favourite track and who his pick is for racing hero.
NAME: Kush Maini DATE OF BIRTH: 22/09/2000 NATIONALITY: Indian 2022 TEAM: MP Motorsport
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
“I grew up in Bangalore, India, went to school there, but I moved to the UK quite early on for karting. Then I’ve also lived in Italy in Switzerland, so I’ve been about. The last four years, I’ve lived in the UK and that’s where I conduct all my training and I think it’s just an easier base than India even though I’d love to live at home. It’s just too far away.”
FIRST RACING MEMORY
“My first win in karts when I was 10 in the Indian National Championship.
“The fact that there were a lot of drivers older than me, Jehan (Daruvala) was racing in it. It was a good race to win. I had never won before that year and it was the last one, I just managed to win it. So that gave me confidence.”
RACING STYLE
“I would say aggressive. Of course it just depends on the situation. If it’s a track with a lot of high-speed corners, you want to go easy on the steering. Whereas if you take a race situation, you know if you’re starting second or third, you’ve got to be smart.”
RACING HEROES
“I would say for sure, (Ayrton) Senna, but to be a bit different – Jim Clark. I love the history and I think one of the reasons I like him is he never really went over the limit. He was always right on the edge. But when you look at his onboards or whatever, when drivers describe how he was so smooth and never really made any errors.
“So that’s just out of the car, his whole personality was just – you could be really good friends with him or you see some stills or pictures or videos of him where you’d be quite scared to race against him, so I really liked the way he was.”
BIGGEST RACING ACHIEVEMENT
“I would say my 2020 year in British Formula 3. We had a really good lead in the first half the season by like 60 points or something and it was looking good. Obviously I finished second but I think that year, we were the new team coming into the Championship and we really gave Carlin, which was one of the best in that Championship at the time, a run for their money. So I would say that year was quite good.”
BEST THING ABOUT BEING A RACING DRIVER
“I think the discipline it teaches you. I think it just improves you as a person. There’s a lot more structure in your life. The last few years when I’ve got really serious with the racing, I think my life structure has changed. I’m really focused on the training so I think it’s the qualities that it teaches you.”
FAVOURITE TRACK
“Silverstone – I drove there a lot in British F3 so I know it pretty well and I just love the atmosphere. And I get to sleep in my own bed.”
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Jehan Daruvala claims second place in Sprint: F2
Monte Carlo, 28 May 2022: Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala of Prema Racing claimed second place behind his teammate in the FIA Formula 2 Championship here on Saturday.
“P2 in Monaco is a happy result. It feels great to be on the podium. A big congratulations to my team Prema Racing,” said Daruvala after the race.
PREMA Racing’s Dennis Hauger secured his first win in Formula 2 around the streets of Monte Carlo. The Norwegian capitalised on a stall by reverse pole-man Jake Hughes at lights out to assume the lead of the race and he never looked back. Jehan Daruvala made it a PREMA one-two, with Marcus Armstrong following closely behind to complete the podium.
Enzo Fittipaldi continued his great form, finishing the race fourth after fending off Jüri Vips for most of the 30 laps. Théo Pourchaire followed in sixth position, with Jack Doohan, Liam Lawson, Roy Nissany and Logan Sargeant completing the top 10.
AS IT HAPPENED
Daruvala, left, on the podium after taking 2nd in the F2 Sprint race on Saturday. Reverse pole-sitter Hughes stalled off the line allowing Hauger a clean run into Saint Devote to take the lead. Daruvala followed closely ahead of Armstrong, Fittipaldi and Vips. Pourchaire was on the move, diving up the inside of Doohan to take sixth position from the Virtuosi Racing driver on the opening lap.
Felipe Drugovich meanwhile plummeted and was in the pits at the end of the opening lap having sustained a puncture and fallen to last place. He made a bold call to switch to the full wets, reporting that drops of rain were beginning to fall. Those spots remained fine as he fell to over a minute behind Hauger. The Championship leader pitted again on lap four for dry tyres, going a lap down in the process. To compound the MP Motorsport driver’s woes, he was handed a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
With DRS enabled, Hauger had moved 1.5s clear of Daruvala but there was queue was starting to form behind Fittipaldi in fourth. Vips, Pourchaire, Doohan and Liam Lawson were part of the train, but there was no way through on the Charouz Racing System driver.
The racing remained under green flag conditions until lap 10 when Clément Novalak hit the wall on the exit of La Rascasse. A dive up the inside by Ayumu Iwasa got him side-by-side with the Frenchman, leading to the MP Motorsport driver tagging the barriers on corner exit. It brought the Safety Car out as Novalak’s car was recovered. Iwasa was in at the end of the next lap for a new front wing, dropping him to 17th. The Japanese driver later received a 10-second time penalty for the incident.
The Safety Car was withdrawn on lap 13 and Hauger resumed his comfortable lead, gaining over a second on Daruvala during the first lap back racing. Hughes had got going after his stall at the start and was the fastest man on track at the halfway stage of the Sprint Race. Unfortunately for the Van Amersfoort Racing driver, he was 16s down on the next car up the road and circulating in 19th.
Having re-joined the race five laps down and on the wet tyres, Drugovich retired on lap 20. Meanwhile, PREMA Racing were enjoying a one-two heading into the final 10 laps, though Daruvala was being pressured by Armstrong for P2, with the Hitech Grand Prix driver on the brink of being within DRS range.
Down the order, Olli Caldwell had a lock-up into the Nouvelle Chicane and lightly tagged the back of Marino Sato’s Virtuosi car. Both avoided major damage and continued on in 15th and 16th respectively with five laps to go.
Up in front, nobody could get close to Hauger, who’d disappeared six seconds up the road by the chequered flag. Daruvala held onto second after late pressure from Armstrong. Fittipaldi likewise resisted the pressure from Vips behind to claim fourth while Pourchaire, Doohan – who claimed the fastest lap on the final tour – Lawson, Nissany and Sargeant kept it clean to each finish in the top 10.
KEY QUOTE – Dennis Hauger, PREMA Racing
“(My) first win in Formula 2, really happy with that. It was a good race, obviously Jake (Hughes) stalled, but from then on I just tried to keep everything clean and keep up some good pace. Really happy with this win in Monaco. Hopefully we can fight for a bit more tomorrow as well.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW
Drugovich remains the Championship leader on 88 points, meanwhile, Pourchaire moves onto 63 point. Daruvala’s second-place finish keeps him third in the standings, while Armstrong demotes Lawson to fifth, moving onto 42 points versus the Carlin driver’s 38.
The Teams’ Standings is still lead by MP Motorsport on 110 points, with ART Grand Prix remaining in second now on 88. Behind both though, Hitech Grand Prix jump Carlin for third, now on 76 and 74 points respectively.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Monte Carlo Feature Race will take place on Sunday with lights out at 09:50 local time.
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Monaco GP: Leclerc secures pole from Sainz as Perez is P3 despite crash
Charles Leclerc took F1 Monaco GP pole in a Ferrari 1-2 from Carlos Sainz as Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was third despite late crash.
Q1:
The first part in F1 Monaco GP qualifying was smooth with no big incidents. The Ferrari pair led the way with Charles Leclerc setting a 1m12.569s lap from Carlos Sainz as Mercedes’ George Russell slotted in third after a late improvement.
Just as the business end of the session kicked-off, there was a red flag after AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda brushed the barrier at the exit of the tunnel around the chicane. He limped back into the pits with a puncture on the front-left.
The red flag disrupted the session for the drivers in the bottom half who were left with little time to make it into Q2. The improvements from others left AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly in a bad position as he got knocked out in 17th with a 1m13.660s lap.
His teammate’s wall brush eventually cost him with Williams’ Alexander Albon also knocked out in 16th with a 1m13.611s lap. His teammate Nicholas Latifi (1m1.403s) was 19th behind an angry Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll (1m13.678s) and ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu (1m15.506s) who didn’t make in time to start his final flying lap.
Q2:
The second part in F1 Monaco GP started with a close fight between Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and the Ferrari duo where the Mexican led the duo who were separated by 0.033s. The order changed post the initial run as Leclerc was fastest with a 1m11.864s lap.
He missed the weigh bridge but stopped before entering the pits and was pushed back. The Monegasque led Perez by 0.090s with Sainz slotting in third. The knockout zone saw a late push from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel put others at risk.
AlphaTauri’s Tsunoda missed out in 11th with a 1m12.797s lap as a late push from Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m12.909s) did not help to make it into Top 10 where he ended up 12th as Haas’ Kevin Magnussen (1m12.921s) was 13th from McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m12.964s) and Haas’ Mick Schumacher (1m13.081s).
Q3:
The final part in F1 Monaco GP saw Ferrari’s Leclerc set the initial pace with a 1m11.376s lap which was 0.2s faster than teammate Sainz and also Red Bull’s Perez, who once again was quicker than teammate Max Verstappen in the Top 4.
The best of the rest was a duel between McLaren’s Norris and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso, who shared the fifth spot. But before the final runs could come in, the session was red-flagged after a crash for Red Bull’s Perez before the entry to tunnel.
It caught out Sainz (1m11.601s) too with others caught in the traffic jam when the session was not re-started. It handed a F1 Monaco GP pole to Leclerc with the Spaniard making it a 1-2 finish from Perez (1m11.629s) and Verstappen (1m11.666s).
Perez lost the rear and hit the barrier, while Sainz was unsighted and a last-minute brake moment into the corner led him to hit him. The Spaniard noted that he didn’t have the time to react after missing the yellow flag marker.
McLaren’s Norris (1m11.849s) was best of the rest in fifth with Mercedes’ George Russell (1m12.112s) slotting in sixth ahead of Alpine’s Alonso (1m12.247s), Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (1m12.360s), Aston Martin’s Vettel (1m12.732s) and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m13.047s) in the Top 10.
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Monaco GP: Perez goes fastest in FP3 from Leclerc by 0.041s
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez pipped Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.041s to lead FP3 of F1 Monaco GP, with Carlos Sainz in third.
It started off a cleaner FP3 session in F1 Monaco GP but by the end of it there were impeding and incidents but not enough to cause any red flags. The Turn 1 caught out the likes of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Stroll was also involved in impeding case with Sainz, while the Canadian also brushed the barrier and damaged his front wing in the Swimming Pool section. It ended his session, while teammate Sebastian Vettel was impeding by Sainz too.
He was hugely upset at the case with Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou also on the impeding list against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Another late impeding case was between Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez where the latter was the guilty party.
The Mexican managed to set the pace in FP3 of F1 Monaco GP with a late 1m12.76s lap where he pipped Leclerc by 0.041s after his late lap of 1m12.512s. Behind, Sainz (1m12.846s) slotted in third with Verstappen only fourth.
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly continued his fine Monaco GP run in fifth with McLaren’s Lando Norris in sixth ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton who managed to bring down the deficit to under a second. Teammate Russell was ninth behind Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.
The Top 10 was rounded out by Alpine’s Fernando Alonso with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in 11th from Haas’ Mick Schumacher, Aston Martin’s Vettel, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Williams’ Alexander Albon in the Top 15.
McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo returned after a crash in FP2 but was only 16th after facing brake issues, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon not having a great time in 17th from Stroll, Zhou and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi to round out the 20 drivers.
