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  • MMSC geares up for APRC, Asia Cup, INRC

    MMSC geares up for APRC, Asia Cup, INRC

    Chennai, 23 March 2022: In what promises to be an action-packed weekend, the 44th South India Rally, which doubles up as a round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship 2022, and the final round of The FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 with MRF Tyres as the Associate Sponsor, will be held in Sriperumbudur, about 40 Kms from here, on March 25-27. 

    Organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, celebrating its 70th anniversary, the events will be anchored to the iconic MMRT circuit which will be the venue for start and finish of the event besides the Spectator Special Stage (tarmac) and the 12.9 Kms long Special Stage (dirt) bordering the race track. Another Special Stage (17.78 Kms), is located about 23 Kms from the MMRT. Both Stages will be run four times – twice in forward direction (Saturday) and twice in reverse direction (Sunday) while the Spectator Special Stage once on each day. On Friday, March 25, the competitors will do a reconnaissance of the Stages.

    While four entries have been received for the APRC (Asia Cup) round, which returns to India after a four-year gap, the INRC has attracted 44. Three times APRC champion Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif), Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) of Arka Motorsports, Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) and Younus Ilyas (Anirudha Ranganekar) of Race Concepts will take part in the APRC and also headline the INRC entry list.

    In an initiative to encourage Indian participation in the APRC event, MMSC have offered subsidies in various forms – FIA-approved fuel tank casing; entry fee for the APRC segment, Rs 70,000/- to be returned as start money; Trophies for top three finishers irrespective of the class entered and placing in the INRC.

    APRC Working Group chief and Chairman of South India Rally, Vicky Chandhok said: “The South India Rally is not just another rally but a part of the Indian Rallying Heritage. Running the 44th edition of the event speaks volumes of the standards of National rallying. We have worked hard to offer an event of value to all the stakeholders, and, on behalf of the organisers, the Madras Motor Sports Club, it gives me great pleasure in welcoming the rallying fraternity to the event.

    “Further, the MMSC in its constant support to motorsport, has taken a decision for the FIA APRC South India Rally to encourage competitors and support them, by way of subsidies, in entering an International Event on home soil and the chance to earn a FIA trophy for their shelves.”

    The FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim said: “It is a matter of pride and privilege that India is hosting a round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship after a gap of several years, and concurrently with the third and final round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 with MRF Tyres as the Associate Sponsor. All of us have been through some challenging times due to the pandemic and I am happy that the 2021 INRC got underway, though it spilled over into 2022. Once again, on behalf of the FMSCI, I thank our Associate Sponsor MRF Tyres, the competitors, the organizing clubs, officials and the Media for their support. To reiterate, we hope to put together a bigger INRC, with more rounds, in the season ahead.”

    The competition in The FMSC-promoted INRC segment is expected to be fierce since titles in all categories are up for grabs. Aditya Singh Thakur (Virender Kashyap) of Chettinad Sporting leads the Overall standings with 54 points, just one ahead of Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G). Considering that a maximum of 40 points are on offer and the top five competitors, including seven times National champion Gill, are separated by just 16 points, the Overall championship is wide open.

    The top two in other categories after two rounds are:

    INRC-2: Fabid Ahmer (76) and Sahil Khanna (61); INRC-3: Aditya Singh Thakur (78) and Kuber Sharma (56); INRC-4: Deepak Chandra (61) and Mujeeb Rehman (44); Junior INRC: Raghunath Saminathan (78) and Shivani Pruthvi (60); FMSCI Gypsy Cup: Rupender Sheoran (71) and Venkatapathy MR (55).

    Due to the unpredictability of the sport, as could be gauged from the results of the previous two rounds – the Rally of Coimbatore and the Karnataka-1000 – success is not guaranteed. The uncertainty factor, thus, makes this weekend’s action a pot-boiler.

    About the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021

    The Indian National Rally Championship 2021, promoted by The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India with MRF Tyres as the Associate Sponsor, comprises three rounds – Rally of Coimbatore (Feb 25-27), Karnataka-1000 (March 11-13) and the South India Rally (Chennai, March 25-27). The grid is segregated into five categories based on various specifications – the INRC, INRC-2, INRC-3, INRC-4 and Junior INRC (26 years and below, and without a win). Competitors are eligible for Overall classification and also separately in their respective categories. The top 15 finishers are eligible for points ranging from 30 to 1. The five quickest on each of the two days (Leg-1 and Leg-2) and in each category receive bonus points (5 to 1) in the respective Legs provided they complete the Rally. The maximum points that can be won in each round is 40. A stand-alone sixth category, the FMSCI Gypsy Challenge, restricted to Maruti Gypsy, and not eligible for championship points or classification, completes the grid.

  • Leclerc ends Ferrari’s 45-race winless run:

    Leclerc ends Ferrari’s 45-race winless run:

    Charles Leclerc ended Ferrari’s 45 race winless run by winning the opening race of the new era regulations as Carlos Sainz completed a Ferrari one-two. Red Bull suffered a double DNF gifting Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton the final podium spot.

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    London, 21 March 2022: A complete overhaul of regulations, new drivers and promise of closer racing meant this was a hotly-anticipated season opener in recent history. Pole position for Ferrari on Saturday was claimed by Charles Leclerc on reigning world champion Max Verstappen, as both lined up on the front row. Excitement was at its highest as Ferrari had seemingly moved to the front of the grid with world champions Mercedes slipping back.

    The race got off to a clean start as Leclerc and Verstappen maintained their positions. Carlos Sainz stayed in P3 as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton made up a position to run in P4. Red Bull’s second driver Sergio Perez slipped from P4 to P6. Between the two ran F1 returnee Kevin Magnussen in the Haas. Valtteri Bottas, who had qualified in P6 for his new team Alfa Romeo had a bad getaway and fell to P14 by end of lap 1.

    Hamilton was chasing Sainz’s Ferrari as Perez remained behind the two. Hamilton lost DRS as Sainz pulled away due to the Ferrari F1-75 naturally being faster than the Mercedes W13. On lap 9, Perez passed the Briton as Hamilton was defenceless against the faster Red Bull. Meanwhile, teammate George Russell had slotted into P6.

    Hamilton was the first to pit out of anyone, seemingly tyre degradation on the new 18-inch Pirelli tyres was higher than anticipated. Mercedes chose the hard tyres for the 7-time Formula 1 world champion. Of the leaders, Verstappen pitted first hoping to undercut, putting on another set of soft tyres on lap 14. Ferrari responded duly on the next lap by bringing in Leclerc for soft tyres, mirroring the reigning world champion. As Leclerc emerged out of the pit lane his lead was slashed from 3.5s to 0.3s, Verstappen right on his heels.

    Verstappen made a move on Leclerc on lap 17, using DRS to slingshot past in turn 1, only for the Ferrari driver to return the favour by using DRS at turn 4. Exactly same scenario took place on lap 18 as well. On lap 19 Verstappen again dived down the inside of Leclerc at turn 1, this time locking up his front wheels and going deep. The Monegasque passing him again, this time way before they reached turn 4. Verstappen backed off as he tried to cool his brakes and tyres.Hamilton pitted again as the hard tyres were too slow, this time choosing mediums and emerging in a net P5. Russell seemed to mirror new teammate Hamilton’s strategy.

    Verstappen made his second pitstop on lap 30, going for the medium tyres. Leclerc once again responded on the next lap y doing the same, this time though emerging with a comfortable lead with Verstappen out of the crucial 1s window. Meanwhile both Sainz and Perez pitted on lap 33 to run P3 and P4 respectively. Sainz and Perez pitted for the third time on lap 43 for soft tyres to make it to the end of the race. With nothing to lose and a large gap to the cars behind, Verstappen pitted too on lap 43 for soft tyres. The Mercedes cars responding as well, with Hamilton pitting on lap 44 and Russell on lap 45, both for soft tyres. Leclerc was left with a choice to make, with a large enough gap to Verstappen to pit and emerge in the lead or go to the end of the grand prix.

    Leclerc had his answer on lap 46, as Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri spat flames from the back of the car making him the first retiree of the season. A Honda sourced Red Bull powertrain engine having issues was bad omen for the rest of the race. Leclerc pitted for soft tyres on lap 46 as the safety car was called out. During the SC period Verstappen complained of power steering issues making it harder to drive the car with Red Bull telling him to keep out and retire if only it gets worse.

    By the time safety car came to the pits everyone was on the soft tyre. On the restart Leclerc pulled away with Verstappen struggling. Seemingly now Sainz was trying to hunt for P2. Behind, Hamilton was trying to chase Perez for P4. Suddenly Verstappen slowed down before the final corner on lap 54 as he lost power and trundled back to the pits, out of the race. It promoted Sainz to P2 with Hamilton chasing Perez for P3 now. On the final lap as the leaders made their wayround turn 1, Perez lost power, locking his rear axle and spinning around, both Red Bull cars out of the race with Hamilton on the podium against all odds.

    Leclerc capped of a fantastic win with Sainz coming home for a Ferrari one-two. Hamilton achieved his 183rd career podium as teammate Russell finished in P4. Magnussen finished in P5, Haas scoring points for the first time since 2020 Hungarian GP. Bottas finished P6 in Alfa Romeo with rookie teammate Zhou Guanyu scoring points on debut as he finished in P10. Alpine too got a double points result as Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso crossed the line in P7 and P9 respectively. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda achieving P8, the sole point scorer for any Red Bull powertrain powered cars.

    Mick Schumacher finished just outside the points for Haas ahead of Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin in P12 and another F1 returnee Alex Albon in the Williams in P13. McLaren endured a horrible race as Daniel Ricciardo finished in P14 ahead of teammate Lando Norris in P15. Williams’ Nicholas Latifi finishing in P16 ahead of “super-sub” Nico Hulkenberg in P17 who subbed in for the unwell Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.

    Ferrari and Red Bull look to have the strongest car going to these new era regulations. Qualifying was close but race pace wise Ferrari seemed to have the advantage. Ferrari’s advantage also coming from a new engine which works well at low-speed traction and power delivery to the rear wheels. Red Bull will be worried about the reliability problems. First one with Gasly is still being investigated while Red Bull seemed to think problems for Verstappen and Perez were both similar in nature. With F1 back to racing in a week it remains to be seen if they will be able to identify and fix these problems. Mercedes were a clear third in terms of pace, lacking around 0.5s to the leaders both in qualifying and race pace. The team said it is looking ways to cut down drag on the W13 a that is what held them back. They are also looking to fix porpoising which has plagued the car since its hit the track, making them lose performance.

    Haas and Alfa Romeo have made a step forward as they looked to have a clear advantage on the rest of the field behind them. Both being Ferrari powered cars, the engine has been a significant part in helping them overtake their rivals. Alpine and AlphaTauri looked closely matched but it is too early in the season to judge who has a clear advantage over who.

    McLaren have been the biggest team to fall off the leaders in these new rules as the team and drivers admitted the car lacks overall downforce compared to its competitors. That compounded with brake cooling issues that limited their testing time means the Woking squad are on a backfoot going into the rest of the season. Aston Martin have suffered porpoising issues as well, with the team admitting they have lost around 0.75s just by running a higher ride height to avoid porpoising. Williams look to be last in the field as they were on average 2-2.5s off the pace of the leaders.

    With these new cars, the development curve is very steep with the engineers experimenting to get these cars working at their peak level. With such a steep development curve we can expect a lot of new upgrades on them hence, changing the pecking order of the field race by race.

    Saturday Qualifying Results were:

    P1: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari)P2: Max Verstappen- 1 (Red Bull)
    P3: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari)P4: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull)
    P5: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes)P5: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Alfa Romeo)
    P7: Kevin Magnussen- 20 (Haas)P8: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine)
    P9: George Russell- 63 (Mercedes)P10: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri)
    P11: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine)P12: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas)
    P13: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren)P14: Alex Albon-23 (Williams)
    P15: Zhou Guanyu- 24 (Alfa Romeo)P16: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri)
    P17: Nico Hulkenberg- 27 (Aston martin)P18: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren)
    P19: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin)P20: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams)
  • Charles Leclerc leads a Scuderia Ferrari 1-2; Hamilton third

    Charles Leclerc leads a Scuderia Ferrari 1-2; Hamilton third

    Sakhir, 20 March 2022: The Prancing Horse began its season with a stunning dance of success as the two Ferraris romped home with Charles Leclerc leading team-mate Carlos Sainz to a 1-2 finish, that gave Ferrari the perfect start to the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship Scuderia’s first one-two finish in almost three years brightened up the Bahrain Grand Prix for the Tifosi.

    Starting on pole, Leclerc put in a polished performance to cross the line to claim his first win since Italy 2019 after leading the race from the start, while Sainz claimed second place and his seventh career podium finish in a dramatic final sequence of laps that saw defending world champion Max Verstappen and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez exit the race. Verstappen was forced to retire from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix after suffering steering issues, while Pérez suffered an engine-related spin that robbed him of second place just a lap from the chequered flag. 

    When the lights went out at the start, Verstappen made a good start from the front row but ahead of him pole sitter Charles Leclerc also got away well. And the as the pair went into Turn 1 the Ferrari driver managed to hold onto the lead despite pressure on the outside from Verstappen . 

    Behind them, Pérez made a good start but to his left Carlos Sainz bogged down slightly. And as the Ferrari driver clawed his way up to speed he moved across to defend against Pérez’s charge. The Red Bull was forced to the inside line and as the field flowed through Turn 1 Pérez lost places to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. 

    The Mexican was soon on the attack though and on lap three he closed up to Magnussen who had locked up at Turn 4. The Danish driver’s mistake allowed Sergio to pass with ease and he began to chase down Hamilton. Pérez was on the seven-time champion’s gearbox on lap nine and with the aid of DRS he muscled his way past the Briton into Turn 4 to return to fourth place. 

    At the front, Leclerc began to draw away from Verstappen as the opening stint developed and by lap 13 the Monegasque driver, who started the race on new softs, was almost six seconds ahead of Verstappen , who began on used tyres.

    Red Bull then pitted the world champion on lap 14 and the undercut proved powerful. Leclerc made his first stop at the end of the following tour and when he rejoined Verstappen was right behind the Ferrari. 

    Verstappen attacked on lap 17 into Turn 1. He passed the Ferrari, but with following easier in the 2022 cars, Leclerc immediately fought back, retaking the lead in Turn 4. Verstappen stayed close and attacked again in the same place on the following lap. But despite once again getting past the Ferrari in Turn 1, Leclerc again stole back the lead in Turn 4. Verstappen tried once again on the next lap, but this time he locked up on entry and Leclerc was able to comfortably hold his lead.

    Behind them, Sainz was being pushed hard by Pérez who took medium tyres in his first pit stop. After the action at the start of the stint, the remainder of the second phase of the race counted down without any significant movement at the front.

    Verstappen made his second pit stop, for medium tyres, on lap 31, again seeking the undercut, but once again Ferrari reacted and thanks to a quicker pit stop the Italian squad managed to get the Leclerc back out in the lead, with Verstappen also complaining that he had gone too easy on his tyres on his out lap.

    Sainz and Pérez made their second visits to the pit lane at the end of the next tour and the Red Bull driver went for a second set of softs in order to attack Sainz who had moved to medium compound Pirellis. But though Pérez was the fastest man on the track for a spell, Sainz was able to hold position and as the laps counted down Pérez’s times began to fade. 

    Behind the leading quartet, with 20 laps remaining, Hamilton held fifth place, though the Briton was almost 15 seconds behind the Red Bull driver. The Mercedes driver’s new team-mate George Russell was sixth and Kevin Magnussen in the surprise package Haas was seventh ahead of AlpaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, the Alpine of Esteban Ocon and the second AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda. 

    Red Bull brought both Verstappen and Pérez in for a third stop on lap 44 and both took on soft tyres. That dropped Verstappen behind Sainz and Pérez fell to fifth behind Hamilton. However Ferrari reacted by pitting Sainz, while Mercedes brought Hamilton in. That boosted Pérez back to fourth place behind Sainz. Leclerc stayed on track to maintain position at the head of the field. It was at this point that Verstappen began to complain of heavy steering. 

    On lap 46, Gasly pulled over at the side of the track just after Turn 3 with the rear of his AlphaTauri on fire. The safety car was deployed and Leclerc pitted. Verstappen , meanwhile, was continuing to struggle but despite his difficulties the champion stayed out on track as the Safety Car picked up the race leaders, who were now closely bunched with 10 laps to go. 

    When the safety car left the track Verstappen’s problems were compounded as he reported he felt that he was also losing battery power. His engineers informed him that it was not a battery issue but the champion continued to lose ground. On lap 55 he slowed dramatically and the field swept past as he limped to the pit lane to retire. 

    Pérez moved up to third place and initially the Mexican driver was able to hold off Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. But then with just two laps to go the Mexican radioed the Team to say he was losing power. Hamilton closed on and at the start of the final lap Pérez spun in Turn 1. “I lost the engine,” he yelled as Hamilton powered past. 

    Behind the top three of Leclerc, Sainz and Hamilton, Russell took a well worked fourth place after starting ninth. Magnussen claimed fifth place for Haas, with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in sixth ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, and the second Alpine of Fernando Alonso. Alfa Romeo rookie Guanyu Zhou took 10th place to score a point on his Formula 1 debut. 

    2022 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Race
    1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 57 1:37’33.584
    2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 57 1:37’39.182 5.598
    3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 57 1:37’43.259 9.675
    4 George Russell Mercedes 57 1:37’44.795 11.211
    5 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 57 1:37’48.338 14.754
    6 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 57 1:37’49.703 16.119
    7 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 57 1:37’53.007 19.423
    8 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Red Bull 57 1:37’53.970 20.386
    9 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 57 1:37’55.974 22.390
    10 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 57 1:37’56.648 23.064
    11 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 57 1:38’06.158 32.574
    12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:38’19.457 45.873
    13 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 57 1:38’27.516 53.932
    14 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 57 1:38’28.559 54.975
    15 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 57 1:38’29.919 56.335
    16 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 57 1:38’35.379 1’01.795
    17 Nico Hülkenberg Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:38’37.413 1’03.829
    18 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 56 – 1 lap
    19 Max Verstappen Red Bull 54 – 3 laps
    10 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Red Bull 44 – Retirement

  • Jehan Daruvala begins F2 season with a bang; 2nd in Sprint

    Jehan Daruvala begins F2 season with a bang; 2nd in Sprint

    Sakhir, 20 March 2022: India’s Jehan Daruvala opened his bid for the Formula 2 title with a second-placed finish in the Sprint race of the championship’s first round in Bahrain.

    The 23-year-old from Mumbai, who races for Prema Racing and is a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, had started fourth after qualifying seventh under the championship’s reverse grid rules.

    Jehan’s season-opening podium was founded on a good start. He was up to third straight away and, after fending off fellow Red Bull junior Liam Lawson in the Carlin, he set about in pursuit of second-placed Ralph Boschung. 

    The safety car was deployed on lap 3 to clear away the stranded Hitech of Marcus Armstrong.

    It bunched up the field but Jehan, who took his first F2 win in Bahrain in 2020, held position, once again prevailing in a wheel-to-wheel battle with Lawson.

    Red Bull Junior and Indian star Jehan Daruvala begins the season with a second in the F2 Sprint race at Sakhir on Sunday. A Prema Racing image

    He caught and passed Boschung on Lap 16 just before the race was interrupted for the second time by a Virtual Safety Car.

    Boschung retook second as the race resumed. But Jehan seized the place back on the 18th lap with a bold move around the outside of the Swiss racer into the right-handed turn 4.

    He crossed the line less than two seconds behind Verschoor.

    Jehan said, “We definitely have a lot of positives to take. Finishing second in the first race of the year is a good start. I think we had the pace to fight for the win. Unfortunately, I mistimed the Virtual Safety Car restart which lost us a lot of time and eventually cost us the win. But overall we have a really good car and I’m quite pleased with our start to the season.”

    Jehan now heads into Sunday’s feature race, which he will start from seventh, where he qualified. He is hoping for another strong result to round out an encouraging season-opening weekend.

    He is eyeing a step up to F1 in 2023, which would make him only the third Indian to compete in motorsport’s top tier.

  • Kush Maini, salvages 16th after a pitlane start: F3 Feature race

    Kush Maini, salvages 16th after a pitlane start: F3 Feature race

    Sakhir, 20 March 2022: Star Indian racer Kush Maini, was handicapped by his starting position and waded through the field from the back, to put in a brave performance overtaking 14 cars in 23 laps and finished 16 in the Feature Race of the first round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship here on Sunday.

    Starting both the races in the first of the nine-round F3 championship, he had to wade through the back-benchers, and progressed ahead overtaking many a car with an outstanding performance but had to be content with 16th in his first Feature race for MP Motorsports team in the season opener as he was bogged down by the pit-lane start here on Sunday.

    In a field of 30 cars, out of which only 26 finished the feature race, the former Indian National champion from Bengaluru, displayed good pace and race-craft to move ahead admirably. He had no seat time before he entered his big season in F3 this year. Kush, the junior of the Maini brothers, clocked 47min, 22.5secs for his 23 laps with a best lap of 1:52.301 which is just a fraction of a second off the winner’s best of 1:52.031. However, the best time of 1:51.634 was clocked by R Stanek of Trident.

    Earlier, Kush Maini finished 15th in the Sprint race, also starting from the Pit Lane. He clocked 38:01.026 and missed to log points for his MP Motorsport team. Maini Jr, who qualified a creditable third had to start from pit lane in both the races due to a penalty but showed enough promise displaying quick pace. “After putting it P3 in my debut FIA F3 qualifying, unfortunately we will have to start both races from the pit lane after a harsh penalty. Pace is there going to do my best to make up as many positions as I can! Thank you for all the support,” Kush said after the Sprint race.

    ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins took the glory in the opening Feature Race of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 season in Sakhir, beating PREMA Racing’s Arthur Leclerc to victory on Sunday.

    Martins stayed patient throughout the opening stages of the race after starting from third on the grid, keeping close to the rear of rookie pole-sitter Franco Colapinto, who led a majority of the race. However, on lap 15, the more experienced Martins made his move for the lead.

    Leclerc produced another strong recovery drive from 13th on the grid, advancing all the way up to second place by the chequered flag.

    Van Amersfoort Racing’s Colapinto crossed the line in third place, but was issued a five-second time penalty for violating track limits, which caused him to drop back to fifth while Gregoire Saucy inherited the final spot on the podium.

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Although he produced a surprise result in Qualifying with pole position, it was arguably going to be a taller task for Colapinto to hold onto the victory as he continues to acclimatise himself to his new F3 surroundings.

    However, in the opening stages of the race, the Argentine looked comfortable out in front. He was forced to deal with a Safety Car restart, which was required after Francesco Pizzi and Zane Maloney came to a stop on the circuit on the opening lap. Pizzi was nudged by Maloney, who was dropping through the field due to a mechanical issue following the opening corners.

    Caio Collet was also a victim of the first lap, as he broke his front suspension while driving over a kerb at Turn 7, having taken his car off the circuit to avoid potential contact between his rivals.

    At the Safety Car restart, Martins overtook Roman Stanek for P2, but the Trident driver would soon be eliminated from contention after coming together with Alex Smolyar. Stanek suffered a puncture and was forced back to the pit lane for a new set of tyres.

    A brief Virtual Safety Car was called on Lap 6 after Hitech Grand Prix’s Nazim Azman was spun around following contact. At the restart, Leclerc made swift work of Saturday race winner Isack Hadjar and Campos Racing’s David Vidales to place himself in the top five.

    Further ahead, Juan Manuel Correa appeared to have rapid pace and he moved into the top three after overtaking Smolyar, with the latter also soon finding himself behind the charging Leclerc. There was then heartbreak for Hadjar, who suffered a puncture while battling Smolyar for fifth place.

    Leclerc progressed into the top three after moving past Correa, while behind and outside the points, his two PREMA teammates Jak Crawford and Oliver Bearman began to make headways into the top 10, progressing through a stream of 15 or so cars that were separated by just a handful of seconds.

    Having hounded Colapinto for several laps, Martins made the crucial overtake on Lap 15, and three laps later, the pole-sitter found himself in third as Leclerc moved ahead. Although Leclerc was able to slightly narrow the gap to Martins, he couldn’t cut it enough to challenge for victory in the final laps.

    Bearman and Crawford continued to progress further into the top 10 and at the chequered flag, they found themselves sixth and seventh, respectively. Colapinto was demoted back to fifth due to his time penalty, with Saucy and Correa gaining a spot each to classify third and fourth.

    Vidales was eighth, while Williams Alatalo scored his first points of the season in ninth. American Kaylen Frederick rounded out the top 10 to take the final point on offer.

    Race winner Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) said: “What a race, P1 today. It’s a great comeback after yesterday’s race and zero points scored.

    “The race was just mega, the overtakes, I went for it. I waited a bit of time behind Colapinto but in the end, I managed to take the win. I think it’s a good start to the season.”

    THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW

    In the Drivers’ Championship, Martins is the leader of the standings after round one, sitting atop with 25 points. He’s one point ahead of Leclerc in second with 24, while Bearman is third on 17 points.

    In the Teams’ Championship, ART Grand Prix come away from the opening round with the lead, sitting on 54 points. PREMA Racing is close behind on 47, while Hitech Grand Prix sits further back in third on 14 points.

    WHAT’S NEXT?

    F3 will return next month for the second round of the season in Imola from April 22 – 24. Like Bahrain, it will mark the first time the category has visited the circuit.

  • Oliveira stages a wet weather masterclass to put KTM on top at Mandalika

    Oliveira stages a wet weather masterclass to put KTM on top at Mandalika

    A truly stunning performance from the Portuguese rider puts him back on the top step and gives KTM the lead in the Teams’ and Constructors’ standings

    It was worth the wait, wasn’t it? On a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) put in an absolute masterclass in wet conditions to claim victory and bounce back in style from a tough opening round. Reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) sliced back through to second for his first podium of the season, ahead of compatriot Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in third. The win for Oliveira sees KTM head the Constructors’ standings for the first time, as well as putting Red Bull KTM Factory Racing top in the teams’ title fight thanks to their Qatar podium and, now, first victory of the season.

    The drama began early on Sunday, however, as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) suffered a huge crash in Warm Up and was forced to miss the race due to concussion. Then, after Moto2™, the rain came down as thunderstorms hit Lombok, but after more than an hour’s delay, at 16:15 local time, it was lights out in Indonesia for the first time in 25 years. Quartararo got an outstanding launch from pole position, comfortably collecting the holeshot, as Oliveira made a lightning start from P7 to grab second and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) shot swiftly up to P3 from sixth on the grid.

    At the start of Lap 2, both Oliveira and Miller passed Quartararo as the early pacesetters started to stretch their legs, with the Australian then picking off Oliveira for the race lead too. Now down in third, Quartararo had Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), compatriot Zarco and a rapid starting Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) for company too –  the 2020 Champion up from way down the grid after a nightmare Q1.

    Rins and Zarco then got the better of Quartararo early on, but they faced an already substantial 2.4s gap to Miller and Oliveira… and that order was about to switch. The Portuguese rider carved his way past the Ducati of Miller at Turn 12 on Lap 6 to retake the lead, and then he got the hammer down.

    Meanwhile, there was a big moment for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), the Italian somehow staying on after a snap into Turn 1. Still, he slipped down to P12 behind Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) struggling even more, dow in P20 from fifth on the grid.

    Back in the top ten though, Turn 1 was about to bite again. Having just got the better of Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) for P7, Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) then became the first and only crasher of the race in the braking zone into the first corner, the 2021 Rookie of the Year down, out, but ok.

    At the front, there were no such dramas. Oliveira had stretched his lead to 1.6s, Miller was second, Rins third, Zarco fourth, and Quartararo fifth with 12 laps to go. At half race distance though, Zarco was the quickest rider on track and a quality move came on Rins at Turn 12 for P3. Miller wasn’t far up the road from the Frenchman either, and he looked desperate to pass the Australian as Quartararo really started to find his groove behind them. Sure enough, El Diablo was back into P3 with five laps to go, with he and Zarco fighting it out in spectacular style.

    Oliveira was 3.5s clear as the battle raged behind, but with Quartararo now the fastest rider on track and back up to second on Lap 16 of 20. Zarco also managed to follow the Yamaha man through on Miller, and with three laps to go, it suddenly started to look like Oliveira might be in the crosshairs after all. The gap was slashed by a second and the lead was down to 3.4s – was it game on?

    Quartararo took a tenth more here and there as the laps ticked down, but Oliveira responded. At the start of the last lap, it remained a healthy 2.8s and the Portuguese rider just needed to bring it home, with Quartararo enjoying a 0.9s buffer to Zarco, who in turn had 2.3s in hand over Miller. The podium seemed decided, and it was.

    Crossing the line for his first win of the year, Oliveira’s masterclass sees the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider take 25 points, puts KTM on top in the title and factory fights, and moves him up 16 places in the riders’ Championship to boot. After a tough start in Qatar and for much of the latter half of 2021, it was quite a statement ride by the multiple MotoGP™ winner.

    Nevertheless, Quartararo celebrated P2 like a win as the Frenchman showed his wet weather prowess for the first time in the premier class, taking some valuable points too. Zarco completed the podium, the third place marking a return to the rostrum for the number 5 for the first time since Barcelona 2021.

    Miller, always strong in the wet, takes home a hard-earned P4, with Rins putting in a solid ride to claim P5. P6 for Mir, having started from the lower echelons of the top 20, is also a job well done for the 2020 World Champion too, and he got onto the back of his teammate by the flag. Morbidelli ended up a somewhat lonely P7 despite his three-place grid penalty as we witnessed an almighty battle for P8 behind the Italian.

    It was won in the end by Brad Binder, who was just ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) over the line. But the South African had to get his elbows to take that eighth place by force, and it was none other than his brother, WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team’s Darryn Binder, standing in the way.

    The rookie put in a tour de force and one of the rides of the day, leading the battle for eighth onto the final lap before Brad Binder struck, then only losing out to the number 33 and Espargaro’s Aprilia. The number 40 claimed his first points and top ten after an absolute barnstormer, top rookie by some margin.

    World Championship leader Bastianini, who retains that moniker by two single points ahead of Brad Binder and recovering well in the latter stages, took P11 ahead of Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). Bagnaia slipped down the order after his earlier moment to a tough P15, making it one point from the opening two races for one of the pre-season title favourites.

    Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) was the only other non-finisher alongside Martin after the Italian encountered an issue with his YZR-M1 and was forced to retire.

    That’s take one on Lombok in the history books, and it’s safe to say the Indonesian GP was full of action. Oliveira goes home with the race-winning trophy, Bastianini remains the title leader, and there’s only 10 points between the top nine heading to Argentina for Round 3… as well as a new manufacturer on top in the standings. Join us for more as MotoGP™ returns at Termas de Rio Hondo!

  • Charles Leclerc takes pole ahead of Max Verstappen

    Charles Leclerc takes pole ahead of Max Verstappen

    Sakhir, 19 March 2022: Charles Leclerc claimed the tenth pole position of his career as Ferrari roared to the top of the pecking order in Formula 1’s new era. Defending world champion Max Verstappen will line up alongside the Monegasque on the front row, while Carlos Sainz claimed third place for Scuderia ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will start from fourth place.

    At the start of the session, Verstappen, who had looked ominously quick through the practice sessions at the Sakhir Circuit quickly moved to the top of the Q1 order with an opening flying lap of 1:31.909. Pérez then joined his team-mate by taking P2 with a lap four tenths off top spot.

    Leclerc then stole P1 with a lap of 1:31.471, while Sainz slotted into P2 in the second Ferrari. Hamilton moved to fifth with six minutes remaining but with the 2021 Constructors’ champions struggling with the ‘porpoising’ that hampered many teams during pre-season testing, the seven-time champion found himself eight tenths of a second off the pace set by Leclerc.

    Verstappen elected to stay in the garage for the final runs but Pérez was in tenth place and he needed to make another attempt. The Mexican driver delivered a string of personal bests through the mini-sectors of the 5.4km circuit but his lap of 1:32.311 only took him to 11th place. Top spot in Q1 went to Leclerc with Sainz second and Verstappen third. Fourth place went to Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and fifth to Haas’s Kevin Magnussen as the order was shaken up by the new regulations in place for 2022.

    Ruled out after the opening 18 minutes were AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in P16 ahead of the Aston Martin’s Nico Hulkenberg, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, the second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi.

    With no rules in place governing starting tyres in Q2, Verstappen emerged on soft tyres and again the Dutchman jumped to P1 with this opening lap of 1:30.757. That put him almost six tenths of a second ahead of Leclerc, while Pérez took third place ahead of impressive returnee Magnussen, Hamilton, who was more than seven tenths of a second off his 2021 title rival’s pace, and the second Mercedes of George Russell.

    Verstappen again stayed in the Red Bull garage for the final runs of Q2 and his opening time proved good enough to hold top spot. Sainz got closest to the Red Bull, with the Ferrari driver finishing just three hundredths of a second off P1. Leclerc took third a little under two tenths off Max while Pérez progressed to Q3 in fourth place with a final lap of 1:31.008.

    Eliminated at the end of the second session though were Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in 11th, Haas’ Mick Schumacher, McLaren’s Lando Norris, the Williams for former Red Bull driver Alex Albon and Alfa Romeo rookie Zhou Guanyu.

    Verstappen’s dominance of the opening runs ended in Q3, however. This time it was Sainz who powered to the top of the order, with the Spaniard posting a lap of 1:30.687 to sit five hundredths of a second ahead of Leclerc. Verstappen, meanwhile, was third, a hundredth of a second further back.

    And there was to be no final-run recovery for Verstappen as Leclerc claimed pole with a lap of 1:30.558. Verstappen got close, but in the end missed out by 0.123, with Sainz just 0.006s behind and with Pérez in fourth place.

    Behind the leading quartet, fifth place went to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton while surprise packages Alfa Romeo and Haas claimed sixth and seven respectively with Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen. Fernando Alonso was eighth for Alpine ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and top 10 order was rounded out by AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.

    2022 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Qualifying
    1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:30.558  6 215.146
    2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:30.681 0.123 6 214.854
    3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:30.687 0.129 6 214.840
    4 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 1:30.921 0.363 6 214.287
    5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:31.238 0.680 6 213.542
    6 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:31.560 1.002 3 212.791
    7 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1:31.808 1.250 3 212.216
    8 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:32.195 1.637 3 211.325
    9 George Russell Mercedes 1:32.216 1.658 6 211.277
    10 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Red Bull 1:32.338 1.780 6 210.998
    11 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:31.782 1.129 6 212.276
    12 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:31.998 1.367 5 211.778
    13 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:32.008 1.251 1.378 6 211.755
    14 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:32.664 1.907 5 210.256
    15 Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:33.543 2.786 6 208.280
    16 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Red Bull 1:32.750 1.279 8 210.061
    17 Nico Hülkenberg Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:32.777 1.306 6 210.000
    18 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:32.945 1.474 8 209.620
    19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:33.032 1.561 6 209.424
    20 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:33.634 2.163 8 208.078

  • Verstappen fastest in FP2 ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari

    Verstappen fastest in FP2 ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari

    Sakhir, 18 March 2022: F1 World Champion took top spot in the second practice session for this weekend’s season-opening FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand with the Red Bull Racing driver finishing ahead of the Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth and ninth place respectively.

    Leclerc set the pace in the first half of the one-hour session, with the Monegasque driver posting a time of 1:33.121 that kept in at the top of the order for the bulk of the first half hour.

    Both Red Bulls and Mercedes’ Hamilton were among the last to take to the track and as the opening phase on medium tyres evolved Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Pérez were almost half a second off Leclerc’s pace on the yellow-banded tyres. Hamilton, meanwhile, was struggling with the handling of his W13 as he once again experienced significant ‘porpoising’ on the main straight.

    When the switch to soft tyres for qualifying simulations came Aston Martin pair Lance Stroll were the first out on track, though neither was able to beat Leclerc’s time on mediums. It was left to Alpine’s Fernando Alonso to eventually push past Leclerc’s benchmark with the Spaniard setting a time of 1:32.877.

    Leclerc was soon back in control, though, and his lap of 1:32.263 returned him to top spot.

    Verstappen then emerged on softs and though he lost time in the middle sector his lap of 1:31.936 was still good enough for him to take P1 and hold it until the end of the session.

    With Sainz third, George Russell finished fourth 0.593s slower than Verstappen.

    Hamilton had to abandon his first qualifying run after he locked up again at Turn 1 and suffered with a malfunctioning DRS. His eventual soft tyre time was a 1:33.144 that left him ninth, 1.208s behind Verstappen.

    Alonso’s quali sim saw him finish fifth ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, while Sergio Pérez was seventh ahead Mick Schumacher in the lead Haas. Team-ate Magnussen finished 10th behind Hamilton.

    2022 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 20 1’31.936
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 20 1’32.023 0.087
    3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 22 1’32.520 0.584
    4 George Russell Mercedes 25 1’32.529 0.593
    5 Fernando Alonso Alpine 24 1’32.877 0.941
    6 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 30 1’32.951 1.015
    7 Sergio Perez Red Bull 20 1’32.958 1.022
    8 Mick Schumacher Haas 24 1’33.085 1.149
    9 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 23 1’33.144 1.208
    10 Kevin Magnussen Haas 23 1’33.183 1.247
    11 Lando Norris McLaren 27 1’33.280 1.344
    12 Esteban Ocon Alpine 25 1’33.360 1.424
    13 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 24 1’33.621 1.685
    14 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 26 1’33.789 1.853
    15 Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo 27 1’33.953 2.017
    16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 25 1’33.958 2.022
    17 Nico Hulkenberg Aston Martin 28 1’34.061 2.125
    18 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 12 1’34.166 2.230
    19 Nicholas Latifi Williams 28 1’34.486 2.550
    20 Alex Albon Williams 22 1’34.735 2.799

  • Jehan Daruvala qualifies P7; to start P4 in the Sprint: F2

    Jehan Daruvala qualifies P7; to start P4 in the Sprint: F2

    Sakhir, 18 March 2022: Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala qualified P7 in the qualifying session today and will start P4 in the Sprint race on Saturday. The Prema Racing driver clocked 1:41.115.

    Virtuosi Racing rookie Jack Doohan took an emphatic first pole position of the year in Formula 2, utilizing an almost empty track to set a 1:40.542, when the majority of the field were busy in the pitlane changing their tyres.

    ART Grand Prix’s Théo Pourchaire and Hitech Grand Prix’ Jüri Vips attempted to beat the Australian’s time in the second half of the session, but both felt short and had to settle for second and third, respectively.

    The Australian’s effort means that a Virtuosi driver has taken pole in the opening round three seasons in a row, with Guanyu Zhou achieving the feat in 2020 and 2021.

    All 22 cars emerged from the pitlane when the lights went green, but the session was red-flagged before they’d all made it out on the tarmac as Ayumu Iwasa’s DAMS came to a halt, forcing a stoppage as the marshals wheeled it off the track and out of the session.

    The remaining 21 cars fed out onto the track when the session resumed, led by Van Amersfoort Racing duo Jake Hughes and Amaury Cordeel, who had seen their F3 counterpart Franco Colapinto take pole in the third tier earlier on Friday.

    Looking to make it two VAR drivers on pole, Hughes was sat in P1 after the first set of flying laps, setting a cool 1:41.469 to lead Doohan. The British driver remained there after the second lot of fast lap, this time beating the morning’s quickest man, Felipe Drugovich.

    PREMA had yet to set a representative time and opted to run their pairing in the gap, with Jehan Daruvala emerging in fifth, while Hauger had to settle for P13. Doohan had also decided to make the most of the empty track and delivered a statement lap, launching to first by more than half a second thanks to two purple sectors.

    1:40.542 had become the time to beat as those who had gone into the pits at the halfway point returned to the tarmac with a fresh pair of soft Pirelli boots.

    Vips was the only driver to come close to Doohan on the first run of the second set of tyres, but the Hitech racer’s effort was only good enough for second, as he fell two tenths short of the Australian.

    Pourchaire briefly put himself on the front row but saw his time deleted for exceeding track limits. Dusting himself off, the ART Grand Prix driver went again and matched his previous effort, going second once again, one-tenth off P1, to push Vips down to third.

    There was still time to be found in the final minutes as Ralph Boschung put his Campos in fifth between the two Carlin drivers, with Logan Sargeant in fourth and Liam Lawson in sixth.

    Daruvala left it late, but the Red Bull junior returned to the track with just enough time to spare and found the pace for seventh.

    After leading for much of the session, Hughes had fallen to eighth at the flag, which still marked a solid effort for VAR on their debut. Richard Verschoor earned Trident a spot in the top 10, taking ninth, with Drugovich ending Qualifying in 10th.

    The Brazilian MP Motorsport racer will start from pole on Saturday evening’s reverse grid at 7.40pm local time.

  • Kush Maini gets upto speed quickly with a P3 for Feature Race: F3

    Kush Maini gets upto speed quickly with a P3 for Feature Race: F3

    Sakhir, 18 March 2022: Indian racing star Kush Maini got into speed at his first outing and did a creditable job taking P3 in the qualifying session for Sunday’s Feature Race even as Formula 3 newcomers Van Amersfoort Racing got their competitive debut in the category off to the best possible start on Friday, as Franco Colapinto took pole position with a lap time of 1:46.249.

    When asked how pleased he was, just one-tenths off the pole time, Kush, the MP Motorsport driver said: Honestly really pleased. I think Free Practice we were struggling a bit, so we just made a few tweaks to the balance and it looked like it sorted itself out and I could do some consistent laps and I kept improving and improving. Considering I haven’t done a single-seater Qualifying in over a year, and coming in as a rookie, I’m pretty happy with third on the grid. Also, our race runs were strong in the test so I think the goal will be to try and get in front of these two.

    The Bengaluru driver did not get much time in the car as he got into F3 hardly a month back. “Obviously, I missed the test because I had no idea until a couple of months ago I was even going to be in this Championship. Honestly, as a racing driver, you don’t really lose your instinct. With the help of my team, who have helped me every step of the way, and my teammates, who are a lot more experienced than me, I feel as good as I’ve ever felt,” he added

    With the morning preparations in practice done and dusted, all the drivers headed out onto the field to set the grid orders for the first Sprint and Feature Races of the year in a 30-minute session.

    After the opening run of laps, it was Grégoire Saucy who jumped to the head of the timesheet, placing himself just over one-tenth of a second in front of practice pace-setter Roman Staněk.

    Most of the drivers returned to the pit lane as the session reached the halfway point, however, two remained on track to set their own laps – ART Grand Prix’s Juan Manuel Correa and MP Motorsport driver Alexander Smolyar. Correa climbed into third place, while Smolyar lowered the benchmark at the head of the field, going fastest by three-tenths of a second over Saucy.

    With 10 minutes remaining, the rest of the drivers sprung out of the pit lane and set their minds on their final push lap. Colapinto, who appeared competitive in practice, delivered VAR its dream debut by moving to the head of the pack, where he wouldn’t be displaced.

    Staněk came the closest to besting the Argentine, with his effort sitting just a mere six-hundredths of a second down. Meanwhile, Kush Maini produced an impressive final lap for MP Motorsport to go third.

    With the Qualifying order setting the starting grid for Sunday’s Feature Race, Saturday’s Sprint Race starting order is decided by flipping the top 12 in Qualifying.

    It means that Carlin’s Zak O’Sullivan will start on pole position on Saturday, with PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman alongside him for company on the front row after both drivers ended Qualifying in 12th and 11th respectively.

    ART Grand Prix had all its drivers finish inside the top six, with Saucy, Victor Martins and Correa classifying fourth through sixth, ahead of Zane Maloney and Smolyar. Isack Hadjar and David Vidales rounded out the top 10.

    The field of Formula 3 drivers will race for the first time this year on Saturday, with the Sprint Race getting underway at 12.45pm local time.