INDIA in F1

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  • Marquez dominates ahead of a Rossi vs Dovi last-lap duel: MotoGP

    Marquez dominates ahead of a Rossi vs Dovi last-lap duel: MotoGP

    The Italians steal some limelight behind a pitch-perfect performance from the reigning Champion

    Facile win for Marquez on Sunday. A MotoGP image

    Santiago del Estero (Argentina), 31 March 2019: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took a brilliant victory in Termas de Rio Hondo with a dominant performance at the front, taking the Championship lead in the process to leave Argentina four points clear on the way to Texas. The race to complete the podium behind him was a spectacular tussle, however, and one eventually won by Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the ‘Doctor’ made the perfect move on Andrea Doviziosos (Mission Winnow Ducati) on the last lap to secure second and his first podium since Germany last season – an apt way to mark the anniversary of his World Championship debut in 1996.

    Marquez took the holeshot from pole as Dovizioso pounced for second, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) losing out from the middle of the front row and Rossi leapfrogging his teammate. Marquez immediately pulled the pin to make a gap, with Rossi then soon attacking Dovizioso but the Ducati rider holding firm.

    Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) was next to go on the offensive as he dived past the ‘Doctor’ but the move didn’t stick, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) getting past Viñales to tag onto the Australian. Chopping and changing, Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) was next to attack the number 12 Yamaha in the melee – before Miller took Rossi, and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had a stab at getting past the number 46 too.

    It was a breathless tussle over the first two laps but one rider was then forced out of it: Crutchlow was given a Ride Through for jumping the start. That took him out of the battle as Dovi, Miller and Rossi found Morbidelli back on their tail and Rossi pounced on Dovizioso just as Morbidelli pounced on Miller in tandem. Spectacular though it was, it was shortlived as both Yamahas then headed wide and the ensuing shuffle reset the battle. Dovizioso and Rossi followed by Morbidelli, Petrucci, Miller and Viñales was the freight train fighting it out for the podium.

    As the laps ticked on the Dovizioso-Rossi battle lit up and started to pull away from those behind. Dovizioso blasted down the straights, Rossi made the most of the Yamaha’s forte in the corners…the two trading positions at times but able to stay ahead of the battle that now included Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) as he arrived on the scene from 16th on the grid.

    As that raged on, the last lap was a relaxed one for Marquez at the front. The reigning Champion completed his stunning performance and took his first win of the year, but the battle for second stayed tense to the line. Rossi lurked behind his prey for the first half of the lap, but at Turn 7 the ‘Doctor’ struck to perfection. A block pass saw the Italian not only get past his compatriot but also create just enough of a gap to keep him ahead until the end; the result Rossi back on the podium for the first time since Sachsenring last season. Dovizioso, meanwhile, although forced to settle for third, achieved his goal of getting on the podium at a track that usually proved tough for Ducati – and he’s only four points off Marquez in the Championship.

    The fight for fourth saw Rins and Miller locked in battle and in the end it was the Australian who took the spoils, coming home in the same position as last year and as top Independent Team rider. Rins nevertheless took an incredible fifth after gaining 11 places, with Petrucci ultimately dropping into the clutches of Viñales and Morbidelli – and one last gasp of drama just around the corner for that trio.

    Viñales attacked Petrucci, Petrucci held him off and the two Yamahas behind then came into contact, suddenly both on the floor and sliding out as the Ducati escaped for P6. That meant Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) got an even bigger reward for a quality race as the Japanese rider capitalised for seventh, with fast Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) taking P8 and coming home as top rookie. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took ninth and homed in on his pre-race goal of the top eight.

    The battle to complete the top ten was another stunner. It was Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who won it and who takes the spoils, but the Spaniard had to do some serious looking over his shoulder for another KTM: that of rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). The Portuguese rider has been notable in 2019 so far, but less than two tenths off Espargaro and two tenths off the top ten made quite an impression as he scored points for the first time.

    The recovering Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) took P12, ahead of Crutchlow, Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) and Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the points. And that’s all she wrote in Argentina. Now it’s time for chapter three at the Circuit of the Americas, traditionally Marquez territory. Can he rule the venue once again and increase his lead? Find out on the 14th April for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.

    Results:

    1 – Marc Marquez (SPA) 41’43.688
    2 – Valentino Rossi (ITA) +9.816
    3 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) +10.530
  • Baldassarri blasts clear of a spectacular Moto2 tussle; Masia takes maiden Moto3 win

    Baldassarri blasts clear of a spectacular Moto2 tussle; Masia takes maiden Moto3 win

    A stunning race of closely fought battles sees the Italian consolidate his points lead and a new face takes to the podium

    Lorenzo Baldassarri wins Moto2 on Sunday. A MotoGP image

    Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) made it two from two in 2019 as he took victory at Termas de Rio Hondo, playing the waiting game and timing his attack to pull the pin to perfection in the latter stages. His closest competition came from early leader Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) as the Australian rode to a superb first podium, with Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) coming home third and elbows out throughout the race.

    The first drama hit on the Warm Up lap as polesitter Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) suffered a technical problem and was forced to miss the start, with that leaving Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) the furthest forward and the German capitalising to lead Lap 1. Gardner was soon to strike, however, and the tone was almost immediately set as Schrötter attacked back but was held off by the Aussie.

    The front group of Gardner, Schrötter, Marquez and Baldassarri had initially pulled out almost two seconds on the chasing pack but the four didn’t keep it tidy to try and pull away – it was all-out war. Each attack would either see immediate retaliation or a calculated move soon after to serve the rider ahead some payback, and the scenes were spectacular ones as the squabble stayed just about perfectly within the lines of brutal but fair.

    Gardner remained the man ahead for much of the first half before Schrötter lunged again with 12 to go, his attack repelled but the German able to fight back and keep the lead. Marquez remained third and Baldassarri lurked in fourth, the Italian remaining an observer as seemed to wait it out and choose his moment.

    Meanwhile just behind, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was on the charge. Starting to make some gains on the first group, the South African closed it down to half a second – and the war ahead raged on, Marquez taking over in second to chase down Schrötter.

    With nine laps to go, however, Gardner hit back again and took second, and not long after Baldassarri made his first real move. The Italian sliced past Marquez into third before Gardner took the lead again, and then there was a ‘Baldattack’ on Schrötter to leave the Italian in second. The Jaws music began and with four laps to go Baldassarri finally attacked for the lead and Gardner ended up a little wide, slotting back in just ahead of Marquez. In the lead, though, Baldassarri then pulled the pin as Gardner harried Schrötter, and the Aussie was able to get past but the gap to the leader would ultimately prove too big.

    Baldassarri crossed the line in clear air to stamp some more authority on the early part of the Championship, but the celebration just behind him was even bigger as Gardner finally took that first podium. So close in Qatar, the Aussie moves up to second overall in the standings as he broke his rostrum duck, and Marquez managed to emerge from the melee for a valuable P3.

    Just behind that, Binder was still on a charge but the South African overcooked it when attacking Schrötter, forcing the German well wide, and that let past both Iker Lecuona (American Team KTM) and Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46). Binder got back past Marini before heading wide again, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider then attacked the Italian again on the last lap – and overcooked it again. Contact with Marini sent the him wide as Binder crossed the line in fifth just behind Lecuona, but that wasn’t all she wrote. After the race, the South African was penalised for irresponsible riding and demoted a place. So it’s Schrötter who is classified fifth, ahead of Binder, with Marini forced to settle for seventh.

    Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) took P8 in a solid day’s work, ahead of a top ride from Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team), who was top rookie once again. Not by much though, as a stunning charge from Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) saw the Thai rookie take his second top ten finish – the first having come in his sole Moto3™ appearance at Buriram last season. Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team), Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team), Khairul Idham Pawi (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and NTS RW Racing GP duo Bo Bendsneyder and replacement rider Jesko Raffin completed the points.

    Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) was a crasher as he tagged the back of Binder early on, as fellow veteran Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) made a mistake at the exact same corner at the exact same time and also went down. Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) suffered an issue with his arm and was unable to finish, having been on for the honour of top rookie after some impressive pace in Argentina.

    Termas was another thriller but it’s advantage Baldassarri as we head for Austin. Can the Italian make it three from three? Find out on the 14th April!

    Results:

    1 – Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA) 39’46.000
    2 – Remy Gardner (AUS) +1.244
    3 – Alex Marquez (SPA) +1.817
    Masia wins Moto3 on Sunday. A MotoGP image

    Masia converts first pole into first victory as the freight train fights it out at Termas

    Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) took a stunning first win from his first pole position in the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina, pitching it to perfection on the final lap to cross the line ahead of a stunning ride through the field for Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power), with Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers Team) completing the podium. It was the first visit to the rostrum for all three.

    Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) took the holeshot from second on the grid as Masia slipped back a little from pole, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) initially challenging the two and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) getting feisty at the front of the group. Feisty was the word for much of the race and the first few laps were no different, with most of the field locked in a long freight train shuffling for position.

    A duel for the lead between Canet and Antonelli early on looked like it could see the two men break away but it wasn’t to be, and with 17 laps to go Masia struck back to take the lead. With 15 to go it was home hero Gabriel Rodrigo’s (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) turn to do the same, but the action ramped up another notch as the group battled it out – and Binder began to make his presence felt as he moved up the order.

    With 11 laps to go it was attrition more than pace that was slowly whittling down the riders in the front group. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) came together and they both went down, also pushing Qatar GP winner Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) wide and the Japanese rider left with a gap left to make up. Vicente Perez (Reale Avintia Arizona 77) crashed out not long after too, but the freight train would soon gain back another carriage as rookie Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) was able to tag on – and Toba pushed and pushed to try and make it back onto the group.

    As the last few laps appeared, the number 27 had made up the gap and was back in contention. With such a huge group all squabbling, it was clear by crunch time that it wasn’t only a battle for the lead but still a battle for points: more than 15 riders were still tagged together hammering around Termas de Rio Hondo.

    Heading over the line to begin the last lap, Binder held on at the front but he had Dalla Porta for close company and it wasn’t long until the Italian muscled his way past. As they thundered down to Turn 5 Rodrigo struck to make his own move for the lead and Binder then attacked Dalla Porta in the shuffle behind; the Italian forced a little wide. That was when Masia decided to strike taking over at the front through Turns 7 and 8 and ultimately not needing to look back. Keeping his cool, the Spaniard crossed the line for his first Grand Prix win and his first visit to the podium with just enough breathing space to avoid an attack from the chasing pack.

    That wasn’t true of Rodrigo. Binder muscled through on the inside and the Argentinean suffered a huge wobble, somehow staying on but his podium hopes evaporating. The South African was able to complete his own fairytale race and take that second place and his first podium though, gaining a stunning 18 places from his starting position in the process. Arbolino, meanwhile, avoided the drama and swept through to take third and convert his top pace in preseason into a podium.

    Antonelli took fourth after a solid race, with Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) concluding a quality Sunday with a top five finish and his best ever result in fifth. Rodrigo recovered from the last lap drama to take sixth ahead of another forced into a recovery as Dalla Porta crossed the line in P7. Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) – arguably the author of the move of the race as he managed a three-in-one overtake for the lead at one point – took eighth, ahead of Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) and a top class fight back from Qatar GP winner and Championship leader Kaito Toba.

    Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai), Canet and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) locked out 11th to 13th, with the final points taken by rookie duo Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team).

    Somewhat surprisingly, it was Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) who was the first of the freight train to miss out on points, the former Argentina GP winner taking P16, with rookie Ogura just behind him. But that’s it from a high octane Termas de Rio Hondo, with Toba still with a slim points lead as we head to the Circuit of the Americas in two weeks.

    Results: 1 – Jaume Masia (SPA) 38’54.562
    2 – Darryn Binder (RSA) +0.108
    3 – Tony Arbolino (ITA) +0.295

  • Leclerc’s late-race engine problem allows Hamilton to win Bahrain GP

    Leclerc’s late-race engine problem allows Hamilton to win Bahrain GP

    Hami consoles Leclerc after winning the Bahrain GP. An FIA image

    Sakhir, 31 March 2019: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was denied a first Formula One victory by a late-race engine problem that allowed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to sweep past and claim his first win of 2019 in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the second round of the Formula One World Championship here on Sunday.

    Leclerc had led for the bulk of the race, but in the closing stages began to slow and reported an engine problem that was quickly diagnosed as an issue with the turbo. His pace flagged dramatically and at the end of the 48thlap of the 57 scheduled, Hamilton powered past to claim the lead. He was followed by Mercedes’ team-mate Valtteri Bottas, and Leclerc might have lost out on his first podium finish had a late Safety Car period denied Red Bull’s Max Verstappen the opportunity to also pass the Monegasque driver.

    When the lights went out at the start, Sebastian Vettel got the jump on polesitter Leclerc and seized the lead. Bottas, too, exploited the situation and muscled past the young Ferrari driver to take P2.

    Hamilton then tried to pressure Leclerc and as they tussled, Verstappen, who had started fifth, tried to slip down the inside of both in the final corner. He couldn’t make the move stick, however, and settled into fifth place.

    After his first lap difficulties, Leclerc quickly recovered and went on the assault. He pushed past Bottas at the start of lap two and then powered past Vettel under DRS into turn one at the start of the next lap to reclaim the lead.

    Leclerc maintained his lead through the first stops, but Hamilton managed to get past Vettel to take P2. The German was now third ahead of Bottas and Max, who took on medium tyres during a superb 2.1s pit stop.

    On lap 23 Vettel closed in on Hamilton and powered past the defending champion around the outside through Turn 4. Leclerc though was now 7.5s ahead of his team-mate. Behind Hamilton, Bottas was fourth, four seconds ahead of Verstappen.

    Now third, Hamilton pitted soon after the halfway mark and shed his soft tyres for a set of medium Pirellis, a move that was repeated on the following tour by Vettel.

    Vettel emerged ahead but the gap was narrow and the Mercedes driver was soon on the attack. He tried to pass in Turn 4 but was rebuffed by Vettel who held his line well. Hamilton was not to be denied, however, and on the following lap he made the move stick. Vettel spun following the pass and recovered but soon afterward his front wing mysteriously collapsed and he was forced to pit for repairs, dropping to P9. That bumped Verstappen to fourth place behind Bottas, with five seconds separating the Red Bull from the Mercedes.

    With a dozen laps to go the shape of the race changed. Leclerc began to complain of engine issues and as his lap times increased dramatically he was told that he had “no H recover”, signalling a turbo issue.

    At the end of lap 48 Hamilton swept past to claim the lead and with third-placed Bottas lapping five seconds quicker than the Monegasque the prospect of a Mercedes one-two came into view.

    By lap 51 Leclerc’s advantage over Bottas was just 15.9s and Max was a further 6.6s behind. After Bottas powered past Leclerc, Max closed in fast, but then with just four laps remaining the works Renaults of Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo expired. With Ricciardo’s car close to the trackside, the Safety Car was deployed and Max’s chance of a podium frustratingly evaporated and he was forced to settle for fourth place.

    With Max fourth behind race winner Hamilton, Bottas and Leclerc, fifth place went to Vettel. Lando Norris took sixth for McLaren, with Kimi Räikkönen seventh ahead of Gasly. The final points positions were taken by Toro Rosso’s Alex Albon and Racing Point’s Sergio Perez.

    2019 FIA Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix – Race
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes –
    2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 2.980
    3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 6.131
    4 Max Verstappen Red Bull 6.408
    5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 36.068
    6 Lando Norris McLaren 45.754
    7 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 47.470
    8 Pierre Gasly Red Bull 58.094
    9 Alex Albon Toro Rosso 1’02.697
    10 Sergio Perez Racing Point 1’03.696
    11 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1’04.599
    12 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1 lap
    13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1 lap
    14 Lance Stroll Racing Point 1 lap
    15 George Russell Williams 1 lap
    16 Robert Kubica Williams 2 laps
    17 Nico Hulkenberg Renault
    18 Daniel Ricciardo Renault
    19 Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren
    Romain Grosjean Haas

  • This is a devastating result for Charles, as he did such a great job, says Hamilton

    Sakhir, 31 March 2019: The top-three drivers attended the traditional post-race FIA press conference here on Sunday: Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes) 2 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes) 3 – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari)

    TRACK INTERVIEWS (Conducted by Martin Brundle)

    Q: Lewis, congratulations. You had to work so hard for that one.

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, today was a really, really hard job. This weekend the Ferraris have been incredible and I just had to see Charles because he did such a great job. I’m sure this is a devastating result for him as he had done the job to win the race. We were definitely lucky today but you have to take it as it comes. Ultimately, I still gave it everything in the race and I pushed as hard as I could, and obviously, the fight I had with Vettel was great fun for me.

    Q: Take us through that. You went around the outside of Turn 4 a couple of times and Seb spun off behind you.

    LH: Yeah, if you look at that big flag on top of that tower there is a massive headwind into Turn 4, so I just gave it everything and braked later than usual and dived down the outside. I don’t think we touched or anything like that, but this is a great result for the team considering how hard the race was. This guy here [Leclerc] has lots more wins coming in the future so congratulations to him.

    Q: Charles, I’ll come back to you. I’ll just have a quick word with Valtteri. Valtteri, P2, pretty satisfying, the pace was difficult, but you were there when it mattered.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, I think as a team we got a bit lucky today but we kept it together, we did no mistake as a team and the car was very reliable – and that’s the win today. The hard work at the factory is paying off like this, so that is good. Otherwise a difficult race for me. The balance of the car was a bit everywhere and I ended up doing a lot of mistakes and so on.

    Q: A great start and you weren’t giving Lewis any extra space there in the early laps?

    VB: No, I never will. The first lap was good. I had a bit of a lock-up into Turn 1, so I lost a place but then I had a good battle with Lewis and congrats to him.

    Q: OK, congratulations on second place. Oh, Charles, I think your car should be parked there [in P1] today?

    Charles LECLERC: It happens. It’s part of motor sport. Unfortunately today it was not our day. But I am confident. The team has done an amazing job to recover the lack of pace we had in Australia. And yeah, what to say? Of course, I’m extremely disappointed, as the whole team, but it happens in the seasons. I think we made the best out of it. We have been lucky in a very unlucky situation. Hopefully, we had the safety car at the end, otherwise we would have finished even more rearward and also I don’t think with the fuel we would have been OK. Vey hard one to take but thanks to the team for the amazing car all weekend long and I’m pretty sure we’ll come back stronger.

    Q: Well, you got the point for fastest lap. The first few corners seemed a bit difficult, low grip, but then you took the lead beautifully.

    CL: Yeah, I didn’t do a good start. Then we were very strong all race long. It’s a shame to only finish third but as I said, it’s part of racing, and we will come back stronger.

    Q: It’s your first podium, let’s look on the bright side.

    CL: Yeah, exactly. But, as I’ve said a lot in the past, I’m never really looking at the result, I’m more looking at the potential there was to do better. Today, third was not our place, but yeah, very happy anyway. Congratulations to Lewis and Valtteri and as I’ve said many times, we’ll come back stronger.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis, an incredible race from start to finish for everybody but another really good performance from you. As you lined up on the grid today what were your expectations? 

    LH: I think the expectation was it was going to be a very, very tough race. Clearly, the Ferraris had been quick all weekend. Charles had been incredibly rapid all weekend and was quickest in all sessions, and truly deserved the win. I think at the start I was hopeful to leapfrog at least one of the cars and in my opportunistic mind, I was thinking to jump both of them at the start. But I got a terrible start once again, which is a bit disappointing, as I’ve put a lot of work to try and improve those. You fall down and you just keep going and get back up and I’ll keep trying. After that, I think it was up and down clearly throughout the race. It looked like I could keep up with at least one of the Ferraris. And then that second stint was horrible, on the soft tyre. Then we fell back behind the Ferraris and it looked like we were out of contention for a second or even the wind. I was just battling this snappy, oversteery car in these winds, which were very tricky out there. And then with the undercut, that was a very exciting moment for me. I definitely didn’t see all that happening when we pulled up to the grid, but I’m grateful for it. As I’ve said, clearly we were very lucky today to get the 1-2 as a team. I think collectively we’d done a solid job through the weekend and Ferrari had out-performed us from the get-go. We’ve got to continue to work, as everyone is, it’s very, very hard. We’ll analyse where we have gone wrong this weekend. And as I was saying downstairs, for Charles… do they call you Charles or Charles?

    CL: I don’t mind. Whatever is easier for you.

    LH: I’m struggling every time I say the name. He did an incredible job this weekend and he’s got a beautiful, bright future ahead of him, so this will only make him stronger.

    Q: Valtteri, 32nd podium of your career, we saw you make a great start. You’re still leading the Championship after race two. How do you sum it all up?

    VB: Yeah, actually there were many points that were very interesting and exciting in that race and good fun – but then there were points in that race where I felt quite lonely! I didn’t see anyone. So, yeah, I had a great start to the race, I managed to get into P2 but then on Lap One into Turn One I think the wind caught me up a bit, I braked a bit too late into Turn One, trying to keep my position, and I lost two places – so back to fourth place. I think Ferrari, ultimately, was very, very strong again today, like yesterday – but yeah, during the times with the wind I ended-up doing some mistakes, like I think some other drivers did as well, and it was extremely difficult to keep the rhythm – but yeah, there were some good battles and so on. I managed to save the engine at some point when there was no threat from behind and a big gap in front. Also, I had a plastic bag stuck on my front wing at some point, which was costing performance, so not the perfect race but in the end, luck was on our side and we’ll definitely take it – especially me, after all the bad luck last year. So, obviously hard luck for Charles, he was very strong – but you know, it will come for him. I had to wait for more than 80 races for my first win, so I’m sure it’s going to be OK.

    Q: Charles, coming on to you, your first podium in Formula One, but obviously tinged with disappointment. I just wanted to ask you what positives you can take from today?

    CL: I think from the whole weekend there are a lot of positives to take. After Australia we were quite a lot far off. I think we found some answers – not all of them – but we found some. We came here, front row lock-out, which was very positive for the team, and we showed that they have done an amazing job. That doesn’t mean we’ll stay there for the rest of the season but that just shows off how good of a job they’ve done between the two races. And then I think we’ve shown also that we had a very strong pace during the race. Probably we were the strongest today. Unfortunately, the issues stopped us winning – but, on the other hand, issues always happen in a season and, if any time I have an issue, I finish third, then I think we could be quite happy. Today was not our day. It’s sad because obviously, I was so close of realising a dream that you have since childhood, which is your first win in Formula One – but hopefully, this day will come one day in the future. I’ll work for that, and I’m pretty sure the team will work for this but they should be proud of what they’ve done this weekend, and we’ll come back stronger.

    Q: How comfortable did you feel out front?

    CL: Well, very comfortable. The car felt amazing. There was quite a lot of wind, which was extremely tricky, especially out of [Turn] Four. So yeah, it was a very difficult race. i had to stay on it absolutely every lap. So yeah, it was very enjoyable, especially in the first part of the race when I had to catch back the position lost at the start.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Christian Menath – motorsport-magazin.com) Question for you Charles. Can you describe how you felt the problem for the first time – and then what happened afterward. Did you try to reset the car? Was there an intention to stop the car at all? Can you just talk us through it.

    CL: To be honest, how I felt in the car, I really thought everything would blow up a few laps later. Happily, it has not been the case and we still finished third, so yeah, just a loss of power, completely, very sudden. It got a tiny bit better after but the problem stayed there. And there were no signs before it to feel that anything was going wrong.

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Lewis, how does it feel when you pass someone who is having some problems for a win. And a question for Charles, how difficult was it to pass Seb on Lap Five?

    LH: Ultimately you want to pass someone because you’re quicker than them and through a fight. I went past Charles down the back straight and I raised my hand to him because there’s nothing I could do, obviously, I didn’t have any problems, so it definitely feels weird and, honestly, you can’t believe your luck in those scenarios, but what can you do? You can’t deny yourself it. You just have to keep doing what you’re doing and pushing ahead. As I was saying, I’ve been in positions like that: we’ve been in the lead many a time when the car has stopped and I know how it feels. But it’s always good to look at the glass half full because today he still got some great points even though he had that problem and he was an outlier all weekend – even to his team-mate, he was so much faster than his team-mate all weekend so he has so many positives to take from it and we have a lot of work to do to try and keep up with him!

    CL: Yes, well, it’s always a tricky situation when you get to fight your team-mate because the risks are very high and, as in every team, I think, they warn you before the race: OK, you can try things on different people, but with your team-mate, please be careful – which is something normal. So it’s always obviously, that something more. But yeah, I had the opportunity on lap five and I didn’t hesitate, I just sent for it. I was happy it was successful the first time I tried, especially after the bad start. So yeah, happy with how it ended up.

    Q: (Ben Anderson – F1 Racing) Charles, you mentioned just after the race that you were lucky in an unlucky situation because of concerns over fuel. Was that a result of the problem you had with the MGU-H or were you struggling with fuel before the problem struck?

    CL: No, no. It was just the result because of obviously being very slow on the straight, we were spending a lot more time on the straight so you are using a lot more fuel than normal so it was just a normal consequence of the lack of power on the straights.

    Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Charles, at the start you lost the lead, obviously. How did you feel about that at the time, what was your approach after that and then we heard you come on the radio and say to the team ‘guys, I’m quicker’? Were you worried at that point that you weren’t going to be allowed to race and try to pass Sebastian?

    CL: No, I was just letting them know. Then I think I had an answer, saying to me ‘OK, stay like this for two laps’ but then on the next straight I had the opportunity to go for it, so I went for it and it was a successful pass and then I was just quicker, so then I did my race. Then obviously, to lose the lead in this way it’s always a shame and always a disappointment but I also had a lot of things to do and there were still points to grab so I very quickly got back to focus on my race. Obviously, the win was out of reach because of the problem but there were still very important points to gain. I just tried to focus as much as possible, meet the disappointment on one side and… yeah.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, it seems to me that those extra points for fastest laps are working because you are now leading because of that. Do you agree?

    VB: Fully agree. They are points that will count at the end of the championship. Obviously, now, at this point, it doesn’t matter much but what matters is at the end of the championship and we’ve seen many championships finishing with very small margins. Today it was a bit out of reach with the strong pace of Ferrari, they got it, but yeah, for sure while there is this opportunity it’s going to be important but anyways, even though it felt a super-difficult race I’m happy to be getting this amount of points because in the end, consistency is going to be the key.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) We go to China and Baku, circuits with completely different characteristics to this one. Do you think the picture we have here we can transport to other rounds of the season?

    LH: I think it’s really difficult to say, honestly. We’ve only had two races and they’ve been a flipside, you know, both sides. One where we were rapid and far ahead and this weekend where they were.  So as always, every season, it takes a good few races before you kind of get a gist of where it all is but I anticipate it’s going to be back and forth between the two of us. If they have this straight speed in the next race then we’ll be watching them disappear but obviously we’re going to be working hard to try and understand where we went wrong this weekend and if we can improve the car but as you can see, reliability is also a very very key important part, so we’ve just got to keep working on all areas.

    VB: Agree.

    CL: No, as Lewis said, I think we struggled quite a lot in Australia. Here the car felt a lot better overall. Now we just need to work and make it feel that way every race weekend, but obviously, the track characteristics are also taken into account. It has been a good weekend for us but that doesn’t mean it will be like this for the rest of the season, so we need to work and try to keep the position that we’ve had this weekend but it’s obviously not going to be easy.

    Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) Charles, you mentioned earlier that you were so close to fulfilling a childhood dream. Does today feel like the cruelest race you’ve had in your career?

    CL: I will not go to that extreme because I think Formula Two in Monaco was probably the worst I’ve ever had but yeah, because it’s still a podium and it’s my first podium in Formula One so in a way I feel I should enjoy it, the way I felt like there was a lot more to take this weekend but yeah, overall, of course, it’s not the ideal race we wanted but we shall be happy about our third place despite problems.

     

  • Charles Leclerc becomes 2nd youngest to get a pole; Ferrari lock-out front row; Hami p3

    Charles Leclerc becomes 2nd youngest to get a pole; Ferrari lock-out front row; Hami p3

    Leclerc takes pole on Saturday. An FIA image

    Sakhir, 30 March 2019: Charles Leclerc took the first pole position of his career, beating Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel by almost three tenths of a second as the Italian squad locked out the front row of the grid for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, the second round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.

    Defending champion Lewis Hamilton was forced to settle for P3, 0.030 behind Vettel, ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

    At the start of the session Ferrari quickly seized control, with Leclerc taking P1 thanks to a lap of 1:28.495. Vettel slotted into P2, 0.238s behind his team-mate, while Valtteri Bottas took third place, a full second adrift of the pacesetting Monegasque. Hamilton’s final Q1 lap of 1:29.262 then moved him to third place

    In a tight battle, in which P6 to P15 were covered by just half a second, there was no escape at the end of the segment for Alfa’s Antonio Giovinazzi who was the first man eliminated in P16.

    The Italian was bounced out ahead of surprise casualty Nico Hulkenberg of Renault, Racing Point’s Lance Stroll and the Williams cars of George Russell and Robert Kubica.

    At the top of the table Leclerc’s opening time kept him in P1 ahead of Vettel with Hamilton third ahead of Lando Norris of McLaren who put in a superb lap to split the Mercedes drivers. Toro Rosso’s Alex Albon took sixth ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Red Bull’s Max. Romain Grosjean was 10thfor Haas.

    Leclerc again led the way in the first runs of Q2, setting a time of 1:28.046. That put him more than four tenths of a second clear of Hamilton, with Bottas in third.

    Verstappen slotted into fifth place with a lap of 1:29.143, ahead of Vettel who made a mistake in Turn 10 and was forced to run again as the top two stayed in the garage for the final runs.

    Pierre Gasly in the second Red Bull was in trouble though, down in P12, with a lap of 1:29.526 after the first runs.

    And in the final runs the Frenchman couldn’t find the pace to break out of the Q2 drop zone. He failed to improve on his first-run time and was bypassed by Toro Rosso’s Alex Albon who finished behind the first driver eliminated, Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo. Behind Gasly, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez was ruled out in P14 ahead of the second Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat.

    Vettel’s error in Q2 and the need for an extra run meant he was restricted to the garage for the first run in Q3. That left the door open for Leclerc and the Monegasque driver took top spot with a time identical to that with which Vettel claimed pole position in 2018.

    The gauntlet was laid down, therefore, and Vettel was the first of the Ferraris on track for the final runs.

    Despite getting running his team-mate close through S1, the lap went away from the German over the two remaining sectors and he could only claim P2 with a time of 1:28.160.

    Hamilton edged close to the front row with his final run, but in the end he had to settle for third place, three hundredths of a second behind Vettel.

    Leclerc, though, was going even quicker than on his opener and he eventually claimed his maiden pole, and the first in for a driver from Monaco, with a new track record of 1:27.866.

    With Bottas fourth ahead of Verstappen, who was also restricted to a single run, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen finished in P6 ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and the second Haas of Romain Grosjean. Kimi Räikkönen was ninth for Alfa Romeo and the top 10 was rounded out by Norris.

    2019 FIA Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix – Qualifying
    1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:27.866
    2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:28.160 0.294
    3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:28.190 0.324
    4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:28.256 0.390
    5 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:28.752 0.886
    6 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:28.757 0.891
    7 Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren 1:28.813 0.947
    8 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:29.015 1.149
    9 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 1:29.022 1.156
    10 Lando Norris McLaren 1:29.043 1.177
    11 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1:29.488 1.622
    12 Alex Albon Toro Rosso 1:29.513 1.647
    13 Pierre Gasly Red Bull 1:29.526 1.660
    14 Sergio Perez Racing Point 1:29.756 1.890
    15 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:29.854 1.988
    16 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1:30.026 2.160
    17 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:30.034 2.168
    18 Lance Stroll Racing Point 1:30.217 2.351
    19 George Russell Williams 1:31.759 3.893
    20 Robert Kubica Williams 1:31.799

  • Full tilt at Termas: Marquez fights off Viñales and Dovi for pole: MotoGP

    Full tilt at Termas: Marquez fights off Viñales and Dovi for pole: MotoGP

    Rossi and Miller make for close company as the top five finish qualifying within 0.244

    The MotoGP front row L-R: Viñales, Marquez and Dovizioso. A MotoGP image

    Santiago del Estero (Argentina), 30 March 2019: Five out of six makes good reading for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the reigning Champion took a fifth pole at Termas de Rio Hondo on Saturday, setting himself up for a charge at another victory at the track in the MotoGP World Championship.

    But there’s more than a couple of riders well within the number 93’s postcode, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) just 0.164 back in P2 and Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) only another 0.010 further off – a tantalising prospect for lights out at Round 2.

    It’s not just the front row in the spotlight, however. Plenty of eyes will be on the second row as 2015 Argentina GP winner Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) lines up fourth and directly behind Marquez, with 2018 polesitter and top Independent Team rider Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) keeping the ‘Doctor’ more than a little honest in fifth. From Marquez to Miller the grid is covered by just 0.244.

    The tiny margins continue in sixth and seventh, too. Sophomore Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took P6 and his best ever premier class qualifying position to lock out Row 2, with rookie teammate Fabio Quartararo once again the fastest debutant on the grid and just point blank fast. The Frenchman was only 0.011 off Morbidelli, and will be hoping to avoid his dramatic start to the Qatar GP. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took P8 and he’s aiming for the podium having won from P10 on the grid last season, with the British rider joined by teammate and Q1 graduate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) on Row 3.

    Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) completes a top ten covered by 0.789 at Termas de Rio Hondo, with Q1 graduate Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) starting from P11. That was after Jorge Lorenzo’s (Repsol Honda Team) fastest lap was cancelled due to exceeding track limits – the five-time World Champion will start from 12th, nevertheless a solid Saturday as he continues both his adaptation to the Honda and his recovery from injury.

    Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) starts P13 ahead of another impressive performance from Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rookie Miguel Oliveira who will likely fancy his chances at some good points, with Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) putting in a solid showing in P15.

    A major shock in Q1, however, was 2018 Argentina GP podium finisher Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). The Spaniard’s success at the track last year was his first rostrum in the premier class but in 2019 he’ll line up in P16. Can he mount a comeback from there? Sunday will reveal all…

    It’s a good looking grid after qualifying at Termas and the race looks sure to be a stunner. That’s even before we mention the weather that could well mix everything up again…Don’t miss any of the action from Argentina, lights go out for the premier class at 15:00 local time (GMT-3).

  • Vierge on pole as just 0.012 covers Moto2 front row; Maiden pole for Masia in Moto3

    Vierge on pole as just 0.012 covers Moto2 front row; Maiden pole for Masia in Moto3

    Xavi Vierge takes Moto2 pole on Saturday. A MotoGP image

    EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Xavi Vierge will once again start from pole position at the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina, 12 months on from securing his first pole position and after bettering Johann Zarco’s fastest ever Moto2™ lap around Termas de Rio Hondo with a 1:42.726. It’s blink and you’ll miss the gap though as both Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) got almost too close to comfort with their last laps; Schrötter just 0.011 off and a single thousandth in further arrears.

    Vierge’s EG 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Alex Marquez will front row two of the grid thanks to a 1:42.773, making it the top four riders who all bettered Zarco’s previous best ever lap from 2015. Dynavolt Intact GP’s Tom Lüthi is in the middle of the second row, before top KTM Brad Binder who put his Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2™ machine in P6.

    After showing strong pace all weekend, Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) will start Sunday’s race from seventh on the grid. The Australian’s Q2 lap was over a tenth slower than the lap that saw him top FP3 earlier in the day. Qatar race winner and Championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) is eighth on the grid, joined on row three by compatriot and top rookie Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46).

    Rounding out the top ten after ending Q1 quickest, is veteran Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2). With the top 13 covered by three tenths of a second, Sunday’s race at 13:20 local time (GMT-3) is not one to be missed!

    Maiden pole for Masia in Moto3
    FP1’s fastest man strikes back on Saturday
    Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) takes Moto3 pole on Saturday. A MotoGP image

    Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) will start the Moto3™ race at the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina from his first ever pole position after FP1’s fastest man struck back to set the pace on Saturday afternoon. His benchmark 1:48.775 puts him over three tenths clear of Q1 graduate Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) in second, with 2018 polesitter Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) completing the front row in third.

    The qualifying session at Termas de Rio Hondo initially saw riders neglecting to set laptimes and that set up a frantic finish; classic Moto3™ style. Red sectors lit up the timesheets and after first trailing Canet by 0.002, Masia then pounced soon after to leapfrog his compatriot and set the 1:48.775 – the lap that would ultimately give him his first pole position. Canet remained second, with Arbolino than snatching the final place on the front row on his final flying lap by just 0.007.

    The man to lose out and who now heads the second row is Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing). The all-Italian Row 2 is completed by fifth place Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and sixth on the grid, Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai), another rider who came through Q1.

    Former Argentina GP winner Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) starts from seventh, with Qatar GP winner Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) and compatriot Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) locked close together in eighth and ninth respectively. Rookie and reigning FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Champion Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) impressed once again to start tenth on his first appearance at Termas.

    Less than a second splits the top fifteen in Moto3™ qualifying and with the likes of termas podium finisher John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and home hero Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) starting from outside the top ten, we’re set for a stunning lightweight class battle. But what will the weather bring? Tune in for the Moto3™ race at 12:00 local time (GMT-3).

  • Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, Nicolas Gilsoul take lead on Saturday: WRC Round 4

    Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, Nicolas Gilsoul take lead on Saturday: WRC Round 4

    Thierry Neuville, and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul take lead on Saturday. Image: Hyundai Motorsport

    Bastia (Corsica), 30 March 2019: Hyundai Motorsport has moved into the lead of Tour de Corse after a dramatic penultimate day of action in the fourth round of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

    Belgians Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul hold a 4.5-second lead over Elfyn Evans with two stages left to run on Sunday morning. Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio remain in a close fight for the podium, in fourth place overall, while Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena finished Saturday’s schedule in eighth position.

    On the longest day of Tour de Corse, crews tackled almost 175km of competitive tarmac stages. A loop of three stages started with a 25.62km run through Cap Corse and the shorter 14.45km Désert des Agriates test, before culminating with the monster 47.18km Castagniccia.

    The trio of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crews all set times inside the top-three during the day. Sordo claimed a stage win in the first Castagniccia stage (SS9), while Neuville took honours with impressive runs in the two final stages of the afternoon loop.

    Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

    • Stage wins in SS11 (Désert des Agriates) and SS12 (Castagniccia)
    • Belgians moved into the rally lead with an impressive performance on the final stage
    Neuville said: “We have had a really good day and I am delighted we can finish Saturday in the lead of the rally. Anything can happen when people are driving on the edge. This is a long and demanding rally so it’s important to stay focused. This morning, during the long stage particularly, we couldn’t really find the feeling we wanted, but things came good in the afternoon. When you have the right rhythm in the car, it’s possible to set fast times without taking risks. That’s exactly what we could do and we now need to defend our lead on Sunday. It won’t be easy but we’ll certainly give it our best shot!”Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Carlos del Barrio (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

    • Stage win for the Spaniards in the first run through Castagniccia (SS9)
    • Competitive battle for the final podium position with five-second gap to Ogier
    Sordo said: “We had a very strong opening loop this morning. My pace notes were very clear and we showed our potential with the fastest time in the long Castagniccia stage. I had a great feeling and the car was very nice to drive. We didn’t manage the same advantage in the repeat loop, as others seemed to make up more time, but we are pleased to enter the final morning in a close fight for the podium. Ogier made up a lot of time on us in the final stage today but we know we can also find some gains, so it promises to be a big battle tomorrow. We’ll try our best.”Crew Notes: Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (#19 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

    • Another day of improvements for the nine-time world champions following an off into the ditch in SS9
    • Crew worked hard on car set-up to make positive gains during the day
    Loeb said: “We are not in the same rally as everyone else after our issues on Friday, so we have used today to improve our feeling with the car. Things started well but on the long stage in the morning loop we had a tricky moment. I understeered in a left-hander, which tightened, and I couldn’t turn which then sent us into a ditch. We lost a lot of time getting going again. The afternoon followed the same strategy to make adjustments to the car. Things were not perfect all the time but for the majority of stages we had a good car and a nice feeling. We will continue in this way tomorrow and aim to finish on a positive note.”  Team Director Andrea Adamo: “Honestly speaking it is good that Thierry and Nicolas are leading Tour de Corse in a Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, although we have to admit we have some work to do on improving the car to match their level. They did a truly fantastic job and they deserve their lead. We find ourselves in first and fourth place overall at the end of Saturday but as we have seen anything can happen; it’s not over yet!”

    Sunday at a glance

    • Two stages remain on the Tour de Corse itinerary, with no opportunity for respite.
    • A long 31.85km run through Eaux de Zilia will start the day in style before the rally concludes with the 19.34km Power Stage at Calvi.
    Classification after Day Two
    1 T. Neuville N. Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2:56:50.0
    2 E. Evans S. Martin Ford Fiesta WRC +4.5
    3 S. Ogier J. Ingrassia Citroën C3 WRC +44.8
    4 D. Sordo C. del Barrio Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +49.9
    5 T. Suninen M. Salminen Ford Fiesta WRC +1:32.1
    6 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC +1:54.5
    7 E. Lappi J. Ferm Citroën C3 WRC +1:59.3
    8 S. Loeb D. Elena Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +3:21.4
    9 K. Meeke S. Marshall Toyota Yaris WRC +3:55.9
    10 J.M Latvala M. Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC +6:35.4

  • Flash: Charles Leclerc takes pole, 2nd youngest to achieve the feat: Bahrain GP

    Sakhir, 30 March 2019: The young new face, Charles Leclerc is the second youngest to take the pole position of all time at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday clocking 1: 27. 866 to beat his teammate and the youngest pole sitter of all time, Sebastian Vettel to secure a front-row lock-out for Ferrari at the qualifying here on Saturday ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

    It was also a new track record as the only dirver from Monaco who  took the pole,. Leclerc set the record on his final lap for good measure, going around the Bahrain International Circuit in 1m 27.866s, 0.294s up on Vettel’s time.

    Behind the Ferrari duo came the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. The two silver arrows did a good job to close the gap, having to Ferrari, Hamilton ending up 0.324s off Leclerc’s pole time.

    Threatening them from fifth on the grid will be Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. His teammate Pierre Gasly has dropped out in Q2. The Dutchman is ahead of the Haas of Kevin Magnussen and the McLaren of Carlos Sainz.

    Kimi Raikkonen did a great job to qualify P9.

  • Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin lead the way: Tour de Corse, WRC

    M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin are leading the way at this weekend’s Tour de Corse – posting three fastest stage times and holding a 4.5 second advantage over Ott Tänak.

    The Welshman made his intent clear from the start with the fastest time through the opening speed test – proving that he and the EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC have as much speed on asphalt as they do on gravel.
     
    Evans may have slipped to second on the second stage, but his desire and determination to succeed came to the fore. Working hard over the midday regroup, he and Martin perfected their notes and were the ones to beat over the afternoon loop.
     
    A further two fastest times could have been joined by another on the final speed test, but the Welshman lost out when stuck behind an ailing Kris Meeke.
     
    In the interest of fairness, Evans was awarded the same time as Tänak and the two former team mates are set to continue their fight as the weekend continues.
     
    Further down the field, Teemu Suninen and Marko Salminen were under strict instruction to finish the rally and make it through all of the stages unscathed. Yet despite taking minimal risks, the Finns also proved competitive.
     
    Tackling the Corsican stages for the first time with the power and performance of the top-specification Fiesta, Suninen currently holds fifth place and is outperforming those with considerably more experience.
     
    Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:
     
    “We’ve had a great day and proven that we have as much pace on asphalt as we do on snow and gravel. Elfyn and Scott have been brilliant right from the off. They’ve set three fastest stage times and have the pace to challenge for the very top results this weekend.
     
    “I was particularly impressed with the way they worked over the midday regroup. They could see that they lost time on the middle stage [SS2] and worked hard to perfect their notes – smashing it with the fastest time on the repeat run this afternoon [SS5]!
     
    “Then again on the last stage [SS6], they had a chance to extend their lead before getting stuck behind Meeke – but they didn’t get stressed. They kept their cool and we were pleased to see the organisers resolve the issue in the fairest way possible.

     

    “We know how tough a competitor Ott [Tänak] is, but we also know how good the Fiesta is and how hungry Elfyn is for another victory. It’s going to be a pretty epic battle between the two of them, and Thierry [Neuville] isn’t too far behind either!
     
    “Teemu and Marko have also had a really good day. They’re under strict instruction to finish this one and aren’t pushing the limits, so to be in fifth and outperforming those with a lot more experience is really impressive. 
     
    “Teemu is a natural competitor so he’s pretty frustrated not to pushing and fighting at the front – especially when he knows there is more to give – but he’s not been here with a world rally car and it’s important that he gets the experience for the future.”
     
    Elfyn Evans (1st) said:
     
    “It’s been a positive day and the car has felt really good. This is the type of rally where you have to be smart and efficient, and I felt like we drove well. We were able to carry the speed through the corners, and keep a smoothness in the driving which seems to be doing the trick.
     
    “There’s going to be a big battle tomorrow and our plan is to stay in this position. Ott [Tänak] and Thierry [Neuville] will both be pushing hard, but we know when everything is working that we can be faster. I’m really looking forward to the day. There’s quite a mix of stages with a bit of everything. It’s all about being adaptable.”
     
    Teemu Suninen (5th) said:
     
    “It’s been a really good day for us and the pace has been good. I could go faster for sure, but I have this monkey on my shoulder holding me back. I have made some mistakes in the last rallies and I need to bring the car home this weekend. But the driving has still been on a good level so we can be happy with that.”

    OVERALL CLASSIFICATION

    1. Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (Ford Fiesta WRC) 1:09:39.6
    2. Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC) +4.5
    3. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +9.8
    4. Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +26.1
    5. Teemu Suninen / Marko Salminen (Ford Fiesta WRC) +30.9
    6. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Citroen C3 WRC) +36.3
    7. Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferme (Citroen C3 WRC) +46.3
    8. Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +2:27.9