INDIA in F1

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  • Lewis Hamilton crowned World Champion for the fifth time: Max Verstappen wins Mexican GP

    Mexico City, 28 Oct 2018: Fourth place in the Mexican Grand Prix was good enough to hand Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton his fifth FIA Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship title, as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took his second successive win at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen here on Sunday.

    Going into the race Hamilton knew that even if Vettel won the race a seventh-place finish in Mexico City would be good enough to take the title and starting from third on the grid, ahead of his title rival, the Briton was well positioned ahead of the start to score the points necessary.

    In the end, despite a brief challenge for the lead after the start, tyre issues in the race hampered Hamilton’s chance of finishing on finishing on the podium but fourth place was good enough to end Vettel’s hopes and seal a title that puts him joint second on the list of all-time title winners behind seven-time winner Michael Schumacher.

    For his part, Vettel did everything possible to keep the title fight alive, climbing from fourth on the grid to second. But with almost 14 seconds to make up on race leader Verstappen in the closing stages the task was simply too great for the German.

    At the start, Hamilton got away well and the Mercedes driver charged into the gap Dutchman Verstappen had also made a good getaway, however, and as the trio powered towards Turn 1 it was the Red Bull driver who had the best line. As they swept through the corner Verstappen emerged in the lead, with Hamilton second and Ricciardo in third.

    Behind them Vettel initially lost out to Valtteri Bottas, but when the Mercedes man was forced wide in Turns 4 and 5 of the opening lap, the Ferrari driver was able to reclaim fourth place. On the edge of the top 10, Force India’s Esteban Ocon tangled with Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg in Turn 1 with the result that Ocon’s front wing was destroyed.

    The debris from Ocon’s car was hit by Fernando Alonso and soon after, smoke could be seen trailing from the back of the Spaniard’s McLaren. He pulled over at the edge of the track in Turn 11 and retired from the race. That led to a brief VSC period but when the action resumed Max began to quickly pull away from Hamilton. By lap 10 he had built a 3.4s advantage over the Mercedes driver.

    Hamilton was the first of the leaders to pit, the Briton stopping at the end of lap 11 to take on supersofts. Bottas followed moments later in a double stop and they emerged in P5 and P8 respectively.

    Red Bull responded by pitting Ricciardo a lap later and Verstappen on lap 13, with both drivers also taking on supersofts. Vettel now led the race ahead of Ferrari team-mate Kimi Räikkönen with Verstappen third ahead of Hamilton and Ricciardo.

    Verstappen soon made his way back to second place, however, closing on Räikkönen and sweeping past the Finn under DRS on lap 15. Hamilton and Ricciardo quickly followed suit as the Ferrari driver’s tyres went off, and at the end of lap 17 the Italian squad opted to pit Vettel and his team-mate in quick succession. Verstappen was now back in the lead ahead of Hamilton and Ricciardo.

    Fourteen laps later, as Verstappen worked through the first sector of his 31st lap, Carlos Sainz steered off track and stopped. That sparked another VSC period.

    When racing resumed, Vettel began to once again close on Daniel and when the Aussie got stuck behind the battle for eight place between Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Pérez and Sauber’s Charles Leclerc, Vettel saw his chance. He made a move in Turn 1 and squeezed past Ricciardo as they exited the Turn 2.

    Vettel next targeted Hamilton as the Briton struggled on his supersoft tyres, the Ferrari driver swept past to take P2 on lap 39. Ricciardo now began to close on the title leader.

    On lap 47, Ricciardo made the decisive move. As the pair crossed the line to start the lap the Australian opened the DRS and dived to his left. Hamilton tried to outbrake the Red Bull but went off track, leaving Ricciardo to sweep through to third place.

    Hamilton immediately pitted for a set of ultrasofts, as did Vettel, and at the end of lap 48 race leader Max also made a second stop, with the Dutchman bolting on a set of supersofts. The order was now Verstappen ahead of Ricciardo, with Vettel third ahead of Räikkönen and Hamilton.

    Ricciardo’s race ended on lap 62. With smoke trailing from the back of his car he slowed in Turn 1 and pulled over to retire.

    Verstappen now led Vettel by a little over 14 seconds with Räikkönen third. Hamilton was in fourth place almost a minute off the lead but secure in the knowledge that the placing would be good enough to hand him his fifth world title.

    And that was how it ended, with Verstappen taking his fifth career win and a second successive win in Mexico City. Vettel finished second, some 17 seconds adrift of the Red Bull, with Räikkönen third.

    Hamilton, meanwhile, cruised home in fourth place to seal his fifth world championship title, equalling Juan Manuel Fangio. Behind the champion, Bottas took fifth place ahead of Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg with Sauber’s Charles Leclerc in seventh. Eighth place went to 15th-place starter Stoffel Vandoorne of McLaren. Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson took ninth place, and the final points position went to Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly, who started from last place on the grid.

  • Flash: Hamilton crowned World Champ for the fifth time: Verstappen wins Mexican GP

    Mexico City, 28 Oct 2018: Britain’s 33-year old Lewis Hamilton won the FIA Formula One world championship for the fifth time at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit here on Sunday to equal Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio and now the sights are set on Michael Schumacher’s seven.

    Hamilton finished fourth in the race today after losing the battle with Verstappen to take the lead at the start, but that was enough for the Briton to clinch the 2018 Championship with two races to spare. Max Verstappen won the Mexican race for the second successive year ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. Polesitter Daniel Riccardo of Red Bull Racing had to retire, his 8th this season.

    After finishing the race, Hamilton got a congratulatory message from Wilbur Smith, in his typical cowboy style and did a couple of donuts. Then he sported the Union Jack proudly before filming the huge crowd and in the Mercedes garage, he hugged each and everyone.

    “A big thank you to my team. Bono said it wasn’t won here, it was won with a lot of hard work across a lot of races. It is an incredible feeling, and very, very surreal,” said Hamilton.

     

     

     

     

  • Viñales ends Yamaha drought with spectacular Island win after Marquez forced to retire

    Viñales ends Yamaha drought with spectacular Island win after Marquez forced to retire

    Maverick Viñales celebrates Yamaha’s first Grand Prix race in 490 days. Photo: MotoGP

    Phillip Island, 28 October 2018: Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) ended Yamaha’s 25-race victory drought after storming to a spectacular win at the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, the Spaniard imperious in the second half of the race to eventually take his first win since Le Mans 2017 by 1.5 seconds over second place Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso.

    The hectic scramble was marked by a lap 6 incident involving Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and World champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). As the duo headed into the braking zone at Turn 1 on lap 6, Zarco’s front tyre came into contact with Marquez’ rear tyre, causing the Frenchman to lose control and crash at roughly 300kph in a hugely scary incident. Zarco’s bike severely damaged the back of Marquez’ Honda and subsequently, the 2018 Champion retired from the race. Thankfully, Zarco walked away from the incident uninjured.

    Earlier, as the lights went out it was Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) who got a lightning launch from P8 to head around the outside and lead into Turn 1, but the Italian then ran off at Turn 2 to end his charge. However, fellow Alma Pramac Racing rider Jack Miller took advantage of his teammate’s misfortunes to take the lead of his home Grand Prix at Turn 4 – rinse and repeat for the Aussie from 2017.

    Pole man Marquez slotted in behind Miller with Iannone third, but heading into Turn 1 on lap 2 it was all change: Marquez took over the reins of the freight train, with Dovi slotting into second, Iannone was third and Miller was back to fourth. The swapping and changing at the front begun with the fast and sweeping Phillip Island circuit keeping the riders in close pursuit of each other. The racing was hard but fair under glorious Australian skies.

    Andrea Dovizioso….a creditable second at Phillip Island. Photo: MotoGP

    The Zarco-Marquez incident left Dovi leading from Miller and Iannone but then Viñales began to make his move. Starting P2, the Spaniard didn’t get a good getaway and was as low as tenth at one stage, but on lap 8 he made what would turn out to be his race-winning overtake at Turn 4. Maverick then took off in true Top Gun style and within a lap, he had created a 0.8 second lead.

    Viñales was in the groove and looked like he was on rails around the Island. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was leading the chase before Iannone then took the baton, but the Suzuki man ran wide at Turn 4 and dropped to the back of the quartet. Alvaro Bautista (Ducati Team) was taking no prisoners on his one-off Ducati factory ride, with he and teammate Dovi also taking it in turns to try and reel in Viñales. But no matter who it was out of the four, no one could match the Spaniard’s superior pace – 1.9 the gap on lap 13, which grew to four seconds by lap 21.

    The battle for first was seemingly won but the fight for P2 raged on between Rossi, the two red Desmosedicis and Iannone, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) also joining the fray the latter stages. On lap 23 it was the man who had dominated the weekend to get into P2: Iannone. Then, the gap to Viñales suddenly dropped below three seconds and then with two laps to go, it was 1.8 seconds. Surely Viñales wasn’t going to let this slip?

    The answer was no, he wasn’t. The leader responded after being a second a lap slower to bring his YZR-M1 home in P1, 1.543 clear of Iannone, the latter beating Dovizioso in a battle for second. A mistake with just over a lap to go on the exit of Turn 10 ended Bautista’s hopes of a podium, a terrific P4 – his best result of the season – nonetheless for the Spaniard who helps Ducati Team close the gap to Repsol Honda in the Team Championship to 38 points, with Movistar Yamaha MotoGP now just 16 points off Repsol Honda.

    Rins got the better of Rossi on the final lap to claim a fourth consecutive top five finish, ‘The Doctor’ settling for P6. Miller would bring his Ducati home in a solid P7 and as the leading Independent Team rider – the Australian just 6.7 seconds from the win – with Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) earning his best result of the season in P8 to take charge in the Rookie of the Year Championship – Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) crashing out of a top ten place on lap 19 at Turn 4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was able to beat Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Bradley Smith by a whisker – 0.036 separating the duo at the line in P9 and P10 respectively. Great results for both riders which means all six manufacturers were in the top 10 at Phillip Island.

    Talking of great results, 11th was Karel Abraham (Angel Nieto Team), this the Czech rider’s best result of the season, with Petrucci recovering to P12 at the flag. Scott Redding (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Xavier Simeon (Reale Avintia Racing) completed to points in P13, P14 and P15 respectively – the latter earning his first point-scoring finish of the season. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) crashed out of his final Australian GP appearance – rider ok, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) retiring.

    A fantastic and faultless ride from Viñales means Yamaha have won their first Grand Prix race in 490 days.

    Binder beats Mir by 0.036 in brilliant Island battle

    Brad Binder enjoying his hard-fought win at Phillip Island. Photo: MotoGP

    Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claimed his third win of the season as he took the chequered flag by 0.036 from second place Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) with Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) snatching a maiden podium away from Augusto Fernandez (Pons HP40) at the line by 0.008 – a brilliant battle on the Island in the intermediate class that saw neither Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) or Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) challenge at the front.

    There was drama before the race had even begun as P2 on the grid Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) encountered a problem with his bike and although he eventually got it going, the German had to line up on the back of the grid. As the lights went out it was pole man Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) who launched well to grab the holeshot, but Vierge soon cut his way through to the lead from P3 on the grid, with Binder, Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) and Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) slotting in behind.

    Pasini’s race wouldn’t last long though, a crash at Turn 4 on lap 2 for the Italian ended his hopes of a second podium of the year. Meanwhile, Bagnaia had initially made significant progress from P16 on the grid to get as high as P6, but the Championship leader soon dropped back to outside the top ten, along with title rival Oliveira.

    With Pasini out, the lead was chopping and changing lap by lap, particularly between Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) and Vierge. With five to go, it was a group of six at the front, all of which looked menacing. However, Baldassarri’s race would end prematurely at Turn 10 after the Italian got his Kalex machine out of shape under braking and with grass and slick tyres not a good mix, Baldassarri went down and out of contention. And so, heading onto the last lap, there were five riders in contention. Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) made a sweeping move to go from fifth to third at Turn 1 as Binder led the way from Mir. Turn 4 then saw Marini run wide and out of podium contention, with Fernandez and Vierge also getting out of sorts on the exit to leave the battle for the win between Binder and Mir.

    Mir wasn’t close enough at his particular strong point: Turn 10, but on the exit of Turn 11 Binder lit up the rear of his KTM. A run to the line then followed but the South African had just enough edge out the Spaniard – the 2016 and 2017 Moto3™ Champions going head-to-head. Vierge won the race to the line with Fernandez, with Marini taking P5.

    Tetsuta Nagashima (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) and Edgar Pons (MB Conveyors – Speed Up) complete the points in a top 15 that was separated by 14.076 seconds – the fifth closest top 15 in Moto2™/250 history.

    So the Moto2™ riders Championship continues for another race, but Kalex claimed a sixth constructors title. A second match point for Bagnaia now awaits, can he and Oliveira challenge at the front again in at Sepang?

    Arenas wins unbelievable race, Martin P5, Bezzecchi crashes

    Albert Arenas on a charge. Photo: Angel Nieto team

    In an unbelievable Moto3™ race, it was Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team) who emerged as the victor to beat Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and stand-in SKY Racing Team VR46 rider Celestino Vietti, but drama hit title contender Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) as the Moto3™ Championship takes another twist.

    It was Championship leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) who got the initial launch from pole but on the run into Turn 1 it was Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull rider) who grabbed the holeshot with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) tucking in behind, before Martin cut back through to the lead at Turn 4. This though was just the start of a mesmerising Moto3™ encounter which saw 14 different riders lead at some point.

    An outrageous start to proceedings sees the Moto3™ title race take another unexpected turn as Martin now leads Bezzecchi by 12 points, with Diggia’s P2 getting him right back in the title mix – 20 points splitting the top three.

  • Flash: Daniel Ricciardo takes Mexican Pole

    Flash: Daniel Ricciardo takes Mexican Pole

    Mexico City, 27 Oct 2018: The smiling assassin, Australian Daniel Ricciardo took the pole position with a last-minute burst that edged out teammate Max Verstappen by 26 thousands of a second in the Mexican GP, the 19th round of the FIA Formula One World Championship at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez here in Mexico City.

    “I knew the pace was in the car, Max showed that all weekend. Once I heard I got pole I was – I’ve got to relax now, I’m tripping major nut-sack right now,” said the Red Bull driver, Ricciardo.

    In Q2, both Esteban Ocon, and Sergio Perez of Racing Point Force India were eliminated along with Fernando Alonso, B Hartley and Pierce Gasly. Earlier, Grosjean, Vandoorne, Magnussen, Stroll and Sirotkin were eliminated in Q1.

    Defending champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes needs to finish 7th or higher this weekend to win the title regardless of where championship rival Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finishes.

    It is after five years the two Red Bulls are starting on the first row after their last 1-2 way back in 2013 US Grand Prix. Vettel qualified P4, ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen on P6.

     

  • Sunday Guide for the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix

    MotoGP
    Marc Márquez has qualified on pole position for the fifth successive time at Phillip Island, equalling Casey Stoner who did it between 2008 and 2012 at this track.

    Marc Márquez has qualified on pole position for the sixth time this year so far. This is Márquez’ 51st pole position in the premier class, four less than Valentino Rossi, and the 79th of his Grand Prix career.

    This is Honda’s 12th pole position at Phillip Island in the MotoGP class since 2002. On their 11 previous pole positions at this track, Honda riders have won five times, twice with Marc Márquez in both 2015 and last year.

    Maverick Viñales has qualified in second, equalling his best qualifying result of the season from the Americas (he started from pole position but following a penalty for Marc Márquez).

    Completing the front row on the grid, Johann Zarco is in third as the top Independent Team rider. This is his first back-to-back front row starts since Spain/France earlier this year.

    With Maverick Viñales and Johann Zarco, this is the second time this year there are two Yamaha riders on the front row on the grid, along with Italy.

    Heading the second row on the grid for the second successive year in Phillip Island is Andrea Iannone, which is his best qualifying result since he was also fourth in Italy earlier this year.

    Álex Rins has qualified in fifth on the grid, equalling his best qualifying result since he stepped up to the premier class of Grand Prix racing last year.

    Jack Miller starts his home round from sixth, which is the third successive year he starts from the second row on the grid at Phillip Island.

    Valentino Rossi, who has stood on the podium 15 times on his 18 previous premier class visits to Phillip Island, starts from seventh on the grid for the second successive year in Australia.

    Second-placed Ducati rider, Danilo Petrucci has qualified in eighth, which is his best qualifying result since he was seventh in Aragón.

    Andrea Dovizioso, who crashed out of the race at Motegi last week, starts from ninth, which is his worst qualifying result since he was also ninth in Valencia last year on the eve of the final showdown for the crown.

    Following Cal Crutchlow withdrawing from the Australian GP, Hafizh Syahrin’s time was enough to join Q2 directly for the first time in his rookie season in the MotoGP™ class. He’s qualified in tenth on the grid, which is the best qualifying result for any of the five rookies this year.

    This is the first time there are four Yamaha riders on the four front rows on the grid since Assen last year. There were four Yamahas within the top 12 in qualifying at Silverstone last year, but Jonas Folger didn’t line up on the grid following a heavy crash in Warm Up.

    Pol Espargaró has qualified 11th as the top KTM rider on the grid, which is the best qualifying result for the Austrian manufacturer since Bradley Smith was the eighth fastest at Silverstone this year.

    After joining Q2 from Q1 for the third time in 2018, Alvaró Bautista qualified 12th on the grid as he replaces the injured Jorge Lorenzo in the Ducati Team.

    In Q1 for the sixth time this year, Dani Pedrosa has qualified in 18th on the grid, which is his worst qualifying since he was also 18th in Assen earlier this year.

    Moto2
    Mattia Pasini starts from pole position for the eighth time in the Moto2 class, equalling Sam Lowes in fifth place on the list of riders with the most pole positions in the class. He will be aiming to win for the fifth time on what is his 146th start in the intermediate category.

    Mattia Pasini’s pole position is the 31st for an Italian rider in the Moto2™ class, half the number of Spanish riders (62).

    Mattia Pasini (33 years 75 days old) is the oldest rider to qualify on pole position in the Moto2™ class, beating his previous record from Germany earlier this year.

    Marcel Schrötter has qualified in second on the grid, which is his sixth front row start of the year and the eighth overall in Moto2.

    Xavi Vierge has qualified in third, which is his best qualifying result since he was second in France earlier this year.

    Dominique Aegerter heads the second row on the grid and is the top KTM rider. This is Aegerter’s best qualifying result since he was the third-fastest qualifier in Spain last year. He also qualified in third at Misano last year but was later disqualified from the event for technical infringement.

    Brad Binder, who stood on the podium for the first time in Moto2™ last year at Phillip Island, has qualified in fifth on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was on pole position in Aragon earlier this year.

    Fabio Quartararo, who was disqualified from his Japanese GP win for a technical infringement, starts from sixth and it’s the sixth time this year he’s started from the first two rows.

    Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia has qualified in the 16th, which is his worst qualifying result since he was 17th at the Australian GP last season.

    Winner for the first time in Moto2™ last year as he took KTM’s first win in the class, Miguel Oliveira starts from 20th on the grid, which is his worst qualifying result since he was 23rd at Silverstone this year. Oliveira is Bagnaia’s sole rival for the title.

    Moto3
    Jorge Martín has qualified on pole position for the tenth time this year and the 19th in his Grand Prix career, beating his own record of the most pole positions in one Moto3 season from last year. The last rider to have qualified on pole more than 10 times in one season in the lightweight category is Marc Márquez back in 2010 in the 125cc class.

    This is the 13th pole position for a Honda rider since Qatar, which is two less than last year.

    Darryn Binder, who stood on the podium for the first time in his Grand Prix career last week in Japan, has qualified in second on the grid as the highest-placed KTM rider. It’s Binder’s best qualifying result on what is the 63rd start in the Moto3 class.

    Ayumu Sasaki completes the front row of the grid, equalling his best qualifying result from Italy this year. Three full-time Japanese riders have qualified on the front row this season: Sasaki here and at Mugello, Tatsuki Suzuki in Barcelona and Kazuki Masaki in Thailand.

    Heading the second row on the grid is Jakub Kornfeil, which is his best qualifying result since he was on pole position in Brno this year.

    Gabriel Rodrigo, who was on pole position last week at Motegi, has qualified in fifth on the grid, which is the sixth time this year he has started from the first two rows on the grid.

    Phillip Öttl has qualified in sixth, which is his best qualifying result since he was fourth fastest in Brno earlier this year.

    Second in the Championship, Marco Bezzecchi has qualified 15th, which is his worst qualifying result since he qualified 28th in Valencia last year.

  • Latvala-Anttila lead Rally de Espana ahed of Ogier-Ingrassia: FIA WRC

    Latvala-Anttila lead Rally de Espana ahed of Ogier-Ingrassia: FIA WRC

    Latvala-Anttila lead WRC on Saturday. An FIA image

    During an afternoon where tyre choice and weather conditions played their part, Jari-Matti Latvala now heads the Rally de España leaderboard, the Finn overhauling Dani Sordo for what could be his first win in the FIA World Rally Championship since Sweden last year. In an entirely shuffled leaderboard, title contender Sebastien Ogier has moved into second, 3.3 seconds ahead of third-placed Sebastien Loeb as no fewer than six drivers battle for honours in Spain.

    Latvala went into the afternoon loop of stages trailing Sordo by a mere three-tenths of a second, but the Finn instantly laid down his intention by jumping into the lead by nearly four seconds. He marginally extended his advantage over the following two stages before heading to the short Salou street stage and ultimately coming back for the overnight halt with a 4.7 second lead going into Sunday’s closing four stages. Tyres played their part, particularly in the final long stage when rain started to fall for some of the later contenders, which is what ultimately shuffled the pack. Ogier, on full wets, was getting used to the tyres for the first time in the opener and even though he ran in the dry all afternoon, the Frenchman moved from fifth to second in the middle long stage as others dropped time. Loeb had a tricky first stage with a couple of mistakes but he too benefitted as others flailed and the nine-time FIA World Rally Champion climbed from fourth to third over the course of the afternoon, a stage win aiding his challenge.

    Elfyn Evans managed to extend his advantage over Loeb in the first of the four stages but then slipped back to fourth overnight. He is however only 9.8 seconds off the lead and has Championship contender Thierry Neuville closing in. The Belgian is also within striking distance of the lead after two fastest times this afternoon and he will be focused on closing the gap to Ogier tomorrow to keep the Championship fight as tight as possible. Having led going into the afternoon, Sordo dropped to sixth in the final long stage, a combination of weather conditions and muddy roads hampering his assault. He too is still only 16.5 seconds off the lead. Esapekka Lappi was lucky to escape a high speed spin that took him broadside down the last stage; the young Finn is seventh after a stall in the street stage, with Ott Tänak eighth. Despite trying to move back up the leaderboard, the Estonian’s position meant the roads were getting dirtier and dirtier with the passage of cars and this, coupled with a spin has not helped him get his title assault back on track. He did however win the Salou stage. Craig Breen had a 360 degree spin in the second stage, a stall in the final stage and is ninth with Andreas Mikkelsen and Teemu Suninen 10th and 11th respectively.

    Kalle Rovanperä continues to head the FIA WRC 2 Championship, the 18-year-old Finn fighting with Jan Kopecký and Nil Solans who shared this afternoon’s stage wins. Enrico Brazzoli is looking good for the WRC 3 category victory, the Italian well ahead of Taisko Lario and Louise Cook.

    Rally de España – Unofficial results after Section 7

    1 Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 35min 01.8sec
    2 Sebastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 35min 06.5sec
    3 Sebastien Loeb / Daniel Elena Citroen C3 WRC 2hr 35min 09.8sec
    4 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 35min 11.6sec
    5 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 35min 14.5sec
    6 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 35min 18.3sec
    7 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 35min 48.3sec
    8 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 36min 02.5sec
    9 Craig Breen / Scott Martin Citroen C3 WRC 2hr 36min 39.7sec
    10 Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 37min 09.1sec

  • German Sandro Cortese crowned 2018 WorldSSP Champ; WorldSBK Race 2 on Sunday cancelled

    German rider comes out on top of sensational WorldSSP fight
    Making the switch over into the FIM Supersport World Championship from prototype machines can always be a risk, but Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) made it look effortless in 2018 to be crowned World Champion. Bringing his experience, pure speed, racing talent and tenacious fighting spirit, the German rider has ensured fans were entertained to the very last lap and took the title in sensational style in Qatar.

    Meanwhile, following a severe rain and sandstorm on Saturday morning in Qatar, it has been announced that WorldSBK Race 2 has been cancelled at Losail International Circuit.

    Heading over the Phillip Island for his WorldSSP debut in February, Cortese was recharged and ready for the fight after a difficult winter. Taking to his YZF-R6 for only the second time in the official test, he finished top four overall ahead of the start of the season. And what followed in the Yamaha Finance Australian Round was sensational from Cortese, fighting with the experienced front runners for the podium which boiled down to a breath-taking final lap as he took a podium position, and the fastest lap of the race from Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team). Cortese had already arrived in round one.

    Heading west to Thailand for round two, this was a new track for the 28 year old so a true test of his skills with his new bike. Facing the heat as well as the circuit, he took home a fourth position finish from a fourth place grid start. An impressive effort for a rookie in the ever competitive class. But he was now preparing for tracks he was familiar with and was full of motivation. MotorLand Aragon marked the start of the European season, and for Cortese this marked the start of his championship charge. Coming out and dominating the field in northern Spain, he took pole position and the race win in only his third race, crossing the line 1.4s ahead of his rivals. But as the championship headed straight to TT Circuit Assen, Cortese struggled to match his pace around a track he is so familiar with. Starting from pole position, he couldn’t emulate this into a podium, after a slow start off the line meant he suffered in the 18 lap battle.

    Dusting himself off heading to the historic Imola circuit, the rookie was only seven points off the top of the standings and the battle in WorldSSP was as tense as ever. A new track for the German, Imola is notoriously tight, twisty and technical and it was set to be a hard task for a newbie. But Cortese showed a true champions attitude, starting from ninth on the grid and fought to secure a top four finish around a circuit which is difficult to overtake. But it was a return to the top in the UK, as he set to take on Donington Park for the first time since 2009 when he was racing in the 125cc World Championship.
    Sunny skies welcomed the paddock at Donington Park, and sunny smiles were met off it from Cortese and his team. Securing third on the grid as he continued to get used to the Superpole format of a 15 minute ‘dash’, he was a man determined out on track. Crossing the line 1.3s ahead of his main title rival Jules Cluzel (NRT), it was clear that when all the packages came together, Cortese was unstoppable. His grand performance in Great Britain meant he now led the world championship standings for the first time, with an advantage of seven points over Cluzel.

    There were now two new tracks ahead of him, putting him in a strong position to extend his championship lead. In the humid conditions at Automotodrom Brno, the German was unable to convert his pole position into a win; but secured second as he was unable to catch Cluzel to the line. In the final race before the summer break, Misano proved a tough track for Cortese and his Yamaha but he could convert a fifth on the grid to third in the race, taking home another trophy and as a result a five point championship lead into the break.

    Returning ready to fight in Portugal, tests throughout the summer helped him to understand the rollercoaster nature of the track. But drama struck in the opening laps as a hot-headed Cortese was unable to make a move up the inside of Cluzel stick, and the pair crashed out as a result. Not giving up, the German put on a sensational fightback as he was able to get back on his bike and take a fifth position finish, salvaging 11 points and keeping a hold of his lead in the standings. Another new track of Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours followed, and for Cortese it was time to start thinking of the title. Unable to catch Cluzel on his home turf, he secured a second position finish meaning he now had the first opportunity to take the title in Argentina, heading with an 11 point advantage.

    With all riders on even ground at Circuito San Juan Villicum, it was a welcomed change for the Yamaha rider. But despite putting his all into the race, he was unable to stop Cluzel and the fight went down to Qatar. All the German had to do in Qatar was finish in the top two to take the title, which was done with his usual tenacious battling out on track, to crown him 2018 FIM Supersport World Champion.

    Only the second German to ever win the WorldSSP title, the story of Cortese’s sensational season has been consistency and will go down in history as the first man to win the Moto3™ and WorldSSP crown.

    You can congratulate Cortese on social media using #CorteseChamp.
    Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing):
    “I am so speechless! I am so happy and I can enjoy this moment. I have to say thank you to my team, they picked me up after such a difficult winter, I had no ride and they believed in me. I think we did the maximum we could this year, we gave everything all year, and the people in my team are great. And a final thank you to my family, they helped me in hard times and I cant wait to get back home!”WorldSSP Race at Losail
    1. Lucas Mahias Yamaha
    2. Sandro Cortese Yamaha  +2.000
    3. Federico Caricasulo Yamaha  +3.137WorldSBK Race 2 cancelled in Qatar

    Following a severe rain and sandstorm on Saturday morning in Qatar, it has been announced that WorldSBK race two has been cancelled at Losail International Circuit. With the storm hitting the Losail track in the morning, conditions deteriorated and therefore a difficult decision was taken to cancel the final race of the day.

    Unfortunately, this signals an early end to the 2018 season, and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will end the season with 545 points and 17 victories. Whilst Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) takes second position in the championship, 23 points ahead of Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team).

    Race direction statement: “Following the World Supersport race, the safety commission (FIM, Dorna WSBK Organization and SBK® riders) met. Due to an increase of standing water, as well taking into account the difference between power and tyres of WorldSBK and WorldSSP bikes, this led us to decide racing would not be safe in these conditions.”
  • Max Verstappen tops FP3 ahead of Hamilton, Vettel: Mexican GP

    Max Verstappen tops FP3 ahead of Hamilton, Vettel: Mexican GP

    Max Verstappen tops FP3 on Saturday at Mexico City. An FIA image

    Mexico, 27 Oct 2018: Max Verstappen completed a clean sweep of quickest time in practice for the Mexican Grand Prix, the 19th round of the Formula One World Championship here on Saturday.

    The Dutchman topped the timesheet in FP3 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, more than two tenths of a second clear of championship leader Lewis Hamilton and title contender Sebastian Vettel.

    Verstappen went quickest late in a weather-compromised final practice session, moving ahead of Sauber’s impressive Charles Leclerc with his first qualifying-style lap on hypersoft tyres.

    The Dutchman set a time 1:16.385 to lead the Monegasque driver by 0.674s. Mercedes driver Hamilton and Ferrari man Vettel then closed in with their quali sims, but neither could overhaul the Red Bull Racing driver and when Verstappen popped in another late flying lap he opened the gap further to end the session 0.254s behind the Dutchman. Vettel was left with third place, just under three hundredths of a second behind Hamilton.

    The session began on a damp track and with drivers reluctant to run in the unrepresentative conditions, there was little action in the opening half of the session, with mots drivers completing only an installation lap before returning to the pit lane.

    As the session reached the halfway point, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso was the first to bolt on slick tyres and that prompted a steady stream of lap times as driver worked their way into the session and the conditions.

    Leclerc was quickest in the early phase of consistent running with the Sauber driver jumping into P1 ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen despite encountering traffic in the final part of his lap.

    Mercedes Valtteri Bottas then dislodged the Monegasque driver with a lap of 1:18.839 but his pre-eminence was brief as Leclerc upped his pace and retook top spot. His time there was brief, however, as Vettel then became the first man to dip blow 1m17s with a time of 1:17.836.

    Verstappen slotted into P2 with a time of 1:17.918, but the session was then neutralised as Bottas was forced to pull over at the side of the track in the stadium section with a suspected hydraulic issue.

    While Verstappen had snuck in a lap before Bottas’ problem, the double waved yellow flags and then the deployment of the Virtual Safety Car scuppered Daniel Ricciardo’s first flying lap.

    When the action resumed with a little over 11 minutes remaining, the field began their qualifying simulations and Leclerc was the first to show his hand, lapping 0.777s faster than Vettel’s earlier benchmark.

    With little time remaining the track became congested in the final minutes, with all fit to run car on track. That again compromised Ricciardo’s quali simulation and as Hamilton and Vettel found the improvements to take P2 and P3 respectively, Ricciardo, who had finished second in both Friday sessions, was left with fourth place ahead of Räikkönen.

    Leclerc finished as best-of-the-rest with a lap of 1:17.059. That left him just 0.775s behind Verstappen on a good morning for Sauber as its second driver Marcus Ericsson finished in P9, albeit half a second off Leclerc.

    Seventh place went to Carlos Sainz, with the Renault driver finishing just under two tenths of a second ahead of Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly. With Ericsson ninth, tenths place in the session went to Nico Hulkenberg in the second Renault.

    At the bottom of the order Haas’ Kevin Magnussen failed to set a time in the session, with the Danish driver restricted to the garage by an intercooler problem.

    2018 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix – Free Practice 3
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 9 1:16.284
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 9 1:16.538 0.254
    3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 11 1:16.566 0.282
    4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 7 1:17.028 0.744
    5 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 16 1:17.045 0.761
    6 Charles Leclerc Sauber 13 1:17.059 0.775
    7 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 11 1:17.336 1.052
    8 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 16 1:17.525 1.241
    9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 14 1:17.565 1.281
    10 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 10 1:17.623 1.339
    11 Esteban Ocon Force India 10 1:17.731 1.447
    12 Sergio Perez Force India 10 1:17.819 1.535
    13 Romain Grosjean Haas 10 1:18.145 1.861
    14 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 15 1:18.445 2.161
    15 Fernando Alonso McLaren 11 1:18.548 2.264
    16 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 10 1:18.637 2.353
    17 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 9 1:18.669 2.385
    18 Lance Stroll Williams 8 1:18.698 2.414
    19 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 5 1:18.839 2.555
    20 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1

  • Marc Marquez marks Island territory, Yamahas and Iannone in pursuit: Michelin Australian GP

    Marc Marquez marks Island territory, Yamahas and Iannone in pursuit: Michelin Australian GP

    Marc Marquez on way to his fifth pole position at Phillip Island. Photo: MotoGP

    Phillip Island, 27 October 2018: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) bounced back from a difficult Free Practice to mark his territory at Phillip Island once more, taking a fifth successive pole position at the venue in a magnificent Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix Q2 session. Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was the closest challenger to Marquez’ 1:29.199 to line up in P2, with fellow-Yamaha rider Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) completing the front of the grid in tricky conditions.

    Marquez claimed the 2018 BMW M Award, with closest challenger Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) qualifying down in P9. This is the sixth consecutive time Marquez has claimed the award since arriving in the premier class, meaning he is given a brand-new BMW M car.

    Vinales on pace at Phillip Island. Photo: MotoGP

    As premier class riders headed out to set their opening lap times, the rain started to fall as it looked like we could be in for a damp pole position shoot-out. However, this didn’t last long, and it was home hero Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) who led the charge to set the first reference lap time, before Marquez then took over the reigns – a 1:31.282 his benchmark.

    Conditions were not ideal for setting a quick lap time but no matter, Marquez then moved the goal posts again on his second flying lap as the 12 riders stormed the Island. A 1:29.742 now the time to beat, with Viñales slotting into P2 – 0.082 splitting the two Spaniards.

    Then, the man who dominated Free Practice went quickest: Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar). But he was then quickly ousted by Zarco as the provisional pole chopped and changed in varying Phillip Island weather. 0.007 was a minimal gap splitting the duo, with Marquez then slotting into third, 0.037 back. The Champion didn’t stay there for long though, he shot to P1 by 0.506 as the number 93 raised the bar once more – a personal and session best lap time that would prove to be crucial.

    Why? Well, as most of the riders pitted for fresh rubber, the heavens opened again. However, once more the rain didn’t stay but the light sprinkling proved a stretch too far for anyone to drastically improve their times. Miller – in typical Miller fashion – had other ideas as he set orange sectors, but he wouldn’t be able to improve after a huge moment coming onto the Gardner straight. Viñales then raised eyebrows by going quickest in the first sector, but he also couldn’t hook up the final sector in the difficult conditions.

    Zarco…on front row. Photo: MotoGP

    And that was that. An enthralling session ended with Marquez – who equals Casey Stoner’s Phillip Island consecutive pole record -, Viñales and Zarco launching from Row 1, with Iannone missing out on a front row start by 0.007. Fellow Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Alex Rins will start from P5, with Miller grabbing P6 in front of his home fans. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) will aim to challenge for a podium from P7 on the grid as he leads an all-Italian third row: Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) sits ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in P8 and P9 respectively, this was the latter’s worst qualifying result of the season. After a huge Turn 1 FP3 crash, Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) earns his best Saturday afternoon result of the season in P10, with Q1 graduates Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Alvaro Bautista (Ducati Team) – who crashed heading into Turn 10 – completing the top 12 at Phillip Island.

    An intriguing Island grid sets us up nicely for what looks set to be another barnstorming battle for Australian GP glory.

    Pasini pockets pole, Bagnaia starts P16 with Oliveira 20th

    Mattia Pasini. Photo: MotoGP

    Moto2™ qualifying threw up a surprise, but Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) taking pole number three of 2018 wasn’t one of them. The Italian, despite a late crash at Turn 4, will launch from P1 after setting a quickest time of 1:33.368, 0.256 ahead of Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) in second with his teammate Xavi Vierge third.

    The surprise story of Saturday afternoon comes from the top two in the Championship. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46), who has claimed three poles in the last five races, could only manage P16 – his worst qualifying of the season. Meanwhile, title rival Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had to settle for P20 after he also couldn’t improve his time in the latter stages.

    Masterful Martin takes pole, Bezzecchi P15

    Jorge Martin. Photo: jorgemartin88.net

    Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) stormed to a 10th pole position of the season in Moto3™, beating second-place Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) by 0.257 – a maiden front row start for the South African – as title rival Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) could only manage to qualify in P15.

    A sprinkling of rain hit the Island just before the first qualifying session of the weekend got underway, but it was just a sprinkling. The rain stopped and with the Phillip Island circuit conditions getting ever better, a brilliant Moto3™ battle for pole unfolded. In the end, no one could match qualifying master Martin, with Binder picking up where he left off in Japan to launch from P2, with Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) propelling himself onto the outside of the front row on his final lap.

  • Max Verstappen tops FP2 as Red Bulls dominate again: Mexican GP

    Max Verstappen tops FP2 as Red Bulls dominate again: Mexican GP

    Max Verstappen tops FP2 Mexican GP. An FIA image

    Mexico City, 26 Oct 2018: After topping the morning timesheets in FP1 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Red Bull Racing again scored a 1-2 in the second practice session for the Mexican Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen outpacing team-mate Daniel Ricciardo by 1500ths of a second. The Dutchman stopped at the edge of the track late in the session, however, with an apparent engine issue. The 19th round of the 21-round FIA Formula One World Championship will be held on Sunday where defending champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes is expected to seal his fifth championship title with two rounds left. The Brazilian GP is on Nov 11 and the season concludes 15 days later in Abu Dhabi on November 29.

    In the morning session the Red Bull duo were comfortably clear of the rest of the field, though Mercedes and Ferrari minimised hypersoft running in FP1, but in the qualifying runs of the second session both Verstappen and Ricciardo finished over a second clear of their chief rivals, Mercedes and Ferrari, with Sebastian Vettel leading the way for the Scuderia with a fourth-placed time of 1:17.954. That left him 0.001s behind third-placed Carlos Sainz of Renault, but 1.234s of the pace set by Verstappen.

    Both Red Bull drivers were quick early in the session, on ultrasoft tyres, and when Vettel became the first to try a qualifying simulation on hypersofts he only managed to post a time good enough for P2 behind Verstappen.

    The Red Bulls then bolted on hypersofts for their performance runs and upped the pace considerably.

    Verstappen posted a lap of 1:16.720 that put him ahead of the impressive Sainz, and then Ricciardo found enough pace to slot into P2 with a time 0.153s behind the Dutchman.

    It wasn’t all plain sailing for Verstappen, however, and towards the end of the session he coasted off track at Turn 3 and pulled over close to an escape road when his engine cut out.

    Vettel’s qualifying simulation left him just one hundredth of a second ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in the second, while sixth place was taken by Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley.

    Mercedes, meanwhile, had a muted session, with Lewis Hamilton the quicker of its driver pairing. The championship leader ended the session with a best time of 1:18.100,  almost 1.4s adrift of Verstappen. Team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished in P9 behind the second Ferrari of US Grand Prix winner Kimi Räikkönen. Tenth place in the session went to Sergio Pérez of Racing Point Force India.

    2018 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 21 1:16.720
    2 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 32 1:16.873 0.153
    3 Carlos Sainz Renault 35 1:17.953 1.233
    4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 42 1:17.954 1.234
    5 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 36 1:18.046 1.326
    6 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 35 1:18.061 1.341
    7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 40 1:18.100 1.380
    8 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 42 1:18.133 1.413
    9 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 40 1:18.140 1.420
    10 Sergio Perez Racing Point Force India 24 1:18.167 1.447
    11 Esteban Ocon Racing Point Force India 24 1:18.485 1.765
    12 Romain Grosjean Haas 39 1:18.733 2.013
    13 Charles Leclerc Sauber 39 1:19.024 2.304
    14 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 36 1:19.047 2.327
    15 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 30 1:19.096 2.376
    16 Lance Stroll Williams 25 1:19.219 2.499
    17 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 41 1:19.322 2.602
    18 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 37 1:19.335 2.615
    19 Fernando Alonso McLaren 31 1:19.543 2.823
    20 Kevin Magnussen Haas 35 1:19.670 2.950