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Racing Point Force India smashes fundraising target for Breast Cancer Care
Since partnering in May 2017, Racing Point Force India F1 Team has surpassed their halfway fundraising target by raising over £165,000 for UK-wide specialist-support charity Breast Cancer Care. They are on track to double this figure by the end of 2020.
The innovative partnership between Racing Point Force India and Breast Cancer Care has forged a global platform for breast cancer by raising awareness of the disease within the Formula One arena for the first time. The partnership has inspired Formula One, fans and teams to increase awareness of breast cancer and to raise much-needed funds for Breast Cancer Care.
Racing Point Force India aims to go further in their efforts by raising £250,000 for Breast Cancer Care by 2020. The most recent fundraising activities took place during the British leg of the Grand Prix at Silverstone. These ranged from auctions, raffles, car washes and collections, to water bottle donations in collaboration with their partner, the Best Water Technology Group.
The partnership is raising vital awareness of breast cancer within the Formula One community by sharing inspiring stories of people affected by the disease. Four people’s names will be printed on the Racing Point Force India cars at various races throughout the season to raise awareness of the impact a diagnosis of breast cancer can have on an individual and their loved ones. The first two names were unveiled at the British Grand Prix: Carter Baldock-Hubbard and Stuart Weaver. Carter’s mother, Tina Baldock, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 14 weeks pregnant and gave birth to Carter just one week after finishing chemotherapy. Stuart Weaver, who is living with incurable secondary breast cancer, was delighted at the opportunity to raise awareness of breast cancer in men. The further two names will be revealed at the US Grand Prix in October.
Steve Curnow, Commercial Director of Racing Point Force India: “We are immensely proud of what we have achieved so far in partnership with Breast Cancer Care. Their work is making a real difference for all those affected by breast cancer and we are doing our part to increase awareness not only of Breast Cancer Care’s contribution, but also of the personal stories of the individuals who have been touched by this disease. We will be renewing our efforts to raise funds for the charity, with our target of a quarter of a million pounds edging closer by the day, and we are looking forward to seeing the pink ribbon on our cars again soon.”
Steve Lucas, Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Breast Cancer Care: “We are incredibly grateful to Racing Point Force India for going above and beyond with their support – not just with their fantastic fundraising but by honouring Tina, Carter and Stuart with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a special day to remember for all involved that put people affected by breast cancer at the heart of the Formula One community. The £165,000 that Racing Point Force India have raised to date will help Breast Cancer Care to meet the increasing demand on our specialist-support services and bring us closer to being able to support the 619,000 currently living in the UK following a breast cancer diagnosis”.
For more information about Breast Cancer Care, visit breastcancercare.org.uk
About Breast Cancer Care
Breast Cancer Care is the only specialist UK wide charity providing support for women, men, family and friends affected by breast cancer. We’ve been caring for them, supporting them, and campaigning on their behalf since 1973.
Today, we continue to offer a unique range of support including reliable information, one-to-one support over the phone and online from nurses and people who’ve been there. We also offer local group support across the UK.
From the moment someone notices something isn’t right, through to their treatment and beyond, we’re there to help people affected by breast cancer feel more in control. breastcancercare.org.uk
About Force India and Breast Cancer Care
Force India and Breast Cancer Care’s three year partnership kicked off in May 2017 and is on track to achieve and even surpass its £250,000 fundraising target for Breast Cancer Care by 2020, with £120,000 already raised to support people affected by breast cancer.
The innovative partnership has brought breast cancer into the Formula One arena and in front of a global audience for the first time. The aim is to continue uniting partners, fans and teams to raise awareness of breast cancer, as well as funds to support the increasing number of men, women and families affected by breast cancer.
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British Grand Prix at Silverstone cancelled due to bad weather conditions: MotoGP
Jorge Lorenzo before the British GP race was abandoned on Sunday. A MotoGP image Silverstone, 26 Aug 2018: The British Grand Prix, round 12 of the MotoGP World Championship, which was due to be held Sunday, was cancelled due to bad weather conditions at the Silverstone circuit. MotoGP will now head for the next round is the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix, which will be held at the Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ from September 7 to 9.
After it rained heavily on Saturday and track conditions caused delays, the decision was taken to change the schedule for Sunday and the MotoGP race was rescheduled for 5 pm (IST) (11:30 local time, GMT +1), with the hour chosen according to the latest weather reports available at that time.
On Sunday, Warm Up sessions began at 9:00, with MotoGP out first, and the weather began to steadily worsen. By the time riders were on the grid awaiting lights out for the race at 11:30, they were worse still and the decision was taken to delay the start.
That began a long day of delays, with conditions continually monitored, until a decision was reached: conditions were not safe to race in and the track surface was too dangerous in the rain.
Managing Director of Silverstone, Stuart Pringle, apologised to the fans after the announcement – and says they will get in touch with each of them in the coming days to explain what action will be taken in the wake of the cancellation.
Race Director Mike Webb: “It was obvious the track conditions weren’t safe. After a consultation with the riders, we delayed the start to see if conditions would improve. We have reached the point where even though the rain is getting less, the circuit is still not in a condition where we can safely run races. So, we’ve taken the very difficult and regrettable decision to cancel.
“We’ve had a number of years here in very wet conditions recently with the old surface and been able to run races. This year, with the new surface, it’s the first time we’ve encountered quite so much standing water in critical places on the track. Yes, it’s a direct result of the track surface, I must say from the circuit point of view, the staff have done an unbelievable effort over the whole weekend, not just today, but an enormous effort to make the track safe. Until the last minute that was still working but unfortunately, we couldn’t battle nature.
“The climate of the area means we’ve got to expect rain and the surface has to be able to handle it. They’ve done an enormous job over this weekend to try and improve things, which they have, but the nature of the surface means we’ve reached this point.”
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda #93)
“It has been a long, unusual, tiring day that we hope won’t happen again. The Safety Commission analysed the situation and I think the Race Direction has to be thanked; they listened, and in the end, safety was everybody’s main consideration—one of us riders is in the hospital already. During the day, I watched the screen and saw all the fans in the grandstands patiently waiting; it would have been good to reward them, but in the end, sometimes we must keep a cool head and think.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99)
“Yesterday’s weather forecast turned out to be right and it rained all day today. We only managed to do the warm-up in dry conditions and then it didn’t stop raining and the track was in a bad condition. This confirmed that the asphalt wasn’t draining well and as time went by the situation didn’t improve. When it was late, the riders met with the Race Direction and we decided to cancel the race because the track didn’t offer the right conditions to race in safety.”Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04)
“It was a real pity not to be able to do the race because we were very competitive, especially in the dry. A weekend that was going well for us turned into an unacceptable situation, and so now it will be necessary to understand exactly what happened. We’ll talk about it in the Safety Commission at the next race, because to resurface a track and then find out it has more bumps than before, together with a problem of drainage, is just not good enough for a championship of this level.” -
Nicholas Latifi takes lights-to-flag victory; Arjun Maini 8th: F2 Sprint race
Canadian driver scores first win of 2018 in Belgium
Nicholas Latifi led from lights to flag for victory in the FIA Formula 2 Championship Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, converting a reverse-grid pole into his first win of 2018. Disappearing into the distance in the opening laps, Latifi was well ahead of a final-lap battle for second place, which was ultimately won by Carlin’s Lando Norris who was able to hold off Latifi’s DAMS teammate Alexander Albon – who joined the duo on the podium.
In cold, sunny conditions, Latifi enjoyed a strong getaway at the start as Feature Race winner Nyck de Vries rocketed off the line to swoop from eighth to third by the first corner. Meanwhile, Norris briefly surged ahead of Artem Markelov for fourth before dropping behind the Russian as Albon drew closer, as continued battles down the field made for a frenetic first lap. At the opening of the next lap, Latifi’s lead over second-placed Luca Ghiotto stood at 1.2s.
Norris was all over Markelov once more by the end of lap 2, and attempted to fire past on the Kemmel Straight – although the RUSSIAN TIME driver was resolute in his defence. The British driver kept pushing, and his persistence was rewarded two laps later as he found his way past on the back straight with DRS, while de Vries cannoned past Ghiotto ahead of them.
Although de Vries was quick, Latifi was able to extend his lead to 3.1s, while Ghiotto fell into the clutches of Norris and Markelov – both passing the Italian ahead of the race’s midpoint. Albon was next to challenge the Campos driver, having overcome the threat of championship leader George Russell earlier on in the race. A wide moment at Raidillon for Ghiotto on the tenth lap was all Albon needed to charge past, allowing the Thai driver to chase after Markelov.
Latifi seemed untouchable at the front, and despite de Vries’ best efforts, the Canadian was able to keep his lead completely intact, before beginning to build it up even further in the final five laps. Further down the field, the action raged on; BWT Arden’s Maximilian Gunther had seemingly started to struggle with tyre wear and was easy pickings for the trio of Tadasuke Makino, Louis Delétraz and Arjun Maini before retreating to the pitlane.
With three laps remaining, de Vries had fallen five seconds behind Latifi and was beginning to drop back towards the chasing Norris. Albon, meanwhile, had passed Markelov to begin his pursuit of Norris – bringing the Russian in tow to set up a thrilling final-lap showdown for the second position. De Vries was in an uncomfortable position as the three cars behind him hunted him down with DRS, and the Prema driver lost places to both Norris and Albon into Les Combes.
Albon wasn’t quite done and was immediately looking to cruise past Norris into the downhill run to Bruxelles. However, he had to concede defeat as Norris was inch perfect in keeping Albon at bay, and the pair crossed the line 10 seconds behind Latifi. De Vries managed to hang on from the advances of Markelov on the final lap, while Ghiotto was a further 8.7s behind the pair. Russell was seventh, beating Maini who had masterminded a late surge to eighth to dispatch Sergio Sette Camara late on.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Russell’s lead to Norris has been slashed to just five points, with the leader sitting on 188 points. Albon remains third with 161 points. Carlin continue to lead the Teams’ Championship with 307 points, with ART Grand Prix second on 249. DAMS are third with 216. The next round will take place at Monza, Italy next weekend from the 31 August – 2 September.
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Sebastian Vettel beats Hamilton; Verstappen third: Belgian GP
Vettel celebrates after winning Belgian GP on Sunday. An FIA imageSebastian Vettel closed the gap on championship leader Lewis Hamilton with a controlled drive to the flag after overtaking the championship leader on a chaotic first lap defined by a Turn 1 collision that took out Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Sauber’s Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen took the final podium spot Red Bull Racing.
At the start, Vettel got away well to immediately put pole-sitter Hamilton under pressure. But behind chaos was unfolding. Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, starting from P18, locked up massively on the approach to La Source and slammed into the back of Fernando Alonso’s McLaren. The Spaniard’s car became airborne and after his front wing scythed through the rear wing of Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull, Alonso flew across the top of Charles Leclerc’s Sauber. Alonso and Leclerc were immediately ruled out of the race while Ricciardo limped back to the pits for repairs.
There was more drama, in Turn 1 involving Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen. The Finn was hit by the out of control Ricciardo as they exited La Source and sustained a rear right puncture. He pitted at the end of the lap for a new set of Medium tyres. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas was also involved in a collision, running into the back of Lance Stroll’s Williams. Bottas too pitted for repairs.
At the front, Vettel managed to get a run on Hamilton out of Raidillon and on the long Kemmel Straight the Ferrari stole the lead moments before the race was neutralised by the appearance of the Safety Car.
When racing resumed on lap five, with Ricciardo back on track, but two laps down, following extensive repairs, Vettel held off Hamilton at the restart to retain the lead. Sergio Perez was now third ahead of Racing Point Force India team-mate Esteban Ocon.
Ocon’s hold on fourth place wouldn’t last long however. Verstappen was already closing in and he passed the Frenchman with a good move down the inside into Les Combes.
He repeated the overtake, though this time around the outside, to pass the Perez on lap 10 and the Red Bull driver quickly began to pull away from the pack as he tried to stay with leader Vettel and second-placed Hamilton.
Further back, Bottas was on a charge and on lap 12, armed with quicker supersoft tyres, he passed Williams’ Sergey Sirotkin to claim 10th place and on lap 17 he breezed past Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson to take ninth place.
At the front, Hamilton was now just 3.3s behind Vettel and lapping marginally quicker than the Ferrari, while Verstappen had slipped almost 14s behind the Mercedes. Perez was a further 11 seconds behind in fourth, with Ocon 4.2 adrift of his team-mate. The Haas cars of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen lay in sixth and seventh respectively, with Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly in eighth place ahead of Bottas.
On lap 21, Hamilton attempted to undercut Vettel by pitting for soft tyres, but Vettel was alive to the threat and after a good in-lap he pitted for soft tyres on lap 22 and emerged in front. The pair were briefly separated by Verstappen, but Hamilton quickly dismissed the Red Bull driver and once again set off in pursuit of title rival Vettel.
The chase was in vain, however. With the benefit of clear air, Vettel was able to eke out a gap and by lap 36 he had built a 5.1s gap to the Mercedes man, with Verstappen now almost 25s further back. The podium positions were sealed.
The race was now about how far Bottas could climb up the order. After his second pit stop, the Finn found himself in P6 behind the Force Indias of Ocon and Perez.
He made light work of catching Ocon and on lap 31 he breezed past the Frenchman on the Kemmel Straight and by lap 37 he was 3s behind Perez, with the Mexican being told the Mercedes driver would catch him on the last lap.
Bottas wasn’t prepared to wait that long, however, and on lap 40 he closed up behind Perez on the run down from La Source and easily powered past the Force India man on the Kemmel Straight.
And that was it. A little over four laps later Vettel took the flag for his 52nd career win ahead of Hamilton while Verstappen gave the huge crowd of Dutch fans something to cheer as scored his 16th career podium finish with third place.
Behind Verstappen, Bottas took fourth spot, while Racing Point Force India scored their first championship points courtesy of Perez’s fifth place and Ocon’s sixth-place finish. Grosjean finished seventh ahead of Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly scored two points for Toro Rosso with an excellent drive to ninth place and the final point on offer went to Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson.
2018 Belgian Grand Prix – Race
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 11.061
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 31.372
4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:03.605
5 Sergio Perez Force India 1:11.023
6 Esteban Ocon Force India 1:19.520
7 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:25.953
8 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:27.639
9 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:45.892
10 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1 lap
11 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 1 lap
12 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1 lap
13 Lance Stroll Williams 1 lap
14 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1 lap
15 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1 lap
16 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing
17 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
18 Charles Leclerc Sauber
19 Fernando Alonso McLaren
20 Nico Hulkenberg Renault -
MotoGP Sunday guide for fans: GoPro British GP
MotoGP
• Jorge Lorenzo starts from pole position for the second time this year and the 67th time in his Grand Prix career. This is Lorenzo’s second pole position since joining Ducati in 2017, equalling Andrea Iannone in fourth place in the list of Ducati riders with most pole positions in the premier class.• This is the second pole position for Jorge Lorenzo at Silverstone, along with 2010. This is also the first pole position for a Ducati rider at the track.
• The winner last year at Silverstone, Andrea Dovizioso, starts from second on the grid for the second successive time. In addition, this is his third successive front-row start.
• With Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, this is the first Ducati 1–2 in qualifying since the Italian GP back in 2006 with Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi, and the fourth overall in the MotoGP class.
• The highest-placed Yamaha and top Independent Team rider on the grid is Johann Zarco, which is his first front row start since he was on pole position at Le Mans earlier this season.
• Yamaha riders have not won since Assen last year with Valentino Rossi (21 successive races). The last time Yamaha had a winless streak of more than 21 races was the 22-race sequence including the 15 races of 1997 and the opening seven races of 1998.
• Cal Crutchlow heads the second row as the highest-placed Honda rider, which is his best qualifying result since he was second at the Dutch GP this season. This is the worst qualifying result for the Japanese manufacturer at Silverstone since the track came back on the calendar in 2010.
• Marc Márquez has qualified in fifth place on the grid, which is his worst qualifying result since he was sixth at Mugello earlier this year. He retired from the race last year at Silverstone after suffering from an engine problem while in third place.
• Danilo Petrucci, who stood on the podium for the first time in his Grand Prix career at Silverstone in 2015, completes the second row of the grid. This is the fourth successive time he has qualified on the first two rows on the grid.
• Heading the third row on the grid is Andrea Iannone, which is the best qualifying result for Suzuki at Silverstone since Maverick Viñales was third two years ago – the race in which Viñales went on to take his maiden victory and the first win for Suzuki since 2007. This is also his best qualifying result since he was fifth at Catalunya this year.
• Fourth-placed Ducati rider Jack Miller starts from ninth on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was seventh at Le Mans.
• Valentino Rossi has qualified in 12th on the grid, which is the fourth time this year he has failed to qualify on the first three rows. He’s finished on the podium over his last four visits to Silverstone.
• In Q2 for the first time since Australia last year, Bradley Smith has qualified in eighth position on the grid, which is the best qualifying result for KTM since Pol Espargaró was sixth fastest, also in Australia last year.
• Scott Redding has qualified in 14th place on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since joining Aprilia and his best result since Malaysia last year. Redding’s best result across the line at the British GP in the premier class is a sixth place finish in 2015.
• Tom Lüthi, who won the Moto2 race at Silverstone two years ago, starts from 15th on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he stepped up to the MotoGP™ class this year.
• Loris Baz, who stands in for Pol Espargaró this weekend, has qualified in 18th place on the grid. Baz won in both 2012 and 2013 at Silverstone in WorldSBK and scored a point last year at the British GP in his best result in the premier class at this track.
Moto2
• Francesco Bagnaia starts from pole position for the fourth time this year. On his three previous pole positions, he went on to win the race. Only Pol Espargaró, in 2012, has won from pole position at Silverstone in the Moto2 class.• Remy Gardner has qualified in second place on the grid, which is his first front row on what is his 59th Grand Prix start. This equals the best qualifying result for a rider on a Tech 3 machine in the Moto2 class.
• Álex Márquez has qualified in third on the grid, which is his seventh front row start of the season. Márquez’ best result in the Moto2 class at Silverstone is a fourth place finish in his rookie season in 2015, equalling his best result at that time.
• Marcel Schrötter heads the second row, which is his best qualifying result since he was second at the Dutch GP earlier this year.
• Luca Marini, who has stood on the podium in the last three races, is in fifth place on the grid, which is the fifth time this year he has qualified on the first two rows.
• Fabio Quartararo completes the second row as the top Speed Up rider, and this is his best qualifying result in any class at Silverstone.
• Mattia Pasini, who started from pole position at Silverstone last year and crossed the line in second place, is seventh on the grid, which is his worst qualifying result since he was 11th in Assen earlier this season.
• Iker Lecuona, who made his first Grand Prix appearance at Silverstone two years ago, starts from eighth on the grid, which is his best qualifying result in Grand Prix racing.
• Second in the Championship, Miguel Oliveira, has qualified in 23rd on the grid, which is his worst qualifying result since he joined the Moto2 class in 2016.
Moto3
• Jorge Martín has qualified on pole position for the seventh time this year and the 16th time overall. This is his 10th front-row start of the season; his worst qualifying result being ninth in Argentina earlier this year.• This is the 10th pole position for a Honda rider so far this season. Only two riders have won from pole position at Silverstone in the Moto3 class since 2012: Maverick Viñales (2012) on an FTR-Honda, and Álex Rins (2014).
• Jaume Masia, who crashed out of the race at Silverstone last year, starts from second on the grid as the highest-placed KTM rider, which is his best qualifying result in what is his 16th Grand Prix race in the Moto3 class.
• Lorenzo Dalla Porta is third on the grid, which is his first front row start in what is his 48th race so far. Dalla Porta’s best result at Silverstone is an eighth place finish back in 2015 after qualifying in 27th.
• Heading the second row on the grid is Albert Arenas, who has failed to score points in his two previous visits to Silverstone.
• Fabio Di Giannantonio has qualified in fifth place on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was also fifth at Brno earlier this year. Di Giannantonio crossed the line in sixth place two years ago at the British GP, his best result at Silverstone.
• Tatsuki Suzuki start from sixth on the grid, which is his best position on the grid since he was third at Barcelona this year. He will be aiming to become the first Japanese rider to stand on the podium in the lightweight category since Tomoyoshi Koyama at the Sachsenring in 2010.
• Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi is eleventh on the grid, which is the sixth time this year he failed to qualify on the first two rows. Bezzecchi’s best result at Silverstone is 19th last year from 24th on the grid.
• Arón Canet, who won his most recent Moto3 race last year at the British GP after starting from 16th, starts from 11th, which is the first time he has failed to qualify on the first two rows since he was 28th at Le Mans earlier this year.
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Hamilton takes pole; Ocon, Perez put new Force Indias on P3 & P4 for a superb debut
Hamilton (centre) pole, Ocon (right) takes P3 at Belgian GP on Saturday. An FIA image Spa, 25 Aug 2018: Lewis Hamilton took his 77th career pole position at Spa-Francorchamps, making the most of difficult wet conditions in the final Q3 segment of qualifying to beat Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and surprise third-placed qualifier Esteban Ocon of Racing Point Force India to the front of the grid for the Belgian Grand Prix.
In the early stages of Q1, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen led the way using soft tyres to set a time 1:42.585. He was joined on the yellow-banded rubber by team-mate Vettel, who slotted into P2, and the Mercedes drivers. Red Bull’s Verstappen then briefly split the red and silver cars, however, using supersofts to take P3 ahead of Hamilton.
The championship leader soon moved to second spot, though, with a lap of 1:42.99 and with five minutes remaining Räikkönen sat in P1 ahead of Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen.
In the second Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas, who is set to start at the back of tomorrow’s grid due to engine penalties, was late to the action, only emerging in the final minutes of the session. Using supersoft tyres he jumped to P2 ahead of Hamilton with a lap of 1:42.805. The top five drivers, Räikkönen, Bottas, Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen then stayed in the garages as the clock counted down.
Bottas’ vault up the order left Sauber’s Marcus Ericssson, the McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, and the Williams cars of Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin in the drop zone.
And it was Ericsson who made the big jump in the final moments, with the Swede putting in a good lap of 1:43.846 to vault to tenth place.
Elsewhere, Carlos Sainz was complaining of a lack of grip and it was the Renault driver who slipped down into the P16 slot vacated by Ericsson. Sainz was thus eliminated ahead of Alonso, Sirotkin, Stroll and Vandoorne.
Raikkonen again set the pace early in Q2, posting a time of 1:41.627 to sit just under two tenths of a second clear of Hamilton, with Vettel a further three tenths of a second back.
Vettel climbed to the top of the order in the final runs, with a lap of 1:41.501, while Raikkonen held on to second place ahead of Hamilton and Bottas. Verstappen went through to Q3 with a lap of 1:42.554 ahead of Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Perez and Haas’ Romain Grosjean, while Daniel Ricciardo was eighth in the second Red Bull ahead of the second Racing Point of Esteban Ocon and the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
That meant that out went the Toro Rosso’s of 11th-placed Pierre Gasly and 12th-placed Brendon Hartley, while Sauber’s Charles Leclerc qualified in P13 ahead of Ericsson and Hulkenberg.
The rain that had been threatening for some time eventually began to fall just as the field took to the track for the start of Q3, on slick tyres. The wet weather quickly intensified and by the end of opening laps the conditions were proving treacherous and as a slew of cars spun and rejoined all the drivers headed for the pit lane to move to intermediate tyres.
The Red Bulls of the Verstappen and Ricciardo were first out on track again and Verstappen quickly moved into provisional pole position with a time of 2:02.849, while Ricciardo took P2, two seconds adrift of his team-mate thanks to a mid-lap off.
Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen then moved to P1 with a lap of 2:02.671, while Ricciardo improved to apparently consolidate his hold on P3. Vettel then dropped the Red Bulls to P3 and P4 as he bypassed Raikkonen to take provisional pole with a lap of 2:02.446.
The rain was now easing off, track conditions were rapidly improving and timing would be crucial. Raikkonen, along with the Red Bull drivers missed out on getting in a final lap and they were quickly eclipsed by Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Perez and Haas’ Romain Grosjean who jumped ahead of them.
Hamilton then made the biggest improvement, vaulting to pole position with a lap of 1:58.179. Esteban Ocon also improved in the second Racing Point Force India and the Frenchman scored a career best qualifying result with third behind Hamilton and Vettel. Perez took fourth in the second Racing Point car ahead of Grosjean and Raikkonen, while Verstappen was forced to settle for seventh place, with Ricciardo in eighth position ahead of the second Haas’ of Kevin Magnussen and the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. Bottas, who is set to take an engine-related grid penalty tomorrow didn’t set a time in Q3.
2018 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:58.179
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:58.905 0.726
3 Esteban Ocon Racing Point Force India 2:01.851 3.672
4 Sergio Perez Racing Point Force India 2:01.894 3.715
5 Romain Grosjean Haas 2:02.122 3.943
6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 2:02.671 4.492
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 2:02.769 4.590
8 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 2:02.939 4.760
9 Kevin Magnussen Haas 2:04.933 6.754
10 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:43.844
11 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1:43.865
12 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1:44.062
13 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:44.301
14 Carlos Sainz Renault 1:44.489
15 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:44.917
16 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1:44.998
17 Lance Stroll Williams 1:45.134
18 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:45.307
19 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes
20 Nico Hulkenberg Renault -
Lorenzo takes pole; it is a first Ducati 1-2 since 2006: MotoGP
Lorenzo takes pole at Silverstone on Saturday, 25 Aug 2018. A Ducati team image Silverstone, 25 Aug 2018: It was a dramatic day at the GoPro British Grand Prix and after weather affected several sessions, the schedule for Sunday has been changed due to the forecast. The MotoGP race will begin at the earlier time of 11:30 (GMT +1), with Moto3 now planned for 13:00 but Moto2 remaining at 14:30.
On Saturday as the grid headed out for a delayed Q2, however, it was Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) who secured a sensational second pole position of the season at Silverstone, with teammate Andrea Dovizioso earning his third consecutive front row start in second on a track split between wet patches and a dry line elsewhere. That makes it a first Ducati 1-2 since 2006, with the two Bologna bullets joined on the front row by Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) as the Frenchman returned to his early season qualifying form to impress.The start of the second qualifying session was delayed following an incident involving several riders in FP4, including Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing), who was taken to hospital nearby and will take no further part in the weekend. Once the green flags flew once again, the stage was set for a very close showdown for pole.
After graduating from Q1, Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the early pace-setter, before Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) led Dovizioso and Pramac teammate Danilo Petrucci over the line to give the Desmosedicis a provisional front row lock out. But that was just the start of the constant chopping and changing for pole, with home hero Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Zarco and Dovizioso then setting the fastest times of the session in tandem.
Not long after it was a case of deja vu for Miller as the Australian took the gamble to head out on slicks, just like he did in Argentina when it paid off for pole. This time, however, the cards – or the clock – didn’t deal him the same hand and at the front it remained a wet tyre dominated game as Lorenzo made his move to go provisional pole by 0.159, just pipping teammate Dovizioso. Ultimately that was all she wrote, and the two Ducatis stayed P1 and P2 as the chequered flag came out. There was a late change to who would join them on the front row though, with Zarco knocking Crutchlow out of third on his final lap – meaning the Brit starts P4 at his home GP.
For Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), meanwhile, it was a tricky session. Managing to salvage P5 on his final lap – 0.928 behind the Ducati duo – the reigning Champion and former winner at the venue will be gunning for a good start from Row 2. Petrucci eventually claimed sixth to join the Hondas of Crutchlow and Marquez on the second row.
Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) spearheads the third row for Sunday’s showdown, ahead of a stunning showing from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Q1 graduate Smith. The Brit took the Austrian factory’s best qualifying of the season in P8, just ahead of the gambling Miller. Smith’s fellow Q1 graduate Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) rounds out the top ten.
After such a strong start to the weekend, Q2 didn’t go the way Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and teammate Valentino Rossi would have envisioned. The Spaniard will start P11, with Rossi just behind after missing out on a final flying lap by a fraction of a second. It’s 12th for the ‘Doctor’, but he’ll have memories of his Austrian ride through the field fresh in his mind as he aims for a repeat.
The shake-up on the grid sets us up for a classic on Sunday, with former winners at the venue scattered over the first few rows and everything to play for. What will the weather bring? Find out when the lights go out at 11:30 local time (GMT +1) for the GoPro British Grand Prix.
MotoGP™ Qualifying Results
1 – Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) DUCATI 2’10.155
2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) DUCATI +0.159
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First Independent Team Rider:
3 – Johann Zarco (FRA) YAMAHA +0.284 -
Mick Schumacher puts the Italian team on Victory mode at Misano
Mick Schumacher on way to his victory at Misano on Saturday. An FIA image Event: 07 Misano
Session: Race 1
Track: Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli / I
Pole position: Mick Schumacher (PREMA Theodore Racing)
Race winner: Mick Schumacher (PREMA Theodore Racing)
Weather: overcast, 31.4 °CAfter his victories at Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone, Mick Schumacher (PREMA Theodore Racing) also confirmed his current good shape at the 4.226 kilometres long Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The German, who is racing for the only Italian team in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, won the 19th race of the season from the two rookie drivers Marcus Armstrong (PREMA Theodore Racing) and Robert Shvartzman (PREMA Theodore Racing). In the drivers’ standings, Daniel Ticktum (Motopark) remains in the lead, the Brit took the chequered flag at Misano in sixth place.
Once the red lights on the start line gantry went out, Mick Schumacher took the lead. Marcus Armstrong claimed second place from Robert Shvartzman and Guanyu Zhou (PREMA Theodore Racing), who had to defend his position from a charging Daniel Ticktum in the first corners. Soon after that, Zhou had pulled a slight gap and went on to put Shvartman under pressure in the battle for third. However, the young Russian successfully defended his position from the experienced Russian.
Out in front, Schumacher maintained his margin at around 1.5 seconds throughout the race and eventually crossed the finish line as the winner, just over two seconds ahead of his teammate Armstrong. Shvartzman secured the final podium slot. Thus, drivers of the PREMA Theodore Racing team locked out the podium in the squad’s home race.
Having overtaken his teammate Daniel Ticktum around the halfway point of the race, Jüri Vips (Motopark) finished fifth. The Brit brought sixth place home, just ahead of Ralf Aron (PREMA Theodore Racing) and Alex Palou (Hitech Bullfrog GP). Jehan Daruvala (Carlin) and Jonathan Aberdein (Motopark) rounded out the top ten.
Mick Schumacher (PREMA Theodore Racing): “The potential has always been there, but initially, we weren’t able to make full use of it. Since Spa-Francorchamps, however, things have been going pretty well and I am happy that I am now also able to show what I can achieve in the races. Today, I was able to pull a gap at the start and on the first lap and then I tried to manage it.”
Marcus Armstrong (PREMA Theodore Racing): “Mick was really good on the opening lap and was able to pull a gap straight away. After that, I was no longer in a position to still put him under pressure, although I had actually planned it. I think that the PREMA Theodore Racing team is so strong here at Misano as both the team and we as the drivers have a lot of experience at this track.”
Robert Shvartzman (PREMA Theodore Racing): “I had a close fight with my teammate Guanyu Zhou, we were certainly fighting side by side for five laps. It was a nice and a fair battle, in which I finally got a little more room to breathe after he had made a mistake.”
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Vettel quickest in FP3; Late crash for local hero, Vandoorne
Vettel quickest in FP3 on Saturday. An FIA image Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheet in final practice for the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing just six hundredths of a second ahead of team-mate Kimi Räikkönen in a session that was interrupted by a late crash for local hero Stoffel Vandoorne.
The McLaren driver was on the hot lap of his qualifying simulation when he came across the slower Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas at the Raidillon corner. As Bottas took a wide line as he moved onto the Kemmel Straight, just as Vandoorne moved to pass the Mercedes around the outside. Vandoorne was pushed off track and immediately spun. He ended up against the barriers on the right side of the track, facing the wrong way, and the session was red-flagged.
Bottas was quickly on the radio to explain that he had been unaware of the McLaren’s approach and the matter was set to be investigated after the session.
Kimi Räikkönen set the early pace in the hour-long session, using supersoft tyres to set a time of 1:43.425. Vettel might have beaten that with his first run but the German lost time behind the slower Renault of Nico Hulkenberg.
Räikkönen then held away until the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers went out on fresh sets of supersoft tyres.
Raikkonen improved to initially hold the top spot with 20 minutes left on the clock as team-mate Vettel slotted into second place just 0.033s adrift of the Finn. Hamilton took third place.
Vettel went for a second hot lap on the run and moved to top spot with a time of 1:42.661. Raikkonen followed suit but could only make a marginal improvement and he finished the session in second place, 0.063 behind the German.
Those runs were then followed by Vandoorne’s crash. Following the resultant red flag period just two minutes of running remained and a queue of cars formed at the end of the pit lane. In the rush to take to track Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly spun at the pit exit but the Frenchman was able to recover and continue.
Only a handful of drivers were able to make it across the line for a push lap before the chequered flag fell, ensuring that the top four order remained the same. Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, m,ade an improvement to 1:44.048 but stayed fifth.
The Dutchman’s team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, was sixth fastest, while Sauber’s Charles Leclerc took seventh place ahead of Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Perez, Hulkenberg and the second Racing Point car of Esteban Ocon.
2018 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Free Practice 3
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 13 1:42.661
2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 15 1:42.724 0.063
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 10 1:42.798 0.137
4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 13 1:43.464 0.803
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 10 1:44.048 1.387
6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 13 1:44.479 1.818
7 Charles Leclerc Sauber 12 1:44.963 2.302
8 Sergio Perez Force India 10 1:45.341 2.680
9 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 17 1:45.464 2.803
10 Esteban Ocon Force India 13 1:45.485 2.824
11 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 11 1:45.536 2.875
12 Romain Grosjean Haas 12 1:45.814 3.153
13 Carlos Sainz Renault 13 1:45.925 3.264
14 Kevin Magnussen Haas 12 1:46.087 3.426
15 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 16 1:46.182 3.521
16 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 17 1:46.259 3.598
17 Lance Stroll Williams 10 1:46.502 3.841
18 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 11 1:46.630 3.969
19 Fernando Alonso McLaren 16 1:46.942 4.281
20 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 14 1:47.061 4.400 -
Mumbai’s Venkatesh Shetty wins JK Tyre Monsoon Scooter Rally
Avtar Singh in action in the JK Tyre Monsoon Rally in Nashik. A JK Tyre photo Nashik, 25 Aug 20018: Braving wet and slushy conditions, defending champion Venkatesh Shetty annexed the JK Tyre 29th Monsoon Scooter Rally title here on Saturday afternoon.
The veteran rider from Mumbai completed the 5-kilometre loop thrice over in picturesque Sarul Village in just 19 minutes and 13 seconds.
He was in his elements as he was the first to be flagged off. He needed just 6.13 minutes in his first run and 6.03 in the third; he recorded the fastest time, a sensational 5.57 minutes in the second run, making it the fastest time of the day.
Cheered on by enthusiastic fans even as light rain lashed the mountainous terrain, Shetty showed amazing control, confidence and courage to tame the dirt track.
Zeeshan Sayed, also from Mumbai, claimed the second place while TVS Racing’s Syed Asif Ali took third place, finishing the entire stretch in 21.36 and 22.19 respectively.
The popular FMSCI-approved scooter rally, organised by Sportscraft and Powered by TVS Racing, had been shifted from Mumbai to Nashik at the last moment but still proved to be a huge success.
As many as 34 riders from different parts of the country, including Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal, Vadodara, Raigad, Panvel and Nashik took part.
There were two lady riders too who enjoyed the challenge of wading through massive pools of water.
Two teams, Aprilia and TVS, fielded their teams too to underline that scooter rallying retains its charm.
“I am very happy that we managed to pull off the rally. We barely had
10 days to put everything in place after our original venue had to be abandoned due to reasons beyond our control,” Shrikant Karani, the well-known organiser, said. “The competitors showed faith in our event and came over to Nashik and rode brilliantly to the delight of the local fans. The local association and the entire city gave us a lot of support,” he added.
Aprilia’s Pinkes Thakkar, among the early favourites, will count himself unlucky as he had to pull out of the rally when he was comfortably placed behind the leader. Some debris flew into his eye in the second loop and he had no other option but to retire.
The winners were rewarded with trophies and cash awards.
Provisional Results: Overall Winners: 1. Venkatesh Shetty; 2. Zeeshan Sayed; 3. Syed Asif Ali
Above 80cc Upto 110 CC – S1 — 2 Stroke (Group B): 1. Rohan Thakur; 2. Nilesh Thakare; 3. Mohasin Shaikh
Scooter Above 110cc Upto160 CC S2 — Geared Scooter (Group B): 1.
Manjit Singh Bassan; 2. Chinmay Bisht; 3. Vicky Jaskaransingh
Scooter 80cc To 210cc (S-1 to S-3) — 4 Stroke (Group B): 1.
Venkatesh Shetty; 2. Zeeshan Sayed; 3. Syed Asif Ali
Ladies Class -Open (Group B): 1. Amruta Guruji; 2. Priyanka Singh
Best performance by a first timer In two-wheeler rally: 1. Niraj Wanjale; 2. Saddam Hussain Vanniyar; 3. Sachin Khengle
