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Tag: Red Bull
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Verstappen leads Red Bull 1-2 in Emilia Romagna GP after misery for Leclerc
Red Bull ended up 1-2 with Max Verstappen winning F1 Emilia Romagna GP from Sergio Perez as McLaren’s Lando Norris rounded the podium in third.
The pre-race rain made it an intermediate start for all in F1 Emilia Romagna GP as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen got a good start to lead from teammate Sergio Perez after an average getaway for both the Ferrari cars with McLaren’s Lando Norris moving to third.
Charles Leclerc dropped to fourth as teammate Carlos Sainz spun out after being tagged by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo in Turn 3-4 area. The Spaniard suffered another retirement as the Australian pitted to drop back in the order with the safety car deployed.
Replays showed Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas also hitting the back of Ricciardo in that moment, while separately Haas’ Mick Schumacher spun on a wet patch when his rear wing touched the sidepod of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso which shed itself later on.
The re-start worked well for Verstappen as he led Perez, Norris and Leclerc in the Top 4, with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in fifth from Mercedes’ George Russell who climbed up five places to be sixth ahead of Bottas, Alonso in the Top 10.
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel was ninth from AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, as up ahead Leclerc challenged Norris for third to take it. Behind him, Magnussen was being pressured on by Russell and Bottas where the Brit tried to get by the Dane.
He did it once but lost out. He hustled again and got through him for fifth as Bottas followed suit on the next lap to take sixth with Magnussen dropping to seventh. Vettel slowly started to catch him with Tsunoda a bit far off in ninth.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll held off Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the battle for 10th as Alonso was forced to retire after part of his sidepod came lose. The drivers started to slip and slide more on a drying track in the wait of rain to pit.
With no rain in the horizon, drivers started to pit after Ricciardo started the chain. There was some chaos with slow stops for Hamilton and Bottas. The Brit had to avoid Ocon who was released on his way with the stewards putting it under investigation.
Ocon was handed a 5s time penalty for unsafe release, as Verstappen led the way in the front. Teammate Perez had Leclerc all on his back in the fight for second with Norris remaining in third from Russell and Bottas who retained sixth despite the slow stop.
Vettel gained on Magnussen to be seventh with Tsunoda ninth from Stroll in the Top 10. Ocon was 11th from Williams’ Alexander Albon, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Hamilton, who dropped to 14th after the slow stop from his team.
The race steadied itself as drivers had to get through the race on the same set of tyres. The biggest moment for the camera crew was Verstappen lapping Hamilton towards the end of the race when the Brit was trying to get through Gasly.
While things were stable ahead, Tsunoda passed Magnussen for eighth as outside the Top 10, Albon continued to trouble Gasly and Hamilton in the fight for 12th. In a twist, Ferrari called in Leclerc for soft tyres with Red Bull doing the same with Perez and Verstappen.
Leclerc came out behind Norris but he got back the place and hurried Perez. In doing so, the Monegasque spun but managed to continue on. He was forced to pit for the front wing and dropped to ninth but regained eighth from Magnussen.
At the front, Norris gained a place to third while Russell in fourth had Bottas on his tail in the closing stages. Tsunoda was long way off in sixth from Vettel who had a charging Leclerc on his tail. He eventually passed him in his pursuit of Tsunoda.
His title challenger Verstappen dominated to win F1 Emilia Romagna GP in a Red Bull 1-2 with Perez second from Norris in the Top 3. The Dutchman also scored the fastest lap, as Russell held off Bottas to finish fourth by 0.675s.
Leclerc ended up sixth from Tsunoda, Vettel, Magnussen and Stroll in the Top 10 where Aston Martin scored double points to open their account in 2022. Ocon was 11th despite his penalty as Albon eventually held off Gasly and Hamilton for 12th.
Zhou was 15th from Williams’ Nicholas Latifi with Schumacher 17th and Ricciardo 18th. Everyone from Stroll until the Australian ended up a lap down. DNF: Alonso, Sainz.
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Leclerc leads Sainz in a wet FP1 session of Emilia Romagna GP
Ferrari ended up 1-2 in a wet FP1 of F1 Emilia Romagna GP with Charles Leclerc ahead of Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen P3.
It was a wet start to F1 Emilia Romagna GP in Imola with several drivers going off in the opening moments on the wet tyres. By the end of the session, they moved to intermediate compound but they still kept on going off due to damp conditions.
After the races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia, this was their first time on a wet circuit with the 2022 generation of F1 cars. This was also the first chance for teams and drivers to try out the wet and intermediate tyres.
Pre-session, the FIA updated about new ICE, TC, MGU-H and MGU-K for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, while Williams’ Alexander Albon took a new ES and CE. There were loads of offs as mentioned above with some having multiple.
The two Ferrari drivers were among the multiple list with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz having moments, with McLaren’s Lando Norris even calling out the red flag. Fortunately, the Brit managed to drive back onto the track after brief beached moment.
The likes of Williams’ Nicholas Latifi, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen had moments along with Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas had a spin post the chequered flag but managed to not hit the barrier.
In terms of the standings, Ferrari ended up 1-2 with Leclerc (1m29.402s) leading from Sainz (1m30.279s), while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (1m30.867s) in third from Haas pair of Magnussen and Mick Schumacher in the Top 5.
The other Red Bull of Sergio Perez slotted in sixth from Alpine’s Alonso with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Mercedes’ George Russell in the Top 10. Alfa Romeo’s Bottas was 11th from AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.
Behind him was Alpine’s Ocon in 13th with McLaren pair of Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in 14th and 15th. Aston Martin’s Stroll was 16th from Williams’ Albon, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou and Williams’ Latifi.
Among the 20 runners, Hamilton set his time on the wet compound after he complained of lack of grip due to lack of downforce all-through the session. With no more practice run before qualifying later, it leaves teams with little chance to change things due to the restrictions of F1 sprint weekend.
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Max Verstappen beats Hamilton to put his Red Bull on pole
Zandvoort (The Netherlands), 4 Sept 2021: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen beat Formula 1 championship rival Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes by just three hundredths of a second to claim pole position for his home race the 2021 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas finished third for Mercedes, while AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly put in an impressive performance to claim fourth place on the grid.
At the start of the Q1 Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez set the early benchmark with a lap of 1:10.700. Verstappen was close behind on track, however, and he powered past his team-mate’s time to reset the bar at 1:10.036.
Mercedes, meanwhile, sent both its drivers out on medium tyres and Pérez dropped to fourth place as as Hamilton took second place ahead of Bottas. Pérez extended his run, but despite getting down to 1:10.530 he dropped to P7 as better times came in. And the Mexican’s failure to set a secure time early in the session ended up being his undoing.
Knowing that the track was ramping up massively, Red Bull readied the Mexican for a final run. However, seeking a workable gap on the short track, drivers began to form a solid queue at the end of pit lane and Pérez’s exit was slowed. Thus he failed to make it across the line before the chequered flag and as rivals posted improvements the Mexican fell down the order and he was eliminated in P16 ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, Alfa Romeo’s Robert Kubica and the Haas cars of Mick Schumacher and Nikia Mazepin.
Verstappen was straight into action at the start of Q2 and he posted a tough target at the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:09.071. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc got closest to that time ahead of the final runs, with the Monegasque setting a time of 1:09.437 to take P2 ahead of AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, Hamilton and Bottas.
Williams’ George Russell was one of the first out on track for the final runs of the second segment but at the end of his flying lap he carried too much speed into the penultimate corners and slid off into the barriers. The red flags were quickly displayed and the clock was stopped with just under four minutes remaining.
However, when the session eventually resumed it lasted less than two minutes as on his flying lap Nichola Latifi lost control in Turn 8 and the second Williams went into the barriers hard. The red flags were again shown and Race Control quickly indicated that the session would not be resumed. It meant that eliminated after the middle segment were Russell in 11th place followed Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Norris, Latifi and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.
In Q3 Verstappen again went out early to stake his claim to pole and he claimed provisional pole with an impressive lap of 1:08.923. Neither Mercedes driver had an initial response and Bottas took P2 0.099s behind the Red Bull, with Hamilton just under five hundredths of a second further back in third place.
In the final runs Verstappen proved unbeatable. Hamilton found more time but in the end it was only enough to match the Red Bull driver’s earlier lap and Verstappen secured pole for his home grand prix with a stunning lap of 1:08.885.
Bottas was left with third place, while Gasly shone in claiming fourth spot on the grid ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Giovinazzi was seventh, while Esteban Ocon took eighth place ahead of Alpine team-mate Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo.
Rakkonen test COVID positive
The FIA, Formula 1 and Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN can on Saturday confirm that during onsite PCR testing for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, Kimi Räikkönen has tested positive for COVID-19. In accordance with COVID-19 protocols he will take no further part in this Event. All contacts have been declared.
The procedures set out by the FIA and Formula 1 will ensure no wider impact on the Dutch Grand Prix.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:08.885 7 222.579
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:08.923 0.038 0.055 7 222.456
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:09.222 0.337 0.489 7 221.496
4 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:09.478 0.593 0.861 6 220.679
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:09.527 0.642 0.932 6 220.524
6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:09.537 0.652 0.947 6 220.492
7 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:09.590 0.705 1.023 6 220.324
8 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:09.933 1.048 1.521 6 219.244
9 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:09.956 1.071 1.555 6 219.172
10 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:10.166 1.281 1.860 6 218.516
11 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:10.332 1.261 1.826 5 218.000
12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:10.367 1.296 1.876 5 217.891
13 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:10.406 1.335 1.933 5 217.771
14 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:11.161 2.090 3.026 7 215.460
15 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:11.314 2.243 3.247 4 214.998
16 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:10.530 0.701 1.004 9 217.388
17 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:10.731 0.902 1.292 7 216.770
18 Robert Kubica Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:11.301 1.472 2.108 9 215.037
19 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:11.387 1.558 2.231 11 214.778
20 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:11.875 2.046 2.930 10 213.32 -
Mahesh wins Red Bull Ace of Dirt 2021, gets a Hero bike
Kolar, 19 March 2021:Red Bull Ace of Dirt, second edition, had 32 two-wheel racers who were invited to compete in multiple off-road disciplines. Of the 16 who qualified after the initial round, the riders battled each other eliminating half of them in each round of pre-quarters, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, on a specially-laid course which had six obstacles courses like motocross, dirt track and enduro sections having wooden logs, table top jumps, mud pits et al. The winner received a Hero bike and he will receive training at the facility.
The winner of the first edition in 2019) of Red Bull Ace of Dirt Yuva Kumar could not make it to the final this year. But he got a lifetime opportunity to train with CS Santosh. The winner also received a bike from Hero. This year too, the winner gets these benefits.
On Friday and Saturday, an endurance race was held at Big Rock Dirt Park, a facility created by Santosh to train and to spread his knowledge to the interested.
Winners of the Red Bull Ace of Dirt on Friday. A Red Bull image Finally, over four laps of the 2.8km course, it was Mahesh VM, astride a Xpulse 200, who won the event after making through the semifinals and finals. A Sathyaraj, also on a Xpulse, came second followed by Sachin Ignatius (Apache RTR 200) and Gideon Benjamin (Implulse).
Top riders including defending champion Yuva Kumar, Naresh VS, Arun T and Devaraj Venkatesh were eliminated in Semis 1 & 2. While Naresh did not start, Yuva had a DNF in the other semis.
Pavan BK, Samuel Abraham, Shoeb, Ishaan Chandra, Trinesh, Salman Khan, Purab Gowda and Asad Khan lost in the quarterfinals.
Final Results (Top-4): 1. Mahesh VM (Xpulse 200) 20: 29.734; 2. A Sathyaraj (Xpulse 200) 21: 09.578; 3. Sachin Ignatius (Apache RTR 200) 24: 20.031; 4. Gideon Benjamin (Impulse) 26: 22.207.
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Rainmaster, Hamilton, takes pole ahead of Verstappen
Spielberg, 11 July 2020: Lewis Hamilton will start the first FIA Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix, the second round of the Formula 1 World Championship, from pole position after a superb final lap in treacherous wet conditions saw him claim the 89thpole position of his career 1.2 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who has a spin on his final Q3 lap. Carlos Sainz scored the best qualifying result of his career with third place.
In a furiously busy Q1, in which drivers lapped throughout on an improving but still wet track, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton led the way with three minutes left thanks to a lap of 1:18.188. Further back Sauber’s Antonio Giovinazzi was seeking improvement but the Italian driver lost control on entry to Turn 1 and spun. The yellow flags came out soon after red flags were displayed, however, as in the closing moments of the session Giovinazzi parked his damaged car at Turn 4. It meant that Hamilton headed the order with Verstappen in P2 with a time of 1:18.297.
However, eliminated at the end of the session were Sauber’s Kimi Räikkönen, Racing Point’s Sergio Pérez, Williams’ Nicholas Latifi, the unfortunate Giovinazzi and Haas’ Romain Grosjean who had an issue on his out lap and didn’t run again in the segment.
Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas led the way in the early stages of Q2, the Finn setting an opening time of 1:19.006. Verstappen crossed the line a second off that pace to take P2, with Ferrari Charles Leclerc third. Verstappen then jumped to the top of the timesheet with an impressive lap of 1:18.155 – half a second ahead of Hamilton.
With seven minutes left in the session Verstappen improved again to keep hold of P1. The Dutch driver set a time of 1:17.938, with Hamilton now 0.278s behind the Red Bull driver. Hamilton was determined to hold on to P1, however and he edged ahead of Verstappen with a time of 1:18.825.
In the drop zone with three minutes to go were Leclerc, Williams’ George Russell, Racing Point’s Lance Stroll, AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and with none making an improvement in the worsening conditions at the end of the session all five were eliminated when the chequered flag fell.
Verstappen was at the front of the queue at the pit exit as Q3 went green, though the conditions were worsening quickly. The Dutchman set a solid benchmark at 1:21.800 and Hamilton was unable to get close, with the Briton taking P2, almost three tenths behind.
Verstappen then lowered the marker to 1:21.570 but Hamilton was going even quicker and he stole P1 with a time of 1:21.272 before Bottas then went faster again still to take top spot with a lap of 1:21.036. Hamilton, though, soon made his way back to top spot with a time of 1:20.649. Verstappen though was winding up again and he put his Red Bull back into provisional pole with a time of 1:20.489s. Hamilton, though, was not to be denied and he again stole P1 with a lap of 1:19.702.
Verstappen pushed hard on his final run to eclipse his Mercedes rival but as he approached the final corners he was distracted by a car heading towards the pit lane. Max lost grip and drifted through the final corner before snapping back under control as he entered the pity straight. His lap was compromised however and he failed to improve.
Hamilton, meanwhile, was lighting up the timing boards and the defending champion eventually took pole with a lap of 1:19.273, 1.2s ahead of Verstappen. Third place went to McLaren’s Carlos Sainz, with Valtteri Bottas fourth for Mercedes ahead of Renault’s Esteban Ocon and the second McLaren on Lando Norris.
Alex Albon in the second Red Bull ended the session in seventh place but that will become sixth on the grid as Norris is facing a three-place grid drop due to a yellow flag infringement in FP1. Behind Alex, Pierre Gasly qualified in P8 for AlphaTauri with the Frenchman beating Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and 10th-placed Sebastian Vettel.
2020 FIA Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:19.273 10 196.091
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:20.489 1.216 10 193.129
3 Carlos Sainz McLaren/Renault 1:20.671 1.398 9 192.693
4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:20.701 1.428 10 192.622
5 Esteban Ocon Renault 1:20.922 1.649 10 192.096
6 Lando Norris McLaren/Renault 1:20.925 1.652 10 192.088
7 Alexander Albon Red Bull/Honda 1:21.011 1.738 8 191.885
8 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:21.028 1.755 9 191.844
9 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1:21.192 1.919 9 191.457
10 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:21.651 2.378 8 190.381
11 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:19.628 1.803 12 195.217
12 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:19.636 1.811 10 195.198
13 Lance Stroll Racing Point/Mercedes 1:19.645 1.820 11 195.176
14 Daniil Kvyat AlphaTauri/Honda 1:19.717 1.892 12 194.999
15 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1:20.211 2.386 11 193.798
16 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:21.372 3.184 12 191.033
17 Sergio Pérez Racing Point/Mercedes 1:21.607 3.419 12 190.483
18 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:21.759 3.571 12 190.129
19 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:21.831 3.643 12 189.962
20 Romain Grosjean Haas/Ferrari 1 -
#VirtualSpanishGP: MotoGP and Two Wheels for Life unite against coronavirus
The Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain sees Two Wheels and Dorna Sports team up to raise funds for the fight against Covid-19
Jerez, 30 April 2020: The Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain takes place this Sunday at 3 pm (GMT +2), with the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 classes all suiting up to do digital battle in a world-first event. The star-studded line-up will be taking on the challenge on the new official MotoGP20 Videogame from videogame developer, publisher and long-standing partner Milestone; racing around the legendary Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto in Andalucia.
This time there’s more than glory at stake, however, as the event is in aid of MotoGP™’s official charity Two Wheels for Life to support their fight against Covid-19. The campaign is open for donations now and Dorna Sports begins the fundraising drive with a donation of €20,000! Fans and supporters can make their donations HERE, and links will also be available on social media throughout the broadcast of the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain.
Two Wheels for Life works with on-the-ground partners Riders for Health in a number of African countries, supporting African run and led healthcare initiatives using motorcycles. Experts in healthcare delivery across the continent, Riders for Health use their unique systems to ensure motorcycles and other vehicles run reliably, allowing health workers to access difficult-to-reach communities and villages delivering services such as child immunisation and emergency health transport, as well as ensuring test results can be taken to labs and returned swiftly to enable diagnoses.
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Winning here is a perfect way to end the season, says Lewis Hamilton
Yas Marina, 1 DEc 2019: Lewis Hamilton, the race winner and the two drivers who finished on the podium Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) attended the FIA post-race Press Conference on Sunday.
TRACK INTERVIEWS (Conducted by David Coulthard)
Q: Lewis Hamilton, congratulations, your 11th victory of the season and that looked one of your most dominant. You must be very proud?
Lewis HAMILTON: Honestly, I’m proud definitely but I’m just super grateful for this incredible team. To all at Mercedes, who have continued to push this year… who would have thought that at the end of the year we would have this strength in the race and even though we had the championships won we just really wanted to keep our heads down and try to see if we could learn and if we could extend and if we could extract more from this beautiful car that they’ve worked [on]. It’s a piece of art. And I’m also so grateful to team LH. I travel around the world to 21 different countries, probably even more, and I get to see people who continuously inspire me and send me messages and lift me up. So I want to send a big thank you to everyone that’s here, everyone that’s back home. Thank you for watching, thank you for supporting. I feel so happy with today, man.Q: Now it has been a great season and I know you’re in that moment, but you’ve got on the podium two young guys, two young chargers. They’ve thrown some big races at you this year, but this is a great way for you to end the season, with such a dominant victory. These guys have still got a lot of work to do?
LH: These guys, there are a lot of youngsters coming through. If you look at the grid, for example, from second to like seventh or eighth was all super youngsters, so I’m really proud to be in a period of time where there are such great youngsters coming through. These guys have been doing a phenomenal job and I really privileged to be in the period of time where they’re here and I’m looking forward to hopefully more close battles with us in the future, so I hope it gets close for us next year.Q: Just before I move on, what have you got planned for the winter?
LH: Oh, just family time, man.Q: Enjoy your family time. Max Verstappen, it’s been a pretty good season for you – three victories, third in the Drivers’ Championship. Today that was the best you could hope for. You had some issues though didn’t you? We heard you on the radio; you were having to manage some issues.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, a few little things. At the end of the day it wouldn’t have made a difference in terms of position. Yeah, we had to do a bit of a different strategy to Ferrari of course, they pitted quite early and we went long, because they overtook us on the first lap. After that our pace was quite decent, just Mercedes and Lewis today, they were just a bit too quick. As a whole I think it’s been a positive season and of course to be P3 in the championship is a nice ending.Q: Lewis said he’s going to be spending family time in the winter but I guess you’ve got your sights on the world championship, so you’ll be at the factory, you’ll be on the simulator, you’ll be working hard?
MV: I think we are all working hard but it’s also good to take some time off, be with family and friend and be fully recharged for next year and come back stronger.Q: Congratulations. We’ve got Charles and Lewis sharing notes here. What are you discussing? They way the race played out?
Charles LECLERC: Yeah, just overall how quick he was during the race. With the hard I think he did a 39.2, so yeah, I was just saying congratulations to him.Q: Now, third place; it’s another podium. It’s been a great year, first year for you at Ferrari. I know you guys all want to win but you have to be satisfied. You are the first team-mate to have finished in front of Sebastian in the world championship in his time at Ferrari, so it’s been very positive for you.
CL: Yeah, I’m extremely about this year. I’ve learned a huge amount thanks to Seb. Yeah, it’s been a great year. For me a realisation of a dream since childhood. I’ve always dreamed to be in Formula 1 but especially with Ferrari. To be now with this team is unbelievable and now it’s up to me to work, to get better, and hopefully give them the success they deserve.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Lewis, many congratulations, as emphatic a victory as we have seen from you, and in your 250th race as well?
LH: Jeez! That’s a lot of races.
MV: You didn’t celebrate that – 250? No pit board? Two-hundred-and-fifty grands prix, they didn’t celebrate that for you? You didn’t care.
LH: No!
MV: Three hundred? Three-fifty?
LH: No, I don’t want to reminded of the age! No, what an incredible year it has been. What an incredible stretch it’s been with this team. Yeah, after winning the Constructors’ and the Drivers’ Championship I think it was really important for us as a team to continue to push. You know, we hadn’t got absolutely everything from the overall perfect package. So we were just trying to push the limits and push the boundaries and yeah, I think this is the perfect way to end the season, on the right foot. I think it was a great weekend in the sense that there was a Ferrari and a Red Bull and a Mercedes in the top three, obviously in the finishing order but also on the grid, and then a lot of young drivers behind me, making me feel young, which is great. I’m really just grateful to my team who have continued to push all year long and just have never lost sight of the objective. We’ve all had a common goal and inspired each other to continue to push and strive for perfection. So, incredibly grateful to everyone and I hope that everyone at Mercedes and our partners. I’m sure they are pretty happy.Q: Were you surprised by your dominance today, because you were 13 seconds ahead of Max after 20 laps?
LH: Yeah, I definitely wasn’t expecting to haver the pace advantage to that extent. Our long run pace was quite good and I was told that we might be a tenth or two ahead but then in the race we had a bit more of an advantage in that respect. And once I got out in the clear I was able to manage my pace pretty well in that first stint and manage the tyres. I just had to go as long, basically, as Max was going. Then we got onto that next set of tyres and for this track the tyre was good. The hard tyres is quite resilient to any abrasion and that. It goes a long, long way. I think it can do the whole race stint. I think towards the end of the race I was like ‘I want to have some… I’ve got to push and see if I can extract any more performance from the car’. I do wish that we had some battles. I saw on TV you guys battling…
MV: You could have slowed down!
LH: You guys are too quick on the straights.
MV: Just give it a chance.
LH: I’m sure we are going to have some great races. We had some great races this year, Max and I, so congratulations to them for continuing to rise and I’m excited to be amongst those guys and fight with them next year.Q: Max, your second consecutive podium here in Abu Dhabi and your ninth podium finish of the season. You didn’t seem happy with the car after your pit stop. Can you just talk us through what the problems were?
MV: Yeah, I just had some torque holes on throttle. There were delays and stuff, so it was not great, and we couldn’t fix it, so we drove around the problem. At the end of the day, it wouldn’t have made a difference in terms of the result.Q: What does a torque hole mean? In the olden days would we have been talking about a misfire?
MV: No, just when I go on throttle it’s not doing what I want.Q: Did it cost you lap time?
MV: It did cost me lap-time – but like I said, it wouldn’t have given me the win today.Q: Apart from that, race was fine?
MV: Yeah, race was fine. Little bit of a shame about the first lap but then I think we had a good first stint, to go long and yeah, I think once we then put the hard tyres on, the pace was decent. I could get by Charles and then I could just do my own race. I mean, Lewis was too quick, so I was just focussing on my own race and lap-times.Q: And you’ve sealed third in the Championship today. Just how will you reflect on 2019?
MV: Yeah, pretty good. Few victories, poles, so that’s pretty good. I think we improved quite a bit throughout the season. Also, from Honda side. Of course, very happy about that. Now we just need to keep that momentum into the winter break as well and try to improve the car even further, together with the engine and be there from the first race, not from the middle of the season or towards the end. But we know that, so we are working on it.Q: Charles, it was pretty tight with Valtteri in those closing laps. How worried were you?
CL: Well, Valtteri was very quick towards the end of the race, so yeah, I was pretty worried at one point when he started to catch and I was starting to struggle a little bit – but then, in the last four or five laps, I think he came back a little bit slower: I think he slowed down too, so then I was a bit more hopeful and then I had some traffic, so it was very close towards the end. But yeah, it was a bit of a strange race because in the first stint I was very hopeful, I was behind Lewis. OK, we weren’t as quick as Lewis but I still thought the pace was there – but then we tried to pit pretty early to try to force them to stop early but yeah, then basically I understood I would see Lewis at the end of the race because we were just not quick enough and we never put a challenge to them in front. Yeah, it’s like this. We weren’t quick enough – but overall, I think during the season it’s been more or less the same picture when qualifying, we manage more or less to be there but then in the race we seem to struggle. So we need to work on that for 2020.Q: So you were trying to force Mercedes into making another pit stop. How early in the race – if indeed you did – were you regretting that two-stop strategy?
CL: I was not. Because it was pretty clear for me that to get this third place, if I wanted it, it was all about winning because Max was still in the race, so we had to do something. I didn’t want to stay there and that’s it. So, I just tried but to be honest with not much hope but yeah, at least we tried.Q: And Charles, final thoughts. Are you worried about the fuel discrepancy that was discovered by the FIA prior to the race?
CL: To be honest, I’ve got no idea and no details whatsoever of what’s going on, for now. So, yeah. I’ll speak to the team to understand that better.QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Jake Boxall-Legge – Autosport) Question for Max. We’ve heard you over the year discussing over the year that you’ve had a little bit of lag sensitivity with the car. It doesn’t always respond to your throttle inputs. Is the problem today related to that – and how did it feel from your perspective in the car?
MV: Most of the time it’s fine-tuning. Today, I’m not sure yet what happened exactly, because they didn’t want to tell me on the radio, they just said there was nothing they could do from their side, so then it also doesn’t matter what it is, so I’ll have to find out.Q: (Giovanni Messi – NewsF1.it) Max, do you think Red Bull is now in front of Ferrari and ready to catch Mercedes next year for a World Championship? And for Charles, I want to ask your opinion about the strategy today: why did you stop so early in the first laps?
MV: I think it’s pretty close. It just depends a little bit on the track layout but I think from our side, throughout the season, we made good improvements so we could actually take the fight a bit more forward and win a few races and yet for next year there is still a lot of work to do of course, to catch up to Mercedes. At the end of the day, they were the dominant team over the year, or at least, the most consistent. Yeah, we will of course try everything to close that gap but of course it’s not going to be easy.
CL: No. At the end, as I said, to be third in the championship we had to win the race, considering where Max was in the race so we gave it all for that and yeah, I just didn’t want to stay there in second place and follow the others’ strategy because it made no sense so we went for a gamble, it didn’t pay off but it’s OK.Q: (Christian Menath – motorsportmagazin.com) Lewis, yesterday you said you had to re-centre a bit after Friday. You were a bit behind Valtteri, I don’t know if it was because of the engine, he had a fresh engine, but can you explain how you re-centre yourself? Is that something driving-wise you look completely differently into or is it more personal?
LH: It’s really just about… I don’t know, on Friday, I just had a bit of… I guess, maybe it was slightly erratic, just the balance of…sometimes you over-drive, you under-drive, just not comfortable with the balance of the car and not reacting, there wasn’t synergy between myself and the car. But I would say more so perhaps from my personal side so I don’t know, it’s just about stepping back, taking a breather and kind of realigning your focus, realising what you need to do. As I said, get your heart under control and came back the next day, there was nothing erratic, smooth, calm and collected, so I had my own ways of doing that naturally but I think it’s just the experience over the years, understanding on some days, emotions are heightened and other days it’s more mellow and that was just one of those days.Q: (Lawrence Edmonson – ESPN) Lewis, I don’t know if you’re aware but there’s been a lot of talk this weekend about you potentially going to Ferrari in 2021. I may as well ask a straight question: is it a consideration and have you met with Ferrari’s president John Elkann?
LH: Well, naturally everything that happens behind closed doors is obviously always private with whoever it is you end up sitting with but I think for many, many years I’ve never ever sat down and considered other options, because we’ve been on a… just driving straight ahead into the path that we’ve been on and the journey that we’ve been on and to be honest, I still think we’re on that path and I think there’s very little that’s going to shift it from that but I think there’s no harm in… I know Toto is also looking at his options in terms of his future and only he will know what is the best thing for him and his family. So I’m waiting to see what he’s doing with that. I love where I am so it’s definitely not a quick decision to do something else, but of course I think it’s only smart and wise for me to sit and think of what I want… if it is the last period or stage in my career. Actually I want to keep winning so I think that’s… I want to keep being able to fight with these guys as well. I can’t really tell you what else is going to happen moving forwards.Q: Charles, can I just throw that to you as well. If you’re still wearing red in 2021, would you welcome Lewis as a team-mate?
CL: Well of course. At the end, we are in Formula One and we want to fight against the best. I’ve had a big opportunity this year to have Seb next to me who is a four time World Champion and I’ve learned a lot from him and you can always learn from this type of champion so yeah, of course.Ends
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Red Bull Ace of Dirt event, a first in India: Red Bull athlete CS Santosh on show at Kolar
Red Bull athlete CS Santosh at the press conference in Bengaluru Wednesday. An INDIAinF1 image Bengaluru, 13 Nov 2019: Red Bull Ace of Dirt, a first of its kind race comes to India where different off-road disciplines come together to compete in an elimination format to be the last man standing. The city of Bengaluru will witness a never-seen-before bike race on November 14th at the Big Rock Dirtpark, a one of its kind, self-designed track by Red Bull Athlete CS Santosh. The winner of Red Bull Ace of Dirt will get a once in a lifetime opportunity to train with ace motorcyclist and Red Bull athlete, CS Santosh
32 selected riders will battle each other on a specially laid course which consists of Motocross, Dirt track and Enduro sections all put together to offer a unique challenge to make it to the final top 4 to compete for the win! But they must make it through the semi-finals round that will offer a unique challenge where all will compete on identical Hero Xpulse bikes which will eliminate any advantage or disadvantage their own machines would have had!
Commenting on the event, Red Bull athlete CS Santosh said, “I am excited to have this opportunity with energy drink giant Red Bull to dream up this event with this unique concept here in India on a new format of racing that we have not previously had. We are also delighted to have Hero MotoSports join hands for this event as part of their vision to promote Motor Sports and Off-Road biking culture in India. All these major partners coming together to offer a complete ecosystem for the event, is a great support to the event and motor sports in the country. Ultimately, this format will allow all different types of riders to compete together and develop good overall skills that will one day be a platform to transition into cross country rally racing and on day to the Dakar!
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“We want to stop him”: can Marquez’ rivals keep him off the top step at the Red Bull Ring?
Top riders pose for a photo after the Thursday press conference ahead of the MotoGP race on Sunday. A MotoGP image Spielberg (Austria), 8 August 2019: The pre-event Press Conference got some tongues wagging ahead of the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich on Thursday at the Red Bull Ring, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) joined by key rival Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to talk everything from testing to rumours to races and a couple of things in between.
First to speak was Marquez, the man who has won at every track except this one. The Brno Test was on the agenda first, and then the weekend ahead…
“Yeah of course after Brno we have Monday test and little bit like every Monday test, everything worked well and the grip was amazing at the end of the day. This can be confusing but apart from that, we tried the important things in the morning and it was a good test for us. Now I’m looking forward to this Austrian GP, the Red Bull Ring; a circuit that I like, a layout that I like. It’s the only circuit I haven’t won at in the past, we will try to be ready again to fight for victory. I think all the competitors, not only Ducati but also Yamaha and Suzuki can be very very strong and lets see where we can fight on Sunday.”
The stats would suggest for the win. So as the number 93 continues to break records – he recently took his 50th premier class victory – does he look at the numbers?
“Of course the stats are important. Not the most important but for me the Championship is more important than the statistics but if you have good statistics it means you’re working in a good way. You are working, improving and yeah to see your name around or between these legends is amazing so I don’t want to think a lot about it, continue with the same mentally and ambition and enjoy it on track, this is the most important.”
Next up was Andrea Dovizioso, who won at the venue in 2017. Ducati have reigned since its return to the calendar and the Italian could be an early solid bet for the win – but Marquez DID finish ahead of him last year. Dovizioso first debriefed Brno, and then looked ahead at Austria.
“I’m happy. From the first practice the speed was there. Me and Marc did a really, really fast race. We pushed really hard for a lot of laps, so it was nice. The test was really good. The feeling with the bike was good. We tried some material which was interesting as it’s important to try new material to understand better the future. In the afternoon the grip increased a lot and there were a lot of fast riders, but we were focused on comparing with the old material. The feeling was good, I’m confident after Brno and we want to continue the victories of Ducati here. But we know how difficult it will be with Marc like he is and already last year he finished ahead of me. It’ll be hard to stop him but it’s our goal, we want to stop him.
“We have more points than last year and we can also have more points with the bad luck of Barcelona. The problem is that Marc has more points, so it’s difficult. We’re not too far away though, like Brno. We couldn’t finish the race with him unfortunately to make a battle, but we had a good pace so I’m happy.
Valentino Rossi, meanwhile, is also positive about Brno, although a little more tempered.
“In Brno was a bit better for me compared to the last races for sure. It’s not fantastic, we aren’t very happy for the sixth place but during the weekend I could ride the bike in a better way and we improved the balance, the setting, this is not so bad.”
And the test? “On the Monday we had something interesting to try, we had the first touch with the new prototype of the bike. Doesn’t change a lot, something different especially in the engine, some different settings. But it was good to start the work because it was just the first touch but we need time, it was good to see what was better and what was worse and we can work in a better way. In the end Monday was quite positive.”
Jack Miller was next on the mic. The Pramac Racing rider was back on the podium at Brno and it gives him a good springboard to try and move forward at the Red Bull Ring.
“It was nice to be back on the box as it’d been a while since Texas. This one felt a little more special as nobody crashed around us, I had to fight for it right to the end. It was really nice to be back in the company of Marc and Dovi; and especially after Assen and Sachsenring where I struggled a lot. I had a good feeling going into there even though I hadn’t had the best luck there in the past. I’ve had some bad luck here too so I’m looking to turn it around.”
And the test? The Australian explains he had an update even before the Monday at Brno. “I feel the bike is in a good place, really comfortable after I had a chassis upgrade for the race in Brno. Did a check in the Test with a heap of tyres. The track is always ten times better on a Monday and there’s always a lot of Monday heroes trying to win the trophy of being top of the timesheets, so it was funny to watch that at the end.”
The Australian also addressed some of the rumours heading round about 2020 – explaining the situation from his side. “I thought we were waiting on paperwork but clearly that’s not the case, there might be something else behind it I don’t know yet. We’ll see once Jorge comes back from the Maldives or wherever he is now, and we’ll find out what I’m doing. At the minute, I’m just trying to do the best I can do, I’m not stressed. I feel if I keep riding like I am, I’ll be here next year and we’ll just see where.”
Next up was Crutchlow, who wasn’t far off the podium in Austria last season, but the Brit first rewound to Czechia.
“We know that starting at the front of the grid is always a lot easier. It was difficult to make up more places at Turn 1 because of the wet patches. I never had the balls of Jack or Marc in the qualifying on Saturday, I did put the slicks in but I couldn’t go any faster, I kept finding myself on the water. I need to qualify better, it’s as simple as that. The front two rows, I probably could have got a good start and been there at the start of the race. But as Valentino said in the last three or four years in Brno we’ve been battling together, I had to try and come across the gap, I never made it and I finished fifth its as simple as that. Hopefully we can have a better result this weekend and try for the rest of the year.”
And the test? Crutchlow explained his thoughts on that and his recent feeling with the 2019 Honda.
“First of all I think Honda are doing a good job. They’re bringing stuff for all the riders to try, I think me and Marc seem to be on a similar programme and Stefan maybe riding something else as well which is good because you get the information from all the riders. But in Brno I did try that chassis, I don’t know whether I will use it this weekend or not I’m not too sure, I don’t know of the feeling was good enough to use it or not. Over the last few races I felt better with our own bike, the standard bike we have this year, I see no reason why we can’t continue working with that bike. Even if we don’t feel fantastic with it, it seems I have not too bad pace with it at certain points. As I said I finished fourth last year so there’s no reason why we cant have a good weekend and get to the front.”
Finally, it was time for the hometown hero – after a fashion. Pol Espargaro has been a consistent scorer (a perfect record so far this season) for KTM and shown some impressive pace, and now, of course, it’s time to do that on the factory’s home turf.
“It’s been a great year. From the beginning we aren’t achieving the results of these guys alongside me but we tried to focus on being fast but also consistent. It’s the only way at the moment to be in a good position in the championship. There’s a lot of good riders and good bikes. I’ve been quite consistent, trying to do good sessions and then trying to be consistent in the race. Good starts, our bike is super-fast off the start so it allows us to do good first laps, and then set us up in a good position in the beginning to then fight against the guys trying to overtake me later in the race. Looking forward to this weekend. I’m looking for a little bit more. I couldn’t race here last year so I’m looking forward to it.
“To race here is special. Everyone sees the track and the atmosphere, it’s an incredible circuit. KTM’s base isn’t far from here. I know that all the stands will be full of orange, cheering for us. So, after watching it on TV last year and meeting a lot of people from the factory and to have in the stands people that work on my bike, it will be super nice, so I’m looking forward to it.
Fully fit this season as opposed to the heartbreak of sitting on the sidelines in 2018, he repeated the positivity of how the program is going for KTM, who’ve made huge leaps forward since their debut.
“We’re looking to have good races in normal conditions where everyone finishes. Where we can be fighting with top guys at the end of the race, which is difficult as the bikes are at very good level. We need to remember sometimes it’s just our second year and a half with a brand new bike. Already what we’re doing is pretty interesting. For sure I’m the first to want to fight for podiums and the championship but at the moment it isn’t possible, so we will continue working like we are because I don’t think we’re doing too bad.”
A podium and a front row have now been ticked off for the Austrian factory, but it’s the gap to the front they largely focus on…which makes even better reading. How will they fare this weekend on home turf? Find out on Sunday 11th August.
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Lewis Hamilton wins 7th Hungarian GP pipping Max Verstappen in a thrilling strategic battle
Hamilton wins in Hungary for the 7th time after beating Max Verstappen in a strategic battle on Sunday. An FIA image Budapest, 4 August 2019: Lewis Hamilton took his seventh Hungarian Grand Prix victory at the Hungaroring, in the 12th round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship here on Sunday. He edged out the Red Bull star Max Verstappen in a nail-biting strategic battle that saw the Mercedes driver make up a 19-second gap to the Dutchman and claim the lead four laps from home after gambling on a second pit stop.
Starting from pole, Verstappen led for 59 of the 70 laps, only ceding top spot to Hamilton during the first round of pit stops. However, on lap 48, Mercedes opted to pit Hamilton for a second time and fitted his Mercedes with new medium compound tyres.
Verstappen though stayed on track, on the hard tyres fitted during his sole stop on lap 25. Hamilton rejoined 19s behind the Red Bull but as Verstappen’s tyres faded Hamilton closed. And on lap 67 Hamilton powered past the Red Bull driver to claim his 81stcareer win.
At the start, Verstappen held his pole position advantage, getting away well to brush off pressure from both Mercedes drivers on the long run to Turn 1. Second-on-the grid Valtteri Bottas, though, had the poorest getaway of the three and in Turn 3 Hamilton muscled past his team-mate to claim P2.
As Bottas struggled to recover he was passed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with brief contact being made, and then, at the start of lap two, by the second Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.
Having suffered front wing damage in his battle with Leclerc, Bottas pitted for a new wing and hard tyres, a move that dropped him to the back of the field.
Verstappen began to build a slender lead over Hamilton and by lap 10 the Dutchman had 2.3s in hand over the Briton. By lap 13, the top four of Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc and Vettel were well clear of the chasing pack, with fifth placed Sainz 18 seconds behind Vettel and holding up a train that included team-mate Lando Norris in P6, Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen and the second Red Bull of Pierre Gasly.
Verstappen made his first pit stop on lap 25 and with hard tyres onboard for the final stint, he rejoined in P2 behind Hamilton, and with the Briton reporting that his tyres were in good shape, Mercedes elected to leave the championship leader on track.
When Hamilton eventually pitted on lap 31, a four-second stop by Mercedes saw the Briton emerge over six seconds behind Verstappen, who once more took the lead.
The gap wouldn’t last, however. Armed with fresh hard tyres, Hamilton reduced the gap and on lap 39 Hamilton attacked. He went around the outside of the Dutchman into Turn 1 and though Verstappen defended well the Mercedes driver was able to pull alongside on the run to Turn 2. Verstappen held his line though and as they entered Turn 4, Hamilton was forced wide into the run-off area. He retreated to regroup and to plot another assault.
Behind them Leclerc still held third place ahead of Vettel, who made a late stop on lap 39 for soft tyres. Sainz was now fifth, while Gasly had jumped Räikkönen and Norris (who had a pit stop issue) and was back up to his starting position of sixth.
On lap 48 Mercedes gambled and Hamilton pitted for a set of medium tyres. The move left him 19s behind Verstappen and the race now came down to whether the Mercedes could close the gap over remaining laps.
With five laps to go Verstappen’s hard tyres were finished and as the pair crossed the line Hamilton edged into DRS range. It was only a matter of time and under DRS at the start of lap 67 the Mercedes driver powered past the Red Bull to claim the lead.
Verstappen immediately pitted for soft tyres and soon after posted the fastest lap of the race and he crossed the line in P2 17.7s behind Hamilton and almost 44s ahead of Vettel.
Fourth place went to the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, while Carlos Sainz took a well-worked fifth place for McLaren. Pierre having recovered from his start, settled into sixth in his final stint and earned a solid eight points for the Team. Räikkönen was seventh for Alfa Romeo ahead of Bottas and the final two points places were taken by Lando Norris in the second McLaren and Toro Rosso’s Alex Albon.
2019 FIA Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes –
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 17.796
3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:01.433
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:05.250
5 Carlos Sainz McLaren 1 lap
6 Pierre Gasly Red Bull Racing 1 lap
7 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo Racing 1 lap
8 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1 lap
9 Lando Norris McLaren 1 lap
10 Alex Albon Toro Rosso 1 lap
11 Sergio Perez Racing Point 1 lap
12 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1 lap
13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1 lap
14 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1 lap
15 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 2 laps
16 George Russell Williams 2 laps
17 Lance Stroll Racing Point 2 laps
18 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing 2 laps
19 Robert Kubica Williams 3 laps
France Romain Grosjean Haas.
