Category: MOTOR SPORTS

The 2022 F1 British Grand Prix- Not too bad, no? The Championship Battle possibly becoming a 3 team affair

Round 10 of the 2022 F1 season had it all- enthralling racing, spectacular crashes (thank goodness for modern motorsport safety measures), first wins, championship points dropped, teammates crashing into each other (the Alpha Tauri debrief not a fun place to be I’d imagine), brilliant strategies, some really REALLY not-so-brilliant strategy (gee I wonder who this refers too *trots away*), and it has set things up perfectly for the second half of the season.

First off, I just want to say thank you to the marshals and safety crew. The lap 1 crash was horrific. And knowing that Zhou and Albon are safe and doing well is the best news of the weekend. Special mention to Mercedes’ George Russell too who immediately went over to check on Zhou after the big crash. One of those days where it really hits you how dangerous this sport is and reminds you why safety is always the number one priority.

Going into the race at Silverstone, Red Bull and defending champion Max had won the last 6 races. Their longest win streak since Vettel was on top of the world in a Red Bull. It was a strange weekend for Max’s side of the garage, and Red Bull in general. He looked to have tremendous pace and all set to take pole position, but a brief Leclerc spin brought a yellow flag and it was Ferrari man Carlos Sainz who took his first pole position instead. Cut to race day and Max had a blistering start from P2 and took the lead going into the first corner. In the safety car restart, he again showed great pace and hunted down Sainz to retake the lead. But some debris on track had cut through the floor of his car and his pace dropped off a cliff. And on lap 12, Sainz and Leclerc both overtook Max’s clearly damaged Red Bull, and Max would go on to finish the race in P7 after a thrilling battle to hold off Haas driver Mick Schumacher, who took home his first points as a Formula 1 driver!

Adding to Max’s car issues, in the safety car restart, Checo and Leclerc had a brief collision that damaged both their front wings and as a result Red Bull had Checo Perez come into the pits really early in order to replace the nose and front wing. He dropped to P16 from P4 and had it all to do. At the moment, everything going Ferrari’s way. But this is Ferrari so of course things are just not allowed to go smoothly. It’s in our DNA to look at a straightforward situation and go “hmmm this could do with some drama” (it is painful being Tifosi, trust me…). Carlos and Charles were leading the race 1-2 and going well. But everybody could see that Leclerc was clearly the faster of the two, and Lewis Hamilton was fast catching up to these two out front. Leclerc was clearly frustrated and was losing a LOT of race time. Ferrari brought in Carlos on lap 20 and put him on fresh hards. Leclerc had free air and did his best, despite the damaged front wing, to push the pace. Problem was, Lewis and the Silver Arrows were really getting their act together. It was Hammer Time and Hamilton was getting ever so closer lap after lap. Leclerc came in on lap 25 and Lewis was still out on track at a blistering pace on his worn mediums. These were the first time he’d led a race in 2022.

Chasing Lewis out front and with Leclerc increasingly frustrated at being behind Sainz despite having more pace, Ferrari gave Carlos a target time to hit but he couldn’t get there and team orders came into action and the cars were asked to swap positions. On lap 33 Mercedes brought Lewis in to pit for hards and he came out behind both Ferraris. By this time, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez had been ON it and was carrying out a quite incredible recovery drive in P6, effective P4 because Norris and Alonso ahead of him would pit again for softs.

It all looked good for Leclerc out front, but Carlos was in touching distance and both Hamilton and Perez were catching up. Lap 38. 38 of 52. Safety car *dramatic music plays*. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon had some sort of mechanical failure and had to pull aside the old pit straight. Ferrari had plenty of time to make a decision (something that just about everyone BUT Ferrari seem to agree with) to pit both their cars. Instead, they chose to keep out their championship contender Leclerc on used hards and bring in Carlos on fresh softs. Pretty much the entire grid (Kevin Magnusson and Charles Leclerc the only exceptions) made the call to go onto fresh softs for the final 10 or so laps. Softer, fresher tyres = faster pace (Scuderia Ferrari, hire me).

The safety car came in and the race got underway on lap 43. Just before the restart, Ferrari asked Carlos to help Leclerc out and create a gap that would allow Charles more room to get his tyres warm and more space up ahead. Carlos instead chose to attack Leclerc (both drivers were free to race) because he felt that he was under threat from the cars behind. And Carlos went on to take the lead immediately after the restart and would hold on to it to take his first ever F1 win! On his 150th Grand Prix start! An amazing moment for him and the team. But while Sainz flew out front, there was some brilliant racing going on behind him. Perez, Hamilton, and Leclerc all battling, wheel to wheel action, hard racing in what was some of the most incredible racing I have ever seen, all the way to the very end. In the end Perez had the pace for P2, Hamilton and Leclerc had a wonderful battle with the Brit taking P3 for Mercedes, and Leclerc brought his Ferrari across the line at P4. Alonso and Norris breathing down his neck in P5 and P6.

Mixed day for Red Bull and Ferrari. A very promising one for Mercedes. And I really think that we’ve got a 3 team battle to the end now. The next race is in Austria, at the Red Bull Ring, the home GP for Red Bull (who’d have guessed. Not like it’s called the “Red Bull Ring” or anything). Will the prancing, not in complete rhythm but still prancing, horses pull one over the Bulls up in the Styrian Alps? Will the Silver Arrows continue to push forward and shoot ahead? Or will Max and Red Bull assert home dominance to get back to winning ways? I CANNOT wait for next weekend.

Aprilia and Aleix Espargaro are finally MotoGP Grand Prix WINNERS!

In Aprilia’s 6th season in the premier class- MotoGP, they have finally achieved their dream of being race winners. The RS-GP is a grand prix winning motorbike! And the rider to put the bike, and himself, on the top step of the podium- Aleix Espargaro. On his 200th race start he delivers the perfect performance and result to claim his first win in MotoGP. Aleix was with Aprilia for their 6 year project and has seen the ups and downs. The Aprilia project looked so poor that a couple old seasons ago Aleix even contemplated retiring altogether. But he stuck with the team, and they kept chipping away and putting the work in- and it has paid off big time. This did not feel like a fluke victory. Aleix topped all but one session on Saturday and the warm-ups on Sunday. He qualified on pole. He clocked the fastest lap time en route to his and the teams first ever win. There were genuine signs of Aleix having the pace and the Aprilia having the performance good enough to compete for the win.

Aleix did not have the best of starts off the line, and Martin and his Ducati lead the race going into turn 1, with Aleix and his younger brother Pol, on his Honda, almost coming together even before getting past the first corner. The two riders in the front, Martin and Aleix, managed to pull away from the chasing pack and consistently maintained a 2 second gap. The Aprilia and the Ducati out front kept trading places. The Ducati power getting Martin out front on the straights, the better handling of the Aprilia (along with some slipstream help) meant that Aleix was right behind the rear tire of the Ducati. Aleix had the better race pace, and on lap 20 of 25, he made the move stick and carried the lead all the way to the chequered flag. Jorge Martin came home in 2nd place and will gladly take the 20 points after 2 DNFs in the first two races of the season.

The race long scuffle between the two out front also meant that Alex Rins on his Suzuki was able to cut the gap to the front to less than a second. His teammate Joan Mir finishing just behind in P4. The Suzukis once again displaying their improved power this season, but they need to do better in qualifying, so that they can make the advantage count come race day. Still, promising signs for Suzuki and if they string a full weekend of top performance, they will really take the fight to the rest of the grid.

Elsewhere, it wasn’t the best of Sundays for Ducati, Yamaha, or Honda. Martin was the only bright spot for Ducati. Pecco Bagnaia also did well to finish 5th after starting 14th. But Ducati will be hoping that they and Pecco- last season’s runner-up, will be doing more than recovery jobs. They will hope that this P5 is something to build on. Jack Miller and Enea Bastianini having poor weekends on their Ducatis, and Zarco crashing out. Same story with Honda- Marc ruled out of this grand prix due to illness and Pol crashing out. The Yamahas had a weekend to forget too with Morbidelli having to retire due to a rear tire issue (an issue on both the Yamaha bikes, and not one that the riders or team saw coming when prepping for this season). Current champion Quartararo finished a disappointing P8 and was visibly frustrated after the race. This is a big season for him as his contract with Yamaha expires at the end of the season. He has been vocal about his frustrations with the team and the seemingly lack of progress and will not have a shortage of offers should he choose to leave.

But all of this chaos means one thing- this season is continuing to deliver with top quality racing and unpredictability. 3 races in and we have had 9 riders on the podium. And the last 5 races have been won by European manufacturers. Something that seemed so unlikely with Yamahas and Hondas dominance over the years. This is a welcome change though. New riders on top, MORE riders competing for places, more teams fighting for wins. This is shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons we have ever seen in MotoGP. Bring on Austin, USA in a week’s time!

2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix- The perfect second round to follow up the season opener in Bahrain

Round 1 of the 2022 Formula 1 season gave us a lot to talk about, and simultaneously left us with a fair few questions to be answered. But, considering the new regulations, more unknowns than known variables was expected. Testing was always going to be something that we used as an opportunity to look at the cars out on track. No real significant conclusions to be drawn from there. Reliability is arguably the most important thing you look for in there. You can’t finish first if you can’t finish the race. Testing lap times don’t really matter either because nobody really pushes hard and goes all in. Despite that, the fact that McLaren looked pretty solid in Barcelona, to then turning up for the race at Bahrain and finishing 14th and 15th (this is after 3 other drivers DNF) is a concern. It’s not just that they finished terribly low down the order. It’s that they genuinely looked like the car with the slowest race pace. And that is surprising to say the least. McLaren have been on a steady upward climb for the past few years. To be this far off? Definitely things to work on.

And yes, I know that this is just the first round in a 23 race season. Overreaction and over analysis is not the right thing to do. But I need to put out content, so let’s go ahead and overreact & over analyse just a little bit more. FERRARI ARE BACK! Bahrain was painted scarlet red last weekend as the Scuderia Ferrari team got their first win in 46 races, which was also a 1-2! The last one was in Singapore, with Vettel taking the win and Leclerc taking P2. Ferrari have been quietly confident with their car this season. Team principal Mattia Binotto has been calm and cool and quietly confident- very un-Ferrari like. The team as a whole feels a lot calmer. Even during and after the race, Leclerc looked and sounded like a more seasoned campaigner. They know that they have a solid package in this F1-75 car of theirs, but Red Bull still look like the car to beat.

Speaking of Red Bull. They had a mixed weekend. Topping the time charts during free practice. Looked all set to take pole position with Max when Charles and Ferrari had something to say about that. But despite that, they looked like they have a very good, fast, competitive car on their hands. Even during the race when Max reported a steering issue, he was still quick enough to build a gap to Sainz in P3. That Red Bull still looks like the car to beat, for me. And yes, 3 of the 4 cars with a Red Bull Powertrain DNF. And people love to jump on that and question the reliability of the cars. But that’s not how it works. 1. We still do not know the exact issues on the cars. 2. All of them had different problems. Max had a steering issue, and a loss of power that just shut down his car. Checo had the loss of power issue too. Gasly and Alpha Tauri though had an MGUK issue and not the same problems as the Red Bull cars. They just have to put this down to a bad weekend (0 points hurts) and focus on Jeddah in a couple of days time.

The other team who I think will be in the title fight- Mercedes. Right now, they are clearly the third fastest team on the grid. Comfortably ahead of the rest but still a way off from Red Bull and Ferrari. But that’s where having someone like a Lewis Hamilton comes in. Mercedes got more points than even they would’ve expected, with Lewis finishing on the podium after the two Red Bulls DNF. But you need a driver as driven and focused as Lewis in order to always stay ready and pounce on an opportunity. The car clearly is not the easiest to drive. Porpoising, hard to handle, the straight line speed. Some things need fixing. But Merc know what they have to do, and I’m sure that in 4-6 races, they will be right up there, and could potentially even pip Ferrari as the main competitor to Red Bull. It’s hard to write off a 7 time drivers’ champion and an 8 time constructors’ champion- the last 8 years at that. I’m sure they’ll get their act together. I don’t expect a massive performance jump in the next race, or even in the one after that. But I am certain that this will be a three horse race between Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari.

Jeddah should be fun. The fastest street circuit in the calendar. 79% of the track is driven at full throttle. The most corners of any track in the calendar with 27 of them. Under the lights. It is a nice change from Bahrain and offers such a different set of challenges. Will McLaren, Aston Martin, and Williams still struggle? Will Haas and Alfa Romeo prove that they are genuinely here to fight for the “best of the rest” midfield battle against the likes of Alpine? Will Red Bull have sorted out their “reliability” issues (or whatever little fixes they need to look at). And will the Ferrari, who are so good at slow speed corners, show that they are good enough and fast enough for a rapid street circuit, and put another marker down for being a genuine title contender? We shall see! I think we’re in store for a very exciting Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!

A Beauty from the Beast at the Qatar GP

Qatar GP 2022- Round One of the 2022 MotoGP season got underway with Enea “The Beast” Bastianini getting an emotional win for Gresini Racing. Bastianini and the entire Gresini Racing team were visibly emotional as they saw their rider take the chequered flag in the season opener under the lights in Doha, at the Lusail International Circuit. The team dedicating this win to their former team boss- Fausti Gresini, who passed away last year after contracting COVID-19. This was one of those moments where the entire paddock was happy to cheer on Bastianini and Gresini as the riders made their way back to Parc Ferme.

Bastianini started 2nd on the grid, behind pole setter Jorge Martin on the Pramac Ducati, and ahead of Marc Marquez on the Honda, completing the first row. Bastianini overtook Pol Espargaro and his Honda with 4 laps to go, after the Spaniard led the race up to that point. He was eventually 3rd and took the final podium spot as KTM rider Brad Binder overtook him in the closing stages of the race, as Pol was pushing to stay with the lead Ducati. With his 2nd place finish, Binder ensured that this was KTM’s highest ever finish in Qatar. They couldn’t break into the top 6 before this.

Jorge Martin had a race to forget. The Pramac man could not capitalize on pole and was swallowed up by the pack behind him. And to top it all, Pecco Bagnaia on his Ducati lost control and crashed into Jorge Martin on lap 12 and took both of them out. A disappointing weekend for Ducati’s factory outfit as Jack Miller retired the race on lap 6 after facing a technical issue. Fellow Aussie and debutant Remy Gardner on the KTM got his first point as a MotoGP rider, crossing the finish line in 15th.

Elsewhere, the Suzukis of Rins and Mir had a disappointing outing. They showed a lot of promise on Saturday but just couldn’t convert that into a result on Sunday, with Mir and Rins finishing 6th and 7th respectively. The Suzuki did this a lot last year too- a lackluster showing on Saturday that was followed by tremendous race pace and race craft on Sunday. They will need to look at both this time round if they want to get their hands on the championships this year. There were a few positives for Suzuki- the bike still looks like the most balanced, the GSX is a race pace bike and we saw that in spurts, and finally we got to see the increase in power of that Suzuki engine when down the start-finish straight, we in fact did NOT see the Ducati breeze past it, like we would have seen a year ago.

Defending champion and last year’s race winner, Yamaha rider, Quartararo didn’t kick off his title defense the way he would have wanted to. He started in 11th and on the final lap, down the start-finish straight was pipped to 8th place by Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco- that Ducati showing that it is still an absolute missile in straight line speeds. The Yamaha looked surprisingly average. Quartararo even said post-race that he pushed as hard as he could. They need to get back to the factory and work on the M1 before the next round in Indonesia. They will be desperate to get back on track sooner rather than later, especially considering how many riders this season are gunning for the driver’s championship. Even Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia looked rapid as he brought the bike home in 4th place, just behind younger brother Pol. A couple more laps and I reckon the Aprilia would’ve taken the final podium spot.

Qatar isn’t always the best indicator as to where teams stand compared to each other. It’s a hard track to read too much into. But you can still certainly see how teams “look” on the track. Body language, strategy, rider mindset, etc. And the fact that we had 8 teams finish in the top 10 is a wonderful sign for the fans. Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, Ducati, and Gresini will all be bullish over their title hopes this season. Looks like we’re in for another season long dog fight with endless storylines to unfold over the next 20 races. BRB, ‘bout to grab some popcorn.

The British GP- The perfect summary of the McLaren vs Ferrari battle

The battle for third place in the Constructor’s Championship is well and truly on! I must admit, up until the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, I still wasn’t a 100% sure that this battle would last the season. We’ve seen it far too often, where just as you think a battle’s heating up, taking shape…. It just fades away. But this time it feels different. This isn’t a clinic being put on by two manufacturers as they go head-to-head. You’ll need to look at Red Bull vs Mercedes for that one. But the fact that it isn’t an all-out battle between two extremely sound or “perfect” teams, drivers, and cars is what makes this battle so intriguing. It’s the faults and inconsistencies and unpredictability of the way the cars and drivers perform, that makes this such a mouth-watering battle. Inconsistencies within the team, and between the drivers even! One week you have the Ferraris matching the top 3-4 cars for race pace. The other, they struggle to get into Q3 and get both cars into the points. One week the McLarens look like baby Mercs, much like Racing Point (now Aston Martin) did last season. And the next they seem to be pegged back by the Ferraris, and the occasional burst of performance courtesy of Pierre Gasly and the Alpha Tauri.

The battle to win the title, between Mercedes and Red Bull is like a boxing match. Sure, there are flash points and moments where form and style aren’t at their peak (…. yeah… Copse at Silverstone would attest to that… racing incident imo. Just putting it out there). But, for the large part it is a very flowing and hard-fought battle that looks elegant. The battle for third between McLaren and Ferrari? Yeah, that would be more UFC than boxing. Sure, these teams are also very well versed in technique and form and style. But  the second their opponent hits the canvas, all that elegance goes out the window and it just is a brawl to see the most resilient (or reliable in F1 terms) one weather the storm and stand up.

So yes, it would be better for Ferrari if they were consistent and finished the race more or less where they expected to, unlike the current situation where they either perform a lot better than they thought they would (Monaco, Baku, Silverstone) or where they perform a lot worse than they would have expected to (just about every other tack). But that would be boring! For us it would! We don’t want boring, standard consistency, do we? Nahhhh! GIVE US CHAOS! That’s what makes a midfield battle special! There’s just something not quite right about it. But that sense of “ooh, wonder what’s going to happen here then” (to be fair, this might be what Mattia Binotto and Zak Brown must be thinking too, at times) is what makes it so much fun! Same with McLaren. Lando is having a fantastic season. Brilliant pace. Super quick laps during qualifying and on race day. But there are still moments where you think “hmmm if he could’ve done xyz maybe…”. And that’s brilliant. Ricciardo has struggled to get to grips with the McLaren. But slowly but surely, you can see him improve and get more comfortable with pushing the car. As proven by his brilliant battle with former McLaren driver and current Ferrari man, Carlos Sainz. Those 20 odd laps where Sainz was pushing the Ferrari to the absolute limit in an effort to overtake Ricciardo, that was fantastic racing. Because Carlos was just on it and was pushing so hard, Daniel had to just buckle down and focus and drive the perfect race to the end. Because just one error, and I’m sure Carlos would’ve passed him. So not only are the drivers getting closer to each other, they are now getting closer to their rivals too. Silverstone just proved this. Charles in a Ferrari finishing P2 and Lando and McLaren grabbing P4. While Ricciadro and Sainz in the other McLaren and Ferrari respectively, battling it out and finishing P5 and P6. Top quality and pace displayed along with the grit and elbows-out determination. The British Grand Prix really didn’t just sum up this battle for third place, I think it also laid down a marker to say, “this is going to be rather tasty and go to the very end”. Bring it on

MotoGP-Italian Grand Prix- Quartararo masterclass in Mugello

Mugello. Arguably the most iconic and coveted podium on the MotoGP calendar. Formula 1 has the Monaco Grand Prix, MotoGP has Mugello. Personally, my favourite racetrack in the world, along with Monza and Spa-Francorchamps. The last three races here have been won by Italian giants Ducati. They’ve held a bit of a stranglehold on their home GP having won in 2019, 2018 and 2017. And going into the weekend, you would’ve thought they had a very good shot at making that 4 in a row. They have showed blistering pace, they even broke the all-time MotoGP top speed record by getting past the 360 km/hr mark (shoutout to KTM and Brad Binder who managed to match that record. That was perhaps also a sign of things to come on race day are how KTM would get on). Add to this the fact they came into this race with two wins on the bounce (both going to Australian rider Jack Miller), they would have expected a good haul of points. But the best they could manage at Mugello was 4th place with Johann Zarco. Although, by the end he was over half a second off a podium place. Thriller Miller finished the race in 6th place and Michele Pirro for Pramac crossed the line at 13th place. Pecco Bagnaia in the lead Ducati crashed out on lap 22 and a potential top step at the most iconic podium on the calendar came to nothing. Just not a good weekend for Ducati and it’s on to the next.

Yamaha and Quartararo finally took advantage of their good qualifying performances by grabbing victory. Quartararo is now building a gap in his lead for the championship. Once he took the lead, he reminded me of a former Yamaha legend who was immaculate when in the lead. Quartararo was brilliant in the lead and is showing true championship mettle and skill. Maverick Vinales (8TH position) does really need to sort himself out. If the Yamahas want to be dominant for the next few years, they need 2 riders who can push for victories and poles on a consistent basis.

In terms of team balance and motorbike balance, I think Suzuki are right up there. Two top riders who are close to each other in skill and track position. A team who competes as a duo. Just like Ducati and their riders. And from a team perspective, that helps so much. But the past four races haven’t really gone to plan. World Champion Joan Mir (3rd position) has been riding well. But teammate Alex Rins has crashed out in the last 4 races. Him and his team need to make some adjustments.

One team that will be extremely happy with their weekend will be KTM. Miguel Oliveira with second place, Brad Binder in 5th and Petrucci and Lecuona both finishing in the points with 9th and 11th place finishes respectively. The KTM certainly know that they’ve got the raw pace to match the Ducatis. They have to keep working on their bike to get the right balance. But promising signs for sure! Promising signs also for Aprilia! Aleix Espargaro with a very good 7th place finish and Lorenzo Savadori grabbing the last point on offer with a 15th place finish! And I think everyone expects this season to be one of learnings and developments for Honda. There is a clear separation and “mini leagues” forming. The Yamahas, Ducatis and Suzukis battling it out for the title. KTM and Honda have enough to have a say in the championship battle in certain moments. And Aprilia are finally seeing meaningful progress! Mugello is an iconic track. The most iconic in MotoGP. And this season it’s not only proven to be potentially season defining for Quartararo and Yamaha in terms of pulling away in the lead. But, also as a venue where teams have learned a lot about themselves and are more or less all in a position where they believe they can really push on for this season and the next.

Ferrari 2021: The horse is prancing again

Ferrari. The biggest name in Formula 1. Arguably the biggest name in all of motorsport. The sport needs Ferrari to be good. The sport needs their biggest star to shine bright. And the year 2020, that was an absolute disaster. And if that form had continued into this season, then some pretty serious conversations would need to take place in Maranello, and the higher ups at the FIA would have been worried, it’s fair to say. The progress seen this season is a very welcome sight. It is also pretty impressive considering this is the final year before the new regulations kick in. It would have been easy for Scuderia to write off this year and just put all their eggs into 2022. But they persisted in their efforts to make the 2021 car perform a lot better. To be fair, I really doubt whether it could have got much worse after the absolute shambles of a season in 2020.

But they chose to make inroads into the development of the car and have been mighty impressive to say the least! People expected McLaren to perform the way they are. Daniel Ricciardo to join Lando Norris. An already solid car now powered by a Mercedes power unit. People expected them to grab the midfield battle by the throat and just run away with it. Certainly, nobody expected Ferrari to be right up there and challenging McLaren for third place in the constructor’s championship. And it is a treat to watch, this battle. The two biggest names in the sport going at it. Sure, it isn’t for the drivers or the constructor’s championship. But to see the two heavyweights, the two rivals, go back and forth, round after round, this is brilliant. Just like the title race this season is a very mouth watering one, between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, this midfield battle between McLaren, Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari, Charles Leclerc and former McLaren driver Carloz Sainz, is just so wonderful to watch. All four drivers have no trouble getting their shoulders out when it comes to it. All four of them have that x factor. That killer instinct. And to see them go at it not only against their own teammates but also the rivals, who all get along great off the track, is thrilling.

This battle also highlights the fact that there isn’t one particular way of winning. In the simplest way, the McLarens absolute smoke the Ferraris when it comes to straight line speed (#bringback2019Ferraripls). While the Ferraris have shown really strong pace overall. Yes, they are a bit of a sitting duck down the straights, but their maneuverability and drivability has come leaps and bounds since last year and this is where they make up their time. Just like the old days. Raw speed is one thing, but it is true pace that gets you wins. And this is like the old days. Except there is young blood to lead the charge. And that is an absolutely delicious prospect. Bring on the rest of the season. This boxing match is going to the last round with both sides taking and landing hits round after round. ANDIAMO SQUADRA! ESSERE FERRARI!

Formula 1 back with a bang!

Lewis Hamilton outlasts Max and Red Bull to take the season opener

Bahrain Grand Prix

The Bahrain Grand Prix to kickstart the season. It did feel different not starting in Melbourne, but to be fair, we are all going through a period that does feel different overall, doesn’t it? This was also the first time in a while where we had fans back at the circuit! This being the first race weekend of the season, practice was what I expected. Nobody really could make definitive predictions about the teams. The only things that the majority of the fans could agree on were that Red Bull are genuine title contenders, Mercedes aren’t going to run away with it, and the midfield is going to be very, very tight.

Qualifying on Saturday was all over the place and was really exciting! Bottas struggling to control the Mercedes in Q1 and a little bit in Q2, before reaching some level of stability in Q3. Aston Martin and Sebastian Vettel would have been massively disappointed being knocked out in Q1. Partly due to the car not having great pace and (mainly) because he got caught in traffic and in TWO yellow flag situations. That compromised him quite a bit. Mr. Saturday himself, George Russel, had another fantastic outing. Outqualifying his teammate, Latifi, and getting that Williams into Q2. The achievement made even more special because this was a track where the Williams was expected to struggle. But the most impressive driver in Q1 had to be rookie Yuki Tsunoda. He was absolutely flying. And the Alpha Tauri certainly raised a few eyebrows around the paddock with the pace they showed.

Q2 was even more exciting, and the moment to end Q2 was the most exciting of the session. A FERRARI 1-2 TO END Q2! Who would’ve thought? Sure, it was on the softs, but nobody (including Ferrari) expected them to be that high up! Red Bull, Mercedes and Alpha Tauri were the only teams to run the mediums. And only Mercedes were able to get both cars into Q2. Surprisingly, both Tsunoda and Perez missed out on Q3 as the teams around them just pipped them by using softs.

Q3. It delivered. Big time. Everyone had been asking for a two team battle for the championship. And it looks like we are about to have ourselves a rather exciting one alright. Red Bull are arguably the most balanced car on the grid at the start of this season. And with Max’s raw pace and drivability, they are going to be really hard to beat. And they proved that by getting their first pole to start the season since Vettel in 2013. This is clearly their best car in the hybrid era. In the best among the rest battle, Charles Leclerc put in another blistering lap to put that Ferrari in P4! It doesn’t reflect the true pace of the car of course, but it does show improvement. Teammate Sainz had made a conscious effort to underdrive the car as a way of getting used to the pace and behaviour. He qualified P8, one place behind old teammate Norris. Alonso did well on his return by getting the Alpine into Q3. Aston Martin on the other hand will feel like they underperformed this weekend.

Race Day

Sunday! Race Day! It was one of the most eagerly anticipated races in a long, long time! It was the first time in a long time that there were so many unknowns going into race day. Starting on pole, Max and Red Bull were able to control the pace of the pack. This was until Hamilton and Mercedes decided to undercut the lead Red Bull and take the lead. Mercedes were aggressive and proactive and were able to wrestle back control of the race. Following the second pit stops for both the drivers, things got a lot tighter. Max attempted to make his move with just 3 laps to go, but Hamilton defended in true champion fashion and managed to hold off the Dutchman to take the season opener. In some ways this will feel like Max and Red Bull lost this race rather than Mercedes won it. Everything was set up for Max to take the win, but the champions Mercedes were aggressive and fought till the very end to take the top step of the podium.

Bottas finished a distant third in what was a rather uneventful race. He will be hoping to improve a lot come next race weekend. As expected, the midfield battle was very tight. Norris was brilliant on the new Mercedes powered McLaren and took 4th position. Checo started the race from the pit lane due to some technical issues on the formation lap. But his race pace was something else and he managed a respectful 5th place on his Red Bull debut. Ferrari’s Leclerc and Sainz were separated by Ricciardo’s McLaren as they finished 6th and 8th respectively. A result that Ferrari will be happy with, considering how much they’ve improved since last season. Rookie Tsunoda in the Alpha Tauri and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll rounded up the top 10 and took the final points on offer.

It was a disappointing race for the Alpine team with Ocon finishing outside the points (13th) and Alonso having to retire because of a suspected brake issue. Vettel’s poor weekend continued as he finished in 15th and will no doubt be looking to seriously bounce back soon. The rest of the teams were more or less where they expected to be (George Russell was rather brilliant with his 14th place finish and was my standout driver among those outside the points)

All in all, it was the perfect start to the season. Exciting racing all through the field. Close battle for the win. Safety car (the new Aston Martin safety car looks stunning). And we’ve seen a glimpse of the cars in race conditions. Cannot wait for Imola in the middle of April. That looks set to be another thriller!

Rins grabs victory right at the death in Silverstone, UK

Rins and Marquez played out a BAFTA worthy battle at the historic venue

The recently concluded Silverstone GP. Wow! It was like a motorsport version of the Spanish Inquisition as Alex Rins, Marc Marquez and Maverick Vinales burnt the rest of the riders in front of a vociferous crowd.

The entire race weekend was eventful. First off, fan favourite and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi narrowly missed out on pole position to rival Marquez. Marquez, meanwhile continued to show his class and dominance over the rest of the riders, just breezing past everyone in sight.

But the real action began on Sunday, noon. Perfect weather, good conditions and then some. And all of this in a country known for gloomy, rainy days! ‘Twas a good sign! The very first corner on the very first lap, and Fabio Quartararo loses grip and crashes. Andrea Dovizioso then crashes into Fabio’s sliding bike and is thrown off the Ducati in spectacular fashion.  The Silverstone race marshalls were fantastic in their response it must be said. The riders taken to safety, the fire put out and the track cleared very efficiently.

The Brits are known for their art, theatre and film. Well, Silverstone felt like one rollercoaster of a film. A huge explosive beginning, a lot of 2-3 intense rider battles during the middle and then THAT finale. Marc Marquez led the pack brilliantly, and almost got the Honda home. But it wasn’t to be. Alex Rins and his Suzuki had the last laugh. Rins overtook Marquez on the final straight and wins the British GP, beating Marquez by just 0.012 seconds!

The podium was all red as Spaniard Maverick Vinales completed the Spanish trinity, leaving the chasing pack behind by a whopping 11.439 seconds.

PORSCHE Formula E Series 1

The majestic horse struts into the fields of Formula E for the first time in 2019-20

Porsche fans! The wait is finally over! Porsche will debut in the 2019-20 Formula E season and I for one cannot wait! I must admit I am a huge Porsche fan myself and to see them compete in the Formula E is great!

This piece will be the start of a new series where I’ll cover Team Porsche during the upcoming 2019-20 season.

Let’s start of by understanding who Porsche are and what they do and why they are heading in the right direction with this move.

Porsche as a company have evolved and changed a lot, at the same time they have always stayed true to themselves. Porsche used to be the “bad boy” or the “grim reaper’s “car. Over time they have become a lot more balanced, scientific and focussed. Porsche have set the benchmark for their rivals across many categories (motorsport, luxury and supercars). This approach really took off with the launch of the 918 Spyder, a technological marvel. Just after the concept was made public, I was wishing them to compete in the Formula E. For anybody to grow, they need to change and evolve with time. Porsche are doing exactly that with their Formula E move.

Plus, it just feels so good to have a motorsport legend like Porsche involved in such an amazing event. They have a rich history and pedigree in multiple motorsport events like the Carrera Panamericana, Targa Florio, the FIA endurance championship and the 24 hrs Le Mans to name a few.

Let’s take a quick look at the team that will representing Porsche for the upcoming Formula E season.

Neel Jani- Driver: Neel Jani is a Swiss professional racing driver with a lot of experience and a history of success. He achieved his greatest success winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016 after first joining Porsche’s LMP1 programme for the 2014 season driving in the WEC, so he already has a good relationship with Porsche and the two of them clearly work well together. He also performed very well with Porsche in the FIA endurance championships. When he raced for Rebellion Racing in 2018 and 2019 24hrs Le Mans he had current Porsche Formula E co-driver, Andre Lotterer, as his co-driver too. Team chemistry seems to be one of the strengths for Team Porsche going into their maiden Formula E season.

Andre Lotterer- Driver: André Lotterer is a Belgian-German highly experienced professional racing driver. He competes with a Belgian licence, while representing Germany. He is best known for his success in endurance racing with the works Audi team, including three victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the drivers’ title of the FIA World Endurance Championship. He is a high quality driver and racing for Audi in the 24hrs Le Mans proves that. In that particular competition, he was one of Porsche’s toughest competitors and now the two have joined forces.  He has had two solid seasons in Formula E and can now work with Porsche to keep improving. His driving style is also quite complimentary to Neel’s and they will form a good base for Porsche in my opinion.

Porsche have also brought in former Formula 1 driver, Brendon Hartley as a test driver in preparation for their maiden Formula E season.

So then, they have the huge pedigree of Porsche, top class drivers in Neel and Andre and the excitement of participating in an event for the first time! This season is going to be fun, emotional and could spring a few surprises, and I’ll be here for it all with a prancing horse in my heart.

LET’S GET IT

TEAM 

MotoGP 2015 – The Perfect Trailer for 2016

The 2015 MotoGP season has just come to an explosive conclusion(cue Diwali!). Jorge Lorenzo claimed his third premier class title and fifth overall. Valentino Rossi, or ‘The Doctor’, came agonizingly close to grab that elusive tenth world title. Marc Marquez had a disappointing season, both on and off the track, while his team-mate Dani Pedrosa was the best rider towards the final few races and has set a good platform for himself for next season. This season was without a doubt one of the most exciting seasons in a LONG time. It seemed as if just the off-track antics gained more attention than the whole of last season!. The championship came right down to the final race in Valencia, Spain, and you couldn’t be sure till the final lap! The reaction from the Yamaha team principal in the garage probably summed up the season perfectly, absolute joy, pride and heart-break all rolled into one. On one hand Jorge Lorenzo had just overturned a considerable sum of points deficit to beat team-mate and rival Rossi, on the other hand Rossi had come within touching distance of being crowned world champion for an astonishing tenth time. Some would say that the fact that he could not compete with Lorenzo fair and square in the final race was due to his own fault. Towards the second half of the season he began to have frequent clashes with Marquez, which for me personally was disappointing to see considering how good their relationship had been. Slowly but surely Lorenzo was catching up and one could sense that there was a very real chance that Rossi could blow it, and he did. I am of course referring to the penultimate race of the season in Sepang where he clashed with Marquez( this time the clash was quite literal though). The crash became a huge trending topic all over the world. It was even given a name and came to be known as the ‘Sepang Clash’( wow, such a creative title, right?…). As usual both parties were accusing each other of foul play, Marquez saying that Rossi had blocked his line while Rossi had said that he did not kick out at Marquez but simply held his line, and that Marquez had leaned onto him, which caused contact and the eventual crash. It was the usual blame-game being played, but to be fair, this time the two riders were kinda true. Rossi did block Marquez’s line and the latter had tried to disrupt the Yamaha rider’s exit off the corner. But, no matter how badly Marquez had tried to get in the way of Rossi, the Yamaha rider had no right to retaliate the way he did. I’m using words like “retaliate” and “obliterate”!!, this isn’t a sport, THIS IS WAR!( For those of you who don’t get sarcasm, please don’t take the previous sentence seriously!). Race Direction had ruled out the incident as a ‘racing incident’ and Rossi was penalized. He was given a four point deficit and would be made to start from the last place of the grid in the final race of the season. The punishment of docking points was fair, but the decision to make him start from the back of the grid was maybe a bit too much. This was the final nail in the coffin( or, the lighting of the funeral pyre if you choose to cremate and not bury!).

 Come the final race of the season, the championship was Lorenzo’s to lose. He had obliterated the lap record the previous day to claim pole position. The fact that he had all the cards in his hand probably added some pressure on himself, which makes his victory even more commendable. He won the title by producing one of his best races, the skill and concentration he showed was second to none, and in the end, he deserved it just a little bit more than Rossi.

  Even though Rossi had to start from the back of the grid, he put on a stellar display and had done ridiculously well to claim a very respectable fourth. Two Yamaha riders, two brilliant racers, only one winner, but in this race both of them had driven and competed like world champions .It wouldn’t be fair to say that Rossi did not deserve to win the title and he gave it his all. Rossi was experiencing a case of ‘what if’s’. He missed out on the title by just 5 points. I’d say that the ‘Doctor’ got a taste of his own medicine (am I right? am I right? Yeah, you’re laughing!).

 But he has sent a message to his fellow sportsmen that he is far from done. Even at 36 he pushed Lorenzo (arguably the best in the world in the last five years or so) to the absolute limit. Throughout Rossi’s career there have been many who have tried, and failed, to ‘dethrone’ him. Just look at Max Biaggi for example. Once you got on the list of people who get on the bad side of Rossi there was no getting off. But maybe, just maybe, Marquez can challenge him. He’s got youth and flair (or, ‘swag’ as it’s now known!) on his side. Rossi is not one to give in though, he will keep chipping away at his competition. And if the recently concluded season is anything to go by, then one thing is for sure, next year Rossi will be more aggressive than ever. And when that happens, you know you’re in for a thrilling season. The 2016 season could be one of the most competitive seasons of all time, as always the Yamahas and the Hondas will be vying for the title, but I get a feeling that Ducati could really up their game and pose as genuine contenders, and the satellite teams could cause a few difficulties too.

All in all, the final third of the 2015 season could be a trailer for the eagerly anticipated blockbuster 2016 season. Can Lorenzo defend his crown, can the young prodigious Marquez, along with Honda team-mate Pedrosa, mount a serious charge at the title, can the ‘people’s champ’ and the veteran Rossi show who’s boss, or will the next generation, Ducati, take down the ‘traditional’ powerhouses?

It will start all over again in Qatar on the opening night when these gladiators will face off again for the ultimate prize.

MotoGP 2016- Come along for the ‘RIDE’

(Fine, I’ll stop with the puns)