ThePitcrewOnline

Blog

  • Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 Ogier Retains Lead After Day Two

    Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 Ogier Retains Lead After Day Two

    The second day of Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 has come to a close. Sebastien Ogier retained the event lead after the day.

    SS5, Tempio Pausania 1

    Ott Tänak kicked off the day with his second stage win of the weekend. As the Estonian set a time 3.3 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 4.6 seconds slower than Tänak and 1.3 seconds slower than Neuville. WRC2 driver Yohan Rossel was fourth fastest on the stage, 5.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.4 seconds slower than Rossel. Ott Tänak took over the event lead on the stage. Tänak took a 0.1-second lead over Ogier into SS6. Ogier suffered a puncture on the stage.

    SS6, Tula-Erula 1

    Sebastien Ogier took home the stage win on the sixth stage of Rally Italia Sardegna 2024. With a time 2.3 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 3.2 seconds slower than Ogier and 0.9 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 18.1 seconds slower than Neuville. WRC2 driver Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Katsuta. Sebastien Ogier was able to reacquire the event lead on SS6. With Ogier now holding a 2.2-second lead over Tänak. No drivers had any reported issues on the stage.

    SS7, Tempio Pausania 2

    Thierry Neuville took his first stage win on the day on SS7. Setting a time 0.1 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to win his second stage of the weekend. Sebastien Ogier was third fastest on the stage, 4.5 seconds slower than Neuville and 4.4 seconds slower than Tänak, making Tänak the new rally leader. Elfyn Evans finished fourth fastest on the stage, 4.5 seconds slower than Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Evans.

    SS8, Tula-Erula 2

    Ott Tänak took home the stage win on the final stage of the morning loop. As the Estonian posted a time 1.3 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to expand his event lead to 3.5 seconds over Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 8 seconds slower than Tänak and 6.7 seconds slower than Ogier. Dani Sordo had the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than Katsuta. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the eighth stage of Rally Italia Sardegna 2024, finishing 4.8 seconds slower than Sordo. Reigning event winner Thierry Neuville crashed out on the stage. Forcing him to retire from the day.

    SS9, Monte Lerno 1

    Sebastien Ogier kicked off the afternoon loop with his second stage win of the day. Finishing with a time 6.8 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to take back the event lead. Ogier now leads by 3.3 seconds over Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux set the third fastest time on the stage, 11.5 seconds slower than Ogier and 4.7 seconds slower than Tänak. Dani Sordo was fourth fastest on the stage, 9.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.5 seconds slower than Sordo. Takamoto Katsuta was forced to retire early into the stage with what’s believed to be a transmission issue.

    SS10, Coiluna-Loelle 1

    Sebastien Ogier also took home the stage win on the tenth stage of Rally Italia Sardegna 2024. As Ogier set a time 6.4 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to extend the event lead to 9.7 seconds. Adrien Fourmaux was once again third fastest on the stage, finishing 7.4 seconds slower than Ogier and 1 second slower than Tänak. Elfyn Evans finished fourth fastest on the stage, 1.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Dani Sordo rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.9 seconds slower than Evans. No drivers reported any issues on the stage.

    SS11, Monte Lerno 2

    Sebastien Ogier also took home the stage win on the eleventh stage of Rally Italian Sardegna 2024. With a time 6.5 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to further extend the event lead to 16.2 seconds. Dani Sordo finished third fastest on the stage, 7.7 seconds slower than Ogier and 1.2 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 6.2 seconds slower than Sordo. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Fourmaux. No drivers reported any issues on the stage.

    SS12, Coiluna-Loelle 2

    Elfyn Evans took his first stage win of Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 on the final stage of day two. As the Welshmen set a time 0.4 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier. Ott Tänak was third fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Evans and 0.9 seconds slower than Ogier. Dani Sordo finished fourth fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Sordo.

    What To Expect From Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 Day Three

    The third and final day of Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 will see drivers contest 39.30 km across four stages. Thierry Neuville will be first on the road, followed by Takamoto Katsuta and Adrien Fourmaux. Neuville will likely look to make a huge push on Super Sunday due to his retirement today. If he doesn’t he’s at risk of losing the championship lead for the first time this season.

    Driver Quotes

    Toyota Gazoo Racing

    Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal

    “To be leading at the end of another Saturday definitely gives us a great feeling. Seb has been driving superbly once again. Even with no spare tyres left, he was able to keep up his speed this morning and then attack in the afternoon. Taka was driving well and keeping Dani Sordo behind, so it was a pity that he had to stop with the transmission-related issue, but the last stage of the morning was very rough and it seems something had broken as a consequence. Elfyn hasn’t had the best feeling in this rally but he’s been driving consistently and, with Thierry making a mistake, he has moved into a better position and if everything goes well tomorrow, this can help him in the championship. It’s a relatively short final day tomorrow but I’m sure everybody will be pushing hard and we can expect more tense competition.”

    Sebastien Ogier – 1st Overall

    “It’s been an incredible day overall. Very rough and very tough. The morning stages were not so fun to drive with some of the roughest conditions we’ve ever seen. That was really about surviving and I’m glad we were able to do that, especially after we lost one tyre after the first stage of the day. The afternoon was completely different: it was much more enjoyable to drive. The pleasure was back so I really enjoyed it and I managed to create a gap, so tonight it’s very positive. Tomorrow we still expect some rough conditions, but we will still need to have some speed and just carry on with the same approach.”

    Elfyn Evans – 4th Overall

    “It’s been a long and tough day out there. I think our speed has been better in certain stages than in others. When there’s a bit more room and the surface is sandier, it suits us better. When it’s tight and twisty we’re still struggling a bit. The good thing is that we got the car to the end of the day when others weren’t able to do so and that’s helped us move up the leaderboard. Of course, we still have tomorrow to get through to secure those points, and hopefully, we can push to take a few more.”

    Takamoto Katsuta – 40th Overall [SR]

    “Everything was going quite well this morning. It was a very rough loop – the last stage especially was very extreme and tough for the cars. We managed to get up to third overall so we were in a good position. But I started to hear a noise in the last stage of the morning and we found that we had an issue with the transmission. With a normal service, we could have fixed it, but with just the tyre-fitting zone we could not do so much. We tried, but it got worse on the first stage of the afternoon and we had to stop. It’s tough, but this is rallying and we just need to look forward.”

    Hyundai Shell Mobis

    Cyril Abiteboul – Team Principal

    “Definitely a day of mixed feelings.  We have had some great moments in very good position, including Ott in the lead, but also some disappointments when Thierry made a mistake and went off, meaning he could not complete the day. It is unfortunate as he was looking to build his advantage, but he will be back on Sunday with renewed focus. Ott kept the fight alive against Ogier but eventually elected to take a cautious approach, especially as he still occasionally lacks confidence in certain conditions with the car. Today was one of those days, but tomorrow he will be back on a massive attack. Dani did a great job keeping Evans behind, which is a crucial contribution to the team’s objective and our final result in a very contested championship season.”

    Ott Tänak – 2nd Overall

    “Generally, I was expecting a very tough first half of the day, which it was, and it was a big job to keep the pace on these roads – it took a lot of energy. I was hoping for a better afternoon on stages that I really enjoy, but I couldn’t make it work. I couldn’t find a good rhythm in the car and when you don’t have full confidence, it’s hard to keep pushing to the maximum. I also had to be safe and not take any risks. Every day has been very different and tomorrow we have two unique stages – the Power Stage on the beach cannot be compared to anything else. It is very cool if you have nothing to lose, but we can’t lose what we have achieved already.”

    Dani Sordo – 3rd Overall

    “I was performing better this afternoon when I had better grip on the surface of the roads, but it was a tough day and I did struggle. The problems of Katsuta and Thierry gave us a little bit of a boost, but in the end, I started to push and managed to build a gap of thirty seconds. Tomorrow is another really demanding day, with narrow and difficult stages, so we need to keep pushing forwards. Our goal is to keep Evans behind and finish on the podium at a minimum, and try to keep up with the guys in front.”

    Thierry Neuville – 44th Overall [SR]

    “We were in the middle of a very tricky twisty section when I momentarily lost my concentration on a corner and didn’t realise we would have a slow one right after. I was too late on the brakes and I knew immediately it was going to be tricky to get out of the situation. There were no spectators around to help push us back on, which meant that despite having no damage on the car, we were unable to continue.  Tomorrow we have a clear target: to push as hard as we can to take the full 12 points from the day. It’s the best we can do in this situation.”

  • Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 Ogier Leads After Day One

    Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 Ogier Leads After Day One

    The first day of Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier leads the event after the days four stages.

    SS1, Osilo-Tergu 1

    Sebastien Ogier picked up where he left off in Portugal. As the Frenchman took home the stage win on the weekend’s first stage. With a time 7.7 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux and Dani Sordo tied for third fastest on the stage. With both drivers finishing 14.5 seconds slower than Ogier and 6.8 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Fourmaux and Sordo. Elfyn Evans suffered a slow puncture on the stage. The Welshman managed to finish eighth fastest on the opening stage.

    SS2, Sedini-Castelsardo 1

    Ott Tänak took home the stage win on the second stage of Rally Italia Sardegna. As the Estonian posted a time 1.2 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 1.9 seconds slower than Tänak and 0.7 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.7 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Katsuta. No drivers reported any issues on the stage. Sebastien Ogier remains in the event lead after the stage only 1.8 seconds ahead of Tänak.

    SS3, Osilo-Tergu 2

    Sebastien Ogier also took home the stage win on the second running of the Osilo-Tergu stage. With a time 2.9 seconds faster than Ott Tänak this time around. Dani Sordo had his first top-three time this weekend on the stage, finishing 8.8 seconds slower than Ogier and 5.9 seconds slower than Tänak. Grégoire Munster was fourth fastest on the stage, 4.9 seconds slower than Sordo. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Munster. Adrien Fourmaux suffered a puncture on the stage. Much like Evans, he was still able to have a decent finishing time on the stage, finishing 9th, 39.4 seconds slower than Ogier. Sebastien Ogier was able to expand his lead to 4.7 seconds ahead of Tänak heading into the fays final stage.

    SS4, Sedini-Castelsardo 2

    Thierry Neuville capped off the first day of Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 with his first stage win of the weekend. As the championship leader set a time 3.7 seconds faster than Ott Tänak on the stage. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 3.9 seconds slower than Neuville and 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta was fourth fastest on the stage, 6.9 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Katsuta. Fourmaux retired in the stage due to an electrical issue.

    What To Expect From Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 Day Two

    The second day of Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 will see drivers contest 149 km across eight stages. The day will feature no midday service. Adrien Fourmaux will be first on the road followed by Grégoire Munster and Elfyn Evans. Sebastien Ogier takes a 4.5-second lead over Ott Tänak into the day. Ogier will be looking to expand on that lead to take home his third consecutive win this season and 61st career win.

    Driver And Team Quotes

    Toyota Gazoo Racing

    Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal

    “Generally I’m very happy tonight with how our rally has started. I could see already in shakedown that Seb’s confidence levels were high and he started the rally very strongly. He showed a great performance and to be leading the rally after the first day is really nice. Taka started with a careful approach but he was improving his pace all the time so it’s been generally a good start for him as well. Unfortunately, Elfyn already got damage to one of his tyres very early on and then had to be more careful in order to get through the loop. But overall I’m pleased with our performance at the start of the rally, as this hasn’t been the easiest event for us in the past, and hopefully, we can continue this progress, but tomorrow will be a long and tough day for everybody.”

    Sebastien Ogier – 1st Overall

    “We’re in the lead tonight so it’s been a positive start. It’s been tough: we expected a difficult loop with some abrasive sections that would be tough for the tyres, especially this first stage, Osilu-Tergu. It was also my first time driving this stage in that direction. Still, we went with an aggressive choice of five tyres for the afternoon and I did have to take care a little bit in some sections to manage it, but it’s nice to be in the lead. We made a positive step today that now gives us the optimum start position for tomorrow, but the gap to second place is close so it’s going to be an intense fight.”

    Elfyn Evans – 6th overall

    “It’s been a tough start for us. Picking up a puncture near the end of the first stage was not ideal, and then both times through the second stage of the loop was difficult for us. We struggled with the feeling in there and we were having to be careful with no spare tyre left to use. It was just a pity that happened so early on because that made it hard to manage the wear across the rubber we had left. It’s a long and difficult rally to go still and we’ll keep going and see what comes. We need to keep learning on this type of surface, try to find improvements and keep working towards where we want to be.”

    Takamoto Katsuta- 4th Overall

    “We are not in a bad position tonight. I’m not fully happy with myself, I was struggling a bit through most of the stages and it was a bit of a pity that I could not finish one place higher to get the better road position for tomorrow. But still, there’s a long way to go. I just need to find what I can improve in my driving to be better tomorrow and to push with a bit more confidence. With no mid-day service, there’s not much we can change on the car during tomorrow so as drivers we will need to adapt, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

    Hyundai Shell Mobis

    Cyril Abiteboul – Team Principal

    “It has been a good opening day here in Sardinia. It was our first experience of this new sprint format and it unfolded as we both expected and hoped it would. Ott had very strong pace, which has put him in a good position for a push tomorrow. He will be supported by Dani, who managed to keep Katsuta and Evans behind him today. Thierry had dealt with his road position very well, and we end the first day in pretty much the best situation possible. However, we have to stay focused on the job at hand, as tomorrow is going to be a long and unpredictable day.”

    Ott Tänak – 2nd Overall

    “We can be happy after our day, and we have a good road position for tomorrow. It would have been nice to have been one better but we can be content with what we have. It was a bit challenging in that last stage on both runs – the loss of the hybrid boost wasn’t as important on the first, as there was not much grip on the loose gravel, but the second was very grippy and it would have helped a lot. Thankfully, the strong Hyundai engine pulled us through and ensured we didn’t lose too much time. Tomorrow is going to be very demanding, particularly the first four stages; they are very slow, narrow and twisty – there’s no flow at all, but you have to push.”

    Thierry Neuville – 5th Overall

    “Today was worse than I expected if I am honest. We hoped that we could take some softs to try and minimise the disadvantage of our road position, but ultimately it was very warm and we had to go with full hard tyres on the abrasive stages. In hindsight, we should have taken one more with us to allow us to properly attack in every single corner, but I’m still happy with my day. I would love to have been third overnight rather than fifth, but we are constantly adapting and there is still an opportunity for a podium. Tomorrow we need to make sure we don’t lose too much time and score the maximum points as we push for the top three.”

    Dani Sordo – 3rd Overall

    “I’m happy to finish the day in third, especially as it wasn’t certain in those last two stages that we would have a good road position for tomorrow. We had to manage the tyres because we were really on the limit at the end, but it has been a nice day. I expected to be closer to the battle at the front, but Ogier and Ott were on a different level. Although I lost time on the first and last stage, it was important to finish today where we did, as tomorrow is going to be tough.”

  • Rally Italia Sardegna Preview 2024

    Rally Italia Sardegna Preview 2024

    We’re really getting into the mid-part of this season’s championship and the top two crews will continue to fight for the points which they hope will take them to their first drivers and co-drivers’ championship’s.

    The crews will face 266km’s over sixteen stages with the longest day being Saturday with 149km’s over eight stages. In another unusual move is that Friday’s action does not start till the afternoon with the first stage at UK time due to get underway at around half past two. Shakedown starts at just after 8am UK time on Friday as well, giving the event quite a different feel along with no service on any of the days.

    Let’s hear from the crews.

    Hyundai Motorsport

    Thierry Neuville

    “Rally Italia Sardegna is a very technical rally, so we need to have a faultless drive across the weekend. We need really accurate pacenotes and a good setup; the difference in stages between the first and second pass can be huge, so we need to be able to adapt the car to those changes as well. The heat, tyre wear and length of the days are some of the biggest challenges we face throughout the event. This paired with the little amount of sleep we get due to long road sections makes it a unique challenge. Our approach to the weekend is the same as usual: we will be pushing for the best possible result considering the conditions, car and other important factors that can influence a rally. There’s no pre-event test and shakedown is not representative at all of the remainder of the rally, so that will be the biggest obstacle for us. However, we will work to overcome this and bring home the best result possible.”

    Ott Tänak

    “I would say we had a good and solid weekend in Portugal, so we want to build on that and it’s a bit easier now that we have more pace. Sardinia has some big challenges; it can be very slippery and hard to get the necessary amount of grip. That paired with the very hot temperatures makes everything much more of a challenge. Running the same tyres over the first and second loop makes it harder to put a strong package together, so we need a lot of traction from the setup, especially when we start early on the road. It’s an event where rallying is a lot more interesting, and I always prefer that. We were very close to the win in Portugal before the puncture ruined it, so our plan is to do better this time in Sardinia.”

    2024 FIA World Rally Championship Round 5, Rally de Portugal, 9-12 Mayy 2024
    Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, Action during Day 2 of WRC Rally de Portugal 2024
    Photographer: Vincent Thuillier
    Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

    Dani Sordo

    “Sardinia is a very similar surface to Portugal, but a bit more slippery in places. Portugal gave me good preparation for the event; I completed some good gravel kilometres at the last round. This year’s event is a lot more condensed, so we need a really fast start to get us the best possible road position for Saturday onwards. It’s an event where road position is really important, so we will see what we can do to optimise that. We need a lot of precision in the car because some passes are really narrow, meaning even more grip is needed to get the car through each pass safely. The target is definitely to finish on the podium, but it would be really nice to go one step further and fight for the victory.”

     

    Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

    Elfyn Evans

    “For us, Portugal was a difficult weekend, but it’s still quite early in the season and we just have to aim for some stronger rallies ahead. Every rally is important, and we need to try and make the most of the opportunity in Sardinia. We definitely made some progress with the feeling in the car in Portugal and we’re working with the team to try and come up with some further improvements for Sardinia, even though it’s difficult with the limited testing we have. It’s quite a similar rally to Portugal in some ways and maybe trickier in others, but I’m sure we can turn things around and make it a better weekend.”

    Sébastien Ogier

    “We have been on a good run recently with our wins in Croatia and Portugal and we would of course like to try and carry on like this – so the target for Sardinia has to be to continue the sequence if we can. I think we are in a good position: we had a good test there recently, and in Portugal when the surface was sandier and more like Sardinia the car was working well, so hopefully that can be the case there as well. It’s always a difficult challenge with long stages and the need for tyre management, but it’s a rally that I learned to love and to master over my career and I hope we can have another successful trip there.”

    Takamoto Katsuta

    “My result in Portugal was not what I wanted but I had a good feeling with the car during the weekend and I hope we can take that feeling into the next rally in Sardinia. The gravel and the surface on this rally are a bit different, so there are some things that we need to adjust, but we had a good test in Sardinia recently and I know that the engineers and the whole team are working hard to be stronger there. Usually, I don’t feel as confident on this event with the more slippery surface, but our starting position should be good for Friday, and I will try to find confidence from the beginning.”

     

    M-Sport Ford WRT

    Adrien Fourmaux

    “Sardinia is one of the rallies I have the most experience; we know it’s a rough event, a bit smaller in mileage than previous years, but we know the competition will be very high. It’s going to be like a sprint rally, and we will do our best to get the best result as possible. We are now fourth in the championship, and we want to be back in the podium places.

    “Sardinia is a small island, it’s really rough and normally a really warm event. There’s a lot of rocks when you’re going through the second pass of the stages, so it’s going to be quite tough on the car, the mechanics, and the crews so its going to be an interesting rally to follow. There are some beautiful landscapes to enjoy, so let’s have some fun!”

    Grégoire Munster

    “We’re really looking forward to Rally Sardegna. We know from previous years that the weather can be tricky; we went from extreme rainy conditions to sunny and hot weather last year, so we will have to see what it is like this time. For this year, the itinerary is similar to 2022 with the rally based in Alghero, so we’re lacking a bit of experience there but we’re hoping to carry some momentum and lessons from Portugal to Sardinia. We’re looking forward to continuing our learning curve!”

     

    WRC2

    Oliver Solberg

    “Sardinia is a tough rally,” said Oliver. “We were leading [WRC2] last year when we had our suspension problem. I have to say, it’s one I don’t have so much experience of, so it’s good to go there without quite the same stress of driving for the points.

    “All around, this is a hard rally. The weather is usually hot which gives the car and Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] and I quite a big work out.

    “It’s important for us to get back out and competing again. Like you can imagine, Portugal was disappointing. It’s always so frustrating to crash, but it’s even worse when your opposition hits trouble too. We know that could have been a good score for us, but OK. That’s done. We only look forward and we look to make a good, positive story from Italy.

    “It’s always really nice to go to Italy. We did events like Monza, Sanremo, Alba before and it’s always the same – there’s so much passion for the sport in Italy. I love it!”

    William Creighton

    “Sardinia has got a lot of similarities to Rally Portugal, it’s more technical but it has got the same challenge of rough stages and trying to manage the tyres. There are things that I want to improve on after Portugal so it’s nice to be heading to a similar rally to continue building experience in WRC2 category and the Fiesta Rally2.”

    Summary

    We are set then for a really quick rally, but how much jeopardy will the lack of any service on any of the days throughout the weekend play into the round and ultimately decide the final standings.

    Elfyn and Scott will want to outscore Thierry and Martijn after the Belgian paring increased their championship lead last time out.

    Who could win this weekend then? Well, it’s hard to look past two parings with Ott and Martin and Seb and Vincent both benefitting from good road positions.

    Enjoy the rally!

  • Formula E Season 10 Rounds 11 and 12: Evans and Da Costa Turn P3 to P1 in Both Races in Shanghai

    Formula E Season 10 Rounds 11 and 12: Evans and Da Costa Turn P3 to P1 in Both Races in Shanghai

    Rounds 11 and 12 of Formula E Season 10 saw a new venue added to an old classic and a return to Formula E’s original debut: China. This time, the electric series travelled to Shanghai, it is safe to say it brought us dramatic moments and high tension!

    Round 11 Highlights

    • Jean-Eric Vergne leads the field away from pole position ahead of Oliver Rowland and Mitch Evans
    • Round 11 was a peleton style race again primarily due to the energy saving methods used by drivers
    • Championship leader Nick Cassidy went from P10 to P13 within the early stages of the race
    • There was MANY changes for the lead including Robin Frijns and Nyck De Vries
    • Porsche were playing the team game with Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix Da Costa in P1 and P3, with P2 taken by Evans
    • Rowland and Vergne made contact half way through the race which was noted by the stewards
    • Nato fell down the grid down to P16.
    • Conntact between Mortara and a Maserati lead to Mortara having to retire from the race
    • There was a yellow flag on lap 19 due to the debris and it was swiftly removed
    • Replays toward the end of the race showed that Frijns had a spin which explains his fall down the grid
    • On lap 24, that was the “go” moment for the drivers. Cassidy had more energy than the others
    • With 2 laps remaining, Cassidy was asking his team if he could attack or defend.
    • Last lap battles saw Evans defending from Wehrlein and Cassidy attacking Wehrlein all of the way to the final corner

    Round 11 Classification

    Position Driver Team Points
    1st Mitch Evans Jaguar TCS Racing 25
    2nd Jake Hughes (Pole) NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 21
    3rd Norman Nato (Fastest Lap) Andretti Formula E 16
    4th Nick Cassidy Jaguar TCS Racing 12
    5th Mitch Evans Jaguar TCS Racing 10
    6th Stoffel Vandoorne DS Penske 8
    7th Jean-Eric Vergne DS Penske 6
    8th Maximilian Guenther Maserati MSG Racing 7
    9th Robin Frijns Envision Racing 2
    10th Oliver Rowland

    Nissan Formula E Team

    		 1
    11th Jake Dennis Andretti Formula E  0
    12th Sebastian Buemi Envision Racing 0
    13th Edoardo Mortara  Mahindra Racing 0
    14th Sacha Fenestraz Nissan Formula E Team 0
    15th Nico Mueller Abt Cupra Formula E Team 0
    16th Nyck De Vries Mahindra Racing 0
    17th Jehan Daruvala Maserati MSG Racing 0
    18th Sergio Sette Camara ERT Formula E Team 0
    19th Lucas Di Grassi  Abt Cupra Formula E Team 0
    20th Pascal Wehrlein Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 0
    21st Dan Ticktum ERT Racing 0
    DNF Sam Bird NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 0
    Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 6, leads Pascal Wehrlein, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Antonio Felix da Costa, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, and the rest of the field Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

    Round 12 Highlights

    • Jake Hughes took pole ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne and got pole position by 0.001s! 
    • Once we went racing, it was 3 wide with Vandoorne making his way up to P1 with Nato up to P4 and the 2 Jaguars of Cassidy and Evans P6 and P7 respectfully
    • Similar to Round 11, no one wanted to lead and took a very conservative approach
    • Da Costa climbed the order early on
    • Cassidy was annoyed to find out that his car was different compared to Round 11 on lap 5
    • Lap 9 saw the energy of every driver at or below 70%
    • Cassidy attempted to overtake Vandoorne on lap 10 but it didn’t work out
    • Disaster struck for Pascal Wehrlein as he got a puncture for a collision with Sam Bird
    • Ticktum pitted on lap 16
    • Lap 17 saw an interesting development where Da Costa was told only the Jaguars had more energy than he did
    • Bird pitted just before lap 20 due to a collision with De Vries which resulted in the Dutchman falling out of the points and Bird ended up retiring
    • Towards the end, the DS Penskes began to battle
    • Da Costa won the Shanghai EPrix! Jake Hughes got his first Formula E podium and Norman Nato finished in P3! 

     

    Round 12 Race Classification

    Position Driver Team Points
    1st Antonio Felix Da Costa  Tag Heur Porsche Formula E Team 25
    2nd Pascal Wehrlein (Pole) Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 21
    3rd Nick Cassidy (FL) Jaguar TCS Racing 16
    4th Oliver Rowland

    Nissan Formula E Team

    		 12
    5th Jake Dennis Andretti Formula E  10
    6th Jean-Eric Vergne DS Penske 8
    7th Nyck De Vries Mahindra Racing 6
    8th Sebastian Buemi Envision Racing 7
    9th Stoffel Vandoorne DS Penske 2
    10th Lucas Di Grassi  Abt Cupra Formula E Team 1
    11th Sacha Fenestraz Nissan Formula E Team 0
    12th Robin Frijns Envision Racing 0
    13th Sergio Sette Camara ERT Formula E Team 0
    14th Norman Nato Andretti Formula E 0
    15th Nico Mueller Abt Cupra Formula E Team 0
    16th Jake Hughes Neom McLaren Formula E Team 0
    17th Sam Bird Neom McLaren Formula E Team 0
    18th Jehan Daruvala Maserati MSG Racing 0
    19th Antonio Felix Da Costa Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 0
    20th Dan Ticktum ERT Racing 0
    21st Maximilian Guenther Maserati MSG Racing 0
    DNF Edoardo Mortara  Mahindra Racing 0
    Antonio Felix da Costa, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, leads Norman Nato, Andretti Global, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

    Championship Standings After the Shanghai EPrix

     

    Position Driver Team Points
    1st Nick Cassidy Jaguar TCS Racing 25
    2nd Pascal Wehrlein Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 21
    3rd Mitch Evans Jaguar TCS Racing 16
    4th Oliver Rowland

    Nissan Formula E Team

    		 12
    5th Jake Dennis Andretti Formula E  10
    6th Jean-Eric Vergne DS Penske  8
    7th Antonio Felix Da Costa Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 6
    8th Maximilian Guenther Maserati MSG Racing 7
    9th Stoffel Vandoorne DS Penske 2
    10th Jake Hughes Neom McLaren Formula E Team 1
    11th Norman Nato Andretti Formula E 0
    12th Sam Bird Neom McLaren Formula E Team 0
    13th Sacha Fenestraz Nissan Formula E Team 0
    14th Sebastian Buemi Envision Racing 0
    15th Robin Frijns Envision Racing 0
    16th Nico Mueller Abt Cupra Formula E Team 0
    17th Dan Ticktum ERT Racing 0
    18th Sergio Sette Camara ERT Formula E Team 0
    19th Jehan Daruvala Maserati MSG Racing 0
    20th Edoardo Mortara  Mahindra Racing 0
    21st Nyck De Vries Mahindra Racing 0
    DNF Taylor Barnard Neom McLaren Formula E Team 0
    23rd Joel Erikkson Envision Racing  
    24th Lucas Di Grassi Abt Cupra Formula E Team 0
    25th Kelvin Van Der Linde Abt Cupra Formula E Team 0
    26th Jordan King Mahindra Racing 0
    27th Paul Aron Envision Racing 0

    Driver of the Weekend

    The driver of the weekend for me is Nyck De Vries. After taking the last 2 rounds off for WEC, scoring his maiden Gen3 points was critical for him. 

    Driver with the most improvement needed

    I think Sacha Fenestraz is the driver who needs the most improvement. Going into Portland, Fenestraz will need to do a lot to prove to Nissan that he should say at the team for Gen3 EVO.

  • MotoGP: Pecco Takes the Win in Catalunya

    MotoGP: Pecco Takes the Win in Catalunya

    Francesco Bagnaia wins the Catalan GP ahead of championship leader Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez. Yesterday’s birthday boy Pedro Acosta crashed out when fighting for the lead of the race.

    All riders started the race on the medium tyres on the front and rear except for Acosta, M. Marquez and Jack Miller who made the decision to run a medium front tyre and a soft rear tyre. Rear tyre degradation was a large factor in races earlier in the day so the choice for a soft rear was an unexpected one.

    Bagnaia had a great start from the front row, but Brad Binder also started well and was making moves around the outside of the track to gain some places. Alex Rins ran wide and accidentally took the long lap loop and fell to the rear of the field.

    Acosta and Bagnaia started to break away from the rest of the field but further behind them, Martin made a huge lunge to get past Binder for third place to attempt to catch up with the leaders.

    Miller ran deep at turn one on lap two and lost a spot to Raul Fernandez. Acosta kept close to the rear of Bagnaia and looked at making a move at turn ten but wasn’t able to make the move. Acosta continued to stay on the back of Bagnaia’s bike but struggled to find a way past on lap two.

    On the third lap, Acosta made the move at turn ten but ran wide so that Bagnaia was able to cut back. At the same corner, Miller crashed.

    Martin caught up the leading two riders and passed his countryman Acosta into turn 10 and on lap five, Binder also looked at making the same move on the rookie but was unable to do so. Martin made an impressive move to get past Bagnaia to lead the race.

    On lap six, Augusto Fernandez crashed at turn ten.

    Again, the front two started to break away from the rest of the field and Acosta set the fastest lap.

    Aleix Espargaro, yesterday’s sprint winner, made his way past Binder on lap 11 across the start finish straight and R. Fernandez barged his way past the South African rider at turn one too.

    After setting some fast laps, Acosta crashed out the race at turn 10. The champagne was on hold for the rookie rider as he looked to take his first win in MotoGP.

    Marquez was able to pass Binder on lap twelve at turn seven as he continued his charge up the field after starting in fourteenth place.

    Enea Bastianini received a long lap penalty for taking a short cut at turn two and then he received a double long lap penalty for not taking the initial penalty. He did not take the double long lap penalty and then received a 32 second penalty which was applied at the end of the race.

    Martin continued to lead the race, but Bagnaia started to close the gap to the leader. The Italian rider made the move to take the lead on lap 19 at turn 5. Pecco slammed on the brakes to not allow Martin back through. The leading pair had over an eight second lead over the third-place rider Espargaro.

    But Espargaro didn’t hold third position for much longer as M. Marquez made the move on him down the start finish straight on the following lap.

    The final laps of the race were drama free which allowed Pecco to cross the line in first place ahead of fellow Ducati riders Martin and M. Marquez.  After yesterday’s heroics, Aleix Espargaro was only able to manage fourth place ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio. Raul Fernandez finished the race in sixth place ahead of Alex Marquez, Brad Binder, Fabio Quartararo and Miguel Olivera.

    Feature Image Credit : Motorsport Images/Gold and Goose

    2024 MotoGP Catalunya, Barcelona – Race Results
    Pos Rider Nat Team Time/Diff
    1 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP24) 40m 11.726s
    2 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP24) +1.740s
    3 Marc Marquez SPA Gresini Ducati (GP23) +10.491s
    4 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) +10.543s
    5 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA VR46 Ducati (GP23) +15.441s
    6 Raul Fernandez SPA Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP23) +15.916s
    7 Alex Marquez SPA Gresini Ducati (GP23) +16.882s
    8 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +18.578s
    9 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +20.477s
    10 Miguel Oliveira POR Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24) +20.889s
    11 Marco Bezzecchi ITA VR46 Ducati (GP23) +21.023s
    12 Maverick Viñales SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) +22.137s
    13 Pedro Acosta SPA Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) +31.967s
    14 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +32.987s
    15 Joan Mir SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +33.132s
    16 Johann Zarco FRA LCR Honda (RC213V) +34.554s
    17 Luca Marini ITA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +36.689s
    18 Enea Bastianini ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP24) +50.615s
    19 Stefan Bradl GER HRC Test Team (RC213V) +55.295s
    20 Alex Rins SPA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +63.428s
      Franco Morbidelli ITA Pramac Ducati (GP24) DNF
      Augusto Fernandez SPA Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) DNF
      Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM (RC16) DNF

     

  • Leclerc Breaks Home Duck in Monaco

    Leclerc Breaks Home Duck in Monaco

    Charles Leclerc took a maiden home win at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.

    After two previous unsuccessful attempts at converting pole to the win at Monaco, the home hero saw off the threat of Oscar Piastri to take the victory in the Principality.

    Carlos Sainz suffered a puncture on the opening lap, but was able to retain P3 following a red flag when Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg were all involved in a huge collision out of Turn One.

    Lando Norris took fourth in the second McLaren ahead of George Russell, who was forced to back off early after the restart to conserve his Medium tyres having started on the Hards.

    He fended off Max Verstappen after the Dutchman stopped late on having started behind Russell, while Sir Lewis Hamilton also pitted late and took the fastest lap in seventh – the seven-time champion too remaining where he started.

    Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon enjoyed relatively quiet afternoons as they scored points, with Pierre Gasly scoring a point despite contact with Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon on the first lap. Ocon sustained terminal damage from the incident.

    Fernando Alonso took eleventh ahead of RB’s Daniel Ricciardo, with Valtteri Bottas leading Lance Stroll following the Canadian’s ouncture when he made contact with the wall.

    Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu finished bottom of the running order.

  • MotoGP: Stunning Sprint Win For Aleix in Spain

    MotoGP: Stunning Sprint Win For Aleix in Spain

    After qualifying on pole position a day after announcing his retirement, Aleix Espargaro stood on the top step of the podium at the Catalan GP after three riders crashed out of the lead. He was joined on the podium by Marc Marquez who started the race in fourteenth and birthday boy Pedro Acosta.

    Pecco Bagnaia had a brilliant start from the middle of the front row and was able to take the lead into turn one. Acosta strongarmed his way into second place and Brad Binder found a gap in the track to get through the first turn in third place. Raul Fernandez also joined in the party by getting past Binder a few corners later. Jack Miller made a move on Miguel Olivera at turn ten.

    By the end of the first lap, M. Marquez had made it to eighth place after his poor qualifying effort earlier in the morning.

    Acosta attacked Bagnaia on the brakes into turn one on the second lap to take the lead but the Italian pulled off a risky move into turn five to get bast the Spaniard. The battle continued into the following lap where Acosta made the same move at turn one to retake the lead. Fernandez and Binder were also able to get past in the next three corners. The factory Ducati rider lost three places in four corners.

    Contact occurred between Acosta and Fernandez and this allowed Binder to get past the GASGAS Tech3 rider but not Fernandez who was now leading a MotoGP race for the first time in his career.

    Acosta regained second position after making what was becoming his trademark move at the first corner but the gap to leader Fernandez continued to grow as he set the fastest lap.

    On the fifth lap, Acosta went slightly deep in turn four but it didn’t affect his position and Bagnaia received a track limits warning. Race leader Fernandez crashed out of the lead at turn ten after carrying too much speed in the corner. This allowed Acosta to take the race lead.

    Binder got past Acosta on the start finish straight to take the lead of the race and started to break away from the chasing pack. Franco Morbidelli received a long lap penalty for irresponsible riding on the sixth lap.

    Bagnaia capitalised on lap six to take second place from Acosta after the Spaniard ran wide.

    The classic Acosta move into turn one happened again on lap seven as he made the move back through on Bagnaia and M. Marquez made a similar move to get past championship leader Jorge Martin for fifth. Bagnaia made an aggressive move into turn three to take second place back.

    Binder crashed out of the lead at turn five which allowed Bagnaia to take the race lead.

    Espargaro made his way past Acosta at the start of lap eight and the younger rider did have a look at getting past once more bit couldn’t find a way.

    Johann Zarco crashed following contact with Alex Marquez at the back of the field.

    There were a few laps of calm before the madness resumed on the final lap where M. Marquez made the move that Acosta had been making on everyone else to take third place.

    The third crash from the lead happened when Bagnaia crashed at turn five, allowing Espargaro to take over the front of the race with less than a lap to go.

    No other riders went down before the chequered flag waved and after dropping down at the start of the race, Aleix Espargaro was able to clamber his way back through the field to win the race.

    Championship leader Jorge Martin finished the sprint race in fourth place ahead of Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Jack Miller, Maverick Vinales, Marco Bezzechi and Fabio Quartararo, who rounded out the top ten.

    Feature Image Credit: Motorsport Images/Gold and Goose

    2024 MotoGP Catalunya, Barcelona – Sprint Race Results
    Pos Rider Nat Team Time/Diff
    1 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) 20m 1.478s
    2 Marc Marquez SPA Gresini Ducati (GP23) +0.892s
    3 Pedro Acosta SPA Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) +1.169s
    4 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP24) +2.147s
    5 Enea Bastianini ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP24) +2.980s
    6 Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA VR46 Ducati (GP23) +4.623s
    7 Jack Miller AUS Red Bull KTM (RC16) +8.084s
    8 Maverick Viñales SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) +8.245s
    9 Marco Bezzecchi ITA VR46 Ducati (GP23) +8.643s
    10 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +9.241s
    11 Franco Morbidelli ITA Pramac Ducati (GP24) +9.537s
    12 Alex Rins SPA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +13.045s
    13 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +13.199s
    14 Alex Marquez SPA Gresini Ducati (GP23) +13.378s
    15 Joan Mir SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +16.438s
    16 Luca Marini ITA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +18.000s
    17 Augusto Fernandez SPA Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) +25.262s
    18 Stefan Bradl GER HRC Test Team (RC213V) +33.751s
      Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP24) DNF
      Miguel Oliveira POR Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24) DNF
      Johann Zarco FRA LCR Honda (RC213V) DNF
      Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) DNF
      Raul Fernandez SPA Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP23) DNF

     

  • Rally Portugal 2024 – Day Three Report – Sunday

    Rally Portugal 2024 – Day Three Report – Sunday

    The final day of round five for this season’s championship. Two Toyota’s returned to the startlist with Kalle and Takamoto rejoining following their problems on Saturday. The double world champion would open the road throughout the day.

    First up was SS19 Cabeceiras de Basto 1 – 19.91 km and the fog had descended overnight causing a huge lack of visibility on the stage. Seb was fastest from Thierry and Ott, meaning that the Frenchman was opening up his lead a little bit more. There was a change further back in the positions with Adrien passing Dani for fourth position. In WRC2, Sami was fastest from Josh and Jan and the Irishman supported by Motorsport Ireland had reduced the gap to the category leader to just three seconds.

    Into SS20 Fafe 1 – 11.18 km the stage which had a huge amount of fog throughout the stage and would be the power stage later and Ott was fastest from Thierry and Seb. Kalle was saving tyres for the power stage later and would set the 11th best time in amongst the WRC2 leaders. In WRC2, Sami was fastest from Josh and Jan who dropped behind Josh, the gap just one tenth of a second between first and second place.

    Time then for the penultimate stage, SS21 Cabeceiras de Basto 2 – 19.91 km and Ott set the pace from Thierry and Adrien. The Estonian took a few seconds out of Seb, but it was clear that the Frenchman was managing the gap by keeping a good, controlled pace. In WRC2 Jan was fastest from Yohan whilst Josh who was having problems with understeer in his Skoda fell behind the Spaniard into second position.

    Time then for the final stage, SS22 Fafe 2[Power Stage] – 11.18 km and although Kalle was first into the stage a number of crews could not beat his time, until Thierry and then Ott came through pushing hard with the result that Thierry won the stage from Ott, Kalle third, Seb fourth and Takamoto fifth.

    Seb won the rally from Ott in second and Thierry came in third. In WRC2, Jan Solans took victory with Josh taking second position and Lauri was third. Each crew in WRC2 took their best ever result in the category and this was also the first win in the category for the Yaris Rally2.

    Let’s take a look at the finishing positions and hear from the drivers.

    Final Overall Classification – Rally de Portugal

    1 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid 3:41.32.3
    2 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +7.9
    3 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +1:09.8
    4 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +1:47.8
    5 D. Sordo C. Carrera Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +2:48.9
    6 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +6:36.0
    7 N. Gryazin K. Aleksandrov Citroën C3 +11:48.4
    8 J. Solans R. Sanjuan Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +11:52.9
    9 J. McErlean J. Fulton Škoda Fabia RS +11:56.1
    10 L. Joona J. Hussi Škoda Fabia RS +13:40.3

    Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

    Sébastien Ogier

    “To take another win feels great. It’s nice to achieve some more cool numbers and I have to enjoy and cherish these moments. I had nothing against being tied on five wins for a few years with Markku Alén because for me he’s a legend and I have huge respect for him, but I’ve been asked many times when I was going to take the record and now finally it happened. It was another intense fight for everyone to follow and for us in the car there was no moment to relax. I think the way we managed everything was close to perfect: we could always stay in contention for the win without taking maximum risk when it didn’t feel 100 per cent.”

    Kalle Rovanperä

    “A big thank you to the team for fixing the car after the disappointment of yesterday, and sorry to them for losing such important points. It was nice to be back out today, but it was not easy, cleaning the road was even tougher than we expected. On the Power Stage we really tried our best, I thought it was a good drive and a clean run, but the road was cleaning so much that the guys behind came a bit faster. Still, we got a few points so we did what we could to help the team. It was not the weekend we wanted but we will come back stronger.”

    Elfyn Evans

    “This morning things were going a bit better than yesterday, but in the third stage we had a rock impact on the underside of the car that damaged the radiator. After that we had to get the car through in EV mode, and we managed to make a repair to get to the finish but unfortunately, we didn’t get any extra points from the day. We definitely found a better feeling in the car but there are still a couple of areas to work on. At least we have some answers from the weekend. We’ll try to turn things around and have a stronger rally in Sardinia.”

    Takamoto Katsuta

    “Of course, it’s quite disappointing still that we retired yesterday because we could have had a much better result. But I had a very good feeling with the car here, it felt really good until that moment yesterday. Today was not so easy because we were without hybrid for some stages and the road position wasn’t good for us, but it was nice to at least get some points. I tried to keep pushing every stage as much as I can and learned a lot. There are some positives to take and now I focus on Sardinia, try to prepare well and keep pushing.”

     

    Hyundai Motorsport

    Ott Tänak

    “The outcome is not too bad, it was just very unfortunate to pick up the slow puncture, but otherwise I would say very positive. Without the puncture, I think I could have gone for the win. On Friday I was struggling the most, but after I was slowly getting used to the car and that let me find a good rhythm. On Saturday the stages were very different, and overnight I was able to understand what I needed to do differently from Friday to make the most of the car. We are not far away from being in a place where I feel confident controlling the car, but it’s still a bit difficult to make the car match my driving style. I am looking forward to Sardinia, it’s a rally I usually enjoy and I’m hoping to take my performance one step further.”

    2024 FIA World Rally Championship
    Round 05, Rally de Portugal
    09-12 May 2024
    Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
    Photographer: Dufour Fabien
    Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

    Thierry Neuville

    “It’s been a great Super Sunday for us once again after another positive day on Friday. A very challenging and difficult weekend but we finished with the result we needed, plus another five points in the Power Stage. We’ve increased the lead in the championship for us by 24 points, which is a strong lead to have before Sardinia where another challenging weekend is waiting for us. We want to continue to push and be consistent in the car; it wasn’t the greatest Saturday, but Friday and Sunday were really good, and the pace was right in the Power Stage, so that was promising. We will come back and fight for important points in Sardinia.”

    Dani Sordo

    “Today was a little bit difficult with the conditions we had in the morning, but the first two days were really promising. Of course, I’m happy to get to the end of the day with some really good points, and for my first weekend back with the team I think we have still managed to help them get back to the top of the manufacturers’ championship. It was a good gravel rally to start with, one that I know well, and it’s a good one to enter before Sardinia. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do back in the car at the next event, and I want to thank the team again for helping me finish the weekend in the top five.”

     

    M-Sport Ford WRT

    Adrien Fourmaux

    “I think we can be really happy, because it wasn’t so easy to be third on the road on the opening days! I think we have shown really good pace considering that, keeping close to the leaders and fighting today [Sunday] with the top guys who are fighting for the victory. It’s been a fantastic rally, a really good atmosphere with all the fans watching, it’s really nice. The car has been perfect, no issues at all and we’re pleased with our performance. It gives us confidence for the next rally in Sardinia.”

    William Creighton

    “It’s always a tricky weekend, we’ll have to come back again to get a full, clean Portugal rally. If you do that here, it gets you a good result. The stages weren’t as rough this year as previously, and that made Friday really enjoyable. After Friday, I think the stages were quite different, a lot more sand, and we struggled to get a nice feeling.

    “But we’ve made good steps today [Sunday], we’re always learning, and we’ve got to keep working to improve. Sardinia is very like Portugal, so it’s a good practice for that. Thank you to everyone at M-Sport and the MI Rally Academy for keeping me and Liam right.”

    Grégoire Munster

    “Rally Portugal didn’t end well for us, we got hooked up in a cut and landed stuck on a ditch by the sump guard, and unfortunately, we couldn’t continue. All in all, we learned plenty during this rally. By opening the road on Saturday, we had to do a lot of cleaning; it wasn’t easy, but it was good learning for us. We also saw our times improve throughout the weekend on the second passes, on a rally that was basically new for us, we felt this was good practice and we had a good feeling in the car. We will carry the experience on to Sardinia in a couple of weeks.”

     

    Summary

    Well, what an amazing rally and what a victory for Seb, their second of the year and also in a row. It was also a record breaking sixth win for the Frenchman, moving him ahead of Markku Alén who won this rally five times.

    It was a good rally for Ott who showed good pace, fighting for victory and taking a good points haul. It bodes well for the upcoming rallies.

    Thierry made mistakes, but came through and took third place, increasing his championship lead over Elfyn.

     

    Next rally is Rally Italia Sardinia, taking place from the 31st of May to the 2nd of June.

     

    2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
    After round five

    1 T. Neuville 110
    2 E. Evans 86
    3 O. Tänak 79
    4 A. Fourmaux 71
    5 S. Ogier 70
    6 T. Katsuta 49
    7 K. Rovanpera 36
    8 E. Lappi 23
    9 A. Mikkelsen 14
    10 O. Solberg 12

     

    2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
    After round five

    1 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 219
    2 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 215
    3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 110
  • Formula E Season 10 Round 9 and 10: Cassidy and Da Costa Both take Victory in Berlin as Title Battle Heats Up

    Formula E Season 10 Round 9 and 10: Cassidy and Da Costa Both take Victory in Berlin as Title Battle Heats Up

    Berlin is an all time classic on the Formula E calendar. Round 9 and 10 were no different with dramatic races happening on both Saturday and Sunday!

    Key Moments from Race 9

    • Edoardo Mortara started on pole ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne.
    • Sette Camara tried to take P3 away from Vergne
    • There were big battles for the final points paying positions from Ticktum,Evans, Cassidy, Rowland and Van Der Linde
    • Vandoorne, Vergne, Da Costa and Mortara were all battling for the lead into the tight double right turns of 6 and 7. 
    • Racing was brought to a halt when a full course yellow was brought out due to a stopped Envision on track of Joel Eriksson. This was an eventual safety car. 
    • The safety car came in on lap 17 and Vergne tried to hold the lead while Wehrlein went for the overtake in the double right turns before the hairpin and made it stick. 
    • Di Grassi spun due to contact with Sette Camara after the restart.
    • Guenther ended up in the wall after the restart and on lap 30, the safety car came out again.
    • The safety car came back in on lap 34 and at the restart, there was 4 wide for the lead.
    • Da Costa came out in the lead.
    • Lap 41 saw Wehrlein take the lead before more overtakes occuring to see Vergne lead and Cassidy holding his nerve.
    • Once Cassidy was in the lead, there was no looking back as he took victory!

     

    The cars pull away at the start of the race Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

    Race 9 Results

    Position Driver Team Points
    1st Nick Cassidy Jaguar TCS Racing 26
    2nd Jean-Eric Vergne DS Penske 18
    3rd Oliver Rowland Nissan Formula E Team 15
    4th Mitch Evans Jaguar TCS Racing 12
    5th Pascal Wehrlein Tag Heur Porsche Formula E Team 10
    6th Antonio Felix Da Costa  Tag Heur Porsche Formula E Team 8
    7th Stoffel Vandoorne DS Penske 6
    8th Edordo Mortara Mahindra Racing 7
    9th Sacha Fenestraz Nissan Formula E Team 2
    10th Taylor Barnard NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 1
    11th Kelvin Van Der Linde Abt Cupra 0
    12th Jordan King Mahindra Racing 0
    13th Paul Aron Envision Racing 0
    14th Dan Ticktum ERT Formula E Team 0
    15th Jake Hughes NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 0
    16th Sergio Sette Camara ERT Formula E Team 0
    17th Jehan Daruvala Maserati MSG Racing 0
    18th Norman Nato Andretti Formula E 0
    DNF Jake Dennis Andretti Formula E 0
    DNF Maximilian Guenther Maserati MSG Racing 0
    DNF Lucas Di Grassi Abt Cupra 0
    DNF Joel Eriksson Envision Racing 0

     

    Key Moments from Race 10

    • Dennis started on pole but Cassidy lead the grid down to turn 1
    • Further on into the race it was a Porsche 1-2.
    • Guenther crashed early on in the race and brought out a safety car. He got going again but it was to retire the car.
    • On lap 18, Rowland had a damaged front wing and Mortara had not taken either attack mode.
    • Vandoorne went for a dive between lap 20 and 21 but got damage with his front wing going under his car.
    • He ended up losing control and put Fenestraz onto 2 wheels.
    • Da Costa had a large advantage by the beginning of the end of the race.
    • Nato and Fenestraz ended up in the wall with the Andretti driver managing to get away but the safety car was brought out.
    • By lap 27, we had Da Costa P1, Rowland P2 abd Evans P3.
    • When the safety car came in, there was big battles between Dennis and Wehrlein and Evans and Da Costa.
    • Nato ended up with a 10 second time penalty for his collision with Fenestraz.
    • We had 3 added laps while Barnard overtook his teammate and Dennis.
    • Cassidy overtook Rowland when we headed into added laps while Evans lost 2 places in 2 corners.
    • Da Costa took victory in Berlin with Cassidy P2 and Rowland P3.

    Race 10 Results

    Position Driver Team Points
    1st Antonio Felix Da Costa  Tag Heur Porsche Formula E Team 25
    2nd Nick Cassidy Jaguar TCS Racing 19
    3rd Oliver Rowland Nissan Formula E Team 15
    4th Pascal Wehrlein Tag Heur Porsche Formula E Team 12
    5th Jake Dennis Andretti Formula E 13
    6th Mitch Evans Jaguar TCS Racing 8
    7th Jehan Daruvala Maserati MSG Racing 6
    8th Taylor Barnard NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 4
    9th Joel Eriksson Envision Racing 2
    10th Jean-Eric Vergne DS Penske 1
    11th Lucas Di Grassi Abt Cupra 0
    12th Jake Hughes NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 0
    13th Sergio Sette Camara ERT Formula E Team 0
    14th Paul Aron Envision Racing 0
    15th Kelvin Van Der Linde Abt Cupra 0
    16th Edo Mortara Mahindra Racing 0
    17th Dan Ticktum ERT Formula E Team 0
    18th Jordan King Mahindra Racing 0
    19th Norman Nato Andretti Formula E 0
    20th Stoffel Vandoorne DS Penske 0
    DNF Sacha Fenestraz Nissan Formula E Team 0
    DNF Maximilian Guenther Maserati MSG Racing 0
    Antonio Felix da Costa, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, leads Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team, Nissan e-4ORCE 04 Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

    Championship Standings After Round 10

    Position Driver Team Points
    1st Nick Cassidy Jaguar TCS Racing 140
    2nd Pascal Wehrlein Tag Heur Porsche Formula E Team 124
    3rd Oliver Rowland Nissan Formula E Team 118
    4th Jake Dennis Andretti Formula E 102
    5th Mitch Evans Jaguar TCS Racing 97
    6th Jean-Eric Vergne DS Penske 84
    7th Maximilian Guenther Maserati MSG Racing 65
    8th Antonio Felix Da Costa Tag Heur Porsche Formula E Team 59
    9th Stoffel Vandoorne DS Penske 43
    10th Sam Bird NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 38
    11th Sacha Fenestraz Nissan Formula E Team 26
    12th Jake Hughes NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 25
    13th Norman Nato Andretti Formula E 24
    14th Robin Frijns Envision Racing 21
    15th Sebastian Buemi Envision Racing 20
    16th Nico Mueller Abt Cupra 18
    17th Dan Ticktum ERT Formula E Team 12
    18th Sergio Sette Camara ERT Formula E Team 11
    19th Jehan Daruvala Maserati MSG Racing 8
    20th Edoardo Mortara Mahindra Racing 7
    21st Taylor Barnard NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 5
    22nd Joel Eriksson Envision Racing 2
    23rd Lucas Di Grassi Abt Cupra 1
    24th Kelvin Van Der Linde Abt Cupra 0
    25th Nyck De Vries Mahindra Racing 0
    26th Jordan King Mahindra Racing 0
    27th Paul Aron Envision Racing 0

    Driver of the Weekend

    For me, the driver of the weekend is a very tough one. However, I think I will give it to Joel Eriksson. The rookies this weekend have been VERY surprising (and in a good way) which will probably give a lot of team principals headaches as after FULL 1 race weekend, 2 have  already stored in Taylor Barnard and Joel Eriksson. Even though I have have chosen a mix of about 5 drivers, Joel gets my pick. 

    Driver with the most improvement needed

    I think Norman Nato needs to pick up his pace in terms of racing after this weekend. While he can have some good moments like in qualifying and some bad luck, ultimately, his collision with Fenestraz was not a good light for the French driver, especially as there are only 6 races left and Andretti will more than likely be starting to think about the seat next to Jake Dennis for 2025 and beyond as we head into Gen3 EVO. With the rookie test happening tomorrow with Zane Maloney and Jak Crawford at the team too, the pressure is building on Nato. 

    Prediction for Shanghai

    The next 2 rounds of Formula E are at the Shanghai International Circuit. While a lot of the circuit is similar to the Formula 1 model, there are only 12 corners and cuts out the long right hander and long straight from the Formula 1 model. I have a feeling this could be a Jake Dennis win on either day. 

  • MotoGP: Martin Wins Stunning Race in Le Mans

    MotoGP: Martin Wins Stunning Race in Le Mans

    Le Man is a circuit full of history and prestige. Today, it delivered a stunning race as we watch a phenomenal season unfold in front of us.

    Jorge Martin will be leaving France with both a medal and a trophy, after claiming a double victory in Le Mans. He has taken a stunning win which showcased both his speed and his intelligence. At the start of the race, he slotted in behind Pecco Bagnaia and stayed close on his tail, letting Bagnaia dictate the pace whilst he calculated and weighed up his options, before making the move on lap 21.

    Despite leading for those 21 laps today, Bagnaia ended up settling for 3rd. He was also bested by Marc Marquez on the very final lap of the race, as he recreated yesterday’s amazing result with another 2nd place today – the perfect gift for Gresini’s 1,000th race. However, it was a much trickier race than yesterday’s sprint for Marquez as he fought his way through the grid and found himself involved in numerous battles with the likes of Enea Bastianini, Maverick Vinales and Fabio DiGiannantonio.

    Pedro Acosta, the only rookie on the grid this year, has ended his points scoring run with a DNF today. He made an aggressive move when fighting for 3rd place with Aleix Espargaro and DiGiannantonio – three into one at turn 8 was never going to end well!

    It was a promising day for home hero Fabio Quartararo – he has been much more on the pace throughout this weekend but sadly crashed out halfway through the race. He and the crowd alike were visibly disappointed but there are plenty of promising signs to take away from today.

    Image Credit: MotoGP

    AS IT HAPPENED

    Compared to yesterday’s sprint race, today’s feature race started under slightly cooler conditions, with the wind picking up. But it could have been worse – We were predicted rain today, but that thankfully didn’t appear.

    As the lights went out, Pecco Bagnaia was quick to jump to the front of the grid, having started in 2nd. It was another good start for Marc Marquez, but not quite as impressive as yesterday – today, he gained 5 places in the opening corners, leaping up to 8th.

    It was a difficult start for both Marco Bezzecchi and Maverick Vinales. Bezzecchi’s front tire jumped up on the start line and left him vulnerable to the rest of the grid who swallowed him, leaving him in 9th – 4 places down on his starting position. Vinales went deep into turn 1 and was forced to go very wide. He journeyed in to the run off area and rejoined the field in 5th, losing 2 places.

    So as the grid finished the first lap, it was Bagnaia leading from Jorge Martin and Aleix Espargaro. Fabio DiGiannantonio was in 4th, with Vinales in 5th. The top ten was rounded out by Pedro Acosta, Enea Bastianini, Marc Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi and home hero Fabio Quartararo respectively.

    Bagnaia was eager to try and put some clean air between himself and Martin but the Prima Pramac rider just wouldn’t let the Ducati escape. He was happy to sit in behind the reigning championship and allow him to dictate the peace whilst he calculated the right time to make a move.

    On lap 3, we had our first crasher, with Pedro Acosta going down at turn 8. He was fighting with Espargaro and DiGiannantonio for 3rd but Acosta was just too aggressive in to the corner. As he went down, his back wheel was hit by DiGiannantonio who, somehow, impressively kept his bike upright! This is the first race of the season where the rookie has failed to score points.

    The following lap, Bezzecchi’s horrible day came to an end as he crashed at turn 6. He was trying to get the cut back on Bastianini, who he was fighting with for 7th place.

    A few laps later, Marquez was making moves on Vinales as they fight for 5th. Vinales made his bike as wide as possible as he defends and manages to keep hold of the position. Meanwhile, DiGIannantoni is continuing to fight with Espargaro for 3rd – he is clearly desperate to make a move. He eventually gets past at the La Chapelle corner on lap 8, the following lap.

    At this point in the race, the top riders were all battling in pairs, with Bagnaia and Martin fighting for 1st, DiGiannantonio fighting for 3rd as well as Vinales and Marquez battling for 5th. These battles continue until lap 10, and that allows Bastianini, in 7th, to catch up and join the fight. By lap 11, just 2 seconds covered the top 7 riders.

    On the same lap, Espargaro goes wide at Garage Vert whilst fighting with Vinales. This sees him gifting 4th place to his Aprilia team mate, only for Marquez to quickly rob him of 5th place as well.

    The following lap sees Bastianini making a very late move on Espargaro and pushing him completely off the track. Bastianini is gifted 6th as a result, but he is quickly slapped with a long lap penalty for cutting turn 9 as he recovers from the battle.

    At the halfway point of the race, it felt like things were starting to settle down. Martin was still in 2nd but stuck close to the rear tire of Bagnaia in 1st. There was then a 0.9 second gap to DiGiannantonio in 3rd and Vinales in 4th. Marquez was 0.3 seconds behind in 5th, with Bastianini in 6th. Home hero, Fabio Quartararo was having a solid race so far in 7th, just ahead of Espargaro, Miguel Oliveira and Franco Morbidelli in 8th, 9th and 10th respectively.

    The calm doesn’t last for long as, on lap 17, it was heartbreak for the French crowd as Quartararo crashes out at turn 9 on lap 17.

    Image Credit: MotoGP

    Meanwhile, Marquez makes a move on DiGiannantonio for 3rd. DiGiannantonio just refuses to give up the place and gives us a masterclass in brave defending. The continued battle almost gives Vinales the opportunity to take 4th from Marquez. This close battle continues for a few laps and, eventually, Marquez makes a move for 3rd place that sticks. As DiGiannantonio tries to make the cut back, he goes too wide and lets Vinales up to 4th. The Gresini rider is then forced to rejoin in 5th but, unfortunately, the stewards decided that he didn’t lose enough time when rejoining the field and was handed a long lap penalty.

    With Marquez now released into some free air, he starts chasing down the leading pair who are 2 seconds down the road. Martin is closer than he has ever been in the race so far and looking like he is ready to set up a move, with just a handful of laps remaining.

    At the start of lap 20, Martin makes his first move on Bagnaia but the reigning champion is quick to cut back and regain the place. The following lap is when Martin makes exactly the same move, again at turn 2, but this time makes the move stick and firmly shuts the door on Bagnaia. This fighting means that the gap to Marquez has now been cut in half, and he is just over a second behind them and catching them at a rapid pace.

    As the laps continue to tick down, there is nothing between the leading group with Martin now leading from Bagnaia and Marquez.

    None of the riders seem comfortable on their soft rear tires but it’s Marquez who seems to be handling these best. He is continuing to close on Bagnaia and on the final lap, with just four corners remaining, he eventually makes his move. With some stunning late breaking, he throws his Gresini up the inside of Bagnaia and manages to make the apex perfectly at turn 7 and 8. This gives Martin some breathing room at the front as Martin sets up defensive moves in the final corners, blocking Bagnaia before he can even think about making a move.

    As they cross the line, Martin celebrates a stunning and well-calculated victory with a smash of his bike’s screen. Marquez is equally as thrilled with is performance and celebrates like it was a win.

    FULL RESULTS

    Image Credit: MotoGP on Twitter

    CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

    Martin has been able to extend his championship lead with today’s win – he was leading by 28 points but this has now increased to an impressive 38 points as he continues to enjoy a brilliant start to his season.

    Bagnaia returns to 2nd in the standings but now has Marquez hot on his heels, as both riders leapfrog Bastianini.

    Image Credit: MotoGP on Twitter

    Feature Image Credit: MotoGP