Ariel view of Moanco. Image courtesy of Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
‘To tell you the truth, I hate Monaco. It’s like trying to ride a bicycle around your living room’ – Nelson Piquet.
Nelson Piquet was always a conscious stream of stinging quotes, but this one is arguably his most famous. At the time, it was at complete odds with the narrative of Monte Carlo’s diamond event – one of towering importance, energising luxury and an insatiable desire that this, this be the one race every driver must win, in order to be remembered as a great.
Yet in 2019, Piquet’s summary feels very poignant and true. And as each year goes on, that feeling only grows. But why is it so? What factors are at play, bubbling over the surface to damage the armoured love for a Formula One mainstay? There are many; the lack of on-track overtakes, a heavy reliance on strategy, and an emphasis on what happens off the track rather than on it. And it’s the latter that I want to dissect.
The Cote d’Azur embodies wealth. The glitz and glamour of the event began as a fantastical shot in the arm for all involved. A setting drizzled in history, playing host to casinos, hotels and restaurants galore, Monaco provided the unique backdrop of up to 30+ of the finest racing cars of the time zooming round an opulent city, a final ingredient for an extravagant souffle. It was magical, and a gleaming beacon of hope for those who wanted to be there, be a part of it.
The super yachts of Monaco. Image courtesy of Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
But times, since those heady days of the ‘50s and ‘60s, have changed. We now live in a world where the excessive is held in disdain, and the necessary is king. Formula One has changed, too: no longer a gentleman’s European tour, but a worldwide hand reaching out to new fans who would never have so much as heard tyres wince within their own country. If there’s anything that sums up the change F1 has gone through (and had to, unless it loses all relevance) is the old ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone’s resistance.
‘I’m not interested in tweeting, Facebook, and whatever this nonsense is’.
Ecclestone said of the growing social media juggernaut, a key player in modernity. He’d go on to disregard the young racing demographic entirely, saying ‘I’d rather get to the 70-year-old guy who’s got plenty of cash. There’s no point trying to reach these kids because they won’t buy any of the products here and if marketers are aiming at this audience, then maybe they should advertise with Disney.’
Ecclestone’s Formula One peak came in the ‘70s and ‘80s, when sponsorship was rising to a position of potency in the series and appeasing those funnelling money into both drivers, teams and sport was of high importance. Why speak against those who are allowing the sport to grow like it never had before? More so, why do anything but bend all efforts towards getting sponsor’s services in the rich elite’s lives, and products in their possessions? Ecclestone was never able to shift from the ideology of ‘jobs for the boys’ – and by that I mean catering his circus for the rich men he was intertwined with – and that’s a major player as to why he’s no longer at the helm.
He valued Monaco as an important string in his bow, with the elite eager to turn up and flaunt their most extravagant yachts, take in the wonders of casino life and be exposed in turn to the sport’s sponsor involvement. And Monaco, to this day, is still the same event; a racing-comes-second honey trap. The issue is, while the bees may still be arriving like before, the onlooking fans aren’t salivating at the thought of this race in particular. The year on year procession, where ever-widening cars are threading a needle which hamstrings their true power, and in turn making the races heavily reliant on outside variables, is becoming more and more apparent.
The fan-base that the new owners of Formula One, Liberty Media, have tried at length to get back on side, be it with much increased social media presence (they’ve even finally embraced Snapchat), expansive content and greater scope of reach, are beginning to look past the glamour of Monaco, and are finding at the bare bones an event that quite simply isn’t up to standard.
The season generally reaches a nadir at this circuit – to the point where the weekend is written off as a bore-fest before it even starts. There’s arguably no track on the calendar so dependent on weather variables for a good race, and if Piquet thought his Brabhams were no joy in the Principality, I spare a thought for the class of 2019, with wider, longer and faster cars.
Max Verstappen ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo. Image courtesy of Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
The glamour of Monaco is fading away. It can’t mask the unsuitability of the event any longer. It’s never been so irrelevant in the eyes of the people who make Formula One what it is, the fans. With Liberty’s aid (somewhat) the gentleman’s aura of past is starting to diminish, in favour of the new guard. A new guard who are realising, when you strip away the off-track splendour, that this mainstay of the calendar is at odds with the direction we are going in. It’s a bastion of the Ecclestone era, a rotten tooth among renovation plans. And if this trajectory continues, Monaco could well lose its relevance in the 21st century world.
Mugello means two things for Moto3 qualifying: slipstream; and the desperation of riders trying to find a slipstream. It was no different for the qualifying session for the 2019 Italian Moto3 Grand Prix, round six of the season.
In Q1, lots of riders were riding slowly as they looked for a tow, but it was the riders who were lapping mostly on their own who advanced to Q2: Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team); Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing); Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power) and Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai).
There was slightly more normalcy in Q2, which saw Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) take pole position for his home Grand Prix by 0.673, one which he will no doubt be desperate to convert to a victory tomorrow afternoon. Gabriel Rodrigo (Kommerling Gresini Moto3) and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) join Arbolino on the front row.
Despite a mostly difficult weekend for Andrea Migno, he was able to qualify fourth, with the Sic58 Squadra Corse duo of Tatsuki Suzuki and Niccolo Antonelli joining the #16 on row two, in fifth and sixth respectively.
Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) will head up row three tomorrow, ahead of Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) and Marcos Ramirez; while championship leader Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) completes the qualifying top ten, and will be joined on the fourth row by Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) to make it an all-Spanish affair on row four.
Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) qualified thirteenth for his home race, ahead of Darryn Binder and Raul Fernandez on row five; while Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) heads up row six from Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Le Mans winner John McPhee (Petronas SRT).
Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas SRT) will start from the head of row seven, ahead of Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) and Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race). Row eight sees Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) in front of Makar Yurchenko (CIP Green Power) and Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo).
Filip Salac 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM
Wildcard Kevin Zannoni (RDR TM Official Team) heads up row nine from fellow wildcard Ryusei Yamanaka (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Ai Ogura’s replacement at Honda Team Asia, Gerry Salim. Vicente Perez (Reale Avintia Arizona 77) leads the tenth row, from Filip Salac (Redox PruestelGP) and Tom Booth-Amos (CIP Green Power); whilst Riccardo Rossi’s (Kommerling Gresini Moto3) only valid lap from the session was seven seconds off the pace, so will start last.
The Moto2 qualifying session for the sixth round of the 2019 World Championship at Mugello, the Italian Grand Prix, got underway under the Tuscan sun and the riders who were unable to qualify for Q2 in free practice tried to advance through Q1.
The four riders who made it to Q2 from Q1 were: Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS); Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo); championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46).
In Q2, it was Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) who took pole position, one which he will be hoping to convert to his first GP win tomorrow. Schrotter took pole position from Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) who held P1 for much of the session, but ended up second behind his German teammate, whilst Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completes the front row fresh off the back of his win in Le Mans.
Nicolo Bulega had his best performance since moving to Moto2, as the rookie qualified fourth, ahead of Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) and Sky Racing Team VR46 teammate Luca Marini, who seems to have recovered some form this weekend after a difficult couple of races in Spain and France.
Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) heads up row three tomorrow, from Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40); while Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) completes the top ten and is joined on row four by Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Jorge Martin, who out-qualified his Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate, Brad Binder, for the first time this season.
Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) is joined on row five by Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) and championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) to ensure the fifth row is an all-Italian affair; whilst Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) heads up row six and is joined by Xavi Vierge and a mysteriously slow Mattia Pasini (Petronas SRT), to ensure the #97 is the Spanish meat in the Italian sandwich on the sixth row.
Brad Binder was the fastest of those to not make Q2, and he starts nineteenth tomorrow ahead of Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP) and Dominique Aegerter (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward) on row seven.
Row eight sees Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward) ahead of Iker Lecuona (American Racing) and Lukas Tulovic (Kiefer Racing); whilst the ninth row has the Red Bull KTM Tech3 pairing of Marco Bezzecchi (25th) and Philipp Oettl (27th) sandwiching Joe Roberts (American Racing).
Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP) heads up row ten, from Dimas Ekky (IDEMITU Honda Team Asia) and Jake Dixon (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team); while Xavi Cardelus (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) was faster than only Somkiat Chantra’s replacement at IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia, the GP newcomer and JSB1000 regular for the HARC-PRO Honda squad Teppei Nagoe who completes the grid.
The MotoGP qualifying session for the sixth round of the 2019 World Championship at Mugello, the Italian Grand Prix, got underway in near-perfect conditions, with the sun having baked the track all day.
In Q1, it was Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) and wildcard Michele Pirro (Mission Winnow Ducati) who advanced to the Q2 pole position shootout, taking the edge off the disappointment of the majority of the crowd, whose chosen favourite Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) could manage only eighth in Q1, meaning he will start his home race from eighteenth.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) spent most of his second Q2 run negotiating track position with Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati). Eventually, for his final lap, Marquez achieved the perfect distance from the back of the #04, got some tow down the straight to start the lap, a perfect marker ahead of him through the lap, and a strong tow down the straight to finish the lap as well. He took pole with a stunning 1’45.519, taking seven tenths from Rossi’s lap record from last year. This pole also moves him one clear of Rossi in the all-time premier class poles list.
Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) impressed once more, as he became the first rider to break the 1’46 barrier in Mugello on a MotoGP bike. He did three laps in the 1’45s, but the power deficit of his Yamaha compared to the Honda of Marquez cost him pole position.
Danilo Petrucci at Mugello 2019 . Image courtesy of Ducati
Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) identified himself as the biggest hope for the Italian crowd on Sunday as he qualified third, living up to the expectations that had been amassing over the course of what has been a difficult, but strong weekend for the #9.
Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had a place on the front row until Marquez fired his pole lap in, but will start from a strong fourth place, meaning that once more both Petronas SRT Yamahas have out-qualified both factory M1s. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda CASTROL) join the Italian on row two.
Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) heads up row three, from Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) and the struggling Andrea Dovizioso; whilst Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) impressively put the 2018 Honda in tenth place, ahead of Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Michele Pirro.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) once again left himself with a tough job for Sunday as he qualified thirteenth, ahead of Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini); whilst Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) heads up row six from the struggling multiple World Champions, Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) and Valentino Rossi. Row seven consists of Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – who might have improved on his final lap before a crash at Corentaio ended his chances – Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Hafizh Syahrin (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) complete the grid.
The rolling hills of Tuscany await the Moto2 World Championship this weekend for round six of the 2019 series, currently led by Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40).
Although he leads the series, it has been far from plain sailing for Baldassarri so far in 2019, with three wins but also two crashes – including one at the previous round of the championship in France – leaving him with a seven-point lead coming into his home Grand Prix this weekend. Baldassarri’s history in Mugello is quite good, however, with his second place last year adding to his second place of 2016 to mean that he has two podiums at home so far in his career. If he finishes this weekend, statistically he is likely to win.
Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) At Le Mans 2019. Image courtesy of KF GLAENZEL/ Intact GP
Second in the championship is still Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) in spite of his difficult round in Le Mans where he struggled for pace all weekend and finished sixth. Fortunately for the Swiss, he seemed to pick a good race to drop his pace, as his rivals either crashes or had similarly poor results, such as his injured Dynavolt Intact GP teammate Marcel Schrotter who could only manage eighth; Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) who crashed, and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) who also fell. Nonetheless, Luthi needs a return to form this weekend, especially if Baldassarri is to please his home crowd.
The two aforementioned fallers in Le Mans are also in need of strong results in Mugello, Lowes more than Gardner, who simply needs to bounce back from a poor weekend. Lowes’ opening to the season has been disappointing – despite dominating testing, the Briton has failed to make the podium thus far in 2019, but with a good record in the past at Mugello there is a good opportunity for the #22 to turn his season around this weekend.
Whilst not being Italian himself, Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) does ride for an Italian team, and a chassis which historically has worked well in Mugello, with Andrea Iannone way back in the early days of Moto2, and slightly more recently with Sam Lowes, who was on pole with the bike in 2015.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a new KTM chassis in Le Mans, and it took him to his best result of 2019 so far with fourth place, which he will hope to build on in Mugello, where Miguel Oliveira won in 2018 for the Austrian marque.
Brad Binder, Spanish MotoGP 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM
Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), like Binder, had his best result of 2019 two weeks ago in France, as he won for the first time since Motegi 2017. The cash of Baldassarri and the poor result of Luthi also meant that Marquez’ win brought him into championship contention, as he now enters round six in Mugello just fourteen points adrift of the points lead.
Baldassarri is not the only hope for the Italian crowd this weekend. Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) had a strong run in Le Mans, and was looking strong to pass Marquez for the lead just before he crashed; whilst Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), along with Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up), have been impressing in their rookie respective rookie seasons in the Moto2 class.
Finally, Mattia Pasini is once more replacing Khairul Idham Pawi at the Petronas SRT team, and the 2017 winner will be hoping to return to the podium this weekend after getting caught up in Baldassarri’s crash back in Le Mans.
This weekend the 2019 Moto3 World Championship heads to Mugello for the Italian Grand Prix, round six of the season.
Approaching this race, Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) leads the standings after picking up his third podium of the season last time out in Le Mans, much to the displeasure of Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) who was the victim of Canet’s last-minute dive for the rostrum in France. Being the team’s home race, the pressure will be on for Canet to deliver in Mugello, a track at which he has failed to score a rostrum finish.
Aron Canet. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM
Second and third in the championship, respectively, are Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) – four points back from Canet – and Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse) – seven points adrift of the Spaniard. Both are entering their home round, but especially for Dalla Porta, this weekend is a special one, as not only is he Italian but he is also a Tuscan. For all the Italians, the Italian Grand Prix weekend is a special one, but perhaps the specific geography of the GP makes it particularly important for the #48, who is without a rostrum in Mugello. That could change this weekend, though, with Dalla Porta’s laid back, smooth riding style theoretically suiting Mugello quite well.
Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) led the championship heading to Jerez for round four of the series, but one month later the Spaniard is without a top ten since returning to Europe and finds himself in need of a strong swing in the form this weekend as he enters it a full race win behind his compatriot, Canet. However, in 2018 – his sole appearance in Mugello – Masia crashed, so any points the Spaniard scores this weekend will be his first in the Italian Grand Prix.
John McPhee (Petronas SRT) comes to Mugello off the back of a win from pole, his first dry weather triumph in Grand Prix racing, at Le Mans two weeks ago. Since then, McPhee has expressed his desire to seek a move to Moto2 for the 2020 season, and to avoid an eighth full season in the lightweight class. Last year, a post-race test in Mugello was a minor turning point in McPhee’s season; contrarily this year McPhee will simply be hoping to pick up where he left off in France – on top.
Celestino Vietti, Moto3 race, Spanish MotoGP 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM
The success of the Scot will be of little interest to the Italian crowd, though, who will no doubt be looking out primarily for their home heroes, such as Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) who is by twenty points the leader of the rookie of the year battle; Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) who will be after his first victory in Grand Prix racing this weekend; and Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) who will be looking to add to his 2014 Italian Grand Prix victory in the 2019 edition.
The MotoGP World Championship heads to the rolling hills of Tuscany this weekend, and the Mugello circuit for the Italian Grand Prix – round six of the 2019 season.
Mugello is a special event for the crowd. Usually baked in glorious sunshine, the Italians avoid sleep, and attach amplifying devices to their motors to ensure the spectators are unable to hear the 300hp MotoGP machines as they head down to San Donato.
That in itself is a unique moment of the season: storming out of Bucine in third gear, cutting over the pit lane, the bike goes light over the crest at 170mph. Once the front wheel is settled, the rider has to direct the machine, at over 200mph, at the edge of the grass lining the track on the side of the pit wall, to cut the chevrons which separate the track from the pit lane exit. At this point the track rises, and is turning right; as it crests once more, it starts to move left again. The rider has to wrestle the bike at 220mph to keep the front wheel communicating with the floor, and turning the bike back to the left to prepare the entry to turn one at San Donato. Additionally, atop the crest the asphalt is quite bumpy, and the aerodynamic effect going on at the top of the crest means that the bikes often get out of shape. This is what caught out Michele Pirro last year on the factory Ducati, as his brake pads were knocked back, so when he grabbed the front brake at over 200mph, he had nothing, so he kept grabbing until eventually something happened- too much, in fact, as he was launched skywards, and landed hard. Pirro missed the rest of the weekend, but was thankfully back at the track on Sunday to watch Jorge Lorenzo take his first victory in red.
From the terror of San Donato, the track is equally beautiful for the remaining fourteen corners; long, rolling bends flowing up and down two sides of a valley – the beauty of Mugello is undeniable.
Marc Marquez winner of the 2018 MotoGP La Mans race. Image courtesy of Box Repsol
For some, however, it is more beautiful than for others. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), for example, has crashed out of three of his six MotoGP races in Mugello, and has only one win – in 2014 – and a single podium – in 2016 in that classic last lap battle with Jorge Lorenzo to whom he finished second. Although, there is a strange beauty for Marquez in going to Italy – one which his teammate for 2019 at Repsol Honda, Jorge Lorenzo, has relished in the past, having scored six premier class wins there, including the aforementioned triumph on the Desmosedici last year. This strange beauty is of course to be in the house of their deepest rival: Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). This year promises to be a trickier task for Lorenzo, who has missed feeling with his Honda RC213V all season. However, after being written off before the Italian Grand Prix twelve months ago, Lorenzo will be quietly optimistic of a positive weekend in Tuscany. Marquez, on the other hand, was showing good speed in the race last season, before a crash at Scarperia cost him any points, and will be hoping that the agility of the Honda will marry well with its more powerful motor for 2019, to power him to his second Italian Grand Prix victory.
Whilst there is almost an anti-beauty in Mugello for Marquez and Lorenzo, the feeling for the Italian riders at their home Grand Prix is never anything but special. Loud crowds make their presence known from dawn on Thursday, and do not let their noise dissipate until they depart on Monday – ‘Al Mugello non si dorme’.
Especially, the Italian Grand Prix is a special one for the aforementioned home favourite, Valentino Rossi. It is hard to go to Mugello without recounting Rossi’s golden years in Tuscany, where he was unbeaten between 2002 and 2008, winning on both Honda and Yamaha; but also his heartache of recent years, be it the expiration of his M1’s motor in 2016 which cost him a strong shot at the win, or his motocross accident in 2017 a week before practice began which ended his victory hopes before the weekend had even begun. This year, there is little promise of a return to the form of the early 2000s, as the Yamaha’s speed deficit to its rivals has simply become too much, which cost The Doctor against the Ducati trio in front of him in Le Mans, and with Mugello’s front stretch being the fastest of the year, it is unlikely that those issues will cease to plague him this weekend. However, the Yamaha is working well in the corners, so if Rossi can get to the front, he may have the possibility forge himself an advantage.
Andrea Dovizioso & Danilo Petrucci at Le Mans 2019. Image courtesy of Ducati
Doing that, though, will be challenging when there are three – at least – Ducatis, as well as the Hondas of Marquez and – possibly – Lorenzo lining up for their shot at Italian glory. Particularly for Ducati, this weekend is an important one. They would have expected to challenge Marquez in Le Mans, but instead the World Champion disappeared. At home, Ducati have won the last two years, first with Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) in 2017, and second with Lorenzo last season. Additionally, they have Michele Pirro with them once again, on the ‘lab’ bike – the person who tells you the spec of that motorcycle will have eaten their final meal – as well as Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) who took his first podium for the factory team in Le Mans last time out, and took his first dry weather MotoGP podium for Pramac in Mugello two years ago. Finally, there is Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) who is, firstly, after Petrucci’s seat for 2019 and, secondly, after his second rostrum of the season, and first MotoGP win since Assen 2016. It could be a big weekend for the Bologna Bullets, and they simply must beat Marquez and Honda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx2Ff7Y3_G0
Suzuki also face an important weekend, and one in which they must overcome their qualifying difficulties which limited Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) to tenth in Le Mans after starting only nineteenth and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) to only one place better in qualifying, before he crashed on the warm up lap and finished a lap down in the race.
Other riders to keep an eye on this weekend include Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) who finished second in 2015 before the Ducati could turn; Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) who is in the middle of a stunning rookie season and should have had two podiums by now; Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) who was fast in Mugello last season despite being on the disagreeable satellite Honda; and the KTM riders off the back of Pol Espargaro’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) impressive sixth place in France two weeks ago.
Fresh from the Indy 500, the IndyCar paddock heads to Detroit for the only doubleheader of the season, known as the ‘Dual in Detroit’. Some drivers are coming off the high of the 500 while others are looking to make amends after a poor performance at the Brickyard. Detroit always promises action with its tight, bumpy nature punishing mistakes very heavily.
Simon Pagenaud will be coming into Detroit on the highest of highs after winning his first Indy 500 from pole to top off an amazing Month of May. The Frenchman has won both of the last two races, however, since the Detroit doubleheader came into the series in 2012, Indy 500 champion has never won either of the races. Pagenaud will be looking to break that curse, though it’s not really something you’d put money on given the amount of media work he’s had to do in the last week and the fact that he hasn’t won around Detroit since 2013, but you never know…
Simon Pagenaud with his dog Norman in New York City during his victory tour after winning the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar
One driver very much looking to make amends for the 500 is Alexander Rossi. He may have finished second last race but, as he said in his interview after, that’s probably one of the worst places to finish at the Brickyard because of how close you are to victory. At the Indy 500, second really is the first of the losers! Despite never winning at Detroit, his best finish came last year with a third place in Race 1, Rossi always manages to be a factor in the races here, whether that be in a good way or a bad!
Last year, Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter-Reay shared the honours, after Graham Rahal dominated both races the year before. For Hunter-Reay, his win here last year ended a drought that stretched back to Pocono 2015; this year, he comes into the weekend with a winless streak of only six races, having won the last race of 2018. Dixon has actually got a longer winless streak at eleven, meaning he sits in fifth in the championship, 47 points off leader Pagenaud.
Ryan Hunter-Reay takes a cool dip in the James Scott Memorial Fountain at Belle Isle Park as the winner of Race 2 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. Credit: Joe Skibinski/IndyCar
The championship is still young with the two races at Detroit marking races seven and eight. Currently, Indy 500 winner Pagenaud leads the championship, one point ahead of teammate Josef Newgarden with Rossi 22 points off the lead in third. Takuma Sato has rather snuck into the top five, equal with Dixon, 47 points adrift. The standings become slightly more spread out after that with Santino Ferrucci as top rookie in tenth, following his stellar performance at the 500.
Detroit is a return to the street courses after the first oval of the season, but, being a doubleheader, the format is slightly different to normal. The two races are run independently of one another with each having its own two-group qualifying to decide the order. There’s no top twelve group or Fast Six, just the two groups based on practice times. All this means a driver can fail to finish Race 1 but then go onto start well in Race 2, as they don’t decide each other’s grids.
This time it’s a mere 22-car affair, after the 36 strong entry list for the 500. Max Chilton and Patricio O’Ward are back in the field after failing to qualify last time out while Ed Jones switches back to the #20 Ed Carpenter Racing entry after the boss himself ran it at the 500. Other than that, it’s all the regulars in the pack, with Jack Harvey and Ben Hanley not around again until Road America.
Practice gets underway today with the first of the qualifying sessions and Race 1 taking place on Saturday, followed by a very similar schedule on Sunday. The timings for the weekend are as follows:
May 31
Practice 1 – 10:55am (ET) / 3:55pm (BST)
Practice 2 – 2:50pm / 7:50pm
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) enjoyed a return to the podium in Saturday’s race one at Donington Park, for the third round of the 2019 British Superbike Championship, and established a championship lead going into the second BSB race of the weekend on Sunday. Alex Whitworth spoke to him on Sunday morning after the warm up session for the Superbike riders about the 2019 season so far for the #95, his step from rookie to championship contender and his adaptation to a 1000cc motorcycle.
Tarran Mackenzie. Image courtesy of Impact Images Photography/McAMS Yamaha
AW: Tarran, you returned to the podium yesterday after missing it both times in Oulton Park. Are you happy with how the race went?
TM: “Yeah, really good. Struggled a lot at Oulton Park so to come back here at my home track and get second, after leading it for a long time as well, was good. So I’m happy.”
AW: Even on the short back straight here, the Ducati has an advantage, they were coming past you a lot. That must be frustrating?
TM: “Yeah, it’s quite demoralising really, because […] you can try your best [for a lap in front] and then they pass you back down the back straight, it’s quite annoying, really. It is the way it is, though, and they are beatable, so I need to try to be a bit smoother in the first part of the lap.”
AW: You had a strong rookie year, finishing tenth in the championship, and taking some podiums towards the end of the season. You’re in your second year, now, and fighting for the championship, so what has changed for you to make that step?
TM: “Probably just a bit more experience, really, because last year I was, as you say, just a rookie. These bikes are quite hard to ride, so just getting used to it, really. [I’m with] the same team, same bike, everything is the same, so just a bit of continuity, and it’s all coming together nicely.”
AW: So, you’re leading the championship. Is 2019, then, going better than expected, or are you about where you thought you would be?
TM: “[It’s going] Better than I thought, really. I wanted to just try and be in the top six each race and, apart from Oulton [Park] race one, I’ve pretty much done that. So, to be leading the championship now, with a bit of a gap to second is good as well, so, going a lot better than expected. We just need to keep the momentum going.”
AW: You took your first win in Silverstone. Was it important to get that out of the way early?
TM: “Yeah, I wanted to win a race, that was the big goal, really, so to do that […] in the second race, that’s sort of the monkey off my back, really, so we just need to keep going for the rest of the year now, and try to stay on the podium.”
Tarran Mackenzie during the 2019 Donington Park BSB event. Image courtesy of Impact Images Photography/McAMS Yamaha
AW: You’re one of the smaller riders, so was that a particular problem when you came to Superbike?
TM: “Yeah, being vertically challenged- like at Oulton Park, when it’s hard work to rider, it’s hard – if you’re a bigger rider it makes it easier. So, yeah, it does get tough at times, but it sort of plays into my advantage at some tracks.”
AW: The Yamaha is known for being a ‘corner speed’ bike, and with you coming from some years on 600s and before that on 125/Moto3, does the R1 suit you well?
TM: “Yeah, definitely, yeah. From Moto2, as well, it was a very similar style. A lot of people have to change their riding style for a Superbike, whereas I didn’t really have to do that, which was nice for me. Some tracks it works well, some tracks it doesn’t – [Donington] is one of them [where it works well], so try to use that as an advantage. Tracks like Brands [Hatch, up next on the calendar], Silverstone, Donington, Assen, just try to use it as an advantage.”
Mackenzie finished fifth in BSB race two at Donington on Sunday, and fourth in the second race. In comparison, Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) won both races, in addition to his win in Saturday’s race, to take him to the top of the championship. Tommy Bridewell also found the podium in both of Sunday’s races, which took him ahead of Mackenzie in the championship by one point, meaning the #95 is now third in the championship and seven points off the top, with a five-podium point deficit to Redding.
Lucas di Grassi gave Audi the bragging rights over rivals BMW and HWA by claiming his second win of the season at the team’s home race. Although it was not a mirror of last year’s dominant display with Daniel Abt and di Grassi’s 1-2, the latter swept past polesitter Sebastien Buemi and remained untroubled throughout the race to move up to second in the championship, with Buemi and current reigning champion Jean-Eric Vergne claiming the remaining podium positions.
Qualifying was again crucial with group one again struggling to stay in the coveted superpole spots as the track conditions improved. Di Grassi was the quickest man in the first group whilst Andre Lotterer was hampered by the Brazilian Audi driver mistiming his lap, leaving his hopes of superpole increasingly slim. Robin Frijns also suffered with a problem with his Virgin car, coupled with a five-place penalty from the previous race to leave him dead last. HWA on the other hand, enjoyed an excellent qualifying session with Stoffel Vandoorne and Gary Paffett making their way into the top six superpole shootout. Alex Lynn also impressed to take his first appearance in superpole, but it was Nissan’s Buemi who took the spoils in the initial stages, beating out Vandoorne for the provisional top spot.
Photo by Malcolm Griffiths / FE Media
Di Grassi was the first man out on track in superpole and set the initial pace, slotting himself into P1, a position he would continue to occupy as Paffett, Lynn and Alexander Sims failed to topple the Brazilian’s time. However, it was fierce rival Buemi who continued Nissan’s impressive qualifying record to break the deadlock by four-tenths of a second. With again Vandoorne again showcased his impressive qualifying form by disposing of the Audi driver by three-tenths of a second, another excellent result for the Japanese outfit. It fell to Vandoorne and HWA to prevent the fourth Nissan pole of the season and net the coveted top spot for themselves at their home race, but Vandoorne could not match Buemi’s time, trailing the Swiss driver by three-tenths of a second. Buemi took his second pole position of the season with Vandoorne and di Grassi rounding out the top three.
Buemi managed to hold the lead in the opening stages of the race, as Vandoorne was disposed of by di Grassi for P2. Six laps later, di Grassi performed the same manoeuvre heading into turn six to snatch the lead away from the leading Nissan. It was a position that di Grassi upheld for the remainder of the race, relatively untroubled by his racing rival and spurred on by the contingent of Schaeffler and Audi fans in the grandstands. Lotterer made ground in the opening stages, fighting his way up through the order after a poor qualifying, whilst his teammate Vergne followed suit, a podium very much on his mind, carving through the field from P9. BMW’s Antonio Felix da Costa was equally spurred on to claim his second win of the season as after starting from P8, he had managed to force his way through the field to pressure Buemi for P2. Buemi conceded the spot, only to activate his attack mode and claim the position back from the BMW, leaving da Costa in P3.
Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images
As the time ticked down, Vergne began to pressure da Costa for the final podium position, with Abt and Vandoorne battling behind. Vergne eventually got the job done into turn 10, snatching P3 away as Lynn’s Jaguar forced the racing to neutralise when his car stopped on the start-finish straight with what appeared to be a hydraulics issue. It was a shame for the Jaguar driver who had been running in the points when his car stopped, bringing out the full course yellow. Another driver to be hit with bad luck was Lotterer who after storming up the standings, was forced to retire his Techeetah due to an overheating battery issue, ending his home race moments before the end.
Buemi held off a hungry Vergne in the closing stages of the race to keep hold of P2, his first podium since last season’s Marrakesh ePrix, whilst di Grassi held firm under pressure and sailed to victory, sealing a home win for Audi for the second consecutive year. The win also catapulted the Brazilian up the standings, but it was not enough to disturb current championship leader Vergne whose P3 finish allowed him to extend his lead at the top of the standings.
Formula E will return for the inaugural Bern ePrix on May 23rd.
