Maverick Vinales ended the longest winless streak in the history of the Japanese manufacturer with a blistering ride, at the Phillip Island circuit.
Having qualified in the middle of the front row Vinales (Movistar Yamaha) was a constant presence at the front during the opening stages. This in itself was an early warning sign to the field, as the young Spaniard has routinely dropped back through the pack at the start of most races this season.
After a few laps, in which to allow the tyres to warm up on the cool track surface, Vinales forced his way to the front with some brave manoeuvres at the Hayshed and over the top of Lukey Heights. Once in the lead the Yamaha man pulled clear from his rivals with ease, setting a series of fastest lap times until he’d opened up a more than manageable lead of 4 seconds…
There was a ferocious race-long battle for the remaining podium places. Andrea Iannone (Team Ecstar Suzuki) eventually secured second place, after holding off the ever-present Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) in third. The two Italians wound back the clocks to Austria 2016, when (then as Ducati teammates) they’d diced it out for victory.
Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) first weekend on the 2018 factory Desmosedici machine, secured a brilliant fourth place. Replacing the injured Jorge Lorenzo, the achievement of Bautista cannot be understated. Prior to this week he had never ridden the 2018 Desmosedici before, perhaps reflected in his relatively modest starting place on the grid – P12. Powering his way up the order and once settled into his rhythm, he was not be moved outside of the top five, even leading his team leader for multiple laps. A strong display from arguably the most underrated rider on the grid.
Alvaro Bautista stormed through the field at Phillip Island on his debut appearance for the factory Ducati team.
Although Bautista eventually dropped back from Dovizioso and Iannone in the closing stages, he had more than enough in hand to fend off Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) and Alex Rins (Team Ecstar Suzuki). Both men had fancied their chances in the run up to this weekend of emerging with at least a podium finish to their names. Rins will not be too disappointed with his fifth place as in truth his Suzuki, whilst working well through the faster flowing corners, struggled visibly down the main straight with a lack of power. Rossi, despite wringing every ounce of performance from his M1, will leave the circuit tonight wondering how on earth his teammate could cruise to victory whilst he could only manage P6.
Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Ducati) was the first independent rider under the chequered flag, giving the passionate and knowledgeable home crowd yet another reason to cheer. On an old GP17 machine, the popular Australian gave it everything – even leading on the opening laps as he had done so this time last year. Although disappointed in his personal result, his team were in a very celebratory mood after the race and with good reason – Two Ducatis in the parc ferme winners’ enclosure (Miller and Dovizioso). Additionally, five riders aboard Desmosedici machines scored points – compared to this time last year when the best finisher for the manufacturer was Scott Redding in a very modest fourteenth place.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and Johann Zarco (Tech3 Monster Yamaha) involved in a frightening collision on the entry to turn 1 early in the race. Approaching the fast right hand bend, Marquez moved across to the left hand side of the track to open up the corner entry. However, unsighted for the Spaniard, was Zarco’s Yamaha. With nowhere to go, and no time to take any evasive action, the Frenchman struck the back of the Honda and speared off into the gravel – reportedly at around 280kph. The Yamaha was completely wrecked in the aftermath, but thankfully Zarco walked away shaken but not stirred. True testament to the both the trackside safety measures, and the air-bags inside the riders’ leathers. Marquez retired from the race soon after, but both will be fit to fight it out again next week in Malaysia.
Bradley Smith secured a solid finish in tenth place for the Red Bull KTM team. Prior to the race it had been another difficult weekend for the 27-year old, but dug in once again dragging the RC18 kicking and screaming into a very respectable position.
Finally. a mention for Belgian rider Xavier Simeon (Avintia Reale Ducati) who scored his first point in the MotoGP world championship with fifteenth place. It has been a difficult debut season for him, having spent the majority of it aboard the outdated GP16 Desmosedici. However, since Tito Rabat sustained his broken leg at Silverstone, Simeon has been on a GP17 machine and today he showed he can be competitive in the premier class.
Rich Energy, a UK Limited company which produces energy drinks much like Red Bull and Monster Energy, has been confirmed for the 2019 season. Haas have signed them as their title sponsor, so the team becomes Rich Energy Haas F1 Team. They had a deal pretty much sealed with Williams but decided to go elsewhere, showing a sign of the times in current F1 racing.
Williams are in need of a title sponsor as Martini are leaving them at the end of the season and this deal was the answer to their woes. They had it confirmed with meetings but nothing written and signed. With a poor 2018 season not helping them, albeit being such a legendary name in F1. Rich Energy have gone elsewhere as Haas can provide more TV time as they are more likely to be at the front of the field. Williams may struggle to get any sponsors, much like Mclaren, which could put financial strain on the team.
Haas, on the other hand, have many stories circulating in the rumour mill for the American team. Is this a true sign of future commitment to the sport? Owner Gene Haas has put forward alot of his own money and with this he could relax as they enter their third season. With Rich Energy’s colour scheme being black and gold, this is going to be a total refresh for the Haas.
One question that does arise is about finance – with new rules and regulations coming in for 2019 and 2020, do they need the investment to compete? It will be interesting to see what will come of it. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen have kept their seats for 2019, so familiarity with the team and car could make high finishes and podiums a possibility in 2019. Time will tell.
Combining one of the most thrilling tracks and the most unpredictable classes, makes for very entertaining viewing. Moto3 is descending upon Phillip Island in Australia and it looks to be a promising one with defending champion Joan Mir no longer in Moto3, the win could be anyone’s.
As has been the case for the majority of this season, it’s Jorge Martin (Gresini) and Marco Bezzecchi (Prustel) who need to score big points as the 2018 season draws to a close soon. With just one point between them, Martin will be looking to extend his lead and Bezzecchi will be doing all he can to overtake Martin and clinch a possible Championship title.
The three Italians who make up 3rd-5thshouldn’t be overlooked as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini) looks to come back from his awful Motegi high side (his participation at Phillip Island was hit or miss for a second). Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) is in 4thand will want to secure some much needed points (33 to draw level with Di Giannantonio) to make it to the top 3 in time for the season ending, and Lorenzo Della Porta (Leopard Racing) will want to continue to fine form he’s had and maybe step onto the podium once again.
However, the Island is formidable and when the weather is wreaking havoc with races, the wildlife can get in the way too. And both of these things can play a huge part in how makes it to the end of a race, let alone scores points. The possible wet weather will mean that the likes of Martin, who ride well in rainy conditions, have the chance to do well but T1 is arguable the fastest corner on the racing calendar so when all the riders pile into this corner first time round – it could catch a few riders out. It’s also been very cold the last few days, meaning that cold tyres will be something all riders need to be aware of.
There are 7 left hand corners (to 5 right hand corners) so the tyres should warm on all side relatively evenly but this could still catch riders out in the opening laps before their tyres are properly heated. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Phillip Island preview if the wildlife isn’t brought up. The main culprits are seagulls but other wildlife has wondered on track in the past, and it’s hard enough racing but dodging animals makes the AusGP a unique experience.
With 2018 bringing in the 29th Phillip Island GP, only Sunday will reveal whether it was the weather, wildlife or the own fault of the riders that messes up someone’s Grand Prix weekend.
Kawasaki Racing Team secured their fourth 1-2 finish of the season, as Jonathan Rea led home Tom Sykes under the floodlights of Losail.
Rea made the holeshot from the grid to take the lead at turn 1 and, as so often is the case, began pulling clear from the field almost immediately. Once with a manageable gap, the newly-crowned 4x world champion was able to dictate terms with his familiar metronomic rhythm. Today’s victory makes it 17 for the Northern Irishman this season – equalling the record set by Doug Polen, way back in 1991.
Tom Sykes, in his final weekend for the Kawasaki Racing Team has not been prepared to go out on a whimper. The Yorkshireman secured pole position in qualifying earlier this afternoon, and also had his sights set on victory. Whilst his teammate ensured that this was impossible, Sykes secured second place – his first podium finish in five races (and his eighth of the season).
Such is the vast length of the Losail International Circuit (5.38km) and the technical nature of the corners, within a couple of laps there were considerable time gaps already opening up between the various groups of riders. Nevertheless, there was action aplenty as riders diced and duelled with each other.
Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Ducati) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Ducati) thrilling fight over fourth and fifth places. Lacking the cornering stability of the factory counterparts, Fores produced a strong defensive ride on his independent Ducati, utilising the raw horsepower to pull as much of an advantage down the 1km long main straight, and holding a defensive line through the sweeping corners. However disaster stuck for the Spaniard as technical issues forced him to drop back through the pack – eventually crawling home in P13.
His loss was very much Melandri’s gain, as well as more than a fair amount of relief. Despite throwing everything at him, the factory Ducati man could not find a way past the independent Ducati rider. The Italian, who is seeking a new ride for next season, finished in P5 – collecting a very respectable 11 points for the factory backed outfit.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Ducati) started P11 on the grid and immediately set about trying to carve his way up the order. Doubtless he was motivated on by the ongoing battle for second place in the championship with Dutch rider Michael Van der Mark (Pata Yamaha). Van der Mark eventually finished in P7, taking the bragging rights today and ensuring that this personal battle for honours goes down to the final race tomorrow. Both riders however were royally mugged in the closing stages by Loris Baz (Gulf Althea BMW). The Frenchman had done a remarkable job of preserving his tyres, and blasted past the duo who could offer no reply.
Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha) were locked in a thrilling battle for the final place on the podium. Both riders have looked strong throughout the weekend so far, with Laverty firmly putting himself in the proverbial shop window for a potential ride with Red Bull Honda next season. However it was Lowes who emerged the triumphant, forcing his R1 machine past the Aprilia on the final lap, holding on to third place through the final corners. Laverty will at least have the consolation of starting from pole position on tomorrow’s partially reversed grid.
Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda) secured his best finish of the season so far, with a hard fought ninth place. It has been a tough debut season for the young American, with his place under much scrutiny in recent weeks. A solid return of points today might go some way to securing his future in the class for 2019. Additionally, the result makes up for his teammate Leon Camier who crashed out with 10 laps of the race remaining.
Rounding out the top ten, and being the first independent rider home, was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Puccetti Kawasaki). The Turkish star once again managed to extract the most amount of performance from his ZX-10R machine, fighting with the Hondas and Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) for much of the race.
The 19th round of the 2018 Formula One World Championship brings us to the 4.3 kilometre-long Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the Mexican Grand Prix, where the world championship is set to be decided in Lewis Hamilton’s favour.
The circuit is named after brothers Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez. The first ever Mexican Grand Prix took place in 1962 in a non-championship event and, tragically, Ricardo was killed during the race, with Pedro carrying the Mexican Grand Prix into the world championship the following year.
1992 would be the last race in Mexico for 23 years, before the circuit’s reintroduction as a revamped circuit in 2015, with the victory being taken by Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg.
A week after narrowly missing out on his fifth world title in the US – the country where he desperately wanted to get the job done – Lewis Hamilton now will need just a seventh place finish to overtake Sebastian Vettel on the world championship count.
After a brilliant race last time out, it was a third place finish for Hamilton, behind second-placed Max Verstappen, who started 18th, and extremely popular race winner Kimi Raikkonen, who took his first win in Formula One since the opening race of 2013.
Off the back of that, Mexico is a track where we should expect a tight battle between all three of F1’s top teams. Max Verstappen won the race last season, and Red Bull are anticipating another strong weekend this year. Furthermore, Ferrari are expected to be slightly stronger than Mercedes, which for really the first time this year, gives us a race in which any of our top six could take the win.
Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
A win is something Sebastian Vettel will desperately want, having seen his team-mate win in the States. In order to achieve this, however, he will need a weekend free from mistakes. The four-time champion has proven to be a bit of a magnet to the two Red Bulls in the past couple of races, hitting Max Verstappen in Japan and Daniel Ricciardo in the States.
However, a perfect weekend with a victory will probably not be enough for Vettel to keep his title hopes alive, and he would need a remarkable amount of bad luck for Lewis Hamilton who, excluding his DNF in Austria, has a lowest finishing position of fifth.
As if the task weren’t difficult enough already, Ferrari will have to factor in the Red Bulls, who will up for a fight for victory at a track where they will be brimming with confidence. Verstappen will be a tough man to pass, and Ricciardo will be desperate to get one last win before he leaves the team for Renault at the end of the season. This, though, could also be a potential banana skin for Lewis Hamilton, making Mexico an eagerly anticipated race at the tail-end of a season which has seen Mercedes turn the tables on Ferrari from the start of the year and give them a vicious beat-down in the championship.
It was an uphill struggle already for Vettel, but a series of errors from himself and Ferrari this year have meant that Hamilton is one step away from title number five, and in a race just a week before Mexico’s death festival, we are set to once again see the death of Sebastian Vettel’s title challenge, and the rise of Lewis Hamilton to the level of the great Juan Manuel Fangio.
Featured image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
The Australian Moto2 Grand Prix this weekend presents the first opportunity for Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) to become a World Champion.
The retrospective disqualification of Fabio Quartararo (Conveyors MB – Speed Up) in Japan last week handed the championship leader his eighth win of the season, and allowed him to increase his championship lead over Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to 37 points. So, with two rounds to go after this weekend, Bagnaia needs a fifty-point advantage over Oliveira (who has two wins this year, and therefore cannot surpass Bagnaia’s total) at the end of the Australian Moto2 race to clinch the title before Sepang next week. That means Bagnaia needs to out-score his Portuguese rival by 13 points this weekend, and the most straightforward way which that can happen is with Bagnaia winning and Oliveira finishing no higher than fifth.
So, it’s possible that Bagnaia can be crowned this weekend, if somewhat unlikely. Oliveira’s season has not been an outstanding one, in that he hasn’t won an incredible number of races or had an obvious advantage on the field, but he has been incredibly consistent. Of the fifteen races so far this season, Oliveira has been on the podium in ten of them. In a year when the Moto2 field is arguably as tight as it ever has been, if not tighter, to miss the podium on only five occasions is quite impressive.
The problem for Oliveira has been winning, and that problem has been largely a consequence of his poor qualifying. Again, of the sixteen qualifying sessions so far (one more QP than races this season because Silverstone was rained off) Oliveira has qualified in the top ten only eight times, and on the front three rows only seven times. Furthermore, Oliveira has only one front row in 2018, which came back in Austria where he was second to Bagnaia.
On the positive side for Oliveira, though, is the Phillip Island circuit itself. The Portuguese has two wins at the Australian track, coming in 2015 and 2017. His win in Phillip Island last season kicked off his end-of-season triple-win, as he won the final three races of the season in Australia, Malaysia and Valencia. The #44 rider is going to need a similar run of form in the final three races of 2018 if he is to stand a chance of overcoming Bagnaia.
In fact, it could be that Oliveira’s KTM Ajo teammate, Brad Binder, proves one of the Portuguese’s strongest challengers. This is for two reasons: Binder’s form in the last races, and his recent form at Phillip Island.
Since Aragon, where Binder won, he has been at least a match for Oliveira in each race; playing the role of the good teammate in Thailand, even if he could do nothing about the later-race pace of Bagnaia’s Sky Racing Team VR46 teammate, Luca Marini; before battling for the entirety of the Japanese Grand Prix with Oliveira last weekend, to the misery of Red Bull KTM Ajo team boss, Aki Ajo.
About his Australian Grand Prix form, Binder has taken two podiums in the last two years, including a win in 2016. No doubt Binder will be after the win this weekend, but crucially it could work well for Oliveira should the #44 be unable to fight for the victory.
Whereas the two Red Bull KTM Ajo riders were on the podium in Australia last season, Francesco Bagnaia could only manage twelfth, so the way the weekend pans out for the championship contenders and their teammates (Luca Marini was the 23rd and last finisher in Phillip Island last year) will be fascinating.
Similarly interesting will be the performance of Jesko Raffin (SAG Team), who was a surprise in fourth place last year at the Island, ahead of the likes of Xavi Vierge and Alex Marquez, both of whom will be looking for better results compared to Japan last time out where Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) missed the podium with fourth and Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) could only manage seventh.
Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) will also be after an improvement on his Japanese GP result, as he finished down in eleventh, but the reigning Moto3 World Champion will have good memories of the Australian Grand Prix, as he won the lightweight class race at Phillip Island in 2017.
And, of course, after his partly controversial and muchly discussed Japanese DSQ, Fabio Quartararo will be desperate to find himself on the podium this weekend. The smooth riding style of the Frenchman, and his sweeping lines, should suit the fast turns of Phillip Island, and he could too have his hand to play in the Bagnaia vs Oliveira championship battle.
Contrarily, Augusto Fernandez’ progression at the moment is seemingly relentless, and a sixth place in Japan last time out only went further to proving that, and that the decision of HP40 Pons to retain the Spaniard for next year was a good one.
But, with the 2018 Moto2 World Championship on the line for the first time this weekend, all eyes will be on the relative performances of Francesco Bagnaia and Miguel Oliveira.
The 2018 MotoGP Championship rumbles on this weekend to the spectacular Phillip Island circuit, just off the mainland of Australia.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) is now freed of the pressure to secure the championship, having secured the title last time out at Motegi. As such, the 25-year old has licence to throw all caution to the wind in pursuit of yet another victory. It has been another remarkable season in the career of the Spanish rider, who has become the youngest 7x world champion (and youngest 5x premier class champion).
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) is looking to make it a second victory in three years at the circuit. The British rider has been in excellent form this year, piloting the factory-supported satellite Honda to fifth place in the championship – including victory in Argentina and podium finishes at Misano and Japan. Crutchlow is under no illusions that victory (or even a podium finish) will come easy, despite his strong record at this track. In the Thursday press conference he was reported saying as many as ten different riders all have a realistic chance to take the spoils on Sunday.
Cal Crutchlow destroyed the field to win the 2016 Australian Grand Prix
The characteristics of the Phillip Island circuit may benefit the teams which are traditionally more stable handed through long, sweeping corners. As such, both Team Ecstar Suzuki and Movistar Yamaha have potentially much to gain. The latter will particularly be determined to produce a strong result, having struggled throughout the season. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) and Alex Rins (Suzuki) respectively will be expected to lead the charges for their teams again this weekend. Rossi will be desperate to not only break Yamaha’s duck for the season, and end the team’s winless drought which stretches back to Assen, 2017.
For Rins, there is now the feeling it is just a matter of time before the Catalan rider wins his first grand prix. The 22-year old has secured multiple podium finishes this season – his most recent being a hard fought 3rd place last time out in Japan. In addition, he has been a regular presence inside the top 5 since the summer break. Phillip Island presents him with perhaps the best chance of the season to claim victory, and become the first Suzuki rider to win a grand prix since Maverick Vinales at Silverstone in 2016.
Alvaro Bautista makes his bow as a factory Ducati rider, this weekend. The former 125cc world champion is standing in for the injured Jorge Lorenzo at Phillip Island, and could potentially be doing the same next weekend in Malaysia. Bautista has comprehensively outperformed the GP16 and GP17 Desmosedici machines, regularly finishing races inside the top 10. The promotion to the factory team is also a very public ‘thank you’ from Ducati Corse, before he moves to World Superbikes in 2019 for the Aruba.it Ducati squad on the new V4 Panigale.
Local rider Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Ducati) will be hoping to give the partisan home crowd something to shout about this weekend. The Australian has, by his own admission, struggled for consistency on the year-old GP17 Desmosedici machine. His best result this season was a fourth place finish at the Argentinian Grand Prix, a round which also saw him secure his maiden pole position. However, one need only cast their mind back to this time last year when, aboard the truly uncompetitive MarcVDS Honda, Miller took and held the lead of the race during the opening laps at the island. Now on a Ducati, there is every possibility of at least a podium finish should he keep the bike on the tarmac.
Finally, MotoGP welcomes back another Australian rider this weekend. Mike Jones is stepping in at the Angel Nieto Team, whilst Bautista is at the factory Ducati team. Jones is a familiar name to the paddock, having ridden for Avintia Ducati back in 2016 and scoring a championship point. A former Australian Superbike Champion, another chance to perform in front of his home crowds is a self-confessed dream come true for the affable 24-year old from Queensland.
The curtain falls on the 2018 Superbike World Championship under the floodlights of the Losail Circuit.
So here we are, after twelve rounds and seven months of globe trotting, the FIM Superbike World Championship reaches its final round this weekend at the Losail International Circuit, in Qatar.
It is the final time that the current race format will be used. From 2019 onwards World Superbikes will have three races each weekend, comprised of two ‘regular’ length races and one shorter ‘sprint’. The precise details – such as scheduling and points allocation for the sprint are yet to be confirmed. The general understanding is that the regular length races will remain in their current slots (one each at the end of Saturday and Sunday), whilst the sprint will begin Sunday’s race program.
As ever, all eyes will be on Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea. Having completed another victory double last time out in Argentina, the reigning world champion has his sites set on breaking the outright points record for a single season. It should be worth noting that Rea currently holds the record, having finished the 2017 campaign with a total of 556. To break his own record, Rea will need to score 37 points, which in simplest terms equates to a race win (25pts) and a fourth place finish (13pts).
There is also another record which the Northern Irishman could break this year – the number of race victories in a season. Another double this weekend will see Rea catch and surpass the current record of 17 wins in a season – set by Doug Polen, on a Ducati, way back in 1991. Should he do that, then only the record for number of world championships would remain on his hit-list.
Jonathan Rea is set to break all the records in WorldSBK history.
Across the other side of the KRT garage, and there is a real sense of the end of an era. Tom Sykes will ride for the team for the final time this weekend, bringing down the curtain on an eight-year relationship with the Japanese marque. Whilst this season has been difficult for the Yorkshireman, both rider and team can look back fondly over a period of considerable success, including 34 wins and 47 pole positions. Not to mention that Sykes claimed the first championship crown for the team back in 2013. Both he and the team will be hoping to go out on a high, with one final victory together.
The ‘end of an era’ feeling is magnified further in the Aruba.it Ducati garage. For the Ducati Corse supported team, they say farewell to both Marco Melandri and the V-twin engine Panigale R machine this weekend. Whilst there is an undeniable level of disappointment in the team, that the Panigale has failed to follow in the wheel tracks of its illustrious predecessors (every previous Ducati Superbike model has been ridden at least 1 championship title), it has been tempered by the testing results of the upcoming Panigale V4 machine – which is being introduced for 2019.
Nevertheless, much is on the line this weekend for Ducati’s number one rider, Chaz Davies. The Welshman has battled injury ever since the mid-season break, having broken his collarbone in a crash during training. The highly physical demands of the somewhat volatile Ducati, have ensured the injury has not healed. Despite this considerable setback, Davies is still fighting for second place in the championship. With the Losail circuit traditionally playing to the Panigale’s straight line strength, the Qatar round presents Davies with his best chance of securing a brace of strong results for the first time since back at Imola.
Michael Van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) is also gunning for second place in the championship and, sitting just 16 points behind Davies, knows it is a very realistic possibility. The Dutchman has had an outstanding campaign, and has fully lived up to his pre-season billing as the most exciting prospect of the series. Two race wins and a further eight podium finishes this season, have put the 25-year old in pole position to secure that second place overall.
Will it be Chaz Davies (Left) or Michael Van der Mark (Right) who finishes as ‘Best of the Rest’ this season?
This week also sees the final outing for the Shaun Muir Racing team, in their current guise as Milwaukee Aprilia. After weeks of speculation, the team will switch from running Aprilia machinery, to the newly updated BMW S1000RR. The deal reportedly also includes significant factory support from the German manufacturer. As a result of this, it is all change as far as the riders are concerned. Sykes moves across from KRT, whilst Markus Reiterberger moves up from the – now defunct – European Superstock 1000 class having won the championship aboard a BMW.
The decision to hire two new riders for 2019 leaves the current incumbents (Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori) without a ride for next season. Both riders feel they should be at one of the factory supported teams. This is especially the case for Laverty who has taken two podium finishes and a pole position this season, on his way to scoring 145 points. At time of writing there is just one seat left available with such a team – Red Bull Honda. Expect the pair to throw the kitchen sink and more this weekend, as they desperately try to secure that seat for themselves.
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Catalunya (SPA) – WRC 05/10/2017 to 08/10/2017 – PHOTO : @World
It’s time for the only dual surface event of the year. Friday sees gravel stages mainly and then Saturday and Sunday, some very fast asphalt roads! Three drivers and two rallies! Toyota now have the fastest car I believe, and Ott Tanak can win this event. After his retirement on day two in Wales, and only scoring a few powerstage points, he is now 21 points from championship leader Thierry Neuville and 14 points behind Sebastian Ogier. The Frenchman’s win last time out, has really helped him back into the fight to retain his title.
Meantime, Thierry is in the box seat to take his first title, but being first on the road is going to hurt his pace on Friday. He will hope for a podium finish, keeping the points loss to a minimum. The only way he could win the title is if both Seb and Ott don’t score any points at all.
Now, who else could feature on the podium? Well, there could be any number of drivers- Dani Sordo returns for Hyundai and could challenge for the top places. Craig Breen is another and finally, Elfyn could as well.
Returning to the championship for the final time this year are erstwhile Citroen crew Seb Loeb and Daniel Elena, who have won this rally an incredible eight times, including three times after it switched to being a dual surface event in 2010. The French aces will almost certainly challenge for stage victories.
Seb Loeb and Daniel Elena. Photo credit Citroen Racing.
Now, here are the stages that the crews face. Eighteen stages totalling 331.58km. Now after Friday’s stages, the teams have the usual seventy-five minutes to convert the cars from gravel spec, to tarmac spec.
RALLY DE ESPAÑA SCHEDULE (GMT+2)
THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER
8.00am: Shakedown – Salou (2.00km)
1.15pm: Start (Salou)
6.08pm: SS1 – Barcelona (3.20km)
8.08pm: Parc ferme (PortAventura)
FRIDAY 26 OCTOBER
8.00am: Service A (PortAventura – 15 mins)
9.33am: SS2 – Gandesa 1 (7.00km)
10.06am: SS3 – Pesells 1 (26.59km)
11.20am: SS4 – La Fatarella – Vilalba 1 (38.85km)
1.35pm: Service B (PortAventura – 30 mins)
3.23pm: SS5 – Gandesa 2 (7.00km)
3.56pm: SS6 – Pesells 2 (26.59km)
5.10pm: SS7 – La Fatarella – Vilalba 2 (38.85km)
7.20pm: Flexi Service C (PortAventura – 1 hr 15 mins)
SATURDAY 27 OCTOBER
6.45am: Service D (PortAventura – 15 mins)
8.23am: SS8 – Savallà 1 (14.12km)
9.08am: SS9 – Querol 1 (21.26km)
10.08am: SS10 – El Montmell 1 (24.40km)
11.43am: Service E (PortAventura – 30 mins)
1.28pm: SS11 – Savallà 2 (14.12km)
2.10pm: SS12 – Querol 2 (21.26km)
3.08pm: SS13 – El Montmell 2 (24.40km)
5.00pm: SS14 – Salou (2.24km)
5.30pm: Flexi Service F (PortAventura – 45 mins)
SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER
6.45am: Service G (PortAventura – 15 mins)
7.35am: SS15 – Riudecanyes 1 (16.35km)
8.38am: SS16 – Santa Marina 1 (14.50km)
9.45am: Service H (PortAventura – 30 mins)
10.50am: SS17 – Riudecanyes 2 (16.35km)
12.18pm: SS18 – Santa Marina 2 Power Stage (14.50km)
1.41pm: Service I (PortAventura – 10 mins)
2.01pm: Podium (Salou)
The longest day is Saturday, with the most stages and has the earliest start as well. Let’s hear from the drivers and their hopes.
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“These two final rallies of the season are massively important for us in the championship fight. We have lost some ground in the past couple of events, but we are still on top and we won’t give up without a fight. The opening day on gravel will be particularly vital in setting the tone for the rest of the weekend, so we have to start strongly. We know we have had some deficiencies on tarmac this season but we have worked hard on that and hope we can see the fruits of that hard work.”
2017 FIA World Rally Championship Round 11, Rally de Espaa 05 – 08 October 2017 Thierry Neuville, Nicolas Gilsoul, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Photographer: Sarah Vessely Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Andreas Mikkelsen
“We have made important steps in the past few rallies, which have not really been reflected in our overall results. The feeling and rhythm I have had with the i20 Coupe WRC has allowed me to pick up stage wins and to fight at the top end of the field. This is greatly encouraging. Rally Spain could be good for us. I feel that we have made some improvements on tarmac in preparation for this event. We have to see if all our homework pays off. It will be a crucial rally for the championship, so we have to be on top of our game.”
Dani Sordo
“Rally de España is one of the most special events of the whole year for me. Nothing can replace the feeling we get when competing on home soil and in front of such passionate supporters. It makes for a tremendous atmosphere from the opening super special right through to the Power Stage.
“The gravel-to-tarmac schedule is like no other rally we tackle, and requires a very different approach. It’s been a long time since Portugal, my last event on gravel, so it will be a tough start even with a beneficial road position. We know the car is strong on loose surface, while we also have some evolutions for tarmac so I hope we can perform stronger than in Germany.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“We go to Spain on a high after securing victory in Wales, and reducing the gap at the head of the championship standings to seven points. With just two events left to contest, the title race is really hotting up, and we’ll need to deliver another strong result if we want to defend our crown.
“The competition is really exciting and I’m looking forward to this event which I enjoy a lot. The dual surface element of this rally makes it a unique fixture on the calendar and you need to adapt quickly to each change in terrain.”
“The support we get in Salou every year also provides extra motivation and everyone can count on Julien and I giving everything to bring home another strong result for the championship.”
Elfyn Evans
“We go to the Spain determined to secure a good result. Luck hasn’t been on our side this year, but the speed is there and we’ll be looking to close the season with some strong results.”
“As the only mixed-surface encounter on the calendar, there’s no other event quite like this one. We start the rally in gravel specification before everything is lowered and stiffened for Catalunya’s circuit-like asphalt.”
“It’s quite a strategic rally and our plan will be to give it a big push through the gravel on Friday, before seeing where we are for the weekend’s asphalt – which really is like driving on a racetrack in places!”
Teemu Suninen
“I have contested Rally Spain every year since my debut season in 2015 and it’s an event I like a lot. I’m looking forward to heading back there this year and attacking the stages for the first time in a world rally car.”
“We had a test on the Spanish asphalt last week and the car felt good immediately. The set-up for this sort of asphalt is pretty unique and you can really attack the stages like you would on a circuit. The gravel stages are quite narrow and similar to those in Portugal.”
“This is a rally that demands commitment if you want to challenge for a good result, and we plan to deliver that and challenge for a positive result next week.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Ott Tänak
“I am looking forward to driving again in Spain. We still have a chance in the drivers’ championship and we are not going to give up. In a way it is more straightforward for us: we just have to win the last two rallies and see what happens.”
“I can be confident about our performance on both gravel and asphalt, as we have been strong on both surfaces recently. Still, we are always trying to improve and we had a good pre-event test where we were able to work on some things to make everything as good as possible before the rally.”
Jari-Matti Latvala
“I am really excited about Spain and the chance to score a great result to help our bid for the manufacturers’ championship. It is a rally I have always enjoyed: the asphalt stages there are particularly nice to drive.
“In my pre-event test last week, I was fortunate to experience both damp and dry conditions, and I have a good feeling with the car. Personally, I am on a nice run at the moment and the goal is to keep this going until the end of the season.”
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Catalunya (SPA) – WRC 05/10/2017 to 08/10/2017 – PHOTO : @World
Esapekka Lappi
“I am fully committed to helping the team fight for the manufacturers’ title over the final two events of the season. As a team we have had some really nice results recently and I hope to continue that in Spain.”
“I like the challenge of the two surfaces: as a driver you do need to adapt to the chance but I think we all get used to it pretty quickly. The asphalt stages in Spain are very special and I really enjoy driving them. Unfortunately, I made a mistake last year but hopefully I can use that experience this time to have a strong finish.”
Citroen Abu Dhabi Racing
Sébastien Loeb
“After setting some good times on both surfaces in Mexico and in Corsica, I’d love to get through an entire rally without making any mistakes. My two days of testing went well. It’s now up to me to put it all together, from start to finish. The standard is so high that it would be pretentious to say that I’ll be able to challenge the three title contenders, but I hope to be more or less on the pace. If it’s dry on day one, then we’ll need to make the most of the potential advantage of our road position, because lots of things always happen on this leg, with hidden, embedded rocks pretty much everywhere.”
Craig Breen
“I’m excited to be racing on tarmac again, my favourite surface, especially as there are always a lot of Irish fans who come over for this rally. I’m also pleased that there have been some changes to the first leg on gravel, given that I haven’t competed here for two years. For the tarmac leg, I’ll be looking to my past in karting to get my bearings quickly on these sweeping, circuit-style roads. I’ll need to keep it as clean and tidy as possible. I’ll certainly be looking to pick up where I left off in Wales and fight for a podium finish.”
Khalid Al Qassimi
“I’m delighted to be back at this rally. I’ve always loved racing here, especially the leg on gravel, even if it is always tricky. Switching from one surface to another during the weekend calls for a good ability to adapt and that’s what makes this round such a difficult, but really interesting challenge.”
Now, there are also a number of WRC2 R5 cars running this weekend, but the most anticipated has to be the debut of Volkswagen Motorsport’s Polo GTi R5. Driving the two cars are 2003 world champion Petter Solberg and Eric Camilli. Also, Citroen are running C3 R5 and Hyundai have a i20 R5 too!
Here’s their thoughts!
Volkswagen Motorsport
Petter Solberg
“Spain was the venue of my last WRC rally in 2012,” says an emotional Solberg. “It feels great to be heading back there now. Particularly with this car and this team. The combination of gravel and tarmac will be a big challenge for me. After all, it is six years since I drove in a WRC rally. However, one way or another, it will be a fantastic weekend – with old rally friends and passionate fans out on the route.”
Eric Camilli testing the Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 in Spain
Eric Camilli
“It is a great honour for me to be involved in Spain. I have completed a lot of test kilometres and am really looking forward to finally getting to drive the Polo GTI R5 at a rally,” says Camilli. “The first outing with a completely new car is always very special, and you have to be ready for anything. However, I know that we have prepared as well as possible and do not believe that we need to fear our more established opponents.”
Citroen Racing
Stéphane Lefebvre
“I really like this rally and the fact that it is a mixed surface event. You have to be good at both parts, which are very different. First of all, on very technical gravel roads, and then on the sweeping, circuit-style tarmac roads where you really need to be very accurate in your lines. We have a couple of test days before the start, one on each surface, so we’ll be starting the rally determined to finish our WRC2 campaign in style.”
Citroen C3R5. Photo credit, Citroen Racing.
Hyundai Driver Development
Jari Huttunen
“Wales was arguably the most encouraging WRC2 weekend we’ve had this year. Of course, we were confident and fast in Finland but at the last event we really put into practice a full twelve months of development and hard work. The improvements have been good but we also know we have more to learn. Spain will be a new event for us, so we will have a bigger challenge against the main WRC2 contenders, who will no doubt set a high benchmark. Our aim is to get as close to them as we can and pick up experience of a mixed gravel/tarmac rally.”
2018 FIA World Rally Championship Round 11, Wales Rally GB 04-07 October 2018 Jari Huttunen, Antti Linnaketo, Hyundai New Generation i20 R5 Photographer: Helena El Mokni Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Well, we are set for a dramatic end to the season and anything could happen. You can follow the weekend with WRC+ Live and live timing on the EWRC site too.
The United States Grand Prix had the potential to see the crowning of a five-time world champion. Taking place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, F1 entered the eighteenth round of the 2018 season with a 67-point difference between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
With only three races left after this one, it would need a miracle for Vettel to overturn that gap and take his fifth world championship. A win for Hamilton in the US Grand Prix meant that Vettel couldn’t afford to finish third or below, as this would extend the gap to over 75 points and hand the championship to Hamilton. Did the (American) dream end here for Vettel?
In qualifying it was a heated battle up front. Lewis Hamiltom claimed pole, with only seven hundredths of a second covering the top three. Behind him were Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas, with Vettel being demoted to fifth because of a penalty he was given after free practice for failing to slow down sufficiently under a red flag.
One notable name missing from that top ten was Max Verstappen. He set a fast lap in Q1 and advanced to Q2, but broke the rear suspension of the car after he hit a sausage kerb. Red Bull didn’t have enough time to fix the car, and he didn’t set a time. To add insult to injury, Red Bull had to change his gearbox, leaving him with a grid penalty and an eighteenth place starting slot.
Once the lights went out, Räikkönen made a great start and overtook Hamilton on the inside going into turn one, with mayhem breaking out behind them. Vettel tried to overtake Ricciardo, but crashed into the Australian and spun. He rejoined in fourteenth place, behind Vandoorne. He made up some places very quickly, but he still was twenty-two seconds behind his teammate, who was leading the race.
Verstappen was already in seventh place after five laps and was closing on his team-mate, when Ricciardo once again suffered an engine issue and had to come to a stop at the side of the track.
The parked Red Bull brought out the Virtual Safety Car, with Mercedes calling Hamilton in to change from the supersofts onto the softs. He re-emerged in third place, eight seconds behind Raikkonen.
Valtteri Bottas was asked on lap fourteen to let Hamilton through, and Hamilton set about closing the gap to the race leader, who was on the ultrasofts, and eventually catching up on lap nineteen. The Mercedes made it to within DRS range, but couldn’t get past. After defending all the way through sector three, Raikkonen came into the pits and changed onto the softs.
A strange call from the Ferrari team came on lap twenty-five, when Vettel was asked to let his teammate go by. He was then overtaken by Verstappen before he had the chance to go into the pits, and dropped out of the podium positions. By the halfway mark of the race he was 43 seconds behind race-leader Hamilton and in fifth place.
Hamilton started to struggle due to blisters on the rear tyres, allowing Vettel to close the gap back to less than thirty seconds. On lap 37 it became clear Hamilton wouldn’t be able to make it to the end, and he came in for another pit stop. He re-emerged in fourth place, ahead of Vettel and with Raikkonen still leading.
For the second time in the race, Bottas was asked to let Hamilton by, with his team-mate on the fresher tyres and charging his way back up. By lap 45 the top three were very close, with two seconds separating Raikkonen and Vertappen, and another three second gap to Hamilton in third.
By lap fifty Vettel was within DRS range of Bottas in fourth, with the top three now separated by just two and a half seconds. With Vettel where he was, Hamilton needed to finish in second, and that meant getting past Verstappen.
On lap 53, Verstappen made a slight error and gave Hamilton the opportunity to overtake. Verstappen defended and didn’t give the Brit any space, with Hamilton running wide and losing time.
Two laps later, Vettel overtook Bottas for fourth place, meaning that the chance for Hamilton to win the championship this race was gone
After 113 races, Räikkönen finally got another victory. It may certainly be his last for Ferrari, but it was probably one of his best. Verstappen finished in second having started from 18th, a performance which resulted in him deservedly winning Driver of the Day. Behind them, Hamilton finished in third and Vettel in fourth, with Bottas, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Ocon, Magnussen and Perez completing the top ten.
With three races to go, the gap between Hamilton and Vettel is now 70 points. Vettel needs a miracle to happen if he wants to become five-time world champion, whilst Hamilton just needs to defend his major points advantage.
Up next is the Mexican Grand Prix – will Hamilton be crowned five-time world champion there?
