The Losail International Circuit plays host to the first round of the 2019 Moto2 World Championship this weekend.
After three days of testing for the Moto2 field last weekend, Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) has emerged as the favourite for the win – dominating the three days and ending 0.2 seconds clear of the field. With two difficult years it seems Lowes is ready to return to the front with the team in which he made his most successful season in Grand Prix racing back in 2016. The Brit has always been competitive in Qatar, even in his Grand Prix debut in 2014. Where he finished inside the top ten with the Speed Up team, and it seems as though this year could be his best opportunity to finally take the win in Qatar – a win which would somewhat fittingly see, a British rider win the first race of the Triumph-powered era of Moto2.
From the test it seems that Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) could be Lowes’ closest challenger for the season opener, the Australian finishing third in the combined times of the test, and showing a good rhythm. Back on a Kalex for 2019, Gardner looks set for what could possibly be his best season in the Moto2 World Championship – a podium to open the year would be a good way to start that for the #87.
Between Lowes and Gardner in the Qatar test on the combined times was Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) who returns to the intermediate class after a year with the Marc VDS team in MotoGP. Interestingly, this will be Luthi’s first season in Moto2 outside of the Interwetten team with whom he enjoyed so much success previously. He has, though, joined a very strong team in the Dynavolt outfit, who has won races in the past with Jonas Folger, and scored many podiums last season with Xavi Vierge and Marcel Schrotter.
Vierge, who has now joined the EG 0,0 Marc VDS squad is certainly a dark horse for the championship after some strong performances last season for Dynavolt. He looked strong in testing too, and goes to Qatar with hopes of a podium, no doubt.
The same could be said for his EG 0,0 Marc VDS teammate, Alex Marquez, who ended the three days in Qatar just under a tenth behind Vierge and has looked strong throughout preseason. The critical thing for Marquez this season is to stop crashing. Hitting the deck last year cost him the championship – it cost him points and cost him his confidence. The regulation change for Moto2 this season could provide the mental refreshment necessary for the Spaniard to make an assault for the championship.
Brad Binder, Qatar Moto2 test 2019. Image courtesy of Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
But, aside from Lowes, the championship favourites are almost universally agreed to be Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Both were over half a second off Lowes’ time in the Qatar test, but have also looked strong since preseason testing resumed after the winter ban.
Interestingly, neither one of the three main championship contenders have achieved a victory in Qatar and, as such, there is a good possibility for the likes of Vierge, Luthi and Marquez to take an early advantage. As well as those three, Lorenzo Baldassarri and his Flexbox HP40 Pons teammate Augusto Fernandez could be in the battle this weekend, although Baldassarri was not particularly spectacular in testing at the weekend. Fernandez, on the other hand, was fourth fastest at the end of the three days, only three tenths off Lowes.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this weekend, though, as far as the intermediate class is concerned is the beginning of a new era. The powerless, screaming Honda CBR600RR engines will have officially been replaced on Friday by the torquey Triumph 765 three-cylinder motor. As well as change in sound, these engines have also produced changes in riding style. The torque of the new engine means that corner speed is not as vital as before to lap time; now it is possible to square corners off and still make lap times. This should result in better racing, as riders can send more risky passes knowing they aren’t going to be so slow on the straight as a result. On Sunday we will find out if this is the reality.
Featured Image courtesy of Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
When it seemed like nothing else could go wrong for Williams after missing the first two days of pre-season testing, the team has just been beaten twice a week before the season kicks off in Australia. Despite the big effort they are putting in to find solutions, the end of what has been one of the most successful teams in Formula One history appears to be nearer than the turnaround they need to be fighting at the top again. After a terrible 2018 in which they was completely off the pace, the team claimed that they had identified the problem and it would be solved in the upcoming year. The truth is that we are already in 2019 and they have the slowest car on the grid and showing no signs of recovery in the near future.
The first troubles showed up quite early this year as the filming day planned at Silverstone got cancelled in order to ‘make the most of the time left before heading to Barcelona’, an inconvenience given that teams are only allowed 100km of running with special tyres, so the main purpose is to check every system to be ready to hit the track once the light goes green at Montmeló.
It was at this point that we realised they had suffered major setbacks. The car wasn’t ready, it wasn’t even in the circuit and their first laps wouldn’t take place until Wednesday afternoon. This was a complete disaster considering that private testing is forbidden nowadays. In addition to this, the legality of the mirrors and the front suspension has been questioned in the last few days. Some experts explain that the front suspension isn’t easy to redesign, so it may cause a new headache before Australia. Furthermore, Williams’ technical chief Paddy Lowe is taking a leave of absence which could lead into his departure after being pointed out as responsible for the team issues.
CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 26: George Russell, Williams FW42 during the Barcelona February testing II at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 26, 2019 in Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain. (Photo by Zak Mauger / LAT Images)
For some, the two main reasons that have placed Williams on the edge are money and the team’s attitude, both discussed in the following lines. Despite the team denying that the delay was related to issues with external suppliers or a lack of financial resources, it is hard to believe what they stated because of their well-known struggles to keep going through the last few years. Even if they got ROKiT (a telecommunications company) as new title sponsor and Orlen (an oil refiner company and Kubica’s personal sponsor), these brands aren’t expected to match the vast amount of money brought by Lawrence Stroll (Lance’s father) and Martini which left the team at the end of last season.
Having said that, the horizon doesn’t look really promising due to the fact that when you have the slowest car, you want is to develop it as quickly as possible and you need a lot of money to do so. We may have a look back at the beginning of the hybrid era, when the Mercedes engine brought some success to Grove. At that moment, they even managed to afford a big upgrade of their wind tunnel aiming to fight on top again, but their work didn’t pay off and not much more has been said about what was described as a massive step forward in terms of development capability. Since then, they are in freefall praying for the budget cap to come in on time to save the team. Examples like this one make us realise how difficult it is to reach the top and how easy it is to go back to the midfield when you don’t spend the budget correctly or simply don’t have it.
Secondly, the team is missing a captain who steers the project in order to get out of the hole in which they are in. With Sir Frank Williams out of the picture, it is his daughter Claire who actually leads the squad. She seems tired or at least that is the impression given every time she faces the media. Claire has mentioned many times that she doesn’t want to be the person who ends’ Williams long history, but when there is no passion there is nothing to do.
Moreover, Robert Kubica’s attitude towards the team isn’t helping, for sure. The Polish driver, who is coming back to the sport after a long period recovering from the injuries suffered in a rally crash in 2011, has criticised his team harshly over the last days as a consequence of the poor pre-season done. ‘The car was too tired to continue’ and ‘I only know 20% of the things I should know before Australia’ were some of the comments made by Kubica. Most likely, he expected too much from a team which is suffering the worst streak in their history. On the contrary, George Russell is doing exactly what Williams needs: he is always encouraging his guys on social media and making positive statements when he talks to the media. It might sound useless, but the atmosphere you create around you is very important get good results.
Taking all this into account, I have to confess that I fear Williams could not make it to the end of the season as I feel they are digging their own grave. The large number of issues they are facing, added to the lack of leadership and the fact that they remain adamant in their idea of building the whole car on their own and refusing to buy some parts to manufacturers, could mean the end for a team that has been competing in the championship since 1977.
Featured image courtesy of Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images
Marshals may well be the unsung heroes of motorsport, often taken for granted but who make the racing we all love to watch possible. Carole Brackley is one of an increasing number of women who are taking to volunteering as marshals at events across the country, and she was kind enough to speak to us about her role as Specialist Marshal as part of our series of interviews for International Women’s Day.
Jenny Rowan: How did your interest in motorsport first come about? Carole Brackley: My father was a great lover of motorsport and cars. As soon as I could sit, I was in the front seat next to him, and I was a pretty good co-driver with his teaching. I could name every make and model on the road, and shared his interest. It was great that we lived near Silverstone, and one of his uncles had scaffolding, so we always had a good view of the events. Since my early days, I have watched and attended as many events as I could, although F1 was – and is still – my number one passion.
JR: How did you come to be involved in marshalling? CB: In my early twenties, I had a friend who competed in rallies in his Mini CooperS and was a marshal at Silverstone. For many years I believed that only men could marshal… I got the taste for voluntary work after a stint as an Olympic Ambassador in 2012 and so I went onto the Silverstone website and sent in my details. I found that it was very easy to train as a marshal – much to my delight!
JR: What is the relationship like between marshals when working at a race? CB: The teams are very supportive and inclusive. There are several different areas of marshalling and, after starting out track-side, I became a Specialist Marshal, working exclusively in the pits and paddock and on the startline. The work can be quite intense, as I will explain later, but everyone helps each other and keeps it enjoyable.
JR: Do you have a favourite event to work at? CB: This is a difficult question: I love being in the pits for F1, but the security is such that we are not allowed to go near the team garages or personnel, and officiate from the pit wall. In WEC and other series (also with fantastic cars) you stand in the garage or just outside to officiate, which is a tremendous privilege, and you get a better feeling from the experience.
JR: What sort of duties do you have in an ‘average’ race weekend, if there is such a thing? CB: As a Specialist Marshal, there are many different tasks, and we have pages and pages of official regulations to learn before the event. The most important is probably monitoring teams, to make sure they don’t break any of these regulations. Should this happen – as it usually does at least once – we write a report, which goes up to the stewards straight away to decide whether they will impose penalties. We also make sure that everyone is safe on the pit wall and in the pit lane, and remain ready to fight fires or push cars as the need arises.
‘Gridding up’ is fun – armed with the grid sheet and a yellow flag, you stand out on track to guide the drivers to their dedicated spot on the start line – sometimes they come at you in the correct order, and sometimes it is absolute mayhem! After the practice lap, usually the marshals responsible for pole position and second will go back out to the start-line, stand just in front of the markings and make sure these cars stop in the correct place. I love that feeling as they drive towards you – you leave, they go.
We also manage assembly, parc ferme, flags, message boards, lights and members of the public and guests.
JR: What has been the highlight of your motorsport marshalling career so far? CB: This is difficult, so I’ll let you decide…
– Obviously the first British Grand Prix in the pits – you’re just so close to the cars.
– Being asked to represent marshals at a reception at Number Ten Downing Street, mingling with the great and famous from all aspects of the sport – pinch me!
– My first MotoGP race.
– Being chosen the wave the start flag for each car at F1 Live in London – can you imagine?!
JR: You joined Susie Wolff’s Dare to be Different as an ambassador – what does being part of an organisation like that mean to you? CB: I received an email from MSA (now Motorsport UK) as they had been contacted by Susie, and she wanted to know if I would be interested in becoming the Marshal Ambassador for her new initiative. Having already been under the impression that motorsport was a largely male-dominated sport, I grabbed the opportunity to help get the message out that all areas were open to females. It has achieved so much in the four years since it launched, and it continues to offer advice, help and mentoring to all.
JR: What would you say to other people who are thinking of maybe taking up marshalling themselves? CB: If you enjoy motorsport, there are fewer ways of getting closer to the action that don’t cost you shed-loads of money. It isn’t particularly glamorous: you’re up very early, out in all weathers and the days are long, but, from that first time a car roars past you (or bike or truck!) at close quarters, you’ll want more! It also makes you feel very much part of everything that’s going on.
The 2019 Moto3 World Championship gets underway this weekend at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.
Since the inauguration of Moto3 in 2012, the Qatar round of the World Championship has been won five times by Honda riders, including the last four years. In fact, the only rider to have won in Qatar on this year’s Moto3 grid is Niccolo Antonelli (Sic58 Squadra Corse), who both won Qatar on a Honda back in 2016 and is riding a Honda this year.
Honda have had a lot of work to do over the winter to make up the ground they lost last year to KTM in the horsepower department. The KTMs last year had a particular habit of steaming past Hondas on the straights, especially after the French Grand Prix at round five and particularly in the hands of championship contender Marco Bezzecchi for PruestelGP. Reports from the riders would suggest that this work has been successful, John McPhee (Petronas SRT) commenting in Jerez that it is possible to use the low-down power of the Honda now to power out of a corner if you didn’t carry the corner speed.
Despite their 2018 speed deficit, Jorge Martin (with Gresini) ensured, that the Moto3 World Championship will be Honda’s to defend in 2019. As well as having made some progress with the bike over the winter, Honda have also got a very strong rider roster.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) perhaps comes into this season as the championship favourite, after a strong and consistent 2018 which also featured his debut win at home – sort of – in Misano. Dalla Porta remains with the Leopard team for this year, and also stays aboard a Honda, and a strong preseason could mark him out as a favourite among favourites.
It will not be easy for Dalla Porta in 2019, he will have a lot of competition, and possibly primarily in the shape of Romano Fenati (Snipers Team). After a disgraced 2018, Fenati managed to get himself a ride back at the squad that fired him after Misano last year. Keen for redemption after last year, Fenati has wintered very quickly, ending the Qatar test last week two tenths clear of the field, lapping largely on his own. It seems Fenati has no intention to make his current stay in Moto3 as long as his last, and is by far the favourite for this weekend’s victory.
But Moto3 is never that simple and, even Dalla Porta aside, there will plenty of opposition from Fenati to overcome, starting with his own teammate, Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team), who was second fastest at the Qatar test last weekend and is coming off the back of an inconsistent 2018. Perhaps remaining in the same team for consecutive seasons will be a help for Arbolino, and after throwing away a chance at a first ever GP win last year in Valencia, the Italian will be keen to put that right at the first opportunity.
Aron Canet the KTM RC250 Qatar Moto3 test 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM
The main KTM challenge this year looks as though it will be coming from Sterilgarda Max Racing Team’s Aron Canet, who moves away from Honda and Emilio Alzamora after a number of years in that camp. Canet has been impressive throughout the winter – not spectacularly fast, but enough for consideration. Canet finished second in Qatar last season, but is without a win since 2017. Now into his fourth season in the Moto3 World Championship, it is time for Canet to make his mark.
Of course, the speed of Canet – riding for Max Biaggi’s team – will have come much to the annoyance of the Sky Racing Team VR46. Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi, of course, shared a famous rivalry in the early-to-mid-2000s, and that rivalry will in some ways be reignited this year with both of them in the Moto3 World Championship as team owners. Rossi’s Sky VR46 squad has been winless since it picked up KTM’s only win of 2017 with Andrea Migno in Mugello, and coming into this season would have been hoping for Dennis Foggia to be fighting for wins regularly and to make a charge for the title. In testing, however, Foggia has not shown that pace, and it looks like it is going to take a fairly large turnaround in fortunes for Rossi’s squad to end that winless run this season, and especially this weekend.
The 2019 Formula One season is just one week away. Eleven days, and we’ll see who wins the opening race. The excitement of a new season already begins at the winter tests at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. How did the teams perform at testing? Who impressed, who need to improve? Take a look at the interactive testing review beneath to find out.
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Well finally, here we are. Nearly four months after the culmination of a 2018 F1 season that saw an utter humiliation administered to Ferrari by Mercedes, the 2019 season is now upon us – and it begins in the beautiful city of Melbourne, around the 5.3 kilometre Albert Park circuit.
This has become a happy hunting ground for Ferrari in recent years. Sebastian Vettel has won it on each of the last two occasions, and could have been on for victory in 2016, if not for a costly strategic error by the Ferrari team after a red flag. World champion Lewis Hamilton was leading last year, only to be pipped by Sebastian Vettel following a Virtual Safety car which allowed Vettel a free pit stop to re-join in front of his title rival.
Further back, the battle for the best of the rest will be an interesting one; Red Bull will be using Honda engines for the first time this year, resulting in a time of relative uncertainty as to their pace and whether they can hold off possible challenges from Renault and Racing Point, who continue using Mercedes engines for this season.
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Renault Sport F1 Team RS19. Image courtesy of Renault F1 Team
And speaking of Renault, this will be the home race of new boy Daniel Ricciardo. He will be looking to add to Renault’s 35 race victories and 2 championship titles; but they may have to wait until a little beyond 2019. If he were to somehow pull off a victory in the ever-improving French factory car, it would be the first time the Australian Grand Prix would have been won by an Australian in a world championship format. The race has however been won by Australian drivers 19 times in Australian Formula One. We’ll let you make your minds up as to whether that counts (it doesn’t).
Elsewhere in terms of new drivers, Charles Leclerc will make his Ferrari debut, Kimi Raikkonen is back where it all began at Sauber and we will see the F1 debuts of Lando Norris and George Russell for McLaren and Williams respectively – there is a lot to watch out for.
Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc with the 2019 Ferrari SF90 title Challenger. Image courtesy of Ferrari
In pre-season testing, Ferrari have generally looked to have the quicker car, but Mercedes haven’t seemed to show their hand in terms of pace and both teams have had teething issues with their respective new cars. We cannot really be certain who has more power, but it will be needed around a circuit round which the throttle is used for around 70% of the lap – this figure has gone up by around 10% since the car regulation changes in 2017, highlighting the proficiency of power that teams now need; and that very few have.
As a result, a lot will be revealed in Australia, which is the reason that the event is so hotly anticipated every year, along with the various sporting venues around the city including MCG and the Rod Laver arena. There is a real sporting buzz around the city of Melbourne, making it the perfect place to start what will hopefully be a close, exciting and enticing season of Formula One racing.
As a new season dawns upon us, the Prancing horse seeks revenge against the ever potent silver arrow, as the quest to reach the top gets started Down Under.
Featured Image courtesy of Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
The WRC season continues with Rally Mexico, a very tricky round. Road position will be key for the hopes of those further down the championship order and this could mean that drivers like Kris Meeke, Jari-Matti Latvala and Elfyn Evans could all feature in the top spots at the end of the first day. Last year in particular, Elfyn was going well having been second fastest in stage three before the roll that gave then co-driver Dan concussion, meaning that they’d have to retire on safety grounds.
Kris of course drove well, securing at the time his last podium for Citroen Racing. Jari-Matti was the best placed of all the Toyota drivers, getting eighth place. Of course, they had challenged near the front before problems with the cars had dropped them back.
Kris Meeke scored a good podium last year for Citroen. Photo credit, Citroen Racing
Last years winner, Seb Ogier sits third in the championship and is also in a strong position to win for Citroen, although hopefully not like Kris Meeke in 2017, driving through a carpark on the last stage!
Now, here are the key points about Rally Mexico. There are 30km’s less this year, compared to last year’s event. Friday sees 114km’s of competitive stages, with Saturday 138km’s and Sunday around 60km’s.
21 timed stages covering a total of 313.87 km.
10% the percentage loss of power for every 1,000 metres above sea level.
2,756 metres – the peak altitude of the rally, located on the Ortega stage.
The stages are run six hours behind GMT.
THURSDAY 7 MARCH
10.00am: Shakedown (Llano Grande)
6.00pm: Start day 1 (Leon)
8.08pm: SS 1 – Street Stage GTO (1,14 km)
9.38pm: End of day 1 (Leon)
FRIDAY 8 MARCH
9.00am: Start day 2 and service A (Leon – 15 mins)
10.18am: SS 2 – El Chocolate 1 (31,57 km)
11.16am: SS 3 – Ortega 1 (17,28 km)
12.59pm: SS 4 – Street Stage Leon 1 (1,11 km)
1.34pm: Service B (Leon – 40 mins)
3.17pm: SS 5 – El Chocolate 2 (31,57 km)
4.15pm: SS 6 – Ortega 2 (17,28 km)
5.18pm: SS 7 – Las Minas (10,72 km)
6.58pm: SS 8 – V-Power Shell Stage 1 (2,33 km)
7.03pm: SS 9 – V-Power Shell Stage 2 (2,33 km)
8.03pm: Flexi service C (Leon – 45 mins)
SATURDAY 9 MARCH
7.15am: Start day 3 and service D (Leon – 15 mins)
8.23am: SS 10 – Guanajuatito 1 (25,90 km)
10.11am: SS 11 – Otates 1 (32,27 km)
11.08am: SS 12 – El Brinco 1 (8,13 km)
12.53pm: Service E (Leon – 40 mins)
2.31pm: SS 13 – Guanajuatito 2 (25,90 km)
4.29pm: SS 14 – Otates 2 (32,27 km)
5.38pm: SS 15 – El Brinco 2 (8,13 km)
7.03pm: SS 16 – V-Power Shell Stage 3 (2,33 km)
7.08pm: SS 17 – V-Power Shell Stage 4 (2,33 km)
7.51pm: SS 18 – Street Stage Leon 2 (1,11 km)
8.21pm: Flexi service F (Leon – 45 mins)
SUNDAY 10 MARCH
8.00am: Start day 4 and service G (Leon – 15 mins)
9.03am: SS 19 – Alfaro (24,38 km)
10.11am: SS 20 – Mesa Cuata (25,07 km)
12.18pm: SS 21 – Las Minas Power Stage (10,72 km)
1.53pm: Service H (Leon – 10 mins)
3.00pm: Podium
Let’s hear from the drivers.
Citroën Total WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“We had two good days of pre-event testing, on roads that were fairly representative of the kind of stages we’ll have to tackle this weekend. We were lucky with the weather during the tests, which was very warm, although obviously not quite as hot as in Mexico. After a tough Rally Sweden, where we weren’t able to express ourselves, I can’t wait to get started and realise our full potential. The stages are beautiful here but you do need to be careful on the afternoon loop, when it’s warmer. The second passes are always hard on the cars, especially as the high altitude means not only reduced horsepower but can also cause issues with cooling.”
Esapekka Lappi
“The tests held in Spain enabled me to feel even more comfortable in my C3 WRC, building on what we achieved at Rally Sweden. I feel increasingly at one with the car. Having said that, I know that my experience of Rally Mexico is very limited. I only have one competitive appearance here, at last year’s rally, in addition to completing recce in 2017. In light of that, a top-five finish would be a good result for me. Our starting order will give us an advantage over the first few crews so it’ll be up to us to make the most of it. You really need to be clean and efficient in your driving on these roads, given that we lose about a hundred or so horsepower due to the high altitude.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Ott Tänak
“It was a great feeling for us to win in Sweden, but we quickly changed our focus to Mexico. We flew straight to Spain for two days of gravel testing on the Monday and Tuesday after the rally. We worked on a number of different things, just trying to be as well-prepared as we can be. The whole team has been working hard and I believe we should be competitive in Mexico. As championship leaders, we will have to run first on the road on the Friday. It won’t be easy but we saw in Mexico last year that it is possible to have a good result from this position, so let’s see how it goes.”
2018 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 03, Rally Mexico 2018 / March 8-11, 2018 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC
Jari-Matti Latvala
“I am looking forward to being in Mexico: particularly the warm sun at the end of the Finnish winter! So far, it hasn’t really been the start to the season for me that I would have wanted. If there is one positive from this, however, it is that I will have quite a nice starting position for the first day in Mexico, as the eighth car on the road. I had a good test in Spain last week, using pretty much the same setup that I used to win in Australia, with just a few small tweaks. Most importantly, I am confident that as a team we are totally prepared this year for the altitude and the high temperatures.”
Kris Meeke
“I had two days of testing in the south of Spain last week, which was my first time driving the car on gravel outside of Finland. It was really useful for me and I came away feeling comfortable. Mexico is a place I’ve gone well in the last few years: I won in 2017, and last year I was in the fight for the victory and finished third. Now with a different car I hope to be competing at the sharp end once again. Monte Carlo and Sweden were events with very complicated conditions where it would have been easy to make a mistake. Mexico is usually a lot more consistent, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“We have got the 2019 season off to a solid start with two satisfying podium results. It’s early days in the championship but we have shown our pace and potential, as well as identifying areas of improvement. Mexico, as always, will be a different challenge. It’s the first rally of the year with hot temperatures, a real contrast to Monte-Carlo and Sweden, as well as being high up in the mountains. The reduction of oxygen at altitude will mean less horsepower for the engine, while the heat makes life more demanding in the cockpit for the driver and co-driver. It’s a rally where we’ve fought for podiums in the past, so we know what we have to do to be successful.”
2017 FIA World Rally Championship Round 03, Rally Mexico 07-11 March 2018 Action Thierry Neuville, Nicolas Gilsoul, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Photographer: Helena El Mokni Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Andreas Mikkelsen
“The difference in conditions from Sweden to Mexico could not be greater! It is one of the warmest rallies of the season, at high altitude and with some long, hard gravel stages. The combination of heat and height makes it a gruelling rally for crews and cars. The altitude reduces the engine power output, which means we are constantly looking for something more from the car. The start of the season has brought some positives for us as a crew, and for the team. We were fighting for second place in Sweden, so we’ll be hoping to feature near the front in Mexico too.”
Dani Sordo
“I am happy to be starting my first WRC event of the season, having followed the opening rallies very closely. The other crews have already warmed themselves up at Monte-Carlo and Sweden, even in the cold conditions. Now it’s time to begin our own season! Carlos and I used Rali Serras de Fafe as a way of preparing ourselves for Mexico, and we had a successful weekend in the Hyundai i20 R5. We will use this experience, as well as Thursday’s shakedown, to get quickly up to speed, as we aim to fight for the podium. Mexico is a tough event but one I enjoy and with incredible support from the fans.”
M-Sport WRT
Elfyn Evans
“I’ve always enjoyed Rally Mexico and have had some good results here in the past. I’ve come close to the podium a couple of times, and the aim will be to challenge for the top results again next week. The whole team showed good speed in Sweden, and we want to continue that in Mexico.
“We’ll have a good road position on the first day that we’ll need to make the most of. But this rally isn’t without its challenges. It’s a notoriously demanding event with high temperatures and rough stages. So, we’ll need to be fully focused to deliver the best results.
“We’ll also encounter the highest altitudes of the year, and the thinner air can see performance fall by as much as 20 percent. We’ll need to adapt our driving style to contend with that – being really smooth and not so aggressive behind the wheel – to ensure we’re getting 100 percent of the available performance.”
Photo credit, M-Sport.
Teemu Suninen
“Rally Mexico and Rally Sweden are two totally different events, but it would be nice to continue our strong performance. We drove a one-day test in Spain last week and, although the temperatures aren’t very close to what we’ll see in Mexico, it was a good opportunity to get a feel for the car at high altitude on gravel.
“The feeling was really good, but there is always a little uncertainty going to the events as we don’t know what our rivals have done. There was that same feeling before Sweden, but our pace was good and we had the speed to challenge for the top results.
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to challenge with the top guys next week, but we’re all working really hard and team have put a lot of effort into the development of the Fiesta. That hard work showed in Sweden, and I hope it will show in Mexico too.
“I’ll have a later start position, but that’s not always a good thing as there could be a lot of stones dragged onto the line. The key for me will be to drive neatly and have the consistency as well as the speed.”
Łukasz Pieniążek (WRC 2 Pro)
“I’m really looking forward to Rally Mexico which will be my first ever event outside Europe. Due to the high temperatures and potentially really demanding conditions, Kamil [Heller, co-driver] and I have been training really hard, and we’re ready for the battle.
“We left Poland on Thursday to give ourselves two days to acclimatise ahead of Monday’s pre-event test. I didn’t find a set-up that was perfectly suited to my driving in Sweden, but we have a few ideas of what we can improve next week. We want to continue the work we started in Sweden – to try a few things and get to know our Fiesta better.
“It’s a great pity that we’ll be the only WRC 2 Pro crew in Mexico, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to fight. Our goal is to be the first R5 crew so we won’t be cruising and we’ll try to go as fast as possible. On the other hand, there will surely be less pressure. Either way it’s still going to be a long and demanding rally, but the longer the stages the better for me.”
Summary
Well, we are set for an interesting event, with potentially five or six different winners. We could have a mixed podium with crews from different teams. In fact, this is what happened last year. The weather looks to be very hot and dry over the weekend.
Now you’ll also be able to listen and watch live with WRC+, and there’ll be highlights on Channel 5 as well. Finally, early next week you will be able to read a full review, stage by stage right here.
Check out the latest Mobil 1 The Grid video featuring Haas F1’s Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen and Guenther Steiner as they reflect on the ‘Haas Project’ whilst also previewing the season ahead.
After a long off-season, the start of the 2019 IndyCar season is just a few days away. 2019 holds huge potential for great racing and a very close title fight, with numerous contenders all looking to topple the defending champion, Scott Dixon. Since the end of last season, there have been some significant changes, affecting action both on and off the track, so here’s a run through of them.
2019 will see the same number of races as 2018, seventeen, but there have been a few switches and substitutions. Phoenix and Sonoma have both left the calendar, with both experiencing financial difficulties and drops in attendance over recent years. With Phoenix gone from its slot in second on the calendar, the first oval race will now be the Indy 500, which is certainly a change from years past.
Replacing Phoenix is the Circuit of the Americas, which has been an F1 venue since 2012. This is an addition that has been expected for some time, and it has finally materialised for this season. Similarly, Laguna Seca is making its long-awaited return to the IndyCar calendar, taking over from Sonoma as the season finale.
Credit: Joe Skibinski/IndyCar
The only other changes are relatively minor; Long Beach and Barber are switching around so that Barber is now third and Long Beach fourth and Iowa and Toronto have done the same, with Toronto now eleventh and Iowa twelfth.
Some more major changes have taken place off the track, with regards to how fans will be watching the series this year. Last season, ABC aired its last IndyCar race at Detroit, handing over exclusive rights in the US to NBCSN, who will show all races in 2019. Outside the US, it’s all change with IndyCar taking international coverage in-house, rather than going through ESPN as they have done in the past.
This means that UK coverage switches from BT Sport to Sky Sports, who will be showing all qualifying sessions and races live on their Sky Sports F1 channel. While it’s far from free-to-air, Sky is slightly more accessible than BT and it means that viewers can get F1 and IndyCar on the same channel, making the cost a bit more acceptable.
Fernando Alonso was reported to have taken over IndyCar rights in Spain near the end of last year, but that was never officially confirmed. Meanwhile, Canada’s TV coverage remains somewhat up in the air, with some races available on NBC, but not all, and no clear provider announced, which isn’t exactly great for one of IndyCar’s biggest audiences.
Credit: Doug Matthews/IndyCar
Back on track, there have been some alterations to what is the biggest IndyCar race of the year – the Indy 500. These changes mainly revolve around qualifying and bumping, after James Hinchcliffe was infamously bumped out of the race last year. With 33 entries already confirmed, and more expected, bumping will be taking place this year, but with a difference…
This year, the Saturday session will lock-in starting positions 10 through to 30 – leaving the order of the Fast Nine and the last three entrants to be decided on the Sunday, in two separate sessions.
Many are citing this as a way of avoiding any shock bumpings, meaning that all the full-time drivers should qualify for the race, as should Alonso who makes his Indy 500 return after a year away.
Another new addition to the Indy 500 will be the Advanced Frontal Protection system, which is scheduled to make its race debut at the 500 before being used in all races thereafter.
For the season as a whole, there’s a wide range of drivers that could be in the mix for both race wins and the championship. The usual suspects of Scott Dixon, Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay should all be in contention, but the likes of Hinchcliffe, Sebastien Bourdais, and even some of the rookies like Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Ericsson, could also be strong challengers.
The season kicks off at St Petersburg on March 10th, with the race starting at 12:30pm ET, 5:30pm GMT. The full schedule and entry list for St Pete are as follows:
March 8th
Practice 1 – 10:45am (ET) / 3:45pm (GMT)
Practice 2 – 2:20pm / 7:20pm
March 9th
Practice 3 – 10:25am / 3:25pm
Qualifying – 2:30pm / 7:30pm
10th March – St. Petersburg (S)
24th March – Circuit of the Americas (R)
7th April – Barber Motorsports Park (R)
14th April – Long Beach (S)
11th May – Indianapolis GP (R)
26th May – 103rd Indy 500 (O)
1st June – Detroit Race 1 (S)
2nd June – Detroit Race 2 (S)
8th June – Texas Motor Speedway (O)
23rd June – Road America (R)
14th July – Toronto (S)
20th July – Iowa Speedway (O)
28th July – Mid-Ohio (R)
18th August – Pocono Raceway (O)
24th August – Gateway Motorsports Park (O)
1st September – Portland (R)
22nd September – Laguna Seca (R)
The 2019 IndyCar season is almost upon us with a grid packed full of talent from across the world, each with varying amounts of experience in the series. Five rookies join the grid this season, accompanying the seven champions and plethora of race winners. Here’s a run-down of the twelve main teams and their respective drivers for 2019…
Reigning champions Chip Ganassi Racing have retained Scott Dixon, with their partnership entering into its seventeenth year, while a different driver steps into the #10 entry for the third year running. After Ed Jones’ fall from grace with Ganassi, Swede Felix Rosenqvist will be hoping for better fortunes in his rookie season. The ex-just-about-everything driver makes his IndyCar debut this season, after running in Indy Lights in 2016 and walking away from a top Formula E drive to take up the Ganassi vacancy. He, like all Dixon’s previous teammates, will have his work cut out trying to match ‘The Iceman’, but he’ll be learning from the best and has good potential for the season ahead. For Dixon, the aim’s the same as it always is; to win the championship – and you’d be brave to bet against him doing just that.
Credit: Stephen King/IndyCar
Andretti Autosport are keeping their four-car line up for 2019, with the same drivers as they had last season. Alexander Rossi leads the charge after just missing out on the title in 2018, while Ryan Hunter-Reay will be looking to regain his once established position as team leader. Zach Veach lines up with a year of experience under his belt after a tough but promising rookie season, with the youngster looking to take the fight to his teammates on a more regular basis. Attention is starting to turn to whether Marco Andretti really deserves his drive at the team after he extended his losing streak to 126 races in 2018; his future is in doubt if he doesn’t put that right soon. Andretti are planning to run five cars at the Indy 500 with Conor Daly joining the team in the #25.
Like Andretti, Team Penske are sporting an unchanged line up for 2019 with their three drivers all crowned champion in the last five years. Will Power was the main one flying the flag for Penske last season and will be aiming to continue to do so heading into this season. Josef Newgarden’s hopes of championship retention came crashing down during 2018, and he will not want to be left behind by Power again in 2019. Simon Pagenaud’s career seems to be on the rocks at Penske, with him edging ever nearer to the same IMSA fate of Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya – he needs a good season to stand a chance of staying at Penske. Castroneves will join the team for the Indianapolis GP and the Indy 500, as he did last season.
Dale Coyne Racing have kept hold of four-time CART champion Sebastien Bourdais, who will have the job of leading the team and coaching yet another rookie through their first season of IndyCar. This time, it’s F2-reject Santino Ferrucci who has had to turn his back on his F1 dreams to instead chase a career in the States, after his high-profile departure from F2 last season. Ferrucci’s pace was promising at the four races he competed in during 2018, and you’d expect Dale Coyne to benefit from the consistency of having a single driver in the #19, a far cry from the car sharing shenanigans of 2018.
Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing are the third of four teams to have an unchanged line up for 2019. Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato will once again be fielding the two RLL cars for the full season, while Jordan King will be joining them for the Indy 500. After Sato took the team’s only win last season, all involved will be hoping for a more fruitful 2019 and a rise up the grid, after years of inconsistencies.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports have a new title sponsor in Arrow Electronics, after being a personal sponsor of James Hinchcliffe for a number of years. Hinchcliffe is staying put at SPM, but he welcomes a new teammate for the third year running. Marcus Ericsson joins SPM after five years in relatively back-marker teams in F1. Having another new driver was not the intention of SPM, but after Robert Wickens was seriously injured at Pocono last season, they had to bring another driver in. Wickens continues to recover and the #6 SPM remains open to him ‘when he wants to and is able to return’. Jack Harvey will also run with the team in partnership with Meyer Shank Racing for ten races, up from the six he competed in last season.
Credit: Joe Skibinski/IndyCar
Ed Carpenter Racing have kept on two of their three drivers from last season with Jordan King leaving and Ed Jones replacing him in the shared #20 drive. Spencer Pigot will once again be in the #21 car for the full season while team owner Ed Carpenter and Jones share the #20 – with Carpenter in on the ovals and Jones in for the road courses, as per the usual arrangement. The only difference this season is that Jones will be entering the Indy 500 in a one-off #64 entry, taking his race total up to thirteen for 2019.
Despite a fairly dismal 2018, AJ Foyt Racing haven’t been tempted to shake things up with their drivers, keeping their all-Brazilian line up of Tony Kanaan and Matheus Leist. At 44 years old, it’s widely accepted that Kanaan is nearing the end of his IndyCar tenure, while teammate Leist is only just getting started. They worked well together last season and will intend to do so again in 2019 in an attempt to drag AJ Foyt Racing back up the grid.
After initially expecting to have a three-car lineup, Carlin have ended up only entering two cars, with some doubt over whether the second will be running as a full-time entry or not. Max Chilton will be in the #59 full-time, as he was last season, and he’s once again joined by Charlie Kimball however, the American has only be confirmed for five races in the #23. RC Enerson, who has previously run in IndyCar, albeit briefly, has been announced as another driver of the #23, but his races are yet to be confirmed and there is some speculation that there could be a third driver in the #23.
Harding Steinbrenner Racing are another team who promised more entries than they have delivered. Indy Lights runner-up Colton Herta will be in the only full-time entry for the team while the #8 car is expected to run in the Indy 500, though a driver has yet to be announced. Previously, Indy Lights champion Pato O’Ward was signed for Harding, but after it emerged that they had failed to get an engine lease for the #8 to run for the full season, he walked away and is yet to find a new drive.
Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar
Juncos Racing also have a bit of a cloud over their heads with the team only confirmed for one race, Texas, with Kyle Kaiser. They’re expected to run in more with another driver, but nothing more has been announced.
DragonSpeed are the only new entrant to IndyCar in 2019 to be running in more than just the Indy 500. Ben Hanley makes his IndyCar debut with the team after racing with them in IMSA, WEC and ELMS over the past few seasons. Hanley’s been confirmed for five races in the #85, including the Indy 500.
That’s a wrap for the 2019 IndyCar grid! Stay tuned for more previews for both IndyCar and the Road to Indy in the run-up to the first race at St Petersburg on March 10th.
