For many years now, Fernando Alonso has been a man to speak his mind, and he has taken no prisoners since the announcement of his retirement, roasting the world of F1 left, right, and centre. The latest in the long list of episodes featured the stewards, who intervened in a very strange way after an incident between the double world champion and young Canadian Lance Stroll at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
RED BULL RING, AUSTRIA – JULY 01: Fernando Alonso, McLaren during the Austrian GP at Red Bull Ring on July 01, 2018 in Red Bull Ring, Austria. (Photo by Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images)
Going into the last chicane Stroll, unaware of Alonso’s presence behind him, moved across and pushed the Spaniard off the track. Alonso had to short-cut the chicane and gained a position on Stroll as a result. The stewards decided to penalise both of them: Stroll for forcing another driver off the track, and Alonso for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Alonso, quite rightly, argued that the only reason he was off the track in the first place was because Stroll put him there. Alonso had no problems with Stroll, and accepted his apology in the media pen. He did, however, have a problem with the stewards, and he’s not the only one.
The stewards opted not to take any action against the Haas of Kevin Magnussen after he moved across the track and caused Charles Leclerc to hit him. Magnussen retired from the race as a result, but for a crash that had the potential to be enormous, one would think the stewards would hand out a penalty for the next race in the United States. They did not.
The problems have been ever-present over the years, but the main cause of frustration has been the inconsistency. Earlier this season in France, Sebastian Vettel took out Valtteri Bottas and got a mere five-second penalty. His team-mate wiped out Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone and was given a ten-second penalty, which raised questions as to what exactly the difference was between the two incidents.
If we look back further to the United States last year, we saw drivers using an interesting interpretation of track limits throughout the whole weekend at virtually every corner, yet no penalties were given. On the final lap, Max Verstappen left the track passing Kimi Raikkonen and gained the position. He was the only man that weekend to be penalised for exceeding track limits which led him to question not why he got the penalty, but why he was the only one penalised when other drivers had been making more flagrant violations of track limits all weekend.
Earlier that year, Daniil Kvyat was given two penalties – after he had served the first, the stewards decided they had given him the wrong one and thus gave him a second.
Finally, we come to the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both cut turn two and got away without a penalty, yet Verstappen was penalised when he made the same error later on in the Grand Prix.
Veratappen, earlier in the season, had been criticised for moving under braking but was not penalised. Vettel made the same kind of move on Daniel Ricciardo in Mexico and was penalised for it.
It has to be said that when it comes to stewarding, F1 is a bit of a mess. The way racing incidents are judged by the stewards can often have an impact on people’s perception of our sport. They cannot be too lenient, but they also have to make sure they don’t start giving out penalties for the smallest of incidents. Therefore, it can no by no means be said that the stewards have an easy job.
However, there can appear at times to be a bit of an absence of logic and common sense, leading to heavy criticism from drivers and fans alike.
Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary. . Sunday 30 July 2017. Fernando Alonso, McLaren. Photo: Steven Tee/McLaren ref: Digital Image _R3I4275
Alonso said in a post-race interview that his penalty “shows how bad Formula One is”. The aforementioned incidents do seem to suggest that the stewards have a tendency of making silly and seemingly unthoughtful decisions.
A viable solution would be to have the same stewards go to every race to avoid the inconsistency we have at the moment. But as it is at the moment the stewards, with some extremely ambiguous and disagreeable decision-making, are a problem that need to be solved in F1.
We had another amazing rally this year in Wales. Sadly, Elfyn didn’t follow up his win from last year, but he showed that he still had the pace, before engine problems put him out for the day on Friday. However, his teammate and current champion came through to take the win and move back into second overall in the championship.
On Thursday evening, we had the Tir Prince stage and Esapekka was fastest from Thierry with Jari-Matti third. Seb and Ott, were just behind in fourth and fifth. At this point Elfyn was twelfth. On such a short stage, the time gaps were not really worth worrying about.
FIA World Rally Championship 2018 / Round 11 / Wales Rally GB 2018 / October 4-7, 2018 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC
Friday
It was a very early start, with service before 7am and the first stage of the day starting before 8am. The start list looked like this – Neuville, Tänak, Ogier, Lappi, Latvala, Mikkelsen, Suninen, Evans, Paddon, Ostberg, Breen.
SS2, Clocaenog and Ott showed his intent, winning the stage from Elfyn and Mads third. Overall, Ott was now rally leader, from Seb and Thierry third, just 1.3 seconds covering the championship protagonists. Elfyn’s pace had lifted him to fifth overall, just 2.4 from the leader.
Next up was the longest stage of the whole rally, SS3 Brenig. Tanak maintained great pace, despite being second on the road, with Elfyn three seconds slower, but still second fastest. The Estonian’s lead was now 5.4 seconds from the Welshman and his rivals were falling back, Seb now third and Thierry in sixth. So far, Craig was having a good Friday at last – he was just 14 seconds from the lead.
Next up then was SS4, Penmachno. and Toyota did well here with Ott fastest from Jari-Matti and Esapekka third. Latvala’s time was so good, he moved up into third overall from seventh, whilst Elfyn remained in second, nine seconds from the lead. Meantime, Seb dropped from fourth to seventh with Thierry still in sixth.
The double run SS5 and SS6 on the Slate Mountain stages. Top three on the first run was Thierry, Jari-Matti and Ott and the pace from the Belgian meant he’d leapt to fourth overall. The rerun of the stage saw Jari-Matti go fastest from Esapekka and Craig was third and maintaining sixth overall after one of his best Friday morning’s in a long time. Overall top three was, Ott who had an 8.9 second lead over local lad, Elfyn followed by Jari-Matti a further six or so seconds behind.
The service break followed, and the M-Sport team would fit a new transmission to Seb’s car, but the question was, did they miss something on Elfyn’s car? On the road section, he stopped after the car developed a misfire. He tried to fix it, but in the meantime, he’d missed his start time, and picked up some time penalties. He got going again in an attempt to get to the start line, but sadly had to give up. It was later that we discovered a manifold sensor had failed, leading to the problem.
Anyway, will still had a few more stages to follow. SS7, the rerun of Clocaenog saw Ott win again, from Jari-Matti and Seb, plus Teemu Suninen had now moved into third place after the demise of Elfyn.
Now in SS8, Brenig, the rain was coming down, so whilst Ott remained in the lead, Thierry jumped up to second overall, after setting the second quickest time. Seb Ogier moved into fifth place, and the big loser in this one was young Finn, Teemu who spun, with the resulting time loss dropping him down to seventh.
The final stage of the day then, and Thierry stormed it, setting the fastest time from Jari-Matti and Esapekka. Ott Tanak was fourth, 2.4 seconds lost to Thierry after getting a puncture. In the Citroen camp, Craig was very happy having completed his first full Friday in ages, and Mads lost some time after he spun and the engine stalled and proved hard to get started again. It could have led to retirement, but in was okay in the end.
STANDINGS AFTER DAY 1
Tänak / Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC) 1:06:04.3
Neuville / Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 WRC) +28.8
Latvala / Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +31.3
Lappi / Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) + 35.9
Ogier / Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +38.2
Breen / Martin (Citroën C3 WRC) + 48.8
Paddon / Marshall (Hyundai i20 WRC) +1:06.4
Ostberg / Eriksen (Citroën C3 WRC) +1:08.4
Mikkelsen / Jaeger (Hyundai i20 WRC) +1:24.3
Let’s hear from the drivers then, top three first.
Ott Tanak
“It has been a very nice day. I think our car’s performance has been really good today. It looks like we have made a good step and even in low-grip conditions we are quite competitive. We are in a good position but there is still a long, long way to go, so we need to keep focused and keep pushing. Tomorrow’s stage should be pretty good for our car so I have a good feeling about it.”
Thierry Neuville
“We have made good progress throughout the day. This morning’s opening loop was really tricky, and it wasn’t easy as first on the road. I think that was a bit of a disadvantage to be honest. We had no lines to follow and we also struggled with the car. Things got better in the afternoon, both in terms of the handling from the car and the stage conditions, which felt much improved. I don’t think I could have given it any more today. Ott has a big lead but we have a very long, demanding day ahead of us all on Saturday, and I am certainly going to keep giving it all I can.”
2018 FIA World Rally Championship Round 11, Wales Rally GB 04-07 october 2018 Thierry Neuville, Nicolas Gilsoul, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Photographer: Fabien Dufour Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Jari-Matti Latvala
“Today has generally been quite good. At first this morning I was struggling with some understeer but we made some tweaks to the dampers and I started to gain confidence. This afternoon, in Brenig, I wasn’t feeling my best and we lost some time, but in Penmachno I got the feeling back and even though it was quite slippery in places, the time was reasonably good. I’m actually really looking forward to tomorrow. Myherin, Hafren, Dyfnant, Dyfi: these are really nice stages. They are wider, more flowing and are better for my driving style.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Esapekka Lappi (4th)
“This morning was a bit of a struggle for me, but we were able to change the setup in-between stages and that helped, and then the afternoon was more positive. I can’t be totally satisfied but at least we are going in the right direction. We are in a good fight and that’s really nice. The setup is getting better and so is the feeling and the confidence, so that makes it easier going into tomorrow.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Sébastien Ogier (5th)
“It’s difficult to be positive tonight and unfortunately we can’t change what happened. I pushed really hard this afternoon, but the times just weren’t good enough. There is no point for us to finish in fourth or fifth position, so we need to take full risk tomorrow. It’s definitely not the start to the rally we wanted to have, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Elfyn Evans (Rally 2)
“We had a good morning, the feeling was really good in the car, however on leaving service we found there was a slight misfire which unfortunately developed into something more terminal on the road section to Special Stage 7. As a result, we had to retire from the day – but the team can fix it and we will be back out to fight again tomorrow”.
Teemu Suninen (DNF)
“Today started pretty good, we were in a good place and then on the last stage I cut a corner a bit too much and hit a tree stump. On the next left-hand corner, the suspension broke and we crashed the car. It was my mistake. It was a shame as I really enjoyed driving this car on a good pace, especially when we were fighting for a podium but unfortunately it didn’t end up like this and we will have to go back and try again next year.”
Citroen Abu Dhabi WRT
Craig Breen (6th)
“I’m pleased with our day. We didn’t make any mistakes at all and we managed to be quick even though it was extremely muddy and greasy when we were on stage, especially on the second runs. We’re not too far away from the podium places so we’re going to keep fighting. I have high hopes that tomorrow will be an even better day for us.”
Mads Østberg (8th)
“We struggled a bit in starting so far down in the running order, but we’ve already put it behind us and are thinking about the rest of the rally. The gaps are reasonably small and there is still a long way to go, so we’ll push tomorrow and try to make up some places.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Hayden Paddon (7th)
“We have tried to have a clean day today. In the morning loop, I felt comfortable in the car but we were lacking some grip and traction in the conditions. We had an off-stage excursion in the second stage that cost us some time. We kept focused on our plan with road order playing quite a key role in the afternoon loop. We will have a more beneficial starting position on Saturday and will look to make some gains during the day.”
Andreas Mikkelsen (9th)
“Not a day to remember for us. We were not on the pace this morning and struggled to get a consistent feeling from the car. We investigated with the engineers over lunchtime service and made some changes, which helped get the feeling back in the afternoon loop. Unfortunately, we still didn’t have the pace to go really fast but tomorrow is another day. We’ll push on.”
Saturday
It was another very early start to the day with nine stages to run, the first off at half eight in the morning. The running order had changed and looked like this – Mikkelsen, Ostberg, Paddon, Breen, Ogier, Lappi, Latvala, Neuville, Tänak, Suninen, Evans. There would be no service either, as an additional challenge.
First up was SS10, Myherin, which is a beautiful stage. Fastest through was Seb from Hayden and Ott who remained overall leader. Seb had gained two places, moving up to third at the expense of Jari-Matti who lost two places. Thierry was still in second though, but his position was under threat from Seb, who was now just a couple of seconds behind.
FIA World Rally Championship 2018 / Round 11 / Wales Rally GB 2018 / October 4-7, 2018 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC
Moving to the combined Sweet Lamb Hafren stage, SS11, there were a few changes at the end. The big one, was Thierry, who spun and got stuck in a ditch, losing 40 seconds and dropping to eighth, now a minute and 22 seconds behind the leader. The spectators nearby got him out and on his way. Meantime, Mads gained places, after setting the fastest time and moved up to sixth and Craig was now fifth.
Well, SS12, Dyfi saw Ott further extend his lead over Seb setting the best time and beating Craig and Mads, who were both second fastest. Showing what might have been was Elfyn, who was only 5.9 seconds slower- He’d almost have certainly been in the fight for the lead.
Elfyn Evans, Dan Barritt. Photo credit, Andrew Parry @firefish37
Next up was SS13, Gartheiniog and Andreas finally had a fastest time, beating Mads and Ott. Seb was now 48 seconds behind the young Estonian, whilst Thierry had now fallen behind teammate, Andreas into ninth. Another driver moving up, was Jari-Matti passing Esapekka Lappi who fell to fourth.
On the single run of Dyfnant, SS14, Jari-Matti was fastest, from Mads and Andreas. The pace from the Finn meant that he was closing on Seb, the gap now just 1.7 seconds between the former teammates. Ott remained firmly in charge though with a 48 second lead over M-Sport’s champion.
In the final stage, SS15, Myherin, before the tyre and light fitting zone in Newtown, Seb was fastest from Craig and Andreas and Ott lost six seconds of his lead too. Jari-Matti also lost time in his fight for second overall, finishing the stage 3.8 seconds slower than Seb. Elfyn again went well setting fifth fastest time.
The following stage, SS16, Sweet Lamb Hafren would see drama for the leader, Ott. After a jump, he suffered a heavy landing, ripping the sump guard from his Yaris and damaging the radiator. He was out, and it was a big shame as he looked to close the points gap to Thierry further. Andreas won the stage from new overall leader Seb with Jari-Matti moving into second overall too with the gap between them just 5.5 seconds.
SS17, the second run of Dyfi was won by Jari-Matti, with Andreas and Hayden second and third. Esapekka was just a few seconds ahead of Craig now as well in their battle over the final podium spot. The gap now between Seb and Jari-Matti was now just 2.9 seconds as they battled for the lead!
The final stage of the day, SS18, Gartheiniog saw Andreas set the best time with Craig second and Thierry third. Seb opened up the gap over Jari-Matti, the gap between them now 4.4 seconds. Craig also remained close to Esapekka in their fight for the final podium spot.
STANDINGS AFTER DAY 2
Ogier / Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) 2:31:22.5
Latvala / Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +4.4
Lappi / Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) +11.8
Breen / Martin (Citroën C3 WRC) +13.5
Ostberg / Eriksen (Citroën C3 WRC) +34.1
Mikkelsen / Jaeger (Hyundai i20 WRC) +36.5
Paddon / Marshall (Hyundai i20 WRC) +45.4
Neuville / Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 WRC) +55.5
Let’s hear from the drivers after another dramatic day in this year’s championship.
Sébastien Ogier (1st)
“Today has been a good day, but being in the lead tonight is a bit of a surprise. When I heard about Ott Tänak, I really felt for him because he was much faster than all of us this weekend. Instead of fighting for second place we now find ourselves in a big fight for the victory. Yesterday was a tough one and I said I would take full risk – and it worked. We finally had a clean day without problems. But it’s very close and it won’t be easy to maintain the lead tomorrow. We have to keep fighting.”
Jari-Matti Latvala (2nd)
“After Ott had to retire, I realised that the door was open for the victory and I started to push harder, and the feeling was getting better and better. On the final stage I stalled in the ruts in a hairpin and I lost a few seconds, but we still have a day to go. It has been a while since my last win, so the motivation is definitely very high to go for it tomorrow.”
Esapekka Lappi (3rd)
“Today has been a long day and a really close fight. The morning was quite enjoyable. I didn’t want to take any big risks, but the times were reasonable. This afternoon we did start to lose some time and that was frustrating, but still, we are in third position and Jari-Matti is second, and this is important for the team. I think we will need to push hard tomorrow as we don’t have much of a gap behind.”
Citroen Abu Dhabi Racing WRT
Craig Breen (4th)
“I’m really pleased to be right in the mix for the podium after an incredible day. We just kept pushing. I can’t wait for tomorrow, I really enjoyed it today and I hope we can keep up the momentum on Sunday. Tomorrow’s leg will be pretty short, so we’ll need to be on it right from the word go. But one thing’s for sure, we’ll be going flat to the square right!”
Mads Østberg (5th)
“I really enjoyed driving my C3 WRC today, especially this morning. Although I had to contend with some understeer issues this afternoon, we are definitely in the running for a decent result. We’re going to keep on pushing to build on today’s good performance. Tomorrow’s final leg promises to be interesting, with the new sections and the stage held on tarmac.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Andreas Mikkelsen (6th)
“It has been a really good day – we are going in the right direction. I’ve been happy with the car today; it has been very nice to drive, stable and predictable. Being first on the road helped a bit this morning, but the conditions were surprisingly dry and improving as the day went on. We didn’t quite have the full advantage that we were hoping for. We had clean runs, making no mistakes and picked up three stage wins too. We’re too far from the front-runners to catch much time but anything can happen. We’ve tried to give it a bit of a push but without going crazy and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Hayden Paddon (7th)
“We have had another clean day with no real problems. The car has felt good on most of the stages, although we were missing some traction at times. Overall, I have been happy with the balance and have felt comfortable and in control. It has been closely fought throughout the day so we have been searching for very small improvements. We will continue to find some gains on Sunday morning with five stages still to run and important points up for grabs.”
Thierry Neuville (8th)
“Our targets for today were completely overturned after our off early in the morning loop. The grip level caught me out and I went off. It’s part of the game when you are pushing as hard as we do all the time. Of course, it is a shame, and we’ve paid for it, but we won’t give up. Even with that mistake we have had a tough day with our tyre choice. As we have seen, anything can happen anytime so we just have to keep going and see what happens. If we can make up a few positions tomorrow, and score some Power Stage points, that would be ideal.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Elfyn Evans (24th)
“It’s been OK today, it’s difficult without something really to fight for as such, but the stages have been great to be honest, real good fun to drive and the atmosphere from the home fans has been great out there. Overall, enjoyable but still frustrating at the same time!”
“Tomorrow we will have to wait and see what is possible on the Power Stage, we will sit down with the team tonight and work out what we can do and then go from there.”
Sunday
It was another very early start on Sunday with the first stage due to start just after 7am! There was also a big difference, with the power stage being run as the second stage of the day and not as the last stage as normal. The starting order looked like this – Neuville, Paddon, Mikkelsen, Ostberg, Breen, Lappi, Latvala, Ogier, Tänak, Evans.
First stage then, SS19, the single run of Elsi saw Esapekka Lappi pull away from Craig, their battle for the podium continuing from yesterday. Jari-Matti was also very quick, reducing Seb’s lead to just 1.7 seconds and confirming he was going on the attack like he said he would. Championship leader, Thierry was still in ninth place, but he had taken a couple of seconds out of Hayden, as he looked to move up the leaderboard.
Now, it was time for the power stage, the first run through SS20, Gwydir, where in some places the road was just wide enough for the cars and the mirrors were in the hedges! Fastest through was Jari-Matti, on full attack mode, including over a jump where his car was sideways in the air! Seb was fast, but lost the lead after being 5.2 seconds slower than the Finn who was now 3.6 ahead of Seb. The power stage points went to Jari-Matti, Ott, Seb, Thierry and Esapekka. Thierry had moved closer to Hayden again, with just six seconds between them now.
Clearly, Seb wasn’t going to lie down and let Jari-Matti stay in the lead for long though, as the Frenchman won SS21, Great Orme Llandudno and closed to within two tenths of a second. Meanwhile, Thierry moved past Hayden and into eighth place- Top three overall was Jari-Matti, Seb and Esapekka. Craig’s battle with Esapekka was over after a mistake at the end of the stage, where he thought he’d crossed the flying finish, and stopped the car, but then realised he had to get going again.
Into the second run of Gwydir, SS22, and Seb hit back, setting a time faster than Jari-Matti had done in the morning and retaking the lead by 3.1 seconds. The other driver to gain positions was Thierry, who emerged in fifth overall at stage end, after not only being nine seconds faster than Andreas, also passed Mads who’s spun in the stage, the Norwegian therefore fell to eighth overall.
There was a delay of 40 minutes before the last stage got underway, after a young rider, Riley Dexter was badly injured whilst performing stunts on bikes. Our thoughts very much go to the family.
Seb flew through SS23, Great Orme Llandudno, a full 3.5 seconds faster than Thierry with Mads and Andreas setting exactly the same time to both be third fastest. Our top three was, Seb, Jari-Matti and Esapekka. A very timely victory for the Frenchman, with just two events left. The title will be decided down-under at the season finale. His last win this year was Round 4, Corsica, whilst his last podium was in Round 7, Italia.
FINAL CLASSIFICATION
Ogier / Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC)
Latvala / Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +10.6
Lappi / Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) +35.1
Breen / Martin (Citroën C3 WRC) +1:10.4
Neuville / Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 WRC) +1:14.4
Mikkelsen / Jaeger (Hyundai i20 WRC) +1:15.9
Paddon / Marshall (Hyundai i20 WRC) +1:18.4
Ostberg / Eriksen (Citroën C3 WRC) +1:21.6
FIA World Rally Championship 2018 / Round 11 / Wales Rally GB 2018 / October 4-7, 2018 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC
Let’s hear then from the drivers! Top three first.
Sébastien Ogier (1st)
“It’s been a great weekend for us and one with a lot of different emotions. I’m very proud to have won this rally for the fifth time, especially because we know how challenging and tough it is to stay on the road and not make mistakes in these conditions.
“We had a very difficult start on Friday and thought the rally was almost over, but then we fought back with everything we had. We knew that the podium was still within our reach and when Ott [Tänak] had his problems it became a big fight for the win.
“Jari-Matti [Latvala] was determined to win himself and was very quick, which forced us to react. Luckily, I was able to finish the rally with three perfect stages – especially SS22 which was as close to perfection as I can get and I’m glad I could make the difference there.
“It’s a great step in the right direction for the championship and puts us right back in the fight. The last two rallies will be exciting and the intensity is going to be higher than ever.
“I’m looking forward to Spain now, where we can perform well I think, followed by Australia where it will probably all be decided. I’m sure the fans will love a close fight and I’m excited for the end of the season.”
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, Photo credit, M-Sport Ford
Jari-Matti Latvala (2nd)
“It was a great battle today, I really enjoyed the fight. The first two stages were great for me, but it went away in the final loop. It was maybe down to the tyre choice: I had one used soft tyre and, on the gravel, it wasn’t biting that well. This is a very important result for the team for the manufacturers’ championship, and also for myself: to get these consecutive podiums is very nice.”
Esapekka Lappi (3rd)
“I am pretty pleased with this result. These are important points, especially for the team. In the morning loop the performance was really strong: We defended our third place and we managed to do a fastest time, which is always nice. We got a big gap and after that it was just about bringing the car safely to the finish, which we did.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville (5th)
“We have given it everything this weekend. The mistake yesterday ended any chance of scoring a podium but we’ve pushed hard to reclaim a few lost positions. The championship is far from over. From a fan point of view, it’s getting exciting between me, Sébastien and Ott. I’d rather have a bigger lead than we have now, but we can’t dwell on what’s happened in recent rallies. We have to pick ourselves up and fight for overall victory in the final two rounds. It’s in our hands.”
Andreas Mikkelsen (6th)
“After our positive performance on Saturday, we struggled again on the final stages today. It was really difficult to have a good stage. I was feeling really bad yesterday so I wasn’t able to watch any videos in preparation for today’s schedule. I didn’t know where to place the car, and we had a few moments as a result. Thankfully we were able to complete the rally but not in the sort of position we need to be finishing. We now need to concentrate on the last two rallies where we know we can be strong.”
Hayden Paddon (7th)
“There are some positives to take away from this weekend even if the result doesn’t do us justice. We took some fastest splits and top-three stage times on Saturday, and generally found comfort in the car. This morning’s stages were incredibly slippery. We couldn’t read the grip and the pace notes weren’t optimal. The second loop was better. With only 15 seconds between fourth and eighth, it was a close fight. We will now prepare for our final WRC event of the season in Australia, determined to finish the season on a high.”
Citroen Abu Dhabi Racing WRT
Craig Breen (4th)
“I’m pleased with my weekend, I really gave it everything this morning but the other guys were just faster than us. It was important to get a result for the team. I’m now going to try and build on it and keep the momentum going at the last couple of rallies so we can finish the season as strongly as possible. And given that I have a bit of preference for tarmac, I’m already really looking forward to Spain!”
Craig Breen and Scott Martin shook off their Friday curse and drove to a very worthy fourth overall, their best finish since Rally Sweden. Photo credit Citroen Racing
Mads Østberg (8th)
“Although we had a few difficulties putting it all together, we had some very good stages this weekend, winning one speed test and setting several other good times. We never gave up and tried to stay in touch with the leading crews. It’s a shame that we were a little bit unlucky today. A minor mistake has ended up proving very costly.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Ott Tänak (19th /Rally 2)
“Today we just did our job, which was to get some points from the Power Stage and then to get to the finish. That is all we could really do today. We are still in the championship fight but the situation is tougher for us now. It will not be easy but we will keep trying until the end.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Elfyn Evans (20th / Rally 2)
“It’s been a really disappointing rally for us as we knew we had the speed and performance to challenge for the victory this weekend. It’s one of those things and after retiring with the misfire on Friday we just had to focus on getting through without any issues.
“At some points I was surprised at the times as we really weren’t pushing at all, but there isn’t a lot we can take away from this weekend. That said, it was great to see all the spectators out on the stages and such a fantastic atmosphere at the finish in Llandudno!”
Well, what a finish we are going to get this year! I can’t remember the last time the WRC fight went to the last round. The next round is Rally Catalunya on the weekend of the 25th to 28th of October. Don’t miss it! Twenty-one points between the top three is very close!
This makes recce super-critical. Make good pace notes, and you can go faster in the fog. We had a great recce in GB, it felt good to be on home turf, however with the route change a lot of the stages were unfamiliar to us. I can tell you, for me there is no better feeling in Rallying than being flat out in the fog, knowing the two of you in the car are absolutely committed to the pace notes.
The other thing about Wales Rally GB is that’s it’s a test of endurance too, not in the rough, battering way that Turkey was, but in the get up at 4am and go to bed at midnight kind of way. Long, long days with few opportunities to service the car or get a break. Big distances in wet, cold, muddy conditions. It’s a classic challenge.
We had a good shakedown, and a good opening stage on Thursday night. And we followed that on Friday by getting stuck in and building a nice lead in the howling, rain-soaked forests of North Wales. We had a good day.
Saturday should have been about managing the gap, but a puncture in the second pass of Myherin saw us drop a lot of time. So, we had to fight back.
And over Saturday evening and Sunday that’s what we did, ultimately coming away with our first WRC 3 category win… and on our home event! A very happy memory.
After yet another super tough @WalesRallyGB, it's been awesome to take the WRC3 win on my home event.?
Typical #WRGB conditions were met with long days and tricky conditions, making the win that little bit extra special.?
Sebastian Vettel believes that Ferrari can still be a force to be reckoned with in 2018, with their spirit “unbroken despite everything” they have been through.
“Today, I found it quite inspirational walking through the garage and watching the guys work,” Vettel said. “All the team is fired up and that certainly helps, as the last couple of weeks haven’t been that easy. The spirit is unbroken despite everything.”
Vettel has only won two races out of the past ten – taking the chequered flag at Silverstone and Spa – and he has been involved in incidents or been the victim of various strategy mistakes in Germany, Hungary, Italy, Singapore and, most recently, in Japan.
Vettel finished in sixth place in Suzuka after a clash with Max Verstappen early on in the race dropped him to the back of the pack. The German tried to dive down the inside going into Spoon Curve but made contact with Verstappen and ended up spinning. The incident, which was investigated by the stewards but didn’t result in any penalties, left Vettel to fight his way back through the field. He now trails title rival Lewis Hamilton by 67 points with four races still to go.
Image courtesy of Ferrari Media
Speaking of the coming together with Verstappen, Vettel said, “I was obviously pushing to pass, I knew he had a penalty, but I also felt that we were fast. I could see that his battery was clipping, while I had saved some energy from mine. I saw a gap and went for it on the inside, he obviously tried to defend and I couldn’t go anywhere, so we touched. However, this is part of racing.”
F1 now heads to the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, where Hamilton has his first chance at winning his fifth world championship. If he outscores Vettel by eight points – so, if Hamilton wins the race and Vettel doesn’t finish second, for instance – then he would wrap up the title.
“Races like [Japan] are a bit of a hand-over and we know it is difficult from where we are in the points standings, but we don’t have much to lose,” Vettel said. “We have given everything so far and I believe there’s still something we can learn and understand from the car. So we keep fighting and resisting and we’ll see what the other races bring.”
Fernando Alonso has never been the humblest of drivers, nor the most understated. He’s also infamous for his fairly horrendous career choices that have left him frustrated in underperforming cars, which is exactly where he finds himself now. His angered, but often humorous, radio messages during his time at McLaren have turned the Spaniard into the ‘meme-king’ of F1, but his off-the-cuff comments are, to some at least, starting to become repetitive and tiresome.
If you had a pound for every time Alonso’s called himself the “best in the world” or a performance the “best of his life” you would be very, very rich. These comments come seemingly every race weekend with the two-time champion desperate to remind everyone just how good he is… even when he’s often knocked out in Q1.
This weekend at Japan he called his qualifying lap “one of the best laps of my life,” saying he didn’t leave anything out on the challenging Suzuka track. That statement is more than credible when taken out of context, but when you add in the fact that he qualified eighteenth and that it’s definitely not the first time he has said that this season… well, this is where I’m coming from.
Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary. . Sunday 30 July 2017. Fernando Alonso, McLaren. Photo: Steven Tee/McLaren ref: Digital Image _R3I4275
You get the sense that part of Alonso’s reasoning for saying these kinds of things is to tell the world “look how good I am. I’m not bad, the car is”. The Spaniard is well-known for his harsh criticism of underperforming machinery, as Honda found out during their three-year partnership with McLaren. However, these actions, most memorably of which was him shouting “GP2 engine!” over the radio, have already come back to bite him with Honda reportedly denying him an IndyCar drive with a Honda-powered team, not wanting to restart their ever-so-fractious relationship.
If you turn back the clocks to Alonso’s Ferrari years, he often came across as a bit grumpy and generally anything but humorous. He seems to have mellowed somewhat in his challenging years at McLaren, with stunts like the deckchair and rather questionable camera-work in consecutive years at Brazil increasing his popularity.
This was furthered by his trip to the Indy 500 last year where he proved he could fight with the best IndyCar has to offer, though it’s tough to say what would’ve happened had his Honda engine hung on until the end of the 200 laps.
Race driver Fernando Alonso of Spain pulls out of the pit area as he practiced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Wednesday, May 3, Alonso plans to miss the Monaco Grand Prix this year to drive in the Indianapolis 500. 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) ORG XMIT: OTKMC103
His antics have gained him countless fans, loving his outbreaks of personality in amongst the supposedly cold, media-trained youth, but you can’t really say it’s helped him in the matter of trying to get a decent drive. Red Bull said they didn’t want him for his trouble-making tendencies and teams like Mercedes have shied away from him for his potential volatile temperament, not wanting to upset intra-team harmony.
This has left Alonso in the massively underperforming McLaren-Renault that, despite a relatively strong start to the season, has promised much and delivered little. Undoubtedly, Alonso has grown frustrated with this situation and is therefore branching out to find ever more ways to remind everyone of his talent, be it WEC, IndyCar or kart races around his own track. You can’t blame the man for trying!
The problem is, the world hasn’t forgotten how good Alonso is, and it certainly doesn’t need constant reminders by the man himself to know that. Many drivers and teams would say that they like to do their talking on the track but with a lacklustre package, that’s not really an option for Alonso, hence the situation he has found himself in.
Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary. Saturday 28 July 2018. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, puts on his helmet in the garage. Photo: Steven Tee/McLaren ref: Digital Image _2ST0511
In truth, words can only get you so far, if you are all talk and no trousers, people are going to start taking what you say with more than just a pinch of salt.
His charm is wearing thin on quite a few F1 fans, but it hasn’t worn through and maybe the change of scene next year (wherever that’ll be) will be what Alonso needs, effectively pressing the reset button and, hopefully at least, getting him back to being competitive.
I’ll leave you with a quote from the late great Juan Manuel Fangio that perhaps Alonso should’ve heeded long ago:
“You must always strive to be the best, but you must never believe that you are.”
Early in the morning for most Europeans, Formula One returned to the legendary Suzuka circuit for round seventeen of the 2018 season.
Lewis Hamilton started on pole once again, the 80th time he has done so in his career. Title rival Sebastian Vettel started from a lowly ninth place after a gamble on the intermediate tyres at the start of Q3 meant they lost precious time on track when it was dry. When the rain then started to fall near the end of Q3, Vettel couldn’t improve and made several mistakes in the slippery conditions. Bottas started behind Hamilton in P2, with a very surprised but happy Verstappen in third. On the other side of the Red Bull garage there was drama as Ricciardo once again had issues with the engine, keeping the car inside the garage in Q2 and resigning him to a 15th place start.
The race started under clear blue skies, and immediately Vettel began to make up for his poor qualifying by charging to sixth place after just two turns, and fifth place by the end of the first lap. Verstappen had a good start, but at the end of the first lap he locked up his brakes entering the final chicane, pushing the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen off the track as he rejoined. The incident was investigated, and Verstappen was given a five-second penalty for “leaving the track and returning unsafely”.
2018 Japanese Grand Prix, Sunday – Wolfgang Wilhelm
After a brief Virtual Safety Car, deployed because of debris on the track after a collision between Kevin Magnussen and Charles Leclerc, Vettel moved up to fourth place and turned his attention to getting past Verstappen for third. He made an overtaking attempt going into Spoon Corner but, in trying to go through on the inside of Verstappen, the two made contact, with Vettel spinning and dropping down to 19th.
Verstappen survived relatively unscathed, and came into the pits on lap twenty-two to serve his five-second penalty and change onto the soft tyres. Valtteri Bottas made his pit stop the lap afterwards, and switched onto the medium tyres.
By lap 34, Vettel had fought his way back into the top ten, and overtook Grosjean going into Spoon – this time cleanly – to take seventh place.
After another Virtual Safety Car, this time for the stranded car of Charles Leclerc, Verstappen made an effort to get past Valtteri Bottas for P2. Despite Bottas making an error going into the last chicane and struggling with a blister on his rear tyres, he managed to hold on.
After fifty-three laps it was a dominant victory for Lewis Hamilton, once again extending his championship lead as Vettel disappointed with an eventual sixth place. Bottas and Verstappen completed the podium, with Ricciardo, Räikkönen, Vettel, Perez, Grosjean, Ocon and Sainz rounding out the top ten. Driver of the Day could only go to Daniel Ricciardo, who finished in fourth after starting from fifteenth.
2018 Japanese Grand Prix, Sunday – Paul Ripke
In the drivers’ championship, Hamilton now leads Vettel by 67 points with only four races to go. Next up is the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in two weeks time. If Hamilton outscores Vettel by eight points or more in that race, Hamilton will win the championship.
After a few years of vying for a place on the MotoGP calendar, the Chang International Circuit in Thailand finally got its slot for the 2018 season, and this weekend the paddock will arrive in Buriram for the first ever Thai round of the MotoGP World Championship.
The Thailland GP infographics. Image courtesy of Michelin Motorsport.
The circuit is largely uninspiring, with a 90-degree right hander opening up the lap, to launch you down a long straight. At the end of said straight lies a (probably) second gear hairpin which is very wide on entry, making the line choice quite interesting. On the other side of the hairpin lies another long straight, which this time has a very fast (third or fourth gear) left-hander at the end. A short stretch follows, but merely acts as a braking zone for turn five, a slow left-hander, which leads into a slightly faster left-hander where the bikes will be spinning and using those Michelin rears, before flicking it right and down another short chute, and into another 90-degree corner, this time on the right side. Turn nine is a corner which seems like it could have some different approaches, because it leads straight into the medium-speed turn ten, which in turn feeds directly to turn eleven, a fast, fourth gear right hander which will be essential in the race because a good exit could allow a rider to set themselves up for a pass into the final corner – tight, bottom gear hairpin – whilst a poor exit could leave you vulnerable on the final lap.
Ultimately, the layout in Buriram is indicative of the way track design is going, because tracks are being built with the fans in mind, to create good overtaking opportunities in a small space which can be viewed almost in its entirety from the main grandstand.
Of course, MotoGP has already once been to Thailand, back in February for a preseason test, and whilst the layout on paper lends itself perfectly to the Ducatis, it was the Hondas which came out on top eight months ago.
Admittedly, much has changed in those eight months: Ducati has refined its GP18 and made it into what is now the best motorcycle on the grid, although that has not been enough to stop Marc Marquez romping away with this year’s championship.
Marc Marquez. Image courtesy of Honda Pro Racing
And the last round in Aragon was a big part of Marquez’ current championship challenge. For sure, he had the title all but wrapped up even as far back as the summer break, but to defeat the Ducatis for the first time since Sachsenring, and to do it in his own backyard, was something which you could sense was quite important for the reigning champion – he had to stop the building momentum in the Italian camp, and he shut it down fairly brutally, beating the Desmosedici GP18s (or, one of them) at their own game: tyre management.
The 2018 champion elect will also be fairly confident coming into the Thai round this weekend. He was ‘only’ third on the timesheets after the three days of testing back in February, but the only people ahead of him were Dani Pedrosa and Johann Zarco, who have both seen significant drops in form in the time since. There were also three Hondas in the top four in the test, with Cal Crutchlow 0.095 seconds slower than Marquez in fourth place. Meanwhile, the top Ducati was Jack Miller in sixth spot, and Andrea Dovizioso was 0.411 seconds off the pace in seventh. There are, then, reasons for Marquez to be hopeful about his chances this weekend – on paper.
However, a different sheet of paper, primarily the one with the track map on it, suggests otherwise.
The heavy acceleration zones, long straights and heavy braking zones play perfectly into the hands of Ducati, who have the best aero and electronics for anti-wheelie and traction, the most power, and the most braking stability of all the bikes out there.
Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso – Aragon GP. Image courtesy of Ducati Media
It is likely that only one of the two Bologna Bullets will be able to fight for the victory this weekend, as Jorge Lorenzo is suffering from the injuries he sustained in Aragon in his first corner high side. So the responsibility falls at the door of Desmo Dovi to bring the Italian marque back to the top step.
In reality, the track is split in two, the first half suiting the Ducati and the second suiting the Honda. The way the final corner is makes it the ideal place for a block pass, so come final lap time on Sunday, be ready for a Marquez divebomb if he’s anywhere within range of the #04.
What about the rest?
Well, it makes sense to start with Suzuki. They had a brilliant Aragon, and the words which came from the mouths of their riders afterwards suggested they know what to do to go from +2.6 to -2.6 at the end of the race. That is, they have to run less corner speed. The GSX-RR could suffer this weekend. The heat and humidity of Thailand will mean the bikes produce less power, which puts the more powerful machines at a bigger advantage compared to the lower-powered bikes. A such, the Suzuki will suffer in the first part of the lap, but on the contrary, its sweet-handling chassis should excel in the second half of the lap.
Alex Rins. Image courtesy of Suzuki Racing
Whilst the heat could be a problem for Suzuki, but it could be a disaster for Aprilia. They have been famed for their unreliability this season, so much so that their riders have struggled to contain themselves at times, and Scott Redding’s emotions even boiled over in Austria when he unleashed an almighty outburst to the press. But with Aleix Espargaro’s sixth-place finish in Aragon two weeks ago, they arrive in Buriram with some rare optimism.
The same cannot be said for Yamaha, however, who will roll out of the pits in Thailand on Friday morning knowing they shall likely be in for yet another difficult weekend. Whilst the long straights and hard accelerations should suit the Ducati well, the M1 will no doubt struggle a lot in these sections, scrabbling for traction which it simply doesn’t have. On the face of it, this weekend could perhaps be even worse than Aragon for the Iwata marque.
And that’s if it remains dry. We saw in Austria how the M1 can suffer in the wet, its acceleration deficit exaggerated by the lack of track grip, and MotoGP heads to Thailand in the rainy season. In fact, when you consider that, the weather could play a decisive role in this weekend’s Thai MotoGP, in that it could decide how much racing we actually see.
Marcus Ericsson has said he is targeting a move to either IndyCar or Super Formula for 2019 following the loss of his Sauber Formula One race seat.
Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team
Ericsson will remain with Sauber next year as reserve driver and brand ambassador, but has said he is also looking to continue racing with a full-time drive in another single-seater category.
“I want to race at the highest level possible [next year] because I see myself coming back to Formula One in the future,” Ericsson said.
“To be able to come back to F1, I want to stay in single-seaters and fast cars. IndyCar is the best series to do that in.
“We’re talking to some teams there and I think it is a realistic target.”
Most of IndyCar’s 2019 drives have already been settled, although seats are still available at Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports, Carlin and Juncos Racing.
Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team
Ericsson has also admitted Japan’s Super Formula is “also an option”, and that he would be interested in contesting the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
But despite insisting on a single-seater programme for 2019 to keep him prepared for an F1 return, Ericsson said that Formula E is not high on his preferences:
“It is interesting in many aspects but to stay in F1-type of driving it’s maybe not the best one.
“FE is more of a career move. There are some other options that you can keep on the F1 radar [to] come back.”
The championship arrives in Wales finely balanced. With Ott Tanak’s third win in a row last time out in the dramatic Rally Turkey, taking the Estonian into second place in the standings, we have essentially a three round title fight between Thierry, Ott and Seb.
This round is being held a lot earlier this year, and this may lead to a very fast event, plus running further down the order will help those drivers should those stages remain dry. Home favourite, and last year’s winner Elfyn Evans comes here, after not having a great season in terms of results, but having certainly shown good pace throughout the year. He’ll be hoping to secure a good drive to at least a podium, and I’m certain he would love to repeat last year’s victory.
Looking at the other drivers that have done well in this event in the past, there’s Jari-Matti who has scored well here too, and he’d love to follow up his podium from last time out with another here. Then there’s Craig Breen, who has suffered badly with problems on the first day of each event this year, leaving him in a bad road position for the rest of the event. Last time out he led for a short while, before his curse returned, so let see how he gets on this time. He’ll have a whole new car of course, after the fire that destroyed his C3 in Turkey. Don’t forget, he went really well in Sweden this year, scoring a podium! Then there’s Hayden Paddon, who scored a his first podium of the season last time out and is fired up to do well this year.
Right, now here are the details of the stages that make up this year’s event. You’ll notice some changes, with the introduction of some new stages, Penmachno (16.95km) and Slate Mountain (1.63km) on Friday, plus some new sections to Brenig and Sweet Lamb and Hafren connected together with a road section.
Saturday sees the longest stages being run and in fact, the longest day of action with nine stages, two held as the sun goes down. Also, worth a mention is ElfynsCorner, in Myherin, where the fans of Elfyn will gather with their huge banner to cheer on the Welsh wizard.
Finally, Sunday will see a stage run around Llandudno and the Great Orme as the final, but interestingly, the Power Stage isn’t around there, it’s a stage with some changes called Gwydir and held as the second stage of Sunday. A very different ending to normal.
WALES RALLY GB SCHEDULE (GMT+1)
THURSDAY 4 OCTOBER
8.00am: Shakedown Clocaenog (3,37 km)
3.15pm: Start (Deeside)
7.00pm: SS 1 – Tir Prince (1,70 km)
8.05pm: Parc fermé (Deeside)
FRIDAY 5 OCTOBER
6.45am: Service A (Deeside – 15 min)
7.56am: SS 2 – Clocaenog 1 (7,67 km)
8.32am: SS 3 – Brenig 1 (29,13 km)
9.47am: SS 4 – Penmachno 1 (16,95 km)
10.40am: SS 5 – Slate Mountain 1 (1,63 km)
10.47am: SS 6 – Slate Mountain 2 (1,63 km)
1.11pm: Service B (Deeside – 30 min)
2.37pm: SS 7 – Clocaenog 2 (7,67 km)
3.13pm: SS 8 – Brenig 2 (29,13 km)
4.28pm: SS 9 – Penmachno 2 (16,95 km)
7.02pm: Flexi service C (Deeside – 45 min)
SATURDAY 6 OCTOBER
5.30am: Service D (Deeside – 15 min)
8.35am: SS 10 – Myherin 1 (20,28 km)
9.15am: SS 11 – Sweet Lamb Hafren 1 (19,95 km)
10.28am: SS 12 – Dyfi 1 (19,48 km)
11.02am: SS 13 – Gartheiniog 1 (11,26 km)
12.08pm: SS 14 – Dyfnant (8,30 km)
1.51pm: Tyre and headlamp pod-fitting zone (Newton – 15 min)
2.52pm: SS 15 – Myherin 2 (20,28 km)
3.32pm: SS 16 – Sweet Lamb Hafren 2 (19,95 km)
4.45pm: SS 17 – Dyfi 2 (19,48 km)
5.19pm: SS 18 – Gartheiniog 2 (11,26 km)
7.37pm: Flexi service E (Deeside – 45 min)
SUNDAY 7 OCTOBER
5.25am: Service F (Deeside – 15 min)
7.22am: SS 19 – Elsi (10,06 km)
8.08am: SS 20 – Gwydir 1 Power Stage (14,76 km)
9.16am: SS 21 – Great Orme Llandudno 1 (8,03 km)
9.57am: Tyre fitting zone (Dolgarrog – 15 min)
10.29am: SS 22 – Gwydir 2 (14,76 km)
12.18pm: SS 23 – Great Orme Llandudno 2 (8,03 km)
12.29pm: Finish (Llandudno)
Now, let’s hear from the drivers!
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“Wales Rally GB is really enjoyable and has different characteristics to the other gravel rallies on the calendar. The past few editions of the event have been run in wet, rainy conditions but we are there a bit earlier this year so let’s see if the weather is kinder.”
“Whatever happens, it will be a tricky rally, particularly on the second pass. The schedule is also tough with very early starts and late finishes; it’s an extra physical challenge. I have had two podiums in a row in Wales, so it would be nice to continue that streak. After the disappointment of Turkey, the championship fight is definitely on!”
2017 FIA World Rally Championship, Round 12, Wales Rally GB 26-29 October 2017, Thierry Neuville, Nicolas Gilsoul, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Photographer: RaceEmotion, Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Andreas Mikkelsen
“Although Turkey was ultimately a frustrating result, having led the rally by 40 seconds, it is important to take away the positives. Everything was a bit more relaxed and we had a good feeling inside the car. That’s what we take with us onto Wales Rally GB, an event I enjoy greatly.”
“It is where I started my career, so it is always good to go back. It was my second event with Hyundai Motorsport last season and we came away with a solid fourth place, fighting near the front. I hope we can do that again this year and recreate the level of competitiveness we showed for most of Rally Turkey.”
Hayden Paddon
“After our podium in Turkey, we are looking forward to Wales Rally GB, which is Seb’s home event. There is often rain, mud and fog to contend with in this event, which adds character to a very enjoyable, but taxing rally.”
“The characteristics of the roads match our style, and I think they will also be suited to our i20 Coupe WRC. Although I have had a couple of top-five finishes in the past few seasons, we’ve never really achieved our full potential in Wales. I’m going to set out to correct that this time around.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Ott Tanak
“Normally, Rally GB is an event that I like. In an ideal world, I would like to have dry conditions and fast roads, but everybody knows that you cannot expect anything when it comes to the weather in Wales. During our test last week, it was raining quite a lot so we had a nice amount of mud, which was perfect for testing really.”
“We were able to do quite a lot of work to try and further develop the car and get more performance. I believe we did a good job and I’m looking forward to seeing how we compare against our rivals. Everything is possible now in the championship and I have a good feeling about what we can do in Britain.”
Jari-Matti Latvala
“Rally GB is one of those events I have always enjoyed, partly because it was my first ever WRC round back in 2002: This year will be my 17th start in Wales. We had a very good test last week. I was delighted that we had a lot of rain and muddy conditions, because this is normally what you get in Wales, yet in the previous two years it was dry during testing and I ended up with the wrong setup for the rally.”
“In the test the car was working really well in the muddy conditions, and we managed to improve the traction, which was our weakness last year. All in all, I got a good feeling with the driving and with the car, so I’m looking forward to the event.”
Jari-Matti Latvala – Miikka Antila. Photo credit Toyota WRT
Esapekka Lappi
“Our result on this event last year wasn’t great, and the car wasn’t really performing how we expected, but hopefully we have found something on our pre-event test that is going to help us to be much more competitive this year.”
“Unlike for my team-mates, it was actually fully dry for my test day, so I would prefer it if the rally is dry. With the earlier date I hope that could be possible, but the weather is always unpredictable, so let’s see. I really like the rally itself so I’m really looking forward to it: It would be great to have a good result, both for myself and to help the team in the championship.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“Wales Rally GB is one of the classics and an event that everyone wants to win. The stages are steeped in motorsport history and the early starts and late finishes make it a true test of focus and endurance. Win in Wales, and you know that you have mastered the challenge.”
“It’s one of the most challenging rallies on the calendar and there is a real art to judging the grip through the forests. The demanding weather conditions can take a bit of getting used to, but we could see a dry rally this year which would be interesting for sure!
“This time 12 months ago, the Welsh forests played host to an incredible story as we claimed all three championships with Malcolm and his team. The title fight could not be closer this year, but the team can rest assured that we will give our very best in pursuit of the strongest possible result to keep our championship hopes alive!”
Elfyn Evans
“Competing at home always brings special motivation. We have some of the best stages in the world in Wales, and when you see all the Welsh flags and fans cheering you on you can’t help but feel a real sense of pride.
“The win last year is something that we will never forget. There’s always something special about that first victory, but doing it on home soil with all of our family and friends there was really special and something we definitely want to replicate again this year.
“The aim is to be in the fight for another win, but we know it won’t be easy. This is an event that everyone wants to win and the three guys up front will all be pushing extremely hard. The stages are fast, and mistakes aren’t easily forgiven, but we will give it our best. Experience counts for a lot, and we’ll be looking to put all of our local knowledge to good use.”
Twelve months ago Elfyn and Dan drove to a first ever victory on home soil. FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Wales Rally GB (GB) – WRC 26/10/2017 to 29/10/2017 – PHOTO : @World
Teemu Suninen
“This will be my first time in Wales with a World Rally Car, but I am looking forward to the challenge and will give it my very best for the team. The car feels good, and hopefully we’ll be able to challenge for a good result.
“We had a one-day test last week where we were able to experience a lot of different conditions. We drove a full day with muddy conditions in the morning before it become dry in the afternoon. Then in the closing hours we also had some heavy rain which meant we were able to experience all kinds of conditions.”
Citroen Abu Dhabi Racing WRT
Craig Breen
“This is as near as it gets to a home rally for me, so it’s obviously a special event, especially as I have some very good memories here. I know the roads well and I had a very good feeling during our pre-event test. So, I’m very keen to get a good result here.”
“The real difficulty here is trying to assess the level of grip as quickly as possible. You have to trust your feeling, look at the colour of the dirt and gravel, and also rely on your experience from previous years. If the stages are dry, then the ground tends to be pretty rough and you need to look after your tyres.”
Mads Østberg
“It’s an event that I really like. I’ve had quite a few good experiences here. The C3 WRC was comfortable on these roads last year and our pre-event test here last week was very productive. So, I’m feeling confident before the start.”
“At a rally like this, where you are pushing really hard, you need to be at one with your car and completely spot on with your pace notes. You then you have to try and not get caught out by one of the very slippery sections where there is a sudden change in grip.”
Now, there’s a lot of teams running R5 cars in this event as well. Citroen, Hyundai and M-Sport all have a number of these cars running in the WRC2 category.
Gus Greensmith (WRC 2)
“It’s always nice competing on home soil, but I have to admit that I’ve never really felt fully comfortable on the Welsh stages. But I will certainly do my best to change that this year.
“The biggest challenge is the fog that can appear at any point. You have to commit to your notes and pray you got them right – it’s a real buzz.
“The plan is just to drive as fast as I can and hope for a good result to finish my season. Then we can look at our options for 2019 and start preparing.”
Gus Greensmith and Alex Gelsomino – Photo credit M-Sport.
Éric Camilli (WRC 2)
“Wales Rally GB is one of my favourite events and I’m always looking forward to competing there. My last gravel rally was a year ago now, but I’m really motivated to come back strongly and I have a lot of good memories from this event – it’s a special place for me.
“It’s a truly unique event with specific conditions for rally magic! Mud, fog, fast roads, early mornings, long days – Wales Rally GB is an adventure through some of the most beautiful landscapes! The colours in the Welsh forests at this time of year really are fantastic and this event has all the elements needed for a challenging, beautiful and passionate rally.
“We’ve come close to victory a few times in Wales. We want to be in the fight at the front again, and if we could reach the top step of the podium it would be amazing.”
Matt Edwards (BRC)
“I am really looking forward to this year’s Wales Rally GB. I’m a lot more prepared than I was last year, and looking forward to competing on home soil again.
“I’m trying not to think too much about the [British Rally] Championship, but it is difficult. We’re just trying to focus on preparing as well as we have all year and not change the approach that has served us so well this season. But if I can achieve this amazing achievement on home soil, it really would be amazing.
“The nature of Friday and Sunday’s stages will be the biggest challenge. They’re a lot narrower than the traditional Wales Rally GB stages, but that provides great variation and another challenge despite what could potentially be better weather and road conditions this year.
“My one and only goal is to secure the British Rally Championship and I will do whatever is required to make that possible. But we also need to enjoy the opportunity as that’s what we have set out to do on each event this year and the times have followed.”
Matt Edwards / Darren Garrod – Ford Fiesta R5
Alex Laffey (BRC)
“I am really excited as this is my first FIA World Rally Championship event. I can’t wait to tackle this challenge and everything it represents – and to be fighting right at the sharp end of the British Rally Championship makes it even more exciting.
“There is no other event likes Wales Rally GB. To drive some of the best stages in the world that have hosted some of the most amazing WRC title battles over the years makes it such a special place.”
“The whole event is a challenge and it’s a very tough event on the cars and crews alike. The conditions are very changeable, and the whole scale of the event will be so different from what we’re used to.”
“I will give it everything. The battle for the final podium places is so close and I really want to end the season in the top-three. I am looking forward to challenging myself and can’t wait to get started.”
Rhys Yates / Alex Lee – Skoda Fabia R5
Stéphane Lefebvre (WRC2)
“Since Germany, I’ve had the opportunity to get my feeling back on gravel in the C3 R5 during a development test session around Mazamet. I’ll also be doing some more specific testing in Wales just before the start, to refamiliarise myself with the countless changes in grip.”
“The difficulty of the roads here is being able to judge the level of grip and distinguish, for example, between mud that’s slippery and mud that offers grip. But I am determined to turn our undeniable potential into a strong result.”
Stéphane Lefebvre and Gabin Moreau – Photo credit Citroen Racing
Jari Huttunen (WRC2)
“I am pleased to be back in WRC 2 action with our i20 R5, following our ERC podium in Poland. We have had some ups and downs this season, some good results and some bad luck. Our goal for Wales Rally GB is to put all our learning into practice, and to register stage times on par with the front-runners. We didn’t have much fortune in Wales last year, retiring after just four stages. We have a lot more experience now, and I am feeling confident.”
2018 FIA World Rally Championship Round 08, Rally Finland 26-29 July 2018 Day 3 Jari Huttunen, Antti Linnaketo, Hyundai i20 R5 Photographer: Jordi Rierola Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Well, what a tantalising event we are set for. There are so many factors that could decide who wins this year’s Wales Rally GB, but I believe that whoever wins it, may be the driver who takes the title. A non-finish for any of the title contenders would probably spell the end of their challenge. There are still many twists and turns left this year!
Round 17 of the 2018 Formula One World Championship brings us to the first and only figure-of-8 circuit on the calendar – the infamous Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix.
A 17-hour flight from the last race in Russia, this race sees two back-to-back fly-away races – a gruelling prospect for both the drivers and the teams. This, however, is nothing compared to the now almost insurmountable 50-point gap that Sebastian Vettel has to overcome to win the championship after a third placed finish last time in Russia.
Vettel now needs to win each of the final 5 races and hope that Hamilton finishes third in all of them. If this were to happen, they would end the season dead-level on points, and Vettel would take the title on races won.
This wouldn’t be a bad place to start would be one of the greatest comebacks of all time in Formula One. Suzuka is Sebastian Vettel’s favourite track, and the German has 4 wins here. All of them, however, came with Red Bull – his barren run here with Ferrari must end this weekend if he is to have any chance of success in 2018.
Suzuka info graphics – Image courtesy of Pirelli Media
The 5.8 kilometre circuit took back hosting duties from Fuji for 2009, and has been the host ever since. It did host the race before however, including the 1996 Japanese Grand Prix, in which Damon Hill took his sole championship win, a very popular one too, for Williams. And who can forget the championship decider in 1990? In which Ayrton Senna deliberately drove into Alain Prost into Turn One to seal the championship.
The famous 130-R corner runs over a bridge overlooking the two degner corners and the run up to the hairpin of turn 10 – a genius and beautiful feature from the circuit’s designer John Hugenholtz.
The first sector is one of the most challenging and technical sequence of corners in F1 – the fast chicane of turns 3 and four leads to a quick left in turn 5, before a short braking zone into turn 6, and running nearly flat-out through turn 7.
The twisty and fast-flowing nature of the track is something the drivers relish – it was described by Kevin Magnussen last year as a “real driver’s circuit.”
With the balance of horsepower shifting last time in Sochi in Mercedes’ favour, it would seem that Ferrari have all but given up on their 2018 challenge and started focusing on their 2019 car. Despite the fact that this is a very technical track, power is needed, so let’s hope the Scuderia have at least remembered to bring some reliable spark plugs this year. Red Bull have been strong traditionally here over the years, and given how well Max Verstappen performed in Russia – carving his way from 19th to fifth in the first seven laps – don’t count him out of a win.
Whether Ferrari still believe they have hope this year or not, Sebastian Vettel certainly won’t give up on this title challenge, but with a team that has seemingly turned their attention to next year at a track where Mercedes have dominated for the last four years, expect more joy for Mercedes, and another dagger to Ferrari.
