It’s the dream of every racing driver: getting into Formula 1 one day. For many people that dream just stays a dream. For some people, it becomes reality. Other people get into Formula 1 too, although not in real life. They get into Formula 1 in another world: the world of professional gaming. Monday July 9th saw the inaugural Pro Draft for the F1 Esports Series 2018, where nine real-world Formula 1 teams chose their drivers for the Pro Series Championship. The drivers were selected by representatives from the Formula 1 teams, with no other than Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly, Chairman and CEO of Formula 1 Chase Carey and Managing Director of Commercial Operations Sean Bratches attending the Pro Draft event in London.
Before this event took place though, all initial forty Pro Draft Qualifiers had to go through a three-day assessment that took place at Silverstone ahead of the Grand Prix. Here all drivers were tested intensely through a series of challenges and interviews. These challenges tested their fitness, reaction times and real-world driving so the teams could get a better impression of who to hire and who not. The Esports Series thus is not just about fun. It is a very serious business and only the best get chosen to compete on the highest level. What the drivers get in return for their efforts however, is very rewarding. Real-world Formula 1 teams hire people who started playing racing games for fun, and give them the opportunity to show the world that it definitely is not easy what they are doing and most of all: they can show the world who is the best of them all.
With a roster of forty qualifiers, it was surely not easy for the nine Formula 1 teams to choose their drivers for the F1 Esports 2018 Pro Series Championship, but eventually they had to choose and that was very interesting. Two of the nine teams chose both their drivers from the Pro Draft. Renault Sport Team Vitality chose Swedish Kimmy Larsson and British James Doherty, whilst Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 eSports Team with Allert van der Wal from the Netherlands and Salih Saltunc from the United Kingdom might have the strongest line up of them all. The other seven teams chose at least one diver from the Pro Draft. From the forty qualifiers only sixteen got chosen.
The drivers will represent their teams during the three live events this F1 Esports Series which will determine the 2018 F1 Esports Series Teams and Drivers World Champions. The teams will really hope they chose the right driver, as there will be a prize fund of $200,000 to be divided over the teams based on their position in the team standings.
With more than 850,000 people worldwide watching the two-hour event via live streaming, the interest in the Esports Series definitely was affirmed. Max Verstappen showed his interest as well, saying: ‘’I’ve recently got back into gaming and I know some of these guys and know how talented they are. It’s very exciting and you can see lots of sports embracing Esports – so it’s great that F1 are doing it as well.’’
Now the ‘easy’ part has ended, the drivers can focus on the next challenge: winning the 2018 F1 Esports Series.
Full list (pending confirmation of contracts) of the 2018 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship
Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 eSports Team: Allert van der Wal & Salih Saltunc & Sonuc Saltunc
Haas F1 Esports Team: Martin Stefanko & Michal Smidl
Hype Energy eForce India F1 Esports Team: Fabrizio Donoso Delgado
McLaren Shadow: Olli Pahkala
Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport: Daniel Bereznay
Red Bull Racing eSports Team: Joni Tormala & Graham Carroll
Renault Sport Team Vitality: Sven Zurner & Kimmy Larsson & James Doherty
Toro Rosso Esports Team: Patrick Holzmann & Cem Bolukbasi
Formula One hosted it first ever triple header, which concluded at round 10 The British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Silverstone normally produces drama and excitement and this year was no exception.
‘Homeboy’ Lewis Hamilton started the race from pole as he claimed his 76th career pole with a lap he called himself ‘’the toughest lap ever’’. Behind him was Vettel with a small gap of only +0.044s. It was a tense battle for pole. For many teams like McLaren and Williams the British Grand Prix is their home Grand Prix as well. They didn’t impress the home crowd like Lewis did, as Stroll caused a red flag for spinning into the gravel. Sirotkin did the same, but he managed to get back to the pits to try another flying lap. Vandoorne was almost a second slower than his teammate Alonso in qualifying. He ended up in P17 as Alonso started from P13. Was it really coming home for the Brits?
Sebastian Vettel leads the 2018 British GP. Image courtesy of Ferrari
The start of the race was a bit chaotic for Toro Rosso, as the car of Brendon Hartley wasn’t ready during the parade lap, as mechanics were still working on his car in the garage. He did manage to start the race though from the pits, but after already one lap he returned to the pits to retire. Hamilton had an awful start as Vettel overtook him into turn 1. To make things even worse, Lewis spun in turn 3 after he got hit by Kimi Räikkönen who locked his brakes. Kimi eventually got a 10-second time penalty for the incident. Hamilton thus had to start from the back. After two laps he was back up to P14 after overtaking some slower drivers. Perez had a difficult start as well as he spun in turn 1, almost collecting both the Williams cars that started from the pit lane.
Meanwhile a great battle between Max Verstappen and Kimi was unleashed, just like in Barcelona 2016. Max defended heavily whilst Kimi was looking for a move. Vettel took the lead and extended it by almost a second per lap on Bottas in second place. Renault did a good job, with Hülkenberg and Sainz making up some places at the start. Hamilton was in P8 by lap 9, catching up the Sauber of Leclerc and eventually overtaking him that same lap. Hülkenberg was his next target, but that wasn’t a problem for him as he got him in lap 10 using DRS on the Hangar Straight. Kimi was frustrated at his team as he was struggling to get past Max. His team reminded him of his penalty whilst he was ‘’just trying to help, but I probably shouldn’t be thinking’’. He clearly was unhappy as the pressure from behind of Ricciardo increased. As a result of this all, Räikkönen ended up being the first to do a pit stop in lap 14, putting on the mediums.
Williams and McLaren battled each other, but only for their honour as the points were out of reach. Force India had mixed feelings with Ocon in the top 10 but Perez in last place after the incident at the start. Haas impressed in Austria, but seemingly struggled at Silverstone as they were just fighting for the last few points.
Max Verstappen ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. Image courtesy of Charles Coates/Getty Images via Red Bull Content pool
Max Verstappen went into the pits in lap 18, changing to the medium tyre which meant that Lewis passed the Dutchman. Hamilton however still had to make his pit stop. He was up to P3 when Daniel Ricciardo went into the pits, followed by Charles Leclerc to make his stop too. The team made an impressive 2.3 second pit stop, but it already looked too good to be real as he had to stop the car after exiting the pit lane.
Bottas passed Hamilton as he was on a new set of mediums, whilst Lewis was still going on his old softs. Valtteri was closing the gap to Vettel as he really pushed his new tyres to the limit. The only team that gave the new ‘Ice Blue’ hard tyre a try, to probably make it to the end of the race. With the exceptional high temperatures at Silverstone this didn’t seem like a bad idea. This was confirmed in lap 31 as Ricciardo made his second pit stop of the race, going back to the soft compound which meant he came back at P6 behind Hamilton who made his first and only pitstop in lap 25.
In lap 33 Ericcson crashed heavily in the first corner at full speed after using too much of the outside kerbstone. This brought out the yellow flag and eventually the Safety Car, as his car was deep into the tyre barriers. Luckily he could climb out of his car on his own. The Safety Car situation got the strategists thinking into overdrive: should they pit their cars now or wait. Bottas didn’t take a second pit stop, but Verstappen, Räikkönen and Vettel did. Bottas now led with his old mediums, whilst Vettel was in P2 with his new soft tyres and surprisingly Hamilton in third position. He didn’t make another pit stop too, which led to complaints from the British driver as he was worried he ‘’wouldn’t make it’’ on these tyres. His team assured him that he was the fastest driver on track and that he shouldn’t give up. Ricciardo didn’t get lucky during the SC, as he ended up in only P6 after he already had made his second pit stop. The team told him that ‘’the timing of the Safety Car was unfortunate’’.
The Safety Car went into the pits in lap 37, starting the fifteen lap sprint race to the finish flag. At the restart Vettel wasn’t focused as Bottas drove away. Kimi overtook Max in turn 6, which led to a massive fight between the two. This fight ended early as another Safety Car occurred for a crash between Sainz and Grosjean at Copse Corner. Sainz was at the outside, cutting to the inside where Grosjean already was. The Frenchman did have a moment of oversteer and crashed into Sainz. It thus looked like a racing incident.
The second Safety Car situation of the race ended in lap 41 of 52, shortening the sprint race from fifteen laps to just ten. These SC situations meant that Hamilton could manage his older tyres to the end. The second restart went horrible for Kimi as he went wide but he could get his P5 back. Vettel tried to overtake Bottas at turn 6 as he was very close but he had to lift, otherwise they would probably collide. Alonso had a good restart overtaking Magnussen for P9, but Magnussen took back his place the same lap. Max made a mistake coming up on Hangar Straight, making an overtake easy for Räikkönen. Vettel and Bottas had a legendary fight for the victory. Hamilton was under pressure from Kimi, whilst Lewis was increasing the pressure on Vettel who put Bottas under pressure. It was a massive fight for the podium between the four drivers, as the camera helicopter captured the top four in just one shot.
The problems for Max Verstappen got worse as he spun in lap 46, eventually leading to his retirement from the race as he had problems with the brake-by-wire system. Meanwhile Vettel overtook Bottas into turn 6 with an amazing speed and a lap later Hamilton also overtook Bottas, taking an impressive P2 after a terrible start. With just five laps to go Lewis was just two seconds away from a victory on home soil. Bottas went down from P2 to P4 in just three laps, he was really struggling for pace. He even had to defend his P4 from Daniel Ricciardo for the last three laps, which he did successfully because the Red Bull just wasn’t fast enough. In the end it looked like Hamilton was happy to take P2, losing some time on Vettel and probably more thinking about defending his position from Räikkönen.
The 2018 Formula One British GP winners; (left to right)Lewis 2nd, Seb winner and Kimi 3rd. Image courtesy of Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel took his 51st career victory at the 2018 British Grand Prix, whilst Lewis Hamilton got voted Driver of the Day by the fans after a heroic drive saw him finish in second place in front of his home crowd. It wasn’t meant to be for Lewis to win his sixth British GP, but at least he brought home some very important eighteen points. Vettel extended his championship lead by a small margin because of this victory. After an exciting race, the British fans should be very happy to see Hamilton on the podium. Lewis himself didn’t look happy though as he skipped the post-race interview. He later on said that Ferrari “used some interesting tactics”, probably suggesting that Räikkönen hit him on purpose to give Vettel the win. Mercedes teamboss Toto Wolff went even further, saying “it was deliberate or incompetence”. It’s an all out warfare between Ferrari and Mercedes this year. Will Lewis still bring it home this year?
Josef Newgarden thought, for the majority of the race, that he’d be able to repeat his 2016 Iowa triumph with Ed Carpenter Racing, but James Hinchcliffe had different ideas, looking back to 2013 instead, taking his sixth career win and first of the season. This race showcased exactly why the universal aero kit was brought in – close, clean racing where driver skill (and bravery) is key.
After a torrid Month of May and general struggles throughout the season, Hinchcliffe was very relieved to finally get a win on the board, and a convincing one at that. Qualifying in eleventh was a bit of a disappointment but, by Lap 20, the Canadian had already made his way up to sixth before progressing further and showing himself as the only real challenger to Newgarden.
Once he’d wrestled the lead off Newgarden after the #1 driver got caught up in traffic, namely his own Penske teammate Will Power, Hinchcliffe’s biggest test was the final caution which came out with seven laps to go. It was touch-and-go as to whether they’d go green again which meant the decision whether to pit or not was a tough one; if the race was restarted, fresh tyres were practically compulsory but, if it didn’t restart, track position was king. Ultimately, the race was not restarted and Hinchcliffe’s call to stay out was the correct one, but it could’ve so easily been so different.
One driver to get that crucial call wrong was long time leader Newgarden who, after leading 229 of the 300 laps, found himself down in fourth by the time the chequered flag emerged. Up until the last fifty laps or so, Newgarden looked to be in a race of his own and a class of one, heading for a repeat of 2016 where he scored his final win for Ed Carpenter Racing before moving to Penske. After the last scheduled stops, Newgarden had started to show some concern about Hinchcliffe but the win still looked to be his – that slight overconfidence may have been his undoing.
Hinchcliffe breezed past Newgarden, leaving the defending champion surprised and rather confused on the radio so when, with the final caution, he saw an opportunity to retake the lead, he leaped on it. The proximity to the end of the race should’ve been a clue that his gamble wouldn’t pay off but, with the huge advantage that the fresher tyres had, it seemed like a no-brainer at the time. Still, with championship leader Scott Dixon down in twelfth, Newgarden leaves Iowa with a much reduced 33-point deficit.
Ed Carpenter Racing scored a podium last year at Iowa with JR Hildebrand and they repeated that feat again this year, this time with Spencer Pigot. It was in fact Pigot’s first time at Iowa as he’d previously been in Jordan King’s position, sharing the #20 car and only doing road courses, which made this second-place and career best finish all the more impressive. A podium looked out of reach for Pigot until the final caution where he, like Hinchcliffe, stayed out and benefitted from both Newgarden and Robert Wickens pitting from podium places, leaving the young American in second.
It was a similar story for Takuma Sato who came home third, despite late contact with Ed Carpenter that caused the final caution in the first place. Carpenter had got it all a bit wrong and was about to spin when Sato, left with nowhere else to go, hit his front wing and actually straightened him up, saving Carpenter from hitting the wall. This contact, however, had left a sizeable piece of debris on track that had to be cleared which is what brought out the all-important caution. Sato, like most others, didn’t pit and was rewarded with his first podium of the year and only the second for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
One of the major disappointments from the race was the performance, or lack thereof, from the Andretti team. Ryan Hunter-Reay’s race looked promising but was troubled from start with radio issues meaning he could hear the team, but they couldn’t hear him however, suspension problems put an end to his race with just under 20 laps to go. Alexander Rossi’s race was all but ruined when he failed to get away from his first stop, stalling and costing himself two laps while Marco Andretti just lacked any sort of pace all day. The team’s rookie Zach Veach looked to be on for the team’s best result for a long time, even after a pit stop fire but a small brush with the wall brought out the first caution and left him over twenty laps down, just out there to gain experience.
Another let down was the poor pace shown by championship leader Scott Dixon whose 45-point lead is now a diminished 33. After starting sixth, Dixon had soon dropped down to the brink of the top 10 before being lapped by then race leader Newgarden and falling a further two positions, ending the race in twelfth. While not a disaster, that result has put a dent in Dixon’s championship campaign. The same could be said for pole sitter Power who also struggled and lacked pace, ending sixth and meaning he now sits in fifth, 53 points off a lead he once held.
The races are coming thick and fast from now to the season’s conclusion in September with only six races left before the 2018 champion is crowned. Next up is Toronto which is this coming weekend and, with three home drivers, it’s as important as ever.
Gosia Rdest – utalentowana Polka jest ambasadorem programu The Girls On Track – Karting Challenge. Gosia także była zaangażowana w tegoroczny Dzień Kobiet zorganizowany przez nas – wywiad można przeczytać tutaj.
Wyścigi, adrenalina, prędkość, wyzwanie, siła, niekończące się treningi, samodyscyplina. Tylko ty i samochód. I maksymalna koncentracja, nieraz przez kilka godzin – serio, czy to wszystko jest dla dziewczyn?
Oczywiście! Jestem pewna, że właśnie taką odpowiedź uzyskalibyście od każdej z blisko setki nastolatek, które wzięły udział w pierwszych eliminacjach do programu the Girls on Track – Karting Challenge, którego mam zaszczyt być Ambasadorką.
Dwudniowe eliminacje miały miejsce w Tychach 26/27 maja, 2018. Przyciągnęły prawie 100 dziewczyn w wieku 13 – 18 lat, które chciały spróbować swoich sił i szczęścia na specjalnie przygotowanym na tę okazję torze kartingowym. Każda z dziewcząt miała trzy przejazdy. Pierwszy testowy, a następnie dwa na czas. To był naprawdę fantastyczny widok móc obserwować dziewczyny rywalizujące z takim zacięciem na naprawdę wysokim poziomie. Każda z nich dała z siebie wszystko, by okazać się najlepszą. Patrząc na nie, nie mogłam powstrzymać się od wspomnień dnia, w którym to mnie Tata zabrał po raz pierwszy na tor kartingowy. Miałam wtedy 12 lat i całkowicie połknęłam bakcyla. Wyścigi do dzisiaj są moją największą pasją i miłością.
Start eliminacji w Tychach
Tor był wymagający, by dać jury możliwość właściwej oceny umiejętności, predyspozycji i potencjału zawodniczek. Oglądanie współzawodnictwa dziewczyn było naprawdę ekscytujące. Ostatecznie, jury złożone z członków Polskiego Związku Motorowego (PZM), wybrało 8 finalistek. Musiało być to bardzo trudne zadanie, bo wszystkie dziewczyny dały z siebie wszystko. Kluczowym czynnikiem, decydującym o wyborze, był oczywiście czas przejazdu. Poza tym, brano pod uwagę generalne predyspozycje i wyczucie przestrzenne. Bardzo ważna była także „rozmowa kwalifikacyjna”, przeprowadzana zarówno w języku polskim, jak i angielskim. Celem było wyłonienie kandydatek, które naprawdę chcą się ścigać, wysoce zmotywowanych i zdeterminowanych, by motorsport odegrał w ich przyszłości dużą rolę. Poziom kandydatek był oczywiście zróżnicowany, ale ogólnie rzecz biorąc, określam go jako bardzo satysfakcjonujący. Można było zauważyć kilka dziewcząt, które wyróżniły się znacznie większą motywacją i potencjałem.
Następna runda eliminacji odbędzie się w sierpniu. Ostatecznym etapem programu jest finał, w którym kandydatki z ośmiu krajów europejskich zmierzą się na słynnym torze Le Mans. To niesamowita szansa. Znaleźć się tam wśród najlepszych z najlepszych z ośmiu państw; ścigać się z nimi; potencjalnie stanąć tam na podium – na absolutnie legendarnym Le Mans; i przywieźć do domu trofeum. Czy to samo w sobie nie jest wystarczającą nagrodą? Prawdopodobnie jest.
Uczestniczka The Girls On Track
Ale razem z Polskim Związkiem Motorowym wierzymy, że dziewczyny powinny zyskać dzięki temu programowi jeszcze więcej – możliwość rozwoju i szlifowania umiejętności, zintegrowania się z grupą podobnych sobie entuzjastek, które razem dowiedzą się więcej o świecie motorsportu. Wyścigi są moim życie, a moje życie jest wyścigiem. Doskonale zdaję sobie sprawę, że nie będę mogła się ścigać całe życie. Jak w każdym sporcie – patrząc długoterminowo – czas nie stoi po naszej stronie. Ale w tym momencie, wyścigi to całe moje życie i robię wszystko co w mojej mocy, by utrzymać taki stan przez jak najdłuższy czas.
Zaczęłam moją przygodę z motorsportem właśnie od kartingu. W 2011 roku, zdobyłam tytuł Mistrza Polski w Kartingu. Następnie reprezentowałam kraj w Polskiej Kadrze Narodowej za granicą. Dzisiaj ścigam się na torach wyścigowych na całym świecie, od Dubaju po Daytonę. W tym sezonie walczę o tytuł w Mistrzostwach Europy GT4. Jest to niesamowicie ekscytująca przygoda, okupiona niezliczonymi godzinami treningów, zarówno na torze jak i na siłowni, ciągłymi podróżami i czasami ciągnącymi się w nieskończoność godzinami oczekiwania na lotnisku. Zawsze stawiałam ściganie ponad wszystko inne. I nigdy nie zamieniłabym tego na nic innego.
Gosia Rdest stawiała pierwsze kroki w kartingu, 2009 rok
Czy idealnie odnajduję się na torze? Czy zrozumiałam naturę bestii? Czy umiem ją poskromić? Do pewnego stopnia tak, choć nadal zdarzają się niespodzianki i momenty, w których nerwy napinają się do granic możliwości. Jak to mówią, „na torze wyścigowym nie ma chwili nudy”. To jest właśnie to, co sprawia, że zmysły nieustannie są wyczulone, wciąż jesteś w maksymalnym skupieniu, a umiejętności u szczytu możliwości. Bo gdy siedzisz za kierownicą samochodu, każda setna sekundy ma znaczenie; i możesz wtedy liczyć tylko na siebie.
Czy pamiętam jeszcze jak to było stawiać pierwsze kroki w kartingu? Oczywiście! Tego się nie zapomina. Nadal pamiętam wszystkie pytania, które mnie nurtowały, a jedyną osobą, do której mogłam się z nimi zwrócić był mój Tata. Nieznana mi wtedy terminologia brzmiała tym bardziej magicznie, że podana w obcym języku. Te wszystkie rzeczy, które z czasem stały się naturalnymi odruchami i sprawami oczywistymi, wtedy takie dla mnie nie były. Miałam i nadal mam szczęście spotykać na swojej ścieżce wspaniałe osoby, które są w stanie mną pokierować i zawsze służą pomocą. Mam szansę ścigać się i uczyć od najlepszych. Przede wszystkim, w moim narożniku zawsze stał i stoi mój najwierniejszy kibic i najlepszy przyjaciel – mój Tata, który jest dla mnie największym wsparciem.
Ale czasami pojawiały się momenty samotności i niepewności, zwłaszcza na początku. To właśnie dlatego, we współpracy z PZM i grupą zaprzyjaźnionych ekspertów, opracowaliśmy 6-miesięczny program treningowy dla grupy finalistek. Składa się z sześciu dwudniowych warsztatów, podczas których dziewczęta nie tylko będą miały okazję poprawić praktyczne umiejętności za kierownicą, ale także poznają specjalistyczne słownictwo w języku angielskim i popracują nad komunikacją interpersonalną, by jak najlepiej móc komunikować się z zespołem i innymi zawodnikami. Przewidziano blok tematyczny o życiu po ściganiu, czyli o profesjach dla tych dziewcząt, które chciałyby związać swoje życie zawodowe z motorsportem, czy to jako dziennikarki sportowe, trenerki, specjalistki do spraw komunikacji w zespołach wyścigowych i nie tylko. Finalistki dowiedzą się o budowaniu relacji w zespole i jak pracować nad swoją motywacją i samodyscypliną. Najbardziej pragniemy, by uczestniczki nie tylko stały się najlepszymi kierowcami, ale przede wszystkim najlepszymi ludźmi.
Bardzo się cieszę, że PZM objął patronat nad akcją; że Rafał Sonik również został ambasadorem projektu, a rzesza innych znanych osób ze świata motorsportu i nie tylko, zaangażowała się we wsparcie i nagłośnienie akcji. Całym sercem wierzę, że jest to wspaniała okazja, by pokazać dziewczynom niezwykły świat motorpsortu i możliwości, jakie przed nimi stoją, by w tym świecie aktywnie uczestniczyć, jeśli nie jako kierowcy, to jako specjalistki w innym dziedzinach. I oczywiście będę trzymać mocno kciuki za naszą polską reprezentację podczas finału w Le Mans!
IndyCar are back in action and this time it’s the famous Iowa oval, known as ‘The world’s fastest short track’ with a sub-18 second lap. It’s a proper driver’s track, both physically and mentally, that rewards bravery but heavily punishes mistakes, which could prove very costly, especially at this stage in the championship. Scott Dixon currently has a rather healthy 45-point lead over Ryan Hunter-Reay and his teammate Alexander Rossi, who are tied on 348 points, but, with 50 points up for grabs each race, that margin is a very long way from being safe.
Last race at Road America was a brilliant display of just how good Josef Newgarden is when he’s on form. No, he didn’t run away with it like we’ve seen before but what he did do was fend off repeated, sustained challenges from IndyCar’s finest, specifically Hunter-Reay and Dixon, who completed the podium in that order. Rossi was also amongst those challenging, along with season-long rival Robert Wickens, but, after some questionable moves, Rossi’s charge came crashing down with a suspension failure. This wasn’t exactly what Rossi was hoping for, but his championship challenge hasn’t been too badly dented by it with it being very hard to firmly rule out any of the top 10.
Looking forwards now and the Iowa Corn 300, to give it its full name, is coming up. Last year, Penske’s Helio Castroneves dominated to take his first victory in what seemed like forever, famously climbing the fence at the end of the race in celebration. He was followed home by Ed Carpenter Racing’s JR Hildebrand and then Andretti’s Hunter-Reay which gives us the unusual situation of only one of last year’s podium finishers being on this year’s grid. Castroneves has been moved over to Penske’s sportscar forays while Hildebrand failed to find a seat for this season but, despite their absences, we can presume that both their teams will be going strong again this year. Iowa’s a funny old track but smaller teams generally have the chance of doing well, along with the usual giants of Penske, Andretti and Chip Ganassi.
Chevrolet stood in slightly better stead for Iowa last year but, then again, the top 10 finishers were evenly split between Chevrolet and Honda. However, as we’ve come to realise this year, previous form counts for very little with the universal aero kits wiping out any previous advantages so, as usual, it’s anyone’s game.
We’re back on an oval, so the usual oval weekend format is in place with minimal practice and single, two lap, qualifying runs in reverse championship order.
There’s one substitution and one absentee for Iowa – Ed Carpenter is back in the #20 Ed Carpenter Racing car with Jordan King making way, as is the arrangement for ovals, while there is no Juncos entry, meaning the field is 22 strong rather than the usual 23.
Predictions are always hard for IndyCar and, with no defending winner, it’s all a bit different for this race. The usual suspects will, as always, be factors throughout the weekend so expect Newgarden, Will Power, Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Rossi, Wickens and co to be up there however, Iowa has a habit of throwing up unexpected results and surprises so keep an eye out for that!
As ever, practice and qualifying are being streamed live on all IndyCar’s streaming channels while the race is being shown live on the BT Sport/ESPN channel for the UK. If you’re looking to catch the action, the timings are as follows:
Saturday
Practice 1 – 4:15pm
Qualifying – 8:30pm
Final Practice – 11:45pm
Sunday
Race – 7:40pm
(All times BST)
Featured image courtesy of Scott R. LePage/LAT for Chevy Racing (http://media.gm.com)
Gosia Rdest – the talented driver is ambassador of The Girls On Track – Karting Challenge. Gosia also was involved in our International Woman’s day – read our interview with her.
Racing, adrenaline, speed, endurance, challenge, power, endless trainings, self-discipline. Only you and the car. And full focus for sometimes several hours? Truly, is all that for girls?
But of course! This would be, I am sure, the answer that you would hear from any of the almost hundred teenage girls whom participated in the first round of elimination for the Girls on Track- Karting challenge program, for which I have the honor to be the Ambassador.
The two day elimination was held in Tychy on May 26/27,2018. It attracted almost 100 teenage girls wanting to try their skills and luck on the specially constructed karting track for the occasion karting track. There were three challenge sessions. First, the test session and then two more for the best time score. It was spectacular to see the girls go and how fierce the competition was. Each of them truly did her level best to win. Looking at them, I could not help, but to think back to the day when my Dad took me karting for the first time. I was 12 at the time and I got hooked on racing. And it is still my greatest passion.
Start of the qualifying in Tychy
The track was demanding to give the jury the opportunity to truly asses the abilities, skills and the potential of the contenders. It was exciting to watch the girls compete. The jury made up of members of the Polish Motorsport Association (PZM), they selected 8 finalists. It must have been tough because all the girls tried so hard. The key factor was the time of the ride. Considered also were general disposition, spatial orientation and the overall potential of the contenders. There was also one-on-one interview that was carried in both Polish and English which gave the PZM a better understanding of the drivers. The goal was to assess the self-motivation, dedication and determination to make the Motorsport a big part of their future. The level of performance was different, of course, but overall it was quite high. Several contenders demonstrated a significantly higher level of motivation, predispositions and the passion to win?
The next round of the elimination will be held in August. The final goal of the program is for the girls to compete with their counterparts from eight other countries in the European Finals of the program at the famous Le Mans Race Track. This will be an incredible opportunity. To be there with the best of the best from eight other countries; to race with them and to potentially stand on the podium there – at the famous Le Mans; and to bring home the trophy. Would this not be grand? Would it not be enough? Perhaps, yes.
The participant of The Girls On Track
But together with the Polish Motorsport Association (PZM), we believe that there should be something more for the girls in this program that will help them polish and develop their skills, to bond with the group to learn more and to understand more about racing and motorsport. Racing is my life and my life is racing. I know, of course, that I will not be able to race for the rest of my life. As with any sport ? when taking the long-term view ? time is not on our side. But for now, racing is my life and I will do my level best to keep it that way for long time.
I started my car racing adventure with Karting. In 2011, I won the Polish Championship Competition. Later I represented Poland as a member of the Poland?s National Team. Today, I race on race tracks all over the world from Dubai to Daytona. This season I am racing in the GT4 European Championship. It has been, and it is an exciting journey, an adventure that was paid for by putting racing before and above other things; endless hours in training, both on the track and in the gym, countless airplane trips and, what sometimes seem as endless, times spent waiting at the airports. I would not give it up for anything in the world.
Gosia Rdest took the first steps in karting, 2009
Do I know my way around the track now? Do I understand the nature of the beast? Have I tamed it? To some extent, yes, although there still are surprises and nerve wracking moments. As they say there is never a dull moment at the racetrack. But, all in all, this is a part of the wonder, it keeps you focused and on your toes. It keeps your skills sharp and your attention where it needs to be. Because, when you are at it, there behind the wheel, every particle of every minute and every second matters; and you are all that you have to depend on.
Do I still remember, what first steps in Karting was like? But, of course. It is something that you never forget. I still remember all the questions that I wanted to ask and the only person I could turn to ask them was my Dad. The magic terminology that I did not know and then the same terminology even more magic because in a foreign language. The things that were there, and still are, to learn, internalize and make it a part of your natural reflexes and responses. The entire you, as the race driver, that you must develop and keep working on improving it day after day, minute after a minute, a race after a race. I was and am lucky, I met some wonderful people who helped and guided me, had raced with the best and had the opportunity to learn from them, and most of all there always was and is my Dad, my best fan and best friend who is the backbone of my support.
But is does get lonely and scary, especially at the beginning. Therefore, together with PZM and a group of expert-friends, we put a 6-month training program for the selected finalists. The program consists of six two-days hands-on training sessions – during which the girls would not only have opportunities to improve their practical driving skills, but also acquire the critical technical English vocabulary and interpersonal communication skills to communicate with the support teams and to be able to converse freely with their counterparts. There will be a workshop on life after racing, and the professional opportunities for those who would like to make Motorsport their professional life. Just like Motorsport journalism, becoming a personal trainer, or becoming a specialist within the media and Motorsport branding campaigns and many more. They will also learn about team building, developing their personal and interpersonal skills and how to sustain self-motivation and self-discipline. We truly want the girls, not only to be best as race drivers, we want to help them be the best, at what is most important, to be best at being people.
I am very happy PZM has the overall patronage over the program. That Rafa? Sonic has also accepted the ambassador function for this program and that many other well-known persons from the Motorsport, moto-journalism and other professional domains are involved in promoting this program. I believe, with all my heart, that this is a wonderful occasion to truly show the girls what Motorsport is and how many opportunities are in it even for those who do not decide to make racing their life but would love to stay professionally involved with the Motorsport. And of course, I will keep my fingers crossed for our Polish team to be the best, at Le Mans Race Track.
Chaz Davies was on pole ahead of race one of the eighth round of the 2018 Superbike World Championship, but it was Jonathan Rea who, as you might expect, was favourite to take the race win, despite qualifying third.
Straight away off the line, Rea was past his teammate, Tom Sykes, for P2, and then set his sights on Chaz Davies. He had a look to pass the Welshman at the final corner on the first lap, but Davies squared the corner off to undercut the championship leader and beat him on the run out of the corner.
From then on, Davies and Rea stayed in line, Rea content to remain behind the Ducati as it pulled him clear of the rest of the pack. But, unexpectedly, Davies then started to pull away from Rea, and had about half a second before he locked the front at the top of the Corkscrew, and was forced to release the brake, run wide and let the #1 Kawasaki through.
After that, Rea was imperious and although Davies was able to keep contact with the Northern Irishman for a while after his mistake, with about ten laps to go that contact was relinquished, and the reigning champion stormed to his seventh win of 2018, extending his championship lead over Davies back out to seventy points.
As usual, Rea was immaculate in this race one. He made almost no mistakes the whole race, took his opportunity when it arose, kept hold of his tyre beautifully and finally took what was a well deserved win, however expected it was.
However, Rea admitted to being surprised about the pace of Davies, and how long the Welshman was able to keep at the front. Perhaps the key for Davies was using the older-spec, smaller rear tyre, which most have dismissed since the newer, larger tyre came in at Donington. Certainly, since that newer tyre arrived, Davies had seemed lass comfortable with the Panigale, which is interesting because the tyre has typically worked better for the taller riders, of which Davies is one. Either way, reverting to the smaller tyre seemed to work for him, and although he couldn’t fight until the end for the victory, he might not have even made the podium with the big tyre. Also, Davies chose the softest option rear, whereas almost everyone else chose the hardest; perhaps choosing a harder tyre, as well as some more changes, could bring Davies into play later in the race in race two, if he can get through the pack from row three as quickly as Rea.
Alex Lowes took his second consecutive World Superbike podium with third place, after his debut win in Brno a fortnight ago. It was a strange race for Lowes, simply because he seemed to be pushing on a lot for what he surely knew would be little reward. That said, we saw very little of him once he passed Tom Sykes at the top of the Corkscrew, so maybe what we did see was an anomaly. Either way, being so far clear in that third place at a circuit which has not favoured the Yamaha in recent years at all is a positive for the Crescent team, even if they were twelve seconds off the win. It will be interesting to see what Lowes can do from the head of the third row in race two. Laguna is a tough circuit to pass on – although obviously no one told Alex that, seeing his passes in race one – so he will need a good start if he is to fight for the podium again.
Eugene Laverty took his second fourth place in succession. The first lap was a tough one for Norge, dropping behind both Lowes and his teammate Lorenzo Savadori to sixth place. He maintained his tyres and towards the end of the race, he was able to fend of the resurgent Ducatis of Marco Melandri and Xavi Fores, who were coming back to him at the end, to hold onto the fourth place he took from Sykes in the same place which Lowes past the #66 Kawasaki: the top of the Corkscrew. The key for Laverty has been discovering some rear grip with the RSV4, which he has been searching for since the beginning of the season. Like Davies, Laverty suffered with the new tyre, but persevered with it and is now feeling the benefit of that. Starting from pole in race 2, Laverty has a genuine chance to make the podium for the first time since 2014.
Marco Melandri at Laguna Seca.Image courtesy of Ducati.
Marco Melandri had a strange race. He came through the pack fairly well in the beginning of the race, but after passing Xavi Fores, he seemed to make a mistake, as he dropped back behind the Spaniard, only to re-pass him in the final laps. Ultimately, he did not have enough to pass Laverty for the reverse grid pole, but if he can get away well in race two from the front row, he has the opportunity to make a good race and fight for the podium – maybe even the win.
It was sixth place for Xavi Fores, who saw a return to form, and finished a massive seven seconds ahead of Tom Sykes, who had a nightmare. It seemed like Sykes’ rear tyre started to drop after about five laps, by lap ten it was dead and by the end of the race it had started to rot and the maggots had arrived. With such a dramatic drop off (he ended the race twenty-five seconds off the win), Sykes had no chance of fighting for any position and from the outside it seems he needs a miracle to reverse his fortunes for the second race.
Michael van der Mark continued his difficult weekend, finishing only eighth, fourteen seconds down on teammate, Alex Lowes. It looks like Magic Michael needs to live up to his name if he is to improve for race two, he just hasn’t looked competitive all weekend.
Jordi Torres was ninth, ahead of home rider, Jake Gagne who took his first top ten of the season, in tenth. Perhaps this is what Gagne needs to kickstart his season, albeit seven rounds late. Now Gagne is in circuits he knows he might be able to show a more competitive pace.
Yonny Hernandez was eleventh; Roman Ramos came from the back of the grid to twelfth; Karel Hanika (replacing Ondrej Jezek in Guandalini Yamaha) made his World Superbike debut in thirteenth; Lorenzo Savadori crashed at the final corner on lap two but got back on to get two points in fourteenth; Loris Baz also crashed, and was the final finisher in fifteenth, so like Savadori still scored points.
Leandro Mercado, PJ Jacobsen, Leon Camier, Josh Herrin and Toprak Razgatlioglu all retired. It was especially a shame for Herrin, who had shown strong pace over the course of the weekend.
Again, the biggest question from race one: can anyone stop Jonathan Rea?
Brendon Hartley has said he believes his Toro Rosso team is set for a strong result in this weekend’s British Grand Prix, following a series of performance updates in the last few races.
“I think we can be in good shape following the power unit upgrade that came in Canada,” Hartley said. “The aero upgrade in Austria also arrived at the right time because [at Silverstone] you need as much downforce as possible.
“I’m hoping for a strong weekend and better luck than in recent races.”
Peter Fox, Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Hartley added that he is excited about his first British Grand Prix as a Formula One driver:
“I’m looking forward to tackling [Silverstone] in a modern F1 car, because it’s going to be crazy quick. The track has been resurfaced this year, so there will be even more grip than in the past.
“Silverstone is a real driver’s track and it has often produced great racing especially when the weather is at play: it’s one of the originals and it has a lot of character and a great atmosphere.”
Toro Rosso’s last outing at Silverstone was one of the low points of its 2017 campaign, with Carlos Sainz retiring after a collision with Daniil Kvyat on the opening lap.
The Red Bull junior team is looking to bounce back after an equally frustrating Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, which saw Pierre Gasly struggling throughout the race with floor damage after a first lap clash with Stoffel Vandoorne, and Hartley retire on lap 54 with a mechanical failure.
Charles Coates, Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Feature image by Peter Fox / Getty Images, courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul has said his team “must do better” at the British Grand Prix than it has in the previous rounds in Austria and France.
The French marque endured a pointless race at the Red Bull Ring last weekend, with Nico Hülkenberg retiring due to a fiery engine failure and Carlos Sainz falling foul of tyre blistering, while in France the week before an MGU-K failure almost dropped Sainz out of the points in the closing laps.
“The sign of a good race team is the ability to react quickly and come back stronger,” Abiteboul said ahead of the British Grand Prix. “Even in the short turnaround between Austria and Silverstone, we must improve reliability, recover our more usual competitiveness level and further our understanding around tyre management.
“We know Silverstone will be a tough challenge but we will keep pushing to get back on target.”
Renault Sport F1 Team
Abiteboul added that Austria in particular was “a crash landing” after eight consecutive points for the team:
“Although the circuit did not play to our strengths, we must do better. It certainly benefited our rivals, who took advantage of three retirements in the top teams to finish higher than usual in the rankings.”
Renault remains in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship after Austria, but their absence from the top ten meant that Haas—who finished fourth and fifth in Spielberg—closed to within 13 points in the standings, and could overtake Renault this weekend if the French team run into any more misfortune in Silverstone.
Marc Marquez sliding past the apex. Image courtesy of Hondanews.eu
On Sunday, the Moto3 race was delayed until 1pm BST. Or, at least, that’s what you would have thought if all the bikes and riders were blacked-out. A better race you are unlikely to see, than the 2018 Dutch TT, at least outside of Phillip Island. Mind you, even the thrillers we have seen in Australia in 2015 and 2017 probably don’t come close to last weekend’s MotoGP race – it was almost perfect. The only thing this race missed was a final lap, final corner battle for the victory, but there is only so much you can do about someone being faster, smarter and more superhuman than everyone else. Yes, it was Marc Marquez who won the TT but that does not tell nearly half the tale.
Jorge Lorenzo saved the race, early on. He had not had much pace all weekend, relatively, and didn’t look as though he could have fought for the win. However, he made nine passes on the opening lap, including about four in the first corner where he rode around the outside. That put him in the lead, once he had passed Marquez for first position in turn ten. At this point it would have been hard to find an onlooker who was not thinking: “three in a row?!” And Lorenzo led well, leading a total of thirteen laps in this race where it seemed impossible to maintain position in that first group of between six and nine (depending on the point of the race). In fact, Lorenzo led more laps than anyone, even more than Marquez who led only eight in comparison. But the two laps between lap fourteen and seventeen were the ones which ruined Lorenzo’s race because they broke his often impenetrable rhythm. They were two intense laps of tough battling between Jorge ad Ducati teammate, Andrea Dovizioso, who was after getting past the #99 and trying to stretch the group at this stage in the race. But Lorenzo didn’t give up, he passed Dovi in almost every corner until a misjudged pass at the final chicane by the Spaniard saw him run slightly wide, and ultimately out of contention. From there, the winner of the past two races dropped to seventh, his dim championship flame seemingly ultimately extinguished by Assen. Well, what else should it have been?
But, even at this point, Marquez was not home and dry for this victory; still Dovizioso, Valentino Rossi, Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins and Cal Crutchlow were in the running. All had looked strong the whole race, put strong moves and showed both their strengths and weaknesses. But the critical thing was that the only rider who was able to build a rhythm had been dropped from the leading group.
The next big talking point came when Marc Marquez and Maverick Vinales touched heading into De Bult, both running way wide, out of the track, allowing Dovi and Rossi through, the #04 leading the #46. Rossi made his move for the lead at the chicane, where he had been strong all day, but missing the run out of the chicane made The Doctor vulnerable to the acceleration of the Desmosedici on the way out, and Dovi re-assumed the lead at turn one. That was over the course of the half-lap which spanned from lap 21 to 22. And it was lap 22 when Marquez made his break.
Rossi moved to the inside of Dovi on the entry to Osserbroeken, and although the cameras cut away, the assumption you can make is that: Rossi went to the inside of the Ducati, Dovi held it around the outside of the M1 to have the inside for De Strubben; they both suffered on the exit of De Strubben and Marquez capitalised. Dovi took second place, Rossi slipped to third, and Marc ran. Rossi knew if he wanted to win, he had to pass Dovi quickly, especially because Vinales, Rins and Crutchlow were arriving behind. But it took Rossi until the end of lap 24 to make a pass on Dovi, by which time Marquez was gone but a podium was still possible for the Italian pair. But, as happened two laps previous, Rossi was beaten on the run out of the chicane by Dovizioso, who matched the #46 on the brakes. Both were strong on the anchors but Dovi had the line, and forced Rossi out of the track and back to fifth spot. This was a talking point immediately after the race, Rossi questioning the intelligence of Dovizioso’s move, whilst Andrea defended his decision by explaining that he had the line. It is worth pointing out at this point that had the positions been reversed, and Rossi been on the inside of Dovizioso, the nine-times World Champion would have done precisely the same thing as his compatriot. If anything, Rossi should have let Dovizioso go, and tried to undercut the Desmosedici rider on the exit of turn one. But, everything is very easy to say in hindsight, and from your sofa.
Anyway, that put Rossi definitely out of podium contention, and Dovi pretty much out of it too. It was now Vinales and Rins who would fight over second, and finally it was Rins who took it on the final lap at Ramshoek, forcing Vinales out in an entirely fair, but still suitably aggressive, manner.
So, over the line for the 26th and final time it was Marquez to win from Rins and Vinales.
Firstly, it is hard to ignore the irony of Honda’s favourite son, winning on a Honda, in Assen (a “Yamaha track”), one year on from Yamaha’s last MotoGP victory, on the Iwata manufacturer’s 63rd birthday which was also the last time the Dutch TT was held in July. But what a win it was, from his first Assen MotoGP pole – his 75th in Grand Prix – and in such a superb race. And, as you might expect from Marc, he threw down some big moves too, especially in De Strubben, where he was not afraid of getting some foreign paint on his factory Honda. Even when people were putting moves on Marc, he managed to make it a Marquez spectacle, such as when Rins passed him in De Strubben – having obviously studied the moves of the six-time World Champion – and they touched on the exit; Marquez fell off the side of the bike but managed to pull himself back on the RC213V without losing as much as a tenth. Furthermore, in the same way it is possible to say that Marquez saves those huge front end slides through skill and not luck, it is equally possible to say that he does not win these crazy pack races through luck, but by being clever and making sure he is always in the correct position to be both proactive and reactive, to create situations and respond to ones created by others in the best way. Just think; Phillip Island 2015, Phillip Island 2017, Assen 2018; all pack races, all won by Marquez. Perhaps the only pack race he hasn’t won was Qatar this year. He’s a special rider and with a 41-point lead now, and eleven races remaining, it is coming close to the moment to state the inevitability of his seventh GP title, especially with Sachsenring up next.
Alex Rins’ second place was a crucial one after a tough period for the Suzuki rider. Barcelona had been a disaster for the Spaniard and despite a decent performance in Mugello where he finished fifth behind teammate Andrea Iannone, every race for the number 42 had been difficult since his podium in Argentina. This podium was a good way to bounce back and also proved that at least most of the tyre drop off issues that Iannone is suffering with the GSX-RR is down to the fleshy bit sat atop the #29. Now the onus is on Rins to make sure that this podium is not quickly forgotten, but rather built upon. He needs to assume the number one role in the team from Iannone before the Italian departs for Aprilia at the end of the season.
It was a welcome return to the podium in Holland for Maverick Vinales, two-and-a-half months on from his previous rostrum in COTA. Finally, Vinales made a decent start and despite dropping two positions, he was still in touch with the leaders after the first laps and, largely thanks to the identity of the early leader, Jorge Lorenzo, the time it took for Vinales to come into his rhythm did not leave him out of podium contention as it had done in the past. He was quick to make moves, too, although when he came up to the back of teammate, Rossi, he was noticeably more gun-shy, probably out of a lack of want to endure the wrath of Yamaha head office on their birthday. Anyway, a third place is not what Yamaha would have hoped for on their anniversary but perhaps the new company record for time between wins will inspire the engineers in Iwata to producing something sufficient to allow Vinales to pursue a first MotoGP title which he believes is not yet out of reach.
The fourth place of Dovizioso perhaps does not reflect what he deserved, because he had the speed for the podium, but the ‘incident’ Rossi ended any hopes of a top three for the Italian. However, Dovi did prove that on non-‘Lorenzo’ tracks, he still has the upper hand on his teammate, especially over race distance and the pure fact that he was in the running for most of the race for the victory shows again that the Ducati has improved on its weak points. Unfortunately, Dovizioso now lies 61 points behind Marquez in the championship, so his hopes are as good as gone. It has to be ‘win or bin’ now for Dovi, he will be after race wins for the remainder of the season – no one goes racing for second place.
Valentino Rossi had the potential to win the 2018 Dutch TT but he was both unfortunate and occasionally poorly placed. But ultimately, it was the speed of the Ducati compared to the Yamaha which cost Rossi the podium; had Dovizioso not gotten the acceleration out of the final chicane that he did on lap 24, he would not have been able to force Rossi onto the run-off area on the exit of turn one – and his drive was mostly down to his motorcycle. You might say that Rossi should have passed Dovizioso in a different place to the last chicane but ultimately it was the only place he was strong enough to make a pass on the #04, since the speed of the Desmosedici put it out of range of the M1 on the pit straight, making a move into turn one impossible, and he wasn’t strong enough anywhere else. When Marquez had his contact with Rins it was Rossi who suffered, backing out of the throttle to avoid the Spanish pair and dropping a position to Dovizioso in the process. Furthermore, Rossi occasionally left himself open to attack, especially in De Strubben where he was passed by both Marquez and Rins. But what was very frustrating from Rossi’s perspective was that he looked like he had the pace to break away at the front on many occasions during the race, so a fifth is a big disappointment for the Italian. Additionally, the fifth place ended a run of three consecutive podiums for the Italian, dropped him forty-one points behind in the World Championship and thus ultimately put a tenth title out of reach for at least one more year.
It could have been worse for Rossi had Cal Crutchlow not run wide at turn eight with two to go. In the end it was sixth for Crutchlow, and he made the least overtakes of the front group riders, only three over the course of the 26 laps compared to Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales who both had the most with fourteen. Perhaps in that stat lies the cause of the result for Cal, who after the race explained that pack races disadvantage Honda riders because the RC213V does not accelerate, and it overheats the front tyre. This only makes Marquez’ victory more impressive. But the disadvantages of the Honda lead to difficulties overtaking and in a race of this nature, an inability to overtake is race-killer.
After his amazing start and long stint at the front of the race, Jorge Lorenzo dropped back through the pack to finish seventh, 4.462 seconds off the win. It was lucky he finished at all though. At one point whilst leading he seemed to make a mistake in Meuwenmeer, and Valentino Rossi piled into the back of him. The fact that the pair got away from the incident without crashing, nor losing a position was remarkable, although Jorge’s lunch was nearly dropped out the back of the GP18’s ‘salad box’. Apart from that, it was good to see such a big fight from Jorge in the race, fighting with 110% for the entire 26 laps and for every position. This is a Jorge Lorenzo we haven’t seen before – it’s both refreshing and worrying.
Johann Zarco was typically aggressive in the opening stages of the race, mixing it strongly with the front group, but in the end dropped back quite a lot and finished ultimately seven seconds off the win in eighth place. Anyway, it was good to see Zarco back in the front group after a period of difficulty since his home GP crash three races ago. Alvaro Bautista took yet another top ten in ninth place, whilst 2016 Dutch TT winner, Jack Miller, crossed the line tenth.
Eleventh place went to Andrea Iannone who had a messy race. He was in the front group in the early laps, but ran wide in the chicane which cost him the contact with the front group, and was later handed a time penalty for cutting the Geert Timmer Chicane.
Pol Espargaro finished twelfth for KTM. Perhaps the first signs of frustration from the Austrian marque’s riders started to show through after this weekend, when Espargaro expressed a displeasure at the lack of progress made by the Red Bull-backed constructor in 2018.
It was the other Espargaro brother, Aleix, who finished thirteenth, which would not have pleased him much, although he would have been relieved to finish; but at a circuit like Assen, which rewards a nimble chassis, it was disappointing to see the RSGP so relatively uncompetitive.
The Dutch TT weekend proved to be Scott Redding’s best of 2018. After qualifying better than he had done all season, he finished fourteenth, less than one tenth behind his Spanish teammate. Hopefully for Scott this upward turn morphs into an upward trend, and the British rider can find himself with some decent offers on the table for 2019 by when his time at Aprilia will be at an end.
The final point went to Dani Pedrosa. It was an awful weekend for Dani, which he put, at least in part, down to the speculation about his future. Whatever the issues, fifteenth place is not where Dani Pedrosa should be, but with a strong track for Dani coming up, the Sachsenring, maybe he can reverse his fortunes in Germany.
Tito Rabat will be disappointed with a non-points-scoring ride. To be honest, it feels quite good to be able to say about Rabat that he should be disappointed about not scoring points after two years of scraping the barrel on the satellite Honda. Rabat was followed home by Bradley Smith, Hafizh Syahrin, Takaaki Nakagami and Tom Luthi.
Danilo Petrucci, Xavier Simeon and Karel Abraham were the only retirements, whilst Franco Morbidelli did not start, following his FP3 crash in which he broke a metacarpal.
For round nine, the MotoGP World Championship heads to Germany, and the Sachsenring, in two weeks time – a traditional Marc Marquez stronghold.
