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Rally Italia Sardegna 2018 Preview – Jumping in the dust!

It’s time for the really dusty rally! Last year, M-Sport won the rally, thanks to a superb drive from Ott Tanak. Thierry Neuville is the championship leader, currently 19 points ahead of the reigning champion Seb. Opening the road on Friday will make the event very tricky for him. Last year we saw Seb open the road and he finished in fifth place and kept the lead in the championship.

Rally Italia Sardegna – Photo credit – M-Sport World Rally Team

Here’s last year’s result.

Final Overall Classification -Rally Italia Sardegna

1	O. Tanak	M. Jarveoja	Ford Fiesta WRC	3:25:15.1
2	J.M Latvala	M. Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	+12.3
3	T. Neuville	N. Gilsoul	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+1:07.7
4	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	+2:12.9
5	S. Ogier	J. Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	+3:25.3
6	J. Hänninen	K. Lindstrom	Toyota Yaris WRC	+3:38.5
7	M. Østberg	O. Floene	Ford Fiesta WRC	+6:31.8
8	A. Mikkelsen	A. Jaeger	Citroën C3 WRC	+8:07.8
9	E. Camilli	B. Veillas	Ford Fiesta R5	+11:15.8
10	J. Kopecky	P. Dresler	Škoda Fabia R5	+11:21.4

Here’s the full schedule for this tricky event!

RALLY ITALIA SARDINIA SCHEDULE (GMT+2)

THURSDAY 7 JUNE

8.00am: Shakedown Olmedo (3,34 km)

5.00pm: Start (Alghero)

6.00pm: SS 1 – Ittiri Arena Show (2,00 km)

7.00pm: Parc fermé (Alghero)

FRIDAY 8 JUNE

6.30am: Service A (Alghero – 15 min)

8.33am: SS 2 – Tula 1 (21,99 km)

9.48am: SS 3 – Castelsardo 1 (14,52 km)

10.37am: SS 4 – Tergu – Osilo 1 (14,14 km)

11.48am: SS 5 – Monte Baranta 1 (10,78 km)

12.44pm: Service B (Alghero – 30 min)

3.02pm: SS 6 – Tula 2 (21,99 km)

4.17pm: SS 7 – Castelsardo 2 (14,52 km)

5.06pm: SS 8 – Tergu – Osilo 2 (14,14 km)

6.24pm: SS 9 – Monte Baranta 2 (10,78 km)

7.00pm: Flexi service C (Alghero – 45 min)

SATURDAY 9 JUNE

5.55am: Service D (Alghero – 15 min)

8.38am: SS 10 – Coiluna – Loelle 1 (14,95 km)

9.33am: SS 11 – Monti Di Ala’ 1 (28,52 km)

10.11am: SS 12 – Monte Lerno 1 (29,11 km)

1.03pm: Service E (Alghero – 30 min)

2.11pm: SS 13 – Citta’ Di Ittiri – Coros (1,40 km)

4.08pm: SS 14 – Coiluna – Loelle 2 (14,95 km)

5.03pm: SS 15 – Monti Di Ala’ 2 (28,52 km)

5.41pm: SS 16 – Monte Lerno 2 (29,11 km)

8.15pm: Flexi service F (Alghero – 45 min)

SUNDAY 10 JUNE

7.45am: Service G (Alghero – 15 min)

8.45am: SS 17 – Cala Flumini 1 (14,06 km)

9.38am: SS 18 – Sassari – Argentiera 1 (6,96 km)

11.12am: SS 19 – Cala Flumini 2 (14,06 km)

12.18pm: SS 20 – Sassari – Argentiera 2 Power Stage (6,96 km)

1.15pm: Service H (Alghero – 10 min)

2.15pm: Podium (Alghero)

Let’s hear from the driver’s!

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“Portugal was the near-perfect weekend for us, as we took 29 out of a maximum 30 points. We now move onto Sardinia, which is one of the most technical events on the calendar, leading the championship. The roads are very narrow and become extremely rough on the second pass. The grip level is quite high on the repeat loop, but we often lack traction on the first run through. They are tricky conditions but the stages tend to suit my driving style and pace notes system. I am able to be very precise and I have been successful there many times in the past.”

Hayden Paddon

“First of all, I am feeling fighting fit after the incident in Portugal and I’m ready to get back down to business. Up to that point, we were able to show a competitive level of performance, taking a stage win and battling for the lead. Rally Italia Sardegna is certainly one of the highlights of the year, located in the Mediterranean with sunny conditions and hot temperatures. The stages are very twisty and challenging. It is a rally I enjoy, and from where I have good memories. I scored my first WRC podium there in 2015 and led the rally in 2017. I would like to finish off what we started last year.”

Andreas Mikkelsen

“Rally Italia Sardegna is a very warm event and it’s important to have high concentration; there are many rocks sticking out that can cause punctures or damage. You also need a stable car because the stages are quite narrow and rough with a lot of bumps. We have made improvements to the car on gravel, which has given me an improved feeling, and I felt really comfortable during Rally de Portugal. This is a positive sign for Sardinia where our aim is to catch up some points and improve our position in the drivers’ championship, while also helping the team to increase the manufacturers’ lead. It will be tough on mind and body, as well as the car and tyres, but we’re ready for it.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Jari-Matti Latvala

“I always enjoy competing in Sardinia. I actually drove there for the first time in 2003 on the Rally Costa Smeralda, the year before the WRC started going there. The roads have a very hard base with a layer of sand on the top which can make it very slippery for the first cars on the road. The roads are narrow but you can go very fast if you can keep to the right line. I feel positive heading to Sardinia. I had two clean days of driving in Portugal without any mistakes and this helped my confidence a lot, and I am really enjoying driving this car.”

Jari-Matti and Miikka scored a podium last year on this event – Photo credit Toyota World Rally Team

Ott Tanak

“Sardinia is a special rally for me as it’s where I got my first win one year ago. Hopefully we can get another top result this time around. I think this will be a key rally for the championship. Portugal obviously didn’t go as well as we planned or hoped, so it will be really important to score some strong points. We are trying to be well prepared as possible, and I know that the team is working really hard. I am really happy with how the car has been performing: In Argentina it was fantastic and it felt good in Portugal as well. Now we just need to translate that speed into a good result before the summer holidays.”

Esapekka Lappi

“I am really looking forward to competing in Sardinia again. We had a pretty good result there already last year and my speed was good, as we won six stages. I think I have learnt a lot since then, and there has also been a lot of progress with the car. I have felt very comfortable over the last couple of rallies and I have had the confidence to push hard. Now that we are fifth in the championship, we will have to run quite early on the road on Friday. The road cleaning effect can be quite big there, but I got some good experience of this on the final two days in Portugal, so I am not worrying about this too much.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“Portugal was a shame as we had the speed to challenge for the win. It was a small mistake with big consequences, but we put it behind us and are now fully focused on giving it everything we’ve got in Sardinia.

“Having competed here many times before, I’ve learned to really enjoy these demanding stages. It’s a beautiful island, but not the easiest of rallies with some very rough and abrasive terrain. You need to keep a margin and stay focused from start to finish – which is exactly what we intend to do next week.

“We won’t be opening the road this year, but we’ll still have something of an uphill battle with many fast drivers benefitting from a cleaner road behind. Even so, I’m confident that we can challenge for a good result. If we can keep the lead in sight on Friday night then we’ll be in with a chance – and will push for the best possible result.”

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Italy Sardegna (ITA) – WRC 08/06/2017 to 11/06/2017 – PHOTO : @World

Elfyn Evans

“Sardinia will always be a special place for me. It’s where I first got behind the wheel of a world rally car and I’ve come to really enjoy the challenging nature of the stages. It’s not an easy rally by all means, but I think that’s one of the reasons why I enjoy it so much.

“It’s such a demanding event and there are so many things that you need to keep in mind. The stages themselves are very rough and abrasive. You need to keep a margin within your driving otherwise your rally can be over before it’s even begun.

“Then there’s the heat. At this time of year, we can be looking at temperatures as high as 30C. That takes its toll on the cars, and the 50C plus temperatures inside the cockpit take their toll on the crew too!

“After our good result in Portugal we’re keen to keep that momentum going in Sardinia. We’ve completed two days of testing and we’ll have a fairly good road position on Friday that we’ll need to make the most of. If everything goes our way, I see no reason why we can’t be challenging for another strong result.”

Teemu Suninen

“I didn’t compete in Sardinia last year, but I did win the WRC 2 category in 2016 so hopefully that will help us this year. Every rally is difficult at this level and every minor detail has an effect on the end result – I’m sure Sardinia will be no different.

“We completed a one-day test last week which proved really useful. The road was quite slow, but that was good for me as it’s on these slower roads where I need to focus on improvements – where it’s slow and narrow and you need to take an advantage over every inch of the road.

“Even on the test I noticed how hot it will be next week. Normally I drink three litres a day but in Sardinia I expect to be drinking more than five litres a day! The stages are also quite rough and that means that we will have to get every stone marked in our notes.

“By focusing on my rivals my speed won´t improve. I’ll focus purely on my own driving and on improving stage by stage – then we’ll see where we are at the end of the rally.”

Citroen Abu Dhabi WRT

Craig Breen

“This is one of the WRC rallies where I have the least experience, but fortunately it hasn’t changed much since last year and so I have most of the pace notes already. It’s not necessarily my favourite event, because it’s never easy to adopt a fluid driving style on these really narrow, technical stages. But I have a good road position in eighth in the running order, because it’s one of the events where cleaning is most significant, so I’m going to try and make the most of it on the opening day.”

Mads Østberg

“It’s one of my favourite rallies. I’ve always been quick here. First of all, you need very good pace notes and then you need to find the right balance between pushing where you can and defending when there is a real risk of smashing the car. I learned a lot about the C3 WRC in Portugal and ended up by showing some pretty decent speed. The two days of pre-event testing held this week will help me to find the right pace, especially as I fully intend to take advantage of my good position in the running order.”

Mads Ostberg – Photo credit, Citroen Racing.

Just one team will be running two cars, with the removal of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle from the Citroen team a few days ago. This will make it hard for them to make some good ground up in the manufacturers championship, but with Mads making his third start this year for this team and Craig in the other car looking to learn more about this tricky event for the future, they’ve got two drivers that can get to the end of the rally in the points.

Now, this is a special event for Miikka Antilla. He is making his 200^th WRC start. A very special moment for Jari-Matti’s co-driver. The Toyota crew will want to get a great result, to mark this weekend.

Well, who do I think could win? Hayden Paddon and Seb Marshall will make their third start this year, and with his great road position, I would expect them to be in the mix for the podium at the very least, along with Andreas, Jari-Matti and Esapekka.

Don’t forget, all the action starts on Thursday morning with shakedown at 8am, that’s 6am BST here in the UK. The latest weather reports for the area on Friday are suggesting there will be thunderstorms. If there are stages that have rain, then Thierry will be a happy man.

Enjoy!

2nd June 2018

Superbike TT – Records Shattered As Dunlop Takes Emotional Victory.

Michael Dunlop during the Superbike TT race – image Gary Howlett.

Michael Dunlop (Tyco BMW) completed his sixteenth victory today at the Isle of Man TT, setting a new race record around the famous mountain course.

The build up to the race had been overshadowed by the devastating news on Wednesday night, when the news broke that fellow Tyco-BMW rider Dan Kneen had been tragically killed in a crash during practice. An extremely popular rider, both with fellow competitors and fans, Dan Kneen will be sorely missed. His younger brother (Ryan) paid a simple yet heartfelt tribute during the final qualifying session on Friday, riding a single lap wearing his brother’s helmet. With the blessings of the Kneen family, today’s race would go ahead as planned.

Today, it was the turn of Michael Dunlop to make his tribute.

Setting off from sixth in line the Ulsterman was forced to push from the start, as Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki) tore off at the front with a blistering pace. The Yorkshireman, from a standing start, shattered the lap record, scorching a phenomenal 134.432 mph average speed – which translates around the 37.74 mile mountain course into a time of 16 minutes and 50.384 seconds. After the opening lap, Harrison had the overall lead of the race, and a healthy 11 seconds’ advantage over second-placed Dunlop. The two riders pushed themselves and their bikes to the very limit, as by the second descent of the mountain, they were already passing backmarkers.

By the first round of pit stops at the end of Lap 2, Harrison’s lead (courtesy of another 134 mph lap) had grown to 17 seconds. New slicks, a full tank of fuel, and Dunlop began his charge. The time splits around the course at Glen Helen, Ballaugh, Ramsey and up at The Bungalow consistently showed that the 15x TT race winner was closing the gap. By the time the leaders had dived down Bray Hill for the fourth time, there was only 9 seconds between the pair. Harrison had to respond, and at Ballaugh he’d done enough to ensure the gap remained the same.

Disaster struck the British rider on the Sulby straight when the bike gave up the ghost. He retired the bike at the crossroads, where it later transpired that the clutch had completely burnt out. Frustration all round for himself and the team, but make no mistake, he’ll have the chance to settle the score during Friday’s Senior TT.

Dean Harrison smashed a new lap record. But victory just wasn’t meant to be. (Image. Tracey Killey)

Dunlop was now clear at the front to romp away to victory. Following a smooth final pit stop, he did exactly that. Such was the consistency and the speed from the 29-year old, that he had built up an insurmountable lead of 52 seconds to his nearest rival, Conor Cummins (Padgetts Honda) in second place. However, being a time trial and the competitors starting at intervals, the pair would conclude the race together on the road. Dunlop was content to allow the Manxman to lead on the final lap, until the final blast down the Glencrutchery Road. Today, nobody was going to stop Michael Dunlop from finishing first.

It is fair to say that the pace from Harrison and Dunlop had blown the rest of the competition out into the Irish Sea. James Hillier (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) completed the podium, finishing 21 seconds behind Cummins. It had been a solid week during practice for the Englishman, and today’s result sets both he and the team up for the rest of race week. Behind him, David Johnson (Gulf BMW) and Michael Rutter (Bathams BMW) rounded out the top five. Lee Johnston (Honda TT Legends) came home in P6 – the first runner on a Fireblade, and the only rider from the factory team to go the distance.

There was a tremendous scrap for the final places inside the top ten between Martin Jessopp (RidersMotorcycles-BMW), Ivan Lintin (Kawasaki), Philip Crowe (BMW) and Josh Brookes (Norton SG6). The quartet continuously swapped places with other – both in the overall standings and on track – during the closing stages of the race. Jessopp and Lintin in particular took centre stage on the final lap as the two traded their best sector times over the mountain road, from Ramsey Hairpin to the highest part of the course at Brandywell corner. In the end, just 2 seconds separated the pair at the finish line. As close as you like after 226 grueling miles of racing.

Such is the physical and demanding nature of the course, both for man and machine, the race of attrition inevitably claimed some high profile names. Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) was dealt the cruellest hand, being forced to retire the bike at the end of the opening lap. In a cheeky tweet to his followers, the Lincolnshireman was at a loss to explain what had happened to his beloved ‘Beryl’. He’ll be back on Monday in the first Supersport TT race, as he attempts to tame the mountain course.

It was also difficult day for multiple TT race winner, Ian Hutchinson (Honda TT Legends). The ‘Bingley Bullet’, as he is known, is clearly still not 100% fit following his crash during last year’s Senior TT race. After lap three, and languishing down well outside the top ten, enough was enough and his race came to an end at Governor’s Bridge. Monday’s Supersport race should at least be kinder on his body.

The day belonged to Michael Dunlop and the Tyco BMW team. The race win was the perfect tribute to Dan Kneen and his family. Speaking to Manx Radio TT in victory lane, the now 16x TT race winner thanked the team for the bike, and dedicated this race to his teammate:

‘I Just wanted to do that for Dan. Hopefully that’s for the family.’

2nd June 2018
IndyCar Detroit Preview

After the thrills, and spills, of the Indy 500, IndyCar packs up shop and heads to the famous double-header that is the Duel in Detroit. The media, hype and commitments surrounding the Indy 500 are always immense for the participating drivers who generally come to Detroit on a bit of a low and rather tired. This is where one driver can exploit a silver-lining to a cloud he probably wishes didn’t exist; having not qualified for the 500, James Hinchcliffe will be far more rested than the others and, if his post-qualifying press conferences are anything to go by, more determined than ever.

The two races on the Saturday and Sunday will mark the seventh and eighth races in the season respectively and, as the half-way point draws ever nearer, crunch time championship-wise is fast approaching. As such, these races are as crucial as any for those hoping to take the glory at the end of the season, especially given the weekend is worth as much as the 500 from a points perspective.

Indycar 2017 Round Seven: Belle Isle Park, Detoit – Race One. Image Courtesy of Hondanews.eu

Last year’s duel was a show of utter dominance by Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Graham Rahal who took the win in both races, having led the vast majority of laps. Despite Chevrolet being the title sponsor, it was a Honda-fest with the Japanese manufacturer having a clear advantage over their American counterparts. Honda conceded that they’d lost much, if not all, of their Indy 500 advantage over Chevrolet and many fear that it could be much the same story here at Detroit with the latter currently outnumbering the former on race wins two to four. This makes the coming weekend even more important for both manufacturers who are each desperate to stamp authority in the new era over the other.

Indycar 2017 Round Seven: Belle Isle Park, Detroit – Race Two. Image courtesy of Hondanews.eu

Regardless of the ongoing engine war, one of the star performers of Detroit last year was Scott Dixon who finished second and sixth in Races 1 and 2 respectively. Granted, that doesn’t sound all that remarkable on the surface of it however, the weekend prior at the 500, Dixon had been flying through the air, crash landing on the inner wall and badly damaging his ankle in the process. With a near-broken ankle, Dixon gritted his teeth and somehow got through both Detroit races with more than respectable finishes – he’ll be hoping for a less dramatic weekend this time round!

Indycar 2017 Round Seven: Belle Isle Park, Detoit – Race One. Image courtesy of hondanews.eu

After the super-speedway of Indianapolis, IndyCar’s back on a road course however, the format for Detroit is a little different to the others because it’s a double-header. The field is spilt into two groups for qualifying based on practice times as per usual but then each gets twelve minutes of track time, rather than ten. There are no further rounds to qualifying so the first group take up the odd numbered grid positions and the second the even. This will happen for each race so a driver’s finishing position in Race 1 will mean nothing towards their starting position for Race 2.

All the one-timer Indy 500 drivers have since departed so there are just two driver changes to speak of in the full-time IndyCar field. Jordan King will take the wheel of the #20 Ed Carpenter Racing car from the boss himself who achieved an impressive second-place finish at the 500. The other change is at Dale Coyne where F2 racer and IndyCar first-timer Santino Ferrucci will take control of the #19 car from Zachary Claman De Melo as a result of the driver shift-around due to Pietro Fittipaldi’s injury.

Judging by past form, you’d expect Rahal to be strong once more at Detroit but the RLL squad have been struggling so far this year, meaning Rahal’s streak of good form here may have to come to an end. Elsewhere, Hinchcliffe should come back swinging from his 500 disappointment, quite probably with teammate Robert Wickens in tow while Penske and Andretti, like usual, are not to be counted out of anything.

All the build-up sessions will be live on IndyCar’s streaming channels as usual with Race 1 on BT Sport 2 and Race 2 on BT Sport 1. Timings for the weekend, in BST, are as follows:

Friday

Practice 1 – 4:20pm
Practice 2 – 8:10pm

Saturday

Qualifying (Race 1) – 3:55pm
Race 1 – 8:40pm

Sunday

Qualifying (Race 2) – 3:45pm
Race 2 – 8:40pm

31st May 2018
Monaco or Monago?

Monte Carlo: expensive yachts, lavish food and drink, amazing scenery and the famous casino—but above all, home to the Monaco Grand Prix since 1929. With its prestige and glamour, Monaco is called the crown jewel of the F1 calendar for a reason. Part of the Triple Crown along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500, this Grand Prix is the one that all drivers want to win. It is here at in Monaco where legends are born, with six-time winner Ayrton Senna being the greatest of all. Monaco, with all its racing heritage, is a legendary track and one that drivers enjoy.

Steve Etherington/Mercedes AMG

However, Monaco is not without its problems. The 2018 race was slammed by fans all over the world, with some going so far as to call it the “most boring race ever” and argue for it to be dropped from the calendar altogether.

And it’s not just the fans. World champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were also among the critics of this year’s Monaco event. In post-race interviews Hamilton said: “We were just cruising around. It wasn’t really racing.” He also said he’d spoken to Prince Albert of Monaco about potential changes to the circuit to improve future races. Alonso—who retired from the race with gearbox problems—went even further, suggesting F1 needed to “give something to the fans” to reimburse their tickets after what he called “probably the most boring race ever”.

This by no means is a way to say that this race was enjoyable to watch. With not much overtaking happening, it became a bit dull. But Monaco has never been a race in which much overtaking has been expected. Spectators know that watching this race will probably mean watching a parade. Monaco was never meant to be the most spectacular race in the world from an overtaking perspective. With the cars getting really close to the barriers, it is almost impossible to overtake. But that’s just the tracks nature. The circuit has already undergone some changes throughout the years, but the overtaking never really increased. That doesn’t mean though that overtaking can’t happen, nor that it is impossible.

Steven Tee/McLaren

For example, Max Verstappen made more on-track overtakes at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix then there were overtakes in total following lap 1 of the Australian Grand Prix, where only five on-track overtakes took place. Albert Park thus didn’t deliver lots of overtaking. Both being street circuits, it might be obvious which one is more popular with the fans and drivers alike.

As a track Monaco is one of the most enjoyable of the calendar for the drivers, as it is a very unforgiving circuit. Especially on Saturday, when qualifying can make a difference between potentially winning one of F1’s most prestigious events, or starting from the back which means you’ll have to try and overtake. Isn’t that the thing that we should enjoy from Monaco? The drivers going full throttle for 78 laps through those tight, unforgiving streets with danger in every corner. Trying to overtake with those speeds through those streets. One mistake could end their race. Any loss of concentration could leave them open to an overtake or a race-ending crash. That alone should be enough excitement for them, and for the fans.

Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

Feature image courtesy of Sahara Force India F1 Team

31st May 2018
Monaco Roundup

Ah, Monte Carlo, the signature event on the Formula One calendar. While the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix won’t go down in history as the most exciting race (the word ‘processional’ comes to mind), the challenging nature of the circuit itself makes for an interesting technical race. This season’s running certainly offered up some worthwhile moments, though the lack of a full Safety Car made it seem like it wasn’t quite Monaco.

Daniel Ricciardo leading the pack in Monaco. Image courtesy of Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Daniel Ricciardo stole the show with his masterful pace control from pole position. Capitalising on a clean start, he was able to back the field up for the first several laps, babysitting his hypersoft tyres. Several other drivers commented on the slow pace of the opening stint, but due to the difficulties of overtaking on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo nobody was able to mount an effective attack.

The race appeared to begin in earnest around lap 15, when Ricciardo opened up the throttle. Responding to Vettel’s lap 16 pit stop, Red Bull pulled Ricciardo in for a set of ultrasofts on lap 17. Enjoying a comfortable lead, Ricciardo rejoined the race in first.

On lap 28 Ricciardo reported losing power. While Ricciardo later admitted that Red Bull had identified an issue with the MGU-K on lap 18, it was ten laps later when he announced the problem. Despite being down on power, and further only able to use six of his eight gears, Ricciardo was able to manage his pace remarkably.

As the race progressed, pervasive graining on the left front tyre helped discourage Vettel and others on ultrasofts from pursuing too aggressive an approach, whereas the Red Bull’s chassis served tyre management well. In time, Vettel’s tyres settled in and he was able to mount an attack on Ricciardo, but the Red Bull man defended brilliantly.

A late Virtual Safety Car played into Ricciardo’s hands, as Stoffel Vandoorne’s McLaren emerged from the pits between Ricciardo and Vettel, albeit a lap down. This traffic allowed Ricciardo to rebuild a lead that saw him cross the finish line over 7 seconds ahead of Vettel to claim victory. After the stunning strategy mistake of 2016 cost him that win, this victory was particularly sweet for the Australian. The fact that he remained in P1 through the entire race could’ve only sweetened it further. His Driver of the Day award was well-earned.

Max Verstappen – image courtesy of Rob Smalley / Red Bull Content Pool

On the other side of the Red Bull garage, Max Verstappen drove a solid race. Starting from the back of the grid, he had claimed both Haas cars on the opening lap, and patiently climbed the order. Verstappen maintained a cool head throughout the race, shepherding his starting set of ultrasofts for 47 laps.

Despite some early complaints of pitting late for a set of hypersofts, he engaged in a duel with Carlos Sainz in which both drivers cut chicanes (leading to an amusing radio call of, “He cut the chicane!” from Sainz who moments before did exactly the same thing) resulting in a warning from the pit wall to keep his overtaking clean. After a weekend of trouble and serious errors in previous races, Max drove a clean race to finish in ninth, up from 20th.

Sebastian Vettel at Monaco 2018. Finishing 2nd. Image courtesy of Ferarri.com

Scuderia Ferrari delivered a workmanlike race, though not terribly memorable. Sebastian Vettel consistently kept pressure on Ricciardo, though he wasn’t able to overtake. The pervasive left front graining on the ultrasoft tyres combined with the narrow streets prevented him from pushing past Ricciardo. Technical gremlins briefly popped up for the German on lap 41, causing a brief blackout on his dash. Happily, this wasn’t to become a more serious issue. Vandoorne’s late pitstop during the VSC period sealed Vettel’s second place.

Kimi Räikkönen, despite pushing hard against Lewis Hamilton, was similarly unable to make any meaningful gains. Suffering from the ubiquitous trouble with his left front tyre, the Finn started and finished in fourth.

On the Mercedes front, it looked briefly like Valtteri Bottas might have a chance at upsetting the order as Mercedes elected to send him out on supersofts after pitting on lap 17. While he avoided the graining issues that held up the other drivers at the sharp end of the grid, tyre temperature issues caused him to back off from Räikkönen for several laps, and he wasn’t able to mount a serious challenge to his fellow Finn. Bottas further continued the trend of finishing where he started, in fifth.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton, while vocal about his tyre issues, race pace and so forth, wasn’t able to do much about any of it either. Starting in third, he finished in third.

Steve Etherington/Mercedes AMG

And so it went for the frontrunners (and Max), though there was a bit more excitement down the grid.

Perhaps the most exciting moment of the race came on lap 72, when local boy Charles Leclerc’s Sauber suffered a brake failure while approaching the chicane. Accompanied by a large puff of brake dust (and brakes), he plowed into the back of Brendan Hartley’s Toro Rosso. While Hartley limped back to the pits to retire, Race Control invoked the Virtual Safety Car while marshals recovered the damaged Sauber.

Leclerc’s teammate Marcus Ericsson had a much less eventful race, finishing in 13th, from starting in 16th.

Pierre Gasly. Image courtesy of Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly drove an excellent race. Starting in tenth, he shepherded his used set of hypersofts for 37 laps before pitting for supersofts. Avoiding drama, the Frenchman put in a workmanlike drive to finish in seventh.

Renault displayed an admirable amount of teamwork and coordination when defending against Max Verstappen’s charge. On lap 55, Nico Hulkenberg, running in ninth, clearly had pace over teammate Carlos Sainz, who was running in eighth. Sainz did a brilliant job of ceding eighth to Hulkenberg while preventing Verstappen from following through the door. Though Sainz would eventually lose ninth to the Dutchman, he didn’t give up the position without a fight. Hulkenberg proceeded to finish in eighth, up from eleventh, while Sainz finished in ninth, down from eighth.

It’s tempting to say that McLaren’s early form is waning, though there are still many races left in the season. Long-suffering Fernando Alonso suffered his first retirement of the season, with a gearbox failure on lap 54 after running in the points. His teammate Stoffel Vandoorne finished in 14th, having stymied Vettel’s chances, starting from 12th. Perhaps Ricciardo will send him a fruit basket for his efforts, or at least a nice note.

Sahara Force India F1 Team

Force India suffered from bad luck on one side of the garage, as a troublesome right rear wheel caused Sergio Perez’s lap 23 pit stop to run precious seconds long. Though emerging on the durable supersoft tyres, he was unable to make up positions and finished in 12th, down from his starting position of ninth. Teammate Esteban Ocon, though, despite some graining in the middle stint, had a relatively trouble-free drive to finish where he started, in sixth.

Williams is… continuing to be Williams. The storied organisation’s run of poor performance continued today, even before the race start. Sergey Sirotkin was given a 10-second stop/go penalty for not having his tyres fitted by the 3-minute warning, and was investigated again when it appeared that his crew worked on his car while he served the penalty. He was cleared of this, and went on to finish in 16th, down from 13th.

Lance Stroll had an eventful, though negative, outing. One could be excused for thinking that Stroll was attempting to fill in the punches on his Frequent Pit Stop card, pitting three times. Pitting on lap 9 for a new front wing and supersoft tyres, he emerged in 20th and would have remained there save for retirements up the field. Subsequent stops in laps 34 and 59 for fresh sets of hypersofts didn’t help him overmuch. The Canadian finished in 17th, where he started.

Glenn Dunbar/Williams F1

Haas too continued to struggle. After qualifying 18th and 19th, both of the drivers failed to make significant gains on-track, though they did finish ahead of both Williams’. Kevin Magnussen, this season’s points-generator for the American team, finished out of the points in 13th, while Romain Grosjean finished in 15th.

At the end of the day, Lewis Hamilton retains the lead in the Drivers Championship with 100 points, with Sebastian Vettel in second with 96. Daniel Ricciardo rounds out the top three, with 72 points. On the Constructors side, the teams so far mirror the driver standings. Mercedes leads Ferrari by 178 to 156, and Red Bull is comfortably in third with 107 points.

As we approach Canada, the Drivers and Constructors Championships are still wide open. It should be exciting to see how the teams cope with the demands of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montréal under the new regulations. Stick with us on the weekend of 8–10 June for your Grand Prix du Canada coverage.

Featured image courtesy of Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

29th May 2018
British F3 – Monger: I’m getting the hang of it

Carlin Motorsport’s Billy Monger says he is getting used to the challenges that the British F3 series has thrown at him this season.

The 19-year-old drives an adapted car having lost both of his legs in an F4 accident at Donnington Park a year ago.

Those adaptations feature a throttle paddle behind right of his steering wheel, while the gear shifting paddles are both on the left.

Monger says that it has been difficult, but he is getting on top of the added challenges.

“Of course it has been a challenge because the step up from F4 to F3 is already massive on its own along with the fact that I’m learning new controls as well.

“It has been a steep learning curve, but I do feel like I’m getting the hang of it now.”

At the first weekend at Oulton Park, the man from Surrey took a fairytale podium, but at Rockingham things did not go his way with two races lost to incidents and contact.

At Snetterton, he was closer to the sharp end of the field with a seventh, a ninth and a sixth and feels that the first dry weekend of the season helped him.

“In the dry I feel more confident in the car than the rain because the hand throttle is quite difficult in the wet but I’m getting on alright.

“The feel is different from hands to with feet, it is difficult to get a feel for everything, that is something I have to learn really.”

And one of the championship’s bigger names is confident of fighting for the top three after misfortune earlier in the season.

“We’re definitely competitive enough, it’s just about having the luck on our side to put us up there fighting for podiums and wins.”

Monger does concede that his long-term involvement in the championship depends on finance and sponsorship, but is keen to stay with Carlin.

“The plan is to finish the season with Carlin in British F3, it does depend on budget and sponsorship, those are things that will come into play with regards to whether I can finish the season or not.

“We want a good solid position in the championship come the end of the year.”

Image Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

29th May 2018
Monaco 2018 Driver Ratings

The principality of Monaco is the jewel in the crown of the Formula 1 season. It’s one of the triple crown of motorsport, the others being the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24 Hours. The tight and twisty track leaves little room for error, giving a full punishment for hitting the wall, as some experienced this weekend, one in paticular. There was without a doubt a driver of the weekend no one can argue with that.

Ricciardo – 10

? courtesy of Pirelli Motorsports

Super from the Honeybadger, his best win without a doubt, the first time he has won a Grand Prix starting within the first two rows. He was fastest in all practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday. On Sunday he once again in a different league, he got off the line well, and pulled away from the field. The problems came with his engine many thought the curse had struck again but with a car much less power he kept his cool to win! Redemption from 2016, a great drive, his best win out of the seven wins. He led every lap of the race and without a doubt driver of the day!

Vettel – 8

A solid drive and took points off Hamilton. His start was great but Ricciardo just closed the gap so was unable to overtake. Kept Ricciardo within distance but does seem Ferrari are harder on their tyres. Coasted to second late on as he struggled to get back up to pace.

Hamilton – 7

An uneventful weekend for the Championship leader three points lost a damage limitation race leaving a 14 points gap between him and Vettel. Mercedes knew that this wasn’t a good track for them and felt they had the third fastest car. Hamilton nearly caught Vettel midway through the race but fell away late on. Good haul of points.

Raikkonen – 7

In the battle of the number two drivers Kimi won this time. He was close to getting ahead of Hamilton and Vettel in qualifying. At a stage all three were 0.005 apart, but others improved whilst he didn’t. The cool Finn kept it out the walls and helped Ferrari outscore Mercedes.

Bottas – 6

He was off pace all weekend and at one stage it was touch and go in Q2 whether he would get through as Mercedes tried a different strategy. He left it really late to get in to the shootout. Due to his choice of tyres he had better grip which allowed him to close the gap, he didn’t have a lunge to even test Raikkonen with his better traction.

Ocon – 9

Best of the rest from the Frenchman, only 5 seconds behind Bottas. Force India tend to not be known for their downforce and more their top speed hence previous results at Baku. Great qualifying and racecraft, a seasoned veteran now.

Gasly – 8

Pierre continues to impress, technically still a rookie season as he only drove for a few races last year from Round 15 onwards. The Honda engines not as bad in previous years, especially Monaco hiding the disadvantage. He battled with Alonso and Hulkenburg whilst keeping it clean. A long stint on the hypersoft gave him this chance, an opportunistic driver.

Hulkenberg – 7

A points finish after his two DNF’s in Baku and Barcelona. Just what he needed, he may of been out qualified on Saturday but a strong drive on Sunday gave him what he more often than not achieves for his team, points!

Verstappen – 6

The Dutchman needs to learn that sometimes you don’t need to go 100%. This was costly for him over the weekend when clearly Red Bull had the fastest car. A crash in FP3 in the swimming pool section, identical to a crash in 2016 cost him action in qualifying. The car was not rebuilt in time after a deeper look and had to start last. Max was more like himself on Sunday from great overtakes to score points but feel he was thinking about race win prior to third practice. Disapointing once again, involved in a collision somehow in the last six Grand Prix weekends.

Sainz – 6

The Spaniard had an unimpressive Sunday and left the principality with only one point after qualifying so well. He did a great job to defend his position from Ericcson at the end.

Ericcson – 7

A good race in the streets of Monaco for the Swede. Finished in a solid P11, and was right up Sainz’s gearbox for the final stages. Seems a Sunday driver more than a Saturday, made the most positions up besides Verstappen.

Perez – 5

Finished 47 seconds behind his team mate which would of dented his confidence within himself. He had great pace as got through to Q3 but only went backwards on Sunday. Great potential, left with nothing.

Magnussen – 5

Out performed his team mate in a poor weekend for the Haas team. Hopefully just a blip for the Dane, has raced well at upcoming tracks but no joy in Monaco. Rather little happened to comment.

Vandoorne – 5

Another performance where very little was seen of him. Finished the race behind his starting grid position. He did have the pace it seemed in practice but it fell away on Sunday.

Grosjean – 4

Romain was already in hot water as he carried a three place grid penalty over from Barcelona. Haas where of form and couldn’t get their car in the sweet spot, so much so they ran 19th and 20th for the early laps. Grosjean seems to be in a rut and this race did him no favours.

Sirotkin – 6

The result hides what a great early weekend he had. He blitzed his team mate and made Q2. He suffered from two punctures but seems to be finally getting to grips with the Williams.

Stroll – 5

Sirotkin made Stroll look silly as a whole this weekend. The Canadian qualified P18 and was nowhere to anyone in the race. Finished last of who took the chequered flag. Williams as a whole hope Canada, a more power influenced track will push them up the grid.

Leclerc – 7

His record at Monaco isn’t that hot, and it continues. He failed to finish in both Formula 2 races last year. A brake failure ended his day early as he collided with Hartley. He couldn’t avoid the incident so unlike Verstappen his rating wasn’t hindered by it. Once more made it into Q2 and qualified strongly.

Hartley – 6

A waste of such a good weekend for Toro Rosso and on this side of the garage. Seventh fastest in practice as he failed to get out of Q3. He collided on the first lap damaging his car. Taken out by Leclerc but the pressure continues to mount.

Alonso – 6

I wonder if Fernando would of liked to be in America once again rather than Monaco. A gearbox failure on the front straight whilst battling with Gasly late on ended his race. He was deep into the points and raced well. Not a fan of Monaco this year and had a few choice words to say to the media.

We go from the heavily downforce influenced track of Monaco to the more power influenced track of Montreal in Canada in 2 weeks time. Renault and Honda are bringing substantial upgrades to their engines which should help the teams that use them.

The main questions are if this would help Red Bull still keep the top step of the podium or will Mercedes bounce back to the top?

28th May 2018
Indy 500 Report: Power takes all the glory at the Brickyard
Once again, the Indy 500 delivered an action-packed race full of twists, turns and the inevitable cautions, seven this time! We had a new Indy 500 victor in Will Power, who now tops the championship as a result of his 100-point haul, but the likes of Ed Carpenter, Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi all put up very good fights. It wasn’t all plain sailing though, the new, lower downforce cars coupled with the higher temperatures and subsequently lower grip caught more than one notable driver out.

Starting at the top, Power may have taken the win and led a sizeable number of laps in the process however, it wasn’t until well after half-way in that he actually took the lead for the first time. After qualifying third, Power dropped back at the start but regained the lost ground at the first round of pit stops under the first caution, gaining three positions in one go and putting him back up to third. In the latter quarter of the race, Power’s win rarely looked in doubt but there was very nearly a surprise when Stefan Wilson, Jack Harvey and Oriol Servia all didn’t pit under the last caution. Wilson led the race for three laps after the restart, making him and his late brother Justin the fourth set of brothers to do so, but it wasn’t to be as all three drivers had to pull into the pits having run out of fuel. With those three out of the way, Power had a clear track ahead of him to take a dominant win, well ahead of Carpenter and Dixon. Power, along with his Penske squad, was clearly elated in victory circle and it was a win he certainly deserved after a less than great start to the season.

Super-speedway specialist, Carpenter, was tipped by many to take the victory and seemed in charge in the opening stages of the race but he was overhauled by first Tony Kanaan and then, once Kanaan had eliminated himself from the lead with a puncture, Power who went on to the victory. Carpenter had taken a few front row starts at the Indy 500 before but never a win, he was confident that he could rectify that before the race but the cautions and changes in strategy just didn’t play into his favour and he was left in a rather disappointing second. A story of what could’ve been for Carpenter who knows time is fast running out for him to get that elusive Indy 500 win.

Scot Dixon. Indycar 2018: Round Six – image courtesy of hondanews.eu

Third on the road was Dixon who managed to not go flying this year to take a well-deserved podium. The #9 Chip Ganassi driver had a fairly quiet first half of the race, other than very nearly crashing with Sebastien Bourdais, often running within the top five but never taking the lead however, he rolled the dice under the sixth caution by pitting and trying to make the end. Once the rest of the pit stops had cycled out, Dixon found himself in the net lead and a fair amount ahead of Power however, he was soon caught on his older tyres with both Power and Carpenter blasting past, leaving Dixon to fend off Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay. That he did, taking third and propelling himself into fourth in the championship.

Rossi was, amazingly, the bookmakers favourite going into the race despite the fact that he was starting second-to-last in thirty-second. After enjoying the last row club, along with Harvey and Conor Daly, it was down to business for the #27 Andretti driver. He made up a good six positions in the first five laps, but his progress stalled somewhat, only making up a further three positions in the next forty laps. By the third caution, Rossi had made it up to twelfth before he made incredible progress on the fourth restart, going around the outside, in very brave fashion, of just about everyone in his group. This trait was continued on the fifth restart when he went high to take a further two cars, putting him into third. The last round of pit stops didn’t play into the 2016 winner’s hands with Rossi eventually having to settle for fourth but gaining twenty-seven positions in one race is nothing to be ashamed of!

Penske, despite the win, didn’t have the best of days with their other three drivers. Josef Newgarden’s off strategy gamble under the third caution didn’t really pay off and, after being as low as twentieth, he was only able to recover an eighth-place finish putting him ten points back from the lead in the championship. Simon Pagenaud went fairly unnoticed throughout the race but a long last stop quashed any remaining chance the Frenchman had of a podium, eventually coming home in sixth. The last Penske of Helio Castroneves was the most unfortunate after he was the cause of the fifth caution. He was clearly upset after losing the rear and ending up hitting the inside wall, but he wasn’t along in doing so.

Danica Patrick’s last race. Image courtesy of media.gm.com

First to fall foul of these oversteer-prone cars was last year’s third place finisher, and arguably Rookie of the Year, Ed Jones who ploughed into the wall, causing the second caution of the day. This crash was repeated by Danica Patrick whose fairy-tale final race at Indy was ended when she too lost the rear after struggling with her car all day. Bourdais, Sage Karam and Kanaan all had very similar crashes to Jones and Patrick with those three causing the fourth, sixth and seventh cautions respectively.

Takuma Sato. Indycar 2018: Round Six – Indy 500, Indianapolis. Image courtesy of media.gm.com

All but one of the cautions were caused by a single car crash which is very unusual for the Indy 500, usually famed for its wrecks. The only exception to that rule was the very first caution which was caused by last year’s winner, Takuma Sato, hitting the back of James Davison. Davison had been running considerably slower than the cars around him for quite a number of laps before Sato was caught out by the pace differential coming out of the corner, leaving him a passenger as he hit the side of Davison.

All drivers were thankfully ok following their incidents, with only Jones’ in slight doubt for next week’s double header at Detroit after being taken to hospital as a precautionary measure with head and neck pain.

It hasn’t been announced yet, but Schmidt Peterson’s Robert Wickens is expected to take Rookie of the Year after an impressive ninth place finish in the absence of bumped teammate James Hinchcliffe.

Will Power, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske IndyCar Chevrolet V6, celebrates his victory Sunday, May 27, 2018, after winning the Verizon IndyCar 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. This is the first Indy 500 win for Power and the 17th win for team owner Roger Penske. Image courtesy of media.gm.com and the photo by Phillip Abbott/LAT for Chevy Racing.

With the 102^nd running done, it won’t be long before talk points to the 103^rd running of the Indy 500 however, for now, IndyCar heads to the double header that is the Duel in Detroit next weekend before completing the second, and most valuable, triple header at Texas Motor Speedway.

Full Race Result:
1. Will Power
2. Ed Carpenter
3. Scott Dixon
4. Alexander Rossi
5. Ryan Hunter-Reay
6. Simon Pagenaud
7. Carlos Munoz
8. Josef Newgarden
9. Robert Wickens (R)
10. Graham Rahal
11. JR Hildebrand
12. Marco Andretti
13. Matheus Leist (R)
14. Gabby Chaves
15. Stefan Wilson
16. Jack Harvey
17. Oriol Servia
18. Charlie Kimball
19. Zachary Claman De Melo (R)
20. Spencer Pigot
21. Conor Daly
22. Max Chilton
23. Zach Veach (R)
24. Jay Howard
DNF – Tony Kanaan, Sage Karam, Helio Castroneves, Sebastien Bourdais, Kyle Kaiser (R), Danica Patrick, Ed Jones, Takuma Sato, James Davison

Featured image courtesy of media.gm.com
28th May 2018
BRITISH F3: Reaction – “Still a long way to go” says Kush Maini after Championship setbacks

Lanan Motorsport’s Kush Maini remained upbeat despite losing ground to championship rivals Linus undqvist and Nicolai Kjaergaard.

Maini finished Race Two 14th after a third in Race One on Saturday, his race scuppered by a puncture sustained while trying to move through the field.

The 17-year-old Indian made no excuses.

“It’s a setback, the puncture was a bit of my own fault. That’s racing, Nicolai had similar luck. All I can do is look forward. It’s disappointing but it is all about how you react.

“You win championships on how you react on your bad weekends, not your good weekends. At Oulton I could easily have lost my head and not finished races there but I got a podium, a fifth and made the best of the situation. The race was my error in race two, but it’s all a case of what ifs now.”

Maini was still able to take third in the final race of the day, having threatened the Scandinavian lead duo of Lundqvist and Kjaergaard early on.

Having already suffered in Race Two, he was keen to stay in the race avoid risks at a circuit that proved difficult to pass on.

“I was driving with my head, honestly. It played a little on my mind, there was a time where I could get second off Nicolai where he’d gone off trying to pass Linus. I could have risked it but if I’d risked it there it could have been all over. We’re still in the game.

“I wanted more than third as we had got the best lap in Race Two but this track is so difficult to follow at. I was getting closer in the slower corners but in the fast ones I was losing it all again, because you lose downforce.”

Lanan were strong at Silverstone last year, and Maini is hoping to repeat that form when the British F3 series visits the home of British Motorsport again in two weeks time.

“We went really well at Silverstone last year, two firsts and a second and we did well at the test. You can expect a fight between us three again, I’m excited and I can’t wait for it.

“I love getting in the car and driving my heart out, I always have fun. Let’s see what happens at Silverstone.”

27th May 2018
BRITISH F3: Reaction – Kjaergaard: We need to finish all races

Nicolai Kjaergaard is hopeful that luck will soon start smiling down on him after a costly retirement in Race Two on Sunday.

The Carlin Motorsport driver had ascended to the top of the standings on Saturday with victory in the opening race of the weekend, but contact with Tom Gamble saw him retire having climbed ten places early on.

“I had gained a lot of positions in the first two laps and my speed was good.

“I thought I was on for a podium so that was really good, but then I came up to Gamble. We were close to touching at Turn One, and he misjudged it at Turn Three where I was on his outside, put us on the grass and we hit the wall. He probably thought he left more room.

“Hopefully that is my last DNF of the season.”

Kjaergaard was second in the final race of the day behind championship leader Linus Lundqvist, and admits that the Swede’s consistency is cause for concern.

“He just doesn’t not finish. He’s always there, and not making mistakes. I was really pushing, but Linus was just too fast. He’s getting further and further away in the championship so I really need to finish ahead of him now in all races.”

Kjaergaard was realistic about his chances in Race Two, with Snetterton proving hard to pass at this weekend.

“Second is a lot better than Race Two, it’s difficult to expect much around here because it is not an easy track to overtake on. The pole man has won here in all three races which tells the story. I was hoping for the win but we knew it was going to be hard.”

And the Dane is looking forward to Silverstone in two weeks’ time, where he sees an opportunity to start making up ground to Lundqvist.

“Usually at Silverstone Carlin have a really good car so I’m expecting to be at the front as we have been for these first three weekends. We need to get some wins.”

27th May 2018