Nico Rosberg may have put an end to Lewis Hamilton’s four-race win streak with a lights-to-flag victory in last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, but his teammate’s recovery from the back of the grid to third prevented the German from retaking the lead in the championship.
That makes this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix a must-win event for Rosberg. Having lost out to Hamilton at favourite tracks like Monaco, Austria and Hockenheim, Rosberg needs to strike back at his teammate’s own hunting grounds if he is to keep his title challenge alive.
With traditional Hamilton tracks like Suzuka and Circuit of the Americas dominating the latter half of the season, it’s imperative that Rosberg builds on the momentum of Spa to take back control of the championship – just as he did at the start of the season.
“It’s great to add another classic circuit like Spa to the list of wins,” Rosberg said. “Hopefully that puts us on a good curve as we head to another legendary track in Monza.
“Last year obviously didn’t end so well for me there, so I’m hoping for a bit more luck and a little less fire this time… I can’t wait to make our Silver Arrow fly at Monza.”
But if Rosberg is heading to Monza emboldened by his performance in Belgium, so too will Lewis Hamilton, who also has the added psychological benefit of three recent Italian Grand Prix victories to his name.
“I had a perfect weekend there last year,” Hamilton said of his most recent Monza win. “Standing on that amazing podium, looking out over a sea of fans on the straight, has to be up there as one of the most incredible experiences a sportsman can have.
“It’s game on for me with the penalties out of the way and fresh engines ready to use. I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Formula 1 re-started after the summer break and everyone was hoping to watch an exciting race in Belgium. The spa is one of my favourite circuits and it didn’t let me down. From the first lap until the last one there were many battles, some of them forced collisions between the drivers some others were some easy overtakes from the faster drivers to the slower ones.
Rosberg took the pole position in Saturday’s qualification session, whilst his team-mate received a grid position penalty and started the race from the last row.
Max Verstappen started the race from the second position, followed by Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, while his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth.
Lights out and the race starts, Rosberg has a good and clean start, but behind the two Ferraris collided with each other and Kimi Raikkonen damaged Max Verstappen’s front wing. Sebastian Vettel took the outside on the first corner, but he was very close to Kimi Raikkonen who didn’t have any space to turn because Max Verstappen dived in the corner from the grass and trapped Kimi Raikkonen between him and Sebastian Vettel.
Max Verstappen pitted and replaced his damaged front wing, with a fresh one, whilst both Ferraris lost places. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton started from the last row of the grid and they moved up to fourth and fifth place respectively. Both drivers started the race on the mediums, which allowed them to do a longer stint with the same set of tyres.
On the eighth lap, Kevin Magnussen lost the control of his Renault, at the final part of the famous Eau Rouge, and crashed into the tyre wall. His Renault was destroyed, but Magnussen walked out of the car and he was transferred to the medical centre. Kevin Magnussen said on twitter that he went home with an ankle injury, but he will be fine for the Italian Grand Prix. The race was red-flagged after two laps were all the drivers were behind the Safety Car.
At the re-start, Daniel Ricciardo tried to remain close to the Nico Rosberg, but the German was unmistakable during the race and managed to increase the gap with the Australian. Lewis Hamilton passed Fernando Alonso and on lap 18 and managed to pass Nico Hulkenberg and moved up to the third position. A few laps later, Mercedes called into the pits the Brit champion and switched his tyres with a fresher set, this move gave an advantage to Hamilton over Ricciardo for the second position.
On lap 32, Lewis Hamilton made his final pit-stop, but he couldn’t catch and pass Daniel Ricciardo. Fernando Alonso, with his Honda-powered car, wasn’t able to defence his position from Perez and Vettel, hence he dropped seventh ahead of the two Williams and Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn suffered a puncture after the collision with Verstappen and Vettel, and during his pit-stop fires created at the body of his Ferrari.
Kimi Raikkonen was frustrated and angry with Max Verstappen, mainly because of Max’s defensive moves when Kimi tried to pass him on the straight.
The Finn said: “If I had not braked, we would have had a massive accident. It will happen sooner or later if this doesn’t change. I am fine with good, hard racing but that is not correct.”
Next race will take place in Monza, where the Tifosi will cheer for the favourite team.
Red Bull continued their strong foundations built during the first half of the season as Daniel Ricciardo separated the Mercedes pair.
The Australian gained 18 points for his team as the Milton Keynes team extended their lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.
“For the team to be coming away from Spa still second in the Constructors’ Championship, and having extended our lead over Ferrari, is more than we could have envisaged,” said Team Principal Christian Horner.
Max Verstappen ended in up in 11th place as he had a collision with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen at the first corner:
“I didn’t start as well as I wanted but I got up the inside for the first corner then got squeezed by the two Ferraris.
“In the contact my front wing and the floor got destroyed so then the car was very difficult to drive and the race was gone. Still, I tried my best to come back especially for all the people who were cheering me on in the stands, but unfortunately I didn’t get in the points,” declared the pensive teenager.
Ricciardo showed his growing confidence behind the Red Bull as he has transcended last years’ points tally: “An impressive performance by Daniel today; a great disciplined drive, looking after his tyres and making an effective two-stop strategy work. To finish second, at the type of venue that we weren’t expecting to be our strongest, is an amazing result.
Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo will be looking for a chnage of fortune at the British Grand Prix, after a disastrous Czech Grand Prix saw him slip to third in the standings, behind Italian teammate and arch rival, Valentino Rossi.
After a difficult last race, that saw Lorenzo having to come into the pits due to tyre problems, the Mallorcan is set on making a strong comeback this weekend at a circuit where the odds are in his favour: he holds the record for the rider with the most MotoGP wins at Silverstone. Over the last six years Lorenzo has secured three premier class victories, in 2010, 2012 and 2013, and is eager add a fourth to his tally this weekend.
“After the two back-to-back races in Austria and Brno the situation is not as we desired beforehand but we can‘t change that”, said a philosophical Jorge Lorenzo ahead of Sunday’s race.
“From now on we need to think race by race and just try to get the best results day by day. Silverstone is the next stop so we have to push at the maximum there and enjoy riding with the bike again” vowed the Spaniard, now 59 points adrift of leader Marc Marquez.
“That track is one of my favourite circuits in the world but unfortunately the weather is always very unpredictable. Let‘s see if we can deliver a great race again there”.
Lorenzo finished 4th in last years Grand Prix in tricky conditions. A 4th this season in the wet would be a great day for him.
With just one weekend off after his third-place finish in Brno, Championship leader Marc Marquez heads to Britain aiming to once again fight for the podium at a track that he likes and that has brought him good results. Teammate Dani Pedrosa (fourth in the standings) is looking to regain his confidence and return to a more usual pace for him.
Silverstone has a rich racing heritage stretching back over 60 years and has become an iconic motorsport venue. Built on a former airfield, the 5.9 km track is the longest and one of the fastest circuits on the schedule. This is the seventh year that the MotoGP paddock will visit Silverstone since it replaced Donington Park in 2010.
Marc, who scored on British soil the first Grand Prix podium of his career at Donington Park in 2008 (125cc), has celebrated four podium finishes in six Silverstone visits, including a 125cc class victory in 2010, a MotoGP win in 2014, a second-place MotoGP result in 2013 and a third-place Moto2 showing in 2012. Dani has enjoyed two MotoGP podium finishes at Silverstone (third in 2013 and 2012).
Marquez: Weather is unpredictable
“Silverstone is a place where the weather is generally quite unpredictable, meaning that cold and rain are variables you have to be prepared to face. We’ve encountered ‘mixed conditions’ situations more than once this year, and we saw how important it is to remain focused and make the right choices. We’ll see what happens during the weekend and we’ll try to manage the situation with the same mind-set that has gotten us this far. I like the track a lot; it has a slower first section but then there’s a series of ‘esses’ where it’s possible to make the difference if you find a good setup for the bike. I’ve always enjoyed racing there and we’ll push at the maximum to get the best result possible.”
Pedrosa: The track is not easy
“My main goal at the moment is to regain some confidence and feeling and then build upon that. The work we did during the Brno post-race test gave us a few ideas and we’ll see now if we’re able to start to find some more speed in the next races. Silverstone is a challenging venue with many changes of direction that require a lot of work on the bike’s settings. Another important topic is the weather, which is often quite unpredictable, and that also makes it demanding to set up the bike, to choose tyres and so on. The morning practices and the afternoon practice often give you different feelings. The track is very fast, quite winding, and it’s not easy. Once you get going though, things get better and everything gets more flowing on race day.”
Valentino Rossi arrives at the Silverstone circuit ahead of the British Grand Prix, an event in which he scored 25 points in last season.
The Doctor comes to the twelfth round feeling confident after securing second place at the last race in Brno, making it a total of five podium finishes so far this season. He looks forward to riding the fast sweeping corners of Silverstone, where he rode his YZR-M1 to his first victory at this track last year. He had been successful on British soil at Donington Park in previous years, having secured three modern era premier class wins in 2002, 2004 and 2005, and two 500cc victories in 2000 and 2001.
Silverstone made its first appearance on the MotoGP calendar in 2010 and is one of the fastest tracks on the calendar thanks to innovations to the circuit‘s lay-out, earning it high praise from the riders. The racing passion of the British fans also adds to the atmosphere of the venue, making the British Grand Prix a must-be-at event.
“I have very nice recent memories of Silvertone. Last year I won a really incredible race in very difficult conditions”, said the veteran Italian who currently sits on 114 career race wins.
“I hope that this year there will be nice weather, but from the climatic point of view the English race is very uncertain. I like Silverstone a lot, it‘s a very fun track but also very demanding” explained Valentino, who has just one other podium at the track, in 2014 when he finished third. This circuit is very long and there are many changes of direction with high speeds”, said the winner of eight previous British Grand Prix, spread across three classes.
“It is important to find a perfect set-up for the bike to be able to suit both the slow and the fast corners. We will try to work on all aspects, as we have been doing the entire season to get the best possible result”.
Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 rider Sam Lowes is ready to fight in the British Grand Prix, twelfth round of the 2016 Moto2 World Championship taking place this weekend on the fast Silverstone circuit: fresh from the third place finish in Czech Republic, the 25-year-old British rider is determined to get another good result in front of his home crowd, in an attempt to close the gap in the standings from his title rivals, Johann Zarco and Alex Rins.
Started from pole position last year and currently third in the championship with 137 points, Lowes will be back aboard his Kalex on Friday 2 September for the first free practice session, while the race will start on Sunday 4 September at 2pm local time.
Lowes: Weather doesn’t bother me
“It’s always very nice for me to get to Silverstone for the Grand Prix: there will be many fans to support me and this gives me a great charge. It’s a track where I know I can be very competitive: last year I got the pole position and this year the goal is to fight for victory. We know we have what it takes to succeed, so we will give our best, trying to have fun. We may encounter variable weather, but it’s a possibility that does not bother me: the good performance achieved in Brno in the wet was a nice confidence boost from this point of view, so we are confident whatever the circumstances”.
The British Grand Prix, scheduled for this weekend at Silverstone, will be a very touching event for all the Gresini Racing Team, which will race in memory of Enzo Donald Mularoni, president and CEO of Ceramica Del Conca, who passed away last August 26th.
A prominent figure of Italian entrepreneurship and incredibly passionate about motorcycling, Enzo Mularoni joined the team earlier this year as main sponsor, embracing a project that thrilled the President of Ceramica Del Conca, who also attended the recent Austrian Grand Prix last August 14th to closely follow the race of Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Gresini: Mularoni was thrilled about racing
“We are going through a very difficult time: I was very shocked by this sudden loss and honestly right now it’s not easy to think about competitions. The Grand Prix that will take place this weekend at Silverstone will be a very touching event for all of us; we know very well how Enzo Mularoni was thrilled about racing, therefore we will be on track giving our best, as always, in the memory of a person with great human qualities, as well as a great businessman. Mularoni will be missed a lot by his ‘team’, the Del Conca company, as well as he will be missed by all of us: Enzo was following very closely the races, a proof of his great passion for the sport. He also attended the recent Austrian Grand Prix, at the Red Bull Ring, and I was also speaking with him after the Brno race, to share our thoughts about the Grand Prix and our sixth consecutive podium finish. At Silverstone we will race to honor his memory and we will continue to carry on this project with the enthusiasm that he has taught us to put in everything we do, always”.
The Silverstone circuit in England will be the host of the next round of the MotoGP World Championship, one of the longest tracks of the season and also one of only two – together with Austin – with a lap-time of more-than two minutes.
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR will get to UK this weekend with the experience and progress made in wet conditions after the recent Austrian and Czech rounds. The experience gained by the team in those difficult conditions was valuable and the earliest results were already seen in Brno when both Aleix Espargaró’s and Maverick Viñales’ performances improved consistently and positively.
The tricky weather conditions that usually characterise the British weather are not worrying the team anymore because of the improvements made by Suzuki’s R&D department in Japan.
With more than 60 years history, Silverstone has become one of the most prestigious motorsport venues of the season. Completely revamped in recent years, a multi-million-pound investment saw the completion of a first phase of works to greatly improve the venue in 2010, making it one of the fastest tracks on the MotoGP calendar and earning high praise from the World Championship riders who enjoyed the new layout.
The track is 5.9 km (3.67 miles) in length with a good balance between left and right-hand corners: eight left and 10 right-handers and Sunday’s race will be disputed over a total of 20 laps, for a total distance of 118.0 km – 73.4 miles.
Maverick Viñales: We can have a good race in any conditions
“My expectations for Silverstone are positive, it has always been a good track for me and here I also did my first pole position. I’ve always liked it a lot and I think for the Suzuki it can be a good track also. We have to work a lot, we did important improvements in latest races increasing our knowledge of the bike and finding some solutions in the set-up and electronics that can help me in tricky weather conditions. The first and last sectors are really nice, and there are some corners that will suit our machine’s characteristics. The weather will paly a role, as always in England it is unpredictable, but the progress we’ve made makes me think that we can do a good race in any conditions.”
Aleix Espargaró: Fast corners mean our chassis has an advantage
“I’m not expecting an easy weekend as the weather conditions can vary suddenly and we’ll have to be very quick in adapting to the changes, and it will probably be cold. It will be very important to try to exploit at the best any dry session we have in order to take advantage, and also to be very quick to find a positive base set-up. I like the track, very fast where the engine will need a good performance, but also it has very fast corners where our chassis can be an advantage.”
A charming and historical track will host round 12 on the 2016 MotoGP calendar. The Silverstone circuit, a former RAF military airstrip and the first track to host a Formula 1 race, has various points of interest. Fast and flowing, it always provides spectacular races, attracting large and enthusiastic crowds. The unpredictable weather conditions also add another variable.
The Aprilia RS-GP machines ridden by Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista arrive in the United Kingdom after the Misano tests, where both riders continued the development programme. Some of the solutions used on the Italian track are ready to be implemented at Silverstone.
Both the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders like the layout of the English circuit. Last year, Alvaro Bautista took one of his best race results right here on the fast corners of Silverstone, with a tenth place finish.
Alvaro Bautista: Top 10 potential would be great
“I like Silverstone a lot. It is a fun ride. The weather is crucial here. It can change from one moment to the next between rain and sunny skies, so it is a factor that must be watched. After the Misano tests I think we will be able to implement some new ideas on the track, taking the best advantage of the tests. I hope to have a good weekend, working well in every session. Having top-10 potential on race day would be a great result for us”.
Stefan Bradl: Our bike should work well here
“We expect a demanding weekend, but one that we are tackling after the good tests conducted at Misano. We have a lot of material to confirm on a new track. I think that some of the things used in the tests will be useful for us. I would like to have stable weather conditions so we can continue this development effort. The track is fast and flowing. It should be a good fit for our settings that usually perform well on this type of layout”.
