First things first, sport is meant to be entertaining. The unpredictability, the drama, and the displays of skill and athleticism are all reasons why we watch it.
The third standing start of the day caused chaos in the first corner. Image courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
Sometimes Formula One falls short on the first two, hence the introduction of the budget cap, sprint races and many other rule changes brought in over the years in an attempt to ‘spice up the racing’. How ironic it is that on the weekend where Michael Masi returned to the F1 paddock for the first time since Abu Dhabi 2021, the talk is once again about how the rules have been applied in ways they weren’t intended – and the debate on how far Formula One should go to supply entertainment reignited once again.
It looked like the race was heading to a very predictable conclusion, with Max Verstappen cruising to victory, as Lewis Hamilton looked to be doing just enough to hold on to second from Fernando Alonso. That predictability was shattered, however, when Kevin Magnussen lost a tyre after hitting the wall. The Dane pulled off-track, but with his left rear stricken on the racing line, people’s thoughts understandably turned to a virtual, or even a full, safety car. This was initially the case before the decision was made to red flag the race, as the amount of debris on the circuit would have led to the race finishing under the safety car.
Many drivers voiced their astoundment at this decision, both during and after the race. There had already been one red flag, after Alex Albon had crashed out, in another situation where it seemed like a safety car would be sufficient. This second stoppage meant there would only be two laps of racing action left, effectively giving fans a super short sprint race. Which turned out to last less than a sector, with three accidents before turn three leading to a final stoppage, and the race finishing under the safety car – exactly the scenario that the race directors were trying to avoid.
The red flag led to what could be known as ‘Schrodinger’s lap 56’. On the one hand, the lap never happened, as the final restart was carried out using the positions from the end of lap 55. On the other hand, both Alpines, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant had been eliminated from the race in the chaos, with Carlos Sainz receiving a 5-second penalty for spinning Alonso, even though the Aston Martin had now technically lost nothing in the spin. In normal situations, a 5-second penalty is annoying, but this penalty effectively equalled a disqualification, dropping Sainz to the back of the field with no chance of recovery.
Of course, safety has to come first in Formula One, and the safest way of clearing up debris after an accident is ensuring that no cars can come near the marshals, hence the need for safety cars and red flags. But the amount of red flags and safety cars in recent seasons has led to rumblings that they are used as a tool to close up the pack and inject excitement into races which seems a foregone conclusion. This alone isn’t a bad thing, as long as it is clear when this is going to happen, so viewers, drivers and teams aren’t left guessing what decision the FIA will make today. Team bosses made comments in a similar vein, with Christian Horner and Toto Wolff being in rare disagreement that they want to see races finish under a green flag, but it should be clear what the procedure is with late-race incidents.
Fans want to be left on the edge of their seats by what they are seeing out on track. If it feels necessary to stop a race to add to that excitement, then perhaps the sport has bigger problems that no amount of flag-waving will solve.
Davey Todd, the reigning Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Champion this year steps up to the British Superbike series along with his team, Milenco by Padgettts Honda after a successful assault on the Superstock Championship in 2022.
Davey Todd – Image Courtesy of Official BSB
Clive Padgett and the whole squad have made the leap up alongside fan favorite, Davey Todd to BSB. Multiple road race winner and Isle of Man TT podium finisher, Davey is keen to set the record straight for anyone wondering, not only does he intend to take British Superbikes very seriously, it’s just as important as his beloved road racing and he plans to give both disciplines the full commitment they deserve.
I caught up with him to see what’s on his mind and where his head is at.
Racing Armchair: So let’s talk BSB…
Davey Todd: “It’s nice actually because a lot of the media attention comes at you from the Road Racing because everyone looks at me like a TT rider. You usually get everyone coming at you from that direction as opposed to anything else. When you do alright in British Superbikes, people are watching you because of the roads and then they’re usually shocked that you aren’t “just a road racer” which I’ve been trying to prove for a bit now.”
Racing Armchair: Meaning a lot of people think you only crossed over because of Covid and there being a lack of road racing?
Davey Todd: “Actually more so being that I’ve actually only done a full season in the British paddock once in my life [prior to 2022] and that was in Stock 600 in 2016. Since then I’ve done the roads, because I was given an opportunity there, but no one would even give me a chance in BSB so it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be there.”
“I love road racing but I also love short circuit racing and never wanted to come out of it. Ever since leaving in 2017 I’ve wanted to be back and worked on the opportunities to return. By that point, I had started to do well on the roads and people just treat you as a road racer and ask things like “Oh are you just coming back to do a few rounds to get yourself up to speed for the roads?” and it’s like, no! I want to be a short circuit racer but people don’t seem to believe that. The road racing alone isn’t my goal. Don’t get me wrong, I want to do the roads. I love it. I want to do the TT too but I also want to be a short circuit racer.”
Racing Armchair: So the plan then is to do both properly, rather than choosing one over the other?
Davey Todd: Exactly. “I will be working just as hard at both of them, side by side. I feel I have a good team around me to do that too. Padgetts are experienced on both sides, albeit a bit more on the roads but they know how it works in BSB paddock. The team haven’t been in the British Championship for something like 10 years, then we came back last year and won the Superstock Championship. For sure it’s a big step up to Superbikes but there’s no reason why we can’t do it. The team build superbikes for the road, while they’re a little bit more ‘stock’ than most bikes in BSB I think, but we work with what we’ve got and we’ll see how we get on.”
Davey Todd – Image Courtesy of Official BSB
Racing Armchair: Would it be fair to say, with your experience on the Superbikes from the Road Racing, you’re not as worried about the step up to Superbikes this year?
Davey Todd: In a way, but I wouldn’t say I’m worried about the step up really. It’s a new venture but mainly for people who haven’t used MoTec (electrical systems). Me and the team throughout the testing sessions we have just been learning the MoTec systems which is probably the biggest part of jumping up to BSB. The fact that everyone thinks getting used to no traction control, no anti-wheelie and no electronic aids is the thing as is the case with MoTec, but I’ve never used any of that stuff anyway. I’ve always preferred to ride with nothing. I think that step will definitely make it easier for me but then a lot of other things are different with the step up. Believe it or not the tyre size change [from Superstock to Superbike] not even the fact we change to a slick tyre, but the size itself is different size which creates a different feeling. On top of that there’s also the racing to get used to with a new schedule. 3 races per weekend etc.”
Racing Armchair: Have you changed the training routine for the Superbike v the Superstock? Do you need to be even stronger?
Davey Todd: “No not necessarily. It’s a common thought, but these days it really isn’t a thing. Yes the races are a little bit longer [than Superstock] but it’s only like 2 – 4 laps and yes there’s an extra race per weekend but people go on about the power difference but there isn’t really now. The Superstock bikes are so good these days and all over 200bhp in stock trim anyway, so any engine builder can give you like 250bhp but then you can’t ride them because we still have no traction control, no anti wheelie like they do in World Superbikes and the biggest difference in SBK is they have the electronic intervention. We don’t have that at all in BSB so that power is just not going to be useable.”
“You hear a lot of riders run the engines basically stock, or just over stock power. Not really a big difference. The bike feeling is pretty similar, it just does everything that little bit better and you can fine tune it all. You have a bit more grip. A bit more edge grip. You can stop the bike a bit faster. Your riding style has to change a tiny bit to get the most out of the tyres [on a Superbike]. The lap times we did last year in Superstock, a lot of the time were only like a second a lap off what they were doing in Superbikes. There’s really not a lot in it.”
Racing Armchair: Has there been any set expectations from the team or just suck it and see?
Davey Todd: “No. There’s never any expectations from Clive and the team. The atmosphere there is very much on the relaxed side of things. They’re so laid back and REALLY passionate about racing and wanting to do well. But Clive couldn’t be any more laid back. He’s an awesome team boss. Whether it is going out for a test session at the start of the year in Spain, or it’s sat on the start line in the Senior at the Isle of Man TT, he says the same thing to me, “Go out and enjoy yourself”. That says everything you need to know.
Davey Todd – Image Easi-Grip Racing Products
“There’s never any pressure from the team to do anything. We are all there to do as good as we can though. It’s not like if Clive says “Can you ride a bit harder” you actually do ride harder because you are already riding as fast as you can go. It’s not like you need someone telling you to speed up, certainly not me anyway. Any pressure on me comes from myself, no one else. In the same breath though, we aren’t in the championship to make up the numbers. I didn’t want the step up for the team to be going out and scoring a couple of points. I want to be competitive and the team think they can be and I agree with them. I’m really excited to find out!”
Thanks for your time Davey. Good luck with the start of the season this weekend from all the team at Pitcrew Online.
Follow me on twitter for more bikes and banter @RacingArmchair
Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki are partnering this year with Jack Scott along side the returning Liam Delves.
Jack Scott Rapid CDH Kawasaki – @jackscott555 Instagram
Jack joins the team as the reigning Quatro Group British GP2 Champion, having won the series in 2022, taking a whopping 14 victories within the GP2 Class on board the RS Racing Kalex.
After 71 podiums within the British Paddock during his tenure, Jack will debut in the Superbike class at the upcoming Silverstone round.
Team Owner Dean Hipwell recently said of Jack: “We were pleased to announce the signing of Jack for 2023. He impressed us during the 2022 season with some good rides against the main Supersport field.”
Jack Scott Rapid CDH Kawasaki – @jackscott555 Instagram
I caught up with Jack to see what his mindset is prior to the Silverstone round and he was very upbeat about the task ahead. Excited, nervous, but most of all eager to get on with the job.
Racing Armchair: Are the nerves kicking in?
Jack Scott: “Definitely. We had a good test out in Spain. I had a little bit of a crash on day two which isn’t ideal. Then we came back to the U.K and it rained throughout testing. We didn’t really get much running time in the dry at all so the nerves are definitely kicking in for this weekend. I want to get the first race under my belt, see where we stand and go from there.”
Racing Armchair: Stepping up from GP2 to British Superbikes, is it nice to be off the hook somewhat on the food intake and allowing you to engage the strength training / muscle building etc?
Jack Scott: Yes 100%. Not just in GP2 but throughout my whole career, being a tall guy I have always had to keep and eye on my weight. Moving on to a superbike, it’s not so much of a worry with 230+ brake horse power. Being 6ft2 it’s also nice to be on a bike that actually fits me rather than being too big for it. Not so much worried about weight, but I can now do a lot more strength exercises and lots of cardio. I mean it’s obvious I can’t be at McDonalds all the time, but it’s nice not to be worried about being able to treat yourself once in a while.
Racing Armchair: In terms of expectations, what conversations have you had with the Team Management?
Jack Scott: “So far the team has been really relaxed. Dean [Dean Hipwell – Team Owner] has said let’s just learn the bike and you have to also remember it’s a brand new team to me. It’s a whole new environment so I have to learn who everyone is and all the stuff that comes with that. Dean has expectations on my training, as in he expects me to train hard, as I am going from two races a weekend up to three now on the superbikes, which is obviously a big difference and the races are longer in length, more laps etc. But he hasn’t put any pressure on me yet. It is my first season in the BSB and think if you pile the pressure on early, you are going to end up really de-motivated. Every racer is here to win but that’s the highest of expectations. Obviously once we get the first few races under our belt, we will have more of an idea of where things stand.”
Racing Armchair: On the amount of rookies stepping up to BSB this year, do you think that will add to the pressure?
Jack Scott: “Me and Dean had the conversation about the rookie element and I know the media have picked up on it too. The Rapid CDH Team’s stance on that is you can’t put yourself under the pressure of trying to be “Top Rookie” because you aren’t going to perform as well overall. You have to take it race by race and not worry about what other people are doing. As I said, let’s get the first race underway and see what’s what.”
Jack Scott Rapid CDH Kawasaki – @jackscott555 Instagram
——————————————
Lining up along side Liam Delves, Jack is in a good position to benefit from the team’s experience and data collected over the last few seasons, especially from it’s owner Dean Hipwell who has spent years inside the paddock running his own team and racing under the same banner. Good luck to Jack being one of the new faces on the grid and we at the Pitcrew Online hope for a successful, safe season for him. Good luck Jack!
Follow me on twitter for more bikes and banter @RacingArmchair
The first trip for Formula 2 in Australia saw Red Bull Juniors take home the trophies, but it was not without a hard weekend of work.
Sprint Race:
The F2 Sprint saw a very clean start from everyone Hauger lead from Crawford and Maini by the end of lap 1. Leclerc tried to make a pass going towards sector 3 which saw 4 wide at one point. Iwasa had a huge lock up on lap 2 which ruined his tyres and had to pit to change his tyres. Leclerc made a move on Maini going into the chicane but Maini fought back later on in the lap. Monleoney, Martins and Bearman were all fighting with Hadjar and Vesti with all of them switching positions but Maloney just managed to get the lead of the bunch.
Dennis Hauger #1 MP Motorsport, during Round three of the FIA Formula 2 Championship at Albert Park Street Circuit, on March 30 – April 2, 2023. // Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202304010312
Doohan made contact with Juan Manual Correa after which he spun onthe kerb and his race was over. It started to rain from this point so some people gambled on wet tyres. However, the rain did not come so the gamble did not pay off. The safety car was meant to come in on lap 18 but Benevides crashed at the final corner so we had 2 laps of the race left when the safety car went back. Pourchaire had a visit to the gravel trap due to his wet tyres and track not being wet. Hauger managed to hold everyone off to take the victory over Crawford and Maini which round off the podium.
Feature Race:
The F2 Feature Race saw Iwasa hold the lead inro turn 1 and Verchoor struggled at the back of the back by going off. Crawford and Maini went side by side as they battled through the opening lap. On lap 7, Doohan tried to get past Crawford but Crawford ended up coming off worse and into the barrier which brought out the safety car. Hadjar and Bearman ended up colliding in the pitlane and they both had to pit again.
Nissany and Fittipaldi battled on lap 14 and Nissany managed to hold onto the position. Hadjar was pushed off at the penultimate corner and dropped down many places. Iwasa then managed to get through to 2nd position on lap 20. Nissany collided with the wall on lap 26 which saw the race leader Vesti going into the pits and going down to P7. Just before the restart on lap 30, however, Martins went into the back of Hauger and both of them went off and ended up dropping down to the back of the grid. This brought Arther Leclerc into the podium positions and Vesti trying to hunt Leclerc down for a podium but the Monegasque managed to hold him off and get his first podium. Iwasa won the race with Pourchaire in P2.
Featured image courtesy of Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
Verstappen wins a chaotic Australian Grand Prix under very confusing circumstances. Hamilton finished P2 in a mixed day for the team while Alonso finished in P3 for the third time this season despite nearly being taken out of the race by Sainz in a dramatic restart towards the end of the race.
The race start. Image courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
Lights out and Verstappen came straight across to cover off the advances of Russell, but his attempt was not successful. The reigning world champion did appear to exercise some caution with a slower exit from turn two. He seemed to be struggling.
Behind them, Leclerc had made a good start but Stroll was coming up close behind him. Leclerc turned into turn three but Stroll had taken the apex of the corner and tapped his rear right-hand side. Leclerc went for a spin and ended up in the gravel, ending his race prematurely.
At the same time, Verstappen leaves enough gap for Hamilton to be alongside him into turn three. It was a brave move from the seven-time world champion but he makes it through the inside of Verstappen. There were a few complaints on the radio but everything was deemed a lap one racing incident.
The safety car was deployed with a Mercedes one-two. On the restart, Russell made sure he pulled a gap to his teammate and the now-frustrated Verstappen. Everyone got a clean lap with Hamilton and Verstappen closing gradually on Russell. The driver from Kingslynn was on the radio asking if he is to defend against his teammate or preserve his tyres but he was answered when they called him into the pits for a new set of hard tyres. Russell came out in P7 on lap 6, but just one lap later it would prove to be the wrong decision.
Albon lit up the rear tyres into turns six and seven and spun straight into the barrier, projecting gravel all over the track. Albon was out and initially, the safety car was deployed. But the FIA needed time to get rid of the gravel on the track and brought out the red flag.
This gave everyone a free choice of tyres before the restart but was unfortunate timing for Russell. They rolled out on the formation lap before lining up on the grid for the restart. Russell was down in P7 with work to do while Hamilton was in P1 with Verstappen alongside.
Most drivers were on hard tyres so at the restart it was obvious they couldn’t get the immediate grip they wanted. Verstappen struggled again with the standing start but Alonso backed out of a move on the outside of turn one due to the lack of temperature in his tyres.
Hamilton in front before Verstappen powered through. Image courtesy of Mercedes F1 Media
The lead for Hamilton wouldn’t last long though. On lap 12 Verstappen had DRS and a superior pace around the outside of Hamilton to take the lead of the race. Meanwhile, behind them, the other Mercedes made his way up into P4, past Gasly.
Sainz and Perez were also making their way through the pack. Sainz made turn three his new favourite overtaking spot but getting past Norris and then Tsunoda in consecutive laps. Perez used his extra pace to make it up to P13 before the next major incident.
Without warning, on lap 19, flames began to spit out the back of Russell’s car. Mercedes later suggested it was a power unit failure. However, Russell was able to safely stop at the end of the pitlane and get out of the car. This brought out a Virtual Safety Car and closed the pitlane. Therefore there were no changes of tyres for anyone and the race got back underway once the flames had been put out.
Perez continued his good form by making it into the points with a fantastic double move on Piastri and Tsunoda on lap 23. Piastri and Tsunoda had been battling for the majority of the race at this point, so when Piastri finally made the move on the Alpha Tauri on lap 29, the home crowd roared.
By lap 32 the race had settled into business as usual. Verstappen was setting consistent fastest laps, but Perez was able to make the most of DRS zones and get his name on the fastest lap board. Hamilton and Alonso then entered the fastest lap chat as they closed the gap to Verstappen.
At this point, the teams were considering a second stop due to potentially being on the hard tyres for 49 laps by the end of the race. The battle was mostly between Aston Martin and Mercedes trying to work out who would jump first.
However, their questions were answered when, in a strange incident, Magnussen lost his rear right tyre. It appeared that on the exit of turn two, he just went too wide and hit the wall, losing his tyre and bringing out another safety car, and eventually the red flag two laps later.
The third standing start of the day. Image courtesy of Red Bull content pool
It was all set up then for a two-lap sprint to the finish with everyone changing to soft tyres. It would be another standing start as stipulated in the rules. As the cars lined up on the grid it looked as though Verstappen was very far forward in his box. He was however his wheels were still on the line and therefore in the box.
Absolute chaos ensued at the restart. Verstappen got away well with Hamilton hanging on the P2. Behind the Sainz had made a good start but he hit the rear of Alonso in front causing the Aston to spin on the exit of turn two.
Behind them, Gasly locked up into turn one and ended up across the grass before getting back on the track. As he arrived on the track he didn’t see the car of his teammate on the outside of turn two. Gasly veered back to the racing line but collided with Ocon pushing both into the wall and out of the race.
Perez also took a trip across the gravel but made it out safely, while at the back Sargent locked up into the back of De Vries. Both got stuck in the gravel and were out of the race. Unsurprisingly the red flag was deployed again but this led to some confusion about restarting for a fourth time.
With everyone back in the pitlane the clock was on lap 58 of 58, meaning only one racing lap left. Any laps behind the safety car count as racing laps so it appeared the race would finish behind the safety car, but the question was what order would the cars be in.
At the British Grand Prix in 2022, the red flag came out before the cars had made it through sector one so they went back to the last known order of the cars, the grid. This was a similar situation. The red flag came out before Verstappen made it to turn five, meaning they didn’t have any timings for drivers after the restart and would have to go back to the order from the grid on lap 57.
Once the crashed cars had been taken out of this grid order, it meant that Alonso was back up in P3 with Sainz in P4, Piastri in the points and Hulkenberg down in P8. This frustrated Haas as Hulkenberg was up in P4 after the carnage at the start. To rub salt in the wound for them, Sainz was given a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Alonso.
After a re-shuffle of the cars in the pitlane, they headed out on the final lap. At the end, the safety car peeled off and Verstappen took the chequered flag with Hamilton in P2 and Alonso in P3. Sainz attempted to create a small gap but with the cars bunched up he dropped to the back of the pack and out of the points.
Only 12 cars finished the race and McLaren managed to capitalise on this with both cars getting points. Piastri was extremely happy to get his first points in F1 in his first home race and he gave plenty for the home fans to cheer about after a long race day.
We now wait until the end of April for the next race, but I imagine this won’t be the last we hear of the restart procedure for that time.
Following Daniel Holgado’s win at the last round in Portimao, all eyes were on the Tech3 rider coming into this qualifying round, but it was not to be for the first race winner of the season.
A damp third practice, meant the riders who were in the top 14 combined times from Friday, went through to qualifying 2 directly. So although Romano Fenati was the fastest on Saturday, Ayumu Sasaki topped the combined times before qualifying began.
When the track was dry, there was no other rider who came close to Sasaki and this was proven in the final moments of qualifying 2. He sat fifteenth on the timing board and following Jose Antonio Rudea’s fall, Sasaki knew that he needed to show his speed sooner rather than later.
Going out alone, Sasaki put together an almost perfect lap when considering the drying track and popped a 1:48.539 onto the time sheets giving him a second pole of the season. Sasaki was the only rider who made it into the 1:48’s.
Ayumu Sasaki pole setter for Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo 2023 Moto3 Race. Image courtesy of IntactGP/R. Lekl & S. Wobser
Coming through from qualifying 1 was beneficial to Deniz Oncu as it gave him knowledge of the drying track, and this allowed him to slot himself into the middle of the front row. He did have to contend with some traffic on his fastest lap which meant that he finished 0.603’s slower than Sasaki.
Finishing off the front row was Diogo Moreira who used his track position to finish the session with a 1:49.214.
Ivan Ortola, who has the fastest time early on in the session, heads out the second row along with Jaume Masia and Tatsuki Suzuki.
The best rookie of the session was David Alonso in seventh after he was able to gain some time on the final lap he produced.
Scott Ogden produced a lap that slotted him into eighth on the grid and he will be using the confidence gained from his fast times in practice to help propel him up the field during the race. His teammate in the VisionTrack Team, Joshua Whatley starts 28th.
Andrea Migno is replacing Lorenzo Fellon who dislocated his shoulder in Portimao and Migno’s experience served him well allowing him to place his bike in ninth place.
Daniel Holgado was able to close out the session with a tenth-place finish in qualifying.
Kaito Toba was at the front of the pack, proving the tow for Oncu, and was often in some of the fastest groups during the session but could only finish the session in eleventh.
After coming through qualifying 1, Rueda was able to cross the line with only a few seconds left on the clock and pulled himself up the grid to thirteenth place.
After missing the start of the session, Collin Viejer was unable to progress any higher up the grid than 17th.
After topping the third practice session, Romano Fenati was only able to place his bike in 18th place.
2023 ARGENTINA MOTO3 GRAND PRIX – QUALIFYING RESULTS
POS
RIDER
NAT
TEAM
BIKE
TIME
1
Ayumu Sasaki
JPN
Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP
(Husqvarna)
1m 48.539s
2
Deniz Öncü
TUR
Red Bull KTM Ajo
(KTM)
1m 49.142s
3
Diogo Moreira
BRA
MT Helmets – MSI
(KTM)
1m 49.214s
4
Ivan Ortolá
SPA
Angeluss MTA Team
(KTM)
1m 49.314s
5
Jaume Masia
SPA
Leopard Racing
(Honda)
1m 49.344s
6
Tatsuki Suzuki
JPN
Leopard Racing
(Honda)
1m 49.417s
7
David Alonso
COL
Autosolar GASGAS Aspar M3
(GASGAS)
1m 49.454s
8
Scott Ogden
GBR
VisionTrack Racing Team
(Honda)
1m 49.545s
9
Andrea Migno
ITA
CIP Green Power
(KTM)
1m 49.642s
10
Daniel Holgado
SPA
Red Bull KTM Tech3
(KTM)
1m 49.665s
11
Kaito Toba
JPN
SIC58 Squadra Corse
(Honda)
1m 49.673s
12
Matteo Bertelle
ITA
Rivacold Snipers Team
(Honda)
1m 49.678s
13
José Antonio Rueda
SPA
Red Bull KTM Ajo
(KTM)
1m 49.766s
14
Stefano Nepa
ITA
Angeluss MTA Team
(KTM)
1m 49.778s
15
Xavier Artigas
SPA
CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP
(CFMOTO)
1m 49.904s
16
David Muñoz
SPA
BOE Motorsports
(KTM)
1m 50.025s
17
Collin Veijer
NED
Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP
(Husqvarna)
1m 50.028s
18
Ryusei Yamanaka
JPN
Autosolar GASGAS Aspar M3
(GASGAS)
1m 50.342s
19
Riccardo Rossi
ITA
SIC58 Squadra Corse
(Honda)
1m 50.659s
20
Syarifuddin Azman
MAL
MT Helmets – MSI
(KTM)
1m 50.784s
21
Filippo Farioli
ITA
Red Bull KTM Tech3
(KTM)
1m 50.838s
22
David Salvador
SPA
CIP Green Power
(KTM)
1m 50.953s
23
Mario Aji
INA
Honda Team Asia
(Honda)
1m 51.011s
24
Romano Fenati
ITA
Rivacold Snipers Team
(Honda)
1m 51.358s
25
David Almansa
SPA
CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP
(CFMOTO)
1m 51.697s
26
Taiyo Furusato
JPN
Honda Team Asia
(Honda)
1m 51.729s
27
Ana Carrasco
SPA
BOE Motorsports
(KTM)
1m 52.114s
28
Joshua Whatley
GBR
VisionTrack Racing Team
(Honda)
1m 52.142s
Featured Image courtesy of IntactGP/R. Lekl & S. Wobser
Alex Marquez battled his way through a rainy Q1 session, a crash and a burning bike to claim his maiden MotoGP pole at the Argentinian GP. He will be joined on the front row by Marco Bezzecchi and Pecco Bagnaia – it was the riders who made the brave move to use slicks tires on a drying track that came out on top.
Alex Marquez has made his way through all the barriers that Saturday could throw at him to secure himself pole position for the Sprint and Feature race at this weekend’s Argentinian GP. He came through a wet qualifying session, in which he crashed in the final minutes and then pulled off the track with a bike in flames, to lay down a stunning time of 1:43.881.
Just 0.172s behind him was last weekend’s podium sitter, Marco Bezzecchi on the Mooney VR46 machine. He has clearly capitalised on the momentum he found in the first race of the season.
Just behind them was reigning champion and championship leader, Pecco Bagnaia. He took his time warming up in the session but seemed to come alive during his final flying lap. He was also the first of a series of brave riders to try slick tires on the drying track.
It was a good day for Franco Morbidelli and Maverick Vinales who will line up on the grid in 4th and 5th respectively. Just behind them with be Johann Zarco in 6th, who many tipped for a pole position today, and Luca Marini in 7th. Rounding out the top 10 are Jorge Martin, Aleix Espargaro and Fabio Quartararo.
Image Credit: MotoGP
QUALIFYING 1
There were some big names in Qualifying 1 today – a session that saw rain falling for most of the 15 minutes. Those names included Fabio Quatararo, Jack Miller, Brad Binder and Alex Marquez. The first sessions started with a mistake from Quartararo as he went too deep in to turn 5 and ploughed into the kitty litter at quite some speed. Despite the mistake, Quartararo spent most of the session at the top of the timing sheets, having laid down a time of 1:47.397 with 9 minutes remaining on the clock.
Marquez then took over at the top with 3 and a half minutes remaining. With lots of other riders improving in the dying minutes of the session, including Fabio Di Giannantonio and Joan Mir, Quartararo’s progression to Q2 was looking uncertain. Miller took a riskier approach, only giving him one opportunity for a flying lap. That approach didn’t seem to work for the Aussie who was stuck in 5th, only to be demoted to 6th after Binder took 5th from him.
As the session ended, it was Alex Marquez and Quartararo in 1st and 2nd respectively and both were promoted to the Q2 session.
QUALIFYING 2
As Q2 started, the conditions were improving and the track was drying quickly. Despite that, the pack started on wet tires and all were quickly on the track to try and test out the conditions. As everyone completed their first flying laps, Johann Zarco was the first to take provisional pole, just ahead of the two Yamaha riders with Franco Morbidelli in 2nd and Quartararo in 3rd. Championship leader, Bagnaia, had a slow start to the session with his first flying lap leaving him in 8th.
With 6 minutes left on the clock, all the riders headed back to the pits with a few brave riders then opting that the track was ready slick tires. Of these riders was Bagnaia who was the first to explore the track conditions on slick tires – the bike kept twitching and wobbling underneath him and it looked like he had made the leap just a little too soon.
But the lap times started to tumble as the conditions improved and, as the chequered flag fell, it was those on slick tires who topped the timing sheets. Bravery paid off!
Max Verstappen will once again start from pole position in tomorrow’s Grand Prix but, for the first time in his career, he was the fastest in qualifying in Australia. He will be joined on the front row by Mercedes’ George Russell with World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso on the second row. Once again, the reigning World Champion came out on top after an exciting session. Thanks to cooler temps and weather, every driver stayed out for the full session setting times throughout the session to maintain tyre temperatures.
Q1 began with rain in the air so most drivers opted to go out onto the track straight away. Alex Albon briefly led the time charts but, when on an even quicker lap he put a wheel onto the grass at the second to last corner and lost the red end of his Williams, he managed to recover to the pitlane.
Just after that Sergio Perez locked up and beached his Red Bull in the gravel and mud turn 4. The Mexican was the first driver out of qualifying. The session restarted with 12 minutes remaining.
The session ended with Max Verstappen once again quickest, The five drivers who didn’t make it through to Q2 were Perez in his stranded RedBull, Bottas in the Alfa Romeo, Sergeant in the Williams, the second Alfa of Zhou and then home favourite Oscar Piastri in the McLaren.
Piastri was not able to push his car out of Q1 at home. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Press Area
Q2 again started with the whole field trying to get some laps in, the tyres were taking longer to warm up here so each driver was choosing to do longer runs and get some temp into the tyres.
Lando Norris took a quick trip through the gravel trap that Perez succumbed to, but the Brit managed to drive through the gravel and back to the pits for some new rubber.
It was another session where everyone seemed to fuel up for the whole session and keep doing laps to keep the tyre temps up and get some consistently quick lap times in. Once again Verstappen led the field by just 0.227 from Alonso in the Aston Martin. Out of Q2 were De Vries, Magnussen, Norris, Tsunoda and Ocon.
De Vries is down in P15 for tomorrow’s GP. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Press Area
The threat of rain was still in the air so everyone came out early for Q3. Verstappen was first across the line setting a time of 1.17.578 but was unusually scruffy from the 2-time World Champion. He was beaten by Hamilton, Alonso, Russell, Sainz and Leclerc but went on a second run and moved ahead of the field again. He then went quicker again on his final run with a time 0.236 quicker than second-placed George Russell.
Third was Lewis Hamilton, alongside him was Alonso in the Aston Martin, then Sainz, Stroll, Leclerc, and Albon with Gasly and Hulkenberg rounding out the top ten.
A grid is set up nicely for the race on Sunday, with the same conditions forecast the first few laps will be very interesting as people struggle to generate heat on the tyres and get a grip. Will Verstappen again pull away in the Red Bull or can Mercedes fight against them with Fernando Alonso in the mix as well?
Hamilton is happy with qualifying. Image courtesy of Pirelli Press Area
After last weekend’s curtain raiser in Portugal, the MotoGP circus heads to the Americas for the second round of the 2023 season.
The Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo, located in northern Argentina, will host what promises to be an exciting weekend of two-wheeled action. The 4.8km circuit will demand nothing but the the best from the riders. The circuit is seldom used outside of MotoGP and is expected to be extremely dirty. With teams still adapting to the new weekend schedule, the tricky conditions will only add to the unpredictability.
After cruising to victory in the first round, Pedro Acosta is being tipped by almost everyone to top the podium again. The former Moto3 champion has hit the ground running and will be looking to make amends after missing multiple races last season through injury. The 18-year-old threw down the gauntlet with a dominating ride in Portugal, he will be the man to beat this weekend.
Aron Canet was the only rider capable of matching Acosta’s pace in Portimão. The Spaniard finished 2nd for the 10th time in Moto2 and remains in search of his first win in the intermediate class. After finishing 4th in Argentina last season, it is certainly worth keeping an eye on him this weekend.
Last year’s winner, Celestino Vietti, will be hoping to replicate his success on Sunday. After a promising start to his 2022 campaign, the Italian rider had a tough time keeping his VR46 machinery upright. He crashed out of a number of races and his hopes of winning the Moto2 Championship faded quickly. After joining the newly formed Fantic Racing during the offseason, the 21-year-old will be hoping to build on his solid points finish last weekend in Portimão.
Vietti was joined on the podium last season by the Honda Team Asia duo of Somkiat Chantra and Ai Ogura. The latter missed the opening round in Portugal after injuring his wrist during the winter. The Japanese rider has been declared fit and will kickstart his campaign this weekend.
Another rider who impressed last time out in Argentina is 17-year-old Fermin Aldeguer. He stunned the field in qualifying, taking his maiden pole position at just 16 years of age. Unfortunately, the Spaniard crashed out whilst challenging Vietti for the lead, so there’s no doubt he’ll be chomping at the bit to get out on track.
The hopes of British fans will once again rest on the shoulders of Jake Dixon and Sam Lowes. The pair finished 6th and 7th respectively last weekend and both finished inside the top 10 on their last visit to Argentina.
According to the forecast, weather could play a key role throughout the weekend. Rain is likely to be a factor on Friday which will keep teams on their toes with showers a possibility on Sunday. Temperature’s are expected to be in the low-to-mid-20s. The race is scheduled to start at 12:15pm local time (4:15pm GMT).
We are back down under for round three of the Formula 1 World Championship. This time the story seems slightly more predictable with the Red Bulls dominating the first two races. Australia has a new home driver to follow but his team has been all change in the last few weeks.
A Team Battle at the Front
Red Bull celebrating another good weekend. Image courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool
It seems that Red Bull are in a league of their own when it comes to winning races. They dominated the first two rounds, and if it wasn’t for a driveshaft failure in qualifying in Jeddah, both could have been Verstappen wins.
However, starting from P15 most fans thought he was still on for the win. Perez had an answer for everything the double world champion had to throw at him. It is looking like this championship battle may come down to these teammates.
The question now is if Perez has what it takes to beat Verstappen or will Red Bull continue their form of having an obvious number-one driver. Alternatively, will they get in each other’s way and leave a gap for an on-form Alonso to claim his third title?
McLaren Changes Things Up
Oscar Piastri pushing the limit in Jeddah. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Press Area
Unfortunately, the season has started the way that McLaren would have liked. As a result, the team have decided to make a few infrastructure changes internally. James Key, their executive technical director, exits and in his place will be three new technical heads.
Peter Prodromou, Neil Houldey, and significantly David Sanchez, who has come from Ferrari, will be taking their positions under the team principal Andrea Stella. They will be hoping they can turn the fortunes of the woking-based team around.
For McLaren fans from Australia, they will want their new home favourite to have a strong performance, similar to his qualifying pace in Jeddah. Pisatri replaces Ricciardo as their driver for his first home race in Formula 1, so he wants to put on a good show for the crowd.
Qualifying starts at 6am BST on Saturday and the Race is at 6am on Sunday.
