Al Attiyah and Sanders top 2022 Dakar Rally Prologue – Results

Kevin Peterson06 mins

Nasser Al-Attiyah of Toyota won Saturday’s Prologue for the 2022 Dakar Rally in the cars category, while GasGas rider Daniel Sanders set the pace in the bikes class in only his second outing. Al-Attiyah completed the 19km Prologue segment between Jeddah and Ha’il in 10m56s, kicking off his campaign to win the Dakar for a fourth time on terrain identical to that which the participants will face in the first week of the rally-raid. Three-time Dakar champion Carlos Sainz finished second, just 12 seconds behind the Qatari driver, in a promising start for Audi’s electric RS Q e-tron competitor. While Sainz was able to demonstrate the new Audi’s raw speed on the first day of the rally, his colleagues fared less well, with 14-time winner Stephane Peterhansel finishing 14th and Mattias Ekstrom finishing 15th. Century Racing’s Brian Baragwanath finished third, ahead of Toyota’s Henk Lategan and WRC icon Sebastien Loeb. Following his separation with long-time navigator Daniel Elena, new co-driver Fabian Lurquin set a time of 11m33s in the heavily-revised Bahrain Raid Xtreme BRX Hunter T1+ developed by Prodrive. Yazeed Al-Rajhi, a local driver, finished sixth in an Overdrive Toyota, almost two seconds ahead of 2014 winner Nani Roma’s second BRX vehicle. Giniel de Villiers, a factory Toyota driver who was on the verge of missing the rally due to a positive COVID-19 test earlier in the year, came in ninth, ahead of Jakub Przygonski and his Orlen-sponsored Mini buggy. With a time of 11m57s, Orlando Terranova ensured that all three Prodrive cars finished in the top ten.The X-raid Mini squad did not have a single finisher inside the top 15, with Yasir Seaidan finishing 17th. Both of its previous star drivers had left for Audi. Laia Sanz, an ex-KTM rider who inked a deal with X-raid to drive a Mini All4 Racing, was tentatively rated 43rd in her debut Dakar appearance in the vehicles category. The top 10 finishers will get to choose their starting position for the 334km special stage on Sunday after the 595km liaison to Ha’il, with Al-Attiyah having the last say on his starting place. In the motorcycles category, last year’s top rookie Sanders led new Honda recruit Pablo Quintanilla for the KTM-owned GasGas label. Sanders officially finished the Prologue in 55m30s, nearly a minute ahead of his nearest challenger Quintanilla, with the finishing times multiplied by a factor of five to avoid dangerous strategies. Ross Branch placed Yamaha third at the end of stage 1A, five seconds ahead of the top KTM of reigning champion Kevin Benavides, a year after the Japanese manufacturer’s catastrophic 2021 campaign. Benavides was fourth, ahead his teammate Matthias Walkner and Adrien van Beveren’s second Yamaha. On the second GasGas, 2017 winner Sam Sunderland finished seventh, 15 seconds behind KTM’s star rider Toby Price, who is returning to the Dakar after missing last year’s event due to a fractured collarbone. Honda’s Joan Barreda and Yamaha’s Andrew Short finished ninth and tenth, just ahead of leading Hero rider Joaquim Rodrigues and 2020 Dakar winner Ricky Brabec (Honda). Former MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci, making his Dakar debut in the colors of Tech 3 KTM, finished the day 23rd fastest with a timing of 1hr03m00s, little over eight minutes behind leader Sanders. The top 15 riders from the Prologue will convene at 19:00 local time in Hai’il to determine their starting positions for the first full stage. The winner will have the last say in which place he will begin. DAKAR Rally Prologue Cars classification – Top 10 Pos. #. Name Marque Time Gap Penalty 1 201 AL-ATTIYAH NASSERBAUMEL MATTHIEU TOYOTA 00:10:56   00:00:00 2 202 SAINZ CARLOSCRUZ LUCAS AUDI 00:11:08 +00:00:12 00:00:00 3 230 BARAGWANATH BRIANCREMER LEONARD CENTURY 00:11:32 +00:00:36 00:00:00 4 225 LATEGAN HENKCUMMINGS BRETT TOYOTA 00:11:32 +00:00:36 00:00:00 5 211 LOEB SEBASTIENLURQUIN FABIAN PRODRIVE 00:11:33 +00:00:37 00:00:00 6 205 AL RAJHI YAZEEDORR MICHAEL TOYOTA 00:11:43 +00:00:47 00:00:00 7 204 ROMA NANIHARO BRAVO ALEX PRODRIVE 00:11:45 +00:00:49 00:00:00 8 207 DE VILLIERS GINIELMURPHY DENNIS TOYOTA 00:11:46 +00:00:50 00:00:00 9 203 PRZYGONSKI JAKUBGOTTSCHALK TIMO MINI 00:11:57 +00:01:01 00:00:00 10 221 TERRANOVA ORLANDOOLIVERAS CARRERAS DANIEL PRODRIVE 00:12:02 +00:01:06 00:00:00 DAKAR Rally Prologue Bikes classification – top 10 Pos. #. Name Bike Time Gap Penalty 1 4 SANDERS DANIEL GASGAS 00:55:30   00:00:00 2 7 QUINTANILLA PABLO HONDA 00:56:30 +00:01:00 00:00:00 3 16 BRANCH ROSS YAMAHA 00:57:25 +00:01:55 00:00:00 4 1 BENAVIDES KEVIN KTM 00:57:30 +00:02:00 00:00:00 5 52 WALKNER MATTHIAS KTM 00:58:05 +00:02:35 00:00:00 6 42 VAN BEVEREN ADRIEN YAMAHA 00:58:10 +00:02:40 00:00:00 7 3 SUNDERLAND SAM GASGAS 00:58:25 +00:02:55 00:00:00 8 18 PRICE TOBY KTM 00:58:25 +00:02:55 00:00:00 9 88 BARREDA BORT JOAN HONDA 00:58:30 +00:03:00 00:00:00 10 29 SHORT ANDREW YAMAHA 00:58:30 +00:03:00 00:00:00

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Mooney has taken over as the VR46 MotoGP title sponsor from Aramco

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Mooney, an Italian banking and payments company, will be the new MotoGP and Moto2 title sponsor. VR46 has announced that Italian ‘Proximity Banking & Payments business’ Mooney will be its new headline sponsor, seemingly abandoning the long-delayed Aramco deal. Mooney will support both Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi’s new MotoGP project as well as Celestino Vietti and Niccolo Antonelli’s existing Moto2 outfit. A statement from VR46 read, “Following the agreement, the new team naming will be Mooney VR46 Racing Team and will be used in all images of the Team (including bikes and rider suits) and in all official communications. Further information will be revealed on January 3rd.” The agreement appears to put an end to a long-running issue with Aramco, which began with a news release in April announcing the company’s intentions. “In 2022 the VR46 Team will debut in the MotoGP class together with Tanal Entertainment Sport & Media with Saudi Aramco, as the new Main Sponsor for the period 2022-2026.” HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced in June when VR46 sealed a deal for Ducati motorcycles. “It would be fantastic for me if Valentino Rossi could compete in the next few years as a rider in our Aramco Racing Team VR46 together with his brother Luca Marini.” Rossi, on the other hand, chose to retire, and questions about the transaction persisted, with team manager Pablo Nieto subsequently admitting “Things are moving at a snail’s pace… [With the Aramco agreement], there are certain delays, but we are on our way and must keep working.” The Aramco name was then missing from the provisional 2022 entry lists, which were released in mid-November. Marini will race 2022-spec Ducatis, while Bezzecchi will race 2021-spec Ducatis.

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Rosberg left in ‘pain’ after Hamilton defeat

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was devastated to miss the championship title in 2021 after his old teammate missed out. Despite Lewis Hamilton missing out on the Formula One world title in Abu Dhabi last month, Nico Rosberg said he suffered ‘incredible pain’ after his former teammate was unable to take the crown. In December, Hamilton was left heartbroken when he lost out on a record eighth world title to eventual winner Max Verstappen on the final lap of the season. Apparently, the English driver wasn’t the only one to feel despair after the dramatic finish, as his former teammate Rosberg expressed the same sentiment. “I felt pain, incredible pain. I don’t have anything to do with Mercedes now, but of course it’s my family from before, and an incredible pain,” Nico Rosberg said. “They were 99 percent sure they were going to win the World Championship until there were three laps to go.” “After losing it, and losing it in a fight like that, where they couldn’t do anything because the tyres had 50 laps on them, unbelievable pain.” After Verstappen took advantage of a contentious call by FIA director Michael Masi, the Abu Dhabi race was a dramatic one, but no doubt tainted with controversy too. With just a handful of laps to go, Masi controversially allowed only five lapped drivers to pass the safety car, eliminating the comfortable lead Hamilton had over Verstappen. A one-lap shootout was the only option open to the title rivals after the safety car and lapped racers cleared the track, and it was the fresh tyres of the Dutchman that gave him the edge late on. Rosberg regrets that the FIA made such a strange decision, which left many in the racing world bewildered. Mercedes manager Toto Wolff admitted that Hamilton ‘lost faith’ after how things played out, much like his old teammate. “He won the World Championship until the last lap, and then everything is taken away from you from one second,” the Mercedes boss said. ‘Of course you lose faith because you can’t understand what has just happened.” “’I just need to do the utmost I can to help him to overcome the feelings that he has in order for him to return strong with a love of the sport and trust in the decision-making of the sport next year.”

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Mercedes tease their 2022 Formula 1 car

Kevin Peterson02 mins

Mercedes has revealed their new car design for the 2022 Formula 1 season. In a social media post, the team used the slogan “new year, new Mercedes”, showing what appears to be an early prototype of the W13 – the car the team will enter for this year’s championship. Various new technical regulations have been introduced to F1 this year, which will drastically change the look of the cars. In the past season, it displayed a show car that offered an interpretation of the rules. There are several obvious differences between the Mercedes image and the show car. In the Mercedes, the front wing has three instead of four elements, the sidepods are considerably larger, and the rear wing is shaped differently. Last week, Mercedes shared video of the W13’s new 2022 power unit being fired up for the first time. There has been no other team that has revealed as much about their 2022 plans, and preseason testing has yet to begin. Mercedes has won the constructors’ championship eight times in a row, and led in the drivers’ championship seven times in a row until Lewis Hamilton lost to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen last year.

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Alpine will also compromise 2022 WEC season

Kevin Peterson06 mins

Alpine moved up to the Le Mans Hypercar class this year with its LMP2 partner Signatech, running the Oreca-designed A480 that previously raced in the WEC as the Rebellion R-13. However, it was forced to play second fiddle to its only full-season rival Toyota, primarily due to a smaller fuel tank, with the Japanese manufacturer securing a clean sweep of victories with its pair of GR010 Hybrids built to new LMH rules. With Peugeot returning to endurance racing next year, and full season entries from Glickenhaus and ByKolles on the cards, Alpine could even struggle to finish on the podium next year unless it is offered a major Balance of Performance boost by series organisers ACO. However, Signatech boss Philippe Sinault says Alpine was aware that it would be on the back foot when it agreed to race a previous generation LMP1 car in WEC, and its main focus remains on building a LMDh contender for 2024 with the goal of winning Le Mans 24 Hours. “We knew [the situation] since the start of the project,” Sinault told Motorsport.com prior to the Bahrain 8 Hours finale. “For sure this year and next year will be a compromise year and we have to accept that, it’s the game, to prepare for 2024 and the future. “So we are not upset with that. We have to play with the tools that we have this year and next year.” As the Alpine A480 is based on an Oreca LMP2 chassis, it cannot house a fuel tank large enough to match the stint lengths of Toyota’s hypercars. This has left Alpine with an inherent disadvantage to its rival, with the French manufacturer often having to make at least one more pitstop over the course of six and eight hour races than Toyota to complete the same distance. A larger capacity fuel tank arrived before the Le Mans 24 Hours and the outfit managed to deliver more tangible gains by fixing its fuel consumption issues before the Bahrain finale. However, it was still left with a two-lap deficit to the Toyotas when it came to stint lengths, meaning it wouldn’t have realistically been able to put up a fight for victory even without the gearbox issues that left it five laps down from the leaders. Sinault says Alpine has maximised the size of the fuel tank under the A480’s current homologation and doesn’t want the organisers to artificially slow down Toyota just to make his outfit more competitive next year. “I think in terms of fuel capacity we’ve made the maximum before Le Mans, after that we must get something [from the ACO/FIA],” he said. “We shall see, it will not be homologated anymore [if we can change the fuel tank]. “We did a good job and we can do a stronger job with [engine supplier] Gibson, they are really, really good partner and we pushed a lot for [fuel] consumption with them. “Today the thing is to ask Toyota to be slower but it’s not fair. The BoP is not my favourite spirit of sport. It’s not fair to say, ‘Toyota please slow down’. “We have to improve by ourselves in every area and FIA and ACO are always open, if we find something we can ask them if we can do this. So it’s quite clear. “At the moment we are still at the maximum of the potential of the car as you can imagine, with tyres, with consumption, and we’ve improved our engine management.”

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#KeepFightingMichael – Fans commemorate 8th anniversary since Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Formula 1 fans allover the world have united in wishing seven-time champion and Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher well on the eighth anniversary since his horror ski crash in the French Alps. Formula One fans have urged Michael Schumacher to “keep fighting” on the eighth anniversary of his horror ski crash. Tributes have poured in for the legendary German on social media, with #KeepFightingMichael trending on Twitter. Schumacher, who retired from racing in 2012 with the most wins in F1 history at the time, suffered traumatic head injuries in a skiing accident at the Meribel resort on the French Alps on this day in December 2013. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash – but it cracked on impact, leaving the former Ferrari ace in need of serious medical attention. The 52-year-old was soon air-lifted to hospital in Grenoble before undergoing two operations and being placed in a medically-induced coma for six months. After regaining consciousness, Schumacher was moved from the Grenoble University Hospital in France to the University Hospital of Lausanne, western Switzerland, for rehabilitation. In September 2014, he was able to return to his home on the banks of Lake Geneva for further rehabilitation. He has remained there ever since. In a recent Netflix documentary celebrating Schumacher’s life, his wife Corinna spoke about just how much she missed some of her husband’s characteristics from before the tragic accident. “Of course I miss Michael every day. But it’s not just me who misses him. The children, the family, his father, everyone around him. I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is still here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find,”she said. “We’re together, we live together at home. We do therapy, we do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable, and to simply make him feel our family, our bond,” Corinna added. “Keep fighting champ, we’re all with you #KeepFightingMichael @schumacher,” wrote one emotional fan on social media. Someone else added: “It has been 8 years since his horrific accident – Schumacher is and always will be my hero. It is thanks to him that I love #F1 and #Motorsport as much as I do. We all send you our best wishes, as always. #KeepFightingMichael.” A third person tweeted, “Hard to believe eight years have passed since Michael’s accident Always in our thoughts and we keep praying for positive news #KeepFightingMichael #F1.” While another F1 fan said, “The greatest to ever do it in my eyes, an inspiration for so many people around the world, we love you michael. #KeepFightingMichael.”

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Calabresi replaces Guidotti as Pramac’s team manager

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Pramac Ducati hires Claudio Calabresi to take over from Francesco Guidotti, promotes Fonsi Nieto. Following the departure of team manager Francesco Guidotti to KTM, Pramac Ducati has hired Claudio Calabresi as his replacement and promoted former grand prix winner Fonsi Nieto from Rider Coach to Sports Director. Pramac enjoyed its best season in MotoGP during 2021, claiming the first ever race win by a satellite Ducati team with rookie Jorge Martin while Johann Zarco briefly led the world championship on his way to a new Pramac high of fifth overall. Along the way, the team took eight podiums and five pole positions. Calabresi arrives at Pramac with managerial experience from ‘a career in global energy companies, lastly as Executive Vice President Commercial Director of Eni Refining and Marketing, and his great passion for motorcycling’. He has also been Pramac MotoE’s team manager since the project’s inception. “Claudio’s growth within our team is the testimony of the esteem and confidence I have in him, and I am convinced that after three seasons as Team Manager in MotoE he will be up to this new and important challenge,” said Pramac boss Paolo Campinoti. “We can’t wait to start this new adventure together, certain that Pramac Racing will be one of the top teams in the MotoGP and that next season will bring great satisfaction. The close collaboration with Fonsi will also guarantee us solid skills and experience from a sporting point of view.” Calabresi added: “I am very proud that Paolo Campinoti thought of me for this position. We’ve been working together on different projects for several years and developed a strong relationship of respect and friendship.” “Now a new chapter opens for me, where curiosity, passion and experience will be at full disposal of the team, with the greatest commitment to remain one of the most competitive teams in MotoGP.” Pramac will field an unchanged MotoGP rider line-up this season and again have access to Ducati’s latest, GP22, machines. While Pramac has moved quickly to fill the void left by Guidotti, Suzuki is yet to announce a replacement team manager following Davide Brivio’s departure one year ago, or if Brivio himself will return.

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Mercedes will be going back to silver livery for 2022

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team will be reverting to the silver livery for the 2022 season. Mercedes will be going back to the future after deciding to use silver livery for 2022 F1 season. This is after the team used a black livery for the 2020 and 2021 campaigns. Previously they had been using a silver livery until they decided to change the livery to black as part of the continued Black Lives Matter social awareness initiative that has been so important to Sir Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, who is Black, came less than one lap from winning his eighth F1 drivers’ championship after F1 race director Michael Masi allowed lapped cars in-between Hamilton and Max Verstappen to pass the safety car ahead of the last lap restart. At the time of the announcement of the black livery for the team, Mercedes AMG Petronas made it clear they wished to see more inclusion and social justice. In a statement, they said, “For 2020, we have chosen to race in an all-black base livery as a public pledge to improve the diversity of our team and a clear statement that we stand against racism and all forms of discrimination. The call to ‘End Racism’ will feature on the halo of both cars, and the united F1 initiative #WeRaceAsOne will be featured on the mirrors of the W11.” Since then, Hamilton has kept the 2022 season on edge as rumors swirl that he may retire after the controversial finish to the season. The move to silver is not seen as an affront to the Black Lives Matter effort by Mercedes. They, and Hamilton, are dedicated to stamping out racism. Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One announced in June of 2020 that the black livery would be just for the 2020 season. Hamilton has formed a panel to increase diversity in motorsports.

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Signatures for a petition to make Lewis Hamilton 2021 champion get to 40,000

Kevin Peterson04 mins

A petition attempting to make Sir Lewis Hamilton the 2021 F1 world champion has now been signed by almost 40,000 people. The season-ending 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix got criticism from many Formula 1 fans as race director Michael Masi was accused of manufacturing a grand stand finish between Hamilton and Max Verstappen. A crash for Williams’ Nicholas Latifi brought out a late Safety Car, and Red Bull brought their Dutch driver into the pits for fresh tyres. Mercedes kept Hamilton out on track, fearing that he would lose tack position and could have ended up P2, had there been insufficient time to restart the race. One of the time constraints appeared in the form of lapped runners, five of whom were between Hamilton and Verstappen the two race leaders. Race director Michael Masi initially ruled that none of the lapped cars would be permitted to pass the Safety Car, before in a strange turn of events deciding to let the five at the front pass, but none of the others. Verstappen was then able to pass Hamilton on the very last lap to claim the championship. It led an angered Hamilton to say on the radio that the race had been “manipulated”, and Mercedes instantly protested the race result. Upon seeing their protests denied, the Constructors’ Champions lodged an intention to appeal, but eventually withdrew this. A petition was then started to overrule the championship result and award Hamilton his eighth championship. The person who created the petition, Patel Gordon-Bennett, argues that what transpired in Abu Dhabi sends a “very wrong message to youngsters and future racers.” In his petition, he wrote: “I believe that justice was not served on Sunday December 12, 2021 when the FIA stewards denied Lewis Hamilton of his win of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “With less than 1 lap remaining, some lapped cars were allowed to pass the safety car, which does not comply with the rules of the F1 sport. “This gave rival opponent Max Verstappen the opportunity to overtake Lewis Hamilton and win the Grand Prix. If you are an advocate of justice, honesty and fairness, please sign this petition. “Leaving this decision as it stands will send a very wrong message to youngsters and future racers.”

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Lewis Hamilton is taking a break from ‘very toxic’ social media – Nicolas Hamilton

Kevin Peterson02 mins

Nicolas Hamilton, brother to Lewis Hamilton disclosed that the seven-time world champion is taking a break off ‘very toxic’ social media. This comes as Hamilton went quiet on social media after season finale in Abu Dhabi where title rival Max Verstappen claimed the championship title after a last minute dash following a controversial Safety Car. Nicolas Hamilton who is a racer in British Touring Car Champion revealed the reason for Lewis Hamilton’s absence from social media over his Twitch channel. “I think he is just having a bit of a social media break,” Hamilton explained. “Which I don’t blame him for. Social media can be a very toxic place.” “Social media can be a very toxic place. But he’s cool, though. He’s fine.” The pair were spending time with their family, he added. “He’s cool though, he’s fine. He’s watching the kids ski at the moment.” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff told Motorsport-total.com recently that Hamilton “simply lacks words” after the controversial ending to the 2021 season. “We are all wavering in emotions, Lewis most of all,” Wolff told Motorsport-total.com. “He was winning the World Championship until the last lap, and then everything is taken away from you from one second [to the next]. Of course, you lose faith because you can’t understand what has just happened. “The silence is there, of course, because he simply lacks words as well.”

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FIA, Verstappen and Latifi slammed after Abu Dhabi GP controversy

Kevin Peterson02 mins

German rally champion legend Walter Rohrl has slammed the International Federation of Automobiles(FIA), newly crowned Formula 1 Champion Max Verstappen and Williams driver Nicholas Latifi. This comes after a controversial Abu Dhabi GP season finale where Verstappen won the race after a controversial Safety Car which was brought out after Nicholas Latifi’s crash. The 74-year old two-time rally champion will not be the first driver to criticise Michael Masi’s and the stewards decisions on the final laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which changed the final outcome of the race. “Now I know that in future I don’t have to waste a minute watching a Formula 1 race on television. I can save time and fool myself,” Rohrl told Straubinger Tagblatt newspaper. Although an FIA hall of fame member, the German insists that races should be decided on the track or in a fair, clear process “that is not influenced by any opaque external decisions”. But Rohrl even criticised “amateur driver” Nicholas Latifi for the crash that triggered the contentious safety car period and “decided the world championship”. “It leaves such a bad aftertaste,” he said. As for new world champion Verstappen, Rohrl described the Dutchman as an “ice-cold, characterless driver with disregard” for his rivals. “But that’s exactly how you have to be in order to win,” he acknowledged.

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Verstappen had a ‘very painful’ muscle cramp on the final title deciding lap in Abu Dhabi

Kevin Peterson06 mins

Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen has revealed he was under intense pain on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 24-year old Red Bull driver in an absolute turn of events overtook title rival Lewis Hamilton on the last lap winning the final race claiming the 2021 Championship title. Verstappen initiated the overtake on Turn 5 after the end of a controversial Safety Car that brought about a lot of criticism on the manner in which the Safety car situation was handled. Mercedes went ahead to protest the matter to the Race Stewards but was dismissed, however the team declared they have no intentions of appealing the matter further. With the issue put to rest, Verstappen was free to receive the championship trophy at the FIA Prize Giving Gala yesterday. The Red Bull driver admitted his chances to win the championship title seemed lost until the final lap when he pulled off an overtake on Hamilton. “Throughout that whole race we didn’t have the pace,” said Verstappen. “It didn’t look like we were going to win because the last few races we were just a bit behind. “But I never gave up. I always said to myself I’m not going to make it look easy for them. I’m just going to keep pushing and I’m going to try everything I can to at least keep the gap close. And that’s what we did.” Red Bull “did a great job with the strategy always putting new tyres on at the right time”, said Verstappen. That left him on fresh set of soft tyres at the end of the race while Hamilton had 44-lap-old hard rubber for what turned out to be a one-lap restart. “You do need a bit of luck sometimes,” Verstappen admitted. “When you look throughout the whole season, we had a lot of bad luck and I actually lost a lot of points already. So otherwise it would have been a completely different championship. But that’s always, you have the ‘ifs’. “So, going into that race and then seeing it was not happening, I wasn’t very happy at the time for 55 laps or something. But then we had one lap to go and I knew I had the better tyres on. I was like, ‘well, I have nothing to lose now.’” However, as he restarted the race in Hamilton’s slipstream, Verstappen was struck by a sudden pain. “I started to cross the line for the last lap and I got a massive cramp in my leg,” he explained. “So I had to deal with that in my throttle leg as well. “So when I was going to go for the move into turn five, I had a massive cramp. I was actually very happy there was a corner coming up because I could actually brake. But that was also then the move to go into the lead, which was great.” Having got ahead of Hamilton, Verstappen had to keep him behind through the runs to turns six and seven and again to turn nine. “There were two long straights to defend and to deal with a cramp like that is not very nice,” he said. “But I also knew that I’m fighting for a world championship here, and it’s always been my dream. So I was just biting through that moment. On TV you don’t see these kind of things but it was very painful. “Of course to then come over the line all the emotions came out. I didn’t even know what to say. We were just screaming. I never had so many people screaming into my earpieces. I think I’m still a bit deaf.”

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Mohammed Ben Sulayem replaces Jean Todt as the new FIA President

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been elected as the new International Automobile Federation President replacing Jean Todt. The FIA confirmed the news on Friday after an election was held and the former rally driver from Dubai emerged as the winner after standing against FIA’s vice president Graham Stocker. Jean Todt will be retiring from the seat after serving three terms in the office. Mohammed Ben Sulayem will be the first non-European federation president. Graham Stocker who is a British lawyer was beaten in the race for the seat despite serving as the vice president for 11 years since 2009. The FIA serves as the governing body for Formula 1, Formula E, World Endurance Championship(WEC) and World Rally Championship(WRC) among other motorsports championships. “The votes are in and we’ve won. We are thrilled that 62% of all clubs have given us their vote,” a tweet read from Ben Sulayem’s campaign on Twitter dubbed ‘FIA for Members’. With Mohammed Ben Sulayem taking the top seat in FIA, Formula 1 will be one of his top priorities after a rather controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Season finale. The race received a lot of criticism after a controversial final lap safety car procedure changed the outcome of the championship title after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race claiming the Drivers Championship title. Mercedes protested the race win but got dismissed by the Race Stewards later, with the team boss Toto Wolff saying Lewis Hamilton was ‘robbed’ of his record breaking eighth championship title. FIA Race Director Michael Masi received a lot of criticism after the controversial safety car directive. FIA promised to look into the issue which is said to be ‘tarnishing’ its name and also clarify the rules and regulations in regards to the sport. Mohammed Ben Sulayen was previously a member of the World Motor Sport Council and also served as FIA’s vice president. The 60-yea old will be deputised by Robert Reid who was formerly a co-driver to the late WRC champion Richard Burns. Bernie Ecclestone’s wife Fabianna will be the vice president in South America.

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Toto Wolff says Hamilton may end his F1 career after Abu Dhabi GP controversy

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed that Lewis Hamilton may quit Formula 1 racing after getting disappointed in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale. Hamilton lost the race that would see him claim a record breaking eighth championship title to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after a controversial last lap Safety Car. The directives given by Formula 1 Race Director Michael Masi allowed the the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to overtake the Safety Car despite initially saying it would not be allowed. The Safety Car cut Hamilton’s 10 second lead and Verstappen got the upper hand winning the race. This got Mercedes disappointed by the absolute turn of events with Wolff saying the race controversy got him and Hamilton ‘disillusioned’ with Formula 1 as a sport. “It is going to take a long time to digest what has happened on Sunday….. I don’t think we will ever get over it, that’s not possible,” Wolff told reporters. “Lewis and I are disillusioned at the moment. We’re not disillusioned with the sport. We love the sport with every bone in our body. And we love it because the stopwatch never lies.” “But if we break that fundamental principle of spotting fairness and authenticity of the sport, then suddenly the stopwatch doesn’t become relevant anymore. Because we are exposed to random decision-making. “And it is clear that you may fall out of love with a sport if you start to question, with all the work you have been doing, all the sweat and tears and blood.” Toto Wolff did not disclose whether Hamilton will be back for the 2022 F1 season in February as the Brit’s contract with Mercedes runs upto the end of 2022. “I would very much hope that Lewis continues racing because he’s the greatest driver of all time,” the 49-year-old said. “We will be working through the events over the next weeks and months and I think that as a racer, his heart will say ‘I need to continue’, because he is at the peak of his game. “But we have to overcome the pain that was caused upon him on Sunday, also because he is a man with clear values and it is difficult for him to understand how that happened.” “I just have to do the utmost that I can to help him overcome this, in order for him to return strong and with a love of the sport and trust in the decision-making of the sport next year, and I wish very much that will be the case.” Hamilton has been silent after the Yas Marina race and quietly jetted back to UK on Wednesday to receive a knighthood award from Prince Charles at Windsor Castle.

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Charles Leclerc tests positive for COVID-19

Kevin Peterson02 mins

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is currently under isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. The team announced the news on Thursday adding that Leclerc tested positive for the disease on his way back home from Abu Dhabi. This comes after the conclusion of the 2021 Formula 1 Season last weekend. This is the second time that the Monesgague is testing positive for COVID-19 after suffering the same back in January displaying very mild symptoms. The statement from Ferrari’s social media handle read: “Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow driver Charles Leclerc has tested positive for COVID-19. In accordance with protocols required by FIA and the team, Charles was tested on his return from Abu Dhabi.” “He is currently feeling fine, with mild symptoms and will self-isolate at home.” Leclerc finished P10 in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale ranking seventh in the Drivers Championship behind his teammate Carlos Sainz and McLaren driver Lando Norris. Ferrari was third in the Constructors title. Other drivers who tested positive for COVID-19 in the 2021 F1 season were Kimi Raikkonen and Nikita Mazepin. Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez also sat out in some of the races last season after contracting the disease.

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Hamilton and Wolff to miss FIA Prize Giving Gala

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and driver Lewis Hamilton will not be attending Thursday’s FIA Prize Giving Gala in Paris. The event which is held after the end of every Formula 1 season requires the top three drivers in the championship to attend. This means championship winner Max Verstappen, first runner up Lewis Hamilton and second runner up Valtteri Bottas have to make an appearance for the event. However, Hamilton and his boss Toto Wolff confirmed they will not be attending the event despite Mercedes taking its eighth consecutive Constructors Championship title. According to article 6.6 of the Sporting Regulations Act, drivers finishing first, second and third in the Championship must be present at the annual FIA Prize Giving ceremony. This means that Hamilton will be in breach of the rule but it is not yet clear if the seven-time world champion will face any disciplinary action for missing the event. The Mercedes Formula one and Formula E team also missed the Tuesday photoshoot pre-Gala event. The Formula E team took both the drivers and constructors championship this year. This comes after Lewis Hamilton was denied the championship title by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen following a controversial last lap safety car. The Race Director’s instructions that allowed the lapped cars to overtake the Safety Car received a lot of criticism because initially the directives did not allow for such to happen. Verstappen had the upper hand after the Race Control instructions and went ahead to overtake Lewis Hamilton on the last lap winning the race and claiming the Drivers Championship title. After the race Mercedes protested the controversial move but was dismissed by the Race Stewards. The team recently announced they have no further intentions appealing the matter. This now means Verstappen can now receive the championship trophy this evening in the Gala event.

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