F1 releases ‘missing’ Verstappen’s onboard footage

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Formula 1 has released footage from Max Verstappen’s on-board camera in his first Turn 4 battle with title rival Lewis Hamilton. On lap 48 of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Hamilton attempted to overtake Verstappen around the outside of Turn 4, but found himself off the track with Verstappen, on the inside, pushing both cars extremely wide and into the run-off area. At the time, the stewards noted the incident but then quickly came to the decision that no investigation was necessary. Later, Hamilton would eventually make the move stick on Verstappen at the same corner and go on to win the race, narrowing the gap to 14 points behind the Red Bull driver at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. News emerged after the epic battle that the FIA did not have the on-board footage from Max Verstappen’s car to further assess whether an investigation was needed or not. Two days after the race, the missing footage has miraculously been found with Formula 1 posted an ‘all the angles’ video of Lewis v Max on their website. In the UK, Sky Sports also published the on-board footage via their Twitter account. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called the decision not to penalise Max Verstappen as “laughable”, while Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner said the incident should form part of the “let them race” mentality. Asked in the post-race press conference about the incident, Verstappen said his worn tyres were to blame in running wide at the corner. Asked by Motorsport.com for viewpoint, Verstappen said: “We both, of course, tried to be ahead into the corner and so I braked a bit later to try and keep the position. “The tyres were already a bit worn, so I was really on the edge of grip. That’s why I think I was already not fully on the apex, so then it’s a safer way of just running a bit wide there. “In a way I was, of course, happy that the stewards decided that we could just keep on racing because I think the racing in general was really good.”

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Guanyu Zhou to replace Antonio Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo for 2022

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Guanyu Zhou will be the first Chinese driver to race in Formula 1 after signing with the Alfa Romeo Racing team to compete in 2022. The 22-year-old from Shanghai will replace Antonio Giovinazzi at the Sauber-run team and race alongside the experienced Valtteri Bottas, who will join from Mercedes-AMG. Zhou currently lies second in the standings in his third season of Formula 2 and, in a dual-campaign year, has won the Formula 3 Asia championship. He already has experience of Formula 1 from his time as a Renault and Alpine junior, and it’s rumoured that he brings a significant package of Chinese sponsorship. Alfa Romeo team principal Frédéric Vasseur said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome Guanyu Zhou to Alfa Romeo Racing. He’s a very talented driver, as his results in F2 have shown, and we’re looking forward to helping his talent flourish even more in F1. “We’re also looking forward to welcoming all the new Chinese fans who will join the team: Alfa Romeo Racing is a historical brand and one that embodies the spirit of F1, and we will do our utmost to make the experience of our sport a great one in China.” This likely shows that Alfa Romeo is looking to grow its road car brand in China, which is the world’s largest market for new cars. Zhou said: “I dreamt from a young age of climbing as high as I can in a sport that I’m passionate about, and now the dream has come true. “It’s a privilege for me to start my F1 racing career with an iconic team, a team that has introduced so much young talent into F1 in the past. “To be the first ever Chinese driver in F1 is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history. I know a lot of hopes will be resting on me and, as ever, I will take this as motivation to become better and achieve more.” Giovinazzi will depart Alfa Romeo at the end of 2021 after 62 grands prix, leaving F1 without an Italian driver, despite the presence of Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri and Ferrari. Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato said: “Alfa Romeo is extremely grateful to Antonio Giovinazzi for his strong contribution to the team over the years, not just from a sporting point of view. Antonio has embodied the Italian spirit of the brand, being an authentic ambassador every day.”

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Jorge Martin vomited all night before Valencia finale

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Pramac MotoGP rider Jorge Martin says he thought he would miss the Valencia Grand Prix as he spent all of Saturday night vomiting and hadn’t eaten since Saturday lunchtime. The rookie qualified on pole for Sunday’s final round of the 2021 MotoGP season and was one of the favourites to challenge for victory. Leading from lap two through to lap 14, Martin was holding eventual winner Francesco Bagnaia at bay before the Italian eventually found a way through on the 15th tour. Martin then had to fend off the sister factory team Ducati of Jack Miller to hold onto second, which sealed him the rookie of the year crown. But Martin revealed afterwards that he didn’t sleep on Saturday night into Sunday owing to an illness and was worried about the fact he hadn’t eaten anything since the previous day. “Yeah, well it was an unbelievable race,” Martin said in parc ferme directly after the race. “From 10pm yesterday till 5am today, I wasn’t sleeping, I was vomiting. “It was really difficult, I thought I couldn’t make the race. But thanks to the doctors, to Angel Charte, to all the Clinica Mobile, because they helped me a lot. “The thing I was scared about is I didn’t have any food since yesterday’s lunch. For sure a MotoGP race is very physical and I tried my best. “I was fully focused, no mistakes. Finally in the last laps Jack was pushing, so last lap I was giving my 100%.” Second capped of an incredible rookie year for Martin, which yielded three podiums and a victory at the Styrian Grand Prix – as well as four pole positions. “Second position is unbelievable, my first second position of the year,” he added. “I’m really happy for the team, to finish the season this way with a pole and a podium is amazing. Now we have the motivation for the future.” Martin missed the post-race press conference due to his illness. Despite missing four races through injury after a serious crash during practice for the Portuguese GP, Martin beat Avintia’s Enea Bastianini by nine points and ends the year ninth in the points.

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Grazie Vale: Valentino Rossi enters MotoGP hall of fame after last race in Valencia

Kevin Peterson02 mins

Nine-times world champion Valentino Rossi was inducted into MotoGP’s Hall of Fame at the FIM Awards ceremony after the Italian put an end to his illustrious career of more than two decades with a 10th-place finish at the Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday. Seven-times MotoGP title winner Rossi, one of the greatest and most charismatic of motorcycling champions, delighted fans with a few quick laps at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit but was unable to add to his 199 premier-class podiums. The 42-year-old, nicknamed “The Doctor”, is considering a move into car racing after competing in Grand Prix motorcycling. “I always think of this day like a nightmare, because it’s the end of a long career and I thought it would be in Valencia but in the end, I enjoyed it a lot so I have to thank everyone,” Rossi said. “Everyone who has worked with me, the whole paddock, the other riders … it was an unforgettable day and I enjoyed it. It was a long career, and always a pleasure.” Rossi, the only rider to win titles in the 125cc, 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP categories, took a final lap of honour on Sunday to a standing ovation from the crowd as fireworks dotted the sky, before an emotional farewell with his Petronas Yamaha team. A showman on the bike and off it, and famed for his postvictory antics, Rossi last won a MotoGP race in 2017 with Yamaha, in the Dutch TT at Assen.

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Hamilton receives a fine for seatbelt infringement after Sao Paulo GP win

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Lewis Hamilton has been fined for undoing his seatbelts on the cooldown lap after his victory in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Hamilton won from 10th place on the grid ahead of championship rival Max Verstappen, but came under investigation for a seatbelt infringement after seeing the chequered flag. The Mercedes driver was seen stopping to take a Brazilian flag from a track marshal, holding it aloft in the cockpit as he celebrated his third win at Interlagos. But the stewards called Hamilton to a post-race hearing for breaching safety regulations in relation to undoing seatbelts after the race has been completed. The FIA announced Hamilton had been hit with a €5000 fine for the incident, with a further €20,000 suspended until the end of 2022. A statement issued by the FIA read, as quoted by Motorsport.com: “The driver of car 44, Lewis Hamilton, undid his seat belts on the in-lap at the end of the race. “While the Stewards are sympathetic to the desire to celebrate, it is fundamentally unsafe to undo the seatbelts while the car is in motion. Slow speeds in these cars are very fast for an unrestrained occupant. “Further, Formula 1 drivers set the example for junior categories. It is critical that junior category drivers learn the importance of using all the safety devices of the car at all times.” It marks the second investigation Hamilton has faced over the Brazil weekend, with the seven-time world champion excluded from qualifying for a technical infringement. The DRS on Hamilton’s car failed the FIA’s post-session check, leaving him at the back of the grid for Saturday’s sprint race, where he recovered to fifth place. Hamilton’s victory over Verstappen has closed the gap between the pair in the drivers’ standings to 14 points ahead of next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.

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Lewis Hamilton wins Sao Paulo GP after overcoming numerous grid penalties

Kevin Peterson09 mins

Lewis Hamilton scripted an epic win after a no-holds barred duel with Max Verstappen at the São Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil. Valtteri Bottas joined his team-mate on the podium. This was a must win race for the reigning world champion at the nineteenth race of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. With three races to go, Hamilton could not let Verstappen extend his lead in the drivers’ championship to more than a race win. The Brazilian weekend has been an uphill battle after Hamilton won qualification and was disqualified for a DRS technical infringement. Hamilton started last in the sprint qualification race and fought back to fifth position. The Briton started tenth in the race after a five-place grid penalty was applied for a new power unit component. Hamilton from tenth place on the grid fought hard to take his sixth win of the season and cut the gap to Verstappen in the drivers’ championship to fourteen points. The race at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace circuit in São Paulo took place under hot conditions with air temperatures at 23 degree C and track temperatures at 55 degree C. Kimi Räikkönen made a pit lane start after his rear-wing was changed. Verstappen had a good start from second position and led pole-sitter Bottas into Turn 1. Bottas for good measure went off the track at Turn 4 and Sergio Pérez was in second position. It was a Red Bull Racing 1-2 by end of lap 1. Hamilton had gained three places and slotted into seventh position. Lando Norris had suffered a puncture as he tried to get past the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz into Turn 1 and pitted and rejoined in last position. By the end of lap 4, Hamilton was let past by Bottas and was in third position. Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll came together withTsunoda suffering extensive damage. The Safety Car was deployed as debris had to be removed from the track. On the restart, both the Red Bull Racing drivers made a good getaway from Hamilton. Hamilton had a hard battle with Pérez and finally overtook the Mexican on lap 19. Hamilton was now 3.6 seconds behind Verstappen and it was going to be a straight fight for the win between the championship rivals. On lap 23, Stroll was the first driver to pit for the hard compound tyres and rejoined in nineteenth position. On lap 27, Hamilton pitted for the hard compound tyres and rejoined in sixth position behind Daniel Ricciardo and ahead of Sebastian Vettel. The undercut is powerful at this track and Verstappen pitted on the next lap but his gap to Hamilton was cut to 1.5 seconds. On the next lap, Pérez pitted and rejoined in fifth position. The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed due to debris on the track from Stroll’s car. This handed Bottas an advantage as he pitted under the VSC and rejoined in front of Pérez in third position. Behind them the two Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Pierre Gasly and the Alpine F1 team drivers were battling for position. Norris had progressed through the field to get himself into the points. On lap 41, Verstappen pitted for another set of hard compound tyres and rejoined in fifth position behind Leclerc. Bottas and Pérez pitted in quick succession in the next laps. Hamilton stayed out for another three laps in the lead of the race before he pitted and rejoined behind Verstappen. The gap between the two drivers was 2.6 seconds. Hamilton got himself within DRS-range and on lap 47 made an overtake move which Verstappen thwarted aggressively. The stewards noted the incident before deciding no action was necessary. On lap 59, Hamilton finally battled past Verstappen and cruised to a win. With all the setbacks Hamilton suffered this weekend, it was an epic win. Verstappen finished in second position and still leads the championship by 14 points. Bottas finished in third position and helped Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team extend the lead in the constructors’ championship to 11 points. Pérez finished in fourth position as he pitted in the final laps for the soft compound tyres to take the point for fastest lap from Hamilton. Leclerc finished ahead of Sainz as Ferrari had a good haul of points to increase their lead to the McLaren F1 team for third position in the constructor’s championship. Gasly battled his way to seventh position ahead of the Alpine F1 drivers, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso. Norris took the final solitary point after he battled his way from last position after the first lap incident. The epic duel between Verstappen and Hamilton will resume in Qatar next weekend (Nov 19-21 2021). The track at this new race on the Formula 1 calendar is an unknown quantity and adds more variables to this intense battle for the championships. 2021 F1 SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX – RESULTS POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 71 Laps 2 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing + 10.496s 3 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team + 13.576s 4 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing + 39.940s 5 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow + 49.517s 6 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow + 51.820s 7 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda + 1 Lap 8 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team + 1 Lap 9 Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team + 1 Lap 10 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team + 1 Lap 11 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team + 1 Lap 12 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen + 1 Lap 13 George Russell GBR Williams Racing + 1 Lap 14 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen + 1 Lap 15 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda + 1 Lap 16 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing + 1 Lap 17 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team + 2 Laps 18 Mick Schumacher…

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Bagnaia wins in Valencia as Rossi finishes 10th in last MotoGP race(Results)

Kevin Peterson06 mins

Ducati works rider Francesco Bagnaia has taken a fourth MotoGP win of the season after leading a Ducati 1-2-3, while nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi ends his career with tenth place. Jorge Martin made a brilliant start from pole to lead into turn one, while Bagnaia went from second to fourth. On lap two, Martin and Miller briefly exchanged the lead at turns one and two, before a lovely move at turn four from Joan Mir put him second ahead of Miller. Lap three saw Valentino Rossi, who made a good start from tenth to ninth, then lose that spot to Pramac rider Johann Zarco, who himself had a dreadful start. While the Frenchman then got stuck behind Brad Binder in eighth, fellow Ducati rider Bagnaia got ahead of Mir for P2 along the start-finish straight. Mir was then relegated to fourth five corners later as team-mate Rins also came through. The #42, who was incredibly strong on the brakes, then made another stunning move at turn six to claim second off Bagnaia – lap five. Behind the front four, Miller lost yet another place after 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo moved ahead of the Australian at turn four. Rossi was able to stick with Binder and Zarco for the next few laps, however, impressive rookie Enea Bastianini then pushed the nine-time world champion down to P11. Takaaki Nakagami’s dismal 2021 season ended with yet another crash as he became the first rider to lose the front at turn six. While Martin continued to look rock solid out front, Bagnaia moved back into second with a lovely overtake on Rins, before things got considerably worse for the Suzuki rider on lap 11 as he crashed at turn six. After several close looks at turn six, Bagnaia finally managed to overtake Martin for the lead – final corner move. Bagnaia then set the fastest lap of the race to put four tenths into Martin. Meanwhile, Miller began closing in on Mir who was missing several apex’s as he struggled to keep the pace of Bagnaia and Martin. With nine laps to go, Miller made it an all-Ducati podium thanks to a late braking move on Mir at turn two. Rossi’s final race was continuing to be a good one as he remained in tenth with six laps to go, however, the same couldn’t be said for Danilo Petrucci who was last of the current runners. The battle for victory continued to be close as Miller began reeling in the front two. The Jerez and Le Mans race winner looked on the absolute limit in trying to do so, however, that didn’t stop him from getting closer to Martin in particular. But just as he got close on the penultimate lap, Martin then set one of his fastest laps to maintain P2. Mir came under late pressure from Quartararo for fourth, but the Suzuki rider ultimately kept ahead. Zarco, Binder, Bastianini, Aleix Espaargaro and Rossi rounded out the top ten. VALENCIA MOTOGP, CIRCUIT RICARDO TORMO – RACE RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF 1 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) 41m 15.481s 2 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* +0.489s 3 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) +0.823s 4 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +5.214s 5 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +5.439s 6 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) +6.993s 7 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +8.437s 8 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +10.933s 9 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +12.651s 10 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +13.468s 11 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +14.085s 12 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +16.534s 13 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +17.059s 14 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +18.221s 15 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +19.233s 16 Maverick Vinales SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +19.815s 17 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +28.860s 18 Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +32.169s   Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) DNF   Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) DNF

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Horner puzzled by Mercedes speed after Sao Paulo GP sprint race

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Red Bull chief Christian Horner underscored once again the “mind-boggling” straight-line speed of Mercedes’ W12 after Valtteri Bottas’ win and Lewis Hamilton charge to P5 in Saturday’s sprint event at Interlagos. Bottas was able to fend off Max Verstappen in the 24-lap mad dash thanks to a lightening start and a well-managed soft tyre strategy. But Horner was especially impressed with Hamilton’s charge from last on the grid to fifth during which the Briton, thanks to his top velocity, was in “a different league”. “Lewis’ straight-line speed is just mind-boggling,” Horner told Sky F1. “We’ve seen this coming for a few races now. Turkey, it started to be there. In Mexico, we saw the straight-line speed, I think they were about 14 km/h quicker at the end of the straight than we were, so it’s no great surprise. “We saw yesterday that it’s phenomenal, especially with the size of the rear wing that they have on the car.” Horner hinted at a potential ploy exploited by Mercedes to blast down the straights and suggested that Red Bull had perhaps a few theories, confirming also that the team’s CTO Adrian Newey had visited the stewards at Interlagos to discuss Mercedes’ top speed advantage. “It’s something that is enabling the car to do that kind of speed,” he said. “Something must happen, because physics wouldn’t allow…. “The kind of horsepower delta that you would need to achieve that, would be pretty significant. So we’re obviously trying to understand what it is and go from there.”

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Verstappen tells the stewards to ‘have a fine dinner and expensive wine’ after €50,000 fine

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has urged the Sao Paulo Grand Prix stewards to enjoy ‘a nice dinner and expensive wine’ after being hit with a €50,000 fine. Verstappen was stung after being found guilty of breaking the International Sporting Code regarding parc fermé where he first inspected and then touched Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes following qualifying on Friday at Interlagos. While the stewards noted Verstappen meant no direct harm, the welter of video evidence ensured a punishment had to be meted out, with the Dutch driver hit firmly in the pocket. Asked about the sanction, tongue-in-cheek Verstappen said: “It’s quite a big fine so I hope they have a nice dinner, a lot of wine, good, expensive wine, that would be nice. “They can invite me for dinner as well, I’ll pay for their dinner, too.” Sat alongside Valtteri Bottas after being beaten by the Finn in the sprint, the Finn asked if he had to pay or the team, to which Verstappen replied: “I do have to pay.” Explaining his actions in parc fermé, Verstappen said: “Well, I was clearly looking at the wing. You could see on the video what I did exactly. “I was just looking at how much the wing was flexing at that point. It was nothing to do with the DRS.” On whether he and the team had any specific suspicions about the Mercedes wing, Verstappen made clear that Red Bull is in no doubt it is potentially illegal given its level of flexing. “There have been talks and things to look into because at a certain speed the wing is flexing,” said Verstappen. “At the beginning of the season, we had to all change the rear wings a bit because of the back-off but it seems like something is still backing off over there, that’s why I went and had a look.”

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Bottas wins Sao Paulo GP Sprint race as Hamilton finishes 5th after starting from the back of the grid

Kevin Peterson08 mins

Valtteri Bottas denied Max Verstappen victory in the Sprint Qualifying race at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace on Saturday as Lewis Hamilton drove from twentieth on the grid to finish an amazing fifth. Bottas got the jump on Verstappen at the start and was able to get ahead of the Red Bull Racing driver heading into turn one, whilst behind him Carlos Sainz Jr. moved from fifth on the grid to run third, getting ahead of both Pierre Gasly and Sergio Pérez. Sainz then moved ahead of Verstappen at turn four, with the Dutchman running wide as a result, although the positions switched back a few laps later at turn one once he was able to use the drag reduction system down the main straight. Hamilton, who had started at the back after being disqualified from Qualifying for a DRS infringement, made up four places on the opening lap and then made light work of the midfield runners to enter the top ten, although once there he was made to work harder, particularly against the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel. Bottas, running on the soft tyres, was able to keep enough life in them until the chequered flag to deny Verstappen the win, even when the Red Bull driver got close enough to open his drag reduction system on his rear wing. Bottas took the chequered flag at the end of the twenty-four laps 1.170 seconds clear to take the three points. Bottas and Verstappen ended well clear of the battle for third, with Sainz able to keep Pérez behind him all the way to the chequered flag. Pérez had a few attempts at passing the Scuderia Ferrari driver but to no avail, so the final point on offer went the way of the Spaniard. Lando Norris was a man on a mission early on as he rose to fifth, but he was Hamilton’s final victim heading into turn one on the final lap, with the McLaren F1 Team racer being forced to settle for sixth. Hamilton’s fifth place will turn into a tenth place start for Sunday’s race thanks to his grid penalty for an unscheduled change of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) ahead of the weekend. Charles Leclerc ended seventh in the second Ferrari ahead of Gasly, with the Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda driver struggling at the start and losing out massively to fall to seventh. Once Hamilton was passed him, he fell back further from those ahead of him and ended down in eighth, while the top ten was completed by Alpine F1 Team’s Esteban Ocon and Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team’s Vettel. Ricciardo missed out on the top ten after a poor start, with the second McLaren driver ending eleventh, just ahead of the second Alpine of Fernando Alonso, who also failed to get a good getaway off the line in Brazil. Antonio Giovinazzi survived an incident with Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team-mate Kimi Räikkönen at turn one that spun around the Finn to finish thirteenth, with the Italian ending ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. Nicholas Latifi beat Williams Racing team-mate George Russell to sixteenth, while Räikkönen ended eighteenth after his spin, with the incident involving Giovinazzi not deemed serious enough to be investigated. The field was rounded out by Uralkali Haas F1 Team duo Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. Bottas will start Sunday’s main race in São Paulo ahead of Verstappen, while Hamilton will have all the confidence in the world to move forward from tenth on the grid having made up fifteen places in just twenty-four laps on Saturday. After all, there are seventy-one laps to come on Sunday! 2021 F1 SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX – SPRINT QUALIFYING RESULTS POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 24 Laps 2 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing + 1.170s 3 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow + 18.723s 4 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing + 19.787s 5 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team + 20.872s 6 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team + 22.558s 7 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow + 25.056s 8 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda + 34.158s 9 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team + 34.632s 10 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team + 34.867s 11 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team + 35.869s 12 Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team + 36.578s 13 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen + 41.880s 14 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team + 44.037s 15 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda + 46.150s 16 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing + 46.760s 17 George Russell GBR Williams Racing + 47.739s 18 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen + 50.014s 19 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team + 61.680s 20 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team + 67.474s After 

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Lewis Hamilton disqualified from Sao Paulo GP Qualifying after DRS infringement

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Lewis Hamilton will start at the back of the pack for Saturday’s Sao Paulo Sprint after his Mercedes cars’ DRS mechanism was found in breach of technical regulations. FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer noticed that the Drag Reduction System (DRS) mechanism on Hamilton’s Mercedes seemed to open up more than the allowed gap of 85mm. The matter was referred to the stewards for investigation where is was deemed that the wing was in breach of regulations. Hamilton’s rear wing was impounded by the FIA following qualifying with Mercedes permitted to swap the wing for Free Practice Two on Saturday. Using a specialist tool, Hamilton’s rear wing was assessed and it was found that the rear wing did in fact open up more than the 85mm that is allowed and as such was in breach of Article 3.6.3 of the technical regulations. The stewards have therefore disqualified Hamilton from Friday’s qualifying and he will start at the back of the pack for Saturday’s Sprint Qualifying. This will surely hurt Briton’s hunt for a eighth title whose woe is compounded by a five-placed grid penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix after an engine change. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was also called to the stewards office after he was witnessed touching the rear wing on Hamilton’s Mercedes during Parc Ferme conditions after qualifying. The Dutchman was fined fifty thousand euros with no further action taken. This promotes Verstappen to first for the Sprint, with Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas in second. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez will line up third ahead of the Sprint later on Saturday. Hamilton’s five-place grid penalty for the engine change will take place after the Sprint and will be applied for the Grand Prix grid on Sunday.

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Verstapen receives a £42,000 fine for touching Hamilton’s wing in parc freme

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Championship leader Max Verstappen has been fined for touching Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W12 in perf ferme conditions yesterday following the qualifying session for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The talk of the paddock on Saturday morning was the on-going investigation of Hamilton’s DRS overtaking aid and Verstappen’s summons to the stewards for an alleged breach of the International Sporting Code. “The stewards also examined a fan video taken from across the track, CCTV video footage taken from pit lane and in car footage from car 14, car 33, car 44 and car 77. “In all, these videos gave a clear picture of what occurred in parc fermé following the qualifying session. Verstappen exits the car, then moves to the rear of his car. He then takes his gloves off and puts his right hand at the slot-gap of the rear wing of his car. He then moves to car 44 and repeats the exercise, touching the rear wing in two places, once on either side of the DRS actuation device, but on the bottom rear side of the wing, in the area of the slot gap and never near the actuator or the end fixation points.” “Clear, high definition video from the rear facing roll-hoop camera on car 44 shows that there is absolutely no movement of any of the wing elements on car 44 when Verstappen touches the back of the wing and the Stewards are satisfied, from watching all the videos, his body position and the video of the wing, that there was insignificant force when Verstappen touched the wing.” “It is clear to the Stewards that it has become a habit of the drivers to touch cars after qualifying and the races. This was also the explanation of Verstappen, that it was simply habit to touch this area of the car which has been a point of speculation in recent races between both teams. This general tendency has been seen as mostly harmless and so has not been uniformly policed. Nevertheless, it is a breach of the parc fermé regulation and has significant potential to cause harm,” read the FIA statement. “Considering the fact that no direct harm was caused in this case, in the opinion of the stewards, and that no earlier precedent of penalties for this exists – on the one hand; but that it is a breach of the regulation and has potential for serious consequences on the other, the stewards determine to take action in this case and order a fine of €50,000. The stewards further note that it is intended that all teams and drivers take notice that future breaches may incur different penalties from the stewards of those events.”

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Jorge Martin tops qualifying to take pole for Valencia MotoGP(Results)

Kevin Peterson06 mins

Pramac’s Jorge Martin upstaged the works Ducatis – both of which crashed – to take the fourth pole of his MotoGP rookie season at the Valencia finale. Martin and Jack Miller had been equal first early in Q2 having both set 1m30.325s laps. But then Pecco Bagnaia blew the rest away with consecutive new benchmark laps of 1m30.118s and 1m30.000s as he chased his sixth straight pole. He kept pushing for a third flying lap only to crash and bring out yellow flags that stymied most others’ laps. Martin appears to have got through that sector before the yellows came out, and he produced a 1m29.936s to halt Bagnaia’s streak. Miller also crashed on his final lap while looking set to improve. But despite their falls, Bagnaia and Miller hold on to second and third on an all-Ducati front row. Suzuki had another strong qualifying session – 2020 champion Joan Mir fourth and team-mate Alex Rins coming through from Q1 to sixth, split by Martin’s team-mate Johann Zarco. Seventh-placed Brad Binder also progressed from Q1. He wasn’t just the only KTM rider in Q2, but the only one of its work pair anywhere near making it out of Q1. Miguel Oliveira was slowest of all in qualifying, six tenths of a second away from Binder in Q1. The Tech3 KTMs of Iker Lecuona and Danilo Petrucci start 15th and 16th for the pair’s MotoGP farewells. Newly-crowned champion Fabio Quartararo struggled again, down in eighth, three places ahead of Yamaha team-mate Franco Morbidelli. Valentino Rossi was straight into Q2 on practice pace for his final MotoGP start and went on to qualify 10th. Takaaki Nakagami was best of the reduced Honda contingent in ninth for LCR. After his superb Portimao performance last week, Nakagami’s team-mate Alex Marquez came back down to earth in miserable fashion as a Turn 2 crash in Q1 left him second-slowest. Andrea Dovizioso secured the best qualifying result of his MotoGP comeback so far, putting the Petronas SRT Yamaha 13th on the grid and missing Q2 by just half a tenth. There were no Repsol Hondas running in qualifying following Pol Espargaro’s vicious morning crash. It is not yet clear if he will be fit to race tomorrow. Honda has elected not to replace Marc Marquez – absent for a second straight race as vision problems have followed his recent concussion – for the finale so Espargaro was due to represent the works team alone. Despite Aleix Espargaro’s Friday rage, he did make it into Q2 for Aprilia via his Saturday morning pace but was slowest in the pole shootout. VALENCIA MOTOGP, CIRCUIT RICARDO TORMO – FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF LAP MAX 1 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* 1’29.936s 8/9 329k 2 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +0.064s 7/8 326k 3 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) +0.389s 3/8 329k 4 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.459s 7/9 326k 5 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) +0.482s 7/9 329k 6 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.539s 3/7 323k 7 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.573s 5/7 324k 8 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.684s 3/8 321k 9 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.708s 7/9 323k 10 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.810s 6/9 324k 11 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.845s 3/8 320k 12 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +1.088s 7/8 324k   Qualifying 1:           13 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) 1’30.859s 7/9 317k 14 Maverick Vinales SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1’30.991s 7/8 321k 15 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) 1’30.994s 7/9 326k 16 Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) 1’31.045s 7/9 317k 17 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* 1’31.073s 7/8 323k 18 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* 1’31.185s 7/8 321k 19 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) 1’31.251s 4/7 327k 20 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) 1’31.319s 3/8 321k   Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) No Time 0/0 0

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Mercedes claims Verstappen ‘destroyed’ Hamilton’s rear wing – Marko

Kevin Peterson02 mins

Mercedes have claimed that Max Verstappen damaged Lewis Hamilton’s rear wing in parc ferme conditions after qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, according to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko. Hamilton was referred to the stewards over a possible Drag Reduction System (DRS) infringement following Friday’s qualifying session at Interlagos, with the hearing ultimately delayed until Saturday. Meanwhile, Verstappen was also summoned to the stewards over an alleged breach of the FIA International Sporting Code relating to parc ferme conditions, after fan footage appeared to show him touching the rear wing on Hamilton’s car after qualifying. As the F1 world awaits a verdict for both drivers, Marko says Mercedes have turned the tables on Verstappen and Red Bull. “The unbelievable thing is that Mercedes are now claiming that Max damaged Hamilton’s rear wing with his fingers,” Marko told F1-Insider. Although each case initially seemed to be separate, there has been speculation over whether Mercedes would use Verstappen’s actions as evidence in their hearing regarding Hamilton’s rear wing. However, former F1 driver turned pundit Karun Chandhok played down such suggestions of Verstappen causing any damage. “For those asking if Max could have manipulated the wing, let’s all be clear that the wings are designed to sustain hundreds of kilos of load without breaking,” wrote Chandhok on Twitter. “Andre the giant could sit on it! As fit and strong as Max is, I doubt he managed to bend the wing…”

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Espargaro tops Valencia FP3 as brother crashes, Rossi gets a Q2 spot after finishing 10th

Kevin Peterson06 mins

Aleix Espargaro has taken top spot in FP3 for the Valencia Grand Prix, while brother Pol was taken to the medical centre after a huge turn 12 highside. Espargaro begun qualifying day at the Valencia Grand Prix in impressive style after bettering Ducati rider Jack Miller by just -0.018s. Lap times were a considerable way off Miller’s fastest FP2 time to begin the day due to cold track temperatures. However, Espargaro was one of a select few to improve as he went ninth fastest, which relegated 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo down to 13th. While the Aprilia rider went even quicker on his next lap to go sixth, Johann Zarco suffered a mechanical failure as smoke was coming from the rear of his Pramac Ducati. The French rider managed to return to pit lane without dropping any fluids down on-track. Espargaro, who was already fastest in regards to FP3, then went half a second clear of Takaaki Nakagami after beginning his time-attack runs with 20 minutes to go. The Spanish rider’s time put him third overall behind brother Pol Espargaro. Nakagami went fourth quickest just moments later as the LCR Honda rider also had a soft rear tyre fitted. Franco Morbidelli was next to make a big jump up the order as he went fifth fastest from 14th. The Italian’s lap was enough to move Petronas Yamaha rider Andrea Dovizioso out of the top ten. Shortly after, yellow flags were deployed in sector four as P. Espargaro suffered a huge off at turn 13. Espargaro’s crash left him down and in the gravel for a few minutes before being stretchered away. Espargaro has since been taken to the medical centre. At the front, Joan Mir momentarily went fastest as improvements over one lap continued for last year’s world champion. However, Jack Miller quickly responded by going four tenths quicker to regain first place. The Australian’s team-mate Francesco Bagnaia then made it a Ducati 1-2 with seven minutes left. Bagnaia’s second place quickly became Morbidelli’s as the Yamaha rider got within a tenth of Miller. Nakagami also went third, while Quartararo was down in 17th after having multiple laps deleted. Quartararo finally got it right with three to go and went ninth quickest – a position he kept through to the chequered flag. A late 1:30.529s saw Espargaro then secure top spot from Miller, while Valentino Rossi secured direct access thanks to tenth place. The nine-time world champion’s quickest lap came whilst following Bagnaia who himself finished fourth. VALENCIA MOTOGP, CIRCUIT RICARDO TORMO – FREE PRACTICE (3) RESULTS POS   RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF LAP MAX 1 ^11 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1’30.529s 16/17 327k 2 ˅1 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) +0.018s 16/21 334k 3 ^10 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.085s 18/20 323k 4 ˅1 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) +0.123s 21/21 329k 5 = Jorgr Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* +0.185s 18/20 331k 6 ^1 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.233s 20/21 327k 7 ˅1 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.248s 16/20 332k 8 ^2 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) +0.257s 21/23 329k 9 ^2 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.262s 21/23 323k 10 ^11 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.296s 20/22 323k 11 ˅7 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.337s 21/22 327k 12 ˅4 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.364s 20/21 329k 13 ^3 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +0.583s 19/20 323k 14 ^6 Lica Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +0.606s 16/20 324k 15 ˅1 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.623s 22/23 332k 16 ˅1 Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +0.688s 19/20 320k 17 ^1 Maverick Vinales SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +0.710s 18/19 327k 18 ˅9 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.848s 21/22 323k 19 ˅2 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.859s 20/21 327k 20 ˅1 Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +0.860s 17/18 331k 21 ˅19 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.966s 10/14 329k

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Verstappen summoned by FIA for ‘touching’ Hamilton’s car in parc freme

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Max Verstappen has been summoned to the stewards’ office in Sao Paulo in the wake of the investigation surrounding the rear wing and DRS of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. On Friday after qualifying, the stewards called representatives from Mercedes to their office to explain an alleged breach of the technical rules of car #44 as noted by FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer. In Bauer’s post-session check, it was noted that the gap between the two rear wing lower and upper planes exceeded the authorized maximum 85mm when DRS was open. The same check was conducted on 13 other cars after qualifying but car #44 was the only one that was found not to be in conformity. After a lengthy wait on Friday evening, the stewards opted to adjourn the investigation until Saturday morning as they awaited “further evidence that will not be available until the morning”. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Verstappen was also placed under investigation over a potential breach of parc fermé rules. In footage from an amateur video taken just after qualifying that was published on social media, Verstappen is seen touching his car’s rear wing in several areas and then walking over to Hamilton’s Mercedes and doing the same thing as if to compare the two cars’ wing elements. Verstappen is facing an “alleged breach of Article 2.5.1 of the FIA International Sporting Code”. Article 2.5.1 of the ISC states: “Inside the Parc Fermé, only the officials assigned may enter. No operation, checking, tuning or repair is allowed unless authorised by the same officials or by the applicable regulations.” The end result is that both title contenders are at risk of a sanction from the FIA that could set back either driver or both for Saturday afternoon’s 24-lap Sprint Qualifying event that will determine the grid for Sunday’s race.

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