Honda signs Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge for 2022 WorldSBK ride

Kevin Peterson02 mins

Honda has confirmed the long rumoured news that MotoGP’s Iker Lecuona and Moto2’s Xavi Vierge will form the factory team’s all-new World Superbike line-up for 2022. Lecuona, still just 21, is switching to WorldSBK after two seasons in MotoGP. The Spaniard has shown flashes of speed, with a best result of sixth in Austria this season, but is only 18th in the world championship standings and – like team-mate Danilo Petrucci – has lost his Tech3 KTM seat to Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez for next season. 24-year old Xavi Vierge has raced in the Moto2 class since 2015, claiming four podiums and three pole positions but – like Lecuona – is yet to win a grand prix. Vierge is currently 11th in this year’s Moto2 standings, during his second year at Petronas SRT. The pair will replace Alvaro Bautista, already confirmed as re-joining Ducati next season, and Leon Haslam, whose future plans are yet to be announced. Team HRC team manager Leon Camier spoke of the hard work and dedication of Leon Haslam over the last two years, thanking him for his time in the team. “Over the time spent working together, we have had the opportunity to appreciate Leon as both a rider and as a person,” he said. “We want to thank him for his hard work, dedication and full commitment to our project and the team. It has been a pleasure to work with him, and we wish him all the best for the future.”

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Red Bull will not protest Mercedes rear suspension trick

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Red Bull have no plans to protest against Mercedes’ rear suspension ‘trick’, which came to light at the United States Grand Prix. TV footage emerged over the weekend of the rear of the Mercedes, a high-rake concept car, dropping to the ground as the car increases in speed. This essentially stalls the airflow under the car and would contribute to a higher top speed. Red Bull team boss Horner and advisor Helmut Marko both noted Mercedes’ apparent straight-line speed gains following the Turkish GP, with Horner then making reference to a “system” during practice in Austin. Despite the initial furore, Horner ruled out the possibility of Red Bull lodging a protest. “We’ve never said we don’t think it’s legal, so therefore there’d be absolutely no reason to protest,” Horner told the media. Horner did note, however, that the system could play a key role at certain tracks during the title run-in. After the “extreme version” seen in Turkey, the system was limited by the high-speed, bumpy nature of the Circuit of the Americas, but Horner reckons the Jeddah Street Circuit is one venue where it could shine. “It’s something that has been used historically. We’ve seen it with them in the past, but obviously what we saw in Turkey was quite an extreme version of it, which that circuit seemed to allow,” He added.“It will have a greater influence at some tracks than others. It was a reduced effect here [in Austin]. At somewhere like Jeddah, for example, it could be quite powerful.” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had already dismissed the “noise” from Red Bull earlier in the US GP weekend. “We recognise absolutely that this is a sport where competitors will always try to find out whether there is some kind of silver bullet,” he told the press. “My experience is there is no such thing. It’s always small gains, marginal gains, that have been added and then bring performance. And we’re trying to really comprehend our car better and add performance and lap time without listening too much to the noise.”

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Verstappen needs only two race victories to win Formula 1 championship

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has said that Max Verstappen needs two more race victories before the end of this season to be crowned Formula 1 world champion. The Dutchman extended his lead in the Drivers’ standings to twelve points at the weekend with him winning the US Grand Prix ahead of title rival Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Sergio Perez. Indeed, it was a really positive weekend for Red Bull at a circuit that has favoured Mercedes more in years previously, and they’ll now be looking to take further wins at tracks that have suited their own car a little bit better in Mexico and then Brazil. Certainly, if Verstappen wins both of those races he’ll be in a really strong position ahead of the final triumvirate of Middle Eastern Grands Prix at the close of the campaign and it appears as though Marko feels a brace of race wins in the final five will secure the Dutchman’s maiden championship crown: “The last three races were actually all Mercedes tracks and instead of coming to Mexico with a deficit, we come to Mexico with a 12-point lead. Mexico and Brazil should actually suit us even better because of the altitude,” Marko said. “As I said, we need to win 10 races if we want to win the championship, so we still need two. “Then maybe we can lean back a little bit in the Middle East tracks because those tracks have crazy straights and Mercedes will certainly play their advantage there.” Of course, Hamilton and Mercedes will have other ideas about Verstappen winning the next two, with the Mexican Grand Prix up next in just under two weeks from now.

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Hulkenberg begins Indycar test with Arrow McLaren SP

Kevin Peterson05 mins

Nico Hulkenberg has begun his test for the McLaren SP IndyCar team, which is looking to expand its driver roster in the near future. The former Formula 1 driver was encouraged by his first IndyCar test for Arrow McLaren SP at Barber on Monday, enjoying the physical challenge of a car he described as a “steering monster”. The German is a veteran of 179 Formula 1 starts but was testing for McLaren at Barber in order to evaluate a potential switch to IndyCar, having not raced full-time since 2019. Hulkenberg completed over 100 laps and was around a second away from the fastest time of the day on his first outing, and told RACER afterwards that it took a while to get comfortable with such a different car. “It took definitely the morning,” Hulkenberg said. “There was some other stuff here such as with the aeroscreen, there was not much air coming in and I had trouble with that in the morning, so it was a little bit difficult and tricky to feel immediately very happy in the car from a physical point of view. “Then by lunchtime I felt like I made some good progress, and felt a bit more in the groove, and also the lap times and the performance started to come in by then. “I definitely need to hit the gym! I can confirm that these are steering monsters! Wow. It’s always different when you experience it yourself, but the steering loads are pretty impressive, very heavy. With these cars the G-forces are still there, obviously not as extreme as F1 but still there is G going on, and the steering loads combined with that make it a very physical car.” But given how long he’s waited to be able to drive a single-seater – his last appearance in F1 came at the Eifel Grand Prix over a year ago – Hulkenberg was pleased to be able to get back behind the wheel. “It’s been a year since I’ve been in a race car ,so first of all that was quite nice again,” he said. “Obviously quite different from a Formula 1 car, just the whole sensation, the experience, the sound, the seating position – everything is different. So I had to get my head around that, but I think it was a good and successful day from my point of view, and I’m happy to have had the opportunity here today. It was great fun.” The 34-year-old noted how familiar the way of working was between IndyCar and F1, despite the different cars. “Working with the team was good,” he said. “Very professional. Pretty F1-style, I would say. Obviously it’s different out here over by the pit wall and stuff, but in terms of how they work and what you talk about and everything, it’s very similar to Formula 1.”

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Aston Martin not letting go of Vettel any soon ‘he effectively pays his own salary’

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel is a “finished man” but it is unlikely that the Aston Martin F1 Team will fire him, former F3000 driver Jason Watt has said. Vettel has struggled in the opening two rounds of the 2021 Championship with Aston Martin, and Watt said it is clear that he is still under pressure despite him leaving Ferrari at the end of 2020. However, Watt believes Aston Martin won’t sack the German even if his form doesn’t improve, as “he effectively pays his own salary.” “Vettel is a finished man. It’s a very long time since he did anything good. He also makes many mistakes and looks like a man under pressure,” Watt said. “I don’t know if he can keep it up mentally. I do hope he stays the year, because he’s probably clinging to the hope that things will start to go his way all of a sudden.” Continuing, he said: “People talk about him being an expensive guy for the team, but you also have to consider that he will have attracted a lot of sponsorship money, so he effectively pays his own salary.” While there’s no doubt that Vettel’s start to life as an Aston Martin driver hasn’t exactly gone to plan, it’s far too early to say he’s a “finished man.” Firstly, it should be recognised that all drivers who have joined new teams this season are struggling, so Vettel being outperformed by Lance Stroll shouldn’t be a major cause for concern for him at this point. Furthermore, as Vettel completed the fewest number of laps of any driver during pre-season testing in Bahrain, due to a number of reliability issues on his AMR21, it’s not surprising that he is struggling after just two races with his new team. Lastly, we need to take into account Aston Martin falling down the pecking order this season and currently having one of the slowest cars on the grid. Even if they are able to improve their package and get on top of the issues that are hurting their performance, it’s unlikely they will recover to having the third-fastest car on the grid, as they did last season. So, we shouldn’t expect podiums from Vettel this year, but as long as he can outscore or at least match Stroll over the course of 2021, his move to Aston Martin can be considered a success and will leave them in a strong position for 2022 when F1’s new regulations will be introduced.

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Valentino Rossi’s farewell at Misano was filled with great emotion after a stunning performance

Kevin Peterson06 mins

Nine-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi is proud to bid farewell to his home Misano MotoGP fans with a decent race, Sunday’s ‘Grazie Vale’ tributes a ‘great surprise’. Valentino Rossi passed the last major milestone before the official end of his MotoGP career with an ’emotional’ final home race in Emilia Romagna GP at his local Misano circuit on Sunday. While tenth place couldn’t compare with his past victories at the circuit, it was a ‘decent’ result from 23rd and last on the grid. That matched Rossi’s best dry result of a difficult season as he overtook Petronas Yamaha team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, injured factory Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli, Ducati wild-card Michele Pirro before passing KTM’s Brad Binder on the final lap. Ever the racer, Rossi was proud to have put on a fighting display to the chequered flag, but his finishing position was probably immaterial for the Covid-capacity 35,000 fans, most of whom were present simply to say farewell to The Doctor. The yellow grandstands would have been left deflated had Rossi crashed out, but instead the Italian was able to soak up the applause and ‘fantastic’ atmosphere of his final Misano slow down lap. “I’m very happy about today, especially because I did a decent race and it’s the best way to say ‘ciao’,” Rossi said. “I didn’t want to make a bad race and stay behind. Starting from the back of the grid is always difficult, but I knew my potential was better in the full dry [after a damp qualifying] and I felt good with the bike and tyres. “I was able to make some overtaking and have some battles until the last lap. “So it’s the best way to say ‘ciao’ to all the crowd, because there was a fantastic atmosphere around the track and a lot of fans on Sunday. It was very emotional.” The 42-year-old showed his appreciation by throwing his final special helmet design, featuring a yellow heart, into the crowd, a gesture rarely seen during his racing career. “I tried to enjoy this moment because a lot of my close friends said ‘go out and enjoy because Sunday will be great’. Like a big hug from all the fans. But I also want to make a good race, ride at my maximum and try to have a good result,” Rossi said. “So I’m very happy especially for this and it was a great emotion after the flag, I enjoyed a lot.” Adding to the usual yellow Misano haze were special ‘Grazie Vale’ tributes, including a special bright yellow livery on the VR46 bikes of Rossi’s brother Luca Marini plus Moto2 riders Marco Bezzecchi and Celestino Vietti. “Usually I don’t like surprises, I want to know everything!” said Rossi. “But this was a great surprise. I’m very happy. I have to say thank you to Uccio all my team, and to Sky. I like a lot.” When asked on whether Misano fans will remember him as the nine-time MotoGP World Champion 30 years from now Rossi said, “Misano is my home grand prix and my home circuit. It’s 10 kilometres from my house and we are very lucky to have a circuit like this close to our house because we feel like home and it’s not normal.” “MotoGP raced in Misano from 2007, so not in all my career but I was able to win three times. Especially the last time in 2014 was great,” Rossi continued. “So I hope that all the people remember this, all the good races, all the fights and all the enjoyment. “I think a lot of fans followed MotoGP because they enjoyed a lot my races. So I hope a lot they remember these special moments, like today, because also today was good.” Just two more races, at Portimao and then Valencia, now remain before the end of Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP career.

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Masi to discuss ‘marginal’ Kimi Raikkonen’s move on Alonso with F1 drivers

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Michael Masi admits the call not to penalise Kimi Raikkonen for passing Fernando Alonso off the track at the US Grand Prix was “marginal”. But, says the FIA race director, it came down to the fact that Alonso pushed the Alfa Romeo off the track, he didn’t run wide by himself. Alonso was annoyed with F1’s race stewards after the US Grand Prix, saying the “rules are a little bit random” and that the fans had been deprived of a good show because of it. The Spaniard’s complaint boiled down to his lap 16 battle with Raikkonen where the Finn gained a position off the track. “I can understand his frustration,” Masi said. “I’ve not heard his frustration, but I can understand it. “The call with regards to him and Kimi at Turn 1 was certainly marginal. And something we’ll have a discussion with the next drivers meeting with all the drivers about it. “I think there were two parts to the story, obviously the overtake and looking at the forcing off track. And then the subsequent element of the overtake. “It’s something we’ll discuss as a group at the next meeting.” The difference between a penalty and not a penalty, Masi agreed was because Alonso had forced Raikkonen off the track, the Finn hasn’t gone off himself and gained an advantage. “Correct,” Masi said. “You hit the nail on the head. That’s why it was a marginal call. “There were obviously the two elements of it looked at and it was determined on that basis. “Marginally they made the decision ‘let’s just leave it as it is’. “But there is certainly no doubt it will be discussed at the next drivers’ meeting.” That wasn’t Alonso’s only tangle with an Alfa Romeo driver, the Spaniard going on to battle Antonio Giovinazzi. In that chain of events, the Alpine driver had to let the Italian pass after he went off at Turn 12 and gained an advantage. And then Giovinazzi had to do the same, also running wide at Turn 12 and gaining metres of the Spaniard. “Slightly ironic that happened,” said Masi as per The Race, adding “anyone can see the irony of that situation.

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Martin Brundle snubbed by Tennis superstar Serena Williams at the US Grand Prix

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Formula One commentator Martin Brundle was snubbed by Serena Williams as he tried to interview her on the grid for the United States Grand Prix. Brundle has become renowned for his pre-race gridwalks, during which he interviews any driver, team member or celebrity he comes across. It was no different for yesterday’s US Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Texas, but Brundle’s interview attempts did not quite go to plan. The Brit was snubbed by a couple of American celebrities, including 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams. “Let’s wander down here, we’ve got Rory McIlroy and Serena Williams,” Brundle said during his coverage of the race for Sky Sports. “Venus[Serena Williams’ sister] wasn’t that keen to talk to me five years ago, I don’t know if I’ll get a double fault or an ace.” Brundle then waited for Williams to finish her conversation with fellow sports star McIlroy, before asking the American for an interview. “Serena, may I have a chat? Serena, are you good for a chat,” Brundle asked. “Martin Brundle, British TV.” Williams did not react to the question, either failing to hear the commentator or deliberately ignoring him. Either way, Brundle took his rejection well, joking: “It’s a double fault, it’s a double fault.” Brundle received most attention for failing to instigate a conversation with American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. He was turned away from the celebrity after asking her if she had “any rap for us today on Formula One?” Red Bull’s Max Verstappen went on to win the US Grand Prix race in Austin, holding off rival Lewis Hamilton to secure his eighth victory of the season and double his lead in the standings. Williams attended the Grand Prix with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The pair would have been disappointed by the result, as they were likely in attendance to support their close friend Hamilton. Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, has often been seen supporting Williams at Wimbledon and other major tournaments.

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Kyle Larson claims third win in a row at Kansas Speedway

Kevin Peterson011 mins

Kyle Larson capped off a dominate performance at Kansas Speedway on Sunday by winning the Hollywood Casino 400. After leading 130 laps, he claimed his third-consecutive win and his ninth, overall, of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. “I felt like I did an okay job trying to hold those guys off as long as I could, on older tires,” Larson said. “But, yeah, and then I just got a little too impatient and the race was kind of closing down in the end. I got loose off of [turn] two and got in the wall and thought for sure my chances of winning were done. But I had a couple of good restarts that worked out for me. The #4 [Kevin Harvick] got to the # 9’s [Chase Elliott] inside at the flag stand and kind of choked that lane up and got me clear to the lead. Had to do some blocking there, and Chase was really fast at the end. So I’m glad I didn’t have to fight him too much.” One of Larson’s teammates, reigning Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, finished second for a Hendrick Motorsports one-two finish after getting into the wall in the final five laps in an attempt to challenge his teammate for the lead and eventual win. “Really proud of the effort. Our entire NAPA Chevrolet team did a great job today, and I felt like we had something for Kyle, there,” Elliott said. “Just got the wall there off of [turn] two. It’s so hard to get up to him when you are running the fence like that. It’s just tough because every few feet you get closer, the harder it gets. It was a lot of fun. I’m really proud of the way we ran today. I feel like it was a really nice step in the right direction.” Kevin Harvick finished third, Kurt Busch was fourth, and Denny Hamlin finished fifth. The Hendrick Motorsports trio of Larson, William Byron and Elliott combined to dominate the race on the 17thanniversary of a plane crash that claimed the life of team owner Rick Hendrick’s son Ricky Hendrick, along with other Hendrick family members and Hendrick Motorsports employees on the way to Martinsville Speedway. “Yes, I want to dedicate this win to Rick and Linda,” Larson said. “I didn’t ever get to meet Ricky or the other men and women who lost their lives that day, but I felt the importance of this race, no doubt. It’s crazy how it kind of all worked out there for me to win. I know they were all looking down and helping me out there with all the restarts and stuff after getting into the wall. Again, thank you to Rick Hendrick. I know this means a lot to you and I’m glad I could get it done. It’s cool to get another win and I don’t really know how that happened, but our HendrickCars.com Chevy was really fast. I thought we were like a third-place car, really. William was really good. I hate to see that unfortunate luck, there, again for that team. They’ve been really, really strong. I’m glad we could capitalize and get another win. I hope we can go to Martinsville and get a clock.” All three drivers led laps in each of the two 80-lap stages with Larson winning stage one at lap 80 and Byron taking the stage two win on lap 160 of the 267-lap race. Larson started on the pole and dominated the first stage that included a brief red flag for precipitation and lightning. Byron’s crew chief, Rudy Fugle, sustained a weather-related injury during the red flag when wind blew a canopy from atop the #24 pit box and debris struck Fugle in the head. After a visit to the Kansas Speedway infield care center, Fugle returned to his post. After potting during the caution that followed the weather delay, Matt DiBenedetto took fuel only during a lap-23 caution for Kyle Busch after Busch hit the wall because of a flat right-front tire. As a result, DiBenedetto was first for the restart. Larson retook the lead on lap 30. Elliott and Byron, then each led a few laps before Larson moved back into the position on lap 37. The HMS trio ran first through third throughout the remainder of the first stage and most of the laps that made up stage two. Kyle Busch was one of four playoff drivers to suffer a tire problem in the first stage. Flat right-rear tires resulted in unscheduled green-flag pit stops for Brad Keselowski on lap 39, Martin Truex Jr. on lap 53 and Ryan Blaney on lap 71. Busch hit the wall, again, with another flat tire on lap 133. Blaney wrecked after contact with Austin Dillon on lap 224. “Yeah, we got run into from two lanes below me,” Blaney said. “I have no idea. Obviously, it hurts. Finishing 37th is not prime. We didn’t have a great day but we did a good job of fighting back and getting back into the top-10, but then, just got wiped out when we had plenty of room. That sucks. It is very unfortunate.” Larson continued to lead early in the second stage with his teammates in tow. Elliott, though, took the lead on lap 88 and maintained the position until a cycle of green-flag pit stops in the middle of the stage. When the cycle finally completed when Joey Logano gave up the lead to pit on lap 145, Byron was the leader to take the stage win 15 laps later. Larson led early in the 107-lap third and final stage of the race after beating Byron off pit road, but on lap 186, Byron took the top position. An extra pit stop for a loose lug nut during a caution for a Ryan Newman spin on lap 218 cost Byron his lead. Instead, Kurt Busch restarted with the lead on lap 223. When the race returned…

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Rumours Audi will partner with Williams, Porsche with McLaren

Kevin Peterson01 mins

Two Volkswagen carmakers are looking to enter Formula 1 from 2026, according to the major German newspaper Bild. However, while it was already known that Audi or Porsche might be looking to tie up with Red Bull’s post-Honda future, other F1 teams might also benefit. “It’s great that big brands are interested in getting into Formula 1,” Toto Wolff is quoted as saying when asked if Mercedes would welcome more German manufacturers to the grid. Bild claims a works VW team is unlikely, with the more probable solution being Audi power for Red Bull but possibly also the currently Mercedes-powered Williams. Porsche, meanwhile, could link up with its historical engine partner McLaren, which is led by German team boss Andreas Seidl, who previously led Porsche to success at Le Mans. Formula 1 is changing the engine regulations for 2026 to make the power units cheaper, more environmentally friendly, louder and more competitive.

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Red Bull wants FIA to inspect Mercedes rear suspension

Kevin Peterson05 mins

Red Bull are reported to have asked the FIA to examine the Mercedes rear suspension, which Christian Horner discussed in Austin. Horner, the Red Bull team principal, made reference to a “straight-line device” that lowers the rear of the car, increasing the top speed of the W12 and which he believed had helped Mercedes considerably at the Turkish Grand Prix won by Valtteri Bottas. Now, Auto Motor und Sport are reporting Red Bull “made the FIA take a closer look at the rear suspension of the Silver Arrows” in regard to its legality – but that the “investigation was inconclusive”. However, rather than being an innovation, the report says seven other teams do the same thing, some “apparently even more radically than Mercedes” – and that Ferrari have admitted it has been a “normal set-up tool” of theirs for years. Also, that Mercedes “have had this system on board for years”, with the rear axle unchanged since the start of the 2020 season. An engineer is quoted as saying: “It was one of the homologated parts for us. We couldn’t change it at all. So the effects have always remained the same.” Auto Motor und Sport quote Horner as saying the effect of the ‘device’ was reduced at Austin, venue for the US Grand Prix, compared to the previous circuits of Sochi and Istanbul Park where Lewis Hamilton and Bottas respectively were the winners. “The advantage varies from track to track,” said Horner. “Here [Austin] it is less because there are enough fast corners where you can’t lower the rear too far without losing downforce. So they can’t benefit that much on the straights either. “At Sochi and Istanbul it was possible. Mercedes took seven tenths off us on the straights.” Toto Wolff said on the opening day of action in Austin that talk about the ‘device’ was just “noise” – and the Mercedes team principal appeared amused that the World Championship rivals were bothering themselves with a matter he clearly considered to be somewhat trivial. “As long as they want to waste their energies on something like that, it can only be fine with us,” Wolff is quoted as saying. But the report concludes by saying that even if nothing untoward was found on the Mercedes, Red Bull did at least succeed in taking up the valuable time of some of their rivals’ personnel that could have otherwise been spent elsewhere. Mercedes did change the floor of their cars after Friday’s practices but that, it is said, was more to do with the height than a reaction to Red Bull’s request. Wolff conceded at the time that it cost Mercedes pace, with Max Verstappen taking both pole position and the United States GP win.

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Max Verstappen extends title lead after winning US Grand Prix, Hamilton second

Kevin Peterson07 mins

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has won the United States Grand Prix, converting his pole position into victory and thus extending his lead in the World Championship. Lewis Hamilton, who started second, got the better of Verstappen heading into Turn 1, only for the Red Bull driver to retake the lead thanks a well-timed undercut during the first round of pit stops. Although Hamilton battled back on fresher tyres in the closing stages, it was to no avail, with the Red Bull driver claiming his eighth win of the season. The final podium spot went to the second Red Bull car of Sergio Perez, who finished eight seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The two championship rivals wasted no time in getting the action underway. Both got off the line well, and although Verstappen tried to squeeze Hamilton into Turn 1, it didn’t work out. The Mercedes driver squeezed through down the inside, pushing Verstappen into the run off area. As a result, the Dutchman dropped all the way down to third, however Perez ceded his position to his teammate immediately. Behind them, Ferrari and McLaren got into an early tussle as well, with Lando Norris battling it out with Carlos Sainz. In the end, it was Ricciardo who benefited from the battle, as he found his way past the Ferrari to take fifth. Further back, Nicholas Latifi and Lance Stroll collided – with the Aston Martin driver in turn blocking his compatriot, while Esteban Ocon was forced to pit on Lap 4 following contact with an Alfa Romeo. Drivers settled into their positions from there, with Hamilton stating over the radio that Verstappen had the quicker car. Although the Red Bull driver remained with DRS range, he failed to really challenge his Mercedes rival for the lead. Things changed on Lap 11. With Verstappen complaining his tyres were overheating, Red Bull called him in early in an attempt to undercut Hamilton, and the move paid off as he took the lead when Hamilton pitted for new tyres on Lap 14. With a six-second lead in hand, Verstappen settled in as race leader while Pierre Gasly, who had some engine concerns in the minutes leading up to the start, became the first retirement of the race on Lap 15. A rear-suspension issue was to blame, though the Frenchman was able to bring his AlphaTauri car back into the pits. He would be joined by Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso later in the race. Hamilton began to eat into Verstappen’s advantage, the Mercedes driver continuing his charge after a very brief Virtual Safety Car period for debris on Lap 28. Thus, in an effort to cover against the undercut, Red Bull pitted Verstappen for new tyres on Lap 29. Mercedes kept Hamilton out on track, with their sights set on having the advantage in the closing stages of the race, while Valtteri Bottas pitted in an attempt to make something happen strategically. It wasn’t meant to be for the Finn however, as he finished the race down in P6. Hamilton finally pitted on Lap 37 for a new set of Hards, with Mercedes getting him out in just 2.4s, but 8.5s back of Verstappen. That advantage quickly disappeared, with Verstappen slowed down by traffic and Hamilton decidedly quicker on his fresher tyres. Despite Hamilton’s best efforts, Verstappen crossed the line in the end to take victory by less than two seconds, while Perez finished a distant third. Behind the top three, Charles Leclerc brought his Ferrari home in fourth spot after being locked into the position for much of the race, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. 2021 F1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX – RESULTS POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 56 Laps 2 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team + 1.333s 3 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing + 42.223s 4 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow + 52.246s 5 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team + 76.854s 6 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team + 80.128s 7 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow + 83.545s 8 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team + 84.395s 9 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda + 1 Lap 10 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team + 1 Lap 11 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen + 1 Lap 12 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team + 1 Lap 13 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen + 1 Lap 14 George Russell GBR Williams Racing + 1 Lap 15 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing + 1 Lap 16 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team + 2 Laps 17 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team + 2 Laps DNF Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team DNF DNF Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team DNF DNF Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda DNF

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Awkward moments as Martin Brundle attempts to interview Megan Thee Stallion at the US Grand Prix

Kevin Peterson01 mins

After taking 2020 off due to the Covid pandemic, the Martin Brundle grid walk is officially back. The legendary Sky Sports journalist has made a name for himself over the years by attempting to interview celebrities at F1 events which has produced plenty of trainwreck moments. On Sunday, before the F1 US Grand Prix, Brundle delivered his most awkward interview to date when he asked rapper Megan Thee Stallion to rap for the cameras while members of her entourage repeatedly rebuffed Brundle during a live TV shot.

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Rumours Daniel Ricciardo is dating Gerhard Berger’s daughter, Heidi Berger

Kevin Peterson05 mins

McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo is rumoured to have struck up a romance with aspiring actress Heidi Berger. The New York based beauty, 24, who is a student at New York University, is the daughter of Austrian F1 driver Gerhard Berger. Fans noticed the pair have been spending time together, with celebrity gossip site Deux Moi reporting that they recently celebrated Daniel’s 32nd birthday together in Austria. According to reports, they have been spotted together in New York in the past week, shopping and enjoying brunch, as well as entering a hotel. They were also seen together in a video where they were riding in a helicopter in St Tropez, a town on the French Riviera, back in June. Heidi is additionally believed to be the woman seen in an Instagram post shared by Daniel – in the image, he is jokingly flipping a woman off during a hike in Los Angeles, while concealing her identity with an emoji. Daniel is known for keeping his private life a closely guarded secret. His last public relationship was with long-term girlfriend Jemma Boskovich before the pair split in 2016. In 2018, it was reported that model Jessica Gomes, 36, was ‘discreetly seeing’ the Formula One driver. It comes after a TikTok star recalled a wild night she once shared in Ibiza with the racing driver. Sara Ayter described Daniel, as the ‘coolest human’ after he apparently invited her and two pals to a boat party upon meeting on the nearby island of Formentera in 2019. ‘We were taking pictures in Beso Beach, and three guys came up to us and said they were going back to Ibiza on their private boat and asked us if we wanted to join,’ she began. After enjoying a thrilling ride around the islands, the trio were then asked to join Daniel and his pals for a house party – and she started to believe he was famous thanks to seeing his ‘blue tick on Instagram’. ‘Then we ended up going to their house – it was the best house I’ve ever been to,’ she added. ‘We had drinks, we played games, we stayed over. The day after I was swimming in the pool and Daniel was the only one awake. I was cold and he asked me if I wanted his shirt, so I swam with his shirt.’ While there’s no suggestion that anything romantic happened between the pair, Sara was incredibly complimentary of how the star behaved towards her and her friends. ‘He was the entire time making sure we were alright. They were so, so nice. He was the coolest human,’ she said. ‘Daniel was the entire time dancing, making jokes, smiling. Like has a huge heart. Now we finally know who he is!’

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Bagnaia frustrated after Emilia Romagna GP crash, says it was ‘win or gravel’

Kevin Peterson05 mins

Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia trailed Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo by 52 points coming into this weekend’s Misano race and only needed to be outscored by three for the championship to go to Quartararo. The Ducati rider led for the first 22 of 27 laps on Sunday from pole and was on course to keep the championship rolling to Portugal, as Quartararo’s recovery from 15th on the grid was set to end with fifth. But Bagnaia crashed at the penultimate corner on lap 23, leaving Quartararo to celebrate France’s first MotoGP world title. Bagnaia joined Ducati teammate Jack Miller in making a late change to the hard front tyre, which both admitted was a gamble in the cooler conditions but one that was working. However, it would ultimately lead to both riders crashing out of the race at the penultimate corner. “This for sure was not that because I lost concentration,” Bagnaia said of his title-ending crash. “I was pushing, today was either winning or gravel, and I tried all to achieve this win and I crashed. “The tyre choice was, I think, good because this was the only one that was helping me on the braking and the medium for me was worse than the soft. “Soft was already on the limit yesterday and this morning, so the hard was the correct choice. “The only thing was that you just needed to push every single lap like hell, to get the tyre hot, so this lap maybe I braked a little early in Turn 8 and, nothing. “What I just want to say is that we’re working a lot. It was difficult this weekend. The pace was stronger than five weeks ago [when I won the San Marino GP at Misano]. “So, we have to be happy about this. But for sure we are frustrated in this moment. “But it’s something that we have to be happy with because today we demonstrated that we were on top again.” Bagnaia was one of the first to congratulate Quartararo in pitlane after the Yamaha rider won the title and says he was “more deserving” of the championship. “I’m happy about my performance of today. For sure I’m a bit frustrated about the result because I think that we were deserving more but we just try to be always more competitive and for the next year we are for sure in a good way,” Bagnaia added. “And I told just to Fabio that he deserved this title. “For sure he was he was the one that was more deserving this title, so I’m happy for him and last year he was in my situation because was the first time he was winning like this and he committed errors in the last part of the season. “I’m in this situation now this year and for the next year I think we will come back more prepared.”

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Wet Emilia Romagna GP practices helped Marc Marquez win

Kevin Peterson03 mins

six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez tallied up his third win of the 2021 season after inheriting victory when long-time leader Francesco Bagnaia crashed out on lap 23, ending his title hopes. Marquez had shadowed Bagnaia for most of the race, piling the pressure on him as he did at Aragon last month, but had just conceded defeat when the Ducati rider crashed. The Honda rider was left to lead the first factory Honda 1-2 since Aragon 2017, and to claim his first win on a clockwise circuit since Japan 2019. Marquez has been limited by the physical condition of his recovering right shoulder in 2021, but says the fact much of the weekend was affected by rain meant he came into Sunday’s Misano race feeling “fresh”. “This year I realised the qualifying practice is not my best point, or my strongest point, so then I started to focus a lot on the starts,” Marquez said after starting from seventh. “I started really good, really fast, from seventh to third in the first lap because I knew both Ducati riders will push from the beginning. “In fact, when I saw the laptime in the beginning was 1m32.2s, I say ‘OK, what’s going on here’ because yesterday I was struggling to do 1m33.8s. “But today the feeling was there, the bike was working good. “Especially also the last laps, the distance between me and the others was very big and it’s something also that is important because in the end to have this margin, I was able to ride in a good way because in the last laps I was struggling a bit with my physical condition. “But the fact that all weekend was in wet conditions, [this] gave me the chance to have the first Sunday where I arrived [to the race] fresh to ride with energy. “When I woke up I said ‘OK, I feel the arm is there, I have power’.”

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