Racetrackmasters

Friday’s FP1 in Portugal marked the first time in 265 days six-time world champion Marc Marquez started an official MotoGP session, having suffered a serious arm break in the 2020 season-opener at Jerez. Overnight rain left the Algarve circuit damp in places, which meant lap times started at around 15 seconds slower than the benchmark laps from last year. As conditions continued to improve, so did the session-best laps, with a number of riders taking turns leading the timesheets. Yamaha’s Vinales took over from reigning world champion Joan Mir with 16 minutes to go with a 1m44.777s, which he improved on his following tour to a 1m44.334s. Francesco Bagnaia moved his factory Ducati ahead of the Qatar GP race winner with a 1m44.239s moments later, before Vinales dipped under the 1m44s bracket with a 1m43.544s. The timing screen continued to light up as the opening 45-minute session of the weekend drew to a close, the returning Marquez serving a brief stint at the top of the pile with a 1m43.544s. The Honda rider remained fastest for all of 10 seconds, before Bagnaia blasted his effort away with a 1m42.934s. Amidst the flurry of laps at the end of the session, Marquez looked set to steal all the headlines when he shot back to the top of the order with a 1m42.378s on his final effort. But faster laps for both Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Vinales denied this, the Yamaha rider setting the pace at 1m42.127s to lead Rins by 0.151s. Marquez held onto third, 0.251s off Vinales’ pace ahead of Honda teammate Pol Espargaro, while championship leader Johann Zarco was fifth on his Pramac Ducati. Bagnaia was shuffled back to sixth at the end ahead of Fabio Quartararo on the sister works Yamaha and Jack Miller on second factory team Ducati – the Australian fresh from arm pump surgery last week. Alex Marquez was ninth on the LCR Honda ahead of Tech 3 KTM’s Danilo Petrucci, who revealed on Thursday he suffered a dislocated shoulder last month in Qatar. Valentino Rossi was 11th on the Petronas SRT Yamaha, while champion Mir was 13th ahead of the other SRT bike of Franco Morbidelli. Last year’s Portugal race winner Miguel Oliveira made a low-key start to his home weekend in the iffy conditions down in 17th on the factory team KTM, while teammate Brad Binder rounded out the 22-strong field. Cla # Rider Bike Time Gap 1 12 Maverick Vinales Yamaha 1’42.127   2 42 Alex Rins Suzuki 1’42.278 0.151 3 93 Marc Marquez Honda 1’42.378 0.251 4 44 Pol Espargaro Honda 1’42.382 0.255 5 5 Johann Zarco Ducati 1’42.443 0.316 6 63 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 1’42.464 0.337 7 20 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 1’42.528 0.401 8 43 Jack Miller Ducati 1’42.536 0.409 9 73 Alex Marquez Honda 1’42.781 0.654 10 9 Danilo Petrucci KTM 1’42.957 0.830 11 46 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1’43.013 0.886 12 30 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 1’43.036 0.909 13 36 Joan Mir Suzuki 1’43.060 0.933 14 21 Franco Morbidelli Yamaha 1’43.243 1.116 15 32 Lorenzo Salvadori Aprilia 1’43.539 1.412 16 89 Jorge Martin Ducati 1’43.702 1.575 17 88 Miguel Oliveira KTM 1’44.000 1.873 18 10 Luca Marini Ducati 1’44.602 2.475 19 27 Iker Lecuona KTM 1’44.967 2.840 20 23 Enea Bastianini Ducati 1’45.325 3.198 21 41 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1’45.335 3.208 22 33 Brad Binder KTM 1’47.774 5.647

Haas’ Nikita Mazepin endured a troublesome debut in Bahrain with two spins in qualifying before he crashed out just three corners into the race. His woes continued in the hour-long opening practice session at Imola. Mazepin spun into the gravel exiting Rivazza 2 early on in the session and then came to grief at the same corner just as the chequered flag was flown. Mazepin made contact with the outside wall, causing damage to the Haas VF-21, which came to a halt just shy of the pit lane entry. Williams’ Nicholas Latifi slid off the Imola track and into the gravel during first practice for the 2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The first practice session at Imola has been red flagged with twenty minutes to go, as a result of a bizarre incident between Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. The exact circumstances are yet to emerge, due to technical issues with Formula 1’s world feed for broadcasters. Footage of the incident hasn’t been released, but Perez and Ocon appear to have made contact entering the Villeneuve chicane. Perez was left facing the wrong way with a blown left rear tyre, while there was minor right front damage to Ocon’s Alpine. Both clambered free under the red flag, while the cars were recovered.

Lewis Hamilton thoroughly enjoyed watching Sergio Perez being put through his paces judging by his latest Instagram story. In the three-week break between Bahrain and Imola (which was painful enough), Perez showed it was far from a relaxing time off as he posted a video of one of his workout routines at the Athlete Performance Centre used by both Red Bull drivers. Catching up on events ahead of the Imola GP weekend, Hamilton was very amused when he saw poor Perez going through what looked like a brutal session. Hamilton also had a great plan for the cold weather expected at Imola throughout the weekend, donning one of the tyre covers in between his media duties on Thursday.

There is a way for Formula 1 to revive its iconic normally-aspirated engines whilst ramping up its green credentials. That is the view of former F1 driver Lucas di Grassi, who now races for Audi in Formula E. The Brazilian thinks Formula 1 should abandon its hybrid engines and instead focus exclusively on the “development and use of e-fuels”. “Then you can bring back V10, V8 and still be relevant into the zero net carbon industry without (the sport) losing its identity,” di Grassi said. “This is proper sustainability for F1, not the green-washing we see today with planting trees and other good PR to look sustainable. Spend the money and ingenuity into getting cheap, clean e-fuels.”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has called for a second DRS zone to be introduced at Imola to encourage overtaking at the track which is holding the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix this weekend. Drivers can only use their Drag Reduction System once per lap along the pit straight. This zone, which has been extended for F1’s return, leads from the high-speed final corner of track down to the first braking zone at the second corner, Tamburello.But Verstappen, who spent much of last year’s race trying to overtake Valtteri Bottas, expects it will still be “super hard” to overtake even when the longer DRS zone is used. The activation zone lasts almost a kilometre on a track which is 4.9km long. The detection point is positioned at the end of another straight which leads to the Rivazza left-handers towards the end of the lap, another favoured overtaking place. Verstappen believes this would be a good spot for another DRS zone. “We can easily have one out of the [Alta] chicane,” he said. “That would help a lot because then you get a bit closer for the last two corners. Because you lose so much time in the last two corners that even when you put the DRS a bit earlier, you will not arrive in time for turn one.“Turn one is super narrow and it’s a fast corner, so it’s difficult to really out-brake someone. So I don’t think [the longer zone is] going to help a lot.” Last year Imola made its first appearance on the F1 calendar since 2006 when it was drafted in at late notice. It was a substitute addition to the 2021 calendar too, its place on the schedule only having been announced three months ago. Just six overtaking moves were recorded during the inaugural Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The next-lowest of 2020 was the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone, with 19 passes.

Formula 1 says talks continue with promoters despite reports the Canadian Grand Prix will be cancelled for the second straight year. The race, scheduled for June 13 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, was set to be the first outside of Europe and the Middle East since the Covid-19 pandemic began over a year ago. But current quarantine guidelines in Canada, which F1 would be unable to follow, and concerns from public health authorities that the event could be a Covid ‘superspreader’ with fans in attendance means there has been a recent push towards holding the race behind closed doors. For that to happen, it was claimed F1 is demanding an extra $6m from local governments to cover the costs of holding the race without fans, creating another hurdle on the race’s path. “We are told [that] because there won’t be any spectators there would have to be compensation from the government, and we already have given quite a lot,” said Quebec Premier Francois Legault via Motorsport Week. “The worry we have is if we don’t have the Grand Prix in 2021, what will happen in 2022, between 2022 and 2029, because, let’s not forget, the Grand Prix is the event where there’s about the most real economic [benefit] as that is money that comes from foreign lands and is spent here in Quebec. “Of course we always make sure that the help that is given [to the event] is less to the real economic advantages in Quebec, and there’s no conclusions on that right now.” But with a final call needed imminently to prepare the circuit or find a replacement, local media declared on Thursday that the decision had been taken to cancel. “We are continuing our discussions with the promoter in Canada and have no further comment,” an F1 spokesperson said in response.

Pirelli has presented the trophies for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. They look very different from the trophies of 2020: at that time, a design with the layout of the circuit was chosen, with the particularity of a diamond at the Tamburello corner, where Ayrton Senna crashed in 1994. Now, an artistic design in the form of a lightning bolt has been chosen. As title sponsor of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Pirelli is responsible for the trophies awarded to the top three. They have opted for an artistic approach, having the trophies designed by artist Alice Ronchi. Ronchi has chosen a lightning bolt, taking inspiration from the Greek god Zeus. “I see the lightning bolt as a symbol of strength, speed and excitement,” explains Ronchi, “hopefully this trophy will provide a new, narrative aspect.”

Track limits rules have been announced by the FIA for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna GP after a controversial season-opener which saw Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes consistently running wide to gain an advantage. Hamilton ran off the track at turn four at least 29 times before the stewards told the drivers to stop abusing the track limits in Bahrain during the middle of the race. There was further controversy when Max Verstappen overtook Hamilton off the track at the same corner before being told to give the position back. The FIA have now clarified track limits regulations for Imola, saying if a driver goes off the track three times, they will receive a black and white flag. Any further offences will then be reported to the stewards. The corners that are being monitored are the exit of Turn 9, the apex of Turn 13 and the exit of Turn 15. There is no reference to the final corner which saw drivers running all-four wheels off the circuit in 2020, meaning the last turn will not be monitored. The FIA rules state the following under article 21.4. General – Turn 9 Exit, Turn 13 Apex and Turn 15 Exit a) Each time any car fails to negotiate Turn 9 Exit, Turn 13 Apex or Turn 15 Exit by using thetrack as described above, teams will be informed via the official messaging system. b) On the third occasion of a driver failing to negotiate Turn 9 Exit and/or Turn 13 Apex and/orTurn 15 Exit by using the track during the race, he will be shown a black and white flag, anyfurther cutting will then be reported to the stewards. For the avoidance of doubt this means atotal of three occasions combined not three at each corner. c) In all cases detailed above, the driver must only re-join the track when it is safe to do so andwithout gaining a lasting advantage. d) The above requirements will not automatically apply to any driver who is judged to have been forced off the track, each such case will be judged individually.

We might see Daniil Kvyat in an Alpine car this weekend. On social media there are several rumours that Esteban Ocon or Fernando Alonso have tested positive for coronavirus. The French racing team keeps its lips sealed for now. Several Italian media outlets have reported that one of the two Alpine drivers is suffering from a coronavirus infection. Daniil Kvyat came over from AlphaTauri last winter as a test and reserve driver and would be the right person to replace him. Via Instagram, Kvyat has revealed that he will be at the Imola circuit for this weekend’s Grand Prix. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the rumour is true, as it happens more often than not that spare drivers accompany the team to the GP’s, but it does make the rumour a bit more credible. This afternoon the press conferences are scheduled. We will find out if Kyvat’s presence will be necessary or not for this weekend in Italy. Formula 1 journalist Jon Noble reported on Thursday morning that there is no truth to the rumours of a corona infection in Fernando Alonso or Esteban Ocon. The two regular drivers can therefore simply come into action this weekend at Imola. There were a few wild stories floating around earlier that either Fernando Alonso or Esteban Ocon could be out of Imola race due to positive Covid test, with Daniil Kvyat on standby. The reports are complete nonsense.

Miami Gardens city commissioners have voted in favor of a new resolution to bring Formula One racing to Hard Rock Stadium, but their decision has left some residents upset. Residents spent Wednesday night outside of city hall to show their opposition to the event. They aimed their anger and frustration at Miami Gardens’ leaders after many were blindsided by the commission, who, they said, initially voted not to bringing the sport to the venue, but that changed with a new resolution. “Our city council has flip-flopped on us, and it makes us very angry,” resident Brenda Martin Providence said. “They was telling the residents, the voters, to trust in them, believe in them, hold us accountable,” resident Sharon Frazer Stephens said. “That was one of their main words: hold us accountable, so a promise made was a promise not kept.” During the meeting, commissioners listened to nearly two hours of public comments from residents who shared their thoughts. “We didn’t come here to fight this fight again. We came to implore you to do what we pay you to do, and that’s represent us.” The new resolution promises to implement noise mitigation barriers as well as monitor air quality. Race organizers have also pledged $5 million that will go back to the city over the course of 10 years, as well as offering paid internships for high school and college students. Residents said all that means nothing. “The money that it brings to them, it doesn’t bring to us,” Providence said. “We still have the same issues.” The resolution states no racing will occur before 2:30 p.m. on school days and/or after sunset.