It was confirmed yesterday (29/8/18), that former Force India driver Esteban Ocon will race with Renault Sport F1 Team for 2020 season on a two year deal, returning to the sport after a year on the sidelines, alongside Daniel Ricciardo, completing the manufacturer's driver line-up for 2020.
Ocon started his Grand Prix with Lotus (Renault) in a first free practice session at 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 21 November 2014. 2015, Ocon was signed by Mercedes in its junior programme. At the start of 2016, Ocon was a reserve driver for the Renault Sport F1 team doing multiple first free practice sessions for the team.
Ocon made his Grand Prix debut in F1 in the middle of the 2016 F1 season with the former Manor team, after some impressive drives with the team, Ocon moved to Force India in 2017, resulted multiple top six finishes from the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Ocon lost his drive at Force India for 2019, after Billionaire Lawrence Stroll rescued the team from administration last year change the team name to racing Point and replaced him with Lance Stroll meaning returning to Mercedes as a test driver for 2019.
The move brings to an end to Nico Hülkenberg's time at Renault as Ocon replaces Hülkenberg in Renault's line-up for next season.
In my opinion, this was no big surprise this news happen, a French team in Renault signing a talented French driver in Ocon makes sense for Renault home market. Also, Ocon was almost signed with the team for this season until Daniel Ricciardo pipped him to the drive, which means he was still highly rated with the team.
So what's next for Hülkenberg? There is still four realistic drives left for the 2020 season, with one at Alfa Romeo, one at Racing Point, one at Hass and one at Red Bull (if they not confident with Gasly, Kvyat and Albon). Returning to Williams maybe an option, with George Russell more than likely to stay with the team next season meaning the second seat needs to be a strong pay driver and Hülkenberg is not that.
Hülkenberg best bet for a drive would be at Alfa Romeo, although Haas could be the best option. However, I do not see Hülkenberg being team-mates to Kevin Magnussen as there are bad tensions from a few seasons past. I can see Hülkenberg being team-mates to Kimi Räikkönen for 2020 at Alfa and staying there for 2021 too, also there is uncertainty on if Antonio Giovinazzi will be retain, it's too early for Mick Schumacher or Callum Ilott to be promoted to F1 from the Ferrari Driver Academy. Hülkenberg has previous experience with the team as Sauber, drove with them in 2013 and Hülkenberg has worked with Alfa Romeo team principal Frédéric Vasseur between 2007 till 2009 in the ART team winning Formula 3 and GP2 titles. Meaning Hülkenberg could be perfect option for the Alfa Romeo team on a short to mid-term for both parties.
Things are looking up for the Renault team in 2020.
It was confirmed yesterday (29/8/19) that Mercedes will retain Valtteri Bottas for the 2020 Formula 1 season alongside Current Formula 1 Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Bottas joined the team from Williams in 2017 as a late replacement for Nico Rosberg and claimed five victories in those three seasons so far.
He currently holds second place in the Drivers' standings, seventy-two points behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton with nine races to go.
Overall, a very good decision from Mercedes to keep Valtteri Bottas for another season. Although, they could have promoted Esteban Ocon instead, Ocon is off to Renault for next season meaning the Mercedes hierarchy are happy enough for Bottas to stay for another season at least.
After four weeks off, its the return of Formula one for the Belgian Grand Prix. Which means, predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Spa.
So Predictions for the race, for the win, I predict Lewis Hamilton for the race win in the Mercedes. Valtteri Bottas second in the other Mercedes, and third place for Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Don't forget Alexander Albon, the Ferrari drivers, the Renault drivers and the McLaren drivers as well for a podium place.
Review of Round Ten of the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Virginia International Raceway on the outskirts of Danville, Virginia.
Porsche GT Team won the race overall and GT Le Mans Class too of Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy in their Porsche 911 RSR. While, While, the other Porsche GT Team finished second place in their Porsche 911 RSR to complete a Porsche one-two finish, with the drivers of Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor; they were seven tenths of a second behind the leaders. Meanwhile, Corvette Racing team finished in third place in their Chevrolet Corvette C7.R., with the drivers of Antonio García and Jan Magnussen; they were three seconds behind the leaders.
In GT Daytona Class, Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsport team won GT Daytona Class and finished in ninth place overall in their Mercedes-AMG GT3; with the drivers of Jeroen Bleekemolen and Ben Keating; they were two laps behind the leaders.
While both Prototype Class and LMP2 Class did not participate for this race.
Next Stop WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in three weeks time for Round Eleven of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Review of Round Seven of the 2019 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season was held at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Brandenburg in East Germany.
On Saturday's race, Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Nico Müller took the race win in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM. Second was Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Robin Frijns in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM, he was two and half seconds behind Müller in the end. While, third place was Audi Sport Team Phoenix driver Mike Rockenfeller in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM to complete an Audi podium whitewash, he was three seconds behind Müller in the end.
On Sunday's race, Audi Sport Team Rosberg driver René Rast took the race win in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM. Second was Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Nico Müller in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM, he was five seconds behind Rast in the end. While, third place was Audi Sport Team Phoenix driver Mike Rockenfeller in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM to complete another Audi podium whitewash, he was nine seconds behind Rast in the end.
Next stop Nürburgring, Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany for Round Eight of the 2019 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters in three weeks time.
Recap of the last round of WRC from last weekends Round Ten of Rallye Deutschland.
Last weekend was the tenth round of the World Rally Championship at Rallye Deutschland (22nd - 25th August) was won by Ott Tänak in the works Toyota Yaris WRC.
While, Kris Meeke finished second in his works Toyota Yaris WRC, Meeke was twenty-one seconds behind Tänak at the end. Meanwhile, Jari-Matti Latvala finished third in his works Toyota Yaris WRC to compete a Toyota podium whitewash, Latvala was thirty-six seconds behind Tänak at the end of the rally.
Meanwhile in WRC-2 Pro class (Manufacturer entries competing in cars built to Group R5 specifications), that was won by Škoda Motorsport driver Jan Kopecký in his Škoda Fabia R5 Evo. Jan Kopecký finished in eleventh place overall, he was twelve minutes behind Tänak at the end of the rally.
While in WRC-2 class (Open to privately-entered cars; Group R5, R4, Super 2000 and Group N4 spec cars), that was won by Fabian Kreim in his own backed Škoda Fabia R5. Fabian Kreim finished in twelfth place overall, he was thirteen minutes behind Tänak at the end of the rally.
Highlights of the rally below, enjoy.
Next stop, Round Eleven of the 2019 WRC season for Rally of Turkey in four weeks time.
Review of the round twelve of the 2019 MotoGP season at Silverstone, on the outskirts of Northampton, UK.
In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that was won by Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Álex Rins on his works Suzuki GSX-RR.
Second was Repsol Honda Team rider and current MotoGP champion Marc Márquez on his works Honda RC213V, he was one hundredth of a second! behind Rins at the end. While, third was Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Maverick Viñales on his works Yamaha YZR-M1, he was six tenths of a second behind Rins at the end.
In the Moto2 race (Inline-three 765cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Flexbox HP40 rider Augusto Fernández on the Kalex. Second was +Ego Speed Up rider Jorge Navarro on the Speed Up, he was five tenths of a second behind Fernández at the end. While, third was Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Brad Binder on the KTM, he was six tenths of a second behind Fernández at the end.
While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Leopard Racing rider Marcos Ramírez on the Honda. Second was VNE Snipers rider Tony Arbolino on the Honda, he was two tenths of a second behind Ramírez at the end. While, third was Leopard Racing rider Lorenzo Dalla Porta on the Honda to complete a Honda podium whitewash, he was four tenths of a second behind Ramírez at the end.
Finally, it was also confirmed last week (14/8/19), Jack Miller has signed a new one-year deal with that will see him continue to compete with the Pramac Racing team in MotoGP for 2020 season alongside Francesco Bagnaia.
Miller currently sits third place in the championship, with a best finish of two third place finishes.
Its been four years today that Justin Wilson has past away from us, Wilson suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident at the Pocono Raceway at the penultimate round of the Indy Car Series championship, which caused his death the following day. Wilson was struck in the head by large debris from the crash from another driver car.
Today it should be celebrating life and never ever forget Justin Wilson.
The half term review of Formula 1 season so far, with the next race is in a weeks time. Just like last year, I will say one sentence that will be positive with each team. And one sentence that will be negative for each team. Also, I will include with this post my Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of 2019 so far below. Starting with Mercedes:
Mercedes:
+ Best car and drivers on the grid so far with the F1 W10 EQ Power+, leading both the Drivers' and Constructors Championships with current F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, includes ten wins, eight wins for Hamilton and two for Valtteri Bottas. - Poor race at Mercedes home Grand Prix at Hockenheim, Hamilton spun out of the lead to finish ninth and Bottas crashed out; apart from that another great season from Mercedes.
Ferrari
+ Some great race performances from both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, which includes second place finishes for Leclerc at the Red Bull Ring and Vettel in Monaco, Montreal and Hockenheim. - SF90 has not been fast enough then the Mercedes nor the Red Bull in race pace this season, also poor pace and reliabilities problems has cost race wins for Sebastian Vettel at Montreal and for Leclerc at Bahrain and at the Red Bull Ring.
Red Bull:
+ Impressive performance from Max Verstappen includes a race wins for Verstappen at Red Bull Ring and Hockinheim giving Honda their first win as an engine partner since 2006. - Pierre Gasly only scoring 63 points compare to Verstappen's tally of 181 points so far this season, resulting Gasly being demoted back to Toro Rosso for Spa replaced by Alexander Albon; Red Bull could still finish second in the Constructor's standings is still possible going into the second half of the season.
Renault:
+ Sixth place finish for Daniel Ricciardo at Montreal.
- Where to start, currently the the team sits sixth place in the Constructor's standings; 82 points at this stage last season, 39 points this season shows the team has gone backwards, the Renault Power-Units are still around 50-60bhp less than the Mercedes Power-Units; R.S.19 has been too slow in races if not to too unreliable with seven DNF's; they must need to do better going into the second half of the season.
Haas:
+ Sixth place finish for Kevin Magnussen at Melbourne. - Like Renault where to start, currently the the team sits ninth place in the Constructor's standings; 66 points at this stage last season, 26 points this season shows the team has gone backwards, VF-19 has been too slow in races if not to too unreliable with seven DNF's, serious uncertainty about their main sponsor which include for 24 hours at least terminating their deal with the team at Silverstone; they must need to do better going into the second half of the season.
McLaren:
+ Some great race performances from Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris, which include two fifth places finish for Sainz Jr. at Hockinheim and Hungaroring; only 52 points at this stage last season, 82 points this season at this stage a much better improvement from McLaren. - Despite McLaren are currently fourth in the Constructor's standings and currently best of the rest, there are still long way behind the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.
Racing Point:
+ Fourth place finish for Lance Stroll at Hockinheim. - Still recovering from being put into administration last year resulting currently sitting eighth in the Constructors' Standings, if the RB19 can be improved on going into the second half of the season the team could still finish fifth in the Constructors, results needs to be better.
Alfa Romeo:
+ Some impressive performances from Kimi Räikkönen this season which include a seventh place finishes at Bahrain, Paul Ricard and Hungaroring. - Antonio Giovinazzi only scoring 1 point compare to Räikkönen's tally of 31 points so far this season meaning the team is currently seventh in the Constructor's standings, fifth in the Constructor's has to be the target for Alfa Romeo going into the second half of the season.
Scuderia Toro Rosso:
+ Some impressive performances from Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon this season which include a third place finish for Kvyat and a sixth place finish for Albon at Hockinheim; team is currently fifth in the Constructor's standings with 43 points. - Honda power-unit are still round 45-50bhp behind of the likes of Mercedes Power-Units, with Gasly being demoted back to Toro Rosso from Spa onwards it might his confidence which might effect the team going into the second half of the season; apart from that a good season from Toro Rosso.
Williams:
+ Robert Kubica finishing tenth place at Hockinheim is the teams only highlight this season. - The FW42 been too slow and underdeveloped this season, tenth in the Constructors' with only one point, George Russell has not scored points despite being the fastest driver of the two; overall another disastrous season from Williams, nothing positive to say from the team this season once again.
And just like last season, my Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of 2019 so far this season, this is the part who was in my top 10 so far this season, not in championship order. So here is my list below.
My Top Formula 1 drivers of 2019 so far this season:
10. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) - Returning back to Formula 1 after a season off, fast and reliable, which include a thrid place place finish at a wet to dry Hockenheim.
9. Alexander Albon (Toro Rosso) - Some impressive performances so far in his first full season, which include a sixth place finish at a wet to dry Hockenheim; promoted to Red Bull Racing for the second half of the season.
8. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) - Despite his nearly 40 years old, his been consistently fast and reliable this season, which includes three seventh place finishes at Bahrain, Paul Ricard and Hungaroring.
7. Lando Norris (McLaren) - Consistently fast in his first season, which include two sixth place finishes at Bahrain and at the Red Bull Ring.
6. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) - Three second place finishes at Monaco, Montreal and Hockenheim; should have won Montreal.
5. Carlos Sainz, Jr. (McLaren) - Some impressive performances so far this season, which include two fifth place finishes at Hockenheim and Hungaroring.
4. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) - On his day faster driver than his team-mate Hamilton, Two Grand Prix wins at Melbourne and Baku.
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - Consistently fast in his first season for Ferrari, which include Grand Prixs' he should have won this season but due to unreliable car in Bahrain and underpowered at the Red Bull Ring; he will a Grand Prix this season it will be a matter of when.
2.Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - Some impressive drives this season, which include two Grand Prix wins at the Red Bull Ring and Hockinheim.
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - Best driver on the grid this season so far, eight Grand Prix wins, leading the Drivers' Championship and a strong possibility of winning the Drivers' Championship once again for the sixth time.
Nine races to go to see who will be the champions for 2019, starting at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix in a weeks time.
Review of Round Seven of the 2019 British Touring Car Championship season return to Thruxton, in Hampshire.
In the first race, Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance driver Sam Tordoff took the race win in his Honda Civic Type R (FK2) and also took Independents class win. Second was Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Dan Cammish in his Honda Civic Type R (FK8), he was four tenths of a seconds behind Tordoff in the end. While third place was Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport driver Adam Morgan in his Mercedes-Benz A-Class, he was seven tenths of a seconds behind Tordoff in the end.
While, Jack Sears Trophy (for drivers yet to record an overall podium finish or won outright the Jack Sears Trophy championship) was won by Team BMW driver Tom Oliphant in his BMW 330i M Sport, he finished in fifth place and was three seconds behind Tordoff in the end.
Meanwhile in the second race, BTC Racing driver Josh Cook took the race win in his Honda Civic Type R (FK8) and also took Independents class win. Second was Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport driver Adam Morgan in his Mercedes-Benz A-Class, he was two seconds behind Cook in the end. While third place was Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Matt Neal in his Honda Civic Type R (FK8), he was eight seconds behind Cook in the end.
While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by Team BMW driver Tom Oliphant in his BMW 330i M Sport, he finished in fourth place and was eight and half seconds behind Cook in the end.
Finally in the third race, Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Dan Cammish took the race win in his Honda Civic Type R (FK8). Second was Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing driver Rob Collard in his Vauxhall Astra, he was two seconds behind Cammish in the end. While third place was Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Matt Neal in his Honda Civic Type R (FK8), he was four and half seconds behind Cammish in the end.
Meanwhile, Independents class was won by Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport driver Adam Morgan in his Mercedes-Benz A-Class, he finished in fourth place and was five and half seconds behind Cammish in the end.
While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by Team BMW driver Tom Oliphant in his BMW 330i M Sport, he finished in seventh place and was eight seconds behind Cammish in the end.
Next stop Knockhill Racing Circuit for Round Eight of the 2019 British Touring Car Championship season in four weeks time.
Review of Round Six of the 2019 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season was held at Brands Hatch, on the outskirts of London, South East England.
On Saturday's race, BMW Team RMG driver Marco Wittmann took the race win in his BMW M4 Turbo DTM. Second was Audi Sport Team Rosberg driver René Rast in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM, he was four tenths of a second behind Wittmann in the end. While, third place was Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Nico Müller in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM, he was nine seconds behind Wittmann in the end.
On Sunday's race, Audi Sport Team Rosberg driver René Rast took the race win in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM. Second was Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Nico Müller in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM, he was three tenths of a second behind Rast in the end. While, third place was Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Robin Frijns in his Audi RS5 Turbo DTM to complete an Audi podium whitewash, he was six tenths of a second behind Rast in the end.
Next stop EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Brandenburg in Germany for Round Seven of the 2019 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters in two weeks time.
Review of round eleven of the 2019 MotoGP season at the Red Bull Ring, on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria, Austira.
In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that was won by Ducati Team rider Andrea Dovizioso on his works Ducati Desmosedici GP19.
Second was Repsol Honda Team rider and current MotoGP champion Marc Marquez on his works Honda RC213V, he was two tenths of a second behind Dovizioso at the end.
While, third was Petronas Yamaha SRT rider Fabio Quartararo on his Yamaha YZR-M1, he was six seconds behind Dovizioso at the end of the race.
In the Moto2 race (Inline-three 765cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Brad Binder on the KTM.
Second was EG 0,0 Marc VDS rider Álex Márquez on the Kalex, he was three tenths of a second behind Binder at the end. While, third was +Ego Speed Up rider Jorge Navarro on the Speed Up, he was eighteen tenths of a second behind Binder at the end.
While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by VNE Snipers rider Romano Fenati on the Honda. Second was VNE Snipers rider Tony Arbolino on the Honda, he was ten tenths of a second behind Fenati at the end. While, third was Petronas Sprinta Racing rider John McPhee on the Honda to complete a Honda podium whitewash, he was eleven tenths of a second behind Fenati at the end.
Finally in the MotoE race (a single make class with all the riders riding the Energica Ego MotoE bike; new for 2019), that was won by EG 0,0 Marc VDS rider Mike Di Meglio. Second was Avintia Esponsorama Racing rider Xavier Siméon, he was two seconds behind Di Meglio at the end. While, third was One Energy Racing rider Bradley Smith, he was four seconds behind Di Meglio at the end of the race
Finally, it was confirmed on Monday (12/8/19), Johann Zarco will leave the factory Red Bull KTM team at the end of the 2019 MotoGP season, despite having signed a two-year contract when he penned a deal last year.
Zarco has struggled to get to grips with the RC16 and has scored just 18 points compared to team-mate Pol Espargaro’s 61, Zarco currently sits seventeenth in the championship, with a best finish of tenth place at Barcelona in June.
It was announced on Monday (12/8/19), Alexander Albon will replace Pierre Gasly at Red Bull from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards, with Gasly returning to Toro Rosso for the rest of the season.
Gasly currently sits sixth the Drivers Standings with 66 points while his former team-mate Max Verstappen sits third with 181 points, which included being lapped a few times by Verstappen this season and outperform by his former team-mate meant Red Bull has taken the decision to drop Gasly in favour of Albon from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards.
Albon will join Max Verstappen at Red Bull, while Gasly will partner Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso, where Kvyat has previous experience with the team back at the end of the 2017 and 2018 season with best results of fourth place finish at the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Overall, happy for Alexander Albon and completely gutted for Pierre Gasly, in general he was no where near fast enough then Verstappen throughout the season it was the perfect excuse for Red Bull to replace him with Albon and demote Gasly back to Toro Rosso and ease the pressure off for Gasly.
Although a wee bit surprise it was not former Red Bull driver and current Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat did not got promoted to the drive with his recent third place finish at the German Grand Prix and outperformed Albon this season and his previous experience with the Red Bull team back in 2015 in-which he is much liked inside the team.
Final thought is this its a great opportunity for Alexander Albon to shine at Red Bull as for Pierre Gasly I don't think he will get sacked at the end of the season at the Red Bull operation as there is no Red Bull Junior drivers to promote unless Jüri Vips wins or heavily challenges the Formula 3 tile this season and then his 2020 drive may be in jeopardy then.
I don't think this will be the last driver change in Formula 1 this season.
Review of Round Seven of the 2019 World Rallycross Championship season was the World RX of Canada, at Circuit Trois-Rivières located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada.
In the four Heats, those were won by Andreas Bakkerud, Niclas Grönholm (winning twice), and Timur Timerzyanov.
In the first semi-final that was won by GRX Taneco Team driver Timur Timerzyanov in his Hyundai i20. Second was Team STARD driver Jānis Baumanis in his Ford Fiesta MK8, he was two and half seconds behind Timerzyanov in the end. While, third was Team Hansen MJP driver Kevin Hansen in his Peugeot 208, he was three seconds behind Timerzyanov in the end.
In the second semi-final that was won by Monster Energy RX Cartel driver Andreas Bakkerud in his Audi S1. Second was GC Kompetition driver Guerlain Chicherit in his Renault Mégane R.S., he was three seconds behind Bakkerud in the end. While, third was GC Kompetition driver Anton Marklund in his Renault Mégane R.S., he was four seconds behind Bakkerud in the end.
In the final race, Monster Energy RX Cartel driver Andreas Bakkerud took the race win in his Audi S1. Second was Team STARD driver Jānis Baumanis in his Ford Fiesta MK8, he was twelve tenths of a second behind Bakkerud in the end. While, third was GRX Taneco Team driver Timur Timerzyanov in his Hyundai i20, he was two seconds behind Bakkerud in the end.
Next stop World RX of France at Circuit de Lohéac for Round Eight of the 2019 World Rallycross Championship season in four weeks time.
Review of Round Nine of the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Mazda Team Joest won the race overall and Daytona Prototype international class too of Jonathan Bomarito and Harry Tincknell in their Mazda RT24-P, Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4. While, Acura Team Penske finished in second place their Acura ARX-05, Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6; the team of Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya; they were two tenths of a second behind the leaders. Meanwhile, the other Mazda Team Joest finished in third place in their Mazda RT24-P, Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4; the team of Oliver Jarvis and Tristan Nunez; they were three seconds behind the leaders.
In LMP2 class (all cars using the Gibson 4.2 L V8 engine), PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports team of Patrick Kelly and Matt McMurry in their Oreca 07 won LMP2 class. They finish in tenth place overall and they were four laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.
In GT Le Mans Class, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team won GT Le Mans Class and finished in twelfth place overall in their Ford GT; with the drivers of Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook; they were six laps behind the leaders.
In GT Daytona Class, Pfaff Motorsports team won GT Daytona Class and finished in nineteenth place overall in their Porsche 911 GT3 R; with the drivers of Matt Campbell and Zach Robichon; they were eight laps behind the leaders.
Next Stop Virginia International Raceway in three weeks time for Round Ten of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Review of Round Six of the 2019 British Touring Car Championship season was at Snetterton Circuit on the 300 Course, in Norfolk.
In the first race, Team Toyota GB with Ginsters driver Tom Ingram took the race win in his Toyota Corolla GT. Second was Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Dan Cammish in his Honda Civic Type R (FK8), he was three seconds behind Ingram in the end. While third place was Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance driver Sam Tordoff in his Honda Civic Type R (FK2) and also took Independents class win, he was seven seconds behind Ingram in the end.
While, Jack Sears Trophy (for drivers yet to record an overall podium finish or won outright the Jack Sears Trophy championship) was won by Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance driver Rory Butcher in his Honda Civic Type R (FK2), he finished in eleventh place and was twenty-nine seconds behind Ingram in the end.
Meanwhile in the second race, Team BMW driver and current BTCC Champion Colin Turkington took the race win in his BMW 330i M Sport. Second was Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Dan Cammish in his Honda Civic Type R (FK8), he was four seconds behind Turkington in the end. While third place was BMW Pirtek Racing driver Andrew Jordan in his BMW 330i M Sport, he was three seconds behind Turkington in the end.
While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by Team BMW driver Tom Oliphant in his BMW 330i M Sport, he finished in eleventh place and was thirteen seconds behind Turkington in the end.
Finally in the third race, Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance driver Rory Butcher took the race win in his Honda Civic Type R (FK2), also took Independents class win and Jack Sears Trophy win as-well. Second was BTC Racing driver Josh Cook in his Honda Civic Type R (FK8), he was fourteen tenths of a second behind Butcher in the end. While third place was BTC Racing driver Chris Smiley in his Honda Civic Type R (FK8), he was eight seconds behind Butcher in the end.
Next stop Thruxton Circuit for Round Seven of the 2019 British Touring Car Championship season in two weeks time.
Recap of the last round of WRC from last weekends Round Nine of Rally Finland.
Last weekends was the ninth round of the World Rally Championship at the Rally Finland (26th-29th July) that was won by Ott Tänak in the works Toyota Yaris WRC.
While, Esapekka Lappi finished second in his works Citroën C3 WRC, Lappi was twenty-five seconds behind Tänak at the end. Meanwhile, Jari-Matti Latvala finished third in his works Toyota Yaris WRC, Latvala was thirty-three seconds behind Tänak at the end of the rally.
Meanwhile in WRC-2 Pro class (Manufacturer entries competing in cars built to Group R5 specifications), that was won by Škoda Motorsport driver Kalle Rovanperä in his Škoda Fabia R5. Kalle Rovanperä finished in ninth place overall, he was eight minutes behind Tänak at the end of the rally.
While in WRC-2 class (Open to privately-entered cars; Group R5, R4, Super 2000 and Group N4 spec cars), that was won by Nikolay Gryazin in his own backed Škoda Fabia R5. Nikolay Gryazin finished in tenth place overall, he was ten and half minutes behind Tänak at the end of the rally.
Meanwhile in Junior-WRC class (Competing in identical one-litre Ford Fiesta R2s built and maintained by M-Sport) that was won by Tom Kristensson. Tom Kristensson finished in seventeenth place overall, he was thenty-four minutes behind Tänak at the end of the rally.
Highlights of the rally below, enjoy.
Next stop, Round Ten of the 2019 WRC season for Rallye Deutschland in three weeks time.
Review of round ten of the 2019 MotoGP season at Masaryk Circuit, on the outskirts of Brno in Czech Republic.
In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that was won by Repsol Honda Team rider and current MotoGP champion Marc Marquez on his works Honda RC213V.
Second was Ducati Team rider Andrea Dovizioso on his works Ducati Desmosedici GP19, he was two and half seconds behind Marquez at the end.
While, third was Pramac Racing rider Jack Miller on his Ducati Desmosedici GP19, he was three and half seconds behind Marquez at the end of the race.
In the Moto2 race (Inline-three 765cc four-stroke class), that race was won by EG 0,0 Marc VDS rider Álex Márquez on the Kalex. Second was +Ego Speed Up rider Fabio Di Giannantonio on the Speed Up, he was three seconds behind Márquez at the end. While, third was Italtrans Racing Team rider Enea Bastianini on the Kalex, he was four seconds behind Márquez at the end.
While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Sterilgarda Max Racing Team rider Arón Canet on the KTM. Second was Leopard Racing rider Lorenzo Dalla Porta on the Honda, he was a tenth of a second behind Canet at the end. While, third was VNE Snipers rider Tony Arbolino on the Honda, he was two tenths of a second behind Canet at the end.
Finally, it was also confirmed on Wednesday (31/7/19), Tito Rabat has signed a new two-year deal with that will see him continue to compete with the Reale Avintia Racing team in MotoGP for 2020 and 2021 seasons alongside Karel Abraham.
Rabat currently sits twentieth place in the championship, with a best finish of ninth place at Barcalona a month ago.
Review of the twelfth round of the 2019 F1 season at the Hungaroring outside of Budapest, for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The race itself was a good race to watch and an exciting one too. Max Verstappen on pole for Sundays race for his first ever pole position. On a hot and dry Sunday race, Verstappen took the lead at the start with Current Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton behind him for the first forty-eight laps. By lap 49, Hamilton opted to take a second pit-stop for fresh medium tyres, while Verstappen opted to stay on the track with his used hard tyres. With that gap reduced lap by lap, by the start of lap 67 Hamilton took the lead from Verstappen at turn 1 and stayed there to the end to conclude with a race win in this seasons Hungarian Grand Prix for Lewis Hamilton's fifth race win of the season.
While, Max Verstappen finished in second place in the Red Bull, Verstappen was seventeen seconds behind Hamilton at the end.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel finished in third place in the Ferrari to complete the podium, Vettel was sixty-one seconds behind Hamilton at the end of the seventy lap race.
Now with nine races to go, with Lewis Hamilton's win in Hungary, Max Verstappen only managing a second place finish, while Hamilton's team mate Valtteri Bottas managing only an eighth place finish at the Hungaroring, Lewis Hamilton has now improve his lead of the F1 Drivers' Standings from forty-one points to sixty-two points ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas, while Max Verstappen is third in the standings with sixty-nine points behind Hamilton.
While Mercedes still leads F1 Constructors' Standings, the gap is now improved from one hundred and forty-eight points to one hundred and fifty points for Ferrari who are second in the Constructors' Standings with nine races to go.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 8
Lewis Hamilton - 10 (race win)
Valtteri Bottas - 6 (finished eighth, lap down)
Ferrari - 7
Sebastian Vettel - 7 (finished third)
Charles Leclerc - 7 (finished fourth)
Red Bull Racing - 7
Max Verstappen - 9 (pole, finished second, fastest lap)
Pierre Gasly - 5 (finished sixth, lap down)
Renault - 5
Daniel Ricciardo - 5 (finished fourteenth, lap down)
Nico Hülkenberg - 5 (finished twelfth, lap down)
Haas - 5
Romain Grosjean - 6 (DNF, Water pressure)
Kevin Magnussen - 5 (finished thirteenth, lap down)
McLaren - 9
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 10 (finished fifth, lap down)
Lando Norris - 8 (finished ninth, lap down)
Racing Point - 5
Sergio Pérez- 6 (finished eleventh, lap down)
Lance Stroll - 4 (finished seventeenth, lap down)
Alfa Romeo - 6
Kimi Räikkönen - 8 (finished seventh, lap down)
Antonio Giovinazzi - 4 (finished eighteen, two laps down)
Toro Rosso - 5
Daniil Kvyat - 4 (finished fifteenth, two laps down)
Alexander Albon - 7 (finished tenth, lap down)
Williams - 4
George Russell - 5 (finished eighteenth, two laps down)
Robert Kubica - 3 (finished nineteenth, three laps down)
Next stop Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix in four weeks time.
