Wednesday, 30 June 2021

F1 2021 Austrian Grand Prix Predictions

Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix back at the Red Bull Ring on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria. The home Grand Prix for Red Bull Racing.

So Predictions for the race, for the win I predict Max Verstappen for the race win in the Red Bull, Lewis Hamilton second in the Mercedes, and third place for Sergio Pérez in the other Red Bull. Don't forget Valtteri Bottas, the McLaren drivers, the Aston Martin drivers, the Alpine drivers, the Ferrari drivers, and Pierre Gasly as-well for a podium place.

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Maverick Viñales leaves Yamaha MotoGP Team at the end of the 2021 MotoGP season

It was confirmed on Monday (28/6/2021), Maverick Viñales will leave the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team at the end of the 2021 MotoGP season, despite having signed a two-year contract when he penned a deal last year.



Despite winning the first race of the year at Qatar, currently sits sixth in the standings.

Rumours suggested Viñales felt unhappy with the level of attention he got from Yamaha. Rumours broke out over the weekend that Viñales had asked for an early release of his contract-which runs out at the end of 2022 MotoGP season, new rumours suggests that Viñales will switch over to Aprilia for next season.

No word on who will replace Viñales at Yamaha at next season.

2021 BTCC Round 3 Recap

Review of Round Three of the 2021 British Touring Car Championship season was at Brands Hatch's Indy Circuit, in Kent.

In the first race, Team BMW driver Tom Oliphant took the race win in his BMW 330i M Sport. Second was Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Gordon Shedden in his Honda Civic Type R and also took Independents class win, he was three tenths of a second behind Oliphant in the end. While third place was Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Daniel Rowbottom in his Honda Civic Type R and also took Jack Sears Trophy win (for drivers yet to record an overall podium finish or won outright the Jack Sears Trophy championship), he was five seconds behind behind Oliphant in the end.


Meanwhile in the second race, Ginsters Excelr8 with TradePriceCars.com driver Tom Ingram took the race win in his Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance and also took Independents class win. Second was Laser Tools Racing driver and current BTCC Champion Ash Sutton in his Infiniti Q50, he was five tenths of a second behind Ingram in the end. While third place was Team BMW driver Tom Oliphant in his BMW 330i M Sport, he was six tenths of a second behind Ingram in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Daniel Rowbottom in his Honda Civic Type R, he finished in fourth place and was a second behind Ingram in the end.


Finally in the third race, Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport driver Adam Morgan took the race win in his BMW 330i M Sport and also took Independents class win. Second was Team HARD with Autobrite Direct driver Jack Goff in his Cupra León, he was fifteen tenths of a second behind Morgan in the end. While third place was Laser Tools Racing driver Aiden Moffat in his Infiniti Q50, he was four seconds behind behind Morgan in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Daniel Rowbottom in his Honda Civic Type R, he finished in eleventh place and was seven seconds behind Morgan in the end.


Next stop Oulton Park for Round Four of the 2021 British Touring Car Championship season in five weeks time.

Monday, 28 June 2021

2021 WRC Round 6 recap - Safari Rally Kenya

Recap of the last round of WRC from this weekends Round Six of Safari Rally Kenya.

Last weekends was the sixth round of the World Rally Championship at the Safari Rally Kenya (24th-27th June), that was won by Current WRC Champion Sébastien Ogier in his works Toyota Yaris WRC.



While, Takamoto Katsuta finished second in his works Toyota Yaris WRC. Katsuta was twenty-two seconds behind Ogier at the end of the rally. Meanwhile, Ott Tänak finished third in the works Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Neuville was sixty-nine seconds behind Ogier at the end of the rally.

While in WRC-3 class (Open to privately-entered cars; Group R5, R4, Super 2000 and Group N4 spec cars), that was won by Onkar Rai in his own backed Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. Onkar Rai finished in seventh place overall, he was ninteen minutes behind Ogier at the end of the rally.

Next stop, Round Seven of the 2021 WRC season for Rally Estonia in three weeks time.

2021 Dutch MotoGP Review

Review of the ninth round of the 2021 MotoGP season at TT Circuit Assen, Assen in North East of Holland.

In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that race was won by Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo on his works Yamaha YZR-M1.



Second was Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Maverick Viñales on his works Yamaha YZR-M1, he was three seconds behind Quartararo at the end. While, third was Team Suzuki Ecstar rider and Current MotoGP Champion Joan Mir on his works Suzuki GSX-RR, he was six seconds behind Quartararo at the end of the race.

In the Moto2 race (Inline-three four-stroke class), that race was won by Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Raúl Fernández on the Kalex. Second was Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Remy Gardner on the Kalex, he was a second behind Fernández at the end of the race. While, third was Elf Marc VDS Racing Team rider Augusto Fernández on the Kalex, he was twelve tenths of a second behind Fernández at the end of the race.

While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Leopard Racing rider Dennis Foggia on the Honda. Second was GasGas Valresa Aspar Team rider Sergio García on the GasGas, he was a tenth of a second behind Foggia at the end of the race. While, third was Sterilgarda Max Racing Team rider Romano Fenati on the Husqvarna, he was two tenths of a second behind Foggia at the end of the race.

Finally in the MotoE race (a single make class with all the riders riding the Energica Ego MotoE bike), that was won by One Energy Racing rider Eric Granado. Second was Pons Racing 40 rider and Current MotoE Champion Jordi Torres, he was eight tenths of a second behind Granado at the end. While, third was Octo Pramac MotoE rider Alessandro Zaccone, he was nine tenths of a seconds behind Granado at the end.

2021 Styrian Grand Prix Review

Review of the eighth round of the 2021 F1 season at the Red Bull Ring, on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria, for the Styrian Grand Prix.

It was a dominating race weekend from Max Verstappen. Verstappen was on pole for Sunday's race. In the hot and dry Styrian Grand Prix. Verstappen took the advantage at the start and comfortably lead the race throughout, leading all the seventy-one laps to win this seasons Styrian Grand Prix for Max Verstappen's fourth race win of the season.



While, Current Formula 1 World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton finished in second place in the Mercedes, Hamilton was thirty-six seconds behind Verstappen at the end.

Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas finished in third place in the other Mercedes to complete the podium, Bottas was forty-seven seconds behind Verstappen at the end of the seventy-one lap race.

Highlights of the race below, enjoy.



Rate the Teams and Drivers

Mercedes - 7
Lewis Hamilton - 8 (finished second, fastest lap)
Valtteri Bottas - 7 (finished third)

Red Bull Racing - 8
Max Verstappen - 10 (pole, race win)
Sergio Pérez - 7 (finished fourth)

McLaren - 6
Daniel Ricciardo - 5 (finished thirteenth, lap down)
Lando Norris - 8 (finished fifth, lap down)

Aston Martin - 6
Sebastian Vettel - 5 (finished twelfth, lap down)
Lance Stroll - 7 (finished eighth, lap down)

Alpine - 5
Fernando Alonso - 6 (finished ninth, lap down)
Esteban Ocon - 5 (finished fourteenth, lap down)

Ferrari - 7
Charles Leclerc - 7 (finished seventh, lap down)
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 7 (finished sixth, lap down)

AlphaTauri - 6
Pierre Gasly - 6 (DNF, Collision damage from Leclerc)
Yuki Tsunoda - 7 (finished tenth, lap down)

Alfa Romeo - 5
Kimi Räikkönen - 6 (finished eleventh, lap down)
Antonio Giovinazzi - 5 (finished fifteenth, lap down)

Haas - 4
Mick Schumacher - 5 (finished sixteenth, two laps down)
Nikita Mazepin - 4 (finished eighteenth, three laps down)

Williams - 6
George Russell - 8 (DNF, Engine)
Nicholas Latifi - 4 (finished seventeenth, three laps down)


Next stop Red Bull Ring (again), this time for the Austrian Grand Prix in a weeks time.

Sunday, 27 June 2021

Russian Grand Prix moving to Igora Drive in 2023

It was confirmed on Saturday (26/6/2021), the Russian Grand Prix will move from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi to the Autodrom Igora Drive, on the outskirts of St. Petersburg from 2023. No word on how long the deal will be for.



Sochi Autodrom, designed by Hermann Tilke, the track sits next to the Sochi Olympic park, has been on the F1 calendar since 2014, it will host its final Grand Prix next season as-well as this seasons race.

Igora Drive, designed by Hermann Tilke, was constructed in 2017 and last year received an FIA Grade 1 licence.

Saturday, 26 June 2021

Turkish Grand Prix returns

It was confirmed on Friday (25/6/21), this season Turkish Grand Prix has been reinstated on the Formula 1 calendar this season for the second time.



The Turkish Grand Prix was set to be the seventh round of the season, on June 13th replacing the Canadian Grand Prix, which was cancelled because of travel restrictions in Canada. The race was originally off due to the UK's travel red list of high-risk countries where seven Grand Prix teams are based.

Turkish Grand Prix will replace the Singapore Grand Prix the sixteenth round of the season, on October 3rd; which was called off due to country has local restrictions and travel rules that make impossible to hold a race at his time. Turkish Grand Prix returned to the calendar after a 9-year absence in 2020 with Sir Lewis Hamilton winning the race and winning the Drivers' Title as-well.

Coronavirus, officially named Covid-19, that has killed over 3,900,000 people, with over 180,000,000, cases reported.

Stay safe everyone.

Thursday, 24 June 2021

F1 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Predictions

Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria. The home Grand Prix for Red Bull Racing.

So Predictions for the race, for the win I predict Max Verstappen for the race win in the Red Bull, Sergio Pérez second in the other Red Bull, and third place for Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. Don't forget Valtteri Bottas, the McLaren drivers, the Aston Martin drivers, the Alpine drivers, the Ferrari drivers, and Pierre Gasly as-well for a podium place.

Monday, 21 June 2021

2020/21 Formula E World Championship - Puebla ePrix - Round 5 Recap

Review of Round Five of the 2020-21 Formula E season held at the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed on the outskirts of Puebla, Mexico, for two races that weekend.

On Saturday's race, that was won by Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Formula E Team driver Lucas di Grassi in his Spark-Audi. Second was Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Formula E Team driver René Rast in his Spark-Audi, he was half a second behind di Grassi in the end. Meanwhile, third was ROKiT Venturi Racing driver Edoardo Mortara in his Spark-Mercedes, he was three seconds behind di Grassi in the end.

Highlights of the race below, enjoy.



On Sunday's race, that was won by ROKiT Venturi Racing driver Edoardo Mortara in his Spark-Mercedes. Second was Envision Virgin Racing driver Nick Cassidy in his Spark-Audi, he was four seconds behind Mortara in the end. Meanwhile, third was Nissan e.dams driver Oliver Rowland in his Spark-Nissan, he was seven seconds behind Mortara in the end.

Highlights of the race below, enjoy.



Next stop, Round Six of the 2020-21 Formula E World Championship season at Brooklyn Street Circuit, New York City, USA for the New York City ePrix in three weeks time.

2021 Germany MotoGP Review

Review of the round nine of the 2021 MotoGP season at Sachsenring, in Eastern Germany.

In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that was won by Repsol Honda Team rider Marc Marquez on his works Honda RC213V.



Second was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Miguel Oliveira on his works KTM RC16, he was fifteen tenths of a second behind Marquez at the end. While, third was Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo on his works Yamaha YZR-M1, he was seven seconds behind Marquez at the end.

In the Moto2 race (Inline-three four-stroke class), that race was won by Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Remy Gardner on the Kalex. Second was Aspar Team rider Arón Canet on the Boscoscuro, he was six seconds behind Gardner at the end of the race. While, third was SKY Racing Team VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi on the Kalex, he was seven seconds behind Gardner at the end of the race.

While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Pedro Acosta on the KTM. Second was CIP Green Power rider Kaito Toba on the KTM, he was thirteen hundredths of a second behind Acosta at the end of the race. While, third was Leopard Racing rider Dennis Foggia on the Honda, he was a three tenths of a second behind Acosta at the end of the race.

Finally, it was confirmed on Thursday (17/6/2021) that Gresini MotoGP team will switch to Ducati bikes for its return as a independent team for the 2022 MotoGP campaign, splitting from Aprilia after 2021 MotoGP season. Also, the team has signed Enea Bastianini and Moto2 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio for next season.





Enea Bastianini currently rides for Esponsorama Racing in MotGP, Bastianini sits fifteenth place in the MotoGP standings, with a best finish of ninth place at Jerez. While Di Giannantonio sits fourth place in the Moto2 standings with a win at Jerez.

2021 French Grand Prix Review

Review of the seventh round of the 2021 F1 season at Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet, for the French Grand Prix.

Overall the race itself was a good race to watch from start to finish. Max Verstappen was on pole for Sunday's race, Verstappen took the lead ahead of Sir Lewis Hamilton, until the second corner, when Verstappen run wide giving Hamilton the lead.

By lap 19, Hamilton pitted for tyres. The following lap, Verstappen made his stop, resulting Verstappen taking the lead. By lap 31, Verstappen opted to take a second pit-stop for fresh medium tyres, while Hamilton opted to stay on the track with his used hard tyres. With that gap reduced lap by lap, by the middle of lap 52 Verstappen took the lead from Hamilton on the back straight and stayed there to the end to conclude with a race win in this seasons French Grand Prix for Max Verstappen's third race win of the season.



Meanwhile, Sir Lewis Hamilton finished in second place in the Mercedes, Hamilton was three seconds behind Verstappen at the end.

Meanwhile, Sergio Pérez finished in third place in the other Red Bull to complete the podium, Pérez was nine seconds behind Verstappen at the end of the fifty-three lap race.

Highlights of the race below, enjoy.



Rate the Teams and Drivers

Mercedes - 7
Lewis Hamilton - 8 (finished second)
Valtteri Bottas - 6 (finished fourth)

Red Bull Racing - 9
Max Verstappen - 10 (pole, race win, fastest lap)
Sergio Pérez - 9 (finished third)

McLaren - 8
Daniel Ricciardo - 8 (finished sixth)
Lando Norris - 9 (finished fifth)

Aston Martin - 7
Sebastian Vettel - 7 (finished ninth)
Lance Stroll - 7 (finished tenth)

Alpine - 6
Fernando Alonso - 7 (finished eighth)
Esteban Ocon - 5 (finished fourteenth, lap down)

Ferrari - 4
Charles Leclerc - 4 (finished sixteenth, lap down)
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 5 (finished eleventh)

AlphaTauri - 6
Pierre Gasly - 7 (finished seventh)
Yuki Tsunoda - 6 (finished thirteenth)

Alfa Romeo - 4
Kimi Räikkönen - 4 (finished seventeenth, lap down)
Antonio Giovinazzi - 5 (finished fifteenth, lap down)

Haas - 4
Mick Schumacher - 5 (finished nineteenth, lap down)
Nikita Mazepin - 4 (finished twentieth, lap down)

Williams - 6
George Russell - 8 (finished twelfth, lap down)
Nicholas Latifi - 5 (finished eighteenth, lap down)


Next stop Red Bull Ring for the Styrian Grand Prix in a weeks time.

Thursday, 17 June 2021

Confirmed: Alpine retains Esteban Ocon till 2024

It was confirmed on Wednesday (16/6/2021), that Alpine will retain Esteban Ocon through to the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season.



Ocon joined Renault (now Alpine) for 2020 replacing Nico Hülkenberg, finishing second place in last season's Sakhir Grand Prix and finishing twelfth in the standings.



So far this season, Ocon currently sits twelfth in the standings, just behind of his two-time world champion team-mate Fernando Alonso, best finish of seventh place at Portuguese Grand Prix.

Overall, a very good decision from Alpine to keep Esteban Ocon for next three seasons. A French team in Alpine retaining a talented French driver in Ocon makes sense for Alpine's home market, which means he is still highly rated with the team.

So I am guessing he is not driving at Mercedes for the next three seasons then meaning it will be either Valtteri Bottas or George Russell for the second seat at Mercedes next season then.

Things are looking up for the Alpine team in 2022.

Wednesday, 16 June 2021

F1 2021 French Grand Prix Predictions

After a season away, predictions for this weekends Formula 1 French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet, near Marseille, South of France. The home Grand Prix for Alpine and the home Grand Prix for Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.

So Predictions for the race, for the win I predict Lewis Hamilton for the race win in the Mercedes, Max Verstappen second in the Red Bull, and third place for Sergio Pérez in the other Red Bull. Don't forget Valtteri Bottas, the McLaren drivers, the Aston Martin drivers, the Alpine drivers, the Ferrari drivers, and Pierre Gasly as-well for a podium place.

Tuesday, 15 June 2021

2021 BTCC Round 2 Recap

Review of Round Two of the 2021 British Touring Car Championship season was at Snetterton Circuit on the 300 Course, in Norfolk.

In the first race, Team BMW driver Colin Turkington took the race win in his BMW 330i M Sport. Second was Ginsters Excelr8 with TradePriceCars.com driver Tom Ingram in his Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance and also took Independents class win, he was three seconds behind Turkington in the end. While third place was Toyota Gazoo Racing UK driver Rory Butcher in his Toyota Corolla GR Sport, he was nine seconds behind behind Turkington 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 Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Daniel Rowbottom in his Honda Civic Type R, he finished in thirteenth place and was twenty-five seconds behind Turkington in the end.



Meanwhile in the second race, Laser Tools Racing driver and current BTCC Champion Ash Sutton took the race win in his Infiniti Q50 and also took Independents class win. Second was Team BMW driver Colin Turkington in his BMW 330i M Sport, he was half a second behind Sutton in the end. While third place was MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square driver Ollie Jackson in his Ford Focus ST, he was nine seconds behind behind Sutton in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Daniel Rowbottom in his Honda Civic Type R, he finished in fifteenth place and was twenty-one seconds behind Sutton in the end.



Finally in the third race, Ginsters Excelr8 with TradePriceCars.com driver Tom Ingram took the race win in his Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance and also took Independents class win. Second was Laser Tools Racing driver and current BTCC Champion Ash Sutton in his Infiniti Q50, he was eleven tenths of a second behind Ingram in the end. While third place was Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Gordon Shedden in his Honda Civic Type R, he was sixteen tenths of a second behind behind Ingram in the end.

While, Jack Sears Trophy was won by Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Daniel Rowbottom in his Honda Civic Type R, he finished in tenth place and was ten seconds behind Ingram in the end.




Next stop Brands Hatch for Round Three of the 2021 British Touring Car Championship season in two weeks time.

Monday, 14 June 2021

Glickenhaus 007 LMH

During last weekends (13/7/21) 8 Hours of Portimão, Glickenhaus Racing raced their new Le Mans Hypercar race car the Glickenhaus 007 LMH for this seasons World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans. The only car (expanded for two for the next round) finished in thirtieth place, fifty-four laps behind the leaders.



The Glickenhaus 007 LMH uses the Pipo Moteurs 3.5 litre twin-turbo V8 engine, (originally it was going to be an Alfa Romeo 3 litre twin-turbo V6 engine until a late rule change stopped the deal happen) that produce 670 bhp overall that doesn't use a hybrid system.



Glickenhaus Racing driver pairings for the FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans campaign this season is Pipo Derani, Gustavo Menezes, and Olivier Pla will drive the #708 car this season. While, Romain Dumas, Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe will drive the #709 car for the whole of 2021.

A big season ahead for Glickenhaus.

2021 8 Hours of Portimão Review

Review of Round Two of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship at Algarve International Circuit on the outskits of Portimão, Portugal.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing team won the race overall and the Hypercar class too of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Kazuki Nakajima in their Toyota GR010 Hybrid; Toyota 3.5 L Turbo V6. While, second place was the Toyota Gazoo Racing, with the team of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López in their Toyota GR010 Hybrid, Toyota 3.5 L Turbo V6; they were two seconds behind the leaders at the end of the race. Meanwhile, third place was the Alpine Elf Matmut, with the team of Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão and Matthieu Vaxivière in their Alpine A480, Gibson 4.5 L V8; they were sixty-eight seconds behind the leaders at the end of the race.

In LMP2 class (all cars using the Gibson 4.2 L V8 engine), JOTA team of Roberto González, António Félix da Costa and Anthony Davidson in their Oreca 07 won LMP2 class. They finish in fourth place overall and they were four laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.

While in GTE Pro class, was won by AF Corse team of Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado won in their Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. They finish in fourteenth place overall and they were twenty-one laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.

While in GTE Am class, was won by Cetliar Racing team of Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto and Antonio Fuoco in their Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. They finish in eighteenth place overall and they were twenty-six laps behind the leaders at the end of the race.

Highlights of the 8 Hours of Portimão below, enjoy.



Next Stop 6 Hours of Monza in five weeks time for Round Three of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Friday, 11 June 2021

BMW announces Le Mans return

It was announced on Thursday (10/6/21) that BMW it will return to all new Hypercars class that will replace LMP1 class in 2023 with a full-factory assault on the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race and the FIA World Endurance Championship.



Though the manufacturer has had a sporadic involvement in sportscar racing in recent times, this announcement will see it go head-to-head with factory rivals Peugeot, Toyota, Audi, Porsche and Ferrari and with privateers Glickenhaus and ByKolles also set to join in the growing Hypercars category of Le Mans and WEC when the cars will introduce at the start of the 2021 WEC season.

BMW has previous experience racing at Le Mans, including winning the race outright in 1999. BMW's last Le Mans outing as a manufacturer came in 2019 (M6s in GTE class).



Overall, it will be a very tough challenge ahead for BMW in 2023, challenging the likes of rivals Peugeot, Toyota, Audi, Porsche and Ferrari in technology and imagination.

Wednesday, 9 June 2021

2021 24 Hours of Nürburgring Review

Last weekend was the annual 24 Hours of Nürburgring (5-6th June). Manthey Racing team was victories at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in their Porsche 911 GT3 R, with team of Matteo Cairoli, Michael Christensen and Kévin Estrecame out on top to win this years 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 59 laps in total.

While the Rowe Racing car came in second place in their BMW M6 GT3; with team of Marco Wittmann, Martin Tomczyk, Connor De Phillippi and Sheldon van der Linde as drivers. They were 9 seconds behind the leaders at the end of the 24 hour race.

While the Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed car came in in third place in their Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo; with team of Maximilian Götz, Raffaele Marciello, Daniel Juncadella and Fabian Schiller as drivers. They were 50 seconds behind the leaders at the end of the 24 hours race.

Tuesday, 8 June 2021

MotoGP rider news for 2022

It was confirmed last week (31/5/21), Brad Binder has signed a new three-year deal with that will see him continue to compete with the factory Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in MotoGP for the 2022, 2023 and 2024 MotoGP seasons.



Binder currently sits ninth place in the MotoGP standings, with a best finish of two fifth places.

It was confirmed on last Wednesday (2/6/21) Moto2 championship leader Remy Gardner will graduate to MotoGP next year with Tech 3, riding a factory spec KTM RC16.



Gardner currently leads the Moto2 standings, with a best finish of two race wins.

Finally, it was confirmed on last Thursday (3/6/21), Pramac MotoGP will retain both Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin for the 2022 MotoGP season.





Zarco currently sits second place in the MotoGP standings, with a best finish of four second places.

While Martin currently sits seventeen place in the MotoGP standings, with a best finish of third place at Qatar.

Monday, 7 June 2021

2021 WRC Round 5 recap - Rally d'Italia Sardegna

Recap of the last round of WRC from this weekends Round Five of Rally d'Italia Sardegna.

Last weekends was the fifth round of the World Rally Championship at the Rally d'Italia Sardegna (3rd-6th June), that was won by Current WRC Champion Sébastien Ogier in his works Toyota Yaris WRC.



While, Elfyn Evans finished second in his works Toyota Yaris WRC. Evans was forty-six seconds behind Ogier at the end of the rally. Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville finished third in the works Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Neuville was sixty-five seconds behind Ogier at the end of the rally.

Meanwhile in WRC-2 class (Manufacturer entries competing in cars built to Group R5 specifications), that was won by Hyundai Motorsport N driver Jari Huttunen in his Hyundai i20 R5. Jari Huttunen finished in fifth place overall, he was nine minutes behind Ogier at the end of the rally.

While in WRC-3 class (Open to privately-entered cars; Group R5, R4, Super 2000 and Group N4 spec cars), that was won by Yohan Rossel in his own backed Citroën C3 Rally2. Yohan Rossel finished in seventh place overall, he was eleven minutes behind Ogier at the end of the rally.

Next stop, Round Six of the 2021 WRC season for Safari Rally Kenya in three weeks time.

2021 Catalunya MotoGP Review

Review of the seventh round of the 2020 MotoGP season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in the outskirts of Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain.

In the MotoGP race (V-twin, V4, or Inline-four 1000cc four stroke class), that was won by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Miguel Oliveira on his works KTM RC16.



Second was Pramac Racing rider Johann Zarco on his Ducati Desmosedici GP21, he was two tenths of a second behind Oliveira at the end. While, third was Ducati Lenovo Team rider Jack Miller on his works Ducati Desmosedici GP21, he was two seconds behind Oliveira at the end.

In the Moto2 race (Inline-three four-stroke class), that race was won by Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Remy Gardner on the Kalex.



Second was Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Raúl Fernández on the Kalex, he was two seconds behind Gardner at the end of the race. While, third was Petronas Sprinta Racing rider Xavi Vierge on the Kalex, he was three seconds behind Gardner at the end of the race.

While in the Moto3 race (single-cylinder 250 cc four-stroke class), that race was won by GasGas Valresa Aspar Team rider Sergio García on the KTM. Second was Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3 rider Jeremy Alcoba on the Honda, he was two hundredths of a second behind García at the end of the race. While, third was Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider Deniz Öncü on the KTM, he was twelve hundredths of a second behind García at the end of the race.

Finally in the MotoE race (a single make class with all the riders riding the Energica Ego MotoE bike), that was won by LCR E-Team rider Miquel Pons. Second Dynavolt Intact GP rider Dominique Aegerter, he was five tenths of a second behind Pons at the end. While, third was Pons Racing 40 rider and Current MotoE Champion Jordi Torres, he was six tenths of a seconds behind Pons at the end.

2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Review

Review of the sixth round of the 2021 F1 season at Baku City Circuit in the the centre of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Overall, I thought it was the best race of the season so far. Once again Charles Leclerc qualified on pole for Sunday's race, this time not crashing in the final minutes of qualifying. At the start of the race Leclerc took the lead at the start head of Current Formula 1 World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. At the end of lap 3, Hamilton passed Leclerc on the main straight to take the lead.

By lap 11, Hamilton pitted for tyres, got stuck in traffic in the pit-lane. The following lap, Verstappen made his stop, then a lap later Sergio Pérez pitted for tyres resulting Verstappen taking the lead with Pérez in second with Hamilton in third place. The race was set, until lap 47, when Verstappen cruelly picked up a left-rear puncture at the end of the start-finish straight and instantly retiring out of the race giving Pérez the lead, resulting a red flag on lap 49.



At the new restarted, Hamilton took the lead ahead of Pérez, until the first corner when Hamilton lock up and forcing him onto the escape road; Hamilton dropped to last as a result and Pérez retook the lead with two laps to go and stayed there till the end to give Sergio Pérez the race win in this seasons Azerbaijan Grand Prix and his first race win of the season.



While, Sebastian Vettel finished in second place in the Aston Martin, Vettel was fourteen tenths of a second behind Pérez at the end.



Meanwhile, Pierre Gasly finished in third place in the AlphaTauri to complete the podium, Gasly was three seconds behind Pérez at the end of the fifty-one lap race.



Highlights of the race below, enjoy.



Rate the Teams and Drivers

Mercedes - 6
Lewis Hamilton - 7 (finished fifteenth)
Valtteri Bottas - 5 (finished twelfth)

Red Bull Racing - 9
Max Verstappen - 9 (DNF, Punture, fastest lap)
Sergio Pérez - 9 (race win)

McLaren - 7
Daniel Ricciardo - 6 (finished ninth)
Lando Norris - 8 (finished fifth)

Aston Martin - 9
Sebastian Vettel - 10 (finished second)
Lance Stroll - 8 (DNF, Punture)

Alpine - 7
Fernando Alonso - 8 (finished sixth)
Esteban Ocon - 6 (DNF, Turbocharger)

Ferrari - 7
Charles Leclerc - 8 (pole, finished fourth)
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 6 (finished eighth)

AlphaTauri - 9
Pierre Gasly - 10 (finished third)
Yuki Tsunoda - 9 (finsihed seventh)

Alfa Romeo - 6
Kimi Räikkönen - 7 (finished tenth)
Antonio Giovinazzi - 6 (finished eleventh)

Haas - 5
Mick Schumacher - 6 (finished thirteenth)
Nikita Mazepin - 5 (finished fourteenth)

Williams - 5
George Russell - 6 (DNF, Gearbox)
Nicholas Latifi - 4 (finished sixteenth)


Next stop Circuit Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix in two weeks time.

Saturday, 5 June 2021

Singapore Grand Prix Cancelled

It was confirmed on Friday (4/6/21), this seasons Singapore Grand Prix has been officially cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.



The Singapore Grand Prix was set to be the sixteenth round of the season, on October 3rd. The race is off due to country has local restrictions and travel rules that make impossible to hold a race, similar reason to last seasons race to be called off.

Making it the fourth race to be cancelled this season due to the pandemic following the Chinese, Canadian and Turkish Grand Prixs'.

Coronavirus, officially named Covid-19, that has killed over 3,700,000 people, with over 172,000,000, cases reported.

Turkey, China and a second race at the Circuit of the Americas, Austin, USA are all under consideration as replacements.

Stay safe everyone.

Wednesday, 2 June 2021

F1 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Predictions

After a season away, predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit in the the centre of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

So Predictions for the race, and for the win I predict Max Verstappen for the race win in the Red Bull, Sir Lewis Hamilton second in the Mercedes, and third place for Sergio Pérez in the other Red Bull. Don't forget Valtteri Bottas, the McLaren drivers, the Aston Martin drivers, the Alpine drivers, the Ferrari drivers, and Pierre Gasly as-well for a podium place.