Month: June 2021

07 Jun 2021

I should have been black-flagged from Catalunya MotoGP

Quartararo’s leathers came open with around five laps of Sunday’s race to go and he completed the grand prix with his suit opened and without his chest protector. This would gain him a three-second time penalty some hours after the race, dropping him to sixth having already lost third to a three-second time penalty for […]

Continue Reading
07 Jun 2021

“Thrilling” end to Azerbaijan GP bodes well for F1 sprint races

Max Verstappen’s tyre failure with four laps to go resulted in the race being red flagged so that the debris could be cleared on the main straight. FIA race director Michael Masi felt there was “no reason” not to restart the race, setting up a final two-lap sprint under green flag conditions after a standing […]

Continue Reading
07 Jun 2021

Vinales heads Yamaha 1-2 in post-Catalan GP MotoGP test

Most of the field remained at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya circuit for the second in-season test day of 2021, though Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro sat it out due to some swelling in his arm – a legacy of recent arm-pump surgery. LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami led the opening hour of running with a 1m40.648s, the Honda rider […]

Continue Reading
07 Jun 2021

Autosport Podcast: Azerbaijan Grand Prix review

The Baku race erupted into action when Verstappen suffered a shocking tyre failure which caused a red flag with three laps to go. A standing start was called, with the race counting down to two laps left, with Hamilton and Perez fighting for the lead at the first corner. But the reigning F1 world champion […]

Continue Reading
07 Jun 2021

Too early to think about MotoGP title despite Catalunya win

The Portuguese rider struggled at the start of 2021, as the RC16 didn’t get on well with Michelin’s generally softer front tyre allocation in the early rounds. Failing to crack a top 10 from the first five races, a new chassis transformed Oliveira’s fortunes last week at Mugello as he scored second before going on […]

Continue Reading
07 Jun 2021

10 things we learned from F1’s 2021 Azerbaijan GP

Oh, Baku. Beautiful, bonkers Baku. After a year away, Formula 1 returned to the fastest street circuit on the calendar and was rewarded with a race to remember. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both saw chances to win the race pass them by and left Azerbaijan empty-handed as Sergio Perez scooped his second grand prix […]

Continue Reading
07 Jun 2021

Mir “pissed off” at Catalunya MotoGP strategy blunder

The top four riders at the chequered flag in last Sunday-s 24-lap Barcelona race all elected to run the hard rear tyre, while Mir went for the medium option. Coming from 10th on the grid, Mir leaped up to fourth on the opening lap and conserved his tyres for much of the first half of […]

Continue Reading
07 Jun 2021

F1 drivers to raise concerns over safety car

A tyre failure with four laps to go caused Verstappen to spin out at one of the fastest points on the circuit on the main straight, crashing into the wall and leaving debris strewn across the track. The incident ultimately led to the race being suspended so the track could be cleared under a red […]

Continue Reading
07 Jun 2021

Oliveira fends off Zarco to win, Quartararo loses third to penalty

KTM struggled in the early races of 2021, but a chassis update and new fuel supplier propelled the Austrian marque back to front-running status over the last two grand prix – Oliveira claiming his first win as a factory team KTM rider. Jack Miller used the power of the Ducati to grab the holeshot off […]

Continue Reading
07 Jun 2021

Gasly worried engine problem could cost him Baku F1 podium finish

The AlphaTauri driver had shown strong pace throughout the Baku weekend, initially running fourth, but faded somewhat in the race as the leaders pulled away from him. He then made clear some frustrations over the team radio after Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel was able to draft past him on the straight midway through. At that […]

Continue Reading