Though conditions were dry for the start of the final day of MotoGP running of the year, the wind had picked up and would prove problematic for the rest of the day. Honda’s Pol Espargaro was first out on track on the 2021 RC213V before switching to one of the two 2022 prototypes he had […]
Year: 2021
Hamilton feeling ‘a little bit slow’ after Qatar F1 Friday practice
Hamilton heads into the Qatar weekend on a high after charging from 10th on the grid to win in Brazil last Sunday, cutting Red Bull rival Max Verstappen’s championship lead down to 14 points. Practice on Friday at the Losail International Circuit saw Verstappen and Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, lead FP1 and FP2… Continue […]
Ducati MotoGP bike “perfect already” – Bagnaia
The 2021 championship runner-up scored four wins for Ducati across the past season and qualified on pole five times, marking himself out as a title contender for 2022. Ducati has brought a raft of new items to the two-day Jerez test this week, including a new engine, fairing and exhaust, with Bagnaia currently topping Friday’s […]
F1 Grand Prix practice results: Bottas fastest in Qatar
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fastest in FP1 but it was Bottas who set the quickest time of the day – under the floodlights in FP2 – at 1m23.148s. Pierre Gasly was an impressive second fastest in both sessions for AlphaTauri. Qatar Grand Prix FP1 results: Verstappen fastest from Gasly What happened in Free Practice […]
Why Qatar could be a track limits nightmare for the FIA
Losail may be a brand new venue for F1, but rather than wait to see what happens in FP1, race director Michael Masi attempted to pre-empt any problems by naming five potential trouble spots in the notes he issued to teams on Thursday. They are the exits of Turn 4, a ninety-degree right early in […]
Verstappen’s Brazil move sets F1 precedent
After Verstappen kept Lewis Hamilton behind by edging him off the road at Turn 4 in last week’s race at Interlagos, the stewards opted not to open a formal investigation into the incident during the race, in which Verstappen eventually finished second. However, Mercedes subsequently submitted a request of a right to appeal triggered by… […]
Gardner thinks Fernandez’s Moto2 title claims “bullshit”
Gardner beat rookie team-mate Fernandez to this year’s Moto2 crown in a battle that went down to the wire, with the former taking the crown by four points despite winning five races to Fernandez’s eight. In an interview with Autosport’s sister Spanish language site Motorsport.es, Fernandez says he was the “moral champion” and that the […]
Important for F1 to create scrutiny on human rights issues
F1 will stage its first race in Qatar this weekend ahead of a 10-year deal for the state to host a grand prix from 2023. In two weeks’ time, Saudi Arabia will host its first grand prix as part of a long-term agreement that is set to give the series four races in the Middle […]
Nakagami tops first test of 2022 MotoGP pre-season at Jerez
Just four days after the 2021 season concluded in Valencia, the opening two-day test of the 2022 pre-season got underway on Thursday at Jerez. Very little running took place in the opening hour of running, with Luca Marini putting the new VR46 Ducati top of the pile with a 1m43.364s. But by hour two the […]
Mercedes took “different viewpoint” on Brazil clash after seeing full footage
The pair went wide at Interlagos’ Turn 4 fast left-hander, as Hamilton had moved ahead of Verstappen – attacking on the corner’s outside line early in their respective third stints. The Red Bull driver then responded by braking deeper and sending his car rapidly inside Hamilton’s as they approached the apex, with both going wide […]