The M1 for years was branded a rider-friendly motorcycle, with the likes of Johann Zarco, Jonas Folger and Fabio Quartararo over the past few seasons able to jump on the bike and score podiums in their debut seasons. The 2020 M1 proved to be a harder bike to manage, with the older frame losing cornering […]
Author: Ian Dobson
Verstappen letting Hamilton through “the right thing” in Bahrain GP
With four laps to go in F1 2021’s season opener, Verstappen went off track in Turn 4 in an attempt to snatch the victory away from leader Lewis Hamilton, forcing him to hand the position back to Mercedes driver. Verstappen questioned Red Bull’s call to give the position back, claiming he would have preferred to […]
Vinales beats Ducati quartet to claim victory
Ducati has won the previous two Qatar GPs courtesy of Andrea Dovizioso, but Vinales ended that run after battling his way through the Desmosedicis after a slow start. Poleman Francesco Bagnaia led a Ducati charge off the line, as team-mate Jack Miller, Pramac’s Johann Zarco and his rookie team-mate Jorge Martin from 14th on the […]
Verstappen explains inability to re-attack Hamilton in Bahrain F1 GP
Verstappen had closed in on Hamilton during his 17-lap third and final stint – during which he enjoyed an 11-lap tyre-life advantage over his rival – in what was a thrilling conclusion to F1’s 2021 season-opener after leading the early stages from pole and falling behind thanks to Mercedes’ aggressive strategy calls. The Red Bull… […]
Miller “hit a wall” with tyres in Qatar MotoGP
Miller, team-mate Francesco Bagnaia and Pramac duo Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin monstered the field off the line to occupy the top four places on the opening lap. But all of them hit trouble as the race wore on, with Miller suffering with a loss of grip late on despite making a gentle start to […]
F1 track limit rules must be clear and not ‘a Shakespeare novel’
Track limits played a pivotal role in the outcome of Formula 1’s entertaining 2021 season opener, as with four laps to go Red Bull’s Max Verstappen overtook erstwhile leader Lewis Hamilton at Turn 4 but had to hand the position back to the defending world champion after leaving the track. In qualifying track limit transgressions […]
Vinales feels “Yamaha is back” after Qatar MotoGP win
Despite dropping to sixth as a quartet of Ducatis rocketed to the front at the start of the 22-lap race, Vinales rallied to fight his way through to the front of the pack by the 15th tour. From there, he opened up a gap of over a second to come under no threat through to […]
Bahrain GP “one of the hardest races I’ve had for a while”
The world champion took victory in the F1 season opener as he eked out his tyres for a long final stint at Sakhir and held off pre-race favourite Verstappen for the win. Although Verstappen briefly managed to take the lead a few laps from home, he had the give the place back after running wide […]
Dovizioso’s manager doubts MotoGP race return with Aprilia in 2021
The 15-time MotoGP race winner was ousted from his Ducati seat at the end of 2020 and has taken a sabbatical in 2021 having turned down a race seat offer from Aprilia. But, earlier this month, Aprilia announced it would undertake a three-day private test at Jerez on 12-14 April with Dovizioso riding the RS-GP. […]
Vettel receives F1 grid penalty for Bahrain yellow flag infringement
The four-time F1 world champion, preparing for his Aston Martin debut after switching from Ferrari over the winter, was knocked out in the first session of qualifying in 18th place ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix after aborting his final flying lap due to two separate yellow flag incidents. Vettel, who was initially cleared in […]