After such a long and extended break following the cancellation of an E-Prix scheduled for March, Formula E is BACK this weekend at a new venue but returning city of Miami! Many sessions and improvements have happened over the spring break for all 11 teams so it will be interesting to see how this electric weekend goes.
Schedule:
Free Practice 1: 4:30-5:25pm Local Time Free Practice 2: 07:30-08:25am Local Time Qualifying: 09:40-11:03am Local Time Race: 2:05-3pm Local Time
Circuit Preview:
The Miami E-Prix will be held at the Homestead-Miami International Speedway which will consist of 15 turns at 3.551km. Energy management could be critical around here as there is no pit boost as this is a single round event. The start/finish straight for the pitlanes as well as the long straights between turns 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 could be vital for victory.
Predictions for Round 5
Pole position: Pascal Wehrlein
The reigning champion of Formula E did not have the best of weekends in Jeddah with no podiums to his male and the Porsche power train competitors of Stellantis and Nissan both picked up 1 win each at the double header. However, with a new circuit comes new opportunities and chances for drivers and teams to excel which I believe Wehrlein will manage to do to keep his championship bid alive.
Race Winner: Taylor Barnard
Prior to this season, I think putting any of the trio of rookies onto a prediction sheet for race winner would have been seen as insane given the performances of the teams last season. However, neom McLaren and Barnard have easily been the ones to exceed expectations given how young the F2 Monaco Sprint race winner in 2024 is and his inexperienced compared to Sam Bird. Miami will be a somewhat equal playing field as it is a new venue and I am expecting Barnard to capitalise.
Biggest surprise: Andretti
This is Andretti’s home E-Prix so the team will be wanting to make a very strong performance here which I think they can do. Maybe a double podium is on the cards, Mueller’s first since joining the American outfit team.
Biggest disappointment: Mahindra
This one is purely a guy feeling. I was choosing between this team and Cupra Kiro but I think Beckmann and Ticktum will do well at Miami…unlike the Mahindra team. This one is purely vibes as well but I have a feeling they may fall down and struggle to get back up.
Max Verstappen held off the challenge of both McLaren drivers to win the Japanese Grand Prix.
The result stretches his unbeaten record at Suzuka to 6 years and was both Red Bull and Honda’s fourth successive win at the circuit.
He finished ahead Lando Norris in second and Oscar Piastri in third, with neither driver able to land a blow on Verstappen save for one challenge from Norris at pit exit which saw the Brit take to the grass.
The Dutchman is now only one point behind Norris in second place in the Drivers’ Championship in a car some believe is only 4th fastest.
Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari ahead of the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, with Lewis Hamilton seventh for Ferrari.
Isack Hadjar took his first points of the season in eighth to become the second highest Red Bull-backed driver in the standings with four points, ahead of a frustrated Alexander Albon and Ollie Bearman in tenth for Haas.
In what was a largely processional affair, Verstappen made the best of starting from pole position to lead away from the lights, and through the first stint was never troubled as Norris could rarely get close enough to stay within DRS.
After some jockeying from McLaren in the pit lane, both lead drivers pitting on lap 22.
A slow stop for Red Bull allowed Norris alongside, but with the pit lane narrowing Verstappen was never going to move aside and Norris went grass-tracking.
Verstappen was never troubled from there on.
At points it was Piastri who looked the quicker of the two drivers, the Australian getting to within one car length on lap 50 as the closest he could get to second place.
Leclerc was best of the rest for Ferrari but ultimately never close to the cars ahead with Hamilton a distant seventh on a different strategy as Ferrari produced a steady weekend after the double-disqualification farce in China two weeks ago.
George Russell could not re-produce his podium heroics of Shanghai, as yet another quiet race yielded fifth ahead of his charging young teammate Antonelli, whose overcut strategy ultimately yielded no gain from sixth on the grid.
Further back it was more of the same with little action to excite the fans, the best action coming as Albon and Hadjar both passed slowing traffic including Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz as they came through the field on new tyres on their way to decent points finishes.
Hadjar’s pace had been excellent all weekend, and starting seventh he and his Racing Bulls team will be pleased to finish in the top eight on a weekend where former teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who replaced Lawson at Red Bull for this race, could only manage 12th at his new team.
Albon’s race was apparently blighted by upshift issues and some less than happy radio exchanges, the Thai driver taking aim at Williams’ strategy after earlier shift frustrations, while Bearman built on a superb Chinese Grand Prix to score another point for Haas in tenth.
Max Verstappen will start from pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix for the first time since last year’s Austrian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman took a shock pole for Red Bull Racing by 0.012s ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
George Russell will start tomorrow’s race from fourth ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, while Russell’s Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli will start sixth.
Isack Hadjar, who had to overcome seat issues earlier in the day, starts and excellent seventh for Racing Bulls ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while Williams’ Alex Albon and Haas’ Ollie Bearman complete the top ten.
Eyes were on both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, with Lawson having been moved to Racing Bulls from Red Bull after two poor weekends ahead of the Grand Prix this weekend to be replaced by Tsunoda.
Lawson advanced through to the second session for what was already his best qualifying session of the season, knocking out Nico Hulkenberg in the process.
The German joined teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, Haas’ Esteban Ocon, Alpine’s Jack Doohan and the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll on the sidelines after the first session.
That was to be as far as both men would get, with both departing in the second qualifying session.
Lawson did manage to outqualify Tsunoda in 14th as the Japanese driver, who had looked quick throughout the weekend, made a mistake at Turn 2 to only manage 15th on the grid.
They’ll start behind Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin in 13th, Carlos Sainz’s Williams in 12th and Pierre Gasly in 11th.
It’s normal before a season starts to make predictions. Some are obvious, and often predictable, while others are outlandish, frivolous or even considered an outside bet. However, I can say with absolute certainty, that Aron Taylor-Smith will win a race in the forthcoming British Touring Car Championship season.
While there are 30 races in a season, it doesn’t seem too bold a claim to say he’ll win at least one, but it’s worth remembering the ability the BTCC class of ‘25 possesses. Reigning champion Jake Hill, as well as the likes of Tom Ingram, Ash Sutton, Dan Cammish and the return of three-time champion Gordon Shedden among others, mean the possibility of taking the chequered flag will be harder than ever.
So why am I so certain ATS will add to his four-win tally this season?
The popular Irishman has joined the works Toyota team for 2025, having left Power Maxed Racing. It’s the first manufacturer drive of his BTCC career, having made his debut in 2011. He’s always raced for independently backed teams, and last season saw Taylor-Smith secure the Independents title at a canter. ATS has made a habit of showing his capability to fight with the big boys, but now he joins the very teams he’s been fighting for years.
In recent years he’s become something of an expert in defensive driving. In an ageing Vauxhall Astra, ATS has been performing above expectations, regularly in the top ten among newer, arguably faster machinery. While earning high qualifying positions, Taylor-Smith had to scrap and fight for points. In spite of this, he was clearly successful, he earned two podiums at Oulton Park and Donington, and finished in the points in all 30 rounds in 2024.
His new steed, the proven Toyota Corolla, has race-winning pedigree, and with a speedy Irishman behind the wheel, it’s a formula bound for success.
‘Absolute Confidence’
ATS himself has ‘absolute confidence’ in the team and sees ‘no reason at all’ why he can’t be fighting for wins, and even the title.
“Having spent the past two years trying to beat the manufacturer-backed cars, it’ll be a surreal feeling to be amongst them,” the 35 year old commented. “That just spurs me on even more to put on a show. I’ve only ever wanted a chance to fight for the overall BTCC title, and I firmly believe that joining forces with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK gives me the perfect platform and environment to create that opportunity.”
His new team, Speedworks Motorsport, were responsible for Toyota’s return to the BTCC in 2019 after a 24 year absence. They introduced the Corolla, with Tom Ingram at the wheel. In its debut season, Ingram picked up four wins on his way to sixth in the standings. Since then, the Corolla’s secured 13 wins for Ingram, Rory Butcher, Aiden Moffat, Rob Huff and Josh Cook.
Toyota will field four Corollas this season, with Taylor-Smith being joined by one-time race winner Ronan Pearson, rookie James Dorlin, and the aforementioned Gordon Shedden no less. The latter making his much anticipated return to the grid after three years away.
The signing of Shedden outlines Toyota’s intentions for the new year, and the Japanese manufacturer will be gunning for success. Their stable is full of drivers with front wheel drive experience, and with an intriguing grid taking shape, I’m certain Toyota’s next visit to the top of the rostrum, will be with ATS.
Toprak Razgatlioglu added victories in the Tissot Superpole and Race 2 in Portimao to become the 2nd rider this season to secure a treble of victories in one round. However, much like in Race 1 Nicolo Bulega ran him incredibly close after the Turkish rider didn’t do himself any favours with his race starts.
TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE
As with Race 1 on Saturday, Bulega got the hole shot into turn 1, powering ahead of Razgatlioglu who this time slipped to 3rd. Danilo Petrucci spent exactly one lap ahead of Razgatlioglu, passing him at the first corner on lap 1 and losing the position at the same spot on lap 2.
On lap 5, Bulega lost the lead to Razgatlioglu at turn 3 in a move that the Turkish rider had visibly been setting up for some time. Just after the lead changed hands, just outside the top three Bulega’s teammate Alvaro Bautista passed Andrea Locatelli for fourth.
As the 10-lap race entered its second half Bulega tried his best to keep pace with Razgatlioglu as Bautista hunted down Petrucci for 3rd. The factory Ducati rider passed the satellite one with 2 laps to go, after which there was no time for the two-time World Champion to catch the leaders.
At least Bautista was able to demonstrate the pace that he could not show on Saturday after contact with Scott Redding in Race 1. Another rider on the back foot from the previous day – Alex Lowes – did a great job to scythe through from the back of the field but could not make it into the top 10 within 10 laps, thus leaving him unable to change his grid position for Race 2.
Meanwhile, behind Locatelli in fifth the other BMW of Michael van der Mark was able to despatch the Honda pair of Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge towards the end. Despite this, the Japanese manufacturer was enjoying a decent turn of pace, with its recent switch of suspension supplier possibly helping with their upturn in form.
Up front, the only time Bulega looked genuinely threatening against Razgatlioglu in the second half of the race was right at the very end. Coming through turn 14 and the long turn 15 onto the start-finish straight Bulega rapidly closed on Razgatlioglu but had to change from the outside to the inside as they approached the chequered flag.
The positioning of his BMW on the final blast to the line have secured Razgatlioglu his first Tissot Superpole Race victory of the year by just 0.055 seconds. Much like Race 1, it was clear that Bulega was capable of taking the fight to Razgatlioglu on the circuit that is notorious for being a favourite of the Turk, and hopes were high for another close tussle in Race 2.
TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE RESULTS
Image Credit: WorldSBK
RACE 2
This time around, Razgatlioglu only lost one position from pole by turn 1. Bulega led from his BMW rival and Aruba.it Racing teammate Bautista.
Locatelli held off Razgatlioglu’s teammate van der Mark for fourth while an entertaining battle for positions six through nine kicked off between Andrea Iannone, Remy Gardner and the Honda duo. However, this action was thwarted after Iannone received a double long-lap penalty for jumping the start, with the Italian taking the first of these on lap 5.
Shortly after Vierge crashed out, as did Tito Rabat further down the order. Up front, Bulega continued to lead from Razgatlioglu and they began to put as much as 0.7 seconds a lap between themselves and Bautista who simply had to settle for third best.
The laptimes of the top two as the race edged towards halfway were as quick as the pole position laps from last year, which illustrates both how dominant the two were around the Algarve International Circuit and how much the speed of their respective superbikes increases year-on-year. Inevitably, as the race reached halfway Razgatlioglu began to close in on his Bulega as he sought to take the treble in Portimao but with 11 laps to go his charge was halted.
Jason O’Halloran (in for the injured Jonathan Rea) went down at turn 1 and was seemingly OK after the impact. However, his Pata Maxus Yamaha careered into the air fence on the outside of the run-off area and the race was halted with a red flag.
This created opportunities for a couple of riders, most notably Scott Redding and Alex Lowes. Just before the red flag Redding had trundled into the pits with a technical problem but just made it back onto the grid before the restart after the issue with his MGM Bonovo Ducati was solved, while Lowes finally started a race from a better position this weekend having made his way to 13th by the time of the stoppage.
The WorldSBK stewards announced a quick-restart procedure after the air-fence was inspected and repaired after not too long of a delay, but there was pandemonium at the Team Pata Go Eleven pits.
Iannone had not served his second long-lap penalty, which can be taken with six laps of the punishment being awarded. His team tried to argue for their rider’s sake and Iannone avoided disqualification the regulations demanded he serve a double ride-through penalty for failing to observe the double long-lap.
Four penalties for jumping the start put paid to Iannone’s race and his gesticulations as he came through the pits shortly after his passing his main independent rival Petrucci clearly demonstrated his frustration with the decision. After barely accelerating after coming out of the pits, the Italian rider eventually came back in and retired in a slightly selfish move considering that he could have collected some data for his engineers in clear air over the remaining few laps, but his anger got the better of him.
The remaining laps of the restarted race essentially represented a full points-paying event but constrained to the length of a Superpole race. Razgatlioglu – for the fourth time this weekend – lost out to Bulega on the run to turn 1 and also slipped behind a fast-starting Locatelli who powered through from fourth on the grid.
Naturally Razgatlioglu made short work of Locatelli who – like Petrucci at the first start – stayed ahead of the BMW for precisely one lap. By the following lap, Razgatlioglu made a sensational move on Bulega into turn 1, forcing his rival to sit up as he went through the apex of the corner as the BMW bulldozed him off his line.
At the same time, Locatelli fell back to fourth after Bautista passed him and quickly resettled into his own comfortable gap between the top two and the Yamaha behind. There was a brief moment in the following lap where Bulega returned the favour on Razgatlioglu and allowed Bautista to close up, but the two-time WorldSBK title winner had no real answer for his teammate or the reigning champion’s race pace.
Razgatlioglu was back through on lap 15 of 20, after which the lead changed four times over the next three laps. Further down the order, Tarran MacKenzie and Remy Gardner both crashed out while Axel Bassani engaged in a thrilling battle with Danilo Petrucci for 6th place – the latter securing the position right on the finish line on the final lap.
The fight between the top two remained on a knife-edge until the very end although Razgatlioglu just held on to take his first triple victory of the season after Bulega did so at the 1st round in Phillip Island. The Ducati rider still holds a comfortable championship lea thanks to three wins and three second places from six races across the first two rounds of 2025 as WorldSBK next heads to Assen in the Netherlands in two weeks’ time.
Razgatlioglu may have felt like World Superbikes had become the ‘Ducati Cup’ after the drubbing he suffered in Australia, but his performance in Portugal reignited his and everyone else’s hope that this will be a tight contest between the BMW rider and the two Aruba Ducati’s this season. However, Bulega might feel that he lost the battle but is winning the war, given how close he could run his rival on a track that has always been a particularly strong venue for Razgatlioglu.
The Moto2 Americas GP witnessed the first wet race for the class at the Circuit of The Americas, bringing a wave of uncertainty to the grid as riders debated between slicks and wet tyres. In the end, the wet tyre proved to be the winning choice, with Jake Dixon delivering a dominant performance from start to finish. Meanwhile, the five riders who gambled on slicks paid a heavy price, most notably then-championship leader Manuel Gonzalez, who struggled to 22nd place.
Fresh off his victory in Argentina, Jake Dixon has made it two in a row, clinching another dominant win at the Grand Prix of the Americas. The British rider was unstoppable in the challenging conditions, leading from start to finish and further strengthening his grip on the 2025 Moto2 World Championship.
Tony Arbolino made a strong return to the Moto2 podium by claiming second place. Completing the all-Boscoscuro podium was Alonso Lopez, who delivered a solid ride to finish third on the Team HDR Heidrun machine.
Aron Canet was unable to match Dixon’s pace, crossing the line in fourth place, massive 28 seconds behind the race winner. Meanwhile, Izan Guevara showcased his talent in the tricky conditions, securing an impressive fifth-place finish for the BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 squad.
Unfortunately Celestino Vietti crashed out of 5th place with 2 laps to go. The day only got worse for him, as immediately after he rejoined, he crashed moments later…
Dixon’s commanding performance solidifies his status as a true title contender, showcasing the best version of Jake Dixon we’ve seen yet.
After a frustrating start to the defence of his Superbike World Championship title in Phillip Island five weeks ago, Toprak Razgatlioglu broke the lap record in Portimao to secure pole position before scoring a narrow victory over his main rival Nicolo Bulega in race 1. Although there were not quite as many changes of positions as Razgatlioglu has experienced with Alvaro Bautista in the past, the lead changed hands several times between the BMW and his Ducati nemesis before the Turkish rider crossed the line just 0.067 seconds in front.
Things got off to a bad start for Razgatlioglu as he fell to fifth by the first corner. A few seconds later, two of his Ducati-powered rivals crashed out as Bautista and Scott Redding came to blows as the field bunched up through turns 3 and 4, with Remy Gardner involved as well but surviving the contact.
There were six teams being represented in the top eight positions after the first lap. Bulega broke free at the front of the Ducati-dominated pack with Andrea Locatelli in an impressive second for Yamaha and Razgtlioglu on his BMW the only riders from different marques in the front eight.
Razgatlioglu is notoriously strong around the Algarve International Circuit and the Turkish rider began to plot his way back through to the front. His first victim was Danilo Petrucci who he swooped over the crest to pass around the outside in a sensational move before dispatching Sam Lowes and Locatelli by around one-quarter race distance.
It was not long before the reigning World Champion reeled in Bulega and the two began a 15-lap battle for the win that never looked certain until it was over. A common theme across the position changes for the lead would be Razgatlioglu leading into turn 14 before Bulega deployed his slightly superior Ducati power through the long turn 15 to blast ahead by turn one on the following lap.
The fight was fairer this time around for Razgatlioglu compared to when he was riding for the slower Yamaha against Bautista’s Ducati before his switch to BMW, with their 2023 battles around the Portimao track living long in the memory of all those blessed to witness it. However, Razgatlioglu still had to push as hard as he could to defeat a defiant Bulega in the sweltering Portugese Saturday afternoon sunshine.
The Ducati held a 2mph advantage on the BMW and it was at the end of the long straight on lap seven that Bulega first took his lead straight back from Razgatioglu, before Toprak finally cemented the lead for a while after an agressive move at turn 12 on lap 9.
Bulega was back in front briefly with a late move at the end of the start-finish straight on lap 10 but Razgatlioglu was back in front as the circuit tightened into turn 3 and the Ducati ran wide. However, Bulega made a move stick into turn one once again on lap 14.
This lead for Bulega lasted three laps before Razgatlioglu then finally got the better of the Ducati into turn one. Then came one last successful retaliation from Bulega with two laps to go before his Turkish rival once again got him back quickly and held onto win by 0.067 across the line at the end of a thrilling 20 laps.
There were just 17 riders who took the chequered flag. Both of the Lowes brothers crashed out while running strongly with Sam eliminating himself from the top five not long after being moved aside by a charging Razgatlioglu and Alex sliding out of ninth place after a stellar recovery from the back of the grid (after an incident in qualifying) that came to nought.
The TV footage seldom focused on the action further down the grid as the top two stretched their lead on the rest of the pack despite passing and re-passing each other. Locatelli was thrilled to take his and Yamaha’s first podium of the year – some eight seconds behind the two leaders and just one in front of top independent rider Petrucci.
Seven seconds behind Petrucci in fourth just five seconds then covered the rest of the top ten, with Gardner’s Yamaha being usurped on the run to the finish line by three of his rivals to end up in tenth. There should be more action to look forward to in tomorrow’s pair of races starting with the 10-lap Superpole, but Bulega will need to pray the BMW on pole messes up the start once again if he is to stand any chance of defeating the rejuvenated Razgatlioglu.
Confirmation of the news that no one in F1 has been waiting for came on Thursday morning, as Red Bull announced that Yuki Tsunoda will replace Liam Lawson in the senior team.
Lawson will drive for Racing Bulls, the team he drove for in 11 races across two part season spells in 2023 and 2024, and returns after twice qualifying last at the Sprint weekend Chinese Grand Prix and 18th at the Australian Grand Prix, while crashing in the race in Australia and finishing 15th on the road in Shanghai.
Tsunoda gets his chance after over four seasons and 89 starts with the Red Bull junior team in the guises of Alpha Tauri, VCARB and Racing Bulls.
Red Bull are renowned for their ruthless handling of their young driver programme. Just ask Pierre Gasly, who in 2019 got half a season and despite obvious improvement in the junior team was never again considered for the senior team.
Even for Red Bull though, two races is a new low.
Not since Yuji Ide’s infamous four race spell for Super Aguri in 2006, where he lost his superlicense when three dreadful flyaway races were followed by the Japanese flipping Christijan Albers at the San Marino Grand Prix, has a stated permanent drive gone so wrong, so quickly.
Lawson will get a chance to go again.
What’s changed?
Much has and will be made of the decision to replace Lawson, a driver Red Bull believed had the mental fortitude to be teammate to four-time World Champion Max Verstappen with Tsunoda, who not three months ago was not believed to have the mentality to be able to cope with the same role he’s now been thrust into.
Team Principal Christian Horner said of Tsunoda when announcing the switch: “Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car.”
When announcing Lawson’s move to Red Bull, Horner said: “Liam’s performances over the course of his two stints with Racing Bulls have demonstrated that he’s not only capable of delivering strong results but that he’s also a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top.”
Contrast that with this week:
“We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together we see that, after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so Liam can gain experience as he continues his F1 career with Racing Bulls, an environment and a team he knows very well.”
How times change.
Red Bull’s muddled thinking
On the face of it, Red Bull have, completely by themselves, got the worst of both worlds.
The reality is worse than that.
When all meaningful metrics – race finishes, points, qualifying points – pointed to Tsunoda being the right choice to replace the shredded Sergio Perez for 2025, Red Bull chose Lawson based on being a “real racer” and other intangibles.
It then gave Lawson a full pre-season and two races in a car that, while tricky, is better than the New Zealander has been able to show at two tracks he’d not driven on before pulling the trigger.
In taking Tsunoda out of the Racing Bulls frying pan and throwing into the Red Bull fire this early on, it is giving Tsunoda almost a full season in a car notorious for being difficult to adapt to, while wasting the chance to ease him in and help the Japanese prepare with pre-season testing.
Tsunoda’s most recent meaningful time in a Red Bull was at the end of season test at Abu Dhabi last year.
He has carried on what was an impressive end to last season in 2025, and would have scored points in both Grands Prix were it not for poor strategy calls from Racing Bulls, after a 6th in the Chinese Sprint.
However, promotion to Red Bull this soon in the season with the media interest that will generate, plus the adaptation process that will inevitably come with joining a new team, in time for his home race will bring a pressure he hasn’t previously been under.
His fiery personality and some expletive-laden radio exchanges are ultimately what led to doubts at Red Bull about his ability to cope with pressure.
It is worth remembering that despite outshining every teammate since Gasly left for Alpine, Tsunoda was Red Bull’s third choice for this seat.
The team brought Daniel Ricciardo back to what was then Alpha Tauri for a shootout to join the senior team in the second half of 2023 before injury hampered his comeback.
A slow start to the 2024 season made Red Bull realise that the Australian – the first choice to replace Perez – was not the same driver as the daring, late-braking and often rabbit-out-of-hat driver that deposed Sebastian Vettel as team leader before leaving for Renault in 2019.
Masking a fundamental issue
The decision to drop Lawson and the circus around Red Bull’s second seat should not detract from the fact that since design genius Adrian Newey left Red Bull almost a year ago, they have gone backwards in competitiveness.
Verstappen won the World Championship with two weekends to spare in 2024, but he won just two of the last 14 races and one of those was at the wet Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil.
The Dutchman has hinted that Red Bull have the fourth fastest car, repeatedly criticised the car’s balance and even hinted that Racing Bulls may have a faster car.
While the car is obviously better than Lawson has shown and should score points at every weekend, Verstappen has more than maximised the car’s potential and taken advantage of quicker rivals falling by the wayside.
Verstappen, the last true success of Red Bull’s once fabled young driver programme, is believed to view the decision to drop Lawson as the wrong call, and the fundamental issue is with the RB21 and not the second driver.
While in part that may be a Formula One driver talking up his own performance, the evidence backs up Verstappen’s view.
If finally giving Tsunoda a chance backfires, it will once and for all expose a team in complete disarray.
Just a few stages left then to decide this seasons Safari Rally. Adrien and Alex returned to the action in their Hyundai and would open the road throughout the six stages. There would be extra points to grab for the final day as well.
First up was SS17 Mzabibu 2 – 8.27 km and Ott was fastest from Thierry and Kalle. Rally leader Elfyn was fourth and just bringing it home holding a one minute and fifty-one second lead over Ott. Worthy mention for Oliver in his Rally2 Yaris who was fifth fastest and ahead of a few Rally1 cars. This was impressive! Despite Kalle’s good pace he’s suffered another puncture. He also needed to change a part in the engine bay following the stage.
Onto SS18 Oserengoni 1 – 18.33 km and before the stage started we had a retirement in the shape of Kalle as he did not make it to the start of the stage. Takamoto was fastest from Adrien and Thierry. With the retirement of Kalle, Sami moved into fifth place.
Time then for stage SS19 Hell’s Gate 1 – 10.53 km and Adrien was fastest from Thierry and Takamoto. You could tell that this was not just a normal stage as Josh had a close call with a herd of zebra! The Irishman did well to finish the stage in sixth and continued to hold eleventh overall.
After a short service break came SS20 Oserengoni 2 – 18.33 km and Takamoto was fastest in this one from Adrien and Thierry. Elfyn continued to hold the top spot and just had one stage left.
Into SS21 Hell’s Gate 2[Power Stage] – 10.53 km and Adrien set the pace in this one from Thierry, Ott was third, Greg fourth and Sami fifth. There was drama for Takamoto early in the stage as he spun on a right-hander leading to a slow roll. Thankfully there were a few spectators nearby and once the car was back on it’s wheels they got underway again. They completed the stage, but there were huge questions about the possibility he would make it back to the service park. The car was not working well at all. All of this meant that Sami was now into fourth place. The podium looked like this however with Thierry third, Ott in second and Elfyn took victory, the first for a Brit since Colin won for Ford in 2002.
Let’s take a look at the finishing positions and hear from the drivers.
Safari Rally Kenya Final Classification
1
E. Evans
S. Martin
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
4:20:03.8
2
O. Tänak
M. Järveoja
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+1:09.9
3
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+3:32.0
4
S. Pajari
M. Salminen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+7:18.7
5
G. Munster
L. Louka
Ford Puma Rally1
+11:35.3
6
G. Greensmith
J. Andersson
Škoda Fabia RS
+14:11.6
7
J. Solans
R. Sanjuan
Toyota GR Yaris
+17:26.6
8
J. Serderidis
F. Miclotte
Ford Puma Rally1
+28:45.5
9
F. Zaldivar
M. Der Ohannesian
Škoda Fabia RS
+35:38.8
10
J. McErlean
E. Treacy
Ford Puma Rally1
+37:15.8
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Elfyn Evans
“It’s amazing to have won this rally. It’s not quite sunk in fully yet but the Safari Rally is a special event to win. A huge well done to the team, who work very hard to give us an amazing car, and I’m proud to be a very small part of Toyota’s great history on this rally. It’s been a massively demanding weekend, probably the most extreme Safari we’ve seen since we’ve been coming here, and the weather added an extra twist on Saturday. It was not easy to manage the final day, having quite a big lead and needing to bring it home. There was the temptation of extra points to play for on Sunday, but in the circumstances it was important to get the car to the finish, and I’m very happy at the end of it.”
Sami Pajari
“It is really a big relief to cross the finish line, which was our only plan for the whole rally. It has been quite a long week, from the recce and through four days of rallying. It can be quite exhausting, but we managed it quite well. There were no big mistakes or issues, which is exactly what we wanted from this event, so I can be super pleased with that. I’m happy for the team to have won this rally once again and with the experience we gained here, we can be even stronger next time.”
Kalle Rovanperä
“It has been a difficult weekend, but we hoped to still try and take some good points from the final day. Everything was fine in the first stage this morning but on the road section to the next stage, we started to see some electrical issues on the car. We tried to fix them, but we couldn’t make it happen in the end and we had to retire from the rally. It’s really disappointing to leave without any points, but we will go again in the next rally.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“I’m devastated to end the rally in this way. Near the start of the Power Stage, we had a half spin, we caught the inside bank and then we started to roll. It was a very unexpected thing, and I don’t know exactly what happened. It has been a very difficult rally and of course I had to try to push, and this kind of thing can always happen. But I’m just very, very sorry for the team.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Ott Tänak
“Really happy with the result today. A difficult and demanding weekend, but we are happy to bring both cars safely home on the podium. Our chances of victory went on Friday, but after that we kept it clean and now we’ve scored strong points on Sunday. There’s a lot of positives to take from this weekend. Really thankful to the team and the mechanics for keeping us in the game, there was never an easy service so a massive thank you to them. The cars were really put on the limit, but the team has improved the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 and its reliability – we’ve been moving in a really good direction since Friday.”
Thierry Neuville
“We can breathe now; it was a very stressful day today, always thinking something could break. I think we have been rewarded for our hard work on Friday and Saturday. It was an enormous job between stages for me and Martijn fixing the car, and the team always had a massive job to fix it at every service. But we never gave up, even when things were looking bad, and that paid off. We finally got the result we deserved.”
Adrien Fourmaux
“A really tough weekend for us with the technical issues that started on Thursday, which was difficult to accept. I’m very proud of our performance on the stages today; we have scored some good points, and it is really positive to come home with those after a difficult event. I’d like to thank the team for giving me such a strong car today that allowed me to fight for maximum Power Stage and Super Sunday points.”
2025 FIA World Rally Championship Round 03, Safari Rally Kenya 19-23 March 2025 Photographer: Dufour Fabien Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
M-Sport Ford WRT
Grégoire Munster
“I wanted to do well for my grandfather this weekend. It didn’t start too well on Friday, we encountered so many issues between brakes, engine overheating, the steering arm, punctures and of course the gearbox on Sunday too.
“But we never gave up and that was the only thing I wanted to do, to finish the rally, and apparently with Taka retiring we will be in the top five, so we’ve come a really long way this weekend. We wanted to start the season how we ended last year, and I’m really happy we managed to secure that top five finish here in Kenya.”
Jourdan Serderidis
“It was very good because we have a top result here, ninth overall against those top guys is great, especially considering the conditions. It has been very difficult, the first and the second days with the rain were completely different but really challenging. We survived well, showed some pace as well, but we didn’t push too much when there were no reasons to anyway – we already had a good result.
“It’s been a great weekend with M-Sport, the three crews getting to the end has been nice. With the help of Romet [Jürgenson] as well, we have had a fantastic team.”
Josh McErlean
“It’s been quite crazy, quite surreal. Honestly, it’s really nice to get to the finish. Okay, we had our problems, but we persevered and made it through.
“You have to come to Safari Rally and expect these conditions, it’s part of what it’s about. Not only that but the people and everyone involved, from the organisers to the teams, it’s a huge effort to come out here and put on a show as a non-European event, it’s such a huge spectacle so congratulations to everyone for making it happen.”
Oliver Solberg (WRC2)
“It’s definitely a little bit of a bitter-sweet feeling. “Getting stuck in the fech fech on Friday was so disappointing. There was literally nothing we could do about it; we were the first Rally2 car into that section. That’s it, sometimes this is the way the sport is working.
“The positive we can take away from here is the pace we showed and to know that none of us could have done any more than we did. Honestly, I feel like me, Elliott and the team deserved this one. Like I said, sometimes it doesn’t go this way.
“This was the first time we drove the Yaris on gravel, and I have to say I was really impressed. I want to say a big thank you to everybody in the Printsport team and, of course, to Elliott. We know this event is probably the toughest of the year and we definitely felt that again this time.
“We did everything we could, we won a lot of stages and took some points, but now we look ahead to the next event in Spain. It’s always such a big pleasure to come here and drive these roads and to spend time in such a special country with such incredible fans. I love this place and these people.
“And next time, I will come back even more determined to win!”
2025 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 3
1
E. Evans
88
2
T. Neuville
52
3
O. Tänak
49
4
S. Ogier
33
5
A. Fourmaux
31
6
K. Rovanperä
31
7
T. Katsuta
25
8
S. Pajari
19
9
G. Munster
14
10
M. Sesks
8
2025 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 3
1
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team
148
2
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
122
3
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
47
4
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 2
25
Summary
Well, what a fantastic rally this was. It had everything out there – fast flowing stages, tricky sections with huge rocks and also huge rain.
Elfyn and Scott conquered these conditions with a fantastic drive to their first win in Kenya. They set the pace required to take the lead and in the stages which were tricky they got through at the right pace and safe approach. With this win and the second this year, they now have thirty-six-point lead over the second placed crew in the championship, Thierry and Martijn.
Ott and Martin took second overall after a drive which saw them lead and have a big lead before issues with the driveshaft on one corner of the lost them time on the following two stages. They took the most stage wins as well and second place as well. It was a good recovery drive.
Thierry and Martijn did what they could out on the challenging stages dealing with technical problems with their car and somehow made it to the final podium place. It was a drive which was typical of the Belgian pair, getting something from a rally which could have finished in a very different way.
Looking ahead to the next rally which will be held called Rally Islas Canarias over the weekend of the 24 April to 27 April.
