2016 FIA World RX Rallycross Championship / Round 12 / Rosario, Argentina / November 25 – 28, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: IMG/McKlein
Norway’s Andreas Bakkerud has won World RX of Argentina, the final round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy at the wheel of his Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Focus RS RX Supercar. Volkswagen RX Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson and EKS driver Topi Heikkinen finished second and third. EKS has clinched the 2016 World RX Teams’ Championship as team-mates Mattias Ekstrom and Topi Heikkinen racked up enough points during qualifying to scoop the coveted title ahead of Team Peugeot-Hansen.
2016 FIA World RX Rallycross Championship / Round 12 / Rosario, Argentina / November 25 – 28, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: IMG/McKlein
Ekstrom was crowned this year’s World RX drivers’ champion at the previous round in Germany after scoring enough points to secure the accolade before Argentina. In the three-way battle for the 2016 World RX runner-up spot, it was Kristoffersson who came out top – only one point ahead of Bakkerud and Solberg who finished third and fourth respectively.
“Now that it’s been confirmed that I’m third in the driver standings, I’m feeling very emotional – I’ve had so many people supporting me on my route to be here today and it’s a great feeling,” explained Bakkerud, who also wins the Monster Energy Super Charge Award following his rapid start off the front row of the final. “I am very proud of myself and want to thank all my partners and fans for supporting me. Ever since Ken called me last year to confirm that I was his team-mate, it’s been an incredible journey. Today was a very hard race because there was so much on the line and I’m just so happy that I secured a podium in the Drivers’ World Championship.”
2016 FIA World RX Rallycross Championship / Round 12 / Rosario, Argentina / November 25 – 28, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: IMG/McKlein
Second-placed Kristoffersson ends the year second in the standings – one better than his third place finish last year. He explained: “After the semi-final, I knew I had to finish P1 or P2 in the final to get second overall so the pressure was on. Once I got to turn three, I just focused on staying behind Andreas and keeping everything clean.”
2016 FIA World RX Rallycross Championship / Round 12 / Rosario, Argentina / November 25 – 28, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: IMG/McKlein
Newly-crowned 2016 World RX Champion Mattias Ekstrom spoke highly of his team-mate Heikkinen, who finished second today, and EKS taking the 2016 teams’ title. The new 2016 World RX Champion commented: “We have always dreamed of this moment but with the level of competition in World RX, it hasn’t been easy. As a driver and team owner, this year has been fantastic – only three years ago we were starting out with a blank sheet of paper and now we are double champions, it is just the best feeling. For the driver it is nice, but for the team it is even better as everyone has worked so hard.”
2016 FIA World RX Rallycross Championship / Round 12 / Rosario, Argentina / November 25 – 28, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: IMG/McKlein
Timo Scheider took the best result of the year for ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport after finishing fourth this weekend in a Seat Ibiza. The German DTM driver was delighted with his performance: “It felt awesome to make it through to the final after our issues with the power steering and we really found some pace this weekend.”
2016 FIA World RX Rallycross Championship / Round 12 / Rosario, Argentina / November 25 – 28, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: IMG/McKlein
The 2015 Argentina RX winner Robin Larsson qualified for today’s final and finished sixth in his privately-run Audi A1. Last year’s World RX Champion Petter Solberg looked on course for a strong finish after completing a clean sweep of qualifying race victories – a feat only accomplished once before in World RX history. The Norwegian started on pole of today’s semi-final one but sustained steering damage at turn one and later hit a tyre barrier. Despite Solberg and Bakkerud being tied on points, Bakkerud beat his fellow Norwegian to third place because he has more event wins.
Timmy Hansen finished a difficult weekend in 13th place. Hansen’s team-mate Sebastien Loeb started on the front row of the second semi-final but failed to reach the final after getting stuck in race traffic. Germany RX winner Kevin Eriksson was unable to repeat his Estering performance and finished the event 16th in his OMSE-run Ford Fiesta RX Supercar.
World RX Managing Director for IMG, Paul Bellamy, concluded: “Congratulations to EKS which has made it a double victory this year by winning both the drivers’ and the teams’ championships which is an extraordinary achievement. Today we saw three Audis in the final for the first time with Mattias, Topi and Robin all representing the marque. We also witnessed a fiercely-fought battle for second and third place in the drivers’ standings – Andreas took the event win but it was Johan who edged ahead in the standings by a single point. It’s quite incredible to think that our second, third and fourth placed drivers are separated by only one point at the end of 12 events. Now we have a four-and-a-half month break before the 2017 season-opener in Barcelona next April but first we are off to the FIA prize-giving in Vienna where we will watch Mattias and EKS crowned the new drivers’ and teams’ champions after what has been a year of fantastic race action.”
(c) all photographs courtesy of FIA World Rallycross
After a thrilling season, Nico Rosberg finished second in Abu Dhabi and won his first world title of his career. Whilst, Lewis Hamilton started from the pole and won the race, but that was not enough for him to win his fourth title.
On Saturday, Lewis Hamilton was the quickest driver on the grid, followed by Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo.
The two Mercedes drivers could not wish for a better start on Sunday. A clear start for both drivers secured them the first two position. Kimi Raikkonen had another good start, passed Daniel Ricciardo and moved up to the third position. Max Verstappen had a spin at the start of the race and dropped at the back of the grid.
Red Bull decided to go for a one-stop strategy for Verstappen and after a long stint, Max placed second behind Lewis Hamilton after the first drivers had finished their pit-stops.
Rosberg re-joined third, behind Verstappen, where he decided not to attack for a few laps, Raikkonen and Ricciardo were closing to Nico, and Mercedes informed Rosberg that he had to pass Verstappen. The German responded and on lap 20, after a long battle he managed to pass the Dutch and secure the second position.
Red Bull with a smart strategy managed to give an advantage to their drivers and be placed ahead of the Ferraris. Scuderia decided to let Vettel on track for many laps in order to be able to finish the race with a fresh set of super-softs. At the final pit-stop Sebastian, switched to super-softs and he managed to do some flying laps, pass Verstappen and move up to the third position, behind Nico Rosberg.
From the begging of the race, Lewis knew that a victory was not enough for him. Nico Rosberg had to finish at least fourth, but that was not an easy task. It was difficult for the other teams to challenge Mercedes and stay close to the two drivers. Hence, the British had to use some “dirty tricks” as Vettel said.
“It was a tricky situation at the end with Lewis playing dirty tricks. It was tough out there. I didn’t want to be an issue. But at the end, I was thinking maybe to try to pass both of them but it didn’t work out.” The German reported to his team after the race.
Hamilton was trying to slow the race pace and allow to Vettel and Verstappen to catch Rosberg. Nico Rosberg was very close to Hamilton, but he didn’t want to risk any move, whilst the other two drivers behind were closing to him.
At the final laps, Mercedes gave orders to the British champion to pick up the pace, but Lewis said: “Let us race”.
A few moments later Paddy Lowe’s voice was heard from Mercedes radio and gave a direct order to Lewis: “Lewis, this is Paddy. We need you to pick up the pace to win this race.”, but again the Brit refused kindly by saying: “I’m in the lead right now. I’m quite comfortable where I am.”
Hamilton took the chequered flag, but Nico Rosberg was the big winner and wrote his name on the list with the F1 world champions. The Rosbergs family is the second where both father and son have won the F1 world title. The first family was Hills family.
“It’s a childhood dream come true, thank you for everything.” It was some of Rosberg’s words through Mercedes radio after the chequered flag.
The German deserved to win this title, he fought hard, scored more points and in the final races he simply had to manage the gap from Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton’s tricks at the final laps were tricky, but it was his only chance to win the world title. So, I agree with his move to try to slow down the pace of the race and let the other drivers come closer to Rosberg.
All the F1 drivers/champions have to fight if they want the title and that is what Nico Rosberg did. He was calm and concentrate even when he was under heavy pressure.
Congratulation to both Nico Rosberg and Mercedes for what they achieved this season. Hopefully, 2017 will be a better year for the sport.
It was a long season, and I want to thank you for your support, and finally I want to thank the Crew for allowing me to cover the season and the races.
Stay tuned!
Victor Archakis F1 Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @FP_Passion
Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth and fifth respectively position in the last race of the 2016 season.
The 19-year-old Dutchman would have been disappointed to start the race in sixth in Abu Dhabi as he was P2 in Practice 3: “Qualifying up until Q3 went very well, we had no issues and didn’t touch the car. In my last run I was pushing hard and a few tenths up but I locked up into turn 11, if not for that I feel I would have been around P3.”
However, the young protégé showed the resilience and driving ability that he has demonstrated throughout 2016: “I am very pleased with my result and how that race went. After being last after turn 1, having to fight my way back and doing it all on a one-stop was the best we could do and I am happy we pulled it off.
“It is very nice to finish the season fifth in the championship and to have had some really good results along the way.”
Daniel Ricciardo started behind the Mercedes post qualifying and he was pleased with the pace of the car in Practice 3:
“I’m definitely pleased I got the third place I was after. It feels really good. This morning was hard, I did a run quite early and I was nearly a second off Max so it didn’t look good on paper but the track warmed up so much that we didn’t really know what to expect coming into quali. Q1 was a little bit slow but then I picked it up and Q3 was solid enough so I was happy.”
The Australian couldn’t hold onto a podium as Vettel performed well but he has had a great year and will be aiming to improve in 2017: “I’m just frustrated in how the strategy played out in the end. We had the supersofts at the start and it was still going pretty well and we tried to make a move on Kimi. For sure it was close but we didn’t pull it off and that really hurt me. I think we should have just gone long and one-stopped but in hindsight it’s always easy to say.
“Looking at the season overall I’m super happy and very pleased with the year. It’s definitely been more highs than lows this year with a lot of podiums, satisfying races and a good chunk of points.”
He is a successful American businessman and racing driver, who raced in such series as Formula Ford 1600, German & British Formula 3, the FIA GT Championship, FIA European Championship, American Le Mans Series, Rolex Sportscar Series, Britcar, Le Mans Classic, British GT Championship and the Blancpain Series.
His awards include being included on the NASCAR Power List, F1 Power List, Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 as well as being named Marketeer Of The Year, the Jim Trueman Award, RFA Promising Young Star, AARWB Sports Car Driver and GCKS Rookie Of The Year.
He is the chairman and co-founder of United Autosports who have competed in such series as the European Le Mans Series, Historic Car Events, 24 Hours of Spa, the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, Macau Grand Prix, British Touring Cars, British GT Championship, European Supercar Challenge and Ginetta GT4 Supercup.
Most recently it was announced he will be joining the McLaren Group as Executive Director next month and is currently winging his way to Abu Dhabi for this weekend’s race.
These are his Quick 10…….and this is Zak Brown….
1. What is your favourite circuit and why?
Spa. A real drivers track.
2. Who is/was your racing idol?
Ayrton Senna.
3. Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?
Got to be Mercedes right now.
4. Considering racers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two racers would you have in your team?
Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen.
5. If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?
George Washington, Ayrton Senna, Winston Churchill and Henry VIII.
6. Personal racing number? What is it and the reason behind it?
#23 – It was the favourite number of my great personal friend Tony Powell who sponsored me in the early days and I wouldn’t be where I am today without his support.
7. What is the best race you have seen in your opinion?
Brazil 2008. What a finish.
8. Is there a race or series you have not competed in, that you would like to or had wanted to?
I want to do the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
9. How did you get into motor racing? What ignited that spark?
I went to the 1987 Long Beach Grand Prix and that sparked it.
10. What is the best advice in racing you have been given?
Don’t quit.
I have had the pleasure of being in contact with Zak for a number of years now, he is one of the nicest and most helpful people I have dealt with in racing and was always on hand with advice and assistance through my many forms of motor racing journalism. He was solely responsible for me gaining my first big interview with Mark Blundell, to which I was very grateful for.
I have watched and written about his United Autosports empire from the beginning and consider myself a big fan of the team.
I want to wish this ‘thoroughly nice bloke’ all the best in his new adventures with McLaren, the team I have followed from the age of four and want to thank him for taking the time to answer these questions.
Rally Australia represented the end of an era for a number of reasons. First of all, it was the last rally for the current regulations for car specification. Then came the news that Volkswagen were pulling out of the championship at the end of this year as well.
At the end of shakedown, Seb and Andreas were at the top. Ott was also right there, showing great pace in the D-Mack shod Fiesta RS WRC.
This were the stages awaiting the crews on Friday.
07:56AM SS1 – UTUNGUN I
08:12AM SS2 – BAKERS CREEK I
08:40AM SS3 – NORTHBANK I
09:48AM SS4 – NEWRY16 I
10:41AM SS5 – RACEWAY SSS I
01:10PM SS6 – UTUNGUN II
01:26PM SS7 – BAKERS CREEK II
01:54PM SS8 – NORTHBANK II
03:02PM SS9 – NEWRY16 II
05:00PM SS10 – DESTINATION NSW SSS I
05:08PM SS11 – DESTINATION NSW SSS II
So, at the end of stage one, with so many questions hanging over his future, Andreas won the stage to take a lead of just a little over a second from Ott. Thierry, who was one of the drivers who could finish as runner up to champion Seb was way off the pace. It didn’t start well for Jari-Matti…. He clipped some Armco on a bridge and broke his right rear suspension.
Stage one
1. A. MIKKELSEN 4:55.9
2. O. TANAK 4:57.2 +1.3
3. M. OSTBERG 4:57.3 +1.4
4. H. PADDON 4:57.3 +1.4
5. D. SORDO 4:57.7 +1.8
6. S. OGIER 5:00.3 +4.4
7. T. NEUVILLE 5:01.5 +5.6
8. E. CAMILLI 5:01.8 +5.9
9. L. BERTELLI 5:04.6 +8.7
10. E. LAPPI 5:06.5 +10.6
So, to stage two then and after he’d taken the decision to do something different with his tyres, Hayden took the lead of the event with a great time through Bakers Creek. Jari-Matti got his car temporarily fixed, but would have to wait till midday service before he’d get the car back to the point where he could push hard. This meant that through the remaining stages, he’d have to limp through. Very frustrating for the flying Finn.
Stage two
1. H. PADDON 10:05.5
2. A. MIKKELSEN 10:07.5 +2.0
3. O. TANAK 10:09.2 +3.7
4. D. SORDO 10:09.8 +4.3
5. M. OSTBERG 10:10.8 +5.3
6. E. CAMILLI 10:11.4 +5.9
7. T. NEUVILLE 10:12.2 +6.7
8. S. OGIER 10:14.0 +8.5
9. E. LAPPI 10:26.8 +21.3
10. L. BERTELLI 10:29.1 +23.6
The stages were coming thick and fast…. Just half a hour after stage two started, it was time for stage three. Andreas fought back and retook the lead from Hayden at the end of this one. Eric drove well through here as well and the experienced Mads also was showing good pace in fourth.
Stage 3
1. A. MIKKELSEN 5:49.3
2. H. PADDON 5:51.0 +1.7
3. E. CAMILLI 5:51.5 +2.2
4. M. OSTBERG 5:51.7 +2.4
5. O. TANAK 5:51.8 +2.5
6. D. SORDO 5:51.9 +2.6
7. T. NEUVILLE 5:54.0 +4.7
8. S. OGIER 5:55.8 +6.5
9. L. BERTELLI 5:59.9 +10.6
10. E. LAPPI 6:01.3 +12.0
Stage four next and just 2.6 seconds separated Andreas from Seb. Sadly, Ott spun in this one and lost 30 seconds and tumbled down the leaderboard.
Stage four
1. A. MIKKELSEN 6:22.6
2. S. OGIER 6:25.2 +2.6
3. T. NEUVILLE 6:28.7 +6.1
4. D. SORDO 6:28.8 +6.2
5. E. CAMILLI 6:32.7 +10.1
6. H. PADDON 6:35.2 +12.6
7. M. OSTBERG 6:36.8 +14.2
8. L. BERTELLI 6:46.0 +23.4
9. E. LAPPI 6:48.8 +26.2
10. O. TANAK 6:53.2 +30.6
Just Stage 5 next before the midday service and Andreas took his fourth stage win out of five. Seb was right there though, showing he wasn’t about to give up at all.
Stage five times
1. A. MIKKELSEN 1:17.6
2. T. NEUVILLE 1:17.6 +0.0
3. S. OGIER 1:17.7 +0.1
4. H. PADDON 1:18.1 +0.5
5. D. SORDO 1:18.4 +0.8
6. N. FUCHS 1:18.8 +1.2
7. E. CAMILLI 1:19.3 +1.7
8. O. TANAK 1:19.3 +1.7
9. E. LAPPI 1:19.5 +1.9
10. M. OSTBERG 1:19.6 +2.0
Jari-Matti of course was glad to get back to the service park, so the Volkswagen team could fix his rear suspension.
So, at the midday break, Andreas had a 14 second lead over second placed Hayden Paddon.
Stage six next and Andreas took that as well. He was really in the groove and doing an exceptional job. Jari-Matti would go well through here too.
Stage six times
1.A. MIKKELSEN 4:50.5
2.J. LATVALA 4:50.8 +0.3
3.S. OGIER 4:52.1 +1.6
4.D. SORDO 4:52.6 +2.1
5.O. TANAK 4:52.7 +2.2
6.H. PADDON 4:52.7 +2.2
7.M. OSTBERG 4:53.3 +2.8
8.E. CAMILLI 4:53.7 +3.2
9.T. NEUVILLE 4:54.2 +3.7
10.L. BERTELLI 4:59.7 +9.2
Stage seven and it was a stage victory for Thierry and now that Jari-Matti had a car that handled properly, he could get the hammer down. He would finish this stage in second as well.
Stage seven times
1.T. NEUVILLE 9:48.8
2.J. LATVALA 9:49.6 +0.8
3.A. MIKKELSEN 9:51.2 +2.4
4.S. OGIER 9:51.3 +2.5
5.H. PADDON 9:51.6 +2.8
6.E. CAMILLI 9:52.3 +3.5
7.D. SORDO 9:53.8 +5.0
8.O. TANAK 9:54.7 +5.9
9.M. OSTBERG 9:55.0 +6.2
10.L. BERTELLI 10:09.4 +20.6
It took till stage eight for Seb to get his first stage win of the event. He closed the gap a little to Andreas as well. Thierry was also showing good pace now in his Hyundai. He’d make some tweaks to his car during the midday service and was now more able to express himself.
Stage eight times
1. S. OGIER 5:37.5
2.T. NEUVILLE 5:39.2 +1.7
3. A. MIKKELSEN 5:40.1 +2.6
4.H. PADDON 5:40.7 +3.2
5.M. OSTBERG 5:40.8 +3.3
6.O. TANAK 5:41.0 +3.5
7.D. SORDO 5:41.3 +3.8
8.J. LATVALA 5:42.0 +4.5
9.E. CAMILLI 5:44.8 +7.3
10.L. BERTELLI 5:47.1 +9.6
At the end of this stage, Andreas had pulled further clear of Hayden, his lead now 17 seconds and Seb was getting closer to taking second place away from Hayden as well. Thierry was also pretty close to Seb as well.
So, stage nine next and this fell to ever present Seb again who went through 7.2 seconds quicker than Hayden, whose tyres were starting to give up. He would drop from second place to fourth sadly.
Stage nine times
1.S. OGIER 6:13.8
2.T. NEUVILLE 6:16.2 +2.4
3.A. MIKKELSEN 6:16.2 +2.4
4.O. TANAK 6:18.3 +4.5
5.J. LATVALA 6:19.6 +5.8
6.H. PADDON 6:21.0 +7.2
7.M. OSTBERG 6:22.7 +8.9
8.E. CAMILLI 6:23.8 +10.0
9.D. SORDO 6:24.5 +10.7
10.L. BERTELLI 6:35.3 +21.5
Stage ten and eleven were short stages at the end of the first day and Seb won them both.
Stage ten times
1.S. OGIER 1:02.4
2.A. MIKKELSEN 1:02.9 +0.5
3.J. LATVALA 1:03.8 +1.4
4.T. NEUVILLE 1:03.9 +1.5
5.M. OSTBERG 1:04.0 +1.6
6.D. SORDO 1:04.1 +1.7
7.H. PADDON 1:04.5 +2.1
8.O. TANAK 1:05.8 +3.4
9.E. CAMILLI 1:06.5 +4.1
10.E. LAPPI 1:06.5 +4.1
Stage eleven times
1.S. OGIER 1:02.0
2.H. PADDON 1:02.8 +0.8
3.T. NEUVILLE 1:02.9 +0.9
4.A. MIKKELSEN 1:02.9 +0.9
5.L. BERTELLI 1:03.4 +1.4
6.M. OSTBERG 1:03.5 +1.5
7.J. LATVALA 1:03.8 +1.8
8.D. SORDO 1:04.0 +2.0
9.O. TANAK 1:04.1 +2.1
10.E. LAPPI 1:04.5 +2.5
So, at the end of the first day down under, Andreas had a 15.4 second lead over Seb. There was also a battle between Thierry and Hayden for third, with just over a second between them.
Here’s the driver’s thoughts then at the end of day one.
Volkswagen Motorsport
Sébastien Ogier (F), Julien Ingrassia (F) Volkswagen Polo R WRC (2016) WRC Rally Australia 2016 Photo: Helena El Mokni
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“A good start for us here in Australia. I am very happy with second place for Julien and me. The afternoon conditions were better than expected. I was flat out all day. After all, we have nothing to lose here. The heat is definitely a factor. If it is as hot as this tomorrow, it will be a very tiring 50 kilometres against the clock on ‘Nambucca’. The temperature will also play a role with the tyres. Whatever happens, I will try to stay ahead of Thierry Neuville, in order to help Andreas and Anders in the battle for second place in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championship.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“I don’t know how often I’ve been in this situation this year. No sooner had the rally got underway, than it was over for me again. I lost a bit of grip in a long right-hander just before a bridge on the opening stage, and caught the bridge with the rear-right tyre. It was not a big impact, but we suffered a damaged suspension as a result and had lost a lot of time by the midday service. This is obviously not how we wanted to say goodbye to the team on our final appearance for Volkswagen. We must now end the rally with dignity.”
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“An absolutely perfect day for us – it doesn’t get much better than that. The Polo R WRC was better than ever in the morning. The set-up was ideal and fantastic to drive. The conditions out on the route changed in the afternoon, and we struggled a bit with oversteering and understeering at times. We expected to lose a lot of time on those behind us. To lead the rally and have won five stages on the way is absolutely perfect. If we want to clinch second place in the world championship, we are almost compelled to win – and that is exactly what we are trying to achieve here. Our goal has to be to have a good lead by Saturday evening, then we will have a good chance of crossing the finish line in front on Sunday. To achieve this, however, we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville said: “The morning loop went OK. Our goal was to keep up with Seb (Ogier), who was starting first on the road – just ahead of us. In those conditions, we could run quite close, better than expected to be honest. The afternoon loop went well, and we could set some fast times, which moved us up the classification. Andreas is doing well, and leading the rally, so we know we have to maintain our speed and rhythm in our fight for second in the Championship.”
Hayden Paddon said: “All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with how this opening day has gone. The first three stages were to my liking, everything was flowing and the car felt good. The only real disappointment was the fourth stage, which didn’t go to plan. We had a lot of moments, and the balance of the car wasn’t ideal. A few half spins lost us some time. We tried something different with the tyres in the first loop with a mix of hard and soft. The afternoon went without any real dramas, and I think we’re well placed for the remainder of the rally. We’re still in the hunt; I’m feeling relaxed and comfortable.”
Dani Sordo said: “It’s been a really disappointing day for us. We started well and were in the fight after the opening three stages. But the time penalty has cost us a 20-second penalty. We misjudged the time we had to make it to SS4. After changing tyres on the road section, we were under some pressure and we missed two junctions on the way to the stage. These things can happen; we are only human. But it’s still immensely frustrating. There’s a long way to go in this rally and we’ll keep pushing.”
M-Sport WRT
Mads Østberg (5th) said:
“It’s been a good day. We had quite a big moment in the morning, but we got away with it and I’m pleased to see that we are competitive and posting times to challenge the leaders.
“We seemed to lose quite a lot of time on both passes of the Newry stage (SS4 and SS9) and would have been even closer were it not for that. Okay, we were on the same pace as those around us, but there was quite a big gap to the guys ahead so we need to understand why that was.
“Apart from that, it’s been good. We’re only 15 seconds shy of the podium and it’s great to be back in the fight. We’ll do what we can to continue that fight tomorrow.”
Éric Camilli (6th) said:
“It’s been a really good day for us. We didn’t expect to be this competitive straight away so that is always great to see. We showed some really good speed in places and set the third fastest time on the third stage of the morning.
“This is our first time here and we took a lot of pleasure from the stages. We had a lot of confidence with the car and that was a big positive for us – especially after the last couple of events.
“We’ll try to continue like this for the rest of the rally and hope to secure a good result at the end.”
Day two, Saturday. These were the stages that were ahead of them all. The significant one was Nambucca. It was the longest stage of the itinerary at 50km’s. Tyre choice would be critical.
08:28AM SS12 – NAMBUCCA I
09:37AM SS13 – VALLA 16 I
10:37AM SS14 – RACEWAY SSS II
01:16PM SS15 – NAMBUCCA II
02:25PM SS16 – VALLA16 II
04:48PM SS17 – DESTINATION NSW SSS – III
04:56PM SS18 – DESTINATION NSW SSS – IV
Hayden made an excellent start to win stage 12 with Jari-Matti 2.5 seconds and second fastest and rally leader Andreas 10 seconds slower. Hayden drove a stormer to halve Andreas’ lead and move back into second place overall! This was despite dust coming into the car that he admitted was quite a distraction.
Dani also moved ahead of Eric into sixth place overall.
Stage twelve times
1.H. PADDON 28:38.6
2.J. LATVALA 28:41.1 +2.5
3.A. MIKKELSEN 28:48.8 +10.2
4.S. OGIER 28:51.2 +12.6
5.O. TANAK 28:52.7 +14.1
6.M. OSTBERG 28:57.9 +19.3
7.D. SORDO 28:58.4 +19.8
8.T. NEUVILLE 29:00.9 +22.3
9.E. CAMILLI 29:06.6 +28.0
10.L. BERTELLI 29:47.2 +1:08.6
It was great to see Jari-Matti win stage thirteen with a consummate drive in this 15km stage. He declared that he was back! Seb closed the gap a little to Andreas through this one having picked soft tyres for the morning loop. It appeared to work well for him.
Stage thirteen times
1.J. LATVALA 8:37.1
2.M. OSTBERG 8:44.9 +7.8
3.S. OGIER 8:44.9 +7.8
4.H. PADDON 8:46.0 +8.9
5.A. MIKKELSEN 8:46.1 +9.0
6.E. CAMILLI 8:46.7 +9.6
7.D. SORDO 8:47.2 +10.1
8.O. TANAK 8:48.9 +11.8
9.T. NEUVILLE 8:51.1 +14.0
10.L. BERTELLI 9:01.4 +24.3
The short blast around the Raceway stage showed that you couldn’t really separate Andreas, Dani and Seb, with all three setting the same time!
Stage fourteen times
1.A. MIKKELSEN 1:16.8
2.D. SORDO 1:16.8 +0.0
3.S. OGIER 1:16.8 +0.0
4.T. NEUVILLE 1:17.0 +0.2
5.H. PADDON 1:17.0 +0.0
6.O. TANAK 1:17.5 +0.7
7.M. OSTBERG 1:17.6 +0.8
8.E. CAMILLI 1:18.2 +1.4
9.E. LAPPI 1:18.3 +1.5
10.J. LATVALA 1:18.5 +1.7
After the lunchtime service break, it was time for the second run of the day through Nambucca. Andreas had a 13.6 second lead over Hayden with Seb a further three seconds adrift. This was not over. Well, what followed was another stage win for the resurgent flying Finn Jari-Matti, and Seb moved back ahead of Hayden with the Frenchman now four seconds ahead of the Kiwi.
Stage fifteen times
1.J. LATVALA 28:07.0
2.S. OGIER 28:07.9 +0.9
3.A. MIKKELSEN 28:12.5 +5.5
4.D. SORDO 28:13.5 +6.5
5.T. NEUVILLE 28:15.1 +8.1
6.H. PADDON 28:15.2 +8.2
7.E. CAMILLI 28:22.7 +15.7
8.M. OSTBERG 28:26.8 +19.8
9.O. TANAK 28:47.4 +40.4
10.E. LAPPI 29:11.0 +1:04.0
It was another stage victory for Thierry, but the big news from the stage was that Andreas suffered a problem with his pedals. Basically, the clutch and brake pedal for some reason became connected and pressing one would make the other react…. Andreas lost 9.8 seconds to Seb… Now the lead was just 2 seconds.
Stage sixteen times
1.T. NEUVILLE 8:31.5
2.S. OGIER 8:32.1 +0.6
3.H. PADDON 8:35.1 +3.6
4.D. SORDO 8:38.3 +6.8
5.M. OSTBERG 8:38.6 +7.1
6.J. LATVALA 8:39.3 +7.8
7.E. CAMILLI 8:39.7 +8.2
8.A. MIKKELSEN 8:41.3 +9.8
9.O. TANAK 8:44.9 +13.4
10.L. BERTELLI 8:53.0 +21.5
Now every single second counted for Andreas. In fact, you could say every tenth of a second…. There wasn’t much to separate the teammates. Seb was one second quicker through SS17, but then Andreas was two tenths quicker in SS18. Seb had Andreas in his sights and was not going give this up.
Here are the thoughts of the drivers at the end of day two down under.
Volkswagen Motorsport
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“That was a perfect day for us. Julien and I decided to take the risk and go for it. I used the boundary markers along the track like a slalom skier, as you can tell from the dents on the bonnet. We put all our eggs in one basket with our tyre selection as well – and luckily, choosing four soft tyres paid off. Before the rally, I would not have expected us to still have such a good chance in the battle for the win. Tomorrow will be a thrilling day for the fans. Andreas and Hayden will give their all to claim the win, and I also have nothing to lose.”
Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN), Miikka Anttila (FIN) Volkswagen Polo R WRC (2016) WRC Rally Australia 2016 Photo: Daniel Roeseler
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“From a driving point of view, today was definitely one of our better days and I am very pleased with the two best times. However, my mistake yesterday means that I cannot make a decisive contribution to the overall result. So, I will be keeping my fingers crossed that my team-mates Sébastien and Andreas cross the finish line at the head of the field. And then, with the whole team, we will raise a glass to the four extraordinary years that we have experienced.”
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“Sunday will be really interesting, although I could live with a little less tension. We had a great day today, we were always fast and we managed to stay ahead pretty well. We lost some time later on, as some damage to the footwell meant that the clutch and brake pedals were overlapping. That was a strange situation. It doesn’t change much about the grand finale tomorrow: whether we lead by two seconds or twelve and more – it will be a tough battle for the victory, and we would be happy to win it. We have to give our all until the finish line – and that is exactly what we intend to do.”
Hyundai Motorsport
2016 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 14 / Rally Australia / November 17-20, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: Hyundai Motorsport
Hayden Paddon said: “It’s been a good day. We started well with the stage win through Nambucca, which set a positive tone. There was a lot of dust coming into the car on those first stages. It was a bit of a distraction, but you have to expect that in Rally Australia. We knew that Seb (Ogier) would be on a charge in the afternoon, which proved to be the case, so we just focused on keeping up the pressure. We missed a bit of speed in the afternoon loop but all in all it’s been a good improvement over last year. We’re involved in a close fight up front. It’s a good position to be in and we’ll certainly be giving it a hard push tomorrow to see what we can do.”
Thierry Neuville said: “It’s been close to a perfect day for us considering the conditions. We made a wrong tyre choice this morning, which lost us some ground in the battle for third place. I was concerned the soft tyres would be too soft for the conditions. In hindsight, we should have perhaps taken the risk but that’s easier said than done when we’re trying to secure second in the Championship. The afternoon was better and I felt I drove well. We had to manage the tyres carefully but I was pretty pleased to set the fastest time in SS16, when conditions were more equal for everybody. We’re still firmly in the podium fight and we definitely won’t give up until the rally is over.”
2016 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 14 / Rally Australia / November 17-20, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: Hyundai Motorsport
Dani Sordo said: “A much more positive day for us. After incurring the 20-second time penalty yesterday, we wanted to make up some positions. We knew from our performance on Friday that we had the pace to compete with the front-runners, so I was pleased to set some good times today. We started with the long Nambucca stage so it was important to find a good rhythm quickly. We went a bit wide, and lost some time, but apart from that everything has worked well. The car has been nice to drive, even if we have had to take care with the tyres. I am feeling confident, so let’s see what we can do tomorrow. We want to finish the season strongly.”
M-Sport WRT
Mads Østberg (6th) said:
2016 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 14 / Rally Australia / November 17-20, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: M-Sport/McKlein
“It’s been a good day and, again, we showed that we have some really good speed with the second fastest time through the second stage this morning (SS13).
“We decided to make some changes to the set-up for the second pass of Nambucca (SS15) but unfortunately that didn’t work out and we lost quite a lot of time. It was still quite slippery and we were struggling for traction. I knew already after a couple of corners that it wasn’t going to work so to do 50 kilometres like that wasn’t easy.
“We did our best, but we’ll go back to the standard set-up tomorrow and fight again. The gap to Dani [Sordo in fifth] is very small, and we want that fifth place so that is what we will fight for.”
Éric Camilli (7th) said:
2016 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 14 / Rally Australia / November 17-20, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: M-Sport/McKlein
“Like yesterday, it’s been another good day for us. The rally is continuing very well and we are on the pace which is really good. Of course, I know I could go faster in places, but that brings more risk which is not the objective this weekend. Still, it’s really good to see that we are not so far away.
“The first pass of the long stage was not so easy as we were discovering the road for the first time, but then it got a lot better. On the next stages our times were a lot stronger and that was really good to see. Even when we lost the brakes through the second pass of Valla (SS16), we were able to manage the situation and the time was competitive.”
Sunday
07:43AM SS19 – SETTLES REVERSE I
08:06AM SS20 – BUCCA 16
09:38AM SS21 – WEDDING BELLS16 I
12:15PM SS22 – SETTLES REVERSE II
01:08PM SS23 – WEDDING BELLS16 II (POWER STAGE)
Day three dawned hot and dry just like the first two days. Just two seconds separated Andreas and Seb, with both wanting to give Volkswagen their last victory at the top of the rallying world. Would Andreas do it? All it would take would be one spin, and it would all be over.
So, the first outcome was that Mads had do what he wanted and moved ahead of Dani into fifth place. Thierry was pushing hard, and spun in the stage, losing 15 seconds. It was still nip and tuck between Andreas and Seb. Just six tenths of a second separating them at the end of the stage.
Stage nineteen times
1.A. MIKKELSEN 3:06.5
2.S. OGIER 3:07.1 +0.6
3.H. PADDON 3:08.9 +2.4
4.J. LATVALA 3:10.0 +3.5
5.O. TANAK 3:10.7 +4.2
6.M. OSTBERG 3:12.0 +5.5
7.D. SORDO 3:14.9 +8.4
8.E. CAMILLI 3:18.2 +11.7
9.L. BERTELLI 3:19.7 +13.2
10.E. LAPPI 3:20.2 +13.7
Stage twenty then and it all happened in this one. Hayden saw his podium hopes slip away after he ran wide and hit the rear right, and puncturing his tyre. He lost more than a minute and dropped from third to fifth…. It was this stage that also saw Seb make a mistake! Incredible stuff! On the exit of a left-hander he struck a bank, and this spun him around. Precious seconds ticked away whilst he got the car turned around. The upshot of it all was that he lost nearly twenty seconds to Andreas and thus his hopes on victory.
Stage twenty times
1.A. MIKKELSEN 17:22.5
2.J. LATVALA 17:41.3 +18.8
3.S. OGIER 17:42.1 +19.6
4.D. SORDO 17:42.3 +19.8
5.T. NEUVILLE 17:46.7 +24.2
6.M. OSTBERG 17:51.1 +28.6
7.O. TANAK 17:53.8 +31.3
8.E. CAMILLI 18:13.9 +51.4
9.H. PADDON 18:36.1 +1:13.6
10.E. LAPPI 18:48.1 +1:25.6
Okay, so was the drama over for this event, or would there be another sting in the tail for someone? Well, young Frenchman Eric had been going really well, setting some top times on his debut down under. It would all unravel for him. He got a bit greedy on a right-hander which had a small bank which he put his front left wheel onto, and this tipped the car over into a roll and onto its side.
Stage twenty-one times
1.A. MIKKELSEN 3:40.8
2.J. LATVALA 3:41.0 +0.2
3.S. OGIER 3:41.3 +0.5
4.T. NEUVILLE 3:42.5 +1.7
5.D. SORDO 3:42.6 +1.8
6.H. PADDON 3:43.1 +2.3
7.O. TANAK 3:45.3 +4.5
8.M. OSTBERG 3:45.4 +4.6
9.E. LAPPI 3:53.0 +12.2
10. N. FUCHS 3:55.7 +14.9
Just two stages left then…. Andreas was nearly there…. Seb took stage twenty-two with Andreas coming in third fastest letting Seb edge a little closer, but only a few seconds conceded there.
Stage twenty-two times
1.S. OGIER 3:05.1
2.H. PADDON 3:06.5 +1.4
3.A. MIKKELSEN 3:07.9 +2.8
4.T. NEUVILLE 3:09.2 +4.1
5.D. SORDO 3:09.3 +4.2
6.J. LATVALA 3:09.6 +4.5
7.M. OSTBERG 3:09.7 +4.6
8.O. TANAK 3:11.0 +5.9
9.L. BERTELLI 3:16.5 +11.4
10.E. LAPPI 3:16.7 +11.6
So, we came to the last stage on the last event of the year. Seb took the three power stage points, Thierry the two points and Dani third quickest through took one. Andreas had done it though. His third WRC victory, beating his 4-times world rally champion teammate. That’s no easy feat at all.
Volkswagen end their involvement at the top level of the rally world with a one-two and Thierry finishes in third. This meant that he kept his second place in the championship. After the poor results in 2015, this year has been remarkable for him.
So, let’s hear from the drivers for the last time this year.
Volkswagen Motorsport
Anders Jæger (NOR), Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) WRC Rally Australia 2016 Photo: Toni Welam
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“What a fantastic weekend, and what a wonderful result at the end of our season. Today has been a very special day, as it was our last appearance as a team. I was so desperate to win this rally for Volkswagen. It is fantastic to have achieved that. Volkswagen is the team that gave me the opportunity to step up into the top class of the WRC. They put a lot of faith in me and made so much possible for me. They will always have a special place in my heart. Everything came together at the final rally. Everything, absolutely everything, worked perfectly – it was simply the optimum of what we have achieved together in four years in the World Rally Championship. On the one hand, it is a bit of a shame that we just missed out on second place in the championship. On the other hand, that is not so important. If I had been given the choice of winning our final rally together or finishing runner-up in the world championship, I would always have chosen the win.”
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“I was a bit wide exiting a left-hander at the end of the ‘Wedding Bells’ stage, and spun. In the huge dust cloud, it took me a few moments to work out where the road was. We lost almost 20 seconds as a result. However, I have no regrets. Julien and I were really going for it all weekend, and had had a great battle with Andreas up to that point. He deserved the win. The most important thing is that our fantastic team bids farewell to the World Rally Championship with a victory. This is a very emotional moment for me. I have so much to thank the team for. Volkswagen Motorsport has been like a family to Julien and me. I have made a lot of friends and will never forget the wonderful moments we have had together over the past few years. A fantastic journey is coming to an end, and I am proud to have been a part of it.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“I enjoyed the final few kilometres in the Polo R WRC on today’s Power Stage. We had some good special stages today and yesterday, and made good progress through the field. We can be happy with our performance over the past few days. Unfortunately, we made light contact with a wall on a bridge on the opening stage, and destroyed the rear suspension in the process. We lost a lot of time as a result, and had no chance of challenging for either the podium or the win. I would have liked to have done that – primarily to give our team a fitting leaving present. Our team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Sébastien Ogier claimed a deserved one-two. Congratulations to them both. We will celebrate as a team again this evening, before our time together in the World Rally Championship comes to an end. It is sure to be very emotional.”
Hyundai Motorsport
2016 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 14 / Rally Australia / November 17-20, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville said: “I am delighted with how this rally has gone. We had some tricky conditions on the first days with our road position, so it hasn’t been easy. We concentrated on keeping our driving clean and we’ve been able to achieve our objectives – a podium finish and second in the Championship. It was particularly nice to end the rally with some Power Stage points. We’ve had the speed in the car all weekend so I’m happy to complete the season in this positive manner. Thanks to the team for a job well done this year. We had a difficult start but since Sardinia we’ve been able to show the speed and consistency necessary to be genuine contenders. I am already looking forward to 2017.”
Hayden Paddon said: “We didn’t want to go down without a fight. We started this morning’s opening stages knowing we’d have to push for the win, but we were determined to give it our best shot. We might not have had the speed to achieve the victory, but a podium would still have been a great way to end the year. For that reason, I was pretty devastated with what happened. We ran slightly wide on a corner, which popped the tyre off the rim, and we had to drive 20km with a puncture. We got over it quickly and knuckled down for the final stages, moving back up to fourth. Not quite the result we wanted, but perhaps representative of our roller-coaster season. There have been ups and downs, but all in all there are plenty of positives and experiences to take forward to next season. Our thanks go to the whole team and to all our fans for the support. We’ll be back next season, stronger than ever!”
Dani Sordo said: “We wanted to give it a big push today to see how strongly we could finish the rally – and the 2016 season. We were in a very close battle with Hayden for fourth, and we gave it a good attempt. Of course, whether you finish fourth or fifth in these circumstances doesn’t really matter but it was nice to score a Power Stage point for our efforts. Without the time penalty on Friday, we could have been fighting for the podium but these things happen. Thank you to the team for their work this season. We might have missed a victory along the way but we have taken a few podiums. It’s been a positive season and definitely gives us something to build on.”
M-Sport WRT
Mads Østberg (6th) said:
“It’s been a good rally and I’ve been quite happy with the weekend. Like in Finland, we were able to set some really competitive times and were fighting close to the front. Unfortunately, there were just a few stages where we lost too much time and the big battles got away from us. Apart from that, it’s still been a really good weekend. We might only be sixth, but we had some really good stages and it was good to be back in the fight.
“It’s also been nice to have been at the very first rally with this Fiesta, and here again at its final outing in the WRC. I’ve had a lot of success in this car, especially from 2011 to 2013 where I had some really strong performances. It really took me forward in the championship and helped me gain a position as a manufacturer driver. The car really has meant a lot to me over the years.”
Éric Camilli (DNF) said:
“This time we didn’t deserve not to finish the rally. I don’t know if the word ‘unlucky’ exists in rallying as there are so many factors that can contribute to making you go off the road, but this one I think might be that.
“I thought the road would be very slippery, but in fact it was not. I turned in too early and went too deep into the corner. We went up on two wheels and rolled the car. It’s not a mistake because of experience, or a wrong pace note, or too much speed or anything like that, it’s just one of those things. We just need to forget about it and focus on the good race we were having before that moment.
“I really enjoyed the Australian stages and we were running a really good rally. We set a lot of good times and the most important thing was that our pace was very close to everyone else. We were in the battle and quite a few times we were setting times better than those with a lot more experience. We didn’t expect that, and for sure next year we will come back stronger.”
D-Mack WRT
Ott Tänak said: “Apart from the problems on Friday, it was a really enjoyable rally. The stages here are great fun to drive, with some nice, flowing sections. Overall it’s been a positive season and we’ve worked really hard with the DMACK technicians to move things forward. There have been highs and lows but the progress this year has been impressive.”
Last of all, the thoughts of the team principles.
Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“Today is a very successful day for Volkswagen on the one hand, and an emotional goodbye to the world rally championship on the other. To bid farewell with a one-two is simply fantastic. Despite the difficult situation, the entire team gave their all and was thoroughly professional right down to the final metre. I am incredibly proud of our performance here at the Rally Australia – and over the past few years. I would like to thank everyone in Hannover, Wolfsburg and at the rallies, as well as our partners, who have all contributed to our success. We have achieved a lot and head into our future in motorsport full of confidence.”
Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR), Anders Jæger (NOR) Sébastien Ogier (F), Julien Ingrassia (F) Volkswagen Polo R WRC (2016) WRC Rally Australia 2016 Photo: Toni Welam
Hyundai Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “We knew we’d be in for a thrilling final day. There were a few final twists in the tale of the 2016 season, but overall we can be satisfied with our debut Australian podium. Well done to Thierry and Nicolas on their performance and claiming second place in the Drivers and Co-drivers’ Championships. They have had a fantastic season, particularly since their win in Sardinia. It was a pity for Hayden that his incident this morning prevented a push for victory. Dani, too, was also unfortunate not to be able to fight for a better result. As a team, we have had a strong year. The New Generation i20 WRC has done us proud but it’s the result of hard work by the entire team. We have shown a lot of progress and maturity this year, and I am personally grateful to every individual member of Hyundai Motorsport for their valuable contributions. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Volkswagen Motorsport for being such fierce competitors. They have set the benchmark very high. We will miss competing against them, but will continue to be inspired by their achievements.”
M-Sport WRT Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“It is the end of an era as we say goodbye to the current Ford Fiesta RS WRC – a car which has delivered a lot of success over the past six years. Closing this chapter is made all the more special exactly 20 years after signing the contract with Ford.
“For two decades we have been competing at the head of the FIA World Rally Championship and I’m sure that further success lies ahead. I’m convinced that we have produced another rally-winning car with the new Ford Fiesta WRC and the whole team are now fully focussed on next season where we’ll be determined to make a return to the top step of the podium.
“Before we wave goodbye to 2016 however, we must commend Volkswagen Motorsport and thank them for their commitment to our sport. Their achievements have been marked and the whole service park has benefitted from their involvement. I speak for the whole team when saying that it has been a pleasure to compete with them and they will be sorely missed. We hope to see them return in the future for more close-fought competition.”
On Sunday afternoon, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will take to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit to decide which of them will take home the honour of being 2016 Formula One World Drivers’ Champion.
The matter of who has the real advantage heading into the final round is still very much in question. Points-wise, the ball is clearly in Rosberg’s court – at twelve points clear, all the German has to do to prevail overall is finish on the podium, regardless of whether his teammate wins the race.
But with Hamilton on a three-race win streak and the Red Bulls an ever larger presence in Mercedes’ mirrors, Rosberg’s lead is hardly the most comfortable of margins for a driver closing on his first title. So, in search of a little clarity, we’ve taken a look back at the Mercedes duo’s respective results books, to see how they’ve fared in Abu Dhabi in the past – and what indications that might give for Sunday.
In terms of raw statistics, a direct comparison between Hamilton and Rosberg is impossible – after all, for four of F1’s seven years racing in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton was driving race-winning McLarens whilst Rosberg fought in the midfield pack with Williams and Mercedes.
As such, it’s not too surprising that Hamilton’s results during this time considerably eclipse Rosberg’s, with one win, one second place, and two mechanical retirements from pole position. Even without a like-for-like comparison, such a scorecard would suggest that Rosberg would have to have an exceptional affinity for the Yas Marina Circuit to even come close to Hamilton.
And yet, on comparing results from their time together at Mercedes, it begins to seem as if Rosberg might actually have the edge over Hamilton in Abu Dhabi.
The pool of examples is admittedly small – the 2014 race, in which Hamilton won whilst Rosberg was confined to fourteenth after his ERS failed, can hardly be called representative – but there is nevertheless a trend in the German’s favour in recent years.
Even with his two poles in 2009 and 2012, Hamilton has been trumped by Rosberg in every Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying since he joined Mercedes: in 2013, Rosberg headed Hamilton on the second row of the grid, and in 2014 and 2015 beat the Briton to pole by the best part of half a second each time.
At a track where overtaking opportunities are already at a premium, a qualifying record like that should already be enough to give Hamilton pause for thought this weekend – not to mention the fact that Rosberg also came out ahead in each of those races (bar 2014), coming home third to Hamilton’s seventh in 2013, then taking the chequered flag with an eight second gap to his teammate last year.
Of course, the trend of past results means very little when it comes down to race day itself – take Hamilton defying Rosberg to take his first Brazilian Grand Prix victory last time out, for example. But even though Hamilton is more than capable of outqualifying and outracing his teammate in Abu Dhabi this weekend, it’s hard to ignore that, with both the lead in the standings and his track record at Yas Marina, it will take something remarkable to deny Nico Rosberg his first World Championship on Sunday.
Red Bull have rediscovered their form of old as they have performed admirably to secure second place in the Constructors’ Championship with one race to go.
Max Verstappen’s podium finish in Brazil made sure the Milton Keynes team finish behind Mercedes.
With the 19-year-old driving superbly after his promotion from Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso, he has shown he has the temperament to challenge Mercedes in 2017.
“Of course it is the last race of the season and I think we can look back and be very happy with 2016,” said Verstappen. “There is plenty of work to do for next year with the regulation changes and I think everyone is excited to see the new cars so I can’t wait to get started.”
Daniel Ricciardo qualified in fifth in last years’ end of season race and he will be hoping for more of the same in Abu Dhabi. He said:
“I have always gone well on the track at Abu Dhabi, it’s been really enjoyable in the past, especially the last sector underneath the hotel, that’s great fun. It has a bit of a street circuit style to the layout which I enjoy. I had my first ever Formula 1 test at this track so it holds good memories and has generally been good to me. “
There had been a feeling in the air prior to the Brazilian Grand Prix that the mystery box challenge of the Interlagos track could offer Sauber F1 their first points of the season. On Sunday, that feeling turned into reality as Sauber put aside the struggles of 2016 and celebrated the lifeline of a points finish.
A TALE OF TWO RACES
It serendipitously fell to Brazilian Felipe Nasr, who has had a bad year by his own admission, to bring home the C35 in 9th place and 2 points which takes the Swiss team above Manor in the Constructors Championship and a potential £30 million payout in 2017 if they remain there after the season ender in Abu Dhabi.
The race itself could best be described as organized chaos with multiple red flags in dreadful conditions and multiple crashes as the Brazilian weather lived up to its reputation. While the entire team celebrated the success, it was a tale of two races as Marcus Ericsson crashed out early while on intermediate tyres.
The Swedish driver had up to this point in the season looked the more likely to score Sauber’s points, coming painfully close in Mexico with an excellent 11th place. Ericsson, like many others in the field stopped early to switch to intermediate tyres and looked well on to push for points until a slight touch of the white line before the main straight saw him crash heavily, with the car coming to a rest across the pit entry.
Ericsson, long considered one of the best team players in F1, promised that we would see a “Swedish driver on a mission in Abu Dhabi:
“I am very disappointed. However, Felipe did a great job today scoring two very important points for us. This is great for everyone in the team. I will fight back at the final race of the season at the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi.”
The day however belonged to Nasr who, one a different strategy, remained on the wet tyres and running high up in the points before the multiple stops thereafter. Despite the relatively less engine power of the C35, he held firm for much of the race, only dropping to 9th place toward the end. He was ecstatic:
“I have no words to say how happy I am at the moment. When I saw the weather forecast for today, I knew it could be an opportunity. The opportunity came, and I was ready to go for it. We did an exceptional job today. The team was great informing me about the track conditions, while I was giving them my feedback. It was a tricky race, as the track conditions were very difficult at some points. In the end it was just an incredible feeling”
An emotional Monisha Kaltenborn underlined the importance of these points for the team and fans around the world, many of whom had feared that the Hinwil based outfit would not have made it through this 2016 season.
Abu Dhabi is a very different challenge from Brazil and Sauber would only need to finish ahead of Manor to secure 10th place in the championship. The intervention of Longbow Finance and the possibility of FOM finances next season will go a long way to assuage the fears of the team.
But that is 2017, and for now Sauber are basking in the glory that was Brazil 2016.
It’s the end of an era… Volkswagen are leaving… The current type of cars are being pensioned off…
The team that have won the last four world titles will want to go out on a high though. There is a real battle going on for second in the drivers’ standings as well. Thierry Neuville, Andreas Mikkelsen and Hayden Paddon can all finish in that position. There’s just 14 points between Thierry and Andreas, with Hayden a further 3 points away!
These are the stages that await the crews on this WRC Finale!
Friday’s Stages
07:56AM SS1 – UTUNGUN I
08:12AM SS2 – BAKERS CREEK I
08:40AM SS3 – NORTHBANK I
09:48AM SS4 – NEWRY16 I
10:41AM SS5 – RACEWAY SSS I
01:10PM SS6 – UTUNGUN II
01:26PM SS7 – BAKERS CREEK II
01:54PM SS8 – NORTHBANK II
03:02PM SS9 – NEWRY16 II
05:00PM SS10 – DESTINATION NSW SSS I (TV)
05:08PM SS11 – DESTINATION NSW SSS II (TV)
Saturday’s Stages
08:28AM SS12 – NAMBUCCA I
09:37AM SS13 – VALLA 16 I
10:37AM SS14 – RACEWAY SSS II
01:16PM SS15 – NAMBUCCA II
02:25PM SS16 – VALLA16 II
04:48PM SS17 – DESTINATION NSW SSS – III
04:56PM SS18 – DESTINATION NSW SSS – IV
Sunday’s Stages
07:43AM SS19 – SETTLES REVERSE I
08:06AM SS20 – BUCCA 16
09:38AM SS21 – WEDDING BELLS16 I (TV)
12:15PM SS22 – SETTLES REVERSE II
01:08PM SS23 – WEDDING BELLS16 II (POWER STAGE)
A total of 312.32 km of action over the three days awaits them all! Here’s the views of the drivers before this iconic rally.
Volkswagen Motorsport
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“It is a strange situation for everyone at Volkswagen Motorsport. The announcement of our withdrawal from the World Rally Championship at the end of the year was not the way that we, as a team, wanted to celebrate our fourth title. We will now contest our final rally together in Australia. When I look back at the last five years, I do not only think about the success we have enjoyed together. I am grateful to have worked with such great people at Volkswagen. We have formed genuine friendships over the years. I can only hope that I see as many as possible of them again. The final rally with Volkswagen – that sounds crazy. However, I am sure I will be able to put this out of my mind during the rally. Although my starting position is not exactly promising, I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have something to celebrate together again after our final outing in Australia.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“Last week’s news was far from pleasant. It is very difficult to comprehend the magnitude of this decision in such a short time. I can only repeat that I will always remember the time at Volkswagen Motorsport. The many great moments mean a lot to me, and I would like to thank everyone in the team. It is now my duty to focus fully on the season finale in Australia again. I am really determined to do well in my last rally with Volkswagen, and will push hard to try to challenge for the win. My season has not been easy, so a good result in Australia would be doubly nice – particularly as a farewell present to the team.”
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“The Rally Australia will be very emotional, as we all know that it is the final race for Volkswagen. The team has become very close to my heart. I am very grateful for the great time together, and really want to bid farewell with a good result in Australia. That is also important for Anders and me, because we want to take back second place in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ World Championship from my friend Thierry Neuville. To do so, we must go for the win. However, this will not be easy, as we will be third onto the special stages. Despite this, we will apply pressure from the word go and give it our all. The biggest challenge at the Rally Australia are the sections with fast corners, which are hard to see. A rally in the jungle – that is the best description. I am certainly very motivated and looking forward to Australia, as I really like driving there.”
Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR), Ola Fløene (NOR) Volkswagen Polo R WRC (2015) WRC Rally Australia 2015
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville commented: “We all love coming to Australia and it will of course be extra special this year as it is the last rally event on the calendar. Compared to Wales, the conditions will be very different. The gravel here can be a bit more abrasive and the temperatures will be much higher, so it will be a completely different challenge for both us and the car. It’s great to come here in the fight for second place. Both Nicolas and I are really looking forward to trying to finish the season on a high note!”
Hayden Paddon said: “Australia a special rally for us as it’s as close as it gets to being at home. We’re really looking forward to having a lot of Kiwis and maybe even a couple of Aussies supporting us. We’re in a really great position overall and I’m sure we can end the season on a real high. We’re going to be pushing really hard. I really enjoy the stages and the surface. We want to put ourselves in position to fight for the win. We want to put on the biggest show that we possibly can and give it our best shot.”
Dani Sordo commented: “I am very excited to be coming to Australia again. It is a really nice area for rallying and a great place to finish the Championship. We had a difficult rally in Wales and we couldn’t manage to get the best out of the car or ourselves. We want to bounce back that’s for sure. I know what we are capable of on gravel with this car. As it is the last race, we will of course try to get the best possible result and end the season on a positive note. We are involved in a close battle in the Drivers’ Championship, too, so it will be an exciting season finale.”
“Every year I enjoy coming back to Australia and the unique challenges that it has to offer. It really is like nothing else in the championship – so different to anything else we experience throughout the year.
“The character of the stages changes quite a lot and we often switch from very wide, open roads to tight and twisty sections in the forests. Recce is really important. You need to keep the rhythm in your notes and have every tree and rock noted. It’s a big challenge to end the season.
“The event is a little later this year so we’ll have to see how that affects the advantages and disadvantages of running order. Generally, it’s better to be further back, but there is also a risk of hanging dust which can be really challenging so we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out.
“It’s strange to think that I’ve only contested this event twice before, but we will give it our all and always want to achieve the best possible result.”
Éric Camilli said:
“I’m really looking forward to experiencing another new rally and discovering all of the challenges that Australia has to offer. This is my first time at this event so there will be a lot to learn, but we’re really looking forward to it. From what I’ve seen, it looks like a fantastic rally with amazing scenery and stages.
“As with any new event, the pacenotes that we make on the pre-event reconnaissance will be really important. Thankfully, we have made a big step forward in that area this year. Our pacenotes have progressed a lot over the past 12 months, and next week’s event gives us an opportunity to put everything into practice.
“We want to end the season on a high, but it is also important to complete all of the stages and gain maximum experience. I believe that we have already shown the speed that we can be capable of, so we’ll just take each stage as it comes and aim to build on our performance throughout the weekend.”
D-Mack WRT
Ott Tänak said: “Rally Australia is a special event and one that I really like. It’s a real mix of conditions and a proper challenge. The wide, hard roads are fast and flowing – really enjoyable to drive on. Then in the forests it’s really tricky and you have to be careful, especially with the changes in shade and light. I’m looking forward to it.”
Here’s a list of the former winners of this event.
2015 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia
2014 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia
2013 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia
2012 Event not held
2011 Mikko Hirvonen Jarmo Lehtinen
2010 Event not held
2009 Mikko Hirvonen Jarmo Lehtinen
2008 Event not held
2007 Event not held
2006 Mikko Hirvonen Jarmo Lehtinen
2005 François Duval Sven Smeets
The fascinating battle will begin on Friday morning…. Who will win down under?
Sergio Perez (MEX) Sahara Force India F1 VJM09. Brazilian Grand Prix, Sunday 13th November 2016. Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Despite missing out on podium chances for both cars, Force India has branded its Brazilian Grand Prix performance “a victory” after a strong double points finish all but seals their fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
With Sergio Pérez finishing just off the podium in fourth and Nico Hülkenberg recovering from a puncture to seventh, Force India leaves Interlagos with twenty-seven points in hand over rivals Williams, who failed to score after Felipe Massa retired and Valtteri Bottas finished down in eleventh.
That means that, with just one round remaining, Williams would have to finish second and fifth at least in Abu Dhabi to end the year in fourth, even if Force India fail to score. If the latter finishes the final round in seventh and eighth – as the fourth fastest team ought to – Williams would have to win the race and get their second car on the podium as well.
Force India’s deputy team principal Bob Fernley said that carrying such a lead into the final round is “a fantastic reward for an excellent job by the entire team.
“With such difficult track conditions, just getting both cars to the finish [in Brazil] is a victory and to have both in the points takes us a good step closer to achieving fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.”
James Matthews
