Although Formula One’s annual trip through the Americas appears to have restored Lewis Hamilton to the crushing form he enjoyed in the summer, the Briton arrives at the penultimate round of the championship in Sao Paulo with something of a mountain to climb if he is to win his fourth World Drivers’ Championship.
The defending champion utterly dominated the last round in Mexico and crossed the line with a full eight seconds in hand, in a race Nico Rosberg needed himself to win and Hamilton effectively not to finish if the German was to wrap up the championship early.
But by maintaining a crucial second place behind Hamilton Mexico, Rosberg has ensured that victory in this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix will be enough to make him Formula One’s 33rd World Champion, regardless of where Hamilton finishes behind him. Such is his points margin that even if Mercedes has a disastrous race, Rosberg could finish as low as seventh and still become champion, providing Hamilton does not score at all.
“[Nico] has it in his hands,” Toto Wolff said ahead of the race. “All this talk of just needing to finish second in order to make it to the end is over. If he wins the race in Brazil, he is champion.”
Wolff also added that “Lewis knows what he must do to keep his title hopes alive. He will never back down and that’s what makes him one of the great ones.”
But not only will Hamilton have to finish ahead of Rosberg on Sunday if he plans to take the title fight on to Abu Dhabi, he will have to do so at a circuit that has never been a particular favourite of his.
Besides Baku, Interlagos remains the only track on the current calendar at which Hamilton has never won, and arguably the only one in which he has been consistently outshone by Rosberg in their time together – Rosberg has comfortably beaten Hamilton to victory in each of the last two Brazilian Grands Prix, and in 2013 finished fifth where the Briton could only manage ninth.
Outside of the Mercedes turbo era, Hamilton’s only other visit to the Sao Paulo podium was back in 2009 with McLaren.
Nevertheless, the past does not always translate into the future in Formula One, and while Nico Rosberg may look to have every advantage in Brazil, you can never afford to discount a driver like Lewis Hamilton when the margins start to narrow.
A famous television character once said “I love it when a plan comes together”, and the Sauber F1 team would be feeling as if their plan is slowly coming together with the appointment of a new technical director, a strong showing in Mexico and a “home-coming” at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
Brazil is home to both driver Felipe Nasr and Sauber’s sponsor partner, Banco do Brazil, making the penultimate race of the 2016 season something of a home-coming – one at which they hope to go one position better than in Mexico, where a resilient Marcus Ericsson brought home the C35 in 11th place, just one place out of the points.
Interlagos is a beloved track to the F1 community, due in large part to the technical nature of the circuit which demands both engine power along the two straights and precision braking through the tighter sections. The ever-present possibility of rain makes it a tricky task, but does raise the possibility of points for the taking for both Sauber drivers.
The Autodromo José Carlos Pace requires specific key set up areas that Sauber have identified as engine power, traction and braking performance. The hard tyre makes a return to the Brazil after three years which will bring the possibility of fewer pit stops, weather providing of course.
Both drivers are using the same tyre compounds: one hard, five medium and seven softs, but as the last few races have shown there should be different strategies for both men. Nasr especially will be hoping for a better run of things at home, after the struggles of late.
In 2016, MotoGP has seen 11 race leaders, 9 race winners, 5 pole-sitters and 10 podium finishers. The competition level has never been so high, yet for some reason, everybody is winning. Now, it was only last year when we saw four winners, all from the factory Honda or Yamaha teams, and in years before, it had been even fewer. So, with that in mind, the question quite simply is: Do the ‘Aliens’ still exist?
My own personal definition of an ‘alien’ isn’t quite what some people tend to think of it as. I believe that alien status is fluid, and that just because you have won so many titles, you’re not necessarily one of the big four. An alien is someone who can challenge for a podium in every race. Whether that be wet or dry, flag to flag or tyre change, the cream will always rise. But in 2016. It hasn’t always been that way.
Dani Pedrosa’s alien status is the most controversial. Yes, he is a super talented rider; yes, he is a three-time champion; yes, he became an 8th different winner this season but one thing Dani hasn’t been this season is an alien. His first season in a few years that he was starting injury free, Dani was back on beloved Michelin tyres and many, including myself, thought that it could be Dani’s year. Three podiums have shown that it has far from been one of them. Dani was an alien once, but sadly, I believe he isn’t anymore. He didn’t launch a decent title challenge for 2016 and it took him up until San Marino to win. The Spaniard has mega talent and that could be rediscovered in the future, but for now, Dani doesn’t quite match with the requirements to be an alien. Once upon a time in the Stoner days, most certainly, but this year has been a season to forget. Can he come back and prove me wrong and reaffirm his place as an alien next season? One can only imagine at this moment.
Valentino Rossi, 9 world championships to that star-studded name but even he went through a part of his career when he wasn’t an alien. The Ducati years were arguably the worst for Rossi. No win and just three podiums, but I still heard people refer to him as an alien. Personally, I think Rossi had been alienated. As a die-hard fan of Valentino’s, it was horrible to watch but the truth is that he wasn’t an alien in 2011 or 2012. Valentino came back to Yamaha and immediately got on well, confirming his presence as an alien. But in 2016, The Doctor has endured a tumultuous season. 3 crashes and one blown engine has put Valentino’s tenth title yet another season away. However, it isn’t just the crashes, it’s his race results too. 4th in the curtain raiser, 8th in Germany, 4th again in Austria and a lucky 3rd in Great Britain have meant that Rossi has been far from consistent, which is what an alien needs. I am not saying for one moment that The GOAT isn’t an alien, but I’m saying more to the point of, ‘who is?’.
There has been only one alien this season in MotoGP. He is the only rider to have finished all but one race so far, the only rider to win multiple times and get podiums whilst title rivals were crashing all around him. Marc Marquez alienated himself as the only alien in MotoGP this year. Taking points when he couldn’t win and winning when the opportunity fell at the right moment, the 23-year-old Spaniard has been a weapon on a Repsol Honda that quite simply shouldn’t be anywhere near the top three. A superhuman effort from Marquez has seen him become champion, but it has also been the failings of others that have allowed this. Motegi for example, the most unlikely scenario to become champion (Rossi is 14th or lower and Lorenzo off the podium) comes true. The inconsistency of two other aliens has been a massive factor in deciding the championship. Marc made himself standout this year by being subtle. He took the biggest wins in 5th places, because had he gone for the big 25 points, he probably would have crashed the tenacious and difficult Honda.
The point I am making is that in the modern era of MotoGP, even the aliens aren’t aliens. The competition level is of such sheer quality and skill, that there is little difference between the likes of Andrea Iannone and Dani Pedrosa. The only difference is that one is more consistent at finishing races than the other, and we all know which one that is! Look at Maverick Vinales, he is putting the Suzuki on the podium and at Silverstone, he was numero uno. I agree, on paper there is a huge difference and of course, Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo are still your heavyweights of the sport, but they’re not aliens. You can beat them, it’s no longer impossible. It doesn’t have to be wet, nor does it have to be a flag to flag. Andrea Iannone won in Austria because Ducati worked out the best set up to their bike. Vinales won in Silverstone because he and the Suzuki gelled with a cooler air temperature and because of Maverick’s supreme talent and Cal Crutchlow won in Australia by risking everything he could and by pressuring riders ahead into a mistake.
Gone are the days of needing to be on Factory bikes to get on the podium. Now, thanks to Dorna reigning in the big Japanese manufacturers expenditure, the MotoGP class is much more of a level playing field, which has highlighted that Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Ducati can all win once again. Nobody is saying that if BMW or Bimota came into MotoGP, they’d win. However, what is being said is that with development of the right kind and with management of the right kind, you can be up there and your bike can become faster.
And it is this parity that keeps millions of fans around the world on the edge of their seats, screaming and cheering at the TV. It is this parity that gives riders all the way down the field the hope of success and not just the thought of them ‘making up the numbers’. It allows for closer racing, which brings in the fans trackside, whilst bringing out bitter rivalries that not very many other sports can say they have. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, something new comes along. Aliens or not, MotoGP will continue to provide entertainment, off track and on.
Seb might have won Rally GB for the fourth time, but he was pushed all the way by the D-Mack tyred Fiesta WRC driven brilliantly by the young Estonian Ott Tanak.
On the days running up, it was dry and there was not much mud about. However, when Friday dawned, normal service resumed in the Welsh forests… Fog and lots of slippery stages, ready to chuck cars into the trees!
This was only going to benefit Seb in his Polo. Someone didn’t tell Ott and Raigo though. First stage down and there was only 7.6 seconds between him and Seb! The fight had begun!
Stage one top ten
01 Ogier (VW) 18m 07.0s
02 Tänak +7.6s
03 Paddon +8.0s
04 Breen +8.1s
05 Mikkelsen (VW) +11.5s
06 Meeke +11.7s
07 Latvala (VW) +16.4s
08 Neuville +22.3s
09 Østberg +32.2s
10 Sordo +34.3s
Stage two then, a much shorter stage and Seb won again, thus increasing his lead.
01 Ogier (VW) 2m 49.0s
02 Mikkelsen (VW) +3.3s
03 Neuville +4.5s
04 Tänak +4.5s
05 Latvala +5.5s
06 Paddon +6.1s
07 Sordo +6.2s
08 Breen +6.3s
09 Meeke +6.8s
10 Østberg +9.1s
Stage three though saw Ott fight back, winning it from Seb and reducing the gap to just 9.9 seconds! Clearly the D-Mack tyres were giving good grip out there!
01 Tänak 20m 45.4s
02 Ogier (VW) +2.2s
03 Latvala (VW) +6.5s
04 Meeke +9.5s
05 Sordo +10.5s
06 Neuville +12.6s
07 Paddon +14.2s
08 Breen +16.5s
09 Mikkelsen (VW) +21.6s
10 Østberg +26.7s
Stage four saw Ott win again and chip away at Seb’s lead again. It would also be the stage that would see Andreas start to get trouble with his transmission….. He lost 1 minute and 25 seconds thus dropping out of the top ten.
01 Tänak 10m 18.9s
02 Ogier (VW) +2.2s
03 Latvala (VW) +6.3s
04 Neuville +7.5s
05 Paddon +8.8s
06 Meeke +8.9s
07 Breen +10.6s
08 Sordo +11.8s
09 Østberg +14.8s
10 Lefebvre +20.6s
Stage five would see a Seb win with Ott only third, 7.4 seconds slower. What had happened? He reported at the end of the stage that he’d lost confidence in the rear of the car- with the geometry changing. The big casualty from this stage was Craig and Scott in their DS3. Coming around a left hander, he lost the rear and started to spin. The car then dug in at the front and rolled at least once coming to rest on its side. They were fine, but most definitely out of the event.
So, stage six saw Seb win again and Ott was third through this one, but only losing a couple of seconds. Between them, Thierry was just a second and a bit behind Seb, the Belgian finding his feet in the tricky conditions.
01 Ogier (VW) 2m 53.7s
02 Neuville +1.2s
03 Tänak +2.3s
04 Meeke +2.4s
05 Sordo +3.5s
06 Latvala (VW) +3.7s
07 Paddon +5.7s
08 Østberg +6.5s
09 Lefebvre +7.3s
10 Camilli +8.7s
Moving on to stage seven Now Jari-Matti fell to the transmission issue that had inflicted Andreas earlier… He spun in the stage sadly and lost over a minute. This dropped him to seventh overall, nearly two and a half minutes off the lead. Seb won the stage and increased his lead to over 20 seconds.
01 Ogier (VW) 20m 58.6s
02 Tänak +5.9s
03 Neuville +11.5s
04 Paddon +14.0s
05 Meeke +19.8s
06 Sordo +25.5s
07 Østberg +31.1s
08 Lefebvre +43.1s
09 Camilli +48.5s
10 Gilbert +1m 06.9s
Last stage of the day then, number eight…. We had another stage winner with Thierry taking it by just 7 tenths of a second. Ott’s tyres finally cried enough and he picked up a puncture on the right front with six km’s to go in the stage. Also, Seb’s driveshaft failed…. How lucky was that?!
Day one top ten
01 Ogier (VW) 1h 44m 31.2s
02 Tänak +37.3s
03 Neuville +1m 09.0s
04 Paddon +1m 12.8s
05 Meeke +1m 14.8s
06 Sordo +2m 07.2s
07 Østberg +2m 37.3s
08 Latvala (VW) +3m 43.6s
09 Lefebvre +4m 31.6s
10 Camilli +5m 26.0s
Right then, the thoughts of the drivers at the end of day one.
Volkswagen Motorsport
Quotes after day one of the Rally Great Britain
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“The first stage this morning was extremely difficult and slippery. The priority there was to make it through to finish in one piece. After that, the grip was noticeably better – particularly for us as the first car onto the route. I think that goes someway to explaining the large lead we had opened up over the majority of the opposition by midday. I am jolly glad to have made it through the day. It is obviously a great shame for my team-mates that they struggled with issues. I am confident that our team will get to grips with the problems, and that we will all be able to push hard again with the Polo R WRC tomorrow. Winning the Manufacturers’ title is the top priority for us – without our fantastic team, Julien and I will not be world champions. We want to give them something back by winning in Wales.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“I obviously cannot help but be disappointed. We basically made a good start to the rally and soon found a good pace, despite the conditions, which were not easy. The priority was to be ahead of the Hyundai’s, in order to score more points than our rivals in the Manufacturers’ Championship. We were on course to do precisely that. Unfortunately, the rear-right drive shaft broke on stage seven. That meant we were no longer competitive for the rest of the day. We must now shake off this disappointment, but will push hard again tomorrow.”
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“I’m incredibly disappointed. I would have preferred to have been challenging for second place in the world championship here. I had a really good start to the rally, despite taking things rather cautiously. Unfortunately, however, I was denied by a broken driveshaft at the front-right of the car on stage four, after which I only had rear-wheel drive. Instead, I ended up losing endless amounts of time. There is not a lot that Anders and I can do here now, apart from to go for broke on Sunday’s Power Stage. We will obviously do that, and then really go for it in Australia.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville said, “Conditions are tricky and we can’t relax at all. It was very slippery in there. I lost too much time in the fog on the first stage and we had a spin and stalled the car near the start of SS3 which cost us about six seconds. This afternoon has gone much better although the stages were still wet and it was easy to get caught out. It’s now a great battle and I tried to do a good stage to finish the day in the podium position.”
Hayden Paddon said, ”It’s hard with changing grip levels. Sometimes you brake too early and sometimes too late, but the margins between being too slow and too fast are very small. It’s difficult to judge pace but it’s the same for everyone. I’m happy with the progress we are making, particularly compared to last year and I think we can have a big attack for the podium tomorrow when the conditions are a bit more consistent and should suit us better.”
Dani Sordo said, “It was really difficult with lots of fog and slippery places – I didn’t feel comfortable throughout the first loop. Once conditions improved towards the end of the morning the times were not so bad and I started enjoying it a bit more. I tried to do my best – but it’s not easy to learn the grip. All in all, it has been a tough day for us and we are looking forward to a more positive Saturday.”
M-Sport WRT
Mads Østberg (7th) said:
“It’s been a tricky day and we’ve had to make quite a few adjustments to both the car and the driving throughout the day. It’s been challenging, but I felt we did some really good stages. The times might not have been what we were expecting, but we are in a strong seventh place and that’s not so bad.
“Tomorrow will be a different day with a different surface which will hopefully provide a bit more grip. At the moment I can’t seem to find the traction so hopefully with a bit more grip we can be faster.”
Éric Camilli (11th) said:
“It’s not been an easy day but we are still here and that is the important thing. It was a shame for us this morning as we had two very rare punctures and we don’t fully understand why. That’s life sometimes, and this afternoon we decided to continue on the same rhythm.
“This is never an easy rally and at times we were able to match the pace of Mads which is very important for us. He has a lot of experience here so that is a good first step with the experience that we have and we’ll work hard to keep building on that tomorrow.”
Abu Dhabi WRT
Kris Meeke: “It was a very, very long day! We weren’t expecting the conditions to be so difficult, with a lot of rain and fog. We also know that it’s in this type of situation where the lack of development on the car tends to show the most. I feel that I did my best and I enjoyed driving out there today, even though I was bit frustrated when I saw my times at the end of the stages! We’re not far off the podium, so we go again tomorrow!”
Craig Breen: “We had a good morning; the level of performance was enough to put me in the top five. I still had a bit of moment at one point so I was trying to get the balance right between pushing and being cautious. I wanted to use what we had learned during the first pass this afternoon, but we were a bit unlucky on SS5. The car skidded and the front hit a bank on the inside of a corner. We did several rolls and we weren’t then able to get away again under own steam. It’s frustrating, but these things happen in rallying.”
Stéphane Lefebvre: “I think I could have been a little bit higher up the standings, but we didn’t choose the right set-up. We thought that the roads would be drier and I lacked traction in the twisty sections. We had to make the best of this option throughout the day because there was no mid-leg service. In any case, I feel that I got the maximum out of what I had to work with and I’m pleased to finish the leg without having made any mistakes. We’ll be back tomorrow with the set-up that worked well last year and that should make things better.”
Quentin Gilbert: “We started at an extremely cautious pace. With the fog and lack of grip, the first stage had the worst possible conditions for building confidence! We improved as we completed more stages, reducing the gap with the leading drivers. I can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow. It was a joy to drive this car, everything works perfectly and I was really enjoying it despite the difficulties of the course.”
Day Two
Now this day was going to be interesting. They would have to do the whole day without any service. This meant that if they wanted new tyres, they would have to carry them in the car.
Stage nine was first up and it saw a continuation of the battle of who would be faster- Ott or Seb…. Well, Ott took it from Seb, thus being 1.5 seconds quicker. The D-Mack tyres giving great grip. A bit of history for you. This stage was last run in 1997 and it was the late great Colin McRae who won it.
01 Tänak 5m 47.1s
02 Ogier (VW) +1.5s
03 Neuville +2.0s
04 Latvala (VW) +3.8s
05 Paddon +4.3s
06 Mikkelsen (VW) +5.1s
07 Meeke +8.5s
08 Østberg +9.7s
09 Sordo +10.3s
10 Lefebvre +14.0s
Stage ten saw Seb and Ott first and second and the gap had increased again, now 38.2 seconds. He wasn’t about to give up though!
01 Ogier (VW) 12m 01.2s
02 Tänak +2.4s
03 Paddon +8.6s
04 Mikkelsen (VW) +11.1s
05 Neuville +11.8s
06 Latvala (VW) +13.4s
07 Østberg +19.4s
08 Meeke +20.1s
09 Sordo +24.6s
10 Camilli +36.3s
Stage eleven fell to Thierry with Andreas finally showing some pace now that his car was sorted, in second.
01 Neuville 7m 00.9s
02 Mikkelsen (VW) +0.3s
03 Tänak +1.0s
04 Ogier (VW) +2.9s
05 Paddon +4.4s
06 Latvala (VW) +5.7s
07 Sordo +5.9s
08 Meeke +9.4s
09 Østberg +10.6s
10 Camilli +14.5s
What happened next was that Ott won stage twelve, thirteen and fourteen and reduced the gap to Seb from 36.3 to 24.8 seconds! A big push to apply pressure to the rally leader.
Stage 15 next then and incredibly Seb went through the 14km stage seven seconds faster than Ott and as such took the lead straight back up to 31.8! A remarkable time!
Time for the last stage of the day then, and the crews headed into the UK for the first time since 1999. The short blast around Cholmondeley Castle saw Andreas win it, with Seb second and Hayden in third.
01 Mikkelsen (VW) 1m 08.6s
02 Ogier (VW) +0.3s
03 Paddon +0.6s
04 Neuville +1.3s
05 Sordo +1.5s
06 Meeke +1.9s
07 Tänak +2.3s
08 Østberg +2.5s
09 Latvala (VW) +2.6s
10 Lefebvre +3.5s
The thoughts then of all the drivers at the end of the second day
Volkswagen Motorsport
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“On the whole I am very happy with our day. It could hardly have gone better for Julien and me. We went on the attack and tried to make the most of our start position, which gives us a slight advantage here. We know that even our soft tyre compound is a little too hard for the conditions in Wales. For this reason, we wanted to open a good lead ahead of the finale on Sunday, in order to finish ahead of Ott Tänak. On the other hand, the fact that we had a harder tyre compound than our rivals meant we had absolutely no problem completing the hundred kilometres of special stage without a tyre change. Tomorrow is definitely going to be exciting, that much is certain. Ott is quick here at the rally in Wales. However, I am very determined to do my bit towards winning the Manufacturers’ title for the Volkswagen team, hopefully with a win.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“As far as the driving is concerned, today was a good day. Like yesterday, we soon got up to speed and then tried to go about making up some of the time that we lost yesterday. We obviously only had limited opportunities to make any progress in the overall standings. Despite this, we did make up over a minute on Mads Østberg and will try to take seventh place from him tomorrow and to do our bit for the team in the Manufacturers’ Championship.”
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“Today was all about finding our rhythm again. Having driven almost the whole of Friday with just rear-wheel drive, we first had to get used to the grip you have with four-wheel drive again. We managed to do that, and set some good stage times here and there. We had to change our driving style a little again in the afternoon – that is a feature of the Rally Great Britain, as the routes become more slippery in the afternoon and you have to choose a different racing line. All in all, we are looking forward to tomorrow. We want to attack on the Power Stage, in order to score as many points as possible in the battle for second place in the world championship.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville said: “We’ve had a good day, driving fast and smooth. The morning loop went OK. The first run through Dyfi was a bit more difficult. I clipped a bank on the inside and lost the steering, so I was a bit out of rhythm. We were fortunate because it could have been worse. We lost too much time in the foggy conditions but other than that it went well. We set the fastest time on the following stage and we’ve been able to extend our hold on third place. In the afternoon, we focused on controlling our pace, driving efficiently and finding traction. As long as we are on the podium tomorrow I’ll be content, but there’s still work to do before we can think of that.”
Hayden Paddon said: “It’s been a day of careful strategy today with no lunchtime service and no remote tyre fitting zone. We struggled slightly to get confidence on the morning loop. We didn’t lose much time but I needed to find my mojo a bit. The conditions were quite typical for Wales, still very slippery but with more consistent grip. I’ve had to dial-in the driving because it’s not my natural style, so that’s been the main struggle. We made some changes, which gave me a better feeling, but we couldn’t find enough traction. It’s a close fight for the podium with Thierry and the gap is not so big. We’ll have to see what we can do to build more confidence for Sunday’s final stages.”
Dani Sordo said: “It has not been a particularly memorable rally for us so far. The stages are wonderful and I enjoy them but we have simply not been able to find the pace we need to fight higher up the classification. The conditions have been difficult with slippery and damp patches throughout. It’s better than last year – and a characteristic of this rally – but it just hasn’t clicked for me this weekend. We will continue to do all we can to get the most out of the car and ourselves. The gap to those in front of us is too big to reduce tomorrow morning, so we have to keep it clean and secure this position.”
M-Sport WRT
Mads Østberg (7th) said:
“It’s been another typical day at Wales Rally GB with rain, mud and fog. It looked really dry on the recce, but today it was completely different – full wet with full fog and very tricky conditions.
“We also had a bit of a strange morning with Ola not feeling 100 percent. He was acting very strange and even in the stages he struggled a lot. He was reading the notes very strangely and we are a team so then I struggled as well.
“It looks as though he has been bitten by a snake! I don’t know if that’s what it was but it certainly looks that way and he wasn’t feeling very well at all. At the Regroup I made him see the doctor and after some medicine and a bit of a break he was feeling much better which is the main thing.”
Éric Camilli (10th) said:
“It’s been a good day for us, with proper Wales Rally GB conditions. It’s not been easy of course, but after the time loss yesterday we decided to take it steady to learn the stages and have really enjoyed the day.
“At times we pushed and were able to match the likes of Mads, Kris and Dani. They have a lot of experience here in a world rally car – and I have none – so that was very good to see. Of course there’s still a long way to go before we can be setting the sort of pace that Sebastien and Ott are setting up front, but this is a very good start and a good step ahead of next year.”
Abu Dhabi WRT
Kris Meeke: “What happened this morning was fairly unusual! After the first stage, we had a slow puncture on the road section. And then we had the same problem after SS10… I don’t understand what happened, but in any case it dictated – at least in part – the rest of the day. I kept pushing but I had to cope with early wear on my four remaining tyres. Apart from my misfortune with the tyres and our difficult starting position, I think we were just short of speed on this surface.”
Stéphane Lefebvre: “We did our best to try and improve in conditions like these. Our set-up was much better than yesterday, although I still felt short of traction. In terms of the gap per kilometre, I got a bit closer to Kris and that’s the key thing for me. Once again, I didn’t have any moments and I felt comfortable in the quickest sections. It’s another positive point, although I would have preferred to be close to the front. One step at a time, though!”
Quentin Gilbert: “I’m continuing to get closer to the leading drivers, but my progress was a bit up and down today. Several factors unsettled me this morning, such as the fog on SS10, my pace notes which were too optimistic in places and the variations in grip from one corner to another. The second pass went better and I’m pleased to have avoided making any mistakes. It’s sometimes frustrating to see the times of the leading guys, but you have to stay focused on your own targets.”
The last day then, and five stages to decide this rally starting with stage 17! Unlike last year, it wasn’t raining, but the stages were still muddy and very slippery! Could Ott mount a final attack on the world champion?
Well, he started the day well with yet another stage victory, but Seb was right there in second just six tenths off Ott’s time and the gap remained at just over 33 seconds. Looking good for third was Thierry, but Hayden wasn’t calling time yet on his bid for the final step on the podium. Jari-Matti was also right there, closing on seventh placed Mads and looking to move ahead.
Stage 18 saw Ott take another stage win with Seb losing more time to the Estonian crew in the D-Mack Fiesta. Hayden was again quicker than Thierry, still looking to move ahead of Thierry.
Stage 19 then and it was another stunning run through the forest for Ott, who now closed the gap to Seb taking seven seconds out of the erstwhile leader! Jari-Matti had won the battle with Mads and moved ahead into seventh place.
Into stage 20 then Ott’s charge was continuing- Would he have enough stages to get ahead for his first WRC victory? He’d closed the gap again to 23 seconds at the end of this stage and there were still two more to go! Thierry was now looking comfortable in third having been quicker through this one by a second.
Right then- stage 21…. Well, it was a fifth stage win in row for Ott and Raigo, an incredible 6.6 seconds quicker than Seb and Julien! The gap was just 16.4 seconds going into the last stage of the rally. Could Ott and Raigo pull it off? It certainly would be a popular victory!
Well, the crew won the last stage of the event to take all three power stage points, Andreas was second fastest, thus getting two extra points and Thierry was third getting one extra point.
Seb and Julien were fifth fastest, just a little over six seconds slower than the stage winner, meaning that they’d won Rally GB, but by only 10.2 seconds from Ott and Raigo. Third place went to Thierry and Nicolas in their Hyundai.
Fourth place went to Hayden and John, with Kris and Paul finishing in fifth, Dani and Marc sixth Jari-Matti seventh, Mads and Ola in eighth, Stephane ninth on his return to competition after that huge accident in Rally Germany back in August and Eric in the M-Sport Fiesta taking the final championship point in tenth.
Final classification
01 Ogier (VW) 3h 14m 30.2s
02 Tänak +10.2s
03 Neuville +1m 35.4s
04 Paddon +1m 54.9s
05 Meeke +2m 35.2s
06 Sordo +4m 02.6s
07 Latvala (VW) +4m 28.3s
08 Østberg +4m 38.3s
09 Lefebvre +7m 12.2s
10 Camilli +8m 19.3s
So, the thoughts of the drivers at the end of the penultimate rally of the year.
Volkswagen Motorsport
Sébastien Ogier (F), Julien Ingrassia (F) Volkswagen Polo R WRC (2016) WRC Rally Great Britain 2016 Photo: Helena El Mokni
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“This victory is fantastic. I am so delighted that we have wrapped up the Manufacturers’ title for our fantastic team. It was hard work hanging onto our lead in these extremely slippery conditions here in Wales. Ott Tänak put us under a lot of pressure, so Julien and I had to push ourselves to the limit all weekend. But we did it. Looking back, we have all been on an incredible journey over the past four years. To have such a run of success is definitely something very special – particularly in motorsport, where so many different factors come into play. I am very happy that I opted for Volkswagen before anyone knew where this WRC adventure would take us.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“Looking at today on its own, we did our job: we overtook Østberg and ended the rally in seventh place. On the whole, we were obviously hoping for a lot more from the weekend and are not happy with this result. On the other hand, Volkswagen claimed its fourth Manufacturers’ title in a row thanks to our team-mate Sébastien Ogier’s win. That is obviously a fantastic success for the entire team here and at the headquarters in Hannover. We will still push hard again in Australia and look to improve our record for this season.”
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“I am very pleased for our Volkswagen team that we have once again been crowned world champions in the Manufacturers’ Championship. That is no less than we deserve, and I am pleased to have contributed a little here and there. From a personal point of view, I am obviously disappointed with the outcome of the Rally Great Britain in general. We wanted to battle with Thierry Neuville for second place in the championship here, but unfortunately that was not to be. A drive shaft was damaged on Friday and we consequently lost many minutes. That is a real shame, but that is motorsport. These things can happen. We then focused fully on the Power Stage and really gave it our all. We could not have done any more and came away with two points. We will now have to do our very best in Australia to finish second in the world championship. That is exactly what we plan to do.”
D-Mack WRT
Ott Tänak said: “It was a great weekend. After a few issues on Friday we had a very clean run through all the stages and I really enjoyed being back in the battle fighting for the lead. The stages yesterday afternoon and today were very slippery but I think that was the place where the DMACK tyres were working the best and we had the advantage. We didn’t have the best road position but obviously, we benefited from having the best tyres.”
Hyundai Motorsport
2016 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 13 / Wales Rally GB / October 27 – 30, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville said: “It’s been a really nice weekend for us. The team has done an incredible job and we’ve had a good car to contest these tricky stages. We didn’t have the pace to fight for the win but I’m still happy with a podium result. To take a Power Stage point was an added bonus, even if we weren’t pushing for it. The conditions this weekend have been typically demanding but we’ve kept our focus and found some good pace when it has mattered. It’s nice to take the team’s first Wales Rally GB podium, and to continue our run of positive results. It’s particularly pleasing to move clearly into second place in the Drivers’ Championship. Our aim is now to finish the season on a high in Australia.”
2016 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 13 / Wales Rally GB / October 27 – 30, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: Hyundai Motorsport
Hayden Paddon said: “We’ve had a hard weekend, so to take fourth place isn’t too bad. We were involved in a tight battle with Thierry for the final podium position, but we weren’t able to take the fight any closer to him. All we could do was keep the gap as small as possible to remind him that we were there, but he had it covered. It’s the second rally in a row where we’ve just missed out, but there are still plenty of positives to take from this event. We know we have areas where we can improve in these conditions. I’ve had to work on adapting my driving style this weekend; this experience will be useful for the future. We now look ahead to Australia, with some positive momentum and a good road position.”
Dani Sordo said: “It’s really been a weekend to forget for us. We weren’t able to find a rhythm on these slippery stages, and we lacked confidence on all days. Our aim this morning was simply to bring the car home and to take some points, which we thankfully achieved without any issues. We have to sit down to analyse why we couldn’t repeat the sort of pace we have enjoyed in other events this season. I have tried my absolute best but nothing we did delivered any real improvements. I’m determined to bounce back in Australia.”
M-Sport WRT
Mads Østberg (8th) said:
“It’s been an enjoyable rally with some really nice stages. I feel as though we have been driving well and we’ve had a good rhythm through the stages but for some reason the times just weren’t coming.
“We also had a very strange moment yesterday when it looked as though Ola was bitten by a snake! I don’t know for sure if that’s what it was, but the symptoms were very similar to a snake bite. His hand swelled, and he was acting very strangely – losing focus even on the stages which is not like Ola at all!
“Thankfully, we got him to the doctor and after some medicine and a bit of a break he was feeling much better. He’s been back to his best today, and we set some encouraging times, but we’ll be hoping to challenge much closer to the front in Australia.”
2016 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 13 / Wales Rally GB / October 27 – 30, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: M-Sport/McKlein
Éric Camilli (10th) said:
“It was a shame about the time loss on the first day, but I think we have to be happy with this weekend. The aim was to gain experience ahead of next year and we have done that – adjusting the pacenotes and learning where it is possible to gain time on these tricky stages.
“When we felt comfortable, we pushed harder and it was good to see that we could match the times of Mads, Dani and Kris – especially when you remember how much experience those guys have.
“Experience counts for so much at this level, so our target will remain the same in Australia where we’ll focus on learning another new rally and being as prepared as possible for next year.”
Abu Dhabi WRT
Kris Meeke: “We’ve had a fantastic season. It was very important for me to keep competing in rallies, looking ahead to 2017. Yes, we won two rallies in Portugal and in Finland, but we also had a very high level of performance in Monte-Carlo, Sweden and Corsica. I did my best here in Wales and I’m pleased with my performance, given the conditions. It’s the end of a very special period for me, as the last three seasons have enabled me to secure my place at the highest level. But above all, I can’t wait to get started next season!”
Stéphane Lefebvre: “I’m pleased to have made it to the end without making any mistakes. I managed to find a good rhythm on this third leg. We changed the set-up again and that made a difference. With more traction, I immediately felt more confident behind the wheel. With a more favourable starting position, I set some good times and got a bit closer to Kris. I’m relieved because I was surprised to be so far off the pace of the leading guys yesterday. It’s obviously very important for the future and I am now really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the Citroën C3 WRC.”
Quentin Gilbert: “My main aim was to make it to the finish. Apart from that, I wanted to improve consistently throughout the event. Some stages were better than others and I would have liked to have set some better times but overall, I feel that I did a good job for my first rally in a WRC. I think today was probably my best day of the rally. And yet the conditions were once again very difficult. I would like to thank everyone at Abu Dhabi Total WRT, who have done everything they could to get us in the best possible shape this weekend.”
Also, the thoughts of the team principles.
Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“A performance worthy of world champions from Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, and a fantastic day for Volkswagen. To win all three titles in the World Rally Championship for the fourth time in a row is anything but a matter of course. It takes a lot of work from the entire team to be so successful. I am extremely proud of the whole team. Drivers, co-drivers, engineers, mechanics, logisticians, the medical department and catering team, meteo and weather crew, and team management – everyone has played an important role. The dedication they show Volkswagen, and their team spirit, cannot be beaten.”
Dick Cormack, DMACK managing director, said:
“This result is extremely significant for DMACK, with our British tyres leading the world-class field on our home WRC rally. We targeted this event and the plan worked perfectly. We’ve demonstrated to manufacturers and competitors just how much we’ve progressed this season and it’s the result of a huge amount of work from our small but committed team, and of course a stunning performance from Ott and Raigo.”
Team Principal Michel Nandan commented:
“Firstly, we are all delighted to secure second place in the Manufacturers’ Championship with today’s result. It’s a special moment in our history and confirmation of our most competitive season in the WRC. It’s actually been a bittersweet weekend from a performance point of view. On the one hand, I am pleased we could take our first ever Welsh podium, thanks to a strong showing from Thierry and Nicolas. On the other hand, we were not able to put up a stronger fight for the top-two positions, which shows there are some areas of performance where we still need to improve. Looking at the positives, the New Generation i20 WRC ran reliably all weekend, and all three crews finished in the top-six – by far our most competitive showing in Wales to date. We can look positively towards the final event of the season.”
M-Sport WR Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“It’s been a really strong performance from Ott and Raigo this weekend – and one of the most impressive of the season. They have totally dominated the final day of competition here in Wales – winning all six stages and claiming maximum points in the Power Stage.
“The team now head to Australia in excellent spirits. Once again, Ott has proven that we have a car capable of claiming rally wins and we’ll be looking for a good performance before embarking on an exciting new era for both the team and the championship.”
Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal:
“I would like to thank our partners Abu Dhabi and Total for having made this transitional programme possible at eight European rounds of the WRC. Well done also to everyone at the PH Sport team, who have run the cars with an excellent level of quality. This season has seen Kris Meeke, Craig Breen and Stéphane Lefebvre add to their experience and maintain their competitive edge, during a phase in which we are developing the new Citroën C3 WRC. Kris’ two victories have extended Citroën’s incredible record in the WRC to 96 wins. This programme also helped us to enhance our technical database. All the positive and negative experiences will help us to prepare more effectively for Citroën’s return in 2017.”
Well, there you go, the closest finish of the year, with a really good battle for the lead. One rally to go, Rally Australia, with shakedown on the 17th of November and then three days in one of the toughest rallies on the planet, with the young Kiwi Hayden essentially regarding it as an almost home event.
It will also as we know now, be the final event in the WRC for Volkswagen, with the news that they are ending their involvement at the end of that event. A big shock really.
Julien Ingrassia (F), Sébastien Ogier (F) WRC Rally Great Britain 2016 Photo: Bodo Kräling
Here’s the points standings for the drivers and teams’ championship.
2016 Word Rally Championship standings, drivers
01 Ogier (VW), 247 points
02 Neuville, 143 points
03 Mikkelsen (VW), 129 points
04 Paddon, 126 points
05 Sordo, 119 points
06 Latvala (VW), 110 points
07 Østberg, 94 points
08 Tänak, 82 points
09 Meeke, 64 points
10 Breen, 36 points
2016 Word Rally Championship standings, manufacturers
The Vault – My column where I take the pictures from the wall of my writing studio and tell the story behind the camera. This week I go back to 1989 and the Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco, the playground of the successful. A glamourous setting where the rich and famous for one weekend mix with the ardent Formula One fans who make the trip to this principality.
The above photograph taken from the wall of my writing studio is the next topic for The Vault.
Portier and the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix.
After the hairpin, which changes it’s name based on what hotel is present at the time of a specific Grand Prix, the cars head downhill to the double right-hander just before the famous tunnel. This is Portier. It is set in a neighbourhood of Monaco next to the sea which gives it a beautiful backdrop. The corner is called portier, or porter in English, which was the lowest order of Roman Catholic seminarians or students in simple terms.
In the Monaco Grand Prix a year earlier, with Senna gliding round to head into the tunnel, it was a completely different story for the Brazilian. In 1988 he had opened up a huge lead, completely dominating the race, when he was told by McLaren to back-off. He lost concentration and went straight on into the barrier on the outside of Portier, which handed victory to Prost. He was so upset with this mistake that he left Monaco straight away, refusing to speak to anybody.
In the race before Monaco, the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Gerhard Berger had suffered a brake problem which saw him go off at Tamburello. The resulting crash caused him to have broken ribs, shoulder and burns to face and hands. Ferrari decided they were not going to replace Berger and so had just Nigel Mansell entered for the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix.
Senna, looking to make up for his 1988 mistake, took pole with a massive one second time difference over his teammate Alain Prost. This is made famous by the video showing THAT lap, in which Martin Brundle commented afterwards drivers out on track at the time decided to slow and jump out of the way, not wanting to spoil this epic qualifying performance.
Thierry Boutsen was on the second row behind Senna and Prost, he was joined by an impressive Martin Brundle in the Brabham. The Coloni-Ford team got both their cars, Roberto Moreno and Pierre-Henri Raphanel, into the race for their only time at Monaco. During qualification it became apparent that the Pirelli tyre was performing better than the Goodyear.
Senna got a brilliant start off the line, leaving Prost no other option but to just settle into second without even mounting a challenge. The Williams cars of Boutsen and Patrese would find themselves both coming into the pits to have the rear wings changed on their cars. Mansell, in the lone Ferrari entry, suffered gearbox problems which had been plaguing the team and he was out of the race on Lap 20.
Thirteen laps later Andre de Cesaris in his Dallara-Ford went to pass Nelson Piquet in his Camel sponsored Lotus-Judd up the inside at the Loews Hairpin, only for them to come together. They blocked the circuit which caused chaos behind them. De Cesaris was furiously shouting at Piquet from his car. Prost was held up in this chaos which allowed Senna to go dancing off into the distance.
Senna continued to dominate the race with fans and the team hoping there would not be a repeat of his crash at Portier the year before. Prost eventually got going again, but he was again held up by Rene Arnox in the Ligier. Arnoux would comment that he was unable to go faster which prompted the famous quote by James Hunt calling it “bullshit”. It was the McLaren of Senna who took the spoils at Monaco, Prost came home in second and it was the surprise package of Stefano Modena in the Brabham-Judd who completed the top three. This would be the last time a Brabham car would finish on any podium in Formula One.
What made this Senna victory even more impressive was the fact that in the latter stages of the race he had lost first and second gears. He tried to disguise his problems whilst lapping the streets of Monaco so as not to alert Prost who he felt would have pushed harder to put pressure on the Brazilian if he had known.
The 1989 Monaco Grand Prix and that Portier photograph I have. Full of back-stories and drama. As I say, every picture on my wall tells a story.
NASCAR is in the midst of the chase for its championship. It should be, without doubt, the most exciting time of the season, Daytona being the exception of course. The teams are in high gear and the drivers should be shining bright in the glare of the spotlight they are cast into. It is, however, not the drivers racing that hold the public’s interest, but the one driver that is not. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has long been NASCAR’s most popular driver and being sidelined with a serious concussion has done nothing to stem the tide of loyalty and affection fans express for one of the biggest names in the sport.
So what is it about Junior that makes him so popular even though he hasn’t been in a car since early summer? Some may say it’s being the namesake of one of the biggest stars in NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Sr was more than a driver, more than even a racer, he was an icon of racing, one of the last ties to a history rich in culture and tradition. Dale Sr was one of the last blue collar heroes, learning to race on the dirt tracks of rural North Carolina and at the hands of legends such as his own father, Ralph Earnhardt. This is where Junior comes from, a long line of men who raced hard with success being marked by the amount of dirt on the car on Sunday morning. It would be ridiculous to say that is not part of it, not part of what draws fans to him, endears him to their hearts, and makes them feel like he is part of their family. It is, without question, part of it, especially for the long time fans. He is the last tie to his father and many fans hang onto him like a life preserver, desperate to hang onto a past that racing has long left behind, for better or worse.
Junior is, however, much more than his lineage. Dale Earnhardt Junior is an ambassador for a sport that has in recent years seemed to lose steam in its level of popularity and who is in desperate need of a real champion, and much more than that, a hero. Junior is just the person they need. He is the right combination of the old and new guard. He drives hard but smart and seems to see a much bigger picture in racing and in life. When Junior made the announcement he would be steeping out of his car due to a concussion the response received was a tumultuous one. Some people applauded as he made the commitment to be well and take care of himself, while others grumbled he wasn’t his father, who was infamously tough. Junior held his ground though, bringing much needed attention to concussions, and other head injuries, as he openly shared his concussion struggles with the public. As Junior has made progress with his condition, being sure to take his time, the public has learned a great deal regarding head trauma and the effect it can have on someone’s life. He has made concussions, and recovery, a part of everyday life and brought, not the tragedy of them, but the hope of recovery from them, to his fans and to the public.
So while the Championship Chase continues, while Jimmy Johnson pushes for his seventh championship and Kevin Harvick and the others chase Johnson, it is Dale Jr. that garners the attention and affection of the fans, not because he is his father’s son but because he is him-and the fans love him for it.
When you think of Germany, you think of many things. A huge economy, mainly built on car manufacturers like Audi and Mercedes. A country built on history from unforgettable leaders to remarkable breakthroughs. A country with many a metropolis, yet quaint 1940s style villages. However, if you look back even further, it was the bikes of MZ and BMW that turned Germany into a constructor of all things two wheeled too.
Despite this, the first and so far, only German rider to win a premier class Grand Prix was Edmund Czihak in 1974 at the Nurburgring, when many of the top riders boycotted the event on safety grounds. So with this in mind, I pose the question: Where is Germany’s next premier class winner?
There have been so many top class German riders since the 1970s, with Helmut Bradl, Max Neukirchner, Alex Hoffmann, Jochen Schmid, Anton Mang and Reinhold Roth have all graced the world scene but believe it or not, not one of them has stepped on the top step of a premier class podium. This suggests to me that surely, a German winner isn’t far away, but who could it be?
The potential is there…
The first name that springs to mind is Jonas Folger. Born in Muhldorf, it feels like he has been around the GP paddock for ages. The truth is, that isn’t too far wrong. He first came into the GP circus back in 2008, at the Czech Grand Prix, although he retired. However, it was at a drenched Le Mans where the German picked up his first Grand Prix podium. Two years later, and he won in similar conditions at Silverstone, but in the 125cc class. He took his first Moto2 victory under the floodlights of Qatar in 2015, and is now signed to ride for the Tech 3 Yamaha team in 2017. This could be a massive opportunity for Jonas. With the way MotoGP is at the minute, it is no longer a necessity to have a Factory bike to win a race or score podiums, as Cal Crutchlow and Jack Miller have proven this season,
If Folger can make the transition early enough, then he may well just be the man to end Germany’s 42 year wait for a top-class winner. His ability in the rain is also faultless, so when the opportunity arises, Folger could be your man. Age is also on his side. At just 23, Folger has a good few years left in him yet to prove that he isn’t just capable in the smaller categories, but that he can also win at the top level of motorcycle racing.
Marcel Schrotter has come of age in 2016, showing his face more prominently at the sharp end of things on the AGR Kalex in Moto2. Although it may not seem his best season on paper, Marcel has been showing more pace in qualifying and has put in some pretty sturdy performances during the races. The competition level is also much higher this year than his previous best campaign of 2014 and, if that wasn’t enough, he has had to adapt to a brand-new machine, having left the Tech 3 Mistral behind last season.
Achieving his career best result of 5th at Silverstone, Schrotter could be a good shout for a few more podiums and perhaps even a win in 2017. He joins the Dynavolt Intact Kalex Team for next season, partnering former Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese. Marcel is in a tight battle for 11th in the championship, with just 13 points covering 15th to 11th. It could be a fiery end come Valencia!
Now, it isn’t often that you look to World Superbikes for someone to make a transition over to MotoGP, but there is a hidden gem amongst the Althea BMW camp. Yes, I am of course talking about Markus Reiterberger.
The young effervescent WSBK regular burst onto the scene and immediately impressed, particularly at the second round in Thailand, where he beat his teammate Jordi Torres and took a remarkable 5th place. The former double IDM champion has been quick throughout the rest of the WSBK season, with a best result since of 6th. Markus is just 22, meaning that he has plenty of time to make the switch over to the GP paddock.
Some people may say that he is stuck in the WSBK paddock, however, I think not. There is time on his side and if he can succeed at WSBK, then he has a fair chance of being snapped up by someone half decent in Grand Prix. Only time will tell.
Phillip Oettl has been something of a revelation in 2016. Yes, we all knew of him last year, but not many people would have known about him. “What’s the difference?” I hear you cry. Well, to know of someone means to simply hear about them. But to know about someone means they must be prominent enough and important enough to warrant knowing. Yes, it’s all very confusing but what I’m getting at is the fact that Oettl has gone about his business this year incredibly maturely. He hasn’t got himself tangled up in any of that slipstream nonsense in qualifying and he has been in the battle for the win at certain tracks.
Now, with a 2nd full year on the KTM complete, it may be time for 2017 to be Oettl’s year. He’s quick and has everything in place, now he just needs results. Yet again with age on his side, there’s nothing to say that he couldn’t progress through the ranks and into MotoGP within the next six or seven years. He achieved his first pole position in 2016, could it be his first GP win in 2017, on the road to a long and successful career?
Who has missed the boat?
So, with the up and coming stars complete, now it is time to examine who has ‘missed the boat’ so to speak. From World Superbikes to MotoGP and all paddocks in between, who has missed a chance to hear the Deutschlandlied once more?
Max Neukirchner was for many years, considered the only German in either WSBK or MotoGP to become successful. In 2008, he picked up his first ever WSBK win, and going into the 2009 season, he was a favourite on his Dark Dog Suzuki, but a horrifying accident at Monza put that ambition on hold. He joined the Ten Kate Honda team for 2010 but nothing ever looked like the old Max Neukirchner of old. Ever since, he’s been way off the world scene. An unsuccessful try at Moto2 level was the last full time opportunity Max had, and he now rides in the IDM championship, where he finished 7th this season. Although his career is effectively over, let’s just remember Neukirchner for a moment as the man who nearly made it. The first chicane at Monza would be the last time Max ran with the leaders.
I almost hesitate to include him in this section, but it is fair to say Stefan Bradl well and truly missed the chance to be something big in MotoGP. The 2011 Moto2 champion stepped up to MotoGP a year later with the LCR and was immediately a top 10 regular. However, the next two seasons never developed into much special, with just one podium coming at Laguna Seca in 2013. Bradl left the team in 2015 to join the Forward Racing Yamaha team, which lasted just half a season. He then teamed up with Gresini Racing and the Aprilias, which is where he has remained ever since. He is off to World Superbikes next season, which could finally see the German win a race for the first time in six whole years. Nevertheless, you can’t help but think that Bradl hasn’t quite been given a fair bite of the cherry in Grand Prix.
At only 26, we are considering him as a has been. Maybe, if he had been on a Tech 3/Factory Yamaha then he could have won, or maybe even the present-day Ducati, especially considering they’re owned by German car company Audi. Stefan is a Grand Prix winner, and maybe he will come back a more complete rider, but for now at least, Bradl is being put into the ‘opportunity gone begging’ pile, which is quite sad.
Although still in Moto2, former Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese doesn’t look like he will be making his way out of the class anytime soon. Just three podiums from four years in the class is not something that particularly stands out, especially when riders like Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins and Pol Espargaro have all come through quicker. However, saying that, Cortese has had some of the most competitive riders around him, so maybe in 2017 we could see the former champion become a championship winner. Sandro, like many others, has struggled to make the transition from Moto3 to Moto2 and maybe he needs new surroundings too. It may relight the spark that has gone out from the German’s riding. The question is whether he will make it to the top class and be a threat to the podium. And in answer to that, I’m not 100% sure.
The premier class has a much different structure to it now than what it did when the likes of Rainey, Schwantz and Doohan were around. If you feel that we have missed anyone then feel free to tweet in @PitCrew_Online. You can also follow me personally @MotoGPKiko.
Photo credits to Focus Pollution, The AGR Team, Althea Racing, Honda Pro Racing, KTM and Dunlop Motorsport.
The Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit marked the end of the long flyaway triple header of the 2016 Moto2 World Championship: for the Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2, just back from the disappointment of the two races in Japan and Australia, was another bitter race, with Sam Lowes forced to retire after just two laps due to a crash.
Started from thirteenth on the grid in a wet race, the 26-year-old British rider was in tenth position when he went down at Turn 9. The team now flies back to Europe, where November 13 in Valencia is scheduled the final race of the season.
Sam Lowes: I’m very sorry
“I started the race slowly to avoid risks, but suddenly crashed and I don’t know why. After two disappointing races we wanted to redeem us here in Malaysia, but conditions have certainly not helped us during the weekend. I’m very sorry”.
After many years in the Moto3 World Championship, RW Racing GP will take the next step by entering the Moto2 class. It is with proud RW Racing GP can announce the signing of top Spanish rider Axel Pons for the 2017 season.
RW Racing GP and Axel Pons are looking forward to ride the Moto2 bike in 2017. The first tests will take place in Spain next month and testing will be continued in February and March during the 2017 Moto2 preseason tests.
Axel Pons began his Grand Prix career in 2008 in 125cc. With seven top 10 finishes this year, the 25 year old is having his best season in Moto2 so far.
Jarno Janssen (RW Racing GP team manager): We are ready for a new challenge
“We are really excited to start this new project in the Moto2 World Championship. It feels like an enormous boost and we will be ready for this new challenge. At 25 years of age Axel is both an experienced and a very talented rider and we are very happy to join forces with him. I would like to take this opportunity as well to thank our current rider Livio Loi for his fighting spirit over the past two years and we wish him a lot of success in his future.”
Axel Pons: I’m sure next year will be really good!
“I’m really happy to take part of this project in 2017. Thanks to all the RW Racing GP partners for giving me this opportunity. I’m sure next year can be a really good one if we continue the progress we are making at this moment. I would like to thank Arguinano Team and all my partners for their support during this last seasons.”
Team Suzuki Ecstar riders Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró scored sixth and 13th places under difficult weather and track conditions during the Shell Malaysian MotoGP™ at Sepang today.
Following a 20-minute delay on the start because of a heavy tropical storm, making racing too dangerous, Viñales – who was fastest in the morning’s ‘dry’ warm-up – and Espargaró both had good jumps on the start, moving up into the leading places. Espargaró was in the fight for fourth position until running wide and dropping down to 13th, so spent the race trying to catch-up, while Viñales lost some places at third-race distance before gaining some after a couple of riders slipped-off.
Maverick Viñales: I didn’t want to high-side!
“Although sixth place is not so bad, I’m disappointed with the race result. We had a very positive weekend and I performed very fast in the dry, I really had hopes for a podium and also for a victory, but unfortunately in wet conditions we are not competitive yet. We struggle to find a good configuration with the electronics, which makes my riding very hard, in particular when it comes to acceleration. I can’t feel confident with the traction control, therefore resulting in me riding very carefully as I didn’t want to incur a high-side that could prevent me finishing the race. We have made many improvements on the machine and now we have reached a positive competitiveness in dry conditions, but the progress we’ve made in the wet is not enough. This result also proved the positives of the last three races; they were at three completely different circuits and we’ve proved we can adapt and be strongly-competitive in any kind of layout. Now the objective is to have the same competitiveness no matter what the weather conditions.”
Aleix Espargaró: I felt competitive in the dry
“I’m disappointed with the final result because the weekend overall had been positive, but then in the race I couldn’t feel competitive. I decided to go with a soft rear tyre, hoping the conditions of the track would stay wetter, but at the end this proved to be the wrong choice. From the very beginning I realised that my performance was not good and I lost the feeling with the grip right after four-or-five laps. I also made a couple of mistakes, and doing them at the very beginning of the race, when all the riders were still packed together, meant I lost many positions and then it was really hard to recover. It’s a pity, we’ve made a lot of progress in the last few races and I felt very competitive in dry conditions, but we still need to improve our capability to have the same performance also in the wet.”
Although still in Moto2, former Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese doesn’t look like he will be making his way out of the class anytime soon. Just three podiums from four years in the class is not something that particularly stands out, especially when riders like Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins and Pol Espargaro have all come through quicker. However, saying that, Cortese has had some of the most competitive riders around him, so maybe in 2017 we could see the former champion become a championship winner. Sandro, like many others, has struggled to make the transition from Moto3 to Moto2 and maybe he needs new surroundings too. It may relight the spark that has gone out from the German’s riding. The question is whether he will make it to the top class and be a threat to the podium. And in answer to that, I’m not 100% sure.
Team Suzuki Ecstar riders Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró scored sixth and 13th places under difficult weather and track conditions during the Shell Malaysian MotoGP™ at Sepang today.