The United States Grand Prix dealt Red Bull a weekend of mixed fortunes.
Daniel Ricciardo finished in third but his team-mate Max Verstappen had to retire due to gearbox failure:
“It was a very unfortunate way to end the race, especially as the first part was so positive. I pitted and then realised they hadn’t actually made the call, luckily it didn’t affect the end result.
“Shortly after I had come back on track I heard a banging noise coming from the engine so I pulled the clutch, they then asked me to release it again and keep going so they could try and work out what it was, unfortunately we couldn’t solve it and it ended my race, “said Verstappen.
Ricciardo continued his good form this season as he finished on the podium for the seventh occasion he said:
“I think we were looking good for P2 but then the Virtual Safety Car didn’t work in our favour today. I’m not going to be too disappointed, it’s just cool to be on the podium here.
“It’s another big bag of points and we at least had Nico’s pace so that’s encouraging and we’ll try and do what we can in the next few days.”
Team Principal Christian Horner is delighted with the form of his team ahead of the Mexican GP:
“Taking away a podium finish and extending our lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship to 53 points are positives.”
Maverick Viñales raced to a sensational hard-fought third place in today’s Michelin® Australian Motorcycle GP after an exciting recovery from 13th place on the grid and a hard-fought battle with team mate Aleix Espargaró, who unfortunately slipped-off from his provisional third position with just five laps remaining.
Both Team Suzuki Ecstar riders were on podium pace from the morning’s warm-up, held in bright and dry conditions at Phillip Island, for the first time all weekend. And on the start, both GSX-RRs got great jumps with both riders immediately in the hunt.
Espargaró moved from fourth to third and Viñales started his climb through the pack that saw him catch-up from a lowly 13th on the grid, to challenge for the podium with nine laps remaining.
The young Spaniard traded places with his team-mate and Andrea Dovizioso in the race’s most exciting battle until Espargaró lost the front end after re-passing for third position in the closing stages; putting Viñales in line for his second successive podium in two weeks; his previous one being at Motegi in Japan.
Maverick Viñales: I thought I could catch Vale
“This podium has a very good taste to it, the weekend had been very hard this morning, but finally I was happy when I woke up today and saw the sun. We had very little time to finalise a set-up for the race, but finally the machine was very good to me and the tyre choice proved to be the right one, allowing me to recover and go for the third. I only had to be careful in the very early stages of the race because not having had the time to test the tyres I was not totally sure the front would support me, but after two or three laps I realised I could trust it. My pace was very good, I’m sorry for Aleix’s crash because we were having a strong race and we had a good pace. At the end, I also thought I could catch-up for second place, my pace was good enough to do it, but unfortunately I’d lost too much time in getting from sixth to third and the race was gone. Anyway, I’m really happy with the result, I want to thank my team because they did a very good job having such a short time to prepare.”
Aleix Espargaro: We proved we are more competitive recently
“I’m really sad because once again, just like in Japan, we were fighting for the podium until the last laps… it’s difficult because I felt I had the pace to catch-up for second, but I lost much time to keep my rhythm as I had to recover from passes on the straight. After the warm-up we took a gamble, going with the hard tyre at the front without having tried it properly in the warm-up, but also the team did a very good job improving the machine a lot for the race. I’m sorry also for them, I hope we will come strong again in Malaysia to be competitive again. We proved we can be a lot more competitive recently, so we will work to keep this positive performance.”
The weather forecast was right and the day started at Phillip Island without rain and with a little bit of sun, though with an ambient temperature of 12º that caused many crashes in Moto3 and then also in Moto2. The final position of our riders was in some degree due to some crash of the riders in front, but mostly to their honour and competitiveness.
Our riders started from different rows of the grid, 4th for Schrötter and Pons from 7th. And until mid-race it was the German who was ahead of the Spanish rider in the competition between the two Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team riders. But in the second half, things changed and Áxel went ahead. The Catalan rider led a group of 5 that also included Schrötter, Vierge, Simeón and the Champion Zarco, who finished behind our riders.
They fought for the 9th position. They had Corsi 5 seconds ahead and they were not able to catch him in the end, though they did reduce his advantage by 2 seconds. In the end, the 8th and 9th place for the AGR riders was due to Pasini’s crash a couple of laps before the chequered flag.
The team is gathering its things in Phillip Island to go to Sepang, where the title could be decided. Tomorrow, Monday, we will have a day of rest in the island, but in the evening, we will go to Melbourne to take the flight to Malaysia. There we will have the last race of the Asian tour, the penultimate of the year.
Áxel Pons: I think we had more pace
“I’m happy with the result. Yesterday we made a mistake and we paid it today. We recovered positions, but starting so far back it was impossible to get to the leading group, though I think we had pace for more. I’m happy with the weekend, overall, and I want to keep this path for the last two races of the championship”.
Marcel Schrotter: The bike was dangerous under acceleration
“Another difficult day, because we want more, but at least we finished in the top 10. At the start, I lost some position and I couldn’t get the line, so I had to fight and recover. I had some trouble during the race, which sometimes delayed me and sometimes the bike made a dangerous move when accelerating. In fact, it was a difficult weekend, but I was able to stay in this group and overtake another 3 rivals. It’s important to be in the group and feel that you are in a competitive situation”.
A crazy race today for the Moto3 at Phillip Island circuit, signed by lots of crashes, incidents and a red flag, at the sixth lap, which obliged riders to a race interruption and a second start. Niccolò Antonelli, starting from the sixth row on the grid, avoided the crashes of the first part of the race but, at the first lap of the second start, lost the front at the corner 4 without any possibility to rejoin the race.Good performance of his teammate Jules Danilo who, after a series of races in the rear, came back to the the top ten. The French rider fought with the group ahead in the second race and crossed the finishing line in ninth position.
Niccolò Antonelli: The tyre was still cold
“The first race wasn’t so bad, I was recovering many positions and the feeling with the bike was good. Then, at the start of the second race, during my first lap, the front closed at corner 4 and I crashed, probably because the tyre was still cold and as I was too large in that corner. It’s a shame but we have to look ahead and think of Malaysia”.
Jules Danilo: Luckily I was not involved in any crashes
“It was a crazy race today, with lots of overtakes and lots of crashes. In the first race I managed to pass many riders in the first two corners and, luckily I was not involved in the crashes of the riders in front of me. In the second race I did a good start and I was trying to catch Rodrigo. Then there was a hard fight with the front group and I did only one mistake, I tried to go in the front of the group too early and I lost too many positions. Anyway, we are happy of the result, finally in the top ten again after some difficult races and the top fifteen of the World Standing is still possible. Thanks to all the team for the great job”.
Gresini Racing Team Moto3 racers Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio were forced to retire in today’s Australian Grand Prix at the Phillip Island circuit: after a great start from the sixth and seventh row of the grid and both already in the leading group after just two laps, the two 18-year-old riders were faultlessly involved in race incidents in which they could not avoid the crash.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, who started down in 19th place and incredibly third at the beginning of the third lap, was touched by Gabriel Rodrigo on the fourth lap: a contact which caused him to lose the front end and led him to crash, involving also Francesco Bagnaia.
The incident that unfortunately took out of the race also Enea Bastianini occurred shortly after, on lap six: the rider from Rimini could not avoid the bike of John McPhee crashed in front of him and he fell, then being hit later by Jorge Navarro’s bike. Later Enea had a CT scan which revealed the presence of a fracture of the T9 vertebra and of one rib: a decision on his participation in the Malaysian Grand Prix will be made in the coming days, after further checks on his physical condition.
Bastianini: I have a crack vertebra
“In the first laps I was able to recover many positions and my the feeling with the bike was good: I felt I had the pace to stay in the leading group. Then, on the sixth lap, McPhee lost the front and fell in front of me and Migno. I could not avoid his bike, I crashed and while I was on the ground Navarro hit me. The checks showed that a vertebra was cracked, so now I just need to get some rest, then in the next days we will see if I can race in Malaysia”.
Di Giannantonio: I think I could get a good result
“It’s a real shame, because I had a perfect start and the first two laps of the race were probably the best of my career! I was able to recover many positions and I found myself in the leading group, then at some point I saw that Binder was starting to push hard, so I tried to overtake Bagnaia at the hairpin. Rodrigo, however, came very fast on the inside: I only saw him on the last moment and I couldn’t do anything to avoid a contact. He touched me, making me lose the front and I crashed, involving Bagnaia. I was doing a great race and I think I could get a good result: I’m very sorry because I really loved this track from the first moment and especially I could collect important points for the Rookie of the Year trophy”.
It’s time for the home rally, the penultimate WRC rally of the year! Twenty-two stages of action from Wales and also England this year for the first time since 1999. Now the weather looks much kinder than last year with low temperatures, but no rain. Last year it rained so much, it was really muddy out there. The stages were really slippery as well with Jari-Matti sliding out very early!
Last year’s result
1. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) 3:03:02.0
2. Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle (DS 3 WRC) +26.0
3. Andreas Mikkelsen / Ola Floene (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +36.2
4. Dani Sordo / Marc Marti (Hyundai i20 WRC) +2:51.3
5. Hayden Paddon / John Kennard (Hyundai i20 WRC) +3:00.5
10. Lorenzo Bertelli / Lorenzo Granai (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +8:05.0
Here’s the details of each stage this year.
Friday 28th of October
Time
SS 1 Myherin 1 31.82 08:20
SS 2 Sweet Lamb 1 4.24 09:11
SS 3 Hafren 1 35.14 09:24
SS 4 Dyfnant 1 17.91 11:15
SS 5 Myherin 2 31.82 13:54
SS 6 Sweet Lamb 2 4.24 14:45
SS 7 Hafren 2 35.14 14:58
SS 8 Dyfnant 2 17.91 16:49
Friday Total KM 178.22
Saturday 29th October
Time
SS 9 Pantperthog 1 9.64 08:18
SS 10 Dyfi 1 21.12 08:51
SS 11 Gartheiniog 1 11.34 09:27
SS 12 Pantperthog 2 9.64 11:04
SS 13 Dyfi 2 21.12 11:37
SS 14 Gartheinog 2 11.34 12:13
SS 15 Aberhirnant 13.91 13:18
SS 16 Cholmondeley Castle 1.80 15:41
Saturday Total KM 99.91
Sunday 30th October
Time
SS 17 Clocaenog 1 7.70 08:31
SS 18 Brenig 1 7.93 09:08
SS 19 Alwen 1 10.41 09:28
SS 20 Clocaenog 2 7.70 10:33
SS 21 Alwen 2 10.41 11:14
SS 22 Brenig 2(Power Stage)7.93 12:08
Sunday Total KM 52.08
Total KM 330.21
A long event then and the stages at the end of Friday and Saturday will be run close to sunset as well. Now, if you recall, last year was won by Seb. He’ll be coming here to this hoping to repeat this. Competing for the last time this year will also be Kris and the Citroen Abu Dhabi WRT crew. It’s been a long time since we had a winner of the home event from these shores. Richard Burns and Robert Reid were the last in 2000, so I hope that Kris and Paul can challenge at the front. Of the current drivers, Jari-Matti and Seb have won the last five Rally GB between them with Jari-Matti in 2011 and 2012 and Seb the last three years
Here’s the views of the drivers ahead of this classic rally.
Volkswagen Motorsport
Sébastien Ogier (F), Julien Ingrassia (F) Volkswagen Polo R WRC (2015) WRC Rally Great Britain 2015
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“I am very happy to travel to the Rally Great Britain as world champion. However, I remain just as motivated, as we also want to defend the Manufacturers’ title for Volkswagen. The Wales Rally GB is one of the rallies that is the most steeped in history. It took me a while to find my feet in Wales. The learning process was probably longer here than at any other rally. I have won here three times since joining Volkswagen. After everything I’ve been through in Wales, I can now say that I feel right at home here. An important factor is, as it is every year, the weather. If no rain is predicted in the weather forecasts, you can actually still count on there being rain. I expect very wet and foggy routes, which are very typical for this time of year there. The fans are absolutely crazy, as thousands of spectators turned out to cheer us on every year, despite the poor weather. I am particularly looking forward to that.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“The rally in Wales is one of my very favourite rallies. As I was really quick on the gravel stages in Spain last time out, I will also be quick in Wales. I have no doubt about that. However, the season has been really difficult for me so far. As such, I hope I can finish strongly at the final two rounds of the season and make it into the top three in the Drivers’ Championship come the end of the year. The surface can be very tricky in Wales. If it has rained heavily overnight, the tracks can be very greasy and slippery for the cars starting further down the order. That is typical for Wales. However, this year’s rally starts two weeks earlier than in recent years, so I hope it will not rain quite as much. I drove my first rally there in 2002, so have greater experience in Wales than at any other rally – I am certain that I can challenge for victory there.”
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“I particularly like the layout of the special stages at the Rally Great Britain. I always enjoy driving there. Driving the Polo at the limit on the muddy, slippery surface is very tricky. Like every year, we will have to be prepared for rain and difficult conditions in Wales. The crash in Spain meant I dropped valuable points in the championship and my friend Thierry Neuville has drawn level on points with me in the Drivers’ Championship. It is going to be a tough battle with him for second place. My goal is obviously to be second come the end of the season. Anders and I will focus solely on our own performance and try to get the maximum out of the final two races. We have already had a few great battles with Thierry this season, and Wales will be no different.”
Hyundai Motorsport
2015 World Rally Championship / Round 13 / Rally of Wales GB // 12th – 15th November, 2015 // Worldwide Copyright: Hyundai Motorsport
Dani Sordo said: “Wales Rally GB is a special event for everyone. It’s a ‘big name’ event on the calendar and one where we all want to achieve success. Typically, the terrain is quite challenging. If it rains a lot, the conditions can get very muddy and slippery. I feel that we are well prepared with our car for this event. It offers good grip, so often it can be very enjoyable to drive in the wetter conditions. As always, I’ll try my best to compete near the front. We had an incredible rally in Spain – and it was fantastic to be in a fight for the victory. I will carry those feelings onto Wales and see what we can achieve.”
Thierry Neuville said: “Wales Rally GB is a very fast and exciting rally, especially with the narrow roads that go through the forest. It can, of course, be quite slippery as well. This is particularly an issue on the second pass when driving on wet gravel. It can make it very interesting, I can tell you! It’s a nice event and one we all enjoy a lot. To be competitive, you need to find a good rhythm early on, so that will be our first objective. We want to be challenging again for the podium – and to keep up our positive run of results.”
Hayden Paddon said: “Rally Spain was a valuable event for us. We really made some good progress on the tarmac stages, and that was rewarded with our best result on the surface. I am now ready for a return to the loose stuff, so I’m looking forward to Wales Rally GB. It’s an event I enjoy a lot. It reminds me a bit of being back in New Zealand with the Welsh forest, and of course being an English-speaking venue. Despite it being an enjoyable rally, I’ve never really been able to put together a good result. That is definitely something we want to rectify this year. Bring it on!”
D-Mack WRT
Ott Tänak said: “The Rally GB stages are great fun to drive and this year’s event will see us make quite a few new pace-notes as many stages are either new or reversed – and that’s always a challenge. We are back on gravel so the aim is like always – to go as fast as possible and be competitive like the other gravel rallies this year.”
Abu Dhabi Citroen WRT
Kris Meeke: “Wales Rally GB wasn’t initially part of my schedule, but the cancellation of Rally China means I’m able to take part and I’m delighted to do so! In the 1980s, I remember my first experience of rallying on television, watching the Group B cars tackling the stages of the RAC rally. This was also the first World Championship rally that I saw in person, in 1996, I think it was. At the time, I was spellbound as Colin McRae and Richard Burns sped by. It didn’t matter that you were standing in the darkness and the rain, with your feet in the mud! Then I competed in my very first rally on the Welsh stages and it was also here that I made my WRC debut in 2002. It’s the event that I know the best and I feel at home here. Last year, I secured a good result with second place, but we all know that the weather and the running order are more important in Wales than anywhere else! Obviously, the first car has an enormous advantage. Once the racing lines become covered with a layer of greasy, slippery mud, it doesn’t budge… Bearing in mind that we’re ninth on the road, it’s likely to be very difficult for us. In any case, I can’t wait to get started. All the stages are special in some way, but I particularly like Hafren, which we are going to contest in the opposite direction for the first time. For my final appearance of the year, I’ll be trying to enjoy driving the car as much as possible and hopefully take some momentum into 2017.”
Craig Breen: “I’m looking forward to racing on these stages again, which I have driven on many times in the British Rally Championship and during my five appearances at Wales Rally GB. I have a lot of good memories, the highlight probably being when I won the Junior WRC title in 2011 alongside Gareth Roberts, who was Welsh. In fact, the start line for Myherin – the opening stage this year – is exactly at the point where we won the title! Although this year’s rally is being held a few weeks earlier than usual, I’m not expecting the conditions to be especially different: rain, mud, fog, etc. Maybe we’ll see a few rays of sunshine, but it would be weird! The race conditions will have a huge influence on our ability to secure a good result. If our tenth place on the road became an advantage, I think I could fight for a podium spot, like in Finland. We’ll start the rally with a positive mindset and we’ll see what we can do.”
Stéphane Lefebvre: “Two months after Rallye Deutschland, I’m happy to be back behind the wheel of a WRC. It’s an important weekend, both in terms of finding my speed again and acquiring experience for 2017. With Gilles de Turckheim, who will be my co-driver in Wales as Gabin Moreau continues his recovery, we took part in recce at Rally de España and we have done a lot of work preparing for the Welsh stages. I feel ready to drive at 100%, on a rally that I really like. My last two outings here were in four-wheel drive cars and I was quick despite the difficult conditions. I remember driving on my first gravel stage, at night and in the rain… and I enjoyed it! At first, the stages don’t seem that difficult. It looks like a series of straight sections and a few more or less muddy changes in direction. In the race, however, you realise that you hit the turns a lot quicker than expected and the car doesn’t always stop in the way you intended! You have to ‘read’ the grip changes to stay on the limit without overstepping it. It’s a little bit like the kind of conditions you get in the north of France, but on gravel. I hope I can have a consistent race, with a steady gap to the leaders.”
Quentin Gilbert: “I really like this event for the stages, the difficult conditions and the atmosphere. I have some bearings from having competed here three times before. I have also been lucky enough to drive a WRC in the French Championship. I know what to expect in terms of power, braking and handling. So I won’t be starting from scratch next weekend! The team is doing everything it can to make my job easier, working in precise detail on my position behind the wheel and running a test session, which will help me get used to the car. On my side, I have been preparing by stepping up my physical training and working on on-board camera footage. I’m trying to take on board as much information as possible so I can be in my element at the start. As regards my objectives for the weekend, I know that I can’t compete with the drivers who have been racing in the WRC all season. The most important thing for me is to improve on the stages as the rally progresses to reduce the gap to the leaders by the end. I would like to thank Citroën Racing and Abu Dhabi Total WRT for this incredible opportunity and I hope I can prove my worth.”
M-Sport WRT
2016 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 12 / RallyRACC Catalunya – Rally de Espagna 2016 / October 13 – 16, 2016 // Worldwide Copyright: M-Sport/McKlein
Mads Østberg said:
“We’ve learnt a lot on the last few Tarmac rallies, but I must admit that it feels good to be going back to gravel – and to one of my favourite events on the calendar.
“There is something special about Wales Rally GB and we really want to be back challenging for the podium. I’ve always enjoyed these stages and I’ve been competitive on them too. I’ve been on the podium twice before, and the aim is to be in a position to fight for those top positions again this year.
“The stages really are fantastic. They’re so fast and smooth and you can get into a really good rhythm. They’re actually quite similar to some of the stages we find in Norway, so I definitely feel at home in Wales. The key is to feel comfortable and confident in the tricky conditions, and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.
“The event is a little earlier this year so we could actually see a dry rally which would be amazing. I’ve done the rally in the dry once before and it was brilliant. But whatever the weather, I really don’t mind, I’m just looking forward to throwing the car into those fast gravel corners!”
Éric Camilli said:
“Wales Rally GB is a really special event for me, and it will be even more special this year as it’s the home rally for my team. They have been so supportive this season, and it would mean a lot to repay them with a good result next week.
“We’ve only competed in Wales once before – in WRC 2 – but we were competitive from the start and came really close to the win. This year will be completely different, but I’m looking forward to it and to building on our gravel performances from earlier in the year.
“The stages are really fast and flowing and even in the wet the grip levels can be surprisingly high. We’ll need to take some time to discover how a world rally car handles and reacts to the conditions, but we always want to do our maximum.
“The most important thing is to finish the event, but if the feeling is there, it will be nice to push the limits and see how far we’ve come.”
So, this will be the swansong for the DS3 WRC as well. A very successful car over the years. Can it sign out with at least a podium place? Can Jari-Matti get a third victory?
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi took the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix to another level today, with a charge through the field from 15th on the grid to a stunning second place. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo overcame the challenges thrown at him this weekend by pushing hard from 12th on the grid and brought his YZR-M1 over the line in sixth place.
Rossi made a good start to the race at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as he jumped two places to 13th on the opening lap. Overtaking Scott Redding and Maverick Viñales, the Doctor fought his way past Nicky Hayden as he continued to battle his way to the front of the field. Having climbed up to eighth, he was trailing teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who he quickly overtook on lap three and then the pair smoothly pulled ahead of Danilo Petrucci.
Rossi gradually closed down the 0.4s margin to tack onto the back of Andrea Dovizioso and Pol Espargaró’s bikes. He then put the hammer down and set a provisional fastest lap of 1’29.795s, leaving behind his two rivals a lap later. He kept pushing in fourth place, trying to bridge the 0.4s gap to Aleix Espargarò and a podium finish.
As Rossi wrestled his way past Aleix Espargaró, drama struck as Marc Marquez crashed out of the lead on lap nine, handing the Italian second place.
The fight for the win was now between the nine-time World Champion and Cal Crutchlow, who was a little more than two seconds ahead of him. The Doctor was eager to hunt down the Briton, but the chase to the front of the field in the early stages of the race had taken its toll on his soft front tyre. Rossi decided to focus on maintaining his position after a small mistake on the brakes and cruised to a stunning second place, +4.218s from the front.
Lorenzo had a superb start from twelfth on the grid and quickly stormed to ninth in the opening laps. The Mallorcan was fully aware that his teammate and Viñales would be soon joining him at the front of the pack and hurried to deal with Stefan Bradl and Jack Miller two laps into the race for seventh place. A lap later Lorenzo was forced to let Rossi and Viñales through and followed them past Petrucci, but was unable to keep up with their pace.
With Marquez crashing at the front, the remaining second half of the race was a lonely ride for Lorenzo in sixth place, with a significant gap to both the bike in front and the back of him. Lorenzo focused on keeping the heat in his tyres to bring home some solid points and crossed the line +20.125s from the front.
Thanks to his stunning ride today, Rossi stays in second place in the championship with 216 points. He thereby increases the advantage over his teammate Lorenzo to 24 points, whose sixth place sees his points total raised to 192.
Rossi: Cal was too fast
“This morning we discovered that we had a good pace in good conditions and step by step I came back. At the beginning of the race, the first lap was very funny and I tried and hoped to go to Cal, but he was too fast and too strong. The first ten laps I enjoyed a lot. Cal was also my target and I thought that I could beat him because this morning I was a bit stronger. When I saw Marquez crash I thought I might be able to win and tried but unfortunately Cal was too fast. He is always very fast in Phillip Island and interprets this track in the maximum way. For me the second half of the race was more difficult and I couldn’t make a move, but this race is what we needed after the mistake in Motegi and the bad day we had yesterday, which I think was the most frustrating day of the season. It was a very positive day for the team and Yamaha and it’s been a positive race. Congratulations to Cal and thank you to all my team, to all the guys who did a great job.”
Lorenzo: The grip level drop on the rear tyre was huge
“The temperatures were the same as during the warm-up and we gave more or less the same performance and I made the same lap times, a 1’30.4s. The grip level drop on the rear has been huge, from the beginning I didn’t have grip, but that’s the way it is. As soon as the track has less grip, we struggle more and the problems we have with the bike double or triple. In Malaysia we shouldn’t have a problem with the cold, or grip as the track is new. It should have more grip than last year so I really look forward to a better result.”
Lewis Hamilton has ended a win drought stretching back to July with an unassailable performance at the Circuit of the Americas. Starting from his first pole position at the Austin track, Hamilton led the field away cleanly and settled into a race of his own from the first corner onwards, leading almost every lap to take victory by four and a half seconds.
For Hamilton, who is fighting just to stay in contention of what many feel is already Nico Rosberg’s championship, his fiftieth career win was a crucial one. As the season approaches a string of races dominated by Rosberg last year, it was vital Hamilton assert himself at the US Grand Prix and turn the pressure back around onto his teammate.
But Hamilton was unable to do too much damage to Rosberg’s championship lead, as the German recovered from a bad start to finish second.
Having secured a front row start, Rosberg was aiming to do as his teammate had done to him before and jump Hamilton into Turn 1. But when Hamilton reached the apex first Rosberg was forced to try around the outside – only to find he’d left too inviting a gap for Daniel Ricciardo, who edged up the inside into second position.
But despite pulling away from Rosberg early on, Ricciardo’s race was compromised when Max Verstappen stopped beside the track with a gearbox problem and triggered a virtual safety car. With an effectively free pit stop in hand, Rosberg was easily able to regain second place from Ricciardo and then pull away on fresher tyres to a buffer of fifteen seconds.
The Silver Arrows’ respective results means the title battle closes up to twenty-six points in Rosberg’s favour – still a big enough advantage for the German to take the crown without winning again this season, but close enough for one DNF to open things right back up again.
We hope that you are keeping the party lit up there. I can just imagine you now, with even longer, curly hair, carrying out a practical joke or telling a funny story. I bet you’ve made some amazing friends in the sky, mixing with your flatmates who also got there too soon, as well as the ones who have turned up over your five-year occupancy. You, Luis and Shoya, to name all but a few. What a night out.
It’s 5 years today since we parted company. You fought until the very end, but not even you could prevent the final chapter this time. I often reminisce over the 3rd lap of your final race. At first, unusually, I thought it was Hiroshi, your teammate and former rival back in the 250cc class. However, I soon realised that it was you, lying there, with your head down against the sun-baked, Malaysian asphalt. It was strange because I was more impressed with Valentino’s save than anything else, because in the back of my mind, I never considered that you would never be able to race or breathe again.
I wonder if you know how much of an impact you had on MotoGP? You took Gilera to their last world title in Grand Prix, as well as becoming the last Italian to win a championship in the intermediate class. You have a track named after you, and now your dad has entered a Moto3 team for next season. Oh, yes, Moto3. We moved from 2-stroke 125cc bikes to 4-stroke 250cc machines as the lightweight class now. They sound like a swarm of wasps but they provide racing that is so like your style. Arms and knees everywhere, pushing through at every chance. You’d be so proud.
I wonder what you would be doing sometimes, in scenarios during races but also what you’d say to some of the controversial situations that MotoGP has found itself involved in. I want to know how many race wins, poles, fastest laps and championships you’d have to your name by now. I want to know if number 58 on the bike would have changed to number 1 on the bike, or even, if you’d have changed manufacturers, and how many great battles you’d have won.
I wonder if you stay up late, watching over the season reviews at the end of every year. Just like me; desperate to stick on the DVD which condenses over 7 months of racing down to just 4 hours of drama. I wonder if you have gatherings, going out with your pals upstairs on pocket bikes, or maybe even visit some nice monuments if your age has got the better of you.
I wonder if you are reading this. Because I hope that somehow you are. I wanted to say that we miss you very, very much. If we could see you back on the grid, we would adore you (not that we didn’t anyway). We would do absolutely anything to get you to sign one more t-shirt, or even take one more ‘selfie’, that you may or may not have heard of. It is the Australian Grand Prix today; the last event MotoGP would see your flamboyancy and style on the podium. Whatever you do, try and watch it. Make sure your mates are around too, don’t be too selfish now.
We will meet again one day Marco, but for now, its Ciao. We miss you.
