MARINA BAY STREET CIRCUIT, SINGAPORE – SEPTEMBER 22: The McLaren trophy delegate, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, and Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 3rd position, on the podium during the Singapore GP at Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sunday September 22, 2024 in Singapore, Singapore. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)
Lando Norris reigned supreme in the sweltering heat of Singapore to take a crucial win in his bid for the championship. The McLaren driver had a couple of close moments with the barriers in Singapore but still won the race by over a 20 second margin, yet again showing the sheer dominance of the car over Redbull and Verstappen.
Max Verstappen did everything he could in the context of the championship by finishing 2nd and making sure that Norris does not cut too much into his championship lead. Oscar Piastri took the last podium spot after a damage control drive, which he did brilliantly to overcome the challenge of Mercedes.
It was a clean getaway from the line for race winner Norris after which, he was almost untouchable as he lead every lap from start to finish. He was agonizingly close to completing the grandslam but Daniel Ricciardo in team RB in what could have been his final race, stopped for fresh softs at the very end of the race and ended up with the fastest lap of the race. A 1st and 3rd for McLaren will however be very welcomed at Woking as the team seem to be swiftly moving towards a constructors championship.
Sergio Perez in the other Redbull had yet another underwhelming performance as he only managed a 10th place finish, picking up just the one point on offer. Redbull will start being nervous going to the 4 week break and the races following, as they have now lost all ground in constructors championship and with Norris slowly but surely making inroads into the championship lead for Verstappen.
Ferrari claimed to have a fast race car for the weekend but their race was pretty much undone following a disastrous qualifying on Saturday. Leclerc and Sainz started 9th and 10th and Sunday’s race was a damage limitation scenario. Leclerc drove a superb race to finish P5 after being involved in early battles with Alonso and Hulkenberg. He then overtook Hamilton to get promoted to P5 but could not clear George Russell when P4 was at stake with about 4 laps to go. Carlos Sainz finished P7 after falling backwards at the start of the race, after which a whole lot of improvement was not possible.
Mercedes started off the race with split strategies for their drivers, with Hamilton starting from P3 on soft tyres and Russell starting on mediums. It did not workout quite well for Hamilton as he was forced to pit early and was at a strategic disadvantage compared to the other drivers which put him on the backfoot for most of the race and he only managed a P6 finish. Russell was able to fend off Leclerc towards the end of the race and finished a handy P4.
It was an excellent showing for Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas throughout the weekend and he finished a strong P9. While he picked up 2 crucial points, it was not a great race for his teammate Kevin Magnussen returning from his race ban. The Danish driver was not able to finish the race and had his fair share of problems throughout. The youngest driver on the grid, Colapinto in the Williams had another strong race as a follow up to his points finish in Baku by finishing P11. His teammate Albon in the other Williams had to retire early on, on lap 15 owing to an overheated power unit.
It was a mixed showing for Aston Martin, with Alonso picking up points after a P8 finish but Lance Stroll could only manage a P14. Alpine had yet another weekend to forget, with Ocon finishing P13 and Gasly finishing P17. A similar weekend was on the cards for Stake F1 with Zhou at P15 and Bottas at P16.
An unusual 4-week break now presents itself before the last 6 races of the season, with the fight for the drivers and the constructors championships heating up. It is Austin up next, an interesting track that always keeps the fans guessing as to what might endure. Mclaren will look to carry forward their ever rising momentum while Redbull will look to throw everything at them to stop them in their tracks.
After an incredible performance in qualifying and back to full fitness. The world champion Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) pounced on title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) after Martin ran wide and gifted victory to Bagnaia.
After today’s sprint race, The Martinator only has a 4pts advantage to the Bologna bullet as we head into tomorrow’s 27 lap Grand Prix. Can Martin get to the front and stop Pecco from taking glory in front of his partisan crowd? Can we see Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) take his performance to the next level and beat his title rivals like he did at Silverstone?
When the conditions are clear and with plenty of grip, it’s clear to see the Ducati GP24s are another level to the rest of the field. A common sight of Pecco, Martin and Bastianini at the front some distance clear of the rest of the pack.
Winner last time out in Misano, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing) stated he was happy with 4th place after the race and job done recognizing the GP24s have a pace that his Gresini Ducati GP23 simply can’t get near to. Marquez finished the race over 5 seconds behind the front 3.
A special mention to Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) for riding the wheels off that Yamaha today. We no longer see the frustrated Fabio anymore, we see a more measured and ruthless Fabio proving that if given the bike, Fabio will deliver. Fabio is a world champion for a reason and Yamaha know it!
The level of effort that is going into the factory M1 is monumental. Yamaha now more determined than ever to fight their way back to the top. What they promised Fabio when he signed his new contract, they are clearly starting to deliver on. As soon as the new Yamaha V4 is on track, we can be sure Fabio will take the fight to Ducati.
Image credit @Michelin_Sport on X
AS IT HAPPENED
Martin and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had the start of their dreams as Martin blasted into the lead from the off. Binder started from 4th on the grid and up into 2nd up the inside of Pecco into turn 1.
In the early stages, Binder dropped back through the pack and eventually finished in 6th place behind next season’s teammate and rookie of the year Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).
It was very much game on for the 2 riders at the top of the championship, as Martin lead from the front and Pecco hunted down the Spaniard.
At the half race distance, Pecco got his reward for the pressure put onto Martin as Martin ran wide. A gift to Pecco and an opportunity he was never going to miss.
One mistake was all it took and Pecco Bagnaia with the roar of the Italian crowd crossed the line to take the sprint victory. If Pecco takes victory tomorrow, he will sit atop of the standings as we head to Indonesia next weekend.
There wasn’t much to mention from this sprint race and it wasn’t the most exciting to be honest. All of the overtaking was done within the first few laps and revealed the top 4 riders at the front. Fabio finished in the top 10 which was brilliant for Yamaha and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) battled his way to finish 13th after starting at the back of the grid.
Formula One rolls into Singapore ahead of its accidental break with more questions than answers in 2024.
Marina Bay’s bright lights proved a small ray of hope in 2023 during the most dominant season ever seen, but 2024’s edition could be even more engaging than Carlos Sainz’s interloping win last year.
For the first time since 2021 at least one of the championships is not a safe prediction, with McLaren taking the lead of the Constructors’ standings for the first time since a fortuitous double podium at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, after Oscar Piastri’s win and Lando Norris’ recovery to fourth at last week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been there to be shot at since May, and McLaren have time and again proven the sharpest of shooters since June, when Norris emerged as the closest driver to being a challenge to three-time World Champion.
Verstappen and Red Bull haven’t won since that month’s Spanish Grand Prix, something that would have been considered impossible as recently as April as the Dutchman breezed his way through F1’s opening rounds with six wins in seven races.
How times change.
Verstappen still has a lead to defend as F1 2024 approaches its final innings, but even a man as near to bulletproof as he has been in F1’s ground effect era is on something of a sticky wicket despite having a 59-point lead.
As recently as the British Grand Prix five races ago, that lead was 84 points, with Verstappen currently on a run of one podium in seven races.
This, therefore, is not a great time to arrive at the circuit they struggled on most last season. Indeed it was the only race Red Bull failed to win in 2023, but failure to avenge that defeat in 2024 would not generate any surprise given their struggles over high kerbs and a bumpy track surface.
McLaren clearly have the fastest car across a wide variety of circuits and are more than just the fast corner specialists they were a year ago and while Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull has improved since the summer break he still has yet to show that he can back Verstappen up in the same way that Oscar Piastri has been asked to back Norris up by McLaren.
Australia’s answer to Kimi Raikkonen’s “Iceman” persona has shown he has everything it takes to be an outright number 1, and has been the most prolific scorer in the last seven races.
Victory last time out in Baku, where he held off a charging Charles Leclerc after executing a brilliant move on the Monegasque driver, only underlines those credentials.
Piastri has said that he will follow team orders where necessary, but McLaren’s eyes on the Constructors prize first and foremost he will not be expected to sacrifice himself needlessly.
Red Bull need be wary of not just McLaren.
While the Papaya outfit are the strongest outfit, boosted by the FIA declaring their “mini DRS” rear wing legal after some minor controversy post-Baku, Ferrari and Mercedes can at the very least get in the way of the current World Champions.
Leclerc drove an almost faultless weekend in Baku last week, with Sainz also on course for a podium before his controversial race ending clash with Perez on the penultimate put both drivers into the wall.
Sainz’s win last year required expert management and Ferrari have in the past showed real strength at Marina Bay, while Lewis Hamilton’s 2018 pole lap for Mercedes is the stuff of legend.
The Silver Arrows have themselves been a little confused on car development in recent races following a summer renaissance, but George Russell was ahead of Verstappen on merit en route to a fortunate third place in Baku.
A “significant” Red Bull upgrade package is expected for the US Grand Prix at COTA in a month’s time.
This weekend will more than likely tell us exactly how much work they have to do to retain both Championships in 2024.
The final day then and with 54km’s over the remaining three stages. What would these final stages have to give to the weekends action. Overnight rain from a huge storm would change the final stage as well with some muddy sections on the first run through.
First up then was SS13 Inohori – 17.47 km and Seb was fastest from Thierry and Ott. Dani was quite a long way off the pace and having lost almost 32 seconds fell to down to third overall. The Spanish crew suffered a problem with their hybrid system and therefore a loss of power.
Next up was SS14 Eleftherohori 1 – 18.29 km and Seb was quickest from Ott and Elfyn who set the exact same time. Elfyn revealed at that the stop line that he’d recced this piece of road a number of years ago when it was raining and therefore had some knowledge to fall back on.
Onto the final stage then SS15 Eleftherohori 2[Power Stage] – 18.29 km and after a pause in the action after Elfyn finished the stage when the stage was interrupted for a number of minutes. Once back underway, Adrien was fastest from Ott, Elfyn, Thierry and Takamoto. However, there was drama for Seb who rolled his car and lost second overall. Having got his car back on four wheels, he and his co-driver completed the stage and ended up finishing in sixteenth position.
Of course, the outcome of this was the reality that Hyundai had taken a 1-2-3, certainly not what was expected and a surprise to see Seb make this kind of mistake.
Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“It’s unbelievable. It has been a crazy weekend. Ever since the recce, I was concerned about the roughness of the rally; I knew that we needed a different approach than some of the other drivers to try to keep the advantage we have in the championship for the remaining rounds. That objective and target has been the best and paid off with victory and a good team result as well. We were not driving on the limit all weekend long to avoid any punctures and moments, and we kept all four wheels on the road. Now we have a good lead, the story will be to protect those points in the last three rounds.”
2021 FIA World Rally Championship Round 09, Acropolis Rally 09-12 September 2021 Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, WRC, Action during Day 3 of Acropolis Rally 2021 Photographer: Vincent Thuillier Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Dani Sordo
“At this moment, I am very happy with what we have achieved here for both myself, and the team. It was a complicated rally and I felt we demonstrated our speed on some of the stages, but on others we took it carefully to make sure we didn’t make any mistakes or get another puncture. Of course, I wanted to show my speed more at times, but I had to be clever and think of the team and the manufacturers’ fight. My dream was to finish like this with all three cars on the podium; for the whole team both here and back at base, this is a really good result for our motivation.”
Ott Tänak
“Obviously we were expecting there to be plenty of drama this weekend but in the end, this is a great team result. Everyone should definitely be proud of themselves; there was so much happening around us so to bring home a 1-2-3 is a fantastic finish to the weekend. It is a shame we lost positions on Saturday morning, so we don’t know what could have been, but this is one of the toughest rallies and to come out on top is great for the entire team.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Elfyn Evans
“After a difficult weekend, today didn’t go as well as we would have liked. Clearly, the speed is still missing unfortunately. In some sections and moments, we were still performing OK, but I didn’t feel fully at home to really push with no worries. I was probably too keen to finish cleanly after what’s been a difficult few days. It’s been a big disappointment lately; things have not been going well and we need to get back on the right track. We have some work to do, and we’ll look to start again fresh in the next event.”
Sébastien Ogier
“We gave everything all weekend. We did a lot right, we had a great feeling in the car and great pace, and we fought as hard as we could until the last stage. Unfortunately, we picked up a puncture around a kilometre in, I didn’t react to brake early enough for the next corner, and we rolled. Thankfully we managed to fix the car and bring it back to service and bring at least some points to the team. It’s been a strange weekend. In many aspects it was close to perfection, but it doesn’t count in rallying if you don’t bring it all to the end. This is not a rally where you want to be taking risks, you need some luck to do so, and it was not on our side. It’s satisfying for me to still be able to compete like this: I enjoy pushing the limits, it’s been fun in the car. But I know very well after all these years that sometimes it doesn’t go your way. I will still be there in the next three events, continuing to give my best and keep fighting.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“It’s been a very tough rally. Today on the final day we also had some difficulties. The stages were rough, and I tried to take some points on the Power Stage in particular, but unfortunately, we picked up a puncture. This probably cost us the chance to take some more points. It’s been a disappointing weekend and I’m sorry for the team. The car felt amazing at the beginning of the rally, but with my small mistake our chances of a good result were over, so I need to do a better job in future.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Adrien Fourmaux
“It was a frustrating start to the rally, after we were fighting for the top spots in the morning, but then we broke the suspension after hitting a rock. We were then focused totally on Super Sunday to get the maximum points. We got 11 out of 12 available points, including the 5 for the Power Stage.
“We showed some good pace overall, and there has been an incredible atmosphere with all the fans and the really beautiful stages. It was a tough and hot event, and now we have Chile coming up and we want to come back stronger for that.”
Jourdan Serderidis
“14th overall and second Greek driver – we have achieved our best result on Acropolis Rally, while I was the oldest driver on the 70 entries! We had no issues throughout the rally, and we pushed when possible. I’m also very happy to have pleased the Greek fans!”
Grégoire Munster
“We’re disappointed of course, I think the rally was going well for us despite some small issues on the first day and the punctures. Even on the second day, the pace in the morning was encouraging and then we had this off.
“A small mistake with big consequences, and it’s a shame because the team put a lot of resource into getting the car in the best condition as possible in this really rough event. So to not get a result in the end is a shame. But we can’t rewind, we can just look forward to Chile and put everything in to get a good result there.”
Summary
Well, there was one final twist in this years Acropolis Rally, with Seb and Vincent rolling in the final stage. This gave the Hyundai team a 1-2-3 and an increased lead in the manufacturers title race. Thierry also took victory from Dani and Ott. All three crews led at some point, but it was the championship leaders that took their second win of the year.
2024 FIA World Rally Championship Round 10, Acropolis Rally 5 – 8 September 2024 Thierry Neuville Photographer: Austral Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Their teammates both could have won of course, but for the punctures that they both suffered during Saturday’s stages.
At Toyota the team suffered a number of issues, some caused by the drivers and a couple of technical failures as well which was surprising. They will investigate, fix and learn from this. It was a shame to see Elfyn and Scott have the puncture which caused them to lose so much time so early in the rally.
Finally at M-Sport Ford it was a case if what might have been. Adrien could have made it to the podium this time, but after the incident which removed the suspension on his Puma, it then became a pursuit for the biggest number of points available on Sunday, given the points system for this year which has received deserved criticism and been incredibly unpopular with the fans and also some of the drivers this year.
Next up is a return to Rally Chile near the end of the month from the 26th to the 29th of September.
2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 10
1
T. Neuville
192
2
O. Tänak
158
3
S. Ogier
154
4
E. Evans
140
5
A. Fourmaux
130
6
K. Rovanpera
86
7
T. Katsuta
80
8
D. Sordo
44
9
S. Pajari
34
10
E. Lappi
33
2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 10
The second full day of the tenth round of the championship again saw drama from the off. A number of cars would make the restart with, including Takamoto and Adrien with the Japanese star opening the road.
First up then was SS7 Rengini – 28.67 km and there was a stage win for Thierry from Seb and Dani. Meanwhile, Ott and Martin fell from the lead with not just one but two punctures. The Estonian’s fell to sixth place. Dani now led from Thierry and Seb. Further back, Elfyn and Scott made it up into fifteenth position after setting the fourth best time.
Onto SS8 Thiva – 20.95 km which was taken by Seb from Dani and Thierry. Dani was pulling away from Thierry, the gap now between the teammates a little over ten seconds. Ott gained two positions, moving ahead of two WRC2 cars and into fourth place.
SS9 Aghii Theodori 1 – 25.87 km was taken by Seb from Thierry and Ott. Dani had a tyre fail on him and this led to the rear right-hand side section of bodywork getting ripped away. Another leader fell from the lead and now his Belgian teammate was leading.
Following that and the tyre the shortest proper stage of the day, SS10 Loutraki – 12.90 km and Ott was fastest from Seb and Thierry in this one. The Belgians now had a forty second lead over their Spanish teammates.
The second run of SS11 Aghii Theodori 2 – 25.87 km and Seb was fastest from Ott and Thierry. There was an incident for Elfyn and Scott as their car dug in in a rut in a left-handed hairpin and the car slow rolled onto its roof. They got it back onto its wheels and completed the stage, having let their teammates Seb and Vincent through, so they didn’t give them a dust cloud to drive through. Ott and Martin also had a moment at the same corner and managed to get his Hyundai back onto four wheels.
2024 FIA World Rally Championship Round 10, Acropolis Rally 05-08 September 2024 Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid Photographer: Dufour Fabien Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
The final mickey mouse stage, SS12 EKO SSS – 1.97 km and Thierry won it from Seb and Dani. The Belgians took the maximum points at the end as leaders of the rally at the end of Saturday.
Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.
Classification after Day Two
1
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
3:01:05.3
2
D. Sordo
C. Carrera
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+53.7
3
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+1:20.9
4
O. Tänak
M. Järveoja
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+3:19.2
5
S. Pajari
E. Mälkönen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally2
+5:06.1
6
R. Virves
A. Lesk
Škoda Fabia RS
+5:33.8
7
Y. Rossel
F. Barral
Citroën C3
+6:00.3
8
K. Kajetanovicz
M. Szczepaniak
Škoda Fabia RS
+6:58.1
9
G. Linnamäe
J. Morgan
Toyota GR Yaris Rally2
+8:33.9
10
F. Zaldivar
M. Der Ohannesian
Škoda Fabia RS
+9:23.2
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“So far, we have managed our rally well despite some small issues on Friday, but we’ve had nothing major on Saturday. Our approach was to be careful with the car when it was needed, but you can’t avoid the punctures here. There are so many rocks around and you just need to get through the stage. I tried to adapt my driving style in the ruts to be smoother and not enter them too hard to avoid going sideways and risking hitting a stone. It’s a lottery out there and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring – what the weather will be like, how hard we need to push for the extra points – so a lot of things we still need to manage to bring home as many points as possible.”
2024 FIA World Rally Championship Round 10, Rally Acropolis Greece 2024, 5-8 September 2024 Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, Action during Day 2 of WRC Acropolis Rally 2024 Photographer: Romain Thuillier Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Dani Sordo
“I’m a little bit disappointed that our puncture took us out of the rally lead, but in the end, it was not as bad as it could have been. We drove a little more slowly after that to avoid any more problems, but for sure with all the dust in the car it was very tricky. Thankfully, we had enough of a gap to Ogier today, but we didn’t want to make a mistake and lose another position. It was hard to survive but we managed to. Tomorrow will be another demanding day with two passes of the Power Stage, which will really destroy the surface – I think the rally won’t be decided until the very last corner.”
Ott Tänak
“The length of today has been very challenging with a lot of time on the road sections. It was very unfortunate to get two punctures this morning, but what’s done is done and let’s see what tomorrow brings. The afternoon was without trouble and I’m happy to be at the end, but I wasn’t really comfortable in the car. However, tomorrow is another day, and we have a chance to improve it. Let’s see what the weather does as well as the conditions of the stages, but we are expecting another difficult day. All I can do at the moment is support the team and I will definitely try to do my best for them tomorrow.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Sébastien Ogier
“I think we did a good day today. There was nothing else we could do. We knew it would be a difficult day so we can be pleased that we got through without trouble. The gaps were quite big so we just focused on ourselves and tried to do our job. It’s been a challenging weekend for everyone and with tomorrow to come, it’s far from over. It’s a very important day for both championships but the last stage that we drive twice is maybe the roughest we saw during recce, so it will be interesting to see what happens.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“It was good to be back in the car today; thank you to the team for fixing it. It was an extremely hot day and at the same time, the amount of road cleaning was much more than I expected. This made it very hard to compare my pace to the others, so I just tried to focus on my job and what I could do. I tried to find a good feeling for tomorrow and I will do my best. The stages are still very rough but let’s see how it goes.”
Elfyn Evans
“It was not an easy day to really push to the maximum after the difficulties of yesterday, but it was an opportunity to keep working through a few things with our car setup for this kind of condition and we were able to find some answers at least. Then, in the last proper stage this afternoon, we just clipped a rut in a tight hairpin. The car went over quite slowly but the damage was obvious. We did try to make some repairs and continue but the team made the call to retire, as it’s important to get everything right for tomorrow.”
Sunday
The final day of this rally will see the crews tackle 54km’s over three stages and the longest stage of the day is SS14 Eleftherohori 1 – 18.29 km which is repeated as the rally ending power stage.
Let’s see if there is any more drama in the final kilometres tomorrow!
The first full day of this iconic rally saw lots of action over the six stages with a service after the morning loop.
Of course, Thierry and Martijn would open the road throughout the day with his closest championship challengers, Seb and Vincent behind and getting a cleaner road.
SS1 Ano Pavliani 1 – 22.47 km was first up and Seb set the pace from Ott and Adrien and just eight tenths of a second covered the top three. Thierry was ten seconds behind and holding sixth. Meanwhile Elfyn had a puncture and lost over two minutes, putting his championship hopes into a really bad position.
Next up was SS2 Dafni 1 – 21.67 km and Takamoto was right there setting the pace from Ott and Seb third. The Japanese star gained two places moving into second whilst Ott also gained one position and moved into the lead. Seb dropped to third 1.4 seconds now behind the new rally leader. Thierry remained in sixth, losing more time and now 24.5 seconds from his teammate. It was worse though for Elfyn who suffered a technical problem losing him pace with a lack of power.
The last morning stage, SS3 Tarzan 1 – 23.37 km saw Seb go fastest from Adrien and Dani. We had a new top three with Seb moving into the lead from Adrien and Ott. Takamoto was out sadly after losing a wheel in the stage whilst his Welsh teammate was struggling with the loss of power still and hoping to make it back to service.
After service SS4 Ano Pavliani 2 – 22.47 km was next up. Seb was fastest from Ott and Dani. There was drama sadly for Adrien who stopped on the stage with broken suspension. Meanwhile Elfyn was up to speed and set the sixth best time moving up the leader board as well. Thierry was fourth overall, but 48.9 seconds from the lead.
Onto the penultimate stage of the day then, SS5 Dafni 2 – 21.67 km and Ott was fastest from Dani and Gregoire. Ott moved into the lead, now five seconds ahead of Seb. Gregoire gained a place as well, moving into fifth overall.
The final stage then, SS6 Tarzan 2 – 23.37 km and there was drama for Seb as he suffered a similar problem with a loss of power and the turbo had failed on his GR Yaris. He fell to fourth place, now almost two and a half minutes from Ott who now led a Hyundai one, two, three. There was also drama for Gregoire as he suffered a puncture as well, falling to seventh overall.
Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.
Classification after Day One
1
O. Tänak
M. Järveoja
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
1:40:16.9
2
D. Sordo
C. Carrera
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+21.8
3
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+45.2
4
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+2:26.4
5
R. Virves
A. Lesk
Škoda Fabia RS
+3:10.9
6
S. Pajari
E. Mälkönen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally2
+3:12.4
7
G. Munster
L. Louka
Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
+4:08.4
8
K. Kajetanovic
M. Szczepaniak
Škoda Fabia RS
+4:09.0
9
F. Zaldivar
M. Der Ohannesian
Škoda Fabia RS
+4:19.7
10
N. Gryazin
K. Aleksandrov
Citroën C3
+4:22.5
Hyundai Motorsport
Ott Tänak
“No question, today has been a very demanding day and we are very grateful to come through without any dramas or issues. All in all, it has been a positive day for us, but we know very well there is still a long way to go, and how hard it is to do the same job for the rest of the weekend. Until Ogier had his issue, we were trying to find the right balance in the car to fight him, and on the stage, he hit trouble we managed to improve the car. It was a lot better for the last two stages, but this rally is not only about performance; you also need the reliability to bring the car home. We are happy we managed to do it today, but we still need to keep our heads down.”
2024 FIA World Rally Championship Round 10, Acropolis Rally 5 – 8 September 2024 Ott Tanak Photographer: Austral Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Dani Sordo
“Overall, a positive day for us. We had a hybrid issue on the last three stages, so we weren’t taking any risks to make sure we didn’t break anything on the car, but despite this our times were good. When we knew Ogier had problems we still drove as normal to make sure we made no mistakes, but it was not simple; it was really hot in the car, and it was a very demanding day. Tomorrow will be another long one, with a lot of road section as well as lengthy stages, which will make it even trickier. We’ve completed day one and we enjoyed it, and now we focus on doing the same again tomorrow.”
Thierry Neuville
“It was a challenging day out there, fighting in tough conditions and very hot weather; I was struggling sometimes to concentrate at the end of stages. It wasn’t a trouble-free run for us, but we were consistent and just trying to follow the approach we set ourselves before the rally. We focused on our speed and not getting frustrated if the cleaning effect lost us time, and we avoided being too harsh on the car in rough sections. We had some technical issues this morning, but the team solved it quickly and we didn’t lose too much ground. In the position we are in, there is no need to take too much risk: we knew it would be a long day and it is still a long rally, which is why we need to keep the same approach.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“I was pleased with my morning. I think we did all we could from second on the road: the surface was pretty loose so being in the lead was a bit of a surprise, but I think we optimised the strategy with the tyre choice, having more softs than the others. The rhythm with the driving was pretty good too. This afternoon it was still all going well, and the feeling was pretty good. Then we had a loss of power near the end of the penultimate stage. There was not much we could do and we just tried to finish the loop minimising the time loss. It was a tough day for the team but there’s still a long day tomorrow and Sunday so we’re not giving up.”
Elfyn Evans
“It was a disastrous start for us this morning. We picked up a puncture in the first stage: there was a compression in the road which we knew about, and we tried to slow down for it but clearly not enough. Then, towards the end we had a loss of power, and we weren’t sure what the reason was, but the team was able to fix the issue at lunchtime. It’s obviously very difficult now with the time that we’ve lost, but tomorrow is another opportunity to try some things with the car to have a good feeling, and the main thing will be to just get through another long day.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“It had been a pretty good start to the morning. The car felt amazing and without a big push I was able to set the fastest time in SS2. Of course, there was some road cleaning effect which helped, but overall, I was happy. So, I just continued to drive in the same way in SS3. Unfortunately, in a twisty and forested section I misunderstood the information in the pace-note. So, what I had in mind going into the corner wasn’t correct, I went wide and got damage on the right-rear. It’s a really hard moment but I just try to move forward and keep working hard.”
Saturday
Day two will see the crews face 116km’s over five stages. There is no service either throughout the day, just a tyre fitting zone. In addition, four of the stages will only be run once including the extra-long and longest stage of the weekend SS7 Rengini – 28.67 km as well as the shortest stage which most rallying fans wonder what is doing there at only 1.97km’s.
The championship moves onto ‘The Rally of the Gods’ which is the tenth round of this season’s championship.
There are 305km’s over the fifteen stages over the three or so days of competitive action. The longest day of action is Friday with a total of 135km’s over the six stages. The championship leaders, Thierry and Martijn will face a tricky day on Friday and will hope that their time loss will be kept to a minimum.
Let’s take a look at the stages and also hear from the drivers.
Acropolis Rally commences with a ceremonial start in Lamia on Thursday evening.
Friday’s challenges begin with SS1 Ano Pavliani (22.47km) and continue across a further five stages, totalling 135.02km.
116.23km of competition on Saturday is rounded off with SS12 EKO SSS, a 1.97km sprint in the evening.
Three stages conclude the rally on Super Sunday, with the 18.29km SS15 Eleftherohori 2 acting as the weekend’s Power Stage.
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“Acropolis Rally is a very challenging and long event. In the car, we can suffer a lot from the heat and the roughness of the terrain. The stages are always changing, so we come across a variety of profiles throughout the weekend. I enjoy this rally a lot, I like the technicalities of managing tyres and the car, and the roads are very different to what we usually see on a weekend. For a strong weekend, we need a good mix of performance, precision and protection from the car setup; strong rims are also a necessity to protect tyres as much as possible. We are still leading the fight for the championship, so it is important to score as many points as possible without pushing too hard and risking the entire weekend. Our car is strong, and we usually perform well in Greece, so hopefully we can do the same this year.”
2024 FIA World Rally Championship Round 10, Rally Acropolis Greece 2024, 5-8 September 2024 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, Atmosphere during Acropolis Rally 2024 Photographer: Romain Thuillier Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Ott Tänak
“The profile at Acropolis Rally is nice: the roads are wider than Portugal and Sardinia and the surface is rougher and slower, conditions in which the car has been previously performed well. This is an event you can enjoy as a driver, but the rough gravel can make the loop quite demanding for both the car and crew. You need to have a well calibrated car to get a good rhythm and the better the feeling in the car, the easier it is to do a good job. You need to be able to trust it while still feeling the limits. Martin and I are definitely looking forward to a strong result for the team and for ourselves to keep us in the championship fight.”
Dani Sordo
“I have a lot of confidence heading to Acropolis Rally; we got some valuable time in the car during the pre-event test, and I have done well here in the past. The heat and the road conditions can massively affect our performance, so our setup needs to be different to how we have run at previous rough gravel events. A higher car is crucial to surviving the stages and avoiding an early retirement by hitting a large rock or a hidden rut – or both. All three championships are tight, so I know we need to do whatever we can to help the team, and we are hoping for the best finish possible in Greece.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Elfyn Evans
“The Acropolis is an event where the conditions can be tough, but the pace is always high despite that. It’s a long week with some long days, so there’s an element of endurance with the possibility for it to be very hot too. Last year, we sustained some damage on the Saturday, but we somehow made it through to finish on the podium. As usual, we’ll be giving our all and targeting the best result possible. The last rally clearly didn’t go to plan for us after a decent start, but at least our road position in Greece will probably be the best we’ve had on gravel all year, so we need to try and make the most of that.”
Sébastien Ogier
“The Acropolis Rally is one of the legendary events in the history of our sport and I enjoy going to Greece, so it had always been my plan together with the team that I would compete there again this year. It’s a rally that I managed to win once quite early in my career, and then it was not in the calendar for many years, so it would be nice to take another victory there. Last year, we were leading until we were quite unlucky in some very rough conditions: it can be the kind of rally where you need some luck on your side to avoid trouble. Like always, the aim will be to try and fight for the top places and for as many points as we can.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“Greece is one of the trickiest rallies given how rough and slippery the stages can be. As a driver, you need to be committed as usual of course, but at the same time you have to manage the car and the tyres. It’s a different kind of challenge to the last three rallies, so it needs a change of mindset, but I had a good test last week and I have a good feeling for the rally. Last year, the rally was going OK for us until we picked up some punctures. This kind of thing can happen on a rally like this, and I will try to focus on avoiding issues and mistakes, and if I follow this strategy, we can hopefully have a good result at the end.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Adrien Fourmaux
“I’m pleased to be back after the summer break, we know that Greece is a rough and tough event; it’s always really hot with an abrasive surface. Greece is quite slow compared to the rallies we’ve just done in Finland and Latvia, but we’ve had a good day’s testing and now we want to deliver the best result possible. We know the car has been competitive here previously, and we just need to score some good points to remain contenders in the championship.”
Grégoire Munster
“I’m looking forward to Greece because it’s an event I’ve done twice already. We had a good result last year with the Fiesta Rally1, finishing 5th in WRC2 and winning the Challenger category.
“It’s a demanding event for the crew and the car, and it’s about finding the right balance between pushing and managing the car through the rough sections, so it’s an event that suits us. There’s not due to be any rain this weekend but let’s see, Greece can always be a bit unpredictable!”
Jourdan Serderidis
“Home rally for me – despite the fact that I appear to be the oldest driver amongst the 72 starters, I still intend to show progress and fight for first in the Greek cup. I can’t wait for Friday morning so we can get started!”
Summary
Well, we are set for a very interesting round this weekend and it is very intriguing that Seb and Vincent are competing this weekend for Toyota and will be second on the road behind the Hyundai championship leaders. Let’s see how things go on the stages. Could this be a move to give their teammates, Elfyn and Scott a better and cleaner road to take the fight to the Belgian crew at the top.
The action starts with shakedown on Thursday morning (5th September). Enjoy the rally!
A cloudy morning in London with a dreaded tube journey ahead of me but at the end of that the Formula One exhibition awaits.
As we passed through the doors you’re handed a set of headphones and a remote that will guide you through the exhibition, up the stairs and into the first gallery where you’re greeted by four of the most beautiful Formula One cars there has ever been. A Ferrari, A Lotus A Williams and a beautiful West McLaren.
As you’ve venture through the experience you’re greeted by not only more cars but trophies helmets, race suits busts of drivers and various interactive screens that take you through the history of Formula One.
The third room is centred around the safety aspect of F1 it’s there you’ll find Romain Grosjean Haas or the burnt out remains of it, you stand there and gaze and wonder how anyone could have possibly survived that! In the background a video of the incident plays.
Moving on around the exhibition into an immersive video experience followed by the Formula 1 race sims, I’m sure they will be extremely popular when the exhibition opens on Friday the 23rd of August.
Pecco Bagnaia was in a league of is own today, as he comfortably wins the Austrian GP – it’s his third consecutive win at the Red Bull Ring.
Image Credit: MotoGP on X
Pecco Bagnaia has taken a stunning victory today at the Austrian GP today, in the weekend that has seen him re-take the lead in the championship standings. He started 2nd on the grid, took the lead on lap 2 after an exciting battle with his closest championship rival, Jorge Martin, and then never looked back.
Whilst it wasn’t the most thrilling race, or the action-packed weekend we have historically seen at the Red Bull Ring, you cannot deny the stunning performance from Bagnaia today. His ride was utterly flawless whilst, all weekend, others were making mistakes around him. He kept his cool and showed why he is such a brilliant champion after being perfect for every moment of the race.
Jorge Martin, despite starting on pole and leading the first lap, couldn’t bring home the win today. He simply wasn’t able to keep Bagnaia behind him, nor could he close the gap for the lead. It was an undoubtedly frustrating day who felt he could win this race. He leaves Austria having lost 8 points to Bagnaia in the title fight too.
Enea Bastianini brought home a double podium for Ducati today, ending the day in 3rd. It was a very quiet race for the Italian, who sat in 3rd from lights out all the way to the chequered flag without facing any real challenge. Today is his sixth podium of the year and good momentum after double win in Silverstone last time out.
Marc Marquez just missed out on the podium today, coming home in 4th. Most of the on-track action came from the Gresini rider today – he had a ride height device issue whilst sitting on the grid and, as they went to the first corner, he had contact with Franco Morbidelli which left him back down in 10th. He fought hard and gave the Austrian fans lots of entertainment as he came past two KTM riders, two Aprilia riders, a VR46 rider and his own brother on the second Gresini bike. Given his performance today, he may be left thinking about what might have been if his race start had been a clean one.
One of the victims of Marquez’s pressure was KTM rider Jack Miller, who crashed out when the Spaniard was hutning him down. The bike slipped out from under him at the chicane of turn 2, on lap 11.
It was an equally tough weekend for fan-favourite, rookie Pedro Acosta. He has faced a difficult weekend after crashing three times on Friday and then struggling to be on the pace. He simply wasn’t able to set the tarmac on fire today in his normal way, and ended the day in 13th.
David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) with a long lap penalty (LLP) charged his way back through the pack to take victory here in Austria. It was a superb comeback after taking his first ever LLP and punished the rest of the field. Alonso celebrated and showed us the dance moves to match his riding skills in the LLP loop.
It will take something monumental now for the rest of the season for any rider to stop Alonso winning the championship this season. 71pts adrift to Alonso in the championship, Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) had a perfect Saturday but a nightmare Sunday starting from the back of the grid for the race. Ortola fought hard though to finish 9th and clearly would of had a chance at victory today had Ortola started from pole.
David Munoz (BOE Motorsports) after a manic battle snatched 2nd place away from Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) on the line who finished in 3rd. It was a great race today in the Styrian mountains!
AS IT HAPPENED
Ortola was nowhere to be seen at the front of the grid as the riders got underway in the overcast conditions. Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsport) with a great start and into the lead on the first lap as Alonso was up and attacking Holgado for 2nd after starting 6th on the grid.
Alonso and Holgado diced with each other and was enough for Munoz to dive by and up into 2nd. At the end of lap 1 it was both BOE Motorsports riders leading the way in Austria.
Lap 2 and a lead group started to develop in the race with 6 riders at the front. Alonso and Piqueras took their long lap penalties and re-joined the race in 10th and 11th places. Across the line and to start lap 3, Munoz with the slip stream looked at the inside line for turn 1, but Kelso full of confidence defended the move last on the brakes.
Championship leader Alonso now up into 8th place and had a mountain to climb 3.5seconds back to the leaders. Holgado seemed to be relaxed at this point in 3rd, keeping pace with the squabbling BOE Motorsport teammates ahead of him.
As Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) had a scare almost losing the front, Alonso went by up into 6th. Pole sitter and race winner last time out at Silverstone, Ortola set the fastest lap of the race at the quarter race distance. Ortola still keen to get on with business despite the nightmare start.
Lap 7 and into turn 1 Kelso was late on the brakes and held onto the lead but Holgado’s patience had left him staring at the back of Munoz’ wheel. Holgado went by Munoz up into 2nd into turn 1 and was now gunning for Kelso. As a track limits warning was issued for Kelso, Holgado into the last sector of the lap blasted up the inside of Kelso into the lead of the race.
As we approached the half way race distance, the 3 way fight for the win became a 7 way fight for the win with newly promoted to Moto2 Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) catching and dispatching Kelso up to 3rd.
11 laps to go, Holgado lead to Munoz 2nd and Veijer in 3rd. Kelso, Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Alonso and Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) were all still with a shout of taking victory at this point. Veijer continued his charge and up into 2nd going by Munoz,
Lap 11 of 20 and Veijer down the hill into turn 9 hit the front of the Grand Prix for the first time. Rueda shoulder barged his way by Kelso which shoved Kelso to the back of the lead group.
Turn 9 seemed to be a favourite spot for everyone as Veijer went by Holgado to retake the lead of the race. Every rider in the lead group were fighting and dicing with each other in an epic battle in Spielberg.
Alonso even with a long lap penalty was back now up into 2nd as Munoz and Piqueras fought with each other through turn 1.
Into the last quarter of the race, pole sitter Ortola fought his way back up to 9th after starting in the pit lane. Veijer lead from Alonso in 2nd and Munoz in 3rd. Holgado and Piqueras went by Munoz as the lead group order was ever changing. Down the hill into turn 9 Alonso went by Veijer to take the lead of the race for the first time.
Into the last few laps and Alonso lead the field through turn 6 as Munoz and Holgado were on the back of Alonso’s wheel. A couple of tenths separated Holgado to Veijer and Piqueras behind. The lead group shrunk to 5 at this point all still in contention to take the win in the last couple of laps.
THE LAST LAP
Championship leader Alonso took us across the line to start the final lap. Both Munoz and Holgado bombed into turn 1 with Munoz coming off worse and ran wide re-joining into 4th place.
Piqueras now up into 3rd and looked to go up to 2nd by Holgado but unable to make it stick in the early part of the lap. Dropping down through turn 6 it was still Alonso leading from Holgado fending off Piqueras in 3rd.
Munoz out of nowhere rubbed shoulders and barged by Piqueras into 3rd. Across the line Alonso held on to take victory and Munoz snatched 2nd place away from Holgado who took 3rd.
A cloudy morning in London with a dreaded tube journey ahead of me but at the end of that the Formula One exhibition awaits.
