Round 11 of the 2022 F1 World Championship sees the return to Austria and the Red Bull Ring circuit, it’s also the 2nd Sprint Race weekend of the season. Less than a week since the British GP and one of the best F1 races in years the short Red Bull Ring has a lot to live up to.
After practice and Qualifying the local Orange Army were happy cheering on their beloved World Champion Max Verstappen, who put his RedBull onto pole position for today’s sprint race which would decide the grid for the all-important GP on Sunday. This season the top eight finishers in the sprint race receive points so the sprint race itself has become even more critical in terms of the championship fight.
Alongside Verstappen on the front row is Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari, after a disappointing string of results he could get his championship challenge back on track in front of the excited Orange Army. The Mercedes again looked to have returned to competitiveness but both drivers had offs in qualifying so would be starting 4th and 9th. With the short nature of the track the sprint race should be a close battle through the field.
Before lights out Alonso’s car still has the tyre warming blankets on as the rest of the field drive away, The Spaniard will now have to start from the pitlane. At the end of the formation lap Zhou in the Alfa Romeo stopped before the grid, the cars were sent on another formation lap and Zhou would also be made to start from the pitlane once he got the car started again.
The Sprint start. Image courtesy of RedBull Content Pool
Lights out and Verstappen leads the two Ferraris away, Sainz and Leclerc battling away for most of the first lap after the Spaniard led his teammate into turn two. Gasly went out at turn one after contact with Hamilton after trying to squeeze the Mercedes driver into the first corner.
After 3 laps Verstappen already had a 2 second lead over Leclerc, who led his teammate by half a second, they were followed by Russell, Ocon, Magnussen, Schumacher, Perez, Bottas, and Hamilton rounding out the top ten.
Leclerc set the fastest lap at the end of lap 4 trying to get within DRS of the leading RedBull. The two Ferraris were running so close together that they were letting the leading RedBull getaway. A great battle between them lap after lap but they had now fallen 3 seconds behind Verstappen, once again Ferrari seemed to be handing a win to the RedBull driver.
As lap 8 began Hamilton moved ahead of Bottas into P9, can the 7-time World Champion make up more places to get a better grid slot for tomorrow’s race?
Perez in the second RedBull was now making a move up the field, easily taking P7 from Schumacher as the young German concentrated on trying to overtake his teammate. On the following lap, he makes it passed Magnussen and up to P6.
Lap 11 and Vettel in the Aston Martin was sent into the gravel by Alex Albon in the Williams, the German manages to escape the gravel trap and return to the race.
At half distance Verstappen leads by 3 seconds from Leclerc, his RedBull teammate makes another paced and is up to P5 after taking Ocon Alpine. Hamilton has now made it onto the back of the two Haas cars, unfortunately for him, Schumacher had DRS so he couldn’t catch him enough on the straights.
As ever with a sprint race the field settles and laps pass with nothing much happening, if they are to keep this format they have to change something as it just doesn’t seem to work.
Hamilton was finally free of the Haas. Image courtesy of Mercedes Media
With 5 laps to go Hamilton is still stuck behind the Haas of Schumacher, back up front Verstappen leads by just over two and half seconds cruising to an easy win. The Ferraris have settled a few seconds apart with seemingly no pace to make any impression on the leader.
Lap 21 and finally Hamilton makes it passed the German, can he catch the next Haas in the remaining 2 laps.
At the chequered flag Verstappen wins again from Leclerc and Sainz, they are followed by Russell, Perez, Ocon, Magnussen, Hamilton, Schumacher, and Bottas.
Following them is Norris and Ricciardo in the disappointing Mclarens, Stroll, Zhou, Gasly, Albon, Tsunoda, and Latifi. Vettel and Alonso, who never made the start of the race.
Will Ferrari regret letting their drivers battle so much and let the RedBull driver getaway, once he had the lead he never looked troubled?
Tomorrow’s race should be a bit more exciting as strategy comes into play.
Cristina Gutierrez (ESP) / Sebastien Loeb (FRA), Team X44 Laia Sanz (ESP) / Carlos Sainz (ESP), Acciona | Sainz XE Team
RXR completed the perfect weekend after winning an entertaining final and taking maximum points for the round.
Semi Final 1
An enthralling morning’s action started in Semi Final 1 as top qualifiers RXR raced Andretti United and Xite Energy for the first two spots in the final.
The lights went out and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky for RXR got off the line well to take the lead, with Xite Energy’s Tamara Molinaro not far behind.
It wasn’t long before Timmy Hansen for Andretti United had got past Molinaro and was hot on the tail of Ahlin-Kottulinsky. Hansen followed closely behind, with an overtake looking likely. Just as they approached the end of the lap, Hansen took a wider line into a corner and his superior exit speed allowed him to take the lead going into the switch zone just marginally in front.
After the changing of drivers RXR and Andretti continued to do battle. Catie Munnings in the Andretti United car worked hard to keep Johan Kristofferson for RXR behind her. It wasn’t to be for Andretti United, however, as a technical issue slowed the car down significantly.
Kristofferson, having surpassed Munnings with his now superior acceleration, cruised home to take first place. Xite Energy took the other final spot that was up for grabs.
Semi Final 1 Classification
RXR
Xite Energy
Andretti United
Semi Final 2
Two more places in the final were available in the second of the two semi finals. JBXE, Acciona Sainz, and X44 would compete for them.
JBXE had made the final after a post-heat penalty in qualifying for Veloce saw JBXE jump ahead of ABT Cupra in the classification.
Off the start Acciona Sainz and X44 both got away well and were side by side until some slight contact between the two saw Acciona Sainz get their noses in front. After having taken an alternative line, JBXE slotted into second position.
It wasn’t long, though, until JBXE had got ahead of Acciona Sainz. After keeping his foot to the floor, Kevin Hansen for JBXE overtook Laia Sanz in the Acciona Sainz car. Hansen continued to extend his lead for the rest of the lap. X44 managed to get into second position before the switch zone.
However, X44 had an issue during the changeover when the safety net would not reattach properly. The team fell back behind Acciona Sainz, and they would not regain the position. The day ended there for last year’s championship challengers.
The rest of the race was about whether Carlos Sainz in the Acciona Sainz could catch Hedda Hosas, who was competing in the JBXE car for the first time. Ultimately, Sainz could not close the gap enough and JBXE secured their position in the final. Acciona Sainz would also be there.
Semi Final 2 Classification:
JBXE
Acciona Sainz
X44
Crazy Race
The fifth and final spot in the final was contested between Chip Ganassi, McLaren, ABT Cupra, and Veloce.
ABT Cupra’s Nasser Al-Attiyah got a great start and swiftly took the lead. Behind him, though, Emma Gilmour in the McLaren made contact with Chip Ganassi’s Sara Price. Gilmour lost control of the car and rolled over. Fortunately, she was unscathed, but the same could not be said of the car, as McLaren could not continue.
With the dust becoming an increasing problem, a couple of drivers managed to lose their way in the Crazy Race. First, Chip Ganassi’s Sara Price lost control of the car and ended up veering off course. In an attempt to rejoin the track she almost reversed into Veloce’s Lance Woolridge. Woolridge himself also went the wring way but was just able to stay ahead of the Chip Ganassi car.
Some drama in the switch zone saw ABT Cupra under investigation for two separate offences: speeding in the switch zone, and leaving too early.
ABT Cupra would cross the line first, ahead of Chip Ganassi and Veloce, but post race penalties saw ABT Cupra demoted into second place, and Chip Ganassi claimed the final spot in the final.
Crazy Race Classification
Chip Ganassi
ABT Cupra
Veloce
McLaren
Final
After a day of entertaining races the final didn’t disappoint either. Xite Energy, RXR, JBXE, Acciona Sainz, and Chip Ganassi all faced off to take top spot for the second round of the season.
As the lights went out Acciona Sainz got the best start, swiftly taking the lead. RXR and Xite Energy took an alternative line for the first major corner.
The action came as the two lines met, with RXR hitting the Acciona Sainz car, causing Acciona Sainz to roll. RXR picked up heavy damage in the collision but still took the lead. Acciona Sainz were out of the race.
The teams came in to the switch zone as the red flag was called with RXR leading Chip Ganassi, Xite Energy, and JBXE. Once the race restarted these positions would not change, and RXR claimed another victory, whilst Chip Ganassi and Xite Energy both scored their first podiums in the series.
In the final, RXR also extended their lead in the Continental Traction Challenge, scoring an additional five points in the championship.
Final Classification
RXR
Chip Ganassi
Xite Energy
JBXE
Acciona Sainz
Overall Weekend Classification
RXR took top spot for the weekend, following their victory in the final. Chip Ganassi and Xite Energy rounded out the podium.
Further down the grid X44 beat out other semi final losers Andretti United to sixth place after having a faster time in the Continental Traction Challenge, McLaren brought up the rear after their crash in the Crazy race
RXR +30 Points
Chip Ganassi +18 Points
Xite Energy +15 Points
JBXE +12 Points
Acciona Sainz +10 Points
X44 +8 Points
Andretti United X +6 Points
Veloce +4 Points
ABT Cupra +2 Points
McLaren +1 Point
Championship Standings
RXR extend their lead in the championship, taking maximum points once again. Chip Ganassi leap frog Acciona Sainz to go into second. Thirty points separate the top two teams.
After another poor weekend, Veloce continue to prop up the standings. They will be hoping for a better time in the next round, starting in just a couple of days time.
Rosberg X Racing (RXR) topped Extreme E qualifying for the first time in their history in Sardinia. The German team beat X44, who had qualified fastest in every round prior to this week.
Qualifying 1
RXR were first to set a time in Qualifying 1. Drivers Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky and Johan Kristofferson both put in quick laps with little drama. They set a benchmark time of 9:13.966
That time would not be beaten the entire session, however, as several other teams had issues.
Veloce and McLaren both suffered front right suspension failures and neither team were able to complete their runs. This meant they picked up 0 intermediate classification points for Qualifying 1.
Chip Ganassi’s bad luck continued as technical issues in the switch zone prevented Kyle Leduc from completing their run. Technical issues for Chip Ganassi were a common theme across Season 1 of Extreme E.
X44’s run was eventful too. Loeb was very quick on his lap, and the team looked close to challenging RXR’s time. Loeb might have been pushing too hard, however, as his rear right tyre got a puncture. He limped home and changed it in the switch zone as Gutierrez got into the car. Gutierrez completed the run, securing 4 crucial classification points.
Qualifying 1 Classification
RXR 9:13.966 10 Points
Acciona Sainz +11.893 9 Points
Andretti United +13.011 8 Points
ABT Cupra +15.744 7 Points
Xite Energy +18.516 6 Points
JBXE +30.460 5 Points
X44 +2:07.008 4 Points
McLaren +1 Lap 0 Points
Chip Ganassi +1 Lap 0 Points
Veloce +2 Laps 0 Points
Qualifying 2 Heat 1
The first heat in Qualifying 2 was made up of RXR, Andretti United, Xite Energy, X44, and Chip Ganassi.
When the lights went out Kristofferson for RXR and Munnings for Andretti got off the line well, and RXR led Andretti into the first checkpoint.
Further back, Chip Ganassi and Xite Energy were having a good battle, with X44 just behind. Then, Chip Ganassi’s day turned from bad to worse, as another technical issue saw them grind to a halt.
After all the remaining teams had been into the switch zone there was drama at the part of the track Chip Ganassi were stopped in. To allow the racing to continue, race control had put in a slow zone in that area, meaning teams had to enable their pit limiters and could not overtake.
It appeared, however, that X44 had closed in on Andretti United, and overtook them in the slow zone. At the time of writing, X44 are under investigation for the overtake, whilst Andretti United are being investigate for speeding in the slow zone.
The heat ended with RXR crossing the line first, securing them top spot in qualifying. X44 had also overtaken Xite Energy after the slow zone, with Andretti being the last of the finishers.
Qualifying 2 Heat 1 (provisional) Classification
RXR 10 Points
X44 8 Points
Xite Energy 6 Points
Andretti United 4 Points
Chip Ganassi 2 Points
Qualifying 2 Heat 2
The remaining five teams (Acciona Sainz, Veloce, McLaren, JBXE, and ABT Cupra) competed in Qualifying 2.
On the whole it was a much calmer affair than the first heat, although not without some potential penalty drama of its own.
Acciona Sainz led from start to finish, securing them an extra 10 classification points, and second placed qualifiers.
It was in the switch zone that most of the action happened. Coming in, McLaren held second place, with Veloce 12 seconds behind. As the teams left the switch zone, however, Veloce had caught up and overtaken McLaren, prompting an investigation into a potential Veloce early release and speeding. At the time of writing the investigation has not been concluded.
Qualifying 2 Heat 2 (provisional) Classification
Acciona Sainz 10 Points
Veloce 8 Points
McLaren 6 Points
JBXE 4 Points
ABT Cupra 2 Points
Overall Qualifying Classification:
RXR 20 Points
Acciona Sainz 19 Points
X44 12 Points
Andretti United 12 Points
Xite Energy 12 Points
ABT Cupra 9 Points
JBXE 9 Points
Veloce 8 Points
McLaren 6 Points
Chip Ganassi 0 Points
RXR topped qualifying, closely followed by Acciona Sainz. Qualifying masters X44 scraped third after a difficult qualifying 1. Chip Ganassi’s woes continued for another weekend.
Into the races tomorrow RXR will compete in the first semi final against Andretti United and Xite Energy, whilst Acciona Sainz will compete against X44 and ABT Cupra for a place in the final.
JBXE, Veloce, McLaren, and Chip Ganassi will race against each other in the Crazy Race for the fifth and final place in the final.
Britain brought drama and a three-team battle for the podium places. We now move to Austria where Mercedes have traditionally gone well but this year they have been having unpredictable weekends. It’s a home race for RedBull but Ferrari will want to spoil the party if they can get on form.
Ferrari is at it again
Carlos Sainz finally got his first win in Formula 1 after taking his first F1 pole position on Saturday. He fought hard through the drama and mostly kept his cool under the building pressure from the previous 9 races. For him, the strategy worked in his favour and the battle behind him on the safety car restart meant he could get a gap and stay out of trouble.
Ferrari team orders before strategy nightmare for Leclerc. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media
His teammate was not so lucky though. Leclerc picked up damage in the restart of the race but, unlike RedBull with Perez, he didn’t repair his damage or change tyres early in the race. Initially, he was faster than his teammate, taking the lead, and didn’t look to affect him during the race. However, during the safety car Hamilton, Perez and Sainz were all pitted for softs, but Leclerc was left out on old hard tyres.
This would turn out to be a poor decision for Leclerc’s race. He lost out to his teammate on the restart and then entered into a great battle but came out the loser between himself, Perez and Hamilton. For the championship battle, this means Leclerc is 43 points behind Verstappen. Ferrari needs to close this gap and bring a strong strategy to Austria.
Have Mercedes found form?
All weekend at Silverstone Mercedes looked quick and like they could actually trouble RedBull and Ferrari. Whilst they qualified in P5 and P8, their race pace was much better than their one-lap speed. Lewis Hamilton in particular really triumphed in the wet session before RedBull and Ferrari took over in Q3.
Lewis Hamilton after the restart. Image courtesy of Mercedes Media
During the race Lewis Hamilton was undeniably quick, putting in fastest laps throughout the race and closing the gap to the Ferrari’s in front. It looked like a very real possibility that he could have won the race.
However, without George Russell competing in the race it was hard to tell the overall pace of the team. Moving forward to Austria, Mercedes will want to bring the improvements they made at Silverstone to the RedBull Ring and put in another solid performance.
Carlos Sainz finally got his first win at the weekend with a fantastic drive amidst the drama of the British Grand Prix. Perez and Hamilton rounded out the podium with all three giving the passionate crowd plenty to cheer about.
After a wet qualifying, all eyes were on Sainz to see if he could convert his long-awaited pole into a win to take the pressure off him. Verstappen was poised to take the fight to both Ferrari’s with Leclerc in P3 while RedBull looked to use Perez in P4 to keep the championship battle very much alive.
The first race start. Image courtesy of RedBull Content Pool
Lights out and Verstappen got a better start than Sainz and was leading him into turn 1. Behind them Hamilton had a lighting start putting himself up to P3 ahead of Leclerc and Perez, making the crowd roar with approval. That was short-lived as further back there was a major crash.
George Russell bogged down on the start and fell back, as he moved forward he moved across to the left for the racing line. Next to him, Zhou was moving towards Russell however between their rear wheels Gasly was moving forward.
Russell checking on Zhou. Image courtesy of Mercedes Media
This pincer move meant that Russell hit Gasly who in turn then hit Zhou. This flipped the Alfa Romeo onto the halo for 150 metres before hitting the gravel at speed. It flipped over and eventually rolled over the tyre barrier into the catch fencing, landing in the gap between the tyres and the fence. Russell immediately ran over to check he was ok and helped the marshals and medical team who did a great job. Luckily Zhou was ok after a check at the medical centre.
While that was going on Albon was tapped from behind by Sebastian Vettel. This dramatically flicked him right, hitting the pitwall and back out onto the track. As he headed across he collected Ocon and was pinged back, hitting Tsunoda before coming to a stop. Ocon suffered some suspension damage and Tsunoda lost his front wing. Albon was transferred to the hospital because the incident had triggered his G-Force sensor but he was ok and released on the same day.
After all of that, the red flag was brought out as they exited turn 3 and were brought back into the pits while they repaired the barrier. There was debate from the crowd but because they hadn’t completed an entire lap under the green flag, the standing start would go back to the qualifying grid formation.
As everyone waited for the restart we lost Russell, Albon and Zhou. The others were able to repair the cars during the red flag. This would also give Sainz the chance to re-do his start, hoping to stay in front of Verstappen.
The standing restart. Image courtesy of RedBull Content Pool
On the restart, Sainz got a much better start but was on the outside of Verstappen heading into Abbey. He had the inside line for farm and pushed Verstappen wide taking the place. As Verstappen fought back Perez and Leclerc were having their own fight behind them and going into the loop they were four wide. This meant Leclerc (who was on the inside) hit the sausage curb and picked up damage to his front wing. Perez didn’t come away unscathed either, he also had damage on his front wing.
Coming onto the wellington straight Sainz was ahead, then Verstappen, Leclerc and Perez. The remaining brits in P5 and P6 were alongside each other all the way down to Brooklands. Hamilton on the outside and Norris on the inside. Both were evenly matched and the battle continued with Hamilton on the inside all the way around Luffield. Eventually, Hamilton yielded before heading into Copse corner.
Lap 6 and Perez went in early for a new set of mediums while repairing his front wing damage. This left the McLaren of Norris a sitting duck on the wellington straight without DRS to defend against Hamilton. The Mercedes used this to his advantage and makes the move down the inside of Brooklands. Hamilton could then stretch his legs and become the driver of last year, setting a new fastest lap almost every time he passed the finish line, catching the leaders.
A few laps later Verstappen was pressuring Sainz for the lead. Sainz made a mistake and went wide out of Becketts, leaving the door wide open for Verstappen, who took full advantage. However, it wasn’t too last. On lap 12 Verstappen appeared to be slowing down and both Ferrari’s overtook him before he divided in the pits.
Max Verstappen pitting. Image courtesy of RedBull Content Pool.
Sent back out on fresh tyres, the RedBull engineers confirmed it was body damage but was not critical. This did affect his performance though. After some encouragement from JP, Verstappen carried on in the race. He couldn’t keep up with the leaders and fell back into the midfield.
With Verstappen gone, the Ferrari’s were left to battle and keep Hamilton at bay, but with the Merc closing the gap rapidly it became clear that Leclerc was faster than Sainz in front. By lap 31 the team order came, and they swapped positions.
Eight laps later Ocon stops on the national pit straight with engine problems, bringing out the safety car. Hamilton, Perez and Sainz all pitted for new soft tyres, but Ferrari left Leclerc out on his old tyres. This looked like another unusual strategy call from Ferrari.
At the restart, Leclerc was P1, Sainz P2, Hamilton P3 and Perez P4 with Alonso and Norris behind. Hamilton was caught napping a little and down the main straight Perez was all over the back of the Mercedes, trying to find a way past.
As they all rounded onto the wellington straight Sainz had better traction at the exit of the loop with newer tyres and was alongside his teammate into Brooklands. Leclerc eventually had to yield to Sainz before Luffield. Meanwhile, Perez was alongside Hamilton but was ahead before Brooklands.
Lap 45, Leclerc on the older tyres struggled to keep up with his teammate and now had Perez to defend from. An epic battle began down the Hangar straight as Perez had the inside line around Stowe, but Leclerc held on down towards the Vale chicane.
Leclerc had the inside line in the first corner and slightly ahead, Perez went off the track at the second corner pushing them wide at Club leaving the door wide open for Hamilton to steam past them both causing the crowd to erupt.
Perez went ahead of Leclerc and had good pace down the main straight. Into the braking zone of turn, 3 Perez was up the inside of Hamilton and took the P2 back, leaving Hamilton to defend off Leclerc who went around the outside of the Loop onto the Wellington straight.
Leclerc had more speed than Hamilton and into Brooklands Hamilton was looking behind at Alonso before trying again around the outside of Leclerc at Luffield. Eventually, they all had to back out before Copse but giving Sainz the chance to create a gap.
Hamilton making a move on Leclerc. Image courtesy of Mercedes Media
On lap 48 Hamilton had DRS down the Wellington straight on Leclerc. He made a move around the outside of Luffield but came out ahead this time. However, Leclerc was with him all the way and went around the outside at Copse to take the place back. This wasn’t to last as with DRS again Hamilton took Leclerc down the Hangar straight before Stowe and made the move stick.
As the final lap approached Mick Schumacher had been making his way quietly into the points and was now P8. Verstappen was the car ahead and with performance problems, Schumacher had pace on the RedBull. On lap 51 Schumacher attempted to get past down the Wellington straight but unfortunately couldn’t make anything of it. So, on lap 52 of 52 he made one last attempt heading into Vale and around Club, almost alongside the RedBull but the finish line came too quickly for him to make it P7.
Carlos Sainz crossed the line to make it his first victory in Formula 1 and finally getting the pressure off his back about his performance. Perez was in P2 with Hamilton in P3 in what seemed to be a much improved Mercedes. A huge shoutout to Schumacher who finally got his first points finish and Haas got a double points finish with Magnussen in P8.
We are a third of the way through the Bennetts British Superbikes 2022 Season. Perhaps it’s time to sit down and cover a topic that has left many fans of the series, somewhat stumped. The mystifying rise and fall of the Ducati Panigale V4-R.
Josh Brookes Celebrating being the 2020 BSB Champion. Image courtesy of Ducati
Now don’t be fooled, if you are a new arrival to the BSB paddock for 2022, you’d be forgiven for thinking that one of the most expensive road bikes you can purchase from a dealer, is languishing in the mid-pack because the bike simply isn’t good enough or perhaps the riders aren’t either? In previous years this is anything but the case and I will also give my opinion as to why they do have the right people, but perhaps not the best bike.
Ducati have form for winning British championships. They have won on this iteration of the Ducati Panigale, but also the previous 1199. Championships won with riders such as Scott Redding, Shane “Shakey” Byrne, John Reynolds, Steve Hislop, Neil Hodgson, some bloke called Gregorio Lavilla and an Aussie fella called Troy… There is however one rider missing from this list. Hmmm I wonder who that could be?
Now, in mind of the above, let’s concentrate on this year’s line-up for the Italian manufacturer in the BSB series. MCE Ducati, ran by the PBM Paul Bird Motorsport team, have pinned their hopes for a 2022 championship trophy in the hands of Tom Sykes and Josh Brookes. Also running the Panigale V4-R is long standing Ducati customer, Oxford Products Racing, under the watchful eye of Steve “Wilf” Moore. Their rider of choice for this year, and the previous few is Tommy Bridewell.
Let’s start with Tom Sykes. Those keeping up with the world of racing, will know Tom has spent what feels like about 20 years (13 in reality) inside the World Superbike paddock. The Yorkshireman has long held a firm grip on the front half of the grid whilst having won the World Superbike championship himself in 2013 with Kawasaki. Sykes has also secured the runners up position on three occasions and finished third overall, twice.
Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes – Picture courtesy of Ducati
After a move from Kawasaki to BMW machinery for the 2019 season, Tom’s results didn’t pan out to where he, or the manufacturer would have wanted. This has resulted in BMW going with another rider line up for the 2022 season. Namely Scott Redding has replaced Sykes in the World Superbike team. Most fans of the sport would comment that the issue, to those of us on the outside, didn’t appear to be the rider, but the BMW itself. Years of midfield mediocrity do nothing to convince us hard core fans that BMW are serious about winning on their S1000RR – BUT THAT IS FOR ANOHTER ARTICLE!
Safe to say, there is no doubting Tom Sykes’ skill on a bike. Tom entered the 2022 BSB Champioship as a favourite for the title. A revelation this Racing Armchair witnessed first hand when attending one of Jamie Whitham and John McGuiness’ “Evenings with” to cover the Isle of Man TT earlier this year in Lytham. During the Q & A session with the audience, Whitham was asked who he thinks will win the BSB championship in 2022. There was an outpouring of voices from the audience (of only 1000 people but still a decent number) shouting the name Tom Sykes. Personally, I wasn’t convinced.
I have made my feelings known on Twitter many a times in a respectful but honest manner. I was yet to be assured of Sykes’ guaranteed victory purely on the basis that Tom hasn’t ridden these circuits for a LONG time. These bikes. These electronic (or lack of) packages. These tyres. Heck, he’s probably not really used to riding in the rain anymore. Imagine going from Laguna Seca, Barcelona, Philip Island to Knockhill or Cadwell Park? Exactly! I have personally tweeted Tom several times to say that a solid first season back in the paddock would be a top 10. I don’t think he needs to even worry about the showdown.
Aside of the change in track layouts, tyres, electric and good old British weather, Tom also has to deal with the hardened racers whom have inhabited the BSB paddock for a number of years. The likes of Brookes, Bridewell, O’Halloran, Peter Hickman, Glenn Irwin, Danny Buchan, Bradley Ray, Taz Mackenzie, and Christian Iddon etc are veterans of the series now. These riders have clocked up more laps of these tracks than Rossi has at his ranch! Not to mention the influx of young (some) and very talented Fighter Pilots such as Chrissy Rouse, Storm Stacey, Rory Skinner, Lee Jackson, Tom Neave and Kyle Ryde. And last but not least, the returning British Superbike Champion Leon Haslam, who makes his own return to the series for 2022. However as it stands now, Leon is only marginally in front of Tom, but that is still one place further down the pecking order.
Personally, I hope it works out for Tom after a somewhat underwhelming start to his new life inside the BSB paddock. I listened to a podcast at the start of the year in which Paul Bird was a guest and his words were along the lines of but paraphrased slightly “It’s a results business and it costs a lot of money. So, I am sorry, but yes you are expected to win!” The saving grace Tom has on his side happens to be that both Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell are complaining of the same issues he faces. Time will tell if Tom can get his head around the British Superbikes. But I for one wish him luck this year and hope to see him retained for another year with Paul Bird as no matter how good you are, everyone deserves a learning year.
Moving on to Tommy Bridewell (yes, I have skipped Josh Brookes for now). Tommy has been with the Oxford team now in full since the 2019 season of the British Superbikes. His strongest year by far. Also coinciding with the first year that the Panigale changed from the 1199 twin to the current V4-R 1000cc. It was a new bike at the time, and it proved THE bike to be on. Tommy going on to secure 3rd place overall in the championship behind Josh Brookes and the new champion, Scott Redding. Most of us will cast our memory back and see images of the three Ducati’s romping off to the podium but 2019 wasn’t an easy season by a long shot with multiple DNF’s across the three riders.
Oxford Products Racing Ducati – Picture courtesy of Ducati
Tommy had a dip in 2020 and his results placed him 7th overall but in 2021, he showed that he has true grit by coming forward in the showdown to fight for the 2nd place runners up spot to Yamaha’s Taz Mackenzie. We all remember Tommy winning at Oulton Park by about 15 seconds. Tommy winning the race wasn’t the surprise but the margin he won by certainly was. Enter 2022, and the current season is going better than Sykes and Brookes, but not by a great margin. An underdeveloped bike, rumoured to be there or thereabouts the same bike as the previous seasons for all the Ducati teams, However I’m sure Oxford run slightly different parts to the MCE PBM team such as exhaust brands and small details. Mainly, in my opinion the bike seems to have lost it’s edge over the other manufacturers. Something we can come back to in a moment.
The attentive reader will notice I didn’t mention Josh in the previous list of Ducati champions. Well, that would give the game away, wouldn’t it? Truth be told whether you are a fan of Josh Brookes, he used this very same Ducati V4-R Panigale to secure his second British Superbike Championship in 2020 with the then named Vision Track PBM Ducati. Josh’s first British Championship came in 2015 aboard the Milwaukee Yamaha R1. Josh has faced some of BSB’s most skilled riders over the years and won. Names such as Shakey Byrne, Scott Redding, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Leon Haslam, Alex Lowes, Tommy Hill, James Ellison, Jason O’Halloran, Jake Dixon, Taz Mackenzie and Dan Linfoot to name but a few. All of the above for Josh goes to show his racing CV and the quality of it and in the words of Paul Bird himself when asked if he was going to replace Josh half way through the 2021 season: “He’s a two time British Champion and I’m going to stick by him.”
So what is happening this year? I cast my mind back to a chat I had with Josh back at Oulton Park 2 race at the end of the BSB 2021 season. I watched the O’Show’s season fall apart right in front of me at the bottom of Clay Hill. For the next race I watched Taz punt Christian Iddon off into the gravel at Lodge, also right in front of me. At this point I’m starting to wonder if I am a bad omen but truth be told, it’s just BSB. Action on all fronts. I didn’t fancy braving the queue to leave Oulton Park after the final BSB race (those who have been know exactly what I mean) so decided to have a wander round, drink a brew and catch the Ducati Cup race at the end of the day. Watching Stalker and McPint razzing round on yet more Panigale V4’s.
One thing I love about Oulton is the paddock. How you can literally stand outside the back of the garages, full superfan with your marker and team shirt ready to sign. I’m not the starstruck type, but when Josh Brookes happened to walk out right in front of me and take a picture with a fan, I couldn’t help myself. “Chance of a piccie Josh?” Of course. No problem. My brother gets his phone out and all is normal. Smile for the camera. Click. Click. Click. Thanks Josh. Blah Blah Blah. But do you know when you just get that sense that someone wants to talk? And neither of you are really sure how to kick it off? Well in my line of work, I sell things. Talking is my trade. So I started with a very simple “How are you?”. The floodgates opened. We spoke about how physically tired he is after the 3rd race but more so at Oulton Park. The thin nature of the circuit and the undulations lend themselves to riders who are full body fit. Not just the runners. We are talking arms, legs, wrists, neck, knees and even your bottom muscles.
Josh stood there in his leathers looking like he had just finished the London marathon. We spoke about how the bikes are getting too powerful now for these nadgery little British tracks but Josh’s opinion was THAT is the very reason BSB is so good and why the fans love it so much. We spoke about his plans for 2022 (now bear in mind by this point we are where PBM haven’t announced what they are doing for 2022). Josh was very upfront as said he didn’t have a deal in place but he had spoken to Paul and had assured him he wanted to stay etc. I mentioned that Paul Bird had been interviewed at Brands Hatch saying he wanted to re-sign Josh. He was open and honest and said he hoped that Paul was a man of his word. So after 20 minutes or so Josh made his excuses and off he went. News followed around Xmas time that Josh had indeed been re-signed to the team.
Josh had been under a lot of pressure for 2021 after a dip in form and unfortunately 2022 hasn’t gone much better, BUT when all three bikes are in the same position, and all three bikes have the same complaints (according to Brookes on a recent podcast) perhaps we all now need to admit it could have been the bike last year. However the string of positive results and podiums from Christian Iddon in 2021 do counter that argument but you only have to look around any paddock to see that sometimes a rider clicks with a bike when 10 others cannot. Ala Marc Marquez. Toprak Razgatlioglu. Fabio Quartararo. Johnny Rea. Glenn Irwin etc.
There has been some forward progression for Brookes at the recent Knockhill round until a mistake going into the uphill chicane meant he had to cut the kerb and lost places which in turn saw him fall backwards from the front group. Josh has said they have made improvements with the bike but BSB rider Christian Iddon, former PBM Ducati rider is quoted as saying “It must be with the setting then because it looks exactly the same bike to me”. Most mechanically minded and educated people who follow the sport believe it to be a case of “if you aren’t moving forwards, you are standing still”. The bikes around them in the championship are progressing and making gains. Be that via upgrades to the package or just improvements in setting or Aero. For example the Honda seemed to have taken a step forwards under Glenn Irwin at the start of the season. The all-new BMW 1000M is slowly being dialled in by Peter “135” Hickman of FHO Racing and Danny Buchan of Synetic BMW. Along side the strong pairings of Jason O’Halloran and Tax Mackenzie (still recovering from injury but 2021 champion all the same) on the McAms Yamaha. Kyle Ride and Championship favourite, Bradley Ray, on the OMG Yamaha bikes are also taking up regular sports inside the top 6 and even on the box. With such gains made in terms of bikes and riders, is it any wonder the Ducati’s are struggling this year?
Josh Brookes -Picture courtesy of Ducati Racing
I hope the Ducati brand comes back to the front. The more bikes we have capable of running at the sharp end and winning races can only be better for what is considered to be the best domestic racing series on the planet!
Image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsports Carlos Sainz took his fist ever pole position in F1 on Saturday afternoon in an action packed qualifying in Silverstone. Wet weather showed up to no ones surprise for qualifying and it meant that driver skill would decide pole position. Sainz excelled throughout the qualifying and was fastest on track when it mattered in Q3, landing his first pole position ever, in F1.
Ferrari would be pleased with their qualifying overall after Sainz pole and Leclerc slotting in at P3. The Monegasque driver made a mistake towards the end of Q3 and it cost him a shot at pole but he still remains in contention for the race win starting from 3rd place. Championship leader Max Verstappen could not improve on his final lap in Q3 but is still well placed at P2 for the race. His teammate Sergio Perez will be starting at P4 alongside Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes was also impressive throughout the qualifying but could not match the pace of the front runners and ended up at P5. His teammate Russell could not match his pace and was only fast enough for P8. Both the Mercedes cars were hopeful of challenging for a race win this weekend but will have their task cut out for a race win but a podium might be a more realistic target for the silver arrows.
Lando Norris had a decent qualifying session and ended up at P6 but his teammate Ricciardo could not improve his time in Q2 and could only put together a lap good enough for P14. It seems like an uphill task for McLaren this weekend to ensure that both the cars will finish in points scoring places. Fernando Alonso in the Alpine had another great qualifying session albeit no as impressive as Canada and will start the race from P7. His teammate Ocon could simply not match the Spaniard and will start the race at lowly P15.
Zhou Guanyu carried his momentum from Canada and put together a good qualifying session and will be starting the race from P9 while his teammate Bottas will start the race from P12. The star of the qualifying was Nicolas Latifi who impressed session after session in challenging conditions and made it all the way to Q3. He will line up at P10 on the grid while his teammate Albon failed to make it out of Q1 and will be lining up P16.
Alpha Tauri have left themselves with things to do for Sunday’s race after Pierre Gasly missed out on Q3 and will be lining up at P11. His teammate Tsunoda also failed to make it to Q3 and will start the race from P13. Both the Haas cars must have given the team last year’s flashbacks after they failed to make it out of Q1 with Magnussen lining up at P17 and Schumacher at P19. Aston Martin got it completely wrong with their setup yet again and it means that Vettel will be starting at P18 and Stroll will be starting at P20 respectively.
It promises to be an exciting race at Silverstone with the Ferrari and the Redbulls lining up alternatively on the grid at the front. With a good chance of rain for the race, the drivers and the teams cannot afford a slip up, which makes the race all the more exciting come Sunday.
The crowd will have plenty of things to cheer about as this is the home race for six drivers and Jamie Chadwick, Abbi Pulling, and Alice Powell are currently the top three in the championship. Chadwick will be hoping to have a record-breaking sixth consecutive win in W Series.
Fighting all race long the top 3 drivers. Image courtesy of W Series Media
The previous race in Spain saw a great battle between the top 3, with all of them ending on the podium. With a crowd of over 400,000 people expected for the British GP, this type of action would be very popular around the high-speed circuit.
Last year, however, it was Alice Powell who dominated the weekend with pole position, fastest lap, and then taking the win. Abbi Pulling also had a great weekend in Silverstone last year, making her W Series debut in front of her home crowd and finishing a strong eighth position.
Fellow brits Sarah Moore, Abbie Eaton, and Jessica Hawkins will be looking to put on a good show at Silverstone. Moore will want to improve on her constancy, finishing the first three races inside the top 10, with the best position of 8th. Jessica Hawkins will want to duplicate her podium finish in Miami with another strong drive after failing to finish in the points in Spain.
Abbie Eaton is yet to score a point this season, so will want the power of the home crowd behind her to put in a solid drive and finish in the top 10 on Saturday’s race.
Abbie Eaton looking to improve. Image courtesy of W Series Media
Qualifying on Friday starts at 6:25pm BST and the race on Saturday starts 1:25pm BST.
We are in the UK at Silverstone for the 10th round of the Formula 1 calendar where another sell-out crowd lines this high-speed track. Leclerc will be looking to attack after the fight from the back of the grid in Montreal. Mercedes have also promised good things for Silverstone while the midfield battle is spicing up.
Can Leclerc recover?
It’s been a roller-coaster of a first half of the season for Leclerc. He started off on top, but reliability issues have meant that is now looking for a recovery to get himself back in the championship fight.
Charles Leclerc fighting his way back to P5. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media
Despite staring from the back of the grid in Canada he did have a strong performance to finish P5 by the end of the race. This does also mean though that Leclerc has a fresh engine for the British GP where the track is high speed and about power.
That might be some good news for Ferrari fans, along with the fact that he always goes well at Silverstone. He almost won in 2021 if not for a great Mercedes strategy and power. For him and Ferrari, he will be hoping to make his way back to the top.
Mercedes bringing the brits performance
With Mercedes all British driver line-up they want to improve on the success in Canada in front of their home crowd. They have appeared to have learned some lessons from a not-so-great Baku to finish a strong P3 and P4 in Montreal.
Hamilton finishing P3 in Canada. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media
There were some off-track technical distractions in Canada, but Toto Wolff believes they have the opportunity in Silverstone to win the race now that they seem to have learned some lessons. They also have drivers which love this circuit and go well here, Hamilton with the most British GP wins ever (eight) and Russell having a great qualifying and weekend performance last year.
Hamilton has also won the 10th round in 2009 and 2013, years he didn’t have a championship-winning car. However, with the unpredictability of the performance window for Mercedes, they will want to have a more constantly positive weekend.
The History of Silverstone
In 1950 the first-ever Formula 1 World Championship race was held at Silverstone and has been a popular track ever since. Whilst it has held the Formula 1 British GP every year of the championship, it is often in the same conversations as Spa, Monza, and Monaco when it comes to history.
Sell-out crowds at Silverstone. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media
Over the years it has many track changes, but the current layout is high-speed corners and straights so favours those cars with good engine power. The atmosphere is like no other circuit and is often a highlight for drivers. With three brits on the grid, the home fans have plenty to shout about.
Dark clouds loomed above the Assen track, just waiting to burst, making every lap count for the riders.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) made the most of it and secured his 4th pole position this season ahead of championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Jorge Martin (Ducati) in 3rd.
Honda rider Pol Espargaro would be sitting out of Sunday’s race due to damage to his ribs and even though he set 3rd fastest lap Martin would be racing with an infected wrist.
Race:
The weather wasn’t exactly clear blue sky, but it was declared dry for race day.
The action started almost immediately: with lights out Joan Mir (Suzuki) and Luca Marini (VR46) collided into eachother, while Bagnaia got a flying start. Quartararo went wide on the first corner ending up in 4th place, but managed to pass Martin and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) through turns 2 and 3 to take back 2nd. Aleix wasn’t just going to let him have the spot though and on the next corner passed him right back. Slightly further back Marco Bezzechi (VR46) passed Jack Miller (Ducati) for 5th. As the first lap ended would the momentum continue for the rest of the race?
Leading the pack. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Starting lap two and Bagnaia led A. Espargaro, Quartararo and Martin.
By lap 3 Aleix had secured fastest lap while the rookie Bezzechi made a move on Martin to take 4th.
Bagnaia was having issues in front trying to shake Aleix. Behind him Fabio took fastest lap and was chasing them both down.
Lap 4 saw Miller take his penalty from qualifying in the form of another long-lap penalty. We all know how last weeks penalty ended up, would history repeat itself this time?
Suddenly with 22 laps to go El Diablo made a move out of nowhere, trying to undertake Espargaro into turn 5. Resulting in both the top championship contenders colliding into the gravel. Aleix managed to remain upright on his Aprilia and rejoin the race, albeit in 15th. Seconds later Fabio had also rejoined the race, in last position behind his teammate. Bagnaia, oblivious to the carnage behind him, then had a 1.064 second lead ahead of Bezzechi and Martin.
There didn’t seem to be any significant damage to Espargaro’s bike as he started to take positions back. By lap 8 he was in 14th place. Now a man on a mission, how far back up the pack could he manage?
Meanwhile the Yamaha weekend was going bad to worse as Frankie Morbidelli crashed out on the same corner as Fabio 2 laps later. On the next lap, turn 8, Darryn Binder also ended his race early and Fabio pulled into the pits to try to retire but was told by his team to go back out, with 17 laps left – this would prove to be a mistake.
Alex Rins (Suzuki) was Espargaro’s next target managing to pass him on lap 9 for 13th while his teammate, Maverick Vinales made a move on Brad Binder (KTM) to claim 4th place on lap 11.
The man on the move – Espargaro then made quick work of both the Gresini racers taking 11th and with it another fastest lap.
Yamaha’s mistake sending Quartararo back out to race resulted in yellow flags being waved for him on lap 13, where once again on turn 5 Quartararo crashed for a second time. This time high-siding from his bike and looking like he’d hurt himself.
Second crash. Courtesy of: BT Sport, Moto GP Twitter page.
Following on from his penalty Miller was up to 6th place by lap 15. Behind him Johann Zarco (Ducati) and Joan Mir (Suzuki) were battling for 8th but, it was Espargaro that calculated a move passing them both claiming the 8th spot for himself.
By this time there were wet weather flags being waved by the marshals, declaring it a wet race. The riders had a choice to either stay out on track or go the pits and swap their bikes. It must not have been raining very hard as no rider decided to swap.
Lap 18 and Vinales took 3rd place from Martin. Was Martin’s wrist starting to hurt from the infection? Was the rain starting to affect visibility or tyres? Whatever was effecting Martin he fell back to 6th. But his troubles didn’t end there – going from strength to strength Aleix made up another place with 7 laps to go and was catching Martin who was 2.176 seconds ahead. Could he manage to catch him in time for the chequered flag?
Next lap and Miller managed to pass his teammate for next year – Binder to take 4th.
By this point of the race, the rain seemed to have eased and the flags had stopped waving. With tension mounting could Bagnaia hold on for just 5 more laps or would the pressure get to him? Would the rookie be able to remain in his podium position? Could Vinales keep his first podium place for Aprilia? Where would Aleix end up? Would there be a classic Assen surprise at the end?
Miller was stalking Vinales and was looking likely to take the last spot on the podium, Maverick was riding defensively though – Miller knew he had to make a move and decided to with 1 lap to go but, he went wide and Maverick took it back. While behind them Espargaro had clawed the seconds down between himself and Martin and had taken 6th.
Last lap – Bagania led Bezzechi and Vinales but as they were crossing the line the Assen surprise came in the form of Espargaro taking 4th place, passing both Binder and Miller in a breathtaking pass on the last corner. In doing so claiming some more all-important championship points. Now with only 21 points between him and Quartararo.
Celebrating over the line. Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
Top ten race finishers:
1st
F. Bagnaia
2nd
M. Bezzechi
3rd
M. Vinales
4th
A. Espargaro
5th
B. Binder
6th
J. Miller
7th
J. Martin
8th
J. Mir
9th
M. Oliveira
10th
A. Rins
Vinales claimed his first Aprilia podium, Bezzechi claimed his first premier class podium, along with VR46’s first Moto GP podium and all was forgiven between Fabio and Aleix, after Fabio apologised to the Aprilia team and to Aleix.
Top four championship standings:
1st
F. Quartararo
172 points
2nd
A. Espargaro
151 points
3rd
J. Zarco
114 points
4th
F. Bagnaia
106 points
Courtesy of: Moto GP website.Courtesy of: Moto GP website.
With 5 weeks to wait for the next Moto GP round at Silverstone (August 5th/ 6th and 7th), the teams and riders can take a well earned rest and come back stronger. The championship is still wide open.
The first half of the season may now be over but what surprises will the second half have installed for us?
Image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsports Carlos Sainz took his fist ever pole position in F1 on Saturday afternoon in an action packed qualifying in Silverstone. Wet weather showed up to no ones surprise for qualifying and it meant that driver skill would decide pole position. Sainz excelled throughout the qualifying and was fastest on track when it mattered in Q3, landing his first pole position ever, in F1.
