MOTORSPORT - The African Mirror

Apr

2023

Formula One under scrutiny over balance between safety and entertainment

IAN RANSOM AFTER a dramatic Australian Grand Prix laden with crashes and red flags, Formula One takes a three-week break from racing but the debate over the balance between safety and entertainment may rage through to the next stop in Baku. Eight cars failed to finish Sunday's race and four crashed out within seconds of a standing restart as stewards failed to produce a winner from a two-lap sprint. Organisers also came under fire for security and safety failures at Albert Park after fans poured onto the track before the race was completed, while a spectator was struck by a piece of debris from…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Team-by-team analysis of the Australian Grand Prix

MOTORSPORT

TEAM-BY-TEAM analysis of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne's Albert Park, round three of the 23-race Formula One season (listed in current championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez 5) Red Bull won the opening three races of a season for the first time. This was also their 350th race. The victory, from pole, was double champion Verstappen's second of 2023 and first in Australia. The Dutchman lost out to Russell and Hamilton at the start, complaining about Hamilton's turn-three move forcing him wide, but retook the lead by passing the seven-times champion around the outside on lap…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Ethiopia’s Ayana takes Paris win on marathon debut

MOTORSPORT

ETHIOPIA'S Abeje Ayana won the men's race at the Paris Marathon in his first competitive run over the distance and Kenya's Helah Kiprop claimed the women's title. The 20-year-old Ayana won with a time of two hours, seven minutes and 15 seconds, 20 seconds ahead of compatriot and pre-race favourite Guye Adola with Kenya's Josphat Boit a further five seconds back in third. After clocking 59:39 in a half marathon in Poznan, Poland in 2021, Ayana was one of the men to watch on a grey, windy morning in the French capital. He sped away from a group of four…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Hamilton sees himself at Mercedes until ‘last days’

MOTORSPORT

IAN RANSOM LEWIS Hamilton will only leave Mercedes if he feels he has nothing left to give them but would rather see out his "last days" with the Formula One team, the seven-times world champion said. Hamilton is out of contract at the end of the year and speculation about his future is already rife as Mercedes struggle to recapture their past dominance. However, Hamilton said he felt "amazing" about his future with the outfit. "I continue to feel very much at home in this family," the 38-year-old Briton told reporters at Albert Park. "I see myself with Mercedes until…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Formula One statistics for the Australian Grand Prix

MOTORSPORT

FORMULA One statistics for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, the third round of the 23-race season:Lap distance: 5.278km. Total distance: 306.124km (58 laps)2022 pole position: Charles Leclerc (Monaco) Ferrari, one minute 17.868 seconds.2022 winner: LeclercRace lap record: Leclerc (2022) 1:20.260Start time: 0500 GMT (1500 local) There was no grand prix at Albert Park in 2020 and 2021. The circuit was shortened by 28 metres, with two turns taken out and seven corners modified, for last year's race and is now considered a new layout from 2019. A fourth DRS zone has been added for this year. AUSTRALIAMcLaren rookie Oscar…