MOTORSPORT - The African Mirror

Sep

28

2023

Hawkins becomes first woman in five years to test an F1 car

MOTORSPORT

ASTON Martin driver ambassador and former W Series racer Jessica Hawkins has become the first woman in nearly five years to test a Formula One car, the Silverstone-based team announced. Hawkins, a 28-year-old former British karting champion who has also worked as a James Bond movie stunt driver, did 26 laps in Aston's 2021 car at the Hungaroring outside Budapest last Thursday. She alternated in the car with Brazilian test and reserve Felipe Drugovich. "It’s taken me every bit of blood, sweat and tears to get here," said the Briton of what she described as a dream come true. "Nothing…

Sep

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Team by team analysis of the Japanese Grand Prix

MOTORSPORT

TEAM by team analysis of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, the 16th round of the 22-race Formula One season (listed in championship order): RED BULL (Max Verstappen 1, Sergio Perez retired) Red Bull secured the constructors' championship for the second successive year and sixth time in all. Verstappen won in Japan from pole for the second year in a row, his 13th victory of the season and 48th of his career. He also took fastest lap and can win his third title at the next race in Qatar, with Perez now his sole rival but 177 points adrift. The…

Jul

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Ricciardo replaces De Vries at AlphaTauri from Hungary

MOTORSPORT

AUSTRALIAN Daniel Ricciardo will return to a Formula One race seat with AlphaTauri from Hungary next week after replacing Nyck de Vries for the rest of the season, the Red Bull-owned team said. Ricciardo drove for the team from 2012-13 when they were known as Toro Rosso and then graduated to Red Bull from 2014 to 2018, winning seven races. He left McLaren last year after being replaced by compatriot Oscar Piastri and was due to spend 2023 on the sidelines as Red Bull reserve while deciding his future intentions. "I am stoked to be back on track with the…

Jul

10

2023

By ALAN BALDWIN

Verstappen takes Red Bull’s 11th win in a row

MOTORSPORT

MAX Verstappen won the British Grand Prix to stretch his Formula One lead to 99 points as unbeaten Red Bull equalled McLaren's 1988 record run of 11 victories in a row. McLaren's Lando Norris finished second in front of a roaring 160,000-strong home crowd at Silverstone, with fellow Briton and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes after starting seventh. "Eleven in a row. That's pretty crazy," said Verstappen over the team radio after what was also his sixth win in a row and eighth in 10 races this season. The double world champion bagged the fastest lap bonus…

May

18

2023

By ALAN BALDWIN

Imola F1 race called off as floods devastate region

MOTORSPORT

FORMULA One and local organisers called off the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola as torrential rain and flooding caused devastation across the northern Italian region. The sport said the event could not be held safely this weekend and the decision was "the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region". There is little scope for rescheduling on a crowded calendar that initially had a record 24 events but dropped to 23 in January when China was cancelled and is now set to end up with 22. Italy's civil protection…

Apr

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Formula One under scrutiny over balance between safety and entertainment

MOTORSPORT

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

04

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

03

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

31

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

31

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…