Having finished a credible seventh in the sprint race, he followed up with another seventh placing in the main event, beating not only his team-mate Arvid Lindblad in both races (and qualifying), but finishing ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar in the main race as well.
At the pointy end of things, Mercedes continues to have the edge, with Ferrari clearly best of the rest. It was dream-come-true time for Kimi Antonelli, as he scored his maiden F1 victory, becoming in the process the second-youngest winner of a Formula 1 Grand Prix (Max Verstappen remains the youngest).
I’m still undecided as to whether the new F1 regulations in place this year have genuinely improved the racing or simply created an illusion of closer competition as drivers manage their battery charge and activate boost options in different ways, lap by lap.
Max Verstappen has been the most outspoken critic of the new rules, claiming recently that, "If someone likes this, then you really don’t know what racing is like". On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton stated after last weekend that, "I think it’s the best racing that I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1".
There has certainly been ample overtaking. Aerodynamic changes are allowing the cars to run much closer than before, and with reliability issues still a factor for many teams, there has been plenty of other drama too.
We’ve now got this weekend off ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, after which what promises to be a fascinating F1 year hits pause for several weeks, with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix having been cancelled for a pretty obvious reason.
Racing in the United States is continuing unabated, though last weekend’s Nascar round and IndyCar race meeting brought slim pickings for the Kiwis.
In the Nascar race at Las Vegas Speedway, Shane van Gisbergen qualified well but finished last-but-one after damaging his car early in the race. Meantime, Scott Dixon was the best-placed of the Kiwis at the inaugural IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington, finishing eighth, while Marcus Armstrong was 10th and Scott McLaughlin 11th.
The IndyCar teams have this weekend off before the next round in Alabama, but the Nascar action continues, and the all-electric Formula E also resumes — this time in Spain.
Last weekend also saw torrid action in the World Rally Championship, with wet conditions making for an especially treacherous Kenyan Safari Rally. With most of the fancied runners falling by the wayside, it was a delight to see Japanese Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta emerge triumphant. "Taka", as he is widely known, is a popular figure in the sport and has stood on the WRC podium eight times before, but this was his first time on the top step.
Here in New Zealand, motorsport attention is beginning to turn to the upcoming Otago Rally, and the Australian Supercars rounds at Taupō and Ruapuna.
I understand the rally has attracted a record entry of somewhere close to 150 cars, but a notable absentee will be ten-time winner Hayden Paddon. That’s because the Cromwell-based Paddon and his Blenheim-based co-driver John Kennard have this week (as expected) been confirmed as part of the Hyundai factory team for the upcoming fourth round of the World Rally Championship, Rally Croatia. Unfortunately, the April 9-12 WRC event clashes date-wise with the April 10-12 Otago Rally.
Still, I can’t imagine any Kiwi rally fans begrudging Paddon and Kennard their second WRC start of the year, even if they will be missed as the Otago Rally marks its 50th year.
Drivesouth’s build-up to the Otago event will start in earnest next weekend.
