SAKHIR, Bahrain: Two-time champion Fernando Alonso continued to set the pace at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday when he outpaced Max Verstappen in an intriguing third and final practice.
The 41-year-old Spaniard, revelling in the performance of his vastly-improved Aston Martin car, clocked a best lap of 1 minute 32.340 seconds to edge Red Bull’s two-time defending world champion by 0.005 seconds.
The Dutchman’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was third ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and George Russell in the second Mercedes.
Lance Stroll, looking recovered from his wrist injuries after a pre-season cycling accident, was seventh in the second Aston Martin, ahead of Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari and rookie Oscar Piastri of McLaren, who was not born when Alonso made his F1 debut in Melbourne 22 years ago.
Pierre Gasly was 10th for Alpine.
Verstappen and Red Bull appeared unperturbed by this relatively minor setback, but Alonso’s continued near-perfect form and calm demeanour suggested the champions may struggle again at one of their least-favorite circuits.
The Dutchman has never won a season opening race or in Bahrain, after nine attempts, while Red Bull have not triumphed at the Bahrain International Circuit for ten years.
On another hot day at Sakhir, with a track temperature of 42 degrees Celsius delivering challenging and unrepresentative conditions, there was no rush out of the pitlane at the start.
When Russell joined the fray after 10 minutes, he was only the fourth man on track, but his arrival sparked others to venture out.
Hamilton soon topped the times ahead of Leclerc as Ferrari and Mercedes duelled for speed.
After delaying his arrival, Alonso made an immediate impact and was top after 55 minutes on softs as Verstappen joined in, going fifth on hard tires and complaining of lack of grip.
In the extreme conditions, it was little surprise the hard compounds failed to perform as Stroll took over at the top, ahead of his Aston Martin team-mate, with 15 minutes remaining.
Mercedes then switched to softs and Hamilton and Russell took over before Verstappen and then Alonso outpaced them to go first and second.
Told he had taken P1, Alonso gave a laconic reply. “Oh, really?” he drawled.
As a brief rehearsal ahead of qualifying later Saturday, it was intriguing, but confirmed Aston Martin are genuine front-runners for this weekend’s event.
Alonso maintains hold over Verstappen in Bahrain GP practice
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Alonso maintains hold over Verstappen in Bahrain GP practice
- The 41-year-old Spaniard clocked a best lap of 1 minute 32.340 seconds
- Verstappen and Red Bull appeared unperturbed by this relatively minor setback
Felix da Costa wins historic third Berlin E-Prix
- Round 10 win at Tempelhof earns TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team first victory on home turf
- Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing has a 45-point lead in standings after victory in round 9
BERLIN: Antonio Felix da Costa became the only driver to win three times at the Tempelhof Airport street circuit after he clinched the win in round 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
His win at the Berlin E-Prix also secured Tag Heuer Porsche’s inaugural victory on home turf in Formula E.
“It just feels great to win at a home race for Porsche, it’s amazing,” said da Costa. “We’ve got so many guests here: so many people who work in the factory that don’t normally get to come to the races, our board members are here, so it’s definitely a special one.
“Honestly, it’s been a tough start to the season and we’ve been building a really good momentum, always closing the gap to the championship leaders and it feels good to take this one.”
He added: “You have to work hard when things aren’t right, but when you have the right people around you it makes it a little bit easier. I want to dedicate to this to my engineer’s father-in-law who passed away this week, so it’s for him and his family.”
Da Costa held on throughout the 38-lap race, despite relentless pressure from Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy of Jaguar, the latter being the victor of round 9 on Saturday.
Cassidy executed a last-minute move on Nissan’s Oliver Rowland to secure second place, clinching the fastest lap in the process. Rowland snatched third after a challenging starting position, ahead of Tag Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, who valiantly battled reigning champion Jake Dennis (Andretti) for fourth.
Cassidy’s teammate, Evans, finished in sixth. Jehan Daruvala of Maserati MSG Racing delivered an impressive seventh-place finish after navigating through the pack from 13th, marking a personal best Formula E result for the Indian driver.
Climbing from 18th to eighth place was 19-year-old Taylor Barnard of NEOM McLaren Formula E, showing remarkable skill in what was his first full weekend in the series. Joel Eriksson (Envision Racing) also achieved his best result to date with a ninth-place finish, while Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE) rounded out the top ten.
Cassidy leaves Berlin with a substantial 45-point haul and assumes top position in the standings with 140 points, ahead of Wehrlein on 124. Rowland occupies third place with 118 points.
In the team championship, Jaguar TCS Racing leads with 237 points, followed by TAG Heuer Porsche in second place with 183.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi romps to victory in Tabuk Toyota Rally
- The Saudi Toyota Championship continues with the Qassim Rally on October 23 to 26
TABUK: Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his German co-driver Timo Gottschalk cruised to an emphatic victory in the Tabuk Toyota Rally and the Saudi extended his lead in the 2024 Saudi Toyota Championship on Saturday.
The Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux drivers had no problems on the final 168 km selective section and secured a winning margin of 16 minutes 37 seconds.
“It was good for us,” said Al-Rajhi. “It was not easy, very tricky actually. We have good stages in Saudi now. Before it was flat, flat and now it is more technical with good navigation and you need to focus all the time. Now we look ahead to Baja Greece.”
Dania Akeel and Stephane Duple continued to flourish in the Ultimate category with the second of the Toyota Hiluxes and finished second overall, despite getting lost on the stage for several minutes.
“We had a good day except we lost around four minutes in navigation, that is part of the game,” Akeel said. “Other than that, we had a good day. The stage was narrow and quite twisty and that was good for me to get used to the car, I would love to race this car every day. We will see, I want to develop as a driver as much as I can.”
Saleh Al-Saif and Qatari co-driver Nasser Al-Kuwari rounded off the podium places and topped the Challenger standings in their Dark Horse OT3.
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi continued his superb run of form in Middle East regional events with the fastest time on the final stage that confirmed another victory for the Emirati on his Husqvarna.
He beat local KTM rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera by nearly 15 minutes on the final stage to snatch the win by 27 minutes 45 seconds, his cause helped further when the Saudi rider incurred a time penalty.
“I’m really happy, so pumped with this win. The task was difficult (but) not impossible,” Al-Balooshi said. “I really put my head down, stayed focused and I needed more than two minutes, I got a lot more than that. I am really happy to defend this title in Tabuk, I really like all the races in Saudi Arabia. Abdulhalim (Al-Mogheera) really kept me on my toes. He is progressing well.”
There was a nail-biting finish to the battle in the quads with Haitham Al-Tuwaijri managing to snatch the victory on his Yamaha Raptor from rivals Hani Al-Noumesi and Abdulaziz Al-Shayban. The Saudi’s winning margin was just 25 seconds.
The Saudi Toyota Championship continues with the Qassim Rally from October 23 to 26.
Saudi’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi storms into the lead of Tabuk Toyota Rally
- Al-Mogheera and Al-Tuwaijri top motorcycle and quad standings after stage one
TABUK: Saudi pilot Yazeed Al-Rajhi and German co-driver Timo Gottschalk took a commanding 4 minute and 21 second lead in the Tabuk Toyota Rally on Friday.
The Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew led the opening 245 km selective section, a scenic and demanding route through the Zaita desert, from start to finish.
“No issues, no problems, all is good,” said Al-Rajhi afterwards.
The pair’s team-mates, Dania Akeel and Stephane Duple, also had a strong run that left the two Ultimate P class cars at the top of the leader board.
“It was spectacular and a lot of fun, amazing views and a really nice race,” Akeel said.
“The first 85 km were open and fast and the remainder were more technical between the rocks and the mountains and canyons. We took care to pass without any surprises. I love this car a lot and I feel more confident every kilometer.”
Saleh Al-Saif was the best of the rest with Qatari co-driver Nasser Al-Kuwari. The Saudi moved into a comfortable category lead over fourth-placed Can-Am driver Abdullah Al-Haydan.
“The stage is different to last year. A lot of new terrain and tracks. It was a little bit tricky and rocky and we had a puncture at the beginning,” Al-Saif said.
“About 10 km before the end, we had another puncture and decided not to change it. My aim is to be second in the championship.”
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi claimed the stage win in the motorcycle category on his Husqvarna with a time of 3 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds.
But the Emirati still trails local rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera by 1 minute 50 seconds in the overall standings after the Saudi won the Prologue stage.
“Today, it was a very long stage and quite busy. I am really happy. I picked the strategy to start 10th and I knew if everything went right, I would win,” Al-Balooshi said.
“I didn’t expect to catch everybody at 60km. Then I led to the finish. That’s why I’m here to improve my navigation. I am really happy with that overall and I am happy to be able to compete in the championship.
“I have won in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman but I don’t have a Saudi title. This would make my list complete. I did win something in KSA in 2009 but it would be special to win this title.”
Hamdan Al-Ali and Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti were classified third and fourth, with Ahmed Al-Jaber rounding out the top five.
Saudi trio fastest on Prologue stage at Tabuk Toyota Rally
TABUK: The Saudi trio of Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Abdulaziz Al-Shayban set the quickest times in the car, motorcycle and quad categories on the seven-kilometre Prologue stage at the start of the Tabuk Toyota Rally 2024 on Thursday.
Championship leader Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his German co-driver Timo Gottshalk guided their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux to the fastest time of 5:50 mins in the overall car category and the Ultimate P section. That was comfortably quicker than the time set by their second-placed team-mates Dania Akeel and Stéphane Duplé in a dominant Toyota 1-2.
Abdulaziz Al-Shayban showed a useful turn of speed in Spain recently and the Yamaha rider topped the quad standings in the Prologue with a time of 7:51 mins to beat Hani Al-Noumesi and Abdulaziz Al-Atawi. Abdulrahman Al-Abdullatif failed to finish the stage.
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi finished behind leading Saudi rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera in the unofficial bike results on his Husqvarna Rally. Saudi’s Ahmed Al-Jaber tied with Kuwaiti Abdullah Al-Shatti for third place. Emirati Kove rider Ibrahim Bugla, who suffered delays in the stage, lost over six minutes and slipped to the rear of the motorcycle standings.
Moaaz Hariri teamed up with Kirill Shubin to deliver a potent stage performance in his Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR. A time of 6:06 mins catapulted the Saudi into third on the stage and atop the SSV standings. Abdullah Al-Shegawi was his closest SSV rival.
Saudi Can-Am Maverick driver Hamad Al-Harbi came home in fourth and headed the Challenger category from Dark Horse OT3 driver and series leader Saleh Al-Saif. Maha Al-Hameli was third quickest in the category.
Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh was the fastest of the Nissan drivers in the Ultimate class in 10th place but rivals Ahmed Al-Shammeri and Faris Al-Moshna lost a lot of time with technical issues and plummeted to the rear of the rankings.
Mohammed Al-Asiri set the fastest time in the Stock category for series-production cross-country vehicles.
The rider were flagged away from the ceremonial start at King Khalid City in Tabuk by Prince Khaled bin Saud bin Abdullah Al-Faisal, deputy governor of Tabuk province, and SAMF President Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal.
The second round of the Saudi Toyota Championship, organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, attracted a final starting list of 29 cars, 12 motorcycles and six quads.
Saudia partners with Newcastle United and Formula E to craft unique film
- Film is directed by the former series director of Top Gear and the Grand Tour Phil Churchward
- Film’s protagonist navigates the GEN3 car around lakes, through a shopping arcade and along the streets of Newcastle before arriving at St. James Park just in time for kick-off
JEDDAH: Saudia has partnered with Newcastle United and Formula E to craft a promotional film.
Commenting on the endeavor, Khaled Tash, group chief marketing officer of Saudia, expressed his excitement, stating: “This film exemplifies Saudia’s commitment to innovation and collaboration. Sport has such a unique power to bring people together and through exciting projects like this we’re committed to bringing fans of both Newcastle United and Formula E closer to the sports they love.”
Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, echoed Khaled’s sentiments, emphasizing the significance of this partnership.
“Formula E stands at the forefront of sustainable innovation and so we’re thrilled to work with Saudia and Newcastle United in highlighting our unique and exciting sport. As the wheels of Formula E race alongside the iconic wings of Saudia and the passionate spirit of Newcastle United, our collaboration showcases the possibilities for when organizations come together with a shared vision,” he said.
Peter Silverstone, chief commercial officer of Newcastle United, hailed the collaboration.
“Newcastle United provides the perfect platform for Saudia to engage with sports fans around the world. This Formula E collaboration shows how we can elevate the airline’s presence across different sectors,” he said.
“Newcastle United has a global following in all of the markets that Formula E is taking its race meetings to, whether it’s the Middle East, North America, or Asia. Our supporters will love seeing this video.
“It not only highlights the football club and our ambition to engage with supporters around the world, it also showcases the north-east of England and how special this part of the world really is,” he added.
The film is directed by the former series director of Top Gear and the Grand Tour Phil Churchward.
Director of photography Ben Joiner, known for his work on the race sequences for Rush, and professional driver Nikki Faulkner, who has featured in Hollywood movies such as Mission Impossible and Gran Turismo, also worked on the film.
The film follows a mysterious racing driver, dressed in Saudia-branded Formula E race attire, on a unique journey starting on board a Saudia aircraft and finishing at St. James Park.
The adventure, featuring 100 Newcastle United fans and three Premier League footballers, takes viewers through eight distinct locations as the film’s protagonist expertly navigates the GEN3 car around serene lakes, through a shopping arcade in Newcastle city center and around scenic urban roads to arrive at St. James Park just in time for kick-off.
