F1 Abu Dhabi GP, 12 December 2021

 

                                  1. M. Verstappen       2. L. Hamilton       3. C. Sainz

How Max Verstappen overcame Lewis Hamilton to win the 2021 title
Yas Marina          [12 December 2021]

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It quickly became clear at the start of the year that Mercedes would not have an easy ride to the title in 2021.

After seven years of facing no serious competition for either the drivers' or the constructors' title, the reigning world champions were suddenly on the back foot. Red Bull emerged as the team to beat in preseason testing as Mercedes struggled to adapt its 2020 car to regulation changes aimed at slowing the entire field to protect Pirelli's tyres.

The rule changes clearly impacted Mercedes' design concept more than its rivals, but that came with the bonus of creating one of the most competitive seasons to date as Red Bull finally got its car and engine package right from the first race. 

 

 

F1 Saudi Arabia GP, 5 December 2021

 

                          1. L. Hamilton       2. M. Verstappen       3. V. Bottas

Hamilton beats Verstappen in controversy
Jeddah          [5 December 2021]

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Lewis Hamilton won a controversial debut Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas amid two red-flag stoppages. The result means the two championship protagonists go to the Abu Dhabi finale level on points.

Hamilton led Bottas and Verstappen – who shrugged off his qualifying crash – at the start but on Lap 10, Mick Schumacher spun and hit the Turn 23 barriers. The Safety Car soon turned into a red flag, crucially giving Verstappen a free stop in the pits, while the Mercedes had stopped under yellows.

The Lap 15 standing start saw Hamilton lead, but Verstappen went wide and off-track at the first chicane, cutting back across Hamilton, who dropped to P3 behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (who also enjoyed a red flag tyre change and the subsequent advantage). However, there were two separate incidents behind in which Sergio Perez was collected by Charles Leclerc and Nikita Mazepin collided with George Russell – so another red flag was called. 

 

 

F1 Brazil GP, 14 November 2021

 

                              1. L. Hamilton       2. M. Verstappen       3. V. Bottas

Another Lewis Hamilton masterclass keeps title fight with Max Verstappen alive Sao Paulo          [14 November 2021] Lewis Hamilton keeps raising the bar. Maybe that shouldn't be a surprise anymore. Hamilton had to wait a couple of months to score his 101st F1 victory but when it came, it came in a style Hamilton has turned into an art form. Give Hamilton an ordinary car and he will deliver great things. Give him the rocket ship he drove on Sunday and he might as well be on a different circuit to the rest. Without any of the drama that unfolded over the course of the last 72 hours at Interlagos, Hamilton and Mercedes likely would have won sprint qualifying and the race which followed at a canter. As it turned out, Hamilton was forced on multiple occasions to dig deep to ensure the championship did not slip further from his grasp.

MotoGP Valencia 14 November 2021

 

                                1. F. Bagnaia       2. J. Martin       3. J. Miller

Bagnaia victorious in Valencia, Rossi bids farewell in 10th
Ricardo Tormo, 14 November 2021

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A fourth win of 2021 for Pecco helps Ducati Lenovo Team claim the Teams’ title as The Doctor bows out in style.

For the fourth time in 2021, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took victory as the Italian led home a historic Ducati 1-2-3 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, with Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) claiming podiums.

The race will forever be remembered as Valentino Rossi’s (Petronas Yamaha SRT) last dance, and The Doctor delivered a P10 in his farewell MotoGP™ appearance in front of a packed Circuit Ricardo Tormo crowd. Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) saw the chequered flag in P17, the Italian premier class race winner also says goodbye to Grand Prix racing in an emotional Sunday in Valencia.

 

 

F1 Mexico GP, 7 November 2021

 

1. M. Verstappen       2. L. Hamilton       3. S. Perez

Verstappen eases to Mexico win, as Hamilton holds off Perez for second Mexico City          [7 November 2021] Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cruised to a record third career Mexico City Grand Prix victory ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez – who became the first Mexican driver to take a Formula 1 podium at their home race. The joy of Valtteri Bottas’s shock pole position was short-lived as Verstappen swept around the outside of the two Mercedes into the first corner on the opening lap. Bottas was then tipped into a spin by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo into Turn 2 to leave Verstappen leading Hamilton then Perez behind the Safety Car, which was called back for a Lap 5 race restart, as Bottas dropped to the back of the field. Verstappen’s pace on the medium tyres – on which everyone bar Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon started – was superior to Hamilton’s in the opening stint. With the Briton losing time to the Dutchman and his team mate Perez, he pitted for hards on Lap 30 and Verstappen followed on Lap 34, emerging second to make Perez the first Mexican to lead his home race.

MotoGP Portugal 7 November 2021

 

1. F. Bagnaia       2. J. Mir       3. J. Miller

Bagnaia hands Ducati Constructors crown in red-flagged race
Algarve, 7 November 2021

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The Italian converted pole into victory number three of the season as Ducati retain their title; Quartararo suffers first DNF of 2021.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was unstoppable at the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve and picked up his third victory of the season, with his latest 25-point haul handing Ducati the 2021 Constructors title.

Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the podium in Portimao as the race ended prematurely, with an Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crash at Turn 13 bringing out the red flags - riders conscious, Oliveira headed to the medical centre for a check-up. 

 

 

F1 USA GP, 24 October 2021

1. M. Verstappen       2. L. Hamilton       3. S. Perez

Max Verstappen has never looked more like a champion Austin          [24 October 2021] Compared to the 18 other drivers taking part in the U.S. Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were in a league of their own. Pushing each other to the limit until the final lap, the two title rivals finished 40 seconds clear of the next car on the road -- Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez -- and crossed the line with just 1.333s separating them. Either driver could have won the race, but when it came down to it Verstappen just had the edge. And with five more rounds to go, it's looking increasingly likely that a similarly small margin will decide the championship in his favour by the end of the year.

  

MotoGP Italy 24 October 2021

Joan Mir (left) with Fabio Quartararo (middle) and Francesco Bagnaia.

1. M. Marquez       2. F. Quartararo       3. F. Bagnaia

ELD1ABLO: Quartararo crowned Champion, Marc Marquez wins Misano, 24 October 2021 Race leader Bagnaia crashed out in the closing stages to hand Quartararo the 2021 title; Repsol Honda 1-2, Rossi 10th in final home GP. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) is the 2021 MotoGP™ World Champion. After Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashed out of the race lead in the closing stages of the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell'Emilia-Romagna, the title was decided as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) emerges victorious, with Pol Espargaro securing his maiden podium with Honda. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) passed Quartararo on the last lap to bag his second podium of the season, but the day – and year – belongs to the Frenchman. From pole position, Bagnaia got a decent getaway but it was teammate Jack Miller who got the best launch from the front row. Pecco grabbed the holeshot though as Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) carved his way into P2 from the second row. Miller grabbed P2 from Oliveira at Turn 4 though, with Marc Marquez then getting the better of Oliveira down into Turn 8. Quartararo didn’t make a rapid start, but more importantly, he stayed trouble-free.

 

 

2022 MotoGP Calendar

 

2022 GPs

 

06/Mar/22  Qatar GP

 

20/Mar/22  Indonesia GP  New

 

03/Apr/22  Argentina GP

 

10/Apr/22  Americas GP

 

01/May/22  Spanish GP

 

15/May/22  French GP

 

29/May/22  Italian GP

 

05/Jun/22  Catalan GP

 

19/Jun/22  German GP

 

26/Jun/22  Dutch GP

 

10/Jul/22  Finnish GP

 

07/Aug/22  British GP

 

21/Aug/22  Austrian GP

 

04/Sep/22  S. Marino GP

 

18/Sep/22  Aragon GP

 

25/Sep/22  Japanese GP

 

02/Oct/22  Thai GP

 

16/Oct/22  Australian GP

 

23/Oct/22  Malaysian GP

F1 Turkish GP, 10 October 2021

 

                                   1. V. Bottas       2. M. Verstappen       3. S. Perez

Bottas holds off Verstappen and Perez to claim first win of 2021 in damp Turkish GP Istanbul          [10 October 2021] Valtteri Bottas won an engrossing Turkish Grand Prix that was run in damp conditions, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and his team mate Sergio Perez completing the podium. Light rain peppered the track well before the race and while the rain stopped, conditions called for intermediate tyres throughout. Bottas led the race away from pole, his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton having started 11th thanks to his 10-place engine related penalty, while Verstappen followed the Finn. By Lap 11, Hamilton was up into the top five having passed Pierre Gasly. The defending champion would be promoted to fourth when Sergio Perez pitted on Lap 38.

MotoGP USA 3 October 2021

 

                         1. M. Marquez       2. F. Quartararo       3. F. Bagnaia

Classy Marc Marquez reclaims COTA crown with victory
Austin, 3 October 2021

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The eight-time World Champion earned a seventh win in Austin as Quartararo extends Championship lead to 52 points.

The King of COTA is back. A faultless display from Marc Marquez handed the Repsol Honda Team star a magnificent seventh win at the Circuit of The Americas, as the number 93 stormed to a second victory of 2021. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) extended his World Championship lead with a second place at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, with third place finisher Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) now 52 points shy of the Frenchman with three races to go.

Plan A was executed to perfection by Marc Marquez from third on the grid, the number 93 grabbed the holeshot as Quartararo also got the better of polesitter Bagnaia. The latter then lost another place to the fast-starting Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on the opening lap, with Pecco then getting demoted to P5 as Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) carved his way past on Lap 2.

 

 

F1 Russia GP, 26 September 2021

 

                            1. L. Hamilton       2. M. Verstappen       3. C. Sainz

Hamilton takes 100th F1 victory after late rain shower denies long-time leader Norris at Sochi Sochi          [26 September 2021] Lewis Hamilton took his 100th Grand Prix victory in a Russian Grand Prix that started in dry conditions and ended under rain, the Mercedes driver making a late switch to intermediate tyres to take the lead when pole-sitter Lando Norris agonisingly slid out of the lead with just two laps left. Max Verstappen made it from P20 to P2, and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took third having started second. Grid penalties were the talk of the town on Sunday morning with Valtteri Bottas the latest to take the hit, Mercedes putting a new power unit into his car to see him start 16th with the knowledge that Max Verstappen would start 20th (having taken a new Honda engine earlier in the weekend) and Charles Leclerc 19th with a new Ferrari unit. Although he fell to seventh at the start, Hamilton’s pace was competitive on his medium tyres and he pitted on Lap 27 for hards, before Norris – who had scored a sensational first pole on Saturday and duelled with Sainz early in the race – and once the pitstop sequences had finished by Lap 38 it was Norris leading a rapid Hamilton. The pair were just one second part in the closing stages. And then the rain hit.