Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Ends Max Verstappen’s Winning Streak with Singapore Grand Prix Victory

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Sainz has put an end to Max Verstappen‘s record-breaking run of victories…

The 29-year-old Spanish racing driver, currently competing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, won a tense Singapore Grand Prix to end Verstappen’s record-breaking run and Red Bull‘s hopes of an unbeaten season.

Sainz drove a tactical masterclass in the final laps, keeping Lando Norris‘ McLaren close enough that he had use of the Drag Reduction System (DRS) overtaking aid to keep charging Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at bay.

In a dramatic finish, on the final lap Russell crashed out while chasing Norris to hand the final podium spot to Hamilton.

Sainz’s win was his second in F1 and Ferrari‘s first since his teammate Charles Leclerc won the Austrian Grand Prix on July 10 last year.

In the time since, Red Bull had lost only one race, when George Russell won the Brazilian Grand Prix in November.

Sainz’s victory ended Verstappen’s record run of 10 wins in a row as the huge pace advantage Red Bull had all year disappeared under the lights of Marina Bay.

Verstappen had to settle for fifth position, his first race off the podium this year.

What had been a quiet contest exploded into life in the final 10 laps.

Russell and Hamilton had been brought into contention when Mercedes used a Virtual Safety Car on Lap 45 of 62 to bring both drivers in for fresh tyres when the others did not.

The pace advantage saw them quickly catch the lead three cars, but after both got by Leclerc with relative ease, Russell was unable to get past Norris, who was always within one second of Sainz.

When told how close Norris was behind at one stage, Sainz told Ferrari: “Yeah, it’s on purpose.”

F1’s rules allowed him use of the DRS overtaking aid, and the speed boost it gave Norris on the straights was enough to keep the McLaren driver ahead, which he did with some good defending driving four laps from the end.

Having failed to get by Norris on a couple of occasions, Russell then clipped the inside wall and went straight on into the barrier on the final lap.

That promoted Hamilton to third and Leclerc to fourth in the other Ferrari.

Verstappen finished fifth, extending his huge championship lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who finished eighth.

Verstappen is now 151 points clear; a win Sunday would have given him the chance to wrap up the title in Japan next week. Instead, the earliest he can do it is October 8 at the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull has utterly dominated the season and will hope the race at Suzuka is business as usual.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was sixth, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Liam Lawson continued his impressive start to life in F1, scoring the first points in his career in ninth.

Lawson is expected to drive again at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Daniel Ricciardo still not ready to return to racing after breaking a hand in a crash ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.

Kevin Magnussen managed to snatch a point for Haas to reward the team for a strong weekend that had seen both cars start inside the top 10.

Carlos Sainz to Compete in All-Star Match Preceding Upcoming Ryder Cup

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Sainz is swinging into a new sport…

The 29-year-old Spanish racing driver, currently competing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, will step out of his race car and onto the golf course.

Sainz will compete in an All-Star match preceding the upcoming Ryder Cup outside Rome.

Sainz, Novak Djokovic and soccer players Gareth Bale and Andriy Shevchenko are among those named to compete in the September 27 event by Ryder Cup Europe.

“I can’t wait to tee it up in Rome and experience the incredible atmosphere of a Ryder Cup, which has become legendary,” said Djokovic, a 23-time Grand Slam champion who is currently competing at the US Open.

Actress Kathryn Newton and Super Bowl champion Victor Cruz were also included on the teams that will be led by former Ryder Cup captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin.

The Ryder Cup will be held from September 29-October 1 at the Marco Simone course.

At the 2022 British Grand Prix, Sainz took his maiden Formula One pole position and career win. He has ended up on the podium 16 times.

Carlos Sainz Claims First Career Formula One Victory at British Grand Prix

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Sainz has found the winning formula…

The 27-year-old Spanish racing driver has claimed his first Formula One victory ahead of Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton at a rollercoaster and action-packed British Grand Prix.

The race, one of the best of the season so far, included a dramatic crash at the start which saw Zhou Guanyu‘s car flipped over tire barrier, protesters forcing their way onto the track on the opening lap and championship leader Max Verstappen dropping down the order with a damaged car.

Sainz’s chances of a first win appeared to have completely disappeared at two different points in the race, first after a big mistake at Becketts and then after he obeyed a team order to let teammate Charles Leclerc through on Lap 32 of 52.

A late Safety Car and race restart 10 laps later provided a perfect opportunity for Sainz to reclaim the lead and scamper away with the win as an unbelievable finish unfolded in the battle for second behind him between Perez, Hamilton and Leclerc.

“Yes! We did it! Yes! Vamos!” Sainz shouted over the radio after crossing the line, securing his first win in 151 F1 attempts.

Home favorite Hamilton had looked in a perfect position to challenge the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz for his first victory of the season until that Safety Car deployment and immediately lost position to Perez at the restart.

An epic battle for second and third then unfolded between Perez, Hamilton and Leclerc, featuring multiple position changes and some aggressive driving from all three drivers.

On lap 48, Perez forced Leclerc wide at the final corner, allowing Hamilton up into second. Several corners later, Perez forced Hamilton wide to reclaim the position and the Mercedes driver fell behind Leclerc.

Leclerc turned in some incredible defensive driving to keep Hamilton at bay for as long as he could in the closing stages but in the end could not do anything about the major tyre disadvantage he had been left with at the Safety Car restart.

For Hamilton it was his second visit to the podium in two races and a clear sign of the progress Mercedes has made in recent races.

Leclerc had to settle for fourth position, having lost a rare opportunity to make a bigger dent in Verstappen’s championship lead.

Verstappen finished seventh after holding off Haas’ Mick Schumacher in the run to the finish line.

Verstappen still holds a healthy lead in the championship, 34 points ahead of teammate Perez and 43 ahead of Leclerc.

Sainz’s win moved him ahead of George Russell, who did not finish, and into fourth position in the title fight.

The events of the first 10 seconds of the race set the tone for the dramatic afternoon which followed.

Alfa Romeo rookie Zhou Gaunyu was vaulted into a terrifying barrel roll at Turn 1 which left his car upside down in the tire barrier and prompted a red flag race suspension.

Zhou had been tagged by the Mercedes of George Russell, who in turn had been hit by Pierre Gasly‘s AlphaTauri.

Russell’s race ended in the gravel trap at Turn 1, while Alex Albon was also spun into the wall at Turn 1.

Gasly was later spun around by teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

All those incidents opened up a perfect opportunity for Haas to bounce back from a deflating Saturday which had seen both drivers eliminated in Q1, as Schumacher finally claimed the first F1 points of his career.

An emotional Schumacher apologized to Haas after finishing after swearing over the radio as he celebrated the finish.

Teammate Kevin Magnussen claimed the final points paying position of the afternoon in 10th.

Pitbull’s Trackhouse Entertainment Group Launches NASCAR Cup Series Program for International Drivers

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Pitbull is revvin’ things up…

Trackhouse Entertainment Group, a venture of former driver Justin Marks and the 41-year-old Cuban American Grammy-winning rapper, has launched a program that will field a NASCAR Cup Series entry for renowned international drivers.

PROJECT91 could make Trackhouse a destination spot for global stars eager to compete in America’s most popular racing series.

PROJECT91 will enter the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro at least once during the current Cup season and has plans to expand the program in future years. The first driver and race will be announced soon.

Trackhouse Racing, a division of Trackhouse Entertainment Group, currently fields cars for Daniel Suárez (No. 99) and Ross Chastain (No. 1) in the Cup Series.

IndyCar, the American open-wheel series, has become a popular destination for former Formula One drivers. NASCAR has a heavily American roster of drivers and has not seen a similar influx for its stock cars, but Marks said he believes his team has now “opened the door for global champions while beginning the process of scaling into an internationally recognized racing brand.”

“I truly believe the NexGen car represents an opportunity for NASCAR to enter the global professional motorsport conversation,” Marks said. “We now have a race vehicle with international technological relevance where world-class drivers from other disciplines can compete at NASCAR’s highest level without the steep learning curve that the previous generation cars required.”

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Egan Bernal Wins Giro d’Italia Title

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Egan Bernal is celebrating a special vittoria…

The 24-year-old Colombian rider Egan Bernal appears to have put his back problems behind him on Sunday as he claimed the Giro d’Italia title, adding his Tour de France win.

Bernal, who won the Tour de France in 2019, safely maintained his advantage on the final day’s time trial to Milan. As tradition dictates, he was last off the ramp and the Ineos Grenadiers rider had an overall lead of almost two minutes.

Bernal completed the 30.3-kilometer route in 35 minutes, 41 seconds to clinch the overall victory by 1:29. He pumped his hands above his head as he crossed the line in front of Milan’s famous cathedral.

“It’s difficult to realize what I’ve done. I have just won a Giro d’Italia. I have no words after what happened in these two years,” said the 24-year-old Bernal, who has struggled with a lingering back injury that forced him to abandon last year’s Tour.

Damiano Caruso was second overall, with Simon Yates completing the podium. Yates finished 4:15 behind Bernal.

Bernal had worn the leader’s pink jersey since claiming it by winning the ninth stage with an attack on the summit finish. And, along with his team, he brilliantly defended it along the rest of the route to Milan, where he lifted the impressive Trofeo Senza Fine.

“Yes, finally, this is my second Grand Tour [win],” Bernal said. “I think in this moment I look calm but inside I am exploding with happiness. I’ve already won the Tour and now the Giro.

“It is my first Giro, and it was very special, the way we rode, the way I returned to being a player after nearly two years without good form in a Grand Tour. So, I think it’s special.”

There were hundreds of fans in Milan’s Piazza Duomo celebrating Bernal’s victory, many waving Colombia flags and wearing shirts of the country’s soccer team.

Bernal’s teammate, Filippo Ganna, won the individual time trial despite a late puncture after the Italian’s closest rival, Remi Cavagna, crashed with about 600 meters to go.

“When I see the puncture, I think, ‘Ah, today unlucky, I lose the race’,” Ganna said. “I changed the bike really well, really fast, like a Formula One race, and then when I crossed the line I think, ‘OK, now will win Cavagna,’ because he’s a really good rider, really good time trial.

“In the end when I see his crash, I think, ‘OK, we have played with the same cards, I puncture and he’s crashed,’ and the result I think is the same without my puncture and without his crash.”

Ganna was the favorite to triumph on the 21st and final stage. He won the opening time trial in Turin and all three time trials in last year’s Giro as well as another stage.

Ganna took the lead with a time of 33:48, but his chances of winning seemed precarious as he lost about 20 seconds when he was forced to change bikes after the puncture.

Cavagna looked set to beat his time but the French time trial champion appeared to lock up his brakes at a corner and flipped over his bicycle as Ganna watched from the leader’s hot seat.

Cavagna got up unhurt and finished second, 12 seconds behind Ganna.

Edoardo Affini was third, a second further back.

“As a team, we brought home a beautiful result,” Ganna said. “Egan Bernal did something wonderful that has been built over these last three weeks.

“We worked hard to keep Egan always at the front of the peloton … And to arrive today with the pink jersey and celebrate tonight all together I think is a dream of every team.”

Juan Pablo Montoya to Race for Arrow McLaren SP at Next Year’s Indianapolis 500

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Pablo Montoya is heading back to the track…

The 45-year-old Colombian racing driver, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, will return to the iconic event next year driving for Arrow McLaren SP.

Montoya last raced the Indy 500 in 2017. He won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” as a rookie in 2000 and again 15 years later to give him a pair of victories in five career Indy 500 starts.

The announcement that he’ll drive a third entry for Arrow McLaren reunites Montoya with McLaren, the team for which he drove in Formula One in 2005 and 2006.

“I’m very excited to be joining Arrow McLaren SP for the Indianapolis 500,” Montoya said. “I have some great history with McLaren from my F1 days and I’m looking forward to making some more at next year’s Indianapolis 500.”

Montoya will be teammates with Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, the full-time IndyCar drivers for Arrow McLaren. Montoya will be paired with veteran engineer Craig Hampson at Indy.

“Arrow McLaren SP is thrilled to have a driver of Juan’s caliber join the team for next year’s Indianapolis 500,” said Arrow McLaren SP co-owner Sam Schmidt. “His experience will elevate the entire team, including our young, talented lineup of Pato and Felix.”

Montoya has won in F1, CART, IndyCar, IMSA and NASCAR and has championships in CART and IMSA.

Fernando Alonso to Drive for McLaren at This Year’s Indy 500

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Fernando Alonsois back in the race…

The 38-year-old Spanish race car driver will race at this year’s Indy 500 with McLaren‘s new IndyCar team.

It’ll be Alonso’s third attempt to win the famous race, the final part of a ‘Triple Crown,’ which includes the Monaco Grand Prixand Le Mans 24 Hours. He has won both the other events on two occasions.

Were Alonso, who won the Formula One World Championshipin 2005 and 2006 for the Renaultteam, to achieve the feat, he would become just the second driver to do so, following Graham Hill‘s success in the 1960s.

Alonso drove for McLaren’s Formula Oneteam on two occasions, in 2007 and an infamously uncompetitive stint between 2015 and 2018. He stepped away from F1at the end of the latter spell and is yet to return.

“I am a racer and the Indy 500 is the greatest race in the world,” Alonso said.

“I have maximum respect for the race and everyone who competes in it, and all I want is to race against them and give my best.”

Alonso attempted to win the Indy 500 with a poorly-managed McLaren entry last year. A catalogue of errors culminated in the two-time F1 champion failing to qualify for the event.

He fared better on his debut in the race in 2017, qualifying fifth and leading a chunk of the race until an engine issue ended his race prematurely.

McLaren has stepped up its involvement in the series, entering a full-time outfit called SP Arrow McLaren for 2020. Alonso will partner the team’s full-time drivers, Pato O’Ward and Oliver Askew, for the event.

Alonso will race the team’s Chevrolet-powered car, having been blocked in his attempts to race for aHondaoutfit.

Alonso was scathingly critical of the Japanese manufacturer during his final stint at McLaren and it has since decided he will never race one of their cars — he since won the Le Mans 24 Hours and World Endurance Championshipwith Toyota, a Honda rival.

Fernando Alonso Open to Returning to Formula One in 2021

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Fernando Alonsoisn’t ruling out a comeback…

The 38-year-old Spanish racing driver, regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport, says he’d be open to a return to F1 in 2021 if the right opportunity came along.

The two-time World Champion, who contested 17 seasons of Formula One, left F1 at the end of 2018 after four frustrating years at McLarenwithout a victory or podium appearance.

Alonso has turned his attention to other pursuits outside of F1 since, winning the Le Mans 24 Hourswith Toyotain 2018.

Alonso is set to take part in the Dakar Rallyin January 2020 and will then set his sights on winning the Indy 500on his third attempt — he led for a spell on his debut at the Brickyard in 2017, but ultimately failed to finish following a Hondaengine issue. On his return last year a catalogue of McLaren errors in the build-up meant he failed to qualify for the race itself.

In an interview with Sky Sportsahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alonso said he’s still happy to consider a return to the F1 grid.

“I’m doing Dakar in January which is a big challenge and next year hopefully Indy is in the plan again,” he said. “I’ll try and do a little bit better than this year!

“We will keep it open in the future, maybe Formula One in 2021, maybe hyper car in the WEC [World Endurance Championship.]

“I think in 2021 that is the reason why I keep open the possibilities. Maybe things mix up with the new rules so let’s see if an opportunity comes.”

Sergio Perez ThisClose to New Deal with Force India for 2018

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like Sergio Perez may be staying put…

The 27-year-old Mexican driver is thisclose to agreeing to a new deal to stay with Force India for 2018, according to team officials.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Formula One‘s summer break, Perez said he wanted to have his future resolved by the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of the month.

The Mexican said he was keen on staying with the Silverstone-based outfit for a fifth campaign, following another successful season.

Force India heads into the second half of 2017 occupying fourth place in the constructors’ standings as it looks to equal its best-ever finish in F1. Having only missed out on points with at least one of its cars on one occasion this year — at May’s Monaco Grand Prix — Force India is 60 points clear of nearest rivals Williams and 83 behind third-placed Red Bull, while Perez is the highest placed driver outside of the big three teams in seventh place in the drivers’ championship.

Perez has been linked with a possible switch to Renault or Ferrari over the past year but has already begun talks to extend his spell at Force India alongside teammate Esteban Ocon, who joined the team on a multi-year deal at the end of 2016.

Alonso & Montoya to Face Off Once Again at This Year’s Indy 500

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a race back in time for Fernando Alonso and Juan Pablo Montoya…

The 35-year-old Spanish Formula One racer and the 41-year-old Colombian IndyCar Series driver will roll back the years and battle together once again at the Indy 500 on May 28.

Alonso is missing the Monaco Grand Prix to drive at the Brickyard, which will see him race against a number of familiar faces — including Montoya, who also made his Formula One debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.

Despite spells with Williams and McLaren, Montoya never replicated Alonso’s title-winning success in F1 and had to make do with seven grand prix victories.

Montoya came into F1 having won the Indy 500 and CART championship in 2000 and has won the prestigious oval race more recently, in 2015. Alonso holds the Colombian in high regard from their days together in F1.

“I take Juan Pablo as one of the best drivers in the world, one of the most talented drivers I ever competed against,” Alonso said. “So to come here and drive together in the super speedway will be a massive thing for me.

“Hopefully I can learn as much as I can… I’m watching a lot of his onboard cameras because I think he’s one of the best out there. So really looking forward to talk to him and have some dinners with him at Indy because any tips would be welcome for him.”

Montoya says the chance to race Alonso, the 2005 and 2006 world champion, again was something he would not have expected at this stage of the Spaniard’s career.

“If you would have told me I was going to win a race ever against Alonso, it would be an endurance race or something, not in Indy to be honest,” Montoya said. “I think it’s great. I think having Fernando is going to be a really good day for motorsports, not only for IndyCar, but I think the attention overall for seeing Fernando and myself and everybody running Indy is going to be really big.”

Montoya says Alonso will have a steep learning curve if he wants to get to grips with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in time for the race.

“The biggest challenge is going to be first he has never done a race that is that long, and the traffic. He is going to have to learn and understand the traffic. I think if he is patient enough through the week and builds to it, I think he will be fine.

“He is a really good driver. He has really good teammates. People have run at Indy before and run well. There is no reason why he shouldn’t run well.”

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