Motorsport Reviews

Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez won the 2019 San Marino Grand Prix this weekend, but after a hard-fought, last-lap duel with Fabio Quartararo. The Petronas Yamaha rookie proved to be quite the threat in the closing stages after leading most of the race. Rounding up the podium finishes was factory Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales, who started on the pole and maintained the momentum to finish on the podium. Marquez has now extended his championship lead by 93 points with the victory at San Marino.

India's ace rally driver Gaurav Gill had a disappointing end to the WRC2 Rally of Turkey after a transmission failure ended his run prematurely. The Arjuna Awardee showed impressive pace through the four-day stint with multiple podium finishes through the 16 of 17 Special Stages (SS) while driving the all-new JK Racing Ford Fiesta R5 Mk2. This was Gill's first WRC2 race of this season after making his debut last year, returning to the series as a registered this time, making him eligible for points for the championship title. The Rally of Turkey is considered one of the most challenging of all rallies and is a mix of gravel, concrete and stones with gravel being one of Gill's strong suits.

Expanding its international motorsport program, Aston Martin has created a new one-make series championship called the Aston Martin Vantage Cup. The series is set to make its debut in Europe first next year before expanding to Asia in 2021. The Aston Martin Vantage Cup will be run by R-Motorsport and will be based on a specially developed version of the Vantage V8. The race-spec Vantage Cup car will be priced around 223,000 Pounds (nearly Rs. 2 crore) before taxes. R-Motorsport plans to have a four cup racing series worldwide over the next four years.

Former Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher is reportedly "conscious" after undergoing stem cell treatment in Paris earlier this week. A report from French newspaper Le Parisien claims that the ex-F1 driver was admitted to the state-of-the-art Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris earlier this week for transfusions of inflammation-reducing stem cells. The report further states that the medical facility - has turned into a bunker - following his arrival at the hospital. The Schumacher family has been extremely private about Michael's condition ever since the skiing accident in December 2013.

Electric mobility is a major part of Hyundai's future and the carmaker has introduced its first-ever electric race car at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Hyundai Veloster N ETCR is an all-electric machine based on the Veloster hatchback and will compete in the new European Touring Car Championship (ETCR). The new offering shares the roof with a number of electrics at Frankfurt this year including the Volkswagen ID.3, Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e, Porsche Taycan, Mercedes Vision EQC and more.

Last week, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk tweeted that he will be bringing over the Tesla Model S to the holy grail of motorsport - The Nurburgring circuit in Germany. It was thought of as a challenge to the recently unveiled Porsche Taycan Turbo, the iconic German automaker's first-ever fully electric sports car. Setting a benchmark time at the Nurburgring is what most manufacturers swear by, and what better way to welcome the Taycan than throw up a challenge. It now seems the stakes have moved a notch higher as Musk may have just found a "decent driver" to pilot the Model S at the iconic track. Responding to Musk's tweet was former Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg, who has offered his services to take the Model S around the Nurburgring.

Charles Leclerc bagged his second consecutive win of the season, beating Valtteri Bottas to win the 2019 Italian Grand Prix. The Scuderia Ferrari racer fended off the late charge from the Mercedes driver in the closing stages, securing his career's second victory in the premier class. Finishing on the podium was Bottas followed by teammate Lewis Hamilton, while Daniel Ricciardo of Renault finished fourth, his best result so far this season. The Italian GP saw the grandstand at Monza in a sea of red at Ferrari's home race.

Mumbai-based racer Jehan Daruvala secured a podium finish in the first race of the seventh round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship in Monza. The 21-year-old had a disappointing qualifying session that saw the driver start in 10th place on the grid. However, an impressive run in the feature race led to Daruvala bagging the second place on the podium in a hard-fought finish. Prema Racing's Robert Shwartzman won the race, inching closer to the championship title. Jehan continues to hold on to the second place in the driver standings.