Motorsport News 10/12/20

Toyota Yaris WRC star Elfyn Evans was denied a shot at the world title after he slid off the road on the Monza Rally, gifting the crown to team-mate Sebastien Ogier. Evans was in a title-winning third place when he went into the 11th stage of the rally hunting down the leader Ogier. He was caught out on a snowy right-hander and slid down a bank and out of contention. The 31-year-old explained: “I basically just got caught out by a surface change underneath the snow that you couldn’t see. I had it in my notes but ultimately the grip level change was far worse than I expected and there was no chance to stop for the next corner.” Evans returned to the event under the super rally rules and eventually placed 29th. Outgoing…

It was painful to watch the onboard footage from the number 33 Toyota Yaris last Saturday as Elfyn Evans tackled what looked like an innocuous right-hander on the Monza Rally. Tip-toeing through the ice and snow, the machine was hardly pushing the very limits of adhesion but it was going fast enough for Evans to be caught out and slip down a bank. His World Rally Championship dreams were left resting against a tree. That meant Britain’s 19-year wait for a World Rally Championship trophy would go on for at least another season, and plaudits must go to Evans’ team-mate Sebastien Ogier for his seventh title won across three different manufacturers. Despite the Saturday speed bump for Evans, there is much cause for optimism looking further ahead. He is confirmed at Toyota…

George Russell hopes he’s given Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff a headache after a stunning win in his freshman outing for the champion team was denied by double misfortune. Mercedes protege Russell, who had never scored an F1 point before, was called up from Williams by Mercedes for last Sunday’s Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain after seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton contracted coronavirus. The 22-year-old immediately topped both Friday practice sessions then qualified on the front row, just 0.026 seconds shy of poleman team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Russell then took the lead at the race start and looked set for a confident victory until a late-race safety car, caused ironically by Russell’s Williams replacement JackAitken hitting the barrier and leaving his detached front wing on the track. Both Mercedes pitted and, due to a…

Romain Grosjean has admitted he thought he was going to die in his spectacular fiery accident at the recent Bahrain Grand Prix. Grosjean said, having been initially unable to extract himself from his Haas: “Then there’s the less pleasant moment where my body started to relax. I’m at peace with myself, and I’m going to die. “I asked [the] question: ‘Is it [the burning] going to be painful? Where is it going to start?’And then I think about my kids and I said ‘no, they cannot lose their dad today’.” Grosjean was replaced at last weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix by Pietro Fittipaldi and it has been confirmed that, due to his injuries, Grosjean will not compete in this weekend’s Abu Dhabi season-closer. This is likely to spell the end of his F1 career,…

Racing Point’s Sergio Perez took a sensational first Formula 1 victory rising from last place in Bahrain’s Sakhir Grand Prix after a double misfortune denied Mercedes debutant George Russell. Perez, after qualifying a competitive fifth, dropped to last place after being hit by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on lap one. The incident also removed both the Monegasque and the innocent Max Verstappen of Red Bull from the race. Mexican Perez then stormed back through the pack to run third at half distance behind the dominant Mercedes pair. He then was in prime position to capitalise from a bungled Mercedes display after both its cars pitted under a safety car brought out at three-quarters’ distance, when new Williams man Jack Aitken tagged the barrier at the last corner leaving his errant front wing on…

Mick Schumacher wrapped up the Formula 2 championship in a dramatic Bahrain doubleheader season finale, while Carlin team-mates Yuki Tsunoda and Jehan Daruvala took the race wins. Five drivers remained in mathematical title contention entering the finale weekend, yet Prema Racing’s Schumacher kept intact his 14-point lead over fellow Ferrari protege Callum Ilott of UNI-Virtuosi over two thrilling races on the circuit’s rapid outer loop. While Schumacher took sixth and 18th-place finishes, Ilott could only bag fifth and 10th. Schumacher, who will graduate to Formula 1 next year with Haas, started the first race of the weekend only 18th but in a fine race-one effort finished a single place behind Ilott and claimed the fastest lap points. The result for Tsunoda, who has been linked with anAlphaTauri drive, means he has enough…