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https://honda.racing/f1/post/russia-raceRace F1 2021 Round 15
Max Takes P2 From The Back Of The Grid In Russia
Sochi Autodrom
A dramatic Russian Grand Prix saw Max secure a sensational second place from 20th on the grid as rain hit the track in the closing stages.
Max Takes P2 From The Back Of The Grid In Russia
After the rain-hit qualifying session left a mixed-up grid but allowed a free choice of tyre, Sergio in ninth started on hard tyres, with Pierre in 11th and Max in 20th doing the same.
Yuki started on the mediums from 12th, but lost ground early on after going wide at Turn 2. The Red Bull Racing pair started making progress instantly, with Sergio passing Fernando Alonso for seventh place on lap three, and Max climbing three places on the opening lap before rising to 15th by Lap 4.
A great move from Max cleared Valtteri Bottas into Turn 12 a lap later and he then took 13th position from Pierre at the same corner. Max’s excellent drive continued when he took advantage of a battle ahead to pass Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel by Lap 13, with Yuki then making his first pit stop to switch to hard tyres.
As more pit stops took place, Max was promoted to sixth two laps later, with Sergio in fourth and showing strong pace.
By the halfway stage, Max was starting to struggle with his tyres in traffic and so he stopped on Lap 26 to switch to mediums, mirroring Lewis Hamilton’s stop ahead of him. That released Sergio who continued for a number of laps and rose into the lead.
Pierre came in from sixth place for his first stop - switching to medium tyres - on Lap 33, while Sergio came in three laps later and looked set to mount a podium challenge. However, a slow stop cost him nearly nine seconds and dropped him back to fifth place.
Faced with a long stint on medium tyres, Max had to judge his pace and dropped to seventh but was still on for good points before rain started falling and led to a chaotic finish. Max was the first of the Honda-powered drivers to call for intermediate tyres with five laps remaining, having just overtaken Carlos Sainz on the greasy track.
It was the right call, but unfortunately for Yuki he had opted for softs at the same time and then needed to stop again two laps later for inters. Max showed the benefit by charging through the field from seventh to be third one lap later, and with Lando Norris trying to stay out in the lead on slicks, heavy rain forced the McLaren into the pits right at the end to promote Max to a stunning second place.
Sergio was less fortunate, having climbed to third ahead of Sainz before the rain. He stopped two laps after Max and dropped to ninth place at the flag, while Pierre was another to try and stay out on slicks having climbed into the points but eventually had to pit and was classified 13th, four places ahead of Yuki.
Toyoharu Tanabe Honda Racing F1
This was an exciting race with a chaotic finish when the rain came in the final laps. Max had already made up several places, after starting from 20th on the grid and then he and Red Bull Racing made just the right strategy call to bring him for rain tyres, which allowed him to pass more cars and finish second. That’s a very positive result for the championship, considering we took a PU penalty and had to start from the back row, because although Hamilton has retaken the lead, he is only two points in front. Checo did a very good job of managing his tyres in a long first stint and had a really good race, but he was unlucky to be caught out by the heavier rainfall and dropped to ninth. The two Scuderia AlphaTauri drivers were unable to make up places, stuck in a DRS train and it is somewhat disappointing therefore that they were unable to score any points. There are still seven races to go and it will be a tough battle for the championship, but for now, we are just focussing on the next race in Turkey.
Max Verstappen 33
Red Bull Racing Honda
Wow, we will definitely take that result! Of course to come from last to second is very good and when I woke up this morning I definitely didn’t expect this result. To finish where we did with the penalty we had, we didn’t lose as many points as we could have so as a Team we did a really good job.
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Sergio Perez
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Pierre Gasly
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Yuki Tsunoda
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Conducting an online event to replace the F1 Japan GP "If you can enjoy the atmosphere of the site as much as possible" / Interview with Honda Yamamoto MD
"Honda Japanese Virtual Grand Prix" will be held on the special page on the Honda official website from October 7th (Thursday) as a fan participation type online event to replace the F1 Japan GP at the canceled Suzuka Circuit Was announced."
Masashi Yamamoto Managing Director (hereinafter referred to as Yamamoto MD): At the Japanese Grand Prix, which was originally scheduled to be held in Suzuka from October 8th to 10th, we Honda invited Red Bull and Alpha Tauri to all the fans who visited us. We were preparing various projects so that we could fight together in the final year of Honda. However, since the Japanese Grand Prix has disappeared, we wanted to create an opportunity for fans to be pleased as much as possible, and with the cooperation of Red Bull and AlphaTauri, the Turkish Grand Prix was originally held one week later. It was scheduled to be held from October 8th to 10th, so I decided to hold an event on the WEB there.
──It seems that there is a public online live session where you can ask questions directly to Honda drivers.
Yamamoto MD: We are planning to hold a Q & A session for four Honda drivers on Thursday, October 7th.
Also, on Sunday, I and Tanabe (Toyoharu / Honda F1 Technical Director) will do a Q & A.
──Sunday before the race?
Yamamoto MD: Yes, before the race. The reason for this is that on Sundays, Tanabe will include the story of qualifying. The details of Sunday's plan have not been decided yet, but I will announce it after the official schedule of the Turkish Grand Prix is decided.
ispano6 wrote: ↑05 Oct 2021, 00:45https://global.honda/newsroom/news/2021 ... 0beng.html
https://global.honda/content/dam/site/g ... eng_01.jpg
Honda is planning to use their Formula 1 technology toward a new eVTOL aircraft. They've also announced initiatives toward space exploration including rockets and life support systems utilizing their fuel-cell technology.
I also thought this before. I think it is very good idea and being first is also important.1. Honda eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft: will make mobility in he skies more accessible for people
・Honda eVTOL leverages Honda’s electrification technologies for its gas turbine hybrid power unit.
・Adoption of the hybrid power unit enables the extension of range, which will enable Honda eVTOL to provide inter-city (city-to-city) transportation, where the market size is expected to grow in the future.
・Honda will create a new “mobility ecosystem” featuring Honda eVTOL at its core, connected with mobility products on the ground.
Wouter wrote: ↑04 Oct 2021, 12:53https://www.as-web.jp/f1/745021?all
Conducting an online event to replace the F1 Japan GP "If you can enjoy the atmosphere of the site as much as possible" / Interview with Honda Yamamoto MD
"Honda Japanese Virtual Grand Prix" will be held on the special page on the Honda official website from October 7th (Thursday) as a fan participation type online event to replace the F1 Japan GP at the canceled Suzuka Circuit Was announced."
[ ..... ]
Yamamoto MD: We are planning to hold a Q & A session for four Honda drivers on Thursday, October 7th.
Also, on Sunday, I and Tanabe (Toyoharu / Honda F1 Technical Director) will do a Q & A.
──Sunday before the race?
Yamamoto MD: Yes, before the race. The reason for this is that on Sundays, Tanabe will include the story of qualifying. The details of Sunday's plan have not been decided yet, but I will announce it after the official schedule of the Turkish Grand Prix is decided.
#TurkishGP: Tomorrow 10/6 (Wed), Pierre GASLY and other RB drivers visit the Red Bull Racers event area in Ortaköy (Istanbul).
The event starts at 1:30 PM CET time.
Setup F1 2021Round 16 #TurkishGP Race Setup
Istanbul Park
Wednesday, 6th October 2021
The battle continues in Turkey, with just two points separating Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship.
#TurkishGP Race Setup
Last year’s race at Istanbul Park was a jam-packed affair, filled with spins and thrills. F1’s return to Turkey didn’t see the result we wanted that weekend, with wet weather playing it’s part and us not able to capitalise as well as we’d hoped.
The famous track is home to some iconic twists and turns, with an interlagos-esque opening segment and a renowned turn 8 that is now a sweeping flat-out blast downhill.
Last time out in Russia saw Max go from P20 to P2 at a dramatic race in Sochi, this weekend we’ll be hoping to keep our performance up and bring home a good haul of points with all four cars.
Toyoharu Tanabe
Honda Racing F1
After the last round in Russia, Formula 1 now starts to travel further from its mainly European base for the final races of the year, starting with this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix, an event that returned to the calendar last year. The Istanbul Park circuit is situated in the suburbs of the Asian side of the city and is located in a hilly setting. The track itself has a good mix of all corner types from low to high speed, the most famous of which is the long multi-apex Turn 8 which places a lot of stress on the driver’s neck. At the last race, Max took his grid penalty and although he lost the championship lead, the gap to Hamilton is very small and now we can simply focus on getting the best possible result at each remaining race, starting this weekend in Turkey.
On the original calendar, this weekend should have seen us racing in the Japanese Grand Prix and it’s a real shame we cannot do so, because of concerns over the pandemic. Everyone at Honda was very much looking forward to racing competitively at our home track, with our Japanese driver Yuki in his F1 debut season, which is also our last one in the sport.
We know the Japanese fans are also disappointed and so we have prepared various on-line events specifically for them, as well as something special at the Istanbul track. We are keen to get a good result with all four drivers across both teams in Turkey and we have been working hard and studying last year’s data to be as well prepared as possible.
A Special Honda Livery For The Turkish Grand Prix
At this weekend’s Turkish Formula 1 Grand Prix, the two Red Bull Racing Honda cars will feature a special livery, while the two Scuderia AlphaTauri Hondas will sport a unique message on the rear wing.
Koji Watanabe
Honda
Everyone at Honda is extremely disappointed that the Japanese Grand Prix has had to be cancelled, while fully understanding and agreeing with the reasons behind this decision. We were especially keen to race at Suzuka Circuit, as it is our last year in the sport, at a time when both our teams are performing very well. We also appreciate that the Japanese fans were particularly looking forward to seeing Honda’s last appearance here and Yuki Tsunoda driving in his home race. We know that a special livery cannot replace what would have been a very exciting weekend, but we hope that Honda fans around the world, especially those in Japan, will accept this special livery as a small token of our appreciation of their continued support over so many years.
Christian Horner
Red Bull Racing Honda
We had all been looking forward to giving Honda’s Japanese fans a chance to celebrate our extremely successful relationship in Formula One, on home soil at Suzuka. With the race falling victim to the pandemic, we just couldn’t let the weekend pass without paying tribute to Honda and its amazing home fans by bringing a little bit of its heritage to Istanbul. The livery chosen for our cars pays homage to Honda’s remarkable F1 journey and hopefully we can give fans another victory in those legendary colours this weekend.
Franz Tost
Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
It’s a big disappointment not being able to race at Suzuka, especially this year, which was supposed to be Honda’s last home GP. From our side, we were really looking forward to our Japanese trip even more than usual because it would have been great to see Yuki Tsunoda driving in front of his own crowd. It’s also a shame because Suzuka is one of the best race tracks in the world and always provides plenty of excitement and the fans really understand the sport, showing their appreciation in typical Japanese style. That will have to wait until next year, but in the meantime the simple “arigato” message on the rear wing of our two cars is just a small gesture to say THANK YOU to all our Japanese fans, while racing in Istanbul.
Talking to Max Verstappen, ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix that replaces the Japanese Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing driver is asked what he will miss most about the race at Suzuka. Max says: “I really enjoy the Japanese Grand Prix so it’s a shame that we will miss it. I will miss the fans the most, it’s always a lot of fun seeing the fans in Japan as they are so passionate about Formula 1. I also hope they like the new livery that we have on the car this weekend.”
You’ll be racing in a unique livery and race suit this weekend, are you excited to see the car and does it feel special to race in a one off race livery? Max: “It always feels special to race for Honda, even without the special livery. For us as a team and for Honda to miss out on the Japanese GP is a shame, but it’s cool that we can do something in Turkey instead to celebrate. I’m excited to see the it and it’s really special to have the car look different for a race so I’m looking forward to that.”
What are your happiest memories of racing with Honda? Max answers: “My happiest memories with Honda are of course the wins, especially my first win with them, that was very emotional. Working together with Honda has been such a pleasure and they are super motivated every single race and they are super passionate in terms of delivering the best they can all the time. So it has been really enjoyable working with them.”
