Motor Sport

Sport newsEight-time FIA World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier made history by becoming the first driver to win Rally Guanajuato México seven times. The Frenchman managed his pace to perfection over the closing stages, stayed clear of any undue risks and reached the finish in León with a winning margin of 27.5 seconds on Sunday. The success with co-driver Vincent Landais in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 was only the second for the Toyota Gazoo Racing World…

Sport newsSergio Pérez recovered from losing the lead at the start to pass Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and claim a clinical Saudi Arabian Grand Prix victory ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen who battled his way to second place from 15th place on grid after suffering a technical problem in qualifying. Third place went to Fernando Alonso after stewards reversed a post-race decision to penalise the Spaniard for incorrectly serving a penalty during the race. At the race start,…

Sport newsSébastien Ogier has added another FIA World Rally Championship record to his already impressive tally with victory at Guanajuato Rally México on Sunday afternoon.The Toyota GR Yaris driver, navigated by Vincent Landais, stormed to the top of the North American event’s roll of honour, securing his seventh Mexico win with a flawless drive on punishing dirt roads.Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe finished second in their Hyundai i20 N Hybrid, securing the position after passing Ogier’s team-mates…

Sport newsSébastien Ogier knows how to win in México and the eight-time FIA World Rally Champion is firmly on course for a record-breaking seventh win on Rally Guanajuato México after managing his pace to perfection to lead the event by 35.8 seconds after 19 timed special stages.  The Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver and co-driver Vincent Landais won only two specials during the course of a disjointed day held in the heat and dust on the…

Sport newsSergio Pérez claimed his second consecutive pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.155s as Fernando Alonso finished third for Aston Martin. There was disappointment for Max Verstappen, though, as the championship leader was forced to retire from the session with a driveshaft problem in Q2. In Q1 the early pavce was set by Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg, with a lap of 1:29.875, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took P2, 0.028s off the…

Sport newsSébastien Ogier seized a commanding lead at Guanajuato Rally México on Saturday morning, capitalising on the misfortune of rival Esapekka Lappi.With the duelling duo starting Saturday’s penultimate leg separated by a mere 5.3 seconds, the tension was palpable. Both drivers knew that every tenth of a second would count on the unforgiving terrain in the mountains around León.However, the closely-fought battle that was expected failed to materialise when Lappi, who had held the upper…

Sport newsNasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and his Andorra-based co-driver Mathieu Baumel fought back from a first leg navigational delay to win the Qatar International Baja and extend their lead in the 2023 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.Al-Attiyah has now won each of the five Qatar Bajas that have run since 2004 to accompany his seven victories in nine seasons at the longer Qatar Cross-Country Rally. The success marked Baumel’s eighth sitting alongside Al-Attiyah after the…

Sport newsEsapekka Lappi and Sébastien Ogier were the stand-out stars of the first leg of Rally Guanajuato México on a day where three of the leading ten Rally1 crews hit trouble on the opening El Chocolate special stage. Lappi and fellow Finn Janne Ferm won four of the six gravel tests to Ogier’s and Vincent Landais’s two and that impressive performance by the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crew earned them a slender lead of…

Sport newsKamui Kobayashi brought the #7 Toyota, which he shares with Mike Conway and José María López, to victory, beating its sister car by 2.168s at the chequered flag.Taking its first-ever podium, and adding to Thursday’s maiden pole position, was the Ferrari 499P Hypercar crewed by Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina.Polesitter Fuoco ran in the lead early on until the Ferrari AF Corse team elected to pit both of its 499Ps under a safety…

Sport newsEsapekka Lappi rocketed into the Guanajuato Rally México lead on Friday morning as several frontrunners, including championship leader Ott Tänak, ran into trouble.The Finn, who held third place overnight, became embroiled in a morning-long scrap with six-time Mexico winner Sébastien Ogier, ending the loop just 1.4sec ahead of the Toyota Gazoo Racing part-timer before the stages are repeated this afternoon.Lappi, driving a Hyundai i20 N, climbed to the head of the leaderboard with the…