Month: July 2020

Rising Sun’s boost for local club

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Brendan Lines July 15, 2020. 06:00pm

The spotlight of AFL football has shone brightly on debutant Izak Rankine this week, while his debut has been a long time coming, Rankine’s round six Rising Star nomination is just the beginning of big things with the Suns, but there’s an added boost for his former local club Flinders Park.

Rankine caught the eye of AFL talent scouts as a 17-year old and was whisked away into the 2018 draft, one of the most talent rich drafts in recent AFL history, he headed to the Gold Coast with state Under-18 teammate Jack Lukosious.

His former Flinders Park Football Club (FPFC) in South Australia, will receive a Club Recognition Award valued at $2,500 as a result of his nomination, comprising financial and practical resources.

Ranking Rankine: Rising Star rates his three debut goals

Izak Rankine celebrates three goals on debut – Image: AFL.com

Flinders Park club President Trevor Quaini says it’s a massive pat on the back for junior development.

“When a player makes the AFL it’s a reward for all the effort, coaching and mentoring that we’ve given our players through our junior programs, so it’s a bit of a pat on the back to our junior coaches, it’s a nice acknowledgement and we really appreciate it.” Quaini said.

“I think for clubs like ourselves a lot of effort goes into our junior programs, a lot of effort from volunteers who are mums and dads that end up delivering what we get with an Izak Rankine.”

As for the financial boost to the club, it’s good news as the postponed local season forced the club’s closure in what would normally be it’s busiest time of year.

“It’s not cheap to run a football club anymore, with the on costs that are related to the club, it supports our junior programs, it helps develop our club into a club of choice that people want to come to,” he said.

For Rankine’s new club the Suns, they are now reaping the reward from their faith in the forward after a hamstring issue plagued him in 2019.

Rankine’s skills were on show throughout the match against Melbourne on the weekend, kicking his first goal with his first touch of the football after a crafty evasive manoeuvre.

His second goal was just as impressive, kicked off the ground after he tapped the ball to his own advantage.

In addition, 12 disposals and three tackles Rankine became the first player to kick more than two goals on debut for the Suns.

Rankine spoke from the Suns base in Wollongong on Tuesday:

“I guess they were just pretty instinctive (goals), I’ve been doing that growing up, it come pretty natural,” he said.

It was definitely no fluke by the debutant, who on his SANFL debut for West Adelaide in 2016 kicked two goals in very similar fashion, with clever crumbing and willingness to move the ball forward.

Suns coach Stuart Dew praised the debutant after the game on Saturday.

“For our footy club how exciting, you can see what we’ve been waiting for and he had such an impact, we knew he always would,” he said.

“Obviously with his debut tonight I do want to acknowledge that to step in and those shots at goal that’s quite exciting for him but on the back of that a lot of hard work and sacrifice from him.”

Throw into the mix the Suns recent location to Wollongong and the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 2020 season, it truly is a debut season like no other, but Rankine now looks forward to a brief moment of normality as the Suns head back home.

“I’m keen to get back to the Gold Coast and be back there playing footy, we got a Thursday night game next week which is good for the club, we’ve been striving to get those games and now we finally have, we’ll hopefully knock off the Dogs,” he said.

But before the Suns head home for their clash with the Dogs, they take on Sydney this Saturday at the SCG.

Statement: AFL CEO to fast-track season

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15 July, 2020

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has today announced all Victorian teams will be based out of Queensland for up to 10 weeks and the season could be potentially fast-tracked to be completed in this period.

McLachlan’s statement read:

“Over the last few months we have consistently spoken about our competition and our club’s ability to adapt. 
 
We have also spoken about ensuring we prioritise the health and welfare of our players, staff and the wider community. 
 
The evolving situation around different states and communities has meant we have had to make decisions quickly and the relevant adjustments to ensure the season continues.  
 
For this I can’t thank our clubs, players, coaches, umpires, staff, broadcast and corporate partners enough. 
 
We also appreciate the enormous sacrifice the families of travelling players and officials are making in allowing their loved ones to live interstate to ensure we get the competition away for our supporters.  
 
Today we make another decision to ensure the health and welfare of everyone and to provide greater certainty to all involved in our game for the coming weeks. 
 
Understanding the ongoing situation with Covid-19 in Victoria, Victorian teams will be based out of Queensland for up to 10 weeks as we aim to get the majority of the season complete in that timeframe.  
 
Victorian teams based in Queensland that are fixtured to travel interstate to play, will travel to their game and then return back Queensland
  
Melbourne, which is currently based in NSW, will also move to Queensland next week.
  
We will also set up a transition hub in Queensland for players from those Victorian clubs who didn’t take full playing lists, and the AFL will also accommodate families who did not initially go up to the hubs with clubs.  
 
If families and loved ones want to join their partners in Queensland, we will facilitate this. 
 
This is a challenging period for a lot of families and homes around the country with various restrictions. AFL players and their families not immune to these challenges. 
 
Both top up players and families will undergo a strict 14-day quarantine in a transition hub before reuniting with team-mates and partners. 
  
We need to deal with the uncertainty, and this is a clear plan that makes Queensland the base for our competition and provides greater certainty for everyone.
 
We are not able to announce the future fixtures yet, however, we are working with the AFLPA and clubs on what compression is possible.
 
At the start of this pandemic, when we first shortened the season and the game-time, it was done to provide us with the flexibility and agility to make decisions like the ones today. 
 
We must continue to embrace the challenge ahead. 
 
We are still working through the finer detail but I want to thank the AFLPA and Paul Marsh for embracing this challenge and working with us and the clubs as we navigate the changing landscape. Their support and collaboration has been vital.
 
I would like to thank all the Premiers and Chief Medical Officers; whose guidance and protocols are what we anchor all our decision making on. 
 
I would particularly like to acknowledge Premier Palaszczuk. The state of Queensland has been very accommodating in providing world class facilities for our clubs and we are in the process of booking accommodation for hundreds of players and officials. 
 
I stress none of these measures can happen without strict quarantine protocols and the COVID management plan across all the states that has allowed the 2020 AFL season to proceed. 
 
I do want to acknowledge the people of Victoria.  
 
This is a tough time for individuals, families and businesses and our thoughts are with everyone who is in dealing with the impact of Covid-19.  We know the community worked hard to address the first wave and are confident that we will continue to take the measures needed to deal with the virus.
 
I also want to thank Bachar Houli for his leadership in the middle of his own family crisis to be thinking of the wider community and sending a strong message to be tested if you feel any symptoms. 
 
This season that is literally like no other. 
 
Amongst all the changes, challenges, good days and bad ones, we continue to find a way through.
 
We will continue to keep our game alive, for the fans, for our clubs and for the thousands and thousands of jobs the competition provides. 
 
We persevere because that’s what footy does – it always finds a way.”

Port Adelaide come home to Adelaide Oval, is it just the right time?

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Brendan Lines July 13, 2020 06:00pm

Port Adelaide have kept an unbeaten record at its ‘fly in fly out’ home ground of Metricon Stadium, but the Power can finally call Adelaide Oval home again as the AFL announced tonight Port will host St.Kilda Saturday July 25th in front of a crowd of potentially 25 000 fans.

Port Assistant coach Michael Voss spoke today at Alberton fresh off the club’s victory over GWS on the weekend.

“It’ll certainly be nice to have a run of games at Adelaide Oval, if nothing else just being able to play in front of fans with the members that have come with us on the journey,” he said.

Port Adelaide assistant Michael Voss open to coaching again ...

Port Assistant coach Michael Voss – Image: The Advertiser

“When we played the showdown early on with only the two thousand people that were there, it had a different feel to it.”

“I can only imagine as we start to increase those numbers it’ll be something I’m looking forward to.”

The news comes as Port have just perfected its ‘fly in fly out’ regime, demonstrating the depth of their young guns on the road, is an ominous sign for any opposition, as the club keeps it’s firm footing on the top spot.

‘If we can get some normality out of being able to get one process right and replicate it, we anticipate or certainly expected there will be another occasion where we have to fly in and fly out before the end of the year.”

“We just look at it as a chance to be able to refine what that looks like and get it right, I felt our guys were well planned and well organised, and as result of that we brought a good game.”

Reflecting back on Port Adelaide’s trip back to the Gold Coast on the weekend Voss says “It was a long day.”

The reward of a win against a top four side brought about more positives than negatives from the compressed travel schedule Voss says.

“The day it self which was challenging enough, if you factor the travel schedule we had the quality opposition, the moment we had to overcome it was right up there as really big win for us and a sign of maturity,” he said.

One of those positives is the emergence of forward Kane Farrell in recent weeks, coming into the side in round 4 off only playing 12 games previously.

Farrell was involved in eight of Port Adelaide’s scoring opportunities and lead Port’s tackle count, while displaying an impressive kicking ability slotting a major from long range in a clutch moment of the game.

“He hasn’t had as much opportunity, but he’s had to bide his time and he’s been afforded a small window of opportunity with Xavier Duursma injured and he had to make the most of it,” Voss said.

“(Farrell’s kick) It’s pretty handy I wouldn’t care to try put into a category other than say there probably wouldn’t be any better ones that are running around right now.”

Port Adelaide will announce ticketing information for the clash with the Saints in the coming days.

Hamilton unstoppable as Ferrari implodes at Styrian GP

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Brendan Lines      July 13, 2020  06:45am

Lewis Hamilton backed up his amazing pole lap in the wet, easing to victory in the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, it is the reigning World Champion’s 85th career victory and his first victory for Mercedes in 2020.

It was case of deja vu as Mercedes repeated its victory from last weeks Austrian Grand Prix as Formula 1 returned to the Red Bull Ring.

But this time Hamilton dominated from the start, on a track that has not entirely been a happy hunting ground for the Brit.

Großer Preis der Steiermark 2020, Sonntag - LAT Images

Lewis Hamilton leads the field away for the start of the Styrian GP – Image: Mercedesamgf1.com

Hamilton turned around his fortunes from last week’s disappointing penalty, dropping him back to P4 and nursing his car home with gearbox issues.

“This has tended to be one of my weaker tracks, so I am over the moon to have a performance like this today – so, so happy,” Hamilton said after the race.

“This feels like a long time coming since the final race of last year and it is a great step forward to come back from a difficult first weekend.”

“The team did a fantastic job with the strategy and then it was about keeping it together, staying off the kerbs and bringing it home.”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen used everything available to hold P2 for most of the day, but Bottas was able to pass the Dutchman on lap 67 to complete Mercedes’ 54th 1-2 victory, celebrating thier 200th start in Formula 1 as a works team in the best way possible.

For Ferrari there was no reason to celebrate, a first lap incident at Turn 3 caused a double DNF for Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, Leclerc later apologised for letting the team down with his over-zealous move on Vettel, completing the teams implosion.

McLaren’s Lando Norris put on another stunning late charge to  finish P5, although this week did not end with a podium.

A double pass on Lance Stroll and Daniel Ricciardo followed by a last corner overtake on Sergio Perez on the closing laps secured more valuable points, with the addition of teammate Carlos Sainz’s P9, McLaren now sit second in the Constructor’s World Championship.

Norris lead the McLaren v Racing Point v Renault battle right to the finish line, ending with a photo finish as Sergio Perez just held on to P6 from Stroll and Ricciardo by +0.204s.

Norris’ double overtake of Stroll and Ricciardo was triggered by Stroll’s lunge at Ricciardo’s Renault in the closing stages.

Stewards called the lunge a racing incident, a disgruntled Renault continued their issue with Racing Point, after the race lodging an official protest to the legality of Racing Point’s RP20, which has now been deemed admissible by the FIA.

Renault’s day was a mixed bag of results with Ricciardo in P8 and Esteban Ocon’s DNF coming on lap 25, due to the same cooling issue that forced Ricciardo’s retirement the week before.

Ricciardo was deep into his opening stint on the medium tyres as he attacked Ocon’s soft-shod Renault on lap 17, Ocon wouldn’t yield to the Aussie straight away costing Ricciardo time to get on with the job of hunting down the leaders.

Racing Point gained back its speed in the dry conditions as Stroll and Perez fought their way up from P12 and P17 after a disappointing wet qualifying.

Perez who pitted on lap 39 for new medium tyres, then came out the pits ahead of Sainz who’d been slowed down in his earlier pitstop from a stuck left-rear wheel nut.

The pair drag raced down to Turn 4, but Perez got the better of Sainz with a very classy move around the outside at Turn 6.

Red Bull’s Alex Albon held onto P4 as Perez bared down on the Thai driver on lap 49, Perez’s move pushed Albon wide slightly touching, nearly causing a scene all to reminiscent of Albon’s coming together with Hamilton last week.

Alpha Tauri’s Daniil Kyvat rounded out the top ten scoring his first point for his team in its new guise.

But all the arguing amongst the field was well behind Hamilton who’d amassed a +13.719s lead from Bottas to seal the 1-2 victory.

Formula 1 now  heads to the Hungary for round 3 next week.

Full results:

POS NO DRIVER CAR LAPS TIME/RETIRED PTS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 71 1:22:50.683 25
2 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 71 +13.719s 18
3 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING HONDA 71 +33.698s 15
4 23 Alexander Albon RED BULL RACING HONDA 71 +44.400s 12
5 4 Lando Norris MCLAREN RENAULT 71 +61.470s 10
6 11 Sergio Perez RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES 71 +62.387s 8
7 18 Lance Stroll RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES 71 +62.453s 6
8 3 Daniel Ricciardo RENAULT 71 +62.591s 4
9 55 Carlos Sainz MCLAREN RENAULT 70 +1 lap 3
10 26 Daniil Kvyat ALPHATAURI HONDA 70 +1 lap 1
11 7 Kimi Räikkönen ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 70 +1 lap 0
12 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 70 +1 lap 0
13 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 70 +1 lap 0
14 99 Antonio Giovinazzi ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 70 +1 lap 0
15 10 Pierre Gasly ALPHATAURI HONDA 70 +1 lap 0
16 63 George Russell WILLIAMS MERCEDES 69 +2 laps 0
17 6 Nicholas Latifi WILLIAMS MERCEDES 69 +2 laps 0
NC 31 Esteban Ocon RENAULT 25 DNF 0
NC 16 Charles Leclerc FERRARI 4 DNF 0
NC 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1 DNF 0

* Provisional results. Note – Sainz scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

Hamilton’s wet Styrian GP pole lap ‘out of this world’

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Brendan Lines July 12, 2020 10:00am

Sopping wet conditions at the Red Bull Ring pushed driver’s to the limit for qualifying, but amid the grey skies across the Styrian Hills Lewis Hamilton lit up the track with purple sectors to take his 89th career pole position by a staggering +1.216s from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the Styrian Grand Prix.

It was a rain-affected Saturday as forecast, which forced the cancellation of the morning’s FP3, the varying conditions made for varying results as McLaren’s Carlos Sainz pipped Mercedes Valtteri Bottas for P3 on the grid.

The pace of Racing Point was washed away from their speed in FP1, as Sergio Perez did not make it out of Q1 and Lance Stroll struggled for grip in the crucial moments of Q2 to remain in P13.

Hamilton’s final flying lap, later described by Mercedes Team principal Toto Wolff to The Race as ‘not from this world’ in Q3, came just as rain intensified at the start of the session, pushing the fields laps times into the +1:20.000s.

Großer Preis der Steiermark 2020, Samstag - Steve Etherington

Lewis Hamilton celebrates his pole position at the Styrian GP – Image: mercedsamgf1.com

Driving flawlessly in the sodden conditions, Hamilton’s performance was lauded by Wolff.

“What a Qualifying session. It was an absolutely stunning lap from Lewis and an incredible performance in very challenging conditions. I don’t remember the last time somebody had a gap of 1.2 seconds to second place in qualifying,” he said.

It was a perfect storm for Hamilton who timed his run amongst the traffic on track and deployed his battery pack wisely, balancing the car on the edge of aquaplaning with precise throttle control.

“I’m grateful that we got to do qualifying – I love these days. The weather was incredibly difficult and challenging out there for all of us,” Hamilton said.”A lot of the time you can’t see where you are going. I had a big aquaplaning moment on my penultimate lap, so I had my heart in my mouth, but I was able to improve on the final lap, nice and clean.”

“A lot of the time you can’t see where you are going. I had a big aquaplaning moment on my penultimate lap, so I had my heart in my mouth, but I was able to improve on the final lap, nice and clean.”

Max Verstappen challenged at the top across the qualifying sessions, but his final lap came unstuck on the entry of Turn 11, what looked an improvement on his personal best was still off from Hamilton’s pace, but the Dutchman had to settle for P2 with a 1:20.489s.

“I felt very comfortable but in Q3 it rained more and with the extra standing water we were struggling a bit more and I wasn’t as happy with the balance with a lot of oversteer.” Verstappen said after qualifying.

“My final lap could of course have been a little better and I had a four wheel drift over the last kerb but still it would not have been good enough to beat Lewis,” Verstapppen said after qualifying.

Carlos Sainz continued McLaren’s uptick in performance with P3, the Spaniard out qualified his teammate Lando Norris for the first time this season with a 1:20.671s, last week’s podium place-getter Norris qualified P6 +1.652 off Hamilton’s time.

“I’m very happy with P3, especially in these conditions! I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of driving in the wet and achieving my best-ever qualifying result today feels great. Towards the end of Q3 the track got even trickier and it wasn’t easy to judge where to take the bigger risks,” Sainz said.

Definitely the most exciting and stressful qualifying sessions I’ve done. Starting P3 tomorrow puts us in a great spot to fight for good points, but there is still a long way to go until the chequered flag. The race will be dry tomorrow so things can change quickly. We’ll prepare everything tonight and go for it tomorrow!”

Esteban Ocon continued on his merry return with Renault in P5, Ocon ran as high as P3 during Q3 and looked comfy in the wet.

“It definitely feels great to be inside Q3 and even better to be inside the top five! The car felt great and I felt confident straight away in very challenging conditions. When there’s rain, I feel comfortable, so I’m very happy to put the car in that position,” he said.

Ocon’s teammate Aussie Daniel Ricciardo is likely to benefit from Norris’ thee-place grid penalties, the Australian qualified P10, but with a dry race forecast, the prolific overtaker should be able to bag some valuable first points for the season.

“I was a little bit off in the final session, it probably just got away from us a little bit. But, it’s great for the team to have both cars inside the top ten,” Ricciardo said.

“Tomorrow will be fun. The weather looks like it will be the opposite from today, so we’ll see what happens.”

Pierre Gasly slotted into P8 with a 1:21.028s, the Frenchman’s Alpha Tauri had been knocking on the door of the top ten fastest all weekend, but Gasly believes P5 was on the table.

“It was tough but also really enjoyable and I think we really maximised our chances. It’s just a shame for the yellow flag in the last lap, as I think I was going two or three tenths faster, so there could probably have been a P5 on the table,” he said.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc struggled, the wet conditions might have favoured their lack of straight line speed, both cars were over two seconds slower than Mercedes’ pace.

Vettel looked more consistent over one lap finishing P10 with a 1:21.192s, ahead of Leclec’s 1:21.651s in P11.

Leclerc was later handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Alpha Tauri’s Daniil Kyvat.

Williams’ George Russell revelled in the mix-up of the field amid the wet conditions, gaining Williams its first appearance in Q2 since Brazil 2016, Russell’s final time of 1:19.636 in the lighter rain of q2 was enough to secure P12 on the grid.

The Styrian Grand Prix begins 10:40pm ACT.

Full Results;

Note – Norris penalised three grid places for overtaking under yellow flags during FP1. Leclerc penalised three grid places for impeding Kvyat during qualifying.

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:18.188 1:17.825 1:19.273 34
2 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING HONDA 1:18.297 1:17.938 1:20.489 34
3 55 Carlos Sainz MCLAREN RENAULT 1:18.590 1:18.836 1:20.671 33
4 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 1:18.791 1:18.657 1:20.701 34
5 31 Esteban Ocon RENAULT 1:19.687 1:18.764 1:20.922 33
6 4 Lando Norris MCLAREN RENAULT 1:18.504 1:18.448 1:20.925 34
7 23 Alexander Albon RED BULL RACING HONDA 1:20.882 1:19.014 1:21.011 31
8 10 Pierre Gasly ALPHATAURI HONDA 1:20.192 1:18.744 1:21.028 33
9 3 Daniel Ricciardo RENAULT 1:19.662 1:19.229 1:21.192 32
10 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:20.243 1:19.545 1:21.651 33
11 16 Charles Leclerc FERRARI 1:20.871 1:19.628 24
12 63 George Russell WILLIAMS MERCEDES 1:20.382 1:19.636 22
13 18 Lance Stroll RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES 1:19.697 1:19.645 23
14 26 Daniil Kvyat ALPHATAURI HONDA 1:19.824 1:19.717 24
15 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 1:21.140 1:20.211 22
16 7 Kimi Räikkönen ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 1:21.372 12
17 11 Sergio Perez RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES 1:21.607 12
18 6 Nicholas Latifi WILLIAMS MERCEDES 1:21.759 12
19 99 Antonio Giovinazzi ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 1:21.831 12
20 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI DNS 1

Ricciardo shunts as Verstappen tops FP2

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Brendan Lines July 11, 2020 09:00am

An incident at Turn 9 in the opening minutes of FP2 put Daniel Ricciardo out for the session while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the fastest time in free practice for the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.

Verstappen had some choice words as he was held up in traffic by Mercedes Valtteri Bottas on an early flying lap, but the Dutchman later put in a fastest 1:03.660s around half a second clear of Lewis Hamilton’s fastest time in free practice at the Red Bull Ring last week.

F1 Grand Prix of Styria - Practice

Max Verstappen closely followed by Alex Albon in FP2 – Image: Redbullcontentpool.com

“The car already feels better than last week, the balance is a lot nicer to drive and we have made a good step. It is only Friday Practice and of course it is too early to say how we are looking against Mercedes, but from our side I think we are quite happy,” Verstappen said after practice.

“We have tried a few different directions to understand the car a bit more and I think we are heading the right way which I’m pleased about.”

“We have to see what will happen tomorrow with the weather but otherwise we will find out where we really are on Sunday.”

Red Bull teammate Alex Albon still struggled with his car setup posting 7th fastest .777s off Verstappen’s pace.

Bottas (P2) and Hamilton (P6) are still a little off their scintillating pace last week, leaving the door wide open for Red Bull to capitalise, Hamilton suggested after practice the field might be catching up on Mercedes’ pace.

“It seems like the field is bunching up a bit more, but it’s always tough to read into what happened in practice. We’ve got some work to do, to look into the data and find out what’s going on,” Hamilton said.

The session was red-flagged in the opening 15 minutes after Daniel Ricciardo lost the rear end of his Renault, Ricciardo limped away for a precautionary visit to the medical centre.

With no time set for the session, the Aussie will hope the bleak weather for Saturday does not wash-out qualifying as the grid will be calculated off drivers FP2 times.

“Unfortunately, it was a very short second session for us. That first push lap was going quite well up until Turn 9.” he said.

“It was a mistake, it all happened very quickly so I’m not sure what went wrong. I turned in and just lost the car straight away.”

“I know these things happen with cars and in Formula 1, so it’s not out of the ordinary.”

“I’m OK, however, I feel bad for the guys. We’ll just move on. The car felt fine this morning, especially towards the end. The second session would have been interesting, so we’ll just have to find out our pace tomorrow or Sunday.”

Racing Point continued to flaunt its founded speed, after Perez topped FP1, he backed up his earlier effort with a 1:03.877s securing P3 favouring the soft (C4) tyres, teammate Lance Stroll was right behind Perez in P4 around four tenths off.

Lando Norris was handed a three-place grid penalty after overtaking under a yellow flag in FP1, P8 was his best while Carlos Saint put in more solid long runs on the medium (C3) and softs (C4) for P5 +.673s off Verstappen.

Ferrari again wrestled with getting pace as drivers Charles Leclerc managed to scrape together P9 just four hundredths ahead of Renault’s Esteban Ocon in P10, Sebastian Vettel was P16 nearly two seconds off the leaders.

Alpha Tauri driver Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kyvat are knocking on the door of the top ten finishing P11 and P12r respectively, Gasly did drop from P8 in FP1, but his FP2 time was nearly one second faster.

Williams opted for high-fuel runs, yet drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi were still able to post P15 and P17 ahead of both Haas cars.

Haas’ Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen rounded out the field in P19 and P20, Team Principal Guenther Steiner says the team has ‘a lot of work in front of us.’

FP3 begins tonight 07:30pm with Qualifying 10:30pm AEST.

Top featured image – Dan Ricciardo walks away from wrecked R.S.20 – Image: Fox Sports

Perez on ‘Point’ fastest in FP1

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Brendan Lines     July 10, 2020 09:15pm

Sergio Perez flaunted Racing Point’s burgeoning speed in FP1 for the Styrian Grand Prix going fastest in a session that had all the hallmarks of a testing day as teams looked for reliability over outright pace.

There was plenty of flow-vis paint and aero rakes on display early in the session as teams began testing a raft of new updates.

As the weather forecast in the Styrian Hills looks bleak for Saturday, times from FP2 later tonight may be counted towards qualifying if weather is inclement, which could potentially mix up the grid for Sunday.

Sergio Perez Racing Point – Image: Racingpointf1.com

Notably, Ferrari brought forward its new front wing, floor and diffuser this week, ahead of its original ETA slated for Hungary next week, but drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc are yet to reap any reward finishing 10th and 12th just under a second slower than Perez.

Red Bull however benefited from its rear-wing upgrades improving its middle sector pace as Max Verstappen was second fastest just point-two of a second adrift.

Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Alex Albon struggled with understeer on his car setup managing sixth fastest.

Last weeks winner Valtteri Bottas and his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton appeared to be treading lightly after the Red Bull Ring curbs sent shockwaves through their gearboxes last week, went 3rd and 4th fastest.

McLaren’s Carlos Sainz racked up 39 laps testing the MCL35 pace on long runs with the hard (C1) and softs (C4) tyres, Sainz went seventh fastest while Lando Norris finished 14th.

The session was red-flagged mid way through after Williams’ Nicholas Latifi’s gearbox lost drive.

At the resumption, Perez lifted the pace being the first driver to get into the 1:04s, as the rest of the field was happy to lap in the 1:05s testing their pace on the longer runs.

Daniel Ricciardo also ran long on the hard (C1) and medium (C2) his pace over one-lap was enough to finish 9th, while teammate Esteban Ocon was 13th on the same tyres.

Robert Kubica in his first run back with Alfa Romeo was 18th while Kimi Raikkonen went 15th testing over long runs.

Alpha Tauri were the quiet achievers strictly running the mediums (C2) on both cars with Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kyvat finishing 9th and 11th respectively.

Haas’ Kevin Magnussen had his car in bit across the garage all session with a battery problem, Romain Grosjean lugged his VF-20 around on the hard (C1) and medium (C2) tyres in 16th.

Williams’ Jack Aitken impressed in 17th in his first full practice session.

FP2 for the Styrian GP begins 10:30pm tonight.

FP1 Results:

POS NO DRIVER CAR TIME GAP LAPS
1 11 Sergio Perez RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES 1:04.867 32
2 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING HONDA 1:04.963 +0.096s 31
3 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 1:05.089 +0.222s 31
4 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:05.120 +0.253s 29
5 18 Lance Stroll RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES 1:05.396 +0.529s 36
6 23 Alexander Albon RED BULL RACING HONDA 1:05.483 +0.616s 28
7 55 Carlos Sainz MCLAREN RENAULT 1:05.602 +0.735s 40
8 10 Pierre Gasly ALPHATAURI HONDA 1:05.698 +0.831s 27
9 3 Daniel Ricciardo RENAULT 1:05.769 +0.902s 31
10 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:05.770 +0.903s 25
11 26 Daniil Kvyat ALPHATAURI HONDA 1:05.815 +0.948s 28
12 16 Charles Leclerc FERRARI 1:05.837 +0.970s 28
13 31 Esteban Ocon RENAULT 1:05.874 +1.007s 35
14 4 Lando Norris MCLAREN RENAULT 1:05.908 +1.041s 25
15 7 Kimi Räikkönen ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 1:06.441 +1.574s 23
16 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 1:06.446 +1.579s 31
17 40 Jack Aitken WILLIAMS MERCEDES 1:06.768 +1.901s 35
18 88 Robert Kubica ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 1:06.797 +1.930s 31
19 6 Nicholas Latifi WILLIAMS MERCEDES 1:09.598 +4.731s 6
20 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI

Ricciardo: ‘We’re certainly in that fight’ for mid field battle, but no ‘help’ to Alonso

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Brendan Lines July 10, 2020 02:30pm

After a DNF dampened Daniel Ricciardo’s return to Formula 1 at the Austrian Grand Prix last week, the Australian is back at the Red Bull Ring albeit for the Styrian Grand Prix this weekend, with fresh motivation from signs Renault’s pace will head the mid field.

The anomaly of 2020 continues as for the first time Formula 1 visits the same venue in successive race weekends.

It’s nothing new for Formula 1 to return to a country for multiple races as the European Grand Prix appeared in existing host Grand Prix countries; Britain, Spain Azerbaijan and Germany, strangely Germany’s second race was called the Luxembourg Grand Prix — however these races have been raced on an entirely different circuits.

Ricciardo leading Alpha Tauri, Haas and Alfa Romeo cars at the Austrian GP – Image: Renaultsport.com

Ricciardo says a second bite at the Red Bull Ring might have it’s advantages for Renault from the outset of tonight’s FP1 session.

“I think Friday practice could look different as we already know the tyres and all the little details about the circuit,” he said.

Renault has chosen to favour the soft tyres this weekend allocating eight sets to Ricciardo, along with three sets of the medium C4 and two of the hard C2.

“We’ll look to refine some key areas to make sure we’re well prepared for both qualifying and race. I’m excited to get going again as we know anything can happen in Formula 1 and we want to be in a position to capitalise on any opportunity.”

Renault’s improvements were noticeable last week coming out of the lockdown period, as Ricciardo was as high as fifth fastest in FP2, Ricciardo is certain his car does have qualifying pace.

“I think there were a lot of positives from the weekend, our qualifying pace was up there, and I know with a clean lap we could have been further up the grid. That’s the goal for this weekend,” he said.

“Qualifying, we were a bit unlucky with the yellow, otherwise I think we were a top seven, safe to say top eight car. I think we’re there, at least where we want to be. We’re certainly in that fight.”

While Ricciardo remained in Austria, Renault revealed the big news of the week signing two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso as Ricciardo’s replacement in 2021.

Alonso has signalled he will attend some races this year.

Speaking to The Race, Ricciardo dismissed any suggestions he might ‘help out’ the spaniard’s return lending his seat to Alonso for any FP1 sessions in 2020.

“No, because I heard the words ‘help Fernando’. He doesn’t need any help, Ricciardo said.

“It didn’t look like he slowed down at all with age. His last season in F1 [with McLaren in 2018] was a pretty strong one from everything I heard and saw.

“Obviously the results weren’t always there but as far as getting the most out of the car, I think that was pretty evident that he was so I don’t think he needs help.”

Ricciardo fans will also need to watch the Aussie’s future team McLaren, who continue their resurgence as Lando Norris scored a podium finish and posted McLaren’s best qualifying result (4th) in six years at last weeks season re-start.

FP1 for the Styrian Grand Prix starts 06:30pm local time

Hinkley gracious to Vic clubs as Port head ‘home’ for GWS clash without Rockliff

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Brendan Lines    July 10, 2020 12:00pm

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has axed mid Tom Rockliff and defender Riley Bonner making way for Ryan Burton’s return to the squad as Port Adelaide make  final preparations back at Alberton this week, Hinkley also highlighted the upheaval Victorian clubs have gone through in recent days relocating interstate to keep season 2020 a going concern.

Port fans will have wait as Hinkley wrestles with Burton’s inclusion in the starting eighteen before heading to Metricon stadium for it’s clash with GWS.

“We’ve got to get through (training) tomorrow to make sure everything is ok with Ryan before I can actually confirm everything that’s going to go on there,” he said.

Burton, who is returning from knee surgery, spent his recovery time with the squad at their Gold Coast hub in the past weeks, on the chance that he might be ready for selection.

Port defender Ryan Burton – Image: AFL.com

His pending inclusion might be the addition Port’s defence is looking for to take on GWS forwards, who welcome the inclusion of Jeremy Cameron this week.

For GWS their potency around delivery inside 50 has left a lot to be desired, ranked 18th in the competition, Burton’s possible inclusion and ability to keep a lid on GWS supply, would certainly be a deciding factor around his inclusion.

Rockliff’s omission comes off the back of his recent form and Brisbane’s swift uppercut around the centre bounce contests last week.

“He’s a stoppage player for us and he needs to influence the game around the ball and certainly last week we were beaten up badly around the ball and Tom was only one part of that,” he said.

With the mass exodus of Victorian clubs displacing all round six games to neutral hub grounds, Hinkley can still see the up side and a little bit of humour playing another ‘home’ game interstate.

“We’ll get up there nice and early on Sunday morning up to Metricon for our ‘home’ game and go there with a three and zero record this year, so we go there with some great confidence,” he said.

But by the same token, having Port Adelaide’s time at the Gold Coast hub behind them, Hinkley extended his gratitude to the clubs who have been forced to relocate out of Victoria amid the state’s recent COVID-19 pandemic spike.

“It’s been great to be back in Adelaide, we’re all back around our families, we appreciate what other teams are doing currently because we’ve just been through that and we understand there’ll be some challenges this season, it’s one of the good things for us at the moment,” he said.

Port Adelaide will play GWS on Sunday at Metricon Stadium 12.35 ACST.

Alonso returns to F1 with Renault in 2021

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Brendan Lines July 8, 2020 11:18pm

It is official Fernando Alonso will replace Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo at Renault, the team Alonso won his two World titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, the Spaniard will partner current driver Esteban Ocon in 2021 on a reported two-year deal.

Alonso left Formula 1 in 2018 off the back of a disappointing run with McLaren, however since his departure Alonso seemingly left the door open never saying he was done with F1.

Glory days Alonso at the Japanese Grand Prix in his first stint at Renault – Image: Reanaultsport.com

“Renault is my family, my fondest memories in Formula One with my two World Championship titles, but I’m now looking ahead. It’s a great source of pride and with an immense emotion I’m returning to the team that gave me my chance at the start of my career and which now gives me the opportunity to return to the highest level,” he said.

It will be Alonso’s third stint with Renault after he left to join McLaren in 2007, but after tensions with the team and Lewis Hamilton he returned to Renault for 2008 and 2009 before joining Ferrari in 2010

Alonso’s last victory with Renault was at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2008.

With Formula 1’s budget cap reduced in 2021 and stable regulations carrying over as a side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, Formula 1 has remained a viable option for Groupe Renault after some doubts over its involvement in Formula 1.

“I have principles and ambitions in line with the team’s project,” Alonso said.

Their progress this winter gives credibility to the objectives for the 2022 season and I will share all my racing experience with everyone from the engineers to the mechanics and my team-mates.”

“ The team wants and has the means to get back on the podium, as do I.”

Alonso who will be 39 when he returns, appears to be looking at the long game with Renault says Team principal Cyril Abiteboul.

“The signing of Fernando Alonso is part of Groupe Renault’s plan to continue its commitment to F1 and to return to the top of the field,” he said.

“His presence in our team is a formidable asset on the sporting level but also for the brand to which he is very attached. The strength of the bond between him, the team and the fans make him a natural choice.”

“In addition to past successes, it is a bold mutual choice as well as a project for the future. His experience and determination will enable us to get the best out of each other to take the team towards the excellence that modern Formula 1 demands.”

“He will also bring to our team, which has grown very fast, a culture of racing and winning to overcome hurdles together. Alongside Esteban, his mission will be to help Renault DP World F1 Team prepare for the 2022 season in the best possible conditions.”

But is Renault’s pitch to Alonso reminiscent to the same sell that lured Ricciardo form Red Bull?

While it all sounded great at the time Renault hasn’t delivered as late slipping from it’s place as being the fourth best constructor in 2018, losing out to engine customer McLaren in the 2019 Constructors Championship and now Ricciardo for 2021.

But anything can happen in Formula 1 and Alonso knows this too.

In recent weeks Alonso’s return may have been Formula 1’s best or worst kept secret, as Abiteboul was quick to dismiss reports of an imminent signing from Spanish newspapers over the weekend’s Grand Prix in Austria,

Teammate-to be Esteban Ocon said he would be “very happy” when asked about the prospect of Alonso joining the team at the Red Bull Ring last week.

Alonso’s attempt to race this year’s Indy 500 for McLaren, should not be affected by the announcement, but it may now suggest he has one shot to secure the elusive triple crown.

As Renault does not have an interest in Indycar, unlike his last team McLaren who let Alonso compete in the 2017 Indy 500 the same weekend its F1 team raced in Monaco.

Featured Image: Fernando Alonso Image: Skysports