Heroics Into Saint Devote

Hello and welcome back to Heroics Into Saint Devote. This week, time is coming at a premium for me, which is why there has been no Miami Grand Prix Review. Unfortunately, that will not change. But I will sum it up in a few words in this post. Also in this post will be WEC, IMSA and BTCC.

Formula One.

This weekend marks the beginning of the European segment of the Formula Calendar as the travelling Formula One Circus heads to Ferrari’s backyard, Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Otherwise known as Imola, it serves as a fan-favourite circuit and has done since it’s return to the Formula One Calendar in 2020. Among the teams bringing upgrades, Red Bull are tweaking their troubled RB21 in a bid to close the gap to the rocketship MCL39 of Mclaren. Also bringing upgrades are Ferrari, with the Italian marque looking to make the most of the home advantage. The floor of the SF-25 has been tweaked in a bid to make the car less sensitive to ride-height changes and grow the optimal operating window that the ride height already operates in. They have reportedly also altered the rear bodywork to increase airflow out the back of the car and improve it over the wing. They are also tipped to be bringing brake drum upgrades that are supposedly similar to Mclaren’s ground-breaking concept. Finally, the team are to bring a revised front-wing concept to aid downforce.

Also tipped for a large upgrade package is Mercedes, who also want to close the gap at the front, but also capitalise on their rivals, Red Bull and Ferrari’s poorer start to the season. After bringing half their upgrade package to Mercedes, the team are satisfied that the benefits they saw were as expected and that the new parts are functioning as designed. Though I’m struggling to find details on what these new parts are.

In other news, Max Verstappen completed the NLS (Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie) with Emil Frey Racing in the Verstappen.com Ferrari 296 GT3. Curiously however, the Four-Time World Champion used an unknown alias to disguise his identity and fly under the radar. The Dutchman drove under his national flag, but under the name ‘Franz Hermann’. It’s been reported that the Dutchman set a time of 07:56 around the 12.94 mile long ‘Green Hell’ circuit. This time is just 5 seconds off last year’s GT3 pole time at the first round of last year’s NLS. But this came with more fuel on board, as well as plenty of traffic encountered around the circuit. It seems the Dutchman can just get into any car and immediately find the limit. Incredible.

British Touring Car Championship.

What a difference a fortnight makes in the BTCC. After the disappointment of the dastardly difficult Donington Park round, West Surrey Racing (WSR) worked tirelessly to turn their fortunes around for the Brands Hatch Indy circuit and round 4, 5 and 6 of the season. After only managing a best finish of 4th at Donington, the team swept the weekend with a trio of wins, courtesy of Reigning Champion Jake Hill, and his two rookie teammates Daryl DeLeon and Charles Rainford. This also marks a milestone for not only WSR, but for the series too, as WSR become the most winning team in the history of the BTCC, recording their 133rd win in the first round of the weekend, courtesy of Jake Hill.

Another milestone achieved this weekend was by the NAPA racing crew, who celebrated the company’s centenary anniversary. For the occasion, they rolled out Sutton in a very smart looking black and gold livery, with the number 100 pasted to the side. Sutton also achieved his 100th podium in the series, marking a milestone for him as a driver.

But in terms of the championship, it seems Jake Hill has brought himself back into the fight to defend his title. Leading the way on 92 points is Ashley Sutton, followed closely by Tom Ingram, who despite having not won a race yet this year, sits comfy on 87. A revitalised Jake Hill is now 3rd with 80 points, with the top three nearly 30 points clear of the rest. In the Manufacturer’s, it’s ExcelR8 Motorsport and Hyundai that lead the way by 19 points over a seemingly brand new BMW. 6 points further in 3rd is Ford who remain ahead of Toyota who have had their own struggles this season, on 101 points. As for the teams, it’s Vertu leading the way after what’s been a really good start to the season for the team. They sit pretty on 166 points, with NAPA chasing them down on 143. LKQ Euro Car Parts with WSR are in third with their two drivers, Aiden Moffat and Charles Rainford. Fourth goes the way of Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, and their sole driver, Jake Hill.

World Endurance Championship.

After a great race in Spa, which I struggled to watch amid the 21st-birthday-celebrations, it was once again, the Ferrari 499P which reigned supreme in a 1-2 finish for the Scuderia. It was the 51 that lead the way from the 50 car, followed by an impressive P3 finish from the 36 Alpine team. This of course means that, despite the heavy BoP penalty the 499P faced coming into the weekend, the car is still an absolute weapon in the hands of the Ferrari drivers. Though the 83 unfortunately faced issues in the race, with the car only completing 111 of the 150 laps set by the 51.

IMSA.

Over the pond in America, their premier Endurance racing series still has Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Porsche 963 reigning supreme, and remains unbeaten in the series. Though it was the number 6 that took the glory at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, followed by it’s 7 car teammate. Though, whilst the race was mostly drama-free, with no caution periods to speak of, the drama was saved for the last lap, after a hairy moment between the 7 Porsche and the 24 BMW. On the final lap, Vanthoor had been pushing hard to get by the 7 at the end, and coming down to the final corner, the 7 was slowed by a GTD Lamborghini, which opened the door for the 24. The pair went 3-wide before Tandy was squeezed between the Huracan and the BMW hypercar. Race Control deemed the incident a racing incident with no further action necessary, despite the BMW spinning off. Thankfully, the 24 was able to rejoin and retain it’s P3 finish.