Motorsport Roundup: Seventh Heaven For Gaurav Gill, Podium For Mumbai Falcons At F3 Asia Season Opener, McLaren Reveals MCL35M Launch Date And More

Indian motorsport

The third round of the 2020 Indian National Rally Championship saw history being made, as Gaurav Gill clinched a record seventh INRC title with victory at the Rally of Coimbatore. This win also continues Gaurav Gill’s undefeated winning streak that started at the season opener at Itanagar. Following Gill home in second place was Bikku Babu running a VW Polo with MRF Tyres, with Fabid Ahmer taking the final spot on the podium. Racing action will resume at the Hampi Rally from February 5-7, with the season finale at  Bangalore from February 12-14.

F3 Asian Championship

It was a strong start for Mumbai Falcons at the season opener of the 2021 F3 Asian Championship at the Dubai autodrome. Jehan Daruvala kicked things off with a strong 3rd place finish in Race 1, and followed it up by finishing 7th in Race 2. The final race off the weekend saw a great comeback from Daruvala to 7th after a first lap incident dropped him to the back of the field.

On the other side of the garage, however, it was a series of unfortunate setbacks for Kush Maini. A first lap incident in Race 1 sealed Maini’s race to 21st and last. Race 2 was looking to be a positive comeback, as Maini lined up second on the grid due to having the second fastest lap time in the previous race.  Butan unfortunate technical failure meant he didn’t even start the race. Another lap 1 incident in Race 3 relegated Maini to 20th and last of the finishers.

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The season opener leaves Jehan Daruvala 7th overall in the drivers standings, with Mumbai Falcons 5th in the teams standings. Next week will be an action packed double-header round 2 and 3 at Abu Dhabi from February 4-7.

Formula 1

The last seven days saw another Formula One team set a launch date for their 2021 challenger ahead of the 2021 season. McLaren will launch the MCL35M on February 15 at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. Preseason testing will kick off from March 12-14 in Bahrain. 

MotoGP

Barely over a week since Ducati confirmed its commitment to MotoGP until 2026, LCR Honda joined the fray in confirming its presence in MotoGP till 2026. 2021 will mark a milestone 25th season of the LCR team since its debut in the 125cc class all the way back in 1996.

Formula E

With the season opening double header of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at Diriyah less than a month away, Formula E revealed its next set of races for the season. The third round of the season will take place at Rome on April 10, followed by Round 4 at a new venue in Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, on April 24. Monte Carlo will host Round 5 on May 8, with the sixth round taking place at Marrakesh on May 22. Santiago will host the double-header rounds 7 and 8 on June 5 and 6. The final set of races for the season will be announced soon.