Mark Higgins joins entry list for World RX of Great Britain.

The reigning Motorsport British Rallycross Champion Mark Higgins is set to join the FIA World Rallycross Championship for the fourth round of the 2019 season at the Speedmachine Festival in the UK.

Higgins made his World RX debut with Albatec Racing last season and will also drive the team’s Peugeot 208 for his second home appearance. 

Also joining the fifteen permanent World RX drivers for his second event with Team STARD will be Finland’s Jani Paasonen.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

A fairytale start for Team Hansen MJP.

Team Hansen MJP's Kenneth Hansen, Kevin Hansen, Timmy Hansen, and Susann Hansen.
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

Motorsport has its very own way of creating fairytales. Fairytales are often stories with a magical or positive outcome.

But, I hear you asking yourself: How can World RX have its own fairytale in 2019? That's simple...  

On a wintery day in Sweden on 18 October 2018, Peugeot announced their withdrawal from the World RX championship. The announcement came after uncertain around the future of the championship, but the withdrawal would mean that the Hansen brothers and family would be left with an uncertain future. 

An unfortunate end to a strong team, heading into the final race of the season. The Hansen family were inundated with questions about the future. Will we see the Hansen's in Rallycross again? The only replies from drivers and management were: "We are working on it." 

The question on many motorsport writers lips: Could the Hansen's return to World Rallycross? 

It definitely is not easy to go from a well-structured team to nothing. But, the Hansen family remained focused and worked throughout the off-season.

With no factory teams in the 2019 World Rallycross Championship, the future of the series appeared rather bleak. The big names of Mattias Ekstrom, Andreas Bakkerud, Timmy Hansen, Kevin Hansen, Sebastien Loeb, etc. all without a seat is just unheard of in motorsport. 

The FIA deadline for permanent entries looked, but no agreement had been reached yet. Time had come and gone... Did the Hansen's make the deadline? Would we see the Hansen family in World RX?

The world's media received a joyful press release on 6 March 2019, formally confirming that the Hansen family beat the deadline and have successfully entered the World RX championship.

The Hansen family partnered with Max J. Pucher to form Team Hansen MJP. Two Peugeot 208 WRX Supercars were acquired for Timmy and Kevin Hansen.

With the first round of the championship only weeks away in Abu Dhabi, preparations were well underway to get both cars ready for the season.

The 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship season-opening weekend has arrived with some uncertainty but plenty of excitement for the fans and all involved in the championship. With the start of every new season comes some uncertainty surrounding a potential series leader for that particular year. For the first time in the history of the champion, the 2018 World RX champion Johan Kristoffersson would not defend his title. That, in turn, meant a new champion would be crowned come the checkered flag in South Africa in December.

Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud were tipped as the leading contenders heading into the season opener in Abu Dhabi. 

The World RX action received the green light on Saturday morning and the season got underway. Who would be the leading contenders? 

After the first day of competition, it became evident that competition would be fairly close, but Team Hansen MJP's Timmy Hansen was the clear favorite after claiming the overnight top qualifiers spot. Despite Timmy claiming the top spot overnight, Andreas Bakkerud slotted into second while younger brother Kevin took third overnight with two qualifying heats, semi-finals, and a final remaining. 

As the weekend progressed in the scorching Abu Dhabi heat... Q3 got underway. Timmy Hansen led Andreas Bakkerud. 

With an alternate strategy, Bakkerud opted for an early joker lap. Trying to defend the position Timmy took the joker lap on the next lap to cover off a charging Bakkerud. 

Could Timmy stay ahead of the Monster Energy RX Cartel's driver Andreas Bakkerud? It appeared very close as they sped towards the lap merge. And, the unthinkable happened Bakkerud collided into the right-hand side of Timmy Hansen's Peugeot sending him running off track. 

Despite the damage to the Peugeot 208 Supercar, Hansen crawled to the checkered flag holding off Niclas Gronholm behind. 

Timmy Hansen's Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar chassis being rebuilt
PHOTO CREDIT: Matter France. 

After an evaluation in the paddock, it was deemed that Hansen's car was irreparable due to chassis and roll cage damage and needs to be rebuilt. 

With sadness on one side of the garage, it was not doom and gloom for the Hansen family, as younger brother Kevin was still in contention for race victory. 

Lined up in the final, Kevin had an exceptional start but had to contend with Niclas Gronholm who appeared marginally faster. 

Gronholm started ramping up the pressure and got close enough to affect an overtake. Hansen later got a tap on the rear with a lap remaining and nearly spun. 

Gronholm swept to the inside to claim the lead and claimed the race victory, but after an investigation from the race stewards. Gronholm received a three-second time penalty, thus handing race victory to Kevin Hansen. 

A weekend of ups and downs for Team Hansen MJP who claimed a win in the season opener and the matter of fixing Timmy's supercar for the remainder of the season.

Could Team Hansen MJP repair the chassis and roll cage damage in time? Team boss and 14-time European Rallycross champion Kenneth Hansen was fairly positive and said it would take a week or two. 

After nine days of extensive repairs, the chassis and roll cage damage of Timmy Hansen's Peugeot 208 Supercar was repaired and the team conducted a test before sending it to the second round of the championship. 

Off they went with a rebuilt Supercar, but what could possibly happen in Barcelona? 

The question was soon answered after the first day of competition when Timmy Hansen got his groove back. The Swede claimed wins in Q1 and Q2 with younger brother Kevin in second overall on Day One. 

It was all to play for on Sunday with two qualifying rounds, semi-finals and a final to go... Have other teams found some more pace after set-up changes? Can anyone close the gap overnight? No-one could answer the questions Timmy was asking. 

He claimed wins in Q3 and Q4 claiming the overall top qualifiers spot and stamping his authority on the race weekend. If that was not all... Timmy won the Semi-final. 

Kevin Hansen did not have it that easy, he had to contend with starting on the outside for Q3 and Q4, but he progressed to the semi-finals and clinching the win. 

The two Hansen MJP drivers and brothers would start the final front row of the grid. But who would win? Championship leader Kevin or his older brother Timmy Hansen who asserted his dominance on the race weekend.

With her sons locking out the front row of the grid for the final, Team Hansen MJP team manager Susann Hansen told her sons: "Just give it your all, this is now or never. You were in the position, just give it everything!"

All attention turned to the Ready to Race lights and away they went.. Timmy from pole leads into turn one with his brother Kevin alongside. Kevin was able to keep up with his brother on the opening laps, but Timmy began to scamper away towards the latter half of the final.

The World RX of Catalunya PODIUM.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

Bakkerud then began pressure Kevin, but the young Swede stayed calm and managed to maintain his second place. With Timmy clinching his sixth World RX victory and Kevin coming across the line in second place, it was one for the record books, a Team Hansen MJP 1-2. 

"This means the world to us," said Susann Hansen in tears. "Its a true dream come true. We fought so hard for being here at all, and now having them one and two. It's just amazing!"

"It's been such a rollercoaster and now we are here first and second. It's overwhelming!"

Kenneth Hansen admitted that his teams 1-2 finish in Barcelona is even better than winning rallycross 14 titles. 

"I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of success in my career as a driver, winning many races and championships, but actually I think this feeling right now is even better," said Kenneth Hansen. "I can’t actually believe that it’s happened, so it’s going to take a while to sink in."

"I feel so happy and most of all so proud, both of what we have created with the Hansen MJP team but also as a dad."

"It’s hard to describe what it’s like seeing your boys finishing first and second, fighting so hard but so fairly. They think of the team first and they’re great friends," he adds. "I think Timmy had something extra this weekend, while Kevin had to fight a bit harder, but they learn from each other all the time and that’s the biggest strength of our family team."

The Team Hansen MJP fairytale continues....

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Timmy Hansen bounces back with an historic clean sweep.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

Team Hansen MJP's Timmy Hansen bounced back from a disappointing Abu Dhabi to deliver a dominant and unbeatable performance in Barcelona, to become one of three drivers in the history books to claim a clean sweep.

After a devastating first round in Abu Dhabi for Timmy, which required a complete rebuild [chassis and rollcage] of his Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar after a collision with Andreas Bakkerud, he proved to be the driver beat from the start of Q1 in Barcelona. 

Hansen won every single qualifying session, the semi-final and the final. The Swede's win in Spain is only his sixth World RX career victory.

“I think this has been the best weekend of my career so far. We got off to the best possible start on Saturday, winning the qualifying heats, and then we won the semi-final too," said Timmy Hansen. 


Timmy lined up alongside his brother in the final, but produced a faultless drive in the final and claimed victory. Younger brother Kevin claimed second place in the final making it a 1-2 for Team Hansen MJP. 

''For the final I lined up against Kevin, and we played a good team game as we agreed that we would give each other plenty of room," he said. "The final was perfect as well, and when I saw in my mirror that Kevin was behind me to finish second, that was a really special moment as well."

"I was actually feeling very emotional: this was the perfect revenge after everything that happened in Abu Dhabi," he adds. "Now I’m just going to enjoy the moment and head to Spa with even more confidence."

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Kevin Hansen extends championship lead in Spanish sunshine.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

FIA World RX of Abu Dhabi race winner Kevin Hansen extends his Championship lead in Barcelona.

The young Swede left Barcelona with an eight point lead in the championship over Niclas Gronholm (second overall), and an 18 point advantage over his brother Timmy Hansen (in third overall). 

Kevin ended the first day of racing in second overall. Sunday morning was a different story for the young Swede who started alongside his brother in Q3, but finished the session only fifth fastest. In the fourth qualifying heat, Hansen started on the outside and needed to muscle his way through the field. He ended the session in fourth place. 

“We had a really good Q1 and Q2; then I had to get my elbows out a bit more in Q3 and Q4, but I really enjoyed it," said Hansen. 

If there is any consolation for Kevin, he claimed the fastest lap of the weekend - 42.670s.

"I got the fastest lap of the weekend too, which made me really happy, as the ultimate pace compared to Timmy is perhaps the area where I’ve been lacking before, but now we’re getting there," he said. 

In the final Kevin started alongside his brother. He managed to hang onto his brother in certain parts of the circuit, but Timmy started edging away. Hansen then opted to take his joker while running second on the fifth lap. 

On the final lap, Andreas Bakkerud took his joker lap, handing Kevin the opportunity to close in and claim second in the closing stages. 

Kevin went on to claim second place behind his brother Timmy Hansen, in a Team Hansen MJP 1-2. 

"Timmy did an amazing job this weekend; he really deserved to win," he said. "I wouldn’t say that he was completely uncatchable as there were times that I was close to him, but we drive each other on, which is perfect as it’s all about the team."

"Now I’ve extended my championship lead but this is not something that I’ve been thinking about much: we’re only on round two out of 10 so there’s a really long way to go.”

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Marklund suffers mechanical issues in Barcelona

PHOTO CREDIT: GC Kompetition

GC Kompetition's Anton Marklund suffered from mechanical issues at the second round of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship.
In the first qualifying heat, Marklund's car suffered from a blackout and he was forced to miss the start. The race was red-flagged after Herve Knapick rolled his car, but due to the strict regulations, Marklund was not allowed to restart and he was given a DNS.

Marklund lined up alongside Chris Hoy and Oliver Bennett in the second qualifier and claimed the heat win, but he damaged his front dampers over the jump on lap 2. Despite the race win, his final time was only good enough to place him in 18th overall.

Anton’s final qualifier on Sunday saw him jump the start resulting in him having to joker twice. He got off to a good start and claimed third place into turn 3.

The two joker lap penalty did not help Marklund's charge and he missed out on a semi-final spot finishing 14th overall.

“It’s been a tough weekend with mechanical issues on Saturday, but we decided to push ahead and make a lot of changes overnight to test something new, especially to the dampers," he said.

"The Bilstein guys were super busy and the hard work paid off, so that we had a fast car on Sunday with a p3 in Q3 and the 3rd fastest lap time in Q4. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite manage to make up for lost time but Sunday’s pace was really promising, so I’m looking forward to following this up to push ahead in Spa, Belgium.”

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Guerlain Chicherit: "It's been a weekend of ups and downs"

PHOTO CREDIT: GC Kompetition.

The second round of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship got off to a positive start for GC Kompetition’s Guerlain Chicherit claiming second place in the first qualifying heat, but the positive start was short lived when he suffered from a loss of power in the second qualifier. 

The Frenchman suffered from engine issues in Abu Dhabi, which his team were unable to solve ahead of the Barcelona race weekend and he required an engine change. 

“It’s been a weekend of ups and downs for us - some really good race pace and solid starts but unfortunately also technical issues that have cropped up again following Abu Dhabi that we didn’t manage to fix fully in the time in between races," said Chicherit 

Chicherit qualified for semi-final 1 alongside his junior team drivers Guillaume de Ridder and Cyril Raymond.

After a slow start in the semi-final, he ended up 6th at turn 1. He took the joker lap on lap 1 to allow himself clear air to push ahead to catch with the rest of the field. He was unable to overtake to fight for a place in the final, Chicherit ran wide on the last straight to block Timerzyanov enabling his GCK Academy driver Cyril Raymond to claim 3rd for a place in the final.

"Overall, we’ve had a good first European race of the season though and the incredibly hard work of the entire team is really coming together now," he said.

Despite a messy weekend in Barcelona, Guerlain Chicherit is confident that his teams [GC Kompetition and GCK Academy] can achieve better results in the coming races. 

"We’ve certainly shown a lot more confidence on the track in pushing for positions and having 3 cars in the semi-finals and our very first final for our young team GCK Academy is an incredible result and I’m really proud of both Guillaume and Cyril who’ve developed hugely since sitting in the GCK Clio R.S. RX for the first time."

"We’ll be busy now to get all four cars ready for Spa, Belgium, for even better results.”

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Cyril Raymond clinches strong result in only second World RX outing.

PHOTO CREDIT: GC Kompetition.

GCK Academy’s Cyril Raymond clinches best World RX result after only his second outing in the Supercar field.

Raymond lined up for his first World RX final on the third row of the grid alongside Janis Baumanis and behind Timmy Hansen, Kevin Hansen, Nicolas Gronholm and Andreas Bakkerud. 

Starting from the outside, Cyril ran wide into the first corner dropping to 6th. The Frenchman took the joker lap on the first lap behind Gronholm and showed strong pace. He eventually overtook Baumanis on the last lap to claim 5th place.

After the strong showing in Barcelona, Raymond slots into 5th in the drivers' championship standings.

“We had a near perfect weekend - 5th in the World Championship is huge for me, it’s a great result!" said Raymond. "To be among the top 5 World RX drivers is crazy."

Raymond praises the team for the Barcelona result. "Without the work of the team behind me, I could never have realized that we believed until the end, we always believed. Engineers and mechanics have done a lot of work on the Clio R.S. RX, I’m really happy for the team who really deserve this after the long months of hard work," he said.

"They are always there, they are full of support and it is great for the entire team, a big victory for our 2nd ever race."

Despite the strong result in Barcelona, the Frenchmen keeps his feet firmly planted on the ground.

"We need to stay concentrated, it’s a long championship but it’s only the second round in my first ever World Rallycross season and we have already achieved a top 5 spot so I’m very happy," he concludes.

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

GRX Taneco leaves Barcelona without the desired result.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gronholm RX Taneco

GRX Taneco heads home after an unsuccessful weekend in Barcelona at round two of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. 

Niclas Grönholm finished fourth in the Final, while Timur Timerzyanov could not progress further than the Semifinal.

The Finnish team showed very strong speed in Abu Dhabi, while glimpses of the speed was shown on Saturday with Timur Timerzynov finishing the day in third place overall. 

Timerzyanov is disappointed after having a strong opening day in Barcelona. “Finishing the race in fourth place of the Semifinal is not what I was hoping for, especially after promising Qualifying runs of Saturday," he said.

"I was up to speed for the first few laps of the Semifinal, but started to lose speed and maybe we didn’t play our tactics right at that moment."

Despite the setbacks at the second round of the championship, Timerzyanov remains confident that they will return to form. The Russian is sixth in the standings after the second round of the championship.

"The championship season is still in its early stages and I am sure we will come back for more exciting fights,” said Timerzyanov.

After struggling with technical issues on Day 1, Niclas showed good speed during the Qualifying heats on Sunday and set the second fastest lap time twice in a row. 

“I must say this was a mixed weekend for me," he said. "Despite some issues with the car, I managed to be close to the Top by the Semifinals and got through to the Final."

In the final Grönholm got stuck behind Janis Baumanis and could not capitalize on the speed he showed in the qualifying heats. 

"Sadly, there I had to follow a fellow competitor, who was slower than me, for several laps and I lost out on a possible Podium spot. It is what it is now and we have to look forward, but not forget what happened today," said Grönholm.

GRX Taneco Team Principal Marcus Grönholm remains upbeat about his teams' performance in Barcelona, despite not clinching a podium finish.  

“In a way I think the season has started well – we have shown that both our drivers can be really fast and fight for the maximum points, but this time it didn’t work out for us as we hoped it would," said Marcus Grönholm.

"We have to sort out some problems that we had with the cars and I am confident about the future.”

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Sir Chris Hoy claims points on World RX debut.

PHOTO CREDIT: Xite Racing.

Former Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy claimed two points on his FIA World Rallycross Championship debut in Spain.


Since his retirement from competitive cycling in 2013, Hoy took up a number of motorsport challenges – most notably the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016 in the LMP2 class. He has also competed in European Le Mans and the British GT Championship.

The Scotsman enjoyed his first taste of World RX. “I’ve had the best experience of my motorsport career so far,” he said. "Its been absolutely awesome. I can't overstate how much fun I have had to be behind the wheel of one of these amazing vehicles. To be part of it. To race. To line up on this grid here. The adrenaline yesterday and today was just incredible."

"So, its like a dream come true for me and I definitely want to come back and try again," he adds.

Hoy came into his maiden World RX race weekend with no true experience only a test session with the Xite Racing team at the Pembrey Circuit ahead of his debut in World RX. 

With no true experience in the World RX Championship, Hoy did not know what to expect in his maiden World RX race weekend. "I did not know what to expect. I certainly did not expect to get championship points. I just did not want to make an idiot of myself and get in other peoples way," said Hoy.

"At the start, I was thinking that I would be getting lapped and keeping other people up. So, it was nice to feel that I was battling towards the end. By race four, I felt like I was able to push on a little bit."  

On Saturday morning in the third qualifying session, Sir Chris Hoy came within metres of claiming the heat win, but Jani Passonen shut the door and the two made contact. Hoy rolled to a stop but quickly restarted and raced to the checkered flag finishing second.

"If I was a little bit quicker, I would have got through that gap and I might have won the third race, but that is what Rallycross is all about," Hoy said. "A bit of contact and a bit of bumping."

"I've learnt so much. Its funny last night going to bed, going to sleep your brain sort of processes all the information and then you wake up in the morning, and I felt that I hit the ground running today. And, I felt that I was on a different level to yesterday. Got some races under my belt and a bit of testing and got a little bit closer to some of the fast boys." 

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

REPORT: Timmy Hansen enters the record books with dominant win in Spain

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool. 

Team Hansen MJP driver Timmy Hansen claimed his first win of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship in a dominant fashion.

Hansen rebounded from an event-ending qualifying crash in Abu Dhabi to claim a clean sweep of wins.

The Swede joins Bakkerud and Kristoffersson to become one of three drivers to claim a clean sweep of wins in World RX. 

Team Hansen MJP spent nine days repairing Timmy's damaged Peugeot 208 Supercar following a hefty impact in Abu Dhabi damaging the chassis and roll cage. 

“We had to work incredibly hard and put all our resources into re-building my car from Abu Dhabi. The mechanics worked day and night and got the car here in good condition,” he said.

Hansen admits after a disappointing weekend in Abu Dhabi, he just wanted a clean weekend. 

“Honestly, I just wanted a good, clean weekend but I started with a win in Q1 and Q2 and won all four qualifying races. I think it’s only the fourth time that’s been done and only the third time anybody has the perfect weekend so I’m really happy to be in the history books," says Hansen.

“I really worked hard on my starts this weekend. You have to be super focussed to get a good launch with a rallycross car but we did it all the way through. And I’m really looking forward to building on this result.”

Younger brother Kevin finished second in the final after holding off a late charge from Andreas Bakkerud. The Norwegian started on the second row of the grid alongside Janis Baumanis. Bakkerud had a perfect start and jumped to the inside of the Hansen brothers trying to capitalize on the exit of turn one. 

He was unable to overtake the Hansen brothers and opted for a last-lap joker lap but still emerged behind Kevin at the run to the flag.

Kevin Hansen’s second place in Spain means the Swede maintains his overall championship points lead.

“I am really pleased with this result," said Kevin Hansen. 

"To get second place is very satisfying. I tried my best against Timmy but he was just too fast in the final."

“I don’t think about the championship too much. It’s nice to be leading and to know that I’ve been competitive so far. I am really enjoying the car and the whole feeling at the moment and I hope to keep this momentum going and keep a smile on my face,” he adds.

Bakkerud revealed that his Audi S1 Supercar had €60,000 damage after the qualifying collision in Abu Dhabi. 

Despite claiming a podium finish in Barcelona, the Norwegian said that his Supercar is not completed fixed yet.

“It’s been hard to play catch-up," he said. "We are still struggling from the crash in Abu Dhabi. We are still working on the car step-by-step but we are getting there."

“Three times in a row I have been on the podium in Barcelona so obviously I Iike it here."

Gronholm finished fourth in the final after getting stuck behind Janis Baumanis. The Finn maintains his second place in the championship on 48 points, eight points behind Kevin and 10 ahead of Timmy.

Cyril Raymond impressed in his GCK Academy Renault Clio Supercar and claimed fifth place in his first World RX final.

The GC Kompetition team had an improved performance from Abu Dhabi despite recurring engine issues for Guerlain Chicherit. The team was forced to change his engine. But despite the engine set back, the Frenchman claimed a place in the semi-finals alongside Cyril Raymond and Guillaume De Ridder.

Liam Doran had a mixed weekend but made it to the semi-final as did Timur Timerzyanov.

EKS Sport driver Krisztian Szabo had a last-corner spin in the second semi-final. The Hungarian claimed his first World RX heat win and claimed 10 points in the championship. While Timo Scheider had a strong start to the weekend but then ran into some difficulties. The German had a troublesome semi-final and claimed fifth place ahead of Szabo.

World RX debutant Sir Chris Hoy enjoyed his first taste of World RX and picked up two championships points.

Hoy’s Xite Racing teammate Oliver Bennett had a troublesome weekend with issues in nearly ever qualifying heat. ESmotorsport - Labas GAS's rookie Rokas Baciuska also did not have the cleanest of weekends in Spain.

Independent entry Tamas Karai was disqualified from the fourth qualifying heat after causing a collision at turn one. While Herve Knapick rolled his Citroen DS3 Supercar in the first qualifying heat and could go no further.

FULL RESULTS BELOW:

OFFICIAL RESULT provided by the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

2019 Azerbaijan GP: FIA Post-Race Press Conference.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA.com

DRIVERS
1 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)
2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Paul Di Resta)

Q: Valtteri, an absolutely perfect day you’ve had. Lights out to flag, a bit of pressure from Lewis, but controlled and payback from last year and that win that went away?

Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, indeed. It was actually a tough race, even though maybe not much happening at the front Obviously Lewis was putting pressure all the time, so I could not do any mistake. But honestly, everything was under control so I’m happy to see the chequered flag and get this first place.

Q: You’re the calmest person I’ve seen. Back in control of this championship as well. You’ve had a very good start to the year. It’s all about keeping the momentum up. There’s no better guy than Lewis putting the pressure on, but to get that job done, what does that mean going away from this grand prix, back to Europe?

VB: It obviously means a lot. It’s incredible as a team on which kind of level we are performing now. I already said to the guys I’m so proud to be part of that. We’re all performing really, really well. For me as well, it’s only my fifth win, so of course it feels good and it carries on well.

Q: I hope you can enjoy your Sunday night; you certainly deserve it after this weekend. Lewis, your team-mate did a solid job all weekend, he just pipped you in qualifying but you never let him out of your sights today and you were fighting all the way to the end.

Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, congratulations to Valtteri, he drove a fantastic race. He made no mistakes and truly deserved the win. It was all lost in qualifying, so there’s really not much more for me to say. But it’s a great result for the team. Honestly, this is the best start to a season we’ve ever had.

Q: I want to pick up on the team. Four one-two finishes. How much credit do you owe to these guys year after year after year to give you a car to do a solid job like that?

LH: It’s a team effort. Everyone back at the factory has been working non-stop every year. Every year they come back more hungry for success and it’s a true testament to strength and depth within the team. So really proud of everyone and really great to be a part of it. It was a really great race. For once we’ve been able to push the whole way. It’s pretty cool

Q: Sebastian, P3 at the end after qualifying. It looked like you struggled in the first stint, regained a lot of strength mid-race and you were able to put the pressure on Mercedes.

Sebastian VETTEL: I don’t know. You’re right. The first stint was really poor. I really struggled to initially get the tyres to work. I think they were too cold and I damaged them, and by the time they were hot they were damaged, so it was never really working. I was really uncomfortable, inconsistent, just couldn’t get a feel and confidence with the car, so that’s not usually so good around here. After that, I was surprised. I was already looking forward to a difficult stint on the medium tyres, but no problem to switch them on and they lasted until the end no problem. So much happier, much more confidence and I think we had some pace to at least go with them, sometimes put a bit of pressure. We obviously had to keep and eye on Max behind. With some of the overtaken, lapped cars he was getting a bit closer but in the end we had enough pace on the medium tyre to react, to keep him behind. It was crucial to keep that third, good for Charles to get that fastest lap at the end, to snatch it away from the Mercedes boys. Still plenty of work for us to do, obviously we are not quite where we want to be. But at this point we just need to maximise what we can.

Q: And I guess looking forward to a more familiar track, Barcelona, where you had such a strong winter and it looked like you guys were going to be the benchmark this year?

SV: I hope so. Obviously the last four races, on average, we were not quite there, so I think we are not the favourites going to Barcelona. But the team is in good spirits. We have another couple of stuff getting on the car, so we need to chase them down. We are looking to hopefully a smooth weekend. Our first four weekends haven’t been that smooth. But it will be crucial to catch them and turn things around.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Valtteri, you said in China that the start of the race cost you the race there, but you looked determined to make sure that didn’t happen today?

VB: Yeah, honestly I could have done a better job at the start today. I think I was a little bit on the cautious side. I didn’t want to get the wheel spin started, so I was rather smooth on getting on power, not to kind of mess it up. But Lewis had a good start, so that’s why he was on the inside and we were pretty much side by side actually through Turn 1, so I was just carrying the speed on the outside, and same thing in Turn 2, leaving enough space. It was nice and fair and I was obviously pleased to keep the first place.

Q: That was the start, but then at the end you also came under pressure from Lewis as well. How tough was that pressure and were you two racing right to the flag?

VB: Yeah, you know, it was a pretty long stint, the second one. So you can sometimes play a little bit, when you push more, when sometimes you try to save the tyres a bit more, because it’s always a bit unknown how the tyres are going to behave when they are coming towards the end of their life. At times I could really notice Lewis trying really hard to catch me and he was really close at times, like in the end. So I had to really respond and push as well. The main thing for I was focusing on was just purely my own driving, not falling for the silly mistakes. I managed to keep it together, so for this I’m really happy.

Q: Well done today. Lewis, we’ll start at the start as well. Just how close was it between you and Valtteri and how tough is it to judge how hard to push against your team-mate?

LH: It’s always difficult to judge. But Valtteri did an exceptional job all weekend and today he was very fair in giving space and after that he was faultless. So today he truly deserved the win. It was a great race. It was really cool that we could push as hard as we could all the way to the end. It was great that the team allowed us to do that. Also just the team’s performance throughout the whole weekend, the engineers, everyone back at the factory who are just constantly delivering 100%. This is truly the strongest season we’ve ever started with but really deservingly in the sense of just how hard everyone has worked in the delivery, so really proud to be a part of it and this is a really great result for everyone.

Q: You mentioned the start to the season. That’s four straight 1-2s. Is this also the best form as a team you’ve produced in the time that you’ve been there?

LH: I think so, yeah, definitely. Valtteri’s really, clearly stepped up this year and is really happy in the car and really delivering and driving fantastically, so it’s going to take some really great performances from both of us to out-perform each other. And that’s how it should be. Hopefully at some stage Ferrari will be in the mix with us. I think this weekend, I do think they had the performance to be on the front row with both of their cars. From our data we saw that Seb didn’t get a tow, for example, which is worth four or five tenths or something, so he probably would have been on pole had he got that tow and the race would have been maybe more exciting. So, again, it takes one hundred per cent deliver throughout the weekend, which we, I think, were as close to that as possible. They’re going to have to pick it up if they want to fight us.

Q: Seb, moving on to you, Lewis says that Ferrari will have to pick it up if they want to fight Mercedes. How well did your race go today and how close to the maximum did you get out of your car?

SV: Well, he’s right. We need to pick it up obviously. We saw in the first stint that we really struggled to follow. I was really quite… yeah it was difficult to find a rhythm, difficult to extract grip from the tyres. After the stop it was a lot better. I expected it to be a tough and long afternoon but after that the car was quite good and I was able to push and I think we stayed with them, and with the blue flags maybe in the end we weren’t particularly lucky, the places around the track, I saw Lewis had some quite good tows with lapped cars here and there – but what goes around, comes around. I think overall the second stint was better for us than the first one. We lost, I think, all the potential to put pressure at the beginning of the race. But they were very strong and did absolutely right be pulling a gap. After that for us I think it was just to try and put them under some sort of pressure and bring it home.

Q: You’re clearly close to Mercedes, based on the finishing positions here. What do you think is going to be key to breaking this run of form that Mercedes has shown?

SV: Well, we need stronger pace, simple as that. We need to be faster. I’m convinced we’ve been, partly this weekend, looking very strong but overall not strong enough. So, it seems that for us it’s more of a conscious effort to get the car in the right window, whereas maybe for them it seems to click a little bit easier. Especially a place like around here, you need the confidence in the car. I’m not yet there. I can feel that I’m not driving at my best because simply the car does not answer or does not respond the way I like. And then I think it’s unnatural. I think everybody’s been there. I think all drivers know that sort of feeling: when it’s not there, then your judgement is normally right, to not go there because you end-up losing the car. So, yeah, I seem to be more sensitive at the first races than at the test. The test was really good but that’s a long time ago now. We need to look forward and improve the way we handle things, the way we work to just get faster. That’s it.

Q: Valtteri, returning to you, Championship leader heading back for the European season – just how much confidence do you take from this start to the season?

VB: Confidence is good. I’m happy to just carry on. Obviously, yeah, it’s been a good start personally for me for the season, it’s a long season ahead. I do realise that. But something I’m really proud of is the level at which the team is performing. It’s, for me, incredible. We need to be really, really proud of that – but not think about it too much. Just keep doing what we’re doing and the list of things that we can do better as a team is still long. So we need to focus on that. So let’s keep going.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Lewis, it was fine margins between you and Valtteri today. I think you lost a bit of time the way the VSC ended and then Valtteri got the tow just as you were closing in on the last lap from the Williams. Do you think it was fine margins that made the difference today? And Valtteri, what was the feeling when you saw you had a slower car up ahead to get DRS from on that last lap?

LH: Yeah, I think ultimately Valtteri did a better job in qualifying on that last lap, which put him in the position to be able to fight and then fine margin at the start, which… yeah, I’ll have to work on. And then I lost two-and-a-half seconds, or whatever it is, under the VSC, so had to regain that and, with only nine laps to go, that was not so easy. So, that was my fault and something I’ll work on. There’s somethings I can fix on the dash to make sure that doesn’t happen again. But, nonetheless, it was a great result for the team.

And Valtteri, your thoughts when you got traffic towards the end of the race.

VB: Yeah, there was some traffic, obviously you lose time mostly – but sometimes actually you can gain from it, like here if you can get a nice tow on the straight and get the DRS. It’s always a very welcome bonus when Lewis is putting pressure behind! It’s not always it works for you. Sometimes he gains from it. So that’s how it goes. Yeah.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Just to the two Mercedes drivers -- we saw Toto deliver a radio message in the final laps. I was just wondering what the rules of engagement were for you two in the closing laps of today’s race.

LH: It wasn’t a message to us. We were allowed to fight to the end.

VB: Yup.

Q: (Christian Nimmervoll – motorsport-total.com) Lewis, with hindsight probably that first lap fight with Valtteri was the defining moment of that race. Do you think you could have pushed a bit harder or been a bit more aggressive if it was another driver than Valtteri, your teammate?

LH: Definitely. Most definitely. It’s very very difficult -- ultimately you always have to remember when you’re in a team as big as this that you are only one, and there are so many people that depend on us, so selfishly I could have for sure pushed a lot harder and Valtteri would have lost position, maybe I would have gained position, most likely he would have got overtaken by a Ferrari or something like that, so we have to work together. So whilst I wanted to overtake him, I had to be cautious at the same time, to give him space so that we would block the front row and stay there. Ultimately I lost out in that, but that’s a sacrifice you have to sometimes make in order for the team to win. I think if it was a Ferrari there it would have been a lot different. And that will be how it continues for the rest of the year -- I think Valtteri and I have always had a lot of respect for each other, and we continue to do so. I think you can see that. That’s how we deal with it -- we discuss it before the race, we agree as gentlemen, and we stick to it.

Q: (Luis Vasconselos – Formula Press) For Valtteri, when you were speaking to di Resta before the podium you said it was tough but you had it under control all the way. Did it get too close for comfort on the two laps that Lewis had DRS?

VB: Yeah, sure, I didn’t want him to get DRS, that was not planned. He had a very good middle sector that lap and managed to close and here even if you’re like 1.2, 1.3 behind exiting from Turn 16 then you’re gaining time before the DRS detection. I wanted to keep him out from DRS, so it was my bad. But he was pushing hard, so that’s how it goes.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Seb, the feeling for you and Charles earlier in the weekend was that the team had made a step here, that the upgrades were working as you liked, and it just seemed like the circumstances of the weekend just sort of went away from you. Do you still retain that positivity from earlier in the weekend or do you feel like there is a sort of similar amount of work to do as before?

SV: Well, absolutely I think it was a step forward with our car, but I think more of a dominating factor is just the way we seem to be able to get on top of or into these tyres. I think there’s a lot of performance in that. The struggle we had here in those low speed corners is less of an aero problem, more of a mechanical grip issue. So a lot of homework for us, obviously, in the last couple of weeks, but I’m sure that once we get everything together the car is strong, and then we will be much more in the fight. At this stage, obviously, averaging the first four races we were just not quick enough.

Q: (Luis Vasconselos – Formula Press) For the two Mercedes drivers -- in the last two years your cars were called ‘divas’, but you’ve won on the first four very different tracks. Is this car the most complete one?

LH: I mean, it’s an evolution of the last couple of years cars, so it should be better, and it is in many ways. I would say it’s more our understanding of the procedures that we have to implement that allow us to deliver more from it. I think we’re able to extract a bit more from the car itself, and that’s just from diligence, due diligence we’ve done so much better through testing in our understanding and analysis. Everyone’s just taken a step forward and it’s great to see.

VB: It always can be better! For sure it’s maybe not still the easiest car to get to work, but once it works it’s quick, so something similar we’ve seen before and in the end, like Lewis said, it is an evolution from years before. There’s obviously work to do, but I think this year so far, the four races we’ve had, it’s not only the car. It’s all the areas the team is working on, how well we are performing in all the other areas than just the car. I think that’s maybe been the biggest thing so far this year.

Timmy Hansen claims overnight TQ ahead of younger brother Kevin Hansen.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media 

Team Hansen MJP's Timmy Hansen has claimed the overnight top qualifier spot on the first day of the World Rallycross of Barcelona-Catalunya. 

The Swede continues his unbeatable form in Abu Dhabi having won both of his qualifying heats and he set the fastest lap time in each heat.  

“This is amazing. From the moment we did the first runs in practice, the car has felt good, I’ve been comfortable and it felt like I’ve been building on that," said Timmy Hansen. 

"The last run I did just now was one of those runs that you want to do – every corner was right, I knew what I wanted to do and the car just followed,” he adds. 

“It was a brilliant Q2 and it was a perfect Saturday, also with Kevin in second place as a team we have done a perfect Saturday, so it’s a brilliant result.”

Timmy's younger brother Kevin Hansen slots into second place in the overnight standings ahead of Timur Timerzyanov and Andreas Bakkerud.

Krisztian Szabo won race three in Q2 to slot him into fifth overnight. While Cyril Raymond finished second in his heat races and also provisionally held the fastest Q2 time until Hansen had his go in qualifying. 

Janis Baumanis slots into seventh overall in the standings, while Guerlain Chicherit and Niclas Gronholm slot in behind the Latvian.

Timo Scheider won his Q2 race and is tenth overnight ahead of Rokas Baciuska and Liam Doran holds the final spot in twelfth place.  

The drivers with a lot of work to do tomorrow are, Tamas Karai who is in 13th place overall, Guillaume De Ridder slots into fourteenth after tough qualifying run with a pair of fourth place finishes.

Sir Chris Hoy did not have the easiest of days after a jump start in Q1, then spun at the end of Q2 and ended the day in 15th overall.

Anton Marklund failed to make the start in Q1 but won his Q2 heat and is currently ranked 18th, ahead of Herve Knapick who rolled in Q1 and did not start in his Q2 heat.

The FIA World Rallycross Championship result after Qualifying 2. 

PROVIDED BY: FIA World RX

TEXT - Junaid Samodien