Zeelenberg: Win more titles with Yamaha
Zeelenberg says Lorenzo should stay with Yamaha.
This will be his own decision and it won’t be just one factor. It is true that Jorge [has a strong package at Yamaha] but I can also imagine all competitors at a certain point want to do something else. Looking at that, he has been at Yamaha for eight years, there is a possibility he will [leave]. But I hope of course he is clever enough to stay with Yamaha and to win another two titles – maybe three [including this season]…The race was tight. I expected Maverick [Vinales] there as well, but anyway it was nice to see a group battling…When Andrea was in front, he was fast but the pace was dropping two or three tenths. This is the difficult point, to keep ‘55.4-5 lap times. The rest were able to follow, but Jorge set the benchmark and was able to make another step when the fuel level dropped to escape. This is his personality and character.
Sends support to Alonso
Marquez passes on his best wishes to two-time F1 world champion and fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso who walked away unhurt from a huge smash after running into the rear of Esteban Gutierrez’s Haas car.
I want to make sure I send a message of encouragement to Fernando Alonso given the accident he had at the Formula 1 Australian GP. I’m glad it was nothing major. I’m sending him a huge hug, and I’m sure that this year’s season will go much better.
Yamaha accelerated Rossi’s contract decision
Despite Rossi saying that he would wait “five or six races to decide” about a two-year contract extension with Yamaha beyond 2016, the timing was changed by team-mate Jorge Lorenzo’s goal of having a new deal secured before the first race. Rossi signed in Doha. Rossi:
I thought in my mind to wait some races, I want to see if I am competitive. Also because usually it is like this, you decide around June. I spoke with Yamaha after the test and they said to me that they are very happy if I continue. In my mind I wanted to continue. The contract more or less was already ready. They said to me, ‘why wait?’ and I said, ‘I agree’, so we did it.
Yamaha’s Jarvis:
I think his expectation and our expectation is most likely this will be the last contract in MotoGP, I guess. But never say never, as we have learned from his career up until today.
Profits rise by more than a fifth but further cuts loom
Johnston Press reports total revenue for 2015 was down by 6.8% from £260m in 2014 to £242.3m last year. However, profits increased by 22.6% to £31.5m by reducing costs to £191.7m from £205.3m in 2014. CEO Highfield says the group hopes to sell some brands and some of its key assets. However, he said he “could not rule out” closing some titles. Debt is down by £14.8m to £179.4m from £194.2m in 2014, with interest payments reduced by almost £10m to £19.1m. The number of people reached through Johnston’s digital titles was up by 40.7% to 22.6 million, with digital advertising revenue rising by 12.4% to £30.6m.
We are a plc and our primary objective is to keep the business moving forward … we have to make profits. We are all on the same side here, which is try to get the business back to growth and get the long-standing debt off our shoulders. The tough trading conditions have already been highlighted by DMGT and Trinity Mirror. We are being prudent in not anticipating it getting better and we are going to make sure we are cutting our cloth appropriately.
Highfield also says Johnston has filled all but two of 50 roles for i for when it takes control of the title on 10 April, filling the roles from The Independent within two weeks.
Happy with Qatar result
Marquez says he is happy with his third place result in Qatar. He gained a second over testing.
I’m happy with this third place because I know that we gave our all and just two weeks ago we were one second off the pace compared to the other guys on the podium…The race was faster than we expected and we had a great weekend because we got 100% out of performance at a circuit that we find hard…I spent much of the race behind Dovizioso because I couldn’t pass him and it was difficult to make up the ground lost with his better acceleration on the straight. Whenever I got close I’d lose him again! Although I knew it would be difficult, I made another attempt with four laps remaining but he overtook me on the last lap. I tried again in the last corner but it wasn’t possible. I hope that the circuits coming up on the calendar favour us a little more.
Surprised at fast pace
Rossi, says he was surprised how fast the Qatar Gp was. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo completed the race seven seconds faster than Rossi’s 2016 win.
It was a very fast race, faster than last year, which nobody expected. Michelin did a very good job, and also the electronics are good. We expected more difference, to struggle more. But already with three [pre-season] tests, all of the manufacturers improved a lot…I was hoping for some more fights, but maybe it was better last year, more overtaking. This year was more one behind the other…It’s better to arrive fourth, two seconds from first, than arrive second or third, 10 seconds behind. I was strong, but not enough to try one attack, for one sector, one braking. They beat us, we are behind, but anyway we are strong.
Rossi: Lorenzo deserves penalty
Rossi says that Lorenzo deserves a penalty for blocking him during qualifying. Rossi had started a flying lap, found Lorenzo – who had just exited pitlane – at Turn 1. Rossi and Lorenzo exchanged hand signals, and appeared to continue the exchange after the chequered flag, while preparing for practice starts. Rossi:
He exited from the pit without looking at the track and when he arrived at the first corner, he tried to slow down but he was on the line…The problem is that I say, ‘why?’, and I expect, ‘sorry’, but he say to me like this [with hand motion], ‘what the f-ck do you want?’ The problem is that this situation happened exactly the same in Misano qualifying when I did the same mistake. He was very angry with me after that practice and at the end they gave me one [penalty] point. They don’t give him one point. I don’t know why.
Lorenzo:
In my opinion, he has no reason to complain, Everybody knows that when you exit the pits, you cannot stop to let them past because there was some riders entering the first corner and you are already in the corner. All you can do is try to stay in the white line. This is what I did, I could not be in the air, or in the gravel. What can I do? If he is still angry with me, I don’t know the reason.
Rossi: No rivalry with Marquez
Rossi, Marquez, and Pedrosa appear at a pre-Qatar press conference. In his first appearance with Marquez since last year, Rossi brushes off comparisons to other racing rivalries.
I’m happy to hear my name close to Agostini/Hailwood and Senna/Prost – it is something extra for motorsport, but I think nothing particularly special will happen and on track I think everything will be the same. Everybody will try to give the maximum to try to be in front without something more ‘special’…Personally speaking, the finish can be different and better and I prefer to win than lose. But it is like this and it is past and the good thing is that we are here and we will try to have another good fight in this season.
Marquez does not address the situation with Rossi directly.
We saw in the past in MotoGP, you always try to beat your opponent, but in the end I have 20 opponents and I must fight against each one for try to win the championship and that is my target. This year will be an interesting season because everything looks closer.
Pedrosa:
I think it was a big moment for MotoGP, maybe not like everybody thinks, but there was a lot of fans and the track was super crowded. They had to put up extra grandstands and sell extra tickets, this was a positive thing and the result affects part of the show but overall we can say that MotoGP is trying to grow and that is what we look for, to put on a good show.
Need set-up improvement for Qatar
Marquez says that despite his difficult test season, he is confident going into Qatar.
The season is finally about to start, and I’m looking forward to it. When we came here two weeks ago we did a big step forward with the set-up at the very end of the test, and I really felt at ease with the bike, especially in my last run that was quite late in the evening with the dew already starting to form. That’s positive in view of the race, even if we’re not yet where we’d like to be and still have a margin for improvement with the set-up. The Losail layout may not be the most favourable of the season for our bike, but in the past we’ve scored a podium and a win here with the RC213V, so we’ll fight to get the best result on Sunday. This year there are a few variables that aren’t yet completely predictable, such as tyre wear at race distance, for example, and the bike’s behaviour with the new electronics. Still, Honda never cease to work hard, as is the case for me and the whole team, so I’m positive and look forward to the action starting.
Casino ‘treated me like dirt’
Hamilton posts and then deletes a tweet criticizing the Sky City Casino in Auckland, New Zealand.
Don’t ever go to the sky city casino in Auckland, they treated me like dirt. Can’t believe how rude they were. Worst casino experience ever!
The casino’s management say they have been in touch with Hamilton, but were not willing to discuss the cause of the problem.
Aiming for Qatar top-three position
Rossi says he is aiming at a top-three position in Qatar.
Finally we start talking about racing! I’m very glad that a new season begins. Our tests were definitely positive, but the race is another thing…Last season for me began very well. I don’t know if I will be able to repeat that result but I will try to get on the podium for sure. This first race will be really important to understand the real potential of the bikes and the riders.
It will be important to start to work well from the first sessions and get ready and have clear ideas going into the race. I feel ready and motivated and so does the team, so let’s go!
Shares xXx photo
Jam shares photos and videos of himself with Diesel and Caruso, from the set of xXx. Diesel:
With my people, Nicky Jam. His first performance is in xXx. Arrrrr!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC6hQJ8CTSu/
‘I am going into a new chapter in my life’
Hamilton says he is still hungry for success in Formula 1 despite achieving his childhood ambition of winning his third title last year.
I don’t know how far I can go, how long I will go on in F1. I am going into a new chapter in my life and I will see where it takes me. [I am motivated by] my love for the sport and cars; my love for wanting to be able to take the car to the edge, to the unknown, to an area most people can’t. Those who said I would not succeed, and not amount to anything, I am going to continue to prove them wrong and smile in their face as I do so…I still pinch myself every day to think I used to go home from school and put the video in and watch Ayrton and now I have matched him in a similar amount of races in terms of results. But he still has more poles than me so I still have more targets in that sense…I don’t know how long I will be as good as I have been. But that’s the exciting thing about life; you don’t know what’s around the corner so I will give it everything I have got.
Says incorrect setup could cost points
Marquez says that the progres of Ducati and Suzuki will have an effect on the upcoming season.
Last year, two years ago, when maybe on Sunday you didn’t feel well, you didn’t have the correct set-up, you finished fourth or fifth. This year it will be different. This year, you must be ready because if not you could finish eighth, ninth, 10th, because you have many riders. We anyway have Ducati riders, Suzuki riders that did a big step and it will be really nice, I think, especially the first race.
Mercedes will let Hamilton, Rosberg fight
At a press conference in Stuttgart. Mercedes’ Wolff says the team owes it to F1 to let the pair remain rivals on the track.
We are stakeholders in Formula One. A good show is essential for the sport. We want lots of fighting on the track. And the rivalry between these two guys is important. Our role is to step back a little and leave it up to these two to fight it out in the track.
The two drivers, who have barely talked this year exchanged some words:
Hamilton: I think when I first got [into the car] I was like, ‘Jeez, I’m old’, because I have been doing it a long time. Physically when you get in the car each time it gets harder and harder.
Rossberg: Physically harder and harder? Getting old? What is the reason?
Hamilton: I have seen some grey hairs on you. You know how it is, you’re only six months behind me.
Rossi: ‘Tricked, betrayed’ by Marquez
In an interview with Gazzetta World, Rossi talks more about hsi relationship with Marquez.
After what happened we can no longer have a relationship. However, we must be opponents on the track, for some years I hope, and we have to respect each other. That is important…More than anything I allowed myself to be tricked by Marquez. He really betrayed me. He said he was a fan but those were all lies. I almost believed him and I was ready to have a rivalry with him, giving 100 percent on the track, but those were all lies on his end. At Assen I realised he was only my friend when he beats me.
Referencing an act of on-track revenge by Ayrton Senna in F1:
When Senna raced I didn’t like him. I cheered for Nigel Mansell, and when he joined Ferrari, I cheered for Prost. But I really liked what Senna did at Suzuka in 1990 [when Senna deliberately took both himself and title rival Prost out at Turn 1]. He was ‘worked over’ the year before and then he did what he had to. He showed some balls.
Says Ferrari has ‘picked up it’s game’
At Mercedes’ pre-season launch in Stuttgart, Hamilton says Ferrari has improved.
Honestly we are going to have a real battle. Ferrari has seriously picked up its game. That’s my opinion. It’s still difficult to know. The car is good but Ferrari was strong towards the end of last year and they have made a significant improvement from last year to this year. They did some incredible times at the last test in some of their long runs and I believe they didn’t bring an upgrade to any of the test days, so I imagine they will bring a good package to the first race. You are going to see a good fight, which is what I want and we want in the sport. I’m excited about that.
Wants to race cars after MotoGP
Rossi says that after two more years in MotoGP, he may switch to racing cars.
I will take five or six races to decide. But I am pretty convinced I can continue for a couple of years and then maybe Yamaha says something, because I get white hair! But at 39 years old I will be able to run a dozen car races still, make the most fascinating races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the Dakar. Although there you have to get up too early!
On this current season:
A year ago I started well but ended badly. I would rather start not so well but be strong until the end.
Says F1 should let fans judge new qualifying format
Hamilton says critics of F1’s new qualifying format, which eliminates the slowest driver in 90-second intervals, to wait until the system has made its debut in Australia before passing judgment.
What’s most important is how the fans feel about it. There have been some good formats and some OK formats. I’ve generally enjoyed the format of the last few years. That’s why it doesn’t make sense to me right now, the changes that have been made, but don’t knock it until you try it. I’m looking forward to getting to Melbourne and trying it out, and maybe we’ll be surprised. It may be really exciting, or maybe it won’t. We’ll see…you’ll get comments from the fans as to whether it’s good or not.
VR46 tribute
On the 13th anniversary of Sheene’s death, Sheene Movie releases a clip of Rossi dedicating his Australian GP win in 2003 to Sheene.
