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F1 / Round 15: 2022 Dutch Grand Prix Highlights and Provisional Results

As the drivers left the grid for the first of 72 laps, the home crowd filled the air with orange for their countryman – championship F1 leader Max Verstappen. Both Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc got a good start but it was the Red Bull driver who had a slight edge. Further back, Mercedes-AMG’s Lewis Hamilton also sliced through the grid and had just a tiny bit of contact with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who had been one slot ahead of him on the grid.

With Zandvoort having very short laps, the cars raced across the starting grid again within a very short time. Haas driver, Kevin Magnussen, provided some drama in the opening lap as his car went wide into the gravel and although he bounced off a barrier, he managed to remain in the race but in last position. His team mate, Mick Schumacher, was not doing well either, having slipped two positions back from eighth on the grid.

Within the first 12 minutes, 6 laps had already been completed and Verstappen was already setting the fastest time. But just one lap later, Leclerc pushed hard and did an even faster lap, gaining a bit on the Dutchman. Hamilton was less than a second behind Sainz who was dropping back from the front two.

Tyre degradation was appearing and Scuderia Alphatauri’s Pierre Gasly went into the pits for new tyres, followed by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. They had started on softs which did not seem to be a good choice. Alpine F1’s Fernando Alonso also came in on lap 13 for tyres. Schumacher’s pit-stop was frustrating as it took a while before he could be released.

Lap 15 saw Sainz and Sergio Perez, the other Red Bull driver, pitting. It was messy as Sainz could not shoot back out straight away due to Perez coming past and the Ferrari driver was still for 11 seconds – which is a long time in the pitlane.

As Leclerc headed off to the pits, Hamilton inherited second place, 12 seconds behind Verstappen. When the Ferrari driver got back to the race, he was fourth with Mercedes-AMG’s George Russell ahead.

When Verstappen finally came in on lap 19, Hamilton took the lead, followed by Russell. Switching to mediums, the Dutchman had a very quick stop as usual, returning in third place and about 8 seconds behind Hamilton, and 5 seconds ahead of Leclerc. Up to that point, both Mercedes-AMG drivers were still on their original tyres – a one-stop strategy?

The Alfa Romeo ORLEN team must have been grateful that their cars remained in the race, Zhou Guan-Yu in 13^th and Valtteri Bottas in 15^th place. But Zhou picked up a 5-second penalty for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane.

On lap 28, Verstappen closed in on Russell and speeding along the main straight with DRS open, he easily slipped past the Mercedes-AMG into second as he powered his way around on the outside. One lap later, Hamilton left the lead to Verstappen as he rushed into the pits. While changing tyres, Russell, Leclerc and Perez passed by so he rejoined in fifth, 11 seconds ahead of Sainz.

It was Russell’s turn on lap 31 which gives second place to Leclerc, who has a 7-second gap to close with Verstappen. He’s comfortably ahead of Perez who has to keep an eye out for Hamilton sneaking up on him. It was hard to say which Mercedes-AMG driver might have a chance at winning the F1 race as Russell was faster than Hamilton at times.

Halfway through the F1 race, Verstappen looked steady in the lead with an 8-second gap from Leclerc, with Perez around the same time gap from the Ferrari driver. This meant his focus could be entirely on Hamilton who was in his mirrors. Hamilton gets past on lap 37 but Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel is in the way and the Mercedes-AMG driver cannot pull away from Perez quickly enough. Perhaps too focussed on Hamilton, Perez is caught by surprise as Russell slips past him as well into fourth place.

On lap 45, there was confusion when Scuderia Alphatauri’s Yuki Tsunoda pulled to the side as he seemed to have tyre problems. He was able to make it back to the pits where his wheels were checked. He rejoined and then had problems again after 3 laps and pulled over between Turns 4 and 5. but the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was activated as the Japanese driver left his car.

This triggered a flurry of activity in the pits and on lap 49, Verstappen pit from the lead! The Mercedes-AMG drivers also did the same, but the Red Bull driver got back out and still kept his lead. Racing resumed on lap 50 as the VSC was deactivated. Hamilton was then 12 seconds behind Verstappen, with his team mate 3 seconds away. Instead of being able to keep the lead, Hamilton had been forced into working for the win again due to the VSC.

Alfa Romeo lost a car again as Bottas came to a stop on the main straight while he was in 18^th place. The F1 Safety Car came out on lap 56 and Verstappen shot straight to the pits for softs. But the Mercedes-AMG duo did not do the same, so Hamilton was back in the lead with his team mate shadowing him. However, on lap 58, as the cars diverted along the pit lane because the marshals were clearing the Alfa Romeo, Russell did a stop and got soft tyres. That dropped him to third behind Verstappen.

The F1 Safety Car ended its duty after 3 laps. Mercedes-AMG had a buffer between Hamilton and Verstappen but lost it. They had a good chance of Hamilton winning but if he could not, then Russell was ready to take over. As the race started, the Dutchman pulled out and swooped past the Mercedes-AMG easily. The Dutchman regained the lead in the Dutch Grand Prix with 11 laps remaining.

Within a short while, Verstappen had already opened the gap to 2 seconds. As the cars charged through Turn 1, Russell passed Hamilton who was very frustrated at having mediums while his British team mate had softs that worked a lot better. From being in the lead, Hamilton now had to deal with a determined Leclerc who passed him on lap 66.

Verstappen had the speed to stay ahead no matter how hard Russell tried, while Hamilton struggled with his tyres to try to keep Sainz from also displacing him. How quickly his fortunes had changed.

Clocking a fastest lap, Verstappen again won in front of his home crowd which went crazy as their hero sped across the finish line. He had pretty much led from pole position on the grid and got it right again.

Skoda Previews New Design Language With Vision 7S Concept

With the VISION 7S concept, Skoda is providing a preview of an all-new battery electric SUV as well as the Czech brand’s new design language. There is also a new brand logo which no longer uses sculptural 3D graphics, a response to a growing shift in marketing activities from print to online.

The 7-seater VISION 7S SUV, which is 3 to 4 years from appearing in Skoda showrooms, sits on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Kit (MEB). Proposed with an 89 kWh battery pack, it has a projected range of over 600 kms.

With the new design language comes the ‘Tech-Deck Face’ at the front end with a a solid underbody and aerodynamic roof lines. The Tech Deck Face embodies a modern reinterpretation of the familiar Skoda grille. Though it has similar lines, the appearance is significantly flatter and wider than the previous styling. The ribs have been replaced by dark glass that conceals the vehicle’s sensors.

The redesigned SKODA wordmark replaces the brand’s picturemark and is complemented by a new ambient light strip. This extends across the entire width of the vehicle at the upper edge of the front section and features illuminated graphics.

The robust bumpers are made of durable, recycled tyres. This material is also used for the wheelarch linings and adds a rugged visual highlight. Seven vertical air intakes are integrated into the front, through which air is directed to the cooling systems and brakes, and another nine vertical air outlets are in the rear bumper.

A control element in bright Flashy Orange is located in the centre of both the front and rear. These can be pulled out to serve as hooks. In addition, they can be used to safely cut off the vehicle’s high-voltage current from the outside, if required.

A high tornado line separates the solid underbody from the side windows and emphasises the powerful shoulder sections through its curve. The squared-off wheel arches beneath it are prominent and clearly recessed. Within them, the wheels are aerodynamically optimized rims and almost completely closed.

Additional air outlets are positioned between the wheel arches and above the side skirts. These act as running boards for the portal doors that swing up in opposite directions and also have cover grilles. These grilles channel the warm air generated from cooling the high-voltage battery pack to the outside.

The flat roofline gently slopes to the rear and merges with a pronounced roof spoiler for high aerodynamic efficiency. The triangular D-pillar extending to the rear features a bold design; at the bottom, it bears the new SKODA wordmark, which also appears on the tailgate and is lit up in the same way as at the front of the vehicle.

The minimalistic interior is as spacious as the exterior proportions of the Skoda concept suggest. The sense of security further enhanced by the combination of dark and light materials. These are leather-free (mostly from sustainable sources) and are extremely durable, thanks to some smart material combinations.

One example is the floor, which is also made from recycled tyres. The interior trim is also sustainable and coated with a fine, matt metallic layer, thus conserving valuable resources. The fabrics are made of 100% recycled polyester yarns.

Great emphasis was placed on further optimising usability. In addition, the vehicle’s menu structure and infotainment functions have been streamlined, and the controls on the central, free-standing touchscreen, as well as haptic keys for important or frequently used functions, are particularly intuitive.

In front of the central screen on the instrument cluster is a large crystal that indicates the battery and charging status using different colours. This can be seen easily from outside the Skoda SUV.

The position of the childseat may seem unsuitable from the safety point of view but it is actually in the safest place in the vehicle. It is integrated into the centre console, which extends to the second row of seats, opposite to the direction of travel. This means the child is optimally protected, and the passengers in the second row can always keep an eye on him or her.

An optional interior camera in the rear roof area can also transmit a video of the child to the central infotainment display. This makes it possible for the driver and front passenger to see the little ones on board at all times.

The VISION 7S also introduces a new series of ‘Simply Clever’ features, well known in Skodas. For example, the air vents on the dashboard work in a discreet, diffuse mode until more direct ventilation is needed. Passengers will also find magnetic surfaces under the floating centre console, where metal Skoda drink bottles or a first-aid kit can be securely attached. There are also backpacks that are magnetically attached to the seat backrests, easily taken off when leaving the vehicle for a hike.

“The VISION 7S is the forerunner of our new design language that we’ll be rolling out across the entire product portfolio over the coming years. We’ll also be using it to sharpen our customer appeal; with the new styling, we are taking the brand to the next level and aligning it to our customers’ new needs and expectations, particularly regarding UX (user experience), connectivity and the entire customer journey,” said Martin Jahn, Skoda Auto Board Member for Sales and Marketing.

F1 / Round 15: 2022 Dutch Grand Prix Preview & Starting Positions

Last year saw the return of the Dutch Grand Prix after a 36-year gap – the longest in the Formula 1 championship. The reason it had dropped off the F1 calendar was due to financial difficulties that prevented the Zandvoort circuit from being modernized and upgraded as the sport evolved. It was only in 1995 that proper investment was made with a new owner and the circuit, which had its first race in 1948, was redesigned and redeveloped.

The last F1 race in 1985 was won by Niki Lauda when he was with McLaren, which also won the championship that year. Besides Lauda, the drivers of that era were men like Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Rene Arnoux, all retired (or passed away).

Formel 1 – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Großer Preis der Niederlande 2022. Lewis Hamilton Formula One – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, 2022 Dutch GP. Lewis Hamilton

While the 4.3-km layout of today’s circuit for Round 15 of the 2022 championship differs greatly from the one that existed in the first 50 years, some of the drivers who raced in last year’s championship round were familiar with it from their Formula 3 years.

**Race starts at 3 pm in Holland/9 pm in Malaysia**

Zandvoort is a challenging track with 14 corners, many of them fast and sweeping with the ‘Tarzan Corner’ hairpin at the end of the start/finish straight. Undulating, rising and falling between the sand dunes, with a rollercoaster-like vibe similar to Portimao, it has an old-school feel, which many of the drivers like. “It’s definitely a unique challenge for the drivers and puts many aspects of an F1 car to the test,” said Mercedes-AMG’s Toto Wolff.

The elevation change is almost 8 metres and being located across the road from the North Sea, strong wind can be expected, sometimes blowing sand onto the track and affecting grip (an issue normally associated with places like Bahrain).

Zandvoort doesn’t feature many long straights and a lot of the lap is spent cornering. Due to this, it’s a track with low power sensitivity and engine duty, so the Power Unit has an easier time than at other tracks, where it is worked harder.

Because of the many high-speed changes of direction, where the mass of the car can work against you, Zandvoort has the highest mass sensitivity of the year – which means, carrying more fuel will be more penalising. But it’s below average for tyre duty and wear, because most of the corner speeds and loads sit in the middle of the. Many sequences are also very flowing rather than stop/start, which puts traction demand into the tyre.

“The most challenging parts for the tyres are the banked Turns 3 and 14, which are taken at high speed and place sustained combined forces on the car: downforce as well as lateral demands. Along with the other overall demands of the circuit layout, this is why we have nominated the hardest three compounds in the range for only the fourth time in 2022, after Bahrain, Spain and Great Britain,” said Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director.

Overtaking is challenging at Zandvoort due to the almost constant sequence of cornering, apart from the main straight (which leads into not a particularly big braking zone) and the back straight (which isn’t very long). This means qualifying performance and pace is vital and makes it one of the most important F1 qualifying sessions of the year.

“The new F1 car-tyre package this season should make overtaking easier on a track where it was hard to pass last year. The majority of drivers stopped just once to maintain track position but this time, there could be more of a focus on the softer compounds – which might lead to more two-stoppers and drivers pushing even harder,” predicts Isola.

There are two very different tarmacs at Zandvoort, which means the tyres behave quite differently on one relative to the other. There’s some new, smoother tarmac laid in 2020, and the rest of the track features an older, more aggressive surface. This makes it tricky to rebalance the car for all corners, because the surfaces can be different from one corner to the next.

*Cornering speeds and gears used by Mercedes-AMG drivers.*

Drivers experience 5.2g through the long, sweeping Turn 7 at Zandvoort, one of the highest lateral g-forces of the entire season. Of the 10 braking sections, two are classified as highly demanding on the Brembo brakes, six are of medium difficulty and the remaining two are light.

The most difficult one for the braking system is on the first turn because the cars come off a 1.1-km straight with no braking on the last turn. The single-seater F1 cars hit the brakes at 317 km/h and drop to 133 km/h in just 111 metres. To achieve this, the drivers brake for 1.99 seconds and sustain 4.8g of deceleration.

Because of the very long gap from the 1985 Dutch F1 GP, the most successful driver remains one from that era and it is Jim Clark who won 4 times in the 1960s. Max Verstappen won last year at his home race, and if he repeats his winning form for the next few years, he could replace Clark.

Scuderia Ferrari has been the most successful team in the Dutch F1 GP with 10 victories between 1952 and 1983. During that period, the team had drivers like Alberto Ascari. Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter.

Ducati Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini Unveiled

A second collaboration between Lamborghini and Ducati was unveiled to the public at the San Marino Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli – the new Ducati Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini. An exclusive limited edition model, only 630 units will be built with each one priced at £55,995 (around RM288,350).

The Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini follows the Ducati Diavel 1260 Lamborghini which was presented two years ago in the first collaboration between the two companies, ambassadors of the ‘Made in Italy’ brand. While the first superbike was inspired by the Sian hybrid supercar, this latest one has been inspired by the Huracan STO.

The new superbike adopts the well-known ‘Fight Formula’ to the technical base of the Panigale V4 S 2023, while integrating elements and stylistic features that are unmistakably Lamborghini. Integrating technical and stylistic elements typical of Lamborghini DNA – and the Huracan STO, in particular – the superbike has exclusive livery in green and orange.

Huracan design elements
The Ducati Style Centre, in collaboration with Lamborghini’s Centro Stile, redesigned the superstructures of this special bike, drawing inspiration from the Huracan STO. It features specially-made forged wheels enhanced by the titanium clamping nut on the rear, with the front fender design is inspired by the air ducts integrated in the supercar’s ‘cofango’. The toe cap, radiator cover, wings, tank cover and tail are all made of carbonfibre, the same lightweight material used for all Lamborghinis.

The livery features the STO logo and the number ’63’, which refers to the year in which Lamborghini was founded. Multiply that number by 10 and you get 630 – the number of units of the superbike that will be available.

The colours used are exactly the same as those used for the Huracan STO, with a base in Verde Citrea (green) and contrasting parts in Arancio Dac (orange). The model name and the unique number of each unit are shown on a metal plate inserted in the central tank cover and an aluminium insert on the ignition key. Each owner will get a number Certificate of Authenticity for the superbike.

The superbike’s seat is also inspired by the Huracan STO’s seat finish with accents matching the superstructure. At the heart of the Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini is the 1103 cc Desmosedici Stradale engine with power of 208 ps with a dry clutch, as on the Ducati MotoGP and Superbike models.

Even more exclusivity
In addition to the 630 units, Ducati will offer an even more exclusive series dedicated to 63 Lamborghini customers. Thanks to the Ducati’s Style Centre and Speciale Clienti program, they will be able to create unique versions by customizing their Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini with livery and rims in the same colour as their car. It will then be possible to choose the brake caliper colours and seat details from those included in the Huracan STO palettes, in addition to the standard colour scheme.

Ducati Diavel 1260 Lamborghini unveiled, priced from RM130,000

Perodua Reports 42% Increase In Deliveries As Factory Output Improves

August was a good month for the carmakers in Malaysia as improved production output enabled them to deliver more vehicles. Like Proton, market leader Perodua also reported significantly higher numbers for its August deliveries with 26,039 units registered nationwide or 42% more than in July.

“We are currently trying to build on this production improvement to ensure speedier delivery to our customers,” Perodua President & CEO, Dato’ Sri Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

*The Bezza had the highest output in August but the Myvi remains the brand’s bestseller.*

Bezza output highest
Of the 28,036 units produced in August, the Bezza accounted for the most number (24.2%), closely followed by the Myvi which accounted for 22.2%. The Axia output was the third highest with 4,857 units (17.3%) leaving the factory in Sg. Choh, Selangor.

“For the newly launched Alza, we have received bookings of 51,000 units so far,” said Dato’ Sri Zainal, adding that 7,682 units registered in July and August. An average of over 1,000 orders were received daily in the first 27 days after bookings opened, swelling the order bank to over 30,000 orders by launch day.

10 months to get Alza?
With production of the new Alza having started in June and a targeted volume of 3,000 units a month, the already large number of orders means that the waiting period could stretch to 10 months.

The cumulative volume of deliveries achieved for the first 8 months of this year shows an increase of 63.7% to 171,728. In the same period in 2021, 104,933 units were registered nationwide.

Dato’ Sri Zainal points out, however, that this comparison must also be seen in the light of the country having a lockdown situation between June 1 to August 15 last year. During that time, all non-essential operations were stopped, including vehicle production and sales activities.

The ‘King’ is still bestseller
“The Myvi remains our bestseller this year with 48,658 units delivered, followed by the Bezza with 39,642 units, and the Axia 37,013 units,” he said.

Supply better but costs rising
Dato’ Sri Zainal said the improvement in production and sales came about as some key issues have been resolved at the moment. These issues relate to the global semiconductor chip supply shortage and insufficient labour at some suppliers’ operations which lead to disrupted supply of some components.

“We are also closely monitoring the increase in prices of raw materials at the moment and are working with the ecosystem on how best to mitigate this impact to our production operations,” he added.

To know more about Perodua’s products and services, visit www.perodua.com.my.

Perodua to surge forward in 2022 with RM1.326 billion investment

Proton Sales Improve As Production Stabilises

Although it had a slow start to 2022, Proton’s production has now risen substantially and in August, deliveries totalled 15,880 units (including export sales). It was the best sales month for the Malaysian carmaker since July 2013, 109 months ago.

Cumulatively, for the first 8 months of the year, sales of Proton vehicles reached 87,481 units, a 39.7% over the 62,637 achieved between January and August 2021. By Proton’s estimate (based on the expected Total Industry Volume of 66,900 units), that would give it a market share of 19.5%, with the August numbers alone taking the share to an estimated 23.7%.

The company remains focused on ending 2022 with a fourth consecutive year of volume growth.

Sales leadership
Despite the recent launch of new direct rivals from other brands, Proton has maintained its position at the top of the SUV segment. The X50 reached a third consecutive month where deliveries crossed the 4,000-unit level with 4,329 units delivered in August. It’s the first time an SUV has achieved such a feat in Malaysia and comes on the back of its industry record with 4,763 units in July.

*Click here to find out how you could win a new X50 by just spending RM30.*

The larger X70 contributed 1,555 units in August, bringing Proton’s total SUV sales for the month to 5,884 units. The cumulative volume for 8 months is now at 37,489 units.

On the passenger car side, the Saga also benefited from improved component supply as 6,156 units were delivered last month. Demand for the latest Saga remains high and total deliveries have exceeded 14,000 units since its launch in May this year.

The biggest beneficiaries of the increase in production volume were the Persona and Iriz. 2,612 units of the Persona were delivered nationwide, the highest number since February 2020. For the Iriz, the 962 units delivered were at a sales level not since April 2021.

Stabilised production
“With four months to go in 2022, Proton’s production operations have stabilised. Critically, our component supply is now more consistent and better managed to ensure we can produce as many cars as possible. With that in mind, we have undertaken an initiative to increase the number of delivery trucks by over 100% by the end of the year. This makes it easier to ensure our dealers receive their stock as quickly as possible and, in turn, this benefits our customers who have been patiently waiting for their vehicles,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy CEO of Proton.

Proton Edar to sell electric vehicles from Q4 2023

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F1 / Round 15: 2022 Dutch Grand Prix Highlights and Provisional Results

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