Motorsports weekend wrap: Verstappen snaps winless run; MotoGP 2024 finale heats up

This weekend, Ryan Blaney won in Martinsville to take the final spot in the Championship 4, alongside William Byron. Formula E moved its pre-season test, including the all-women session, to the Jarama circuit due to the Valencia floods. Max Verstappen regained his form and won the Brazilian Grand Prix to almost secure his title. Francesco Bagnaia won in Malaysia to take the title fight against Jorge Martin to the final round.

NASCAR: Blaney soars into Championship 4; Byron qualifies

Ryan Blaney won his way into the Championship 4 after taking victory in Martinsville, which means he will defend his title in the final race. He will join Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and last-minute add-in William Byron in Pheonix.

In the closing laps, it became a three-way tussle for the win between eliminated Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Blaney. But with fresher tyres, Blaney stormed into the race lead to take his third win of the season. However, chaos was unfolding behind him in the fight for the fourth and final spot.

Check out our previous motorsport weekend wrap: Reddick clinches maiden NASCAR Championship 4 berth, MotoGP race heats up

In the final corner, Bell entered the turn too hot and hit the wall, but kept his foot on the gas to cross the checkered flag in a dramatic fashion. Meanwhile, the Chevrolet team communications were also controversial between Byron and his teammates, with neither passing Byron who was a point up on Bell.

After lengthy deliberations and tense scenes on pit road, NASCAR finally removed Christopher Bell from the Championship 4 due to a safety violation, handing the final spot to Byron.

Formula E: Formula E moves all pre-season tests to Jarama

Formula E cancelled its Valencia pre-season test after the region was hit by devastating floods resulting in severe damage and loss of many lives. The session, which was planned for November 4-7, will take place at the neighbouring Jarama circuit.

The Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valence has been hosting the sport’s pre-season tests since 2017. But due to damage to some of the circuit’s facilities, notably its main access road, and keeping in mind the wider situation, it was decided that holding the test there would not be possible.

The four-day affair was also scheduled to reveal the Gen3 Evo car design that will be used for the next two seasons in Valencia. “The pre-season test is an important moment in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar ahead of Season 11 starting in Sao Paulo on 6-7 December, as it allows us to check the new Gen3 Evo cars for safety,” a statement from Formula E read.

However, there was confirmation from the organisers later that both, the FIA Formula E Official Test and the Women’s Test, will be conducted at the Circuit del Jarama in Madrid, a former F1 Grand Prix venue, from November 5-8.

F1: Verstappen ends winless run with crucial Brazil victory

Max Verstappen of Red Bull regained his form at the right time as he won the rain-hit and incident-filled Brazilian Grand Prix. Starting from 17th on the grid, he braved the wet roads and testing conditions to make it to the front of the pack before reaching the halfway mark but soon increased the gap to more than 19 seconds to take his first win since June.

Pole-sitter Lando Norris and George Russell, who led the race briefly, opted to pit just before a red flag was brought out after Franco Colapinto lost control of the track. But that pause proved to be the deciding factor as Verstappen, who was in second, passed Esteban Ocon with ease and scored the maximum 26 points for Red Bull.

READ | F1 Brazilian Grand Prix: Norris rues bad luck in Brazil as title dream fades

Alpine was the surprise podium finisher with Ocon in P2 and Pierre Gasly in P3. Russell and Norris, whose race came undone after the red flag, had to settle for fourth and sixth respectively with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc splitting the two. The gap between Verstappen and Norris widened to 62 points with three races and a sprint remaining.

MotoGP: Bagnaia keeps Martin at bay as title fight heads to decider

The title fight between Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia will be heading to the final round of the MotoGP 2024 season after the latter defended his pole position to win in Malaysia. The two-time champion managed to keep Martin behind him despite a few attempts and brought down the lead in the drivers’ standings to 24 points.

Bagnaia showed he wasn’t backing out from the battle as he dominated in Friday’s practice session and smashed the pole position record at Sepang on Saturday. Heading into the weekend with a 17-point gap, the sprint race saw the Ducati driver lose the lead in the first lap and crash in the third, gifting Martin the win and a crucial 12 points.

But the Italian driver headed into Sunday with unwavering confidence, vowing to go all out in the race. Despite a chaotic start and a reduced 19-lap event, the lead continuously swapped hands with his title rival but Bagnaia pulled away just enough to keep the battle alive. The season is set to conclude at Barcelona at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona after the Valencia Grand Prix was cancelled due to catastrophic flooding in the region.