Kevin Sanders

13/12/2024

Life is a simulation …. on point today

08/12/2024

What a celebration, Motul magic in abundance

02/12/2024

More moments from Roof 🇱🇸

22/11/2024

The boys are ready for .of.the.whip

10/11/2024

Was awesome to be back at the South African Rally-Raid Championship and see the Red-Lined Motorsport boys in action.
Congrats Mr Marsh on an incredible season, what a journey it's been in 2024.

and yes I could not attend a Rally Raid event and not take photos 😁

08/11/2024

08/11/2024

08/11/2024

In November we Mo 👨🏻

04/11/2024

Are you roof ready?

31/10/2024

TracN4 Toll Route rally loading…..we can’t wait to end the season on a high !

📸 Dries Beetge

31/10/2024

Motul South Africa is more than just exceptional products, it's a culture of relentless passion, precision, and pushing the limits. We go another opportunity to spend a day with our partners Red-Lined Motorsport Adventure at Legends Adventure Farm, where we come together as like minded individuals who believe in quality and never see 'impossible' as an option. Here’s to fueling greatness, one adventure at a time.

29/10/2024

Behind the lens today
Motul South Africa
Red-Lined Motorsport Adventure

28/10/2024

The Mexican Grand Prix proved to be a thrilling spectacle, emphasizing the importance of managing altitude, tyre strategies, and on track battles.

Carlos Sainz clinched pole position and victory, showcasing Ferrari’s strong form. Lando Norris finished second, demonstrating McLaren's improvements in race pace. Oscar Piastri gained nine positions, moving from P17 to P8, highlighting effective strategy and DRS usage.

The high altitude reduced air density, enhancing top speeds. Piastri recorded the fastest race speed at 361 km/h, crucial for overtaking. Ferrari led qualifying speeds at 349 km/h, while McLaren and Williams struggled with setups that prioritized corner stability.

Tire strategy played a pivotal role due to the track's abrasive surface. Teams recognized the advantages of hard compounds, with Valtteri Bottas managing a remarkable 49-lap stint. Medium tyres provided early grip but began to degrade around lap 25, making longer stints challenging.

Sainz maintained a consistent pace, effectively keeping rivals at bay. Norris’s strong second stint allowed him to close the gap on Sainz, reflecting McLaren's performance. Surprisingly, Red Bull struggled, with Max Verstappen lagging by 0.6 seconds per lap.

McLaren excelled in pit stop efficiency, saving 0.6 seconds per stop, which helped Norris maintain his position. Ferrari also performed well but lost time during Charles Leclerc’s final stop. Red Bull’s slower stops hindered Verstappen’s recovery.

The race start was tightly contested, with 11 drivers nearing speeds of 200 km/h. Bottas and Sergio Perez, both on hard tyres, showed impressive acceleration despite lower grip conditions.

Leclerc stayed close to Sainz until lap 13 when the gap widened. Norris pushed hard, while Haas’s updates allowed Kevin Magnussen to close in on Verstappen.

Piastri’s strategic DRS usage allowed him to gain nine positions, while Esteban Ocon moved from the pit lane to finish in P13. Verstappen and Lance Stroll experienced setbacks due to early contact.

The Mexican GP highlighted team adaptability, with Ferrari dominating the straights, McLaren optimizing race pace and pit efficiency, and the hard tyre emerging as the preferred compound. This race underscored Ferrari’s resurgence, McLaren’s improvements, and Red Bull’s unexpected drop off, adding excitement as the season approaches its conclusion.

27/10/2024

Qualifying at the Mexican GP was a true display of technical precision, with every driver contending with high altitude impacting grip, braking, and overall performance. In the end, Carlos Sainz clinched pole, while Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were just behind him, each showing strengths and facing limitations across different sections of the track. Here’s a breakdown of how the lap unfolded.

Straight-Line Speed and Entry into Turn 1

Right from the start, we saw a speed discrepancy that set the tone. Sainz and Verstappen both reached 348 km/h on the main straight, allowing them a stronger entry into Turn 1, while Norris came in slightly slower at 344 km/h. This difference in top end speed was likely due to a combination of McLaren’s higher drag setup or a different ERS deployment strategy, putting Norris on the back foot from the start. As a result, Norris lost time right into the first complex, where both Sainz and Verstappen were already gaining an edge.

Sector 1: Managing Corners and Braking

Sainz and Verstappen both handled the Sector 1 turns with controlled braking and high entry speeds, allowing them to maintain momentum through this technical section. Norris, on the other hand, had to brake earlier and couldn’t carry as much speed into corners, resulting in a slight time loss. This pattern repeated at Turns 4 and 5, where Sainz in particular brought more speed into the entry phase. Verstappen was close behind, but Norris lagged slightly, having to play it safe with an earlier slowdown.

Sector 2: Where McLaren’s Strengths Shine

The twisty Sector 2 was where Norris’s McLaren showed its strengths. Despite a slower start, Norris maintained higher average speeds through the complex corners, especially in the sequence from Turns 6 to 11. Here, telemetry shows Norris holding up to 20 km/h more speed than Sainz in certain microsections and 9 km/h over Verstappen. This gave him a slight recovery and demonstrated McLaren’s impressive high speed stability in tighter sections. However, despite this advantage, the deficit from the straights still left him trailing.

Sector 3: Aggression vs. Control

In the final sector, it was Verstappen who took a more aggressive approach. Delaying his braking as much as possible, he managed to claw back some time on both Sainz and Norris. Telemetry indicates that Verstappen consistently braked later, pushing the car to the limit in the final corners. Norris, by contrast, adopted a more cautious approach, braking earlier and losing tenths as a result. Sainz struck a balance here, especially in Turn 13, where he chose a shorter line, effectively reducing the distance travelled and preserving his gap.

In FP 1, 2, and 3, we saw multiple issues with grip, braking challenges, and a few drivers overusing run off areas. The thinner air reduces downforce, making it tough for teams to achieve optimal grip and cooling, which particularly impacted brake performance and engine temperatures.

Qualifying highlighted these challenges even more, with Carlos Sainz clinching pole thanks to a balanced approach, maximizing entry speed, and minimizing travel distance in tight turns. Verstappen showed aggression, braking late to claw back time in the final sector but struggling with a slight understeer. Norris’s McLaren was stable in the twisty sections of Sector 2, but slower top end speed on the straights held him back.

Overall, Mexico’s high altitude and technical layout are demanding every bit of precision from the drivers, setting up an exciting and unpredictable race ahead.

26/10/2024

Pirelli 2025 Tire Testing in Mexico

FP2 in Mexico gave us an early look at Pirelli’s new 2025 compounds, and let’s just say there’s plenty to unpack. The extended 90-minute session allowed us to run back-to-back comparisons between the 2024 and 2025 C4 and C5 compounds, plus a new experimental C6.

C5 2025 – Softer, Stronger, More Consistent

First impressions? The C5 2025 is a step up. It’s softer than the current C5, which means it’s offering better performance and managing heat more effectively, a big win for Pirelli, given the drivers’ feedback on softer compounds overheating. On long runs, both McLaren looked solid on this tyre, and we’re seeing it’s likely to deliver a reliable race pace with less wear, which could change our approach to pit strategies next season.

Experimental C6 – Good Grip, but High Maintenance

Then we’ve got the C6, Pirelli’s take on an ultrasoft, designed to bring back the high grip, high degradation feel of the old ultrasoft and hypersoft. It’s got a grip, no doubt, but managing that degradation is going to be key. Based on today’s runs, the C6 might need more careful handling during races, so the C5 could still be the go-to for consistency. It’ll be interesting to see how it evolves with more testing, especially for street circuits.

C4 2025 – Stability for the Win

The real surprise was the C4 2025. It’s more stable on long runs than expected, giving drivers more confidence and allowing them to push without excessive management. If this translates into race conditions, we’ll have a tyre that can go the distance without forcing us to trade off on pace. That stability could be a game-changer for race strategies, letting drivers focus on outright speed.

What’s Next?

The next test will be in Abu Dhabi, where they can dive into performance under different track conditions. While the C4 and C5 are looking strong, the C6 may need a bit of fine-tuning to hit the mark. But overall, these compounds show a lot of promise for 2025.

With regulations staying consistent, this data should give us a realistic glimpse into next season, and if today’s session is anything to go by, 2025 could bring us a whole new level of strategic tyre play.

Looking forward to seeing how these compounds develop!

26/10/2024

The boys taking over