2019 Belgian GP: Leclerc claims maiden F1 victory

After missing out on victory at the 2019 Bahrain GP and Austrian GP, Charles Leclerc was finally able to claim his first-ever F1 race win after successfully fending off Lewis Hamilton to win the 2019 Belgian GP. With this, Leclerc has also handed Ferrari its long-awaited first victory this season.

Right off the bat, Ferrari seemed to have the upper hand at Spa-Francorchamps; Leclerc topped two of the practice sessions and then went on to qualify in pole position. The first lap saw plenty of drama – Leclerc held on to his lead at the start, while behind him, his teammate Sebastian Vettel was passed by Hamilton. But Vettel quickly retook 2^nd place, taking advantage of the slipstream to pass Hamilton on the Kemmel Straight. The safety car was brought out when Max Verstappen’s Red Bull car went into the barriers at Eau Rouge after making contact with Kimi Raikkonen.

Once racing resumed, Leclerc was again able to pull away out at front as Vettel locked up at La Source. Vettel then came under pressure from Hamilton, but was able to hold on to 2^nd, thanks to the Ferrari’s superior straight-line speed. Ferrari then took a bold strategy decision and pitted Vettel on lap 15. This did temporarily hand Vettel an advantage as he took the lead once the remaining front runners pitted around six laps later. However, with Leclerc, Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas now on fresher tyres, they started closing in on Vettel.

With Vettel now on a two-stop strategy, he was instructed by the team to let Leclerc by. Vettel then spent the next few laps fending off Hamilton and buying Leclerc some additional time before being passed by both Hamilton and Bottas. Unable to finish the race on those same tyres, Vettel pitted once again and re-joined the track in 4^th place, nearly 19sec off Bottas.

Out at front, Hamilton was able to close in on Leclerc in the final few laps, but he held on to take a lights-to-flag victory. With this, the 21-year-old from Monaco is also the third-youngest race winner in F1 history. Moments later, Leclerc dedicated his win to Anthoine Hubert, who lost his life after succumbing to injuries sustained in a high-speed collision in the F2 race over the weekend. “On one hand… a dream since being a child that has been realised,” said Leclerc in the post-race interview.

“On the other hand, it has been a very difficult weekend. We have lost a friend first of all. It’s very difficult in these situations so I would like to dedicate my first win to him.”

A 2^nd place finish was enough for Hamilton to further extend his championship lead to 65 points from Bottas. Alexander Albon enjoyed a strong first race for Red Bull, climbing from 17^th on the grid to finish 5^th after successfully overtaking Sergio Perez on the very last lap. The last lap saw two drivers retire – Lando Norris was set to take his career-best finish when he suffered a sudden loss of power and had to pull over, while Antonio Giovinazzi crashed at Pouhon. This promoted Daniil Kvyat to 7^th place, followed by Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll.

Results

POS	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	GAP
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	44	1h23m45.710s
2	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	44	0.981s
3	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	44	12.585s
4	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	44	26.422s
5	Alexander Albon	Red Bull/Honda	44	1m21.325s
6	Sergio Perez	Racing Point/Mercedes	44	1m24.448s
7	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso/Honda	44	1m29.657s
8	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	44	1m46.639s
9	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso/Honda	44	1m49.168s
10	Lance Stroll	Racing Point/Mercedes	44	1m49.838s
11	Lando Norris	McLaren/Renault	43	Not running
12	Kevin Magnussen	Haas/Ferrari	43	1 Lap
13	Romain Grosjean	Haas/Ferrari	43	1 Lap
14	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	43	1 Lap
15	George Russell	Williams/Mercedes	43	1 Lap
16	Kimi Raikkonen	Alfa Romeo/Ferrari	43	1 Lap
17	Robert Kubica	Williams/Mercedes	43	1 Lap
18	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo/Ferrari	42	Spun off
-	Carlos Sainz Jr.	McLaren/Renault	1	Power Unit
-	Max Verstappen	Red Bull/Honda	0	Collision

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Kia Seltos deliveries begin; 6,200 units sold

Kia Motors India has begun customer deliveries of its first product, the Seltos SUV via its official outlets. We can also confirm that Kia Motors has sold 6,200 units of the SUV in the month of August 2019. In contrast, MG Motor India has sold 3,526 units of its first product, the Hector, in the Indian market.

Kia Motors officially entered the highly competitive Indian market with the Seltos on August 22,2019.  The Seltos is aggressively priced in India, starting at Rs 9.69 lakh going up to Rs 15.99 lakh for the top-spec variants. The company had officially commenced accepting bookings for the Seltos on July 16, however many dealers had begun accepting bookings unofficially much earlier.  At the launch event, the company announced that it had gathered over 35,000 bookings for the Seltos SUV, out of which one-fifth were made online via Kia’s website. Kia Motors will add two new top-spec variants of the Seltos in the coming months. Here's a list of waiting periods for all Kia Seltos variants available currently. 

The Kia Seltos has been introduced with six engine and gearbox options, which marks a segment-first. These options include a 1.5-litre petrol with a 6-speed manual and CVT gearboxes, a 1.5-litre diesel mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter, and a 1.4-litre direct injection turbo-petrol paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

Read our Kia Seltos vs Hyundai Creta detailed comparison

Kia is officially offering the Seltos in eight trim-levels with the 1.5-litre diesel and petrol variants being present in the Tech Line (it uses the HT suffix) and the 1.4 petrol available with just the GT Line (its uses the GT suffix). We have compiled a list of all the features and equipment along with the engine and gearbox combinations available across the entire Kia Seltos range below.

The Seltos is being built at Kia’s brand-new Anantapur plant that spans 23 million square feet and has come up with an investment of USD 1.1 billion (around Rs 7,600 crore) from the carmaker. The facility has an annual production capacity of 3, 00,000 units, which will be achieved over the next three years. In addition to the Indian market, the plant will also cater to export demand from countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Apart from the Seltos, Kia is also planning to manufacture around four new models at its factory in the next couple of years.

Click here for Kia Seltos est. prices, reviews, images, videos and more details

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X1 Racing League: All you need to know

Launching a motorsport league in India is a risky proposition. The success of cricket’s IPL led to an explosion of leagues across sports in India. But where some succeeded, many failed. Then there’s the fact that for all its visceral appeal, motorsport, especially domestic motorsport, remains a niche sport.

But co-founders and racers Aditya Patel and Armaan Ebrahim are confident they’ve hit upon the winning formula.

Set to flag off in November, they brought the media, influencers, celebrities, the country’s top racers and supercar owners together in a ‘Speed Summit’ at the Buddh International Circuit, earlier this month, to give them a taste of what’s in store when the racing gets underway.

The first X1 event was announced last year, and it offered promise and questions in equal measure.

Who’s going to be racing?

Teams will field four drivers each – one international male driver, one international female driver, one Indian international driver and an Indian domestic driver. X1 says it is in talks with the top drivers globally, across Formula E, NASCAR, Le Mans and Indy 500, as well as former F1 racers. Drivers will be picked via a draft but just who is in the driver pool is yet to be announced, with co-founder Armaan Ebrahim only saying, “We’ve got enough for now and we’re growing.”

What are they going to be racing?

The X1 Racing League is working with Coimbatore-based JA Motorsports – the same company that builds cars for the MRF Challenge – to develop a car for the championship. The league offered a taste of the cars they’d like to race, giving journalists a ride in two JA-designed two-seater cars, but a decision on the exact specifications of the car has yet to be made.

“We’re looking at it, there are various options,” said Ebrahim. “In the next two months, by July, we’ll have an answer to the car.”

Who will they be racing for?

There will be eight teams competing in the league, each representing a city or a state. Potential franchise owners will pay Rs. 5.5 crore for a franchise, inclusive of all costs. They will also be locked-in for a three-year period, by when the league predicts teams will be able to break even.

“The city franchise will not necessarily be a Tier-I city, it can even be a Tier-II city or even a
Tier-III city,” said Aditya Patel.

Four franchises have already been sold, but the league is being tight-lipped on who has bought them, until all eight have been picked up.

“We’re in talks with a lot more people also for the other four but once we have all eight together
we’ll announce them altogether, including the city that they represent,” said Patel. “In some cases it may be a state but a Tier-I city is the most likely.”

Where will they race?

The X1 Racing League will race on a mix of street circuits and permanent tracks. The Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida and the MMRT on the outskirts of Chennai have been confirmed as two host venues. As for the city tracks, the league had originally hoped to host street races in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Mumbai. But for the first season, the schedule will feature just one street track. With the league set to take place across four weekends and three tracks, one circuit looks set to host two rounds.

“We don’t want to throw all our eggs in the basket in the first year,” said Patel. “If we do everything in year one, what do we have to offer in year two?”

“We do have a lot of things in mind,” he went on to say. “We do have some cities that we’ve identified and some tracks that are approved but you’ll have to wait for that announcement.”

The League events will run from November to December but will be preceded by its eSports competition, which will be held across eight weeks, beginning in July or August and running until October.

Where’s the money coming from?

Last June, X1 Racing announced that it would invest Rs 100 crore over three years in the league and in promotion of motorsport in the country (excluding investment in R&D, technology, street-
circuit infrastructure and safety equipment), with a five- to seven-year break-even period.

At its Speed Summit in New Delhi, it revealed that its investors include a mix of start-up entrepreneurs, like Kunal Shah, Jitendra Gupta and Raghunandan G, as well as investment companies. Jay Pawar, son of politician Ajit Pawar (nephew to Sharad Pawar), is also an investor.

Formula for success?

Patel and Ebrahim bring credibility to the table, as does the backing of the likes of Ravi Krishnan, the co-founder of Stepathlon and also part of the team that set up sports management company IMG’s operations in India. He will act as the league’s non-executive chairman.

However, there’s no denying it’s a risk. Having said that, greater the risk, the bigger the reward. The X1 league will give drivers a chance to measure themselves against established and upcoming global talent. There’s already talk of creating an X1 Team India – a collection of the country’s top drivers – and grooming them to take part in single-seater and sportscar championships abroad. If the concept takes off, it can only benefit Indian motorsport.

ABHISHEK TAKLE

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Hyundai electric kick scooter revealed

Hyundai Motor Group has developed a new prototype electric kick scooter. Building on its initial concept presented at CES 2017, the new model boasts rear-wheel drive, a highly-capable lithium battery and stylish front and rear lights.

The latest concept features Hyundai Motor Group’s future plans to enable first- and last-mile mobility through integrating the scooter with future Hyundai and Kia vehicles. When mounted on a vehicle, the scooter is charged automatically using electricity produced while driving, ensuring that the user can complete their journey seamlessly.

The 2019 model’s shift from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive is key in enhancing safety and stability as it positions weight near the rear. Additionally, the Group’s engineers have added suspension to the front wheel to provide a smoother ride, even on rough surfaces.

Dong Jin Hyun, head of Hyundai Motor Group Robotics team, said: “This is the vehicle-mounted personal scooter which could be featured all in future Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. We want to make our customers’ lives as easy and enjoyable as possible. Our personal electric scooter makes first- and last-mile commuting a joy, while helping to reduce congestion and emissions in city centers.”

The latest version of Hyundai Motor Group’s electric scooter features a 10.5Ah lithium battery. This enables the scooter to achieve a top speed of 20kph and is sufficient to power the scooter for around 20km on a single charge.

Weighing around 7.7kg, the scooter is highly portable, while its unique and compact tri-folding design means it is lighter and more compact than any similar product. Enhancing its usability further, it features a digital display that shows battery status and speed; while, for night time riding, the new scooter is equipped with two stylishly-curved front LED headlights, and two rear tail-lamps.

Looking at further potential development, the Group plans to install a regenerative braking system to increase the scooter’s range by 7 percent.

Hyundai claims that ongoing efforts to provide the customers with last-mile transportation aligns with the trends highlighted in research data by global consultancy, McKinsey & Company. It showed that the ‘Last Mile Mobility’ market in the US, Europe, and China is expected to grow to 500 billion USD (Rs 35 lakh crore) by 2030.

Click here for all Hyundai models, prices, reviews, images, videos and more

Click here for all Kia models, prices, reviews, images, videos and more

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Renault HBC compact SUV global debut likely early next year

Having just launched the Triber, Renault has already begun work on its next product for India – a new compact SUV that is codenamed HBC. The company is readying a global debut of this new SUV in the coming months, which means an Auto Expo 2020 debut isn’t out of question.

This new SUV will be based on the Renault-Nissan’s global CMF-A+ modular platform that also underpins the Triber. The new Renault HBC SUV will be a sub-four-metre product that will be positioned at the lower-end of the compact SUV market, which means that it will rival the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue and the Tata Nexon, to name a few. This new SUV will hit Renault showrooms mostly in late 2020 or early 2021. 

In order to keep costs in check, the new Renault HBC compact SUV will share a lot of parts with the Triber and other Renault products. Expect the model to have a similar dashboard design, switchgear and other interior bits to improve economies of scale. Under the hood, the Renault HBC is likely to come with the same 1.0-litre engine as the Triber, though Renault will offer a turbocharged unit as well for higher variants, which will facilitate better performance. Gearbox choices will include a 5-speed manual as well as an AMT option.

The coming months will see Renault exiting the diesel car market in India, which means the HBC – just like the Triber – will not come with a diesel engine option. Sister brand Datsun will also have a similar compact SUV for its India line-up, which will be based on the Renault HBC. It will sport unique styling in order to avoid overlap but will share major components and engines with the Renault. Apart from the HBC, Renault is also readying a compact sedan (codename: LBA) for India, which will be unveiled for global markets a little later.

Click here for Renault India models, prices, reviews, images, videos and more details

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MG Hector sales cross 3,500 units in two months

MG Motor India has announced that it has sold 2,018 units of its SUV, the Hector, in India in the month of August 2019. This brings the total sales of the brand’s first model for India to 3,526 units in a two-month period.

 

The carmaker also revealed that it has registered further interest in the SUV from prospective customers, with over 11,000 additional customers having been put on a priority wait list post the temporary closure of bookings in July. The carmaker had previously announced a temporary halt to bookings to focus on the 28,000 units already booked back in July this year.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Gaurav Gupta, chief commercial officer, MG Motor India, said, “We are extremely overwhelmed with the response that the MG Hector has received. We remain strongly focused on fulfilling the 28,000 bookings, as part of our commitment to ensure customer satisfaction. The strong momentum for the Hector has continued with over 11,000 additional customers registered on our priority wait list, after bookings were temporarily halted in July this year because of the huge response.”

 

The carmaker has also said that it will take the decision to re-open bookings later this year, with the brand set to ramp up production of its SUV at its Halol plant to 3,000 units per month in a bid to meet demand.

 

As mentioned above, the Hector is MG’s debut model for the Indian market. The SUV, a rival to the likes of the Kia Seltos, Tata Harrier, Hyundai Creta, Renault Kaptur and Nissan Kicks, is available in a choice of four trim levels and with a choice of three engine options – petrol, petrol-hybrid or diesel.

 

The carmaker has also been focusing on introducing its first EV for the India market, the ZS EV. Initially slated to launch in end-2019, the carmaker recently said that it will announce prices for its EV early next year. The ZS EV is touted to be launched across five cities initially, with MG focusing on locally assembling the electric SUV to keep prices down.

 

Also read:

Click here for MG Hector prices, details, reviews, images and videos

MG Hector petrol-automatic review

MG Hector accessory price list revealed

MG India's new rewards initiative awards customers waiting for the Hector

 

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Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 comes into force

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 has come into force today. And with its roll-out come higher penalties for traffic offenses. The higher fines are a much-needed measure to curb traffic offenses in India, which has some the world’s unsafest roads when it comes to driving. The government expects the higher fines to be a stronger deterrent for road users breaking the rules. 

A list of some of the new fines are below:

Section under 1988 Act	Description	Old penalty/provision	New penalty/provision
181	Driving without license	Rs 500	Rs 5,000
182	Driving despite disqualification	Rs 500	Rs 10,000
183	Over speeding	Rs 400	Rs 1,000-2,000 (light motor vehicle) Rs 2,000-4,000 (medium passenger vehicle)
184	Dangerous driving	Rs 1,000	Imprisonment of 6 months-1 year and/or fine of Rs 1,000-5,000 for first offence. Imprisonment up to 2 years and/or fine up to Rs 10,000 for second offence.
185	Drunk driving	Rs 2,000	Imprisonment up to 6 months and/or fine up to Rs 10,000 for first offence. Imprisonment up to 2 years and/or fine of Rs 15,000 for second offence.
189	Racing	Rs 500	Imprisonment of up to 1 month and/or fine up to Rs 500 for first offence. Imprisonment up to 1month and/or fine up to Rs 10,000 for second offence.
194A	Overloading		Rs 1,000 per extra passenger
194B	No seatbelt	Rs 100	Rs 1,000
194C	Overloading two-wheeler	Rs 100	Rs 2,000; license disqualification for 3 months
194D	No helmet	Rs 100	Rs 1000; license disqualification for 3 months
194E	Not providing way to emergency vehicle		Rs 10,000
196	Driving without insurance	Rs 1,000	Rs 1,000-2,000 and/or punishment up to 3 months for first offence. Rs 4000 and/or imprisonment up to 3 months for second offence
198	Failure to comply with standards for road design, construction and maintenance		Up to Rs 1 lakh
199	Offences by juveniles		Guardian/vehicle owner deemed guilty - Rs 25,000 with 3 years imprisonment. Vehicle registration cancelled for 12 months. Juvenile ineligible to obtain license until the age of 25 years.
210B	Offenses committed by enforcing agencies		Double of applicable penalty

In addition to the fines and penalties, the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 also covers other areas of road transport.

Green and safe

Making our roads safer and our vehicles less hazardous to the environment has been a recurring theme. Due to this, one of the major changes to the original Act is to allow the Central Government to issue directions to manufacturers to retrofit safety and emissions control equipment on motor vehicles, in accordance with such standards and specifications as directed by it. In addition, State and Regional Transport Authorities have been further empowered to issue directives and institute schemes to decrease overcrowding of roads with reference to parking spaces and halting stations and better road safety.

Focus on convenience

In order to make processes – such as getting a driver’s license, registration of vehicles and changes to be made to various documents – easier, various clauses and sections of the 1988 Act have been amended. One of the foremost changes is that applications for documentation – from a learner’s license and change of address on a license to vehicle registration and permits – can be made at any licensing authority in the State and can be done online. The amendment also adds further stipulations for the renewal of driver’s licenses – a license holder can apply for renewal one year before its expiry and up to one year after. After this duration, the applicant will have to pass a driving test again.

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