(PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA AFP)
Francesco Bagnaia (No. 63 Ducati Lenovo Team) was unstoppable at the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve on Sunday, picking up his third victory of the season. And with his latest 25-point haul, Bagnaia handed Ducati the 2021 Constructors title. Joan Mir (No. 36 Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Jack Miller (No. 43 Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the podium in Portimao as the race ended prematurely. Iker Lecuona (No. 27 Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) and Miguel Oliveira (No. 88 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed at Turn 13, bringing out the red flags. Both riders were conscious; Oliveira went to the medical center for a checkup. Watch race highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP)
(F1/Getty Images)
Max Verstappen (No. 33 Red Bull Racing Honda) cruised to a record third career Mexico City Grand Prix victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) and teammate Sergio Perez (No. 11 Red Bull Racing Honda), who became the first Mexican driver to take a Formula 1 podium at their home race. Watch race highlights here. (Thank you to F1 Media)
(NASCAR)
Kyle Larson, the season’s most dominant driver in the NASCAR Cup Series from start to finish, completed his run to the top by winning the 2021 championship Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) finished ahead of his fellow Championship 4 contenders — defending champion Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) and Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joes Gibbs Racing Toyota) — at the 1-mile track to claim the crown in his first season driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Larson, 29, from Elk Grove, California, took his career to a new level in 2021. The veteran driver more than doubled his career wins total this season, entering ’21 with six since his first full-time season. By every measure, 2021 marked Larson’s best season and one of the best in modern NASCAR history. He’s one of just 17 drivers to win eight or more times in a year at the top level, joining a host of NASCAR Hall of Famers to do so. Larson started out the 2021 season with a 10th-place finish at the Daytona International Speedway before picking up his first win since 2019 just three races later at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. From there, it quickly became evident he would be a force this season. Larson put together the best three-race stretch of anyone this year from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Nashville Superspeedway, winning a crown jewel, his first road-course victory and the inaugural Cup race at the Music City track. He added another over the summer, holding off Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott for another road win at Watkins Glen International before scoring another three in the playoffs (Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Roval, Texas Motor Speedway) leading up to Phoenix. Larson also won at Texas earlier this year in the All-Star Race. Watch video highlights here. (Thank you to NASCAR.com)
(Trans Am)
Matt Brabham (No. 20 CD Racing ALTWELL CBD Ford Mustang) passed Ernie Francis Jr. (No. 98 Future Star Racing Ford Mustang) in the final 50 feet on the final lap to win the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race by 0.393-seconds on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas. A late caution set up a two-lap, fender-rubbing dash to the checkered flag. Francis, who had led every lap from the pole despite constant pressure by Brabham, had to settle for second. “I was surprised, I just got a run on Ernie (Francis Jr.) on the last lap,” Brabham said. “It was the last lap, and I thought he had it because I wasn’t close enough. I had made some in-car adjustments and I managed to be fastest in the Esses at the end, and I got a run down the back straight. I was surprised he gave me a car length, so I stuck it down in the inside and we ran side by side. The track limits for both of us went out the window, and I got a little tap in the last corner as he was trying to get me a little loose coming to the checkered flag. That was so much fun, racing like that, door to door, leaning on each other and coming to the checkered,” added Brabham. “That was awesome, and I can't thank Chris Dyson and CD Racing enough for the opportunity.” Brabham was filling in for Chris Dyson, who sat out the finale due to family matters. (Thank you to Trans-Am Media)
(Racer.com)
Max Esterson produced a master class to take victory in today’s 21st annual Walter Hayes Trophy Grand Final at Silverstone. Esterson, 19, from New York, N.Y., swept the weekend aboard his Low Dempsey Racing Ray GR18, winning his heat race yesterday and continuing his rich vein of form this morning in the Semi Final round. He started on pole for the 15-lap Grand Final and controlled the race from the front, despite intense pressure from an array of competitors. Esterson’s performance capped a tremendous few weeks, which included a second-place finish in last weekend’s 50th Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. After finishing close behind Esterson in third place one week ago, teammate Andre Castro, 22, also from New York, N.Y., ran out of luck in today’s chilly conditions and was forced to retire his Ray GR14 early in the Grand Final. Last year’s winner, Oliver White (Medina JL17) finished hot on Esterson’s heels, less than a quarter of a second behind. He was followed by Ben Mitchell (Van Diemen JL16) and 2021 Avon Tyres British Formula Ford Champion Chris Middlehurst (Van Diemen LA10), who lost two places on the final lap after leading the chase of Esterson for most of the way. Esterson became the fourth Team USA Scholarship driver to take top honors at the Walter Hayes Trophy, following in the wheel tracks of Conor Daly (2008), Connor De Phillippi (2009) and Tristan Nunez (2012). “Thank you to Low Dempsey Racing, Ray Race Cars, iRacing, Max Papis Innovations, and of course Jeremy Shaw, the Team USA Scholarship, and all of its supporters," Esterson said. "Winning the Walter Hayes Trophy means the world to me, especially after being so close last week at the Festival. It’s been nine years since an American has won it so hopefully this is the start of another successful run!” (Thank you to Jeremy Shaw/Team USA Scholarship)