WATCH LIVE: Hungarian GP Qualifying; Hamilton seeks first pole since Spain

0 Comments

After dominating the practice sessions for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton is hoping to produce a repeat performance when it really matters during qualifying at the Hungaroring today.

Coverage of qualifying begins at 8am ET live on CNBC and Live Extra. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

In FP1, FP2 and FP3, Hamilton led a Mercedes one-two with teammate Nico Rosberg being forced to play second fiddle. However, he did run Lewis very close in the session on Saturday morning to finish within one-tenth of a second at the top of the timesheets. He will be hoping to do the same in Hungary as he did in Canada: trail Hamilton in every practice before snatching pole away.

Also hoping for a repeat of Canada will be Daniel Ricciardo, who picked up the pieces from Mercedes’ problems to claim his maiden grand prix victory in Montreal. All things going as expected, he will most probably be fighting to finish on the podium with Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari duo Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, and the Williams pair of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas.

It promises to be another close session up and down the grid in Hungary, but the pressure will be on Lewis to secure his first pole position since the Spanish Grand Prix.

Remember, you can join us live on CNBC and Live Extra at 8am ET for Hungarian GP qualifying. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

Motocross: Chase Sexton to miss Hangtown after midweek practice crash

Sexton Hangtown practice crash
Align Media
0 Comments

Chase Sexton announced on Instagram he will sit out this weekend’s Pro Motocross race at Hangtown in Rancho Cordova, California after a practice crash on Tuesday left him with a concussion.

Sexton’s crash on Tuesday happened during a test session at Fox Raceway.

“Bummed to make this post but I’ll be sitting out this weekend,” Sexton said. “As you guys saw I had a big one during qualifying at Pala, then another one on Tuesday this week that banged me up pretty good. Nothing broken just need a few days to get back to 100%.”

Despite his crash in the first qualification session in Pala, California, Sexton mounted up for both motos and finished second in each race behind his teammate Jett Lawrence, who was making his Motocross debut and won with a pair of first-place finishes. Sexton padded his SuperMotocross points’ lead over the injured Eli Tomac, who is still second in the combined Supercross and Motocross standings despite missing the SX finale at Salt Lake City and the outdoor opener with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Sexton has an advantage of 78 points over Cooper Webb and cannot give up his SMX lead by missing this round.

At stake, however, is the risk of losing ground to Lawrence in the Pro Motocross championship. Sexton currently trails his teammate by six points and is liable to lose significant ground this weekend.

In addition to his concussion, Sexton has also been diagnosed with mononucleosis and the combination of the two conditions caused the team to make the difficult decision to keep him out of the lineup at Hangtown.

“I’m super-bummed to miss this weekend’s race,” Sexton said in a press release. “I feel like I rode well at Pala, and I was really looking forward to Hangtown because it’s a good track for me. Unfortunately, I was already pretty banged up from my qualifying crash on Saturday, and now with mono and Tuesday’s concussion on top of it, I want to do the right thing and hopefully be back on the track soon.”

A return date for Sexton has not yet been announced.

Other 2023 Injury News

450 riders
Eli Tomac, Achilles tendon | It was just a freak deal
Justin Barcia,
collarbone and shoulder
Jason Anderson, vertebrae
Christian Craig, elbow
Marvin Musquin, wrist
Malcolm Stewart, knee | Signs two-year extension
Aaron Plessinger, hip | returned at Salt Lake City
Dylan Ferrandis, concussion | Will not return until Motocross
Cooper Webb,
concussion | returned at Pala

250 riders
Nate Thrasher, hip
Stilez Robertson, leg
Cameron McAdoo, shoulder
Seth Hammaker, arm and wrist
Austin Forkner, knee | Injury isn’t the hardest part
Jo Shimoda, collarbone | returned at Atlanta
Jalek Swoll, arm | returned at Pala