How Indians performed over the weekend (November 24-26)
With Gaurav Gill lifting his third APRC crown, Arjun Maini finishing on the podium in GP3 and Force India continuing its strong F1 run, it was a weekend to rejoice for Indian motorsport fans.
Gaurav Gill, Stéphane Prévot, Skoda Fabia R5, Team MRF
Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM10
Photo by: Andrew Hone / Motorsport Images
Result: Seventh, eighth
Force India ended the 2017 F1 season on a largely satisfying note in Abu Dhabi, with both Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon making it to Q3 and finishing inside the points.
However, the Silverstone-based squad wasn’t the highest-finishing midfield team at Yas Marina. That accolade went to Renault after Nico Hulkenberg cut a corner to stay ahead of Perez.
The German driver received a five-second penalty for that offense, but was able to build enough margin up front to stay ahead of Perez. This naturally caused some frustration within the team, with COO Otmar Szafnauer slamming the stewards for “making a mockery” of the sport.
Overall, however, Force India has plenty of positives to take from 2017, having finished the season with 187 points - the highest tally in its 10-year tenure in F1.
Arjun Maini (GP3 Abu Dhabi)
Photo by: GP3 Series Media Service
Best result: Third
Arjun Maini qualified fifth for the weekend’s opening race, laying the foundation for his first GP3 podium finish since he won in Barcelona.
Maini dispatched Macau winner Dan Ticktum at the start of the race and then carefully settled behind third-placed Leonardo Pulcini. The Adren driver suffered a slow puncture two laps before the finishing, allowing the Indian to breeze past and take the final spot on the rostrum.
Maini started much of Race 2 battling with Mercedes junior George Russell, the former British F4 teammates trading positions at least once.
The 19-year-old eventually lost out to both Russell and his ART teammate Anthoine Hubert, but was eventually classified sixth after Niko Kari and Bruno Baptista were handed post-race penalties.
He ended up ninth in the final championship standings, with 72 points to his name.
Gaurav Gill, Stéphane Prévot, Skoda Fabia R5, Team MRF
Result: Win, Championship
Gaurav Gill romped to his third APRC title - and second in a row - with an emphatic home victory in Chikmagalur.
Gill beat his MRF teammate Ole Christian Veiby by 17m38.4s after winning eight of the 15 stages over the course of three days.
It was his third APRC win of the season, taking his final tally to 174 points, 14 clear of Veiby.
Gill was given a tough challenge by factory Skoda driver Veiby throughout the season, the Norwegian winning two of the five rallies.
However, he suffered a technical problem on Saturday in Chikmagalur, allowing Gill to cruise to his third title.
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