Powell is hoping to close out the season with a bang
Contributed
Despite the disappointment of a penalty that robbed him a podium finish in Czech Republic at the weekend, Jamaica's young sensation Alex Powell left that second round of the FIA European Karting Championship feeling confident that he can truly take the fight to the leading lights in the hunt to create more history this year.
The American-born Powell, who just missed out on an historic top-three finish in last year's overall championship, has once again established himself as a main contender for those coveted top spot in the OK category, as he sits third in the current standing on 96 points with two more rounds to come.
Italian Gabriel Gomez holds pole position on 150 points ahead of Dutchman Rene Lammers (136 points). Latvia's Tomass Stolcermanis (86 points) and Nathaniel Tye (60 points) of Great Britain complete the latest top five.
This follows a riveting second round battle on the demanding 1223-metre Steel Ring track in Trinec, where the winding, hilly layout, offered challenges for the drivers and technicians, especially amid changeable conditions.
In the end it was Gomez who maintained his composure best and, finished tops ahead of Lammers and another Italian Sebastiano Pavan.
Powell initially placed second, but was later penalized and, as such, had to settle for fourth.
"It was a difficult weekend, but we were strong in the final once again which is always a positive because the aim always to challenge for the podium. Naturally, I was very disappointed about the five second penalty at first, but there are a number of positive takeaways and so we will just focus on those and make the necessary switch to take the next two rounds as they come," Powell said from his base in Italy.
With the next round of the European Championships set for June 15-18 in Rodby, Denmark, Powell is eyeing significant improvements to ensure he remains in contention to possibly pull off the historic feat of being the first Jamaican or Caribbean driver to be crowned overall European champion.
Before that, the 15-year-old will have the Champions of the Future event to navigate from May 31 to July 3, also in Denmark, which should assist in his preparation for the bigger event. He is currently second on the Champions of the Future standings.
"The European Championships is definitely not over yet for sure I will be looking to improve on those results over the next two rounds and try my hardest to keep up with those ahead of me," Powell, a cousin to former 100m World record holder, Asafa Powell, said.
"Being in third position at the moment really encourages me to put my best foot forward, like i said, we had good pace in the final and so I’m hoping we will be even faster in the races to come and I really want to take that next step up onto the podium," he added.
With this possibly being his final year in karting, Powell, a Mercedes-Benz AMG F1 protege, who was denied the overall honours by a mere two points last year, is determined to close this chapter of his career with a bang.
"There is a chance we can do something special this year and I obviously have more experience now too, which gives me the confidence to push harder.
“If things go well, I honestly believe we can compete with the top guys and cause them some trouble. It’s a really strong field and the leading four drivers in the championship will all be aiming to hold their positions, but my goal is to close the gap going int to the final round and from there, anything is possible," Powell noted.
Hamilton could 'take a holiday' after Sao Paulo disappointment
Lewis Hamilton says he "could happily go and take a holiday" instead of finishing the season after a dismal showing at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
He made early exits in both qualifying sessions and started the race at Interlagos from 15th on the grid.
However, unlike Max Verstappen, who impressively won the race having started in 17th, the Brit struggled to mount much of a fight, coming away from the weekend with just one point after finishing in 10th.
His performance was made to look worse as team-mate George Russell had been battling for the lead but narrowly missed out on a podium place as he finished fourth.
Hamilton only has three races left with Mercedes before his move to Ferrari next season, bringing an end to their 12-year partnership.
But he was left frustrated in Brazil, expressing his disappointment with the car.
"We were just slow," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. "The car was really, really tough. I do really want to say still a big thank you to the guys in the garage. They turned up super early this morning and still did a great job throughout the weekend.
"The team could have won also, so at least one car was behaving a lot better.
"The car is like a plank of wood. It's like no suspension.
"It's bouncing on the tyres everywhere, and you can't get on the power anywhere. It's just the worst ride, I think the worst ride that we've definitely ever had, particularly through corners. It's just so stiff.
"But hopefully we won't have any more bumpy tracks. I think the last three aren't so bumpy. But yeah, I could happily go and take a holiday."
Norris claims Verstappen 'got lucky' in Brazil as title hopes fade
Lando Norris said Max Verstappen benefitted from a rule "no one agrees with" as he won a dramatic Sao Paulo Grand Prix to leave the McLaren's title hopes hanging by a thread.
Verstappen surged to a terrific victory from 17th on the grid in Brazil, with Norris faltering after starting on pole.
Norris and Mercedes' George Russell – who were vying for the lead – both pitted on lap 29, but that strategy backfired as the red flag was shown following a crash involving Franco Colapinto.
With the race suspended, Verstappen was also able to change tires for the restart, negating Norris' advantage from pitting as the world champion raced to a commanding victory.
Norris had cut Verstappen's drivers' championship lead to 44 points by winning Saturday's sprint race but now sits 62 points adrift with just three races of the season remaining.
The Brit refused to hit out at McLaren's strategy after the race, though, putting his struggles down to bad luck.
"I have faith in the team in what they are saying and they have trust in me," he told Sky Sports F1.
"It was just unlucky. I don't care about the hindsight side of things, that's luck for them, nothing more.
"They got lucky on a rule that no one agrees with. Probably they agreed with it today but every driver has disagreed with it in the past.
"Today it benefitted them, it could have benefitted us if we just stayed out, but that's a stupid thing to think of.
"Just a bit unlucky today, nothing more. Of course, disappointing. Max drove well. He got a bit lucky but that's life."
Verstappen 'wanted to destroy' Red Bull garage before Sao Paulo triumph
Max Verstappen revealed he wanted to destroy the Red Bull garage in the hours before he delivered a wet-weather performance for the ages to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Verstappen had been left frustrated after Sunday's delayed qualifying session, when a crash by Lance Stroll and subsequent red flag saw him drop out of Q2.
The Dutchman's early exit saw him finish 12th, but a five-place grid penalty for an engine change dropped him to 17th, presenting an opportunity for Lando Norris to take a seismic chunk out of his drivers' championship lead.
But a determined Verstappen then overcame the rain-affected conditions at Interlagos, climbing to P11 on the very first lap before making his charge into the top 10.
His remarkable comeback, which included five consecutive fastest laps, culminated in him passing Alpine’s Esteban Ocon for the lead on lap 43 before romping to victory.
“My emotions were all over the place, from wanting to destroy the garage (after qualifying) to winning the race,” said Verstappen. “It has been a roller coaster.
“It is unbelievable to win here from so far back on the grid. I was expecting to lose points in the championship.
"Now, I just want clean races. But I am not thinking about clinching the title in Vegas.”
A rain-affected race saw several incidents, with Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto and Carlos Sainz all failing to finish the race.
But Verstappen remained calm in those conditions, snapping his 10-race winless streak, while also becoming the first driver since Kimi Raikkonen at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2005 to emerge victorious after gaining 16 positions.
And the three-time world champion believed his latest win, which was his 62nd in the competition, was his best one to date.
“The rain came, we stayed out, which was very sketchy, and I had to just keep the car on track,” continued Verstappen.
“It was undriveable in the conditions. I felt like I was driving a boat, or a jet-ski.
“There was a lot at stake because I had to be aware of the championship, so for me this is the best one (victory).
"And it is a massive boost for the team because it has been a tough period.”
Verstappen is now 62 points clear of Norris in the drivers' championship with just 86 points remaining, and can win a fourth consecutive drivers' title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
However, he insisted that the season was far from over, acknowledging he must remain perfect in the final three races to get over the line after an up and down season.
“Now it’s of course a great result, which if you look a few hours ago, was definitely the other way around, looking like we were going to lose a lot of points," he said.
“So I’m very happy, but still three tough races [to go], so we just need to stay calm and make no mistakes.
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