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Sebastian Vettel drives through the streets of Monaco on Sunday to give Ferrari their first win in the principality sinace 2001. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

MONTE CARLO, Monaco- Taking advantage of a better pit stop than his teammate, plus enduring a safety car period, Sebastian Vettel had no difficulties after the midpoint in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix at Monte Carlo by winning Formula One‘s most prestigious race by 3.1 seconds over Kimi Raikkonen. Daniel Ricciardo, who was disappointed last season by a botched pit stop, made up for that error by finishing in third.

Driver Sebastian Bourdias at a press conference just one week after his "Big One" at Indy. ©RIS/Larry Clarino

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INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - May 28, 2017 - Before the race today we had a surprise visit in the Media Center from Dale Coyne driver Sebastian Bourdias, who just one week ago had a massive crash in his qualifying attempt for this year’s 500 mile race.

“I feel good as long as I am on the pain pills. I kinda wish I lost conciseness because the crash hurt. After I stopped tumbling and came to a stop the guys (the Holmatro Safety Team) came up and asked if I was alright. I said this was going to hurt.”

INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - May 28, 2017 - RACE DAY! The traditional 6:00 am aerial bombs just went off announcing the opening of the infield and public gates to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The RIS team, Dave Chess, Pam Clarino, Tom Beeler, Bash Beard, and me, Larry Clarino, are here in the IMS Media Center ready go.

The big topic of conversation today and the last several days has been the weather. The Indy forecast is not if it will rain, but when. Right not it is very cloudy but no rain close on radar, but heavy thunder storms are said to be coming later this afternoon. We hope the weather guessers are wrong.

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(CONCORD, NC – MAY 27, 2017 – RIS) Ryan Blaney almost played keep-away with the rest of the field in today's NASCAR Xfinity race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Starting in third place, Blaney led 108 of the 200 laps in the event, with Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon the only other drivers leading more than ten laps. Harvick led 58 rounds and Dillon headed 20, finishing second and third to Blaney. The first Xfinity Series regular competitor in the field was Cole Custer, who finished seventh.

Kimi Raikkonen drives through the streets of Monaco for his first pole victory in nine years. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

MONTE CARLO, Monaco- For the first time since the French Grand Prix of 2008, Kimi Raikkonen and his Ferrari teammate, Sebastian Vettel, locked out the front row Saturday afternoon respectively for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix as the Finn clocked a record braking final qualifying time of 1:12:178 in the final session at Monte Carlo. Raikkonen’s countryman, Valterri Bottas, finished his Mercedes in third.

Logan Schuchart added Charlotte to his win total

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-- For Immediate Release – (CONCORD, NC – MAY 26, 2017) Logan Schuchart rocketed to his first World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars win at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Friday's Outlaw Showdown; Schuchart, whose victory was his third of the season, passed Brad Sweet with two laps to go and held on to win.
Justin Williams won the South Eastern Crate Association Late Model feature over Thomas Robinson and Chris Ferguson.

With a cloud of dust, a strong whiff of ethanol, and an extremely fast left lane, the Team Penske crew, led by veteran Right Front tire changer and crew chief, Matt Jonsson, the #13 Verizon Chevy of Will Power devastated the #5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Honda crew of James Hinchcliffe in the best of three finale to this year's Pit Stop Contest.

Matheus Leist takes his first oval win at teh 2017 Freedom 100 at Indianapolis. ©RIS/Tom Beeler

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INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - MAY 26, 2017 -  The Freedom 100 for Indy Lights cars, the prime support event for the 101st Running of the Indy 500, got under way under almost perfect weather conditions at the 2 1/2 mile oval known as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

14 drivers took the green, as Matheus Leist led the field down to the green.

As they moved into turn 2, Colton Herta, son of retired Indy driver and now owner, Brian Herta, lost the rear end as he came down on Andretti teammate, Dalton Kellett, the two touched, and Colton took out the 48 car of Ryan Norman, another Andretti Autosport teammate. Kellett was able to continue with minor damage, Ryan Norman was out as was Herta.

Scott Dixon's new Camping World livery, seen first on Carburetion Day at Indianapolis (Photo: Larry Clarino/RIS)

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Under partly sunny skies, a comfortable 72 degrees, the thirty-three starters for Sunday’s 101st running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race presented by PennGrade stretched the legs of their Dallara race cars with Honda or Chevy engines and aero kits in front of a nice crowd that traditionally calls in sick here in Indy.

Most teams took the opportunity to check for leaks, work on pitstop setups, and run in traffic to check aerodynamic buffeting.

Fernando Alonso (Photo: Larry Clarino/RIS)

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Indianapolis 500 first-timers - rookies - have been a part of the lore of the track for decades. Tracking the histories of Indy 500 luminaries back to their rookie years shows their progress and tragedies.

Indy has been won by rookies ten times: Ray Harroun (1911), Jules Goux (1913), Rene Thomas (1914), Frank Lockhart (1926), George Souders (1927), Louis Meyer (1928), Graham Hill (1966), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000), Helio Castroneves (2001), and last year’s winner, Alexander Rossi.

There could easily be a rookie winner this year, so let’s take a look at the four 2017 Indy rookie class.

Kevin Harvick won the pole for Sunday's 600

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(CONCORD, NC - MAY 25, 2017 – RIS) Kevin Harvick sped to the pole for this year's edition of the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race for the Monster Energy Series. Harvick's lap of 27.918 sec/193.424 mph edged out Kyle Busch by 0.132 second or 0.911 mph. Chase Elliott was the sole Chevrolet in the top ten qualifiers, just 0.037 sec behind Busch's Toyota.

Sebastien Bourdais leaves IU Health Methodist Hospital and is on the road to recovery. Photo courtesy Sebastien Bourdais

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, May 25, 2017) – Verizon IndyCar Series driver Sebastien Bourdais, injured in a crash May 20 during a qualifying attempt for the 101st Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, was discharged from IU Health Methodist Hospital on Wednesday and has been moved to a local rehabilitation facility.

Bourdais sustained multiple pelvic fractures and a fractured right hip when his No. 18 GEICO Honda crashed into the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 on the third lap of his qualifications attempt Saturday. The Dale Coyne Racing driver underwent successful surgery that evening at IU Health Methodist Hospital.

Red Byron

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[NASCAR Press Release] Five Icons Selected As 2018 NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class
Byron, Evernham, Hornaday, Squier, Yates Comprise Hall’s Ninth Class

(CONCORD, NC – MAY 23, 2017 – RIS) NASCAR's national series schedules for 2018 have been released, ending months of speculation about the potential changes in the playoffs sites. Of course, the schedule starts at Daytona, with the usual Clash, qualifying, Duels and 500, then the racers move to Atlanta.
CMS, much like Daytona, Pocono, Michigan and other major oval tracks, has hosted road course races for a long time. This writer has attended numerous road races at Charlotte, as spectator, crew and track official since the mid-70s and my opinion is that this will be a race worth attending.

Oriol Servia's ailing #19 as it came to stop in pitlane. (Photo: Tom Beeler/RIS)

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The Verizon IndyCar Series teams are taking advantage of spectacular weather - sunny skies, 75-degrees - to prepare their cars for next Sunday's 10st running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race at the venerable Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

All thirty-three starters have made practice laps to configure the cars for Race Day. Honda and Chevrolet have reset engine software to reflect correct turbo boost (back to 1.3bar from the weekend's 1.4bar settings). Downforce-inducing winglets, stripped over the weekend for speed, have been reinstalled for stability. Drivers' concentration shifts to traffic and consistent performance over the long-haul, and pit crews prepare for a long Sunday.

The RIS family sends its prayers to the family of 2006 MotoGP champion and American World Superbike champion, Nicky Hayden, who passed away today following injuries sustained after a road accident last week. He was 35 years old.

2017 Indy 500 Polesitter Scott Dixon (Photo: Tom Beeler/RIS)

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For the third time in his career, Scott Dixon will lead the Indianapolis 500 field to the green flag, and he’ll do it coming off a near-record qualifying performance.

Dixon blistered the famed 2.5-mile oval with a pole position qualifying speed of 232.164 mph - the fastest Indy 500 qualifying effort since Ed Carpenter’s 231.067 in 2014, and well ahead of James Hinchcliffe’s 230.760 from last year.

Scott Dixon (Photo: Larry Clarino/RIS)

In near-perfect weather conditions, and in front of a modest, but enthusiastic crowd of Indy 500 qualifying fans, Scott Dixon held off a late charge by Ed Carpenter to win the Verizon IndyCar Series' pole position for next Sunday's running of the Indianapolis 500, 101st Edition.

Strong performances by Alexander Rossi, Takuma Sato, and Formula 1's Fernando Alonso were eclipsed by Dixon's pole run, which brought cheers from the grandstands. And despite a bonzai run by two-time Indy polesitter, Carpenter, the popular New Zealander won his third career Indy pole.

Kyle Busch celebrates in Victory Lane

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(CONCORD, NC – MAY 20, 2017 – RIS) Joe Gibbs Racing has over a million reasons to celebrate the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star weekend, thanks to wins by Daniel Suarez in the Open and then Kyle Busch's first victory in a top NASCAR series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch won the million-dollar

Ed Carpenter (Photo: Larry Clarino/RIS)

From a monsoon to a catastrophic high-speed crash to 31 qualifiers, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has provided yet another full day of drama ... albeit just to set the Fast Nine for tomorrow’s final setting of the 101st Indianapolis 500 field, and little else.

Torrential rains ended after mid-day, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway safety vehicles took to the track to dry the 2.5-mile oval in time for a 4:00 qualifying start. Each qualifier would receive only one opportunity to qualify for Sunday’s requalifying, and to establish the Fast Nine shootout contenders.

Two-time Indy polesitter Ed Carpenter took advantage of the late qualifying draw to be the 28th car to present, and blistered the track with a four-lap average of 230.468, aided by the added turbo boost the Honda and Chevrolet engines are allowed to run this weekend.

Bourdais (Photo: Larry Clarino/RIS)

Former Champ Car World Series Champion and fastest practicer going into today's Indianapolis 500 qualifying, Sebastien Bourdais, was on a flying run, setting himself up as the day's fastest qualifier, when he lost control of his #18 Dallara, and hit the outside Turn 2 wall.

He'd completed laps of 231.472 and 231.595 miles per hour - over a mile-per-hour faster than current-fastest, Scott Dixon - when the car twitched in mid-Turn 2. It isn't clear if the car became loose or something broke, but it appeared that Bourdais routinely corrected the wheel, and the car launched into the SAFER barrier in the outside wall.

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Kyle Larson and Crew on All-Star Pole

INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - May 20, 2017 - It the silliest day of the year in motorsports. It is first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Remember when Pole Day meant something? Remember when 150,000 people would show up to watch the first day of qualifications? Remember the teeth chattering drama of a driver getting into a car and having just one chance and only one chance, at making the World’s Greatest Race?

UPDATED 1:45PM

With the end of rain, the safety vehicles are circling the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in an attempt to dry the track by 4:00pm.

IndyCar officials plan to stage the first-day qualifying for this race at that time. Each entered car (33) will be allowed one attempt to qualify. The Speedway will remain open past its traditional closing time of 6:00pm to accommodate the plan.

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(CONCORD, NC – May 19, 2017 – RIS) Kyle Busch dominated the 134 lap NC Education Lottery 200, leading 90 laps on three occasions, taking the lead for the first time on lap three and seeming to have the speed to dominate the competition at will.

Driver Spencer Pigot made hard contact with turn two wall. IMS Productions

INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - MAY 19, 2017 - At 4:35 pm on Fast Friday, Juncos Racing’s driver Spencer Pigot made very hard contact as his car snapped to the right at the apex of turn two, crossed up the track and hit nearly head-on into the SAFER Barrier on the outside of turn two. The car then stayed up hard against the wall and slid down the back straight.

INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - MAY 19, 2017 - Rain came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 1:29 pm stopping hot and heavy action. The added turbo boost had the speed charts jumping. Sebastien Bourdais driving for Team Penske, topped everyone in the 89 minute session, at 233.116 MPH, followed by Andretti’s past race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay at 232.132, and teammate Takuma Sato, at 231.969. All were in a tow however.

Jay Howard fastest of the month so far! ©RIS/Larry Clarino

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INDIANAPOLIS -RIS -May 19,2017- Fast Friday, the last day of practice before what is technically the first day of qualifications for the Indy 500 Mile Race, and what is maybe the dumbest day in all of racing.

Yesterday, the weather was significantly better than the middle of the week. For the first time this month all 33 entries were on track with the appearance of Buddy Lazier’s number 44 Dallara, as the forty nine year old, past race winner, took only one lap of the 2.5 mile oval at a speed of 8.494 MPH. Not to worry Lazier fans, he will qualify even if he does not go faster.

Jay Howard, driving for Sam Schmidt Racing set the pace on Thursday with a eye popping, 226.744 MPH, that with massive tow as there were about 20 cars on track at the time. He was followed by Andretti’s Ryan Hunter-Reay, nearly a mile-an-hour slower, at 225.826.

Dale Earnhardt Jr burns out in his new paint scheme

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Bell Tops NCWTS Practice at Charlotte; Earnhardt Unveils New Paint Scheme; Speedway Licensed Ale On Sale

Josef Newgarden was checked and cleared after big hit at Indy. ©RIS/Larry Clarino

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INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - MAY 18, 2017 - At about 1:10 on Thursday, Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden had the first significant incident of the month. after turning a lap at 216.505 MPH, Newgarden lost the rear end of the Penske Dallara number 2 after the apex of turn one. The car rotated 180 degrees and hit the concrete wall just past the end Safer Barrier. The left side of the car hit very hard, then bounced off rotated another 180 degrees hitting the turn two Safer Barrier on the right side.

Indy car vet John Andretti talks of his colon Cancer at IMS. ©RIS/Larry Clarino

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INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - MAY 18, 2017 - Thursday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where on-track action today is expected to be hot and heavy after what pretty much was a wasted day yesterday.

The Indy weather while certainly not perfect today is way better than yesterday’s high 80’s and crazy winds. With winds gusting to 40 MPH and swinging wildly around the compass, few teams elected to challenge the 2.5 mile oval. Only 408 laps were run by 21 teams with many choosing to simply do hot pit stop practice, running just out/in laps.

Ed Carpenter set the pace at 222.894 MPH, followed by Scott Dixon at 222.599. Carpenter’s teammate, JR Hildebrand rounded out the top three at 220.553, with rookie of the year shoe-in, Fernando Alonso, and Conor Daly rounding out the top five.

Will Power. ©RIS/Larry Clarino

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INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - May 17, 2017 - It is Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where practice continues for the 101st running of the Indy 500 Mile Race.

The weather has become a major factor as it is hot, high 80’s and windy today. Predicted gusty winds are 25 to 30 mile-per-hour from the south-southwest. That with make for a slippery and hard handling day for the drivers. To top things off, rain is in the forecast for the next several days.

Thirty-two cars took to the track yesterday, only Buddy Lazer’s now numbered 44, did not make it on to the track. Word is they are still a little short in funds, but no one expects them not to make the field. Sources tell RIS that they are asking INDYCAR and IMS to kick in, to make the traditional field of 33 possible.

INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - May 16, 2017 - Tuesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and it is starting to get serious about prepping for the 101st running of the 500 Mile Race.

Yesterday as the track opened, practice started with rookie orientation and refresher tests for several veterans that do not race Indy cars on a regular basis. The 2017 rookie class consists of four drivers. Of course the sensation, the rock star if you will, is F-1 champ Fernando Alonso, driving for the Andretti Autosport team in the McLaren backed number 29. Alonso pasted all four phases for the rookie test two weeks ago in a solo test. In the first two hours on Monday, Ed Jones, driving for Dale Coyne Racing completed all three phases of his test.

Right on schedule at 2:00 the track opened for all cars. The only incident of the day, and it was relatively minor, occurred at 3:59 when rookie Jack Harvey contacted the wall on an out lap, damaging both right side suspensions. Harvey was checked and cleared to drive by Dr. Geoffrey Bellows, IMS Medical Director.

AJ Foyt IV will be back at the SVRA Pro-Am.

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Duo Adds To Long List Of Former Foyt Team Racing Drivers in Indy Legends Pro-Am

Southlake, TX (May 16, 2017) – The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today announced that A.J. Foyt IV and Darren Manning – both former drivers for four-time Indy 500 champion A.J. Foyt’s race team – will once again be among the 33 Indy 500 drivers lining up at the famous yard of bricks at the June 17 Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am. That race is the Saturday feature of the Fathers’ Day Weekend Brickyard Invitational. Three slots remain for the field of 33 Indy 500 veterans.

“The Foyt name is pure magic not just at Indy but around the world in motorsports,” said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella. “We are honored to have young A.J. join us again, but also a great former A.J. Foyt Enterprises driver like Darren. Looking at our entry list, I am counting something like nine drivers who drove for A.J. in their careers. That’s twenty-seven percent of our field.”

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KANSAS CITY, KS - RIS  — Danica Patrick's frustrating season continued Saturday night at Kansas Speedway when a broken brake rotor on Joey Logano's car sent them both into the wall and left Aric Almirola nowhere to go. Almirola plowed into Logano's car as it skidded along the wall, the force of the impact sent the rear of the No. 43 into the air. Almirola's car came to rest near the outside fence, and he appeared to tell safety crews he was OK as they cut the roof off to safely get him out.

The start of the 2017 Indy GP. ©RIS/Larry Clarino

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INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - May13, 2017 - The 2017 Indianapolis Grand Prix started under bright sunny skies with a mediocre crowd at best, in attendance.

On lap one at turn seven, Marco Andretti and Tony Kannan had minor contact. Race control charged Marco with a drive through penalty for avoidable contact. The rest of the field quickly snaked their way into a line with Will Power in command of what turned into what became a procession for the next 85 laps.

Power continued at the front until the first round of pit stops on lap 20, when Penske teammate Heilo Castroneves took the point. Only to trade spots again on the second stop on lap 42. The noted difference at this point Helio, in second, still needed to run the black harder tires. It is looking like Power will be in victory lane.

The third round of stops started on lap 63, on the following lap, 42,  Powers’ team pulled off a  Penske Perfect pit stop, giving the lead back to Helio. On the next lap Castroneves stop, gave the lead back to Will resulting in a five second lead.

Sam Schmidt leads Mario Andretti into turn seven on the IMS road course. ©RIS/Larry Clarino

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INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - May13, 2017 - Sam Schmidt and some guy named Mario Andretti had a four lap race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today. Why is this surprising? It wasn’t the fact that an Andretti actually won a race at IMS, something that has only happened once in history. It was the amazing technology that allowed the race to happen at all.

IndyCar owner Sam Schmidt, who was badly injured in a 2000 Indy car testing accident at the Walt Disney World Speedway, that left the driver a quadriplegic, with technology developed by team sponsor Arrow, now has the ability to drive a car again. Using a sensor system headset, on-board cameras, that control steering, and another system that uses a tube that is blown into for throttle control, that all mate with the cars onboard dynamic controls, gives Sam not only a way to drive but a way to drive...FAST! 

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KANSAS CITY, KS - RIS -Ryan Blaney captured his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole in qualifying for Saturday night's Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway. Driving the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, Blaney took the top spot with a lap of 189.600 mph. He is the 12th driver to score a pole for the Wood Brothers.

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KANSAS CITY, KS - RIS - Christopher Bell nudged out veteran Matt Crafton to win the pole for Friday night's Tundra Tundra 250 NASCAR Camping World Series truck race at Kansas Speedway.  Crafton won the first round of qualifying with a speed of 177.968 mph to Bell's 176.887 mph.  The second round saw Bell on top with a speed of 177.848.  The final round went to Bell once again at 177.848. 

Practice starts for the Indy GP. ©RIS/Larry Clarino

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INDIANAPOLIS - RIS - May12, 2017 - It is opening day for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Indy Car Season. Practice and qualifications are on tap for the INDYCAR Grand Prix with the race tomorrow afternoon. Then Monday, practice for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will commence with the rookies at noon and open practice at 2:00.

Today’s first Grand Prix practice started on the road course, under a cloudy sky with a cool temperature. Will Power set the pace with a 1:09.3172 lap followed by Scott DIxon, and Josef Newgarden. All 22 entered cars turned laps in the session.

The second period got underway and like the first, Will Power was the class of the field. The Penske team of Power, Newgarden, and Montoya grabbed the first three spots in the session.

Sebastian Vettel celebrates his second win in the first three races of the season by taking the Bahrain Grand Prix Sunday night with a 6.6 second win over Lewis Hamilton. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

SAKIR, Bahrain—Taking advantage of a Lewis Hamilton pit stop on lap 42, Sebastian Vettel held off a late charge by the Briton to win his 44th career victory Sunday night at the Grand Prix of Bahrain at the Bahrain International Circuit by 6.6 seconds. Valterri Bottas was third.