Search for 2023 Champion of Champions underway in Sweden
After the Race of Champions Nations Cup, the hunt for individual honors continues as the drivers take on each other in the Champion of Champions event on Sunday.
The father/son duo in Team Norway by Petter and Oliver Solberg took top prize last Saturdaywith a false start from four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel costing him and Mick Schumacher Team Germany their semi-final.
One side of the draw was divided between circuit and the other for off-road skiers on the snow and ice track in Pite Havsbad in Sweden,
Mick Schumacher got through the first preliminary round by beating Arrow McLaren IndyCar driver and home favorite Felix Rosenqvist, but after winning his first heat against Adrien Tambay, two-time champion of champions David Coulthard spun in his second heat and eventually lost out on first stage.
Coulthard’s former McLaren team-mate, two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen, was also eliminated in the last 16 stage after defeat in both heats by 2022 Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich, making his Race of Champions debut this weekend.
Valtteri Bottas received a five-second penalty for a false start against Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen, but dropped three seconds in his first heat as he looked for a way through to the quarter-finals.
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Vettel faced three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick and narrowly beat her in both heats as he progressed to the last eight.
Bottas had an uphill task to get through, but Kristensen also pushed in his second heat, beating him by less than two-tenths as the Dane booked a quarter-final place against Vettel, while Schumacher and Drugovich were due to meet in the match. second quarter-final in the circuit racers half of the draw.
This report will be updated as the Race of Champions continues, broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 in the UK and clips posted to the Race of Champions social media channels as events unfold.
The article Race of Champions: Search for 2023 Champion of Champions underway in Sweden appeared first on Planetf1.com.