Motor racing-Alonso wins German GP in Ferrari one-two

July 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 25 (Reuters) – Fernando Alonso led Ferrari to a one-two finish in the German Grand Prix on Sunday after denying Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa an emotional victory one year on from a near-fatal crash. While Alonso celebrated his second triumph of the season, and 23rd of his career, it was accompanied by a whiff of controversy with Massa sent what sounded like a veiled message to allow the Spaniard to overtake on lap 49.

Germany’s Sebastian Vettel was third for Red Bull after starting on pole position. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was fourth to extend his overall championship lead to 14 points.

(Editing by Justin Palmer; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Britain’s Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix in a McLaren one-two with team mate Jenson Button on Sunday.

Sports

Hamilton’s second win in a row, from pole position in Montreal, sent him top of the championship standings after eight races. Spain’s Fernando Alonso finished third for Ferrari.

(Editing by Alan Baldwin)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Motor racing-Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 13 (Reuters) – Britain’s Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix in a McLaren one-two with team mate Jenson Button on Sunday.

Hamilton’s second win in a row, from pole position in Montreal, sent him top of the championship standings after eight races. Spain’s Fernando Alonso finished third for Ferrari.

(Editing by Alan Baldwin; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Red Bull’s Webber claims Turkish GP pole

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Istanbul, May 29(ANI): Red Bull Formula One racing driver Mark Webber on Saturday claimed his third straight pole position of the season, when he clocked the fastest time in qualifying for Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix.

Webber lapped the Istanbul Park circuit in one minute 26.295 seconds to secure his place at the front of the grid ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

In making it three pole positions in a row, Webber became the first Australian to achieve the feat since Sir Jack Brabham in 1960 and the first driver in F1 since Ferrari’s Felipe Massa three years ago, The BBC reports.

The 33-year-old Australian has now claimed four poles this season, while the Red Bull team has taken all seven.

Webber’s team-mate Sebastian Vettel was third fastest, with reigning world champion Jenson Button fourth in the second McLaren.

Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in his Mercedes finished fifth, ahead of Nico Rosberg in the other Mercedes, Renault’s Robert Kubica and Massa. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Massa seeks win in Ferrari’s 800th GP

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A red letter day for Formula One glamour team Ferrari this weekend provides the perfect occasion for Felipe Massa to rekindle his Turkish Grand Prix love affair.

Sunday’s seventh round of the season will be the scuderia’s 800th grand prix, a milestone no other team is close to matching, and the Italians would dearly love to celebrate in style.

Massa could be just the man, even if rampant Red Bull look the runaway favourites after taking pole position in every race so far.

The Brazilian, fifth in the championship and 12 points adrift of his Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso, has not won a race since 2008, having missed much of last year due to life-threatening head injuries suffered in Hungary last July.

Three races ago he was leading the standings but now needs to get back at least on level-pegging terms with Alonso, who won the season-opener in Bahrain.

Istanbul Park, out near the city’s second airport on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, has favoured the little Brazilian like no other driver since the country first hosted Formula One in 2005.

Two years ago, after winning there for the third time in a row, Massa quipped that he was about ready to apply for Turkish citizenship.

“It’s a great memory,” he told the Ferrari website (www.ferrari.com) this week. “It’s a track I love to race, I enjoy driving this track and I won three times in five races.”

“I think it gives even more motivation to go there…to push even harder and fight for the victory,” he added.

Fantastic feeling

The circuit, running anti-clockwise like his beloved home Interlagos track, also gave Massa his first Formula One pole position and first victory in 2006.

“I believe we can bring a good car,” he said. “I think if everything works perfectly, we can have a competitive car.

“It’s a great pleasure for me to be a small part of these 800 grand prix for Ferrari,” he added. “I will try my best to go to Turkey to fight for the victory, to have also a nice celebration about these 800 grands prix. It’s a fantastic feeling to be inside this nice story.”

Alonso, the double champion who has already stamped his authority on the team, will be a big threat but the Red Bulls could again be just too fast for any rivals.

Australian Mark Webber will be going for his third win in a row while German team mate Sebastian Vettel, level at the top of the standings on points but behind on race wins, is another Turkey lover.

Vettel, who will have a different chassis to the one used in the last two races after a defect was found post-Monaco, made his Formula One debut in Turkey as a Friday test driver with BMW-Sauber in 2006 at the age of 19. The youngster made an instant impression, as Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone recalled.

“I said to him, right before his very first free practice… that he had received his super license just temporarily, ‘so don’t screw up but justify our trust in you’,” the 79-year-old Briton told formula1.com.

“The next thing I saw was his name on the very top of the timesheets. Then I thought to myself that this boy, only 18 years-old, is a sensation.”

Vettel, still just 22, started on pole last year and could well walk away from Turkey with the outright lead of the championship.

Red Bull have started every race this year on pole, and Istanbul has historically smiled on the top slot.

Britain’s Jenson Button won last year in a Brawn car he described at the time as a ‘monster’. His McLaren cannot claim a similar moniker but the world champion and team mate Lewis Hamilton will still be challenging for victory anyway.

HRT, Dallara part company

Formula One newcomers Hispania (HRT) will take over development of their car after ending a partnership with Italian chassis maker Dallara, the Spanish-based team said on Wednesday.

HRT F1 Team, Hispania Racing, and Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara Automobili S.p.A have together agreed on amicable terms not to pursue their collaboration, they said in a statement ahead of Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix. Hispania Racing will continue to develop and improve the Dallara designed F110 chassis via its own development program, added the team.

Dallara completed the car for Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok this season after a late rescue of the cash-strapped team. The car had been commissioned by Campos Meta, which was renamed Hispania after a takeover by Jose Ramon Carabante in February. Reuters

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Massa fired up for Ferrari red letter day

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A red letter day for Formula One glamour team Ferrari this weekend provides the perfect occasion for Felipe Massa to rekindle his Turkish Grand Prix love affair.

Sunday’s seventh round of the season will be the scuderia’s 800th grand prix, a milestone no other team is close to matching, and the Italians would dearly love to celebrate in style.

Massa could be just the man, even if rampant Red Bull look the runaway favourites after taking pole position in every race so far.

The Brazilian, fifth in the championship and 12 points adrift of his Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso, has not won a race since 2008, having missed much of last year due to life-threatening head injuries suffered in Hungary last July.

Three races ago he was leading the standings but now needs to get back at least on level-pegging terms with Alonso, who won the season-opener in Bahrain.

Istanbul Park, out near the city’s second airport on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, has favoured the little Brazilian like no other driver since the country first hosted Formula One in 2005.

Two years ago, after winning there for the third time in a row, Massa quipped that he was about ready to apply for Turkish citizenship.

“It’s a great memory,” he told the Ferrari website (www.ferrari.com) this week. “It’s a track I love to race, I enjoy driving this track and I won three times in five races.

“I think it gives even more motivation to go there…to push even harder and fight for the victory.

FANTASTIC FEELING

The circuit, running anti-clockwise like his beloved home Interlagos track, also gave Massa his first Formula One pole position and first victory in 2006.

“I believe we can bring a good car,” he said. “I think if everything works perfectly, we can have a competitive car.

“It’s a great pleasure for me to be a small part of these 800 grands prix for Ferrari,” he added. “I will try my best to go to Turkey to fight for the victory, to have also a nice celebration about these 800 grands prix.

“It’s a fantastic feeling to be inside this nice story.”

Alonso, the double champion who has already stamped his authority on the team, will be a big threat but the Red Bulls could again be just too fast for any rivals.

Australian Mark Webber will be going for his third win in a row while German team mate Sebastian Vettel, level at the top of the standings on points but behind on race wins, is another Turkey lover.

Vettel, who will have a different chassis to the one used in the last two races after a defect was found post-Monaco, made his Formula One debut in Turkey as a Friday test driver with BMW-Sauber in 2006 at the age of 19.

The youngster made an instant impression, as Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone recalled.

“I said to him, right before his very first free practice… that he had received his super license just temporarily, so don’t screw up but justify our trust in you,” the 79-year-old Briton told the formula1.com website.

“The next thing I saw was his name on the very top of the timesheets. Then I thought to myself that this boy, only 18 years-old, is a sensation.”

Vettel, still just 22, started on pole last year and could well walk away from Turkey with the outright lead of the championship.

Red Bull have started every race this year on pole, and Istanbul has historically smiled on the top slot.

Britain’s Jenson Button won last year in a Brawn car he described at the time as a ‘monster’. His McLaren cannot claim a similar moniker but the world champion and team mate Lewis Hamilton will still be challenging for victory anyway.

(Editing by John O’Brien;

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Formula One statistics for Turkish Grand Prix

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

REUTERS – Selected statistics for Sunday’s Turkish Formula One Grand Prix at the Istanbul Park circuit:

-

WINS

Mark Webber’s victory in Monaco was his second in a row and fourth of his career. Red Bull have now won nine races in Formula One and three out of six this season.

The last driver to win three successive races was world champion Jenson Button with Brawn last year.

The last Australian to win three in a row was Alan Jones in 1980/1981 (last two of 1980 and first of 1981).

Ferrari have won 211 times while McLaren are the second most successful team with 166 victories. Williams have 113 wins.

-

POLE POSITION

Red Bull have started every race this season on pole position (Sebastian Vettel 3, Mark Webber 3). The record of 15 in a season is held jointly by McLaren and Williams.

Webber is the only driver to have won from pole position this season, and has done so in the last two races (Spain and Monaco).

The last team to take seven poles in a row was Ferrari in 2000-2001. Ferrari have not been on pole since the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The last driver to take three successive poles was Ferrari’s Felipe Massa in 2007.

-

CHAMPIONSHIP

Four drivers have led the championship in six races this season – Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Massa, Button and Webber.

Webber is the first Australian to top the standings since Jones in 1981.

-

FRONT ROW

Red Bull have started the last 10 races with at least one car on the front row.

Despite his two wins, championship leader Jenson Button has not started on the front row since Turkey last June.

McLaren last started on the front row in Abu Dhabi last November.

-

TURKEY

In five Turkish Grands Prix, the race has only once not been won by the driver starting on pole position. That was Button who won with Brawn last year after starting in second place.

Brazilian Massa has the best record at the track, with three wins in a row.

-

QUALIFYING

Two drivers have yet to qualify ahead of their team mates this season: Renault’s Russian rookie Vitaly Petrov and Virgin’s Brazilian rookie Lucas di Grassi.

-

POINTS

Webber and Massa are the only drivers to have scored points in every race.

-

MILESTONE

Sunday’s race will be the 800th Formula One grand prix that Ferrari have taken part in, the first being the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix.

(Compiled by Alan Baldwin; Editing by John O’Brien;

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lorenzo stretches lead with French GP win

May 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo won the French MotoGP at Le Mans on Sunday to extend his world championship lead over Yamaha team mate Valentino Rossi to nine points.

Lorenzo finished 5.67 seconds ahead of Italy’s world champion Rossi, who had started on pole position, with Italian Andrea Dovizioso grabbing third place for Honda on the last lap.

“Passing Valentino wasn’t so easy because he was braking so deep and I had to be very patient, something that I might not have managed one year ago,” said the Spaniard after his first back-to-back MotoGP wins.

“Finally I overtook him but I didn’t expect to be able to get away like that.”

It was Lorenzo’s second win in a row and completed a Yamaha hat-trick with Rossi winning the season-opener in Qatar in April.

The 23-year-old, who has 70 points to Rossi’s 61, celebrated his latest win by pulling up a folding chair in front of one of the circuit’s big screens and munching a bucket of popcorn as he sat back on the track.

It was the first time since 1980 that the Japanese manufacturer had started the season with three successive wins in the top category.

STONER SLIDES

Rossi led into the first corner ahead of Honda’s Spanish rider Dani Pedrosa but Lorenzo quickly seized second place and then set about reeling in the Italian.

With Australian Casey Stoner sliding off his Ducati on the second lap, the former champion’s second non-finish of the season, the focus was on the Yamaha team mates and Lorenzo made his move on lap seven.

The Spaniard took the lead but failed to make it stick and had to do it again three laps later. This time Rossi had no reply and Lorenzo pulled away to a comfortable distance.

“I did a great start and I tried to stay in front because I understood from the bike that I didn’t have the same pace,” said Rossi, who hurt his shoulder in a motocross accident last month. “I knew there was no way to stay in front for 28 laps.”

Rossi said his main problem was with the set-up, with his bike lacking grip under acceleration.

Dovizioso started the final lap in fourth place but squeezed past Pedrosa to finish on the podium for the second time this season. American Nicky Hayden on a Ducati also passed Pedrosa for fourth place.

Toni Elias had earlier put Spain on top in the Moto2 category with his second win of the year, moving 18 points clear of Japan’s Shoya Tomizawa.

Spain’s winning sweep at Le Mans was started by Pol Espargaro, with his compatriots filling the next three places as well, in the 125cc class. Britain’s Bradley Smith, in fifth place, was the first of the non-Spanish contingent.

Spain fill the top five places in the 125cc standings, with Nicolas Terol on 65 points and Espargaro on 63.

(Writing by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond; to query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Red Bull win in Turkey can ruin F1 championship title bid: Button

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 21(ANI): Reigning Formula One champion Jenson Button believes that his race for the championship title could be over in Turkey, if the Red Bull team romp away with the silverware yet again.

Button is currently fourth in the championship standings behind Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, and Ferarri”s Fernando Alonso.

The circuit in Istanbul should suit McLaren’s aero strengths, but if Red Bull dominates again after their 1-2 at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend, it could spell disaster for the reigning champion, The Mirror reports.

Button trails Webber by eight points, but said: “This team have the resources, the manpower and the passion to succeed and to chase, and this is what they will do.”

“We’ve had a couple of issues in the last two races with reliability and mistakes, but we have to put those behind us now and focus on the next race in Turkey. We’ve got to come with a stronger car, and we can”t make any mistakes,” he added.

The Red Bull drivers are favourites to win the title this year, with the team already leading the constructors’ championship, 20 points ahead of Ferrari.

They have consistently out-paced others till now in the season, claiming pole position for all six races. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Red Bull dismiss Button as title threat

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 21(ANI): Reigning Formula One champion Jenson Button has been dismissed as a title threat by his main rivals Red Bull.

Button has dropped from first to fourth in the championship standings behind Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

Red Bull claims that Button’s McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso are the only men to fear.

“There are two people we fear for this world title. They are Alonso, because he is at his absolute peak, and Hamilton,” The Sun quoted Helmut Marko, Red Bull adviser, as saying.

“What the others are doing doesn’t bother us so much,” he added.

The Red Bull drivers are favourites to win the title this year, with the team already leading the constructors’ championship, 20 points ahead of Ferrari.

They have consistently out-paced others till now in the season, claiming pole position for all six races. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dream victory at Monaco greatest day of my life: Webber

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 18 (ANI): Red Bull driver Mark Webber has said that winning the Monaco Grand Prix was the best day in his life as he had dreamt of a top podium finish in the world’s ‘toughest’ race since childhood.

“It was the best day of my life. I’ve dreamt of winning the Monaco Grand Prix since I was a boy and to do it from pole position was just awesome.

“It’s an honour for me to join the list of winners for this race, which hadn’t been won by an Australian since Jack Brabham in 1959,” The Daily Telegraph quoted Webber, as saying.

“Qualifying and the race were pretty near perfect for me. The RB6 was fantastic to drive and I executed some tidy laps to take pole position from Robert Kubica on Saturday afternoon,” he said.

Webber said he expected a real challenge from Kubica, but was relieved to see Sebastian Vettel get the jump on him at the start.

“It gave me a buffer to the Renault driver, while also setting us up for Red Bull Racing’s second one-two of the season. My start wasn’t actually that great, but the run to the first corner was short and no one was able to get ahead.

“It’s very difficult to pass at Monaco and when I emerged from the first corner in the lead, I knew that the race was mine to lose,” Webber said. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Webber emulates Brabham with Monaco pole

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australian Mark Webber looked forward to picking up the baton from compatriot and Formula One great Jack Brabham after putting his Red Bull on pole position for Sunday’s showcase Monaco Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old’s second pole in the space of a week continued his team’s stranglehold on the top slot, with Renault-powered Red Bull chalking up six out of six this season.

Webber secured it by three tenths of a second from Poland’s Robert Kubica in a Renault, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel pushed into third place in Saturday’s qualifying at the harbourside circuit.

“The first lap went ok, I brushed the Armco (barriers) pretty hard at the start of the second sector…I finished that one and then went for another. It just all came together,” said the Australian, winner in Spain from pole last weekend.

The pole at the most evocative race in Formula One was the fourth of Webber’s career and the first at Monaco by an Australian since triple world champion Jack Brabham in 1967.

Brabham, now the oldest surviving champion at 84, also took his first F1 win in Monaco in 1959 — the only time an Australian has won on the unforgiving streets of the Mediterranean principality.

“I wouldn’t be here without Jack Brabham,” said Webber, reminded of the fact. “My Dad followed Jack when he was a young boy and that started I suppose the dream in the Webber household.

“Jack is an absolute legend of the sport and he’s been very good to me over the years…of course it’s an honour to get the pole today but it would be the biggest highlight of my career if I can join him tomorrow.”

ALONSO ABSENT

Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa completed the second row in fourth place.

His team mate Fernando Alonso, a two times Monaco winner, watched qualifying from the garage after wrecking his car in final practice. The Spaniard, second in the championship behind McLaren’s Jenson Button, will start from the pit lane.

“This is the worst possible place to have to start from, given that overtaking is always problematic,” said Alonso.

“It was my mistake but it was also very unlucky, because with an impact at 90 (kph) you don’t normally write off a chassis.”

World champion Button, last year’s winner on the metal-fenced streets with Brawn GP, just sneaked through to the third and final phase of qualifying and secured eighth slot on the grid.

The Briton was unhappy with Massa however, accusing the Brazilian of impeding him.

“He backed off to get a clear lap for the next lap and he cost me time, so what happened can’t be any clearer. I don’t know what he was thinking,” he said. “He obviously wasn’t looking in his mirrors…he blatantly slowed me down.”

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 winner, qualified fifth with Germany’s Nico Rosberg alongside for Mercedes and back in front of team mate Michael Schumacher — who said the younger German had also cost him a quick lap.

Schumacher, a five times winner in Monaco and making a comeback at the age of 41 and after three years out, qualified seventh.

Fears that qualifying could be crash-strewn and chaotic, with three much slower new teams on the track and expanding the field to 24 cars since last year’s race, proved unfounded.

The only casualty was Renault’s Russian Vitaly Petrov, who slewed into the barriers at Ste. Devote in the second session and starts 14th.

(Editing by Alison Wildey

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Webber on pole for Monaco Grand Prix

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australian Mark Webber made sure of Red Bull’s sixth successive pole position after qualifying quickest for the showcase Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday.

Poland’s Robert Kubica split the two Red Bulls by putting his Renault alongside Webber on the front row and ahead of Germany’s Sebastian Vettel.

Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa completed the second row in fourth place.

His team mate Fernando Alonso, a two times Monaco winner, watched qualifying from the garage after wrecking his car in final practice. The Spaniard, second in the championship behind McLaren’s Jenson Button, will start from the pit lane.

World champion Button, last year’s winner on the metal-fenced streets of the principality with Brawn GP, just sneaked through to the third and final phase of qualifying and secured eighth slot on the grid.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Alison Wildey

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Webber wins for runaway Red Bull in Spain

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australian Mark Webber won the Spanish Grand Prix for rampant Red Bull on Sunday after leading from start to finish at Formula One’s most predictable circuit.

For a record 10th year in succession at the Circuit de Catalunya, the driver who started on pole position took the chequered flag as winner in the Catalan sunshine.

“Fantastic, you were untouchable,” the team told Webber, the first driver to win from pole this year, after he crossed the line a massive 24 seconds clear of Ferrari’s second placed Fernando Alonso.

“It was a fantastic result and I’m absolutely thrilled,” said the Australian of his third career win. “We had a faultless grand prix weekend.

“We’ve missed a few points in the constructors’ (championship) but a very special day for me.”

Spaniard Alonso, celebrating his first home race for the Italian team, inherited a crowd-pleasing runner-up position when McLaren’s hard-charging Lewis Hamilton crashed out when a front tyre suddenly deflated on the penultimate lap.

“I was just cruising to the finish line – it was great points for me. But then I blew a tyre with two laps to go. That’s motor-racing,” Hamilton told BBC television.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who had started on the front row alongside Webber, finished third despite suffering brake problems.

SCHUMACHER FOURTH

Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher was fourth, the best result so far of the 41-year-old’s comeback season, with McLaren’s Jenson Button unable to find a way past and forced to settle for fifth.

Button, Hamilton’s team mate and reigning world champion, stayed top of the standings with 70 points to Alonso’s 67 after five of the season’s 19 races.

“The pace was good but it doesn’t make any difference if you can’t overtake,” said Button.

“I damaged my tyres quite badly. Really disappointing. It all came from the first pit stop. We had a problem with the clutch dragging. It’s not the result we wanted or deserved.”

Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa was sixth, Germany’s Adrian Sutil seventh for Force India and Poland’s Robert Kubica eighth for Renault.

Williams returned to the points with Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in ninth place and local youngster Jaime Alguersuari took the final point for Toro Rosso at his home track and despite a drive-through penalty.

The biggest challenge Webber faced, after holding off Vettel’s attempts to squeeze past at the start, was keeping alert as he lapped in splendid isolation and headed for a seemingly inevitable triumph.

Webber was the fourth different winner in five races.

Hamilton’s exit was the biggest shock of what had otherwise threatened to be a slow-burning afternoon after three thrill-filled races in the Far East.

“It was a deflation. It could have been debris caught in the rim. It’s not a straightforward puncture,” said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

“The tyres were in reasonable shape. I think probably debris caused the failure, but that’s speculation.”

Germany’s Nico Rosberg, who had been second overall going into the weekend, finished out of the points and behind team mate Schumacher for the first time this season.

On a nightmare afternoon for the young German, he had a problem at his first pitstop when the team released him before the front right wheel nuts had been tightened and had to stop and be pushed back.

(Editing by Kevin Fylan. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thrilling Lorenzo charge wins Spain MotoGP

May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo charged back from a poor start to pass compatriot Dani Pedrosa on the last lap to win a thrilling Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix on Sunday.

Pedrosa had led the field from pole position, but with two laps remaining Lorenzo finally caught up with him and after a gripping tussle he cut inside Pedrosa to cross the line first, half a second ahead.

World champion Valentino Rossi was third, and relinquished the top spot in the championship to Lorenzo who climbed on to 45 points after two races, four ahead of his Yamaha team mate.

Pedrosa is third with 29 points.

“I can’t describe it,” a soaking Lorenzo told Spanish television, after he had celebrated by running and jumping fully clothed into a lake at the circuit.

“It was one of my dreams to win at Jerez and to do it against someone like Dani, who made it very difficult, it’s unbelievable.”

Pedrosa made the most of first place on the grid to hold off an early charge from Rossi, who jumped from fourth to second at the first bend, and these two then pulled away from the rest of the pack.

Pedrosa has been having stability problems with his Honda and he struggled with some wobbles on bends but it looked like it was going to be a battle between him and Rossi, who was nursing a bruised shoulder.

But when Lorenzo passed Nicky Hayden to climb up to third with 18 laps to go, attention switched to the battle between second and third.

Lorenzo snuck inside Rossi with six laps to go and then showed astonishing pace to catch Pedrosa with two laps remaining.

AGGRESSIVE TACTICS

They almost crashed on one bend, and then actually came together in the last lap, but Lorenzo’s aggressive tactics paid off when he barged through a couple of bends before the finish to be roared across the line by the 122,000 crowd.

“I pushed myself to the limit on each lap and I didn’t expect to be at the front for so long,” Pedrosa told reporters referring to the problems he had been having with his bike.

“To finish on the podium here is unbelievable, even though it’s disappointing to be beaten with half a lap to go. But I think Lorenzo had a very good race, so he deserves it.”

American Hayden finished fourth ahead of Ducati team mate Casey Stoner of Australia. Italian Andrea Dovizioso was sixth.

Spaniard Toni Elias won the Moto2 category on a Moriwaki in a shortened 17-lap showdown after a big pile-up on the opening lap of the original race.

Elias took the flag 0.190 in front Japanese championship leader Shoya Tomizawa and Swiss Thomas Luthi, who came in third, after a pulsating final lap.

In the 125cc category, Derbi rider Pol Espargaro completed a Spanish treble of victories in Jerez, leading compatriots Nicolas Terol, the championship leader, and Esteve Rabat across the line.

(Writing by Mark Elkington in Madrid, editing by Miles Evans.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vettel takes pole for Chinese Grand Prix

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Shanghai, Apr 17 (ANI): Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel took pole position for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit, ahead of team-mate Mark Webber and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Vettel’s time of one minute 34.558 seconds was 0.248secs quicker than Webber, and 0.355secs faster than Alonso.

It is Vettel’s third pole position in four races, and the second one-two position for Red Bull in this season after doing the same in Australia.

“I felt unhappy with the car at the start of qualifying, but if you look at the points position it is still a fight between four teams. Right now everyone can still win,” The Telegraph quoted Vettel, as saying.

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg qualified in fourth, followed by reigning champion Jenson Button at fifth, and his McLaren’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton sixth.

Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, who is making a return this season after three years, qualified at ninth. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rossi capitalises on Stoner crash

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

World champion Valentino Rossi launched his title defence with victory at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday after Australian rival Casey Stoner crashed out.

Rossi, on a Yamaha, won by 1.022 seconds from team-mate Jorge Lorenzo while his Italian compatriot Andrea Dovizioso, riding a Honda, was 1.865sec off the pace.

Stoner, who was bidding for a fourth successive win at the floodlit desert venue, crashed out on the fifth lap having started on pole position on his Ducati.

The Australian, who had dominated practice and qualifying at the season-opening weekend, was passed by Dani Pedrosa (Honda), who had started in seventh place, at the first turn.

Stoner reclaimed the lead but his race ended on the fifth lap of the 22-lap race when he lost the front of his machine.

That elevated Rossi to first place, with Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden, on another Ducati, behind him.

Dovizioso briefly passed Rossi before the world champion hit back.

Lorenzo then made his move and went past Hayden before also squeezing out Dovizioso at the start of the final lap.

In the new Moto2 category, which has replaced the 250cc series, Japan’s Shoya Tomizawa clinched a memorable victory when he battled from ninth on the grid to take a four-second win.

Tomizawa, who had struggled in the 250cc class, finishing in 25th and then 17th place in the last two seasons, thrived on the more powerful Suter machine to finish ahead of Spain’s Alex Debon (FTR) and France’s Jules Cluzel (Suter).

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stoner claims pole at favoured Qatar

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australia’s Casey Stoner, riding a Ducati, claimed pole position for Sunday’s floodlit, season-opening Qatar Grand Prix as he targeted a fourth successive win at the desert venue.

Stoner clocked 1 minute 55.007 seconds to see off the Yamahas of world champion Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo in Saturday’s session while Randy de Puniet, on a Honda, was fourth fastest.

Rossi set a time of 1:55.362 as he ensured his world title defence will begin from the front row of the grid in Losail.

His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo, who suffered a hand injury in preseason, put in a strong performance with the Spaniard just over half a second off Stoner’s pace.

De Puniet heads the second row after a best time of 1:55.831. Loris Capirossi, on a Suzuki, will start a record-breaking 300th Grand Prix from fifth place.

The veteran, with a time of 1:55.899, was ahead of fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso on a Honda.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Courtney wins Melbourne V8 opener

March 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

James Courtney won Ford’s first race of the V8 Supercar season at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne.

The Dick Johnson Racing driver made the most of a mistake by Holden’s Garth Tander to seal the victory in the non-championship 13-lap sprint race at the Albert Park street circuit.

Tander, who claimed pole position ahead of Courtney earlier, had led from the start of the race but made a crucial error midway through the 11th lap to hand the initiative to the Ford man.

Another Ford, that of New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen, came in third ahead of TeamVodafone pair Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

While the win does not bring any championship points, it marks an important moment for Ford given Holdens have won all six previous races in 2010.

Aside from Tander’s lapse in concentration which handed Courtney victory, the only other moment of note from the first of the weekend’s three non-competition races involved Holden’s Rick Kelly on the opening lap.

Starting fourth on the grid, Kelly shot wide outside Courtney at the race start only to spear off-track at the first corner.

His race quickly got worse as his Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore spun off the track later in the opening lap to send him to the back of the field, eventually finishing 24th.

The V8 Supercar action at Albert Park continues on Saturday with another 13-lap race from 6.15pm (AEDT).

-AAP

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Brisbane’s CLEM7 tunnel opens

March 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australia’s longest road tunnel, Brisbane’s CLEM7, is open.

Stretching 4.8 kilometres under the city centre, the $3 billion tunnel links Bowen Hills on the city’s northside to Woolloongabba in the south and was officially opened by the Lord Mayor Campbell Newman at 10:00pm AEST yesterday.

Thousands of cars, trucks and motorbikes have begun driving the tollway under the Brisbane River that has four entrances – one on the northside and three on the southside.

The project was completed seven months early.

Motorists have until April 5 to use the tunnel for free before tolls are phased in.

‘Major milestone’

Speaking from the control centre, Councillor Newman said it was a major milestone for the city.

“On behalf of the 12,000 men and women that have worked for three-and-a-half-years to make this happen on behalf of the long-suffering motorists, I officially open this tunnel – the CLEM7 – in memory of the great Dr Clem Jones, [former] lord mayor of Brisbane,” he said.

Councillor Newman had hoped for a low-key opening to avoid accidents but he says hundreds of people were waiting in nearby streets trying to be the first to enter.

“It was very clear that people were going around the block,” he said.

“The very first thing we saw were a couple of motorcyclists duck around the head of these cones and get themselves right into pole position, so some of the very first vehicles to go through were actually two motorcyclists from the Shaftson Avenue end.

“People seem absolutely stoked and I am really thrilled the motorists are finally getting the sort of infrastructure that they deserve in the city.

“This is just the beginning – this is just one down and four big projects to go.

“I think people are happy and I think they will be happy when they really see how it operates at peak hour where they get those savings, so it just shows the way for Brisbane in the future.”

But the tunnel faced its first traffic snarl just hours after its official opening.

A car broke down shortly after 6am AEST near the tunnel’s northern exit.

Shawn Corbett from the Australian Traffic Network says the breakdown was quickly cleared.

“Traffic is flying through there at the moment,” he said.

Airport Link project

Premier Anna Bligh says the State Government will keep a close eye on patronage in the CLEM7 ahead of the completion of the state-funded Airport Link toll road.

Ms Bligh says usage of the tunnel will be an indicator for future toll road planning.

She has praised Councillor Newman for the project.

“If you go back, the history books will show that the first person to consider these sorts of tunnels was [former Labor mayor] Jim Soorley and credit to him,” she said.

“But the person who delivered it – and full credit to him – was the Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and this was a very big project.

“I think it’ll make a big difference and I congratulate him.”

- Reporting by Francis Tapim, Natalie Poyhonen and Chris Logan

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts