Britain’s Lewis Hamilton coolly snatched pole position in the dying seconds of qualifying yesterday to boost his chances of sealing the Formula One world title at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old McLaren Mercedes star made light of immense pressure with a near-perfect final lap to close a hard-fought session ahead of Ferrari’s outgoing champion Kimi Raikkonen and title rival Felipe Massa.
It was Hamilton’s seventh pole this season and the 13th of his career as he targets his first drivers’ championship, which he allowed to slip through his fingers last year.
With just the Chinese and Brazilian legs to go, Hamilton needs to beat Massa by six points to become the sport’s youngest champion, provided BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica, the only other title contender, does not win.
Hamilton was up against it after slipping to fifth in the opening run of the final qualifying session, but he drove nearly faultlessly to take pole.
“That was as near to a perfect lap as I could have driven,” Hamilton said. “I knew there was a job to do and I was just totally focused on my lap.”
Hamilton said he was able to clear his mind of a simmering controversy after several rivals accused him of driving too aggressively. Renault boss Flavio Briatore also said Hamilton would “throw away” the title again.
“I did not feel under any extra pressure at all,” Hamilton said. “To be honest, I had nothing else on my mind but the lap and the job.”
Massa admitted it had been a tough qualifying session for Ferrari, but remained confident for today’s race.
“We have been struggling a little bit to put together a perfect lap and this qualifying was a little difficult. But we have been here before and had very good pace for the race,” Massa said.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who is seeking a hat-trick of consecutive wins and has said he is supporting Massa’s bid to overhaul Hamilton, will start fourth.
Hamilton’s McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalaien was only fifth, ahead of Australian Mark Webber in a Red Bull. Webber has to drop 10 places because of an engine change on his car in the morning.
On a clear, dry afternoon, the first part of qualifying was dominated by the McLarens, with Hamilton fastest ahead of Kovalainen and German tyro Sebastian Vettel third for Toro Rosso.
Red Bull’s British veteran David Coulthard was livid that his final flying lap was spoiled by German Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber.
“It was unsporting behavior by Heidfeld. He had no intention of a faster lap. I have given him the benefit of the doubt, but this shows what sort of person he is,” Coulthard said.
Massa improved from fifth to second in the second session, but he was again eclipsed by Hamilton, who ran in fastest after a switch to soft tires.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS