Success-starved Williams, Toyota and Formula One newcomers Brawn signaled they could be ready for breakthrough wins by dominating practice yesterday ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The presence of those three teams atop the time sheets will infuriate their rivals, some of whom are convinced their bodywork is illegal.
Williams, Toyota and Brawn showed impressive pace, aided by the additional down-force created by their rear diffusers which rival teams claim are too large and infringe new aerodynamics rules.
PHOTO: AFP
The three teams are racing under appeal this weekend, with other teams set to challenge the legality of their cars following next weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.
Williams’ Nico Rosberg was quickest in both the opening and second sessions, posting a best of 1 minute, 26.053 seconds in yesterday’s second session.
Brawn’s Rubens Barrichello was second fastest in the second session with 1 minute, 26.157 seconds, ahead of Toyota’s Jarno Trulli on 1 minute, 26.350 seconds.
Australia’s Mark Webber steered his Red Bull to a fourth quickest time in the second session after a reliability issue in the opening stint.
Brawn’s Jenson Button was sixth in session two, ahead of Toyota’s Timo Glock, Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima and Red Bull’s Sebastien Vettel.
Lewis Hamilton, last year’s winner in Australia and the reigning world champion, was 16th in the first session and 18th in the second, lending credence to his pre-race predictions that his McLaren would struggle for competitiveness in Melbourne.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen were 10th and 11th best in the second session.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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