Germany’s Nico Rosberg stayed ahead of teammate Michael Schumacher to put Mercedes on top of the timesheets in practice for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday.
After compatriot Adrian Sutil had stolen some of the returning seven-time champion’s limelight in the first session with the quickest time for Mercedes-powered Force India, Rosberg went faster in the afternoon.
The son of former champion Keke lapped the newly extended Sakhir circuit in 1 minute, 55.409 seconds, nearly half-a-second quicker than his 41-year-old teammate in third place.
PHOTO: EPA
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was second, running faster than teammate and reigning champion Jenson Button, who had been ahead in the morning.
Mercedes-engined cars filled the top four slots.
Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso limbered up for his Ferrari race debut with the second-best time in the first session and then ninth after lunch.
While practice times can be misleading, with drivers trying out different set-ups and running with varying fuel loads, all eyes were on Schumacher’s pace after an absence of three seasons.
With Mercedes returning as a works team for the first time since 1955 after taking over champions Brawn, the former Ferrari great was 10th in the morning and more than 0.4 seconds slower than Rosberg.
Lotus, an illustrious name returning after a 16-year absence, were the best of the three new entrants, although they were an age off the pace.
Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen lapped 18th fastest, 5.464 seconds slower than Rosberg, with Italian Jarno Trulli 19th.
Virgin Racing’s Timo Glock was 6.6 seconds slower than the fastest car, while Brazilian Bruno Senna was 11.5 seconds away from Rosberg’s time.
With the HRT (Hispania) team unable to test the car before arriving in Bahrain, the return of the Senna name to a Grand Prix weekend for the first time since the death of Ayrton at Imola in 1994 was limited to what amounted to a shakedown.
Indian rookie teammate Karun Chandhok did not even manage to get out on the track, forced to sit out both sessions while mechanics worked on his car.
“We have had a lot of problems, we can’t seem to get the clutch and gearbox working,” he said. “It’s such a shame for the mechanics, they have worked all night without any sleep — so I feel for them. It’s some sort of electronic or hydraulic issue, it’s not mechanical.”
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
India’s chess star Gukesh Dommaraju returned to a hero’s welcome in his home city yesterday after becoming the youngest world champion aged only 18. Hundreds of fans crowded the arrivals area of Chennai International Airport, cheering alongside banks of television cameras as Gukesh made his way out of the airport after victory in taking the World Chess Championship title. “It means a lot to bring back the trophy to India,” Gukesh told reporters, with garlands of flowers draped around his neck, brandishing the glittering trophy in his hand. “I can see the support and what it means to India, I
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion on Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier
RSS