Two-time champion Fernando Alonso delighted Ferrari’s home fans yesterday when he claimed pole position for today’s Italian Grand Prix with a dazzling last-gasp lap.
The 29-year-old Spaniard, making his first competitive appearance for Ferrari on the team’s home soil in front of the tifosi, reveled in the moment as he delivered a best lap of 1 minute, 21.962 seconds at the famous old Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
Alonso was the only driver to break the 1 minute, 22 second barrier in a relatively predictable qualifying session that saw the trio of leading teams battling for supremacy, with Ferrari edging out McLaren ahead of the Red Bulls.
It was Alonso’s maiden pole for Ferrari, the team’s first pole this season and the 19th of Alonso’s career. It was the scuderia’s first pole in 30 races since 2008.
Defending champion Jenson Button was second fastest for McLaren in 1 minute, 22.084 seconds ahead of Alonso’s Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa.
Then came Australian Mark Webber of Red Bull, Briton Lewis Hamilton in the second McLaren and sixth-placed German Sebastian Vettel in the second Red Bull.
Germans Nico Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg were seventh and eighth for Mercedes and Williams respectively, with Pole Robert Kubica ninth for Renault and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello 10th in the second Williams.
The first mini-session was predictable enough. Those eliminated were the two Lotus men, Italian Jarno Trulli and Finn Heikki Kovalainen, followed by Force India’s Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, German Timo Glock and his Virgin teammate Brazilian Lucas di Grassi, and the two Hispania drivers, Brazilian Bruno Senna and Japanese Sakon Yamamoto. Q1 was notable, too, for an incident in which Russian Vitaly Petrov drove out of the pit lane and directly into the path of Glock.
In Q2, it was much more of the same, with, the sight of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher being knocked out in 12th spot. The other men who failed to make the cut alongside the former red baron were Adrian Sutil of Force India, Kamui Kobayashi of Sauber, Sebastien Buemi of Toro Rosso, Petrov of Renault, Jaime Alguersuari of Toro Rosso and Pedro de la Rosa of Sauber.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely