Lewis Hamilton yesterday took pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix, while Mercedes’ run of nine straight front-row lockouts in Formula One came to an end as Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel qualified second.
A drenching thunderstorm delayed the final part of qualifying, but even a wet track could not prevent Hamilton topping the grid with a time of 1 minute, 49.834 seconds at the Sepang International Circuit.
Vettel was second, only 0.07 seconds off Hamilton’s time as Ferrari showed it could challenge Mercedes in today’s race.
Photo: AFP
Nico Rosberg was third for Mercedes, while Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo qualified fourth ahead of teammate Daniil Kvyat in fifth.
Toro Rosso’s 17-year-old rookie Max Verstappen was an impressive sixth, while Williams put in a disappointing performance on intermediate tires. Felipe Massa qualified seventh and Valtteri Bottas in ninth.
Romain Grosjean is to start from eighth for Lotus and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson in 10th.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was the main victim of the rapid arrival of the rain early in the second qualifying round. Knowing the rain was coming, all drivers set out at the very start of the session, but Raikkonen ran into traffic on his flying lap and all drivers then immediately aborted any effort to improve their times as heavy showers swept the circuit. Raikkonen qualified 11th, having been in the top three of all practice sessions.
Hamilton’s first lap in the treacherous wet conditions blew the field away, he was more than a second ahead of Rosberg and two ahead of Vettel. Though they made up ground on subsequent laps, it was not enough to beat that initial time by the Briton.
“The first lap was quite good,” Hamilton said. “It’s always difficult because none of us had driven a lap this weekend in the wet.”
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