Nico Rosberg maintained his and the Mercedes team’s utter domination of one-lap Formula One speeding by topping the times again in yesterday’s second free practice session for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old German, who was fastest in the morning’s opening session and who is seeking a third successive pole position, clocked a best time of 1 minute, 14.759 seconds to top the times, 0.3 seconds ahead of his Mercedes teammate Briton Lewis Hamilton.
The Mercedes pair, who also clocked up high mileage — Hamilton did a race distance of 78 laps during the day’s work — proved they are the team to beat as they finished clear of nearest rivals Ferrari and left defending triple world champion German Sebastian Vettel struggling to keep pace.
Ferrari’s flying duo of two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Brazilian Felipe Massa were third and fourth fastest, ahead of Vettel’s Red Bull teammate Australian Mark Webber in fifth.
Finn Kimi Raikkonen was sixth ahead of his Lotus teammate Frenchman Romain Grosjean, who suffered a major crash midway through the session in which his car was seriously damaged. He was unhurt.
Grosjean, trying to avoid accidents and controversy this season, slid into the barriers at Sainte Devote on only his 11th lap.
Briton Jenson Button was eighth for McLaren, ahead of ninth-placed Vettel and Briton Paul di Resta in the leading Force India.
His teammate German Adrian Sutil was 11th, ahead of Button’s McLaren teammate Mexican Sergio Perez.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
UP IN SMOKE: More than half a dozen riders crashed out of the race, with Marquez’s title chances in doubt after driving off the track with flames flickering from his bike Jorge Martin yesterday won a crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP to extend his championship lead, while closest rival Francesco Bagnaia limited the damage by claiming the final podium place. The win leaves the Pramac Racing rider 21 points ahead of his Italian Ducati rival, who finished third behind Spaniard Pedro Acosta in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok island. In front of a crowd of 60,000 in motorbike-mad Indonesia, the 26-year-old put his tumble in Saturday’s sprint behind him, canceling out the gains his title rival Bagnaia made after securing victory in that race. “Thank you Indonesia. I am very happy.
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