Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg yesterday secured pole position for the Russian Grand Prix after Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton suffered more misfortune in qualifying.
The German, chasing his seventh successive win, is to be joined on the front row by Finland’s Valtteri Bottas in a Williams. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel qualified second, but has a five-place grid penalty.
Hamilton, the world champion and winner in Russia for the past two years, but 36 points behind Rosberg after three races, did not take part in the final phase after a power unit problem. He is set to start 10th.
Photo: AFP
Mercedes said it was the same failure that the Briton had experienced in China two weeks ago, where he failed to set a lap time in qualifying and started at the back of the grid.
Hamilton had already been summoned to see stewards after qualifying for failing to follow the race director’s instructions at turn two.
In related news, Formula One on Friday announced a deal with the sport’s four engine manufacturers to reduce prices over three years from next year, ensure all teams are supplied and reduce performance gaps.
The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that the agreement had been approved by its World Motor Sport Council and would now be written into the regulations.
As part of the agreement, thrashed out over months, the FIA committed to stable power unit regulations until 2020 — something the manufacturers needed to make the engines more affordable.
Research into “improving the sound,” which means cranking up the volume to appease fans yearning for the old ear-splitting V8 wail, was under way with the aim of implementation by 2018 at the latest.
The 1.6L V6 turbo hybrid power units, made up of six main parts including the internal combustion engine and energy recovery systems, were introduced in 2014.
While far more fuel efficient, and technologically relevant to road car production, than ageing V8 engines, the new units have also been considerably more expensive.
A customer supply can cost well in excess of 20 million euros (US$22.89 million), depending on the manufacturer, whereas FIA president Jean Todt has said 12 million would be an acceptable amount.
The FIA had threatened to introduce an independent power unit supplier if a deal could not be reached.
It said the new agreement would reduce the cost by 1 million euros next year compared with this year’s prices.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS