Ferrari on Tuesday filled the top three places on the timing screens in Formula One’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi as the sport looked to the future with grand prix veterans and newcomers alike starting work with new employers.
Carlos Sainz was quickest for Ferrari ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, with both race regulars taking turns in the one F1-75 car and focusing on Pirelli’s tires for next year.
Israeli test driver Robert Shwartzman was third-fastest in the other Ferrari and did 116 laps, the equivalent of two grand prix distances.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso, 41, made his track debut with Aston Martin after leaving Renault-owned Alpine, while 35-year-old Nico Hulkenberg began his comeback with US-owned Haas.
“Today was about learning the tires for 2023, learning their characteristics, and with these test days you have a bit more time to try stuff,” said Hulkenberg, whose last full season was in 2019 with Renault.
“I coped better than expected to be honest, so that’s good,” he said. “There’s now three months of hard-core preparation to get ready. I have a plan and I know what I have to do.”
Australian rookie Oscar Piastri tested for McLaren alongside teammate Lando Norris, while Frenchman Pierre Gasly settled in at Alpine following his move from Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri, who welcomed Dutch driver Nyck de Vries in his place.
“We did a lot of laps and experimented a lot, which is exactly what today is all about. I’ve got a good idea where to improve for next year,” Piastri said. “I really enjoyed it, it’s nice to be back out on track finally and experience the 2022 cars.”
Gasly was fourth-fastest, with Red Bull’s double world champion Max Verstappen fifth after taking over the car from teammate Sergio Perez.
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
Former Formosa Dreamers player Ilkan Karaman was killed in a traffic accident in Datca, Turkey, Turkish media reported yesterday. He was 34. The former Turkish national team player was reportedly hit by a car, the driver of which was allegedly drunk, while he was standing on a sidewalk, Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported. Karaman and his friends were on their way to the beach town of Dalaman to go scuba diving when they stopped at a gas station to buy gasoline, it reported. Karaman was hit by the car while waiting on a sidewalk as his friends were buying gasoline, it
ANKLE PROBLEM: Taiwan’s Ye Hong-wei and Lee Chia-hsin had a disappointing end to their tournament after an injury forced them out of their mixed doubles semi-final Taiwanese badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying on Friday was knocked out in the women’s singles quarter-finals at her last Taipei Open. The world No. 3 lost 21-18, 16-21, 22-24 to Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in a match that stretched 68 minutes at the Taipei Arena. Despite her higher ranking, Tai said she was not too sad about the loss, given her struggle with a lingering knee injury. “Wins and losses are just part of the game. Actually, I think I’m going to lose every single match considering my condition now,” said the five-time champion of the Super 300 event, who has announced plans
RSS