The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Controversy lingers as F1 heads to Bahrain
- Day seeks to bounce back from Masters loss
- Weiron sizzles in debut at Donington Park
| Controversy lingers as F1 heads to Bahrain Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:08 PM PDT MANAMA - Formula One moves to Bahrain this weekend, with the Grand Prix in the tiny, resource-rich Gulf kingdom again taking place against a backdrop of long-running dissent and continued protest. The race was shelved in 2011 due to pro-democracy protests by the minority Shia Muslim population but resumed last year, despite calls for it to be axed due to claims of human rights abuses and heavy-handed police tactics against protesters. The race itself passed off without incident, although four members of the Force India team were caught up in a petrol bomb attack and two returned home early. The run-up to Sunday's race has again witnessed an increase in protests by hardline groups and a crackdown by the Bahrain authorities, prompting fresh calls for F1 to question its annual presence in the country on ethical grounds. Young Shiite protesters who took the streets sounding drums have called the race "the Formula of blood". Formula One supremo supremo Bernie Ecclestone, though, has dismissed concerns about holding the race in the country, while the Bahrain government has pledged to take "appropriate" measures to ensure security. One notable absentee from the race will be Jean Todt, as he seeks re-election as president of world motorsport governing body the FIA, a number of newspapers, including Britain's The Guardian and The Times, have reported. On the track, Germany's Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull leads the drivers' championship on 52 points from Finland's Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus (49) and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso (43), who won last week's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai with ease. Mercedes team chief Ross Brawn, though, believes that the race will show whether they have a car fast enough to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari after Lewis Hamilton secured pole position and then finished a creditable third in China. Brawn, who masterminded Michael Schumacher to his seven drivers' titles with Benetton and Ferrari, said he felt Mercedes were within reach of fighting for titles but needed to confirm their potential on Sunday. "The pleasing thing is we've been to three races this year and we have not been bad. Bahrain will be the final one of the opening quartet that will tell us if we have a car that we can get to work at most places," he said. "We seem to have but we have to lift the performance another two or three tenths compared to the opposition - and we know it is a moving target." Brawn told Autosport magazine that there were plenty of encouraging signs that Mercedes had a much better car this year. Last year in Bahrain, Mercedes followed up German Nico Rosberg's stunning victory in China by taking fifth place in qualifying and the race. This year they are hoping for something better - and the 2008 champion Hamilton, who has already delivered two podium finishes and a pole position this season, said the team was strong enough to challenge for the title. The British driver, 12 points adrift of defending triple champion Vettel, said he felt sure he was capable of being involved in the title fight - as long as they improved their pace from China. Ferrari's team chief Stefano Domenicali was also confident following Alonso's triumph in Shanghai. The team's Ferrari F138 car was already more competitive than last year's F2012 at the same time, he added. "The car seems better this year in terms of pure performance, even though that is not enough because we need to make it better and better," he explained. On Sunday's race he said: "We have another situation in Bahrain with different conditions. We will see where the performance of our car relative to the others will be there." Three former world champions have won this year's opening three races, while the once-dominant Red Bull team has been troubled by internal strife. Australian driver Mark Webber struggled in the season's opener in Melbourne - his home race - then was stunned in Malaysia when Vettel ignored team orders and snatched victory from him. In China, he ran out of fuel in qualifying and then collided with Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne in the Toro Rosso and lost a wheel. That clash has brought Webber a grid penalty this weekend but team chief Christian Horner has backed him to make his mark. "He will be fine. He is a tough competitor and he was driving very well," he added. Horner also rejected all suggestions that the team was involved in any kind of conspiracy to favour Vettel and undermine Webber. - AFP |
| Day seeks to bounce back from Masters loss Posted: 17 Apr 2013 05:35 PM PDT HILTON HEAD, South Carolina - Australian Jason Day is among the players seeking to bounce back from disappointment at the Masters by playing at the $5.8 million US PGA Tour Heritage tournament starting Thursday. Day, fellow Australian Marc Leishman and American Brandt Snedeker were all in contention in the final round of the year's first major, but fell short. Day, who admitted the pressure at Augusta National "got to me a little bit," surrendered a last-round lead with back-to-back bogeys and failed to make a playoff in which Aussie Adam Scott triumphed over Argentina's Angel Cabrera. Day said he was glad to have a new challenge to focus on. "It's nice to be here and have sunshine and just kind of relax," he said. "I've got to move on to the next one and try and win this one." Leishman finished tied for fourth with Tiger Woods at Augusta while Snedeker shared sixth place. It's not the first time Day has arrived at Hilton Head's Harbour Town Golf Links after a Masters letdown. In 2011, he shared second place at Augusta National and finished tied for ninth at Harbour Town - when Snedeker won in a playoff. Snedeker admitted he had trouble sleeping on Sunday, after his putting let him down on the rain-soaked greens at Augusta. "Any time you have a chance to win a major championship and you don't do it, especially the Masters ... a tournament I'd give my whole career to win, it's tough," Snedeker said. But being at Hilton Head "definitely gets it out of my mind. I did a lot of great stuff last week, but I need to get my head around what I need to do to play well." Last year the Heritage was won by Sweden's Carl Pettersson, who fired a two-under par 69 in the final round for a five-stroke victory. Pettersson will defend his title, part of a field that includes major winners Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Ernie Els and Martin Kaymer. Ten of the top 25 players in the world rankings are entered, including England's Luke Donald. Donald managed just a share of 37th place last year to see his world No. 1 ranking go to Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy. - AFP |
| Weiron sizzles in debut at Donington Park Posted: 17 Apr 2013 05:52 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: Malaysian driver Weiron Tan enjoyed a perfect start to his European campaign in the Protyre Formula Renault Championships — sealing a hard-fought podium finish in the first race at Donington Park on Sunday. With the schedule packed into one hectic day, Weiron embarked on his first qualifying on the national circuit at Donington Park with the Fortec Motorsports team. The 2013 Protyre Formula Renault has a strong 18-car grid, with drivers competing from across 10 nationalities. Weiron performed well in his first qualifying session, setting the fourth fastest time to secure a second row starting spot. In race, one Weiron initially dropped a position to fifth before coming back strongly to seal the final rostrum position. He did not finish race two. Weiron was tapped from behind while attempting to pass for the lead and it sent him hurtling into the gravel trap. The next round of the Protyre Formula Renault takes place at Snetterton on May 11-12. The next meet will comprise three races. "Overall, I'm really happy with my weekend. It was my first time at Donington and my first race in this championship, so I think it was a good start to the season," said the 18-year-old. "Because of the compact schedule, we had no practice session, it was straight to qualifying. "To secure P4 and P2 for the races was a very positive start, particularly with the knowledge that I was the only driver with no experience at the circuit. "Race one went pretty well. I knew I had the pace for a podium and, if it hadn't been for a small mistake, the win could have been ours. "The second race was good and bad. We were the fastest on the track and could have taken the win but I was tapped and it sent me into the gravel ... and that was it for race two. "I'm heading for Snetterton feeling positive and with some good momentum." |
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