Just when it looked like Lewis Hamilton’s pursuit of a record-breaking eighth Formula One world championship was fading faster than one of his discarded engines, along comes a race like the Sao Paulo Grand Prix where the Mercedes driver proves why he’s one of the greatest of all time.
DQ’d in qualifying due to a technical infringement and dinged five spots on the grid in Sunday’s race for swapping internal combustion engines, Hamilton overcame the odds making up 15 places during Saturday’s sprint and nine in the grand prix to take the chequered flag in Brazil for his 101st career victory.
The only thing hotter than the track was Hamilton, who wasted little time at the start to make up ground on the field. Sunday’s race is more like a marathon than a sprint (pun intended) and Hamilton could have easily taken his time picking off the field one by one. However, you also don’t want to lose too much ground stuck in traffic. Hamilton jumped ahead from 10th to sixth on the opening lap then chased down the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
Teammate Valterri Bottas, who started on pole position but lost two spots to the Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez on the opening lap, obeyed Mercedes’ orders to slow down and allow Hamilton to breeze by as the hunt was on.
A safety car and virtual safety car period allowed the field to bunch up and by lap 18 Hamilton was on Perez’s tail. The two shuffled spots before Hamilton was able to break away for good on the following lap.
The most intense moment came on lap 48 when Hamilton looked to make a move on Verstappen, however, the Dutch driver appeared to force both himself and his opponent off the course in order to maintain the lead. Although neither car made contact, it was enough for the stewards to investigate and Verstappen escaped without a penalty.
That set the stage for laps 58 and 59 with Verstappen weaving side to side to desperately fend off Hamilton until he couldn’t hold on any longer. Hamilton poured the pressure and forced Verstappen to defend too hard and lose his line. That opened the door ajar and Hamilton kicked it off its hinges to slip by and away.
No question Hamilton was the driver of the day as he had to fight to earn this victory and close the gap in the drivers’ championship. With Verstappen finishing second, his lead has now been cut down to 14 points with three races remaining.
Bottas, who finished third, helped Mercedes maintain their slim hold on the constructors’ with only a two-point gap over Red Bull.
Every point matters at this point in the drivers’ and constructors’ standings. With Perez safely secure in P4, Red Bull called him into the pits on the penultimate lap for soft tires in an attempt to steal the fastest lap point from Hamilton.
Mission accomplished. As Hamilton was already waving to the crowd on his victory lap, Perez laid down the fastest time of one minute, 11.010 seconds to snag the bonus point as he crossed the finish line.
It might seem petty but you never know how things will unfold in the chase for the championships, especially with only two points now separating Red Bull and Mercedes.
It’ll be a birthday Lando Norris definitely isn’t going to forget anytime soon. The McLaren driver turned 22 on Saturday (if that makes you feel old, I’m not sorry) and started fifth on the grid.
Norris attempted to pass Sainz on the outside right at the start, but made contact with the Ferrari and sustained a punctured tire as his car limped all the way around almost the entire track to get back to pit lane.
Although that took Norris out of the contention, it didn’t take him out of the race as he was able to valiantly fight his way back up into 10th and into the final spot for points.
AlphaTauri, Alpine remain level
So, how did our driver of interest Pierre Gasly fare? Well, the AlphaTauri driver didn’t crack the podium but managed to finish seventh to score six points.
However, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso finished right behind him in eighth and ninth, respectively, to earn a combined six points and keep their team tied with AlphaTauri for fifth place in the constructors’ standings.
Dishonourable mention to Gasly’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who made a rookie mistake early in the race attempting to pass Canadian driver Lance Stroll of Aston Martin on the inside of turn one. Tsunoda quickly ran out of real estate and lost his front wing in the collision — not only forcing him to pit but also bringing out the safety car while workers cleaned up the debris. The Japanese driver was issued a penalty and finished 15th.
Canadian Content
Stroll’s collision with Tsunoda ultimately forced him to retire after completing 47 laps. It was the third DNF of the season for the Montreal driver.
Nicholas Latifi, who was born in Montreal and grew up in Toronto, managed to outperform Williams teammate George Russell in Saturday’s sprint to start 16th on the grid. That’s also where Latifi finished albeit thanks to retirements from Stroll and Daniel Ricciardo of McLaren.
Early damage didn’t stop him from pushing hard, but in the end, his race came to an early finish. Lance will have another chance for points next week. #BrazilGP#F1pic.twitter.com/IsX4BX1G9Q
The tour of the Americas has come to a close and it’s now off to the Middle East for the final stretch of the season beginning with the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix next Sunday at Losail International Circuit.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
