SILVERSTONE, England — Lewis Hamilton held on to win the British Grand Prix on Sunday despite a puncture on the last lap to clinch an 87th career win and move within four of Michael Schumacher’s Formula One record.
The championship leader’s record-extending seventh Silverstone win saw him finish six seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who unexpectedly moved up a place after Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas sustained a puncture with three laps left.
With Hamilton so far ahead, Verstappen went in for a tire change in a bid to gain an extra point for the fastest lap but that pit stop ultimately cost him victory because Hamilton’s front left shredded with half a lap to go. Verstappen swallowed up most of the 25-second gap but ran out of time.
“I definitely haven’t experienced anything like that. I thought my heart was going to stop,” Hamilton said. “Up until that last lap everything was relatively smooth sailing. When I heard his (Bottas’ tire) went I looked at mine and it seemed fine.”
Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari with Daniel Ricciardo fourth for improving Renault and British driver Lando Norris fifth for McLaren.
“It was a very tricky race,” said Leclerc after his second podium of the season. “I am very happy with how I managed the tires from beginning to the end.”
When his tire melted, Bottas had to come back for a tire change and dropped out of the points altogether into 11th spot and 30 points behind Hamilton in the title race after four races.
Sebastian Vettel, a four-time F1 champion, placed 10th and has now failed to get into the top five for his worst start to a season since 2008.
Montreal’s Lance Stroll was ninth while Toronto’s Nicholas Latifi was 15th.
McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. also sustained a last-gasp puncture and fell to 13th.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat were both unharmed after crashing early in the 52-lap race.
There is another race at Silverstone next Sunday, where Pirelli may modify its tire selection.
Before the race, drivers again wore black T-shirts with “End Racism” written on them as part of an ongoing campaign. This time it was better co-ordinated than the disorganized scenes two weeks ago in Hungary that angered Hamilton.
They stood behind an “End Racism” message written on the grid, and then 13 of the 20 drivers took a knee, removing their face masks as they did so. The seven others remained standing behind them.
“Thank you for the statement of support to end racism in the world,” was said over loud speaker.
Hamilton set a track record and secured a record-extending 91st career pole and a record seventh at Silverstone on Saturday. Bottas qualified second ahead of Verstappen, who was racing in his 106th GP to equal his father Jos Verstappen’s tally. Jos Verstappen was Schumacher’s teammate at Benetton in the 1990s.
Nico Hulkenberg’s race was over before it started as mechanics could not get his car ready because of a power unit problem. He was a last-minute replacement for Sergio Perez, who is in quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus.
“It’s so surreal,” Hulkenberg said.
At the start, Bottas got off the line better than Hamilton but held back in the first corner when he had a chance to pass, while Leclerc jumped Verstappen only for Verstappen to overtake him straight back.
Magnussen went out on Lap 2 after contact with Alexander Albon’s Red Bull sent him sliding into the gravel. Magnussen’s front left tire came clean off and the front wing was damaged. The safety car came out for three laps as the track was cleared, while stewards gave Albon a five-second time penalty for causing the incident.
The safety car was out again on lap 13 for a heavier crash, after Kvyat flew off the track at 300 kph (186 mph), sliding backward and sideways into the crash barriers. Mercedes took the chance to pit both drivers for new tires on the next lap, while other drivers followed suit.
Halfway through the race, Hamilton led Bottas by about two seconds and the British driver extended his lead comfortably as another Mercedes 1-2 finish looked certain.
But then Bottas’ tire unravelled and — perhaps presuming Hamilton’s wouldn’t — Red Bull ultimately made the wrong call to go for an extra point rather than bank on Verstappen catching Hamilton in case of a similar mishap.
“You could see (the tire) falling off the rim,” Hamilton said. “I was just praying to get round and not be too slow. I didn’t think I would make it round the last two corners.”
As Hamilton limped over the line, Verstappen was looming large behind him.
Another few hundred meters and victory would have been his.
“It was lucky and unlucky,” Verstappen said. “But second is a good result.”
Verstappen is now only six points behind Bottas, whose title hopes already look slim.
As he was last season, Verstappen looks the only driver capable of genuinely challenging Hamilton.
But he needs a faster car to do so.
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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.
