Lewis Hamilton, the youngest Formula One’s champion with his McLAREN File Photo taken by S.S.Kanesan/The Star
McLAREN’S Lewis Hamilton roared into the record books as Formula One’s youngest champion yesterday after last-lap drama at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old Briton, needing only a fifth place finish in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix to become Britain’s first champion since Damon Hill in 1996, pulled it off after entering the last lap in sixth.
With the title seemingly slipping through his fingers for the second year in a row, he had Toyota’s Timo Glock to thank after the German stayed out on dry tyres after the heavens opened.
Hamilton powered past for fifth place as the final corner approached.
Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa, Hamilton’s sole title rival, won his home race for the second time in three years to chalk up a record 16th constructors’ title for the Italian team.
Hamilton, who missed out agonisingly by a single point to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in Brazil last season, ended the 18-race season one point clear of Massa.
Hamilton was aged 23 years and 301 days.
“It’s amazing, I can’t get my breath back,” he said before his father Anthony ushered him away.
Hamilton senior had earlier told ITV television: “What can I say. I can’t say anymore. I really can’t find any words.
“It’s absolutely great and that’s a shame that the crowd are doing this (booing).
“They should be sportsmen. We have the championship and let’s look forward to the next one.” — Reuters
SHANGHAI: Britain’s Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix yesterday but was denied the world championship by title rival Felipe Massa, who finished second.
McLaren’s Hamilton led throughout for a straightforward win but he remains just seven points ahead of Massa, taking the championship to a dramatic final race in Brazil next month.
“A fantastic race, the car was a dream to drive for me,” said Hamilton. Read More
Renault's Fernando Alonso won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday in a race that featured a collision between championship rivals Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa on the second lap.
Both leading drivers received pit drive-through penalties, and while Ferrari's Massa recovered to finish eighth and earn one championship point near the end of the race, McLaren's Hamilton finished out of the points in 12th.
Hamilton's championship lead was cut from seven to six points with two races remaining this season, while Ferrari moved six points ahead of McLaren in the constructors' standings.
"What can I say, it was a bad day, I'll move on to next week," Hamilton said. "I went wide at turn one, it was a mistake, and then Felipe hit me off, I went on the inside and he broke left and hit me pretty hard.
"I lost one point which I guess is damage limitation." Read More
Some of the Chelsea's female fans during the friendly match at Shah Alam stadium recently.
One of the Chelsea players throwing some gift item to the malaysian fans after the game
Group picture of the Chelsea team before the friendly match against Malaysia national team. Chelsea's new star Deco(left) fighting for the ball with Malaysian defender.
Malaysia's Hairuddin Omar (right) fighting for the ball against Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard during the friendly match at Shah Alam stadium recently.
SINGAPORE -- Formula One was anything but predictable Sunday, with the Singapore Grand Prix providing a contrast as stark as night and day.
Renault's Fernando Alonso won after starting 15th on the grid in F1's first night race. It was his 20th career victory and first since the Italian Grand Prix last year during his short stint with McLaren.
Nico Rosberg was second for his best Grand Prix finish, giving Williams its best result since the 2005 season. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren was third.
Alonso was way back on the grid after a fuel pump failed during qualifying. On Sunday, the Spaniard benefited from an early safety car period that turned the race around.
"After qualifying, our hopes were gone already," Alonso said. "It was nearly over, but it shows that Formula One is unpredictable on Sunday."
Hamilton extended his championship lead to seven points because of a turn of events that cost title rival Felipe Massa of Ferrari any points. The Brazilian led early from the pole, but his race was ruined when he pitted after the end of a safety car period at the start of the 20th lap.Read More
FERRARI’S Felipe Massa stormed to pole position for the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix on Sept 27th 2008, topping the times during qualifying ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.
It was a crucial drive by the Brazilian with front row of the grid likely to be decisive on the bumpy Marina Bay street circuit where overtaking will be possible, but difficult.
His lap of 1:44.801 was 0.664 of a second ahead of the British world championship leader, who is one point in front of his rival in the title race with four Grands Prix left.
Defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen, desperate for a win here to keep alive his slim hopes of retaining his title, was third fastest for Ferrari and BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica was fourth in the Toro Rosso.
Heikki Kovalainen, in the second McLaren, was fifth ahead of Nick Heidfeld for BMW Sauber.
New kid on the block Sebastian Vettel, winner in Italy earlier this month, was seventh in his Toro Rosso with Timo Glock eighth, Nico Rosberg ninth and Kazuki Nakajima tenth. Read More
MONZA (Italy): Sebastian Vettel became the youngest driver to win a Formula One race yesterday after finishing first in a wet Italian Grand Prix from pole position.
The 21-year-old German driver edged Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren by 12.5 seconds on the slick Monza circuit to give Torro Rosso their first ever win.
“For sure the best day of my life,’’ Vettel said. “These pictures, these emotions - I will never forget.’’ Read More
These are some photos that I took during the final of the Volkswagen World Cup women's tournament at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium in Cheras on Sept 9, 2008.
China’s Li Xiaoxia was ranked third in the world but did not get to play in the Beijing Olympics last month — making way for veteran Wang Nan, who was ranked two rungs below her.
And the agony of having to watch from the sidelines while her team-mates battled their way to a clean sweep of the medals at stake drove her to a crushing win over Hong Kong’s Tie Yana.
The lanky 20-year-old from Wuxi Province continued China’s domination of the game with a superb 11-4, 11-3, 11-3, 14-12 win over Yana.
Yana, the world number 10, was bidding to become the first player from outside China to lift the World Cup title. Keep Reading
Starsport reported Formula One was plunged into new controversy yesterday when race stewards at the Belgian Grand Prix stunningly stripped Briton Lewis Hamilton of a brilliant victory.
The stewards' decision, which will be seen by many as part of a conspiracy to rig the results to ensure a close fight in the title race, came long after the race when they hit the 23-year-old McLaren driver with a 25-second penalty.
It meant that he was pushed down to third and the race victory was handed to Ferrari's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa who had struggled to keep pace with Hamilton and defending world champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen.
Critics and paddock observers were swift in their condemnation of a decision that reeked of potential favouritism for Ferrari and seemed entirely unjustified following the most exciting race of the year.
Last year, the sport's ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA) was accused of a 'witch-hunt' against McLaren and this spectre was raised again by their stewards action at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Their decision to punish Hamilton came in relation to a move in the final stages of the race when after attempting to pass Raikkonen, who was leading, he was forced off the circuit and cut out the 'Bus Stop' chicane.
Hamilton recognised immediately that he had done this, and gained an advantage by going ahead of Raikkonen, and so he slowed to allow the Finn to re-pass him and lead as they completed the lap in teeming rain.
When they began racing again, Hamilton passed Raikkonen and went on to win, albeit with several more battles for the lead, before the Finn crashed out. Read More
Starsports reported that the world championship leader Lewis Hamilton oozed confidence after he secured pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix with a dazzling lap in yesterday's qualifying session.
The 23-year-old Briton, in a McLaren, claimed his fifth pole of this season and the 11th of his career with a perfectly-timed lap to outpace title rival the Ferrari of Brazilian Felipe Massa
Hamilton's supreme lap lifted him clear of Massa by three-tenths of a second and proved he is fully recovered from his sore neck suffered in Spain two weeks ago.
Finland's Heikki Kovlainen in the second McLaren was third fastest and starts ahead of defending champion and compatriot Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari on row two.
German Nick Heidfeld was fifth for BMW Sauber ahead of two times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso in a Renault.
Australian Mark Webber was seventh for Red Bull ahead of Poland's Robert Kubica in the second BMW, Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais in a Toro Rosso and Sebastian Vettel of Germany in the second Toro Rosso.
Hamilton leads Massa by six points going into the penultimate European race of the year and oozed confidence. “It was a perfect lap, one of my four perfect laps so I was very happy,” he said.
“I made no mistakes and the team made no mistakes so we are looking good,” said Hamilton. Read More
Reported by starsports that Ferrari's Felipe Massa has won the European Grand Prix for his fourth Formula One victory of the season, leading the race wire-to-wire to finish comfortably ahead of championship leader Lewis Hamilton in second.
Massa easily held onto his lead after starting from pole position and finished 5.6 seconds ahead of Hamilton's McLaren on the 5.4 kilometer (3.4 mile) street circuit Sunday. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was third.
Hamilton kept the lead of the overall standings with 70 points, while Massa moved into second place with 64.
Defending champion Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari retired from the race on the 45th lap after smoke started coming from the back of his car while he trailed in sixth place.
Brazilian Felipe Massa put Ferrari on pole position for the European Grand Prix in Valencia with McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton alongside on the front row.
The 27-year-old secured his fourth pole of the season, and the 13th of his Formula One career, with a flying lap in the final seconds of Saturday's qualifying.
Hamilton had already clocked 1:39.199 seconds when Massa roared around Formula One's newest street circuit with a time of 1:38.989 to push the Briton into second place.
Poland's Robert Kubica qualified in third place for BMW Sauber with Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen next to him on the second row.
Finland's Heikki Kovalainen, in the second McLaren, and Germany's Sebastian Vettel for Toro Rosso, shared the third row.
Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso qualified 12th in front of his home crowd.
The 27-year-old secured his fourth pole of the season, and the 13th of his Formula One career, with a flying lap in the final seconds of Saturday's qualifying.
Hamilton had already clocked 1:39.199 seconds when Massa roared around Formula One's newest street circuit with a time of 1:38.989 to push the Briton into second place.
Poland's Robert Kubica qualified in third place for BMW Sauber with Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen next to him on the second row.
Finland's Heikki Kovalainen, in the second McLaren, and Germany's Sebastian Vettel for Toro Rosso, shared the third row.
Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso qualified 12th in front of his home crowd.
MCLAREN'S Heikki Kovalainen celebrated a shock maiden win at the Hungarian Grand Prix yesterday after Ferrari's Felipe Massa suffered an engine failure while leading with three laps remaining.
Finn Kovalainen capitalised on Brazilian Massa's misfortune to finish ahead of podium debutant Toyota's Timo Glock of Germany with Massa's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen third.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton stayed top of the championship standings despite a puncture just after the midway stage that saw him finish the race in fifth place behind Renault driver and former team-mate Fernando Alonso of Spain.
Briton Hamilton now holds a five-point lead over Finland's Raikkonen in the championship with Massa dropping into third place, a further three points back. Keep reading
HOCKENHEIM: Briton Lewis Hamilton delivered another massive endorsement of his great potential yesterday when he opened a clear lead in this year’s drivers’ championship by winning the German Grand Prix in thrilling style.
The 23-year-old Englishman, in his McLaren Mercedes-Benz, dominated the early stages and then, after being upset by two safety car interventions and some cautious team strategy, proved he could overtake anyone with a dazzling display of passing moves in the final laps.
“Sorry about that,” said his McLaren team chief Ron Dennis over the radio system later. “We made it much more difficult for you and we made you drive like that in such a great car.”
Hamilton, smiling afterwards, said: “That’s ok, Ron. Don’t worry about it. We did good in the end, so it is ok.” Read More
HOCKENHEIM: Lewis Hamilton stayed cool yesterday after clocking the fastest lap in qualifying to grab pole position for today’s German Grand Prix.
The 21-year-old Briton thrilled his fans and the German supporters backing his McLaren Mercedes-Benz team by recording the best time in the final pole-position shootout session.
“That was cool, I’m feeling cool and all is good for us this weekend, but what really matters is the race on Sunday. Heikki (Kovalainen, his team-mate) and I are going to our best to make sure we get the result that counts.”
Hamilton was fastest in both the second and third sessions to prove his superiority on a circuit he enjoys and will be bidding to win two races in succession today for the first time this season.
He currently shares the leadership of the drivers’ world championship with the Ferrari duo of defending champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen and Brazilian Felipe Massa.
His pole today was his third this season and the ninth of his career. Read more
It was a fantastic win by Britain's Lewis Hamilton who led all the way to the championship after beating teammate MCLAREN'S Heikki Kovalainen who seized the first pole position of his Formula One career at the British Grand Prix yesterday.
Hamilton blew away his rivals to win a wet and chaotic British Grand Prix yesterday and storm back to the top of the Formula One standings.
Hamilton, the first British winner at Silverstone since David Coulthard in 2000, was utterly dominant as he lapped all but second-placed Nick Heidfeld in a BMW Sauber and the Honda of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.
Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen, had made a mistake on not changing the car tyre made him difficult to control his car on the wet racing track.He managed to make it in fourth position. Keep Reading
MCLAREN'S Heikki Kovalainen seized the first pole position of his Formula One career at the British Grand Prix yesterday after lapping more than half a second quicker than his rivals.
The 26-year-old Finn roared around the former World War Two airfield in 1:21.049, with Australian Mark Webber second fastest in 1:21.554 in gusty and changeable conditions.
“Well done, you're on pole by a mile,” he was told over the radio after depriving Red Bull's Webber of what would have been his and his team's first pole with the last lap of the session.
Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen, Kovalainen's compatriot, qualified third but ahead of his title rivals.
Britain's Lewis Hamilton was unable to match his 2007 Silverstone pole with fourth place for McLaren after running wide into the gravel on his first flying lap and being told not to overdrive by his race engineer.
Championship leader Felipe Massa was only ninth for Ferrari, the Brazilian's worst showing of the season, with his closest rival Robert Kubica 10th for BMW-Sauber after being sidelined by handling problems.
Massa has 48 points after eight races to Kubica's 46 and Raikkonen's 43 with Hamilton on 38.
“I've been spending time around this Silverstone area for many years of my life, and I know a lot of families and friends around here, so it's great to make the first pole here,” said Kovalainen, whose previous best in qualifying was second place in Turkey in May.
“There is a still a long way to go ... tomorrow is going to be tough and a hard race with the guys around us but I think we have a good opportunity.”
Webber played down Red Bull's first front row start by joking that he had enough fuel on board for only three laps and had put £200 on Kovalainen to win at 23-1.
“It's a bit of a surprise,” he said of his first front row start since qualifying second with Williams at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix.
Raikkonen, who qualified on pole at the previous race in France only to lose out to Massa when his car's exhaust broke, was happy with his position.
“We are not exactly where we want to be ... but third position is still okay if you look at where the others are in the championship ahead of me,” said last year's British Grand Prix winner.
Kubica failed to complete a flying lap in the final session and was outqualified for the first time this season by German team-mate Nick Heidfeld in fifth place.
Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso will start sixth while Brazilian team-mate Nelson Piquet built on his first points scoring race in France with his best qualifying to date in seventh place.
Toro Rosso's German Sebastian Vettel, the likely replacement for retiring Briton David Coulthard at Red Bull next year, qualified a strong eighth in his team's best qualifying performance to date.
Coulthard will start 11th in his last home appearance. – continue reading
StarSports reported that Felipe Massa led a Ferrari one-two to win the French Grand Prix yesterday and take the lead in the Formula One championship for the first time.
Massa’s third victory of the season, and eighth of his career, made the 27-year-old Sao Paulo driver the first Brazilian to lead the standings since the late triple champion Ayrton Senna in 1993.
Team mate Kimi Raikkonen, the world champion who won at Magny-Cours last year, led from pole but was overtaken by Massa just after the halfway mark when his Ferrari slowed with a broken exhaust.
Massa took the chequered flag 17.9 seconds clear of Raikkonen on an overcast and damp afternoon at the circuit in the heart of rural France.
“I didn’t expect that, sometimes you need a little bit of luck,” said Massa after Ferrari’s third one-two of the season.
“The championship is still 100 percent open and we still have many races to go.
“It’s nice but my dream is not to lead the championship, it is to win the championship. And I’m going to do my best to achieve that.”
Raikkonen could not hide his disappointment but, with his car almost stopping in the closing stages, accepted the second place.
“I’ll take the eight points and it looks much better in the championship,” he said.
Italy’s Jarno Trulli gave Toyota, mourning the recent death of former team principal Ove Andersson, their first podium finish since the Australian Grand Prix of April, 2006, after holding off McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen in a thrilling chase to the line.
The two cars came close to banging wheels on the penultimate lap as Kovalainen tried in vain to pass.
“I don’t think we touched, just wheel-to-wheel like we did in go-karting,” said the Italian, whose last podium finish was with Toyota in May 2005.
“I’d love to fight every race like that.”
Poland’s Robert Kubica, the championship leader for BMW-Sauber before yesterday’s race after winning in Canada, finished fifth with Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber sixth.
Renault’s Brazilian rookie Nelson Piquet finally took his first point in Formula One, at the eighth attempt, with seventh place ahead of team mate and double world champion Fernando Alonso in eighth.
Massa, the fourth driver to lead the championship in the space of four races, now has 48 points to Kubica’s 46 with Raikkonen ending a two-race barren run to move up to third place with 43.
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who had been level with Massa in second place, finished 10th after starting 13th due to a 10-place penalty on the grid incurred for colliding with Raikkonen in the Canadian GP pit lane.
The 23-year-old Briton suffered a further blow when he picked up a drive-through penalty after 13 laps that dropped him from ninth to 16th place.
Honda’s Briton Jenson Button was the only driver to retire from the race. – Reuter
Stoner regains form to win British GP
LONDON: Australia’s world champion Casey Stoner eased to victory at the British Grand Prix yester to win his first race since March.
Stoner, who started on pole for only the second time this season, crossed the line ahead of championship leader Valentino Rossi.
The Italian’s nearest rival, Dani Pedrosa of Spain, climbed from ninth on the grid to finish third.
The Australian, riding a Ducati, never looked in danger of surrendering his advantage and finished 5.789 seconds ahead of Rossi to take his first chequered flag since the season opener in Qatar.
Rossi extended his overall lead over Pedrosa to 11 points while Stoner moved ahead of Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo into third place, 45 points behind the four-times champion after eight races.
Earlier, Briton Scott Redding became the youngest Grand Prix race winner when he won the British 125cc race at the age of 15.
The rookie also recorded the first home win at the DoningtonPark circuit and ended his country's 451-race wait for a 125cc winner since Chas Mortimer won in Spain in 1973.
Riding in only his eighth grand prix, Redding started on the outside of the front row and steadily chipped away at Andrea Iannone's early lead before passing the Italian with 10 of the 25 laps remaining.
Mike di Meglio of France retained the overall lead after finishing second.
Finland’s Mika Kallio edged out Marco Simoncelli to win the 250cc section and stretch his championship lead over the Italian to eight points. Spain's Alex Debon finished third. – Reuters
Today two of the sports stories have captured my attention. The two great motor racing drivers World champion F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen andCasey Stoner both took the pole position in their qualifying round.
World champion Kimi Raikkonen handed Ferrari their 200th pole position in Formula One in a front row sweep for the Italian team at the French Grand Prix yesterday.
Brazilian Felipe Massa, who took pole at Magny-Cours last year, was second fastest to secure the Italian team’s third one-two in qualifying this season.
The pole, the 16th of Raikkonen’s grand prix career, left the Finn perfectly placed to repeat his 2007 victory at the circuit.
Poland’s Robert Kubica, the championship leader for BMW-Sauber after his victory in Canada earlier this month, qualified seventh but will start sixth because of a 10-place penalty imposed on McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton, who picked up the punishment after crashing into Raikkonen in the Canadian Grand Prix pit lane, qualified third and will start 13th.Read More
World champion Stoner revels in the wet
Reported in DONINGTON (England): World champion Casey Stoner was unstoppable in qualifying at a rain-soaked Donington yesterday to take pole position for today's British Grand Prix.
Stoner, who recorded his first pole of the season at the Catalan Grand Prix two weeks ago before finishing third, set the pace with a time of 1:38.232 on his Ducati, over six-tenths of a second quicker than Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi.
Australia's Chris Vermeulen was third fastest on a Suzuki to make his first appearance on the front row of the grid this season.
The American pair of Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards make up the second row for the race alongside Italian Andrea Dovizioso. Spain's Dani Pedrosa, Rossi's nearest championship rival who trails by seven points, finished ninth.
The poor weather meant Alvaro Bautista's 250cc provisional pole time set on Friday could not be challenged. Italy's Marco Simoncelli and Hector Barbera of Spain complete the front row while championship leader Mika Kallio was 14th.Read More
File Pictures of Tiger Woods at the Mines Resort City Kuala Lumpur Golf Tournament. By S.S.Kanesan/The Star Tiger Woods, the 32-year-old American nursed a painful knee all week before clinching his 14th major title at the US Open on Monday, winning a 19-hole playoff against compatriot Rocco Mediate.
Moments after securing his 14th major title and his 65th career victory on the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods admitted he had defied doctor’s orders to compete at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
He conceded he needed to follow medical advice for the sake of his long-term career.
“While I am obviously disappointed to have to miss the remainder of the season, I have to do the right thing for my long-term health,” he said
The absence of Tiger Woods for the rest of the 2008 season will be a little like trying to stage the fairytale ball without Cinderella, or the Oscars without the prized statuettes.
In many ways, Tiger Woods is golf and he has almost single-handedly ushered in an era of multi-million dollar endorsements and lucrative appearance money since turning professional in 1996.
Next month's British Open, where Woods is a three-time champion, will proceed at Royal Birkdale without him, as will the Aug. 7-10 PGA Championship where he has triumphed on four occasions.
The game's leading player will also be absent from the Sept. 19-21 Ryder Cup in Louisville, Kentucky where the US will be bidding to end a run of three successive defeats by Europe.
Above all, though, the fans will miss Woods for the rest of the year and this will be translated into plunging television ratings at golf tournaments where he normally plays.
His uncanny ability to produce moments of magic almost on demand when they matter most, followed by his trademark fist pump, provides golfing theatre beyond the reach of his rivals.
Compatriot Kenny Perry, a 10-times PGA Tour winner who played with Woods on the US Ryder Cup team in 2004, accepts that Woods's absence will be sorely felt.
“It's going to be tough for the sponsors and the Tour,” said Perry
PARIS: Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the French Open final for the third year running yesterday and joined Swedish legend Bjorn Borg as the only man to win four straight titles at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard scored a stunning 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 triumph over the world No.1, taking the last nine games of the match, in stark contrast to the two four-set battles he edged to see off Federer in the two previous finals.
Federer was powerless to stop the barrage of heavy top spin fired at him as he slumped to a demoralising hiding. If he was a rapier, Nadal was a sledgehammer and in that matchup there was only ever going to be one winner.
Nadal has now won all 28 matches he has played at Roland Garros and having just turned 22, he is well on his way to replacing Borg as the greatest claycourt player of all time. He did not drop a set all fortnight. Read More
I was sad to know that two 0f my favourites Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen were out as they crashed into each other.
StarSports reported that Robert Kubica won the Canadian Grand Prix from BMW team-mate Nick Heidfeld as Formula One history was made after Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen had to retire over a bizarre pit lane crash.
The first career win for a Kubica and for BMW-Sauber as an independent team in the sport came 12 months after the first Polish driver in the sport miraculously escaped a horror crash on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve all but unharmed.
Kubica's win over Heidfeld came just minutes ahead of another German-Polish duel, on the football pitch at Euro 2008 in Austria.
If the victory wasn't good enough, Kubica also claimed the world championship lead from fourth place before the race with 42 points. Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa have 38 each and Raikkonen 35.
“It is sensational,” said BMW motorsport chief Mario Theissen. It was the first win for BMW-Sauber, while Ralf Schumacher won in 2001 for a BMW-powered Williams on the same course. Read More
MONTREAL: Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position with a scintillating Canadian Grand Prix qualifying performance yesterday.
The world championship leader took his first ever pole in Montreal last year and he was even more impressive this time around, clocking a time over six-tenths of a second faster than that of his nearest rival.
It took some last-gasp dramatics though. Hamilton pulled out all the stops on his final lap to push BMW’s Pole Robert Kubica back into second place.
In bright sunshine and poor track conditions, Kubica just could not quite do enough to deny the 23-year-old Briton his eighth career pole position and his second this season.
Hamilton won from the front in Canada last year and after his electric final qualifying lap of 1:17.886, he will be confident of a repeat come today’s race on the tricky, high-speed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Fernando Alonso will start third on the grid for Renault and will be joined on the second row by Ferrari’s Finnish world champion Kimi Raikkonen.
Nico Rosberg achieved an excellent fifth for Williams with Brazilian Felipe Massa having to settle for sixth in the second Ferrari.Read more
DELIGHTED Briton Lewis Hamilton realised a childhood dream yesterday when he won the Monaco Grand Prix and took over as leader in this year's Formula One drivers' world championship.
As a boy, Hamilton, now 23, grew up watching his hero Brazilian Ayrton Senna win the famous race around the streets of the Mediterranean principality six times for McLaren.
In this year's 66th running of the classic event, he did it himself, winning for McLaren in memorable fashion in a race twice interrupted by Safety Car interventions, littered with incidents and accidents and finally shortened by two laps from the usual 78 to 76 to finish within two hours.
Hamilton emerged from the carnage, rain, puddles and chaos ahead of all his rivals to claim the first victory by an Englishman in Monaco since 1969. Read More
Looking from the racing track in Monaco Grand Prix, I think McLaren Lewis Hamilton has dificult to pull a surprise when the Ferrari secured one and two pole position in qualifying at today's race.
Meantime StarSports report:
MONACO: Brazilian Felipe Massa secured pole position for today’s Monaco Grand Prix when he outpaced his Ferrari teammate and defending champion Kimi Raikkonen in the final seconds of yesterday’s qualifying.
The Latin American made nonsense of his declared hatred of the unforgiving street circuit in the Mediterranean principality by producing a sublime effort to outpace not only Raikkonen, but also both McLaren drivers.
Raikkonen ended up second ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren teammate, Finn Heikki Kovalainen, who was fourth. Read More
Starsports reported the towering Xie Zhongbo-Guo Zhengdong were not expected to win a single match in the Thomas Cup Finals. But they were mobbed and hugged by their jubilant team-mates at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta last night.
The duo pulled off a sensational 21-12, 19-21, 21-12 win over the more fancied Lee Jae-jin-Hwang Ji-man to give China the winning point in a 3-1 victory over South Korea in the Thomas Cup final.
It was the third consecutive win in the series and seventh overall for China since they made a winning debut in the world men's team championships in London in 1982.
The other two points for China last night were won by world number one Lin Dan and world number three Bao Chunlai.
China dropped a point in the first doubles through Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, who were blown away by All-England champions Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae 23-25, 16-21.
It was dejection for the Koreans as they saw their hopes of winning the Thomas Cup go up in smoke. But still, the Koreans can walk tall for reaching their first-ever final and bowing out fighting in the final.
The first match of the night between Lin Dan and Park Sung-hwan set the tempo for the keenly contested tie.
Lin Dan came charging back after losing the first game tamely at 10-21. With more ferocity in his attacks, a pumped up Lin Dan slowly broke Sung-hwan resolve in the second game, winning 21-18. After winning the decider at 21-8, he celebrated as though China had won the Cup.
He bowed to the spectators, waved repeatedly and even threw his shirt to the delight of the thousands of spectators in the stadium.
“I am so happy to have delivered the first point. There was so much of pressure,” said Lin Dan, who crashed to a tame defeat by Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei in the semi-finals on Friday.
But China's celebration died off briefly in the first doubles when Jae-sung-Yong-dae fought tooth and nail to level the tie, beating Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng 25-23, 21-16.
In the second singles, Lee Hyun-il gave Chunlai a run for his money in the first game. Hyun-il took a comfortable lead at 14-11 and raised hopes on the Korean ability to lift the Cup but Chunlai refused to buckle.
Chunlai fought back, unleashing his deadly smashes to keep pace with the Korea and hung on for a 28-26 win.
In the second game, Chunlai had no problem against the demoralised Hyun-il, romping home for a 21-11 win.
The lanky Chunlai, who had beaten Hyun-il with less effort in their last five meetings, said: “I certainly did not expect the first game to be so close.
“He (hyun-il) put so much pressure on me but after the deuce, I was more determined. I stayed focused and I am very pleased, I was able to overcome the pressure,” he said.
Malaysia's Koo Kien Keat (Left) and Tan Boon Heong File pix by S.S Kanesan/TheStar
By Starsport
MALAYSIA needs to pay more attention to grooming the next generation of singles players to take over from the old guards for the Thomas Cup 2010 campaign.
Malaysia’s skipper Wong Choong Hann said that the time had come for him and third singles player Mohd Hafiz Hashim to let the youngsters take over.
The veteran of six Thomas Cup campaigns admitted that Hafiz and him are past their prime and face difficulties in keeping up with some of the younger players in the world, especially the Chinese.
Choong Hann and Hafiz both lost their singles matches to Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin respectively in the 2-3 semi-final defeat to China on Friday.
Malaysia’s top singles player Lee Chong Wei defeated world number one Lin Dan for Malaysia’s solitary point from the singles
“Malaysia have a good succession plan in the doubles. Even when Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah retire, there are several young pairs who are already good enough to step in and take over
“But unfortunately, the same cannot be said about our junior singles players. They are still not able to compete at the highest level and need a lot of catching up to do. As I would not be around for the next Thomas Cup, the BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) need to work fast within the next two years to groom the young talents,” said Choong Hann yesterday.
Among the current batch of national back-up players currently under Rashid Sidek’s charge, Choong Hann picks Thomas Cup reserve Mohd Arif Abdul Latif, national championships runner-up Tan Chun Seang and Chong Wei Feng, who defeated Chen Jin at last month’s Indian Open, as his three likeliest candidates to make it to the senior squad.
Despite being disappointed at Malaysia’s exit in Jakarta, Choong Hann is now looking forward to playing at the Beijing Olympics in August.
Said Choong Hann: “Although I am sad at not being able to leave the Thomas Cup scene with a winners medal, I am proud of this team’s fighting spirit and commitment.
“Our performance in the Thomas Cup proved that the Malaysian players would be among the leading contenders for medals in Beijing.”
Choong Hann and Chong Wei are the two Malaysian men’s singles players who have qualified for the Olympics.
It was sad to know that Malaysia lost to China in the Thomas Cup semi- final yesterday which was held in Indonesia by 3-2. Wong Chun Hann the most senior player had lost his power and stream and he was defeated. The other losers are double Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and the third single Mohd Hafiz Hashim
MALAYSIA were the underdogs reported by the StarSport, knowing very well that they needed to win the two doubles matches to have a chance of beating China in the Thomas Cup semi-finals at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta yesterday.
They only managed to get one from the second doubles match after Lee Chong Wei had giving them a rousing start to raise hopes of an upset over the defending champions. And Malaysia ended up as 2-3 losers.
Much was expected of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong to press on the advantage Chong Wei had given the team with a comfortable 21-12, 21-14 win over world number one Lin Dan. But the pair lost the first doubles match against Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng at 16-21, 17-21 defeat.Read More
STANBUL: Brazilian Felipe Massa swept to a hat-trick of Turkish Grand Prix victories from pole position yesterday with another domineering display for Ferrari at Istanbul Park.
The Latin American triumphed by 3.7 seconds ahead of McLaren’s British driver Lewis Hamilton with reigning champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen less than half-a-second behind in third place in the other Ferrari.
Hamilton pulled off the overtaking move of the race on Massa and denied Ferrari a likely one-two despite adopting a three-stop fuel strategy compared to his rival’s two-stopper.
But there was no stopping Massa who controlled the 58-lap race on the 5.338km track which he clearly loves.
Raikkonen’s lead in the championship was cut to seven points with Massa now second, on countback, from last year’s runner-up Hamilton.
Ferrari extended their lead in the Constructors’ championship to 19 points over BMW with McLaren two points further back after Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen paid for an early pit-stop to finish 12th having started second. Read More
FERRARI’S Felipe Massa set his sights on a Turkish Grand Prix hat-trick after taking pole position for the third year in a row yesterday.
The Brazilian, winner in 2006 and 2007 at the anti-clockwise IstanbulPark circuit, will have Heikki Kovalainen's McLaren alongside him on the front row today with the Finn coming back strongly from a heavy crash in Spain.
“I think I put together a very good lap,” said Massa of his 12th pole in Formula One, second of the season and Ferrari's 198th since 1950.
“I'm just so happy to come here for the third time with Ferrari and be on pole for the third time. It would be fantastic to repeat that (win) tomorrow.
“I'm looking forward to try and have the best race possible. It won't be easy, we know our competitors are quite strong but close,” added the Brazilian, whose team are chasing their fourth successive win.
Every Turkish Grand Prix so far has been won from pole position.Read More
On the grid: Ferrari look untouchable despite the sport's air of instability
THE anti-clockwise running of the Turkish Grand Prix at the Istanbul Park Circuit today will provide some added pressure to drivers, but Ferrari look likely to remain fast.
But of more concern to me is the pressure brought about by this air of instability that surrounds global motor-sport in general this year. It is a funny, uncertain feeling.
Last Monday the Super Aguri F1 team announced their closure, leaving Formula One with 20 cars starting the Turkish Grand Prix. It is the first time since 2005 that 20 cars will start.
The grapevine also has it that the Scuderia Toro Rosso team are also up for sale and Williams could be under pressure too.
I wouldn't like to see Formula One with just 18 cars or less, not when the overall investment in the sport is sky-rocketing.
More and more countries are building circuits and are willing to invest in the globalisation of motor-sport, but not just in F1 are teams suffering. Read More
LEWIS Hamilton admitted on Thursday that he misses the feeling of winning races and intends to return to the top of the podium by triumphing in tomorrow's Turkish Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old Briton said he hopes to end Ferrari's run of success with a McLaren win at the Istanbul Park circuit.
“Obviously, this weekend I want to score a load of points, but more than anything else I want to win,” he said. “I miss that feeling, I miss winning. So that is my plan. Simple as that.”
Hamilton won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but has since been unable to stop the Ferrari steamroller from taking charge with three successive victories including two one-two finishes.
“I never approach a race thinking I am the favourite,” said Hamilton, when it was pointed out to him that Ferrari have won the last two Turkish Grands Prix.
“That doesn't make any difference. Felipe has won here the last two years, but we are here to put an end to that I guess. It is the same every weekend. – AFP
This picture was taken few years ago when the Brazil fooball team who were in Malaysia for their final lap of preparations for the World Cup Final in Japan and Korea. The Brazil team will play their last friendly match against Malaysia at National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Despite the busy schedule, the Brazilian players ( from left) Anderson Polga, Ronaldinho, Lucio and Admilson took time to visit The KLCC Twin Tower. I went there and found them shopping. They were happy to post a picture in front of the tallest building KLCC twin tower.
BARCELONA: Defending drivers world champion Kimi Raikkonen extended his lead in this year's title race to nine points yesterday when he drove to a comfortable victory in an incident-filled Spanish Grand Prix.
The Finn, driving a Ferrari, led from start to finish, bar the pit stops, to dominate the contest and consolidate his and his team's position as the in-form outfit after four races this season.
Raikkonen's win was his 17th in a career often beset by bad luck in earlier times and endorsed the wideheld feeling that he has happier at Ferrari and in the form of his life.
His Ferrari team-mate Brazilian Felipe Massa drove a solid race to finish second, after starting third on the grid, ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren-Mercedes. Read More
