Hamilton hints of long Vettel battle
Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said on Thursday he wanted a seasonlong world title joust with Sebastian Vettel and declared Ferrari as the team to beat in this weekend’s Australian Formula One Grand Prix.
Hamilton said he would love a close battle with Vettel, who strung together four world titles with Red Bull.
While Mercedes have dominated the last three seasons with Hamilton winning two titles and Nico Rosberg last year before his retirement, the Ferraris were quickest in pre-season testing.
Hamilton believes Ferrari are ‘keeping a lid’ on expectations but said he would savour a battle with Vettel for this year’s world driver’s championship in the new generation of quicker cars.
“I’ve not had a lot of battles with Sebastian on the track. Of course, I’d love to have that. I think the fans want to see that,” Hamilton said.
WANT MORE WOMEN IN PADDOCK: HAMILTON
Hamilton said he wants to see more women and fewer “dudes” in the paddock at Formula One grands prix.
The three-time world champion was asked what he would do if granted a wish ahead of this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
“More ladies in the paddock,” Hamilton responded at the drivers’ official press conference. “More paddock access to some women There’s too many dudes
RICCIARDO SEEKS END TO 37-YEAR DROUGHT
Daniel Ricciardo called his strong support at the Australian Grand Prix “kind of overwhelming” on Thursday, but said it gave him extra motivation to become the race’s first Aussie winner in 37 years. The 27-year-old from Perth, Western Australia, is lining up for his sixth crack at the race in Melbourne on Sunday, after placing fourth last year, his best performance yet.
“It’s not a weight on my shoulders,” Ricciardo said at the official media conference on Thursday.
Alan Jones was the last Australian to win his home grand prix in 1980, when he was also the last Australian to win the world title.
HEAVY CAR MEANS CRASH DIET FOR PEREZ
Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez has been on a crash diet ahead of Sunday’s seasonopening Australian Grand Prix after Force India asked him to shed some kilos to compensate for an overweight car.
“I tried so hard to lose weight in the last couple of weeks since Barcelona (testing),” the 27-yearold told reporters on Thursday.
“Obviously I increased my weight from last year purely by training harder, putting on muscle, but I was on an extreme diet all last week and still now...i am all the time very hungry.”
Formula One drivers have worked on building upper body strength over the winter to adapt to new regulations that will subject them to greater G forces in cornering as cars lap signifi
BENGAL, GOA ENTER SANTOSH TROPHY FINAL
Former champions West Bengal and Goa will face each other in the summit clash of the 71st Santosh Trophy
UEFA DIRECTOR REJECTS SUPER LEAGUE
director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti on Thursday rejected the idea of a European Super League made up of the continent’s top clubs, but said the format of the Champions League could evolve.
“If the Super League is a competition for an elite, closed, then it’s not our competition,” said Marchetti on the sidelines of a football congress. Marchetti said that the European competitions and notably the elite Champions League “must change to remain the biggest club competitions in the world”.
The Italian insisted however that “after several analyses we can say that for the 2018-2021 cycle the format will not change”.
The idea of a Super League, a rival tournament to UEFA competitions, has been frequently touted by big clubs such as Bayern Munich and its president Karl-heinz Rummenigge.
JOSHNA BOWS OUT OF BRITISH OPEN
India’s campaign ended at the British Open Squash in London with the second round defeat of Joshna Chinappa against Egyptian world No 3 Raneem El Welily. Joshna, only Indian left in the fray after Dipika Pallikal fell earlier, lost 8-11 7-11 7-11 to the third seed.
No Indian competed in the men’s singles since Saurav Ghosal failed to qualify.
VANI CONTINUES TO BE IN DRIVER’S SEAT
Vani Kapoor continued her fine run, carding one over 72 to keep ahead on the second day of the Hero Women’s Professional Gold Tour 2017 at the Poona Club Golf Course here on Wednesday. Trailing her by a margin of seven shots is Panchkula’s Amandeep Drall.