Hamilton better than Schumacher: Villeneuve
AUSTIN: Lewis Hamilton can beat Michael Schumacher’s Formula One records and become the most successful driver of all time and is already a greater world champion, according to the German’s old foe Jacques Villeneuve.
The passing years have not mellowed the outspoken Canadian’s views on Schumacher, the man he beat to the 1997 world championship in controversial circumstances, and he pulls no punches. “I would rate Lewis above Michael, by miles,” Villeneuve said at the US Grand Prix where Hamilton stands on the brink of joining the late Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio and Schumacher as the only men to win at least five crowns.
Schumacher won seven titles, two at Benetton and the rest with Ferrari, and retired with a record 91 wins. Hamilton has 71 victories going into Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas. Villeneuve said he could see Hamilton beating that win record, because there were now 21 races a year and the Briton was averaging 10 a season. “The Mercedes era will be difficult to stop with these rules,” he said.
Villeneuve said Schumacher, who has not been seen in public since a 2013 skiing accident, would not even make his top five champions of all time.
He listed instead Brazilian Ayrton Senna, Frenchman Alain Prost, Hamilton, Austrian Niki Lauda and Britain’s Jackie Stewart — all winners of at least three titles each.
ROCKETS SPOIL JAMES’ HOME DEBUT
LOSANGELES:LEBRON James’ home debut with the Los Angeles Lakers ended on a sour note on Saturday as the Houston Rockets seized control late for a 124-115 win in a physical contest at Staples Center.
James finished with 24 points and five assists but the Lakers couldn’t stop the Rockets’ dynamic duo of James Harden and Chris Paul, who combined for 64 points. Harden finished with 36 points and Paul delivered 28 and 10 assists before he was ejected in the fourth for fighting.
“We were right there. It was a one point game and we had an opportunity to win the game,”
said James. “I am not disappointed. We are going to have some early troubles. Nobody said it was going to be easy.”
KOEPKA TO BECOME GOLF WORLD NO 1
SEOUL: Brooks Koepka will become world No 1 for the first time on Monday after the American fended off a game Gary Woodland to earn a four-stroke victory at the PGA Tour’s CJ Cup in South Korea.
Koepka posted a final round of 64 at the Nine Bridges Golf Club on Jeju island on Sunday, finishing with a flourish by eagling the last hole for a combined 21-under
267 at the $9.5m tournament.
The 28-year-old, who won two of last season’s four majors and was named the US tour’s Player of the Year, will replace Dustin Johnson as No 1 when the latest rankings are released. Johnson and world number two Justin Rose were not playing this week.
Meanwhile, India’s Shubhankar Sharma shot a modest 74 to finish tied-55th. Sharma had four birdies and four bogeys and an eagle in his round of 74 as he totalled 1-under 287. His third round of 64 had seen him rise to T-26 and raised hopes of coming inside Top-20 after a T-10 finish at CIMB Classic a week earlier.