Max must take bull by the horns to upstage Hamilton
Lampard admits still long way to go for Chelsea after Hammers defeat
MAX VERSTAPPEN will seek a hattrick of home wins for Red Bull and an early lead in the drivers championship at this weekend’s delayed and somewhat surreal seasonopening Austrian Grand Prix.
For everyone involved, the race will be an unprecedented experience – the calendar is unknown beyond the first eight races in Europe in 10 weeks, all to be run behind closed doors and severe limitations introduced with a new paddock protocol forbidding meetings.
As racing returns, the Covid-19 virus remains in circulation, which requires all participants to be tested before travel to Austria on private chartered jets, ongoing tests, the separation of teams and car crews into “bubbles” and controlled hotels.
All interviews and news conferences will take place by video and there will be no podium ceremony.
When the race begins, it will end the longest gap between races in the sport since 1962, but with two successive races in Austria
FRANK LAMPARD said Chelsea’s capitulation to lose 3-2 at relegation threatened West Ham yesterday is a sign of how much work he still has to do to make the Blues title contenders once more.
Chelsea were on course to move third in the Premier League when Willian’s penalty gave them the lead in the first half at the London Stadium.
But the visitors did not learn from the reprieve they received from VAR when Tomas Soucek had a goal ruled out for offside as the Czech rose highest to level from another corner.
Michail Antonio then put West Ham in front early in the second half before Willian’s freekick brought Chelsea level once more.
Lampard’s men then looked the more likely to claim all three points in the closing stages, but were caught on
SCHEDULED RACES: July 5: Austrian July Grand Prix (Spielberg)
12: Styrian Grand July 19: Prix (Spielberg)
Hungarian Grand Aug 2: British Prix (Budapest)
Grand Prix (Silverstone) Aug 9: 70th Anniversary
Grand Prix (Silverstone) Aug 16: Spanish Aug Grand Prix (Barcelona)
30: Belgian Grand Sept 6: Italian Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)
Grand Prix (Monza) STILL PLANNED: Sept -Nov: Eurasia (Canada, (Russia), Asia (Vietnam
United and China) Dec: States, Mexico, and Middle East Brazil) Americas (Bahrain and
Abu Dhabi) CANCELLED: Australia, Singapore, Monaco, France,
Japan. Netherlands, Azerbaijan, and then one in Hungary, the pressure will be immediate and intense.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: “There’s been a long drought. We all do this because we love it. We’ve missed it, so we can’t wait to start.”
“It’s going to be exciting and intense. The races come thick and fast.”
Dutch driver Verstappen, who bullied his way past Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc to triumph in front of a mass of his “orange army” of fans last year, says he is unfazed by high expectations or the absence of spectators at the Red Bull Ring, a remote and compact circuit in the Styrian Alps.
“I am not thinking about a hattrick,” he said. “The most important thing for me is to have a competitive car and to perform at the counter-attack when Andriy Yarmolenko fired home a huge winner for West Ham’s chances of avoiding the drop.
A 10th League defeat of the season leaves Chelsea just two points clear of Manchester United and Wolves in the race for a place in the top four and next season’s Champions League.
“I wouldn’t say it is the story of our season because it’s been a good season, but there have been so many of these moments,” said Lampard, whose side had won all three of their previous matches since returning from English football’s three-month shutdown due to coronavirus.
“The players in those moments have to show an extra mentality to see a game through like this when you have a lot of domination.”
After a 2-1 victory over Manchester City last week that sealed the title for
my best.
“I never consider myself as a favourite because, actually, when you look at the track, it’s not even our best one, but last year it was very warm and we were good at keeping the engine cool.
“So I don’t expect an easy win – I think Mercedes will be very strong again and they are the ones to beat.”
Verstappen, who has kept a low profile
Liverpool and the signings of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea have been touted as title contenders to City and Liverpool next season.
However, Lampard believes his side have to be far more consistent than they have shown during his first season in charge.
“I’ve seen us play great games, but I also have seen opportunities to close a gap or move into third wasted. That’s the difference at the minute and shows how much work we’ve got to do.”
Just a second win in 12 games takes David Moyes’s men up to 16th, three points clear of the relegation zone.
A much-needed victory for the former Manchester United manager was all the sweeter after feeling the injustice of a VAR call for the second time in eight days.
Moyes was
unhappy
when during the lockdown, delivered three wins and eight podiums last year as Lewis Hamilton claimed his sixth title with Mercedes, who this year seek an unprecedented seventh constructors’ and drivers’ double in succession.
Verstappen and teammate Alex Albon will have an upgraded Honda engine package, developed since the coronavirus lockdown ended, to boost them at the contest in the Styrian Alps where the 800m altitude can affect engine performance.
Mercedes will also have an updated package while Ferrari, struggling to match them in pre-season testing, announced Tuesday that they are updating their cars for the third race in Hungary.
Hamilton this year bids for a recordequalling seventh drivers title as he campaigns passionately for greater diversity, and against racism, in the sport.
“We are preparing the best way we can for what is going to be the most difficult season that F1 and all of us have experienced,” he said in a video from the team, which – at his prompting – is running black livery this year to support equality and diversity. – AFP
Tottenham’s opener in a 2-0 defeat last week was allowed to stand despite a handball in the build-up.
“I was spewing, I was thinking are we ever going to get a decision here?” Moyes said.
“I don’t want to whinge at the decisions but everybody seems to tell me it should have been a goal.
“Some of the things that have gone against West Ham recently have been really poor.
“I was fired up at the sense of injustice – I was angry at the time. But the boys never let it affect us.
“I have to say that the boys didn’t let it affect them. We wanted them to play better in the second half than they did in the first and we thought we could do as well and they did.
“Some of the things that have gone against West Ham recently have been really poor but I told the players we had to change our luck.
“I think it was a good performance. The players worked really hard and deserve a huge amount of credit.”
West Ham’s win was the first for any side in the bottom five in 30 games since the Premier League’s restart.
“We’d be lying if we said we weren’t looking at the results (of the other sides),” added Moyes. “I didn’t think we had been as bad as our results suggested.”
The controversial VAR call came at 0-0 when Antonio was adjudged to be interfering with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s line of vision from an offside position on the floor when Soucek swept the ball home from a corner.
“I really dislike VAR,” said Antonio. “It’s gone against us so many times. Today it didn’t stop us, we keep going and we got the victory.” – AFP