Al-Khateeb: Rate of Foreign tourists coming for recreational purposes soars 600% in 5 years    Saudi Arabia participates in OIC anti-corruption agencies' meeting in Qatar    Saudi Arabia implements over 800 reforms to drive rapid transformation    Al-Jadaan: Painful decisions were part of the reforms, but economy overcame them    Al-Swaha: Saudi Arabia is heading towards exporting technology in the next phase    Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire appears to hold as Lebanese begin streaming back to their homes    Al Rajhi: Saudi Arabia sets revised unemployment target of 5% by 2030 "300,000 citizens employed in qualitative professions"    Imran Khan supporters call off protest after crackdown    Five survivors found day after Red Sea tourist boat sinking    Russia launched a record number of almost 200 drones toward Ukraine    Al Hilal advances to AFC Champions League knockout stage despite 1-1 draw with Al Sadd    Saudi Arabia unveils updates on Expo 2030 Riyadh master plan at 175th BIE General Assembly Riyadh Expo Development Company established to oversee strategic planning, operations, and legacy development    Saudi FM attends Quadripartite meeting on Sudan in Italy    Best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies    Cristiano Ronaldo's double powers Al Nassr to 3-1 win over Al Gharafa in AFC Champions League    Al Ahli edges Al Ain 2-1, bolsters perfect start in AFC Champions League Elite    Most decorated Australian Olympian McKeon retires    Adele doesn't know when she'll perform again after tearful Vegas goodbye    'Pregnant' for 15 months: Inside the 'miracle' pregnancy scam    Do cigarettes belong in a museum?    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Hamilton takes pole, Mercedes stuns rivals
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 16 - 03 - 2019

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton blazed to a record-extending eighth pole and sixth in succession at the Australian Grand Prix Saturday to lead Valtteri Bottas to a Mercedes sweep of the front row of the grid.
Hamilton struggled with a brake problem during the frenetic final session at Albert Park but edged his Finnish team mate by 0.112 seconds with a searing second lap of one minute 20.486 seconds that set a record at the lakeside circuit.
The one-two punch by Mercedes left Ferrari and its championship rivals stunned, with Hamilton's chief challenger Sebastian Vettel, who qualified third, more than seven-tenths of a second off the five-time champion's pace.
"Oh man, I'm shaking it was so close out there," Briton 34-year-old Hamilton said after extending his pole record to 84 on a warm, sunny afternoon in Melbourne.
"Coming from winter testing, we had no idea where we would be. We were hoping to be where we are ... Valtteri did an exceptional job out there, it was very close."
Hamilton matched Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher for the record number of poles at a single race track.
Senna took his eight at Imola, with Schumacher dominating the Suzuka circuit.
Four-time champion Vettel, bidding for a third successive win at Albert Park, was separated from his new teammate Charles Leclerc by fourth placed Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
It would have felt like ‘deja vu' for Ferrari, having trailed Mercedes by nearly seven-tenths of a second in qualifying at last year's race.
"Certainly Mercedes is the clear favorite," Vettel told reporters with a touch of resignation.
"I'm certainly surprised (by their pace), I think everybody is, probably even themselves."
While Verstappen's pace was encouraging for Red Bull on the debut of their Honda partnership, Toro Rosso graduate Pierre Gasly was eliminated in Q1 and will start 17th on the grid.
Renault, meanwhile, had a bigger reality check, with neither of their cars able to reach Q3.
Its expensive new recruit Daniel Ricciardo, who transferred from Red Bull in the off-season, qualified 12th behind his 11th-placed team mate Nico Hulkenberg.
It was a joyful day for the youngest man on the track as 19-year-old Briton Lando Norris qualified eighth behind the two Haas cars in a boost for McLaren.
The debutant outshone his senior teammate Carlos Sainz who will start 18th, having been knocked out in Q1 and blocked during his last flying lap by Williams driver Robert Kubica.
Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen, 20 years Norris's senior, will also start one behind the Briton despite a solid debut for Alfa Romeo, the team formerly known as Sauber.
Toro Rosso's Anglo-Thai debutant Alexander Albon made it through Q1 to secure 13th on the grid in an encouraging start.
Kubica's first F1 qualifying in over eight years was forgettable. He suffered a right rear puncture and ended up skidding over the grass on his final effort in Q1.
The Pole will line up last on the grid behind his 19th-placed rookie teammate George Russell, the Williams team proving well off the pace after their off-season troubles. — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.