A grid penalty was handed to Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, Toro Rosso drivers France's Pierre Gasly and New Zealand's Brendon Hartley and McLaren's Spaniard Fernando Alonso on Friday ahead of the Russian Formula One Grand Prix over exceeding the engine change limit.

The Formula 1 rules state three engine changes for a single season and those who exceed this limit are penalized by being dropped to the back of the grid, as it is the case for those five drivers.

"But with all five drivers doing so at the same time, the order they will line up on the grid is determined by when those new elements are first used on track," F1 said on its website.

Replacing Alonso in the first free practice, Briton Lando Norris, McLaren's new driver starting from 2019, was the first to do change the engine, allowing the Spaniard to lead Ricciardo, Verstappen, Gasly and Hartley for Sunday's race.

A grid penalty was handed to Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, Toro Rosso drivers France's Pierre Gasly and New Zealand's Brendon Hartley and McLaren's Spaniard Fernando Alonso on Friday ahead of the Russian Formula One Grand Prix over exceeding the engine change limit.

A grid penalty was handed to Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, Toro Rosso drivers France's Pierre Gasly and New Zealand's Brendon Hartley and McLaren's Spaniard Fernando Alonso on Friday ahead of the Russian Formula One Grand Prix over exceeding the engine change limit. The Formula 1 rules state three engine changes for a single season and those who exceed this limit are penalized by being dropped to the back of the grid, as it is the case for those five drivers. "But with all five drivers doing so at the same time, the order they will line up on the grid is determined by when those new elements are first used on track," F1 said on its website. Replacing Alonso in the first free practice, Briton Lando Norris, McLaren's new driver starting from 2019, was the first to do change the engine, allowing the Spaniard to lead Ricciardo, Verstappen, Gasly and Hartley for Sunday's race.

Alonso, Ricciardo, Verstappen handed grid penalty over engine change

The German Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) achieved his fiftieth victory in the Formula One World Championship this Sunday by winning the Canadian Grand Prix leading from start to finish. 
 
Vettel also regained, by a single point, the leadership in the competition, as the British driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), the first placed so far, finished in fifth place. 
 
The German, already four-time world champion (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013), won from pole position at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal, where he steered to an undeniable victory. 
 
Sunday's victory is his third victory in 2018, after Australia and Bahrain, and his second in Canada, where he also won in 2013, at the helm of a Red Bull. 
 
The driver from the small German town of Heppenheim rider won the race ahead of Finn Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and the two Red Bull Racing drivers, Dutchman Max Verstappen and Australian Daniel Ricciardo. 
 
Lewis Hamilton, a six-time winner in Montreal and aiming to equal the record of seven set by Germany's Michael Schumacher, could only finish fifth, depriving him of the championship lead by just one point. Vettel now has 121 points. 
 
Sebastian Vettel took advantage of his privileged position on the grid to reach the first corner in the lead, while behind him Bottas stopped Verstappen's frantic attack by taking second place. 
 
The first lap had to be neutralised with the safety car after an accident between the Canadian Lance Stroll (Williams) and the New Zealander Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso), which ended without penalties for either of them. 
 
Nothing changed during the restart. Vettel went on first and little by little he set a pace that his rivals were unable to keep up. He crossed the finish line with a clear advantage over Bottas, and further back the Red Bull drivers. 
 
The World Championship resumes with the Grand Prix of France from 22nd to 24th June at the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet.

The German Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) achieved his fiftieth victory in the Formula One World Championship

The German Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) achieved his fiftieth victory in the Formula One World Championship this Sunday by winning the Canadian Grand Prix leading from start to finish. Vettel also regained, by a single point, the leadership in the competition, as the British driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), the first placed so far, finished in fifth place. The German, already four-time world champion (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013), won from pole position at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal, where he steered to an undeniable victory. Sunday's victory is his third victory in 2018, after Australia and Bahrain, and his second in Canada, where he also won in 2013, at the helm of a Red Bull. The driver from the small German town of Heppenheim rider won the race ahead of Finn Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and the two Red Bull Racing drivers, Dutchman Max Verstappen and Australian Daniel Ricciardo. Lewis Hamilton, a six-time winner in Montreal and aiming to equal the record of seven set by Germany's Michael Schumacher, could only finish fifth, depriving him of the championship lead by just one point. Vettel now has 121 points. Sebastian Vettel took advantage of his privileged position on the grid to reach the first corner in the lead, while behind him Bottas stopped Verstappen's frantic attack by taking second place. The first lap had to be neutralised with the safety car after an accident between the Canadian Lance Stroll (Williams) and the New Zealander Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso), which ended without penalties for either of them. Nothing changed during the restart. Vettel went on first and little by little he set a pace that his rivals were unable to keep up. He crossed the finish line with a clear advantage over Bottas, and further back the Red Bull drivers. The World Championship resumes with the Grand Prix of France from 22nd to 24th June at the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet.

Sebastian Vettel wins Canada GP, regains F1 leadership

Mercedes on Tuesday offered an explanation for the delay in signing a fresh contract with Lewis Hamilton, saying both parties wanted to focus on improving the Formula One team's car.

The four times world champion and Mercedes have been talking about a lucrative new deal since last year.&nbsp;

However, there have been regular assurances that it is on the point of being signed.

There were reports that something would be done before the start of the season in March, but five races have gone by and there is still no announcement.

The Briton is otherwise out of contract at the end of the season.

"Obviously we don’t want to lose him and I don’t think he wants to go anywhere else. Everything’s going fine," team boss Toto Wolff told reporters at last weekend`s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

"There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be racing with each other for a few more years. We had other priorities in the last few weeks. We weren’t happy with our car’s performance and we needed to sort it out.

"And finalising a contract is something you need to involve yourself in and spend time and we both decided that we’d park it for a minute where we were. But it’s almost all sorted and we’ll pick it up at the right time," added the Austrian.

Hamilton started the season with pole position in Melbourne but Ferrari won the first two races.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo then put Red Bull on top of the podium in China, dealing Mercedes their third straight defeat for the first time in the V6 turbo hybrid era that started in 2014.

Mercedes have won both titles for the past four seasons.

The four times world champion and Mercedes have been talking about a lucrative new deal since last year.

Mercedes on Tuesday offered an explanation for the delay in signing a fresh contract with Lewis Hamilton, saying both parties wanted to focus on improving the Formula One team's car. The four times world champion and Mercedes have been talking about a lucrative new deal since last year. However, there have been regular assurances that it is on the point of being signed. There were reports that something would be done before the start of the season in March, but five races have gone by and there is still no announcement. The Briton is otherwise out of contract at the end of the season. "Obviously we don’t want to lose him and I don’t think he wants to go anywhere else. Everything’s going fine," team boss Toto Wolff told reporters at last weekend`s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. "There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be racing with each other for a few more years. We had other priorities in the last few weeks. We weren’t happy with our car’s performance and we needed to sort it out. "And finalising a contract is something you need to involve yourself in and spend time and we both decided that we’d park it for a minute where we were. But it’s almost all sorted and we’ll pick it up at the right time," added the Austrian. Hamilton started the season with pole position in Melbourne but Ferrari won the first two races. Australian Daniel Ricciardo then put Red Bull on top of the podium in China, dealing Mercedes their third straight defeat for the first time in the V6 turbo hybrid era that started in 2014. Mercedes have won both titles for the past four seasons.

Car issues delayed Lewis Hamilton contract talks: Mercedes

New Zealander Brendon Hartley lost control of his Toro Rosso car at Turn Nine and smashed into the barriers during Practice Three for Spanish Grand Prix.

Brendon Hartley was trying to gain maximum speed into Turn Nine but edged onto the dirt and crashed, destroying the rear-end of his car.

Both rear wheels and the rear of the gearbox were left hanging by their tethers, but Hartley was unhurt and responded "I'm OK" on the team's radio link.

Hartley was assisted by medical staff as he walked away from his wrecked car.

Watch the video of the crash:

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The speed with which the Toro Rosso hit the wall in Campsa, is astonishing. I'm glad Brendon Hartley got out unscathed. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpanishGP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpanishGP</a> <a href="https://t.co/l4h7ffOwIG">pic.twitter.com/l4h7ffOwIG</a>
— The Caution Clock ⚠️ (@CautionClock20) <a href="https://twitter.com/CautionClock20/status/995266775007858689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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Will <a href="https://twitter.com/BrendonHartley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrendonHartley</a>'s car be ready for qualifying after this big shunt in FP3?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpanishGP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpanishGP</a> ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZEGViMxJjS">pic.twitter.com/ZEGViMxJjS</a>
— Formula 1 (@F1) <a href="https://twitter.com/F1/status/995277552695439362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton topped the times ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the third and final free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The magnitude of the crash indicates that Hartley won't be able to take part because the engineers will surely struggle and need a lot of time to rebuild the damaged car in time for qualifying which means Pierre Gasly is set to be the only Toro Rosso representative out on track for the qualifying session.

The extent of the damage to his car was evident as the recovery crane removed it from the gravel, with the engine and gearbox falling off the back. 
&nbsp;

New Zealander Brendon Hartley lost control of his Toro Rosso car at Turn Nine and smashed into the barriers during Practice Three for Spanish Grand Prix

New Zealander Brendon Hartley lost control of his Toro Rosso car at Turn Nine and smashed into the barriers during Practice Three for Spanish Grand Prix. Brendon Hartley was trying to gain maximum speed into Turn Nine but edged onto the dirt and crashed, destroying the rear-end of his car. Both rear wheels and the rear of the gearbox were left hanging by their tethers, but Hartley was unhurt and responded "I'm OK" on the team's radio link. Hartley was assisted by medical staff as he walked away from his wrecked car. Watch the video of the crash: The speed with which the Toro Rosso hit the wall in Campsa, is astonishing. I'm glad Brendon Hartley got out unscathed. #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/l4h7ffOwIG — The Caution Clock ⚠️ (@CautionClock20) May 12, 2018 × Will @BrendonHartley's car be ready for qualifying after this big shunt in FP3?#SpanishGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/ZEGViMxJjS — Formula 1 (@F1) May 12, 2018 × Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton topped the times ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the third and final free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. The magnitude of the crash indicates that Hartley won't be able to take part because the engineers will surely struggle and need a lot of time to rebuild the damaged car in time for qualifying which means Pierre Gasly is set to be the only Toro Rosso representative out on track for the qualifying session. The extent of the damage to his car was evident as the recovery crane removed it from the gravel, with the engine and gearbox falling off the back.

Watch: Brendon Hartley suffers horrific crash in Spanish GP practice

<h2>WION's pick of the week</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics:-champions-manchester-city-celebrate-with-epl-trophy-135146#photo-135140">Champions Manchester City lift EPL trophy</a>

<img alt="Manchester City (8)_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/Manchester%20City%20(8)_0.jpg" width="770" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-ms-dhonis-return-to-form-is-major-takeaway-from-ipl-2018-134604">Opinion: MS Dhoni's return to form is major takeaway from IPL 2018</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-players-who-deserve-a-chance-in-indian-cricket-team--134966">IPL players who deserve a chance in Indian Cricket Team</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/manchester-city-players-show-how-not-to-celebrate-after-winning-epl-135231">Manchester City players show how NOT to celebrate after winning EPL</a>

When the mid-fielder Yaya Toure arrived on the stage to collect the trophy, his fellow teammates jumped on him and a blooper happened

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My favorite video from yesterday's presentation. City players drop the PL trophy and react as if someone dropped a bomb. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MCFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/NYhegUdPJm">pic.twitter.com/NYhegUdPJm</a>
— Adil (@adilkhalil_) <a href="https://twitter.com/adilkhalil_/status/993334268700045317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/turkey-football-fan-banned-from-stadium-rents-crane-to-watch-game-133692">Watch: Ban can't deter this Turkey football fan, rents crane to watch </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/turkey-football-fan-banned-from-stadium-rents-crane-to-watch-game-133692">game</a>

A football fan banned from the Denizli Atatürk Stadium in Denizli, Turkey rented a crane to watch a match 
 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/el-clasico-not-so-classic-list-of-incidents-where-referee-got-it-wrong-135194">'El Clasico' not so classic: Other times the referee got it wrong</a>

The Barcelona-Real clash Sunday night saw 28 fouls, one grabbing of the neck, one red card, and eight yellows

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>IPL 2018</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-another-fan-breaches-security-to-meet-ms-dhoni-touches-feet-134946">Watch: Another fan breaches security to meet MS Dhoni, touches feet</a>

MS Dhoni's fans and followers never fail to show their love and affection and recently an incident happened that will prove that fans' love for MSD is unconditional

<img alt="ms dhoni.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/ms%20dhoni.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-lasith-malinga-given-ultimatum-to-leave-ipl-and-return-home--134257">IPL 2018: Lasith Malinga given ultimatum to leave IPL and return home</a>

The pacer stated that he would not be returning to the island until the end of the IPL 2018

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-big-money-players-disappoint-with-small-performances-134212">IPL 2018: Big-money players disappoint with small performances</a>

Several players have not stood up to their billing this season

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-like-football-ipl-gets-mid-season-transfer-window-133839">IPL 2018: Like football, IPL gets mid-season transfer window</a>

The transfer window allows teams from different leagues to buy and sell players

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-dhoni-ambati-rayudus-comical-run-out-during-chennai-vs-delhi-clash-134018">Watch: Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu's comical run-out during Chennai vs Delhi clash</a> 

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>FIFA 2018</h2>

<h2><img alt="fifa 2018 Russia_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/fifa%202018%20Russia_0.jpg" width="770" /></h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018--schedule-venue-timings-participating-countries-squad-list-134023">FIFA 2018 | Schedule, venue, timings, participating countries, squad list</a>

All you need to know about FIFA World Cup 2018

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/hands-up-for-your-colors-represent-your-country-raise-your-flag-says-the-anthem-of-fifa-2018-133851">'Hands up for your </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/hands-up-for-your-colors-represent-your-country-raise-your-flag-says-the-anthem-of-fifa-2018-133851">colours</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/hands-up-for-your-colors-represent-your-country-raise-your-flag-says-the-anthem-of-fifa-2018-133851">... raise your flag,' says FIFA 2018 anthem</a>

The song 'Colors' is written by an American singer-songwriter, Jason Derulo. The song is serving the purpose of anthem for FIFA 2018

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>Football</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216">Gerard Pique asked Barca staff members to give </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216">guard</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216"> of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216">honour</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/gerard-pique-asked-barca-staff-members-to-give-guard-of-honour-as-real-madrid-snubbed-135216"> as Real Madrid snubbed</a>

Recently, Zinedine Zidane said that Real Madrid will not give La Liga champions Barcelona a guard of honour when the sides meet in El Clasico

<img alt="barcelona.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/barcelona.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/arsenal-thrash-burnley-5-0-to-win-wengers-final-home-game-135092">Arsenal thrash Burnley 5-0 to win Wenger's final home game</a>

Arsene&nbsp;Wenger received&nbsp;the kind of tribute he would have wanted in his final home game after 22 years in charge

<img alt="el classico.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/el%20classico.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/clasico-real-madrid-barcelona-tie-ends-in-ill-tempered-draw-135039">El Clasico: Real Madrid, Barcelona tie ends in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/clasico-real-madrid-barcelona-tie-ends-in-ill-tempered-draw-135039">ill-tempered</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/clasico-real-madrid-barcelona-tie-ends-in-ill-tempered-draw-135039"> draw</a>

Suarez appeared to have fouled Raphael Varane in the build-up to Messi's goal and the Uruguayan forward had a goal ruled out for offside three minutes later

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/diego-simeone-calls-on-uefa-to-change-away-goals-rule-134835">Diego Simeone calls on UEFA to change away-goals rule</a>

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called on UEFA to change the away-goals rule, suggesting sides playing the second leg away have an unfair advantage under current regulations

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/steven-gerrard-named-manager-of-scottish-club-rangers-134685">Steven Gerrard named manager of Scottish club Rangers</a>

Scottish club Rangers named former Liverpool and England midfielder&nbsp;Steven&nbsp;Gerrard as their manager on a four-year deal

<img alt="StevenGerrard_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/StevenGerrard_0.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/europa-league-wenger-denied-final-flourish-as-atletico-madrids-costa-outlasts-arsenal-134491">Europa League: Wenger denied final flourish as Atletico Madrid's Costa outlasts Arsenal</a>

Atletico victory was sweeter as coach Diego Simeone sat out the match after being banned for his rant

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-real-madrid-beat-munich-to-reach-final-for-third-year-in-a-row-134109">Champions League: Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich to reach final for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-real-madrid-beat-munich-to-reach-final-for-third-year-in-a-row-134109">third</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-real-madrid-beat-munich-to-reach-final-for-third-year-in-a-row-134109"> year in a row</a>

Real Madrid will meet either Liverpool or AS Roma in the final in Kiev on May 26

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-liverpool-edge-out-as-roma-to-meet-real-madrid-in-final-134295">Champions League: Liverpool edge out AS Roma, to meet Real Madrid in final</a>

Liverpool last won the coverted trophy in 2005 and made it to the finals in 2007

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<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/salah-voted-englands-footballer-of-the-year-134003">Mohamed Salah voted England's Footballer of the Year</a>

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>Cricket</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/replace-rohit-sharma-with-kl-rahul-as-opener-in-indian-cricket-team-demand-fans--135204">Replace Rohit Sharma with KL Rahul as </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/replace-rohit-sharma-with-kl-rahul-as-opener-in-indian-cricket-team-demand-fans--135204">opener</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/replace-rohit-sharma-with-kl-rahul-as-opener-in-indian-cricket-team-demand-fans--135204"> in Indian Cricket team, demand fans</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/shreyas-iyer-to-replace-virat-kohli-for-india-afghanistan-test--135213">Shreyas Iyer to replace Virat Kohli for India-Afghanistan Test</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/worried-about-banned-steve-smith-david-warner-and-cameron-bancroft-darren-lehmann-135003">Worried about banned Smith, Warner </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/worried-about-banned-steve-smith-david-warner-and-cameron-bancroft-darren-lehmann-135003">and</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/worried-about-banned-steve-smith-david-warner-and-cameron-bancroft-darren-lehmann-135003"> Cameron: Darren Lehmann</a>

Former Australian coach Darren Lehmann said that all&nbsp;three players are fantastic and have paid the price for their deeds

<img alt="Darren Lehmann.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/Darren%20Lehmann.jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-signs-surrey-in-english-county-ahead-of-india-series-in-england-134461">Virat Kohli signs up with Surrey for county cricket ahead of India series in England</a>

The India captain will feature in three County Championship matches and three one-day cup game

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/hardik-pandya-dinesh-karthik-to-represent-icc-world-xi-in-lords-134407">Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik to represent ICC World XI in Lord's</a>

The ICC World XI is set to take place on May 31st in Lord's stadium, London

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/justin-langer-to-be-new-coach-of-australia-134298">Justin Langer to be </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/justin-langer-to-be-new-coach-of-australia-134298">new</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/justin-langer-to-be-new-coach-of-australia-134298"> coach of Australia</a>

Langer's first coaching test will begin next month when Australia takes on England at home in an ODI series next month.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/india-consolidate-top-spot-in-icc-test-team-rankings-133983">India consolidate top spot in ICC Test team rankings</a>

In the ICC's annual update, the series results from 2014-15 are removed and outcomes from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are weighted at 50 percent

<hr />
<hr />
<h2>Others</h2>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/petra-kvitova-beat-mihaela-buzarnescu-to-win-first-prague-title-134841">Petra Kvitova beat Mihaela Buzarnescu to win first Prague title</a>

Petra Kvitova won her third title of the year as she fought back from a set down to beat Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 4-6 6-2 6-3 in the Prague Open

<img alt="Petra Kvitova (2).jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/Petra%20Kvitova%20(2).jpg" width="720" />

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-one-approves-aerodynamic-rule-changes-for-2019-133996">Formula One approves aerodynamic rule changes for 2019</a>

The measures include a simplified front wing with a larger span, front brake ducts without winglets and a wider and deeper rear wing

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Weekly compilation of sports and other related news (April 30 to May 6)

WION's pick of the week Champions Manchester City lift EPL trophy Opinion: MS Dhoni's return to form is major takeaway from IPL 2018 IPL players who deserve a chance in Indian Cricket Team Manchester City players show how NOT to celebrate after winning EPL When the mid-fielder Yaya Toure arrived on the stage to collect the trophy, his fellow teammates jumped on him and a blooper happened My favorite video from yesterday's presentation. City players drop the PL trophy and react as if someone dropped a bomb. #MCFC pic.twitter.com/NYhegUdPJm — Adil (@adilkhalil_) May 7, 2018 × Watch: Ban can't deter this Turkey football fan, rents crane to watch game A football fan banned from the Denizli Atatürk Stadium in Denizli, Turkey rented a crane to watch a match 'El Clasico' not so classic: Other times the referee got it wrong The Barcelona-Real clash Sunday night saw 28 fouls, one grabbing of the neck, one red card, and eight yellows IPL 2018 Watch: Another fan breaches security to meet MS Dhoni, touches feet MS Dhoni's fans and followers never fail to show their love and affection and recently an incident happened that will prove that fans' love for MSD is unconditional IPL 2018: Lasith Malinga given ultimatum to leave IPL and return home The pacer stated that he would not be returning to the island until the end of the IPL 2018 IPL 2018: Big-money players disappoint with small performances Several players have not stood up to their billing this season IPL 2018: Like football, IPL gets mid-season transfer window The transfer window allows teams from different leagues to buy and sell players Watch: Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu's comical run-out during Chennai vs Delhi clash FIFA 2018 FIFA 2018 | Schedule, venue, timings, participating countries, squad list All you need to know about FIFA World Cup 2018 'Hands up for your colours... raise your flag,' says FIFA 2018 anthem The song 'Colors' is written by an American singer-songwriter, Jason Derulo. The song is serving the purpose of anthem for FIFA 2018 Football Gerard Pique asked Barca staff members to give guard of honour as Real Madrid snubbed Recently, Zinedine Zidane said that Real Madrid will not give La Liga champions Barcelona a guard of honour when the sides meet in El Clasico Arsenal thrash Burnley 5-0 to win Wenger's final home game Arsene Wenger received the kind of tribute he would have wanted in his final home game after 22 years in charge El Clasico: Real Madrid, Barcelona tie ends in ill-tempered draw Suarez appeared to have fouled Raphael Varane in the build-up to Messi's goal and the Uruguayan forward had a goal ruled out for offside three minutes later Diego Simeone calls on UEFA to change away-goals rule Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called on UEFA to change the away-goals rule, suggesting sides playing the second leg away have an unfair advantage under current regulations Steven Gerrard named manager of Scottish club Rangers Scottish club Rangers named former Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard as their manager on a four-year deal Europa League: Wenger denied final flourish as Atletico Madrid's Costa outlasts Arsenal Atletico victory was sweeter as coach Diego Simeone sat out the match after being banned for his rant Champions League: Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich to reach final for third year in a row Real Madrid will meet either Liverpool or AS Roma in the final in Kiev on May 26 Champions League: Liverpool edge out AS Roma, to meet Real Madrid in final Liverpool last won the coverted trophy in 2005 and made it to the finals in 2007 × Mohamed Salah voted England's Footballer of the Year Cricket Replace Rohit Sharma with KL Rahul as opener in Indian Cricket team, demand fans Shreyas Iyer to replace Virat Kohli for India-Afghanistan Test Worried about banned Smith, Warner and Cameron: Darren Lehmann Former Australian coach Darren Lehmann said that all three players are fantastic and have paid the price for their deeds Virat Kohli signs up with Surrey for county cricket ahead of India series in England The India captain will feature in three County Championship matches and three one-day cup game Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik to represent ICC World XI in Lord's The ICC World XI is set to take place on May 31st in Lord's stadium, London Justin Langer to be new coach of Australia Langer's first coaching test will begin next month when Australia takes on England at home in an ODI series next month. India consolidate top spot in ICC Test team rankings In the ICC's annual update, the series results from 2014-15 are removed and outcomes from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons are weighted at 50 percent Others Petra Kvitova beat Mihaela Buzarnescu to win first Prague title Petra Kvitova won her third title of the year as she fought back from a set down to beat Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 4-6 6-2 6-3 in the Prague Open Formula One approves aerodynamic rule changes for 2019 The measures include a simplified front wing with a larger span, front brake ducts without winglets and a wider and deeper rear wing

WION Sports News: Top sports results this week

A pit stop crew member of Ferrari suffered a massive tragedy when&nbsp;Kimi Raikkonen ran over him and fractured his leg in the Bahrain Grand Prix during the pit stop.

Ferrari mechanic Francesco Cigarini was immediately taken to hospital as he suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg when Raikkonen hit him during the second pit-stop in Sunday's race.

Cigarini has undergone a successful operation and send his gratitude by sharing his photo on Instagram quoting, "I want to thank all the people who asked about me and worried. Only a big thank-you. Hugs."

Here is the post:

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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BhVIb4KltMR/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF border:0 border-radius:3px box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15) margin: 1px max-width:658px padding:0 width:99.375% width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px) width:calc(100% - 2px)">
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<div style=" background:url(data:image/pngbase64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC) display:block height:44px margin:0 auto -44px position:relative top:-22px width:44px">&nbsp;</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BhVIb4KltMR/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">Surgery ok. I have to thank all the people worried for me. Nothing else, just a big thanks. Hugs! L'operazione è andata bene. Voglio ringraziare tutte le persone che hanno chiesto di me e si sono preoccupate. Solo un grande GRAZIE. Abbracci #thanks #grazie</a>

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Kimi Raikkonen was criticised on social forums for the incident for which he wrote back: "Get well soon mate!"

The incident happened when Cigarini was preparing to fit a new left-rear tyre during Raikkonen's second stop and the system turned on a green light to signal that all four wheels had re-fitted tyres, but the left-rear tyre was stuck and had not been removed.

Though Raikkonen was stopped immediately in the pit lane because it is against the regulations to run a car with a mismatched set of tyres.

Watch the tragic incident here:

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Raikkonen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Raikkonen</a> takes out pit crew!? <a href="https://t.co/yhVnpbR3bq">pic.twitter.com/yhVnpbR3bq</a>
— Simon (@quicktweetaway) <a href="https://twitter.com/quicktweetaway/status/983018335561506817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Pitcrew Kimi <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BahrainGP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BahrainGP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Ferrari?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ferrari</a> <a href="https://t.co/cIU4rJI2CK">pic.twitter.com/cIU4rJI2CK</a>
— Brayen Engels (@XF1RacingLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/XF1RacingLeague/status/983025524976037889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Later Ferrari launched an immediate investigation to discover how their automated system had failed.

Ferrari were fined 50,000 euros for the incident. It was the second time the team had been involved in an unsafe release from a pit stop during the weekend.

Raikkonen’s Ferrari team-mate, four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel, won the race, his second victory in two events this season.

Ferrari mechanic Francesco Cigarini has undergone a successful operation on his leg broken when Kimi Raikkonen ran over him in the Bahrain Grand Prix

A pit stop crew member of Ferrari suffered a massive tragedy when Kimi Raikkonen ran over him and fractured his leg in the Bahrain Grand Prix during the pit stop. Ferrari mechanic Francesco Cigarini was immediately taken to hospital as he suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg when Raikkonen hit him during the second pit-stop in Sunday's race. Cigarini has undergone a successful operation and send his gratitude by sharing his photo on Instagram quoting, "I want to thank all the people who asked about me and worried. Only a big thank-you. Hugs." Here is the post: Surgery ok. I have to thank all the people worried for me. Nothing else, just a big thanks. Hugs! L'operazione è andata bene. Voglio ringraziare tutte le persone che hanno chiesto di me e si sono preoccupate. Solo un grande GRAZIE. Abbracci #thanks #grazie A post shared by Francesco Cigarini (@francesco.cigarini) on Apr 8, 2018 at 5:50pm PDT × Kimi Raikkonen was criticised on social forums for the incident for which he wrote back: "Get well soon mate!" The incident happened when Cigarini was preparing to fit a new left-rear tyre during Raikkonen's second stop and the system turned on a green light to signal that all four wheels had re-fitted tyres, but the left-rear tyre was stuck and had not been removed. Though Raikkonen was stopped immediately in the pit lane because it is against the regulations to run a car with a mismatched set of tyres. Watch the tragic incident here: #Raikkonen takes out pit crew!? pic.twitter.com/yhVnpbR3bq — Simon (@quicktweetaway) April 8, 2018 × Pitcrew Kimi #F1 #BahrainGP @Ferrari pic.twitter.com/cIU4rJI2CK — Brayen Engels (@XF1RacingLeague) April 8, 2018 × Later Ferrari launched an immediate investigation to discover how their automated system had failed. Ferrari were fined 50,000 euros for the incident. It was the second time the team had been involved in an unsafe release from a pit stop during the weekend. Raikkonen’s Ferrari team-mate, four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel, won the race, his second victory in two events this season.

Video: Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen runs over own pit stop crew member

Sebastian Vettel marked his 200th Formula One race with a thrilling and brilliantly-judged victory for Ferrari in Sunday’s dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix.

The four-time ex-champion, on severely-worn tyres, came home narrowly ahead of Valtteri Bottas and the Finn's Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a nail-biting finish to an intriguing contest.

French rookie Pierre Gasly took a stunning fourth place for the Honda-powered Toro Rosso team ahead of Kevin Magnussen of Haas.

It was Vettel's second win in as many races this season, the 49th of his career and extended his lead ahead of Hamilton in the drivers’ championship to 17 points after the Englishman delivered a dazzling drive from ninth on the grid to finish only six seconds adrift.

Both have won four championships and, this season, are battling to secure an historic fifth title.

“Wow!” screamed Vettel as he crossed the line. “These tyres were done – they were done for the last 10 laps.

“I came on the radio to say everything was under control, but that was a lie! I thought Bottas would catch me and I just tried to keep it as clean as possible.”

Bottas said: “We were on the harder compound and I knew there was a chance. I tried to catch him, but it was just not enough. Extremely disappointing.”

Hamilton, who started ninth after being given a five-place penalty for a gearbox change, said he was satisfied. “I am happy,” he said. “It was damage limitation. I started ninth so third is not that bad…”

But it was not all good news for Ferrari as Vettel’s team-mate Finn Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish after colliding with a mechanic at a pit stop.

The mechanic was taken to the circuit medical centre with a suspected broken leg.

Both the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo also retired after the opening laps.

Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Renault ahead of Fernando Alonso and his McLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne.&nbsp

Marcus Ericsson grabbed two points for Sauber by finishing ninth ahead of Esteban Ocon, who was 10th for Force India.

luck ended

The race began with temperatures falling from 29 and 35 degrees Celsius respectively for air and track.

Vettel made a clean start and Bottas swept past Raikkonen to split the Ferraris on the opening lap.

This lifted spirits for Mercedes, but Hamilton, down in ninth to resist a charging lunge by Verstappen at the start of lap two.

From 15th on the grid, the Red Bull driver had reached the top ten, but his luck ended when he banged wheels with Hamilton and punctured his left rear tyre.

As the Dutchman idled back to the pits, his Red Bull team-mate Ricciardo slowed and stopped at the side of the track. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed.

Verstappen pitted and re-joined, but his race was over when, like Ricciardo, he stopped and retired.

This left Hamilton to make up places and after slipping to 10th he regained ninth and then passed Alonso, Hulkenberg and Ocon in one move.

Vettel pitted after 19 laps, passing the lead to Bottas, and rejoining fourth. Two laps later, Raikkonen also came in for a Ferrari pit-stop that elevated Hamilton to second.

Bottas finally pitted after 21 laps, in a 3.8 seconds stop for medium tyres that were expected to see him complete the race – while both Ferrari ran on softs.

In the lead, Hamilton was 5.3 seconds clear of Vettel after 22 laps, an advantage trimmed to half a second by lap 25 with Bottas five seconds adrift in third.

A frustrated Vettel finally burst past the defensive Hamilton, on his original tyres, to re-gain the lead on lap 26. Hamilton then pitted, also for mediums, which left both Mercedes on a one-stop strategy and Ferrari requiring another stop each.

With further stops required, Ferrari’s problems were compounded after 36 laps when Raikkonen came in and inadvertently ran over a mechanic as he pulled away.

It was his second unsafe release of the weekend and his third in a race.

Unaffected, Vettel pushed to make the most of an emergency one-stop strategy, resisting Bottas all the way to the flag.

&nbsp

Sebastian Vettel marked his 200th Formula One race with a thrilling and brilliantly-judged victory for Ferrari in Sunday’s dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel marked his 200th Formula One race with a thrilling and brilliantly-judged victory for Ferrari in Sunday’s dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix. The four-time ex-champion, on severely-worn tyres, came home narrowly ahead of Valtteri Bottas and the Finn's Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a nail-biting finish to an intriguing contest. French rookie Pierre Gasly took a stunning fourth place for the Honda-powered Toro Rosso team ahead of Kevin Magnussen of Haas. It was Vettel's second win in as many races this season, the 49th of his career and extended his lead ahead of Hamilton in the drivers’ championship to 17 points after the Englishman delivered a dazzling drive from ninth on the grid to finish only six seconds adrift. Both have won four championships and, this season, are battling to secure an historic fifth title. “Wow!” screamed Vettel as he crossed the line. “These tyres were done – they were done for the last 10 laps. “I came on the radio to say everything was under control, but that was a lie! I thought Bottas would catch me and I just tried to keep it as clean as possible.” Bottas said: “We were on the harder compound and I knew there was a chance. I tried to catch him, but it was just not enough. Extremely disappointing.” Hamilton, who started ninth after being given a five-place penalty for a gearbox change, said he was satisfied. “I am happy,” he said. “It was damage limitation. I started ninth so third is not that bad…” But it was not all good news for Ferrari as Vettel’s team-mate Finn Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish after colliding with a mechanic at a pit stop. The mechanic was taken to the circuit medical centre with a suspected broken leg. Both the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo also retired after the opening laps. Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Renault ahead of Fernando Alonso and his McLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne. Marcus Ericsson grabbed two points for Sauber by finishing ninth ahead of Esteban Ocon, who was 10th for Force India. luck ended The race began with temperatures falling from 29 and 35 degrees Celsius respectively for air and track. Vettel made a clean start and Bottas swept past Raikkonen to split the Ferraris on the opening lap. This lifted spirits for Mercedes, but Hamilton, down in ninth to resist a charging lunge by Verstappen at the start of lap two. From 15th on the grid, the Red Bull driver had reached the top ten, but his luck ended when he banged wheels with Hamilton and punctured his left rear tyre. As the Dutchman idled back to the pits, his Red Bull team-mate Ricciardo slowed and stopped at the side of the track. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Verstappen pitted and re-joined, but his race was over when, like Ricciardo, he stopped and retired. This left Hamilton to make up places and after slipping to 10th he regained ninth and then passed Alonso, Hulkenberg and Ocon in one move. Vettel pitted after 19 laps, passing the lead to Bottas, and rejoining fourth. Two laps later, Raikkonen also came in for a Ferrari pit-stop that elevated Hamilton to second. Bottas finally pitted after 21 laps, in a 3.8 seconds stop for medium tyres that were expected to see him complete the race – while both Ferrari ran on softs. In the lead, Hamilton was 5.3 seconds clear of Vettel after 22 laps, an advantage trimmed to half a second by lap 25 with Bottas five seconds adrift in third. A frustrated Vettel finally burst past the defensive Hamilton, on his original tyres, to re-gain the lead on lap 26. Hamilton then pitted, also for mediums, which left both Mercedes on a one-stop strategy and Ferrari requiring another stop each. With further stops required, Ferrari’s problems were compounded after 36 laps when Raikkonen came in and inadvertently ran over a mechanic as he pulled away. It was his second unsafe release of the weekend and his third in a race. Unaffected, Vettel pushed to make the most of an emergency one-stop strategy, resisting Bottas all the way to the flag.

Sebastian Vettel marks 200th race with thrilling Bahrain win

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton roared to a record seventh pole at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, blitzing the field in his Mercedes with a blazing lap at Albert Park.

The Briton flew around the lakeside circuit in a record one minute, 21.164 seconds, with his final effort leaving a yawning gap of 0.664 seconds to Ferrari`s second fastest Kimi Raikkonen.

Sebastian Vettel was third fastest for Ferrari but Hamilton was in a class of his own and the Silver Arrows appear as dominant as ever as they bid to sweep the driver and constructors` titles for a fifth year running.

&quot;That was intense. My heart`s racing. I wish you could feel it right now,&quot; the 33-year-old Hamilton said after clambering onto his car at the finish and pumping his fists.

&quot;I`m so happy with that lap.&quot;

Hamilton moved past the six poles his idol Ayrton Senna claimed in the Australian race with a furious pace that will leave the Ferrari and Red Bull teams scratching their heads.

&quot;Obviously the gap`s bigger than we want it to be,&quot; a subdued Vettel told reporters, looking ahead to Sunday`s race.

&quot;It depends how we get off the (start) line.&quot;

Red Bull wunderkind Max Verstappen will line up alongside Vettel on the second row, with his fifth-fastest team mate Daniel Ricciardo set to start eighth after the home hope was handed a three-place grid penalty for an infringement during Friday practice.

Still pumped at the post-qualifying news conference, Hamilton made a cheeky dig at fellow four-times champion Vettel when the German asked him what he was up to before Q3.

&quot;I was waiting to put a good lap in and wipe the smile off your face,&quot; Hamilton said with a smirk.&nbsp;

IMPROVED HAAS

The Briton`s brilliance was not matched by team mate Valtteri Bottas, who crashed early in the final shootout.

The Finn, who had complained of balance problems during Q1, spun out at turn two and smashed hard into a barrier, leaving his wrecked car and debris scattered all over the track.

The red flag was waved as the television broadcast showed Mercedes boss Toto Wolff bowing his head in disappointment back in the team garage.

Bottas, who will start in 10th, passed a medical check but it remains unclear how much of his car is salvageable.

Haas confirmed themselves as the big improvers after positive winter testing, with drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean locking down the third row.

Renault`s Nico Hulkenberg took a spin into the gravel in Q2 but scraped through to the final session and will start seventh, his team mate Carlos Sainz two places behind.

McLaren`s hopes of a quick return to the top four with their new Renault engines proved overly ambitious, with twice champion Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne shut out of the final session.

Force India, fourth in the constructors` championship for the last two years, also have work to do after being knocked out during Q2.

The championship`s debutant drivers had an underwhelming session, with Sauber`s Charles Leclerc and Williams` driver Sergey Sirotkin eliminated early.

The Briton flew around the lakeside circuit in a record one minute, 21.164 seconds

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton roared to a record seventh pole at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, blitzing the field in his Mercedes with a blazing lap at Albert Park. The Briton flew around the lakeside circuit in a record one minute, 21.164 seconds, with his final effort leaving a yawning gap of 0.664 seconds to Ferrari`s second fastest Kimi Raikkonen. Sebastian Vettel was third fastest for Ferrari but Hamilton was in a class of his own and the Silver Arrows appear as dominant as ever as they bid to sweep the driver and constructors` titles for a fifth year running. "That was intense. My heart`s racing. I wish you could feel it right now," the 33-year-old Hamilton said after clambering onto his car at the finish and pumping his fists. "I`m so happy with that lap." Hamilton moved past the six poles his idol Ayrton Senna claimed in the Australian race with a furious pace that will leave the Ferrari and Red Bull teams scratching their heads. "Obviously the gap`s bigger than we want it to be," a subdued Vettel told reporters, looking ahead to Sunday`s race. "It depends how we get off the (start) line." Red Bull wunderkind Max Verstappen will line up alongside Vettel on the second row, with his fifth-fastest team mate Daniel Ricciardo set to start eighth after the home hope was handed a three-place grid penalty for an infringement during Friday practice. Still pumped at the post-qualifying news conference, Hamilton made a cheeky dig at fellow four-times champion Vettel when the German asked him what he was up to before Q3. "I was waiting to put a good lap in and wipe the smile off your face," Hamilton said with a smirk. IMPROVED HAAS The Briton`s brilliance was not matched by team mate Valtteri Bottas, who crashed early in the final shootout. The Finn, who had complained of balance problems during Q1, spun out at turn two and smashed hard into a barrier, leaving his wrecked car and debris scattered all over the track. The red flag was waved as the television broadcast showed Mercedes boss Toto Wolff bowing his head in disappointment back in the team garage. Bottas, who will start in 10th, passed a medical check but it remains unclear how much of his car is salvageable. Haas confirmed themselves as the big improvers after positive winter testing, with drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean locking down the third row. Renault`s Nico Hulkenberg took a spin into the gravel in Q2 but scraped through to the final session and will start seventh, his team mate Carlos Sainz two places behind. McLaren`s hopes of a quick return to the top four with their new Renault engines proved overly ambitious, with twice champion Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne shut out of the final session. Force India, fourth in the constructors` championship for the last two years, also have work to do after being knocked out during Q2. The championship`s debutant drivers had an underwhelming session, with Sauber`s Charles Leclerc and Williams` driver Sergey Sirotkin eliminated early.

Formula One: Brilliant Hamilton blazes to Melbourne pole

Champion Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets for Mercedes in both practice sessions at the Formula One season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Friday but Red Bull`s Max Verstappen showed enough pace to give the Silver Arrows pause for thought.

After lapping Albert Park in one minute 24.026 seconds during FP1, Briton Hamilton improved the mark slightly to 1:23.931 in the second session on a balmy autumn day.

Red Bull`s Dutch wunderkind Verstappen was snapping at Hamilton`s heels, however, and finished only 0.127 seconds adrift of the four-times champion after FP2.

Verstappen sandwiched himself between the Mercedes drivers, with Hamilton`s team mate Valtteri Bottas third quickest despite taking a couple of slides off the track.

Ferrari`s Kimi Raikkonen was fourth in FP2 but will have to face the stewards after Bottas nearly rammed into his rear and ended up in the gravel.

It was a less encouraging day for Ferrari`s four-times champion Sebastian Vettel, who was more than a half-second off the pace in FP2 in fifth position, while Red Bull`s home hope Daniel Ricciardo battled to seventh.

There will be a buzz around the Haas garage, however, as Romain Grosjean was sixth quickest in FP2 and his team mate Kevin Magnussen ninth.

After battling an exhaust system problem for much of FP1, Renault-powered McLaren showed encouraging signs with twice world champion Fernando Alonso eventually lapping eighth and holding the position in the later session.

Canadian Lance Stroll`s day ended in frustration, with his Williams forced to a halt at the end of FP2 with overheating issues. He was 14th for the session, ahead of his debutant team mate Sergey Sirotkin (18th).

Hamilton topped the timesheets for Mercedes in both practice sessions

Champion Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets for Mercedes in both practice sessions at the Formula One season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Friday but Red Bull`s Max Verstappen showed enough pace to give the Silver Arrows pause for thought. After lapping Albert Park in one minute 24.026 seconds during FP1, Briton Hamilton improved the mark slightly to 1:23.931 in the second session on a balmy autumn day. Red Bull`s Dutch wunderkind Verstappen was snapping at Hamilton`s heels, however, and finished only 0.127 seconds adrift of the four-times champion after FP2. Verstappen sandwiched himself between the Mercedes drivers, with Hamilton`s team mate Valtteri Bottas third quickest despite taking a couple of slides off the track. Ferrari`s Kimi Raikkonen was fourth in FP2 but will have to face the stewards after Bottas nearly rammed into his rear and ended up in the gravel. It was a less encouraging day for Ferrari`s four-times champion Sebastian Vettel, who was more than a half-second off the pace in FP2 in fifth position, while Red Bull`s home hope Daniel Ricciardo battled to seventh. There will be a buzz around the Haas garage, however, as Romain Grosjean was sixth quickest in FP2 and his team mate Kevin Magnussen ninth. After battling an exhaust system problem for much of FP1, Renault-powered McLaren showed encouraging signs with twice world champion Fernando Alonso eventually lapping eighth and holding the position in the later session. Canadian Lance Stroll`s day ended in frustration, with his Williams forced to a halt at the end of FP2 with overheating issues. He was 14th for the session, ahead of his debutant team mate Sergey Sirotkin (18th).

Lewis Hamilton tops timesheets in opening practice

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has welcomed the move to replace the &#39;grid girls&#39; with the &#39;grid kids&#39; at every Formula One race of the 2018 season.

Liberty Media, the F1&#39;s American owners, had earlier polarised fans by announcing the removal of the long-standing practice of using grid girls in the lead-up to F1 races, saying &quot;It does not resonate with brand values and clearly is at odds with modern-day societal norms.

&quot;Reflecting on the same, Bottas said that though &#39;grid girls&#39; have been a part of the motorsport for quite a long time now, the idea of introducing children in the F1 would be a great idea.

&quot;Generally speaking, grid girls have been part of motorsport but in the future, they will no longer be at the F1 races. Over the years there were some races where we did not have them already,&quot; Sport24 quoted Bottas, as saying.

&quot;The positive side is that many children&#39;s dreams can now be realised with access to the grid with the drivers. I think that&#39;s really cool,&quot; he added.

Echoing similar views, Jorn Teske, marketing boss at Hockenheim, said that &#39;grid kids&#39; would help in grabbing the attention of the younger audience.

&quot;We were informed in advance that a change is planned. We do not know the details of the implementation yet. Even though grid girls would still be very welcomed by us, the idea of grid kids has merit as well. Formula one needs a new, younger audience and if grid kids help with that, that`s a nice idea,&quot; Teske added.

The grid kids will be chosen by the motorsport clubs, with the lucky few getting a chance to accompany and stand alongside the 20 best drivers in the world on the grid as they prepare for the race.

&nbsp;

Earlier F1's American owners announced removal of the long-standing practice of using grid girls in the lead-up to F1 races

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has welcomed the move to replace the 'grid girls' with the 'grid kids' at every Formula One race of the 2018 season. Liberty Media, the F1's American owners, had earlier polarised fans by announcing the removal of the long-standing practice of using grid girls in the lead-up to F1 races, saying "It does not resonate with brand values and clearly is at odds with modern-day societal norms. "Reflecting on the same, Bottas said that though 'grid girls' have been a part of the motorsport for quite a long time now, the idea of introducing children in the F1 would be a great idea. "Generally speaking, grid girls have been part of motorsport but in the future, they will no longer be at the F1 races. Over the years there were some races where we did not have them already," Sport24 quoted Bottas, as saying. "The positive side is that many children's dreams can now be realised with access to the grid with the drivers. I think that's really cool," he added. Echoing similar views, Jorn Teske, marketing boss at Hockenheim, said that 'grid kids' would help in grabbing the attention of the younger audience. "We were informed in advance that a change is planned. We do not know the details of the implementation yet. Even though grid girls would still be very welcomed by us, the idea of grid kids has merit as well. Formula one needs a new, younger audience and if grid kids help with that, that`s a nice idea," Teske added. The grid kids will be chosen by the motorsport clubs, with the lucky few getting a chance to accompany and stand alongside the 20 best drivers in the world on the grid as they prepare for the race.

Valtteri Bottas welcomes 'grid kids' move in F1

Formula&nbsp;One has ended the practice of using scantily clad &quot;grid girls&quot; before races, the sport&#39;s organisers Liberty Media said on Wednesday.

They said the practice of having the women milling about in the grid area before races were &quot;clearly at odds with modern-day societal norms&quot;.

Darts took a similar decision this month, banning the women who walk on with the players before matches.

&quot;Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport,&quot; said&nbsp;Sean Bratches, Managing Director, Commercial Operations at&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;1.

&quot;While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;1&nbsp;Grands Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern-day societal norms.&quot;

Bratches said the practice was not &quot;appropriate or relevant to&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;1&nbsp;and its fans, old and new, across the world&quot;.

The decision by F1 bosses to axe the grid girls, one of the sport&#39;s long-standing pre-race traditions, is expected to bring similar pressure onto organisers of boxing and motorcycling who routinely use attractive women in event promotions.

The treatment and media image of women in sport has been drawn into sharp focus after the momentum sparked by the #MeToo campaign which has highlighted allegations of sexual misconduct in the world of entertainment and politics.

However, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said Wednesday he will not remove ring card girls from his fights.

&quot;The ring card girls have been a part of boxing history for many, many years. As far as I am aware, darts will still have dancers on stage performing, but the walk-on girls were not really necessary,&quot; Hearn told GQ magazine.

&quot;From a boxing point of view, we want to keep the traditions of the sport going and in my opinion, it has nothing to do with sexism or feminism. It is just a part of boxing and until we are told otherwise.&quot;

Women&#39;s groups, however, backed the F1 decision.

&quot;Thank you @F1 for deciding to stop using grid girls. Another sport making a clear choice about what they want to stand for,&quot; tweeted @WomenSportTrust.

Drivers preferred to concentrate on the positive side of the F1 announcement on Wednesday.

&quot;I don&#39;t care, I&#39;m married to the most beautiful girl on earth,&quot; tweeted Haas team driver Romain Grosjean.

Former Indian F1 driver, Karun Chandhok tweeted: &quot;Would be a good idea to use the money saved from paying the &#39;grid girls&#39; to make a small investment in getting more female drivers into the sport...&quot;

F1 has experimented with changes in its presentation in previous years.

At the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was less than impressed with the decision to employ &quot;grid boys&quot; instead of women.

&quot;Why didn&#39;t we have any grid girls today?&quot; said German star Vettel. &quot;What was that? You get there and park behind George or Dave. What&#39;s the point?&quot;

The new Formula One season begins on March 25 with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

&nbsp;

F1 said the practice of having the women milling about in the grid area before races was 'clearly at odds with modern-day societal norms'

Formula One has ended the practice of using scantily clad "grid girls" before races, the sport's organisers Liberty Media said on Wednesday. They said the practice of having the women milling about in the grid area before races were "clearly at odds with modern-day societal norms". Darts took a similar decision this month, banning the women who walk on with the players before matches. "Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport," said Sean Bratches, Managing Director, Commercial Operations at Formula 1. "While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 Grands Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern-day societal norms." Bratches said the practice was not "appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world". The decision by F1 bosses to axe the grid girls, one of the sport's long-standing pre-race traditions, is expected to bring similar pressure onto organisers of boxing and motorcycling who routinely use attractive women in event promotions. The treatment and media image of women in sport has been drawn into sharp focus after the momentum sparked by the #MeToo campaign which has highlighted allegations of sexual misconduct in the world of entertainment and politics. However, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said Wednesday he will not remove ring card girls from his fights. "The ring card girls have been a part of boxing history for many, many years. As far as I am aware, darts will still have dancers on stage performing, but the walk-on girls were not really necessary," Hearn told GQ magazine. "From a boxing point of view, we want to keep the traditions of the sport going and in my opinion, it has nothing to do with sexism or feminism. It is just a part of boxing and until we are told otherwise." Women's groups, however, backed the F1 decision. "Thank you @F1 for deciding to stop using grid girls. Another sport making a clear choice about what they want to stand for," tweeted @WomenSportTrust. Drivers preferred to concentrate on the positive side of the F1 announcement on Wednesday. "I don't care, I'm married to the most beautiful girl on earth," tweeted Haas team driver Romain Grosjean. Former Indian F1 driver, Karun Chandhok tweeted: "Would be a good idea to use the money saved from paying the 'grid girls' to make a small investment in getting more female drivers into the sport..." F1 has experimented with changes in its presentation in previous years. At the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was less than impressed with the decision to employ "grid boys" instead of women. "Why didn't we have any grid girls today?" said German star Vettel. "What was that? You get there and park behind George or Dave. What's the point?" The new Formula One season begins on March 25 with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Formula 1 ends use of 'grid girls'

Grand Prix teams could be racing each other in the virtual world as well as the real one next season, and fighting to sign up the hottest gamer talent, as Formula One wakes to the power of eSports.

Darren Cox, the man behind McLaren`s &quot;World`s Fastest Gamer&quot; competition who also saw one of his drivers win Formula One`s first eSports series in Abu Dhabi last month, feels a tipping point has been reached this year.

The former Nissan motorsport boss, who runs the eSPORTS+CARS virtual team, can also see the day dawning -- in maybe three to five years` time -- when top gamers are earning more than the lowest paid drivers on the real F1 starting grid.

In a wide-ranging interview at a simulator centre where his drivers train near London`s Gatwick airport, Cox told Reuters that he expected Formula One teams to become involved in next year`s eSports series.

&quot;If you look at what the NBA (basketball) has done...they engaged the teams right at the beginning. So 17 of the NBA teams have got franchises for the virtual side of the sport and there&rsquo;s a&nbsp;draft like in the real world.

&quot;So expect something like that to come out of (Formula One owners) Liberty,&quot; added Cox. &quot;It&rsquo;s happening now. Those conversations are being had.

&quot;This absolutely will be a big priority for them (Liberty) and I believe they have made it clear to the teams that they will be involved, in some way.&nbsp;

&quot;And then I guess it&rsquo;s down to the teams about how involved they want to be.&quot;

Formula One`s first eSports series was won by Brendon Leigh, an 18-year-old kitchen porter who had never previously been out of Britain.

Leigh, who drives for Cox`s team and emerged triumphant from 63,000 initial hopefuls, is likely to go professional.

Some gamers in other arenas are already earning more than $1 million a year and Cox said the rewards in motorsport were growing all the time.

&quot;If you go back 18 months, these guys were winning an X-box and a free subscription, not any cash. The cash has suddenly come and I think that will ramp up,&quot; said the man who has been dubbed the `Godfather of virtual racing`. 
He expected all the big F1 teams to end up partnering with outfits like his.

&quot;Depending on how well marketed it is by Liberty, there will be a new revenue stream,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;The teams...will want to have the best drivers and therefore there will be a fight for the best drivers if one is head and shoulders above the others.&quot;

Spain`s two times world champion Fernando Alonso recently launched his own virtual team while McLaren appointed Dutch gamer Rudy van Buren to the position of simulator driver after the 25-year-old won the &quot;World`s Fastest Gamer&quot; competition.

&quot;A great phrase I heard was &lsquo;nothing changes until everything changes at once&rsquo;,&quot; said Cox.

&quot;Suddenly everything&rsquo;s happening at the same time and it is a massive benefit to our sport,&quot; added the Briton, who was responsible at Nissan for a successful programme that transformed gamers into real racers.

He expected a new wave of technology companies to be attracted to the sport while existing sponsors, particularly those brands targeting a younger demographic, would get more involved.

&quot;This side of things has brought in Logitech to McLaren. They are involved because of World&rsquo;s Fastest Gamer. And they&rsquo;ve set a precedent. This is now something that will happen,&quot; declared Cox. Sales of the Formula One game were also likely to accelerate, with knock-on benefits for merchandising.

Cox, meanwhile, dismissed as irrelevant the debate about whether eSport should be considered sport.

&quot;It&rsquo;s here, it&rsquo;s got millions of viewers, it&rsquo;s got a commercial backbone that is strong. It doesn&rsquo;t matter if someone in sport thinks it&rsquo;s a sport or not,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;eSports don&rsquo;t care. And they shouldn&rsquo;t care and it shouldn&rsquo;t be a debate.

&quot;I think the only problem we&rsquo;ve got is people&rsquo;s attitude within the sport, because they are so blinkered. And I think those blinkers are now coming off.&quot;

Formula One`s first eSports series was won by Brendon Leigh, an 18-year-old kitchen porter, who had never previously been out of Britain.

Grand Prix teams could be racing each other in the virtual world as well as the real one next season, and fighting to sign up the hottest gamer talent, as Formula One wakes to the power of eSports. Darren Cox, the man behind McLaren`s "World`s Fastest Gamer" competition who also saw one of his drivers win Formula One`s first eSports series in Abu Dhabi last month, feels a tipping point has been reached this year. The former Nissan motorsport boss, who runs the eSPORTS+CARS virtual team, can also see the day dawning -- in maybe three to five years` time -- when top gamers are earning more than the lowest paid drivers on the real F1 starting grid. In a wide-ranging interview at a simulator centre where his drivers train near London`s Gatwick airport, Cox told Reuters that he expected Formula One teams to become involved in next year`s eSports series. "If you look at what the NBA (basketball) has done...they engaged the teams right at the beginning. So 17 of the NBA teams have got franchises for the virtual side of the sport and there’s a draft like in the real world. "So expect something like that to come out of (Formula One owners) Liberty," added Cox. "It’s happening now. Those conversations are being had. "This absolutely will be a big priority for them (Liberty) and I believe they have made it clear to the teams that they will be involved, in some way. "And then I guess it’s down to the teams about how involved they want to be." Formula One`s first eSports series was won by Brendon Leigh, an 18-year-old kitchen porter who had never previously been out of Britain. Leigh, who drives for Cox`s team and emerged triumphant from 63,000 initial hopefuls, is likely to go professional. Some gamers in other arenas are already earning more than $1 million a year and Cox said the rewards in motorsport were growing all the time. "If you go back 18 months, these guys were winning an X-box and a free subscription, not any cash. The cash has suddenly come and I think that will ramp up," said the man who has been dubbed the `Godfather of virtual racing`. He expected all the big F1 teams to end up partnering with outfits like his. "Depending on how well marketed it is by Liberty, there will be a new revenue stream," he said. "The teams...will want to have the best drivers and therefore there will be a fight for the best drivers if one is head and shoulders above the others." Spain`s two times world champion Fernando Alonso recently launched his own virtual team while McLaren appointed Dutch gamer Rudy van Buren to the position of simulator driver after the 25-year-old won the "World`s Fastest Gamer" competition. "A great phrase I heard was ‘nothing changes until everything changes at once’," said Cox. "Suddenly everything’s happening at the same time and it is a massive benefit to our sport," added the Briton, who was responsible at Nissan for a successful programme that transformed gamers into real racers. He expected a new wave of technology companies to be attracted to the sport while existing sponsors, particularly those brands targeting a younger demographic, would get more involved. "This side of things has brought in Logitech to McLaren. They are involved because of World’s Fastest Gamer. And they’ve set a precedent. This is now something that will happen," declared Cox. Sales of the Formula One game were also likely to accelerate, with knock-on benefits for merchandising. Cox, meanwhile, dismissed as irrelevant the debate about whether eSport should be considered sport. "It’s here, it’s got millions of viewers, it’s got a commercial backbone that is strong. It doesn’t matter if someone in sport thinks it’s a sport or not," he said. "eSports don’t care. And they shouldn’t care and it shouldn’t be a debate. "I think the only problem we’ve got is people’s attitude within the sport, because they are so blinkered. And I think those blinkers are now coming off."

Game on for Formula One teams in virtual future

Finland&#39;s Valtteri Bottas won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing ahead of world champion Lewis Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel taking third.

It was a third career win for Bottas, all of which have come this season after he was signed by Mercedes to replace the retired Nico Rosberg.

Valtteri Bottas won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. finishing ahead of world champion Lewis Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel taking third

Finland's Valtteri Bottas won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing ahead of world champion Lewis Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel taking third. It was a third career win for Bottas, all of which have come this season after he was signed by Mercedes to replace the retired Nico Rosberg.

Formula One: Bottas wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas denied quadruple world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton the final pole position of the Formula One season on Saturday, leading a Mercedes one-two in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying.

The pole was the Finn&#39;s second in a row, after Brazil two weeks ago, and fourth of the campaign. Hamilton had been aiming for his 12th of the year.

Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel qualified third with Australian Daniel Ricciardo lining up alongside him on the second row of the grid for Red Bull.

Hamilton won his fourth title in Mexico last month while Mercedes clinched their fourth successive constructors&#39; championship with three races to spare.

Valtteri Bottas denied quadruple world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton the final pole position of the Formula One season on Saturday, leading a Mercedes one-two in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying

Valtteri Bottas denied quadruple world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton the final pole position of the Formula One season on Saturday, leading a Mercedes one-two in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying. The pole was the Finn's second in a row, after Brazil two weeks ago, and fourth of the campaign. Hamilton had been aiming for his 12th of the year. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel qualified third with Australian Daniel Ricciardo lining up alongside him on the second row of the grid for Red Bull. Hamilton won his fourth title in Mexico last month while Mercedes clinched their fourth successive constructors' championship with three races to spare.

Formula One: Bottas denies Hamilton final pole of 2017

Four times world champion Lewis Hamilton ended the final practice session of the Formula One season with an Abu Dhabi track record and a Mercedes one-two at the top of the timesheets on Saturday.

The Briton, who clinched the title in Mexico last month, lapped in one minute 37.627 seconds with Finnish team-mate Valtteri Bottas second and 0.273 slower.

Hamilton, who won at Yas Marina from pole position last year, had set the previous track record of 1:37.877 in Friday practice.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/formula-one-bottas-shines-on-troubled-day-for-mercedes-and-hamilton-24013">Bottas shines on a troubled day for a Mercedes and Hamilton</a>

<ul>
</ul>

Ferrari&#39;s Kimi Raikkonen was third fastest, ahead of team-mate and four times champion Sebastian Vettel but half a second behind Hamilton.

The conditions will be different for the later qualifying and Sunday`s floodlit dusk-to-dark race, however.

Vettel is second in the championship, 22 points clear of Bottas and set to become the first non-Mercedes driver in four years to finish the season in the top two.

Hamilton, who can take his 12th pole of the season later on Saturday, is aiming to round out the year with a 10th victory.

The Red Bull pairing of Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Dutch 20-year-old Max Verstappen were fifth and sixth with McLaren`s Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne seventh and eighth.

The virtual safety car was activated midway through the session when a large white umbrella blew onto the track and had to be retrieved by a marshal.&nbsp;

Hamilton, who won at Yas Marina from pole position last year, had set the previous track record of 1:37.877 in Friday practice

Four times world champion Lewis Hamilton ended the final practice session of the Formula One season with an Abu Dhabi track record and a Mercedes one-two at the top of the timesheets on Saturday. The Briton, who clinched the title in Mexico last month, lapped in one minute 37.627 seconds with Finnish team-mate Valtteri Bottas second and 0.273 slower. Hamilton, who won at Yas Marina from pole position last year, had set the previous track record of 1:37.877 in Friday practice. Also read: Bottas shines on a troubled day for a Mercedes and Hamilton Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was third fastest, ahead of team-mate and four times champion Sebastian Vettel but half a second behind Hamilton. The conditions will be different for the later qualifying and Sunday`s floodlit dusk-to-dark race, however. Vettel is second in the championship, 22 points clear of Bottas and set to become the first non-Mercedes driver in four years to finish the season in the top two. Hamilton, who can take his 12th pole of the season later on Saturday, is aiming to round out the year with a 10th victory. The Red Bull pairing of Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Dutch 20-year-old Max Verstappen were fifth and sixth with McLaren`s Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne seventh and eighth. The virtual safety car was activated midway through the session when a large white umbrella blew onto the track and had to be retrieved by a marshal.

Formula One: Hamilton ends the final practice of the season

Formula One legend&nbsp;Michael Schumacher&#39;s Grand Prix-winning Ferrari was sold for US$7.5 million in New York on Thursday.&nbsp;

According to Sotheby, the sale has set an auction record for a&nbsp;modern-era Formula One car. It said that&nbsp;it was the first time that a rare automobile was included in an art auction and the decision appeared popular.

Gregoire Billault, senior Sotheby&#39;s vice president, called it &quot;the very best racing car ever sold at an auction.&quot;

Bidding for the&nbsp;seven-time world champion&#39;s 2001 Ferrari F2001 was high on drama with bidders showing a lot of interest in the car.&nbsp;The sale soared past its&nbsp;pre-sale estimate of US$4 to 5 million at Sotheby&#39;s flagship post-war and contemporary November evening art sale.

On Wednesday, another landmark auction sale was recorded by Christie&#39;s by selling a painting of<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/da-vinci-portrait-of-christ-sells-for-record-4503-mln-in-new-york-24337" target="_blank"> Christ by&nbsp;Leonardo da Vinci for a record US$450.3 million</a>.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-one-hamilton-eyes-schumacher-record-in-200th-race-19413">Hamilton eyes Schumacher record in 200th race</a> 
 
&nbsp;Michael Schumacher, the German racing legend has not made any public appearances since suffering&nbsp;serious head injuries in a skiing accident in 2013.&nbsp;His record of seven titles and 91 career victories remains unchallenged.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The bid went past its pre-sale estimate of US$4 to 5 million

Formula One legend Michael Schumacher's Grand Prix-winning Ferrari was sold for US$7.5 million in New York on Thursday. According to Sotheby, the sale has set an auction record for a modern-era Formula One car. It said that it was the first time that a rare automobile was included in an art auction and the decision appeared popular. Gregoire Billault, senior Sotheby's vice president, called it "the very best racing car ever sold at an auction." Bidding for the seven-time world champion's 2001 Ferrari F2001 was high on drama with bidders showing a lot of interest in the car. The sale soared past its pre-sale estimate of US$4 to 5 million at Sotheby's flagship post-war and contemporary November evening art sale. On Wednesday, another landmark auction sale was recorded by Christie's by selling a painting of Christ by Leonardo da Vinci for a record US$450.3 million. Also Read: Hamilton eyes Schumacher record in 200th race Michael Schumacher, the German racing legend has not made any public appearances since suffering serious head injuries in a skiing accident in 2013. His record of seven titles and 91 career victories remains unchallenged.

Michael Schumacher's Grand Prix-winning Ferrari sold for US$7.5 million in auction

Valtteri Bottas allowed himself a roar of delight on Saturday when he claimed pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton had crashed out of contention.

The 28-year-old Finn said he was delighted to succeed because he had promised to take pole to boost spirits in the team after some members had been robbed at gunpoint on Friday when they left the track in a mini-bus.

&ldquo;I spoke with them this morning and I said we were going to put it on pole position and cheer everyone up, so I&rsquo;m glad we did that,&quot; said Bottas.

&ldquo;First of all, I&rsquo;m happy everyone is in one piece and nothing physical happened to anyone, but it was a pretty bad situation to be in and I&rsquo;m happy everybody is still here.&quot;

Bottas&rsquo;s pole brought to an end a difficult period during which he had slid out of contention for the drivers&rsquo; championship and been out-qualified by Hamilton at every race since the mid-season break in August.

&ldquo;For sure, it has been more difficult, sometimes better, but that&rsquo;s how it goes in racing,&quot; added Bottas, who said he felt a duty to perform for the team especially after Hamilton, who clinched his fourth drivers world title in Mexico two weeks ago, spun off into the barriers on his first flying lap in Q1.

Hamilton was relegated to the back of the grid and then discovered he will start Sunday&#39;s race from the pit lane after Mercedes decided that they would have to take his car out parc ferme to carry out repairs.

&ldquo;I think the performance line, for me, in the last few races has been all the way going up,&quot; added Bottas.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just feeling better and better with the car, we&rsquo;ve just been working hard on the issues we&rsquo;ve been having.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been learning a lot, getting better, learning from the mistakes and the tricky sessions. The last few weekends have been a lot better in qualifying -- there were just a couple of hundredths of a second between Lewis and me.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s also been the case all weekend here so it was a shame he wasn&#39;t in Q3, but I&rsquo;m still very pleased with my performance.&quot;

With Hamilton eliminated, Bottas rose to the challenge and outpaced the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel to grab his third pole position.&nbsp;

Bottas trails second placed Vettel by 15 points in the championship and hopes to overhaul him for runners-up spot with two races left. &nbsp;

It brought him a well-deserved moment of pleasure on a challenging day for champions Mercedes. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Hamilton, struggling with a cold, tweeted about the violent incident before his team made an official statement confirming it had taken place.&nbsp;

No-one was hurt, but shots were fired and valuables were stolen. &nbsp;

He urged teams and organisers to intensify security arrangements.

Then, on his first flying lap, he lost control of his car and spun into the barriers.

&ldquo;It happened really quick,&quot; said Hamilton. &quot;It is what it is. Of course, it&rsquo;s unfortunate&hellip;

&ldquo;I tend to just look at it as -- challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them makes life meaningful. I just need to take whatever bubble of negativity comes from that experience and move forwards and try and grow from it.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very unusual from me, but it shows we are all human and things happen. I will try to have as much fun as possible tomorrow (in the race). Years ago, I came from quite far behind and had a great race here.&rdquo;

Hamilton may also have remembered that he battled to finish fifth with a passing move on the final corner of the final lap that brought him his first championship in 2008.

Valtteri Bottas allowed himself a roar of delight on Saturday when he claimed pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton had crashed out of contention

Valtteri Bottas allowed himself a roar of delight on Saturday when he claimed pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton had crashed out of contention. The 28-year-old Finn said he was delighted to succeed because he had promised to take pole to boost spirits in the team after some members had been robbed at gunpoint on Friday when they left the track in a mini-bus. “I spoke with them this morning and I said we were going to put it on pole position and cheer everyone up, so I’m glad we did that," said Bottas. “First of all, I’m happy everyone is in one piece and nothing physical happened to anyone, but it was a pretty bad situation to be in and I’m happy everybody is still here." Bottas’s pole brought to an end a difficult period during which he had slid out of contention for the drivers’ championship and been out-qualified by Hamilton at every race since the mid-season break in August. “For sure, it has been more difficult, sometimes better, but that’s how it goes in racing," added Bottas, who said he felt a duty to perform for the team especially after Hamilton, who clinched his fourth drivers world title in Mexico two weeks ago, spun off into the barriers on his first flying lap in Q1. Hamilton was relegated to the back of the grid and then discovered he will start Sunday's race from the pit lane after Mercedes decided that they would have to take his car out parc ferme to carry out repairs. “I think the performance line, for me, in the last few races has been all the way going up," added Bottas. “I’m just feeling better and better with the car, we’ve just been working hard on the issues we’ve been having. “We’ve been learning a lot, getting better, learning from the mistakes and the tricky sessions. The last few weekends have been a lot better in qualifying -- there were just a couple of hundredths of a second between Lewis and me. “It’s also been the case all weekend here so it was a shame he wasn't in Q3, but I’m still very pleased with my performance." With Hamilton eliminated, Bottas rose to the challenge and outpaced the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel to grab his third pole position. Bottas trails second placed Vettel by 15 points in the championship and hopes to overhaul him for runners-up spot with two races left. It brought him a well-deserved moment of pleasure on a challenging day for champions Mercedes. Hamilton, struggling with a cold, tweeted about the violent incident before his team made an official statement confirming it had taken place. No-one was hurt, but shots were fired and valuables were stolen. He urged teams and organisers to intensify security arrangements. Then, on his first flying lap, he lost control of his car and spun into the barriers. “It happened really quick," said Hamilton. "It is what it is. Of course, it’s unfortunate… “I tend to just look at it as -- challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them makes life meaningful. I just need to take whatever bubble of negativity comes from that experience and move forwards and try and grow from it. “It’s very unusual from me, but it shows we are all human and things happen. I will try to have as much fun as possible tomorrow (in the race). Years ago, I came from quite far behind and had a great race here.” Hamilton may also have remembered that he battled to finish fifth with a passing move on the final corner of the final lap that brought him his first championship in 2008.

Formula One: Bottas shines on a troubled day for Mercedes and Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton struck a huge psychological blow in the Formula One title race Saturday with a sizzling qualifying drive to take pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Briton, who leads Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel by 34 points with five races left, steered his Mercedes to a sizzling track record of one minute, 27.319 seconds -- a remarkable 10th pole in 16 races this season.

Valtteri Bottas clocked the second-best time, but Vettel will join Hamilton on the front row after the Finn incurred a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change to his Mercedes on Friday.

&quot;The car is crazy here,&quot; said Hamilton after his 71st career pole, and first at Suzuka.

&quot;This track has always been one of the greatest and with this car it&#39;s just mind-blowing,&quot; added the triple world champion, looking to hit back in Japan after being stunned by Red Bull&#39;s Max Verstappen in Malaysia last weekend.

&quot;It&#39;s just insane speeds that this car is throwing us around inside and the way you can throw the car around is like the craziest roller-coaster ride.

&quot;It&#39;s incredible, it&#39;s been 10 years trying to get that pole position -- 10th time lucky!&quot;

A three-time winner of the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton fired a clear warning to Vettel, who realistically needs to win this weekend to revive his fading title hopes.

&quot;The car is a lot different this weekend and a lot more enjoyable to drive,&quot; said Hamilton.

&quot;It&#39;s definitely great when it comes together like this. Naturally, the Ferraris will be rapid tomorrow but the plan is to keep them behind.&quot; 
 
Vettel, who finished fourth in Malaysia after starting from last, set the tempo in Friday&#39;s rain-hit practice but was well off the pace in qualifying.

&quot;I tried everything on that last lap as I knew I had to take a bit more risks,&quot; said the German.

&quot;I knew that we&#39;d be on the front row because of Valtteri&#39;s penalty so I&#39;m pretty happy.&quot;

Daniel Ricciardo was fourth fastest, followed by Verstappen -- putting the two Red Bulls on the second row.

The Force India pair of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez start on row three with Bottas and the Williams of Felipe Massa behind them on row four.

Ferrari&#39;s Kimi Raikkonen qualified sixth quickest has also been demoted five places after switching his gearbox following a shunt in Saturday&#39;s practice.

There were more hair-raising moments in qualifying as Bottas, who crashed in the morning&#39;s free practice, almost lost control again early on.

&quot;It&#39;s been a tricky weekend,&quot; said Bottas, who confessed to having a crisis of confidence after finishing fifth in Malaysia. &quot;The incident in practice made a massive difference.&quot;

Romain Grosjean provided the biggest scare in qualifying when he smashed into a wall, mangling his Haas machine.

&quot;I don&#39;t know what happened,&quot; barked Grosjean over team radio. &quot;The car just went on a massive snap.&quot;

Former world champion Fernando Alonso out-qualified McLaren teammate Stoffel Vandoorne but it mattered little as the Spaniard will start the race from last after changing his engine overnight. 
As a result, Vandoorne will be promoted from 11th to 10th on the starting grid.

Hamilton steered his Mercedes to a sizzling track record of one minute, 27.319 seconds

Lewis Hamilton struck a huge psychological blow in the Formula One title race Saturday with a sizzling qualifying drive to take pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Briton, who leads Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 34 points with five races left, steered his Mercedes to a sizzling track record of one minute, 27.319 seconds -- a remarkable 10th pole in 16 races this season. Valtteri Bottas clocked the second-best time, but Vettel will join Hamilton on the front row after the Finn incurred a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change to his Mercedes on Friday. "The car is crazy here," said Hamilton after his 71st career pole, and first at Suzuka. "This track has always been one of the greatest and with this car it's just mind-blowing," added the triple world champion, looking to hit back in Japan after being stunned by Red Bull's Max Verstappen in Malaysia last weekend. "It's just insane speeds that this car is throwing us around inside and the way you can throw the car around is like the craziest roller-coaster ride. "It's incredible, it's been 10 years trying to get that pole position -- 10th time lucky!" A three-time winner of the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton fired a clear warning to Vettel, who realistically needs to win this weekend to revive his fading title hopes. "The car is a lot different this weekend and a lot more enjoyable to drive," said Hamilton. "It's definitely great when it comes together like this. Naturally, the Ferraris will be rapid tomorrow but the plan is to keep them behind." Vettel, who finished fourth in Malaysia after starting from last, set the tempo in Friday's rain-hit practice but was well off the pace in qualifying. "I tried everything on that last lap as I knew I had to take a bit more risks," said the German. "I knew that we'd be on the front row because of Valtteri's penalty so I'm pretty happy." Daniel Ricciardo was fourth fastest, followed by Verstappen -- putting the two Red Bulls on the second row. The Force India pair of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez start on row three with Bottas and the Williams of Felipe Massa behind them on row four. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen qualified sixth quickest has also been demoted five places after switching his gearbox following a shunt in Saturday's practice. There were more hair-raising moments in qualifying as Bottas, who crashed in the morning's free practice, almost lost control again early on. "It's been a tricky weekend," said Bottas, who confessed to having a crisis of confidence after finishing fifth in Malaysia. "The incident in practice made a massive difference." Romain Grosjean provided the biggest scare in qualifying when he smashed into a wall, mangling his Haas machine. "I don't know what happened," barked Grosjean over team radio. "The car just went on a massive snap." Former world champion Fernando Alonso out-qualified McLaren teammate Stoffel Vandoorne but it mattered little as the Spaniard will start the race from last after changing his engine overnight. As a result, Vandoorne will be promoted from 11th to 10th on the starting grid.

Formula One: Hamilton hits back with 'crazy' Japan pole

The Singapore Grand Prix is set to stay on the&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;One&nbsp;calendar until 2021, the sport and race organisers confirmed on Friday, after agreeing to a four-year contract extension.

Sunday&#39;s race in the city-state would otherwise have been the last.

&quot;I&#39;m very glad that all the parties concerned have been able to agree on commercial terms for an extension as&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;One&nbsp;and, I believe, Singapore has been good for each other,&quot; Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran told reporters at the Marina Bay street circuit.

&quot;Over the past decade the Singapore race has introduced many innovative elements and become an iconic and highly anticipated event on the F1 calendar,&quot; he said.

The sport&#39;s first night race is marking its 10th anniversary this year and has established itself as one&nbsp;of the most popular and glamorous of&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;One&#39;s events.

Cars drive around a floodlit street circuit through the heart of Singapore against a backdrop of glittering skyscrapers while spectators are entertained by headline music acts. Calvin Harris, Ariana Grande, and Seal are on the bill this year.

The race, which will remain 60 percent funded by the government, costs some S$150 million ($111.58 million) to put on every year but Industry Minister Iswaran said that would be going down to S$135 million a year.

It has also contributed S$1.4 billion in tourism receipts to Singapore over the past decade and drawn over 450,000 international visitors, including projected arrivals for this year&rsquo;s race, according to the Singapore Tourism Board.

Ticket sales for this year&#39;s race are 19 percent up.

Formula&nbsp;One&nbsp;Chief Executive Chase Carey described the race as a &quot;signature&quot; event.

&quot;We are very pleased that it will continue to feature on the calendar for a further four years,&quot; he added.

Singapore, along with China, had been listed on&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;One&#39;s 21-race calendar for next year with an asterisk as subject to confirmation. The new deal removes that doubt and also secure Formula&nbsp;One&#39;s future in the region.

Neighbouring Malaysia also hosts a Grand Prix but next month&rsquo;s race at Sepang is set to be the last.

When asked whether Singapore had come away with a cheaper deal, Carey and Iswaran declined to comment on details.

&quot;We want the Singapore race to be accorded its due importance and position in the context of the F1 calendar because of the value we think it brings to the overall sport,&quot; said Iswaran.

&quot;Beyond that, the tipping point comes down to a basic analysis of where is the value proposition, can we sustain this going forward and that&rsquo;s what a lot of the commercial terms were about.&quot;

The Singapore Grand Prix is set to stay on the Formula One calendar until 2021, the sport and race organisers confirmed on Friday

The Singapore Grand Prix is set to stay on the Formula One calendar until 2021, the sport and race organisers confirmed on Friday, after agreeing to a four-year contract extension. Sunday's race in the city-state would otherwise have been the last. "I'm very glad that all the parties concerned have been able to agree on commercial terms for an extension as Formula One and, I believe, Singapore has been good for each other," Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran told reporters at the Marina Bay street circuit. "Over the past decade the Singapore race has introduced many innovative elements and become an iconic and highly anticipated event on the F1 calendar," he said. The sport's first night race is marking its 10th anniversary this year and has established itself as one of the most popular and glamorous of Formula One's events. Cars drive around a floodlit street circuit through the heart of Singapore against a backdrop of glittering skyscrapers while spectators are entertained by headline music acts. Calvin Harris, Ariana Grande, and Seal are on the bill this year. The race, which will remain 60 percent funded by the government, costs some S$150 million ($111.58 million) to put on every year but Industry Minister Iswaran said that would be going down to S$135 million a year. It has also contributed S$1.4 billion in tourism receipts to Singapore over the past decade and drawn over 450,000 international visitors, including projected arrivals for this year’s race, according to the Singapore Tourism Board. Ticket sales for this year's race are 19 percent up. Formula One Chief Executive Chase Carey described the race as a "signature" event. "We are very pleased that it will continue to feature on the calendar for a further four years," he added. Singapore, along with China, had been listed on Formula One's 21-race calendar for next year with an asterisk as subject to confirmation. The new deal removes that doubt and also secure Formula One's future in the region. Neighbouring Malaysia also hosts a Grand Prix but next month’s race at Sepang is set to be the last. When asked whether Singapore had come away with a cheaper deal, Carey and Iswaran declined to comment on details. "We want the Singapore race to be accorded its due importance and position in the context of the F1 calendar because of the value we think it brings to the overall sport," said Iswaran. "Beyond that, the tipping point comes down to a basic analysis of where is the value proposition, can we sustain this going forward and that’s what a lot of the commercial terms were about."

Singapore secures F1 future until 2021

McLaren on Friday said they would drop Honda engines in favour of Renault at the end of this season, ending a troubled partnership with the Japanese manufacturer as they bid to return to the top of&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;One.

The celebrated British <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/singapore-secures-f1-future-until-2021-20260" target="_blank">marque announced a three-year deal covering 2018, 2019 and 2020 with France&#39;s Renault</a>, who simultaneously unveiled a split with Toro Rosso - who will now be powered by Honda.

The related moves, which had been widely flagged, could ultimately herald a shake-up in the pecking order of&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;One, which is currently dominated by Mercedes and Ferrari.

Honda&#39;s exit is likely to convince two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who has repeatedly threatened to quit over the misfiring Honda engines, to stay at McLaren next year.

As part of the deal, Toro Rosso loaned highly rated Spaniard Carlos Sainz to Renault for 2018, where he will partner Nico Hulkenberg -- with Britain&#39;s Jolyon Palmer elbowed out.

&quot;Today&#39;s announcement gives us the stability we need to move ahead with our chassis and technical programme for 2018 without any further hesitation,&quot; said McLaren executive director Zak Brown.

Britain&#39;s most successful&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;One&nbsp;team have failed to win a race since 2012 and are a long way from challenging Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull.

The vexed collaboration with Honda came to a head this month in Italy as Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne both collected grid penalties and failed to finish.

Vandoorne was penalised before the race after being fitted with a brand-new engine -- and still suffered a power failure.

Honda has been a part of&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;One&nbsp;as a constructor and engine supplier -- on and off -- since 1964, but they have struggled with current regulations which require a hybrid, part-electric power unit.

Woeful sequence

There was no word from Renault or Red Bull on their future together, following reports that the French manufacturer will walk away from their partnership after 2018.

Red Bull and Renault have also been at odds over the complex hybrid technology, whose introduction in 2014 coincided with the end of their four-year hold on the drivers&#39; and constructors&#39; world championships.

Honda&#39;s best finish in the constructors&#39; standings was fourth, in 1967 and 2006, but they powered McLaren and Williams to a string of titles in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Alain Prost and the late Ayrton Senna dominated&nbsp;F1.

The Japanese car-making giant pulled its team out of the sport in 2008 to cut costs to combat the global economic crisis before being saved by a management buy-out led by team principal Ross Brawn.

Since Honda teamed up with McLaren in 2015, the best finish by one of their drivers has been sixth, a woeful sequence that has dealt a serious blow to their reputation.

They will now try their luck with Toro Rosso, Red Bull&#39;s junior partner who admitted the timing of the announcement, late in the season, was far from ideal.

&quot;There are some challenges to face given the time of year but Toro Rosso has faced many difficult tasks with timing in the past and has the flexibility to deal with it,&quot; said Toro Rosso&#39;s technical director James Key.

McLaren on Friday said they would drop Honda engines in favour of Renault at the end of this season

McLaren on Friday said they would drop Honda engines in favour of Renault at the end of this season, ending a troubled partnership with the Japanese manufacturer as they bid to return to the top of Formula One. The celebrated British marque announced a three-year deal covering 2018, 2019 and 2020 with France's Renault, who simultaneously unveiled a split with Toro Rosso - who will now be powered by Honda. The related moves, which had been widely flagged, could ultimately herald a shake-up in the pecking order of Formula One, which is currently dominated by Mercedes and Ferrari. Honda's exit is likely to convince two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who has repeatedly threatened to quit over the misfiring Honda engines, to stay at McLaren next year. As part of the deal, Toro Rosso loaned highly rated Spaniard Carlos Sainz to Renault for 2018, where he will partner Nico Hulkenberg -- with Britain's Jolyon Palmer elbowed out. "Today's announcement gives us the stability we need to move ahead with our chassis and technical programme for 2018 without any further hesitation," said McLaren executive director Zak Brown. Britain's most successful Formula One team have failed to win a race since 2012 and are a long way from challenging Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull. The vexed collaboration with Honda came to a head this month in Italy as Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne both collected grid penalties and failed to finish. Vandoorne was penalised before the race after being fitted with a brand-new engine -- and still suffered a power failure. Honda has been a part of Formula One as a constructor and engine supplier -- on and off -- since 1964, but they have struggled with current regulations which require a hybrid, part-electric power unit. Woeful sequence There was no word from Renault or Red Bull on their future together, following reports that the French manufacturer will walk away from their partnership after 2018. Red Bull and Renault have also been at odds over the complex hybrid technology, whose introduction in 2014 coincided with the end of their four-year hold on the drivers' and constructors' world championships. Honda's best finish in the constructors' standings was fourth, in 1967 and 2006, but they powered McLaren and Williams to a string of titles in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Alain Prost and the late Ayrton Senna dominated F1. The Japanese car-making giant pulled its team out of the sport in 2008 to cut costs to combat the global economic crisis before being saved by a management buy-out led by team principal Ross Brawn. Since Honda teamed up with McLaren in 2015, the best finish by one of their drivers has been sixth, a woeful sequence that has dealt a serious blow to their reputation. They will now try their luck with Toro Rosso, Red Bull's junior partner who admitted the timing of the announcement, late in the season, was far from ideal. "There are some challenges to face given the time of year but Toro Rosso has faced many difficult tasks with timing in the past and has the flexibility to deal with it," said Toro Rosso's technical director James Key.

Formula One: McLaren dump misfiring Honda for Renault

Formula&nbsp;One&nbsp;world champions&nbsp;Mercedes&nbsp;announced what they said was a &#39;no-brainer&#39; of a deal on Wednesday by signing Finnish driver Valtteri&nbsp;Bottas&nbsp;for another season&nbsp;alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas&nbsp;joined from Williams in January after Hamilton&#39;s previous team mate, Germany&#39;s 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, decided to retire within days of winning the title last November.

The 28-year-old has won two races so far this&nbsp;season, in Austria and Russia, and is third in the standings with a 41 point gap to championship leader Hamilton.

The extension was widely expected after four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel signed a new long-term deal with Ferrari last month, removing a leading candidate for the job.

&quot;We gave Valtteri a big challenge this year: joining the team at the 11th hour, stepping up to the forefront of F1 and pairing with the sport&#39;s best driver as his team mate,&quot; said team boss Toto Wolff in a statement.

&quot;With that in mind, his results have been probably even more impressive... the balance of his performances and his upward trajectory made it a no-brainer for us to continue with him into2018.

&quot;For our team, the bonus factors are the respect and sportsmanship that have grown between our two drivers. The chemistry and dynamic between Valtteri and Lewis work and are what we need to take the fight to our competitors.&quot;

Bottas&nbsp;joined on a&nbsp;one-year-deal and his new contract still leaves everything open for 2019, when the driver market is likely to go through major upheaval with several top names in the spotlight.

Both Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are tied to that team for&nbsp;2018&nbsp;but are hot properties while Ferrari are likely to be seeking a replacement for Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton&#39;s contract is also up for renewal and expires at the end of&nbsp;2018, although he has said he expects to agree a new deal.

Bottas&nbsp;at least gets a chance to cement his reputation and win more races.

&quot;Together, we continue to grow stronger day by day, and by keeping up our hard work I believe the sky is the limit,&quot; said the Finn, thanking&nbsp;Mercedes&nbsp;for their &#39;leap of faith&#39; in him.

&quot;Since joining the team in January, I&#39;ve enjoyed every day working with them... as a driver, I&#39;ve been able to learn and grow massively, and we have already enjoyed some really good moments this&nbsp;season&nbsp;that I will never forget.

&quot;Partnering Lewis has also been really good, and I&#39;m enjoying the respect we have and the will to push this team forward together.&quot;

Bottas?joined from Williams in January after Hamilton's previous team mate, Germany's 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, decided to retire within days of winning the title last November.

Formula One world champions Mercedes announced what they said was a 'no-brainer' of a deal on Wednesday by signing Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas for another season alongside Lewis Hamilton. Bottas joined from Williams in January after Hamilton's previous team mate, Germany's 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, decided to retire within days of winning the title last November. The 28-year-old has won two races so far this season, in Austria and Russia, and is third in the standings with a 41 point gap to championship leader Hamilton. The extension was widely expected after four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel signed a new long-term deal with Ferrari last month, removing a leading candidate for the job. "We gave Valtteri a big challenge this year: joining the team at the 11th hour, stepping up to the forefront of F1 and pairing with the sport's best driver as his team mate," said team boss Toto Wolff in a statement. "With that in mind, his results have been probably even more impressive... the balance of his performances and his upward trajectory made it a no-brainer for us to continue with him into2018. "For our team, the bonus factors are the respect and sportsmanship that have grown between our two drivers. The chemistry and dynamic between Valtteri and Lewis work and are what we need to take the fight to our competitors." Bottas joined on a one-year-deal and his new contract still leaves everything open for 2019, when the driver market is likely to go through major upheaval with several top names in the spotlight. Both Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are tied to that team for 2018 but are hot properties while Ferrari are likely to be seeking a replacement for Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton's contract is also up for renewal and expires at the end of 2018, although he has said he expects to agree a new deal. Bottas at least gets a chance to cement his reputation and win more races. "Together, we continue to grow stronger day by day, and by keeping up our hard work I believe the sky is the limit," said the Finn, thanking Mercedes for their 'leap of faith' in him. "Since joining the team in January, I've enjoyed every day working with them... as a driver, I've been able to learn and grow massively, and we have already enjoyed some really good moments this season that I will never forget. "Partnering Lewis has also been really good, and I'm enjoying the respect we have and the will to push this team forward together."

Formula-1: Mercedes confirm Bottas for 2018

Lewis Hamilton won his home British Grand Prix for the fourth year in a row on Sunday while Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel suffered a penultimate lap puncture that slashed his championship lead to a single point.

The Briton&#39;s drive from pole to flag on an overcast afternoon was lonely, uneventful and dominant with Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas finishing 14 seconds behind to secure the one-two.

Vettel, who had battled on worn tyres but looked like securing the final podium position until the blowout, finished seventh with Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen third after also suffering a late puncture.

Hamilton became only the third driver, after his late compatriot Jim Clark and Frenchman Alain Prost, to win the British Grand Prix five times and the first to take four successive victories at Silverstone.

Clark won four in a row in the 1960s, but one was at Aintree and another at Brands Hatch.

The Briton's drive from pole to flag on an overcast afternoon was lonely, uneventful and dominant with Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas finishing 14 seconds behind to secure the one-two

Lewis Hamilton won his home British Grand Prix for the fourth year in a row on Sunday while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel suffered a penultimate lap puncture that slashed his championship lead to a single point. The Briton's drive from pole to flag on an overcast afternoon was lonely, uneventful and dominant with Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas finishing 14 seconds behind to secure the one-two. Vettel, who had battled on worn tyres but looked like securing the final podium position until the blowout, finished seventh with Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen third after also suffering a late puncture. Hamilton became only the third driver, after his late compatriot Jim Clark and Frenchman Alain Prost, to win the British Grand Prix five times and the first to take four successive victories at Silverstone. Clark won four in a row in the 1960s, but one was at Aintree and another at Brands Hatch.

Formula One: Four in a row for Hamilton as blowout hits Vettel

Valtteri Bottas roared to the second victory of his career on Sunday when he won the Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes ahead of championship leader Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.

The Finn, in his first season with Mercedes after replacing 2016 champion Nico Rosberg, came home 0.658 seconds clear of Vettel who increased his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the drivers championship to 20 points.

Hamilton, in the second Mercedes, did his utmost to grab a podium finish after starting from eighth on the grid, but had to settle for fourth behind Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull.

&ldquo;I had a bit of d&eacute;j&agrave; vu in the end to what happened in Russia when he was right behind me,&rdquo; said Bottas, who is now 19 points behind Hamilton in third.

&quot;In the last stint, I had a massive blister on the rear left tyre, so that made it quite tricky. And I think it was the start of my life! I was just really on it today.&rdquo;

Vettel said: &quot;I was struggling a bit in the first part and much happier in the second stint. The last laps were very close &ndash; I think I needed one more lap because he was struggling to get up the hill.&quot;

For Ricciardo, on his team&rsquo;s &lsquo;home&rsquo; Red Bull Ring circuit, it was a fifth consecutive podium finish and the 22nd of his career.

The Australian smiled: &quot;It was a fun race with some decisive moments at the start and then defending Lewis in the last laps. It got pretty close!&rdquo;

Vettel now leads the drivers championship with 171 points ahead of Hamilton on 151 and Bottas on 136, while in the constructors title race Mercedes lead with 287 ahead of Ferrari on 254.

Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 champion, came home fifth in the second Ferrari ahead of Romain Grosjean of Haas, the two Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon.

Perfect start

On a warm afternoon in the Styrian Alps more than 12,000 Dutch fans had descended on the Red Bull Ring to add a festive atmosphere.

As the lights went out, Bottas made a perfect start &ndash; so perfect that his rivals were soon protesting and suggesting he had &lsquo;jumped&rsquo; &ndash; and pulled clear, while behind him, in a cloud of carnage and debris, the &lsquo;orange army&rsquo; sighed as their teenage hero Max Verstappen was forced into retirement under their grandstand at the first corner.

The luckless Red Bull driver had struggled at the start, due to a clutch problem, and was then caught when Russian Daniil Kvyat drove his Toro Rosso into the McLaren of Fernando Alonso.

Alonso&rsquo;s car suffered serious rear damage and he was helpless as he rammed into Verstappen&rsquo;s car. He was also forced to retire, again, with an extravagant shrug. It was Verstappen&rsquo;s fifth retirement in seven races.

Amid this mayhem, the voice of Sebastian Vettel was heard on Ferrari team radio. Given his escape from further Baku &lsquo;road rage&rsquo; punishment in Paris last Monday, it was ironic to hear him call for the stewards to penalise the Finn, who made the most of his second pole.

A stewards&rsquo; investigation followed during the race and found there was no evidence against Bottas, who had settled into a strong rhythm at the head of the field.

By lap 12, the field had settled with Bottas leading Vettel by eight seconds and Ricciardo, Raikkonen and Hamilton, who was the first of the leading men to pit on lap 32, switching to ultra-softs.

Vettel soon followed but Bottas stayed out for a further seven laps &nbsp;when he came in, re-joining second behind Raikkonen, who had yet to stop.

On fresh super-soft tyres, Bottas swept past Raikkonen on lap 44 to take command again. The Ferrari man pitted immediately, re-joining fourth behind Hamilton who was struggling for outright pace behind Ricciardo.

Vettel, second, began trading fastest laps with Bottas, who responded. By lap 51, with 20 to go, the Finn led by only four seconds ahead of Ricciardo and Hamilton.

With seven laps remaining, Bottas led Vettel by two seconds and Ricciardo led Hamilton by just one &ndash; perfect for the tense finish that unfolded.

Bottas made a perfect start ? so perfect that his rivals were soon protesting and suggesting he had ?jumped? ? and pulled clear

Valtteri Bottas roared to the second victory of his career on Sunday when he won the Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes ahead of championship leader Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. The Finn, in his first season with Mercedes after replacing 2016 champion Nico Rosberg, came home 0.658 seconds clear of Vettel who increased his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the drivers championship to 20 points. Hamilton, in the second Mercedes, did his utmost to grab a podium finish after starting from eighth on the grid, but had to settle for fourth behind Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull. “I had a bit of déjà vu in the end to what happened in Russia when he was right behind me,” said Bottas, who is now 19 points behind Hamilton in third. "In the last stint, I had a massive blister on the rear left tyre, so that made it quite tricky. And I think it was the start of my life! I was just really on it today.” Vettel said: "I was struggling a bit in the first part and much happier in the second stint. The last laps were very close – I think I needed one more lap because he was struggling to get up the hill." For Ricciardo, on his team’s ‘home’ Red Bull Ring circuit, it was a fifth consecutive podium finish and the 22nd of his career. The Australian smiled: "It was a fun race with some decisive moments at the start and then defending Lewis in the last laps. It got pretty close!” Vettel now leads the drivers championship with 171 points ahead of Hamilton on 151 and Bottas on 136, while in the constructors title race Mercedes lead with 287 ahead of Ferrari on 254. Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 champion, came home fifth in the second Ferrari ahead of Romain Grosjean of Haas, the two Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. Perfect start On a warm afternoon in the Styrian Alps more than 12,000 Dutch fans had descended on the Red Bull Ring to add a festive atmosphere. As the lights went out, Bottas made a perfect start – so perfect that his rivals were soon protesting and suggesting he had ‘jumped’ – and pulled clear, while behind him, in a cloud of carnage and debris, the ‘orange army’ sighed as their teenage hero Max Verstappen was forced into retirement under their grandstand at the first corner. The luckless Red Bull driver had struggled at the start, due to a clutch problem, and was then caught when Russian Daniil Kvyat drove his Toro Rosso into the McLaren of Fernando Alonso. Alonso’s car suffered serious rear damage and he was helpless as he rammed into Verstappen’s car. He was also forced to retire, again, with an extravagant shrug. It was Verstappen’s fifth retirement in seven races. Amid this mayhem, the voice of Sebastian Vettel was heard on Ferrari team radio. Given his escape from further Baku ‘road rage’ punishment in Paris last Monday, it was ironic to hear him call for the stewards to penalise the Finn, who made the most of his second pole. A stewards’ investigation followed during the race and found there was no evidence against Bottas, who had settled into a strong rhythm at the head of the field. By lap 12, the field had settled with Bottas leading Vettel by eight seconds and Ricciardo, Raikkonen and Hamilton, who was the first of the leading men to pit on lap 32, switching to ultra-softs. Vettel soon followed but Bottas stayed out for a further seven laps when he came in, re-joining second behind Raikkonen, who had yet to stop. On fresh super-soft tyres, Bottas swept past Raikkonen on lap 44 to take command again. The Ferrari man pitted immediately, re-joining fourth behind Hamilton who was struggling for outright pace behind Ricciardo. Vettel, second, began trading fastest laps with Bottas, who responded. By lap 51, with 20 to go, the Finn led by only four seconds ahead of Ricciardo and Hamilton. With seven laps remaining, Bottas led Vettel by two seconds and Ricciardo led Hamilton by just one – perfect for the tense finish that unfolded.

Formula One: Bottas beats Vettel in Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton fourth

Lewis Hamilton revived his bid for a fourth driver&#39;s world title when he cruised to victory in the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

It was the three-time champion&#39;s sixth victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve -- where he claimed his maiden triumph in 2007 -- as well as his third this season and the 56th of his career.

Hamilton took full advantage of his 65th pole position and led from lights to flag to finish 15 seconds clear of Finn Bottas who, in turn, was 15 seconds ahead of third-placed Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull.

&quot;A big thank you to this crowd,&quot; said Hamilton from the podium where the actor Patrick Stewart served as interviewer. &quot;Every year the energy grows! I had my first pole here and my first win here and to repeat it is incredibly special.

&quot;It was a great team performance and a Valtteri did a great job. I am just over the moon.&quot;

It was the Mercedes team&#39;s first one-two finish of the year and clear proof of their recovery after a disappointing weekend at last month&#39;s Monaco Grand Prix.

Bottas said: &quot;As a team we really needed this one-two to get the points and I am very proud of this team and what they have done since Monaco... I knew what I had to do today.&quot;

Hamilton&#39;s win cut championship leader and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel&#39;s advantage to 12 points after the Ferrari man lost out at the start and, after an early pit stop for repairs, fought back to finish fourth.

Vettel&#39;s front wing was damaged when he was passed by Max Verstappen of Red Bull at the start, the Dutchman running in a strong second place until he retired with electrical problems after 11 laps. &nbsp;

Mexican Sergio Perez finished fifth after a bruising battle with his Force India team-mate Esteban Ocon of France, who was sixth.

Finn Kimi Raikkonen finished seventh in the second Ferrari ahead of German Nico Huelkenberg of Renault, with local hero and teenage rookie Lance Stroll of Canada taking ninth for Williams and Frenchman Romain Grosjean 10th for Haas.

Immediate drama

The race delivered immediate drama.

Hamilton led cleanly off the grid as, behind him, Verstappen attacked and swept around the outside into Turn One to take second place from Vettel, apparently clipping the front wing of the Ferrari in the process.

Behind them, Sainz collided with Frenchman Romain Grosjean&rsquo;s Haas and then spun and crashed into the barriers, collecting Brazilian Felipe Massa&#39;s Williams along the way.

Both drivers were unhurt, but they were forced to retire as a Safety Car was deployed for three laps as the debris was cleared.

Hamilton made the most of the re-start and resisted another Verstappen attack before Vettel, his front wing clearly damaged, pitted for repairs.

The German rejoined at the back of the field -&ndash; exactly where Hamilton may have hoped &ndash;- and began his recovery drive by swiftly climbing to 17th.

On lap 11, the action was paused again when Verstappen pulled over and retired between Turns Two and Three, his engine having cut out. This saw a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) signalled until lap 14 when the racing resumed with the two Mercedes in control.

A mistake by Raikkonen let Vettel through to sixth and a chance to attack, which produced a thrilling battle as the Force India men, engaged in their own scrap, resisted.

Vettel finally claimed fifth when Ocon ran off at Turn One, after being blocked by Perez, and the German then ran off again himself and recovered.

With two laps to go, Vettel, a man inspired, passed Perez at the final chicane to snatch fourth.

Hamilton took full advantage of his 65th pole position and led from lights to flag to finish 15 seconds clear of Finn Bottas

Lewis Hamilton revived his bid for a fourth driver's world title when he cruised to victory in the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas. It was the three-time champion's sixth victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve -- where he claimed his maiden triumph in 2007 -- as well as his third this season and the 56th of his career. Hamilton took full advantage of his 65th pole position and led from lights to flag to finish 15 seconds clear of Finn Bottas who, in turn, was 15 seconds ahead of third-placed Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull. "A big thank you to this crowd," said Hamilton from the podium where the actor Patrick Stewart served as interviewer. "Every year the energy grows! I had my first pole here and my first win here and to repeat it is incredibly special. "It was a great team performance and a Valtteri did a great job. I am just over the moon." It was the Mercedes team's first one-two finish of the year and clear proof of their recovery after a disappointing weekend at last month's Monaco Grand Prix. Bottas said: "As a team we really needed this one-two to get the points and I am very proud of this team and what they have done since Monaco... I knew what I had to do today." Hamilton's win cut championship leader and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel's advantage to 12 points after the Ferrari man lost out at the start and, after an early pit stop for repairs, fought back to finish fourth. Vettel's front wing was damaged when he was passed by Max Verstappen of Red Bull at the start, the Dutchman running in a strong second place until he retired with electrical problems after 11 laps. Mexican Sergio Perez finished fifth after a bruising battle with his Force India team-mate Esteban Ocon of France, who was sixth. Finn Kimi Raikkonen finished seventh in the second Ferrari ahead of German Nico Huelkenberg of Renault, with local hero and teenage rookie Lance Stroll of Canada taking ninth for Williams and Frenchman Romain Grosjean 10th for Haas. Immediate drama The race delivered immediate drama. Hamilton led cleanly off the grid as, behind him, Verstappen attacked and swept around the outside into Turn One to take second place from Vettel, apparently clipping the front wing of the Ferrari in the process. Behind them, Sainz collided with Frenchman Romain Grosjean’s Haas and then spun and crashed into the barriers, collecting Brazilian Felipe Massa's Williams along the way. Both drivers were unhurt, but they were forced to retire as a Safety Car was deployed for three laps as the debris was cleared. Hamilton made the most of the re-start and resisted another Verstappen attack before Vettel, his front wing clearly damaged, pitted for repairs. The German rejoined at the back of the field -– exactly where Hamilton may have hoped –- and began his recovery drive by swiftly climbing to 17th. On lap 11, the action was paused again when Verstappen pulled over and retired between Turns Two and Three, his engine having cut out. This saw a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) signalled until lap 14 when the racing resumed with the two Mercedes in control. A mistake by Raikkonen let Vettel through to sixth and a chance to attack, which produced a thrilling battle as the Force India men, engaged in their own scrap, resisted. Vettel finally claimed fifth when Ocon ran off at Turn One, after being blocked by Perez, and the German then ran off again himself and recovered. With two laps to go, Vettel, a man inspired, passed Perez at the final chicane to snatch fourth.

Formula One: Lewis Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to cut Sebastian Vettel&#39;s overall lead in the Formula One championship to six points with a quarter of the season completed.

The Mercedes driver&#39;s 55th career win was hard-fought and tense, however, with Ferrari&#39;s Vettel seizing the lead at the start and in the hunt all the way to the finish as the tyre strategies played out.

The British&nbsp;took the chequered flag 3.4 seconds clear of the German, who did all he could to beat him.

On an afternoon that saw the two multiple world champions in a battle of their own with the rest so far behind they might as well have been in another race, Daniel Ricciardo finished 75.8 seconds behind the winner.

Ricciardo was the only driver not lapped by the top two in a race where both Mercedes&#39;&nbsp;Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari&#39;s Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish, retiring after a blown engine and first lap collision respectively.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

Hamilton?took the chequered flag 3.4 seconds clear of Sebastian Vettel.

Lewis Hamilton won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to cut Sebastian Vettel's overall lead in the Formula One championship to six points with a quarter of the season completed. The Mercedes driver's 55th career win was hard-fought and tense, however, with Ferrari's Vettel seizing the lead at the start and in the hunt all the way to the finish as the tyre strategies played out. The British took the chequered flag 3.4 seconds clear of the German, who did all he could to beat him. On an afternoon that saw the two multiple world champions in a battle of their own with the rest so far behind they might as well have been in another race, Daniel Ricciardo finished 75.8 seconds behind the winner. Ricciardo was the only driver not lapped by the top two in a race where both Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish, retiring after a blown engine and first lap collision respectively. (Reuters)

Formula One: Lewis Hamilton wins Spanish Grand Prix, Vettel second

Honda will supply the Swiss-based Sauber Formula One team with engines from 2018 as well as McLaren in a move that the Japanese manufacturer hopes will help speed up the development of its troubled power unit.

The deal was announced by both sides on Sunday at the Russian Grand Prix. No details about the cost or duration were given, although it is likely to be until 2020 at least.

Honda currently has an exclusive agreement with former world champions McLaren but that relationship, which started in 2015, has been strained due to a lack of engine performance and reliability.

Sauber, a long-standing mid-table team who are languishing near the back of the field after fighting back from a period of financial difficulties, are using last season&#39;s Ferrari engines at present.

Neither they, nor McLaren, have scored a point so far in three races this year.

&quot;In addition to the partnership with McLaren which began in 2015, Honda will begin supplying power units to Sauber as a customer team starting from next year,&quot; said Katsuhide Moriyama, Honda&#39;s head of brand and communication operations.

&quot;This will be a new challenge in Honda&rsquo;s F1 activities,&quot; added the executive in a statement.

&quot;In order to leverage the benefits of supplying to two teams to the maximum extent, we will strengthen the systems and capabilities of both of our two development operations, namely HRD Sakura and the operation in Milton Keynes.&quot;

Under Formula One rules designed to ensure no team is left without an engine supply, manufacturers are obliged to supply a team if they have spare capacity and are asked to.

Champions Mercedes currently supply three of the 10 teams, as do Renault and Ferrari, while Honda have only one partner.

The Japanese manufacturer is still hoping to make big strides in the latter part of the season, with Mercedes and Ferrari enjoying a big power advantage over the others.

Sauber principal Monisha Kaltenborn said the deal was part of the team&#39;s realignment and recovery as it celebrates its 25th anniversary in Formula One.

&quot;We have set another milestone with this new engine era, which we await with huge excitement and of course we are looking for new opportunities,&quot; she said in a statement.

&quot;We very much look forward to our partnership with Honda, which sets the course for a successful future -- from a strategic as well as from a technological perspective.&quot;

(Reuters)

The announcement was made on Sunday at the Russian Grand Prix

Honda will supply the Swiss-based Sauber Formula One team with engines from 2018 as well as McLaren in a move that the Japanese manufacturer hopes will help speed up the development of its troubled power unit. The deal was announced by both sides on Sunday at the Russian Grand Prix. No details about the cost or duration were given, although it is likely to be until 2020 at least. Honda currently has an exclusive agreement with former world champions McLaren but that relationship, which started in 2015, has been strained due to a lack of engine performance and reliability. Sauber, a long-standing mid-table team who are languishing near the back of the field after fighting back from a period of financial difficulties, are using last season's Ferrari engines at present. Neither they, nor McLaren, have scored a point so far in three races this year. "In addition to the partnership with McLaren which began in 2015, Honda will begin supplying power units to Sauber as a customer team starting from next year," said Katsuhide Moriyama, Honda's head of brand and communication operations. "This will be a new challenge in Honda’s F1 activities," added the executive in a statement. "In order to leverage the benefits of supplying to two teams to the maximum extent, we will strengthen the systems and capabilities of both of our two development operations, namely HRD Sakura and the operation in Milton Keynes." Under Formula One rules designed to ensure no team is left without an engine supply, manufacturers are obliged to supply a team if they have spare capacity and are asked to. Champions Mercedes currently supply three of the 10 teams, as do Renault and Ferrari, while Honda have only one partner. The Japanese manufacturer is still hoping to make big strides in the latter part of the season, with Mercedes and Ferrari enjoying a big power advantage over the others. Sauber principal Monisha Kaltenborn said the deal was part of the team's realignment and recovery as it celebrates its 25th anniversary in Formula One. "We have set another milestone with this new engine era, which we await with huge excitement and of course we are looking for new opportunities," she said in a statement. "We very much look forward to our partnership with Honda, which sets the course for a successful future -- from a strategic as well as from a technological perspective." (Reuters)

Honda to supply Sauber F1 team with engines from 2018

New signing Valtteri Bottas put champions Mercedes on top of the timesheets on Wednesday with the fastest lap so far in Formula One&#39;s pre-season testing, while Kimi Raikkonen crashed his Ferrari.

Bottas&#39;s best lap of one minute 19.310 seconds came on supersoft tyres in the morning session, with the Finn then handing over to triple champion team mate Lewis Hamilton (79 laps) for the afternoon.

The time was 0.395 faster than the best set last week, also by Bottas on ultrasoft tyres, and quicker than any Spanish Grand Prix pole position time since the Circuit de Catalunya layout was changed in 2007.

It was also nearly three seconds faster than Hamilton&#39;s 2016 pole time.

Bottas, who did 70 laps on Wednesday, joined from Williams in January as replacement for retired world champion Nico Rosberg.

The Finn&#39;s former team mate Felipe Massa, who was fastest on Tuesday when he did an eye-catching 168 laps equal to 2-1/2 race distances, was second quickest and completed another 63 laps.

The Brazilian handed over the Williams to Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, who managed to stay out of trouble after mishaps last week and did 59 laps with the fifth best time.

Raikkonen was third with a time of 1:20.406 but spent some time in the garage while Ferrari carried out a fluid systems check and he completed just 39 laps before lunch.

The Finn crashed into the barriers at turn three in the afternoon.

Red Bull had to carry out an engine change over the lunch break with Max Verstappen managing only 34 laps - the second lowest of any team in the morning session. With the problem resolved, he ended the day with 102 under his belt.

McLaren&#39;s Fernando Alonso was 3.7 seconds off the pace and managed only 46 timed laps with the team still struggling with their latest Honda engines.

Racing director Eric Boullier told reporters that the lack of speed and mileage was a concern for the former champions with the season starting in Australia on March 26.

&quot;If you are not running fast enough, you do not put the right energy into the tyres, you don&#39;t put the right energy in the brakes of the car, and your ride height targets are different,&quot; he said.

&quot;There are a lot of consequences to run 15kph or 18kph slower in a straight line. But still, we make the most of the data we can gather just by running the car, and that is what we want to see.&quot;

(Reuters)

Double world champion Fernando Alonso continued to struggle, with his McLaren car 3.7 seconds off the fastest time

New signing Valtteri Bottas put champions Mercedes on top of the timesheets on Wednesday with the fastest lap so far in Formula One's pre-season testing, while Kimi Raikkonen crashed his Ferrari. Bottas's best lap of one minute 19.310 seconds came on supersoft tyres in the morning session, with the Finn then handing over to triple champion team mate Lewis Hamilton (79 laps) for the afternoon. The time was 0.395 faster than the best set last week, also by Bottas on ultrasoft tyres, and quicker than any Spanish Grand Prix pole position time since the Circuit de Catalunya layout was changed in 2007. It was also nearly three seconds faster than Hamilton's 2016 pole time. Bottas, who did 70 laps on Wednesday, joined from Williams in January as replacement for retired world champion Nico Rosberg. The Finn's former team mate Felipe Massa, who was fastest on Tuesday when he did an eye-catching 168 laps equal to 2-1/2 race distances, was second quickest and completed another 63 laps. The Brazilian handed over the Williams to Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, who managed to stay out of trouble after mishaps last week and did 59 laps with the fifth best time. Raikkonen was third with a time of 1:20.406 but spent some time in the garage while Ferrari carried out a fluid systems check and he completed just 39 laps before lunch. The Finn crashed into the barriers at turn three in the afternoon. Red Bull had to carry out an engine change over the lunch break with Max Verstappen managing only 34 laps - the second lowest of any team in the morning session. With the problem resolved, he ended the day with 102 under his belt. McLaren's Fernando Alonso was 3.7 seconds off the pace and managed only 46 timed laps with the team still struggling with their latest Honda engines. Racing director Eric Boullier told reporters that the lack of speed and mileage was a concern for the former champions with the season starting in Australia on March 26. "If you are not running fast enough, you do not put the right energy into the tyres, you don't put the right energy in the brakes of the car, and your ride height targets are different," he said. "There are a lot of consequences to run 15kph or 18kph slower in a straight line. But still, we make the most of the data we can gather just by running the car, and that is what we want to see." (Reuters)

F1 testing: Bottas goes fastest as Raikkonen crashes

Mexican Formula One driver Sergio &quot;Checo&quot; Perez joined on Thursday a campaign by the Mexico Grand Prix opposing US President Donald Trump&#39;s plan to build a border wall.

The racetrack&#39;s Twitter account shows a photo of the Force India driver under a banner that reads &quot;#BridgesNotWalls&quot; at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez speedway along with people holding the Mexican flag.

&quot;It represents many Mexican motorsport fans&#39; views currently, it&#39;s a call to action inviting fans to build bridges, not barriers,&quot; the Grand Prix organizers said in a statement that does not mention Trump&#39;s name but is clearly directed at his wall plans.

Trump has angered Mexicans and caused a diplomatic row by vowing to make their country pay for the massive border barrier.

In November, Perez dropped one of his sponsors, sunglasses maker Hawkers, after a message mocking Mexicans appeared on the company&#39;s Twitter account&nbsp;following Trump&#39;s election.

Another Mexican sports star, veteran national team skipper Rafael Marquez, fired a Twitter volley at Trump last month, writing that &quot;No wall can stop us if we believe in ourselves.&quot;

Marquez posted the phrase next to a video of him firing home a trademark freekick from his days playing with Barcelona.

(AFP)

Trump has angered Mexicans and caused a diplomatic row by vowing to make their country pay for the massive border barrier

Mexican Formula One driver Sergio "Checo" Perez joined on Thursday a campaign by the Mexico Grand Prix opposing US President Donald Trump's plan to build a border wall. The racetrack's Twitter account shows a photo of the Force India driver under a banner that reads "#BridgesNotWalls" at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez speedway along with people holding the Mexican flag. "It represents many Mexican motorsport fans' views currently, it's a call to action inviting fans to build bridges, not barriers," the Grand Prix organizers said in a statement that does not mention Trump's name but is clearly directed at his wall plans. Trump has angered Mexicans and caused a diplomatic row by vowing to make their country pay for the massive border barrier. In November, Perez dropped one of his sponsors, sunglasses maker Hawkers, after a message mocking Mexicans appeared on the company's Twitter account following Trump's election. Another Mexican sports star, veteran national team skipper Rafael Marquez, fired a Twitter volley at Trump last month, writing that "No wall can stop us if we believe in ourselves." Marquez posted the phrase next to a video of him firing home a trademark freekick from his days playing with Barcelona. (AFP)

F1: Mexico's Sergio Perez opposes Trump's wall plan

Nico Rosberg stunned Formula One on Friday with the shock announcement that he was retiring only days after winning his first world championship with Mercedes.

&quot;From the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became world champion,&quot; the German said in a statement on Facebook.

&quot;On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time,&quot; the 31-year-old added.

&quot;I took my decision on Monday evening.&quot;

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Mercedes&#39; Nico Rosberg won his first world title on Sunday after beating his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi. (WION)
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(Reuters)&nbsp; 
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The German, who won his first title with Mercedes on Sunday, said he has decided to retire after reaching the pinnacle of the sport

Nico Rosberg stunned Formula One on Friday with the shock announcement that he was retiring only days after winning his first world championship with Mercedes. "From the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became world champion," the German said in a statement on Facebook. "On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time," the 31-year-old added. "I took my decision on Monday evening." Mercedes' Nico Rosberg won his first world title on Sunday after beating his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi. (WION) × (Reuters)

Formula One: Nico Rosberg announces shock retirement days after championship win

Nico Rosberg realised a dream and silenced his critics Sunday when he emulated his father Keke&rsquo;s achievement and claimed his maiden Formula One drivers&rsquo; championship.

But by beating his Mercedes team-mate and three-time champion Lewis Hamilton the usually-reserved Rosberg did far more than that.

In addition to persuading F1&rsquo;s veteran commercial ring-master Bernie Ecclestone to &quot;eat his words&quot; after saying that a Rosberg title win would be bad for business, he left several other pundits chewing furiously.&nbsp;

His father famously won only one race in his 1992 title triumph and a career total of five, but Rosberg swept to the title with nine wins this year.

It was emphatic proof that, despite all of Hamilton&rsquo;s reliability problems, he won the title on merit as much through dogged pursuit as a raw talent for speed.

Despite losing to Hamilton in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, his overall triumph against Hamilton reflected his character -&ndash; his refusal to concede, a relentless competitiveness and a cerebral attention to detail.

It also enabled Rosberg to exorcise the demons that appeared to inhabit his intense competition with Hamilton, a relationship which dates back to teenage karting days as team-mates, room-mates and rivals, which has exploded with collisions in the last four years.

In many ways, Rosberg&rsquo;s success -- and his identity as a champion -- has been defined by his relationship, and differences, with Hamilton.

Born to his Finnish father and German mother Sina in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 27, 1985, Rosberg has raced for both Finland, briefly in his early career, and Germany. Yet, if anything, he is Monegasque and cosmopolitan.

He is a speaker of five languages with dual nationality from his parents, yet he does not speak Finnish thanks to his father&rsquo;s decision to bring him up without it.

And, far from having an easy life thanks to inherited wealth and privilege, he has, like Hamilton, always had a sense that he has much to prove.

His father Keke always stressed a need to be prudent.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always wanted to achieve things on my own,&rdquo; he told The Guardian earlier this year. &ldquo;I hated buying jeans with my dad&rsquo;s money. I&rsquo;d buy the minimum for whatever was necessary.

&ldquo;My mum grew up after the war in Germany and she used to take cigarettes from the floor and smoke the last bit left by American soldiers. They had nothing. She grew up like that.&rdquo;

Like Hamilton, he was once managed by his father, but no longer.

Rosberg began karting aged six. He and Hamilton met as rivals in 1997 and became team-mates in 2000.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In 2002, he moved to the German Formula BMW championship and won the title.

His rise was a season ahead of Hamilton&rsquo;s parallel ascent of motor racing&rsquo;s ladder. As teenage rivals, both dreamt and laughed at the prospect of racing for the F1 world title.

Rosberg arrived in F1, with Williams, via the Formula 3 Euro Series and winning the inaugural GP2 title in 2005. He was partnered with Australian Mark Webber.

Williams had carried his father to the championship. For his son, however, blessed with flaxen hair and an easy charm, it was a harsh school for top-level competition.

The unforgiving Webber dubbed him Britney, after the pop singer Britney Spears. It was a soubriquet that branded Rosberg, only 20, with an image that took time to shake off.

Before joining Williams, he turned down a place at Imperial College, London, to study aeronautical engineering.

After Webber departed to Jaguar, Rosberg grew in confidence and claimed his first podium at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix, sharing the moment with a victorious Hamilton who had arrived in F1 with McLaren a year earlier.

In 2010, he moved to the rebranded Mercedes team created by the German manufacturer&rsquo;s takeover of the 2009 champions Brawn.

He recorded consistent finishes, mixed with accidents, as team-mate to returning Michael Schumacher before the seven-time champion&rsquo;s final retirement and the arrival, in 2013, of Hamilton.

Their partnership ignited the team&rsquo;s current spell of dominance. Though Hamilton beat him to be champion in 2014 and 2015, the methodical Rosberg has become the fourth driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix three times in a row and win seven races in succession.

His championship triumph maintains the virility of his competitive value in combat with Hamilton and caps a happy period in his personal life.

While Hamilton remains single and has a playboy image, Rosberg in 2014 married his childhood sweetheart Vivian Sibold with whom he has a daughter, Alaia, born in August last year.

(AFP)

Mercedes's Nico Rosberg finished second, behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton, to win the drivers' championship

Nico Rosberg realised a dream and silenced his critics Sunday when he emulated his father Keke’s achievement and claimed his maiden Formula One drivers’ championship. But by beating his Mercedes team-mate and three-time champion Lewis Hamilton the usually-reserved Rosberg did far more than that. In addition to persuading F1’s veteran commercial ring-master Bernie Ecclestone to "eat his words" after saying that a Rosberg title win would be bad for business, he left several other pundits chewing furiously. His father famously won only one race in his 1992 title triumph and a career total of five, but Rosberg swept to the title with nine wins this year. It was emphatic proof that, despite all of Hamilton’s reliability problems, he won the title on merit as much through dogged pursuit as a raw talent for speed. Despite losing to Hamilton in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, his overall triumph against Hamilton reflected his character -– his refusal to concede, a relentless competitiveness and a cerebral attention to detail. It also enabled Rosberg to exorcise the demons that appeared to inhabit his intense competition with Hamilton, a relationship which dates back to teenage karting days as team-mates, room-mates and rivals, which has exploded with collisions in the last four years. In many ways, Rosberg’s success -- and his identity as a champion -- has been defined by his relationship, and differences, with Hamilton. Born to his Finnish father and German mother Sina in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 27, 1985, Rosberg has raced for both Finland, briefly in his early career, and Germany. Yet, if anything, he is Monegasque and cosmopolitan. He is a speaker of five languages with dual nationality from his parents, yet he does not speak Finnish thanks to his father’s decision to bring him up without it. And, far from having an easy life thanks to inherited wealth and privilege, he has, like Hamilton, always had a sense that he has much to prove. His father Keke always stressed a need to be prudent. “I’ve always wanted to achieve things on my own,” he told The Guardian earlier this year. “I hated buying jeans with my dad’s money. I’d buy the minimum for whatever was necessary. “My mum grew up after the war in Germany and she used to take cigarettes from the floor and smoke the last bit left by American soldiers. They had nothing. She grew up like that.” Like Hamilton, he was once managed by his father, but no longer. Rosberg began karting aged six. He and Hamilton met as rivals in 1997 and became team-mates in 2000. In 2002, he moved to the German Formula BMW championship and won the title. His rise was a season ahead of Hamilton’s parallel ascent of motor racing’s ladder. As teenage rivals, both dreamt and laughed at the prospect of racing for the F1 world title. Rosberg arrived in F1, with Williams, via the Formula 3 Euro Series and winning the inaugural GP2 title in 2005. He was partnered with Australian Mark Webber. Williams had carried his father to the championship. For his son, however, blessed with flaxen hair and an easy charm, it was a harsh school for top-level competition. The unforgiving Webber dubbed him Britney, after the pop singer Britney Spears. It was a soubriquet that branded Rosberg, only 20, with an image that took time to shake off. Before joining Williams, he turned down a place at Imperial College, London, to study aeronautical engineering. After Webber departed to Jaguar, Rosberg grew in confidence and claimed his first podium at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix, sharing the moment with a victorious Hamilton who had arrived in F1 with McLaren a year earlier. In 2010, he moved to the rebranded Mercedes team created by the German manufacturer’s takeover of the 2009 champions Brawn. He recorded consistent finishes, mixed with accidents, as team-mate to returning Michael Schumacher before the seven-time champion’s final retirement and the arrival, in 2013, of Hamilton. Their partnership ignited the team’s current spell of dominance. Though Hamilton beat him to be champion in 2014 and 2015, the methodical Rosberg has become the fourth driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix three times in a row and win seven races in succession. His championship triumph maintains the virility of his competitive value in combat with Hamilton and caps a happy period in his personal life. While Hamilton remains single and has a playboy image, Rosberg in 2014 married his childhood sweetheart Vivian Sibold with whom he has a daughter, Alaia, born in August last year. (AFP)

Abu Dhabi GP: Nico Rosberg wins maiden F1 world title

Championship leader Nico Rosberg kept title rival and Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton off the top of the timesheets in Saturday&#39;s final practice for what could be a decisive Brazilian Grand Prix.

The German lapped a damp and overcast Interlagos circuit with a best time of one minute 11.740 seconds, with reigning triple world champion Hamilton a mere 0.093 slower.

Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were third and fourth, with Red Bull pairing Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo fifth and sixth.

Rosberg will take his first title on Sunday if he wins the penultimate race of the season, but the battle will go down to the finale in Abu Dhabi if he fails to score seven points more than his team mate.

The Mercedes drivers are the only championship contenders, divided by 19 points. Rosberg has nine wins to Hamilton&#39;s eight.

The weather could also play a big part in Sunday&#39;s outcome, with forecasts predicting an increasing likelihood of rain in the afternoon.

(Reuters) 
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Rosberg will take his first title on Sunday if he scores seven points more than his team mate to win the penultimate race of the season

Championship leader Nico Rosberg kept title rival and Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton off the top of the timesheets in Saturday's final practice for what could be a decisive Brazilian Grand Prix. The German lapped a damp and overcast Interlagos circuit with a best time of one minute 11.740 seconds, with reigning triple world champion Hamilton a mere 0.093 slower. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were third and fourth, with Red Bull pairing Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo fifth and sixth. Rosberg will take his first title on Sunday if he wins the penultimate race of the season, but the battle will go down to the finale in Abu Dhabi if he fails to score seven points more than his team mate. The Mercedes drivers are the only championship contenders, divided by 19 points. Rosberg has nine wins to Hamilton's eight. The weather could also play a big part in Sunday's outcome, with forecasts predicting an increasing likelihood of rain in the afternoon. (Reuters)

Formula One: Rosberg pips Hamilton in final practice

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