SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2019 16 Bottas recovers to outshine Hami Valtteri Bottas shades with Max Verstappen close behind during the second practice in Shanghai

Both the 21-year-old, third in Vettel sets the pace in the morning, and Vettel are run- • ning a new control electronics first Chinese GP practice package on their power units as a precaution against a repeat of Reuters | Shanghai, China the engine problems that denied KNOW WHAT Leclerc his maiden win at the hampionship leader Valt- Sakhir desert track. teri Bottas pushed Sebas- But Leclerc’s session still came Ctian Vettel off the top of Hamilton and Bottas to an early end, as he parked up yesterday’s timesheets to end in the garage with some 20 min- the opening day of practice for both spun during the utes still to go to allow Ferrari to the Chinese Grand second 90 minutes carry out precautionary cooling Prix with the fastest time for while Lance Stroll lost checks. Mercedes. control of his Racing Lando Norris, fresh from hav- The Finn, who leads team Point at the exit of ing scored his first Formula One mate Lewis Hamilton by one the final corner in the points in Bahrain, was eighth point in the overall standings morning for McLaren ahead of Renault’s and was fifth in the first of yes- Daniel Ricciardo. terday’s two 90-minute sessions, Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly round- set a benchmark time of one ed out the top 10. minute 33.330 seconds in the unprecedented sixth triumph Yesterday’s two sessions, afternoon. with Ferrari tipped as favourites ahead of what will be the 1000th That put him just 0.027 sec- following their Bahrain perfor- Formula One world champion- onds clear of Vettel, who had mance and Red Bull also in with ship race tomorrow, were rela- gone fastest in the morning by Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas steers his car during the second practice session an outside chance. tively trouble free apart from a a 0.207-second margin ahead of Ferrari’s also few spins as the drivers explored Hamilton. His Honda-powered Red Bull But the 21-year-old strug - the opening 90-minutes. had a disappointing session. the limits and got to grips with Max Verstappen was third team were winners in China last gled with what appeared to be The Briton is the most suc- The Monegasque ended the the track. fastest, 0.221 seconds off Bottas’ year, with Tag Heuer-badged problems shifting gears and cessful driver by far around the day with only the seventh-fast- Hamilton and Bottas both best. Renault engines in the back and clutch issues throughout the 5.4-kilometer long Shanghai In- est time, slower than the Re - spun during the second 90 min- The Dutchman displayed a Daniel Ricciardo behind the session. ternational Circuit. nault and McLaren cars of Nico utes while Lance Stroll lost con- decent turn of speed having wheel, and have been tipped as Hamilton could do no better But the reigning five-times Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz trol of his Racing Point at the also gone fourth quickest in the strong outside contenders to re- than fourth having gone sec - world champion can expect a and 0.828 seconds off the ulti- exit of the final corner in the morning. peat that feat this weekend. ond-fastest behind Vettel during stiff challenge in his bid for an mate pace. morning.

Kubica: ‘Good sign’ that Williams feels different Lukaku calls for Man Utd ‘arrogance’ against Barcelona Autosport | Shanghai, China to [the] last two weekends, so have quite a lot of understeer that’s a good sign,” said Kubica, so understeer is kind of a killer who edged Russell in both Fri- here, so we have to wait and AFP | Manchester thing we have to do for the obert Kubica says he was day sessions. see.” whole 90 minutes over there Rencouraged by a “differ- “Now we have to see the data, But Kubica added he was not omelu Lukaku called and not concede a goal and ent” feeling from Williams’s what to do, as the balance is expecting any dramatic change Ron Manchester United score early.” Formula 1 car in China Grand quite different to the previous in the pace of the Williams. to play with “arrogance and That approach worked Prix practice, as the team con- two events.” “If we haven’t done anything confidence” against Barcelona well at Paris Saint-Germain tinues to work on improving its He added: “We just did some to turn it around in the last two as they seek to overturn a 1-0 last month as United made FW42. changes just to understand and months, there’ll be nothing hap- defeat in the first leg of their Champions League history by Although Kubica and his it’s not that we have some im- pening in 12 hours,” he said. Champions League quarter-fi- becoming the first side to pro- team-mate rookie George Rus- provement. Russell sensed, however, that nal. gress after losing the first leg sell again propped up the or- “It’s just something we a few minor upgrades brought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side at home by two or more goals. der in Shanghai practice, the Robert Kubica during a press meet changed in the characteristics to Shanghai have brought the face an uphill battle at the The Parc des Princes tri - one-time grand prix winner have worked in altering the of the car and it seems like it’s team closer to the cars ahead. Camp Nou next week after umph was the highlight of a said he took heart from the fact handling. responding differently. “I think there were a few pos- Luke Shaw’s own goal gave topsy-turvy campaign for the some changes made to the car “The car feels a bit different “Of course on this track you itives,” said the Briton. Barca a 1-0 win in Wednes - Old Trafford giants, but even day’s match at Old Trafford. during the difficult Jose United rallied after that ear- Mourinho era they ly setback and unsettled Er- managed to seal a nesto Valverde’s side, giving last-gasp 2-1 come- Lukaku and his teammates back win at Juventus. Ferrari chief sees shades of father in Mick confidence of a memo - Asked if those rable turnaround in two matches Reuters | Shanghai, China Spain next Tuesday. will play “We have to be- on Bar - ick Schumacher is “very Mick was always lieve and have the celona’s Msimilar” to his famous fa- desire and more mind, ther in how he conducts him- looking at the car, quality than to- Lukaku self off the track, said Ferrari’s speaking to the day,” said the said: Formula One team principal mechanics. That’s Belgium “Yeah, yesterday. very similar to his striker. “Be but I The 20-year-old son of sev- father better on don’t en-time world champion Mi- the ball and think chael Schumacher got his first MATTIA BINOTTO then you they full experience of driving an F1 never know what will car during testing in Bahrain with interest already intense can happen in look at earlier this month. interest in the youngster. football. us. We Mick followed in the foot - “The objective was not really “I don’t think have to steps of his legendary father in to assess the performance in the we played with look at getting behind the wheel of a very first day in an F1 car,” said the same arro- ourselves, get a re- Ferrari, completing 56 laps on walks down the pit lane after driving his first laps for Ferrari Binotto. gance and con- sult and give our all, an emotional occasion for his during private tests in Bahrain (file photo) “More important for him is fidence on the run as much as we watching mother Corinna. the learning phase. Day by day ball (early on). can.” Michael has not been seen in and don’t think he really looked “He was always looking at the he is advancing a completely Second half Wednesday saw Unit- public since suffering a severe similar to Michael,” said Ferra- car, speaking to the mechanics. new challenge in his F2 season.” we tried and ed fail to muster a shot on head injury while skiing in De- ri’s Mattia Binotto. That’s very similar to his father.” Following his European For- the first 20 target for the first time in a cember 2013. “But the way he’s behaving is Speaking in Shanghai ahead of mula 3 title last year, Mick made minutes of the Champions League match “The first time I saw him very similar -- the approach, the the Chinese Grand Prix, Binotto his Formula 2 debut in Bahrain, second half we since 2005, but there was (Mick) after many years when way he’s interested in the car, was keen not to lumber Mick finishing eighth and sixth in the were there. Romelu some promising build-up he came back, I looked at him discussing conditions. with even higher expectations, two races. “It’s some- Lukaku play.

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