THURSDAY 28 MARCH 2019 SPORT 07 I lost the momentum, I lost the rhythm in the second set. I gave Novak Djokovic him a little room to step in and on his shock loss to CRICKET CRICKET he did. A little hope that he can Roberto Bautista IPL: Royal Challengers International Twenty20: come back, and he made a great Agut at Miami Open. Bangalore vs Mumbai England women vs ACTION Sri Lanka women comeback. Indians TODAY’S Vettel seeks Ferrari boost in Bahrain REUTERS Bottas, having driven what he described do even better on Sunday. McLaren, which STATISTICS FOR THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX MANAMA as the race of his life in Australia to finish counts Bahrain’s Mumtalakat Holding more than 20 seconds ahead of team mate Company among its major shareholders, will Lap distance: 5.412 km. Total distance: 308.238 km (57 laps) Sebastian Vettel (pictured) will be aiming Lewis Hamilton in second place, will be keen be looking for their first points after Lando 2018 pole: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari for his third successive Bahrain Grand Prix to serve up a thriller under the floodlights. Norris finished 12th and Carlos Sainz retired 2018 winner: Vettel; Race lap record: One minute 31.447 seconds, Pedro de la win on Sunday as Ferrari seek to show their Having come within a second of in Australia. Rosa (Spain), McLaren 2005; Start time: 1610 GMT (1810 local). lack of pace in Formula One’s Australian snatching victory from Vettel last year, Bottas Bahrain will also mark the start of the BAHRAIN season opener was a one-off. has some unfinished business on Sunday Formula Two Championship with Mick Schu- Vettel has won four times in Bahrain including the last two, Hamilton twice. No Tipped as pre-season favourites, the while Hamilton,Hamilton, who has taken two of Mer-Mer macher,macher, son of seven-timesseven times Formula One dridriver has won three times in a row at Sakhir. Ferrari have won six times at German and new team-mate Charles Leclerc cedes’ threethree winswins in championchampion Michael and SaSakhir, Mercedes three. finished fourth and fifth in Melbourne, nearly Bahrain,n, nephewnephew of Ralf, makingmaking ThThis year’s race is the 15th edition. The Grand Prix, first held in 2004, was not a minute behind the dominant race-winning will bee his debut in the support run in 2011 due to civil unrest. It switched to a floodlit event in 2014. Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. keen too category.category. VeVettel has been on pole a record three times in Bahrain, Hamilton twice. Albert Park can be seen as something of reassertrt ThThe driver on pole in Bahrain has been the winner in six of the 14 races to date. an outlier but Ferrari hope the more tradi- hiss ItIt hash never been won by anyone starting below the front two rows. tional layout of Bahrain’s 5.4-km Sakhir EElevenle out of 14 winners have been from the team that ended up winning the desert track will allow them to unlock the supremacy.macy. coconstructors’ title that season. The exceptions were Fernando Alonso for Fer- full potential of the SF90 car. Mercedesrcedes team boss The most successful team in Bahrain, Toto Wolffolff said nothing rarrari in 2010 and Vettel in 2017 and 2018. with six wins overall, can draw encour- was wonon or lost at RARACE WINS agement from last year when Mercedes were Albert Park.Park. HaHamilton has 73 victories from 230 races and is closing the gap to Schumach- faster in Australia only for Ferrari to turn the “Whateverhatever thethe er’er’s record 91. He has also won 51 of the 101 races in the V6 turbo hybrid era tables with a front-row lockout and victory Melbourneurne resuresultlt thathat started in 2014. for Vettel. says, ourur mindset VeVettel, third on the all-time list, has 52. That also started a streak of three straight hasn’t cchangedhanged FFerrarie have won 235 races since 1950, McLaren 182, Williams 114, Mercedes pole positions for the German. since tthen,”hen,” he 88 and Red Bull 59. Former champions McLaren and Williams have not won “In Bahrain, we expect to see the effect said. sinsince 2012. of the corrections we have made...,” said prin- “We’vee’ve seen POPOLE POSITION cipal Mattia Binotto, who replaced Maurizio the potentialtential of HaHamilton has a record 84 career poles, Vettel 55. Arrivabene at the helm before the start of Ferrari’s’s package POPODIUM the season. “We are well aware that our com- in BarcelonaBarcelona HaHamilton has 135 career podiums and would need to finish in the top three in petitors will once again be very strong. With (testing),g), so we evevery race this year to equal Schumacher’s record of 155. Vettel has 111. that in mind, we are keen to get back on track expect themthem to comecome ReRed Bull’s Max Verstappen has stood on the podium for six consecutive races, and face up to them.” back strongrong in Bahrain, with Reded BullBull in thethe mix as the longest current streak of any driver. Tipped as pre-season favourites, well.” MaxMax VerstappenVerstappen finished third MIMILESTONES the German and new team-mate for Red Bull in Australia, the Milton Keynes-Keynes- BaBahrain is the 999th race since the start of the Formula One world champion- Charles Leclerc finished fourth and based team’steam’s first race with new engine shship in 1950. The 1,000th Grand Prix will be in Shanghai next month. fifth in Melbourne, nearly a minute partnersrs Honda.Honda. UUnder a rule change for 2019, Valtteri Bottas won an extra point in Australia behind the dominant race-winning Frenchmannchman Pierre Gasly, now driving for setting the fastest race lap -- becoming the first driver to do since the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. alongsideide Verstappen, finished fourth 1950s. Verstappen’s third place in Melbourne was the first for a Honda- for Honda-powerednda-powered Toro Rosso in powered car since 2008. Bahrainn last yeayearr anandd wiwillll bbee hohopingping to Oilers get two hat-tricks in Clippers top Timberwolves rout of Kings to clinch play-off berth REUTERS AP EDMONTON, ALBERTA MINNEAPOLIS Ryan Nugent-Hopkins posted a Danilo Gallinari scored 25 points first-period hat-trick, and Leon and the Los Angeles Clippers Draisaitl collected three goals in clinched a play-off spot on a four-point night as the host Tuesday night with a 122-111 win Edmonton Oilers scored five over the Minnesota Timber- times in the opening frame en wolves. route to an 8-4 victory over the Coach Doc Rivers’ club is Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. back in the postseason after Mikko Koskinen made 34 falling short last year. Los saves for Edmonton, which is Angeles finished 42-40 last five points behind the Colorado season, missing the play-offs Avalanche for the second wild- after making it six straight years card spot in the Western Con- - four under Rivers. ference with six games The Clippers (45-30) became remaining. The Arizona Coyotes the fifth Western Conference have the same point total as the Edmodmomomontonnntoton OilOOii ereersrss forwrwwarda d LeonLeLeoLeon DDraisaitl celebebebratatatet s his firsst team to secure a postseason Avalanche but have played one periperpee odo gooal agaagaiagaga nstt theththehe LosLooss AngeAngngelesl Kings at RogR gers Placacce berth. more game than Colorado. onnT Tuueuesdaay. Lou Williams added 20 Coyotes 1, Blackhawks 0 points off the bench for the Nick Cousins scored the Clippers, who outscored Minne- Los Angeles Clippers game’s lone goal 5:40 into the one. Ryan Dzingel scored in the Steel, 21, now has four goals sota’s reserves 53-25. forward Danilo third period, and Darcy Kuemper first period for the Blue Jackets, in 18 career NHL games. Another Bucks 108, Rockets 94 stopped 31 shots for his fourth who received third-period goals Ducks rookie, Kiefer Sherwood, Eric Bledsoe scored 23 Gallinari (right) shoots shutout of the season as Arizona from Artemi Panarin, Oliver also had a good night, posting points, including 16 in the over Minnesota blanked visiting Chicago. Bjorkstrand and Cam Atkinson the winning goal and adding an decisive third quarter as Mil- Timberwolves forward The Coyotes snapped a five- to blow open a close game. assist. waukee topped Houston. Karl-Anthony Towns game winless streak (0-3-2). Columbus will have a chance to Despite getting the win, Giannis Antetokounmpo had in the second quarter Corey Crawford stopped 28 move into the final Eastern Con- Anaheim was eliminated from 19 points and 14 rebounds for the of their NBA game on of 29 shots for the Blackhawks, ference wild-card spot when it play-off contention when Bucks, who improved to an NBA- Tuesday. who trail Colorado and Arizona plays host to the Montreal Arizona beat Chicago. best 56-19. by five points. Canadiens. Senators 4, Sabres 0 James Harden scored 23 and Capitals 4, Hurricanes 1 Canadiens 6, Panthers 1 Craig Anderson made 35 Chris Paul 19 for the Rockets, Alex Ovechkin scored the Tomas Tatar had a three- saves for his second shutout of who lost for just the third time extended its longest winning streak and are 11-2 without their tiebreaking goal early in the third point night as Montreal routed the season as Ottawa handed in 17 games. streak in eight years to six games leading scorer. Al Horford had period, and Washington went on visiting Florida. reeling Buffalo a 13th straight Magic 104, Heat 99 by downing Miami. 19 points, including eight in the to defeat visiting Carolina in the The win moves the Cana- road loss.