SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020 12

Hamilton ‘super- excited’ to be back Bottas back on top ahead of Hamilton as Mercedes rule was beaten to top spot by Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas on his return to action in Abu Dhabi

Max Verstappen topped• the opening practice Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes GP in parc ferme during Bahrain Grand Prix KNOW WHAT AFP | Abu Dhabi AFP | Abu Dhabi

happy Lewis Hamilton altteri Bottas bounced For Bottas, it was a Asaid he was ‘super-excit- I felt super-excited back to top the times return to his familiar ed’ to be back in action yester- like it was my first Vahead of his returning role as ‘fastest on Fri- day after he was second-fastest day back at school. Mercedes team-mate and sev- day.’ He clocked a best for Mercedes behind his team- It took a while in en-time champion Lewis Ham- lap in 1min 36.276sec mate Valtteri Bottas in practice the first session to ilton in yesterday’s busy second to outpace Hamilton for this weekend’s Abu Dhabi free practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. get used to it again, Grand Prix. The seven-time champion, but the second was The Finn, embarrassed by Haas’s Kevin Magnussen who missed last weekend’s better so not too bad the superior pace of Hamil - Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas drives during the second practice session joined ’s latest race action-packed Sakhir Grand overall… We got most ton’s stand-in George Russell, winner with a penalty after fit- Prix due to a bout of Covid-19, of our stuff done ‘borrowed’ from Williams, at team-mate was men were fastest by a full sec- ting a new electronics package. admitted he needed a few laps last weekend’s Sakhir Grand fourth ahead of ond before Hamilton was called At the sharp end, Verstappen LEWIS HAMILTON to settle in again. Prix, reacted with a determined of McLaren, Renault’s Esteban in for a steering wheel swap. showed his pace with the fastest “I was very happy and grate- Hamilton said he had been showing at the Yas Marina Cir- Ocon, Sergio Perez of Racing The testing over, he resumed first sector time before backing ful to be back out there and impressed. cuit. Point and of on mediums and went top in off when he caught Perez on a to finish the season feeling “I think George did an amaz- Bottas clocked a best lap in . 1:36.479. Bottas then beat him long run. His next lap was de- strong,” he said. ing job as everyone knows,” 1min 36.276sec to outpace Ham- was ninth by two-tenths. leted for exceeding track lim- “I felt super-excited like it he said. ilton, back after a bout of Cov- for Renault ahead of Lance When they switched to softs, its at Turn 21. He stayed third, was my first day back at school. “He was at home in the car. id-19 that forced him to miss Stroll in the second Racing Point Hamilton’s first flying lap – in one-tenth down on the ‘black “It took a while in the first For me, it was definitely odd an F1 race for the first time, by while Rus-sell, last weekend’s 1:36.097 – was deleted for run- arrows’. session to get used to it again, because I’ve never missed a 0.203 seconds. For Bottas, it was ‘heartbreak hero’, ended the ning wide at Turn 21. Bottas’ In the closing minutes, two but the second was better so race in my 27 years of racing. a return to his familiar role as session in the Williams pit after lap ended prematurely with cars betrayed the age of their not too bad overall… We got “One day, I’ll write a book ‘fastest on Friday’. power problems. a twitchy exit from Turn One engines with George Russell’s most of our stuff done.” about it, but for now I’ll leave was third for After warm, dry and sunlit where Gasly spun. power-unit issuing smoke and He added that it had been a it at that!” Red Bull, seven-tenths adrift, at day, the second ‘twilight’ ses- With 38 minutes remaining, it then Kimi Raikkonen’s bursting “bit of a messy day with a lot He said he felt no need to im- the end of a session that began sion began in similar conditions was teams in order with the two into flames. going on, but we came through press this weekend, but want- and finished with tyre-testing as the sun went down, the driv- Mercedes ahead of the two Red The Briton managed to nurse it like we always do.” ed to enjoy the season-closing and was also interrupted by a ers ventured out to test Pirelli’s Bulls and Racing Point’s Sergio his Williams to the pits, but the Asked by Sky Sports F1 event. red-flag period after Kimi Rai- latest prototype tyres on which Perez, who will start Sunday’s 41-year-old Finn pulled up at about his reaction to seeing “I don’t think I need to do kkonen’s Alfa Romeo’s Ferrari everyone had to complete eight race from the back of the grid Turn Seven where he took a fellow-Briton George Rus- any more than I have done this engine burst into flames. timed laps. after collecting a penalty for marshal’s extinguisher to put sell in his car last weekend, year,” he said. His under-pressure Red Bull Initially, the two Mercedes taking a new engine. out the fire.

Managers are paid to handle ‘Failure’ Vettel bids Ferrari farewell the pressure, says Guardiola AFP | Abu Dhabi

our-time champion Sebas- Ftian Vettel hopes to bid fare- well to Ferrari with a smile on Sunday, but has admitted that 14 his six-year stint in Italy is, ulti- races could only be won by mately, ending in tears of failure. during his The 33-year-old German, who six year spell with Ferrari joined Ferrari in 2015, offered a searingly-honest and realistic appraisal of his time in Italy, despite winning 14 races, when he admitted his goal had been to an uncertain future. claim a fifth title. His only hope for a seat next That total made him the season is with Red Bull if they third most successful driver decide not to retain Alex Albon. Pep Guardiola attends a training session (file photo) in the team’s history behind “I have some good options for seven-time champion Michael Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel arrives for the first practice session ’22,” said Perez. “So, if I have to AFP | managers’ jobs are put at risk. Schumacher, with 72 wins, and stop, it’s not a disaster.” “That’s why we get a lot of sal- Niki Lauda on 15. Nothing wrong with saying it re-branded as Aston Martin Others on the move after anchester City boss Pep ary. The important thing is to But emulating his idol Schu- out loud.” next year, and believes he has Sunday’s finale include Daniel MGuardiola said he does know the value of Solskjaer is macher as a Ferrari title-winner He rejected a suggestion that gained from his Ferrari expe- Ricciardo, who switches teams not need to give any advice to there. There is no doubt about had been his target. the pressures of expectation riences. from Renault to McLaren, and under-fire Manchester United this.” “It doesn’t change anything, from the ‘tifosi’ had contributed “Everything that happened Carlos Sainz who leaves McLar- boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Solskjaer’s men got the bet- we’ve still failed,” he told re - to the team’s failings. has happened for a reason. The en to replace Vettel at Ferrari. the pressures of management. ter of City three times out of porters. “The pressure in Italy? The main thing on my side is to make Haas are changing both The two clubs clash in a der- four meetings between the “We had the ambition to fans and so on, yes, it is there, sure that I learned from it and I drivers. Kevin Magnussen is by on Saturday with big rami- clubs last sea-son and for the win the championship and we but ultimately I always set the think I have grown with it. out after Sunday following al- fications for both sides’ hopes first time in Guardiola’s time didn’t. highest sort of expectations on “Overall, I feel much more ready-departed Romain Gros- of challeng-ing for the Premier in charge, it is the red half of “We were up against a very myself and I think I was the first comfortable, or in a better place jean, who has returned home League title this season. Manchester who go into a der- strong team-driver combina- and best judge if I didn’t achieve now, than all those years ago, after his amazing escape from a However, it is Solskjaer who by ahead of their local rivals in tion, one of the strongest we’ve them,” he added. but cer-tainly it hasn’t always high-speed fireball crash at the goes into the game under pres- the table. seen so far, but our goal was to “So, rest assured, when I been easy and straightforward.” Bahrain Grand Prix. sure after an early exit from United are five points off the be stronger than that and, in this stuffed the car in the gravel in Vettel’s move to the Silver- is also expect- the Champions League after top with City a point further regard, we failed. Germany [2018], I wasn’t happy stone-based team means Mex- ed to be leaving Alpha Tauri a 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig on back in seventh, but both have “There’s a lot of reasons why, before the ‘tifosi’ weren’t hap- ican Sergio Perez, who claimed where Japanese Tuesday. a game in hand that could claw but in the big picture, I think py… his maid-en F1 win at last Sun- is poised to replace him in the “We know it,” said Guardi- them right back into the title it’s not unfair. It’s just the truth. Vettel will join Racing Point, day’s Sakhir Grand Prix, faces Honda-powered outfit. ola on the speed with which race.

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