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Friday 43 Sports Friday, November 24, 2017 Hamilton targets win as pack scramble for points ABU DHABI: Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes “I’m going to give it everything in Abu Dhabi,” team will be aiming to end an already-tri- said the Briton, who has seen rivals Max Ver- umphant season on a high while the chasing stappen of Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel of Fer- pack scrap for points, positions and prize rari win the last two contests. Vettel will also be money at this weekend’s season-ending Abu keen to impress again and clinch second place Dhabi Grand Prix. Much more than pride will behind Hamilton in the drivers’ championship. be at stake for the middle and lower order He goes into the weekend with a 22-point ad- teams, as they seek to finish strongly and boost vantage ahead of Hamilton’s Mercedes team- their 2018 budgets, in the twilight showdown at mate Valtteri Bottas. the Yas Marina circuit. Hamilton has already wrapped up his fourth Verstappen lauded drivers’ world title and Mercedes their fourth And Verstappen, buoyed by high praise from consecutive construc- Mercedes executive tors’ championship, but chairman Niki Lauda, team chief Toto Wolff will be a threat as he said the team are deter- seeks a third win of the mined to win in Abu More season. Three-time Dhabi for the fourth year than pride champion Lauda last in succession. “Regard- week described the 20- less of what stands in the at stake year-old Dutchman as trophy cabinets back at the best young driver to base, our focus is always enter F1. “In all my many on the next race and the years in motor racing, ABU DHABI: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, left, speaks with Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo of next championship,” he said. “Our goal in Abu Max is the most fantastic young driver I’ve ever Australia during a news conference at the Yas Marina racetrack. —AP Dhabi is quite simple: to give the best of our- seen, no doubt,” said Lauda. “He impresses me selves, to extract the maximum from our ‘diva’ - he is aggressive and fast. The only thing I in her final race and to win. “We saw promising would tell him is to keep his feet on the euros), in sixth, seventh and eighth places in the mula One career on a high note.” pace in both Mexico and Brazil, circuits where ground.” championship. F1 may also bid farewell to the Sauber driv- we had expected to struggle more than we did, While the championship is already decided, Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul, whose ers Pascal Wehrlein and Marcus Ericsson, and this is a positive sign of the progress we the leading drivers may well also be challenged outfit are two ahead of Haas and four ahead of tipped to be replaced next year, and to the have made in understanding our difficulties this by their team-mates Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen Toro Rosso, said: “This race is almost a cham- McLaren-Honda partnership. McLaren are to year. “But we have not been on the top step of and Daniel Ricciardo. While they scrap at the pionship in itself.” As the tension eats up the be powered by Renault next season while the podium since winning in Austin and we are front, it will lower down the field that some of midfielders, it will be an emotional release for Honda will supply Toro Rosso. The final race of determined to change that in Abu Dhabi.” the most ferocious battles are likely to take Williams’ Felipe Massa again as he competes in 2017 may also prove the final event with fully Hamilton was the victor in Texas a month place. The Toro Rosso, Renault and Haas teams his final race before retiring. The 36-year-old open cockpits on the cars before next year’s ago and, like his team boss, wants to end his are separated by six points, and an estimated Brazilian said: “I’m looking forward to it and planned introduction of a ‘halo’ closed cockpit season strongly with a 10th victory this year. payout of around $12 million (10.2 million plan to enjoy every moment, to finish my For- protection system. —AFP “France are clearly the favourites because Davis Cup they’re playing at home, have won the Davis Cup several times before and have a very consistent course’s rapid greens and swirling winds, and team with very good players,” Goffin told AFP. captains face “Obviously being ranked in the top 10 I’m ex- Garcia falters in he duly finished two-under. “It’s tricky... I think the course played a pected to win two points in the singles,” he added. couple of shots harder than they typically are final choices “We’re convinced we can win otherwise we testing start to today,” Rose said. India’s SSP Chawrasia was wouldn’t step on the court.” Barring a major sur- the overnight leader after shooting the day’s PARIS: France and Belgium reached the Davis prise, the other Belgian singles player will be Steve only 65. The majority of the competitors Cup final by quite different routes, but both cap- Darcis. But who will partner Ruben Bemelmans Hong Kong Open failed to make par. Masters champion Sergio tains face similar decisions ahead of the draw at (118) in the doubles? Joris de Loore (276) missed Garcia struggled to find form, starting his noon yesterday in Lille. The biggest question for the last match against Australia because of a knee operation. Van Herck has named him in the squad HONG KONG: England’s rising star Matthew round with a bogey and hitting a double- both Yannick Noah, the French skipper, and his bogey on 10 after his ball rolled back into a Belgian counterpart, Johan van Herck, is the dou- but has kept open the option of retaining Arthur Fitzpatrick enjoyed a fine start to the new Eu- de Greef (181). ropean Tour yesterday, firing a four-under creek. It was a volatile round for the Spaniard bles pairing. In the singles on Friday, Noah will no par round as Sergio Garcia struggled in test- throughout, also finding trees on the 18th-al- doubt open with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (ranked num- though he delighted the crowd by following a ber 15 in the world) and Lucas Pouille (18). Richard Routes to the final ing conditions at the Hong Kong Open. Play- The Belgians are trying to win their first Davis ing in a group with compatriot Tommy fluffed chip on hole eight with a second at- Gasquet (31) seems too far behind to risk. tempt which rolled straight on to the green In the doubles, Noah has generally preferred Cup title. They reached the final in 2015 but lost to Fleetwood and defending champion Sam a Britain team containing Andy Murray. They had Brazel, Fitzpatrick hit six birdies to finish with and up into the hole. Garcia finished one the specialist pairing of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre- under par. Hugues Herbert, who won the 2015 US Open and to work hard to return this time. France are trying a 66 on the par-70 course, putting him in sec- to win their tenth silver salad bowl. They had an ond place one stroke off the first-round lead. the 2016 Wimbledon doubles together. But “P2H” Tour champion has a back injury which caused the pair to forfeit easy route to their first final since losing to Federer, “If it plays like this and I shoot the same Stan Wawrinka and the Swiss in 2014. Belgium score for the next three days, I’ll be very, very After a brief but highly successful amateur their last group match at ATP Finals in London on stint in the US, Fitzpatrick announced his ar- November 16. “All the players are in good shape, were taken to the third day in all of their matches. happy,” said Fitzpatrick, 23, after the opening They won 4-1 in Germany in the first round round. “It’s not easy with how strong the wind rival on the professional circuit by winning without exception,” Noah said. the British Masters in 2015 aged just 21, the Nevertheless, Julien Benneteau, a former despite resting Goffin, although he returned for is and how easy it switches direction. “It’s a the quarter-final victory over an Italy team that tough golf course without any wind, so it youngest player in the field that weekend. He French Open doubles winner who is back to his topped that achievement by claiming the Eu- best at the age of 35, could still rejoin Mahut in the was without Fabio Fognini. In the semi-final, makes it very tricky.” Olympic champion against Australia in Brussels, Belgium entered Justin Rose had predicted following the pre- ropean Tour’s showpiece DP World Tour doubles on Saturday. They played together in the Championship in Dubai last year and, after a quarter-final in April. Belgium will be led by sev- the last day trailing but Goffin fought back to vious day’s pro-am warm-up competition that beat Nick Kyrgios before Darcis beat Jordan four-under would be a good score given the series of recent strong showings, has risen to enth-ranked David Goffin, who showed his form number 31 in the world rankings.—ÅFP by beating Roger Federer to reach the final in Thompson in straight sets to stay perfect when London last week. playing last. —AFP.

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