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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020

Lost ball leaves DeChambeau in Argentina thump All Blacks for Injury-hit Brazil and Argentina 14‘danger’ of missing Masters cut 15 first ever win over New Zealand 15 resume World Cup qualifying

Lance Stroll ends Mercedes’ streak Stroll takes the maiden pole to upstage title-chasing Hamilton

ISTANBUL: winner Racing Point’s Canadian driver Lance Stroll celebrates after the qualifying session at the Intecity Istanbul Park circuit in Istanbul yesterday ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix. — AFP

ISTANBUL: Lance Stroll upstaged Formula One’s Belgian Grand Prix. for me so it feels good. Feels really good right now.” track limits, struggled through in 14th place. title-chasing yesterday when he The outcome left Mercedes well-beaten on the This is the first time this season that neither Grosjean was eliminated along with his Haas team- grabbed the first pole position of his career at the weekend when Lewis Hamilton bids to seal a record- Hamilton (nine) nor Bottas (four) have topped quali- mate Kevin Magnussen, the two Williams of George , the Canadian saying “it feels equalling seventh drivers’ championship and draw fying. Hamilton can seal a record-equalling seventh Russell and and Alpha Tauri’s Daniil really good right now”. The 22-year-old Racing Point level with seven-time champion Michael Schumacher. drivers’ world title on Sunday if he prevents Bottas Kvyat. In the severe conditions, the teams were mak- driver made the most of drying conditions on a The six-time champion wound up sixth behind Alex from outscoring him by eight points. After Friday’s ing extreme use of their tyre-warming facilities to treacherous track to end Mercedes’ 13 race domina- Albon in the second Red Bull and Renault’s Daniel ice rink conditions on the resurfaced circuit, heavy ensure drivers could find at least some minimal grip tion of qualifying this year. Ricciardo whose team-mate qualified rain ushered in even more treacherous challenges in before the rain relented, encouraging some to try Stroll delivered a dazzling fastest lap in one minute seventh. “Yes, Yes, Yes boys,” Stroll screamed on the which most of the drivers slithered and spun. intermediates. and 47.765 seconds in the closing seconds to usurp team radio. “I can’t really put it into words,” he The Q1 session was interrupted twice for red flags, In Q2, both Mercedes were clearly struggling to his team-mate Sergio Perez and then resist a last added. “I’m shocked. I didn’t expect to be up here when Race Control declared the track was unsafe - keep any heat in their tyres while Verstappen, oozing surge from Red Bull’s . The disap- after FP3. firstly due to the conditions and then, secondly, when confidence, set the pace. At the flag, the Dutchman pointed Dutchman was second, three-tenths behind spun into a gravel trap in his Haas. was two seconds clear of Albon with Hamilton 2.4 Stroll, but ahead of Mexican Perez who claimed his ‘Feels good right now’ The interruptions added 50 minutes to the schedule down in third and Bottas seventh while both Ferraris career-best starting position after finishing fourth “There were a lot of things we weren’t sure about as daylight receded in the appalling conditions, but failed to make the cut to the top-ten shootout. In Q3 nine times in the past. Stroll was the first Canadian to coming into qualifying. We didn’t look that competi- the brilliant car control of Verstappen and his Red Bull Verstappen went four seconds clear of nearest rival take pole since at the 1997 tive in Q3.” His surprise qualifying performance team-mat Albon was on display as they topped the Bottas before Perez, on intermediates, re-set expec- European Grand Prix at Jerez and it was the comes after a difficult few weeks when he had to times, the Dutchman 1.9 seconds clear. tations by topping the Dutchman and prompting a Silverstone-based Racing Point team’s first pole miss the Eifel Grand Prix, testing positive for coron- In the drama, Leclerc slithered through to Q2 switch of tyres for everyone else for the final sur- since, racing as Jordan, they did so at the 2009 avirus the next day. “It has been a pretty rough ride while Hamilton, his best lap cancelled for exceeding prising runs. — AFP Saudi Arabia keen on Liverpool’s hosting women racers Salah tests along with F1 GP positive for LONDON: Saudi Arabia would wel- pushing women in motorsport in Saudi come hosting the women-only W Arabia and we are really taking it seri- COVID-19 Series as a support race for the coun- ously... so hopefully we can get an CAIRO: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah try’s first Formula One grand prix agreement and host it with Formula has tested positive for COVID-19 while on next year, the head of the Saudi Two.” Saudi Arabia’s first female racer international duty for Egypt without show- Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF) Reema al Juffali, who comes from ing any symptoms, the Egyptian Football said on Friday. W Series announced Jeddah, has been competing in the on Thursday a deal for it to support British Formula Four championship. Association announced Friday. Medical Formula One at eight, as yet undecid- Women were not allowed to drive cars swabs on the national team “showed that ed, rounds on the 23-race 2021 F1 in Saudi Arabia until a ban was lifted our international player, Mohamed Salah, calendar. in 2018. At least a dozen prominent Liverpool star, was infected with the coron- Formula Two, the feeder series one women’s rights activists, who had avirus”, it said in a tweet, adding he was “not rung below Formula One, has races campaigned for the right to drive, suffering from any symptoms”. MANCHESTER: Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (right) controls the ball in scheduled already for the Saudi remain in jail. The announcement comes as Egypt pre- front of Manchester City’s French defender Aymeric Laporte (left) during the English Premier Arabian GP weekend in Jeddah on “The bitter irony over a Saudi pare to tackle Togo at home on Saturday in League football match at the Etihad Stadium . — AFP Nov 26-28. “Hopefully we will be one Grand Prix is that the very people an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. The of the lucky countries to host them,” who fought for the rights of Saudi tweet said other members of the Egyptian Premier League goals for Liverpool already lost defender Joe Gomez to a knee tendon Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Faisal, women to be able to drive are now national team tested negative. Salah was this season. injury he suffered while on England duty this president of the SAMF, told reporters themselves languishing in jail,” said observing medical protocols agreed in con- If he is sidelined, it would be a blow for week. The club say Gomez is likely to be side- in a video briefing when asked about Felix Jakens, Amnesty International sultations between doctors in Egypt and Premier League champions Liverpool, who lined for months. And the Reds are counting W Series. “We would like to inspire UK’s Head of Campaigns. W Series Liverpool, a coronavirus hotspot, and self were deprived of Senegal international for- the cost of being deprived of key central our locals and bring them these types founder and chief executive Catherine ward Sadio Mane earlier in the season when defender Virgil van Dijk for what is expected of events. We would like to see more Bond Muir said the 2021 season might isolating in a Cairo hotel room. The two- women racing in Saudi Arabia. not stretch as far as the November time African Footballer of the Year will he too tested positive for coronavirus, to be most of the season after he tore knee “Sport is for all and we are really street race in Jeddah. — Reuters undergo further tests in the coming hours, although he has since returned to the team. ligaments in a clash with Everton goalkeeper the federation said. Salah has scored eight Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has already Jordan Pickford last month. — AFP