South African rookie Binder wins Czech Moto GP page 15

MONday, AUGUST 10, 2020

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Final venue Lusail Stadium’s contruction making steady progress

Venue for the final of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium is making steady progress and is taking shape. It will also become the centerpiece of Lusail City, Qatar’s city of the future. Its futuristic design takes inspiration from the bowls and vessels used in Qatar and the region for centuries. An impression (on right) of how the stadium will eventually appear when completed. (SC) Verstappen claims 70th Anniversary GP win as ‘sleeping’ Mercedes wilt Engineers move Mercedes’ British driver ’s car with AFP blisters on the tyres after the F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone Silverstone in Northampton, , on Sunday. (AFP)

Max Verstappen delivered ’s first victory at Silverstone since 2012 on Sunday when he Hamilton compares made the most of a superior strategy in sizzling conditions to beat both Mercedes and claim tyres to balloons, victory in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. feared explosion It was the Dutchman’s first victory of the season and the ninth of his career and the first AFP time a race had been won by a Silverstone driver who did not start on in seven races since last Lewis Hamilton compared year’s . his Pirelli tyres to balloons on Verstappen owed his vic- Sunday after he and his Mer- tory to a team decision to start cedes team-mate Valtteri Bot- the race on hard compound tas suffered serious blistering tyres while his main rivals all problems at the 70th Anniver- launched from the grid on me- sary Grand Prix. diums, the two Mercedes men Just a week after his dra- Lewis Hamilton struggling to manage tyre-wear matic victory on three wheels, throughout the race. with a punctured fourth, at so they’re like balloons, you During the race, Red Bull Red Bull’s Dutch driver (R) leads Mercedes’ Finnish driver (top) through a corner during the F1 70th Anniversary the , Ham- know? asked him to ease off, but he Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 9, 2020 in Northampton. The race commemorates the 70th anniversary of the inaugural world championship ilton admitted he was afraid “I’m not sure anyone else replied saying “I don’t want to race, held at Silverstone in 1950. (AFP) one of his tyres might explode. struggled with blistering like drive like a grand-ma” before Three cars had suffered we did so we’ll look into it.” the team relented. eighth for ahead of Results hard compounds and Hamil- tyre failures at Silverstone Hamilton said he was Verstappen won by 11.326 of McLaren and 2020 world championship round five : ton, with blisters, took the lead last weekend, but Pirelli nervous in the car as he man- seconds ahead of championship of Alpha Tauri. 1. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull-) 1 h 19:41.993, 2. Lewis Hamilton with 19 laps to go. pressed ahead with a decision aged his tyres. leader and six-time champion On a hot day, the track tem- (GBR/Mercedes) at 11.326, 3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 19.231, 4. “Something’s wrong with to introduce softer tyres run- “That middle stint, even (MON/) 29.289, 5. Alexander Albon (THA/Red Lewis Hamilton who passed perature was 43 degrees when Bull-Honda) 39.146, 6. (CAN/Racing Point-Mercedes) 42.538, the car to make the left rear do ning at higher pressures than in the first one, I started Mercedes team-mate Valtteri the lights went out, Bottas cling- 7. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Racing Point-Mercedes) 55.951, 8. Esteban that, said Hamilton, who had previously, much to the con- to fall back to Max. I was Bottas in the closing stages. ing to the lead from his 13th ca- Ocon (FRA/Renault) 1:04.773, 9. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Renault) an advantage of 11 seconds. cern of many teams. managing the tyres like you The Finn finished third. reer pole position. 1:05.b544, 10. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:09.669, 11. Pierre After his punctured win last The two Mercedes driv- couldn’t below. “I didn’t see that com- Unsurprisingly, Verstappen Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:10.642, 12. (GER/Ferrari) week, Hamilton was worried. ers finished second and “In the middle stint, one ing, but after the first stint it out-started Hulkenberg to take 1:13.370, 13. Carlos Sainz (ESP/McLaren-Renault) 1:14.070, 14. Daniel “The tyres aren’t going to third in an unexpected upset half was bald and the other seemed we were really good on third, the German making his Ricciardo (AUS/Renault) one lap, 15. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Alfa Romeo blow, right?” he asked. result that saw Red Bull’s half was ok. At the end, I tyres. I didn’t have any tyre is- first start since last year after his Racing-Ferrari) one lap, 16. (FRA/Haas-Ferrari) one lap, For Hamil- Max Verstappen storm to his was driving with half a tyre! 17. (ITA/Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari) one lap, 18. George sues at all - a great day for us,” call-up to replace Covid-19 vic- Russell (GBR/Williams-Mercedes) one lap 19. (CAN/ ton, a stop first win of the season and I was afraid it was going to said Verstappen. tim Sergio Perez. Williams-Mercedes) one lap was inevi- ninth of his career. explode.” Hamilton said: “That was At the front, Hamilton piled Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:28.451 table and Hamilton said Mercedes Bottas was frustrated by a massive challenge, but con- pressure on his team-mate DNF: (DEN/Haas-Ferrari) it came on had struggled with their tyres both his tyre problems and gratulations to Red Bull. It was while at the back, after an un- lap 42 when and had no immediate answer his Mercedes team’s strategy definitely unexpected to have forced spin, Vettel slipped to World championship standings he locked up as to the problem. decisions. the blistering (on tyres) as hard 20th and last for Ferrari. Drivers: 1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 107 pts, 2. Max Verstappen he entered the pit “It was a massive challenge “It was frustrating for us,” core as that.” He was back up to 14th by (NED) 77, 3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN) 73, 4. Charles Leclerc (MON) lane. today,” he said. “But congratu- he said. Bottas, who started from lap nine as the pit-stops began 45, 5. Lando Norris (GBR) 38, 6. Alexander Albon (THA) 36 7. Back on hards, he lations to Red Bull, and to “My strategy was far from Lance Stroll (CAN) 28 8. Sergio Pérez (MEX) 22, 9. Daniel pole, said: “Very frustrating for and Verstappen, like Vettel on Ricciardo (AUS) 20, 10. (FRA) 16 11. reeled off fastest laps in Max. They did a great job. ideal and there are lots to me, to start from pole and fin- hard tyres, began to close in on Carlos Sainz (ESP) 15, 12. (FRA) 12, 13. pursuit before regaining “They didn’t have the learn from today. It was an ish third. the two Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel (GER) 10, 14. Nico Hulkenberg third on lap 46 and problems that we had and it opportunity to win, from pole, “It’s not ideal and I think Almost immediately, (GER) 6, 15. Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA) 2 16. Daniil Kvyat then second on was unexpected for us to have and I had an opportunity to that as a team we were sleeping Hamilton admitted “my rears (RUS) 2 17. Kevin Magnussen (DEN) 1 lap 50. the blistering as hard-core as keep up with Max, but as soon at some points in the race. My are finished” shortly before Constructors: 1. Mercedes 180 pts 2. Red Bull- we experienced.” as I started to push the tyres strategy was far from ideal.” Bottas pitted, leaving Hamil- Honda 113, 3. Racing Point-Mercedes 56, 4. Ferrari 55, 5. He said he was glad to just fell apart. Hamilton’s podium fin- ton to fend off Verstappen be- McLaren-Renault 53, 6. Renault 36, 7. AlphaTauri-Honda 14, have survived the race with- “Blistering was an issue 8. Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 2, 9. Haas-Ferrari 1. ish meant he equalled Michael fore he stopped to take a new out a puncture and to have for us and it seemed that Red Schumacher’s career record set of hards. found some pace to claim sec- Bull had none, so they had an of 155 podium finishes. It was This gave Verstappen the er wait than expected. By lap 25, blistering. ond at the finish. edge. Tyres just over-heat. also his record-extending 38th initiative ahead of Hulkenberg he led Bottas by 17 seconds and As if in response, Red “I’m grateful to have pro- It’s basically boiling. You get points scoring finish in a row. and Stroll with Bottas fourth, Hamilton by 20 with both bat- Bull matched Mercedes’ gressed like I did. I was push- holes in the tyres and then Charles Leclerc came home after re-joining, and Hamilton tling rapid tyre-wear. tactics on lap 33 when both ing pretty heavily. you just lose grip.” fourth after a sterling drive for fifth, adrift by 3.6 seconds. Finally, on lap 27, the Bottas and the leader pitted for “The team will work hard Verstappen’s first win of Ferrari ahead of The ‘Hulk’ soon pitted and Dutchman came in for medi- now identify our tyre prob- 2020, and ninth of his career, in the second Red Bull, Lance returned in seventh as the race ums allowing Bottas to pass him Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen lems. Pirelli had tyre fail- enabled him to leap-frog Bot- Stroll and his Racing Point settled to await Verstappen’s before he re-joined and swiftly lifts the trophy on the podium after ures last week - and then the tas and take second, 30 points team-mate Nico Hulkenberg. need for new rubber. re-passed the Finn. winnning the F1 70th Anniversary Grand pressure (tyre pressure) on behind Hamilton in the driv- Esteban Ocon finished For Mercedes, it was a long- In third, Hamilton reported Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. (AFP) them goes up and up and up ers’ championship.