SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2014 SPORTS Rosberg on pole as Hamilton crashes

HOCKENHEIM: Formula One leader Nico Rosberg put Mercedes on pole position for his home German Grand Prix yesterday after a brake failure dumped title rival and team mate Lewis Hamilton out of qualifying. Hamilton, who is four points behind Rosberg in the standings after nine of 19 races, ended up sore and 16th after a heavy crash but should start 15th when a penalty is applied to Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez ahead of him. Finland’s Valtteri Bottas joined Rosberg on the front row for Mercedes-powered Williams, with Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa qualifying third on a searingly hot afternoon at Hockenheim with temperatures in the 50s Celsius. The pole was Rosberg’s fifth of the season, fourth in the last five races and ninth of his career, but less satisfy- ing than some. “It’s great, a home race and to be on pole is fantastic,” the 29-year-old, who got married last week and signed a new multi-year contract with Mercedes while also cele- brating Germany’s soccer World Cup win, told reporters. “Of course I would have preferred it if it was an open fight with Lewis, so a little less happy as a result because Lewis didn’t have a shot at it again,” said Rosberg. McLaren’s Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen qualified a strong fourth, with 2009 world champion team mate Jenson Button only 11th, to ensure Mercedes-powered cars filled the two front rows of the grid. Red Bull’s quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel, a home winner last year when the race was held at the Nuerburgring, will line up sixth and behind Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo in fifth place. Victory today would make Rosberg the first German to win his home grand prix in a German car since Rudolf Caracciola in 1939, as well as the first driver in 60 years to GERMANY: Mercedes-AMG’s German driver Nico Rosberg drives to qualify for the pole position during the qualifying session ahead of the German Formula One Grand win in Germany for a works Mercedes team. Prix. —AFP With five of the eight races to date at the redesigned circuit won from pole, Rosberg also knows he has a great Hamilton had been top of the timesheets on Friday, with the accident, with a puff of smoke visible before the car through no fault of his own while Rosberg suffered his chance to extend his lead considerably although the Saturday expected to be another duel between the top spun and was pitched into the tyre wall. first blank in Britain two weeks ago. Ferrari’s Fernando weather could play a hand. two for pole but it did not turn out that way. The Briton Hamilton - who uses a different brand of brakes to Alonso, winner of the last two races held at “It is supposed to be a bit colder (on Sunday), so it provided the early drama when he crashed heavily at Rosberg as a matter of personal choice - stepped out of Hockenheim, qualified seventh while struggling Finnish should make it easier on the tyres. The weather could the Sachs Kurve section of the stadium complex, where the car and was taken to the medical centre before team mate Kimi Raikkonen starts 12th. play a role, so I just need to take it as it comes,” said Mercedes have a grandstand, bringing out red flags to returning to the paddock, declared OK but sore. The Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat qualified eighth for Toro Rosberg. stop the session in the first phase of qualifying. crash continued a run of bad luck for 2008 champion Rosso, with the Force India duo of Nico Hulkenberg and The German had been fastest in final practice, after The team blamed a right front brake disc failure for Hamilton, who has retired from two races this season Sergio Perez ninth and 10th.—Reuters McCoy passes Pipe’s milestone Majka wins in the Alps LONDON: Tony McCoy lowered trainer Martin Pipe’s record of 4,191 winners as RISOUL: strengthened his stranglehold on the the 19-time champion jockey steered It’s Tour de when he gained further ground over his rivals in A Gimme to victory yesterday. the second Alpine stage won by Poland’s Rafal Majka yesterday. McCoy had equalled Pipe’s mark with Astana rider Nibali finished the 14th stage, a 177-km mountain On The Record at Uttoxeter on trek from Grenoble, in second place but beat Alejandro Wednesday, and went one better on his Valverde by one minute as the battle for second overall looks Jonjo O’Neill-trained record breaker at set to go to the wire. Market Rasen in Lincolnshire. Valverde trails Nibali by 4:37 overall with in “The record was just a very personal third place 13 seconds further back after he, fellow Frenchman thing between me and Mr Pipe. He set and American dropped the standard and revolutionised train- Valverde in the closing stages of the final climb to the ski resort ing,” McCoy said of his friend and men- of Risoul. tor. Pinot is fourth overall 5:06 off the pace, 43 seconds ahead of “He is someone I held in high esteem Van Garderen while another Frenchman, Jean-Christophe and we had great times together in my Peraud, is sixth (6:08) after taking third place in the stage. time as his stable jockey. “We’ve had a Bardet’s AG2R-La Mondiale, whose ambition is to win the bit of banter pretty much since I’ve rid- team classification and the white jersey for the best Under-25 den my 4,000 winner. rider, tried several coups on a nervous day. “It’s only a personal thing and I will Knowing that Pinot is cautious of speedy downhills, they be putting in a satisfying call tonight.” pushed hard in the descent from the Col d’Izoard, at 2,360 Pipe commented: “Now, he’s finally beat- metres the highest point of this year’s Tour. en me. All of us in racing are so proud of Bardet and Peraud, followed by Nibali and his team mate him for doing it. “He’s marvellous for our , went ahead. Valverde managed to bridge the sport and an inspiration to all the jock- gap, as well as Pinot although he struggled a lot. eys.” McCoy was presented with a 20kg “We did not just do it for Pinot, we did it for all the overall Lincolnshire Poacher cheese by the contenders. I said to my team to set a high pace in the descent racecourse management in honour of because it’s the way of racing that I like,” said Bardet. “I’m clearly his achievement. happy because I took time on Valverde.” “It’s a good sign that they’re attacking me on the descents,” said Pinot. McCoy was in control at the start of “They can’t do it on the climbs, so they’re targeting my the two-and-three-quarter-mile chase weakness.” Van Garderen was dropped but eventually made it but stable companion Lost Legend, rid- back into the yellow jersey group with the help of his BMC den by Richie McLernon, gave him a real team mates. FRANCE: Poland’s Rafal Majka celebrates as he crosses the finish line at the end of the 177 km fourteenth stage of the fright. AG2R set a high pace from the start of the final climb, a 12.6- 101st edition of the cycling race. —AFP There was little to chose between the km ascent at 6.9 per cent, while Majka showed he was the O’Neill pair jumping the final fence, but strongest in the breakaway group by going solo. Garderen in the chasing group. Majka was under threat by last week after the Spaniard broke his shinbone crashing on in trademark fashion McCoy lifted It’s A Nibali attacked the group of favourites at the 4-km banner Nibali but he held firm to cross the line with a 24-second a descent. “We lost Alberto after putting a lot of efforts into Gimme home to triumph by a length and only Peraud could follow his wheel. Behind, Valverde strug- advantage. It gave his Tinkoff-Saxo team something to this Tour, so we needed to win,” team owner Oleg Tinkoff and three-quarters. —AFP gled and he could not sustain the pace set by Pinot and Van cheer about after they lost team leader said in tears. —Reuters Bardet irritated by focus on battle with Pinot

RISOUL: Young French star Romain Bardet said spots behind Nibali. he was fed up with media focussing on his bat- “Nibali is the strongest but there’s nothing in tle with compatriot Thibaut Pinot as the pair it between the rest of us,” said Valverde. The made new gains at the Tour de France yester- other element in the battle is Van Garderen, the day. Vincenzo Nibali may be riding off to a glo- American BMC leader who is fifth overall. rious victory but the battle behind him for a The 25-year-old lost some time a week ago place on the podium is becoming ever more in a crash and has been trying to recover from intense. that. “I’m looking forward to the rest day, I don’t Veteran Spaniard still sits know what else to say. It was hard in the final,” second overall but he suffered on the final first he said. category climb to Risoul and lost at least 30sec “I feel like I’m not too responsive, I don’t to all his rivals. Bardet, 23, and Pinot, 24, were have the same kick that guys like Pinot have. “I the main beneficiaries as they now sit just think that’s partially due to the crashes but I 13sec and 29sec respectively behind Valverde think I should be OK in the Pyrenees.” Van in third and fourth. Garderen also knows that, on paper at least, he But Bardet reacted with annoyance when is a better timetrialler than all five guys around asked once again about his battle with Pinot, as him. After three stages in the Pyrenees, the local media become intoxicated with the penultimate stage is a 54km race against the potential shown by those two, who sit first and clock. He said: “Bardet kind of has the advan- second in the young rider competition. “It’s not tage of having another teammate on GC (gen- just about me and Pinot, it’s about me and the eral classification) so if he (Peraud) gets up the other big contenders,” said the AG2R rider. “I’m road, he (Bardet) can sit on and they can play pretty happy because I could take time out of with each other like that a little bit. Valverde, and (teammate Jean-Christophe) “But my trump card is definitely going to be Peraud was very strong so it was a very good that timetrial. If I can just stay close enough to day for us (AG2R).” them, I’m pretty confident I can move ahead. He added: “It’s a bit annoying that everyone “I would say if I’m within a minute of them is focussing on Pinot and me, but there’s then I have a chance.” Pinot admitted he had Valverde and (Tejay) Van Garderen. struggled on Saturday, particularly on the fast “I’m lucky because I have Jean-Christophe descent between the last two climbs. but there are three big Pyrenean stages to But he said the battle for second was provid- come so we’ll see how that goes. But for the ing a show for the fans. “I had trouble on the first time today I could really enjoy myself descent but the important thing was I was with going on the attack.” the first group,” he said. Peraud is gaining very little attention com- “It was essential to not lose time. But I’ve got pared to his younger compatriots but the 37- through my worst day on the Tour. “On the year-old finished third on the stage and gained climbs I was conserving energy. From the 24sec on Bardet and Pinot. Lautaret (the first climb of three) I had heavy He is sixth overall and just 1min 31sec legs from yesterday. “But in the end I’m happy. FRANCE: France’s Romain Bardet celebrates his white jersey of best young rider on the podium at the end of the 177 km fourteenth behind Valverde in what is turning out to be an It’s good for the spectacle that behind Nibali stage of the 101st edition of the Tour de France cycling race. —AFP exciting five-way battle for the two podium the level is very similar.”—AFP