SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 Alonso lifts Ferrari gloom in Singapore practice

SINGAPORE: Fernando Alonso gave his embattled Ferrari team some welcome cheer by clocking the fastest time in first free practice for the Singapore Grand Prix on a balmy floodlit evening at the Marina Bay Street Circuit yesterday. The Italian giants have endured a miserable campaign to date and are without a win since last year, having changed principal mid- season and witnessed the resignation of long-time chairman Luca di Montezemolo shortly after their home race at Monza earlier this month. However, double world champion Alonso shook off the gloom with a best time of one minute and 49.056 seconds around a demanding 23-turn layout where the Spaniard has won twice before - in 2008 and 2010. Lewis Hamilton (1:49.178) and the Briton’s Mercedes team mate and champi- onship leader Nico Rosberg, a further 0.027 seconds back, were second and third respectively on the timesheets. Rosberg leads Hamilton by 22 points with six races remaining. Alonso is looking to help Ferrari back to third place in the con- structors’ championship after he suffered his first retirement of the season at Monza and saw the team slip to fourth. He has also been forced to fend off questions concerning his future at the Italian team he joined in 2010. Quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel, winner of the last three Singapore races, was a further 0.669 seconds slower in fourth place, marginally ahead of his Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo. Jean-Eric Vergne was a surprising sixth-fastest in his Toro Rosso, in a session where he stopped at the end of the pitlane and briefly stranded the Williams duo of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, who were stacked behind the Frenchman, waiting to head back out to the circuit. Kimi Raikkonen was seventh fastest in his Ferrari with the top-10 rounded out by McLaren’s Jenson Button, Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat and Force India’s Sergio Perez. There was a more relaxed mood in the paddock after Formula One earlier announced a softening of a planned clampdown on radio race HUBEI PROVINCE: A woman reaches out to touch a statue of Chinese star at a park in , her hometown assistance due to be brought in for this race. “Messages con- in ’s Hubei province yesterday. —AFP cerning a driver’s own performance will not be allowed, but the expected ban on those relating to car performance will now be postponed until 2015 to give teams more time to pre- pare,” the governing International Automobile Federation China’s Li Na retires (FIA) said in a statement. The session passed with very little incident for the first 80 minutes of the one-and-a-half hour practice period with just a few drivers struggling on turns two and seven but no one hitting the barriers or suffering major over knee injuries damage to their cars. Raikkonen had a minor incident in the pits with three minutes remaining when his mechanics rushed WUHAN: China’s Li Na announced her Asia, with several new tournaments district of the sprawling metropolis of 10 to extinguish a brake fire on his front right wheel. Vettel then retirement at the age of 32 over persist- including next week’s WTA Wuhan million people is a statue of Li at a local suffered an engine failure after the chequered flag and had to ent knee injuries yesterday, prompting a Open in her home city. In a lengthy park adjacent to the Yangtze River. “We be pushed back to the pits. The second 90-minute session wave of adulation for Asia’s greatest and English-language statement posted on are very proud of sister Li, so we respect starts at 1330 GMT.—Reuters most influential tennis player. Li, the her Facebook page, Li said she hoped to her decision,” said 20-year-old Li Lin, first Asian national to win a open a tennis academy and called her using a commonly used term in China to singles title, said “my body is begging accomplishments on behalf of China describe the tennis star. Formula One me to stop the pounding” as she ended “one of my most proud achievements”. a career that brought her nine titles and Li famously opted out of China’s state Retiring with glory introduced tennis to the masses in sports system and has previously been News of Li’s retirement was quickly revises radio China. “As a professional tennis player, it accused of a lack of patriotism during a trending on China’s social networks with is the best decision for me to leave the sometimes rocky relationship with nearly 19 million messages posted in ban after talks field,” Li posted on her Sina Weibo domestic press. just half-an-hour after the announce- microblog, adding that injuries have “for “After four knee surgeries and hun- ment. Many users reacted with emo- SINGAPORE: Formula One’s governing body postponed the a long time prevented me playing as I dreds of shots injected into my knee tional praise for Li. “Retiring with glory, bulk of a ban on radio and pit board messages until next sea- had before”. “I’ve achieved far more weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, you are always the pride of China ten- son after deciding yesterday that this weekend’s Singapore than I’d dreamed for, and it is my my body is begging me to stop the nis,” one user wrote. In her announce- Grand Prix was too early for teams to adapt to the new restric- biggest pride to have won glory for the pounding,” she wrote, noting that ment, Li acknowledged the rapid tions. Teams were told last week that any talk over the radio country,” she wrote. whereas she has bounced back from growth of tennis in China, noting that it or via a pit board about the performance of the car or driver The announcement comes just seven surgery in the past, “this time, it felt dif- now hosts 10 professional women’s would be considered a contravention of Article 20.1 of the months after Li lifted the Australian ferent”. Li began her journey to stardom tournaments, compared with only two sporting regulations and result in punishment. Open title, one of her career highlights as a seven-year-old when as a young in 2010. “Serena Williams, Maria However, hours before first practice at the floodlit Marina following her historic French Open win badminton player she was introduced to Sharapova and Venus Williams-with 30 Bay Street Circuit yesterday evening, the governing of 2011. That heady night in Melbourne coach Xia Xiyao, who convinced her to Grand Slam singles titles among them- International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced it had proved the last time Li would win a tro- switch to tennis. “I could see in her eyes are coming to my home town to play revised the plans. “Messages concerning a driver’s own per- phy as she fell victim to her knee injuries she was eager. She had a very clever tennis for the fans of China,” she wrote, formance will not be allowed, but the expected ban on those and was sidelined since losing in appearance. She was very keen,” Xia referring to next week’s . relating to car performance will now be postponed until 2015 Wimbledon’s third round in June. Li was told AFP at Wuhan’s Xinhua Lu sports Meanwhile, players praised Li’s to give teams more time to prepare,” the body said. also hit by a heavy blow when her inspi- centre, where the pair first met. impact on the sport. “It is a shock for me Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone told reporters rational coach Carlos Rodriguez, former “She has had a massive influence on and for everybody, but she’s done amaz- on Thursday he had been behind the original decision and mentor of Justine Henin, ended their Chinese tennis. When Li Na started play- ing things for Asian tennis,” Japan’s Kei wanted less talk on the radio during races. He also suggest- partnership in July. Li’s success put her ing there were a lot fewer tennis players, Nishikori, runner-up at the recent US ed more restrictions should be introduced in future. “They on the cover of Time magazine and saw but there are more and more because of Open, told AFP in Hong Kong. Swiss ten- drive the cars, they should know what is wrong or right,” he her placed second, behind Russia’s her,” she added. Li thanked Xia in her nis legend Martina Hingis said yesterday said. “They don’t need someone on the pit wall telling them Maria Sharapova, on a Forbes list of the retirement statement, along with Yu Li Na’s retirement was a loss to world what to do.” The FIA said they had met with the 11 team highest paid female athletes. Liqiao, a former head of the Chinese tennis, crediting the Chinese star with managers and opted to delay the bulk of changes until 2015 national tennis team, who now coaches raising the game’s profile in her home ‘due to the complexity of introducing such a ban at short ‘Body begging me to stop’ youngsters in Wuhan. “I also want to country. “It’s a sad day for Chinese ten- notice and the potential for significantly differing effects She was also positioned front and thank her for contributing greatly to nis and for the global sport in general,” between teams.’— Reuters centre of a push by women’s tennis into tennis in China,” Yu said. In the Hankou she said.—AFP