22 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 23

A dream come

Paris team. “Good news: We are pleased to ascal Wehrlein will make his He then sat out the season- inform that Pascal Wehrlein will Al Khalifa prepares first appearance of the new opening Australian Grand Prix in be back in the car as of the Bahrain for support race of PFormula One season this weekend Melbourne citing a back problem GP,” Swiss-based Sauber tweeted for Isa 2017 Formula 1 Gulf in Bahrain after the Sauber driver and missed last weekend’s race in on Tuesday. Air Bahrain Grand missed the opening two races with Shanghai. The 23-year-old Giovinazzi Prix injury. Italian rookie Antonio enjoyed mixed fortunes: he Title race is on The 22-year-old German had Giovinazzi stood in for Wehrlein, finished 12th on his Grand Prix Single-team dominance has been been struggling for fitness after who was heavily linked with the debut in Melbourne but then the norm in recent seasons but after Salman a crash in January’s Race of vacant seat at Mercedes before smashed his Sauber into a wall another duel between Hamilton DT News Network remaining races, Shaikh Isa Salman Champions event which meant Valtteri Bottas stepped in for in China. and ’s , there Manama will be hoping to claim enough of he missed most of pre-season retired world champion Nico Practice for Sunday’s Bahrain are unmistakable signs of a genuine true training and testing with his new Rosberg. Grand Prix begins on Friday. his weekend Bahraini driver Isa these points to help him achieve his title race this year. After the first TSalman Al Khalifa will fulfil a dream of taking home silverware in two grands prix of a 20-stop sea- lifelong dream by racing in the final his debut season in the championship. son, Hamilton and Vettel have one round of the GT3 Cup Looking ahead to Round 6, he win and one second-place finish Challenge Middle East, which features said, “This season has been a career apiece to be locked at the top of the as an official support race to the 2017 changing experience for me. After standings with 43 points each. If Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. this round, I can proudly say that not for the timing of the safety car, Manama To race on the biggest stage of all I will have completed a season in a look forward to working with them over term position of Bahrain as a which worked out badly for Vettel, for motorsport in the region is the professional racing series, and this rif Rahimi, chairman of the Bahrain the long-term on initiatives which will destination of choice for tourism “it would have been a flat-chat race, ultimate goal for any driver and the is huge for my personal growth and AInternational Circuit, has welcomed help continue to grow this great sporting and business opportunities. a couple of seconds between us the staging of the final sixth round at the development in the sport. the first guests arriving for the Kingdom’s series. “As our event continues whole way”, said Hamilton, who Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Regardless of the outcome over the biggest weekend of motorsport in the “As teams, drivers and fans arrive in to grow, as will the associated won by six seconds. “I think it’s is the perfect ending to an incredibly next two races, I have achieved so year. He also issued a reminder of the Bahrain, it reminds us of the importance economic benefits, both directly going to be one of the closest (sea- competitive and exhausting season for much already this season, and to be major economic impact which the race of the race to the whole of the Kingdom. I during the week of F1, but also sons), if not the closest I’ve person- all Porsche drivers. competing as part of the Formula 1 has on the whole of Bahrain and the am proud that we are able to host an event for the rest of the year. Whilst it is ally ever experienced,” he added. The outcome of the driver’s Grand Prix in my home country of wider benefits which F1 offers to the which offers such significant economic pleasing to note that every year since championship in all categories of the Bahrain is a dream come true!” Kingdom. benefits to all parts of Bahrain, not just for 2014 we have broken our race region’s most professional motor- A total of 43 points separate four In a statement issued, said, “I offer a our tourism efforts, but countless other day attendance record and Amateur hour for ‘Nico’ racing series will all come down to out of the seven drivers in the Bronze warm welcome to all our guests arriving for associated industries. The direct benefit to total tourism into Bahrain It wasn’t a great outing for the last two races on Saturday and category, with Shaikh Isa Salman only the highlight of our motorsport calendar, our economy has been calculated at more has increased by 150% Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Sunday and will now play out in 17 points away from first place, and for an unprecedented weekend of on than $1 billion over the last ten years and since the first race in 2004, Bottas, who embarrassingly spun front of mass crowds and a global the chance to win the Bronze category and off-track action. Following months the race contributes over $100 million to our aim is to continue to behind the safety car and dropped spotlight. championship. of detailed planning and preparation, the economy each and every year. grow those numbers, for down to 12th, before recovering to A full grid of 16 drivers from 11 Leading the standings are Ryan I am delighted to say that the Bahrain “ offers Bahrain an the benefit of the whole finish sixth. As if to rub it in, Bottas nationalities will be in the fray and Cullen of Ireland (238) and Qatar International Circuit, together with our opportunity to promote itself as a leisure Kingdom. was also called “Nico” over the team Shaikh Isa Salman has set himself the based driver Charlie Frijns (205) partners across Government entities, are and business destination through one of “We wish all those radio as an engineer confused him target of finishing as high as possible and any driver from third to sixth ready to host Bahrain’s biggest show and the most watched sporting events in the taking part a successful with world champion , in the Bronze category and in the place can still mathematically one of the highlights on the global sporting world, with a TV viewership of over 90 weekend of racing who quit Mercedes and F1 after overall championship standings. being able to finish in the calendar. million according to some independent and hope that fans winning the title last year. After bat- With 50 points on offer over the two top three. “On behalf of the BIC, I also offer a reports. As the second highest viewed enjoy the very tling Rosberg for the title in recent warm welcome to our partners at Liberty race on the F1 calendar, this exposure best of Bahraini seasons, it seems Hamilton won’t Media, the new owners of Formula 1. We is invaluable and benefits the long- hospitality.” face a similar threat from the Fin. “Really sorry, guys, for the amateur mistake,” said a sheepish Bottas. “I’ll make up for it in the next race.”

Whatever the weather China’s weather ensured a farcical start to the week when low-lying cloud -- mingled with Shanghai’s trademark smog -- all but wiped out the first two practice sessions on Friday. With visibility so poor that the medical helicopter would have been unable to land at nearby Born: January 20, 1991 Born: July 29, 1981 Born: April 17, 1986 Born: August 19, 1987 Born: April 26, 1994 Born: October 5, 1992 Born: September 17, 1996 Born: January 26, 1990 Born: October 17, 1979 hospitals, the drivers couldn’t take Horsham, England Oviedo, Spain Geneva, Switzerland Emmerich, Ufa, Russia Roskilde, Denmark Évreux, France Guadalajara, Mexico Espoo, Finland to the track. Eventually, according Height: 179cm Weight: 78kg Height: 171cm Weight: 68kg Height: 180cm Weight: 71kg Height: 184cm Weight: 74kg Height: 175cm Weight: 58kg Height: 174cm Weight: 68kg Height: 186cm Weight: 66kg Height: 173cm Weight: 63kg Height: 175cm Weight: 62kg to Autosport, specialist neurosur- Renault gery staff were transferred to a McLaren Haas Renault Toro Rosso Haas Force India Ferrari hospital nearby to make sure the race could go ahead. But ultimately the weather delivered testing rac- Debut: March 2016, Renault Debut: March 2001, Sauber Debut: March 2001, Minardi Debut: August 2009, Renault Debut: March 2010, Williams Debut: March 2014, Toro Rosso Debut: March 2014, McLaren Debut: March 2011, Sauber Debut: March 2011, Sauber ing conditions with a wet start giv- Races / wins: 40 / 0 0% Races / wins: 20 / 0 0% Races / wins: 251 / 20 8% Races / wins: 272 / 32 11.8% Races / wins: 102 / 0 0% Races / wins: 115 / 0 0% Races / wins: 57 / 0 0% Races / wins: 9 / 0 0% Races / wins: 114 / 0 0% ing way to a drying track. “These Podiums: 1 2.5% Best race finish: 10th - Podiums: 84 33.5% Podiums: 97 35.7% Podiums: 10 9.8% Podiums: 0 0% Podiums: 2 3.5% Best race finish: 12th - Podiums: 7 6.1% are some of the most exciting cir- Pole positions: 0 0% Best grid position: 13th - Pole positions: 16 6.4% Pole positions: 22 8.1% Pole positions: 0 0% Pole positions: 1 0.9% Pole positions: 0 0% Best grid position: 17th - Pole positions: 0 0% cumstances when you have a track 2016: 16th, 7pts Retirements: 5 2016: 18th, 1pt Retirements: 6 2016: 6th, 186pts Retirements: 4 that starts wet and it goes through 2016: 10th, 54pts Retirements: 4 2016: 13th, 29pts Retirements: 5 2016: 9th, 72pts Retirements: 5 2016: 14th, 25pts Retirements: 6 2016: 23rd, 0pts Retirements: - 2016: 7th, 101pts Retirements: 1 Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS a drying phase,” Hamilton said. Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS