FOOTBALL | Page 5 TENNIS | Page 11 Mahrez Nadal sets To Advertise here stretches Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 up dream Leicester semi date lead in EPL with Djokovic Sunday, March 20, 2016 FORMULA ONE Jumada II 11, 1437 AH Hamilton GULF TIMES powers to pole in Australia SPORT Page 2 MOTORCYCLING Lorenzo leads Spanish charge to grab Qatar pole ‘I’m glad to be the man with the most pole positions in the history of the championship’ THE GRID 1st row: 10. Cal Crutchlow (GBR/Honda LCR)0.809, 11. Bradley Smith 1.Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Yamaha) 1:54.543, 2. Marc Marquez (GBR/Yamaha Tech3) 0.871, 12. Scott Redding (GBR/Ducati (ESP/Honda) at 0.091, 3. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Suzuki) Pramac)0.965 0.095 5th row: 2nd row: 13. Yonny Hernandez (COL/Ducati Aspar), 14. Eugene Lav- 4. Andrea Iannone (ITA/Ducati) 0.150, 5. Valentino Rossi erty (IRL/Ducati Aspar), 15. Aleix Espargaro (ESP/Suzuki) (ITA/Yamaha) 0.272, 6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Ducati) 0.420 6th row: 3rd row: 16. Loris Baz (FRA/Ducati Avintia), 17. Alvaro Bautista (ESP/ 7. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 0.535, 8. Hector Barbera (ESP/ Aprilia), 18. Jack Miller (AUS/Honda Marc VDS) Ducati Avintia) 0.622, 9. Pol Espargaro (ESP/Yamaha Tech3) 7th row: 0.759 19. Tito Rabat (ESP/Honda Marc VDS), 20. Stefan Bradl (GER/ 4th row: Aprilia) Pole-setter Jore Lorenzo (C), second-placed Marc Marquez (L) and third-placed Maverick Vinales pose after qualifying for today’s Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil and agencies. By Joe Koraith front brakes which caused that inci- Doha dent but we will try to resolve it before the race starts,” said Marquez. As for Vinales, this is his second front hat do you need for an row start in MotoGP and the Spaniard exciting race? You want is keen to deliver a good result during the main contenders to the race. “I am going to try to do well in be right up front, fi ghting the race. We know it’s going to be dif- Weach other for the win. And that’s ex- fi cult. I am feeling good on the bike and actly what we have in store for the Mo- I also believe that I can go down in the toGP season opener in Qatar! lap time. I will try my best to get a good Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo pro- Jorge Lorenzo in action during result in the race,” said Vinales after a duced a great lap fi ve minutes into the qualifying at Losail yesterday. great qualifying run yesterday. fi nal qualifying session at the Losail Earlier in the fi rst qualifying ses- Circuit, which gave him the pole po- sition. I’m glad to be the man with the sion, Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith sition. The defending champion is in most pole positions in the history of topped the charts to earn progress to prime position to start the season with the championship. The competition the fi nal qualifying session. Crutchlow a win. But it won’t be an easy task be- has been running for so many years so gained two places during Q2 and will cause right behind him is Honda’s Marc it’s a great feeling,” said Lorenzo after start the race in 10th. Marquez. In third place, and ensuring a qualifying yesterday. Vinales will have to produce a front row full of Spaniards, is Suzuki’s 2014 MotoGP champion, Marquez strong race to be able to hold off the Maverick Vinales, who produced a doesn’t believe that Losail Circuit is likes of Iannone, Rossi, Dovizioso and great fi nal lap to claim that spot. suited for his Honda but his starting also Pedrosa lining up behind him. Andrea Iannone, who topped two of position on the grid gives him a great The Ducati of Iannone has the fastest the four practice sessions, was pushed chance for a win today. In fact, Mar- straight-line speed and Vinales could down to fourth as a result of Vinales’ quez set the fastest time during the fi - be losing his spot by the end of the fi rst last lap eff ort. And the eternal crowd nal qualifying session but it came after lap if he’s not careful. favourite, Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, the chequered fl ag. “The funny thing is Rossi, who has recently signed a also gave it the full beans in the fi nal lap that I didn’t see the fl ag in the last lap. two-year extension with Yamaha, will to jump up from 10th to fourth. Com- I did one more lap at 100 percent and be keen to show that he still can fi ght pleting the second row is Ducati’s An- I thought I got the pole position. But for the title. And his fourth place start drea Dovizioso. After a Spaniard front that lap wasn’t within the time. I am puts him in a good position to follow row, you have three Italians in the sec- happy with the result and the bike,” the leaders and then make his move to- ond! said Marquez yesterday. wards the end of the race. Today’s battle promises to be tanta- The 23-year-old had a big mo- With this being the fi rst race for the lising and Lorenzo will be hoping that ment when he was doing a practice Michelin tyres, all riders will be anx- he gets a good start. This is the Span- start when his bike suddenly veered to ious to see how they last the distance. iard’s record 36th MotoGP pole and the the left as his front wheel touched the With all the usual suspects lined up Yamaha rider was happy to start the track. But he was able to wrestle back at the front, the 2016 Qatar MotoGP season on the front foot. “I am happy control after a brief run through the race promises to deliver an exciting to start the championship in pole po- gravel. “We have some issues with the start to the season. Game on! Valentino Rossi steps on the gas at Losail. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, March 20, 2016 MOTOR SPORT FORMULA ONE Blame it on Rio? Rookie Hamilton takes pole suff ers pit-lane crash in Mercedes 1-2 as new qualifying fl ops Reuters His sole lap was the second 'We all knew what was going to happen. I didn’t think it was very exciting. And Melbourne slowest out of the 22-driver field and he was among the in the end for the people in the grandstands, I don’t feel it’s the right way to go' seven knocked out from the ndonesian rookie Rio Har- first of the three sessions in yanto’s Formula One debut the revamped qualifying. Iturned sour yesterday when He will at least have familiar Photographers chase he was punished for a pit-lane company on the back row, Mercedes driver crash during the final practice with German team mate Pas- Lewis Hamilton as at the Australian Grand Prix cal Wehrlein alongside him. he catches a ride in and condemned to start the Haryanto felt it “pretty the medical car after race from back of the grid. strange” to have had such a qualifying for pole at The 23-year-old from central short run in the new qualifying the season-opening Java, his nation’s first F1 driver, format which was widely criti- Australian Grand rolled out of the Manor Racing cised as a flop by drivers and Prix in Melbourne garage at the start of the ses- pundits on its Melbourne debut. yesterday. (Reuters) sion and straight into the side In the previous qualifying re- of Romain Grosjean’s Haas. gime, Haryanto would have had Frenchman Grosjean had 18 minutes to improve lap times entered the pit-lane first and in Q1 but in the new system, in stewards came down hard on which drivers are progressively Haryanto, slapping him with eliminated, he was knocked out a three-grid position penalty within 10 minutes. and two penalty points. McLaren’s twice world cham- “The driver ... did not pay pion Fernando Alonso said he attention to the approaching was concerned that the new car which was in the fast lane,” format was unfair on weaker stewards said in a statement. teams and Manor Racing’s two Both Haryanto and Gros- rookie drivers certainly had lit- jean had to head straight tle chance to improve on their back to their garage, with the initial eff orts in qualifying. Frenchman second-best in the “Today we only had time clash and condemned to wait for one lap,” Haryanto said. “It for technicians to fit a new wasn’t a bad lap either, but it floor and front wing to his car also wasn’t perfect. I could have before he was able to resume. been quicker and that’s what Haryanto posted the slow- we’ll have to work on. Tomor- est lap in practice and then row is my first F1 race and I’m his first qualifying was over very excited for that. I’m sure almost as soon as it began. we can have a better day.” Qualifying can be changed for Bahrain, says Ecclestone ormula One needs to change its new qualifying format af- ter it fell flat at yesterday’s Australian season-opener and Ftweaks can be made before the next race in Bahrain, ac- cording to the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.