MONDAY, JULY 23, 2018 18 Hami wins dramatic German GP Lewis Hamilton won from 14th on the grid, taking advantage of an error from Sebastian Vettel, who crashed out AFP | Hockenheim, Germany reer, the triumph lifting him to stint “as much as we can.” the top of the drivers’ title race Vettel, trapped behind Raik- ewis Hamilton regained and putting Mercedes back on konen, complained to his team. the lead in the world top of the constructors’ cham- It’s obviously very “This is just silly – I’m los - Ldrivers’ championship on pionship – no wonder Mercedes difficult from that ing time and destroying my Sunday when he claimed one chairman Dieter Zetsche em- tyres,” he told Ferrari. “I’m los- of the most memorable victo- braced him. position and highly ing everything I got in the first ries of his career by winning a “Get in there, Lewis,” said unlikely but you’ve stint.” rain-hit German Grand Prix for Mercedes on team radio. “Mira- got to believe. I did Eventually, the team asked the Mercedes after starting from cles do happen mate.” Hamilton a long prayer before Finn to allow Vettel to retake 14th on the grid. said: “What an amazing job by the race. I wanted to the lead. The defending four-time you guys. Love conquers all.” stay collected, stay Ultra-soft champion took full advantage of “That was highly unlikely, but calm and the team did Hamilton, finally, pitted for a heavy downpour during which you’ve got to believe,” Hamilton ultra-soft tyres on lap 43 – title rival and fellow-four-time added. “I said a long prayer be- such a great job today. Mercedes guessing that the rain champion Sebastian Vettel of fore the start...I kept pushing, When it rained, I knew would not be too heavy – and Ferrari crashed out of conten- kept believing and I manifested I would have a good rejoined in fifth. tion to produce a master-class my dream. So, thanks to God.” position. You never “You’ll have the best chance of technical and tactical racing Dutchman Max Verstappen knew what was going on this tyre, you’ve got the best in treacherous conditions. finished fourth for Red Bull to happen after the rubber,” they told Hamilton. His team-mate Valtteri Bottas ahead of German Nico Hulken- safety car When the patchy rain started came home second, 4.5 seconds berg of Renault, Romain Gros- it created mayhem, Vettel losing behind the Englishman, ahead jean of Haas, Sergio Perez and LEWIS HAMILTON part of his front wing after hit- of fellow-Finn Kimi Raikkonen his Force India team-mate Es- ting a kerb, but hanging on in the of Ferrari to deliver Mercedes’ teban Ocon. up to 12th from 14th and then lead ahead of Raikkonen. first one-two finish at a German Marcus Ericsson was ninth reeled off a series of measured Hamilton then reported heav- Grand Prix. for Sauber and New Zealander passes to climb to sixth by lap ier rain as Bottas passed his fel- It was Hamilton’s fourth win Brendon Hartley 10th for Toro 11, when he passed Hulkenberg. low-Finn for second. this year and the 66th of his ca- Rosso. At the front, Vettel was con- After 52 laps, Vettel crashed, tent to stay 3.8 seconds clear of sliding straight into the barriers. the chasing Bottas before Raik- A safety car came out and konen was first to pit, on lap 15, while his rivals pitted for fresh Hamilton’s victory under threat switching to softs and rejoining tyres, Hamilton inherited lead, AFP | Hockenheim, Germany tional Motoring Federation fourth. albeit with tyres 10 laps old. (FIA) Sporting Code when he Ricciardo, who had started When racing resumed on lap ewis Hamilton’s spectac- crossed a line between the at the back of the grid, climbed 57, Bottas attacking his Mercedes Lular victory was under pit entry lane and the race Lewis Hamilton won the German Grand Prix after starting in 14th as high as sixth before engine team-mate, but Hamilton held threat Sunday when he was circuit. failure on lap 29 ended his race. on. summoned to the stewards for Hamilton chose to stay out A series of pit stops saw the On lap 60, Hamilton posted a an aborted pit stop during the on his ultra-soft tyres dur - Rainclouds looming rainclouds looming all around. lead pass from Vettel to Bottas near-phenomenal lap in 1:15.7, safety car period of the German ing the safety sar period that Vettel made a clean start from to Verstappen and finally to Rai- nine-tenths quicker than Bottas. Grand Prix. followed Vettel’s accident, The race began in sweltering his 55th pole position and resist- kkonen, at which point Vettel “Valtteri, it’s James, please The stewards summoned swerving away from pitting conditions with an air tempera- ed Bottas as Raikkonen fought was second. hold position, I’m sorry,” him to investigate a pos - and crossing a patch of grass ture of 27 degrees Celsius, or 80 off Verstappen, but most atten- With dark clouds swirling Mercedes strategist James Vow- sible breach of the Interna - to re-join the straight. Fahrenheit, and the track at 43 tion was on Hamilton. around, Mercedes told Hamil- les told Bottas. “Copy, James,” with humidity at 50 per cent and The Englishman was swiftly ton they were extending his first he replied. Sri Lanka close in on Zaman sets records as Pakistan whitewash of South Africa thrash Zimbabwe for ODI sweep AFP | Bulawayo, Zimbabwe AFP | Colombo aptain Sarfraz Ahmed Chailed “a great team effort” ri Lanka closed in on a series as Pakistan completed a series Swhitewash against South Af- whitewash over Zimbabwe rica yesterday, with the visitors with a 131-run win in the fifth five down and with a mountain and final match on Sunday. to climb after the third day of On another record setting day the second Test. in Bulawayo for the visitors, By stumps, spinners had Fakhar Zaman became the fast- ripped their way through the est player in history to reach Proteas batsmen yet again to 1,000 career runs in one-day leave them reeling on 139 for international cricket as Paki- 5 in pursuit of an impossi - stan amassed 364 for 4. ble-looking 490 victory target “It was a great team effort in Colombo. to win 5-0 against Zimbabwe,” Against batsmen who clear- said Ahmed. “Everyone wanted Pakistan’s batsman Imam-ul-Haq plays a shot ly decided that attack was the to bat...but at the same time it’s best form of defence, off-spin- really good to see young play- ner Akila Dananjaya and left- Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews (R) plays a shot as South Africa’s Quinton de Kock ers performing like this, like Zaman and opening partner arm spinner Rangana Herath watches Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul- ul-Haq were in the runs once took two wickets apiece, and Haq have been doing, which is again, the pair adding their off-spinner Dilruwan Perera first victim in Dananjaya’s late good for the team.” fourth century stand of the se- dismissed Dean Elgar. BRIEF SCORE double strike, when a ball he Ahmed looked ahead to the ries. 1,000 The wickets fell despite had inside-edged on to his pad six-team Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi They had reached 168 in the Fakhar Zaman became a comedy of repeated errors South Africa 139 for 5 popped up for a catch to slip. and Dubai in September. 25th over when Zaman was the fastest player in from Sri Lanka, who dropped (de Bruyn 45*, Bavuma 14*) By stumps, number-three “We learned lots of things caught behind for 85. history to reach 1,000 two catches, wasted both their batsman Theunis de Bruyn, here, and hopefully we’ll take While he missed out on what career runs in one-day reviews -- on successive balls and 124 trail Sri Lanka who survived two very close that to the Asia Cup,” he said. would have been his third hun- international cricket -- and could have had Elgar out 338 and 275 for 5 dec (Karun- lbw shouts early in his innings, “We definitely need some rest dred of the series, he set a string twice beforehand had Perera aratne 85, Maharaj 3-154) by was 45 not out, with a chance now, so we’ll go home for a bit of records. not overstepped. 351 runs of recording his team’s first before returning to training to Zaman passed 1,000 ODI runs He was reprieved on six half-century of the series. prepare for the Asia Cup.” in just his 18th innings, break- hit 558 for India in South Africa when Perera bowled him, and Temba Bavuma, who came to ing the record of 21 innings held last winter, has scored more. later on 23 when caught behind. man for 37, leaving South Afri- the crease with Dananjaya on a by five players, including Viv Zaman also broke the record On the second occasion, he had ca 80 for two, from which they hat-trick, remained 14 not out. BRIEF SCORE Richards and team-mate Babar for most runs between dismiss- even gone right back into the quickly slipped to 113 for five as But the South Africans are Azam. als in ODIs, with 455, passing dressing room before being re- Hashim Amla went for six, Faf still staring down the barrel of Pakistan 364 for 4 (Imam He claimed the record for the 405 set by another Paki - called to the middle.