SUNDAY 25 MARCH 2018 SPORT 25 It was actually quite exciting. I 1.30PM 5:30PM like to go into the tournaments FORMULA 1 FOOTBALL with little bit of stress. I’m very Elina Svitolina Australian Grand Prix Russi vs happy with the way I handled celebrates her win in Melbourne LIVE ON Brazil this match today. over Naomi Osaka Live on beIN HD 1 TUBE Live on beIN HD 1 Warriors’ Hamilton takes record 7th pole Curry comes back only to go down again at season-opening Australian GP AFP AP little bit closer. “He’s free to have LOS ANGELES: All-star point the party tonight, and hopefully guard Stephen Curry suffered MELBOURNE: Mercedes driver Kimi and myself will have the a left knee strain in his first Lewis Hamilton set a blistering party tomorrow.” game back from an ankle injury time in his final lap of qualifying Kevin Magnussen and as the under-manned Golden to take pole position at the Romain Grosjean of Haas took State Warriors beat the Atlanta season-opening Australian Grand sixth and seventh places, respec- Hawks 106-94 on Friday. Prix yesterday for a record tively, followed by Nico But no one wanted to talk seventh time, outpacing his Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz of about the win: all the focus nar- nearest rival by a sizable 0.664 Renault in eighth and ninth. Mag- rowed on the health of two- seconds. nussen, Grosjean and Hulkenberg time MVP Curry, who was The defending Formula One will each move up a space on the injured when he collided with champion set a time of 1 minute, grid due to Ricciardo’s penalty. teammate JaVale McGee under 21.164 seconds at Albert Park Ricciardo believes Mercedes the basket. circuit, breaking a tie with Ayrton is still beatable, despite the speed Curry had just returned Senna for most poles at the Aus- Hamilton displayed in from a six-game absence due tralian GP. It’s the 73rd pole of qualifying. to an injured right ankle only to Hamilton’s career. “I think Lewis is very good. I go down again. “I’m so happy with that lap. don’t think he’s too good,” he “It is kind of a strange cruel It was such a nice lap,” Hamilton said. “The buffer they had was a twist of fate,” said Warriors said. “And, you know, I’m always little bit disheartening, but we’ve coach Steve Kerr. striving for perfection and that got to try and figure it out.” The Warriors said Curry was as close as I could get.” Wolff, too, is waiting to see sprained his medial collateral Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen fin- whether Hamilton’s pole-setting ligament and was scheduled for Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton (right) reacts next to Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian ished second with a lap of lap was an “outlier” or simply an MRI today. Vettel during a press conference after the Formula One qualifying session in Melbourne ahead of the 1:21.828, with teammate Mercedes getting even faster “It’s a little somber in there. Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s Australian Grand Prix. thanks to off-season engine Everybody feels for Steph,” Kerr Max Verstappen and Daniel Ric- more,” said Ricciardo. “That was debris. Bottas walked away fast with their ultra-soft tires. improvements. said. “He’s in good spirits. I did ciardo rounding out the top five. a little bit of a punch in the without any injuries. “It was a real surprise to see “If you take the majority of talk to him. He’s disappointed. Ricciardo will start the race in stomach to everyone. I know Mercedes boss Toto Wolff how quick the Ferraris were, the timed laps in qualifying, the Fer- That’s part of it.” eighth position after a penalty for obviously they’re loving it, they’re said the team was lucky the speeds they already had on the raris, Red Bulls and Mercedes Curry’s latest injury just driving too fast under red-flag in a good position. But everyone damage wasn’t too extensive and straights,” Hamilton said. were always very close to each adds to the woes for the beat-up conditions during Friday’s else is hating it.” that Bottas would be able to “They’ve obviously made an other,” Wolff said. defending NBA champions. practice. It wasn’t all good news for compete today. But the crash was improvement to their power “Within tenths (of a second) Golden State was already The gap between four-time Mercedes, however, as Hamil- a blow for the Finnish driver, who mode.” on some of the laps.” without Kevin Durant who suf- world champion Hamilton and ton’s teammate, Valtteri Bottas, had finished last season strongly And though Hamilton main- Both McLaren drivers, fered a rib-cartilage injury last the rest of the field took many crashed at the start of the final and was looking to push Ham- tained his dominance in quali- Fernando Alonso and Stoffel week. Curry’s backcourt drivers by surprise, with Ric- qualifying session and finished ilton at the start of this year. fying, Vettel believes Ferrari may Vandoorne, failed to qualify for sidekick Klay Thompson is ciardo likening it to “throwing a in 10th place. He will start in 15th “This is a moment where you have the advantage in yesterday’s the final qualifying session and, rehabbing a fractured right pie in everyone’s face.” Mercedes after a grid penalty for needing could start to question yourself,” race with Bottas being forced to following Bottas’ grid penalty, thumb, and Draymond Green has been dominant in Formula another gearbox. Wolff said. “And this in Race 1 is play catch-up. Vettel also out- will start in 10th and 11th posi- suffered a pelvic contusion in One in recent years, but both Bottas briefly veered off the not good for the psychology of dueled the pole-sitting Hamilton tions, respectively. the Warriors’ loss Monday at Ferrari and Red Bull made strides track going into Turn 2 and then the driver, so we’re trying to give here a year ago to win the race. It’s not the best start for San Antonio. last year and are hoping to chal- lost his traction, sliding into a him all the support we can.” “Obviously, the gap is bigger McLaren’s new partnership with On Friday, Curry scored 29 lenge for the championship this wall at high speed. The crash did Ferrari looked capable of than we want it to be,” Vettel said. Renault after ditching the Honda- points before spraining his knee season. serious damage to the right side matching Mercedes’ speed early “But we’ve seen many times now made engines which the team in the second half. Curry “I think everyone else wants of the car, tearing off both tires in yesterday’s qualifying, as both - 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 - that had been using for the past three frowned as he hobbled to the to see them get challenged a bit and scattering the track with Raikkonen and Vettel went out usually on Sunday things get a years. bench with 3:09 left in the third quarter. He sat and put his head down before going to the locker Qualifying times room. Beaming Hamilton burns “Getting close to post- season, you don’t want to see MELBOURNE: Australian Formula One Grand Prix qualifying nothing like that,” Nick Young times in Melbourne yesterday: said. Vettel with ‘smile’ jibe Curry had rolled the ankle REUTERS Qualifying Q3: at Atlanta on March 2 but ini- Like the pole lap, the quip reporters yesterday. 1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:21.164 tially kept playing before re- MELBOURNE: A triumphant proved too fast for German Mercedes’ cheer at their 2. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:21.828 injuring it again. Lewis Hamilton was unable to Vettel, who was only made seemingly huge advantage in 3. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 1:21.838 In other games Friday, contain his glee after taking a aware of it when asked how he pace was tempered by Valtteri 4. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull-TAG Heuer) 1:21.879 LaMarcus Aldridge and the San record seventh pole at the would respond today. Bottas’ crash at the start of Q3, 5. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull-TAG Heuer) 1:22.152 Antonio Spurs outlasted the season-opening Australian “I think what goes around the Finn losing control at turn 6. Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari) 1:23.187 Utah Jazz 124-120. Grand Prix yesterday, saying his comes around,” Vettel said with two and slamming into a barrier, 7. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas-Ferrari) 1:23.339 Aldridge had a career-high brilliant lap at Albert Park was a smile that appeared a little with the impact leaving his car 8. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault) 1:23.532 45 points, helping San Antonio designed to ‘wipe the smile’ off forced. in pieces. 9. Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Renault) 1:23.577 overcome Donovan Mitchell’s Sebastian Vettel’s face. “At the end of the day, that’s Bottas will not start from any 10. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 0.000 35-point performance. The Mercedes champion’s why we’re here, we want to have closer than 15th on the grid today Eliminated in Q2: “(Aldridge) was ridiculous intense and spite-tinged rivalry fun. If that’s what he enjoys, after needing a gearbox change 11. Fernando Alonso (ESP/McLaren-Renault) and the previous two games, with Ferrari’s Vettel added spice obviously on Saturdays he’s and it will be a long night in the 12.