NNBABA | Page 5 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 6 James posts Victory over second straight India brings triple double in back smiles for Lakers win Bangladesh Tuesday, November 5, 2019 FOOTBALL Rabia I 8, 1441 AH Balotelli hits back GULF TIMES as Verona fan chief fuels racism row SPORT Page 4 ASIAN SHOOTING OPENING CEREMONY The 14th Asian Shooting Championships off icially began yesterday with a traditional opening ceremony at the Losail Shooting Complex. Ali Mohamed al-Kuwari, President of Qatar Shooting & Archery Association, and Vice-President Asian Shooting Confederation, Jassim bin Rashid al-Buenain, Secretary-General of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), Sheikh Saud bin Ali al-Thani, First Vice-President, QOC, Duaij al-Otaibi, Secretary-General, Asian Shooting Federation, and other off icials were present on the occasion. The 12-day event with over 1,500 athletes from 34 nations will conclude on November 14. Al-Kuwari (second picture on top) and al-Otaibi (second picture at bottom) welcomed the participants. Shooters will be aiming for 38 quota berths at the Tokyo Olympics next year. SPOTLIGHT ‘Overwhelmed’ Hamilton seals sixth F1 world title HAMILTON ADDED THE 2019 TITLE TO PREVIOUS TRIUMPHS IN 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017 AND 2018 AFP Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo was sixth for but was held for 7.7 seconds as his crew Austin Renault ahead of the two McLarens of struggled to fi t his left rear wheel. Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, Nico Like Hamilton, still nursing his orig- Hulkenberg in the second Renault and inal mediums, he was presumed to be ewis Hamilton clinched his Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat. on a one-stop strategy. sixth world title, but not in the On a perfect blue-skied day, the race Hamilton was asked to pit on lap 24. style he hoped for on Sunday began with an explosive rush uphill “Box, box,” said his engineer, but the Lwhen he fi nished second be- towards Turn One, Bottas taking full driver said no. “I want to go longer,” hind his triumphant Mercedes team- advantage of his pole position with a he replied, ignoring a Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas in an eventful fl awless start.Behind him, Verstappen request. A lap later, he was in and sta- United States Grand Prix. pulled alongside Vettel to take second tionary for 2.4 seconds, re-joining The 34-year-old Briton fought with while Hamilton followed and took ad- third on hard tyres, 23 seconds behind ferocious determination to win from vantage of both Ferraris. Bottas and 15 in arrears to Verstappen. fi fth on the grid, but was unable to “I must have damage,” reported Vet- Hamilton quickly clocked a fastest resist the Finn, who started from pole tel. “I didn’t hit anything, but I have lap to his team’s alarm, fearing tyre and, with a two-stop strategy, had under-steer like crazy.” welfare. fresher tyres in the critical fi nal laps. By lap fi ve, he had tumbled to sev- Five laps later, Verstappen pitted After leading twice, Hamilton was enth, but worse followed when his again for mediums and re-joined third. passed by Bottas with three laps re- car’s suspension failed, the right-rear Bottas followed one lap later, re-join- maining and then resisted Red Bull’s collapsing as he went through Turn ing second ahead of the Dutchman as Max Verstappen to take his 150th podi- Nine. Hamilton led again, by ten seconds. um fi nish and his 31st successive fi nish Vettel’s exit left Hamilton chasing With 20 to go, it appeared to be all in the points. Verstappen who pitted early, on lap 14, about tyre-wear for the leading trio. It sealed his sixth title, leaving him for a set of hard tyres. With 12 laps to go, Bottas was 3.6 one adrift of Michael Schumacher on One lap later, Bottas came in, also seconds behind Hamilton and six seven. for hards, and Hamilton inherited the ahead of Verstappen. Hamilton added the 2019 title to lead. The Finn was soon past Leclerc to Leclerc was a distant fourth, by 50 previous triumphs in 2008, 2014, 2015, Formula One World Drivers Champion Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates after the F1 Grand Prix claim second as the Silver Arrows led seconds. For Bottas, it was a tall order 2017 and 2018. of USA at Circuit of The Americas on Sunday in Austin, Texas. the fi eld. to catch the Englishman and even more “I can’t believe it, thanks a lot,” son.” or seven never to give up and that’s space “reserved for the champion” be- “Just be sensible,” Red Bull warned to pass him without risking everything Hamilton said over the team radio as he “I didn’t know if it would be possi- kind of the family motto.” fore leaping into the arms of his family Verstappen, who had a new rear wing for Mercedes. moved out of a tie for fi ve titles he held ble but I worked as hard as I could here It was Bottas’s fourth win of the sea- and friends. Verstappen fi nished third fi tted on the grid. On lap 52, Bottas tried a pass, but with Argentina’s Juan-Manuel Fangio. with my team back at the factory. My son and the seventh of his career. ahead of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari He was soon up to third in hot pur- Hamilton resisted and forced him He added: “It’s just overwhelming if mum, dad, step-mum and step-dad “It’s a good win,” said the Finn. — some compensation to team boss suit while Bottas, on fresh rubber, cut wide. I’m really honest. It was such a tough and my family are here and it’s an hon- “Personally, I failed on my target this Mattia Binotto on his 50th birthday chunks of time from Hamilton’s lead, A lap later and it was done, the Finn race today, Valtteri did a great job. As our to be here with six titles with those year, but Lewis deserves it. He’s had a following the early retirement, with reducing it from 15 seconds to 6.6 by regaining his lead to leave Hamilton at an athlete I feel as fresh as can be. We’ll greats. good season.” broken suspension, of Sebastian Vettel lap 20. the mercy of the rampant Verstappen keep pushing for the rest of the sea- “My dad told me when I was like six Hamilton parked his Mercedes in a — with Alex Albon fi fth in the second Leclerc pitted from fourth on lap 21, — a threat he resisted. Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, November 5, 2019 SPORT FORMULA ONE FOCUS Boy from nowhere Ferrari hit back at cements place Verstappen ‘cheating’ amongst giants allegation His journey was unprivileged and without luxury, but it was clear from an early age that AFP ous big speed advantage on the Austin straights. he had an outstanding gift for speed and all the gutsy natural instincts of a born racer Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel re- tired early with broken sus- errari has hit back at Max pension and teammate Charles Verstappen’s ‘cheating’ Leclerc, powered by an ‘old’ Spec claims made against the 2 engine, fi nished fourth, 50 sec- Italian team following onds adrift of Verstappen’s Red Fthe United States Grand Prix. Bull. Dutchman Verstappen, who Asked why he thought Ferrari fi nished third behind the Mer- had suff ered a slump, Verstappen cedes duo of Valtteri Bottas and said: “That’s what happens when newly-crowned six-time cham- you stop cheating...” pion Lewis Hamilton, said Fer- Binotto rejected the charge, rari had lost their previous speed saying: “As a matter of fact, I be- and form because they had been lieve we were very close to pole stopped from cheating by an of- position as it was in the last race. fi cial technical directive. I think Seb could have scored The directive, from the sport’s pole, but maybe was a bit too ruling body, the International cautious in one corner.” Motoring Federation (FIA), fol- He said Leclerc faced technical lowed an inquiry from Vertap- diffi culties without which “he pen’s Red Bull about a ‘tricky’ was potentially on the pole as fuel-fl ow system, designed to well. So, I don’t see where is the boost power, that was declared problem... “ illegal. He explained that Ferrari Speaking to reporters late changed their base set-up and Sunday at the Circuit of the ran with more down-force — a Americas in Austin, Ferrari team switch that helped them gain in chief Mattia Binotto said: “I read the corners, but at the cost of and I heard a lot of comments speed on the straights. this weekend about a technical “The trade-off between grip directive and the impact on our limit and power limit has moved cars. this weekend, as a test on our “I heard comments at the end side, to try to match their cor- of the race, which I feel were very nering. I think that it is as simple disappointing... as that.” “It is the type of comments Leclerc, who is regarded as a that are completely wrong in the rival to Verstappen as F1’s next sport. It is not good for the sport champion driver, said the Dutch- and I think everybody should be a man had no idea what he was bit more cautious.” talking about. Binotto, who celebrated his The Monegasque driver said: 50th birthday on race day Sun- “I think it is a joke, to be com- AFP bryonic racing career in karts.