SILVERSTONE, UK: Max Verstappen believes he has a “fighting chance” of creating an upset in Sunday’s British Grand Prix despite conceding that rivals Mercedes have a massive speed advantage.
The Red Bull-driving Dutchman admitted that Mercedes drivers, pole sitter Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, who smashed the track record twice each in qualifying, were untouchable for sheer pace.
But, he said afterwards, Red Bull had a package to close the gap in race conditions and that this gave him hope that all is not lost.
“It’s different in the race,” he said.
“We believe we are a little bit closer in race trim — I don’t say that I am going to be fighting them, but at least we have a fighting chance from third.
“I think my lap at the end of Q2 was pretty good, but you could see very early on in qualifying that they were just way too fast, like they have been the last few races.
“You just have to accept that. You try to do the best you can and that’s P3 for us so I’m pretty pleased about that.”
The Dutchman was a second adrift of Hamilton’s track record lap for pole in qualifying, but has a proven record of overcoming the odds to deliver strong results.
But, he added, he knows his car is not an easy machine to master in the gusty winds that have blown through Silverstone during practice and qualifying.
“With these new types of cars from the last few years, they’re very sensitive to wind because they’re that big and that wide, and especially here at Silverstone you can really feel that,” he explained.
“Yesterday (Friday), for example, it was really tricky in the low-speed corners, but today, the wind changes and it becomes like a completely different car, luckily in the right way, because today was a lot more fun to drive.”
Max Verstappen eyes Silverstone ‘fighting chance’ against Mercedes’ untouchables
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Max Verstappen eyes Silverstone ‘fighting chance’ against Mercedes’ untouchables
- The Red Bull-driving Dutchman admitted that Mercedes drivers were a class above
Dubai Basketball edge Milan to secure EuroLeague victory
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball strengthened their home-court reputation with a 99-92 win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 18 of the EuroLeague at Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday, cheered on by more than 5,000 fans.
The hosts made a fast start and immediately imposed themselves at both ends of the floor. Canadian center Mfiondu Kabengele and Serbian big man Filip Petrusev controlled the paint early, creating close-range scoring opportunities and forcing Milan into defensive adjustments. With McKinley Wright IV and Dwayne Bacon adding pace and penetration, Dubai surged into a double-digit lead and dictated the tempo of the opening quarter.
Milan struggled to settle and spent much of the first period on the back foot, as Dubai’s advantage stretched to 15 points. Although the visitors steadied themselves as the quarter progressed, the early deficit proved costly.
Dubai head coach Jurica Golemac praised the impact of the home crowd after the game, saying: “Congratulations to the fans. We were missing them for sure in the last home game, and they helped us a lot. In the first quarter, we played one of our best quarters this season. The next game is at home in three days, so there is no time to rest too much. We need to prepare for that game first. We are not thinking three games ahead — we prepare for every game and try to win every game.”
Milan showed improved rhythm in the second quarter, but Dubai responded before the break. Bacon punished defensive lapses from beyond the arc, while Kabengele finished strongly inside to help the hosts take a seven-point lead into halftime.
The final period was defined by composure rather than flair. Milan threatened to draw level on several occasions, but missed free throws and execution errors halted their momentum. Bacon sealed the outcome from the free-throw line in the final two minutes, pushing Dubai back into a double-digit advantage and closing out the contest.
Bacon led all scorers with 25 points, while Wright recorded 19 points and nine assists. Kabengele added 17 points, and Petrusev contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. For Milan, Guduric topped the scoring with 11 points, alongside seven rebounds and seven assists.
Dubai Basketball now turn their attention to the ABA League, where they remain unbeaten. The team return to Coca-Cola Arena to face Slovenia’s KRKA in Round 12 of the competition.
