SILVERSTONE, ENGLAND: Lewis Hamilton set a new track record at the British Grand Prix and clinched a record-extending 91st pole position on Saturday.
He needs five more wins to equal Michael Schumacher’s Formula One record of 91 GP wins. The defending champion is also odds-on to equal the F1 great’s record of seven world titles.
He clocked a time of 1 minute 24.303 seconds at the Silverstone circuit where he has won a record six times.
“This track is just awesome,” the 35-year-old Hamilton said. “It’s like juggling balls when you’re on a moving plate.”
He was .313 seconds ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and about 1 second faster than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
“They were just way too fast,” Verstappen said of Mercedes. “You just have to accept that and do the best you can.”
Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari a small boost with fourth ahead of Lando Norris, who could face a grid penalty after failing to slow down under a yellow flag in the second part of qualifying when Hamilton made a rare mistake. He spun his car and sent gravel spraying, bringing the session to a brief halt after Bottas had set the quickest time.
Vettel, who had problems with understeering and almost went off the track toward the end of Q3, was only 10th fastest in qualifying.
Red Bull’s Alexander Albon finished 12th ahead of Racing Point’s last-minute replacement Nico Hulkenberg. He lost his seat in F1 this year, and is driving because Sergio Perez tested positive for the coronavirus following a trip back to his native Mexico after his mother had an accident.
Nicolas Latifi’s Williams spun off the track near the end of Q1, the latest incident in the Canadian driver’s difficult start in F1.
“It’s just a driver error, no excuses,” he said.
Kimi Raikkonen and Kevin Magnussen were also among the five drivers eliminated from Q1.
Earlier, Bottas posted the fastest time in third and final practice ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen in somewhat cooler conditions following Friday’s stifling heat.
Vettel was a miserable 14th, once again coming into the garage for repairs after a similar problem with the car’s pedals on Friday.
The fourth race of the season is again being held without fans because of virus restrictions.
“It doesn’t feel like a British Grand Prix in that respect,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. “The atmosphere obviously isn’t here.”
Mercedes won the first three races, Bottas clinching the season-opener in Austria and Hamilton winning the next two in Austria and Hungary.
Like Austria, Britain is hosting back-to-back races at Silverstone.
Hamilton takes pole position for British GP ahead of Bottas
https://arab.news/gqz22
Hamilton takes pole position for British GP ahead of Bottas
- The fourth race of the season is again being held without fans because of virus restrictions
Al-Ahli survive first-half scare to cruise to victory and tie Al-Hilal at the top of Saudi Pro League
- Al-Ahli draw level with league leaders Al-Hilal on 53 points after trailing 1-0 down at half-time
- Al-Ettifaq and Al-Fateh play out seven-goal thriller in Dammam
DAMMAM: Matchday 23 kicked began with what ultimately became a comfortable victory for Al-Ahli over relegation-battling Al-Najma at home. However, the hosts endured a tough first 45 minutes, falling 1-0 behind and missing a penalty before scoring four in the second half against the 10-man visitors.
Al-Najma — fresh off their first victory in Saudi Pro League history when they beat Al-Kholood last week — arrived in Jeddah with confidence. Despite facing an in-form Al-Ahli, they controlled the tempo early on, forcing the hosts play on the back foot for much of the opening half hour.
The architect of Al-Najma’s bright start was Néstor El Maestro, returning to the Saudi Pro League for the first time in five years. After guiding the club to their first win in 21 matches, a result in Al-Ahli’s backyard would have provided the perfect reignite their survival bid.
El Maestro once said, “Life is too short to spend defending in a low block”, during his time at relegation-battling Göztepe in the Turkish Süper Lig in 2022. That philosophy defined Al-Najma’s bold approach against the reigning Asian Champions League Elite and Saudi Super Cup holders.
Initially, the strategy paid off. Davd Tijanić beat two Al-Ahli defenders with a deft move on the left flank in the 27th minute before releasing Lázaro, who finished past Édouard Mendy to hand the visitors a surprise lead.
Al-Ahli immediately pushed for an equaliser. Ivan Toney was brought down in the box in the 29th minute, only for the referee to wave away penalty appeals. Moments later, a handball inside Al-Najma’s area led to a lengthy VAR review and eventually a spot-kick for the hosts.
Toney, seeking his 21st goal of the campaign and boasting a perfect record from the spot for Al-Ahli, saw his penalty saved by Victor Braga. He pounced on the rebound, but Braga recovered to claim the ball and preserve the lead.
Braga continued to frustrate the hosts with several key saves before clashing into an opponent on the verge of half-time. The referee initially awarded a second penalty to Al-Ahli, but after a VAR review overturned the decision, Al-Najma went into the break still in front.
Al-Ahli knew a victory was essential on a pivotal weekend, with city rivals Al-Ittihad facing Al-Hilal in a clash that could influence the title race. Their response after the interval was swift, with Riyad Mahrez delivering a dipping cross that was met by Valentin Atangana, who headed in the equaliser.
Atangana was fouled ten minutes later, when Felippe Cardoso pushed him in the face. The Brazilian striker, already booked, received his marching orders from the referee.
With a numerical advantage, Al-Ahli asserted control. Roger Ibañez picked out Mahrez with a measured long pass over the top. The Algerian cushioned a first-time lay-off into Toney’s path, and the English striker finished clinically in the 69th minute.
Toney added his second of the evening — and 22nd of the season — in the 87th minute, meeting Matheus Gonçalves’ cross at the far post with a first-time finish. The Englishman completed his hat-trick in the fourth minute of stoppage time after Al-Najma conceded their second penalty of the night.
The win moves Al-Ahli level on points with Al-Hilal on 53 points, awaiting their game later this week. Meanwhile, El Maestro’s task with Al-Najma grows more difficult, as Al-Riyadh’s 2-0 victory over Al-Kholood in Qassim leaves Al-Najma eight points adrift of safety.
Elsewhere, Al-Ettifaq and Al-Fateh produced one of the season’s most entertaining encounters in an Eastern Province derby. Al-Ettifaq raced into a 3-0 lead inside 36 minutes, with goals from Khalid Al-Ghannam and Georginio Wijnaldum putting them firmly in control.
North African duo Mourad Batna and Sofiane Bendebka dragged Al-Fateh back into the contest with goals on either side of stoppage time in the first half. Madallah Al-Olayan restored Al-Ettifaq’s cushion in 48th minute, but Batna struck again in the 71st minute to set up a tense finale.
After seven goals in a back-and-forth thriller, Al-Ettifaq held on for a 4-3 victory in Dammam.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Friday, with Al-Okhdood hosting Al-Qadsiah, Al-Taawoun welcoming Al-Fayha and Al-Shabab travelling to Khamis Mushait to face Damac. All games kick off at 10:00pm in the league’s unified Ramadan schedule.
