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SPORTS Friday 23 November 2018

Verstappen's recent form bodes well for 2019 F1 championship

By JEROME PUGMIRE already has five GP wins to
AP Sports Writer his name, including two this
ABU DHABI, United Arab season.
Emirates (AP) — The way Hamilton’s Mercedes
Max Verstappen has driven teammate, Valtteri Bottas,
recently offers encourage- has not won a race this
ment of a more open For- season despite having a
mula One title race next quicker and considerably
year. more consistent car.
Verstappen has been in It fuels the view that Ver-
typically daredevil form, stappen, in a Ferrari or a
with some overtaking Mercedes, would already
moves of the highest class, be a serious title contender
and the Red Bull driver is now.
aiming to sign off the sea- He is fifth in the standings,
son in style at this week- but could overtake Bottas
end’s Abu Dhabi Grand and move up a spot at this
Prix. weekend’s Abu Dhabi GP.
F1 needs him to carry over Verstappen is also more
his form into 2019, too. than 60 points clear of his
Because each year since Red Bull teammate Dan-
2014, the championship iel Ricciardo, the senior
contest has been between driver, although the mar-
Lewis Hamilton and one Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of Netherlands, looks out from inside his car during the second gin is blurred by the fact
other driver: his former free practice at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. both have been undone at
Mercedes teammate Nico Associated Press times this season by engine
Rosberg and more recent- problems.
ly Ferrari’s Sebastian Vet- drivers since 2010, when points compared with 77 for ning back to second and By contrast, Hamilton has
tel. Although two of those several fought for the title Hamilton in the same span. pushing Hamilton to first. It finished every race except
championships went down heading into the season- But the tally would have led to a heated incident for Austria in July, and Bot-
to the last race — Hamilton ending desert race under been 83-70 in Verstappen’s after the race, where an tas has finished all but two,
won in ‘14 and Rosberg in floodlights at Abu Dhabi. favor if not for a reckless irate Verstappen squared underlining the more reli-
‘16 — it was always a two- Vettel won that dramatic attacking move by French up to a grinning Ocon and able Mercedes.
way contest. This year and race for his first F1 title. driver Esteban Ocon in the shoved him three times in The complex engine prob-
last, Hamilton beat Vettel But Verstappen has finished latter stages of the Brazilian the chest before pointing lems ultimately forced Red
into second place, with this season so strongly he GP two weeks ago. an angry finger at him as he Bull to split with Renault
everyone else lagging be- has surpassed Vettel and Although he was already eventually walked away. as its partner and choose
hind. even matched Hamilton, lapped and had no points Verstappen’s actions drew Honda from 2019. Yet
Given that Vettel’s title wins which bodes well for 2019. to fight for, Ocon stubborn- criticism from some ob- there is no little irony in that
with Red Bull from 2011-13 Over the past four races, ly refused to let race leader servers, but they also high- switch now, considering
were overwhelming victo- Verstappen has had four Verstappen past him and lighted the 21-year-old how strong Verstappen has
ries, there has not been a podium finishes including they tangled on the track Dutchman’s fiery will to win. been in recent races when
wider contest with multiple — a win in Mexico — for 76 , sending Verstappen spin- Despite his young age he his engine has held up.q
Scolari nears redemption at home with 2nd Brazilian title

By MAURICIO SAVARESE one of the worst teams in mengo, with two matches
AP Sports Writer the Brazilian league, Scolari to play. “There is no use in
SAO PAULO (AP) — Four will win his second trophy in breaking records if we are
years ago, then-Gremio the competition — 22 years not crowned champions,”
coach Luiz Felipe Scolari after the first. Scolari said Wednesday af-
was humiliated by his once- Few expected that when ter a 4-0 win over America.
loving Palmeiras fans during Scolari took over in July. After spending three years
a Brazilian league match. Palmeiras was lagging in at Chinese club Guang-
They chanted “7-1! 7-1! sixth place in the stand- zhou Evergrande, the
7-1!” during their 2-1 victory ings despite being the big- 70-year-old Scolari is once
at Pacaembu Stadium, a gest spender in the coun- again revered as one of
reference to the hammer- try. Midfielder Lucas Lima, the best Brazilian coaches
ing Big Phil took as Brazil once courted by Barcelo- in the business. His attack-
coach in the 2014 World na, was not delivering. For- ing Palmeiras team is much
Cup semifinals against Ger- mer Alaves striker Deyver- more stylish than the stiff
many five months earlier. In this Nov. 21, 2018 photo, Luiz Felipe Scolari, coach of Brazil's son was too undisciplined. Brazil of four years ago and,
It didn’t matter that Scolari Palmeiras, gestures during a Brasileirao championship soccer The team’s defense was most importantly, the 7-1
had given the Sao Paulo match against America Mineiro in Sao Paulo, Brazil. unreliable. chants from opposing fans
club its only Copa Liberta- Associated Press But after a record 21-match have disappeared.
dores title in 1999. Or that home humiliation with Brazil his first major title at home unbeaten streak in the Even if the title doesn’t
he was the mastermind was too big of a stain to be since the historic embar- league, no one in Brazil come on Sunday, Palmei-
when Palmeiras won the erased so quickly. rassment against the Ger- doubts the former Chel- ras will still have another
2012 Brazilian Cup unbeat- Fast forward four years and mans at the Mineirao Sta- sea manager anymore. chance at home on Dec. 2
en with one of their worst once again the coach of dium. With a victory on Sun- Scolari’s team now has 74 against Vitoria, which could
teams in recent history. The Palmeiras, Scolari could win day at Vasco da Gama, points, five ahead of Fla- be relegated by then.q