Page 22 - ATD29NOV2016

A22 SPORTS
Tuesday 29 November 2016
Rosberg still needs to up his level to be among F1 greats

JEROME PUGMIRE where Rosberg crushed
AP Sports Writer Hamilton in qualifying with
ABU DHABI, United Arab a quite stunning lap, he has
Emirates (AP) — After finally not been as quick.
getting the better of long- After missing out on a third
time rival Lewis Hamilton straight F1 title and fourth
to become Formula One overall, Hamilton will be
champion, the weight is off hugely motivated next
Nico Rosberg’s shoulders year.
and he has the chance to Others will be pushing Ros-
really show what he can berg, too, not least Red Bull
do. driver Max Verstappen.
But at 31, the German driv- The 19-year-old Dutch-
er is already into his peak man has taken F1 by storm
years and only has a lim- this year — becoming the
ited time left at the top. youngest to both win a
Rosberg showed impres- race and qualify on the
sive mental resilience to front row.
get the better of Hamilton With rule changes — nota-
over a topsy-turvy season, bly wider tires — expect-
and the title victory was ed to make the 2017 cars
even sweeter considering several seconds quicker,
that they have been com- Mercedes might be more
peting against each other Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany is carried through the crowd as he celebrates winning strongly challenged.
since their karting days as the World Championship during the Emirates Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina racetrack Verstappen will have more
teens. in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016. Associated Press experience and Red Bull
“It feels like I have been will be confident that he
racing him forever and al- ton and four-time champi- gling McLaren adapting to Although Hamilton’s com- can challenge for wins,
ways he has just managed on Sebastian Vettel — and its switch back to a Honda ments smacked of poor considering it was the only
to edge me out,” Rosberg- others before them — have engine. sportsmanship, he does team other than Mercedes
said after clinching the title done. Rosberg’s tally of 23 Clearly, Rosberg needs to have an argument. to win a race this season.
at the Abu Dhabi Grand career race wins is com- improve his speed if he is to In qualifying, Hamilton took Vettel has also expressed
Prix on Sunday. “He is just mendable but unremark- be considered among the 12 pole positions com- optimism that Ferrari can
an amazing driver and one able considering Hamilton best. pared to eight for Rosberg, close the gap.
of the best in history. That — who is the same age — This year, Hamilton secured even though Hamilton was Rosberg’s father — 1982
makes it so much more sat- has a whopping 53 wins. 10 wins to Rosberg’s nine unable to compete in three Formula One champion
isfying that I took the world Vettel, who is two years and — as Hamilton has sessions because of engine Keke Rosberg — said his
championship away from younger, already has 42. consistently repeated — woes. Rosberg, however, son will need to be ready.
him.” Two-time F1 champion would probably have had could also have got more “The level is always high
For Rosberg to be spoken of Fernando Alonso, who is a couple more wins with- poles under different cir- in Formula One. Look at
alongside other F1 greats, for some observers still the out engine problems that cumstances. Max, he is the teammate
he needs to do more than most skilled driver in F1, has cropped up several times. He was not pushing Ham- of (Daniel) Ricciardo. Or
beating Hamilton over 32 wins. That total would He considers himself to ilton in qualifying over the Vettel, he is the team-
21 races in essentially the be far higher had Alonso have been the best driver. last four races because he mate of (Kimi) Raikkonen,”
same Mercedes car. He been given a leading car. “Obviously we had a lot was more concerned with Keke Rosberg said. “When
was thoroughly consis- The Spaniard has not won of problems this year, and protecting his considerable you take the top three
tent, but Rosberg’s title win a race since taking the that’s inevitably why I’m in lead and playing it safe teams, all of them have
lacked the “wow” factor in checkered flag for Ferrari this position,” Hamilton said on race day, where tak- been world champions, or
terms of pure driving. in May 2013. He has spent as Rosberg sat next to him ing second place behind at Red Bull they’re all young
He needs to dominate a this season and last get- in Sunday’s post-race news Hamilton was enough. talents. That’s the level we
campaign the way Hamil- ting the best out of a strug- conference. Still, aside from Singapore, have.”q.

Argentina little finger on his non-rack- ing a break in Del Potro’s his fourth straight tiebreak- semifinals.
et left hand. first service game. The Cro- er during the finals, Del He broke Cilic in the 12th
Continued from page 21 He said the injury hap- at capitalized on the first of Potro started the second and 10th games in the third
pened in the fifth set while three break points with a set slowly and dropped his and fourth sets respectively
Karlovic, who returned to he was trying to catch a cracking forehand winner. serve in the fifth game with to send the match into the
the Croatian team after a ball. Del Potro fought back in a double fault and another decider.
four-year absence, said he “I’m very happy to hand the seventh game with Cil- in the seventh at love.
was “hugely disappoint- my team a chance of a ic under pressure at deuce. At that point, Cilic seemed “After losing the third set,
ed.” victory,” Del Potro said. Two ground strokes, first a to be cruising toward vic- I was still confident I could
“Maybe I’ll feel better to- The match at Arena Za- forehand long then a loop- tory with some spectacu- win as he looked tired,” Cil-
morrow, but tonight it is aw- greb that lasted nearly five ing backhand, saw Del lar ground strokes that the ic said. “I started pushing a
ful,” he said. hours saw plenty of drama Potro break at the sixth at- tired-looking Argentine bit too hard, handing him a
The comeback started with created by two players tempt. watched in disbelief. chance for a comeback.”
Del Potro’s heroics that in- with similar styles. But then Del Potro, who has Trailing 15-40 in the eighth
cluded a finger injury in the “It is very difficult to lose In the tiebreaker, Cilic recovered after two injury- game of the final set, Cilic
fifth set against Cilic. such an important match,” raced to a 5-0 lead to seal hit years, showed the form sent a forehand beyond
“I was calm, I hoped all the Cilic said. “I feel a lot of dis- the game with a slice back- he displayed in beating the baseline to give Del
time that I could win and I appointment.” hand down the line that now top-ranked Andy Mur- Potro the decisive break.
did it,” said Del Potro, dis- Cilic had a furious start to Del Potro could not control. ray as Argentina knocked He served out the match to
playing a bandage on his race to a 3-0 lead includ- Under pressure after losing out holder Britain in the keep Argentina alive.q