F1: Ferrari presents 2019 race car

(ANSA) - Maranello, February 15 - Ferrari presented its 2019 Formula One race car - the SF90 - at its Maranello headquarters on Friday. Ferrari President John Elkann, CEO Louis Camilleri, new team principal Mattia Binotto and drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc were present, along with Piero Ferrari, the son of late founder Enzo Ferrari.

"I can't wait to get in the car and start," said Germany's four-time world champion Vettel.

"Each time the excitement is incredible.

"As a team we are on the right road. Let's hope we keep improving". Ferrari have drafted in talented youngster Leclerc to replace Kimi Raikkonen this season as they seek to end a long drought of world titles. Leclerc said that: "I prepared the maximum I could during the winter break, physically and mentally". Ferrari's last constructor's championship win dates to 2008 and the last drivers' title goes back to when Raikkonen won in 2007 during his first of two stints with the team.

"In 2018 we got really good achievements," said Binotto. "This car is a development of last year's car, it's not a revolution. "We've tried to push the bar, try to be some extreme as we could. "Some changes like the front wing for the regulations. "If you look at the details, we've tried to push hard, be innovative. "If you look at the bodywork at the back, it's very slim.

"It's thanks to the entire job we've done. A lot of effort has been done. We like it".

One of the most striking aspects of the new car is its colour - a red that is slightly less bright than the hue Ferrari usually go for.

The name SF90 refers to the fact that this year is Ferrari's 90th anniversary.

"The car embodies the latest state of the art technology, reflects the new regulations for the coming season and is the fruit of the combined enormous work and talent of everyone in the Scuderia," said CEO Camilleri.

Source: ANSA

Telecoms operator du confirms beIN Sports network suspended in the UAE

Dubai-based telecoms operator du has confirmed that it has suspended transmission of the Qatar-owned beIN Sports network across its cable television services after customers took to social media on Monday evening to complain about an interruption in the service.

“We would like to confirm that the service of beIN Sports are currently suspended. Our customer service teams will be in touch with all the affected customers,” du said in a statement.

The company did not clarify whether the suspension of service is in relation to the ongoing Qatar crisis, in which the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and the Maldives have cut ties with the GCC member over claims that the country supports terrorist organisations.

Customers who attempt to access beIN Sports channels via their du cable box receive a blue screen stating “This channel is currently unavailable”.

Etisalat customers report receiving the same notice, however the UAE state-owned telecoms firm has yet to release an official statement regarding the matter.

The beIN Sports website has also subsequently been blocked by both the telecoms operators in the UAE.

Part of the larger Al Jazeera network of channels, beIN Sports holds the exclusive broadcasting rights to a number of major international sporting tournaments including the UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, La Liga, Formula 1 Grand Prix and the NBA, amongst others.

The UAE has also blocked the Al Jazeera TV channel and website, while Saudi Arabia has also revoked the media group’s licence in the kingdom.

Source: http://gulfbusiness.com

Fernando Alonso fifth in Indy 500 qualifying as Scott Dixon takes pole

Fernando Alonso will start his first Indianapolis 500 from the middle of the second row of the grid after qualifying fifth for the race on 28 May.

The McLaren Formula 1 driver set an average of 231.300mph on his four-lap qualifying run, while New Zealander Scott Dixon took pole at 232.164mph.

It was an impressive performance from the two-time F1 champion - he had not driven an IndyCar until this month.

Alonso said he was "happy" but had been slightly delayed by an engine issue.

"I think the car was better than yesterday," he said. "We had an over-boost problem (with the turbocharger) in the final corner, so the engine was like hitting the brakes and I lost a bit."

The Spaniard said this cost him 0.3-0.4mph on his average, which equates to the difference between fifth and either second or third.

Alonso, whose engine needed to be changed between final practice earlier on Sunday and qualifying, added on his Instagram account: "With everything that has happened today being among the top five is a dream.

"Fifteen days ago I would never have thought about fighting for the pole. Thanks to the whole team. Now another week of learning and race next weekend."

To put Alonso's performance into context, 1992 F1 world champion Nigel Mansell qualified eighth on his debut in 1993, in what was the Englishman's fourth IndyCar race after switching to the US-based series.

Alonso's first taste of Indianapolis was in his 'rookie' test on 4 May. He is missing next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix to race at the speedway as part of his quest to win the so-called 'triple crown' of Monaco, which he has won twice, Indy and the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is directly behind two former F1 drivers on the grid.

American Alexander Rossi, who had a brief career with the back-of-the-grid Caterham and Marussia teams, was third and Japan's Takuma Sato, who raced in 90 grands prix for the Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri teams, was fourth.

American Ed Carpenter takes the middle slot on the three-car front row.

Rossi won the Indy 500 from 11th on the grid last year, an illustration of the fact that qualifying positions are not of great importance in predicting race form at the so-called 'Brickyard'.

That is because the set-up of the cars is changed significantly between qualifying and race to ensure drivers can run consistently in heavy traffic during a 500-mile race that is usually punctuated by several 'caution' periods in which drivers are restricted to reduced speeds behind a pace car.

Alonso was consistently fast through the days of practice last week, whether running in qualifying or race trim.

None of the British drivers in the field were in the 'fast nine'. Ed Jones was 11th on his debut, followed by Max Chilton in 15th, Jay Howard in 20th, Jack Harvey in 27th and Pippa Mann in 28th.

Source: http://www.bbc.com

Ferrari’s Vettel, Raikkonen grip front row to start 2017 F1 Russian Grand Prix

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel clinched the last minutes best time of the qualification session on Saturday to win the pole position ahead of the 2017 Formula One Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.

The four-time F1 world champion from Germany showed the best lap result of 1 minute 34.493 seconds. His teammate Kimi Raikkonen clocked the second best result, thus putting both Ferraris on the first line of the starting grid for the Sunday GP in Sochi.

"I think it's been a mega qualifying. The car was really nice to drive and it's a track when the car comes alive it's really pleasant," Vettel told journalists after winning the pole position.

Asked how important it was to have his teammate Kimi alongside on the front row of the starting grid tomorrow, Vettel said "Well, if I could choose I would put Kimi alongside and I think he would say the same."

The 37-year old Finnish racer from Finland, Raikkonen, who won the F1 World Championship in 2007, was heading Saturday’s qualification in Sochi until the very last minute of the session. He was about to conquer the pole position after an almost decade-long pause, as the last time Kimi started a race from the top position was way back in 2008 at the French Grand Prix, but Vettel managed to beat him by only 0.059 seconds.

"Obviously the aim is to be on the front," Raikkonen told journalists. "The feeling has been more better this weekend and now we just got some traffic on the pout lap on the last set and couldn't really make the tyres work as well as the first run and it was a bit more tricky."

Team Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton finished the Saturday qualification in the third and fourth places respectively.

Speaking after the qualifying Bottas, who joined Team Mercedes this season coming from Williams, said Ferrari was at the higher level than Mercedes throughout the weekend, but the second line of the starting grid was also good and the starting lap of the race tomorrow would see which team is better.

"To be honest all weekend they (Ferrari) have had the upper hand and they have been able to extract much mire, especially from the ultrasoft tyre, and that's where we really struggled yesterday," Bottas told journalists. "We made improvements for today but obviously not quite enough."

"As always, tomorrow is the day that really counts and I think a second-row start is that much of a bad thing - it's a pretty long run into Turn One," the Finnish driver, who stepped on the third step of the podium at the inaugural Russia GP in 2014, added.

Russia’s Daniil Kvyat from Scuderia Toro Rosso will start his home race from the 13th position on Sunday afternoon.

"After this morning's FP3 (Free Practice, Session 3), I'm happy with my result in today's qualifying session," Kvyat said commenting on his performance during the qualifying. "The car has been difficult to drive all weekend and we also had a few issues this morning which we couldn't completely solve for qualifying."

"But I drove well and I'm happy with my lap. Tomorrow we will try our best to fight for points!" the 23-year-old Russian added.

With comfortable temperatures soaring above 20 degrees Centigrade (over 70 Fahrenheit) this week in Sochi, team Ferrari was dominant during three practice sessions on Friday and Saturday with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Rakkonen clocking the best lap times and leaving behind in the third and fourth places drivers from their main rival Team Mercedes.

Beginning with Russia’s first-ever F1 race in October 2014 the trophies of Sochi went to Team Mercedes’ drivers.

The inaugural race in2014 was grabbed by Lewis Hamilton, who held the grip in Russia on the title next year again showing the best result in winning the Russian GP.

His teammate Nico Roseberg broke the spell of victorious Lewis, winning the race last year and eventually getting the world champion's title.

This year Russia holds its fourth FIA Formula One racing Grand Prix in Sochi from April 28 to April 30.

Source: http://tass.com/sport

The ambitious Lexus R CF GT3

The Lexus RC F GT3 signals an ambitious foray into the world of sports cas racing for Lexus engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi and Yukihiko Yaguchi explains how, and why has a lot to be proud of. A chief engineer at Lexus, Yaguchi is the man behind the RC F GT3, a heavily modified version of the RC F, Lexus’s new high-performance coupe.

He’s proud of the car, which will soon sit at the pinnacle of Lexus’s performance-oriented range. He’s proud that Lexus has become one of the few Japanese manufacturers to develop a vehicle compliant with the strict parameters of GT3, a grand touring motor-sport category that abides by regulations set by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), the world’s governing body for auto racing events. And he’s proud that his car is being so widely acknowledged.

The RC F GT3 is the latest model in the Lexus F range, a division of cars largely associated with performance, precision and progressive technology. The range includes the widely lauded Lexus LFA, a two-seat coupe that has competed in various endurance races.

“The history of the F range actually began with the IS F in 2007,” explains Yaguchi. “Since then we’ve launched several game-changing models – both concept cars and production vehicles – but this sports car definitely represents a highlight.” When the RC F GT3 Concept was unveiled at the 2014 Geneva International Motor Show, in March, it generated a wealth of justified hype, and plenty of headlines. It made clear Lexus’s ambition to make its presence felt on the racetrack, where previously it had little bearing, and it proved Japan’s ability to manufacture, from start to finish, a world-class sports car.

“We’re now in the process of fine-tuning the vehicle,” says Yaguchi. “Once it’s done, we’ll start supplying the cars to racing teams to race in the 2015 season. GT3 cars can enter countless races around the world, including the 24-hour race at Nürburgring, in Germany, and the United SportsCar Championship (USCC) in the US. It’s great that many racing fans will get to see our product in action.”

Like the Lexus RC F, the most powerful V8 performance model the brand has yet developed, the RC F GT3 is full of engineering features aimed at extracting the best out of its 540-plus horsepower engine. The car will be an asset to any race team. Its purpose-built front fenders and front-end underbody treatment have been designed to minimize drag.

Its rear spoiler stands tall and wide to provide the car with enough downforce to improve stability (and therefore increase its speed) around bends. And “Lexus’s latest carbon fiber technology has been applied wherever appropriate,” says Yaguchi, “to keep the car’s weight to a minimum.” He continues: “With attention to detail in mind, we’ve fine-tuned everything from the car’s agility and handling response to the mechanics of its onboard devices. We have here a very serious racing car. But at the same time, drivers of all skill levels would be able to enjoy driving it on circuits around the world.”

Source: https://www.lexus-int.com

Claudio Ranieri fired by Leicester 9 months after leading them to remarkable EPL title

Claudio Ranieri has been fired as the manager of Leicester City. The Foxes have decided to move on from the manager who led them to an improbable Premier League title just nine months ago after dropping into the relegation fight this season.

Ranieri’s status at Leicester has been in question for weeks as the Foxes have stumbled down the table. They are yet to win a Premier League match since the start of  2017 and only have five wins in the entire season. That has left them only a point out of the relegation zone, a fact that would scare any club, but is especially terrifying to the Foxes considering how poorly they’ve played. It’s not hard to argue that Leicester have been the worst team in the league for nearly two months now, making the chances of them being relegated all the more likely.

The hope for Leicester is that a new manager can give them a boost the way new bosses did at Hull and Swansea. The two other relegation contenders have made huge strides since switching managers and the Foxes are betting that a new boss can do the same for them.

That Ranieri had to go is especially difficult considering the wondrous job he did last season. He took Leicester, a team with 5,000/1 odds to win the title, to the top of the Premier League to become the most unexpected champions in the history of the league. He was exceedingly likable, both in Leicester and around the world as fans rallied around the remarkable Foxes. Ranieri threw his players pizza parties and was always quick to a joke, while using his time away from the club to visit his mother back in Italy. He was absolutely beloved and the club wanted nothing more than to keep him.

Unfortunately, the results this season made it tough for Leicester to justify holding onto Ranieri. They simply lost too much and while there was no realistic expectation that they would contend for the title again, the Foxes did not expect to be in a relegation fight. That’s where they find themselves and, needing a change, they had to jettison the man who led them to glory.

Source” www.foxsports.com

Super Bowl 2017, New England Patriots 34 Atlanta Falcons 28: MVP Tom Brady leads comeback from 25 points down to stunning overtime win - and his fifth Ring

Tom Brady led one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, lifting New England from a 25-point hole to the Patriots' fifth NFL championship in the first Super Bowl overtime.

The Patriots scored 19 points in the final quarter, including a pair of 2-point conversions, then marched relentlessly to James White's 2-yard touchdown run in overtime to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 on Sunday night.

Tom Brady inspired one of sport's most remarkable comebacks

Brady, the first quarterback with five Super Bowl rings, guided the Patriots (17-2) through a tiring Atlanta defence for fourth-quarter touchdowns on a 6-yard pass to Danny Amendola and a 1-yard run by White, which came with 57 seconds remaining in regulation. White ran for the first 2-pointer and Amendola did the deed with a reception on the second.

Brady, winning Super Bowl MVP for a record fourth-time, finished 43 for 62, the most attempts in Super Bowl history, for 466 yards, also a record, and two touchdowns.

"You know, we all brought each other back," Brady said. "We never felt out of it. It was a tough battle. They have a great team. I give them a lot of credit. We just made a few more plays than them."

Before the stunning rally - New England already held the biggest comeback in the final period when it turned around a 10-point deficit to beat Seattle two years ago - the Falcons (13-6) appeared poised to take their first NFL championship in 51 seasons. Having never been in such a pressurised environment, their previously staunch pass rush disappeared, and Brady tore them apart.

"Deflategate" far behind them, Brady and coach Bill Belichick won their 25th postseason game, by far a record. It's hard to imagine a tenser victory. Belichick became the first coach with five Super Bowl crowns.

The Patriots won the coin toss for overtime and it was no contest. Brady completed six passes. A pass interference call took the ball to the 2, and White scooted to his right and barely over the goal line.

His teammates streamed off the sideline to engulf White as confetti streamed down from the NRG Stadium rafters.

It was almost an impossible dream for the Patriots a bit earlier. But helped by Matt Ryan's fumble on a sack, a spectacular catch by Julian Edelman , and Brady's passing, they never stopped coming.

White had 14 receptions for 110 yards as the key weapon, but Brady hit seven different receivers.

Until the Patriots took charge with their late surge, league MVP Ryan was outplaying Brady. It didn't last.

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn admitted the loss was hard to take. "No doubt that was a tough one for us," said Quinn. "That's a hard one in the locker room."

Quinn felt the Falcons were worn out by the end by the pressure the Patriots applied. "I think for sure we ran out of gas some," Quinn said.

Back in Boston,  hundreds of fans gathered late on Sunday night and early Monday morning in a downtown public park to celebrate. They were dancing, cheering and chanting "Brady."

The mayor of Boston ordered the city to "fire up the duck boats" for the New England Patriots victory parade.

Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh took to Twitter late Sunday night to offer his congratulations "to the greatest team, the greatest coach and the greatest quarterback of all time."

Mr Walsh said a parade celebrating their championship would be held on Tuesday, adding the Pats "have made Boston and New England proud."

Donald Trump was also quick to offer his congratulations. The president, who has often boasted of his friendship with Brady, tweeted: "What an amazing comeback and win by the Patriots. Tom Brady, Bob Kraft and Coach B are total winners. Wow!"

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Lamborghini Veneno Roadster

By Diego Braghi: making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, this open racing prototype has been launched to celebrate the Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary. The venue was the Italian naval aircraft carrier Nave Cavour at a special event in Abu Dhabi in June 2014.

Two of the Lamborghini Veneno Roadster’s most distinctive features are the carbon intensive construction and competition derived aerodynamics.

The monocoque has been built in carbon fibre with aluminium front and rear frames and also the interior trim is made of a substance called CarbonSkin. The carbon-fibre monocoque keeps the Veneno Roadster down to an impressively low 1,490 kg dry weight.

Upfront, the Veneno Roadster features a large aerodynamic wing with huge channels and Y-shaped angular headlamps, and Lamborghini placed large plus four sizable exhaust pipes divided by a splitter on the backside. Keeping the monstrous engine behind the seats cool are large vents, while an adjustable rear wing adds much needed downforce.

The engine, a 6.5-liter V12 with 750 horsepower at 8,400 rpm, mated with seven-speed ISR paddleshift gearbox, propels the Lamborghini Veneno Roadster up to 221 mph (355 km/h), taking 2.9 seconds to make this extreme car from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h). 

The wheels have been designed to improve brake cooling, with the carbon fibre ring around the edge channelling cool air to the carbon ceramic discs. The Veneno Roadster is equipped with front and rear horizontal mono-tube damper with push-rod system and permanent all-wheel drive.

Limited to nine units, the £2.8 million (euro 3.3 million) Lamborghini trumps the Bugatti Veyron as the most expensive supercar on sale.