African trade ministers meet in Cairo to push forward with AfCFTA    Scatec's $3.6bn renewables portfolio part of Egypt's NWFE energy pillar    Egypt's stocks end lower on Sept 16    Egypt launches international architecture academy with UNESCO, European partners    Egypt's President, Pakistan's PM condemn Israeli attack on Qatar    Egypt's PM, Russian deputy PM discuss industrial zone, Dabaa nuclear plant    Egypt signs MoUs with 3 European universities to advance architecture, urban studies    Sisi tells global leaders at Macron's video conference: Israel crossed all red lines    Egypt to begin second phase of universal health insurance in Minya    Madrid trade talks focus on TikTok as US and China seek agreement    Power of Proximity: How Egyptian University Students Fall in Love with Their Schools Via Social Media Influencers    Egypt wins Aga Khan Award for Architecture for Esna revival project    Egypt's Foreign Minister, Pakistani counterpart meet in Doha    Egypt condemns terrorist attack in northwest Pakistan    Egypt advances plans to upgrade historic Cairo with Azbakeya, Ataba projects    Egyptian pound ends week lower against US dollar – CBE    Egypt hosts G20 meeting for 1st time outside member states    Lebanese Prime Minister visits Egypt's Grand Egyptian Museum    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Egypt seeks Indian expertise to boost pharmaceutical industry    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Formula One: Vettel takes pole for Chinese Grand Prix
The seemingly unstoppable Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel put in another dominant qualifying performance on Saturday to claim pole position for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix
Published in Ahram Online on 16 - 04 - 2011

Vettel earned his third straight pole to start the season _ and will be aiming for his third straight win _ by going an impressive seven-tenths of a second quicker than McLaren's Jenson Button, who qualified ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton.
"We did it again," Vettel said. "I keep reminding myself and the team that it is always tough." Mercedes' Nico Rosberg will start from fourth on the grid, ahead of the Ferrari pair of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.
The major shock of qualifying was the elimination of Red Bull's Mark Webber in the first session _ in 18th place.
His KERS power-boost system was inoperable and the team gambled on using hard tires for his final run.
While Webber will be forced to scramble through the field to reach a points finish in Sunday's race, teammate Vettel will be odds on to become the first man since Michael Schumacher in 2004 to win the opening three races of a season.
"It all starts from zero again tomorrow," said Vettel, who took pole in China for the third straight year. "All it is is eight meters (advantage) tomorrow.
"We have reason to feel good, but it's also a threat to feel too good and I will pay attention that that doesn't happen." It was Vettel's 18th career pole position, bringing him level with Hamilton, former world champion Mario Andretti and Rene Arnoux in equal 12th on the all-time list.
Schumacher missed the top 10 for the third straight race, qualifying 14th. He was caught out by a red flag with two minutes remaining in the second stage of qualifying.
When the session resumed, 11 cars went out nose-to-tail in an attempt to have one last lap, and Schumacher was one of those caught up in the inevitable traffic, along with Renault's Nick Heidfeld, who qualified 16th.
"What a shame for me today as we have clearly demonstrated this weekend that as a team we have improved a lot," Schumacher said.
Button out-qualified Hamilton for the first time this season, but said there was no way to compete with Vettel.
"The pace in Q3 was phenomenal for Seb and the Red Bull," Button said. "When I saw Seb's time I thought 'OK, we might have to fight for second place."' Hamilton only made one run in the final session of qualifying, unlike Vettel and Button's two, saying he learned the lessons from the previous Malaysian Grand Prix where he ran out of soft tires in the race.
"The last race showed how important it is to have fresh tires for the race," Hamilton said. "I wanted to make sure I had plenty of fresh tires, so we are in a pretty good position." The Briton added that the Red Bull was "ridiculously fast" and that "it will take several races to get to where they are now." Toro Rosso impressively got both drivers through to the final session of qualifying, with Jaime Alguersuari in a career-best seventh and Sebastien Buemi in ninth. Force India rookie Paul Di Resta again showed up his more experienced teammate Adrian Sutil and qualified eighth.
Renault's Vitaly Petrov will start from 10th. He did enough to make the top 10 in Q2, but his car stalled on the track late in the session to cause the red flag.
Webber said he paid "the ultimate price" for his team's risky decision to send him out on hard tires. Having pushed Vettel hard all last season, the Australian looks as if he will be well behind his teammate in the world championship after three races.
"We thought we had enough to get through on the prime tires. We have the pace, but I couldn't get the tire working on my second run," Webber said.
"I can't remember the last time I was out in Q1; it was a long, long time ago, so it was a bad day for us." Ferrari will be hoping for a repeat of the first two races of the season, where it was off the pace in qualifying but showed a race pace as good as any other car.
However Alonso said "fifth we know is our maximum position at the moment _ we did fifth in the first two races." Dry conditions were forecast for Sunday's race. Pirelli motorsport chief Paul Hembery said "the leading runners are likely to opt for a two-stop strategy, but there is a possibility of some teams trying for one or three stops."


Clic here to read the story from its source.