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Rosberg dominates opening day
SUZUKA: World championship leader Nico Rosberg ended the opening day of practice for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in a strong position after setting the pace
SUZUKA: World championship leader Nico Rosberg ended the opening day of practice for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in a strong position after setting the pace in both sessions.
The German clocked his fastest time of one minute, 32.250 seconds on an overcast afternoon in Suzuka in the second of Friday’s two sessions, after having topped the timesheets at the end of the morning.
Rosberg’s Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton was second in both and although the Briton was 0.214 seconds off his title-rival’s pace in the morning, he closed the gap to just 0.072 seconds in the second session.
Rosberg extended his advantage over Hamilton to 23 points in the overall standings after the reigning champion was forced to retire 16 laps from the finish while holding a comfortable lead during the last race in Malaysia.
Hamilton heads into Sunday’s Japanese round desperately needing to revive his title hopes by clinching a third successive win at the Suzuka circuit.
‘BABY OCTOPUS’ ATTACKS KVYAT
Russian Daniil Kvyat caused something of a kerfuffle on Friday when he came over his team radio to complain he was being molested by a “baby octopus”.
While Toro Rosso pit crew immediately understood the bizarre cephalopod reference, made during the morning’s free practice, fans and media alike were left flummoxed.
“Oh no, the octopus is back,” Kvyat cried. “It’s quite a small one — a baby octopus.”
It turns out he was referring to small pieces of rubber wrapped around his car’s antenna, which appeared to grow legs when stretched out at high speed. Kvyat first noticed it happening in China two seasons ago, when the ‘tentacles’ began touching his helmet.
MUSEUM FOR SCHUMI MEMORABILIA
GENEVA: The private car collection of stricken Formula One legend Michael Schumacher will go on view to the public as part of a new exhibition centre in Cologne, his manager announced.
The Motorworld centre is expected to open at the end of 2017 and will feature go-karts from Schumacher’s early career as well as sports cars, trophies and replicas of the F1 cars he drove.
