01-06-2020, 06:16 AM
MELBOURNE, Australia - Formula Ones season-opening race ended in rancour and controversy Sunday as initial second-place finisher Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull disqualified for a breach of fuel regulations, five hours after Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg took the checkered flag. Ricciardos exclusion from the results tarnished what had been a day of celebration for local fans, who were jubilant that the Red Bull driver had apparently become the first Australian to finish on the podium at his home race. However just before midnight, stewards ruled that Ricciardos car had "exceeded consistently the maximum allowed fuel flow" and that the team refused an instruction from the races technical delegate Charlie Whiting to change the fuel-flow sensor before the race and a further request during the race to reduce the fuel flow. Red Bull immediately announced it would appeal the decision. "Inconsistencies with the FIA fuel flow meter have been prevalent all weekend up and down the pit lane," a Red Bull statement said. "The team and (engine supplier) Renault are confident the fuel supplied to the engine is in full compliance with the regulations." The exclusion capped a day of shocks at the Albert Park street circuit. Thought Rosbergs victory was little surprise, given Mercedes had been the dominant team in preseason testing and across the race weekend in Melbourne, few would have expected pole sitter Lewis Hamilton and defending four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel to be mere onlookers after half a dozen laps. Both Hamilton and Vettel suffered engine failures, illustrating the difficulties all teams are having getting performance and reliability out of the sports new V6 hybrid engines. Ricciardos disqualification meant Kevin Magnussen was promoted to second in his debut race, ahead of his McLaren teammate Jenson Button, giving the team a bright start to the season and the lead in the constructors championship after a very disappointing 2013. Rosberg started third on the grid and was first to reach turn one, then drove away from the field to eventually win by 24.5 seconds at the Albert Park street circuit. The margin of victory and the authority of the performance showed why Mercedes is considered a strong favourite to finally win its first constructors title this season. "I had an unbelievably quick car today," said Rosberg, whose world champion father Keke won the inaugural Australian F1 GP in 1985. "It was such a pleasure to drive, its such a great feeling and I really look forward to the new races." Rosbergs delight was a contrast to the disappointment on the other side of the garage as Hamilton quickly retired a car that was only firing on five cylinders. "We looked so strong but to then have a hiccup is tough for everyone, but we will bounce back," Hamilton said. Like Mercedes, Red Bull was on one hand celebrating a strong performance in the opening race while also harbouring concern about the engine problems that caused the retirements of their top drivers. "We learned the car is quick, we just need to get everything together," Vettel said. "No doubt well fix this issue, the question is how soon?" Ferraris Fernando Alonso finished fourth in a worryingly uncompetitive performance for the Italian team, while Williams driver Valtteri Bottas recovered from losing a wheel early in the race to finish fifth; pulling off a succession of impressive passing moves that showed the strong potential of the car. Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg and Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen — in his return to the team after six years away — finished sixth and seventh respectively, ahead of the Toro Rosso pair Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniil Kvyat. After Ricciardos exclusion, Force Indias Sergio Perez was promoted to the final points-paying position in 10th. The 19-year-old Kvyats 10th place made him the youngest driver ever to earn an F1 point, breaking Vettels record set at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. The 21-year-old Magnussen was the second-youngest driver to claim a podium finish, behind Vettels record at the 2007 U.S. Grand Prix. Despite fears that few cars would complete the race due to a series of reliability problems in preseason testing and over this weekend, 15 of the 22 racers finished. There was only one major accident, with Caterham driver Kamui Kobayashi slamming into the back of Felipe Massas Williams at the first corner, immediately ending the race for both drivers. Magnussens heady performance for a rookie driver illustrated why McLaren put such faith in him, discarding Sergio Perez after a single season to make room. McLaren leads the constructors championship after one race; an impressive recovery after a dire 2013 season in which the high-achieving team failed to secure a single podium. "Its not a win but it feels like a bit of a win," Magnussen said. "The team is coming off a difficult season and they just wanted to come back. "The team is massively motivated to stay on top and they are a team that should be on top in Formula One." Air Force 1 Alte Graphic . This is an exercise I have undertaken a few times, starting in 2009, and hope that Ive refined my approach a little bit in that time to help paint a better picture. Air Force 1 Alte Supreme .B. -- Canadian pairs skaters Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford went from elated to frustrated in the span of a few minutes. http://www.airforce1outletitalia.it/scon...e-tex.html . "Ive got a lot of work to do on this team and the sooner that I can get back to my office and start that work, itll be better," he said straight-faced as the rest of the room erupted in laughter. Air Force 1 Sp Italia .The Ottawa Senators winger was relegated to a corner seat in the locker-room to allow Daniel Alfredsson to return to his regular stall one last time. Nike Sf Air Force 1 Mid Nere . Arsene Wenger reportedly wants to convert the player into an attacking force, much like he did with Robin Van Persie.Coral Gables, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Sheldon McClellan scored 17 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-4 from the foul line, to lead No. 17 Miami-Florida to an 87-75 win over South Alabama on Friday. Manu Lecomte netted 14 points, and Tonye Jekiri filled the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five blocks for the Hurricanes (7-0). Ken Williams paced the Jaguars (1-3) with 16 points, while Dionte Ferguson and Barrington Stevens each chipped in with 12 in a third straight loss. Miami played at BankUnited Center for just the second time this season and first since its season-opening win against Howard on Nov. 14. The Hurricanes edged then-No. 8 Florida in Gainesville, then took three games en route to winning the Charleston Classic, the last of which came against Charlotte, who they played Tuesday to wrap up their five-game tripp.dddddddddddd Miami didnt take long to show its home-court advantage, surging out of the gate to a 23-0 lead. Lecomte made a pair of 3-pointers during the run and JaQuan Newton capped it with a jumper with under 12 minutes left. Abdul Lewis ended the Jaguars legnthy scoring drought, breaking an 0-for-11 start with a jumper at 11:19. The Hurricanes remained comfortably in front and took a 43-21 lead into the locker room at half. South Alabama made it interesting late in the second half, cutting its deficit to 11 on two occassions, but it couldnt make up for its early struggles. Game Notes Miami went 31-for-57 (54.4 percent) from the floor and limited South Alabama to 32-of-79 (40.5 percent) shooting ... Omar Sherman and Deandre Burnett scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench for the Hurricanes. ' ' '