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SPIELBERG, Austria -- Formula One returned to business as usual Sunday as Nico Rosberg led Lewis Hamilton at the Austrian Grand Prix for the sixth 1-2 finish by Mercedes. Deion Sanders Jersey Dallas Cowboys . Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo won the Canadian GP two weeks ago and Williams Felipe Massa took pole position for Sundays race but this had little effect on Mercedes which had missed out on the front row of the grid for the first time this season. "I was still very confident going into the race and knew I could win starting from third," said Rosberg, who celebrated his third win of the year and sixth overall as he extended his lead in the drivers championship over Hamilton to 29 points -- 165 vs. 136. "I am extremely happy," the German said. "Extending my lead was the main goal coming into this race." Williams Valtteri Bottas came third for his first career F1 podium while teammate Massa took fourth. Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel quit the race on lap 36 after overcoming engine problems early in the race. Rosberg succeeded where his father Keke had just failed 32 years ago, when he came up 0.05 short of Elio de Angelis at the 1982 Austrian GP. However, Keke Rosberg went on to become world champion that year, a feat Nico Rosberg is reluctant to think about yet. "29 is a nice gap but its still so early in the season," he said. Hamilton, who was ninth after qualifying, earned four places from a blistering start and won another place to work his way up to fourth in the opening lap. "It was a good start, one of the best starts Ive ever had," the 2008 F1 champion said. "To get from ninth to second and then pressure Nico shows the pace I had this weekend." Rosberg immediately overtook Bottas but lost that position again shortly after the first turn. Massa dropped from pole to fourth after the top four had their first pit stops and never threatened the leaders again. Sergio Perez remained in the lead until the 27th, overtaken by Rosberg who accelerated for the fastest lap so far to create distance on Hamilton, who got stuck behind Perez. The Mercedes drivers went 1-2 from lap 47 on but Rosberg kept Hamilton at bay, denying him a chance to overtake. The British driver saw his chances reduced as the two pit stops in the race cost him 1.9 seconds more than Rosberg who relaxed at the end. "I felt comfortable in the last lap," Rosberg said. "It wasnt that close." The race once more confirmed Mercedes has best adapted to the introduction this season of the 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines with the build-in energy recovery system. Hamilton won four races in a row while Rosberg never finished worse than second. "Thats super, 1-2 means you cant do better," Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said. "They both made some mistakes under pressure but did well to handle the situation near the end as we had some problems with the cooling system and the brakes." Mercedes stranglehold on F1 victories was broken by Ricciardo in Montreal, though Red Bull failed to threaten Mercedes again on its home circuit in Austria. Mercedes dominated practice Friday with Rosberg and Hamilton posting the fastest times, but Williams hit back the next day when Bottas led the final practice before Massa grabbed pole position -- his first in six years. Despite starting 1-2, Williams was not counting on a victory, Bottas admitted. "From all the data we had from practice we knew it was going to be difficult," the Finn said. "I am really happy for what we did with the whole team." Vettel lost drive in the second lap and had already been doubled by the field by the time he could pick up again. He later damaged the front wing of his Red Bull as he clipped the left rear wheel of Esteban Gutierrezs Sauber and shortly afterward quit the race in lap 36 for his third DNF of the season. "From the back of the pack there obviously was nothing I could do anymore," Vettel said. "Its bitter but weve learnt a lot and we still have to learn a lot more from this and look forward." The track was new to all but four of the 22 drivers as F1 returned to Austria for the first time since 2003. At 4.3 kilometres (2.7 miles), the Red Bull Ring is one of the shortest circuits on the calendar, though with just nine turns it features long straights. Situated in Central Austrias countryside, the track includes inclines of up to 12 per cent. It was the 27th Austrian GP, which has been held on different circuits since 1964, with Alain Prost winning a record three times. Until 1987, the races took place in nearby Zeltweg before Austria first disappeared from the calendar for 10 years. Spielberg also hosted the race from 1997-2003. Five years after the last race, Red Bull reportedly invested 200 million euros ($270 million) for upgrading the track and its surrounding infrastructure. The Austrian GP has been one of two new races to this seasons F1 calendar alongside the Russian GP, scheduled for Sochi in October. Daryl Johnston Jersey Dallas Cowboys . Louis Blues remain at the top spot of the TSN. Gerald Sensabaugh Jersey Dallas Cowboys . PAUL, Minn. VANCOUVER -- A play that Vancouver Whitecaps defender Jay DeMerit says he makes dozens of times a game ended up costing his team two points on Saturday. Gonzalo Pineda scored on a controversial penalty in the 82nd minute after Vancouvers captain was judged to have fouled Seattle substitute Cam Weaver as both players jumped for the ball in front of goal as the Sounders salvaged an emotional 2-2 draw with the Whitecaps. The home side looked to be on its way to a third straight Major League Soccer victory before referee Ismail Elfath whistled DeMerits aerial challenge and pointed to the spot late in the second half. The Whitecaps were furious with the decision but could only watch as Pineda stepped up and cooly chipped a shot behind Vancouvers David Ousted for his first goal with the Sounders. "Its devastating," said DeMerit. "Its devastating not only for myself, but to see guys put in the type of performance that they did ... guys put themselves on the line for 90 minutes, and for that to be taken away from us is disappointing." "As players, all we can do is play hard and play committed and work hard for our teammates, and I thought all of us did that tonight." When asked what he saw on the decisive refereeing decision, Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson said bluntly: "I saw my captain jump for the ball in his penalty box and head the ball away." DeMerit, who plays an aggressive, physical style, has now been called for fouls inside his penalty area in consecutive MLS games at B.C. Place Stadium. "Im too old to start changing my game and play less committed than I already do," said the 34-year-old. "It is hard and I think the thing thats really eating me inside is that if I have to change my game then Im going to be in trouble and thats sad. "Ive been around this game for a long time and when you play hard and you play with the heart on your sleeve and you get punished for that, thats disappointing." Vancouver got its 2-1 lead in the 66th minute when midfielder Gershon Koffie scored his first goal of the season on a horrendous goalkeeping error by Seattles Stefan Frei. In an effort to keep a ball in play, Frei ventured way out of his net and booted a clearing attempt into the middle of the pitch instead of safely up the sideline. Koffie pounced on the mistake and fired a shot from a distance that Frei could only watch bounce into his vacated goal. After the Seattle penalty tied the game, Sounders striker Obafemi Martins struck the post behind Ousted before Koffie had two more chances in stoppage time, including one on the last kick of the game. "I thought there was only going to be one team winning. I thought the guys put in the effort that was necessary," said DeMerit. "Ultimately to go away with a draw is disappointing. Everyones going to walk away a little bit disappointed but thats life and thats football." Erik Hurtado also scored for Vancouver (4-2-5), which has just one win against Western Conference opponents so far in 2014. Seattle (8-3-2), which entered play atop the league standings with five wins in its last six games, got its other goal from Chad Barrett against a Whitecaps team that nearly ran the Sounders out of the park early on. "It was unlucky today, but nevertheless I thought it was a great team performance," said Whitecaps defender Nigel Reo-Coker. "The first 30 minutes were fantastic. Its the best weve been all seaason as a team -- the chances we created, the tempo we were playing at, the passing, the movement . Ryan Williams. ... another day it could have been 3-0, 4-0 to us and game done." Apart from being an important game in the Western Conference standings, Saturdays encounter was the second match of the Cascadia Cup competition, a mini-tournament played between the Whitecaps, Sounders and Portland Timbers. The team with the most points in the games played amongst the three clubs at the end of the season takes the title, which Vancouver did last season. The Sounders had a large section of travelling fans in one corner on the stadium on Saturday, while Vancouvers supporters section took up its usual spot in the home end in a match that had the passion of a European derby both on and off the field. After a rocky start for the visitors, Barrett headed home his first of the season in the 36th minute off a cross from Kenny Cooper. The Whitecaps got that one back just three minutes later on a highlight-reel effort from Hurtado. The striker with the bleach-blonde Mohawk cut back twice to free himself from two Seattle defenders before blasting a shot into the roof of the net over a helpless Frei. Hurtado now has three goals in three games -- two in MLS and one in the Amway Canadian Championship. "The boys were fantastic from the first minute," said Robinson. "I thought the first half hour we were absolutely phenomenal in our play, could have been ahead, werent ahead, they scored on their second chance and then we fought back. It was a very entertaining game." Robinson said earlier this week that he wanted his team to put its stamp on the match, and Vancouver was a bit unlucky to not open the scoring in the games first 10 minutes. Kekuta Manneh, who had a hat trick in last years 4-1 victory over the Sounders in Seattle, had a good chance four minutes in, but saw his effort stopped by Frei. Koffie then busted through the middle and ripped a shot that went off the crossbar and landed just inches from the goal-line before being cleared by a defender. Robinson wouldnt bite on questions about the officiating afterwards and instead pointed to the positives. "I think my job this year since I took the job was to try and put a certain style of playing in this team and I think Ive done that," said Robinson, who was promoted from his assistants role in December. "I concentrate on my job and thats my job. I think today you saw were going in the right direction. Obviously disappointed with the result but the performance of some of the players was excellent." Notes: The Sounders were without influential playmaker Clint Dempsey, who is away with the U.S. national team preparing for the World Cup in Brazil. Fellow midfielder Brad Evans was also at the American camp, but failed to make the 23-man roster. ... The Whitecaps came in having not played since bowing out to Toronto FC in the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal 10 days earlier. ... The Cascadia Cup has been played between the Whitecaps, Sounders and Timbers every year since 2004. Vancouver won its fourth title last season, while Seattle and Portland have each won three times. ... The Sounders host Real Salt Lake next Saturday, while the Whitecaps visit the Timbers on June 1st in another Cascadia Cup matchup. ... Seattle and Portland tied the first game of the competition 4-4. ... Whitecaps defender Steven Beitashour is away at Irans World Cup camp. cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
