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SEPANG, Malaysia -- Lewis Hamilton broke his drought at Formula Ones Malaysian Grand Prix and led a one-two finish for the Mercedes team on Sunday. Gabe Jackson Jersey . Hamilton beat teammate Nico Rosberg by 17.3 seconds at the Sepang International Circuit, with defending world champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull third. It was the first one-two by the Mercedes factory team since 1955, when it was a dominant force in the embryonic days of F1. Hamilton got away well from pole position and led throughout, making up for his retirement in the season-opening race in Australia and belatedly winning in Malaysia for the first time, at his eighth attempt. "Incredibly happy, my first win here in my eighth year, so finally got that," Hamilton said. "To get a one-two is quite special, I havent had many in my career." The Briton was also quick to mention the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which took off from the Kuala Lumpur airport adjacent to the Sepang track earlier this month and is thought to have crashed, killing all 239 people aboard. "After such a tragedy three weeks ago, I would like to dedicate this win to those people and their families," Hamilton said. Ferraris Fernando Alonso finished fourth, ahead of Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg and McLarens Jenson Button, while Felipe Massa held on for seventh ahead of Williams teammate Valtteri Bottas despite being told by his team to let Bottas through. After the race, Massa insisted he had done the right thing in ignoring team orders, though there were likely to be internal repercussions as Bottas was adamant he could have passed Button. Two rookies took the final two points positions, with McLarens Kevin Magnussen ninth and Toro Rossos Daniil Kvyat tenth. On a day when the threatened tropical rain held off, Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo and Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen were the leading cars that suffered the worst luck. Ricciardo was in fourth place with 15 laps to go when the team failed to properly attach a wheel during a pitstop, forcing him to stop halfway down the pitlane and be pushed back to have it replaced. Soon after, the Australian lost his front wing, got a stop-go penalty for an unsafe release from the pitstop and then retired. To make matters worse, the unsafe release means he will also get a 10-place grid penalty at next weekends race in Bahrain. It was another tough day for Ricciardo, who finished second in his home race in Melbourne, only to be disqualified after the team was deemed to have exceeded the fuel-flow limit on his car. Raikkonen was hit from behind by Magnussen on the opening lap, causing a puncture, dropping him to the back of the field. He finished 12th, behind Lotus Romain Grosjean who did well to make it to the finish in his Lotus, which has been beset by engine failures in the early part of the season. Rosbergs second place extended his early lead in the drivers championship to 18 points ahead of Hamilton, and Mercedes already has a sizeable lead atop the constructors championship, but the German was wary about how quickly Red Bull appears to be catching up. "They were absolutely nowhere (after preseason testing) and now (Vettel) is right in the back of me, pushing me," Rosberg said. "They have ramped up their pace, very very impressive, so we need to keep on it to keep our advantage." Vettel, who put a squeeze move on Rosberg in the run to the first corner that almost forced the Mercedes into the pit wall, was compromised in his attempt to catch the silver cars by high fuel consumption, and in the end settled for third place. "We need to make quick steps because they are quite far ahead but I am happy with the steps we are making," Vettel said. "Its still a bloody good result to be finishing right behind them on the podium, and that is what we need to keep doing." Lyle Alzado Womens Jersey .ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen and NFL Editors Mitch Ward and Ben Fisher discuss three hot fantasy football topics. C.J. Wilson Womens Jersey . Her 64-save performance limited the damage as the Canadian women emerged with a 7-0 victory. Obydennova spent the post-game ceremony bent over in exhaustion. HARROGATE, England -- Marcel Kittel of Germany won the first stage of the Tour de France for a second straight year after a late crash brought down British rival Mark Cavendish in the presence of royals on Saturday. Kittel, who earned four Tour stages last year, won the 190.5-kilometre (118-mile) run in mainly bucolic Yorkshire countryside from Leeds to Harrogate. The German raised his arms skyward and cried after he edged Peter Sagan of Slovakia in second, and Ramunas Navardauskas of Lithuania in third. "I am incredibly proud of this victory," Kittel, a Team Giant-Shimano rider who also won two Giro dItalia stages in May, said through a translator. "It happened pretty easily. It was like coming out of a tunnel. I was able to accelerate like never before. "Its really awesome. Deja vu, yeah." Christian Meier of Langley, B.C., was the top Canadian, finishing 141st in 4:44:07, while Svein Tuft, also from Langley, placed 163rd in the same peloton. The two favourites for victory in the three-week race, Alberto Contador and Chris Froome, finished safely in the trailing pack that clocked the same time as Kittel. With fewer than 400 metres to go, and the speedsters rushing ahead, Cavendish veered slightly to his left, tilted his head and bumped into Australias Simon Gerrans. The two crashed alone, with Cavendish landing hard on his right shoulder. Cavendish got up gingerly and cruised over the finish line -- cradling his right arm. X-rays revealed he separated his right shoulder, a Tour statement said. Omega Pharma QuickStep said in a separate statement that a decision about whether he will continue the race will be made on Sunday morning. "Im gutted about the crash today," Cavendish said in the statement. "It was my fault. Ill personally apologize to Simon Gerrans as soon as I get the chance. In reality, I tried to find a gap that wasnt really there. I wanted to win today." Many British fans were hoping for a win by Cavendish, a native of the Isle of Man, whose mother is from Haarrogate. John Matuszak Jersey. Prime Minister David Cameron, Princes William and Harry, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, were on hand among throngs of British fans who lined the route -- a testament to the cycling craze in the U.K. England hosts the first three stages of this 101st Tour before riders enter France on Tuesday. In all, the 198 riders are to cover 3,664 kilometres (2,277 miles) of road before the July 27 finish in Paris. Stage 2 on Sunday covers 201 kilometres from York to Sheffield, in southern Yorkshire. Cavendish previously said that winning the first Tour stage was his main goal this year. He was hoping to capture his first yellow jersey and his 26th Tour stage win. "Its sad because he (Cavendish) was racing in front of the home country," Sagan said. Added Kittel: "I hope he gets well soon. Im looking forward to seeing him on the race tomorrow ... its not nice to have Mark crash. Nobody wants that." A second German excelled on the English roads: Veteran Jens Voigt took the polka-dot jersey as the races best climber, after getting out early on a three-man breakaway that first cleared three low-grade hills including Buttertubs pass. At 42, the Trek Factory Racing rider is the oldest competitor this year: This is his 17th Tour, equaling the record. The nervous first day included more mishaps. Untold tens of thousands of fans turned out in such big numbers that a train service shuttle between the start and finish towns was crammed, and some had to wait for 90 minutes or even longer to get aboard -- or gave up altogether. Yorkshire, the largest county in England, has paid richly for the right to host the Tour. The peloton sped by abbeys in ruins and sights like 14th century Bolton Castle, near Leyburn, before finishing in Harrogate, known for its spas. Nearly three dozen countries are represented at this Tour, led by France with 44 riders. Its the second time cyclings greatest race has begun in Britain, though the Tour also crossed the English Channel for stages in 1974 and 1994. ' ' ' |
