Sebastian Vettel equalled Nigel Mansell's record of 14 pole positions in a single Formula One season after a last-gasp effort gave him top spot in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

 

The world champion set a lap of 1 minute 38.481 seconds to pip McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button right at the end of the session.

Hamilton had dominated both practice and the first two parts of qualifying and set the initial pace in the all-important top-10 shootout, with Vettel just behind him while Mark Webber completed the top three.

Button had only been fourth following his first flying lap but surged to the top of the standings before Hamilton toppled him by just nine-thousandths of a second.

It looked like the 2008 world champion would be starting on pole for the second time this season but Vettel, running last of all the major contenders, produced a blistering effort at the death.

Webber was fourth in the other Red Bull with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso rounding out the top five at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Felipe Massa was next, albeit almost seven tenths slower than his team-mate Alonso.
 

Team-mates
Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher and Force India pair Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta will line-up together on the fourth and fifth rows respectively.

Vettel can now claim the pole record for himself if he qualifies first at the final round of the season in Brazil, while the German is still also in with a chance of equalling Michael Schumacher's record of 13 wins in one year.

Hamilton had earlier been comfortably fastest in the first part of qualifying, carrying his momentum over from practice with a time almost four tenths quicker than Webber.

Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello did not manage to turn a wheel in anger as engine problems prevented him from getting out of the pits, meaning he was eliminated along with the Lotuses, Virgins and HRTs.

Vettel stepped up his game in Q2 but his initial benchmark was just bettered by Hamilton before the session was halted to collect a bollard and kerb debris that had been blown onto the track.

As the floodlights began to illuminate the circuit, the front-runners made no further moves with their places in the top-10 shootout already secured, while both Force India cars impressed by also making it through to Q3.

That left the two Saubers, two Toro Rossos, both Renaults and the remaining Williams of Pastor Maldonado to drop out.

Times01. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m38.481
02. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m38.622 + 0.141
03. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m38.631 + 0.150
04. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m38.858 + 0.377
05. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m39.058 + 0.577
06. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m39.695 + 1.214
07. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m39.773 + 1.292
08. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m40.662 + 2.181
09. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m40.768 + 2.287
10. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes
11. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m40.874 + 2.440
12. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m40.919 + 2.485
13. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.009 + 2.575
14. Bruno Senna Renault 1m41.079 + 2.645
15. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.162 + 2.728
16. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m41.240 + 2.806
17. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m41.760 + 3.326
18. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m42.979 + 3.197
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m43.884 + 4.102
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m44.515 + 4.733
21. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m44.641 + 4.859
22. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m44.699 + 4.917
23. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m45.159 + 5.377
24. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosoworth no time

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A strong finish last season under the legend Kenny Dalglish and the injection of money by the owners to add talent in Liverpool’s squad reignited hope amongst the supporters that the club is back to winning ways. Nevertheless four draws at Anfield in six games and Liverpool are struggling to beat the promoted sides when the task of getting into top 4 is harder than ever.

The agony of their inability to score goals and finish teams off is infuriating and the fresh faces on whom the club spent millions cannot avoid the share of blame. What’s more maddening is the start made by new arrivals of Liverpool’s rivals. Ashley Young has been an instant hit at United even though it was Downing who finished Villa’s player of the season and not him. Gervinho is pulling the strings at Arsenal having lost two world class players in Nasri and Fabregas. Liverpool missed out on Mata who week in week out shows his class for Chelsea and even Tottenham’s Scott Parker is now a core part of his side. That has highlighted the setbacks of Carroll, Henderson and Downing who have not lived up to expectations at all.

Charlie Adam has been performing well on and off and not much noise is heard about him as the club did not spend heavily for his services. The Spanish left back Enrique is by far Liverpool’s best signing of the summer, was bought for a bargain. The main concern is in fact the three English players for whom the club spent a massive 71 million pounds. The worst way to define their performances is:


The 36 million spent on crosses is not linking with the 35 million spent on the header



Liverpool signings were all based on stats and performances. These three performed well for their previous clubs but the challenge at Liverpool is not that simple. Fans do not want them to end up like Robbie Keane who was good at Tottenham but could not fit in Liverpool. For now things seem as if that’s exactly the case.

Last year Downing scored ten goals and provided pin point crosses for Aston Villa but for Liverpool he is yet to open his account having started every league game. Some poor finishing from LFC players means Downing have no assist yet, lately as Carroll missed a sitter but overall his crossing has been all over the place. Against Swansea, Downing made 8 crosses with only 2 of them being successful that by no means indicate value for money. Strange that he maintains his starting place when Bellamy has been impressive and deserves to start.

The case of Jordan Henderson is even worst. If his own words were not enough than his performances as a winger say it out load that he is not comfortable on the flanks. The talented boy has pace, but no dribbling skills or brilliant crossing ability to be termed or played as a winger. His natural position is center midfield that in Liverpool is too strong for him to start ahead of Gerrard, Adam and Lucas. However since Liverpool have spent a lot on him so time and time again Kenny opts to start Henderson instead of much effective Dirk Kuyt on the right. That in turn hinders their performance.

Andy Carroll is normally haunted by that price tag of 35 million. Many believe it’s not his fault that he cost that much but the fact is Liverpool has paid that amount and now he has to deliver. At the end of the day, if you buy a player and he performs well, no one will remember the cost. The big fellow is trying his best to get into scoring positions but not getting much help from the crosses. The wing service not being up to the mark is one thing but Carroll has only been able to link up well with Suarez against West Brom else he has not been mobile enough to keep up with the constant drive of the Uruguayan.

Liverpool could not buy world class talent as they were not in the Champions League. Still having spent 100 million on new arrivals; there is no excuse or sympathy if they finish out of top 4 yet again. Owner John W Henry has reiterated many times that Liverpool target champions league football so anything below top 4 is an immense failure. Kenny Dalglish claims:


“The problems that are there are problems that we can solve ourselves”

Liverpool surely need to solve them soon to turn the situation around with instant improvement from the new players as the fixtures only get harder.

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TENNIS chiefs have played down fears that the Asian swing will become the perennial victim of player pull-outs at the end of the season after high-profile absentees at the Shanghai Masters.

The question of burnout was bubbling away again in Shanghai, missing a clutch of top 20 players including Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, taking some of the shine off the high-profile tournament which finished last Sunday.

America’s Andy Roddick said the no-shows from world No1 Djokovic and 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer were stark evidence of the toll put on players by heavy playing commitments.

The Asian swing consists of five events, taking players to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Tokyo and Shanghai. Andy Murray, the winner in Shanghai, made clear last month that players’ patience was wearing thin, even floating the possibility of a strike, although he sought to play down the issue last week.

Despite the weakened field in China, ATP chief executive Brad Drewett remains unperturbed and is convinced that players are still keen to come to Asia even towards the end of a long and arduous season.

"Events in Asia are some of the most prestigious of the year and the players very much enjoy playing here. Typically the fields for the Asian swing events have been very, very strong," he told AFP.

"Top players consistently say how much they enjoy playing here and they mean it. Players are very well treated here and that’s part of what makes playing these events so attractive," he said .

Drewett said withdrawals were not unique to Asia and it was important not to draw sweeping conclusions from just one tournament. "Just last year, eight of the top 10 players played in Beijing and Tokyo (held simultaneously), and Shanghai had 19 of the top 20 competing. You can’t look at playing patterns based on one year alone," he said.

The vast majority of the top players remain based in the US and Europe but while Drewett concedes local stars would help drive the tennis boom in Asia, he said the game was nevertheless making major strides.

"The ATP World Tour has made huge advancements in this region in the last decade and has a bona fide Asian swing with five strong events over three weeks with prize money nearing $8m, and a strong roster of corporate sponsors supporting them.

"This region definitely remains a focus for us. Of course, local stars always help to drive interest and I believe it’s really just a matter of when, not if, China will have a top player on the circuit. You look at (Kei) Nishikori’s achievements ... and it’s just fantastic. He’s already a huge star in Japan and rapidly increasing his profile globally." Nishikori reached the semifinals in Shanghai.

Drewett played down the chances of Asia ever having its own Grand Slam but nevertheless sees the region as a crucial growth area for the game.

"These events in Asia can be significant events on the ATP World Tour by having fantastic facilities, strong support from their governments and commercially from their sponsors and television. The opportunities are endless in this region."

This year’s schedule started with the Brisbane International on January 2 and finishes with the Davis Cup final starting on November 28.

But despite mutterings of discussions over the heavy schedule among players in Shanghai, it was more a matter of talks about talks with no sign of definitive action.

Murray made it clear that none of the players he knew wanted to strike and he had only said it was a possibility, adding they would try to meet before the end of the year. He said it was not a matter of root and branch reform.

"It’s basically just a matter of two or three weeks in the year that really I think need to change."

World No2 Rafael Nadal said the players were generally of one mind. "There is something there but it is not the right moment to talk about it," he said.

But despite the persistent rumblings Drewett is adamant that the players’ views have been taken on board. "The calendar has long been a topic of conversation and just last year we announced that we would be lengthening our off- season by two weeks beginning in 2012, meaning players will have seven weeks in between ATP World Tour seasons."

He said players’ wellbeing was paramount and the ATP had implemented changes such as reducing draw sizes, giving byes to the top eight seeds, and eliminating five-set finals.

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Soaring temperatures and humidity levels are causing concern for the stellar field assembled for this week's CIMB Classic in Malaysia.

The co-sanctioned $6.1million PGA Tour and Asian Tour event begins on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, where temperatures are touching highs of 32 degrees and humidity is above 90 per cent.

American Brandt Snedeker - a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year - said: "I got in Monday night and kind of walked around and got acclimatised to it.

"We try to compare the weather here to Memphis because we play Memphis in June. Memphis in June is hot, but I think this takes the cake.

"This is mild today, they said. It's all overcast, but I walked outside and I was sweating at 9:00am."

Swede Fredrik Jacobson added: "I always had a tough time playing in Malaysia and in Thailand because coming from Sweden and living there, those were the first tournaments of the year for us in the 90s.

"I was coming straight out of the wintry climate in Sweden and coming into the hot, humid weather was always difficult. Now coming from Florida, the weather feels more like what I am used to in Florida."

American Jonathan Byrd, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, said he had never known heat like it. "I grew up in South Carolina and that's hot. But it's very different here, I sweated a lot today."

But not everyone was concerned. Asian Tour regular Siddikur, who prefers to go by the one name, said: "Coming from Bangladesh, this is normal for me. I like it."

Temperatures and humidity levels are expected to remain sky-high throughout the week and are unlikely to be tempered by the heavy rains that are also forecast.

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CLARK FREEPORT -- More than 100 aspiring athletes from different schools in Pampanga participated in a one-day intensive basketball training sponsored by the AirAsia Philippine Patriots last Saturday at the Philippine Air Force gymnasium here.

Maan Hontiveros, AirAsia Philippines Incorporated chief executive officer, said the airline has constantly dedicated itself to supporting sports, not only abroad but also in the Philippines.

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“We are the title sponsor of the AirAsia Philippine Patriots, the country’s representative to the AirAsia Asean Basketball League. Today, we are taking our partnership a step farther with a community project that aims to involve Filipino kids and their parents in the sport of basketball,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros even paid tribute to Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) legend Billy Ray Bates, who displayed his skills in shooting and ball handling during the clinic.

Bates has been appointed as coach of the AirAsia Philippine Patriots. He was awarded as a PBA Hall of Famer recently.

“These kids may not be familiar with Mr. Bates but I am sure their parents can very well recall how Billy made an indelible impression as one of the best players in the Philippine basketball,” Hontiveros said.

“He is an inspiration to all of us. More than mastering the skills of the game, these young athletes will bring home a unique experience that they can share with their friends,” she added.

Jacque Ruby of the AirAsia Philippine Patriots affirmed Bates’s role in the team.

“Billy is not a coach to us but an inspiration. We look forward to practicing with him and hopefully we will bring home the championship ring next year,” Ruby said.

The basketball clinic provided participants fundamentals on the game. It was also aimed at developing discipline and confidence among the aspiring athletes.

AirAsia Philippines has also slated three more trainings on November 6 in Caloocan City, November 25 at Don Bosco School in Makati, and December 5 in Angeles City.

For his part, Bates said the level of basketball in the Philippines has improved tremendously.

“If these little boys and girls start learning the skills now, the Philippines will have a good shot at winning world championship and Olympic medals,” Bates said.

Hontiveros underscored the importance of sports in nation building. She even lauded parents for encouraging their children to participate in the sports activity.

“Sports is important not only for physical and mental development of our children but for national development. It is a source of national pride and self-esteem. Like what the Philippine Patriots team has been doing in the Asean basketball league and many others who came before them, sports bring together classes, races, and communities in shared pride,” Hontiveros said.

AirAsia is key partner of other international team such as Team Lotus (Formula 1), AirAisa British Grand Prix (MotoGP), Team AirAsia-Sepang International Circuit-Ajo (MotoGP), and Oakland Raiders (NFL).

It runs its own motorsport talent development program through the AirAsia Team Lotus Driver Development Program. It has recently announced major partnership with the English football squad, the Queens Park Rangers (popularly referred to as QPR).

AirAsia keeps abreast with the social media community through Facebook and Twitter accounts. Guests are able to receive real-time updates on the latest promotions and interact with AirAsia via facebook.com/AirAsiaPhilippines and twitter.com/AirAsiaPh.

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British number three Anne Keothavong breezed into the semi-finals of the Luxembourg Open with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Bibiane Schoofs. 

The world number 93 backed up Thursday's defeat of Ana Ivanovic with a performance of authority against the Dutch qualifier. 

Keothavong dominated behind her serve, producing three aces as well as winning 70 percent of point on her second serve, as she won in an hour and five minutes. 

The 28-year-old will take on Monica Niculescu in her seventh WTA Tour semi-final after the Romanian defeated Lucie Hradecka 6-4 6-4. 

Azarenka through 

Niculescu, ranked 34 in the world, will be a tough opponent for Keothavong as she bids to become the first British finalist in a main tour event since Jo Durie in 1990. 

Top seed Victoria Azarenka moved through with a straight-sets defeat of Iveta Benesova. 

The world number three was inconsistent with her serve, her two aces overshadowed by five double-faults. 

However, the Belorussian prevailed and won 6-3 6-2 in one hour and 17 minutes. 

Azarenka will now meet Julia Goerges, who progressed when her opponent Anastasija Sevastova retired with the German 5-2 ahead in the first set.

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