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.
Matt
Carpenter Cardinals Jersey . 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."
Keith
Hernandez Cardinals Jersey . A groundswell for raising the number of
playoff qualifiers to seven in each conference figures to get plenty of support
from the 32 owners. Most notably, Arizonas Bill Bidwill, who saw his Cardinals
go 10-6 and not get in, while Green Bay (8-7-1) qualified by winning the NFC
North.
Whitey
Herzog Jersey . Lisicki beat South African Chanelle Scheepers by a 7-5,
7-6 (7-1) margin. Next up for the Wimbledon runner-up will be Slovenian Polona
Hercog, who outlasted Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.
http://www.officialthecardinals.com/t-shirts/ .Y. - His opponent couldnt stop him, and LeBron James didnt quite know what to
think when his coach tried.GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Packers locker room was
noticeably quiet Monday, other than the ruckus caused by a couple dozen players
scrambling in following a meeting, then scooting out the door for a few days
off.Its just the way they wanted to start the post-season, a day after a rousing
victory over the Detroit Lions secured a fourth straight NFC North title and
first-round bye. Practice resumes Friday.This is a time, obviously, to step away
from it, just enjoy what you accomplished ... Youll know we have the holiday
here, coach Mike McCarthy said.So hydration testing on Friday morning will be
the first thing we do, he added with a sly smile.Holiday cheer, indeed.Some
players may be taking it a little easier, notably limping quarterback Aaron
Rodgers. The two-touchdown performance in the 30-20 victory over Detroit is
still drawing raves from teammates and coaches after Rodgers fought through a
lingering left calf injury.McCarthy spoke to Rodgers on Monday morning. His
quarterback had some tests but feels good, he said. A rehab plan is in place for
this week, though its apparently not arduous enough that it would force Rodgers
to stay in town during the time off.Weve got a good plan for him, McCarthy said.
Frankly, Im not sure if he is staying.The Packers (12-4) earned the time off
after piecing together perhaps two of their most complete games of the season to
finish with two straight wins following a loss at Buffalo.Sure, Green Bays
passing game might be shifted down a gear with Rodgers calf injury. It has
limited his mobility the last two weeks.But an injured Rodgers might be better
than most healthy quarterbacks. From the press box, offensive co-ordinator Tom
Clements said he didnt even know that Rodgers was thinking about coming back
into the Lions game in the middle of the third quarter after being carted into
the locker rooom late in the second.
Mike
Shannon Jersey. The defence got just as much of a lift from Rodgers return
as the offence.If you cant find anything to play for, play for No. 12, play for
the offence, defensive end Datone Jones said. He was pressuring Matthew Stafford
when the quarterback was whistled for intentional grounding while in the end
zone, which gave the Packers a safety late in the game.Theyve backed us up so
much, there are times when weve got to back them up, Jones said.Actually, the
defence had been playing well even before Rodgers got hurt. Coordinator Dom
Capers crew has tightened up against the run since the middle of the season, in
part because the Packers are using Clay Matthews and Sam Barrington more at
inside linebacker to add athleticism.Receiver Calvin Johnson scored two
touchdowns, though Capers proudly noted Monday that the Packers were able to
limit Johnson and fellow playmaking receiver Golden Tate to a combined seven
catches for 84 yards.Rookie Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and second-year player Micah Hyde
are a big improvement at free safety over last season, while strong safety
Morgan Burnett is having one of his best seasons, especially against the run.
The steady Burnett is so respected that he was chosen a playoff captain, along
with linebacker-end Julius Peppers.Just keep an even-keeled mindset, Burnett
said when asked about the defensive performance the last three weeks. You cant
dwell on the past. ... Just keep pushing forward and find ways to get better.The
last three games, in particular, the Packers have held opponents to 21 points or
less. If the defence can keep it up when Green Bay plays its first post-season
game on Jan. 11, it will be more than enough cushion for the potent offence —
assuming Rodgers doesnt have a major setback.__AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org
and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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