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Motorsport: Hamilton snatches pole
9/6/2014 11:22:37 AM
- Lewis Hamilton snatched pole for the Italy GP
- Beat team rival Rosberg into second
- Build up dominated by tensions between the two
- Rosberg makes public apology after Belgium GP
(CNN) -- Lewis Hamilton secured his first pole position in four months after beating fierce rival Nico Rosberg in final qualifying for Sunday's Italy Grand Prix in Monza.
Hamilton's best lap of 1 minute 24.109 seconds was enough to defeat his Mercedes teammate, who currently leads the driver's championship.
But the past week has been dominated by the fall out from the Belgium GP two weeks ago, which saw the two drivers collide followed by bitter recriminations and finally a public apology from Rosberg.
Nico Rosberg
Hamilton led the pace of qualifying from the start, with Rosberg in hot pursuit. Despite some back and forth between the two, Hamilton clinched pole with an imperious Q3 qualifying time that placed him 4/5s of a second ahead of his nearest rival.
Finland's Valtteri Bottas kept up his fine season for Williams by finishing third with Brazilian Felipe Massa completing the second row.
Tension
The tension was obvious after qualifying. Hamilton and Rosberg didn't shake hands or celebrate. Indeed, they barely recognized each others' presence.
"I'm very proud of my guys on my side of the garage," Hamilton said after the final qualifying session.
"They have been through the difficult times with me. They've done a remarkable job bouncing back, so we've done this as a team and it's great to have another 1-2 for the team."
Rosberg, who had seen his Mercedes team back Hamilton after the two collided at Belgium, was downbeat after the session.
"In the race anything can happen and we need to work towards the race and get a good strategy and have a good race," he said.
"For the team again, even at a track like Monza, even coming here and being so dominant .... There's still the race tomorrow, but it's still really awesome for the team."
Fierce rivalry
After what was widely considered a dull championship last year, the rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg has set F1 alight in 2014.
Matters came to a head in Belgium when the two collided. The clash led to to Hamilton's retirement but Rosberg went on to stretch his championship lead over his teammate by 29 points.
The incident saw Rosberg receive harsh criticism from Hamilton, his own team and even the fans. In a rare outpouring of displeasure, Rosberg was booed by the crowd when on the podium after the race.
Initially Rosberg felt he had done nothing wrong but last week he issued a public apology over his actions.
"I analyzed the whole situation in a lot of detail and reached the conclusion that I had to take responsibility for what happened because it was my error of judgment," he wrote in British newspaper the Daily Mail.
"It didn't matter what part of right and wrong was involved, the fact is that it happened and I did not do a good enough job to avoid a collision between our two cars."
Mercedes rivalry: Nico Rosberg vs. Lewis Hamilton
F1 rivalry: Rosberg vs. Hamilton
9/6/2014 11:23:26 AM
- Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are battling for the F1 world championship
- The two collided at the Belgian Grand Prix, with Rosberg being heavily criticized
- Rosberg leads the drivers' standings, 29 points ahead of Hamilton in second
- Briton Hamilton won the title in 2008, while Rosberg is bidding for his first crown
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Monza, Italy (CNN) -- Mercedes has the fastest two cars in Formula One this season but there is just one problem -- there can only be one world champion.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg arrive at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend with the title fight distilled into a thrillingly intense duel.
Mercedes is desperate to keep a lid on the seething tensions spilling over from a Belgian bust-up as the German team chases its first world title since 1955.
But is it too late to mend the poisoned relationship between the star drivers?
I'm gutted with the result - not just for my own C'ship hopes but for the team,as we really should have had a one-two pic.twitter.com/KzeY9sUmyQ
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) August 25, 2014 Where did it go wrong?
In the dry desert heat of Bahrain, rivalries between the Mercedes teammates began to sizzle.
Rosberg complained over the team radio when Hamilton cut across him to retake the lead, saying the move was "not on."
Mercedes then warned the drivers "to bring both cars home" as they vied for victory until the checkered flag.
Monaco was not exactly home sweet home for Rosberg, who lives in the principality.
After setting the fastest time in qualifying, the German went off track -- denying Hamilton, who was behind him, a chance to set his potential quickest time.
There was more drama in Hungary when Mercedes asked Hamilton to allow Rosberg, who was on a different tire strategy, to pass.
The 2008 world champion, who was second at the time, refused to obey the team order and finished third, one place ahead of Rosberg.
The pair's duel was short but by no means sweet in Belgium two weeks ago.
In an ill-judged attempt to take the lead on lap two, Rosberg gave Hamilton's car a punctured tire and effectively put him out of the race.
The German finished second but was greeted by a chorus of boos on the podium from fans who saw his pass as a deliberately cynical move.
Read: Mercedes asks Twitter to solve driver puzzle
That was a tough race. We had the pace to win today but the incident cost us a top ...https://t.co/IhDzI6u8aM pic.twitter.com/H9AHdAW5nL
— Nico Rosberg (@nico_rosberg) August 24, 2014 Who's to blame?
Rosberg increasingly finds himself cast as the bad guy, akin to Dick Dastardly in cartoon caper "Wacky Races."
After admitting the Spa clash was his fault, Mercedes handed him a hefty fine -- although not by F1 driver salary standards.
But the 29-year-old, who is always polite and affable in person, has since apologized to Hamilton and told the media melee in Monza this week he was not proud of his behavior.
Rosberg may not be Machiavellian but one thing is for sure, Hamilton has had his share of bad luck in 2014.
Whether it was brake failures or engine fires, fate has been a fickle friend.
But is Hamilton entirely blameless? Well, the Briton has arguably brought some hard luck on himself.
There have, in particular, been misjudgments in qualifying, most notably in Canada, Austria and Britain, when he chose not to set a final lap when the damp track conditions were improving.
Interactive: Take a tour of the Monza circuit
We've been friends a long time&as friends we have our ups&downs. Today we spoke&we're cool, still friends #noproblem pic.twitter.com/xhZlf4qMv9
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) May 30, 2014 Who's refereeing the fight?
Mercedes wants to calm tensions between its racers as it attempts to win both the driver and constructor titles.
Five days after the Belgium bust-up, the team issued a statement warning "another such incident will not be tolerated."
It added: "Lewis and Nico understand and accept the team's number one rule: there must be no contact between the team's cars on track."
Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff said in Italy he was not ruling out changing a driver lineup if "we are not able to manage the two of them."
Rosberg recently signed a new contract, which will keep him at the team until the end of 2016, while Hamilton has a deal until 2015.
F1's governing body, the FIA, decided not to investigate the Spa clash, even after Rosberg admitted his culpability.
There has been debate among F1 experts about whether the FIA should be more proactive in refereeing the heavyweight title bout or whether it should stand by and let the drivers slug it out.
Asked by CNN in Italy whether the FIA should have investigated the Spa incident more closely, Hamilton responded: "That's a very good question because how do we move forward?
"Does that mean we can race a lot closer and if the guy in front comes off and is out of the race, nothing's going to happen? Or does it mean if it happens again there will be a penalty?
"We're always asking to be able to race ... but there's a fine line."
The people have spoken! 92% of you favour free racing, 8% team orders. Now, Let's take it one step further... #F1 pic.twitter.com/xRdPgBDROA
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) August 28, 2014 Who's in pole position for the title?
With seven races left to go, Rosberg has a 29-point lead over Hamilton.
He is on course to win his first world title and follow in the footsteps of his father Keke, the 1982 champion.
Hamilton knows this is his best chance of winning a second world title since his triumph with McLaren in 2008.
The British racer has to keep out of trouble on track and hope his luck turns.
There is, however, a new twist to the 2014 season, which could be decisive.
The final race in Abu Dhabi will reward the drivers with double points, which means a win is worth 50 points and second place 36 points.
But if Rosberg takes a 15-point advantage to the desert finale he can afford to finish second to Hamilton and still win the title.
While the two Mercedes drivers are locked in an intense fight, Daniel Ricciardo is sneaking up on the rails.
The Red Bull racer has the momentum after winning the last two races in Hungary and Belgium and is now 64 points behind Rosberg in the standings.
My aim this weekend is to claw back the gap in the Drivers' C'ship. I won't give up until the flag drops in Abu Dhabi pic.twitter.com/zbbjRjJFQi
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) September 2, 2014 Could the Australian snatch the title?
"Yeah I can," Ricciardo said in Italy. "But it obviously is going to take more than just winning the next seven races. It is going to have to take a bit of luck as well.
"If they crash into each other at every race this year that will probably hand me the championship on a platter!"
Read: "It's great to be beating Sebastian Vettel"
Another great day yesterday. Thank you to everyone that made it possible 😚 pic.twitter.com/tKB1Jh1erv
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) August 25, 2014 Who can handle the heat?
There is a feeling in the F1 paddock that the intense 2014 championship is turning into a psychological battle between the Mercedes men.
"Your mental state is always important in sport," Rosberg chirpily agreed in Italy.
The Mercedes rivals are very different characters and very different racers.
On one side of the garage is the ice-cool calm and consistency of Rosberg and on the other side is Hamilton's fiery passion and blistering pace.
Keeping a cool head, as well as a steady hand on the wheel, could decide which of the contenders wins the 2014 world title.
Read: Greece keen on Mediterranean Grand Prix
Read: Teen to make F1 history
Tennis: Djokovic and Federer humbled
9/6/2014 5:20:59 PM
- Djokovic stunned in US Open
- Lost to Japan's Kei Nishikori in four sets
- First time Djokovic has lost to a young player in a grand slam
- First Japanese player ever in a grand slam final
(CNN) -- World number one Novak Djokovic has sensationally been knocked out of the US Open.
The 2011 champion was beaten in the semi final in four sets by Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in what must go down as one of the biggest shocks of the modern era.
In staggeringly humid conditions Nishikori, who has been coached by former US player Michael Chang, burst out of the blocks and snatched the first set. Djokovic battled back to easily win the second. With the Serb ascendant, few gave Nishikori a chance against a player in his pomp who is considered one of the greatest of all time.
Kei Nishikori
But Djokovic was clearly struggling with the conditions and gave up a succession of unforced errors and a string of uncharacteristic double faults.
Humid conditions
The match changed in the third set when it became clear that Nishikori was coping better with the heat, despite coming through two previous five set matches. The Japanese player won a third set tie break 7-4 before breaking Djokovic's serve in the first game of the fourth.
A tiring Djokovic could do nothing to stop Nishikori, who powered on and became the first Japanese player, as well as the first Asian male player, to ever reach a grand slam final.
"I don't know whats going on, I was a little tired," an ecstatic and emotional Nishikori said on court shortly after his stunning victory.
"It's my first semi final in a grand slam. It is an amazing feeling playing a number one player. So happy. It was really tough conditions today. But I love to play long matches! I hope I can recover well for the final."
Although no one gave Nishikori a hope before the match, there were signs that Japan's number one could spring a surprise after recently beating Roger Federer and narrowly losing to Rafael Nadal.
Equally as significant has been his teaming up with Chang.
"He's been helping me a lot," Nishikori said when asked about Chang's influence on his game. "We have been working super well."
A dejected Djokovic refused to blame the conditions for his defeat.
"It was the same for both players," he said. "I congratulate Nishikori. He was the better player today ... my game today was not even close to what I wanted it to be. A lot of unforced errors. I wasn't myself."
Ghosts of '33
Nishikori was the first Japanese player to reach a major semi final for 81 years. The last player to reach that level was Jiro Satoh, who reached five major semifinals, including Wimbledon in 1933.
But later that year Satoh committed suicide after jumping off the ship that was taking him and his teammates to England for a Davis Cup tie. Nishikori's victory saw him surpass Satoh's long running record.
"I hope it's big news in Japan," he said.
"I feel the support from Japan. It is 4am in the morning but I hope a lot of people are watching."
Nishikori will play Marin Cilic in the final after the Croatian blew Roger Federer away in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
The day's second semi final was delayed by rain, but when it restarted Federer must have wished for the heavens to open once again. Cilic attacked from the opening game, using his booming serve to devastating effect. Federer had no answers.
"It was an amazing day for me, to be able to play like this, it was the best performance ever in my career," Cilic said on court after the game.
It will be a first grand slam final for both Cilic and Nishikori.
"I think it will be a sensational day for both of us," Cilic said when asked about his Japanese opponent. "I'm just going to enjoy it, be happy and try to win."
The 2014 US Open final will the first since the Australian Open in 2005 to not feature one of the big four of Djokovic, Federer, Nadal or Murray.
Tennis: Nishikori ousts Djokovic
9/6/2014 8:59:27 PM
- Djokovic stunned in US Open
- Lost to Japan's Kei Nishikori in four sets
- First time Djokovic has lost to a young player in a grand slam
- First Japanese player ever in a grand slam final
(CNN) -- World number one Novak Djokovic has sensationally been knocked out of the US Open.
The 2011 champion was beaten in the semi final in four sets by Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in what must go down as one of the biggest shocks of the modern era.
In staggeringly humid conditions Nishikori, who has been coached by former US player Michael Chang, burst out of the blocks and snatched the first set. Djokovic battled back to easily win the second. With the Serb ascendant, few gave Nishikori a chance against a player in his pomp who is considered one of the greatest of all time.
Kei Nishikori
But Djokovic was clearly struggling with the conditions and gave up a succession of unforced errors and a string of uncharacteristic double faults.
Humid conditions
The match changed in the third set when it became clear that Nishikori was coping better with the heat, despite coming through two previous five set matches. The Japanese player won a third set tie break 7-4 before breaking Djokovic's serve in the first game of the fourth.
A tiring Djokovic could do nothing to stop Nishikori, who powered on and became the first Japanese player, as well as the first Asian male player, to ever reach a grand slam final.
"I don't know whats going on, I was a little tired," an ecstatic and emotional Nishikori said on court shortly after his stunning victory.
"It's my first semi final in a grand slam. It is an amazing feeling playing a number one player. So happy. It was really tough conditions today. But I love to play long matches! I hope I can recover well for the final."
Although no one gave Nishikori a hope before the match, there were signs that Japan's number one could spring a surprise after recently beating Roger Federer and narrowly losing to Rafael Nadal.
Equally as significant has been his teaming up with Chang.
"He's been helping me a lot," Nishikori said when asked about Chang's influence on his game. "We have been working super well."
A dejected Djokovic refused to blame the conditions for his defeat.
"It was the same for both players," he said. "I congratulate Nishikori. He was the better player today ... my game today was not even close to what I wanted it to be. A lot of unforced errors. I wasn't myself."
Ghosts of '33
Nishikori was the first Japanese player to reach a major semi final for 81 years. The last player to reach that level was Jiro Satoh, who reached five major semifinals, including Wimbledon in 1933.
But later that year Satoh committed suicide after jumping off the ship that was taking him and his teammates to England for a Davis Cup tie. Nishikori's victory saw him surpass Satoh's long running record.
"I hope it's big news in Japan," he said.
"I feel the support from Japan. It is 4am in the morning but I hope a lot of people are watching."
Nishikori will play Marin Cilic in the final after the Croatian blew Roger Federer away in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
The day's second semi final was delayed by rain, but when it restarted Federer must have wished for the heavens to open once again. Cilic attacked from the opening game, using his booming serve to devastating effect. Federer had no answers.
"It was an amazing day for me, to be able to play like this, it was the best performance ever in my career," Cilic said on court after the game.
It will be a first grand slam final for both Cilic and Nishikori.
"I think it will be a sensational day for both of us," Cilic said when asked about his Japanese opponent. "I'm just going to enjoy it, be happy and try to win."
The 2014 US Open final will the first since the Australian Open in 2005 to not feature one of the big four of Djokovic, Federer, Nadal or Murray.
Rival? Friends? Tiger and Rory
9/6/2014 7:56:50 PM
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy reveal what they really think each other, plus Tiger on whether he'll win another Major
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Jamaica plane crash: What happened?
9/6/2014 8:02:09 PM
- Early in pilot career, Les Abend faced rapid loss of cabin pressure
- He says captain of doomed flight that crashed in Jamaica waters may have faced that, too
- If so, hypoxia would have kept him from making lifesaving altitude adjustments, he says
Editor's note: Les Abend is a Boeing 777 captain for a major airline with 30 years of flying experience. He is also a CNN aviation analyst and senior contributor to Flying magazine. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- I peered over the shoulder of the flight engineer and studied the pressurization gauge on his panel. The needle indicated that the cabin was climbing, and the slow popping in my ears confirmed it. Not good. The flight engineer swiveled his seat away from the panel and turned in my direction, brow furrowed, eyes wide.
"Should I tell the captain?" he asked.
The question seemed foolish, but I understood. The flight engineer was brand new, having completed his training with the airline a week earlier. I was a seasoned veteran of six months, observing from the jump seat for the purpose of monitoring co-pilot procedures. I had just upgraded from the flight engineer position to a "window seat" on the 727.
"Yes," I replied with raised eyebrows. "I would tell the captain...like right now."
The captain had already begun to swivel in his seat. He squinted at the array of switches and indications on the panel. A conference with the flight engineer ensued. All four of us in the cockpit focused momentarily on the cabin rate needle. It was still indicating a climb. For some mysterious reason, we were slowly losing cabin pressurization. The captain turned toward me in a silent gesture to obtain confirmation. I nodded.
Without hesitation, he instructed the co-pilot to request an immediate descent to 10,000 feet from our altitude of 37,000 feet. I reached for the oxygen mask and strapped it to my face. The rest of the crew followed my lead. Ten minutes later, and after the completion of the appropriate emergency checklist, we reached 10,000 feet. Our 152 passengers had to endure a lack of air conditioning because of the pressurization problem, but other than that, the experience was a non-event.
This should have been the same outcome for the single-engine Socata TBM 900 turboprop that crashed, tragically, in the waters off Jamaica on Friday.
The TBM 900 had departed Rochester, New York, bound for Naples, Florida, with two occupants on board: Larry Glazer, the pilot/owner and his wife, Jane Glazer. But the pilot became unresponsive while the airplane cruised at 25,000 feet over Georgia.
Instead of landing in Naples, the autopilot system allowed the turboprop to continue flying off the eastern U.S. coastline, crossing over Cuba before, with its fuel supply exhausted, it crashed into the sea about 12 miles north of the Jamaican coastline. Two U.S.-launched F-15s confirmed through observation that the pilot appeared unconscious.
The French-made TBM 900 is a sophisticated piece of technology, far superior to the old Boeing 727 airliner I described above. It is a great representative of the new generation in privately-owned cabin class airplanes, competing with traditional twin-engine turboprops and even small, corporate jets.
Composite material, finely tuned aeroengineering design, a reliable and proven Pratt and Whitney engine and advanced cockpit displays and controls all combine to make the $3.7 million airplane a respected machine. More than 1,000 of these airplanes are operating today; the 900 is the most recent version.
According to an Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA) report, this was the third TBM owned by Larry Glazer; he had logged 5,000 hours in the model. One would think that such experience would have produced a positive result and not a crash into the ocean. What happened exactly?
Hypoxia, lack of oxygen to the brain, would appear to be the most likely culprit. Depending upon the health condition of an individual, the time of useful consciousness at 25,000 feet isn't much more than about a minute. But that's if a depressurization occurs as a catastrophic event with some type of major hole in the fuselage, allowing air to escape explosively.
But in this instance, judging by 30 minutes of Air Traffic Control audio recording, it was not a catastrophic occurrence, but rather a slow event. News reports say the pilot asked to descend to 18,000 feet because "we have an indication that is not correct in the plane," according to a stream of that transmission posted on LiveATC.net.
After about one minute, the airplane was cleared initially from 28,000 feet to 25,000 feet where it eventually remained until fuel exhaustion. While descending, ATC gave further clearance to 20,000 feet but the pilot responded with an unintelligible transmission. It's possible he was already suffering from hypoxia.
A slow loss of oxygen to the brain is insidious; most people not familiar with the symptoms don't recognize the danger.
A depressurization problem is a traumatic event that it is easily managed -- but only if the problem is recognized. Like the captain of the 727, a pilot facing such a situation would have to don an oxygen mask the minute he suspected the issue. The next objective would be to descend the airplane to a habitable altitude -- 10,000 feet is a typical procedure goal. For this to occur, a sense of urgency has to be stated or an emergency declared.
Apparently, none of this happened.
At the airline level, we train for such a depressurization event from day one. It is an emergency that is etched into our muscle memory. I am certain this emergency was part of the training for this particular TBM pilot. Whether it was part of his muscle memory, we can't know.
The airplane is equipped with an emergency oxygen bottle attached to quick-donning masks for just such circumstances. It is possible that the system may have malfunctioned. Perhaps a closed valve not noticed on the preflight inspection? An undetected leak? Or maybe the system that had been causing the malfunction released the cabin pressurization in one final event.
Regardless, if indeed a pressurization malfunction had been observed, the prudent decision would have been to descend immediately and head off a tragedy.
Sad as this outcome was, we can be thankful for small favors. The airplane's sophisticated automation system steered it away from populated areas and a tragedy of even greater proportions.
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