• Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton gives a thumbs up after the qualifying sessions at the Intercity Istanbul Park on Saturday, October 9, 2021, for the Turkish Grand Prix. AFP
    Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton gives a thumbs up after the qualifying sessions at the Intercity Istanbul Park on Saturday, October 9, 2021, for the Turkish Grand Prix. AFP
  • Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas during qualifying for the Turkish GP. Reuters
    Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas during qualifying for the Turkish GP. Reuters
  • Red Bull's Max Verstappen reacts after qualifying in third position. Reuters
    Red Bull's Max Verstappen reacts after qualifying in third position. Reuters
  • Supporters at the Intercity Istanbul Park for the Turkish GP. AFP
    Supporters at the Intercity Istanbul Park for the Turkish GP. AFP
  • Valteri Bottas of Mercedes prepares for the qualifying session in Istanbul. EPA
    Valteri Bottas of Mercedes prepares for the qualifying session in Istanbul. EPA
  • Sergio Perez of Red Bull during qualifying in Istanbul. Getty
    Sergio Perez of Red Bull during qualifying in Istanbul. Getty
  • Fans during Turkish Grand qualifying. Reuters
    Fans during Turkish Grand qualifying. Reuters
  • Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton during qualifying. Reuters
    Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton during qualifying. Reuters
  • Charles Leclerc of Ferrari during qualifying at the Intercity Istanbul Park. EPA
    Charles Leclerc of Ferrari during qualifying at the Intercity Istanbul Park. EPA

Lewis Hamilton fastest in Turkish GP qualifying but Valtteri Bottas takes pole position


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Mercedes driver and championship leader Lewis Hamilton was fastest during qualifying for the Turkish Grand Prix on Saturday. But a grid penalty means he will start 11th on race day, with Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas handed the pole position.

Hamilton's title rival Max Verstappen qualified third for Red Bull and will join Bottas on the front row at Istanbul Park on Sunday.

Hamilton is serving a 10-place grid drop for taking on his fourth engine of the season - one more than is permitted.

It was unfortunate, as Hamilton had delivered the quickest lap ever seen in Istanbul. After breaking the 16-year-old track record in practice on Friday, he broke it again in each of the three qualifying sessions.

Hamilton finished the session with a time of 1min 22.868sec, 0.130sec ahead of Bottas with Verstappen 0.328 back.

"The session was tricky, but it was a great job by the team," said Hamilton. "Tomorrow is going to be difficult but I will give it everything.

"It is not the easiest to overtake and I imagine tomorrow is going to be difficult to move up. We have got the long straight down the back and we will see what we can do."

After securing a front-row spot, Bottas said: "It was a good qualifying and not easy conditions. As a team result it was as we planned.

"I will focus on my own race tomorrow and that is the way to attack it when you start on pole." The pole was a first since Portugal in May for Bottas, and the 18th of his career.

Verstappen took a grid penalty at the previous race in Russia and finished second after starting at the back of the field, his progress helped after late rain caused problems for others.

The Dutch driver struggled with the setup in Friday practice, with the track far grippier than last year but said the team had made "a decent recovery".

"Tomorrow, lining up in second, let's wait and see what the weather will do, but overall I'm pretty happy," said Verstappen, 24.

"Let's see how competitive we will be in the race. The tyre wear seems quite high around the track, but it's quite fun to drive."

Hamilton leads Verstappen by two points in a thrilling title race. The Briton trails Verstappen 7-3 for wins 7-4 for poles this season and there are six races to go after Turkey.

Mercedes rate the circuit among the easier tracks on the calendar to overtake and Hamilton will hope to come through the field like Verstappen did in Russia.

A queue formed at the start of Q1 with the threat of rain imminent. A smattering of drops at the end of the circuit lasted only for a few minutes though.

Daniel Ricciardo was the biggest casualty. The Australian ended McLaren's nine-year wait for a victory at the Italian Grand Prix, but has largely been out-of-sorts in his debut campaign with McLaren and his early exit exemplified his struggles.

Mick Schumacher delivered the best lap of his F1 career to progress to Q2 for only the second time.

The young German finished Q1 ahead of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and the best part of three seconds faster than Haas team-mate Nikita Mazepin. He will start 14th on Sunday.

Mercedes principal Toto Wolff was not sure if the glass was half full or half empty after qualifying.

"You need to look at the positives that the car is very quick and we can start from pole," he said. "On the negative side we could have had a front-row lockout."

He said it would be "very difficult" for Hamilton to move up but added: "the Red Bulls haven't been so competitive this weekend."

TOURNAMENT INFO

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

RESULTS

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Omania, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
Winner: Brehaan, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Craving, Connor Beasley, Simon Crisford
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Prep (PA) Dh100,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Fertile De Croate, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association
NBA Finals results

Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114
Game 2: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3: Cavaliers 102, Warriors 110
Game 4: In Cleveland, Sunday (Monday morning UAE)

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Updated: October 09, 2021, 2:21 PM