Sebastian Vettel said he was content with second place in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, an event he had won for the previous three years.
The four-time champion had briefly led in the closing stages in his Red Bull Racing car before being passed by the Mercedes-GP car of Lewis Hamilton and he said: "There was no point fighting him at that stage because I didn't have the tyres to match him," said Vettel, left, in reference to his two-stop strategy in relation to Hamilton's three stops.
“We tried to obviously stay out with the last set of tyres and make them work, which was very, very much borderline.
FERRARI DRIVERS SEE IMPROVEMENT
Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso are optimistic for the future after the much-changed Italian team showed signs of progress with both drivers in the points.
Spaniard Alonso finished fourth under the floodlights at the Marina Bay street circuit while Finn Raikkonen was eighth after complaining about being stuck behind the slower Williams cars for much of a race at a venue renowned for a lack of overtaking places.
That came in the first race since long-serving Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo announced last week he was stepping down.
His exit will follow that of team principal Stefano Domenicali, who was replaced by Marco Mattiacci in April and 2007 world champion Raikkonen said the changes were a positive thing.
“People at the top think there is a need for changes. Things go forward and things keep changing. I think it is a good move, there has been a lot going on with Ferrari this year,” he said.
“It is not an easy place to be when the results are not good, but I think we have a great group of people and know where the weak points are and we have been improving them a lot this year for the coming years.
“They are making sure that things are in the right place to put us where we should be. I think they are good changes and it will pay off in future.”
Alonso, who won the Singapore race in 2008 and 2010, briefly threatened a third win before an untimely safety car period damaged his hopes.
“The strategy I think was good, just the moment of the safety car was a bit unlucky,” said the double world champion, who bemoaned his old tyres for his struggles to attack Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull Racing car in third place over the closing laps.
“I think the car is getting better but the results, they didn’t change too much. Germany, Hungary, Belgium and here we were more or less similar. Fourth, fifth, third so already its four or five races where we seem more competitive.”
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Scores
Day 2
New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227
New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining
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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
