Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/798939
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2017 23 Sport Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Partly cloudy becoming partly to rather cloudy with the isolated showers later on VISIBILITY: Good except in some showers WIND: East to Northeast force 2 to 3 locally force 3 to 4 becoming force 4 to 5 during the night SEA: Slight becoming moderate SWELL: Negligible A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 White to play and mate in four moves A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Last week's solution Sudoku rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 9x9 box. PARTLY CLOUDY 17 º C / 11 º C UV INDEX: 2 Today's Weather Chess Sudoku Pursuits Across 1. Full of stones (5) 3. Skin of the upper part of the head (5) 6. Child's toy (4) 7. A principal beam (6) 9. Insect stage (5) 10. To the inside of (4) 11. Floor covering (3) 13. Woody plant (4) 15. Misuse (5) 18. Desire for food (6) 19. 12 inches (4) 20. Roofing items (5) 21. Coming after (5) Down 1. Bicycle seat (6) 2. Oilcan (5) 3. Curved sword (8) 4. Examine account books (5) 5. Free from contamination (4) 8. Having no name (8) 12. Communication (6) 14. Pertaining to the kidneys (5) 16. German submarine (1-4) 17. Converse (4) Rc6 g4 Ng6 mate or Rc6 g4 Rxd5 mate FORMULA 1 MOTOGP FORCE India's switch to a pink, magenta and silver colour scheme comes after it signed a new sponsorship deal with Euro- pean water technology specialist Best Water Technology (BWT). Race drivers Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon will also adopt pink helmets. "The arrival of BWT in Formu- la 1 is huge news and represents one of the most significant part- nerships in our 10-year history," said Force India team boss Vijay Mallya. "It's a sign of how far we have come as a team with our strong results and completes a solid commercial performance over the winter. "For 2017 our cars will sport a vibrant new colour scheme with a smart matte finish. "Changing the colour of our cars is an indication of the strength of this new partnership and a real statement of intent from BWT as they begin their relationship with the sport of Formula 1." BWT CEO Andreas Weißen- bacher added: "The collabo- ration with Force India is an important part of our brand- globalisation strategy and will dynamically increase awareness of our brand around the world. "We share with Formula 1 – the premier league of mot- orsport – the passion we show every day in trying to achieve the best possible standards for our elixir of life, H2O, enabling us to meet the demanding re- quirements for quality, health, safety and hygiene and drive the development of new technolo- gies." Force India classified a per- sonal best fourth in last year's standings. Force India presents pink livery for 2017 Ducati riders target race-pace improvement DUCATI riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo were both en- couraged by the team's short-run pace at the final pre-season test in Qatar, but want improvements in race-trim. Yamaha's Maverick Viñales again topped the combined timesheets at Losail, clocking a 1:54.330, as Dovizioso (1:54.401) and Loren- zo (1:54.519) placed second and fourth overall. Although satisfied with their raw pace, both Dovizioso and Lorenzo are keen to make gains over a race distance before the season-open- er at the same circuit later this month. "These three days of test- ing have been very interesting be- cause every day we found different track and grip conditions which were very useful in preparation for the race," said Dovizioso. "We went strongly [short runs], but I am not entirely satisfied with my race pace, which despite being good, is not enough yet because Viñales was really quick. "In any case, we got through a lot of work and we confirmed a lot of things, so I am confident for the first round of the season." Lorenzo was pleased with his adaptation over the pre-season, after switching from Yamaha, but shared Dovizioso's view that Ducati can improve its race pace. "In general things went very well and I achieved my best position in the three official 2017 tests," commented three-time MotoGP champion Lorenzo. "We upped the pace quite a lot and I also managed to set some good times, but we still have to work on the race pace and, with the Grand Prix in mind, also de- cide which tyres to use. "We still have a lot of work to do, but on this track I think we can score a good result, so I'm leaving Qatar optimistic about the first race." Qatar hosts the 2017 season- opener on March 26.