Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/979340
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 9 MAY 2018 Sport 22 FORMULA 1 TENNIS Williams fail to have Baku F1 decisions reviewed WILLIAMS failed yesterday in a bid to overturn a three- place grid penalty imposed on Russian Sergey Sirotkin for this weekend's Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. The former champions had sought a review of five inci- dents at the April 29 Azerbai- jan Grand Prix, arguing that significant and relevant new elements had emerged. The stewards unanimously rejected that, however. Sirotkin had crashed into the back of the Force India driven by Mexican Sergio Perez, who ultimately fin- ished third in a chaotic race in Baku, on the opening lap with the Russian retiring im- mediately. The stewards said the inci- dent "was not similar to other first lap incidents where cars were side-by-side. The penal- ty was similar to other penal- ties for similar collisions and was consistent with the mini- mum grid penalties given previously." Williams had questioned the stewards' decision in rela- tion to other collisions. They had also referenced the response to McLaren's Fer- nando Alonso, who was hit on the first lap and limped back to the pits with two punctures before rejoining with a badly- damaged car and finishing seventh. That was one place ahead of Williams' Canadian teenager Lance Stroll. Race director Charlie Whit- ing, who was present in the meeting convened by telecon- ference, noted that Alonso returned to the pits while the Safety Car was deployed. He had also taken care to avoid the racing line and keep clear of following traffic. The stewards said Williams were well aware of what was going on at the time. "The team on the pit wall would have seen the driver of car 14 (Alonso) enter the pits, as it had to drive past them. Therefore it cannot be argued that this is a 'new element'," they declared. Williams had also argued that a 10-second penalty imposed on Haas driv- er Kevin Magnussen for a col- lision with Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly was 'inconsequential'. Stewards reminded the team that, since 2013, the conse- quences of penalties were not taken into account. "In relation to other penal- ties, since the beginning of 2016 there have been a total of 87 incidents involving alleged 'causing a collision' in the For- mula One Championship," the statement noted. "Of these, as a result of the 'let them race' policy, 55 have resulted in No Further Action. Fourteen have resulted in 10 second penalties and nine have resulted in three grid position penalties for the next race. "Therefore the penalties im- posed...were entirely consist- ent with previous practice and with the penalty guidelines." Halep marches on in Madrid with win over Mertens WORLD number one Simona Halep trounced an out of sorts Elise Mertens to reach the third round of the Madrid Open yes- terday and stay on course for her third consecutive title at the event. The Romanian top seed wrapped up victory in an hour and 11 minutes, hitting 23 win- ners and limiting herself to 18 unforced errors as she ended her Belgian opponent's 13-match winning streak. Mertens, who has won titles in Morocco and Switzerland this year, lost her previous form as she struggled to cope with Ha- lep's combination of power, guile and relentless court coverage. She found her feet at the start of the second set and fought gamely to the end, saving four match points while serving in the final game before netting a routine forehand to cough up a fifth and conceding the match with a tame double fault. Halep will face Kristyna Pliskova in the last-16 after the Czech beat Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5 6-2. Petra Kvitova, who is seeded 10th in Madrid, edged out wild card Monica Puig 6-3 7-6(8) in the day's early encounter and will face either Belarusian Aliaksan- dra Sasnovich or Estonia's Anett Kontaveit in the next round. Kvitova dished out nine aces, but made an equal number of double faults as she held on to extend her winning streak to seven matches despite her oppo- nent's aggressive brand of tennis. The two went toe-to-toe as the advantage swung back and forth, but Puig paid the price for not getting enough first serves across the net and failing to take her opportunities when they arose, allowing the Czech to pre- vail. With the score tied at 8-8 in the second-set tiebreak, Kvitova secured a match point with an ace, before sealing victory with a powerful forehand. Romania's Simona Halep in action