Faster F1 cars means stronger drivers for ’17

Hamilton calls for more women in dude dominated paddock

MELBOURNE, Australia, March 23, (Agencies): Renault driver Niko Hulkenberg has the kind of name that sounds like big could be his thing.

In Formula One seasons past, muscle bulk hasn’t really been the key requirement for drivers, with work on endurance being the focus of training in the gym. The new regulations in F1 have made the cars bigger and faster, prefacing an era that has the drivers and fans more excited than usual, and so the pilots have to follow suit.

“The cars are like driving a very fast and spectacular roller-coaster and it’s a lot more demanding than before,” Hulkenberg said ahead of the seasonopening Australian Grand Prix. “Now you have to wrestle these cars!

“The tires allow you to push harder every lap, so you can exploit and be on the limit. It’s a lot more work and a lot more demanding. There’s a lot that’s new, but the game is still the same.”

Lewis Hamilton has worked out the game, winning three drivers’ titles, so he’s more than ready to up the ante.

“As racing drivers in general you want to drive the quickest cars in the world and I think you always want to go faster,” the Mercedes driver said. “The cars are faster than what they were last year. The challenge of exploiting that speed with your car on the track is a great challenge and it’s more in the direction of how F1 should be in the sense of the physicality side of it.”

Hamilton, who won back-to-back titles with Mercedes in 2014 and ‘15 and narrowly missed out to teammate Nico Rosberg last season, considers himself as much an athlete as a driver.

“F1 should be the most physically demanding sport in terms of all the

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain (left), Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany (right), chat

during a press conference at the track in Melbourne on March 23. (AP)

driving series,” he said. “In previous years that hasn’t been the case — it hasn’t been to the level that we train to, is relatively easy for us to do — now you have to really push the boundaries, which I like.”

The F1 rule changes means wider tires, greater aerodynamics, bigger fuel loads and increased downforce, which have made the cars heavier but also significantly faster.

The tires, which are 25 percent wider, have more grip and are more durable, enabling drivers to push harder through the corners.

Even though Mercedes dominated under the previous regulations, Hamilton was a big advocate for the changes.

“Doing drastic changes kind of spices it up,” he said. “I have never seen the fans so excited about a season as they are this season ... we don’t know where the cars and teams are, so more of these kind of experiences would be welcome.”

Toto Wolff, the head of MercedesBenz Motorsport, said Hamilton and his teammate Valterri Bottas were in prime shape to make the most of the changes.

“It’s an exciting time for them because these new cars are a real physical challenge,” he said. “Both felt from testing that the G-Forces are enormous and they are embracing the new challenge.”

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel expects his ‘17-edition Ferrari to be the fastest car he’s driven.

“For us, what really gives us a good feeling is cornering speed — I think we’re back to the level we’ve been 10 years ago, maybe a bit faster,” he said. “Nice to have the feeling that you’re in the fastest cars that you’ve ever driven.”

Vettel is among the drivers who have been working on neck and shoulder strength in particular, to handle the extra load. Daniel Ricciardo finished third in the season standings for Red Bull last year, behind the two Mercedes. He’s put in extra work to ensure he’s stronger New York Rangers right wing Rick Nash (61) shoots and scores behind New York Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss (1), of Germany, while Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey (14) and Rangers left wing Jimmy Vesey (26) look on, in the

second period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 22. (AP)

NEW YORK, March 23, (AP): Andrew Ladd scored the tiebreaking goal with about 7-1/2 minutes remaining in the third period as the New York Islanders rallied for 3-2 victory over the crosstown-rival Rangers in the NHL on Wednesday night.

Anders Lee had a goal and an assist, and Nikolay Kulemin also scored for the Islanders, who pulled two points behind Boston for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Anthony Beauvillier had two assists and Thomas Greiss stopped 34 shots.

Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash scored, and Antti Raanta finished with 25 saves for the Rangers, who home losing streak to seven games (0-5-2) since beating Washington on Feb 19. Maple Leafs 5, Blue Jackets 2 In Columbus, Ohio, William Nylander and Leo Komarov each had a goal and an assist to help the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri also scored, and Frederik Andersen had 32 saves as Toronto stayed in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Atlantic Division. Nikita Zaitsev scored an empty-net

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Kyle Quincey (left), works against Toronto Maple Leafs forward Connor Brown during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus,

Ohio on March 22. (AP)

goal after the Blue Jackets pulled their goalie for a sixth skater near the end.

David Savard and Brandon Saad scored for Columbus, which lost for the first time in the last five games. Backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo stopped 26 shots. The Blue Jackets stayed in third place in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind leader Washington and one behind Pittsburgh. They play the Capitals in Washington on Thursday night.

Ducks 4, Oilers 3 In Anaheim, California, Rickard Rakell scored the go-ahead goal while Hampus Lindholm had a goal and two assists as the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Edmonton Oilers.

Jonathan Bernier made 29 saves, and Josh Manson and Patrick Eaves also scored as Anaheim passed Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division with nine games remaining for both teams.

Cam Talbot gave up four goals on 18 shots before being pulled midway through the second period as the Oilers’ four-game winning streak ended. Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist, giving him 84 points to extend his league lead, and Leon Draisaitl also scored for the Oilers.

Mark Letestu added a 6-on-3 power-play goal with 6.7 seconds remaining.