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Hamilton takes pole in Spain, Vettel’s car stalls

By WTOP Staff

JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were in a class of their own again in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, while struggling four-time champion Sebastian Vettel stalled and was demoted on the grid.

Hamilton edged teammate — and main rival — Nico Rosberg with a late lap of 1 minute, 25.232 seconds on the sunny and dry Barcelona-Catalunya circuit for his fourth pole of the Formula One season and 35th in his career.

Rosberg, the overall leader, came in second at 0.16 seconds behind to set up another driving duel. Hamilton has won the last three races right in front of Rosberg, with the rest of the field far behind.

“Nico was really driving well though practice and qualifying,” Hamilton said. “I didn’t know if I was going to get it, but right at the end I had to eke out absolutely everything I could get from the car.”

Vettel’s Red Bull has left him stranded twice in two days. First it rolled to a halt during Friday’s first practice session, and it failed him again early in the third period of qualifying.

Vettel was left 10th in qualification, but he will start from 15th on the grid after Red Bull incurred a five-place penalty for replacing his car’s damaged gearbox. Regulations require gearboxes to be used for at least six consecutive races.

As Vettel’s troubles mounted, new partner Daniel Ricciardo finished with the third fastest time ahead of Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Lotus’ Romain Grosjean.

Fernando Alonso, last year’s winner here, could do no better than seventh place, right behind Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton complained to his team early in the day that they “made the car worse” after minor changes to try and improve on its already commanding performances from Friday, when the British driver dominated both practices.

“It was a real handful for me,” Hamilton said. “It was back to square one. I was a half second behind Nico but at the end I did it by the skin of my teeth.”

Rosberg wasn’t afraid to show his disappointment.

“I don’t particularly enjoy coming second to Lewis,” he said. “But all it takes is a good start tomorrow and I am in the lead again.”

Hamilton and Rosberg are poised to dominate a fifth straight race after sweeping the first four and taking all five pole positions.

That dominance was acknowledged by Ricciardo.

“We are best of the rest. But that is not good enough, we are still a second off,” the Red Bull driver said. “We have made some improvement, but they, being Mercedes, have done so as well. Even with a different strategy in the race, it is going to be difficult to make up a second each lap.”

In 23 races at Montmelo, 15 pole-sitters have gone on to victory, while only two drivers have won when starting from third place or lower.

Red Bull appeared to have Vettel’s car back in a good enough condition to compete, but its transmission acted up at the start of the third qualifying period when he pulled out of the garage, and by the third curve his car came to a halt.

Vettel told his team by radio, “I have no drive, I’m sorry, I have no drive” before he jogged back to pit lane while waving to fans.

Ferrari showed no sign that the three-week break before the European races had paid off in improvements.

“This wasn’t a good qualifying session,” Alonso said. “But the outcome was more or less what we could have expected on a difficult weekend.”

Less than two minutes into the session, Pastor Maldonado crunched the right wheel of his Lotus when he lost control coming out of a right-hand turn and slammed into the wall on his third lap. Maldonado, who won here in 2012 with Williams, emerged unscathed from the car before it was hauled away.

Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne will start the race from the back of the pack after he was docked 10 places for breaching safety regulations on Friday when a wheel flew off his car. He finished qualifying in 16th place.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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