Middle East athletes compete at Invictus Games

The Invictus Games were created in 2014 by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, who was inspired after he attended a similar event for wounded veterans in the United States a year earlier. (AFP)
Updated 24 October 2018
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Middle East athletes compete at Invictus Games

  • Injured in the line of duty, 23 competitors from Jordan and Iraq are showing their strength this week in Sydney
  • Jordan begins week by picking up a gold medal in women’s one-minute sprint indoor-rowing competition

DUBAI: They are some of the Middle East’s bravest war veterans and, having suffered injury in the line of duty, they are showing their strength and resilience in a different arena: sport, at the fourth Invictus Games this week in Sydney.

Among more than 500 athletes participating in the international adaptive multi-sport event created by the UK’s Prince Harry for wounded, sick and injured service personnel, there are 23 competitors from two Middle Eastern countries: 17 from Jordan and seven from Iraq.

As the competition heats up, Jordanian participants have already topped the league table in some events. On Monday, Amany Akram Khaled Abdel Rahman, 29, won gold in the women’s IR2 one-minute sprint indoor-rowing competition, and second place was awarded to fellow Jordanian competitor, 32-year-old Ulfat Yaseen Ahmad Al-Zwiri. 

Also during Day 3, Amjed Nashat Ali Ayasrah and Jafar Al-Maradat of Jordan competed in the sitting volleyball match against Afghanistan, which it won before losing to the UK.

After having his right leg amputated following an accident on a tour of duty with the Jordan Armed Forces, Al-Maradat found a love of sport again, which helped his health – physically and mentally.

“Playing sports following my injury changed my whole outlook on life,” said the retired serviceman, who competed for the first time. “It has helped me build new friendships and meet other disabled soldiers.”

Al-Maradat hails from the southern city of Karak and commutes for three hours to train with fellow colleagues who are now part of his close inner circle of support. He credits embracing sports and the immense training and preparation for the Games as an integral part of his recovery and building a life after the army, where he served between 1993 and 2014.

“Playing sports has helped in the transformation of my daily routine and has given me a push forward,” he said. 

Ayasrah, from Jerash in northern Jordan, has been an active sergeant in the Gendarmerie Forces since 2009 and had an amputated leg as a result of a gunshot wound. 

He was competing for the second time in sitting volleyball. “Although I am still working, playing sports and representing my country at the Invictus Games made a big change in my life,” he said. “Sports was never in my daily routine, but my previous participation was a great experience.”

Since losing the sight in his left eye after being exposed to chemicals while on duty, fellow Jordanian competitor and former soldier Jehad Bani Omar admitted he found it “hard to cope” at first when his injury led to his retirement from the Jordan Armed Forces.

After a long road to recovery, Omar said he “eventually accepted” his fate and turned his life around after embracing physical activity.

“Sports have revived my self-confidence and renewed my energy levels,” said the retired soldier, who will be competing in athletics (shot put) and defending the gold medal he won in the Games in Orlando in 2016. “I am excited about the Invictus Games and have been preparing for them persistently,” he said. “I appreciate the international event – it shows concern for wounded soldiers.”

Jordanian competitor Nayef Al-Zboon comes from the Mafraq governorate. The landmine survivor, who had his leg amputated, competed for the second time in sitting volleyball and said he always looks forward to training, even on holiday.

“Sports has given me a challenge and something to look forward to,” said the retired serviceman, adding that he sees his participation as a unique opportunity to meet military personnel who share the same experiences.

Female competitor Ulfat Al-Zwiri, a civilian staffer in the Jordan Armed Forces since 2008, developed incomplete paraplegia after a car accident while on duty. “My injury inspired me to challenge myself and not to give up, and I see sports as a source of willpower and determination,” said Al-Zwiri, who is participating in the (100m) wheelchair race and in rowing. “Participating gives me the drive to fulfil my full potential and is also a good opportunity for me to represent my country in the best way I can.” 

She prepared continuously to ensure that she would achieve advanced results and said her previous participation in the Games helped increase her confidence and to meet other military personnel with similar types of injuries from different countries and cultures. 

“I am hopeful that my previous experience in the Games will help me achieve good results in this year’s competition as well,” she said.

Amany Abdel Rahman, a civilian staffer in the Jordan Armed Forces since 2008, has paralysis in her lower body owing to an illness while on duty.

Of her injury, she said: “Life must go on.” She described overturning her life by embracing sport and is participating in the (100m) wheelchair race at the Invictus Games.

“I feel proud to be raising the Jordanian flag and am really looking forward to hearing the national anthem on an international platform,” she said. “I am highly motivated and driven to achieve outstanding results.”

Jamal Damra, a retired serviceman of the Jordan Armed Forces, was shot while on duty, and his right leg was amputated under the knee. “The injury does not mean the end of life as I can still do daily activities,” he said. “Sports gave me the chance to be more involved in my community to boost my own recovery, but also to promote positive social change.” 

Damra trains every day and participated in sitting volleyball and athletics (shot put). His team did well last year and won the gold medal in athletics, but he is “even better prepared this time” and is ready to excel again. He sees his participation as a “unique opportunity to meet military personnel from different countries.” 

Riyad Al-Mazaydeh comes from the southern desert region of Qatranah. He has served in the Jordan Armed Forces since 2005 and is an active sergeant at the Royal Medical Services after he was injured in an accident while on duty in the artillery division. His left leg is amputated above the knee, but that has not stopped him from pursuing a new challenge in athletics. 

“I am now fully fit and will compete in the discus, shot put and rowing,” he said. “Traveling to another country is a great opportunity that will enrich my experience and enable me to meet others who face the same challenges and try to overcome them.”

Their other teammates include Anwar Saidat from Wadi Mousa, in southern Jordan, who has a broken hip and impaired vision in one eye after an accident while on duty; Omar Al-Shboul, a retired first sergeant, who had his right leg amputated after a bomb exploded while he was on duty; Ahmad Al-Barahmeh, who served on the northern border with Syria when a gunshot resulted in a spinal cord injury in 2015, and is representing Jordan in three disciplines: the (100m) wheelchair race, rowing and weightlifting; and Iyad Mestareh, an active warrant officer in the Jordan Armed Forces since 2002 who suffered severe visual impairment after a chemical-infused injury and will now be competing in sitting volleyball, athletics (shot put, discus, long jump) as well as rowing, among other events. 

“Invictus Games Sydney 2018 provides a moment in time for servicemen and women from 18 nations around the world to come together and make lifelong friendships,” Patrick Kidd, the CEO of this year’s Games, told Arab News. “All competitors and their families and friends can expect the warmest of welcomes from the Australian public and visiting supporters throughout the week.”

Events are taking place in Sydney’s Olympic Park, at the same venues that hosted the 2000 Olympics. Prince Harry is visiting Australia for the duration of the Games alongside his new wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. The couple, who have just announced they are expecting their first child, made their first public appearance together at last year’s InvictusGames in Toronto. They opened the Games last Saturday and will return for the closing ceremony on Oct. 27.


Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland teams announced for 2025 Team Cup

Updated 24 November 2024
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Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland teams announced for 2025 Team Cup

  • Six Ryder Cup players confirmed; 11 players to make debuts in event taking place in Abu Dhabi

DUBAI: The first 18 competitors for the 2025 Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland Team Cup sides have been announced by European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, with an exciting mix of Ryder Cup stars and some of the DP World Tour’s brightest talent scheduled to compete at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort from Jan 10-12, 2025.

After consulting with respective Team Cup captains Francesco Molinari, of Continental Europe, and Justin Rose, of Great Britain & Ireland, Donald has confirmed the first nine competitors in each side for next year’s matchplay contest, who between them have won 70 DP World Tour victories, with six representatives from recent Ryder Cups.

Molinari will lead Continental Europe in their defence of the Team Cup, which they won in 2023 after defeating Great Britain & Ireland 14½-10½ in the three-day matchplay contest. The teams will compete in one session of fourballs on the Friday, two sessions of foursomes on the Saturday and one session of singles on Sunday, with every player taking part in each session.

Each side will have three Ryder Cup players, with three-time Ryder Cup player Molinari joined by Nicolai Hojgaard and Thorbjorn Olesen, and six-time Ryder Cup star Rose teeing it up alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton.

Olesen, who represented Europe at the 2018 Ryder Cup, was one of the four automatic qualifiers for Molinari’s side, with fellow Scandinavians Rasmus Hojgaard and Niklas Norgaard and Italian Matteo Manassero also earning an automatic place in the Continental European team.

Rasmus had been selected to compete in the 2023 edition of the match play contest but was forced to withdraw due to injury. Since his return to competitive action he has won his fourth and fifth DP World Tour titles, becoming the first Dane to win Made in HimmerLand last year and he then held off the challenge of Rory McIlroy to win the Amgen Irish Open two months ago.

Norgaard claimed his maiden victory at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo, while Manassero made a welcome return to the winner’s circle this year, claiming his first DP World Tour title for nearly 11 years at the Jonsson Workwear Open.

Rounding out the Continental European side are the French pair of Matthieu Pavon, who this year became the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour in more than 100 years, and Antoine Rozner, who played in 2023 and recently earned dual membership on the PGA Tour, and the Danish duo of Ryder Cup player Nicolai Hojgaard and Challenge Tour No. 1 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.

Nicolai was called up to replace his brother in the Continental Europe side for the 2023 edition of the Team Cup and then went on to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, near Rome.

Both Fleetwood and Hatton, who also competed in the 2023 edition of the event, automatically qualified for the Great Britain & Ireland side alongside Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Paul Waring and five-time DP World Tour winner Matt Wallace.

Wallace will be making his second appearance in this event after recently winning his fifth DP World Tour title at the Omega European Masters. He also became a PGA Tour winner in 2023, claiming the Corales Puntacana Championship. While Waring became the DP World Tour’s most recent first-time Rolex Series winner after carding a career-low round of 61 and setting a new low 36-hole score to par in Abu Dhabi.

Joining them on Rose’s side will be Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin, who earned dual membership on the PGA Tour for 2025 after another strong season, two-time DP World Tour winner Jordan Smith of England, his compatriots Laurie Canter, who earned a maiden title at the European Open, and Aaron Rai, who is the most recent English winner on the PGA Tour after claiming the Wyndham Championship in August.

The final member of each side will be selected after the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the third event of the 2025 Race to Dubai, which concludes on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Donald, who will captain Europe for a second time at Bethpage Black next September, said: “Fran, Justin and I are really excited by the two teams which will assemble at the Team Cup in January. There’s a great mix of youth and experience on both sides and there will certainly be a competitive atmosphere at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort.

“This event provided valuable insight for a number of players who eventually made it to Marco Simone, with six of the 20 competitors in 2023 going on to play in the Ryder Cup, three of those making their debut appearances, and we’re excited to see who can make their mark next year as they try to earn a place in my side for New York City.”

Molinari, the 2018 Open champion and three-time Ryder Cup player, said: “It may be a new-look Continental European side but I’m really excited to lead these players at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort as we bid to defend the Team Cup next year.

“There is a fantastic blend of players who have hit the ground running at the start of their careers and those with a lot of experience on their side, and most of them have played in team competitions in the past as amateurs, which will have given them a great insight into these environments.”

Rose, who won the US Open in 2013 and will captain the Great Britain & Ireland side for the first time, said: “Having two Ryder Cup teammates in Tommy and Tyrrell in the team will be invaluable, but I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the team step up to this new arena. Having also played in 2023, I’m sure Matt and Jordan will be keen to go out there and win the cup so it’ll be great to watch them in action again.

“Most of my team have also had the opportunity to represent either Great Britain & Ireland or England and Ireland separately in the past, so they have a lot of experience to draw on from their amateur days. They are all proven winners on tour, but I think Europe as a whole is going to benefit massively from next year’s Team Cup as we look towards the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.”


Zimbabwe stuns new-look Pakistan in rain-affected first one-day international

Updated 24 November 2024
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Zimbabwe stuns new-look Pakistan in rain-affected first one-day international

  • Pakistan limped to 60-6 in 21 overs before rain denied further play, giving Zimbabwe 80-run win
  • The hosts now have a 1-0 lead against Pakistan in the ODI series ahead of three T20 matches

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe: All-rounder Sikandar Raza inspired Zimbabwe to a stunning 80-run win on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in the rain-affected first one-day international against a new-look Pakistan white-ball team on Sunday.
Raza made a crucial 39 runs and lifted Zimbabwe from a precarious 125-7 to 205 all out by sharing a 62-run eighth wicket stand with number nine batter Richard Ngarava, who top-scored with 48.
Under overcast conditions, Raza picked up two wickets in one over as Pakistan limped to 60-6 in 21 overs before it rained and denied further play as Zimbabwe took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Zimbabwe cricket team celebrate a wicket during the first ODI cricket match against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on November 24, 2024. 2024. (AP)

Pakistan’s second-string new ball bowlers – debutant Aamer Jamal and Mohammad Hasnain – couldn’t make an impact on Zimbabwe’s openers after the visitors had rested frontline pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the white-ball series in Zimbabwe.
Pakistan also rested its ace batter Babar Azam for the first time in an ODI since 2019 as it experimented with its bench strength ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy.
Tadiwanashe Marumani (29) flicked Jamal to square leg for a six and Joylord Gumbie (15) hit three fours against the seamers as they combined in a better than run-a-ball opening stand of 40 runs against a wayward Pakistan pace attack.

Zimbabwe’s Richard Ngarava plays a ball during the first ODI cricket match against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on November 24, 2024. 2024. (AP)

Gumbie got run out in a mix-up with Marumani in the sixth over before Pakistan came back hard through its spinners and struck at regular intervals. One of the three Pakistan debutants – left-arm wristspinner Faisal Akram took 3-24 and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha claimed 3-42 as Zimbabwe slipped to 125-7 in the 26th over.
However, Ngarava and Raza thwarted Pakistan’s spinners and pacers alike in a 69-ball stand to give the total respectability. Raza perished when he tried an expansive hit against Akram and was caught on the edge of the boundary while Ngarava was the last man to get dismissed after hitting five fours and a six when he chopped Hasnain back onto his stumps.

Pakistan’s Aamer Jamal celebrates a wicket during the first ODI cricket match against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on November 24, 2024. (AP)

Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani used the home conditions to perfection and snared the early wickets of Saim Ayub (11) and Abdullah Shafique (1), who both got caught behind inside the first three overs from the tall pacer.
Kamran Ghulam (17) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan (19 not out) couldn’t pace the chase before Pakistan lost four wickets in the space of 18 runs against the spinners. Ghulam tried to break the shackles but Sean Williams (2-12) got a thick edge and earned Marumani his third catch behind the wickets before Raza had two in three balls.
Raza pinned Salman plumb leg before wicket of his second ball and one ball later Haseebullah Khan was out for zero in his ODI debut when he played the wrong line and was clean bowled.
The three-match ODI series will be followed by three T20s with Bulawayo hosting all the matches.
 


Two-day Tata IPL mega auction begins in Jeddah

With the stage set for the much-anticipated Indian Premier League mega auction, a bidding war began at the Abadi Al-Johar Arena.
Updated 24 November 2024
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Two-day Tata IPL mega auction begins in Jeddah

  • Abadi Al-Johar Arena hosts the mega event, where squads of the 10 franchises will be finalized
  • Arshdeep Singh becomes first player to go under the hammer in the IPL auction 2025, Rishabh Pant costliest buy in the IPL history

JEDDAH: With the stage set for the much-anticipated Indian Premier League mega auction, the bidding war began at the Abadi Al-Johar Arena in Jeddah on Sunday, where the squads of the 10 franchises will be finalized over two days from a pool of 574 players.

Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and chairman-elect of the apex cricket body, the International Cricket Council, arrived in the Red Sea city of Jeddah ahead of the TATA IPL 2025 auction.

“This marks Saudi Arabia’s first-ever international cricket event, set to take place on November 24-25, 2024,” the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation said in a statement to Arab News.

Shah was warmly received at the airport by Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud, chairman of SACF, along with Vice Chairman Nawaf Al-Otaibi and CEO Tariq Sagga.

A number of investors, franchise representatives and officials from the BCCI also arrived in Jeddah in preparation for the highly anticipated auction, which is a key event in the global cricket calendar.

“This historic event marks a new chapter for cricket in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom continues to strengthen its position on the global sports stage, in line with its Vision 2030,” SACF said.

The IPL will enter its 18th season next year, and the Red Sea City is an important stop en route, where the squads of the ten franchises — Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, ‎Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Sunrisers Hyderabad — will be finalized at the mega auction.

After the news of the mega auction to be held at an overseas venue came out, the names of Dubai, London, Riyadh and Jeddah started doing the rounds before the Red Sea City was finalized by the BCCI for the marquee event.

The Abadi Al-Johar Arena, named after the famous Saudi singer, and which has seating capacity of 15,000, hosts the mega event, where the squads of the 10 franchises will be finalized.

Out of a stellar list of marquee players featuring in the TATA IPL auction, Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh raked in the money, becoming the first player to be sold in the Jeddah IPL auction. He received $2.13 million as Punjab Kings used their right-to-match card to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Star India player Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League as Lucknow Super Giants spent a mind-boggling $3.19 million on the wicketkeeper-batter.

The ten franchises are gunning to set their team for the next few years; on Day 1, however, only 84 top cricketers will go under the hammer. On Day 2, the 10 franchises will nominate a set of players who will be auctioned in an accelerated manner, followed by the last round, where the unsold players will be back for auction again.
 
Unlike regular auctions, the mega auction that takes place every three years is spread over two days instead of one. It is one of the most-followed events in cricket, as the ten IPL franchises build their squads for the next three years (2025-27).

As the Tata IPL auction, cricket’s most lucrative event, takes place in Jeddah, franchise representatives will spend more than $71 million across two days.

The Tata IPL 2025 mega auction will see plenty of twists, turns, unexpected signings and records broken, as the availability of Indian and international stars is greater than ever and all ten franchises are looking to rebuild their squads from the start.

A total of 12 marquee players, including Indian stars such as Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, have created a buzz within the cricket fraternity. Players have been shortlisted from an initial pool of 1,574 names.

These players will go under the hammer over the two-day mega auction in Jeddah. The list includes 208 overseas players, 12 uncapped overseas talents and 318 uncapped Indian players, according to the cricket reference book Wisden.


‘Star is born’: From homeless to Test hero for India’s Jaiswal

Updated 24 November 2024
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‘Star is born’: From homeless to Test hero for India’s Jaiswal

  • Yashasvi Jaiswal, 22, put India in driving seat against Australia in Perth with stellar century 
  • A young, homeless Jaiswal used to sell snacks on the streets to finance cricketing ambitions 

NEW DELHI: India’s Perth Test hero Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hit a stunning century on Sunday, rose to stardom from being homeless and selling snacks on the streets to finance his cricketing ambitions.
The 22-year-old opening batsman turned an overnight 90 into 161 on day three in the opening match of the five-Test series against Australia.
It was his fourth ton in his 15th Test.
He hit 171 last year on his debut against the West Indies, off a grueling 387 deliveries over more than eight hours at the crease in Dominica.
He smacked two double centuries against visiting England earlier this year.
The attacking left-handed batsman burst into the consciousness of cricket-mad India with a stellar showing in the Indian Premier League last year.
He was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals in the 2019 IPL auction and last season made one half of a fearsome opening pair with England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler, amassing 625 runs with a strike rate of more than 163.
After his latest heroics, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said it was all the more special because he had “come the hard way.”
The batting great called Jaiswal a “wonderful role model for those who come from the villages to the cities,” showing how if “you work hard, you’re dedicated, you have a dream, you can fulfil it.”
“This boy is a man,” Gavaskar said in his commentary show.
English commentator Mark Nicholas said:
 “This innings will announce him as a star is really born.”
Jaiswal dreamed of playing for India and moved to the financial capital Mumbai at just 11 years old, leaving his parents back home in their village.
“I used to sleep in a dairy and then stayed at my uncle’s place, but it wasn’t big enough and he asked me to find a different place,” Jaiswal told AFP in an interview in 2020.
“I then started to stay in a tent near Azad Maidan” — a field considered the birthplace of cricket in India — “and would play cricket there during the day.”
In between he sold popular street snacks to make enough money to pay for his own meals, supplementing a side hustle in cricket scoring and ball fetching in club games.
Jaiswal eventually won a place in the Mumbai state team in 2019 and became the youngest batsman, at 17 years and 292 days, to score a domestic one-day double century.


Verstappen wins fourth consecutive Formula One world title

Updated 24 November 2024
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Verstappen wins fourth consecutive Formula One world title

  • The 27-year-old Dutchman came home in fifth place in a race won by George Russell of Mercedes
  • McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was Verstappen’s only title rival, finished in sixth place

LAS VEGAS: Max Verstappen claimed a fourth consecutive Formula One world title under the lights of the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Dutchman came home in fifth place in a race won by George Russell of Mercedes as he became just the sixth man after Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost to claim four championships.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was Verstappen’s only title rival, finished in sixth place.

“Oh my god what a season, four times, thank you guys,” Verstappen told his Red Bull team on the radio.

“It’s a little more difficult than last year, but we pulled through. Thank you so much guys.”

Russell came home 7.313 seconds clear of seven-time champion and Mercedes teammate Hamilton, who had started from 10th on the grid.

The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were third and fourth places respectively.

Norris, in sixth, was 43 seconds adrift ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Nico Hulkenberg was eighth for Haas ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull.

Norris, who needed to outscore Verstappen by three points to keep his title hopes alive, took an extra point for fastest lap, but his challenge was over.

On a dry, windy and milder night in the Nevada desert, the air and track temperature was 18 degrees as Russell made a perfect start from his fourth pole position to lead with Leclerc, from fourth, leaping to second off the grid.

Everyone except Fernando Alonso started on mediums, the Spaniard taking softs that lasted only four laps while, at the front, Leclerc made an early bid to pass Russell and Verstappen swept by Pierre Gasly for fourth.

The Dutchman, looking imperious, made more progress on lap nine by passing Leclerc for third as Norris overtook Gasly for fifth while Hamilton moved up to eighth.

Piastri was given a five-second penalty for a false start, from outside his grid box, as Sainz, Leclerc and Norris pitted for hards, followed by Verstappen and Russell on lap 12.

Hamilton profited from the frantic action to lead the race for a lap before the order settled with Russell leading ahead of Perez, who made an early stop, and Verstappen.

On lap 15, Perez waved Verstappen through to second behind Russell and Gasly retired with engine failure in his Alpine.

Hamilton, showing great speed, climbed to fifth by lap 20 behind the two Ferraris, leaving Norris struggling in sixth.

“The front right looks like it is about to go any lap,” reported Norris. His title dream, like his tires, appeared to be evaporating as McLaren slithered in pursuit, unable to find any grip.

By half-distance, Russell led Verstappen by 11 seconds with Sainz, complaining about his tires, third ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton before, on lap 28, both multiple champions pitted.

Hamilton was hampered by Sainz, crossing in and out of the pit lane as Ferrari ordered him to stay out and swap places with Leclerc. The Spaniard pitted a lap later, falling to sixth.

All this saw Norris rise to third before he pitted again on lap 31 falling to seventh while Hamilton, in the mood, cruised past Verstappen for second behind Russell.

Irked by suggestions that his “shelf life” was ending, Hamilton, on older tires, trimmed Russell’s lead from 11 seconds to six in five vintage laps.

Verstappen, concentrating on the big prize, was passed by Sainz but kept Leclerc behind him with Norris 10 seconds adrift in sixth until lap 47 when the Monegasque passed him for fourth.