DOHA: Newly-crowned three-time world champion Max Verstappen cruised to his 14th win of an outstanding season for Red Bull on Sunday when he won an exhausting, frantic and often confusing Qatar Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old Dutchman, who secured his third straight title win in Saturday’s sprint race, came home 4.838 seconds clear of McLaren’s rookie Oscar Piastri, who won Saturday’s sprint, and lapped his Red Bull team-mate, erstwhile title rival, Sergio Perez.
Lando Norris finished third in the second McLaren ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, who survived a first-corner crash with team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who retired in the gravel.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the Italian team’s only runner after Carlos Sainz withdrew due to fuel issues before the start, finished fifth ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon of Alpine.
Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo was eighth, Perez came home ninth and Zhou Guanyu 10th in the second Alfa Romeo, but their positions were reversed due to the Mexican’s time penalties.
It was Verstappen’s 49th career victory and came complete with pole position and fastest lap, giving him a classic hat-trick to mark his triple title triumph.
“I think what made my race was my first stint,” said Verstappen. “After that I could manage the pace and keep the tires in a good window, but the McLarens were quick and really pushed me.”
Piastri, reflecting the feelings of all the drivers, said: “It was so hot. With three stops, it was flat out every lap so it was like 57 qualifying laps... I’m happy, but it was the hardest race of my life.”
Norris said: “Well, I’m sweaty, hot, tired and happy.”
After another sweltering day, the air temperature was 32 and the track 37 when the race began in sensational fashion as the two Mercedes collided at Turn One in an accident that sent seven-time world champion Hamilton spinning out of the race.
Verstappen had made a perfect start and Hamilton, the only front-runner on soft tires, attempted to sweep round the outside of Russell, but succeeded only in steering his rear-right tire into his compatriot’s front wing.
The impact sent both cars spinning. Hamilton flew off, but Russell recovered to continue and make a pit stop as a safety car was deployed.
After muttered complaints, Russell apologized, but it appeared that he had nowhere to go in an incident which, for Mercedes, revived memories of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix when Hamilton and team-mate Nico Rosberg collided and retired at the first corner.
The winner on that day, claiming his maiden victory, was a then-18-year-old Verstappen.
After four laps, the safety car came in and the race restarted with Verstappen blasting clear of Piastri to open up a lead of 1.2 seconds with Alonso third.
This move followed Saturday’s revision of the marked track limits and kerbs that had damaged the walls of several cars’ tires on Friday and meant all the teams had to adopt a minimum three-stop strategy.
Perez, who started from the pit-lane following car changes after his crash in Saturday’s sprint, also sliced through the field to reach third before, on lap 18, after Verstappen pitted, Williams’ Alex Albon took the lead and Perez fell, after a stop, to 16th.
Albon pitted within a lap and Verstappen was back in charge ahead of Piastri and Alonso, all on a three-stop strategy.
In addition to the frantic tactical challenge of the new tire rules, several drivers were shown a black and white warning flag for exceeding track limits — meaning a repeat transgression would bring a five-second penalty.
For Perez, this duly came as Verstappen’s domination continued.
By lap 30, he was 22 seconds clear of Russell as he set a record for laps led in a season with his 740th in command, beating the 2013 record set by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.
The demanding conditions took their toll on the drivers. Alonso went off at Turn Two and survived a gravel trap before re-joining via an escape road and then Logan Sargeant reported feeling nauseous and vomiting in his helmet.
“I don’t feel well, man,” said Sargeant. “I need to stop.”
On lap 42, he retired and Perez collected another five-second penalty.
Max Verstappen claims 14th win of memorable title-winning campaign in Qatar Grand Prix
https://arab.news/wd9qa
Max Verstappen claims 14th win of memorable title-winning campaign in Qatar Grand Prix
- Lando Norris finished third in the second McLaren ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell
McLaren has ominous pace, Lewis Hamilton has work to do: 5 takeaways from F1’s season-opener
- Among the takeaways ahead of Sunday’s race in Shanghai are that McLaren is the team to beat and that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari have a lot of work to do
- Lando Norris heads to the second round of the Formula 1 season in China with a lead over champion Max Verstappen after winning a thrilling race in Australia
Ahead of Sunday’s race in Shanghai, here are five takeaways from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix:
McLaren is the team to beat
Without the rain and the safety car, the Australian Grand Prix might not have been much of a contest. The two McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri quickly built a lead of more than 15 seconds to Verstappen in third early in the race. The McLarens were also three-tenths of a second faster than anyone else in qualifying. So much for preseason predictions that this year could be exceptionally close between multiple teams.
Norris acknowledged McLaren are favorites but warned the team shouldn’t get complacent. “If you start thinking things are good and groovy, that’s when you get caught,” he said. “We will have races where we struggle.”
Hamilton and Ferrari have work to do
Lewis Hamilton briefly led on his Ferrari debut. Unfortunately for the seven-time champion, a strategy blunder meant Ferrari left Hamilton and his new teammate Charles Leclerc on dry tires in increasingly heavy rain. “Missed a big opportunity,” Hamilton told Ferrari over the radio. Hamilton finished 10th, two places behind Leclerc.
Hamilton and Ferrari may need to work on their communication. After more than a decade working with Peter “Bono” Bonnington at Mercedes, Hamilton was frustrated at regular radio updates from his new engineer Riccardo Adami. “Leave me to it, please,” he said repeatedly.
Lawson’s old teammate may be his closest rival
No one expected Liam Lawson, in his 12th career F1 race, to beat his four-time champion teammate Verstappen. However, Lawson also underperformed compared to Yuki Tsunoda, his old teammate, after being picked over Tsunoda for the Red Bull seat. Lawson qualified 18th and made little progress before crashing out. Tsunoda qualified fifth and was competitive, though a team strategy error meant he finished 12th. If Lawson doesn’t improve, Red Bull could face even more scrutiny of its decision to pick him.
Antonelli is the standout rookie
Formula 1’s biggest rookie class in years struggled — with one big exception. The 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the second-youngest driver ever to score F1 points, behind only Verstappen, as he finished fourth with a strong drive from 16th.
Of the other drivers starting their first full F1 seasons, Lawson, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine’s Jack Doohan crashed out, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar crashed before the start and Haas’ Oliver Bearman was the last finisher in 14th.
Teamwork helps Williams make its mark
Alex Albon benefited from his new teammate as he finished fifth for Williams’ best result since 2021. Carlos Sainz, Jr. crashed out early but joined the team staff on the pit wall to offer Albon advice over the radio on how best to handle the rapidly changing weather. “We’re a very bonded team,” Albon said.
Horse racing is in UAE’s DNA, says Dubai Racing Club CEO
- Ali Al-Ali spoke to Arab News about the emirate’s emergence as a regional and global racing hub and the upcoming Dubai World Cup
DUBAI: With less than three weeks left before the Dubai World Cup, Ali Al-Ali can look back with more than a measure of satisfaction on another successful racing season calendar at Meydan.
On Saturday, April 5, the racing world’s attention will again turn to the emirate as the globe’s best horses, jockeys and trainers take part in the 29th edition of the thoroughbred race. However, for the CEO of Dubai Racing Club, as well as many racing enthusiasts, the Dubai Racing Carnival has been up and running since November and concluded its last pre-World Cup event on Friday.
“The Carnival was restructured last year, season 2023-2024, and this is the second iteration of it,” said Al-Ali. “We have had a lot of feedback from both the racing side and the guest side, great feedback coming from both of those, talking about how the Carnival has created a whole new experience for the people that are coming to the course and enjoying a time out on a Friday night, as well as creating a very competitive atmosphere for international horses coming from all over the world.”
One of the highlights of the calendar took place on Saturday, March 1, and for some of the participants provided a path to the main card of the Dubai World Cup.
“Emirates Super Saturday has always been a great night,” said Al-Ali. “It’s a mini rehearsal for the Dubai World Cup. It was the first time that Emirates Super Saturday falls under Ramadan, and I think we created a beautiful mix of Ramadan vibes, culture, horse racing, hospitality and entertainment on that night.”
The Dubai Racing Club was established in 1992, and the Dubai World Cup had its first run four years later. From its origins at Nad Al-Sheba Racecourse to its current home of Meydan, it has become one of the world’s most famous racing events, featuring a total prize of $30.5 million for nine races, of which $12 million is set aside for the showpiece race.
“Well, horse racing has always been in the DNA of Dubai and the UAE as well,” said Al-Ali. “The vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum was to bring the horses back to their original home.
“From there began the mission of His Highness to create a hub and to create a racing environment that suits everyone coming into the region,” he added. “And (he also wanted) to prove that these horses entering here in Dubai do always have a better chance of winning outside as well. Going back to how it has evolved, I believe with His Highness’ directions and continuous support, we are at a pinnacle at the moment and we’re only pushing forward.”
Having the right facilities and talent is what helped Dubai become a regional and global racing hub, according to Al-Ali.
“I see Dubai as a great hub due to the infrastructure, and most importantly, the know-how of flying in international horses and providing them with the right atmosphere, the right facilities, the right supplies, the right support to race in a very safe and enjoyable racecourse.”
The 2025 Dubai World Cup will take place only days after Eid Al-Fitr, but Al-Ali says that preparations have been going on for some time now.
“We’ve been preparing since almost a year now. That’s how we do it and that’s always what we try to achieve. We always try to achieve absolute excellence when it comes to the Dubai World Cup,” he said.
The CEO says that technology is increasingly playing a major part in maintaining that excellence.
“From a technological perspective, we see that the Dubai Racing Club is going to be one of the pioneering jurisdictions in implementing both artificial intelligence within our operations, as well as enhancing the technology that is helping and aiding horse racing around the region.”
Al-Ali is now looking forward to the start of this year’s festivities on April 1.
“The Dubai World Cup Week is full of activities and entertainment, and we’ve got the Post-Position Draw, the Post-Position Gala, the Dubai World Cup Gala, and the breakfast of the stars as well, which is now called the Morning Gallop.”
Horses and trainers are already making the move to Dubai ahead of the big week.
“We have received some of the horses that are going to be running on the Dubai World Cup night and we’re expecting more of them to come throughout these weeks,” Al-Ali said.
Al-Wasl host Al-Jazira as mouthwatering ADIB Cup semifinals kick off
- On Tuesday Sharjah take on runaway top-flight leaders Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club, with the second legs on March 22 and 23
DUBAI: A quartet of UAE heavyweights are set to lock horns during the international break as the ADIB Cup’s mouth-watering semifinals kick off on Monday night.
Ex-France star Nabil Fekir’s Al-Jazira travel to troubled reigning ADNOC Pro League and President’s Cup holders Al-Wasl in tonight’s opening first leg.
And a re-run of this month’s AFC Champions League Two quarterfinals begins on Tuesday when Sharjah — who prevailed on penalties at continental level — host runaway top-flight leaders Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club.
The finalists will be decided in the second legs on March 22 and 23.
Monday’s meeting at Zabeel Stadium pits an in-form Jazira against opponents reeling from a continental elimination which has compounded their underwhelming 2024-2025 season.
Al-Wasl ended a 17-year domestic trophy drought in style last term. But they currently sit 20 points off the leading pace in sixth.
And they lost 4-2 on aggregate to Qatar Stars League holders Al-Sadd during the AFC CL Elite’s round of 16.
An opportunity to salvage something from this season will be sorely tested by a Jazira that have prevailed in four of their last five fixtures, across all competitions.
In the other tie, a remarkable run of fixtures continues with the third and fourth meetings of five-successive clashes between Sharjah and Shabab Al-Ahli.
Narrow continental progress for the former has tantalizingly set the scene for the ADIB Cup’s last four, with March 28’s league restart to follow.
With both clubs competing vigorously across multiple fronts, intense competition awaits at Sharjah Stadium on Tuesday in the absence of many international representatives.
Magic mount comeback to end Cavs win streak
- Oklahoma City Thunder continued their serene march toward the Western Conference No.1 seeding with an emphatic 121-105 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks
- In Los Angeles, the Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak and dealt a blow to the Phoenix Suns’ hopes of reaching the playoffs after powering to a 107-96 victory
LOS ANGELES: Paolo Banchero scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic overturned a 13-point deficit to end the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game NBA unbeaten streak with a gutsy 108-103 road victory on Sunday.
Cleveland, the runaway Eastern Conference leaders, had looked poised to extend their franchise-record winning run after surging clear of Orlando early in the third quarter.
But after a season where they have staged hefty winning comebacks of their own, the tables turned on Cleveland in the face of a furious burst of Orlando scoring.
The Magic outscored Cleveland 35-23 in the third quarter with Franz Wagner leading the charge with nine points and Banchero adding seven.
Although Cleveland led by a slender 83-82 margin heading into the fourth quarter, and threatened to stretch away once more after Donovan Mitchell’s driving layup made it 91-84, Orlando refused to roll over.
Eight more points from Wagner in the final frame and five apiece from Banchero and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope saw the Magic home to silence a 19,432 sellout crowd at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena.
Former No. 1 NBA Draft pick Banchero finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists while Wagner added 22 points with eight rebounds and two assists as Orlando improved to 32-37 to remain eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.
“It’s a big win,” Banchero said after what was the final leg of a five-game road trip for Orlando. “We knew this was going to be probably the toughest game of the trip.
“To come in here... against one of the better teams in the league, also on a win streak — big win.”
Mitchell led the Cleveland scoring with 23 points, with Jarrett Allen finishing on 20 and Darius Garland adding 19.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson praised Orlando’s performance and said it demonstrated the depth of quality in the league.
“Huge credit to them,” Atkinson said. “This league is humbling, and if you think you’ve won 16 in a row or whatever, right around the corner is a playoff team and a tough team to play.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their serene march toward the Western Conference No.1 seeding with an emphatic 121-105 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
NBA Most Valuable Player contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder scoring with 31 points as Oklahoma City improved to 56-12, a massive 13 games clear of the second-placed Houston Rockets.
In Los Angeles, the Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak and dealt a blow to the Phoenix Suns’ hopes of reaching the playoffs after powering to a 107-96 victory.
Phoenix, sitting 11th in the Western Conference and just outside the play-in places, badly need wins as they attempt to force their way into the post-season reckoning.
But 33 points from Luka Doncic and another assured performance from Austin Reaves, who scored 28 points, carried the Lakers to a comfortable victory that left the Suns on 31-37 in the Western Conference standings.
In other games the Philadelphia 76ers scored an upset 130-125 win over the Dallas Mavericks on the road.
Quentin Grimes led the scoring for a depleted Sixers lineup missing Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr., finishing with 28 points.
Going for gold: A look at the political and sporting challenges facing the next IOC president
- Seven candidates are competing in the first contested International Olympic Committee election since 2013 to replace Thomas Bach
- Coventry is just the second female presidential candidate in the IOC’s 131-year history and the first with a chance to win
COSTA NAVARINO, Greece: An in tray of Olympic challenges spanning political, social, sporting and operational issues awaits the next IOC president who will be elected Thursday.
Seven candidates are competing in the first contested International Olympic Committee election since 2013 to replace Thomas Bach, who formally leaves office in June after the mandated maximum of 12 years.
They include two Olympic gold medalists, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry, and the son of a former IOC president, Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Four are presidents of Olympic sports bodies, including Johan Eliasch from skiing, David Lappartient from cycling, and Morinari Watanabe from gymnastics. Coe also leads track’s World Athletics, organized the 2012 London Olympics and is widely viewed as the most qualified candidate.
Three are members of the Bach-chaired IOC executive board that meets Monday: Samaranch, Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan and Coventry, the sports minister of Zimbabwe who would be the first woman leader in the IOC’s 131-year history.
Coventry is seen as Bach’s preferred choice to be elected by about 100 IOC members invited into an exclusive club from royal families, international politics and business, sports officials plus past and current athletes.
Here’s a look at some of the issues facing them:
The US
The Summer Games is the foundation of the Olympic movement, where each of the 207 officially recognized teams competes. Fewer than 100 countries participate at the Winter Games.
For the IOC, bringing the world’s athletes together in the Olympic village is a powerful symbol of political neutrality and promoting peace.
The next Summer Games is in Los Angeles in 2028, in the final months of President Donald Trump’s second term. As the host nation head of state, he should help formally open the games at a July 14 ceremony likely drawing the biggest global audience for any broadcast in 2028.
A challenge until then is protecting what the IOC calls Olympic values, including gender equality and universal inclusion.
American relations this year with long-time allies like Canada, Ukraine, Denmark and Germany has cast doubt on how much warmth there will be for the US as a welcoming host in 2028.
The federal government’s limited operational role for the Olympics includes security and border issues, including visas. A test of those plans will be the US co-hosting the 2026 World Cup in men’s soccer with Canada and Mexico. Iran should be among the first teams to qualify next week.
The next IOC president will need nimble diplomatic skills, balanced with close ties to the Democratic-leaning local organizing committee, city of LA and state of California.
Global politics
The IOC has been closely aligned with the United Nations and the multilateral rules-based order shaping the world for 80 years. That is under pressure, from the US and elsewhere. When and how to reintegrate Russia in the Olympic family is pressing.
If these can seem uniquely challenging times, Coe noted his career as a track champion at Moscow in 1980 and LA in 1984 was an Olympic era of Cold War boycotts and exclusion for apartheid-era South Africa.
“They always have been (navigable) in the past,” Coe said of the pending diplomatic turmoil.
Equality for women
Gender equality has been a key policy of the Bach presidency: Equal quotas of men and women athletes, higher profile scheduling of women’s events, men and women flag bearers for each team, more women members of the IOC.
Coventry is just the second female presidential candidate in the IOC’s 131-year history and the first with a chance to win.
Gender eligibility in Olympic sports is now a hot-button issue, fueled further by President Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes in the US and promises to pressure the IOC, and coming after the furor and disinformation around women’s boxing in Paris last year.
The IOC had some responsibility for women’s boxing arriving in Paris with what seemed outdated eligibility rules. Those could be reviewed before 2028.
Stricter rules on transgender athletes — barring from women’s events anyone who went through male puberty — already were passed before Paris by swimming, cycling led by Lappartient and track and field led by Coe.
Some candidates in Thursday’s election, including Coe, Samaranch and Eliasch have urged the IOC to take a clearer policy lead.
2036 Olympics host
The new president’s eight-year mandate runs through 2033 and all games hosts in that time are already picked. Even 2034 is decided for the Salt Lake City Winter Games and 2038 looks destined for Switzerland.
The next big decision is the 2036 Summer Games with high-level lobbying under way by countries like India and Qatar. Doha would perhaps anchor a regional project with neighboring Gulf states.
There is no set timetable for a decision in the new, flexible and more opaque process designed by Bach which largely cuts members out of decisions, but limits the risk of vote-buying.
Climate change
The 2036 Olympics seem likely to move from the July-August period the Summer Games has occupied since the 2004 Athens Olympics.
It can be a catalyst for a wide review of the global sports calendar amid rising temperatures and extreme weather.
With fewer options to find Winter Games hosts, Eliasch proposes in his manifesto to rotate among a select group of permanent venues.
Engaging athletes
Olympic athletes could be winners in the election.
Coe’s World Athletics broke an IOC taboo by paying $50,000 to track and field gold medalists in Paris, and promises payments for silver and bronze in LA.
Samaranch wants to give athletes control of video of their Olympic performances currently denied to protect broadcasters’ exclusivity. Athletes have long objected to the strict drafting of Olympic Charter Rule 40 that limits their commercial options at the games.
Coventry is the most recent Olympic athlete, swimming at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games, and was their representative on the IOC executive board from 2018-21. Her manifesto offers no new benefits but supports the established Athlete 365 program helping prepare for their next careers.
Engaging voters
A theme for some candidates is that voters Thursday want more input and active involvement in the IOC’s work. Bach’s management style is widely seen as controlling.
Lappartient called for more debating instead of just listening; Coe said “I don’t micro-manage“; Prince Feisal suggested unanimous votes that are routine “means there’s something wrong.”
Samaranch offers members more say in selecting Olympic hosts. The members’ age limit could rise five years to 75. Coe even would let members vote in just four years, not eight, whether to re-elect him.
