SPIELBERG: Max Verstappen resisted a spirited attack from Lando Norris on Saturday to claim victory for Red Bull in a feisty sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The series leader and three-time world champion delivered a home win at the Red Bull Ring with a fighting response after being passed by McLaren’s Norris in the opening laps.
His win was his third sprint triumph this year, his fifth in succession and his 10th in 15 contests as he came home 4.616 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and 5.348 clear of Norris, who was unable to maintain his early speed.
“I had a good first lap,” said Verstappen. “But once the DRS opened it took a few laps for me to get away and then I drove my own race. I had to work for it in that race and we have a few things to think about for tomorrow.”
George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes. Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari was seventh.
Sergio Perez came home eighth in the second Red Bull ahead of Haas’s Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll of Aston Martin.
Verstappen was given a rousing reception by the massed ranks of his ‘orange army’ in the grandstands, notably roaring with delight when he responded to snatch back his lead from Norris.
Verstappen resists Norris attack to win Austrian GP sprint race
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Verstappen resists Norris attack to win Austrian GP sprint race
Aryna Sabalenka withdraws from Wimbledon with a shoulder injury
- A little more than a week ago, Sabalenka stopped playing during the first set of her quarterfinal at the Berlin Ladies Open, citing pain in her shoulder
WIMBLEDON, England: Third-seeded Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from Wimbledon on Monday because of an injured shoulder.
The two-time Australian Open champion was supposed to play Emina Bektas of the United States in the first round on Day 1 at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
Sabalenka, a semifinalist at the All England Club each of the last two times she appeared there, was replaced in the draw on Monday by Erika Andreeva, who lost in qualifying last week.
A little more than a week ago, Sabalenka stopped playing during the first set of her quarterfinal at the Berlin Ladies Open, citing pain in her shoulder.
She said she had a muscle injury that she called “very frustrating.”
“The most annoying thing is that I can do anything. I can practice; I can hit my groundstrokes. I’m struggling with serving. That’s really annoying. You don’t feel like you’re injured,” Sabalenka said. “If you give me some weights, I’m going to go lift some weights. But if you tell me to serve, I’m going to go through pain. We did an MRI, we did everything. We did a lot of rehab, a lot of treatments and everything.”
Sabalenka said on Saturday there was a chance she would need to pull out of Wimbledon, “But I still have my hopes. As someone who been fighting through a lot of different pains in the past months, I still have my hopes.”
Mexico eliminated from Copa America as Ecuador earns spot in quarterfinals after 0-0 draw
- Mexico was initially awarded a penalty kick by referee Mario Alberto Escobar Toca, but a VAR review rescinded the penalty
GLENDALE, Arizona: Mexico was eliminated from the Copa America after a 0-0 draw against Ecuador, which advanced to the quarterfinals Sunday night after avoiding a penalty in stoppage time thanks to a VAR review.
Mexico was initially awarded a penalty kick by referee Mario Alberto Escobar Toca when Ecuador’s Felix Torres took down Mexican forward Guillermo Martinez in the penalty box. VAR rescinded the penalty because Torres touched the ball and Mexico was awarded a corner kick, sending in a chorus of boos raining down from the Mexican fans at State Farm Stadium.
“I don’t like to talk about our referee. It is what it is and I believe we have more possibilities now that we have VAR,” Mexico coach Jaime Lozano said. “After an early exit, I don’t want to talk about the referee.”
Ecuador weathered a second-half push by Mexico in front of 62,656 mostly pro-Mexico fans to finish second in Group B behind Venezuela. Ecuador and Mexico finished level on four points from three games but Ecuador advanced thanks to a better goal differential and will face Group A winner Argentina in the quarterfinals Thursday in Houston.
“Playing against Argentina in our experience is a very tough team because they have the world’s best players, they play in the best leagues at a high level,” Ecuador coach Felix Sanchez said through an interpreter. “They are very versatile, have been playing together for a long time with the same coach and they still have a lot of ambition.”
Mexico failed to get out of the group stage for the fourth time in its last five Copa America appearances, which could put Lozano’s job in jeopardy.
El Tri was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup for the first time since 1978 in Qatar two years ago and lost to the United States in CONCACAF Nations League final in March.
Mexico had one goal on 57 shots in three Copa America games.
“There were many players who had never played in a tournament like this, which is directly below the World Cup,” Lozano said. “Other players (who played) in the Cup didn’t have the results of other games. But I believe the team has grown in many aspects. The decision is not up to me.”
Mexico needed a win to advance after losing 1-0 to Venezuela on a penalty kick in the 57th minute and beating Jamaica 1-0 in the tournament opener.
Ecuador, ahead 4-1 in goal differential, only needed a draw to reach the quarterfinals following a 3-1 win over Jamaica and a 2-1 loss to group leader Venezuela.
Mexico had a slight advantage in possession the first half (54 percent) and took seven shots, but continued its struggles with efficiency.
El Tri didn’t have a shot on goal and its best scoring chance came in the final minutes of the half, when Santiago Gimenez sent a header over the crossbar.
Ecuador had the best chance of the half in the 19th minute, when Kendry Paez’s shot to the near post on free kick forced Julio Gonzalez to make a save.
“We’ve discussed when there was a pass backward, we should try to move ahead but they were trying to press with two or three players,” Sánchez said. We created two or three counter attacks, but in futbol today you have to be good in every phase.”
Mexico began ramping up the pressure early in the second half, creating more scoring opportunities.
El Tri and its fans were irate when Toca didn’t call a foul after Torres took down Gerardo Arteaga in the penalty box, but the non-call was upheld on VAR. Gimenez sent another header over the crossbar on the ensuing corner kick.
Julián Quiñones had Mexico’s best chance a few minutes later, rifling a shot from just inside the box that Alexander Domínguez sprawled out to knock away. Gimenez’s shot on the rebound hit the outside of the goal.
Mexico continued to pressure Ecuador and thought it had a potential tournament-saving penalty shot, only to have it taken away.
Euro 2024: After shaky group stage, Netherlands still favored against Romania in round of 16
- The Netherlands have traditionally dominated this fixture but the Dutch also hadn’t lost to Austria since 1990 until last week
MUNICH: Romania plays the Netherlands on Tuesday in the round of 16 at the European Championship. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) in Munich. The Netherlands have traditionally dominated this fixture but the Dutch also hadn’t lost to Austria since 1990 — until last week. Romania topped its group while a disappointing Netherlands team progressed as one of the four best third-place teams. Despite the problems, the Netherlands will be favored to overcome Romania, potentially giving Ronald Koeman’s team another shot at Austria in the quarterfinals. Here’s what to know about the match:
Match facts
— Romania finished top of its group thanks mainly to a 3-0 win against Ukraine in Munich in their opening fixture. They then lost 2-0 against Belgium and drew 1-1 against Slovakia as all four teams in the section finished with four points – a European Championship first.
— The Netherlands started its Euro 2024 campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Poland, but then drew 0-0 against France before losing a thrilling match 3-2 to Austria. That saw Austria top the group and relegated the Dutch to third, below France.
— The winner will advance to face Austria or Turkiye in the quarterfinals on Saturday. That could see a quick rematch between the Netherlands and Austria in Berlin.
— This is only Romania’s second time in the knockout stage of the European Championship. It reached the quarterfinals in 2000.
— The Netherlands won the tournament in 1988.
Team news
— Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has reported no injury concerns.
— Romania winger Nicuşor Bancu is suspended and will likely be replaced by Deian Sorescu.
By the numbers
— The Netherlands have won 10 of the 14 matches between the two teams, scoring 29 goals in the process to Romania’s three.
— Romania’s solitary win was in October 2007, in qualifying for the following year’s European Championship.
— The Netherlands’ loss to Austria was only their second defeat in seven matches this year, having won four of those.
— Romania’s win over Ukraine in their opener was only its second ever at the Euros, after beating England in the group stage in 2000.
— Romania has lost both penalty shootouts it has been involved in at major tournaments. The Dutch have lost six out of eight.
What they’re saying
“I understand the Dutch fans are disappointed after the Austria game. All I can say is that we will do everything we can against Romania to change that. I still believe completely in our team.” — Netherlands midfielder Jerdy Schouten.
“We are really happy and proud to be first in our group to qualify. The joy that we brought to all Romanians is one of the proudest moments of my life. It’s been a long and hard road because it didn’t start one or two months ago, but instead two years ago.” — Romania defender Radu Drăguşin.
“I am not afraid of anything at this point. I am doing what I love, and I do it with enthusiasm and passion. Why should I be afraid?” — Romania goalkeeper Florin Niță.
DaC-to-DaC wins — Antonio makes it three in a row with Portland double
PORTLAND: In a thrilling weekend, Antonio Felix da Costa delivered a spectacular double victory for TAG Heuer Porsche in Portland and marked his third consecutive win in front of enthusiastic fans at the Hankook Portland E-Prix.
His triumph came amid high on-track drama which once again highlighted masterful race management by da Costa and TAG Heuer Porsche. The third-in-a-row win means da Costa equals his own 2019 record for the longest win streak in Formula E.
Round 14 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship saw a defining moment of the season when current standings leader Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing failed to score points for the second consecutive race. As a result, Mitch Evans and Pascal Wehrlein are now neck-and-neck in second place, setting the stage for an intense showdown at the upcoming London finale.
Joining da Costa on the podium was Robin Frijns, who celebrated his 100th Formula E race with back-to-back podium finishes for Envision Racing. Mitch Evans, representing Jaguar TCS Racing, claimed third. The race was rife with pivotal moments, including Pascal Wehrlein dramatically losing his front wing early on. Despite this setback Wehrlein finished fourth, keeping his championship hopes alive.
Less fortunate were NEOM McLaren and Mahindra Racing, who both experienced a series of retirements due to errors, punctures and on-track collisions.
Jean-Eric Vergne, who started on pole, secured a solid fifth-place finish for DS PENSKE while ABT CUPRA’s Nico Muller delivered an impressive sixth place.
Norman Nato finished seventh for Andretti, followed by Maximilian Guenther for Maserati MSG Racing in eighth. Sebastien Buemi claimed ninth for Envision Racing, despite a penalty, ahead of reigning World Champion Jake Dennis who rounded out the top ten for Andretti Formula E.
As the championship heads to London, the battle for the top spot is more intense than ever, promising fans a thrilling conclusion to the season. The Hankook London E-Prix double-header season finale will take place on July 20-21.
António Felix da Costa, No. 13, Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E, said: “This is crazy. I’m happy, I’m emotional, I’m angry, I’m everything. I’m just glad that I’m getting to ride this wave right now — I know it doesn’t last forever. I’ve been on it before, I’ve been out of it before, so I’m just going to try and keep doing things right. I’m going to enjoy this moment. A lot of people in this world live by the motto of never giving up but I think we’re going to a completely new degree of that if I’m honest!”
Robin Frijns, No. 4, Envision Racing, said: “Today was a good way to bounce back, definitely. We had a tough one, and I have to say the team did a mega job. We prepared well for this race, and we delivered, so I’m really happy with P2. Unfortunately, we just missed out on the win — it was closer than yesterday, but having a double podium, I’ll take it. This season has been a struggle, I wanted to bounce back, I knew I could do it and I knew the team could do it, so here I am.”
Mitch Evans, No. 9, Jaguar TCS Racing, said: “It’s nice after what happened yesterday, I’m finding it hard to get over it, I think it was still a ludicrous decision. It was hard to take so it’s nice to come back and get something today. We didn’t optimize qualifying on my side and the starting position wasn’t optimal for the second race, but it was a really hard-fought race. To get myself to the front I again had to do my attack quite late just because of the way the race was playing out, and I had to consume a lot of energy to make those overtakes with the high targets. I was a sitting duck at the end, but it gave me track position so good points. Obviously I would have loved to win, but after the Safety Car things really sped up, and third was the best we could do.
“Obviously it’s unfortunate what happened to Nyck [de Vries] but I came into this weekend just wanting to do my thing and see what happened. We’ll go into London close to Pascal [Wehrlein] and it’s going to be tight between us. Antonio [Felix da Costa] must be close as well, he’s won every race — at least it feels like it — in the past half a season. It’s going to be a big fight between us and Porsche, for sure.”
2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix attended by local stars
Sung Kang, the renowned actor and car enthusiast best known for his role in the ‘Fast and Furious’ series, returned to the Portland International Raceway for Round 14 of the double-header weekend.
Kang was thrilled to reunite with driver Lucas di Grassi at the ABT Garage, rekindling their camaraderie from the 2024 Tokyo E-Prix. Adding to the excitement, Kang also reconnected with his friend and influencer Emilia Hartford, who brought her vibrant energy to Portland just as she did to Tokyo earlier in the season.
Meanwhile, the presence of three-time W Series champion and Andretti Global INDY NXT driver Jamie Chadwick was notable, as she supported fellow Andretti Global drivers and served as a driver analyst for the broadcast team.
Chadwick delivered an electrifying performance, driving the GEN3 Formula E car for the first time and reaching speeds of over 150 km/h. She also took racing legend and Andretti Global team owner Michael Andretti on a hot lap in a Porsche Taycan.
Additionally, Portland Thorns football players Morgan Weaver and Olivia Moultrie enjoyed meet-and-greets with drivers and tours of the Andretti garage. Earlier in the week, Portland Timbers footballers James Pantemis and Evander da Silva Ferreira toured the paddock, sat in the GEN3 car, and met with drivers Sacha Fenestraz and Sergio Sette Camara from the Nissan Formula E Team and ERT Formula E Team respectively.
Team Abu Dhabi’s Al-Qemzi finishes 6th in powerboating season opener in Italy
BRINDISI, Italy: Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al-Qemzi started the defense of his UIM F2 World Championship with sixth position at the Grand Prix of Italy in Brindisi on Sunday evening.
The opening round of the series was interrupted by three yellow flag stoppages, and the disjointed nature of the racing did nothing for Al-Qemzi’s chances of climbing through the field after a disappointing qualifying session. Al-Qemzi’s Emirati teammate Mansoor Al-Mansoori was forced to retire with technical issues after eight laps.
Victory fell to Briton Matt Palfreyman, who made a spectacular return to the sport following several years away from the driving seat. Lithuanian Edgaras Riabko and Portuguese veteran Duarte Benavente rounded off the podium places after Italian Tullio Abbate was later disqualified from second place for a racing infringement.
Al-Qemzi and Al-Mansoori lined up in ninth and 10th positions on the pontoon for the start of the 38-lap race with Abbate holding pole from his nephew Giacomo Sacchi and Palfreyman.
Al-Qemzi moved up to eighth on the run out to the first turn buoy, but Al-Mansoori slipped to 12th as Palfreyman moved into an early lead from Sacchi and Abbate. The leading group then held station through several laps as Palfreyman began to edge away from his closest two Italian pursuers and Al-Mansoori slipped behind Peter Zak and into 13th before withdrawing from the race after eight laps with technical issues.
Al-Qemzi was entrenched in eighth behind David Del Pin and was not able to pass on the narrow course where waves rebounding off the harbor walls made conditions even more difficult. The race was yellow-flagged on lap 12 after an accident and resumed seven laps later with Al-Qemzi retaining eighth position.
Palfreyman retained his slender advantage over Sacchi and Abbate at the front of the field until the race was yellow-flagged for a second time three laps later. The top three held station at the restart in increasingly choppy conditions, but Al-Qemzi slipped a place to ninth only for racing to be halted for a third time when Sacchi flipped his boat out of second place, Abbate and Duarte Benavente climbed into the podium positions and Al-Qemzi regained eighth.
Only four laps remained after a third restart, and Palfreyman held on to snatch the win from Abbate and Riabko with Al-Qemzi starting his F2 campaign with points for sixth after moving up a place on the last couple of laps and then benefitting from Abbate’s later disqualification.
Seventeen of the 18 drivers took part in the morning’s warm-up session with Al-Qemzi and Al-Mansoori running for 19 and 12 laps, respectively. Riabko topped the timed with a lap of 42.585 seconds.
Action in the UIM F2 World Championship resumes with the Grand Prix of Norway in Tonsberg Aug. 2-4.
