SINGAPORE: Formula One title contender Lando Norris led from pole to chequered flag to win the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, narrowing the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen, who was second.
It was the McLaren driver’s third career GP win and his first from pole at his sixth attempt.
Teammate Oscar Piastri was third to extend their lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
It was a remarkably incident-free run around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the first in its 15-race history not to see a safety car deployed.
At the end of the 62 uninterrupted laps, Norris had reduced Verstappen’s title lead to 52 points with six races and three sprints to go.
Piastri’s third place, coupled with Sergio Perez only managing 10th in the second Red Bull, meant McLaren’s lead in the constructors’ championship was increased to 41 points.
Norris got away brilliantly from pole and was clear of Verstappen into the first bend as Lewis Hamilton, on softer tires, tried to put pressure on the Dutchman.
But the three-time world champion repelled the Englishman and all the cars completed the opening lap safely.
Norris soon opened up a gap of more than a second over Verstappen, importantly keeping the Englishman out of DRS range of his title rival.
Hamilton from third was the only front-runner to start on soft tires, but he paid a penalty for it after he had to pit early on lap 18.
The aim was clearly to go all the way to the end but after just five laps on the new rubber he complained on team radio: “I’m already struggling with this tyre.”
Norris was in a league of his own up front as he stretched his lead over Verstappen to 20 seconds by lap 26.
Despite a few late brushes with the unforgiving Singapore street circuit walls, the Englishman secured a dominant victory.
“It was an amazing race,” said Norris.
“A few too many close calls, I had a couple of close moments in the middle but it was well managed I think.
“I could push, we were flying the whole race. Still tough, I’m a bit out of breath, but a good one.”
Piastri started from fifth but a superior strategy enabled him to overhaul Hamilton and the second Mercedes of George Russell in the late stages.
“It was a good race, a good recovery from qualifying — it wasn’t my best afternoon yesterday,” said Piastri.
“Big thank you to the team as clearly the car was exceptional this weekend, and some great points.”
Verstappen’s only chance looked like a safety car that never came.
“My race was just by myself, do the best I could, manage my own race,” said the three-time world champion.
“On a weekend we knew we were going to struggle, P2 is a good achievement. But now we need to improve, and that’s what we’ll do.”
Hamilton on much older tires than the field was a sitting duck toward the end lost another place on lap 50 to the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc who had begun from ninth on the grid.
Leclerc finished ahead of Hamilton, with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in seventh.
Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Perez rounded out the top 10.
McLaren’s Lando Norris wins Singapore Grand Prix to narrow F1 title race
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McLaren’s Lando Norris wins Singapore Grand Prix to narrow F1 title race
- Norris got away brilliantly from pole and was clear of Verstappen into the first bend
Spain oust Netherlands on penalties to reach Nations League semis
- Spain’s dynamic wingers helped restore their lead with a razor-sharp counter-attack
VALENCIA, Spain: Nations League holders Spain reached the final four with a 5-4 win on penalties against the Netherlands, after a thrilling 3-3 quarter-final second leg draw on Sunday (5-5 on aggregate).
Donyell Malen missed and Barcelona’s Pedri slotted home to settle a gripping match in which the Netherlands came from behind three times to force the shoot-out.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for Spain but Memphis Depay levelled from the penalty spot.
Oyarzabal grabbed Spain’s second before Ian Maatsen rifled home to force extra-time.
Barcelona starlet Yamal, who also missed a penalty in the shoot-out, scored a brilliant goal to put Spain ahead but Xavi Simons netted another spot-kick to force penalties.
After Spain’s struggles in Rotterdam on Thursday in the 2-2 first-leg draw, coach Luis de la Fuente made a handful of changes.
Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo came in for Alvaro Morata and Pedri, while Dean Huijsen made his first start, against the country of his birth, and excelled.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman brought in debutant Maatsen at left-back, giving him the unenviable challenge of shackling 17-year-old prodigy Yamal at Valencia’s sold-out Mestalla stadium.
Spain’s success in recent years has inspired their supporters and over 20,000 watched them train ahead of the second leg, which also served as a fundraiser for damage caused by the devastating storms which hit the Valencia region last October.
They won a penalty early on when Jan Paul van Hecke clumsily brought down Oyarzabal, who scored the winning goal for La Roja in the Euro 2024 final last summer.
The Real Sociedad forward took it himself, smashing into the bottom right corner, past Bart Verbruggen’s dive.
Oyarzabal beat the Brighton goalkeeper again a few minutes later with another lethal finish but had strayed offside after a superb dribble by Yamal in the build-up.
Verbruggen denied Nico Williams with a superb stop, after Huijsen stormed forward and slipped the winger in down the left, with Spain rampant but unable to add to their lead in the first half.
Bournemouth center-back Huijsen, 19, was jeered by the traveling Dutch fans, upset he did not choose to play for them, but Spain supporters backed him in response and he shone.
Netherlands steadied the ship and were able to keep more possession, but not test Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon until after the break.
Koeman’s side levelled after 54 minutes with a penalty of their own when Depay, on his 100th Oranje appearance, threw himself to the ground after tussling with Robin Le Normand.
Despite the hosts’ protests the contentious decision stood and Depay blasted home from the spot.
Spain’s dynamic wingers helped restore their lead with a razor-sharp counter-attack.
Yamal released Williams, who drove into the box and slipped the ball to Oyarzabal. Although Verbruggen saved his attempted dink, the Spaniard headed home the rebound.
Netherlands responded swiftly, capitalizing when Olmo gave the ball away inside his area.
Substitute Simons slipped a clever pass to Maatsen on the left and the Aston Villa defender brilliantly rifled into the top corner to force extra-time.
De la Fuente sent on Pedri and Arsenal’s Mikel Merino, who salvaged Spain a draw in the first leg, and his team took the lead after 103 minutes.
Huijsen lofted the ball into Yamal’s path and the winger controlled it on the run and beat Maatsen before pulling off an exquisite finish.
The Dutch battled back for a third time, with Simons winning and converting a penalty in the 109th minute. Spain goalkeeper Simon brought down the RB Leipzig attacker, who made no mistake from the spot.
Simon made amends with a smart save in the 120th minute to deny Donyell Malen, taking the tie to a shoot-out.
Both sides netted their first three penalties with great precision, before Netherlands’ Lang hit the crossbar and Verbruggen saved a tame Yamal effort.
In sudden death Simon dived to his left to save from Malen and Pedri coolly sent Spain through to the semis.
Germany survive Italy scare to make Nations League semifinals
- The result not only secured Germany a first-ever Nations League semifinal spot, but it means the remainder of the tournament will be held on German soil, in Stuttgart and Munich in June
DORTMUND, Germany: Germany survived a spirited second-half fightback from Italy, letting a three-goal lead slip to draw 3-3 in Dortmund on Sunday, before reaching the Nations League semifinals 5-4 on aggregate.
A first-half Joshua Kimmich masterclass, with a penalty and two assists for Jamal Musiala and Tim Kleindienst, had Germany 3-0 up and cruising at the break.
However, injury-hit Italy kicked into gear in the second half, Moise Kean scoring a double to rattle the hosts.
Italy looked on course to level the scores when they were awarded a penalty with 73 minutes gone, but it was overturned by VAR.
Giacomo Raspadori then converted a stoppage time penalty to give Italy a glimmer of hope.
The result not only secured Germany a first-ever Nations League semifinal spot, but it means the remainder of the tournament will be held on German soil, in Stuttgart and Munich in June.
Despite the second-half scare, the victory continues Germany’s resurgence under Julian Nagelsmann.
Germany’s only loss in their past 17 matches came in extra-time at Euro 2024 against eventual champions Spain in the quarter-finals.
Nagelsmann said Germany “learned lessons for our development” from the game, adding “we know how well we can play football — but we have to show it throughout the game.
“I’m going home with an understanding of what we’re capable of, but it’s also nice that we’ve got a bit more to do,” he said.
Italy coach Luciano Spalletti admitted his side lacked “maturity” and said “you always learn from games like this.”
“The second half was very good, but we were too afraid to play like that for the whole game.”
Italy traveled to Dortmund, the site of their 2006 World Cup semifinal win over the same opponents, with a mountain to climb.
After letting a one-goal lead slip to lose in Milan in the first leg, Italy saw defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Andrea Cambiaso added to an injury list which already included striker Mateo Retegui and left-back Federico Dimarco.
Spalletti spoke pre-match of needing to do “something impossible” and his side were up against it from the get-go as Germany burst out of the blocks.
With Musiala on top form and Nico Schlotterback sending in penetrating passes from the deep, Germany’s breakthrough came from the spot.
Alessandro Buongiorno brought down a surging Kleindienst in the box and Kimmich converted, just the fourth penalty for either club or country in the 30-year-old’s career.
After an acrobatic save to keep out a Kleindienst header by Gianluigi Donnarumma, the quick-thinking Kimmich played the ball fast from the ensuing corner.
The move caught the Italians napping, with Musiala tapping in from close range as the Italian goalkeeper was still remonstrating with the referee.
In the final minute of the half, Donnarumma palmed away a Kleindienst header, but this time could not keep it out, with the home crowd erupting as the referee pointed to his watch to show the ball had crossed the line.
Germany dropped in intensity in the second half and the Italians pounced, Kean latching onto a loose ball and blasting home after 49 minutes.
Spalletti brought on Raspadori and the Napoli man had an immediate impact, threading a pass for Kean to curl a ball past Oliver Baumann’s outstretched arm with 68 minutes played.
The stunned Germans were shocked further five minutes later when they conceded a penalty, but the spot kick was overturned by VAR.
The Italians did eventually get a spot kick in stoppage time, with Raspadori converting, but it was too late as Germany held on to progress on aggregate.
RFK Jr. and Djokovic share a passion for tennis along with their views about vaccines
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Novak Djokovic apparently share a passion for tennis along with their beliefs about vaccines.
Kennedy, the nation’s top health official, posted a photo on X on Sunday of himself and Djokovic standing on a tennis court holding tennis rackets.
“Novak Djokovic. First in tennis. First in integrity. First in courage. Guess who won this match?” Kennedy captioned the post.
Djokovic is in Florida playing in the Miami Open tennis tournament. It was unclear when the photo was taken.
Kennedy, the secretary of Health and Human Services, rejected an “anti-vaccine” label earlier this year during his senate confirmation hearings but has since repeated his skeptical views of vaccines in interviews and other public statements.
Djokovic is the career leader in men’s tennis with 24 Grand Slam championships but missed chances to win more because a refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. He missed the Australian Open in 2022 after a protracted legal saga ended with his deportation from that country and he was not allowed to travel to the US to play in the US Open later that year.
Saudi duo triumph in Kingdom’s first Red Bull Padel Dash tournament
- Secured place at world finals in Madrid later this year, where they will represent the Kingdom on global stage
RIYADH: Saudi players Abdullah Adel Al-Butti and Yazid Ali Al-Uthman of Team YO3 made history on Sunday by winning Saudi Arabia’s first-ever Red Bull Padel Dash tournament.
Their victory secured them a place at the world finals in Madrid later this year, where they will represent the Kingdom on the global stage.
The competition began on March 3, with three teams advancing from both the Jeddah and Riyadh qualifiers, and two from Dammam. The result was a thrilling showdown in the capital.
The unique format of Red Bull Padel Dash saw teams competing simultaneously across four adjacent courts, with just seven minutes to reach ten points.
The first team to hit the target had to sprint out and press the red buzzer, instantly stopping all other matches and securing a “Special Win.”
Now, with their focus set on Madrid, Al-Butti and Al-Uthman are preparing to elevate their game as they take on the world’s best at the Red Bull Padel Dash World Finals.
Season-opening wins for Hyderabad and Chennai in IPL
- Rough day for Rajasthan’s English pacer Jofra Archer
- Mumbai had spin woes in Chennai
HYDERABAD, India: Ishan Kishan scored 106 not out off 47 balls as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 44 runs in their season-opening encounter in the 2025 Indian Premier League on Sunday.
Kishan smacked 11 fours and six sixes in his first IPL hundred on debut for his new franchise, which notched up its second-highest total in tournament history.
Travis Head scored 67 off 31 balls as the Sunrisers picked up where they left off in 2024 to reach a mammoth 286-6 in 20 overs.
Hyderabad’s previous highest score was 287-3 — the highest IPL total — against Royal Challengers Bengaluru last season.
In the evening game, Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by four wickets with five balls remaining in a high-profile clash.
Afghanistan’s left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad took 4-18 in four overs for Chennai as Mumbai was restricted to 155-9 after losing the toss. Tilak Varma top-scored with 31 off 25 balls.
Rachin Ravindra’s unbeaten 65 off 45 balls, along with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s quick-fire 53 off 26, helped Chennai score 158-6 in 19.1 overs.
Royals fall short despite reaching 242-6
Rajasthan Royals fought well to post 242-6 (20 overs) in reply to Hyderabad’s huge target. Dhruv Jurel led with 70 off 35 balls, while Sanju Samson scored 66 off 37 balls.
Put into bat, Hyderabad ran away at the start with Head and Abhishek Sharma’s (24) explosive opening pairing putting on 45 off 19 balls.
Kishan found another gear as he reached 50 off 25 balls. Hyderabad, which bought him at the season’s auction earlier, found immediate returns as the young batter smacked his way to an attacking hundred on debut for his new franchise.
He put on 85 off 39 balls with Head, who also hit nine fours and three sixes. The latter fell just prior to the halfway mark.
Kishan – and Hyderabad – did not let up the scoring rate. He found able company in Nitish Reddy who hit 30 off 15 balls and Heinrich Klaasen, who added 34 off 14 balls.
Kishan’s next 50 came off 22 balls, as he raced to his century, helping Hyderabad to a statement total in its first outing.
Rough day for Rajasthan’s English pacer Jofra Archer
England pacer Jofra Archer finished with 0-76 from four overs – the most expensive spell in IPL history.
Rajasthan faltered early in its chase. Yashasvi Jaiswal was out caught for one, while Riyan Parag was dismissed for four — both in the second over. It became 50-3 as Nitish Rana was dismissed for 11.
Samson, coming in as an impact substitute, did start off the season in style. He scored 50 off 26 balls, and put on 111 off 60 balls with Jurel as Rajasthan fought back on a good batting surface.
Jurel reached 50 off 28 balls at the other end, hitting six sixes and five fours as the chase revolved around him. Adam Zampa dismissed him in the 15th over, while Samson was out caught in the previous over.
It was too tall an ask for Rajasthan thereafter to chase down the mammoth target successfully despite fruitful cameos from Shimron Hetmyer (42 off 23 balls) and Shubham Dubey (34 not out off 11 balls).
Mumbai’s spin woes in Chennai
Ahmad sprung into action after left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed took 3-29, including the dismissal of Rohit Sharma for a four-ball duck.
Spin did the trick on a slow Chepauk track as Mumbai never got into third gear in its opening game. It missed skipper Hardik Pandya, who was on the bench serving a slow over-rate suspension from 2024.
Stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav only managed 29 off 26 balls. Mumbai was down to 96-6 in 13 overs and then 118-7 in 16.1 overs.
Deepak Chahar, a former Chennai player making his Mumbai debut, scored 28 not out off 15 balls including two sixes to push the score past 150.
Chasing 156, Chennai was boosted by a 67-run partnership for the second wicket off only 37 balls between Gaikwad and Ravindra.
Gaikwad hit three sixes and six fours, reaching 50 off 22 balls. Mumbai struck back through 24-year-old left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur (3-32).
Chennai lost regular wickets to Puthur and Will Jacks but Ravindra helped his team reach the target in the 20th over.
