IMOLA, Italy: Thousands of Formula One fans on Thursday commemorated the 20th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death at the scene of the sport’s darkest day in Imola in Italy as tributes poured in for the late Brazilian master driver.
Brazilian flags were hung on a fence at the Tamburello corner where the triple world champion’s Williams careered off into a concrete barrier on lap seven at 190mph (307km/h) in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Much-loved by enthusiasts for his passion and ambition, Senna is considered one of the greatest racing drivers of all time and his death at the age of 34 prompted extensive changes to make Formula One less risky.
“I was here at the Variante Bassa chicane and we watched Ayrton veer off on the giant screen. Our hearts sank when they told us the news,” said one fan, 31-year-old Marco, who wore a crash helmet like Senna’s.
Brazilians also came for the emotional Imola gathering, with 39-year-old Daniela from Belo Horizonte saying: “What moves me about Senna was his humility, his enormous charisma. He is in our hearts like family.” Renato, 57, from Minais Gerais in Brazil, said: “What I liked about Ayrton was his will to win.
“He proved that a Brazilian could be internationally known and that was a great encouragement for us.” A giant banner nearby read: “Ayrton Forever.”
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, remembered Senna as his boyhood idol.
“I would watch the news and it would always be him winning Formula One in his yellow crash helmet. He will always remain immortal,” the 32-year-old said.
The anniversary brought back the sense of bewilderment and loss from Senna’s death — 24 hours after Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger was killed and two days after Rubens Barrichello was injured also at Imola.
The Senna commemorations were made all the more poignant as another great F1 driver, seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, continues his fight for life after the German’s skiing accident on December 29.
In a tragic irony, it was Schumacher who went on to win the Imola race 20 years ago when it controversially went ahead despite Senna’s deadly injuries.
Dozens of enthusiasts queued up at Imola to drive their own cars around the Enzo and Dino Ferrari track, which has not been a Grand Prix circuit since 2006.
A square named after Senna was also inaugurated on Thursday at Imola and a Catholic priest on Wednesday led a memorial service on the spot where Senna crashed in images that were relayed around the world.
Thursday’s ceremony was the culmination of a week of events in different parts of the world to remember the enduringly popular 1988, 1990 and 1991 champion.
In one arresting sight, players from the Corinthians football club in his hometown of Sao Paulo paid tribute by wearing Brazilian flag crash helmets before kick-off in a match against Nacional-AM on Wednesday.
The 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton, who drives for Mercedes, said he was “an incredible legend.”
“You like to think that one day you may be recognized as someone that was able to drive similarly to him.”
Damon Hill, Senna’s teammate at Williams, told the BBC: “The Japanese and the Brazilians saw him as a god. His passion was undeniable and I sincerely believe he wanted to make the world a better place.”
Senna’s sister Viviane, told AFP this week that her brother’s legacy was alive and well through the Ayrton Senna Institute which she chairs.
“Ayrton really wanted Brazil to work, for everyone to have a chance and from this dream the institute was born,” she said.
“Currently, we are working with more than two million children and training some 75,000 teachers per year across around 1,000 cities around the country.” Senna’s death prompted major reforms, including the overhaul of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association. Engine capacities were reduced and tethers to help prevent wheels flying off following accidents were introduced.
The HANS device to protect drivers’ heads and necks were made compulsory, and run-offs were improved.
As evidence that the improvements put in place worked the last F1 fatality in a grand prix was Senna.
Formula One mourns Senna’s death in Italy
Formula One mourns Senna’s death in Italy
Alonso to leave Bayer Leverkusen at end of season
- Alonso had a contract until 2026 but the club said they had granted his wish to terminate his deal at the end of the season.
- "We can let you know that this week the club and I, we have agreed that these two games are going to be my last two games as Bayer Leverkusen coach," Alonso told reporters.
BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso will leave his role at the end of the season, with the Spaniard saying on Friday the time was right after a fruitful three-year spell, as media reports link him to the Real Madrid job for next term.
Alonso took charge of Leverkusen in October 2022 and guided them to the double last season as they lifted their first Bundesliga title, without losing a game, while they also won the German Cup and reached the Europa League final.
Alonso had a contract until 2026 but the club said they had granted his wish to terminate his deal at the end of the season.
"We can let you know that this week the club and I, we have agreed that these two games are going to be my last two games as Bayer Leverkusen coach," Alonso told reporters.
Leverkusen, who will finish the season as runners-up to Bayern Munich, host Borussia Dortmund on Sunday in what will be Alonso's final home game before ending the Bundesliga campaign at Mainz 05 on May 17.
"We've been talking during this week and now it's the right moment to announce it," Alonso added of his departure.
"Now that we have clarity it's the right moment to say that for sure it's a moment with mixed emotions, that it's the moment to announce it and to know it."
Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich reclaimed the Bundesliga title from Leverkusen with two games left to play, with Alonso's side currently eight points adrift of the Bavarians.
ALONSO'S LEGACY
Looking back at his time with Leverkusen, Alonso said the first season was the most difficult campaign as he came in with the club lying in the relegation zone before he propelled the side to a top-six finish to qualify for the Europa League.
"The second season was a historic season, it was a dream season with great nights, great games and we made history," he added.
"This season has been the most challenging one. When we had to fulfil expectations, when we were playing in the Champions League, where we were playing to try to give our best and when we don't make a final we are disappointed."
Leverkusen lost 5-0 on aggregate to Bayern in the Champions League last 16 and 2-1 to Arminia Bielefeld in the German Cup.
"There has been development in the club, in the players and in myself. I have learned so many things and I have improved as a coach, as someone that needs to have more resources for myself, for the future."
Alonso also said he was proud of what he is leaving behind - a squad capable of fighting for titles.
REAL MADRID?
Asked about what he will do next, Alonso said: "It's not the moment to talk too much about the future because now that we know, we want to have a proper farewell on Sunday here for some players, for myself."
Alonso has been widely tipped to return to Real Madrid, the club where he won four major trophies as a player, including the 10th Champions League crown that the Spanish giants had waited 12 years to win.
Spanish media reports have said Real manager Carlo Ancelotti could leave the club at the end of the season after they were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Arsenal and lost the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona.
Holders Real are second in LaLiga, four points behind Barca with four games left and visit their rivals on Sunday.
Ancelotti has been linked with the Brazil job and has not confirmed if he will take charge of Real at the Club World Cup in the United States next month, saying that he would talk about his future on May 25 - the final day of the LaLiga season.
When Alonso was asked if he held a valid visa to travel to the U.S., the Spaniard smiled and said: "No idea!"
Luis Enrique resting key players in Ligue 1 as PSG chase treble
- Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha have been given time off
- “We have a set plan which depends on playing time and traveling throughout the season,” Enrique said
PARIS: Several key Paris St. Germain players will be rested as the French champions look to ensure they remain fresh for their two finals coming up, including the Champions League showpiece, as they chase a treble, manager Luis Enrique said on Friday.
PSG sealed the league title with six games to spare last month and will now target the Coupe de France final on May 24 against Stade de Reims before they chase a first Champions League crown versus Inter Milan a week later.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha have been given time off and will not return to training until Wednesday.
“We have a set plan which depends on playing time and traveling throughout the season. You have to balance all that out to arrive in the best possible condition for both finals,” Luis Enrique said ahead of Saturday’s trip to Montpellier.
“When the Champions League final is over, the vast majority will go to the national team. Every player needs a personalized plan. We’ve managed that, but there are still the final matches to achieve our objectives.
“The players need to arrive mentally fresh ... We’re playing against Montpellier and Auxerre (next weekend), which will help us stick to our plan. There are a lot of players and we’re managing it individually.”
Luis Enrique said Ousmane Dembele is fully fit after the club’s top scorer with 33 goals this season only came on as a second-half substitute in Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal victory over Arsenal.
“Ousmane Dembele is perfectly fine. He trained with the team today, he wanted to come,” the Spaniard said.
“He had permission from the staff not to come, it’s what we considered adequate rest time. But if he needs to come, he’s completely free to do so.”
PSG will be playing in their second Champions League final after losing to Bayern Munich in 2020 and Luis Enrique said the French club deserve to win the title after such a long wait.
“If a team deserves to win, after waiting so long, it’s PSG. I know the club was founded the year I was born (in 1970). Let’s hope this connection proves true and we can secure the Champions League,” he said.
“The problem is that there will definitely be one team that won’t succeed ... but I hope we win.”
Pakistan moves T20 league, India’s IPL awaits government advice
- IPL organizers have said they are awaiting government advice before determining the fate of the remainder of the hugely popular Twenty20 tournament
NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) will move its remaining matches to the United Arab Emirates in the wake of Pakistan’s ongoing conflict with India, the country’s cricket board chief Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday.
Thursday’s PSL match in Rawalpindi was postponed amid escalating hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors, and Naqvi said the decision to move the last eight games was made to ensure players avoid “possible reckless targeting.”
Across the border, India’s cricket board is considering suspending the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the rising tensions, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.
IPL organizers have said they are awaiting government advice before determining the fate of the remainder of the hugely popular Twenty20 tournament.
“The PCB has always stood by the position that politics and sports need to be kept apart,” Naqvi, also Pakistan’s interior minister, said in a statement.
“As a responsible organization that has overcome adversities repeatedly and ensured that the game of cricket flourishes, it was important for us to ensure the mental well-being of all players participating in the PSL.”
India’s cricket board (BCCI) has moved Sunday’s IPL match in Dharamsala near the Pakistan border to Ahmedabad in the west. A match at the same venue in the northern city was abandoned midway due to what officials said was a power failure.
Vice president Rajeev Shukla said they were waiting for government advice on Friday.
“The situation is changing day by day,” Shukla told the Indian Express newspaper.
“We will do whatever we are told and inform all stakeholders. At the moment, our priority is the safety of all players, fans and other stakeholders.”
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had told Reuters on Thursday that the IPL’s foreign players were “comfortable” to continue playing. He did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The two countries have been clashing since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan on Wednesday that it said were “terrorist camps” in retaliation for a deadly attack in its restive region of Kashmir last month, in which it said Islamabad was involved.
Pakistan denied the accusation but both countries have exchanged cross-border firing and shelling and sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace since then, with nearly four dozen people dying in the violence.
Stephen Curry says he knows patience will be required when dealing with hamstring injury
- Stephen Curry sat down after the Golden State Warriors went through their gameday shootaround practice in Minneapolis and quickly announced that he’s feeling great
- Curry is going to be a postseason spectator for at least a few games, his Grade 1 hamstring strain bad enough that it took him out of most of Game 1 of the Warriors’ Western Conference semifinal
Stephen Curry sat down after the Golden State Warriors went through their shootaround practice in Minneapolis on Thursday, quickly announcing that he’s feeling great.
He was not telling the truth.
“Sarcasm,” the four-time NBA champion with the Warriors quickly clarified, just in case anyone missed the joke.
Curry is going to be a postseason spectator for at least a few games, his Grade 1 hamstring strain bad enough that it forced him out in the second quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series at Minnesota on Tuesday night. He missed the lopsided Game 2 loss to the Timberwolves on Thursday night that evened the series and will likely be sidelined for at least Games 3 and 4 in San Francisco, too.
Curry — who is with the team but isn’t allowed to do anything basketball-related yet, even stationary shooting — isn’t exactly sure how or why the injury happened. He’s never had any hamstring issue of significance before.
“It’s hard to really predict this stuff is what I’m learning,” Curry said. “There were no, like, warning signs or any weird feelings. I felt great the whole game up until that point. And then I made a little pivot move on defense and felt something.”
Curry thought he would be able to return to Game 1, then quickly realized that wasn’t the case. Playing with the strain could have made the issue far worse, Curry said. Hamstrings, he’s quickly learning, need time no matter what sort of rehabilitation program he partakes in.
“Obviously, a tough break,” Curry said. “Hopefully, I’ll be back soon.”
Curry scored 13 points in 13 minutes of Game 1 before his exit, and Golden State went on to a 99-88 win. Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green combined for 62 points for the Warriors, who held Minnesota to a 5-for-29 clunker on 3-point tries and limited the Timberwolves to 60 points through three quarters.
“We have a lot of confidence that we can still win the series and guys will step up no matter how it looks,” Curry said. “And it’s obviously a situation where you want to think positively and optimistically that we can win games and buy me some time to get back and hopefully have another series after this and be able to be in a position where I can get back out there safely, where I’m not putting too much risk on the body if it’s not ready.”
Curry, who is averaging a team-best 22 points in these playoffs, can still contribute in small ways even if he’s not playing.
“The guys obviously revere Steph, and they love his presence and that’ll matter to us tonight during the game,” coach Steve Kerr said in his pregame interview. “I’m sure he’ll be talking to the guys on the sidelines and giving some thoughts. He may come into our huddle and make a suggestion, which I always welcome, so it’s good to have him here for sure.”
At one point, when Green picked up his fifth technical foul of the playoffs, two short of an automatic one-game suspension, Curry was concerned enough about his pal getting ejected for a second technical that he went over to the scorer’s table to try to talk Green down and walk him back to the bench.
But not having Curry on the court clearly hurt.
“Everybody knows it’s difficult to recreate or even get close to doing what he does, but we’re going to have to find a way,” Butler said. “So we’ll go to the tapes, talk about it and execute it to the best of our abilities.”
Timberwolves overpower Warriors to level series
- Golden State coach Steve Kerr said his team had learned valuable lessons on how to play without the talismanic Curry
LOS ANGELES: The Minnesota Timberwolves exploited the injury absence of Stephen Curry to defeat the Golden State Warriors 117-93 and level their NBA Western Conference semifinal series on Thursday.
A fired-up Timberwolves line-up, who had been stunned by the Warriors in game one on Tuesday, were always in control as they powered to a wire-to-wire victory in Minneapolis that squares the series at 1-1.
Julius Randle led the scoring for Minnesota with 24 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds while Anthony Edwards finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added an eye-catching 20 points off the bench, including four three-pointers, on a night when five Timberwolves players finished in double figures.
Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors scoring with 18 points from the bench, Jimmy Butler finishing with 17.
Edwards said an improved defensive effort led to Minnesota’s win after a dismal offensive display in their game one loss.
“We watched film yesterday and we saw it wasn’t just that we didn’t make our shots — it was more so our defensive effort and intensity. We didn’t bring it,” Edwards said.
“So we knew we had to bring it today.”
With Golden State taking to the floor without Curry, who suffered a hamstring injury in game one, Minnesota set the tone early in the first quarter, racing into a hefty 25-7 lead that left the Warriors chasing the game.
Minnesota were given a scare when Edwards limped off with an ankle problem in the second quarter, but the Timberwolves went into half-time with a commanding 56-39 lead.
Edwards returned for the start of the third quarter, but Minnesota were rocked by an early Golden State onslaught.
Butler and Kuminga both grabbed eight points apiece in a rally that helped the Warriors slash the Timberwolves’ lead to just seven points at 62-55 with just under seven minutes remaining in the third.
The Timberwolves regrouped impressively and closed the quarter with a 20-5 run to build an 85-65 lead heading into the final frame.
Without the deadly three-point scoring threat of Curry, the Warriors never looked like closing the gap and Golden State coach Steve Kerr ran up the white flag with four minutes remaining, removing his starters as Minnesota coasted home.
Kerr said his team had learned valuable lessons on how to play without the talismanic Curry as they return to San Francisco for game three on Saturday.
The 11-time All-Star Curry was ruled out for at least a week on Wednesday.
“We’re trying to figure out what we’re gonna be able to do in this series without Steph, so we gave a lot of people a lot of chances,” Kerr said of his shifting line-up.
“I thought we made a really spirited run to get the lead down to seven, but then we just kind of lost a little bit of composure. We turned it over a couple of times, gave up a couple of threes when we lost our defensive connection.
“But we learned a lot and I think this game will help us figure out how to move forward.”
