SAO PAULO: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel became Formula One’s youngest triple world champion at the age of 25 after a wet and wild Brazilian Grand Prix rollercoaster won by McLaren’s Jenson Button behind the safety car yesterday.
The German, who needed only a fourth place to be sure of becoming the first driver to win his first three titles consecutively, finished sixth after battling back from last spot on the opening lap.
It was enough, however, when sole rival Fernando Alonso crossed the line in his Ferrari in second place with Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa third.
“You’re a triple world champion. You’re the man. You are a triple world champion,” shouted team principal Christian Horner over the team radio as Vettel crossed the finish line after what must have been one of the most nerve-racking races of his career.
Vettel ended the season with 281 points to 278 for Alonso, who would have been the youngest triple champion at 31 had results gone his way on a day when the fickle Brazilian weather produced a thriller.
The chaos started right from the off, when Vettel fell back into the pack and was caught in a collision with Brazilian Bruno Senna’s Williams that left him facing the wrong way with a damaged car.
“There is visible damage, it is not the front wing, we cannot fix it,” he was told as he rejoined the chase with the whole race ahead of him.
Four laps later Vettel was assured the data looked good and Red Bull technical head Adrian Newey had a photograph of the damage taken at the driver’s pitstop to get a closer look from the pit wall.
Alonso, Vettel’s only title rival who had 13 points to make up, looked like he could steal it as the championship pendulum swung both ways over the 71 laps at the Interlagos circuit.
The safety car was deployed twice, there were crashes, collisions, botched pitstops and constant uncertainty about the weather with black clouds overhead, occasional rain but not the torrential downpour many had feared.
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had led from pole position but could not shake off team mate Button, who made a wise decision to do a long first stint along with Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Hamilton’s last race for McLaren before he joins Mercedes ended when he and Hulkenberg collided on the 54th lap as they came up to lap back markers into turn one.
Hulkenberg, who had led for much of the race, was able to rejoin but was given a drive through penalty that ended his hopes of a podium finish.
Australian Mark Webber finished fourth, ahead of Hulkenberg in fifth in his last race for Force India before moving to Sauber.
Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher took a surprising seventh place for Mercedes in his last race in Formula One.
Out of the points, Caterham celebrated 11th place for Russian Vitaly Petrov that lifted them back ahead of Marussia into 10th place overall in the championship — a finish worth millions to the team.
Vettel F1’s youngest triple champion
Vettel F1’s youngest triple champion
McDavid and Oilers going back to Stanley Cup Final after 6-3 win over Stars in Game 5
- The Oilers now get another rematch, against defending Stanley Cup champion Florida after a seven-game series last June
DALLAS: Connor McDavid had a breakaway goal and an assist, 40-year-old Corey Perry scored again and the Edmonton Oilers are going to their second Stanley Cup Final in a row after beating the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Thursday night in Game 5 to wrap up the Western Conference final.
Edmonton scored on its first two shots, and jumped ahead 3-0 in the first 8:07 on way to eliminating the Stars in the West final for the second year in a row, this time in one less game.
The Oilers now get another rematch, against defending Stanley Cup champion Florida after a seven-game series last June. Game 1 is Wednesday night in Edmonton.
Mattias Janmark, Jeff Skinner, Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen also had goals for Edmonton, the last being an empty-netter in the closing seconds. Leon Draisaitl and Jake Walman each had two assists.
Jason Robertson scored twice and Roope Hintz had a goal for the Stars, who ended their season in the West final for the third year in a row. Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley each had two assists.
Saudi national football team prepare for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
- Herve Renard supervised the training, which was held at Al-Ettifaq Club Stadium
- Defender Ali Majrashi returned to full training with the squad after recovering from injury
RIYADH: The Saudi national football team trained on Thursday evening at their preparatory camp in Al-Khobar, as part of the build-up for their crucial ninth and tenth rounds of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
French coach Herve Renard supervised the training, which was held at Al-Ettifaq Club Stadium, a media statement said.
The training session began with warm-up training followed by tactical exercises and a half-field game, before it concluded with stretching routines aimed at muscle recovery and injury prevention.
In a positive development, defender Ali Majrashi returned to full training with the squad after recovering from a recent injury. Muteb Al-Harbi and Mohammed Bakr continued their individual rehabilitation programs under the supervision of the medical team.
The Green Falcons will resume their preparation on Friday afternoon with a closed-door training match against the Jordanian national team, also scheduled to take place at Al-Ettifaq Club Stadium.
Argentine court declares a mistrial in the case over the death of soccer star Maradona
- The whiplash decision comes after one of the three judges overseeing the trial stepped down
- The judges turned the clock back on all proceedings
BUENOS AIRES: An Argentine court on Thursday declared a mistrial in the case of seven health professionals accused of negligence in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona, the latest dramatic twist in a trial that has captivated the nation and the soccer world for more than two months.
The whiplash decision comes after one of the three judges overseeing the trial stepped down over criticism surrounding her participation in a forthcoming documentary about the case.
Her withdrawal compelled the court to either appoint a new judge in her place or to retry the entire case from scratch.
On Thursday, the judges decided the latter, effectively turning the clock back on all proceedings in the case that accuses Maradona’s medical team of failing to provide adequate care for the soccer star in his final days.
‘Al-Ittihad fans will be influential against Al-Qadsiah’ in King Cup final, says Laurent Blanc
- ‘Al-Qadsiah are a strong rival, and I know how dangerous they are,’ says French coach
- Michel Gonzalez expresses happiness to play in King Cup final against Al-Ittihad on Friday
JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad head coach Laurent Blanc confirmed the team’s full readiness, predicting that Al-Ittihad fans will be influential against Al-Qadsiah when they meet on Friday in the King Cup final at Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah.
Blanc spoke to the press on Thursday ahead of the King Cup final, saying: “Al-Qadsiah are a strong rival, and I know how dangerous they are. Of course, they have ambitions to win the title. They have distinguished players, and they have speed, but my team are fully prepared for this match and will be ready to fight, enjoy and win.
“Al-Ittihad fans in Jeddah are important for the team. We must focus mentally.
“I am proud of the players after they had an exceptional season, and tomorrow our team will be ready to fight for victory. I have 22 players ready for the match, I know my team well, and I am happy with the players’ readiness.”
His countryman Karim Benzema, the captain of Al-Ittihad, explained that Al-Qadsiah have good players and a good coach, but playing the match in Jeddah will be in their favor.
He said: “Al-Qadsiah have a good coach and players, but we have full confidence in tomorrow’s match. As everyone knows, finals are won, not played. Today, we have a final training session in preparation for the final. This season, we were able to win against all teams, and tomorrow we have the home advantage and the fans.
“So, it’s job done in the Saudi Pro League, fantastic, and we’re happy to win the title. But tomorrow is a different game, a final, and we want to win at any cost.”
On the other side, Al-Qadsiah’s head coach, Michel Gonzalez, expressed his happiness to play in the King Cup final against Al-Ittihad, on Friday, at the end of the sports season.
“I am very happy with what we have achieved by reaching this great final, thanks to the players’ efforts,” Gonzalez said on Thursday during a press conference in Jeddah.
“We were able to secure an advanced position in the Saudi Pro League, in addition to qualifying for the final match of the King Cup.
“We had a real and strong desire to perform well since the beginning of the season, and all the club’s fans are happy with what the team have achieved. Everyone knows that we have performed at a high level this season … On the final night, we will face a very strong team, which recently won the Saudi Pro League.
“I promise the fans to do everything we can to beat Al-Ittihad for the first time this season and win the Cup title.”
Al-Qadsiah’s defender Nacho Fernandez expressed his confidence in his team’s ability to win the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup title against Al-Ittihad in the final match.
He said: “We are happy to be here after the great effort we put in this season. We came to compete and give our best. I like the quality of these matches because they are finals and we have respect for the opponent, the league champions.”
Riyadh to host WWE SmackDown in June
- Tickets for SmackDown, Night of Champions now available through Webook
- Riyadh Season, WWE co-organizing events, sponsored by Esports World Cup
RIYADH: Riyadh is gearing up to host two World Wrestling Entertainment events at the Kingdom Arena: its first-ever SmackDown on June 27, and Night of Champions the following day.
The events are being organized jointly by Riyadh Season and WWE, and are sponsored by the Esports World Cup.
Wrestling fans will be eagerly anticipating the events with the confirmed appearance of global icon John Cena.
SmackDown will feature a star-studded lineup including Cody Rhodes, Omos, Bianca Belair, and Charlotte Flair, in a show to be broadcast live on USA Network in the US.
Night of Champions will stream exclusively on Peacock in the US, while fans in Saudi Arabia and most international markets can watch both events live on Netflix, as part of WWE’s new partnership with the platform.
Tickets are now available for purchase through the Webook platform.
Both events mark major highlights of Riyadh Season, which was launched in 2019 and has rapidly grown to become one of the largest entertainment festivals in the world, attracting millions of visitors to premier sports, entertainment, and music events.
