Relentless Max Verstappen can clinch his 3rd F1 title as early as the sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix

Relentless Max Verstappen can clinch his 3rd F1 title as early as the sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands talks to the media at the Lusail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar, on Thursday. The Qatar Formula One Grand Prix race will be held on Sunday. (AP)
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Updated 06 October 2023
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Relentless Max Verstappen can clinch his 3rd F1 title as early as the sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix

Relentless Max Verstappen can clinch his 3rd F1 title as early as the sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix
  • It’s been a relentlessly dominant season from the Dutch driver, who has had the fastest car with Red Bull but has also left teammate Sergio Perez far behind in the standings
  • Red Bull have won 16 of the last 17 races going back to the end of last year

DOHA: Max Verstappen can win his third straight Formula One title at the Qatar Grand Prix. And he can do it on Saturday.

Verstappen will secure the title if he finishes sixth or higher in the sprint race, which could leave Sunday’s main Grand Prix as something of an afterthought.

Winning the title in a sprint — a 19-lap contest that F1 refuses to call a “race” — could be a little awkward for the series and for Verstappen. He has previously argued the format should be scrapped.

“It’s not proper racing, it’s more like gambling,” he said after the season’s first sprint in Azerbaijan in April. “I think I will have more success in Vegas if I go to the casino. I like racing, I’m a pure racer and I think this is more for the show.”

It’s been a relentlessly dominant season from the Dutch driver, who has had the fastest car with Red Bull but has also left teammate Sergio Perez far behind in the standings.

Perez is the last driver with a mathematical chance of catching Verstappen in the six remaining rounds of the championship, but even if Verstappen crashes out of the sprint race, Perez will need to place in the top three to keep the contest alive.

Perez paid tribute to Verstappen’s achievements Thursday but said the difference in their seasons was in part because developments to the Red Bull car have not suited his own driving style.

“Max has done a tremendous job. I think no credit should be taken away from this season that he has done. I think he has driven on another level compared to anyone else, and that’s something that I have a lot of respect for,” Perez said. “I felt like since Barcelona (the Spanish Grand Prix in June), I was starting to struggle and have some deficits with the car.”

Verstappen hasn’t just been fast, he’s been consistent. When he won his 10th F1 race in a row at the Italian Grand Prix last month, it set a new F1 record. Red Bull have won 16 of the last 17 races going back to the end of last year.

Verstappen told a Red Bull podcast released this week that “you cannot really have off days or off weekends” in F1 and said his entire career since his debut for Toro Rosso in 2015 at the age of 17 has been a process of ironing out mistakes.

“I was very young when I joined Formula One, so naturally you’re lacking a lot of experience. And because of this lack of experience, sometimes you make a few mistakes,” he said. “In a way, you need to make mistakes in life also to become a better driver, a better person, and it’s about how you learn from these kind of things and how you implement the improvements, and I think that’s a continuous process. This is not something that will ever stop. It will only stop once you stop racing. In that sense, it’s about being on that learning curve and trying not to make the same mistake twice.”

Andretti in focus

The lengthy process to add an 11th team to F1 took a step forward Monday when the governing body, the FIA, said American team Andretti Global meets the criteria to join.

That doesn’t mean Michael Andretti’s team will make the grid. The decision now goes to F1 commercial rights holder Liberty Media. The teams are mostly opposed to adding a new team but don’t have a vote on expansion.

“It’s a good name to have in Formula One, obviously. But at the same time that decision doesn’t really rely on us, so, let’s wait and see,” Perez said.

Sargeant’s future

American driver Logan Sargeant is yet to score a point for Williams and doesn’t have a confirmed contract for 2024, but the team has signaled it is keen to keep him.

“Logan has very clear targets for what he has to hit before the end of the season and we are working with him continuously,” team principal James Vowles said in a video message last week. “We want him to succeed and we want him in the car next year.”

Sargeant crashed out in qualifying and collided with Valtteri Bottas in the race at the last round in Japan, but Vowles said the American was making progress and emphasized he was close to teammate Alex Albon’s performance in Japan.

Speaking Thursday, Albon had warm words for Sargeant too.

“I do think he doesn’t get the credit that he deserves. There is a lot of speed and talent within Logan. I think it’s just been a little bit offset with a couple of mistakes that he’s had,” Albon said. “I get on very well with him and I think he just needs a bit more time and confidence and he’ll hook it up there.”

From pedals to padel

Move over, golf. F1 drivers have a new favorite game.

Padel, often described as a cross between tennis and squash, has become many drivers’ favorite way to get to know each other away from the track and make the most of their limited downtime. Fans include drivers like Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Jr. and McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

“I think golf is out the window for most of the drivers out in the paddock,” Mercedes’ George Russell said. “It’s just a great sport and it’s good to get together and have a bit of a game before the race.”

There are still some notable golfers in F1, though. Since the last race in Japan, Sainz joined tennis star Novak Djokovic and ex-soccer players Gareth Bale and Andriy Shevchenko for an All-Star golf game last week in Italy as part of the build-up to the Ryder Cup.


Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London

Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London
Updated 16 September 2024
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Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London

Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London
  • Dubois currently holds the IBF belt, but Joshua will be looking to become a three-time world champion in the division

LONDON: Fans got their first glimpse of two of the biggest names in boxing four days ahead of the highly anticipated Riyadh Season Card Wembley Edition fight between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois on Monday.

Joshua and Dubois faced off for the first time at a media event held near the iconic London landmark of Tower Bridge.

(AN Photo/Hasenin Fadhel)

It was the first event in a week of build-up for a night of boxing at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, where the two British boxers will fight it out for the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title.

Dubois currently holds the belt, but Joshua will be looking to become a three-time world champion in the division.

(AN Photo/Hasenin Fadhel)

The event is the first Riyadh Season boxing event to be held in the UK and the second time outside Saudi Arabia following the success of the first event in Los Angeles in August.

Also on Monday, Anthony Cacace and Josh Warrington faced off, who are set to fight for the IBF super featherweight title.

(Supplied/GEA/Riyadh Season)

Fans also got to see Joshua Buatsi and Willie Hutchinson, who will compete for the World Boxing Organization interim light heavyweight title, face off.

They also saw Tyler Denny who fights Hamzah Sheeraz, Mark Chamberlain who takes on Josh Padley, and a face-off between Josh Kelly and Ismael Davis, who stepped in to replace Liam Smith after Smith sustained an injury.


Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final

Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final
Updated 16 September 2024
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Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final

Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final
  • “Something big is coming,” Neuer told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s opening clash with Dinamo Zagreb at home
  • “The most important thing is the final in Munich. We want to go there and everything else is secondary”

BERLIN: Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said Monday his side were fully focused on the Champions League season, with this year’s final to be held at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
“Something big is coming,” Neuer told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s opening clash with Dinamo Zagreb at home.
“The most important thing is the final in Munich. We want to go there and everything else is secondary.
“We know what this final means to the city, the fans and the players. Our motivation is simply very high.”
Six-time European champions Bayern come into the season after their first trophyless campaign in 11 seasons, with Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen winning a league and cup double.
In the Champions League, Bayern were eliminated in the semifinals by eventual winners Real Madrid, who beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley to lift the trophy.
Neuer and fellow Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller, who both won the 2013 and 2020 Champions League finals, are the only two players in the squad to remember the 2012 home final, which they lost on penalties to Premier League side Chelsea.
Mueller went on social media on Monday, telling followers “the road to Munich starts tomorrow.
“I’m very excited. Let’s enjoy the best football in Europe.”
Manager Vincent Kompany, set to coach his first match in the Champions League, told reporters “the fans can dream.”
“The most important thing for me is that we show it on the pitch. We have a difficult game tomorrow. The important thing is that we play well and win tomorrow.”
Bayern have won every one of their Champions League openers since 2002 when they lost 3-2 to Deportivo La Coruna, which was the prelude to their first and only group stage elimination.


European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63

European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63
Updated 16 September 2024
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European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63

European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63
  • The forward died after recently going into hospital following a head injury suffered in a fall
  • “Aston Villa Football Club is deeply shocked and profoundly saddened to learn that Gary Shaw, one of our European Cup-winning heroes, has passed away,” a statement said

LONDON: Former Aston Villa striker Gary Shaw, who helped the club to their shock European Cup triumph in 1982, died on Monday aged 63.
Shaw was a member of the Villa side that won the First Division title in 1981 and then memorably stunned German giants Bayern Munich in the European Cup final 12 months later.
The forward died after recently going into hospital following a head injury suffered in a fall.
“Aston Villa Football Club is deeply shocked and profoundly saddened to learn that Gary Shaw, one of our European Cup-winning heroes, has passed away,” a statement said.
“Gary was one of our own, a talented striker who delighted supporters with his goalscoring exploits which helped fire Villa to success in the 1980s. Individual accolades would also follow for a player who was idolized by many on the terraces.


“He passed away peacefully earlier today surrounded by his family, who asked Aston Villa to release a statement on their behalf.”
Shaw’s death came on the eve of Villa’s first match in the Champions League for 41 years.
Unai Emery’s side face Young Boys in Switzerland on Tuesday and the Villa manager urged his team to win the match in tribute to Shaw.
“My condolences to the family and all the supporters at Villa,” said Emery, whose team will wear black armbands for the fixture in Bern.
“We have a memory always, in our training ground a picture of 1982 and the European Cup. He was a protagonist of that. My condolences to them.
“Yes, I think it’s sad and we can use it as motivation.”
Shaw joined Villa as an apprentice and went on to score 79 times in 213 appearances, including 20 goals in their 1981 title-winning campaign.
He was named PFA Young Player of the Year after Villa’s first English title since 1910.
Shaw scored three goals in Villa’s run to European Cup glory, including a crucial quarter-final strike against Dynamo Kiev.
Peter Withe’s winner against Bayern in Rotterdam lifted the team to previously unimaginable heights, with Birmingham-born Shaw savouring the triumph more than most.
Yet within a year of Villa’s epic victory, Shaw suffered a knee injury in a match against Nottingham Forest that curtailed his progress and ultimately saw him retire from the game after six operations.
He left the club in 1988 for spells in Denmark and Austria, before ending his career in 1992 after short stints at Walsall, Kilmarnock and Shrewsbury.
Shaw later worked as a statistical analyst and a matchday ambassador for Villa.


Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury

Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury
Updated 16 September 2024
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Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury

Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury
  • Jabeur missed the recent US Open due to the injury

PARIS: Ons Jabeur will miss the rest of the 2024 WTA season with a shoulder injury, the Tunisian announced on Monday.
The three-time Grand Slam runner-up has struggled for form and fitness this year, slipping to 22nd in the world rankings.
Jabeur missed the recent US Open due to the injury and has not played since a heavy defeat by Naomi Osaka in Toronto in early August.
“This year has been extremely hard for me and as athletes, we know that recovery is part of the journey,” she said on social media.
“Due to my ongoing shoulder injury, my medical team and I’ve made the difficult decision to step off the tennis circuit for the rest of the season.”
The 30-year-old said she would be back on court for the start of the 2025 campaign in Australia.


Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya

Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya
Updated 16 September 2024
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Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya

Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya
  • “It was scary. I saw Aishi being struck for no reason by a policeman and bottles and other objects hurled at our players,” said the official
  • “Aishi is shaken but okay. He is receiving treatment in the changing room“

JOHANNESBURG: Aishi Manula, the goalkeeper of Tanzanian club Simba, was struck by a policeman after a stormy CAF Confederation Cup qualifier in Libya on Sunday, an official from the visiting team told AFP.
The second round, first leg against Al Ahly Tripoli ended 0-0 in a packed 45,000-seat Tripoli stadium and Simba players dashed for cover at full-time as plastic bottles were flung at them.
“It was scary. I saw Aishi being struck for no reason by a policeman and bottles and other objects hurled at our players,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
“Aishi is shaken but okay. He is receiving treatment in the changing room. I also witnessed some Ahly players attacking the referee and his assistants.”
Both clubs are regular CAF competition campaigners with Ahly making a ninth appearance in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League and Simba a seventh.
Simba are considered potential title challengers in the Confederation Cup, which has been dominated by north African clubs with 16 titles from 21 editions.
Zamalek of Egypt are the current title-holders after edging Renaissance Berkane of Morocco on away goals in the last final.
South African coach Fadlu Davids recently took charge of the Dar es Salaam outfit after being assistant coach of Moroccan league and cup double winners Raja Casablanca last season.
Another first leg in Libya produced a thriller with Al Hilal Benghazi snatching a 3-2 victory over Al Masry of Egypt after trailing twice in the eastern city.
Salah Mohsen put Masry ahead in each half, but two goals from Mohammed al Shiteewi, either side of one from Faisal al Badri, set up an intriguing September 22 return match in Alexandria.
Dynamos of Zimbabwe look set to reach the group stage for the first time, at the third attempt, after a 1-0 win over Orapa United of Botswana in Francistown.
But the most popular club in the southern Africa nation left it late to build an aggregate lead as Valentine Kadonzvo scored with just two minutes of regular time remaining.
Zimbabwe have no international-standard stadium so Dynamos must play Orapa twice in neighboring Botswana.
Burundi outfit Rukinzo are in a similar situation to Dynamos with no suitable venue in the landlocked central African nation.
They opted to face record three-time Confederation Cup winners CS Sfaxien twice in Tunisia, and did well to restrict the home side to a 1-0 win through an early Mohamed ‘Cristo’ Dhaoui goal.