Formula 1 races take an unpredictable turn as McLaren boss Zak Brown revels in ‘best season’

Formula 1 races take an unpredictable turn as McLaren boss Zak Brown revels in ‘best season’
Verstappen’s dominance in 2022 and 2023 broke records. He still leads the standings but his last win was in June. (AP)
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Updated 16 September 2024
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Formula 1 races take an unpredictable turn as McLaren boss Zak Brown revels in ‘best season’

Formula 1 races take an unpredictable turn as McLaren boss Zak Brown revels in ‘best season’
  • There have been six different winners in the last eight races, representing four different teams
  • Verstappen’s dominance in 2022 and 2023 broke records

LEBANON: After a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it seems like nearly half the field is capable of winning races in Formula 1.
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown, whose driver Lando Norris is Max Verstappen’s closest title challenger, says he’s enjoying the best show he’s seen in his eight years in F1.
There have been six different winners in the last eight races, representing four different teams. Verstappen, whose dominance in 2022 and 2023 broke records, still leads the standings but his last win was in June.
“I think this is the best season I can think of ever in Formula 1 since I’ve been here,” Brown told The Associated Press from the IndyCar season finale at Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee.
Could it even be better than the 2021 fight between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, which was decided on the final lap of the year and helped fuel F1’s Netflix boom? Brown thinks it might be.
“That was mega exciting, but it’s just two guys, two good guys. Now you’ve got four good teams in today’s race,” he said.
“To have four teams that can win any weekend, and (Sergio) Perez was obviously back on form today, eight drivers going into Singapore and we’re going ‘I don’t know which of these four teams might win. I don’t know which of these eight drivers might win,’ I can’t recall Formula 1 having that level of competitiveness.”
There was non-stop action Sunday.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took the win in Baku, but only after a daring overtake on Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Perez was in the mix for Red Bull until he and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. collided, handing third to Mercedes driver George Russell.
Further back, Norris surged through the field from 15th on the grid to finish fourth ahead of Verstappen and take another bite out of the champion’s standings lead.
Teams’ performances fluctuate week by week, depending on upgrades from the factories, track conditions and setup changes, like the one which Verstappen blamed for ruining his weekend in Azerbaijan.
Even a change of tires can turn an also-ran into a contender, Russell said Sunday.
“Just in this one race, we had a car that could have won if you took the pace from half of the race and a car that should have been outside the top 10 from the other half,” he said, adding: “So I hope we’ve got the faster version” for next week’s race in Singapore.
The Singapore street track hosted one of the most competitive races of an otherwise Red Bull-dominated 2023 season. On worn tires, Sainz held off Norris’ McLaren and the two Mercedes of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and Russell, who crashed from third on the last lap.
Piastri is F1’s on-form driver with the most points of anyone in the last seven races. He knows just how many moving parts are involved in success this year, and how quickly it can all change.
“We’ve been in with a chance everywhere, and I think today was definitely one of those days where we weren’t necessarily the quickest, but we had a car that could put us in the fight,” the Australian said.
“We had a pit stop that could put us in the fight. We had some teamwork that put us in the fight. And it all managed to pay off.”


Pakistan win toss, bowl in 2nd ODI against Australia

Pakistan win toss, bowl in 2nd ODI against Australia
Updated 11 sec ago
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Pakistan win toss, bowl in 2nd ODI against Australia

Pakistan win toss, bowl in 2nd ODI against Australia
  • The hosts lead 1-0 after a tense two-wicket win in Melbourne on Monday
  • Pakistan named unchanged side with fast bowler Naseem Shah declared fit

ADELAIDE: Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bowl in the second of a three-game one-day series against Australia in Adelaide on Friday.

The hosts lead 1-0 after a tense two-wicket win in Melbourne on Monday.

Pakistan named an unchanged side with fast bowler Naseem Shah declared fit after leaving the field during the first match, apparently with cramp.

Australia made one change with veteran Josh Hazlewood returning in place of Sean Abbott to join his long-time pace partners Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.

Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short again open the batting in the absence of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head and will be keen to make their mark after falling cheaply in the opening match.

Teams

Australia: Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Kamran Ghulam, Agha Salman, Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain


Galatasaray down Spurs to go top in Europa League

Galatasaray down Spurs to go top in Europa League
Updated 07 November 2024
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Galatasaray down Spurs to go top in Europa League

Galatasaray down Spurs to go top in Europa League
  • The Turkish champions have 10 points from four games and have all but secured qualification for at least the knock-out play-off round, while
  • Spurs sit in fifth place after losing their 100-percent record

PARIS: Victor Osimhen scored twice as Galatasaray inflicted a first Europa League defeat of the season on Tottenham to move top of the table with a 3-2 victory in Istanbul on Thursday.
The Turkish champions have 10 points from four games and have all but secured qualification for at least the knock-out play-off round, while Spurs sit in fifth place after losing their 100-percent record.
Galatasaray took an early lead when Yunus Akgun smashed a sensational long-range volley into the top corner in the sixth minute.
But the visitors hit back just 12 minutes later as teenage striker Will Lankshear marked just his second first-team appearance with a goal by tapping in Brennan Johnson’s pass across goal.
Galatasaray took control before half-time, though, as Osimhen scored twice in the space of eight minutes.
The Nigerian star fired them back in front just after the half-hour mark, before cleverly volleying Dries Mertens’ cross past Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Osimhen has now scored six goals in eight appearances for Galatasaray since joining on loan from Napoli.
The home side passed up several opportunities to put the game out of sight for their opponents, but Spurs’ hopes of a comeback were hit when Lankshear was sent off for two yellow-card offenses in quick succession in the second half.
Dominic Solanke pulled one back in the 69th minute, shortly after being brought on by Ange Postecoglou, but Galatasaray held on with relative comfort.
Eintracht Frankfurt are second in the standings, behind Galatasaray on goals scored, after Omar Marmoush’s 13th goal of the season clinched a 1-0 win against Slavia Prague.
The Egyptian clipped a superb free-kick in off the crossbar shortly after the break.
Athletic Bilbao are in third, separated from Eintracht also by goals scored, after coming from behind to grab a 2-1 success at Ludogorets.
Inaki Williams and Nico Serrano both scored in a two-minute burst from the Basque club.
Roma’s disappointing form this season continued as Kevin Mac Allister’s goal 13 minutes from time secured Union Saint-Gilloise their second point of the competition with a 1-1 draw in Belgium.


French minister criticizes PSG fans’ ‘Free Palestine’ banner; club to escape UEFA sanctions

French minister criticizes PSG fans’ ‘Free Palestine’ banner; club to escape UEFA sanctions
Updated 07 November 2024
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French minister criticizes PSG fans’ ‘Free Palestine’ banner; club to escape UEFA sanctions

French minister criticizes PSG fans’ ‘Free Palestine’ banner; club to escape UEFA sanctions
  • European soccer’s governing body UEFA said the club would not face sanctions
  • Retailleau, asked if he would seek sanctions against PSG, told Sud Radio: “I am not ruling out anything. I will demand explanations from PSG“

PARIS: French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Thursday criticized the unfurling of a giant “Free Palestine” banner at a Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) soccer match, saying it was “unacceptable.”
However, European soccer’s governing body UEFA said the club would not face sanctions.
Retailleau, asked if he would seek sanctions against PSG, told Sud Radio: “I am not ruling out anything. I will demand explanations from PSG.”
The French federation (FFF) president, Philippe Diallo, was summoned for a meeting at 0900 GMT at the interior ministry on Friday, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, adding it had not yet confirmed its attendance.
The FFF has no power over European club competitions.
French TV channel BFM said PSG director general Victoriano Melero was also summoned. PSG did not respond to a request for comment.
Fans from PSG’s hard-line Auteuil Kop group displayed a huge “Free Palestine” banner before their Champions League game against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, eight days before France play Israel in Paris in a Nations League game.
“In no way was this tifo (banner) intended to convey a message of hatred — quite the contrary,” the group, Collectif Ultras Paris, said in a statement.
“The message that accompanied it is explicit and is a call for peace between peoples,” the group said, adding that the banner was made outside the stadium.
Their action took place as Israel pressed on with a military offensive in Gaza that has killed about 43,400 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza health ministry figures.
The conflict broke out after Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
PSG said after the game they had not been made aware of any plans to display such a message.
“Paris St. Germain recall that the Parc des Princes is — and must remain — a place of communion around a common passion for soccer and firmly opposes any message of a political nature in its stadium,” the club said in a statement.
Minister Retailleau said: “Of course the club president is responsible. I want to know how this tarpaulin arrived, how it was deployed.”
A UEFA spokesperson said that PSG would not face disciplinary proceedings as it only bans political messages deemed insulting or provocative.
Last year, the Scottish club Celtic were fined 17,500 euros ($18,907) for fans’ waving Palestinian flags at a Champions League match.
Questions have been raised about security surrounding the France v Israel Nations League game next Thursday in a country that has the largest Jewish community in Europe as well as its biggest population of Muslims.


Krejcikova beats Gauff to earn last semifinal spot at WTA Finals. Swiatek eliminated despite win

Krejcikova beats Gauff to earn last semifinal spot at WTA Finals. Swiatek eliminated despite win
Updated 08 November 2024
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Krejcikova beats Gauff to earn last semifinal spot at WTA Finals. Swiatek eliminated despite win

Krejcikova beats Gauff to earn last semifinal spot at WTA Finals. Swiatek eliminated despite win
  • Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic beat American Coco Gauff 7-5, 6-4
  • Swiatek had kept her hopes alive by beating Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-0

RIYADH: Barbora Krejcikova grabbed the last semifinal spot at the WTA Finals with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Coco Gauff on Thursday, a result that eliminated second-ranked Iga Swiatek from the season-ending tournament.
Krejcikova completes a last-four lineup that already included top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, Zheng Qinwen and Gauff.
“Well, I was definitely super excited to be here, to come here, to qualify to play against the best ones,” Krejcikova said. “I don’t really know where everything started to come together. Before the tournament, I had a couple of days where we hit lightly and already during those hits, I felt quite good. And I think definitely for me, it’s a big thing that it’s the last tournament of the season.”


Krejcikova, the Wimbledon champion, won the Orange Group and will face Zheng in Friday’s semifinals, while Gauff will take on Purple Group winner Sabalenka.
Swiatek earlier routed alternate Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-0 in less than an hour, but she needed Krejcikova to lose to third-ranked Gauff in order to advance from the Orange Group. Krejcikova, Gauff and Swiatek all finished at 2-1, and Swiatek was eliminated because she has a worse percentage of sets won.
Kasatkina replaced American Jessica Pegula, who withdrew from the tournament on Wednesday because of a left knee injury.
“I’m professional enough to always give 100 percent no matter what the stakes are,” Swiatek said.


Fleetwood goes low to lead Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Fleetwood goes low to lead Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Updated 07 November 2024
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Fleetwood goes low to lead Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Fleetwood goes low to lead Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
  • The golf tournament is the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs
  • ‘I didn’t feel like I swung it perfectly early on and I actually felt like I started playing better as the round got to the back nine,’ Fleetwood said

ABU DHABI: English golfer Tommy Fleetwood carded course record-equalling 10 under par 62 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Championship is the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs and penultimate event of the 2024 Race to Dubai.
Fleetwood, already a two-time winner of this tournament after claiming back-to-back victories in 2017 and 2018, carded eight birdies and an eagle on a low-scoring day at Yas Links to finish one stroke ahead of former Ryder Cup teammate Thorbjorn Olesen and America’s Johannes Veerman.
The 33-year-old, a seven-time DP World Tour winner, was four under after only three holes with a birdie, eagle, birdie start, and he made six further gains as he signed for a bogey-free round, rolling in a final birdie at the last to take the outright lead.
“Just happy to have got off to a great start. I didn’t feel like I swung it perfectly early on and I actually felt like I started playing better as the round got to the back nine,” Fleetwood said.
The wind picked up a little bit, the Englishman said, but overall it was fairly calm. “I think the course, fairways, are playing fast,” he said.
Fleetwood also has an eye on a second Race to Dubai title because he started the week in fifth place on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
A strong performance in Abu Dhabi would give him an outside chance of catching current rankings leader Rory McIlroy at next week’s DP World Tour Championship.
Denmark’s Olesen is seeking a second Rolex Series victory this week to follow from his 2018 Italian Open success. He won his eighth DP World Tour title earlier this year in the UAE, landing the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in January.
Olesen said: “With the conditions of the greens, if you putted really well, you can make a lot of putts. I’m very happy with that. There’s not that much breeze out there, so it definitely feels hot. I think maybe I’m a bit more used to it now after being out here for a couple of years.”
Moreover, Veerman, who won his maiden title at the 2021 D+D REAL Czech Masters, earned his place in the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs after finishing T8, T14 and T14 in his previous three starts. He carded eight birdies and an eagle to join Olesen on nine under par.
Veerman said: “It went just about as good as I would have hoped, maybe even better. I got off to a really fast start. The conditions on this course are pure so you’re never going to have a bad lie.”
Four-time Rolex Series winner Tyrrell Hatton shares fourth on eight under with fellow Englishmen Laurie Canter and Paul Waring and Italy’s Francesco Laporta.
McIlroy carded a five under par 67 to finish the day in a share of 18th place. The Northern Irishman will win the Race to Dubai for a sixth time if he finishes more than 2,000 ranking points ahead of his nearest challenger after this event.
“It’s nice to be paired with Thriston (Lawrence) and Rasmus (Hojgaard) because you can sort of keep an eye on what they are doing, as well. It’s been a really good year, very, very consistent,” he said.