SILVERSTONE, UK: On a day when Brad Pitt joined the Formula One grid to shoot his new movie, defending champion Max Verstappen was reduced to a cameo role in his own win with F1 fans gripped by the fight for second place.
Apart from losing the lead to Lando Norris at the start — and then taking it back — Verstappen’s cruise on Sunday to yet another win — his sixth in a row — lacked the Hollywood-style drama of Norris’ battle with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton for second.
That fits a pattern this season of dominant wins for the Red Bull driver and increasingly hard-fought battles behind him as Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and now McLaren jostle to be the second-fastest team.
“It’s very confusing, to be honest, because every single race it’s someone else,” Verstappen said.
Filming for Pitt’s upcoming F1-themed movie had been taking place all weekend around the F1 sessions, using black-and-gold cars from the fictional APX team. Pitt himself and co-star Damson Idris joined the grid in racing suits before the start.
Verstappen extended his overall lead to 99 points over teammate Sergio Perez. First place in a race earns 25 points.
Starting in pole position, Verstappen was overtaken off the line by McLaren’s Norris in what he later admitted was a “terrible” start but swept back into the lead on lap five and held on until the end. Red Bull has won all 10 races this year, 11 in a row including the final race of 2022, matching the record of McLaren with 11 consecutive wins in 1988.
Norris had been expected to drop back after qualifying a surprise second on the grid, but instead remained Verstappen’s closest challenger throughout the race. After a safety-car restart, he fought wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton, who had what were in theory faster tires, but held on to second for his and McLaren’s best result since 2021. “It was an amazing fight,” Norris said.
Hamilton had started seventh and credited the crowd for powering him to a 14th career podium finish at his home race. “I didn’t do it, the crowd did,” he said. “I felt the energy, I felt the support. This is the reason we got back up there.”
McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri was a career-best fourth ahead of Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell as McLaren’s upgraded car proved far more competitive than even the team had predicted.
Perez was off the podium for the fourth time in five races, finishing sixth after starting 15th, with seventh for Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and an impressive eighth for Alexander Albon of Williams.
When Kevin Magnussen broke down with flames coming from the back of his Haas on lap 33 of 52, it gave drivers including Verstappen, Norris and Hamilton the chance to pit under the safety car without losing time. Ferrari was among the losers because Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had just pitted. They finished ninth and 10th respectively.
Race organizers and police were on high alert to prevent a repeat of the protest at last year’s race when environmental activists stormed the track. That included police using a facial recognition system on the entry gates to the circuit, a relatively new and controversial technology in Britain.
Drivers had warned against a repeat of track protests, arguing it would risk their safety and that of any protesters entering a live track. Last year’s protest took place shortly after a crash had caused a red-flag stoppage, meaning cars were already going more slowly on their way to the pits.
Before the Grand Prix on Sunday, environmental group Last Generation delayed the start of a DTM sportscar race in Nuremberg, Germany, after pouring oil onto the track.
Max Verstappen takes 6th straight F1 win at British GP after epic fight for 2nd
https://arab.news/g3kms
Max Verstappen takes 6th straight F1 win at British GP after epic fight for 2nd
- Starting in pole position, Verstappen was overtaken off the line by McLaren’s Norris
- F1 fans gripped by the fight for second place
New Zealand win toss, opt to bowl in 5th and final T20 against Pakistan
- Pakistan, looking to build-up for June’s T20 World Cup, are trailing 2-1 in the series
- Pakistan have brought in their ace fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi in place of Zaman Khan
LAHORE: New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell won the toss and elected to field in the fifth and final Twenty20 against Pakistan on Saturday.
Pakistan, looking to build-up for June’s T20 World Cup, are trailing 2-1 in the series as they tested their bench strength against the understrength Black Caps.
Pakistan made just one change from the team that lost the fourth match by four runs, bringing in their ace fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi in place of Zaman Khan.
New Zealand, touring Pakistan without their nine frontline T20 players who are in the Indian Premier League, made three changes.
Tim Seifert recovered from sore back and returns in place of Tim Robinson, who scored a half-century in the last game but was ruled out with a groin injury.
Cole McConchie and Zak Foulkes also made it to the playing XI replacing Dean Foxcroft and Jacob Duffy. Foxcroft was ruled out with a back injury.
The first game was abandoned because of rain before Pakistan bowled out New Zealand for 90 runs in the second game to win by seven wickets.
New Zealand made a comeback, winning the third match by seven wickets before edging out the home team in the last game at Qaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
Klopp and Salah involved in touchline spat during Liverpool’s draw at West Ham
- Klopp went over to speak to the Egypt winger
- Salah answered back with his arms outstretched then started to point at Klopp, who was nodding while looking out onto the field
LONDON: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and star forward Mohamed Salah were involved in a touchline confrontation during the team’s 2-2 draw with West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.
Salah was a substitute for the game and was preparing to come on shortly after Michail Antonio’s 77th-minute equalizer when Klopp went over to speak to the Egypt winger.
Salah answered back with his arms outstretched then started to point at Klopp, who was nodding while looking out onto the field. Darwin Nunez, who was also about to enter as a sub, got in between Salah and Klopp and pushed away his teammate.
Klopp refused to divulge the reason behind the spat.
“No, we already spoke in the dressing room,” Klopp said. “For me, that’s done.”
When Salah was asked for a comment after the game, video footage on social media showed him saying: “There’s going to be fire today if I speak.”
The 31-year-old Salah has scored in just one of his last six games and has started on the bench for two of Liverpool’s last three matches.
Klopp is leaving at the end of the season after nearly nine years in charge.
Saudi table tennis stars get ready to compete in Saudi Smash 2024 championship
Saudi table tennis stars are getting ready to compete in the Saudi Smash 2024 championship, one of the most important table tennis tournaments in the world, taking place in Jeddah from May 1-11.
The championship will feature elite players from around the world competing in singles (men and women), doubles (men and women), and mixed doubles, organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, under the supervision of the Ministry of Sports and in collaboration with the World Table Tennis organization.
Among the Saudi players on the list is captain Ali Al-Khadrawi, one of the Kingdom’s top table tennis players. He started playing the game in 2007 and has a successful track record in both local and international competitions, including his distinguished participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Al-Khadrawi played 382 professional matches, with 14 appearances in the WTT matches, and maintained a win percentage of 54.5 percent throughout his career.
Ali-Al Khadrawi said: “I am delighted to participate in the Saudi Smash, a premier event hosted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is an opportunity to compete with my Saudi teammates against elite table tennis players from around the world. We look forward to the challenges of this championship, which will play a good role in promoting table tennis popularity in the Kingdom and inspiring the next generation of Saudi athletes.”
Another prominent player in the tournament is Abdulaziz Boushlybi, who began his career in 2007 and has achieved various individual and team titles, including a silver medal in the men’s singles at the 2022 Gulf Games in Kuwait.
He also won a gold medal in the team event at the same games with Al-Khadrawi and others. Boushlybi has played 277 professional matches, with 13 appearances in WTT matches, maintaining a win percentage of 63.2 percent.
Another Saudi player is Khalid Al-Shari, who started his table tennis journey in 2012 and has a record of individual and team victories, including a bronze medal in men’s singles at the 2021 World Championship qualifiers in Qatar.
Al-Sharif played 257 professional matches, with 12 appearances in WTT matches, achieving a win percentage of 51.4 percent throughout his career.
Other players participating in the championship are Hadi Abu Al-Raha, Turki Al-Mutairi, Salem Al-Suwailm, and Mohammed Al-Qasab.
Their participation in the Saudi Smash 2024 championship is a unique opportunity to showcase their abilities and talents and compete with some of the best international names in table tennis.
The Saudi Smash championship is one of the three Grand Smash tournaments for 2024, alongside the Singapore Smash and China Smash.
Haliburton hits winner as Pacers hold off Bucks, Timberwolves push Suns to brink
- Tyrese Haliburton delivered a triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists
LOS ANGELES: Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning basket lifted the Indiana Pacers to a 121-118 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday as Minnesota put Phoenix on the verge of elimination in the NBA playoffs.
The Pacers let a 19-point lead get away, but finally thwarted the short-handed Bucks’ rally to gain a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first round series.
The Dallas Mavericks also won at home, cruising to a 101-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference set.
But a return to Phoenix provided no respite for Kevin Durant and the Suns, who were one defeat away from elimination after falling 126-109 to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In Indianapolis, Haliburton delivered a triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists to help the Pacers withstand a 42-point performance from Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton, who drilled a three-pointer to tie it with 2.3 seconds left in regulation and made another trey to knot it at 118-118 with eight seconds left in overtime.
With 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime, Haliburton took an inbound pass and split the Bucks’ defense as he drove for a one-handed floater.
Fouled on the play, he made the free throw to cap the scoring. Middleton, playing through a sprained right ankle, was unable to work another three-point miracle as time expired.
“I just knew I was shooting it no matter what,” Haliburton said.
The Pacers escaped with the win in a game they led by 19 points in the first quarter and by 17 in the third.
With two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo still sidelined by a calf injury, the Bucks couldn’t match Indiana’s early pace.
An early injury scare saw Damian Lillard limp off with a sore knee briefly in the first quarter. He returned to score 19 of his 28 points in the second half before aggravating an Achilles tendon injury in late in regulation.
The Bucks took the lead for the first time on Lillard’s three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, the lead changing hands six times in the fourth as they battled to overtime.
“Every possession is so valuable,” Haliburton said. “You’ve got to dig in. The game’s never over.”
Myles Turner scored 29 points for the Pacers, who will try to stretch their lead when they host game four on Sunday.
In Phoenix, Anthony Edwards scored 36 points to lead a comprehensive Timberwolves team effort that included 19 points and 14 rebounds from Rudy Gobert and 18 points and 13 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Six players scored in double figures for the Timberwolves, who led by as many as early in the fourth quarter.
Bradley Beal led the Suns with 28 points. Durant scored 25 and Devin Booker added 23, but had no answer when the Timberwolves broke open a six-point game with a third-quarter scoring surge.
The Timberwolves have a 3-0 series lead for the first time in franchise history.
They’ll try on Sunday to close out the Suns, and even though both teams are well-aware that no NBA team has rallied from 0-3 down to win a series Edwards said the Timberwolves would take nothing for granted.
“We can’t look past the next game,” he said.
In Dallas, NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic limped out early but returned to sink 22 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Mavericks in a testy clash with the Clippers.
Los Angeles’ Russell Westbrook and P.J. Washington of Dallas were both ejected after a shoving match that started with Westbrook’s hard foul on Doncic midway through the fourth quarter — when the Mavs were up by 16 points.
The Clippers had sliced an 18-point deficit to six late in the third quarter, but Kyrie Irving, who had just two points until the final two minutes of the third period, scored 19 the rest of the way to help Dallas rebuild their lead.
James Harden and Norman Powell both scored 21 for the Clippers, but Harden had just seven points in the second half and the Mavs held Clippers star Paul George to seven points and Kawhi Leonard, who was clearly hindered by his continuing knee inflammation, to nine.
Defending champs Alcaraz and Sabalenka win opening matches at Madrid Open
- The two-time defending champion was playing for the first time in nearly a month after his injured arm ruled him out of Monte Carlo and Barcelona
- Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev, another two-time Madrid champion, saw off Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 and will face Denis Shapovalov next
MADRID: Carlos Alcaraz didn’t need to put his tender right arm to the test while easing to victory in his opening match at the Madrid Open on Friday.
The two-time defending champion was playing for the first time in nearly a month after his injured arm ruled him out of Monte Carlo and Barcelona. And after doubting this week he would be good to go in Spain’s capital, Alcaraz admitted he could afford to hold back a little in a 6-2, 6-1 win over Alexander Shevchenko.
“I didn’t hit my forehand 100 percent. I hit it softer than I used to hit it, but I think it helped me, you know, to, let’s say, stay relaxed,” Alcaraz said. “But the first thing that I was thinking about when I was stepping on the court is to stay healthy.
“I was really happy to not feel anything in the forearm, and after that I could increase my intensity a bit. It was great for me this match.”
Defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka faced tougher resistance in her opening match while beating Magda Linette 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 on the Caja Magica clay.
This was Alcaraz’s first match since the Miami Open quarterfinals nearly one month ago. Madrid is the Spaniard’s first appearance on the European clay court swing — he struggled in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro in February — as he aims to win his first French Open title next month.
“Right now I’m thinking to be better or get better every day, and I’m thinking to be closer to my 100 percent here in Madrid.” the two-time major champion said. “Let’s see how it’s going to be the next few weeks. But the main thing is to be ready for next tournament and obviously to Roland Garros.”
In Madrid, the third-ranked Alcaraz is seeded second behind Jannik Sinner and both enjoyed first-round byes.
Alcaraz played with a compression sleeve on his right arm from his wrist up past his elbow. But he looked pretty much like the same aggressive player who has dominated here for the past two years and given Spanish tennis fans hope there is life after Rafael Nadal.
Alcaraz broke Shevchenko’s serve four times and will next face Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil.
Seyboth Wild upset Daniil Medvedev at last year’s French Open and should offer a stiffer challenge to Alcaraz in the round of 32.
Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev, another two-time Madrid champion, saw off Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 and will face Denis Shapovalov next.
Seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating Facundo Bagnis 6-1, 6-4. Rublev’s last win came at Indian Wells in March.
Holger Rune was just two points from defeat against Mariano Navone before he rallied to force a second-set tiebreaker and finally prevailed 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Eighth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz beat Jack Draper 6-1, 7-5. Last year’s finalist Jan Lennard Struff, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Alejandro Davidovich, and Sebastian Baez also moved on.
SABALENKA’S SLOW START
The second-ranked Sabalenka struggled with her serve at times against Linette, but the two-time Australian Open winner struck her 10th ace on match point.
Sabalenka got some help from the net to get a key break and go up 5-3 in the third set when Linette was unable to reach a shot by the Belarusian that clipped the top of the tape.
Sabalenka has either won it all in Madrid as she did in 2021 and last year, or gone out in the first round as she did in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
“Hopefully it’s going to be a good sign and I will keep it like that,” she said. “I either lose in the first or I win (the title).”
Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4, 6-3 to take her season-leading win haul to 27 as she seeks her fourth title of 2024.
Rybakina will next face Egypt’s Mayar Sherif after she upset Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round.
Danielle Collins extended her career-best win streak to 14 matches after beating Serb qualifier Olga Danilovic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) from 6-4, 3-1 down.
Fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen, who lost the Australian Open final to Sabalenka, withdrew with a right thigh injury while trailing Yulia Putintseva 7-5, 2-0.
Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who made her breakout at Madrid last year, bettered 19-year-old Linda Noskova 4-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Carolina Garcia, and Jasmine Paolini also advanced.
