SINGAPORE: Carlos Sainz said Ferrari “didn’t put a foot wrong” as the Spanish driver drove a perfect race to win a thrilling Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday and end Red Bull’s hopes of sweeping every race in 2023.
But an emotional George Russell was close to tears after crashing his Mercedes on the final lap after attempting a late victory charge on fresher tires.
Lando Norris was second after a brilliant defensive drive to hold off the Mercedes pair as Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in third after teammate Russell’s lapse.
Championship leader Max Verstappen, who had won the last 10 races, was only fifth as Red Bull failed to take the chequered flag for the first time this season after a weekend where they were consistently off the pace.
His teammate Sergio Perez crossed the line eighth.
Sainz controlled the night race around the city-center street circuit brilliantly from pole position to take only his second career win, the first coming at the British Grand Prix last year.
“An incredible feeling. We didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend,” said Sainz.
“We nailed the race. We had one opportunity to win a race this year and we did it perfect,” added the Spaniard.
Sainz seemed set for a comfortable win until a virtual safety car 20 laps from the end gave the two Mercedes the chance to change to fresh medium-compound tires.
Russell and Hamilton came out flying and soon reeled in and passed the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who finished fourth.
But when they got on the heels of the top two they could not get past as Sainz cleverly backed up to keep his former teammate Norris within DRS (drag reduction system) range so the Englishman could defend second place.
“It was just quite tight at the end. We gave Lando a bit of a cheeky DRS boost to help him and in the end it worked,” said Sainz.
“The safety car forced us to pit earlier than we wanted and I knew it was going to be a long stint on the hards.”
Russell was all over the back of Norris until his challenge ended in the barriers, handing Hamilton the final podium place.
“It’s heartbreaking after such a great weekend,” said Russell. “I feel like I let myself and the team down. It’s tough but we will come back.”
Norris was grateful for the help he received from Sainz, his former teammate.
“Carlos was very generous trying to help me get DRS. It helped my race and it also helped his,” said Norris.
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was sixth, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri seventh.
Rookie Liam Lawson picked up his first championship points in ninth for AlphaTauri on only his third Formula One start and Haas’s Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top 10 points scorers.
Sainz began the race smoothly to take the lead with Leclerc slotting into second and there was little action until Logan Sargeant prompted a safety car when he lost the front wing of his Williams on lap 20.
A flurry of pit-lane activity followed as all the leaders headed in for fresh hard tires to take them to the end of the 62-lap race.
Leclerc was held up double-stacking behind Sainz and Russell and Norris emerged in front of the Monegasque.
The order was unchanged until Esteban Ocon’s engine gave out causing a virtual safety car with 18 laps left.
It prompted the Mercedes pair to dive in for fresh medium tires as the leaders stayed out.
It put the pair behind Leclerc but they were lapping two seconds quicker and soon swept past the Monegasque and closed on Norris until Russell’s error cost him a podium place.
Verstappen is still a runaway favorite to claim a third world title but the all-conquering Dutchman has still never taken the chequered flag in Singapore.
He now cannot clinch the title until the Qatar GP in three weeks’ time, but said the team would bounce back at next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, where the track will suit them better.
“I had fun in the second stint. We were quite quick on the medium compound,” said Verstappen, who increased his lead over Perez to 151 points with seven races to go.
“I think we will be quick in Suzuka.”
Carlos Sainz marches in with perfect Singapore drive to end Red Bull streak
https://arab.news/rh24w
Carlos Sainz marches in with perfect Singapore drive to end Red Bull streak
- Lando Norris was second after a brilliant defensive drive to hold off the Mercedes pair as Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in third
Nuggets, Pacers claw back in NBA conference semifinals
- Michael Porter Jr. added 21 points as all five Nuggets starters scored in double figures against a T’Woves team
- The Pacers also avoided a 0-3 hole with a 111-106 victory over the Knicks
LOS ANGELES: The NBA champion Denver Nuggets roared back into their Western Conference semifinal series with Minnesota with a 117-90 victory over the Timberwolves on Friday as the Indiana Pacers clawed back a game against the New York Knicks.
NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray scored 24 points apiece, with Jokic adding 14 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets, who cut the deficit in their best-of-seven series to 2-1.
Denver dispelled any suggestion they would bow out quietly after they were humbled by the young Timberwolves in games one and two in Denver.
The Pacers, who dropped the first two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series in New York, also avoided a 0-3 hole with a 111-106 victory over the Knicks in Indianapolis.
“Everybody knows what it looks like when you go down 3-0,” Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said, a nod to the fact that no NBA team has rallied from that deficit to win a playoff series.
“We had to come out play desperate, play hard,” added Haliburton, whose Pacers will now try to level the series at home on Sunday.
Denver will try to pull level on Sunday in Minneapolis, where Jokic said the Nuggets went into the contest determined to “play like a champion.”
“I think we played much simpler,” Jokic told broadcaster ESPN. “We were aggressive, more aggressive than them, and I think that’s definitely the thing that changed the game.”
Murray, who scored just 25 points over the first two games and was fined $100,000 for letting his frustration boil over and throwing a heating pad onto the court during Game 2, connected on 11 of 21 shots and came up with three steals.
“Our guys answered the bell,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “They showed me that they still believe.”
Michael Porter Jr. added 21 points as all five Nuggets starters scored in double figures against a T’Woves team that coach Chris Finch called “sluggish” and “slow.”
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 19 points. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 14, but the Timberwolves didn’t play with the pace that overwhelmed the Nuggets in Denver.
They trailed by as many as 34 points, to the dismay of fans at the Target Center who were eager to see the kind of show the Timberwolves had put on in Denver.
“Not a lot of good things on either end of the floor, really,” Finch said.
In Indianapolis, Haliburton scored 35 points and Andrew Nembhard emerged as an unlikely hero, draining a three-pointer from deep as the shot clock was running down to put the Pacers ahead 109-106 with 17.8 seconds left to play.
It was just his second basket of the night, but it turned the tide for good in a physical, back-and-forth battle in which the Pacers surrendered an early 12-point lead and rallied from nine down in the fourth quarter.
“I put (Nembhard) in kind of a bad situation and he just made an unbelievable shot,” said Haliburton, who passed to Nembhard with just four seconds on the shot clock after finding himself unable to get a shot off in the face of a swarming Knicks defense.
“Big, big shot,” Haliburton said. “He really stepped up to the moment when we needed him most.”
Haliburton had six of Indiana’s 12 three-pointers. Pascal Siakam scored 26 points and Myles Turner added 21 and 10 rebounds for Indiana.
The banged-up Knicks, already missing Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic, were also without OG Anunoby after he suffered a hamstring strain in game two.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who wasn’t confirmed to start until after pre-game warm-ups after hurting his right foot on Wednesday, got off to a slow start, but New York briefly pulled ahead in the second quarter — foreshadowing a third-quarter surge that saw them take a 90-85 lead into the final period.
Donte DiVincenzo led the Knicks scoring with 35 points, connecting on seven of 11 from three-point range.
Brunson finished with 26 points and six assists, hitting a game-tying three-pointer with 42.4 seconds left.
Xander Schauffele shoots 67, leads by 4 over Rory McIlroy, Jason Day at Wells Fargo Championship
- The 30-year-old Schauffele has seven top 10 finishes this season, but no wins
- McIlroy is the only three-time winner of the event, and said the course simply suits his game well
CHARLOTTE, N.C.: Xander Schauffele has been a mainstay near the top of the leaderboard most of the year. Now he’s hoping to close the door.
Schauffele shot a 4-under 67 on Friday after opening with a 64, leaving him at 11-under 131 and four shots ahead of Rory McIlroy and Jason Day heading into the weekend at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Taylor Moore and Sungjae Im were five strokes back at 6 under.
The 30-year-old Schauffele has seven top 10 finishes this season, but no wins. He’s looking to snap a winless streak that dates to July 2022 at the Genesis Scottish Open.
“I’ve had a few knocks on the door and I just tell myself to keep knocking,” Schauffele said.
Schauffele said the drought is something he’s always thinking about, but added that the toughest part is just to stay in the present.
“You just have to recognize the situation you are in, and realize that you are playing some good golf and just get out of your own way at times,” Schauffele said.
Schauffele’s was locked in most of the day.
He hit 15 greens and his only hiccup came when he made bogey on the 18th hole while he was trying to rush to finish his round and beat a storm that would suspend play for about an hour. Play eventually did resume, but Schauffele feared he would have to get up early to play a shot or two and then wait several hours to play his third round on Saturday.
“It’s stupid to say, but I’d rather take the 5 at this point after hitting such a bad chip versus waking up super early and having to reset your day,” Schauffele said. “It’s all good.”
McIlroy entered the day three shots behind Schauffele, but managed to lose ground despite not making a bogey. McIlroy finished with a 68. He had several opportunities to put the pressure on Schauffele, but missed a few makeable putts.
Still, the star from Northern Ireland walked away feeling good about his play.
“Felt like I probably could have squeezed a couple more out of the round, but anytime you can go around this golf course bogey free it’s always going to be a decent day,” said McIlroy, who teamed with Shane Lowry to win the Zurich Classic two weeks ago.
The world’s No. 2-ranked player has had some spectacular weekend performances before at Quail Hollow, including a club-record 61 in 2015. He closed with a 62 in 2010 to win his first PGA Tour title.
He said he will lean on those as he sets his sights on catching Schauffele.
“Anytime you’re playing a golf course where you’ve shot some really low scores, you know that it’s out there,” McIlroy said. “The golf course is playing a lot differently this week than it played in 2010 and 2015, but I know if I get it going around here I can make some birdies and chase him down.”
McIlroy is the only three-time winner of the event, and said the course simply suits his game well because it allows him to take advantage of his distance off the tee.
“I’ve had so many good memories here, I just feel positive vibes,” McIlroy said. “I feel good about myself when I’m walking around here.”
Day also had a 67. The Australian has struggled of late, with only one top-25 finish in his last six events.
“I’ve had a run over the last month and a half, two months where it’s just been kind of poor play, poor hitting,” Day said. “I’ve been losing a ton of strokes to the field approach to green, not necessarily on the driver. It’s weird, it’s kind of strange to drive it decently well and to hit it poor coming into the greens.”
Max Homa, the only player other than McIlroy with multiple wins at the Wells Fargo Championship, was eight shots behind after a 70. Justin Thomas also was 3 under after a 71.
Djokovic bottle strike overshadows his Rome Open cruise past Moutet
- Should Djokovic be OK as the FITP said, he will face Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in the third round with a great chance to add to his array of titles at the Foro Italico
- One of Djokovic’s potential threats, third seed Alexander Zverev, breezed into the third round with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic
ROME: Novak Djokovic’s fast start at the Rome Open was overshadowed on Friday after the tennis icon was struck with a hard plastic water bottle while greeting fans following his 6-3, 6-1 win over France’s Corentin Moutet.
World No. 1 Djokovic was left crouched on the ground in agony as the bottle hit him on the back of the head as he was signing autographs while he exited the center court at the Foro Italico.
Djokovic was then led from the arena on foot by security staff who covered the 24-time Grand Slam winner while he made his way into the bowels of the stands.
The ATP did not respond to AFP’s request for an update on Djokovic’s condition, only announcing that he would not speak to the media on Friday evening.
However, a spokesman for the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP) said that Djokovic had been taken back to his hotel with a lightly bleeding head and that there is no risk that he will withdraw from the tournament.
The spokesman said that Djokovic did not need stitches and that the bottle likely fell while a fan tried to get the player’s attention, adding that security camera footage is being consulted to help identify the culprit.
“His condition is not a cause for concern,” said organizers in a short statement before then sending media a video in which it appears that the bottle accidentally slipped from a spectator’s grasp before landing on Djokovic’s head.
Djokovic retiring would be a disaster for organizers of the last major tournament before the French Open as it is already missing two of its biggest stars with Italian world No. 2 Jannik Sinner and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz both withdrawing from the men’s draw before the start.
Home fans have also been deprived of cheering on Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Musetti who both pulled out, Musetti while losing to France’s Terence Atmane on Friday morning.
Should Djokovic be OK as the FITP said, he will face Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in the third round with a great chance to add to his array of titles at the Foro Italico, where only Rafael Nadal has won more with 10.
The Serbian has made no secret in the past that he loves playing in Italy and with a clutch of big names either out injured or struggling he will fancy his chances of a record-extending 41st Masters 1000 crown.
One of Djokovic’s potential threats, third seed Alexander Zverev, breezed into the third round with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.
Both Casper Ruud and Zverev were put on Djokovic’s side of the draw and German Zverev could face the tournament favorite in the last four.
“I know I’m the sort of player who can lose to anyone, I’ve unfortunately done that in the past but I also know that I’m a player that once I do find my rhythm I can beat anyone and I hope this can be the week where I find it,” said Zverev after his win.
Ons Jabeur’s tough 2024 continued after being dumped out of the women’s tournament in the second round by Sofia Kenin 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.
World No. 9 Jabeur was beaten by unseeded American Kenin in a gruelling match which lasted two hours and 17 minutes in the hot Rome sunshine.
Tunisia’s Jabeur, who in 2022 became the first Arab player to win a WTA 1000 title, looked to be on the right track after reaching the quarterfinals in Madrid.
But she slumped to a poor defeat on Friday, continuing a dreadful season so far in which the 29-year-old has had to deal with a chronic knee injury resurfacing.
Jabeur has a losing record for the year, a far cry from the woman who looked like she had the world at her feet ahead of last year’s Wimbledon final, which she lost in straight sets to unfancied Marketa Vondrousova after blasting through a series of Grand Slam champions.
Neymar left off Brazil’s squad for Copa America. 17-year-old Endrick is included
- Neymar, who plays for Saudi club Al-Hilal and is recovering from a torn ACL, was expected to be omitted from the tournament in the US in June and July
- The 17-year-old Endrick, who will soon join Real Madrid, scored for Brazil in a 1-0 win over England at Wembley Stadium and in a 2-2 draw against Spain at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in March
RIO DE JANEIRO: Neymar was left off Brazil’s squad for the Copa America on Friday and teenage striker Endrick was included.
Neymar, who plays for Saudi club Al-Hilal and is recovering from a torn ACL, was expected to be omitted from the tournament in the US in June and July.
The 17-year-old Endrick, who will soon join Real Madrid, scored for Brazil in a 1-0 win over England at Wembley Stadium and in a 2-2 draw against Spain at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in March — the national team’s only matches since Dorival Junior took over as coach in January.
Striker Richarlison and midfielder Casemiro, who were starters for Brazil at the last World Cup in Qatar, also didn’t make the cut.
Brazil will play friendlies against the US and Mexico ahead of the tournament.
At the Copa America, Brazil will play in Group D with Costa Rica, Colombia and Paraguay.
Brazil squad:
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City) Bento (Athletico Paranaense)
Defenders: Danilo (Juventus), Yan Couto (Girona), Guilheme Arana (Atletico Mineiro), Wendell (Porto), Beraldo (Paris Saint-Germain), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Eder Militão (Real Madrid), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Andreas Pereira (Fulham), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), João Gomes (Wolverhampton), Lucas Paquetá (West Ham)
Forwards: Endrick (Palmeiras), Evanilson (Porto), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Raphinha (Barcelona), Savinho (Girona), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinícius Junior (Real Madrid)
Mbappe confirms he will leave PSG at end of season
- Mbappe’s arrival in the capital as a teenager in 2017 came after he had helped Monaco win the league title
PARIS: Kylian Mbappe confirmed on Friday that he will leave French champions Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, with Real Madrid widely expected to be his next destination.
The announcement brings an end to a prolific association with his hometown team, which began when he signed from Monaco in 2017 in a deal worth 180 million euros ($194 million).
“I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks,” Mbappe, 25, said in a video posted on social media.
“I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.”
PSG have already secured the Ligue 1 title, their 10th in the last 12 seasons, and the Qatar-owned club will pick up the trophy after Sunday’s game against Toulouse, which will be their last of the campaign on home turf.
Luis Enrique’s side were eliminated from the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals on Tuesday when a 1-0 loss in the second leg at home sealed a surprise 2-0 aggregate defeat.
It means Mbappe will be denied the send-off he had hoped for in the Champions League final at Wembley on June 1 and will end his seven-year spell at PSG without ever having won Europe’s elite club competition.
Mbappe informed PSG privately in February of his intention to depart when his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
The 2018 World Cup winner had never confirmed publicly he was leaving, though, far less said where he will be going next, but it appears certain that he is bound for Real Madrid.
Spanish media have claimed for several months that Mbappe has signed an agreement which would see him join the Liga champions in July once his PSG deal runs out.
“It’s a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honor to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world,” said Mbappe.
“It allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player of course, by being alongside some of the best in history, some of the greatest champions,” he added.
“It’s hard and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that... but I think I needed this, a new challenge, after seven years.”
Mbappe’s arrival in the capital as a teenager in 2017 came after he had helped Monaco win the league title.
After initially joining PSG on loan, his transfer fee became — and still is — the second largest in football history.
It came just weeks after PSG paid a world-record 222 million euros to sign Neymar from Barcelona.
PSG have dominated French football since their 2011 Qatari takeover, but despite also adding Lionel Messi to their line-up for two seasons, European success has remained tantalisingly out of reach for a club that has spent billions on some of the world’s best players.
The closest they came was the 2020 Champions League final defeat by Bayern Munich, when PSG academy graduate Kingsley Coman scored the winning goal against his former club.
The defeat to Dortmund this week ruled out the prospect of Mbappe facing his likely future employers, 14-time European champions Real Madrid, in this year’s final.
Mbappe did not find the net in that tie but has scored 43 goals in all competitions this season, with 26 of those coming in Ligue 1.
He will still hope to add to his club-record tally of 255 goals for PSG and win another medal in the French Cup final on May 25 — Mbappe has so far won six Ligue 1 titles, three French Cups and the now defunct League Cup twice in his seven years at his hometown team.
After Sunday’s game, PSG will complete their league campaign with away matches at Nice and at relegation-threatened Metz, before Mbappe wraps up his career with the club in that Cup final in Lille.
Mbappe was frozen out at the start of the campaign with the club putting pressure on him to sign a new deal or agree to be sold rather than simply run down the last year of his contract.
His relationship with PSG boss Luis Enrique has also come under the spotlight since he told the Qatar-owned club of his plans to leave earlier this year.
Now the worst-kept secret is out and Mbappe’s departure follows that of Messi and Neymar at the end of last season, which left PSG in a period of transition, but the loss of the France captain is an even greater blow.
