DOHA: Max Verstappen avenged his overnight demotion from pole position by clinching his ninth win of the season and 63rd of his career with a dominant triumph for Red Bull in Sunday’s crash-hit and controversial Qatar Grand Prix.
In a race shaped by a litany of stewards’ decisions and penalties, including a harsh late 10-second ‘stop-go’ for Lando Norris of McLaren, the newly-crowned four-time world champion was flawless as he came home six seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
That result meant McLaren, even with Oscar Piastri finishing third, were unable to clinch a first constructors title since 1998 and have to try again in the final race in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes, despite being handed a late time penalty, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Zhou Guanyu of Sauber, who scored his and the team’s first points of the season.
Kevin Magnussen was ninth for Haas and Norris, after a ferocious finale following his penalty, was 10th for McLaren.
Verstappen’s success was not enough to keep alive Red Bull’s challenge for the teams’ title which left McLaren top with 640, 21 points clear of Ferrari with one race to go.
“I am very happy with that,” said Verstappen, who has recovered his form in the last three races. “It’s been a long time since we had victory in the dry and it’s great for the team to be so competitive again.”
Leclerc said he was happy with second and forecast a “very tight” finish in the championship next weekend. “But 21 points is still a big margin,” he added.
The Dutchman’s overnight loss of pole, for driving too slowly and causing Russell to take evasive action, had gifted the Mercedes’ driver his career fifth pole and second in succession.
Fired up by that stewards’ decision, Verstappen made an excellent start to power by Russell and lead into Turn One with Norris squeezing through to take second before the opening lap was red-flagged for a Safety Car.
A crash involving Nico Hulkenberg, who lost the rear of his Haas and spun into Ocon’s Alpine, the pair taking the innocent Franco Colapinto with them in his Williams, caused the pause. It was the luckless Williams team’s 16th crash of the season.
Racing resumed on lap five with the top three unchanged ahead of Leclerc and Piastri, who swiftly jumped back to fourth, a move that kept both McLarens ahead of the two Ferraris.
For McLaren, it was going to plan, a description not claimed by Hamilton. After a false start, he was eighth with a five-second penalty.
His Mercedes team-mate Russell also suffered misfortunes, pitting after 24 laps in a slow seven seconds — due to a recalcitrant right rear wheel — and dropping from third to rejoin 12th on hards.
Russell’s problems lifted Piastri to third, 8.7 behind Norris, the two McLarens sitting ahead of Leclerc and Sainz, in fourth and fifth, with Verstappen on top before an errant mirror, from Magnussen’s Haas car, fell on the main straight, bringing double waved yellows.
Valtteri Bottas ran over the mirror on the lap 34, sending debris across the circuit. Hamilton and Sainz collected punctures and pitted before a belated Safety Car was deployed as Piastri and then the rest came in.
Leclerc profited by moving up to third, ahead of Piastri, who stopped before the SC interval, while Hamilton fell to 16th and Russell, angry after taking another set of hards, was seventh. “Why have we put hards on?” he screamed.
Max Verstappen wins Qatar GP, F1 teams title race goes on after Lando Norris penalty
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Max Verstappen wins Qatar GP, F1 teams title race goes on after Lando Norris penalty
- That result meant McLaren, even with Oscar Piastri finishing third, were unable to clinch a first constructors title since 1998
Carlos Alcaraz wins third-round match but loses ‘drop-shot battle’ at Australian Open
- The left-handed Moutet mixed things up for Alcaraz in an almost festival Friday vibe
- “When you play someone like Corentin you don’t know what’s going to be next,” Alcaraz said
MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz had to acknowledge that while he won the third-round match, he lost the battle of the drop shots against Corentin Moutet.
That could be a first for the 22-year-old Spaniard, who grew up relentlessly practicing his drop shots and is now at the Australian Open chasing a career Grand Slam.
The left-handed Moutet mixed things up for Alcaraz in an almost festival Friday vibe on Rod Laver Arena, his blend of drop shots, slice, lobs, tweeners, volleys and even an underarm serve keeping the world’s No. 1-ranked player on his toes.
“When you play someone like Corentin you don’t know what’s going to be next,” Alcaraz said after his 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 win over the No. 32 seed. “I had so much fun on the court. As you could see, we both pulled off great shots. Great points.”
Late in the first set, he said he was already fed up with tracking down drop shots and told his support team “I’m not going to run to get those.”
“I thought we were in a drop-shot competition,” Alcaraz added, laughing, “but he won!”
Ever the showman, Alcaraz chimed in with some of his own tricks and tweeners.
In the first round, Moutet was booed by the crowd for his underarm serve on match point. For his main arena debut, there was much more love from the crowd.
After a winning volley late in the match, he celebrated by extravagantly doffing his cap.
Alcaraz will next play Sunday against No. 19 Tommy Paul, who advanced when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired with an injury after dropping the first two sets 6-1, 6-1.
In night matches, No. 3 Alexander Zverev, the runner-up here last year, advanced 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 over Cameron Norrie and No. 6 Alex de Minaur ousted Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. De Minuar next plays No. 10 Alexander Bublik.
Sabalenka, Coco Gauff advance
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 Coco Gauff had tough routes through the third round.
Sabalenka said there were times she felt like her head, her hands and her racket were not connected but she still had just enough to squeeze past Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7).
Gauff weathered early trouble against Hailey Baptiste before advancing 3-6, 6-0-6-3, cutting down her unforced errors and not serving any double-faults in the second set. She next plays No. 19 Karolina Muchova.
Sabalenka , chasing her third Australian Open title in four years, led 6-5 and 40-0 in her opening set but Potapova saved all three set points to send it to a tiebreaker.
In the second set, Potapova recovered two service breaks and again force a tiebreaker. She then had three set points but Sabalenka rallied when the pressure was on.
“She played incredible tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I was always on the back foot. There are days where you just have to fight — it was such a fight.”
Sabalenka won the Australian Open title in 2023 and 2024 and was the runner-up a year ago to Madison Keys.
She next faces 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, who was one of three teenagers advancing on Day 6.
Great’s advice
The 18-year-old Iva Jovic beat No. 7 Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 7-6 (3), after getting some advice from 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic.
“He gave me some very attentive tips for my game,” the American said. “That was one of the things in the forefront of my mind, because I think when Novak gives you some advice, you follow it.”
She’ll next play Yulia Putintseva, who shrugged off a vocal crowd to end Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez ‘s run, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3.
No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, who at 18 is into the fourth round in Australia for the third straight year, will next play No. 12 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who beat Diana Shnaider of Russia 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Tien-Medvedev revisited
Daniil Medvedev rallied for a 6-7 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 victory over Fabian Marozsan, the fifth time he’s rallied from two-sets down to win a Grand Slam match.
The 2021 US Open champion next has a rematch with Learner Tien, who upset him here last year.
Heating up
Play will begin an hour earlier than initially scheduled Saturday because of high temperatures expected at Melbourne Park. The forecast is for a high of 40 degrees Celsius (104 F).
