Reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen on Saturday continued his dominant form by winning the sprint from pole at the Austrian Grand Prix to extend his championship lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to 70 points.
The closest Verstappen came to losing his grip on the race was when Perez overtook him at the start and they almost bumped into each other when jostling for position into the corner. Verstappen was clearly annoyed by the incident immediately after the race and complained about it on the team radio, but downplayed it later and said the two teammates had already cleared the air.
“We don’t need to make this a big story, you know? It’s what happens sometimes. We talk about it, we clear it and that’s fine. That’s how human beings work. Sometimes you question, you answer, you solve it,” he said, before adding in a lighthearted tone. “You don’t need to write a whole article about it ... I hope. Or maybe you can, to get the clicks.”
Photo: AP
It was Verstappen’s fifth straight win when including the past four Grand Prix races.
Verstappen was set to start the full race from pole position yesterday, when he would aim for a 42nd career Grand Prix win to move one ahead of the late Ayrton Senna and stand alone in fifth place on F1’s all-time list of winners.
Verstappen collected eight points in the sprint — which he also won here last year — and Perez got seven for finishing second. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr collected six points with third place in the 24-lap sprint.
It was a welcome boost for Perez following a dip in form. Since earning his second victory of the season at the Azerbaijan GP in late April and following up with second place at the Miami GP to maintain his title push, he has drifted away after finishing 16th, fourth and sixth.
“I mean I haven’t lost it [my confidence], from winning races to all of a sudden being a very bad driver,” the 33-year-old Mexican driver said. “I know that I’ve had a rough period. Many drivers have had that, but it seems to be even bigger when a Red Bull driver has it.”
Aston Martin’s Lance stroll took fourth place (five points) ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso (four points), Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg (three points), Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (two) and Mercedes driver George Russell (one).
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946