Verstappen three-peat, Hamilton retirement and more things learned from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

An exciting season finale in Abu Dhabi saw Max Verstappen wrap up his stellar Formula One campaign with yet another race victory in Abu Dhabi. (Reuters)
An exciting season finale in Abu Dhabi saw Max Verstappen wrap up his stellar Formula One campaign with yet another race victory in Abu Dhabi. (Reuters)
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Updated 21 November 2022

Verstappen three-peat, Hamilton retirement and more things learned from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Verstappen three-peat, Hamilton retirement and more things learned from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
  • A sold-out Grand Prix saw scores of celebrities turn up to witness the action at Yas Marina Circuit

ABU DHABI: An exciting season finale in Abu Dhabi saw Max Verstappen wrap up his stellar Formula One campaign with yet another race victory.

A sold-out Grand Prix saw scores of celebrities turn up to witness the action at Yas Marina Circuit. From Pep Guardiola to Shaquille O’Neal to Usher to Usain Bolt… the race in the UAE capital was a star-studded affair.

Here’s what we learned from the F1 season-closer...

Max pulls off Abu Dhabi hattrick

World champion Max Verstappen picked up a third consecutive victory at Yas Marina Circuit, marking the first time he has pulled off a three-peat at the same race in his career.

The Red Bull man concluded the season with 15 victories from 22 races in 2022 and he can’t wait to try and do it all over again next year.

“It's been really enjoyable to work with the whole team and to be able to achieve something like this this year,” said Verstappen.

“I know it's going to be hard to replicate something like this. But it's also very good motivation to try and do well again next year.”

Strategy pays off for Ferrari

In the battle for the runner-up spot in the drivers’ championship, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc pipped Sergio Perez by placing second at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of the Red Bull driver, who completed the podium in third.

A one-stop strategy from Ferrari for Leclerc made all the difference and it not only secured second place for the Monegasque driver, but also second place for the Italian marque in the constructors’ championship.

“I was 110 percent from the first lap to the last lap,” said Leclerc, who outscored Perez by just three points in the drivers’ standings.

“Honestly, we had the perfect race for us, there was not much more today. I knew that the only possibility for us to beat Checo (Perez) today was with a different strategy and playing with the tyre management, which we did really well today. And we managed to make the one-stop work. So really, really happy.”

Vettel hopes to leave lasting legacy

Sebastian Vettel’s F1 career ended with a 10th place finish in Abu Dhabi and featured some thrilling battles with Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo.

The four-time world champion enjoyed an emotional weekend filled with tributes from within the F1 paddock and beyond and he left the track with some lovely words about the legacy he hopes to leave behind in the sport.

“I feel a bit empty, to be honest, it's been a big weekend,” said the Aston Martin driver.

“I think the last two years have been very, maybe disappointing from a sporting point of view, but very, very useful and important to me in my life, a lot of things happened. A lot of things that I realized.

“I think it's a huge privilege being in the position that we are in and with that comes some responsibility. So I hope to pass on a little bit to the other drivers to carry on some of the good work.

“It's great to see that we have the power to inspire you with what we do and what we say. So I think there are far bigger and far more important things than racing in circles, but obviously it's what we love and through that if we can transfer some of the really important values that's big.

“And I think for that the last two years have been great for me.”

Hamilton’s streak is broken

Lewis Hamilton’s streak of 15 consecutive seasons in which he has won at least one race has come to an end after failing to top the podium at any Grand Prix throughout his 2022 campaign.

Since making his F1 debut in 2007, Hamilton had won a race in every single year he has competed in Formula One up until this season.

2022 is also the first season in Hamilton’s career in which he hasn't scored a pole position.

His year to forget ended with a car retirement at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with just three laps to go, and the seven-time world champion is grateful his season with Mercedes’ W13 car is finally over.

“I’m looking forward to the end of Tuesday because it’s the last time I will drive this car and I don’t ever plan to drive this one again,” Hamilton had said after qualifying on Saturday.

He joked on Sunday that he might “call in sick” so he doesn’t have to drive the car during the Pirelli test at Yas Marina Circuit on Tuesday.

“I always believed right until the last race that there was potentially a chance [to win],” Hamilton said after his DNF in the UAE capital.

“I think it’s important to hold onto hope and just keep working. I gave it everything and the last race was almost like the whole season; it summed up the whole year. Glad it’s done.”

Wolff focused on giving drivers a competitive car

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff said on Saturday the W13 provided a necessary learning experience for them and joked that it will “not be forgotten as the car that dominated the Brazilian Grand Prix”.

“I think this car will always have a special place in our collection, very far back. But I think that hopefully the next years will do her justice. Because the learning curve with that car was enormous. Our fundamental understanding of aerodynamic, vehicle dynamics correlation has gone through a step change of learning.”

Wolff believes Hamilton will not be too disheartened by seeing his streak of annual victories snapped and says the most important thing is to get both his drivers in a competitive car in 2023.

“Lewis says that the one victory a year isn’t really a record that bothers him,” said Wolff.

“And if I’m trying to put myself in his shoes, where I was before Brazil, it didn’t particularly bother me whether we could win a race this season because all our eyes are already on next year.

“But then having won one (George Russell’s triumph in Brazil), it felt pretty good, certainly nobody can say, ‘Well they didn’t win a race that year’.

“So I don’t think that this particular record is an important one for him. But we need to provide him with a car next year that he can fight for victories and the championship, that’s most important and he knows that.”

Alpine secure deserved fourth

Esteban Ocon can breathe a huge sigh of relief as his stressful weekend in Abu Dhabi ended with him placing seventh in the race, which helped his Alpine team lock down fourth place in the constructors’ championship, ahead of McLaren.

With his teammate Fernando Alonso unable to complete the race due to a suspected water leak in his car, Ocon carried the burden alone at Yas Marina Circuit and the Frenchman certainly delivered.

“I’m very, very pleased with the result that we got today. Obviously one more lap and we could have probably got Lando (Norris). It was very, very close race the whole way but that doesn’t matter; all the targets that we set ourselves are accomplished,” said Ocon.

“We finished fourth in the constructors’ championship, thank God for that, I lost two and a half kilos this weekend of stress and being too focused. It is also my best season in Formula One in terms of points. So I’m very pleased with that. A good job by the whole team to develop the car so much over the year and hopefully we can close even more the gap for next year.”

McLaren’s Lando Norris finished sixth in Abu Dhabi – and set the fastest lap – to end his campaign in seventh place in the drivers’ championship, just one spot off his position from last year.

“It’s where we deserve to be, P5,” said Norris of McLaren’s place in the constructors’ championship.

“I guess you feel very disappointed when there’s a shot at P4 and you could have had it. But we’ve had bad weekend of reliability. Alpine have had four, five. They’ve been the quicker car the majority of the year.

“I think to have kept in the fight with them for so long proves how good of a job we’ve done with a worse package honestly. And therefore that’s why I’m quite happy. We’re P5 but there are a lot of good things about the job that we’re doing. It’s just you need a good car and we just started too far behind in the beginning of the season.”

Ricciardo looks to ‘rebuild’ himself

Daniel Ricciardo has no idea if Abu Dhabi was his last-ever race in Formula One, but the Australian is entering the unknown with a solid perspective on how he can use his time away from the cockpit to his advantage.

McLaren ended Ricciardo’s contract early and he will be without a seat for next year. He is likely to sign a deal as a reserve driver for his former team, Red Bull, but assures he would only be around for “at most a dozen” races in 2023.

“The role I’ll have will not be 24 races. If I was there 24 races then I’ll probably be on the grid racing. I wanted to make that clear that, look, I want to still be involved, but personally for me, for my own headspace, I need some time away from the travel and everything,” explained Ricciardo.

A fan favorite and popular figure in the paddock, Ricciardo finished ninth in Abu Dhabi, despite a three-grid place penalty for his crash with Kevin Magnussen in Brazil the previous week.

“I’m relieved that the season finished like this and not like the race in Brazil. To see the chequered flag, to finish in the points, just makes me a little more at peace with how this year has ended,” said Ricciardo.

Asked about how it might feel next season being at a Grand Prix without being able to race, he said: “That’s honestly a feeling which in a way, I hope, makes me a little bit agitated, makes me hungry, makes me a little bit edgy.

“I’ll truly know then if my place is back on the grid. If I’m watching as a fan and not really caring too much, then I also have my answer that, okay then, my future looks different. I hope to get these feelings of course, I’m sure I will.

“But it also allows me some time off and some time to rebuild myself. Just to get a year of not so many highs and lows, just something a bit more balanced, also just for me personally I think will make me a little more consistent and a little happier.”

Adaptation key for Sainz in 2023

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz believes he may have to adjust his driving style to be as competitive as his teammate Leclerc next year but is pleased with the progress he has made in 2022.

The Spaniard finished fifth in the championship this year – just like in 2021 – and scored 62 fewer points than Leclerc.

Sainz says his relationship with his teammate is as strong as ever and was thrilled to see Leclerc secure second in Abu Dhabi.

“I think he absolutely deserves it,” said Sainz. “I think he deserves to finish second this year. He’s been super strong all season with this generation of cars. He’s been driving extremely well and I may have to adapt and change a bit my driving to try and be closer to him. But congrats because he did a great season.”

Sainz says Ferrari were “out-developed” by Red Bull and Mercedes in the second half of the season, which explains why they were unable to win any of the last 11 races of 2022.

“Very simply, Red Bull is the stronger package, together with Max and we need to catch up a bit and out-develop them next year,” added Sainz.

“We want to beat them. I think it’s fair, it’s our first year back in the fight for the championship, so there’s still things we need to learn, while Red Bull have been there with Merc the last two seasons. And we are a bit new for this. We’ll learn a lot from this.”

 

 


Ushba Tesoro wins Dubai World Cup for Japan

Ushba Tesoro produced a remarkable run to come from the back of the field under jockey Yuga Kawada and win the Dubai World Cup
Ushba Tesoro produced a remarkable run to come from the back of the field under jockey Yuga Kawada and win the Dubai World Cup
Updated 12 sec ago

Ushba Tesoro wins Dubai World Cup for Japan

Ushba Tesoro produced a remarkable run to come from the back of the field under jockey Yuga Kawada and win the Dubai World Cup
  • 6-year-old Ushba Tesoro, who had won five of his six starts since being switched to the dirt, ran down Doyle’s mount to win

DUBAI: Ushba Tesoro produced a remarkable run to come from the back of the field under jockey Yuga Kawada and win the $12 million Dubai World Cup for Japan on Saturday.
“I’m very proud of my horse and myself for winning the greatest race in the world,” Kawada said.
Bendoog looked comfortable under Christophe Soumillon with Saudi Cup winner Panthalassa, who had been drawn wide, in company early on in the 10-furlong (2,000-meter) showpiece.
When they turned for home, James Doyle aboard the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Algiers looked the likely winner and went a length clear with 1 1/2 furlongs left.
But the 6-year-old Ushba Tesoro, who had won five of his six starts since being switched to the dirt, ran down Doyle’s mount to win going away by 2 3/4 lengths. It was Japan’s second success in the race, following Victoire Pisa in 2011.
“I thought he would be in with a chance at the 100-meter mark," winning trainer Noboru Takagi said.
DETTORI HAT TRICK
Lord North and Frankie Dettori completed a hat trick in the Dubai Turf race when holding off the late challenge of Danon Beluga in another pulsating renewal of the Grade One contest.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained 7-year-old had dead-heated with Panthalassa in this nine-furlong contest last year, having first won it in 2021.
“It’s my farewell season and to win this on a horse that has done three years in a row is fantastic," Dettori said.


UAE team defeat Brazil to triumph at Jiu-Jitsu Championship

UAE team defeat Brazil to triumph at Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Updated 12 min 20 sec ago

UAE team defeat Brazil to triumph at Jiu-Jitsu Championship

UAE team defeat Brazil to triumph at Jiu-Jitsu Championship
  • Winners bag 12 gold, 11 silver, 11 bronze medals at tournament
  • Dubai Sports Council, Jiu-Jitsu Federation co-organized the NAS Sports Tournament under the theme ‘Limitless Abilities’

DUBAI: The UAE team emerged as winners at the Jiu-Jitsu Championship at the 10th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament 2023, the Emirates News Agency reported on Saturday.
The Emirati team amassed 827 points to give them top spot in the countries’ rankings, ahead of Brazil, and Kazakhstan.
The UAE athletes clinched 12 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze medals.
The Dubai Sports Council and the UAE’s Jiu-Jitsu Federation co-organized the NAS Sports Tournament under the theme “Limitless Abilities.”
The Emirati team showed exceptional skill, technique, and physical prowess throughout the tournament, showcasing their ability in every fight.
The event drew athletes from various clubs and academies, who competed in juvenile, adult, and masters’ divisions in both men’s and women’s sections.
Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club emerged as winners in the club category. The Emirati outfit dominated the competition, winning 17 medals including six golds across several categories.
Baniyas finished second after clinching 16 medals, with Sharjah Self-Defense Club finishing third after collecting 12 medals in different categories.
Alongside the UAE, Brazil and Kazakhstan, other participating countries included the Philippines, Tajikistan, Iran, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Russia, Uzbekistan, Syria, Jordan, the US, Peru, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, and others.


Tuchel ready for tough start at Bayern after surprise move

Tuchel ready for tough start at Bayern after surprise move
Updated 25 March 2023

Tuchel ready for tough start at Bayern after surprise move

Tuchel ready for tough start at Bayern after surprise move
  • Tuchel goes straight into crucial games, starting with German title rival — and Tuchel’s former club — Borussia Dortmund on April 1
  • Ten days later, Bayern play Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the Champions League

MUNICH: New Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged Saturday he faces a challenging start to his new job after his surprise hiring Friday to replace Julian Nagelsmann.
Tuchel goes straight into crucial games, starting with German title rival — and Tuchel’s former club — Borussia Dortmund on April 1.
“The challenge can’t be any greater,” Tuchel said.
Ten days later, Bayern play Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
There will be little time to rest or practice new tactics, with many Bayern players currently away with their national teams and then seven games in the first 22 days of April.
“I was relatively naive in the first conversation (with Bayern). In the first 30 seconds I didn’t know what we were discussing or what it was about,” Tuchel said.
Once it became clear Bayern wanted him to take charge immediately, “it occurred to me that it actually begins right away with Dortmund with an international break beforehand.”
Bayern against Dortmund is “the” game in German soccer, he added.
Tuchel said the move came as a surprise and that as recently as Tuesday he had no contact with Bayern. He imagined his next job would be outside of Germany, he added, but that he had been following Bayern’s season with interest.
Tuchel hasn’t worked in Germany since 2017. When he left, the only major trophy he’d won was the German Cup with Dortmund. He returns having won two French titles at Paris Saint-Germain and the Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea.
Bayern can still win three titles this season — the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League.
Consistency is a concern after Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn highlighted that as a reason for getting rid of Nagelsmann.
Bayern are likely to be looking for Tuchel to get the best out of players like Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry, whose form has dropped off this season, and Sadio Mané, who has rarely been at his best in an injury-disrupted season since joining from Liverpool.
Sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić said the club backed Nagelsmann as concerns grew over the team’s performance but decided on a change at a meeting Monday, a day after a loss to Bayer Leverkusen cost Bayern the Bundesliga lead.
“When you see that this curve of performance is going down, you’re forced to react,” he said, asked if Bayern had reacted to the possibility Tuchel might take a job elsewhere. “Fortunately, there was a top option on the market and it happened quickly.”


Qatar’s Al Thani submits new $6 bln bid for Manchester United — Sky News​

Qatar’s Al Thani submits new $6 bln bid for Manchester United — Sky News​
Updated 25 March 2023

Qatar’s Al Thani submits new $6 bln bid for Manchester United — Sky News​

Qatar’s Al Thani submits new $6 bln bid for Manchester United — Sky News​

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has submitted a new bid to buy Manchester United which is believed to be worth around 5 billion pounds ($6.12 billion), Sky News reported on Saturday.
Sheikh Jassim, a son of Qatar’s former prime minister, launched the bid in February. A spokesperson representing Sheikh Jassim said at the time that the bid was completely debt free, via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation.
Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus also placed a bid on Thursday and told Reuters that he was willing to pay a premium for the English soccer club.
United’s current owners, the Glazer family, began looking at options for the record 20-times English champions in November, including new investment or a potential sale, 17 years after they bought the Old Trafford club.
Manchester United did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

($1 = 0.8177 pounds)


Grizzlies clinch playoff berth with rout of Rockets, Warriors down 76ers

Grizzlies clinch playoff berth with rout of Rockets, Warriors down 76ers
Updated 25 March 2023

Grizzlies clinch playoff berth with rout of Rockets, Warriors down 76ers

Grizzlies clinch playoff berth with rout of Rockets, Warriors down 76ers
  • Eight Grizzlies players converted from beyond the arc and Kennard was the most ruthlessly efficient of all
  • Anthony Davis scored 37 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Lakers boosted their post-season hopes with a 116-111 victory over Oklahoma City Thunder

LOS ANGELES: The Memphis Grizzlies clinched an NBA playoff berth in emphatic style on Friday, with Luke Kennard leading a dazzling display from three-point range in a 151-114 rout of the Houston Rockets.

Kennard set a franchise record with 10 three-pointers — on just 11 attempts — as Memphis set a franchise record with 25 from beyond the arc.

Their 25 treys came on just 42 attempts. Eight Grizzlies players converted from beyond the arc and Kennard was the most ruthlessly efficient of all.

“It feels like every shot I take is going to go in,” Kennard said after scoring 30 points.

Desmond Bane added 25 points and two-time All-Star Ja Morant added 18 in a confident performance off the bench in his second game back from an eight-game NBA suspension for brandishing a gun at a nightclub.

Even against Western Conference stragglers Houston, it was an impressive display.

Most importantly, Kennard said, it was the team’s most complete game since his arrival.

“Playing hard, playing fast, communicating a lot better,” he said. “We put it together for about a 48-minute game, so it was a fun game. I love the way we played — we’ve just got to build off that.”

In Salt Lake City, the Milwaukee Bucks made 22 three-pointers in a 144-116 wire-to-wire victory over the Utah Jazz that preserved their two-and-a-half-game lead over Boston atop the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics kept the pressure on with a 120-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers while third-placed Philadelphia slipped back with a 120-112 loss to the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.

Grayson Allen scored a season-high 25 points for Milwaukee, draining five three-pointers. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and handed out 11 assists for the Bucks before sitting out the fourth quarter.

The Greek superstar took a hard foul early in the game and grabbed his right wrist — the same wrist he injured in February.

But if Antetokounmpo was slowed, the Bucks weren’t. They drained eight three-pointers — four by Allen — in the first quarter and Brook Lopez had four of his seven blocks in the first frame as they seized control.

Six Bucks players scored in double figures and Milwaukee dished out 42 assists.

“It’s a really fun way to play,” Allen said. “We were getting the ball up the court super quick today. A bunch of those possessions were less than five seconds — you get, like, three passes in and a good shot.”

In Boston, Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 34 points – his 40th 30-point game of the season, setting a franchise record.

Jaylen Brown added 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Derrick White chipped in 22 points for Boston, who outscored the Pacers 32-21 in the third quarter and rolled from there.

Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner scored 20 apiece for Indiana, who are chasing the Chicago Bulls for 10th place in the East and the final play-in tournament berth.

The Bulls beat the Trail Blazers 124-96 in Portland.

In San Francisco, Jordan Poole scored 33 points and Stephen Curry added 29 as the reigning champion Warriors withstood 46 points from Sixers star Joel Embiid.

With James Harden sidelined by injury, Embiid had Philadelphia poised to hand Golden State a rare home defeat.

He made 19 of 22 free throws, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out eight assists, and Philadelphia led by 11 early in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors pulled level four times in the period before Curry got past Embiid for the go-ahead bank shot with 2:20 remaining.

In Los Angeles, Anthony Davis scored 37 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Lakers boosted their post-season hopes with a 116-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers, with superstar LeBron James sidelined by a foot injury, have won three straight and at 37-37 are level with the Minnesota Timberwolves for seventh in the West.