Andretti Global clears first hurdle to join Formula One as an 11th team with FIA expansion approval

Andretti Global clears first hurdle to join Formula One as an 11th team with FIA expansion approval
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Updated 03 October 2023
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Andretti Global clears first hurdle to join Formula One as an 11th team with FIA expansion approval

Andretti Global clears first hurdle to join Formula One as an 11th team with FIA expansion approval

NEW YORK: Michael Andretti cleared a major hurdle in his bid to launch an American team in Formula One after the FIA said Monday that Andretti Global meets all required criteria to expand the world’s top motorsports series to 11 teams.

The decision does not guarantee Andretti will get the two-car team he wants and just how far he has to go was made clear in the brusque response issued by F1 after the announcement.

“We note the FIA’s conclusions in relation to the first and second phases of their process and will now conduct our own assessment of the merits of the remaining application,” Formula One said in a statement.

Liberty Media holds the F1 commercial rights and it is to the corporate giant that Andretti Global and partner Cadillac must next prove their commercial value. Liberty Media and F1 President Stefano Domenicali have mostly sided with the existing 10 teams, which vehemently oppose expanding the 20-car grid. The teams, however, have no vote on expansion.

Approval from the FIA was a first, important step in Andretti’s three-year quest to return his family’s storied name to the pinnacle of auto racing. Mario Andretti, his father, won the 1978 F1 championship and Michael ran 13 races in 1993.

The father and son are among the most successful racers in American open wheel history and rank third and fourth on IndyCar’s all-time win list. Michael Andretti said the Andretti Cadillac group was honored by the FIA’s approval.

“We appreciate the FIA’s rigorous, transparent and complete evaluation process and are incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to compete in such a historic and prestigious championship,” the statement said. “The formation of this distinctly American team is an important moment of pride for all our employees and fans. We feel strongly that Andretti Cadillac’s deep racing competencies and the technological advancements that come from racing will benefit our customers while heightening enthusiasm for F1, globally.”

Andretti said the team looked forward to engaging with the current F1 stakeholders.

California businessman Gene Haas owns an F1 team, but Andretti contends his team will truly represent the United States since Haas doesn’t field American drivers. Andretti’s plan had been to put Colton Herta in his car, but the 23-year-old Californian has failed to earn the Super License required to compete in F1.

Herta, who received both a lengthy and expensive contract extension before last season, went winless and finished 10th in the IndyCar standings. Teammate Kyle Kirkwood, who is from Florida, won twice and received his own contract extension last month.

So Andretti has American options and has insisted that with the support of Cadillac, his team would truly represent the red, white and blue. Haas does operate a portion of his team in North Carolina.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been vocally supportive of the Andretti effort and formalized that by sending it to the next stage.

“Andretti Formula Racing LLC was the only entity which fulfills the selection criteria that was set in all material respects,” he said. “I congratulate Michael Andretti and his team on a thorough submission.”

Ben Sulayem, who took over as head of FIA in late 2021, led the opening this year of the process for potential new teams after Andretti petitioned for the grid to be expanded to allow new entrants. Andretti’s motion came after his failed 2021 bid to purchase an existing team.

The FIA received seven applicants at the first phase. Five went through to the second round, which required a $300,000 fee and deep-dive by F1’s governing body. Only four applicants completed the entire process; Andretti, with engines that would be General Motors-badged under the Cadillac banner, was deemed to be the only worthy applicant.

The applicant had to meet FIA’s sporting, technical and financial requirements to be recommended as a future team. Ben Sulayem said Monday “our objective, after rigorous due diligence during the application phase, was to only approve prospective entries which satisfied the set criteria and illustrated that they would add value to the sport.”

Most of the existing teams have been publicly against expanding the grid for anyone, even an American with General Motors branding. F1 this year will have three races in the US, five in North America, and has targeted a new sponsorship market by tapping into American popularity of the European racing series.

Current F1 teams — namely top players Red Bull and Mercedes — argue they have invested too much into F1 for someone to buy their way into the series. There is a $200 million anti-dilution fee for any new entrant, but the teams have argued expansion takes away from their financial cut.

And, they’ve said, if Andretti wants a team so bad then he should just buy one. None admit to being for sale as the value of an F1 team has gone up tremendously with the popular Netflix docudrama “Drive to Survive.”

Ben Sulayem said opening the process for new teams to join “also attracted further commitment from Audi, Honda and Ford and interest from Porsche and General Motors.”

This was the third time the FIA has been opened to pitches from potential teams. The first, in 2009, led to four teams joining the series but all eventually went bankrupt and are no longer part of the sport. For that reason, the parameters to join F1 and the entire application process is now extremely stringent.

Haas got his team in a 2014 expression of interest and remains on the F1 grid. Haas launched in 2016 and has already said that Kevin Magnussen of Denmark and Nico Hulkenberg of Germany will return next season.


Tottenham snatch point at Manchester City in classic after Liverpool drama

Tottenham snatch point at Manchester City in classic after Liverpool drama
Updated 20 sec ago
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Tottenham snatch point at Manchester City in classic after Liverpool drama

Tottenham snatch point at Manchester City in classic after Liverpool drama
  • Champions City looked set to move to within one point of leaders Arsenal when they led Spurs 3-2 in the dying minutes
  • Liverpool turned the tables in dramatic fashion against Fulham

LONDON: Dejan Kulusevski headed a dramatic late goal as Tottenham held Manchester City in a six-goal thriller on Sunday after Liverpool staged a sensational comeback on a breathless afternoon in the Premier League.
High-flying Aston Villa scored in the 90th minute to draw 2-2 at Bournemouth while 10-man Chelsea shrugged off a red card for captain Conor Gallagher to edge Brighton 3-2 on a day when 24 goals were scored in five matches.
Champions City looked set to move to within one point of leaders Arsenal when they led Spurs 3-2 in the dying minutes at the Etihad.
But Kulusevski headed home from Brennan Johnson’s cross in the 90th minute to leave City ruing dropped points for the third match running.
Son Heung-min put the away side ahead in the sixth minute but three minutes later the South Korean forward turned villain, putting the ball into his own net.
Phil Foden put City in front just after the half hour following a sweeping move but Giovani Lo Celso levelled about 20 minutes from time.
Jack Grealish restored the home side’s lead once more, only for Kulusevski to stun the Etihad late on.
“Of course that’s why we love football,” Tottenham captain Son told Sky Sports. “That’s what I told the lads.
“Obviously Man City are a huge, huge team and one of the best teams in the world but that’s why we love football, it happens sometimes. We kept believing until 90 minutes so I’m very very proud of the team.”
Earlier, Liverpool appeared set for their first home defeat in the Premier League since October 2022 when they went 3-2 down to Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s goal in the 80th minute.
But they turned the tables in dramatic fashion through Wataru Endo and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who struck in the 87th and 88th minutes for a 4-3 win.
It was the latest Liverpool have ever fallen behind in a Premier League match that they went on to win.
“We played an incredible game until we didn’t anymore,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told the BBC.
“All credit to Fulham, they did really well. Today we scored four worldies and were lucky in the end to win the game, and that tells you everything.”
Alexander-Arnold set Liverpool on their way in the 20th minute when his brilliant free-kick clipped the underside of the crossbar and went in off Fulham keeper Bernd Leno for an own goal.
Harry Wilson levelled before Alexis Mac Allister produced a moment of magic to restore the home side’s lead, unleashing a rising drive that found the top corner for his first Liverpool goal.
But Fulham equalized through Kenny Tete before half time and the London side looked set for a sensational victory when substitute De Cordova-Reid nodded home their third with 10 minutes of normal time to go.
However, Liverpool were not finished. Mohamed Salah set up Endo, who found the net from the edge of the box and Alexander-Arnold drove the ball home a minute later, sparking wild scenes at Anfield.
Chelsea recorded just their second Premier League home win of the season against Brighton, despite being reduced to 10 men before half-time.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men were cruising midway through the first half after goals from Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill.
Facundo Buonanotte halved the deficit for the visitors shortly before half-time and there was still time for Gallagher to pick up a second yellow card before the break, changing the complexion of the match.
Fernandez restored Chelsea’s two-goal cushion from the penalty spot, but Joao Pedro struck in stoppage time to heap the pressure on the home side but they held on.
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins headed home a cross from Moussa Diaby in the 90th minute to rescue a point Unai Emery’s team, which kept them in fourth place.
At the London Stadium, Mohammed Kudus put West Ham ahead in the first half, before Odsonne Edouard equalized in the second period to earn a point for Crystal Palace.


Fatima Sana, Shawaal Zulfiqar lead Pakistan women to historic win against New Zealand

Fatima Sana, Shawaal Zulfiqar lead Pakistan women to historic win against New Zealand
Updated 1 min 2 sec ago
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Fatima Sana, Shawaal Zulfiqar lead Pakistan women to historic win against New Zealand

Fatima Sana, Shawaal Zulfiqar lead Pakistan women to historic win against New Zealand
  • Pakistan defeated New Zealand women by seven wickets in the first T20I
  • Player of the match Fatima Sana took three wickets, Shawaal scored 41 runs

DUNEDIN: Pakistan women’s team created history on Sunday as they defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in the first T20I at the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin.  

Chasing 128-run target, Pakistan’s opening pair of Shawaal Zulfiqar and Muneeba Ali provided a decent 40-run start to the innings. Muneeba (23 off 24, four fours) was the first batter to return to the pavilion.  

At that stage, captain Nida Dar promoted herself up in the order and knitted 51 runs for the second wicket with right-handed batter Shawaal. Playing her sixth T20I and first on New Zealand soil, 18-year-old Shawaal scored her highest T20I score of 41 off 42 balls, smashing seven boundaries. 

Following Shawaal’s departure at the end of the 13th over with 91 runs on the board, Nida too was dismissed after a quick-fire 23 off 14 balls, including a four and a six.  

With back-to-back wickets falling, the experienced pair of Bismah Maroof and Aliya Riaz got together and guided the team to a seven-wicket win with 10 balls to spare. Aliya returned unbeaten on 25 off 12 balls. Her innings included two fours and a six, the latter of which she struck on the second ball of the 19th over to finish the match. Bismah was undefeated on 13 off 18 balls, hitting a four. 

"The victory vibes in Dunedin," the Pakistan Cricket Board wrote on X, sharing scenes from Otago Oval. "Grateful for the support we received in the first T20I." 

 

 

 

This marked the first win for Pakistan women’s team over the White Ferns in the T20I format.  

Earlier, after opting to bat first, New Zealand were restricted to 127 for six courtesy of a fine bowling display by the touring side. Right-arm fast Fatima Sana, who missed the Bangladesh tour due to injury, capitalized on the overcast conditions and bowled a spell of four overs, giving away only 18 runs and bagging three wickets. Nida, Diana Baig and Aliya took a wicket each. 

For New Zealand, Maddy Green was the top run-getter, scoring 44 not out off 28 balls, hitting four fours. 

Pakistan will now take on New Zealand in the second T20I on Tuesday at the same venue, while the third and final T20I of the series will be played in Queenstown on December 9. 


Medjedovic upsets Fils to win 5-set Next Gen Finals championship match

Medjedovic upsets Fils to win 5-set Next Gen Finals championship match
Updated 03 December 2023
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Medjedovic upsets Fils to win 5-set Next Gen Finals championship match

Medjedovic upsets Fils to win 5-set Next Gen Finals championship match
  • First five-set final in six editions of the tournament

RIYADH: Hamad Medjedovic squandered two match points before he finally upset the top-seeded Arthur Fils and won the Next Gen Finals championship match on Saturday.
It was the first five-set final in six editions of the tournament.
Medjedovic missed the chance to seal it in four but converted his third match point in the fifth to beat Fils 3-4 (6), 4-1, 4-2, 3-4 (9), 4-1 after two hours, 11 minutes.
The 20-year-old Medjedovic did not lose a match on his way to becoming the first Serbian to win the tournament for the top eight players aged 21 or under.
The tournament was held in Saudi Arabia for the first time after it was played in Milan ever since the inaugural edition in 2017. Besides shorter sets, other changes to the usual tennis rules included shorter changeovers and less time on the shot clock for some points.
“I can’t believe I have won this title, but it’s going to give me a lot of confidence for 2024,” said Medjedovic, the lowest-ranked champion yet at No. 110.
The 36th-ranked Fils became the youngest Frenchman in nearly two decades to win an ATP title when he triumphed at Lyon this year.
Medjedovic, who is coached by Serbia Davis Cup captain Viktor Troicki, reached tour-level semifinals in Gstaad and Astana and won three lower-level Challengers this year.

Past Next Gen champions include Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
 


Al-Ahli, Al-Shabab to the fore at Saudi Games

Al-Ahli, Al-Shabab to the fore at Saudi Games
Updated 03 December 2023
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Al-Ahli, Al-Shabab to the fore at Saudi Games

Al-Ahli, Al-Shabab to the fore at Saudi Games
  • Medals also given out following the fencing and robotics events
  • 3x3 basketball and handball competitions got underway on Saturday

RIYADH: Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab dominated the medals at the Saudi Games’ athletics events on Saturday.

In the men’s 800-meters final, Al-Shabab’s Issa Ghazwan took the gold and his teammate Sami Al-Yami the bronze. There was also a gold medal for Al-Shabab in the men’s 400-meters hurdles, which was won by Mohammed Al-Mauwi.

Al-Ahli’s Ali Mas took home the gold medal in the men’s 200-meters final, while Suga Saied finished first for the same club in the women’s long jump final.

Elsewhere, Ryan Al-Khawiter beat last year’s champion Kevin Orlandi to win gold and SR1 million ($266,574) in the triathlon at the Prince Faisal bin Fahad Olympic Complex.

Khaled Al-Mobty also clinched gold on Saturday in the individual show jumping event, with Meshari Al-Harbi taking home silver and Mohammed Al-Askar the bronze.

The jet ski gold medal and SR1 million prize was won by Tariq Bukhari at Durrat Al-Arous in Jeddah.

There were also medals awarded in the under-54 kg, under-65 kg, under-80 kg and under-97 kg categories of the paralympic weightlifting event.

Al-Nassr and Al-Selmeyyah qualified for the beach soccer final, to be held on Sunday evening, while the Riyadh club also secured a place in the men’s futsal final against Al-Ettifaq.

There were medals given out following the fencing and robotics events, while the 3x3 basketball and handball competitions got underway on Saturday.


Kashmiri students arrested for celebrating India's Cricket World Cup defeat get bail

Kashmiri students arrested for celebrating India's Cricket World Cup defeat get bail
Updated 03 December 2023
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Kashmiri students arrested for celebrating India's Cricket World Cup defeat get bail

Kashmiri students arrested for celebrating India's Cricket World Cup defeat get bail
  • Police dropped the charges and an Indian court granted bail to the students on Saturday, according to their lawyer
  • In granting bail, the court imposed a condition the students should be available when needed for the investigation

SRINAGAR: An Indian court has granted bail to seven Kashmiri students who were arrested under anti-terror laws for allegedly celebrating Australia's victory over India in the men's Cricket World Cup final last month, a lawyer said on Sunday. 

The students from an agriculture university were detained in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) after one student filed a complaint accusing them of using anti-India slogans and cheering for Pakistan along with Australia after the match. 

Claimed in full but ruled in part by India and Pakistan, Muslim-majority Kashmir has seen a bloody insurrection against New Delhi for decades. Muslims in the region have in the past cheered for the competing side in India cricket matches as a way of protesting Indian rule. 

Local political leaders opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's rule over J&K had said the arrests were a way to intimidate locals using the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The act deals with inciting any unlawful activity and is punishable with seven years' imprisonment. 

Police dropped the UAPA charges and an Indian court granted bail to the students on Saturday, according to the lawyer of students, Shafiq Bhat, and a court order seen by Reuters. 

In granting bail, the local court imposed a condition that the students should be available when needed for the investigation and "shall not indulge in any anti national activity," the order stated. 

The students still face allegations under other Indian laws that related to making statements inducing public mischief. 

Australia had entered the World Cup match as clear underdogs against an all-conquering India side, who had won 10 matches in a row to storm into the final. But India was defeated in the final match on Nov. 19. 

India blames Pakistan for supporting the Muslim insurgents. Pakistan denies this and accuses India of violating the rights of Kashmir's Muslim people, a charge India rejects.