World champion Max Verstappen on Sunday clinched an emotional World Constructors’ Championship for Red Bull, when he claimed a record-equaling 13th win this year at the US Grand Prix.
Twenty-four hours after learning of the death of Red Bull founder and co-owner Dieter Mateschitz, the 25-year-old Dutchman claimed the 33rd victory of his career after a thrilling late battle with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.
“Of course, it’s a very difficult weekend for us and this one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich himself for what he has done for everyone,” Verstappen said.
Photo: AFP
In front of a passionate crowd at the Circuit of the Americas, Verstappen came home 5.023 seconds clear of Hamilton, with Charles Leclerc finishing third for Ferrari ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull.
“I gave it everything,” said Hamilton, who remains without a win this year for the first time in his career.
“I did everything I could to stay ahead, but they were just a little quicker... Great strategy, great race by Red Bull — and my condolences to the team,” he added.
George Russell finished fifth in the second Mercedes ahead of Lando Norris of McLaren, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Alpine, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin, Kevin Magnussen of Haas and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.
However, double world champion Alonso was stripped of his seventh place after stewards upheld a protest from Haas about the safety of his car.
Renault-owned Alpine, who are fighting McLaren for fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with prize money at stake, responded by protesting the admissibility of the Haas protest, as it was lodged 24 minutes after the deadline.
Haas, who are eighth and only two points clear of AlphaTauri, had objected post-race to Alonso and Perez being allowed to continue racing with loose bodywork.
Stewards rejected the protest against Red Bull, but upheld the one against Alpine, dropping Alonso to 15th with a 30 second post-race penalty.
Haas said that Alonso’s car was in an unsafe condition after a collision because the right-hand mirror, which eventually fell off, was moving around.
Alpine would have scored six points for Alonso’s seventh place, but instead ended up with just one for Esteban Ocon being bumped up to 10th.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
Arsenal stormed six points clear at the top of the English Premier League as Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres put Fulham to the sword in a 3-0 win, while West Ham United’s defeat at Brentford offered Tottenham Hotspur a lifeline in the battle for survival. The Gunners have stumbled toward the finish line in their quest for a first league title in 22 years, blowing a sizeable lead over Manchester City in a series of nervous displays. However, the return of Saka, making his first start in six weeks, freed up Mikel Arteta’s men in a dominant performance that shrugged
China’s Wu Yize on Monday won the World Snooker Championship for the first time with a dramatic 18-17 victory over Shaun Murphy in the final. Wu held his nerve to seal his thrilling triumph in a tense last frame shoot-out at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. The 22-year-old is the second Chinese player to win the world title after Zhao Xintong beat Mark Williams to make history as the first Asian to lift the trophy last year. Wu is also the second-youngest player to be crowned world champion at the Crucible after Stephen Hendry, who was 21 when he won in 1990. “I have been trying
RSS