FORMULA 1
Verstappen takes pole
Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen yesterday took pole position for today’s Japanese Grand Prix as he looks to take a giant stride toward a third straight title. The Red Bull driver topped the timesheets in dry conditions at Suzuka with a fastest lap of 1 minute, 28.877 seconds — 0.581 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate, was third. Verstappen, who leads teammate and nearest rival Sergio Perez by 151 points in the championship standings, cannot clinch the title today, but a favorable result can set him up to seal it at the Qatar Grand Prix next month. “I already felt from the preparation that we had that this was going to be a good track,” Verstappen said. “You never really know how good it’s going to be, but from lap one it’s been really nice.”
MOTOGP
Bezzecchi fastest in India
Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi yesterday claimed pole position at India’s MotoGP on a hot and humid afternoon at the Buddh International Circuit. The Ducati-VR46 rider clocked a top time of 1 minute, 43.947 seconds in the second qualifying, with Jorge Martin and world champion Francesco Bagnaia completing the front row at positions two and three respectively. However, Alex Marquez was all but ruled out of today’s race when the Spaniard — ninth in the standings — crashed on his Ducati-Gresini and fractured his ribs in the first qualifying session. Bezzecchi scorched the track in extreme heat, which has forced organizers to chop today’s race by three laps to 21. “Was tough, but this morning I felt better on the bike,” Bezzecchi said. “Very happy for this pole position. Important to start the sprint and tomorrow’s [today’s] race at pole.”
CRICKET
India top in all formats
India have become only the second men’s team in the history of the sport to occupy the No. 1 spot across all three formats after defeating Australia in the first ODI of their series in India on Friday. India moved past Pakistan to take the top position in the one-day rankings as a result of their latest victory, just before they host the World Cup. They were already No. 1 in Tests and T20 internationals. Only South Africa in 2012 have previously achieved the feat. India’s five-wicket victory over Australia in Mohali took them to 116 rating points, one ahead of Pakistan, but they could slip down the table if Australia — on 111 points — win the remaining two matches in the series.
SOCCER
Guirassy scores brace
Serhou Guirassy on Friday continued his red-hot scoring form with two goals and an assist as VfB Stuttgart beat SV Darmstadt 98 3-1 to provisionally move into first place in the Bundesliga. Guirassy took his tally to 10 league goals in five games as Stuttgart staged a comeback after falling behind to an own-goal by defender Dan Zagadou in the 17th minute. The striker first set up Enzo Millot for the equalizer in the 22nd minute and then gave his team the lead when he swiveled in the area and smashed a hard shot into the net 10 minutes later. Guirassy added a cheeky lob over goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen to seal the win. He is the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double figures in scoring this season. The win gave Stuttgart 12 points from five games.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
The Olympic flame for the Milan Cortina Winter Games landed in Rome on Thursday following a handover in Greece. The flame was carried in a small lantern aboard an ITA Airways flight between the Greek and Italian capitals. Tennis player Jasmine Paolini — an Olympic gold medalist — and local organizing committee president Giovanni Malago carried the flame off the plane. “I feel honored. It’s an incredible emotion,” Paolini said in brief remarks before the lantern was driven away toward the presidential palace. A 63-day torch relay covering 12,000km is to start in Rome today and wind its way through all 110 Italian provinces
The Kashima Antlers won a record-extending ninth Japanese title on the final day of the J. League season yesterday, holding their nerve to beat the Yokohama F. Marinos 2-1. Watched by Brazilian legend and former player Zico, the Antlers went into the game at their packed home stadium with a one-point lead over Kashiwa Reysol in the table. A goal in either half from Brazilian striker Leo Ceara put the Antlers in control, but Yokohama struck in the first of five minutes of second-half injury time to set up a nail-biting finale, with Reysol winning their game 1-0. The Antlers saw out the
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
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