MONZA, Italy: For Max Verstappen it’s not about records, it’s about winning.
The Red Bull driver could do both at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday as he looks to firmly etch his name in the Formula One record books.
Having equaled Sebastian Vettel’s F1 record of nine straight victories at the Dutch GP last weekend, Verstappen can break it on the famous Monza track.
But the 25-year-old is focused on one sole thing: the victory.
“I mean, I never thought that I would win nine in a row, first of all,” Verstappen said. “But yeah, now that we are here, of course I’ll try to win 10, but it’s more about that I want to just win.”
Vettel set the consecutive wins record in 2013 with Red Bull during its first dominant era — when he won four straight titles — and Verstappen remembers how astounded he was as a teenager when he saw the German driver achieve that feat.
“I remember when he did it, I said ‘Wow, that’s just a crazy number. I think no one ever will do something like that’,” Verstappen said. “And here we are . . . but I’m also not really too fixated on it.”
Few would bet on Verstappen bettering that “crazy number” at Monza in a season he is overwhelmingly dominating.
Last weekend’s win increased his huge championship lead to 138 points as he races toward a third straight world title.
Verstappen also moved closer to his own F1 record of 15 wins set last year and onto 46 overall — already fifth all-time in wins. Alain Prost (51) and Vettel (53) are within his sights with nine races left.
And people are already talking about Verstappen being considered one of the all-time greats, despite his relatively young age.
“Well, I mean, everyone, of course, has their own opinion about these kind of things,” Verstappen said. “But for me, I’m not — I was never — in F1 to try and prove that I belong in between other people’s names . . . “
One thing that might play in his rivals’ favor this weekend is that Verstappen has rarely fared well at the Italian Grand Prix — although he ended his winless run at Monza last year. Before finally clinching victory at the Temple of Speed, Verstappen had never finished higher than fifth — in 2018.
Red Bull has won every race this year but, despite Verstappen looking seemingly invincible, some think the team will struggle at Monza, the fastest track on the calendar.
Not Verstappen.
He said: “People are allowed to wish for these kind of things but I think this is going to be a good track for us.”
GAP TO PEREZ
Unbeaten Red Bull is dominating the constructors’ standings just like Verstappen is crushing the drivers’ championship.
The team is chasing a record-extending 15th straight win on Sunday — including last season’s final race — and has more than double the points of second-place Mercedes.
But most of those points have been earned by Verstappen who has won 11 of the 13 races so far, with teammate Sergio Pérez claiming just two victories.
“It’s quite hard to see as his teammate, you know,” Pérez said. “It doesn’t really matter what’s happened, whether we have a good margin or bad margins or the car is becoming difficult. He’s been able to extract 100 percent, out of him, out of the car, pretty much every weekend.”
Pérez’s two victories came in the opening four rounds but the Mexican driver’s season has imploded since then and he was an astonishing 1.3 seconds behind Verstappen in qualifying for the Dutch GP, despite having the same car.
“Definitely I went through a bit of a tough patch through the middle of the season where I was struggling the most with the car,” Perez said. “But I think that’s all behind us and we should be having good races from now on.”
FUMBLING FERRARI
Ferrari hasn’t had the best of times at its home track of late, offering little for the thousands of red-clad local fans — “tifosi” — to cheer about in recent years.
Charles Leclerc claimed victory for the Scuderia in 2019 but that has been its only win since 2010.
Leclerc came close last year but finished second after another questionable strategy decision from Ferrari.
That was just one of a number of botched strategy decisions and bizarre incidents that have plagued Ferrari for the past two seasons, with the latest coming at the Zandvoort track last weekend.
That and the car’s unpredictability means Leclerc and his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. are facing an uphill struggle. But Leclerc remains optimistic.
“We should be a bit more competitive here,” he said. “Then, whether it will be enough to fight for the podium, I don’t know but I really hope so and we will do everything for it, for sure.”
Max Verstappen bids for record-breaking 10th straight Formula 1 win at Monza on Sunday
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Max Verstappen bids for record-breaking 10th straight Formula 1 win at Monza on Sunday
- The Red Bull driver looks firmly to etch his name in the Formula One record books
England’s Livingstone leaves IPL to get ‘knee sorted’
- Livingstone played just seven of 12 matches for Punjab, who have been knocked out of the play-off race
- His injury is reportedly not serious but requires rest before England play Pakistan in four T20Is this month
NEW DELHI: England batsman Liam Livingstone has left the Indian Premier League early to get his knee “sorted” ahead of the T20 World Cup in June, the Punjab Kings player said.
Livingstone, 30, played just seven of 12 matches for Punjab, who have been knocked out of the play-off race for this season.
Livingstone, who has been named in England’s provisional squad for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States, missed two matches early this IPL after he went down on the field.
He later did not make the playing XI but returned to the starting line-up last week.
“IPL done for another year, had to get my knee sorted for the upcoming World Cup,” Livingstone wrote on social media.
“Thanks once again to the Punjab Kings fans for all their love and support. Disappointing season as a team and personally, but as always I loved every minute of playing in the IPL.”
According to ESPNcricinfo, Livingstone’s injury is not serious but requires rest before England play Pakistan in four T20 internationals this month.
Livingstone managed just 11 runs with a highest of 38 not out and returned three wickets with his spin bowling.
Other World Cup-bound England players including Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Reece Topley will begin to return home in the next few days.
‘Ring of Fire’ timepiece marking Fury v. Usyk fight in Saudi Arabia to be auctioned by Sotheby’s for charity
- A piece from the Astronomia Art collection, the “Ring of Fire” watch is a 50-mm rose-gold timepiece, the design and details of which pay tribute to both fighters
RIYADH: A bespoke timepiece created by Jacob & Co. to commemorate the heavyweight boxing clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia will be auctioned on Friday.
All proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish International charity.
A piece from the Astronomia Art collection, the “Ring of Fire” watch is a 50-mm rose-gold timepiece, the design and details of which pay tribute to both fighters.
A figurine of each world heavyweight champion measuring less than 1 cm-high adorns the watch, while the hour and minute dials are represented by the iconic champion belt of the World Boxing Council and its green color is used on the strap.
Sotheby’s will host the auction, on the evening before fight night, which will also feature other coveted boxing-themed items, with the high-value Ring of Fire watch the star attraction.
British WBC title holder Fury takes on Ukrainian WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion Usyk in Riyadh on May 18 at the Kingdom Arena in the clash, also called the “Ring of Fire.”
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the board of directors at the General Entertainment Authority, commissioned Big Time Creative Shop, the GEA’s creative arm, to work alongside luxury watch brand Jacob & Co. to design and craft the timepiece.
“This is an incredible and rare opportunity to own a piece of boxing history. The magnitude of this fight cannot be underestimated,” Alalshikh said.
“It will be spoken about for decades, and the successful bidder will share a special bond with the lead protagonists of this undisputed heavyweight story through the collective ownership of these unique and elegant timepieces.
“We are also pleased to be able to donate all auction proceeds to Make-A-Wish International, so they can help fulfil the wishes of even more children around the world,” he said.
Ever in confident mood, Fury said that the watch would remind the owner of a night of boxing history.
“This watch will forever represent a bit of boxing history and, for me personally, it is going to be a constant reminder of the night I became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the 21st century,” he said. “This is a rare and incredible timepiece and I hope it can raise lots of cash for an important global cause. I’d also like to thank everyone who has been involved in putting this together,” he said.
His Ukrainian opponent said that he hoped as much money as possible could be raised in auctioning the watch.
“I look forward to the auction and seeing who will be fortunate enough to achieve the winning bid and share with me in owning this masterpiece,” he said.
“I encourage everyone who can to get involved so we see a big donation to help with the good work of Make-A-Wish International. This watch is an excellent allegory of the limited time given to us by God in this world to help others and make it a better place to live.”
Saudi Hockey Federation announces tournament in Western Region to be played in Jeddah
- The tournament will feature six teams comprising 60 players
LONDON: The Saudi Hockey Federation announced on Monday it was organizing the Saudi Arabia Western Region Championship, which will kick off next Friday at the sports hall of Al-Ittihad Club in Jeddah.
The tournament will feature six teams comprising 60 players.
The hockey federation said the championship was part of its plan to develop hockey in the Kingdom and marks the beginning of its series of tournaments for the 2024 season.
The federation said that it would continue to organize similar tournaments, with an aim to expanding them to various regions of the Kingdom, to create a competitive environment for the sport and in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Felix da Costa wins historic third Berlin E-Prix
- Round 10 win at Tempelhof earns TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team first victory on home turf
- Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing has a 45-point lead in standings after victory in round 9
BERLIN: Antonio Felix da Costa became the only driver to win three times at the Tempelhof Airport street circuit after he clinched the win in round 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
His win at the Berlin E-Prix also secured Tag Heuer Porsche’s inaugural victory on home turf in Formula E.
“It just feels great to win at a home race for Porsche, it’s amazing,” said da Costa. “We’ve got so many guests here: so many people who work in the factory that don’t normally get to come to the races, our board members are here, so it’s definitely a special one.
“Honestly, it’s been a tough start to the season and we’ve been building a really good momentum, always closing the gap to the championship leaders and it feels good to take this one.”
He added: “You have to work hard when things aren’t right, but when you have the right people around you it makes it a little bit easier. I want to dedicate to this to my engineer’s father-in-law who passed away this week, so it’s for him and his family.”
Da Costa held on throughout the 38-lap race, despite relentless pressure from Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy of Jaguar, the latter being the victor of round 9 on Saturday.
Cassidy executed a last-minute move on Nissan’s Oliver Rowland to secure second place, clinching the fastest lap in the process. Rowland snatched third after a challenging starting position, ahead of Tag Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, who valiantly battled reigning champion Jake Dennis (Andretti) for fourth.
Cassidy’s teammate, Evans, finished in sixth. Jehan Daruvala of Maserati MSG Racing delivered an impressive seventh-place finish after navigating through the pack from 13th, marking a personal best Formula E result for the Indian driver.
Climbing from 18th to eighth place was 19-year-old Taylor Barnard of NEOM McLaren Formula E, showing remarkable skill in what was his first full weekend in the series. Joel Eriksson (Envision Racing) also achieved his best result to date with a ninth-place finish, while Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE) rounded out the top ten.
Cassidy leaves Berlin with a substantial 45-point haul and assumes top position in the standings with 140 points, ahead of Wehrlein on 124. Rowland occupies third place with 118 points.
In the team championship, Jaguar TCS Racing leads with 237 points, followed by TAG Heuer Porsche in second place with 183.
Saudi team ready for World Para Athletics Championships in Japan
DUBAI: The Saudi Paralympic team has set off for Kobe, in Japan, where they are competing in the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships.
The team’s preparations included extensive training sessions in both local and international camps.
The first phase took place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Damman from March to April, while phase two was in Dubai and included the team’s participation in the Gulf Games.
The 11th edition of the World Para Athletics Championships begins today and runs until May 27. It is being held at the Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, where more than 1,000 athletes from 100 nations will compete in 168 events.
The 2024 championships are the first to be held in East Asia and the third one in Asia, following Doha in 2015 and Dubai in 2019.
