SAO PAULO: Kevin Magnussen took full advantage of dramatically changing wet conditions to secure a sensational maiden pole position on his 100th Formula One appearance for the Haas team in Friday’s qualifying for this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
As heavy rain descended on the Interlagos circuit, the final Q3 session ended in euphoric uproar with the popular and modest 30-year-old Dane sitting in his car celebrating while the clock ran down.
He became the first Danish pole-sitter and the first to achieve the feat for the Haas tea in his 140th Grand Prix and his team’s 143rd.
Magnussen clocked a best lap in one minute and 11.674 seconds before a final rainstorm wreaked havoc during which Mercedes’ George Russell crashed out and was left in a gravel trap.
He also became the fourth driver to claim a maiden pole position this year, following Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and George Russell.
World champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull was second quickest ahead of Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Carlos Sainz of Ferrari was fifth ahead of Esteban Ocon and his Alpine team-mate two-time champion Fernando Alonso, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, Segio Perez of Red Bull and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
“I don’t know what to say,” said Magnussen. “The team put me out on the track at exactly the right moment. First out of the pit lane. It is incredible!“
Asked to reveal his plan for Saturday’s sprint race, he grinned. “Maximum attack! Let’s go for something really funny.”
Verstappen and Russell warmly congratulated the Dane who appeared almost bemused by his feat. “It’s incredible,” said Magnussen.
After a bright, warm morning, qualifying began in damp conditions, following a rainstorm, with heavy clouds overhead and all of the early Q1 runners venturing out on ‘intermediate’ tires.
Verstappen, Alonso and Ocon chose to delay their first foray while Hamilton reported ‘it is quite slippery’. Leclerc set the early pace before Verstappen joined the fray and, almost instantly, went top by two-tenths.
Alonso then took over before Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri switched to ‘slicks’, a bold move. Initially, he struggled. Hamilton went top before Gasly’s gambled paid off as he went fastest, sending everyone in for ‘slicks’.
This swept in a rush of increasingly fast laps as Williams’ Nicholas Latifi, Norris and then Alex Albon of Williams clocked the quickest lap, leaving Ferrari looking both slow-witted in making a decision for ‘slicks’ and on-track as Leclerc sought to escape the cut.
These conditions contrived to deliver a thrilling final flurry of action as Hamilton and then Norris seized the initiative ahead of Alonso while, ultimately, it was mostly the usual suspects who were eliminated.
Mick Schumacher was 20th and last for Haas and went out with Latifi, Zhou Guanyu and his Alfa Romeo team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.
In the threatening conditions, all 15 men in Q2 went out again on slicks.
After their opening salvo of laps, Perez, Russell and Hamilton were in the bottom five as ‘spits of rain’ were reported, Russell complaining that his ‘scrubbed’ tires should be replaced with new rubber to ensure progress to Q3.
Verstappen then went top in 1:11.318 after enjoying a slipstream from Stroll’s Aston Martin. “It’s definitely getting darker here with a bit of drizzle,” said Verstappen.
With six minutes remaining and light rain falling, Hamilton and Russell were among the bottom five, but Mercedes pitted the pair who responded by taking third and fourth places behind Verstappen and Alonso.
Timing was, as so often, critical. Within seconds, the drizzle turned to rain, notably in the second half of the lap, but few slowed — and in a final rush of laps on a dry line, the pack was shuffled again topped by Verstappen and the two Ferraris.
Out went Albon, Gasly, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin, all missing the top ten shootout.
Ferrari gambled, sending Leclerc out on ‘intermediates’ in anticipation of heavy rain, but after a fruitless effort, during which he held up Perez, he pitted for slicks — only for Russell to crash with eight minutes remaining. The session was red-flagged to a halt.
The Briton was stuck in a gravel trap, condemning Leclerc to return to Ferrari muttering profanities on team radio as, finally, heavy rain descended.
All this left Magnussen on top, ahead of Verstappen with Russell third — as rain and a glorious finale to a crazy session beckoned. The Dane, in his 100 the race for Haas, was set to be the fourth new pole sitter of the year after Sainz, Perez and Russell.
Magnussen claims maiden pole in the rain for Haas
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Magnussen claims maiden pole in the rain for Haas
- Magnussen clocked a best lap in one minute and 11.674 seconds
- He also became the fourth driver to claim a maiden pole position this year, following Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and George Russell
Celtic secures third straight league title in Scotland and stays on course for a trophy double
A 5-0 win at Kilmarnock gave Celtic an unassailable six-point lead over fierce Glasgow rival Rangers.
It’s the first silverware of Brendan Rodgers’ second spell in charge and moved Celtic onto 54 league titles — one behind Rangers’ record total in Scotland.
Celtic could also secure a league-and-cup double because it plays Rangers on the Scottish Cup final on May 25.
Celtic had fallen behind in the title race in February despite being seven points clear of Rangers after Rodgers’ first seven league matches back in charge.
But the team got back into first place midway through April and Wednesday’s triumph at Rugby Park made it 22 points from the last eight games.
“It was so good and it was a joy to watch. To make us champions, I’m so proud,” said Rodgers, who won a treble of trophies in each of his first two seasons in charge in his first spell from 2016-19.
“I would have probably been dreaming of that moment over the time I was away and hoping it would happen again. It’s a really good feeling.”
Late in the game, the Celtic supporters reprised their song about Rodgers “coming home to lead the green and white” — a staple during his first spell in charge but a chant he had not heard for some time following the mixed reaction to his return.
The misgivings from Celtic fans arose because of the way he left for Leicester in February 2019 — just when the team was on course to win the Scottish title.
Rodgers got emotional when asked about that moment.
“It felt really good,” he said. “I thought they had forgotten my name! But it was about the team and the support staff.
“There was so much stuff in the first six months, it felt a little bit awkward, I have got to be honest. And awkward for everyone. I think it was a bit surreal. And there was a lot of challenges from a management perspective, a lot of tedious stuff that took place. I have never had that before in my career.”
Curran stars for Punjab as Rajasthan lose four in row
- Chasing a tricky 145 on a sluggish pitch, Punjab depended on Curran’s unbeaten 63 to achieve their target
- Impact substitute Ashutosh Sharma smashed 17 and the winning run to hand Rajasthan their fourth successive defeat
GUWAHATI, India: Skipper Sam Curran starred with bat and ball as Punjab Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets for a consolation win in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
Chasing a tricky 145 on a sluggish pitch, Punjab depended on Curran’s unbeaten 63 to achieve their target with seven balls to spare in Rajasthan’s adopted home ground in Guwahati.
Left-handed Curran put on a key 63-run stand with Jitesh Sharma, who made 22, and despite losing his partner in the 16th over steered the team home to lift them from the bottom of the 10-team table.
Impact substitute Ashutosh Sharma smashed 17 and the winning run to hand Rajasthan their fourth successive defeat in this edition of the T20 tournament.
“To be very honest, we have to sit back and accept that we are going through some failures,” Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson said.
“You have to find out what’s not working well as a team. When you are getting to the business end, we need someone to raise their finger up and say I am going to win the game for the team. We have the players who can do that.”
The loss for Rajasthan hurt their chances of a top-two finish in the league stage a day after they confirmed their play-off spot.
Rajasthan, who stay in second place with one game in hand, and table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders are the only two teams to have booked their play-off berth.
The top four teams make the play-offs, but the first and second-placed sides have the advantage of two chances to qualify for the final on May 26 in Chennai.
Punjab, who had already bowed out of the play-off race, kept the opposition down to 144-9 despite a 34-ball 48 by Riyan Parag.
Left-arm quick Curran bowled Yashasvi Jaiswal, for four, in the first over and then Samson departed for 18 off Nathan Ellis after a slow start.
Parag found Ravichandran Ashwin, who hit 28 off 19 balls, for company and the two attempted to push the scoring in their partnership of 50.
The rest of the batting faltered against a disciplined attack as Curran, fellow quick Harshal Patel and spinner Rahul Chahal took two wickets each.
Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh was ‘amazing,’ says Atletico Madrid chief
- Andoni Moreno spoke to Arab News about Saudi Arabia hosting Supercopa de Espana, promoting the club’s brand in the region and Atletico’s famed academy
MADRID: In the bowels of Estadio Civitas Metropolitano, home of La Liga giants Atletico Madrid, adorning the wall of one of the club’s many conference rooms, is a poster of a player that many present-day followers of the club would struggle to name.
The Moroccan Larbi Benbarek — who represented his country of birth as well as France internationally — was not just one of the first players from an Arab or African background to became a successful professional in Europe, but arguably one of the most important figures during a golden period for the Madrid club.
From 1948 to 1953, the “Black Pearl” was one of Atletico’s finest players and, alongside legendary coach Helenio Herrera, played a pivotal role in landing consecutive La Liga titles in 1949-50 and 1950-51.
Andoni Moreno, the club’s commercial director, smiles as he points to Benbarek’s black-and-white photo, and says that these days the club’s links to the Middle East are far more widespread — from taking part in the Spanish Super Cup in the Saudi capital and a partnership with Riyadh Air, to Atletico jerseys being worn around the Kingdom and academy prospects from Morocco following in Benbarek’s footsteps.
“It (Spanish Super Cup) was amazing. I mean, when you see a full stadium following a national title, it was impressive to see the environment, the atmosphere, it was like a real derby, but in Saudi, so it was a great experience,” Moreno said. “And I think we had a great show, real competition match between Real Madrid and Atletico. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but we were very close and the show for the fans, I think, was amazing, on site, on TV.”
Atletico lost 5-3 to Real Madrid in the first semifinal at Al-Awwal Park Stadium, before the recently crowned La Liga champions went on to lift the Super Cup with a 4-1 win over Barcelona.
“We were close but we couldn’t win, but I think the most important thing was that the experience for the fans was fantastic, was real. And I think it is one of the best ways to keep growing internationally, increasing our fan base,” Moreno said.
La Liga is working closely with clubs to push its brand name in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, but just as importantly, to ensure that individual clubs are establishing their own identities across the region as well.
“We started to see Atletico jerseys in Saudi, and it was something that was almost impossible 10 years ago,” Moreno said. “So now you see the potential of the brand, with great activations on site, plenty of fans there, we had jerseys on site in Nike stores.
“We work very close with (La Liga), it’s part of the expansion plan. These kinds of activations, on site, watch parties, playing games, having your stars there. We did many activations with our main partner, which is Riyadh Air, so we visit the office, we visit touristic places, with legends like David Villa. This is part of ambitious strategy to develop our brand and to become bigger in the region.”
Such developments have been accelerated in no small part by the remarkable success Atletico has enjoyed under Diego Simeone, at a time when Real Madrid and Barcelona continue to be arguably the world’s two most popular clubs.
“The last decade or 12 years, I would say, it’s been incredible how the club has been able to keep growing, competing against these two big clubs in the same league, and also in a European international competitions,” Moreno said. “And it’s not easy, because we must be much more efficient. That’s the key, on the pitch and off the pitch, because the size in terms of followers, in terms of incomes, is more than double, but we have found the balance. Obviously the sport side is crucial, it’s the key, keep performing at that level, always qualify for Champions League (by being) third, even second or first, in La Liga.”
While Simeone’s team has many international stars, Moreno says an important factor in the team’s recent success is the club’s academy and intelligent scouting.
“One of our key pillars is the academy,” he said. “If you see our (first team) squad, we have currently four players from our academy. And then if you see some of the main clubs in Europe, there are many players coming from the Atletico Academy. This is one very important pillar. Of course, we go to the market, we see international players, and we have some stars. But this balance, this efficiency is very important for us. If you see our current squad, most of our players have been with us for a long period. So we try to keep them in order to have the sustainability on the pitch. Also our manager (has had) the longest period for a manager in Europe, I would say. It’s part of the success of the club.”
These days, there may not be a Benbarek — yet — at the club, but Atletico’s scouting department has maintained a link with players from North Africa, as it does with the rest of the world, over the years.
“We have done it for a long time,” Moreno said. “We have brought players from all countries to our academy. Thomas Partey, who’s playing in Arsenal, the Hernandez brothers (Lucas and Theo), they come from France, so we have had historically players from other countries. And now that we are getting more global, it’s important to have scouts everywhere, trying to find talent at the proper age.
“Our structure in the academy is huge, it’s one of the biggest academies in the world. We have more than 70 teams here in Madrid, so we have to manage a lot of boys and girls. We try to bring talent from everywhere,” Moreno said.
The 20-year-old Moroccan Abde Raihani recently made his debut for the first team, replacing Stefan Savic in the 2-0 loss to Deportivo Alaves. Another Moroccan, Salim El Jebari, 20, is also on the club’s books.
“(On April 21) we had a new player from the academy (Raihani) with an Arab connection, family. The Arab world is getting more and more powerful within the football industry. So obviously, it’s one of the key regions, markets, for players.”
Off the pitch, Atletico Madrid are also keen to strengthen their brand interests in the region, and in particular Saudi Arabia.
“We are trying to find the best global companies in each sector,” Moreno said. “Obviously, Riyadh Air, within the airline sector, for the coming future is going to be one of the key players, and we are very proud and happy to be their first sports partner. But of course we are very interested to keep growing in the region through companies, because for us it’s very important to have really relevant companies in different industries, because they are our speakers globally and in the region.”
Despite the recent defeat in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, Atletico Madrid have secured qualification for the first expanded FIFA Club World Cup next year, Mundial de Clubes FIFA 25, thanks to their record in the Europe’s top competition over the past four years. Moreno called being the only La Liga club, alongside Real Madrid, at the tournament in the US, a “milestone” and highlighted that Atletico could well face Arab teams there, including Saudi’s Al-Hilal, Egypt’s Al-Ahly, Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca and Tunisia’s Esperance.
Atletico will also have a stake in the 2030 FIFA World Cup being co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
“Our stadium is going to be one of the main stadiums in the World Cup,” Moreno said. “We have a very big project around the stadium for not only football, but sport and entertainment; it is going to be probably one of the best destinations for international fans. They want to come to Madrid, enjoy the city, enjoy all their activities apart from football, and also watch a World Cup match. For us it is very important, this World Cup, for the team (Spain) but also for the venue.”
Heavyweight boxers Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk face off in Riyadh on Saturday
- The winner will carry the four championship belts in a unification bout for most important global organizations in boxing
- Fury and Usyk both seek to write their name in the history books alongside global icons
RIYADH: British heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury and Ukrainian contender Oleksandr Usyk are scheduled to face off for the undisputed heavyweight world title on Saturday at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena.
The winner will carry the four championship belts in a unification bout for the most important global organizations in boxing — the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and the World Boxing Organization (WBO), according to a media statement released on Wednesday.
The four belts feature images of boxing legends such as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Fury and Usyk will both be seeking to write their name in the history books alongside these global icons, the statement added.
Saturday’s long-awaited-match will be the pinnacle of modern boxing as it is the first time that the four belts will be unified in a single fight. It evokes the prestigious legacy of the greats who have previously shaped the sport’s championship titles.
WBC was established in 1963, and Muhammad Ali was one of its most famous champions, holding the title three times during his career.
IBF was founded in 1983; Larry Holmes dominated the heavyweight division for seven years across different periods of his career.
WBO was established in 1988, and although it is the newest of the belts, it has been held by several prominent champions, including Chris Byrd and Herbie Hide, among others.
However, the oldest of the four belts that Fury and Usyk will compete for is the WBA title, which was established more than 100 years ago.
The title was held for 12 years by Joe Louis, the world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949, and who is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
Saudi Arabia has become a hub for premier world boxing contests over the past few years, with authorities investing heavily to bring the biggest bouts to local and international audiences.
Previous bouts in the country have garnered the attention of fans globally and marked the Kingdom as a new home of international boxing.
Kroos criticizes match officials for offside call in Bayern-Madrid semifinal
- “It’s bad handling. You have to let play continue,” the Germany player said in a podcast he runs with his brother Felix.
- “I think the mistake is primarily the linesman’s”
BERLIN: Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos criticized match officials for their controversial offside call which benefited his team against Bayern Munich during the Champions League semifinals.
Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt thought he’d equalized to send last week’s game to extra time when he fired the ball into Madrid’s net in the 13th minute of stoppage time.
But referee Szymon Marciniak had already blown his whistle after his assistant quickly raised his flag for a possible offside infringement.
Too quickly, Kroos said Wednesday.
“It’s bad handling. You have to let play continue,” the Germany player said in a podcast he runs with his brother Felix. “I think the mistake is primarily the linesman’s.”
Bayern were trailing 2-1 and needed a goal to force extra time to keep alive their hopes of reaching the final. UEFA tells match officials not to stop play immediately for tight offside calls. And TV replays showed it was a very close call.
“If he raises the flag now, the referee assumes that his linesman sees it exactly that way and trusts him that it was probably three meters offside,” said Kroos, who said he understood Bayern’s frustrations.
“The anger is justified because you just have to play the situation to the end, 100 percent.”
Kroos said he was unsure if Madrid defenders would have stopped de Ligt’s shot had there not been an intervention from the referee.
“I don’t know if there was a collective switching off because you could hear the whistle very early,” Kroos said. “You could tell the tension dropped among everyone who wanted to defend this goal.”
Madrid won the second leg 2-1 to reach the final in London on June 1.
Borussia Dortmund will try to stop the Spanish giant from claiming its 15th European title.
