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Verstappen takes pole to keep pressure on McLaren duo | The Express Tribune

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Verstappen takes pole to keep pressure on McLaren duo | The Express Tribune


Red Bull’s four-time champion edged Lando Norris by 0.291s, with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari


AUSTIN:

Max Verstappen continued to apply pressure on McLaren’s duelling title rivals on Saturday when, hours after winning the sprint race, he claimed pole position for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s four-time world champion was at his most authoritative as he clocked a best lap in one minute and 32.510 seconds to outpace McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.291 seconds with Charles Leclerc taking third on the grid for Ferrari.

With his sprint win, Verstappen trimmed series leader Oscar Piastri’s lead in the title race to 55 points as the two McLarens collided and crashed out at the first corner. Norris remained 22 points adrift of Piastri.

Mercedes’ George Russell was fourth ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari, Piastri, Italian teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes and rookie Oliver Bearman of Haas, who secured his second consecutive top ten start.

It was Verstappen’s seventh pole of the season, his second in Austin, and the 47th of his career.

“That was good,” he said. “I think every segment, the car was very strong. Putting the lap together is difficult, especially in the first sector with the tail wind, it was challenging.

“I couldn’t do the final run, the out lap was a bit messy, but I didn’t need it. Tricky with the wind, it picked up today and in the esses, you just lose downforce.”

Norris said his plan for the race was “don’t get hit” and avoid trouble.

“Just don’t get hit is my plan for tomorrow,” he said. “Hoping for a good race with Max. We’ve had some good ones in the past, so I’m looking forward to it again.

“I’m starting P2 and it could have been worse, but there was no way I could beat this guy.”

Leclerc said: “It’s quite a surprise, considering this weekend has been so difficult. There’s too much swing in performance with this car and there are still things we don’t understand. Our car is normally stronger in the race so that’s positive.”

With temperatures of 34C (93.2C) air and 48C (118.4F) on the track endorsing ‘heat hazard’ status, action began with an early red flag when Racing Bulls’ impressive rookie Isack Hadjar crashed at turn six.

The French driver lost control and smacked the barriers heavily, hitting his helmet in anger at the error that ended his session. The stoppage, to clear debris and damaged fencing, last 10 minutes.

On resumption, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was first out, fresh from his part in the multiple collision at the first corner of the earlier sprint race won by Verstappen after the two McLarens collided and crashed out.

The McLarens were still under repair as the session began and, after Verstappen and Leclerc set the pace, joined the fray with seven minutes remaining.

Piastri went fifth but Norris aborted his first push lap, both showing signs of the pressures of their title duel. On his second lap, Norris was seventh.

In the final seconds of Q1, Verstappen went top ahead of Russell and Antonelli while Piastri and Norris scraped through to Q2 in 11th and 12th.

Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon of Haas, Lance Stroll of Aston Martin and Williams’ Alex Albon, who had a late faster lap deleted for exceeding track limits, joined Hadjar in taking an early exit.

After taking a five-second penalty for causing a collision in the sprint, Stroll will start from the back of Sunday’s grid.

McLaren continued to struggle in Q2 as Verstappen set the pace, Norris proceeding in third behind Leclerc with Hamilton fourth. Piastri was eighth, half a second off the pace set by the Dutchman’s 1:32.701.

Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull and the Alpine pair Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto missed the cut to the top ten shootout.

‘Simply lovely’ 

On their first runs, it was Verstappen again in charge with 1:32.510 to beat Norris by three-tenths with Piastri seventh and the Ferraris ninth and 10th, Leclerc surviving a lurid spin at the final turn.

Red Bull warned Verstappen he was ‘behind schedule’ as he circulated ahead of his final flying lap and he was too late to the line — offering his rivals a chance, but though Norris leapt to second he could not catch him.

Leclerc grabbed third ahead of Russell with Hamilton fifth ahead of a disappointed Piastri who could not improve on sixth.

“Simply lovely,” Verstappen said.



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Lions knock Bucs out of first in NFC behind Jahmyr Gibbs’ big night

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Lions knock Bucs out of first in NFC behind Jahmyr Gibbs’ big night


DETROIT — Every time NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders is at a Lions game, Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs says he wants “to show out,” which is exactly what happened Monday night in a 24-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Gibbs was spectacular, totaling 218 yards and two rushing touchdowns, as the Lions continue to make a case to be the NFL’s best following a loss.

After falling at Kansas City in Week 6, Detroit bounced back with another home win while breaking out their all-black uniforms for the first time this season. Detroit is now 13-4 following a loss since the start of the 2022 campaign, which is the second-best record in NFL over span after the Chiefs (11-2), per ESPN Reference.

Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:

Detroit Lions (5-2)

Most surprising performance: Despite playing without starting safeties Kerby Joseph (knee) and Brian Branch (suspension) and cornerback Terrion Arnold (shoulder), Detroit’s defense stepped up, particularly in the secondary while forcing both of the Bucs’ turnovers by halftime. The unit held an explosive Tampa Bay offense to 58 yards through two quarters and 251 for the game with four sacks. Lions cornerback Amik Robertson forced a fumble that was recovered by defensive end Aidan Hutchinson in the second quarter, and cornerback Arthur Maulet ripped the ball away from Bucs tight end Cade Otton for an interception later in the half.

Biggest hole in game plan: Third-down conversions. Detroit went 3-for-13 on third-down attempts. Lions coach Dan Campbell said he wasn’t pleased with their third-down efficiency at halftime.

Stat to know: Gibbs broke free up the middle for the longest run of his NFL career with a 78-yard touchdown with 5:51 left in the first half. Gibbs’ top speed was 22.2 mph, the fastest rushing TD by an offensive ball carrier this season, per Next Gen Stats. He is the only player over the past three seasons to reach 22 mph on a rushing touchdown, and he’s done it twice now, including on a 70-yard touchdown in 2024 versus the Titans during Week 8. — Eric Woodyard

Next game: vs. Minnesota Vikings (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 2)


Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2)

With the return of franchise’s scoring leader in Mike Evans (hamstring) and first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka (hamstring), the stars seemed set to align for Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Motown, especially considering the Lions would be playing without nearly every starter in their secondary.

But that would not be the case, between the gaffes on defense and Evans leaving the game in the second quarter with a concussion and a shoulder injury after colliding with Rock Ya-Sin on a deep pass. The offense struggled to get going, and Mayfield couldn’t connect with the team’s leading receiver in Egbuka — going 4-for-12 for 58 yards while targeting him.

Tampa Bay came into the game with the best record in the NFC, but this loss pulled them back into the pack.

What to make of the quarterback performance: Mayfield looked uncomfortable and out of rhythm throughout the night, completing 28-of-50 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown with one interception, although you can’t pin that one on Mayfield when it was wrestled out of Otton’s hands. The one bright spot was Mayfield slipping the ball past Hutchinson on a screen pass and connecting with rookie wide receiver Tez Johnson on a 22-yard touchdown. Mayfield also fumbled the ball on a sack from Al-Quadin Muhammad and Tyrus Wheat, although it was recovered by Tampa Bay tackle Tristan Wirfs. It wasn’t a typical outing from a signal-caller who had been playing at an MVP level this season.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Just like the Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Texans, the Bucs’ defense surrendered an explosive play and a touchdown on the opening drive. And once again, Tampa Bay looked vulnerable in the flat throughout the game. On the opening drive, the Bucs surrendered a 30-yard reception to Gibbs coming out of the backfield; that was on SirVocea Dennis. They had issues with Gibbs in the flat again on a 24-yard catch then on a 28-yard reception, during which Dennis dove at his ankles, setting a touchdown in the third quarter.

Biggest surprise: The run defense — fifth best in the league in giving up 3.7 yards per carry — surrendered Gibbs’ 78-yard scoring run in the second quarter, and the Lions averaged 5.1 yards per carry and finished with 164 yards. On Gibbs’ play, the Bucs had both interior defensive linemen — Greg Gaines and Elijah Roberts — drop back into coverage with three defensive backs, Jacob Parrish, Tykee Smith and Zyon McCollum, attempting to converge on Gibbs in the backfield. But Gibbs found daylight to add to his huge night once past Roberts and Lavonte David. — Jenna Laine

Next game: at New Orleans Saints (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday)



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Klopp refuses to rule out Liverpool return one day

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Klopp refuses to rule out Liverpool return one day


Jürgen Klopp has said a return to manage Liverpool one day is “theoretically possible” but insisted he does not miss coaching.

Klopp left Liverpool after nine successful years in 2024, declaring he was “running out of energy.” He has since joined Red Bull as head of global soccer.

While he has said he does not intend to return to management, the German claimed a return to Liverpool is not impossible.

“I said I will never coach a different team in England. So that means if [Klopp returns] it’s Liverpool,” Klopp told the Diary of a CEO podcast.

“So yeah, theoretically it’s possible. “I love what I do right now, I don’t miss coaching. I don’t. I mean I do coach, just different, not players. And I don’t miss it. I don’t miss standing in the rain two-and-a-half, three hours. I don’t miss going to press conference three times a week, having 10-12 interviews a week. I don’t miss that.

“I don’t miss being in the dressing room in the sense that I don’t have it often enough, I coached 1,080 something games. So, I was in the dressing room very, very often.

“I’m 58, that’s from your perspective, old from the other side, it’s not that old. That means I could make the decision in a few years. I don’t know. [If] I had to make the decision today, I won’t coach again but thank God I don’t have to do that. I can just see what the future brings.”

Klopp also revealed he often had interactions with his replacement Arne Slot, who won the Premier League title last season in his first campaign.

He said Slot was smart not to make a lot of changes initially, and it’s not surprising there are some teething issues after a busy transfer window this summer.

“We had a lot of contact after that; he’s a super good guy. He got the best out of this team, and they became champions in an incredible manner,” Klopp said.

“It’s not about Arne wants to show the world what he can do, it’s about how to get the best out of this team and that’s exactly what he did.

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“Change always has an impact and change always need time. If he keeps the exact same team as las season; Darwin Núñez still there, Luis Díaz still there as an example, they start playing and have problems [people say] ‘we needed change.’

“Now the new guys are there and they are really good players, it’s not working out at the minute. Development needs time, nobody can change that, people need time to adapt to certain things. It’s all good.”



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It’s time for ALCS Game 7! Lineups, live updates as Mariners, Blue Jays clash for World Series spot

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It’s time for ALCS Game 7! Lineups, live updates as Mariners, Blue Jays clash for World Series spot


It’s time for the two greatest words in sports: Game 7!

After six thrilling matchups, the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays are headed to a winner-takes-all showdown Monday night at Rogers Centre — with a World Series trip on the line.

Will Seattle take the final step in reaching the first Fall Classic in franchise history? Or will Toronto ride home-field advantage to its first AL pennant in more than three decades?

We’ve got you covered for all the action with lineups, in-game live updates and takeaways after the final out.

Key links: Game 7 preview, predictions | Bracket

Top moments

LIVE: Follow the game pitch-by-pitch here

Daulton Varsho drives in Toronto’s first run to tie Game 7

Throw nails Naylor to break up to complete inning-ending double play

Josh Naylor‘s single gets the M’s on the board first

Ready to face off! Vlad Jr. arrives at Game 7 in style

Series tied at 3

Game 7 starters: George Kirby vs. Shane Bieber

Lineups

Mariners

1. Julio Rodriguez (R) CF
2. Cal Raleigh (S) C
3. Josh Naylor (L) 1B
4. Jorge Polanco (S) DH
5. Randy Arozarena (R) LF
6. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
7. J.P. Crawford (L) SS
8. Leo Rivas (S) 2B
9. Victor Robles (R) RF

Blue Jays

1. George Springer (R) DH
2. Nathan Lukes (L) LF
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
4. Alejandro Kirk (R) C
5. Daulton Varsho (L) CF
6. Ernie Clement (R) 3B
7. Addison Barger (L) RF
8. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R) 2B
9. Andres Gimenez (L) SS





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