Sports
Verstappen takes pole after wild session of six red-flag crashes | The Express Tribune
BAKU:
Max Verstappen tip-toed through the hazards of a wild qualifying session featuring six red-flag stoppages on Saturday to claim pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
As series leader Oscar Piastri crashed and his McLaren team-mate and title rival Lando Norris struggled for outright speed on his final lap, Red Bull’s four-time champion made the most of treacherous damp conditions to end a near-crazy two-hour session on top.
The Dutchman clocked a best lap in one minute and 41.117 seconds to finish 0.478 seconds ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz and half a second clear of Racing Bulls’ rookie Liam Lawson, who secured his best qualifying result.
Sainz had made the most of his opportunity in Q3 to go quickest before Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed to bring a sixth red-flag stoppage that wrecked his hopes of a fifth straight Baku pole – and deliver a mixed up grid.
Mercedes’ under-pressure rookie Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were fourth and fifth ahead of Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull and Norris, who qualified seventh.
Racing Bulls’ second rookie Isack Hadjar was eighth ahead of Piastri and Leclerc with two-time champion Fernando Alonso taking 11th for Aston Martin and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton 12th for Ferrari.
It was Verstappen’s first pole in Baku, his sixth of the season and the 46th of his career.
“It was difficult to get a lap together, with all the red flags,” said Verstappen.
“In the final lap, you just have to send it. I wasn’t even on the best tyres. So, I am happy with the weekend!”
The chaos began in gusty conditions with light drizzle expected and rain threatening for Sunday’s race.
“We nailed it today by being on the right tyres at the right time,” said Sainz. “So tomorrow I will try to stick it on the podium.”
Slippery finale
As Q1 began, Piastri was in the pits for a new front wing while his rivals hurried for an early banker lap, but as he started his first lap, a red flag halted the action when Alex Albon hit the barriers, leaving the Australian in danger of elimination.
After eight minutes’ delay, Hamiton went top, Piastri took second, just two seconds before Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg hit the wall at Turn Four, triggering a second red flag.
Another eight-minute stoppage followed, after which Russell, Leclerc and then Norris bagged top spot before yet another red flag crash – Alpine’s Franco Colapinto at Turn Four – ended the action.
Q2 began after a further 12 minutes’ inaction, but it lasted only three minutes before Oliver Bearman smacked the wall at Turn Two and broke his car’s rear suspension – causing a fourth red flag to retrieve his abandoned machine.
The stop-go-stop-go session was running nearly an hour off schedule by the time Leclerc and Hamilton led them out again before the Monegasque, chasing a fifth consecutive Baku pole and first win, ran deep at Turn One.
Verstappen then stole top spot again as a luckless Hamilton exited along with two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber, Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin and Haas’s Oliver Bearman.
On cue, rain fell as the top-ten shootout began.
“It’s too slippery,” reported Russell after running deep at Turn Four before Leclerc, the ‘Baku maestro’, hit the wall at Turn 15, his hopes wrecked,
A fifth red flag followed and, with only three drivers’ laps recorded, Sainz was top ahead of the two Racing Bulls.
“You can start dancing to see if it rains a bit harder, no?” said Sainz on team radio before a frantic, dramatic and slippery finale.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven is of interest to Real Madrid, while Barcelona‘s Eric García is a target for Paris Saint-Germain. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
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TRENDING RUMORS
– Real Madrid hold a “genuine interest” in Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven, according to TEAMtalk. Spurs have no intention of losing the 24-year-old leave — who hit the headlines this week for his stunning solo goal against FC Copenhagen — but the door could be opened if they fail to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League, with Paris Saint-Germain also closely monitoring the situation. Meanwhile, Footmercato reports that Bayern Munich centre-back Dayot Upamecano is Real Madrid’s priority for the summer and already has a verbal agreement to join Los Blancos as a free agent. The report adds that the 27-year-old has a contract extension offer from Bayern and is being closely monitored by Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool‘s Ibrahima Konaté still wants to join Real Madrid, is also being monitored by PSG and has an offer to extend his contract at Anfield past the summer but is no longer Los Blancos‘ priority.
– Paris Saint-Germain are focusing on Barcelona‘s Eric García as they look to sign a versatile defender, as reported by L’Equipe, with this coming amid injury concerns for Les Parisiens after Achraf Hakimi became the latest player to be forced out of action. García’s contract expires in the summer, but if a deal progresses smoothly the Ligue 1 club could look to negotiate a fee for a winter transfer rather than waiting for the 24-year-old to become a free agent in the summer.
– Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea would all be interested in signing Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz if the opportunity arises, according to TEAMtalk, although they add that the Bianconeri expect him to stay. There could be a chance that the 20-year-old moves as his current wage equates to around £25,000 per week and he is looking for a pay rise that could quadruple that figure. Even so, Yildiz is keen to stay and negotiations will continue when Juventus have appointed a new sporting director.
– Liverpool and Bayern Munich are the frontrunners to sign Crystal Palace‘s Marc Guéhi as a free agent next summer, according to Diario AS. England international Guéhi wants to move to Anfield after his summer transfer fell through, but Bayern are determined to at least try to sign him. Real Madrid have also been linked with the England international, but AS reports that the 25-year-old’s wage and signing bonus demands are too high.
– Napoli are assessing various options to strengthen their midfield in January, reports Calciomercato, who suggest that they could reignite an interest in Manchester United‘s Kobbie Mainoo and Juventus’ Fabio Miretti after looking at both in the summer. Outside of that, they have have been linked with Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini with his contract expiring at the end of the season, while they could also move for Internazionale‘s Davide Frattesi and Atalanta‘s Éderson having held a long-term interest in both of them.
EXPERT TAKE
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OTHER RUMORS
– Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are keeping an eye on Cologne winger Said El Mala. (Football Insider)
– Bayern Munich will face stiff competition from the Premier League for Feyenoord right-back Givairo Read. (TEAMtalk)
– Manchester City are open to January offers for Nathan Aké worth around £25m amid interest from Crystal Palace, Everton and Fulham. (TEAMtalk)
– Everton will look to re-sign Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison rather than moving for Al Ahli’s Ivan Toney. (Football Insider)
– AC Milan are monitoring Strasbourg’s Joaquin Panichelli and continue to look at Roma’s Artem Dovbyk as they consider signing a striker. (Corriere dello Sport)
– AC Milan have joined Internazionale and other top European clubs in showing an interest in Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu. The Rossoneri also see Cagliari’s Elia Caprile and Toulouse’s Guillaume Restes as candidates but Parma’s Zion Suzuki is losing ground. (Calciomercato)
– Juventus and the City Football Group have contacted Houston Dynamo about United States youth midfielder Brooklyn Raines. The 20-year-old could also make a move within MLS. (The Athletic)
– Bayer Leverkusen will trigger the €5m-€6m re-sign clause to bring Kerim Alajbegovic back from RB Salzburg. (Sport Bild)
– VfB Stuttgart are interested in West Ham United striker Niclas Füllkrug if loan terms can be agreed. (TEAMtalk)
– RB Leipzig are willing to let Timo Werner, Lukas Klostermann, Amadou Haidara and Kevin Kampl leave in January without any major negotiations around the fee, as they have a combined salary of around €30m-per-year. (Philipp Hinze)
– A club from LaLiga is preparing a €10m offer for 21-year-old Boca Juniors centre-back Lautaro Di Lollo. (Ekrem Konur)
– Juventus are planning to extend 18-year-old midfielder Nicolo Milia‘s contract until 2029. (Nicolò Schira)
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James continues to work out individually while recovering from the sciatica affecting his lower back and right side, and the next step in his return will be progressing to live 5-on-5 reps in practice, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday.
James will not travel with the Lakers on their upcoming five-game trip through Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Milwaukee, sources told ESPN.
While the Lakers are on the road, their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, will be practicing at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo, California. It is unclear whether James would join South Bay for practices or wait for the Lakers to return for a group session, sources told Charania.
This means the earliest James could return is Nov. 18, when L.A. hosts the Utah Jazz.
Last week, Lakers coach JJ Redick revealed a rough timeline for when the team could welcome the 40-year-old back to the lineup.
“Obviously, this thing has to continue to progress with all of his return-to-play protocols,” Redick said. “So we don’t have, like, a target date. It’s just somewhere in that general timeline. We hope that he’s kind of checked all the boxes and is going to be back sometime in that second or third week in November.”
Thursday will mark four weeks since the Lakers announced James’ sciatica diagnosis on Oct. 9. At that time, the team said it would reevaluate him in three to four weeks and provide an update.
L.A. has started the season 6-2 without James.
Whenever James plays his first game for the Lakers, he will become the first player in league history to have played 23 seasons in the NBA.
The match will start at 3:00 p.m.
Pakistan lead the series one-nil.
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