JEDDAH: Defending Formula One world champion Max Verstappen held off the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc to win Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari was third with Sergio Perez, Verstappen's teammate who had set off from pole, in fourth.
Verstappen was securing his first points of the season after retiring late on behind winner Leclerc in the season-opener in Bahrain last weekend.
"We were battling hard at the front. It was tough. I'm really happy we've finally kick-started the season," said Verstappen.
Despite defeat, Leclerc maintains his world championship lead after two rounds.
"It wasn't enough today, but I really enjoyed that race. It's hard racing but it's fair, every race should be like this. It was fun, I'm obviously disappointed, I wanted to win today," he said.
Merecedes' deposed seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who endured his worst qualifying since 2017 on Saturday, set off in the unfamiliar surroundings of 15th on the grid and crossed the line in 10th.
Follow how the race unfolded below... (All times BST)
19:35 - RESULT! Verstappen wins it! He managed to create more than half a second gap before the DRS zone and Leclerc wasn’t able to make it up before the chequered flag...
19:30 - Verstappen overtakes on the straight again! Leclerc may have only one chance remaining to overtake the Dutchman in the final lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Two drivers who have been racing each other since childhood are going at it with four laps to go. All eyes are on P1 and P2 as the two drivers battle it out.
Leclerc is losing grip in the rear as a yellow flag is called in sector 1 with two laps to go...
19:25 - The virtual safety car is over.
The gap between Leclerc and Verstappen is only three tenths of a second, meaning Verstappen is clear for DRS and is now waiting for his opportunity on the straight.
Verstappen is on the back of Charles Leclerc and overtakes the Monegasque!
Leclerc back at it seems like he let Verstappen go through before the DRS zone so that he could get it. If this was his plan, it worked. Leclerc gets DRS as Verstappen falls for the bait and is overtaken by Leclerc
19:20 - Drivers who came into the closed pit lane include Magnussen and Hulkenberg.
Officials say the closed pit lane was due to Alonso retiring his car followed by Ricciardo and Bottas
19:15 - McLaren find their way to top ten as Alonso faces issues in his Alpine and falls one position after the other down the grid
In a quick turn of events, Ricciardo who was also having a good drive like Alonso is now moving very slowly and dropping to the back of the field
19:10 - Perez, who grabbed his first ever pole on Saturday and led the early stages of the race, is still in P4 and has more than two seconds to try and recover to the podium with 15 laps to go.
19:05 - Leclerc posts the fastest lap of 1 minute and 32:71 seconds. The gap between himself and Red Bull’s world champion stays around 1 second as the battle for first place continues with 20 laps to go.
Hulkenberg who’s in for Sebastian Vettel chases down Norris in the McLaren after Norris overtook him to get behind his co-driver. Hulkenberg loses another position to Gasly.
19:00 - Ricciardo who struggled massively at the start has found his way to P11 as the race passes its halfway point.
18:55 - Charles Leclerc just posted the fastest time and is out of DRS range, bad news for the Dutchman. Hamilton is yet to pit, as the Mercedes pair hold P5 and and P6 into lap 24.
Magnussen fights back against Hamilton and takes back P5 after activating DRS taking him past the Mercedes.
18:50 - Leclerc leads into lap 21 being tailed by Verstappen with less than second between the two drivers. Sainz overtakes Perez and gets his redemption on the track.
18:47 - Saftey car ends on lap 20, Hamilton has pulled one pit of the bag, finding his way to P7 just before it was deployed.
18:45 - Perez may face a penalty after pushing Sainz out of his pit line causing the Spaniard to nearly crash into the barriers. Sainz is looking for answer from the stewards.
Video replays show Latifi getting on the power early through the final corner, which caused him to lose control and collide nose first into the barriers — two crashes in two days for Latifi.
18:40 - All drivers on hard compound tires now after pitting as the race goes into lap 18. Leclerc leads followed by the Red Bull duo, Verstappen and Perez
18:30 - Hamilton finds his way to top ten and into the points after using DRS down the main straight and overtaking Gasly.
Yellow flag waved after Nicholas Latifi oversteers and crashes into the wall, bad news for Perez who just pit before the crash, and with the saftey car out the Ferrari pair pit along with Russell, Alonso, Bottas, Ocon and others.
18:25 - Hamilton has made it past Norris for P11 as he continues to fight his way to the points and is creeping up on Pierre Gasly in the Alpha Taurin
Into lap 15, Perez leads while the teams using Mercedes engines are at the bottom of the grid, McLaren, Aston Martin and the Williams squads.
18:20 - Into lap 9, the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is struggling wtih grip on the hard compound tires but manages to climb to P12 after overtaking Lance Stroll.
Kevin Magnussen, racing in Saudi for the first time, put the move on Valteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo but Bottas gets the apex and successfully defends P8.
18:15 - Ricciardo who found himself in 14th after picking up a penalty for impeding Ocon in qualifying on Saturday, now finds himself up one position behind Lance Stroll with co-driver Lando Norris ahead in P11.
Alonso squeezes out teammate Ocon in lap 7 to take sixth place, although the Frenchman ambitiously attempted to fight him off despite Alonso’s faster pace around the track so far.
18:05 - Hamilton on hard tires climbs up one position to 14th after failing to qualify on Saturday. He was pushed to 15th on the grid after a massive accident from German driver Mick Schumacher caused Haas to field only one car.
George Russell goes around and overtakes Esteban Ocon in the Alpine.
18:00 - And we’re off! Perez leads, followed by Leclerc, Verstappen takes third place from Sainz off the grid. It’s Red Bull-Ferrari-Red Bull Ferrari as the race gets underway.
17:55 - Drivers have taken to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the formation lap before kicking off the second round of the 2022 Formula One season in Saudi Arabia
14:15 - Great news about Mick Schumacher after a heavy crash in yesterday's qualifying. Hopefully, he'll be back up and running for round three of the world championship in Melbourne in two weeks.
Hi everyone, I just wanted to say that I’m ok Thank you for the kind messages. The car felt great @haasf1team, we’ll come back stronger pic.twitter.com/Mwpy0767kN
14:00 - So, just three months after the very first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, we're back in Jeddah for another raceday. Here is a look at the starting grid for Sunday's race, the second round of the 2022 Formula One world championship:
Front row: Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull) Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari)
2nd row: Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull)
3rd row: Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault) George Russell (GBR/Mercedes)
4th row: Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault) Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari)
5th row: Pierre Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari)
6th row: Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari)
7th row: Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes)
8th row: Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) Alexander Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes)
9th row: Nico Huelkenberg (GER/Aston Martin-Mercedes) Nicholas Latifi (CAN/Williams-Mercedes)
10th row: Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri-Honda)
Will not start: Mick Schumacher (GER/Haas-Ferrari)
NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe has hit back at Allan Saint-Maximin critics, claiming there really is “no-one like him” when the Newcastle United forward is in full flow.
The Frenchman has been a shadow of his former self in his last two appearances off the bench since returning from injury, with late cameos against Chelsea and Everton doing little to convince he deserves a place in the Magpies’ starting XI.
However, former AS Monaco, Nice and Saint-Etienne man Saint-Maximin had only trained twice in four weeks, having just recovered from a long-standing calf issue and illness.
Looking at this weekend’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur, a game in which Saint-Maximin is expected to start, Howe admits he loves working with the enigmatic attacker — and has underlined just how important a player he is in black and white.
“Mentally, he’s very good. Trained very well in the period we’ve had away,” said Howe. “Yeah, we haven’t seen much of him. If my memory is right, he had a calf injury and then he had a bad illness. Whenever a player has time away with that, it’s very difficult to get them back up to speed straightaway. The break has actually been very good for him, he’s trained very well and we’re excited to see him back.”
Saint-Maximin, with the rest of the group, has been working hard to get back up to speed while in a warm-weather training camp in Dubai recently, the club’s second trip to the Middle East this year, following on from the trip to Saudi Arabia in January.
Howe continued: “I’m just looking for the best Maxi. When he is at his best, there’s no-one like him.
“We need him physically to be able to deliver that, and that’s where we’ve been working hard with him. I’ve loved working with him since I’ve been here. He’s a great lad, wants to do well and achieve. We’re just trying to help him to do that.
“He’s such an important player for the team.”
While Saint-Maximin gives Howe more options in the forward areas, he also has some big decisions to make in midfield.
Bruno Guimaraes was in glittering — and goalscoring — form for Brazil in the international break, while Jonjo Shelvey shook off the ill-effects of an illness which kept him out pre-Dubai.
Joelinton, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock have all proven themselves when called upon in recent weeks, too.
“It’s a great position for me to be in,” said Howe of his selection dilemma in that department. “That midfield area has been the key area for us, it’s been one of the strengths of the team without a doubt. I think we’ve had a really good mix there of technical quality, physical attributes.”
“Offensively, I think they’ve been very, very good. Nice problem for me to have. I’ve got to pick three out of those five if everyone’s fit, and we decide to play with a three (formation).”
DOHA: Saudi Arabia were drawn on Friday with Argentina, Mexico and Poland in their group for the football World Cup finals in Qatar in November.
Herve Renard’s team will open their World Cup account against much-fancied Argentina — complete with superstar Ballon d’Or holder Lionel Messi — on Nov. 22.
The Green Falcons then take on Poland four days later, followed by Mexico on Nov. 30.
Hosts Qatar, who will open the tournament on Nov. 21 against Ecuador, are in a group that also contains the Netherlands and recently crowned African champions Senegal.
North African rivals Tunisia and Morocco are both in tough groups, with the former drawn to face reigning world champions France, along with Denmark and the winners of a playoff between Peru and the UAE or Australia.
Morocco will play European powerhouses Belgium and Croatia, as well as an in-form Canada — playing in their second World Cup and their first since 1986. Among the most intriguing of the eight groups of four teams is Group B, containing England, USA and Iran. England will open against Iran in the first World Cup game between the countries.
England and USA will play each other in their second match. They drew 1-1 in their group at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when both advanced. USA and Iran previously met at the 1998 World Cup, when the Iranians won 2-1.
Group B could also contain Ukraine, whose qualifying playoff against Scotland has been postponed until June because of the Russian invasion. The winners of that match will play Wales for a place at the finals. Kickoff times for each game will be decided this month, so that FIFA can allocate matches to prime broadcast slots.
The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage.
DUBAI: The dust has just about settled on Asian qualification, where the road to Qatar was the longest. Five Arab nations made the final 12 that contested the third round. It was not unexpected that the only one to secure an automatic berth was Saudi Arabia. The other five have plenty to take on board and think about in the coming months.
United Arab Emirates finished third in Group A, 11 points behind South Korea in second, and now head to the playoffs. Iraq in fourth, Syria in fifth and Lebanon in sixth are all out. Oman are also eliminated after they took fourth in Group B with 14 points.
1. UAE’s initial focus is short term
There are plenty of examples of teams struggling in qualification and then shining at World Cups (such as Brazil ahead of the 2002 tournament which they won), and vice versa (Germany won all 10 games on the road to Russia only to exit at the first round). The World Cup is more about the destination than the journey itself and for the United Arab Emirates, the indifferent performances along the way and the various coaching changes will be forgiven and forgotten if the Whites can find a way past Australia and then Peru in June’s playoffs.
That is what it is all about now for new coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena. The Argentine, with success in the UAE league, is the kind of appointment that the federation should be making and giving time to whatever happens in the playoffs. The focus should not yet be about building a team for the future but about doing whatever it takes to beat Australia and then Peru. Winning ugly is not a problem for now. If the UAE can get to the World Cup, then it could be a game-changer for the country.
2. Syria’s youngsters show the way
Syria will look back at the campaign with disappointment, but also with a little optimism for the future. The Qasioun Eagles reached the playoff ahead of the World Cup four years ago, but were never in the running this time. Like Iraq, playing home games overseas does not help, but their tactics have been too conservative with too much reliance on stars such as Omar Al-Somah and Omar Khribin, who are either past their best or have struggled for form.
There are reasons not to be too downcast. Somehow Syria managed to lose 3-2 to Lebanon in October in a game that they really should have won. The lineups for the final two games had a much fresher look and this time there was a fine 3-0 win against Lebanon and then a creditable 1-1 draw with an Iraq team that was desperate to win.
With Alaa Al-Dali, midfielder Kamel Hmeisheh and others stepping up, the final games showed the direction in which Syria should go in the coming months and years.
3: Iraq need to settle on a coach and a style
While the UAE have pressing concerns, Iraq have time to sit back and take stock. Missing out on the playoffs may be painful, but this is an opportunity now for a reset with the national team. The Lions of Mesopotamia go through coaches and styles at a rapid rate. There has long been a lack of joined-up thinking in Baghdad, and now the 2026 World Cup, when Asia’s representation doubles and Iraq have a real chance of making it, is no longer that far in the future as qualification starts next year.
The federation needs to think about what kind of football Iraq should play at all levels — not just for the next few months, but for the coming years. The next coach does not have to be a big name and does not have to be local, but has to spend time in the country watching football at all levels. Then, at least, accusations of local members of the coaching staff spreading misinformation about certain players to the foreign coaches will be avoided, and there may be more of a collective sense of purpose. There should also be realistic ideas of what Iraq’s football identity should be. It is easier said than done, but Iraq have too much talent to continue bumbling from coach to coach, game to game.
4. Lebanon should be proud, but were held back by other events
Lebanon have not won many friends around Asia for the way they play the game against bigger nations, but the Cedars deserve much more respect, or at least understanding of their situation. With all kinds of economic, social and political issues in the country, the national team provides some rare hope, and the money it generates from reaching the final stages of qualification helps keep the local leagues afloat.
The spirit of the team is second to none and that is the way it needs to be. The way Lebanon play against bigger boys such as Iran and South Korea — running down the clock, breaking up the game and generally being difficult to play against — is not always fun to watch, but it is understandable.
It is, however, hard to see where the team goes from here, given the state of the local league and the country in general. This campaign should bring the team together and the search for talent in the country’s diaspora should continue. But this may be as good as it gets for Lebanon, for a while at least.
5. Oman need to keep Branko
The fact that Oman collected 14 points from the group to finish in fourth, just a point behind Australia, was more than impressive. It was a fantastic achievement and it has not received the attention it deserved. Oman have always played tidy football but coach Branko Ivankovic has taken them to the next level. The former Iran boss has not only ensured that the team is as organized and well drilled as possible, but also has been getting the best out of established players like Abdullah Fawaz, as well as improving young talents such as Zahir Al-Aghbari and Arshad Al-Alawi.
All the players know what is expected of them and vice versa, and are increasingly comfortable in the system. Not just that, there is a growing feeling of confidence that means Oman can really kick on. The 2023 Asian Cup is a real opportunity and it makes sense that Ivankovic stays to keep guiding the team forward. The coach has already received offers from elsewhere, meaning that the men from Muscat need to move quickly.
NEWCASTLE: Newcastle United January signing Kieran Trippier is ready to step up his return from injury, with hopes high that the defender will feature significantly in the rest of the Magpies’ season.
Head coach Eddie Howe has also provided an update on the status of Callum Wilson, with the England striker and Newcastle top-scorer going through the gears at the club’s Benton training base after a long-term calf and Achilles problem.
Trippier has been out since February with a broken foot and a scan on the injured left fifth metatarsal was scheduled on Friday to determine whether the former Atletico Madrid man can return soon.
Head coach Eddie Howe is hopeful his $17million man can return “quite quickly”, with his side nine games out from the end of the Premier League season.
“Kieran has a scan on his foot to see how that is healing, hopefully it will go well,” said Howe, ahead of the Magpies’ trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
“From this day, maybe we can push him quite quickly to get back. Hopefully we get good news.”
The news was also positive on striker Wilson, who could be seen sprinting on the club’s training pitches at the end of the week, although, it seems that the 30-year-old, six-goal frontman might have to wait a little longer than Trippier.
“With Callum, he’s slightly behind Kieran but he’s still making good progress,” said Howe. “I hope he’ll play this season.”
Meanwhile, the head coach was handed a triple injury boost, with Fabian Schar, Martin Dubravka and Jonjo Shelvey look set to return for the North London match.
“Fabian came back having not played or trained but we’ve had a couple of sessions with him, so we’ll think he’ll be fit,” he said. “Martin trained with us for the first time yesterday, so we hope he’ll be fine.”
“We’ve got a little bit of illness in the camp like most teams have around the country but we’ve still a couple of days before the game so we hope everyone will be OK.”
“Jonjo has trained. He hasn’t trained every session we’ve done, I think he suffered from the illness. We hope he’ll be OK.”
ZAPORIZHZHIA: With her wheelchair perched on her lap, Ukrainian world champion powerlifter Raisa Toporkova escaped with friends from the occupied city of Enerhodar where Russian forces were shelling Europe’s largest nuclear power facility. They had lost their homes, but not their sense of humor. “If the Russians came after us, at least we have our sticks to defend ourselves,” joked Yevhenii Razikov, who has cerebral palsy and shared the perilous journey to safety. Crammed into a car with several others with special needs, Toporkova spent 12 hours negotiating a series of checkpoints to flee the city in southern Ukraine. “It would be impossible to get out of the car if something happened,” Toporkova, who was fifth at last year year’s Tokyo Paralympics, told AFP in the regional capital Zaporizhzhia. “My wheelchair was on me and two of the others need a stick to walk.” More than 10 million Ukrainians have fled their homes since Russia invaded on February 24, but for people with disabilities, the often long and difficult journey can be an almost impossible undertaking. Russian troops shelled Enerhodar, the site of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in early March, causing a fire, which was eventually put out. The attack led to international outrage with memories still fresh of the 1986 explosion at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear reactor, the world’s worst nuclear accident. Toporkova, who has been in a wheelchair for most of her life due to a musculoskeletal growth disorder, said the situation was deteriorating fast in Enerhodar after a month under Russian control. She was barely able to go out and her first-floor home had no basement to take shelter from the many explosions. Food supplies were running low and prices had risen by as much as four times. Pharmacies were out of vital prescription medicines. Another uptick in violence at the nuclear plant could mean a lethal radiation leak. Worried that the opportunity to leave could close, Toporkova fled on Monday with husband Anton Vavryshchuk, 37, who is also physically disabled. They were joined by their friends, Razikov and his wife, who did not want to be identified. Both have cerebral palsy. “My wheelchair was on our lap and there was shelling constantly. We were scared we would be killed there and the explosions got even louder when we reached the checkpoint,” Toporkova said. After their minibus broke down on the outskirts of the city they were worried their chance was gone, but a Red Cross volunteer managed to transfer them to a car. Yet at one checkpoint, they were held for seven hours. It was a long and painful wait for the group, whose physical difficulties were exacerbated by long periods of sitting in a car. There are more than seven million people aged 60 or older in Ukraine and 2.7 million people with disabilities, according to the European Disability Forum. Advocacy groups have warned that many would not be able to escape or seek shelter due to lack of mobility. Out of a column of more than 100 cars, the group said they were eventually one of only two vehicles that were allowed to pass. The journey took 12 hours instead of the usual two because of difficulties at checkpoints. “There were three possible outcomes: one is that we got hit by the shelling, another is we got stuck and then who could possibly save us. The third is that we got out, and thankfully that’s what happened,” said Razikov. Toporkova started powerlifting 19 years ago and is a two-time world champion. She has not been able to train since the war began in late February and gyms closed and she also faced losing her job and means to earn a living if she stayed. She used to do three two-hour sessions a week. “If I don’t train for one week, it’s OK, but two weeks is terrible,” she said. “Let’s say I could lift 100 kilograms before, after that time I would only be able to lift 80kg.” “I’m losing results if I’m not training and I won’t get invited to international competitions anymore.” Now she is heading to Lviv in western Ukraine and hopes to be able to return to the gym. “I cannot wait to start training again.”