Verstappen Rides Luck to Red Bull One-Two in Baku as Ferrari Implode

Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates with the trophy after winning the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on June 12, 2022. (AFP)
Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates with the trophy after winning the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on June 12, 2022. (AFP)
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Verstappen Rides Luck to Red Bull One-Two in Baku as Ferrari Implode

Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates with the trophy after winning the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on June 12, 2022. (AFP)
Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates with the trophy after winning the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on June 12, 2022. (AFP)

Max Verstappen rode his luck to an unchallenged first Baku win on Sunday, opening up a commanding championship lead after Ferrari's challenge imploded at the Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix.

The Dutchman eased across the line 20.8 seconds clear of Sergio Perez who, ordered not to fight Verstappen, completed a one-two for Red Bull.

George Russell kept his record of finishing every race this season in the top five with third for Mercedes.

Ferrari's miserable afternoon ended after 20 of the race's 51 laps.

Charles Leclerc, who is leading the team's challenge and had started from pole, pulled into the pits from the lead with his Ferrari spewing smoke to chalk up his second retirement from three races.

His team mate Carlos Sainz had pulled to the side of the track 10 laps earlier with a hydraulic failure.

"Today we had incredible pace in the car, we could look after the tyres and chip away at it," said Verstappen, all too familiar with the heartbreak of retiring from the lead, having crashed out while running first in Baku last year.

"A tiny bit lucky with the retirement but the car was quick today."

'It hurts'
The win was Verstappen's fifth from eight races this year and made him the sixth different Baku winner from six races.

He extended his overall championship lead to 21 points over Perez, winner in Monaco two weeks ago, who has moved up to second.

Leclerc, who has won two races this year but none since the third of the season in Australia, slipped to third, 34 points adrift of his Dutch rival.

"It hurts, we need to look into it so it doesn't happen again," said Leclerc who left Australia with a 46-point lead over Verstappen.

Leclerc had gone into Sunday's race determined to make good on his fourth successive pole after being unable to convert top spot into victory at the last three races.

But he was on the back foot from the off, losing the lead to second-placed starter Perez into the first corner.

He did not appear to have the pace to match Perez and was instead busy fending off Verstappen.

But an opportunistic pitstop under a virtual safety car period, triggered by Sainz's failure, allowed him to jump back into first until his car's demise eventually dashed his hopes.

Verstappen, meanwhile, had moved past Perez, who was bidding to become the Baku race's first repeat winner. Red Bull instructed the Mexican not to resist and the Dutchman inherited the lead when Leclerc retired.

"In this place anything can happen ... we managed to get a one-two, so that's a great team result," said Perez who took the point for fastest lap.

Hamilton in pain
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton finished fourth but was nursing an aching back, the result of the porpoising, or bouncing, plaguing his Mercedes.

Kevin Magnussen triggered another safety car when his Haas ground to a halt. China's Guanyu Zhou also retired his Alfa Romeo with a technical issue. Both teams use Ferrari power units.

Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris engaged in an intra-team McLaren battle, with the under-pressure Australian crossing the line eighth ahead of the Briton.

Canadian Nicholas Latifi picked up two penalties, for a starting grid infringement and ignoring blue flags, and finished last.



Liverpool Settles for 1-1 Draw with Chelsea amid Boos at Anfield

Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez (top) celebrates with team-mate Wesley Fofana after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea in Liverpool, England, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez (top) celebrates with team-mate Wesley Fofana after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea in Liverpool, England, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
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Liverpool Settles for 1-1 Draw with Chelsea amid Boos at Anfield

Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez (top) celebrates with team-mate Wesley Fofana after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea in Liverpool, England, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez (top) celebrates with team-mate Wesley Fofana after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea in Liverpool, England, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Liverpool stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Anfield to merely inch toward Champions League qualification on Saturday as the visitors snapped their six-game Premier League losing streak.

Enzo Fernandez's bouncing free kick found its way into the net in the 36th minute to equalize for Chelsea after Ryan Gravenberch's early goal, The AP news reported.

Arne Slot's team heard boos at the final whistle after another inconsistent performance — the type that has marked their season as defending Premier League champions.

Fourth-place Liverpool is still on course to secure Champions League qualification, which it can achieve with a victory in its next game — at Aston Villa next Friday.

Gravenberch opened the scoring by curling a shot into the top right corner from just outside the area in the sixth minute.

Fernandez equalized with a long-range free kick in the 36th. He curled a bouncing strike into the area, off the far post and into the net. Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili stood frozen in anticipation of Wesley Fofana's attempt to redirect the ball but the Chelsea defender missed it. The ball then bounced, hit the post, and went in.

Liverpool went close in the 79th minute when Virgil van Dijk's header hit the bar. Eight minutes earlier, Dominik Szoboszlai hit the post with a shot from outside the area.


Lens Secure Champions League Spot and Send Nantes Down

Lens' Portuguese midfielder #04 Mezian Mesloub Soares (C-L) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between RC Lens and FC Nantes at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis stadium in Lens on May 8, 2026. (Photo by Francois LO PRESTI / AFP)
Lens' Portuguese midfielder #04 Mezian Mesloub Soares (C-L) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between RC Lens and FC Nantes at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis stadium in Lens on May 8, 2026. (Photo by Francois LO PRESTI / AFP)
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Lens Secure Champions League Spot and Send Nantes Down

Lens' Portuguese midfielder #04 Mezian Mesloub Soares (C-L) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between RC Lens and FC Nantes at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis stadium in Lens on May 8, 2026. (Photo by Francois LO PRESTI / AFP)
Lens' Portuguese midfielder #04 Mezian Mesloub Soares (C-L) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between RC Lens and FC Nantes at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis stadium in Lens on May 8, 2026. (Photo by Francois LO PRESTI / AFP)

Teenage substitute Mezian Mesloub gave Lens a 1-0 win over Nantes in Ligue 1 on Friday to clinch his side qualification for next season's Champions League, while relegating Nantes to the second tier.

The result also keeps the Ligue 1 title race alive with second-placed Lens the only team that can still pip Paris Saint-Germain to the trophy.

The 16-year-old substitute Mesloub picked up a loose ball in the box with his first touch in the 79th minute and fired home with his second to break the deadlock on his Ligue 1 debut, AFP reported.

Lens are now guaranteed a top-three finish in Ligue 1 after moving nine points clear of fourth-placed Lille, with both teams having two matches remaining.

The top three teams in Ligue 1 qualify automatically for the Champions League phase, while the fourth-placed side heads into the qualifying rounds.

Lens, whose budget is not even a 10th of Champions League finalists PSG, are still to play the Parisians who lead them by three points and have a game in hand.

Following the win, the sell-out 38,000 crowd at Lens' Stade Bollaert stayed behind for extravagant celebrations, with the players heralded one at a time on a spotlit center-circle with fireworks flaming.

Stopping PSG remains an outside chance, but Lens are also eyeing silverware in the French Cup, with the final against Nice on May 22.

Lens, the 1998 French champions, were the surprise package earlier in the season as they reached the winter break top of the table.

Lens had three goals ruled out for offside or handball Friday as Nantes held them at bay largely thanks to goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.

Nantes are now guaranteed to finish in the bottom two and will be relegated from Ligue 1.

Club great Vahid Halilhodzic took over as the third coach of their season in March but could not save the Canaries.

PSG play Brest at home on Sunday but the Lens win has prevented them from mathematically wrapping up a fifth straight title this weekend.

However, their far superior goal difference means victory would all but wrap up top spot.

Luis Enrique's men will face Arsenal in the Champions League final on May 30 after beating Bayern Munich 6-5 on aggregate in the semi-finals.


Messi Says Argentina Up Against 'Other Favorites' in World Cup Repeat Bid

Soccer player Gianfranco Alegre, 8, poses for the picture prior to a match at the Grandoli club, where soccer star Lionel Messi played as a child in Rosario, Argentina, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Soccer player Gianfranco Alegre, 8, poses for the picture prior to a match at the Grandoli club, where soccer star Lionel Messi played as a child in Rosario, Argentina, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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Messi Says Argentina Up Against 'Other Favorites' in World Cup Repeat Bid

Soccer player Gianfranco Alegre, 8, poses for the picture prior to a match at the Grandoli club, where soccer star Lionel Messi played as a child in Rosario, Argentina, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Soccer player Gianfranco Alegre, 8, poses for the picture prior to a match at the Grandoli club, where soccer star Lionel Messi played as a child in Rosario, Argentina, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Lionel Messi says Argentina fans are right to dream of a second straight World Cup crown, but warns other contenders, including France and Spain, "are in better shape.”

"There are a lot of guys who are dealing with injuries or a lack of match fitness, but the truth is that when the group is together it has been proven that it competes and always wants to win," Messi said of Argentina in an interview with host Pollo Alvarez published on YouTube.

However, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has made Inter Miami the must-see team in Major League Soccer, said the competition will be stiff, AFP reported.

"As of today, France are in great shape again. They have a ton of top-level players," he said of the team that Argentina beat in the 2022 final in Qatar.

He also tipped Spain and Brazil, called Portugal "very competitive" and noted that traditional European powers Germany and England are always dangerous.

Messi, who will turn 39 in June, has yet to officially confirm his participation in the tournament, which will be held from June 11-July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Nevertheless, the former Barcelona star stressed that he has not set any time limits on his career as his competitive hunger remains.

"I love playing football, and I'm going to do it until I can't anymore," said Messi, who earned MLS Most Valuable Player honors last season as he sparked Miami to the title and led the league in goals.

"I'm competitive," he said. "I like to win at everything ... I don't even let my son win at video games."