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Verstappen Cruises to Victory at Saudi Arabian GP to Extend Dominant Start to F1 Title Defense

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, March 9, 2024. (AP)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, March 9, 2024. (AP)
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Verstappen Cruises to Victory at Saudi Arabian GP to Extend Dominant Start to F1 Title Defense

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, March 9, 2024. (AP)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, March 9, 2024. (AP)

Max Verstappen stayed firmly on course for another season of dominance in Formula 1 on Saturday by winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Even after just two races, and despite turmoil at Red Bull, Verstappen seems in near-total control on the track as he aims for a fourth consecutive title this year.

"A fantastic weekend for the whole team and also for myself. I felt really good with the car,” Verstappen said.

The Dutch driver won easily ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third.

“It was a bit of a boring race because Red Bull were a bit too quick and behind we had a bit of a gap, but we took the maximum points we could today," Leclerc said.

Verstappen started on pole and held off Leclerc at the first corner, as he did last week at the season-opener in Bahrain which he won, before quickly building his lead.

The only interruption came when Lance Stroll's crash brought out the safety car. Verstappen came into the pits for a tire change and after the restart easily passed Lando Norris — who hadn't stopped — to retake the lead.

Perez had a five-second penalty because Red Bull released him from a pit stop into the path of another car, but that didn't matter since he finished far ahead of Leclerc.

Eighteen-year-old British driver Oliver Bearman was seventh for Ferrari in his first F1 race, one day after being called up as an emergency replacement for Carlos Sainz Jr., who needed an operation to treat appendicitis.

Oscar Piastri took fourth for McLaren, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso fifth and George Russell sixth for Mercedes.

Behind Bearman in seventh, McLaren’s Lando Norris held off Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in a fight for eighth place. Nico Hulkenberg was 10th for Haas’ first point in F1 since the Singapore Grand Prix in September.

Verstappen’s second win of the season followed speculation over his future at Red Bull.

Verstappen had suggested Friday that he might reconsider his relationship with the team if his mentor Helmut Marko were to leave Red Bull, but Marko told German broadcaster Sky Sport on Saturday that he was staying.

The team’s parent company last week dismissed a complaint of alleged misconduct by Red Bull team principal Horner toward a team employee.

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Jannik Sinner Beats Ben Shelton to Return to the Australian Open Final

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his semi final match against Ben Shelton of the US. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his semi final match against Ben Shelton of the US. (Reuters)
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Jannik Sinner Beats Ben Shelton to Return to the Australian Open Final

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his semi final match against Ben Shelton of the US. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his semi final match against Ben Shelton of the US. (Reuters)

Defending champion Jannik Sinner overcame some third-set cramping and beat Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 on Friday to return to the Australian Open final as he seeks a third Grand Slam title.

The No. 1-ranked Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy, fell behind in the opening set and twice was a point from losing it when Shelton served at 6-5. But Sinner broke there, then dominated the ensuing tiebreaker, and broke again to begin the second set.

“It was a very tough first set, but a very crucial one,” said Sinner, who ran his winning streak to 20 matches dating to late last season.

He said the matchup against the 21st-seeded Shelton, an American appearing in his second major semifinal and first at Melbourne Park, was filled with “a lot of tension.”

“I'm very happy with how I handled the situation today,” Sinner said.

The only trouble he ran into in the last two sets of the 2 1/2-hour contest in Rod Laver Arena was when he clutched at his left hamstring, and then his right thigh, in the third. He was treated by a trainer, who massaged both of Sinner's legs during changeovers.

Sinner is now the youngest man since Jim Courier in 1992-93 to reach consecutive finals at the Australian Open. It was Courier who conducted the post-match interview with Sinner on Friday.

Sinner won his first major title at Melbourne Park a year ago, then grabbed No. 2 at the US Open in September, shortly after being exonerated in a doping case that is still under appeal. There is a hearing scheduled for April.

On Sunday, Sinner will try to add to his trophy haul when he faces No. 2 Alexander Zverev for the championship.

Zverev advanced to his third major final — he is 0-2, with both losses in five sets — when Novak Djokovic quit after one set of their semifinal Friday because of a leg injury.

“Everything can happen. He's an incredible player,” Sinner said about Zverev. “He's looking for his first major. There's going to be, again, a lot of tension.”