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Verstappen Fastest in Japanese Grand Prix First Practice

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was fastest in the first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was fastest in the first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP
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Verstappen Fastest in Japanese Grand Prix First Practice

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was fastest in the first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was fastest in the first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP

Max Verstappen went fastest on Friday in first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, edging out Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez at Suzuka.
The triple world champion, who failed to finish the race in Australia a fortnight ago, clocked a lap of 1min 30.056sec -- 0.181sec quicker than the Mexican.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who won in Australia after returning from appendicitis surgery, was third-fastest at 1min 30.269sec.
Verstappen won the first two grands prix of the season but the Dutchman retired from a race for the first time in two years in Melbourne after a brake issue, said AFP.
Normal service resumed in dry conditions at Suzuka, in a session that was red-flagged for around 10 minutes after Williams driver Logan Sargeant crashed into a wall of tyres.
George Russell was fourth-quickest followed by Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc coming home in sixth.
Sargeant came skidding off the track at a corner and spun across the gravel before slamming into a barrier midway through the session.
The American walked away unhurt and his car was carried off by a crane, with the session red-flagged.
Hamilton had the fastest lap at that point but the seven-time world champion soon tumbled down the time sheets once the action resumed.
Hamilton is looking to jump-start a frustrating start to the season after finishing seventh in Bahrain and ninth in Saudi Arabia, before retiring in Australia with engine failure.
Russell, who escaped unscathed from a heavy crash late in the race in Australia, voiced his frustration over the team radio as the traffic piled up.
"This McLaren just stopped in the middle of the corner here," he said.
McLaren's Lando Norris, who finished second behind Verstappen at last year's Japanese Grand Prix, set the early pace.
RB's Daniel Ricciardo sat out the session as Japanese driver Ayumu Iwasa took his seat for the team.

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South Korea Expresses Regret after Its Athletes Introduced as North Korea at Opening Ceremony

Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
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South Korea Expresses Regret after Its Athletes Introduced as North Korea at Opening Ceremony

Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)

South Korea expressed regret that its delegation of athletes at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday was introduced as from rival North Korea and has demanded assurances from organizers the mistake will not happen again.

As the boat carrying South Korean athletes passed on the Seine, the announcer introduced them as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" - the official name of North Korea - in French and English.

The announcer used the same introduction when the North Korean delegation passed.

South Korea's vice minister for sports and culture, Jang Mi-ran, who was in Paris, had requested a meeting with International Olympics Committee President Thomas Bach, the ministry said in a statement.

"We express regret that the country was introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games when the athletes of the Republic of Korea were entering," it said.

South Korea's National Olympic Committee immediately referred the incident to the Games' organizers and requested that the error will not be repeated.

South Korea's delegation includes 143 athletes competing in 21 events. North Korea, which is returning to the Games for the first time since Rio 2016, has sent 16 athletes.