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Verstappen Wins Again. This Time He Takes First Formula 1 Sprint Race of the Season

Formula One F1 - Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China - April 18, 2024 Red Bull's Max Verstappen ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix REUTERS/Edgar Su
Formula One F1 - Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China - April 18, 2024 Red Bull's Max Verstappen ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix REUTERS/Edgar Su
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Verstappen Wins Again. This Time He Takes First Formula 1 Sprint Race of the Season

Formula One F1 - Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China - April 18, 2024 Red Bull's Max Verstappen ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix REUTERS/Edgar Su
Formula One F1 - Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China - April 18, 2024 Red Bull's Max Verstappen ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix REUTERS/Edgar Su

Max Verstappen, continuing his dominance in Formula 1, took Saturday's first sprint race of the season — the prelude to the full-blown Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes on the ninth of 19 laps and stretched out his lead to win by 13 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Sergio Perez of Red Bull was third and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was fourth, The Associated Press said.
“The first few laps were quite hectic," Verstappen said. “Once I got in the lead the car was handling pretty well.”
It was his eighth victory in an F1 sprint.
Red Bull's Verstappen is the three-time defending F1 champion and is almost unbeatable in any format.
He now has 85 points to lead of the overall season standings. Perez is second with 70 followed by Leclerc with 64 and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari with 59.
Second place was like a consolation victory for Hamilton. The seven-time champion has not been a factor the last several seasons. His last GP win was in 2021 in Saudi Arabia in the second-last race of the season.
“I forgot what he felt like to be out ahead,” Hamilton said. “It felt good for the short while that I had it. I was grateful for the moment.”
Verstappen will be the favorite to win Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix, which is the fifth race of the season. Verstappen has won three of the first four GP races and 22 of the last 26.
Lando Norris of McLaren and Hamilton of Mercedes started on the front row with Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Verstappen on the second row.
The sprint — F1 will run six this season — is about one-third the distance of a full race. The winner gets eight points with seven for second, six for third and so forth.
Saturday's race was run on a dry track, unlike the wet and slippery qualifying session on Friday.
Verstappen likened the sprint qualifying on Friday to “driving on ice.” Verstappen was among several drivers who ran off the track in a chaotic, wet session exacerbated by the track, itself.
The track is the great unknown going into Sunday's race. This is the first Formula 1 race in China in five years. The circuit has had a thin “seal coating” applied, described as liquid asphalt. F1 tire supplier Pirelli said it was not fully aware of the changes heading into the race.
Two small grass fires broke out on at the edge of the track in Friday practice. The circuit was built on a marshy area, and a methane gas leak is suspected.

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'Chaotic Mess' Kyrgios Determined to Enjoy Himself after Injuries

03 January 2026, Australia, Brisbane: Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios in action during a practice session ahead of the 2026 Brisbane International tennis tournament at the Queensland Tennis Centre. Photo: Dave Hunt/AAP/dpa
03 January 2026, Australia, Brisbane: Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios in action during a practice session ahead of the 2026 Brisbane International tennis tournament at the Queensland Tennis Centre. Photo: Dave Hunt/AAP/dpa
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'Chaotic Mess' Kyrgios Determined to Enjoy Himself after Injuries

03 January 2026, Australia, Brisbane: Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios in action during a practice session ahead of the 2026 Brisbane International tennis tournament at the Queensland Tennis Centre. Photo: Dave Hunt/AAP/dpa
03 January 2026, Australia, Brisbane: Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios in action during a practice session ahead of the 2026 Brisbane International tennis tournament at the Queensland Tennis Centre. Photo: Dave Hunt/AAP/dpa

A philosophical Nick Kyrgios said Saturday he had been a "chaotic mess" throughout his career and now just wants to enjoy himself when he returns to the tour this week.

The temperamental 2022 Wimbledon finalist, one of tennis's most dynamic players when at the top of his game, makes his comeback at the season-opening Brisbane International.

The 30-year-old Australian has slipped to 671 in the world after an injury-ravaged three years which saw him play only six singles matches on the ATP Tour.

Speaking ahead of his opening-round match, Kyrgios said he was feeling fit and had been playing as well as ever in the build-up.

"I think after every injury I have had the last couple of years, and to see how quickly something can be snatched away from you, I have a day-by-day mindset," the former world number 13 said.

"I don't know if I'm a player that needs to prove himself any more than he has. I just want to get through this and be happy with my performance.

"Ultimately I just want to go out there and put on a show for the crowd and for the fans and the people, to be honest.

"I have no agenda and I don't care what my ranking is, don't care what titles I win. I just want to go out there and give the people a good show.

"That's ultimately I guess what I'll go down as, as an entertainer and someone who just was a bit of a chaotic mess, but an entertainer at the end of the day."

Kyrgios, who was granted a wildcard to play in Brisbane, begins his tour comeback against US world number 60 Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Although he has featured only very sporadically on the ATP Tour in recent years, Kyrgios beat women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka last week in a "Battle of the Sexes" exhibition match in Dubai.

Kyrgios could yet be offered a wildcard to play singles at the Australian Open this month.

"Considering how much travel I have had the last month and how much tennis I have played, this is as good as I could feel," he added, according to AFP.

"I think a lot of stress has kind of gone from my life and I feel a lot better.

"I guess my goal is to leave Brisbane with a sense of: that was a fun week, you gave everything you had and whether you came up short or not, you gave a good show to the people.

"I'm just really looking forward to going out there and competing at the highest level again. It's all a blessing at this point."

Sports

Frank Finds it 'Difficult to Enjoy' Being Spurs Head Coach

Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 1, 2026 Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank applauds fans after the match REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 1, 2026 Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank applauds fans after the match REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
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Frank Finds it 'Difficult to Enjoy' Being Spurs Head Coach

Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 1, 2026 Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank applauds fans after the match REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 1, 2026 Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank applauds fans after the match REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Manager Thomas Frank likens his time at Tottenham Hotspur to running a gruelling marathon, saying he is trying to push through a "heavy mile" now that he hopes will pay dividends in the long run.

After their scoreless draw at Brentford on Thursday, Spurs are 12th in the standings with just one win in their last four league games.

During the stalemate, there were chants of "Boring, boring Tottenham" from fans, and Frank was greeted with a chorus of boos when he went to applaud ⁠travelling supporters.

Asked if he was enjoying his time in charge of Tottenham, Frank told reporters on Friday: "When you need to put in a big, big shift and it’s not smooth and it’s tough, it’s probably difficult to enjoy it.

"If I run hard I don't enjoy that ⁠moment but I know I need to keep my head down and run hard to get through it. We are in a situation where you need to run hard, to stay in it.

"When we look back on this spell or maybe this first year when it was tough, you'll think: 'What a learning, what an experience, it made us so much better for the future.' So the short answer is: no. The ⁠reality is you can't."

According to Reuters, the Danish manager said he understood the frustrations of fans and believed success would change their attitude.

"When I put myself out of it and look down, I think: ‘What a privilege to be in charge of this fantastic club in a period where it's a big transition'," Frank said.

"It's definitely a marathon and it definitely seems like it's one of the more heavy miles I'm on now, but head down and keep going."

On Sunday, Spurs host seventh-placed Sunderland.

Sports

Slot Calls for 'Magic' as Liverpool Seek to Bridge Gap to Title Contenders

Arne Slot manager of Liverpooll reacts after the English Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United, in Liverpool, Britain, 01 January 2026. EPA/PETER POWELL
Arne Slot manager of Liverpooll reacts after the English Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United, in Liverpool, Britain, 01 January 2026. EPA/PETER POWELL
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Slot Calls for 'Magic' as Liverpool Seek to Bridge Gap to Title Contenders

Arne Slot manager of Liverpooll reacts after the English Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United, in Liverpool, Britain, 01 January 2026. EPA/PETER POWELL
Arne Slot manager of Liverpooll reacts after the English Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United, in Liverpool, Britain, 01 January 2026. EPA/PETER POWELL

Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted his side needs "a bit of magic" to unlock tight games as the reigning Premier League champions sit fourth at the season's halfway point, 12 points behind leaders Arsenal.

Despite a seven-game unbeaten run in the league which steadied the ship after six losses in seven games prior, Slot painted a picture of grinding results rather than free-flowing football ahead of Sunday's trip to Fulham.

"Every single game we play, it is hard work. It is two teams quite close to each other," Slot told reporters.

"We are mainly the team that are probably better than the other team but not enough. We are constantly within this 20% difference and if you are inside this 20% difference then going to the floor or not means a lot for ⁠the result.

"I will keep pushing and the players will keep pushing to get to a situation where we are more than that 20%, we can make the difference bigger and then hopefully we are finding a moment when we can fly through the season."

Slot also said Liverpool cannot be considered title contenders at the moment with Arsenal and Manchester City -- separated by four points -- too far ahead ⁠while Aston Villa have also fallen by the wayside after their defeat against the league leaders.

"Realistically, I think there are two teams... with Villa being really close to them but because Arsenal won against Villa they created a bit of a gap (six points) towards Villa as well," Reuters quoted Slot as saying.

"Realistically, those two teams are quite far away from us and we should not look at those two at this moment in time."

While Liverpool have tightened up defensively, Slot highlighted ongoing struggles in attack despite dominating possession.

"It is clear and obvious we find it quite hard to generate enough chances for all the ball possession we have and that's not new for us this ⁠season," he said.

"Sometimes you need a bit of magic to unlock a game or a set-piece. If that happens, then all of a sudden everything looks much nicer, but that is not our season until now."

Slot expects a more open encounter against Marco Silva's Fulham, who drew with Crystal Palace on Thursday and sit 11th in the table.

"I expect a different game against Fulham... When we've played them and what I've seen from them, and they play a home game, so I think they will try to attack a lot and want to have the ball a lot," he said.

"At least that is how I know their manager, so it probably will be a much more open game. So we have to show in games like that we don't concede a lot as well."