18/03/2025

SPORTS 28 RED BULL senior advisor Helmut Marko had very little sympathy for Isack Hadjar after the debutant spun out of the Australian Grand Prix. The rookie landed backwards in the wall on the formation lap, bringing an abrupt end to his first race. Hadjar was reduced to tears following his error at Albert Park, with the French-Algerian being consoled as he made his way back to the paddock – notably by Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony. However, Marko was not impressed by Hadjar’s reaction and slammed his behaviour while speaking on the Austrian show ORF . Asked about the incident, the 81-year-old bluntly replied: “Tearing show. A bit embarrassing.” TUESDAY | MAR 18, 2025

Red Bull advisor savages ‘embarrassing’ Hadjar for crying

The lack of compassion from Marko could be a hard pill to swallow for the young driver at a time when he has already admitted to feeling very downbeat about the whole ordeal. However, the “tough love” approach may bear fruit further down the line. Asked about his emotions after the incident, Hadjar said: “Just embarrassed and sorry for the team. “Overdid it, overslipped the rears and once I lost the car, tried to save it, but was just a passenger. Just not so fast, I didn’t expect. I’m just mad.

“I mean, these mistakes, they can happen, it’s just breaking the car so early in the season really breaks my heart. Really sorry for the team. “I’m missing out on more experience, my first grand prix, missing out on the wet track. “I would say I’ve had similar low moments like this, this one is tough. But my way to F1 was also quite brutal, and I would say I have a strong chin, but this one definitely hits pretty hard.” In contrast to Marko’s reaction, Christian Horner admitted that he felt sorry for his young driver.

“It was quite heart-wrenching to see him so gutted, you know, his first Grand Prix,” said Horner. “I think the positives he needs to take out of it when he reflects on the weekend, he performed very well through the practises and the qualifying. “You forget that these guys are just kids really, and obviously a lot of emotion for him today, but I think when he strips it back, there’s an awful lot of positives he can take out of the weekend and he’s got many bright days ahead of him.” – Express Newspapers

‘Car is flying’

SHORTS Nigeria seek World Cup redemption

McLaren’s Lando Norris crosses the finish line to win the Australian Formula One Grand Prix. – AFPPIC

UNDERPERFORMING Nigeria and disadvantaged Sudan share the spotlight ahead of two 2026 World Cup qualifying matchdays in Africa from tomorrow. Seeded to win Group C and automatically qualify, a Nigerian team boasting the past two African Footballers of the Year Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman lie fifth in a six-team section. In a qualifying competition spanning three years, the Super Eagles drew with Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa, then crashed to Benin in pursuit of a seventh World Cup appearance. Since finishing 2024 Africa Cup of Nations runners-up to hosts Ivory Coast, Nigeria have had three coaches – locals Finidi George and Augustine Eguavoen and now Eric Chelle. Fired by Mali after a poor start to their World Cup campaign, Ivory Coast-born Chelle admits he faces a “huge challenge”, starting with Rwanda away and Zimbabwe at home this month. Blessed with outstanding forwards Osimhen and Lookman, the coach says “football is about scoring goals and I favour an attacking style”. Seeded fifth in Group B, Sudan occupy first place ahead of a top-of table clash with three-time World Cup qualifiers Senegal in Benghazi as they try to reach the finals for the first time. Messi on target as Miami down Atlanta LIONEL MESSI was on target as Inter Miami avenged last season’s playoff exit to Atlanta United with a 2-1 win that sent them to the top of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference standings yesterday. Veteran Haiti international Fafa Picault headed in the winning goal in the 89th minute to give Miami a precious victory that extended their unbeaten start to the season. The win was also sweet revenge for Miami, who suffered a shock elimination to Atlanta in last season’s playoffs despite in one of the greatest upsets in MLS history. An end-to-end battle in front of 42,843 fans at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium looked set to finish in a draw after an outstanding goalkeeping performance from veteran Brad Guzan had kept Miami at bay throughout. But Miami snatched victory at the death when the 34-year-old Picault was picked out by an inviting cross from former Barcelona star Jordi Alba. Picault leapt high and nodded a downward header back across the goal which beat the despairing dive of Guzan to creep in at the far post.

McLaren’s Norris knows he is the man to catch this year L ANDO NORRIS has admitted for the first time that he believes he is the favourite to land his maiden world championship following a statement victory at Sunday’s everything is good and groovy that is when you get caught. “But I do think we are the favourites. We are the team to beat. The car is flying. And there will be tracks where we are even better.”

biting conclusion, crossing the line just 0.8 seconds clear. Norris continued: “To start the season with a win is good enough, but to do it in such a stressful race, one where it is so easy to make a mistake, so easy to ruin everything, was even more rewarding. “We worked very hard over the winter to prepare for a race like this because we threw away a lot of opportunities last season. “In Canada and Silverstone (both in changeable conditions), we were not the best at preparing and being decisive. That cost us. But today we were very, very decisive. “The team calling me to box (for intermediate tyres) half-a-second before I needed to box, even though I was still trying to save the car and making sure I didn’t shunt, was the right call and it was a call that won me the race.” McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said: “We’re starting the season very strong. But as we saw last season Max won six of the first seven races and then had a bit of a drought so we just have to keep doing what we’re doing. “We definitely have a very quick race car but we see how quickly things change in this sport.” – The Independent different to what I’ve experienced in the past – the power unit, the steering functions they’re throwing to you, you’re trying to juggle it all. “Unfortunately at the end they said it was only a short shower and the rest of the track was dry so I was like ‘I’m going to stick it out as long as I can, and keep it on the dry’. “But they didn’t say more rain was coming. And then more came. So I think I was just lacking that bit of information at the end. “I didn’t have any confidence today unfortunately. I’m going to make some changes next week to the car and to the set-up. There were lots of snaps. I was nearly in the wall most of the time. “I’ve definitely made a step but it’s just confidence. On Friday, particularly in the high speed, I was down all the time. “And then on Saturday the confidence came back and I was building, building, building. And then we got to the race and again I was starting from scratch. I didn’t have any confidence for pretty much the whole race.” – The Independent

rain-hit Australian Grand Prix. The British McLaren driver, 25, emerged from a wild, wacky and thrilling season-opening race in Melbourne to lay down a title marker to his rivals. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished second and George Russell third for Mercedes, one place ahead of rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli, with Lewis Hamilton starting eighth and ending only 10th following an underwhelming debut for Ferrari. Prior to Sunday’s race – the first of 24 this year – Russell said McLaren’s eye-catching speed will make them virtually unbeatable, and claimed the British team can already afford to turn their attention to next season. “I know George made some comments that we can just turn our focus to 2026,” said Norris. “But if that is their mentality, then wonderful because that is not the mentality to have. “We know we have a lot of work to do in this car and if you do relax, you have failed. “In Formula One if you start to think LEWIS HAMILTON (pic) admitted he is low on confidence after he finished only 10th on his much anticipated Ferrari debut. Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to the Italian giants took centre stage at the opening round of the new Formula One season in Australia. But the seven-time world champion failed to deliver on the hype after he qualified eighth, and then lost two places in the race, with Ferrari a long way short of their rivals. For much of his first appearance in red, Hamilton ran in eighth, trailing Williams’ Alex Albon, while politely asking new race engineer, Riccardo Adami to “leave it to me” on several occasions. Adami was urging Hamilton to use an overtake button in his Ferrari.

Norris’ title challenge unravelled last season through a series of mistakes by driver and team. Verstappen, in his inferior Red Bull, clinched the championship with three rounds to spare – and then goaded Norris by claiming he would have won the title in his rival’s McLaren. In 2024, Norris faced criticism for poor starts and his team’s strategy calls were also not good enough, but both Norris and his team were on point in tricky conditions at Albert Park. Despite Verstappen enjoying a better start than both McLarens ahead, Norris, as he had vowed to do, got his elbows out by aggressively jinking to his right to counter the Dutchman’s attack. Then, on lap 44, when the rain arrived, and Norris ran through the gravel ahead of the penultimate corner, McLaren recognised the importance to change him to intermediate tyres. And, even with a damaged car, following his trip through the sandtrap, Norris showed composure to keep Verstappen at bay in a nail

Hamilton low on confidence after poor Ferrari debut Ű BY PHILIP DUNCAN

A late rain shower offered hope for Hamilton, but Ferrari left it far too late to change him from the dry tyres to inters. Although Hamilton temporarily led the race, he emerged from the pits one place worse off in ninth. “We just missed a big opportunity there,” said a frustrated Hamilton over the radio. When Adami informed him he was now ninth, Hamilton yelled: “S***!” To make matters worse for

Hamilton, he was overtaken by teammate Charles Leclerc and then McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on the final lap. “It was definitely a crash course,” said Hamilton afterwards. “Sometimes that’s OK but it felt like I was in the deep, deep end today. “Just everything is new. From the first time driving it in the rain, the car was behaving a lot