21/03/2025

FRIDAY | MAR 21, 2025

SPORTS 29 Norris takes shot at rivals Briton blames competitors for doing ‘bad job’ Down Under L ANDO NORRIS has dismissed the view that McLaren’s car is supremely fast and questioned why their F1 rivals were so far behind them at the Norris, however, took a dim view of their comments and insisted their rivals’ failings were to blame for them not being closer. “I don’t know why people always talk about the car so much, like Oscar and I drove very well (in qualifying), but the others should not have been as far off as what they were,” he told Sky Sports F1 . His minor error denied McLaren what would’ve been their 50th one-two finish in Formula One, but Norris praised his team for executing their strategy to perfection in tricky circumstances after making bold calls on the tyre choices as the rain fell Down Under.

SHORTS Australian GP scores record ratings

THE Australian Grand Prix was watched by more than 1.1 million viewers on ESPN , setting a record for Formula 1’s season-opening event, according to the network. It beat the previous mark of 659,000 viewers in 2019, and was up 541,000 from last year’s race broadcast on ESPN2 . The 2025 race, which began at midnight on Sunday in America, also averaged 560,000 viewers in the coveted 18-49 year-old demographic. The record viewership for the Australian GP comes amid reports that ESPN will not pursue the US broadcast rights to F1 once the network’s media deal expires after this season. However, F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said at last month’s Liberty Media earnings call that discussions continue despite ESPN ’s exclusive negotiating period having passed. ESPN has aired F1 races since 2018 and is in the final year of a three-year extension that has the network paying about US$90 million (RM405m) per season for media rights. NBC Sports and Netflix are potential replacements after both met with F1 last month, according to Front Office Sports . NBC Sports aired F1 from 2012 to 2017, while Netflix has helped boost F1’s popularity in the US with its Drive to Survive docuseries, which recently released its seventh season. Eight F1 cars go ‘missing’ A logistical nightmare reportedly saw eight F1 cars go missing ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. Four teams had their freight delayed on the way over from Australia, hindering preparations for this weekend’s race. Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin were all impacted by “technical issues” relating to transport, according to F1 photographer Kym Illman. As a result, their cars did not arrive at the same time as the other six teams. Many crew members were reportedly“sitting around in hotels” on Wednesday as there was little point in going to the track. The missing cars eventually turned up in the evening, according to Motorsport.com , averting a deeper crisis ahead of today’s running. One team employee was quoted as saying: “There are no worries about free practice, but these days will be some late nights for our mechanics.” The four teams involved in the saga will be desperately hoping it does not impact their chances of success in Shanghai. FIA announce change to help teams THE situation with the missing cars prompted the FIA to intervene, with the governing body easing curfew restrictions in the paddock on Wednesday night. All 10 teams were given a six-hour period in which they could not work on their cars, as opposed to the usual 11.5 hours. In a statement, the FIA cited “logistical challenges” as the reason behind the change. “Due to the logistical challenges for the official tyre supplier resulting from delays in freight arrival, specially the requirement to revise the fitting schedule for Wednesday, the following concessions will be made,” read the statement. “On the Wednesday, and for this event only, the curfew period will be reduced by a period of five-and-a-half hours for a maximum of six operational personnel for the sole purpose of tyre preparations post tyre fitting from the tyre supplier.” It comes after the FIA introduced a new technical directive to combat the separate ‘mini-DRS’ issue which has drawn complaints from Red Bull in recent months. Perez ‘in talks’ over comeback SERGIO PEREZ appears to be eyeing a return to F1 following his Red Bull exit, with Cadillac emerging as a potential destination. They are on the lookout for drivers ahead of their inaugural season on the grid next year. Talks have already been staged regarding a possible seat for Perez, according to Jimmy Morales. He is the director of Escuderia Telmex, an organisation set up by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim to provide backing to elite Latin American drivers. “We talked to everyone and started to see their plans and if they have any room for Checo,” said Morales. “The important thing is that he’s interested. It’s peace of mind, the ability to focus on your work. “There are many things to consider in order to perform at your best. That’s what we’re looking for with Checo.”

Australian Grand Prix. Norris took pole position narrowly ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri in Melbourne, but their closest challenger Max Verstappen was some four tenths down on the Papaya to highlight the margin in one-lap pace. Despite multiple downpours of rain wreaking havoc during Sunday’s race, the Briton led for 55 of the 58 laps around the Albert Park Circuit to highlight his dominance as he clinched victory. Ferrari were backed to mount a threat with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, yet the Prancing Horse fell way short of expectations on a disappointing weekend. Several of their rivals made mention of the ominous pace demonstrated by McLaren in both qualifying and the race.

“We made some good decisions as a team, because last year, we would have done the same race and we wouldn’t have won because we were not the best at making those decisions, but today we were,” he added. “I give a lot of credit to the team, because they worked hard over the winter to make sure they were ready for a day like today.” McLaren go into the second weekend of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday level with Mercedes in the Constructors’ standings with 27 points, while Red Bull are third with 18. – Express Newspapers

“That was clear, and I do think we have by a little margin the best car, I’m not denying that. But not everything is about the car, that is clear, but it was a deserved win.” Norris crossed the line to take his fifth career victory and it appears the biggest threat to the 25-year-old’s Drivers’ Championship hopes this season will be his garage neighbour Piastri. The Australian was only slightly slower than Norris and would’ve challenged for the win had he not spun out after dipping his car onto the damp grass in the latter stages of the race.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown (left) and Jos Verstappen. – REUTERSPIC

Verstappen Sr slams McLaren CEO Brown

MAX VERSTAPPEN’S dad has accused Zak Brown of ‘stirring s***’ after the McLaren CEO tipped the reigning four-time world champion to join Mercedes at the end of the season. Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028 but performance-related break clauses could free him up sooner if the team slip behind their rivals. And the Australian Grand Prix suggested that Red Bull have ground to make up. Lando Norris won the race to take the early advantage in this season’s title battle, and Verstappen punched well above his weight to take second spot, with his Red Bull team-mate Liam Lawson failing to get out of Q1 or make an impact on race day. Brown believes it is only a matter of time before Verstappen moves onto pastures new. “Oh, I think he’ll leave at the end of this

Mastouri scored in the fourth minute to secure a 1-0 away win over Liberia in Monrovia. It was a winning start for Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi, back for a second stint in charge of the team. Madagascar’s new coach, former French international Corentin Martins, got his tenure off to a superb start as they won 4-1 at the Central African Republic, who were hosting the match in Casablanca. Central African Republic defender Hugo Gambor scored in the ninth minute but Madagascar bounced back to seal a comfortable win, including two goals from Rayan Raveloson Madagascar lead Group I with 10 points, one ahead of the Comoros and Ghana. Comoros play on Thursday against Mali and Ghana host Chad today. – Reuters not gone down well in the Verstappen camp. Responding to an excerpt of the McLaren chief’s recent interview posted by Autosport on Instagram , the Dutchman’s father, Jos, commented: “He is only trying to stir s***.” Ex-F1 racer Jos also piped up on social media earlier this month to respond to a pundit who tipped his son to join Mercedes, calling the prediction “nonsense”. There is no love lost between Brown and the Red Bull garage. He and team principal Christian Horner have endured a fractious relationship in recent years, and Verstappen rubbed salt in the wounds when he beat Norris to last year’s world title. He told Brown to his face: “Like you said, before I could only win it in the fastest car. This year, it has been a little bit different!” – Express Newspapers

Because their charter left late, however, the Cameroon squad were unable to land at Nelspruit airport which had closed for the night. They instead disembarked in Johannesburg, and had to wait three hours before making a five-hour bus journey to Nelspruit. The draw left Cameroon on nine points at the halfway stage of the qualifying campaign, leading Group D but only two points above Libya and the Cape Verde Islands who have home games against Angola and Mauritius overnight. Tunisia stretched their lead in Group H to five points as their league’s top scorer Hazem year, most likely to Merc,” he told The Telegraph . “There’s been talk of Aston Martin, too, with Adrian Newey joining. But as great as Adrian is – and he’s the greatest ever – you need a whole team around you. You need the culture. That takes time. If I was betting, I’d bet on Mercedes. “In the last 10 years, they’ve won the championship seven or eight times. Last year they won five races. They have stability. We know Toto (Wolff) likes him. “And I think we all feel they are best equipped on the power unit side heading into the new engine regulations next year. “Plus, George (Russell) is out of contract at the end of this season and Kimi (Antonelli) will be on a series of one-years.” It appears that Brown’s comments have

Listless Lions held by minors after travel woes MADAGASCAR and Tunisia won away in World Cup qualification yestersday as two rounds of African group matches kicked off, but Cameroon were held by Eswatini after poor travel arrangements caused them to arrive only hours before kickoff. match because their own stadiums have been condemned as not up to international standard by the Confederation of African Football.

Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions, who have been to more World Cup finals than any other African country, were held goalless by the small southern African kingdom who picked up their first point of the campaign. It was a listless performance from a strong Cameroon side, including Premier League players Andre Onana and Bryan Mbeumo, but not surprising as they had only arrived at their hotel in the South African city of Nelspruit around 15 hours before kickoff. They had planned to fly from Cameroon to Nelspruit, where Eswatini hosted the