24/10/2025

SPORTS FRIDAY | OCT 24, 2025

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Three-way fight

STAT ATTACK

OSCAR PIASTRI will find himself at a major disadvantage if this year’s title race goes down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. He currently leads the Drivers’ Championship standings ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen but the battle is far from over. The top three are separated by just 40 points heading into the final five races of the campaign. It looks increasingly likely that Abu Dhabi will play host to a final-day title decider for the first time since 2021. If that happens, Piastri will be fighting an uphill battle from the very start. That is because McLaren are likely to replace him with a rookie driver in the first practice session of the weekend. Patricio O’Ward is already confirmed to be driving in FP1 at this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix. That will complete McLaren’s requirement to use two inexperienced drivers in Norris’ car over the course of the season. They still need to complete a second run in Piastri’s car, though, and Abu Dhabi would appear to be the likely choice. The other race weekends are less favourable for two main reasons. They are either sprint events, where FP1 is the only practice session of the weekend, or they take place at street circuits where the risk of damage is higher and track time can be limited due to crashes causing red flags. As a result, it seems likely that Piastri will be replaced in the first practice session at the Yas Marina Circuit, meaning he will have less time to get up to speed in comparison to his title rivals. The session takes place in the middle of the day, where track conditions are not representative of what drivers will face in qualifying or the race itself, which are both held in the evening. Piastri will become the first Australian world champion since Alan Jones, who claimed the honours in 1980, if he ends the season at the top of the standings. – Express Newspapers FORMULA ONE statistics for Sunday’s (Mon 4am Malaysian time) Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the 20th race of the 24 round championship. Lap distance: 4.304km Total distance: 305.584km (71 laps) 2024 race winner: Carlos Sainz (Spain) Ferrari 2024 pole position: Sainz MEXICO 0 The race is officially the Mexico City Grand Prix. 0 Verstappen has won five of the last seven races in Mexico, making it his joint most successful track with Austria’s Red Bull ring. 0 Lewis Hamilton (2016, 2019), Verstappen (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023) and Sainz (2024) are the only active drivers to have won in Mexico. 0 The race was won from pole position in 2015, 2016, 2022 and 2024. -Three of the last five wins have been from third on the grid. 0 The circuit is the highest on the calendar at 2,285m above sea level. Cars reach 320kph down the long opening straight. The final sector runs into the Foro Sol stadium section with 30,000 fans in high grandstands. 0 Sainz, now at Williams, has a five place grid penalty for the race for causing a collision in Austin. DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP 0 McLaren’s Oscar Piastri leads teammate Norris by 14 points with five rounds, and two Saturday sprint races, remaining. Norris has beaten the Australian in the last four races. 0 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is third and 40 points off the lead, after being 104 off the pace at the end of August. He has scored 119 points out of a maximum 133 in the last five rounds. Piastri faces major F1 title disadvantage

Verstappen’s late charge might ruin McLaren party

Ű SCOTT HUNT

M AX VERSTAPPEN’S charge back into the Formula One champion ship race has disrupted McLaren’s plans for a teammate title tussle. With five rounds to go, Oscar Piastri’s lead has been slashed to 14 points from Lando Norris and 40 points to four-time champion Verstappen. Here’s a looks at how a fascinating title race is shaping up ahead of this weekend’s trip to Mexico City. How Max got back into title race? Nobody is more surprised than the Dutchman. He declared his chances over before the summer break but has won three of the last four races to charge back into the fight. Verstappen trailed Piastri by 104 points after Zandvoort just five races ago but has slashed that by 64 points after taking a perfect 33 last weekend in Austin. Verstappen says that Red Bull and new team principal Laurent Mekies have simply unlocked the potential in their car and the previous struggles – where he won just two of the first 15 races – appear long behind them. What has happened to Piastri? When Norris’ engine blew up in the closing

on all layouts.

stages at Zandvoort, Piastri held a 34-point lead over his teammate and appeared odds-on to clinch his first title. Neither McLaren driver has won since but the Australian also finished behind both Norris and Verstappen in those four races. In Austin he was well off the pace, crashing at the first corner of the sprint as Norris was also wiped out, before offering little threat when finishing fifth in the race. “If we can find our way again, find our pace, certainly for me find our pace again, then I don’t have any major concerns,” Piastri said. Whether he can do that is the big question hanging over the 24-year-old. How do McLaren refind their form? It will not be through upgrades to their car. While Red Bull continue to tweak their package, team principal Andrea Stella confirmed McLaren do not have any planned updates. Instead, they hope to fine-tune their car and are optimistic that there are tracks remaining which will suit them. But previous hopes that recent struggles were track-specific appear to be over as McLaren – who already have the constructors’ crown in the bag – admit Verstappen is now a match for them

Will McLaren have to favour one driver? This is a question that has taken on real significance. McLaren have been so focused on maintaining teammate relations to ensure total fairness as their drivers were locked in a two-way title fight. But the landscape has changed now Verstappen has roared into their rear-view mirrors. Stella refused to rule out the need to prioritise one driver in a bid to take the title back to Woking but that would be a major step for a team so determined to be fair to both Norris and Piastri. Echoes of 2007? Piastri and Norris have been the title contenders for the whole season, much in the same way as Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were in 2007 – albeit in much more civil and less controversial fashion. But while those two scrapped away, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen won three of the last four races to pip the McLaren duo to the crown by a single point. Who was part of Raikkonen’s team at the time? Andrea Stella. – The Independent

Notices

322

DALAM MAHKAMAH MAJISTRET DI PETALING JAYA DALAM NEGERI SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA GUAMAN SIVIL NO.: BB-A72NCVC-631-07/2025 ANTARA

TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD [No. Syarikat : 199001009294 (200866-W)]

…PLAINTIF

DAN

SIAW HAN HSIANG [NO. K/P: 771009-04-5455]

…DEFENDAN

NOTIS PENYAMPAIAN GANTI-BENTUK IKLAN

Kepada, SIAW HAN HSIANG D-01-3A, Park Apartment One South, Jalan Taman Serdang Perdana, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor Darul Ehsan Dalam perkara Writ yang dikeluarkan pada 8 Julai 2025. AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa suatu tindakan Writ telah dikeluarkan terhadap Defendan dalam Mahkamah Majistret di Petaling Jaya dalam Guaman No. BB A72NCVC-631-07/2025 oleh Tenaga Nasional Berhad [No. Syarikat: 199001009294] (200866-W)] di mana tuntutan Plaintif ialah untuk bayaran sebanyak RM 10,531.55 bagi jumlah kehilangan hasil termasuk kos operasi dan cukai berkaitan berkenaan pemeriksaan pepasangan meter/meter yang dijalankan di Premis tersebut pada 22/10/2021, secara alternatif, restitusi bagi jumlah sebanyak RM 10,531.55 bagi jumlah kehilangan hasil termasuk kos operasi dan cukai berkaitan berkenaan pemeriksaan pepasangan meter/meter yang dijalankan di Premis tersebut pada 22/10/2021,secara alternatif, gantirugi untuk ditaksirkan, faedah atas jumlah penghakiman pada kadar 5% setahun dari tarikh pemeriksaan pepasangan meter/meter pada 22/10/2021 sehingga tarikh penghakiman, faedah atas jumlah penghakiman pada kadar 5% setahun dari tarikh penghakiman sehingga tarikh penyelesaian penuh, kos dan adalah diperintahkan bahawa sesalinan Writ dan Pernyataan Tuntutan kedua-duanya bertarikh 8 Julai 2025 (“Writ tersebut”) disampaikan kepada kamu melalui Penyampaian Ganti iaitu dengan menampalkan sesalinan Writ tersebut di Papan Notis Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya,ditampal di alamat terakhir Defendan yang diketahui iaitu di D-01-3A, Park Apartment One South, Jalan Taman Serdang Perdana,43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor Darul Ehsan (“selepas dari ini “ alamat Defendan ”) berdasarkan kepada Perintah bertarikh 2 Oktober 2025 dan juga mengiklankannya sekali (1) dalam surat khabar tempatan dan saya percaya bahawa penyampaian itu menjadi penyampaian yang sempurna dan cukup ke atas Defendan tersebut tujuh (7) hari selepas dari tarikh pengiklanan dan penampalan tersebut yang mana terkemudian. Sekiranya kamu berhajat untuk membuat pembelaan terhadap tindakan tersebut, kamu mestilah diwakili oleh Peguambela kamu di hadapan Mahkamah Majistret Petaling Jaya pada 12/11/2025 (secara E-Review), jam 9.00 pagi. Sekiranya kamu gagal berbuat demikian maka Penghakiman Ingkar boleh diberikan terhadap kamu. Bertarikh pada 24 haribulan Oktober 2025 …..….………tt…….…….. Notis Penyampaian Ganti Bentuk Iklan ini dikeluarkan oleh Tetuan Sandosh Anandan, Peguamcara bagi pihak Plaintif yang beralamat di Unit A502, Blok A, Kelana Square, No. 17, Jalan SS7/26, Kelana Jaya, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Tel:03-78065819 / 03-7804607 Fax: 03-78807409 (Ruj:SA/L/TNB/SIAW HAN HSIANG/2110/2025/ SA) Tetuan Sandosh Anandan Peguamcara bagi Plaintif

Jannik Sinner in action during his round of 32 match against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier. – REUTERSPIX

Sinner makes fast start, Vacherot gets reality check JANNIK SINNER cruised to victory over Daniel Altmaier in his first-round match in Vienna yesterday as he returned to action for the first time since hobbling out of the Shanghai Masters. the Austrian capital. Sinner did not face a single break point in the match and lost just six points in the opening set as he blew the 51st-ranked Altmaier off the court. by top seed Taylor Fritz in the Swiss Indoors first round yesterday. Fritz battled to a 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 victory over the Monegasque who became the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP 1,000 tournament in China earlier this month.

“I feel like in the first set everything was working very well,“ said Sinner. “I’m very happy about today’s performance, starting the tournament in a very positive way, not only game-wise but feeling-wise.” Earlier, Daniil Medvedev continued his strong form by defeating Nuno Borges 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-2. The former world No. 1 ended a two-year wait for an ATP title last weekend in Almaty. Meanwhile in Switzerland, Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot was brought back down to earth as he suffered a narrow defeat

The world No. 2 raced to a 6-0, 6-2 victory over German Altmaier, posting his quickest win of the year in just 58 minutes. Sinner will face fellow Italian Flavio Cobolli in the last 16 today as he continues his bid for a fourth title of the season. The four-time Grand Slam champion had to retire with cramps earlier this month in his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai. But he beat Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas in an exhibition event in Saudi Arabia last week and was in fine form again in

Vacherot climbed 165 places in the world rankings from 204th to 39th courtesy of his history-making maiden tour title. He initially carried on from where he left off, breaking American Fritz twice to take the opening set in Basel. World No. 4 Fritz needed eight set points before eventually securing the second set in a tie-break. Vacherot again fought back from a break down in the third but his resistance was finally ended when he dropped serve in the 12th game. Fritz will next face Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the last 16. – AFP