adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

Sports

Verstappen repeats as Canadian Grand Prix champion, tying Senna with 41st career win

Published

 on

Max Verstappen tied late Brazilian great Ayrton Senna with 41 career wins on Sunday — and he has his sights set even higher.

The Red Bull driver led from start to finish and cruised to victory at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to claim the Canadian Grand Prix for a second year in a row.

“When I was a little kid driving and go-karting, I was dreaming about being a Formula One driver and I would have never imagined winning 41 Grand Prix,” said Verstappen, who tied Senna for fifth all-time. “I’m proud of that.

“But of course, I hope it’s not stopping here and I hope that we can keep on winning more races.”

 

Max Verstappen wins second straight Canadian Grand Prix

 

Verstappen never trailed defending his Canadian Grand Prix title in Montreal.

The odds of that are high. Verstappen, the two-time reigning world champion, has won four races in a row and six of eight overall this season.

The 25-year-old Dutch driver now leads the Formula One drivers’ standings with 195 points, 69 ahead of teammate Sergio Perez, who came in sixth on Sunday and missed the podium for a third straight race.

Not only did Verstappen set new marks individually, he also won Red Bull its 100th victory.

“I’ve won 41 of them, we’ll talk about maybe a new contract because of that,” he quipped.

A formula one driver wearing a race helmet raises his arms while pumping both fists in celebration on the track.
Max Verstappen celebrates his 2023 Canadian Grand Prix victory at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes placed second and third to round out the podium, which could hardly be more decorated.

Verstappen, Alonso and Hamilton have 11 world championships and 176 race wins between them, something all three drivers recognized while sitting together after the race.

“It’s a privilege to be up here with these two, who’ve done incredible in their careers, and this is quite an iconic top three,” said Hamilton. “I don’t know if there’s been a top three like this ever before.”

Four men stand on a podium with their arms around each other's shoulders.
From left to right, Fernando Alonso, Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton celebrate on the podium after the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Only one of the three, however, was truly pleased with the order.

“I think of course they want to swap positions of course,” said Verstappen. “I’m happy in the middle at the moment.”

“I’m really hoping at some stage we have a more level playing field in our cars and then we’ll have a much more exciting race,” added Hamilton.

Alonso, a 41-year-old veteran, earned his sixth podium this season and moved within nine points of Perez for second to continue building on a resurgent season.

Asked if he thought he could catch Perez, Alonso didn’t stutter: “Yes.”

Alonso and Hamilton duelled for second from the very first turn when Hamilton blasted past Alonso to move up to P2. Alonso then retook his position on Lap 22 with an overtake into the final chicane.

When Aston Martin informed Alonso over the radio that Hamilton had closed the gap to within 1.4 seconds with 10 laps remaining, the Spaniard responded: “Copy. Leave it to me.”

“He’s a multi-world champion, so yeah, he knows what he’s doing,” said Hamilton.

Mercedes was looking for a second consecutive strong Grand Prix after Hamilton and teammate George Russell made the podium in Spain earlier this month.

Russell, however, had to retire early after hitting the wall and damaging the right side of his car 12 laps in. He carried on until Lap 55 but pulled out due to brake issues.

Montreal’s Stroll finishes 9th

Montreal’s Lance Stroll, Canada’s lone F1 driver, started in 16th and finished ninth, tying his best result at home.

The 24-year-old Aston Martin driver is eighth in the standings and has yet to reach the podium this season despite his teammate Alonso being a consistent top-three finisher.

“With all the circumstances, it was better than nothing to get some points,” said Stroll. “But it was still a difficult weekend after yesterday and bad luck today.”

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz began the race in 10th and 11th after some missteps during Saturday’s qualifying session, but made ground to finish fourth and fifth.

Williams Driving’s Alex Albon was named the F1 driver of the day after coming seventh, his best result in two years. Alpine’s Estaban Ocon was eighth.

Red Bull remained perfect with eight wins in eight races this season and increased its already sizable lead in the constructors’ standings with 321 points to Mercedes’ 167.

With the race falling on Father’s Day, the drivers took a moment to thank their old men for helping them reach these heights.

“After my dad’s own career, he invested all his time in mine. It’s hard to explain you know how much he has dedicated to me because I probably still don’t even understand how much he did,” said Verstappen of his father Jos, who drove professionally through the 1990s and early 2000s. “I don’t need to buy him a present, I did this, so I think he’s happy.”

“Congratulations to my father,” Alonso joked. “My father is different, he has no talent at all to drive.

“He was always very with his feet on the ground and teaching me other things and other values because it was difficult to believe that I was able to reach Formula One one day, and that’s the beauty of our story.”

The track stayed dry beneath a mix of sun and clouds throughout the race after showers impacted practice and qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday.

A formula one driver crosses a finish line as fans watch from the stands.
Max Verstappen crosses the finish line to win the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix. (Timothy A. Clary/Pool via Reuters)

A record number of 345,000 spectators — including celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey, NHL stars Mitch Marner and Carey Price, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell — made the trip to Île Notre-Dame, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, over the event’s three days.

After missing two years due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, the Canadian Grand Prix will return to Montreal for a third straight year in 2024. The circuit is under contract with Formula One until 2031.

Next up, the series moves across the Atlantic for the Austrian Grand Prix on July 2.

 

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

David Lipsky shoots 65 to take 1st-round lead at Silverado in FedEx Cup Fall opener

Published

 on

 

NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.

Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.

After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.

“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”

Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.

“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”

Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.

Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.

Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.

Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.

Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.

Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.

Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.

Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.

Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.

That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.

“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”

Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.

Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.

___

AP golf:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Canada’s Marina Stakusic advances to quarterfinals at Guadalajara Open

Published

 on

 

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.

The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.

Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.

The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.

Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.

However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

France investigating disappearances of 2 Congolese Paralympic athletes

Published

 on

 

PARIS (AP) — French judicial authorities are investigating the disappearance of two Paralympic athletes from Congo who recently competed in the Paris Games, the prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Bobigny confirmed on Thursday.

Prosecutors opened the investigation on Sept. 7, after members of the athletes’ delegation warned authorities of their disappearance two days before.

Le Parisien newspaper reported that shot putter Mireille Nganga and Emmanuel Grace Mouambako, a visually impaired sprinter who was accompanied by a guide, went missing on Sept. 5, along with a third person.

The athletes’ suitcases were also gone but their passports remained with the Congolese delegation, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not allowed to speak publicly about the case.

The Paralympic Committee of the Democratic Republic of Congo did not respond to requests for information from The Associated Press.

Nganga — who recorded no mark in the seated javelin and shot put competitions — and Mouambako were Congo’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, organizers said.

___

AP Paralympics:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending