Never write him off: how Max Verstappen overcame ‘undriveable monster’ to win fourth world title
At times the world champion ground it out on will alone but an unforgettable drive in Brazil turned things back his wayMax Verstappen was clear all season he wanted to win the Formula One world title with a dominant car, just as he had the previous two years.Much as he might have enjoyed more of a canter, the fight for his fourth title, secured in Las Vegas, was not only far greater sport but also showed how complete a driver he has matured into.Beating him in future is going to be a fearsome task, as his title rival Lando Norris acknowledged.In the early stages of the season Verstappen appeared to be having it all his own way again.With the Red Bull quick out of the blocks, he was bossing it on track.
At the opening round in Bahrain his confidence and pace was intimidating, with an advantage at some points between eight-tenths and a second a lap, an extraordinary chasm as he almost flippantly asked his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase if he needed to push,He seemed unfazed by the controversy which had unfolded at the start of the season when his team principal, Christian Horner, was accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female employee, a complaint subsequently dismissed by an independent investigation but which was destabilising nonetheless,Bahrain was something of a harbinger and wins followed in four of the opening five meetings, the only hiccup a DNF in Australia with a brake problem,But the season began to turn at round six in Miami where McLaren deployed their first major upgrades,These proved revolutionary, delivering a car to take the fight to Red Bull.
It was also here that Verstappen first identified what he believed were issues with his drive.He noted a disturbing lack of grip and, to further rock the boat, the longtime design genius Adrian Newey announced over that weekend he was to leave Red Bull after almost two decades.Norris took his debut win and began his fightback.Verstappen could not be written off and delivered a series of battling drives to take wins in three of the next four races, the last in Spain in June, after which the wheels really did come off.With the McLaren now so quick, Red Bull were chasing every incremental gain but the developments they were bringing proved only to be detrimental.
Upgrades that began in Miami left the car out of balance, attempts to compensate for it with setup only worked the tyres harder, compounding degradation and grip issues.The oversteer that Verstappen favoured was gone, all making his job even harder.What followed, however, showed Verstappen’s determination.He ground out a series of strong results, despite no wins over a full five-month period, that prevented Norris from narrowing the gap too quickly, as did some controversial and at times ruthless and overaggressive driving that did the world champion a disservice.Crucially all this was in a car Verstappen had decried as an “undriveable monster” after he was reduced to sixth in Monza, a race where the Red Bull was comprehensively outpaced by both McLaren and Ferrari.
He was aided to an extent by McLaren not choosing sooner to prioritise Norris’s title tilt and several errors the British driver made which proved costly in his attempt to bridge the gap.But fundamentally it had been Verstappen driving the wheels off a recalcitrant car that made the difference.His teammate, Sergio Pérez, was struggling at times to even score points in the same car, which he said was handling “like a boat”.It was the period when he ground it out almost by will alone.“I always demand a lot from myself,” he said.
“I hate making mistakes,I put that pressure on myself every weekend,If you want to win a championship, you cannot afford bad results,”Having gone 10 races without a win, Verstappen all but sealed it with a coup de grace in Brazil,His victory in the wet, from 17th on the grid, was an absolute masterclass.
With Norris starting from pole, a major swing in the British driver’s favour was expected but Verstappen was exceptional in treacherous conditions that resulted in a host of drivers crashing out and Norris dropping to sixth.Verstappen’s touch and pace in the wet was such that he scythed through the field and enjoyed a full 20-second lead by the flag.“It was a defining moment for the championship,” Norris said, but also a moment that defined the level Verstappen has been operating at this season.“If you want to beat Max you have to be close to perfect,” Norris added.“He is one of the best the sport will ever see.
” Which, on his form to secure this title, was fair assessment indeed.
Nat Sciver-Brunt guides England to ‘scrappy’ T20 win against South Africa
England started their multi-format tour of South Africa with a four wicket-win in the first T20 that even their captain, Heather Knight, admitted was “scrappy”, relying on a trademark calm-and-collected Nat Sciver-Brunt half-century to get over the line.Chasing 143, England had struggled to 65 for four, and were left needing almost 10 an over from the final six, but a messy, 22-run over from young seamer Ayanda Hlubi – playing in her only her third T20 international – turned the match on its head, as Amy Jones cracked a four and a six from back-to-back no-balls to help Sciver-Brunt propel England towards their target.Jones was bowled by Nondumiso Shangase in the next over, while Sciver-Brunt survived a close leg-before decision against Nonkululeko Mlaba, which was adjudged umpire’s call on impact. But the damage of the Hlubi over had already been done, and by the time Sciver-Brunt, who scored 59 off 54 balls, was caught at backward square leg, England required just one run from the final five balls – a mere formality .Knight had vehemently defended her team on the eve of the series in the face of strong criticism following their early World Cup exit – adopting the slightly odd mantra that there was no need for England to “rip up trees” – but admitted that their win in Sunday’s match was far from perfect
Scotland deliver show of strength to stall Australia’s resurgence
Scotland’s autumn report card reads three wins out of four. That will do nicely, but Gregor Townsend’s team felt obliged to defeat a resurgent Australia to regard this campaign as a success.The hosts eventually scored four tries in overwhelming Joe Schmidt’s young side – there will be no Wallabies grand slam, no emulation of the heroes of 1984 – but the tourists stayed in the battle until the final quarter.Player of the match, Blair Kinghorn, produced in an imperious display from full-back while the Scots captain Sione Tuipulotu – born in Melbourne, raised between Australia and Tonga – led by example.His Greenock-born grandmother, Jaqueline Thomson, even flew over for the occasion
Max Verstappen hails title as his best – and insists he is staying at Red Bull
Max Verstappen hailed his fourth Formula One world championship as his best yet while his team principal, Christian Horner, said the title made Verstappen one of the greats of the sport.“The beginning was a bit messy,” Verstappen said in Las Vegas of the furore that engulfed Red Bull before the season started. “But I’m quite calm in those situations. It’s very difficult to disturb me with anything. I’m very focused on the racing side of things
Kohli and Jaiswal put ruthless India on verge of crushing victory over Australia
Cricket probably doesn’t owe Virat Kohli anything. It has given him riches beyond imagination, influence beyond reason, recognition that has built into idolatry. But then, he has given cricket riches, both in the literal cash churned from his name and the intangible of what his story has added to the game. So if the game owed him anything, perhaps it was a lucky break, one generous chance at a century to ease the tension of a lean 18 months without one. Walking out with India two wickets down, 321 runs ahead, with Yashasvi Jaiswal immaculately set on 141 and Australia already wheezing, the game delivered one
Australia v India: first men’s Test, day three – as it happened
Here’s Geoff’s report from Perth:Australia has suffered an extraordinary day of punishment with bat and ball in Perth are now on the brink of a heavy and humiliating defeat.Despite being without several of their key stars, India have been superb, recovering from their early skittling for 150 in the first innings on day one to dominate every session of the Test thereafter. Australia briefly revived after lunch to pinch four wickets but that was as good as it got for them.India’s dominant display was led by a magnificent 161 by Yashasvi Jaiswal and a return to form for Virat Kohli who was unbeaten on 100. Wonderful support innings from KL Rahul (77), Devdutt Padikkal (25), Washington Sundar (25) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38) took them to 487 for 6 – a record total against Australia in Australia
Never write him off: how Max Verstappen overcame ‘undriveable monster’ to win fourth world title
At times the world champion ground it out on will alone but an unforgettable drive in Brazil turned things back his wayMax Verstappen was clear all season he wanted to win the Formula One world title with a dominant car, just as he had the previous two years. Much as he might have enjoyed more of a canter, the fight for his fourth title, secured in Las Vegas, was not only far greater sport but also showed how complete a driver he has matured into.Beating him in future is going to be a fearsome task, as his title rival Lando Norris acknowledged.In the early stages of the season Verstappen appeared to be having it all his own way again. With the Red Bull quick out of the blocks, he was bossing it on track
Making the case for a law on assisted dying | Letter
‘Resilience interventions do work’ – why coping strategies should be a staple of education
Shabana Mahmood should not impose her religious beliefs on others, says peer
‘Deep in my madness, witches gave me hope’: Elizabeth Sankey on motherhood, depression and witches
UK’s assisted dying law won’t be ‘slippery slope’ says California doctor who has helped dozens end their life
Tory MP Danny Kruger investigated by standards watchdog over assisted dying funds