- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
Azerbaijan Grand Prix - three things we learned
Oscar Piastri's win in Baku means Max Verstappen and Red Bull face a scrap to hang on to their titles after being toppled from the lead of the constructors’ championship while McLaren have confirmed their current superiority, and Williams their future potential.
Even as Red Bull’s influential advisor Helmut Marko conceded that they have no chance of retaining the teams’ title, it was clear in the aftermath of a tense and intriguing Azerbaijan Grand Prix that the power has shifted in Formula One.
AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from Sunday’s drama on the streets of Baku:
Red Bull concede team title
Lando Norris’s feisty drive to fourth from 15th on the grid kept alive not only his slim hopes of the drivers’ crown but also, with the aid of Carlos Sainz’s collision with Sergio Perez, ensured that McLaren took a healthy 20-point lead over Red Bull in the constructors’.
No wonder that Marko, the eminence grise of the Milton Keynes-based outfit, admitted all hopes of resisting McLaren were gone.
He did, however, see an upside in the drivers' title race.
"The positive is that Oscar Piastri is close to Lando Norris in terms of points and there are team orders at McLaren… Therefore, clarity will not follow so easily.”
Norris cut the lead of three-time champion Verstappen by just three points to 59 with seven races and three sprint races to go, but even that may still not be cushion enough for the Dutchman to retain his crown if he cannot find winning form again.
He is winless in seven outings and struggling for podium finishes while both McLarens and both Ferraris, with Mercedes close too, have shown the form to beat him.
"Max couldn’t even hook it up," added Marko of the skittish RB20 car. "The tyres failed. The brake temperatures went up. The car has potential but its set-up is very sensitive."
Red Bull, he said, expected a major upgrade for next month’s United States Grand Prix that may be their final chance to rescue the season for Verstappen if Norris avoids further mishaps.
Norris, whose qualifying was wrecked by a yellow flag, said: "I could be happier, if Saturday didn't happen. From a team’s view, we are probably more concerned by Ferrari than Red Bull."
Team boss Christian Horner added to troubled Red Bull’s downbeat prospects when he said: “Now we're not defending our constructors’ title but we are chasing so it changes the dynamics. We’ll just throw everything at it. It's far from over."
Mercedes 'misery' for Hamilton
Team boss Toto Wolff conceded that inconsistent Mercedes ruined seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton’s race before it began – by trading seventh on the grid for a pit-lane start due to a faulty component necessitating a late change of power unit.
After battling balance issues, he fought through to finish ninth, thanks to the late crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez.
"We knew it would be a race of misery because it is so difficult to overtake in Baku," said Wolff. "But we decided to do the engine change here – that’s how it was."
As Hamilton struggled, George Russell finished a fortunate third.
"A real surprise," he said. "We've got to be realistic. Today, fifth was our true result so I don't want to get carried away. We have a lot of work to do."
Williams on the way up
Franco Colapinto finished eighth and Alex Albon seventh to score a 10-point haul to confirm Williams’ resurgence, the Argentine new boy shining in only his second F1 race.
His fine drive was mirrored by the efforts of fellow-rookie Oliver Bearman, standing in for Kevin Magnussen at Haas, who finished 10th, prompting Hamilton to heap praise on them both.
For Colapinto, however, it was a post-race chat with the Mercedes driver that made his day, describing it as a 'dream come true' on social media where he posted a picture captioned 'my best moment of the day.'
Alas, for him, there is unlikely to be room for him in the team next season with the arrival of Sainz from Ferrari as Williams strengthen further.
str/bsp
G.Stevens--AMWN