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Formula One: Troubled Red Bull Search For Path Back To Fast Lane

Ailing Red Bull arrive on the Red Sea for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah desperate to prevent their 2025 season sinking into mediocrity. The Austrian Formula One giants left Bahrain on Sunday in sombre mood, their limitations laid bare under the harsh floodlights in the desert of Sakhir. Here AFP Sport assesses the issues that threaten to derail Max Verstappen's quest for a fifth successive world title: Verstappen slipped to third in the drivers' standings, eight points behind McLaren's leader Lando Norris, after trailing in sixth, over half a minute behind Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri, in Bahrain. He has accounted for all bar two of the team's tally in the constructors' championship where they are lagging a massive 80 points behind runaway leaders McLaren after just four races.

Flawless Oscar Piastri Converts Pole To Win In Bahrain Grand Prix, Lando Norris Third

Oscar Piastri powered to victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday from George Russell's Mercedes with the Australian's McLaren teammate Lando Norris in third. Pole-sitter Piastri kept his calm in an incident-packed race to give McLaren their first ever win in Sakhir at their 21st attempt. Max Verstappen's trying weekend at the desert track ended with the four-time world champion only managing sixth place. Norris leads the drivers' standings on 77 points, with Piastri overtaking Verstappen and into second ahead of next weekend's race in Jeddah.

Riyadh to host Asian qualifiers for Arena World Polo Championship for the first time

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will host the Asian qualifiers for the Arena World Polo Championship finals for the first time later this month, as teams from India, Pakistan and Iran compete for a place at the tournament.

Saudi driver Farah Al-Yousef to compete as wild card in F1 Academy Jeddah round

JEDDAH: Saudi racing talent Farah Al-Yousef will make her debut in the 2025 F1 Academy series as a wild-card entry during Round 2 of the championship in Jeddah this weekend, it was confirmed on Tuesday.

Teammate: Lionel Messi wants to play in ‘26 World Cup’

MIAMI: Lionel Messi has a “desire” to help Argentina defend its World Cup title next year, Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez said. Messi, who turns 38 this summer, has not announced his plans for the 2026 tournament being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was the Most Valuable Player of Argentina’s run to the championship at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Argentina has already qualified for 2026. In a recent interview with El Pais, Suarez was asked whether he and Messi had talked about retirement. “No, we do talk (about it).

‘We played for Gaza’: How Palestine’s U-20 Women’s team went from underdogs to champions

AMSTERDAM: When rank outsiders secure a victory they tend, often, to be of the moral variety. If victory is achieved it rarely ends up with an outsider advancing to the final match and lifting the trophy.

FIA president welcomes Georgia to sport’s global fight against online abuse

DUBAI: Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, has welcomed the government of Georgia to the organization’s growing United Against Online Abuse coalition.

Norris feels ‘nowhere near’ his best as Formula 1 title contest heats up inside McLaren

Lando Norris may be top of the F1 standings but he feels like he’s driving “nowhere near” his best and can’t work out why. After placing third Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix — won by his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri — Norris said he felt far more confident last year, when he lost out on the drivers’ title to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. “I’m confident that I have everything I need and I’ve got what it takes,” Norris said. “I have no doubt about that, that I’m good enough, but something is just not clicking with me in the car.” Norris, who qualified sixth for Sunday’s race, saw Piastri close to within three points of him in the standings. “As soon as you’re not gelling (with the car), then you’re going to be in issues, and that’s what I have at the moment,” Norris said. Even though he’s still leading and won the season-opening Grand Prix in Australia last month, Norris said he hasn’t felt comfortable all year with McLaren’s car — widely considered the fastest on the grid. Last year, “I knew every single corner, everything that was going to happen with the car, how it was going to happen.

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Bahrain Sport News

Formula One: Troubled Red Bull Search For Path Back To Fast Lane

Flawless Oscar Piastri Converts Pole To Win In Bahrain Grand Prix, Lando Norris Third

Riyadh to host Asian qualifiers for Arena World Polo Championship for the first time

Saudi driver Farah Al-Yousef to compete as wild card in F1 Academy Jeddah round

Teammate: Lionel Messi wants to play in ‘26 World Cup’

‘We played for Gaza’: How Palestine’s U-20 Women’s team went from underdogs to champions

FIA president welcomes Georgia to sport’s global fight against online abuse

Norris feels ‘nowhere near’ his best as Formula 1 title contest heats up inside McLaren