Gareth Bale - players.bio

Verstappen on pole as Red Bull lock-out Abu Dhabi front row

ABU DHABI: Max Verstappen outpaced team-mate Sergio Perez to grab pole position for Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Red Bull locked out the front row in a closely-fought qualifying session. The two-time world champion clocked a best lap in one minute and 23.824 seconds to finish two-tenths clear of the Mexican, delighting Red Bull after a week of reported rifts between the two drivers. Charles Leclerc was third ahead of Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz and the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who claimed his maiden victory last weekend in Brazil.

A World Cup 12 years in the making

DUBAI: The first FIFA World Cup to take place in the Arab world will kick off Sunday in Doha when the host nation take on Ecuador in the tournament’s opening match at Al-Bayt Stadium.

‘Down-to-earth’ Bale sets the tone for tight-knit Wales — Williams

DOHA: Wales midfielder Jonny Williams says captain Gareth Bale’s “down-to-earth” personality is a unifying force within the squad as the country prepares for its first World Cup appearance since 1958. Williams, who now plays for Swindon in England’s fourth tier, was part of the Wales squad that reached the semifinals at Euro 2016 after ending a 58-year absence from major tournaments. The Welsh also made the last 16 at Euro 2020 and will again look to the likes of Bale and Aaron Ramsey to lead from the front as they take on the USA, Iran and rivals England in Group B.