Daniel Ricciardo wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Red Bulls’ Daniel Ricciardo won a rollercoaster Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, as rookie Lance Stroll took his maiden podium for Williams, pipped on the line by Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas. Championship leader Sebastian Vettel beat Lewis Hamilton to fourth place, despite being penalized for dangerous driving after hitting his Mercedes rival behind the safety car.

The safety car came out first on lap 12 to clear the stricken Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat, allowing Bottas to unlap himself after he had collided with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen at the start, dropping to last place with a puncture. The race restarted on lap 17 but just seconds later it was under safety car again due to debris on track. As the safety car prepared to peel off on Lap 19, Vettel ran lightly into the back of the slowing Hamilton. The Ferrari then pulled alongside and banged wheels with the Mercedes, seemingly in frustration.

Racing resumed seconds later on Lap 20, but again it was short lived. Esteban Ocon tipped Force India team mate Sergio Perez into the wall at Turn 2, bringing out the safety car once more. That quickly became a red flag as race control decided the track needed a proper clean up. Twenty five minutes later, with Perez and Raikkonen back in the race after repairs, they were running once more on Lap 24, with Ricciardo storming from sixth to third into Turn 1 on the restart. It would prove to be the move that won him the race.

The drama continued with Hamilton pitting for repairs to a loose headrest on Lap 32 – and as he did came news of a 10-second stop-go penalty for Vettel for dangerous driving. Somehow Vettel emerged from that in seventh place just ahead of his title rival, but by then the race victory had eluded both. The closing laps were about how close Vettel and Hamilton could get to the podium – and whether teenager Stroll could hold off the ever-closing Bottas. The Canadian rookie almost kept second, but couldn’t stop the Mercedes surging ahead on the line by just a tenth of a second. Four seconds ahead of them Ricciardo had already taken the flag for his fifth F1 win and his first of 2017.

MotoGP 2017: Grand Prix of Netherlands

Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi won his first race for more than a year, as he came through to take victory in a thrilling MotoGP Netherlands Grand Prix. The veteran hadn't savored glory since the 2016 Catalan Grand Prix, but he showcased all his experience in spades at Assen, as he held off Ducati's Danilo Petrucci in an absorbing battle. Defending world champion Marc Marquez came home in third place for Honda.

Rossi's team-mate Maverick Vinales crashed out, allowing Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso to take the lead of the championship by four points; the top four riders in the standings are now covered by just 11 points. It was Johann Zarco who started the race on pole having produced a storming qualifying performance. The rookie eventually didn't finish in the shakeup for victory, losing ground due to a misguided tactical switch and coming home in 14th spot.

Another rider who endured a disappointing day was Vinales. After enjoying a blistering beginning to the season with his new team, the young Spaniard has lost momentum in recent weeks and paid the price for losing balance at Turn 17 with 14 laps to go. With the duo out of contention, some more seasoned competitors were juking it out at the front in pursuit of the victory, with Rossi moving through into first position. Petrucci was keeping the Doctor on his toes, though, as the pair engaged in a fascinating tussle.

Indeed, as the heavens threatened to open and drizzle sprinkled across the Assen circuit, the riders needed to be careful. Eventually, it was the duo aforementioned who handled the conditions the better, as they pulled away from the rest of the field. The Italians each held the lead in the final stages, as they each pushed their bike to the limit in pursuit of the win. World Superbikes rider Alex Lowes paid tribute to another great Rossi performance, who has now won 10 times at the Assen circuit.

MotoGP 2017: Grand Prix of Italy

Ducati Andrea Dovizioso won his second consecutive MotoGP race, turning in an imperious performance to clinch the Grand Prix of Catalunya. After starting in seventh place, Dovizioso moved through the field seamlessly, eventually overtaking Honda riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa who finished second and third.

It was a day to forget for the Yamaha riders, as Valentino Rossi came home eighth and world championship leader Maverick Vinales was only good for 10th. Off the line pole-sitter Pedrosa preserved his advantage, but there was a hairy moment for Marquez further back in the field, as he came into contact with Danilo Petrucci off the line. Marquez recovered and eventually moved into third. Meanwhile, Jorge Lorenzo took the lead from Pedrosa, who looked vulnerable early on.

Lorenzo started slipping down the order, and Dovizioso went the other way. The Ducati man showed excellent pace to recover from seventh on the grid. Having won the Italian grand prix last time out, Dovizioso showed a lot of confidence and was quickly onto the two Honda drivers up front. The Italian was on course for back-to-back victories at this stage, as he laid down the gauntlet for a Honda response. Marquez responded, as he retook second spot and kept the gap steady for a spell.

As the race entered the final stages, Dovizioso built a gap over Marquez. The Ducati rider enjoyed the moment, coasting over the line ahead of the Honda pairing. There is no doubt Dovizioso is in the form of his career. Prior to last week's triumph at Mugello, he had secured only two wins in nine years in MotoGP. He'll have his eyes on the world title as well now. Dovizioso is just seven points behind Vinales in the standings. With his tail up, the Ducati man will feel confident of overhauling that deficit in a fortnight's time, when MotoGP heads to the Netherlands.

Lewis Hamilton wins Canada Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton stormed to his sixth Canadian Grand Prix victory, leading home team mate Valtteri Bottas as Mercedes dominated in Montreal. Third place went to Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo after Ferrari hit trouble early on, with Sebastian Vettel battling back on fourth, his lead in the drivers’ championship cut to from 25 points to 12 points.

It was massively windy in Montreal all day, and that played havoc with the cars’ aerodynamic stability in the race. Vettel picked up front wing damage almost instantly when Max Verstappen made a blinding start from fifth on the grid to go round the outside of him into second place by Turn 1, as Bottas went for the inside to grab third. Further round the lap, exiting Turn 2, Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz tangled, the Haas spinning the Toro Rosso down the grass on the inside of the track until it collected the innocent Felipe Massa’s Williams in the chicane that follows. Exit two cars on the spot, as Grosjean limped back to the pits for a new nose.

Meanwhile, Ricciardo maintained fourth place ahead of Perez, Raikkonen and Ocon. Raikkonen pitted first, for supersofts on lap 17. Ricciardo went for softs on 18, and Perez for supersofts on 19. Force India kept the ultrasofts Ocon out until the 32nd lap, by which time he was running second to Hamilton. The stop dropped him back to sixth, but that became fifth when Raikkonen pitted again for ultrasofts on the 41st lap.

Outside the top ten, Renault’s Jolyon Palmer held on to 11th by a fraction from Haas’s Kevin Magnussen, who was penalized for overtaking under the virtual safety car, as the Saubers of Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein sandwiched Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren for 13th and 15th places. The Montreal result reverses Hamilton’s misfortunes from Monaco, and indicates that Mercedes – who reclaim their lead in the constructors’ standings over Ferrari – have a handle on their tyre problems at last, keeping the mighty title fight right on the boil.

French Open 2017

Make it 10 French Open titles for Rafael Nadal, the undisputed king of Clay. Nadal wrapped up his record 10^th French Open title and claimed his 15^th Grand Slam title by battering third seeded Stan Wawrinka in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. It took the fourth seeded Nadal just over two hours to win, with the Spaniard sealing it on his second match point when Wawrinka sliced a backhand volley into the net.

Nadal did not drop a set all tournament on his way to his 15th Grand Slam title overall. Wawrinka smashed his racket after giving up two set points and the fourth-seeded Nadal sealed it on his first, when the Swiss player returned long.  It was the Swiss player's 17th unforced error. Nadal, who had taken the first set 6-2, broke early in the second and stretched his winning run of games to seven before Wawrinka managed to get on the board again. Nadal dominance at Roland Garros remains unmatched.

In Saturday's women's final,  unseeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia used bold strokes and an unbending will to come back and stun No. 3 Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an enthralling French Open final for the first title of her career. Ostapenko, ranked only 47th and just two days past her 20th birthday, became one of the most unlikely Grand Slam champions in tennis history. She also denied Halep what would have been her first major championship and the No. 1 ranking.

R. Harrison and M. Venus won Men’s doubles trophy. L. Safarova and B. Mattek-Sands won Women’s doubles trophy. G. Dabrowski and R. Bopanna won Mixed doubles trophy at French Open 2017. Next major tournament of Tennis is Wimbledon which will start from 3 July 2017 and will last till 17 July 2017.