F1 2019: Lewis Hamilton wins Canada Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton secured a record-breaking seventh win at the 2019 Canadian Grand Prix, after a penalty for Sebastian Vettel, who finished first on the road, demoted the German to second in the standings.

A race-long battle between the pair came to a head on Lap 48 of 70 when race leader Vettel, under pressure from Hamilton, ran across the grass at the Turn 3-4 chicane, in the process squeezing Hamilton when he re-joined the track, for which the stewards later awarded a five-second race time penalty. That meant Hamilton took a record-equalling seventh victory at the Canadian Grand Prix to match Michael Schumacher’s record in Montreal, as well as claiming his fifth win of the season to stretch his lead at the head of the drivers’ standings.

Behind, Leclerc finished third, which at least gave Ferrari their best result of the year so far, while Valtteri Bottas took fourth for Mercedes and the fastest lap bonus point after a late stop of soft tyres. After failing to make Q3 yesterday, Max Verstappen made a 49-lap stint on hard tyres work to finish fifth for Red Bull, ahead of the Renault pair of Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg in P6 and P7, who secured the Anglo-French team’s best result of the season. Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly endured a frustrating race to finish P8, while a strong home race from Lance Stroll saw him finish ninth from 17th on the grid, ahead of the Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat.

Formula 1 hops back over the pond to France and the iconic Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille on June 21-23. The race returned to the calendar last year, and was the scene of Lewis Hamilton’s third triumph of the season.

Italian MotoGP 2019: Danilo Petrucci takes maiden victory

Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci secured his maiden MotoGP victory on home soil at Mugello after edging out Marc Marquez at the conclusion of a thrilling Italian Grand Prix. Petrucci held on in a tense showdown, beating Honda rider Marquez by only 0.043 seconds on the drag to the finish line, with Andrea Dovizioso making it two Ducati’s on the podium in third.

It marked the first win on his 125th start in the premier class for 28-year-old Petrucci, who replaced Jorge Lorenzo at the factory Ducati team for 2019. Petrucci led much of the second half of the race after he hit the front of the field at the start of the 11th lap of 23, as a pack of five riders broke clear of the rest following a chaotic first half.

Dovizioso, Marquez, Alex Rins and Jack Miller all followed in Petrucci's wake, but the Pramac rider crashed out of fifth spot. Petrucci briefly ceded the lead to team-mate Dovizioso at San Donato at the start of lap 20, but the less experienced Ducati rider was able to wrestle back the advantage later that lap at Scarperia. Dovizioso was able to draft back ahead to lead the final lap, but found himself squeezed by Marquez - who benefitted from a double tow on the outside and Petrucci on the inside.

In the morning, Petrucci rode a 1min 46.056sec lap, surpassing the previous record achieved by seven-time MotoGP champion Rossi last year. Dovizioso established a new outright speed record in MotoGP, clocking 356.7km/h in the third practice, to overtake the mark of 356.5 km/h also achieved at Mugello last year.

Liverpool wins the UEFA Champions League Final 2019

Mohamed Salah scored one of the fastest ever goals in a Champions League final and Divock Origi struck late as Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in Madrid and won the trophy for the sixth time. Less than two minutes had been played when Salah smashed in his spot-kick after Moussa Sissoko had been penalized for a handball in the area.

A disappointing final never truly got going after that, but Liverpool will not care, as they saw Alisson Becker make several confident saves in the latter stages before substitute Origi drilled in the killer second in the 87th minute. That led to an explosion of joy from their supporters inside the Metropolitano Stadium as Jurgen Klopp's side made up for their defeat in last year's final against Real Madrid and the deflation of missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City.

Salah has his redemption after injury ruined his night against Real in Kiev and the revered Klopp has his first trophy as Liverpool manager, three and a half years on from his arrival at the club. The German ends a run of six straight defeats in finals. More importantly, Liverpool has their sixth European Cup, further cementing their status as one of football's most storied clubs.

They now have more than Barcelona or Bayern Munich, and twice as many as their great rivals Manchester United. Perhaps the occasion was just too much for Tottenham in their first-ever appearance in the Champions League final. Beating Liverpool was always going to be a big ask, and they have now lost all three meetings with these opponents this season, winning just one of their last 15 encounters.

Chelsea won UEFA Europa League Final 2019

Chelsea scored four goals in a devastating second half display to beat Arsenal 4-1 and lift the Europa League Trophy. The win in the all-English Final, played at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan gave Italian Manager Maurizio Sarri a major trophy in his first season in charge and Chelsea a first European title since the 2013 Europa League.

After a tepid first half, former Arsenal striker Giroud put Chelsea ahead in the 49th minute with an angled header. The Blues doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Pedro diverted a cross from Hazard beyond Petr Cech.

With Arsenal on the ropes, defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles collided with Giroud to concede a penalty that Hazard stroked home after 65 minutes. Alex Iwobi clawed a goal back for Arsenal but Chelsea restored their three-goal cushion in the 72nd minute when Hazard swapped passes with Giroud to score his second.

After the match, the Belgian star confirmed that he was likely to leave the club this summer, amid widespread speculation about a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. By contrast, Arsenal has lost five of their six major European finals, with their only victory coming in the 1994 Cup Winners' Cup against Parma.

Valencia won Copa Del Rey 2019

By the end here in Seville they could take it no more, but the suffering was worth it and they made it. Somewhere in the madness a whistle blew and Valencia became Copa Del Rey winners. For the first time in 1456 days, Barcelona are not the cup winners.

There will be consequences at the Camp Nou, changes. Lionel Messi’s second-half goal was not enough to cancel out strikes from Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo Moreno and a league title is not enough for a club like this. For Valencia, the cup is certainly enough. There was wild celebration; this was the culmination of a centenary year that for so long had been one to endure, but it ended in elation. What an occasion this turned out to be: on a knife edge, nerves shredded all around this stadium.

As the final minutes slipped by and players fell, exhaustion gripping everyone; the tension was unbearable with Barcelona throwing everything at Valencia. So much so that their goalkeeper, Jasper Cillessen, who had gone up for the last corner, was among those running back when Gonçalo Guedes ran through all alone.

It was the second time it had happened, players, staff and coaches leaving the bench convinced that this was the moment. It was not – Guedes shot wide of the open goal – but eventually it was over. Halfway through this season Valencia were only four points off the relegation zone and their manager, Marcelino García Toral, was under pressure. But the players backed him, the club’s director general too, and patience paid off. They clinched a Champions League place on the final day and now they are the cup winners too.

F1 2019: Lewis Hamilton wins Monaco Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton endured a frantic afternoon in Monaco to secure the 77th win of his career, and his third in Monaco, finishing ahead of Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and his Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas.

Hamilton, wearing a special Niki Lauda tribute helmet, enjoyed a near race-long battle with the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, as he struggled to extend the life of medium tyres put on during a Safety Car period caused by a puncture for Charles Leclerc that would eventually force Ferrari’s local driver intro retirement on Lap 18. Despite finishing just behind winner Hamilton on the road, Verstappen was eventually classified fourth, having been given a five second penalty for an unsafe release earlier in the race.

Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly finished 10 second behind the front four in fifth, while McLaren’s Carlos Sainz drove a fantastic race to finish ahead of the two Toro Rosso’s of Daniil Kvyat and Alex Albon, with 2018 Monaco winner Daniel Ricciardo and the Haas of Romain Grosjean completing the top 10.

Verstappen crossed the line second but fell to fourth thanks to his penalty, despite having driven a brilliant race that earned him the Driver of the Day accolade. That meant that Vettel and Bottas – who’d both played bit parts to the action at the front during the race – got promoted up to second and third, Vettel thus effectively being the driver to end Mercedes’ five-race streak of one-two finishes.

Gasly took useful points in fifth, plus an extra one for fastest lap, while Sainz held on to take sixth – maintaining his 100% point’s record in Monaco with a sensational drive – ahead of a fine showing for Toro Rosso, with Kvyat holding off Albon. A late surge for Daniel Ricciardo in the Renault, meanwhile, saw him benefit from a five-second penalty for Romain Grosjean for crossing the pit lane exit line, meaning that last year’s winner ended up in a strong ninth place, to claim just his second point’s finish of the year, as Grosjean came home 10th.

Further back, meanwhile, George Russell drove a brilliant race to finish 15th for Williams, keeping the likes of Racing Point's Lance Stroll and Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen at bay to give the Grove team something to cheer about.

French MotoGP 2019: Marc Marquez wins

Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez of Honda secured another win this season after a dominant run in the 2019 MotoGP French Grand Prix at Le Mans. The Japanese factory team secured its 300th premier class win, 53 years after taking Jim Redman took it’s first-ever at Hockenheim. While Marquez made a strong run right from the opening lap, it was Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso who showed immense grit through the race to finish at P2, despite some close competition with teammate Danilo Petrucci in the final stages. Dovizioso fended off Petrucci by 0.158s to take second, while Pramac Ducati's Jack Miller and Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi rounded up the top five.

The 2019 French GP opened with Marquez on the pole with Petrucci second and Miller third, while Dovizioso started from P4. Petrucci had the better start but it was Marquez who had the better line on the first turn and took the race lead. Meanwhile, Franco Morbidelli if Petronas Yamaha and Pol Espargaro of KTM had moved up the order while Dovizioso was pushed down to seventh ahead of Honda's Jorge Lorenzo. Petrucci tried passing Marquez once again on the opening lap but failed at it and was soon pushed down to fifth fading away after the initial run. The move allowed Miller to shine who was now hot on the Honda's tail.

The Pramac rider finally found an opportunity to pass Marquez on Lap 5 pushing the latter to P2. The Honda rider was looking to re-take what was lost and opportunity and Marquez finally found the gap two laps later as Miller ran wide allowing the seven time world champion back in the first place. It was no looking back for Marquez from hereon who started to build the gap by over a second on Miller.

By the halfway point, Dovizioso was climbing his way back to the top and was placed third behind Miller. The factory Ducati rider passed his teammate soon after and was now battling to retain P2 with Miller and teammate Petrucci breathing down his neck. Marquez was a good 3 seconds off by now, almost impossible for the Ducati riders to catch at this pace. With five laps remaining, Petrucci managed to pass Dovi to take P2 but couldn't hold on for long and ride wide on the Dunlop chicane handing the position back to the rider.

It remained a close encounter for the Ducati’s at the chequered flag, while Marquez was 1.984s clear of Dovi in his third victory of the season. Finishing behind Miller and Rossi were Espargaro and Morbidelli, while Yamaha teammate Fabio Quartararo took P8. LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow finished ninth while Argentina GP winner Alex Rins of Suzuki took P10.

Lorenzo finished 11th after running in top 10 for most of the race, and was followed by Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro and KTM rider Johann Zarco. Tech3 KTM rider Hafizh Syahrin finished 14th followed by teammate Miguel Oliveira. Suzuki's Joan Mir was the last of the racers to complete in 16th place after falling on the warm up lap.

F1 2019: Lewis Hamilton wins Spanish Grand Prix

Having been well and truly outgunned in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix by team mate Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton hit back in emphatic style on race day to claim his third win of the season, as Mercedes stretched their current record of consecutive one-two finishes to an incredible five.

After beating Bottas to the first corner, Hamilton then led the race throughout, to net his third Spanish Grand Prix win in a row. The Mercedes duo were joined on an identical podium to 2018 by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, with the Ferrari pair of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc fourth and fifth, Verstappen maintaining his record of having finished ahead of at least one Ferrari at every race this season.

Pierre Gasly was P6 in the second Red Bull, while a late-race Safety Car – after McLaren's Lando Norris and Racing Point's Lance Stroll clashed in the first corner sequence – set up a dramatic finish behind, with Kevin Magnussen eventually claiming a fine seventh place and his first points since Australia.

Haas team mate Romain Grosjean claimed his first point of the year by finishing P10, despite dropping from P8 in a dramatic final few laps after being passed by the McLaren of Carlos Sainz – who maintained his record of scoring at every Spanish Grand Prix of his career – and the Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat, who finished P9.

Spanish MotoGP 2019: Marc Marquez wins

Reigning MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez dominated the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, becoming the first repeat winner of the 2019 campaign. Marquez grabbed the lead off the line and swiftly escaped from the chasing pack, his job made easier when rookie Fabio Quartararo – who had succeeded him as MotoGP youngest-ever poleman on Sunday – retired out of second place with a mechanical issue.

Having locked out the top two in qualifying, the Petronas Yamaha riders were immediately passed by Marquez off the line – and looked set to drop behind Andrea Dovizioso too, only for the Italian to be forced wide exiting Turn 1. This left Marquez leading Franco Morbidelli and teammate Quartararo, and while the Honda rider towed the Petronas pair along over the opening few laps, he soon began to make a break. All of a sudden, the Spaniard was a second and a half clear, with Morbidelli pace dropping dramatically behind him but the Italian still managing to keep Quartararo at bay.

The Frenchman finally found a pay past on lap 11, overtaking Morbidelli as the latter ran wide into the recently-renamed Pedrosa corner. Unlike Morbidelli, Quartararo could still just about keep pace with Marquez, which allowed the Frenchman to hold a clear second place, only for his Yamaha to get stuck in gear on lap 14, ruling the rookie out of podium contention. By that point, Suzuki rider Alex Rins had charged through from ninth place, gaining three places right away before picking off Dovizioso and then Maverick Vinales to come up on Morbidelli. Just as Quartararo bike expired, Rins found a way past Morbidelli for what was now second place – but by then Marquez was already almost four seconds clear.

The win allowed Marquez to move into the lead of the championship, aided by Dovizioso finishing only fourth, the Ducati rider unable to find a way past Vinales and deny the Yamaha man his first podium of the season in the closing laps. Danilo Petrucci took fifth place behind teammate Dovizioso, recording his best result yet as a Ducati works rider after three consecutive sixth-place finishes. Valentino Rossi, who had started 13th, spent much of the race stuck behind Jack Miller, but made speedy progress once he'd cleared the Pramac Ducati rider and eventually claimed sixth.

F1 2019: Valtteri Bottas wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas extended Mercedes incredible opening to 2019, enjoying a lights-to-flag victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as the Silver Arrows secured their fourth consecutive one-two of the season.

Sebastian Vettel completed the podium in Baku, Ferrari once again failing to de-stabilize Mercedes despite their apparent straight-line advantage. He was ahead of Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver maintaining his record of finishing in the top four at every race this year. Charles Leclerc was next up, meanwhile, the Monegasque recovering decently from his qualifying crash yesterday to take his third fifth place of the year – while a late stop to try and get the extra point for fastest lap paid dividends as he set a new lap record for the track.

Baku specialist Sergio Perez was a strong sixth for Racing Point, ahead of the McLaren pairing of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. The second Racing Point of Lance Stroll took ninth, while Kimi Raikkonen made the most of a pit lane start to claim the final points-paying position for Alfa Romeo.

Despite a relatively trouble-free Azerbaijan Grand Prix for much of the field, Daniel Ricciardo recorded his third non-finish of the year after running wide into Turn 3 and then reversing into the stopped car of Daniil Kvyat, who was also forced to retire.

US MotoGP 2019: Alex Rins claims Maiden Victory

Alex Rins secured Suzuki’s first MotoGP win since the 2016 British GP after edging out Valentino Rossi to an extraordinary win at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, which saw the king of COTA Marc Marquez crash out of the lead.

As the lights went out it was Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) who got the better launch out of the front three on the grid, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) also getting off the line well as the duo pulled alongside Marquez up the hill, but it was the pole man who was bravest on the brakes to grab the holeshot. Rossi and Crutchlow slotted into second and third as the duo tried to keep tabs on the leader, with Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) making a stellar start from P13 to move up to P6 on the opening lap.

Marquez didn’t get away from the clutches of Rossi straight away in an opening couple of laps, but the reigning World Champion then started to pull the pin and by lap five, the gap was 1.4 seconds. It was quickly becoming a battle for second and in it was Rossi and Crutchlow, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Rins right in the hunt.

10th went the way of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), the leading Honda in Austin, with Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) 11th. Both he and compatriot Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) were handed ride through penalties after jump starts, with Vinales taking the long lap penalty at least once before coming through pit lane. Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and Reale Avintia Racing’s Tito Rabat completed the points.

F1 2019: Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese Grand Prix

As Formula 1 celebrated the 1000th World Championship race, Lewis Hamilton led home team-mate Valtteri Bottas Mercedes secured their third one-two in as many races to start the 2019 season. On a day when Ferrari had no answer for the Silver Arrows, Sebastian Vettel completed the podium in third.

Hamilton’s win means that Shanghai joins the Hungaroring and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the list of tracks where Hamilton has secured six victories. Behind the Mercedes pair, Vettel’s podium position was effectively secured when Ferrari team orders saw Charles Leclerc moved over early in the race, with the Bahrain near-victor ending up a frustrating fifth, behind the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

Sixth was Pierre Gasly, who strapped a new set of soft tyres onto his Red Bull two laps from the end to help him take the extra point for fastest lap. Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo secured his first finish of the year – and it was a good one too, the Australian ending seventh at the head of the midfield, holding off the Racing Point of Sergio Perez, who used a lightning start from P12 on the grid to finish P8 by the flag.

A strong drive from Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen saw him finish ninth, while an impressive afternoon from Toro Rosso's Alexander Albon from a pit lane start saw him make a one-stop strategy work to finish P10 after holding off the Haas of Romain Grosjean. The Thai driver’s efforts also saw him earn ‘Driver of The Day’. From the wide open spaces of the Shanghai International Circuit, Formula 1 now heads to tight confines of Baku City Circuit for what promises to be another fraught and frantic Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the start of Formula 1's next 1000 races.

Argentina MotoGP 2019: Marc Marquez wins

After putting a spectacular fight in the first race of the season last month, Honda's Marc Marquez took a dominant win in the 2019 MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix. The rider completed the race with a massive lead of 9.816s over the rest of the pack, having led the race right from pole position. Coming in second was Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, going strong even as newer and younger riders take space on the grid. The Italian managed to pass Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso take P2, with each rider of the top three teams making it on the podium.

Marquez had a near perfect start to the race from pole and was quick to detach himself from the rest of the pack from Turn 1 of the opening lap. The Spaniard had a one-second lead at the end of the first lap, which extended to over three seconds by Lap 3, and was at its highest at 12 seconds by Lap 10, as the race reached half time. While Marquez was untouchable at the front, it was the battle for second place that brought in all the action over the 25 lap race.

Rossi had as a good start as Marquez and was quick to take second place, but Dovizioso was quick to challenge the position. The Ducati rider crossed Rossi early on into second place after the Italian ran wide at Turn 5 on Lap 7. However, Rossi recovered to P2 once again a lap later and held on to the position for the new six laps. Dovizioso was hot on his tail and found a gap on Lap 13 but with Rossi still a close third. It wasn't until the final lap that the Yamaha rider managed to pass Dovi at Turn 7 to retake P2 and cross the chequered flag.

Coming in fourth was Pramac Ducati rider Jack Miller, 12.140s over the race leader, after a late pass on Suzuki rider Alex Rins who finished fifth. Factory Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci took sixth. Yamaha's Maverick Vinales though finished was expected to take seventh after a poor started pushed the rider from P2 to P4 and eventually P8 by the second lap of the race. The Spaniard, however, was taken out by Petronas SRT Yamaha's Franco Morbidelli on the final lap.

The incident promoted LCR Honda's Takaaki Nakagami to seventh ahead of Yamaha Petronas rider Fabio Quartararo (Petronas), Aleix Espargaro of Aprilia and KTM's Pol Espargaro. Coming in 11th was Miguel Oliveira of Tech3 KTM, followed by Honda's Jorge Lorenzo in 12th place, same as his qualifying position.

Coming in 13th was LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow who had a strong chance to be a podium contender but earned a ride-through penalty for a jump start that left him fending for 13th. The final point takers were Pramac Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco for KTM. The last finishers were Tech3 KTM's Hafizh Syahrin followed by Aprilia's Andrea Iannone in 17th place.

F1 2019: Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc had looked on course to convert his pole position into a maiden win under the floodlights in Bahrain. That was until 10 laps before the end of the Grand Prix when an issue with his Ferrari engine forced him to concede the lead he’d held for the majority of the race to the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton went on to lead home Mercedes’ second one-two of the year ahead of Valtteri Bottas, while a late Safety Car brought out for the two Renaults retiring on the same lap at least limited the damage to Leclerc’s race, as he ended up third to claim his first podium in F1.

It was still a heartbreaking end to what had been a superb Grand Prix for Leclerc, who had managed much of the race magnificently from the front and would certainly have become the 108th winner in F1 history had the issue with his engine not manifested.

There was more woe for Ferrari too, as Sebastian Vettel – who himself had looked set to claim a podium behind Leclerc – spun while battling with Lewis Hamilton before dramatically losing his front wing down the back straight. He was left to fight back to fifth, behind the fourth-placed Red Bull of Max Verstappen. Lando Norris put in a fantastic drive to wind up sixth – benefitting from Nico Hulkenberg late retirement from that position, while Kimi Raikkonen was seventh ahead of the Red Bull of Pierre Gasly.

F1 now heads to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix on April 14 – and after Mercedes took their second win from as many races in 2019 in Bahrain, how dearly Ferrari would love to win the next one, as Formula 1 celebrates its 1,000th Grand Prix.

F1 2019: Valtteri Bottas wins Australia Grand Prix

As the 2019 season finally began in earnest at the Australian Grand Prix, Mercedes Valtteri Bottas enjoyed a sensational start to his year with a dominant display in Melbourne, leading home team mate Lewis Hamilton for a Mercedes one-two ahead of the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

Bottas finished the race over 20 seconds clear of the field, and even claimed a bonus point for the fastest lap of the race to come away from Albert Park with a full 26 points. Ferrari were forced to play third best in Australia, Sebastian Vettel finishing fourth for the Scuderia, one place up on his team mate Charles Leclerc, who was called off the attack on the German late in the race. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen headed off a hugely competitive and closely fought midfield in sixth, ahead of the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg and the Alfa Romeo of Kimi Raikkonen in eighth.

Behind, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen headed what looks to be a very evenly matched ‘front’ of the midfield, the Dane in P6 to Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat in P10 separated by less than 10 seconds. So, the spoils go to Valtteri Bottas who, after failing to score a victory in 2018, has got one under his belt with just one race down in 2019.

Every time a driver has headed a team one-two in Melbourne, that driver has gone on to win the championship, while the team has taken the constructors. Have we just witnessed the dawn of Valtteri Bottas as a serious championship contender? The teams and drivers will head back to Europe to debrief on the opening race, before reconvening in a little less than two weeks in Sakhir for the Bahrain Grand Prix. There they can expect a very different challenge to Melbourne, with hot temperatures, an abrasive track surface and a layout which offers plenty of opportunities for overtaking.

Qatar MotoGP 2019: Andrea Dovizioso wins

Italian Andrea Dovizioso fended off Honda’s MotoGP champion Marc Marquez at the last corner to win a dramatic season opening Qatar Grand Prix for Ducati. Dovizioso, who also battled Marquez down to the line a year ago under the Losail circuit floodlights, beat his Spanish rival by a mere 0.023 seconds.

Britain's Cal Crutchlow finished third for LCR Honda, a step up from last year's fourth, after Suzuki's Alex Rins made a late mistake and opened the door to the podium. Italian veteran Valentino Rossi, now 40 years old, completed the top five -- just 0.6 adrift of Dovizioso -- after starting 14th for Yamaha. Marquez seemed to be very pleased with his second-place finish at the Qatar MotoGP as this is a track where the team has traditionally underperformed. He has only won here once before - in 2014, the season where he won ten straight races.

2019 fast seems to be the season of great comebacks (a doff of the hat to Robert Kubica at the Williams F1 Team) as Cal Crutchlow grabbed third. Crutchlow, who is the second oldest rider on the grid, had been out injured with a busted ankle since the 2018 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix (October).

An unexpected hero on the racetrack was superstar Rossi, who started a lowly P14 but managed to work his way up to P5 — with the possibility of a podium seeming ever so close. Rookie Joan Mir also had a great result for Suzuki, keeping pace with the lead group and eventually finishing in eighth place. In fact, the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title is fascinating this year with four supremely talented rookies — Mir, Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia and Miguel Oliveira making their presence felt.

Big Bash League 2019

Melbourne Renegades snatched their first ever Big Bash League title from the Melbourne stars by forcing an extraordinary collapse from their crosstown rivals, after Ben Dunk and Marcus Stoinis had appeared to have taken their side to the outskirts of victory.

Needing 53 from 43 balls with all 10 wickets in hand, the Stars lost a shuddering 7 for 39 from those remaining deliveries, turning a momentarily moribund spectacle into that familiar but always entertaining scenario, the rush of late wickets in the face of a mounting required run rate. Having previously monstered a pair of chases against the Renegades, the Stars fell in a heap, unable to be pulled out of their dive by the captain Glenn Maxwell.

Credit was due to the doughty bowling of Cameron Boyce, Harry Gurney, Chris Tremain, and Daniel Christian, as they aptly exploited the vagaries of a slow surface to prevent the Stars from scoring any boundaries between the end of the 12th over and midway through the last. Christian and Tom Cooper had earlier shrugged off the loss of early wickets after the Renegades were sent in to bat by Maxwell, forging a vital stand to mount a defendable total in the face of excellent work by the Stars spin bowlers in particular.

Given two qualifying matches that both followed remarkably similar scripts - Stars bowling first, Renegades being restricted, Stars powering to a successful chase - it was not surprising to see the visiting captain Maxwell choose to attempt a similar path. He was to be well served by his bowlers seeking out well-defined weaknesses in the Renegades' top order: Marcus Harris coaxed into a pull shot he seldom controls, Sam Harper deprived of room to free his arms, and Cameron White pinned on the crease by Zampa's skidding leg spin.

Comilla Victorians won BPL 2019

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal came up with one of the most eye-catching T20 innings in the Final of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2019. Tamim heroics with the bat in Dhaka helped Comilla Victorians beat three time champions Dhaka Dynamites by 17 runs and win their second title.

Tamim had been struggling for form in the lead up to the final but he stepped up on the big night and broke an array of records as he took the Dhaka Dynamites attack to the cleaners. Tamim hit an unbeaten 141 from just 61 balls, his first century in the BPL that had 11 sixes and 10 boundaries. Tamim 141 was the second highest score in a T20 tournament final and it helped the Imrul Kayes-led Comilla Victorians post 199. He also became the first Bangladesh batsman to hit more than 10 sixes in a T20 match.

Even as his much-fancied teammates were struggling to put bat to ball on a tricky Mirpur wicket, Tamim was hitting the big ones at will. Tamim showed little respect to the likes of Andre Russel, Shakib Al Hasan and Rubel Hossain as he scored heavily against the big boys of Dhaka Dynamites. Dhaka Dynamites looked like they would render Tamim special knock in vain when Upul Tharanga and Rony Talukdar took on the Victorians' bowling attack after Sunil Narine was run out in the very first ball of their 200-run chase.

Tharanga and Talukdar stitched a 102-run stand in just 8.4 overs before Thisara Perera got the wicket of his Sri Lankan teammate with a slower ball. Once the big partnership was broken, the Dynamites imploded as the likes of Shakib, Andre Russel, and Kieron Pollard were dismissed cheaply. Talukdar looked to keep the Dynamites in the hunt but he was run out (for 66 off 38 balls) after a mix-up with Pollard in the middle.

The Dynamites felt the pressure of chasing a big total in the final as their seasoned campaigners, including the likes of Shakib, Pollard and Russell, were unable to get going. Wahab Riaz shone for the champions with figures of 3/28 while Mohammad Saifuddin and Thisara Perera picked up two wickets each. There were a couple of costly run outs that brought the downfall of the Dynamites.

New England Patriots win Super Bowl LIII

Once again, the New England Patriots are champions, grinding to win Super Bowl LIII 13-3 at Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta and launching Tom Brady and Bill Belichick into a different stratosphere. They have now won six Super Bowls together, extending their record for the most by a head coach and starting quarterback combination. With the win, the Patriots are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl titles in NFL history.

Brady now has won more Super Bowls than any other player in history, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Haley (five). At 41 years old, Brady also is the oldest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, eclipsing Peyton Manning, who was 39 when he won Super Bowl 50.

Belichick is the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl at age 66, and no head coach has won more Super Bowls than him. Now, he joins George Halas and Curly Lambeau as the only NFL head coaches with six championships since the league began postseason play in 1933. This was the pair's ninth Super Bowl appearance together, the most title games for any head coach and starting quarterback duo in NFL history.

Brady was 21-for-35 passing for 262 yards, and most of those yards went to wide receiver Julian Edelman, who is boosting his hall-of-fame resume. Edelman -- who was named the game's MVP -- had 10 catches for 141 yards. In addition to already having the second-most receptions in postseason history, he's now second all-time in postseason receiving yards. He trails just the legendary Jerry Rice in both categories.

Women Big Bash League: Brisbane Heat won maiden WBBL title

Australia wicketkeeper batswoman Bath Mooney skillful innings helped Brisbane Heat to clinch their maiden Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) title in Sydney. Bowling efforts of Delissa Kimmince (2/25) and Grace Harris (3/23) assisted the Heat to wrap up hosts Sixers for 131 for the loss of seven wickets.

Although Harris failed with the bat, opener Mooney powered to add 84 for the third wicket with her skipper Kirby Short in hot and testing conditions. Mooney brought up her fifty in just 35 deliveries, which included nine boundaries, before departing for 65, while short pitched in with 29.

No other Heat batswoman got to double figures, as they slipped from 98/2 to 126/7. With just four runs needed off five balls, Laura Harris walloped the ball to the boundary to seal a memorable three-wicket victory over two-time champions Sydney Sixers.

Ellyse Perry, on the other hand, was declared Player of the Tournament for amassing 744 at an average of 93 and scalping 10 wickets. Short heaped praises on Sixers skipper Perry for making it a great contest.

Novak Djokovic wins record seventh Australian Open

At 31 years old, Novak Djokovic has established himself as the player to beat on the ATP circuit. The No. 1 player in the world claimed his third consecutive Grand Slam with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory against Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open men’s final with the sweep also giving Djokovic his seventh career title in Melbourne.

The achievement makes Djokovic the Australian Open's winningest player in history, drawing him ahead of Roy Emerson and Roger Federer. Federer was eliminated by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Round of 16 after winning the last two opens on the hard court. Djokovic put on an utter clinic against Nadal, serving up eight aces to Nadal's three and notching five break points while never having his own serve broken. He won on 81 percent of his first serves, and he somehow won on 84 percent of his second serves. He somehow took a Nadal who had not lost a set all Open coming into the final and made him look completely toothless for the 2 hour and 4 minute duration of the match.

Djokovic now has 15 career Grand Slam wins, after having 12 at this time last year. Nadal, 32, retired in the US Open semifinals due to pain in his knee, so his greatness in this tournament perhaps flew under the radar a bit. The last time these two greats played was in Wimbledon, a 5-hour 17-minute thriller that saw Djokovic win in five sets. This match went a little differently.

In Women’s Singles Japan's Naomi Osaka beat Czech Petra Kvitova in a thrilling Australian Open final to win back-to-back Grand Slams and become the new world number one. N. Mahut and P.H. Herbert won Men’s Double title. S. Zhang and S. Stosur won Women’s Doubles title. B. Krejcikova and R. Ram won mixed double title.

Bengaluru Raptors wins Premier Badminton League

Bengaluru Raptors beat Mumbai Rockets 4-3 in the final of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) in Bengaluru to win their maiden title. Kidambi Srikanth, Vu Ji Trang and men’s doubles pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Satiawan won their matches for Bengaluru Raptors.

Sameer Verma of Mumbai Rockets had fought back in the men's singles tie against B Sai Praneeth to put his team in the hunt but the men's doubles pair of Bengaluru Raptors proved too good for their opponents in the end. Kim Gi Jung and Pia Zebadiah of Mumbai Rockets started the contest by winning the Trump match against Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith of Bengaluru Raptors 15-8 15-14 in the mixed doubles. The victory put Mumbai Rockets 2-0 up after the first tie.

But Kidambi Srikanth had other plans as he thrashed Anders Antonsen of Mumbai Rockets 15-7 15-10 in the men's singles to keep Bengaluru alive. Vu Ji Trang then won her women's singles tie against Shriyanshi Pardeshi in straight games. It was a Trump game for Bengaluru and the victory put them 3-2 ahead in the contest.

However, Sameer Verma registered a come-from-behind victory over B Sai Praneeth to put Mumbai on level terms and send the match into the decider. Bengaluru's men's doubles pair then beat Kim Gi Jung and Lee Yong Dae of Mumbai Rockets 15-13 15-10 in the winners-take-all contest to seal the victory. Bengaluru have become the fifth team after Chennai Smashers, Delhi Dashers, Hyderabad Hotshots and Hyderabad Hunters to win the title.

Bengaluru Bulls lift Pro Kabaddi 2018 Cup

Pawan Sehrawat produced a raiding master class to lead Bengaluru Bulls to their maiden title as they were crowned champions of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 6. Sehrawat scored 22 raid points as Bengaluru Bulls beat Gujarat Fortune Giants 38-33 in a thrilling final in front of a house packed in Mumbai.

Sehrawat single handedly led Bulls to the title as he turned the match around in the second half with a terrific performance. Gujarat Fortune giants were in the match till the last five minutes and fought really hard but couldn’t contain Sehrawat. Sachin got a super 10 for Gujarat Fortune Giants but just fell short to lead his team to the title.

Bengaluru Bulls got off the mark with a tackle point as they sent Gujarat’s danger man Sachin to the bench. Prapanjan made a successful raid to give Gujarat Fortune giants their first point. Pawan Sehrawat got his point as he secured a bonus as Bengaluru Bulls tied the match at 2-2 after four minutes. It took more than six minutes for Gujarat’s famed defence to get their first tackle point. 

The first half was closely contested as after 10 minutes both teams were level at 6-6. Gujarat Fortune giants burst into life in the last five minutes as they reduced Bengaluru Bulls to lead 10-7. In the 19th minute Prapanjan made a two-point raid to inflict an all-out and give 15-9 lead. At the end of the first half, Gujarat Fortune giants led 16-9. 

Bengaluru Bulls’ defence started the second half strongly as they picked up a couple of tackle points. Gujarat though kept their noses in front till the 27th minute as they maintained a six-point lead. Pawan Sehrawat then turned the match on its head with a slew of successful raids. He picked up a couple of two-point raids including one in the 31st minute that led to Bengaluru Bulls inflicting an all-out and taking 23-22 lead.

Rohit Gulia produced a super raid for Gujarat Fortune giants in the 36th minute as they led 27-25. Pawan Sehrawat picked a couple of more points and Mahendra put in a strong tackle as Bengaluru Bulls leveled the match at 29-29 in the 37th minute. In the 39th minute Pawan Sehrawat made a two-point raid as Bengaluru Bulls inflicted a critical all out to lead 36-29.  Gujarat Fortune giants picked up a few raid points as they trailed 32-37 in the last minute. Sehrawat produced another two-point raid as Bengaluru inflicted another all out in the 39th minute as they were crowned champions for the first time.