Perez takes Saudi Arabia Pole

(F1) - Sergio Perez claimed pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix during an action-packed qualifying session at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit after team mate and championship leader Max Verstappen dropped out in Q2 due to technical problems.

Verstappen was the firm favourite for pole position after leading the way in FP1, FP2, FP3 and the opening Q1 phase of qualifying, but a driveshaft issue that struck in Q2 means he will start Sunday’s race from 15th on the grid.

Perez picked up the pieces in Verstappen’s absence, posting a 1m 28.265 in the decisive Q3 phase to claim a second successive pole in the Kingdom, 0.155s ahead of Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc, who will lose 10 places due to an engine penalty.

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin therefore jump up to the front row as their strong start to the season continues, followed by the lead Mercedes of George Russell, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and team mate Lance Stroll.

A much stronger qualifying performance from Alpine saw them place seventh and 10th with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly respectively, with Lewis

Tucville and Lodge play in stalemate

TUCVILLE and Lodge Secondary Schools did not disappoint supporters with a thrilling nil-all draw last Friday in the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Blue Water U15 Girls’ Development League at the GFC ground

Tucville and Lodge Secondary Schools are two of the strongest teams in the league On several occasions, strikers on both sides came close to scoring as teammates, fans and coaches cheered At the end of the final whistle, there was genuine respect on the pitch between students and coaches

The GFF-Blue Water Shipping U15 Girls Development League, which was launched in Georgetown in May 2022, is a five-year partnership between the GFF and Blue Water Shipping

The league, which aims to increase the number of young girls playing football, identify new talent, raise the profile of female football, and provide coaches with more hours to work with young female footballers, is also being played in Linden, the Rupununi and New Amsterdam.

Cricket Quiz Corner

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett street, Campbellville Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) Brian Lara (13 ODIs)

(2) Graeme Smith (22 ODIs)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Which WI player has scored most ODI runs against SA to date?

(2) Which SA player has registered most ODI runs against the WI to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Hamilton taking eighth in his Mercedes, and rookie Oscar Piastri impressing en route to P9 in his McLaren.

Haas and Alfa Romeo were unable to make it over the second qualifying hurdle, with Nico Hulkenberg ending up 11th from Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas, as Verstappen completed the list of drivers to drop out in Q2 amid his costly issues.

AlphaTauri lost both of their cars in Q1, with Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries taking P16 and P18 respectively – the latter ruing a mistake at the final corner of his final lap after missing FP3 due to a power unit change.

Alex Albon was the lead Williams in 17th, splitting up the two AlphaTauris, while Lando Norris was the biggest name to drop out in Q1 after hitting the Turn 27 wall and picking up steering damage that could not be fixed.

It was a messy second F1 qualifying session for Logan Sargeant, who lost his first lap for exceeding track limits, spun out during his second effort and finally encountered a technical problem on his final attempt – leaving him at the back of the grid without a time.

MILO Schools football tournament

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