Formula One

Monza, Italy: Max Verstappen took pole position for the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday, the reigning Formula One champion giving himself a chance at Monza of slowing McLaren's domination. Dutchman Verstappen, who has won the last four world titles, will start in the front row alongside Lando Norris who was just ahead of his McLaren teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri. Having led for much of Q3, Verstappen snatched back first place in the final seconds of qualifying from Norris, who has been strong this weekend and seemed to have pipped the Red Bull man. Verstappen completed his rapid last lap in one minute and 18.792 seconds, 0.077sec ahead of Norris and 0.190sec faster than Piastri, who leads Norris by 34 points at the top of the drivers' standings. Norris almost missed a top 10 spot on the grid as he sat 11th before his final lap of Q2 sent him through with time already run out. Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth, although seven-time champion Hamilton has a five-place grid penalty and will struggle to bring any joy to what has been a difficult first season with the Scuderia. Another home hope, Kimi Antonelli, will start in seventh, one place behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell. The Bologna-born teenager, who was announced as a Mercedes driver at Monza last year, gave himself a good chance of turning around a rotten recent run. French pair Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar are at the rear of the grid after failing to get past an extremely tight Q1 in which less than a second separated all 20 cars. Gasly, who on Saturday extended his contract with Alpine until 2028, is on the back row alongside Hadjar's Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson. Hadjar, a 20-year-old F1 rookie, is unlikely to repeat last weekend's feat of a podium finish after only securing 16th spot on the grid.

Formula One

Sydney: Formula One star Daniel Ricciardo ruled out any return to the sport on Saturday after the eight-time grand prix winner was named global ambassador for Ford Racing. The popular Australian was axed by the Racing Bulls team with six races to go of the 2024 season and replaced by New Zealand's Liam Lawson. He has kept a low profile since as rumours of a possible return to Formula One swirled, linked at one stage with the new Cadillac team. Cadillac have since named Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as their drivers for their maiden season in 2026, which gets under way in Australia on March 6-8. The 36-year-old Ricciardo confirmed he has retired from racing. "While my racing days are behind me, my love for anything with wheels will always remain high," he said in a statement. Ricciardo, who was one of the most popular drivers in the paddock, said he wanted to stay connected with motorsport and working with Ford was the ideal next step. "When I decided it was time to retire I thought long and hard about finding the most authentic way to stay connected to the world of motorsports," he said. "For me, racing was always about having fun. It made me happy and created memories that will last a lifetime. "I couldn't be more excited for all the amazing drives ahead with Ford and for all the incredible projects Ford Racing has in its pipeline." Ricciardo spent 13 years on the grid, earning 32 podiums and eight victories from stints with Toro Rosso (later AlphaTauri), Red Bull, Renault and McLaren.

Motosports

Montmeló, Spain: Alex Marquez swept to a first pole of the 2025 season in qualifying for the Catalunya MotoGP on Saturday, smashing the lap record in front of an adoring home crowd. The 29-year-old posted the fastest time of 1min 37.536sec on his BK8 Gresini Ducati at Montmelo to edge out Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo. Alex's Marquez's brother Marc Marquez, a six-time world champion and the current overall leader, came in third. The two brothers are battling for the championship although Marc leads his younger sibling by a dominant 175 points at the top of the standings after a seventh successive victory a fortnight ago at the Hungarian MotoGP. "Alex is the fastest, I'll try to stay close to him. I have a better chance in the long race," said Marc Marquez ahead of Saturday's sprint. "The weekend is going perfectly... I'm confident it can be a great Sprint for us," said Alex Marquez. Despite a strong practice session on Friday KTM's Brad Binder could only come in 11th. Francesco Bagnaia continued to struggle and will start from 21st on the grid, his worst result since starting last in the 2022 Portuguese Grand Prix.