MONDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2019 SPORT 07 If you ask me four weeks ago I Jurgen Klopp admits he wouldn’t expect it would happen. has been surprised by TENNIS FOOTBALL We had a tricky pre-season. No Liverpool’s perfect start US Open, Round of FA Cup, Qualifying: pre-season for the front three but to the Premier League 16: Men and Women’s Boldmere St. Michaels vs they still deliver. So far, so good. season. ACTION Stourport Swifts singles matches TODAY’S A minute’s Leclerc clinches maiden F1 win silence in AP SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS Winner Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Belgian Grand Prix Leclerc (centre), Mercedes’ British driver tribute to Lewis Hamilton (left) and his team-mate Charles Leclerc just held off Valtteri Bottas on the podium, yesterday. Lewis Hamilton to win the crash victim Belgian Grand Prix from pole position yesterday, securing the Hubert first victory of his Formula One career and ending Ferrari’s long AFP wait for a win. SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS Hamilton was within one second of Leclerc on the final A minute’s silence was held to lap, but the 21-year-old from honour the late French racing driver Monaco held his nerve. Anthoine Hubert before yesterday’s “He was catching very scheduled Formula Three race at the quickly so I had quite a bit of Belgian Grand Prix. pressure,” Leclerc said after his Hubert, 22, was killed in a crash win. during Saturday’s Formula Two race He dedicated it to French at the high-speed Spa-Francor- driver Anthoine Hubert, who champs Circuit. died Saturday following a heavy A minute’s silence was also held crash during an F2 race held on before the start of the Formula One the same track. Grand Prix race. Moments after winning, contact with Raikkonen’s Alfa ground. But Renault driver Hamilton said on team radio on made a slow stop of 3.6 seconds Hubert’s family stood holding his Leclerc pointed to the sky and Romeo, who started one place Carlos Sainz Jr. had to abandon Lap 10. - which may ultimately have racing helmet at the front of a large then to Hubert’s name written behind him on the grid in sixth. following an early collision. Six laps later, Ferrari cost him the win. group of racing team members and on the side of his car. Verstappen finished in the The incidents caused the brought Vettel in for a tire Bottas came in one lap later others during the brief reflective Hamilton extended his top five of every other race this safety car to come out for four change, pushing Hamilton up to as Ferrari regained the race lead ceremony. championship lead because his season and it was his first laps, and when the race re- second place. Leclerc came in with Vettel ahead of Leclerc. The scheduled F2 race was can- Mercedes team-mate Valtteri retirement since the Hungarian started Vettel maintained his for his tire change exactly Vettel obeyed team orders to celled. Other special tributes to the Bottas was third, finishing GP in July last year. lead but with Hamilton starting midway through the 44-lap let Leclerc go past him on Lap 27, Renault-backed driver are being ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Raikkonen was fortunate to to close on Vettel’s team race, putting Hamilton in front. and then twice held off Hamilton organised by fans through messages Vettel. Ferrari had not won continue, seeing as the left side Ferrari. But Mercedes called Ham- before Hamilton passed him on on social media. since former driver Kimi Raik- of his car lifted clean off the “Vettel is struggling,” ilton in on the very next lap and Lap 32 to take second place. These include a round of konen’s victory at the United applause to honour Hubert on lap 19 States GP last October. of the Grand Prix race, marking a Vettel is 21 races without a memory of his racing number. win since last season’s Belgian Leclerc dedicates victory to Hubert The official minute of silence is GP as his miserable form set to be observed at 1453 local time continued. AFP (1253 GMT), said officials. Leclerc got away cleanly SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS Hubert in Saturday’s tragic Hubert was killed in a devas- but Vettel was overtaken by Formula Two race. tating multi-car collision on the Hamilton at the first turn before Charles Leclerc dedicated his And Leclerc was quick to second lap of the F2 race on Saturday getting past Hamilton again. maiden Formula One race express his emotions as he evening. Max Verstappen, winner of victory at the Belgian Grand steered back to the ‘parc He had lost control of his car and two of the past four races and Prix yesterday to his late fermee’, his steering wheel hit the barriers before American Juan a narrow second behind Ham- friend, Anthoine Hubert. sporting a simple message ‘RIP Manuel Correa unavoidably crashed ilton at the Hungarian GP, went The Ferrari driver led almost Tonio.” into him at around 250 kph at the out on Lap 1. the entire race from pole to “My first victory in F1 and Raidillon corner. Tens of thousands of hold off Mercedes’ defending this one is for Anthoine,” he Hubert’s Arden car was demol- orange-clad Dutch fans fice time world champion said on the team radio. ished in the accident and he died watched in disappointment as Lewis Hamilton’s dramatic late “It feels good, but it’s dif- from his injuries 90 minutes later. Verstappen slid into the bar- This picture taken yesterday shows the charge by one second. ficult to enjoy on a weekend Correa, 20, broke both legs and riers, climbed out of his car and portrait of Anthoine Hubert covered with His landmark success like this. But thanks guys, you suffered a spinal injury. He was walked back to the garage. condolence messages. came a day after the death of are the best - it’s a dream come transferred to hospital in Liege for The front left wheel of his 22-year-old Frenchman true.” surgery and was reported to be in a Red Bull was damaged after stable condition. MLB: Twins break homer record in Basketball World Cup: US launch loss to Tigers title defence with comfortable win AFP LOS ANGELES AFP Australia drew first blood in the SHANGHAI so-called “Group of Death” with a Minnesota’s Mitch Garver belted a ninth-inning nail-biting 108-92 victory over fastball from Detroit pitcher Joe Jimenez into the The United States failed to sparkle Canada. left field stands Saturday to give the Twins a record as they launched their bid for a third Cleveland Cavaliers’ Matthew 268th home run of the Major League Baseball season. World Cup title in a row with an Dellavedova was key for the Garver hit two of the Twins’ six homers of the 88-67 victory over the Czech Boomers, leading them with 24 night. Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, CJ Cron and Nelson Republic yesterday in Shanghai. points after Canada had battled Cruz also homered in a barrage that carried Min- Greece and Australia, both back from a 12-point half-time nesota past the MLB record of 267 set by the New touted as possible threats to a deficit to lead going into the fourth York Yankees last year. depleted Team USA, also triumphed quarter. At this pace they might well reach 300 before on the second day of action in Andrej Lemanis, Australia’s the regular season ends, but the team didn’t come China. coach, called victory in their opener away from Comerica Park with a victory, falling Respected US coach Gregg Pop- “a big one for us”. 10-7 to the Tigers. ovich was forced to name an exper- “It was good to be tested in a Garver had led off the game with a home run imental roster with major names game that matters and find a way and after the Tigers tied it in the bottom of the first such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant to hold our nerve, get back together, Kepler belted another home run off Tigers left- and Stephen Curry all either injured start playing some good basketball hander Matt Boyd. or unavailable. and work our way to what ended But the Tigers pounced on Twins pitcher Martin This is no “Dream Team” but up being a good, solid win.” Perez in the third, sending 11 batters to the plate and Popovich still has a team full of NBA Australia, who showcased their scoring seven runs for an 8-2 lead. players and the reigning two-time title credentials by stunning the Polanco hit a two-run homer in the fifth and champions had too much quality Americans in a pre-tournament Cron hit an opposite-field homer to trim the deficit for the Czechs, who are ranked 24th warm-up, began their title bid in to 8-5. Dongguan against a Canada side led The United States launch Kemba Walker of the US dribbles the ball during the Basketball World by NBA champion coach Nick Nurse their bid for a third World Cup Group E game against Czech Republic in Shanghai, yesterday. but missing many of their biggest Cup title in a row with an names. 88-67 victory over the in the world. America are number still trying to really gel as a team, In a highly competitive Group one and still the favourites in China. began to showcase their talent as H also containing Lithuania and Czech Republic.