Registrations now open for Dubai Ride 2026

The famous Sheikh Zayed Road cycling event returns next month as part of Dubai Fitness Challenge It’s one of the most iconic – and popular events of Dubai Fitness Challenge, and now registrations have officially opened for Dubai Ride 2026. The free-to-register event will take place on Sunday November 1, with residents invited to cycle […]

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Sepang, Malaysia: Max Verstappen chose to go his own way on Friday when he rejected using soft tyres to embark on a long run on mediums in fear of rain in second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. forestarrow.help

His decision resulted in him finishing fourth fastest behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar, but he gained valuable data and insight into conditions that were close to those expected for Sunday's race.

"I think we had a decent start, but it's tricky," said the four-time world champion, who won the last Formula One race at the Sepang International Circuit in 2017 and topped the times on softs in opening practice.

"The track is really hot. A lot of degradation, so a lot of things to figure out, but it's been positive.

"I wanted to do a long run in case there was some rain coming in. It's hard to know if we made progress, but there are a lot of things to try and to understand."

The abrasive conditions on the low-grip circuit in sweltering conditions -- with a track temperature of more than 60C -- have led to forecasts of a three-stop race on Sunday.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who was sixth, said he had been impressed by Red Bull's opening day pace.

"It looks pretty close amongst the top four teams," he said.

"I think Red Bull have looked very strong through the day. Mercedes as well have looked strong, at points, and obviously Ferrari were pretty good.

"Everyone's kind of had their turn being reasonably competitive. I think we're maybe a tiny step behind, but we made a lot of progress from FP1.

"Hopefully, we can keep that trend going -- and we'll see where we end up."

On a relatively inconclusive day, with teams diverging on planned run programmes, Mercedes' George Russell and championship leader

Kimi Antonelli were seventh and eighth in their heavily updated cars.

"I think at the moment that Verstappen is looking the quickest in a single lap and McLaren are looking quickest on the long runs," said Russell.

He added that it was difficult to judge the success of Mercedes upgrades to the floor, sidepods and rear suspension.

"When you bring an upgrade to any circuit, it's difficult to know what your pure performance is and what it isn't," he said.

"If we had our new car last week, we would have said things were absolutely incredible, but if we had our old version today, I don't think it would have been much different."

Jeddah: Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui said his side were ready to face Saudi Arabia in Saturday's Gulf Cup semi-final in Jeddah.

Lopetegui said Qatar had prepared well and that the players were determined to reach the final.

He added that the expected home crowd would provide motivation rather than pressure.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis said he expected a difficult match against an experienced Qatar side.

He called for concentration, confidence and a repeat of Saudi Arabia's strong defensive and attacking performances in the group stage.

The semi-final will be played at King Abdullah Sports City, with the winners advancing to the Gulf Cup final.

Stockholm: World and Olympic pole vault champion Armand Duplantis said on Friday that he would skip the 2027 indoor athletics season, including the European championships in Valencia, to rest and prepare for the outdoor season.

"I'm making this decision to give my body the recovery and preparation it needs, so that I can perform at my best when I return to competition," the 26-year-old US-born Swede said in a statement.

Sepang, Malaysia: Max Verstappen warned on Thursday that high tyre wear may hamper his bid to convert Red Bull's late-season surge into a first win of the year at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

The four-time Formula One world champion said he was hoping to win a race before the end of this season as he returns to Sepang, where he won the last Malaysian GP in 2017.

"I'm trying everything I can," the 29-year-old said in a pre-race news conference ahead of this weekend's race.

"We are scoring quite a few podiums now, but I want to win -- that's what I'm here for and I'm getting close, but I want at least to win one race this year."

Verstappen finished just two-tenths of a second behind Mercedes' George Russell in Sunday's Azerbaijan GP, continuing a strong sequence of results for Red Bull.

"Unfortunately, we're not outscoring Mercedes and they're actually the fastest, or at least they were for most of the season," he said.

"I always enjoyed racing here because I think I really liked the track layout, but it's not straightforward because there's always such high degradation -- and it's hot in general, so quite uncomfortable physically."

Verstappen sits 6th in the current drivers' standings, with Russell and Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli leading the pack.

The Dutch racer said Red Bull excelled in Baku because of the track's unique characteristics, including 90-degree corners and long straights, for which the team brought a lot of new parts.

But the flowing Sepang circuit will likely be more suited to Ferrari and McLaren, as well as Mercedes.

"We'll learn a lot now, in these coming races, what we need, what we want to do with the car for next year," Verstappen said.

"We're not fighting for the championship, so for us it's a big learning curve.

"Every weekend now, we'll try and do our best and we'll see where that leads us."