Formula One

Paris, France: FormulaOne races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled as the Middle East war engulfs the region, motorsport's governing body the FIA announced on Saturday. "It has been confirmed today that, after careful evaluations, due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East region, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April," the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement. "While several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made in April. "The decision has been taken in full consultation withFormulaOne Group, local promoters and our member clubs in the region." Bahrain had been scheduled as the fourth Grand Prix this season to take place on April 10-12, with the Saudi race a week later. "The FIA will always place the safety and wellbeing of our community and colleagues first," FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said. Read Also Qatar 1812 KM rescheduled to October 22–24 at Lusail International Circuit Qatar Airways updates flight destinations for March 15 until 18 Qatar Armed Forces intercept 4 ballistic missiles, drones from Iran: MoD "After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind. "We continue to hope for calm, safety and a swift return to stability in the region, and my thoughts remain with all those affected by these recent events. "Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are incredibly important to the ecosystem of our racing season, and I look forward to returning to both as soon as circumstances allow. "My sincere thanks to the promoters, our partners, and our colleagues across the championship for the collaborative and constructive approach that has led to this decision." Kimi Antonelli took pole position for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton and was asked by AFP in Shanghai about the possible cancellation of the Middle East races. "My thoughts, and I think it's the same for Lewis and George, are with the ones that are suffering from this situation," said the 19-year-old Mercedes driver. "FormulaOne and the FIA, they will handle the situation the best way possible in order to guarantee everyone's safety."

Football

Milan, Italy: Inter Milan suffered another wobble in their bid to reclaim the Serie A title after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Atalanta, who bounced back from Champions League humiliation against Bayern Munich. Nikola Krstovic earned a point for Atalanta by scoring in the 82nd minute at the San Siro, cancelling out Pio Esposito's angled drive after 26 minutes for the hosts who had looked to be extending their league lead to 10 points. But Inter coach Cristian Chivu and his players were livid at Krstovic's goal being awarded after what they saw as a push on Denzel Dumfries by Kamaldeen Sulemana, whose saved shot led to the leveller. Chivu was sent off for his vehement protests against the officials in a heated end to what had up to that point been a humdrum affair in soaking wet Milan. Dumfries held his head in his hands when referee Gianluca Manganiello pointed to the centre circle to give the goal which handed AC Milan the chance to move to within five points of their local rivals. Home fans were again outraged moments later when Davide Frattesi went down looking for a penalty under a challenge from Giorgio Scalvini, who tapped his Italy teammate's foot and was cleared of committing a foul. No-one from Inter spoke to media after the game in protest at the decisions. Milan, who prevailed in their local derby with Inter last weekend, travel to Rome to take on Lazio on Sunday night and can reignite a title race which looked as good as over a week ago. A fighting point for Atalanta came after Tuesday's humiliating 6-1 defeat by Bayern in the Champions League, a competition for which they are just about in contention to qualify for this season. Atalanta, who have to face Bayern in Munich on Wednesday, are four points behind Como and Roma who are separated by goal difference in fourth and fifth and face off on Sunday. "I really liked the reaction of the team, it's very easy to still be affacted as it was only four days ago that we played Bayern," said Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino. "But the team played like men, like the good players that they are." Juventus, a point behind Roma and Como, can move into the top four with a win at Udinese in Saturday's late match. Reigning champions Napoli trail Inter by 12 points in third place but can cut that gap against Lecce in Naples where Antonio Conte's team are yet to lose a league fixture this season.

Motosports

Shanghai: Mercedes' George Russell held off a challenge from Ferrari to convert pole position into victory in an entertaining first Sprint race of the 2026 Formula 1 season. After setting the fastest time in Friday's qualifying session, Russell held his lead into the first corner but was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton on the back straight. The move sparked an early duel between the two Britons, who traded positions while deploying their battery power at different points on the Shanghai International Circuit. Russell, however, appeared to manage his tyres better and regained a lead he would keep to the chequered flag by lap five. Hamilton then faded and was passed by Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, but the Monegasque was unable to close Russell's advantage, which had grown to 4.4 seconds by lap 12. A safety car on lap 13 briefly threatened to disrupt the order as the leading runners all pitted for fresh tyres. Russell maintained his lead at the restart and crossed the line just 0.6 seconds ahead of a charging Leclerc. "It was a lot of fun in the end. I hope it was a fun race to watch. Usually Sprint races are pretty boring but then I got everything under control. Really happy to get the win," said Russell. Behind the two Ferraris, Lando Norris finished fourth for McLaren, ahead of Russell's teammate Kimi Antonelli, who recovered to fifth after an eventful race. The Italian had dropped into the midfield from second on the grid after a poor start and later made light contact with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, earning a 10-second time penalty. He then briefly climbed back to second before falling to seventh after serving his penalty during his pit stop. McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished sixth, ahead of Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Haas driver Ollie Bearman, both of whom gambled on staying out during the safety car. Red Bull endured a difficult race, with Max Verstappen finishing ninth and outside the points after starting eighth and losing several positions at the start. Hadjar sustained damage following the early contact with Antonelli and finished 15th.