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Chaotic F1 Qatar GP ends with Max Verstappen win, sets up season finale showdown

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Chaotic F1 Qatar GP ends with Max Verstappen win, sets up season finale showdown

Max Verstappen, fresh off of securing his fourth world championship, won the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri joined the Dutchman on the podium, drawing the constructors’ championship battle between McLaren and Ferrari closer heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

McLaren, which entered the race up 30 points on second-place Ferrari, stared down the possibility of winning its first constructors’ championship since 1998, needing to outscore Ferrari by 15 points on Sunday for it to be wrapped up in Qatar.

But with Lando Norris ending the day 10th after receiving a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, the gap now sits at 21 points between McLaren and Ferrari with one race to go on Dec. 8. Ferrari must out-score McLaren by 22 points at the Yas Marina Circuit to win its 17th constructors’ championship, most all-time in F1.

“Simply lovely, guys,” Verstappen said over the radio as he crossed the line. “What an unbelievable race again, that was really fun!”

The Qatar GP had a chaotic start, with a safety car coming out early after multiple collisions occurred. Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg were involved in a Turn 1 incident, while Alex Albon and Lance Stroll had a separate moment. Stroll took a 10-second penalty, which he served, but the Aston Martin driver later retired from the race.

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At the restart, Piastri got the jump on Leclerc, an important moment for the constructors’ championship. By Lap 19, Norris and Piastri were second and fourth, while Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sat fifth and sixth. That would mean McLaren would only outscore Ferrari by 12 points, assuming none of the four drivers secured the fastest lap.

Mercedes’ George Russell was the first front-runner to pit, and it was a very slow seven-second pit stop. McLaren opted to keep Piastri out, and clean air helped his pace improve.

But the race completely changed around Lap 34. Both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz suffered punctures, triggering another safety car. Piastri had pitted just before the safety car, which meant he lost out to Leclerc, who pitted (along with the rest of the leaders) during the safety car period. Debris needed to be cleaned up during this stretch as well, such as the broken mirror on the start/finish straight.

Verstappen was still in the lead when the safety car ended, with Norris second, Leclerc third, Piastri fourth, and Sainz down in seventh. Norris and Verstappen battled at the restart, but the race didn’t stay at full speed. Hülkenberg ended up in the gravel, and Pérez reported losing drive before the restart. A third safety car was called. The same order remained at the restart, but Piastri reported seeing sparks coming from one of his tires, feeling a vibration.

What changed the constructors’ championship was Norris’ penalty. The stewards handed him a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for “failing to slow under yellow flags.”

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This initially knocked him out of the points, ruining the Briton’s race and throwing a wrench in the constructors’ battle. Norris recovered for a points finish and secured the fastest lap, though not as big of a haul as it once looked for his team.

Meanwhile, Hamilton sped in pit lane and was handed a drive-through penalty. All of the chaos allowed teams in the midfield to score crucial points. Pierre Gasly helped Alpine’s fight for P6 in the team standings with a fifth-place finish, while Kevin Magnussen ended his day ninth. Zhou Guanyu brought home the first points finish of the year for Sauber, finishing eighth.

Here is how the top 10 finished.

  1. Max Verstappen
  2. Charles Leclerc
  3. Oscar Piastri
  4. George Russell
  5. Pierre Gasly
  6. Carlos Sainz
  7. Fernando Alonso
  8. Zhou Guanyu
  9. Kevin Magnussen
  10. Lando Norris

Top photo: Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo makes NBA history with 83-point game

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo makes NBA history with 83-point game

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo made NBA history on Tuesday night.

Adebayo scored 83 points, all while setting league marks for free throws made and attempted in a game for the Miami Heat in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards. It is the second-highest scoring game for a player ever, only to Wilt Chamberlain’s famed 100-point game.

“An absolutely surreal night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game.

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Adebayo started with a 31-point first quarter. He was up to 43 at halftime, 62 by the end of the third quarter. And then came the fourth, when the milestones kept falling despite facing double-, triple- and what once appeared to be a quadruple-team from a Wizards defense that kept sending him to the foul line.

He finished 20 of 43 from the field, 36 of 43 from the foul line, 7 for 22 from 3-point range.

After the game, he was seen in tears while he hugged his mother, Marilyn Blount, before leaving the floor after the game.

“Welp won’t have the highest career high in the house anymore,” Adebayo’s girlfriend, four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, wrote on social media, “but at least it gives me something to go after.”

MAGIC’S ANTHONY BLACK MAKES INCREDIBLE DUNK OVER FOUR DEFENDERS IN HISTORIC NBA GAME

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Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat celebrates during the fourth quarter of the game against the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center on March 10, 2026, in Miami, Florida.  (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

The NBA’s previous best this season was 56, by Nikola Jokic for Denver against Minnesota on Christmas night. The last player to have 62 points through three quarters: one of Adebayo’s basketball heroes, Kobe Bryant, who had exactly that many through three quarters for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dallas on Dec. 20, 2005.

He wound up passing Bryant for single-game scoring as well. Bryant’s career-best was 81 — a game that was the second-best on the NBA scoring list for two decades.

Adebayo scored 31 points in the opening quarter against the Wizards, breaking the Heat record for points in any quarter — and tying the team record for points in a first half before the second quarter even started.

He finished the first half with 43 points, a team record for any half and two points better than his previous career high — for a full game, that is — of 41, set Jan. 23, 2021, against Brooklyn.

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Adebayo’s season high entering Tuesday was 32. He matched that with a free throw with 5:53 left in the second quarter, breaking the Heat first-half scoring record.

Adebayo’s 43-point first half was the NBA’s second-best in at least the last 30 seasons — going back to the start of the digital play-by-play era that began in the 1996-97 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Kings lose in overtime to the Boston Bruins

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Kings lose in overtime to the Boston Bruins

Charlie McAvoy scored 39 seconds into overtime and Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 shots on Tuesday night to earn the Boston Bruins their 13th straight victory at home, 2-1 over the Kings.

Mason Lohrei scored midway through the third period to break a scoreless tie. But the Kings tied it five minutes later when Drew Doughty’s shot from the blue line deflected off the heel of Bruins forward Elias Lindholm and into the net.

It was the seventh straight time the teams had gone to overtime in Boston.

In the overtime, Mark Kastelic blocked a shot in the defensive zone and made a long pass to David Pastrnak, who waited for McAvoy to come into the zone. The Bruins’ defenseman and U.S. Olympian, who went to the locker room at the end of the second period after taking a puck off his mouth, skated in on Darcy Kuemper and went to his backhand for the winner.

Kuemper stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who entered the night one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The victory kept Boston in possession of the East’s second wild-card spot.

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Swayman tied his career high with his 25th win of the season. The Bruins haven’t lost at the TD Garden since before Christmas.

After the game, Kings forward and future Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar stayed on the ice to shake hands with the Bruins after what is expected to be his last game in Boston.

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Jon Jones requests UFC release after Dana White says legend was ‘never’ considered him for White House card

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Jon Jones requests UFC release after Dana White says legend was ‘never’ considered him for White House card

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Mixed martial arts legend Jon Jones ended his retirement from UFC simply because he wanted a spot on the “Freedom 250” fight card at the White House in June. 

But, when UFC CEO Dana White announced the card during UFC 326 this past weekend, Jones wasn’t among the fighters. As a result, he has requested a release from his UFC contract. 

White was candid when asked about Jones following the UFC 326 card. 

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Jon Jones of the United States of America reacts after his TKO victory against Stipe Miocic of the United States of America in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, 2024 in New York City.  ((Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images))

“Never, ever, ever, which I told you guys a hundred thousands times, was Jon Jones ever even remotely in my mind to fight at the White House,” White explained, per CBS Sports. “Some guy with Meta Glasses filmed him talking about his hips – that his hips are so bad. And I don’t know if you guys saw that flag football game where he can barely run. Jon Jones retired because of his hips. He’s got arthritis in his hips. Apparently, doctors say he should have a hip replacement.”

White added that “the Jon Jones thing is bulls—,” saying that he texted the fighter’s lawyer saying he would never be on the White House card despite Jones saying he was in negotiations for it. 

UFC ANNOUNCES CARD FOR WHITE HOUSE EVENT

The Meta Glasses incident White is referring to came from a viral video, where Jones, unaware he was being filmed, discussed issues with his hips to a fan. 

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On Monday, Jones composed a thorough response to White’s comments about him and the White House Card. He previously posted and deleted social media explanations, but Monday’s appeared to be his final statement on the matter. 

UFC President Dana White speaks after UFC Fight Night at Toyota Center on Feb. 21, 2026.  (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

“Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it’s painful, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight,” Jones, who retired a heavyweight champion in 2025, said. “So let me get this straight, if I had accepted the lowball offer, suddenly my hip would be fine and I’d be on the White House card? That doesn’t make sense. I even received stem cell treatment last week to get ready for the White House card, and training camp was scheduled to start today. I was preparing to be ready. 

“I understand business deals fall through sometimes, but going out publicly and saying things that aren’t true isn’t right. After everything I’ve given to the UFC, the years, the title defenses, the fights, hearing that I’m ‘done’ is disappointing. Especially when as recently as Friday UFC was calling me trying to get me on that White House card for a much lower number.”

Jones finished his statement by saying he “respectfully” asks to be released from his UFC contract.

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Jon Jones enters the ring before facing Stipe Miocic in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City, New York. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“No more spins, no more games. Thank you to the real fans who know what’s up,” he wrote. 

The UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.

Jones is considered one of the best UFC fighters of all time, owning a 28-1-1 record, which includes his last bout with Stipe Miocic, knocking him out to take the heavyweight title belt. He is also a two-time light heavyweight champion. 

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