Formula One: Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Bottas and Hamilton make it a Mercedes one-two

Valtteri Bottas beat Lewis Hamilton to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for a record breaking start to the season.

Photo from BBC Sport

Mercedes set an all-time record of four consecutive one-twos to begin the season.Again Ferrari failed to challenge Mercedes - with the Italian's tactics coming under question once more.
Sebastian Vettel came home a close third, while team-mate Charles Leclerc finished fifth after a close fought battle for fourth, which was nicked by Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Leclerc's consolation on a weekend that he had looked like dominating until crashing in qualifying was a point for fastest lap.

Photo from BBC Sport

The result makes Mercedes the first team ever to start the season in such a dominant fashion and puts their drivers in an enviable position in the championship.
Bottas returns to the lead of the championship, leading Hamilton by the point he gained for fastest lap in Australia. 
Vettel is 35 points behind.

2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Results

#		DRIVER	team	LAPS	TIME/RETIRED	PTS
C		V Bottas	MERCEDES	51	1:31:52.942	25
2		L Hamilton	MERCEDES	51	+1.524s	18
3		S Vettel	FERRARI	51	+11.739s	15
4		M Verstappen	RED BULL	51	+17.493s	12
5		C Leclerc	FERRARI	51	+69.107s	11
6		S Perez	RACING POINT	51	+76.416s	8
7		C Sainz Jr.	MCLAREN	51	+83.826s	6
8		L Norris	MCLAREN	51	+100.268s	4
9		L Stroll	RACING POINT	51	+103.816s	2
10		K Räikkönen	ALFA ROMEO	50	+1 lap	1
11		A Albon	TORO ROSSO	50	+1 lap	0
12		A Giovinazzi	ALFA ROMEO	50	+1 lap	0
13		K Magnussen	HAAS	50	+1 lap	0
14		N Hulkenberg	RENAULT	50	+1 lap	0
15		G Russell	WILLIAMS	49	+2 laps	0
16		R Kubica	WILLIAMS	49	+2 laps	0
NC		P Gasly	RED BULL	38	DNF	0
NC		R Grosjean	HAAS	38	DNF	0
NC		D Kvyat	TORO ROSSO	33	DNF	0
NC		D Ricciardo	RENAULT	31	DNF	0

Formula One Driver's Championship Standings
#/Driver/Team/Points/Wins/Podiums
1/V Bottas/Mercedes/87/2/4
2/L Hamilton/Mercedes/86/2/4
3/S Vettel/Ferrari/52/0/2
4/M Verstappen/Red Bull/51/0/1
5/C Leclerc/Ferrari/47/0/1
6/S Pérez/Racing Point/13/0/0
7/P Gasly/Red Bull/13/0/0
8/K Räikkönen/Alfa Romeo/13/0/0
9/L Norris/McLaren/12/0/0
10/K Magnussen/Haas/8/0/0
11/N Hülkenberg/Renault/6/0/0
12/C Sainz Jr./McLaren/6/0/0
13/D Ricciardo/Renault/6/0/0
14/L Stroll/Racing Point/4/0/0
15/A Albon/Toro Rosso/3/0/0
16/D Kvyat/Toro Rosso/1/0/0
17/A Giovinazzi/Alfa Romeo/0/0/0
18/R Grosjean/Haas/0/0/0
19/G Russell/Williams/0/0/0
20/R Kubica/Williams/0/0/0
2019 Races and Results
Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne, 15-17 March
1. Bottas, 2. Hamilton, 3. Verstappen

Bahrain Grand Prix
Sakhir, 29-31 March
1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Leclerc

Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai, 12-14 April
1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Vettel

Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Baku, 26-28 April
1. Bottas, 2. Hamilton, 3. Vettel

Spanish Grand Prix
Barcelona, 10-12 May

Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo, 23, 25-26 May

Canadian Grand Prix
Montreal, 7-9 June

French Grand Prix
Le Castellet, 21-23 June

Austrian Grand Prix
Spielberg, 28-30 June

British Grand Prix
Silverstone, 12-14 July

German Grand Prix
Hockenheim, 26-28 July

Hungarian Grand Prix
Budapest, 2-4 August

Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps, 30 August-1 September

Italian Grand Prix
Monza, 6-8 September

Singapore Grand Prix
Marina Bay, 20-22 September

Russian Grand Prix
Sochi, 27-29 September

Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka, 11-13 October

Mexican Grand Prix
Mexico City, 25-27 October

United States Grand Prix
Austin, 1-3 November

Brazilian Grand Prix
Sao Paulo, 15-17 November

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yas Marina, 29 November-1 December



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London Marathon - Kipchoge runs a course record time, Kosgei becomes youngest female winner

Eliud Kipchoge ran the second fastest marathon in history for his fourth London win, while 25-year-old Brigid Kosgei's victory made it a Kenyan double in the British capital.

Photo from The Telegraph

34-year-old Kipchoge broke the Marathon world record last year with a time of 2:01:39, and he finished in London just 59 seconds shy of that.
He broke his own London Marathon record - set in 2016 - by 28 seconds.
Britain's Mo Farah finished fifth, three minutes one second behind Kipchoge, while fellow Briton Callum Hawkins was 10th.
Ethiopia's Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun completed the elite men's top three.
Brigid Kosgei won the women's elite race, with Charlotte Purdue the highest placed Brit in 10th place.
The 27-year-old beat her personal best by almost four minutes to record the third-quickest time by a British woman of all time.
American Daniel Romanchuk and Switzerland's Manuela Schar had earlier won the men's and women's elite wheelchair races.

Photo from The New York Times

Farah's time of 2:05:39, although outside his personal best, is the second fastest by a Briton.
The leading group left him behind around the halfway point, with eventual winner Kipchoge dictating the pace.
Farah said he had yet to decide which race to contest in this year's World Championships in Qatar, where he could compete in either the marathon or 10,000m.

Photo from scotsman.com

Hawkins set a Scottish record on 2:08:14, in his first Marathon since collapsing from exhaustion in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, set a Scottish record of 2:08:14.
Alongside Farah, Hawkins and Purdue, Dewi Griffiths and Tish Jones also fulfilled the qualifying criteria for the World Championships, which take place in Doha in the autumn.
Reigning Olympic champion Kipchoge has now won 11 of the 12 marathons in which he has competed, only missing out in Berlin in 2013.

Photo from runnersworld.com

Kosgei beat defending champion and compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot to win for the first time in London.
She crossed the finish line in 2:18:20, almost two minutes ahead of Cheruiyot as Roza Dereje of Ethiopia finished third.
The top three had left three-time London Marathon winner Mary Keitany behind at around 19 miles.
She finished fifth, two minutes 38 seconds behind Kosgei.
Kosgei is 25 days younger than Aselefech Mergia, the previous youngest winner, when she won the 2010 race.

RESULTS

Men's Elite Race

1. Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:02:37
2. Mosinet Geremew (ETH) 2:02:55
3. Mule Wasihun (ETH) 2:03:16

Women's Elite Race
1. Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:18:20
2. Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:20:14
3. Roza Dereje (ETH) 2:20:51

Men's Wheelchair Elite Race

1. Daniel Romanchuk (USA) 1:33:38
2. Marcel Hug (SWI) 1:33:42
3. Tomoki Suzuki (JPN) 1:33:51

Women's Wheelchair Elite Race

1. Manuela Schar (SWI) 1:44:09
2. Tatyana McFadden (USA) 1:49:42
3. Madison de Rozario (AUS) 1:49:44

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Unibet Premier League Darts - Night 13, Birmingham - Van Gerwen stays top as top four all draw

Three draws out of four matches on Thursday night means it's as you were in the play-off positions.

Photo from sportinglife.com

Mensur Suljovic rallied from 6-2 for the first of three 7-7 draws in Birmingham.
Michael Smith had to win the last leg to rescue the draw, in an all too familiar position for the Bully Boy.
The Englishman played far superior to the Gentle, but threw away his commanding lead.
Smith threw seven maximums in the match and averaged 101, and after cruising to a four lg leg lead at 6-2, Suljovic took out 120 to reduce the deficit.
A 12-darter before a 116 checkout for the on-fire Austrian saw him move ahead for the first time.
Suljovic had left tops when Smith hit double eight with his last dart, but will still be glad to nick a point from a losing position.

Gerwyn Price squandered four match darts against a sub-par Rob Cross who rescued a draw.
The Welshman was 3-1 down before turning the match around to lead 6-4 and 7-5, but refused to speak to the cameras after the match due to a frustrating end to the match.
Voltage averaged 98 to the Iceman's 101, with the former world champion staring down the barrel of a loss that would drag him into contention to miss out on a play-off place.
The Grand Slam champion hit his second maximum to go one leg from victory before spurning three match darts from 36 at 7-5 and then another at tops in the decider as Cross pinned double 16 for a closing 14-darter.

Photo from BBC Sport

Daryl Gurney was the only man to win on night 13, dispatching Peter Wright with an 8-4 victory.
SuperChin hit four 180s and eight of 14 darts at double, moving one point behind the top four.
Gurney's sterling display included three ton-plus checkouts, the best was a 116 to lead 6-4, while an 81 checkout sealed the match with a 12 dart leg.
Snakebite went 2-0 before the Northern Irishman won four of the next five legs.
Wright hit a 124 checkout for a 12 dart leg to level the match at 4-4 in what turned out to be his final leg on the board.

James Wade failed to complete the double over the defending champion Michael van Gerwen, as they shared the points in a draw.
The Machine went 7-5 ahead as he attempted to become just the second player ever to claim a pair of regular season victories over the Dutchman.
But on his 30th birthday, Mighty Mike hit back-to back 12 and 13 dart legs to make it 7-7.
The Englishman hit seven of his 11 attempts at a finish, including two on the bullseye for back-to-back 121 checkouts in the second and third legs, while van Gerwen only missed three darts at doubles and also took out a pair of 100+ checkouts himself - 117 and 107 to level the scores at 4-4 and 5-5 respectively.
The world champion managed a pair of 12-darters in a high-quality showdown in which all legs were won in 15 or fewer but the best was Wade's 11-darter, finished off with an 84 checkout to go 4-3 up.

FIXTURES & RESULTS
Night One Results 

7 February, Newcastle
James Wade 7-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Gerwyn Price 7-4 Daryl Gurney
Chris Dobey 6-6 Mensur Suljovic
Michael van Gerwen 7-5 Michael Smith
Peter Wright 6-6 Rob Cross

Night Two Results
14 February, Glasgow
Peter Wright 6-6 Michael Smith
Rob Cross 7-4 James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld 6-6 Gerwyn Price
Daryl Gurney 7-3 Glen Durrant
Mensur Suljovic 3-7 Michael van Gerwen

Night Three Results
21 February, Dublin
Gerwyn Price 6-6 James Wade
Steve Lennon 5-7 Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen 7-2 Rob Cross
Michael Smith 5-7 Daryl Gurney
Mensur Suljovic 6-6 Raymond van Barneveld

Night Four Results
28 February, Exeter
Luke Humphries 6-6 Gerwyn Price
Daryl Gurney 1-7 Rob Cross
Mensur Suljovic 7-4 Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen 3-7 James Wade
Michael Smith 7-4 Raymond van Barneveld

Night Five Results
7 March, Aberdeen
Michael Smith 3-7 Rob Cross
Daryl Gurney 0-7 James Wade
Mensur Suljovic 3-7 Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright 7-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen 6-6 John Henderson

Night Six Results 
14 March, Nottingham
Nathan Aspinall 2-7 Michael Smith
James Wade 3-7 Mensur Suljovic
Rob Cross 7-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Gerwyn Price 2-7 Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright 6-6 Daryl Gurney

Night Seven Results
21 March, Berlin

Gerwyn Price 4-7 Rob Cross

James Wade 6-6 Peter Wright

Michael van Gerwen 5-7 Daryl Gurney

Michael Smith 2-7 Mensur Suljovic

Max Hopp 3-7 Raymond van Barneveld

Night Eight Results 
27 March, Rotterdam
Gerwyn Price 5-7 Michael Smith
James Wade 6-6 Dimitri van den Bergh
Rob Cross 5-7 Mensur Suljovic
Peter Wright 1-7 Michael van Gerwen
Raymond van Barneveld 1-7 Daryl Gurney

Night Nine Results 
28 March, Rotterdam (Judgement Night)
Daryl Gurney 7-3 Mensur Suljovic
Peter Wright 5-7 Gerwyn Price
Rob Cross 7-4 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Raymond van Barneveld 1-7 Michael van Gerwen
James Wade 7-4 Michael Smith

Night 10 Results
4 April, Belfast
Mensur Suljovic 8-6 James Wade
Michael Smith 7-7 Peter Wright
Rob Cross 8-4 Daryl Gurney
Michael van Gerwen 7-7 Gerwyn Price

Night 11 Results
11 April, Liverpool
Rob Cross 8-5 Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price 8-5 Mensur Suljovic
James Wade 7-7 Daryl Gurney
Michael Smith 3-8 Michael van Gerwen

Night 12 Results
18 April, Cardiff
Mensur Suljovic 8-5 Daryl Gurney
Rob Cross 2-8 Michael van Gerwen
Michael Smith 5-8 Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright 2-8 James Wade

Night 13 Results
25 April, Birmingham
Mensur Suljovic 7-7 Michael Smith
Rob Cross 7-7 Gerwyn Price
Daryl Gurney 8-4 Peter Wright
James Wade 7-7 Michael van Gerwen

Night 14 Fixtures
2 May, Manchester
Rob Cross v Michael Smith
Peter Wright v Mensur Suljovic
Daryl Gurney v Michael van Gerwen
James Wade v Gerwyn Price

Night 15 Fixtures
9 May, Sheffield
Michael Smith v James Wade
Mensur Suljovic v Rob Cross
Daryl Gurney v Gerwyn Price
Michael van Gerwen v Peter Wright

Night 16 Fixtures
16 May, Leeds
Gerwyn Price v Peter Wright
Daryl Gurney v Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen v Mensur Suljovic
James Wade v Rob Cross

Night 17 Fixtures
23 May, London
Semi-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
Two matches TBC

Finals (Best of 21 legs)
One match TBC

Current Standings

#	Competitor	P	W	D	L	LD	Pts
1	Michael van Gerwen (NED)	13	8	3	2	+33	19
2	Rob Cross (ENG)	13	8	2	3	+17	18
3	James Wade (ENG)	13	5	5	3	+14	15
4	Gerwyn Price (WAL)	13	5	5	3	+5	15
5	Mensur Suljovic (AUT)	13	6	3	4	+4	15
6	Daryl Gurney (NIR)	13	6	2	5	-1	14
7	Michael Smith (ENG)	13	3	3	7	-14	9
8	Peter Wright (SCO)	13	2	5	6	-18	9
R	Raymond van Barneveld (NED)	9	1	2	6	-22	4

Tie-breakers:
1) Points
2) Leg difference
3) Legs won against throw
4) Tournament average

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