Lewis Hamilton claims he is not expecting to be competing for victories at the start of the new Formula One season after experiencing difficulties during testing.
Neither Hamilton, who has won the drivers' championship a joint-record seven times, nor new Mercedes team-mate George Russell were among the fastest drivers on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, as Max Verstappen topped the timesheets.
With Red Bull's defending champion faring well just a week before the Bahrain Grand Prix opens the campaign, Hamilton suggested he is not holding out much hope of a strong start, with Mercedes experiencing performance issues with their new W13 car.
"I'm sure everyone can figure it out, we're not the quickest at the moment," Hamilton told a news conference on Saturday.
"Ferrari looks to be the quickest and perhaps Red Bull, and then maybe us or McLaren. I don't know, but we're certainly not at the top.
"Obviously it's a little bit too early to get into [hopes of winning the drivers' championship] or have those kinds of thoughts, but at the moment I don't think we'll be competing for wins.
"But there is potential within our car to get us there. We've just got to learn to extract it and fix some of the problems.
"That's what we are working on and everyone is doing an incredible job back at the factory working as hard as they can, but we have some hurdles to overcome."
Hamilton, who won 2021's season opener in Bahrain, also denied he was deliberately playing down expectations to hide the car's true strength.
"Obviously next week we'll get a much better showing of our pace, but I think people will be surprised," he explained.
"People keep saying that we keep talking ourselves down, but it's a bit different this year. It feels a lot different. It's not as good, I don't think it's going to look as it did last year with the difficult session we had in testing and then switch over [to win] the race.
"I think we have far bigger challenges this time and they are not one-week turnarounds; they'll take a little bit longer. But, from what I told, we have a considerable amount of pace to find."
"At the moment the performance isn't there," the 24-year-old said.
"We are a step behind our rivals, and we do have a lot of work to do between now and next week to understand, because in every condition the Red Bull and the Ferrari seem a step ahead of us.
"I don't think they're exceptional, I think we're probably not as competitive as we would like.
"[But] I believe the guys are going get to the bottom of it. There is potential there, we just need to figure out a way to unlock that performance."
Rafael Nadal offered his sympathy to Sebastian Korda after scraping past the 21-year-old, who considers his Indian Wells Masters opponent "my biggest idol".
Korda had trained with Nadal earlier this week before the draw paired the two together – an eagerly awaited encounter for the younger man.
Korda is such a big Nadal fan his cat is named after the Spaniard, but he caused some concern for the 21-time major champion and his other supporters on Saturday.
Having talked up the meeting, it looked as though the occasion might get the better of Korda as he quickly fell 4-0 down in the opener.
Nadal had not dropped a set since victory at the Australian Open – one of three tournaments he has entered this year and three tournaments he has won.
But that perfect 15-0 record suddenly came under threat in the second set, as Korda sought to prolong his dream match-up and stunned his hero 6-1.
Suddenly, Nadal was forced to face down one of his biggest fans in a decider and initially struggled badly, falling two breaks down, with Korda serving for the match at 5-2.
This time the nerves did get to Korda, who lost four games in a row before stopping the rot to reach a tie-break.
There, Korda did briefly hold a mini-break lead, but that was only as part of a sequence of five consecutive mini-breaks that took the match away from him, Nadal prevailing 6-2 1-6 7-6 (7-3).
"I feel very, very lucky today to be through, honestly," Nadal said afterwards.
Korda could at least enjoy his consolation prize: compliments from Nadal, who had won their only prior meeting en route to his 2020 French Open title.
"Sebastian was playing some fantastic tennis and I'm sorry for him," Nadal said. "He had chances, but that's tennis.
"He's very young, he has an amazing future. I wish him all the best."
Up next for Nadal is Dan Evans, whose compatriot Cameron Norrie – the defending Indian Wells champion – also advanced with a straight-sets win over Pedro Martinez.
Max Verstappen has played down projections on Red Bull's pace, heading into next weekend's Formula One season opener in Bahrain.
The reigning world champion set the fastest time during the final pre-season test at Sakhir - where next week's opener will also be held - almost a full seven tenths quicker than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in second, and nearly a second quicker than Alpine's Fernando Alonso in third.
However, the 24-year-old asserted Red Bull were more concerned with gathering tyre data at the test than lighting up the timesheets.
"Nobody is [giving it] full beans in qualifying-spec at the moment," Verstappen said. "Of course the car is better in low fuel and actually on the high fuel the car doesn't really do a lot, but it's the same for everyone.
"It was just a general progression of the day and we were just trying a few different tyres. But I think the main focus was about the tyres, we're going to use next week. But the car was feeling alright, and we went through our programme which we planned to do, and that's always positive."
Along with this season's regulation changes on tyre diameter, Verstappen was also quick to point out car response to the Sakhir circuit's more favourable conditions, in comparison to the opening pre-season test in Barcelona.
"You know, compared to Barcelona I think more of it is just the track - the rough surface, warmer conditions, and the layout of the track makes it a completely different feeling compared to Barcelona," he said.
"But yes, of course, I think we learned a lot more about the cars, so we made the car faster, and I think that's what you want.
"I think with the new parts, which arrived today, they also worked well, which you always hope for. They worked, so then hopefully we'll keep them on [for the opening race]."
Cristiano Ronaldo said there are "no limits" for Manchester United after hitting a superb hat-trick to guide the Red Devils to a 3-2 win over Tottenham.
Ronaldo netted his second Premier League treble to boost United's hopes of Champions League qualification, doing so 14 years and 59 days after scoring three in a 6-0 win against Newcastle United, marking the longest gap between a player's first and second hat-tricks in the competition's history.
After his 49th career hat-trick, the Portuguese legend has also scored a treble in each of the last 13 seasons of his club career, a run which stretches back to the 2009-10 campaign.
The Old Trafford victory lifted United into the Premier League's top four, albeit having played four games more than fifth-placed Arsenal, and Ronaldo said he was "tremendously happy" with his performance in a social media post.
"Tremendously happy with my first hat-trick since I came back to Old Trafford!" the 37-year wrote on Instagram.
"Nothing beats the feeling of being back on the pitch and help the team with goals and effort.
"We've proven once again that we can beat any team in any given day, as long as we work hard and stand together as one.
"There are no limits for Man United! No matter what! Let's go, Devils!"
Despite United's struggles this term, the former Real Madrid and Juventus star has hit 12 league goals since returning to the club last summer, placing him top of their goalscoring charts.
However, interim manager Ralf Rangnick joked that his top goalscorer should always prepare in that fashion after his superb showing, also praising his work ethic in training.
"We were just joking a little bit," Rangnick laughed. "Maybe it makes sense to send him to Portugal for three days, then have him not train for two days, then have him back in training on Thursday!
"By the way, he performed on a similar kind of level on Thursday in training, that's why I decided after that training session, although he had been out from a week, to play him from the start.
"Maybe we have to do that for the rest of the season."
United became the first team to hit 400 Premier League home wins after beating Spurs, against whom they have enjoyed 23 Old Trafford victories in the competition. No side has beaten another opponent more often at home in the league's history.
Paul Pogba believes Cristiano Ronaldo's return to form was just what Manchester United needed after the Portuguese star hit a hat-trick in the Red Devils' 3-2 win over Tottenham on Saturday.
Having been left out of the squad for their 4-1 drubbing at Manchester City last week, Ronaldo returned with vigour and got United off the mark on 12 minutes with a trademark strike from distance.
The 37-year-old provided timely goals for Ralf Rangnick's side, which was in need of a response as much as points. The Old Trafford crowd fed off it, which was something Pogba acknowledged afterwards.
"Ronaldo was brilliant. I think that's all we needed - a reaction," the France international told Sky Sports. "We scored beautiful goals. Even when we conceded a goal, we came back and scored again. The mentality was there again today.
"Everybody knows Cristiano - there's no need to talk about him. That's what he does. He didn't play in the last game, but he comes back and scores three goals. Everybody's happy.
"It was good today. You can hear the fans. They were pushing us and feeling it. I think today was a very good performance as a team and a very good reaction from the City game.”
Despite Ronaldo's hat-trick, it was nevertheless a volatile 90 minutes from United, with Tottenham managing to draw level twice via Harry Kane from the penalty spot and a Harry Maguire own goal.
According to Pogba though, United's mentality was definitive, especially in context of the Premier League's top four race.
"We kept believing. In the second half, we didn't get the nice passing, and the movement I think wasn't there," he said.
"We gave them a bit of confidence, that's why they scored. But we got a corner and scored the winning goal.
"It's a boost. We needed it to go again. We want the top four and they were opponents who are looking for the top four also. It was a good win and a good performance."
The win puts United in fourth spot on 50 points, two points clear of Arsenal, who have four games in hand on them.
Milan coach Stefano Pioli downplayed the importance of his side's 1-0 win over Empoli, insisting there are many twists remaining in the Serie A title race.
Pierre Kalulu's superb 19th-minute goal was enough to win a tight affair for Milan at San Siro, stretching their unbeaten run to seven league matches.
Kalulu's long-range strike made him Milan's 16th different scorer in this Serie A campaign, with only Fiorentina and Atalanta (both 17) possessing more, as the hosts went five points clear of rivals Inter, although the Nerazzurri have two games in hand.
Pioli was pleased with how his side managed a tense encounter, but he acknowledged there was room for improvement after Milan registered just three shots in a dour second half.
Milan created chances worth just 0.88 expected goals, with Kalulu's winning goal the Rossoneri's 10th from outside the area this season – a tally unbeaten in the top five European leagues.
"Our opponents [in the title race, Inter and Napoli] have to play tomorrow, there are still games to catch up," Pioli told Sky Sport.
"I think it would be much more regular if everyone had played the [same number of] games, then it is clear.
"But today it was a complicated game and we managed it well. We found an opponent who put us in difficulty, but in the defensive phase we conceded very little.
"At the beginning of the second half we lost a few balls, because in my opinion there was too little movement.
"It is clear that we are always thinking about improving things, but it is equally true that having failed to dominate the game, we didn't risk anything [defensively].
"I'm sure that the more we go on, the better we will improve. Now the goals for everyone are maximum, so the effort must certainly be high."
"[Juventus are] inside [the title race]," the 56-year-old said. "Nine games [remaining] are a lot, 27 points are a lot.
"All the top five are definitely inside [the race]."
Antonio Conte hinted Cristiano Ronaldo was the only thing separating Manchester United from a poor result after his hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Tottenham.
The Portugal star gave United the lead three times at Old Trafford on Saturday, his 81st-minute header ultimately deciding what could prove to be a key contest in the race for the Premier League top four.
The Spurs head coach lavished praise on Ronaldo and said his legendary status in football is unquestionable.
In customary Conte fashion, however, his compliments for the 37-year-old individually were laced with reproval for United collectively.
"We are talking about a player that not only this night showed to be a top, top player. Don't forget Cristiano and [Lionel] Messi are the best two players in the world in this era. Before it was [Diego] Maradona and then Pele," Conte told Sky Sports after the match.
"You know very well that when you play against this type of player, they are decisive. I think honestly that without Cristiano Ronaldo tonight for United it wasn't a good night.
"It's a difficult stadium, a difficult atmosphere and I guess a strong team like United, I think we didn't deserve to lose the game. We have to understand where we can improve."
Ronaldo got the Red Devils off the mark on 12 minutes, with a trademark screamer from outside the penalty area as the Tottenham defence backed off.
Conte's side equalised through a Harry Kane penalty and, after Ronaldo struck again from Jadon Sancho's cross, they levelled for a second time through Harry Maguire's own goal.
Ronaldo was eventually on hand to provide the winner, though, heading in from an Alex Telles corner as Conte bemoaned Spurs' inability to manage the game.
"I think we played a good game, but at the same time I think we needed to show more experience to manage some situations," he said.
"The experience you don't buy. You improve your experience after these types of games. We have many young players in the team and hopefully after this game they have the possibility to learn.
"We have to continue to work in many aspects and improve our level if we want to reach the level where we fight for a top place and for sure we have to improve."
Cristiano Ronaldo has spent so much of his career rewriting the history books that a hat-trick against Tottenham on Saturday was just another reminder of his "genius".
Genius was the word used by Roy Keane after Saturday evening's treble at Old Trafford secured a 3-2 win that could yet be a major lift for a United side who still face a tall order to finish in the Premier League top four.
Arsenal, two points behind fourth-placed United with four games in hand, remain favourites for that slot, but Ronaldo's performance against Spurs was a signal the Red Devils could still force their way into those positions at the season's end.
Keane said on Sky Sports after the final whistle: "Scoring goals is the hardest part of the game. To score that many goals at the highest level - international goals, big games in the Champions League... today obviously it was Spurs. What more can you say? The guy's a genius."
There is a theory that Ronaldo is now the world's all-time record goalscorer, overtaking Josef Bican, an Austrian-Czech striker who was prolific in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
Official records from that time can be difficult to ratify, and Czech FA experts have previously put Bican's figure at 821 goals rather than the often-stated figure of 805.
Nevertheless, there is much that can be stated with conviction, and Opta data outlines just what a performance this was from Ronaldo.
– He has now scored a hat-trick in each of his last 13 seasons, and this was his 49th club career hat-trick.
– Having spent nine years at Real Madrid, and then three with Juventus, Ronaldo has reacquainted himself with the English game this season. It had been 14 years and 59 days since he scored what was his only previous Premier League hat-trick, against Newcastle United, making it the longest such gap in the competition's history.
– Teddy Sheringham is the only player to have scored a Premier League treble later in life. Sheringham was 37 years and 146 days old when he scored three for Portsmouth against Bolton Wanderers in August 2003. Ronaldo was 37 years and 35 days, so to break Sheringham's record he will have to remain in the Premier League next season.
– Tottenham boss Antonio Conte was quick to praise Ronaldo after the final whistle, and it was little wonder; Ronaldo became only the second player to score a top-flight hat-trick against a team managed by the Italian, following in the footsteps of Giuseppe Rossi in October 2013 for Fiorentina against Juventus. Rossi, coincidentally, was a United player for a large part of Ronaldo's previous spell at Old Trafford.
– Ronaldo has scored in each of his last seven appearances against Tottenham in all competitions. Indeed, he has netted more goals against Spurs than he has against any other English side in his career (14).
– At 2-2, there was a threat to United's astonishing run of 301 Premier League games without defeat when they have held a half-time lead at Old Trafford. Ronaldo's intervention staved that off emphatically.
– United have now won exactly 400 Premier League home games, becoming the first team to reach that milestone. Some 23 of those wins have been against Tottenham, which is more than any side has beaten another at home in the Premier League.
– Ronaldo is now the joint-second top scorer in the Premier League this season with 12 goals, albeit he is a distant eight behind runaway leader Mohamed Salah of Liverpool.
Newly-minted world number one Daniil Medvedev said his win was "not as easy" as it appeared after beating Tomas Machac in straight sets at the Indian Wells Masters.
Medvedev beat his Czech opponent 6-3 6-2 in their second round match, his first since being told he cannot compete under the Russian flag following the invasion of Ukraine.
After saving a break point in the opening game, Medvedev settled quickly, breaking-to-love to go up 4-2 and securing the first set without conceding a point in his final two service games.
The 26-year-old effectively put the contest to bed when he broke Machac's serve in the opening game of the second set, later securing the double-break to sail to the finish line.
Speaking to the post-match media, Medvedev said it was far from a perfect performance, but was glad to come through unscathed.
"I think I was pretty consistent," he said. "If you look at the first set, it was pretty even. He made a few unforced errors and maybe some bad decisions in the crucial moments – that's how tennis is sometimes.
"The scoreline might be pretty effective, 6-3 6-2, but if you look at the points and the games, it was not as easy as it seems.
Defiant second innings batting from man-of-the-match Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder helped the West Indies salvage a draw on day five of the first Apex Test match against England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Saturday.
England’s unbeaten pair of captain Joe Root (84) and Zak Crawley (117) started the day attempting to add on to England’s overnight 217-1 and eventually got to 225 before Crawley became the first scalp of the day, falling to Holder for 121.
Root carried on and brought up his 24th Test match hundred, the second-most by an Englishman only behind former skipper Alastair Cook’s 33.
Dan Lawrence, who joined Root after Crawley’s dismissal, made a breezy 37 before he was removed by Alzarri Joseph to leave England 295-3 off 78.3 overs.
With a declaration looming, England’s batsmen tried to step up their scoring rate but kept losing wickets quickly, including Root for 109 and Ben Stokes for 13.
Joseph finished with 3-78 off 23.2 overs while Kemar Roach picked up 2-53 off 19 overs.
They eventually declared on 349-6, leaving the West Indies needing 286 for victory.
The West Indies started their pursuit just before lunch, eventually reaching 4-0 at the break.
After lunch, Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell continued their fruitful partnership at the top of the order with a second 50 partnership of the match.
They got to 59-0 before Brathwaite was trapped in front by Stokes for 33. Campbell was then dismissed in the next over by Jack Leach for 22 to leave the hosts in a spot of bother at 59-2.
Shamarh Brooks (5) and Jermaine Blackwood (2) then quickly became Leach’s next two victims to leave the West Indies struggling at 67-4 in the 35th over.
Thankfully for the West Indies, Bonner (38) and Holder (37) safely negotiated the final 36.3 overs to lead the West Indies to 147-4 off 70.1 overs.
Jack Leach was the pick of the England bowlers with 3-57 off 30.1 overs.
Final Scores: England 311 and 349-6 declared, West Indies 375 and 147-4.
The second test gets underway on March 16th in Barbados.
Milan moved five points clear at the Serie A summit with a 1-0 win over Empoli, as Pierre Kalulu's stunner settled a cagey match at San Siro.
French defender Kalulu netted a superb first-half opener for the Rossoneri, who restricted Empoli to just one shot in the first 45 minutes during a dominant showing.
Although the visitors improved after the break, they struggled to create clear-cut chances against the title challengers, as Milan took an important three points from a tight affair.
The result gave Stefano Pioli's men breathing space at the top of Serie A, while Empoli remain without a win in 2022.
Milan were denied an early lead when Guglielmo Vicario saved well from Alessandro Florenzi's curling effort, and they again went close when the ball ricocheted off Sandro Tonali and rolled wide.
But the hosts did hit the front on 19 minutes when Kalulu finished brilliantly from the edge of the area, firing home with his left instep after the ball deflected to him.
However, Mike Maignan was forced into two stops within five minutes of the restart, turning Sebastiano Luperto's header around the post before punching Nedim Bajrami's goal-bound corner away.
Two tame Junior Messias shots, both drawing routine saves from Vicario, were the sum of Milan's efforts for much of a dull second half in which chances were at a premium.
However, Milan's solid defensive display was enough to hand them the victory and strengthen their position in one of Europe's closest title races.
What does it mean? Rossoneri claim vital win in Scudetto hunt
With rivals Inter travelling to Torino on Sunday, Milan have, at least for the time being, established a five-point lead at the top of Serie A.
The Rossoneri are now unbeaten in seven league games, earning four wins and three draws, as they hit form at the ideal time in the hunt for a first league title since 2011.
They must now hope Inter drop points in their two games in hand.
Landmark goal for coach Pioli
Kalulu's fantastic opener was his first goal of the season and was also a landmark moment for Milan boss Pioli.
The 56-year-old, who is looking for the first league title of his career, became just the seventh coach to see his teams score 600 Serie A goals in the three-points-for-a-win era.
Milan improve record against strugglers
Milan's title challenge has, at times, been held back by an inability to beat lowly opponents in Serie A. This win represented just their third victory in their past seven games against bottom-half teams.
Meanwhile, the result represented a third successive win for the Rossoneri against Empoli, after they only won two of the previous seven head-to-head meetings (four draws and one defeat).
What's next?
The Rossoneri's next Serie A fixture takes them to Cagliari in a week's time, while Empoli will host Verona in league action the following day.
England players described their pride even in defeat to Ireland on Saturday after playing more than 78 minutes of the Six Nations match with 14 men.
The Red Rose's championship hopes were ended by the 32-15 reverse at Twickenham – their heaviest ever home Test loss to Ireland – but few fans had any issues with the team's fight and desire.
Charlie Ewels was shown a red card after just a minute and 22 seconds for his dangerous tackle on James Ryan – the earliest dismissal in a Six Nations match – giving England a huge uphill battle.
Eddie Jones' men still might have upset title-chasing Ireland, who were all square at 15-15 heading into the closing stages before taking the match away from their hosts.
Rather than rue their failure to take their championship challenge to Grand Slam candidates France for their fifth and final game, England's battlers preferred to reflect upon a heroic effort.
Hooker Jamie George said: "Right up to that last try, I genuinely had belief, and I think that says a huge amount about the character we have in the squad.
"This sounds ridiculous but it's one of the proudest days I've had in an England shirt. I genuinely feel that. I feel quite emotional from this game and the feedback we had from the crowd.
"Playing a team like Ireland, they're respected as one of the best teams in the world. To play like that with 14 men for 78 minutes takes some doing, and I'm proud to be part of the group."
Full-back Freddie Steward suggested this performance should set the standard for England sides moving forward.
"You come into a game, and you never expect that to happen," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "The boys responded really well.
"It would have been easy for us to lose a man and for heads to drop and them to walk all over us. I think that shows the spirit of this team. We fought, we dug in, the boys gave it everything. There's a lot to learn from that."
Steward added: "We sat in at half-time and we had a genuine belief that we could go and win the game. The boys came out in that second half and wanted to do it, we wanted to do it.
"Unfortunately, on 60, 70 minutes, we ran out of steam at the end there.
"But I think this team is one that is not going to give up. We're not going to not fight, and we went to the trenches for each other today."
Massimiliano Allegri was full of praise for Alvaro Morata following Juventus' 3-1 win away to Sampdoria on Saturday.
The Spanish forward bagged a brace in an important victory for Juve, who put themselves nine points clear of Atalanta in Serie A's race for the final Champions League spot, though having played two games more.
January signing Dusan Vlahovic started on the bench for the Old Lady ahead of their second leg tie against Villarreal in the Champions League last-16 on Wednesday, but it was Morata who made the difference at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Allegri was quick to compliment the 29-year-old, who followed up his first half penalty with a fine header in the 88th minute after Abdelhamid Sabiri had pulled a goal back for the hosts two minutes earlier.
"Alvaro is one of the best forwards on a technical level in Europe," the Bianconeri boss told DAZN post-match. "He will struggle more if you use him with his back to goal, but if he plays a little wider, with the space to run inside and use his characteristics, he's excellent.
"The team did well today on a technical basis. We need to improve when we are in control of the match, though, lower the tempo and then speed it up with a vertical pass. We need to understand when it's time to be patient and wait a moment."
Despite Maya Yoshida's opening own goal on 23 minutes, taking the eventual three points was not a simple task for Juventus. Allegri believes the result puts his team in good stead for the return leg against Villarreal, though.
He also gave special mention to Moise Kean, who made his second start in three games after a string of appearances off the bench in February.
"Sampdoria are not an easy team to face, we needed this result to consolidate fourth place and prepare for Villarreal in the best possible way," Allegri said.
"Kean played a good game, when he plays he is always effective. He earned the penalty [for 2-0], and started the action for the first goal, so he is an important player for this squad. He has to improve from a technical point of view, but can be devastating when he has space to run into."
Ireland coach Andy Farrell was all smiles after his side came through a testing Six Nations encounter with 14-man England thanks to a late show at Twickenham.
A bonus-point 32-15 win saw Ireland pull to within two points on France at the top of the standings, keeping their championship hopes alive ahead of the final round of matches.
England were always on the back foot after a red card for Charlie Ewels after just 82 seconds, but they pulled the contest back to 15-15 in the 60th minute after opening the second half with consecutive penalties.
A heroic victory proved beyond the home side, however, as Ireland scored 17 unanswered points – including 14 in the final 10 minutes.
Despite a perhaps lacklustre performance with a man advantage, the barnstorming finish had Farrell chipper when speaking with the media post-match.
"It was never in doubt, was it?" he joked to RTE.
"At 15-all, the game's in the balance there. When you have 15 against 14, I thought the boys have done really well in some really tough situations.
"They dug deep for one another and came out with what we know is unbelievably hard to do – coming here and getting a bonus point.
"Rolling onto next week with something to play for is what we came to do, and we managed to do that.
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