An elated Enea Bastianini said Gresini "have all cried" after his emotional maiden MotoGP victory at the season-opening race in Qatar.
The 24-year-old took the top step on the podium for the first time in the premier class after passing Pol Espargaro with four laps to go under the lights at the Lusail International Circuit.
Espargaro led for the majority of the race after storming from sixth to first at the start, but Bastianini capitalised on the Repsol Honda rider's fading tyres to pass him on the inside and go on to take the chequered flag.
It was Gresini's first MotoGP triumph since 2006 and came just over a year after the death of their team principal Fausto Gresini.
Nadia Padovani, Gresini's wife who is now the team principal and owner, was in tears after 2021 rookie Bastianini crossed the finishing line, and she was not the only one.
Bastianini said: "It is such an emotional day for all of the team. We have all cried at the end of the race.
"We did a very good job from most of the testing and this weekend. The set-up of the bike was incredible, we worked very well to prepare for the race and this morning in the warm-up when I saw we had really good pace I thought I can have a good race.
"My decision was to stay with the medium of the rear (tyre). That was the best decision for me, I pushed in my style in the last seven to eight laps and I won the race."
Brad Binder took second and Espargaro was third after going wide when he was passed by Bastianini and subsequently losing another place, with Marc Marquez fifth behind Aleix Espargaro.
Bastianini knows he has a whole host of top-class riders to do battle with as he attempts to build on his first win.
The Italian added: "Pol Espargaro was so fast, he saved his tyres very well. This is a very good step for me, and now it's going to be very competitive. Binder also had a really good race, and it was not easy for me to win but I did it.
"In MotoGP it's not easy because many riders are so fast, and sometimes it's not possible to be on the front, but I am always going to do my best."
Reigning champion Fabio Quartararo could only finish ninth.
China's Ashun Wu became the first player from Asia to win the Kenya Open, with a superb six-under-par 65 clinching a four-shot victory.
The 36-year-old collected his fourth DP World Tour title, and his first since tasting victory at the KLM Open in the Netherlands in September 2018, after finishing 16 under for the week.
Scotland's Ewen Ferguson had entered the final day of the tournament with a four-shot lead, but he stumbled to a final round of 76, leaving him tied for eighth place overall.
Thriston Lawrence of South Africa, Germany's Hurly Long, and Canadian Aaron Cockerill finished as joint runners-up in Nairobi, as Wu, his country's most successful golfer on the circuit previously known as the European Tour, earned a memorable triumph.
Zhang Shuai secured her third career title as she battled past Dayana Yastremska in a Lyon Open final thriller on Sunday.
Ukrainian Yastremska fled her hometown of Odessa last month amid the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and embarked on an emotional run throughout this tournament.
Yastremska credited the support she received from across the globe as a motivating factor for her success after reaching the final, where she could not get the better of eighth seed Zhang.
China's Zhang had not lost a set all week, though she did falter as world number 128 Yastremska claimed the first set before succumbing 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Yastremska, 21, was twice two games ahead in the deciding set, at 2-0 and 4-2 up, but Zhang reeled off four straight games to take the trophy.
Zhang was keen to credit her opponent after the match, saying: "Big congrats to Dayana and her team for working so hard.
"I know it's a tough time for you, but you are a fighter, you play unbelievable tennis. You are the best. For sure, you will win a lot of tournaments. Keep going."
Yastremska announced she would donate her prize money to a charity to provide aid back home, saying: "If Ukrainian people are watching me, you guys are so strong, you have an amazing spirit.
"I try to fight for Ukraine and I want to say thanks to every single person for standing by us and showing everyone we have a really strong spirit."
Enea Bastianini secured a brilliant maiden MotoGP victory after passing Pol Espargaro late in an eventful season-opening race under the lights in Qatar.
Espargaro had led for the majority of the race after storming from sixth to first in a blistering start, with Jorge Martin dropping from pole to eighth early on.
It was Gresini's Bastianini, a rookie at this level last year, who made a dream beginning to the season, though, overtaking Espargaro with four laps to go and taking the chequered flag ahead of Brad Binder for his team's first win in the premier class since 2006.
Bastianini's win at the Lusail International Circuit sparked emotional scenes, as Gresini's then team principal Fausto Gresini died just over a year ago.
Espargaro was the third man on the podium, while Marc Marquez was fifth and Martin crashed out.
Repsol Honda rider Espargaro got off to a flyer as Martin slipped back through the field, with Bastianini dropping a couple of places from second on the grid.
Espargaro's team-mate Marquez moved up a spot from third to second until the six-time champion was passed by Binder and Bastianini with 16 laps to go.
Martin's miserable race was summed up when he crashed with Francesco Bagnaia and slid into the gravel along with the Italian.
Bastianini had the pace to close in on the long-time leader and duly made his move on the inside, with Espargaro going wide in a costly lapse that allowed Binder to nip in for second place.
Aleix Espargaro took fourth place, while reigning champion Fabio Quartararo crossed the line in ninth.
TOP 10
1. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing)
2. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +0.346
3. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +1.351
4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +2.242
5. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +4.099
6. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +4.843
7. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +8.881
8. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +10.536
9. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +10.543
10. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) ++14.967
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders
1. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) 25
2. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) 20
3. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) 16
4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) 13
5. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) 11
Teams
1. Repsol Honda 27
2. Gresini Racing 25
3. Red Bull KTM 20
4. Suzuki Ecstar 19
5. Aprilia 17
Mike Krzyzewski is still struggling to come to terms with the end of his coaching career at Duke after overseeing his final home game on Saturday.
After 42 years, 'Coach K' is leaving the Blue Devils at the end of this season.
A host of celebrities and 96 former players were in attendance for his farewell against rivals North Carolina, although a 94-81 defeat put a dampener on the occasion – at least in Krzyzewski's eyes.
"I'm sorry about this afternoon," he told the crowd in a post-game ceremony, although that apology was drowned out by cheers.
"Today was unacceptable, but the season has been very acceptable. And the season isn't over, all right?"
Indeed, Krzyzewski has already this year delivered Duke their 13th ACC regular season title of his tenure, the first since 2010 and first outright since 2006.
And attention now turns towards the ACC tournament before a tilt at Krzyzewski's sixth national title with the school.
"We're 0-0," the coach said. "We'll be that twice: now and next Sunday, we'll be that again.
"Hopefully, the lessons we learned from 31 games, including especially this last one, will help us in both situations."
However, this game – one of the biggest in basketball – was instead all about a celebration of Krzyzewski.
Reflecting on his long and successful stay at Duke, he said: "We have loved being a part of the Duke family.
"It's hard for me to believe this is over. I'm just going to say the regular season is over."
Stephen Curry acknowledges things are "rough right now" for the Golden State Warriors, with time running out to fix their form before the playoffs as rival superstars continue to capitalise.
LeBron James put up 56 points as the Los Angeles Lakers handed the Warriors their fourth straight loss and eighth in 10 games.
The Warriors had won nine in a row prior to that run but have now slipped to 43-21 and third place in the West.
Saturday's 124-116 defeat followed a familiar, frustrating theme, according to Curry, whose 30 points paled next to James' efforts.
His 56 were the most by any opposition player against the Warriors this season, meaning three of the top four such performances have come in their past three games.
Luka Doncic had 41 for the Dallas Mavericks against the Warriors, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 39 for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"Obviously LeBron played amazing, he hit some tough shots and we've got to acknowledge that, for sure, but we still had some self-inflicted wounds," Curry said.
"That's tough when you're trying to get out of a hole. We're bringing the right energy, it's just IQ, effort plays, simple breakdowns and obviously boxing out.
"It's rough right now. Keeping it plain and simple: it's rough.
"We've got to figure out how to claw our way out, because as you've seen the last four games, it's self-inflicted wounds but also guys are playing with confidence on the other end and coming at us, having not career nights but performances that are unlike the previous five games or whatever.
"You're coming in and you're giving teams confidence as well. We've got to figure that out."
Two-time MVP Curry accepted: "Right now, if the playoffs started tomorrow, we'd be in some trouble."
He added: "We know we've shown who we are, in terms of how we started the season. I feel like we can get back to that – that's the confidence that has to remain – but we cannot give in to this losing spirit of just finding different ways to lose basketball games.
"The clock will tick out on you and you'll go into the summer thinking what could have been, should have been, have regrets. I don't want to let us get into that vibe.
"What are there, 18 games left? We have to figure out how to turn things around pretty quick."
"There's no words" for LeBron James' brilliance after his 56-point haul in the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-116 win over the Golden State Warriors, according to head coach Frank Vogel.
James almost single-handedly hauled the Lakers over the line, rallying from a half-time deficit with a 35-22 fourth quarter to end their four-game losing run.
The four-time NBA MVP's 56 points was his most as a Laker and tied for the third most in a single game in his storied 19-year career.
James labelled it a "desperation" win after the game, shooting 19-of-31 from the field along with six-of-11 from beyond the arc, with 10 rebounds and three assists.
“There’s no words for it," Vogel told reporters after the game. "An incredible performance by the best to ever do it in my opinion."
James' 56-point haul meant he became the fourth player aged 37 or older to score 50 or more points in a single game, alongside Michael Jordan (2001), Kobe Bryant (2016) and Jamal Crawford (2019).
"It's just remarkable, his will," Vogel added. "What he's done to transition his game to this stage of his career, in terms of his shooting, it's an example to every player to put the work into his craft.
"it's just remarkable to be doing it at this stage in his career."
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr added: “He was brilliant tonight. LeBron was amazing."
The win improves the Lakers' record to 28-35, sitting ninth in the Western Conference ahead of the final stretch of games before the playoffs.
"It feels like earlier in the season when we first lost Anthony [Davis], we lost five in a row, we were in an adjustment phase and trying to figure it out," Vogel said. "Hopefully this is the win that changes that momentum."
Colby Covington dominated former friend Jorge Masvidal with a unanimous decision victory in UFC 272's welterweight main event before calling out Dustin Poirier on Sunday.
Covington totally outpointed Masvidal to clinch a 49-46, 50-44, 50-45 over his former teammate in a grudge match at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The 34-year-old American controlled the majority of the fight, although Masvidal dropped him in the fourth round with a right hand.
The polarizing Covington took out his mouthguard immediately after the final bell, sticking his tongue out in Masvidal's direction, before blowing him kisses.
Covington went on to call out former UFC lightweight champion and his ex-training partner Poirier for his next bout, with the win improving his record to 17-3.
"Louisiana swamp trash," Covington labelled Poirier, before adding: "I'll see you soon. You're next!"
The fight was billed as a grudge match rather than anything significant for titles or rankings with a lot of animosity between Covington and Masvidal given their history.
Covington spent long periods of the fight on Masvidal's back, with his superiority grappling, attempting to secure a rear-naked choke in the first round.
The American landed elbows in the third round as 37-year-old Masvidal's pace started to slow in the latter rounds, with his best moment being his fourth round hit which dropped Covington.
"I should have had more moments like that, but I was off today," Masvidal said. "I didn't have it."
Meanwhile, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos won a bloody stand-up battle against Renato Moicano by unanimous decision.
Bryce Mitchell was dominant in his featherweight bout with Edson Barboza, claiming victory by unanimous decision.
Kevin Holland and Sergey Spivak both won by TKO in the earlier welterweight and heavyweight bouts against Alex Oliveira and Greg Hardy respectively.
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rovers says he pays no attention to the Eastern Conference standings after Saturday's loss left them three games behind the Miami Heat.
Rivers opted not to play 2018 MVP James Harden in the second game of their back-to-back as they went down 99-82 to the Eastern Conference-leading Heat.
Joel Embiid scored 22 points with 15 rebounds for the 76ers but was often double-teamed in Harden's absence, while Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro both contributed 21 points for the Heat.
The decision to leave out Harden was curious given the relative significance of the fixture with seedings in mind, with the Heat top of the east with a 43-22 record ahead of the second-placed 76ers at 39-24.
“I really don’t look at the standings,” Rivers said at the post-game news conference. “What do they matter? You have to win.
"I swear to God, after 82 [games], someone’s going to tap me and say ‘This is who you’re playing.’ ... You can only control what you can control. The other stuff is for everyone else to talk about."
The 76ers head coach clarified that Harden was left out due to managing a left hamstring complaint which was "nothing".
“It’s nothing, really,” Rivers said pre-game. “He’s just played a lot of games, he’s been out, and that’s about it really. There’s nothing to read into it.”
LeBron James inspired the Los Angeles Lakers to end their four-game losing run with 56 points in a 124-116 win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
James' 56-point haul was his most as a Laker and also meant he became the fourth player aged 37 or older to score 50 or more points in a game, alongside Michael Jordan (2001), Kobe Bryant (2016) and Jamal Crawford (2019).
The four-time NBA MVP made 19-of-31 from the field along with six-of-11 from beyond the arc, while he dished off three assists, including a key late pass for Carmelo Anthony's three-pointer. James also had 10 rebounds.
Russell Westbrook added 20 points for the Lakers, while Stephen Curry scored 30 points including four three-pointers for Golden State.
The result snaps the Lakers' skid and improves their record to 28-13, but it leaves the Warriors having lost four in a row, while they have only won twice in their past 10.
Harden absent as Heat move clear
Eastern Conference leaders Miami Heat made a statement with a 99-82 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers who were missing James Harden. The 76ers, playing on back-to-back nights, managed Harden's left hamstring complaint. Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler scored 21 points each as the Heat moved three games clear of the east's second-placed 76ers. Joel Embiid had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the 76ers.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 36 points with 15 rebounds and five assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves won 135-121 over the Portland Trail Blazers. Emerging star Anfernee Simons had 38 points for the Blazers.
Ja Morant scored 25 points with seven assists as the Memphis Grizzlies continued their strong run with a 124-96 win over the Orlando Magic. Desmond Bane added 24 points with 10-of-15 shooting.
Kings blew big lead against Mavs
The Sacramento Kings blew a 19-point lead as they lost 114-113 to the Dallas Mavericks who were without All-Star Luka Doncic with a toe strain. Dorian Finney-Smith hit a three-pointer with 3.3 seconds left, while Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-high 36 points. De'Aaron Fox had an equal career-high 44 points for the Kings.
Leylah Fernandez's title defence at the Monterrey Open remains on track after progressing through to the final where she will face Camila Osorio.
The Canadian second seed, who reached last year's US Open final, comfortably accounted for Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1 6-4 on Saturday.
Fernandez triumphed in one hour and 12 minutes, even as Haddad Maia took a medical timeout in the second set.
The 2021 US Open runner-up was exceptional on first serve, making 77.6 per cent, while she was not broken once throughout the match, taking three of her four break points.
Colombian fifth seed Osorio defeated sixth seed Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 29 minutes.
Osorio's triumph means she qualifier for her third WTA Tour singles final, having claimed her only title in Bogota last year.
Norwegian world number four Viktor Hovland surrendered his lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with two bogeys to finish the third day at Bay Hill on Saturday.
Hovland, who was the leader at halfway, carded a three-over 75 with six bogeys, saving face with a hole-out eagle from the bunker on the sixth and birdie on the eighth.
The Norwegian had retained his lead until bogeys on 17 and 18 allowed American pair Billy Horschel and Talor Gooch to claim a share of the lead.
Horschel and Gooch are seven-under after 54 holes, with Hovland one stroke back, followed by Scottie Scheffler at five-under after he carded a joint round-high four-under-68.
"I was really in a good rhythm until some bad shots on the back nine," Hovland told reporters.
On his hole-out eagle, he added: "That was awesome. Obviously, not the greatest start to the day. Even the pars that I made on the next few holes was really scrappy. Hit some really bad shots.
"Then obviously walking up to the greenside bunker on that hole was hard on the downslope and no green to work it. I thought I was in no man's land, just try to chunk it out there and give myself a putt at it. It came out really soft and landed in the first cut and just died and went in."
Horschel carded a one-under-71 to claim the joint lead, with three bogeys and four birdies, including closing out with an important birdie putt.
Gooch had an even round for 72, bogeying the 18th to settle for a share of the lead after he had birdied both the 15th – with a 33-foot putt - and 16th.
Scheffler surged up 16 spots and into contention with a round that included three birdies and an eagle on his back nine. The American rolled in a 21-footer for eagle on the 16th.
Max Homa, playing alongside Scheffler, landed a rare ace on the 14th hole although he is off the pace with an even card overall in a group featuring top-ranked Jon Rahm.
Gary Woodland is behind Scheffler at four-under, with Rory McIlroy among a group of three at three-under ahead of the final day.
Dayana Yastremska says she did not expect the support she has received on her run to the final of the Lyon Open after edging second seed Sorana Cirstea in a three-set semi-final thriller.
The Ukrainian was forced to flee her home in Odessa last month amid the escalation of the Ukraine-Russia crisis and has embarked on an emotional run through this week's tournament.
Yet the 21-year-old wildcard admitted she has been overwhelmed by the support from across the globe amid her winning streak, crediting them for their help in her 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4 victory on Saturday.
"It was a really tough match," Yastremska said. "In the third set, when I had match points and I lost that game, I was a bit crazy. I thought, I'm done, I've lost, because I don't have any more power.
"Then everybody was supporting me, and I felt like, 'you can do it'. I got a lot of messages from French people and from all over the world. But when I arrived here, I didn't expect I would get that huge support."
Yastremska will face Zhang Shuai in Sunday's final, after the Chinese eighth seed defeated French home favourite Caroline Garcia 6-2 7-5.
For Yastremska, it will be her first final since losing to Ash Barty in Adelaide at the start of 2020 – her only previous tournament success came in Strasbourg the year before.
Jamaica and Queensland Firebirds goalshooter Romelda Aiken is expected to take part in the upcoming Suncorp Super Netball season despite recently announcing her pregnancy.
Aiken, who got married in September of last year to former Australian basketballer Daniel George, is just two matches shy of 200 appearances. The goalshooter is now in the early stages of her pregnancy but still has her eyes set on the milestone when the season gets underway on March 26.
Aiken, at this point, remains an active member of the roster and the club has confirmed they have no plans to replace her. Despite what is often described as the rough and tumble nature of the Suncorp Super League there is no policy preventing pregnant players from taking part in the competition.
“Romelda’s baby news is brilliant, and the club has been fully supportive of her playing right through until she’s ready to step away,” Firebirds CEO Kate Davies told The West Australia.
“Romelda was fully intending to play at Team Girls Cup, but due to COVID-affected complications, particularly around dehydration, it was deemed unsafe, seeing her ruled unavailable,” she added.
“Romelda is still fully contracted as part of our 10, and hence the club has no ability or desire to name a replacement until she formally withdraws from the team.”
Jorge Martin will start the season-opening Qatar MotoGP from pole position but the Spaniard is not confident he will be celebrating a victory on Sunday.
The Pramac Racing rider began the last race of 2021 at the front of the grid in Valencia, where he ended his rookie season with a second-placed finish.
On Saturday, Martin beat Enea Bastianini to pole by 0.147 seconds with a lap of 1:53.011, while six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez joins them on the front row as defending champion Fabio Quartararo was only 11th-fastest.
Yet 24-year-old Martin will go into the race at the Lusail International Circuit under the lights without any great expectations of taking the top step on the podium.
He said: "I'm super happy about my performance. I wasn't expecting to be that fast.
"I'm not 100 per cent confident for tomorrow. We are still missing one to two tenths to fight for victory, but we will be one of the candidates. We have to work hard this evening and find this small thing to battle.
"We are aiming for the win, but I am always a little bit on the limit. We have struggled with a new engine. It's not that easy.
"We are still missing how to manage the tyre and I am worried about the end of the race, but with my engineers and staff we will find something that will help me and we will be fighting for the victory."
Gresini Racing's Bastianini will start on the front row for the first time in the premier class and has his sights on a podium finish.
The Italian said: "For the first time I will start on the front row. I'm very happy about today, we did a very good job because it was difficult to go on the second qualifying.
"I did one error in the last sector, but I did a very good lap and I think tomorrow we can battle for the podium."
Marquez said: "It's important to start on the front row on a track that I'm not riding comfortably on. My style is not coming naturally on this race track but today I felt better, especially in FP4.
"We made an important change on the bike and since that point I started to feel better and in qualifying also the performance was there. I'm happy but tomorrow is the most important day. We are not the fastest but we will try to manage in a good way."
Provisional classification
1. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) 1:53.011
2. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) +0.147s
3. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +0.272s
4. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.287s
5. Alex Espargaro (Aprilia) +0.308s
6. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +0.335s
7. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +0.339s
8. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.396s
9. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +0.4s
10. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.47s
11. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.624s
12. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.971s
Roger Federer says he hopes to return to action by the end of the summer, with his recovery from knee surgery likely to rule the 20-time grand slam winner out of Wimbledon.
The 40-year-old underwent surgery on his right knee for the third time last August, and has missed five of the last seven grand slams.
Federer made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year, but coach Severin Luthi recently said that he "can't imagine" the eight-time Wimbledon winner featuring in London this summer.
Federer has now provided an update on his recovery to Swiss broadcaster SRF, saying that the end of summer or start of autumn is a realistic target for his return, which could mean he is back for the US Open that starts on August 29.
However, he feels "positive" about his return to the court whenever that comes.
"It will certainly be a while," Federer said. "The end of the summer, early autumn, [that's] where I'm aiming for a comeback.
"It's [the knee] fine. Much better. Obviously, I was on crutches for two months, so you have to start from the bottom.
"It [the surgery] was certainly the right thing to do, the knee wasn't right after Wimbledon [last year], so it couldn't go on.
"Currently I'm in three parts. First, the whole rehab, getting back on your feet at the beginning. Then afterwards, learning to walk and building up the whole thing.
"It's only now where I'm at the phase where I can start thinking about my comeback. I had a very good MRI a few weeks ago, which makes me feel very positive."
Federer's tally of 20 career Grand Slam titles was surpassed by Rafael Nadal in January's Australian Open, and the duo are set, fitness permitting, to team up to represent Europe in the Laver Cup, which takes place in September.
The timeline for Federer's recovery also means that he will miss the second slam of 2022, May's French Open at Rolland Garros.
Nikita Mazepin said he was "very disappointed" after Haas sacked him from their driver line-up and cut lucrative ties with Russian backer Uralkali.
Russian racer Mazepin was consistently a backmarker during the 2021 season, his first year on the F1 grid, and was frequently outperformed by team-mate Mick Schumacher.
It has been Russia's invasion of Ukraine that has cost him his seat for 2022, however, rather than his results on the track.
Mazepin's father, Dmitry, has close ties to Vladimir Putin, holding face-to-face business talks with the Russian president as recently as January. Dmitry Mazepin is deputy chairman of Uralkali, the potash producer that has been a major financial backer of Haas.
As well as ousting 23-year-old Mazepin, Haas announced the commercial link with Uralkali has also been scrapped with immediate effect.
Haas removed the Uralkali logos from their cars for the final day of pre-season testing in Barcelona last month, in keeping with wider efforts to impose sporting sanctions on Russia.
The Russian Grand Prix for 2022 has been cancelled, with F1 announcing this week it has terminated its deal for future races in the country.
Mazepin responded to news of his dismissal by Haas on Saturday, stating: "I am very disappointed to hear that my F1 contract has been terminated.
"While I understand the difficulties, the ruling from FIA plus my ongoing willingness to accept the conditions proposed in order to continue were completely ignored and no process was followed in this unilateral step."
He did not clarify further on those points, but said he would elaborate on his statement "in the coming days".
"To those who have tried to understand, my eternal thanks," Mazepin added. "I have treasured my time in F1 and genuinely hope we can all be together again in better times."
Before Haas announced their decision, it had already been revealed that Mazepin would be banned from competing at the British Grand Prix.
J.B. Bickerstaff worked with James Harden while the duo were with the Houston Rockets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers coach continues to be impressed by the Philadelphia 76ers man.
Harden registered 25 points, 11 assists and three rebounds as the in-form Sixers won a fifth straight game on Friday, beating the Cavs 125-119.
While Joel Embiid failed to hit his usual high marks, scoring 22 points, Tyrese Maxey stepped up with 33 points, including five threes.
Harden added two three-pointers to the 76ers tally, moving onto 2,559 for his career, meaning he only needs one more to match Reggie Miller for third on the all-time list (regular season only).
"He sees the game a step ahead," Bickerstaff told reporters when asked about Harden.
"He's not one of those guys that's just going so fast he's waiting for the offense to react.
"He's forcing the defense to react. He's one of the most creative decision-makers and passers in our game. He also knows when to make the play that's right in front of him."
Reflecting on his team's display, Bickerstaff – who was fined $20,000 after being ejected from the game during Monday's defeat to the Charlotte Hornets – was satisfied despite a third-straight loss.
"We felt and looked like ourselves for the first time in a while," he said. "We just happened to run into a really good basketball team."
Harden finished with at least 20 points and 10 assists for a third game in four, yet the former Brooklyn Nets shooting guard was not thrilled with his own display.
"I've got to do a better job of being more solid, I've got to be smarter so I can be out there and help my team," he told reporters.
Yet Maxey stepped up regardless, and Harden was impressed.
"On any given night, it can be any one of us to go off," Harden said of his team-mate. "Tyrese really picked it up for us tonight." Coach Doc Rivers, meanwhile, labelled Maxey "a fearless kid".
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday called for reigning NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks to keep improving after they battled past the Chicago Bulls.
The Bucks edged out the Bulls 118-112, with Holiday finishing on 26 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 16 rebounds as Milwaukee made it three wins on the spin.
It was not all straightforward for Mike Budenholzer's side, though, given they went from leading by 14 in the second quarter to trail by seven through the third.
However, Holiday delivered 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Bucks rallied to another victory, just as they did at the Miami Heat to triumph by one on Wednesday.
"It's just a feeling and you know you've got to turn it on," Holiday said.
"It's time for us to lock-in. It's time for us to just concentrate, be aggressive and make good plays, smart plays, down the stretch."
The Bucks are now tied with Chicago for the Central Division lead, both sat on 39-25, with Milwaukee next hosting the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns on Sunday, with the Bulls going up against the Philadelphia 76ers a day later.
"We got to keep it up," Antetokounmpo said. "If good things are going on, you got to keep waking up the next day and keep learning something new, keep evolving, keep improving."
Milwaukee did well to limit a star-studded Bulls line-up. Zach LaVine headed the Chicago scoring with 30 points, while DeMar DeRozan managed 29 but finished 11 for 30 from the field.
DeRozan believes Milwaukee displayed their championship credentials.
"I felt like we competed," he told reporters. "It came down to the last couple minutes. They're defending champs for a reason."
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