Matthew Baldwin secured his maiden DP World Tour title after cruising to a seven-shot victory at the SDC Championship in South Africa.
Appearing in his 200th event on the circuit, Baldwin finally landed his first trophy after finishing on 18 under par at St. Francis Links, seven clear of Spaniard Adri Arnaus.
After a brilliant end to his third round, in which he made three birdies in the last four holes, the Englishman entered the final round with a four-shot advantage at the top of the leaderboard.
He subsequently moved six clear after a further three birdies, including back-to-back gains on the seventh and eighth holes, playing a series of excellent recovery shots to keep him clear of the chasing pack.
After bogeying the 11th, the 37-year-old had successive birdies again on the 13th and 14th – producing a neat 20-foot putt on the latter – before parring his way home for a 68 to ease to victory.
"I'm not 100 per cent sure what's just happened," Baldwin said. "It's been a tough few years, so obviously to get the win means absolutely everything. I can't process it right now, but it just means the world to me.
"It's been windy all week, it's that sort of golf course. Fortunately for me, I've grown up playing in Southport at Hesketh and Royal Birkdale, so I'm pretty good in the wind, and it's worked out a treat for me."
Second-placed Arnaus finished on 11 under after seven birdies and two bogeys in his closing 67, with Jaco Ahlers, Jens Dantorp, Ewen Ferguson, Kristian Krogh Johannessen and Antoine Rozner all a shot behind in a tie for third.
Mikaela Shiffrin continued her record-breaking run with a 21st career giant slalom victory and 88th FIS Alpine World Cup triumph on Sunday.
American Shiffrin became the greatest skier of all time as she surpassed Ingemar Stenmark's haul of 86 World Cup wins with a giant slalom triumph last week in Are.
The 28-year-old laid down further benchmarks in Andorra, defeating Norway's Thea Louise Stjernesund by 0.06 seconds as Canada's Valerie Grenier finished in third.
That victory saw Shiffrin set the record for women's World Cup giant slalom wins, surpassing Vreni Schneider's 20, as she claimed a record-extending 88th overall triumph at the competition.
Shiffrin also moved past Lindsey Vonn as the woman with the most podium finishes in World Cup races, just a day after equalling the record, but says her most important achievement came nine years ago.
"Honestly, I think probably being the youngest Olympic slalom champion," Shiffrin, who was 18 when she won her first Olympic gold at the 2014 Sochi Games, said when asked about her greatest record.
"That was really the only record that I actually ever wanted, like really shot for.
"It happened quite some time ago, and I'm still motivated today; I still had that nervous feeling up there. I was so nervous at the start ... because you want to do well.
"And it doesn't matter about records. It's just you want to do well."
Shiffrin was interviewed by her boyfriend Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the men's World Cup downhill champion, and somewhat lost for words when asked about her next plans after an incredible season.
"I don't know, you guys tell me. Just keep moving right along," she responded, before joking to Kilde: "We can discuss that later, in private."
Another remarkable outing meant Shiffrin finished with a career-best World Cup points tally of 2,206, only Slovenian Tina Maze's 2,414 in 2013 marks a better return in the all-time rankings.
Steve Borthwick says he "can't do anything about the past" with England, but the coach is looking forward to a lengthy World Cup build-up after their Six Nations efforts.
The former Leicester Tigers boss took the reins of the national team from Eddie Jones in December, less than a year out from the showpiece tournament in France.
With England having struggled at the end of 2022 under the Australian, Borthwick was unable to completely reverse the rot in a Six Nations campaign that ended with a 29-16 loss to Ireland.
But with just under half a year until they open their World Cup account against Argentina, he intends to use his first taste of the job to put their recent ghosts firmly out of mind.
"We'll debrief this Six Nations thoroughly, take what lessons we take from it and be clear on our direction going forward," he said.
"The team is not where it could be and, while we're judging against teams that have used this four-year cycle tremendously well, that's not the position England are in.
"I can't do anything about the past. I intend we will be working really hard to put England in the best position possible, and I'm excited about what these players can do for the World Cup.
"We get a number of weeks to prepare. Players will then be conditioned for international rugby and understand how we want to play.
"This has been five intense games, and effectively you then have one main training session a week.
"I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to work with the players for a longer period of time. I think we've seen some growth here, but we will see more in that preparation period."
In addition to facing Argentina, England also play Japan, Chile and Samoa in Pool D later this year.
Nikola Jokic admitted the Denver Nuggets need to be concerned following defeat against the New York Knicks.
A 116-110 reverse at Madison Square Garden condemned the Nuggets to a fifth loss in six games, reducing their lead at the summit of the Western Conference.
The Nuggets now stand four wins ahead of the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies, with their form dwindling at a crucial stage of the season.
Despite that, Denver are still poised for the number one seed and home court advantage throughout the playoffs – though Jokic remains worried about their form.
"It is what it is. We need to be concerned. We need to try to win the next one," he said.
"Me first, and then everybody collectively, needs to do a better job of rebounding the ball, because even when we made a couple of stops, we didn't rebound and they just got easy ones.
"They had like 15 offensive rebounds, so that's a lot. That's 15 chances to score again."
Nuggets coach Michael Malone also highlighted rebounding as a problem for his side, particularly late in the game.
"It was the rebounding, and our inability to defend without fouling. Now you're playing against a set defense for 12 minutes, and then you couple that on top of turnovers. I think those are three areas that stood out to me," he told reporters.
The Nuggets will aim to stop the rot in their second consecutive game in New York against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
Carlos Alcaraz is eagerly anticipating an Indian Wells Open final against "the best tennis player in the world" Daniil Medvedev and expects a long-lasting rivalry with downed opponent Jannik Sinner.
Spaniard Alcaraz defeated Italian Sinner 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in California to reach his first Indian Wells final and move within one win of a return to the top of the ATP World Rankings.
Standing in his way is the in-form Medvedev, who owns a 19-match unbeaten run and has won three straight titles.
The two have only met once competitively, with Medvedev winning in straight sets at Wimbledon in 2021 and Alcaraz always wants to challenge himself against the elite on tour.
"I really want to play against the best tennis player in the world," Alcaraz said.
"I always say that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, and I would say that Daniil is the best player right now, amazing winning streak.
"For me, it's going to be a really difficult challenge but I'm really prepared for that. I will summon my best tomorrow in the final."
Against Sinner, Alcaraz overcame an opponent with whom he is developing quite the budding rivalry.
It was their fifth career showdown and the first time they had met since Alcaraz won a marathon US Open quarter-final, a match that finished at 2.50am local time – the latest ending at the New York major.
"I would say we're going to have a great rivalry over the years. We are playing in the best tournaments in the world. It's not over here. We are going to play a lot of great matches," Alcaraz added.
"All I can say is I'm really happy with my first final here in Indian Wells.
"Playing against Jannik is never easy. I had to overcome a little bit of problems. I had set point down.
"I knew that I had to increase my level to [beat] Jannik. It was a really close first set. In the second set I put out all the nerves and played more relaxed. I think it was the key of everything."
Medvedev will also play in his first Indian Wells final after defeating Frances Tiafoe 7-5 7-6 (7-4) in the other semi-final.
Medvedev has won in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai and will be the first man to win four titles in five weeks since Andy Murray in 2016 if he can down Alcaraz.
Against Tiafoe, the Russian put in a great showing but let slip seven match points and was broken twice when serving for the match.
"It was crazy at the end," said Medvedev. "I got super tight. I would say that [after] 6-5, 40-0, I think I got tight at deuce when I was like, 'Oh my god, that's a lot of opportunities missed, this could go not well for me'.
"So, I got really tight, [but] I still managed to continue playing good. The ace [on match point] was a relief, I’m just really happy that I managed not to lose this match."
Russell Westbrook shouldered the responsibility for the Los Angeles Clippers' defeat to the Orlando Magic, saying "it's on me to be more focused in closing the game".
The Clippers, fifth in the Western Conference, were beaten 113-108 by a Magic side who are struggling down in 13th in the East on Saturday.
Westbrook made a hot start to the game, draining four of his first six shots to finish the first quarter with 11 points, three assists and three rebounds.
But Westbrook went cold with his shooting from there, ending the game with 14 points on the back of five-of-14 shooting, while he had nine assists and five rebounds.
"This one's on me honestly tonight," Westbrook said. "I could have been better.
"I started off good, but just in the second half was terrible. I got to do a better job of helping the guys out in the second half and the fourth quarter.
"So, it's nothing anybody did. But honestly, it's on me to be more focused in closing the game."
Westbrook failed to make any of his three three-point attempts, while the Clippers were just six-of-22 in total from beyond the arc.
"That's more on me," Westbrook added. "My job is to be able to penetrate and get guys open shots, and get them open threes, and I didn't do a good enough job of that.
"I'll make sure I'll be better at that tomorrow."
Paul George backed his veteran team-mate to figure out his shooting struggles, though.
"He's going to get through it. He knows to stay confident, and he knows that we trust him and got his back, that he's going to stay in attack mode," George said.
"I don't ever worry about Russ' shooting. I just know what he brings and his value to the team. And that is bigger than anything.
"Whether he makes or misses shots is part of the game. He just does so much other stuff that I don't care. He plays hard and that's a guy that I want to roll with.
"He's a guy I want to compete with on a nightly basis, so he knows to just stay confident and just keep shooting."
Joel Embiid has been dubbed a "walking cheat code" by Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle after leading the Philadelphia 76ers to an eight-straight win.
Embiid set a franchise record with his ninth game in a row scoring at least 30 points in the 76ers 141-121 triumph, with a tally of 31 on 10-for-15 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists.
The 76ers sit comfortably as the number three seed in the Eastern Conference following their winning streak, which stands as the longest run in the NBA - no other side having a run of victories longer than three matches.
With Philadelphia picking up form and Embiid leading the way, Carlisle ranks the 29-year-old as the best performer in the league this season.
"Embiid, right now, he's probably the MVP, with what their team is doing and how he's just elevated his game," he said.
"He's as difficult a guy to game plan for as there is in the game. Giannis [Antetokounmpo) is crazy ridiculous. [Nikola] Jokic is the same. And this guy is maybe even more difficult, if that's possible.
"He had 31 points in less than three quarters. Made it look like he wasn't even trying to do it. He's a walking NBA cheat code right now. He's just that good."
Aaron Nesmith started the game as the Pacers' first line of defence against Embiid and spoke of the difficulty in matching up against the Cameroonian ace.
"It's tough because he's such a big dude. Seven foot and very heavy. It's hard to guard him without using your hands and being physical," Nesmith said.
"In today's game, the way the refs call it, it's hard to be physical with a guy like that and not get in foul trouble.
"I was trying to find that balance. When I first got him, I picked up like three fouls because of it."
West Regional No.1 seed Kansas were eliminated from the NCAA tournament after a nail-biting 72-71 round-of-32 loss to Arkansas on Saturday.
The Jayhawks join Purdue as the second No.1 seed to be bundled out of the March Madness tournament in consecutive days, after the Boilermakers lost to No.16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday.
Multiple No.1 seeds missing the Sweet 16 had only occurred three times since the NCAA expanded in 1985 prior to this week.
Kansas led 35-27 at half-time but the Razorbacks produced a strong second-half rally, with guard Davonte Davis scoring 25 points with eight rebounds.
Razorbacks guard Ricky Council IV added 21 points with six rebounds and four assists, while Jalen Wilson top scored for Kansas with 20 points and four rebounds.
Arkansas' win is their third consecutive victory in the round of 32, setting up a Sweet 16 clash with either Saint Mary's or UConn. The Razorbacks toppled No.1 seed Gonzaga last year.
"I've been coaching a long time and that's as great of a win as I've ever been a part of because of the history of Kansas," Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. "A lot of people didn't think we were going to win our first-round game."
Elsewhere, Midwest Regional No.1 seed Houston avoided Kansas' fate with an 81-64 win over Auburn led by Tramon Mark with 26 points and nine rebounds.
South Regional No.1 seed Alabama also eased into the Sweet 16 with a 73-51 triumph over Maryland with Jahvon Quinerly top scoring with 22 points for the Crimson Tide.
UCLA won 68-63 over Northwestern, Tennessee edge Duke 65-52, San Diego State beat Furman 75-52, Texas toppled Penn State 71-66 and No.15 seed Princeton beat Missouri 78-63.
Walker Kessler produced a game-winning block to deny Grant Williams' after Lauri Markkanen's 27th double-double of the season as the Utah Jazz edged the Boston Celtics 118-117 on Saturday.
The Jazz, fighting for a playoff spot in the tight Western Conference, had re-taken the lead with 35.3 seconds remaining from Talen Horton-Tucker's lay-up before Kessler blocked Williams' game-winning two-point attempt on a drive to the basket on the buzzer.
Utah rallied back from a 19-point deficit but the Celtics went on a 14-3 run to re-claim the lead before the late drama.
All-Star Markkanen was brilliant with 28 points including four three-pointers with 10 rebounds and three assists for Utah, while Horton-Tucker added 19 points. Among Markkanen's triples was one with 1:19 to play in the fourth to cut the margin to one point at 117-116.
Williams had produced a career-high seven three-pointers in his 23-point haul, while Jayson Tatum was kept to 15 points on four-of-12 shooting with six assists in a quiet second half.
Boston guard Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 25 points, making four-of-nine from beyond the arc, with six assists.
The Celtics shot 22 three-pointers at 43.1 per cent, but the Jazz hauled down 56-40 rebounds and scored 17-of-22 from the free-throw line.
Boston, playing their third game in four nights, clinched their playoff spot despite the defeat, by virtue of the Miami Heat's 113-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Despite his cold night, Tatum (two) became the fourth Celtics' player to reach multiple 2,000-point seasons, alongside Larry Bird (four), Paul Pierce (four) and John Havlicek (two)
Embiid exceeds Iverson & Wilt franchise record
Joel Embiid became the first Philadelphia 76ers player to record nine straight 30-point games as they downed the Indiana Pacers 141-121.
Embiid scored 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field along with 10-of-13 from the free-throw line, plus seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.
The center has averaged 36.1 points per game during his nine-game 30-point run, exceeding Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain's previous joint record of eight.
Tyrese Maxey added 31 points with five triples while Tobias Harris contributed 24 points for the 76ers, who move into second in the Eastern Conference following Boston's loss.
Brunson leads Knicks past slumping Nuggets
Jalen Brunson made an impressive return from a foot injury with 24 points, including 16 in the first quarter, as the New York Knicks got past the Denver Nuggets 116-110.
The Knicks (42-30) rallied from a 13-point third-quarter deficit, with Brunson making two free throws with 43 seconds remaining, before lobbing to Mitchell Robinson to seal the win with 24 seconds left.
Nikola Jokic scored 24 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Western Conference-leading Nuggets, who have lost five of their past six games to fall to a 47-24 record.
The West's second-ranked Memphis Grizzlies closed the gap on the Nuggets with a 133-119 win over the Golden State Warriors, led by Jaren Jackson Jr's 31 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Evander Kane underlined his value to the Edmonton Oilers with a hat-trick in their 6-4 win over the Seattle Kraken but he was more pre-occupied with what the victory meant to their playoffs hopes.
The Western Conference playoff chase is tight, with the Oilers edging ahead of the Kraken into third in the Pacific Division with Saturday's victory where they scored twice in every period in Seattle.
Edmonton are 39-23-8 on the back of three straight wins, just ahead of the Kraken (38-24-7) in the final automatic playoff spot from the Pacific Division. The Las Vegas Golden Knights (42-21-6) and Los Angeles Kings (40-20-9) lead the division.
Kane's hat-trick came from only three shots, marking his second three-goal performance of the season and fifth in his past 49 appearances.
"It's nice to help contribute to an important win," Kane said. "Big points with the division so tight.
"This is probably the tightest I've seen it with respect to the entire conference, both divisions, where you can literally be in first place in the Western Conference, or you could be in a Wild Card spot within a matter of a week. It's still tight.
"There are still very important games down the stretch left to be played, and I think it's a great opportunity for our group to enjoy that type of challenge and get you ready for the post-season."
"I've been in and out of the line-up with injuries all year, so just trying to get into some rhythm heading into the playoffs, and tonight definitely helps that."
Kane has only played in 29 of the Oilers' 70 games this campaign due to injuries, with coach Jay Woodcroft delighted to see him back at close to his best.
"Happy for him," Woodcroft said. "He's a warrior. He plays through injuries. He's just getting up and running again just because of his injuries and whatnot.
"It's kind of been a start-and-stop season for him, but he's been all around the puck in any game that he's played and for three to go in for him tonight, I was happy for him."
Kane's return to form and fitness has aided star man Connor McDavid, who had a goal and two assists, bringing up 134 points for the season.
"That's part of my job is to be productive for this group," Kane said. "Obviously we have two of the best players in the world, but they can't carry a team and win a championship. You need everyone pulling their weight.
"I've been in and out of the line-up with injuries all year, so just trying to get into some rhythm heading into the playoffs, and tonight definitely helps that."
McDavid's 134 points are the seventh-most points by a player in the past 30 years, while his performance was his 20th three-point game of the season.
Zach Hyman also added a goal and an assist, recording his first 30-goal season. He is the fourth Oilers player to reach that mark this season, the first time the franchise has achieved that since 1989-90.
Carlos Alcaraz qualified for his third final from three events this season and moved within one win of re-claiming the world number one ranking after beating Jannik Sinner in the Indian Wells Open semi-finals on Saturday.
The 2022 US Open champion triumphed 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 over the Italian 11th seed in one hour and 54 minutes.
Alcaraz is into his maiden Indian Wells final, having lost last year's semi-final to Rafael Nadal, while it is his third career Masters final.
The Spaniard will re-claim the top rank from Novak Djokovic with victory in the decider where he will face in-form fifth seed and 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev who beat Frances Tiafoe 7-5 7-6 (7-4) on Saturday in 108 minutes.
Alcaraz had missed three months due to abdominal and hamstring injuries but continued his excellent return in Indian Wells, after winning the Argentina Open and making the Rio Open decider last month.
The top seed hit 26-14 winners against Sinner, including 17 on his forehand, while he capitalised on the Italian's 50 per cent first-serve percentage, attacking his second serve and converting two of six break points.
Medvedev earned a berth in his maiden Indian Wells decider with his triumph over 14th seed Tiafoe extending his winning streak to 19 games.
The Russian is into an ATP Tour-best fourth final for the season, following victories at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Qatar Open and Rotterdam Open in February.
While Alcaraz is within one victory of the number one ranking, Medvedev can become the first male since Andy Murray in 2016 to win four titles in five weeks.
Medvedev even let slip seven match points against Tiafoe and was broken twice when serving for the match at 5-4 and 6-5 before converting his first match point in the tie-break.
The world number six has maintained his top form despite rolling his ankle in his fourth-round win over Alexander Zverev, showing no signs of injury since.
Adam Schenk remains atop the standings at the Valspar Championships after three rounds but Jordan Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood are both within striking distance one stroke behind.
The 31-year-old American, who has never won on the PGA Tour, was joint-leader after the first round and outright leader at the halfway mark, maintaining that through the third day in windy conditions on Saturday at the Copperhead Course in Florida.
Schenk carded a third-round one-under 70 that included two bogeys and three birdies. The American birdied the par-five 18th after hitting his approach within five feet to re-claim his lead, sitting eight under after three rounds.
Spieth had an eventful round that started with an eagle on the par-five first hole, but finished with a bogey on the 18th.
The 29-year-old American missed a five-foot par putt on the seventh, along with a seven-foot par putt on the 10th, while he managed birdie on the 11th after a bunker shot and had a three-putt bogey on the 13th.
The three-time major winner's two-under 69 round included an eagle, five birdies and five bogeys, having led by two strokes at one stage.
Former US Open and Open Championship runner-up Fleetwood also carded a two-under 69 to be seven-under overall. The Englishman's round was more routine compared to Spieth, with 16 pars and two birdies.
Webb Simpson, Taylor Moore and Cody Gribble are all tied at six-under overall, while Patton Kizzire made the major move up the leaderboard with a four-under 67 to be five-under overall.
Kizzire moved up 19 places overall for the round, enjoying a bogey-free round with four birdies. Justin Thomas dropped down the leaderboard after a one-over 72 to be two-under overall.
Leon Edwards successfully defended the welterweight title as he claimed a majority decision victory in a pulsating rematch with Kamaru Usman at UFC 286.
Edwards had stunned Usman with a fifth-round knockout win at UFC 278 last August, with Saturday's clash marking their third meeting. Usman won the first in 2015.
His first title defence at London's O2 Arena was extremely close, but Edwards displayed the greater energy and precision to delight the home crowd and retain the title.
"He didn't get any takedowns I was landing cleaner shots. I took out his legs," Edwards told BT Sport. "Thanks to Kamaru for being a great competitor.
"I couldn't get the kick around his head. He had the perfect defence. I was trying to set it up with kicks to the body and legs.
"I know it was a close fight so I knew I had to land the cleaner shots. He didn't land many clean on me. He just had lots of pressure."
Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns will face off next month in a bout in Miami that could decide Edwards' next challenger.
"I might take a little trip to Miami and see what's going on there," added Edwards.
Usman, meanwhile, was gracious in defeat but indicated he would eventually like another shot at Edwards.
"I think I did enough to win the fight but I knew it was close," he said.
"He had a great gameplan. I always said from the start we'd meet again and I'm not done. We will see each other again.
"I always gave him props for what he's accomplished. He's a brother like myself and great respect. London you've got yourself a great champion."
Earlier, Justin Gaethje won a thrilling lightweight contest with Rafael Fiziev, leaving the Azerbaijani's face bloodied en route to victory by majority decision.
Gaethje ended Fiziev's six-fight winning streak and said afterwards: "These guys are young, hungry, that's a dangerous guy right there. But I ain't going to be around much longer.
"I'm trying one more run at the title."
England captain Owen Farrell was "surprised" by Freddie Steward's red card during his team's 29-16 defeat to Ireland in the final round of the Six Nations.
Steward received the contentious red right at the end of the first half after the fullback's shoulder connected with the head of Hugo Keenan.
It was Steward's first red card in what was his 22nd match in Test rugby for his country, and was England's first Six Nations red card since Charlie Ewels was sent off against Ireland last year.
"I was surprised if I am honest," Farrell said after the game. "But it is not up to us, we don't make the rules, we don't put them in place, we don't hear what goes on on the ref mic and the process that they go through. That is the decision they came to and you have to accept it.
"I thought the game was a brilliant contest. I thought it was a brilliant Test match and the way that we reacted after we got that red card was very good.
"I thought we fought for each other and unfortunately we didn't get out the right side of the result which is very disappointing in an England shirt but the reaction to things that didn't go our way – and the card being one of them – especially after last week I thought was brilliant."
England head coach Steve Borthwick would not be drawn on the incident, only explaining his thought process when it happened.
"To be honest, my thinking was, 'Red card, we are down to 14, what is the significance, what do we need to make from a tactical adjustment point of view?'" he said. "Whenever a referee goes through a disciplinary process like that, I'm thinking as a coach, 'Right, if it goes this way, what is the significance?' That is where my head turned to."
He did though eventually add: "If we are talking about tackle height, we can have a conversation about tackle height. That is fine. What was clear there was that Freddie was not trying to make a tackle.
"There will be a disciplinary procedure. It is not right for Owen and me to be talking about the incident. The decision happened and quite rightly the England team respects the decision.
"The players were magnificent on the pitch. They respect the decision that happened, and we talk about how we adapt thereafter. He [Steward] wasn't trying to make a tackle so it's not about tackle height."
Fernando Alonso will occupy the front row of the grid for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but is not harbouring dreams of a first victory since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.
Alonso and Aston Martin continued their strong start to the season as the Spaniard qualified third in Jeddah behind Red Bull's Sergio Perez and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc after defending world champion Max Verstappen failed to make it out of Q2 because of a driveshaft issue.
Leclerc's 10-place grid penalty will see him start 12th, promoting Alonso to his first front row start since last season's Canadian Grand Prix for Alpine.
Alonso endured a disappointing race on that occasion, finishing ninth.
Though Alonso is confident of greater fortune in the Aston Martin on Sunday, the two-time world champion does not believe he can challenge Perez for victory and anticipates eventually being caught by Verstappen, who will start 15th.
"I don't know. I think we are not in that position yet," the 41-year-old said when asked if he felt he could beat Perez. "I think on pure pace, I think Red Bull is in another league. And I think we have to concentrate more on the teams behind.
"So Ferrari will be very strong. Mercedes, they are strong, and also Alpine, they are fast here. So I think our race is just behind us. We saw today, Max probably was in his league today in qualifying and he could not complete the qualifying with a mechanical issue apparently, so we will try to take the opportunity for sure.
"I don't want to sound pessimistic but if we see the pace the whole weekend in free practice, we see the Bahrain race, we have to be honest with ourselves and know that Red Bull is a little bit ahead of everyone. So that's not, let's say, the target tomorrow, you know, to fight for the win with Checo.
"But as I said before, Formula One is not exact mathematics, you know, anything can happen and today no one of us will put Verstappen P15, but these things happen sometimes.
"So, for us, the most important thing is to score points. We are starting both cars in the top five. We try to finish both cars in the top five and keep accumulating points for the constructors' championship. That's the main goal for Aston Martin this year.
"I think Max will come eventually in the race. They have this advantage. I don't know which race it was last year that he started last, so he changed the power unit and still finished P2 or even won the race. So, I think tomorrow, there is no doubt that he will be in the podium, probably, minimum."
Verstappen won from 10th in Hungary last season and 14th in Belgium, results that underlined his dominance once Leclerc's title challenge dissipated, and he is not giving up hope of another charge through the field even at a tight circuit where overtaking may prove difficult.
"We now have a bit more work ahead of us tomorrow, but it is what it is," said Verstappen.
"It is a long championship and we will stay positive. I think a win is tricky from that position but I will try to score as many points as possible. It will be hard to get to the front, but we won't give up.
"Anything is possible at this track, we have seen some crazy things here, but we have to be realistic. It will be tough but we have good pace so, for sure, we will move forward."
Johnny Sexton says winning a Grand Slam in his final Six Nations campaign is "like living in a dream" and has vowed there is more to come from Ireland heading into the Rugby World Cup.
Ireland defeated England 29-16 at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday to make it five wins from five in this year's tournament and finish seven points ahead of France.
Sexton, who will retire after this year's World Cup in France, kicked nine points to become the competition's outright all-time leading points scorer with 566 to his name.
Ireland were far from perfect on the day, with England within one point of their opponents after an hour despite being reduced to 14 men, but Sexton could not have been happier.
"You could not make this up, it is like living in a dream," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We did not play our best but what a team. What a group of coaches.
"We did nothing that they told us, in fact the exact opposite, but we made things hard for ourselves.
"England are a top-class team. To get a win on St Patrick's weekend is unbelievable. We did not quite nail it, but we did enough.
"It is the best tournament to play in, the best country to play for. We are so proud to be Irish."
Ireland have now won their last 14 Tests, but in an ominous warning to their World Cup rivals, Sexton said: "It does not feel like the end for us.
"There is plenty left in this team. We need to improve on today and we will be back."
Ireland were helped by a contentious red card issued to Freddie Steward right at the end of the first half after the fullback's shoulder connected with the head of Hugo Keenan.
The hosts were four points better off at that point in Dublin thanks to the first of Dan Sheehan's two tries and Sexton's record-breaking penalty.
Robbie Henshaw and Sheehan appeared to put Ireland completely out of reach before Jamie George's score gave England a glimmer of hope.
But Rob Herring got the party in full swing with a bonus-point clinching try late on to seal the Grand Slam in style for the world's top-ranked nation.
"It means so much to everyone. To be able to do a St Patrick's weekend and win a Grand Slam is always going to be special," Ireland head coach Andy Farrell told ITV Sport.
"It was squeaky bum time at 10-9. The pressure that France put on in the last couple of games, we knew it was win at all costs.
"It was a proper old-fashioned Test match. We were disappointed with some aspects of our game but we've a bonus-point win. That's where we're at at the moment."
Sexton led the Irish celebrations by lifting the trophy in front of a delirious home crowd, and Farrell hopes there could yet be an even bigger send-off for the all-time great.
"Hopefully there's bigger fish to fry for Johnny with the World Cup," Farrell said. "It's unbelievable for him to have this moment and lift the trophy.
"He wanted to lift it with someone else and I said he mustn't. He deserves it. What a way for him to go out of the Six Nations."
Odell Beckham Jr. has denied reports he wants a $20million-per-year deal, but also indicated he has received an offer of just $4m.
Twelve teams attended when Beckham held a private workout last week in Arizona, but he remains unsigned after the initial flurry of free agency activity.
Beckham has been available since leaving the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the team's Super Bowl triumph at the end of the 2021 season.
After sitting out last season as he recovered, several reports had suggested the 30-year-old was looking for a deal of $20m annually, but Beckham took to Twitter to suggest that was inaccurate.
The former New York Giants and Cleveland Browns wide receiver wrote: "I'm just so confused where the quote is from me that said I want 20... all I'm sayin [sic] is four AIN'T enough".
Beckham has reportedly attracted interest from the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets.
There were suggestions he is one of the players Aaron Rodgers asked the Jets to acquire if the Green Bay Packers quarterback moves to New York. Though Rodgers denied making such a wish list, he added that any QB would want to play with Beckham.
Beckham has 56 receiving touchdowns in 96 career NFL appearances and was rated as the top wideout available on the open market when the offseason began.
Odell Beckham Jr. has denied reports he wants a $20million-per-year deal, but also indicated he has received an offer of just $4m.
Twelve teams attended when Beckham held a private workout last week in Arizona, but he remains unsigned after the initial flurry of free agency activity.
Beckham has been available since leaving the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the team's Super Bowl triumph at the end of the 2021 season.
After sitting out last season as he recovered, several reports had suggested the 30-year-old was looking for a deal of $20m annually, but Beckham took to Twitter to suggest that was inaccurate.
The former New York Giants and Cleveland Browns wide receiver wrote: "I'm just so confused where the quote is from me that said I want 20... all I'm sayin [sic] is four AIN'T enough".
Beckham has reportedly attracted interest from the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets.
There were suggestions he is one of the players Aaron Rodgers asked the Jets to acquire if the Green Bay Packers quarterback moves to New York. Though Rodgers denied making such a wish list, he added that any QB would want to play with Beckham.
Beckham has 56 receiving touchdowns in 96 career NFL appearances and was rated as the top wideout available on the open market.
Ireland sealed a third Six Nations Grand Slam with a 29-16 win over 14-man England on a day captain Johnny Sexton also became the tournament's outright all-time leading points scorer.
France put the pressure on Ireland by moving into top spot with victory over Wales earlier on Saturday, but Andy Farrell's side responded at the Aviva Stadium in the final fixture of the tournament.
Ireland were helped by a contentious red card issued to Freddie Steward on the stroke of half-time, at which point the first of Dan Sheehan's two tries and Sexton's record-breaking penalty had given the hosts a four-point advantage.
Robbie Henshaw and Sheehan appeared to put Ireland completely out of reach before Jamie George's score gave England a glimmer of hope, but Rob Herring got the party in full swing in Dublin with a bonus point-clinching try late on.
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