PressBox, Author at NXTbets Inc

October 3, 2026

Verstappen Takes Provisional Pole in Sepang Qualifying

The earlier practice sessions were split between Verstappen and Ferrari, with Verstappen fastest in FP1 at 1:37.520 ahead of Russell, Hadjar, Leclerc, Antonelli and Hamilton. McLaren focused on setup work in that session, leaving Norris and Piastri down in 12th and 11th. Ferrari then led FP2 through Leclerc, who went quickest ahead of Hadjar, Norris, Verstappen, Hamilton, Piastri, Russell and Antonelli. Verstappen spent about 15 minutes in the Red Bull garage because of a seat issue and did not complete a proper soft-tyre qualifying run, while a stoppage for Gabriel Bortoleto’s car brought out a virtual safety car. Tire wear was a major issue through the day in the hot, humid conditions at Sepang, where F1 returned for the first time since 2017.

Kimi Antonelli had set the tone in final practice by topping the session in his upgraded Mercedes with a lap of 1:36.302, 0.278 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Hadjar finished third, Russell fourth, Leclerc fifth and Hamilton sixth, while Norris and Piastri were seventh and eighth. The session was briefly red-flagged after debris from Oliver Bearman’s Haas was found at Turn 10. Mercedes came into Saturday after what the team described as one of its toughest Fridays of the season, and the one-lap pace from Antonelli and Russell pointed to a fight with Red Bull for pole.

Max Verstappen then took provisional pole for Red Bull in qualifying at Sepang with a lap of 1:35.130, edging Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli as the session moved toward its final stages. Hadjar was third fastest, with Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and George Russell filling out the rest of the top eight. Hadjar also faced a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his power unit component limit, while Franco Colapinto was handed a five-place penalty for contact with Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris and a separate 10-place drop for power unit changes. Arvid Lindblad received a 30-place penalty for power unit changes, and no investigations had been announced.
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October 3, 2026

Verstappen sets early pace in Sepang Q2 for Red Bull

Formula 1 qualifying at Sepang opened with Max Verstappen setting the early Q2 pace for Red Bull on soft tires, his 1:35.696 leaving Charles Leclerc 0.274 seconds back and Lewis Hamilton 0.336 behind. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris were also inside the top five early in the session, though Antonelli had his first run deleted for a track-limits violation.

The qualifying picture came after Antonelli had topped final practice in an upgraded Mercedes with a 1:36.302 lap, 0.278 seconds clear of Verstappen. Isack Hadjar was third, George Russell fourth, Leclerc fifth and Hamilton sixth, with Norris and Oscar Piastri seventh and eighth. Final practice was interrupted by a red flag after debris was found at Turn 10, apparently from Oliver Bearman’s Haas, and teams continued to deal with tire wear and the hot, humid Sepang conditions.

In Q1, both Aston Martins advanced to Q2, and Arvid Lindblad took the final transfer spot with a 1:37.883. Nico Hülkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez were eliminated.
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October 3, 2026

Stewards Hand Marquez Double Long-Lap Penalty

Alex Marquez was handed a double long-lap penalty for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi after causing a multi-rider crash on the opening lap of the sprint. FIM stewards said the Turn 3 incident was a first-lap, multiple-rider dangerous situation and said the double long-lap penalty was the appropriate punishment for Marquez’s first offense of the season. He kept fifth on the grid for Sunday’s race despite the penalty.

The crash unfolded as Marquez attacked Fabio Di Giannantonio for sixth place. Pedro Acosta had been forced wide by Enea Bastianini, and Marquez lost the front while trying to slow down. He clipped Acosta and then collected Di Giannantonio, sending all three riders down and ending the races of Acosta and Di Giannantonio in the sprint.

Marc Marquez won the sprint at Motegi, leading every lap and beating title rival Jorge Martin by 2.466 seconds. Martin and Enea Bastianini were later penalized for exceeding track limits, which promoted Diogo Moreira to second, his best MotoGP result. Marc Marquez’s win also cut Martin’s championship lead before Sunday’s grand prix.
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October 2, 2026

Marquez powers to sprint win after Martin’s lap-record pole

Jorge Martin tightened the MotoGP title fight at Motegi by taking pole position over Marc Marquez, then watching Marquez answer in the sprint. Martin set a lap-record 1:42.371 in qualifying to edge Marquez by 0.110 seconds, his third pole of the season and second in a row. Pedro Acosta qualified third, with Marco Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez, Fabio di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini filling out the next rows. The top seven were separated by just 0.298 seconds.

Marquez then took control of the 12-lap sprint by passing Martin at Turn 1 and never giving the lead back. He was 1.2 seconds clear by lap nine and won in dominant fashion for Ducati, cutting five points from Martin’s championship lead. An early crash at Turn 3, after Alex Marquez hit Pedro Acosta from behind, took out Acosta, Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio.

Martin and Bastianini initially finished second and third on the road, but both were penalized one place for exceeding track limits on the final lap. That promoted rookie Diogo Moreira to second for his first MotoGP podium, with Martin classified third. Pecco Bagnaia retired on the final lap with a shredded rear tire, and after the sprint Martin led Marquez by seven points in the title standings, with Marco Bezzecchi 45 points back.
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October 2, 2026

Daniel Keeping lifts Texas past Oklahoma at Dickies Arena

PBR Teams’ Rattler Days, presented by Germania Insurance, opened Thursday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth as the ninth event of the 2026 season, bringing all 10 teams into the final four-event stretch before the championship in Las Vegas. Texas returned home after going 1-2 in Greensboro and opened Friday against Oklahoma before a rivalry matchup with Austin on Saturday night. The weekend also featured rider-bull rematches involving Florida, Arizona, Missouri, New York, Kansas City, Austin and Texas.

The Texas Rattlers got the event started with a 90.25-88.60 win over the Oklahoma Wildcatters in the opening game. Daniel Keeping led Texas with a 90.25-point ride on Fury, and the victory improved the Rattlers to 12-1 all-time at PBR Teams: Rattler Days, with an 11-1 mark at Dickies Arena.

Missouri and Nashville entered the event as the top two teams at 16-7, and Missouri stayed atop the standings by beating the Arizona Ridge Riders 260.65-87.65. The Kansas City Outlaws defeated the New York Mavericks 264.55-172.95 to move into eighth place, the Austin Gamblers beat the Carolina Cowboys 269.10-178.65 behind Jose Vitor Leme’s 91.10-point ride, and the Florida Freedom edged the Nashville Stampede 89.60-0 on Yan Victor Cunha’s late ride. The event resumed Oct. 3 at Dickies Arena, with Missouri and Nashville set to meet Saturday in a matchup that could separate the top teams in the standings.
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October 2, 2026

Antonelli fastest in Sepang, Verstappen and Red Bulls close

Kimi Antonelli led final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Saturday at Sepang International Circuit, posting a best lap of 1:36.302 in his upgraded Mercedes. Antonelli set the time in the final five minutes of FP3 on an older set of soft tires and finished 0.278 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, while Isack Hadjar briefly went fastest before Antonelli reclaimed first place. Verstappen and the Red Bulls stayed near the front throughout the session.

George Russell was fourth for Mercedes, Charles Leclerc fifth and Lewis Hamilton sixth for Ferrari after leaving the pit lane late. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took seventh and eighth for McLaren, about one second off the pace. Franco Colapinto was ninth and led Alpine, with Arvid Lindblad completing the top 10.

The session was interrupted by a red flag after debris appeared at Turn 10, with one report saying a piece of Oliver Bearman’s Haas came loose. Teams also had to deal with a track that was hard on tires and changing conditions throughout FP3, and the fragility of the soft tire raised questions about whether Sunday’s race would require two or three stops. Qualifying was scheduled to follow final practice.
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October 2, 2026

Bezzecchi Leads Saturday Motegi Practice After Red Flag

Alex Marquez led Friday afternoon practice at Motegi with a record 1:42.811, edging Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez as the session ran in dry conditions. Marco Bezzecchi was fourth and Enea Bastianini fifth. The run was stopped early by a red flag after Ai Ogura’s Trackhouse Aprilia smoked and left oil on the track.

Marco Bezzecchi took Saturday morning’s final practice with a 1:43.321 lap on his Aprilia and gave the team a 1-2, 0.080 seconds ahead of championship leader Jorge Martin. Acosta was third, Marc Marquez fourth, Fabio Di Giannantonio fifth, Brad Binder sixth and Bastianini seventh, while Francesco Bagnaia finished 12th. The session was red-flagged in the first six minutes after Franco Morbidelli’s engine blew up, and the results were still provisional pending the protest and appeal period.

Friday morning’s opening session belonged to Marc Marquez, who led Jorge Martin and Bezzecchi in damp conditions before the track dried on Motegi’s newly laid asphalt. Home wildcard Takaaki Nakagami crashed early, fractured his left collarbone and was ruled out for the rest of the weekend. Other riders also fell during the low-grip sessions.
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October 2, 2026

Jorge Martin takes Motegi pole over Marc Marquez

Jorge Martin took pole position for the 2026 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi, edging title rival Marc Marquez by 0.110 seconds. KTM’s Pedro Acosta joined them on the front row, with Marco Bezzecchi fourth, Alex Marquez fifth and Fabio Di Giannantonio sixth. Raul Fernandez and Honda rookie Diogo Moreira also reached the top 10, while Francesco Bagnaia missed Q2 and qualified 13th after being knocked out in Q1.

Friday practice belonged to Alex Marquez, who set a lap-record 1:42.811 to lead Acosta by 0.076 seconds and Marc Marquez by 0.100. Bezzecchi, Enea Bastianini, Fabio Quartararo and Martin were also inside the top 10, and the leading championship contenders moved directly into Q2. Bagnaia struggled to 16th, while Johann Zarco and Moreira crashed late but kept their places in the top 10. Takaaki Nakagami fractured his left collarbone in an early crash and was ruled out for the rest of the weekend.

The weekend was repeatedly interrupted by incidents. Ai Ogura’s Trackhouse Aprilia suffered an engine failure at pit-lane exit, spilled oil on the track and triggered an early red flag, sending him into Q1 after he finished 15th in practice. Friday also brought crashes for Alex Rins and Luca Marini. On Saturday morning, Marco Bezzecchi topped final practice with a 1:43.321 lap, 0.080 seconds ahead of Martin, giving Aprilia a one-two before qualifying. The session was red-flagged again after six minutes when Franco Morbidelli’s Ducati leaked fluid, leaving track conditions affected before the grid was set.
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October 2, 2026

Pupo’s Trestles win tightens Brazil’s Olympic surfing race

Miguel Pupo’s win at Trestles last month tightened Brazil’s Olympic qualification race by moving him ahead of Gabriel Medina in the Championship Tour rankings and narrowing Medina’s paths to the LA 2028 Games. Brazil’s federation will pick its team for the 2026 World Surfing Games using Championship Tour rankings 30 days before the event, and if the current standings hold, Yago Dora, Italo Ferreira and Pupo would make up the men’s team.

The 2026 World Surfing Games in Peru are set for Nov. 6-15 and will serve as the second Olympic qualifying event. If Brazil secures a place through that competition, the spot would go to the highest-ranked surfer in the Olympic qualification window.

Medina still has three remaining routes to qualify for LA 2028. He can do it by finishing as Brazil’s top surfer on the 2027-28 Championship Tour, placing in the top seven at the 2028 World Surfing Games or winning the 2027 Pan American Games.
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