BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 22, 2023--

Max Verstappen has clinched his third world championship. The most one-sided Formula One campaign of recent memory was dominated by the Dutch driver. Here, the PA news agency looks back at six races which fired Verstappen on the road to glory. Bahrain Verstappen opened his championship defence with an ominous performance under the floodlights in Sakhir. He finished 11.9 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez and nearly 40 sec ahead of third-placed Fernando Alonso. George Russell, 55 sec back in his under-performing Mercedes, summed up the mood in the paddock when he chillingly predicted Verstappen’s Red Bull team would win all 22 races this year. Canada Verstappen’s sixth victory from the season’s opening eight fixtures saw him match Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 victories. A day after taking pole position in the wet, Verstappen reigned supreme in the dry at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Even an early collision with a bird could not stop the flying Dutchman as he drew level with Senna to leave only Lewis Hamilton (103), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) ahead of him in the record books. “To tie with Ayrton is incredible and I am proud of that but I hope it doesn’t stop here,” he said. “I hope we keep on winning more races.” Belgium Verstappen’s invincible streak continued in the final round before the summer break at Spa-Francorchamps. The triple world champion started sixth following an engine penalty but he took the lead on lap 17 of 44 before crossing the line 22.3 sec clear of his forlorn Red Bull team-mate Perez. Hamilton, who finished fourth, 49 sec back, described his rival’s dominance as like “he is having a smoke and a pancake”. Netherlands Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed “untouchable” Verstappen as the best driver in the world after he overcame a chaotic rain-hit race to equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine wins in a row. Despite two separate downpours wreaking havoc at the beginning – which left him in 13th place – and conclusion of the 72-lap race in Zandvoort, Verstappen delivered in front of 105,000 expectant fans. At one stage, Verstappen was lapping his home track four seconds faster than Perez and two seconds quicker than anybody else. “Max is in a period of his career where he is just simply untouchable,” said Horner. “I don’t think there is any driver on the grid that would be able to achieve what he is doing in that car.” Italy Verstappen drove his way into the history books by taking his 10th-consecutive victory. He sat behind Carlos Sainz for 14 of the 51 laps at Monza’s Temple of Speed before fighting his way past the Ferrari pole-sitter at the second chicane. From there, the commanding Dutchman never looked back to better the mark he shared with Vettel and become the first driver in F1 to reach double figures for straight victories. However, there were sour grapes over at Mercedes with team principal Toto Wolff calling Verstappen’s remarkable streak “completely irrelevant” and “for Wikipedia” Japan Verstappen’s historic winning run, and Red Bull’s unbeaten season, came to an end in Singapore. But at the next round in Japan, he hit back in emphatic style. He topped every practice session in Suzuka, secured pole, and then won at a canter as Red Bull became the first team ever to win the constructors’ championship with six races to spare. Read More Max Verstappen seals 2023 F1 world title during Qatar sprint race Max Verstappen breaks unique 40-year F1 streak after title win in Qatar Max Verstappen’s season and overall record in numbers following world title win Piastri takes first F1 pole for Qatar sprint as Verstappen starts third Sprint qualifying delayed at Qatar GP due to tyre safety fears

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More needs to be done to protect sportswomen from the abuse of power from coaches and other key figures in their professional life, Judy Murray has said. While the tennis coach, and mother of Wimbledon stars Andy and Jamie Murray, welcomed measures taken within the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) – which recently appointed a director of safeguarding in an increased effort to protect professional athletes from predatory coaches – she said further action is needed in the industry as a whole. “I think it’s up to all of the individual governing bodies to have someone in that head of safeguarding role that, whether you’re a coach, a parent, a player or in sports science, when you see something or if something happens to you, you know that that’s the group you go to, that’s the person you speak to, it will be treated in confidence but there will be action taken from it,” Murray told PA Media. “I think we’ve all seen a lot of brushing under the carpet over the years. And often you don’t know who to go to, and even if you do go to someone, you’re concerned: ‘Is it going to affect my selection for the team or my funding?’” The former Scottish No 1 player and long-time coach, 63, was speaking while promoting her debut novel, The Wild Card. The book centres on a fictional professional tennis player, who is manipulated by her coach during her earlier career as a 17-year-old into a sexual relationship, fearing that he will ditch her if she doesn’t comply. “For me, having been round the women’s tour, it’s a very male-dominated domain in terms of the coaches and you realise that the young players in particular, they’re travelling all the time, they’re away from home, the coach becomes a crutch, not just a coach. You actually assume a parent role, a friend role,” Murray added. “It’s very easy for players to become dependent on coaches, and fall into something that they don’t really understand and feel they can’t get out of.” She said she welcomed the wider awareness created by athletes who have come forward about their own experiences, citing the case of multiple Olympic gold medal-winning US gymnast Simone Biles, one of many women sexually abused by former team doctor Larry Nassar (who was subsequently jailed for 40-plus years). “Over the last few years, we’ve seen examples in several sports of players/performers telling about what’s happened to them in terms of abuse of trust and abuse of power, none more so than Simone Biles and other gymnasts with the US doctor, which went on for years,” said Murray. “It [the US gymnasts’ case] encouraged more people to speak out, and highlights the need for ensuring that those in positions of power within sport are suitably qualified, vetted and insured, and also that somebody is accountable to somebody else. “It makes such a big impact when top athletes like Simone Biles speak out about what’s happened to them,” Murray continued. “And it gives confidence to others to come out and talk and to share, and it is about raising awareness. “But at the end of the day, you can raise awareness, but you need somebody to act on that. And that is starting to happen, but it’s probably still in its relative infancy.” The Wild Card by Judy Murray is published by Orion, priced £14.99. Available now. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Nearly half UK adults believe LGBTQ+ representation important in storytelling – study What to wear to Glastonbury this year 11 ways to work white into your interiors