On this Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open, youth was served and volleyed and backhanded and every other tennis stroke you can think of as 17-year-old rising star Mirra Andreeva outplayed World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka for a remarkable 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory.

In the process, the talented Russian teen with a complete game and unflappable nature became the third youngest player ever to win the women’s singles title at this event and the youngest in 26 years since Serena Williams in 1999.

She has now won 12 consecutive matches, having also won her previous tournament in Dubai. She is the youngest player to win 12 Masters 1000 matches in a row since the format’s inception in 2009.

Just as she did after her win in Dubai, she gave an endearing speech during the trophy ceremony where after thanking her team and the crowd and Sabalenka, she finished by saying: ‘Last but not least, I want to thank myself,’ to a roar of laughter from the crowd. ‘I thank myself for fighting until the end and always believing in myself and for never quitting.’

It is the continuation of a remarkable run for Andreeva who turns 18 in April and has already made it inside the top 10 of the world rankings.

Andreeva not only beat Sabalenka in the final, but World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinal. Sabalenka had been 4-1 in her career against Andreeva, including a quarterfinal win in Australia.

Sabalenka from Belarus is now 0-2 in finals at Indian Wells, having also lost to Elena Rybakina in the 2023 final. It was also the second heart-breaking loss in 2025 as she fell in the Australian Open final to Madison Keys. She was gunning for her eighth Masters 1000 title to go with three Grand Slam wins.

But as always, despite her disappointment, Sabalenka was gracious in defeat, joking that when she got home she would stack her two second-place trophies on top of each other to make one first-place trophy.

A full Stadium 1 on a perfect Southern California weather day was treated to a high-level match with tons of winners, creative play and passion from both women mixing extreme power with occasional deft touch.

A break at love in the fourth game of the first set was enough for Sabalenka to get control of the first set, and she finished it off with a second break of Andreeva to win 6-2 as Andreeva hit an uncharacteristic unforced error on the final point.

When the 17-year-old’s shot went into the net, she showed some frustration by launching the ball high into the sky and into the upper deck. But she proved to be unbothered by the setback.

Andreeva kept putting pressure on Sabalenka’s serve and finally broke through with a break in the third game of the second set. Both players held serve the rest of the way for a 6-4 Andreeva win, which she capped with two straight aces.

The third set started with a bang for Andreeva. After failing on 8 of 9 break points in the first two sets, she broke Sabalenka at love in the first game to start the final set on the right foot.

Sabalenka broke right back, but the rest of the set belonged to Andreeva. She broke Sabalenka twice more for the 6-3 win, touching off a celebration with a winner down the line.

She fell to her knees in disbelief. Sabalenka was disconsolate on the baseline.

And here is more from the ‘youngest-ever’ department for Andreeva.

She became the youngest player to beat the World No. 1 in a completed match since Tamira Paszek beat Ana Ivanovic in 2008. And the youngest to do it in a championship match since 2005 when Maria Sharapova beat Lindsay Davenport in Tokyo.
She is only the third player under 18 years old in the last 40 years to beat the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked player in the same tournament.
She is the youngest player to be in back-to-back to Masters 1000 finals, much less win them.

Youngest women to play in BNP Paribas Open final

1991: Monica Seles (17 years, 91 days) — Lost
1998: Martin Hingis (17 years, 166 days) — Won
1999: Serena Williams (17 years, 169 days ) — Won
2001: Kim Clijsters (17 years, 283 days) — Lost
2025: Mirra Andreeva (17 years, 301 days) — Won

South Carolina, UCLA, Texas, and USC are projected to be the top seeds in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Iowa State, Princeton, Harvard, and Washington are projected as the last four teams to reach Women’s March Madness.
Virginia Tech, Saint Joseph’s, Arizona, and Minnesota are the first four teams projected to be left out of the NCAA bracket.

Editor’s note: Follow Women’s March Madness bracket reveal live updates to see who makes the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

March Madness continues this evening with Selection Sunday, when the brackets for the women’s NCAA Tournament will be unveiled.

While the brackets will be set in stone, predictions and projections on who will help make up the field of 68 teams are already being decided. Several teams had already qualified for the tournament after earning an automatic bid after winning their conference tournament championship.

Here’s what experts are projecting for the 2025 bracket: 

Projected top seeds

USA Today staff (as of Saturday evening): South Carolina, UCLA, Texas, USC
ESPN’s Charlie Creme (as of Saturday evening): South Carolina, UCLA, USC, Texas
NCAA’s Autumn Johnson (as of Tuesday): UCLA, South Carolina, USC, Texas
CBS’ Connor Groel (as of Tuesday): UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, USC

Projected last teams in

USA Today staff (as of Saturday evening): Iowa State, Princeton, Columbia, Washington
ESPN’s Charlie Creme (as of Saturday evening): Iowa State, Washington, Columbia, Princeton
NCAA’s Autumn Johnson (as of Tuesday): Iowa State, Princeton, Harvard, Richmond
CBS’ Connor Groel (as of Tuesday): Iowa State, Harvard, Washington, Princeton

First four out

USA Today staff (as of Saturday evening): Virginia Tech, Saint Joseph’s, Arizona, Minnesota
ESPN’s Charlie Creme (as of Saturday evening): Virginia Tech, Saint Joseph’s, James Madison, UNLV
NCAA’s Autumn Johnson (as of Tuesday): Virginia Tech, Colorado, James Madison, Minnesota
CBS’ Connor Groel (as of Tuesday): Colorado, James Madison, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall

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Each year as the NCAA Tournament looms, several topics of discussion repeat themselves as predictions are made for the field of 68.

Perhaps the most notable of these are the NET rankings and Quad 1 wins. As Selection Sunday for March Madness arrives approaches, this year is no exception. It may even be more prevalent than ever, considering the teams who find themselves on the bubble this year.

Look no further than North Carolina, which despite having a brand name, a 22-13 record and a No. 36 ranking in the NET finds itself squarely on the bubble with an abysmal 1-12 record in Quad 1 games. But what exactly are quadrant wins, and how do they impact the NET rankings?

Here’s what you need to know about the NCAA’s NET rankings and more ahead of Selection Sunday:

What is the NET? Explaining NCAA ranking system

The NET is a data-driven sorting system used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee when considering the field of 68. While it is not the only system the committee uses, it is perhaps its most important tool in helping the committee determine who makes the field, and where they’re seeded.

It was created ahead of the 2018-19 men’s basketball season by the NCAA, and replaced the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) system. The NET rankings, which are first released in December and updated throughout the year, reset each college basketball season, and do not keep old information or statistics.

Team Value Index: A results-based measure that rewards teams for beating quality opponents, with extra weight given to road and neutral-site wins.
Adjusted Net Efficiency: The difference between a team’s offensive efficiency (points per possession) and defensive efficiency (opponents’ points per possession), adjusted for opponent strength and game location.

Quad wins, explained

Wins and losses are divided into one of four categories by the NET, which are then used by the committee to help determine at-large bids and seed the entire field. Teams’ records are divided into Quads 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Perhaps the biggest sorting tool in the NET is a team’s record vs. Quad 1 opponents. The better a team’s record in Quad 1 games, the better chance a team has of making the 68-team field. Similarly, a team that has one or more losses in Quads 1, 2 or 3 would be assigned a ‘bad loss’ that is detrimental to their NCAA Tournament resume.

Where a win or loss falls in that spectrum depends on two factors:

The opponent’s ranking in the NET
Whether a team faced their opponent at home, on the road or at a neutral site

Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353

A team’s record against Quad 1 opponents — just like Quad 2, Quad 3 and Quad 4 opponents — can also change throughout the season. For example, if a team beats a Quad 2 team in January but that team becomes a Quad 1 team heading into the postseason, that becomes a Quad 1 win for that team. Similarly, if a Quad 1 team drops to a Quad 2 team or lower, that win would be removed from their Quad 1 record.

Best Quad 1 records on Selection Sunday

Auburn leads the country with 16 Quad 1 wins this season. Here’s a breakdown of which teams in the country have the best Quad 1 records entering Selection Sunday, per the NCAA:

Records reflective of games through Saturday, March 15

Auburn: 16-5
Houston: 14-3
Michigan State: 13-5
Kentucky: 11-10
Alabama: 11-8
Michigan: 11-7
Tennessee: 11-6
Arizona: 10-11
Iowa State: 10-7
Texas Tech: 10-5
Florida: 10-4

NET rankings on Selection Sunday

The NET rankings system also doesn’t factor in the date of the game and a team’s winning percentage, both raw winning percentage and adjusted winning percentage. Here’s a list of the top 16 teams in the country per the NCAA’s NET rankings, which theoretically would result in the teams seed 1-4 in their respective regions:

Ranking reflective of games through Saturday, March 15

Duke
Auburn
Houston
Florida
Tennessee
Alabama
Texas Tech
Gonzaga
Iowa State
Maryland
Michigan State
Arizona
St. John’s
Wisconsin
Kentucky
Missouri

The moment we’ve been waiting for all college basketball season is finally here — March Madness.

Now that conference tournaments are wrapping up, college basketball fans around the country no longer have to speculate whether their team did enough to go dancing. Who’s in? Who’s out? We’ll know soon enough when the selection committee reveals the full, 68-team bracket for the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday.

The tournament officially tips off on March 18 with the men’s First Four, followed by the women’s First Four on March 19. Until then, here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Selection Sunday, including the March Madness bracket reveal TV channel, live stream and more.

When is NCAA bracket revealed?

Men: 6 p.m. ET (approximately)
Women: 8 p.m. ET

The selection committee will unveil the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament bracket for the men and women on March 16, better known as Selection Sunday.

The men’s bracket will be revealed first at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the women’s bracket unveiling at 8 p.m. ET. However, the men’s bracket could be delayed till the conclusion of the final men’s conference final on Sunday.

March Madness bracket reveal TV channel

Men’s: CBS
Women’s: ESPN

The men’s and women’s selection shows will be broadcast nationally on CBS and ESPN, respectively. The men’s bracket reveal will be shown on CBS at 6 p.m. ET, while the women’s bracket unveiling will be broadcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET.

March Madness bracket reveal live stream

Streaming: ESPN app | Paramount+ | Fubo (free trial)

No TV, no problem. Selection Sunday can be live-streamed on Paramount+, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, in addition to the ESPN app and Fubo, the latter of which carries both ESPN and CBS while offering a free trial to potential subscribers.

2025 men’s March Madness schedule:

Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 16 (6 p.m. ET)
First Four: March 18-19
First round: March 20-21
Second round: March 22-23
Sweet 16: March 27-28
Elite Eight: March 29-30
Final Four: April 5
NCAA championship game: April 7

2025 women’s March Madness schedule:

Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 16 (8 p.m. ET)
First Four: March 19-20
First round: March 21-22
Second round: March 23-24
Sweet 16: March 28-29
Elite Eight: March 30-31
Final Four: April 4
NCAA championship game: April 6

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Selection Sunday is famously known for the unveiling of the brackets for both the men’s NCAA Tournament

But that isn’t the only postseason men’s college basketball tournament that reveals its field on Sunday. Shortly after the announcement of the 68-team field at 6 p.m. ET, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), will begin unveiling its 32-team bracket.

The NIT is strictly an invitation style tournament, meaning Division I men’s basketball teams need to be extended an invite from the NIT selection committee to compete in it. It’s also one of several other postseason tournaments that take place alongside March Madness.

Unlike the NCAA Tournament, every game of the NIT is played on a college campus. Games begin on Tuesday, March 18 and run through Thursday, April 3 with the championship game at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

What channel is the NIT bracket revealed on? 

TV: N/A
Streaming: N/A

Unlike the NCAA Tournament bracket, the NIT bracket will not be released on TV or a streaming service platform. Instead, as noted by the NIT’s official X account (formerly Twitter), it will be announced on the tournament’s social media platforms. 

When is the NIT bracket released? 2025 NIT Selection Show start time

Date: Sunday, March 16

The bracket for the 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) will be released on Sunday, March 16 following the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament bracket reveal show. 

Who makes the NIT? 

Thirty-two teams make the NIT bracket field. 

However, as noted by the NCAA, the 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) has different eligibility qualifications than past years — most likely due to the arrival of The College Basketball Crown tournament.

There will be 16 “exempt” teams, with four spots taken up by the top two teams from the ACC and SEC that were not selected to the NCAA Tournament field. The remaining 12 “exempt” spots will go to the top team in the top 12 conferences based on the KenPom Rankings.

The remaining 16 spots in the 32-team field will go to automatic bids — conference regular-season champions that have a ‘KNIT’ score of 125 or better — and at-large teams of the best available teams that didn’t make March Madness.

When is the NIT? Full schedule for 2025 tournament 

NIT start date: Tuesday, March 18
NIT championship: Thursday, April 3

The 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) will get started on Tuesday, March 18 with the first round of games — which also happens to be the first night of the First Four.

The semifinals and championship games of the NIT will take place on Tuesday, April 1 and Thursday, April 3, respectively, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It is the second straight season that both of the final rounds of the NIT are taking place at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the home of the Big East’s Butler Bulldogs. 

Here’s a breakdown of the NIT schedule: 

First round: Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19
Second round: Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26
Semifinals: Tuesday, April 1
Championship: Thursday, April 3

NIT history, past champions

Here’s a look at past NIT champions dating back to 2000 per NCAA.com:

2000: Wake Forest
2001: Tulsa
2002: Memphis
2003: St. John’s
2004: Michigan
2005: South Carolina
2006: South Carolina
2007: West Virginia
2008: Ohio State
2009: Penn State
2010: Dayton
2011: Wichita State
2012: Stanford
2013: Baylor
2014: Minnesota
2015: Stanford
2016: George Washington
2017: TCU
2018: Penn State
2019: Texas
2020: Canceled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
2021: Memphis
2022: Xavier
2023: North Texas
2024: Seton Hall

Click here to look at all past NIT champions since 1938.

As the NBA regular season enters its final month, the anticipation for the playoffs is reaching a fever pitch. The playoff picture is starting to take shape as teams secure their postseason berths, setting the stage for an exhilarating postseason.

With the season concluding April 13, the top six teams from the Western and Eastern conferences will secure their playoff spots. All eyes will be on the play-in tournament, during which teams ranked seventh to 10th will battle it out for a chance to continue their postseason journey. The top two teams in each conference will complete the eight-team bracket within their respective conferences, with the playoffs beginning April 19.

Three teams have already secured their spots in the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers have already clinched their division and boast the NBA’s best record. while the Boston Celtics are in pursuit of their 19th championship. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the best in the West and striving for their first title with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge.

Here are the current NBA power rankings according to championship odds are we head into the final weeks of the season.

NBA power rankings according to odds

Here are the updated NBA power rankings according to championship odds at BetMGM.

5. Denver Nuggets (+1200)

The Denver Nuggets have a few weeks to improve their position in the postseason standings, and with Nikola Jokic leading the charge anything is possible. Although Jokic is dealing with ankle and elbow injuries, he has stated that he is playing the best basketball of his life. He is averaging 29.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. With the support of Jamal Murray, the Nuggets aim to perform well in the final stretch of the season to secure a favorable playoff spot.

4. Los Angeles Lakers (+1000)

The injury-ridden Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a challenging position as they head into the final weeks of the regular season. LeBron James has been ruled out due to a groin strain he sustained in early March, but he continues to make progress in hopes of returning soon. He is not the only Lakers player affected by an injury; Austin Reaves is dealing with a calf injury, Luka Doncic also has a calf injury, and Rui Hachimura is sidelined for at least a week due to a knee injury.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (+500)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are finishing the regular season on a high note, having set a franchise record with 16 consecutive victories. They find themselves in a strong position as they head into the playoffs, as they were the first team to secure a playoff spot and could potentially become the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 2015-16 season, when they won the championship.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (+225)

The Oklahoma City Thunder have secured a playoff spot after a close victory against the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. They are now aiming to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season. The Thunder are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a front-runner for the MVP award who is having an outstanding season, averaging 33 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.

1. Boston Celtics (+215)

The defending champions, the Boston Celtics, are pursuing their 19th title after securing a postseason berth. With this achievement, the Celtics extend the league’s longest active streak for consecutive playoff appearances to 12 seasons. They clinched a playoff spot even without their star center, Kristaps Porzingis, who had been sidelined for eight games due to illness. Fortunately for the Celtics, Porzingis has now returned to the lineup.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will take on Atlanta United on Apple TV’s Sunday Night Soccer at 7 tonight.

It will be a rematch from a first-round matchup of last year’s MLS Cup playoffs, which saw Atlanta oust Inter Miami – the Supporters’ Shield winners that year.

Messi traveled with Inter Miami to Atlanta, but it’s unclear whether he will start or come off the bench during the Eastern Conference match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said the club helped Messi avoid a possible injury with his three-game layoff to begin the month, before he returned to action last Thursday in the second half of their Concacaf Champions Cup game against Jamaica Cavalier FC.

‘The idea was that he play 30-35 minutes in Jamaica to have good feelings again. In the end, we were able to find the time to do it well,” Mascherano said Saturday. ‘We tried to take away from the overload Messi had, so that it wouldn’t go further than that. We tried to handle it in the best way.

‘Luckily, we were able to control it and it didn’t turn into an injury or much more. … He’s better and we decided to start giving him minutes. There’s no secret in this.”

How to watch Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami match on Sunday?

The match be will be available to watch on Apple TV+ or MLS Season Pass.

What time does Atlanta United play Inter Miami on Sunday?

The match begins at 7 p.m. ET (8 p.m. in Argentina).

Is Messi playing tonight in Atlanta?

An official word is expected when Inter Miami announces its starting lineup about an hour before the match begins.

How did Messi fare in his last time out?

Messi appeared healthy and aggressive, as his run behind a line of defenders and chip shot in front of the goalkeeper in the 92nd minute helped Inter Miami advance past Cavalier 4-0 on aggregate score in the Champions Cup round-of-16 matchup.

How much time has Messi missed this season?

It was Messi’s first game since Feb. 25, when he helped Inter Miami dispatch Sporting Kansas City in the Champions Cup first round.

Messi did not travel to Inter Miami’s 4-1 win against the Houston Dynamo on March 2, and did not play in Inter Miami’s first leg against Cavalier FC on March 6. He was expected to come off the bench in Inter Miami’s 1-0 win against Charlotte on March 9, but did not want to risk Messi while playing with 10 players after an early red card.

Messi predominately played in three matches during a six-day stretch from Feb. 19-25, and eight matches in a 40-day span from Jan. 18 to Feb. 14, which included five preseason matches to start the year.

Messi to join Argentine national team for FIFA window

After the Atlanta match, Messi is expected to join the Argentine national team for two matches: Argentina visits Uruguay on March 21, then Argentina hosts Brazil on March 25.

Inter Miami returns to MLS action at home on March 29, hosting Philadelphia Union.

Inter Miami will visit LAFC to play the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup in the Champions Cup on April 2, host Toronto FC in a regular-season game on April 6, then host LAFC in the second leg of their Champions Cup matchup on April 9.

MEDLEY, Fla. — The Unrivaled women’s basketball league postseason begins Sunday night with two semifinal games to decide which clubs will play for the inaugural championship title.

Chelsea Gray and the No. 2 seed Rose will play without Unrivaled defensive player of the year Angel Reese (hand) against Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas and the No. 3 Laces in the first seminal game.

Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Alisha Gray and the No. 1 seed Lunar Owls will face Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby and the No. 4 seed Vinyl in the second seminal.

The winners of both games will advance to the Unrivaled championship game Monday night. Each player on the championship club will earn $50,000.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Unrivaled playoffs Sunday night:

What time does Unrivaled playoff games begin Sunday?

The Rose and Laces will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, while the Lunar Owls and Vinyl will begin at 8:30 p.m.

How to watch Unrivaled playoff games?

Unrivaled games are available on TNT and TruTV, and available to live stream on Max in the United States.

When is the Unrivaled championship game?

The Unrivaled title game will be on Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

Angel Reese injured, won’t play in Unrivaled playoffs

Reese, of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, won’t play in Sunday’s game for the Rose after injuring her surgically-repaired left hand during the Unrivaled regular-season finale last Monday.

It’s unclear whether she would be available to play if the Rose advance to the championship game. Reese did appear to participate in some capacity during Rose practice while wearing a brace.

Rose vs. Laces preview

The Rose won the season series 2-1, but they’ve seen three different versions of the Laces this season. Now, the Laces will see a different version of the Rose without Reese in action.

The Laces are led by Kayla McBride and Alyssa Thomas, while Jackie Young (illness) is questionable to play. The Rose will be led by Chelsea Gray, Azura Stevens and Lexie Hull.

Lunar Owls vs. Vinyl preview

The Lunar Owls started the season 8-0 before their only defeat to the Rose on Feb. 21. They have been Unrivaled’s best team with a 13-1 record, and the highest scoring offense in the league (80.7 ppg).

The Vinyl has two of the Top 5 Unrivaled scorers in Rhyne Howard (20.5 ppg) and Dearica Hamby (19.9 ppg), while Arike Ogunbowale has averaged 14.8 points in her last four games since returning from a leg injury.

Unrivaled end of season awards

Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray and Kayla McBride were named First Team All-Unrivaled, while Rhyne Howard, Angel Reese and Skylar Diggins-Smith were named Second-Team All-Unrivaled on Thursday.

Lunar Owls coach DJ Sackmann won Unrivaled Coach of the Year on Friday.

Reese earned Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year honors on Saturday.

The Unrivaled Most Valuable Player award will be announced on Sunday with Collier as a favorite to win.

McLaren’s Lando Norris held off reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing to win an incident-filled, season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday in Melbourne.

Starting on the pole, Norris crossed the finish line at 1:42.06.304 seconds, just 0.895 of a second ahead of Verstappen to complete a race that was affected by both rain and a number of crashes.

‘It was amazing,’ Norris said following his fifth career win. ‘A tough race, especially with Max behind me. I was pushing, especially the last two laps were a little bit stressful, but an amazing way to start the year.’

Norris endured an anxious moment after he and teammate Oscar Piastri both slid onto the grass, resulting in Verstappen capturing the lead after Norris pitted.

‘A tough one because we went off, made some big mistakes and went through the gravel and did a lot of damage,’ the British Norris said. ‘It was just tricky conditions, but these are the ones that are enjoyable and fun and unpredictable, but this time we got it right and we ended up on top, so I’m very happy.’

Mercedes drivers George Russell (8.481 seconds behind Norris) and Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli (10.135 seconds) finished third and fourth, respectively, and Williams driver Alex Albon (12.773 seconds) rounded out the top five. Antonelli initially was handed a five-second penalty by the stewards for an unsafe release, however the penalty was overturned after Mercedes appealed the decision.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished in 10th place in his Ferrari debut.

‘I’m grateful to finish, at least I got one point,’ Hamilton said. ‘Overall, not what I was hoping for, but there was so much to get accustomed to, to get used to, with all the switch settings and changes that they (the team) were throwing at you (over the radio).

‘Then just the balance of the car … It was really very, very tricky — really, really tricky today. I think we can improve that in the next race, hopefully, and get the car in a sweeter spot. I think there’s a lot more potential in the car than what we were able to extract today.’

Hamilton shocked the Formula 1 world when he signed with the iconic Italian team in February 2024 before closing out his historic 12-year run with Mercedes.