Sports

AMMAN — Jordan’s U-16 national team will host its Group A qualifiers for the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Championship.

Jordan got a relatively easy draw against Tajikistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Kuwait for the qualifiers kicking off on September 14. Playing in two zones, 47 teams will compete in 11 groups. The top team from each group and top four second placed teams will advance to the championship.

The U-16 men’s team concluded a training camp in preparation for the championship. Last year, Jordan bowed out of the Round 1 of the 2018 AFC U-16 Men’s Championship. Held once every two years, the competition serves as a qualifier for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the top four countries qualifying. The U-16 women’s squad was also eliminated from Round 1, Group A qualifiers for the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship. 

Likewise, the U-19 team was drawn in Group E alongside host Bahrain, Bangladesh and Bhutan for its qualifiers kicking off November 1. Playing in two zones, 46 teams will compete in 11 groups. The top team from each group and top four second placed teams will advance to the championship.

The 2018 season saw the men’s and women’s national football teams both eliminated from its Asian events. The women’s team had an unimpressive run in Round 2 of the Asian Olympic qualifiers as only the group leader Vietnam advanced to Round 3 of the qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Qualifying teams include Myanmar from Group A, Vietnam from B and Taiwan from C. They will join Australia, South and North Korea China and Thailand in Round 3 where they will play in two groups with the group winner and runner-up playing a final round before the top two move on to the finals alongside hosts Japan.

It was the third time for Jordan in Asian qualifiers. It had also been eliminated in Round 2 in qualifiers for the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Jordan last won the 6th West Asian Women’s Championship for the fifth time and the national team is now the leading Arab teams at 54th in FIFA World Rankings. 

The men’s team was also eliminated in the Round of 16 at the Asian Cup 2019 as Qatar won the title for the first time. That followed Jordan’s elimination from World Cup qualifiers.

Last season, the men’s U19 national team was eliminated from Round 1 of the AFC U19 Championship as the semifinalists advanced to the FIFA U19 World Cup. Likewise the women’s team was eliminated from Round 1 qualifiers for the AFC U-19 Championship. 

Jordan was hoping to advance in the men’s Asian event after it failed to qualify for the championships in 2014 and 2016. It was the fifth time for Jordan at the championship with the best showing when they finished fourth in 2006 and advanced to the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. They exited the first round in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012. 

The U-23 men’s national team qualified to the 4th AFC U-23 Championship, which acts as a qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2018, the team was knocked out of Round 1 of the 3rd AFC U-23 Championship. In 2016, Jordan reached the quarter-finals and in 2014 Jordan finished third.

The Milwaukee Bucks left it until late in Game One on Wednesday, but in Game Two on Friday night, they left no doubt.

After showing the rust of a week’s layoff in winning the opener of the Eastern Conference finals, the Bucks took charge of Game 2 early to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors 125-103 and grab a 2-0 series lead.

The next two games in the best-of-seven set are on Sunday and Tuesday in Toronto.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and added five assists for the Bucks.

He started the game with two dunks and a blocked shot as Milwaukee scored the first nine points.

The block might have been what impressed his coach the most.

“He plays the game so hard,” Mike Budenholzer said. “He lays it all on the line. It was a great start for us, and I think everybody fed off Giannis. ... It was a great way to start a Game Two.”

Antetokounmpo said, “We wanted to protect our home court. [In Toronto], we have to bring the same energy.”

Ersan Ilyasova added 17 points off the bench for the Bucks. Nikola Mirotic had 15 points, Malcolm Brogdon 14, George Hill 13 and Khris Middleton 12.

“We came out and competed from the beginning of the game until the end,” Middleton said. “We had a little rust the first game, and this game we knew we wanted to come out with a full force and a fast pace.”

They did and Toronto did not.

“We were a step too slow on just about everything,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “We didn’t play very well tonight, we played better Wednesday. We were playing uphill for about three quarters. ... We just didn’t do a good enough job of setting ourselves up.”

Nurse felt that his players did not do as well containing Antetokounmpo as they did in Game One.

“Giannis was in on the paint with too much force,” Nurse said.

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and had eight rebounds for the Raptors. Kyle Lowry added 15 points, Norman Powell had 14 points and Serge Ibaka contributed eight points and 10 rebounds.

Toronto centre Marc Gasol had two points on one-for-nine shooting.

“I played really bad, and that set the tone,” Gasol said. “The beginning put us in a real bad spot and we couldn’t get a grip of the game early on, and I take full responsibility for that.”

The Bucks, who never trailed on the night, led by as many as 28 points in the third quarter and entered the fourth with a 17-point advantage.

The Raptors cut the deficit to 15 on Leonard’s lay-up and free throw with 6:10 to play, but Antetokounmpo quickly answered with his own three-point play.

Toronto’s Pascal Siakam fouled out with 5:17 to go, finishing the game with eight points.

The Bucks led by as many as 18 points in the first quarter and were ahead 35-21 after 12 minutes.

The Raptors pulled within 12 during the second quarter, but the Bucks turned it on again and took a 19-point lead when Ilyasova nailed a 3-pointer with 4:58 remaining in the first half.

The Bucks led 64-39 at halftime, shooting 48.9 per cent from the field while the Raptors shot 36.6 per cent. For the game, Milwaukee outshot Toronto 46.7 per cent to 42.5 per cent.

Antetokounmpo opened the third quarter with a layup and a free throw, bumping the lead to 28.

The Raptors had trimmed the margin to 23 with 9:26 left in the third when they encountered foul trouble with Siakam picking up his fifth personal foul.

Fred VanVleet made a 5-footer with 3:52 remaining, and Milwaukee’s lead had dwindled to 13.

The Bucks got the gap back to 19, however, on consecutive lay-ups by Hill late in the third.

Toronto’s Jodie Meeks ended the third quarter with a 3-pointer to cut Milwaukee’s lead to 95-78.

BETHPAGE — Tiger Woods, coming off a Masters victory that snapped an 11-year major win drought, begins his quest for a 16th major title on Thursday at the 101st PGA Championship.

The 43-year-old American superstar’s electrifying triumph last month at Augusta National has made him the focus of attention at formidable Bethpage Black, the same course where Woods won the 2002 US Open.

“I feel great. I’m excited to get out there,” Woods said. “This is going to be a long week the way the golf course is set up and potentially could play. This could be a hell of a championship.”

A victory would match Woods with Sam Snead for the all-time US PGA win record at 82 and move him two shy of the all-time major win record of 18 set by Jack Nicklaus — as well as put Woods halfway to a calendar Grand Slam for the first time since 2002.

Sixth-ranked Woods starts off the 10th tee at 8:24am alongside defending champion and two-time US Open winner Brooks Koepka and reigning British Open champion Francesco Molinari of Italy.

“I’m just looking forward to playing with him. It’ll be interesting,” Koepka said of Woods. “We really haven’t been paired together too much, especially over the last couple years.”

Koepka held off Woods to win last year’s PGA at Bellerive while Molinari denied Woods last year to win the Claret Jug at Carnoustie.

“When I started I wasn’t even dreaming of playing against Tiger,” Molinari said. “I feel lucky enough to have played with him many times now in many important moments.”

Finding the fairways will be crucial over the 7,549-yard, par-70 layout as sloping greens firm up from rain.

“In order to win this one, driving is going to be at the forefront,” Woods said. “You’ve got to hit it not only straight but you’ve got to hit it far.”

Woods, nagged for years by back pain before 2017 spinal fusion surgery, has not played competitively since the Masters, making this only the sixth time in his career he has played back-to-back majors.

He skipped a planned nine-hole practice round yesterday for rest, having done a five-hour 

in-depth tour of the course last week and played nine holes early Monday.

“There’s definitely going to be a component to stamina as the week goes on,” Woods said. “Four days over a tough championship that is mentally and physically taxing takes its toll.

“I need to give myself the best chance to win the events I play in... Sometimes that can be taking a little bit more breaks here and there, making sure I’m able to give it my best.”

Tiger eyes No. 1

Woods could become World No. 1 for the first time since March 2013 by winning. He would need top-ranked Dustin Johnson to finish worse than solo 11th and neither Koepka or world number two Justin Rose of England to finishing second alone.

England’s Rose, third-ranked Koepka and fourth-ranked Rory McIlroy could all overtake Johnson with a victory.

Taking a fifth Wanamaker Trophy would match Woods for the career PGA record with Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.

Woods could become the first golfer since Nicklaus in 1975 to win the Masters and PGA Championship in the same year, although this marks the first time since 1949 the PGA will be played in May, moving from August in a revamp of the global golf schedule.

No one has won the first two majors of a year since Jordan Spieth in 2015. Woods won the 2002 Masters and took the 2002 US Open at Bethpage.

OAKLAND, California — The Golden State Warriors are so used to playing in the Western Conference finals, they were in no hurry to do it for a fifth consecutive year Tuesday night.

Then once they took the floor, they put that rest to good use against a weary opponent in Game 1.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson dominated their highly anticipated matchup with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, combining for 12 3-pointers and 62 points in the Warriors’ 116-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the opener of the Western finals.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday night, also on top-seeded Golden State’s home court.

Curry finished with a game-high 36 points and Thompson added 26 for the Warriors, who won a second consecutive game without star forward Kevin Durant, out due to a bruised right calf.

Curry shot 9-for-15 on 3-point attempts and Thompson 3-for-9. Even backup Quinn Cook got into the long-range act, mixing in two timely treys to quell the Trail Blazers’ last threat, pushing Golden State a game up on an opponent it dominated 4-1 and 4-0 in the 2016 and 2017 playoffs, respectively.

“That was very poor [defensive] execution,” Lillard said. “They were setting solid screens and coming off shooting practice shots. That’s the last thing we need if we want to have any chance to beat this team.”

Lillard, an Oakland native who arrived at the arena wearing an Athletics “0” jersey with his name on the back, shot just 4-for-12 en route to a team-high 19 points. McCollum added 17 points for the Trail Blazers, who were facing a fresh team that had enjoyed three days off after eliminating the Houston Rockets in Game 6 on the road Friday night.

“They had to go to a tough Game 7 in Denver [on Sunday] and a quick turnaround, so the schedule favoured us,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought we took advantage of the situation.”

The Warriors used a 13-5 burst to open the second half to extend a nine-point halftime advantage to 67-50. Curry had three 3-pointers in the run.

But Portland, which flew straight to Oakland after their Sunday win, refused to quit. Rodney Hood and Seth Curry drilled 3-pointers in an 11-4 run that ended the period and gave the Trail Blazers hope at 77-71 entering the fourth.

The Warriors’ lead was just 79-73 before Cook hit his two 3-pointers, helping Golden State go back up by 14 with 7:31 to go, and the 3-point discrepancy proved too much for the Trail Blazers to overcome.

“I thought the key stretch for us was the first five minutes of the fourth quarter,” Kerr said. “Our bench came in, did a fantastic job getting the lead back up to about 12 or so before we went back to our starters. So great job by our bench.”

Draymond Green complemented Curry and Thompson with a team-high 10 rebounds to go with 12 points for the Warriors, who shot 50 per cent from the field and 51.5 per cent (17-for-33) on 3-pointers.

The Warriors outscored the Trail Blazers 51-21 on 3-pointers.

“It’s fun when everyone’s running around, cutting, and we’re whipping the ball around,” Curry said. “That’s when we’re at our best.”

Hood and Maurice Harkless had 17 points apiece, and Enes Kanter a game-high 16 rebounds with 10 points for the Trail Blazers, who were limited to 36.1 per cent shooting overall and 25 per cent (7-for-28) on treys.

The Trail Blazers also hurt themselves with 21 turnovers.

“When you turn the ball over and you don’t shoot the ball well and don’t finish around the basketball...” Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts lamented. “It was a tough night offensively.”

After having split the season series 2-2, the teams played on mostly even terms for the first 16 minutes, after which the Warriors managed just a two-point lead.

Consecutive hoops by reserve Jonas Jerebko, one a 3-pointer, finally got the Warriors rolling before Curry took over. He poured in 11 points in the final 5:29 of the half, helping Golden State take a 54-45 lead into the intermission.

Curry had 19 of his 36 points in the half.

“Hopefully it’s just one game,” Stotts noted. “We’ve got to play better, particularly at the offensive end. But we’ve got to be better at both ends.”

BARCELONA — The dominance of Mercedes has some people asking already, with 16 races to go, whether the Formula One world champions could do the unthinkable and become the invincibles.

No team has ever won every race in a season, with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost’s McLaren coming close in 1988 when they won 15 out of 16. Mercedes won 19 of 21 in 2016. 

The question was batted aside smartly by team boss Toto Wolff after Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix brought a fifth successive one-two, the best ever start to a season, but nobody likes to tempt fate.

“We have had five fantastic performances now with five one-twos but we don’t take it for granted,,” said the Austrian.

“Next week is going to be a tremendous challenge for us, we’ve not performed well in Monaco these last years. You remember how strong [Daniel] Ricciardo was last year in the Red Bull and they were in a league of their own.”

Monaco’s unforgiving, metal-fenced street circuit can always throw up a nasty surprise for the careless or the unwary, and yet there is every chance the ‘invincibles’ question will continue to be asked beyond that Mediterranean showcase.

“Their fifth one-two finish is exceedingly dominant,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner, whose car was the closest to Mercedes in Barcelona with Max Verstappen finishing third.

“Certainly in Monaco, if you look at their performance in the low-speed section of this circuit, you would expect them to be very strong,” he added. “They’ll certainly be very much the favourites there.”

“I think it’s very much a Mercedes championship, you can see that after five races — three points off a maximum score.”

The only points Mercedes have shed so far have been for fastest lap, with five times champion Lewis Hamilton — winner on Sunday and now championship leader — and Valtteri Bottas taking two of the five.

Otherwise, they have scored 217 points out of a possible 220. Ferrari, their closest rivals, have a comparatively meagre tally of 121.

Despite that, Horner felt sure the streak would end.

“That’s 21 races to achieve 21 victories. You’d never say never, but it would be a hell of an achievement,” he said.

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto was also asked whether he felt Mercedes could go the distance unbeaten and shook his head as drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc both said no.

“Each circuit is different. Our car has got some strengths, certainly weaknesses but some strengths. I think it’s certainly too early for such an assumption,” said the Swiss-born Italian.

Another question that could linger longer is whether the sport can withstand such domination without the fans losing interest.

The same fears were raised when Ferrari, with Michael Schumacher in the early years of the century, and Red Bull with Vettel from 2010-13, were rampant.

Wolff recognised an emotional conflict between the professional role and the fan within, referencing the shock and unpredictability of this year’s Champions League semifinals.

“If I take myself out of the Mercedes and group standpoint, of course as a fan you want variability and unpredictability,” he said.

“We all enjoyed Liverpool coming back strong as they did and Spurs making it against all odds. I was having the laptop on my knees watching the game when we saw they [Liverpool] were beating Barcelona. 

“But where we are, it can’t be an objective for us. And I also feel it’s bad karma if we were to think that we are really now walking on water,” he added. “Then the next week you are going to get one in the face for sure.”

LIVERPOOL, England — Manchester City retained their Premier League crown on Sunday, pipping Liverpool to the title by a single point, but while the remarkable numbers of this campaign tell their own story this season was about much more than just consistent point accumulation.

Pep Guardiola’s City and Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool achieved their results playing brands of entertaining, attacking and positive football that have set a new standard in the English — and indeed European — game.

Manchester City’s 98 points and Liverpool’s 97, with third-placed Chelsea a further 25 points adrift, certainly illustrate just how relentlessly successful the top two were.

Their combined 195 points were a top-flight record for the champions and runners-up; indeed, they broke the old mark with two games to spare. The 62 wins they amassed together was also a record for a top two.

And not even the intense pressure and nerves of a neck-and-neck title race could push them towards error.

City won their last 14 matches, a streak stretching back to January, while Liverpool ended with nine straight wins — with their solitary defeat of the season coming at City over four months ago.

But while there were some key wins, in the closing stages particularly, won by narrow margins, the pair combined for 184 goals, an average of 2.4 goals per game.

Klopp and Guardiola have avoided barbs or mind-games throughout the season and have barely needed prompting to praise each other’s teams.

Huge plaudits

The sense that both teams deserve huge plaudits for their football this season has also been clear from the views of expert observers, such as former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness.

What is fascinating is that those year-long debates over numerical formations — whether it be 4-4-2, five at the back, diamonds, Christmas trees and “false nines” — have been noticeably absent this season.

The reason for that is that neither City nor Liverpool play with strictly formatted systems.

Liverpool nominally play four at the back but their full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are essential parts of their attacking threat.

The 20-year-old Alexander-Arnold’s 12th and 13th assists of the season on Sunday gave him a new record for a defender in the Premier League era. Robertson wasn’t far behind, having created 11 goals this season.

City’s frontline could be described as a trio — with Sergio Aguero flanked by two wingers, usually Raheem Sterling with one of Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva or Riyad Mahrez on the opposite flank.

But Bernardo Silva at times also played as a midfield general, alongside or instead of David Silva, and at full-strength City’s midfield is very much part of their attack, with only Brazilian Fernandinho having a clear defensive role.

Likewise, Liverpool’s Brazilian midfielder Fabinho has also been crucial in that anchor, or holding, midfield role, sweeping up trouble in front of the defence and providing a base which gives freedom to the more attacking midfielders.

Evolving tactics

The evolving tactics of Klopp and Guardiola have other similarities, especially the crucial ability of their attacking players to swiftly seek to recover the ball after losing possession.

There are, though, significantly different elements to the two ways of playing. City rely on lengthy spells of possession to stretch opponents and open up gaps in their defence, whereas Liverpool’s high-intensity attacks can simply sweep opponents away in powerful, forward waves.

But both approaches are hugely entertaining to watch and allow the technical quality of their players to shine — they are above all two teams who enforce their will on their opponents, with styles which depend on self-knowledge and a confidence in their own superiority.

Foreign coaches are nothing new in English football, but the Spaniard and the German have done much more than prove they can deal with the challenges of the Premier League — they have transformed the style of football English fans now expect.

The combination of tactical approaches they have established in La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Champions League have been allied with the high-tempo, intensity for which the English game has long been known.

The result is a fusion of football styles which draws on a plurality of European traditions, approaches and tactics but which appeals to the English supporter — and which, above all, delivers results.

AMMAN — Wihdat play Palestine’s Quds while Jazira play titleholders Kuwait Club on Tuesday in Stage 6 of the 16th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup — the second-tier Asian club competition.

In the past stage, Wihdat beat Lebanon’s Nijmeh 2-0 to take the Group A lead and secure qualifying chances, while Jazira qualified from Group B lead and moved to the next round after they trounced Bahrain’s Najma 3-0.

In earlier matches, Jazira beat Syria’s Ittihad 2-0 and 4-0, scored a 1-0 win over Kuwait and held Najma 1-1. Wihdat were held 1-1 and lost 1-0 to Syria’s Jeish, beat Quds 6-2 and Nijmeh 1-0. 

Lebanon’s Ahed won Group C ahead of Bahrain’s Malkieh, Kuwait’s Qadissieh and Oman’s Suweiq.

The top teams from the three competing West Asian groups in addition to the best second placed team will move to the semifinal round of the zone with the winner advancing to the eventual competition final against the East Asia champ.

It has been over 12 years since Jordanian teams won the AFC Cup. Faisali won in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007. Other Jordanian teams that participated in previous editions include Ramtha, Hussein, That Ras and Ahli. Kuwait Club and the Iraqi Air Force Club are AFC Cup record winners having been crowned champs three times each.

Last season 2017/18, Jazira were eliminated from AFC Cup West Asia zone final and failed to reach the continent’s final, while Faisali bowed out earlier in the event’s semifinals. 

In 2017, Ahli played the AFC Cup for the first time and Wihdat reached the West Asia zone semifinals. Jordanian league champs Faisali finished runner-up to Tunisia’s Tarajji in the 2017 Arab Clubs Champions Cup after an impressive performance which included two wins over Egyptian veterans Ahli. 

AMMAN — The Jordan Cup quarter-finals kick off on Tuesday with First and Second Division teams aiming to advance and have a shot at the title of the third competition on the season calendar.

Following the end of the Jordan Professional Football League, clubs are now gearing up for the final event of the season. 

The highest profile matches in Leg 1 of the quarters concluding Friday are Faisali taking on Aqaba and Wihdat versus Ahli, while other matches include Karmel against Um Qutain and Ramtha up against Manshieh. 

The Round of 16 now included 10 Professional League teams, four First Division teams and two Second Division teams. Ahli ousted Jazira, Wihdat eliminated Yarmouk, Ramtha ousted Baqaa, Shabab Urdun eliminated Manshieh, while Faisali ousted Khaldieh, Karmel eliminated Salt, Aqaba ousted Bal’ama and Sarih beat Qutain. 

Professional League teams Hussein and That Ras were eliminated by Second Division teams Khaldieh and Um Qutain in the knockout Round 1 which included 32 teams. 

Since the Cup started in 1980, there have been 37 editions with Faisali being record 19-time champions, while Wihdat won 10 times, Jazira, Ramtha and Shabab Urdun twice each, and Arabi, That Ras and Ahli once each.

AMMAN — Jordan is sending a strong team of 11 fighters in the search of medals at the 24th World Taekwondo Championships being held in Manchester, England, from May 15-19, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

Olympic gold medallist Ahmed Abu Ghaush will lead the Kingdom’s hopes, but he is joined by a number of fighters who have made an impact on the sport’s global scene this year.

Abu Ghaush will be going for glory in the -74kg class, while the rest of the squad includes Saleh Al-Sharbati (-80 kg), Hamza Qattan (+87 kg), Anas Al Sadiq (-87 kg) Zaid Mustafa (-58 kg), Abdel Rahman Abu Sammen (-54 kg), Zaid Halawani (-63 kg), Roslan Libzo (-68 kg), Luna Abu Eisha (-53 kg), Natali Al Hmaidi (-62 kg) and Juliana Al Sadiq (-67 kg).

Ali Al Asmar is the Head of Mission, while team manager, Fares Al Assaf, will take charge of coaching supported by Nabil Talal and Walid Al Hurr.

Physical trainers Reham Al Jallad, Laila Al Marayat, Saga Abazid and manager, Huthaifah Al Sayahin, complete the delegation. Referee, Adam Amawi, will also be officiating in Manchester.

Jordan’s first action will be Wednesday through Mustafa, while Abu Sammen and Libzo compete on Thursday and Abu Ghaush the following day.

On Saturday, Al Sharabati, Al Sadeq, Halawani and Abu Eisha will participate while Juliana, Qattan and Al Humaidi will conclude the national team participation on the final day of the tournament. On the sidelines, a meeting of the executive office of the International Taekwondo Federation will take place, with Nadine Dwani and Hazem Naimat taking part.

BARCELONA — Lewis Hamilton roared back to the top of the Formula One world championship with a dominant victory in Spain on Sunday as Mercedes’s record start to a season stretched to a fifth successive one-two.

The 76th victory of the five times world champion’s career, and third of the season, sent the Briton seven points clear of Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas after five of the 21 races.

Max Verstappen finished third for Honda-powered Red Bull with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, at a loss to rein in the Mercedes, crossing the line fourth and fifth respectively.

“This is history in the making to have five one-twos,” said Hamilton, who started second on the grid, and has now won the last three Spanish Grands Prix and four in total.

“I’m very proud to be a part of that and proud of everyone’s hard work.”

Hamilton took an extra point for the fastest lap of the race, his first of the campaign, and was helped by a safety car deployment 20 laps from the end giving him a free second pitstop to change worn tyres.

The Briton now has 112 points to Bottas’s 105, with Verstappen third on 66. In the constructors’ championship, Mercedes lead Ferrari by 96.

Bottas had started on pole position as championship leader, but made a slow getaway and lost out in a three-abreast rush to the first corner, with Hamilton on the inside and Vettel trying his chances on the outside before locking up and running wide.

“It was pretty tight but I lost it at the start, there was some strange behaviour on the clutch — it was like biting, releasing, biting, releasing and I’ve not felt that before,” said Bottas.

“As a team it’s incredible, the fifth one-two in a row is really good. I got some good points, every single point is going to count this year, so that’s good for sure but I’m just keen to find out why the start was so bad.”

Hamilton squeezed through while Vettel slightly locked up and damaged his tyres, with Bottas holding on to second place after a slight correction and Verstappen sweeping through from fourth on the grid to third.

The race was effectively decided there and then, with Hamilton pulling away unchallenged and lapping both Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi and Williams’ Robert Kubica after just 19 of the 66 laps.

The safety car bunched up the field again, creating some much-needed tension but Hamilton had everything under control at the re-start.

The Ferrari drivers had twice followed orders by then, swapping places as the Italian team tried in vain to come up with a strategy to close the gap.

Both Vettel and Leclerc also lost time in the first pitstops due to a cross-threading issue on the left rear wheel.

“We will never give up,” said team boss Mattia Binotto, whose team had dominated pre-season testing at the circuit, but who were way off the Mercedes pace even with an upgraded engine brought forward by two races.

“We are disappointed for the race, disappointed for the performance in the weekend. Our hope was to deliver more. We brought some upgrades, aero and engine, and were expecting somehow to be in the fight but it has not been the case.”

Racing incident

The safety car was deployed after McLaren’s Lando Norris and Racing Point’s Lance Stroll tangled at the first corner and ended up stranded in the gravel. The stewards decided it was simply a racing incident.

Frenchman Pierre Gasly was sixth for Red Bull, with both the Haas cars finishing in the points -- Kevin Magnussen in seventh and Romain Grosjean 10th and scoring for the first time this season.

The two Haas drivers provided some entertainment as they went side by side, with Grosjean making several track excursions.

Spaniard Carlos Sainz was eighth for McLaren and Daniil Kvyat ninth for Toro Rosso.