Behind Toprak, Spain's Alvaro Bautista from the Aruba.it team took second place and Australia's Remy Gardner from GYTR GRT Yamaha finished third in the 21-lap-race at the TT Circuit in Assen, the Netherlands.

Bautista leads the driver standings with 123 points, while Toprak moved up to second place with 117 points and Aruba.it's Nicolo Bulega is at the number three spot with 109 points.

Round 4 of the competition, the Emilia-Romagna Round, is set to be held in Italy on June 15-16.

*Writing by Selcuk Bugra Gokalp​​​​​​​

A French driver was injured when the assistance truck for the Sodicars team had caught fire after an engine explosion on Thursday.

"There is no criminal suspicion in the accident that occurred to a support team vehicle for one of the drivers participating in Rally Dakar 2022," the Saudi Interior Ministry said on Twitter.

The French Foreign Ministry, for its part, urged its citizens in Saudi Arabia to take maximum alertness from any security risks.

“An investigation by Saudi authorities is underway to determine the cause of this explosion. The possibility of a criminal act has not been ruled out," the ministry said in a statement.

The Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) said arrangements have been taken to return the French driver back to France.

"His vehicle was brought to a sudden halt by a sudden explosion, the origin of which is still unknown at this stage," ASO said in a statement.

“Given this uncertainty and as a precautionary measure, we have decided with the Saudi authorities to reinforce all the security measures that were already in force in previous years and have been renewed for this third edition of the Dakar in Saudi Arabia," the statement added.

Saudi Arabia hosts this year’s edition of the Dakar Rally from January 1 through 14.

"His Mercedes W12 has been fitted with a new internal combustion engine (ICE) and exhaust -- but the driver has only exceeded his allocation of new ICEs," the F1 said in a statement.

"Because he has exceeded his allocation of new engines, he's set to receive a 10-place penalty -- however, Hamilton came from sixth to win the 2020 Turkish GP," it added.

The season's 16th race will take place over 58 laps of the 5.4-kilometer (3.4 miles) Intercity Istanbul Park on Sunday, Oct. 10.

Hamilton currently holds the top spot in the driver standings with 246.5 points, while Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen ranks second with 244.5 points.

The Spanish rider was involved in a multi-rider accident at the Circuit of Jerez-Angel Nieto, Spain, and the race was immediately red flagged.

Medical vehicles quickly arrived at the site but despite their best efforts, it was announced that 15-year-old succumbed to his injuries.

Following the incident, the remainder action at Jerez has been cancelled.

The FIM, Dorna Sports and the Circuit of Jerez-Angel Nieto extended their deepest condolences from the official website of MotoGP.

Berta Vinales, cousin of MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales, was enjoying good form in his rookie season in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship.

He claimed a best of fourth place at Magny-Cours, France, in Race 2, backing it up with sixth in Barcelona-Catalonia Race 2 and having set the fastest lap in Race 1.

Kenyans lined up on busy highways to catch a glimpse of the rally cars being driven by not only Kenyan drivers but also world rally champions who had never rallied in Africa before.

Kiprop Kihara, one of the many rally enthusiasts who stood on the highways to watch the racing cars, told Anadolu Agency: “I am rooting for team Kenya. Our guests have never been to our roads, which are challenging to navigate. I wish all drivers a successful rally.”

Tabitha Joan Nduku, another spectataor, told Anadolu Agency: “I am taking an off from work because of the rally. Most of the activities are over the weekend, but I can’t wait to be part of this historic moment for Kenya.”

The World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari rally is back in Kenya for the first time since 1992 and will see competitors battling it out at the 48,000-acre (1,9425-hectare) Soysambu Conservancy against a backdrop of giraffes, wildebeest, elephants, zebras, lions and leopards among other wild animals.

- Road safety

While flagging off the vehicles, Kenyatta said that over the years the rally has maintained its rough and tough reputation. He welcomed the rally back to Kenya after nearly 20 years, noting that many industries had been affected by the exit of the WRC from Kenya.

“In 2002, Kenya’s safari rally was dropped from the WRC and downgraded to the Africa rally championship, adversely affecting the sport as well as the sectors related to the motor industry that had flourished before for many years. I look forward to witnessing the expertise of the rally drivers in the coming days,” he added.

Kenyatta said the government is using the race to spread awareness of road safety in Kenya and the adverse impacts of road accidents.

The rally has attracted a lot of local and foreign tourists, Kenya’s Minister for Sports Amina Mohamed told local media, adding Kenya is set to earn more than 6 billion Kenyan shillings ($55 million) due to the event.

Kenya’s Safari Rally was notorious for being the toughest route in the series renowned for almost impassable, hard to traverse, open, soft, bumpy, rocky and gravel roads.

The return of the World Rally Championship to Kenya and Africa comes 19 years after being removed from the calendar due to a lack of finance. The iconic rally was first held in Kenya in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

The mythical Safari Rally in Kenya will run through June 27.

The final day of Rally Turkey was completed in the Marmaris stage with the participation of 130 drivers from 19 countries.

Drivers competed to come first by racing in 12 special stages with a total length of 707 kilometers.

Belgian Thierry Neuville finished second with 2.43.37.9 and Sebastien Loeb, who became World Champion nine times, reserved the third place of the podium with 2.44.02.1.

Here are the leading times of the Turkish legs’ overall:

1- Elfyn Evans: 2.43.02.7

2- Thierry Neuville: 2.43.37.9

3- Sebastien Loeb: 2.44.02.1

4- Kalle Rovanpera : 2.45.38.6

5- Gus Greensmith: 2.47.11.0.38

Hamilton, 35, is one of Britain’s most successful sportsmen ever – a six-time world Formula 1 champion. Sunday’s race in Austria was his 85th career win, only six short of Michael Schumacher’s record. He is also the only black racing driver in the series.

Mercedes, his team, joined him before his latest race victory at the Styrian Grand Prix victory in Austria by taking the knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The team is also running its cars in black, rather than their usual silver, as part of its campaign.

Hamilton told Sky Sports: “It's not something I asked for them to do, but it's a beautiful thing. It doesn't take a lot to do something like that, and it's not changing the world, but perhaps shifting perceptions and shifting ideals. We'll just keep going.”

The Brit performed the black power salute – the right fist clenched in the air – twice: once on top of his Mercedes car, and a second time on the podium, making for powerful images that were widely shared on social media.

Before the Styrian Grand Prix, Hamilton took the knee alongside 11 other drivers. While all drivers wore anti-racism t-shirts for the second race in a row – four drivers stood, refusing to kneel, and four others were not present.

The decisions made by those four drivers sparked renewed debate over whether Formula 1 was showing the same commitment and unity to anti-racism as the Premier League and cricket.

'Ending racism'

Hamilton, while praising his own team, said other teams had to do more, singling out Ferrari.

“Formula One has come forward and said they are supporting ending racism, and it is amazing to see Mercedes are also doing that, but no other team has done a single thing,” said Hamilton.

“Red Bull mechanics have taken a knee, but if you look at Ferrari they have thousands of people working for them, but I have heard no word of Ferrari saying that they hold themselves accountable, and what they are going to do in the future.”

“A lot of work needs to go on in F1, the FIA need to be part of it, the drivers need to be a part of it. We are going to be fighting and pushing for it all year,” he said. “For me personally, this is going to be a lifelong thing.”

“We spoke about taking a knee in the drivers' briefing and what we intended to do. Some were asking how long we have to continue to do this. Some felt like doing it once last week was enough,” he said.

“I just had to encourage them and say that racism is going to be around for longer than our time here. People of colour who are subjected to racism don't have time to take a moment to protest once and then for that to be it.”

Hamilton called for continued efforts to push for equality and raise awareness of racism.

Hamilton, who led team mate Valtteri Bottas in both of Friday's sessions, resumed his position at the top with a fastest effort of one minute 04.130 seconds around the Red Bull Ring.

Bottas was 0.147 slower on a sunny day, with Mercedes given a boost overnight when stewards rejected a Red Bull protest against the champions' new Dual Axis Steering (DAS) system.

Latifi, the only newcomer on the grid this season, brought out the red flags when he speared into the tyre wall at turn one and spun.

The Canadian reported he was fine but the car's medical light came on and his session was ended.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who will be chasing a hat-trick of Austrian wins on Sunday, was third fastest -- but 0.413 slower than Hamilton -- with Mexican Sergio Perez fourth for Racing Point whose pink car is a 2019 Mercedes lookalike.

"We've made progress with the car overnight, I think it's more representative of where we're at," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner, whose team have never started on pole at their home circuit.

"Mercedes look very strong."

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who started on pole at the Red Bull Ring last year, was fifth fastest and ahead of Verstappen's team mate Alexander Albon with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in seventh place.

Ferrari have acknowledged design issues with their car but will not have performance upgrades ready until the third round in Hungary.

Leclerc said on Friday they were losing speed in the corners.

"The balance was quite good but the overall grip of the car -- I guess it’s not only one thing, it’s also the full package that we need to upgrade," he said.

The Chinese Grand Prix was supposed to take place at the Shanghai International circuit on April 19 but was postponed until later in the year because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Formula One Management (FOM) still hope to run 15-18 races this year and have announced a revised and shortened provisional European schedule set to start in Austria without spectators on July 5.

"FOM asked us if it is possible for Shanghai to hold two races," Shanghai Administration of Sports director Xu Bin was quoted as saying by state news agency Xinhua.

"We have not made the final decision, depending on the potential changes of the epidemic situation."

The novel coronavirus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has now infected more than eight million people worldwide.

Beijing officials reported 27 new confirmed cases for June 15 on Tuesday, stoking fears of a second wave of the respiratory disease.

China has been cautious about resuming professional sport even as neighbouring South Korea, Japan and Taiwan have restarted soccer and baseball leagues.

The top-flight Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league will resume on Saturday in two central hubs in Qingdao and Dongguan but no fans will be present.

The Chinese Super League (CSL) soccer league, which was scheduled to get underway on Feb. 22, would resume in July "if everything goes well", Xinhua quoted Xu as saying.

Xu said the administration had been talking to many international sports organisations in recent months about hosting events in China's financial capital.

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix was cancelled hours before the opening practice session in March as the virus started to spread around the world.

The Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japan races were cancelled last Friday, joining four races already called off.

The death in Minneapolis triggered a wave of outrage and violent protests in the United States.

Hamilton, Formula One's first black world champion, spends much of his time in America and spoke out on the issue on Instagram on Sunday.

"I see those of you who are staying silent, some of you the biggest of stars yet you stay silent in the midst of injustice," wrote the Mercedes driver.

"Not a sign from anybody in my industry which of course is a white dominated sport. I’m one of the only people of colour there yet I stand alone," he added.

"I would have thought by now you would see why this happens and say something about it but you can’t stand alongside us. Just know I know who you ... are and I see you."

In a second post, Hamilton added: "I do not stand with those looting and burning buildings but those who are protesting peacefully. There can be no peace until our so called leaders make change."

Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo, who will cross to McLaren at the end of the season, said Floyd's death was "a disgrace" and called for unity against racism.

"Racism is toxic and needs to be addressed not with violence or silence but with unity and action," the Australian wrote on Instagram.

McLaren driver Lando Norris added a line to his profile on the Twitch streaming platform that said, "sign the !BLM petitions #BLACKLIVESMATTER"

Canadian Nicholas Latifi, who is due to drive for Williams this season, said on Twitter, "This has to stop #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd."

Formula One is set to introduce a $145 million budget cap for the 10 teams next year, with whistle-blowing seen as a component of that.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said on Tuesday the new platform https://fia-ethicsline.com/ind... would help safeguard "the integrity and reputation of motorsport and automobile mobility worldwide".

The main areas concern violations of the FIA's ethical principles, issues related to sporting integrity and/or manipulation of competitions and anti-doping regulations.

Full confidentiality will be assured. The FIA also warned that anyone found to have intentionally made a false or misleading claim to create harm could face disciplinary measures, including criminal charges.

Formula One had a controversy last season when the legality of Ferrari's engine was under scrutiny, with Italian media suggesting a whistleblower had made allegations.

The FIA and Ferrari eventually reached a confidential settlement, to the anger of rival teams.

The budget cap is due to be reduced further to $140 million in 2022 and $135 million from 2023.

Formula One has a history of whistleblowers providing important information.

A 2009 race-fixing scandal, when Renault were found to have ordered Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash deliberately to help team mate Fernando Alonso win, featured a whistleblower "Witness X" who had been aware of the plan and opposed it.

"The teams have, in a very crude sense, this internal policing going on because they know that this engineer will move to another team next season and you won't be able to retain that information," Formula One's managing director for motorsport Ross Brawn told SportsPro in March.

"So there's self-policing, there's a whistleblowing system, and there's a strong group of auditors."

The sport aims to kick off a season delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic with two back-to-back races without spectators at Austria's Red Bull Ring in July.

More races under similar conditions will then be held in Europe with the sport also hoping some races can happen in Asia, the Middle East and Americas.

Wurz, an Austrian, told Sky Sports television the drivers would rather race in front of a crowd but understood why that was not possible in such 'strange times'.

"I think no one in motorsport, no driver, and personally me definitely not, is a fan of 'ghost races'," added the former Benetton and McLaren driver.

"However all the drivers I have spoken to, and I’m constantly in talks with all of them, no one has said 'No, I don’t want to do it' or 'I feel it’s the wrong thing to do'.

"Ghost races are a means to get us back on track earlier than if we wait for fan-attended races. Therefore we are looking for ghost races, and all the drivers accept fully."

Formula One has so far seen three races cancelled, including the Monaco showcase that would have been this weekend, and seven postponed.

The plan is for teams, mostly Britain-based, to travel to Austria on charter flights and not to come into contact with the local population.

Wurz said holding races, even in such circumstances, was the right thing to do.

"Formula One is a global industry, and like every government in the world, we are all trying to kick-start the industry, the economy, because people, families, mortgages depend on it. And it’s the same in F1," he said.

The Italian team were not immediately available for comment.

Germany's best-selling tabloid Bild and Auto Motor und Sport both reported that the 32-year-old, who will be out of contract at the end of 2020, had rejected the terms offered in a new deal.

They said the separation with Ferrari, the sport's oldest and most successful team, could be announced officially on Tuesday.

Italy's Gazetta dello Sport newspaper recently reported Vettel being offered a one-year extension with a salary reduction.

Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015 after winning all his titles with Red Bull and dreaming of emulating his boyhood hero Michael Schumacher, who took five of his seven titles with the Maranello-based team.

The father of three told reporters last month that he could have a new deal done before the start of a season delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ferrari have said the German was their first choice to partner Charles Leclerc but reports in Italy said they wanted an answer by the end of April to ensure potential replacements were still available.

Leclerc, who won two races last year and is only 22, has a contract until 2024 and is seen as Ferrari's future and likely first champion since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

The Monegasque outperformed Vettel in his first season at Ferrari last year, finishing ahead of him overall and taking more points, poles, podiums and wins.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo, at Renault, and McLaren's Spaniard Carlos Sainz have both been mentioned in media reports as leading candidates to take one of the most coveted seats on the grid.

Both are also out of contract at the end of 2020.

Six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton has also been linked to Ferrari but has repeatedly indicated he intends to stay with Mercedes.

Formula One has deferred to 2022 a major technical rule change planned for 2021, meaning teams will use the same cars next year as this.

Ferrari appeared to be behind Mercedes on pace in pre-season testing but have not been able to run their car in race conditions due to the March 15 Australian opener being cancelled.

The sport hopes to get going behind closed doors in Austria in July.

Team Haas said two of its staff were tested for coronavirus and were confined to their hotel rooms after showing symptoms of a cold, while McLaren said one of its team members had self-isolated.

Formula One organisers have already postponed the Chinese race scheduled in April, while the Bahrain Grand Prix, the second stop on the calendar, will go ahead without spectators on March 22.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation announced measures on Wednesday to limit interaction with fans, including scrapping the traditional autograph sessions along Melbourne Walk, a path near the paddock where fans take selfies with the drivers as they pass by.

However, Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Andrew Westacott said on Monday there was "no chance" of a spectator ban at Albert Park, which is set to host thousands of fans from Thursday, when practice sessions and qualifying commence for lower-profile racing series at the street circuit.

Since Westacott's declaration, health authorities have confirmed multiple cases of community transmission in Melbourne and recorded a surge of infections in other Australian regions.

Two Melbourne schools were closed for containment efforts, including one two miles from the race circuit.

Some 86,000 spectators packed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday to watch Australia's cricketers beat India in the final of the Women's Twenty20 World Cup, but a slew of other local events have been cancelled or postponed.

American pop star Miley Cyrus pulled out of a bushfire charity relief concert scheduled at Albert Park on Friday, citing advice from U.S. health authorities.

Media pundits have questioned the wisdom of running the race, which involves thousands of staff and support personnel from across the globe, and lured more than 300,000 fans to Albert Park last year, according to organisers' estimates.

The words "STOP F1" were written in the skies above Sydney on Wednesday but it was unclear who was responsible for the sky-writing.

Renault cancelled a scheduled media Q+A session with drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon at Albert Park on Wednesday after the drivers made an appearance in the team's new livery.

"Of course it's all tricky at the moment, but we are trying to make the best of it," Red Bull driver Max Verstappen told reporters on Wednesday.

"Hopefully (race week) will not be too different. It's difficult to say at the moment."

Should Sunday's race go ahead without incident, it will provide a first look at the teams' pecking order after winter testing.

Champion Lewis Hamilton will kick off his bid to match Michael Schumacher's record of seven F1 championships, with his Mercedes team again expected to set the benchmark in their chase for a seventh successive constructors' title.

Red Bull, who placed third in last year's series, had a strong winter testing and may be poised to challenge Mercedes' dominance.

Ferrari head into the first race with some queries over their car's performance and the future of driver and four-times champion Sebastian Vettel, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

List of winners:

Sportsman of the Year: Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi

Sportswoman of the Year: Simone Biles

Team of the Year: South Africa Men's Rugby Team

Breakthrough of the Year: Egan Bernal

Comeback of the Year: Sophia Floersch

Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Oksana Masters

Action Sportsperson of the Year: Chloe Kim

Best Sporting Moment: 'Carried on the shoulders of a nation' – Sachin Tendulkar

Lifetime Achievement Award: Dirk Nowitzki

Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award: Spanish Basketball Federation

Laureus Sport for Good Award: South Bronx United

Britain has been wooing developers of autonomous vehicles, hoping to grab a slice of an industry it estimates could be worth around 900 billion pounds ($1.2 trillion) worldwide in 2035.

The Nissan LEAF vehicle undertook the 370 km journey from the Japanese carmaker's European technical centre in Cranfield, southern England, to its Sunderland factory in the north east, alongside conventional road users.

It included roads with no or minimal markings, junctions, roundabouts and motorways, using advanced positioning technology helped by GPS, radar and light detection and ranging equipment, allowing vehicles to navigate roads and obstacles.

“The ... project allowed us to develop an autonomous vehicle that can tackle challenges encountered on UK roads that are unique to this part of the world, such as complex roundabouts and high-speed country lanes with no road markings, white lines or kerbs," said Nissan Technical Centre Project Manager Bob Bateman.

The project, known as HumanDrive and led by Nissan as part of a consortium, also received government funding.

Nissan has previously said Britain’s flexible approach to testing autonomous vehicles helped it pick London for its first European tests in 2017 when a driverless vehicle travelled up to 50 miles per hour.

But the advancement of self-driving cars around the world has been hampered by safety concerns and problems regarding insurance liability.

"Safely completing the longest autonomous drive in Britain is an incredible achievement for Nissan and the HumanDrive consortium, and a huge step towards the rollout of driverless cars on UK streets," said junior business minister Nadhim Zahawi.

The sport will continue to work with its regional partner and local authorities to study the viability of potential alternative dates should the situation improve, the Formule E and FIA governing bodies said in statements on Sunday.

The race had been scheduled for March 21 in the coastal resort in Hainan province.

The outbreak of the flu-like virus has killed more than 300 people and infected more than 14,000 in China after it first emerged in Wuhan in Hubei province late last year.

Formula E said the decision was made jointly with the governing FIA and the Chinese federation of automobile and motorcycle sports to ensure the health and safety of travelling staff, participants and spectators.

The race would have been the sixth of the championship's 14 rounds, with Seoul in May and Jakarta in June now the only remaining Asian races.

Formula E Champions DS Techeetah are Chinese owned.

The move will put Formula One in the spotlight, with Shanghai due to host the Chinese Grand Prix on April 19 as the fourth round of what would be a record 22-race season.

That race is a much bigger event than city-focused Formula E and would normally be expected to draw a weekend crowd of more than 100,000 and bring in fans from outside China.

The sport's governing body last week said that it was monitoring the situation closely under the direction of medical commission president Professor Gerard Saillant.

"The FIA will evaluate the calendar of its forthcoming races and, if necessary, take any action required to help protect the global motorsport community and the wider public," it said.

The outbreak has affected numerous international sports events in China. Among them was the world indoor athletics championships scheduled to be held in Nanjing over March 13-15, which have now been postponed until next year.

Basketball, badminton and boxing qualifying tournaments for this year's Tokyo Olympics have also been postponed, rescheduled or moved, while an LPGA Tour golf tournament has been pushed back to next year.

"Yamaha and Rossi have mutually agreed that the personal decision whether the Italian will remain an active rider in the MotoGP World Championship in 2021 will be taken mid-2020," they said in a statement.

The team said in a statement on Friday that an initial shakedown run will take place in private at Silverstone circuit on Feb. 14.

The first of two official pre-season tests starts in Barcelona on Feb 19 with the opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 15.

Mercedes have won both the driver's and constructor's championships for the past six years but could face a tougher challenge from Ferrari and Red Bull in a season without major changes.

The British-based team have the same line-up with Finland's Valtteri Bottas again partnering Hamilton, winner of 11 races last year.

The Briton can equal Michael Schumacher's record seven championships and is poised to overtake the great Ferrari driver on career wins, with 84 to date. Schumacher retired with an unprecedented 91.

The 35-year-old said on Instagram that he planned to come back better than ever and was going to be "a machine this year, on another level than ever before".

The Briton, who has adopted a vegan lifestyle and become outspoken on the environment, posted a clip on social media of a scorched koala being tended to against a backdrop of smoke and flames.

The bushfires have left 26 people dead and killed or injured an estimated one billion animals.

"It saddens me deeply to know that over 1 billion animals in Australia died a painful death, no way out, not their fault," commented the Mercedes driver, who will start his bid for a record-equalling seventh title in Melbourne in March.

"My love of animals is no secret and I can't help but grieve for the defenceless animals thought to have died so far, pushing certain species closer to extinction."

The 35-year-old urged his 14 million followers on Instagram, and 5.6 million on Twitter, to "join me in thinking about the impact we are having on our planet".

"Let's work together to make small changes, and encourage our family and friends to do the same, so we can help shift the direction we’re going in," added Hamilton, who said he was donating to Wires Wildlife Rescue, WWF Australia and rural fire services.

Hamilton, who has a home in Colorado and has posted pictures of himself snowboarding in the mountains, did not specify in the post whether he had made his donation in U.S. dollars or Australian but Mercedes confirmed it was the former.

Renault's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo has also used social media to call for donations and saying he had contributed.

He said he would also be signing and raffling his racesuit from this year's Australian Grand Prix to raise more funds.

Other Australian sports figures and international tennis players in the country for tournaments ahead of the Australian Open have also raised funds in support of relief and recovery efforts.

($1 = 1.4594 Australian dollars)

The 42nd running of the world’s toughest off-road race will see 400 competitors to join the event in Jeddah.

Nearly three quarters of the race will take place on sand.

Dakar competitors must navigate their way through about 7,500 kilometers (4,660 miles).

The drivers will compete in five categories from cars, bikes, trucks, quads and UTVs (utility task vehicle) during the 12-day race.

It said a urine sample provided by the Aprilia rider at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Nov. 3 had shown an "adverse analytical finding of a non-specified substance under Section 1.1.a) Exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids."

Iannone, the winner of the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix, can request the analysis of his B sample, and he can be present when it is investigated.

The suspension puts Iannone's MotoGP future in doubt, with his contract with Aprilia running until the end of the 2020 season.

Iannone, who joined the team last year, has struggled to match team mate Aleix Espargaro for the majority of the 2019 season.

He finished with 43 points to Espargaro's 63, and his best finish was sixth place at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

Iannone's positive test marks the first official case of a potential doping offence in the grand prix paddock since 2012, when Moto2 rider Anthony West tested positive for methylhexanamine. West had his Moto2 results over an 18-month period voided retrospectively.

Hamilton's victory was his 11th of the 21 races this season and his career total reached 84 wins.

The 2019 Formula 1 World Championship ended on Sunday with the Round 21 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

In Abu Dhabi, Red Bull-Honda driver Max Verstappen came at second place while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished at third place.

The 55-lap Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held in the Yas Marina Circuit, at a 5,554-meter (18,221-feet) long circuit.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, 34, previously secured this year's title in the U.S. Grand Prix.

The Mercedes team had already won the 2019 constructors' title in the Japanese Grand Prix in October.

Driver Standings:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain): 413 points

2. Valtteri Bottas (Finland): 326

3. Max Verstappen (Netherlands): 278

4. Charles Leclerc (Monaco): 264

5. Sebastian Vettel (Germany): 240

Constructor Standings:

1. Mercedes: 739 points

2. Ferrari: 504

3. Red Bull: 417

4. McLaren: 145

5. Renault: 91

The 34-year-old Briton, now a six-time world champion, will be a free agent when his Mercedes deal runs out at the end of next year.

Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper reported Hamilton had twice met with Ferrari chairman John Elkann.

Asked at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix how he would feel about Hamilton talking to Ferrari, Wolff replied: "I'm totally OK with that.

"I think this is a free world and I recognise that everybody needs to explore career options, and make the best decision for themselves. Drivers and everybody else included."

Wolff said Mercedes needed to provide the drivers with the quickest car and if that happened, everything pointed to Hamilton staying even if nothing was certain.

"I have started to embrace the fact that everybody has objectives and needs to have the best possible opportunity for his career," said Wolff, who has been tipped as a replacement for Formula One head Chase Carey.

"In that respect, I am absolutely open for everybody to explore options."

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, a four-time world champion, will also be out of contract at the end of 2020. He has been beaten by 22-year-old team mate Charles Leclerc this year, prompting speculation he could leave or retire.

Mercedes' own future in Formula One is not guaranteed beyond 2020, with the German company competing in the electric Formula E series and parent Daimler investing heavily in electric vehicles.

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto praised Hamilton on Friday, saying he was happy the Briton would be on the market.

"You can also bet that if his chairman meets with him, he's not going to talk badly about that either," commented Wolff.

Hamilton, who qualified on pole position at Yas Marina, said it was the first compliment he could recall from Ferrari in 13 years.

"It has been a long, long time and a team that I've always appreciated over the years, so to earn their respect from someone from there who's obviously very high up is obviously not a bad thing," Hamilton said.

"I think they've got two great drivers so who knows what the driver market's going to be doing over the next year."

Citroen Racing said it had made the decision "due to the absence of a first-class driver available for (the) 2020 season" but commercial factors were also a major consideration.

The motorsport.com website said Ogier was expected to be announced as a Toyota driver on Monday.

Toyota's Estonian Ott Tanak won the driver's title in Spain last month, ending Ogier's six-year reign, but announced four days later that he was joining Hyundai for 2020.

Hyundai secured the manufacturers' crown when this month's season-ending Australian race was called off due to the threat of bushfires.

"Our decision to withdraw from WRC programme as early as end of 2019 follows on Sebastien Ogier's choice to leave Citroen Racing," said Citroen CEO Linda Jackson.

"We obviously have not wished this situation but we could not imagine 2020 season without Sebastien."

Citroen won nine successive drivers' titles with Sebastien Loeb and Ogier between 2004 and 2012 and eight manufacturers' championships.

This season they and Ogier, who had returned after starting out with Citroen in 2009, ended third overall in both championship standings.

The marque had been expected to leave the championship in the coming years anyway, with PSA Group stablemates Peugeot announcing last week their return to the World Endurance Championship in 2022 and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2023.

Citroen's premium DS brand is also a partner of champions Techeetah in the all-electric Formula E series, which is seen as a better fit for the auto industry's move towards future electrification.

Running three top level campaigns was considered too much of a stretch.

"When you see how much we need to push for the electrification of our brand and products and the marketing we need to push these cars on sales, it's really difficult for a brand like Citroen not to focus on this," Citroen team boss Pierre Budar told motorsport.com.

"And if the sporting discipline cannot help it's a real problem."

Finland's Esapekka Lappi, who also drove for Citroen this year, expressed disappointment at the decision.

"I'm not going to lie, this is very bad news for me, for us and whole rally family. I feel sorry for the staff and the fans," he said on Twitter. "Work has started to find other seat for next years. Not much time but I have a good and strong team around me."

Mercedes won the 2019 constructors title in the Japanese Grand Prix in October and the team's British driver Hamilton is close to earn this season's title in the U.S.

Hamilton tops the driver standings with 363 points.

His teammate Valtteri Bottas from Finland is currently in the second position with 289 points.

Charles Leclerc -- the 22-year-old Ferrari driver from Monaco -- earned 236 points to secure the third spot in standings.

The Round 19 of this season will be held at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas by 56 laps.

The 2019 season will end in United Arab Emirates with the Round 21.

2019 driver standings:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain): 363 points

2. Valtteri Bottas (Finland): 289

3. Charles Leclerc (Monaco): 236

4. Sebastian Vettel (Germany): 230

5. Max Verstappen (Netherlands): 220

- 2019 constructor standings:

1. Mercedes: 652 points

2. Ferrari: 466

3. Red Bull: 341

4. McLaren: 111

5. Renault: 73

Marquez, who sewed up his sixth MotoGP title and fourth in a row in Thailand three weeks ago, roared past Vinales on the straight as they entered the final lap at Phillip Island and held off his fellow Spaniard in a nerve-jangling finish.

Pushing his Yamaha hard to reel in Marquez, Vinales spun out at the Lukey Heights section of the seaside circuit, handing Briton Cal Crutchlow the runnerup spot on his non-works LCR Honda, with local hero Jack Miller third for Pramac Ducati.

"I knew that if I didn't give up, these four or five (final) laps, it would be possible (for) the victory," said Marquez, who started third on the grid.

"We took a gamble because we went with the soft rear (tyre). It was completely destroyed but OK, able to win the race."

Marquez's 55th premier class win moved him past Australian Mick Doohan to outright third in the all-time list behind Italian great Valentino Rossi (89) and Giacomo Agostini (68).

The relentless 26-year-old notched his fifth race win in succession, his best run since 2014.

Rossi placed eighth for Yamaha after qualifying fourth in his 400th race weekend.

Qualifying was staged on the morning of the race after being called off on Saturday due to safety concerns following Miguel Oliveira's crash amid high winds during practice.

An error on Marquez's final flying lap cost him a better position on the grid but his laser focus was restored by the time of the race.

In a furious start, Danilo Petrucci high-sided after brushing by Marquez on the first lap and he took out French rider Fabio Quartararo as he flew off his Ducati.

Petrucci rolled across track and gravel at high speed to raise fears for his safety but he got gingerly to his feet and limped away with the help of track staff.

Rossi avoided the mayhem and shot into a surprise lead but soon relinquished it to Crutchlow.

Vinales swiped the lead from Crutchlow with 18 laps left before Marquez aggressively barged his way past the Briton into second place to set up his late raid.

Marquez extended his championship lead to an unbeatable 375 points with two races remaining in Malaysia and on home soil in Valencia.

Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso, who finished seventh at Phillip Island, is second on 240 points.

They arrive every year, ride on motorbikes and set off to visit the historical and cultural sites, zoom past coastal roads in the sunshine and taste the delicious Turkish cuisine.

They have explored the ancient Phrygian Valley, Cappadocia region in the central Turkey and the ancient city of Ephesus in Izmir in Turkey’s Aegean region.

Next year in 2020, they plan to celebrate a decade of their Turkish adventures.

Back home they are engaged in different professions. But upon reaching Turkey, they are just riders. They are planning to undertake a tour of the Black Sea region in 2020 to mark a decade of their adventures.

“Generally, people in Turkey are hospitable and welcome us very well,” said biker Bidauff Dumaan.

“The mountains, plains, forests and highlands are all wonderful. We have a good time on these routes,“ he added.

The biker said that he had undertaken such trips in Spain, Belgium and Portugal. But the scenic beauty in Turkey and its changing nature after every 50 kilometers are unmatched and mesmerizing.

His friend Gerard Yeming described Turkey as an ideal country to be explored through a motorcycle.

Their German organizer, Zuche Bonder, is living in Turkey for past 30 years. “I can say that I fell in love with Turkey,” said Bonder.

The Spaniard, 98 points clear of closest rival Andrea Dovizioso with five races remaining and a sixth title beckoning, ended the day's second session at the Chang International circuit sixth fastest.

Marquez was flung off his bike after losing the rear with 10 minutes to go in the first session, landing heavily. He stayed down for a while, struggling to breathe, while the Honda was badly damaged.

He was taken to the circuit medical centre and then to hospital in nearby Buriram for checks before being cleared to continue.

"Fortunately he is OK," Repsol Honda team boss Alberto Puig told reporters. "We went to the hospital and they did an MRI and everything looks fine.

"Of course, he had some contusions in the back and also in the leg, and also here in the hip a little bit, but nothing to be worried about. We were lucky for today.

"We will continue with the plan and he will have some treatment probably, some massage or something," added the Spaniard.

Puig said the rider had been on the outside line and the tyre probably picked up some dirt.

When Marquez returned to the track he was fastest for a while before slipping down the order as the Yamahas found their pace.

French rider Fabio Quartararo topped the timesheets at the end of the day for Petronas Yamaha, ahead of factory Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales and Petronas team mate Franco Morbidelli.

Australian Jack Miller was fourth quickest for Pramac Ducati, ahead of Yamaha's Italian great Valentino Rossi. Dovizioso was eighth.

Marquez will take the title, his fourth in a row, on Sunday if he scores two points more than Dovizioso.

The Spaniard won from pole position in Thailand last year and also set the fastest lap of the race. Dovizioso finished second.

Ogier's team-mate Esapekka Lappi finished second with 3:50:46.8 after showing dominance in first two days. Lappi lost the leading position to Ogier on Saturday.

Underlining the importance of Sunday's points for Ogier's championship battle, Lappi said Saturday that he would rather support than challenge him.

Andreas Mikkelsen reserved the third place of the podium with 3:51:16.6 in his Hyundai i20.

Mikkelsen's team-mate Ott Tanak, who came to the rally as the championship leader, said an early goodbye on the Day 2 due to a technical problem in his car at Datca 1 (SS9) stage.

The Estonian returned to fight on the Wolf Power Stage, Marmaris 2 stage (SS17) -- the final leg of the Rally Turkey and finished fastest with 4:55.2.

These critical 5 points may secure Tanak's leading position on the championship charts, while Ogier melted down the 33-point-gap.

Thierry Neuville, formerly placed second at the championship, couldn't change its eighth position at the final day as well.

Rally Turkey is set to be followed by Rally England, Spain, and Australia.

The four-day Rally Turkey will be held in the Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris and features 17 special stages (SS) and 310.1 competitive kilometers in a route of 988.5 km.

According to the race's website, there are several minor revisions to the format from 2018, including the introduction of a 17-km Kizlan stage (SS10 and SS13) that winds its way around the coastline. Also, the Cicekli Stage (SS16) has been moved from Friday to Sunday morning and will be run in the opposite direction from 2018 ahead of the Wolf Power Stage finale.

The rally will wave the starting flag with a ceremonial start at Marmaris Square, followed by a super special stage to attract thousands of spectators before Friday's on-stage action.

Teams will face six special stages on Friday and Saturday.

Although a short stage by rally standards, Datca offers incredible scenery and spectacular backdrops to the sea.

Two runs through the 7.22 km Marmaris stage -- the second acting as the Wolf Power Stage -- Gokce (11.32 km) and Cicekli (13.20 km) will ensure the final section on Sunday.

Rally Turkey first joined the WRC calendar in 2003 and was held until 2010 before returning to the calendar in 2018. On the event’s return last year, Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja claimed a 22.3-second victory in their Toyota Yaris WRC.

The official candidate event in 2017 was won by the Turkish duo of Orhan Avcioglu and Burcin Korkmaz.

As the rally is entering its last four races, every point is important for the championship battle. Rally Turkey is set to be followed by Rally England, Spain, and Australia.

Here are the points standings of the top 10 WRC drivers:

1. Ott Tanak 205 Toyota

2. Thierry Neuville 172 Hyundai

3. Sebastien Ogier 165 Citroen

4. Kris Meeke 80 Toyota

5. Andreas Mikkelsen 79 Hyundai

6. Elfyn Evans 78 Ford

7. Jari-Matti Latvala 74 Toyota

8. Teemu Suninen 70 Ford

9. Dani Sordo 62 Hyundai

10. Esapekka Lappi 62 Citroen

The competition will be held at the Monza Eni Circuit, whose length is 5,793 meters (3,599 miles), comprising 53 laps.

The qualifying round will take place in Monza city on Saturday and the race will start at 03.10 p.m. local time (1310GMT) on Sunday.

The leader of the last five seasons, Mercedes lead in both the Driver and Constructor Standings after winning 10 out of 13 races.

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton, who has five world championships, won eight races while his teammate Valtteri Bottas was victorious in two races.

Red Bull-Honda's Dutch driver Max Verstappen won two races as Ferrari won its first victory with 21-year-old Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc.

- Driver Standings:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain): 268 points

2. Valtteri Bottas (Finland): 203

3. Max Verstappen (Netherlands): 181

4. Sebastian Vettel (Germany): 169

5. Charles Leclerc (Monaco): 157

- Constructor Standings:

1. Mercedes: 471 points

2. Ferrari: 326

3. Red Bull: 254

4. McLaren: 82

5. Toro Rosso: 51

Frenchman Gasly will take rookie Albon's place at Toro Rosso, a team also owned by Red Bull.

Zarco, a double Moto2 champion and MotoGP rookie of the year in 2017, joined at the end of last year from Tech3 Yamaha on a two-year contract but the partnership has struggled.

"Zarco tried to adapt his riding style to the KTM RC16 and the team tried relentlessly to mould the #5 machine to the Frenchman's wishes and requirements," KTM said in a statement.

"Ultimately both Johann and the team decided not to proceed with their joint project for 2020 and will now focus on giving the maximum for the final eight rounds and remaining months of MotoGP 2019."

Zarco, 29, is 17th in the standings with a mere 22 points after Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix while Spanish team mate Pol Espergaro is 11th with 61.

The team will be renamed Arrow McLaren Racing SP, entering two Chevrolet-powered cars in next year's championship. No drivers were mentioned.

Former Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran, the sporting director of McLaren Racing, will lead a dedicated group independent of the Formula One team.

McLaren last competed full-time in the IndyCar championship in 1979.

"This team provides McLaren with the right synergy as a strategic partner for our return to the sport. We believe together we can help each other achieve our mutual ambitions," said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown in a statement.

"We come to IndyCar in full respect of the sport, our competitors, the fans and the task ahead."

McLaren have been mulling a full campaign since their failure to qualify Spaniard Fernando Alonso for this year's Indianapolis 500.

Alonso has targeted Indianapolis as the only race between him and becoming only the second driver after the late Briton Graham Hill to win the so-called "Triple Crown of Motorsport".

The double Formula One world champion has won the Monaco Grand Prix and Le Mans 24 Hours.

McLaren made a catalogue of errors at Indianapolis this year, from having to scrounge a steering wheel at short notice to missing vital track time because the spare car was the wrong shade of orange and was elsewhere being resprayed.

Brown said after that fiasco that he would make sure he got all the right people in the right places before McLaren's next attempt.

"IndyCar is a natural fit for McLaren, given our legacy and determination to succeed at the top levels of international motorsport," said De Ferran.

"Our ambition, over time, is to consistently compete for wins and championships. We acknowledge the challenge ahead of us but McLaren is committed to this partnership and to supporting the team as a whole."

The Times newspaper reported that Formula One and the 10 teams would seek reassurance on issues including human rights, gender equality and media freedom before any race could happen.

Multiple informed sources confirmed to Reuters the substance of the report.

They added, however, that Formula One had discussions with many would-be hosts around the world which ultimately came to nothing.

The Times suggested a Saudi race could become a reality as soon as 2021, with the schedule already expected to stretch to a record 22 races in 2020.

Formula One and the teams are discussing major sporting and technical rule changes from 2021 and Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto said in Hungary at the weekend that could see an expansion to 24 races.

A Formula One source said that was more to allow flexibility, replacing the existing rule that states teams must agree to expand the calendar beyond 21 races rather than being a target number.

The Middle East already hosts two races, at Sakhir in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina, with lucrative long-term contracts in place.

Bahrain was the first in 2004 but the race has proved controversial, with rights groups accusing the country's rulers of using it to 'whitewash' abuses and improve their image abroad.

Saudi Arabia has come under heightened international criticism over its human rights record after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered by Saudi operatives inside its Istanbul consulate last October.

The kingdom lifted a ban on women driving only last year.

Formula One published a commitment in 2015 to respect "internationally recognised human rights in its operations globally".

Should the talks with Saudi Arabia move up a level, the kingdom would likely be looking at a third regional slot.

This year, Bahrain was the second round of the season after Australia, while Abu Dhabi will be the final round in early December.

Any Saudi race would likely need to be separated from the other two regional rivals to protect their investment and the uniqueness of the event.

Formula One is broadcast live and free-to-air in the Middle East and North Africa region under a five-year deal struck last March with MBC Group, founded by Saudi businessman Waleed al-Ibrahim.

The rights previously belonged to Qatar's BeIN media group, which blamed broadcast piracy of its pay TV feed as a reason for not renewing.

Saudi Arabia already features on the all-electric Formula E calendar and hosted its first race last year on a street circuit at Ad Diriyah, near Riyadh.

Saudi companies have been involved in Formula One in the past, with Albilad and the national airline Saudia sponsoring Williams to their first title in 1980.

Formula One's U.S.-based commercial rights holders Liberty Media have stated already that they want to add races in the United States, with Miami in line to join the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, and China -- both key markets for the sport's growth.

There have also been talks with Argentina, South Africa and Morocco, with Africa the only major inhabited continent currently without a race.

Europe, the sport's historic heartland, currently has 11 rounds of the championship when Russia and Azerbaijan are included.

The 20-year-old German started from pole position on a reverse grid after finishing eighth in Saturday's feature race and led all the way to the chequered flag at the Hungaroring, where his father won four times.

The Ferrari academy driver raised a huge cheer as he took the chequered flag in front of a crowd containing plenty of the Italian team's fans ahead of the Formula One race later on Sunday.

"It is very special," he said of a win at the circuit where his father, who has not been seen in public since he suffered head injuries in a 2013 skiing accident, clinched his fourth title in 2001 with Ferrari.

"My mother, my whole family is actually here; Mom, my sister and her boyfriend and my grandma as well," added a smiling Schumacher. "I'm very happy that they are here and I've got support."

Japan's Nobuharu Matsushita finished 1.4 seconds behind the Prema team driver after a race-long battle at a circuit where overtaking is always a challenge, with Brazilian Sergio Sette Camara third.

Schumacher, last year's F3 winner and tipped for an eventual future in Formula One, had previously not finished higher than fourth in Formula Two.

"Once you get that win in, it gives you more confidence to go into the next round," said Schumacher. "We had a lot of pressure... we had some strong performances but not enough points."

The breakthrough victory comes after Schumacher drove his father's 2004 title-winning Formula One Ferrari in a demonstration at the German Grand Prix last weekend.

Tens of thousands of his compatriots are expected to make the journey to Budapest to support the country's first and only Formula One driver at what is the closest thing to a home race for the 34-year-old.

With Kubica absent from 2010 until this year due to a near-fatal rally crash, the Polish flags are out in force at the circuit where the Williams driver made his debut with BMW Sauber in 2006.

"I knew Robert was popular but I don't think I quite realised how popular," Claire Williams, deputy principal of the last-placed team, told Reuters on Friday.

"Every race we've been to, the Polish fans seem to be following him around the world and bringing their big banners. For us at the moment, that's just a really nice thing to happen," she added.

"I'm really looking forward to this weekend and seeing all his fans out there. I think it will be lovely for him as well. And he deserves it.

"In a year when the dark clouds are hanging quite heavy (over the team), you've got to take any positives, haven't you?"

Kubica won the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix and, hailed as a potential champion, was set for a Ferrari future before he partially severed his right forearm in the 2011 accident in Italy.

His return to a race seat this year had all the ingredients of a feel-good story until it became apparent that Williams were an age off the pace.

The Pole has been a backmarker, regularly lapped and having to look in his mirrors and move aside for the faster cars coming through.

He has also lost out to George Russell, his British rookie team mate and last year's Formula Two champion, who has beaten him in nine races out of 11.

The 10th place at last weekend's German Grand Prix in Hockenheim was Williams' first point of the year but possible only because the Alfa Romeo drivers who finished ahead were hit with post-race penalties and were demoted out of the points.

Alfa Romeo have appealed and could win the points back. Kubica is a realist about the situation and what the fans can expect.

"I would like to pay them back for their support with a good performance but I think this will be quite difficult, looking at the season up to now," he said.

"But still it's great to see such big support, not only in Formula One, they have been around also when I was rallying, when I was doing some other racing series. Hopefully they will enjoy their weekend."

Hamilton had said he could not wait to be back in the car after recovering from a bug that laid him low in Germany last weekend and he wasted no time in getting back up to speed.

The Briton, who has won in Hungary a record six times and has a 41-point lead over Bottas in the standings, lapped the Hungaroring with a best time of one minute 17.233 seconds under cloudy skies.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was second on the timesheets, 0.165 slower, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel occupying the third place and only a thousandth of a second behind the 21-year-old Dutchman.

Verstappen, who spun twice in the session, has won two of the last three races, including the chaotic wet thriller at Hockenheim.

Hamilton is eager to put that race behind him after starting on pole, hitting the barriers, spinning and collecting a time penalty before finishing 11th and then being promoted back to ninth.

The five-times world champion won from pole in Hungary last year.

Verstappen's French team mate Pierre Gasly was fourth fastest, with Kevin Magnussen fifth for Haas and Charles Leclerc sixth for Ferrari.

Bottas was sidelined after two incomplete laps, Mercedes having detected an untraceable problem with his power unit and deciding to swap it out of the car for another in the pool of engines.

The lost track time was another setback for the Finn, who crashed out in Hockenheim just when he looked likely to make inroads into his team mate's championship lead.

Hungary is the last race before Formula One's August break and the 12th of 21 rounds.

"After this incident, we decided to join a team that respects us," Razgatlıoğlu told Anadolu Agency on Thursday after the team did not give him a chance to compete in Sunday's race in Suzuka, Japan.

Kawasaki had three riders in the 8-hour endurance race -- Jonathan Rea, Razgatlıoğlu, and Leon Haslam -- but Razgatlioglu never got a chance to ride.

Each team in the race had two or three riders, rotating during pit-stops.

"Everyone supports us and criticizes Kawasaki," Razgatlioglu said after the race.

Saying he expects to jump ship to Yamaha, he added: "We spoke with them and got positive feedback. They also want us."

Kawasaki Racing Team was declared as the Suzuka 8 Hours 2019 winner even though their rider Jonathan Rea was unable to reach the finish line after a very late crash.

"Following a statement from the FIM race direction regarding the provisional classification, the race results have been amended. The provisional winner of the #Suzuka8hours is #10 Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H," the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) said in a Twitter post.

"Despite the crash, and although Jonathan Rea did not reach the finish line, Kawasaki Racing Team were declared the winners in accordance with the rule stating that in case the race is stopped when the red flag is waved, the standings reflect positions on the previous lap," the FIM EWC said on website.

Rea was dominating the Suzuka 8 Hours on Sunday but was off the track near the end of this race.

The Yamaha Factory Racing Team -- composed of Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark and Katsuyuki Nakasuga -- was previously said to be the winner in Suzuka, celebrating their victory on the podium.

Kawasaki Racing Team had three riders in Suzuka, Rea, Razgatlioglu and Leon Haslam but Razgatlioglu didn't join Sunday's race.

Sponsored by world famous beverage Coca-Cola, the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race is annually held in Japan's 5.8 kilometer long (3.6 miles) Suzuka Circuit as this competition lasts for eight hours. Each team in this race has two or three riders, who change during pitstops.

After Sunday's investigation, the Kawasaki Racing Team had their first Suzuka title since 1993, ending the four back-to-back wins of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team.

Meanwhile the Team SRC Kawasaki France became the world champion of 2019 as Jeremy Guarnoni, Erwin Nigon and David Checa helped the French team earn this year's Endurance World Championship title.

Team Ineos' Bernal, 22, became the first Colombian national to win a Tour de France in history.

"The first Colombian to win @LeTour is also the youngest-ever winner of the yellow jersey!" Team Ineos said in a Twitter post to honor Bernal.

Bernal celebrated his Tour de France victory with his family, hugging them to share the emotion.

This year's Tour de France ended in Paris with the 128-kilometer long (79.5 miles) final stage between Rambouillet and Champs-Elysees.

Lotto Soudal team's Australian cyclist Caleb Ewan won the final stage in Paris.

Ewan completed this stage in three hours, four minutes and eight seconds.

"It’s unbelievable. Just to roll down the Champs-Elysees is such a surreal feeling!" Ewan said after winning the final stage.

"It was quite a messy sprint today. I was quite far back. I waited and I just ran out of wheel. I went to the right hand side and I was lucky that I had enough speed at the end. Eight years ago on my first visit to the Champs-Elysees I said I’d win here one day, it’s fantastic that it already happens on my first Tour!" 25-year-old Ewan added.

- Tour de France 2019 General Classification top three:

1. Egan Bernal (Team Ineos): 82 hours and 57 minutes

2. Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos): 1 minute and 11 seconds

3. Steven Kruijswijk (Team Jumbo-Visma): 1 minute and 31 seconds

Razgatlioglu will become the first Turkish rider to race in the Suzuka 8 Hours, the Turkish Motorcycling Federation said on Tuesday.

The Suzuka 8 Hours is a motorcycle endurance race held each year in Suzuka, Japan since 1978.

British riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam will be Toprak's teammates on the Kawasaki Racing Team for the competition.

Toprak will participate in the test tour with the Kawasaki ZX-10RR motorcycle on Wednesday and Thursday and is set to face the qualifying on Friday.

The qualifying stage will determine the positions of the racers for Sunday's final.

The 42nd edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours will take place at the Suzuka Circuit on Sunday, July 28.

Leclerc lapped with a best time of one minute 25.905 seconds on soft tyres in cold and drizzly conditions, 0.026 quicker than his four times champion team mate who won at Silverstone last season.

Hamilton, winner of four of the last five races at Silverstone, put in a best lap of 1:25.954 with Red Bull's Pierre Gasly fourth and again quicker than team mate Max Verstappen.

The top three were separated by just 0.049 of a second, pointing to a tight battle in the afternoon's qualifying session. Hamilton has been on pole at the former World War Two airfield for the past four years.

Valtteri Bottas, fastest on Friday for Mercedes, was only sixth on the timesheets.

The bearded Finn is 31 points adrift of five times world champion Hamilton after nine of 21 races, eight of them won by Mercedes. Verstappen won the previous round in Austria.

British teenage rookie Lando Norris was again impressive for Renault-powered McLaren in seventh place and ahead of the Renault factory team pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo.

Season one winner Rudy Van Buren, previously a sales manager in the Netherlands, won a year as simulator driver with the McLaren Formula One team.

Competition founder Darren Cox said the message coming through from the esports world was that gamers wanted more.

"These gamers at the end of the day want to go racing," he said on Wednesday. "So we thought - let's not go against what everyone wants, let's push it and have the real racing as the prize."

Cox has plenty of experience of that, having created the GT Academy programme that took 23 people from gaming to racetrack with Nissan:

"The big prize for the gamers in GT Academy was one race ... this time we're saying we're confident we'll find someone who's good enough and who will do a full season in Aston Martins at the biggest tracks in the world."

The winner from 10 finalists - eight of them champions from top motor racing esports series and two separate qualifiers - will become a professional racing driver with Swiss-based R Motorsport, who work closely with Aston Martin.

Van Buren will also be racing a full season as team mate to the winner. Cox said the prize of a full season was worth more than $1 million.

The circuits will include Monza, Le Castellet, Brands Hatch, Nurburgring, as well as 24-Hour endurance races at Spa-Francorchamps and Daytona.

Montoya, who won seven Formula One grands prix with Williams and McLaren, is also a keen online racer and still practises on simulators.

Cox said he had started talking to the outspoken Colombian about gaming when they met at Daytona a year ago and he was "fully up for it".

"I know the skills between real and virtual are completely transferable, so my job on WFG is to make sure these gamers are hungry and perform under the pressure I intend to put them under," Montoya said.

The Formula 1 officials declared the winner in Austria several hours after the race in Red Bull Ring, Spielberg had finished.

It was viewed whether Verstappen unfairly forced his rival, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc off the track near the end of Sunday's race.

Verstappen, 21, won the Austrian Grand Prix in one hour and 22 seconds as Leclerc was only 2.7 seconds behind him.

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas came third as the gap between Verstappen and Bottas was 18.9 seconds.

Verstappen earned this season's first win but it was the sixth victory in his career.

The upcoming race of this season, the British Grand Prix will be held on July 14.

- Austrian Grand Prix top 10:

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda)

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

4. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

6. Lando Norris (McLaren-Renault)

7. Pierre Gasly (Red Bull-Honda)

8. Carlos Sainz (McLaren-Renault)

9. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo-Ferrari)

10. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo-Ferrari)

- 2019 Driver Standings:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain): 197 points

2. Valtteri Bottas (Finland): 166

3. Max Verstappen (Netherlands): 126

4. Sebastian Vettel (Germany): 123

5. Charles Leclerc (Monaco): 105

- Constructor Standings:

1. Mercedes: 363 points

2. Ferrari: 228

3. Red Bull: 169

4. McLaren: 52

5. Renault: 32

The deadline for the Formula One team to lodge a formal protest is Thursday evening, 96 hours after the end of the race in Montreal.

A Ferrari spokeswoman said they were still working on collecting evidence, and could not confirm what action was being taken.

A source at the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) told Reuters the team would not be making a formal appeal.

The Daily Mail newspaper earlier reported that Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto had written to the FIA to say the team would not protest the five-second penalty applied to Vettel's time after the race.

The team had given notice of their intention to appeal on Sunday, with Vettel leading from start to finish but losing out to Mercedes' championship leader Lewis Hamilton after the chequered flag.

"They are stealing the race from us," Vettel, a four times world champion, had said over the radio when told he was under investigation for going off track and returning in what was deemed to be a dangerous fashion, forcing Hamilton to take evasive action.

The stewards' decision triggered an immediate controversy with some defending the penalty while others felt the officials had killed off an exciting race by over zealous application of the rules.

Some ex-drivers, who felt Vettel could have done nothing different, questioned whether the current rules were fit for purpose with Formula One trying to encourage better and more entertaining racing.

"He stayed ahead the entire race, he crossed the chequered flag first, for us he’s the moral winner. We won today," said Binotto at the time.

The sporting regulations do not allow for in-race penalties to be appealed but Ferrari could still seek a review of the stewards' actions under article 14.1.1 of the FIA's International Sporting Code.

This allows for further action in the event of any "significant and relevant new element" coming to light that was not available to those seeking the review at the time of competition.

If Ferrari followed that course, they would have 14 days since the publication of the final race classification to produce fresh evidence.

The stewards then have sole discretion to determine whether such a significant and relevant new element existed, with their decision final.

Austrian Lauda, who was treated in hospital in January for about 10 days while suffering from influenza and had a lung transplant last August, died on Monday night, his family said in a statement.

"His unique achievements as an athlete and entrepreneur are and will remain unforgettable," the statement said.

"His tireless zest for action, his straightforwardness and his courage remain a role model and a benchmark for all of us, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather away from the public, and he will be missed."

Lauda won two world championships in 1975 and 1977 with Ferrari and a third in 1984 with McLaren.

He had a near-fatal crash in 1976 when racing at the Nuerburgring but despite suffering horrific burns, he was soon back in his Ferrari with a modified helmet and went on to claim his second world title.

His rivalry with British driver James Hunt, the 1976 champion for McLaren, was intense and became the subject of the acclaimed 2013 film "Rush".

After two less successful years at rival outfit Brabham and then a two-year hiatus, Lauda returned to F1 for another four seasons at McLaren and won the 1984 title by a half-point over team mate Alain Prost.

While taking his first break after Brabham, Lauda set up a charter airline and returned to his aviation business full-time after bowing out of racing.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, he grew 'Lauda Air' into an international carrier with long-haul flights out of Austria across the globe before it was merged into Austrian Airlines in 2012.

Lauda also returned to Formula One in management roles, first with Ferrari in the 1990s and later with Mercedes, where he was appointed non-executive chairman in 2012.

He is credited for helping bring five-times F1 champion Lewis Hamilton to the team from McLaren.

"His passing leaves a void in Formula One," Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We haven't just lost a hero who staged the most remarkable comeback ever seen, but also a man who brought precious clarity and candour to modern Formula One. He will be greatly missed as our voice of common sense.

"Our Mercedes team has also lost a guiding light ... Niki was always brutally honest - and utterly loyal.

"Niki, you are quite simple irreplaceable, there will never be another like you."

Lauda's death rocked the F1 community days before the Monaco Grand Prix, the jewel in the racing calendar, and there were warm tributes paid by drivers past and present as well as the two teams he won world titles with.

"Your passing leaves an enormous void inside me," former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo said in a statement.

"With you I have lived some of the most beautiful moments of my life, we shared many unforgettable Ferrari victories and we were always bound together by great affection, even when we found each other competing on rival teams."

The race is sure to be well attended with Red Bull's Max Verstappen, 21, boasting a huge following as his country's most successful driver and Formula One's youngest ever race winner.

Dutch beer giant Heineken will be the title sponsors and the hosting agreement is with a partnership of SportVibes, TIG Sports and Circuit Zandvoort.

"From the beginning of our tenure in Formula One, we said we wanted to race in new venues, while also respecting the sport's historic roots in Europe," said Formula One chairman Chase Carey in a statement.

"Next season therefore, we will have a brand new street race that will be held in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, as well as the return to Zandvoort, after an absence of 35 years.

"We've seen a resurgence of interest in Formula One in Holland, mainly due to the enthusiastic support for the talented Max Verstappen, as seen from the sea of orange at so many races," he added.

Verstappen is third overall in the championship after finishing third in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, with plenty of supporters in attendance.

"It's just an iconic, historic track," he said.

"I have raced there before with F3 and it was a lot of fun. I compare the track a little bit with Suzuka... It's a pretty quick track and it's always good and exciting to have new ones on the calendar."

"It's very cool, and with no run off, it's quite hard to find the limit. On some other tracks it's a bit easier but that also makes it more exciting."

Next year's race will be the 31st time the Dutch Grand Prix has been part of the Formula One World Championship, with Zandvoort making its first appearance on the calendar in a 1952 race won by Ferrari's Alberto Ascari.

Video: Dutch Grand Prix back on F1 calendar after 35 years

The late British world champion Jim Clark won there a record four times.

The last Dutch Grand Prix was in 1985.

"I think a Dutch Grand Prix, with the popularity of Verstappen, is going to be immense. I think that's positive for Formula One," Red Bull boss Christian Horner told reporters at the weekend.

The race deal is the second, after Vietnam, negotiated by U.S.-based Liberty Media since taking over the sport in 2017 and ousting former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

The French Grand Prix at the southern Le Castellet circuit returned in 2018 after a 10-year absence but that deal was done by Ecclestone.

Hamilton, 34, has a contract with Mercedes until the end of 2020, by which time he could have equalled Ferrari great Michael Schumacher's unprecedented seven titles and broken other records.

"You have to simply acknowledge that probably it’s in every driver’s head to drive at Ferrari one day," Wolff told reporters at the Spanish Grand Prix.

"It’s the most iconic, historic Formula One brand out there and I totally respect if a driver has the desire to drive at Ferrari.

"Even within the team we have discussed it and with Lewis we have discussed it and we have agreed on the topic," added the Austrian.

"We had the discussion when we negotiated the last contract and I think that you just have to be open-minded and understand that drivers will explore opportunities that exist and benchmark themselves."

Wolff said there was no suggestion at present that the Briton wanted to move.

Hamilton has won four of his titles with the German manufacturer after his first, in 2008, with McLaren.

"I think we are providing him with a car that is capable of achieving his objectives. If we continue to have a car that is performing on that level I think there is no reason to go and we would really love him to stay," said Wolff.

"And if one day ways part, it will be very positive and each of us will try to achieve success with a different setup. So no drama."

Hamilton's boyhood idol Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian triple champion who died 25 years ago, had expressed a desire to race for Ferrari but never felt they could offer a winning car.

Ferrari last won a drivers' title in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen, and have been eclipsed this season by Mercedes, who have racked up one-two finishes in the first four races after winning both championships for the past five years.

Asked about any Mercedes interest in Ferrari's four times champion Sebastian Vettel, Wolff said: "Why not Sebastian?

"I think you need to consider there are probably six or seven drivers out there that have the skill and the intelligence to deserve to be in a race and championship-winning car," he added.

"Two of them are with us and I hope it goes forever. There are a few others that we really enjoy watching perform. And Sebastian is definitely one of them."

Wolff's own future has been the subject of speculation, with sources linking him to a future role at Formula One's owners Liberty Media or the governing FIA.

The Austrian, who has been talked of as a possible replacement for Formula One chairman Chase Carey post-2020, acknowledged there was a lot of talk but said he was relishing his role at Mercedes.

"I am in a super situation...I’m a shareholder in the team, I love to be with the people, the relationship matters to me. I am in a happy place and motivated every single day I do this," he said.

"I think with all the other discussions you are having, with drivers for example, you need to be 100% with your head in your role. This is what I am. I haven’t contemplated any change beyond 2020."

The 21-year-old Red Bull driver qualified fifth but felt he could have been higher had he not slowed due to Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and the two Renaults overtaking as he was teeing up a final effort.

Vettel qualified third, with team mate Charles Leclerc fourth. Mercedes swept the front row with Valtteri Bottas on pole and Lewis Hamilton alongside.

"I was just trying to follow the Ferrari in front of me and trying to be nice. I could also have overtaken him but it’s just not what you do in qualifying," the Dutchman told reporters after calming down.

He had earlier vented his frustration over the radio with plenty of swearing.

"This time it caught me out. So of course I’m not happy about that but it will swing around and it will come back to others as well sometimes," he added.

"It’s annoying because we could have fought for third today but now we just have to do some more overtaking."

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said it had been an unfortunate outcome.

"Max was in a good position and then Sebastian passed him around the outside and then he hung back not to get into Sebastian’s dirty air and the Renaults passed him and he hung back again," he told Sky Sports television.

"Unfortunately, the clock ticking down the way it was, he didn’t make it to the line in time. It was a shame because it would have been a good opportunity to try and improve there. I think we could have made the second row today."

Vettel, a four times champion with Red Bull, defended his behaviour and said it had been a question of traffic and everyone leaving at the same time for the same spot.

"If you’re at the end of the train, which I was, then it was quite difficult. And when the team told me we only have 10 seconds margin to cross the line in time to make another attempt, I had to think of something.

"I do not know if others were not told. If everyone would have sped up the way I did, then we would have all made it. But I obviously prioritised to make the lap. It felt like others were not aware," said the German.

DIFFICULT DAY

Ferrari arrived in China as favourites after looking dominant in Bahrain, a race they would have won but for a late engine problem that hit Charles Leclerc's car while leading, and with plenty of straight line speed.

Vettel led the opening session, and was hot on Bottas’ heels in the afternoon, while Leclerc had a difficult day.

Both the 21-year-old Monegasque and Vettel are running a new electronic control package as a precaution against a repeat of Leclerc's engine problem.

The youngster's session ended early as he parked up in the garage with some 20 minutes to go so that Ferrari could carry out cooling checks.

"We had to stop for further checks on something on the oil," said Leclerc. "We will check it but no big issues.

"I think it will be very close, Mercedes and also Red Bull are actually quite close, so it will be an interesting battle."

Hamilton was second fastest in the morning but struggled in the afternoon.

"We’re going to work hard tonight to find some tweaks and hopefully come back stronger tomorrow,” said the five-times champion. "The car has the pace in it to compete at the front, we just need to find the right set-up."

Nico Hulkenberg was fifth fastest for Renault, ahead of Carlos Sainz in the McLaren.

McLaren rookie Lando Norris, fresh from having scored his first Formula One points in Bahrain, was eighth for McLaren ahead of Renault’s Ricciardo.

Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

Friday’s two sessions were relatively trouble free apart from a few spins as the drivers explored the limits and got to grips with the track.

Hamilton and Bottas both spun during the second 90 minutes while Canadian Lance Stroll lost control of his Racing Point at the exit of the final corner in the morning.

The brakes on Alex Albon’s Toro Rosso also caught fire at the end of the session with Ferrari mechanics standing close by and helping to douse it.

The 2007 world champion, whose birthday is in October, told reporters at the Chinese Grand Prix that he was enjoying life at Alfa Romeo.

"I don’t have any special things that I try to motivate myself. It’s become more of a hobby for me lately than anything else and probably that’s why it’s more fun again," said the Finn, who was much more in the spotlight at Ferrari.

"I always try to do the best that I can. Some days it goes a bit better than others – but that’s how it goes when you do a lot of racing. Some days it’s a bit more tricky than others. It’s never really been an issue.

"When I feel that it’s not what I expect from myself, then obviously I try to find a new hobby after that."

Formula One is celebrating its 1,000th world championship race in Shanghai and Raikkonen, who made his debut with Sauber -- the team that is now Alfa -- in 2001 has started 293 of them and won 21.

Retired Brazilian Rubens Barrichello holds the record of 322 starts which means Raikkonen, whose contract runs to the end of next year, is on course to overtake him midway through the 2020 season.

Raikkonen, who joined Alfa from Ferrari at the end of last season, has made a strong start with 10 points from two races and is sixth overall. Team mate Antonio Giovinazzi has yet to open his tally.

Asked whether the performance had changed his goals for the season, Raikkonen shrugged.

"No, it hasn’t. I didn’t really have any goals, so it’s pretty hard to change them. I can’t really talk about last year’s car," he said. "So from my side it’s hard to say what is better on this car than the one they had last year... but I think in general it’s quite a good, solid package and we understand it pretty OK and they seem to have good guys on all areas to bring new stuff."

With several other drivers set to race with special helmet designs to commemorate the 1,000th race, Raikkonen said he had nothing new.

"I wanted to have an open-face helmet but there were some regulation issues," said the Finn, who has said before he would have liked to race in the much more dangerous 1960s and 70s.

The qualifying round will be held in the Sakhir region on Saturday, and the race will start on Sunday at 1510GMT.

It will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit, a motor racing track of 5,412 kilometers (3,362 miles) in length, comprising 57 laps.

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso will drive an F1 car again in post-Bahrain Grand Prix test.

"Just months after leaving F1 as a race driver, Fernando Alonso will find himself back behind the wheel of contemporary machinery when he tests for McLaren during the two-day in-season test in Bahrain," Formula 1 said in a statement on Thursday.

Mercedes led the constructor standings after their two drivers came first and second in the first race of the season.

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the Australian Grand Prix in the Formula 1 World Championship season opening while the champion of the last season, Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton came second, finishing the race 20.8 seconds behind Bottas. Red Bull-Honda's Dutch driver Max Verstappen finished the Grand Prix in third place.

Ferrari aims to strike back in Bahrain over the weekend.

Last season's runner-up Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel said on Thursday that "things move on. We’re here now in Bahrain on a different track but I think we learned some stuff about the car and ourselves that should help us to be more competitive here."

"The feeling inside Ferrari is that they can prove it this weekend. There is a belief that they know what the problems are, and that countermeasures have been put in place. It’s no wonder they are so keen for Friday to swing round so they can get the car on track and -- they hope -- prove that Australia was just a one-off," he added.

This season's driver and constructor standings are as follows:

- Top 5 drivers

1. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda)

4. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

- 2019 Driver Standings:

1. Valtteri Bottas (Finland): 26 points

2. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain): 18

3. Max Verstappen (Netherlands): 15

4. Sebastian Vettel (Germany): 12

5. Charles Leclerc (Monaco): 10

- 2019 Constructor Standings:

1. Mercedes: 44 points

2. Ferrari: 22

3. Red Bull: 15

4. Haas: 8

5. Renault: 6

The Russian, who won in 2014, was third at the time of the incident on Friday with two wins from the five stages so far.

"A 60-year-old man from South Africa, who was watching the race in an unsecured area... was hit by a race truck (#518 Andrey Karginov)," organisers said in a statement.

"The competitor was excluded from the rally by the jury of commissioners for not stopping to attend the injured spectator," they added.

The spectator suffered a broken femur and was flown to hospital in Arequipa.

The motorsport.com website reported that Karginov's truck drove over the spectator's left leg and quoted Kamaz team boss Vladimir Chagin as saying the exclusion was "very harsh".

He said the driver had been unaware of what had happened until the end of the stage.

"As he was driving up one of the ascents, there was a group of five spectators in the path of the truck. Four managed to clear off but one tripped in the sand and his leg was caught under the rear wheel of the truck," said Chagin.

"Andrey naturally didn't see this -- it was an ascent and all you can see through the windshield is the sky and the top of the mountain."

Saturday is a rest day for Dakar competitors. The rally, staged in South America since being switched from Africa in 2009 for security reasons, ends in Lima on Jan. 17.