Oklahoma defeated Texas in the 2023 edition of the Red River Rivalry 34-30, and Sooners fans took pride in letting the Longhorns know that they're not back.

On taking off his seat belt in the Red Bull 2023 juggernaut for the final time on race-day in Abu Dhabi, Max Verstappen took stock. The Dutchman had just coasted to a record-extending 19th victory of the season; his 54th overall, with only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher ahead of him now in the all-time stakes. For a man whose unflappability has been the defining characteristic of his championship cruise, the three-time world champion admitted to feeling emotional as he waved goodbye to the RB19. “An incredible season – it was a bit emotional on the in-lap,” he said. “The last time sitting in the car that has of course given me a lot.” A lot is an understatement. Pretty much everything is more accurate. Save a strange anomaly in Singapore in September, Verstappen has been on the podium at the end of every race. His 575 points gave him a 290-point margin over second place: team-mate Sergio Perez. If the Mexican’s tally of 285 was doubled, he’d still be five points shy. LIST OF MAX VERSTAPPEN’S 2023 RECORDS - Most wins in a single season – 19 - Most podium finishes in a season – 21 - Highest points total – 575 - Largest championship-winning margin – 290 - First driver to surpass 1,000 laps led in a single season - Only driver to complete every lap in the 2023 season - Highest win percentage in F1 history – 86.3% He also became the first driver ever to surpass 1,000 laps led in a single season, while his Abu Dhabi victory meant he was the only driver on the grid to complete every lap in 2023. In fact, he has not endured a retirement since Australia last April. The sheer supremacy and dismissal of the opposition – both across the garage and the other nine teams, flailing in his wake – has been ruthless. There has been no let-up. Yet the ultimate indication that this was the most dominant season in F1’s 73-year history is best represented (in a time where podiums and race wins are incomparable due to the current record-breaking calendar) by his win-percentage. Nineteen out of 22 gives him 86.3%. The previous record had held for over 70 years: Alberto Ascari’s 75% in 1952, when he won six of eight races. It makes Verstappen’s 2023 campaign, statistically, the best-ever by some distance. The 26-year-old – whose calculated in-race menace and over-eagerness of his early 20s looks a thing of the past – has set the new benchmark, far beyond the likes of Fangio, Schumacher and Hamilton. Formula 1 has never seen the like before. In Verstappen’s own words: “It will be hard to do something similar again.” But where does it rank in the all-time great sporting seasons? A comparison in this respect is difficult, by virtue of different sports placing different emphasis on different competitions, with the weight of team vs individual at play too. Nonetheless, speculating is fun: we’ll give it a go. Immediate standouts include Tiger Woods’ 2000 season, where he stormed to three of the four majors and nine out of 20 PGA Tour wins. Novak Djokovic – take your pick – has a quadruple of hat-trick major glory in 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2023, while Roger Federer’s 2006 saw him lose to just two players (Rafael Nadal and a young Andy Murray). But even then, Verstappen is superior in the numbers game. Woods entered 20 tournaments in 2000, winning nine to give him a 45% win ratio. Of course, golf has a bigger playing field and is prone to more random winners (and just how F1 would value a bit more uncertainty right now for the sporting product). But still, that’s the facts. Federer played 17 tournaments in 2006, winning 12 of them. The Swiss maestro is closer, with a 70.6% win percentage in tournaments played. He has Rafael Nadal to thank for it not being near-perfect, with four of those five losses at the hands of the Spaniard. Djokovic’s best season for titles was 2015, when he won 11 from 16 tournaments played – 68.75%. Serena Williams had an identical 11/16 titles record in 2013. Still, some way short of Verstappen. In recent years in European football, Barcelona’s treble-winning season in 2014-15 was super impressive. Lionel Messi and co. played 61 matches, winning 51 of them. That gives them 83.6% across the course of the season. Staggering, really. Manchester City’s treble last year came in at 73.77% of matches won, with their 2017-18 100-point season statistically better at 80.7%. Across the Atlantic, only two NBA teams have ever recorded win percentages higher than Verstappen’s: Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in 1995-96 and Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors in 2015-16. The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team ever to complete a perfect NFL season, with Tom Brady’s New England Patriots coming close in 2007 before falling at the final Super Bowl hurdle. We could go on and on. Blatantly, different sports have different barometers of success. Different competitions and tournaments have different significance depending on prestige and ranking points, unlike F1 where points are identical for each race. But what this very basic overview does show is that Verstappen in 2023 is very much in the conversation. It still feels as though the Dutchman’s achievements this year are viewed through quite a narrow prism. “It’s all about the car,” says Joe Bloggs, with a Mercedes cap on. Sure, the RB19 is one of the greatest cars in F1 history and has a monumental impact. But Perez’s topsy-turvy season in identical machinery shows there is more to Red Bull’s success than the machine. It needs to be armed and steered by capable hands. Verstappen has barely made a mistake all season. His year of dominance will be looked back on in years to come, similar to the Schumacher reign at the start of the 2000s. It’s now about how big Verstappen’s legacy will be. How many titles can he win in a row? Can he get up to Schumacher and Hamilton’s record of seven? And how many races can he continue to win, with a brash sense of ease and control, along the way? Read More F1 fans spark chaos with brawl at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix IndyCar champion admits breaching McLaren contract in £18m lawsuit over F1 seat Lando Norris slams Sergio Perez after collision: ‘It’s nothing new’ Williams boss refuses to confirm Logan Sargeant’s seat for 2024 F1 2023 season report card: Red Bull flourish but what about Mercedes and Ferrari? Toto Wolff sees ‘Mount Everest’ ahead as Mercedes seek to end Red Bull’s domination

Clark Robertson, who plays professionally in Israel, has been able to return home to Aberdeen.

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Former Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson on Friday appeared to lose his patience with former vice president Mike Pence after the 2024 presidential candidate refused to back down from his support for arming Ukraine’s defence forces. Mr Pence and Carlson, who spoke for approximately 26 minutes as part of a GOP candidate forum in Iowa sponsored by Blaze Media and the Family Leader social conservative organisation, spent roughly half of their discussion sparring over Mr Pence’s view of the nearly 18-month-old war, which the ex-vice president described in stark terms based on his two visits to the region. The ex-Fox News host, who before his firing in April used his prime time programme to rail against US support for Kyiv while frequently parroting Russian government talking points, attempted to bait Mr Pence into denouncing the Ukrainian government for what he described as mistreatment of Christians. Carlson was referring to a series of actions by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who since the start of the war has imposed internal economic sanctions on a number of clergy from the Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The UOC is an offshoot of the pro-Kremlin Russian Orthodox Church, which is headed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who according to Forbes was listed in Soviet archives as an agent of the KGB. After the former television presenter accused Mr Zelensky of having “raided convents, arrested priests [and] effectively banned[ing] a denomination,” Mr Pence replied that he had “raised that issue” with the head of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, who he said had “assured” him that Mr Zelensky’s government “was respecting religious liberty even while recognising that they were very small elements of the Russian Orthodox Church that were being utilised for the purpose of advancing the Russian cause in Ukraine”. “The leader of the church at St Michael's in Kyiv told me personally that he he believed that this Zelensky government was respecting religious liberty, and I must tell you, other than the sanctity of life, there's no higher priority in my life than preserving the freedom of religion in America and championing religious liberty around the world,” he said. Carlson, who became rather irate at Mr Pence’s answer, asked the former vice president how “a Christian leader” such as himself “could support the arrest of Christians for having different views,” at which point Mr Pence said the church leader he’d spoken to in Kyiv had “assured [him]” that no one in Ukraine was being persecuted for their religious beliefs. The fired Fox presenter became yet more flustered when Mr Pence launched into a full-throated defence of American and European efforts to arm Ukraine’s defence forces, telling Carlson that what he’d seen during his visits there was “not just evidence of war” but of “evil”. After Mr Pence said he believes it is in American interests to continue supporting Ukraine, Carlson began to raise his voice and accuse Mr Pence of “plodding over” the “treatment of Christians” there. The former vice president interjected, telling Carlson: “The problem is you won’t accept my answer!” “I just told you that I asked the religious leader in Kyiv if it was happening, you asked me if I raised the issue, and I did. And I'm saying I also raised it with the Ukrainians, and I was told that there are there are religious leaders who have been working with the Russian military that is murdering people by the thousands,” he said. Read More Ukraine tells ‘clown’ Tucker Carlson to check his facts after pro-Kremlin rant in first Twitter show Tucker Carlson calls Ukraine’s Jewish leader ‘rat-like’ as he launches new Twitter show with pro-Kremlin rant Tucker Carlson receives a job offer from Russian state TV after Fox News firing Tucker Carlson doesn’t know why he was fired from Fox News but suggests his views on Ukraine were a ‘red line’ Volodymyr Zelensky: Year of tragedy and turmoil that turned comedian president into ‘Ukraine’s Churchill’ The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

The Biden administration has intensified its focus on tracing cryptocurrency payments that some of the most dangerous Mexican drug cartels use to buy fentanyl ingredients from Chinese chemical companies, the latest step in a renewed attempt to crack down on the multibillion-dollar fentanyl trade that kills thousands of Americans each year.

The Vegas Golden Knights, in just their sixth NHL season, defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 Tuesday night in Las Vegas to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup in five games.

This was not so much a turning back of the clock by Katie Taylor, but a defiant stopping of it, on a night when boxing and Ireland itself stopped in their tracks. It was the same city, the same arena and the same ring where the Irish icon suffered her first ever professional defeat in May, and it was the same opponent in Chantelle Cameron. But the stakes were different in Dublin this time, and the result had to be for Taylor. In the end, it was: a majority decision like six months ago, but this time in her favour, not Cameron’s. This time, it was the Englishwoman whose zero had to go, along with her undisputed super-lightweight titles. In a fight that was often messy, always mesmerising, and ultimately marginal, Taylor took all of those belts and added them to her undisputed lightweight gold. It was another stupefying moment in a career full of them, as a pioneer of women’s boxing – the pioneer – collected more accolades, not just in Cameron’s belts but in avenging a loss for the first time. And to do that, the Olympic gold medalist, now 37, had to fight her conqueror, fatigue, demons and more. But in her corner was a sea of Irish souls, flags and voices, willing her to a monumental victory. The first round, in truth, felt like the 11th round of Taylor and Cameron’s first clash, with the champion trekking forward in pursuit of Taylor and finding her with jabs. Taylor’s counter left hook was on point, though, and what looked like a knockdown of the “Bray Bomber” was merely a trip. In the second round, Taylor would lay the foundations for a lead that would prove crucial come the end of the fight. While Cameron, 32, attempted to corner the home favourite and use her size advantage, Taylor showed off brilliant head movement and ended the round strongly with clean hooks. Every shot Taylor landed was greeted by an eruption of noise, and there were plenty of shots to cheer as she continued to connect with left hooks before adding a flurry with a flourish. Taylor was still going backwards yet was determined not to be bullied. Then, at the end of the round, a clash of heads opened up Cameron’s forehead, after one of many frenzied exchanges. Taylor’s speed was her greatest tool as she continued to carve ahead at the midway point, using straight punches to blitz the defending champion. But then came Cameron’s best spell of the fight, as she began to invest in the body, spear Taylor with jabs, and weigh on the home fighter. Come the eighth round, Taylor looked to be standing only by virtue of leaning on Cameron. Perhaps she was hurt, for certain she was tired, yet still Taylor found reserves to unfurl hooks when needed. And in the ninth, Taylor was ferociously spirited, waiting for Cameron to close in then punishing the champion by unleashing combinations, as crimson crawled down Cameron’s forehead. It was the ultimate display of Taylor’s fighting soul, and it would seal her ultimate redemption. An ugly, stilted final round ensued, but Taylor and Cameron had arrived at the end – just not the very end, as some feared might be the case for Taylor. Two scorecards were hers – one more comfortably than it should have been, in all honesty – while the third was even. Cameron, a game competitor from start to finish, soon departed, but only after graciously applauding Taylor upon the revelation that the gold would be staying in Dublin. And Taylor will be staying in this sport for now, having defied every doubter on a night that the city desperately needed, amid a week of tragedy and shame. The trilogy, at the iconic Croke Park no less, awaits. But tonight Dublin needed this. Dublin needed Katie Taylor. Read More ‘She’s not an athlete, she’s a deity’: Katie Taylor and a nation in awe Katie Taylor and Conor McGregor’s relationship: ‘We have very different personalities’ Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron LIVE: Boxing results and reaction after Irish icon creates history in Dublin Taylor vs Cameron punch stats reveal narrow nature of epic rematch Ed Sheeran congratulates Katie Taylor after attending fight in Dublin Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron LIVE: Boxing results and reaction

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AC Milan are progressing in talks to sign Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The 27-year-old is heading into the final 12 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge and could be one of a number of players to leave this summer.