Category: 6. Sports

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Charles Leclerc took a shock pole position for Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead McLaren’s championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third.

Leclerc hooked up a 1:15.372 to beat championship leader Piastri to the fastest third and final qualifying session time by 0.026 seconds, with Norris a further 0.015 seconds adrift in third.

Norris set the fastest time of all in Q2 — a 1:14.980 — but could not replicate it in Q3 when the sky clouded over, the wind picked up and the track temperature dropped.

Leclerc’s pole position marks Ferrari’s first of the year for a grand prix — Lewis Hamilton secured sprint race pole in China — after the team introduced upgraded suspension to its car at the Belgian Grand Prix one week ago.

“Today I don’t understand anything in Formula 1,” Leclerc said afterward. “Honestly, the whole qualifying has been extremely difficult. When I say extremely difficult, it’s not exaggerating. It was difficult for us to get to Q2, it was difficult for us to get to Q3.

“I knew I just had to do a clean lap to target third, and at the end of the day it’s pole position. I definitely did not expect that.

“Honestly, I have no words. It’s probably one of the best pole positions I’ve ever had. It’s the most unexpected, for sure,” he added.

The McLaren teammates, who are increasingly in a battle of their own for the championship, looked comfortably fastest throughout practice and remain the favorites to take the fight to Leclerc and challenge for victory in Sunday’s race.

The two drivers blamed the wind changes from Q2 to Q3, with Piastri saying: “I think the wind changed a lot. It always sounds so pathetic blaming things on the wind. It did a 180 from Q2 to Q3 and meant a lot of the corners felt completely different.

“It was difficult to judge in those conditions and maybe not the best execution. I was surprised we couldn’t go quicker than that.

“Second is still a decent spot to start, so we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

While Norris said: “I think Charles did a good job on the last lap … he probably risked a little bit more in these conditions. The wind changed a lot and it really seemed to punish us in a bigger way it seems.”

George Russell secured fourth place for Mercedes ahead of a strong result for Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, which matched his season-best qualifying performance at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Alonso’s teammate Lance Stroll will start sixth on the grid ahead of another impressive qualifying performance by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto in seventh.

Reigning champion Max Verstappen had to settle for eighth on the grid after struggling with the balance of his Red Bull throughout practice.

Racing Bulls teammates Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top ten in ninth and tenth.

Haas driver Oliver Bearman will start 11th on the grid after missing out on a place in Q3 by 0.007 seconds. In an incredibly close battle for the final place in Q3, Hamilton also fell just short and will start the race 12th on the grid with a time just 0.008 seconds slower than Bearman.

A despondent Hamilton told reporters afterwards that he was “absolutely useless” when asked about his qualifying.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli also featured in the fight for the last place in Q3 but his fastest lap time, which looked set to secure him 11th on the grid, was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 14, leaving him 15th overall.

Carlos Sainz will start 13th for Williams ahead of Franco Colapinto, who outqualified Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly for the second time since joining the French team at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Yuki Tsunoda missed out on a place in Q2 by 0.021 seconds, resulting in his fourth Q1 knockout since joining Red Bull. His margin to Verstappen in Q1 was only 0.163 seconds, one of the closer gaps between the two drivers as teammates, but it still left him 16th on the grid for Sunday’s race.

Pierre Gasly will start 17th for Alpine ahead of the Haas of Esteban Ocon, the Sauber of Nico Hülkenberg and Alex Albon’s Williams in last place.

UFC returns to the APEX with a high-stakes flyweight main event featuring No. 6 ranked contender Tatsuro Taira facing undefeated rising star HyunSung Park. In the co-main, exciting lightweights Mateusz Rębecki and Chris Duncan collide in a bout promising nonstop action.

Don’t miss a moment of UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park, live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 2, 2025. Prelims start at 6pm ET/3pm PT, followed by the main card at 9pm ET/6pm PT.

Head coach Ruben Amorim has chosen not to include Bryan in matchday squads against West Ham — a 2-1 victory in New Jersey — and AFC Bournemouth, when goals from Rasmus Hojlund, Patrick Dorgu, Amad and Ethan Williams powered the Reds to a second win.

With United finding good momentum on tour, Mbeumo will now join the squad for Sunday evening’s game (17:00 local time, 22:00 BST).

Katie Ledecky stubbornly refused to give up her 800-meter freestyle crown Saturday at the world championships in Singapore, winning that race for a seventh consecutive time and fending off Canada’s Summer McIntosh, who led a field of talented, young would-be usurpers.

The seven world wins put Ledecky at the top of the chart for the most triumphs in a single event, as she passed her own record of six victories in the 1500 free and Sarah Sjöström of Sweden’s six titles in the 50 butterfly.

Ledecky said she didn’t feel too much pressure coming into this race, satisfied with how she’s been training all year.

“It’s been a really great season and I think coming into tonight, no matter what the outcome was, I was gonna be really happy with my season,” she told NBC Sports. “And I think I just took the pressure off and allowed me to enjoy the race and kind of appreciate that moment.”

Ledecky forced the early pace, with McIntosh keeping her in close range.

The young Canadian then took a brief, 0.14-second lead after 700 meters, with Ledecky’s dominance appearing to teeter.

But the veteran found another gear and quickly regained the lead before heading into the final 50 with a 0.25-second edge over McIntosh, an advantage the American extended as she closed out another win.

McIntosh fell to third behind Australia’s Lani Pallister.

“That last 100 was pretty stressful,” Ledecky said. “Lani was and Summer was right there.”

Ledecky clocked in at 8:05.62, Pallister at 8:05.98 and McIntosh 8:07.29. It was by far the closest worlds win of Ledecky’s seven in the 800 free.

A disappointed McIntosh said she didn’t swim as well as she wanted to, but will turn the page and concentrate on her next race, in the 400 individual medley.

“So it’s just the beginning and I know I have lots of time in my career to do better at it,” she told the CBC.

McIntosh vowed to use Saturday’s disappointment as fuel for future 800-meter efforts.

“I really wanted to swim my own race and I didn’t do that,” said McIntosh, who congratulated Ledecky and called her an “inspiration of mine.”

“I think what I did tonight actually makes me want to keep doing it more, to see how much better I can get at it because I know I can be way faster than I was tonight.”

The suburban Washington, D.C., native Ledecky said she’s now looking forward to some time off, time with loved ones and a few dips in the pool she swam in as a youngster.

“I’m looking forward to that,” she said. “It’s home to me but I’m with the people that I love, around the pool.”

The niece of New York Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky has also been dominating the 800 free at the Olympics, having won gold in this race at the 2012 Games in London, 2016 in Rio, 2021 in Tokyo and last summer near Paris.

She’s the only woman to win the same individual event at four Olympics, in any sport. The only other swimmer to pull off such a four-peat was American legend Michael Phelps, who took the 200 individual medley in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

At age 28, Ledecky was the field’s oldest swimmer, and she outdueled her youngest and most fierce competitor, the 18-year-old Toronto native McIntosh.

Ledecky’s air of 800 invincibility was dented last year when a 17-year-old McIntosh beat the American at the Southern Zone South Sectional Championships in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 8.

The Canadian prodigy opted against swimming in the 800 in France to concentrate on other events. She took gold in the 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley to become one of the breakout stars of last summer.

If McIntosh takes on the 800 free in Los Angeles, Saturday’s race offered a tantalizing preview of what could be in store for 2028.

FC Barcelona’s penultimate night in Seoul was a rather special one. The hotel where they are staying hosted a gala dinner organised by the tour promoter, attended by president Joan Laporta, treasurer Ferran Olivé, and board members Miquel Camps, Xavier Puig, Àngel Riudalbàs, Joan Solé, Joan Soler and Sisco Pujol, as well as the entire first-team squad, led by coach Hansi Flick, who arrived after the event had already begun.

The evening began with a short speech by Laporta, who once again expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome received from their Korean hosts. “It is a huge honour to be in Seoul” he said. “And we are proud to have spent part of our preseason here, where there are thousands of Barça fans who we respect and love.”

Next, Seoul Ham, CEO of D-Drive—the company promoting the tour—thanked FC Barcelona for their presence in Asia: “I can’t express how grateful I am. Remember us always,” he said.

Héctor Fort, the unexpected protagonist

After a brief exchange of gifts, the FC Barcelona players made their entrance. To loud applause, they were introduced one by one—in squad number order—ending with Hansi Flick, who also addressed those in attendance. “I have to thank everyone for the warm welcome we’ve received” he said. “We’re preparing an important part of the season, and the team has a great attitude and mentality.”

The most unexpected moment of the night came with a celebration for Héctor Fort, who was turning 19 that day. The full-back thanked everyone for the surprise after the entire room sang “Happy Birthday to You.”

 

Indian night watchman Akash Deep made a remarkable maiden Test fifty and shared a century partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal on Day 4 of the fifth and final Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test against England at the Oval on Saturday. Deep scored 66 runs off 94 balls, helping India reach 189-3 and extend their lead to 166 runs at lunch.Deep’s performance was particularly notable as he became the 12th player to achieve both a ten-wicket haul and a fifty on an England tour, joining cricket legends like Hugh Trumble, Shane Warne, Imran Khan, Keith Miller, and Richard Hadlee.

The nightwatchman’s innings included 12 fours, and he formed a crucial 107-run partnership for the third wicket with Jaiswal before being dismissed by Atkinson just before lunch.Deep’s achievement was even more remarkable considering his first-class batting average of just 11.48 before this Test. He became only the fourth Indian to score a Test fifty at No.4 in England this century, alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill.The partnership between Jaiswal and Deep marked the 18th hundred-run stand in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, setting a record for the most century partnerships in a Test series this century, surpassing the 17 achieved in the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Deep is also the first Indian nightwatchman to score more than 50 runs since Amit Mishra’s 84 against England at the same venue in 2011.This performance follows Deep’s outstanding bowling achievement last month at Edgbaston, where he took 10 wickets to help India secure their first-ever Test victory at the venue by 336 runs. His match figures of 10/187 set a new record for the best bowling figures by an Indian in England, breaking Chetan Sharma’s previous record of 10/188.India started Day 3 with a score of 75/2, with Jaiswal unbeaten on 51 and Deep on 4, holding a lead of 52 runs.At the time of the latest update, England had scored 247 in their innings, with Zak Crawley contributing 64 and Harry Brook making 53, while Prasidh Krishna took 4/62. India had scored 224 in their first innings and were at 263/5 in their second innings.

Finn Russell has experienced it all as a player for The British & Irish Lions and now he has a Howden Player of the Series to add to his collection for his efforts in the series win over the Wallabies.

The Scotland fly-half started all three Test matches in the Qatar Airways Lions Men’s Series, helping the Lions into an unassailable 2-0 lead before the Wallabies fought back to claim the third Test in Sydney.

For Russell, it is the highlight of a Lions career that stretches all the way back to 2017 when he played 10 minutes off the bench as an injury replacement in New Zealand.

Four years on, injury limited his opportunities before a standout showing as a replacement in the deciding Test against the Springboks.

But now, at the peak of his powers, Russell has shown what he can do on the biggest stage, pulling the strings to secure a first series win in 12 years, earning individual recognition as a result.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “It’s a special achievement — one I didn’t think I’d reach. But it’s not just about me. You can’t do this without the boys, the coaches, and the management. Representing the jersey with pride is what matters.

“I’ve loved the tour. The weather wasn’t great today, but the boys and coaches have been brilliant. Playing a different style, travelling together, seeing the country — it’s been amazing on and off the pitch.”

The Lions had been aiming to complete a 3-0 series victory over the Wallabies to remain unbeaten in Australia.

Joe Schmidt’s side had other ideas though, getting the better of a contest that was interrupted due to lightning strikes nearby.

In the end, despite Will Stuart’s late try, it was Australia who ran out 22-12 victors.

But despite not finishing the Tour on a high, Russell was able to enjoy the experience and is already looking to the future.

He added: “Last week could’ve gone either way. Credit to them — they were excellent tonight. We’ll reflect on missed chances, but this group won’t be together again. It’s not the fairy tale ending, but it’s still something special.

“I’ve always loved rugby, even through the tough times. I’ve got experience, I’m still fit, and I feel like I’ve got good rugby left in me.”