Lewis Hamilton was third in opening practice at the Monaco Grand Prix which ended early after Alex Albon crashed out. Hamilton, armed with a major Mercedes upgrade, finished the first running in Monte Carlo behind only Carlos Sainz, who topped the order for Ferrari, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Hamilton was ahead of both Red Bulls – with Sergio Perez fourth and world champion Max Verstappen, who complained on multiple occasions about the handling of his Red Bull, sixth. The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc split the Red Bull pair. The red flags were deployed in the closing minutes when Albon lost control of his Williams through the opening Sainte Devote corner. The London-born Thai slammed into the wall, but, despite admitting to banging his knees, he emerged relatively unscathed from the 100mph accident. The same could however, not be said for Albon’s Williams following significant damage to the left-hand side of his machine. After giving up on this season’s car on the eve of the opening race, Mercedes have arrived for the sixth round of the season in the sun-cooked principality with a new concept. The Silver Arrows have abandoned their controversial zero-sidepod design, and introduced a new front suspension, new floor and cooling system in a change of development on a car which has contributed to the longest losing streak of Hamilton’s career. On Sunday, it will be 539 days since Hamilton last stood on the top step of the podium at the penultimate round of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia. And although Hamilton ended the opening running 0.663 sec behind Sainz, the seven-time world champion and his Mercedes team might take confidence from finishing ahead of both Red Bull drivers. Verstappen and team-mate Perez are the only men to have won a race this year, but their rapid Red Bull is not necessarily suited to the narrow and slow-speed confines of the unique Monte Carlo configuration. Sainz lapped a third of a second quicker than Alonso, with Verstappen 0.872 sec off the pace. Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell was only 15th, 1.6 sec back. Elsewhere, Lando Norris finished seventh for McLaren as Nico Hulkenberg completed the fewest laps after he spun his Haas at the chicane on the exit of the tunnel. Second practice gets under way at 1700 local time (1600 UK). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes Lewis Hamilton insists right decision is made as Emilia Romagna GP cancelled

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst heard the trade rumors around David Bakhtiari and decided to put an end to them beyond a shadow of a doubt.Aaron Rodgers stirred up rumors of a possible Jets trade for Packers center David Bakhtiari with one Instagram post.Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst ...

The UFC is back in London this weekend, as heavyweights Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura clash in the main event at the O2 Arena. Aspinall is no stranger to a main event at the O2, having taken part in two in 2022. In the first, the Wigan fighter submitted Alexander Volkov in Round 1, but the latter saw Aspinall sustain a serious knee injury – just seconds into his clash with Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall, 30, has not fought since, but he returns to the Octagon on Saturday to face Poland’s Tybura, who is targeting a third straight win. In the co-main event, Liverpool’s Molly McCann takes on Julija Stoliarenko in a flyweight bout, as the British favourite aims to get back to winning ways. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The prelims are set to begin at 5pm BST on Saturday 22 July (9am PT, 11am CT, 12pm ET), with the main card then due to begin at 8pm BST (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Where can I buy tickets? AXS is the official ticket provider for UFC London. At the time of writing (Monday 17 July), there are still numerous seats available in the vast majority of sections of the O2 Arena. At the time of writing, the cheapest remaining tickets cost £101.25, are situated in the upper tier, and must be bought in pairs. Meanwhile, the most expensive tickets are in the front row, cost £1607.66, and have very limited availability. Odds Aspinall – 1/5; Tybura – 7/2 McCann – 7/20; Stoliarenko – 43/20 Via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Tom Aspinall vs Marcin Tybura (heavyweight) Molly McCann vs Julija Stoliarenko (women’s flyweight) Nathaniel Wood vs Andre Fili (featherweight) Paul Craig vs Andre Muniz (middleweight) Jai Herbert vs Fares Ziam (lightweight) Lerone Murphy vs Josh Culibao (featherweight) Prelims Davey Grant vs Daniel Marcos (bantamweight) Danny Roberts vs Jonny Parsons (welterweight) Marc Diakiese vs Joel Alvarez (lightweight) Mick Parkin vs Jamal Pogues (heavyweight) Makhmud Muradov vs Bryan Barberena (middleweight) Ketlen Vieira vs Pannie Kianzad (women’s bantamweight) Chris Duncan vs Yanal Ashmouz (lightweight) Shauna Bannon vs Bruna Brasil (women’s strawweight) Jafel Filho vs Daniel Barez (flyweight) Read More Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever UFC champion Jamahal Hill vacates title after suffering ankle injury UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Tyson Fury seeks UFC star’s help ahead of Francis Ngannou fight Two major fights announced for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi ‘The Rock’s shoes can go f*** themselves’: UFC fighter hits out at sponsors

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