
Max Verstappen making Red Bull rivals look like Formula Two cars – Toto Wolff
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen’s dominance of the sport is so one-sided that he is making the rest of the grid look like they are racing in a junior category. Verstappen took his ninth win of the season, extending Red Bull’s unbeaten streak to 11 from 11 this year with just one race remaining before the summer break. The Dutchman, now a staggering 110 points clear in the championship, finished more than half-a-minute clear of his rivals following another supreme showing in his supreme Red Bull machine. McLaren’s Lando Norris was runner-up – scoring consecutive podium finishes for the first time in his career – with pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton only fourth and his Mercedes team-mate George Russell sixth. “It was like a bunch of Formula Two cars against a Formula One car,” said Wolff. “In the F2 gang, our car was quick. The F1 car won by 33 seconds. “We had the second quickest car today, and obviously we can talk it up and say we could have been second, but that’s irrelevant because you have a car that finished 39 seconds ahead [of Hamilton], and was probably cruising a lot of the time. “We are going to fight back and win races and championships, but we saw the pace Max had, and that’s the bitter reality. “But it’s a meritocracy, and as long as you’re moving within the regulations, then we need to acknowledge Red Bull has just done a better job.” Hamilton has now gone 34 appearances without a victory – the longest streak of his career – while Verstappen has triumphed 24 times during the same period, moving him to 44 career wins. Verstappen’s Red Bull set a new record of 12 consecutive wins on Sunday, with Mercedes’ unprecedented 19 victories in a single campaign under threat. At the midway stage of this 22-round campaign, the world champions also remain on course to become the first team to complete the perfect season. However, speaking ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps – which includes a sprint race and the possibility of rain – Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was keen to guard against complacency. Horner said: “How long can we keep this winning run going? Who knows? “We’ve got another challenge next weekend, a sprint race, with the variable conditions of Spa. Anything can happen, so we’re really just taking it pretty much one event at a time.”
2023-07-24 19:45

What challenges lie ahead for Sarina Wiegman and England at the World Cup?
England boss Sarina Wiegman has finalised her squad for this summer’s World Cup finals as she targets another taste of glory. The European champions have lost key players since their triumph at Wembley last year, but have potential new stars waiting in the wings. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the challenges which lie ahead in Australia and New Zealand. How does Wiegman plug the holes at the back? The anterior cruciate ligament injury which has ruled skipper Leah Williamson out of the tournament not only robs England of their captain, but also of a key defender. Millie Bright’s inclusion – Wiegman has confirmed the Chelsea star will wear the armband – has allayed fears over her fitness, with both she and full-back Lucy Bronze, who is also included, nursing knee problems. Left-back Alex Greenwood is a candidate to partner Bright in the middle, but Rachel Daly’s inclusion among the strikers suggests she will not be asked to play at full-back as she has done for her country in the past. Who are England’s potential match-winners? The absence of Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead and Fran Kirby through injury and retired record goalscorer Ellen White might be felt more acutely if Wiegman did not have a wealth of attacking talent at her disposal. Ella Toone, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo proved game-changers from the bench last summer and will target more significant roles this time around, while Rachel Daly will head for the finals having scored 22 goals for Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League this season and the recalled Bethany England has 12 to her name since joining Tottenham from Chelsea in January. In addition, the Lionesses can also call upon emerging talents Lauren James and Katie Robinson. Who are England’s main rivals? Holders the United States are looking to lift the trophy for a third successive tournament – a fifth in total – and FIFA’s number one-ranked team will be hot favourites to do so. England beat the USA 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley in October last year but will not be taken in by that success. Germany, who lost to Wiegman’s side in the Euro 2022 final, will also be expected to feature prominently, as will semi-final opponents Sweden. Olympic champions Canada, whose campaign for equal pay prompted calls for a strike earlier this year, and co-hosts Australia, who will have Chelsea goal-machine Sam Kerr in their ranks, could have a say too. What kind of form are they in? England’s form had been little short of exemplary until April’s 2-0 friendly defeat by Australia at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium brought their 30-game unbeaten run under Wiegman to an end. However, there is a feeling within the camp that the run was always going to end eventually and it is far better that it did so in a friendly. The accuracy of that view will only become apparent when they embark upon their Group D fixtures against Haiti, Denmark and China. Can a depleted squad live up to the expectation they have created? England will head to the tournament having made it to the semi-finals at the last two World Cups, but not managed to go a step further. They cleared a major psychological hurdle last summer when they won the Euros on home soil having negotiated a tense last-eight clash with Spain and nerve-jangling showdown with Germany in the final and will travel Down Under with that vital tournament experience under their belts and confident of making an impression once again. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live I don’t think LIV golfers should be on European Ryder Cup team – Rory McIlroy Sarina Wiegman unwilling to take risks with Beth Mead’s fitness for World Cup Home favourite Caroline Garcia suffers shock second-round exit at Roland Garros
2023-06-01 00:51

Bears QB Justin Fields expected to avoid thumb surgery; Tyson Bagent to start vs. Raiders
Bears quarterback Justin Fields is not expected to need surgery for his dislocated right thumb
2023-10-21 04:58

MLB Rumors: Cardinals ace connection, Surprise Yankees-Astros trade, Red Sox trade buzz
MLB Rumors: Cardinals could have a head start signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency, Yankees and Astros could shock baseball by striking a deal, Red Sox could address major need with blockbuster trade.
2023-11-16 01:45

Browns add backfield depth, acquire RB Pierre Strong Jr. in trade from Patriots for T Wheatley
Looking to bolster their backfield depth behind star Nick Chubb, the Cleveland Browns acquired running back Pierre Strong Jr. in a trade with New England
2023-08-28 01:21

Football: Women's World Cup Group F
The FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand kicks off...
2023-07-14 13:59

MLB Rumors: Donaldson problem, Dodgers trade grade, Braves-Ohtani
MLB Rumors: Aaron Boone speaks out about Josh Donaldson problemJosh Donaldson has been benched frequently of late by the Yankees. He has just two non-home run hits this season, and has been rather one-dimensional for a New York team that needs productivity out of its lineup without Aaron Judge....
2023-06-26 03:51

Lautaro Martinez attracting interest from Real Madrid, Chelsea & Man Utd
Lautaro Martinez is expected to leave Inter after the Champions League final, with Real Madrid, Chelsea and Man Utd all interested. The 25-year-old is enjoying a career-best season and bagged 21 goals and seven assists in Serie A.
2023-06-09 23:53

NFL insider reveals the only way Ezekiel Elliott would wind up back with Cowboys
Here is the only way Ezekiel Elliott returns to the Dallas Cowboys on a new deal this offseason.It would take a worst-case scenario in the Dallas Cowboys' running back room for their former star tailback Ezekiel Elliott to return to the team that drafted him out of Ohio State on a new deal....
2023-07-02 02:26

Is Michael Strahan leaving ‘GMA’? Host reveals desire to 'fill in' for Landon Norris as F1 driver
'GMA's Michael Strahan expressed his innate desire to compete in the Formula One race
2023-08-03 15:57

IShowSpeed outshines Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with record-breaking likes on Instagram
IShowSpeed's Instagram post has garnered an astonishing 13 million likes, surpassing Lionel Messi's World Cup post
2023-06-25 21:46

Points to prove for all of Nations League final four
Aiming to follow in the footsteps of Portugal and France, four of Europe's strongest sides this week battle to win the third edition...
2023-06-13 09:27
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