List of All Articles with Tag '1'

Manchester United will have Raphael Varane available for selection for the first time in a month when they face Wolves in the Premier League.

Former Aberdeen FC players who famously won the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup are honoured.

Everton host Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday. Preview includes team news, predicted lineups, how to watch on television and live stream, prediction and more.

Felipe Massa has reiterated calls for Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 F1 title triumph to be investigated after new remarks surfaced from Bernie Ecclestone. Brazilian driver Massa, then racing for Ferrari, missed out on that year’s title by a single point in dramatic circumstances at the final race in Brazil as Hamilton – then driving for McLaren - claimed the point he needed on the final lap in wet conditions. Yet new comments, by former F1 supremo Ecclestone, about that year’s infamous ‘Crashgate’ scandal in Singapore has encouraged Massa to assess all his potential options as to whether the Championship result could be overturned. Speaking about Ecclestone’s comments for the first time on camera, 42-year-old Massa labelled Hamilton’s first F1 title win an ‘injustice’ and ‘not fair’. “You fight them to the last corner of the last race, pass the chequered flag as the champion and then everything changed,” he told Sky Sports in Miami. “For sure, a fight on the track. “Then you discover what has happened in Singapore. People, important people like Bernie [Ecclestone], like Max Mosley, like Charlie Whiting - they knew in 2008 and they didn’t do anything. “That is really a massive surprise for me. It’s really [an] injustice and I think definitely we need to study everything that happened because it’s not fair what has happened.” Ecclestone revealed in March that both he and then-FIA president Max Mosley knew of the Crashgate scandal in 2008, but refused to publicise the chain of events to avoid the sport a “huge scandal.” WHAT WAS CRASHGATE? Crashgate rocked the sport when the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 saw Renault’s Fernando Alonso win the race before it emerged that his team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr. had deliberately crashed to bring out a safety car which played into Alonso’s hands. That safety car prompted a Massa pit stop that Ferrari mishandled, with Massa eventually finishing the race 13th while Hamilton came home third – a difference of six points, a swing which ultimately impacted the title result. While Renault and team boss Flavio Briatore were punished in 2009, the result of the race stood despite Massa’s protestations, with the FIA’s statues making clear that overturning the classification from each season is impossible once the FIA Awards Ceremony for that year is complete, a rule set in the FIA International Sporting Code. “We decided not to do anything for now,” Ecclestone told F1-Insider. “We wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal. That’s why I used angelic tongues to persuade my former driver Nelson Piquet to keep calm for the time being. “Back then, there was a rule that a world championship classification after the FIA ​​awards ceremony at the end of the year was untouchable. So Hamilton was presented with the trophy and everything was fine. “We had enough information in time to investigate the matter. According to the statutes, we should have cancelled the race in Singapore under these conditions. “That means it would never have happened for the championship standings. And then Felipe Massa would have become world champion and not Lewis Hamilton.” Upon hearing this new information come to light, Massa told Motorsport.com last month that he will look into his – albeit slim – legal options, noting the example of Lance Armstrong’s doping revelations and the stripping of his Tour de France victories. “There is a rule that says that when a championship is decided, from the moment the driver receives the champion’s trophy, things can no longer be changed, even if it has been proven a theft,” Massa, who ultimately did not win an F1 world title, said. “At the time, Ferrari’s lawyers told me about this rule. We went to other lawyers and the answer was that nothing could be done. So I logically believed in this situation. “But after 15 years, we hear that the [former] owner of the category says that he found out in 2008, together with the president of the FIA, and they did nothing [so as] to not tarnish the name of F1. “This is very sad, to know the result of this race was supposed to be cancelled and I would have a title. In the end, I was the one who lost the most with this result. So, we are going after it to understand all this. “We have already seen other situations happening in sports, such as Lance Armstrong, who was proven to have doped, and he lost all the titles. What is the difference?” Despite Massa’s comments, his options appear slim, with the FIA’s own International Sporting Code stating protests and reviews expire 14 days after a competition and four days prior to that year’s prize giving ceremony. He also cannot use the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has no jurisdiction over the FIA on issues like this, with the independent International Court of Appeal the highest authority in the sport. CAS may only be involved in F1 matters relating to the FIA’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee. Massa’s best-finish in F1 turned out to be that 2008 season as he retired in 2017 while Hamilton has gone on to win six more titles with Mercedes, holding the joint-record of seven F1 World Championships with Michael Schumacher. Read More Lewis Hamilton would be taking gamble by leaving Mercedes, says former rival Inspired by Schumacher, meet the Hong Kong billionaire targeting a new Formula 1 team Is a bright Ferrari future being hampered by the past? The Miami Grand Prix could already have a problem – and it comes in the form of Las Vegas Max Verstappen urged to ‘take leaf out of Lewis Hamilton’s book’ after George Russell clash

Bruno Fernandes speaks about how Manchester United have proven doubters wrong to be in the running to qualify for the Champions League.

While Formula 1 may be struggling to invigorate the spectacle of racing amid another anticipated year of Red Bull dominance, one area it is not struggling in is the off-track coffers. With more races than ever before, and the bumper profits that go with it, an inevitable side-effect is wandering eyes from afar. The sport’s governing body, the FIA, has thus opened an “expressions of interest” process in January for new potential teams to join the current 10-team grid, perhaps as soon as 2025. Enter Calvin Lo: a Hong Kong-based billionaire. CEO of R.E. Lee International, the world’s largest life insurance broker, the 45-year-old has been “hooked” on the sport since glimpsing Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari on TV in the early 2000s. A trip to Shanghai for the first Chinese Grand Prix in 2004 underlined that adoration. But now, spectating from the paddock isn’t enough. “I’m having serious discussions about getting involved right now,” he tells The Independent, from an office in Singapore, with all the paperwork lying in front of him. “There’s actually quite a few proposals in front of me right now to see how I can participate. “F1 needs more teams. There’s too many talents in motorsport to not have more teams. But when I go through it, it is highly aspirational and absolutely, very ambitious. Still, I’d loved to be involved financially.” But not at the cost of his reputation. Financial prudence and sustainability are at the forefront of his thinking, with the extended FIA deadline for applications closing on Sunday. The entrance fee for any new team is $200m, shared by all the current teams. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has previously remarked that $1bn is realistically required to fight at the front, a figure Lo agrees is “fair” given the basic costs of recruitment and car development. “I won’t get myself into that vicious cycle where I can’t hit those financial markers,” he says, adamantly. “Putting money into the team is not the difficult part. It’s making sure it’s sustainable; otherwise it’s embarrassing for everyone. It’s very intricate, even with an established group of people, with all the sponsorship and the detail. “But there’s so much potential in this part of the world – it’d be so advantageous to the Asian community and to the F1 ecosystem.” Audi have already confirmed their entry in 2026, taking over from Alfa Romeo (Sauber), while American giant Ford has partnered with Red Bull for the world champions’ new powertrains division. While Lo was tight-lipped about naming potential partnerships, he did emphasise his eagerness to join forces with a new team via the current FIA process. Confirmed bids from Andretti Cadillac, as well as a mooted submission from junior formula outfit Hitech GP, were ruled out. An association with Panthera Team Asia, therefore, seems most probable at this point. Lo also has a financial link with Williams’ F1 team, who were bought by private investment firm Dorilton Capital nearly three years ago, but non-disclosure agreements preclude him from elaborating further. He was insistent, however, that any new team would not present a conflict of interest. Instead, his new venture, likely based out of Asia, would be his primary focus. The continent is a “huge untapped market” for the sport, in Lo’s view, amid the Americanisation of the sport witnessed at the weekend in Miami. An academy for drivers and academics alike is also a target. “To truly make F1 global, we cannot forget this part of the world,” he says. “There are races, but the penetration is not high and it’s wasted. “I would love to have an Asian team with a base in the Pearl River Delta [the wealthiest region in south China]. The initial few seasons would be tough but it’s important for the sport to have more exposure and commitment here. “It’d be great to have an academy here. Recruiting talents not just for F1, but aeronautics and legal avenues. For young people to be exposed to this kind of world, it could change someone’s life. “With [F1’s new regulations in] 2026 and the net-zero target of 2030, now is the perfect time to be involved behind the scenes.” Working in the shadows is just how Lo operates. Widely publicised as the “secretive” or “under-the-radar” billionaire – who has a net worth of $1.7bn (£1.3bn) according to Forbes – he covets privacy, despite a lucrative lifestyle which includes owning a suite of supercars and a collection of tip-top champagne, with a single batch costing $230m. “If I go into F1, you won’t see me,” he reveals. “It’s not my style. It’s also partly to do with my main business and working with clients. “In my view, the wealthier you are… you don’t go out and flaunt it. Well some do, most don’t!” McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes there will be at least four prospective teams interested in joining the sport, while F1’s regulations cater for only two more spots. Lo has been included in an initial application to play a financial role – even if he won’t be the face of said new team – and the FIA intends on making a decision about which teams will be granted a shot at the big time by the end of June. “By 2026, it will be a different world we live in and it’d be pretty amazing to be part of that change,” he concludes. “It’s now about looking at all the plans and making a decision truly from a financial point of view. “The skeleton is already there. It’s now just getting everyone to commit themselves.” Read More FIA formally opens applications for new teams to join F1 grid Andretti joins forces with General Motors to target Formula 1 entry FIA boss ‘surprised’ at ‘adverse reaction’ to Andretti’s F1 bid with Cadillac Aussie billionaire David Dicker enters race for new team to join F1 grid Ford to rejoin Formula 1 as engine partner for Red Bull from 2026

Manchester United host Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday. Preview includes team news, predicted lineups, how to watch on television and live stream, prediction and more.

Real Madrid face Getafe in La Liga on Saturday. Preview includes team news, predicted lineups, how to watch on television and live stream, prediction and more.

Real Madrid have been handed an injury boost ahead of next Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Leeds host Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Preview includes team news, predicted lineups, how to watch the game on television and live stream, prediction and more.

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko says Mercedes made a last-ditch attempt to sign Adrian Newey as the Silver Arrows desperately look to haul in the deficit to Formula 1’s dominant team. Newey, the lead designer behind Red Bull’s rapid RB19 car this season, last week extended his deal with the Milton Keynes outfit. Yet F1 Insider report that the 64-year-old received a phone call from a Mercedes assistant, who formerly worked at Red Bull, about opening talks regarding a potential move to Toto Wolff’s team. But Newey, who has been at Red Bull since 2006, rejected the offer and Red Bull’s special advisor Marko seemed to confirm the report while speaking at the Miami Grand Prix. “Mr. Wolff may not seem to have the full confidence in his own people to fix the problems with their car,” said Marko. Mercedes recently announced a job swap in their department, with James Alisson returning to his role of technical director and Mike Elliott taking up the position of Chief Technical Officer. Wolff labelled the W14 a “nasty piece of work” over the weekend in Miami, where George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and sixth respectively. Mercedes, the constructors’ champions in F1 from 2014-2021, are pinning their 2023 hopes on a highly-anticipated upgrade at the next race at Imola in the hope it reduces the gap to Red Bull out in front. Red Bull, meanwhile, are expanding to become an engine manufacturer for the new set of regulations in 2026, partnering with American automotive giant Ford to form Red Bull-Ford Powertrains. Newey, who is seen by many as the main reason behind Red Bull’s supreme RB19 this season given his experience in ground-effect aerodynamics, will play an important role as the division launches in Milton Keynes. “Adrian has been such a fundamental part since almost the beginning,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. “He covers a lot of a lot of areas and, to have the depth of his experience and knowledge to draw upon, and the way he works with the young guys, it’s great. “He’s just as motivated as he always [has] been. Obviously, he has a great interest in what’s going on in Powertrains, and Red Bull Advanced Technology as well. So, he covers the three pillars of the campus in Milton Keynes.” Read More Red Bull chief ‘signs new contract’ in blow to rival F1 teams ‘Nasty piece of work’: Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes slammed by Toto Wolff Where are Mercedes and Ferrari? Frankly, you don’t want to hear the answer Max Verstappen claims Miami boos are due to his success: ‘They don’t like who wins’ George Russell takes aim at ‘distracting’ razzmatazz before Miami Grand Prix

Player ratings from the Champions League semi-final first leg between AC Milan & Inter.