List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Brazil international Vitor Roque.

Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign young striker Vitor Roque from Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense, the...

Within the Red Bull ecosystem, encompassing two teams on the Formula 1 grid and the junior team below, there is no doubting who the senior statesman is. When Dr Helmut Marko speaks, people listen. And for Nyck de Vries, the writing has been on the wall for a while now. Asked after the British Grand Prix whether Red Bull’s ‘third driver’ Daniel Ricciardo could replace De Vries at Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri, Marko grinned. A grin which told us everything we need to know. “We’ll have the tyre test next week and then we’ll see,” he stated. That test, with Ricciardo in the cockpit of Red Bull’s RB19 rocketship for the first time this season, took place on Tuesday morning at Silverstone. Hours later, the Australian’s return to F1 was confirmed. The first thing to note is, despite his obvious struggles, it is brutally harsh on Nyck de Vries. When the Dutchman made his splash last September in Monza – filling in for Alex Albon at Williams and securing points with an impressive ninth-place finish – it must have seemed like a dream. The former Formula 2 and Formula E champion had long been on the cusps of a grid spot, entwined in Mercedes’ junior programme, and now a 2023 place was inevitable. AlphaTauri, with Pierre Gasly departing for Alpine, moved swiftly for De Vries – a decision we have now learned that Christian Horner did not agree with. Yet this year, the pairing has always felt like an uncomfortable marriage. AlphaTauri have slumped to the worst team on the grid, with Williams showing signs of improvement under the leadership of James Vowles. And while Yuki Tsunoda – in his third season with the team, it should be said – has maximised any potential out of the AT04, De Vries has undeniably stumbled in his first full season. 10 races. Zero points. Out the door. De Vries may now look back with regret that he did not stick in Mercedes’ wider bubble and eye a spot with Williams. The chances are he would have been favoured over Logan Sargeant, the only other driver on the grid yet to score a point this season. But the stark reality is that De Vries is a sacrificial lamb in this situation. Because, as we have seen in the past with Red Bull’s ruthless revolving door, his axing and Ricciardo’s return is about something much bigger than the prospects of Red Bull’s sister team this season. As much as De Vries’ poor form looks the reason on paper, Sergio Perez’s struggles as Max Verstappen’s team-mate in the past two months is a factor equally important, if not more so. Since winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April, Perez has endured a wretched run given he is, clearly, in the fastest car. While Verstappen is on a win streak of six, Perez has finished on the podium just twice and has not made the final qualifying session in his last five races. Three of those have been a humiliating exit in Q1. Thus, Perez has gone from a world championship contender to under pressure for his race seat in a matter of months. While Horner insists publicly that the Mexican’s spot is not shrouded in uncertainty – with a contract until the end of the 2024 season – there is no doubting that Ricciardo’s re-emergence heaps an extra crumb of pressure on that second Red Bull seat. For what its worth, simply assuming Ricciardo will snap up Perez’s seat as soon as next year is inadvisable. The 34-year-old was dropped by McLaren for a reason, after a chastening 2022 campaign, and has plenty to prove in the remaining 12 races of this season, starting next week in Hungary. But if the tyre test is anything to go by, the popular Aussie is champing at the bit. Speculation is rife that his best time would have been quick enough for the front row at the British Grand Prix on Sunday. Sure, it was just a tyre test, but nonetheless impressive after eight months out of the car. A similar set of statement performances throughout the season’s remainder, back where it all began with Red Bull’s sister team, could give Ricciardo the most unlikeliest of routes back into the sport permanently with Red Bull next year. At the very least, it will give Marko and Horner a decision to make. Read More Daniel Ricciardo returns to F1 as he replaces Nyck de Vries A fictional Drive to Survive? Daniel Ricciardo ‘full steam ahead’ with scripted F1 show Daniel Ricciardo shaped void will take some filling by Oscar Piastri at Australian GP Daniel Ricciardo returns to F1 as he replaces Nyck de Vries The moment Norris came of age in British Grand Prix – and it wasn’t his super start Max Verstappen storms to British Grand Prix victory with two Brits on the podium

South Africa's two-time Rugby World Cup winner Francois Steyn said on Wednesday he was lucky to have such a long...

The European Union’s sanctioning of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for his alleged links to President Putin was a

Mikel Arteta joined Arsenal as head coach in 2019, but had his sights set on a different job prior to returning to the Gunners.

Across baseball, players are embracing practices like barefoot walking and breathing sessions to keep their minds as healthy as their bodies for the long haul of a pressure-packed baseball season

Russia midfielder Daler Kuzyaev has signed a two-year deal with French club Le Havre

United States forward Christian Pulisic has arrived in Italy for a medical with AC Milan before an expected transfer from Chelsea

President Joan Laporta has insisted that the current Barcelona team is 'better' than Real Madrid and that he is 'satisfied' with the business they have done in the transfer window thus far.

Rory McIlroy receives encouragement from Paige Spiranac, his sharpest detractors, in advance of his participation in the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open

Mark Zuckerberg showed off an impressive physique on Tuesday while training with two UFC champions, amid rumours that the Meta CEO will fight Twitter boss Elon Musk. Zuckerberg, 39, and Musk, 52, went back and forth on social media recently, agreeing to fight one another in a cage, with UFC president Dana White and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn among those to express an interest in making the contest. They are not the only personalities from the world of fighting who are keen to get involved, however. UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski were pictured with Zuckerberg at a fight gym on Tuesday (11 July), three days after Volkanovski retained his title in Las Vegas. Nigerian-New Zealander Adesanya was present at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday (8 July) to watch his Australian teammate retain the featherweight belt, as Volkanovski beat Yair Rodriguez in the UFC 290 main event. “No fugazi [fake] with Mark,” Adesanya wrote in the caption to the photo with Zuckerberg and Volkanovski. “This is serious business!!” Zuckerberg commented: “It’s an honor to train with you guys!” Zuckerberg is a keen fan of mixed martial arts and has sparred with Volkanovski before, and the American recently won multiple medals at a jiu-jitsu competition. Meanwhile, Musk – who runs Twitter as well as Tesla and SpaceX – has some experience in jiu-jitsu. Former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre recently offered to train Musk for a potential fight with Zuckerberg, rumours of which have coincided with the launch of Threads, a new Meta app that is designed to rival Twitter. Read More Tyson Fury to box ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in seismic crossover fight New UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja worked as Uber Eats driver just two years ago UFC’s Josiah Harrell reacts as pre-fight test reveals brain disease