DUBAI: Lewis Hamilton believes he is close to winning again while Carlos Sainz Jr. is hungry for another Formula One victory heading into this weekend’s Austrian Prix.
It took Sainz 150 races to finally win at a crash-marred Silverstone last Sunday, when Hamilton collected a second straight podium to underline how the Mercedes upgrades are paying off.
The seven-time F1 champion has won at least one race in each of the past 15 seasons in F1 and needs one more win to eclipse Michael Schumacher and set another record, to go with 103 wins and 103 pole positions. But Hamilton’s Mercedes team struggled to adapt to the new F1 rules and “ground effect” — where the floor generates aerodynamic grip and causes bouncing.
Back-to-back podiums make him confident a first win is approaching, after last winning 12 races ago at the penultimate race of 2021 in Saudi Arabia.
“With a little bit more digging and a little bit more hard work hopefully we can get a bit closer. I truly believe we can get a race win this year,” Hamilton said. “Earlier this year definitely I wasn’t sure we would ever get a win in this car.”
His pace at Silverstone, where a safety car thwarted possible victory, further underlined this. But he still feels Sainz’s Ferrari and the Red Bull of championship leader Max Verstappen are faster.
“Definitely at Silverstone there was potential to win the race, but with our current performance we’re not at exactly the same level as the two teams ahead,” he said. “We needed everything to align (at Silverstone) so we didn’t need that safety car at the end. I think things all happen for a reason. I think it was Carlos’ weekend, it was written he’d get his first win.”
Sainz’s father is Carlos Sainz Sr. — a two-time rally champion with 26 race wins.
Now his son knows how it feels to join the winners’ circle, and he wants more.
“This win has given me more and more hunger to do it again as soon as possible, and to keep fighting for wins,” the 27-year-old Sainz said. “It’s very personal and it’s difficult to describe what goes inside someone’s head. I can just tell you that it feels great, that it has sunk in little by little.”
SCHUMACHER’S FIRST
Schumacher’s son — Mick Schumacher — also got a first taste of success last weekend.
Well, of sorts, since it was the first time the 23-year-old German scored points in F1 after starting 31 races.
His eighth-place finish earned him four points and he almost overtook Verstappen at the end. Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, a family friend, was cheering behind him in the final laps. Afterward, Schumacher’s sister interrupted her younger brother’s post-race interview and sprayed him with Champagne.
Schumacher said he’s been floating with “a nice and happy attitude” since then.
Little wonder.
It was a performance he really needed, after two DNF’s in the three previous races led to some observers questioning his F1 future, and even more impressive considering he started from 19th.
“At the end it made those points so much sweeter,” Schumacher said.
UNITED FERRARI?
Charles Leclerc left the British GP bitterly disappointed and struggling to contain his frustration.
He thought teammate Sainz had not moved aside quickly enough earlier in the race and later on, following a safety car, was baffled his team kept him out for track position rather than bring him in for faster tires.
Team principal Mattia Binotto even appeared to give him a talking to afterward, rather than consoling him.
It’s the second time this season Leclerc has been bemused by team calls, following the decision to pit him for new tires when he led in Monaco — the hardest track for overtaking — and ended up fourth at his home race.
Following a dinner with Binotto in Monaco this week, Leclerc insists there are no divisions within Ferrari.
“This is really untrue. And I wish I didn’t have to get (into this) because this is the exact question I’ve got everywhere else. We are extremely united,” Leclerc said. “There’s some kind of disappointment, too. But there’s not any kind of division inside the team, that’s for sure.”
Leclerc does think Ferrari needed to improve “the communication throughout the race” after what happened at Silverstone and in Monaco.
Silverstone was exasperating for Leclerc because Verstappen dropped points by finishing seventh and Leclerc could have better closed the gap — rather than being 43 points behind heading into Austria.
Leclerc won two of the first three races of the season to pull clear of Verstappen but he’s now third overall. His last podium was second in Miami and since then he’s had two DNF’s, placed fourth twice and fifth once.
“The last five races have been quite hard on me,” Leclerc said. “I just wanted to stay home (after Silverstone), disconnect a bit from everything.”
SPRINT FOR POINTS
Austria is the second race this season featuring a sprint race, where the winner collects eight extra points. Verstappen overtook Leclerc to win it in Imola then won the race with a fastest lap bonus for a maximum of 34 points overall.
The starting order for the sprint race was decided by a qualifying session later Friday after the traditional first practice session led by Verstappen. The finishing order of sprint races then sets the grid for Sunday’s GP.
FIRST PRACTICE
Verstappen, who has won four times at the Red Bull ring in Spielberg, topped the charts ahead of Leclerc and Mercedes driver George Russell.
Zhou Guanyu, the only Chinese driver in F1, finished 18th for Alfa Romeo, days after emerging unscathed from a crash at Silverstone.
The hour-long practice was twice briefly red-flagged — first when McLaren driver Lando Norris pulled over then after some debris was removed from the track.
The race weekend is sold out with 300,000 fans attending over the three days at the circuit nestled among the rolling hills of Styria.
Zhou’s teammate Valtteri Bottas will start from the back on Sunday after going over an allocated number of engine-part changes.
BUDGETS AND BOUNCING
Team budget caps of $140 million will be increased by a maximum 3.1 percent in 2023 to allow teams to cope with rising inflation, F1 said following a commission meeting.
The 2021 cap of $145 million was reduced again to help smaller teams better compete.
Also, the application of technical directives aimed at further addressing bouncing issues has been moved from the July 22-24 French GP to the Aug. 26-28 Belgian GP, following the summer break. F1 said this gives teams more time to make “updates to plank and skid assemblies.”
Hamilton believes he’s close to F1 win, Sainz wants another
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Hamilton believes he’s close to F1 win, Sainz wants another
- It took Sainz 150 races to finally win at a crash-marred Silverstone last Sunday
- Hamilton's Mercedes team struggled to adapt to the new F1 rules and “ground effect”
Chelsea ease past Djurgarden to reach Conference League final
LONDON: Chelsea advanced to the final of the UEFA Conference League after a 1-0 win over Swedish side Djurgarden on Thursday sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory in their last-four tie.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struck the only goal at Stamford Bridge late in the first half on a night 16-year-old Reggie Walsh became the youngest player to start a European game for Chelsea.
The Blues can become the first club to win all three of UEFA’s current competitions if they beat either two-time runners-up Fiorentina or Real Betis in Wroclaw on May 28.
Defender Marc Cucurella was the only player retained from the team that beat Liverpool in the Premier League last weekend as manager Enzo Maresca made sweeping changes to his line-up with an eye on Sunday’s crucial game at Newcastle.
The Italian has been criticized for his cautious tactics but he has fifth-placed Chelsea on course to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish in England.
Teenage midfielder Walsh made his debut off the bench in the 4-1 win in Stockholm a week ago as Chelsea seized control of the tie, but that result didn’t deter some 6,000 Djurgarden fans from making the trip to London for the second leg.
Dewsbury-Hall and Tyrique George forced saves from Djurgarden goalkeeper Jacob Rinne before the two Chelsea players combined to put the hosts in front in the 38th minute.
George threaded a pass through for Dewsbury-Hall who accelerated past a couple of defenders before sweeping in a crisp finish via the base of the post.
That goal killed off any remote hopes for Djurgarden, the first Swedish club to appear in a European semifinal since Gothenburg won the 1986-87 UEFA Cup.
Dewsbury-Hall had a chance to double his tally when he headed Malo Gusto’s cross straight at Rinne, but the visitors rarely threatened with the exception of a long-range shot from Daniel Stensson that was tipped over by Filip Jorgensen.
Chelsea haven’t won a major trophy since the 2021 Champions League, but they will be strong favorites to win their first silverware since Todd Boehly’s consortium took over from Roman Abramovich three years ago.
Man United and Tottenham reach Europa League final and are one win away from Champions League
MANCHESTER, England: For Manchester United or Tottenham, a miserable campaign will end in Europa League glory.
Despite both teams languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, the Champions League is now just one game away.
That’s the reward on offer after the two troubled English clubs advanced to the final of Europe’s second tier competition on Thursday.
United beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the semifinal second leg at Old Trafford and won 7-1 on aggregate. Tottenham won 2-0 away at Bodø/Glimt to seal a 5-1 aggregate victory.
It sets up an all-English Europa League final for the second time in six years after Chelsea beat Arsenal to lift the trophy in 2019.
United came back from 1-0 down against Bilbao, with Mason Mount coming off the bench to score twice in the second half. Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund were also on target.
Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro struck for Tottenham against Bodø/Glimt in Norway.
A major title, alone, would be enough to salvage what has otherwise been a season to forget for both United and Spurs. But the added prize of a place in the lucrative Champions League would put the winner back among Europe’s elite next term.
That hasn’t looked likely for either team for most of the campaign as they have languished closer to the relegation zone than the top five.
Saudi woman wins gold at first Asian Camel Racing Championship
- Jockey Kholoud Al-Shammari races to victory on Bashar
- Countryman Abdulmajeed Al-Huwaiti takes silver in men’s category
ABU DHABI: A Saudi jockey on Thursday became the first winner of the Asian Camel Racing Championship in the women’s category.
Kholoud Al-Shammari raced to victory and the gold medal on Bashar at the Al-Wathba track in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She was followed home by countrywoman Abeer bint Ahmed Hakami, aboard Namrood.
In the men’s race, the Kingdom’s Abdulmajeed Al-Huwaiti steered his mount, Uboor, to a second place finish.
Saudi Camel Federation President Prince Fahd bin Jalawi congratulated Al-Shammari on her victory in what he called an “important continental tournament.”
He also praised Hakami and Al-Huwaiti for their achievements.
All three riders’ performances reflected the “high level and strong competitiveness of Saudi camel racing,” he said.
“This success comes amid the great support and attention from the wise leadership of the Kingdom for the sports sector in general and camel racing in particular, in recognition of its role in preserving cultural heritage and enhancing Saudis’ presence on both the regional and international sports stage.”
The prince also congratulated Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal for his support for all sports.
Beckham and Neville part of new ownership group at English soccer club Salford
- Butt, Giggs, Scholes and Phil Neville are no longer shareholders
- Beckham also is a co-owner of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami
LONDON: David Beckham and Gary Neville are part of a new consortium to have taken ownership of English fourth-tier soccer club Salford City.
The club were previously owned by Beckham, Neville and other former Manchester United teammates in their so-called “Class of ‘92” — Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville — along with Singapore businessman Peter Lim.
A new ownership group, containing Beckham, Gary Neville and other shareholders from the United States, India and England, has bought Salford and have committed to “invest significantly in the club, the team and their facilities,” Salford said on Thursday.
Butt, Giggs, Scholes and Phil Neville are no longer shareholders but “will continue to contribute to the next step of this journey with roles in the club,” Salford said.
Beckham grew up in Salford and said he had “such fond memories of my time living there and the place and its people played such an important part in my early life in football.”
“Salford City is at the heart of its community ... it has a rich history and I am delighted to be a part of the next chapter.”
Beckham also is a co-owner of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
Neville said the consortium contains “a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.”
“Football will come first, however it’s critical that we drive the club toward sustainability in the next four, five years,” Neville said. “I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Salford finished in eighth place — outside the playoff spots — in League Two this season.
Beckham said he has been inspired by Wrexham’s rise through English soccer under the ownership of Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney since 2021.
“I’m not saying this is why we’re doing it because it’s not,” Beckham told The Athletic in an interview. “But I’ve spoken to Ryan about it so many times now and he said the feeling around the city, the feeling around the club, is so exceptional. That’s the kind of thing that we want to create.”
Beckham added that the dream was to take Salford to the Premier League.
“But there’s a lot of hard work and a lot of investment to be done up until that point,” he said.
Extraordinary developments are affecting cricket’s top echelons
- Political tensions threaten to further stoke the rivalry between India’s and Pakistan’s cricket teams
Cricket’s changing landscape is generating unanticipated situations. These are occurring not just because of cricket but also because of geopolitics. These are most notable on the Asian subcontinent where increased tensions threaten to cause further fissures in the rivalry between India’s and Pakistan’s cricket teams.
The 2025 Asian Cricket Council Cup is scheduled to be held in September in T20 format, involving eight countries. These are the five full members of the ACC — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan — plus three that emerged from a qualification process. They are the UAE, Hong Kong and Oman. Teams have been divided into two groups of four, the top two teams from each group qualifying for a single-group Super Four stage.
It has never been made clear which country or countries would host the tournament. In July 2024, the ACC’s Invitation for Expression of Interest indicated that India would be the hosts. Later reports suggested that India and Sri Lanka would be joint hosts. Now, rumours are rife that the tournament may be cancelled or switched to a neutral venue. More extreme suggestions are to expel Pakistan from the tournament and disband the ACC, replacing it with a different composition that excludes Pakistan.
Security is, of course, the overriding concern and in the current febrile atmosphere where trust between the parties is broken, this will be difficult and expensive to provide.
The Indian team’s coach, Gautam Gambhir, is reported to have said “that India should refrain from playing against Pakistan till terrorism is stopped and something is done.”
This view seems to gel with those of Rajeev Shukla, the vice president of the Board for Control of Cricket in India, who recently declared that bilateral cricket with Pakistan “would never happen.”
Currently, the prospects of the two countries playing cricket against each other are not very propitious. India’s stance is hardening by the day and the Asia Cup would appear to be in jeopardy.
Matters are made more complicated by the fact that the ACC’s current president is Mohsin Naqvi, who is also chair of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan’s interior minister. At the time of his election as ACC president in February 2022, he said that he was “committed to working with all member boards to accelerate the game’s growth and global influence, together unlocking new opportunities, fostering greater collaboration and taking Asian cricket to unprecedented heights.”
Harold Wilson, a former British prime minister, is widely credited with saying, nearly 62 years ago, that “a week is a long time in politics.” This epithet can certainly be applied to the situation in which Naqvi finds himself, given his initial aspirations.
In the past week, the already sticky relations between Pakistan and India have worsened significantly. How difficult it must be for him now to balance the presidency of the ACC with statements as interior minister about how Pakistan might react to any acts of aggression by India.
While pondering the deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan and their unfortunate impact on international cricket, I received an email from a Pakistani whom I met at the Chiang Mai International Sixes in 2023. Syed Usman Javaid led a team, called the Doosras, to play in the tournament. After talking with him, it was clear that the team was not like a usual cricket team in Pakistan. It is a community, character and leadership-building initiative that welcomes people from all backgrounds.
The trip to Thailand was the Doosras first international venture and I featured their experience in a column titled “Amateur Cricket Shows Game Can be Force for Good.” In his email, Usman informed me that, after the Thailand trip, the Doosras initiated a five-month training and fitness program for team members — with the incentive of a tour to Sri Lanka at the end. This took people who could not run 300m at a stretch to compete and complete 10-kilometer races at the Islamabad night marathon.
In 2025, the Doosras have their eyes set on Nairobi, Kenya, where they aim to take part in the Rhino Cup in June to help raise funds for Rhino preservation. This will also involve work with a local NGO to use cricket for character development, creating connections with people in Kenya and playing three one-day games. Amid all the current political wrangling on the subcontinent, it is heartening that altruistic motivations can prevail.
Some distance from the subcontinent, it was a surprise to learn of a bold move by New Zealand Cricket to become the first national governing body to invest in an overseas T20 franchise. This will be in the Major League Cricket in the United States, which is expected to expand from six to eight teams by 2027. One of these is to be launched by True North Sports Ventures, which is majority owned by MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan, the league’s former chief executive.
The investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers is among the private equity investors in the venture and NZC is a foundation investor. It will provide high-performance support and expertise, operational support and expertise in cricket infrastructure and turf management. Toronto and Atlanta have been mentioned as possible venues. If the former is chosen it would represent an expansion into a Canadian market that already has its own T20 franchise.
NZC is very conscious that it has already lost several of its leading players to franchise cricket and may be in danger of losing others. It has always punched above its weight in international cricket but a player drain would endanger that ability. The MLC initiative is a strategic move to aid the sustainability of NZC by diversifying its revenue streams, expanding its global brand and providing controlled opportunities for its players and coaches.
An expanded MLC will lead to an increase in the number of matches played and, possibly, a longer duration of the competition in an already crowded calendar. In 2025, the month-long MLC will start earlier than in the two previous editions. This is an attempt to occupy a slot between mid-June and mid-July that does not clash with The Hundred in England and Wales in August and the Caribbean Premier League between mid-August and mid- September.
In pursuing its objective of expanding the game’s reach, cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council, has chosen not to regulate or control the number of franchise leagues. At the same time, the participation of the two countries with the greatest power to attract audiences in international events is in jeopardy. In turn, this has serious implications for the ICC’s future revenue generating abilities.
In the face of the reality of challenging issues faced at the apex of cricket, it is always comforting to be reminded that, at grass roots level, the game is played and followed for the purposes of human enjoyment and development, as is the case with the Doosras.
