MONZA, Italy: Charles Leclerc won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday to delight Ferrari’s massed ranks of fans as Lando Norris again chipped away at struggling champion Max Verstappen’s lead in the Formula One drivers’ standings.
Monegasque Leclerc claimed victory at Monza for the second time after winning in 2019, holding off McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Norris in a thrilling race in which Verstappen finished nearly 38 seconds off the pace in sixth.
Huge roars engulfed the stands as Leclerc took the chequered flag for his second win over the season, after his own home Monaco GP, after holding out on a set of hard tires he had changed during his one and only pit stop on the 16th lap.
“I thought that the first time would feel like this and the second time wouldn’t feel as special,” said Leclerc as he basked in the cheers of fans who made the track a joyous, noisy sea of red after the race.
“But my god the emotions in the last few laps; Monaco and Monza are the two races I want to win every year and I’ve managed to win them this year. It is so, so special.”
All of Leclerc’s major rivals, apart from teammate Carlos Sainz who ended up finishing fourth ahead of his Ferrari replacement Lewis Hamilton, pitted twice and McLaren were hoping that the Ferrari pair would do the same.
Instead Leclerc managed to keep his tires in good enough condition to stay ahead and in the end finish the race comfortably in front of Piastri, who had taken the race lead early on after an overtake maneuver on Norris which was as daring as it was tactically questionable.
“Not going to lie it hurts a lot. I did a lot of things right today,” said Australian Piastri.
“Happy with the race, the pace I achieved but when you finish second it hurts.”
Briton Norris — who clocked the fastest lap right at the end — will be disappointed by his finish after starting on pole but he managed to chop Verstappen’s championship lead to 62 points with eight races remaining as his Dutch rival’s barren run continued.
“We considered (pitting once) the whole race but it was impossible with our graining. Just disappointed. Ferrari did a better job, so hats off to them,” said Norris.
Verstappen has now failed to win any of the last six GPs after claiming the honors in seven of the first 10, and his and Red Bull’s dominance of F1 looks increasingly in question.
A fourth straight world title looked a near certainty when Verstappen won in Spain back in June, but since then he has only finished on the podium twice.
And his teammate Sergio Perez finishing in eighth meant that McLaren are now only eight points behind Red Bull in the constructor’s standings and look favorites to win it for the first time since 1998.
Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto, who replaced axed Logan Sargeant for Williams following his disastrous showing at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, finish in 12th in his F1 debut.
Earlier Leonardo Fornaroli became the first Italian to win the F3 title, the 19-year-old doing so without winning a single race in this year’s championship.
Trident driver Fornaroli overtook Australian Christian Mansell on the final corner of the 10-race season to grab third place and snatch the title from Gabriele Mini by two points.
Gabriel Bortoleto won the F2 race in dramatic fashion after starting last on the grid, cutting Isack Hadjar’s lead at the top of the stands to just 10.5 points with three races remaining in the season.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wins Italian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen falters again
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wins Italian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen falters again
- Huge roars engulfed the stands as Leclerc took the chequered flag for his second win over the season
- Verstappen finished nearly 38 seconds off the pace in sixth
Tottenham mounts late comeback to beat Coventry 2-1 in the English League Cup
- Brennan Johnson completed Spurs’ comeback with the winner in the second minute of stoppage time
COVENTRY, England: Tottenham avoided a shock defeat in the third round of the English League Cup after scoring two late goals to beat second-division Coventry 2-1 on Wednesday.
Djed Spence evened the score in the 88th minute at Coventry Arena after Brandon Thomas-Asante had fired the home team ahead in the 63rd.
Brennan Johnson completed Spurs’ comeback with the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
Coventry had come agonizingly close to upsetting Manchester United in the semifinal of the FA Cup last season — losing on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Wembley.
And it was another heartbreak against Premier League opposition after Tottenham’s late rescue act.
“Coventry were outstanding with the energy they brought, we had to dig deep today and we found what we needed to win the game,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said.
Elsewhere, Wolverhampton’s troubled start to the season continued with a 3-2 loss at Brighton that saw it eliminated from the competition.
Carlos Baleba and Simon Adingra gave Brighton a 2-0 lead at Amex Stadium and Goncalo Guedes pulled one back for Wolves before halftime.
Ferdi Kadioglu made it 3-1 in the 85th and Tommy Doyle scored a consolation for Wolves in the 90th.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr appoint former AC Milan boss Pioli
- The Italian replaces Luis Castro, who parted ways with the club on Tuesday after a slow start to the season, both domestically and in the AFC Champions League
- “Pioli is Nassrawi,” Al Nassr said a statement on social media platform X
RIYADH: Saudi club Al-Nassr announced Wednesday the appointment of Stefano Pioli as coach of the side headed up by Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Italian replaces Luis Castro, who parted ways with the club on Tuesday after a slow start to the season, both domestically and in the AFC Champions League.
“Pioli is Nassrawi,” Al-Nassr said a statement on social media platform X.
“We welcome Stefano Pioli as our new coach.”
The 58-year-old was AC Milan boss from October 2019 to May 2024, and oversaw the club’s Serie A title-winning campaign in 2022.
Prior to his near five-year stint at the Rossoneri, Pioli coached Italian sides including Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Lazio and Bologna.
He started his managerial career in 2003 with Salernitana and had worked exclusively in his native Italy up until his appointment by Al-Nassr.
His Portuguese predecessor Castro was the third coach to depart Al-Nassr since Ronaldo’s groundbreaking arrival in early 2023 on a contract that was said to net him 400 million euros over two-and-a-half years.
The highly decorated Ronaldo is yet to win a Saudi trophy with the Riyadh club, with his sole silverware so far being last year’s Arab Club Champions Cup.
Al-Nassr, who finished a distant second in the last Saudi Pro League season, have drawn twice in three matches at the start of the new campaign and on Monday drew 1-1 with Iraq’s Al-Shorta in their AFC Champions League Elite opener.
Essex fined 100,000 pounds over racism at club between 2001-2010
- Disciplinary body finds Essex guilty of failing to address racist or discriminatory language and conduct
- Last year, Yorkshire were fined 400,000 pounds for their handling of racism allegations by a former player
Essex have been fined 100,000 pounds ($132,190) after admitting to a charge of racism at the county club which they failed to address between 2001 and 2010, England’s Cricket Regulator said on Wednesday.
Essex were charged in June after an investigation undertaken by the Cricket Regulator, a body responsible for monitoring compliance with the sport’s rules which operates independently from the rest of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
An independent Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) panel held a sanctions hearing and published its decision on Wednesday.
“Essex County Cricket Club has admitted a charge in breach of Directive 3.3, in relation to the systemic use of racist and/or discriminatory language and/or conduct during the period between 2001 and 2010 which Essex failed to address,” it said in a statement.
The CDC panel also cautioned and reprimanded Essex while 50,000 pounds of the fine was suspended for two years.
“There is deep regret for what occurred in the past but these events do not reflect the Essex Cricket of today,” Essex chair Anu Mohindru said.
“The club have accepted the sanctions and remains committed to tackling all forms of discrimination, and is fully aligned with the ECB’s goal of making cricket the country’s most inclusive team sport.
“We have made significant progress in achieving these aims in the communities we represent through our excellent outreach work, as well as building a workplace that values and respects every individual.”
Dave Lewis, the interim director of the Cricket Regulator, said the racism experienced at Essex was “abhorrent” while the evidence was “deeply disturbing.”
Lewis added that the sanctions had been decided following a “long and complex investigation” after the club had conducted its own investigation.
The people subjected to abuse had “shown real bravery in speaking out,” Lewis said, adding: ” I hope that this prosecution will help ensure that no one suffers again as they did and that racism of this kind is never normalized.
“The CDC panel took into account the fact that Essex had pleaded guilty to the charge and has already taken significant action to address these issues and become a more inclusive club.”
Last year, Yorkshire were fined 400,000 pounds and given a 48-point deduction in the County Championship by the CDC over their handling of racism allegations made by Azeem Rafiq.
The former England Under-19s captain, who is of Pakistani descent, told a British parliamentary committee in 2021 of ‘inhuman’ treatment at Yorkshire and said he had been a victim of institutional racism at the club.
($1 = 0.7565 pounds)
English county side Essex fined after racism probe
- Half of Essex’s fine is suspended for two years
- The county have also been cautioned over their future conduct after being reprimanded by the Cricket Regulator
LONDON: English county side Essex have been fined £100,000 ($131,000) after admitting a failure to address “systemic” racist language and conduct at the cricket club between 2001 and 2010.
Half of Essex’s fine is suspended for two years and the county have also been cautioned over their future conduct after being reprimanded by the Cricket Regulator (CR).
The CR panel said the length of time covered by the charge and the systemic use of racist and discriminatory language suggested a culture that was “embedded” across most levels of the club.
The panel added: “This conduct continued without meaningful challenge from either Essex’s management or other senior playing members of the club even when it was brought to their attention.”
The panel accepted in mitigation Essex’s early admission of the charge and the punishments handed to individuals arising from the separate independent review commissioned by the club.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)’s own investigation had been prompted by allegations of racism made by former players Jahid Ali, Maurice Chambers and Zoheb Sharif.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould said: “Racism has no place in our sport. I’m appalled by what those who experienced racism at Essex have been through, and the way this behavior could become normalized.
“It is vital that as a sport we listen and learn from their experiences, and ensure that no one suffers like that again.
“I welcome the action Essex has taken in recent years to address these issues and become a more inclusive club, and the commitment it has shown to make further progress.”
Italy’s 1990 World Cup icon Schillaci dies aged 59
- Gabriele Gravina: ‘His goal celebrations, in which his face became the symbol of a collective joy, will remain forever part of Italian football heritage’
- Schillaci won the Golden Boot for being top scorer and won the Golden Ball as player of the tournament ahead of the likes of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona
MILAN, Italy: Former Italy striker Salvatore “Toto” Schillaci, most famous for being top scorer at the 1990 World Cup, died on Wednesday at the age of 59.
Juventus were among Italy’s football clubs to pay tribute to Schillaci, who became an icon for his unexpected goalscoring exploits at his country’s home World Cup, simply saying “Ciao Toto” on social media with a picture of him in a Juve shirt.
Italian media report that Schillaci died at Palermo’s “Civico” hospital after suffering from bowel cancer.
The country’s football federation (FIGC) said that all matches played in Italy between now and the end of the coming weekend would have a “minute of reflection” before kick-off.
“His goal celebrations, in which his face became the symbol of a collective joy, will remain forever part of Italian football heritage,” FIGC chief Gabriele Gravina said in a statement.
Schillaci played for Juventus and Inter Milan after beginning his career in the early 1980s at Messina and had modest success in the club game.
His best club season came just before the 1990 World Cup, when he scored 21 times in all competitions as Juventus won the UEFA Cup and the Italian Cup.
But he went from hot club striker to national hero that summer by scoring six times as Italy reached the semifinals of Italia 90.
“At Juve we were lucky to be excited by him before he did the same to the whole of Italy during that incredible summer of 1990,” said Juventus.
“Goodbye, Toto. Thank you.”
Schillaci won the Golden Boot for being top scorer and won the Golden Ball as player of the tournament ahead of the likes of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona, the former of whom won the tournament with the then West Germany.
Italy were knocked out on penalties by Argentina in the last four, as Napoli legend Maradona helped dump out the host nation in front of his own fans in Naples.
Schillaci, who was capped 16 times for his country, only scored one other goal for Italy in his career and four years after the 1990 World Cup left Inter for Jubilo Iwata in Japan, where he ended his career.
