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
France starts post-Griezmann era amid Mbappé controversy
“I know very well that he’s not going to go against his club,” Deschamps said
PARIS: Antoine Griezmann has retired from France duty. Kylian Mbappé is absent, nursing a minor thigh injury in Madrid.
Ahead of Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium, France’s leadership is scarce.
“The lack of experience doesn’t help,” France coach Didier Deschamps admitted this week.
Mbappé is France’s usual captain while Griezmann, who surprisingly announced the end of his international career last month, was the vice-captain. Together, they led France to the 2018 World Cup title and were Deschamps’ most influential players in recent years.
Deschamps has yet to announce who will wear the captain’s armband for the upcoming matches.
“The end of Antoine’s international career and Kylian’s absence, that leaves room,” Deschamps said. “The group is obviously younger, with less experience.”
For sure, the armband won’t be going to veteran midfielder N’Golo Kanté. He was left out of the squad because of an adductor injury. Neither will experienced defender Dayot Upamecano, who has 27 caps for France but had to withdraw from the squad with a right thigh injury.
Deschamps said he will choose among players who are capable of taking on the responsibility of captaincy, without it altering their behavior, or diminishing their level of performance.
Following a mediocre European Championship where they reached the semifinals without playing well, France are in need of good and convincing results. Their previous Nations League matches were not entirely reassuring — defeat to Italy followed by a win against Belgium.
Italy have a three-point lead over France and Belgium in their group after two rounds. France play Israel on Thursday and travel to Belgium four days later.
Mbappé, who has 48 goals for France, failed to score against Italy and Belgium and Deschamps later said he had not been his usual self during the international break.
After the Real Madrid forward went on as a substitute in Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Lille last week, his omission from Deschamp’s squad came as a surprise. And that surprise turned into controversy when the Tricolors captain started a Spanish league game for Madrid following his omission from the France squad, amid sharp criticism from fans.
Deschamps insisted that Real Madrid are Mbappé’s employer, not the French Football Federation, and he took the best option to avoid putting the striker in a delicate position.
“I know very well that he’s not going to go against his club,” Deschamps said. “You have to do what’s in the player’s best interests without putting him in difficulty.”
Deschamps is hoping his rejuvenated squad will bring an extra dose of enthusiasm that has been lacking in France’s previous outings.
“You have to channel everything,” he said. “There is an emotional aspect, managing the emotions will be important.”
Asked for his views on what makes a good leader, Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté said, “It’s something you are born with.”
Konaté added he was “saddened” by Griezmann’s decision to retire. “He was a typical example of a leader.”
Now that the way is clear for someone to take his place, Konaté said he could see himself taking over and mentioned the names of goalkeeper Mike Maignan, defender Jules Koundé and Aurélien Tchouaméni as possible new leaders.
“A leader,” Konaté said, “has to be there when things go wrong.”
Ex-Barcelona and Spain star Iniesta retires aged 40
- Andres Iniesta came up through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and made his first-team debut in 2002 aged just 18
BARCELONA: Former Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, who won two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup with an all-conquering Spain team, announced his retirement from football on Tuesday at the age of 40.
“Being on the pitch is over,” a visibly emotional Iniesta told reporters at a news conference in Barcelona.
“I can’t stay away from football, it’s my life and will continue to be my life. Now I need to continue educating myself, I’m in the process of doing my coaching diploma and that’s the next step.”
“I will try to come back and do a great job, but it won’t be running after the ball, but from another place,” he added.
Iniesta came up through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and made his first-team debut in 2002 aged just 18, becoming a mainstay in the midfield before his departure 16 years later.
He won nine La Liga titles and the Champions League four times with Barcelona, but his greatest moment came in the 2010 World Cup final when he scored the winning goal against the Netherlands in extra time.
After leaving Barcelona in 2018, Iniesta spent five years with Japanese club Vissel Kobe before playing one final season with Emirates of the UAE.
Manchester City accuse Premier League of ‘misleading’ claims after legal case
- The Premier League champions launched a legal challenge to the regulations earlier this year on the grounds that they breached competition law
LONDON: Manchester City have accused the Premier League of a “misleading” response following a legal case concerning rules governing commercial deals.
City wrote to the other 19 Premier League clubs and the league late Monday to challenge the league’s interpretation of the outcome, saying their position was that all the associated party transaction (APT) rules were now void.
The Premier League champions launched a legal challenge to the regulations earlier this year on the grounds that they breached competition law.
The APT rules are designed to ensure commercial deals with entities linked to a club’s owners reflect fair market value and are not artificially inflated.
The Premier League champions and the Premier League both claimed victory on Monday after the publication of a decision of an arbitration panel.
The English top flight said in its summary that City were “unsuccessful in the majority of (their) challenge” and that the tribunal considering the case had determined the APT rules were necessary and pursued a legitimate objective.
But City, in their own statement, said the tribunal had declared the APT rules “unlawful” and that the league had abused a dominant position under competition law.
The club’s general counsel, Simon Cliff, in his letter to the other clubs, said: “Regrettably, the (Premier League) summary is misleading and contains several inaccuracies.”
“Of even greater concern, however, is the Premier League’s suggestion that new APT rules should be passed within the next 10 days,” he said in an email, according to Britain’s PA news agency and the BBC.
“When the Premier League consulted on and proposed the original APT Rules in late 2021, we pointed out that the process (which took several weeks) was rushed, ill-thought-out and would result in rules that were anti-competitive. The recent award has validated those concerns entirely.
“The tribunal has declared the APT rules to be unlawful. MCFC’s position is that this means that all of the APT rules are void, and have been since 2021.”
Cliff told the other clubs that it was “peculiar” that the league had said in its summary that City were unsuccessful in the majority of their challenge.
“While it is true that MCFC did not succeed with every point that it ran in its legal challenge, the club did not need to prove that the APT rules are unlawful for lots of different reasons,” he wrote.
“It is enough that they are unlawful for one reason. In the event, the tribunal found the APT rules are unlawful for three different sets of reasons.”
The Premier League said changes to the rules arising from the tribunal judgment could be made “quickly and effectively” and is understood to have called a clubs meeting to discuss making those changes.
But Cliff warned against a “kneejerk reaction,” saying it could lead to further legal proceedings.
The Premier League declined to comment but stands by its summary and rejects any assertion that it was either inaccurate or misleading.
The case is separate from an ongoing hearing involving City, with the club fighting 115 charges relating to alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.
Saudi MMA fighter relishing chance to join ‘Battle of The Giants’
- Mostafa Rashed Nada is set to take on Egyptian newcomer Ahmed Sami on Oct. 19
RIYADH: The Professional Fighters League will head back to Saudi Arabia on Oct. 19 with another stacked card as some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts come together at the Mayadeen for “Battle of The Giants: Brace For Impact.”
And fighting alongside the likes of Francis Ngannou, Renan Ferreira, and Cris “Cyborg” will be the Kingdom’s very own Mostafa Rashed Nada, a 185-pound standout who is undefeated inside the PFL SmartCage.
The 36-year-old made his PFL debut back in 2023, winning by a first-round technical knockout against Korey Kupp. Nada followed that up with another first-round stoppage win over Abdel Driai in the main event of PFL MENA 2 earlier this year.
Now, the Saudi native will take on Egyptian newcomer Ahmed Sami in the biggest MMA event of the year as he gets to live out what he says is a childhood dream.
“Competing on the international stage has been a childhood dream of mine, and I am happy to be the first fighter from Saudi Arabia to compete in a huge PFL event like this,” Nada said.
While Saudi Arabia is slowly becoming a staple for major PFL events, Nada believes that Battle of The Giants has the makings of becoming this year’s must-see MMA event.
“It’s not new for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host an event of this size, but of course I’m very excited and proud to be part of it,” said Nada. “I believe it’s going to be one of, if not the biggest event in the country this year.”
As one of the country’s biggest MMA stars, Nada fully understands how important representing the Kingdom on a global MMA stage is. He is also aware of the impact PFL MENA has had on the region in terms of growing the sport.
“Having the PFL in Saudi Arabia is great, and PFL MENA has been an amazing platform for all Saudis and Arabs to embark on becoming professional mixed martial artists and one day compete on the global stage that is the PFL, alongside the best fighters in the world,” Nada said.
“My main goal is to show the world that there are Arabian fighters ready to compete on the global stage. We are highly skilled and most importantly, we uphold our moral values before fighting.
“I want to be a good role model for the upcoming generation of Middle Eastern fighters,” added Nada.
Battle of The Giants: Brace for Impact will be headlined by Francis Ngannou taking on Renan Ferreira for the PFL Super Fights Championship, while Cris “Cyborg” meets Larissa Pacheco in the co-main event.
Shane Lowry looking forward to Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship return
- Former champion to take part in first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs from Nov. 7-10
ABU DHABI: Former champion Shane Lowry is excited to return to the UAE for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs taking place from Nov. 7 to 10.
The Irishman claimed the famous Falcon Trophy in 2019 just six months before becoming a Major champion, winning the Claret Jug at The 148th Open.
Lowry will join fellow Major winners Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Adam Scott, as well as Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood, in the field for the fourth Rolex Series event of the season at Yas Links.
The 37-year-old has enjoyed an excellent 2024 campaign, recording 13 top-20 worldwide finishes, including sixth-placed results at both The 152nd Open and US PGA Championship.
In addition, he partnered McIlroy to victory at the PGA TOUR’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
“I’m excited to end my season in the UAE, starting with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links,” said Lowry. “It’s always nice to return to a part of the world where you have had success in the past, and I hope to end the year on a high.”
As part of the season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs, the championship will have the top 70 available players from the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex at the conclusion of the “Back 9.”
The top 50 players at the end of the week will then advance to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Also confirmed for the championship are Genesis Scottish Open champion Robert MacIntyre, who also represented Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup, and Thriston Lawrence, currently ranked second on the Race to Dubai Rankings.
