Mercedes George Russell, the man without a contract, is fastest in Practice at Austria

IOL News17 hours ago

George Russel is leading Mercedes' to the right direction along with rookie Kimi Antonelli. | AFP
Image: AFP
George Russell will need to fight tooth and nail for the second half of the season to hopefully get his bosses signature on his contract for next year.
Russell was the fastest through the first free practice session at Spielberg on Friday ahead of Round 11's Austrian Grand Prix. Russell ran the fastest lap of the session with his 1:05:542 second lap at the Red Bull Ring, ahead of Max Verstappen.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished the session in P3 with the most impressive driver of the day behind him - Formula 2's Alex Dunne. Dunne drove in place of Lando Norris for McLaren as part of regulations which dictate that a F2 driver take the seat during practice.
Verstappen was just shy of Russell's pace - who is definitely looking to secure a consecutive win in Austria and prove to Toto Wolff that he deserves the coveted main seat of Mercedes for another season.
'It's not something that I'm pressing massively because, as I've always said, the performance is the priority, and I feel with the performance I'm showing at the moment – still in line with the performance I've shown over all these years – I've got zero reasons to be worried. But obviously it does help if there was pen on paper,' the British driver said during the Austrian GP media day.

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Draper ready to fill Murray's shoes as Britain's Wimbledon hope

eNCA

2 hours ago

eNCA

Draper ready to fill Murray's shoes as Britain's Wimbledon hope

Jack Draper insists he can cope with the pressure of replacing Andy Murray as Britain's leading contender to win Wimbledon. Murray ended the 77-year wait for a British winner of the Wimbledon men's singles title when he beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final. The Scot won Wimbledon again three years later during an iconic career that included three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and a spell as world number one. Murray retired following the 2024 Paris Olympics, but British world number four Draper has already emerged as a worthy successor to the 38-year-old. Now Draper knows he has to prove he can handle the expectations of the British sporting public at his home Grand Slam. "Yeah, for sure. I think obviously when Andy retired, they said I was the next in line for that," Draper told reporters at the All England Club on Saturday. "Obviously Andy has done an unbelievable job. He's been incredibly successful and has become adored by the nation. It's obviously big shoes to fill. I'm aware of that. "At the same time I'm confident in myself that hopefully I can inspire people like Andy has done. "I'll keep trying to show my best tennis out there, to hopefully present myself as the player and the person I want to be." Murray has been a useful resource for Draper since the 23-year-old burst onto the scene with a run to the US Open last 16 in 2023. And Draper won't be shy about asking Murray for advice on how to deal with the Wimbledon spotlight. - Mentor Murray - "Obviously Andy has given me an amazing amount of feedback and advice over the years. I think one of the biggest things is everyone is on their different journey," Draper said. "I know Andy's right there for me if I need him any time. There may come a point where I ask him a few things, and I'm sure he'll come back and be extremely helpful and supportive, as always." Draper, who start his Wimbledon campaign against Argentina's Sebastian Baez on Tuesday, has never been past the second round in his three Wimbledon appearances. This year's draw poses a host of threats to the Londoner's dreams of emulating Murray's Wimbledon success. Draper is scheduled to face former Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic in the second round and Alexander Bublik, who beat him in the recent French Open, in the third round. The draw seeds Draper to meet seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic in the last eight, world number Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final. "I haven't looked at that at all. I look at my first round. I respect every person in the draw," he said. "Obviously you guys have asked me a lot about the pressure and all that sort of stuff. I'm not thinking about that at all." Draper's victory at Indian Wells in March was his first ATP Masters 1000 title, building on his maiden Grand Slam semi-final appearance at last year's US Open. After a rocky spell when he struggled to adapt to the gruelling demands of the ATP Tour, Draper now feels comfortable on and off the court. "I think maturity, taking responsibility for my actions. When I was younger, it's tough. My friends went to university. I suppose they had an extended period of their childhood or their time to have fun," he said. "Sometimes you want to just take a break, but you can't in a sport like tennis. I would say that's the most challenging thing about being on the tour. "For me it was a process and was definitely something I really struggled with at first. I suppose just growing up." By Steven Griffiths

Zee Nxumalo unveils her stunning Mercedes Benz V-Class

The Star

7 hours ago

The Star

Zee Nxumalo unveils her stunning Mercedes Benz V-Class

South African musician sensation Zee Nxumalo has acquired a new set of wheels, a luxurious carrier van, a Mercedes-Benz V300d. Taking to Instagram, the 'Ngisakuthanda' hitmaker shared a video of herself collecting her new vehicle with her family. 'Please be patient on the road😍 driver is still a LEARNER,' she captioned the video. Nxumalo has positioned herself as one of the country's top hitmakers, with her song topping radio charts and her performing across the country. The 22-year-old powerhouse has been making major moves, from her show-stopping performance at the TikTok Awards, to her critically acclaimed project "Inja Ye Game", released late last year, Her hit single "Ngisakuthanda" featuring TBO secured the No 1 position on Apple Music South Africa across all genres, marking her first-ever solo top placement in a mere six months since its initial release. Her post with her wheels was filled with congratulatory messages from her fans and industry colleagues. 'BIG ZEE 🔥CONGRATULATIONS 🥂🤝🏾,' wrote vocalist Focalistic. 'A family's pride!🙏🏾🙌🏾' wrote presenter Katlego Maboe. 'Girls with Mercs😍🔥🔥🔥' said singer MaWhoo.

Springboks national anthem singer delivers GOOSEBUMPS [video]

The South African

9 hours ago

The South African

Springboks national anthem singer delivers GOOSEBUMPS [video]

The Springboks kicked off their first game of 2025 – against the Barbarians – with an emotional rendition of the South African national anthem, courtesy of Cape Town singer Janice Roos. The boys in green and gold beat the British side 54-7 at a cold and wet DHL Stadium. In the next few weeks, the Boks will play Italy and Georgia on home soil. Despite the doom and gloom of the Cape Town weather, local singer Janice Roos was a ray of sunshine as she performed the national anthem. The Mother City singer – who has previously sung at the Curry Cup finals – belted out Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika at the DHL Stadium. The performance kicked off the Springboks' first game of 2025. Take a look… South Africans will be spoiled for choice with more exciting Springboks test matches and emotional national anthem performances for the rest of the year. Here's what they can expect from home games… Castle Lager Incoming Series 5 July: South Africa vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld (Pretoria) 12 July: South Africa vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Gqeberha) 19 July: South Africa vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium (Nelspruit) Castle Lager Rugby Championship 16 August: South Africa vs Australia, Emirates Airline Park (Johannesburg) 23 August: South Africa vs Australia, DHL Stadium (Cape Town) 27 September: South Africa vs Argentina, Hollywoodbets Kings Park (Durban) The Springboks will also play these away games. 6 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Auckland (Eden Park) 13 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Wellington (Sky Stadium) 4 October: South Africa vs Argentina, London (Twickenham) 8 November: South Africa vs France, Paris (Stade de France) 15 November: South Africa vs Italy, Turin (Allianz Stadium) 22 November: South Africa vs Ireland, Dublin (Aviva Stadium) 29 November: South Africa vs Wales, Cardiff (Principality Stadium) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.