Lando Norris secures pole position at Belgian GP as Hamilton faces setback
This puts Norris in a prime position to attempt to close the gap to Piastri in the championship once more, following his victory at Silverstone a fortnight ago. However, as Piastri experienced in the Sprint, maintaining the lead on the first lap at this venue can be challenging due to the lengthy flat-out section after the first corner.
Nevertheless, Piastri expressed his "disappointment" at missing out on pole. In contrast, Charles Leclerc, who finished third, seemed thrilled as he confessed he "didn't expect" to qualify so high with Ferrari struggling for speed.
But, in the other red car, it was another brutal day for Lewis Hamilton who, for the second qualifying session this weekend, failed to make it out of the bottom five. His fastest lap time was deleted for a track limits violation which means the seven-time Formula 1 champion will start Sunday's race from 16th on the grid.
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A farcical start to qualifying saw Nico Hulkenberg try to but into the queue that had formed at the end of the pit lane to begin the session, only to make contact with the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll who was already in the fast lane. The Sauber driver needed a new front wing as a result of the damage, while the Canadian needed to return to the pits for his mechanics to fix some damage on his car.
It may have had an effect on Stroll's efforts as he could manage only dead last place, one spot below team-mate Fernando Alonso as Aston Martin suffered a wretched session – both slowest overall. Kimi Antonelli was also disappointed to find himself 18th, having failed to make it out of the bottom five in both qualifying sessions at Spa-Francorchamps.
Franco Colapinto was last for most of Q1 but at least managed to jump up to 17th with his final effort, while rookie Gabriel Bortoleto was handed a reprieve when Hamilton saw his best lap time deleted and was dropped to 16th, allowing the Sauber driver to progress.
Bortoleto took full advantage with a strong performance in Q2 which booked his place in the top 10. His team-mate Hulkenberg, the podium hero of Silverstone two weeks ago, will have to pull off something special again if he is to score more big points after qualifying 14th, going faster only than Carlos Sainz in the second part of the session.
Both Haas cars and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine were the other victims of Q2, while Bortoleto ended up settling for 10th on the grid. Racing Bulls marked another strong qualifying with Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson eighth and ninth respectively.
Yuki Tsunoda showed a vastly improved performance to not only make it into Q3 but qualify seventh, giving himself a good chance to finally score well in his Red Bull. He is three places behind Max Verstappen, the two team-mates separated by George Russell in sixth and a very impressive performance from Alex Albon who ensured a top-five start in his Williams.
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The 42
8 hours ago
- The 42
'Connacht helped South Africa to win the World Cup'
IT WAS AUGUST 2007 and the mighty Springboks were in Galway. Jake White's side would go on to win the World Cup in imposing fashion a couple of months later but first, they had a warm-up game against the apparent minnows, Connacht. Michael Bradley's side were expected to be cannon fodder for the beefy, brutal South Africans. But Connacht had other ideas. They'd got wind of a relaxed approach to the game by the visitors. 'I think they were enjoying the culture in Galway a little bit too much,' says Andrew Farley, the Connacht captain at the time. 'We'd heard that they'd been out for a few nights in Galway sampling the local Guinness and stuff like that, so they were a little bit underdone.' Sitting outside the famous Breakfast Creek Hotel in his native Brisbane, Farley smiles at the thought of that game. Connacht lost but it was a battle at the Sportsground that spoke volumes of the province's ethos. The westerners' defence was brilliant and they trailed 3-0 at the break before Andy Dunne's penalty drew them back to within five points in the final quarter. Bismarck du Plessis was sin-binned for throwing a punch in frustration and the Boks had to call on big guns like Bryan Habana off the bench to finally get the job done and squeeze out an 18-3 victory in Galway. 'We helped them win the World Cup, that's what I always tell people,' says Farley. 'That's a great memory of ours in Connacht. It was fantastic.' Farley is part of the Connacht Clan Hall of Fame. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO Last Christmas was the first time since leaving the place in 2009 that Farley got back to Connacht for the sole purpose of visiting his old province. He had been in Galway in 2015 with French club Grenoble, where he played and managed after moving on from Ireland, but last year's trip was all about catching up with old friends. Second row Farley played for Connacht more than 150 times during a six-year spell that included two periods as captain, as well as a few appearances for Ireland A, so he has great grá for the place. He is part of the Connacht Clan's Hall of Fame. Farley took great pleasure in catching up with the likes of John Fogarty, Mike McCarthy, Bernard Jackman, Adrian Flavin, Tim Allnutt and many more while he and his family had a mini-tour of Europe, also visiting France and Wales, where his wife, Lucy, is from. Growing up in Brisbane, Farley could never have imagined the west of Ireland would play a big role in his life. He came through Marist College Ashgrove, the same school as the great John Eales, and played for Australia at U18, U19, and U21 levels. The Aussie back row in those teams was George Smith, Phil Waugh, and David Lyons, while Farley played against the likes of Richie McCaw, Mils Muliaina, and the late Jerry Collins in the U21 World Cup final, which New Zealand won. Advertisement Back then in the early 2000s, Australia only had three teams in Super Rugby, so it was tough for a young lock like Farley to break through given that the likes of Eales and Matt Cockbain were so established with his club, the Queensland Reds. Farley had already had two development stints abroad with Italian club L'Aquila and Kiwi side Otago when former Wallabies boss John Connelly called him and asked if he fancied moving to Wales to play for Swansea for another new experience. 'I was a young kid and just rocked up. That Swansea team was a savage team,' says Farley, listing off Scott Gibbs, Colin Charvis, Shaun Payne, Darren Morris, and a young Gavin Henson. Farley only had one season with Swansea and his intention was to go home but he got a call from fellow Australian Matt Mostyn, who was moving from Newport to Connacht in the summer of 2003. Farley carries the ball for Connacht. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO Next thing Farley knew, he was on the phone with Michael Bradley, who was taking over in Connacht in the wake of the province's march on Lansdowne Road to protest against the IRFU's plans to shut down the professional arm of the province. 'Michael told me that Connacht had just survived all the troubles that they'd had, that they'd got reinvestment and he asked me to come for a year,' says Farley. 'When he said, 'We've got security now,' I was kind of like, 'Security for what?' 'I didn't know a huge amount about the struggle and it was surprising to me but he sold me on the idea of a new project. Matt was going too and he's someone I'm still mates with now.' Nothing much had changed back in the Reds squad, so Queensland agreed for Farley to spend another year in Europe. He ended up taking over as Connacht captain the following season and spending six years there in total. Galway is certainly different to Brisbane but Farley loved the place, aside from the weather. 'Coming from Queensland, I was softened a little bit by Swansea, but like there's no doubting it – it rains a lot,' he says. 'But at heart, Galway is a very warm city. The people and the culture are great and I thoroughly enjoyed it.' That was a different time for Connacht, well before they could dream of winning the Pro12 as they did in 2013 under Pat Lam. The facilities were certainly nothing near the new high performance centre where Stuart Lancaster's team are now doing pre-season. And the current stadium redevelopment was not even close to being on the cards. The highlights in Farley's time were a few thrilling Challenge Cup runs and though they lost more games than they won, he felt like he fitted in. 'With Connacht, and it's sort of like a Queensland thing, you're always the underdog,' says Farley. Farley played for Ireland A three times. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 'So you sort of use that as, 'Let's go and spoil the party.' I did like that mentality, it's a very similar mentality here in Queensland with the other states. 'There's quite a few Aussies that have gone over to Connacht and really enjoyed it. Canberra boys are used to the weather! Where would Mack Hansen be without Connacht now?' Farley qualified for Ireland on residency grounds in 2006 and the following year, Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan gave him a shout. There were good second row stocks in Ireland with the likes of Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan, Malcolm O'Kelly, and Mick O'Driscoll, among others, but Farley was keen and joined the squad for a few training camps and was then picked in the Ireland A squad for the 2007 Churchill Cup in England. It was a good experience playing alongside Johnny Sexton, Luke Fitzgerald, Keith Earls, Mike Ross, Sean Cronin, and some of his Connacht team-mates, but Farley admits it was a big decision to commit to Ireland. 'By choosing to take that path, I was locking myself out of Australia because then I became Irish-qualified and I could no longer obvously come back and play for Australia. 'But you know, I was captain of Connacht at the time and I made the decision and I don't regret it. I had a fantastic time.' Declan Kidney took over as Ireland boss in 2008 and Farley wasn't part of his plans. So when Grenoble made an approach in 2009, Farley's head was turned. He had turned 29 and reckoned he could play on for longer in French rugby. There was an ambitious plan in Grenoble. So it was that Farley and Lucy moved to France together and lived there for nine years, with all three of their children born there. Farley during his time with Grenoble. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO Farley played for the club more than 100 times across five seasons, then moved into a management role with Grenoble up until 2018. Initially after retiring from playing, Farley split his duties at Grenoble with working part-time in the club president's global engineering company. That experience proved important for Farley, who works with a company called BuildingPoint Australia these days. Life back in Brisbane is good. The Farley children – Ava, Sophia, and Tom – love growing up in Australia and their dad still has a core group of his old school friends to this day. Farley remains involved with rugby as a big supporter and also through a programme called the C2K Rugby Academy, which supports young players with position-specific training, mentoring, and advice. He has helped a couple of youngsters to find rugby opportunities in Europe through his contacts, knowing as he does that taking on an adventure on the other side of the world can be life-changing. 'I can't thank rugby enough,' says Farley. 'It's not until after rugby, when people mentor you and look after you, that you realise that you've learnt so much from playing. 'There are just so many examples from my career that enable me to be a good leader now. 'You've actually got a diploma in life from playing rugby.'
Irish Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'At this stage, what is needed is...' Legend's advice for Irish cricket
A tied One Day International series in Clontarf and a West Indies win in the T20 version of the sport, with two of the three days in Bready rained off, was Ireland's latest foray into the upper echelons of world-class cricket. And in September, England will be the visitors to Malahide for a three-day T20 series. But West Indies legend Joel Garner, who watched the June games from afar, would love to see Ireland playing more of the longer version of the sport. A regular visitor to these shores in the 1970s and 80s, Garner recalled: 'The standard of cricket was not up at that time.' However, Garner added: 'Now you are competitive with the rest of the world. There have been a lot of changes, a lot of improvements, which is interesting. 'At this stage for Ireland, what is needed is to play more three-day and four-day cricket. 'If you want to play Test cricket, you have to concentrate on more three- and four-day cricket. I think the more three-day and four-day games you play, it's easier. If you can play a four-day game, you can play a Test Match.' Easier said than done - and the challenges facing cricket here are widespread. Ireland did play a one-off Test Match earlier this year against Zimbabwe, and won by 63 runs. Last July, they beat the same opposition by four wickets. They have played Afghanistan (twice), England (twice), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan since 2018. However, a seven-match tour by Afghanistan this summer, including a test, was scrapped, with Warren Deutrom, who recently announced his resignation as Cricket Ireland chief executive, explaining the decision as 'part of our management of short-term budgetary constraints.' It was at a Test Match that Garner spoke to MirrorSport, but this one was thousands of miles from Clontarf, Malahide or Bready. We were at the magnificent Kensington Oval in Barbados. After a day in Bridgetown's iconic stadium in late-June, watching the West Indies take on Australia, the question was, how could anyone NOT love this sport? The Aussie fans had arrived in big numbers, and while many were perched high up in the posh seats, there was lots of fun to be had pitchside. Behind rows of deck chairs and in front of a swimming pool, where visiting fans could cool down in the intense afternoon Caribbean heat, supporters were enjoying their own knockabout in the sand, using plastic chairs for stumps. Aussie fans watching the action from the Kensington Oval pool Out of nowhere, two Irish accents. We weren't long into our chat when we realised that Kevin and Ciaran grew up with Brian Flanagan, this newspaper's head of sport. Small world. The pair are in the spirits industry, and when it comes to rum there is no better place to be than Barbados, the birthplace of the delicious drink. As the day drew to a close, we were led to a corporate box hosting the Cricket Legends of Barbados, an initiative to grow the grassroots game on this island paradise. Joel Garner with MirrorSport's Mark McCadden Garner, nicknamed 'Big Bird' because of his giant 6ft 8in frame, is one of the main drivers of the campaign. He keeps a closer eye on Irish cricket than one might expect, and he sees similarities in the challenges both countries face when keeping young people engaged in sport. 'When we were growing up, everybody played cricket. That was it,' he told us. 'Now, you have got a lot of distractions. Everywhere you turn, you see kids with some sort of device, they are texting, things like that. 'I don't think we did a good enough job selling cricket to the youngsters, and that's why we want to establish our cricket foundation and school, so that we can just deal strictly with cricket. Fans have a game to pass the time while the West Indies and Australian teams pause for lunch 'The distractions might be there, but if we can encourage some of the better players to play our sport, it will be good not only for Barbados cricket, but for West Indies cricket too.' And for Ireland? 'There are a lot (of similarities). Get the kids out playing more sport, rather than playing with toys and games on the TV,' he said. 'I've got two grandkids and I've been encouraging them to get involved in sport. 'My young one is too young, he kicks a football and runs around with a football, but he told his mum straight away, I want to play cricket. He's only three years old. That's what he wants to do. 'I think there is a balance between sport and academic life. I think team sport helps you to relate to people and interact, and do all those things that make you a better person. 'I think one of the problems we have is we tend to organise all the sport kids play. 'When we were growing up, we played our own cricket games, we played our own test matches between two adjoining districts, and it was just a matter of us getting together and playing cricket games. 'During the school holidays we played lots of games. There wasn't just one game going on. In a square mile area you could get maybe 10 games or so going on. This street, then the next street.' The Cricket Legends of Barbados programme aims to establish an academy, not just for elite youngsters, but for everyone interested in the sport. 'For the past few years we have been building a brand,' he said. 'What we are aiming for in the next year or two is to be able to deliver programmes and coach kids, produce well-rounded individuals who enjoy the game of cricket and who would go on, not only at local level but at the top. 'We hope to have a cricket academy established in the next year or so, so that we can run the programmes and extend it to everybody. 'There are elite programmes, but we want to run our system right the way through, go into the schools, promote cricket, do talks and provide cricket for all.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
The Irish Sun
11 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Max Verstappen spotted bizarrely throwing TOWEL out of moving car during Hungarian GP practice as Red Bull face fine
MAX VERSTAPPEN threw the towel OUT during the second practice session in Budapest. The four-time world champion found what looked like a towel that had been left in the cock-pit before hurling it out of his Red Bull while driving in FP2. 3 Max Verstappen threw a towel out of his car during practice in Hungary 3 Red Bull could now face a fine The stewards said they would investigate the bizarre incident once the session had finished with Red Bull facing a potential fine. This isn't the first time something like this has happened with He said on the team radio at the time: 'You have left so many tools in the cockpit. Everything is just falling apart.' The stewards investigated the incident, but let McLaren off with a slap on the wrist instead of fining them for an unsafe release. READ MORE IN F1 It comes after he put the rumours to bed once for all about his future and The four-time world champion, whose deal runs until 2028, had previously Merc boss Most read in Motorsport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN The Dutchman finished fourth in the Belgian Grand Prix last time out, meaning he can no longer trigger a release clause that relied on him being outside of the top three going into the summer break. Ahead of the Budapest Grand Prix, he said: "I mean, it's quite interesting to follow all that and the amount of nice stories that came out of it. Nico Rosberg in frosty exchange with Jos Verstappen over Christian Horner after Red Bull sacking "But yeah, for me, I've never really said anything about it because I was just focused on talking to the team about how we can improve our performance, future ideas for next year as well. "I think it's time to basically stop all the rumors and for me, it's always been quite clear that I was staying anyway. "That was also the general feeling in the team anyway, because we were always in discussions about what we could do with the car. "I think when you're not interested in staying, then you also stop talking about these kinds of things. And I never did." 3 Max Verstappen confirmed this week that he will stay at Red Bull Credit: Getty
