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Cracks have appeared in Piastri's composure. How he responds could decide the world title

Cracks have appeared in Piastri's composure. How he responds could decide the world title

While we'll need to wait until the upcoming back-to-back rounds in Belgium (July 27) and Hungary (August 3) to better assess the latter, what's more explainable are the reasons for Piastri's reaction and the context behind them, not the reaction itself.
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'I deserved a lot more than what I got'
Piastri had played his cards perfectly at Silverstone as the capricious weather accentuated every stereotype about an English summer.
From second on the grid on a track still soaked from pre-race rain, Piastri harried pole-sitter and four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen through the spray in the early laps before overtaking the Red Bull star on lap eight and bolting to a seven-second lead by lap 11, by which time Norris had passed Verstappen for second place.
Worsening rain saw the safety car deployed to neutralise the race, with Norris – who endured a slow pit stop – falling behind Verstappen before the race resumed three laps later, Piastri backing the pack up behind him as the safety car intervention ended before scampering away.
Half a lap later, when an unsighted Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) ploughed into the back of Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), the safety car was called back into action, which proved crucial.
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When racing resumed on lap 21, Piastri – caught by surprise by the safety car's lights switching off late in the lap to indicate the race was set to re-start – braked hard to warm up his brakes for the resumption; behind him, Verstappen moved to his right to take evasive action, and the cars behind Verstappen scattered to avoid running into one another in the spray.
Race stewards immediately investigated the incident and Piastri – who was found to have braked from 218km/h to 52km/h – was deemed guilty of 'clearly' breaching Article 55.15 of F1's sporting regulations, which states: 'From the point at which the lights on the [safety] car are turned out, drivers must proceed at a pace which involves no erratic acceleration or braking, nor any manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restarts.'
After Verstappen spun at the restart and dropped back to 10th, Norris sat behind his teammate in second place with both drivers needing one pit stop to complete the 52-lap distance; Piastri led until lap 40 when his final stop – where his car sat motionless for 10 seconds before his team could change tyres – handed Norris a lead he wouldn't relinquish.
In a championship fight of such small margins – and for the fact Norris engineered a 14-point swing through nothing more than being the beneficiary of Piastri's momentary misjudgment and poor fortune – Piastri's mood was, in the moment, explainable.
'I hit the brakes [and] at the same time I did that, the lights on the safety car went out, which was also extremely late,' he explained of the lap-21 restart.
'And then, obviously, I didn't accelerate because I can control the pace from there. And, yeah, you saw the result. I didn't do anything differently to my first restart – I didn't go any slower.'
After a race in which he'd mastered the tricky conditions and muscled his way past Verstappen with authority, Piastri was in no mood to celebrate a 10th podium in 12 races this season.
'It obviously hurts at the moment,' he said afterwards.
'I know I deserved a lot more than what I got, I felt like I drove a really strong race. Ultimately, when you don't get the result you think you deserve, it hurts – especially when it's not in your control.'
A two-horse race for the title
Piastri's post-race rancour is unlikely to linger; the Australian is far too practical for that, and the two-week break between Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps comes at an opportune time for a driver who, this time last year, was yet to win a Formula 1 race.
Fast-forward 12 months and Piastri has led the championship standings since round five in Saudi Arabia, his third victory of the season, coming on a weekend in which Norris crashed in qualifying and relinquished the advantage he'd held since winning the season-opener in Melbourne.
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For the past seven rounds, Piastri's margin over the rest has been as slim as three points (after Monaco, which Norris won), and peaked at 22 points after Norris ran into the back of Piastri and retired in Montreal – the only race this season where there hasn't been at least one McLaren driver on the podium.
With Verstappen a championship contender in name only – the Dutchman recovered to fifth at Silverstone, but is now 69 points off the championship lead, nearly the equivalent of three race wins – the 2025 season is now a Piastri v Norris intra-team fight for the title, given the pace advantage McLaren's MCL39 machine has over the rest, and the sweeping regulation changes set for 2026 that will act as a hard reset for the championship and see rival squads soon prioritise next season over this one.
It's a set of circumstances that means small slip-ups – Piastri running wide and getting stuck in the wet grass in Australia, Norris' Jeddah qualifying smash and his Canada collision with his teammate – carry big consequences for a team that hasn't had a drivers' world champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
Piastri's Silverstone penalty wasn't his first error of the season, and – given the stakes – isn't likely to be his last, with both of McLaren's drivers entering uncharted territory.
Momentum will ebb and flow. Norris bounced back after his Montreal gaffe to win the next two races – even if one of those victories was gift-wrapped by his teammate – and 2025 shapes as a season that will be determined by each driver's worst days, not their best ones.
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Sydney FC v Wrexham AFC as it happened: Teenage sub steals the show as Sky Blues win 2-1
Sydney FC v Wrexham AFC as it happened: Teenage sub steals the show as Sky Blues win 2-1

Sydney Morning Herald

timean hour ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

Sydney FC v Wrexham AFC as it happened: Teenage sub steals the show as Sky Blues win 2-1

Posts area Go to latest Pinned post from 9.09pm on Jul 15, 2025 WATCH: Joe Lacey's stunning goal Latest posts 10.07pm on Jul 15, 2025 Thanks and good night That'll be all from us on the live blog tonight. Thanks for reading along. Hope you enjoyed the game and our coverage - and I hope you do as Ufuk Talay says and watch the A-League this coming season, because it's absolutely worth your time. This event all about Wrexham - and it was - but Sydney FC put on a good show too and stole some of the spotlight at Allianz Stadium tonight. What a moment for Joe Lacey, as well. Cheers, and have a great night. 10.05pm on Jul 15, 2025 Ufuk Talay: 'Hopefully we've excited these people and they buy memberships' Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay, meanwhile, had a message for the 40,000 fans who turned up - many of whom, we presume, have not been to an A-League game before. Maybe they should think about it. As much as we're here to win games and win trophies, we're here to entertain as well. And it's great that the young boys came on and entertained and we scored a goal to win the game. That's what football is, and that's the brand that we've always tried to play. That's the brand that we want to play at Sydney FC where we are getting in goal scoring opportunities sometimes, we are defending our box with desperation and we want to score goals to win games. Hopefully we've excited these people and they buy memberships and they come to our games. As he said in our story quoting him yesterday, though, Talay wasn't having any of the debate about where the A-League would hypothetically rank in the English pyramid and how teams like his compare with the likes of Wrexham: I personally don't like this comparison. They play in their own competition. We play in our own competition. And I don't think we're comparing apples with apples at the same time. It's apples with oranges. Their budgets compared to our budgets are totally different. But one thing I will say, our game is the A-League. So we should love and support our domestic game regardless, because it is our game. And the talent it produces, you look at the Socceroos where Popa [Tony Popovic] selects players from within our competition. So obviously our competition level is good enough for players to be selected to play at international level. We do produce players, players do go overseas. In the last two and a half years, I think Sydney's made sales that they've never made before previously in the 20 years that the club's been around for. It is our game and I think comparing it with other competitions, I don't believe it's the right thing to do. 10.00pm on Jul 15, 2025 Phil Parkinson: 'Some of the quality from us wasn't where it needs to be' Coach Phil Parkinson wasn't overly happy with how Wrexham played: As a workout, it was a decent game for us. Some of the quality from us wasn't where it needs to be. First half, I thought we were in control, got the goal and then conceding off a set play, it gave them a lift … second half, we got a lot of good possession, got into some good areas but the quality of our crossing wasn't where it needed to be to go and take advantage of that kind of pressure we had. In fairness to [Sydney's] youngsters, the lad who came on and scored the goal produced one moment of real quality in the second half and that's what football is about. It's big moments and credit to him for that. Parkinson was, however, impressed with the calibre of talent in the Australian game - particularly young talent. It was put to him that one of Wrexham's rivals in the Championship this coming season, Portsmouth, have gone big on Aussie players in the belief that there are undervalued players here and therefore transfer bargains to be had. You look at the young players who came on tonight, the athleticism of them and the quality … the European market is expensive and they've dipped into the Australian market. In every league there's quality players to be identified and signed but I think the Sydney youngsters tonight, in front of 40,000 people, what an opportunity for them. Same as a few of our youngsters, two in the first half: Aaron James and Harry Ashfield. That was a big game for them today, playing at a stadium like this in front of such a great crowd. 9.57pm on Jul 15, 2025 Danny Ward: 'Sydney played really well' We've just heard from some of the players and coaches in the post-match press conference, starting with Danny Ward, the former Liverpool and Leicester City goalkeeper who now plays with Wrexham. He was impressed with the talent on show from Sydney FC, and the huge crowd that turned out to watch them. Playing in front of big crowds at this point of the season is a testament not only to the people of Sydney, but also how big the club and the direction that Wrexham's going in as well. To draw a crowd like that in our second pre-season game is top. In terms of the game, I thought Sydney played really well. They were sharp and gave us a real good test. The result aside, it's a good workout for the boys. It's pre-season. We're here to get fit and get our sharpness and ideas back across. The result aside, I think we did that. 9.34pm on Jul 15, 2025 Joe Lacey: 'It just felt like a video game. It felt like I had a VR headset on.' Awesome stuff from Joe Lacey, the 18-year-old junior for Curl Curl, speaking on Paramount+ about what I'm safely assuming is the greatest moment of his life so far. It's massive. My mum's Welsh. It's very big for me and my family because they're all watching in Wales. She's there at the moment actually, so it's huge. All credit to the boys. On the goal: It just felt like a video game. It felt like I had a VR headset on. I didn't know what to do to celebrate, I just chucked my hands in the air. I had all the boys around me, it made it even more special. 9.20pm on Jul 15, 2025 FULL-TIME: Sydney FC 2-1 Wrexham AFC And that's it! Sydney FC have done it. The full-time whistle has blown and they have secured a 2-1 victory over Wrexham AFC. An own goal off Corey Hollman in the 18th minute gave the Red Dragons the lead, but they couldn't hold it. On the stroke of half-time, Alex Popovic pulled Sydney FC level - and after both sides made mass changes at about the hour mark, the Sky Blues were simply the better team, with Joe Lacey's match-winning goal in the 74th minute the absolute highlight of the match. People came here to soak in a bit of that Wrexham magic, but they will leave talking about the promise of Sydney's next generation of talent. Superb. 9.15pm on Jul 15, 2025 Sydney FC are almost there Just a few minutes left in this match and what a feat it would be if Sydney FC can seal the victory here. Since those changes at about the 60-minute mark, they've been fielding what is essentially an NPL team. Every player, bar Devenish-Meares, has come through their academy. Yes, Wrexham made 10 changes too but you'd expect a club of their calibre to have better depth than the A-League's seventh-best team from last season. Terrific signs for the future. Sydney FC 2-1 Wrexham AFC, 87 minutes 9.09pm on Jul 15, 2025 WATCH: Joe Lacey's stunning goal 9.08pm on Jul 15, 2025 More than 40,000 fans in the house The official crowd for tonight is 40,242. Massive turnout. That's about 5000 more than the crowd that watched the Socceroos beat Indonesia here a few months ago. In a live, consequential World Cup qualifier. 9.06pm on Jul 15, 2025 These kids are alright These young Sky Blues are well on top, winning back-to-back corners and continuing to apply pressure on the visiting side. They've got their tails up - no fear, just confidently attacking the game as kids do. In fact they've looked the better team since the mass substitutions about 20-odd minutes to go. Bodes well for the upcoming A-League season if this is the depth that Sydney FC has to lean upon. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Australia is producing some really good talent these days.

England's Hundred will have strong Australian accent
England's Hundred will have strong Australian accent

The Advertiser

timea day ago

  • The Advertiser

England's Hundred will have strong Australian accent

Hilton Cartwright's late call-up by Southern Brave has taken to 24 the number of Australians who will figure in this year's Hundred, the controversial white-ball franchise competition that has divided English cricket. The 31-year-old Western Australia and Melbourne Stars allrounder, capped at Test and ODI level in 2017, is an injury replacement for South African Faf du Plessis. When the competition begins on 5 August most matches will feature an Aussie accent with 13 of the 16 teams signing an Australian. Only one women's team, Brave, are without one, with 15 Australian women selected. Birmingham Phoenix, Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets all used their full complement of three overseas players to sign Australian women. The in-demand nature of Australia's all-conquering women's team is reflected in the salaries they will receive. Six will each receive the top-tier Stg 65,000 ($A135,000) fee - Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield, Ash Gardner and Grace Harris, with a further five collecting the second-level Stg 50,000 ($A102,500). Fewer of the current leading Australian men have signed up with David Warner, Marcus Stoinis and Steve Smith the big-name recruits. The former will pick up Stg 100,000 ($A205,000), the latter two Stg 120,000 ($A246,000). There are also seven Australian coaches, four with men's teams, including Justin Langer at London Spirit. Also signed in Tuesday's final selection were two Englishmen at opposite ends of their careers: James Anderson, who will be 43 when the tournament starts, and Rocky Flintoff, 17, who has joined the Northern Superchargers team his father, former England allrounder Andrew, coaches. This is the last season before the impact is felt of the sale of large chunks of most teams to private owners. Several have sold stakes to Indian Premier League clubs with Sunrisers Hyderabad buying all of Northern Superchargers from hosts Yorkshire. Created by the England and Wales Cricket Board to attract new fans the competition has been fiercely opposed by traditional supporters who feel it has drawn resources away from the traditional 18-club county structure and imperils the four-day game. However, the ECB feel the sale process, which is set to bring in Stg 520m ($A1.1 billion), valuing the teams collectively at Stg 975m ($A2.0 bn), will save the sport from bankruptcy. However, those 11 counties who do not host a franchise - and most of the Hundred venues also stage Test matches - fear they will be left behind. AUSTRALIANS IN THE HUNDRED Women Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll (Birmingham Phoenix), Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne (London Spirit), Beth Mooney (Manchester Originals), Phoebe Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham (Northern Superchargers), Amanda-Jade Wellington, Meg Lanning (Oval Invincibles), Ash Gardner, Alana King, Heather Graham (Trent Rockets), Jess Jonassen (Welsh Fire). Men David Warner, Ashton Turner (London Spirit), Ben Dwarshuis (Northern Superchargers), Jason Behrendorff (Oval Invincibles), Hilton Cartwright (Southern Brave), Marcus Stoinis (Trent Rockets), Steve Smith, Riley Meredith, Chris Green (Welsh Fire). Hilton Cartwright's late call-up by Southern Brave has taken to 24 the number of Australians who will figure in this year's Hundred, the controversial white-ball franchise competition that has divided English cricket. The 31-year-old Western Australia and Melbourne Stars allrounder, capped at Test and ODI level in 2017, is an injury replacement for South African Faf du Plessis. When the competition begins on 5 August most matches will feature an Aussie accent with 13 of the 16 teams signing an Australian. Only one women's team, Brave, are without one, with 15 Australian women selected. Birmingham Phoenix, Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets all used their full complement of three overseas players to sign Australian women. The in-demand nature of Australia's all-conquering women's team is reflected in the salaries they will receive. Six will each receive the top-tier Stg 65,000 ($A135,000) fee - Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield, Ash Gardner and Grace Harris, with a further five collecting the second-level Stg 50,000 ($A102,500). Fewer of the current leading Australian men have signed up with David Warner, Marcus Stoinis and Steve Smith the big-name recruits. The former will pick up Stg 100,000 ($A205,000), the latter two Stg 120,000 ($A246,000). There are also seven Australian coaches, four with men's teams, including Justin Langer at London Spirit. Also signed in Tuesday's final selection were two Englishmen at opposite ends of their careers: James Anderson, who will be 43 when the tournament starts, and Rocky Flintoff, 17, who has joined the Northern Superchargers team his father, former England allrounder Andrew, coaches. This is the last season before the impact is felt of the sale of large chunks of most teams to private owners. Several have sold stakes to Indian Premier League clubs with Sunrisers Hyderabad buying all of Northern Superchargers from hosts Yorkshire. Created by the England and Wales Cricket Board to attract new fans the competition has been fiercely opposed by traditional supporters who feel it has drawn resources away from the traditional 18-club county structure and imperils the four-day game. However, the ECB feel the sale process, which is set to bring in Stg 520m ($A1.1 billion), valuing the teams collectively at Stg 975m ($A2.0 bn), will save the sport from bankruptcy. However, those 11 counties who do not host a franchise - and most of the Hundred venues also stage Test matches - fear they will be left behind. AUSTRALIANS IN THE HUNDRED Women Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll (Birmingham Phoenix), Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne (London Spirit), Beth Mooney (Manchester Originals), Phoebe Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham (Northern Superchargers), Amanda-Jade Wellington, Meg Lanning (Oval Invincibles), Ash Gardner, Alana King, Heather Graham (Trent Rockets), Jess Jonassen (Welsh Fire). Men David Warner, Ashton Turner (London Spirit), Ben Dwarshuis (Northern Superchargers), Jason Behrendorff (Oval Invincibles), Hilton Cartwright (Southern Brave), Marcus Stoinis (Trent Rockets), Steve Smith, Riley Meredith, Chris Green (Welsh Fire). Hilton Cartwright's late call-up by Southern Brave has taken to 24 the number of Australians who will figure in this year's Hundred, the controversial white-ball franchise competition that has divided English cricket. The 31-year-old Western Australia and Melbourne Stars allrounder, capped at Test and ODI level in 2017, is an injury replacement for South African Faf du Plessis. When the competition begins on 5 August most matches will feature an Aussie accent with 13 of the 16 teams signing an Australian. Only one women's team, Brave, are without one, with 15 Australian women selected. Birmingham Phoenix, Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets all used their full complement of three overseas players to sign Australian women. The in-demand nature of Australia's all-conquering women's team is reflected in the salaries they will receive. Six will each receive the top-tier Stg 65,000 ($A135,000) fee - Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield, Ash Gardner and Grace Harris, with a further five collecting the second-level Stg 50,000 ($A102,500). Fewer of the current leading Australian men have signed up with David Warner, Marcus Stoinis and Steve Smith the big-name recruits. The former will pick up Stg 100,000 ($A205,000), the latter two Stg 120,000 ($A246,000). There are also seven Australian coaches, four with men's teams, including Justin Langer at London Spirit. Also signed in Tuesday's final selection were two Englishmen at opposite ends of their careers: James Anderson, who will be 43 when the tournament starts, and Rocky Flintoff, 17, who has joined the Northern Superchargers team his father, former England allrounder Andrew, coaches. This is the last season before the impact is felt of the sale of large chunks of most teams to private owners. Several have sold stakes to Indian Premier League clubs with Sunrisers Hyderabad buying all of Northern Superchargers from hosts Yorkshire. Created by the England and Wales Cricket Board to attract new fans the competition has been fiercely opposed by traditional supporters who feel it has drawn resources away from the traditional 18-club county structure and imperils the four-day game. However, the ECB feel the sale process, which is set to bring in Stg 520m ($A1.1 billion), valuing the teams collectively at Stg 975m ($A2.0 bn), will save the sport from bankruptcy. However, those 11 counties who do not host a franchise - and most of the Hundred venues also stage Test matches - fear they will be left behind. AUSTRALIANS IN THE HUNDRED Women Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll (Birmingham Phoenix), Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne (London Spirit), Beth Mooney (Manchester Originals), Phoebe Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham (Northern Superchargers), Amanda-Jade Wellington, Meg Lanning (Oval Invincibles), Ash Gardner, Alana King, Heather Graham (Trent Rockets), Jess Jonassen (Welsh Fire). Men David Warner, Ashton Turner (London Spirit), Ben Dwarshuis (Northern Superchargers), Jason Behrendorff (Oval Invincibles), Hilton Cartwright (Southern Brave), Marcus Stoinis (Trent Rockets), Steve Smith, Riley Meredith, Chris Green (Welsh Fire).

England's Hundred will have strong Australian accent
England's Hundred will have strong Australian accent

Perth Now

timea day ago

  • Perth Now

England's Hundred will have strong Australian accent

Hilton Cartwright's late call-up by Southern Brave has taken to 24 the number of Australians who will figure in this year's Hundred, the controversial white-ball franchise competition that has divided English cricket. The 31-year-old Western Australia and Melbourne Stars allrounder, capped at Test and ODI level in 2017, is an injury replacement for South African Faf du Plessis. When the competition begins on 5 August most matches will feature an Aussie accent with 13 of the 16 teams signing an Australian. Only one women's team, Brave, are without one, with 15 Australian women selected. Birmingham Phoenix, Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets all used their full complement of three overseas players to sign Australian women. The in-demand nature of Australia's all-conquering women's team is reflected in the salaries they will receive. Six will each receive the top-tier Stg 65,000 ($A135,000) fee - Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield, Ash Gardner and Grace Harris, with a further five collecting the second-level Stg 50,000 ($A102,500). Fewer of the current leading Australian men have signed up with David Warner, Marcus Stoinis and Steve Smith the big-name recruits. The former will pick up Stg 100,000 ($A205,000), the latter two Stg 120,000 ($A246,000). There are also seven Australian coaches, four with men's teams, including Justin Langer at London Spirit. Also signed in Tuesday's final selection were two Englishmen at opposite ends of their careers: James Anderson, who will be 43 when the tournament starts, and Rocky Flintoff, 17, who has joined the Northern Superchargers team his father, former England allrounder Andrew, coaches. This is the last season before the impact is felt of the sale of large chunks of most teams to private owners. Several have sold stakes to Indian Premier League clubs with Sunrisers Hyderabad buying all of Northern Superchargers from hosts Yorkshire. Created by the England and Wales Cricket Board to attract new fans the competition has been fiercely opposed by traditional supporters who feel it has drawn resources away from the traditional 18-club county structure and imperils the four-day game. However, the ECB feel the sale process, which is set to bring in Stg 520m ($A1.1 billion), valuing the teams collectively at Stg 975m ($A2.0 bn), will save the sport from bankruptcy. However, those 11 counties who do not host a franchise - and most of the Hundred venues also stage Test matches - fear they will be left behind. AUSTRALIANS IN THE HUNDRED Women Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll (Birmingham Phoenix), Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne (London Spirit), Beth Mooney (Manchester Originals), Phoebe Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham (Northern Superchargers), Amanda-Jade Wellington, Meg Lanning (Oval Invincibles), Ash Gardner, Alana King, Heather Graham (Trent Rockets), Jess Jonassen (Welsh Fire). Men David Warner, Ashton Turner (London Spirit), Ben Dwarshuis (Northern Superchargers), Jason Behrendorff (Oval Invincibles), Hilton Cartwright (Southern Brave), Marcus Stoinis (Trent Rockets), Steve Smith, Riley Meredith, Chris Green (Welsh Fire).

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