Ange Capuozzo will travel to the Rugby World Cup in France after being selected in the Azzurri...

Max Verstappen will start on pole position for Saturday’s sprint race after beating McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to top spot by just 0.011 seconds. Verstappen qualified fastest here on Friday for Sunday’s Grand Prix, but he will line up in sixth after serving a grid penalty for a gearbox change. But for the 15-lap dash in the Ardennes, the Red Bull driver begins from the front after edging out the impressive Piastri in wet-dry conditions at Spa-Francorchamps. Carlos Sainz finished third, just 0.025sec adrift of Verstappen, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc fourth. Lando Norris took fifth for McLaren, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who appeared to trip over one another in the closing moments, only seventh and 10th respectively for Mercedes. “It was difficult, but we stayed calm,” said Verstappen. “The gap to second was not as big as yesterday, but there was no need to risk it all. “My second sector was a bit careful – turns eight and nine were very slippery so I left a bit of time on the table – but I am still on pole and that is what counts. “Let’s see if it rains in the afternoon. I will try to have a clean start and have good vision and that is very important when it is wet.” The start of qualifying was delayed following heavy rainfall in the area, but the sun suddenly broke through allowing the action to get under way 35 minutes later than advertised. The final running took place on an almost dry track and the times tumbled as grip improved and the clock ticked down. Rookie Piastri, 22, looked to have done enough to take the spoils when he crossed the line fastest, only for Verstappen to steal his thunder “There wasn’t much left in that lap,” said Piastri over the radio. “Probably 11 milliseconds.” Verstappen is on course to gallop to his third world championship in as many years and the Dutch driver will be expected to extend his 110-point lead over team-mate Sergio Perez later on Saturday, with the Mexican only eighth on the grid. Eight points are awarded for the winner of the 15-lap dash, with a sliding scale down to to eighth place. The result of Saturday’s sprint, which could take place in the wet with more rain forecast, has no bearing on Sunday’s 44-lap main event. Lance Stroll’s gamble to switch from wet rubber to slicks with a couple minutes of Q2 remaining backfired as he crashed out. The Canadian driver lost control of his Aston Martin through the left-hand ninth corner, skidding through the gravel and into the tyre barrier. The front of Stroll’s machine was heavily damaged in the accident and the running was suspended. His crash meant team-mate Fernando Alonso, who turned 42 on Saturday, did not post a time, leaving him a disappointing 15th on the grid. Saturday’s race is due to get under way at 5:05pm local time (4:05pm BST). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How Max Verstappen and record-breaking Red Bull compare to Formula One greats I held my breath – Lewis Hamilton enjoys ‘extraordinary’ run to pole in Budapest Max Verstappen gives hope to rivals after coming 11th in Hungarian GP practice

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 13, 2023--

Daniel Ricciardo will make a sensational return to the F1 track at the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month after signing a short-term loan deal with AlphaTauri, and will replace Nyck de Vries for the rest of the current season. After parting ways with McLaren last year, Ricciardo returned to his old team Red Bull as a reserve driver, and Red Bull will now loan the Australian to AlphaTauri for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. De Vries has been dropped with immediate effect in the midst of a difficult season, as one of only two drivers on the grid who has failed to collect a single championship point. Thirty-four-year-old Ricciardo’s first race for AlphaTauri will be at the Hungaroring in Budapest next Sunday, 23 July. More follows... Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Daniel Ricciardo makes shock F1 return with AlphaTauri Secret Red Bull meeting fuels talk of Lando Norris switch Lando Norris says Just Stop Oil protest at Silverstone would be ‘stupid’

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Hillary Clinton responded in real-time to the news of Donald Trump’s likely fourth indictment in Georgia, revealing the one “satisfaction” she feels. “I don’t know that anybody should be satisfied,” Ms Clinton told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow late Monday. “This is a terrible moment for our country, to have a former president accused of these terribly important crimes. The only satisfaction may be that the system is working. Justice is being pursued.” A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, has returned an indictment in the investigation into Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. News of the indictments broke around 9pm ET on Monday. The indictment has not yet been unsealed, meaning no defendants – including Mr Trump – have been named thus far. Mr Trump faces two federal indictments over his mishandling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. He is also under indictment in New York City for his hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, when Mr Trump faced Ms Clinton as the Democratic nominee for president. Ms Clinton reflected on the seriousness of the criminal cases against Mr Trump. “I feel great profound sadness that we have a former president who has been indicted for so many charges that went right to the heart of whether or not our democracy will survive,” Ms Clinton said, speaking of the former president’s various criminal charges generally as the world waits to see the details of the Georgia case. Mr Trump has railed against the criminal cases against him, voted on by a grand jury of his peers in multiple jurisdictions. The former president has baselessly complained that the cases amount to “election interference” against him and has accused President Joe Biden of prosecuting a political opponent. Despite his mounting legal trouble, Mr Trump remains the clear frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination. He leads all other candidates in the polls, and his GOP rivals have largely been unable to capitalise on the legal peril facing the former president. Read More EXPLAINER: What are special counsels and what do they do? Bill Clinton's presidential center expanding, will add Hillary Clinton's personal archives Winfrey, Maddow and Schwarzenegger among those helping NYC's 92nd Street Y mark 150th anniversary

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