Sports

Hamilton admits Ferrari and Red Bull in ‘place of their own’

AFP

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth on Saturday for the French Grand Prix but admitted rivals Ferrari and Red Bull are in a “place of their own”.

The 37-year-old Briton, without a win after 11 races this year, will line up Sunday for his 300th race knowing he faces a struggle to close a significant performance deficit.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, world champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez all qualified ahead of Hamilton.

“They are in a place of their own,” said Mercedes driver Hamilton.

“But we are still here and everyone behind us is struggling so we just keep on fighting.”

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He added that he was pleased to have recovered from a shaky start to the weekend when he missed opening practice –- handing his car to reserve driver Nyck de Vries for a mandatory session -– and had to “play catch-up”.

“To be honest, I’m really happy with my qualifying. My last lap was great.

“Overall, I am not sure why the gap has got bigger. They are kind of in their own league in that respect.”

He said that anticipation of the latest updates package bringing a quantum leap in performance was misplaced.

“When we said we have updates, we brought the tiniest thing. It could be half a tenth of half a tenth if it was perfect,” he said.

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“Last race, we were three or four tenths off, so this weekend I thought we’d maybe be two-tenths off, but then we’ve been a second back all weekend.”

Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell, who was out-qualified by friend and fellow Briton Lando Norris of McLaren, ended up sixth and said he had made a mistake.

“As a team, we’re probably a bit further away from what we hoped and probably expected, especially after yesterday. I made a mistake on my last lap.

“It’s not the end of the world. I think the gap is more concerning than the finishing order.”

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Sports

Lamine Yamal and Raphinha lead Barça to a 4-1 aggregate victory over Benfica

Young talent Lamine Yamal and Brazilian forward Raphinha secured Barcelona’s spot in the Champions League quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory over Benfica (4-1 on aggregate) on Tuesday at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc.

Raphinha (11’) opened the scoring for Barça after a brilliant assist from Yamal. However, Benfica’s Nicolás Otamendi (13’) quickly leveled the match with a header from a corner kick. Yamal restored the lead (27’) with a stunning goal, and Raphinha sealed the victory (42’) just before halftime.

Determined to avoid any surprises, Barcelona started aggressively, with early attempts from Yamal and Lewandowskisignaling their intent to dominate. All goals came in the first half, securing a convincing win and a place in the next round.

Sports

Manchester United knocked out of FA Cup after penalty shootout loss to Fulham

Another disappointment for Manchester United: the defending FA Cup champions were eliminated in this edition’s round of 16, losing in a penalty shootout (4-3 after a 1-1 draw) to Fulham on Sunday at Old Trafford.

Swede Victor Lindelof and Dutchman Joshua Zirkzee were the ‘Red Devils’ who missed their shots against goalkeeper Bernd Leno, sending the ‘Cottagers’ to the penultimate round of the oldest football competition.

The elimination is a heavy blow for a United team that is currently struggling in the Premier League, where they sit in a lowly 14th place.

Now, the Europa League, where they will face Real Sociedad in the first leg of the round of 16 next week, appears to be their only chance to lift a trophy this season. Last year, the FA Cup, in which United triumphed in the final against their neighbors Manchester City, was the competition that saved their campaign. The previous season, they had reached the final, finishing as runners-up.

Sports

The prince is back: Neymar’s homecoming to Santos draws thousands of fans

Neymar was greeted by thousands of fans at his childhood club, Santos, on Friday, with a concert at the local stadium and a sign that read, “The Prince is Back.”

The Brazilian star’s private jet landed in São Paulo from Saudi Arabia in the morning, but Neymar requested a few hours of rest before being flown to Santos by helicopter.

The 32-year-old forward is expected to sign a short-term contract with Santos as he aims to regain his standing in Brazil ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Posters saying “The Prince is Back” were being sold for 10 reais (about $1.50) around the 20,000-seat Vila Belmiro Stadium, located on the outskirts of São Paulo.