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Nico Hülkenberg in eleventh place on the grid: “Not quite optimized” in qualifying

Andrew Jackson
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Nico Hülkenberg in eleventh place on the grid: “Not quite optimized” in qualifying

Nico Hülkenberg will start the US Grand Prix from eleventh position: Why the Sauber driver was unable to repeat Friday’s performance and remains positive nonetheless

In Friday’s sprint qualifying, Nico Hülkenberg caused a huge surprise with his fourth place, but on Saturday, the Sauber driver was brought back down to earth: The start accident in the sprint was followed by an early exit in Q2 in qualifying, leaving him in eleventh place.

“Yes, I didn’t hit the last sector quite cleanly and well,” a slightly disappointed Hülkenberg admitted to Sky. “Up to that point, the whole lap was already a bit on the limit with the rear axle, which was bucking and acting up a bit.”

“And you can feel that here in the last sector, where the tires are wearing down a bit.” Curiously, the Sauber driver actually set his fastest lap in Q2 on used tires, which “is of course unusual and not normal and shouldn’t be the case.”

That’s why Saturday’s qualifying wasn’t “quite optimized,” Hülkenberg admits. Nevertheless, the 38-year-old is looking forward to Sunday’s race with confidence, as eleventh place is “still not a bad starting position.”

Hülkenberg has the necessary track experience

In addition, things have been going very well for next year’s Audi driver in Austin so far. “I’ve been happy all weekend,” grins Hülkenberg, even though he had to bury his hopes of a good sprint result in the first corner.

The fact that he has done so well in Austin so far may also have something to do with his track experience, which is particularly valuable here. “It’s a tricky track with all the bumps and the wind,” emphasizes the German. “If you’ve experienced it before, that’s a bonus.”

“Otherwise, it’s very difficult the first time,” believes Hülkenberg, adding: “I think it’s very challenging, so maybe that plays a role too.” That may also be one reason why his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto has not been doing so well in Austin so far. In Saturday’s qualifying, the rookie even finished in 16th position. “I’m just having problems,” admits the Sauber driver. “It’s the first weekend of the year where I really feel like I’m struggling on a race track.”

Gabriel Bortoleto complains: No confidence in the car

“This weekend, I have no confidence [in the car] and feel like every time I push it to the limit, I lose control.” This also has to do with the fact that the Sauber can only be driven perfectly within a small working window. “The first two sectors aren’t so bad, but then comes the third sector, where you really have to have confidence to push the car to the limit, and I just feel like I’m not there yet. So, that’s it.”

Interesting: Bortoleto and Hülkenberg don’t drive with the same setup. “Each of us tries to find a good setup,” explains the Brazilian. “When I try to drive what he drives, I just don’t feel like it’s fast enough for me.”

Formula 1 rookie knows: I have to adapt to the car

He can only keep up with his German teammate in the fast sections of the first sector, but he has major problems with his car on the rest of the track. “I feel like I’m losing it every time, I have understeer and the car just isn’t connected to my driving style.”

“And honestly, I have to adapt to the car, it’s not that the car adapts to the driver—that’s not the right mentality either,” Bortoleto knows. “Now we’re looking ahead to tomorrow’s race. If it doesn’t work out there, we’ll go to Mexico and try for another good weekend.”

“Both cars are in a solid starting position for the race, everything is still open,” adds team boss Jonathan Wheatley. “Our goal remains the same as always: to fight for points. As we saw in the sprint today, nothing can be taken for granted.”

Only P6 on the Austin grid: World championship leader Piastri struggles with “unpredictable” McLaren

Sotd Editor
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Only P6 on the Austin grid: World championship leader Piastri struggles with “unpredictable” McLaren

Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri struggles in qualifying for the US Grand Prix and will start third among the three title contenders – here’s why

After the McLaren fiasco in the sprint at the US weekend of the 2025 Formula 1 season, things didn’t go according to plan for championship leader Oscar Piastri in the subsequent qualifying for the Grand Prix either.

While Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took pole position for the Grand Prix just a few hours after his sprint victory, and Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris qualified second fastest for the front row, the championship leader himself will start Sunday’s main race from P6.

Why didn’t things go as planned for Piastri in qualifying? “The car was a bit unpredictable. I didn’t feel really comfortable at any point. That was the biggest problem,” said the Australian after the time trial, which took place in windy conditions in Austin late on Saturday afternoon.

As a result of the collision at the start of the sprint, which meant immediate retirement for both Piastri and Norris, the McLaren pit crew worked feverishly to repair the cars in time for qualifying. They succeeded. But did this circumstance possibly have something to do with the relatively poor performance of the championship leader in qualifying?

“I don’t think so,” says Piastri. “The car was completely restored, and as far as I know, the setup was also the one that was planned. Everything felt normal. The car just behaved the way we’ve seen it behave a few times this season.“

Piastri is referring to the ”unpredictability” of the MCL39 he described at the beginning. “My last lap,” he recalls of Q3, in which he was 0.283 seconds slower than teammate Norris, “my last lap was actually okay. But if you don’t have the confidence, it’s just hard to find those last few tenths of a second.”

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella commented on this to Sky Sports F1: “We talked to Oscar about rhythm in these windy conditions. And since we didn’t have any driving time in the morning [in the sprint], it just took him a little longer to find his rhythm.”

“In any case, he didn’t complain about the car as such, apart from the bumps, but that’s a well-known problem here in Austin,” says Stella, emphasizing that Piastri’s “main problem on Saturday was his rhythm and lack of confidence, especially in these gusty winds.”

Piastri’s struggles on Saturday in Austin were also noticed by the competition. Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko told Sky about Piastri: “He seems to be unsettled by the situation at the moment.”

And former Formula 1 driver Timo Glock also speculates in his role as a TV expert at Sky: “Either he doesn’t feel comfortable, doesn’t have the right feeling for the car or the tires, as he usually does. Or it’s just too much going on in his head at the moment.”

Glock at least partly blamed Piastri for the crash at the start of the sprint. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff estimated Piastri’s responsibility for the incident in turn 1 at “30 percent,” while he saw “70 percent” on Nico Hülkenberg.

McLaren debacle in Austin: Red Bull senses chance for world championship title

Phil Laffertey
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McLaren debacle in Austin: Red Bull senses chance for world championship title

After Max Verstappen secured pole position in Austin and both McLaren drivers retired from the sprint race, Red Bull senses an opportunity: is the world championship title still possible?

Max Verstappen has made an impressive comeback in the world championship battle. The Red Bull driver won the Formula 1 sprint in Austin with ease, benefiting from the double retirement of the two McLaren drivers. This reduces the world champion’s deficit in the overall standings by eight points—and just hours later, he makes another statement by securing pole position for Sunday’s main race.

When asked whether this day had revived his World Championship hopes, Verstappen remained cool: “It’s not about belief,” he said after the sprint. “I take it race by race. I just try to do my best. Today was perfect for me to take the points. That brings me closer, of course, which is nice, maybe not for the others, but for everyone watching. “

However, he is not entirely satisfied with his own performance: ”I wasn’t entirely happy with the pace in the race. If we want to win tomorrow, we have to be better. I’ll focus on that.”

If you keep winning, that’s good – Verstappen remains level-headed

In an interview with Sky, the Dutchman appears calm as usual. When asked when he will start calculating, he replies dryly: “If you keep winning, that’s good, of course. But today – sure, we won the sprint – the pace wasn’t where I wanted it to be. If we want to win tomorrow, we definitely have to be stronger. We’re analyzing that now.”

Verstappen is cautious in his comments about the fact that the 55-point gap to Oscar Piastri has shrunk significantly. For him, it’s the form on the day that counts, not the points table. “We’ll see what happens,” he says. “Unfortunately, I can’t predict the future. With some things, that would be nice, but for now, we’ll see what we can do in qualifying.”

Helmut Marko warns McLaren: “We have to win”

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko sees the situation somewhat more directly. On Sky, he calculates: “Max is now 55 points behind Oscar Piastri. We have to win – eight or three points won’t be enough. But let’s see: There are still some exciting races to come, where the first corner will be critical.“

”Max is driving relaxed. We have something to lose, but the pressure is not on our side – that’s an advantage.“ At the same time, Marko sees the first signs of nervousness in his opponent: ”You can see that Piastri is making mistakes – and that’s a good thing,” he says with a grin.

After qualifying, in which Verstappen secured pole position, Marko added: “We have gradually improved. In the end, we couldn’t do a second lap with new tires because the cars in front of us were dawdling. The FIA needs to do something about that when the session is so short. But it was enough for pole. Whatever we changed on the car, it worked. The car is now more stable than in the sprint – we are more optimistic about the race.“

McLaren under pressure: the ease is gone

Timo Glock is watching the situation at McLaren critically. ”The ease that they had for a long time is gone,” says the Sky expert. “You can see that they are no longer able to dominate as they did before. Now they have to react—and that’s difficult for them. On top of that, there’s this whole story about the so-called papaya rules, which everyone has been talking about all weekend. That creates additional pressure.”

The result: mistakes creep in, Piastri and Norris lose control of their own rhythm. “That puts them in a difficult situation,” Glock continues. “And at some point, the question will arise as to when McLaren will back one driver – namely Oscar Piastri, if he still has that lead. They have to deal with all of that now. And Max Verstappen is busy annoying them.”

Toto Wolff: McLaren will have to make a decision at some point

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff also looks at the situation between Red Bull and McLaren: “Overall, it’s going to get tricky now, of course,” believes the Austrian. “You can see Max coming in with big strides. At some point, a decision may have to be made—depending on how the next two races are scored.”

For Wolff, one thing is clear: the pressure is now entirely on McLaren. Verstappen, on the other hand, can play freely—and that’s exactly what he’s mercilessly exploiting at the moment.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella is trying to take the tension out of the situation. When asked about the implications for the world championship, he replies soberly: ” The consequence is what the math says. We lost eight points with both drivers. But we’re focusing on ourselves. We know we have a very competitive car and two strong drivers. If we race normally, the points balance will take care of itself. We’re just looking forward to normal races.”

Ecclestone makes a prediction: Verstappen will be world champion

Formula 1 veteran Bernie Ecclestone also weighs in with a provocative assessment in Bild: “All the signs at McLaren point to Norris winning the title. That’s why he and Piastri, who is in second place and leads the championship, are taking points away from each other – and Max is doing it again.”

After Verstappen’s pole position in Austin, Helmut Marko remains combative. “We’re still around 55 points behind—that’s a lot,” he admits. “But I’ve calculated internally that we need to make up 15 points here. And it looks like we could do it.”

If Verstappen wins Sunday’s Grand Prix and McLaren finishes in the starting positions, the Dutchman would have made up another 17 points on championship leader Piastri and would be just 38 points behind the leader. The championship battle seems to be wide open again – a scenario that hardly anyone would have expected just a few weeks ago.

Fernandez wins WTA tournament in Osaka

Phil Laffertey
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Fernandez wins WTA tournament in Osaka

The Canadian achieves a personal first and is closing in on the world’s top 20 again.

Former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez continues her upward trajectory. At the WTA tournament in Osaka, the 27-year-old Canadian defeated 18-year-old qualifier Tereza Valentova from Czechia 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 to celebrate her second tournament victory this year. Previously, she had not won more than one title on the tour in a calendar year, but now she has five in total. Most recently, Fernandez, seeded number four in Osaka, triumphed in Washington in July. With her success in Japan, she is now closing in on the top 20 in the world rankings again. Despite the defeat in her first final on the tour, Valentova has once again made significant gains in the rankings and is now in the top 60 for the first time in her career. Naomi Osaka, the top seed in Osaka, had to withdraw from her home tournament before the quarterfinals due to a thigh injury.

“Question of weeks”: Ödegaard will be out for Arsenal for a long time

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“Question of weeks”: Ödegaard will be out for Arsenal for a long time

Arsenal will have to wait quite a while before Martin Ödegaard can play again. Coach Mikel Arteta’s words are also resonating in Norway.

Captain Martin Ödegaard will be out of action for Arsenal for even longer and may also miss Norway’s last two group games in World Cup qualifying. “It’s a matter of weeks. There is no date for his return, even though he is making good progress,” Arsenal team manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday, “we have to wait and see how things develop.”

Ödegaard suffered a medial ligament injury to his left knee in a collision during the home game against West Ham United (2-0) at the beginning of the month. The playmaker had already been struggling with shoulder problems on several occasions. After setbacks against Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, and West Ham, he had to be substituted before halftime in three consecutive games. “He’s had a lot of bad luck with injuries this season,” said Arteta.
Ödegaard has played a total of seven competitive games for the Gunners this season, six in the Premier League and one in the Champions League in the 2-0 win against Olympiacos. He has yet to score in either competition, but has provided one assist in each.

Due to his knee injury, Ödegaard missed Norway’s recent 5-0 win over Israel in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where they are still unbeaten. In the next international break, the Group I leaders will face Estonia (November 13) and second-placed Italy (November 16).

Arteta defends struggling Gyökeres

In their away game at Fulham FC (Saturday, 6:30 p.m.), the Gunners will once again be able to call on Piero Hincapie, Ben White, and Martin Zubimendi, who have recently been struggling with injuries. Viktor Gyökeres will once again try his luck up front. The Swede has been waiting for a goal for six games, and even in the two games with the national team, the €73 million new signing was unable to break his duck. “He brings so much to the team, and when I look back at the games, I’m very happy with what he has given the team,” Arteta defended him.

Top match lives up to its name: PSG and Strasbourg share the points

Andrew Jackson
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Top match lives up to its name: PSG and Strasbourg share the points

PSG and Strasbourg got Ligue 1’s eighth matchday off to a spectacular start. The numerous talents on both sides repeatedly showed their class in the 3-3 draw, including at 1-0 and 1-2.

First against third – Ligue 1 kicked off after the international break with a top match. Right in the middle of it were the Doué brothers, Guela and Desiré – alongside Zabarnyi, one of two new additions after the 1-1 draw in Lille, while Pacho and Ndjantou were only on the bench.

In the brothers’ duel – they often faced each other as right-sided midfielder (Guela) and left-sided midfielder (Desiré) – Desiré took the lead. He played a one-two with Barcola, who then scored in the far corner (6′). Although PSG continued to play confidently with the lead behind them, the class of the equally talented Strasbourg team – at 22 years and 78 days, it was the second-lowest average age of the 22 regulars in Ligue 1 since 1947/48 – flashed again and again. For example, when Panichelli tested Chevalier with a backheel shot (11th minute).

Panichelli scores twice

However, the striker then won the second private duel between the two. He headed in perfectly from eleven meters out – Doué assisted again, this time to Guela. The hosts showed no reaction to the goal, but continued to play their game without any determination. RCS punished them for this, and how: Diego Moreira calmly slotted Barcos’ magnificent lob from the ankle into the far corner to make it 2-1 at half-time (41′).

The 21-year-old not only scored, but also provided the assist. Shortly after the restart, he set up Panichelli, who scored his second goal of the game (49′). Unlike after the previous goals, the capital city team showed more punch this time. Goncalo Ramos missed at first (53′), before scoring from the spot – Penders had fouled Desiré Doué – to reduce the deficit (58′).

As the game progressed, Luis Enrique’s team continued to increase the pressure. However, Goncalo Ramos was unlucky twice in front of goal (72′, 78′) – including a rebound after Lee’s shot hit the post (72′). Instead, Mayulu scored the long-awaited equalizer (79′). Although both teams had chances to snatch a late winner – Kvaratskhelia curled a shot just wide (84′), Panichelli headed over (86′) – the score remained 3-3.

The draw means Marseille could be the laughing third party and take the top spot in the table with a win against Le Havre on Saturday. PSG now travels to Leverkusen for their Champions League away game with two consecutive draws under their belt.

Barca’s trip to Miami sparks player protests in La Liga

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Barca’s trip to Miami sparks player protests in La Liga

FC Barcelona’s controversial “away game” in Miami has sparked the first major protest in Spain’s La Liga. More are expected on this ninth match day.

In the opening match of the ninth match day between Real Oviedo and Espanyol Barcelona on Friday evening (0-2), the 22 starting players, including former Darmstadt player and current Espanyol professional Clemens Riedel, remained motionless on the pitch for 15 seconds after the kick-off.
However, viewers watching on TV did not notice this, as the global broadcast cut to an outside view of the stadium.

Players’ union announces protests for entire match day

The protests did not come as a complete surprise, however. A few hours before kick-off, the Spanish players’ union had announced protests for all matches on the 9th match day from Friday to Monday. The actions are intended to protest against “a lack of transparency and dialogue” regarding the relocation of a league match to the US, the union said.

Specifically, this refers to the match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona, which is to be played on December 20 in Miami, the adopted home of club icon Lionel Messi and former Barça stars Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suárez, as La Liga announced last week. This had provoked widespread rejection from a large part of the fan groups and clubs, who see it as an attack on soccer culture on the one hand and a competitive advantage for Barca on the other, for whom an away game will now feel like a home game. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick and midfielder Frenkie de Jong were also not too happy about their “away away game.” “My players are not happy with it, I’m not happy with it, but La Liga has decided that we will play this game,” Flick reiterated at the press conference ahead of Saturday’s game against Girona, where there will be further protests.

Flick patronized by the club? “Anyone who says that is lying.”

Jeffrey Gooding
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Flick patronized by the club? “Anyone who says that is lying.”

Lamine Yamal is available again for FC Barcelona after his injury break in the Catalan derby against FC Girona. Coach Hansi Flick denied a rumor about the 18-year-old in no uncertain terms.

“The rule Flick broke for Lamine Yamal – and why it’s dividing the Barcelona team,” was the headline on the Spanish sports newspaper As’s website on Friday afternoon. The paper was referring to a statement by presenter Manu Carreno, who had spoken on radio station Cadena SER about Lamine Yamal’s alleged tardiness before the Champions League match against Paris St. Germain (1-2).

Barca coach Hansi Flick, for whom discipline undoubtedly plays a major role, had decided to remove the 18-year-old striker from the starting lineup, as he had done a few weeks earlier with Marcus Rashford.

In the case of Lamine Yamal, however, the club intervened in the form of sporting director Deco, as Carreno claims to have learned: “Deco had to mediate so that Lamine could play. Flick did not take this intervention well, as he believes that penalties should apply equally to everyone,” said the presenter.

This is a controversial topic, which was of course also brought up at the press conference ahead of the home game against neighboring FC Girona (Saturday, 4:15 p.m.) and passed on to the head coach himself. He, in turn, made it unmistakably clear: “Excuse my language, but that’s complete bullshit.”

Flick said he “really appreciates how the club believes in our work. We enjoy their full trust and they would never ask us to do something like that. I have nothing to hide because it’s not true. Anyone who says that is lying,” Flick said, denying the rumor with a serious expression.

Ferran Torres and Lewandowski injured

Understandably, the 60-year-old did not radiate any more enthusiasm when he talked about the Catalans’ current personnel situation. The offensive department in particular is suffering from numerous absences – Raphinha, for example, has missed the last three competitive games.

While Lamine Yamal and Fermin are now fit to play again but “can’t play 90 minutes,” Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski returned from their national teams with injuries. The former is hampered by a strain in the back of his left thigh, the latter by a torn muscle in his left hamstring.

“We have to do it, that’s our job,” Flick made clear despite the injury crisis. In the Catalan derby, Barca’s task is to respond appropriately to their recent 4-1 defeat in Seville – and in doing so, possibly keep further unrest from outside the club at bay.

Hamburg brings cup hero Breunig back to the BBL

Sotd Editor
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Hamburg brings cup hero Breunig back to the BBL

Martin Breunig recently turned his back on the BBL and joined French first division club SLUC Nancy. Now he is doing a U-turn. The cup winner is joining Veolia Towers Hamburg.

The center will move to Towers Hamburg after the game against SIG Strasbourg on November 1, both clubs involved in the transfer announced on Friday.

Breunig, who led Syntainics MBC to the final of the BBL Cup Top Four in their own arena last season and then won the title with the club, is an “impact player,” said Towers coach Benka Barloschky: “We were looking for experience and physicality to strengthen our big positions and add depth.”

Breunig (33) played for Ludwigsburg, Bonn, and Oldenburg in the BBL before joining Weißenfels. Hamburg has had a weak start to the season and is last in the standings after four games without a win.

FIFA partnership: FM26 receives license for 2026 World Cup

Phil Laffertey
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FIFA partnership: FM26 receives license for 2026 World Cup

National teams can also be coached in FM26 next year. In addition, a partnership with FIFA will enable the implementation of the 2026 World Cup.

Sports Interactive, the studio behind Football Manager, and FIFA have agreed on a “multi-year partnership.” As the developer announced on Friday, the first collaboration with the world governing body will take the authenticity of the game to a new level—including licenses for the Men’s World Cup, Women’s World Cup, and Club World Cup. Specifically, it has already been confirmed that the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the US will find its way into FM26. But the 2027 Women’s World Cup finals and future editions of the 2025 Club World Cup are also set to be integrated into the simulation and authentically represented. This includes match day graphics as well as the real jerseys of the participants.

Not just the World Cup: national coaches welcome

Sports Interactive’s announcement goes beyond FIFA competitions. From next year, it will be possible to take over national teams not only in official competitions. This option’s implementation was uncertain until recently, as international management will be suspended for the time being.

“With the World Cup year approaching, it was important to revamp international management and turn it into a module with many more features for our players,” said Miles Jacobson, director of Sports Interactive. For him, the collaboration with FIFA is “an honor”: “The announcement of this partnership with FIFA is an incredibly historic moment for the studio.”

In line with the internal importance of the deal, Jacobson wants to get the most out of it. “This is just the beginning of our collaboration. There will be more to come in 2026 and beyond,” he has already announced.

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