Tuesday, October 7, 2025
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Rodri takes next enforced break in stride – Guardiola smashes record

⁠Manchester City goes into the international break feeling good and with a Guardiola record. And Rodri, who was substituted on Sunday after picking up an injury, also appears to have had a stroke of luck in his misfortune.

On Monday morning, the Spanish Football Federation confirmed what had already been clear in England since the previous evening: Rodri will miss the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia (Saturday) and Bulgaria due to injury – and thus may not be on the pitch to see the reigning European champions secure their ticket to 2026.

But for Manchester City fans, what Rodri himself said after Sunday evening’s 1-0 win at Brentford FC, where he was substituted in the 22nd minute after picking up an injury, was much more important. “I’m fine,” Pep Guardiola’s midfield anchor gave the all-clear. “I felt a slight pull in my Achilles tendon, but it doesn’t seem to be anything serious. I overstretched my leg a little, similar to what happened in the European Championship final.” He hopes to be back in action for the home game against Everton on October 18.

Such problems are simply “part of the process,” said Rodri calmly, who missed almost the entire previous season due to a knee injury. Even coach Guardiola had predicted before the Brentford game that we would only see the “best Rodri” again at the World Cup. “This year is about how you deal with it.” The Catalan has only let his strategist play through twice this season.

Extra praise for Haaland and Donnarumma

Despite Rodri’s early exit, ManCity secured their fourth win in seven league games against Brentford, keeping them in touch with the leading pack. Guardiola, who praised in particular the in-form match-winner Erling Haaland (“now part of the club”) and new keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma (“as if he’s been playing soccer for centuries”), set a new record in the process: He achieved his 250th Premier League victory in just 349 games, smashing Sir Alex Ferguson’s record of 404 games. Arsene Wenger is third with 423 games. “I’ll invite them to a nice dinner, maybe not in Manchester, but somewhere sunnier,” Guardiola, who is the best Premier League coach in history with a win rate of 71.6 percent, announced cheerfully to the two coaching legends.

Barcelona can count on Lamine Yamal for El Clásico

Lamine Yamal has missed several games this season due to groin problems, but he is likely to be available for La Liga’s biggest game of the season. He may even return before El Clásico.

Hansi Flick did not want to look for excuses after the bitter 1-4 defeat in Seville, perhaps the worst game under his leadership. However, he did not leave the Catalans’ injury problems entirely uncommented. He said it was “important” that several players would return from injury after the international break, “we need them.”

And none more urgently needed than Lamine Yamal. The 18-year-old missed his fourth league game of the season against Sevilla. He had returned at the end of September and made an important assist as a substitute in the 2-1 win over Real Sociedad. Three days later, he was also involved in the Champions League top match, but then suffered a setback.

Flick spoke of a “complicated injury” ahead of the game against Sevilla. “It’s not easy to say whether he’ll be able to play in two or three weeks.” A statement that caught the attention of Barcelona fans, especially with the first Clasico of the season against Real Madrid coming up on October 26.

Joker against Girona?

But it looks like Yamal won’t miss the showdown. According to Marca, everything points to the attacker being at the Bernabeu. The striker is following a “demanding recovery plan” in Barcelona and, “according to current forecasts,” could even be available as a substitute for the upcoming league match against Girona on October 18. Three days later, the Catalans will be back at home for their Champions League match against Olympiacos Piraeus.

A controversy had erupted between Flick and Spanish national coach Luis de la Fuente over Yamal, as the winger had returned injured after the international break in early September. Flick accused his colleague of playing Yamal despite his pain. De La Fuente, meanwhile, accused Flick of lacking empathy. The conflict has since been resolved.

In addition to Yamal, other important players are currently unavailable for the Catalans. Flick will have to do without Raphinha, Fermin, Gavi, and the two goalkeepers Joan García and Marc-André ter Stegen for the time being.

San Marino on the horizon: Arnautovic chasing Polster’s record

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⁠Austria’s record-breaking player Marko Arnautovic is just three goals away from Toni Polster’s record. Polster has come to terms with losing his prestigious title, but still wants to fight for recognition for three more goals.

On Thursday, Marko Arnautovic will have the opportunity to close in on Toni Polster’s goal record for the Austrian national team—or even equal or surpass it. Arnautovic has scored 41 times for the ÖFB team, three fewer than Polster, and now he could add to his tally against the world’s lowest-ranked team. In the first match against the team from the small country in June, Arnautovic scored twice, but he also missed a penalty.

The 36-year-old is already the ÖFB’s record international with 127 caps. Should he actually catch up with Polster, who holds both prestigious records, a current ÖFB colleague could make it into the top ten in his shadow. Marcel Sabitzer is currently eleventh with 23 goals – just one goal behind Karl Zischek in tenth place. Even Johann Horvath (29), who is currently in fourth place, is within Sabitzer’s reach in the medium term. Other current team players could also move up in the all-time rankings: Michael Gregoritsch is currently 14th (21 goals) and Christoph Baumgartner 15th (19). There is a good chance of increasing their personal goal tallies, as Austria has won all three of its matches against San Marino so far, with a goal difference of 15:1.
A win against the small country would be the ÖFB team’s fifth competitive victory in a row. The last time the team performed so well was during the EURO 2016 qualifiers, when they set the record that still stands today with nine wins in a row. The last time they won five international matches in a row was from October to November 2020, but these were three Nations League matches and two test matches.

Polster continues to demand “that this error be corrected”

Polster has now come to terms with the loss of the prestigious title: “I assume that Marko will break the record. He has played many more games than I did.” The 61-year-old played 95 times for the ÖFB team. “There’s no sadness about it. I’m very, very happy that I held this record for so many years,” said Polster, who has been able to boast the title of record goalscorer since 1996, almost three decades ago. At that time, he surpassed “Goleador” Hans Krankl, who had scored 34 times. If Arnautovic breaks his record, Polster wants to “congratulate him, and that’s it,” as he dryly remarked.
He also plans to fight for official recognition of three of his ÖFB appearances in the 1980s, including three goals, which the ÖFB considers unofficial. Polster sued for retroactive recognition, but the Vienna Regional Court for Civil Matters rejected the claim in 2024. Specifically, the cases concern the matches Liechtenstein vs. Austria (0-6 on June 7, 1984, in Vaduz, one goal by Polster), Tunisia vs. Austria (1-3 on February 7, 1987, in Tunis, two goals by Polster) and Morocco vs. Austria (3-1 on February 2, 1988, no goal by Polster).

Polster wants to seek a meeting with the new ÖFB Supervisory Board Chairman Josef Pröll. “I hope that he will take up the matter and recognize that it is a mistake on the part of the ÖFB and that this mistake will be corrected,” said Polster, who currently coaches the regional league team Wiener Viktoria. “It also affects ÖFB employees such as Manfred Zsak and Peter Schöttel. I have the feeling that everyone at the ÖFB wants this, except for the lawyer who is being sent in.”

Ceferin regrets: UEFA allows league games to be played abroad

On Monday, UEFA once again took a stand against national league games being played outside Europe, but nevertheless approved the requests from the Spanish and Italian associations to move one match each to Miami and Perth respectively during the current season.

“League matches should be played in their own country; anything else would disadvantage loyal fans and potentially lead to distortions in competition,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin reiterated in a statement on Monday the European football union’s stance against relocating national league matches. “Our consultation has confirmed how significant these concerns are. I would like to thank the 55 national associations for their constructive and responsible engagement on this sensitive matter.”

Nevertheless, at a meeting of its Executive Committee, UEFA approved two requests previously submitted by the Spanish (RFEF) and Italian (FIGC) associations. The RFEF had requested that the La Liga match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona be moved to Miami (USA) in December, while the FIGC requested that the Serie A match between AC Milan and Como 1907, scheduled to take place during the Winter Olympics in Milan, be moved to Perth
(Australia) on February 6. Both requests have now been granted.
The FIFA regulatory framework is not clear and detailed enough

Following the Executive Committee meeting in Tirana, Albania, in September, at which a decision was postponed, UEFA conducted “further consultations with stakeholders.” These confirmed “the widespread rejection of the concept already expressed by fans, other leagues, clubs, players, and European institutions.” However, as “the relevant FIFA regulatory framework, which is currently being revised, is not clear and detailed enough,” the UEFA Executive Committee “reluctantly decided to approve the two applications submitted to it on an exceptional basis.”

“While it is regrettable that these two matches must take place, this decision is an exception and should not be seen as a precedent,” Ceferin assures: “Our commitment is clear: we want to protect the integrity of national leagues and ensure that football remains rooted in its domestic environment.”

UEFA will actively participate in FIFA’s ongoing work to ensure that future rules preserve the integrity of national competitions and the close connection between clubs, their fans, and local communities.

End of career? LeBron announces “the second decision”

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For months, there has been intense debate about whether LeBron James will continue his career after the coming season. Now the 40-year-old has fueled the rumors himself. On Tuesday afternoon, he plans to announce “the second decision” of his career.

The starting point is a social media post by James, which he published late Monday evening (German time). In the video, the NBA star runs into the frame and sits down on a chair. Opposite him is a second person, possibly his interviewer.

With this setting, James is clearly flirting with “The Decision” from 2010. At that time, the now four-time NBA champion organized a media-effective live broadcast in which he announced his decision about his sporting future. After seven years in Cleveland, he joined the Miami Heat. Appropriately, he called the upcoming announcement “The Second Decision.”

There is already wild speculation about the content. Of course, the possibility of James ending his career is also being discussed. In recent weeks and months, LeBron himself has repeatedly fueled the rumor mill.

Ambiguous statements: James’ motive still unclear

“I’m definitely on the home stretch. Retirement is coming, it’s coming, just not yet,” he said in a podcast in mid-September. During Media Days last week, James added that the end of his NBA career would “come sooner rather than later.”

In a broadcast by “Uninterrupted,” his own media company, James recently reiterated that basketball has not lost its appeal for him. “It still feels like I’m touching the ball for the first time. It still feels like I’m walking into my middle school gym or my high school gym for the first time.”

The fact is, James’ contract with the Los Angeles Lakers expires after the coming season. So far, both sides have not agreed on an extension. According to reports, there have been few discussions in this direction. James could now create further facts himself in “The Second Decision.” This is to be announced on Tuesday at 6 p.m. German time.

“Dreamed of it”: Aston Martin misses out on first DTM victory after suspension failure

Hopes dashed: A failure cost Aston Martin a possible debut victory at the finale in Hockenheim – Why Magnus had to give up and what was really possible

Aston Martin caused a big surprise at the DTM finale in Hockenheim: After Gilles Magnus sensationally secured pole position in qualifying, the Belgian was also among the leaders for a long time in the last race of the year, until the bitter retirement came shortly before the second pit stop.
“Apparently, the inner kerb in the first corner damaged the suspension,” “It was only slight contact, but we believe that the ‘banana’ of the kerb damaged the suspension.”

“We’ll have to analyze it more closely, of course, but that’s what it looks like. It’s a real shame, because we must have driven over that kerb a hundred times since the first free practice session. Normally, it holds up, but this time it happened at the worst possible moment. That’s racing.“

Magnus had to retire his Aston Martin in a promising position, lying in second place. This not only dashed his dreams of a first podium finish, but possibly even his DTM debut victory. ”I would say a victory was definitely possible,“ believes Verbist. ”We were already dreaming a little bit about it.”

Güven slips past after the first stop

“Gilles was really strong, he did a great job,” praised his team boss. In fact, Magnus was able to convert his pole position into a lead at the start and confidently maintain it in the early stages. At one point, the Belgian was around two seconds ahead.

However, after the first pit stop, Güven took the lead. “We know that we always lose a little on the outlap after the stop, that’s quite clear when compared to the competition,” said Verbist, explaining the change in position in favor of the Manthey driver.

The outlap wasn’t the only problem, though: Magnus only lost 0.581 seconds to his rival here. But his in-lap was actually 0.783 seconds slower than Güven’s, who was already able to make up his deficit in this way. The Manthey stop itself was even slower than Comtoyou’s by 0.6 seconds. “I was really happy with the team’s performance during the pit stop,” emphasizes the team boss, who sees the out-lap in particular as a weak point. “Tire pressure is one factor, but it’s also something we need to understand better.”

Duel with Wittmann costs too much time

“We’re really strong at pit stops now, which is good, but we need to be more consistent. The pace in the stint is right, but the outlap is where we’re losing the most at the moment.” But that alone was not the reason why Güven took the lead.

When the Porsche driver returned to the track with cold tires after his stop, Magnus was unable to take advantage of his warmed-up tires because he had to defend himself against Marco Wittmann (Schubert-BMW), who was closing in fast.

The BMW driver had already pitted a few laps earlier and had already brought his tires up to temperature. Wittmann even passed Magnus at the hairpin for a moment, but the Aston Martin driver countered a few meters later in front of the Mercedes grandstand.

“The goal was to stay ahead of Wittmann,” says Verbist. “We watched the lap times, which were very strong right after the stop, so we reacted and stopped as well.” This achieved the goal, but the time lost in the duel was decisive: Güven was able to pull away at the front.

Would Magnus have had a chance in the end?

“We might have been able to make up for it at the second stop,” believes the Comtouyou team boss. In fact, Magnus was able to close the gap on the leading Güven again in the following laps and reduce the deficit to less than a second. That would have been enough to attempt an undercut at the second stop.

But that didn’t happen: around 15 minutes before the end, the Belgian had to retire his Aston Martin with a broken suspension. “Our realistic goal was the podium,” said Verbist. “After the first stop, we were in second place, and I think we had the pace to fight for the win.”

In addition, Güven struggled with his tires in the final stages of the race, which also enabled Marco Wittmann’s final attack. So it’s quite conceivable that Magnus could also have benefited from this situation. Aston Martin’s first DTM victory was within reach – but in the end, it remained just a dream.

Alex Rins second at times in Mandalika: “Like in the old days with Suzuki”

Alex Rins experiences a weekend like in his Suzuki days – strong qualifying and race until the tire breaks down – Fabio Quartararo watched closely

At the halfway point of the race, Rins attacked, overtaking Pedro Acosta’s KTM on lap 19 and moving into second place. Rins had not been on the podium since his victory with LCR Honda in Texas in the spring of 2023. But that dream was shattered.

In the final laps, Rins’ lap times dropped and he was relegated to tenth place at the end of the large chasing group. “It was a shame. We knew before the race that we would have problems with the soft tires.”

“The tire’s performance drop came in the last five laps. I did my best and tried to keep the rear tire under control,“ sighs Rins. ”But until those last five laps, I was in the mix.“

”I’m really happy—not because of the race, but because of the whole weekend. It reminded me a bit of the old days with Suzuki, when I was just having fun. I rode well, defended my position, and was able to overtake.“

”We had a great weekend,” Rins said nonetheless. He secured fourth place on the grid in qualifying. In the sprint, Marc Marquez sent him off the track early on, which meant Rins only finished twelfth on Saturday.

Overall, the Spaniard was the fastest Yamaha rider in Indonesia. “Yes, I never stopped believing in myself. There are some people around me who stopped believing in me—they had doubts and lost faith.”

“It’s hard when people stop believing in you. And you stand there, fighting and giving it your all,“ said Rins. ”But I myself never stopped believing that I could do it. Sure, it’s only one weekend, but now we’re off to Australia. Let’s see what happens there.”

Quartararo was initially surprised by Rins

Teammate Fabio Quartararo crashed in the sprint on the last lap while riding in twelfth place. He was already very sober on Saturday. “No, I haven’t learned anything, and there’s nothing positive at the moment,” said the former world champion.

“I don’t feel comfortable with either the front or rear tires. The bike reacts quite unpredictably with the tires. I’m just trying to understand how I can make it work—but it’s quite complicated.”

It was clear to Quartararo that he too would have to contest the Grand Prix with the soft rear tire, as the medium tire didn’t work for him. He was the only rider in the field to opt for the hard front tire and ultimately finished seventh. “I had to choose different tires: hard at the front, soft at the rear. That was the only combination I felt reasonably comfortable with,” Quartararo confirmed. “It was difficult because we had to pay close attention to the rear tire.”

“And what made it particularly difficult was that I couldn’t overtake anyone – mainly because they just pulled away out of the corners. But I think I rode pretty well and was clever with the rear tire.”

And in the end, Quartararo managed his tires better than Rins: “I was two or three laps behind him and couldn’t overtake. Then I saved my tires a little while he pulled away at the front.“

”I thought to myself: I don’t know if he’ll make it to the end with that, but I had to keep my tires fresh. With seven laps to go, I saw that he was still in second place. Then I thought: Maybe I’ve been a little too cautious.”

“But the basic problem is: when the tire wears out, it’s just gone. And that’s exactly what happened to him.” So, in the end, Quartararo was the best Yamaha rider, even though he was never at the front of the chasing pack.

Was Rins’ strong performance at times mainly due to the track? “Only on this track,” believes Quartararo. “But above all, the way he pushed: Raul and Marini went far, so I could only overtake Marini, but he caught both of them.”

“He was also strong against Acosta. But you can clearly see that the engine power is on another level. I was really impressed with how Alex rode this weekend. For me, it was one of my worst weekends in terms of feeling, but he was super, super fast.“

”It was interesting to see his data and think about where I can improve. I’m curious to see how he will ride in Australia and Malaysia—also Miguel and Jack, because it was a really strange weekend. But I think we made the best of it.”

In the manufacturers’ standings, Yamaha remains cemented in last place. Honda already has a 46-point lead.

The day Prost made history—and Lauda finally gave up

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1985 was Alain Prost’s breakthrough year: his first world championship title marked a turning point in his career—and the end of an era for Niki Lauda.

On October 6, 1985, Alain Prost won the Formula 1 World Championship for the first time in his career at the age of 30.

Prost was a top driver in Formula 1 from the very beginning. With 21 Grand Prix victories for Renault and McLaren, he was already the fifth most successful driver in history – only Jackie Stewart (27), Jim Clark (25), Niki Lauda (25), and Juan Manuel Fangio (24) were ahead of him.

Ironically, it was his teammate Lauda who beat Prost to the title by just half a point in 1984. In 1985, however, the Frenchman dominated almost at will.

Ayrton Senna was usually the fastest in qualifying, but on Sundays it was Prost who came out on top. Lauda, on the other hand, only finished three races throughout the entire season – mostly due to technical defects. He also broke his wrist at Spa-Francorchamps.

The World Championship decider at Brands Hatch

Before the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, Prost was 16 points ahead of his only remaining rival, Ferrari’s Michele Alboreto, and needed to extend his lead to just 18 points to be uncatchable.

Senna took his sixth pole position of the season for Lotus, three tenths ahead of Nelson Piquet in the Brabham and nine tenths ahead of Nigel Mansell in the Williams. Prost only qualified sixth, 2.260 seconds slower than Senna, while Lauda’s replacement John Watson finished 21st, more than five seconds behind.

Alboreto had to settle for 15th place – not a good start for his title hopes against Prost.

First Prost falls behind, but …

At the start, Prost was hampered by Keke Rosberg’s slow-starting Williams, briefly ran onto the grass and fell back to 14th place. But after just nine laps, he fought his way back into the points – at that time only the first six places. One reason for his rapid advance was an incident at the front: Rosberg spun while trying to overtake Senna and was hit by Piquet. Piquet retired, Rosberg had to pit and fell to the back of the field.

Rosberg later played a key role in helping his teammate Mansell take the lead: he held up the leading Senna long enough for Mansell to pass and pull away.

Prost’s main rival retires early

Alboreto took advantage of the early chaos to briefly move into sixth place, but Prost soon overtook him. The Ferrari driver came in early for a tire change and shortly afterwards suffered spectacular turbo damage – after 13 laps, his race was over. Prost now only had to finish fifth to secure the title.

Marc Surer in the Brabham and Jacques Laffite in the Ligier were the secret stars of the race: at times, they fought their way up to second and third place. But Surer retired on lap 63 with turbo damage, Laffite lost his place to Senna, changed tires, and finally retired with engine damage.

Prost was only in seventh place with 25 laps to go, but benefited from the retirements and problems of his opponents and fought his way up to third place with an overtaking maneuver against Elio de Angelis.

While Mansell won the race, Prost had to give up the last podium place to Rosberg, who was catching up, six laps before the end—but the title was his for the taking.

Teary eyes for world champion Prost

“I remember that my eyes were moist behind my visor,” the Frenchman wrote in his 1988 book Maitre de mon destin. “It was a sign of deep and intense joy that I wanted to feel all by myself at first, before thinking of my loved ones and all those who had helped me.”

“Then, even before I got out of the cockpit, it was time for champagne. Then the podium, which now had a fourth step—that of the world champion. And finally, the jubilation of the celebrations…”

Prost rewrote the Formula 1 record books

Prost went on to win three more titles and became the record holder in numerous statistics: 51 victories, 41 fastest laps, 106 podium finishes, and 798.5 points—only Juan Manuel Fangio had won more world championships up to that point.

Teammate Lauda ended his career after the 1985 season—probably not entirely unrelated to Prost’s superiority. “I hated having him as a teammate,” the Austrian later explained.

“I had this perfect car, and then this French pain in the neck comes along and blows me away. If he hadn’t shown up, I would have continued for a few more years.”

Toto Wolff explains Singapore form: “These cars are surprise packages…”

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Mercedes experiences an unexpected comeback in Singapore—George Russell wins convincingly, while Toto Wolff himself wonders why everything is suddenly working

Mercedes celebrates a victory in Singapore that hardly anyone would have thought possible—least of all the team itself. George Russell wins confidently on a track that has been anything but favorable for the Silver Arrows in recent years. Team boss Toto Wolff is both proud and amazed after the race.

“Yes, everything really went well today,” he says. “The driver-car combination was almost dominant, I would say. George was in control at all times, pulled away on the medium tires at the start and then simply managed the gap – very well indeed.”

Wolff would not have expected Mercedes to suddenly set the standard on Singapore’s humid night. “If you had told me before the race that we would be so far ahead here, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he says, describing the day as a near-flawless symbiosis of driver, car, and tires.

From problem child to strength: the perfect interplay

The Marina Bay Street Circuit has long been considered a weak point in the Mercedes portfolio. Too bumpy, too slow, too hot—and always a challenge for tire management. But this time, everything just clicked. “From the very first moment, the car, driver, and tires were in harmony and unbeatable,” says Wolff. The secret lies in balance. Mercedes seems to have found the narrow aerodynamic window in which the car performs optimally without overloading the tires. Wolff emphasizes: “These cars are simply a box of surprises. If you ask McLaren why they haven’t been doing well in the last three races, they probably won’t have a clear answer. The same goes for Max, who comes back and then loses performance again, and the same for Ferrari, who fluctuate between success and disappointment.”

The differences at the top are minimal—a few degrees of asphalt temperature, a nuance too much downforce, an inappropriate tire warm-up phase—and the hierarchy is turned upside down. This time, Mercedes hit the sweet spot. The W16 was perfect on the track, and Russell drove calmly, confidently, and flawlessly.

Dirty air, clear air, and the tire puzzle

Sky expert Ralf Schumacher thinks he knows why the race was so clear-cut from the start: “Dirty air was also a big factor today, wasn’t it?” Wolff nods: “It was a factor, yes. You see, it’s just so much easier when you’re driving at the front—especially here.”

In traffic, many drivers struggled with overheating tires and a lack of grip. At the front, in clean air, Russell was able to stay consistently in the ideal range.
What’s more, this year’s Pirelli generation is more sensitive to temperature spikes, but those who hit the “sweet spot” are rewarded—which is exactly what Mercedes achieved this evening. “The trick is to get the maximum mechanical grip without destroying the tires,” explains Wolff.
“And that doesn’t always correlate with what you see in the simulation. What works virtually may not work on the track.” Singapore provides a prime example of how simulation and reality are sometimes worlds apart.

Russell’s analysis: New asphalt mix is the key

George Russell himself is also looking for explanations for the sudden superiority. After 62 laps, he sums up: “I think there was less tire overheating this year than in the past. It used to be a big problem here, but with some corners getting new asphalt, the track is a bit smoother. The tires seem more robust overall.“

The Brit believes that the newly laid asphalt is a key factor in keeping the tires in a more stable temperature range. ”Everything was a bit more in a better range,“ he says, ”but it was still a surprise.”

Ferrari struggles, Mercedes shines

The mood at Ferrari, currently on the wrong side of the surprise bag, is quite different. Team boss Frédéric Vasseur speaks of great frustration. “What’s mega frustrating is that in the last two weekends—Baku and then Singapore—the pace was there at the start, and we didn’t get the best out of the car.”

Ferrari’s current failure is less due to a lack of speed than to a lack of understanding of the intricacies of the SF-25. “We’re struggling throughout the race to get it right,” says Vasseur. “It’s mega frustrating for the team because we invest so much to be there – and then everything just has to come together.”

Jastremska gives up: Siegemund advances to round two in Wuhan

The 37-year-old will now face world number five Mirra Andrejewa.
Laura Siegemund has reached the second round of the WTA tournament in Wuhan, China. In a closely contested opening match, the 37-year-old was leading 7-5, 4-6, 4-1 against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, who is twelve years her junior, when Yastremska was forced to retire due to injury.

Wimbledon quarterfinalist Siegemund, who was recently eliminated in the first round in Beijing, will face fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in the $3.6 million 1000 tournament in the metropolis of eight million. Things haven’t been going too well for the 18-year-old from Russia recently; since her triumph in Indian Wells in March, the world number five has not reached a semifinal. Siegemund is the only German player in Wuhan. Eva Lys, who reached the quarterfinals in Beijing, has not registered.