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“Undercover George”: How Russell mingled with fans in Mexico

Sotd Editor
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“Undercover George”: How Russell mingled with fans in Mexico

Instead of driving himself, George Russell became a spectator at the Formula 1 race in Mexico—and caused a stir with his undercover stunt.

A video titled “Undercover George” is circulating on social media, showing how Russell did it: He put on a dark jacket and, most importantly, a Mexican wrestling mask so that the other fans wouldn’t recognize him. The tactic worked: Russell was able to watch the first free practice session undisturbed and in peace.
Russell’s conclusion on his “undercover” mission in Mexico

He later said: “As a Formula 1 driver, you can’t just watch Formula 1 anymore. You rarely get the opportunity to go out. And I thought to myself, you know what, I’ll try to do something reasonably normal for a change.”

His conclusion: “I really enjoyed it. I hadn’t seen Formula 1 cars on the track for years. It was cool. I saw what everyone else sees. I wasn’t recognized too often and enjoyed it.“

An encounter with fans wearing Russell T-shirts was particularly amusing. As he walked by, Russell said, ”He’s a good driver!”

Equally entertaining was the scene when Mercedes test driver Frederik Vesti drove through the stadium right in front of Russell. Russell said in the video: “That’s my car! He’s driving my car!”

“He’s driving my car!”

Vesti later picked up on this remark on social media and commented on Russell’s post: “Next time, just don’t leave the keys on the table!”

Vesti was one of nine so-called Friday drivers in the first free practice session of Formula 1 in Mexico. According to the regulations, teams must put young drivers in the car for one session several times per season – each driver must therefore sit out twice in total, as Russell did in Mexico.

The Mercedes driver provided a humorous scene at the end of his outing when he jumped over the turnstile at the entrance to the paddock without scanning his card first. The security guard called after him in irritation. But Russell just waved his card and shouted, “I have the pass!” That was enough.

“Because it’s annoying”: Hadjar would rather wait until the end of the season for a decision on 2026

Jeffrey Gooding
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“Because it’s annoying”: Hadjar would rather wait until the end of the season for a decision on 2026

Isack Hadjar is considered the top candidate for a Red Bull cockpit, but “because it’s more annoying than helpful,” he would rather wait until the end of the year to find out the decision.

Almost all the seats for the 2026 season have already been filled, but there is still uncertainty at Red Bull: Isack Hadjar, who can now even imagine himself making the step up to the top team, is considered a hot candidate to become Max Verstappen’s new teammate next year.

Red Bull had announced that it wanted to make a driver decision after this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, but Hadjar is now causing a stir with a surprising statement: “Actually, I’d like to know at the end of the year because all the noise around it is more annoying than helpful.”

There are still five races left this season, “in which you just have to keep going,” says the Frenchman with Algerian roots, hinting that the constant discussions about next year are distracting him. Nevertheless, he is in a much better position than he was twelve months ago.

Isack Hadjar “less panicked” than last year

“Twelve months ago, things were a bit uncertain, that’s true,” Hadjar recalls. At the time, he was still racing in Formula 2, and it was by no means clear whether he would make the leap to Formula 1. “I had an idea, but this year I’m in a better position because I know I’ll be in Formula 1 next year.”

“Last year, I didn’t know what I was doing, so I’m much less panicked now,” grins the Racing Bulls driver at Thursday’s press conference. When Hadjar is asked if he might already know about his future but isn’t allowed to reveal anything, he starts to laugh.

Was that the answer? “No, you’re just too smart,” smiles the 21-year-old, adding later: “I’ll definitely know before it’s officially announced. Otherwise, there would be a problem. Ideally, I’d want everyone to wait until the end of the year before asking me questions.”

Hadjar confident: “Good job done”

The Racing Bulls driver, who is considered one of his own biggest critics, is satisfied with his debut season in Formula 1 so far. “I think I’ve done a good job so far,” says Hadjar, although the results don’t always reflect the speed he actually had.

“I’m not talking about qualifying or the race,” he adds. “I mean every free practice session, on every track I’ve been on. I never felt like there was a session where I was three tenths off and couldn’t explain why.”

“So in a way, I’m very happy with that, and if I’m happy with my season, they should be too,” says the Racing Bulls driver, hinting at those in charge. So it seems only a matter of time before Hadjar’s promotion is officially announced…

Fermin Aldeguer loses P3 due to penalty: Still the best MotoGP rookie of 2025

Jason Maverick
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Fermin Aldeguer loses P3 due to penalty: Still the best MotoGP rookie of 2025

A tire pressure penalty costs Fermin Aldeguer the sprint podium in Sepang – but he secures the title of best rookie – He wants to fight for victory in the Grand Prix

After the sprint in Malaysia, Fermin Aldeguer is officially the best MotoGP rookie of the 2025 season. The Gresini Ducati Team rider once again demonstrated his potential in Sepang. In Q1, he advanced to the next round with the fastest time and qualified sixth on the second row of the grid.

After the first lap, Aldeguer was in seventh place, but he worked his way through the chasing pack to finish third. However, race officials announced an investigation into a possible violation of the minimum front tire pressure requirement.

Ultimately, a violation was confirmed. Eight seconds were added to Aldeguer’s race time. This dropped the 20-year-old back to seventh place (here are the new results). Nevertheless, he is the best rookie of the year, as he has a lead of more than 99 World Championship points over Ai Ogura (Trackhouse-Aprilia).

There was already a problem with the dashboard of his Ducati on the starting grid. “I don’t know. It was difficult to manage during the race because I saw a warning message on my display,” Aldeguer reports. “I was very close to the other riders and tried to increase the pressure a little – just in case. But I am 100 percent sure that we were within the permitted range. It was just a problem with the sensor.“ The post-race investigation found a violation. But the joy of winning the rookie title outweighed the disappointment of losing the medal. ”Yes, crazy! But in the end, we achieved one of our goals from the start of the season,” Aldeguer beams.

“Maybe I didn’t think it was possible, but today we finished this little championship. I’m super happy. I just have to thank the Gresini team, Ducati, and all my people. We have confirmed our goal: to always fight for more.”

Aldeguer won his first MotoGP race in Indonesia. In Sepang, too, he noted after Friday’s practice that he sensed opportunities to fight for the podium or even victory. His performance in the sprint showed that his assessment was correct.

“I had the pace in the sprint, but also throughout the weekend. Friday’s result wasn’t really representative. Maybe not the starting position either, because I crashed and lost some feeling.“

”But we achieved one of our goals: to start from the first two rows. That’s a good starting position for the race. Third place today, another podium – that’s incredible for my career, for my season.”

“But why not fight for even more tomorrow? Not necessarily for the win, but maybe for an exciting duel with ‘Pecco’ and second place.”

Tire management will be crucial in the Grand Prix. Aldeguer has already shown this season that he is good at it and is still fast in the second half of the race.

Tennis pro suspended after positive test at US Open

Jeffrey Gooding
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Tennis pro suspended after positive test at US Open

Argentinian Facundo Bagnis has agreed to a voluntary suspension. His test contained a diuretic without a therapeutic use exemption.

Argentinian tennis pro Facundo Bagnis has agreed to a voluntary provisional suspension after testing positive for doping. The former world number 55 submitted an abnormal sample during qualifying for this year’s US Open, where he lost in the first round. According to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), it contained the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. This can be used to mask other banned substances in urine.

The 35-year-old Bagnis did not have a valid medical exemption for the substance, it was further stated. His suspension, which has been in effect since October 18, will count toward a possible later ban. The left-hander is currently only ranked 401 in the world.

Messi gala at the start of the playoffs – Mukhtar’s dream goal comes too late

T0m@dmin1
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Messi gala at the start of the playoffs – Mukhtar’s dream goal comes too late

Thanks to Lionel Messi, Inter Miami has made a successful start to the MLS playoffs. Opponents Nashville were unlucky with two of the three goals they conceded – and delivered their own highlight too late.

Even before Inter Miami kicked off their first playoff round against Nashville SC on Saturday night (CEST), chants of “Messi, Messi” echoed through Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Lionel Messi was honored as the regular season’s top scorer for the first time – and then demonstrated his sensational form in the game.

MLS rule helps Inter to 2-0 win

The 38-year-old Argentine, who has just extended his contract for another three years, gave Inter the lead in the 19th minute in an unusual way: with a header. In mid-air, he deflected a perfect cross from Luis Suarez into the net to give his side the lead at half-time. After the restart, his compatriot Tadeo Allende also scored with a header. Messi had previously played in Ian Fray on the right wing (62′).

It was a bitter blow for Nashville: the visitors had to play with ten men during this phase because Jeisson Palacios had previously received treatment on the pitch and MLS rules stipulate that the player in question must wait two minutes before returning to the pitch in such cases.

The Eastern Conference’s sixth-placed team was also unlucky with the third goal deep into stoppage time: goalkeeper Joe Willis failed to hold onto a cross from Jordi Alba, and Messi pounced to score the first playoff brace of his career (90+6).

However, Hany Mukhtar provided the final highlight of the game. The Berlin native, once MLS top scorer himself and long a club legend at Nashville SC, curled a free kick from just under 25 meters over the wall and into the net (90+11) to make it 1-3.
Teammate Sam Surridge, who had long enjoyed the best prospects of winning the top scorer crown but was clearly overtaken by Messi in the final sprint, remained lackluster at the start. Nashville must now win their home game against Inter in a week’s time to keep their chances of advancing alive.
Messi & Co. should be warned: last year, they also started with a win against Atlanta United, only to suddenly have a summer break two games later. “That won’t be enough,” coach Javier Mascherano warned immediately. “We have to improve.” The winner of the tie will face Columbus Crew or FC Cincinnati in the Conference Semifinals.

Chaos in Sheffield: Wednesday files for bankruptcy

Jeffrey Gooding
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Chaos in Sheffield: Wednesday files for bankruptcy

What had already been hinted at in recent months came to pass on Friday. The traditional English club Sheffield Wednesday filed for bankruptcy and will receive a double-digit point deduction.

Sheffield Wednesday is one of England’s most historic clubs. However, the club has not made any positive headlines for some time, at least off the field – quite the contrary. Since its takeover by Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri in 2014, the club has suffered heavy losses. Among other things, the EFL (English Football League) imposed a 12-point deduction on the Owls in 2020 due to excessive spending on transfers and salaries. In the following years, the situation continued to escalate because Chansiri refused to continue investing money after criticism from fans. The situation became particularly precarious in recent months. In five of the last seven months, Wednesday did not pay salaries on time. This led to a protest by the players, who boycotted the friendly match against Burnley FC, and a transfer ban. The club is not allowed to sign any new players until winter 2026/27. In addition, Sheffield was also unable to pay its former coach Danny Röhl, who took over Glasgow Rangers a few days ago.

Employees and players have been informed

Accordingly, it was only a matter of time before Wednesday would file for bankruptcy. That day came on Friday. “The EFL can confirm that it has now been officially informed that Dejphon Chansiri, the director of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, has taken the necessary steps to appoint an insolvency administrator for both the club and the company that owns Hillsborough,” the league wrote in a statement.

According to English media reports, the Owls thus preempted an application for dissolution of the club by the English tax authority His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs. Employees and players have already been informed of the application.

The bottom team in the Championship will receive a 12-point penalty as a result, increasing the gap to the first non-relegation spot to a whopping 15 points. They could reduce the deficit as early as tomorrow, Saturday, when Oxford United, a team just above the line, visits Hillsborough Stadium.

“Could be down to Trent”: Slot speculates on reasons for Salah’s slump

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“Could be down to Trent”: Slot speculates on reasons for Salah’s slump

Just like Liverpool, Mohamed Salah is currently in a bit of a crisis. Coach Arne Slot was unable to give a concrete answer as to why the Egyptian has lost his scoring touch this summer.

Mohamed Salah is probably experiencing the most difficult period in his more than eight-year era at Liverpool FC. The Egyptian has been waiting for a goal for six games across all competitions. In addition, he is no longer undisputed under Arne Slot, as his place on the bench during the away game in Frankfurt made clear.

Naturally, the veteran was the focus of attention at the press conference ahead of the away game in Brentford (Saturday, 9 p.m.), where the team will be looking to end their run of three consecutive league defeats. Arne Slot himself could not give a concrete answer as to why last season’s Premier League top scorer (29 goals in 38 games) has not yet found his form this season (2 goals in 8 games). “I don’t know if it’s down to sharpness or not. It’s very difficult for me to say why that is,” said the Dutchman.

However, “he could think of a few reasons, but he’s not sure if they’re accurate.” For one thing, he cited the poorer scores compared to last year. “It’s perhaps easier to take advantage of a chance when you’re 3-1 up than when you’re 0-1 down,” speculated the Bergentheim native. However, the slump could also be due to changes in the squad. He first needs to “find new connections.”

Frimpong out for several weeks

But how can this be achieved when Salah is constantly forming the duo on the right side with a different defender? With Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley, and Dominik Szoboszlai, three players have already played behind the winger in the right-back position. The former will now be out for a longer period of time after suffering a thigh injury. “He definitely won’t play tomorrow or next week,” explained the LFC coach.

Salah was not used to such rotation before, because home-grown player Trent Alexander-Arnold – who moved to Real Madrid – played alongside him for years. “It could be because he has played with Trent throughout his career at Liverpool,” Slot replied when asked if the changes were affecting Salah’s performance.

Despite the speculation, the coach is not worrying about his protégé. “Mo has always scored goals for our club, and the last thing I’m worried about is Mo starting to score goals again,” said the 47-year-old. Perhaps he will break his duck against the Bees, where he could replace Alexander Isak in the starting lineup: there is still a question mark behind the injured Swede.

Setback ahead of El Clásico: Barcelona will have to do without Raphinha for even longer

Sports Of The Day
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Setback ahead of El Clásico: Barcelona will have to do without Raphinha for even longer

Raphinha was supposed to be fit again in time for Sunday’s El Clásico at Real Madrid after recovering from a thigh injury. However, according to media reports, the winger has suffered a setback and will therefore be unavailable to FC Barcelona for even longer.

On Thursday, Raphinha returned to partial team training after suffering a thigh injury in the 3-1 win at Oviedo at the end of September. FC Barcelona were therefore hopeful that the winger could return to action in Sunday’s Clasico at Real Madrid (4:15 p.m.).

However, as The Athletic now reports, the Brazilian, who finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or awards, suffered a setback in training. He will therefore not be able to make his comeback in the clash with his archrivals. Worse still, Raphinha could be out for another whole month, according to reports.

Personnel problems in attack

In coach Hansi Flick’s team, who is unlikely to be on the sidelines at Real due to his suspension, injury worries remain in the attacking positions. In addition to Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, and Gavi are also currently unavailable. Although the season is still young, the Catalans are under pressure in Madrid despite already having seven La Liga wins this season. A defeat would see them fall five points behind Los Blancos.

Despite Wagner’s strong performance: Magic collapse completely against the Hawks

Sports Of The Day
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Despite Wagner’s strong performance: Magic collapse completely against the Hawks

The Orlando Magic collapsed completely in the final quarter against the Atlanta Hawks and suffered their first defeat of the season. Even another strong performance from Franz Wagner couldn’t change that.

Orlando played another really strong game for three quarters. The offense ran well, the ball was moved around nicely, and the defense kept the newly formed Hawks well in check. The first quarter was evenly matched, but then the Magic took control and steadily pulled away, leading by 12 points at the start of the final quarter. But then memories of last season came flooding back.

Suddenly, the offense completely stalled. Atlanta noticeably increased its defensive intensity and caused one Magic turnover after another (10 in total in the second half). In addition, they were suddenly on point offensively and went on a 15-0 run that put them ahead in the middle of the final quarter. Meanwhile, not much was happening for the Magic. The three stars, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Desmond Bane, combined to shoot 4/15 from the field and 0/5 from beyond the arc in the final quarter.

It was Wendell Carter Jr. who kept the team in the game with his free throws, tying the score from the charity stripe with 54 seconds left on the clock. However, it was also Carter Jr. who fouled Trae Young on the decisive possession and sent him to the line, where the guard scored twice. Orlando still had 21 seconds to win the game or send it into overtime, but Banchero took a completely rushed fadeaway three-pointer that clearly missed and sealed the deal.

Orlando Magic: Pale Banchero, strong da Silva

Overall, Banchero had a pretty rough night, finishing with a meager 11 points (4/15 FG) and six rebounds. Franz Wagner, on the other hand, was once again his team’s best player with 27 points and good field goal percentages (10/17 FG, 2/5 three-pointers). He also grabbed six rebounds. Bane and sophomore Tristan da Silva contributed another 15 points, with the German adding six rebounds, three assists, and three steals and having the best plus-minus on his team (+8).

Young was the Hawks’ top scorer with 25 points (7/18 FG), followed by Nickeil Alexander-Walker (19) and Onyeka Okongwu (17). Big man Mouhamed Gueye also had a strong game, contributing 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists off the bench. New signing Kristaps Porzingis missed the game with a cold. However, the Magic have the chance to make up for the defeat tonight when they host the Chicago Bulls at the Kia Center. The Hawks are also back in action, but they face the reigning champions from Oklahoma.

“Exclusive experience”: Microsoft is working on a new Xbox

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“Exclusive experience”: Microsoft is working on a new Xbox

Xbox President Sarah Bond has revealed that the next generation of hardware is already in development. What is the significance of these announcements and what could they mean?

These days, Xbox stands for one thing above all else: steep prices. After an increase in Game Pass costs at the beginning of October led to a wave of cancellations that crippled the corresponding website, the first Xbox handhelds were released a few days ago: ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X – for around $600 and $1,000, respectively.

At the same time, Microsoft is already working on the next generation of the console, as Xbox President Sarah Bond confirmed during a launch event for the current handhelds. “Our next-generation hardware is in development. We’ve been working on prototypes and design,” she is quoted as saying by Variety.

New Xbox a half-baked gaming PC?

Bond has high expectations for the upcoming hardware. In an interview with Mashable, she did not dismiss rumors that it could be a kind of middle ground between a gaming PC and a classic console: “I can tell you that you are right: the next-generation console will offer a very high-quality, very exclusive experience. You can already see some of our ideas in the handheld consoles,“ said Bond, who ”doesn’t want to reveal everything yet.”

But what is the truth behind Bond’s statements? And what could these ideas mean in terms of price?

Less than a year ago, Xbox was promoting the idea that virtually any device could be an Xbox. Shortly before that, a partnership with LG and Samsung had made it possible to play games on smart TVs, smartphones, and in some cars. Microsoft also acquired numerous studios, but decided not to release several prominent exclusive titles, making them available on Sony’s PlayStation, for example. This was a sign of a shift away from proprietary hardware toward cloud gaming and service offerings.

Console as a loss-making business: Is Microsoft pulling out?

This trend is also underlined by the current handhelds. After all, these are not Xbox’s own products, which had been rumored for a long time, but a collaboration with Asus. Even before the Xbox version, their Ally was already an established part of the mobile gaming market.

The main reason for this development is likely to be the fact that consoles are generally a loss-making business for manufacturers: gamers are attracted by low prices, with the aim of then generating profits through game sales, subscription services, and offers in the respective console store.

The financial tipping point

With regard to the upcoming Xbox, the price will therefore depend crucially on how much of the console is actually manufactured by Microsoft itself. If the company takes complete control of the project, there is a possibility that it will go down the loss-making route.

If a similar collaboration with Asus were to take place, the cost of a new purchase could reach new heights. As with the handhelds manufactured by Asus, which must generate a profit for the hardware developer with every sale. After all, without any profit sharing from game sales and the like, there are no subsequent earning opportunities for the developer.

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