Sebastien Ogier has crashed out of the Central European Rally on the penultimate stage, handing Ott Tanak a strong chance for a second World Rally Championship victory of the season.

Ogier was locked in an intense fight with Tanak for the victory, having lost his overnight rally lead to the Hyundai rival after overshooting a junction on stage 15, the first of four Sunday tests.

It left the eight-time world champion trailing Tanak by 1.9s, although Ogier was able to reduce the gap to 1.5s after stage 16. 

But Ogier’s fight for the victory soon came unstuck in spectacular fashion on stage 17, the second pass through Am Hochwald that had caught the Toyota driver out earlier this morning. 

Just six hundred metres into the stage Ogier drifted wide in a fast right-hander resulting in heavy impact with the trees that sent his GR Yaris across the road and into retirement.

Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais emerged from incident unscathed but the former was clearly angered by the mistake.

The retirement looks set to hand Tanak a rally win and boost Hyundai’s hopes in the manufacturers’ title race with Ogier losing the provisional 18 points he accrued after leading the rally at the end of Saturday.

Tanak now leads the rally by 9.4s from Toyota’s Elfyn Evans with championship leader Thierry Neuville climbing to third, 40.8s adrift. The trio will now pick up 18, 15 and 13 Saturday points respectively if they can reach the end of the rally. 

Evans set the fastest time on stage 17 by a second from Tanak with Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta third fastest, three seconds slower than Evans.

Katsuta headed the Super Sunday standings by 0.6s from Tanak and is on course to close the gap further on his championship leading team-mate Neuville, ensuring the title fight will be decided in Japan next month.

M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux sat in third [+1.1s} in the standings after enjoying far stronger run in his better handling Ford Puma, with Evans fourth and Neuville set to claim five points in fifth [+6.8s.]. 

The rally will conclude following this afternoon’s Power Stage. 

It was a resounding first win as full-time captain for the 32-year-old, who replaced Tim Southee earlier this month.

India skipper Rohit Sharma took positives from the way his side battled back in the second innings, as they attempted to become the first team to win a Test after conceding a first-innings lead of more than 350.

“We didn’t think we’d be 46 all out but due credit to New Zealand – it set us back and games like this will happen,” he said.

Sarfaraz Khan’s 150 and 99 from wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant helped India to 462 in their second innings to give the home bowlers a small total to defend on a final-day pitch that had to be covered overnight due to rain.

And Bumrah gave India a glimmer of hope when he removed Latham lbw with the second ball of the day.

He then trapped Devon Conway lbw after a successful review, but that was India’s last breakthrough.

First-innings centurion Ravindra hit six fours in his unbeaten 39 and was named player of the match, while Young hit the winning runs with his seventh four as he finished on 48.

“We have got to take the good things forward,” added Rohit, with the second Test scheduled to begin in Pune on Thursday.

“We’ve been here before, conceding home losses, these things happen. We know what it takes and will give it all in the next two Tests.”

India have history on their side, having won 18 consecutive Test series on home soil, stretching back to 2012.

As he returned to winning ways in Formula 1’s 2024 United States Grand Prix sprint race, and was on course for proper pole at Austin, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is the heavy favourite to score a fourth consecutive GP triumph here.

But, thanks to George Russell’s late Q3 crash, Verstappen’s title rival Lando Norris starts on pole for McLaren after producing “the best [lap] of my career” on what turned out to be the critical first runs in Q3.

However, it’s at Ferrari where the data indicates Verstappen’s most likely threat will come.
As we’ll show, the Scuderia isn’t just pleased to be in contention at a “normal” track, as Carlos Sainz put it in the post-qualifying press conference. It thinks it can win on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas.

The qualifying ‘what ifs’ for Verstappen and Sainz

Russell’s wild crash at the penultimate corner on the final Q3 runs stopped any improvements, but there’s plenty of evidence to suggest Verstappen was set to topple Norris for pole on Saturday evening had that not happened.

First, Norris insisted “I kind of set the bar too high because, on my second lap, I was like, ‘guys, I don’t think I’m going to improve much here’”. This combines with how Verstappen was up by 0.172 seconds in sector one on their uncompleted laps.

But Norris had been a whopping 0.5s quicker in sector two on the first runs compared to Verstappen, so it may have been a closer run thing.

Russell’s crash masked the true picture from emerging in qualifying

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Sainz too was somewhat ruing Russell’s crash, as he was “coming with a very fast lap” when the yellow flags appeared. “To be in the ballpark with these two guys, whether to beat them or not, I don’t know,” he added. “But, to be in the ballpark, it’s a bit of a shame.”

Sainz had indeed just gone only 0.151s slower than Verstappen through sector one with a personal best, but critically matched what Norris had achieved on his pole lap in sector one. Sainz later wondered if “it was a lower track temp” that made “the car come alive”.

Given how the McLarens had struggled to stop their rear tyres overheating in sector three – where Verstappen was able to pull away from Norris during their mid-sprint chase as his RB20 has the balance to allow him to “drive to what the car allows” – the falling temperatures as dusk rolled in would’ve boosted the MCL38s too.

The RB20 looked so compliant it appeared to be back to its F1-dominating best from early in 2024

But Norris nevertheless hailed how McLaren had “improved the car quite a bit” with its post-sprint set-up changes. This centres on how the team has “understood how to adapt to the wind”, per team principal Andrea Stella.

This was something that had left the Italian fearing Austin would be the track of the remaining six venues in the 2024 title run in where he had expected the MCL38 to “struggle most”.

Why Ferrari looks so strong in race trim, but must avoid its sprint friendly fire

Verstappen’s sprint victory was his first of any kind since he won the equivalent event at the Red Bull Ring back in June and it keeps up his undefeated streak of sprint wins this term. The RB20 looked so compliant it appeared to be back to its F1-dominating best from early in 2024.

Ferrari could provide Verstappen’s sternest threat, provided its drivers don’t delay each other

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

But the stopwatch tells a slightly different story – particularly on his margin of Austin sprint victory. This was just 3.9s yesterday, compared to 9.5s over Lewis Hamilton in the same sprint in 2023.

In the strong early Saturday heat afternoon this year, Verstappen produced a lap time average of 1m38.154s over the sprint’s last 14 tours. The reason for that count is because it’s the lap when Sainz finally got ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc to run third behind Norris.

The Ferrari drivers were battling savagely in the early stages of the sprint but weren’t dropped by the leaders. Instead, Sainz was able to then catch and pass Norris on the final lap – where the Briton was nearly jumped by Leclerc but for his canny Turn 15 defence. This was bizarrely investigated post-race by the stewards given it was so obvious Norris would have to block there.

Sainz’s average once he’d cleared Leclerc in the sprint came in a miniscule 0.009s down on Verstappen. Leclerc, following closely in fourth in the sprint, was only a further 0.032s slower each time (his average is missing the final lap after the battle with Norris). This is what is so encouraging for Ferrari’s prospects in the main event.

While Sainz insisted he didn’t “agree” with suggestions his battle with Leclerc had cost Ferrari the chance to chase down Verstappen in the sprint, there can be no denying how the Pirellis hate temperature spikes – such as the ones on the SF-24s would’ve got from their battling. A case in point comes from the Mercedes squad that had such a disaster in qualifying at COTA, with Hamilton knocked out in Q1 and so even offering up his upgraded parts to go on Russell’s repaired machine. “But we’re not going to swap,” Russell added.

In the sprint, Russell himself looked to be a victory contender early on given how he scrapped with and saw off the Ferraris initially, and briefly challenged Norris at Turn 12. But he fell back to fifth and was 8.8s adrift of Leclerc by the finish. Hamilton was already well behind and facing the big gap to the Ferraris that his team-mate eventually fell into.

Mercedes drivers suffered in the sprint race after pushing their tyres too hard early on

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Mercedes insiders suggest this was a direct consequence of its drivers pushing too hard from the off on the mediums – for Russell in making his moves and later defending, for Hamilton in pushing just to keep up with the Ferrari drivers early on.

“The reality is that this weekend we’re in the fight,” Sainz replied when Motorsport.com asked how satisfied he and Ferrari are to be showing strongly on a very different track type to the Monza-Baku-Singapore run where it has historically shone in this rules era. “I couldn’t say the same of Zandvoort and Spa – the last normal tracks we’ve been to. Good positive progress.”

But Leclerc went further after he’d qualified fourth, claiming “if we see the same race pace as [Saturday] morning, for sure the [GP] race win is possible”.

Although history and his determined nature suggest otherwise, the Dutchman could yet decide that discretion is the better part of valour

Yet there are two big obstacles in Ferrari’s path. Taking Norris first – his sprint lap time average came in at 1m38.351s, which is 0.2s slower than Verstappen’s headline pace. But he spent all race in dirty air and knows “I don’t want to do it again” in terms of destroying his tyres. He said this was behind his sprint Turn 1 lock-up that let Sainz by to take second behind Verstappen.

But there were mitigating circumstances of sorts in how Norris’s mediums – like those on his Red Bull and Ferrari rivals – had been used in sprint qualifying. But his had done one extra lap on Friday night, which will have been a factor in the way they degraded as they did.

Clean air combined with that car set-up progress in dealing with the snaps coming from the strong wind means he may well be harder for Sainz and Leclerc to pass in the GP. Norris will also likely have to get aggressive at Turn 1 given how the uphill, sharp left-hander has had so much action in the past and Verstappen surely won’t be able to resist what could be a title-defining move for either contender if it results in contact.

It will be intriguing to see how Verstappen approaches the run to Turn 1 now he’s starting behind Norris

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

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But, although history and his determined nature suggest otherwise, the Dutchman could yet decide that discretion is the better part of valour. This is because his car has also changed since the sprint, which could well thwart Ferrari’s raised hopes.

Verstappen has been switched to one of Red Bull’s bigger rear wings, which explains that sector two, Q3 run one, time loss to Norris. Of this, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko said: “We went for race set-up.”

Inevitably, this race will come down to a tyre management contest on what is expected to be an even hotter day compared to Saturday – given a predicted lack of cloud in the skies south-east of Austin.

That will likely make things worse for Mercedes, with the W15s continuing to struggle in hotter conditions, but overall it makes a two-stopper pretty much nailed on as this combines with a relatively low pitstop time loss of 20s.

Given how much the hards were used in FP1 – to Pirelli’s surprise, nine of the 10 teams put their drivers on it in that session – a medium-hard-medium is predicted by Pirelli to be the most likely strategy for the frontrunners. But Motorsport.com understands that many teams are relying on how in 2023 the best strategy was a medium-medium-hard approach. McLaren even reserved an extra set of hards and ended up deciding not to use them.

However, the major track resurfacing means lap times are around 2s faster and so it could be that there’s a tyre sting in the Texas sun for anyone expecting an exact replica to last year.

There are still plenty of unknowns heading into the main grand prix, even after Saturday’s sprint

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

BRAVE Sir Chris Hoy endured the “worst pain” of his life wearing a cold cap during his cancer treatment so he wouldn’t lose his hair.

The six-time Olympic gold medallist, 48, announced yesterday he has just four years to live.

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He kept his terminal diagnosis a secret for a year and has described how his world “fell apart in one sentence”.

Sir Chris is currently in Copenhagen covering the World Track Cycling Championships for the BBC – and will be on TV this afternoon.

The dad-of-two began chemo in November last year and recalled how 10-year-old son Callum kept asking if he’d lose his hair.

Sir Chris told the Sunday Times the cold cap was “like your head being in a vice”, but he kept it on during all six rounds over 18 weeks.

He said that it was the worst pain he’s ever experienced, adding while grinning sheepishly: “And I’ve got a very high pain threshold.”

Sir Chris and Sarra decided to be open with their children and told them about the cancer during dinner one night, to which Callum asked: “Are you going to die?”

The former Olympian explained the medication would hopefully mean he would “be here for many, many years”.

Sir Chris had said in February he was being “treated for cancer” and claimed it was going well – though knew in reality it was just “management”.

And despite his terminal diagnosis, the Team GB legend has continued his media duties, including covering the Paris Olympics for the Beeb over the summer.

Today he has posted a photo alongside some of the broadcasting team from the Ballerup Super Arena and said it’s “great to be out”.

He told fans: “You may see in the news this weekend some articles about my health, so I just wanted to reassure you all that I’m feeling fit, strong and positive, and overwhelmed by all the love and support shown to my family and me.”

The shock news also comes weeks after the dad-of-two revealed his wife Sarra was diagnosed with incurable and degenerative multiple sclerosis.

The couple have chosen not tell their children Callum and Chloe, seven.

Sir Chris and Sarra have chosen low-risk but less effective treatments for Sarra’s MS.

On some days Sarra struggles to fit in the key in the door, Sir Chris said.

The couple have not yet told their two children about Sarra’s MS diagnosis.

Sir Chris has also now written a heartbreaking memoir detailing his experience of terminal cancer.

He said recording the audio version of his memoir is the hardest thing he has ever done.

The book ends with Sir Chris’s message to his children – which he said will be the words they listen to when he is gone.

DIAGNOSIS

The star had gone to the doctor in September last year after feeling a strain in his shoulder.

A tumour was found in his shoulder – before a second scan found the primary cancer in his prostate.

The prostate cancer had metastasised to Sir Chris’s bones – including his shoulder, pelvis, ribs, and spine.

Sir Chris recounted how he told his children that no-one lives for ever but he hopes to “be here for many, many more years”.

He began chemotherapy in November.

The sportsman suffered a violent allergic reaction in gruelling chemo sessions – but only missed five days of training on a bike.

Well-wishes for the BBC pundit have poured in since his health announcement.

Sir Mark Cavendish, who holds the record for most stages won in the Tour de France, hailed Sir Chris as a “hero of a human being”.

Amy Joy Williams, MBE, the British former skeleton racer and Olympic gold medallist, added: “A pure superhuman who everyone loves. x”

And, Paddy McGuinness shared: “Some man”, as Dame Kelly Holmes wrote: “Sending love to you Chris.” While comedian Jack Whitehall penned: “Sending you all the love mate.”

All That Matters: My Toughest Race Yet by Sir Chris Hoy is published on November 7.

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Juan Soto hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the New York Yankees advanced to their 41st World Series — and first in 15 years — by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 in Game 5 of the ALCS on Saturday night.

Baseball’s biggest brand is going back to October’s main stage.

Soto, who was acquired in a seven-player trade with the San Diego Padres in December, moved the Bronx Bombers into position with one big swing.

The Yankees will try to win their 28th title against either the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 of the NLCS is on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

In the 10th, Austin Wells walked with one out and Alex Verdugo followed with a grounder to second baseman Andrés Giménez, whose soft toss to the bag was dropped by rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio for an error.

Gaddis struck out Gleyber Torres and had Soto in a 1-2 count before New York’s stylish outfielder sent a shot over the wall in center. Soto danced down the first-base line and paused to celebrate with his teammates before circling the bases.

“I was just saying to myself, `You’re all over that guy. You’re all over that guy. He ain’t got anything,’” Soto said.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer for the Yankees, who took care of the Guardians in five games, but it wasn’t easy.

New York won the first two at Yankee Stadium without much fanfare or any major drama. However, it was a different story in Cleveland as all three games at Progressive Field were nail-biters.

The Guardians rallied to win Game 3 on two, two-run homers in their last two at-bats, and the Yankees held on to win Game 4 after blowing a four-run lead.

Cleveland just didn’t have enough and a surprising season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt ended just short of a World Series. The franchise remains without a title since 1948, baseball’s current longest drought.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The New York Yankees booked their place in the World Series for the first time since 2009 by beating the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 in their best-of-seven American League Championship series final.

The Yankees won game five 5-2, with Juan Soto hitting a three-run home run off a fastball from Cleveland pitcher Hunter Gaddis in the 10th inning.

Earlier on, Giancarlo Stanton had hit a two-run homer in the sixth to level the match at 2-2.

“It’s the best feeling in the game whenever you win and take your team to the World Series,” said Soto. “It’s the best feeling you can ever have. That’s what we play for.

“We did a really good job since day one. We’ve been working hard. Now we’re the best team in the American League.”

The Yankees will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the New York Mets in the World Series.

The Dodgers lead their National League series final 3-2 and will host game six on Sunday.