THE TRIAL of a TV model accused of making a false rape claim against AC Milan defender Theo Hernandez was suspended today after a no-show by her lawyer.

Luisa Kremleva’s brief called in sick at the last minute, alleging a “medical emergency”, ahead of her court appearance in Malaga after public prosecutors demanded a two-year prison sentence on conviction.

2

2

Advertisement

The Russian-born beauty is understood to have been made aware of her lawyer’s health problem beforehand and opted to stay away so she didn’t have to face waiting media.

It was not immediately clear this afternoon when the long-awaited trial, which well-placed sources said today had been suspended on a previous occasion when Kremleva said she was undergoing treatment in her homeland, will now go ahead.

French international Hernandez, whose club sides have included both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, was told he wouldn’t be needed to testify by video-conference from Italy after the trial suspension.

A court official said outside the courtroom, about an hour after the hearing was due to get underway: “There won’t be a trial today.

“The defence has asked for a suspension because of an emergency medical issue.”

Another insider said: “Kremleva’s lawyer called in sick at the last moment. The court only found out this morning.”

Public prosecutors allege the real estate boss’ daughter, who forged a name for herself on Spanish TV reality and dating shows between modelling assignments, made up the rape after she and Hernandez had “consensual sex” in a Porsche Cayenne outside glitzy Marbella nightclub Olivia Valere but then refused to go home with her.

They claim in a three-page indictment seen by Sun Online which forms the basis of the allegations against her that she acted out of revenge.

She was charged with perjury in relation to the “non-existent rape” following her arrest in January 2020 on a warrant after she failed to answer a court summons.

We can reveal investigators took just two days to provisionally archive her rape claim after she made her police statement in June 2017.

Full indictment report

The public protection indictment states, referring to the Milan footballer and the female model by their initials or simply the initial of their first names: “In the early hours of June 4 2017 the accused was in Olivia Valere nightclub where she had arranged to meet up with T.B.F.H.

“He was in the same venue in a VIP area with a group of friends.

“About 4am both left with the intention of having a sexual encounter and went to a vehicle parked in the car parking area which a friend of T was using and had full sex which L consented to before returning to the nightclub.

“L subsequently tried unsuccessfully to persuade T to stay with her and go home with her and ended up fighting with the women who were part of T’s group before returning to her home alone about 8am.

“From there, out of revenge and to take advantage of T being well-known, she requested the presence of police and claimed she had been the victim of a sexual assault and wanted to report it.”

Outlining how she had been taken to hospital for a routine medical examination before making a formal written statement in the afternoon. the indictment added: “She maliciously stated that after initially agreeing to having sex with T, she changed her mind and despite making it clear she didn’t want to continue, T continued and forced himself on her before injuring her by pushing her out of the car and making her fall on her knees.

Phone message

“She hid from investigators the fact that she had fallen to the ground accidentally and then again in the course of the fight with T’s female friends.”

The falls are thought to have been recorded by Olivia Valere’s CCTV cameras, which also showed her returning with Hernandez to the nightclub after the “consensual sex” she claimed was a rape.

Investigators are also believed to have obtained a phone message Kremleva sent the footballer around 6.15am, after the alleged rape, asking him repeatedly when he was going to go home with her.

Attacking left-back Hernandez, capped 35 times by France at senior level, was never arrested before a court dismissed her claim and police started preparing a case against her.

In a newspaper interview after the ‘rape’ investigators subsequently dismissed Kremleva insisted: “I have proof of the attack which are on my backside and knees.

“I would love it if Theo apologised. It’s the least I deserve.”

Her mum Mila went on Spanish TV after news of her January 13 2020 detention broke to claim: “My daughter is not under arrest. She went to pick up a court notification.

“With time the truth is going to come out.”

The model subsequently wrote on social media: “I have not been arrested. I have not been convicted of any crime. The truth will come out.”

She privatised her Instagram at the start of the month after it emerged a date had been set for her trial.

As well as a two-year prison sentence Kremleva is also facing a possible POUNDS 12,000 fine if she is eventually convicted, although two-year jail sentences are normally suspended in Spain for first-time offenders.

Williams driver Franco Colapinto has dismissed rumours he is in the frame for a seat at Red Bull’s RB Formula 1 team, suggesting he will be on the sidelines in 2025.

Colapinto wowed the F1 paddock with his strong performances and calm attitude as a mid-season replacement for Logan Sargeant at Williams. In his five races thus far, the Argentinian scored five points and never finished lower than 12th, with another combative display at Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix going unrewarded.

There is no room for Colapinto as a regular driver at Williams next year, with the team having already signed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who won Sunday’s grand prix, to slot in alongside Alex Albon.

But the 21-year-old’s form has turned enough heads for him to be considered at Sauber and at Red Bull, which may have a slot at its RB team for Colapinto to slot into.

But while there have been casual talks between Williams and Red Bull, with Williams team boss James Vowles willing to loan his reserve driver out, Colapinto has dismissed suggestions he could be on the F1 grid next year.

“No, at the moment, I don’t understand much of what they are talking about. I don’t know from where it came from,” Colapinto told F1 TV.

“I don’t have any seat for next year, and at the moment, I’m not racing Formula 1. I’m probably going to be racing somewhere else.

“So look, it’s going to be maybe a year that I’m not going to be here, but I hope to be showing that I deserve a seat here enough to come back in ’26 or ’27. It is my goal, and it’s why I’m doing what I can race after race.

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“That’s why [after qualifying] I was disappointed with the result and just trying to do my best session after session to try and show I deserve to be here.”

While Red Bull is understood to have some interest in Colapinto, driver advisor Helmut Marko suggested the team is not keen on taking outside drivers on loan when it has its own junior programme, with F2 frontrunner Isack Hadjar also waiting in the wings.

“The problem with him is that he has a long-term contract with Williams,” the Austrian told the Kleine Zeitung. “[Taking him on loan] is not interesting for any team. You do not want to train a driver for another team.”

On the subject of potentially loaning Colapinto to RB, Vowles added: “I think in all of these things at the moment, let’s start with the basics.

“He has earned his place on the grid, and what we want to help with that is finding him a place in that regard.

“What it looks like, I can’t tell you at the moment, because A, it’s very sensitive, and B, there’s really not a lot to discuss right now. “

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis kept a watchful eye over his division on Saturday when he witnessed Khamzat Chimaev potentially become the new No. 1 contender at 185 pounds.

Chimaev’s ascension ran parallel to Robert Whittaker’s demise after he saw his championship window potentially close for good when his jaw and teeth were shattered following a nasty submission that ended his night at UFC 308. Both had an impact on du Plessis with Whittaker serving as the person he beat to earn his own title shot while it’s entirely possible that Chimaev now becomes the next challenger at 185 pounds.

“Feel really sorry for Rob,” du Plessis wrote on Twitter. “He looked super ready but this is the fight game. Well done on a good performance, Khamzat. That being said I can’t wait to take your ‘O.’”

Considering the results on Saturday, du Plessis may have found his next opponent, although he’s been expected to clash with Sean Strickland in a rematch sometime in early 2025.

Strickland earned his spot as the No. 1 contender with a decision win over Paulo Costa but it’s tough to deny that Chimaev may have just jumped the line with his performance.

Even UFC CEO Dana White wasn’t ready to commit to Strickland on Saturday after watching what Chimaev did to Whittaker inside the first round.

“That’s a good question,” White said when asked about who’s next for du Plessis. “Call me on Tuesday.”

Given the attention that Chimaev’s win received and the potential for a blockbuster fight that could sell a whole lot of pay-per-views, the UFC might just sit Strickland down and begin hyping up “Stillknocks” vs. “Borz” right away.

To make matters worse for Strickland, the reigning UFC middleweight champion also retweeted a message hyping up a potential fight between him at Chimaev with the caption saying “this is the fight.”

World champions Australia are set to tour England in 2025 for three Tests – the first time an Ashes series has been held in more than 20 years.

RL Commercial, the commercial arm of the Rugby Football League, has said “initial conversations” have been held with the Australian Rugby League Commission about moving the series to England.

The revamped Test series had been due to take place in Australia after initially being announced in 2023 as part of changes to the international rugby league calendar, but that plan is now set to be switched.

It will be the first time since 2003 that the Kangaroos have travelled to play in an Ashes series – with the previous incarnation being a contest between Australia and Great Britain.

A tour was scheduled for 2020 in advance of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup but it was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is eight years since England last faced Australia in a home international, when the travelling Kangaroos won 36-18 at the London Stadium in the 2016 Four Nations tournament.

“We are excited by the possibility of bringing the Kangaroos to these shores for a three-match series for the first time in more than 20 years, and we are starting work on the feasibility of such a tour,” read a RL Commercial statement.

“We believe this would be welcomed by our England team, by British Rugby League supporters, by the British sporting public, and by the current generation of Australia players who would relish the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of so many great players of the past.”

Another weekend, another Ferrari win overshadowed by a squabble between title contenders. Carlos Sainz’s crushing dominance of proceedings in Mexico fulfilled his prime objective of picking up at least one more win before leaving Ferrari at the end of 2024, but his presence on the TV screens was distinctly secondary to replays of Max Verstappen earning two 10-second penalties within four corners. His racecraft, or lack thereof, at least disrupted Lando Norris’ race enough to deny the McLaren driver a chance of properly challenging Sainz.

Tempers ran hot in Mexico City’s high altitudes; perhaps the 22% reduction in air density limited the oxygen entering the drivers’ brains and led to moments of rashness and brilliance in equal measure. Both of those were evident in Charles Leclerc’s second place-losing snap at the Peraltada: he overstretched trying to defend from Norris and almost careened into the wall, but cat-like reflexes led him to gather up the wayward Ferrari and save the day from his own over-ambition.

Just four races now remain to decide the outcome of 2024. We’ve learned a lot this weekend, but we’ve selected the biggest-ticket items for your reading pleasure. 

1. Verstappen’s still got it – ‘it’ being questionable tactics

Verstappen caught the ire of the stewards for a pair of lap 10 incidents with Norris

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Advertisement

There’s always been a suggestion that Verstappen races Norris very differently, a suggestion that Verstappen has flatly denied. He had to contend with the same accusations when it came to dealing with Lewis Hamilton in 2021, and the Turn 4 Brazil incident buttered few parsnips in a contentious championship battle.

But Mexico proved that, indeed, Verstappen takes significantly greater liberties when pitted against his immediate championship rival. Let’s compare: when Sainz passed at Turn 1, Verstappen didn’t really defend at all. He instead attempted to gain the switchback into Turns 2 and 3, moves that Sainz was wise to and ensured that he covered off. Perhaps Verstappen had the sense that the Ferrari was going to pass him anyway, or had an inkling that he might be able to outfox his rival immediately after.

The Turn 4 and Turn 7/8 scenarios with Norris are different, but nonetheless tend to occupy the grey areas in the etiquette stakes. The latter of the two was arguably the more bonkers scenario; a wilful disregard for any regulatory framework was demonstrated by Verstappen just deciding to drive Norris off the road and make the overtake, banking on the McLaren driver to back up. 

This isn’t a plea for Verstappen to change his driving, because he won’t (and he certainly should not be taking advice from this writer). Everyone wants to see hard-but-fair racing, as demonstrated by the Mercedes duo, and Verstappen CAN do that. But there’s a conspicuous itch at the back of his neck when he sees a rival in his mirrors – and sometimes, he feels he’s just got to scratch it.

2. Norris must keep forcing Verstappen to over-defend

Norris forced Verstappen’s hand in Mexico

Photo by: Mark Sutton

The coda to the opening “thing” is this: if Verstappen decides to continue as he is, then Norris must find a way to exploit it – and there seemed to be signs he was figuring out how to do that in Mexico. Austin’s dramas exposed the pitfalls of the racing guidelines – but in a sense, served to reinforce them with no immediate changes made to the rulebook. Turn 4 is the case in point: with the be-alongside-at-the-apex rule clarified, Norris knew he had to be there when mounting a challenge to Verstappen. The charge around the outside was a gamble, but this was no different to Verstappen’s delicate touch on the brakes at COTA’s Turn 12. In both cases, the drivers earned themselves space.

This put Verstappen in the position where he had to either accept Norris had the inside line for Turn 5, or simply run his championship rival out of road. He chose the latter. 

Norris, who had cut across the grass and briefly sat in the lead, let Sainz go back through. Verstappen, who felt Norris had passed him off-track, probably expected to also be let through. When he wasn’t, he was in the position where he either waited it out and asked for his team to intervene, or simply run his championship rival out of the road. He chose the latter.

This is an exploitable weakness: trying to draw the foul (while ensuring nothing injurious to his own race) might be a solid tactic for Norris to try next time he’s in close quarters with his title rival. Closing a 47 point deficit with four races remaining is a tough ask, but playing Verstappen against himself might be the best way to dent his title charge. Getting the apex at Brazil’s Turn 4 might be a good place to start…

3. Ferrari has developed itself out of mid-season hole

Ferrari are hunting McLaren in a thrilling battle for constructors’ championship honours

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Advertisement

Ferrari’s team principal Fred Vasseur has been delighted by the Verstappen/Norris horn-locking so far. Not because it’s helped Ferrari chalk up a second win on the bounce, and not because the mirthful Frenchman just really loves drama: it’s because it has put a team that has won the past two races completely – his words – under the radar. The Prancing Horse has now overtaken Red Bull for second in the constructors’ championship and sits just 29 points behind McLaren with four to go. 

More encouragingly for the scarlet squad, the performance injected into its SF-24 for the Monza race appears to have stuck around. Ferrari had pinned its hopes on a floor upgrade that hoped to arrest a mid-season slump, precipitated by two previous upgrades’ exacerbation of mid-corner bouncing. With an uptick in performances across the Monza, Baku, and Singapore races, Ferrari knew its updated car’s oeuvre was missing a test on a circuit with both ‘normal’ levels of downforce and high-speed corners. The team’s domination at Austin rather ticked that off the list.

Mexico seemed to cement the notion that Ferrari has pulled itself out of that mid-season mire. Like McLaren, it is now regularly outpacing Red Bull; the orange and red cars will likely battle fiercely over the constructors’ crown. And let’s give Sainz his flowers because his weekend in Mexico was pretty much flawless. Even with Lewis Hamilton coming into the team, the Spaniard’s diligence and consistency will be missed at Maranello.

4. In the final stint, Magnussen was the quickest non-Ferrari/McLaren/Mercedes car

On his way out of F1 at the end of the season, Magnussen put in one of his performances of the year to leave a strong impression

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

When Verstappen came out of the pits after serving his 20-second penalty for what one might charitably describe as indiscretions, his Red Bull once again demonstrated an allergy to the harder compounds of Pirelli rubber. Once he’d cut through the midfielders, his progress flat-lined and the arrears to the Mercedes grew to between 10 and 11 seconds. 

Halfway through the final stint, Verstappen’s advantage over Kevin Magnussen was shrinking. It wasn’t being scythed down at a particularly rapid rate – a tenth here, a couple of tenths there per lap – but it was evident that the Haas driver was making inroads nonetheless. And he needed to, since the recovering Oscar Piastri was out for blood behind him. The Australian was also beginning to make progress as the race moved towards its final act, having dispatched Nico Hulkenberg to claim eighth.

Over the past couple of seasons, the Haas hasn’t quite worked for Magnussen; even this year’s markedly improved design has been tricky for the Dane to work with. Recent upgrades appear to be giving him what he needs to shine and, if this is it for his F1 career at the end of the year, he appears to have the ammunition required to end on a high. With seventh at Mexico, and Hulkenberg taking ninth despite feeling ill at ease with the VF-24, Haas has taken a big step towards sixth in the constructors’ championship.

5. Perez has Lawson under his skin

Lawson and Perez are widely viewed to be battling it out for the second Red Bull 2025 seat

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“I think the way he has come to Formula 1, I don’t think he has the right attitude for it. He needs to be a bit more humble. You know, when a two-time world champion[Fernando Alonso] was saying things last weekend, he completely ignored him. It’s like when you come to Formula 1, you’re obviously very hungry and so on, but you have to be as well respectful off track and on track.”

This was Sergio Perez’s damning indictment of Liam Lawson, one driven by a battle through Turns 4 and 5 that spilled over into ill-temperedness. Lawson felt that Perez had pushed him off at Turn 4, and kept his nose to the inside for the next corner; Perez tried to close him off, and this led to contact that punched a hole in Perez’s sidepod and nibbled at his floor.

Feeling hot under the collar, Sergio? Lawson has been heavily linked to Perez’s Red Bull seat for 2025, so perhaps the verbal equivalent of a two-footed challenge in the penalty box might have been fuelled by the pressure that the Kiwi has already started to exert on the Mexican driver. And that’s the sort of doubt you’d try to precipitate if you were under pressure: “Yeah, it’s not going well for me, but I don’t think this other guy has the temperament…”

Does Lawson really need to be “more humble”, or was Perez expecting the still-inexperienced New Zealander to jump out of his way?

6. Red Bull spoke to quadricentennial Alonso over 2024 seat

Alonso at Red Bull? It could have happened.

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

The less said about Fernando Alonso’s 400th race weekend, the better – the Spaniard was ill on Thursday, and lasted just 15 laps before pulling into his with debris in his front-left brake duct. At least the stattos will be happy he’s got the opportunity to do a ‘proper’ 400th grand prix celebration in Qatar…

There was a non-zero chance that Alonso’s 2024 season could have been upgraded had talks with Red Bull gone a slightly different way; as Perez’s form declined during 2023, Red Bull considered other options – and Alonso contemplated a switch from Aston Martin despite the Silverstone squad’s strong start to the year. 

“At that time, Sergio’s contract hadn’t been extended, so as Fernando is a seasoned operator, he always wants to know all of his options. Between him and his manager or advisor of many years, Flavio [Briatore], they’re always testing the market, and it just shows how hungry and competitive he is,” Christian Horner explained.

“He’s still delivering at 42 years of age, or 43. He’s still in great shape and it just shows that age is just a number. He’s still a very, very capable grand prix driver and given the tools, I’m sure he’d be at the front.”

Horner also noted the sticking point between Alonso and Red Bull in talks for 2009, stating that the two-time champion only wanted a one-year deal while a minimum of two years was on offer. “We were convinced he had a Ferrari contract in his back pocket at that point, so we didn’t get to a deal.”

7. The world of F1 racing guidelines remains murky

Does anyone fully understand the rules?

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

So, what are the rules? How are drivers expected to race each other without fear of repercussions or reprisal? Will the stewards and drivers agree on the guidelines and waltz happily together into a more prosperous age of on-track combat?

Ha, no chance – even if GPDA director George Russell says “19 out of 20 drivers” are aligned with the stewards on what the racing guidelines should be, these need to walk the line perfectly. Over-legislate, and drivers might not feel empowered to take a few risks. Under-legislate, and this will create exploitable grey areas that might work to the letter of the law but completely disavow the spirit of F1 competition. As of yet, there has been no compelling suggestion that could work going forward.

Getting rid of the guidelines entirely could be ruinous. The stewards need to have a framework to penalise against, and a catch-all “did a bad thing” article in the sporting regulations would be completely open to interpretation and a lack of consistency. 

Permanent stewards might work for consistency, but one could cynically suggest that the ‘wrong’ combination could be open to corruption more than a rotating cast. 

It’s often better to come up with a solution and make it the right one, rather than only act when the right solution presents itself, but sometimes it’s okay for the stewards to be given more time. The penalties granted to the Verstappen incidents in Mexico were a step forward, but these were arguably more clear-cut than the Austin contretemps; for incidents like that, a deeper look into driver traces might be preferable – even if it’s deemed that the wrong driver stood on the podium.

Four F1 weekends remain, and nothing is settled yet!

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Advertisement

LA Taqueria el Califa de Leon is the humble market stall selling £2 tacos that went to Michelin star earlier this year.

At this weekend’s Mexico Grand Prix, F1 driver Valtteri Bottas visited the taco hotspot, so F1 reporter Isabelle Barker followed suit to see what all the fuss is about.

4

4

Advertisement

4

4

The stand, which has just four items on the menu, made headlines on May 14 after it was crowned with a Michelin star after the guide debuted in Mexico for the first time ever this year.

It is a 10ft-by-10ft taco shop tucked behind a row of street stalls in the working-class San Rafael neighbourhood.

There was a small queue of mainly tourists outside when SunSport visited around 6pm on Wednesday night.

They were eagerly waiting to sample its four types of carne asada (grilled steak) tacos, which is the only thing on the menu.

Prices range from £2.50 to £4 which is actually considered expensive by Mexican standards for a taco.

Sauber driver Bottas, who used to partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, visited the stand on Tuesday.

He posted a picture of him outside the stand to his Instagram with the caption: “Michelin star taco Tuesday.”

The taco itself is no-frills, with the owners priding themselves in the quality of the meat as well as their homemade tortillas.

There are wedges of lime or salsa rojo and salsa verde on the side to drizzle over the taco.

The stand has been around for more than 50 years and is known for its Gaonera taco, which is said to be named in honour of Mexican bullfighter Rodolfo Gaona.

The Michelin Guide website said: “This taqueria may be bare bones with just enough room for a handful of diners to stand at the counter but its creation, the Gaonera taco, is exceptional.”