TOTO WOLFF has claimed Lewis Hamilton scuppered Mercedes’ chance to sign Lando Norris or Charles Leclerc.

The Merc boss lifts the lid on the seven-time world champion’s shock move to Ferrari in tell-all book, Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane.

2

Hamilton stunned Formula One fans in February by announcing he would move to the Italian team in 2025.

Wolff has been open about sniffing around Red Bull’s triple world champ Max Verstappen this season.

But this is the first time he has spoken of lining up McLaren’s Brit star Norris and Ferrari’s Leclerc.

Wolff said: “I had it on my radar Lewis would go. I couldn’t understand why he’d change to another team before we knew if we were going to be competitive.

“It also didn’t give me time to react. I possibly missed out on negotiating with other drivers who signed deals a few weeks earlier, like Leclerc and Norris.

“But do I take that personally? This was just a business decision.

“We’ve enjoyed such a successful journey together, now we have our own objectives. This didn’t even move the needle for me.

“I’m thick-skinned. I’ve had some pretty tough moments in my life and this doesn’t compare.”

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

Hamilton departs at the end of the season after more than a decade under Wolff’s guidance as he goes off in search of an eighth world crown.

The 39-year-old secured six of his seven titles with the help of the Austrian team principal since the pair arrived at Merc in 2013.

His stint with them is the longest by a driver at a single constructor in F1 history — surpassing Michael Schumacher’s 11 Ferrari seasons.

But the Brit has struggled to compete since being cruelly denied a record-setting eighth championship at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In the book, released yesterday, Hamilton said: “I feel like I’m ending a relationship that’s perfectly fine.

“We’re still in love. I haven’t lost faith in the team. I’m leaving for myself.”

Asked about breaking the news to Wolff at his home in Oxford, he added: “It was the hardest meeting I’ve ever had.

2

Advertisement

“I needed to do it in person because that’s what integrity is all about. But I knew it would be difficult. Ultimately, as humans we’re hurt when things end.

“But I also know that our friendship goes beyond business. That’s how I view it and I hope Toto does, too.”

In the book, Hamilton goes on to describe how he broke the news to his race team at a pre-season paintballing get-together.

He said: “It’s always been a chance for everyone to have some fun.

“So, I arrived in the car park and saw my team waiting to go in. They all looked ready to have a good time.

“I was so nervous about what I had to say that for a few minutes I couldn’t bring myself to get out of the car.

“Everyone was so kind, understanding and so positive. I’m committed to giving my all to this season.

“But later this year, I know there’s a realisation that will hit me hard. I’m not going visit the factory any more or see my team-mates, whom I adore.”

• Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane by Matt  Whyman, published by Century, is out now. RRP £22.

Lifelong Coventry supporter and BBC CWR sports editor Rob Gurney has pretty much seen it all in his time covering and following the club.

He says Robins leaving has once again illustrated the contrasting emotions being a fan and a journalist often present.

“Am I gutted? Of course. Am I surprised? Not in the least,” he said.

“Football doesn’t respect a manager’s history or reputation, but you could argue Mark Robins was a special case.

“Yes, he left once, under a cloud. But, since his return in March 2017, he’s pulled the club back from the brink.

“Winning the EFL Trophy within weeks of his return, instantly endeared him to Sky Blues fans again.

“An immediate return from League Two, after another memorable Wembley trip, cemented that relationship still further.

“Then we saw the League One title secured during Covid, were a missed penalty kick away from the Premier League, and most gut-wrenchingly of all, a toe-nail killed the greatest FA Cup comeback ever.

“Championship form tailed off, completely understandably, after the physical and mental exertions of that semi-final.”

Gurney added that the timing of that hangover was unfortunate, given the club’s pronounced public relations strategy coming into this season.

“Then a very aggressive summer marketing campaign ‘Think Big, Aim High’ fuelled expectations of a promotion push, but a slow start, for the third season running, sealed Robins’ fate.

“My perception is the back-to-back wins over Luton and Middlesbrough came as a huge inconvenience to owner/chairman Doug King, particularly the supporters’ response to Robins personally, in the face of going 2-0 down in the first of those.

“His, and his players, in-game management, has been scrutinised in recent weeks, although he’d appeared to have bought himself a little more time.

“Now King has made the decision to dispense with the man many fans regard as the modern-day Jimmy Hill, his next one could define the City’s destiny for years to come.”

RUUD van Nistelrooy is still waiting to hear if he will be part of the plans at Manchester United going forward.

The Red Devils’ interim boss has taken charge of three games for the club but will be replaced by new manager Ruben Amorim on Monday.

5

5

Advertisement

Van Nistelrooy was appointed as Erik ten Hag‘s assistant manager this summer, but could now be surplus to requirements with the Dutchman sacked last week.

And despite valiantly stepping up to guide United through their post-Ten Hag fixtures, he’s still none the wiser on where his future lies just FOUR DAYS before Amorim arrives.

No official decision has been made public on the future of the former Man Utd star yet and even he appears to be in the dark about what’s happening – despite constantly checking his phone for updates.

Speaking to TNT Sport after he led United a 2-0 win over PAOK, he said: “I did [check my phone] when I left your [TNT] desk. I checked my WiFi an it was all on.

“But nothing yet. Patience, patience.”

It looks like he will have to be patient as he waits for the execs at Old Trafford to decide his fate.

But first he has to prepare for his last game in charge of the club he represented 219 times as a player.

Van Nistelrooy will be in the technical area as boss for the final time before Amorim’s imminent arrival for United’s clash with Leicester this weekend.

5

5

FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS

Man Utd ratings vs PAOK

Advertisement

SUNSPORT’S Phil Thomas reveals which Man Utd players would have impressed incoming boss Ruben Amorim against PAOK.

ANDRE ONANA – 6
One great tipover to keep out a Camara half-volley.

But any other stops were pretty routine.

NOUSSAIR MAZRAOUI – 6
Another solid, if unspectacular, display.

An increasingly dependable presence by the week.

Advertisement

VICTOR LINDELOF – 6
Flat-footed once in the first half, but rarely flustered thereafter.

Started a few attacks as well.

JONNY EVANS – 6
Wise old head at the back.

But lucky to get away with going AWOL for one second half chance.

Advertisement

DIOGO DALOT – 4
Usually reliable, but shoddy with so much of what he did, and his delivery wasn’t great either.

Surprising he wasn’t hooked earlier.

CASEMIRO – 6
Starting point for most of what United did going forward.

Although that wasn’t a great deal to be honest.

Advertisement

MANUEL UGARTE – 5
Still far from the midfield general United hoped.

Distribution disappointing too. No shock when subbed off.

AMAD – 8 (STAR MAN)
Livewire runs, impressive closing down, the crucial opening goal…and a stunning second.

United’s best player by some distance.

Advertisement

BRUNO FERNANDES – 7
Knocked some marvellous passes, always looking to create.

At least someone was!

ALEJANDRO GARNACHO – 6
Close with one header and a couple of decent runs, but all in all a quiet night.

Hooked.

Advertisement

RASMUS HOJLUND – 5
One early header aside, little to work with apart from chasing hopeful balls.

No clear sights of goal, either.

SUBS
Rashford (for Garnacho 64) 6
Eriksen (for Ugarte 64) 6
Martinez (for Dalot 64) 6
Mount (for Amad 81) 6
Zirkzee (for Hojlund 90) N/A

SunSport exclusively revealed last week that the Man Utd first team are desperate to for Van Nistelrooy to stay, with an insider saying players have “made their feelings clear internally”.

While the former Real Madrid star has said himself that he wants to stay and honour his assistant contract which is set to run until the end of next season.

His time in charge has seen him guide the team to a 2-0 win over PAOK, a 5-2 trashing of Leicester in the Cup and a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the league.

Speaking last month, Van Nistelrooy said: “I decided to come back here for a very important reason.

“I came as an assistant to help the club move forward.

“It’s going to be a short job as an interim – that was communicated very clear.

“I was happy with that. I will then go back to my assistant contract that I have here for this season and next.

“When a new manager signs and conversations take place we have to see how things develop.”

5

Advertisement

If Francis Ngannou were to face Jon Jones, Eric Nicksick would advise him to bring the fight to him.

PFL heavyweight superfights champ Ngannou (17-3) and UFC heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) were on a collision course in the UFC until Ngannou opted to sign with PFL.

UFC CEO Dana White is not a fan of cross promotion, but if a deal was ever reached where a superfight between Ngannou and Jones happened, Nicksick broke down what their game plan would look like.

“I definitely think you had to put Jon on his backfoot,” Nicksick told Kevin Iole. “You had to put pressure on him, you had to put him up against the corner post, and you couldn’t get in a technical fight with Jon. And you couldn’t allow him to dictate the hand play, right – where he starts to occupy your hands and that’s a slow-paced type of fight where Jon is very technical there, and he starts to pick you apart with elbows, and the clinch, and the knees and the things that he does so well.

“For me, I thought we’ve got to get this guy on his backfoot, and we’ve got to apply pressure right away and make it an ugly fight. Don’t make it a technical fight. You’re going to have to make this grimy and try to get him out of there in the first two, three rounds. I think the longer a fight would have gone between him and Francis, it would have favored more Jon, and that was where I felt like if we put a game plan on him, we were going to have to put the pace on him.”

Jones makes his first heavyweight title defense when he takes on Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 headliner Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy thinks an extended stint on the bench acted as motivation for Manchester United’s two-goal Europa League hero Amad Diallo.

Amad had been named as substitute in six successive games before being given a start against Greek side PAOK at Old Trafford.

In Van Nistelrooy’s words, the 22-year-old responded by being “our best player in the first half”, before “winning us the game in the second”.

Asked if being a substitute so often had been a motivating factor, Van Nistelrooy said: “Apparently so.”

The Ivory Coast international was by far United’s biggest threat against limited opposition – he was prepared to run at the PAOK defence and carried on doing so, even when he did not get immediate reward.

Van Nistelrooy accepted a first half in which United made “many technical mistakes” and had one shot on goal “wasn’t good”, but Amad made the difference after the interval.

“The second goal had everything in it that is Diallo,” said Van Nistelrooy. “He fought to win the ball off the defender, then pushed through to take the shot and had the quality to bend it around the goalkeeper.

“He is a great character and a hard worker. He shows that attitude in every training session. Every day in he comes to me and wants to do extra finishing, crossing, one v ones. He is asking how can I improve his shot, and his heading.

“He is constantly focused on learning and getting better. He is motivated to get the most from his career.”

Amad’s present contract expires next June, although United do have the option to extend it by an additional year.

Next week, he will have a new boss to impress as Ruben Amorim takes charge.

Van Nistelrooy said he would have to “check his phone” to see if he had received a message from the Portuguese although, for now, he seems happy both parties are concentrating on their current clubs.

“I think that Ruben focuses on [Sporting at] Braga and I focus on Leicester [in the Premier League on Sunday],” he said.

Great Britain earned a comfortable victory over Denmark in their Women’s EuroBasket 2025 qualifier in Manchester.

Savannah Wilkinson led the scoring for Britain with 14 points as the home side secured a 75-62 victory.

The win put Britain in a good position to qualify for the final round, which takes place in June.

They sit on five points – one behind Group D leaders Sweden, with Denmark third on four points and fourth-placed Estonia on three.

Each side has three games left to play, with Britain next facing Sweden in Malmo on Sunday.

The winners of Groups A-H qualify for the final round alongside the four best-ranked runners-up.

The Czech Republic, Germany, Greece and Italy make up Group I, with the four nations automatically qualifying as hosts.