Stroll said it was “just a difference in grip and performance”, and asked how the team would improve, he said: “I don’t think it falls from the sky. I think you have to improve and find performance in the car and the engine.”

The Aston Martin design was described by Newey at the team’s launch earlier this week as “one of the more extreme interpretations” of this year’s new rules, and it has drawn admiring glances from rivals.

But so far the car has not shown any signs of performance, and the same can be said of the new engine designed by Honda, who have switched to Aston Martin this year from Red Bull.

The 27-year-old admitted that “a big part” of the car’s problems came from the engine. Asked whether there was anything positive he could say about the car, he said: “The livery looks nice.”

On Newey’s role as team principal, a position he took on in November in addition to being managing technical partner, Stroll said: “He’s all about performance. He’s just obsessed about how he can bring more performance to the car and he’s a great leader overall.”

Newey joined Aston Martin only in March last year and the team have been careful to play down expectations for their first season as a works team.

Stroll said: “We are where we are. Do we want to fight for race wins? Yes. Are we fighting for race wins today? Doesn’t look like it. Does that mean we can’t fight for race wins in the future? No, I believe we can.

“I don’t have a crystal ball. It doesn’t look like it’s amazing.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris set the fastest times on Thursday, with testing set to finish at 16:00 GMT. With 90 minutes of the session remaining, Alonso was slower even than the car from new team Cadillac.

Sachin Tendulkar celebrates Italy’s 10-wicket win (Photos by PTI and AP)

NEW DELHI: Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar praised Italy after their historic first-ever T20 World Cup victory, celebrating how the game is spreading to new nations.“Congratulations to Italy on their first-ever T20 World Cup win, and in such commanding fashion! A proud footballing nation making its mark in cricket reminds us how beautifully the game is spreading across the globe,” Tendulkar wrote on X.

Italy, better known for football, stunned Nepal with a dominant 10-wicket win at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Making their World Cup debut, Italy bowled Nepal out for just 123 runs, thanks to brilliant spells from spinners Crishan Kalugamage and Ben Manenti. The Italian openers, brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca, then chased down the target with ease, hitting boundaries at will and finishing the match with plenty of balls to spare.For Italy, this was a special moment after losing their first match to Scotland. Stand-in captain Harry Manenti called the win a dream come true. “It’s pretty extraordinary really. It’s something a lot of people in Italy, a lot of people in this group, have dreamed of,” he said. “We didn’t quite nail it the other day but we backed up today and showed the world what we’ve got.”Player of the match Kalugamage said the victory meant a lot to him and his teammates. “I always wanted to help the team to win a match and do my best for my nation, Italy — I’m happy,” he said. “These are my brothers. I’m really happy,” he added.Nepal captain Rohit Paudel admitted his team fell short but praised Italy’s performance. “We need to be more consistent and today was the day to prove that, but not taking away the credit from Italy,” he said. “They played really well today and credit must go to them,” he stated.The win pushed Italy up the group table and showed that even new cricket nations can make a big impact on the world stage.

NEW DELHI: India’s match against Namibia at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 saw Sanju Samson once again become a talking point on social media, as fans criticised him for failing to make the most of his opportunity.Sanju, who came into the playing XI in place of Abhishek Sharma due to illness, got off to a flying start but was dismissed for 22 off just 8 balls.

Despite the quick cameo, many fans felt he wasted another chance to prove himself at the international level. Social media was flooded with sarcastic and critical comments. One fan wrote, “Last time i saw Sanju Samson performing was before World War 2,” while another posted, “Sanju Samson got a good start but couldn’t convert. One more chance wasted successfully.”Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus won the toss and chose to bowl first on what he described as a good batting surface. “We are going to have a bowl. It is a very good flat cricketing surface; from a surface and dew point point of view, it is the right thing to do. It is about tightening our skillset. Looks like a good wicket, try and chase it in the second half. That is why we play cricket, to entertain,” he said at the toss.India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said his side would have preferred to bat first but was happy with the conditions. “We were looking to bat first. Very happy with it. As long as we are losing the toss and winning the game, we are fine with it. It’s a big tournament, and this dew is going to be a big factor, but when you bat first and go out and defend, I think it gives you a lot of confidence. It’s a very good wicket. Hopefully, batters go out and enjoy themselves. Abhishek is still not fine; he will miss a game or two. Sanju comes in, a similar batter, explosive. Jasprit (Bumrah) comes in for (Mohammed) Siraj,” Suryakumar said.

Jersey presence and stadium visibility

As part of the association, Sun Pharma’s logo will feature on the front of RCB’s playing jersey, the official green kit and training apparel. The partnership also includes prominent branding across the stadium during RCB’s home matches, ensuring year-long visibility throughout the IPL season.

Brand connect through cricket

Sun Pharma Managing Director Kirti Ganorkar said the partnership reflects the shared values of leadership, consistency and innovation between the two brands. He added that cricket’s unmatched reach in India offers an opportunity to bring fans closer to the company behind medicines used by millions every day.

Focus beyond on-field branding

RCB COO Rajesh Menon noted that the collaboration is designed to go beyond logo placement, with plans for fan engagement across digital platforms and match-day experiences. He said Sun Pharma’s entry as principal sponsor strengthens RCB’s efforts to build meaningful, impact-driven partnerships.

Linked to corporate campaign

The sponsorship aligns with Sun Pharma’s recent corporate brand campaign highlighting its patient-centric mission of touching 1,000 lives every minute. Through its association with RCB, the company aims to translate that message to a wider audience during the IPL.

Sun Pharma operates across specialty generics, innovative medicines and consumer healthcare, with a global manufacturing footprint, while RCB competes in India’s premier T20 league and remains one of the tournament’s most-followed franchises.

Manny Pacquiao came up short when he challenged Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title in July, but the Filipino icon has advised Ryan Garcia on what he must do to overcome ‘El Azteca’.

‘Pac-Man’ secured a controversial title shot when he returned to action to take on Barrios, despite being winless for six years, attempting to break his own record as the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history.

However, after a spirited attempt, Pacquiao could only muster a draw on the scorecards, although many fans felt as though boxing’s only eight-division world champion had done enough to pull off the upset.

Now, after holding the belt for 20 months, Barrios seeks a first win in a title contest since 2019, having been upgraded to world champion in June 2024 and drawing in both of his defences since.

He takes on Garcia, but does so as a sizeable underdog, irrespective of Garcia’s defeat to WBA welterweight champion Rolando Romero last time out – a fight where ‘King Ry’ had been expected to finally get his hands on a world title.

Speaking with FightHype.com, Pacquiao informed Garcia that he must put in the hard yards before his showdown with Barrios if he is to get his hand raised.

“It’s a good fight, Ryan must train hard [to get the win].”

Barrios-Garcia takes place next Saturday, with two additional world title bouts scheduled to take place on the undercard.

It is understood that WBC mandatory challenger Benn will be next for the victor of the main-event, as he gears up to return to the 147lb division after a four-year absence from the weight.

While he never played for the coach, former Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter is going to bat for Mike Tomlin while taking aim at two former teammates who have been outspoken about Tomlin since he decided to step down as Pittsburgh’s leader. 

Fellow former Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison has been extremely vocal in his criticism of Tomlin, going as far as to say he isn’t a Hall of Fame-caliber coach. Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t been as extreme, but he did make headlines when he suggested late in the 2025 season that Tomlin should become Penn State’s new coach. Roethlisberger has since said on his podcast that it was probably time for a change regarding the Steelers’ coaching post. 

Porter, who also served on Pittsburgh’s coaching staff from 2015-18, was largely diplomatic in terms of his comments regarding Harrison, but things got personal when he discussed Roethlisberger, his teammate from 2004-06. 

“Seven definitely broke the brotherhood,” Porter said on Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward’s podcast. “The shit that Seven did that we don’t talk about is crazy. Out of anybody, he should never grab a microphone and really talk Steelers business, because if we’re talking Steelers business, his ass is foul of all foul, like the shit that he did is foul of all foul. 

“He’s not a good teammate. Won a Super Bowl with him, but the person, he’s just not a good teammate. Like he knows that, anybody in the Steeler building knows that, but we protected him, because I’ve only won one Super Bowl, and that was my quarterback. So do I love my quarterback? Yeah, but is he a good person? No.” 

When asked why he felt Roethlisberger was a bad teammate, Porter mentioned that Roethlisberger did not sign autographs for teammates’ family members during his rookie season. Porter, a team captain at the time, decided to have a meeting with Roethlisberger after he specifically declined to sign something for defensive end Aaron Smith. 

“Who the hell is too cool to sign for your teammate?” said Porter, alluding to former teammate and Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis and his constant willingness to do things for teammates and fans. “I always looked at it like this. Look at the team when Joey was a captain, when Jerome was captain, when Hines Ward was a captain. You heard nothing in the locker room.

“Captains have to do captain shit, right? We voted to be captains; you had to be voted in. He came in an era where they just gave you a seat, because if he wasn’t a captain, he’d probably have a hissy fit, but nobody’s going to vote for him as captain because he don’t have no captain qualities.”

Beyond his alleged locker room issues, Roethlisberger was suspended for four games in 2010 amid a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, as multiple women accused him of misconduct in 2008 and 2010. 

“I got caught up being Big Ben the whole time,” Roethlisberger said at the time. “I lost track of who Ben Roethlisberger was. It’s not something I’m proud of. 

“Big Ben just kept building up. It ended up coming off the field. It kept taking over. Superman kept taking over Clark Kent and you just never saw who Ben Roethlisberger was anymore. At the time, I didn’t see it. I was gaining everything, but I was losing a lot of who I was raised to be.”

Roethlisberger himself previously acknowledged that he wasn’t always the best teammate. He did, however, maintain some close relationships during his early years in Pittsburgh with several teammates, specifically Bettis and former tight end Heath Miller, among others. In later years, he developed a close bond with center Maurkice Pouncey, who was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor this past year alongside Roethlisberger and Porter. 

In 2019, departing teammates Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown both questioned Roethlisberger’s leadership or lack thereof. One of their criticisms of Roethlisberger was that he didn’t spend enough time with them outside of the facility. 

Roethlisberger appeared to respond by hosting Pittsburgh’s skill players at his lake house that offseason. He also pulled the plug on his local radio show, which often led to public criticisms of teammates, like Martavis Bryant in 2015 and fellow receiver James Washington in 2018. 

In later years, Roethlisberger publicly vouched for several teammates to get contract extensions, like running back James Conner prior to Conner becoming a free agent after the 2020 season. In 2021, his final season in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger agreed to a contract restructure that cleared $15 million, which helped Pittsburgh re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster, one of Roethlisberger’s favorite receivers. 

While he at least appeared to be a better teammate during his later seasons, Roethlisberger wasn’t perfect. In 2018, for example, he loudly questioned the Steelers’ decision to draft fellow quarterback Mason Rudolph, who supported Porter’s comments on social media. He recently alluded to the Steelers giving him a “center that had never played center before” for his final season (he has since apologized to said center, Kendrick Green). 

Roethlisberger also hasn’t been shy as it relates to how his career in Pittsburgh ended. While he ultimately chose to retire instead of playing elsewhere, he acknowledged that at least one of the Steelers’ head decision-makers didn’t want him back after the 2021 season. It appears that led to the harboring of some negative feelings, at least on Roethlisberger’s side. 

As far as the criticism of Tomlin is concerned, Roethlisberger and Harrison have their own podcasts and have never been afraid to express their opinions. And while both are entitled to their stances, Porter doesn’t feel that either is in a position to speak negatively of someone who did so much for their careers, his included. 

“What makes it crazy for me to watch them two talk like that and really act like we don’t have the real receipts of how this really works,” Porter said. “Like, you know what he just did for y’all? … When they tell their stories, you’ll think Mike didn’t do shit for them. I don’t know how to shit on somebody that looked out for me.” 

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has insisted that Agit Kabayel “must” be next for Oleksandr Usyk, after the Ukrainian’s planned voluntary title defence.

Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion, has been granted a voluntary defence in his next fight, which the unbeaten champion reportedly wanted to come against Deontay Wilder.

However, Wilder has since been paired with Derek Chisora in a contest set for 4 April at London’s O2 Arena. And at last week’s press conference for that clash, Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel said: “Look, Usyk came to us recently to fight. We didn’t know if that could happen, and we were on a trajectory to fight Chisora.”

Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas previously noted that Wilder, a former world heavyweight champion, was one of the biggest names from this generation that Usyk hadn’t fought. “And as well, it’s in the United States,” Klimas said of a prospective bout between Usyk, 38, and the American, 40.

Now, however, Usyk’s next move is unclear. In any case, Sulaiman has said the WBC (World Boxing Council) interim champion must be next for the southpaw after his voluntary fight.

Agit Kabayel holds the WBC interim belt, having won it with a stoppage of Zhilei Zhang last February, a result that gave way to a knockout of Damian Knyba last month.

open image in gallery

“Kabayel was not available, because he had a fight scheduled in January,” Sulaiman told boxing analyst Chris Mannix. “So, [Usyk] requested a voluntary title defence, which is very customary.

“He was given that opportunity, and he must fight the interim champion next. That’s the ruling.”

Like Usyk, Kabayel is unbeaten, and the 33-year-old German has occupied a place on the periphery of the world heavyweight title scene for some time.

A few months into his run with the interim WBC belt, Kabayel saw Usyk defend the unified titles against IBF champion Daniel Dubois, whom Usyk stopped to become a two-time undisputed king at heavyweight. Usyk, who was previously undisputed at cruiserweight, also stopped Dubois in 2023.

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To further complicate matters for Kabayel, Fabio Wardley emerged as a potential opponent for Usyk in October, when the Briton beat Joseph Parker to win the interim WBO title. But Usyk gave up the regular WBO belt one month later, and now the unbeaten Wardley looks set to defend it against Dubois in May.

Elsewhere in the division, Tyson Fury will emerge from his fifth career retirement when he boxes Arslanbek Makhmudov on 11 April. And the “Gypsy King” remains keen on a trilogy bout with Usyk.

However, there appears to be little interest in such a match-up, after Usyk outpointed Fury twice in 2024. Usyk handed the 37-year-old the first defeats of his career in their two bouts, winning their first clash by a close margin and their rematch more comfortably.