Lewis

McLaren have traced the engine failure in last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix that dented Norris’ title hopes to a broken oil line – a McLaren issue rather than a problem with the Mercedes engine.

Leclerc’s fastest time was his third attempt to do a lap on the soft tyres after aborting his first two runs.

The second incident led to a scare because Leclerc passed a Sauber just after a red flag was thrown because of gravel on track, despite braking as hard as he could.

He was worried he would receive a penalty, but stewards immediately reviewed the incident and accepted there was nothing he could do.

Verstappen was 0.575secs off Hamilton, while the second Williams of Alex Albon was seventh.

A number of drivers ran wide during the session, and the red flag was as a result of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar running off track at the Ascari chicane and spraying the circuit with gravel.

Gravel at the second Lesmo, deposited by Norris, also needed to be cleared.

Other drivers to run wide and kick up gravel included Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who was ninth fastest behind George Russell’s Mercedes.

Russell ended the session parked on the grass beside the track before the Roggia chicane as a result of a power loss, which left him stuck in seventh gear with the rear wheels locked.

Hadjar completed the top 10.

On his Money Saving Expert (MSE) website, finance guru Martin Lewis outlined how passengers could be owed hundreds of pounds

Holidaymakers who jetted off this summer could potentially claim up to £520 in compensation. A financial expert has revealed that travellers whose flights were disrupted might be entitled to substantial pay-outs.

On his Money Saving Expert (MSE) website, finance guru Martin Lewis outlined how passengers could be owed hundreds of pounds. Compensation is available if your flight to or from a UK or EU airport was delayed by a specific amount of time. If your flight was scrapped, you might also qualify for monetary compensation alongside a replacement flight.

Writing for MSE, Martin posed the question: “Did you have a flight delayed or cancelled this summer? You may be due fixed compensation of up to £520 per person.”

READ MORE: Martin Lewis’ MSE issues new warning to anyone who had a summer jobREAD MORE: Santander, Lloyds and Nationwide customers can claim £190 before deadline in September

The flight doesn’t necessarily need to be recent – if it occurred within the past six years (or five years for Scottish departures) you could still secure a payout, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Martin explained that to be eligible, your flight must have:

• Been any flight from a UK/EU airport, or a flight to a UK/EU airport, but in the latter case, it must also have been on a UK/EU airline
• Landed three or more hours late to be considered delayed
• Been cancelled less than 14 days before it was due to fly
• Been the airline’s fault, so not bad weather, or issues with air traffic control – though airline staffing or servicing issues or knock-on delays due to previous flights usually do count

Martin noted: “The amount you are due is fixed depending on the length of the flight and delay. For some family long-haul flights, it can be £1,000s.”

MSE provided additional details, explaining: “Compensation under EU and UK rules is designed to makeup for the inconvenience of a delay – it’s not a refund of the flight ticket cost. So the amount you’ll get is fixed depending on the amount of time you were delayed and how far you were travelling.

“Crucially, it’s about when you arrive, not when you leave. You’ll start being eligible for compensation if your flight arrives three hours (or more) later than scheduled. So if you’re on a flight that takes off four hours late but lands two hours 55 minutes late, you won’t be eligible.” The arrival time is deemed to be when at least one of the aircraft doors opens.

What amount of compensation might you be able to claim?

Should your flight be cancelled, you ought to be offered either a replacement flight to your destination or a full refund. You may also be entitled to as much as £520 in compensation, according to MSE.

One MSE reader called Linda was motivated last year to attempt claiming money back for a delayed flight, and secured a total of £1,040. In an email she revealed: “I just wanted to thank you for your article on flight delay compensation.

“It triggered my memory of a delayed flight last November and I went straight on to the British Airways website and filled in the short form. It was so easy and a couple of weeks later I received an email advising that an amount of £520 per person would be paid into my account.

“We received £1,040 in total. What a result. Thanks to all the information on Martin Lewis’s site.” For further details, visit the MSE website.

Winning the Derby in 1971 was the crowning moment in one of the finest seasons ever seen in the saddle.

With Mill Reef he captured the Derby, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris – victories that remain etched in the sport’s history.

He also claimed the Oaks, the Coronation Cup, the Ascot Gold Cup and the Lockinge, making him virtually unbeatable that year.

Although his family moved to London when he was a boy, Lewis’ roots in Wales were never forgotten.

His journey into racing began at the Waldorf Hotel, where he worked as a page boy before jump jockey Tim Molony spotted his build and suggested he try racing.

Apprenticed to Ron Smyth at Epsom, he quickly rose through the ranks, riding his first winner in 1953.

By 1957 he was first jockey at Kingsclere, enjoying big-race victories for Sir Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II.

But it was Mill Reef who defined him, the little colt who carried a Welshman to racing immortality.

Lewis went on to partner 1,880 winners in Britain, twice finishing runner-up in the jockeys’ championship and winning five Classics.

After retiring as a jockey, Lewis turned his hand to training and found success once more.

Based in Epsom, his stable included champion sprinter Lake Coniston, who stormed to glory in the 1995 July Cup.

In November 2024, Lewis’ lifelong contribution to Welsh sport was celebrated when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Welsh Horse Racing Awards in Cardiff.

Too ill to attend in person, his daughter Mary and grandchildren Luci and Alex collected the award on his behalf.

The award was a fitting reminder of his place in Welsh sporting history.

WASHINGTON — Retired Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., the soft-spoken, courtly Virginian whose decisions set the nation on a middle-road course on the issue of race and affirmative action, died Tuesday at age 90.

Increasingly frail and weak in recent years, Powell had retreated to his Richmond, Va., home, where he died in his sleep, the court announced.

Powell–the crucial swing vote on the nine-member court–was often referred to as the most powerful lawyer in America. He had never served as a lower court judge.

On matters ranging from civil rights and affirmative action to the death penalty and abortion, his decision often became the court’s decision. He was a moderate-liberal on civil rights and civil liberties and a conservative on crime. As a result, so was the court during his 15 years on the bench.

President Clinton praised him as “one of our most conscientious and thoughtful justices [who] approached each case without an ideological agenda. His opinions were a model of balance and judiciousness.”

His retirement in 1987 set up a contentious battle over the nomination of Robert H. Bork, a conservative who was rejected in the Senate as too ideological.

A white Southerner who grew up in the era of rigid segregation, Powell nonetheless played the key role in preserving affirmative action as an open door of opportunity for a generation of minority students.

In the celebrated Bakke case of 1978, Powell stood alone but forged a compromise position that has remained as the law ever since.

A white 38-year old civil engineer from Los Altos, Calif., Allan Bakke had charged the medical school at UC Davis with discrimination because he had been rejected for admission despite high grades and test scores. The school reserved 16 of its 100 slots for minority students.

Joining four conservative colleagues, Powell rejected the use of such quotas or fixed formulas that reserved positions for black, Latino or Asian students. However, he wrote separately to say that race can be taken into account as “a plus factor” when evaluating individual minority applicants.

Despite two decades of debate and dispute since, Powell’s formula has remained the federal constitutional standard governing affirmative action in colleges and universities. California voters amended the state’s Constitution in 1996 to prohibit preferential treatment by race in the state’s colleges.

Uncommonly Gentle and Courteous Man

Among his Supreme Court colleagues, Powell is remembered best not for particular decisions but as an uncommonly sweet, gentle and courteous man.

“I have known no one in my lifetime who is kinder or more courteous than he,” said Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who formed an especially close bond with Powell when she joined the formerly all-male court in 1981. “He graced the lives of all who had the privilege of his company and counsel.”

“All of us admire your extraordinary capacity to forcefully participate in our private and public debates without ever allowing advocacy to degenerate into contentiousness,” the justices said in a letter to Powell upon his retirement.

His biographer, University of Virginia law professor John C. Jeffries, said Powell “came from an older and grander tradition where the lawyer was a public citizen. He had a sense [that] he owed a lot to his country and to his community and he spent years serving in a variety of thankless tasks. He was a member of the school board, served on the state education board and raised money for legal aid for the poor.”

He did not aspire to serve on the nation’s highest court, however.

The Nixon White House, eager to appoint a Southerner to the court, had twice approached Powell but he rejected those overtures. Finally, in 1971, he reluctantly accepted Nixon’s nomination. He believed he was too old at age 64 to start a judicial career and relented only after the president called personally to say it was his duty to serve.

“Ten years of Lewis Powell on the court was worth 20 years of anyone else,” Nixon said at the time.

The nomination drew wide praise and Powell won Senate confirmation on an 89-1 vote. He officially joined the court in January 1972, at the same time as Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist, later to become chief justice.

Along with two other Nixon appointees–Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Justice Harry Blackmun–the new quartet was supposed to end the liberal activism of the court under the late Chief Justice Earl Warren and usher in a law-and-order era.

But it did not work out just that way. In 1972, the court struck down the death penalty as unconstitutional, with Powell and the other Nixon appointees in dissent.

The following year, the court struck down all of the nation’s abortion laws in the case of Roe vs. Wade. Powell joined Blackmun’s opinion that spoke for a 7-2 majority.

Powell never wavered from his view that a woman had the right to end an unwanted pregnancy. However, he later joined his more conservative colleagues to rule that the government need not fund abortions for poor women. This compromise approach also has remained the law.

Crucial Votes for Death Penalty

Though no fan of the death penalty, Powell provided a crucial vote in 1976 to restore capital punishment as an option for the states. He also wrote the court opinion for a 5-4 majority in 1987 that rejected a challenge to the death penalty as racially biased.

Dismissing data showing that murderers of whites in Georgia were more likely to receive death sentences than murderers of blacks, Powell focused narrowly on the cop killer whose case came before the court. Having shot a police officer at close range during a robbery, Warren McCleskey deserved the punishment he received, Powell concluded, and the statistics did not prove otherwise.

After retiring from the court, the justice said he regretted one decision.

In June 1986, after weeks of indecision, Powell cast the crucial fifth vote to uphold Georgia’s anti-sodomy law in the case of Bowers vs. Hardwick. At the time, he said, he might have voted differently had the gay man who brought the case actually been prosecuted. But years later, Powell said in an interview that he “probably made a mistake” and should have voted to strike down such laws as flatly unconstitutional.

“The truth is he was never of one mind on Bowers. He remained in doubt,” said Jeffries, who was clerk to Powell. “On the one hand, he thought the sodomy laws were barbaric. On the other hand, he didn’t think the Supreme Court was the right place to lead a revolution on gay rights.”

Powell’s resignation at the end of the court term in June 1987 set off one of the momentous court struggles of the 20th century.

President Reagan, seeking to cement a conservative majority, nominated U.S. appeals court Judge Bork to succeed him. But after a summerlong battle between liberal and conservative interests and a week of televised confirmation hearings, the Senate rejected Bork.

Reagan’s second nomination, of Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, also failed when the former Harvard Law School professor admitted that he had regularly smoked marijuana. Finally, Reagan found a replacement for Powell in Judge Anthony M. Kennedy of Sacramento.

Senate Democrats hoped that the new justice would be “another Lewis Powell,” and his nomination was approved unanimously. And to a considerable extent, Kennedy has followed the middle-road course set by his predecessor.

Powell was born Sept. 19, 1907, in Suffolk, Va., near Norfolk, and was the son of a furniture maker. He attended Washington & Lee University, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honorary society and president of the student body. His legal education came at Washington & Lee, where he graduated first in his class in 1931, and at Harvard University, where he spent a year as a graduate law student before returning to Richmond to practice law.

He married Josephine M. Rucker in 1936 and was the father of three daughters and one son. His wife died two years ago.

In World War II, Powell served as a member of a supersecret Allied Unit in Bletchley, England, engaged in cracking German war codes.

After the war, he went into private law practice in Richmond and generally represented corporations. He served as president of the American Bar Assn. in 1965 and the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1969.

He Was ‘Exceptionally Wise,’ Stevens Says

Nixon elevated him to the Supreme Court upon the death of Justice Hugo Black.

He joined a court that had powerful liberals, such as Justices William J. Brennan and Thurgood Marshall, and staunch conservatives, such as Rehnquist, but he joined neither faction. He won unstinting praise, however, as a model Supreme Court justice.

“I prized my association and friendship with him throughout his 15 years of service on the court and after his retirement in 1987,” Rehnquist said in a statement issued by the court. “He was the very embodiment of ‘judicial temperament’: receptive to the ideas of his colleagues, fair to the parties to the case but ultimately relying on his own seasoned judgment.”

“Lewis Powell was a true gentleman, a loyal and exceptionally wise man,” added Justice John Paul Stevens. “He served the country that he loved faithfully and as well as anyone I have ever known.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

His Influence on the Court

President Richard M. Nixon nominated Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. to the Supreme Court on Oct. 21, 1971. His confirmation by the Senate was quick and overwhelming, with an 8-1 vote. Much of his 16 years on the Supreme Court was spent establishing compromise between a court evenly split along ideological lines. He retired on June 26, 1987.

His influence is seen in the following rulings:

FIRST AMENDMENT

June 1972: He wrote the majority opinion upholding the right of the owner of a shopping plaza to limit the distribution of anti-war pamphlets on his property.

June 1974: Powell ruled that a non-public figure could recover damages from the media for “negligence” instead of the previous and more exacting standard of “actual malice.”

April 1978: In First National Bank vs. Bellotti, writing for the majority, Powell maintained that the right of a corporation to donate to a political campaign is protected political speech.

****

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

July 1974: In Milliken vs. Bradley, he voted against achieving integration by busing students across school district lines.

April 1977: In Village of Arlington Heights vs. Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation, Powell wrote that zoning boards could restrict low-income housing as long as their motive was not racial.

June 1978: Powell developed a compromise position between two groups of judges in University of California Regents vs. Bakke. He asserted that colleges were entitled to pursue diversity as a goal, but they were not allowed to use quota systems based on race to achieve that goal.

****

PRESIDENTIAL POWER

June 1972: Powell wrote that the president could not use electronic surveillance domestically without a warrant.

June 1982: Powell wrote the majority opinion in Nixon vs. Fitzgerald that incumbent presidents are immune from civil damage suits for actions they take while in office.

****

ON ABORTION

January 1973: In Roe vs. Wade Powell sided with the majority opinion that the decision of a woman whether to perform an abortion during her first trimester of pregnancy was protected under the 14th Amendment.

June 1983: Powell wrote in Planned Parenthood Assn. of Kansas City, Missouri vs. Ashcroft, Ashcroft that a Missouri law requiring a minor to obtain parental or judicial consent before obtaining an abortion was constitutional.

****

ON SELF-INCRIMINATION

May 1972: Powell wrote in Kastigar vs. United States the majority opinion that any evidence obtained under a grant of immunity cannot be used in any subsequent prosecution of that person.

Researched by TRICIA FORD / Los Angeles Times

Manchester United weigh up bid for Adam Wharton, Chelsea’s bid for Alessandro Bastoni rejected and Xavi Simons keen on Stamford Bridge switch

Manchester United are weighing up whether to make a bid for Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton, 21. (Talksport), external

Inter Milan have turned down a 50m euros (£43m) bid from Chelsea for Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni, 26. (La Gazzetta dello Sport), external

RB Leipzig and Netherlands midfielder Xavi Simons, 22, has told the club he wants a transfer to Chelsea, despite interest from Bayern Munich and Manchester City. (ESPN), external

AC Milan are keen to push through a 35m euros (£30.2m) deal for Denmark and Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund, 22, but are also considering Juventus and Serbia forward Dusan Vlahovic, 25, as an alternative. (La Gazzetta dello Sport), external

Manchester City and England right-back Rico Lewis, 20, say he has no intention of leaving the club despite interest from Nottingham Forest. (Mail), external

Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana, 29, was left out of Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Arsenal with the club considering a shock move to bring Spanish stopper David de Gea, 34, back to the club from Fiorentina. (Sun), external

However, United have committed their transfer funds to other positions after inquiring about Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 32, and Paris St-Germain and Italy stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 26. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

Jadon Sancho’s salary is the sticking point in a £20m move from Manchester United to Roma. The 25-year-old England winger is keen to see if any other clubs step in and match his weekly wages of about £250,000. (Teamtalk) , external

Roma have also made contact with Manchester United about a deal for 26-year-old Netherlands left-back Tyrell Malacia, who is also interesting Besiktas. (Fabrizio Romano) , external

Atalanta are hoping to thrash out a deal with Fulham to sign their Brazilian forward Rodrigo Muniz, 24, for about 40m euros (£34.5m) on Monday. (Teamtalk), external

France forward Randal Kolo Muani, 26, has agreed a pay cut to join Juventus from Paris St-Germain, in a deal worth about 60m euros (£51.8m). (Corriere dello Sport in Italian) , external

Tottenham are considering a move for 24-year-old Real Sociedad and Japan winger Takefusa Kubo as Thomas Frank looks to bolster his attacking options. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Burnley and Sunderland are both interested in FC Copenhagen’s Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Pereira, 25. (Teamtalk), external

Arsenal are ready to swoop for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 28, with the Netherlands international’s contract set to expire next summer. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Team principal Frederic Vasseur injected some perspective into Hamilton’s situation.

“For sure when you are seven-times world champion, your team-mate is in pole position and you are out in Q2, it’s a tough situation,” Vasseur said.

On the race result, Vasseur pointed out that Ferrari had gambled on a one-stop strategy starting on the hard tyre on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult, and it “didn’t work”.

“I can understand the frustration from Lewis,” he said, “but this is normal, and he will come back.”

Vasseur, who was instrumental in persuading Hamilton to leave Mercedes to join Ferrari for this season, pointed out that the results in Hungary made his driver’s weekend look worse than it was.

Yes, Hamilton had been 0.247 seconds slower than Leclerc when he was knocked out of qualifying after the second session. But Leclerc himself had found it hard to progress, and Hamilton had been just 0.155secs adrift of his team-mate in the first session.

The past two races have seen a stall in the positive momentum Hamilton had been building after a difficult start to his Ferrari career.

Since Miami in early May, there has been little to choose between the two drivers in qualifying, and Hamilton out-qualified Leclerc in three of the four races before Belgium, a week before Hungary.

Two errors of different kinds in the qualifying sessions for the sprint and grand prix at Spa made Hamilton look uncompetitive when he was anything but.

Hamilton was a match for Leclerc on pace in Belgium, but an off followed by a spin caused by a combination of factors relating to a new braking material saw him out in the first session in sprint qualifying. And the same thing happened when he misjudged the exit of the 180mph+ swerves at Eau Rouge and went slightly outside track limits in qualifying for the grand prix.

Even with the problems in Belgium and Hungary, and the need to adapt to a new car of very different characteristics at the start of the season, Hamilton’s average qualifying deficit to Leclerc is 0.146 seconds this year.

That’s not what Hamilton would expect of himself, but it should be viewed in the context that Ferrari – and many others in F1 – regard Leclerc as the fastest driver over a single lap in the world.

Hamilton’s critics point to his struggles against George Russell in his final season at Mercedes last year.

The 40-year-old has found the ground-effect cars introduced into F1 in 2022 do not fit his late-braking style as well as the previous generation of cars. And it does remain a mystery that he has not been able to adapt as well as would have been expected, or apparently as well as other drivers.

But Vasseur rejected any idea that he might be worried about Hamilton’s situation.

“He’s demanding,” Vasseur said, “but I think it’s also why he’s seven-times world champion, that he’s demanding with the team, with the car, with the engineers, with the mechanics, with myself also. But first of all he’s very demanding with himself.”

FANS are concerned for Lewis Hamilton after his dejected message to his Ferrari colleagues.

Hamilton had a nightmare Hungarian Grand Prix today, finishing in a disappointing 12th.

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The seven-time world champion failed to pick up any points and sounded like a broken man over the team radio post-race.

Hamilton said: “Really sorry about this weekend guys, for losing you points.”

He also reportedly sat in his car for some time after parking it up.

It comes after the Brit’s woeful qualifying session yesterday that saw him exit in Q2 while team-mate Charles Leclerc secured a shock pole.

Hamilton again sounded crestfallen over the team radio, saying: “It’s me every time. I’m useless, absolutely useless.

“The team have no problem. You’ve seen the car’s on pole so we probably need to change driver.”

Told by a member of the Ferrari team that his assessment was wrong, Hamilton replied: “It clearly is. I just drove terribly. It is what it is.”

Hamilton has not finished on the podium in 14 races since making his move to the Scuderia.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

And to cap a disastrous weekend for Ferrari in Hungary, Leclerc slipped to fourth and slammed the team over the radio.

He raged: “This is so incredibly frustrating. We have lost all competitiveness.

“You just had to listen to me, I would have found a different way of managing those issues.

“Now it’s just undriveable. Undrivable. It’s a miracle if we finish on the podium.”

McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Grand Prix and celebrated by kissing his model girlfriend Margarida Corceiro.

ADRIAN LEWIS loves how the fearless Luke Littler behaves on the oche – and has no issue if his records are wiped out.

Littler, 18, heads Down Under this week to take part in World Series of Darts events in Australia and New Zealand.

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His last appearance on the oche saw him lift the Betfred World Matchplay – beating James Wade 18-13 in the final in Blackpool to complete the sport’s Triple Crown.

In the semi-finals, The Nuke hit a stunning nine-darter against Josh Rock and instead of going wild at the feat, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

Almost like Lewis, 40, used to do after perfect legs, as if to say: ‘Well, what else do you expect from someone as talented as me?’

When the tournament was over, Littler had hit 64 180s across five games, eight more maximums than the previous record of 56 set by Jackpot in 2013.

Far from feeling angry or jealous, Lewis approves of the audacity of Littler’s antics, saying: “I love it. Anything like that, I think it’s great for the game, you need characters.

“I have said it for years, I do believe that, and Luke is certainly one of them.

“First of all, him reaching the world final on his first appearance at Ally Pally was unbelievable.

“To do what he has done since, becoming world champion and still maintaining his form, he’s a credit to himself, his family and the sport.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

“The sport is in good hands. The two Lukes, and Josh Rock, they are all very professional, they do their jobs.

“That is what darts needs. It is becoming more and more professional as time goes on.

“The Matchplay was definitely up there. The standard of it throughout was brilliant.

“Luke Littler hitting a nine-darter always helped. The semis-finals and final made it a great, great tournament.”

Later this month, Lewis will mark his return to televised darts – after a near two-and-half year absence.

The two-time world champion last threw competitive darts in front of the cameras at the PDC’s UK Open in 2023 at Butlin’s Minehead.

After that tournament, he decided to walk away from the sport for family reasons and having fallen out of love with the game.

His wife Sarah has “an incurable kidney disease” and his son “has autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)”, which has meant his full-time concentration and care.

His comeback will be the MODUS Super Series in Portsmouth at 10pm on Thursday August 28 – and should it all go well, he may attend PDC Q School in January.

If he regains his professional Tour Card, he will be reunited with old sparring partner Wade, who turned back the clock to reach the Matchplay final last month against expectation

Stoke-born Lewis said: “I don’t think James dropped below a 100 average all the way through the tournament, which takes some doing itself.

“To still do that after he has been playing for 20-odd years, he’s a credit to the sport as well. I think he is very underlooked a lot of the time.

“Certainly, to me he has been the best finisher in the world over the last 20 years.

“He deserves more respect, definitely. That might put him in the Premier League next year, which he thoroughly deserves as well.

“He will just go from strength to strength and get more and more confidence.

“Obviously he reached another final and I think he can do big things again.”

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O’Brien played 16 times for Swansea after joining on loan in the mid-season window, and played a key role as they pulled clear of relegation danger to finish 11th.

He also had loan spells at Los Angeles FC, Middlesbrough and DC United after falling out of favour at Forest.

O’Brien’s signing would be another statement of intent by Wrexham, who are owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, as they prepare for life in the Championship after three successive promotions.

The north Wales club have already brought in goalkeeper Danny Ward from Leicester City, forward Ryan Hardie from Plymouth Argyle, left-back Liberato Cacace for a club-record fee from Empoli, midfielder George Thomason from Bolton Wanderers and forward Josh Windass, who was a free agent after leaving financially troubled Sheffield Wednesday.

Naomi Schiff is a familiar face to Formula 1 fans as she co-hosts all the action from the motorsport as part of the Sky Sports presenting team

Popular among F1 fans and a key figure in Sky Sports’ presenting team, Naomi Schiff will be at the forefront of this weekend’s racing excitement as they showcase the much-anticipated British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Racing enthusiasts will witness home hero Lewis Hamilton make his premier appearance at Silverstone as a Ferrari driver, while Lando Norris aims to forge ahead in his quest for the 2025 world championship title, rivalling teammate Oscar Piastri.

Naomi, a retired racing driver herself, is set to deliver all the electrifying updates from the event to eager viewers. The presenter, who hails from Belgium, has Rwandan and Belgian heritage and grew up in South Africa, has transitioned from her racing pursuits to television presenting.

Now at 31 years old, not only is Naomi thriving in her new role, but she’s also embracing the joy of impending motherhood with her French husband Alexandre Dedieu. We delve into her life beyond the screen…

Marriage and baby news

Naomi celebrated her marriage to Alexandre in 2024 with two ceremonies – a modest official exchange and big wedding, reports the Express.

After their civil union in September, Naomi expressed her joy on Instagram, sharing pictures and writing: “Officially Mr. & Mrs. ‘Oui’ was never in doubt, it’s always been you. So grateful for this beautiful moment and excited for forever. Can’t wait to celebrate our big day in the days to come!”

Naomi shared breath-taking snaps in a bridal white dress and long veil from her wedding, posting: “From unforgettable moments to cherished memories, our wedding day was everything we dreamed of and more. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us, filling our day with laughter, love, and joy.”

Not long after their nuptials, Naomi thrilled her followers with news that she’s expecting, unveiling her bump in a clip with the caption: “Been keeping the tiniest little secret.”

In May, she revealed she was “halfway” to greeting their bundle of joy.

F1 absences explained

Whilst Naomi is set to embrace maternity leave soon, spectators have noted her sporadic absences at races.

Given this year’s packed F1 schedule with 24 races, Sky Sports F1’s large presenting roster means some faces will naturally be missing from time to time. Despite the varied presenter lineup, Naomi is slated to cover 12 races for Sky.

During an Instagram Q&A session, Naomi addressed whether she picks which weekends she’s on, saying: “The @skysportsf1 on-screen team is pretty big. So, it’s about being able to split races amongst everyone both numbers-wise but also geographically”.

She pointed out that scheduling can be tricky due to personal commitments that jostle for attention within the Sky Sports F1 presenting crew’s annual calendars.

Bond with Lewis Hamilton

Naomi’s bond with F1 legend Lewis Hamilton has seen the driver step up to defend her during times of controversy.

When Naomi ventured into presenting at the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team car launch and co-hosted Sky Sports F1 show Any Driven Monday in 2022, a critic doubted her suitability for the role, according to The Sun.

The sceptic posted: “Meet Naomi Schiff, Sky Sports latest Formula 1 commentator. Can you guess what her main qualification for the job is? Hint: It isn’t Formula 1 experience.”

Naomi retorted with three yawning emojis to express her indifference to the criticism. Champion Lewis Hamilton was quick to come to Naomi’s defence on Twitter (now renamed X), disagreeing with the detractor’s view.

He commented: “Naomi is an ex-professional racing driver & totally qualified to give her opinion as part of the Sky team. She’s been a great asset since joining & we should welcome more representative broadcasting with open arms.

“Still have a long way to go to change these attitudes in sport.”

Sky Sports is hosting coverage of the British Grand Prix throughout the weekend with the race coverage starting on Sunday, July 6 at 1.30pm

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who suffered a blow to his already slim championship hopes when he was taken out of last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, was only 10th fastest, complaining about the balance of his car.

Red Bull are one of a number of teams with revised floors for this event, the others McLaren, Aston Martin, Haas, Williams and Sauber.

At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso used the new floor in the first session, to end up 11th fastest, while team-mate Lance Stroll ran the previous specification for comparison and ended up just one place behind.

In warm temperatures and in front of a large crowd, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto both had huge spins at the ultra-fast Copse corner, remarkably without going off track and damaging their cars.

It’s inevitable that Ferrari are facing this criticism. After Leclerc and Hamilton qualified 11th and 12th at their first home race of the season in Imola, Leclerc described the team as being “P-nowhere”.

Both drivers have bemoaned the lack of upgrades. The first of these since the fourth race in Bahrain finally arrived in Austria last weekend, and both drivers agreed they were a step forward, but that it would take time to judge how much. More are coming.

Nevertheless, Vasseur insists the car is better than the team have shown in recent races.

“The initial goal was to fight for the championship,” he said in Canada, “but I think it’s true for us, it’s true for McLaren, for Red Bull, for Mercedes. We are all in this mood to fight for the championship at the beginning of the season.

“If you compare with expectations, probably McLaren is one step ahead compared to everybody. And we didn’t do a good job on our side.

“Just speaking about us, we didn’t do a good job, in a couple of races.”

He points out that, after both cars were disqualified in China, they were 60 points behind Red Bull and 40 behind Mercedes two races into the season. Now, they are second in the constructors’ championship. On the flip side, they have nearly half the points of McLaren.

Vasseur describes this as “a decent recovery”.

The fact Ferrari have a stronger combined driver line-up than Red Bull and Mercedes is reflected in the fact that, despite their position in the constructors’ championship, Leclerc is fifth in the drivers’ – behind both McLaren drivers and the lead drivers from Red Bull and Mercedes.

“McLaren are still one step ahead,” Vasseur says. “It means we have to continue to try to do a better job each day and improve.

“You have to put everything together in the right place if you want to achieve a good result today, because in the tyre usage and the tyre performance, or what performance you get from the tyres, I think there is much more than between the cars.

“The car doesn’t matter. If the team is doing a very good job on the tyres, they will be in front. It will be like this until the end of the season. But it’s the same for everybody, we have to do a better job.”

As for Hamilton, he sees this as a building year for 2026, when new rules bring in revised cars and engines and Ferrari expect to be fighting at the very front.

He has generally not been especially comfortable with the type of cars introduced with the 2022 regulations, which demand a different driving style from those that came before. Next year’s cars are different in design again, and may well be different in driving character, too.

“The fact is with this car hopefully we can still fight for second in the constructors’ championship,” Hamilton says. “That would be great.

“But I want a car that can win next year. So that’s the priority. That’s what we’ve come here to get.”

Martin Lewis shared a handy tip for holidaymakers who are keen to keep costs down when it comes to dining out abroad and it all comes down to how you pay

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has shared a nifty tip for globetrotters seeking to pinch their pennies – particularly when dining or drinking out overseas, and it all comes down to your mode of payment.

On his latest instalment of The Martin Lewis Podcast on BBC Sounds, the financial guru offered key advice for those opting to use cards. In an intriguing segment titled “Should you pay in Pounds or Euros on plastic abroad?” Martin reveals his insider knack for cutting costs.

Encountering the option to pay in either the local currency or Great British Pounds at checkouts and ATMs is common, prompting a decision every traveller faces. Martin, however, asserts that there’s indeed an optimal choice here.

Martin advised: “Well the correct answer is you should always pay in Euros or whatever the local currency is, because that means it’s your plastic that’s doing the exchange rate conversion, not the overseas shop or ATM.”

For getting true bang for your buck, Martin suggests acquiring a specialised overseas debit or credit card that offers “near perfect exchange rate” – a savvy move for any thrifty traveller, reports the Express.

He elaborated: “But even if you don’t have one of those, then even your bog standard UK credit or debit card that’s adding about a three per cent fee onto the exchange rate, in all the experiments I’ve done and when most people go abroad, they do a pub crawl, I do an ATM crawl to check these rates.”

Summing up his findings, he said: “In all the experiments I’ve done, even a bog standard UK card is beating most overseas ATMs, or shops exchange rates so you want it to do the conversion which means you must always pay in the local currency.”

His advice was clear: “Pay in Euros, pay in dollars, pay in Dong if you’re in Vietnam.”

Martin Lewis and the team at Money Saving Expert have detailed a number of the best travel credit and debit cards available. Find more information, here.

If you want ideas and inspiration to plan your next UK adventure plus selected offers and competitions, sign up for our 2Chill weekly newsletter here

The money saving guru has settle the debate on what currency you should pay in when you’re overseas – and it appears that many people have been making a costly mistake

Martin Lewis has finally weighed in on the age-old holiday conundrum, revealing whether it’s wiser to pay in pounds or local currency on your credit card abroad. Sharing his expert advice with BBC audiences, he unravelled the mystery, advising on the best payment method to save money while jetting off.

Martin advised: “When you go abroad and you pay on plastic [card] and the overseas cash machine or shop asks you: ‘Do you want to pay in pounds or euros?’ What do you do? Well, the correct answer is you should always pay in euros or whatever the local currency is. That means it’s your plastic that’s doing the exchange rate conversion, not the overseas shop or ATM.”

He emphasised that this holds true globally.

Social media users chimed in with their tips and personal experiences too. One user suggested: “Just get Revolut or Monzo.”

Another declared: “I use Starling Bank it has no fees abroad and recommends paying in the local currency instead of pounds. Something I saw online about dynamic exchange rate and it can cost you more otherwise.”

A third added: “Revolut has always been the best on doing this, can exchange right in the app a swell, and when withdrawing it’ll just take it straight from that, half the time the only fee is the cash fee by the machine you use.”

READ MORE: Martin Lewis urges Brits to remember ‘ASAB’ rule when booking holidays

Meanwhile, a recent traveller shared their experience: “Just back from Spain and not a single ATM did free cash withdrawals either, thankfully that’s all I was charged with my Chase account.”

One savvy traveller remarked: “I just get euros before I go anywhere save all the hassle, and if I’m really stuck for cash go into an actual bank on holiday and withdraw money on my card.”

This tip follows the advice from a money-saving guru who emphasised the urgency to secure travel insurance ‘ASAB’.

While speaking on This Morning, the financial expert shared, “My travel insurance rule is get it ASAB (as soon as you book). People do get a little confused about this, so let’s break it down.”

He went on to instruct: “If you’re getting a single trip policy, so that is a policy to cover just one holiday, then what you do is as soon as you book, you go on one of the travel insurer’s website, you tell it your holiday dates and you buy the policy then.”

Martin Lewis explained that if your holiday is in August and you’ve booked in January, securing your insurance in January is equally important.

“That means you have the travel insurance in place to covers that holiday,” he said, adding: “You don’t need to [cover yourself] for extra dates [in case there’s a delay at the airport] because you have your return date.

“If something delays you, so you weren’t back, that would still be covered because that delay is all part of the travel insurance.”

You could be hit with some unexpected extra fees.

Martin Lewis has issued an urgent alert to Brits about the use of credit cards while on holiday. The finance expert has drawn attention to the potential hazards of withdrawing cash with this type of card.

Figuring out the most cost-effective way to spend money while on holiday can be a challenge. Some countries still largely rely on cash, whereas others are more open to card and mobile payments.

And in certain destinations, such as Morocco, it’s not possible to get local currency before leaving the UK. Regardless of where you’re headed, Martin strongly discourages using your credit card for cash withdrawals.

On his website Money Saving Expert, he expanded on his guidance. Martin said: “Withdrawing cash on a credit card abroad?”.

As reported by GlasgowLive, he highlighted that this habit could have a detrimental effect on your credit score. “It could impact your credit rating,” he further explained.

“We get this question a lot, as we warn against credit card ATM withdrawals in the UK, as it risks high interest and many lenders see it as a debt-problem indicator.”

However, infrequent use of this method is generally not an issue. He stated: “Yet if you only do it occasionally abroad on a specialist card, it’s not a biggie, just don’t overdo it and pay it off in full” He also mentioned that in some countries, using a UK card can be a “bit trickier”.

This includes:

• In Japan, you may need special ATMs to use international cards
• In China, hotels take cards, but elsewhere Alipay is easier
• In India, some shops and restaurants won’t take international cards

As well as using credit cards for cash withdrawals he also advised against using them to top up prepayment cards. He clarified: “You’ll likely pay fees and interest.

“Most credit-card providers count these as a cash transaction – so charge withdrawal fees and interest. It’s always better to use a debit card if you can.”

For those planning a holiday and seeking to exchange currency beforehand, MSE’s online travel money comparison tool here can be a handy resource.

Martin Lewis has shared his top tip for those who are planning on travelling this summer and says that you should remember the ‘ASAB’ rule to get the most out of your insurance

Martin Lewis has shared his top advice for holidaymakers, insisting on the importance of snapping up travel insurance ‘ASAB.’ The cash-savvy expert stressed that securing your travel insurance early on guarantees you’re covered for delays or cancellations, and stressed that getting onto it quickly can be really beneficial.

Appearing on This Morning, he made it clear: “My travel insurance rule is get it ASAB (as soon as you book). People do get a little confused about this, so let’s break it down.” He further explained: “If you’re getting a single trip policy, so that is a policy to cover just one holiday, then what you do is as soon as you book, you go on one of the travel insurer’s website, you tell it your holiday dates and you buy the policy then.”

According to Lewis, if your holiday is in August and you’ve booked in January, you should sort your insurance in January, too.

He added: “That means you have the travel insurance in place to covers that holiday,” clarifying: “You don’t need to [cover yourself] for extra dates [in case there’s a delay at the airport] because you have your return date.

“If something delays you, so you weren’t back, that would still be covered because that delay is all part of the travel insurance.”

Lewis did make a distinction for annual policies, which should start from January if you’re eyeing up an August getaway.

The advice was shared to TikTok, where one person commented: “I always get gold with insure and go. It cost me £70 and covers me for two weeks. Guys insurance is cheap; just go get it! It covers luggage, hotels, medical, repatriation, a bunch of other things that could cost thousands if I didn’t have it.”

Another agreed: “Makes no sense to book an annual insurance in January when your going away in say August and Dec as you’ll only be cover until Dec where as if you book it from Aug your covered until Aug the following year.”

A third user stated: “Most banks give you the travel insurance covered with your account. Are you saying now we need to still book a separate travel insurance?”

Meanwhile someone else said: “I became seriously ill whilst in Turkey through no fault of my own and no warning which required emergency surgery, had I not had insurance it would of cost £16,000 and that was in 2008.”

And finally, another user contributed: “We usually buy annual insurance to cover a few trips. We’re looking at 2026 and 2027 holidays. When would we book insurance for those? Or would we just have to do single trip?”

“He thought the leg was a little bit high, but he (Lewis) was on the grass, he touched the ball,” said Guardiola.

“For the speed they go to touch the ball. Rico had no intention, he is a person who never has an intention to hurt anyone.

“It was unnecessary, honestly, the red card, but the referee had a different opinion and he’s the boss. They checked VAR, so we accept it.”

First-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku gave City victory against the 22-time Moroccan champions in Group G.

Twenty-five years ago, on a warm summer night in Los Angeles, Broadway stars Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald closed a show at the Hollywood Bowl with back-to-back encores of “Get Happy”/ “Happy Days Are Here Again.”

Today, those happy days appear to be over for the two Tony Award winners.

In a May 26 interview with the New Yorker, LuPone ignited a firestorm when she referred to McDonald as “not a friend” and refused to comment on McDonald’s celebrated performance in “Gypsy.” (McDonald is nominated for a 2025 Tony Award in the category best actress in a leading role in a musical — its her 11th nomination.) LuPone also referred to Tony winner Kecia Lewis, who, like McDonald, is Black, as a “bitch.”

Speaking with Gayle King in a “CBS Mornings” clip, McDonald sounded surprised by LuPone’s comments. “If there’s a rift between us, I don’t know what it is,” she said. “That’s something that you’d have to ask Patti about. I haven’t seen her in about 11 years, just because I’ve been busy, just with life and stuff. I don’t know what rift she’s talking about. You’d have to ask her.” (A full interview is set to air this week, according to a “CBS Mornings” Instagram post.)

Broadway star Audra McDonald arrives on the red carpet at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles in 2024.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Following public backlash, however, LuPone did something she rarely does. The outspoken diva apologized.

But that was not without some stage direction.

In an open letter from her colleagues in the theater community dated May 30, more than 500 actors, including Tony-winning actors Wendell Pierce, James Monroe Iglehart and Maleah Joi Moon, called LuPone’s language “racialized disrespect,” “bullying” and “harassment.” They asked the American Theatre Wing and Broadway League to discourage those who disparage fellow artists, including LuPone, from attending industry events “including the Tony Awards, fundraisers, and public programs.” (The 2025 Tony Awards are scheduled for June 8 in New York, and will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.)

On Saturday, LuPone responded to the criticism in a statement on her Instagram account: “I am deeply sorry for the words I used during The New Yorker interview, particularly about Kecia Lewis, which were demeaning and disrespectful. I regret my flippant and emotional responses during this interview, which were inappropriate, and I am devastated that my behavior has offended others …” She went on to write that she hopes to speak to McDonald and Lewis in person.

LuPone is well-versed in calling people out herself, particularly audience members who text during her theater performances. Last year, she even complained about noise from the Alicia Keys musical “Hell’s Kitchen” when she was performing in “The Roommate” with Mia Farrow next door.

After LuPone asked the theater owner to fix the sound because she found it to be too loud, Lewis took offense and posted a video on Instagram, describing LuPone’s actions as “bullying,” “racially microaggressive” and “rude and rooted in privilege.” She also noted that “calling a Black show loud dismisses it.”

Last year, Lewis won a Grammy for best musical theater album and a Tony in the category best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical for “Hell’s Kitchen.”

Although flippant, LuPone’s words only serve to hurt everyone during a turbulent time for the arts in America, the open letter from the theater community said. “Our industry is under threat. The arts are being defunded, theater programs are disappearing, and artists are being pushed to the margins. We need each other now more than ever. We need community. We need leadership. And we need accountability.”

Humbled, LuPone agreed.

“I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was written in the open letter shared yesterday,” she wrote. “From middle school drama clubs to professional stages, theatre has always been about lifting each other up and welcoming those who feel they don’t belong anywhere else. I made a mistake, and I take full responsibility for it, and I am committed to making this right. Our entire theater community deserves better.”

ITV presenter and financial expert Martin Lewis illuminated three important checks that Brits should make ahead of the holiday season

Martin Lewis has urged Brits to make three crucial checks if they plan to holiday abroad this summer. The financial specialist, 53, said it all comes down to the dates on your passport and ensuring you have the right documents before heading off.

Speaking on an episode of ITV’s Martin Lewis Money Show, he said: “Now, I need to say something very important to everybody. Border control and flight checks are getting more stringent.

“There is an immigration issue going on around the world, and that means countries are getting stricter on who they let in. So, you need to be more diligent with your checks.”

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First and foremost, Martin advised travellers to check the expiry dates on passports. If you have less than six months left, this could pose a big problem.

For various countries, including Australia, China, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, your passport must be valid for at least six months from your entry date. Tourists in European and Schengen countries must also have a passport valid for at least three months after their planned return date.

However, even if your passport is valid for seven months or longer, you may still be denied entry if you do not meet another essential rule. For many nations, including European countries, a passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the holiday departure date.

Martin continued: “If your passport is over 10 years old, many countries won’t let you in. Now, how can it be over 10 years old? Because it used to be that when you renewed, if you had any spare time on your old passport, they could add that on top.

“So, you might have… 10 years, 10 months, and that can bar you too. So, you need to do both of those checks. Now, if you have done those checks, if there is a ‘yes’ to either of those, then the safest thing is to renew before you go.”

The most affordable way to obtain a passport is online through the Government’s website, costing £12.50 less than postal applications. Typically, the passport arrives in three weeks, although it may take longer if additional information or an interview is required.

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In emergencies, travellers also have the option to apply for an urgent passport using the Government’s one-day premium service or one-week fast track scheme. Both schemes are subject to different criteria and cost more than the standard service.

In light of these rules, Martin continued: “If I was seven, eight or nine months away and the rule was six months, I’d probably play safe and get a new passport first anyway, so that I’ve got more on it, because it’s been so tricky.

“And it’s very similar if you are travelling to the USA or passing through the USA, you need to sort your ESTA now. There is heightened border security in the States. If you don’t have, this is your sort of online visa if you like, without one people are being denied entry. You need to be careful.”

How can I get a passport urgently?

Option 1: One-day premium

The one-day premium option is for adults renewing an existing passport. Online applicants pay £222 or £235 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport. Following each application, an appointment will be scheduled, with the earliest booking available two days later.

The Government explains: “You’ll need to hand in your old passport at your appointment. Your new passport will be ready to collect from the passport office four hours after your appointment.”

Option 2: One-week fast track

This alternative option is also available for anyone looking to renew their passport, as well as in these specific circumstances:

• You need to get a child’s passport
• You need to replace a lost, stolen or damaged passport
• You need to change the personal details on a passport (your name, place of birth or gender)

The fast track option is more economical, priced at £178 for an adult passport (£191 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport) and £145 for a child passport (or £158 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport). You can schedule an appointment as soon as the day after you submit your application. Typically, the passport arrives about a week later.

Importantly, you are ineligible to apply for either service if you are outside the UK or applying for your first adult passport. The Government also adds: “If you’ve already applied for a passport and have not received it yet, do not pay for an urgent passport.

“You will not get your passport sooner and you will be charged a £32 admin fee for each additional application.”