
Piastri back where his grand prix winning habit started
The 24-year-old has won six of 13 grands prix so far this season, already more than any Australian driver has ever managed in a single year, and leads his British rival by 16 points with 11 races remaining.
"I'm really excited to go back. It's always a fun weekend. It's a great city, a cool track as well," said Piastri after winning a rain-delayed race in Belgium last Sunday in McLaren's sixth one-two of the season.
It ended a resurgent run by Norris, who had closed the gap at the top by winning the previous two races.
"I'm sure it will be nice to go back to where I had my first win. But as soon as we get on track, you forget about that immediately."
Hungary, hot and twisty and with a layout more like an overgrown go-kart track that makes overtaking tricky, puts a premium on qualifying.
Norris took pole last time in Hungary but lost out to Piastri at the start, recovered the lead when the Australian suffered a slower pitstop and was then ordered by the team to hand back the place.
The Briton eventually complied but it rankled at the time and he will be looking to win on Sunday without any such controversy.
With McLaren dominant, and historically the most successful team in Hungary, the stage is set for another duel between the teammates.
Who chases them hardest remains an open question but this could be the moment Lewis Hamilton has been waiting for with Ferrari, while teammate Charles Leclerc has had five podiums already this season.
Four-times world champion Max Verstappen, winner in Hungary in 2022 and 2023, will be starting his 200th race for Red Bull.
The race is the 40th Hungarian Grand Prix and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who took his first win at the circuit with Renault in 2003, has raced in more than half of them - this being his record 22nd.
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Perth Now
37 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Gigante makes huge move in Tour shake up
French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prevot took a commanding lead at the Tour de France Femmes after launching a solo attack on the final climb of Saturday's penultimate stage. But Australian rider Sarah Gigante surged into second place, 2 minutes, 37 seconds behind, on a day of big changes in the leading positions. The 2023 champion, Demi Vollering of the Netherlands, is 3:18 adrift heading into Sunday's last stage. Overnight leader Kimberley Le Court Pienaar - Gigante's AG Insurance-Soudal teammmate - crashed on the descent from the Col du Frene with 63km remaining, briefly trailing the peloton by about a minute. She rejoined but the effort and the relentless climbing cost her dear in the general classification as she dropped to 11th place. Last year's event had the smallest winning margin in the history of the women's and men's races, but Ferrand-Prevot - who won the mountain bike gold medal at last year's Paris Olympics - looks like winning far more comfortably, despite Gigante's efforts. The Frenchwoman trailed Le Court by 26 seconds heading into stage eight from Chambery to Saint-François-Longchamp, which took the riders on a 112km trek into the mountains. It featured an early climb of 13km up Col de Plainpalais before finishing with a tortuous ascent of 18.6km to Col de Madeleine, one of the most famed climbs in cycling. Gigante went on the offensive with 12 km to go and only Ferrand-Prevot of the GC favourites was able to stay with her on the climb. The Olympic champion then attacked at the start of the final 9km and Gigante was unable to keep up with her. The Frenchwoman hit the front 7km from the summit and powered to a superb victory. Gigante crossed the line 1:45 behind her, while Niamh Fisher-Black rolled in 2:15 behind in third spot. Vollering was fourth. The 24-year-old Melburnian had joked on Friday night, at the end of the seventh stage, that some of the big names had "missed a couple of opportunities" to shake her off. "They could have got rid of me yesterday, maybe Kim today. We'll see what happens, but from our point of view, hopefully they live to regret it." Those words have proved prophetic and she has a podium finish in her sights. Sunday's ninth and final stage from Praz-sur-Arly to Chatel is another mountainous route, with three big climbs, and is even longer at 124km.

News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Leclerc ends Ferrari barren run with stunning pole ahead of McLarens
Charles Leclerc stunned himself and runaway leaders McLaren with an exceptional late lap to end Ferrari's barren qualifying run by claiming pole position for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix. Excelling on a circuit that on Thursday he had described as his worst of the year, the 27-year-old Monegasque clocked a best lap of one minute and 15.372 seconds to beat the champion team which had dominated every previous practice session. "Wow, wow!, Mama Mia!" exclaimed Leclerc after his beautifully-judged late lap on Saturday put him top in windy conditions at the Hungaroring and claim his first pole of the season for the Italian team. "Today, I don't understand anything about F1! The whole of qualifying has been so extremely difficult – and when I say that I am not exaggerating. "It was super difficult for us to get to Q2 and Q3, in Q3 the conditions changed a little bit and everything became a lot trickier and I knew I had to just do a clean lap to target third. "But at the end of the day, it's pole position and I definitely did not expect that. Honestly, I just don't have any words for this. It's one of my best poles and the most unexpected." While series leader Oscar Piastri and the Australian's McLaren team-mate and title rival Lando Norris found themselves unable to cope with changing conditions in the final minutes, Leclerc improved his lap time to snatch his unexpected pole. It was his first at the Hungaroring, his first this year and first since last year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku as well as the 27th of his career. It was Ferrari's first pole in Hungary since Sebastian Vettel in 2017. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fifth ahead of team-mate Lance Stroll, the pair enjoying their best qualifying of the season, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto seventh ahead of Red Bull's four-time champion Max Verstappen and the two Racing Bulls rookies Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar. - Hamilton frustrated - While Leclerc celebrated his and Ferrari's success, team-mate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton struggled to swallow his disappointment after qualifying 12th and being knocked out in Q2. "I'm useless," said the 40-year-old Briton. "Absolutely useless. The team has no problem. You've seen the car on pole so they probably need to change driver." Hamilton's frustration as he fights to find form after moving to Ferrari this year was clear as he ducked into the team motor home without removing his helmet. But Leclerc had proved the potential of the Ferrari car with their recent upgrades package, even in what proved to be challenging changing conditions. "I could feel it was changing a lot and I was on the lower side of the downforce so, when the rain started in Q2, I was hoping that it wouldn't stay for long," said Leclerc. "It didn't but the conditions changed which made everything very tricky and at the end we were on pole position!" Looking ahead to the race, Leclerc said: "The start and Turn One will be key, but I have no idea how it will go. One thing for sure is that I will do absolutely everything in order to keep that first place! "If we manage to do that then that should make our life easier for the rest of the race." Piastri said he had been unable to improve due to a change of wind direction in Q3. "Charles has been quick all weekend and even this morning, he was closer than we expected," he said. "Things just changed a little bit -- and I guess he did a very good job. "Well done to him, but I wasn't expecting to be second to a Ferrari this weekend! He's done a good job and it'll be a fun race tomorrow." Norris added: "Charles did a good job on the last lap. He probably risked a bit more in these conditions. The wind changed a lot and it really seemed to punish us in a bigger way. "I mean not too many complaints. It seems we both thought we did some good laps at the end -- and we were just slow, so there's nothing to complain about."


The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Swan stakes All-Australian claim in win over Bombers
Sydney have handed Essendon a ninth consecutive loss, defeating the Bombers by 14 points in a scrappy contest in slippery conditions at the superstar Errol Gulden kicked the first goal of the game in his 100th AFL match, and the hosts were never headed thereafter, cruising to a 9.14 (68) to 7.12 (54) win on Saturday. Ruckman Brodie Grundy continued his excellent form, giving Sydney's midfielders first use around stoppages while winning 13 clearances and 39 disposals, including 16 in the final 31-year-old has polled coaches' votes in his last seven games and is making a late run as a contender for the All-Australian ruck mantle. "Not only his ability to cover the ground, but his intensity around the ball has been a big highlight for a long period of time," Sydney coach Dean Cox said post-match. "He's had a very, very impressive season." With Nick Blakey (28 disposals, 678m gained) controlling play from the back half, and Gulden (30 disposals, 575m gained) and Isaac Heeney (28 disposals, 14 contested) dominant through the middle, the Swans never looked like losing. Sydney lacked an obvious focal point in attack, with Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald and Hayden McLean on the sidelines, but found goals through Braeden Campbell and Justin McInerney, who kicked two each. Jack Buller's classy drop punt goal from a set shot on the boundary was a rare highlight on a scrappy day where the two sides combined for 26 behinds and only 16 goals. Livewire Tom Papley managed just one goal and was well-held by first-gamer Jayden Nguyen, Essendon's 14th debutant for 2025. Essendon battled hard around the contest throughout, finishing with just eight fewer contested possessions, six more tackles and four more clearances than the Swans. But the gap in class was clear when it came to ball use. The Swans had 115 more uncontested disposals, and were able to change angles and string together chains of handballs, while the Bombers were impotent with the ball in 16 players unavailable due to injury, Essendon looked undermanned and often uninspired, regularly kicking the ball long down the line for little reward on the scoreboard."We fought hard but there are just a lot of things we've got to improve on," Bombers coach Brad Scott said. "I don't think our supporters would've watched that and thought there was a lack of effort from our players - maybe a lack of class and experience, but we'll keep working on that." Essendon managed just four goals to three-quarter time, but mounted a late challenge in the final term through goals from Mason Redman, Isaac Kako and Lachie Blakiston. But with the margin trimmed to 13 points, Sydney settled and took control, slowing down play and chipping the ball around to wind down the clock for the final 10 minutes. 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Sydney have handed Essendon a ninth consecutive loss, defeating the Bombers by 14 points in a scrappy contest in slippery conditions at the superstar Errol Gulden kicked the first goal of the game in his 100th AFL match, and the hosts were never headed thereafter, cruising to a 9.14 (68) to 7.12 (54) win on Saturday. Ruckman Brodie Grundy continued his excellent form, giving Sydney's midfielders first use around stoppages while winning 13 clearances and 39 disposals, including 16 in the final 31-year-old has polled coaches' votes in his last seven games and is making a late run as a contender for the All-Australian ruck mantle. "Not only his ability to cover the ground, but his intensity around the ball has been a big highlight for a long period of time," Sydney coach Dean Cox said post-match. "He's had a very, very impressive season." With Nick Blakey (28 disposals, 678m gained) controlling play from the back half, and Gulden (30 disposals, 575m gained) and Isaac Heeney (28 disposals, 14 contested) dominant through the middle, the Swans never looked like losing. Sydney lacked an obvious focal point in attack, with Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald and Hayden McLean on the sidelines, but found goals through Braeden Campbell and Justin McInerney, who kicked two each. Jack Buller's classy drop punt goal from a set shot on the boundary was a rare highlight on a scrappy day where the two sides combined for 26 behinds and only 16 goals. Livewire Tom Papley managed just one goal and was well-held by first-gamer Jayden Nguyen, Essendon's 14th debutant for 2025. Essendon battled hard around the contest throughout, finishing with just eight fewer contested possessions, six more tackles and four more clearances than the Swans. But the gap in class was clear when it came to ball use. The Swans had 115 more uncontested disposals, and were able to change angles and string together chains of handballs, while the Bombers were impotent with the ball in 16 players unavailable due to injury, Essendon looked undermanned and often uninspired, regularly kicking the ball long down the line for little reward on the scoreboard."We fought hard but there are just a lot of things we've got to improve on," Bombers coach Brad Scott said. "I don't think our supporters would've watched that and thought there was a lack of effort from our players - maybe a lack of class and experience, but we'll keep working on that." Essendon managed just four goals to three-quarter time, but mounted a late challenge in the final term through goals from Mason Redman, Isaac Kako and Lachie Blakiston. But with the margin trimmed to 13 points, Sydney settled and took control, slowing down play and chipping the ball around to wind down the clock for the final 10 minutes. Sam Durham battled manfully for the Bombers, while Rising Star contender Archie Roberts showed great composure in the back half. In an unusual sight, play was stopped for a short period in the first quarter while a grounds-keeper took to the field to fill a hole in the ground with sand. It's not the first issue the SCG has had with its surface this year, with the ground called into question after Sydney's round 16 loss to the Western Bulldogs, in which players continually slipped over. Finals is out of the equation for Sydney, but the Swans are desperate to head into 2026 with confidence and momentum. "I didn't find it tough to get motivated," Cox said. "As a footy club we have to finish the year off as well as we possibly can." Sydney have handed Essendon a ninth consecutive loss, defeating the Bombers by 14 points in a scrappy contest in slippery conditions at the superstar Errol Gulden kicked the first goal of the game in his 100th AFL match, and the hosts were never headed thereafter, cruising to a 9.14 (68) to 7.12 (54) win on Saturday. Ruckman Brodie Grundy continued his excellent form, giving Sydney's midfielders first use around stoppages while winning 13 clearances and 39 disposals, including 16 in the final 31-year-old has polled coaches' votes in his last seven games and is making a late run as a contender for the All-Australian ruck mantle. "Not only his ability to cover the ground, but his intensity around the ball has been a big highlight for a long period of time," Sydney coach Dean Cox said post-match. "He's had a very, very impressive season." With Nick Blakey (28 disposals, 678m gained) controlling play from the back half, and Gulden (30 disposals, 575m gained) and Isaac Heeney (28 disposals, 14 contested) dominant through the middle, the Swans never looked like losing. Sydney lacked an obvious focal point in attack, with Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald and Hayden McLean on the sidelines, but found goals through Braeden Campbell and Justin McInerney, who kicked two each. Jack Buller's classy drop punt goal from a set shot on the boundary was a rare highlight on a scrappy day where the two sides combined for 26 behinds and only 16 goals. Livewire Tom Papley managed just one goal and was well-held by first-gamer Jayden Nguyen, Essendon's 14th debutant for 2025. Essendon battled hard around the contest throughout, finishing with just eight fewer contested possessions, six more tackles and four more clearances than the Swans. But the gap in class was clear when it came to ball use. The Swans had 115 more uncontested disposals, and were able to change angles and string together chains of handballs, while the Bombers were impotent with the ball in 16 players unavailable due to injury, Essendon looked undermanned and often uninspired, regularly kicking the ball long down the line for little reward on the scoreboard."We fought hard but there are just a lot of things we've got to improve on," Bombers coach Brad Scott said. "I don't think our supporters would've watched that and thought there was a lack of effort from our players - maybe a lack of class and experience, but we'll keep working on that." Essendon managed just four goals to three-quarter time, but mounted a late challenge in the final term through goals from Mason Redman, Isaac Kako and Lachie Blakiston. But with the margin trimmed to 13 points, Sydney settled and took control, slowing down play and chipping the ball around to wind down the clock for the final 10 minutes. Sam Durham battled manfully for the Bombers, while Rising Star contender Archie Roberts showed great composure in the back half. In an unusual sight, play was stopped for a short period in the first quarter while a grounds-keeper took to the field to fill a hole in the ground with sand. It's not the first issue the SCG has had with its surface this year, with the ground called into question after Sydney's round 16 loss to the Western Bulldogs, in which players continually slipped over. Finals is out of the equation for Sydney, but the Swans are desperate to head into 2026 with confidence and momentum. "I didn't find it tough to get motivated," Cox said. "As a footy club we have to finish the year off as well as we possibly can."