Lewis Hamilton’s “frustrated and confused” Mercedes team are in survival mode, leading Formula One pundit Martin Brundle has claimed.

Hamilton finished fourth, two places ahead of team-mate George Russell, at Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wrapped up his eighth straight win.

Although Mercedes are second in the constructors’ championship heading into the sport’s summer break, Hamilton appears no closer to ending his 35-race losing streak.

The seven-time world champion was also dealt a major blow in Spa-Francorchamps after an upgrade – which included new sidepods and a revised floor – appeared to contribute to the return of porpoising.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton said his Mercedes was bouncing “everywhere” and said the sensation was reminiscent of last year’s car – a machine which carried him to the poorest championship finishing position of his career.

“Mercedes will be very frustrated,” said Brundle, 64. “Their car is on a knife edge to set up, to understand and to drive.

“They are surviving the season, as they did last year, and making the best of a bad situation because they are a great team.

“But I would imagine they are confused with this car. They promise a great result, get something special, then go to the next race with upgrades and fall off the pace.”

Mercedes have claimed just one victory in the past 19 months. Their poor form is a far cry from the dominance which saw them secure an unprecedented eight consecutive constructors’ titles.

And Russell revealed the Brackley team have been drawing creativity from their once all-conquering machines.

“We are working really hard on the characteristics for next yea, and we are looking a lot at how the previous generation of cars were for Mercedes, the glory years, and using that as inspiration,” said Russell.

“Clearly they were some of the best cars in history. So that is giving us some pointers of where we need to aim for.

“I am sure we will be strong in the second half of the season. We have some little things coming after the break and I am confident we will secure second in the team championship and close the gap to Red Bull.”

Paddington will bid to register a fourth Group One in a row when he takes on Inspiral in Wednesday’s Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington began the season in handicap company but has progressed to win the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St James’s Palace Stakes and the Coral-Eclipse.

His most recent victory came over 10 furlongs but he will drop back down to a mile this week to take on John and Thady Gosden’s three-time Group One winner.

Inspiral was beaten by Triple Time on her only outing to date this season in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, but will be looking to give Frankie Dettori another big win in his final season.

A field of six has been declared with William Haggas’ Aldaary, Richard Hannon’s Chindit, Roger Varian’s Charyn and the French challenger Facteur Cheval completing the line-up.

Royal Ascot winner Big Evs faces off against Karl Burke’s speedy Kylian in a fascinating clash in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Molecomb Stakes.

Big Evs, trained by Mick Appleby, was a surprise winner of the Windsor Castle Stakes but there did not appear to be any fluke about his three-length success, while Kylian has won his last two races by an aggregate of 10 lengths after two short priced defeats earlier in the season.

Hannon’s Baheer and Clive Cox’s Shagraan are also among a field of eight.

Sixteen fillies and mares have been declared for the Group Three Whispering Angel Oak Tree Stakes.

Leading contenders include the Karl Burke-trained Fast Response and Jumbly from Joseph O’Brien’s yard.

Northumberland Plate hero Calling The Wind will head to the Sussex Downs on Friday for the £75,000 Coral Goodwood Handicap ahead of a potential Ebor tilt.

Richard Hughes has identified Goodwood’s two-and-a-half-mile contest – which he won two years ago – as a springboard to York as he bids to follow up success in the Pitmen’s Derby.

Calling The Wind gained just reward at Newcastle following near-misses in the Cesarewitch, Queen Alexandra (twice) and the Ascot Stakes, handing the former jockey his biggest success to date as a trainer.

Hughes was not present at Gosforth Park to see Neil Callan produce a superbly-timed ride on the all-too-often luckless seven-year-old, but watched on from home with delight.

“Neil gave him a good ride. I was watching him on my phone and he got to the furlong pole and I thought, ‘he’s run great again, but he’s always placed and never wins’,” said the three-times champion jockey.

“You need to ride him to get beat – and he put it in at the death.”

Six wins and eight runner-up finishes in 35 races have contributed to earnings of £262,000 for owner Jo Wakefield, and Hughes is keen to target the £300,000 to the winner Sky Bet Ebor next month, where victory would earn automatic entry to the Melbourne Cup.

“He is going to end up in the Ebor, but we are going to go to Goodwood if the ground is good,” added Hughes.

“He has 9st 5lb in the Ebor and if he won at Goodwood, he’d get a small penalty. We can’t give up Goodwood then the ground be fast at York.

“There’s plenty of money up for grabs and the timing between Goodwood and York is great. It’s perfect.

“He is in great form and it looks like the ground will be in his favour.”

What the papers say

The race to sign Brentford’s Spanish goalkeeper David Raya has stepped up with Bayern Munich the latest strong pursuers. The Guardian reports the German club are looking to sign the 27-year-old, who is also wanted by Arsenal, after having a loan offer turned down.

England defender Harry Maguire’s future remains in doubt. According to the Daily Mirror, West Ham have ended their interest in taking the 30-year-old from Manchester United due to the price tag and wage demands.

Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon, 26, could be on his way out of the Premier League. The Daily Mail reports the Spanish full-back is a target for Real Sociedad.

Across London, Arsenal are looking to add to their summer signings. According to the Daily Express, Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus, 22, from Ajax is on their list of targets.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Kylian Mbappe: Chelsea are the latest club reportedly interested in taking the France forward, 24, from Paris St-Germain after weekend reports linking him with Liverpool.

Alex Scott: Wolves are being linked with a final offer for the midfielder, 19, after Bristol City turned down bids of £18 million and £20 million.

Michael Carrick signed for Manchester United from Tottenham on this day in 2006.

United paid an initial £14million – rising to a potential £18.6m – for the then 25-year-old England midfielder, who went on to spend the rest of his playing career with the Red Devils.

He made 464 appearances for the club, winning five Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, two League Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup before retiring in 2018.

He arrived at United a year after the departure of Roy Keane and inherited the Irishman’s old number 16 shirt.

The deal, which made Carrick the sixth most expensive player in United’s history, came to fruition after protracted negotiations with Spurs, who held out for a price close to their £20m valuation.

“Michael has completed his medical today,” United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. “He has settled down fine.

“I spoke to him today. I said to him, ‘I’m giving you the number 16 jersey’ so he was delighted at that.”

Spurs had hoped to keep Carrick but the fee ensured they made a handsome profit on a player they signed for £2.75m from West Ham two years previously.

“This is a move Michael wants to make,” Spurs boss Martin Jol said. “We have given him every reason to stay but he has asked to be allowed to leave.”

Carrick joined the United coaching staff under then manager Jose Mourinho after hanging up his boots at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. He continued under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and had a brief spell as caretaker manager after the Norwegian was sacked in November 2021.

He left the club after the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager in December of that year, and was appointed Middlesbrough head coach last year, leading the club to the Championship play-offs in May.

Carlos De Oliveira, an employee of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, is expected to make his first court appearance on charges of scheming to hide security footage from investigators.

The estate’s property manager was added to the federal indictment of Mr Trump and his former valet Walt Nauta last week.

The case alleges a plot to illegally keep top-secret records at the Florida estate and thwart government efforts to retrieve them.

Mr De Oliveira, who faces charges including conspiracy to obstruct justice and lying to investigators, is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge in Miami on Monday nearly two months after the former president pleaded not guilty in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

Prosecutors have not alleged security footage was actually deleted or kept from investigators. An attorney for Mr De Oliveira declined to comment on the allegations last week.

Mr Trump was informed by letter that he is the target of another federal investigation into his efforts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election.

He has denied any wrongdoing over the Mar-a-Lago security tapes and said they were voluntarily handed over to investigators, posting on his Truth Social platform last week that he was told the tapes were not “deleted in any way, shape or form”.

Mr Nauta has also pleaded not guilty.

US district judge Aileen Cannon had previously scheduled the trial to begin in May and it is unclear whether the addition of Mr De Oliveira to the case may alter the case’s timeline.

The latest indictment, unsealed on Thursday, alleges Mr Trump tried to have security footage deleted after investigators visited in June 2022 to collect classified documents he took with him after he left the White House.

He was already facing dozens of felony counts — including willful retention of notional defence information — stemming from allegations that he mishandled government secrets that as commander-in-chief he was entrusted to protect.

Prosecutors allege Mr De Oliveira lied in interviews with investigators, claiming he had not even seen boxes moved into Mar-a-Lago.

An enthralling Ashes will come to its conclusion at the Kia Oval on Monday with Stuart Broad and England eager to fashion a “fairy-tale finish” to square the series.

Sunday’s washout following only 39.5 overs means the latest instalment of the England versus Australia rivalry has gone to the wire with plenty on the line.

Australia are 135 without loss in pursuit of 384 to win a series in England for the first time since 2001, but the hosts are desperate to claim a victory that would earn them a share of the spoils at 2-2 despite urn returning Down Under.

Throw in Broad’s retirement in addition to this arguably being the end of an era for several members on each XI and it sets up the prospect of a fitting finale to an Ashes series that has left its mark on a generation.

View from the dressing room

England may prefer for Australia not to get their target down to single figures but Broad will be dreaming of a leading character role. Australia need 249 more runs to pull off victory and claim a 3-1 series win, but their pursuit of 384 would represent the second highest Test chase in this country. It is geared up to be another thriller.

Symbolic send-off

Broad lapped up the benefits of making his retirement plans public on Saturday night when he walked out to bat for one final time on day four.

A sold-out Kia Oval crowed greeted his emergence from the pavilion with a standing ovation before old rivals Australia gave the veteran a guard of honour.

Alongside Broad was his friend James Anderson with the duo arm in arm before the latter told his fellow his new ball partner to soak up the special moment alone.

Stand and deliver

After the testimonial vibes of Broad’s standing ovation and guard of honour, a bizarre opening passage occurred from Mitchell Starc’s opening over with singles turned down during the first five balls.

It was quickly forgotten when Starc’s final delivery was short and Broad latched onto it with a swashbuckling pull for six over square leg.

Anderson was trapped lbw by Todd Murphy in the next over, which meant Broad’s maximum was the final ball he faced in cricket. Some way to go.

Little birthday joy for Jimmy

While Broad would have hoped for a wicket on what could have been his swansong, Anderson may have also envisaged a different 41st birthday.

The elder statesman of the England team was serenaded by the Kia Oval crowd with happy birthday and his children made a poster for their dad which was picked up by the TV cameras, but he was out lbw after five balls.

Anderson then again ran in hard and produced his normal pace, but he and the rest of the bowling attack were blunted by Australia’s openers and worryingly barely an opportunity was created in 38 overs. Captain Ben Stokes knows that must change early on Monday.

Khawaja kicks Creepy off top spot

No two batters have better highlighted the culture clash between the teams than Usman Khawaja and Zak Crawley, who will end the series as numbers one and two in the run-scoring charts.

Crawley’s classy 73 on day three took his overall tally to 480 runs and left Khawaja with a 57-run target to pip him to the top spot, which he managed in stoic fashion on Sunday and the Australian opener walked off unbeaten on 69.

While Khawaja is seven runs shy of the 500-mark, the eye-catching difference between the duo is the number of balls faced. Crawley needed 541 deliveries to score his tally at a strike rate of 88.72. In contrast Khawaja has taken 1,248 balls with a strike rate of 39.50 to demonstrate the different methods adopted by the teams this summer.

Broad’s Ashes?

Broad has already confirmed he will retire but he is not the only player set to bring their Ashes career to an end on Monday.

Warner will bow out in January and is 32 runs shy of signing off here with a first hundred in England while Moeen Ali signalled earlier this summer he would go back into red-ball retirement.

The next Ashes is more than two years away and it looks a tall order for 41-year-old Anderson to feature while Mark Wood, 33, may even struggle and doubts have to be cast over Stokes given his ongoing knee concerns.

Australia’s XI includes several players over 30, with Steve Smith (34), Khawaja (36), Josh Hazlewood (32) and Mitchell Starc (33) unlikely to grace these shores again.

It all contributes to the end-of-an-era feel surrounding day five but with 20 wickets in this series and this ground the scene of his first big Ashes moment in 2009, you would not bet against Broad producing a fairy-tale finish.

Manchester United’s US tour ended with a disappointing 3-2 friendly defeat against Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas.

Having beaten Arsenal before their youngsters lost to Wrexham and first team fell to Real Madrid, the Red Devils stumbled to another defeat as their Stateside trip came to a close.

Diogo Dalot’s superb curling effort gave United a deserved lead at the stunning Allegiant Stadium, only for Donyell Malen to grab a brace during two minutes of madness just before half-time.

Antony drew United level before Harry Maguire – booed at the start by some and admonished by Andre Onana for a second-half error – saw a header come back off his own bar.

The helter-skelter theme continued throughout as both sides made sweeping alterations, Youssoufa Moukoko eventually giving Dortmund the win after cutting out an Aaron Wan-Bissaka pass.

Erik ten Hag made 11 changes from Wednesday’s loss to Madrid with Scott McTominay handed the armband ahead of recently deposed skipper Maguire.

There were some jeers for the 30-year-old when his name was read out, just as there was when he put an early diagonal ball out of play.

Omari Forson, the least experienced starter in Nevada, forced Gregor Kobel into a low save after reading a lax Dortmund pass.

United were in control for the most part and went ahead in stunning fashion midway through the first half, with Dalot’s brilliant 22-yard curler finding the top right corner.

Eyebrows were raised in the 37th minute when Forson was hooked by ten Hag. The 19-year-old had been booked for a heated exchange with Karim Adeyemi just before and the United boss spent 30 seconds explaining his decision on the touchline.

Things were looking comfortable for United, only for Dortmund to turn the match on its head just before the break.

Brandon Williams slipped as Adeyemi raced down the right with United failing to clear as the ball popped up for Malen to slam home from six yards.

Dortmund had their second just 18 seconds after play restarted.

Their high press ended with Tom Heaton playing out to Victor Lindelof, whose ball was cut out by Marcel Sabitzer and the former United loanee quickly fed Malen to score again.

Williams had heated words with a team-mate after playing the Dortmund forward onside and half-time introduction Andre Onana was the next to bellow at a colleague.

The new signing raced over to admonish Maguire after his mistake had led to a Sebastian Haller shot on goal and Adeyemi striking just wide.

United survived that moment and drew level in the 52nd minute. Mats Hummels’ poor clearance was cut out by Donny van de Beek and Antony met the ball with a low shot home.

Maguire inadvertently directed a header off his own crossbar when trying to clear a corner and Dortmund went back ahead in the 71st minute when they picked off a pass by Wan-Bissaka and broke, with Marco Reus’ ball to the far post turned in by Moukoko.

Antony somehow shot across the face of goal after Marcus Rashford was denied with Joe Hugill also seeing an attempt saved.

Justin Verlander pitched the Mets to a 5-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday for his 250th career victory in what could be his final start for New York.

Verlander permitted one run and five hits while striking out five over 5 1/3 innings to become the 49th pitcher in MLB history to reach 250 wins.

Signed through next season, the three-time Cy Young Award winner improved to 4-1 with a 1.69 ERA in six starts this month but could become expendable with the underachieving Mets sitting 6 1/2 games out of playoff spot.

New York traded fellow three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to the AL West-leading Texas Rangers in deal officially completed earlier Sunday, but Mets general manager Billy Eppler insists the team is not holding a "fire sale."

The Mets have won eight of 13 but still must pass five teams in the NL wild-card race.

New York took three of four from last-place Washington, as Francisco Lindor hit his 21st homer and reached base four times, while Pete Alonso drove in two runs to give him 75 RBIs on the season.

Seven-run first inning propels Orioles in win over Yankees

The Orioles got off to a sizzling start against the New York Yankees, plating seven runs in the first inning en route to a 9-3 win in the final meeting of the season between these AL East rivals.

Adam Frazier's three-run homer gave Baltimore a 6-0 lead before New York starter Luis Severino had even recorded an out, and Adley Rutschman had a pair of singles in the first inning - his second driving in Jordan Westburg to put the Orioles up by seven.

With the win, the Orioles remained 1 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL East.

The Yankees, who went 6-7 against the Orioles to lose the season series for the first time since 2016, are 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.

New York had its chances in the series finale, rapping out nine hits, but the team went just 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and struck out 18 times - its most in game since also whiffing 18 times in a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on April 3, 2019.

Anthony Rizzo struck out in all five of his plate appearances.

Reds rout Dodgers to take over NL Central lead

Elly De La Cruz and Joey Votto each homered in the Cincinnati Reds' 9-0 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers to take over sole possession of first place in the NL Central.

The 21-year-old De La Cruz went 4 for 5 for his first multihit game since July 8, the 39-year-old Votto had a pair of hits and drove in three runs and Graham Ashcraft kept the Dodgers off balance, allowing five hits over six innings to improve to 3-1 with a 1.75 ERA over his last six outings.

The Reds outhit the Dodgers 14-6 to take two of three in the series and move one-half game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers, who were swept by the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves over the weekend.

The Los Angeles Angels acquired first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

The Rockies are receiving minor league pitchers Jake Madden and Mason Albright, along with $2million from Los Angeles for the two former Angels first-round draft picks.

With the MLB trade deadline just days away, Los Angeles sits four games out of a playoff berth and has its sights set on reaching the postseason for the first time since 2014.

Last week, the Angels, whose streak of eight consecutive seasons without a playoff berth is tied with the Detroit Tigers for the longest active stretch in MLB, announced Shohei Ohtani would not be traded. The team also acquired right-hander Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox.

The 33-year-old Cron, who was selected 17th overall in the 2011 draft, made his MLB debut in 2014 for the Angels and spent his first four seasons with Los Angeles before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018.

Cron has been with the Rockies since the start of the 2021 season, and is batting .259 with 11 home runs, 12 doubles with 32 RBIs in 56 games this season. He's hit 186 career home runs, with 59 coming in an Angels uniform.

The 31-year-old Grichuk was selected 24th overall in the 2009 draft - one pick ahead of Mike Trout - but was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before reaching the majors.

Like Cron, Grichuk also made his MLB debut in 2014, and spent his first four seasons with the Cardinals before playing his next four with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Grichuk, in his second season for Colorado, can play all three outfield positions and has been swinging a hot bat lately, slashing .375/.417/.750 with six home runs, nine RBIs and 13 runs in his last 15 games.

Both Grichuk, who is making just over $10.3million this season, and Cron, who signed a two-year, $14.5million deal with the Rockies prior to the 2022 season, will be free agents at the end of the season.

The Texas Rangers aren't staying quiet as the MLB trade deadline approaches, acquiring left-hander Jordan Montgomery and reliever Chris Stratton from the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

The AL-West leaders made the move one day after trading for three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer from the New York Mets.

Montgomery, who can become a free agent after this season, is 6-9 with a 3.42 ERA in 21 starts, with 108 strikeouts against 35 walks in 121 innings.

The 30-year-old has been solid lately, yielding three earned runs or fewer in 10 of his last 11 outings, posting a 2.47 ERA in those games.

The 32-year-old Stratton has a 4.36 ERA in 42 relief appearances, striking out 59 while walking 17 over 53 2/3 innings.

To complete the trade, the first-place Rangers sent left-hander John King and a pair of minor leagues - infielder Tommy Saggese and right-hander T.K. Roby - to the Cardinals.

St. Louis is in last place in the NL Central and shifted into full rebuild-mode Sunday, while also trading hard-throwing reliever Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Hicks has eight saves in 11 chances and joins a Toronto team that just put closer Jordan Romano on the 15-day injured list Saturday because of a sore back.

The five-year veteran is 1-6 with a 3.67 ERA, with 59 strikeouts and 24 walks over 41 2/3 innings in 40 relief appearances.

To acquire the 26-year-old, the Blue Jays, who are tied with the Houston Astros for the AL's second wild-card spot, traded minor league right-handers Adam Kloffenstein and Sem Robberse to St. Louis.

Lewis Hamilton described Max Verstappen’s dominance of Formula One as being like “he is having a smoke and a pancake” following the Dutch driver’s eighth straight win at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Hamilton finished fourth and trailed Verstappen by 49 seconds at Spa-Francorchamps.

During the 44-lap race, Verstappen even goaded his rivals by calling on Red Bull to change his tyres for “some pit-stop training”.

And when asked if it was too easy for Verstappen at the front, Hamilton replied: “What do you want me to say? I have not spoken to him,” before adding with an accent: “He is having a smoke and a pancake. You know the film?”

The seven-time world champion was referencing the 2002 Austin Powers movie in which Dutch villain Goldmember asks the main character if he would “like a smoke and a pancake”.

Hamilton is now 35 appearances without a victory – the longest streak of his career.

Across the same period, Verstappen – the man who beat him to the title in the contentious season-ending Abu Dhabi race of 2021 – has triumphed 25 times.

Hamilton was demoted to seventh in Saturday’s sprint race after he was penalised by the stewards for tangling with Sergio Perez. He failed to make an impression on the podium places on Sunday.

Hamilton also bemoaned the unexpected return of porpoising for Mercedes which last season plagued the grid’s once all-conquering team.

“It was not bouncing a little bit, it was bouncing like last year,” said Hamilton. “It was bouncing everywhere.

“They (Mercedes) don’t know (what caused the bouncing) and to me it is a concern. I know what I want and I am praying for it. I am just waiting for the day that we get it.”

Hamilton is out of contract at the end of the season, and while both he and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, say an extension to his £40million-a-season deal will be struck, it may not be concluded in the near future.

Asked if he expected Hamilton’s contract to be signed during Formula One’s four-week summer break, Wolff replied: “I don’t want to give you a date. It is lawyers speaking to lawyers. It is no material thing anymore. We have to give it time. And I don’t want to commit to a date.”

Reflecting on Mercedes’ porpoising, the Austrian added: “The car was bouncing on every straight, and even Blanchimont was a corner that Lewis was having to lift, and that is usually an easy flat.

“You bounce on the straight, you overheat the tyres on braking, and that is a vicious circle.

“It is frustrating to check out for the holidays like this but we will understand more tomorrow.”