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• Vasseur leaves door open for Sainz return to Ferrari

  Fred Vasseur left the door ajar to a potential Ferrari return for the "mega professional" Carlos Sainz, ahead of his impending departure at the end of the season. 

  Sainz, who will join Alex Albon at Williams in 2025, is being replaced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, ending his three-year stint with the Italian team. 

  During that time, the Spaniard has won three times, the latest of which came at the Australian Grand Prix in March, and currently sits fifth in the drivers' championship. 

  Of his 82 races, Sainz has accumulated 794.5 points, needing 63 points from the final eight races of the campaign to better his highest total in the competition (246 in 2022).

  Vasseur said that he would “for sure” like to work with Sainz again in the future, as he repeated that the call to replace him with Hamilton “was not an easy one”.

  “I’m more than pleased to have Carlos [in the team] and I will keep a very good relationship with him,” said Vasseur.

  Ferrari's success at the Italian Grand Prix, a race that Charles Leclerc emerged victorious in, marked Sainz's last as a Ferrari driver at Monza. 

  The Spaniard has not been on the podium since a third-place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix, but will be aiming to continue his impressive qualifying form in Baku. 

  Sainz has improved his qualifying position in the last three Grand Prix's, and if he can do so in Azerbaijan, will equal his second-best streak for Ferrari.

  But speaking after the Italian Grand Prix, Vasseur took a moment to reflect on Sainz's contribution to the Maranello outfit.

  “I have huge respect for Carlos, for what he did for the team in the last years, but mainly the last two years with me [as team boss],” Vasseur commented.

  “I can perfectly see what he did last year, mainly when we had trouble, he was able to push the team to come back with the pole in Monza, to win in Singapore.

  "This pushed a little bit probably also Charles to react and he did [many] first rows [on the grid] in a row.

  “He was clearly part of the recovery of the team last year and this season he’s doing a very good job.

  "I know perfectly that the situation was not easy at the beginning of the season, but he’s mega professional.

  “We had a discussion last winter and we agreed together to push until the last corner of the last lap [of the season] and he’s doing very well.”

• Fraser McConnell secures second in thrilling Nitrocross final at Richmond Raceway

   

  Jamaica’s Fraser McConnell delivered a stellar performance, finishing second in the final of the second round of the Nitrocross season at Richmond Raceway on Sunday. Despite a half-spin on the opening lap that cost him the lead, McConnell fought hard throughout the six-lap race, coming within just 0.759 seconds of the eventual winner, Sweden’s Oliver Eriksson.

   Eriksson, driving for Olsbergs MSE, capitalized on McConnell’s early mishap to snatch the lead, which he held for the remainder of the race. However, McConnell, piloting his DRR Dodge vehicle for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing + Team Frazzz, kept the pressure on the Swedish driver, reducing the gap to just 0.302 seconds by lap four. Both drivers took their joker laps on the final lap, but Eriksson maintained his lead to claim victory.

   McConnell’s tenacity and consistent lap times ensured he and Eriksson distanced themselves from the rest of the field. Belgian driver Viktor Vranckx finished third, securing his first podium finish in Nitrocross and becoming the youngest podium finisher in the premier Group E class at just 19 years old.

   In a race filled with drama, reigning champion Robin Larsson managed to advance from sixth on the grid to finish fourth, while Tanner Foust completed the top five. Lia Block, who was running in fifth, finished sixth after being overtaken by Foust on the final lap.

   McConnell’s second-place finish solidifies his position in the championship standings, where he now sits 11 points behind new leader Eriksson. Larsson, Saturday’s winner in Richmond, is third, trailing McConnell by four points. Vranckx’s podium finish places him fourth in the overall standings, 16 points ahead of Andreas Bakkerud, who retired from Sunday’s race after sustaining terminal damage in a collision.

   As the Nitrocross season heats up, McConnell remains a strong contender for the title, and his resilience in Richmond demonstrates that he’s far from done in his pursuit of the championship.

   

• Ackera Nugent and Stacey-Ann Williams dominate with victories at Zagreb meet

  Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent and Stacey-Ann Williams continued their impressive seasons with dominant performances at the Boris Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb, Croatia, on Sunday. The meet, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold since 2020, featured several standout performances from Caribbean athletes, with Nugent and Williams leading the way.

  Nugent, the world leader in the 100m hurdles with her blistering 12.24 set at the Rome Diamond League, once again demonstrated her class, claiming victory in 12.55. Facing a quality field that included former world record holder Kendra Harrison and Olympic silver medalist Cyrena Samba-Mayela, Nugent ran a composed race to comfortably secure first place. Great Britain's Cindy Sember finished second in 12.67, with Harrison third in 12.76. 2022 World Championship silver medalist Britany Anderson of Jamaica finished sixth in 12.91.

  In the women’s 400m, Stacey-Ann Williams ran the race of her life, clocking a lifetime best and meet record of 50.00 seconds to win the event. Williams faced strong competition but managed to hold off Norway’s Henriette Jaeger, who ran 50.22, and the USA’s Shamier Little, who finished third in 50.58. Barbados' Sada Williams, showing signs of fatigue after a long season, finished fourth in 51.23.

  The Jamaican victories were part of a broader Caribbean presence on the podium in Zagreb. Shashalee Forbes finished second in the women’s 100m, clocking 11.23 behind Gambia’s Gina Bass Bittaye, who won in 11.13. The USA’s Jenna Prandini rounded out the top three with a time of 11.30.

  In the 800m, Jamaica’s Natoya Goule ran a strong race to finish second with a time of 1:57.43, just behind Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir, who set a meet record of 1:57.00. Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew finished third in a personal best of 1:57.47.

  Meanwhile, in the men’s 110m hurdles, Tokyo Olympic champion Hansle Parchment secured third place in 13.25. Japan’s Rachid Muratake claimed victory in 13.14, holding off American Daniel Roberts, who finished second in 13.18.