Soprano will bid to hit the right note at Newmarket later this month where she will attempt to register her first Group-race success.

George Boughey’s youngster was a fast-finishing third in Salisbury’s Dick Poole Stakes on her most recent run, but connections were left frustrated after their charge reared in the stalls and gave away plenty of ground at the start before storming home to be beaten just one and a quarter lengths in the hands of Ryan Moore.

She will now attempt to set the record straight in either the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Rockfel Stakes on September 29 or shoot for Group One gold in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes a day later on the Rowley Mile.

“It was just really unfortunate and such a shame,” explained Harry Herbert, managing director of owners Highclere Thoroughbreds.

“She seemed to anticipate the gates and they didn’t open and she sort of got a bit of a fright, went up and then the starter let them go which was infuriating.

“Ryan probably thought he was just going to come home in his own time and then suddenly realised he had an awful lot of horse under him, so it was a hell of a performance under the circumstances.

“I think everyone can see she would have won if she had broken on level terms.”

He went on: “We’re looking at either the Cheveley Park or Rockfel and I think we’ll see the entries for both first.

“At the moment, if you were talking to George, he would probably be edging more to the Cheveley Park. But we want to take our time and see who is doing what and the ground and everything.

“Fingers crossed she is taking her races so well and she’s so tough and as long as George is happy, we will go to Newmarket for one of those two races.”

Soprano burst onto the scene at Newmarket earlier in the season, but since being upped immediately in class for the Albany at Royal Ascot, she has been thwarted in four subsequent outings when running in Pattern company.

Connections feel Soprano certainly does not lack talent and are confident there is plenty to look forward to with the versatile daughter of Starspangledbanner.

“She’s a very very good filly and very special,” continued Herbert.

“She’s had the most extraordinary year where things just haven’t gone right for her. She could have had a few Group races by her name, but that’s racing and sometimes the cards don’t fall quite right for whatever reason.

“Everyone can see how talented she is and she has a size and scope to her so should be even better next year.”

As well as Soprano, Highclere also have Believing housed at Boughey’s Saffron House stables and Herbert was thrilled with her third-placed effort in the Betfair Sprint Cup.

Supplemented into the Haydock Group One at a cost of £20,000, the daughter of Mehmas defied her odds of 66-1 to earn just shy of £46,000 for making the podium.

“She’s such a tough and talented filly and she had worked so well coming into this race and ran a blinder,” said Herbert.

“She showed incredible natural speed and finished her race off really well. Had she been a bit closer to the two in front of her who were racing away from her, who knows, she might have got closer still.”

Believing holds an entry for Ascot’s Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes on October 21 which will form the centrepiece of the filly’s end-of-season programme, but a tilt at ParisLongchamp’s Prix de l’Abbaye on October 1 will now also be considered – despite the progressive speedster again needing to be supplemented.

“Ascot would be the main target and we will look at the Abbaye,” continued Herbert.

“We would have to be forking out again because she’s come forward at such a rate of knots and we didn’t put her in initially. So we would consider supplementing and see how the land lies nearer the time before making a decision about the Abbaye.

“She’s a very, very good filly, a fast filly, and like her father, has this most incredible attitude for the game.

“The way she holds her head is extraordinary and reminds me so much of Mehmas, who stuck his neck out and was really tough. She’s definitely inherited that trait and is a really exciting filly for her shareholders.

“Those horses who give their all are worth their weight in gold. She goes on any ground, has a wagon load of speed and, touch wood, she’s been so far very sound. Everyone had a great day at Haydock and hopefully there is a lot more to come.”

Raheem Mostert grabbed a pair of rushing touchdowns as the Miami Dolphins held off AFC East rivals the New England Patriots 24-17 for a second win on the road to start the season.

The Patriots, who drop to 0-2 for the first time since coach Bill Belichick’s second season in charge in 2001, mustered just three points in the first three quarters as Tua Tagovailoa connected with Tyreek Hill for a 17-3 Dolphins lead.

A touchdown pass from Mac Jones to Hunter Henry and a Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown run, either side of Mostert’s second score from 43 yards, cut the gap to seven points.

But after Miami had missed a late field goal, a final home drive was cut short in the final minute when Cole Strange was ruled short of a first down on review when Mike Gesicki flipped the ball back inside after catching a fourth down pass.

Elsewhere, Daniel Jones threw for two touchdowns and 321 yards as the New York Giants fought back to stun the Arizona Cardinals 31-28.

Having lost their opening game 40-0 to the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants shipped another 20 points without reply in the first half and trailed 28-7 in the third quarter.

Saquon Barkley caught one touchdown pass and ran for another as the Giants completed their biggest comeback since 1949 with Graham Gano’s last-minute field goal.

The Cowboys continued their hot start to the season as they inflicted more misery on New York sides.

Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns as the Cowboys followed their record-breaking opening win with a 30-10 success over the Jets.

Zach Wilson, starting at quarterback for the Jets after star signing Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tendon injury, was intercepted and sacked three times each.

The Washington Commanders are 2-0 for the first time in 12 years as they came from behind and survived a dramatic finish to beat the Denver Broncos 35-33.

Denver opened a 21-3 lead in the second quarter, but Sam Howell threw for two touchdowns as the Commanders rallied to lead 35-27 after a Broncos safety was thrown out for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Logan Thomas in the end zone.

Russell Wilson’s 50-yard Hail Mary pass as time ran out bounced off several players before Brandon Johnson claimed the touchdown, but the Broncos could not connect from much nearer on the game-tying two-point conversion attempt.

Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs bounced back from their opening-week loss to the Detroit Lions, sacking Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence four times in a 17-9 win.

The Lions were brought back down to earth from that opening success as Geno Smith’s second touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett sent them crashing to a 37-31 defeat in overtime to the Seattle Seahawks.

Cincinnati Bengals, the AFC North champions, slipped to 0-2 as they went down 27-24 to division rivals the Baltimore Ravens.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdown passes as opposite number Joe Burrow, who also threw for two touchdowns, appeared to aggravate a calf injury.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua set a rookie record with 15 catches in a game, but it was not enough to stop the San Francisco 49ers chalking up a second win of the season 30-23.

The Chicago Bears slipped to a franchise-record 12th-straight defeat in a 27-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Tennessee Titans ended an eight-game losing run as veteran Nick Folk kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime to clinch a 27-24 win over the winless San Diego Chargers.

The Buffalo Bills eased to a 38-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders – keeping last year’s leading rusher Josh Jacobs to minus two yards – while Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud was sacked six times and hit nine more as they lost 31-20 to the Indianapolis Colts.

And a 25-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo edged the Atlanta Falcons to a 25-24 win over the Green Bay Packers, rookie Bijan Robinson rushing for 124 yards and catching four passes for the Falcons.

The Baltimore Orioles pushed home a run in the 11th inning to earn a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday and split a crucial September four-game series, though both American League East contenders secured playoff spots prior to the outcome.

A 9-2 loss by the Texas Rangers to the Cleveland Guardians earlier in the day clinched postseason berths for both Tampa Bay and Baltimore, which maintained the two-game advantage it held on the Rays for first place in the division entering the series.

The Orioles, who tied for the major league lead with 110 losses just two years ago, are in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Rays will be making their fifth straight appearance. 

Tampa Bay was one out away from creating a virtual tie in the AL East, but Austin Hays singled off Rays closer Pete Fairbanks with the Orioles down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth and Adam Frazier followed with an RBI double to force extra innings. 

After both teams scored once in the 10th, Baltimore's DL Hall kept the Rays scoreless in the top of the 11th and Cedric Mullins drove in Adley Rutschman with the deciding run with a sacrifice fly in the Orioles' half of the frame.

Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead in the top of the eighth on back-to-back solo homers from Tristan Gray and Christian Bethancourt, but Rutschman homered off Fairbanks in the bottom of the inning to cut the Orioles' deficit to one. Baltimore's All-Star catcher finished the day 3 for 5 with two RBIs.

Gray's homer was the first of his major league career, while Brandon Lowe also had a solo shot for the Rays.

Chisholm hits another slam as Marlins finish sweep of Braves

Jazz Chisholm hit a grand slam for a second consecutive game, one of four Miami homers as the Marlins cruised to a 16-2 rout of the Atlanta Braves to complete a three-game sweep of the current National League leaders.

Jake Burger added a three-run homer and Jorge Soler and Nick Fortes also went deep in the surging Marlins' 12th win in 17 games. That hot stretch has moved Miami into a tie with the slumping Chicago Cubs for the NL's final wild card spot. 

Miami's 17-hit outburst was more than enough support for starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo, who struck out eight over six scoreless innings while yielding just four hits and two walks.

After connecting for his second career grand slam in the Marlins' 11-5 win on Saturday, Chisholm repeated the feat with a drive off Atlanta starter Charlie Morton in the third inning that staked Miami to a 5-0 lead. The center fielder is the first player in franchise history with a grand slam in back-to-back games.

Fortes finished with a career-high four hits and four runs scored, while Luis Arraez went 3 for 5 with two RBIs for the Marlins.

Marcell Ozuna had two hits, including his 35th home run of the season, for Atlanta. Morton was tagged for six runs and walked five in 4 2/3 innings.

Diamondbacks leapfrog Cubs in NL wild card race after completing sweep

The Arizona Diamondbacks have now moved ahead of the sputtering Chicago Cubs in the NL wild card standings after completing a sweep of a three-game series between the teams with Sunday's 6-2 victory.

Arizona struck for three first-inning runs against Cubs rookie Jordan Wicks, while four relievers combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings to help the Diamondbacks move a half-game ahead of Chicago and Miami for the NL's second of three wild-card spots.

Ketel Marte tacked on a two-run homer in the sixth inning for Arizona and finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored. 

Luis Frias was credited with the win after throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings after taking over for Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson, who allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Wicks struck out five in 4 1/3 innings but issued four walks while permitting Arizona's three early runs.

Ian Happ went 3 for 4 with a run scored for Chicago, which has now lost five straight and eight of 10. That stretch includes losing three of four meetings to the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field earlier this month. 

Courtney Lawes insisted England are beginning to show their teeth in attack after they posted a bonus-point victory over Japan in their World Cup clash at the Stade de Nice.

England defied greasy conditions caused by the high humidity to emerge 34-12 winners, a messy and occasionally bewildering victory placing them in full control of Pool D.

A barrage of kicking in the first-half gave way to three tries being added when the match opened up, including Lawes’ comical try which he touched down after the ball had struck Joe Marler’s head.

“It was quite a lucky try but I’ll take them how they come. It was a good bit of luck for us and in these conditions, you take what you’re given,” Lawes said.

“I saw it ricochet off Joe’s head so I went to score the try just in case, but I was pretty sure that it had gone backwards and then come off his head. I had a good idea that it was going to be given.

“The conditions were tough. Even when you’ve got a good grasp of the ball you’d go into contact and you could feel it almost spinning out of your hands, sometimes even before you’ve made contact.

“It’s actually really challenging at the moment because it’s just so greasy. It’s hot and humid and you’re already really sweaty. It pretty much makes it like a wet weather game out there.

“We showed glimpses of how good our attack can be and we’ll continue to work on it.

“We’re getting better every day and that’s the main thing – that we’re taking steps forward.

“Come later on in the competition we’ll hope that we’re firing on all cylinders.”

England were booed by their own fans during the early stages of the second-half in response to the sheer volume of their kicking, which was eventually replaced by all out assault on the Japan line.

“The players did tremendously well,” said head coach Steve Borthwick, who revealed that Ben Earl suffered a dead leg.

“That was a really tough Test against a really well coached Japanese side who clearly came with a tactical plan and who play the game differently to anyone else in the world.”

Japan head coach Jamie Joseph admitted the Brave Blossoms paid the price for failing to show more ruthlessness in attack.

“We put them under a lot of pressure and we created opportunities but we didn’t take them because we made too many mistakes. That’s Test rugby,” Joseph said.

“England are an experienced Test side and over time they wore us down. That’s the nature of the game at the highest level.

“It’s disappointing for us because we put a lot of emotion into this week, but we’ll take the learnings from it.

“I was happy with the intensity but we just made too many mistakes when we were under the pump. The players are hurting but that’s footy.”

Dan Evans was Great Britain’s hero with singles and doubles victories in a dramatic winner-takes-all Davis Cup tussle against France in Manchester.

Evans recovered from a set and a break down to defeat teenage debutant Arthur Fils and then, after Cameron Norrie had lost a close battle against Ugo Humbert, teamed up with Neal Skupski for a hugely tense 1-6 7-6 (4) 7-6 (6) victory over Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

The British pair saved four match points in the deciding set before clinching their second match point in the tie-break, sparking scenes of huge jubilation.

The 2-1 win earned Britain top spot in their group and booked their place in November’s final eight week in Malaga, where a quarter-final against either Italy or Novak Djokovic’s Serbia awaits.

A sell-out crowd of 13,000 at the AO Arena, a single-day record for the competition in Britain, also played its part as Leon Smith’s side completed an unbeaten week after earlier successes against Australia and Switzerland.

“About 6-1 in the first set I thought he’d picked the wrong team,” said Evans.

“Thanks to every single one of you. It turned into pandemonium.

“Some embarrassing stuff probably out there but we’re going to Malaga so it doesn’t matter.”

“It was bonkers,” said Smith. “I don’t know what I’ve just sat through for nine hours.”

There was nothing to choose between the teams from the start, with Evans digging very deep to claim a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory over 19-year-old Fils.

Fils is the highest-ranked teenager in the world at 44 and the most exciting of a crop of young French players.

It was immediately clear this was not a comfortable match-up for the 5ft 9in Evans, who struggles to impose his finesse-based game against power hitters, and he was in deep trouble when he was broken for a second successive game at the start of the second set.

Fils played a poor game serving at 3-2 to allow Evans back into the contest and from there a combination of the crowd, smart play by the British number two and his opponent’s inexperience turned things around.

Evans had to come through a tense final game, leaping and punching the air before expressing annoyance at his opponent for a very perfunctory handshake.

Evans’ victory gave Norrie the chance to clinch the tie, with Smith keeping faith with his number one despite his disappointing last few months and a loss to Stan Wawrinka on Friday.

Norrie saved a set point to force a tie-break in the first set against his fellow left-hander Humbert but blazed a backhand wide after fighting back from 2-6 to 5-6.

Norrie, ranked 19 places higher at 17 in the world, turned things around with some gritty play in the second set and for much of the decider looked the better player but he double-faulted to hand a 7-6 (5) 3-6 7-5 victory to his delighted opponent.

Evans had talked about the influence watching Davis Cup matches in Birmingham as a boy had had on him, saying: “For me, that was the be all and end all, was to play Davis Cup for your country, and it still is.”

This was now his chance to earn the crucial point as he returned to the court alongside Skupski.

Roger-Vasselin and Mahut have a combined age of 80 but also a wealth of experience at the very top of the doubles game and they seized control from the start.

Evans and Skupski got into the contest in the second set and urged the crowd to up the noise levels but they were unable to apply any real pressure to their opponents’ serve.

They played a superb tie-break, though, finding their rhythm on return and ensuring the tie would go all the way to the final set.

The British pair were now hugely fired up and there was more tension between Evans and Fils, sat courtside, in the early stages of the decider as the hosts pushed for a break.

It appeared all over when a double fault saw Evans trail 0-40 in the 10th game but he stood firm to save all three match points, and Skupski sent down an ace to save a fourth two games later.

They trailed 4-2 in the deciding tie-break as well but their fightback was not finished.

England continued their advance towards the World Cup quarter-finals by toppling Japan 34-12 but a messy performance that came alive in the the second half will have done little to worry the tournament’s heavyweights.

Lewis Ludlam, Courtney Lawes, Freddie Steward and Joe Marchant touched down and it was only when their full-back had collected a George Ford chip and stormed over in the 67th minute that they looked comfortable.

Lawes’ try came after the ball had taken a comical bounce off Joe Marler’s head and while England celebrated their first World Cup tries since their 2019 semi-final victory over New Zealand, a madcap evening in Nice posed fresh questions.

Early in the second half they were booed by their own fans as they continued to kick the ball away at every opportunity, only to then throw the kitchen sink at enterprising opponents ranked 14th in the world.

The ambition paid off and with Ben Earl and Steward propelling them forward as well as impetus coming from Marcus Smith’s arrival off the bench, they stormed out of sight.

After routing Argentina 27-14 with 14 men in their Pool D opener, they at least avoided a potential banana skin and with fixtures against Chile and Samoa to come, they are destined to reach the last eight.

The ball squirted around unpredictably because of the humidity and while Japan produced the more glaring mistakes in the first half – including one costly line-out blunder – they also adapted better in attack.

It took England half an hour to fire their first shots, launching Manu Tuilagi in midfield and Earl into the wall of red and white shirts, but until then they had displayed little endeavour.

Half-backs Ford, who booted 14 points, and Alex Mitchell seemed content to continuously kick the ball away, perhaps convinced that the greasy conditions meant it was wiser to wait for Japan to make a mistake.

That is exactly what happened in the 25th minute when Ford steered a clever chip into the left corner and the underdogs botched the line-out, enabling Ludlam to pounce from short range.

All the ambition was being shown by Japan as they strung phases together, mixing up a handful of kicks with slick passing and cute running lines, although at times they were guilty of playing too much.

Full-back Semisi Masirewa had been lost to an innocuous injury in the eighth minute but with Rikiya Matsuda kicking three penalties, they trailed just 13-9 at the interval.

The second half started at a ferocious pace, but the ball continued to slip out of the hands of players from both sides.

England’s first instinct remained to kick, with Mitchell drawing boos when he booted the ball dead, but they were at least pinning Japan back in their own half and showing signs of building momentum.

Tension mounted as the Brave Blossoms escaped their own territory and claimed three more points from Matsuda, but when Earl went tearing down the right wing and the ball was recycled for Lawes to collect and score, their chances seemed to be fading.

Play swung from end to end and suddenly England were scrambling furiously, but Japan missed their chance and were made to pay when Steward caught Ford’s kick and strolled over. Marchant delivered the final blow in the closing moments.

Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit kept his promise to friends and fellow Manchester United fans with a Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration against Portugal.

Rees-Zammit’s second try at the Rugby World Cup was followed by him impersonating Portugal international and former United player Ronaldo’s so-called ‘Siuuu’ move where he jumps and turns in the air, his back to the crowd when landing.

“Ronaldo is my favourite player,” Rees-Zammit said.

“I wear his boxers and I dress like him. And I thought ‘why not do his celebration as well’?

“A few of my mates back home wanted me to do it. They are massive football fans, and obviously we don’t play Portugal very often.

“So I said if I scored I would do it for them. But I don’t want to talk about the Man United result (a 3-1 home defeat to Brighton).”

Wales’ attention now turns to a pivotal Pool C clash against Australia in Lyon next weekend.

They headed back to their Versailles training base from the French Riviera on Sunday following successive bonus-point victories over Fiji and Portugal.

Those results have put them in sight of a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final appearance, with the Wallabies game being followed by Georgia in Nantes 13 days later.

Rees-Zammit added: “That is 10 points, and we are absolutely buzzing about that.

“It wasn’t our greatest game again, but we know we have got a lot to learn. Going up against Australia we’ve got to step up a gear again.

“When you don’t get perfect wins there is always a lot to improve on. That’s great.

“We need that progress, and we have eight days until the next game, so we will have a good training week and hopefully be ready for Australia.”

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered a concussion in the Indianapolis Colts' 31-20 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Before exiting, Richardson displayed why the Colts selected him with the fourth pick of this year's draft, as the dual-threat QB showed off his playmaking ability with touchdown runs of 18 and 15 yards in the first six minutes of the game to help Indianapolis grab a 14-0 lead.

It is believed he was concussed at the end of his second TD run when he took a hard hit to the head from Texans safety M.J. Stewart causing it to snap back.

His helmet then hit the ground hard as he fell backward.

He stayed in the game for another two series before going to the blue medical tent on the sideline to be evaluated early in the second quarter. After undergoing further testing in the locker room, the team announced he would not return because of a concussion.

He finished the game 6 of 10 for 56 passing yards and had another 35 yards on the ground on three rushes.

Gardner Minshew came on to replace him, and completed 19-of-23 attempts for 171 yards and a touchdown.

This marked the second straight game Richardson came out due to an injury after he suffered a knee bruise on a hard hit near the goal line in the final minutes of last Sunday's 31-21 season-opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was taken out as a precaution, though coach Shane Steichen said he could have returned.

He completed 24-of-37 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and interception in his first career start.

Max Verstappen believes he will be back on top at the Japanese Grand Prix following Red Bull’s off-colour showing in Singapore.

Red Bull have ruled the Formula One roost all year – with 14 victories from 14 prior to Sunday’s round in the city state, while Verstappen had been unbeaten in his last 10 appearances, setting a new record of consecutive wins along the way.

But the Dutch driver and Red Bull finally met their match at the unique, low-speed, high-downforce Marina Bay Circuit.

Verstappen qualified 11th before driving back to fifth, taking the chequered flag 21 seconds behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz – the Spaniard becoming the first non-Red Bull winner of the year.

However, Verstappen, victorious at 12 of the 15 rounds so far, expects the fast-flowing Suzkua track will see him return to winning ways.

“Yes, that is the target,” he said. “This track is so different to Suzuka and it doesn’t relate.

“We have learned a bit from today, and have a few ideas with what we got wrong yesterday. I cannot go into details but I feel good about Suzuka.”

Verstappen finished three places ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez to extend his championship lead from 145 points to 151.

Verstappen can no longer secure his third world title at next weekend’s race in Japan, with the Qatar Grand Prix on October 8 a possible destination for his coronation.

Red Bull’s failure to win ends their bid to become the first team in history to go through a season unbeaten.

“We never expected it,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. “To have got through 14 races, in multiple conditions, is beyond our wildest imaginings. It is a hell of a run.

“We knew it had to come to an end at some point. Max has won 10 in a row and that is insanity.

“The only driver who has done nine is Sebastian (Vettel) in one of our cars so to have the first and second most winningest drivers in F1 is great – even if statistics apparently don’t matter. This kind of dominance is testimony to everyone involved.”

A “heartbroken” George Russell struggled to hold back the tears after he believed victory slipped through his hands in Singapore on a frenetic night when Red Bull’s winning streak finally came to an end.

Max Verstappen arrived in the city-state on a record run of 10 straight victories, with his Red Bull team unbeaten this season. But Formula One’s all-conquering team were nowhere here – dashing their hopes of becoming the grid’s first ‘Invincibles’. Verstappen finished fifth.

Instead it was Carlos Sainz, who was crowned the first non-Red Bull winner of the year.

The Ferrari driver took the chequered flag just eight tenths clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris, following another fine drive by the British star, with Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes. Russell’s bid for victory ended in the wall on the last lap with only nine corners left.

“In the moment you want to curl up in a ball and be with nobody,” said Russell as he cleared his throat and his eyes red.

“It is the most horrendous feeling in the world when you are so physically and mentally drained and you miss out on an opportunity for victory. I made a mistake. It is truly heartbreaking.”

At a circuit where overtaking is almost impossible, Mercedes rolled the strategy dice by putting both Russell and Hamilton on fresh tyres on lap 45 of 62.

Russell left the pits 17.5 seconds behind Sainz. On lap 53, he swatted Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc aside and victory – which would have been only the second of his career – looked possible.

Sainz, on old tyres, was eight seconds up the road. Norris was nibbling at the Ferrari gearbox, as Russell and Hamilton, in the other black-liveried Mercedes in tow, set about hunting them down.

Russell was soon on the back of Norris’ papaya McLaren. With Norris out of the way, Sainz would surely be easy prey.

With three laps to run, Russell was handed his golden opportunity. The Mercedes man got better traction out of Turn 14 and nearly drew alongside Norris before slipping back into his tow and attempting to plant his machine around the outside of his countryman under braking for Turn 16.

But amid of a flurry of orange sparks, Norris could not be dislodged. And Russell’s chance was gone.

Then, on the last lap of a race which ran for one hour and 46 minutes in the intense heat and humidity and is regarded to be the most challenging of the year, Russell was out. He brushed the barrier on the entry to Turn 10 and crashed into the barrier.

“No, no, f***, f***,” the breathless Briton yelled over the radio. “What the f***.”

“I had half-a-chance with Lando,” said Russell. “Half-a-car’s length difference and I think we would have won the race.

“I would have got ahead of Lando and Carlos would have been stuck without DRS and I would have flown by him. Instead, I ended the race in the wall.

“I don’t know how it happened, maybe a lack of concentration, frustration knowing that was the last lap and the opportunity had gone and a one centimetre mistake has clouded the whole weekend.

“It was such a nothing of a mistake. If I span off, or locked up and ended up in the wall I would be feeling very different. But to clip the wall on the last lap is such a pathetic mistake which is why it feels so strange right now. I put everything on the line, I was knackered at the end.

“I will have a tough night and a tough morning, but I will put it behind me and go again. I can only apologise to the team because they deserved more, but s*** happens.”

Hamilton tapped Russell on the midriff to offer his sympathy as the seven-time world champion conducted his interviews.

Russell wore dark sunglasses as he walked off into the glaring light of the paddock – perhaps to hide the pain.

Hamilton, who claimed his 196th podium, said: “For George, it was really unfortunate to finish that way, but he continues to grow and improve.

“I know he will get stronger and faster, and if can help him, I will naturally be part of that over the next couple of years. It can happen to any of us and it it just one of those things.”

Great Britain must win a deciding doubles rubber against France to keep alive their Davis Cup hopes for this season after Cameron Norrie was beaten by Ugo Humbert in Manchester.

Dan Evans fought back from a set and a break down to see off teenage debutant Arthur Fils 3-6 6-3 6-4 to give Britain the lead in front of a 13,000 sell-out crowd at the AO Arena, a single day record for the competition in this country.

An out-of-form Norrie also battled from behind to force a deciding set against Ugo Humbert but was unable to take it, the Frenchman winning 7-6 (5) 3-6 7-5.

It will therefore come down to the final match of the week to decide who joins Australia in qualifying for the final eight event in Malaga in November.

Team selection has been one of the most intriguing aspects of this week and here it was France springing a surprise by turning to 19-year-old Fils ahead of the experienced Adrian Mannarino, against whom Evans has a great record.

Smith opted for his two highest-ranked singles players, overlooking Jack Draper, who made his own impressive debut in beating Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday, and Andy Murray.

Fils is the highest-ranked teenager in the world at 44 and the most exciting of a crop of young French players.

It was immediately clear this was not a comfortable match-up for the 5ft 9in Evans, who struggles to impose his finesse-based game against power hitters, and he was in deep trouble when he was broken for a second successive game at the start of the second set.

Fils had been landing everything but he played a poor game serving at 3-2 to allow Evans back into the contest and from there a combination of the crowd, smart play by the British number two and his opponent’s inexperience turned things around.

Fils managed to stay in touch in the deciding set and Evans had to come through a tense final game, leaping and punching the air before expressing annoyance at his opponent for a very perfunctory handshake.

“He’s a super nice guy,” the 33-year-old said later. “I understand it now.

“Obviously I’m a bit fired up when I was at the net as well. It’s fine, he’s a little younger than me.

“I’ve been in that situation, you just want to get off the court.

“He played very good at the start. A very unorthodox forehand.

“It took me a little while to get into it. It’s been a pretty long week. Maybe I was a tiny bit flat at the start but I got the crowd involved.

“It’s an amazing crowd today. You really helped me get through when I was a set and a break down and not feeling exactly how I wanted to be playing.

“To be playing in front of such a big crowd for the country again, it’s everything to me.”

Evans’ victory gave Norrie the chance to clinch the tie, with Smith keeping faith with his number one despite his disappointing last few months and a loss to Stan Wawrinka on Friday.

Norrie saved a set point to force a tie-break in the first set against his fellow left-hander Humbert but blazed a backhand wide after fighting back from 2-6 to 5-6.

Norrie was not playing badly, though, and he secured the first break of the match to take a 2-0 lead in the second set.

Against Stan Wawrinka on Friday he had wilted from a similar position but here Norrie passed a real test by saving two break points at 4-2 and then another at 5-3 after three set points had come and gone.

It was the sort of gritty tennis that carried Norrie to the top 10 not so long ago, and he clinched his fourth chance to send the match to a deciding set.

Norrie seemed in the ascendancy for much of it but could not force a break and it was he who cracked serving to stay in the match, a double fault handing Humbert  a victory the Frenchman described as one of the best of his life.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox staged a brilliant comeback to win the BMW PGA Championship as rising star Ludvig Aberg was brought down to earth at Wentworth.

Fox began the final round three shots behind leader Aberg and looked out of contention after running up a triple-bogey seven on the third, but covered his last 13 holes in eight under par for a closing 67.

An 18-under-par total gave Fox a one-shot victory over playing partner Aaron Rai and England’s Tyrrell Hatton, Rai agonisingly missing a long eagle putt on the 18th which could have given him the title or at least forced a play-off.

Jon Rahm, who had been runner-up on each of his two previous appearances at Wentworth, carded an erratic 68 to claim fourth on 16 under as seven members of Europe’s Ryder Cup side packed the top 10, with Rory McIlroy surging through the field with a 65.

Aberg, who had been seeking back-to-back victories in just his 10th event as a professional, held a two-shot lead after 54 holes but slumped to a closing 76 which included two double bogeys in the space of three holes.

“I don’t really know what to think at the moment to be honest,” Fox said.

“It’s not a tournament that has treated me very well in the past, although I’ve loved coming here. I don’t know what changed today but it’s pretty special to make a birdie on the last to win.

“To have a back nine like that, especially after how I started the day, it’s amazing. I played great and pretty much didn’t miss a shot from the third hole onwards.”

Fox, who is the first New Zealander to win the title, added: “It’s such an iconic tournament. I know Michael Campbell won the World Match Play here and to add to that history with my family here to support me just made the week.

“We have been through a pretty tough year as a family. Lost my father-in-law in June after a really, really short battle with cancer and that kind of rocked the family.

“To have them here and have number two with us, little Margot who is four months old, is very, very special.”

Hatton had started the day five off the lead but birdied the second and third, almost made a hole-in-one on the fifth when his tee shot clattered into the pin and then holed out from a bunker on the sixth.

After dropping a shot on the eighth, further birdies on the 10th and 11th gave Hatton a four-shot lead before Fox began his charge with four birdies in five holes from the 10th to get within one.

Hatton then drove out of bounds on the 15th and was facing a seven-foot putt for bogey before play was suspended due to the threat of lightning, a putt he duly made after an 82-minute delay.

Fox was fortunate that a wayward drive on the same hole did not run deep into the trees but took full advantage, hitting a superb second shot from the pine straw to 10 feet and converting the birdie putt to lead outright.

Hatton birdied the last to set up the prospect of a play-off but, after Rai’s eagle attempt agonisingly caught the edge of the hole and stayed out, Fox calmly holed from six feet to seal a fourth DP World Tour title.

Hatton, who won the title in 2020 when fans were absent due to Covid restrictions, said: “It’s definitely mixed emotions.

“This tournament means a lot to me. Would have been nice to win with fans, especially my dad being here, that would have been cool.

“Not sure I’ll even be disappointed with the tee shot on 15, it had started raining pretty heavy. It is what it is. Tried my best and it was a great week.”

Aberg, whose victory in the final qualifying event earned him a Ryder Cup wild card, admitted failing to close out victory would “sting for a long time”.

“This was the first time I was leading a tournament and I felt like I handled it quite well, to be honest,” the 23-year-old Swede said.

“It was quite difficult out there and I made a few stupid mistakes where I missed on the wrong side and was a little bit too cute with the chips.

“It cost me today and I’m trying to learn from it and I’m looking forward to the next time I’m in that same position.”

McIlroy was pleased to shoot 12 under par over the weekend after only making the cut with a birdie on the 18th on Friday evening, but disappointed not to birdie either the 17th or 18th to put more pressure on the leaders.

Defending champion Shane Lowry finished in a tie for 18th after running up a quadruple-bogey nine on the 17th in a closing 71.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox staged a brilliant comeback to win the BMW PGA Championship as rising star Ludvig Aberg was brought down to earth at Wentworth.

Fox began the final round three shots behind leader Aberg and looked out of contention after running up a triple-bogey seven on the third, but covered his last 13 holes in eight under par for a closing 67.

An 18-under-par total gave Fox a one-shot victory over playing partner Aaron Rai and England’s Tyrrell Hatton, Rai agonisingly missing a long eagle putt on the 18th which could have given him the title or at least forced a play-off.

Jon Rahm, who had been runner-up on each of his two previous appearances at Wentworth, carded an erratic 68 to claim fourth place on 16 under as seven members of Europe’s Ryder Cup side packed the top 10, with Rory McIlroy surging through the field with a 65.

Aberg, who had been seeking back-to-back victories in just his 10th event as a professional, held a two-shot lead after 54 holes but slumped to a closing 76 which included two double bogeys in the space of three holes.

Hatton had started the day five off the lead but birdied the second and third, almost made a hole-in-one on the fifth when his tee shot clattered into the pin and then holed out from a bunker on the sixth.

After dropping a shot on the eighth, further birdies on the 10th and 11th gave Hatton a four-shot lead before Fox began his charge with four birdies in five holes from the 10th to get within one.

Hatton then drove out of bounds on the 15th and was facing a seven-foot putt for bogey before play was suspended due to the threat of lightning, a putt he duly made after an 82-minute delay.

Fox was fortunate that a wayward drive on the same hole did not run deep into the trees but took full advantage, hitting a superb second shot from the pine straw to 10 feet and converting the birdie putt to lead outright.

Hatton birdied the last to set up the prospect of a play-off but, after Rai’s eagle attempt agonisingly caught the edge of the hole and stayed out, Fox calmly holed from six feet to seal a fourth DP World Tour title.