Norris on pole as McLaren lock out front row in Abu Dhabi

Lando Norris took pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri as McLaren put themselves in a perfect position to clinch their first constructors’ title since 1998. Norris headed Piastri by 0.209 seconds at the end of a gripping, topsy-turvy qualifying session at the final race of the season. Carlos Sainz took third place for Ferrari, who trail McLaren by 21 points heading into Sunday’s race with a maximum of 44 available.

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Under-fire Lopetegui vows to ‘change’ West Ham situation

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui insists he has not been distracted by speculation he is facing a must-win match on Monday, instead saying his focus is simply on beating Wolves, rather than worrying about his job. West Ham board members met this week to discuss the future of their head coach after the midweek 3-1 loss at relegation-threatened Leicester which followed on from the 5-2 defeat at home to Arsenal.

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Manchester City and Chelsea learn Club World Cup fate

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will face Egyptian club Al Ahly in the opening game of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup while Premier League champions Manchester City will face Juventus in the opening group stage of FIFA’s controversial restructuring of the tournament. Chelsea will take on Brazil giants Flamengo in the United States next summer.

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Manchester City return to winning ways against Nottingham Forest

Manchester City put their recent disastrous spell behind them as they ended a seven-game winless streak by beating Nottingham Forest. First-half goals from Bernardo Silva and star man Kevin de Bruyne put Pep Guardiola’s side in command by the break, with Jeremy Doku adding a third 12 minutes after the interval. After six defeats and a 3-3 draw with Feyenoord that must have felt like a loss the delight at successfully reaching the finish line on this occasion was obvious.

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Woods: US Ryder Cup players should give fees to charity

Tiger Woods believes American players should all be paid millions to play in the Ryder Cup, providing those funds are donated to charity. The PGA of America is close to agreeing a landmark scenario in which the US Ryder Cup team will be paid about $400,000 each to take on Europe in September 2025. Europe’s Ryder Cup contingent continues to maintain they should not take a cut of event revenue.

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