Enzo Maresca expressed his delight at the opportunity to lead Manchester City following Pep Guardiola's departure. The Italian coach noted that he considers Guardiola one of the best mentors of the last two or three decades, calling his new role a 'privilege.'
Maresca acknowledged that transitioning to a club that has had the same manager for a long time always presents a certain challenge, citing examples of Manchester United after Alex Ferguson's departure and Arsenal after Arsène Wenger's exit. He emphasized that the task is to immediately start doing the right things for the club, the fans, and all stakeholders.
Maresca, who previously worked at City as Guardiola's assistant during the 2022/23 season triumph, believes that the club's strong organizational structure will help him continue the success achieved under Guardiola. He noted the rarity of a club having three managers in 17 years, which, in his opinion, is one reason for his confidence in success.
Regarding Spanish midfielder Rodri, who is approaching the final year of his contract and has been linked with Real Madrid, Maresca stated that he is not concerned about rumors surrounding big players, considering it normal. However, he specified that Rodri needs rest and recovery after an upcoming operation on Monday, after which he will return to the team.
Maresca also shared positive impressions of his experience at Leicester and Chelsea, noting that both clubs had a clearly defined identity and team success. Despite Chelsea being dissatisfied with the circumstances of his departure at the beginning of the year, Maresca stressed that City is currently most important to him.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton maintained a strong pace during the internal battle at Ferrari, securing second place in the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc.
After leading the Ferrari duo in the second practice session on Friday, the British driver confirmed his impressive form on Saturday. He maximized the SF26 car on the winding Hungaroring circuit. His final lap looked convincing enough to secure him a record tenth spot on the grid at this track.
However, at the very last moment, Lando Norris managed to overtake him, taking first place by a margin of only 0.012 seconds. Despite losing pole position, the internal dynamic within the Ferrari team remained strong.
Hamilton's performance was another vivid example of one of the most exciting rivalries between teammates in Formula 1. Just a few weeks ago, Charles Leclerc took the initiative with a series of podiums, reviving his championship ambitions and establishing himself as the benchmark for Ferrari.
Nevertheless, Hamilton dominated in Hungary. From the first laps on Friday, the seven-time champion looked confident in the car, taking first place in FP2 ahead of Leclerc. He emphasized that Ferrari had made 'some positive steps' but warned that 'there is still a lot of work to be done.'
These positive changes were also reflected in qualifying, where Hamilton once again finished ahead of his Monegasque teammate, giving Ferrari the best starting position of the season when both cars were in the top three. Although Norris is shown on pole position on the board, a different success was achieved inside the Scuderia garages.
Hamilton's adaptation to Ferrari has not always been smooth; there were weekends where Leclerc's familiarity with the team gave him an advantage. However, a shift in this balance is now visible. Hamilton's victory in Spain and his performance in Hungary reinforce the feeling that momentum is returning to the most successful driver in Formula 1 history.
Nevertheless, the fight is far from over. Leclerc remains within reach and has demonstrated throughout the season the ability to react quickly to challenges. Sunday's race will provide another opportunity to regain control, and Hamilton understands that the next step is turning excellent pace into a victory. Ferrari may have missed out on pole position, but they enter race day with the fastest package and two drivers capable of winning.
The international Kurash Open tournament, held in the capital of France, attracted over one hundred participants from twenty-eight countries. This tournament was part of the competition for the President's Prize of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
During the matches in four weight categories, the Uzbekistan team achieved victory, winning four awards: two gold and two bronze.
Samandar Sadinov won gold in the under 90 kg category, and Sherali Jurayev won gold in the over 90 kg category. Bronze medals were awarded to Jonibek Kozokov in the under 90 kg category and Bekmurod Oltiboyev in the over 90 kg category.
Lando Norris, a British driver for the McLaren team, secured pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix following the qualifying session at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest. He managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, achieving his first pole of the season with a flawless lap recorded in the final seconds of qualifying.
The 26-year-old Briton set the fastest lap time of one minute and 17.207 seconds. This result allowed him to surpass Hamilton's attempt to set an unprecedented tenth pole on this track by only 0.012 seconds. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished third in qualifying ahead of Sunday's race in Budapest.
World champion Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes finished fourth, trailing by 0.260 seconds. He was overtaken by Oscar Piastri of McLaren and four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
Norris expressed his delight, stating: 'I am very happy to be back on top.' He noted the difficulty of the session and the high speed of the Ferrari drivers, adding that improvements helped the team: 'It was tough throughout the weekend, but we were fast, and our upgrades helped – it feels great to be on pole, especially at this track.'
Hamilton, aged 41, approached the potential status of the oldest pole sitter since Mario Andretti at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix. For Norris, this was his second pole in Budapest and his seventeenth in his career, the last of which was in Las Vegas in November.
Hamilton congratulated Norris, remarking: 'I think we worked well all weekend and were consistent in qualifying, but going out first wasn't the right decision. Furthermore, the grip just wasn't there for Charles and me at the end. We were the fastest, but ultimately it slipped away from us.'
Leclerc explained his position due to changes in wind: 'There were quite a few wind changes today, and I didn't expect that. Everything was a bit chaotic.'
The session began under hot conditions with a track temperature of 52°C. Valtteri Bottas led the start in his Cadillac, followed by rivals from Williams and Aston Martin in updated 'B-spec' cars. Ferrari ran both cars on medium tyres, and Hamilton quickly set the pace with 1:18.730, overtaking Leclerc, whose lap was discarded for exceeding track limits.
The remaining participants used soft tyres. Norris was ahead of Verstappen and Antonelli, with Hamilton behind them. Meanwhile, Aston Martin was pleased as Alonso finished 16th and qualified for Q2 for the first time this year.
Both Cadillacs, both Williams cars, Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin, and Oliver Berman from Haas were eliminated from the race. Alex Albon of Williams called the situation 'terrible', questioning the frequent balance changes of the cars.
Alonso, using worn soft tyres, was the first to enter Q2 but was half a second slower than Hajar, who had previously declared his car 'undrivable' during FP3. In front of Hamilton on soft tyres, Antonelli posted 1:17.931, much to his dissatisfaction.
Unexpectedly, Alonso climbed to 10th place, and then, after a pit stop, moved to first place, but was overtaken by Norris, while Leclerc passed him in the final seconds of the lap.
Liam Lawson from Racing Bulls, two Alpine cars, Gabriel Bortoleto from Audi, and Esteban Ocon from Haas, who finished 16th, were also eliminated from the race. The battle for the top 10 began, where Hamilton initially took provisional first place with a lap of 1:17.219, overtaking Norris by a tenth of a second, as well as Leclerc and Antonelli after their initial fast runs.
Hamilton and Leclerc went out for a second run but could not improve their positions. Verstappen then caused his Red Bull to spin at Turn 13, triggering yellow flags that affected several following cars, although Norris's McLaren remained untouched.
