An update from George: he tricked us all, and is actually bunkered down with Oscar Piastri for an intensive motivational psychology camp ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix (more on that in today’s two-minute read).

I asked George how he’s approaching the task. He replied with a simple quote that he said has framed his approach for Oscar: “Go faster”. Stunning.

154
The number of riders set to compete in this year’s Tour de France Femmes, which kicks off in Brittany on Saturday morning (local time). '

“We'd absolutely consider anything that we felt would help. I think what is more likely at the moment to drive change is personal fines, corporate fines that will really start to make these companies take action in the right place.”
Head of the English Football Association Mark Bullingham, on whether the FA would consider boycotting social media platforms over what he said was a lack of accountability for racism from their users. Defender Jess Carter has been subject to online racist abuse during England’s Women’s Euro campaign.

The Heisman Trophy is awarded each year to the best U.S. college football player. OJ Simpson won the trophy while playing for the University of Southern California (USC). Simpson got one trophy and the school was given another. One of the trophies is in a bank vault in the state of Pennsylvania, purchased at auction in the 1990s. The other was stolen from USC days after Simpson’s famous slow-motion car chase with police, and was returned in 2014.  

🏒 A Canadian judge has found five professional ice hockey players not guilty of sexual assault alleged to have happened in 2018. The five players were part of Canada's 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship team and were accused of assaulting a woman in a hotel room while celebrating their victory. Justice Carroccia found all five defendants not guilty. She told the courtroom that she did not see the complainant’s evidence to be "credible or reliable." The judge cited "inconsistencies" in her testimony, particularly around her claims about her level of intoxication and mental state, which the judge said affected her ability to consent. The NHL Players' Association is now seeking to allow former players to return to their teams. 1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732

🏐 Adelaide Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty has announced her retirement from the sport. Petty led the Thunderbirds to two premierships in her nine years at the club. The Melbourne Vixens knocked the Thunderbirds out of finals contention in the semis last Sunday afternoon, bringing their season to an end. Now, the Vixens will face the NSW Swifts in Sydney this coming Sunday for a place in the finals against the West Coast Fever. Last time the two sides faced each other, the Vixens eked out a victory by two points – one of the Swifts only two losses this season. Their other was to eventual finalists the Fever.

🏉 In the NRL, the Melbourne Storm secured a one-try victory over the Sydney Roosters, with Stefano Utoikamanu landing the match-winner in the 72nd minute. The Roosters were leading at half-time, but the Storm ultimately out-scored them in the back half. The Storm were rocked by injury in the 43rd minute, with Jahrome Hughes dislocating his left shoulder. The team has since stated that Hughes has not broken any bones and will likely not require surgery.

🏉 Over in the AFL, Carlton’s difficult season continued with a 24-point loss to Hawthorn at the MCG. The Blues were also farewelling Sam Docherty, who kicked a goal to mark the occasion, though it wasn’t enough to flip the scoreboard. Following the match, Hawks coach Sam Mitchell told reporters: “You guys don't think we're going to make the finals and time will tell, but we're certainly looking up.”

🏆 Former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan has died at age 71 of a heart attack. Hogan was last in the public eye when he spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of Donald Trump's re-election last year. The wrestler, born Terry Bollea, was a key figure in the World Wrestling Federation, a predecessor of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The organisation distanced itself from him in the 2010s following reports he had used racist slurs. Hogan also made headlines in recent years when a video of him having sex with the wife of a friend was leaked and published by online outlet Gawker. He then sued Gawker with the financial assistance of tech billionaire Peter Thiel, which ultimately led to the publication's shutdown.

🏉 The Wallabies will face the British and Irish Lions again on Saturday night. Australia will look to equal the Test series, and serve the Lions their first loss of their tour. Will Skelton and Rob Valetini have been recalled to support the side’s efforts. The teams will face off at 7.45pm at the MCG on Saturday.

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Australian cyclist Ben O’Connor has won the 18th stage of the Tour de France, navigating three Alpine mountains to claim victory at the Col de la Loze finish line.

The 29-year-old finished nearly two minutes ahead of defending champion Tadej Pogačar in one of the race’s most challenging stages. 

The 18th stage of the Tour is widely regarded as the most challenging component of the 21-stage race.

O’Connor, riding for the Jayco Alula team, broke away from the pack in the early stages of the three-climb course, holding the lead until the finish line 2,304m above sea level.

It is the second stage win of O’Connor’s career after he won stage nine of the 2021 Tour.

That year, he finished in fourth position overall. 

O’Connor is currently in 10th position in the overall standings, with Pogačar in first position.

Pogačar holds a lead of four minutes and 26 seconds, with only three stages remaining.

If he holds onto the lead for the ride into Paris, it will be his fourth Tour de France title.

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After a three-week hiatus, Formula One returns this weekend with the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa.

As Australia’s Oscar Piastri looks to extend his narrow championship lead, Red Bull will face its first-ever GP without Christian Horner as team principal. 

The weekend will also feature the third sprint race of the year. 

Here’s what to expect over the coming days.

There are six sprint races scheduled throughout F1’s season of 24 race weekends. Sprints were first added to the F1 calendar in 2021 as a way of building excitement for fans and increasing on-track action.

You can expect a different schedule to typical race weekends, with a sprint qualifying session on Friday (local time) before a 15-lap, 105km race at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday. That’s compared to Sunday’s 44-lap, 308km race.

The Belgian sprint is expected to last around 30 minutes, leaving drivers a few hours to celebrate/commiserate, and ready themselves and their cars to return to the track for GP qualification.

More racing means more points are on offer this weekend. The top eight finishers will be allocated points, with eight points for the winner, seven for second, six for third, and so on.

With 25 points on offer for Sunday’s winner, eight points for a sprint victory might not sound like a lot. However, it’s the exact number of points currently separating Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the top of this year’s drivers' championship.

After sustained pressure from his McLaren teammate in recent weeks, it could be a make-or-break weekend for Melbourne-born Piastri.

Norris admitted he feels like “more of a threat now,” as the drivers continue to challenge each other.

Despite the close contest, Piastri said he’s excited to race in Spa, his favourite track.

“Whilst I have lost points over the last two [race] weekends, ultimately the pace has been very strong,” the 24-year-old said.

“I feel like I’m in a really good place with the car, with the team, and how I’m driving,” he told reporters.

Speculation continues to intensify over four-time champion Max Verstappen’s future with Red Bull.

It comes after team principal Christian Horner was terminated with immediate effect, three days after the British Grand Prix.

Verstappen is reportedly in talks with Mercedes for the 2026 season, a move that commentators expect would leave George Russell without a seat.

Rumours escalated further when Verstappen’s boat was spotted near Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff’s boat in Sardinia earlier this month.

Verstappen has downplayed the story, claiming it was a coincidence.

The Dutchman is under contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028, but reports linking him to Mercedes have only intensified in the weeks since Horner’s sacking.

However, Verstappen told reporters in Belgium that Horner’s exit “has no influence on what I’m doing.”

“At the end of the day, the team made a decision to do that, and now, from our side, we just have to look forward. There are a lot of things that we want to work on and be better at, and hopefully, we just keep doing that.

The sprint race is set to begin at 8pm Saturday (AEST), followed by the Belgian Grand Prix at 11pm Sunday (AEST). You can watch Formula One on Kayo or Foxtel.