Piastri Has Learned from Costly Silverstone Penalty 

McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri arrives ahead of the start of the first practice session of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa, on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri arrives ahead of the start of the first practice session of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa, on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
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Piastri Has Learned from Costly Silverstone Penalty 

McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri arrives ahead of the start of the first practice session of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa, on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri arrives ahead of the start of the first practice session of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa, on July 25, 2025. (AFP)

McLaren's Oscar Piastri says he has learned from a costly British Grand Prix penalty and will not brake as hard when leading behind the Formula One safety car at restarts.

The championship frontrunner was handed a 10 second penalty at Silverstone this month for erratic braking before the restart when the safety car was about to return to the pits.

The penalty cost him the win, handing it to teammate Lando Norris, and trimmed his overall lead to eight points at the season's midpoint.

Stewards ruled the Australian had suddenly braked hard, forcing Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen who was right behind him to take evasive action and momentarily overtake.

Piastri said he had done the same maneuver in the past, as had others, but accepted it would now be punished by the stewards.

"I looked through it with the team afterwards and I think there's been a lot of learning on both sides," the McLaren driver told reporters ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, where he arrived with an eight-point lead over teammate Lando Norris.

"I still have my feelings about it I guess, but it's in the past now and I've moved on.

"If it needs to be penalized now then that's fine. I know that for the future, but obviously immediately after the race I was frustrated."

Piastri added that there had been discussions with the governing FIA to clarify the situation and how it might have been handled differently.

"I won't brake as hard next time. It's as simple as that," he said. "And I think also now the threshold is a bit clearer on where that stands, so I will just simply not brake as hard."

Belgium, the longest track on the calendar and one of the fastest, is a favorite circuit for Piastri although the race will only be held in four of the next six years as Formula One alternates some venues.

"I would like to win anywhere but here is always a track I've really enjoyed from the first time I came here," said the Australian.

"It's a track that in my opinion should be on the calendar every year as long as Formula One exists."



Frank Insists Spurs Owners Are ‘Super Committed’

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur, in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur, in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)
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Frank Insists Spurs Owners Are ‘Super Committed’

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur, in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur, in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)

Thomas Frank said Tottenham's much-maligned owners are "super committed" to the club despite their struggle to make signings during the January transfer window.

Spurs will face one of the targets they missed out on this weekend when Manchester City arrive in north London with Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo in their ranks.

Frank revealed the former Bournemouth star had been one of Tottenham's top targets before he decided to join City in a £65 million ($89 million) deal this month.

With the window shutting on Monday, Tottenham's only major signing is England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, while last season's leading scorer Brennan Johnson has been sold to Crystal Palace.

Languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, they have also lost James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies and Lucas Bergvall to longer-term injuries.

But Frank rejected claims that majority owner ENIC, an investment group run by the Lewis family trust, is not committed enough to Tottenham.

"I can promise that the Lewis family is super committed to this project. They want to do everything and I would go against my rule, hopefully only once, that there's no doubt it's clear that the club wanted to sign Semenyo," he said.

"They did everything. I think that's a clear signal that the Lewis family is very committed."

Frank has been under intense pressure in his first season after arriving from Brentford, though he led Tottenham into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.

Told that a protest against the owners is planned by fan group "Change for Tottenham" before and during the City game on Sunday, Frank said they should appreciate the difficulties of the transfer window.

Referring to the "Football Manager" video game, he said: "The fans just want the best for the club. Just like I want.

"The owners, the staff, the players, everyone wants the best for the club, but I also think it's fair to say that the transfer window is not Football Manager, unfortunately.

"It would be a lot easier, but also a little bit more boring. It is very difficult the transfer market. It's an art, it's craftsmanship."


Hail Toyota International Baja Rally Begins 2026 Edition with 414-Kilometer Stage

The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA
The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA
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Hail Toyota International Baja Rally Begins 2026 Edition with 414-Kilometer Stage

The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA
The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying - SPA

The first main stage of the 2026 Hail Toyota International Baja Rally kicked off Friday north of Hail, featuring 93 competitors across multiple racing categories and covering a total distance of 414 kilometers, including a challenging 242-kilometer special stage.

This edition of the rally is a high-stakes event, serving as a pivotal round for five major championships: FIA World Baja Cup, FIA Middle East Baja Cup, FIM Bajas World Cup, FIM Asia Baja Cup, and Saudi Toyota Championship Rallies, SPA reported.

The event highlights Hail’s status as a global hub for desert rallying, attracting international talent and elite machinery to the Kingdom’s rugged terrain.


Alcaraz and Djokovic to Meet in Australian Open Final after Epic Semifinal Wins

 Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams
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Alcaraz and Djokovic to Meet in Australian Open Final after Epic Semifinal Wins

 Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 30, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Hollie Adams

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet in the Australian Open final after each came through epic, momentum-swinging, five-set semifinals on Friday.

Top-ranked Alcaraz fended off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that started in the warmth of the afternoon and, 5 hours and 27 minutes later, became the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open, The AP news reported.

That pushed the start of Djokovic's match against defending champion Jannik Sinner back a couple of hours and the 24-time major winner finally finished off a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win just after 1:30 a.m.

Djokovic is into his 11th Australian Open final after ending his streak of semifinal exits at four consecutive majors.

Alcaraz is into his first title match at Melbourne Park, and aiming to be the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam.