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Leclerc Staying with Ferrari for Years to Come

Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada - May 22, 2026 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc arrives ahead of practice. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada - May 22, 2026 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc arrives ahead of practice. (Reuters)
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Leclerc Staying with Ferrari for Years to Come

Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada - May 22, 2026 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc arrives ahead of practice. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada - May 22, 2026 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc arrives ahead of practice. (Reuters)

Charles Leclerc will race for Ferrari for years to come after the Italian Formula One team announced a long-term contract extension on Wednesday ahead of his home Monaco Grand Prix. The 28-year-old Monegasque has driven for the Maranello-based outfit in F1 since 2019, winning eight races.

"I couldn't be happier to continue this journey with Scuderia Ferrari HP. It has always been so much more than just a team to me," Leclerc said in a statement issued by Ferrari.

Leclerc is currently third in the 2026 drivers' championship but 56 points behind Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who is 43 ahead of teammate and closest rival ‌George Russell after ‌winning the last four races.

He has raced more times ‌for ⁠Ferrari (155) than any ⁠other driver in the team's history other than now-retired seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher, and also ranks second for pole positions behind the German.

PART OF THE FERRARI FAMILY

Ferrari did not specify the duration of his new contract, saying only that Leclerc would continue for the "coming seasons" in the championship.

"Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for many years now and this renewal feels like something very natural for us," ⁠team principal Fred Vasseur said.

"Over these seasons we have ‌seen him grow, to become not only one ‌of the strongest drivers in Formula One, but also a person who is completely at ‌one with the team and everything Ferrari represents.

"We know how much this project ‌means to him and we are happy to continue working towards our shared goals."

Leclerc joined the Ferrari Academy in 2016, won the Formula Two title in 2017 and made his F1 debut with Ferrari-powered Sauber (now Audi) in 2018.

Leclerc's teammate is Britain's seven-times world champion ‌Lewis Hamilton, who joined from Mercedes last year on a multi-year contract and is expected to continue next season, when ⁠he will be ⁠41 years old.

Hamilton is fourth in the standings, three points behind Leclerc.

Ferrari have not taken a grand prix victory since 2024, or a championship since 2008, but Hamilton won a Saturday sprint race in China last season and finished second in Canada last month.

Leclerc has had two podium finishes this season -- third in Australia and Japan -- and will be heavily fancied for his home race this weekend, with Ferrari expected to be competitive at the slowest circuit on the calendar where top speed is less of a factor and grid position is crucial.

Growing up in the principality, Leclerc in 2024 became the first local to win the Monaco Grand Prix in the championship era and has taken pole there three times in the last five years.

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Antonelli Takes Pole at Belgian Grand Prix

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy finishes first during the Qualifying for the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, in Francorchamps, Belgium, 18 July 2026. EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy finishes first during the Qualifying for the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, in Francorchamps, Belgium, 18 July 2026. EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS
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Antonelli Takes Pole at Belgian Grand Prix

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy finishes first during the Qualifying for the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, in Francorchamps, Belgium, 18 July 2026. EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy finishes first during the Qualifying for the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, in Francorchamps, Belgium, 18 July 2026. EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli outpaced his rivals Saturday when he took pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

The teenage Mercedes driver blazed to a best time of 1 minute 44.361 seconds, 0.317sec ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, while Lando Norris was third fastest in his McLaren but will start with a 10-place grid penalty.

As he crossed the line after crushing his rivals with a ferocious last lap, the pit reminded Antonelli that it was his father's birthday.

"Happy birthday, Dad!" he responded.

In his on-track interview, the Italian said he was happy with his display.

"It was not a very straightforward session. The track changed a lot," AFP quoted Antonelli as saying.

"The last lap was good. It was a nice lap. It was very clean, so very happy.

"Tomorrow is another day, with Max starting next to me it will be important to get a good start and be ahead into Turn 5."

In a session briefly red-flagged because of gravel on the track, Antonelli's team-mate George Russell was fourth fastest and will share the second row with Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.

The second Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton was next, followed by Oscar Piastri in a McLaren.

Verstappen was able to grab Isack Hadjar's slipstream for his final lap.

"It was definitely helping me, otherwise I would not be standing here, I would be P6 or something," the Dutchman said. "Isack did a really good job. Tomorrow I will be looking in my mirrors but today was a decent result."

Like Norris, Hadjar, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll all start tomorrow with grid penalties for power unit changes.

Sports

Josh Kerr Breaks Long-standing World Mile Record

London, Britain - July 18, 2026 Britain's Josh Kerr celebrates after winning the men's 1 mile final and setting a new Meet Record, World Record, and Diamond League Record REUTERS/Matthew Childs
London, Britain - July 18, 2026 Britain's Josh Kerr celebrates after winning the men's 1 mile final and setting a new Meet Record, World Record, and Diamond League Record REUTERS/Matthew Childs
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Josh Kerr Breaks Long-standing World Mile Record

London, Britain - July 18, 2026 Britain's Josh Kerr celebrates after winning the men's 1 mile final and setting a new Meet Record, World Record, and Diamond League Record REUTERS/Matthew Childs
London, Britain - July 18, 2026 Britain's Josh Kerr celebrates after winning the men's 1 mile final and setting a new Meet Record, World Record, and Diamond League Record REUTERS/Matthew Childs

Josh Kerr shattered the 27-year-old world mile record at London Stadium on Saturday as he made Project 222 a reality.

The 28-year-old Briton, roared on by a capacity 60,000 crowd at the London Diamond League meeting, ran a time of three minutes 42.68 seconds to break Hicham El Guerrouj's long-standing mark by 0.45 seconds, Reuters reported.

He had targeted a 222-second race, and he pulled it off to become the sixth British athlete in history to hold the record for the distance.

El Guerrouj set his world record in 1999 when British record holder Kerr was only 1 year old.

The 2023 world 1,500m champion announced in March that his intention was to break the Moroccan’s record and he framed a training regime which included 222-second-long recovery ice baths to help make it a reality.

Kerr, who was presented with a cheque for $50,000 for breaking the record, shaved almost three seconds off his own personal best.

Sports

Lionel Messi Speaks in Advance of World Cup Final, Says Argentina 'Will Give it Our All'

Lionel Messi celebrating qualifying for the World Cup final (DPA)
Lionel Messi celebrating qualifying for the World Cup final (DPA)
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Lionel Messi Speaks in Advance of World Cup Final, Says Argentina 'Will Give it Our All'

Lionel Messi celebrating qualifying for the World Cup final (DPA)
Lionel Messi celebrating qualifying for the World Cup final (DPA)

The lineup of sports legends simultaneously on the stage at Fanatics Fest on Friday night was almost absurd. There was Tom Brady, the greatest Super Bowl champion of all time. There was Novak Djokovic, the winner of more men's Grand Slam tennis tournaments than anyone else. There was Kevin Durant, the only four-time Olympic gold medalist in men's basketball history.

And before they left, they all got a selfie with Lionel Messi, The AP news reported.

Let that be the latest proof of Messi's power: Even the biggest stars in the sports universe clearly enjoy a chance to be around the best soccer player of all-time. They'll all be watching Sunday — along with probably 1.5 billion other people worldwide — when Messi and Argentina face Spain in the World Cup final.

“We will give it our all,” Messi said.

The star-studded news conference was expected to be Messi's last public appearance before Sunday's final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. FIFA decided to use Fanatics Fest — a four-day celebration of sports in New York, replete with autograph signings and celebrity appearances — as the backdrop for its preview news conferences, meaning hundreds of people got the chance to get a glimpse of Messi in the sort of setting not usually open to the public.

“It goes beyond words what Messi means as a player and what he means for Argentina,” Spain captain Rodri said. “Obviously, for me, he’s the greatest of all times.”

The idea for the appearance by Messi and the other players and coaches from Argentina and Spain was simple: Instead of having traditional media asking questions, the stars got to do the asking.

Brady probed Messi about a remarkable photo that has gone viral this week of him bathing a cute baby boy who grew up to be Spain star Lamine Yamal — “What a crazy picture,” Messi said. Djokovic asked Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni about dealing with pressure, then posed a version of that same question to Messi.

And when Messi finished, Djokovic simply said, “Gracias, Leo.” Djokovic then asked Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and captain Rodri about staying calm in big moments, before Brady asked Messi about the infamous photo with Yamal, and Rodri about what he'll say to teammates before Sunday's final. Durant then came out, asking Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez about what it would mean to win back-to-back World Cups.

The Argentina and Spain sides, to their credit, seemed to enjoy the show. The World Cup final is a spectacle, and so was the preview event.

“It's one more game,” Scaloni said. “We cannot really think about the fact that it's a World Cup final.”

It was not the easiest of roads for Argentina to get back to the final, even though the defending champions (7-0-0) are the only unbeaten and untied team left in the tournament; Spain (6-0-1) drew its opening match against Cape Verde.

Argentina had to rally from a 1-0 second-half deficit to beat England in the semifinals, had to rally from a 2-0 second-half deficit to beat Egypt in the Round of 16, and got taken to extra time by both Cape Verde (in the round of 32) and Switzerland (in the quarterfinals).

“I've said many times: We never stop fighting,” Messi said.

With that, the defending champions got their ticket to New York. And when Messi walked onto that stage Friday, not many of those who were jammed inside the theater applauded — since they were holding their phones instead, hoping to capture images of the moment.

Messi knew what they wanted. He smiled and waved. They roared.

When the event wrapped up, everyone — the players, the coaches, actor and comedian Kevin Hart, rapper and producer Travis Scott, England great Rio Ferdinand, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and more — gathered for that selfie with the fans in the background.

“Sunday is going to be a great show,” Scaloni said.

It seemed like Messi may have taken a quick look at the case holding the trophy before he departed. Either way, it's not like he needs a reminder of what's at stake. No team has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and Messi now has a chance to add one more accomplishment to his already overstuffed resume.

"We've got a group of players and a group of coaches that are working incredibly hard every single day to try to bring happiness to my country," Martinez said. “We're going to give absolutely our best, with Leo, with the team that we have, to bring the World Cup back to my country and celebrate with our people.”