Sargeant Ends 30-Year Wait for US Driver to Score in F1 

Williams' US driver Logan Sargeant races during the 2023 United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 22, 2023. (AFP)
Williams' US driver Logan Sargeant races during the 2023 United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 22, 2023. (AFP)
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Sargeant Ends 30-Year Wait for US Driver to Score in F1 

Williams' US driver Logan Sargeant races during the 2023 United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 22, 2023. (AFP)
Williams' US driver Logan Sargeant races during the 2023 United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 22, 2023. (AFP)

Williams rookie Logan Sargeant celebrated a surprise first point in Formula One on Sunday, thanks to the disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and ended a 30-year wait for a US driver to score.

Sargeant was classified 10th at Austin's Circuit of the Americas after Mercedes' Hamilton was stripped of second place and Ferrari's Leclerc lost his sixth place when their cars failed post-race checks.

The last US driver before the 22-year-old Florida native to score in a grand prix was Michael Andretti with McLaren in 1993.

"It’s amazing to score my first point in F1 on home turf after the challenging weekend I’ve had," said Sargeant, who failed to finish the previous race in Qatar after suffering exhaustion in the heat.

"I’m so proud of this team and myself for the hard work and progress we’ve been making this season," added the rookie whose seat for next season is far from certain.

"We worked hard overnight to find a direction with the car that was going to be positive, and we found that...The pace was so much better today, and I was driving really well."

Williams also had Alex Albon finish in ninth place, with the team having two drivers in the top 10 for the first time since the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.

The team are seventh out of 10 in the constructors' standings, 10 points clear of eighth-placed Alfa Romeo with four races remaining.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo, returning from injury at AlphaTauri, is now the only driver on the starting grid yet to score this season.



Soccer-AC Milan Owner Denies Report it is Looking for New Investors

AC Milan's French forward #09 Olivier Giroud (C) makes a heart sign as he celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and Salernitana at San Siro Stadium, in Milan on May 25, 2024. as the last match by coach. (AFP)
AC Milan's French forward #09 Olivier Giroud (C) makes a heart sign as he celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and Salernitana at San Siro Stadium, in Milan on May 25, 2024. as the last match by coach. (AFP)
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Soccer-AC Milan Owner Denies Report it is Looking for New Investors

AC Milan's French forward #09 Olivier Giroud (C) makes a heart sign as he celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and Salernitana at San Siro Stadium, in Milan on May 25, 2024. as the last match by coach. (AFP)
AC Milan's French forward #09 Olivier Giroud (C) makes a heart sign as he celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and Salernitana at San Siro Stadium, in Milan on May 25, 2024. as the last match by coach. (AFP)

US investment firm RedBird Capital on Friday denied a report by Italian newspaper La Repubblica saying it was looking to sell a stake in AC Milan, the Italian soccer club it has owned since 2022.

"The reporting by La Repubblica about selling a stake in AC Milan is a complete fabrication. It is wholly untrue," a spokesperson for RedBird said.

RedBird took over the club from US fund Elliott in a 1.2 billion euro ($1.32 billion) buyout, according to Reuters.

La Repubblica said it was partly financed through a vendor loan from Elliott worth 560 million euros due next year, plus RedBird's own investment of 681 million euros.

RedBird was now looking to "rebalance its portfolio" by selling "up to 150 million euros of the initial invested capital of 681 million" at base cost, the newspaper added.

It cited a document for potential new investors prepared by US investment firm Washington Harbour on behalf of RedBird, adding that the file "has been circulating in international financial circles since May".

In an earlier statement which stopped short of a full denial, a RedBird spokesperson had told Reuters that Gerry Cardinale, the founder and managing partner of the fund, "does not know Washington Harbour and the document cited by the newspaper is not attributable to him".

Washington Harbour did not reply to a Reuters request seeking comment over the press report.