Hamilton and Leclerc Disqualified from US Grand Prix 

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) speaks with Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc after the Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 21, 2023 ahead of the United States Formula One Grand Prix. (AFP)
Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) speaks with Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc after the Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 21, 2023 ahead of the United States Formula One Grand Prix. (AFP)
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Hamilton and Leclerc Disqualified from US Grand Prix 

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) speaks with Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc after the Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 21, 2023 ahead of the United States Formula One Grand Prix. (AFP)
Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) speaks with Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc after the Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 21, 2023 ahead of the United States Formula One Grand Prix. (AFP)

Mercedes accepted their punishment after Formula One stewards disqualified Lewis Hamilton from second place in Sunday's US Grand Prix along with sixth-placed Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

The governing FIA had reported both drivers to stewards after their cars failed post-race checks on the under-floor wooden planks at Austin's Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Stewards imposed the standard penalty after both teams acknowledged the measurements carried out by the FIA were correct.

Mercedes had stated that the high wear on the skid pads was probably due to the bumpy track and the race being run to a sprint format for the first time.

That meant a 100km race on Saturday and only one practice session instead of the usual three.

"Set-up choices on a sprint weekend are always a challenge with just one hour of free practice, and even more so at a bumpy circuit like COTA and running a new package," said Mercedes principal Toto Wolff.

"In the end, all of that doesn't matter; others got it right where we got it wrong and there's no wiggle room in the rules.

"We need to take it on the chin, do the learning, and come back stronger next weekend."

The race was won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, the 50th victory of the triple world champion's career and record-equaling 15 of the season.

Mercedes had brought an upgraded car to Texas and Hamilton, whose teammate George Russell moved up to fifth, had looked more competitive.

"We can take a lot of positives from the car performance today," said Wolff.

"This is a circuit where only a few races ago we wouldn't have performed well because of the fast, sweeping corners. The upgrade seems to have made the car happier in those areas and it is working well. Directionally, it's a very good sign."

The disqualifications meant Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz moved up to third.



Paris Saint-Germain Looks to Clinch a Record-extending 13th French League Title

(FILES) A photograph taken on November 23, 2020 shows a logo of Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
(FILES) A photograph taken on November 23, 2020 shows a logo of Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
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Paris Saint-Germain Looks to Clinch a Record-extending 13th French League Title

(FILES) A photograph taken on November 23, 2020 shows a logo of Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
(FILES) A photograph taken on November 23, 2020 shows a logo of Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

The one-sided Ligue 1 title race could end on Saturday, with Paris Saint-Germain needing only a draw at home against Angers to clinch a record-extending 13th crown.

PSG's massive 21-point lead means it would have to lose the next seven games and Monaco win them all to overtake the Parisians, who are unbeaten in 27 league games, the Associated Press said.

PSG could finish the league campaign unbeaten, although coach Luis Enrique's side still has to play Nice and has a tricky match away to Strasbourg, with both opponents locked in a tight battle to qualify for next season's Champions League.

This season's Champions League, too, is in Luis Enrique’s thoughts.

Good time to rest players? With a quarterfinal first-leg match against Aston Villa coming up in Paris on Wednesday, PSG can afford to rest several key players against Angers. Coach Alexandre Dujeux's side is 14th and has lost four straight league games without scoring a goal, conceding 11.

However, Enrique is not fond of squad rotation so may field close to a full-strength team at Parc des Princes.

How can PSG lose a game? It is hard to see how, given that PSG has not dropped any points since a 1-1 draw at home to Reims on Jan. 25, winning eight straight games.

A glimmer of hope for PSG's remaining opponents is that the team starts slowly and is prone to conceding early goals.

PSG fell behind early against Saint-Etienne last weekend, and it trailed 2-0 within 27 minutes to second-tier Dunkerque in the French Cup semifinal on Tuesday. PSG ended up winning both matches and scoring 10 goals in the process, but there is still a significant weakness against set-pieces and crosses.

Rosenior makes his mark One of the biggest success stories this season has been Strasbourg's remarkable rise to sixth place under English coach Liam Rosenior.

Even more so considering it is his first season, and that he had only two weeks of preseason preparation with his new players.

Led by striker Emanuel Emegha (12 goals), the Alsace-based side has lost only once in the past 14 league games to join the chase for a Champions League spot.

Rosenior's team is on a four-game winning run heading into Sunday’s trip to play relegation-threatened Reims. It is one point behind fourth-place Nice and three behind third-place Marseille, with the top four qualifying.

“I will never stop my players dreaming,” Rosenior said about making the Champions League. “Of course it's possible.”

He'll find out soon enough.

Strasbourg has back-to-back games against Nice and Monaco this month and, with the race so tight, may need to beat PSG on May 4.

Marseille is in a slump Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi was fuming with his players after last Saturday's 3-1 loss at struggling Reims.

So was midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who questioned the attitude of his teammates.

With good reason, as Marseille's third straight defeat allowed Monaco to move into second place.

But De Zerbi may want to look a bit deeper. Perhaps he should not have allowed his players to get so carried away when, after beating Lyon 3-2 in February, they embarked on a lap of honor and posed for a giant team photo as if they'd won a trophy.

Marseille has lost four out of seven games since. Fans will be looking for a home win against Toulouse on Sunday.