Sal Frelick had a very memorable debut in the major leagues.
The Brewers rookie had three hits, the game-winning sacrifice fly and made two spectacular catches to lift Milwaukee to a 4-3 win over the major league-leading Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
Selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft, Frelick was called up from Triple-A Nashville before the game and started in right field batting sixth.
He had an infield single in the second inning for his first major league hit in his first career plate appearance, singled and scored in the fifth and singled home a run an inning later to tie the game. His hard liner to right in the eighth scored Willy Adames and snapped a 3-3 tie.
Devin Williams loaded the bases in the ninth but struck out Ozzie Albies to end it.
Frelick showed off his defence in the sixth inning to keep the Brewers down 3-2.
He made a leaping catch of Marcell Ozuna’s shot near the top of the right-field wall and one out later raced into the right-center field gap, jumped and banged against the wall to snare a drive from Orlando Arcia.
Austin Riley’s three-run homer in the third inning opened the scoring and gave him home runs in five straight games. He is 10 for 21 with six home runs and 16 RBIs during that span.
Orioles recover to beat Rays
Ryan O’Hearn came through with a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth inning and the Baltimore Orioles recovered after blowing a five-run lead to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, 6-5 in matchup of the American League’s top teams.
Baltimore has won two of the first three games in the four-game set to move one game ahead of Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Rays ace Shane McLanahan was bidding to become the majors’ first 12-game winner but was reached for a season-high five runs in four innings.
The Rays dropped to an AL-worst 4-13 in July.
Freeman hits two home runs as Rangers win easy
Freddie Freeman hit two of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ five homers and the NL West leaders rolled to a 16-3 rout of the Texas Rangers.
Max Muncy and J.D. Martinez also went deep as the Dodgers matched season highs with five homers and 18 hits in their 10th win in 12 games.
Freeman became the first Dodgers player with 20 home runs and 35 doubles before August. He is 12 for 21 with three home runs, three doubles and seven RBIs in his past five games.
Rangers slugger Adolis Garcia was hit on the right hand by a pitch in the fourth inning. He initially stayed in the game but was lifted for a pinch-runner and inning later.
England face a battle with the elements as they try to force victory in the fourth Ashes Test and keep their hopes of a series win alive.
Only 30 overs were possible on Saturday, with plenty more rain forecast on what could be a frustrating final day at Emirates Old Trafford.
Australia are more than happy to settle for a draw that would see them retain their 2-1 lead and the urn, meaning England will be forced to make the running in whatever windows of play are possible.
They have already been frustrated by a 103-run stand between centurion Marnus Labuschagne and Mitch Marsh, but saw their prospects rise when Joe Root had the former caught behind.
There is little margin for error after their 275-run first-innings lead was whittled down to 61 by the tourists, who will resume on 214 for five.
View from the dressing room
Labuschagne scoffed at the very notion that Australia might make a bold bid for a win of their own on day five, making it clear England could expect nothing but resistance.
Tweet of the day
Leading meteorologist Simon King predicted no play at all over the weekend but is hoping to be proved wrong for the second day in a row.
England see the light
Midway through Saturday’s play, match officials Joel Wilson and Nitin Menon informed England captain Ben Stokes that the light had deteriorated to such an extent that he could no longer use his fast bowlers. That meant spin from both ends, with an out-of-sorts Moeen Ali backed up by Root. England were frustrated with the decision and will be hoping to use their full attack in any victory push, particularly the raw pace of Mark Wood. Wilson was also lampooned for wearing sunglasses at the same time that he was adjudicating on the quality of the light and may be advised against a repeat performance.
All eyes on Anderson
Things have yet to click for England’s record wicket-taker this summer, with just four wickets at 76.75. He has been pushed to the periphery at key stages and while the 40-year-old would love to be the man to drive the team onwards on his final Ashes appearance at his home ground, he may have to wait his turn. The Lancashire faithful will be with him all the way, but Anderson needs to find his missing X factor in a hurry to give them the show they want.
Cashback for the crowd
After a thrilling series of daily entertainment, Saturday’s ticket holders were forced to watch the weather wipe out two full sessions. Supporters were treated to just 30 overs of action in the middle, but their disappointment was mitigated by the news they would receive a 50 per cent refund. Just one more delivery would have taken them beyond the cut-off point. For once, England’s slack over-rate offered something for fans to feel good about.
Brian Harman admitted it would be foolish not to think about winning his maiden major title as he headed into the final day at Royal Liverpool with a five-shot lead.
Only two players in history have squandered such an advantage after 54 holes, Macdonald Smith in the last Open staged at Prestwick in 1925 and Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999.
Harman, who led by one at the same stage of the 2017 US Open before finishing second behind Brooks Koepka, said: “You’d be foolish not to envision (lifting the Claret Jug) and I’ve thought about winning majors for my whole entire life.
“It’s the whole reason I work as hard as I do and why I practise as much as I do and why I sacrifice as much as I do.
“If that’s going to come to fruition for me (on Sunday), it has to be all about the golf. It has to be execution and just staying in the moment.”
Harman’s nearest challenger was fellow American and last year’s runner-up Cameron Young, with Masters champion Jon Rahm another stroke back after storming through the field with a flawless 63.
Home favourite Tommy Fleetwood was part of a five-strong group, which included Viktor Hovland and Jason Day, starting the final round seven off the pace.
Shot of the day
Antoine Rozner carded his second 67 of the week with the aid of an eagle on the par-five 15th.
Round of the day
Rahm only made the cut with a shot to spare, but stormed into contention thanks to a stunning 63, by two shots the lowest ever recorded in an Open at Royal Liverpool.
Quote of the day
“I hear a lot of Ricky, Ricky’s out there. Yeah, I look like him. Handsome fella” – Brian Harman when asked about his resemblance to former Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting.
Statistic of the day
Only two players have lost a five-hole lead with 18 holes to play in the history of the Open Championship.
Easiest hole
The par-five fifth played as the easiest for the third day running, with one eagle and 32 birdies contributing to a scoring average of 4.632.
Hardest hole
The 14th was again the most difficult hole with a scoring average of 4.171, with just eight of the 76-man field making birdie, 16 making a bogey and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen running up a triple-bogey seven.
Weather forecast
Cloudy with spells of moderate rain, likely heavy at times, especially early morning. Cloudy with outbreaks of light or moderate rain from noon onwards, with winds around 15mph.
Key tee times
1300 Emiliano Grillo, Rory McIlroy
1345 Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka
1355 Jason Day, Antoine Rozner
1405 Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm
1415 Cameron Young, Brian Harman
Erik ten Hag was pleased by Manchester United’s display in and out of possession as they kicked off their US pre-season tour with a win against fellow title hopefuls Arsenal.
Having beaten Leeds in Oslo and Lyon in Edinburgh, the Red Devils kicked off the main stint of 2023-24 preparations at a sold-out MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday.
Newly-appointed captain Bruno Fernandes all too easily beat Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale before Jadon Sancho struck following an error by Gabriel in a 2-0 win wrapped up by half-time.
“I think it’s very good,” United boss Ten Hag said. “The way we played, I was really pleased, how active we were in and out of possession.
“That is the way we want to play and that is the only period of the year you can really work in training and translate it to games without it having consequences.
“But still, we want to win, and I think the lads showed we played a good game.”
He continued: “Of course, they are all great games. We have to go and it helps us to progress and especially those opponents, they are good.
“Arsenal is a really good opponent. They played incredibly good last season in the Premier League, so yeah, that’s good to match with them, then you will be better.”
The main negative was the second half injury to Amad Diallo, who left MetLife Stadium on crutches with his left foot in strapping.
Ten Hag will be hoping the youngster has avoided any kind of significant injury on a night when 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo produced a promising performance.
“It’s fantastic,” the Dutchman told MUTV. “Manchester United is famous for always bringing young players up and it can be done. But we have to see.
“We have confidence, he is playing with confidence and I really like his performance. But this year, he showed it in spring, then he got injured. We are really happy.
“There are more youngsters with us now and they’re all doing very good. But I don’t want to rise expectations too high.
“We have to see. The Premier League is tough but, definitely, you can see we have some really good young players who can play a role in the squad. But the bar is high.”
United continue on to San Diego, where their reserves take on Wrexham before the first team faces Real Madrid in Houston and Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas.
Arsenal beat the MLS All-Stars 5-0 in Washington DC on Wednesday night and head to Los Angeles to take on Barcelona looking to bounce back from losing to United.
Barca had to cancel their Saturday friendly against Juventus as “a significant part of the Blaugrana squad has a viral gastroenteritis”.
An Arsenal spokesperson said they are in close contact with the La Liga champions and fully confident their match against them will take place as planned on July 26.
Mikel Arteta is hoping for a response from his squad, saying after the loss to United: “Yes (this is a good lesson for us).
“You asked me yesterday about my thoughts on how difficult or easy the season is going to be.
“It’s going to be more challenging, more difficult, the level and preparation of the team is excellent and we knew today, they had already played two games before this one and we knew the test was going to be really demanding, like it’s going to be on Wednesday against one of the best teams in the world.
“I don’t like losing and I don’t like the feeling that I have right now.
“So, the boys have to train right now, in that space thinking how we are going to be better to win the next match.”
Manchester United capitalised on a pair of Arsenal errors as newly-appointed captain Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho got their US tour off to a winning start.
Erik ten Hag’s side finished third last season and took on the Premier League runners-up on Saturday evening at a sold-out MetLife Stadium – potential host of the 2026 World Cup final.
United emerged victorious from the sides’ first meeting on American soil, Fernandes and Sancho striking in a 2-0 friendly win against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Gunners goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was at fault for the opener as Fernandes all too easily beat him from distance, fresh from being named Harry Maguire’s successor as captain.
An air kick by Gabriel led to Sancho’s sublime second, the forward racing through to thrash home at the near post in front of 82,262 spectators in New Jersey.
Some of those had gone home by the time a pre-arranged penalty shoot-out took place after the final whistle.
Both teams wanted to take the opportunity to practise spot-kicks in front of a large crowd, United winning that too as Fabio Vieira blazed over in a 5-3 victory.
United new boy Andre Onana warmed-up with his new team-mates but watched from the stands as Arsenal handed first starts to Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber.
The friendly got off to an intense start in East Rutherford, Antony dragging a poorly-hit effort wide before Gabriel Martinelli rifled narrowly off target at the other end.
Play was swinging from end to end and Arsenal would have taken an 11th minute lead without the superb reactions of Tom Heaton.
Bukayo Saka fired over for Martinelli to get away a thumping shot that the United goalkeeper stopped superbly, before denying the Brazilian’s follow-up.
The early ferocity quickly tapered off in the summer heat with a goalkeeping error bringing the game back to life in the 29th minute.
Heaton played a long ball over to impressive 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo high on the right, who cut inside and laid off to Fernandes. The Portuguese took aim with a hopeful 25-yard strike that all too easily beat Ramsdale.
The Arsenal goalkeeper was again picking the ball out of his net in the 37th minute.
Gabriel’s awful air kick was seized upon by Sancho, who drove through on goal and kept his cool under pressure to rifle into the top corner of the near post beyond Ramsdale.
Antony had attempts to make it three during a heated end to the first half.
Lisandro Martinez was booked after a poor challenge on Saka saw both sides clash and Fernandes pulled furious boss Ten Hag away from officials at half-time.
Amad Diallo was among 10 United introductions at the break but soon limped off through injury.
Arsenal made only one half-time alteration and started well, nearly clawing one back when Eddie Nketiah slammed across the face of goal from a quickly-taken Martin Odegaard free-kick.
The Arsenal captain was left in a heap by Maguire in a tackle that saw him shown yellow, but play had been broken up by swathes of alterations by both teams.
Kai Havertz headed over and Facundo Pellistri missed the target as the clock wound down, Brandon Williams leaping to clear an Emile Smith Rowe header off the line late on.
United followed up their friendly win by triumphing in the subsequent shoot-out.
After months of preparation and anticipation, Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz wait to wet their feet at a second-consecutive Fifa Women’s World Cup, is now over.
They kick off their Group F campaign hopeful of getting their first ever point on the board at the global showpiece, but doing so against an experienced France squad that is well versed in the challenges that the World Cup presents, will by no means be easy.
France obviously enters Sunday’s contest scheduled for 5:00 am Jamaica time, at Sydney Football Stadium as strong favourites with Les Bleues currently fifth in the Fifa rankings, while Lorne Donaldson’s Reggae Girlz sit at number 43.
However, Donaldson would readily tell you that rankings mean very little and while they proudly wear the underdog tag, they are not to be taken lightly.
“We have been training for this match for the last few weeks, obviously France is one of the top five teams in the world, they have been to a few World Cups, and I think they are one of the favourites right now. But our preparation has been good throughout, so hopefully we can come out, put up a good fight and show the world what we can do,” Donaldson said in a pre-game press conference.
“I don’t want to give much away in terms of our tactics, we are going to just come out and adjust to what they are doing and just put up a fight and just figure things out as we go along,” he added.
Though Hervé Renard's French side have picked up six wins from their last eight outings, including wins over Norway, Denmark and Ireland earlier this month, the Reggae Girlz have highlighted their ability to turn up when it matters most.
It is that unpredictability along with the presence of prolific striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw that Donaldson believes will spark some semblance of fear in the opponents.
“I think anytime you get into this (big game) situation there is always pressure. We can say we don’t have nothing to lose, but we still want to play well and make our country proud, and the players feel the same way that they want to get something out of the game. So, I don’t know if France has more pressure than us but there is pressure both ways,” Donaldson opined.
“The French team has a new coach they haven’t played a lot of game under the new coach so we can’t look back at the old France team, some of the players are the same and there are new players and they have played more games than us recently. So, we have to study those games to see how we approach the game. It’s a new enthused and energetic French team, different mentality and different style of play,” he noted.
Though he is yet to confirm his starting team, it is likely that Donaldson and his assistants could lean towards a 4-3-3 formation, which would see Tottenham Hotspurs’ Rebecca Spencer in goal, shadowed by Swaby sisters Chantelle and Allyson in the heart of defence, flanked by Tiernny Wiltshire on the right and Deneisha Blackwood on the left.
Havana Solaun, Drew Spence and Atlanta Primus, could marshal the midfield, while Shaw could possibly be joined by Jody Brown and Cheyna Matthews in the three-pronged attack.
Meanwhile, the England-born Primus, who will be among a number of players making their World Cup debut, pointed out that the team is raring to go.
“We are very much here to play and our primary focus is the game tomorrow against France. I am super excited, we have been working hard to prepare as much as we can for this, so our attention and focus is very much on that,” she said.
“Obviously Bunny is the top striker from last year and she is coming off an incredible season in the WSL, so I think she will enter the tournament with great confidence and for us as a team it is great to have her on our side because it’s a matter of scoring goals to win games so hopefully, she can sparkle,” Primus added.
After France, the Girlz will engage Panama on July 29 and Brazil on August 2.
Jonny Clayton came out on top of a thrilling Betfred World Matchplay semi-final against Luke Humphries.
The Welshman won 17-15 to set up a meeting with Nathan Aspinall in the final.
With very little to separate the two players on the Winter Gardens stage, it was Clayton’s higher checkout percentage that ultimately proved the difference.
The 48-year-old will now go in search of his first premier title since 2021, buoyed by a tough night in Blackpool.
Aspinall, who lost both the Grand Slam and Grand Prix finals last year, will now be aiming to go one better after powering past Joe Cullen.
A 17-9 win showed his superiority, with Cullen’s 148 checkout to break in the seventh leg proving to be a false dawn for the 34-year-old.
Instead, Aspinall pulled clear and never looked like slipping up as he progressed through to Sunday’s final.
The Texas Rangers will be without Corey Seager through at least the end of the month after placing the All-Star shortstop on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a sprained right thumb.
The team hopes it won't be a lengthy stint on the IL after an MRI revealed no structural damage.
“They said probably a week or so with just inflammation in general,” Seager said. “And then kind of pain tolerance from there. So I’m not overly worried about it.”
Seager sustained the injury in Friday's 11-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers when he jammed his hand in an awkward head-first slide to beat out a double in the eighth inning. X-rays after the game were negative.
Friday's loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Rangers, who own a three-game lead over the second-place Houston Astros atop the AL West.
This is Seager's second trip to the IL this season after missing 31 games from mid-April to mid-May with a left hamstring strain.
Seager is hitting .350, which would be good enough to lead the American League in batting, but he doesn't have enough plate appearances to qualify because of his earlier trip to the IL.
Prior to exiting Friday's game, Seager hit his 15th homer of the season and team-leading 29th double - tied for third most in the majors.
Seager, who was selected to his fourth All-Star game earlier this year, is in the second season of a $325million, 10-year deal with the Rangers.
Aston Villa have completed the signing of France winger Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen.
While Villa have not disclosed the fee paid to secure the services of the 24-year-old, it has been widely reported that the club have broken their transfer record.
Diaby has 10 senior France caps but was not part of the squad that reached the World Cup final in Qatar last year.
Having come up through the ranks at hometown club Paris St Germain, Diaby moved to Leverkusen in 2019.
He scored 49 goals in 172 appearances for the Bundesliga side before completing his switch to Villa Park.
Diaby becomes Villa’s third major signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres, as head coach Unai Emery prepares for a first full season at the helm.
Villa completed the deal despite reported interest in Diaby from Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, and he will now form a vital part of a squad that will enter the Europa Conference League having finished seventh in the Premier League last year.
American Brian Harman will take a commanding five-shot lead into the final round of the 151st Open Championship after holding the chasing pack firmly at bay at Royal Liverpool.
Masters champion Jon Rahm claimed he felt “invincible” as he surged through the field with a record-breaking 63, but that adjective could equally apply to Harman as he remained on course for a maiden major title at the age of 36.
As crowd favourites Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy frustratingly failed to fire, Harman recovered from a shaky start to compile a third round of 69 and 12-under-par total of 201.
Compatriot Cameron Young, the runner-up at St Andrews last year, is Harman’s nearest challenger following a 66, with Rahm – seeking the third leg of a career grand slam – another stroke behind.
Fleetwood was part of a five-way tie for fourth on five under which included Ryder Cup team-mate Viktor Hovland and former world number one Jason Day.
Rahm only made the cut with a shot to spare following rounds of 74 and 70, but took advantage of unexpectedly benign conditions to card eight birdies in a flawless 63, just one shot outside the lowest score in major championship history.
The world number three is the first player to shoot lower than 65 in an Open at Hoylake and had closed to within four shots of halfway leader Harman just two minutes before the left-hander got his round under way.
The gap was down to two when Harman dropped shots at the first and fourth, but he responded superbly with birdies on the fifth, ninth, 12th and 13th to maintain the five-shot advantage he held at halfway.
Only two players in history have lost a five-shot lead after 54 holes of the Open, Macdonald Smith in 1925 and Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999.
Rahm compared his 63 to an opening round of 65 at Augusta National in April which set him on course for a second major victory following the 2021 US Open.
“That is the best round I have played on a links course ever,” said Rahm, who followed a birdie on the fifth with four in succession from the ninth before picking up further shots on the 15th, 16th and 18th in a back nine of 30.
“Starting on 11 everything became downwind and it got easier.
“It is my lowest round on a links course and it’s in the Open Championship right? It’s the lowest round shot on this course. It feels really good but there is a lot of work to do.”
Rahm had cut a frustrated figure over the first two days, complaining about too many people being inside the ropes following his group with McIlroy and Justin Rose.
“To be fair, I look frustrated very often,” Rahm joked.
“I was playing good golf and I knew what I was capable of. I was frustrated because it was basically mistakes that I made. That was it. I gave up the shots at major championships that are very costly, and that’s mainly it.
“I knew my swing and my game felt better than the scores I was shooting. Today was the complete opposite, obviously.
“Today was one of those days where I felt invincible. I’ve been very comfortable from the tee, so it’s easier to stay aggressive.”
McIlroy, who triumphed at Hoylake in 2014, had made the ideal start with birdies on the first, third and fifth, but covered the remaining 13 holes in one over par to card a disappointing 69.
The world number two, who had cancelled his formal pre-tournament press conference for the second major in succession on Tuesday, declined to speak to waiting reporters and headed straight to the practice putting green.
McIlroy ended the day as he started it, nine behind Harman, while Fleetwood fell two shots further back following a 71 containing one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars.
England’s Alex Fitzpatrick equalled the previous lowest Open score at Hoylake with a superb 65 to climb into the top 10 on four under, two shots better off than older brother and 2022 US Open champion Matt, who returned a 67.
Marcus Trescothick praised Joe Root’s “golden arm” for moving England one step closer to victory in the fourth Test, but admitted their Ashes hopes are at the mercy of the Manchester weather.
England dominated the first three days at Emirates Old Trafford but saw their attempts to level the series 2-2 dented on Saturday, with 60 overs lost to rain.
Plenty more was predicted on day five, meaning time was likely to be tight as they make a final push for the line with Australia 61 behind on 214 for five.
England managed just one wicket in the solitary session on day four, with Root’s part-time spin prising out Marnus Labuschagne for 111 after the pace bowlers were withdrawn due to bad light.
It was a crucial moment, ending a century stand with Mitch Marsh (31no) and giving the hardy crowd something to celebrate after a day of disappointment.
“Joe’s a little bit of a golden arm, isn’t he? He just finds a way,” said Trescothick.
“He just has that ability to come in with a little spell now and again and just pick up one or two wickets. He has a good knack of doing that. He bowls the odd delivery that really surprises people.
“It’s a big, big player out of the way and it’s one less person that we have to knock over, which is important.”
With England chasing the game, there is no dodging the dire weather that threatens to rob a memorable series of a fitting decider at the Oval next week. And Australia have made it clear they will not entertain the idea of setting up a positive result on day five.
Labuschagne appeared baffled by the mere suggestion that his side could push for a lead and try to take all 10 wickets, with his eyes firmly on the prize of retaining the urn.
“No chance, zero,” he said of his side’s ambitions to win the match.
“I think we’re just going to let it pay out, get bowled out when we do. I don’t think we’re going to give England a sniff…that’s exactly what they’d like.”
Trescothick was part of the 2005 Ashes Test at the same ground which went all the way to the final ball of the game as Australia finished nine down to salvage a draw and would be happy to go the distance again.
“Of course we are, we’d wait till 12 o’clock tomorrow night if we could,” he said.
“But we can’t control what we turn up to. If we get a full day’s play I think we’d be very confident in what we can try and do and push for a result.
“We’re looking at everything, as you can imagine. Everyone’s got a different (weather app) on their phones, lots of different ones on computers knocking around and unfortunately, they’re all pretty much saying the same thing at the moment: rain.
“We’ll wait and see. Any opportunity that we can get out in the middle tomorrow we will be grabbing with both hands.”
Sunday’s meeting at the Curragh must survive a 7.30am precautionary inspection due to the threat of heavy rain.
Saturday’s meeting began in decent conditions but by the time of the Juddmonte Irish Oaks, subsequently won in dramatic style by Savethelastdance, heavy rain had begun to fall.
It continued until the conclusion of the card and as a result the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board officials thought it was best to call an inspection to be on the safe side.
Brendan Sheridan, IHRB clerk of the course said: “We have had persistent heavy rain since the Irish Oaks earlier today and having spoken with Met Éireann, they are a bit unsure about how much further rain will fall at the Curragh overnight and into tomorrow.
“They said we could get anything from 8mm up to 15mm or more, it is just a bit uncertain at the moment. However, the track is currently raceable but we will hold a precautionary inspection at 7.30am tomorrow morning.”
Lewis Hamilton said he held his breath for the 76.6 seconds it took him to capture his first pole position in 595 days for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion held off Red Bull foe Max Verstappen by just three thousandths of a second as he danced his Mercedes to top spot in an exhilarating qualifying session at the Hungaroring.
Lando Norris finished third following another impressive afternoon for the rising McLaren star, one spot ahead of his team-mate Oscar Piastri. George Russell managed only 18th on a day to forget for the Mercedes man.
Hamilton’s one-lap triumph here – described as a work of art by his old rival Nico Rosberg – is his first since the penultimate fixture of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia, 33 races ago.
The following round in Abu Dhabi – where Hamilton was denied a record eighth world title by Michael Masi’s controversial refereeing – marked the last time he started a race from the front row. Verstappen began from pole on that contentious evening in the desert. On Sunday, it will be Hamilton’s turn.
Hamilton roared with delight over the team radio before holding his head in his hands and then saluting the raucous crowd as he stood on top of the front-right tyre of the Mercedes machine which carried him to his ninth pole in Hungary and 104th in all. A cursory handshake for Verstappen followed.
“I’ve lost my voice from shouting so much in the car,” said Hamilton, moments after stepping out of his cockpit.
In the official press conference reserved for the top-three drivers, Hamilton added: “I forgot what it feels like to sit in this spot. He (Verstappen) has been hogging it for a while.
“I don’t think I breathed for the whole lap, I held my breath. I was so out of breath at the end. It is an extraordinary feeling.
“I have not been here for such a long time. Even with the success I have had before, and this is my 104th pole, it feels like the first. It is hard to explain how special it feels.”
Hamilton trailed Verstappen by 0.126 sec prior to the concluding runs. But he usurped the Dutch driver, who failed to improve on his last lap, with his final throw of the dice. He was the last man to cross the line.
“I witnessed those special moments and the days he used to have, and today was one of those,” said Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the 2016 title.
“That lap is like perfection, it is art. Only Lewis Hamilton can do that.”
Hamilton has won more times in Hungary than anybody else, and claimed his first victory in Mercedes colours at this venue a decade ago.
“Last year we were nowhere,” said Hamilton. “I have always had belief that if we apply ourselves the right way we would get there, and it was just a question of how long that would be?
“But we started this season with the twin sister or twin brother of the previous year’s car. It felt identical and that was worrying.
“When you lose that confidence you shed a lot of time. I had no confidence in the car. It was so nervous, and it felt like I was treading on eggshells.
“I started out this season with very little confidence, but bit-by-bit I got the thing on the right tracks, so the confidence has finally come back.
“We have been on this journey of undoing the wrong decisions we have taken and it has taken far longer than we hoped, but we are starting to see those benefits.”
Converting his 104th pole into his 104th victory will not be an easy task for Hamilton. Verstappen has won eight of the 10 rounds so far and his Red Bull team are unbeaten this season.
“We tend to have decent race pace,” concluded Hamilton. “Max’s race pace yesterday in practice was quite extraordinary. They were quicker than us.
“But if there is a way to hold position then maybe there is a fighting chance for us. I am as keen as I am to win tomorrow as I did for my first win in Montreal in 2007.”
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