Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes the Silver Arrows' struggles at Spa will spur them on at the Dutch Grand Prix next time out. 

Wolff's team endured a torrid time at last Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton crashing out of the race after being sent airborne by a collision with Fernando Alonso approaching the Les Combes chicane.

Team-mate George Russell, meanwhile, was beaten to third spot by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who followed Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez home.

Spa represents the first time both Mercedes drivers have missed out on the podium since May's Monaco Grand Prix, but Wolff says the disappointment will drive them on in Zandvoort.

"Belgium was a challenging weekend for us as a team, but those weekends are the ones that really fire you up and make you dig deeper," he said.

"There were such big extremes across the weekend; from the pace differences on Saturday and Sunday, to the difficult first lap for Lewis and George's late charge for a podium.

"We've been working hard to understand our Spa struggles and thankfully we don't have long to wait until we can utilise and maximise those learnings. 

"What will make the difference for the rest of this season is how quickly and effectively we can continue learning, to deliver our best performance this year and next.

"The Dutch Grand Prix is next, and it was a real party atmosphere last year. It's an interesting, old-school track with sweeping bends, banked corners and a lot of character.

"So, we're excited to be back there and to take on the circuit's challenges with this year's car."

Mercedes are 159 points adrift of Red Bull at the top of the constructors' standings with eight races of the 2022 campaign remaining, while Russell and Hamilton sit fifth and sixth, respectively, in the drivers' championship.

Team-BikeExchange-Jayco leader Simon Yates was forced to withdraw from the Vuelta a Espana due to COVID-19, though team-mate Kaden Groves took the stage 11 win on Wednesday.

The 2018 Vuelta winner Yates was in fifth place after the first 10 stages of this year's race but has had to pull out, just as he did in the Giro d'Italia earlier this year due to a knee injury.

Ninth-placed Ineos Grenadiers rider Pavel Sivakov was also required to withdraw after returning a positive coronavirus test.

Groves put a positive spin on the day for Yates' team, though, securing the win in Cabo de Gata after seeing off competition in a bunch sprint, finishing ahead of Danny van Poppel of Bora-Hansgrohe and Tim Merlier of Alpecin-Deceuninck.

"It feels fantastic," Groves said. "This morning with the news of Simon going positive for COVID-19, all the boys were disappointed. It's the best way to bounce back after such bad news."

The 23-year-old became the first BikeExchange rider to win a La Vuelta stage since Yates in 2018.

Elsewhere, world road champion Julian Alaphilippe's competition is over after he was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone following a crash.

It leaves Alaphilippe's defence of his title at next month's World Championships in Wollongong in doubt.

Evenepoel maintains gap at the top

Remco Evenepoel is the first under-23 rider to lead La Vuelta for six or more stages since Dietrich Thurau in 1976 (six).

The gap to the lead remained unchanged as none of the frontrunners in the general classification troubled the stage leaders on Wednesday.

STAGE RESULT

1. Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco) 5:03:14
2. Danny van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) same time
3. Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Deceuninck) same time
4. Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) same time
5. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 39:39:04
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +2:41
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +3:03

Points Classification

1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 184
2. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 85
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 81

King of the Mountains

1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 21
3. Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 17

Wesley Fofana took aim at Brendan Rodgers after sealing his move to Chelsea, accusing the Leicester City manager of looking to "expose" him in recent weeks.

Fofana completed his long-awaited move to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, signing a seven-year contract after a deal in the region of £75million was struck.

Leicester rejected multiple bids from Chelsea before their demands were met, and the build-up to the defender's departure was not entirely amicable.

Fofana was made to train with Leicester's under-23 squad after professing his desire to join Chelsea, with Rodgers declaring he was "not in the right frame of mind" to play for Leicester.

Rodgers also unfavourably compared Fofana's attitude to that of Harry Maguire, who left Leicester for Manchester United in 2019, stating: "Harry, in terms of his behaviour and his focus for the club, he was fantastic right until the last minute, then he moved on. It was different."

In a message addressing Leicester's supporters on Wednesday, Fofana hit out at "false and misleading comments" made by his former club.

"During these two seasons here, I have probably experienced the most intense moments of my young football career. I have grown as a player but also as a man," he wrote on Instagram.

"Thank you to you, Foxes fans, for your kindness and your constant support, even in the moments you were led to believe I didn't respect the club.

"I chose not to communicate during this transfer window despite all the criticism and all the often false and misleading comments, even when they were coming from the club. I understood and I learned. 

"I didn't want to damage the image of the institution and I chose to take it rather than answer. I thank Top [chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha] for his understanding.

"Thanks to the managers, to the coach who has always appreciated me, even if he chose to expose me a lot lately... I got it, coach.

"There were ups and downs but I never cheated, you can be sure of that."

Fofana could be in line to make his Chelsea debut when they host West Ham on Saturday, with Thomas Tuchel's team having gone down 2-1 to Southampton last time out.

Thomas Tuchel has been fined £20,000 and warned about his future conduct over comments made about referee Anthony Taylor following Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

The Football Association (FA) has imposed the sanction on the Blues boss, who was left incensed by what he deemed as errors from the Manchester official during the clash at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

Tuchel claimed neither of Tottenham's goals should have stood, insisting Richarlison blocked Edouard Mendy's line of sight from an offside position when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg first levelled, before Cristian Romero pulled Marc Cucurella's hair in the build-up to Harry Kane's late equaliser.

The German, who also received a one-match touchline ban following an altercation with Spurs boss Antonio Conte, later said "it would be better" if Taylor no longer officiated his team's matches.

"I can assure you the whole dressing room of us, every single person, thinks that," he said during his post-match press conference.

A statement from the FA read: "An independent Regulatory Commission has ordered Chelsea FC's Thomas Tuchel to be fined £20,000 and warned about his future conduct for breaching FA Rule E3.1 during a post-match press conference on Sunday 14 August 2022.

"The manager admitted that his comments after their Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur FC constitute improper conduct as they imply bias, question the integrity of the match referee, and bring the game into disrepute."

Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has confirmed via social media he suffered a jaw injury at the hands of burglars on Sunday.

Aubameyang has been linked to a move to Premier League side Chelsea before Thursday's transfer deadline, but it remains to be seen whether this injury affects any potential deal.

It is reported that Aubameyang was assaulted by a group of armed intruders, who threatened his wife and two children, with The Times claiming the former Arsenal forward had been held at gunpoint.

Aubameyang confirmed the injury through social media, saying via Twitter: "On Sunday night, some violent cowards broke into our home and threatened my family and my children, just to steal some stuff.

"They injured my jaw but I will recover in no time, and thank God no one else was physically harmed.

"The feeling that we are no longer safe in our own home is hard to understand and describe, but as a family, we will overcome this and stand stronger than ever."

The resumption of the Formula One season last weekend resulted in a rather strange race in Belgium, with many out-of-position drivers due to various penalties.

Not that it mattered to Max Verstappen though, who worked his way through the pack to secure victory having started 14th on the grid – extending his lead in the title race to 93 points.

With such a strong grip on the title, a far-cry from the events last year in his fierce battle with Lewis Hamilton, attention for many has already started to shift towards the 2023 season.

Seats for next year are still yet to be fully decided and there are plenty of big names in the mix, including Daniel Ricciardo after his exit from McLaren was announced prior to the last race.

For Verstappen though, there's still plenty to achieve. A victory on home soil in the Netherlands this weekend would see the Red Bull ace become the first driver to win back-to-back races at Zandvoort since James Hunt in 1975 and 1976.

Another win would also be his 10th of the season, equalling the tally he achieved last year in his maiden title win. With nine wins from 14 races, Verstappen's win percentage of 64.3 is the highest in F1 history.

Ferrari's race regrets

Ferrari have achieved eight pole positions in F1 this season, the most since the nine secured in 2019. Prior to that, the highest they achieved was 12 in 2004. For Charles Leclerc, his seven poles equal his best-ever return, which he set in 2019.

While the qualifying has yielded success, the races have not and Leclerc's title push has suffered as a result – with just one podium finish in the last nine rounds, having started the season with four podiums in five races.

Now third in the standings and 98 points behind Verstappen, Leclerc and Ferrari may well be wondering what might have been.

Alpine and McLaren fight

After a week in front of the FIA hearing on the tussle surrounding Oscar Piastri, Alpine and McLaren's fight will return to the track as they compete for the 'best of the rest' tag in F1 beneath Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.

Alpine have a 20-point advantage in the constructor's standings, capitalising in Belgium with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon finishing fifth and sixth respectively, while both McLarens finished outside the points.

That marked the fourth race in a row that Alpine saw both drivers finish inside the top 10, with McLaren at a disadvantage given Ricciardo's struggles in 2022.

Juventus youngster Nicolo Rovella has joined fellow Serie A side Monza on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 20-year-old midfielder had been used as a late substitution in each of Juve's opening three league games this campaign.

However, the Bianconeri announced on Wednesday that Rovella will now link up with Monza for the next nine months.

Italy Under-21 international Rovella was signed by Juventus in a deal worth a reported €20million in January 2021 and remained with Genoa for the second half of last season.

He has made 46 appearances in the Italian top flight, 29 of those being starts, and has assisted five goals.

Roma have completed the signing of Olympiacos midfielder Mady Camara on a season-long loan deal with the option to buy.

The Guinea international is the seventh arrival at the Stadio Olimpico during this transfer window, following in the footsteps of Nemanja Matic, Mile Svilar, Zeki Celik, Paulo Dybala, Georginio Wijnaldum and Andrea Belotti.

Camara, who will wear the number 20 for the Giallorossi, spent four seasons with Olympiacos, winning three league titles.

The 25-year-old was linked with a host of clubs across Europe in this window but is now looking forward to his new challenge with Roma.

"I am very happy to be here," Camara told the club's official website. "Roma represents a great opportunity for me.

"It will be a challenging season, between cups and the league, but I am here to give my contribution and help the team in every competition in which we participate.

"Seeing the Olimpico and the Giallorossi fans was magnificent; I can't wait to play for them."

Camara could make his Roma debut when the Giallorossi travel to Udinese in Serie A on Sunday.

RedBird Capital Partners on Wednesday completed a €1.2billion takeover of Serie A champions Milan.

It was confirmed in June that RedBird had agreed a deal to acquire Milan from Elliott.

The American private investment firm is now officially the owner of the Rossoneri, with Yankee Global Enterprises (YGE), the owner of the New York Yankees, entering into strategic partnership and acquiring a minority equity stake in the club.

Gerry Cardinale, RedBird founder and managing partner, said: "Our vision for Milan is clear: we will support our talented players, coaches and staff to deliver success on the pitch and allow our fans to share in the extraordinary experiences of this historic club. 

"We will look to leverage our global sports and media network, our analytics expertise, our track record in sports stadium developments and hospitality to deliver one goal – maintaining Milan’s place at the summit of European and world football."

RedBird’s portfolio of global sports and entertainment investments includes Fenway Sports Group (the owner of Liverpool, the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Penguins), Ligue 1 club Toulouse and Indian Premier League franchise the Rajasthan Royals.

On the partnership with YGE, Cardinale said: "We have a multi-decade relationship with the New York Yankees and the Steinbrenner family that has resulted in the creation of some of the most successful businesses in sports, entertainment and hospitality. 

"We are very pleased to continue our partnership with them and will look to explore opportunities together to broaden our fan reach and expand commercial opportunities that are only available to franchises that operate at the highest levels of sports globally."

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has revealed his surprise at the departure of former team-mate Casemiro to Manchester United.

The Brazil international ended his nine-year stay at the Santiago Bernabeu when he swapped LaLiga for the Premier League earlier this month for a reported fee of £60million (€70m).

Casemiro, who made his United debut as a substitute during Saturday's 1-0 win at Southampton, enjoyed a trophy-laden stint alongside Kroos in the heart of Los Blancos' midfield.

Together, they won four Champions League crowns and two league titles, and the 30-year-old's decision to leave the Spanish capital was one that came out of the blue, according to Kroos.

Speaking on his podcast Einfach mal Luppen, Kroos said: "The decision surprised me to do that. He has made the decision for himself to do something new again.

"He's 30 and knows for sure that he won't need to do that in two or three years. There were more and more reports, it somehow got hotter.

"In the beginning, I would not have expected it at all, I thought it was just a rumour at first. But there are one or two newspapers here that are a bit better informed.

"As more and more people reported and talked about details, I was awake at three or four o'clock at night when I was sick. Then I just wrote to him [asking] if he would really leave me alone."

England have named an unchanged squad for next week's third Test against South Africa at The Oval.

After losing the first Test, England hit back in style in the second to win by an innings and 85 runs at Old Trafford and level the series.

Opener Zak Crawley's place had been under threat, but an important 38 in Manchester proved enough to keep him in contention for the decider.

Ollie Robinson also retains his place after a successful return to the England squad, having not previously played for his country since the Ashes in January.

England Test squad to play South Africa (third Test): 

Ben Stokes (Durham, captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Jack Leach (Somerset), Alex Lees (Durham), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire).

Chelsea have completed the signing of defender Wesley Fofana from Leicester City for a fee in the region of £75million.

The France Under-21 international has put pen to paper on a massive seven-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Fofana becomes the latest in a series of recruits for Thomas Tuchel during a busy transfer window, with Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella already key men.

The new centre-back had been training with Leicester's under-23 squad after making his intentions of joining Chelsea clear as Brendan Rodgers said he was not in the right frame of mind to play in a 2-1 Premier League defeat away to the London club on Saturday.

Leicester reportedly rejected three bids from Chelsea for Fofana, but the Blues finally got their man on Wednesday.

"The two last days have been really big days for me and I'm very happy," Fofana said.

"I trained this morning with the team and it's a dream for me. I'm very excited to start playing games for the fans and the club.

"I'm here to win trophies – the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, everything. I came here to win and the club is built to win trophies, so I'm here to continue that."

The 21-year-old missed most of last season after suffering a broken leg and medial ligament damage during a pre-season friendly against Valencia.

Fofana made 28 appearances in the previous campaign as Leicester narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification.

Erik ten Hag has reiterated Cristiano Ronaldo remains part of his plans at Manchester United as the transfer window draws to a close.

Ronaldo has started just once under the former Ajax head coach this season and has failed to impress in his substitute appearances.

The Portugal great was United's top scorer on his return to Old Trafford last term, but they slumped to a disappointing sixth-placed finish and missed out on qualification for the Champions League.

Ronaldo – the competition's record marksman – has reportedly been keen to return to the Champions League in this window, with links to several clubs, including Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Napoli and Atletico Madrid.

A move is yet to materialise, though, and the deadline is looming on Thursday.

When asked whether Ronaldo would remain with United ahead of their trip to Leicester City earlier on Thursday, manager Ten Hag replied: "It is clear. We need quality players and you need more to cover all the games to keep the consistency going. That's what we strive for.

"We still need to strengthen the offensive department because we have many games to cover."

United are close to completing the signing of Ajax winger Antony in a deal that cause rise to £85.6million (€100m), having already announced an agreement, while Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is reportedly set to arrive on loan.

Although he will remain alert, Ten Hag believes Antony and Dubravka would mark the final incomings of the window, with the Dutchman also confirming Aaron Wan-Bissaka will remain at the club despite speculation linking Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest with a move to Old Trafford.

"I think so for this window, it will be the end [no more transfers after Dubravka]," Ten Hag added. "But when there is a great opportunity, you always have to be alert as a top club.

"Aaron will stay. This squad will go from September to a minimum January."