The Belgian Grand Prix was called off at a rain-soaked Spa after just two laps, though that was still enough racing for Max Verstappen to claim a victory that cuts Lewis Hamilton's championship lead.
Heavy downpours ruined Formula One's return after the mid-season break, with the start delayed by over three hours after Sergio Perez had crashed while making his way out onto the grid.
Eventually the cars did get out onto the track with the plan to stage a one-hour race amid time constraints, only for the red flag to again be waved after the field had tip-toed around behind the safety car.
However, having managed to successfully get around the circuit twice, a final result was declared with half points awarded.
Having claimed pole position in qualifying on Saturday, Verstappen was awarded the victory, his sixth of a hugely impressive 2021 campaign for Red Bull.
Hamilton, meanwhile, had to settle for third place, behind fellow Briton George Russell. It means the reigning world champion leads the driver standings by just three points with 10 rounds to go.
"It's a win but not how you want to win. Today a big credit goes to all the fans around the track for staying here the whole day in the rain, the cold, windy conditions. They are actually the bigger winners today," Verstappen said.
Racing had already been pushed back from the scheduled start of 15:00 local time (14:00 BST) when Perez provided a further complication. The Red Bull driver lost control in the tricky conditions and skidded into a barrier. Unable to reverse out, he climbed out and appeared set to be out of the race.
But, with his team having time to work on the damage amid the lengthy stoppage, the Mexican was cleared by race director Michael Masi to resume from the pit lane.
In the end, the entire grid returned from the pits behind the safety car to try and get under way, only for the red flag to be waved again. Not long after, it was confirmed racing had been stopped, bringing a rather damp and disappointing end to proceedings.
Rafal Majka produced an impressive solo effort to claim a comfortable victory on stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espana.
The UAE-Team Emirates rider went solo with 87 kilometres of the 197.5km route from Navalmoral de la Mata to El Barraco remaining and held off a chase led by Steven Kruijswijk.
Majka finished one minute and 27 seconds ahead of Jumbo-Visma's Kruijswijk for his first stage win in four years, with Chris Hamilton of Team DSM taking third.
"Sometimes you try and it's not easy to to get in break, but today I tried from the start," Majka said. "I didn't wait for nobody today.
"I wanted to win the stage. I wanted to win for my father and my two two kids. I only thought of one thing.
"I had a bad start to the season and it wasn't easy for me and my family, especially when my father died. I wanted to win for him, for my kids and for my great team UAE Team Emirates."
There was no change in terms of the general classification standings on Sunday as race leader Odd Christian Eiking retained his 54s lead on Guillaume Martin, while two-time defending champion Primoz Roglic remains third.
However, there was some drama as Adam Yates jumped ahead of the peloton to snatch 15s on Eiking and the rest of the chasing pack in the battle for the red jersey.
INEOS Grenadiers rider Jonathan Narvaez abandoned the race midway through and Jonathan Caicedo did not start as they joined fellow Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz in dropping out.
STAGE RESULT
1. Rafal Majka (UAE-Team Emirates) 04:51:36
2. Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) +1:27
3. Chris Hamilton (Team DSM) +2:19
4. Adam Yates (INEOS Grenadiers) +2:42
5. Giulio Ciccone (Trek - Segafredo) +2:57
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 59:57:50
2. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +0:54
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:36
Points Classification
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 200
2. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education–Nippo) 114
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 108
King of the Mountains
1. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 50
2. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) 31
3. Rafal Majka (UAE-Team Emirates) 29
What's next?
After a much-needed day of rest, the riders go again on Tuesday with a flat 180km stretch from Laredo to Santo Cruz de Bezana. It is the last clear stage for the sprinters, so expect a mass sprint for the finish line.
Fabio Quartararo stretched his lead at the top of the MotoGP standings on Sunday with a controlled victory at the British Grand Prix.
Having qualified third at Silverstone, the Monster Energy Yamaha rider surged to the front early on and led superbly to claim an 18th podium finish in the top category, level with Christian Sarron for the most achieved by a Frenchman.
Quartararo has finished in the points for 13 consecutive races – surpassing the previous career high of 12 that he achieved in MotoGP2 in 2018 – and he now leads the championship by 65 points from Joan Mir, who climbed to second.
Valentino Rossi, chasing a double-century of podium finishes and a fifth in six races at Silverstone, finished down in 16th.
This race has turned into one dominated by Spanish riders, who have won six of the most recent 10, but the chasing cohort could not put French star Quartararo under enough pressure in overcast conditions in Northamptonshire.
Brothers Pol and Aleix Espargaro were locked in a tussle for first from the off as the former fought determinedly to avoid a third-straight outing without a points finish, something he last endured three years ago.
However, once Quartararo put his extra pace to good use on lap five and built a three-second advantage, the leader never looked under threat.
Alex Rins, winner of this race in 2019, picked off Pol Espargaro on lap eight and took second, but Suzuki Ecstar team-mate Mir could not do likewise and eventually limped through in ninth.
Aprilia celebrated their first MotoGP podium as Aleix Espargaro just held off the challenge of Jack Miller for third, the Australian at least collecting points at the British GP for just the second time.
It proved an historic race as, for the first time in MotoGP, there were six different manufacturers in the top six.
TOP 10
1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha)
2. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +2.663s
3. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +4.105s
4. Jack Miller (Ducati) +4.254s
5. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +8.462s
6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +12.189s
7. Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM) +13.560s
8. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda) +14.044s
9. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +16.226s
10. Danilo Petrucci (Tech 3 KTM) +16.287s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders
1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 206
2. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) 141
3. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) 137
4. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 136
5. Jack Miller (Ducati) 118
Teams
1. Monster Energy Yamaha 301
2. Ducati 254
3. Pramac Racing 205
4. Suzuki Ecstar 205
5. Red Bull KTM 199
Novak Djokovic is a strong favourite to become only the third man to complete a calendar Grand Slam and make history at the US Open.
Djokovic has won all three majors this year and can complete a 2021 clean sweep at Flushing Meadows.
The irrepressible world number one would also go beyond Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – both absent due to injury – with 21 grand slam singles titles if he triumphs in New York.
There will be no elusive record-equalling 24th major singles crown for Serena Williams, who has not recovered from the hamstring injury she suffered at Wimbledon.
With Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka the leading contenders to take the women's singles title, Stats Perform use Opta data to preview the final grand slam of the year.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES FOR DOMINANT DJOKOVIC
Djokovic was thrown out of the US Open last year after accidentally hitting a line judge in the throat with a tennis ball.
The 34-year-old arrived in New York in far better spirits than when he left last September, having taken on all comers this year.
Djokovic missed out on a Golden Slam when he failed to win Olympic gold in Tokyo, but he could join Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) as the only men to win all four majors in the same year.
Maureen Connolly (1953), Margaret Court (970) and Steffi Graf (1988) are the only women to achieve the incredible feat.
BARTY TO GO BACK-TO-BACK?
Barty became the first Australian woman to win a Wimbledon singles title for 41 years in July.
Not since Williams in 2012 has a player claimed back-to-back women's singles major crowns in the same year, but Barty could take some stopping.
She could become the ninth woman in the Open Era to win Wimbledon and the US Open in the same season.
Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Serena Williams can boast that achievement.
OSAKA BACK TO DEFEND TITLE
Japanese sensation Osaka won her third grand slam title at Flushing Meadows last September and went on to add a fourth at the Australian Open this year.
Osaka returns to grand slam action for the first time since withdrawing from the French Open, citing struggles with her mental health.
The world number three could be the first woman to win consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams claimed three in a row from 2012 to 2014.
Osaka is the only woman to win at least one major title over the past four seasons, winning the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, as well as the US Open in 2018 and last year.
ZVEREV BIDS TO BANISH PAINFUL MEMORIES
Alexander Zverev was beaten by Dominic Thiem in his maiden grand slam final in New York last year after the German had been two sets up.
He will not have to face Thiem this time around as the defending champion is sidelined due to injury.
Zverev was the only player to serve 100 or more aces during the tournament last year, firing down 131 but also racking up more double faults (64) than anyone else.
The world number four won his fourth title of the year in Cincinnati last week but Djokovic is undoubtedly the man to beat at Flushing Meadows.
The New York Yankees' 13-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Oakland Athletics in MLB, beaten 3-2.
The Yankees were riding their best winning streak since a 13-game run in 1961, having reached 15 in a row in 1960 and 19 in succession in 1947.
But the Yankees crashed back down to earth on Saturday as the A's snapped their six-game skid in the process, despite Aaron Judge's two-run homer in the ninth.
Frankie Montas fuelled the A's with seven shut-out innings, while Matt Chapman homered for the hosts in Oakland.
Ohtani celebrates another feat
Shohei Ohtani became the first Los Angeles Angels and Japanese-born player with a 40-home run and 20-stolen base season after helping his team rout the San Diego Padres 10-2. Ohtani – who already leads the majors with 41 homers – reached the mark with his 20th stolen base in 2021. According to Stats Perform, he is the third American League (AL) player with 40-plus home runs and 20-plus stolen bases before September, joining Alex Rodriguez (2007) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1999).
The Chicago Cubs blanked city rivals the Chicago White Sox 7-0 behind home runs from Patrick Wisdom and Alec Mills, and a Rafael Ortega grand slam.
The Kansas City Royals prevailed 4-2 against the Seattle Mariners after Salvador Perez homered for the fourth straight game.
Brault battered by Cardinals
The less said about Steven Brault's performance, the better after the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was put to the sword by the St Louis Cardinals in a 13-0 humbling. Brault was crushed by the Cardinals, giving up eight hits, seven runs and two walks in three innings. He fell apart in the third inning after allowing five runs on six hits.
Clutch Martinez
J.D. Martinez hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox past the Cleveland Indians 5-3.
Saturday's results
Boston Red Sox 5-3 Cleveland Indians
Oakland Athletics 3-2 New York Yankees
Kansas City Royals 4-2 Seattle Mariners
Philadelphia Phillies 7-0 Arizona Diamondbacks
Miami Marlins 6-1 Cincinnati Reds
Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros 5-2 Texas Rangers
St Louis Cardinals 13-0 Pittsburgh Pirates
Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 Baltimore Orioles
Chicago Cubs 7-0 Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins 6-4 Milwaukee Brewers
New York Mets 5-3 Washington Nationals
San Francisco Giants 5-0 Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Angels 10-2 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 Colorado Rockies
Rays at Orioles
Now the hottest team in baseball after the Yankees' defeat, the AL East-leading Rays (81-48) visit the Orioles (40-88) riding a six-game winning streak. Chris Archer is set to start for the Rays, while Baltimore's Spenser Watkins toes the mound.
Novak Djokovic has history in his sights as he begins his US Open quest; after three grand slam titles in 2021, a fourth beckons at Flushing Meadows.
Rod Laver was the last man to achieve a sweep of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open singles in the same year, all the way back in 1969.
Steffi Graf won all four on the women's side in 1988, and it seemed a knock-in that Serena Williams would do likewise in 2015 when she headed to the US Open with three majors already bagged.
But winning any title at that level is never easy, and Williams famously came unstuck when she faced Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals.
Djokovic will be mindful that what seems an inevitability to the outside world remains very much still only a possibility. After his US Open tribulations last year, and a recent jolt at the Olympics, he will know anything can happen.
Here, Stats Perform looks at how Djokovic's situation at Flushing Meadows carries most of the hallmarks of Serena's own position as she headed into the tournament six years ago.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SLAMS
It was not always this way, but Djokovic has reached the point in his career when he can choose targets, decide which records he wants to break, and throw everything at those goals.
At the start of the year in Australia, he savoured triumphing at Melbourne Park for a ninth time and pointed to how Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Williams and Margaret Court had achieved so much.
"They've made history already," Djokovic said. "They made a tremendous mark in our sport. I'm trying to build that and develop that myself in a very unique, authentic way that is suitable to me.
"Whether I think about winning more slams and breaking records, of course. Of course, I do. And most of my attention and my energy from this day forward, until I retire from tennis, is going to be directed in majors, trying to win more major trophies."
It had very clear echoes of Williams in 2015, also in Australia, setting out her own ambitions for the year and specifically targeting the French Open and Wimbledon.
"Those are the two I really have my eye on, because I would like to do better at those. And I know I can do better," she said.
Williams set her heart and mind on that twin challenge and won both.
"I definitely am not going to play as much this year, and I'm just going to go for everything when I do play," said Williams.
BUILDING UP
When Williams reached New York in August 2015, she had delivered a 48-2 win-loss record for the season, landing each of the majors alongside the Miami Open and the Western and Southern Open. Petra Kvitova in Madrid and Belinda Bencic in Toronto had been the only two players to get the better of the 33-year-old Williams.
Djokovic has a 38-5 record for the year, albeit it has the feel of a more dominant year for the 34-year-old Serbian. Two of those losses came at the Olympics, in a semi-final and bronze medal match, and the other three came in his first three events on clay, losing to Dan Evans in Monte Carlo, Aslan Karatsev in Belgrade and Nadal in Rome.
When it mattered on clay, though, Djokovic majorly turned up in Paris, gutsily beating Lorenzo Musetti from two sets down in the fourth round, ending Nadal's streak of four Roland Garros titles by sinking the Spaniard in the semi-finals, and then leaving Stefanos Tsitsipas devastated in the final, with another fightback after dropping the first two sets.
Wimbledon followed, and Djokovic by then was openly targeting a Golden Slam – each major and the Olympic title.
Much like with Williams and her loss to Bencic in the Toronto semi-finals six years ago, however, Djokovic showed he was fallible as history beckoned. From a set up, he lost to Alexander Zverev at Tokyo 2020, a blow that was compounded by missing out on bronze when Pablo Carreno Busta sprang another shock.
HISTORY CAN BE A FIERCE OPPONENT
Williams and Djokovic have won non-calendar Grand Slams before, winning four in succession spanning two seasons.
Williams first achieved that from the French Open in 2002 to the Australian Open in 2003, and in 2015 she was aiming for five slams in a row at the US Open, having begun her dominant streak at her home grand slam the previous year.
She won the first set of the semi-final against Vinci, the world number 43, but was then second best to the Italian, with Williams saying her conqueror "played literally out of her mind".
But the disappointment was stark, underlined by Williams' terse response to the question of how disappointed she felt by the result.
"I don't want to talk about how disappointing it is for me," she said. "If you have any other questions, I'm open for that."
The four-in-a-row feat has only been performed once by Djokovic, from Wimbledon in 2015 to the French Open in 2016. Had he not been disqualified during the US Open last year for carelessly hitting a ball that struck a line judge, he would most likely currently be on a four-slam streak.
Those who win the first three slams of the year often do complete the set, but there are four instances of singles players falling one short by failing in the year's last major.
Before Williams, the most recent case was Martina Navratilova in 1984, when the imperious left-hander headed to the Australian Open – then played at the end of the year rather than the start – in pursuit of the Grand Slam. She lost to Helena Sukova in the semi-finals, and said: "If I'd have won, I'd have done it all. If I lost I had to start from scratch. Both are hard to cope with."
Navratilova had won 74 consecutive matches until that loss and ended the season with a 78-2 record.
In the men's game, Jack Crawford (1933) and Lew Hoad (1956) also fell short, both losing in finals of the US National Championships, the tournament that became the US Open. Don Budge (1938) and Laver (1962 and 1969) are the only men to have won a calendar Grand Slam in singles.
The weight of expectation is immense for Djokovic as he pursues what would be his crowning glory, not only sealing the Grand Slam but reaching 21 majors, one ahead of Nadal and Federer and into the outright lead in the men's game. The prospect cannot be ignored, and it will be a heavy burden to carry over the coming fortnight.
As Djokovic said on Friday: "I would be lying if I said that’s not something that I’m thinking about or that my attention is not going that way.
"I’m very motivated to play my best tennis. But I have to hit one ball at a time, as they say, try to be in the moment, have a guiding star in a way, a dream to win a slam here."
Novak Djokovic said claiming an elusive calendar Grand Slam would be the greatest achievement of his illustrious career.
Djokovic can become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete the slam sweep if he wins the US Open, having already conquered the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in 2021.
The world number one would be just the third man to win all four majors in the same year after Don Budge was the first to do so in in 1938 before Laver in 1962 and 1969.
Djokovic could also move clear of rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who will both miss the Flushing Meadows tournament due to injury, for the most men's grand slam titles in history – the trio are level on 20.
Preparing for his first-round match against Holger Rune in New York, Djokovic – who missed out on a Golden Slam when he failed to win Olympic gold in Tokyo – told reporters: "I'm very inspired to play my best tennis here.
"I don't want to say it's now or never for me because I think I'm going to have more opportunities in my life to win Slams. I don't know if I'm going to be having more opportunities to win calendar Slams.
"That's why it's a very unique opportunity. At the same time, I don't need to put any additional pressure to what I already have, which is pretty big from my own self and from of course people around me.
"But I thrive under pressure, as well. I've done that many times in my career. Pressure is a privilege, it truly is. This is what you work for day-in, day-out, all your life, to put yourself in a unique position to win Grand Slams and to make history. At the end of the day, I'm a big tennis fan, [a] fan of history. I admire this sport. I love it. I have this chance, and I'm going to try to use it."
A three-time US Open champion, the 34-year-old Djokovic owns a 75-12 record at the slam in the United States.
It will be Djokovic's first time back at Flushing Meadows since he was sensationally defaulted from last year's US Open after hitting a linesperson with the ball during his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta.
"Obviously I know how big of an opportunity is in front of me here in New York, where historically I've played really well over the years. It's probably the most entertaining tennis court that we have. [The] crowd will be back [in the] stadium," Djokovic said.
"I can't wait. Honestly I'm very motivated to play my best tennis. But I have to hit one ball at a time, try to be in the moment, have a guiding star in a way, a dream to win a Slam here, which would obviously complete the calendar Slam.
"I'm hugely inspired and motivated by that, no doubt. But at the same time, I know how to balance things out mentally, with lots of expectations around. My participation here, without Rafa and Roger participating, I feel it. I know there are a lot of people who are going to be watching my matches and expecting me to do well and fight for a Slam."
Bryson DeChambeau endured a wild third round, but the FedEx Cup play-off hopeful still ended the day tied for the lead alongside Patrick Cantlay at the BMW Championship.
DeChambeau carded a five-under-par 67 to earn a share of the three-stroke lead through 54 holes at the second FedEx Cup play-off tournament on Saturday.
The 2020 U.S. Open champion's round had a little bit of everything, from back-to-back eagles to back-to-back shots in the water at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland.
DeChambeau was flawless on the front nine, mixing two eagles and as many birdies as he turned a one-shot deficit into a three-stroke lead within two holes.
The 27-year-old is the fourth player to make back-to-back eagles this PGA Tour season, while he is only second to Cam Davis (20) for most eagles (19).
Just as DeChambeau threatened to run away from the field, the big-hitting American stumbled, settling for a share of top spot after finding the water at the par-five 12th hole (bogey) and par-three 13th (double bogey).
"It was definitely colourful," DeChambeau – projected to be second in the FedEx Cup points race – told PGA Tour radio. "Thought I played pretty well the front nine, did mis-hit a drive on seven.
"Felt weird. From then on out I wasn't driving it very well, so that's what I'm going to do, work on that for tomorrow. If I can get that straightened out like I did the first few days, off the tee the first couple holes today, I mean, I'll give myself a great chance again."
Cantlay – the current FedEx Cup leader – is also 21 under heading into Sunday's final round following his six-under-par 66.
He was almost bogey-free on day three, holing an eagle and five birdies before bogeying the last.
Im Sung-jae is the nearest challenger after his third-round 66, while Rory McIlroy (65), Abraham Ancer (66), Sam Burns (65) and Sergio Garcia (67) are tied for fourth at 17 under.
World number one and defending champion Jon Rahm lost ground, dropping to outright eighth – five shots back – after a two-under-par 67.
FedEx Cup champion Dustin Johnson posted a seven-under-par 65 to be 14 under, while Brooks Koepka (69) ended the day a further four shots behind – two strokes better off than Justin Thomas (69).
Ilya Ivashka clinched his first ATP Tour title after cruising past Mikael Ymer at the Winston-Salem Open.
Ivashka became the first Belarusian to win a trophy at ATP Tour level since Max Mirnyi in 2003 thanks to Saturday's crushing 6-0 6-2 victory.
The unheralded 27-year-old, who needed just 56 minutes to claim silverware, also became the eighth first-time winner on Tour this season and the sixth champion ranked outside the top 50 in 2021.
"This week, I had everything," said Ivashka, who won 90 per cent of points on his first serve against Swedish opponent Ymer in the final of the ATP 250 event.
Ivashka, who stunned top seed and 2016 champion Pablo Carreno Busta en route to glory, added: "In the second round, I was booking my flights to New York. I was two points away from losing and now I am standing here.
"It is incredible how things can change in one match. It was an unbelievable pleasure to play here. I feel amazing to play in front of such a nice crowd and I really enjoyed it."
Elina Svitolina claimed her first title of the year with a hard-fought victory over Alize Cornet at the Chicago Women's Open.
Svitolina won in straight sets in tough conditions, though she needed two hours and two minutes to record a 7-5 6-4 triumph over her French opponent.
Cornet had won their previous meeting at Eastbourne in 2019 but the world number 68 was unable to pull off a repeat result against the tournament’s top seed in Illinois.
A see-saw contest saw 10 breaks of serve, starting with the second game as Svitolina struck an early blow while racing into a 3-0 lead.
However, Cornet clawed her way back to get on level terms and a tie-break looked likely until she was broken in a lengthy 12th game.
The second set followed a similar pattern as Svitolina again won the opening three games. After a medical timeout, Cornet cut the deficit to 3-2 but was not able to get back on level terms, the pair exchanging six breaks through to the conclusion.
Having failed to serve out for the victory, Svitolina finally secured a first tournament triumph since Strasbourg in 2020 thanks to a superb backhand.
It is her 16th title overall and comes as ideal preparation ahead of the US Open, where the Ukrainian will face qualifier Rebecca Marino in the opening round in New York.
George Russell earned a front-row spot for the Belgian Grand Prix as it was revealed Mercedes have decided whether to recruit him for next season.
The young British driver defied expectations of what the Williams car could achieve by producing a stunning qualifying lap in the rain at Spa.
Only a last-ditch effort by title hopeful Max Verstappen denied Russell a first career pole, while Lewis Hamilton took third place on the grid.
It may be that Hamilton and Russell become team-mates next season, if Mercedes decide to part ways with Valtteri Bottas.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed on Saturday that the team have chosen their line-up for 2022, but that they will keep it private for now.
According to multiple reports, Wolff twice replied "Yes" in a media call when asked if that big call had already been made.
"Today doesn't make any difference," Wolff said. "We know what we have with George."
Russell is a part of Mercedes' young driver programme and was recalled to his parent team to replace a COVID-19 affected Hamilton for the Sakhir Grand Prix last season, an indication of Wolff's high regard for his ability.
Wolff said of Mercedes' recent quandary over Bottas and Russell: "If it would have been an easy decision, we would have made it earlier, because we know what we have with Valtteri and we know what we have with George.
"Both of them deserve being looked after. Both deserve to be looked after in the best possible way, because both of them are part of the family, and we hold them up high."
Russell said there "probably should be" points awarded for qualifying performance, as he reflected on the fact he has taken no such reward yet this weekend. But the 23-year-old believes he can be a force in Sunday's race, particularly if the track is again wet.
He said: "We've obviously got to be realistic, we've got incredibly fast cars behind us, but if the conditions stay the same, we've got a car that's probably quick enough on merit in the top 10.
"But if we're starting from the front row, there's no reason why we can't try to hold that position for the majority of the race. I don't think I’m going to do anything stupid with the cars around me that are clearly going to be faster than us – but there's no reason why we can’t finish, if conditions are like this, top five, and just maximise it. Points is an absolute minimum."
Verstappen said: "This track is amazing to drive in the dry and when you then have a wet qualifying, it's pretty ... I wouldn't say scary but it's really interesting and quite extreme in Q3 when you know that you have to push and try to go to the limit in the wet here."
Championship leader Hamilton said the Mercedes race pace "should be a little bit stronger" than in practice. "But I still think it's going to be a handful, particularly if it's going to be these conditions," he added.
The season broke for summer after the Hungarian Grand Prix at the start of August, and Saturday marked a return to the thrills and spills of the sport.
The conditions were particularly tough in the third and final stage of qualifying as heavy rain arrived at the circuit, with Lando Norris crashing out early and leaving his McLaren a heavily damaged heap.
Norris, who had shown excellent pace up to that point, was given the all-clear after an elbow X-ray in hospital and looks set to race.
He had complained of aquaplaning moments before crashing badly, his car sliding into the barrier on the left side of the track at Eau Rouge and spinning out of control across the track.
He said over the team radio: "I let you down, my bad."
However, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel had wanted the session red-flagged before the crash happened and told his team on hearing of the crash: "What did I say, red flag? It's unnecessary. Is he OK?"
Vettel was quickly on the scene and stopped to check Norris was safe before driving on past the damaged McLaren.
There was succour for McLaren as Daniel Ricciardo took fourth on the grid, just ahead of Vettel, but it was a shocker of a day for Ferrari as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz qualified in 10th and 12th respectively.
Ferrari racing director Laurent Mekies said: "Our qualifying performance was well below our usual standard and so far this whole weekend has proved very difficult for us."
Anett Kontaveit ended a four-year title drought by beating Irina-Camelia Begu to win the inaugural Tennis in the Land event on Saturday.
Kontaveit had failed to win a tournament since her maiden WTA Tour triumph in 's-Hertogenbosch back in 2017 before defeating Begu 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
The world number 30 from Estonia had lost two finals this year, but she was not to be denied in Cleveland.
Begu fought back from 5-2 down in the first set to force a tie-break, but one mini-break was enough for second seed Kontaveit to take a big stride towards an elusive title.
The composed Kontaveit did not face a break point in a tight second set, not allowing her Romanian opponent a look-in as she served superbly.
Kontaveit only had one break-point opportunity of her own, but grasped it to lead 2-1 and went on to seal a confidence-boosting triumph ahead of the US Open.
Sam Stosur will be Kontaveit's opponent in the first round at Flushing Meadows, while Begu faces Andrea Petkovic.
Pol Espargaro will hope to be celebrating at the end of Sunday's British Grand Prix, yet the Spaniard already feels like a winner after surprising even himself by claiming pole position.
Espargaro had arrived at Silverstone after struggling in the previous two rounds of the MotoGP season in Austria, failing to score any points by recording successive 16th-place finishes.
However, the 30-year-old belied his recent lack of form with a stunning qualifying performance, securing his first pole for Repsol Honda as he squeezed out Francesco Bagnaia by just 0.022 seconds.
Jorge Martin initially appeared to have set a new fastest lap in the closing stages of the final session, only for his time to be wiped out after it was discovered he had cut the Vale chicane. He will instead start from fourth position.
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo will begin from third, but this was a memorable day for Espargaro as he looks to get back scoring points again, having not gone three in a row without collecting something since he was at KTM in 2018.
"Yeah, it's a little bit shocking after how tough Austria was, how we've been able to come back here," Espargaro said in his post-qualifying interview.
"It's difficult to believe, but there are different ways to take these bad moments – in a sad way, or in an angry way. We opted to take the second option.
"I tried to be every day a little bit better. I’ve been working so much, but unluckily the results were not coming.
"Here, everything is coming much easier. Sure, the track, the weather is cold, the extra grip we have in this track gives me the feelings, I have to apply my riding style and maybe to forget a little the problems we have in the pit box with the bike.
"Also, this place has been good to Honda in the past years, so let's enjoy today. Today this pole felt like a victory."
Quartararo admitted the choice of soft tyres had initially caused him some issues on Saturday, though he was happy enough after a switch helped him achieve his target in qualifying.
"Today I've been struggling so much with the soft tyre," the Frenchman, who is the only MotoGP rider to claim points in every race so far this season, told the media. "I was not feeling great on the bike, but with the medium tyre I was immediately feeling better.
"I was struggling so much in acceleration. The main goal was to be on the front row, and we will not touch anymore the soft tyre. I’m happy about my pace – and also the tyres."
Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro join Martin on the second row, while Valentino Rossi, who has finished on the podium in four of his five most recent appearances at the British GP, ended up in eighth, sandwiched between Jack Miller and Johann Zarco.
Joan Mir, meanwhile, has work to do from 11th place. The reigning world champion sits level with Bagnaia in second place in the standings on 134 points, 47 adrift of leader Quartararo.
Lando Norris has been cleared to race in the Belgian Grand Prix after crashing during a wet qualifying session on Saturday.
Norris spun into the barriers at Raidillon in Q3 and was taken to a local hospital for a precautionary X-ray of his elbow.
McLaren later revealed the 21-year-old has been given the green light to get back behind the wheel at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Sunday.
The team posted on Twitter: "Following precautionary checks after an accident during qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix, Lando Norris has been cleared to compete in the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix by the trackside doctor and FIA medical delegate."
Norris had been quickest in each of the first two segments of qualifying before spinning off at high speed in challenging conditions.
Max Verstappen nipped in with a magnificent lap to take pole ahead of George Russell, who took a shock place on the front row with a stunning drive.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton will start the first race following the mid-summer break in third place.
Romain Bardet's late attack paid dividends as he took stage 14 of the Vuelta a Espana in Saturday's potentially pivotal mountain route.
Bardet pushed off with just under 7km remaining of the final ascent up the 14.7km Pico Villuercas climb.
Having been part of an 18-man breakaway, Bardet – of Team DSM – could not be caught and crossed the line 44 seconds ahead of Jesus Herrada, while Jay Vine came third despite crashing into his team car around midway through the stage.
Odd Christian Eiking kept hold of La Roja, though was unable to keep pace with Primoz Roglic, who edged ahead of Miguel Angel Lopez to gain 20 seconds on the race leader.
Enric Mas, Egan Bernal and Jack Haig managed to stay with two-time defending champion Roglic, who will be looking to make his prowess in the mountains count during a gruelling stage on Sunday.
"It's been a long wait. It means a lot. I've been second too many times," said Bardet, who has now taken the king of the mountains jersey, after claiming his first stage win at a Vuelta.
"Today I went full gas to be in the good break. I know that taking the polka-dot jersey it'd be a double victory. It's fantastic.
"I think we played it smart with my sports director and he told me exactly when to attack on the steepest part of the climb and go for it as if the finish was there in front of me.
"I opened a good gap and made it to the finish. Everyone is tired but the spirit is so high in the team, so the moral is high. We're all focused and I'm so happy to be part of a good group of guys.
"We're enjoying ourselves and trying to do our best for the team. It's an amazing Vuelta."
STAGE RESULT
1. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 4:20:36
2. Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) +0:44
3. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Fenix) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 55:3:17
2. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +0:54
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:36
Points Classification
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 200
2. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education–Nippo) 114
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 106
King of the Mountains
1. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 50
2. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) 31
3. Michael Storer (Team DSM) 17
What's next?
Four categorised climbs await the riders on Sunday, across a mammoth 197.5km route from Navalmoral de la Mata to El Barraco.
Max Verstappen took pole position at a soggy Belgian Grand Prix – and incredibly it will be George Russell alongside him on the front row.
A stunning final lap from Russell looked set to give the Williams driver a first career pole, but Formula One title hopeful Verstappen pipped him in the closing seconds.
British 23-year-old Russell, who has been tipped for a move to join Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next season, said he was "absolutely buzzing" about his performance, defying the limitations of his car with a supreme drive.
Hamilton took third on the grid and saluted Russell's performance, with Daniel Ricciardo fourth.
The qualifying session was disrupted by heavy rain and a heavy crash for Lando Norris – Ricciardo's McLaren team-mate – which caused a hold-up in Q3 of close to 45 minutes.
Moments before smashing into the barriers, Norris complained about the conditions, and Sebastian Vettel had called for the session to be red-flagged before the crash made it an inevitability. Norris was taken to hospital for a precautionary elbow X-ray.
The drivers returned to the wet track eventually, with Hamilton quick to point out that spray remained a problem. He set an early target of 2:01.552 but Russell producing a stunning lap to go quicker.
Verstappen and Hamilton were both out on the track and chasing the new target as the clock ran down, with only the former able to achieve that.
After three weeks since the last race, the Hungarian Grand Prix, this was a return to the thrills and spills of the sport.
"I'm super happy to have a qualifying like this after the break and to have a pole position again," said Verstappen.
Russell has been on the front row once before, but that came in a Mercedes when he stood in for Hamilton last season at the Sakhir Grand Prix. He said getting out of Q1, the initial stage of the qualifying session, had been his primary target at Spa, with anything else a bonus.
"The car was feeling great and I had so much confidence," Russell said. "I was in a fortunate position where I had nothing to lose. We were in Q3 which is not the norm for us and we just had to go for it.
"I'm buzzing, absolutely buzzing. Tomorrow's the important one but it's been mega today. I'm delighted for everyone. If the weather is the same and it's there for the taking tomorrow, we'll go for it."
Hamilton, who edged ahead of Verstappen in the drivers' standings by finishing second in Hungary, said it had been "a very difficult day for everyone" due to the inclement weather.
"Well done to Max and to George," Hamilton added. "If it's like this tomorrow it's going to be tricky to balance straight line speed and downforce."
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:59.765
2. George Russell (Williams) +0.321secs
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.334
4. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) +1.099
5. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) +1.170
6. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) +1.399
7. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +2.347
8. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) +2.737
9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +3.748
10. Lando Norris (McLaren) no complete lap in Q3
Defending US Open champion Naomi Osaka believes she could have better handled her decision not to participate in media conferences at the French Open.
Osaka withdrew from the French Open having won her first-round match, after she was fined and threatened with further punishment – and possible expulsion from the grand slam – for skipping obligatory media duties.
The four-time grand slam champion had confirmed before Roland Garros that she would not be taking part in post-match news conferences, suggesting her mental health was not helped by having to attend the mandatory interviews.
Osaka, the world number three, stated she has had "long bouts of depression" since winning the 2018 US Open title.
The 23-year-old subsequently pulled out of Wimbledon, but returned as one of Japan's great hopes for the Tokyo Olympics.
However, she suffered a surprise defeat to Marketa Vondrousova, while her preparation for Flushing Meadows also took a hit with a last-16 loss to Jil Teichmann in Cincinnati earlier this month.
Reflecting on her decision in Paris, Osaka, who won her second US Open title in 2020, told reporters: "I feel there's a lot of things that I did wrong in that moment.
"But I'm also the type of person that's very in the moment.
"I think there's a lot of things that I learned to do better. Of course, I don't feel the same situation will happen again.
"Whatever I feel, I'll say it or do it. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.
"I would say, maybe think it through a bit more, in the way that I didn't know how big of a deal it would become."
A few days prior to her defeat to Teichmann, Osaka broke down in tears during her first news conference since she pulled out of Roland Garros.
Yet the Queens-raised star was more composed during her media duties on Friday, as she aims to cap off what has been a difficult 2021.
"I think the biggest memory that comes back to me is being a little kid, running around the entire site," said Osaka, who will take on Marie Bouzkova to get her title defence started.
"I don't know if that may be the reason why I play so well here, but there's definitely a lot of nostalgia.
"I know I haven't played that many matches. But actually I feel pretty happy with how I'm playing."
The Atlanta Braves opened a series between National League division leaders by rallying for a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants that improved the home side's August record to 17-5.
The NL East-leading Braves trailed 3-0 and 4-2 to the NL West-leading Giants before Ozzie Albies' RBI double in the seventh inning brought Atlanta within one and Jorge Soler's three-run homer later in the inning put the Braves on top for good.
Adam Duvall also homered for the Braves, while Buster Posey and Wilmer Flores went deep for the GIants in the first and ninth innings, respectively.
Joc Pederson sealed the win by leaping to rob Tommy La Stella of extra bases for the final out.
Cole, streaking Yankees cruise past A's
Gerrit Cole pitched six shutout innings and reached 200 strikeouts for the season in his 24th appearance, the fastest ever for a Yankees pitcher to hit that milestone, as the Yankees defeated the Oakland Athletics 8-2. The Yankees supported him with home runs from Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit, Aaron Judge and Kyle Higashioka as they won their 13th successive game – their longest winning streak since 1961.
The Philadelphia Phillies blew a two-run lead in the ninth, then rallied from a two-run deficit in the 10th to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-6 and keep pace with the Braves in the NL East. After Christian Walker's two-run homer sent the game to extra innings and Ketel Marte's shot gave Arizona the lead, Brad Miller kept the Phillies alive with a 10th-inning homer before Jean Segura won it in the 11th with a walk-off single.
In his first game since July 5, Yasmani Grandal hit two homers and drove in eight runs as the Chicago White Sox rallied from a 6-0 first-inning deficit to defeat the Cubs 17-13 in an intra-city showdown.
Wade Miley pitched seven shutout innings as the Cincinnati Reds blanked the Miami Marlins 6-0 with Tyler Naquin and Mike Moustakas hitting solo home runs for the victors.
The San Diego Padres picked up only their third win in the last 15 games, shutting out the Los Angeles Angels 5-0 as Joe Musgrove allowed only three hits and struck out nine in a compete-game shutout.
Indians lose despite allowing just three hits
Cleveland Indians pitchers held the Boston Red Sox to three hits but still managed to lose 4-3 thanks to Jonathan Arauz's first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the eighth after a walk by Christian Vazquez and a single by Jarren Duran. Boston's only other run crossed the plate on a double play in the fifth.
Reyes runs Tigers into a win
Victor Reyes blazed around the bases after his sinking liner eluded Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Josh Palacios in the eighth inning, his inside-the-park home run providing the winning margin in the Detroit Tigers' 2-1 triumph.
Friday's results
Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 Baltimore Orioles
Detroit Tigers 2-1 Toronto Blue Jays
Boston Red Sox 4-3 Cleveland Indians
Cincinnati Reds 6-0 Miami Marlins
St Louis Cardinals 4-3 Pittsburgh Pirates
Washington Nationals 2-1 New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves 6-5 San Francisco Giants
Houston Astros 5-4 Texas Rangers
Chicago White Sox 17-13 Chicago Cubs
Minnesota Twins 2-0 Milwaukee Brewers
San Diego Padres 5-0 Los Angeles Angels
New York Yankees 8-2 Oakland Athletics
Colorado Rockies 4-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Kansas City Royals 8-7 Seattle Mariners
Giants at Braves
The San Francisco Giants (83-45) look to bounce back from Friday's defeat as they send Logan Webb to the mound against Huascar Ynoa and the Atlanta Braves (69-58).
The Winston-Salem Open will produce a first-time ATP Tour winner as Mikael Ymer and Ilya Ivashka each advanced to their first Tour-level final Friday.
Ymer upset the only player among the four semi-finalists who previously had reached a final, 15th seed Carlos Alcaraz, by a score of 7-5 6-3 as he contested his first ATP semi-final at the North Carolina event.
The 22-year-old Swede, ranked number 90 in the world, knocked off Alcaraz in the second round at this year's Australian Open in their only prior meeting.
Ymer converted all three of his break points against the Spanish teen, who is ranked a career-best number 54 this week.
Ivashka had no trouble disposing of Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2 6-1 in the first semi-final.
The Finn had won 93 per cent of his service games this week entering the match but was broken in four of eight Friday.
Ivashka, meanwhile, did not face a single break point on his own serve as he cruised to victory in 68 minutes.
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