Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur says the Scuderia’s SF-23 has “mega room for improvement”, with the car’s first updates appearing this weekend in Jeddah. The Italian outfit’s new-spec car was outpaced in Bahrain in qualifying and even more significantly on race day by Red Bull. Charles Leclerc was running a distant third behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez when an engine electronic problem forced the Monegasque into retirement. But beyond the latter’s reliability issue, the raw speed of Ferrari’s package was no match for Red Bull’s dominant RB19. In a call with the media ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Vasseur addressed the pace of Ferrari’s car at…

For the second time this transfer window, the hashtag #RonaldOM has been trending on Twitter but, beyond the hype and speculation, is there any chance Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo could actually join Ligue 1 Marseille? Click Here: stade toulousain rugby jersey Left out of the United team that surprisingly beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Monday night, reports concerning the 37-year-old’s possible departure from Manchester (for a second time) have again intensified of late. It seems clear Ronaldo is keen to play Champions League football this season, with time seemingly limited as he nears the end of his career, which Marseille can offer whereas United…

Max Verstappen believes he’ll be facing a very different challenge this week in Saudi Arabia, where extending his and Red Bull’s winning form won’t be “an easy task”. Red Bull was in a league of its own in Bahrain where Verstappen trounced his rivals, including teammate Sergio Perez, in the first race of the 2023 season in dominant fashion. The Dutchman’s performance at Sakhir was so strong that many pundits – and Mercedes’ George Russell – stated immediately after the race that the title battle was as good as signed and sealed for Red Bull. But teams move on this week to a very different circuit – among the fastest…

As reported by Foot Mercato, OGC Nice have made an offer of €18m for Monaco attacking midfielder Sofiane Diop as talks continue over a transfer. Despite being under contract at Monaco until 2026, the 22-year-old midfielder has been marginalised since the arrival of coach Philippe Clement partway through last season, despite being one of the club’s standout players under previous manager Niko Kovač. Despite advanced negotiations between the clubs, a full agreement over a fee has yet to have been found but, following the arrival of Nicolas Pépé from Arsenal on loan, Nice are also confident of completing Diop’s signing before the end of the window. The French youth International…

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has reacted to the rumors of chaos setting in at the Italian outfit, and admits he’s baffled by the criticism directed at the Scuderia after just one race, insisting the Bahrain Grand Prix “was bad in some ways but good in others”. Ferrari’s new-spec SF-23 car was outpaced in qualifying by Red Bull’s RB19, with poleman Max Verstappen enjoying a 0.292s edge over Charles Leclerc in third place. But beyond the Italian outfit’s pace deficit, it was Leclerc’s engine failure and retirement after 39 laps while he was running third – not to mention Carlos’ distant fourth-place finish – that unleashed the critics in the…

L’Équipe are reporting that Bordeaux midfielder Junior Onana (22), once linked with a move to AC Milan, is set to join Serie A side Cremonese in a €5m deal.  According to L’Équipe, Cremonese and Bordeaux have come to an agreement on a fee of €5m plus an extra €1m in bonuses. Earlier this summer he had looked set to join Serie A rivals AC Milan, however, the reigning Italian champions were only willing to loan the player. The deal, which will likely see him join Cremonese, also includes a percentage on any future sale.  Whilst L’Équipe report that he is set for a move to Italy, the French publication also reveals that two new competitors…

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc says he has no plans to be more assertive when it comes to the team’s strategy calls during Grand Prix races in 2023 despite a string of miscues derailing the team’s campaign last year. The Ferrari pit wall was blamed for a number of mistakes last season that derailed their championship bid and allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to open up a dominant lead in the points. Verstappen had been playing an increasingly large roll in decision making from the cockpit, just as Lewis Hamilton does at Mercedes. Even George Russell has been heard to call strategy and talk tactics from the cockpit. Read also: Senior…

Wales have added experienced hooker Scott Baldwin to their squad ahead of the Six Nations as a replacement for injured Ospreys colleague Dewi Lake. Baldwin, 34, last played international rugby in 2017 and comes in for Lake, who suffered a knee problem during the Ospreys’ Champions Cup win over Leicester. The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) confirmed that former Harlequins and Worcester Warrior, Baldwin, has joined the squad preparing for next week’s opener with Ireland. Injury headache for Warren Gatland Other options in the number two jersey for Wales head coach Warren Gatland are captain Ken Owens, and Bradley Roberts, with Ryan Elias ruled out injured. The absence of Lake is another…

According to Fabrice Hawkins OGC Nice want to lower Marseille’s asking price for striker Bamba Dieng, with a move still potentially on for the player as a ‘wildcard’ signing for Les Aiglons. Marsielle are convinced that the problem which caused the failure of Dieng’s deadline day medical is benign – and are reportedly very annoyed by the situation. Ligue 1 transfer rules dictate that one player can still be signed from a French team outside the transfer window – referred to as the ‘joker’ or ‘wildcard’ – which means that a Nice deal for Bamba Dieng could still be in the offing.  Click Here: qld maroons shirt La Provence journalist Alexandre Jacquin also reports…

Helmut Marko says Sergio Perez’s greatest achievement at Red Bull has been to merely “survive” alongside Max Verstappen for the past two years. Perez was handed the plum seat at Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2020 season, the Mexican replacing Alex Albon who had failed to make much of an impression against Verstappen during his year and a half with the team. And Albon’s predecessor Pierre Gasly lasted only half a season alongside Red Bull’s blindingly fast two-time world champion. Last weekend, Perez finished runner-up to Verstappen in the opening round in Bahrain of the 2023 season, a good start to the four-time Grand Prix winner’s campaign.…