There are calls for an end to Steve Borthwick's tenure. But even if England join Rome's list of victims this weekend, do not expect to see his head carried out on a trident. He is going nowhere soon.

Mercedes has revealed its dominant hand during qualifying for Sundays Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.George Russell earned his ninth-career pole position Saturday ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli for the team's 83rd front-row lockout and its first since the 2024 British Grand Prix.Russell topped all three sessions in F1s knockout qualifying format, finally casting aside questions of where Mercedes team was in the new-era pecking order. His pole time, at 1 minute, 18.518 seconds, was almost eight-tenths faster than the nearest non-Mercedes challenger, Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar, who completed the top three.It was a great day, we knew there was a lot of potential in the car, but until we get to this first Saturday of the season, you never know, Russell said. But it really came alive this afternoon, especially when the track temperatures cooled, we know we tend to favor those conditions.Antonelli was relieved to have made it onto the front row alongside his teammate after a crash in final practice at the exit of turn two meant it was a race in the Mercedes garage to get him out for qualifying.Its been a very stressful day. Unfortunately, I went into the wall (in FP3)," he said. But the guys (in the garage) were the heroes today to put the car back on track.Hadjar was impressive by qualifying third on debut for Red Bull, his highest-ever grid position."The only thing I can do is take them at the start, but theyre just too fast at the moment, Hadjar said of Mercedes. I want to keep my position and a second podium would be cool.Ferrari showed its neck-and-neck with McLaren on pace, with just one and a half tenths seconds covering the four drivers just beyond the top-three with Charles Leclerc qualifying fourth, McLarens Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in fifth and sixth respectively, and Lewis Hamilton in seventh.Racing Bulls showed theyve taken a step forward over the winter, with New Zealander Liam Lawson eighth ahead of his highly-rated rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad. The big surprise of the session came from four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, who triggered red flags at Melbournes Albert Park after he lost control of his Red Bull car in braking for turn one in the first half of Q1 and ended in the barriers.The Dutchman, who was unhurt from the crash, though upset that his brakes locked up, will now start from the back of the grid.F1 heads into a new era this year, with unprecedented changes across the chassis (car) and power unit, which now feature an almost 50:50 output split between the turbo 1.6-liter V6 engine and electrical energy harvested from the brakes, one that requires a new, often counterintuitive driving style from the drivers.___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Mercedes has revealed its dominant hand during qualifying for Sundays Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.George Russell earned his ninth-career pole position Saturday ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli for the team's 83rd front-row lockout and its first since the 2024 British Grand Prix.Russell topped all three sessions in F1s knockout qualifying format, finally casting aside questions of where Mercedes team was in the new-era pecking order. His pole time, at 1 minute, 18.518 seconds, was almost eight-tenths faster than the nearest non-Mercedes challenger, Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar, who completed the top three.It was a great day, we knew there was a lot of potential in the car, but until we get to this first Saturday of the season, you never know, Russell said. But it really came alive this afternoon, especially when the track temperatures cooled, we know we tend to favor those conditions.Antonelli was relieved to have made it onto the front row alongside his teammate after a crash in final practice at the exit of turn two meant it was a race in the Mercedes garage to get him out for qualifying.Its been a very stressful day. Unfortunately, I went into the wall (in FP3)," he said. But the guys (in the garage) were the heroes today to put the car back on track.Hadjar was impressive by qualifying third on debut for Red Bull, his highest-ever grid position."The only thing I can do is take them at the start, but theyre just too fast at the moment, Hadjar said of Mercedes. I want to keep my position and a second podium would be cool.Ferrari showed its neck-and-neck with McLaren on pace, with just one and a half tenths seconds covering the four drivers just beyond the top-three with Charles Leclerc qualifying fourth, McLarens Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in fifth and sixth respectively, and Lewis Hamilton in seventh.Racing Bulls showed theyve taken a step forward over the winter, with New Zealander Liam Lawson eighth ahead of his highly-rated rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad. The big surprise of the session came from four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, who triggered red flags at Melbournes Albert Park after he lost control of his Red Bull car in braking for turn one in the first half of Q1 and ended in the barriers.The Dutchman, who was unhurt from the crash, though upset that his brakes locked up, will now start from the back of the grid.F1 heads into a new era this year, with unprecedented changes across the chassis (car) and power unit, which now feature an almost 50:50 output split between the turbo 1.6-liter V6 engine and electrical energy harvested from the brakes, one that requires a new, often counterintuitive driving style from the drivers.___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Max Verstappen's 2026 Formula One campaign began in catastrophic fashion as the four-time world champion crashed out during the opening segment of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.The Dutchman lost control of his Red Bull under braking at the first corner on his initial flying lap, spinning violently before sliding through the gravel and into the barriers.Verstappen fumed over team radio: "The car just f***ing locked on the rear axles, fantastic."Having failed to register a time before the incident, the 71-time race winner was immediately eliminated from the session and will start Sunday's race from the back of the grid.TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour SayFootage captured Verstappen shaking his hand and wrist as he exited the cockpit, after which he headed to the medical centre for precautionary checks.The qualifying session belonged emphatically to George Russell, who delivered a commanding performance to secure pole position for the season opener.Russell finished 0.293 seconds clear of teammate Kimi Antonelli, with Mercedes completing a front-row lockout that underlined their status as early championship favourites.The gap to the rest of the field proved even more striking, with Russell finishing almost eight tenths faster than the nearest non-Mercedes competitor.Russell said afterwards: "It was a great day, we knew there was a lot of potential in the car but until you get to the first Saturday of this season you never know."Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was seen embracing his team on the pit wall as the scale of their advantage became apparent.Antonelli's dramatic day took another turn when stewards announced an investigation into the Italian teenager for leaving the pits in an "unsafe condition" during Q3.Two cooling fans remained attached to the right-hand sidepod of his Mercedes as he emerged onto the circuit, with the components subsequently falling onto the track.LATEST SPORT NEWSElon Musk issues one-word response after Lewis Hamilton called for Africa 'to take land back'Fernando Alonso 'in a hard mental place' with Aston Martin in trouble ahead of Australian Grand PrixMax Verstappen blasts F1 chiefs after controversial changes ahead of Australian Grand PrixOne piece landed in the gravel at the opening corner, while the other ended up on the straight where Norris drove directly over it.The impact sent debris shattering across the racing surface, prompting an immediate red flag.McLaren's mechanics were forced to repair Norris's front wing using duct tape for the remainder of qualifying.Any penalties resulting from the investigation will be announced before Sunday's race.Isack Hadjar secured an impressive third place on his Red Bull debut, although he finished almost eight tenths adrift of Russell's benchmark time.Ferrari's Charles Leclerc claimed fourth position, with Oscar Piastri taking fifth for McLaren.Defending world champion Lando Norris will begin his title defence from sixth on the grid, having struggled throughout the weekend and ending up nearly a full second behind his compatriot Russell.Lewis Hamilton lines up seventh in his Ferrari, finishing a tenth and a half slower than teammate Leclerc and becoming the last driver to lap within one second of pole position.Further down the order, Fernando Alonso qualified 17th for Aston Martin, while teammate Lance Stroll failed to post a time due to ongoing Honda power unit problems.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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