Category: Sport News

Eze creates history with goal against Spurs as title draws  Sports Mole
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Oct 19 2025

A hat-trick from Kelly Brady helped secure the club's second Cup triumph despite Bohemians pushing them all the way with Alannah McEvoy and Aoibhe Brennan both on target.
The win seals a domestic double for Athlone Town after they retained the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division and were determined to end their brilliant season in the best possible way.
It was Bohemians who struck first in their debut appearance in this showpiece event when McEvoy smashed a long-range effort into the top corner of the net with just six minutes played.
Athlone Town hit back on 23 minutes when Brady met a cross from Shauna Brennan with a thumping header and she then put her team in front on 36 minutes when heading in for the second time.
This was a good contest between two very good teams but it looked to be over when Brady completed her hat-trick shortly after the second half got underway.
There was one more fightback from Bohemians with Brennan scoring the best goal of the game on 74 minutes but it wasn't enough to deny Athlone Town from winning it and getting their hands on the trophy.
Athlone Town: Megan Plaschko; Kellie Brennan, Kayleigh Shine, Natalie McNally, Shauna Brennan; Emma Mooney, Kate Slevin, Hannah Waesch; Roisin Molloy (Isabel Ryan 80), Kelly Brady, Madison Gibson (Chloe Singleton 80).
Bohemians: Rachael Kelly; Sarah Power, Roisin McGovern, Lisa Murphy, Katie Lovely (Katie Malone 87); Fiona Donnelly, Aoibhe Brennan, Hannah Healy, Sarah McKevitt (Hannah O'Brien 46), Alannah McEvoy (Savannah Kane 88), Leiagh Glennon (Katie McCarn h46).
Referee: Lucas Keating.
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Will Fofana start? Palmer misses out again: Chelsea, injury  Sports Mole
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EPL
North London
Derby
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live
Updated 2m ago
Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur in the first north London derby of the season at the Emirates today.
Mikel Arteta's men top the Premier League table and can extend their lead over second-placed Chelsea to six points.
Tottenham start the day in eighth after yesterday's results pushed them out of the European places.
The Athletic's live schedule for the week
GO FURTHER
Arsenal may be winning on the pitch, but Spurs are way ahead in the battle of stadiums
Tottenham have a historically dismal record in this fixture, not having won at the Emirates in the league since 2010. Better Spurs teams than this one have gone to Arsenal and come back with nothing.
While Spurs’ results this season have been pretty good, the performances have been unconvincing.
Perhaps the only cause for optimism is that all of Spurs’ best league displays have all come away from home, when there is no onus on them to dominate possession, and their reactive game can flourish.
I’m fairly confident that Arsenal will come away as winners.
Part of that comes from Arsenal winning five of the last six games between the sides and not losing against Spurs in three years — their last loss coming at the end of the 2021-22 season in a 3-0 away defeat.
Sunderland shocked Arsenal with two goals before the international break. Despite missing Gabriel for this match and beyond, their collective defensive solidity has been exceptional this season — particularly at home.
They have conceded just one goal at the Emirates all season, Erling Haaland’s strike in September.
Cristhian Mosquera has stepped up when needed, but this is a chance for Piero Hincapie to make a true introduction in place of Gabriel.
Spurs come into today's derby with an away record to be envied as they remain unbeaten through five Premier League matches.
Could they use it to upset Arsenal’s dominance in this fixture in recent meetings?
Thomas Frank’s side have enjoyed themselves on the road with the joint-most points (13) and the second-most goals scored (12, two behind Chelsea who have played an extra game).
They have only conceded three goals, which is the fewest of any team away from home, too.
At least, if recent history is to be taken into account when these sides play each other.
Arsenal have been dominant in recent years, with just one defeat in their last 32 Premier League home games against Tottenham (they have won 19 and drawn 12).
Spurs’ poor north London derby record isn't exclusive to their visits to the Emirates Stadium — including home games too, they have lost seven of their last nine matches against Arsenal.
Per Opta, that’s as many defeats as they suffered in their previous 25 derbies.
Only five Premier League clubs have conceded a higher expected-goals figure than Tottenham this season, yet only three have let in fewer actual goals. Much of that discrepancy is down to goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
After an injury-hit 2024-25 season, Italian international Vicario, 29, has been one of the league’s most effective shot-stoppers in the early months of this one, relative to the chances he faces.
His +0.34 post-shot xG saved per 90 minutes puts him on course to prevent around 12 goals this season. So far, he is already four goals above expectation, a swing that could be worth two extra wins over a campaign.
Vicario's save percentage has climbed from 65 to 77, and the goals conceded have fallen from over 1.5 per game to 0.9, despite only a modest drop in shots faced.
He has not been flawless. Two goals conceded from long range against Aston Villa last month and a pair of errors leading to shots, one resulting in a goal, have brought scrutiny.
Yet those moments sit within a campaign largely defined by command and consistency. Now established within the leadership group of a young squad, he has given Spurs the composure they missed last season.
Leandro Trossard has been one of Arsenal’s most reliable performers this season. His game is built on intelligence and timing. He reads space instinctively, drifts into half-pockets and combines fluidly with those around him, his movements creating space for others.
Two-footed in dribbling, passing and shooting, and calm in decision-making, the 30-year-old Belgium international acts as a natural connector in every phase of the game.
In what is a younger Arsenal squad, his experience carries even more weight. Away at Fulham last month, he was the oldest outfield player on the pitch for the visitors and showed his know-how in the game, scoring its only goal.
Beyond his involvement in build-up and defensive work, Trossard remains just as sharp in front of goal, with four goals and four assists making him Arsenal’s most productive player so far this season.
His thunderous strike from the edge of the box last time out against Sunderland, followed by the quick footwork and close control that created space for himself, underlined just how dangerous he remains inside the area.
As for my prediction?
💬 “Gabriel is a formidable defender — second only to Virgil van Dijk in the Premier League over the past decade, I would suggest — and Arsenal are likely to be more vulnerable for his absence in the coming weeks.
“But they have a wealth of options in that department, including Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie, who are more than just promising understudies. Injuries are the main reason to doubt Arsenal this weekend, but Tottenham look rather depleted too, so might not be equipped to capitalise.”
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham
Collin says:
💬 “Although Piero Hincapie is no slouch, Gabriel’s absence gives Spurs hope, and their strong away form adds further optimism against Arsenal’s otherwise impenetrable defence.
“With both sides cautious, this derby should be a tight, cagey affair, where set-piece proficiency may ultimately decide an even tie.”
Score prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham
Welcome to week 12 of The Athletic’s Premier League predictions challenge, where each week since the season began, four of us — a guest subscriber, six-year-old Wilfred, an algorithm and I — have been predicting the Premier League results.
So how will this week’s guest subscriber, Collin, a Tottenham supporter from Richmond, Virginia see the north London derby?
I can probably guess what he’ll choose for his game of the week, but the big question is whether he will go with his head or his heart when it comes to predicting the outcome.
Over to you, Collin…
Pedro Porro’s reliability and the importance of his near-perfect availability record this season cannot be overstated.
Porro is Tottenham’s only defender as adept at creating opportunities from the wing as he is at helping build through central positions, and he is crucial to Frank’s plan to move the ball up the pitch.
International windows had once been a chance for a breather for Spaniard Porro but now they just mean more football, further testing his consistency of availability yet.
I wrote this week that against arch-rivals and Premier League leaders Arsenal, Tottenham would need the best of Porro if they are to leave the Emirates with a result. Instead, he is on the bench.
However, given his importance to their attacking potency and defensive solidity, he could prove a key difference maker as a substitute if things are tight in the second half.
Thomas Frank has gone for a back five, with Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur in front, to frustrate Arsenal. It makes sense when you consider Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison remain injured while Xavi Simons is still adjusting to the physicality of the Premier League.
There will be a lot of pressure on Mohammed Kudus to create chances for them. The battle between him and Calafiori will be fascinating to watch.
Dominic Solanke has endured an injury-hit campaign for Tottenham.
In the below interview, he tells The Athletic why his recovery has taken so long, his aims for the rest of the season, and how he's killed the time.
Enjoy.
GO FURTHER
Dominic Solanke interview: ‘When a few of us come back from injury, Spurs can do big things’
Let's take a look.
Thomas Frank has opted for the below XI for today's derby match.
Tottenham (3-4-3): Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Spence, Palhinha, Bentancur, Udogie; Kudus, Richarlison, Odobert.
Mikel Arteta's men line up as follows.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Rice, Zubimendi, Eze; Saka, Merino, Trossard.
Only a few minutes away from both team line-ups being announced.
Will Riccardo Calafiori be fit enough to start or should Myles Lewis-Skelly come in? Who will Thomas Frank play up front? And will Arteta take the handbrake off and pick Eberechi Eze in midfield?
Not long at all until we find out…
Back to on-pitch matters now, and Thomas Frank? That’s an interesting situation.
He was appointed by a Tottenham chairman (Daniel Levy) who has since been dismissed, to work under a sporting director (Johan Lange) whose power has been diluted by the appointment of another (Fabio Paratici).
Given the shifting dynamics at the club, the chances of political tension seem high. In addition to this, there’s an element of the Spurs support already disenchanted with the product on the pitch.
It’s much too early to talk about Frank’s job security. Given his squad’s limitations and absentees, it would be disingenuous.
Nevertheless, there’s a negative energy at the club that a bad performance away to Arsenal today will only make worse.
Arsenal are ahead of rivals Tottenham in all areas. Except one.
The Emirates Stadium can host six non-football events a year. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium can host 30.
Ahead of the north London derby, The Athletic explains the many reasons why Tottenham are way ahead of Arsenal when it comes to stadium revenues, including boxing, Beyonce, and the massive advantage of having a retractable pitch.
Read more below.
GO FURTHER
Arsenal may be winning on the pitch, but Spurs are way ahead in the battle of stadiums
We have reached half-time in the early Premier League match this afternoon and struggling Leeds are leading Aston Villa.
Daniel Farke’s team are in desperate need of points and are 1-0 up at the break thanks to a Lukas Nmecha goal.
This one could be an entertaining second half!
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With the latest DraftKings promo code, new users receive $200 in bonus bets and three free months of NBA League Pass to bet on the Week 12 NFL schedule. The Los Angeles Rams are the betting favorites to win the 2026 Super Bowl at DraftKings Sportsbook at +500 and are 7-point favorites in the latest Sunday Night Football odds at DraftKings against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although Tampa Bay has lost back-to-back games, the SportsLine model views this as too many points for a talented  Buccaneers team, backing Tampa Bay to cover the spread as a part of its Sunday NFL best bets. 
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The Ravens are 13.5-point favorites, so it’s no surprise that Baltimore is the main reason why the model is siding with the Over. Lamar Jackson reappeared on the injury report during the week, but he’s good to go on Sunday, which means great things for the Baltimore offense. The Ravens have scored at least 23 points in all three games since Jackson’s return from injury, and now, they’ll be facing the No. 27 scoring defense, with New York allowing 26.8 ppg this season. The Jets are moving from Justin Fields to Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, and after ranking 25th in the league at 20.9 ppg this season, it’s hard to imagine this move as a net negative for New York. The model projects the Over to hit in 73% of simulations. Back the Over at DraftKings Sportsbook, where new users get $200 in bonus bets and 3 free months of NBA League Pass:
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CLIFTONVILLE boss Jim Magilton feels his side’s “work ethic, attitude and application” can bring success this season after a sluggish start to the campaign.
A goal from skipper Rory Hale five minutes before the break following a neat pass from Keevan Hawthorne was enough to hand the reds a 1-0 win over Sports Direct Premiership leaders Coleraine at Solitude.
The result means the Bannsiders are still a point clear of second-placed Larne – who beat Glenavon 2-1 at Inver Park on Friday night – although the east Antrim side have two matches in hand.
The top two meet at the Showgrounds on Tuesday night.
After struggling for form at the start of the season and flirting with the relegation zone, the Reds are now sixth in the table.
Magilton said: “We dug in so well. I thought our work ethic, attitude and our application were outstanding.
“I thought the goal we scored was a really top-class goal and if you watch football all weekend, you might not see a better goal in terms of the way we moved, passed the ball and Rory’s finish.
Cliftonville return to action onTuesday night when they tackle Ballymena United at the Showgrounds for a spot in January’s ToalsBet.com County Antrim Shield final against Carrick Rangers.
“It is about building on the confidence and the momentum in the football club and the players,” Magilton added.
“We have a more settled team now and that is important in selection and players coming off the bench have to add worth and value.
“We won the game and we have to build on that coming into December when we have a lot of games.”
Coleraine boss Ruaidhrí Higgins said he is pleased his team are back in action in that top of the table clash on Tuesday night in a bid to get Saturday’s defeat “out of our system”.
The former Derry City boss added: “I am glad because we have an opportunity to try and bounce back straight away.
“We need to recover really well over the next couple of days and get ready to play a good side who are having a brilliant season.
“We will be going all out to at home to get the three points.”
As for the display at Solitude, he said: “We are obviously extremely disappointed.
“In the second half we had majority of the play, got into countless good areas over and over again and lacked quality when we got into the final third.
“We have outstanding footballers, but we probably had too many who weren’t at their best. Hence the reason we are going away from Solitude with no points.”
Portadown had a vital 2-1 win at Carrick Rangers in the battle for safety, a victory that puts 13 points between Niall Currie’s side and basement club Glenavon.
Ben Wylie opened broke the deadlock just after the break, Jack Scott equalised with a penalty following a foul by Divin Isamala on Ryan Waide before Eamon Fyfe headed a 68th minute winner.
Ports boss Niall Currie felt his side were good value for the three points.
“We knew it was going to be a very difficult day whenever you come to Carrick, and I’ve got to make sure that you win your individual battles and you have to go toe-to- toe with them.
“They are a big, strong, physical team with quality and championship winners, so I’m very proud of my players. To a man they were top drawer, and overall, we deserved to win the game, and I can’t praise the players highly enough.
“We had a difficult run of games. We’ve had Bangor, now Carrick, and these are the 50/50 games, and today was one, and we showed a real heart and aggression and all the things you need to win a football match.”
Carrick manager Stephen Baxter was angry that a late effort by Danny Gibson was ruled out for off-side.
“When you pile the pressure on and you go into a crowded box and have every single player in the box and that ball comes in and we score off the second ball, I’ll need to see that back, because in a crowded box I can’t see how you get an offside in that,” he said.
“If the linesman has got that right from that distance fair play to him, he must have great eyes.
“I thought both teams shut each other out in many ways. I felt we probably had the better of the first half, certainly territorially, and we spent more time in their half.
“We got into good positions and had them under pressure without really creating a lot or causing much threat.
“In the second half, they had a 15-minute spell when they started getting in and around our box, put a bit of pressure on and then got the goal.
“They caught us high up the pitch and broke to score. We got back into the game quickly with the penalty, but it was naïve on our part not to be tight enough to the wide man and to allow the cross in for their second. That was disappointing.”
Matthew Fitzpatrick’s second-half goal edged Linfield to a 1-0 win at Bangor.
David Healy’s side – who host Crusaders on Tuesday night – move are eight points off the pace with three matches in hand.
Portadown won 2-1 at Carrick, while Ballymena United drew 2-2 at home to Crusaders.
Glentoran slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Dungannon at the Oval on Friday night.
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Leeds, Aston Villa starting lineups confirmed! Farke, Emery  Sports Mole
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Las Vegas drama as Norris, Piastri disqualified to h  Sports Mole
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Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
live
Updated 4m ago
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, a huge boost to the title hopes of Max Verstappen, who won the race.
Norris finished the race second and Piastri finished fourth but both were disqualified more than four hours later after their McLarens were found to have excessively worn down the skid planks on the underside of their cars.
Norris was set to lead Piastri in the drivers’ standings by 30 points and Verstappen by 42 points, but instead he leaves Vegas leading each by 24 points.
There are just two races (and a sprint race) left in the 2025 F1 season, which translates to a maximum of 58 points on offer.
Share your reaction with us at live@theathletic.com.
GO FURTHER
Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri disqualified from Las Vegas GP, rattling the F1 championship
Here's what the FIA ruling document has to say about the arguments McLaren made in its attempt to avoid disqualification, and about the responses the FIA and the stewards gave to those arguments.
"The team argued that mitigating circumstances existed in that there was additional and unexpected porpoising at this event, limited opportunity to test due to the weather on Thursday, and shortened practice sessions. Further, the team submitted that the degree of the breach was lower than prior breaches of this regulation in 2025.
"The FIA argued that unfortunately there was no provision in the regulations or in precedent for any penalty other than the usual penalty of disqualification. The FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the breach was unintentional and that there was not deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations.
"The stewards also note the various decisions of the FIA International Court of Appeal which limit the ability to avoid disqualification for technical breaches.
"Notwithstanding the submission by the team that there was potentially accidental damage that may have led to movement of the floor which could have caused additional wear, the stewards do not consider this sufficient to mitigate the penalty."
Kimi Antonelli is promoted to the podium despite finishing the race with a five-second time penalty.
DSQ: Norris, Piastri
DNF: Albon, Bortoleto, Stroll
Here's how the drivers' championship standings look now that both McLaren drivers have been disqualified from tonight's race:
Piastri holds the tiebreaker over Verstappen by virtue of having won seven races this season compared to six for the Red Bull driver.
And here's how the drivers' standings were set to look based on tonight's original results:
Norris' lead over second place only falls from 30 points to 24. Meanwhile, Piastri's lead over Verstappen drops from 12 to zero.
Verstappen is obviously the big winner here, seeing his deficit to Norris decrease from 42 to 24.
The skid plank width required is 9mm. The measurements were 8.88 millimeters on the front right-hand side and 8.93 millimeters on the rear right-hand side on Norris' car. On Piastri's car, it was 8.96 millimeters on the front left-hand side, 8.74 millimeters on the front right-hand side and 8.90 millimeters on the rear right-hand side.
Fine, fine margins – but that's both cars out of the final race classification.
We’ve gotten the ruling from the FIA, and both McLaren drivers have indeed been disqualified from the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix for excessive plank wear.
More reader emails are rolling in regarding reaction to the possibility that both McLaren drivers will be disqualified from tonight's race.
Jordan S.: It would be unconscionable for McLaren to NOT receive a double DSQ after Lewis Hamilton received a DSQ for the exact same issue back in China. In that case, the decision came down quickly. Yet in this instance, we’re over two hours post race and it hasn’t come through yet. Why?
Leif J.: This could be HUGE. Max Verstappen might have a chance to win the championship!
Let us know your opinion at live@theathletic.com.
Reader Lucas L. has emailed us to give his reaction to the jeopardy the McLaren drivers are in.
✉️ I'm absolutely bewildered that this may happen to the McLaren boys. As a Red Bull fan, this is very surprising.
What's your take on the threat of disqualification? And on the chaos it would add to the drivers' championship standings? Let us know at live@theathletic.com!
McLaren has told reporters that Andrea Stella will not be speaking to the press after the decision is issued, but will rather be issuing a statement.
Sadly the complexity of F1 means we very rarely get quick, decisive calls from the stewards when it comes to post-race technical checks. We're now at three-and-a-half hours post-race and still no word of an outcome.
When drivers have been disqualified for excessive plank wear in the past, limited running in free practice sessions has been a common theme. Both of the recent examples of this occurring – Lewis Hamilton in China this season, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in Texas in 2023 – came during sprint weekends, when there's only one practice session instead of the usual three.
That wasn't the case this weekend, but other factors combined to curtail practice running. FP2 was effectively over after 40 minutes due to a pair of red flags over concerns of a loose manhole cover, and running in FP3 was compromised by rain.
The less practice running, the less data teams have to prepare for these kinds of challenges during races.
Another famous example of disqualification due to excessive plank wear came all the way back in 1994, when Michael Schumacher's victory in the Belgian Grand Prix was nullified for this reason. In a season full of controversy, Schumacher was also disqualified from the British Grand Prix and subsequently suspended for two races, but still managed to win the drivers' championship by one point over Damon Hill.
After races, all 20 cars are weighed and undergo inspections for things such as tire pressures, fuel samples, torque control and oil consumption. A number of cars are also randomly selected for additional technical checks, including the plank wear inspection.
That means that at least one of the McLaren cars was randomly selected for that check. Once an issue was found with one McLaren, the other would also be checked for the same issue if it hadn't already been randomly selected.
Had the FIA not checked the planks on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's cars, both would have escaped detection and possible disqualification.
Team representatives typically go into hearings with the stewards armed with all the arguments possible to escape sanction.
Oscar Piastri heads into the Nevada night looking sanguine. He said goodbye to the McLaren mechanics breaking from packing down the team’s garage on his way out and left with his manager Mark Webber.
Lando Norris has been gone almost 90 minutes – before it was officially confirmed the McLarens were under investigation.
The plank on the underside of an F1 car is made of a composite material called Jabroc, a kind of strengthened beechwood. Its primary purpose is for safety, stopping the cars from bottoming into the circuit.
The point of the plank wear rule is to ensure teams are not running their cars too close to the ground and consequently gaining a performance benefit by increasing the downforce generated by the floors, which are especially powerful under the current "ground effect" regulations.
After each race, the FIA conducts an extensive scrutineering process that checks various aspects of all cars. The information is detailed in a post-race report issued by the FIA’s technical delegate, Jo Bauer, and sent to all competitors and made available to the media.
Above, you can see an example of the plank down the middle of the underside of a Ferrari in 2019.
If Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix for excessive plank wear, they won't be the first drivers to face the penalty this season. Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix in March due to the thickness of his rear skid block being below the minimum 9mm in thickness.
Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were also both disqualified from the 2023 United States Grand Prix for this reason.
More on the plank wear rule and what happened earlier this year at the link below.
GO FURTHER
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly disqualified from Chinese Grand Prix
Let me stress that we do not know the outcome of the investigation into the McLaren cars at this time. With that said, here's the drivers' standings based on tonight's provisional results:
And here's how they would look if both McLaren drivers are disqualified from tonight's race:
Norris' lead over second place would only fall from 30 points to 24. Meanwhile, Piastri's lead over Verstappen would drop from 12 to zero.
Verstappen would obviously be the big winner, seeing his deficit to Norris decrease from 42 to 24.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Bortoleto has been handed a five-place grid penalty for next weekend's Qatar Grand Prix for his collision with Lance Stroll at the opening corner tonight, which knocked both drivers out of the race.
Both McLaren cars have officially been referred to the stewards for excessive plank wear.
A document from the FIA states: "The rearmost skid was measured on both cars … The measured thickness was less than 9 mm on both cars, which is the minimum thickness required."
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella's post-race press conference has been delayed, and Lando Norris' car is reportedly still being scrutineered by race officials. If an issue is found, such as not enough fuel left to comprise a sample or excessive plank wear, that could result in a disqualification for Norris, which would reduce his lead over Oscar Piastri in the drivers' standings from 30 points all the way down to nine. But that's only speculation at this time. Norris was clearly conserving fuel at the end of the race, so it would follow that he was on the limit in that regard, but that doesn't guarantee an infraction occurred. In short, watch this space!

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