British George Russell, driver of the Mercedes team, competing in the Formula 1 World Championship, topped the only free practice for the Singapore Grand Prix, on Friday.
The free trial for the race, which takes place on Sunday, took place before the start of the free trial for the speed race, which will be held later on Friday.
Russell recorded the fastest time during the experiment. He reached one minute and 32.274 seconds, 0.198 seconds ahead of his closest competitor, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari driver, while British champion Lando Norris (defending champion), McLaren driver, came in third place.
As for Italian Kimi Antonelli, driver of the Mercedes team, who leads the overall standings in the drivers’ category, he came in seventh place, behind Dutchman Max Verstappen, driver of Red Bull.
Verstappen's experience, who won the Bahrain Grand Prix that took place in Malaysia last Sunday, was affected by a problem with his radio, which led to him staying off the track for most of the time of the experience.
Antonelli leads the overall standings by 84 points over his teammate Russell, with 7 races remaining until the end of the current season.
In another context, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) revealed that smoke resulting from forest fires in Indonesia does not pose any threat to the Singapore race.
However, the federation explained that if air pollution worsens, restrictions may be imposed on outdoor activities, which will mainly affect entertainment options, while their impact will be less on the maintenance area and the racetrack.
Thick, toxic fog resulting from raging forest fires in Indonesia covered large parts of Southeast Asia.
Everton, the competitor in the English Premier League, announced on Friday that the Friedkin Group, which owns it, intends to sell a controlling stake in the club, as part of its efforts to attract new investments and support the next stage of the club’s journey.
The announcement comes less than two years after the US-based group took over Everton from previous owner Farhad Moshiri in December 2024, when it took over a club that was suffering from financial pressures and a long period of instability on and off the field.
Since completing the deal, the Friedkin Group has supervised the team's move to Hill Dickinson Stadium, and has also worked to improve its financial conditions and enhance its institutional stability.
The group said in a statement: “When the Friedkin Group took over Everton, the club was facing a great deal of financial uncertainty and complex challenges on and off the field.”
She added that her priority at that stage was to provide the stability, investment and support necessary to ensure the club’s future, including completing the new stadium project.
She continued: “With these foundations firmly established, it is time to look to the next chapter in Everton’s journey.”
The group confirmed that it will only consider offers submitted by parties that it believes are capable of building on the progress achieved since its acquisition of the club, indicating that it will continue to support Everton on and off the field throughout the sale process.
This trend comes after a summer transfer period that sparked criticism from some fans, according to British media reports, after the club achieved significant revenues from selling a number of players, while it was content to include a limited number of deals before the transfer market closed.
The Friedkin Group, which also owns the Italian club Roma and French club Cannes, explained that it had hired the investment bank (Moelis & Company) to provide advice on the process of selling the controlling stake.
The group and the club added that they would not make any additional comments until the ongoing procedures are completed.
China's Geng Chenwen, the host of the tournament, presented one of her best performances to defeat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (6/8) on Friday, in the quarter-finals of the Beijing Open 1000 Tennis Tournament, and reserve her place in the semi-finals.
Chenwen, a wildcard participant in Beijing, achieved her first victory in two straight sets in this year's edition, after spending more than 10 hours on the court to reach the quarter-finals.
The world number 54 enthused the crowd with her winning shots along the lines, but Svitolina, ranked seventh, came back strong and imposed a tiebreak in the second set.
The Chinese player committed a double fault on the first point, but overcame a 0-2 deficit, before falling on her back in joy after the second match point was decided.
The 24-year-old said to the crowd: “Honestly, I was very nervous because I wanted so much to achieve this victory.”
She added: “I played in a very aggressive style in the decisive moments,” noting that her opponent “raised her level” in a close second set.
Svitolina committed only 13 direct errors during the match, which lasted an hour and 47 minutes, but the 2024 Olympic champion surpassed her by scoring 48 winners.
Later on Friday, Polish Iga Swiwontek, champion of the 2023 edition, will meet Belgian Elise Mertens, in a confrontation for the final qualification ticket to the semi-finals.
