Sports
Brad Pitt’s F1 film blends real-life, fiction, full-throttle drama
The racing sequences in Brad Pitt’s new Formula One film deliver striking realism, but the story leans heavily on Hollywood flair, blending motorsport history with creative license.
“We just drew from history – a little of this, a little of that – and had Lewis Hamilton keep us on track,” Pitt said at the film’s New York premiere ahead of its global release.
Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue – a longtime Formula One enthusiast and Ferrari board member – added after a media screening, “There’s not a single event in the film that hasn’t happened in a real race.”
That doesn’t mean those moments could unfold today – or that they serve as anything more than dramatic inspiration.
The Apple Original Films blockbuster, with scenes shot during Grand Prix weekends, is a redemption story, with Pitt playing aging driver Sonny Hayes on an unlikely comeback alongside a young hotshot at a struggling team.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton provided advice and is credited as a co-producer on a movie scripted for audiences unfamiliar with the sport.
Pitt’s age – 61 in real life – has been called out as unrealistic for a modern driver. But as Hamilton, 40, said when filming started in 2023: “Brad looks like he’s aging backward.”
The oldest current F1 driver is Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who will turn 44 next month. But in the 1950s, when physical demands were lower but dangers greater, Philippe Etancelin and Louis Chiron raced at 55. Luigi Fagioli won at 53.
F1 comebacks today tend to follow short absences – one or two years at most – but that wasn’t always the case.
Dutch driver Jan Lammers raced from 1979 to 1982, then spent more than a decade away, during which he won Le Mans and raced at Daytona, before returning in 1992. Italian Luca Badoer also had a 10-year gap between starts before a short-lived comeback in 2009.
Last to First
Drivers have gone from last to first in barely believable circumstances, made bold strategy calls, and won with underdog teams rarely seen as contenders.
The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix lasted more than four hours, featured six safety car deployments, and was won by Jenson Button, who at one point was at the back of the field and had two collisions, including one with McLaren teammate Hamilton.
Button made five pit stops, plus a drive-through penalty, and picked up a puncture in a race halted for two hours.
Hayes’ backstory includes racing Ayrton Senna before a crash so violent he was flung from the car still strapped to his seat, modeled on Northern Ireland’s Martin Donnelly, who crashed at Jerez during practice for the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix and was left motionless on the track.
He survived, miraculously, but never returned to F1.
Drivers have escaped blazing crashes – Frenchman Romain Grosjean after his car erupted in a fireball at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, and Niki Lauda, who suffered serious burns in a 1976 Nurburgring crash.
Lauda returned to racing just six weeks later.
There are nods to the “Crashgate” scandal, when Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed deliberately at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, triggering a safety car that helped teammate Alonso win.
A female technical director? Not yet. But women have run teams and serve as strategists, race engineers and pit lane mechanics – although the movie takes considerable creative liberties on that front.
For longtime fans, there’s an Easter egg: a glimpse of the Monza banking in homage to the 1966 film Grand Prix. F1 director Joseph Kosinski said that classic, along with Steve McQueen’s 1971 film Le Mans, served as inspiration.
“Those movies are now almost 60 years old, but you can still watch them and marvel at the cinematography and the feeling of being there,” he said.
“The whole practical nature of this film was inspired by those classics.”
Mexico captured a record-extending 10th CONCACAF Gold Cup title Sunday with a 2-1 win over the United States, but the final in Houston ended under a storm of controversy as U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino openly questioned several key officiating decisions and a pivotal VAR reversal.
Chris Richards gave the Americans an early lead just four minutes in, rising to head in Sebastian Berhalter’s free kick off the underside of the crossbar.
Referee Mario Escobar confirmed the goal had crossed the line, giving the U.S. a dream start at NRG Stadium.
Mexico responded in the 27th minute through striker Raul Jimenez, who slotted home from close range and held up a shirt in tribute to his late former teammate Diogo Jota.
Mexico dominated much of the first half, forcing several critical saves from U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese.
Roberto Alvarado and 16-year-old Gilberto Mora each came close, with Mora’s long-range blast nearly sneaking in.
Despite Mexico’s pressure, the U.S. created their own moments.
Alex Freeman’s header struck Luis Malagon in the face, and Diego Luna missed the rebound high over the bar. As the match tightened in the second half, tensions escalated.
The decisive moment came in the 77th minute. Luna was whistled for a foul on Alexis Vega, giving Mexico a free kick deep on the flank.
Johan Vasquez flicked the delivery across the box where Edson Alvarez, darting behind the defense, buried a header from close range.
The assistant referee flagged for offside, but after a lengthy VAR review, the call was overturned and the goal stood, sending the Mexican bench into celebration.
Pochettino, furious with the reversal, insisted Alvarez had been offside and said Luna’s foul was undeserved, claiming Vega had simply lost his footing.
The Argentine coach also pointed to a controversial moment in the 67th minute when Jorge Sanchez handled the ball in the penalty area after a collision. No review was granted, and play continued.
He criticized the lack of consistency, suggesting that had the roles been reversed, the stadium would have erupted. Pochettino acknowledged Mexico’s performance but called the officiating “embarrassing,” expressing frustration over what he viewed as a lack of fairness.
Richards echoed those sentiments, saying that Sanchez’s action resembled a basketball move, likening it to “Shaq palming the ball.” He also felt Cesar Montes had illegally blocked him during the Alvarez goal sequence.
This was not the first time Mexico benefited from tight calls. In the group stage, a stoppage-time bicycle-kick goal against Costa Rica was ruled out by VAR. Another Alvarez strike in the semifinal was overturned. Pochettino said it was difficult to accept that this goal was allowed while two others in the tournament had been denied.
Despite the controversy, Mexico held firm in the dying minutes. Patrick Agyemang had a chance to draw level, but his finish sailed wide in a tense conclusion.
Alvarez, who had a goal disallowed earlier in the tournament, called the reversal and eventual win a testament to the team’s perseverance.
The victory secured back-to-back Gold Cups for El Tri and cemented their regional dominance with a 10th title – adding to three earlier CONCACAF Championship wins before the Gold Cup era.
Kevin Durant is heading to Houston, and the deal that sent him there is already a part of NBA history.
The league approved the record-setting seven-team trade Sunday, a sprawling transaction that sends the two-time champion and four-time scoring leader from Phoenix to the Rockets, with 13 players and a flurry of draft picks and rights exchanged among the Suns, Rockets, Hawks, Timberwolves, Warriors, Nets and Lakers.
Durant, 35, averaged 26.6 points last season in Phoenix, continuing his legacy as one of the most efficient scorers the league has ever seen. With 30,000 career points under his belt – eighth all-time – he now joins a rebuilding Rockets squad eager to turn a corner.
“Kevin impacts the game on both ends of the court and is one of the most efficient scorers in the history of basketball,” said Rockets general manager Rafael Stone. “We liked the growth our team showed last season and believe Kevin’s skill set will integrate seamlessly.”
The Rockets dealt away Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the draft rights to Khaman Maluach to Phoenix, also surrendering a 2026 and a 2032 second-round pick.
In return, they not only landed Durant but also center Clint Capela from Atlanta, reinforcing a roster that showed promise under head coach Ime Udoka.
“Having played against Kevin and coached him before, I know he’s the type of competitor who fits with what we’re building,” said Udoka. “His dedication, IQ, and love for the game make him one of the most respected players of his generation.”
The deal smashes the previous record of a six-team trade that moved Klay Thompson to Dallas last summer.
This seven-team saga touched nearly every corner of the league: Golden State received the rights to Jahmai Mashack, Brooklyn acquired two second-round picks from Houston, and Atlanta picked up David Roddy, cash, and a 2031 second-round pick swap.
Minnesota and the Lakers were involved for salary and pick-balancing measures, with additional second-round picks and swaps expected to finalize in the coming weeks – some possibly extending to 2032, meaning high schoolers today may one day be listed in trade footnotes from this deal.
Durant returns to Texas, where he starred in college at the University of Texas and won National Player of the Year honors before being drafted second overall by Seattle in 2007.
His NBA journey now spans five franchises: SuperSonics/Thunder, Warriors, Nets, Suns, and now the Rockets. He won titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018, became Team USA’s all-time leading Olympic scorer, and earned four gold medals across four Summer Games.
Phoenix, in a statement, thanked Durant for his time with the franchise.
“One of the greatest to ever play the game,” said Suns general manager Brian Gregory. “As a Sun, he reached the 30,000-point milestone and made a lasting impact on the court and in our community. We wish him the best in Houston.”
Just two wins from another piece of international silverware, Chelsea step into Tuesday’s Club World Cup semifinal with Fluminense looking to extend their blistering end-of-season run and edge closer to global dominance.
Fresh off a hard-fought 2-1 quarterfinal win over Palmeiras – featuring a slick Cole Palmer finish and a fortuitous Agustin Giay own goal – the Blues face a spirited South American underdog riding a fairytale run of its own.
Under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea have hit their stride, winning four of five matches in the competition and carrying momentum from their UEFA Europa Conference League triumph.
Even a group-stage stumble to Flamengo couldn’t derail their progress, and fortune favored them in the knockout draw, steering them clear of the European powerhouses.
Cup double
Chelsea’s semifinal berth adds to a strong close to Maresca’s debut season, which once teetered mid-campaign.
A win Tuesday would move them into the final against either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain – and a shot at matching their 2021 Club World Cup glory.
But the road has been rocky. Their last-16 victory over Benfica was delayed by weather, stretching into extra time before Chelsea eventually pulled through. Injuries and suspensions now add to their challenge.
Reece James and Romeo Lavia remain sidelined, while Liam Delap and Levi Colwill are suspended for Tuesday. New signing Joao Pedro may step into the attacking void left by Delap, and Tosin Adarabioyo is tipped to partner Benoit Badiashile in defense.
Moises Caicedo is expected back in midfield after serving a ban.
Former ally, now foe
Awaiting them is a familiar face: 40-year-old Thiago Silva, Chelsea’s ex-captain, now marshals Fluminense’s back line.
Despite a recent nose injury, he’s expected to lead the Brazilian defense in New Jersey.
Fluminense stunned many by edging Al-Hilal 2-1 in the quarters, with 44-year-old keeper Fabio rolling back the years and substitute Hercules sealing the win late.
They’ve made a habit of late goals – half of their eight in this tournament have come after the 70th minute – and are undefeated in 11 matches, boasting five clean sheets in their last seven.
But the Tricolor’s Cinderella story hides domestic struggles: they finished just four points above relegation last season and currently sit sixth in the 2025 Brazilian league standings.
The Renato Gaucho effect
Fluminense’s charge is helmed by flamboyant coach Renato Gaucho – real name Renato Portaluppi – who’s turned the squad from relegation survivors into world contenders in three whirlwind months.
A cult hero in Brazilian football, he once claimed to be “better than Cristiano Ronaldo” and famously scored the winning goal with his belly in a Rio derby final.
Despite a career dotted with triumphs and tantrums – he once hosted a barbecue for rivals after a crushing defeat – Portaluppi has delivered when it counts.
A Libertadores winner both as player and coach, he’s crafted a high-pressing “chaos” style that’s unsettled giants like Inter Milan and Al-Hilal.
Yet Tuesday presents his sternest test: taking down Chelsea, who have rediscovered their rhythm and are primed for a second world title in four years.
Fluminense will be without suspended pair Martinelli and Freytes, while attacking threats German Cano and Jhon Arias lead the line again.
Arias, the tournament’s dribbling and chance-creating dynamo, remains their X-factor.
Down to nine men, Paris Saint-Germain clinched a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday in Atlanta, setting up a Club World Cup semifinal showdown with former star Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid.
Los Blancos squeezed out Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in New Jersey in the day’s other quarterfinal clash, with Mbappe on the scoresheet for the first time at the tournament.
Luis Enrique’s PSG needed to dig deep in front of 67,000 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium after late red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez.
The French side won the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history in May, despite their key player Mbappe departing for Real last year.
Young forward Desire Doue, who shone on PSG’s road to European glory, and Ballon d’Or candidate Ousmane Dembele got the goals in the second half of an enthralling clash against Vincent Kompany’s Bayern, who had two strikes ruled out for offside.
The German giants also lost playmaker Jamal Musiala to a horror ankle injury just before halftime, which Kompany said made his “blood boil” because of how unfortunate it is for the 22-year-old.
“After the first red card, it became complicated, then with two players less it was a bit of a lottery,” said a relieved Luis Enrique.
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his Bayern counterpart Manuel Neuer both made several excellent saves in a pulsating battle at the air-conditioned, covered venue, which allowed both sides’ high-pressing, attacking approaches to shine.
Players and spectators at both matches observed a minute of silence in honour of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically died in a car crash Thursday.
PSG’s clash with Bayern was FIFA’s expanded tournament’s biggest heavyweight clash thus far and the game delivered, even if fans had to wait until the 78th minute for the opener.
After Harry Kane gave the ball away, PSG surged forward and 20-year-old Doue fashioned some space on the edge of the box before flashing a low strike home at the near post.
Bayern were given hope as they hunted for an equaliser when PSG defender Pacho was sent off for a high tackle on Leon Goretzka after 83 minutes.
Kane had a goal disallowed for offside, like Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano in the first half, and after Hernandez was dismissed for an elbow, Dembele tucked home the second in stoppage time, paying tribute to Jota by copying his video-gaming celebration.
“In the first half, we showed them who we are and they had problems with us,” said Bayern substitute Thomas Mueller, who played his last game for the club.
Mbappe strikes
Real Madrid cruised for the most part against Dortmund before a flurry of goals at the end left them in danger of losing their lead.
Xabi Alonso, unbeaten at the helm, shifted back to a four-man defence against Niko Kovac’s side, shorn of suspended Jobe Bellingham, who would have loved to face his older brother, Madrid’s Jude.
The coach decided to leave Mbappe, who missed the three group games after a stomach bug, on the bench and persist with Gonzalo Garcia up front.
The 21-year-old striker paid back Alonso for his confidence by grabbing his fourth goal of the tournament after 10 minutes with a close-range finish from Arda Güler’s cross.
“He’s doing great work for the team … he’s in the right position in the box, he’s a proper number nine,” said Alonso.
In the 20th minute, Fran Garcia doubled Los Blancos’ lead, rushing into the box to polish off Trent Alexander-Arnold’s dangerous ball across the face of goal.
Madrid were cruising to victory until Max Beier drilled home in stoppage time.
Real responded, with substitute Mbappe netting his 44th goal of the season with an acrobatic finish from another Guler cross.
He paid tribute to the late Jota by making the number 20 with his hands, the Portuguese striker’s shirt number at Liverpool.
Madrid were not home and dry. Dean Huijsen was sent off for tugging back Serhou Guirassy as he ran through and the Guinea international netted from the spot, but Dortmund had no time to equalize.
“Everything was under control with the result, not conceding much, but the last 10 minutes were kind of crazy,” said Alonso.
“We lost our shape and our intensity, and luckily nothing went wrong.”
Liverpool and Portugal national team players joined grieving family and friends Saturday at the funeral of teammate Diogo Jota and his brother, who died in a car crash in Spain two days earlier.
The Reds’ captain Virgil Van Dijk arrived carrying a red floral arrangement in the shape of a football shirt with Jota’s No. 20 in white.
Liverpool teammate Andrew Robertson carried a similar arrangement with the No. 30, the number worn by Jota’s brother, Andre Silva, who played for Portuguese club Penafiel. Coach Arne Slot was part of the Liverpool contingent.
Portugal international Ruben Neves served as a pallbearer for Jota a day after playing at the Club World Cup in the United States. He and Jota were teammates at Wolverhampton earlier in their careers.
Neves and Joao Cancelo attended the funeral after playing in Orlando on Friday, when their Al Hilal were eliminated by Fluminense. Both players had wept when a minute of silence was held before the quarterfinal match.
The service was held at Igreja Matriz church in the Portuguese town of Gondomar, where Jota had a home.
Church bells pealed at 10 a.m. local time as the funeral started. Pallbearers carried the caskets of both brothers from a chapel next door and into the church. Relatives and hundreds of friends and acquaintances, including players of the local Gondomar FC, where Jota started playing at age 9, followed.
Portugal’s national team coach Roberto Martinez and several other top Portuguese players also attended, including Manchester City duo Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.
“These are really, really sad days, as you can imagine,” Martinez said. “But today we showed we are a large, close family. … Their spirit will be with us forever.”
The bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, led the funeral mass. The church was filled to capacity and a couple of dozen people followed the service via loudspeaker from outside. Afterwards, the coffins were carried to the cemetery next to the church.
Jota, 28, and the 25-year-old Silva were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain early Thursday after the Lamborghini they were driving crashed on an isolated stretch of highway just after midnight and burst into flames.
The brothers were reportedly heading to catch a boat from northern Spain to go to England, where Jota was to rejoin Liverpool after a summer break.
Spanish police are investigating the cause of the crash, which did not involve another vehicle, they said. They said they believe it could have been caused by a blown tire.
Their bodies were repatriated to Portugal after being identified by the family. A wake was held for them on Friday.
Jota’s death occurred two weeks after he married long-time partner Rute Cardoso while on vacation from a long season where he helped Liverpool win the Premier League. The couple had three children, the youngest born last year.
Their loss led to an outpouring of condolences from the football world and Portuguese officials.
Despite winning 100 matches and seven Grand Slam titles on Wimbledon’s grass, Novak Djokovic didn’t grow up mastering the surface. Indeed, he never competed or even practiced on it at all until 2005, when he entered the qualifying event held at the nearby Roehampton facility and won three matches there to earn the right to make his debut at the All England Club at age 18.
“That was actually the first year I stepped out on the grass,” said Djokovic, who will play 11th-seeded Alex de Minaur on Monday for a quarterfinal berth at the Grand Slam tournament. “I must say that it felt very natural for me to adapt to it, even though I grew up on clay.”
That’s a common refrain among today’s pros, and the lack of familiarity with, and comfort on, grass could be one of the reasons for all of the upsets in the early going at Wimbledon. The eight total Top-10 seeds – four women, four men – who lost in the first round were the most at any major since they began seeding 32 in brackets in 2001.
“Grass,” 2022 champion Elena Rybakina said after her third-round exit Saturday, “is very unpredictable.”
With her departure and defending champ Barbora Krejcikova’s loss to Emma Navarro a few hours later, there is guaranteed to be yet another first-time women’s title winner this year at the All England Club. Whoever takes home the trophy on July 12 will be the ninth woman to do so in the event’s past nine editions.
Plenty of top players learned to play tennis on hard courts, especially in North America, or clay courts, especially in Europe and Latin America. Grass? Not so much, except for those from England or Australia. It’s an acquired taste and skill, and it doesn’t help anyone that the portion of the season spent on the turf is so abbreviated.
“Usually when I was on grass,” joked Eva Lys, a 23-year-old German who reached the second round at Wimbledon, “it was when I was tanning.”
There are more than 35 hard-court tournaments listed on the 2025 WTA calendar, 11 held on clay and seven on grass, which is used from June 9 through Wimbledon.
“It’s not just that we only play on grass for about a month,” said Lorenzo Musetti, a semifinalist at the All England Club a year ago and a first-round loser as the No. 7 seed this time. “It’s a surface that requires a lot of adapting. You have to go by feeling.”
There isn’t much of a chance to get used to the slippery footing, needing to bend one’s knees to reach shots that skid more than bounce, or dealing with the inconsistent ways balls move.
“Everything is so different about it,” said Tommy Paul, the 13th-seeded American who bowed out in the second round after coming down awkwardly on his foot during a point.
Growing up in North Carolina, Paul picked up a racket at age 7, and his first surface was green clay. It wasn’t until he was 15 or 16 that he first tried hitting on grass, at a junior event at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
“I was probably diving all over the court when I didn’t need to. I’ve always said it’s the most fun surface to play on,” Paul said. “I like the disorder about it.”
His grass debut arrived earlier than for many who reach the sport’s top levels. Like Djokovic, most never set foot on the stuff until they’re about 17 or 18 and heading to England (unlike Djokovic, usually for Wimbledon’s junior tournament).
Some have one rough encounter that sticks with them.
Naomi Osaka, a former No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion on the hard courts of the U.S. Open and Australian Open, slipped and hurt her knee nearly a decade ago on grass and that created fear, she said. She has never been past the third round at Wimbledon.
Iga Swiatek, another former No. 1 and the owner of five major trophies earned elsewhere, did win a junior Wimbledon title, but it’s her least successful Slam as a pro. She will try to equal her run by getting to the quarterfinals with a victory against No. 23 Clara Tauson on Monday.
“This year on grass, I had some moments where I just felt comfortable and I didn’t have to think much,” Swiatek said. “It was just pretty smooth.”
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