Russell on F1 Australian GP pole in Mercedes lockout as Verstappen crashes out

When the talking finally stopped and the time came to lay down the cards in qualifying for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Formula One was forced to face two rather uncomfortable truths as the sport entered its new era in Melbourne.The first will sit well with all at Mercedes at least, if less so elsewhere across the grid. Their front-row lockout achieved by an ominously dominant George Russell and his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, ended the pre-season phoney war with a bluntly emphatic stamp of complete authority. The team had attempted to play down their perceived advantage but at Albert Park, that they were top dogs was impossible to deny.Russell and Antonelli, finally off the leash, were all but running amok; their nearest competitor, Isack Hadjar in the Red Bull, was almost eight-tenths of a second behind the pole time in third place

Formula One: 2026 Australian Grand Prix qualifying – as it happened

But that’s about all that’s required from me today, I reckon. Be sure to join me tomorrow for all the action from the F1 Australian Grand Prix race in Melbourne.Here is Giles Richards’ qualifying report. Cheers!Now that's how you finish the first quali in 2026 🙂‍↕️#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter

‘I’m available for discussion’: Kevin Pietersen puts himself up for England role

Kevin Pietersen has said he would “absolutely” consider becoming part of a future England cricket coaching set-up and revealed Rob Key has ­previously sounded him out a couple of times.While Brendon McCullum, along with managing director Key, is expected to get the ­backing of the ­England and Wales Cricket Board to continue despite a ­winter of overall discontent, it is ­understood that there is room to tweak the ­coaching group.“Rob Key has mentioned it on a couple of occasions, but we’ve never really got to that position where it’s like: ‘OK, what should we do here?’” said Pietersen, who won the Ashes and T20 World Cup with England. “If Rob Key called me and said: ‘I want to talk to you properly,’ then I’ll talk to him, definitely. I’m available to have the discussion

Ireland 27 – 17 Wales: Six Nations rugby union – as it happened

Thanks for your company, come back tomorrow for Scotland vs France and Italy vs England.Here’s the full match report from the AvivaWorld’s greatest broken field runner, Rhys Carre, is talking to ITV.“We’re showing improvement, and that we’re in the fight until the last play of the game. We’re working hard and we’re getting there. What’s always been there is the Welsh heart and fight, and we’re building

Osborne and wobbly Crowley finish off Wales to keep Ireland in Six Nations hunt

The pre-match predictions that Ireland would win with a bonus and Wales would get nothing tangible from it were wholly correct. Never, however, has so much been lost in the nuts and bolts of the sums adding up.Wales were magnificent, good enough to reduce the home team and a raucous full house to sweaty souls praying for the final bell. When it came it had become a two-score game. The fear factor had subsided a few minutes earlier, but only when Jack Crowley managed to kick a handy penalty, though at this level there are not many kicks in that category for him

Russian flag met largely by silence at opening ceremony of Winter Paralympics

The Russian flag was flown at an international sporting event for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine on Friday night, an act met largely by silence, as the Winter Paralympic Games got under way with a high-end opening ceremony in Verona.Dance, music and visual art combined in a beguiling hour-long performance, celebrating the Paralympic movement and stressing the importance of physical access for people with disabilities, all in a Roman amphitheatre made accessible just for the event. But the eyes of the crowd and a global audience were on the parade of athletes passing into the Arena di Verona.With as many as half the 56 competing countries choosing not to send athletes to the ceremony, some in protest, others in preparation for the Games, the athletes’ procession was less joyous than is customary and all flags were carried by local volunteers. Each country was welcomed on to the stage warmly, however, but when four Russian athletes emerged there was noise only from the Russian delegation who cheered and waved flags