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Max Verstappen says Lewis Hamilton was ‘scared’ after the Formula 1 rivals nearly collided during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman was under investigation for the incident but avoided a post-race penalty from the stewards.

Lando Norris held off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the closing stages of a tense race to claim victory at the Hungaroring on Sunday.

The Brit has closed the gap to his championship rival to just nine points as F1 heads on its summer break, returning at the end of August with the Dutch Grand Prix.

Further back, it was a race to forget for Verstappen who took the chequered flag in ninth place, embarrassingly finishing behind Liam Lawson in Red Bull’s junior team.

To make matters worse for the four-time champion, he was the subject of a post-race investigation for potentially forcing Hamilton off the track on lap 30.

The Red Bull attempted a bold overtake on the Ferrari down the inside of turn 4, narrowly avoiding contact, with Hamilton seemingly taking avoiding action by running wide at the corner, which in turn allowed Verstappen to get past.

Hamilton would go on to finish 12th, while the incident was noted by the stewards who, somewhat unusually, decided to settle the matter after the race.

Verstappen wasn’t impressed to discover the stewards were investigating, telling Viaplay: ‘I’m actually pretty disappointed I have to go to the stewards after the race. Just analyse it in the race.

‘I just set my nose next to him [Hamilton], he gets scared and goes off track.’

Earlier on the weekend, the Dutchman had been under investigation after throwing a towel out his car in a bizarre incident, with the stewards later issuing a formal warning to Red Bull.

Hamilton for his part didn’t seemed fussed about the matter on what was a terrible weekend for the seven-time champion, saying: ‘I don’t really remember to be honest.

‘I saw last minute he was quite close to my right wheel, so I tried to avoid a collision.’

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Antony has rejected a third offer to leave Manchester United as he holds out for a move to Real Betis.

The Brazilian forward enjoyed a much-needed revival at Betis after being loaned out by United in January.

Manchester United spent £82m to sign Antony from Ajax in 2022 but are trying to sell him just three years later.

The 25-year-old regarded as one of the biggest transfer flops in Premier League history, scored five league goals across his first two seasons at Old Trafford.

Given his recent struggles, United fans were surprised to see Antony thrive at Real Betis, where he scored nine goals and helped Manuel Pellegrini’s side reach the Conference League final.

Pellegrini has instructed Betis to bring Antony back to the club on a permanent transfer but the deal is not straightforward given the numbers involved.

Manchester United want around £30m for Antony and the Brazil international is on a huge salary worth more than £4m-a-year.

Despite the difficulty in signing Antony, Real Betis are expected to approach United with a new offer in the coming days.

Spanish outlet Sport say Antony is desperate to return to Sevilla and is ‘unwilling’ to join any club other than Betis.

As a result Antony is ‘refusing to listen’ to a lucrative transfer approach from the Saudi Pro League and has instead indicated he will take a pay-cut to return to Real Betis.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr have expressed interest in signing Antony but the winger has his heart set on Betis.

According to reports, Antony has already rejected approaches from Brazilian clubs Botafogo and Sao Paulo as he wants to remain in Europe.

Given his desire to sign for Betis, Antony is prepared to wait until the last couple of weeks of the transfer window when he hopes the La Liga side will reach an agreement with Manchester United.

Antony is one of a number of players Ruben Amorim is hoping to offload before the summer transfer deadline.

The Red Devils, who have signed Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this summer, have also put Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho up for sale.

The sales of several unwanted players would not only trim Amorim’s squadbut increase the club’s transfer kitty as they consider a bid for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.

Manchester United, who start the new season on August 17 against Arsenal, are also interested in signing a new goalkeeper to compete with Andre Onana.

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Enzo Maresca has held fresh talks with Christopher Nkunku in a bid to convince the misfiring Chelsea forward to stay at Stamford Bridge.

Nkunku was expected to be sold by Chelsea following another disappointing season at the Premier League club.

Chelsea spent £52m to sign Nkunku from RB Leipzig in 2023 but the France international missed most of his first season in west London through injury.

Nkunku was back fit last season but still endured a disappointing campaign, contributing just three goals in the Premier League.

Chelsea fans have been hugely underwhelmed by Nkunku’s form at the club considering he was named the Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2021-22 and was the league’s top goalscorer before his arrival.

The Blues were open to offers for Nkunku during the January transfer window and were expected to cash in on the 27-year-old this summer.

Chelsea have bolstered Maresca’s squad with several new signings this summer so the sale of Nkunku would give them a chance to make room for the new additions and raise some funds.

However, according to L’Equipe, Maresca recently held talks with Nkunku and made it clear that he could still be part of his project at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca appreciates Nkunku’s profile and knows squad depth will be needed as Chelsea look to challenge Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City for the title while competing in Europe.

It is unclear whether Nkunku will settle for a rotational role in Maresca’s squad as he has aspirations of making France’s squad for next summer’s World Cup.

His representatives are also aware of interest from several possible suitors, recently holding talks with Serie A giants Inter Milan.

French outlet L’Equipe say clubs in the bottom-half of the Premier League have also expressed interest in a deal but Nkunku intends to play for a top-level club.

Nkunku was linked with Bayern Munich and Manchester United earlier in the summer but those two clubs appear to be focusing on other targets.

In an exclusive interview with Metro back in April, former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf urged both the club and Nkunku to ‘cut their losses’ and go their separate ways this summer.

‘I think they need to cut their losses and go their separate ways,’ the ex-Chelsea centre-back said.

‘It’s best for the club but also the future of the player. Careers are pretty short so you have to react quickly if it doesn’t work.

‘And it can happen like this – sometimes the chemistry doesn’t work. I was very happy to see him come to Chelsea, but it’s never worked. ‘He’s never been able to settle down, maybe because the position he’s been offered wasn’t the right one. 

‘It’s always difficult to come from a family club like Leipzig to a club where you have to perform and the pressure is one you always. I had that when I moved from Strasbourg to Chelsea and it’s a big task if you’re not able to cope with the situation.

‘It’s never worked for him but he’s still a good player. He will have to rebound but we’ve seen that before with players like Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah when they left.’

Chelsea have two pre-season friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan next weekend before their Premier League campaign starts on August 17 against Crystal Palace.

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A Ukrainian drone strike on an oil depot in Sochi – the Russian resort that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympic Games – was captured in a video shared online by two TikTok influencers.

Footage circulating online shows two young women posing metres away from the inferno, allegedly caused by drone debris hitting a fuel tank.

The pair have since been identified as Dasha Vladimirovna, 21, and Karina Evgenyevna, 19 – who have since been detained for accidentally exposing Vladimir Putin’s failures to defend Russia.

Flames are seen raging behind the two, with pillars of smoke rising into the sky, after the overnight attack.

Dasha and Karina do not appear shocked – in the video, they are rapping to the track Crimson Dawn by singer Endshpil, a famous Russian rapper. 

Before they were identified, police had issued an appeal to members of the piublic, saying: ‘During Internet monitoring, a publication was found of two girls filming a video against the backdrop of a fire in Sochi.

‘The police have initiated an investigation, measures are being taken to identify the girls, and their actions will be legally assessed.’

It was later confirmed that Dasha and Karina had been detained, and there were calls from pro-war outlets for them to issue a public apology over the stunt close to Sochi Airport. 

Police have not shared the real reason for their arrest, but it is likely that it is the potential glamourising of a Ukrainian strike on Putin’s favourite Black Sea resort.

The Kremlin has been taking an increasingly hard line against social media stunts seen as highlighting Ukraine’s successes in the war.

Ukraine’s attack is seen as one of the most symbolically and strategically significant ones – deep within Russian territory since the start of the full-scale invasion.

The oil depot sustained a direct hit, causing the explosion of a 2,000 cubic metre fuel reservoir and sparking a fire visible across Sochi.

More than 120 firefighters and 35 emergency vehicles were deployed to the scene, and operations at the nearby airport were suspended as a precaution.

Despite the official account from the governor of Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratyev, describing the incident as a result of falling drone fragments, widespread footage circulating online paints a starkly different picture.

Videos captured by local residents show towering plumes of black smoke, an orange-glowing night sky, and the sound of drones overhead.

In one video, a panicked resident exclaims: ‘It’s flying, again! Right to the airport!’

Moments later, another voice shouts, ‘It’s a tragedy! Everything’s burning!’

These images have sharply contrasted with the restrained language used by Russia’s regional and federal authorities.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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