Ollie Bearman was barely three months old when Fernando Alonso won his first world championship in 2005 – but on his Formula One debut in Mexico City, the Essex 18-year-old finished ahead of the double world champion. “That was an added bonus,” he said with a broad smile. On Friday, Bearman made history by becoming the youngest British driver to step foot in an F1 machine at a Grand Prix weekend. And he quietly impressed, too. Competing for American outfit Haas, Bearman finished 15th in first practice, only 1.6 seconds slower than triple world champion Max Verstappen, and three tenths adrift of Nico Hulkenberg – a veteran of 200 grands prix – in the other Haas. He was also speedier than Alonso. Five rookies were fielded at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and Bearman was quickest of them all. Raised in Chelmsford, and schooled at King Edward VI Grammar, Bearman joined Ferrari’s driver academy, aged only 16. Bearman had just won both the German and Italian Formula Four championships, and his performances made those at Maranello sit up and take note. He quit school – despite initial resistance from his mother, Terri – left the family home in Chelmsford, and moved to Modena, a dozen miles north of Ferrari’s headquarters in northern Italy. Two years on, and his Italian twang is noticeable. “Maybe I got a bit lucky not to get the Essex accent,” he joked, in an interview with the PA news agency. I miss my family, my two dogs - I have an English Bull Terrier and a Boston Terrier and they are very cute - and that is the negative side. But the food in Italy is a big chunk above the English stuff, and the weather is better, too Ollie Bearman “A lot of people have told me my accent has changed even if I don’t notice it. I spend a lot of time with Italians and to communicate with people where English is not their first language is not easy, so I have changed my word order and ended up with this everywhere accent. “When I moved to Modena it happened pretty quickly. It was like going to university two years early, but I have loved every moment so far. My mum was very pro-school and very pro-education, but we managed to convince her in the end. “I miss my family, my two dogs – I have an English Bull Terrier and a Boston Terrier and they are very cute – and that is the negative side. But the food in Italy is a big chunk above the English stuff, and the weather is better, too.” Following four victories in his rookie Formula Two season – the feeder series to F1 – Bearman was thrust into the spotlight in Mexico City, eclipsing Lando Norris as the sport’s youngest Brit. Norris, now in his fifth season, was three months shy of his 19th birthday when he took part in practice for McLaren in Belgium in 2018. Bearman turned 18 in May. When Lewis Hamilton made his F1 bow, Bearman was only 18 months old. Yet on Friday, he shared the same asphalt as the seven-time world champion. “When I heard Hamilton was coming up behind me on a push lap I was like ‘wow, I will get out of the way’,” he added. However, it was Hamilton’s former McLaren team-mate, the 2009 world champion Jenson Button, who was Bearman’s childhood hero. “I heard Jenson was praising me on Sky, and that was amazing for me to hear,” he adds. “I don’t know why, but he was always the guy I loved and really looked up to. It is cool that he recognised my performance in practice, and I will try to speak to him here – that is my goal.” Bearman will remain in F2 next season and he will be back in an F1 machine in practice for Haas – effectively Ferrari’s B team – next month in Abu Dhabi. “It is really cool that I have been given this opportunity,” he said. “My whole career has been a pinch-yourself moment, and this is another one. “Ferrari is such an elusive team. They are an iconic brand, they have an iconic colour and they have the best-looking car on the grid. They are putting a lot of trust in me, and loyalty is an important part of this paddock. “Of course my goal is to become a Ferrari driver, and I need to do that with my performances on track. Today was an amazing moment, and one I will savour for years to come. “It is a shame it was only practice, but it is all part and parcel of the work we have been doing to get to the top.” Read More Max Verstappen sets fastest time in Mexican Grand Prix practice Max Verstappen urges fans to show him respect ahead of feisty Mexican Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton claims many more cars were illegal at United States Grand Prix Max Verstappen beefs up security in preparation for hostile reception in Mexico On this day in 2015: Lewis Hamilton crowned F1 world champion for third time Mercedes ‘need to take Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification on the chin’

Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants settled on a contract for the star running back just in time for training camp, signing a one-year contract worth up to $11 million, a source close to the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday

Earlier this summer, when there was still the feeling that Manchester United might come in for Harry Kane, it was put to one figure at the club that Bayern Munich were very confident of getting him. "They have no experience of dealing with Daniel Levy," came the response. The German champions have since found out the very hard way. Extremely late on in the Kane deal, just as the player was about to board the plane, negotiations were ongoing with Tottenham about the make-up of the final figures. Levy has long been insistent that 80 percent of the overall package should be guaranteed and the total fee should come to £120 million. This has made many people in the football industry roll their eyes, but it all reflects how the chairman has long divided Tottenham fans. The cries of "Levy out" and "get out of our club" grew louder and louder last season, in that gleaming new stadium. Those who back him, and have admittedly been the far quieter party lately, would point to how he has gradually built the club from a glamorous but under-performing name to one of the Premier League's "super clubs" with the best infrastructure in Europe. They were included in the Super League, after all. Levy is clearly adept at long-term macro business strategy. Those who criticise him, and many of the fans would not even give him the credit for the business side, say this is constantly undercut by a short-term misunderstanding of football. The entire Kane saga has almost encapsulated all of this. While Levy may get the maximum price, it could come at the cost of being able to prepare properly from a purely football perspective. That is far from the first time that has been said. As one figure involved in negotiations said, "it's almost impossible to get a star out of Spurs much before 31 August". It was similar with Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and now - the one the club and fans value above all of them - Kane. Levy seeks to get absolutely everything out of the deal, cranking up the pressure as he himself remains unmoved. Carrick once explained exactly what that was like. The midfielder was in a similar position to Kane in the summer of 2016, when he felt he had to leave for Manchester United to fulfil his talent. Carrick got so frustrated with Levy's refusal to deal with the Old Trafford hierarchy, though, that he decided to call the Spurs chairman himself. The repeated message back was simple. “Well, they need to pay the money,” Levy said. “It was all about the money for Daniel, just driving the price up and up,” Carrick wrote in his autobiography. “Arguing with Daniel was pointless. I would have got more joy talking to a brick wall.” Carrick appealed again, and got the same response again. “Well, they need to pay the money.” Bayern are finding similar. A big question is whether this singular approach becomes self-defeating, especially when viewed from the other side. Those who know Mauricio Pochettino say that he still has huge regrets that he didn't make his Spurs the force that Liverpool became, and puts it down to a refusal by the club to properly spend in 2017-18. The two clubs were then at a similar level but that was the point when Jurgen Klopp went big on Alisson and Virgil van Dijk. Pochettino had requested some of the names that Liverpool wanted - including Sadio Mane - but Levy felt it was better to build in a sustainable way, with an emphasis on youth. The paths diverged. Liverpool went on to win the title and the Champions League, beating Spurs in the final. While Spurs went stale and Pochettino was eventually sacked. So many involved feel that it was a huge missed opportunity, that in large part came from Levy's failure to understand there are key points when teams need further investment to reap much more. There was a similar theme with Spurs’ sales. The Argentine had felt as early as 2017 that the team needed an overhaul and that it could actually be damaging to keep players around because of that danger of staleness. Levy insisted on huge prices for those like Danny Rose, though, and never got them. The team never refreshed. It almost represented a classic false economy. Those who defend Levy - and there are many in the game - would insist that is because he simply has to take an even longer-term view. The proof is in how Spurs have grown, and that stadium. Sources involved in the Super League say it was his business acumen that got Spurs into it since other executives wanted him but not the club. This is the contrast that feeds into how divisive he is. Levy gets the business side. He doesn't get the football side. This can become an issue when, as many sources say, he gets so hands-on in deals. The three immediate successors to Pochettino were all bad appointments, that just didn't fit with what Spurs were. They represented deviations from the club's philosophy. A perception has been that Levy got too distracted by big names - especially Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte - forgetting what Spurs were. A place for up-and-coming players and managers to make their name; since they are not yet in that truly elite bracket of clubs. Others in football who are more critical of Levy would go even further. They say a lot of this is about "ego"; that he needs to be involved; that he needs to get the best deals. A common view is this can be self-defeating for Spurs, because it affects football preparation. Take the Kane negotiations, to come full circle. Levy has long been adamant that he absolutely does not want to sell to an English club, because they are Spurs' competitors. That has long put off United, who just didn't want to get into protracted and frustrated negotiations with Levy again. But what has that resulted in? Had Spurs accepted the reality, which is that they are a level below United, they could have generated an auction that brought even more money. That's how valuable Kane is. Bayern will have to pay the price. The wonder is whether it also comes at some cost to Spurs and not just because they're losing one of their all-time greats. Follow all the latest on our Premier League transfers live blog Read More Fantasy Premier League: 30 players you must consider for 2023/24 season Premier League LIVE: Harry Kane ‘stopped on way to Stansted airport’ as Bayern Munich move halted Premier League 2023/24 predictions: Champions, top four, relegation, best signing, top scorer and more Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich move in doubt after Tottenham last-minute U-turn Premier League record scorers: How many goals do Alan Shearer and Harry Kane have? Premier League LIVE: Kane to Bayern hit by delay and transfer updates

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