Vettel back on pole at Hungaroring

Sebastian Vettel has qualified on pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Photograph: Lars Baron/Getty Images

Sebastian Vettel claimed his eighth pole of the season, for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, and in so doing, ensured Red Bull still remain the only team to have held the spot all season. With both McLaren and Ferrari having proved in practice that their single-lap pace is now much closer to the Red Bull, Vettel had to throw down a perfect lap in the last seconds of qualifying three to pip Lewis Hamilton into second and Jenson Button into third.

Increasingly under pressure and after Vettel had called on his team to "raise their game" on Friday night, Red Bull took the unusual step of breaking the curfew limit that restricts work on the car between 2am and 8am. The curfew can be broken four times per season without penalty but this is the first time the team have done so and it seems to have worked out.

"We changed a lot on the car overnight and the boys were working pretty hard and didn't get much sleep, but I think if we have a result like this it's the best way to say thanks," the world champion said afterwards.

All the major players went through the first two qualifying sessions without mishap using the prime (soft) tyres, although in slightly higher temperatures than during practice. Immediately opting for the option (super-soft) tyres, Fernando Alonso was first out in the last session but Hamilton remained the leader after the opening laps. Expecting better times from one more shot, the leaders opted to go for a second run in the last two minutes.

Alonso was again out first, looking for a clean lap, having caught Mark Webber at the end of his first outing, but he was swiftly followed by Hamilton, who immediately took provisional pole from the Spaniard.

It did not last long. Vettel pumped in one of the best laps of the weekend to secure provisional pole, with a time of 1min 19.815sec. Button followed him but could manage only third, nonetheless his best grid position for five races, while Felipe Massa took a great fourth place, bumping Alonso into fifth and confirming Vettel's place at the front of the grid. Webber, who won here last year, had Kers problems early in the session and was disappointed with sixth. "Third row is not where I want to be – I didn't get the best out of the car and out of the tyres," he said.

Vettel, unsurprisingly, returned to parc ferme with his usual enthusiastic pole celebration: "Yes! That's what I'm talking about," he exclaimed from the cockpit and said afterwards: "I've got the confidence back. Today I felt much more comfortable in the car and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

Hamilton, who had looked confident himself all weekend, might have expected he would finally break Red Bull's dominance at the front but he did finish within 0.163 of Vettel and remained optimistic: "I'm very excited about the race, because we had quite a good, long run yesterday and we'll work hard to build on that pace overnight. We're in the fight and, with a good start, we can definitely challenge for the win."

His team-mate, Button, starting his 200th grand prix on Sunday, feels that with the new tyres, DRS and Kers, the procession that so often occurs here in Hungary may still be avoided, and he too was upbeat: "It's nice to be in a position to drive for a win from the outset, and that's definitely what I'll be attempting to do," he said.

Ferrari may also have expected more here after their pace in Germany, but for Massa, who starts ahead of his team-mate for the first time this year, the race may reveal more. "Usually our rivals find something extra for qualifying and we make a step forward in the race; we will see tomorrow if this unwritten rule is confirmed at this track, I hope I have a car that is competitive," he said.

As always on this underused track, grip improved significantly between Friday and Saturday and, although there may be rain overnight, a dry race is expected. With the super-soft tyres around half a second quicker over a 10-lap run, three or four stops is to be expected, with teams evaluating how long they can run each set of option tyres before reverting to the prime (soft) rubber for the final stint. There have also been grip issues raised around the final corner, which may offer opportunities for cars entering the DRS zone on the start-finish straight.

Having lined up next to Vettel on the front row in Australia and Malaysia already this season, and seen the German go on to win both races, Hamilton will be hoping for better this time. He starts on the dirty side of the grid on Sunday. "Fingers crossed the track is clean," he said. "I hope they're cleaning it tonight to give us a good opportunity to have a fair fight down to turn one." It might yet prove crucial on a circuit where overtaking has traditionally only taken place in the pit lane.

1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1min 19.815sec, 2 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren 1:19.978, 3 Jenson Button (GB) McLaren 1:20.024, 4 Felipe Massa (Br) Ferrari 1:20.350, 5 Fernando Alonso (Sp) Ferrari 1:20.365, 6 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:20.474, 7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:21.098, 8 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:21.445, 9 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 1:21.907, 10 Sergio Perez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari no time, 11 Paul di Resta (GB) Force India 1:22.256, 12 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 1:22.284, 13 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.435 ,14 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault 1:22.470, 15 Rubens Barrichello (Br) Williams 1:22.684, 16 Jaime Alguersuari (Sp) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.979, 17 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams no time, 18 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:24.070, 19 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus 1:24.362, 20 Jarno Trulli (It) Lotus 1:24.534, 21 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin Racing 1:26.294, 22 Vitantonio Liuzzi (It) HRT-F1 1:26.323, 23 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) HRT-F1 1:26.479, 24 Jerome d'Ambrosio (Bel) Virgin Racing 1:26.510.

Buemi will start the race from 23rd due to a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision at the German Grand Prix

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Arsène Wenger still has work to do as Boca Juniors claim a 2-2 draw

Robin van Persie scored Arsenal's first in the 2-2 draw with Boca Juniors in the Emirates Cup. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images

Arsenal's endless summer saga of where Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas may ply their trade next paused briefly for a home bow against Diego Maradona's old club before Arsene Wenger, yet again, addressed the issue.

Regarding Nasri, who has a year left on his contract and is interesting Manchester City, Wenger informed him for the first time publicly that he should make a decision. "In the next 10 days it has to be clear on that front. If you ask me, do I want to keep him, I say yes. But he needs to be committed to that as well."

Wenger had included Fabregas in his ultimatum of 10 days, but, pressed on this, he softened the stance. "I don't give them 10 days, the transfer period is until 31 August. Ideally, we go into big games in the next two weeks, so in the next two weeks we need to sort our problems out, but there is no specific deadline of one day or 24 hours."

On Friday, Wenger had stated that, despite Fabregas wanting to leave for Barcelona, he would not be allowed to do so for less than Arsenal's valuation, with the Catalan club so far not returning with an improvement on their ?27m bid earlier this summer.

Yet Wenger conceded that Nasri, if he does remain beyond September, could walk away next summer for free. Asked how much of a concern this would be, the manager conceded the point. "It's not ideal for us, of course, on the financial side, but, on the sporting side, he is an important player," Wenger said.

Gervinho's performance in a first-half cameo against Boca had suggested he may prove a vital performer this season. Yet, while the 24-year-old has a directness so chronically missing from these parts recently, Arsenal's concession of a two-goal advantage indicated their old problem of defensive brittleness may yet haunt Wenger's men again.

Once more, Fabregas was not included because of a hamstring problem – he is yet to feature this pre-season and may never again do so – while Nasri lined up in his familiar wide-left berth. This was a starting XI that missed Wojciech Szczesny, Alex Song, Bacary Sagna, Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs from the strongest Wenger might field.

At its head was Gervinho, the ?11m signing from Lille whose first telling contribution was to create Robin van Persie's opener. Peeling away from his central attacking position to the left, Gervinho took possession from a clever Jack Wilshere pass before pinging in a cross that Van Persie smashed home.

After the break, the substitute Aaron Ramsey smacked home Arsenal's second with his first touch, but the Gunners' flakiness then showed. A mistake by Sebastien Squillaci too near goal allowed Juan Riquelme to find Lucas Viatri, who pulled the first one back for the visitors.

Next, Johan Djourou let Pablo Mouche mug him, then slide home beyond Vito Mannone. Wenger claimed he was not concerned by the lapse, but he has some hard thinking to do on a few fronts.

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Harry Redknapp confirms Tottenham interest in signing Juan Mata

Tottenham's manager Harry Redknapp pictured before his side beat Brighton 3-2 in their friendly match. Photograph: Tom Dulat/Getty Images

Harry Redknapp has confirmed Tottenham Hotspur's interest in signing the Spain international Juan Mata from Valencia, but has dismissed claims that the winger's arrival could pave the way for Luka Modric to leave the club.

Modric, who admitted that he wanted to join Chelsea earlier in the summer, missed Tottenham's 3-2 friendly win over Brighton & Hove Albion with a virus, although the Croat is expected to feature against Athletic Bilbao at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

Spurs' interest in Mata is believed to have been registered on Friday night, when they offered €25m (?22m) for the Spanish World Cup winner.

Redknapp said: "[Mata] is a player that we like. So do Arsenal and so do other clubs. I went to watch him when England Under-21 played Spain and I thought he looked fantastic.

"The chairman has been dealing with it so where it is I don't know – I don't deal with them transfers. I wouldn't want to say that it isn't happening in case we sign him tomorrow and you all say 'thanks Harry', but he's a player we like."

Modric's future will likely be debated until the transfer window closes, with Manchester United also interested in the playmaker, although his relationship with Redknapp and the Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, is believed to have improved of late and sources at the club are optimistic he will stay.

"I can't fault his attitude; he's been first class with me," Redknapp said. "We have had a difficult period with him, but he has trained well and I don't think you could meet a better professional.

"He came into training yesterday and he felt ill. Then he saw the doctor this morning and he had ulcers at the back of his throat and was pretty rough. The doctor told me he couldn't play."

Despite being able to field two different XIs on consecutive days against Leyton Orient and Brighton, Redknapp believes Spurs must add to their squad.

"I hope we can," he said. "I hope so because, at the moment, we have a problem. Sandro is out for three months and Tom Huddlestone has to see a specialist. Wilson Palacios is just coming back, so in terms of senior [midfield] players we only have Luka Modric and Jermaine Jenas, so it's an area we do need to strengthen for sure."

Redknapp's preparations for the forthcoming season suffered a fresh setback when Rafael van der Vaart asked to be substituted after injuring his ankle in the first half against Brighton. Tottenham have, however, ruled out a move for Scott Parker.

The approach for Mata offers intrigue for its audacity and because it is unclear where Spurs would accommodate the 23-year-old, who plays either as a left-winger or behind a central striker, in a first-choice XI that already contains Gareth Bale, Van der Vaart and Modric.

But such concerns have not dissuaded Spurs from signing players in the past and Redknapp's assertion that Bale will eventually drop back to full-back could prove instructive.

Bale was among Spurs' brighter players against Brighton, who were marking the official opening of their new 22,500-seater home, the Amex Stadium.

Ashley Barnes put the newly-promoted Championship side ahead after 10 minutes, but Younes Kaboul and Vedran Corluka put Spurs ahead, and Jake Livermore scored the winning goal for the visitors after Kazenga LuaLua scored Albion's second with a fizzing long-range effort.

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Bolton's Lee Chung-yong out for nine months after breaking leg

Bolton's Lee Chung-yong is attended by the physiotherapist Andy Mitchell after going down injured at Newport. Photograph: Ian Smith/Action Images

The Bolton Wanderers midfielder Lee Chung-yong will be out for a minimum of nine months after breaking a leg in a pre-season friendly at Newport.

The 23-year-old South Korea international underwent a successful operation after sustaining a double fracture of his lower right leg during Wanderers' 3-1 win in south Wales on Saturday. He was carried off on a stretcher midway through the first half following a rash challenge from Tom Miller.

The club posted a statement on their website on Saturday evening confirming he was recovering in hospital and was expected to be sidelined for the bulk of the 2011-12 campaign.

Lee joined Bolton from FC Seoul in summer 2009 and has been a consistent performer for the Trotters over the past two years.

Owen Coyle, the Bolton manager, said: "We will make sure Chung-yong gets all the support he needs, as now it is all about his recovery and wellbeing. That is the most important thing. The operation went well and we would like to pass on our thanks to the medical staff involved."

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Tattenham Corner

Emma Spencer, a familiar face on Channel 4's racing coverage, finished second in the ladies' day charity race at Glorious Goodwood. Photograph: Jon Furniss/WireImage

Emma Spencer, the Channel 4 racing presenter, was out of luck in the ladies' charity race at Goodwood on Thursday but it has been a more productive week for her brother, Anthony Ramsden. Like his father, Jack, Anthony is a renowned punter and said to be one of the country's most successful gamblers. But it was as an owner that he shone on Monday when his colours were carried to victory in a Grade Two race at Del Mar in California by the impressive Up In Time, trained by the former Newmarket handler Simon Callaghan.

Frankel's trainer, Sir Henry Cecil, came home to three cheers from the crowd after his colt's Sussex Stakes victory on Wednesday, but one traditional part of Glorious Goodwood appealed less to him. Cecil was sporting a panama hat in the Goodwood colours on Friday and admitted: "I don't think that I look very good in one. I look like an idiot."

Additional musical entertainment after racing proved one of the success stories of the week at Goodwood, with a sizeable proportion of the crowd staying into the evening without any obvious signs of misbehaviour. But when the band located adjacent to the pre-parade ring struck up Let's Go to the Hop in between races on the first day of the meeting, not everybody was impressed. One trainer, whose two-year-old was showing clear signs of becoming distressed by the noise, somewhat curtly informed a guitarist as to what he'd do with the instrument if the music did not swiftly end. It did.

A couple of major owners were entitled to wince at the results at Goodwood on Thursday. A couple of weeks after Sir Robert Ogden sold Casual Glimpse for 83,000 guineas, the three-year-old looked worth every bit of that when winning a competitive handicap for his new owners. Meanwhile, Lost In The Moment looks a smart staying prospect for Godolphin after just being touched off in the Goodwood Cup. The four-year-old was sold for 130,000 guineas last year by the British Horseracing Authority chairman, Paul Roy, and Michael Tabor, having landed a huge gamble when winning his first start in a handicap.

Alan Spence, the Chelsea vice-president and leading racehorse owner, was sporting what looked like a nasty selection of wounds on his forehead at Goodwood. But it was by no means as bad as it looked, as the affable Spence had suffered an unexpected allergic reaction to after-sun cream.

The former Liverpool and German international footballer Dietmar Hamann was roped in to help with Thursday's draw for Saturday's Stewards' Cup, but he ducked out of suggesting which horse would win the big handicap. Hamann, now the manager of Stockport County, is a well-known enthusiast of the sport and used to write a column in the Racing Post, but was reported to have racked up a gambling debt of ?600,000 several years ago. "I couldn't pick the winner of a four-runner race yesterday, so I don't think I can pick the winner of this," said Hamann, who evidently was not a supporter of Frankel.

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Manchester United have post-Sir Alex Ferguson plan, says David Gill

Manchester United chief executive David Gill (right) with Seattle Sounders owner Joe Roth pose before the pre-season friendly between their clubs. Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

David Gill, the Manchester United chief executive, has acknowledged he will always be unpopular with some supporters – the "anti-people", as he describes them – but he has spoken of his belief that the Glazer family have now won over the majority of the club's fans.

Gill, describing the Glazers as "genuinely long-term owners", reiterated the point by revealing that he and the American owners already have a strategy in place for when Sir Alex Ferguson retires. He said: "What we're trying to do is make sure we get the quality of team and the correct age profile so the new manager coming in, whoever that might be, has the nucleus of a world-class team."

Gill expects the Glazers to still be in control when Ferguson ends his long association with the club, but he was candid enough to accept that his comments would go down badly among the fans who were involved in the green-and-gold protest movement.

"We are never going to win [over] those people," he said. "If we won four European Cups in a row, there will be certain people who won't like the owners and what they stand for. The anti-people were here before the Glazers. But we are running the club for the vast majority of millions of fans around the world who believe the club is moving in the right direction.

"The minority – Must [Manchester United Supporters' Trust] etc – will always be against it, but the vast majority can't be dissatisfied with the seasons we've had [under the Glazers]."

The campaign against the Glazers has become less visible, in Gill's words, "once the Red Knights went away," referring to the consortium of businessmen who embarked on a failed bid to buy the club. "The green-and-gold campaign has not disappeared completely, but it has died down dramatically during the past season and we move on," he said.

Gill, speaking on the club's pre-season tour of the United States, dismissed the allegation that the Glazers, with an average net spend of ?2.5m in their first six seasons, had not backed Ferguson sufficiently in the transfer market, citing the arrival of Ashley Young, David de Gea and Phil Jones for a combined ?50m this summer. "One thing the owners have never shied away from is supporting Alex in terms of investment."

Similarly, he rejected the argument that the Florida-based businessmen had unfairly hiked ticket prices. "They are sensible prices to watch top-class entertainment and players worth millions on view. Other clubs have clearly raised their prices more than us," he said.

Gill has been singled out for particular criticism because of the way he fought against the Glazer takeover in 2005, once infamously saying that "debt was the road to ruin", before siding with the new owners and turning against the supporters' groups he had previously backed. "You say I did a volte-face, but we are going back many years now," he said. "Directors and chief executives aren't often liked, but I am trying to look after the employers and the fans, and there will always be an element among the fans who don't like you."

At times the anger has manifested itself in something more sinister, with graffiti appearing on his house and several incidents that have led to increased security. "It has calmed down now. It would be naive to say you don't want it to happen, not necessarily for yourself but because of your young children, but you just move on. I have never sought a profile; I just try to do my best for the club."

His son, Oliver, was booed when he was named as a substitute for one match, and has recently turned down the offer of a contract with the club to go to university. Gill, however, says it is unrelated. "He did take some stick, but he is quite a strong character. I don't think he ever thought like that."

Going into a season during which Ferguson will turn 70 and mark his 25th anniversary at the club, Gill talked about himself and the Glazers planning ahead to when the most successful manager in the business retires. "There won't be meltdown. It will clearly be a sea change for the club and we have to be ready."

He will be in charge of appointing the successor, although Ferguson will also be heavily involved. "I will co-ordinate the process, but, clearly, I will take great store in what he [Ferguson] says and what other key people at the club say. The owners will clearly have a view. All these things will come together. It would be a collective body, not a big body, but we would get all the input to make sure we make the appropriate choice."

There was no one in mind yet, he added, and he was unclear when Ferguson would stand down. "We never discuss it, put it that way. He delegates well and football keeps him young."

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The Nursery End

Eric Clapton was desperate to see India's Sachin Tendulkar score his 100th international hundred at Lord's. Photograph: Brian Rasic/Rex Features

The richly entertaining fans' website Middlesex Till We Die has an amusing glossary of nicknames for their heroes, ranging from the inspired "Dial M" for Tim Murtagh, to the more run-of-the-mill "Iceman" for Gareth Berg. Dawid Malan is "AC" after Inter's neighbours, Dan Housego is "The Estage Agent", Adam London "Streets Of", Neil Dexter "Ted" (but there is a campaign The Nursery End backs to rename him "Uni" in memory of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's Tarzan audition sketch One Leg Too Few) and Paul Stirling is "Pounds". One, however, may need an update. Andrew Strauss is known as "OBE", as in "only bats for England". "Obeas" would be more fitting now, "only bats for England and Somerset", or "ZZ Top" from "Zummerzet's Ztrauzz".

When Charl Willoughby dismissed Worcestershire's Saeed Ajmal on Wednesday morning it registered his 339th first-class wicket for Somerset. A rather arbitrary milestone for a celebration, you would think, but not when you consider that it took him past Joel Garner's career-haul of 338 wickets for the club and Willoughby has surpassed it in fewer matches. The South African, who has not missed a match for five years, said: "I have always wanted to get past those figures and I managed them with games to spare." One thing he will never better, though, is Big Bird's wit. Once when the fast bowler was approached by an admirer, he was asked the very question that he fielded numerous times each day. "Mr Garner," she asked. "How tall are you?" "I'm 6ft 8in," he replied. "And is everything in proportion?" was the saucy followup. "Oh no," Garner said. "If it was I'd be 8ft 6in."

Eric Clapton made his annual pilgrimage to Lord's for the first Test against India and was spotted alongside his friends Sir Ian Botham and Wasim Akram. "Eric loves his cricket and he was hoping for Sachin to get that hundred," Akram revealed. "'Will Sachin get it?' he kept asking me. 'I thought you would be backing England,' I said, and he replied: 'No, no. I want to see him score that hundred'." Tendulkar is a Dire Straits man, meeting his idol Mark Knopfler in Mumbai in 2005, giving him a signed bat with the local hero receiving an autographed guitar in return. For Clapton, Tendulkar's illness and inability to score that 100th hundred became a case of money for nothing .

Matthew Hayden has announced that he is coming out of retirement to play for Brisbane Heat in Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash competition. "Now is the time to start turning up the Heat," the 39-year-old opener cheesily pronounced before explaining why he has also chosen to make an investment and become a part-owner of the franchise in a welter of barking business speak. "T20 brings a new energy to the sporting landscape in a space I refer to as entertainment," Brent … er … Hayden said. "An eight-team Big Bash league has relaunched my interest as a highly viable business decision." He will line up alongside Heat imports Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum, and has said he would love to have Andrew Symonds on board. The Brisbane Times points out one stumbling block to that dream team. In 2009 during a radio interview with Roy and HG, Symonds called McCullum "a lump of shit". Add "s-bomb disposal expert" to Hayden's already chunky portfolio.

One player who won't be taking part in the Big Bash is Australia's Test and 50-overs captain, Michael Clarke. Another casualty of his decision to focus on the responsibilities of leading Australia's revival is his long-standing contract with Bond's, the underwear manufacturer, which has featured Pup in his undercrackers in a series of adverts. His management team apparently feel that posing in underpants is not the right image for the man charged with upholding the honour of the Baggy Green. The emperor's new clothes he wears as part of his new job, however, are fine by them.

The Cheltenham Festival match between Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire was graced by what John Arlott memorably once called a "freaker". The mystery exhibitionist jumped out of this seat, sprinted across the pitch twice and returned to the stands unmolested by security staff. Cue Somerset fans' quip about him getting away with it at Gloucestershire because there were no witnesses.

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