F1 | Qualifying report: Hamilton pips Bottas to Tuscan GP pole as Leclerc takes fifth

Valtteri Bottas had led the way through practice, but Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton got the job done when it counted as he snatched pole for the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello…

Hamilton spent much of practice getting comfortable with the new track, nestled in the Tuscan hills, rather than chasing outright lap time. It was Bottas that led the way after Q1, but there was a few hundredths that separated them, and Hamilton then ramped it up in Q2 to lead a session for the first time during the weekend.  —more— 

F1 | Gasly beats Sainz to maiden win in Monza thriller, as Hamilton recovers to P7 after penalty

An incredible 2020 Italian Grand Prix saw AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly claim a maiden Formula 1 win from the McLaren of Carlos Sainz and the Racing Point of Lance Stroll, as a transgression under the Safety Car saw polesitter Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton forced to serve a 10-second stop/go penalty, leaving him seventh at the flag.

The race was turned on its head by a Safety Car brought out as Kevin Magnussen’s stricken Haas had to be recovered. But with Hamilton diving into the pit lane when it was closed (as did Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi), he was handed his penalty – which he served after the race was restarted on Lap 28 of 53, following a 25-minute red flag period after Charles Leclerc crashed heavily at the Parabolica.  —more— 

F1 | Italian GP qualifying facts and stats: Hamilton sets new all-time fastest F1 lap record

Lewis Hamilton managed pole position by just 0.069s in Italian Grand Prix qualifying as Mercedes ended something of a drought at the Temple of Speed – and you probably won’t be surprised to hear that the world champion’s lap broke another F1 record…

• Hamilton’s sixth pole in seven races was clinched with an all-time F1 record lap of 1m18.887s at 164.267mph/264.362km/h in FP3.
• Valtteri Bottas qualified second to put himself on the front row for the first time at Monza and secure Mercedes’ first front-row lockout at Monza since 2016.
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F1 | Fastest ever F1 lap felt ‘awesome’ says Hamilton as he claims 7th Monza pole

Hamilton’s final effort in Q3 saw him lap Monza in 1m 18.887s, to beat Kimi Raikkonen’s previous track record – and previous fastest F1 lap – by a full 0.232s, with Valtteri Bottas taking P2 for Mercedes, just 0.069s adrift, to give the team their first front row lock-out here since 2016.

“It was not too bad!” said Hamilton after the session. “I’m generally really happy with the actual laps I did. Valtteri was very, very close, pushing. I made some big changes going in to qualifying, so I was a little bit nervous going in that it was the right thing to do but it worked just fine.  —more—

CNN | Led by a 105-year-old survivor, lawsuit seeks reparations in 1921 Tulsa race massacre

(CNN)  A 105-year-old survivor of the 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the lead figure in a lawsuit that demands reparations for damage it says has continued since the destruction of the city’s Black business district.

Lessie Benningfield “Mother” Randle, was a little girl when an angry white mob rampaged through the city’s Greenwood District, known as “Black Wall Street” because it was home to more than 300 black-owned businesses.  —more— 

CNN BUSINESS | DraftKings shares soar after Michael Jordan becomes an investor and adviser

New York (CNN Business) – Hall-of-Fame basketball legend Michael Jordan will be an investor and special adviser to the board of sports-betting company DraftKings, the company announced Wednesday.

The deal sent shares of DraftKings roughly 6% higher in early trading. Jordan will take an undisclosed equity stake in exchange for “providing guidance and strategic advice,” the company said in a statement.

The Charlotte Hornets chairman and former Bulls player will also inform DraftKings’ board on strategy, product development and inclusion initiatives.  —more—

CNN entertainment | Tyler Perry, who was once homeless, is now a billionaire, Forbes says

(CNN) – Tyler Perry enjoys how people sometimes explain his success.

“I love when people say you come from ‘humble beginnings,’ ” he recently told Forbes. “[It] means you were poor as hell.”

Things have certainly changed.

Raised in poverty in New Orleans, Perry dropped out of high school and went through a period of homelessness as he struggled as a playwright.  —more—