- World champion Sakamoto takes Skate Canada lead over Liu
- Sainz tops times as Russell crashes in Mexico GP practice
- Three moments from King Charles Pacific tour
- Commonwealth announces Ghana foreign minister as new secretary general
- Gaza ministry accuses Israel of storming hospital, reports two children killed
- King Charles III departs Samoa, wrapping Pacific tour
- G7 finalize $50 bn Ukraine loan backed by Russian assets profits
- Ex-Abercrombie CEO pleads not guilty to sex crimes
- Unfulfilled talent? Two-time champion Alonso clocks up 400th F1 race
- Guardiola praises 'incredible' mentality of Man City stars
- Chelsea boss Maresca wants more 'leadership' from captain James
- US issues historic apology for Native American boarding school atrocities
- Moody's cuts France outlook, opening door to credit downgrade
- Drone sparks fire on Kyiv residential building, one dead
- Gaza ministry says two children die in hospital in Israeli raid
- Wood brace fires Forest as Leicester boss Cooper loses reunion
- Dodgers draw on Bryant's 'Mamba mentality' for World Series
- 'Fascist' row overshadows glitzy night on US campaign trail
- Modern art museum breathes new life into downtown Warsaw
- Russell tops crash-hit Mexico GP practice
- Fils, Shelton set for friendly fire in Basel semi-finals
- Internet blackout hits Mozambique capital after election protests
- Yankees, Dodgers poised for World Series blockbuster
- 'Catfish' predator who drove US girl to suicide jailed for life in N.Ireland
- NASA astronaut hospitalized after return from ISS
- Biden apologizes for Native American boarding school atrocities
- Mexico rules out designating drug violence as 'terrorism'
- Emery wants no let-up from Aston Villa
- Boeing exploring sale of space business: report
- G20 affirms commitment to transition from fossil fuels
- Shami misses India's tour of Australia as Easwaran named as potential Rohit cover
- BHP, Vale agree to pay $30bn damages for Brazil dam disaster
- 75 sickened as McDonald's severe E. Coli outbreak expands
- Turkmenistan's 'Gateway to Hell' lit gas pit faces closure
- Kickboxing takes Senegal by storm despite tight funds
- Waymo ramps up robotaxi push with $5.6 bn in funding
- Elon Musk all-in for Trump as Moscow denies secret Putin talks
- Covid lessons learned? UN summit mulls plan for healthy planet, and humans
- Borthwick unveils new contracts for leading England players
- Sexual assault scandal rocks Spain's 'most feminist' govt
- France must make 'credible' progress on deficit: finance minister
- Stock markets diverge going into weekend
- BHP, Vale agree to pay $30bn compensation for Brazil dam disaster
- Verstappen says 'definitely' his intention to remain at Red Bull
- Mbappe can launch Madrid career in first Clasico
- A monumental dump and Obama the rapper: an offbeat US campaign week
- Biden to apologize for abusive Native American boarding schools
- Pressure is part of manager's life, says troubled West Ham boss Lopetegui
- Gaza ministry says Israel forces detaining hundreds at hospital
- Hirscher confirms return from retirement at World Cup opener
Unfulfilled talent? Two-time champion Alonso clocks up 400th F1 race
Fernando Alonso sets a record he had no ambition or desire to achieve this weekend when he takes part in his record 400th Grand Prix, 23 years on from his fresh-faced debut.
To the two-time world champion, it is a sign of his undying love for his sport and devotion to Formula One in particular even if, to his fans and admirers, it is a reminder of a great talent unfulfilled.
"To reach 400 now is a big number," said Alonso, who has admitted that travelling to 24 races a season is demanding but that he "pays off all the sacrifices" when he climbs behind the wheel of his Aston Martin.
"Knowing that no-one has reached that number in the past, it just demonstrates my love for racing, for F1 and how much I enjoy this lifestyle and motor racing in general."
To many, the Oviedo-born Spaniard is the greatest driver of his generation, a man with an unequalled talent for speed and racing, but also someone with a knack of choosing to move to the wrong team at the wrong moment in his career.
"I would love to race half of the 400 and win one more championship, or to win more races," he said. "That's the important statistic you want to achieve."
His sometimes self-effacing humour and individuality, coupled with a swashbuckling style on track, earned him great admiration as soon as he made his first appearance for Minardi at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.
He kept his personality as he progressed to two world titles with Benetton, in 2005 and 2006, under the guidance of his manager Flavio Briatore.
Since then, despite moves to McLaren and Ferrari, a third championship has eluded him. The last of his 32 wins came 11 years ago at his home Spanish Grand Prix with Ferrari.
It was his misfortune that sometimes his personality made him a difficult team-mate, notably at McLaren with a young Lewis Hamilton in 2007, and at times with Ferrari and McLaren again in a second spell.
- Thought '2009 final year' -
His break from the intensity of F1 to race at Le Mans and in the Indy 500 gave him a new sense of perspective that he carried into Alpine and then Aston Martin, showing his talent was undimmed by age.
Looking back at his debut season, Alonso admitted: "I didn't have a clear road map for my career. I didn't know the next race or my next team. I was just improvising. Every week was a new adventure."
Heading into his record landmark weekend in Mexico, he also admitted he had expected to retire from F1 in 2009 at the end of his three-year contract with Ron Dennis's McLaren.
"When I won the championship in 2006 and then I joined McLaren, I had a three-year contract for 2007, 2008 and 2009 and I was 99 per cent sure that 2009 would be my last F1 season.
"That was my clear plan in my head," he told the "Beyond the Grid" podcast.
That it did not happen is part of the Alonso story –- a tale of huge talent, unrivalled race-craft and a competitiveness that, at 43, enabled him to stay on the pace and sign a new deal with Aston Martin to work with incoming star designer Adrian Newey next year.
Fellow-Spaniard Carlos Sainz, of Ferrari, is one of many drivers to have paid tribute to Alonso this week.
"It makes me think that I've done 200 so to put another 200 on top is a lot," he said.
"I just wish him to enjoy this race and especially to keep going because he's still in a very good shape and still driving at a very good level."
Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, has entered 351 Grands Prix and is second behind Alonso on the list.
"I don't know, but I might catch him up," he joked.
J.Fankhauser--BTB