Chris Sutton heaps incredible praise on title contenders — and more

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has heaped remarkable praise on Motherwell, claiming they are the most impressive team he has watched anywhere in Britain this season…

Jens Berthel Askou. Motherwell 1-1 theRangers. Scottish Premiership. Fir Park, 11 February 2026. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

The ex-Hoops forward, who now works as a pundit on both sides of the border, says the Steelmen’s dynamic approach under Jens Berthel Askou has left a lasting impression. Sutton believes the Dane has masterminded one of the most eye-catching transformations of the campaign.

Motherwell under Askou have rewritten the record books. Their 21st clean sheet of the season at the weekend against Dundee United set a new club record that rivals some of Europe’s elite. Incredibly, their back line has shipped fewer goals than the likes of Arsenal, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich this season.

At the other end of the pitch, Tawanda Maswanhise has been equally influential. The in-form forward leads the Premiership scoring charts with 16 league goals and 21 across all competitions, spearheading a Motherwell side currently sitting fourth in the table.

They trail the Hoops by just two points and are 10 behind leaders Hearts, while holding a game in hand against Dundee which will be played at the weekend.

Asked on Sky Sports how far Motherwell could go, Sutton delivered a glowing assessment of their prospects. “I wouldn’t rule Motherwell out,” he said.

“Motherwell have been the best team, and I really mean this, the best team I’ve seen this season, north and south of the border.”

“I think that they have a phenomenal coach, and for him to come up here, with the style that he has them playing – they have been an absolute joy to watch.”

“I really wouldn’t rule them out, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they went to Celtic Park in a couple of weeks and got a result there. They have been that good. I don’t think any team enjoys playing against Motherwell.”

Conor Spence

Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Click on image to order

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Formula 1 has extended its broadcasting agreement with Kayo Sports in Australia through 2027 and beyond, a decision that has disappointed many fans. The extension comes just before this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, with viewers expressing frustration over pricing and preferring alternatives like Apple TV, which holds F1 rights in the United States.

Australian fans have taken to social media to complain about Kayo's pricing, with basic plans at $29.99 monthly and premium at $45.99. Many predict future price hikes and have called for more affordable options or a switch to other platforms. Despite the complaints, the Australian GP will continue to be broadcast free by Network 10.

Formula 1's season opening Australian Grand Prix looks set to go ahead without major disruptions after teams arrived in Melbourne despite the on-going conflict in the Middle East.

The joint US-Israel attack on Iran, which has led to retaliatory strikes on Middle Eastern nations including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain, has dominated world news in recent days.

As the official civilian death toll crossed 1,000 on Wednesday according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, widespread travel disruptions among the Middle East's key travel hubs of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are just a footnote that pales into insignificance.

How latest Iran-US war is impacting F1 and WEC

But the region's shutdown still posed a few challenges for F1 personnel making the trip to Australia for this weekend's season opener in Melbourne.

As teams rerouted staff, Motorsport.com understands F1 also booked three alternative charter flights through Tanzania and Singapore to ensure personnel key to the running of the event would make it to Melbourne in time, with most arriving by Tuesday evening.

None of the teams contacted by Motorsport.com reported any operational issues as a result of the delayed arrivals, but they did collectively ask the FIA to relax the usual curfews in place during a grand prix weekend.

On Wednesday, the governing body announced that "due to force majeure" it would not enforce the standard curfews on Wednesday and Thursday night that keeps personnel involved in running the cars out of the paddock.

"We wish to inform you that, following consultation with the stewards of the meeting, due to force majeure and specifically ongoing travel and freight disruptions experienced in the preparation of the Australian Grand Prix, the provisions of Article B9.5.1a i.e. “Restricted Period 1” and Article B9.5.1b i.e. “Restricted Period 2” shall not apply at this Competition," the FIA communicated.

Per F1's sporting regulations, those periods correspond to Wednesday and Thursday night:

“Restricted Period One”: Commencing forty-two (42) hours prior to the scheduled start of FP1 and ending twenty-nine (29) hours prior to the scheduled start of FP1.

“Restricted Period Two”: Commencing eighteen (18) hours prior to the scheduled start of FP1 and ending four (4) hours prior to the scheduled start of FP1.

McLaren and Mercedes team members due to test in Bahrain for Pirelli have all left the country.

Mercedes and McLaren staff leave Bahrain after cancelled Pirelli test

Staff from Mercedes and McLaren who were temporarily stuck in Bahrain have all been able to leave the country. The two teams were scheduled to conduct a planned Pirelli tyre test at the Bahrain International Circuit, which was called off after the US Navy Fifth Fleet's headquarters in the capital Manama was struck by Iranian drones and missiles.

But it is understood the crew involved were all evacuated from the Gulf state safely earlier this week, with some travelling onwards to Melbourne.

What's next for F1's Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds

F1 said it would continue monitoring the developing Iran situation in the coming days and weeks as a decision will soon be due on whether or not the upcoming grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia can go ahead as planned.

Earlier this week, the FIA World Endurance championship decided to call off its pre-season test and season opener in Qatar, which was set to take place in two weeks from now. F1 has a bigger, five-week window until it sets up shop in Bahrain, but due to logistical requirements it won't be able to wait very long to make a final decision.

The most likely scenario appears to be that F1 uses the one-week window between the China and Japan rounds to make a final call on whether a visit to the Middle East is at all viable, or whether it drops the two rounds in Bahrain and Jeddah. But despite rampant speculation, it seems unfeasible for F1 to replace its Middle Eastern rounds with last-minute races elsewhere given the logistical and commercial realities involved.

Commenting on the situation, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: "With the ongoing situation in the Middle East, it seems trivial to talk about sport. We watch the developing events in the region with concern and hope that the protection of civilian life remains paramount.

"With the planned tyre test in Bahrain, we have had several team members affected who thankfully have now been able to leave the country safely."With such a serious situation unfolding, it would be unhelpful to talk about the possible further impact on F1 over the coming weeks; we know that the FIA and F1 will continue to monitor events and make the necessary and correct decisions as and when they need to."

WEC postpones 2026 opener due to Middle East conflict

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

The future Hall of Famer’s behavior over the years has been rash and erratic. But it’s understandable given the scrutiny he finds himself under

They’re calling the posts the “KD Files”. There’s no definitive proof that Kevin Durant is the man behind the X account @gethigher77 (display name: getoffmydickerson), but if he isn’t, somebody has done a phenomenal impersonation. In various screenshots splashed across the internet, getoffmydickerson took shots at Durant’s teammates, as the player himself has done before. There was also creative and amusing trash talk, something Durant has shown a talent for. Some of it crossed the line: the account made a reprehensible joke about supplying drones (Durant invests in the company Skydio, which has provided the Israel Defense Forces with weapons) and called Durant’s teammate Jabari Smith Jr “retarded”. When asked about @gethigher77, Durant said, “I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense” – far from a denial that he was behind it, and in the eyes of many, confirmation that he was. We’ve got people writing in-depth proofs that the account is real.

Not that getoffmydickerson is Durant’s only problem. Shortly after the tweets blew up, Boardroom, which defines itself as a “sports, media, and entertainment brand” co-founded by Durant and his agent Rich Kleiman, laid off three of its staff writers, rationalizing the move as part of a pivot to video. (An aside: what’s the point of having career earnings of half a billion dollars if you’re not willing to invest some of it to protect your media company from financial headwinds?)

The 17th matchday of the Bundesliga kicks off on 4 March 2026 at 20:30, with Bayer Leverkusen traveling to Hamburg to face Hamburger SV.

Fans can watch the live broadcast on the official Bundesliga streaming platform.