Jenson Button believes it is not going to be easy to get on the podium at Le Mans this weekend but feels “optimistic” about the chances.
The former Formula 1 world champion finished ninth at last year’s event for British-based Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, who he is competing again for this year.
The historic endurance race in north-west France begins on Saturday.
“[I feel] pretty optimistic. When you look at the testing on the weekend you’d say that Toyota and Ferrari do have an advantage in terms of pace,” Button told BBC Radio Somerset.
“But this race isn’t entirely about pace, it’s about teamwork, not making mistakes through the night, consistency. All those areas we’re very strong.
This year’s event will mark Button’s fourth outing at Le Mans.
He raced in 2018 for SMP Racing but retired due to engine issues. He returned in 2023 in the Hendrick Motorsport NASCAR entry and then last year raced for Jota for the first time in a Porsche-powered entry.
Team Jota have switched to Cadillac for 2025.
“Last year was the first year really where I had a chance of winning in the top category,” Button said.
“I still feel a bit of a newbie when it comes to racing at Le Mans, which I love because there’s so much excitement and adrenaline.”
The 45-year-old will drive alongside former Le Mans winners Sebastien Buemi and Earl Bamber in this year’s Cadillac V-Series R.
Buemi won the Le Mans race with Toyota in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022.
Bamber is also a former winner, having clinched the title with Porsche in 2015.
“I come here with a team that has a lot of experience racing here and winning here in their two categories,” Button said.
Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of one count of sexual assault in his sex crimes retrial. He was acquitted of another, and jurors were as yet unable to reach a verdict on a third charge.
The split verdict meted out a measure of vindication to his accusers and prosecutors, but also to Weinstein after the landmark case was thrown into limbo. Weinstein, 73, denies sexually assaulting or raping anyone.
His initial conviction came five years ago amid the #MeToo movement; however, it was overturned last year. The case went back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse.
This time, the jury convicted the former studio boss of forcibly subjecting one to a criminal sex act in 2006. They also acquitted Weinstein of another criminal sex act charge from 2006.
Weinstein is having a retrial for his 2020 conviction ( AP)
Jurors were to continue deliberating on a charge that he raped another woman in 2013. Under New York law, the third-degree rape charge carries a lesser penalty than the first-degree criminal sex act offence.
The seven female and five male jurors started their fifth day of deliberations today by re-hearing accuser Jessica Mann’s testimony that he raped her in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013. They had asked to revisit the testimony.
Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty to raping Mann and to forcing oral sex on two other women, Mimi Haley and Kaja Sokola. He maintains that he never sexually assaulted or raped anyone, and his lawyers portrayed his accusers as opportunists who accepted his advances because they wanted a leg up in the entertainment world.
Mann, who waived her right to anonymity, testified she had a consensual relationship with Weinstein that turned into rape, yet continued afterward. Weinstein was originally convicted of raping Mann in 2020 and forcing oral sex on Haley.
Sokola added her allegation last year after New York state’s highest court overturned the 2020 conviction and sent the case back for retrial. Weinstein is also appealing a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles.
All three women in the case have agreed to be named. Weinstein is facing a retrial after New York’s highest court overturned his 2020 conviction last year, ruling that prejudicial testimony had unfairly influenced the original outcome.
He is being retried on two of the original charges: raping an aspiring actor in a Manhattan hotel in 2013, and forcing oral sex on a production assistant in 2006.
A third woman, who was not part of the original case and has remained anonymous, has also come forward to accuse Weinstein of forcing oral sex on her in a New York hotel. He denies all allegations and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Weinstein’s lawyers have attempted to raise concern over his treatment at Rikers Island jail during his retrial. Last year they filed a legal claim against the city, seeking $5 million in damages over what they called “substandard medical care” and unsanitary conditions.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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Britain’s Sonay Kartal missed the chance to reach a home quarter-final when she suffered a tough defeat by American Amanda Anisimova at Queen’s.
World number 50 Kartal was overpowered by the eighth seed in just one hour and five minutes, losing 6-1 6-3.
Kartal had secured the biggest win of her career on Monday against world number 16 Daria Kasatkina.
But a third win over a top-20 player in her career – and a second in the west London tournament – proved a bridge too far.
Anisimova will not have won over much of the British crowd so far at Queen’s with victory over Jodie Burrage in the first round and now wildcard Kartal.
Anisimova faces compatriot Emma Navarro in the last eight after the third seed saved a match point before beating Beatriz Haddad Maia 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 earlier on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Australian Open winner Madison Keys cruised to a comfortable 6-3 6-2 victory over qualifier Anastasia Zakharova to book her place in the quarter-finals.
Earlier, Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter’s crowd-pleasing doubles partnership came to an end after two matches with defeat in the last eight.
Positive British camp ‘spurs’ players on
This time last year Kartal was playing outside of the world’s top 250 and now frequently finds herself at the bigger tournaments, following positive runs at Wimbledon and Indian Wells and a first Tour title in Monastir.
At Queen’s this week, the 23-year-old had already made a productive start but against Anisimova she barely had chance to take in her surroundings before finding herself a double break down.
Powerful groundstrokes and pinpoint accurate shots to the corners of the court proved a handful for Kartal and in just 26 minutes Anisimova had wrapped up the first set.
The crowd, fatigued after a marathon match between Navarro and Haddad Maia which neared three hours in the London heat, had little to cheer in the opening set but offered encouragement to their home player when she broke in the first game of the second.
But an immediate response from the American put the match back on serve before Anisimova took control with a brilliant forehand slice.
Kartal was quick to reply and broke back at the first opportunity but that triggered yet another break of serve from Anisimova and this time Kartal could not work her way back into the contest.
Despite feeling “disappointed” with this loss, Kartal said she can take positives from a significant opening-round win.
“I’ve still had a great win, probably one of my best matches,” she said.
“I’m going to take that one. I feel like I’m still playing great on the grass, so I’ll try and take as much confidence as I can into next week.”
Her focus will shift to the next couple of weeks, when she will play at Nottingham and Eastbourne, before Wimbledon begins on 30 June.
The feeling of positivity around the British women at Queen’s is clear to see with Kartal, Boulter and Raducanu all inside the top 50 and that can only bode well for the run-in to Wimbledon.
‘Boultucanu’ doubles run ends
Boulter and Raducanu’s short-lived but highly popular doubles partnership at Queen’s concluded with a somewhat expected but still disappointing defeat by Ukraine’s Kichenok and New Zealand’s Routliffe, who have won three Grand Slam doubles titles between them.
The pair raced to a 4-1 lead before taking the set with another break three games later.
Fans were offered a glimmer of hope in the second set when Raducanu and Boulter came from 4-1 down to level at 4-4 but they squandered their best chance to turn the match around when they failed to convert four break points in the following game.
Despite saving three match points three games later, they succumbed to defeat.
“Me and Emma played some very good tennis over these two doubles matches and our level was really high,” Boulter said.
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Raducanu had only played one career doubles match before this week and made no secret of the fact she was relying on the more experienced Boulter for guidance.
“Katie made me feel really comfortable out there over the two matches and I hope we can team up again soon,” the 2021 US Open winner said.
“Given the quick turnaround from clay to grass it’s great to get some extra match-play on grass. The atmosphere again was unreal.”
Attention now switches to their respective singles campaigns where their results this week could affect who is British number one come next week.
Raducanu can replace Boulter in top spot, which she has held since 2023 when Raducanu slipped down the rankings following injury and inconsistent form, if she equals her results at Queen’s.
Boulter takes on fifth seed Diana Shnaider in the last 16 of the singles on Thursday, opening play on the Andy Murray Arena at 12:00 BST. Raducanu faces Rebecca Sramkova on the same court later in the day after fellow Briton Heather Watson’s encounter with 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Ben Curry says this summer’s tour to Argentina can be the making of a generation of England prospects.
An 18-year-old Curry went on England’s last trip to the country in 2017.
Although a back injury contributed to him having to wait another four years for his first Test cap, he says the atmosphere around England’s two Test victories had a lasting effect on him.
“I remember Argentina in 2017, there was barb wire around the stadium, a moat,” the flanker told Radio 5 Live.
“It was a completely different atmosphere to anything I had ever seen.
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As in 2017, this year’s away series against the Pumas coincides with a British and Irish Lions tour, opening up opportunities for younger players to stake their claim to senior England spots.
Gloucester prop Afolabi Fasogbon, part of the England under-20 side who won their age-grade world title last summer, was included in a four-day training camp this week before squad selection on Monday, 23 June.
Argentina are a place above England in the world rankings and have beaten France, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia on their home turf over the past 12 months.
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Curry, who turns 27 on Sunday and has captained club side Sale this season, says he expects to have more of a leadership role than he did eight years ago.
“I am no longer the most nervous person in the room which is quite nice!” he joked.
“It has come round full circle. I am not that old, but in terms of this group I will probably have to step up a bit with us missing a few people.
‘I need to find my Leicester shirt’
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Bath and Leicester’s players have missed this week’s training camp as they prepare for Saturday’s Premiership final.
Curry is in no doubt which set of absent team-mates he is backing.
“I need to find my Leicester shirt,” he said.
“I’d love Leicester to win it. I think anyone who’s not a Bath fan will want Leicester to win it to be honest.
Kind-hearted TV star Pete Wicks is urging Mirror readers to adopt Neapolitan Mastiff Theo who may only have months left to live because of a heart condition
Kind-hearted Pete Wicks has urged readers to look into adopting loveable Theo – and will pay for his medical bills (Image: JAMES RUDLAND)
For Pete Wicks, it was very much love at first sight. And as Theo the Neapolitan Mastiff bounds over and gives him a big, slobbery lick, the feeling is most definitely mutual.
“He is a big boy, clumsy, goofy, and a bit of a doughnut, but he’s so soft and gentle with this squishy, slobbery face, and I just absolutely love him,” Pete says.
As the presenter of TV show Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake, he meets hundreds of dogs like Theo every year who are in desperate need of a home.
But he was left so moved by Theo’s heartbreaking story that Pete is now calling on kind-hearted Mirror readers to help.
Because loveable Theo, who is only four-years-old, has a life-limiting heart condition that means he may only have up to a year left to live.
Pete is desperate for him to find a loving home so he doesn’t have to spend his final days in kennels. And the star has even offered to pay for all Theo’s medical bills himself to lessen the financial load for anyone who adopts him.
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“I’m not afraid to admit I’m very emotional when it comes to dogs but it hit me very hard, like a ton of bricks,” Pete says. “It’s impacted me quite a lot and makes me emotional now thinking about it…if you could meet him and just two minutes with him, he is this big, slobbery angel on Earth.”
READ MORE: Sam Thompson defied medics as he spills gruelling Soccer Aid challenge details
Smitten: Pete Wicks with Theo(Image: JAMES RUDLAND)
Theo has dilated cardiomyopathy which means that his heart struggles to work efficiently. He also has arrhythmia.
“We don’t know how long he’s got before heart failure. It could be months. It could be a year, but the likelihood is that as he gets older, it will get worse,” he says.
“He may not have a particularly lot of time left. He is being treated with different medicines, which are incredibly expensive, so I’ve offered to pay for these myself.”
Pete says he would have loved to have adopted Theo himself, who is currently living at Kenilworth Dogs Trust.
“I genuinely would love to but we’re at the beginning of filming for the next six months, which makes looking after him impossible,” he says.
“But its upsets me when I think of this dog spending whatever time he has left in kennels.
“If there ever is a dog that deserves to be at home and have however long he’s got left surrounded by a family, this is the dog.”
Pete Wicks with Theo’s handler Louie(Image: JAMES RUDLAND)
They first met while filming the new series of the smash-hit U&W show Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake at Dogs Trust Kenilworth. Theo arrived severely underweight after being found as a stray.
For now, Theo, who weighs 52kgs, is being expertly cared for by staff, who have also fallen in love with him, particularly Louie his handler.
Given his heart condition, they have to manage Theo very carefully, who is a little limited in terms of the amount of exercise he is allowed.
“Keeping a young dog who’s kind of got this lust for life quite calm, especially when it’s a dog of his size, can be quite difficult,” Pete says. Instead they try and keep him stimulated in other ways such as through licky mats and puzzles, which Theo enjoys.
“We try to stimulate his brain in a way that kind of exercise would normally do, but keeps him fairly calm in the process,” he says.
According to the Dogs Trust, Theo would be happy in a home with teenagers aged 14 and above, and could live with another confident dog, following a successful meet-and-greet at the charity’s rehoming centre.
Gorgeous Theo needs a home (Image: JAMES RUDLAND)
Emma-Jane Thomas, Rehoming Centre Manager at Dogs Trust Kenilworth, adds: “Theo is our resident gentle giant. He’s got a wonderful temperament and buckets of love to give, but sadly, his health condition and life expectancy is putting off potential adopters.
“We’re so grateful to Pete and the For Dogs’ Sake team for helping us spread the word about Theo and his search for a home.
“Until we are able to find him a permanent home, Theo will be taken care of by our wonderful team of volunteer fosterers and staff at Dogs Trust Kenilworth, but we know his forever sofa is out there somewhere. And with Pete Wicks giving him the celeb seal of approval, how could you possibly say no?”
Due to his size and energy. Theo will also need some support settling into a routine, including housetraining and gradually becoming comfortable being left alone. His ideal home would offer plenty of space and a peaceful routine, the charity says.
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“If there ever there is a dog that deserves to live out the rest of his life surrounded by love, then it’s this one,” says Pete.
To apply to adopt Theo, visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/theo
Disgraced Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of one sexual assault Wednesday and not guilty of another, with jurors still considering a rape charge at his retrial, at which three women recounted in graphic detail how he victimised them.
Weinstein was retried for offenses against two women, Jessica Mann whom he is alleged to have raped, and Miriam Haley whom he was found to have sexually assaulted, alongside new charges of assaulting ex-model Kaja Sokola.
He was found not guilty of those new charges at the tense proceeding in a Manhattan court on Wednesday.
Delivering the verdict of the seven women and five men of the jury on the Haley count, the foreman said: “Guilty.”
He shook his head when he was asked for a verdict on the rape of Mann, and said “not guilty” on the Sokola count.
Former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan criminal court during his rape and sexual assault re-trial in New York on June 9, 2025. The former Miramax studio boss is charged in the New York with the 2006 sexual assault of Miriam Haley and the 2013 rape of Jessica Mann. He also faces a new count for an alleged sexual assault of a 19-year-old in 2006. (Photo by Steven Hirsch / POOL / AFP)
Weinstein looked on impassively close by, seated in a wheelchair and wearing a dark suit as he has done throughout the six weeks of hearings.
But later the 73-year-old appeared to mutter “Not true” as he was wheeled out of court.
The judge ordered the legal teams for both sides not to speak to the media as the jury continued to deliberate on the outstanding charge.
The Oscar-winner’s conviction is a vindication for Haley, whose complaint in part led to the initial guilty verdict in 2020, and helped fire the “MeToo” movement that saw an outpouring of allegations from prominent women who were abused by men.
Former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan Criminal Court during his rape and sexual assault re-trial in New York on June 4, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN LANE / POOL / AFP)
Weinstein underwent a spectacular fall from his position astride the world of Hollywood and show business in 2017 when the first allegations against him exploded into public view.
The movement upended the film industry, exposing the systemic exploitation of young women seeking to work in entertainment, and provoking a reckoning on how to end the toxic culture.
More than 80 women accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct in the wake of the global backlash against men abusing positions of power.
