Mercedes admit they will be working overtime on Monacos rest day in a bid to catch Red Bull after being caught by surprise by Daniel Ricciardos blistering pace in Thursday practice. USA Soccer Shirts . Ricciardo, buoyed by the introduction of Renaults new engine and reenergised by the appointment of Max Verstappen, topped the timesheets by over half a second from Lewis Hamilton with Nico Rosberg a further three tenths adrift.While Hamilton welcomed the prospect of a close fight, Rosberg admitted that Red Bulls speed had surprised the world champions. Its very simple: today they were faster than us, conceded the championship leader. We can still turn up our engine, but we dont have six tenths [worth] of turning up the engine. We expected them to be there or thereabouts, but not that quick.Sky F1 pundits dazzled by Red Bulls Monaco paceWhile the abnormal size of Ricciardos advantage suggests that Red Bull and Mercedes were running different fuel strategies, Ricciardos lap, faster than last years pole position time, will have the world champions working around the clock on Friday despite the absence of any on-track action. Ted Kravitz and Johnnny Herbert analyse how Lewis Hamiltons nose got broken in the Mercedes garage during Thursday practice at Monaco We need to spend the day wisely, said Rosberg. Friday is going to be an intense engineering day, much more intense than a usual weekend. Red Bull were quicker than us today [Thursday], we need to do our homework well tonight and tomorrow. In the situation we are finding ourselves in, its great to have an extra day, it gives us time to dig through everything and find more performance.If an answer to counter Red Bulls sudden surge is to be found, it is likely to be discovered in the detail of how the new ultrasoft tyres, debuting this weekend, perform. Unlike Red Bull and Ferrari, Mercedes declined to experience the new range of Pirellis during winter testing but have selected 10 sets of ultrasofts this week in anticipation of a one-stop race where the final stint will be run on supersofts.But with overtaking notoriously difficult around Monte Carlos mean streets, track position is expected to be nine-tenths of the Monaco GP law - making Saturdays qualifying hour the most important of the year so far. A feast of live sporting action is on Sky Sports this weekend - dont miss it! All our focus is on that one qualy lap because thats all that counts around here. Its all building up to that one qualifying lap in Q3, said Rosberg. Its an exciting challenge to see if we can extract a bit more from these tyres. We have so much information on the tyres with sensors here, there and everywhere so that we can capture an accurate picture of what the tyres are actually doing. We have a huge data gathering and that is where Qualcomm come in.The technology giants have developed pioneering data processing that enables the team to download tyre telemetry even before their cars have returned to base via an advanced wifi connection that is eight times faster than the standard household wireless system.The faster you make that process, the faster you find new directions, added Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe. In the past, to get a download you would typically have to delay your car which you dont want to do in a practice session. We may only have five or six unique runs during a practice session and this means we can make every one count.After the unsettling surprise of Red Bulls blistering pace on Thursday, Mercedes know they have no time to lose on or off the track before the action resumes on Saturday.When is the Monaco GP on Sky Sports and how can you watch it? Meanwhile, the British-based Mercedes and McLaren outfits have confirmed they will adopt a position of neutrality ahead of the United Kingdom referendum vote on EU membership.One of our directors looked at the issue because some of our staff members asked which way they should vote, revealed Paddy Lowe. He concluded it didnt really make a lot of difference, either to the company or to Formula 1 in general in terms of how we run the business. So weve left it to our employees to vote how they wish personally.McLaren team boss Eric Boullier revealed the Brackley-based outfit had carried out a similar study and reached the same conclusion.We dont believe there will be a significant impact on the Formula 1 business, said Boullier. The team and the industry is mainly based in the UK but we have managed always to use some suppliers abroad and I dont think its going to change much.Watch the Monaco GP live on Sky Sports F1. The race starts at 1pm on Sunday, with build-up underway at 11.30am. Or watch the race without a contract for £6.99 on NOW TV. Also See: Red Bull Monaco speed unbelievable When is the Monaco GP on Sky? Lauda: New deal for Nico soon Get a NOW TV weekend pass Stitched USA Soccer Jerseys . The NFL says Wednesday that the game between the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions at Wembley on Oct. 26 will start at 1:30 p. Custom USA Soccer Jerseys . Minutes after the previously winless Colts got their first win, 27-13 over Tennessee, team vice chairman Bill Polian said the four-time league MVP will not play this season though he has begun throwing to teammates at the team complex. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . Granada defender Diego Mainz barged into the back of Villa to send the Spain striker to the ground inside the area and Costa stepped up to the spot to score his 12th league goal in the 38th minute. Costa showed no effects of the news that his Brazilian citizenship may be revoked after he elected to play for Spains national team, as the forward was a constant threat for Atletico and forced several saves from goalkeeper Roberto.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Back on the mound at Tropicana Field, Kansas Citys James Shield looked and felt right at home. The right-hander sparkled in his return to the stadium where he earned a living for the first seven seasons of his career, limiting the Tampa Bay Rays to three hits and striking out 10 in seven innings to help the Royals beat his former team 6-0 on Monday night. No pitcher has had more success at The Trop than Shields, who remains Tampa Bays all-time leader in victories with 87, including a franchise-best 47 at home. "Its definitely special to come back here," said Shields (9-4), who was dealt to the Royals in December 2012 as part of a seven-player trade in which Kansas City sent 2013 AL rookie of the year Wil Myers and another top young prospect, Jake Odorizzi (4-8), to Tampa Bay. "Theres so many memories. Ive thrown some shutouts here and Ive also thrown some champagne on the field," the 32-year-old said. "The fans were great tonight to me, welcoming me back, and thats always a great feeling." Shields allowed singles to Ben Zobrist and James Loney in the first two innings, then worked through a jam in the third after giving up a one-out double to Kevin Kiermaier. He retired 10 straight, six by strikeout, before hitting Evan Longoria with a pitch leading off the seventh. Alex Gordon and Omar Infante drove in runs in the third inning for the Royals, giving Shields all the offensive support he would need to beat Odorizzi. "Weve seen that act before," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said of the performance by Shields. "Wrong uniform this time, though." Shields, who had struggled in his three most recent starts, rebounded from allowing five runs and nine hits over five innings of a 10-2 loss at Minnesota last week. "You could tell right off the bat that, OK, lets get this guy a couple of runs and lets ride with it," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Thats exactly what happened." The Royals tacked on two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth -- with Infante and Gordon both collecting their second RBIs of the game -- and finished with 14 hits. Cheap USA Soccer Jerseys. Wade Davis, another former Tampa Bay pitcher the Royals obtained in the Shields trade, worked a perfect eighth. Scott Downs finished the combined four-hitter, giving up a ninth-inning single to Zobrist. The loss was just the third in 13 games for the Rays, who were coming off a road trip in which they went 9-2 to climb out of the AL East cellar. Odorizzi allowed two runs and six hits, struck out eight and walked two in his third career appearance against the Royals, who beat the 24-year-old in Kansas City on April 9. "All the series we played on the road we played fantastic. I guess we were kind of due for one of these games," Odorizzi said. "I dont think this game is really going to set us back that much in the long run." Shields won his only previous matchup against his former team 8-2 at Kansas City on April 30, 2013. He remains Tampa Bays career leader in starts, strikeouts and innings pitched, in addition to wins. He won the franchises first-ever post-season game and owns the clubs only World Series victory. NOTES: Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson will make his season debut Tuesday night, returning from right elbow surgery. The Royals will counter with LHP Jason Vargas (8-3, 3.32 ERA). ... Kansas City DH Billy Butler, who entered mired in a 3-for-23 slide, was dropped to seventh in the lineup. Its the lowest spot for him this season. ... The Royals sent OF Nori Aoki (strained left groin) to Double-A Northwest Arkansas for a rehab assignment. ... The Rays announced the signing of Dominican Republic prospect Adrian Rondon for $2.95 million on the shortstops 16th birthday. Minor league pitcher Matt Ramsey was traded to Miami for the Marlins second, third and fourth international bonus slots, a move that provided the team with more than $1 million to go toward the signing of Rondon. ' ' '