Lewis Hamilton collided with Mercedes team-mate George Russell as Max Verstappen raced to pole position for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. Hamilton will start fifth following a bizarre coming together with Russell, who lines up in 12th, at the end of Q2 at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. Verstappen finished four tenths clear of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, with Lando Norris an impressive third for McLaren. Pierre Gasly took fourth spot for Alpine, one place ahead of Hamilton, who was half-a-second back, with home favourite Fernando Alonso only ninth in his Aston Martin. Hamilton had to take on a replacement front wing for Q3 after he made contact with Russell in the closing stages of Q2. With both Mercedes men starting their hot laps, Hamilton moved out of Russell’s tow at 210mph on the main straight. But the seven-time world champion was forced to take to the grass after his team-mate, who was making his way past Sainz’s Ferrari, unintentionally, closed the door on him. Hamilton kicked up dirt from the grass as part of his front wing flew off his Mercedes. “George just backed off,” said Hamilton over the radio. “That is really dangerous. I might have some damage on the car.” Although Hamilton’s time was good enough to progress to Q3, Russell was eliminated in 12th. “You didn’t tell me there was a car behind,” said Russell. “I don’t know what the hell was going on in this session. The car was bouncing. I couldn’t get my tyres working. Russell will start one place behind Perez after the Red Bull driver also failed to make it out of Q2. Perez is Verstappen’s closest challenger in the championship but a week on from his horror show in Monaco where he finished 16th and two laps down, he qualified only 11th here. The Mexican ran through the gravel and, although he managed to keep his Red Bull out of the wall, his next lap was not quick enough to carry him through to Q3. “Unbelievable,” said Perez. On an afternoon of shock results, Charles Leclerc, who started this race from pole position last year, will line last but one on the grid. Leclerc complained about the rear of his Ferrari and finished above only Williams rookie Logan Sargeant in the order. “I don’t have the answers for now,” said Leclerc following his early bath. “The only thing I can say is the left-hand corners were undriveable.” Q1 was suspended by nine minutes following multiple spins on a track drying out after earlier rain. Alex Albon, Nyck de Vries, Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas all ran off the road, and with gravel on the asphalt, race director Niels Wittich red-flagged the session. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen tops rain-hit final practice for Spanish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton toils in 12th as Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominate in Spain Fernando Alonso: Hamilton can win eighth title but Verstappen can break records

Formula One’s gamble to bring the sport back to Las Vegas backfired on a shambolic opening night in Sin City. After months of build-up to an event – billed by F1 executives as the greatest show on earth – practice was abandoned after just eight minutes. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the key questions surrounding the farcical opening to this weekend’s maiden race on the Las Vegas strip. What happened? As Carlos Sainz approached 200mph on the Las Vegas Boulevard, a water valve cover broke free from the tarmac and tore into the underbelly of his Ferrari. The force of the impact visibly jolted Sainz in the cockpit and, amid a flurry of white smoke and orange sparks, disabled his machine. Race director Niels Wittich red-flagged the session, but not before Esteban Ocon also struck the debris. The one-hour running, which began at 8:30pm local time was suspended at 8:38pm. At 8:49pm it was announced it would not be resumed. Were the drivers hurt? Both Sainz and Ocon escaped without injury – but their cars were severely damaged. A giant whole tore through Sainz’s Ferrari leaving his mechanics facing an extensive repair job. Ocon required a new chassis, but he was able to take part in second practice. How did the FIA respond? All 30 manhole covers along the 1.2-mile 210mph Las Vegas Boulevard were inspected. The covers were removed, and the holes filled with concrete and quick-drying resin. The FIA’s standard procedure is to seal or weld the manholes but that process failed in Las Vegas. Second practice had originally been scheduled to start at midnight local time. But it was pushed back to 2am, and then 2:15am before the cars eventually rolled out at 2:30am in front of empty grandstands, with fan areas closed at 1.30am. A two-hour window is required to reopen the public roads at 6am in Sin City, meaning the running had to cease at 4am. Has anything like this happened before? 99 per cent show, and one per cent sport Max Verstappen's assessment of the Las Vegas Grand Prix The problems of loose manhole covers at street venues is not a new one. Jenson Button struck a dislodged drain in practice in Monaco in 2016, while George Russell also ran over a drain cover in Azerbaijan four years ago. But the embarrassing failure in Las Vegas comes 48 hours after a Superbowl-like opening ceremony, and a day after triple world champion Max Verstappen called the staging of the Grand Prix – the first here in four decades and maiden event on the strip – as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”. What did they say? A furious Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur labelled the chaos as “unacceptable” following millions of dollars of damage to Sainz’s car. But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff launched a wild and ill-judged defence. “This is not a black eye (for F1),” said Wolff. “This is nothing. We are on a Thursday night – a free practice session that we are not doing – and nobody is going to talk about that tomorrow. “It is completely ridiculous. How can you even dare to talk back about an event that sets the new standard? You are speaking about a f****** drain cover that has been undone. It is nothing!” Read More Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory On this day in 2015: Susie Wolff ends her bid to get on an F1 starting grid Lando Norris ‘gutted’ to miss out on Brazilian GP pole after McLaren blunder

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Nobody likes getting sick, and illness on holiday is even worse – who wants to waste their precious vacation days lying in bed when they could be out having fun? Unfortunately, the chances of catching a bug can be high when you’re travelling. From airports and planes crammed with passengers to hotel rooms and restaurants with questionable cleanliness (even if it’s not visible to the naked eye), no wonder so many of us end up with the lurgy abroad. Here, health experts discuss the major health risks that occur on summer holidays and how to avoid them. Airports “Airports often become crowded and therefore they present multiple hygiene risks,” suggests Dr Donald Grant from The Independent Pharmacy. “Touching surfaces, using airport bathrooms and being in close proximity to others can cause bacteria to spread, so it’s important to be hygiene-alert.” Plus, having to hand your passport, boarding pass and luggage to different staff members increases the number of touchpoints throughout your journey. Dr Angela Rai, GP from the London General Practice recommends regularly washing your hands or applying hand sanitiser as you make your way through the airport. She says: “Washing your hands or using hand sanitiser helps reduce the risk of transmission of lots of different infections, including viral infections, coughs and colds and potentially gastrointestinal infections as well.” Flying “If someone is sitting next to you [on an airplane] and they have a cold, it may well be that you might catch one,” says Dr Preethi Daniel, deputy medical director at London Doctors Clinic. “There are hundreds of viruses that cause illness and the fact that you are mixing with people from all over the world means exposure to viruses and bugs your body may not be used to already.” It’s not only airborne bugs that you have to worry about, says Grant: “Again, it’s important to wash or sanitise your hands frequently during your flight, especially before eating or drinking, after using the bathroom, or if you’ve touched your armrest, tray table or TV screen.” As an extra precaution, you might also want to wipe down your down your table and armrests with an antibacterial wipe. Hotel rooms “While all hotel rooms should be thoroughly cleaned between each guest’s stay, you can never be fully sure that your room is bacteria-free,” says Grant. “To be on the safe side, take some disinfectant wipes and give the surfaces a good wipe down when you arrive — and don’t forget the TV remote, which may have been handled by hundreds of people without being cleaned.” Be extra careful with eating and drinking utensils in your room, he adds: “You should avoid using drinking glasses or mugs provided by the hotel without cleaning them thoroughly first.” Food and drink When eating and drinking at local spots abroad, Daniel’s advice is to “check for cleanliness even in established restaurants; paying particular attention to the state of tablecloths, cutlery, glasses and whether the tables are wiped down properly”. Look out for flies on food as well, she warns: “They are often loaded with pathogens as they do not discriminate between feeding on food or faeces. “E. coli, salmonella or shigella are some of the most common causes of gastrointestinal infections on holiday. “Hepatitis A and typhoid are other infections you can contract from contaminated food or water.” Never drink tap water unless you know it’s safe, and beware of tap water being used in food and drink prep. Rai says to be careful with ice as it might have been made with tap water and “things like salads and raw vegetables that have been washed in that water”. “Stick to peelable fruit,” Daniel adds. “Bananas, mangoes and the like are perfectly fine to eat. Avoid anything that has already been peeled, chopped and is waiting in handy takeaway sizes for you.” Swimwear and towels “Unpleasant odours and growth of bacteria are some of the risks of poor hygiene when it comes to swimwear and beach towels,” says Daniel. “They trap moisture”, which could leave you vulnerable to “getting infections such as bacterial vaginosis or thrush”. Grant says: “Be mindful that your towel is likely getting dirtier on holiday than it would be at home — especially if you’re taking it to the beach or the pool. You should change or wash your towel at least every other day.” And unless you’ve got a different swimsuit for every day of the holiday, you’ll need to give it a wash. “You’re meant to wash your swimwear after every time you wear it, because you have to treat it like your underwear,” says Rai. Haven’t got access to a washing machine on holiday? Rai says: “Just gently hand wash your swimwear every time you use it with warm soapy water then hang it up to dry.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pretty garden plants you didn’t know you could eat Group B Strep: 8 things every parent should know Princess Diana’s ‘black sheep’ jumper predicted to sell at auction for up to £70,000

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