Max Verstappen has criticised the “99% show, 1% sporting event” nature of this weekend’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix and lambasted Wednesday’s opening ceremony. F1 is returning to Vegas for the first time in more than 40 years with a new street circuit, with F1 themselves promoting the event and building a new pit building to the tune of $500m. But three-time world champion Verstappen, who was among the 20 drivers dramatically introduced to the crowd during Wednesday’s lavish opening ceremony via a lift onto a string of podiums, did not pull any punches about the spectacle of the event in Sin City. “I don’t like all the things around it,” said the Red Bull driver. “I’m looking forward to trying to do the best I can but I’m not looking forward to this. “For me you can skip these kind of things. It’s just standing up there, you look like a clown. “I fully understand and you can look at it two ways, business side or sport side. So, of course, I understand their side of it. “I’m just voicing my opinion on the performance side of things.” Wednesday’s opening ceremony started with spectacular drone sequences, preceding a number of performances from artists such as Kylie Minogue, John Legend and Tiesto. All 20 drivers then briefly appeared to rapturous applause from the crowd in the grandstands. Read More F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Opening ceremony updates and news Lewis Hamilton makes F1 ‘circus’ plea after backlash from Las Vegas locals Celebrities and sponsors descend on Las Vegas as F1 returns to Sin City

Asian stocks look set to follow Wall Street lower as investors contemplate a protracted period of higher interest

Following the passing of actor and singer Jane Birkin, fans are remembering the iconic Hermès bag which drew inspiration from her need for practical style - and quickly grew to be one of the rarest and most expensive styles in the fashion world. The Hermès Birkin starts at around £8,000, but can only be purchased new by invitation from the brand personally. However, those keen to get their hands on one of these exclusive pieces can expect to pay upward of £20,000 on resale items. The Diamond Himalaya Birkin gained notoriety for being the most expensive bag ever to be sold at auction, going for $450,000 USD (£343,700) in 2022, and is crafted from Niloticus crocodile skin featuring 40 brilliant white diamonds. Birkin's passing will likely drive demand up even further for such bags. Read More Jane Birkin: Singer, actor and inspiration behind iconic Birkin bag dies aged 76 Cillian Murphy says it ‘took a toll’ playing scientist J Robert Oppenheimer Fan grabs Bryan Adams’ microphone after invading stage to sing Summer of ‘69

Mercedes clung on to second place in the constructors’ championship by the skin of their teeth – and a £10milllion cash boost – as Max Verstappen ended the most dominant season in Formula One history with another victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen failed to triumph at just three of the 22 rounds staged, and his latest win takes him to 54 for his career, leaving only Lewis Hamilton (103 wins) and Michael Schumacher (91) ahead of him. The Dutchman finished 17 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez but the Red Bull driver was demoted to fourth following a five-second penalty for a collision with Lando Norris. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was promoted to second with Mercedes’ George Russell third. Lewis Hamilton finished ninth in the other black-liviried machine with Mercedes three points clear of Ferrari in the standings to land a £105million reward, rather than £95m. However, it marked a second straight season without a victory for Hamilton – a losing streak of 45 races – and Mercedes’ first winless campaign in a dozen years. Norris finished fifth for McLaren, one place ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri. Verstappen has been in a class of one this season and Sunday’s 58-lap race round the Yas Marina Circuit never looked anything other than a Red Bull triumph – the team’s 21st of their all-conquering year – after he resisted a first-lap attack from Leclerc. Leclerc tried and failed on three occasions to fight his way past Verstappen only for the triple world champion to keep him at bay on each occasion. Behind, and Norris was on the move, making his way up to third ahead of Piastri and Russell. Further back and Hamilton, who started 11th, was up two places to ninth, but by the end of the third lap he was in 10th as Perez swept by. With Leclerc in second, and Russell and Hamilton fifth and 10th, Ferrari held second spot. But Russell was soon on the move to hand the initiative back to Mercedes. On lap 11 he got ahead of Piastri after sling-shotting ahead of the Australian’s McLaren, and then three laps later, he took advantage of a slow pit stop for Norris to take third. But in the other Mercedes, Hamilton feared he had sustained damage to his front wing after he biffed Pierre Gasly’s Alpine. A check from Mercedes suggested otherwise, and team principal Toto Wolff was on the intercom to provide his star man with a pep talk. “Lewis, you were the second quickest car on the last lap,” he said. “You are quick.” Moments later, the Austrian was back on the radio to tell Hamilton he was the speediest out there. Wolff’s encouragement seemed to work. On lap 25, Hamilton was up to eighth after he passed Daniel Ricciardo before a second stop dropped him back down the order and in a duel with old foe Fernando Alonso. Hamilton made his way ahead of Alonso only for the Spaniard to fight back past. Hamilton then accused Alonso of brake-testing him. Carlos Sainz’s poor qualifying session left him 16th on the grid, but a desperate one-stop strategy saw him exposed to Alonso and then Hamilton as they moved by for eighth and ninth. Advantage Mercedes. But Perez then threatened to provide a sting in their tail by hunting down Russell in the battle for third. If Perez finished ahead of Russell, the Silver Arrows would lose second spot. With four laps to go, Perez fought his way past the English driver. Perez took Leclerc on the last lap, but finished only 3.9 sec clear of Russell – dropping Perez to fourth – as Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief. The in-lap was emotional because it was my last time sitting in a car that has given me so much Max Verstappen “It means a huge amount to so many people back at the factory,” said Russell. “They have worked so hard to achieve this. It has been a challenging season. But I can chill out now. “I came out of the pits and Perez came from nowhere. He had great pace and it was tense at the end because the tyres were dropping off, but I am just pleased to secure P2 for the team and I am sure everyone will have a few drinks tonight.” Leclerc said: “On one hand I am happy because there was not one thing we could have done better. We did an incredible job to get everything right but it is just a shame that we finished third in the championship.” Verstappen, who became the first driver to lead 1,000 racing laps in a season, said after his 19th victory of the year: “It has been an incredible season. “The in-lap was emotional because it was my last time sitting in a car that has given me so much. It will be hard to do something similar again but we definitely enjoyed this year.” Read More Lewis Hamilton cannot wait for season to end after qualifying 11th in Abu Dhabi George Russell fastest as rookies handed chance in first Abu Dhabi practice Class action lawsuit filed over farcical start to Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 Abu Dhabi GP LIVE: Race results and reaction at Yas Marina When does the 2024 F1 season start? Walking with the stars: Inside the white lines of the Las Vegas Grand Prix grid

Sarah Beeny has opened up about her gruelling treatment for breast cancer in a new documentary coming to Channel 4. The deeply personal one-off film, Sarah Beeny vs Cancer, sees the 51-year-old broadcaster and property expert explore the past, present and future of breast cancer treatment in the UK, while dealing with her own journey to recovery. She welcomed cameras into her home for the programme just two weeks after three lumps were discovered in her left breast. Speaking through tears at the start of the documentary, Beeny says: “I’m just not gonna die, you do know that. I’ve got a whole life. I need it. I’ve got four children. People need their mother. The truth is, I kind of needed my mother.” Beeny’s mother died of breast cancer at 39, when Beeny was just 10. Beeny says in the film that she had been waiting her whole life to hear that she had cancer. Her partner Graham Swift, an artist, says in the documentary that it was a huge deal for Beeny when she turned 40 as a healthy woman. In the show, Beeny is seen at various stages of chemotherapy. Her sons are shown cutting her hair short, and later Beeny sits in her car after doing the school run, pulling out clumps of her remaining hair. Cameras also follow Beeny as she gets a wig fitted by the NHS. Swift, who calls Beeny a “force of nature”, says he has been up at night worrying throughout the treatment. “F***yeah, there are sleepless nights,” he says. “It’s really hard. It’s horrible.” Beeny has now got the all-clear, and at the end of the documentary, she signs off with the words: “The chances of surviving breast cancer have doubled in the past 40 years, and that only gets better and better the more that is understood. “So many people are so scared. It’s that fear that keeps a lot of people away from going and checking things out and getting treatment. “So trust your body and go and get it checked out at a proper breast clinic. “If you get the diagnosis that I got eight months ago, my message would be, just, don’t be afraid. Because amazing people are doing amazing things and the outlook is getting better every day.” Sarah Beeny vs Cancer airs at 9pm on Channel 4 on Monday 12 June. Read More Sarah Beeny: Why I’m no longer scared of cancer Sarah Beeny shares health update after all-clear from breast cancer ‘I don’t want to be ashamed’: Sarah Beeny reveals she shaved her hair with dog clippers following cancer diagnosis ‘Fearful’ Shannen Doherty shares devastating cancer update Sarah Beeny shares health update after all-clear from breast cancer Breast cancer symptoms and survival rate as Amy Dowden diagnosed

Maine Gov. Janet Mills has signed a bill into law that expands access to abortions later in pregnancy

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 2023--

Inflation-fatigued shoppers are heading to Walmart for groceries while they're pulling back on nonessential purchases at other chains.

It’s beginning to look a lot like… the holidays! Did we just skip over Halloween and Thanksgiving? Yes, we did. Did we just jump to winter and all the warmth and fuzziness that comes around Christmas and Hanukkah? Also yes. That’s because you can score early on holiday decorations during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days on October 10 and 11. That’s right, major deals on everything you need to spruce up your home during the holiday season.

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SAVE $100: The Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless noise canceling headphones are on sale for $248 in

Singapore’s economy unexpectedly expanded in the second quarter, staving off fears of a technical recession in the city-state