Alfa Romeo have announced that both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will remain with the team for the 2024 F1 season. The pair, who have worked together at Alfa since the start of the 2022 campaign, will team up for a third consecutive season, Alfa confirmed on Thursday. Bottas has a deal with the team until 2025 - signed upon his arrival from Mercedes at the end of 2021 - while Zhou has signed a one-year extension. Alfa also confirmed that Theo Pourchaire, who is on the cusp of winning this year’s Formula 2 title, will be their reserve driver once again. 2024 will be Bottas’ 12th straight season in Formula 1 while Zhou, the first Chinese driver in the sport, will race at his home grand prix for the first time when the Chinese Grand Prix returns to the calendar in April. “Signing again with the team is always a great feeling, especially when we know how things are shaping up,” Zhou said. “I am proud to be part of Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake and grateful for their trust: I have been working extremely hard since day one and there is an incredible level of motivation to keep doing so every day forward. “My relationship with Valtteri is really good, and we are working closely together and with the team to push everyone forward. I am also very excited about the opportunity to finally race with my team in China, in front of my home crowd. “It will be a great moment and I’m proud to be able to share it with all those who have supported me.” The Sauber-works team are being taken over by German giant Audi for the 2026 season when new regulations come into force. Bottass added: “I have a feeling we have an exciting journey ahead of us, so I am happy and grateful to be able to look forward to 2024 knowing how the team is shaping up. “There is a good atmosphere within our squad, I get along with Zhou and we both push each other hard to improve. There is an impressive amount of work going on behind the scenes, in Hinwil and beyond, and now that the line-up is set for next year, we can focus fully on improving, starting this weekend in Singapore already. “Every step forward we make is a step forward for this year and next, so we are motivated to give everything we have every time we’re trackside or at the factory.” Alfa have struggled for car performance so far this season and have only amassed 10 points after the first 14 races of the season. Bottas has six points, while Zhou has four. They currently lie ninth in the Constructors’ Standings, with only AlphaTauri below them. Read More F1 2023 season race schedule: When is the Singapore Grand Prix? Lando Norris could leave McLaren at end of the season, claims Nico Rosberg Toto Wolff slams ‘moaning’ across F1 grid after Lewis Hamilton apology F1 Singapore Grand Prix: When is practice on Friday at Marina Bay? Red Bull chief apologises to Sergio Perez over ‘offensive remark’ Sky F1 star escapes after car bursts into flames at Goodwood

Bats could hold the key to unlocking new ways to combat cancer, a new study suggests. A paper published by Oxford University Press, looks at the rapid evolution of bats for their abilities to both host and survive infections such as Covid-19 as well as cancer. The animals are known to have a strong immune system which helps fight off many viruses and diseases. These mammals are also thought to have played a role in the emergence of Covid-19 and scientists say such characteristics are interesting to investigate due to the implications it might have on human health. According to the research, understanding the mechanisms of the bat’s immune system that allows these animals to fight off viral infections – may pave the way to understanding how to prevent disease outbreaks from animals to people. To conduct the study, researchers sequenced the genomes of two bat species - the Jamaican fruit bat and the Mesoamerican mustached bat. The team used advanced technology from Oxford Nanopore Technologies and bat samples collected by the American Museum of Natural History in Belize. They then compared the bat genomes to those of other mammals. The results revealed that bats possessed genetic adaptations in proteins which are related to DNA repair and cancer suppression. It was found that bats had adaptations in six DNA repair-related proteins and 46 cancer-related proteins. The study also found that bats had more than double the number of altered cancer-related genes compared to other mammals, which provided further evidence that they have the ability to suppress cancer. “By generating these new bat genomes and comparing them to other mammals we continue to find extraordinary new adaptations in antiviral and anticancer genes,” said the paper’s lead author, Armin Scheben. “These investigations are the first step towards translating research on the unique biology of bats into insights relevant to understanding and treating ageing and diseases, such as cancer, in humans.” The results open up new paths for understanding and studying the links between cancer and immunity, which offers hope that these insights from bats might possibly lead to new treatments for human illnesses. According to the United States Department of the Interior, there are over 1,400 species of bats worldwide and are mostly found in extreme deserts and polar regions. In the US and Canada, there are about 45 species of bats. Read More British bats ‘can help identify coronaviruses with potential to infect humans’ Coronavirus origins still a mystery 3 years into pandemic Groundbreaking migraine treatment offers ‘new hope’ for patients World Sepsis Day: What is the condition and its symptoms? Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor says he’s ‘asymptomatic’ after end-of-life diagnosis

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Max Verstappen clinched the Formula One world drivers’ title after finishing second in the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix. Here, the PA news agency looks at the Dutchman’s season and overall record in numbers. 3 – Verstappen has wrapped up his third world title. 11 – he is the 11th driver to win the title three times or more, and only the fifth to do so in successive years. 10 – along the way Verstappen produced a record-breaking run of 10 consecutive race wins, from the Miami Grand Prix in May to September’s Italian GP. 13 – his overall win tally this season, from 16 races. He has finished second twice, and fifth in Singapore. 407 – Verstappen’s points tally. 184 – lead over second-placed Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez. 10 – pole positions. 7 – fastest laps. 2 – sprint race wins. 48 – Verstappen’s career win total ranks fifth in F1 history. He has the chance to climb to fourth or even third by the end of the season, with Alain Prost winning 51 races and Sebastian Vettel 53. 6 – clinching the title in the Qatar sprint race means Verstappen did so with six grands prix remaining, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record from 2002. Read More Angry Lance Stroll shoves personal trainer and storms out of interview Max Verstappen fastest in Qatar practice as he closes in on world championship Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Max Verstappen’s best moments as he wins 2023 F1 world title Max Verstappen seals 2023 F1 world championship in Qatar

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