They’ve been talking about it for weeks. In fact since the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix at the beginning of March, Mercedes have pinpointed this weekend in Imola as a new beginning not only this season, but in this new phase of ground-effect regulations first brought in last year. Toto Wolff has made no secret of F1’s return to traditional European circuits as marking a line in the sand for his team’s prospects in 2023, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell waiting eagerly in the cockpit to see how far they can reduce the hefty gap – 128 points in the constructors’ standings – to Red Bull out in front. News on Wednesday then of the cancellation of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix comes as a bitter blow to their development plans. In the wider scheme of things, though, Mercedes’ fortunes are very much not a priority. The swiftness of those at Formula 1 on the ground in Imola has not gone unnoticed in the past few days. F1 made the right call to cancel given the severe flooding in the region, even if as expected the race cannot be rescheduled this year. For a sporting entity and a governing body, the FIA, who have repeatedly blundered in recent months, this time the communication between executives, teams and the media was clear throughout in an ever-changing situation. As opposed to Australia in 2020 amid the coronavirus outbreak, as well as Spa in 2021 with heavy rain eventually rendering racing redundant, the call here was decisive while matters of far more importance to local bodies in northern Italy, not least the emergency services, take greater hold. However, given the sheer anticipation at Mercedes for an upgrade package which was set to include a trio of new sidepods, floor and front suspension, this delay is far from ideal. As recently as the weekend, engineering director Andrew Shovlin said: “We took some decisions on how we develop the car – how the car works aerodynamically, how we shape the characteristics of the car, how it is in terms of handling. "What we are going to be bringing to the track in Imola is the first step of that work. This takes quite a long time to develop in the wind tunnel, you can’t just do these things overnight. But the Imola package is the first step in that direction.” At Imola, with three practice sessions, qualifying and a 63-lap race on a traditional European circuit with 19 turns – even if rain was forecast – the technicians and engineers at Mercedes would have gathered swathes of useful data regarding the W14’s performance, consistency and raw speed. An immediate evaluation would have been collated: have the upgrades made the car quicker? But it is no longer the Imola package. Rather unsatisfactorily, it is now the Monaco package. Out of all 23 race circuits on the 2023 schedule, the twisty turns of the principality are perhaps the last place upgrades would want to be tested first time out. The unique dimensions of the Monaco street circuit are out of quilter with the vast majority of tracks on the calendar, meaning upgrades designed to improve the quality of the car over the course of a season may not have a positive impact in Monaco. Thankfully, the race that follows is in Barcelona – a track which before the pandemic was traditionally used for testing. A more appropriate analysis can be ascertained during that weekend in Spain. While Ferrari were also expected to bring improvements this weekend, the focus was undeniably on the Mercedes garage. Now, that anticipation and development plan will have to be re-routed. Hamilton stated after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April that he was “counting down the days” until the anticipated upgrades at Imola: the scene of his ultimate humiliation when he was lapped by old foe Max Verstappen in last year’s race. Unfortunately for the seven-time world champion, he will have to wait that little bit longer. Read More F1 Imola Grand Prix cancelled F1 Grand Prix – live: Lewis Hamilton reacts after Imola race cancelled Will Imola Grand Prix be rescheduled? Where are Mercedes and Ferrari? Frankly, you don’t want to hear the answer ‘Nasty piece of work’: Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes slammed by Toto Wolff Lewis Hamilton would be taking gamble by leaving Mercedes, says former rival

Cristina Amaya has a very simple goal for Latinx in Gaming, the nonprofit she cofounded that aims to connect video game-loving Latines and help them thrive in the industry. “I don’t want us to exist five years from now because we won’t need to,” she said during Thursday’s Refinery29 Twitch stream. “The end goal is that we have everything we need … There are just so many resources within companies, within schools, networks that exist [that] it should be easy for Latines to enter the workforce and come into gaming the same way it might be with other folks.”

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Louis Tomlinson’s little sister, Phoebe Tomlinson, has announced that she’s pregnant with her first child. The 19-year-old shared a video on Instagram on Monday to reveal that she’s expecting a child with her boyfriend, Jack Varley. The black-and-white footage, which was set to Ellie Goulding’s “How Long Will I Love You,” began with Phoebe looking at her positive pregnancy test in shock and excitement before showing the test to her partner. Phoebe’s video continued with her documenting the happy reactions from her twin sister, Daisy, and her father, Mark Tomlinson, to the baby news. The influencer went on to share a picture of an ultrasound, a onesie that read: “Coming soon baby Varley,” and a teddy bear. After sharing a clip of herself cradling her baby bump, she included a video taken by her sister, Lottie Tomlinson, as Lottie and her son, Lucky, joined the mother-to-be for an ultrasound appointment. The video ended with a shot of two onesies. In the caption, Phoebe hinted at her baby’s due date, writing: “Our little miracle, joining us this winter.” While the One Direction singer has not yet commented on his sister’s Instagram video, some of her other family members did. “Can’t wait to meet you baby,” Lottie wrote, while Daisy commented red hearts and multiple emojis of a face holding back tears. Many fans and friends of the UK influencer also took to the comments to share their well-wishes and congratulatory messages. “Oh my god I’m crying!! Congratulations,” YouTuber Anastasia Kingsnorth wrote. “Aw congrats!!! Most amazing journey coming up!!” another one of Phoebe’s followers wrote, while a third added: “Congratulations beautiful girl! You were made for this.” Other fans said they were eager to see Louis’ response to the baby news. “Just imagine how happy Lou was with the news, congratulations,” one wrote, while another added: “We’re very sure Uncle Louis is so excited to meet you baby!!” Phoebe also shared two photos of herself looking at her baby bump on TikTok to announce the news. Louis, who has his stepfather’s last name, has also been vocal about being involved in his siblings’ lives after their mother’s death in 2016. During an interview with The Telegraph in 2020, he called himself “a kind of second parent” to Daisy and Phoebe. “Without being too soppy, I like looking after people, it’s cool,” he explained. At the time, he confessed that he was using some of his money to help pay for his sisters’ private school education. Read More Niall Horan says he was afraid to go out after being chased by One Direction fans A One Direction fan claimed she had a brain tumour. Five years after her death, we still need answers From Ed Sheeran to Dua Lipa: the richest musicians and celebrities under the age of 35 Bruce Willis’ family shares first Father’s Day posts since announcing his dementia Adele opens up about fungal skin infection after ‘sitting in my own sweat’ Gavin Rossdale says he and Gwen Stefani have ‘opposing views’ as parents

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