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Britain’s Jessica Hawkins became the first female in almost five years to drive a modern Formula One car during a recent test in Budapest. The Aston Martin ambassador completed 26 laps in the Silverstone team’s 2021 machinery at the Hungaroring last Thursday. Hawkins, who recorded a best finish of second in 19 appearances in the W Series - the now-defunct all-female category - said: “I want to say a big thank you to everyone at AMF1 Team for having the trust in me, believing in me, and for giving me this opportunity. “It’s taken me every bit of blood, sweat and tears to get here. When I first heard it might be a possibility, I could hardly believe it. “I’ve had to keep it secret for months now - which was pretty hard. It’s been absolutely worth it and it’s given me really valuable insight.” Hawkins’ F1 appearance is the first meaningful one by a female driver since Colombian Tatiana Calderon took part in a number of tests for Alfa Romeo in 2018. It has been 47 years since a female - the Italian Lella Lombardi - took part in an F1 race, and eight years since Susie Wolff, who is married to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, competed in a Grand Prix practice session. The F1 Academy, a women-only feeder series, was launched by the grid’s bosses this year. Hawkins, 28, added: “Nothing will compare to the acceleration and braking of a Formula One car and, having looked at the data, I’m really proud of my performance. “I’ll keep pushing for more and, in the process, I want to inspire other women and let them know they should follow their dream no matter what it is.” Read More The rise of Oscar Piastri: A genuine rival for Lando Norris at last

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A man working on construction for this November’s Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix has tragically died after suffering a “major laceration to the neck.” The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were called to the Bellagio Fountains area on Saturday morning – at around 11:30am – after a worker was injured. The man, whose age has not been released, was transported to a local hospital but was later pronounced dead, as reported by ABC News. A spokesperson for the police confirmed the worker was involved in construction for the Las Vegas race circuit. The grand prix weekend is being held on the iconic Strip on 16-18 November. Further details are yet to be made public. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the incident, police said. The Independent has contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Formula 1 for further comment. Preparation for the Las Vegas race has seen numerous roads closed while construction takes place, with the project as a whole costing an estimated $560m. The 3.8-mile track passes a host of famous Sin City landmarks, including the Bellagio, Caesars Palace and the new MGM Sphere. F1 is returning to Vegas for the first time since 1982, when the Caesars Palace Grand Prix was held in the car park of the famous hotel. The race takes place at 10pm local time (6am GMT) on Saturday 18 November. Read More The rise of Oscar Piastri: A genuine rival for Lando Norris at last ‘Shocker of a race’: Christian Horner pulls apart Sergio Perez’s display in Japan Christian Horner reveals Max Verstappen ambition ahead of Japan victory

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Much like most of the scenarios thrown up on his journey to the top echelons of motorsport, Oscar Piastri takes everything consummately in his stride. Strikingly level-headed and rational – notwithstanding an unflappable self-belief in his ability behind the wheel – a week which started with the 22-year-old signing a new contract with McLaren until the end of 2026 ended with his first podium in Formula 1 at Suzuka. It was quite a few days for the rookie Australian, whose meteoric rise through the ranks shows no signs of subsiding. What’s more, it was a weekend that fully justified Piastri’s bold a year ago, when the soap opera of his first forays into Formula 1 dominated the paddock. It was a storyline of dreams for Netflix’s Drive to Survive producers when Piastri, a test driver at Alpine, rebuked the Enstone-based team who’d announced his 2023 drive as a replacement for Fernando Alonso. We would later learn that the 2021 F2 champion had already penned a deal to join McLaren, with Zak Brown and the papaya targeting fresh blood following Daniel Ricciardo’s season of underachievement. It was a line of attack which carried much risk. Alpine beat McLaren to fourth in the constructors’ championship last year and many onlookers saw the switch as unwise from a competitive viewpoint. More pointedly, though, the impact it would have on Piastri’s moral standing in the sport was something emphasised by then Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer. The Renault-works outfit had invested millions of pounds into Piastri’s development, with countless test opportunities and financial backing through the junior series. But Piastri, managed by nine-time race winner and fellow Australian Mark Webber, was undeterred. He was set to be overlooked by Alpine for 2023 before Alonso’s surprise switch to Aston Martin and, feeling undervalued, he went on the search for other options fully aware he could ill-afford another season on the sidelines after not racing in 2022. A loan to Williams was on the table but McLaren, an eight-time constructors’ champion and giant of the sport despite their recent struggles, was his preference. The start was not smooth, though. McLaren acknowledged at the start of the year that they had not met their off-season development targets and the mood at the car launch at their impressive Woking HQ in February was decidedly pessimistic. Piastri’s F1 debut, in Bahrain, ended in retirement. But those early shortcomings were no fault of Piastri, despite a year on the sidelines. It is one of the more questionable rules of Formula 2 that the winner then cannot race in the series the next year, often leaving the champion in the wilderness. Brazilian racer Felipe Drugovich, last year’s champion, has acted as a reserve this year for Aston Martin and is struggling to find an F1 seat next year, though Williams has recently been mooted. This year’s F2 leader, Theo Pouchaire, is a test driver with Alfa Romeo but now looks set for a year without racing in 2024. It would make sense, it seems, to offer an exception should the champion not land a seat at the top table. Nonetheless, after scoring his first points following his home race at Albert Park, Piastri had to wait until Austria in July for a raft of game-changing upgrades which handed him and Lando Norris a shot at regular top-10 finishes. He has since scored in five of the last seven races, as well as a second-place finish in the sprint race in Belgium. Enough for McLaren to swiftly extend his deal. “It’s always nice to have a sense of security,” said Piastri. “It made sense from my point of view and from a team point of view. That longevity and continuation together – [it’s] nice confidence for us all.” It continues the Melbourne local’s meteoric ascent. He landed a junior role at Alpine, formerly Renault, by winning the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019. A year later, he won Formula 3 before his F2 victory in 2021. A decision at 15 years of age to relocate to the UK for his racing was reaping the rewards. Now, after a first podium following a front-row start at Suzuka, Piastri has emerged as genuine competition for Norris – long labelled the team’s No 1. “I think it exceeded most people’s expectations from what he’s been able to achieve already this season,” Norris said on Thursday, after Piastri penned his extension. “He’s pushed me a lot – it’s not a nice thing, it’s not what I want – but he’s done a very good job so congrats to him for [continuing for] another few years.” As the Brit hinted, the intra-team jousting is not something he has been used to in recent years. Crucially at this point, the pair get on well – both young, affable and with bundles of potential. But Piastri has emerged as a genuine rival to Norris at McLaren. The Brit’s regular links to the second seat at Red Bull, despite a contract at McLaren until the end of 2025, are likely to have accelerated Brown’s willingness to pin down Piastri. But should Norris stay, it is undoubtedly a driver pairing capable of race victories in the future, should they be given the tools to do so. In contrast to the start of 2023, it is now a time of much optimism for McLaren. The team signed ex-Red Bull chief Rob Marshall as their technical director in May. David Sanchez will join the engineering department in the new year from Ferrari. Andrea Stella, who replaced Andreas Seidl as team principal last year, works well in tandem with Brown. At this rate, they’re likely to haul in Aston Martin for fourth in the constructors’ championship too, with Alpine long left behind in sixth. “What!! So we are doing this for another 3 years???” comically tweeted Piastri’s mum, Nicole, after the new contract was announced last week. That looks set to be a minimum. Should Piastri’s progress continue at the current trajectory, the Australian will be in Formula 1 for a while longer yet. Read More Lando Norris claims McLaren on ‘an upward trend’ after double podium ‘Shocker of a race’: Christian Horner pulls apart Sergio Perez’s display in Japan Lewis Hamilton frustrated by Mercedes strategy in Japanese Grand Prix ‘Shocker of a race’: Christian Horner pulls apart Sergio Perez’s display in Japan Christian Horner reveals Max Verstappen ambition ahead of Japan victory F1 Japanese Grand Prix LIVE: Race updates and results at Suzuka

Lando Norris believes McLaren’s strong driver pairing can be a big advantage as the team celebrated an “important milestone” with a double podium at the Japanese Grand Prix. British driver Norris finished second for a second consecutive race, albeit well behind dominant race-winner Max Verstappen, while team-mate Oscar Piastri secured his first podium in his debut Formula One season. After a tough start to the year, McLaren have impressed since their first big upgrade began at July’s Austrian Grand Prix. Norris finished fourth at Spielberg before picking up back-to-back second-places at Silverstone and in Hungary. Piastri, 22, has exceeded expectations this season, with a number of strong displays earning the Australian an extended contract earlier this week – none more so than at Suzuka given he had never even been to Japan before. Norris feels their combined strength is a major plus for McLaren as they chase down Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship. “I think our advantage at the minute comparing to almost every team, bar a couple, is we have two drivers who are up there fighting for these positions and fighting for these points,” Norris said after the race at Suzuka. “And not every team has that at the minute. So I think that’s helping us. We can help one another, we can use one another, and I think that’s a good advantage we have over a lot of other teams at the minute. “So we’re on an upward trend. We’re making good progress and days like today prove exactly that. “The progress we’ve made this season has been pretty incredible from my eyes, and from where we were to finishing 19 seconds behind the lead is, I think, evidence of exactly that. “So I’m proud of everyone and we’ll keep pushing.” Team principal Andrea Stella described the result at Suzuka as “an important milestone in our journey at McLaren”, while Piastri celebrated a significant day. “You never forget your first podium, regardless of whether it’s been a strong performance or not,” he said. “So yeah, it will be a special day and I won’t forget it and also ticking the first podium off the list is always a nice achievement to have.” There are six races remaining in the 2023 season, including three sprint weekends, with a trip to Qatar next on the agenda in two weeks’ time. McLaren have closed to 49 points of Aston Martin in the standings and CEO Zak Brown is confident they have a well-rounded car to be strong for the rest of the campaign. “The team is just doing such a fantastic job, executing week in, week out,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “We are trying to catch Red Bull. All we can do is chip a tenth at a time but Max was pretty dominant. I think we will be strong at the next race, so will keep pushing. “I feel as confident as I can we will be pretty strong everywhere, but we know there will be some tracks that favour your car more than others and we are good in the high speed, which Qatar is, so we will be strong there and not be weak anywhere.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen pips Oscar Piastri to pole after tense qualifying for Japanese GP Lando Norris narrows gap on Max Verstappen at final practice in Japan Max Verstappen returns to form in Japanese Grand Prix practice

Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted that Sergio Perez had a “shocker of a race” as the Mexican’s inconsistent form continued in Japan. On the weekend where Red Bull secured the 2023 constructors’ title courtesy of Max Verstappen’s 11thwin in 12 races, Perez had a Sunday to forget having qualified fifth on the grid. The Mexican suffered wing damage on the first lap after being sandwiched between Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton, before colliding with Kevin Magnussen later in the race as he looked to climb the leaderboard. Perez was given two five-second penalties: one for the incident with Haas driver Magnussen and another after overtaking Fernando Alonso under yellow flag conditions. “It was a shocker of a race for him today,” Horner told Sky F1. “It got off to a bad start where he sort of got concertinaed on the rundown to turn 1, he picked up some front wing damage, then we needed to change the front wing. “He overtook Fernando on the way into the pit lane, then picked up a penalty and then came out and of course, then he dive-bombed one of the Haas’ and so it was just one of those weekends.” However, having originally retired on lap 15, Perez befuddlingly re-entered the race 26 laps later in order to serve his time penalty, meaning it won’t carry over to a grid drop for the next race in Qatar. “The only good thing was were able to serve the penalty here,” Horner added. “So he leaves it here in Japan.” Verstappen can now secure his third world title in the sprint race in Qatar, with Perez trailing his team-mate by 177 points in the world championship. Perez’s lead to Lewis Hamilton in third has also been cut to 33 points. Perez has a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2024 season, but his inconsistent form this season has prompted the likes of Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo and even Liam Lawson to be linked with the second Red Bull seat next year. Read More Christian Horner reveals Max Verstappen ambition ahead of Japan victory Max Verstappen on verge of title as Red Bull clinch constructors’ crown in Japan Lewis Hamilton frustrated by Mercedes strategy in Japanese Grand Prix

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Christian Horner knew Max Verstappen was ready to return to winning ways from his aggression in a game of padel tennis as the Dutchman moved to the brink of a third world title with victory at the Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen was imperious around the high-speed corner circuit at Suzuka, beating McLaren’s Lando Norris by over 19 seconds as Red Bull sealed the constructors’ championship with a record six races to spare. The 25-year-old’s record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season was ended in Singapore a week ago, but he hit back in style. Verstappen is now within touching distance of a hat-trick of world titles, extending his lead over team-mate Sergio Perez to 177 points, and could even win it in the Saturday Qatar sprint race in two weeks’ time. “I played padel tennis with Max on Wednesday and he was properly fired up and made it clear ‘I want to win the race by 20 seconds’ and in fairness he came within 0.7 of a second of achieving that,” team principal Horner said. “You could tell from the very first lap in practice one that he was totally focused on this event. “It is a circuit that he loves and enjoys. It was an outstanding performance. His laps in qualifying yesterday, particularly that final lap has to be up there with one of the best laps of all-time in qualifying. “Max is absolutely at the top of his game, he is the best driver in F1 at this point in time. “He’s just got this inner hunger, determination and huge ability. He doesn’t get distracted by the trappings of F1. He is an out-and-out racer. If he is not racing in the real world he is racing in the virtual world. “He’s a winner and he loves winning. You’ve seen that competitive spirit at its utmost this weekend.” Red Bull are the first team in Formula One history to win the team championship with six races to spare as Verstappen’s victory moved the Milton Keynes-based team 318 points clear of second-placed Mercedes in the standings. It is Red Bull’s sixth constructors’ title since their debut season in F1 in 2005. They clinched it at the track owned by their engine supplier Honda, with Horner paying tribute to the entire team. “To achieve this sixth constructors’ championship is beyond our wildest dreams. Coming into the season I don’t think we could have ever dreamt of having a year like this,” Horner added. “Last year was a very strong year for us but to have kept that momentum rolling through the year that we have had is testimony to all the men and women in the team that have worked tirelessly. “To repeat a season like this, to do better than we are doing is impossible. We are riding a wave and we want to ride that wave as long as we can. “It is very fitting that we have won the championship here on the 75th anniversary of Honda at their circuit at Suzuka.” While Verstappen coasted to the win, it was a tough day for Perez, who broke two front wings and was handed two penalties before retiring on lap 15. He then came back into the race briefly on lap 40 before retiring again, with the team keen for him to serve his outstanding penalty rather than suffer in Qatar. “It was just a disastrous weekend,” Perez said. McLaren showed further signs of their progress by comfortably beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to seal second and third – with Oscar Piastri picking up his first F1 podium. “Another amazing day for us. A P2 and P3, so we couldn’t have asked for anymore,” Norris said. “We are pushing, we are getting there. The progress we’ve made is pretty outstanding.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen pips Oscar Piastri to pole after tense qualifying for Japanese GP Lando Norris narrows gap on Max Verstappen at final practice in Japan Max Verstappen returns to form in Japanese Grand Prix practice