Max Verstappen has hit back at criticism of his dominance and set the target of remaining unbeaten for the final nine races of the season. The all-conquering Dutchman will become the first driver in history to win 10 consecutive races if he takes the chequered flag at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday. Verstappen has been in imperious form this year, winning 11 of the 13 rounds staged as he closes in on a hat-trick of World Championships. With a lead of 183 points heading into this weekend’s race in Monza there is a chance he could even close out the title with six rounds still remaining at the Japanese Grand Prix on September 24. However, Verstappen’s emphatic streak has led to suggestions that the sport has become boring. But responding to the accusations in an interview with the PA news agency, Verstappen, 25, said: “They cannot appreciate dominance or just people executing their jobs. “It is nothing really new in Formula One, and I cannot do much with those kind of comments. Does it bother me? No. It would probably be worse if they were talking about other stuff. I am enjoying what I am doing and I hope I can do it for a while. “I don’t want it to stop. We have another good opportunity this weekend. I believe I can win every single race.” Verstappen’s victory on his home track in Zandvoort – which drew him level with Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine straight wins – was among the very best of the 46 of his career so far. At one stage, he was lapping four seconds faster than Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull, and two seconds quicker than anybody else. His virtuoso display in the inclement conditions prompted double world champion Fernando Alonso to say Verstappen’s achievements are being underestimated. “It is not about getting the recognition because I know how hard it is to do,” said Verstappen. “If it was very easy, more drivers would have won nine in a row, and more teams would have done it, and that is not the case. “It hasn’t been straightforward either. In Zandvoort especially, a lot of things could have gone wrong, and in the end we still handled that really well. “I never thought I would get to nine. I remember watching Seb do it, and I was like, ‘Jesus Christ, that is extremely difficult’, and now I am here and it is amazing.” Verstappen will share the grid with long-time rival Lewis Hamilton for at least another two seasons after the British driver signed a new £50million-a-year deal to remain with Mercedes. The contract extension will take Hamilton beyond his 40th birthday, and provides the possibility of a championship rematch with Verstappen if Mercedes can somehow close the gap to Red Bull. Hamilton, who was denied an eighth world title after race director Michael Masi failed to follow the correct rules in Abu Dhabi in 2021, alluded to “unfinished business” after signing his latest deal. Twenty months on from F1’s most contentious race, does Verstappen – who, on new tyres, had to pass Hamilton on the final lap to take the title – feel his maiden championship triumph was tainted? “It was not like it was given to me,” he said. “I still had to do it. “People always have short memories and they can forget a lot of stuff very quickly. “It was a great year, and we had a lot of great battles with two teams going at it and that was amazing for Formula One. “But you will always have a winner, and you will always have a loser. That is how this sport works, and I was also ready to lose. “It was a 50-50 chance and it fell my way. But in the future I could be in a situation where it doesn’t fall my way and that is how life goes. “I don’t really care a lot about other people’s opinions. I only care about people that are very close to me so whatever people say or write, I am like ‘whatever’. “I grew up my whole life wanting to be a Formula One driver and I will do everything it takes to try and be successful at it. “I make my choices and my decisions and that is why I am very relaxed about these things. I go home, I switch off from Formula One, and I am happy with my career. And when I come back to the race weekends I do my thing, and that is it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How Max Verstappen equalled Sebastien Vettel’s record for consecutive race wins Max Verstappen reveals Sebastian Vettel prediction as he closes on GP record run Max Verstappen is one of the best drivers in F1 history – Lando Norris

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Fara Williams has said she is "immensely proud" of the Lionesses World Cup performance but has noted the different ways the women's game needs improvement to continue this momentum for future generations. The entire country got behind England as they reached the final where their campaign ended in heartbreak after they were defeated 1-0 by Spain. However, the side managed by Sarina Wiegman has had an impressive run after they won the Women's Euros at Wembley last year. Williams, the 39-year-old ex-England player was a Lioness for 18 years and had an impressive club career winning two WSL titles, some of the clubs she played for include Chelsea, Charlton, Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal and Reading. In 2016, Williams collected an MBE in the 2016 New Year Honours list and is now a popular pundit where she commentated for the BBC at the Women's World Cup this summer, these achievements have solidified her legendary status in the women's game. Now, Williams has collaborated with Sports Direct as a brand ambassador to improve how the sport is represented - with 44 per cent of fans thinking women’s sport should be better represented in the media. The former footballer has told Indy100 her thoughts on the Lionesses's performance at the World Cup, how representation has changed over the years and the importance of improving the representation in women's football from the grassroots. How did it feel to see England in the final, and the country getting behind the Lionesses? "Obviously immensely proud to see the Lionesses reach a World Cup final, a year on from the success of the Euros in England. "It was an incredible achievement to go two finals back to back the way they did, and I think they changed the perception of the women's game and put some respect on it finally, after so many years." From when you started playing football professionally up until now – have you seen a shift in attitude when it comes to representation? "Since I played to now, I think there's been a huge shift in mentality and how people view the women's game and see it. "There wasn't any respect or visibility for it before. I think the fact that there are now broadcasters that showcase it, brands that want to represent some of the players and highlight them - not just individually but collectively. "The representation of that has certainly changed and shifted over the years and is in a really good place, obviously still growing. So yeah, it's been really positive since I played and then since retirement." What areas of women’s football need improvement to continue the momentum the Lionesses have created from the Euros and the World Cup? "I think there are a few areas that need to improve in the women's game to continue the momentum of the Lionesses’ success. "The grassroots end of the game is something that I'm passionate about, trying to improve the quality that's down there. I think obviously, in the women's league structures, it's very top-heavy with the Lionesses, but in order to create a competitive, more balanced league and a future for the game, there are areas that need to be improved within that." "And then obviously each individual club and the way that they're supported as a whole has to be improved, in terms of staffing, facilities etc. "But it’s certainly changed, and there's obviously more teams now that are more supported than there ever has been before. "So it's in a good place but still room for improvement and, you know, hopefully, the steps after the success of the Lionesses will continue to improve." With the Women’s World Cup creating a buzz online, how has social media played a role in helping people wake up to the tournament and women’s football in general? "Yeah, I think social media has played a huge part in helping to grow the women's game and to grow interest in it. I think it's been a good way of showing individual personalities from each of the Lionesses, obviously club football as well - it's helped with that. "So yeah, it's played a huge part and now the fact that there's more females being seen on these platforms obviously highlights and increases interest moving forward." How is the Sports Direct Equal View campaign working to improve representation? "Sports Direct’s Equal View campaign is working to improve the representation of females in football. "It’s a huge move in terms of showcasing sportswomen and footballers in general, and the fact that it's going to be more equal in terms of showing men and women." I personally don't think I've seen it done before and it is massive progress that will allow young girls and boys to dream of being a professional footballer. What would your younger self make of the increasing representation in the women’s game? "I unfortunately didn't get the opportunity to see female role models when I was growing up, to aspire to be like any of them - now there are so many good female role models within the game and sport in general, that young girls can look up to and actually dream. "And not just dream, but those dreams can become a reality. So yeah, I would have certainly been buzzing as a younger me seeing all of it." How did you think England performed in the WC Final and the tournament overall? "I think England's performances in the World Cup, throughout the tournament, were a bit up and down. I think they played against opposition that we clearly could see they weren't used to playing against. "So obviously, giving them different challenges in terms of what they had to play up against. "But I felt they dealt with challenges really well for the tournament, they had a depleted squad going into it. I think a lot of us didn't expect or think that they would go as far as they did, given the fact of all the injuries they had going into the tournament, but I certainly think they showed maturity. "They showed a togetherness that allowed them to underperform and win games. And I think that's something that Lionesses have never been able to do before. "So I think it just showed great strength and character within the squad. Of course, in the final we all wanted the Lionesses to win and bring back the World Cup, but it wasn't to be and on reflection, I think the better team won - credit to Spain. "But I wouldn't say their preparation was any different. I just think the execution of the game plan was better than ours on the day. Games are made on moments, they had their moment and took it. "But as I said before, the fact that the Lionesses got there - they certainly changed the perception of the game and put huge respect on women's football in general, which I think can only be positive moving forward. "They captured a nation yet again, new followers, new interest, and that's only going to help with the growth. We saw the amount of fans that attended, the millions that watched worldwide. So it proves that there is an interest in our sport." Sports Direct is working with Getty to capture football fans across the world, seeking to improve the representation of women’s football fans by creating a digital bank of images that show an equal view of the WC23, available from August 24. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Horse racing’s oversight authority will hold an emergency summit with Churchill Downs, Kentucky’s racing commission and HISA veterinary teams to review information and analysis in the wake of 12 horse fatalities the past month at the home of the Kentucky Derby