List of All Articles with Tag '1'

777 Partners LLC has agreed to buy Everton FC in a deal that will add another US investment

Max Verstappen is chasing another victory - what would be his 11th in a row - as Formula 1 returns to Asia for the popular Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Verstappen broke the record for the most consecutive race wins last time out at Monza, overtaking Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to win his 10th race in a row. The Dutchman is cruising to a third-straight F1 world championship and currently has a 145-point lead in the standings to team-mate Sergio Perez, though cannot clinch the title in Singapore. Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure in F1 – only winners stay in this sport’ It was an improved performance from Ferrari in Italy, with Sainz securing his first podium of the year and Charles Leclerc finishing fourth, while the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell followed up their new contracts with sixth and fifth place respectively. Williams’ Alex Albon was a standout once again, finishing seventh. Perez won last year’s wet race under the lights in Singapore - a venue where Verstappen is yet to triumph in his career. Lewis Hamilton is a four-time winner in Marina Bay. Follow live updates from the Singapore Grand Prix with The Independent Read More Zhou Guanyu interview: ‘There is a lot of pressure in F1 – only winners stay in this sport’ Alfa Romeo confirm driver line-up for 2024 F1 season Alex Albon, James Vowles and the start of a Williams renaissance

There’s no place like home. For most of the Formula 1 grid, a return to familiar comforts at a much-loved circuit is something to behold, thrive and revel in. In fact, it’s only the Haas pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen and the Alfa Romeo team of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu who have not basked in such an experience in 2023. But all eyes for Zhou – Formula 1’s first Chinese driver in its 73-year history – now point firmly towards 21 April 2024. The sport’s return to one of the world’s powerhouses has, four times, been put on hold due to the pandemic – both the world-altering event itself and the country’s controversial zero-covid policy in the aftermath. Yet next year will see the Shanghai International Circuit host once more; all that was left was for Zhou’s presence to be confirmed. That came on Thursday morning. Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, the 24-year-old penned a one-year extension with Alfa Romeo to race with the Sauber-works team for a third-straight year. F1’s worldwide popularity boom has not diverted past China – and next spring we will see the full impact of Zhou’s spot on the grid. “It’s the dream fulfilled – the first Chinese driver in F1, it’s a huge thing for a massive country like us,” Zhou tells The Independent. “So many more Chinese fans are engaged in F1 compared to the past, obviously me getting into the sport means more people follow the races. “The pressure started two to three years ago, so it’s no longer a surprise. I’ve been through that period. I’m fine with the pressure. Now, it’s all about having a good example to set and inspire younger generations.” That pressure, both from the fanbase and within the paddock itself, is inescapable. Just ask Nyck de Vries: a Formula 2 and Formula E champion, he was ruthlessly axed from his AlphaTauri seat in July after just 10 races. For all the riches of the globe-trotting spectacle, F1 remains undeniably cut-throat. Yet you won’t see Zhou having too much sympathy. “There’s a lot of pressure in Formula 1,” he states. “Only winners stay in this sport. If you can’t perform, if you’re outperformed by others, you’re going to lose the seat. That’s the reality. It’s the way everyone lives. The pressure is there, you don’t have a lot of time and you’ve really got to get on with it. “If you can’t do that, then you won’t stay here for long.” Zhou’s performances behind the wheel of a struggling Alfa car this year – languishing ninth in the Constructors’ Standings no less – have clearly impressed enough for a third bite at the cherry. Four points from 14 races would, typically, be a topic of major concern. Yet with experienced team-mate Bottas only two points up the standings, it is difficult to place too much blame on the drivers in the cockpit. With Audi’s takeover looming large for 2026, work is hurriedly being done in the background. “The results have been difficult to take,” he says. “We didn’t expect Aston Martin and McLaren to be so fast this year. It basically means we are fighting for two positions every week. My total points don’t show how much I’ve improved as a driver. I made some mistakes last year, but this year it’s more about the car.” Zhou’s assuredness stems from a childhood of contrasts: his formative years spent in the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, followed by time as a teenager in the Steel City. Learning a new language and new culture, he went by the name of Steven at Westbourne School in Sheffield. “The culture and language are obviously completely different,” he says. “The education system too…” He pauses. He reflects on memories which quickened his acclimatisation process. “While in Sheffield, I really enjoyed playing pool. Not snooker, that’s more difficult! But also I was very surprised at how many Chinese people were going to university in Sheffield and at how many shops and restaurants there are. It’s quite far from London but you don’t feel like you’re too far out! Everyone was very laid back.” His ascension to F1 came as something of a surprise. Three seasons spent with the Alpine Academy in F2 – with a 2021 finish of third his best showing – saw Alfa come calling. He scored a point on his F1 debut in Bahrain last March. His start was impressive. But then came Silverstone. “It definitely set me back,” Zhou says now, recalling the time his Alfa spun upside-down towards a barrier at the start of the British Grand Prix. Miraculous images with a miraculous outcome: Zhou barely had a graze on him. “It happens. I recovered quite quickly mentally. It was just a shame because I had some very good momentum, I’d twice been in Q3, but I had to have a recharge afterwards. It wasn’t too bad.” Zhou is not one to reminisce too much. Everything is possible for the Chinese driver with a slice of Sheffield inside him. Audi’s arrival in less than three years is “still so far away.” However, he does admit: “Hopefully I can stay when Audi come.” But that’s in the distant future. For now, it’s on to this weekend and the twists and turns of Marina Bay. Read More Alfa Romeo confirm driver line-up for 2024 F1 season Max Verstappen breaks new ground with record victory at Italian Grand Prix Max Verstappen tells Toto Wolff to focus on Mercedes after snipe Hamilton labels Marko’s comments about Perez ‘completely unacceptable’ Sebastian Vettel refuses to rule out return to Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton has called Red Bull chief Helmut Marko’s comments about Sergio Perez “completely unacceptable”. Marko, 80, referred to Mexican Perez’s background when discussing his driver’s inconsistent form this season. Speaking after the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month, Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport adviser and an ally of the team’s late co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz, said: “Let’s remember that he (Perez) is South American and so he is not as focused as Max Verstappen or Sebastian Vettel was.” Addressing Marko’s comments ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, Mercedes’ Hamilton, 38, said: “It is completely unacceptable. This is not something you just apologise for and it is all OK. “Whilst we say there is no room for any type of discrimination in this sport – and there should be no room for it – to have leaders and people in his position making comments like this is not good for us moving forward. “There are a lot of people in the background that really are combating these kind of things, but it is hard to manoeuvre if people at the top have mindsets which stop us from progressing. Let’s remember that he (Perez) is South American and so he is not as focused as Max Verstappen or Sebastian Vettel was Helmut Marko “But it is not my team and not how we move as a team. We still have a lot of work to do to make this a more inclusive environment.” Perez and team-mate Verstappen shared two victories from the opening four races, but the latter is unbeaten since the fifth round in Miami. Perez, 145 points behind Verstappen in the standings, said: “I had a private conversation with Helmut and he did apologise. To me, that was the main thing. Personally, I didn’t get offended Sergio Perez “Basically, we move on. I have a personal relationship with him. Knowing the person helps a lot, because I know he doesn’t mean it that way. “Personally, I didn’t get offended.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen tells Toto Wolff to focus on Mercedes after snipe at record win On this day in 2021: George Russell joins Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen has told Toto Wolff to focus on his own team after he called the Dutchman’s record winning streak “completely irrelevant” and “for Wikipedia”. Red Bull’s Verstappen became the first driver in Formula One’s 73-year history to win 10 consecutive races following his triumph at the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month. But moments after Verstappen’s landmark win, Mercedes team principal Wolff said: “For me, these kinds of records are completely irrelevant. Those numbers are for Wikipedia and nobody reads that anyway.” George Russell and Lewis Hamilton crossed the line a distant fifth and sixth respectively for Mercedes at Monza’s Cathedral of Speed. And when asked ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix for his reaction to Wolff’s unflattering appraisal, Verstappen said: “I mean, they (Mercedes) had a pretty s*** race, so he was probably still p***** off with their performance.” Poking fun at what Verstappen perceives to be an obsession with Red Bull, he continued: “He almost sounds like he’s an employee of our team, but luckily he is not. It’s just important that you focus on your own team. That’s what we do and that’s what we did in the past when we were behind them and when they were dominating. It worked as a kind of inspiration. “You should be able to appreciate when a team is doing really well. To see someone that dominant – it was very impressive at the time – and we knew that we just had to work harder, try to be better, and try to get to that level. And now that we are there, we are very happy, and we are enjoying the moment.” Verstappen, now a victor at 12 of the 14 rounds so far, has not lost a race since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30, while his Red Bull team remain unbeaten this year. But the Dutch driver has never won in Singapore and last season he finished only seventh. And Verstappen fears the high-downforce, low-speed nature of the Marina Bay Circuit could play into the hands of his rivals. “We are not as competitive here as other tracks,” said Verstappen. “The streets are a little bit tougher for our car. We can do a good job, but it will be very tight. “So, I want to try and continue that streak, but I know there will be a day that that stops. Normally, Singapore is a bit more of a risk and more chaos, but we are here to win. “I never really looked at winning eight or nine, 10 races in a row. I just want to do the best I can. And every weekend is basically the same in terms of the pressure I put on myself to try and get the best result so nothing really changes.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On this day in 2021: George Russell joins Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz’s pace in practice gives Ferrari fans hope for Italian Grand Prix

Manchester United host Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday. Preview includes team news, predicted lineups, TV information and more.

Sebastian Vettel refused to rule out a return to F1 when questioned about the likelihood of a dramatic comeback. The four-time world champion retired at the end of the 2022 season after two years of frustration at Aston Martin. The finale to his stay in the sport was a far-cry from the glory years, namely with Red Bull with four straight titles from 2010-2013, as well as championship tilts with Ferrari. But Vettel, 36, admits he “can’t exclude” the prospect of a return in the future, when asked by Sky F1’s Martin Brundle whether he would return to the grid in a similar manner to the likes of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. "I can’t say no, because that you don’t know," the German said. "I think it’s something that if you asked all of them, probably some of them would have said ‘no’. And some of them I don’t know, but in the end all of them came back, so I can’t exclude it. "It probably will depend much on when, and obviously it’s not endless, because 36 is not like, ‘yeah in 10 years’ time’. "Maybe I think about it then time has passed but it will depend on the challenge, whatever, but it’s not in my head right now.” A 53-time race winner, Vettel made his F1 debut in 2007 before claiming his first victory at Monza with Toro Rosso in 2008. Yet his last three seasons in the sport – one with Ferrari, two with Aston Martin – saw him finish 13th, 12th and 12th again in the Driver Standings, though did see him take on roles as a climate activist and LGBTQ+ rights campaigner. "I’m enjoying the sort of outlook of the challenge of what to do next,” Vettel added. “It will be the way I see it, the biggest challenge for any racing driver and the biggest challenge for any sportsman, sportswoman, what do you do after? "Because naturally you will be like 30-35, 40-45 - depending on your sport and discipline. And then what? "There’s a lot of life left and life can be great even though you’re not racing, you know, the absolute limit in the fastest car in the world, but you can still do lots of great things that give you great pleasure." Vettel was speaking to Sky ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, where the German won his final race of his F1 career in 2019. Read More Farewell Sebastian Vettel, a four-time F1 champion who stood for something bigger than racing How does Max Verstappen’s win-streak compare to fellow record-holder Sebastian Vettel’s? Alfa Romeo confirm driver line-up for 2024 F1 season F1 Singapore Grand Prix: When is practice on Friday at Marina Bay? Red Bull chief apologises to Sergio Perez over ‘offensive remark’

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

The best left wingers in world football, including Neymar, Sadio Mane, Son Heung-min, Luis Diaz, Vinicius Junior and more.

Preview of Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen on Friday night in the Bundesliga, including predicted lineups, team news and score prediction.

A complete rundown of Man Utd's head-to-head record against Bayern Munich.

Sixth Street Partners-backed Legends Hospitality is in talks with a group of private credit firms led by Ares