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Carlos Sainz‘s Australian Grand Prix victory was made all the more impressive after he bounced back from appendix surgery to triumph in Melbourne.

But the after-effects of the operation were clear for all to see as the Spaniard tentatively emerged from his car after the race in parc ferme.

Unlike the all-conquering Max Veratappen, who bounds out of his Red Bull after each victory, Sainz sorely lifted himself from his Ferrari SF-24, throwing a few weak fist pumps.

But that was an outstanding effort given the fact he was barely able to get out of bed before boarding his flight to Australia.

‘Life sometimes is crazy,’ he said.

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Carlos Sainz was still feeling the after effects of his surgery

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The Spaniard tentatively slid out of his Ferrari on Sundag

‘What happened at the beginning of the year (not being renewed at Ferrari), then the appendix and the comeback and the win – a rollercoaster, but I love it.’

Sainz revealed he went to dramatic lengths in a bid to be fit to race, including spending two hours a day in a hyperbaric chamber.

‘When I was about to catch my flight to Australia, I was still in bed and could barely use my abdominal muscles,’ he said.

‘I was like ‘this isn’t going to happen’. But I took the flight and suddenly when I landed in Australia, the feeling was a lot better.’

Verstappen’s bid to win a 10th straight race for the second time in less than 12 months ended after his brakes exploded and his car caught on fire.

After cantering to wins in the opening two races of the season, Verstappen was a red hot favourite to go back-to-back after winning at Albert Park for the first time last year.

The three-time defending world champion started on pole but Sainz, who qualified second, overtook him on the second lap.

Soon afterwards, smoke appeared at the rear of the 26-year-old’s car and he was forced into the pits on lap three, with no hope of a return.

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Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon in Melbourne

‘My right rear brake basically stuck on from when the lights went off,’ Verstappen said.

‘We had a lot of good races in a row, I knew that the day would come when you end up having a retirement and unfortunately that day was today.’

Verstappen, who was also forced to retire at Albert Park in 2022, had won nine straight races, dating back to the Japanese Grand Prix last September.

Sainz was the last driver, in Singapore last September, other than Verstappen to win a F1 race.

Fernando Alonso was found guilty of potentially causing George Russell‘s 170mph crash, a dramatic smash that left the British driver fearing for his life at the Australian Grand Prix.

Mercedes-man Russell hit the barriers on the penultimate lap while in pursuit of Aston Martin’s double world champion, his car ending up teetering on its side.

On board camera footage showed Russell fumbling with his steering wheel trying to press the team radio button.

‘Red flag, red flag, red flag, I’m in the middle of the track,’ he implored. ‘Red flag! Red flag! Red, red, red, red, red. I’m in the middle, red! F****** hell.’

The red flag, which would have ended the grand prix, did not come. A virtual safety car was instead deployed by race director Niels Wittich, nullifying the action in a slow-speed conclusion.

George Russell suffers crash on last lap of Australian Grand Prix

George Russell crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix on lap 57 when chasing Fernando Alonso

Russell’s car hit the barrier and got lifted up on its side over the broken wheel of the Mercedes

Both parties were called to give evidence in an inquiry lasting just under an hour, with Russell claiming that Alonso’s unexpected deceleration meant he had to ‘slam on the brakes’.

At 8pm local time, more than three hours after the race was won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz – following world champion Max Verstappen’s Red Bull being licked by flames through a brake failure – a long judgment partly exonerated 42-year-old Alonso of a deliberate act of dangerous driving. But the stewards decided the Spaniard had driven in an ‘extraordinary’ way as the pair vied for sixth place.

The accident occurred at Turn 7, with Russell careering into the wall at an estimated 100mph, having suddenly slowed down.

The stewards found that Alonso broke Article 33.4 of the FIA’s Sporting Code, which reads: ‘At no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person.’

Alonso was handed a drive-through penalty, converted to a 20-second sanction, dropping him from sixth to eighth place on the final classification. He was also given three penalty points on his previously clean FIA super licence. Twelve points result in a ban – something that has never happened.

Stewards have given Alonso a 20-second time penalty after they said he lifted more than 100 metres earlier going into Turn 6 – which ultimately caught out the British driver

Alonso told the stewards he approached the corner differently by lifting early and carrying less speed, but only to gain a better exit. Russell, 26, countered that the move was ‘erratic’, caught him unawares and denied him downforce at the corner apex.

The stewards’ verdict read: ‘Telemetry shows that Alonso lifted slightly more than 100 metres earlier than he ever had going into that corner during the race.

‘He also braked very slightly at a point that he did not usually brake (although the amount of brake was so slight that it was not the main reason for his car slowing) and he downshifted at a point he never usually downshifted. He then upshifted again and accelerated to the corner before lifting again to make the corner.

‘Alonso explained that while his plan was to slow earlier, he got it slightly wrong and had to take extra steps to get back up to speed. Nonetheless, this manoeuvre created a considerable and unusual closing speed between the cars.’

However, the stewards could not definitively determine that Alonso’s strange manoeuvre – including four unexplained lift-off-the-gas moments, as Mercedes alleged – was calculated to trigger Russell’s accident.

Alonso was found to have braked more than 100m earlier into Turn 6, which led to Russell crashing as he got close behind the Aston Martin driver

It was a disappointing day for Mercedes as Russell’s crashed followed Lewis Hamilton retiring with an engine issue

The four-man panel, including former British driver Johnny Herbert, added: ‘Specifically, in this case, the stewards have not considered the consequences of the crash. Further, the stewards considered that they do not have sufficient information to determine whether Alonso’s manoeuvre was intended to cause Russell problems, or whether as he stated to the stewards that he simply was trying to get a better exit.

‘Should Alonso have the right to try a different approach to the corner? – yes. Should Alonso be responsible for dirty air, which ultimately caused the incident? – no.

‘However, did he choose to do something, with whatever intent, that was extraordinary – ie lifting, braking, downshifting and all the other elements of the manoeuvre – over 100m earlier than previously, and much greater than was needed to simply slow earlier for the corner? – yes.

‘By his own account of the incident he did, and in the opinion of the stewards by doing these things, he drove in a manner that was at very least “potentially dangerous” given the very high-speed nature of that point of the track.’

Max Verstappen insisted ‘s*** happens’ after the triple world champion suffered his first retirement from a race in two years at the Australian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman started from pole but was overtaken by the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in the early laps.

Shortly afterwards smoke started to come from the rear of Verstappen’s Red Bull, resulting in the Dutchman slowly making his way back to the pits to retire from a race for the first time in two years.

This allowed Ferrari to take full advantage as Sainz took the chequered flag first from team-mate Charles Leclerc – with the latter now four points behind Verstappen in the standings.

After the race, Verstappen said: ‘S*** happens. It is important that we understand why it happened and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.’

Max Verstappen retired from the Australian Grand Prix from second with a brake issue

Verstappen noticed the issue at the start of the race and he was overtaken by Carlos Sainz before retiring shortly after

Verstappen could have matched his own record of ten straight wins if he finished first in Melbourne

Explaining the cause of his retirement, he added: ‘We could see in the data as soon as lights went off, the right rear brake just stuck on.

‘The temperature just kept on increasing, it was basically driving with the handbrake on. I already felt car was really weird to drive in some corners. Very snappy.

‘While [during] the laps to the grid, the car was really spot on. I was very happy with what we were doing. But that explains if brake was stuck on, that doesn’t help.

‘We had a lot of good races in a row, a lot of basically good reliability and I knew the day would come that you end up having a retirement and unfortunately that day was today.’

Verstappen’s last retirement came courtesy of a fuel leak at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.

Since then he and Red Bull have been faultless as they have dominated the last two championships.

That domination carried over to the start of this season with back-to-back victories.

If he had taken victory in Melbourne, he would have matched his own personal record of ten straight wins.

Ferrari took full advantage with Carlos Sainz winning the race from team-mate Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris

However, Ferrari have appeared to close the gap somewhat, with Sergio Perez – who finished fifth – insisting Red Bull would not have won the race even if Verstappen had carried on.

There were a number of other notable retirements with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell also failing to finish at Melbourne.

It was the first time that neither Hamilton or Verstappen finished a race since they collided at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has insisted Max Verstappen‘s frustrations were understandable after he was forced to retire from the Australian Grand Prix.

Verstappen had been bidding for a 10th consecutive Grand Prix win, but the reigning three-time world champion saw his challenge end after just four laps.

The Dutchman started from pole but was overtaken by the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in the early laps.

Shortly afterwards smoke started to come from the rear of Verstappen’s Red Bull, resulting in the Dutchman slowly making his way back to the pits to retire from a race for the first time in two years.

Verstappen appeared to have a tense exchange with a mechanic after climbing out of the smoking vehicle, with the 26-year-old appearing to mouth the word ‘stupid’.

Max Verstappen retired from the Australian Grand Prix from second with a brake issue

The three-time reigning world champion was visibly frustrated following the retirement

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he understood Verstappen’s frustrations

Horner, who has been under pressure amid his ongoing ‘sex texts’ scandal, came to Verstappen’s defence when asked about the incident on Sky Sports.

‘Obviously, a driver is going to be frustrated when he gets out of a car from a retirement,’ Horner said.

‘I think he’s been very gracious with the team and all of the mechanics, we are all one team. That DNF hurts everybody in the same way. It’s a matter of learning from it.

‘We’ve had two years with no mechanical DNFs which has been remarkable.

‘It’s a matter of understanding what caused it and learning from it and moving on.

‘It’s remarkable after three races that he’s still leading the world championship even with that DNF but, as I say, a lot of lessons to take from today.’

Verstappen also laughed off the incident, with the Dutchman questioning why three wheels on the car were being changed when it was on fire.

‘Well, that was related to us doing a pitstop while the car was on fire,’ he said.

Verstappen noticed the brake issue at the start of the race and he was overtaken by Carlos Sainz before retiring shortly after

‘I was like, “Why are we doing a pit stop?”‘

‘We just had already a very good run of two years, right? I mean, that’s already quite impressive. But of course, you never like to see it happen. But it’s more important now that we understand why it happened.’

The reigning world champion had confirmed that the rear brake had stuck on and claimed it was like ‘driving with the handbrake on’, with the heat ultimately leading to a fire.

Verstappen’s last retirement came courtesy of a fuel leak at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.

Since then he and Red Bull have been faultless as they have dominated the last two championships.

Sainz went on to triumph at the Australian Grand Prix just 16 days after an appendix surgery

That domination carried over to the start of this season with back-to-back victories.

There were a number of other notable retirements with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell also failing to finish at Melbourne.

It was the first time that neither Hamilton or Verstappen finished a race since they collided at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

Sainz ultimately emerged as the winner in Melbourne, with the result seeing the Spaniard close the gap to four points in the overall standings.

Team radio has revealed British driver George Russell‘s pleas for a red flag after crashing at 100mph on the final lap of the Australian Grand Prix.

Russell’s car was left teetering on its side in turns six and seven after he slid through the gravel and into the barriers at high speed while battling Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

The Briton was seen moving freely straight after the impact, which left debris strewn across the track and forced the race to be completed under the virtual safety car.

Audio released after the Grand Prix has revealed Russell’s panicked state, with his car left stranded in the middle of the track with its floor facing the direction of ongoing cars.

‘Red flag, red flag, I’m in the middle of the track, red flag, red flag. Red, red, red, red, red,’ Russell shouted on team radio.

George Russell’s car ended up on its side after his crash on the final lap of the Australian Grand Prix

The British star crashed into the barriers before eventually ending up in the middle of the track

Russell emerged unhurt from the crash but he quickly urged a red flag to be called

‘I’m in the middle. Red. F***. Why so long?’

Russell’s Mercedes team informed the Briton that a virtual safety car, rather than a red flag, had been employed by F1 control.

A medical car was also dispatched to the scene of Russell’s accident.

‘George, are you okay?’ a member of the team asked Russell.

‘I’m okay, I am in the middle of the track half upside down,’ he replied.

‘I just completely lost it, sorry guys.’

The stewards later announced Fernando Alonso had been given a 20-second time penalty after determining that his driving before Russell crashed was ‘potentially dangerous.’

‘Alonso explained to the stewards that he intended to approach Turn 6 differently, lifting earlier, and with less speed into the corner, to get a better exit,’ the stewards report read.

‘Russell explained to the stewards that from his perspective, Alonso’s manoeuvre was erratic, took him by surprise and caused him to close distance unusually fast, and with the resulting lower downforce at the apex of the corner, he lost control and crashed at the exit of the corner.

‘There was no contact between the cars.’

A virtual safety car was instead imposed with a medical team dispatched to Russell

The British driver had been battling Fernando Alonso for sixth when the crash occurred

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claimed victory in Melbourne with Max Verstappen forced to retire

The report concluded that Alonso drove in a manner that was at ‘very least “potentially dangerous”‘ given the very high speed nature of that point of the track.

Alonso, who dropped from sixth to eighth after his penalty, was also given three points on his licence.

Russell, who walked away unhurt, was caught up in a social media scandal before the race when two Australian influencers were slammed for posting footage of him using a urinal at Albert Park in a shocking invasion of privacy.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz made a remarkable comeback from surgery to win the dramatic race, after Red Bull superstar Max Verstappen’s bid to equal his own Formula One record went up in smoke.

Two weeks after he was sidelined from the Saudi Arabian race due to appendicitis, Sainz claimed the third win of his F1 career, and first at Albert Park.

Alonso was given a 20 second penalty which dropped from from sixth to eighth in the race

The Spaniard took the chequered flag ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, with McLaren’s Lando Norris finishing third.

McLaren’s rising star Oscar Piastri came in fourth.

Call the town crier! Ring the bells! Max Verstappen did not finish the Australian Grand Prix, his brakes on fire.

The giant grandstand containing many of the record 132,105 sun-soaked fans cheered.

Pole-man and triple world champion Verstappen will likely take this year’s title, and he remains four points clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, this interruption in Melbourne a bump on his high road to further history.

We also take a moment to salute the brilliant win of Ferrari’s Lazarus, Carlos Sainz, 16 days after emergency appendix surgery, a place ahead of team-mate Leclerc. For the record, Lando Norris was a fine third for McLaren.

Now to Mercedes, where Toto Wolff admitted it was fair to question whether he should continue in his job. Which is about the only answer he can lay his hands on right now. For Lewis Hamilton suffered engine failure and retired from the race 17 of 58 laps in, and George Russell ended teetering at 45 degrees to the Tarmac at the end of the race.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted it was fair to question his future after Mercedes’ dismal Australian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton retired from the race and is suffering his worst ever start to the season

George Russell crashed when chasing Fernando Alonso, but he was 80 seconds off the lead at the tim

Russell was vying with Fernando Alonso for sixth place at the time, on the penultimate lap. Alonso finished 80 seconds off the pace (albeit a margin somewhat distorted by the virtual safety car at the death), with Russell behind him.

So, after plenty of false dawns over the past two years, Mercedes were a combination of relatively slow and unreliable. They are not usually unreliable but they are reliably relatively slow. Or erratically so, to be honest. Ups and downs, but more downs than ups.

Wolff, 52, sat in the paddock fairly phlegmatically, speaking very honestly as the inquest began into their travails. Hard reality stared him in the face: Hamilton was runner-up last year here in this superb Melbourne venue, yet he was lying ninth when his hopes went pop this time.

He is enduring the worst start of his 18-season career: seventh, ninth and DNF. Even in 2009, a poor year for him and McLaren, he went: disqualified, seventh and sixth – slightly better. He is also faring less well than compatriot Russell, out-qualified on all three occasions this young season by the man who would be his heir.

No wonder the seven-time world champion is feeling out of sorts – or at least his form, more than his public mood, indicates he is. The Mercedes malaise is the prime motivation behind his joining Ferrari next year, replacing Sainz, of all ironies, in search of an eighth championship success.

Wolff, perhaps the most self-reproaching and introspective of team principals as well as the most successful of the past decade and more, said: ‘On one side, I want to punch myself on the nose but on the other side you can see that if you get things right you can turn it around. So you have to believe, but it is a very, very tough time.’

You sensed his torture, his senses being pulled this way and that. This worry is no doubt exacerbated by him owning a third of the £1billion team, along with Mercedes, the parent company, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Wolff is a businessman, perhaps a billionaire, but not an engineer. He leaves the technical leadership to James Allison, the man Ferrari let escape from them, and a key figure in Mercedes’ halcyon years as serial winners from 2014, so the Austrian should be well-served. But they have no understanding of the technical route they should turn down.

Hamilton’s next team enjoyed a 1-2 victory with Carlos Sainz ahead of Charles Leclerc for Ferrari

Wolff owns a third of the team along with Mercedes and Sir Jim Ratcliffe (pictured)

They have lost key personnel and are in danger of sliding like other fallen giant teams did: struggling to maintain the dominance they once held as if a birthright, an inevitable unravelling going on. Look at Williams and McLaren.

Wolff said: ‘As a co-owner of this business I need to make sure my contribution is positive and creative so I would be the first one to say that, if somebody has a better idea, tell me because I am entrusted to turn this team around as quickly as possible. I would give my input as to who that could be but we have a physics problem and not a philosophical or organisational one.

‘We have not swallowed a dumb pill since 2021 (when Hamilton lost out on the final lap in controversial circumstances to Verstappen).

‘We don’t understand some of the behaviours of the car and in the past we would have. I look at myself in the mirror every single day about everything I do and if I believe I should ask the “manager question”. It is a fair question, but it is not what I feel at the moment that I should (quit).

‘This is my job and I will not stop it. I will not go to Chelsea or Liverpool, or over to Ferrari. I have not got that choice, which is also unfortunate! I am not an employee who has said I have had enough of this. My hamster wheel keeps spinning and I cannot jump out.

‘There were times in the race where we massively lacked pace and then there were times when we were doing OK – still not where we wanted to be, however.

‘We started this season in the belief that this car was better than last year’s. Then you look at last season, Leclerc crashed out and Sainz was fourth and McLaren were 17th, 18th, yet they were 40 seconds ahead of us today.’

Wolff felt he would keep Hamilton forever until the Brit decided to partner Leclerc next year

Wolff believed he would keep Hamilton forever. Lewis told him so, before suddenly telling him he would be decamping to the red corner. Hamilton, however, has grown older, 39, yet he may be invigorated when he goes to Ferrari. He will win the Scuderia around through the force of his personality and experience and act as the fulcrum in all they do.

But Wolff has to deal with his drivers for now, keeping them believing an upturn is coming.

Asked if he needed a new designer, Wolff smiled. ‘You have the first idea: a designer,’ he said. ‘Data don’t make decisions; humans do.

‘The drivers are super in this whole set-up. Lewis is as good as can be. He’s in a situation where it is super-frustrating that we’re not where we want to be but he is looking after the fence, but that is not his main priority today.’

Who is to say an era has not ended?

Former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean was left furious at IndyCar’s exhibition Thermal $1million Challenge on Sunday after he was crashed into on the opening lap of the first heat race.

Just minutes after the first heat began on the 17-turn, 3.067-mile raceway, Scott Dixon ran into the back of Grosjean.

It caused the Frenchman to spin wildly into Rinus VeeKay, who then clipped Christian Lundgaard. Dixon was given an avoidable contact penalty as Grosjean, who moved to IndyCar from Formula 1, seethed.

‘I mean, who is going to pay for the damage? We come here with no points on the line and do nothing wrong and the car is completely smashed,’ Grosjean fumed after walking from his crashed car along the private members-only road course back to pit road.

‘It’s not what I signed (up for) with IndyCar.’

Romain Grosjean was left furious after crashing out at IndyCar’s latest event in California

Just minutes after the first heat began, Scott Dixon ran into the back of the French driver

It caused the former F1 driver to spin into Rinus VeeKay, who clipped Christian Lundgaard

The 37-year-old entered IndyCar in 2021 after nine full seasons in F1. He escaped a fiery crash in Bahrain near the end of the 2020 season that nearly killed him and also ended his F1 career.

The 37-year-old entered IndyCar in 2021 after nine full seasons in F1

Grosjean is in his first season with Juncos Hollinger Racing – the third team in four years for Grosjean – and the tiny organization doesn’t have the same operating budget as the top IndyCar teams.

The French-Swiss former Formula One driver entered IndyCar for one season with tiny Dale Coyne Racing before earning a shot with Andretti Global.

He spent two rocky season with Andretti, and his run ended with Grosjean and team personnel screaming at each other at the end of a qualifying session.

Andretti elected not to extend Grosjean’s contract and he went on to join JHR. The Juncos outfit expanded to two cars last season to accommodate Argentinian driver Agustin Canapino.

Grosjean is winless through three seasons and finished 13th in the IndyCar standings for Andretti last year. He had consecutive runner-up finishes at Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park, but his season performance tailed off dramatically after the Indianapolis 500.

He escaped a fiery crash in Bahrain near the end of the 2020 season that nearly killed him

Romain Grosjean says he’s ‘sort of ok’ in Instagram update

In 2020, Grosjean was lucky to survive a horrific crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He was going 119 mph when he hit a metal crash barrier and his car exploded into a fireball around him.

The impact was estimated at 67Gs, a force equivalent to 67 times his body weight. By comparison, heavy braking in an F1 car produces about 6 Gs.

The French driver made an astonishing escape from the raging furnace.

Grosjean’s Haas car sliced in half after penetrating the barrier and quickly caught fire. He was trapped inside the cockpit for 27 seconds before scrambling out, yanking his jammed foot out of his racing boot in order to do so.

He suffered only minor burns to the back of his hands and a sprained left ankle, and was discharged from hospital soon after.

The crash happened on the opening lap when the right rear wheel of his car clipped the left front wheel of Russian driver Daniil Kvyat’s AlphaTauri, when attempting to pass from the left to right-hand side of the Sakhir track.

The ring-shaped halo device at the front of Grosjean’s cockpit protected his head by withstanding the huge impact, and he credited it with saving his life.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will be absent from the next Formula One race in Japan.

It is understood that Wolff’s decision to miss the race in Suzuka on April 7 was taken before the start of the new season and is not connected to the team’s performance in Australia.

Wolff admitted after Sunday’s race at Melbourne‘s Albert Park that it is ‘fair’ to question his future as team principal following Mercedes’ troubling weekend.

Lewis Hamilton qualified only 11th and the worst start to his 18-season career was confirmed when his engine expired on lap 17, while team-mate George Russell was seventh when he crashed out.

Wolff, who lives in Monaco, will be on the intercom remotely throughout the race weekend in Japan – with his duties at the circuit to be divided between senior members of the Brackley team.

Toto Wolff will miss the Japanese Grand Prix in a decision planned before the season started

Mercedes failed to score a point in Australia with George Russell crashing out late on

Lewis Hamilton’s retirement with an engine issue confirmed what is his worst ever start to a F1 season

The Austrian also missed last year’s Japanese GP and the ensuing round in Qatar, following knee surgery. On those occasions the team’s driver development director Jerome d’Ambrosio was handed the effective on-site team principal baton.

But it emerged earlier this month that D’Ambrosio is set to end his association with the team when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Wolff admitted in an interview last year that he intends to scale back his on-track presence in the coming years.

The 52-year-old, who has been in charge of Mercedes since 2013, recently signed a new three-year deal to remain as chief executive and team principal of the F1 operation he co-owns with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ola Kallenius.

Mercedes won an unprecedented eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021 but they have tasted just one victory from their last 48 outings.

Fresh from his harrowing accident in Melbourne, Russell is expected to be at the team’s HQ in Northamptonshire later this week as Mercedes search for solutions to their underwhelming start to the season.

Russell failed to make it to the end of Sunday’s race after hitting the wall on the penultimate lap in his pursuit of Fernando Alonso.

The double world champion was adjudged to have driven dangerously by the stewards and was demoted from sixth to eighth following a post-race 20-second penalty.

Fernando Alonso was given a 20-second penalty for his role in Russell’s crash

Hamilton leaves Mercedes at the end of the season to partner Charles Leclerc at Ferrari

Wolff, who lives in Monaco, will be on the intercom remotely throughout the race in Japan, with his duties at the circuit to be divided between senior members of the Brackley team

However, the 42-year-old protested his innocence in a message posted on social media.

Alonso wrote: ‘A bit surprised by a penalty at the end of the race regarding how we should approach the corners or how we should drive the race cars. At no point do we want to do anything wrong at these speeds.

‘I believe that without gravel on that corner, on any other corner in the world we will never be even investigated.

‘In F1, with over 20 years of experience, changing racing lines, sacrificing entry speed to have good exits from corners is part of the art of motorsport.

‘We never drive at 100 per cent every race lap and every corner, we save fuel, tyres, brakes, so being responsible for not making every lap the same is a bit surprising. We have to accept it and think about Japan, to have more pace and fight for positions further up the field.’

Nicola Peltz got engaged to Harper Beckham’s older brother Brooklyn earlier this month

Nicola Peltz and Harper Beckham. PHOTO: NICOLE PELTZ/INSTAGRAM

Nicola Peltz took her soon-to-be sister-in-law Harper Beckham out for a fun girls’ shopping trip — and the pair made sure to stop at none other than her soon-to-be mother-in-law Victoria’s Beckham’s clothing store.

Peltz, 25, and Harper, 9, snapped an adorable mirror selfie in a fitting room as they tried on some pieces at Victoria’s London boutique. “had the best girls day with my little sister ❤️ ** @victoriabeckham your store is a dream,” Peltz captioned the photo, expertly taken by Victoria’s daughter, Harper.

The Transformers: Age of Extinction actress, who got engaged to Victoria’s son Brooklyn Beckham, 21, earlier this month, loves her future mother-in-law’s designs so much, she even wore one of her dresses during the proposal.

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz. BROOKLYN BECKHAM/INSTAGRAM

When Brooklyn popped the question, Peltz donned a canary yellow Victoria Beckham ruffled silk cami dress (which is currently still available to buy for $1,960 at farfetch.com,960 at farfetch.com,960 at farfetch.com,960 at farfetch.com,960 at farfetch.com,960 at farfetch.com,960 at farfetch.com,960 at farfetch.com).

 Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz Give an Intimate Glimpse Inside Their Engagement in New Photos

“You’ve made me the luckiest girl in the world. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life by your side. your love is the most precious gift. I love you so so much baby,” Peltz wrote on Instagram when she announced the couple’s exciting engagement news.

In his own announcement post, Brooklyn said: “Two weeks ago I asked my soulmate to marry me and she said yes. I am the luckiest man in the world. I promise to be the best husband and the best daddy one day ❤️ I love you baby xx.”

BROOKLYN BECKHAM/INSTAGRAM

Victoria celebrated her eldest son’s engagement by sharing the couple’s romantic snapshot and writing a sweet message of her own.

“The MOST exciting news!!” she wrote alongside the photo. “We could not be happier that @brooklynbeckham and @nicolaannepeltz are getting married! Wishing you so much love and a lifetime of happiness 🙏🏻We all love you both so much x @davidbeckham @romeobeckham @cruzbeckham #HarperSeven 💕.”

Anthony Joshua comprehensively beat Francis Ngannou earlier this month.

A date has been identified for a potential fight between British boxing icons Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

Joshua silenced his doubters with an emphatic second-round KO win over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou earlier this month, to put himself firmly back in contention for a world title shot.

The former unified champion must wait to get his chance at a belt, however, with Fury set to face Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title in Saudi Arabia on May 18.

WBC champion Fury was due to fight WBO, WBA and IBF belt-holder Usyk on February 17 but the bout was postponed following a cut the British boxer in sparring.

It has already been confirmed there is a rematch clause inserted into the contracts for Tyson vs Usyk, meaning Joshua may need to bide his time before getting his chance at a title.

Asked whether or not Fury’s planned two fights for this year will both be against Usyk, his promoter Frank Warren told Sky Sports: “One of them is, definitely! These guys are getting massive, massive purses for these fights.

“The loser I’m quite sure will trigger the rematch clause because of the finances that are involved.

“Next March if Tyson does what I believe he’ll do and AJ continues to win, I’m sure that’ll set up a big fight.”

Joshua is likely to seek an fight in the interim while he waits for the winner of Fury vs Usyk.

Tyson Fury will fight Oleksandr Usyk in May (Image: Getty)

This could potentially feature a world title shot if one or more of the belts is vacated after the first edition of the undisputed bout in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua could face the winner of Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois, who are expected to fight each other in June.

AJ dropped a cryptic post on Friday, suggesting he may have already been offered his next opponent.

Posting a picture of himself, he wrote: “Incoming call from @258management.

“AJ: ‘How can I help?’ @258mgt: ‘They want you to fight.’

“AJ: ‘I will get ready.’”