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      Inside Michael Schumacher’s beautiful childhood village now a ghost town with just 12 inhabitants thanks to grim reason

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      A VILLAGE where Michael Schumacher spent his childhood has turned into a ghost town with just 12 residents left thanks to a grim reason.The Formula 1 legend grew up in Manheim, Germany, which once had a functioning go-kart track but is now laid to waste because of industry.
      Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher married his wife Corrina in Manheim, Germany, his childhood villageCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      The country town once had a population of about 1,700 people in its primeCredit: Getty
      Today, only 12 people live there after its liveability was destroyed by industryCredit: Alamy
      Manheim is a ghost townCredit: Getty
      Most residents relocated and left their homes to be destroyedCredit: Getty
      Only 12 people inhabit the town in the district of Kerpen, which is about 366 miles southwest of the capital, Berlin.
      Pictures showed abandoned streets and empty houses that have been left in ruin.
      It is a far cry from the once bustling regional centre that homed the Schumacher family.
      Michael, brother Ralf and parents Rolf and Elisabeth were four of around 1,700 people that used to live in Manheim.
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      In 1995, Michael and Corinna were even married at the community centre.
      The building, however, is now long gone.
      Josef Valder, a remaining resident, told Focus: “I knew everyone here and remodelled my parents’ house.
      Josef said: “My daughter went to school with Ralf Schumacher.
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      “But about 50-years-ago our teacher told us that we would have to move away at some point.”
      The mass migration has been caused by the development of the Hambach mine.
      It is the largest open-pit mine in Germany, spanning more than 8,300 acres and produces about 40 million tonnes of lignite annually.
      As the coal mine continued to grow, it has consumed the country town and in 2024 it is set to expand even further.
      Josef said: “Ten years before the resettlement began, the place died out.
      “Pubs and shops closed and many children decided to start over somewhere else.”
      Ralf Schumacher is regularly seen in Kerpen because he held onto the family home.
      He told German newspaper Bild: “I grew up with a lot of animals – of course that has an impact.
      “And since, thanks to the Greens, my entire hometown hasn’t fallen victim to lignite mining.
      “I took the opportunity to restore my parents’ house to how it used to be.
      “Luckily, thanks to the new plans, the go-kart track is still there.”
      The Erftlandring go-kart track, which was operated by father Rolf, will be preserved by the local council.
      Ralf said: “Until recently, I was a youth leader but now someone else does it, which makes sense because I can’t always be there.
      “But I’m glad the go-kart track is still there.
      “It was repaved and parts of her lie on the ground that’s mine.
      “We try to support young Germans, which is difficult enough in Germany at the moment.”
      Last year was the 10th anniversary since Michael’s retirement.
      The seven-time world champion has not been seen or heard from since a horror ski crash back in 2013.
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      But fellow F1 racer Mick, who recently left Haas and became Mercedes’ reserve driver, has continued to show support for his father.
      Last November, he shared an old photo of him and his dad on Twitter.
      The land that is now used for an open-pit coal mineCredit: Getty
      Michael and his brother Ralf grew up in ManheimCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Their father, Rolf, operated the local go-kart track, picturedCredit: Alamy More

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      OnlyFans racing star Renee Gracie confirms career change despite ‘people frowning on what I want to do’

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      ONLYFANS star Renee Gracie has confirmed she has sealed a deal to return to motorsport. Gracie, 28, was a former Supercar driver before going into adult entertainment and has been plotting her return to motorsport for a number of years.
      Gracie will return to racing on April 28Credit: Instagram @onlyfansreneegracie
      Renee Gracie swapped driving for an OnlyFans careerCredit: Instagram / @therenee_gracie
      Gracie often leaves fans hot under the collar with her racy snapsCredit: Instagram / @therenee_gracie
      Gracie wants to race in the Bathurst 1000 raceCredit: Instagram @onlyfansreneegracie
      The beauty walked away from the sport in 2017 after driving in the Carrera Cup and Super2 events.
      Gracie made the decision after not making enough money to continue her passion and instead changed her career to make the most of her good looks.
      However, the OnlyFans star has announced that she will be back behind the wheel in the GT World Challenge Australia series.
      It’s a major starting point for the Australian as she looks to seal a return to race in the Bathurst 1000 in the next few years.
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      She has featured in the race, one of the biggest in Australia, twice before retiring to pursue her career in adult entertainment.
      Gracie had hinted at a return to the sport last month when it was announced she would star in a new documentary which will follow her comeback to the sport.
      Now it’s official and after missing the Bathurst 6 Hour event, Gracie will be on the starting grid for the Perth Supersprint, beginning April 28.
      Gracie told the GT World Challenge Australia website: “I started planning a return to the sport in 2021, which is when I started getting serious, talking to people and discovering what was possible.
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      “The first indication was that there were challenges to find the support within the industry to make it work, so we took our time to plan and get the ideal program together.
      “I was very strategic with who I worked with and who I wanted to deal with on my comeback.
      “Some opportunities that presented were right and some were wrong, but the stars have aligned to pull all this together.
      “Everything has worked and fallen into place and I’m really happy with everyone I am working with and who has been part of this journey.
      “It was proof to me that yes, this was the time to get back into racing.”
      The 28 year old said it had been difficult to pursue a return to the sport because some motorsport officials have frowned at her ambitions.
      She added: “Ultimately it shouldn’t matter who you are or what you do.
      “If you want to achieve something and you set your mind to doing it, you should be able to achieve that.
      “It’s taken two years to get to this point with some people frowning on what I wanted to do and trying to stop me or discourage me, but the fact we have got to this point shows that it doesn’t matter and it shouldn’t matter.”
      The star, nicknamed Devil Princess, once claimed to have made £278,000 in a month via her online uploads.
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      She started driving as a teenager and dreamed of competing in Nascar.
      This is not the first time Gracie has launched an effort to return to racing, in 2021 she supposedly forked out £550,000 trying to make her own team so she could feature in the Bathurst supercar race.
      Gracie has 186,000 followers on InstagramCredit: Instagram / @therenee_gracie
      She has made more money through OnlyFans than racingCredit: Instagram
      Gracie first retired from motorsport back in 2017Credit: Instagram More

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      Toto Wolff addresses Lewis Hamilton retirement speculation and whether Mercedes chief has ‘Plan B’

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      TOTO WOLFF has insisted that Mercedes does not have a “Plan B” should Lewis Hamilton leave the Formula One team.The British driver’s contract with Mercedes is set to expire at the end of the season.
      Toto Wolff has admitted there is no ‘Plan B’ should Lewis Hamilton leave MercedesCredit: Rex
      However, there appears to have been little progress on renewing the seven-time world champion deal with the F1 giants.
      And Hamilton has recently been hinting that he could retire from racing.
      This is cause for concern for Mercedes as team principal Wolff admitted there is no backup plan should he leave.
      He said: “I think it may sound naive, but I really struggle to think of a Plan B, if my Plan A is still the one that is my favourite.
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      “I don’t want to engage in discussions with other drivers, because I’m happy with the ones that are in the team, that’s for sure.
      “At the moment, there is no Plan B. It’s Lewis.”
      The Austrian also insisted that should Hamilton leave the team then he would be given plenty of notice.
      He added: “I think that he would tell us early enough.
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      “I don’t think that Lewis would say, ‘I can’t do this anymore. I’m out of here tomorrow.’
      “He would always feel the responsibility for the team. He wouldn’t leave the team alone. Drivers can always take decisions [like that], but he wouldn’t let us down.
      “But then, I think if you believe that you’re a team that is attractive for others, you will find solutions.”
      Meanwhile, Mercedes technical director James Allison believes there is reason to be optimistic about the performance, with the team now “quietly” believing they are the second-best car in the field.
      Reflecting on the Australian GP, Allison said: “Overall, [there is] a sense of quiet satisfaction that we have moved the car forward.
      “That, from a performance point of view, we probably got as much as it is able to give right now.
      “That happiness, of course, is tempered by the disappointment that we only got one car to the flag and that George [Russell] was not able to show what he was capable of in the car on race day, having performed very strongly up to that point in the weekend.
      “We didn’t have huge breakthroughs, but we moved forward a little bit.
      “We put a small amount on the leaders Red Bull, and we are starting to get on terms with, and maybe just nose a whisker in front of, the Ferraris and the Aston Martins.” More

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      Lewis Hamilton ‘picks Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie’ in major update after actors put through gruelling auditions

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has selected Brad Pitt’s co-star for his upcoming Formula One movie, according to reports. Seven-time world champion Hamilton has been working on an as-yet-untitled F1 movie.
      Brad Pitt’s co-actor has been selected for the upcoming F1 filmCredit: Getty
      Lewis Hamilton is acting as a producer on the movieCredit: Rex
      According to Deadline, prospective actors have been put through a gruelling selection process.
      This has included auditioning and several days of driving tests.
      And now Hamilton – who is acting as a producer – and filmmakers Jerry Bruckheimer and Joe Kosinski have reportedly made their selection.
      Damson Idris is the person who reportedly has been picked to star alongside Pitt.
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      The 31-year-old played the co-lead in Netflix’s sci-fi action film Outside the Wire and currently stars in crime drama Snowfall.
      The British-Nigerian actor, who was born in Peckham, South London, has also starred in Black Mirror and Casualty.
      On the film selection process, Hamilton told Autosport: “We’re going through a process right now of selecting the character that will be alongside Brad, which is exciting,
      “Basically that’s the process of watching [the auditions]. We have recordings of them doing certain scenes and we got through it.
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      Outside the Wire star Damson Idris will reportedly star in the movieCredit: Getty
      “I’ve sat in the office with Jerry, Joe and Brad and we’ve been watching them and kind of given our inputs and what we think.”
      Hamilton, an outspoken advocate for diversity and inclusion, said he felt a “responsibility” to make his cast diverse.
      He added: “I want to make the movie, in terms of like having diversity and representation, I want it to be as Formula One should be in the future – or should be now, but will be in the future.
      “I want to see female mechanics. We would love to see a female driver. We haven’t gotten to that point just yet. But why not?
      “Right now, we’ve still got the script. We’ve gone through quite a few different iterations of it.
      “We’re still waiting for a new rewrite, and that’s the whole process. But I was doing that throughout Christmas.
      “It’s exciting. I’m excited to get the next end of the script. I was talking to Brad last night about the characters that we have coming.”
      Hamilton launched his entertainment company, Dawn Apollo Films, in October last year.
      Apple have already thrown their support behind the venture.
      Following the move, Hamilton told Deadline: “I’ve always been into movies. I watch a lot. I find it a real escape. There are a lot of movies I find inspiring…
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      “The goal is to make impactful stories and ultimately to inspire people through movies and storytelling.
      “A big part of the new company will be about social impact, community and causes.” More

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      I was one of Sky Sports F1’s biggest names before brutal sacking… I still have no idea why they got rid of me

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      JOHNNY HERBERT has revealed he has no idea why Sky Sports decided to sack him from their F1 presenting team after 11 years.Herbert joined the broadcaster during the 2012 season when it won the rights to show the F1 action in the UK.
      Johnny Herbert was a central figure in the Sky Sports F1 commentary teamCredit: Getty
      The pundit raced in Formula 1 himselfCredit: AP:Associated Press
      He became a central figure in the coverage of the sport, often reminiscing about his own time in Formula One with teams like Jaguar and Sauber.
      However, Sky Sports decided to axe him from the commentary team two months before this year’s coverage started, along with fellow pundit and former driver Paul di Resta.
      Both were at the end of their respective contracts but were not offered extensions.
      It was speculated that cost-cutting was behind Sky Sports’ decision not to have the two back.
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      Herbert posted a photo of the Sky Sports F1 team to Instagram to confirm his departure from the broadcaster.
      It was captioned: “Going to miss this team.”
      Speaking to The Mirror, Herbert has now revealed that he still doesn’t know why the broadcaster decided against renewing his contract.
      He said: “I didn’t decide to step away – I thought everything was going ahead!
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      “And then I got a call in December, I think it was, when I was told things were changing.
      “It wasn’t really explained why or what was changing. There was a mention of social media stuff and that was about it, really. I really don’t know.
      “I was always aware – at Sky they do these subscriber checks where you’re given points out of 10 – and I’ve always known I was always quite popular on that side.
      “It’s a shame, but I’m over it. Moving on.”
      Herbert is now presenting his own podcast called Lift the Lid, which he co-hosts with fellow racer Billy Monger.
      The two give their opinions on current F1 stories, and were brought together through their own near-fatal crashes.
      Herbert said about the podcast “This is great to do with Billy, for example.
      “There are other opportunities out there, once again just proving that if you work hard you can find different avenues to carry on being involved in the sport we love.
      “So there’s other things going on, which is fine.
      “Yes, it’s disappointing, but I’ve moved on.”
      The 58-year old added that he didn’t think he would be returning to TV screens this season.
      He added: “I did my 11 years at Sky and it was good. Now there are other things I am doing.
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      “Because it was in December it was all quite late in terms of sorting other things out.
      “There are a lot of other opportunities but, in terms of seeing me on a TV screen, there’s probably nothing planned on that front.”
      Herbert posted that he’d miss the team after he was axed
      Herbert now co-hosts a podcast with former British F4 racer Billy Monger, who suffered a horrific crash in 2017Credit: PA More

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      Mercedes chief offers bleak assessment of Lewis Hamilton’s F1 title chances but insists team remain ‘quietly satisfied’

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has been told Mercedes are on the up, but remain some way short of Red Bull. Seven-time world champion Hamilton finished P2 at a chaotic Australian Grand Prix to score the team’s first podium of the season.
      Mercedes chief’s are ‘quietly satisfied’ about Mercedes improvementCredit: Rex
      Team-mate George Russell had also shown strong pace before his car set on fire after engine failure.
      And Mercedes technical director James Allison believes there is reason to be optimistic about the performance, with the team now “quietly” believing they are the second best car in the field.
      Reflecting on the weekend, Allison said: “Overall, [there is] a sense of quiet satisfaction that we have moved the car forward.
      “That, from a performance point of view, we probably got as much as it is able to give right now.
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      “That happiness, of course, is tempered by the disappointment that we only got one car to the flag and that George was not able to show what he was capable of in the car on race day, having performed very strongly up to that point in the weekend.
      “We didn’t have huge breakthroughs, but we moved forward a little bit.
      “We put a small amount on the leaders Red Bull, and we are starting to get on terms with, and maybe just nose a whisker in front of, the Ferraris and the Aston Martins.”
      Aston Martin currently sit in second in the constructors championship – nine points ahead of Mercedes – after three back-to-back podium finishes for Fernando Alonso.
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      However, Red Bull remain the team to beat this year, with Max Verstappen and under-threat Sergio Perez sitting P1 and P2 in the drivers standings after the opening three races.
      And Allison is refusing to allow Mercedes to let their guard down, insisting they only got close to Red Bull due to them being “off form”.
      He added: “Was [our performance] expected? Broadly yes, because the performance level in Australia was not markedly different to that in the other two tracks so far this year.
      “Different yes to Red Bull, but not a completely different animal compared to the rest of the field.
      “I think the biggest shift in Australia was that Red Bull were a little bit more off form in qualifying compared to the rest of the grid, and that sort of closed up the field.
      “But if you look at the relative pace of our car to the Ferrari, our car to the Aston Martin, it’s been close-ish all year.

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      “Yes, we are a little bit on the better side, but it wasn’t seismic.
      “So, was it expected? Well, we expected to be in the fight with Ferrari and Aston Martin and pleased to have our noses in front, but we did expect to be there.
      “Time will tell [whether performance was track specific]. We’ll go to some more very different tracks in the next few weeks.
      “We’ll see whether this was the sort of initial bellwether of general uptick in our performance which we hope for, or whether it was related to the quite unusual track conditions that we saw this weekend in Melbourne.”
      In terms of further improvements to the W14, Hamilton and Russell will be forced to wait until May’s Imola Grand Prix.
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      There are still two races, Azerbaijan and Miami, USA, before the race in Italy rolls around.
      In the meantime, Hamilton tried his hand at snowboarding, but ended up going for a freezing bath after falling into some water. More

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      Fernando Alonso reveals biggest ever F1 rival as two-time world champ snubs Lewis Hamilton despite epic McLaren battles

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      FERNANDO ALONSO singled out Formula One legend Michael Schumacher as his greatest ever rival.Alonso snubbed famous foe Sir Lewis Hamilton, with whom he had such an intense feud when they were team-mates at McLaren for one season in 2007 that he quit the team.
      Alonso snubbed Sir Lewis Hamilton when naming his greatest ever rivalCredit: Splash
      Marco Alonso named Michael Schumacher as his fiercest ever rivalCredit: Getty
      The Aston Martin driver has instead opted for Schumacher, whom he beat to the top in 2005 and 2006 to win both of his world titles.
      The 41-year-old admits it is “difficult” to choose his fiercest ever opponent but the Ferrari legend’s dominance in the mid-2000s ranks him above everyone else.
      Alonso told Bang & Olufsen: “It is difficult to choose one because they were all great rivals and very talented drivers as well.
      “When I came to this sport, Michael Schumacher was dominating the races and everything, probably that fight with him would still be the one I would choose.
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      “Fighting against Michael was very special, so I would say that.”
      Alonso and Hamilton rekindled their rivalry last year after the crashed at the Belgian Grand Prix.
      The Spaniard put the seven-time world champion on full-blast as he branded him “an idiot”.
      The ex-Renault star also claimed the British great “only knows how to drive and start in first” in a petulant attack.
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      But the Mercedes superstar cooled their rift by insisting he is trying to “be a better driver”.
      The 38-year-old then joked on social media that he’d offer Alonso a signed cap as a peace offering.
      Hamilton said: “It’s not a thing for me. It doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t really affect me in the slightest.
      “With the cap it was just a little fun thing. It’s good to have fun sometimes with these things. For me, I am always trying to be a better driver.
      “Also, I know there are a lot of young kids that are following me and it’s important the steps I try to take in my behaviour, so I am always trying to learn and be better.” More

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      Toto Wolff joins billionaire’s club with Tiger Woods and Lebron James despite horror F1 season for Hamilton and Mercedes

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      TOTO WOLFF has become a billionaire – according to the latest Forbes rich list.The Mercedes boss has taken his place in the 2023 World Billionaires list, which includes fellow sportspeople Tiger Woods and basketball star LeBron James.
      Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has officially become a billionaireCredit: Getty
      Forbes have listed the Australian’s net worth an $1billionCredit: EPA
      Wolff and Mercedes have struggled to keep pace with Red Bull over the last two seasonsCredit: Rex
      The report lists Wolff’s net worth at $1billion, with Forbes saying Netflix’s F1 series, Drive To Survive, turned Wolff “into a celebrity billionaire with [its effect] on the value of Formula One teams”.
      Wolff arrived in F1 when he bought a share of the Williams F1 team in 2009 and joined its board of directors, before selling them off after he joined Mercedes.
      In 2020, Wolff also purchased a stake in Aston Martin, who have close links with Mercedes.
      Mercedes have struggled to keep pace with Red Bull over the last two seasons, although Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are currently fourth and seventh respectively in the Driver Standings.
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      The team’s shortcomings have prompted calls for Wolff’s departure.
      But the Austrian has remained bullish in the face of criticism, saying: “Whether it is good or bad, I really enjoy being the team principal of the team.
      “I think I can contribute. But, if one day I come to the conclusion, or people that are close to me are going to tell me that I’m not, then I will consider giving the baton to somebody else.
      “I would have no shame that I’ll criticise from the sidelines, from a TV screen and know it better.
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      “But, until then, I think I still have fun doing it. And obviously turning the ship around, after so many successful years, that’s really a good challenge.
      “The people in charge in Mercedes and in INEOS, they are high-performance individuals within the core business or in sports.
      “We have all been through downs and ups and there is not a millimetre of doubt.
      “There is so much support from them in order to get us back on track.”
      The F1 season resumes on April 30 with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit.

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