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      Michael Schumacher update as son Mick shares touching tribute leaving fans desperate for news ahead of crash anniversary

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      MICK Schumacher has left fans desperate for news ahead of his father’s crash anniversary following a touching tribute to the racing great.His Instagram update comes just days before the anniversary of the Formula 1 legend’s tragic skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013, which left him with severe brain injuries.
      Mick Schumacher updated his Instagram profile picture of him and his dadCredit: Instagram
      The two had a very close bondCredit: PA
      The 23-year-old told of a treasured childhood memory he shares with his familyCredit: AFP
      Today, Mick changed his profile picture to his father holding him as a child.
      The loving photo sent shockwaves through the racing community, bringing back to the fore how deeply his father was loved around the world.
      On social media, it sparked a debate among fans whether it was him paying homage or a cryptic message about his dad’s condition.
      “It has been obvious from day one that he is little more than a vegetable… very sad as I loved to watch F1 when he was in it but I don’t really like how they are trying to hide how bad he is and saying stuff that might give the impression that he is getting better,” a Reddit user said.
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      “Nine years already, I can’t believe it,” one said.
      “Lovely picture of the two together – I don’t know why it makes me anxious though, almost like a bad news feeling,” another said.
      The family has come under fire for being secretive about the ex-racing star’s state of being.
      One of his ex-managers said the Schumachers have been lying about his condition and must come out with the truth.
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      Willie Weber blasted Schumacher’s wife Corinna and his boss at Ferrari, Jean Todt, in an explosive recent interview with the Italian sports publication La Gazetta dello Sport.
      He told the paper: “I tried hundreds of times to contact Corinna and she didn’t answer. I called Jean Todt to ask him if I should go to the hospital and he told me to wait – it’s too early.
      “I called the next day and no one answered. I didn’t expect behaviour like that and I’m still angry about it. 
      “They kept me out, telling me it’s too early, well now it’s too late. It’s been nine years. Maybe they should just say it the way it is.”
      Nevertheless, the negative hype has not stopped Mick from trying to live up to his dad’s name.
      In 2021, he arrived in Formula 1 racing with the Haas Team.
      In his two seasons of racing in the big league he has started in 43 races and scored 12 points, finishing sixth in this year’s Austrian Grand Prix and eighth in the British Grand Prix.
      He also recently signed with Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton’s back up driver.
      However, on the 10th anniversary of Schumacher’s retirement he is still remembered as a legend.
      The seven time World Champion first retired at the end of the 2006 season after winning 91 F1 Grand Prix races but returned to the sport in 2009 to drive for Mercedes.
      He spent three years with the team but didn’t win a race before he finally quit in 2012.
      In November, his old Ferrari Formula One car became the most valuable of the “modern era”.
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      The Ferrari F2003 was sold for an immense £12.6million, breaking the previous record, which was also held by an old Schumacher model.
      The car was the one in which Schumacher won his sixth Formula One world title.
      Michael Schumacher pictured when he finally retired from Formula 1Credit: Twitter/@schumacher
      Schumacher was the seven times World ChampionCredit: Getty – Contributor
      The legendary driver pictured with his pit crew in theCredit: Twitter/@schumacher
      The pictures were tweeted on the 10th anniversary of retirementCredit: Twitter/@schumacher More

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      Lewis Hamilton’s F1 team-mate George Russell enjoys winter getaway to Italy with stunning girlfriend Carmen

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      MERCEDES F1 driver George Russell has been enjoying a winter holiday with his stunning girlfriend.Russell and his partner Carmen Montero Mundt went on a trip to Italy as he continued his downtime before the next F1 season.
      George Russell took a winter trip to ItalyCredit: Instagram / @georgerussell63
      The F1 star went with his girlfriend Carmen MonteroCredit: Instagram / @georgerussell63
      During the trip they enjoyed some pastaCredit: Instagram / @georgerussell63
      As well as some Italian coffeeCredit: Instagram / @georgerussell63
      George Russell enjoys trip to Italy with stunning girlfriend Carmen MundtCredit: Instagram / @georgerussell63
      The Mercedes driver is on break during the F1 off-seasonCredit: Instagram / @georgerussell63
      Russell also visited a tailorsCredit: Instagram / @georgerussell63
      They went for a drive during a stunning sunsetCredit: Instagram / @georgerussell63
      The pair went and visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa and enjoyed some authentic Italian pasta during their holiday.
      He shared pictures of the trip on his Instagram page, which showed him posing for a snap on an Italian street.
      The post was accompanied with the caption: “Italia”.
      Fans loved the pictures, as one commented: “Perfect, Giorgio! Always match the aesthetic”.
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      A second wrote: “Eat pasta, drive fast”.
      A third added: “Eat and drink well eh?”
      Although some were more interested in the cardigan he was wearing in one of the pictures, one said: “George, with all due respect, what are you wearing?”
      A second added: “My brother in Christ, hire a stylist”.
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      Russell has been with Carmen since 2020, who works as an investment broker.
      The 24-year-old Mercedes driver will be back in action on March next year when F1 returns.
      The season was set to have 24 races but with the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, there are only 23.
      However, Formula 1 is currently considering a replacement race.
      The pair have been dating since 2020Credit: Getty
      Earlier this year they went to an NBA game in MiamiCredit: AP
      They also attended the “No Time To Die” World Premiere at the Royal Albert Hall last yearCredit: Getty More

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      Lewis Hamilton and F1 drivers urged to fight free speech ban after FIA announce new rules following protests last season

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      LEWIS HAMILTON and his fellow Formula One stars have been urged to fight against new laws limiting free speech. F1’s governing body, the FIA, have introduced new rules into the sport which limit the ability for those in the sport to express themselves.
      Lewis Hamilton has been urged to keep speaking out despite new rulesCredit: Getty
      The likes of Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have been outspoken on social issues in the pastCredit: Getty
      The new doctrine states participants cannot make or display “political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality… unless previously approved in writing by the FIA.”
      It comes following the World Cup, which was marred by political controversy as Fifa declared they would sanction political gestures, such as the “One Love” armbands, in Qatar.
      But F1 drivers have been urged to rebel against the “brutal” and “hypocritical” rules that have been brought in.
      Speaking to the Telegraph, Rob Koehler, chief executive of Global Athlete, said: “Without athletes, the sport does not exist.
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      “It is blatantly hypocritical to tell athletes to stick to their sports and stay out of politics while the FIA consistently leverages politics to their advantage.”
      Hamilton, along with the now-retired Sebastian Vettel, has been one driver who has remained an outspoken voice on political issues both outside and inside of F1.
      And Koehler added: “Freedom of expression is a basic fundamental human right and sport rules cannot supersede human rights.
      “Many people look up to athletes as agents of change.
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      “The example set by the FIA is that every child, youth and adult watching the sport should remain silent on social justice issues.
      “It is simply wrong. Shame on the FIA.
      “Athletes are humans first, athletes second.
      “It is also clear that the FIA is taking a page out of Fifa’s playbook to silence athletes.”
      The FIA explained the change to Article 12.2.1 of the sporting code was done “to align itself to the practices of other similar international sports organisations such as Fifa, IOC and Fiba on the matter of neutrality.”
      Koehler slammed the move, saying: “In 2020, athletes took a stand against the IOC and IPC to force them to relax their rules on freedom of expression.
      “I hope the drivers do the same. This is brutal.”
      Seven-time world champion Hamilton previously wore a shirt that read “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” in 2020, and has remained outspoken on a variety of social issues.
      Likewise, Vettel highlighted issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and Climate Change prior to his retirement.
      After initially promoting the taking of the knee and the “We Race As One” slogan, F1 ditched the knee gesture at the start of 2022 with president Stefano Domenicali declaring “action” rather than “gestures” were needed.
      Read More on The Sun
      The new move from F1 has also been slammed online, with SunSport’s Ben Hunt declaring: “Outlawing freedom of speech is not progress.”
      A jewellery ban introduced by the FIA earlier this season also saw them come under fire. More

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      Lewis Hamilton less motivated in 2022 F1 season and gave George Russell a wake-up call at end, claims Sky Sports pundit

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      LEWIS HAMILTON was less motivated in 2022 but gave George Russell a wake-up call once he recovered, according to Sky Sports’ Karun Chandhok.The F1 pundit compared the seven-times world champion to legendary driver Ayrton Senna after Hamilton faced a series of new challenges last season.
      In his first season at Mercedes, George Russell got the edge on his far more experienced teammate Lewis HamiltonCredit: AFP
      Not only did he have to get over the gut-wrenching end to the 2021 season, Hamilton also had new teammate Russell to contend with.
      And most alarmingly for the 37-year-old, he was also tussling with a Mercedes car which was uncompetitive after sweeping rule changes.
      Former F1 driver Chandhok, who has been a pundit on Sky since 2019, believes these factors contributed to Hamilton’s sluggish start to the season.
      The Former HRT racer told Sky Sports: “Lewis, at the start of the year, I’m sure his motivation wasn’t there. And I can understand that.
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      “It reminded me of Senna in 1993, this was a guy who was the number one driver of his generation, he arrives at the opening race and goes ‘God, I’m only capable of qualifying on the third row of the grid.’
      “Where’s the motivation? Then we got to Barcelona, they turned a little bit of the corner and he rose to the challenge.
      “At the start of the year, it was looking really good for Russell, he was regularly outqualifying Lewis.
      “I think he had a bit of a wake-up call in that middle part of the year when Lewis lifted his game, and I think George went on a run where he couldn’t get ahead. I think he thought ‘woah, I’ve woken the beast!'”
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      Hamilton’s form picked up hugely in the second half of the season and he was desperately close to wins at Silverstone, Austin and Brazil.
      But ultimately it was Russell who enjoyed Mercedes’ only victory of the season at Interlagos.
      And he grabbed the constructor’s only pole of the campaign in Hungary.
      The win in Brazil helped Russell finish 35 points clear of Hamilton.
      It is the first time Hamilton has been beaten on points by a teammate since 2016, and the first time ever he has not picked up a single win in an F1 season. More

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      Max Verstappen reignites feud with Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez with comments about number two drivers in F1

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN reignited his feud with Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez by telling F1’s number two drivers to “accept” they are second best.Verstappen claims things go “completely wrong” if team No2s live in a “fairytale world” of not agreeing their partner is “just a bit better”.
      Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has openly clashed with Sergio PerezCredit: Reuters
      Verstappen stood by his decision not to let Perez pass and has now said number two drivers must accept their placeCredit: Getty
      The world champion’s comments follow a public spat with Perez that erupted at last month’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
      Verstappen ignored team orders to let Perez pass him for fourth place, having warned before the race he would not make way.
      The Mexican blasted: “It shows who he really is.”
      Nut not only did Verstappen himself hit back, his mum accused Perez of cheating in a now-deleted message.
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      Replying to criticism of her son on Instagram, Sophie Kumpen posted: “And then in the evening cheating on his wife.”
      Her remark appeared to relate to a video posted online in June showing Perez dancing with mystery women in Monte Carlo.
      He later apologised for his behaviour but said it was just a “bad party” and that his marriage was “more united than ever”.
      Now Verstappen has waded in again – by comparing Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes partner Valtteri Bottas more favourably to other number two drivers.
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      The Dutch two-time F1 king told Viaplay, via Motorsport Week: “Every year he starts fresh, but after a few races you realise it’s not going to happen again and you accept your role
      “He [Bottas] still finished on podiums, he won a few races and took pole positions.
      “You just have to accept that the driver next to you is just a bit better. That’s fine, that can happen.
      “It’s important that he accepted it. Some drivers can’t do that and then it goes completely wrong.
      “Then they don’t survive for very long. I’m not going to name names, but you have to accept your role. You can’t live in a fairytale world.”
      The Red Bull saga has captivated seven-time world champ Hamilton – but not in a way that F1 chiefs will appreciate.
      The Brit said this month: “It feels like the Kardashian show, it’s pretty hilarious.” More

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      F1’s ten highest-paid drivers revealed as Lewis Hamilton is knocked off the top spot for first time in years

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      FORMULA ONE’S best paid drivers in 2022 have been revealed, with a new champion in tow.Lewis Hamilton, who has held the crown since 2013, endured a difficult year behind the wheel of his Mercedes as he failed to win a race in a season for the first time in his F1 career.
      Lewis Hamilton has been knocked off of his perch at F1’s top paid driverCredit: Getty
      Max Verstappen won his second drivers championship in 2022Credit: Rex
      Meanwhile, Max Verstappen cruised to a second world championship with a record-breaking 15 race victories to his name.
      The pair have been F1’s headline act in recent years, with their rivalry seeing sparks fly both on and off the track as they took the 2021 championship down to the last lap of the season.
      And while the Dutchman claimed victory in that battle, a year on he has added the lucrative title of F1’s best paid driver to his name.
      As revealed by Forbes, the Red Bull driver is taking home a cool £33million ($40m) plus £16.5m in bonuses ($20m).
      READ MORE ON F1
      Verstappen, 25, signed a bumper new-deal with Red Bull ahead of the 2022 season, and he paid back the deal with 15 race wins and shattering the record for most points scored in a season with 454.
      Hamilton falls just short of his rival, though not in the basic salary department.
      Indeed, the Brit’s annual salary dwarfs Verstappen’s by around £12.4m ($15m), with Hamilton earning £45.3m ($55m) WITHOUT bonuses.
      Verstappen’s champion bonus has given him the edge over Hamilton in this case, but Hamilton remains one of the most marketable assets in Motorsport, with him earning £6.6m ($8m) in endorsements off-track.
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      Moving down the list is another driver with Hamilton history.
      Two-time champion Fernando Alonso claims the final podium spot, with the 41-year-old earning £24.7m ($30m) in 2022.
      And like Hamilton, he has secured this deal with just a basic salary.
      Not that this has stopped him from swapping Alpine for Aston Martin next season.
      Mexican Sergio Perez comes in fourth with £21.4m ($26m) earned.
      The 32-year-old narrowly lost out on second spot in the driver’s championship to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, but still earned a juicy £13.2m ($16m) in bonuses.
      Leclerc comes in next after earning £18.9m ($23m) over 2022.
      The Monegasque will be hoping he can make more of a dent in Verstappen’s title charge next season and be the first driver to win a title for the Tifosi since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.
      The top 10 list of F1 driver earnings in 2022
      Retiring F1 icon Sebastian Vettel is next.
      The four-time champion earned £14m ($17m) in his final year in his F1, though Vettel has been offered a chance to change this decision in the future, with a lot of love clearly still going around for him after Hamilton arranged a farewell dinner for him.
      Another star leaving the sport, Daniel Ricciardo, earned the same as Vettel.
      But while Vettel is leaving the sport completely, the honeybadger is dropping into a reserve driver role with ex-team Red Bull.
      Spaniard Carlos Sainz comes in at P8 on the list, earning £12.4m ($15m).
      His former team-mate Lando Norris also made the top 10.
      The 23-year-old McLaren star was the only driver outside of the big three teams to earn a podium throughout the season and finished best of the rest in P7 in the driver standings.
      His impressive season saw him earn £9.1m ($11m) in 2022, eclipsing that of compatriot George Russell.
      Read More on The Sun
      Russell capped off his first-season with the Silver Arrows with a race win at the penultimate race of the season in Brazil.
      The 24-year-old earned £8.2m ($10m) despite a basic salary of just £2.5m ($3m). More

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      Max Verstappen’s signed Honda Civic on sale for £48,000 as F1 fans get chance to own world champion’s car

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      FORMULA ONE fans have the chance to own world champion Max Verstappen’s car.But it’s NOT the vehicle the Red Bull star drove to a second straight championship this year.
      Max Verstappen’s former Honda Civic is being auctioned to fans onlineCredit: Splash
      Honda gave Verstappen a new £150,000 NSX Type S last month
      Dutch F1 ace Verstappen followed up last year’s controversial title win with another successive trophy in October.
      And as a reward, Japanese manufacturer Honda gifted Verstappen a stunning £150,000 Honda NSX Type S.
      It wasn’t the first time Honda had given Verstappen a present, handing him a Honda Civic Type-R GT in 2021.
      That car went under the hammer last Christmas at a charity auction for £30,000.
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      But it’s up grabs once again, with Verstappen fans so far bidding up to £48k for the luxury sports vehicle.
      The 320-horsepower Honda can go from 0 to 60mph in just 5.8 seconds.
      It has an incredible top speed of 167mph.
      And the car, which also boasts Verstappen’s signature on the dashboard, has only done 36,000 miles since hitting the road.
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      Insured in Monaco, the car currently resides in Verstappen’s homeland of the Netherlands.
      And it’s a fellow Dutchman leading the auction with a bid of £48,000, as of Friday afternoon.
      But with the auction deadline not until Monday evening, a fellow big bidder from Slovakia could yet decide to up his own £43,500 offer.
      However, the next bid must be a minimum of £52,000.
      The vehicle is being sold on Catawiki, and car expert Sander Houdel said: “Max Verstappen is hugely popular and will go into history as one of the youngest and most talented drivers in the world. 
      “If this car is treated right, it has a big potential to increase its value over the years.” More

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      George Russell says Mercedes ‘haven’t forgotten how to build a fast race car’ as he expects strong 2023 from F1 team

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      GEORGE RUSSELL says Mercedes “haven’t forgotten how to build a fast race car” and says the team are “building on top” of last season’s woes.Merc were well off the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari in 2022.
      Russell expects Merc to be competitive from the off next seasonCredit: Splash
      Red Bull picked up the Formula One Constructors’ championship while Max Verstappen became a two-time world champ.
      Russell did, however, pick up Merc’s one and only win of the season in Brazil.
      And ahead of the 2023 campaign, the Brit says his team still know what they’re doing in F1.
      Russell is also confident the team will be competitive from the first race of the season.
      READ MORE ON F1
      He told BBC Radio Norfolk: “They haven’t forgotten how to build a fast race car.
      “We just got it wrong this year.”
      Russell continued: “We got the philosophy wrong. We went down a route which turned out to be the wrong route.
      “Sometimes it takes you a long time to dig yourself out of that hole.
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      “Now I feel we’ve dug ourselves out of that hole and we’re building on top of that.
      “We are a step behind Red Bull and Ferrari and we’ve got a lot of catching up to do – but we’re definitely going to be in a much stronger position from race one next year than we were this year.”
      Russell managed to beat seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton in the standings last season.
      In his debut campaign for Merc, Russell claimed 275 points to Hamilton’s 240.
      Despite that, Russell is not proud of his start to life at the Silver Arrows.
      He said: “I’m not going to walk away from this season with a huge amount of pride because I finished fourth in the championship.
      “I’m here to win. We need to keep raising the bar.”
      And Russell has issued a warning to team-mate Hamilton, who dreams of claiming a record-breaking eighth world crown.
      Read More on The Sun
      Russell added: “I’m here for the long haul and even though I would have wanted victories and to be fighting for that championship in 2022, I think as a team the struggles are going to set us up much nicer for the coming years.
      “So I hope I look back in 10 years time and say, actually this 2022 season was a positive one for the journey.” More