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      Max Verstappen loving F1 world title fight against Lewis Hamilton because Red Bull star fears it may never happen again

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN is loving his title fight with Lewis Hamilton – because he is not too sure if it will happen againNext year’s new rule changes promise to open up the field and increase competition, meaning that no driver will be able to take a championship for granted.
      Verstappen extended his championship lead to 19 points after his victory at the Mexican Grand PrixCredit: AP
      Verstappen, who leads Hamilton by 19 points with four races to go, made his F1 debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso.
      And while he has been able to fight for wins at Red Bull, this is his first ever crack at winning the F1 title.
      Having a more competitive car is “the best there is,” said Verstappen.
      He added “Otherwise, it’s pretty depressing, if you know that you can’t win. Of course you know when you get to Formula One, you have to accept it.
      “This is how Formula One is. Normally there’s only one or two teams that can fight for a championship.
      “But you hope that one day you get into a car where you can win, right? And as soon as you get into that car, it is very enjoyable.
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      “You’re happy, because how many times will you have this opportunity? You don’t know, maybe from next year onwards, you never get that opportunity again.
      “So I’m just really enjoying the moment.”
      Verstappen has won nine races this season compared to Hamilton’s five victories but says the only thing that matters is securing the title.
      He added: “The only winner is the one who finishes on top. It doesn’t matter how many races you win.
      “So far I have had a great season. I’ve had a lot of wins, nice pole positions and exactly whatever happens at the end, it’s not going to change my life, I’ve said it many times. I’m just enjoying what I’m doing.
      “Of course, I will try to win the championship and we are looking good. But I also said a lot of things can happen.”

      šŸ F1 2021 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
      F1 star Max Verstappen owns a Ā£12m private jet that he bought from Richard Branson More

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      How Max Verstappen can win the F1 world title in the next two races and steal title off Lewis Hamilton

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN could wrap up a maiden F1 world title with victory in Brazil and Qatar. The 24-year-old leads Lewis Hamilton by 19 points in the standings – and if the Brit fails to score points in the next two races the title will be Verstappen’s.
      Hamilton and Verstappen have been going back-and-forth all seasonCredit: EPA
      But after nine wins from 18 races Verstappen is firm favourite to seal the title this yearCredit: AP
      Two wins for the Dutchman would see him add 50 points to his already hefty tally.
      That would take him to 362.5 points going into the penultimate race in Saudi Arabia.
      And if Hamilton fails to score points in Brazil or Qatar he will stay rooted on 293.5 points.
      That means even if he wins the last two races – picking up a maximum 50 points – and Verstappen fails to score it won’t be enough to claw back the deficit.
      If the season continues with Verstappen finishing first and second respectively, as the last two GP’s have done, the Red Bull man would wrap up the title with a race to spare in Saudi Arabia.
      If he won the next three races and Hamilton finished second in all three the gap would be 40 points going in to the final GP.

      With 25 points on offer for each win three wins seals the title for Verstappen – if Hamilton finished a place behind him on each occasion.
      But the writing could already be on the wall for Hamilton with the Mercedes driver is facing a grid penalty at this weekend’s Brazilian GP.
      The 36-year-old seven-time world champion may have to replace the engine in his car.
      That would result in a five-place grid penalty and leave Verstappen well placed to further extend his lead.
      And the leader seemingly already has the champagne on ice.
      The number 33 is ready to ditch his current number in favour of #1 – reserved for the world champ.
      He said: “How many times do you have the opportunity to drive with number one? And it’s good for merchandise as well! So it’s smart to do that.”

      šŸ F1 2021 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
      F1 star Max Verstappen owns a Ā£12m private jet that he bought from Richard Branson More

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      How does F1 point scoring work? How many points for a Grand Prix win in Hamilton vs Verstappen title race

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      LEWIS HAMILTON and Max Verstappen are fighting out one of the most spectacular Formula One seasons in living memory.The two drivers are separated by 19 points going into the last four races of the season with the Brazilian Grand Prix taking place next.
      Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have been fighting out one of the most thrilling F1 seasons everCredit: Rex
      The season has seen casual fans finally switch back on to motorsport after dominant spells from the likes of Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel before him.
      But it can be confusing how the scoring works for each F1 race.
      How does F1 point scoring work?
      Points are awarded on a sliding scale for a Grand Prix victory, with first place taking 25 points and the rest of the field to 10th place scoring.

      1st place – 25 points
      2nd – 18 points
      3rd – 15 points
      4th – 12 points
      5th – 10 points
      6th – 8 points
      7th – 6 points
      8th – 4 points
      9th – 2 points
      10th – 1 point
      11-last – 0 points

      Are F1 points awarded for the fastest lap?
      Yes. Championship points are awarded to the driver with the fastest lap of any Formula One Grand Prix.
      But only if they finish in the top 10 positions of a Grand Prix race.
      This is to avoid a driver who is at the back of the field giving up on winning a race but hanging back in order to set the fastest lap.
      How are points awarded if F1 race is abandoned?
      If a race is abandoned before 75 per cent of the distance has been completed all points are halved.
      This happened in the 2021 season at the Belgian Grand Prix. More

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      Lewis Hamiltonā€™s rival Max Verstappen insists he is ready to be F1ā€™s No1 as world title battle goes down to final races

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN says he is ready to be F1’s No1.The Dutchman will take the number one race number on his Red Bull for 2022 – should he beat Lewis Hamilton to the title.
      Verstappen will have the No1 on his car next season if he can win the titleCredit: Getty
      F1’s rules mean the number is reserved for the world champion – or they can keep their own, should they wish.
      Hamilton has stuck with the number 44 despite being the champ, yet Verstappen says he would “absolutely” be happy to ditch his current #33 for number one.
      He said: “How many times do you have the opportunity to drive with number one? And it’s good for merchandise as well! So it’s smart to do that.”
      Verstappen has won nine of this season’s 18 races but says he is not getting carried away by the prospect of winning his first ever title.
      He added: “If you don’t think about it, you will not have any dreams, so I’m just really focused.
      “In four races a lot of things can happen. We are looking good but things can change very quickly.

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      “I said it after the race in Mexico, I’ve had a bigger lead already in the championship and that disappeared within two races.
      “So we have to again try to do the best we can. My approach every weekend is the same, we will not change it.”
      Verstappen’s 19 points ahead of his rival Hamilton in the race for the F1 world title with just four races to go after his win in Mexico.
      The 24-year-old can take one step closer to his first trophy if he wins the Brazilian GP this weekend.
      And Hamilton knows that if his reign in the F1 will be in jeopardy if he fails to clinch victory in Brazil.
      Speaking ahead of the race, the Brit said: “There are still four races to go.
      “But 19 points is a lot of points. And he’s had a lot of wins. If they were to carry that on to the next ones, we will be in trouble.” More

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      Lewis Hamilton facing another HUGE blow in F1 title race with Brit set for grid penalty at Brazil GP for engine switch

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      LEWIS HAMILTON faces another major blow in his bid to retain his F1 crown.Mercedes are pondering an engine change, which would trigger a grid penalty for the seven-time world champion at this weekend’s Brazilian GP.
      Britain’s world F1 champ Lewis Hamilton is expected to get a grid penalty – yet insists his current engine is fine ‘as far as I’m aware’Credit: Reuters
      Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes crew members look over his car in Sao PauloCredit: EPA
      Hamilton is 19 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen with four races remaining.
      The Brit has never overturned such a big margin to win the title.
      And an expected five-place grid drop would leave Verstappen well placed to increase his advantage.
      But Hamilton was coy when asked about the possible penalty in Sao Paulo.
      He said: “I can’t really comment at the moment.
      “I don’t think the engines have even arrived. As far as I am aware currently my engine is fine.
      “I will find out obviously later on. We’ve not even done an engineering [meeting] yet.”

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      Hamilton has already labelled Verstappen as the favourite to win at Interlagos this Sunday.
      But this race also sees the third trial of the sprint race format, with extra points on offer for Saturday’s 30-minute race.
      Hamilton’s penalty would only be applied for Sunday’s GP, meaning if he were to score points on Saturday’s mini-race, it would assist with his damage limitation.
      The 36-year-old arrived in the paddock in a black and white camouflage outfit but there was no hiding that he was in a bullish mood saying he is surprised he’s stayed in the title fight for so long.
      He added: “I think people under-appreciate just how well we’ve done considering the pace Red Bull have had since day one.
      We’ve had our wings clipped so this season has been harder to maximise the car. Some weekends it works, some it doesn’t.Lewis Hamilton
      “The struggles we had in testing before the season, then just skimming by and winning the first race.
      “I think we’ve done a pretty good job. But at the end of the day we’ve not been as fast as them most of the time.”
      Hamilton also made a reference to rule changes – subtle aerodynamic changes to car’s floors – brought in this season to slow Merc’s advantage.
      He said: “We have had our wings clipped so this season has definitely been harder from an operational standpoint to maximise the car.
      “It is just a bit harder to set up. It is really difficult to explain, there are too many elements to go into detail but it is just a harder car to optimise.
      “Some weekends it works and some weekends it doesn’t. Getting the maximum potential out of the car has been hard.”
      Lewis Hamilton enjoys action packed break as F1 ace gets pelted by bugs in jeep in wild ride More

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      Final four F1 races predicted ā€“ can Lewis Hamilton claw back 19 points on Max Verstappen and win an eighth world title?

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      WE are into the final four races of this epic F1 season. A total of 19-points separate championship leader Max Verstappen from title holder, Lewis Hamilton.
      A steely-eyed Hamilton with Verstappen in the backgroundCredit: PA
      The pair have been going back-and-forth all seasonCredit: EPA
      Hamilton, who has won the title a joint-record seven times, has never overturned such a points deficit to land the world crown.
      And in what would offer another first, incredibly, Verstappen has never won ANY car-racing title before.
      Here SunSport looks at the four races and tries to predict where both the drivers’ and constructor’s championship titles will be heading.

      CURRENT STANDINGS
      Driver Championship

      Verstappen 312.5
      Hamilton 293.5

      Constructors Championship

      Mercedes 478.5
      Red Bull Racing 477.5

      BRAZIL
      THINK of Brazil, and you think of Ayrton Senna.
      The wonderful Sao Paulo track really is a special place that has served up some thrilling races.
      Hamilton finished third in Brazil last time out after knocking Red Bull’s Alex Albon off the trackCredit: AFP or licensors
      In recent years, it has been a happy hunting ground for Mercedes, however, in 2019, the last time it held a GP, Verstappen was the winner.
      Worth noting also, that Hamilton has only won twice in Brazil.
      This year it would appear to suit the Red Bull car, or more importantly their Honda engine.
      However, weather can change things in Sao Paulo and a bit of rain would redraw the form book.
      That said, it is due to be sunny and dry on Sunday and that would suit Verstappen and Red Bull down to the ground.

      VERDICT: VERSTAPPEN WIN

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      QATAR
      NEW track for 2021, the Moto GP circuit was the last race to be bolted on to the end of the calendar to take the tally to 22 races.
      Little is known about how F1 cars will perform in Doha.
      Sure, they have all done simulations and the top teams have all sent representatives to make a personal check, but there is nothing that will be guaranteed until practice starts.
      With that unknown comes uncertainty and in that case, it is always best to look towards experience.
      Hamilton has bags of it, and if he was looking to stop the rot and keep the title race interesting, this could be his best chance of doing just that.

      VERDICT: VERSTAPPEN WIN

      SAUDI ARABIA
      ANOTHER new track, and another tight one to call.
      Interestingly, this circuit – built in 12 months – promises to be the second quickest (after Monza) of the year and has been designed to mirror the fast-flowing corners of Silverstone, home of the British GP.
      Look back to both those races this year and one thing sticks out.
      Crashes involving Hamilton and Verstappen.
      Could there be a repeat in Saudi Arabia? You’d not bet against it.
      That said, if it is kept clean, the Red Bull top speed could be too much for Hamilton and Merc to overturn.

      VERDICT: VERSTAPPEN WIN

      This season’s title race could go down to the wireCredit: EPA
      ABU DHABI
      THE final race of the year, but will it hold the decider?
      Not based on the above predictions, but if it did, then this offers Hamilton another chance.
      The Brit has won there five times before, including victory at Yas Marina in 2019.
      Tight to call, as the power advantage will not count for much for Red Bull.
      Downforce, experience and technique will be key, in which case, it could be Hamilton’s.
      Even if the title is won by Abu Dhabi, it would be a good marker for either driver to set down as they head into 2022.

      VERDICT: HAMILTON WIN

      Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen react to dangerous crash More

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      Watch F1 star Nikita Mazepin argue with bouncers before being kicked out of nightclub in latest off-track scandal

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      FORMULA ONE bad-boy Nikita Mazepin has been embroiled in another off-track scandal after being filmed rowing with nightclub bouncers.The Haas star, 22, was enjoying a night out in Mexico City following last weekend’s Grand Prix.
      Nikita Mazepin was kicked out of a Mexico City nightclub before rowing with bouncers, say reportsCredit: Newsflash
      It’s alleged Mazepin was ordered to leave the nightclub before confronting bouncersCredit: Newsflash
      Nikita Mazepin is in his debut season in F1 but already has a long list of off-track scandalsCredit: Splash
      According to Mundo Deportivo, Mazepin hit the town with soon-to-be Mercedes star George Russell and Red Bull reserve driver Alex Albon – who will replace Russell at Williams next year.
      It’s alleged the Russian racer – son of oligarch Dmitry Mazepin – was booted out of the nightclub before he confronted bouncers.
      It’s not yet known what Mazepin did to get himself kicked out of the hotspot.
      SunSport are awaiting comment from Mazepin and Haas.
      Mazepin is next set to race at the Brazilian GP in Sao Paulo this weekend.
      Earlier this year, the 22-year-old team-mate of Mick Schumacher filmed himself groping a woman’s breast in the back of a car before sharing it online shortly before his F1 debut.

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      Haas slammed the ‘abhorrent’ behaviour in a statement.
      Mazepin deleted the post and apologised following a furious social media backlash, which sparked the hashtag #WeSayNoToMazepin.
      The Russian driver has a history of bad behaviour at the track too.
      In 2016,Ā he punched British racing driver Callum IlottĀ after he blocked the Russian during a practice session.
      MazepinĀ was slapped with a pathetic one-race ban.
      Last season in F2, he notched up 11 penalty points on his racing licence – just one shy of receiving a suspension.
      Ahead of his F1 debut, Mazepin had vowed to shed his bad-boy reputation.
      Earlier this year, Mazepin claimed: “Graduating to Formula One means that all of a sudden you become an example to a lot of young kids who are aiming to get to the same championship.
      “With that, you have to bring a certain way of behaviour towards yourself.
      “I haven’t done it instantly because I was too late to realise that unfortunately.
      “In regards to what I’ve learned, it’s quite clear that first of all the behaviour you’re meant to bring to yourself, and secondly how you’re meant to act on social media and off social media.” More

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      F1 Brazilian Grand Prix: UK start times, live stream, TV channel, race schedule as Sprint returns

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      THE F1 roadshow rolls into Interlagos this week for the Brazilian Grand Prix, and things are looking good for Max Verstappen and Red Bull.The Dutchman, 24, opened up a 19-point lead over Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship after winning the Mexican Grand Prix last weekend.
      Max Verstappen leads by 19 points at the top
      And reigning champion Hamilton has admitted time is running out to catch up with Verstappen
      Hamilton, 37, said: “There are still four races to go.
      “But 19 points is a lot of points. And he’s had a lot of wins. If they were to carry that on to the next ones, we will be in trouble.”
      When is the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix?
      The F1 Brazilian Grand Prix takes place from Friday November 12 to Sunday November 14.
      And this time round we get also get the final Sprint Race of the season on Saturday too, were there will be valuable points up for grabs on a bumper weekend.
      Then it’s lights out on Sunday November 14 at 5pm GMT.
      What TV channel and live stream is F1 Brazilian Grand Prix?
      The F1 Brazilian Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 in the UK.
      Sky Sports F1 will be showing the full weekend schedule.
      What is the race schedule?
      Times in GMT
      Friday November 12
      Practice 1: 3.30pm
      Qualifying: 7pm
      Saturday November 13
      Practice 2: 3pm
      Sprint Race: 7pm
      Sunday November 14
      Race: 5pm More