Motorsport

FORMER Renault boss Flavio Briatore, 70, has been rushed to hospital and is said to be in “serious” condition suffering from complications caused by coronavirus.
Reports in Italy claim to the former F1 team boss was taken to San Raffaele hospital to Milan on Monday.

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Flavio Briatore has been rushed to hospital due to coronavirusCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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Briatore is dating a law student 49 his juniorCredit: The Mega Agency

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Briatore is dating Benedetta Bosi, who is a student at the University of MilanCredit: The Mega Agency

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Briatore helped Schumacher win his first two F1 titles at BenettonCredit: PA:Press Association
Briatore’s illness follows his Billionaire club being shut down following a spate of positive coronavirus tests seemingly stemming from the Porto Cervo hotspot.
The ex-Benetton chief is not in intensive care, according to reports in Italy – and there has been no official statement, as yet.
However, the flamboyant Italian – who is dating a law student 49 YEARS younger than him – is said to be in “serious” condition.
Briatore – who owned QPR between 2007 and 2010 – saw his Billionaire club closed following an outbreak of the killer virus.

Around 60 members of staff returned positive results for coronavirus in the latest wave of testing.
Briatore was at the club for a recent football match, along with Bologna boss Sinisa Mihajlovic, who has also tested positive for Covid-19.
Nightclubs are considered to be promoting a second wave of coronavirus in Italy.

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Briatore famously dated supermodel Naomi CampbellCredit: AFP – Getty

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Briatore was also in a relationship with Heidi Klum – with the pair having a daughter, Helene, togetherCredit: AP:Associated Press

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Briatore helped Alonso to his only two World Championship wins at RenaultCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And with clubs all now on lockdown, Briatore took to Facebook earlier this week to share his disappointment.

He wrote: “My heart weeps to see an economy slaughtered by people who have never done anything in their lives.”
Briatore helped Michael Schumacher to his first two Formula One world titles in 1994 and 1995, during the German legend’s pre-Ferrari days, at Benetton.
He also helped Fernando Alonso to his only two career titles at Renault in 2005 and 2006.
But he left F1 in a cloud of controversy after being found guilty of race-fixing.

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Briatore was found guilty of ordering Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash his car to help team-mate Alonso win the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008.
The Italian was banned by the FIA for life, but saw his suspension overturned on appeal.
Despite that, he has still never returned to motorsport.

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FORMULA ONE has announced a return to Turkey as it completes a 17-race season in the Middle East.
Istanbul Park will host its first Grand Prix in nine years on November 15 before a double-header in Bahrain and season-closer in Abu Dhabi.

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Istanbul Park has been named on the F1 2020 calendarCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit will host the 17th and final race of the seasonCredit: AP:Associated Press
On Tuesday, F1 announced how it will cap off a wholly unique 2020 calendar with four final races.
Entering the schedule is Istanbul Park, located an hour east of Turkey’s bustling capital and based in a secluded location that will help the sport maintain its stringent coronavirus protocols.
After March’s cancelled GP as the pandemic began, Bahrain will stage races on November 29 and December 6, before the season is completed in Abu Dhabi a week later.
It means the year will end in typically gruelling fashion for team staff with three race weekends in a row.

The announcement confirms the 2020 campaign will take place exclusively in Europe and the Middle East, with no excursions to the Americas or Far East.
October races at Germany’s Nurburgring and iconic Italian track Imola will complete the European leg before the trip across the Bosporus.

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Disagreements over government funding saw Istanbul Park slip off the calendar eight years ago.
Ailing Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel may be cursing his luck at the announcement, with Turkey the stage of his infamous crash with Red Bull teammate Mark Webber in 2010.

Of the current grid, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen have a victory apiece at Istanbul Park with Vettel winning its most recent race back in 2011.
Last year’s Bahrain and Abu Dhabi GPs were both won by Mercedes ace Hamilton, who leads the current championship rankings by 37 points.

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MOTO GP rider Maverick Vinales was forced to leap from his bike at 125mph and somehow escaped unhurt.
The Spaniard pulled the death defying stunt at Austria’s Red Bull Ring when his brakes failed approaching a bend.

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Maverick Vinales was forced to leap from his motorbike at 125mph

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His bike burst into flames after it hurled into the barriers
Vinales was 13th having fallen back from sixth due to recurring brake issues.
And then his afternoon got even worse when his front brake packed up completely as he sped towards the fast right-handed turn one.
Breathtaking footage shows Vinales bail out at the bottom of a straight and skid at frightening speed on his back.
He eventually came to a stop and leapt to his feet unharmed but his bike was not so lucky.

The powerful machine stayed upright, hurtled into the barriers and immediately burst into flames.
Explaining the incident after the race, the 25-year-old said: “I started to lose the front pressure of the brake. I was trying trying, I went out [of the track] one time.
“I made three laps very slow then again [I was] without brakes.

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The Spaniard was forced into the stunt after his brakes failed

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The incident occurred at Austria’s Red Bull Ring
“Suddenly the brake was good, I was recovering a lot and then suddenly in corner one the brake exploded, so it wasn’t possible to do nothing.

“It’s something I never had during all my MotoGP career.
“Maybe the brake would go down a little bit, I’d play with the lever, but today every lap I was adjusting the lever corner by corner, I could not make anything.
“I think the part went away, on the brake. I remained without brakes – the first intention was to go out of the bike, because I couldn’t stop the bike, impossible.
“But what can you do? I would not remain on the bike, I jumped.
“I understood very well that the brake was broken or something, so I decided to jump.
“Nothing more, we lose and we win together.
“We’re going to try to come back stronger – now we have to forget these two races in Austria, for sure it’s the worst two races I’ve been in in MotoGP.

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“We deserve something better, we worked really hard all weekend.”
The race ended in equally dramatic fashion with Miguel Oliveira on a Tech3 KTM overtaking two rivals on the last corner to jump from third to first and win.
And the incident came just days after a horror 200mph crash when a flying bike missed Valentino Rossi by just inches.

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MOTO GP star Maverick Vinales was forced to leap from his bike at 125mph and somehow escaped unhurt.
The Spaniard pulled the death defying stunt at Austria’s Red Bull Ring after his brakes failed approaching a bend.

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Maverick Vinales was forced to leap from his motorbike at 125mph

4

His bike burst into flames after it hurled into the barriers
Vinales was 13th having fallen back from sixth due to recurring brake issues.
And then his afternoon got even worse when his front brake packed up completely as he sped towards the fast right-handed turn one.
Breathtaking footage shows Vinales bail out at the bottom of a straight and skid at frightening speed on his back.
He eventually came to a stop and leapt to his feet unharmed but his bike was not so lucky.

The powerful machine stayed upright, hurtled into the barriers and immediately burst into flames.
Explaining the incident after the race, the 25-year-old said: “I started to lose the front pressure of the brake. I was trying trying, I went out [of the track] one time.
“I made three laps very slow then again [I was] without brakes.

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The Spaniard was forced into the stunt after his brakes failed

4

The incident occurred at Austria’s Red Bull Ring
“Suddenly the brake was good, I was recovering a lot and then suddenly in corner one the brake exploded, so it wasn’t possible to do nothing.

“It’s something I never had during all my MotoGP career.
“Maybe the brake would go down a little bit, I’d play with the lever, but today every lap I was adjusting the lever corner by corner, I could not make anything.
“I think the part went away, on the brake. I remained without brakes – the first intention was to go out of the bike, because I couldn’t stop the bike, impossible.
“But what can you do? I would not remain on the bike, I jumped.
“I understood very well that the brake was broken or something, so I decided to jump.
“Nothing more, we lose and we win together.
“We’re going to try to come back stronger – now we have to forget these two races in Austria, for sure it’s the worst two races I’ve been in in MotoGP.

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“We deserve something better, we worked really hard all weekend.”
The race ended in equally dramatic fashion with Miguel Oliveira on a Tech3 KTM overtaking two rivals on the last corner to jump from third to first and win.
And the incident came just days after a horror 200mph crash when a flying bike missed Valentino Rossi by just inches.

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THIERRY HENRY recalled being labelled a “black s***” on live TV as he opened up on his racism hell.
The Arsenal legend, 43, spoke honestly and bravely about his personal experiences in an emotional video call with Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and Olympic great Tommie Smith.

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Thierry Henry opened up on his racism hell with Lewis Hamilton and Tommie Smith
And the Frenchman – who moved to the USA in 2010 to join the MLS – detailed a case where he was abused during a live broadcast.
Montreal Impact manager Henry said: “At one point, I said people didn’t see my colour any more because I played football, because I was, in brackets, famous.
“When I came to play in the US, my colour came back because no one could recognise me, depending on which state we were in. My colour came back. It was the first time again that I felt like I left my neighbourhood. 
“When I arrived in New York, some people could recognise me and some couldn’t.

“When you ask for a cab, he looks and sees you are a certain colour and puts the light on and suddenly he isn’t free any more. You’re left like, ‘Hang on I’m alone here’. It hit me again.
“I have been called a ‘black s***’ live on TV. It is what it is, you’ve heard it before but this was live on TV which made it like, ‘Wow…’.”
Henry posted a powerful response to George Floyd’s murder and racism in 2020 on his Instagram page in June.
And then in the following month, for Montreal’s first game back, he took a knee for the first eight minutes and 46 seconds – the length of time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of Floyd.

When I stepped out of my neighbourhood, people started to make me feel that I wasn’t human. The colour of my skin was a problem.
Thierry Henry

He wore a Black Lives Matter T shirt and raised his fist in a symbol of solidarity with the movement.
But the two-time Premier League winner knows the reality of racism on a personal level, discussing his childhood and then leaving the tough Les Ulis suburb of Paris.
Henry added: “I grew up in a bad neighbourhood, which at the time I thought was the best neighbourhood in the world because I couldn’t compare it to anything.
“Because there was a lot of diversity in my neighbourhood I didn’t realise anywhere was different.
“When I stepped out of my neighbourhood, I started to realise people started to make me feel that I wasn’t human. 
“The colour of my skin was a problem, what I wore was a problem. In Europe sometimes if you have a hood on, suddenly that means you are from a bad neighbourhood.
“And if you have the colour to go with it, that’s a double bill.”

View this post on Instagram

I have been collecting my thoughts for the past few days in order to eloquently describe my feelings on the tragic and unnecessary death of George Floyd. It would have been far too easy to write with emotion, hatred and vitriolic sentiment in the immediate aftermath. Although those feelings are still present, I will give it a try. Why is this still happening in 2020? Why do the same racists applaud any ethnic minority who plays for the team they support but abuse the same minorities on the street? Why are all the methods we are using to eradicate this from our society not working? It’s gone on for too long and we have come too far for this to be tolerated in modern society. I do not advocate violence, looting or destruction of property, as this will not solve any problems and many racially afflicted individuals are victims themselves of this behaviour. Why should the people be punished who have the same struggles, turmoil and racial abuse? The people who have worked their entire lives to feed their families and then have the fruits of the labour destroyed in protests against the issues they are suffering themselves? This is not the answer. However, we do urgently NEED change, we DEMAND change and most importantly, we DESERVE change. Make it happen, NOW. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
A post shared by @ thierryhenry on Jun 2, 2020 at 1:45pm PDT

Like Henry, Hamilton has been at the forefront in raising awareness of racism by leading the protests in F1.
The British star, 35, has taken a knee before each race in the current season – despite criticism and lack of co-operation from some other drivers and the sport’s chiefs.
He also called on broadcasters to do more in supporting the anti-racism campaign by helping with educating the wider public on diversity and race.
In the call, arranged by Puma, Hamilton added: “I’m in a sport which is white dominated and there is very little diversity, for example. And with everything that happened in the States, it really brought up a lot of emotions for me. 

“A lot of people think it is only happening in the States. Yes, there is the police brutality in the States but systemic racism is across the world. 
“Very much in Europe and England. I experienced that a lot growing up in the UK and then when I started driving race cars. 
“This year it has come around and I have got the sport now to acknowledge that it needs to do more.”

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Henry took a knee for eight minutes and 46 seconds of Montreal Impact’s first game after George Floyd was murdered

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Hamilton has led the anti-racism campaign within Formula One by taking a knee before each race with some of his fellow driversCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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The three sporting greats shared their personal experiences of racism across three generations

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MOTORSPORT racer turned adult entertainer Renee Gracie has showed off her new bum after having an £8,000 Kim Kardsashian-style operation.
It emerged earlier this year that the Aussie, 25, had ditched her Supercars jumpsuit in order to pursue a more lucrative career in porn.

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Gracie showed off the result of her new surgeryCredit: Instagram / @renee_gracie

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The 25-year-old treated herself to a ‘Brazilian Butt Lift’Credit: Instagram / @renee_gracie
And such has been her success, that she decided to treat herself to an £8,000 cosmetic surgery also undergone by reality TV icon Kardashian.
The “Brazilian Butt Lift” involves doctors taking fat from the stomach and implanting it into the bum – while liposuction is also done on the abdomen, thighs and back.
On having the procedure, Gracie told news.com.au: “It is the same surgery which Kim Kardashian and a bunch of celebrities have had done.”
It was revealed earlier this summer that Gracie was earning around £13,000-a-week from her OnlyFans account.

But since her spate of publicity, this figure has skyrocketed.

I know the figures but let’s just say I made half a million in the month of June
Renee Gracie

She told Gina Stewart: “I was averaging about 70,000USD (£53,000)-a-month up until recently when I got a lot of media attention and I had a few stories go viral.
“I know the figures but let’s just say I made half a million in the month of June.
“When I raced, I got slammed for my looks and appearance, my weight and so on. To this day it still affects me. But the thing I love about Onlyfans is that it’s just people who support me and like me for who I am that join.”

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The Aussie switched careers earlier this yearCredit: Instagram

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Gracie now has 730,000 followers on InstagramCredit: Instagram

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She has hinted at a future return to motor racingCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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While Supercars bosses in Australia sought to distance themselves from Gracie back in June, her passion for the sport remains as strong as ever.
And she has now suggested that she could make a stunning return to the track.
She told the Aussie Daily Telegraph: “I now have the financial security to get back into it.
“I can now afford to go racing without worrying about crashing the car. I can do it and afford to do it.
“I can go racing and not have to worry about a budget. I won’t be reliant on sponsorships.”

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Gracie made ‘half a million’ in the month of JuneCredit: Instagram / @renee_gracie

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MOTORSPORT racer turned adult entertainer Renee Gracie has showed off her new bum after having an £8,000 Kim Kardsashian-style operation. It emerged earlier this year that the Aussie, 25, had ditched her Supercars jumpsuit in order to pursue a more lucrative career in porn. And such has been her success, that she decided to treat […] More

JOHANN ZARCO will have surgery after breaking his wrist in a horror 200mph crash in Sunday’s MotoGP race.
Many observers pointed the finger at the Frenchman after he tangled with Petronas SRT racer Franco Morbidelli at Red Bull Ring.

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Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli were sent flying by the crash

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The Ducati rider believes the crash was not entirely his faultCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Having overtaken Morbidelli, Zarco began to brake at the Turn 3 hairpin and was immediately taken out by the Italian, who felt he was helpless to avoid the incident and slammed his rival post-race.
Not only were the pair sent sprawling off the track, their bikes hurtled down the straight and very nearly wiped out both Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi.
Despite walking away from the crash, Zarco confirmed to L’Equipe that he will require a procedure on a broken scaphoid bone in his right wrist.
He is quoted by Autosport as saying: “It’s a classic procedure, with the placement of a screw to fix the broken bone.

“I will be back in Austria on Thursday morning for a medical check-up to see whether or not I am able to ride this weekend for the second race organised at the Red Bull Ring.”
Both Morbidelli and Rossi made clear their anger at Zarco’s part in the crash having narrowly escaped serious injury.

I didn’t want to do it on purpose, but now that we have spoken together they understood.
Johann Zarco

The Ducati rider has attempted to explain away the blame and insisted that it was a racing incident.
He said post-race: “I overtook Morbidelli in the straight and then in the moment I had to brake he touched me and he was surprised.

“He was thinking that I went super wide, but I wasn’t much more wide than what I normally do.
“I didn’t want to do it on purpose, but now that we have spoken together they understood.
“It’s because of the speed. In the moment that I braked, I was in his slipstream, we touched, and we had no control and we crashed.
“Then the worst thing was that my bike could have destroyed Valentino.”

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Zarco received medical attention but walked away from the scene of the crash

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The crash also sent two bikes hurtling across the track, with Valentino Rossi only just missing Morbidelli’s vehicle
Both Morbidelli and Rossi have spoken in private with Zarco to clear the air, the 30-year-old has stated.
Having met Zarco in the medical centre, Morbidelli later fumed about the incident on Italian TV.
The 25-year-old exclaimed: “He’s half a killer.
“I’m fine, but it was very dangerous. For me and for him, but also for Valentino and Maverick who saw a bike come in their faces at 280km/h.
“I’m sorry because I wasn’t able to do anything. The moment I started braking, Zarco changed trajectory, perhaps to protect himself.
“When he went towards the outside, I was sucked into his slipstream. Braking like this, at 300km/h, means having little love for those who are racing with you.”

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Likewise, MotoGP veteran Rossi lamented how drivers are becoming increasingly aggressive.
He said: “It was so scary. It was terrifying. We have to pray to somebody, everybody has to pray to he who decides.
“But, f***. I feel bad. I was scared, very much. Because today was very dangerous.
“You try to not think about it, but it’s really difficult, and even now it’s not easy. I spoke to my girlfriend already, she is destroyed!”

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