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      Lewis Hamilton demands to RETIRE in meltdown at Qatar Grand Prix as time at Mercedes heads for sad ending

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      LEWIS HAMILTON had a meltdown and rowed with his team after trying to quit the Qatar Grand Prix early.The seven-time world champion threw his toys out of the pram as he suffered a puncture and a penalty in his second to last race in his Mercedes.Lewis Hamilton was hit with a puncture and penalty during a horror Qatar Grand PrixCredit: GettyHe asked his team to retire the car, a request that was deniedCredit: ReutersHamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington said on the team radio: “We have got a drive-through penalty in the pit lane. “It looks like you forgot to press the button on that first time behind the Safety Car.”Hamilton said: “Retire the car, mate. Park the car, mate.Bonnington replied: “Negative.”READ MORE IN F1Meanwhile his old rival from 2021, Max Verstappen, roared “simply lovely” as he produced a fierce drive to overtake pole-sitter George Russell and cross the line six-seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, while Oscar Piastri came in third.Lando Norris almost snuck into the lead himself at the start but Verstappen just managed to defend his position going through Turn Two.The safety car was called into action when chaos at the start saw Nico Hulkenberg lost the rear of his car and collided into Esteban Ocon who then clipped Franco Colapinto.Lance Stroll and Alex Albon also made contact amid the drama.Most read in MotorsportBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSOn lap 16, Hamilton, who was eighth, was handed a five-second time penalty for a false start.Russell’s evening went from bad to worse when his rear right tyre got stuck during his pit stop which took seven seconds.Lewis Hamilton in awkward car journey with George Russell and Carlos Sainz after Las Vegas GPDrama erupted when Albon lost his mirror going down the main straight, causing debris to scatter over the track.There was only a matter of time before someone drove over it and lo and behold Valtteri Bottas did, fortunately with no major issues.It caused misery for Hamilton, with the debris causing a puncture for his Mercedes before the safety car was deployed.Carlos Sainz’s car was also damaged, and the Ferrari was in the pits for a whopping nine-seconds.Russell ranted at his team for putting hard tyres on, saying: “Why have we put hards on? Why have we put the s*** hards on? They’re s***”On lap 40 at the restart, Verstappen held off Norris on Turn One to go on the outside after the McLaren got a great slingshot out of the final corner.There was more contact and more chaos as Hulkenberg was beached in the gravel and out of the race while Sergio Perez was gone too.Drama continued as the stewards came down HARD on Norris for not slowing sufficiently for yellow flags, slapping him with a whopping 10-second stop-and-go penalty.READ MORE SUN STORIESHamilton had his meltdown after he was caught speeding in the pit-lane.Verstappen cruised towards victory while Norris snuck back into the points as he moved into tenth.F1 2025 gridHere are the confirmed driver line ups for the F1 2025 season so far:Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio PerezFerrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis HamiltonMercedes: George Russell and Kimi AntonelliMcLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar PiastriAston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance StrollWilliams: Alex Albon and Carlos SainzSauber: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel BortoletoAlpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack DoohanRB: Yuki Tsunoda and TBCHaas: Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon More

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      Bernie Ecclestone selling off entire £500MILLION collection of rare F1 cars including one driven by Michael Schumacher

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      BERNIE ECCLESTONE is putting his £500MILLION Formula 1 car collection up for sale.The incredible assortment of vehicles includes those driven by ex-world champions such as Michael Schumacher, Mike Hawthorn, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Carlos Pace.Bernie Ecclestone is selling his huge car collectionCredit: Tom Hartley Jnr/PA WireIt is thought to be worth around £500millionCredit: Tom Hartley Jnr/PA WireSome iconic Ferraris are among those being soldCredit: Tom Hartley Jnr/PA WireEcclestone was involved in F1 for seven decadesCredit: Tom Hartley Jnr/PA WireThe collection spans 70 years of F1 – which marries up with Ecclestone, 94, who was involved with the sport for seven decades.The Ferraris are a highlight of the collection.They include the the famous Thin Wall Special which beat Alfa Romeo, the Alberto Ascari Italian Grand Prix-winning 375 F1, and the Mike Hawthorn World Championship-winning Dino.Ecclestone first dipped his toe in the sport working for Connaught, before he went on to become a team owner and then F1’s commercial rights holder.READ MORE IN F1He was removed from his position as F1 chief in 2017.And last year he agreed to pay £652million after avoiding jail over failing to declare overseas assets.However, he insists selling his lucrative car collection is not a financially-motivated decision, but because he wants to give them a new home before he dies.Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “That is why I have decided to sell them.Most read in MotorsportCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSCar collectors will be excited to get their hands on the iconic vehiclesCredit: Tom Hartley Jnr/PA WireClassic car dealer Tom Hartley Jnr is handling the sale of the collectionCredit: Tom Hartley Jnr/PA Wire”I would like to know where they have gone and not leave them for my wife to deal with should I not be around.”I have been collecting these cars for more than 50 years, and I have only ever bought the best of any example.Cost of an F1 car”Whilst many other collectors over the years have opted for sports cars, my passion has always been for Grand Prix and Formula One cars.”A Grand Prix and in particular a Formula One car is far more important than any road car or other form of race car, as it is the pinnacle of the sport, and all the cars I have bought over the years have fantastic race histories and are rare works of art.”Car dealer Tom Hartley Jnr, who is handling the sale of Ecclestone’s astonishing collection, explained why the collection was so iconic.And he also took a sly dig at the current crop of F1 cars.He said: “This is a great opportunity for a discerning collector to acquire cars that have never before been offered for sale, and it would be great to see them back on the track again.”All of the cars on the Formula One grid today look the same.READ MORE SUN STORIES”If you stripped them of their liveries, you’d struggle to know which one was a Williams and which was a Ferrari.”But when you look at some of the Grand Prix cars from the early 1960s to the late 1970s, they’d very much be at home in The Museum of Modern Art.” More

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      Schumacher’s bodyguard was ‘angry F1 legend’s family were sacking him & began £12m blackmail plot to sell pics of star’

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      BOMBSHELL new details have emerged around the £12million blackmail plot on Michael Schumacher and his family.German cops have been leading investigations into the Formula One legend’s bodyguard and two others who have been accused of threatening his loved ones.Details around seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher’s blackmail plot have been revealedCredit: AlamyMarkus F, the former security guard for the Schumacher family, allegedly planned the blackmail plotCredit: FacebookBouncer Yilmaz T was also hired to extort £12million from Schumachar’s family, it is claimedOne of the people allegedly in charge of the sickening plot is Michael’s former bodyguard known as Markus F.He was allowed inside the famous Schumacher inner circle for upwards of eight years as Michael’s wife Corinna felt he was a trusted aide.Earlier this year, the relationship drastically declined as Corinna was forced to let Markus go due to changes to her husband’s care plan.This allegedly turned him bitter as he started to hatch a plan to extort the Schumacher family, the MailOnline reports.read more in schumacher Markus had access to private information around the health and well-being of the seven time world champion and is believed to have started conspiring to reveal it all on the dark web.Corinna has made sure the health of her 55-year-old husband has remained a closely guarded secret since his 2013 skiing accident.Markus’ thwarted plan saw him allegedly steal 1,500 secret files from the Schumacher family home.This sensitive material was believed to have been uploaded onto four USB sticks and two hard drives in the days prior to Markus being let go.Most read in MotorsportThe content included photos, videos, medication lists and even Schumacher’s patient file, BILD reported back in July.After stealing the information, Markus is then believed to have recruited long-term pal and local bouncer Yilmaz T, say German authorities.Inside Michael Schumacher’s decade-long recovery from ‘desperately cruel’ ski crash as brother shares devastating updateYilmaz then allegedly used his son Daniel L to help him make contact with the Schumacher family and begin trying to extort them.Some of the files were even sent to his family as proof via email, prosecutors say.The trio threatened to sell the content on the dark web where it could have been dumped it into the public domain, German media alleges.They are accused of asking Corinna for £12million to return the files.Yilmaz – who had known Markus for over 20 years – was allegedly promised a small commission in return for his help.On July 4, officers arrested Markus in his apartment in Wülfrath. They also detained Yilmaz and his son Daniel L. for the alleged blackmail plot.Authorities said they were able to track down the alleged extortionists through “technical measures”.Yilmaz T has been charged with extortion and remains in custody. Daniel L is accused of aiding and abetting extortion but is out on bail.Markus is also out on bail, it is believed.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe men’s trial is set to take place in December in Wuppertal. Prosecutors are asking for the men to spend at least four years behind bars if found guilty. What happened to Michael Schumacher?MICHAEL Schumacher’s life was hanging by a thread over 10-years-ago as medics tried desperately to keep him alive after a tragic skiing crash.The F1 legend was left with horrific brain injuries and placed into a coma for 250 days.He was given the best possible treatment as he underwent hours of tricky operations on his brain.Back in 2013, the retired seven-time world champion, and his then 14-year-old son set off on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel.Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed when his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow.He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for two life-saving operations.At one point his family were told to brace themselves for the worst case scenario as the situation was much worse than originally believed.At the time, medics said Schumacher was likely to stay in an induced coma for at least 48 hours as his body and mind recovered.But the coma ended up lasting 250 days – more than eight months.After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment.Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his health status.Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but can react to things around him.In 2019, it was said that Schumacher was set to undergo breakthrough stem cell therapy in a bid to regenerate and rebuild his nervous system.Renowned France cardiologist Dr Philippe Menasche, who had operated on him previously, was set to carry out the treatment that would see cells from his heart go to his brain.Following the treatment at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, he was said to be “conscious”, although few other details were given about his state.The men reportedly targeted Michael’s wife CorinnaCredit: Alamy More

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      Lando Norris left with head in his hands as F1 rival tells him he’s getting instant fine for press conference blunder

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      LANDO NORRIS was left with his head in his hands as a Formula One rival told him he would be getting a fine for a press conference blunder.The McLaren driver finished second in the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix weekend after slowing down to hand team-mate Oscar Piastri the win just before the finish line as payback for the reverse happening in Brazil.Lando Norris accidentally swore in a press conferenceCredit: GettyGeorge Russell, right, joked Norris would be getting ‘a fine’ for the actCredit: RexBut during a press conference after the race, Norris was caught out as he made a blunder by swearing.The 25-year-old tripped up on the word privileges, before trying to say it again.However, he failed at the second time of asking as well, prompting him to mutter “s***”.Norris immediately realised what he had said and quickly apologised.READ MORE IN F1He then put his head in his hands in regret of the screw-up.George Russell, who finished third in the sprint, joked: “That’s a fine,” before Norris eventually said privileges correctly and chuckled to himself.The FIA have fined multiple drivers this season for using explicit language in interviews.Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have both been hit with fines for swearing this season at the Singapore and Mexican Grand Prix respectively.Most read in MotorsportCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSBut angry drivers responded under the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association – headed by Russell and including all 20 F1 drivers – by releasing a scathing 330-word statement at the start of November.They have urged the sport’s bosses to appreciate a distinction between “swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you might use to describe bad weather, or indeed an inanimate object such as a Formula 1 car, or a driving situation”.Emotional Lando Norris hugs F1 legend after Sky Sports presenter soaks McLaren star with water to ‘help out’The GPDA also warned FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem about his “tone and language” towards the drivers, insisting their “members are adults” and they “do not need to be given instructions via the media”.The statement went on to raise concerns over the “negative image financial fines bring to the sport”.Speaking before the Las Vegas Grand Prix which he won, Russell said many drivers were “fed up with the whole situation”.F1 2025 gridHere are the confirmed driver line ups for the F1 2025 season so far:Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio PerezFerrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis HamiltonMercedes: George Russell and Kimi AntonelliMcLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar PiastriAston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance StrollWilliams: Alex Albon and Carlos SainzSauber: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel BortoletoAlpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack DoohanRB: Yuki Tsunoda and TBCHaas: Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon More

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      ‘I’m definitely not fast any more’ Lewis Hamilton’s damning verdict of his form after Qatar Grand Prix sprint qualifying

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has given a damning assessment of his own performances this season after another disappointing effort in qualifying.Hamilton, 39, qualified seventh for the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.Lewis Hamilton has claimed he is ‘definitely not fast anymore’Credit: RexHamilton finished 0.399 seconds slower than teammate George Russell in sprint qualifying in QatarCredit: AFPThe Mercedes ace, who will join Ferrari next season, has claimed he is “definitely not fast anymore” after finishing 0.399 seconds slower that teammate George Russell. He said: “Same as every other qualifying – not that great.”I’m just slow. Same every weekend. Car felt relatively decent. You know, no issues. Not really much more to say.”When pressed on if the issue is related to him or the car, Hamilton doubled down that it’s a him-problem.READ MORE IN SPORTHe added: “When you are always back where I am it makes it almost impossible to compete for wins from there. But that’s the sprint. I’ll do what I can tomorrow.”Not particularly [any positives]. The positive is the car is fast and George should be able to shoot for pole tomorrow.”Who knows? I’m definitely not fast anymore.”Hamilton’s teammate Russell will start today’s sprint in second, behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.Most read in MotorsportCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSRussell has now out-qualified Hamilton 17 TIMES in 22 races, despite the seven-time world champ holding the record for the most pole positions in F1 history (104).While Russell is averaging an advantage of 0.16 seconds per lap over Hamilton this season. Lewis Hamilton celebrates ‘biggest honour of my F1 career’ in front of delighted crowd despite disastrous Brazilian GPThe 26-year-old, who won last week’s Las Vegas GP, is also one place ahead of Hamilton in the driver’s standings.Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc when he makes the highly-anticipated switch to Ferrari next season.Today’s sprint in Qatar is set to get underway at 2pm UK time with the race itself taking place on Sunday at 4pm.F1 2025 gridHere are the confirmed driver line ups for the F1 2025 season so far:Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio PerezFerrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis HamiltonMercedes: George Russell and Kimi AntonelliMcLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar PiastriAston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance StrollWilliams: Alex Albon and Carlos SainzSauber: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel BortoletoAlpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack DoohanRB: Yuki Tsunoda and TBCHaas: Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon More

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      Major broadcasting change as Formula E returns to free-to-air TV with new-look presenting team

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      FORMULA E has announced a major change to its broadcast rights that will see it return to free-to-air TV.The motorsport had previously been shown on BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 before it was effectively placed behind a paywall on TNT Sports for the first time in its 10-year history.Formula E have announced a major partnership with ITVCredit: GettyIt has now been announced it will return to ITV for the 2024/25 season, with live broadcasts and highlights being available on the ITVX app and ITV4.That includes the Season 11 opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on December 7.Formula E chief media officer, Aarti Dabas, said: “We’re delighted to offer UK and Ireland fans even greater access to our incredible championship via our two fantastic media partners – TNT Sport and now ITV – giving them more ways to watch and taking them even closer to the sport.”With our new post-race weekend highlights show on ITV, fans will be able to get bespoke content directly from the paddock helping educate, excite and entertain new and loyal fans alike. READ MORE IN MOTORSPORT”We can’t wait to bring our fans more track-side action and continue to grow the sport.”The channel switch will also see a new-look presenting line-up, with sacked BBC star Jermaine Jenas also dropped from his role on the all-electric racing series.Pioneering presenter Nicki Shields will return to lead the line-up and will become the first-ever female lead presenter in the series’ history.She has been a prominent figure both on and off the track since making her debut in 2014, and was the first female lead commentator for F1 Academy in its 2024 debut season.Most read in MotorsportBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSOn her new role, Shields said: “I vividly remember my first Formula E race in Beijing 2014, and 10 years later, my passion for the sport remains just as strong.”I’m thrilled to return to Formula E as lead presenter for Season 11. It’s an honour to share the excitement and drama of this incredible sport with fans around the world. Watch moment Brad Pitt ‘faints’ after heavy crash at Las Vegas Grand Prix – but all is not as it seems”With our talented presenting team, we’re committed to bringing viewers closer to the action than ever before. Bring on São Paulo!”She will be joined by racing drivers Billy Monger and Catie Munnings on the team, as well as sports commentator Tom Brooks.Pundits who will appear throughout the season will include David Coulthard, Karun Chandhok, Andre Lotterer, James Rossiter and Alan McNish.Saunders Carmichael-Brown and Alexa Rendell are also returning as pitlane reporters.Formula E’s CEO Jeff Dodds admitted before the London season finale that the move to place the racing series behind a paywall had led to “numbers that have been lower than we wanted”.Pascal Wehrlein was crowned as champion last season, narrowly beating Mitch Evans by six points. More

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      FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem continues sacking spree with shock dismissal of F1 lead steward Tim Mayer

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      MOHAMMED BEN SULAYEM has sacked F1’s leading steward Tim Mayer in another bombshell dismissal. The FIA president’s move comes just three-weeks after former F1 race director Niels Wittich’s shock axing with just three races to go.Leading F1 steward Tim Mayer has been sacked by FIA president Mohammed Ben SulayemCredit: AlamyMercedes driver George Russell recently said the drivers are “a bit fed up” with Ben Sulayem’s leadership of the FIACredit: GettyMayer is the son of McLaren co-founder Teddy Mayer and one of the most respected figures in the sport.He has not been called up to officiate as chairman of the stewards since his last outing at Mexico City Grand Prix last month.The 58-year-old also worked for the organisers of the US Grand Prix in Austin, who were summoned after fans invaded the track after the race. Comments made by the US promoters reportedly upset Emirati executive Ben Sulayem.Read more on F1Mayer and Wittich are the latest in a series of senior people to leave the FIA in the past year, with Luke Skipper, former director of communications, leaving in October 2024.This coincided with the departure of Jacob Bangsgaard, the former secretary general of mobility. Steve Nielsen also left his role as sporting director at the FIA in December 2023, just before single-seater technical director Tim Goss followed suit. Rui Marques, the F2 and F3 race director, was named as the Wittich’s replacement from last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.Most read in MotorsportCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSEarlier this month furious drivers released an open letter demanding they are treated like ‘adults’ by the FIA when it comes to swearing, jewellery and clothing.Since then Mercedes driver George Russell recently said the drivers are “a bit fed up” with the leadership of the sport’s governing body. Why snapping up Adrian Newey is such a coup for Aston MartinHe made it clear he was referring specifically to the leadership of Ben Sulayem.Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), also said that the drivers “weren’t aware” of the decision to remove Wittich. The sport’s governing body suggested in a statement that the German had chosen to leave his post to “pursue new opportunities.”But Wittich hit back, claiming he did “not resign” just hours after the FIA had announced his departure from the role. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who was crowned champion last weekend in Las Vegas, said: “It’s a bit weird with three races to go to do that and to have to now deal with a different race director.”Leclerc added: “That came out a bit of nowhere. I think we were all surprised. “It could have probably been managed in a better way.” More

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      Mary McGee dead at 87: Racing legend and star of Lewis Hamilton’s ‘Motorcycle Mary’ film passes away

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      RACING legend Mary McGee has passed away at the age of 87.The American was a pioneer in motorsport, breaking new ground as a woman in a male-dominated field.Motorcycle racing pioneer Mary McGee has passed away aged 83Credit: GettyShe was the subject of a Lewis Hamilton-produced short filmCredit: GettyMcGee competed from 1960 to 1976, becoming the first woman to race the Baja 1000, and the only woman to finish the Baja 500 solo.She initially raced sports cars before making the switch to motorcycles in 1964, and raced the Baja 500 on recommendation from Steve McQueen.Her family announced her death, saying: “Mary embodied resilience, grace, and optimism.”She was a historic athlete and a motorsports pioneer who embraced life’s challenges, cared deeply for others, and made time to brighten the lives of those around her. READ MORE IN F1″While we are deeply saddened by this loss, we are comforted knowing that her light will continue to shine in everyone she touched.”We would like to take a moment to extend a thank you to the healthcare providers, caregivers, friends, and family members that made Mary’s transition peaceful. “She particularly enjoyed the last few months meeting those who learned her story through the documentary, Motorcycle Mary.”McGee was also the subject of the short film, Motorcycle Mary, which was produced by Sir Lewis Hamilton.Most read in MotorsportThe F1 star invited McGee to the Canadian Grand Prix as a special guest this year and they spoke before the race.Sky Sports commentator also spoke to McGee, and he has paid tribute to the legend following her death.Lewis Hamilton in awkward car journey with George Russell and Carlos Sainz after Las Vegas GPHe said: “This is very sad, spoke to her on the grid in Montreal and was due to make a feature with Mary in Austin but she wasn’t well. “Truly remarkable lady, there is a documentary being released anytime about her life.” More