Motorsport

FOR Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, they will be hoping for A Little Less conversation and a little more action at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.And whoever comes out on top might be All Shook Up by the result.
Sergio Perez, left, and Max Verstappen, right, show off their Elvis-inspired outfitsCredit: Courtesy of Oracle Red Bull Racing
Perez and Verstappen will wear the outfits at the Las Vegas Grand PrixCredit: Courtesy of Oracle Red Bull Racing
That’s because the Red Bull drivers are set to wear Elvis-inspired suits, when they take to the track at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday evening.
Called the ‘Viva Las Vegas Suit’, after the King’s famous hit, there will be two versions – one in red, one in white.
Both feature signature star details on the trousers in homage to the Hound Dog star.
“As we gear up for the first ever Grand Prix in Las Vegas, it’s only fitting that we pay tribute to the most prolific Las Vegas icon, Elvis Presley,” Red Bull’s Team Principal Christian Horner said.
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“Elvis left his mark on Vegas and the world, becoming synonymous with the glitz, the flash, and the energy of the strip, something we are hoping to replicate as we take to the track on Saturday night.” 
Fans will be able to get their hands on merch thanks to a partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing and Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Hoodies, T-shirts, fleeces, hoodies and totes featuring vintage images of Elvis adorned in race-gear along with a modification of his famed quote “Ambition is a Dream with a V8 V6 Engine” will be sold at the Elvis Presley Amazon Shop.
In 1969, Elvis famously kicked off a seven-year residency in Sin City at the International Hotel, which became the Las Vegas Hilton in 1971 and is now the Westgate.
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He performed an astonishing 636 shows, often two per night, on a showroom stage that still exists.
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However, in 1977 that came to an end when he was found dead at his beloved Graceland mansion in Memphis.
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BRAD PITT led a star-studded list of celebrities enjoying the qualifying action at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.The Hollywood icon, 59, is a huge Formula One fan and is currently filming a new film Apex about the sport.
Brad Pitt was the biggest celebrity name in attendance at the Las Vegas GP qualifyingCredit: Getty
Rod Stewart and Gordon Ramsay were guests of Red BullCredit: Getty
Usain Bolt did his trademark celebration along the pit wallCredit: Splash
And he got up close and personal on the pit lane in Nevada on qualifying day.
The actor even rocked an official FIA TV bib along with his accreditation.
Meanwhile, British trio Rod Stewart, Gordon Ramsay and Penny Lancaster were also snapped together taking in the sights and sounds of the Red Bull garage.
Stewart, decked out in a typically-flamboyant yellow velvet suit jacket and colourful waistcoat, looked his usual perky self – leaving the chef visibly baffled.
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Usain Bolt – who would no doubt fancy his chances in one of the F1 sprint races – pulled out his trademark pose on the pit wall of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit.
Elsewhere, TV personality Mark Wright, model Brooks Nader, DJ Chantel Jeffries and influencer Nastya Swan all made the most of the luxury hospitality.
They were guests at the Sports Illustrated’s Club SI for VIPs, with a jam-packed programme of entertainment as well as food and drink.
Nader hosted Friday night’s Swimsuit Party with Nicole English before David Beckham and Shaquille O’Neal headline Saturday’s main event.
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Charles Leclerc snatched pole position for the night race down the strip in Sin City.
Leclerc said: “I’m happy. To take the first pole in Las Vegas, it’s an incredible event.

“To be starting from pole is great. However, I’m a bit disappointed about my laps in Q3. I didn’t do a good enough job but it was enough for P1 and that’s all we need.
“Now it’s full focus to try and put everything together for the race. Normally, that’s where we lack most performance so I hope we can put it all together and win here.”
Brooks Nader helped present and host the evening’s entertainmentCredit: Getty
Mark Wright was a VIP guest at the Sports Illustrated’s Club SICredit: Getty
Influencer and model Nastya Swan stunned at the prestigious eventCredit: Getty
Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz finished second in Q3 with Max Verstappen third and George Russel fourth – but Lewis Hamilton was way back in 11th.
But Spaniard Sainz is set for a controversial ten-place grid penalty after having to repair his car following the dramatic incident with a manhole cover.
The chaotic scenes descended into a farce on Thursday night as sparks flew out of Sainz’s Ferrari and practice was suspended after just eight minutes.
To make matters worse, fans who spent thousands of dollars to be in attendance at the glamour event did not even get an apology from F1 after being booted out of their seats and missing second practice.
A statement said: “We have all been to events, like concerts, games and even other Formula One races, that have been cancelled because of factors like weather or technical issues.
“It happens, and we hope people will understand.”
Ellie Thumann rocked a leather outfitCredit: Getty
Charles Leclerc took pole in front of the incredible SphereCredit: Reuters
Christian Horner had a chat with StewartCredit: Getty
Stewart and Penny Lancaster were all smiles togetherCredit: Getty More

LAS VEGAS GP bosses have released a staggering statement over their shambolic handling of their inaugural race – telling disgruntled fans: “It happens”.Fans had spent THOUSANDS of dollars to watch EIGHT minutes of practice before it was scrapped after a drain cover slammed into Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari sparking a safety fear.
Carlos Sainz was involved in a bizarre incident during practice for the Las Vegas GPCredit: Splash
Sainz hit a loose manhole cover that caused irreparable damage to his carCredit: Splash
A worker repairing a hole after the first practice session was cancelledCredit: AP
The delay meant that second practice did now start until 2:30am – however, fans were ejected from their seats an hour before because of staff contractual hours.
Fans have demanded refunds from F1, who are organising their own race, and responded with a statement which failed to apologise.
And said: “We have all been to events, like concerts, games and even other Formula One races, that have been cancelled because of factors like weather or technical issues.
“It happens, and we hope people will understand.”
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The statement was released by Renee Wilm, CEO, Las Vegas Grand Prix and Stefano Domenicali, CEO, Formula One and likely to draw even more backlash.
In trying to explain their reasoning, the full version said: “Our top priority at Formula One is the safety and security of our drivers, employees, and fans.
“Responsibility for the oversight of a Formula One event falls with Formula One as the commercial rights holder of the sport, the FIA as the regulatory body, and the local promoter, in this case the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“This is important for those who are new to racing to understand.
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“Last night, approximately nine minutes into the first Free Practice session, a water valve cover broke on the straight on Las Vegas Boulevard.
“At that time the FIA, which is responsible for the safe running of the activities on the circuit, stopped the session so that we could look at the broken water valve cover and inspect the track. This has happened on occasion at other tracks at other races around the world.
“The precautionary step of removing all of the water valve covers on the entire track and filling them with sand and asphalt was undertaken.
“The entire process, from determination of the issue to remediation, took approximately five hours.
“The decision to remediate in this way was taken out of an abundance of caution and because the safety of drivers, trackside marshals and officials and our fans is always our highest priority.
“We thank the contractors who worked expeditiously to resolve the situation so quickly.
“As a result, the first Free Practice ended early. We moved ahead with the second Free Practice session at approximately 2:30 AM PT for 90 minutes.
“The decision to run the second Free Practice session at 2:30 AM PT was supported by all parties to ensure the sporting integrity of the remainder of the event.
“We would like to thank the drivers, mechanics and all the teams for their patience and commitment last night to ensure that we could run the session successfully.
“Now, let us turn to the fan experience.
Course staff pictured trying to fix the broken manhole cover during practiceCredit: Getty
“The delay in the start of the second Free Practice session from midnight to 2:30 AM PT created risks for our employees and our fans.
“We made the decision to close the fan areas that are under LVGP’s purview at 1:30 AM PT and send fans home.
“Let us explain why. First, we were concerned about our public safety and security officials who had been in service for a long time and who are being asked to work for the next three nights.
“We thank Clark County’s Metro Police Department, Department of Public Works and other public safety officials for their incredible support during the event and also as we re-opened the track early this morning.
“Second, we were concerned about our transportation employees who are responsible for driving our fans back to hotels.
“By Federal law, they were bumping up against the amount of time they can legally and safely drive buses.
“Finally, our hospitality staff needed the ability to clean and resupply our guest areas to ensure that the fan experience is optimal for everyone over the coming days.
“We know this was disappointing. We hope our fans will understand based on this explanation that we had to balance many interests, including the safety and security of all participants and the fan experience over the whole race weekend.
“We have all been to events, like concerts, games and even other Formula 1 races, that have been cancelled because of factors like weather or technical issues. It happens, and we hope people will understand.
“So how will we address this tonight?
“We have worked overnight to adjust our staffing plans across security, transportation and hospitality to ensure that we can function and serve fans with the best possible experience in the event of an extended race schedule.
“We are excited about the racing today and thank our entire team and our fans for their support.
“We know this is going to be a great event. With that let’s get back to racing.”
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FORMULA ONE fans have demanded the FIA make a rule change after Carlos Sainz was handed a grid penalty following his involvement in a freak accident.The Ferrari driver caused the first practice session at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to be cancelled after less than ten minutes of action when he drove over a loose manhole cover.
Carlos Sainz was involved in a freak accident during practice 1 at the Las Vegas GPCredit: The Mega Agency
Sainz hit a loose manhole cover that caused irreparable damage to his carCredit: Splash
CCTV footage from the track showed the moment Sainz’s car caused a huge outburst of sparks as the bottom of his car was ravaged by the cover.
The freak accident at the newly-created street circuit caused irreparable damage to his engine and chassis.
The damage meant Sainz would need to take a third energy store component, with drivers only allowed two for the full season.
Ferrari asked for an exception to the rules to make penalty-free repairs on the car due to the “highly unusual external circumstances”.
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However, race stewards rejected this request and handed Sainz a ten-place grid penalty.
Their statement read: “The mandatory penalty specified under Article 28.3 of the Sporting Regulations must be applied.
“The Stewards note that if they had the authority to grant a derogation in what they consider in this case to be mitigating, unusual and unfortunate circumstances, they would have done so, however the regulations do not allow such action.”
Fans vented their fury at the decision by taking to social media.
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One fan said: “Sainz penalty an absolute farce! Shows what a mess@FIA has dug itself into with every extra page they add to their rulebook.”
A second said: “FIA needs to sit down and go through every page of that bloody rulebook. You’re making a mockery of this sport.”
A third said: “The fact that the FIA is penalizing @Carlossainz55 with a grid penalty when an actual circuit issue caused damage to his car is the most unfair thing I’ve seen in @F1 since the Race Director debacle in the final race of 2021.”
Another said: “So the grid was not checked properly, caused issues with @Carlossainz55 car, and massive delays…but he still gets the penalty… Ridiculous rules!!”
A fifth said: “Sainz gets penalty because @F1 didn’t do their job right.”
While a sixth added: “That Sainz 10 place grid penalty is an utter disgrace, yeah I get rules are rules etc but surely when it’s through no fault of their own whatsoever; the organisers should be compensating for this.”
Sainz said he was in “disbelief” at the decision, while McLaren chief Zak Brown also sympathised with him.
Sainz said: “The team communicated to me that I was taking a 10-place grid penalty for something that I have no fault, and the team have no fault.
“That changed completely my mindset and my opinion on the weekend and how it’s going to go from now on. I’m disappointed and in disbelief with the situation.
“You will not see me very happy this weekend.”
Brown added: “You’ve got to say that’s force majeure, that’s nothing of their own doing. A very unfortunate and unique incident. I was a bit surprised to see that.
“I think we need to be a bit more supporting if something like that happens. I would support them not getting a penalty.”
However, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff attempted to fight F1’s corner following the incident.
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MICHAEL Schumacher’s pal has revealed what the F1 legend would be doing had he not had his horror ski crash.British F1 legend Johnny Hebert said the seven-time world champion was able to get the best out of everyone – and opened up about his great talent.
Schumacher’s pal has revealed what the F1 legend would be doing had he not had his horror ski crashCredit: Getty
Herbert reflected on how Schumacher would have made a good pundit after he retired from racingCredit: Getty
Hebert, 59, raced in Formula One between 1989-2000 and battled frequently against Schumacher, even when the pair were teammates for the now-defunct Benetton in 1994 and 1995.
Now, he has opened up about what the German driver would have done best post-retirement if it was not for the horrific ski crash in 2013.
In a recent interview, he said: “I don’t think the motivation would have been there for him to run a team,” replying to a question about Schumacher’s involvement in the sport in the latter stage of his life.
He added: “Schumacher maybe would have looked back at Alain Prost, the professor for whom it didn’t pan out perfectly, but it is not a straightforward thing.”
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Speaking to Genting Casino, Hebert went on to say how the German driver lacked the qualities it takes to run a business.
“Michael’s motivation was as a driver, but I never saw that businessman type of mentality that would have fitted in with what it takes to be a principal.
“Michael was not the conniving sort that is needed for that.
Herbert, however, reflected on how Schumacher would have made a good pundit after he retired from racing.
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He said: “He would have been outspoken. He was always very aware of what you can and can’t do. 
“His character was always in your face, telling you directly if you had done something to him on the track.
“I believe punditry would have been his great strength.”
Schumacher, considered by many to be the greatest driver in Formula One history, hasn’t been seen in public since his life-changing skiing accident nearly a decade ago.
The racing superstar suffered a horrific ski accident while with his son Mick, on the slopes above Méribel in the French Alps in 2013.
Any information about the state of his condition is tightly controlled by his privacy-focused family led by wife Corinna.
Earlier in October, Hebert revealed Schumacher used to get smashed and rip his pals’ clothes off at wild post-race parties.
He opened up about the crazy times with the seven-time world champion – but admitted they would never get away with it now.
The two racing legends together would often battle against each otherCredit: Getty More