Toto Wolff sees a long road ahead as Mercedes seek to end Red Bull’s domination
Lewis Hamilton’s boss Toto Wolff has conceded Mercedes will have to scale Mount Everest to topple Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team next season. Mercedes clung on to second place in the constructors’ championship by the skin of their teeth – and a £10million cash boost – as Verstappen ended the most dominant season in Formula One history with another victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Dutchman, taking his 19th win from 22 rounds, finished 17 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez. But, mercifully for Mercedes, the Mexican driver was demoted to fourth following a five-second penalty for a collision with Lando Norris. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was elevated to second with Mercedes’ George Russell third. Lewis Hamilton finished ninth in the other black-liveried machine. Had Perez outscored Russell, Mercedes and Ferrari would have been tied, with the Prancing Horse second in the team standings by virtue of Carlos Sainz’s win in Singapore. But following Perez’s sanction, Mercedes ended the campaign three points clear of Ferrari to land a £105million reward, rather than £95m. However, it marked a second straight season without a victory for Hamilton – a losing streak which now stands at 45 races – and Mercedes’ first winless campaign in a dozen years. They finished an eye-watering 413 points behind Red Bull, who have long since turned their focus to next year’s machine. Last season, Mercedes were 244 points behind the world champions. “Red Bull won by 17 seconds today, and haven’t touched the car since July or August, so you can pretty much guess where they’re going to be next year,” said a despondent Hamilton. Picking up the baton, Wolff added: “From Lewis’ perspective, he had a bad weekend. Fact. But that doesn’t do anything on him being the greatest driver in the world. “If we are able to give him a car, he will be fighting for a world championship. I have no doubt. But it is clear if you have a car like we have now, you are not at ease with it. “Red Bull started the new regulations in 2022 with a massive advantage and they have been able to maintain it. “We have a lot of respect for their achievements – from the engineering side, and the driver – and beating them under the current regulations is against the odds. Mount Everest is in front of us.” Hamilton and Mercedes will hope a brand new design will fire them back to winning ways following their no-sidepod flop abandoned on the eve of the opening race in Bahrain. Wolff continued: “We had to be honest that this car was never going to be good enough to fight for a world championship. We took the decision in April to go back to the drawing board and come up with something different for next year. “We are changing the concept. We are moving away from how we laid out the chassis, the weight distribution, the airflow, literally every component has been changed because only by doing that do we have a chance. You could get it wrong also. Everything is possible.” Mercedes have carried Hamilton to six of his record-equalling seven world championships. But the 38-year-old will head for the off-season wondering if he will ever win again, let alone mount a season-long championship challenge. With only minor tweaks to the sport’s technical rulebook before a complete overhaul in regulations in 2026, Hamilton has already expressed his fear that Verstappen will be untouchable for the next two years. Wolff added: “We have a board in our factory that shows all the world constructors’ championships since 1958. The table runs until 2050 so there are 27 open. And I would like to look back in 20 years and see many more Mercedes stars. “I hate retrospective views. But when we look back and consider the decade we had – second, first, first, first, first, first, first, first, first, third, second – and when you look at it from that perspective, you say, ‘that was OK’. “But from a micro-view there is one guy (Verstappen) that has won 19 races, and that of course, is not good enough.” Read More Lewis Hamilton cannot wait for season to end after qualifying 11th in Abu Dhabi George Russell fastest as rookies handed chance in first Abu Dhabi practice Class action lawsuit filed over farcical start to Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 Abu Dhabi GP LIVE: Race results and reaction at Yas Marina Max Verstappen sets new landmark as he ends dominant season with Abu Dhabi win When does the 2024 F1 season start?
2023-11-27 01:47
Russia says Ukraine grain deal 'has been terminated'
Russia said Monday it was suspending its participation in a crucial deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain, once again raising fears over global food supplies and scuppering a rare diplomatic breakthrough to emerge from Moscow's war in Ukraine.
2023-07-17 18:54
Bottler Coca-Cola HBC lifts sales outlook
By Radhika Anilkumar (Reuters) -Coca-Cola HBC lifted its annual revenue forecast on Wednesday as the bottler benefited from higher prices
2023-08-09 17:28
ExpressVPN review: A stylish, minimalist VPN service with solid privacy practices — and a steep price
UPDATE: Aug. 29, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT We've revisited this review as part of an
2023-08-29 17:49
Carnival Shares Tumble as ‘Solid’ Results Fail to Impress Investors
Carnival Corp. shares tumbled by the most in more than seven months after the cruise-ship operator reported quarterly
2023-06-27 04:53
Tourists Are Filling Singapore Airlines’ First and Business Class Cabins
Singapore Airlines Ltd. is flying nearly full first- and business-class cabins even without the return of corporate travel,
2023-11-09 15:17
What’s the Difference Between Shrimp and Prawns?
Shrimp and prawns are two tasty crustaceans that are often confused with one another. We examine the differences.
2023-06-21 05:19
AI-altered political ads must now be disclosed on Google and YouTube
With election season around the corner, Google and YouTube are keeping a close eye on
2023-09-09 23:16
Our favorite personal blender is 50% off for one day only
Save 50%: The Nutribullet Pro is a powerhouse personal blender, and as of June 29,
2023-06-30 00:25
Just 25 minutes of daily exercise enough to cut death risk from prolonged sitting, scientists say
Working out for just about 20-25 minutes daily may be enough to cut a heightened risk of death due to a highly sedentary lifestyle, a new study finds. Adults in developed countries spend about 9-10 hours on average every day sitting down mostly while working, with the highly sedentary lifestyle linked to a heightened risk of death. The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found just about 25 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) eliminates the risk of high sedentary time. Individual data from four groups of people, who were fitted with activity trackers, was pooled for the latest study by scientists, including those from The Arctic University of Norway. Researchers sought to find out whether physical activity might modify the association between sedentary time and death, and what amount of physical activity and sitting time may influence the risk. The analysis included data from nearly 12,000 people aged at least 50, who had a minimum of 4 days of 10 daily hours of activity tracker records. The participants had been monitored for at least two years, and had provided details of potentially influential factors, including their sex, educational level, weight, height, smoking history, alcohol intake and whether they had current and/or previous cardiovascular disease, cancer and/or diabetes. About 5,950 people spent fewer than 10.5 hours sitting down every day, while 6,042 clocked up 10.5 or more sedentary hours. Data from death registries found that during an average period of five years, 805 (7 per cent) people died, 357 (6 per cent) of whom spent under 10.5 hours sitting down every day and 448 of whom clocked up 10.5 hours or more. Being sedentary for more than 12 hours a day was found to be associated with a 38 per cent heightened risk of death compared with a daily tally of eight hours. But this was only among those registering fewer than 22 daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, scientists said. The study found over 22 daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity was linked with a lower risk of death. Higher daily tallies of physical activity were found to be linked to an even lower risk irrespective of the amount of time spent seated every day. For instance, an extra 10 minutes a day of exercise was linked to a 15 per cent lower risk of death in those spending fewer than 10.5 sedentary hours. This extended duration of workouts was associated with a 35 per cent lower risk among those spending more than 10.5 sedentary hours every day. Citing the study’s main limitation, scientists said the research was observational and can’t establish cause and effect. The study could also not account for other potentially influential factors like diet, mobility issues and general health. However, scientists said small amounts of MVPA “may be an effective strategy to ameliorate the mortality risk from high sedentary time”. Read More Study reveals why millions of women wake up at 3.29am Sports culture is ‘intimidating’ and putting people off working out, study finds Running could be just as effective at treating depression as medication, scientists find This Chinese martial art may slow down Parkinson’s disease The best ways to work-out in 22 minutes – as study finds this is magic number for offsetting ‘negative impact of sitting’ Mick Jagger, father of eight, explains why parenting is ‘not like riding a bike’
2023-10-25 15:25
F1 makes historic broadcast move for Monaco Grand Prix
Formula 1 will produce the television coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix next week – ending a longstanding grip on the event from local broadcasters. F1 produces the world feed for every race on the calendar, with Monaco previously being the anomaly among a season of 22 races in 2023 – a figure which has dropped from 23 after Imola’s cancellation this weekend due to flooding in the Emilia Romagna region. Local TV station Tele Monte Carlo had been the producers of one of the sport’s most famous races, but F1 will now control the broadcasting of the event, including the world feed. The local hosts have been criticised in recent years for their feed, with examples of key action being missed and shots shown at random times. A memorable instance was in 2021, when a battle for position between Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly after a pit-stop was cut-out for a random replay of Lance Stroll’s car running wide at the swimming pool chicane. The event’s production is now set to improve by F1 moving it in-house, with new and improved angles in addition to traditional shots around the twists and turns of the principality. Monaco has been out on its own in locally producing their F1 race for the last 11 years, since Fuji Television stopped producing the Japanese Grand Prix in 2011. Previous to that, F1 gradually took the reigns at grands prix around the world from local hosts to in-house production. 2023 marks the first in a three-year deal between F1 and the Automobile Club of Monaco (ACM), in the short-term stamping out doubts about the future of the blue-ribbon race. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won last year’s Monaco Grand Prix in wet conditions. The Mexican trails team-mate Max Verstappen by 14 points heading into this year’s race. Hometown favourite Charles Leclerc will be eyeing his first ever podium at a race he has notoriously struggled at since his F1 debut in 2018. The Ferrari star has secured pole positions in the last two years but was unable to take to the start line in 2021 due to a mechanical failure and a pit-stop blunder in 2022 meant he finished fourth. Read More F1 race schedule: What time is the Monaco Grand Prix next Sunday? Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are the biggest losers from Imola Grand Prix cancellation F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix cancelled after heavy flooding in region Will Imola Grand Prix be rescheduled?
2023-05-19 17:19
Novartis upgrades outlook despite US legal setback
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis raised its earnings guidance for the second time this year on Tuesday despite a legal setback in the United States and announced it will spin off...
2023-07-18 20:16
You Might Like...
Who is David Bolno's wife? Singer Camila Sterling found dead in music executive's hotel bathtub OD'd on 'pink cocaine'
'It's like my Adam Sandler moments...' Camila Cabello remembers fashion blunders
Pamper your legs with this at-home massager, now $130
Senate Republicans urge Schumer to enforce more formal dress code
Breakfast for 40 cents: what China's deflation looks like
Cast Away: How to Connect Your Android Phone to Your TV
The 23 Best Amazon Sex Toys On Sale Right Now
Angelina Jolie says she’s figuring out her style as she recalls wanting to look ‘soft’ after being ‘hurt’
