Two practice laps. That’s all it took for Sergio Perez to show – much to his own astonishment – how the Red Bull pendulum has swung ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. From a position of such strength three months ago off the back of two wins in four races, the Mexican’s spot at the runaway leaders in Formula 1 looks to be shrouded in more doubt as the weeks go on. On Friday, barely five minutes into first practice at the short and twisty Hungaroring in Budapest, Perez inexplicably clipped the grass and crashed heavily into the barrier at turn five. The shunt is a sign of the times. As much as everyone at Red Bull insist the 33-year-old will remain with the team until at least the end of his contract and the end of the 2024 season, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have shown they won’t wait. Patience is not a virtue adhered to at Red Bull. First, there’s been Perez’s own bad form. Since qualifying on pole in Miami at the start of May, he has not made the final qualifying session in five attempts; three of those have been an overwhelmingly poor Q1 elimination. Whilst the Mexican is second in the world championship, he is 99 points behind Max Verstappen in the same machinery. Results in comparison to your team-mate remain the ultimate barometer in F1 and right now, Perez is woefully short of pace and consistency. And second, here comes Daniel RIcciardo. The Australian, so forlorn of confidence in his final year at McLaren in 2022, is back in the sport having replaced Nyck de Vries at Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri. More significantly, the looks a figure completely rejuvenated for his eight months off. Having told The Independent that race wins and a world championship remains his ultimate goal, the popular Australian did not wilt when asked if a Red Bull seat – perhaps as soon as 2024, more likely in 2025 – was the long-term target. “It’s kind of another chance to make things better,” Ricciardo said in Budapest. “I think that’s why I was excited to get back behind the wheel and just kind of show my true self. Even the thought of that excites me. “Obviously the dream is a Red Bull seat. Of course that was my wish, but you need to be realistic, and if I want to get back into Red Bull it will be a process, and this is the best path for me at the moment.” That path starts with beating AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in the remaining 12 races this season, in what is distinguishably the worst car on the grid. In his first running in 2023, Ricciardo was 14th in second practice on Friday, while FP1 earlier in the day was foiled by a few red flags and variable weather, rendering it largely irrelevant in terms of action. As for Perez, he was only 18th-fastest in second practice, ahead of an alternative qualifying format on Saturday where each of the three sessions will require a different tyre. Charles Leclerc was fastest for Ferrari, with Lando Norris second for McLaren and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in third. Max Verstappen could only manage 11th in a session which was difficult to read, though Mercedes really struggled – Lewis Hamilton was only 16th on the leaderboard and last year’s pole-sitter George Russell was dead last. A tough day to decipher. Expect Verstappen’s usual season dominance to return over the weekend, especially with a package which should improve the RB19’s already imperious aerodynamic performance. One element which was not hard to read, though, was Perez’s current anxiety in the cockpit. And a need to reverse his damaging slide, for his own sake, as soon as possible. Read More Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top Sergio Perez crashes out of practice in more woe for Red Bull driver Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing: ‘That’s how Red Bull work’ F1 Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and FP2 results as Ricciardo returns What time is qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday? F1 2023 race schedule: When is the Hungarian Grand Prix?

By Clare Jim HONG KONG Hong Kong's move to raise the maximum mortgages available to some homebuyers, its

From Silo to Ahsoka to Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, summer 2023

Twiggy has opened up about ageing and how cosmetic surgery “frightens” her. The model, whose real name is Dame Lesley Lawson, has never undergone cosmetic procedures such as Botox, unlike numerous other celebrities. The 73-year-old said she is “proud” of her wrinkles, but remained open to the idea of someday having “little tweaks”. In a new interview with the Daily Mail, Twiggy said: “I’m kind of proud of my wrinkles. I understand when people have little tweaks and maybe I’ll even do it, I don’t know. “But what I don’t think I’d ever do is all the stuff they inject, when they get those funny cheeks that look like cotton wool balls have been stuffed in them. It would frighten me.” Asked if she would consider Botox, the fashion icon replied: “It’s botulism, isn’t it? And I never fancied the idea of that floating round my body.” Twiggy also spoke about her body and credited going to pilates once a week for helping alleviate a bad back. Aside from that, she is relaxed about exercise and her weight. She added: “I’m bigger than I was, but I should be at my age.” In 2020, the model told the Guardian that she did not think the fashion industry would ever “go completely away from slimness”. Her own nickname was rooted in her petite figure and she has been associated with “extreme thinness” throughout her modelling career. Asked at the time if the industry needs to focus more on different shapes and sizes, she said: “I don’t think the high fashion industry will ever go completely away from slimness but I think other parts of the industry have started to use different shapes and sizes, and I think they should.” She has previously spoken about her “skinny” body image, which she believes is genetic, and said “some models” are “too thin”. “We do know that there are girls pushed to not eating and to losing weight and that is not good because you have tragedies with girls being ill or even worse,” she told Huffington Post. “There’s no doubt that there are some models who are too thin.” Read More Woman’s warning after lip filler left her unable to close mouth However hard the world tries to make me fear it, I’m excited to turn 30 this summer ‘Unproblematic people don’t age’ reflects the stupidest kind of beauty standard Flip flops, nudity and ‘up the vajayjay!’: The red carpet is a platform for protest Woman’s ‘$1,300’ dress divides the internet: ‘Why is it so bad though?’ Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll Tina Turner’s most iconic looks

Spring and summer are the perfect time to go on adventures. Whether it's a family

The head of influential J-pop talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc. stepped down Thursday after criticism that management

Global food costs fell to the lowest level in two years in May, reviving hopes that sticky inflation

Super Sale Alert: Get 20% off select styles at Bario Neal with our promo code R29XBARIONEAL, now through August 13.

Women in Sudan's few remaining maternity wards are having babies to the sound of gunfire.

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 17, 2023--

Pope Francis returned to Rome Monday after the first papal voyage to Mongolia, expressing admiration for its people and those of neighbour China while acknowledging such...

As scientists make the case that humans have fundamentally transformed the planet enough to warrant our own geological epoch, another question arises: is there anything...