For a man handed a lifeline in Formula One – with an illustrious Red Bull-shaped reward beckoning down the line – it has not quite been the statement return Daniel Ricciardo envisaged back in July. What did that look like? Top-10 finishes with AlphaTauri, perhaps with a memorable overtake or two evoking the Ricciardo of old back onto the grid. But it has in fact been the complete opposite: the only return has been his return to inactivity. Two races in and a hand injury sustained in practice in Zandvoort, north Holland, back in August has seen the affable Australian feature only on the sidelines again. A seesaw seven weeks have followed: while on one hand confirmation of a seat on the grid in 2024 was, rather peculiarly, confirmed in his absence in Japan, his deputy Liam Lawson caught the eye with a string of impressive performances, including a team-best result of ninth in Singapore. So as Ricciardo struts back into the paddock this weekend in Austin, the broken bone in his hand healed, the pressure is firmly on the 34-year-old’s shoulders at his home from home. Affection works hand in hand with Ricciardo and the United States: he loves America, Americans love him. Last year, weeks after his McLaren exit was announced, the sport’s most cheerful character arrived at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on horseback, kitted out in full cowboy apparel. Given his injury hiatus, you’d think no such extravagant entries will be repeated this year. But what he has got back in his hands, as opposed to 12 months ago, is his Formula One destiny. Perhaps fortuitously, too. When Ricciardo left Red Bull for pastures new at the end of 2018, his aspiration was that the grass was greener. Now five years on he is back at Christian Horner’s team, first as a reserve and now at the sister team. A second bite alongside Max Verstappen is what he truly craves. And he has made no secret of that. “Daniel is viewing AlphaTauri… he firmly wants to be pitching for that 2025 Red Bull seat,” said Horner back in July. “That is his goal and objective and, by going to AlphaTauri, I think he sees that as his best route of stating his case for 2025.” And with talk of Sergio Perez’s seat being under threat at Red Bull amid his struggles, there is a feasible route back to the top-table for Ricciardo. Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has already hinted the Mexican’s future seemingly lies away from Red Bull: most probably in a year, perhaps even as early as before next season. But before heading off any top contenders outside the Red Bull mothership, the Australian first has to prove his worth amid the in-house competition. Given Nyck de Vries’s rapid promotion to a seat after just one race last year, Lawson can feel hard done by that his impressive five-race showing – 13th, 11th, 9th, 11th, 17th – in this year’s slowest car hasn’t landed him a seat in 2024. So Ricciardo needs to better Lawson’s two points in the final five races of this season. He also needs to get the better of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, who has earned just three 10th-place finishes in 17 races this year. That is the minimum. But back stateside, it is the on-track magic and overtaking propensity of near-enough 10 years ago which will catapult him into Red Bull’s second seat conversation. That will be the key, as opposed to any off-track endeavours or kind words with sponsors. F1 world champion of 1997, Jacques Villeneuve, is quoted as saying this week: “I would ask kids who want to be drivers today – do you want it out of passion or because you want to be like Daniel Ricciardo, smiling in commercials?” While a tad harsh – best to smile than frown, no? – it does point to a school of thought that Ricciardo’s charisma is now a bigger pull than his talent. For any driver of any age, that is the ultimate insult. All of them are fundamentally in F1 to race, to scrap for every point and to jockey for every position. Even Ricciardo, who has endured the worst two years of his career since his anomaly of a win at Monza in 2021, remains adamant his world-class skillset is still present. His ambitions, so told to The Independentin July, remain the highest of highs: race wins and even a world championship. But Ricciardo must grasp the opportunity simply having a seat in this 20-driver sport gives and it starts with the cut-and-thrust of the sprint weekend at COTA. Nobody is expecting wins or podiums in the slowest car. But what people do expect is progress – and glimpses of the man of yesteryear. Read More What is a sprint race in F1 and how does new qualifying shootout work? What time is qualifying at the US Grand Prix on Friday? Sergio Perez addresses Red Bull future McLaren confirm first female driver in development programme Daniel Ricciardo to make F1 return at US Grand Prix Netflix reveal star line-up for F1 Drive to Survive vs Full Swing golf match

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Autumnal foliage, spiced lattes, and cuffing season are cute and all, but consider it quite literally the calm before the storm: Thanks to a rise in extreme weather events, it’s only a matter of weeks before polar vortexes, bomb cyclones, atmospheric rivers and, yes, thundersnow (a snowstorm spiked thunder and lightning), come for our comfort and complexions, drying and irritating skin along the way. For the mountain flower edelweiss, gale-force winds, freezing temperatures, and sheets of snow are just another day at the office. The star-shaped flower, which is native to the rugged Swiss and Austrian alps, is known to stand up to the most intense weather patterns — and still emerge looking soft and delicate, largely thanks to its antioxidant-packed composition. The plant’s uncanny ability to thrive in heightened weather conditions is a feat of resilience so impressive, the beauty industry is using edelweiss as a super ingredient for just about every product category on the market.

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Rodin Cars have revealed their application to join the Formula 1 grid in 2026 – with a female driver in one of their two seats – has been rejected by the FIA. The statement from the New Zealand-based outfit added that they expect Andretti Global’s bid to be the only successful application. Rodin’s founder David Dicker released a statement on Thursday explaining the decision and the main aspects of Rodin’s bid, detailing they would have had “no hesitation” in putting three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick in a race seat. Formula 1 has not had a female racer since 1976, with Jessica Hawkins last week becoming the first woman in nearly five years to test an F1 car. They also would have been based out of New Zealand, making them the only manufacturer in the southern hemisphere, and would have pursued a potential collaboration with Ferrari. “Rodin Cars participated in the recent FIA process aimed at gaining entry into the prestigious Formula 1 World Championship - unfortunately, our bid was not successful,” Dicker said in a statement. “This statement is intended to provide insight into the key points of our bid that we believe justified its merit. We wish to emphasise that our objective here is not to criticise the FIA or seek a reconsideration of its decision. We fully respect and accept the outcome.” The statement adds that they have tested Chadwick and New Zealand drivers Liam Lawson – currently filling in for Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri – and youngster Louis Sharp in F3 cars and their own Rodin FZed car, which they claim is quicker than an F2 car. Dicker also emphasised that Carlin have a history of junior open-wheel programmes in F4, GB3, F3 and F2, while Andretti only has a history in US racing. The Australian chief insisted Rodin cars is “financially equipped to fully fund the Formula 1 program (sic) from the personal wealth of our founder” but nonetheless “extended our best wishes to Andretti for their successful bid.” The FIA opened an expressions of interest process at the start of the year, with prospective entries invited to bid for a spot as an 11th team on the grid, potentially as early as when new regulations come into play in 2026. Andretti - owned by Michael Andretti, the son of 1978 F1 world champion Mario - has already announced a partnership with General Motors’ brand Cadillac, while other applications include from British racing team Hitech GP. The FIA and Formula 1 are yet to formally comment on the ongoing process. Read More Jessica Hawkins becomes first woman to drive F1 test in five years Jamie Chadwick on her new adventure in IndyCar and ‘ultimate goal’ of F1 seat Aussie billionaire David Dicker enters race for new team to join F1 grid Adrian Newey reveals ‘emotional’ Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton regret Christian Horner gives Lando Norris update amid Red Bull link George Russell ‘can’t argue’ with Lewis Hamilton’s status at Mercedes

As Refinery29’s resident CEO of Glow (a title I gave to myself and no one else knows about), it’s crucial that I find members of my clan of luminescent people. For those who have been told their entire lives they have too much highlighter on, I speak for you. But I couldn’t have made it to the top of the Glow Tower (created entirely of bottles of Pixi Glow Tonic) without the works of makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, who shined and gleamed so I could glow.

Ask Olivia Rodrigo in 2021 where her teenage dream is, and she will apologize for not enjoying her youth. Ask her in 2023 and she will ponder whether life gets better beyond your teenage years, despite them being marred with controversy, political unrest, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction.

Poor Things' trailer may be short, but it's already 30 seconds of incredible cinema nonetheless.