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Another Milestone On Offer For F1 Champion Max Verstappen At Season-Ending Abu Dhabi GP

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After a record-breaking year, Formula One champion Max Verstappen isn’t ready for 2023 to end.

Especially with the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.

Another victory would push him beyond former Red Bull great Sebastian Vettel into third place all-time.

“Of course, it’s an insane number. “We had a crazy, crazy year,” Verstappen remarked. “It will end at one point, but hopefully not too soon.”

Verstappen clinched his third straight title a few weeks ago and is aiming for a season-high 19th win — he held the previous record of 15, achieved last year — but he has his sights set on 2024.

“I love driving; that’s the foremost (thing), and winning is the best thing in Formula One,” remarked the Spaniard. “At the same time, I’m very focused on what’s ahead of me, and hopefully, we will have a competitive car again next year and continue that momentum.”

Additional goals will be next year, including chasing a fourth F1 title to equal Vettel and Alain Prost and closing in on seven-time F1 champions Michael Schumacher (91 triumphs) and Lewis Hamilton (103) for the most race wins.

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However, Verstappen is only 26 years old and has plenty of time to close the gap.

His highlights for 2024?

“Winning the comeback race in Miami was great, I think that was an important one,” he told reporters. “Winning in Suzuka (Japan), after the tough race we had in Singapore (when Ferrari won).”

It’s difficult to imagine now that Verstappen leads Red Bull colleague Sergio Pérez by 276 points — the equivalent of 11 victories — yet they were neck and neck entering the fifth race of the season.

Pérez declared himself a championship contender after winning two of the first four races, a claim he backed up by securing pole position at the Miami GP in May.

Verstappen blew qualification, began eighth, and still won. Pérez never recovered, and the title was never in doubt after that.

“Max has just been incredible this year; no one thought we could be better than 2022,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner remarked. “You have to start talking about him among the greatest names in the sport.” He’s still got a lot of racing ahead in him.”

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari has not won since the Austrian Grand Prix in July last year.

“To be honest, it’s been a disappointing season,” he added. “After last year, we wanted to try and fight for the championship, (but) after the first race (this year), we straight away understood how difficult it would be.”

Leclerc’s brilliant final-lap pass on Perez to finish second at last weekend’s Las Vegas GP showed he is in good form, raising optimism for 2024 when he is likely to have a faster, more dependable car.

“There’s a big gap to fill,” he remarked. “Hopefully we’ll come back stronger next year with a car that’s capable of winning.”

Red Bull’s supremacy has left others with little to compete with. But something is at stake this weekend for both Ferrari and Mercedes: finishing second in the constructors’ championship.

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Mercedes leads by 4 points (392-388), although Leclerc has podiums in two of the last three races.

“Momentum is good but the big work remains to be done on track,” Leclerc said. “We will have to put everything together in order to fight them and beat them in the constructors’ championship.”

His teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. won the Singapore GP two months ago and is the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race this year.

Mercedes driver George Russell believes the difference will be made on race day.

“We’re going in with an open mind,” he said. “In qualifying, I think they will have slightly the upper hand, as they’ve tended to do so this season, but come Sunday, I think it will be a different story.”

A flight from Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi is about 8,000 miles long and takes nearly 20 hours.

There are better methods for fatigued drivers and team workers to travel at the end of a 22-race season.

“It’s a little difficult to understand what time zone you’re in,” Verstappen added.

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It’s not good for the environment, either.

“It’s a little bit odd that we’re on the other side of the world before coming here, especially when you’re talking about sustainability,” commented Verstappen. “It’s probably not very sustainable.” Not just for the emissions, but also for the human body.”

Following Russell in first place were Daniel Ricciardo of AlphaTauri and Felipe Drugovich, an Aston Martin reserve. The majority of the big names stayed home as nine of the ten teams completed one of their mandated young driver test days.

Leclerc topped the second practice ahead of Norris and Verstappen. After nine minutes, Sainz lost control of his car going out of Turn 3 and crashed sideways into the crash barriers, resulting in a red flag.

After 25 minutes, drivers resumed, but another red flag was displayed when Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg lost the rear of his car at Turn 1.

SOURCE – (ap)

Kiara Grace is a staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. Her writing focuses on technology trends, particularly in the realm of consumer electronics and software. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for breaking down complex topics. Kiara delivers insightful analyses that resonate with tech enthusiasts and casual readers alike. Her articles strike a balance between in-depth coverage and accessibility, making them a go-to resource for anyone seeking to stay informed about the latest innovations shaping our digital world.

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Keir Starmer Rejects Meeting With WW2 Veteran Over Her Frozen Pension

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Anne Puckridge, orld War Two veteran, state pension
"It's the injustice of it that is so unfair, the fact that we were never warned."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rejected a request from a 99-year-old WW2 for a meeting to discuss the frozen state pension policy for citizens living abroad. Starmer declined the meeting but offered an alternative meeting with Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds.

Anne Puckridge, who turns 100 this month, went from her home in Canada to agitate Keir Starmer’s Labour government over the state pension freeze.

The World War II veteran told the BBC that she is “angry” and “heartbroken” following a meeting with the pensions minister, who led her to believe that the government will not reconsider its policy of freezing the state pensions of some British people living abroad.

Anne Puckridge is one of approximately 453,000 British retirees living overseas who do not receive an annual increase in their state pension.

Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds agreed to a meeting after Sir Keir Starmer’s request to meet was denied owing to purported “pressures on his diary.”

Ms. Puckridge stated that the meeting in Parliament left her feeling “bitterly disappointed” and “disgusted”.

She stated that she had the idea Reynolds had been “polite enough and kind enough to come in and spend her time with her,” but that her mind had already been made up before the meeting began.

Ms Puckridge stated that she and her other campaigners would have to think carefully about what they could do from now on, but she assured them that they would take action.

State Pension Minister Reynolds thanked Ms Puckridge for the meeting and for sharing her insights.

A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) representative stated that the government recognizes that “people move abroad for various reasons, and we provide clear information on how this can affect their pensions.”

The policy of increasing the UK state pension for recipients living abroad has existed for many years.

Since she relocated to Canada in 2001 at the age of 76 to live closer to her daughter, Ms Puckridge has received £72.50 (C$129.00) per week.

Her state pension is now less than half the £169.50 (C$302.00) paid to seniors still residing in the United Kingdom. She told the BBC that frozen pensions touch all aspects of life.

“You’ve got to be careful about entertainment,” she told me. “You must realize that you cannot be as kind to your grandkids as you would like.

“You feel you’ve lost all sense of dignity, the government has thrown you away, you know, out of sight out of mind.”

Ms. Puckridge stated that when she alerted the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she was moving to Canada, “they never said a word about [my] pension being frozen”.

“The first I knew about it was when my first rise was due,” she recalled.

“I didn’t understand it. So I wrote and enquired about it, and I was told no… you will not receive any additional pension rises when you leave the UK.” She said, “It’s the injustice of it that is so unfair, the fact that we were never warned.”

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Air Force Drones Spotted Over UK Military Bases

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Air Force Drones Spotted Over UK Military Bases
The drones were not considered hostile, the USAF said,

British military expertise has been brought in to assist in identifying persons responsible for flying Air Force drones near US military locations. According to the BBC, 60 RAF troops have been dispatched to assist the US Air Force with its probe.

The Air Force drones were not deemed hostile, according to the USAF, who added that the sightings “fluctuated and varied between the bases” and “ranged in sizes and configurations”.

According to the Ministry of Defence, “We are supporting the US Air Force response.”

The announcement follows several recent reports of unmanned aerial vehicles sighted near RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Feltwell in adjacent Norfolk.

There have been other reports of drone activity overnight. According to the USAF, the vehicles were few in number and modest in size.

A representative for the US Air Forces in Europe stated, “We can confirm that there were sightings yesterday during nighttime hours, but the number fluctuated and varied between the bases throughout the night.”

The official stated that since the first sightings on November 20th, there has been “no impact on residents or infrastructure, and they have not been identified as hostile.”

However, the Air Force drones remained under surveillance “to ensure the safety and security of the installations.”

They said, “We request individuals in the area to contact either local police or security forces if they see anything suspicious.”

Treat threats seriously’

Officials in the United States and the United Kingdom have not said who is responsible for the recent drone activity.

However, the BBC understands there were worries that a state actor could be involved.

In recent months, intelligence officials have warned of increasing Russian sabotage operations against Western countries supporting Ukraine.

RAF Mildenhall is primarily home to the USAF’s 100th Air Refuelling Wing; RAF Lakenheath is home to USAF F-35A and F-15E fighter jets; and RAF Feltwell is mainly concerned with logistics and provides housing for military personnel.

A spokesman for the MoD, which owns the bases, said: “We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defence sites.

“We are supporting the US Air Force response.”

The USAF has not said who it believed to be behind the incidents.

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General Election Petition in UK Hits 2 Million Signatures

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Keir Starmer, UK, General Election
Starmer has ruled out an general election after a petition reached two million signatures

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ruled out holding an early general election after a petition calling for a second vote garnered two million signatures.

Over the weekend, a petition calling for another general election was started on the UK Parliament website. It cited Starmer’s failure to keep all his pledges made in the run-up to the previous election. By Monday mid-morning, it had surpassed two million signatures.

When asked about the petition, Starmer said he was “not surprised” that some individuals who did not vote for Labour in the previous election want a “re-run” of the poll.

He claimed that he had “inherited a lot of problems” from the previous administration and had resolved to “take the hard decisions first.”

Starmer ruled out an early general election, stating that only the Prime Minister can request that the King call a general election; it simply will not happen, he said.

This petition, started last week and sponsored by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, calls on the government to schedule a new general election.
To sign a petition, you must verify that you are a British citizen or resident and provide a postcode.

The petition states, “I would prefer there to be another general election. I believe the present Labour government has broken the pledges they made before the last election.”

The petition comes only five months after Labour won the July general election with 9.7 million votes and 412 seats in the House of Commons.

However, the Labour Party garnered only 35% of the vote, the lowest percentage gained by a single-party administration since the conclusion of WWII.

Some of the policies implemented by Starmer and his Labour government have received significant criticism, including an inheritance tax on farms, a reduction in winter heating payments, an increase in employers’ national insurance, and applying VAT to private school fees.

According to the most recent Ipsos political pulse poll, the Labour Party is unpopular, with 28% of the public favoring it and 49% opposing it.

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