Hamilton Calls Himself 'Useless', Ferrari Cracking? First Sports With Rupha Ramani
Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, stunned the F1 world during the mid-season break by calling himself 'useless' and openly asking Ferrari to replace him. After a glittering career at Mercedes, Hamilton's move to Ferrari was meant to be a dream chapter, but the reality has been brutal. With no podiums, growing tensions, and rising doubts, Hamilton is facing one of the toughest battles of his career. Meanwhile, Mercedes and George Russell are gaining ground. Is this the beginning of the end, or will the GOAT bounce back? Rupha Ramani looks into what went wrong, why F1 is a ruthless sport where even legends aren't safe, and what the future might hold for Hamilton.
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Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Palghar cops flag ‘black spots' on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, write to NHAI
MUMBAI: Danger is ever present on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, especially the stretch cutting across Palghar district on the Maharashtra side of the border. This 115-km-long section, extending from Vesave (near Dahisar) to Talasari, and connecting two major cities, is in focus, again, for its unusually high number of accidents and fatalities. Mumbai, India - August 06, 2025: Black Spots on National Highway No- 48 at Takwahal village located in the Palghar district of Maharashtra, India, on Wednesday, August 06, 2025. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times) Now the Palghar superintendent of police Yatish Deshmukh has written to the Thane project director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), identifying 14 'black spots' and demanding that the highway authority fix them on a war footing. The letter, sent to the NHAI in the last week of July, said previous letters from the police on repairs and traffic safety measures had drawn no response, prompting the police to conduct an audit and identify the black spots. The situation is so dire for motorists using this stretch that Palghar district collector Indurani Jakhar met with NHAI officers in July, pointing to large cracks in the concrete at the Vasai phata toll naka. She told NHAI officers that the number of accidents had risen between Talasari and Warkhande due to multiple openings in the median, leading to reckless lane-cutting and increased crash risk. In its audit, the Palghar police has noted a detailed list of issues that needs to be fixed. Recurring throughout the list are hazardous media openings, encouraging motorists to drive on the wrong side of the road, poor illumination, sharp and dangerous curves, encroachments and speeding. Here's a snapshot of how dangerous the Palghar stretch of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, also called the NH-48, really is: In 2023, the number of serious accidents and corresponding fatalities was 182 and 106; in 2024, it was 74 and 86; while until July 2025, there were 65 serious accidents, including 71 deaths. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway came into focus when industrialist and former Tata Sons chairperson Cyrus Mistry died in a high-speed crash on the highway, on a bridge across the Surya River, on September 4, 2022. Although a case of rash driving was registered against the individual driving the Mercedes they were travelling in, the accident also brought to light the faulty design of the road leading up to the bridge. Shocking neglect Former Shiv Sena UBT corporator and transport activist Javed Lulania said, 'The NHAI claimed they had taken corrective measures and removed the accident site from the list of black spots. And yet there have been at least four accidents on the same spot since then.'' Also turning the highway into a death trap is very poor concretisation work, which has left the stretch pockmarked and cratered. Lulania, who has been working hard to improve road conditions on the highway, said, 'The concretising is haphazard and sometimes ad hoc, which is shocking for a stretch that connects two major cities.' He added, 'Often, the NHAI authorities randomly place barricades across the carriageway, leaving only one lane for traffic movement. The NHAI authorities claim they have positioned sufficient traffic marshalls on this stretch, but in reality there are only a handful. If a vehicle breaks down, there is barely any towing provision.' Borivali resident, J S Shah, a factory owner in Vapi, concurs. 'Till two years ago, I used to regularly drive to Vapi and back. I was pleased when the NHAI concretised the entire highway. But the stretch soon turned into a death trap as the concrete cracked and cratered, ruining my car's suspension. After spending ₹2 lakh in repairs, I gave up driving on this highway and now I take the train.' Dr Anand Kapse at M L Dhawle Hospital situated along the highway said, 'Ambulances are often delayed in reaching us, endangering lives.' He added that the condition of the highway is so bad that many have switched to travelling by train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. 'We are hoping the Mumbai Vadodara Expressway opens soon, so that there is an alternative route available.'' Honouring his son's memory Lulania operates two WhatsApp groups for motorists, flagging traffic issues in real time on the NH-48. His son Owez died on the highway a few years ago while returning to Ahmedabad from Mumbai. The SUV he was travelling in skid and crashed near Silent Valley Resort. The railings at the site were broken and Owez died on the spot. His father has since made it his mission to campaign to improve road safety on the highway so that others don't meet his son's fate. Among his many public service initiatives, Lulania and a group of 12 others offer a free ambulance service to accident victims on the NH-48. Despite efforts to get the NHAI to commit to improving the highway, little seems to have changed. Former Mumbai mayor and Sena UBT deputy leader, Vishakha Raut said, 'I travel to my village in Boisar by road every fortnight. I see only labourers on site when the highway is being upgraded, but I have never seen engineers or government employees. This is shocking for a highway that connects two business hubs like Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Why don't the local MLAs raise this issue in the assembly?'' NHAI manager (technical) in charge of the Thane unit, Dipendra Singh told HT, 'We have done many improvements to the NH-48 and continue to do so. We have got ₹20 crore sanctioned to fix black spots on priority. The road is bad in some places, but this is because state government agencies had dug up the road to lay pipes and then handed us the site late for upgradation.'' Bal Malkit Singh, advisor and former president of the All India Motor Transport Congress, makes a pertinent point. 'We pay a heavy toll and, despite this, a truck that needs three days on the Surat-Mumbai-Surat run now takes five days. Traffic jams cost us diesel and maintenance, not to mention the back problems drivers are developing from navigating the highway's cratered surface.' No trauma care The 100-km stretch from Vasai to Vapi did not have a major hospital that could treat serious accident cases until August 2019, when the state health department started constructing a trauma-care centre at Manor. Soon after the death of Cyrus Mistry in 2022, the state decided to speed it up. HT visited the site on August 5, but the work was far from complete. The superstructure was leaking in many places and there were no beds or equipment. The operation theatre too was not complete. Dr Ramdas Marad, a civil surgeon in Palghar district, said the work had stopped completely during the Covid-19 pandemic and restarted only after Mistry's accident. Three years later, it is nowhere near complete. 'There is a great paucity of funds to complete the work. It will take another eight to ten months to complete the hospital,' he said.
The Hindu
15 hours ago
- The Hindu
Saad Kassis-Mohamed's SKM Capital announces intention to revive Caterham F1 team for 2027 entry
The 2026 Formula 1 season will see the grid swell up to eleven teams for the first time in ten years, with the inclusion of General Motors-backed Cadillac F1 team. A twelfth entrant also could be a possibility after Kuwaiti investor Saad Kassis-Mohamed announced his intention to revive the dormant Caterham F1 team as SKM Racing, subject to approval from the FIA and rights holder Liberty Media. SKM Capital, of which Kassis-Mohamed is the board director, aims to secure an entry ahead of the 2027 season. The team will function out of a technical base in Silverstone and will have a race operations unit in Munich. 'F1 now operates with clearer financial guardrails and stable technical frameworks, making the category investable. We like the intersection of elite engineering, a global platform, and predictable cost governance,' Kassis-Mohamed told Sportstar. Caterham was part of the F1 grid for three seasons (2012-2014), during which it failed to score a single point. An eleventh-place finish for Vitaly Petrov in the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix was the team's best result. After entering administration in October 2014, the team returned for a final race in Abu Dhabi that year, managing to raise enough money via crowdfunding. With the administrators failing to find a new investor, the team folded at the end of the year, with its remaining assets auctioned off in March 2015. 'Caterham has strong recall and no current grid presence. A brand licence shortens the marketing ramp without reviving the defunct corporate entity or its liabilities,' the Kuwaiti entrepreneur said, outlining the reason for not marketing the team as a new entry. The road to FIA approval is still quite far, with the FIA yet to announce the reopening of its Expressions of Interest process since its previous notification in early 2023. Cadillac's confirmed F1 entry was also far from smooth. Michael Andretti's initial attempts to form an eleventh team were met with reluctance from Liberty Media. It was only after the onboarding of an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in the form of General Motors that the team was welcomed to the grid. Despite the perceived importance of OEM support, Kassis-Mohamed said the team will apply as a customer team, hoping to strike a deal with the existing 2026 power unit suppliers. 'We respect the thresholds set by FIA/ F1. Our plan involves two options: a change of control transaction in an existing entrant or applying in the next FIA process as a compact, well-funded customer team with long-term PU supply,' he said. Despite the short turnaround time, Kassis-Mohamed is confident of setting up the infrastructure and leadership group before 2025 comes to a close, ahead of focusing on chassis systems and race operations the following year. The timeline and decision-making, however, will be contingent on regulatory and commercial approvals. Related Topics Formula 1 / FIA
Hindustan Times
19 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Vuk Manufactur reveals EVOlution X, a souped-up Mercedes-AMG C63 S with a V8!
German tuner Vuk Manufactur has unveiled its boldest project yet, reworking the latest Mercedes-AMG C 63 S into a V8-powered super sedan. The current-generation C 63 S (W206) faced criticism at launch for swapping AMG's trademark V8 for a 2.0-litre hybrid four-cylinder, despite its impressive combined output. Now, Vuk has addressed those concerns directly, fitting the car with a twin-turbocharged V8 and adding a dramatic body kit under the banner of the EVOlution X . VUK EVOlution X: Design The EVOlution X doesn't just focus on what's under the hood. Its styling pays homage to the legendary Mercedes 190E Evo II, a DTM racing hero from the early 1990s. The widebody kit includes aggressively flared fenders, a reinforced front splitter, new side skirts, and a towering rear wing. Black six-spoke alloy wheels emphasise the stance, while a custom diffuser and bespoke badging complete the exterior upgrades. Subtle Petronas green highlights, reminiscent of Mercedes-AMG's Formula 1 livery, add to its visual impact. Also check these Cars Find more Cars Mercedes-Benz AMG C 63 S E-Performance 1991 cc 1991 cc Multiple Multiple ₹ 1.95 Cr Compare View Offers BMW M5 4395 cc 4395 cc Multiple Multiple ₹ 1.99 Cr Compare View Offers Maserati Quattroporte 3799 cc 3799 cc Petrol Petrol ₹ 1.80 Cr Compare View Offers Porsche Panamera 3996 cc 3996 cc Petrol Petrol ₹ 1.70 Cr Compare View Offers BMW 7 Series 2998 cc 2998 cc Multiple Multiple ₹ 1.84 Cr Compare View Offers Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2999 cc 2999 cc Multiple Multiple ₹ 1.79 Cr Compare View Offers Also Read : Mercedes AMG to phase out 4 cylinder plug-in hybrids, bring back inline-six and V8 engines: Report VUK EVOlution X: Performance and exclusivity While Vuk has not released official performance figures for the V8-powered C 63 S, the expectation is for significantly more power and character than the stock hybrid setup. The factory car produces 469 bhp from its four-cylinder unit alone, paired with an electric motor for a total of 671 bhp. With the V8 conversion, enthusiasts anticipate a more traditional AMG driving experience with greater focus on engine sound and torque delivery. Also Read : Actor Karan Kundrra brings home the Mercedes-Benz G-Class worth ₹2.55 crore Production will be limited to 63 units worldwide, though the tuner has yet to confirm how many of these will receive the full EVOlution X widebody package. Pricing has also not been disclosed, but given the rarity and extensive modifications, the model is expected to target collectors and high-end AMG fans. VUK EVOlution X: A nod to AMG purists The EVOlution X stands out not only as a technical showcase but also as a cultural statement. By bringing the V8 back, Vuk Manufactur has created the car that many enthusiasts feel AMG itself should have produced, combining modern performance with the spirit of Mercedes-Benz's racing past. Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2025, Best SUVs in India. First Published Date:
