Dua Lipa's custom Porsche 911 GT3 RS hits the auction block
The enormous rear wing incorporates a Formula 1-style drag-reduction system, helping to generate an impressive 409kg of downforce at 200km/h.
All proceeds from the charity auction will be donated to the Sunny Hill Foundation, created by Dua Lipa to support Kosovan society.
The Dua Lipa Rennstall GT3 RS is valued at more than R8.3m and bidding for the online auction closes on July 31.
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IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
F1 return to Africa: Kyalami nears green light as key meeting looms
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has vowed to bring Formula 1 back to South Africa, revealing in Parliament that a crucial meeting with F1 leadership will take place within two weeks. Photo: Backpagepix Image: Backpagepix Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has told Parliament that a critical meeting regarding the fate of Formula One on the African continent is set to take place within the fortnight. McKenzie was presenting his department's R6.3 billion budget before Parliament when he made the remarks. During his presentation, the Minister noted that Kyalami had received FIA approval to begin upgrades aimed at achieving Grade 1 status in line with Formula 1 specifications. Last month, Kyalami Circuit in Johannesburg was given the green light by the FIA to upgrade the racetrack, which is currently classified as Grade 2. The proposed upgrades focus on enhancing the run-off areas, barrier systems, debris fencing, kerbs, and drainage systems. Toby Venter, owner of Kyalami and driving force behind the project, is privately funding the multi-million Rand improvements. However, the FIA has yet to give either South Africa or Rwanda the official nod to host the 2027 Grand Prix — raising the possibility that Venter's investment could be in vain. Still, both McKenzie and Venter appear undeterred in their ambition to return F1 to the continent. Kyalami is only one of two circuits in Africa to have hosted a F1 race, with its most recent GP taking place in 1993. That race was graced by none other than Ayrton Senna, who drove his iconic V12 McLaren on the Johannesburg track. He finished second that year behind another legend Alain Prost of France. More than three decades on, McKenzie believes the time is right for South Africa to return to the F1 calendar. 'Many people laughed when I uttered the words, 'Formula 1 must come back to South Africa'. One man who didn't laugh was Toby Venter, the owner of Kyalami racetrack,' McKenzie told Parliament. 'When I told him that the government doesn't have the money to host Formula 1 — because of other, more urgent priorities — and that we would not be able to help him pay for the track to reach F1 standards, he looked me in the eye and said he would see it as his patriotic duty to do just that. 'We have had multiple meetings with the management of F1, with a crucial one happening in the next two weeks.' McKenzie also hinted at corporate support from companies such as MTN and Heineken, but it remains unclear whether the upcoming meeting he referred to is the one in which the FIA will decide which African country secures the 2027 race. Despite scepticism in some quarters, the minister insisted there was immense value in hosting a South African GP again. He argued that without a stop in sub-Saharan Africa, the F1 world championship could not truly claim to be global. To ensure the upgrades meet the highest international standards, Venter has enlisted UK-based Apex Circuit Design. Its founder, Clive Bowen, said Kyalami only needed a 'light touch-up' to reach world-class motorsport specifications.
The South African
4 days ago
- The South African
Gayton McKenzie gives F1 update: 'Big meeting in TWO weeks'
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has revealed that a 'significant meeting' is set to take place in the next two weeks with representatives from Formula One. The Kyalami Grand Prix has been granted permission to modify its design, paving the way for a potential return of F1 to the country. 'Many laughed when I uttered the words 'Formula 1 must come back to South Africa'. One man in particular, who didn't laugh was Toby Venter, the owner of the Kyalami racetrack. 'When I told him that government doesn't have the money to host Formula 1 because of other more urgent priorities and we would not be able to help him pay for the track to reach F1 standards, he looked me in the eye and said he would see it [as] his patriotic duty to do just that. 'We have had multiple meetings with the management of F1, with a crucial one happening in the next two weeks.' The Minister was speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, presenting a R6.3 billion budget aimed at unlocking local talent in both sports and the arts and culture. 'To those who say the country can't afford to host the F1, I'm saying the country can't afford not to… We hosted the best FIFA World Cup. We put our country on the map for big events and should not turn back now.' According to McKenzie, what will be different this time is that government will not be expected to pay. Meanwhile, he announced that companies like MTN, MultiChoice, Heineken, and many others have expressed their support for this initiative. 'They will be present with us in the meeting with Formula 1 at the end of the month.' However, he stressed that those who believe that F1 is not important should consider the countries that are holding onto their F1 spots on the calendar. 'They see the value in it, and it can't be called a world championship if it misses an entire continent, sub-Saharan Africa in particular.' He also expressed gratitude to everyone who joined the mission to promote the sport of spinning, including Red Bull and Cell C. 'People were laughing when we said we're going to make spinning big, but already this sport has left the townships and now Sam Sam is wowing the likes of Max Verstappen with his skills in Austria.' Samkeliso Thubane, also known as Sam Sam, is a prominent South African spinning motorsport athlete sponsored by Red Bull. He is recognised as the world's first official Red Bull spinning athlete and has gained international acclaim for his skills, performing at the reopening of Red Bull Hangar-7 in Austria. The country is exploring the potential of bringing a LIV Golf tournament, a professional men's golf tour, to South Africa as early as next year. 'Golf has not broken through to the masses and we hope to achieve that with LIV Golf. It's not only golf, but also culture,' McKenzie said. The Minister said he hoped to eclipse Australia's attendance of more than 100 000 at a single event over three days. Meanwhile, he said the draft document has been developed, and plans are being finalised to send as many athletes as possible to the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. The Minister said last year, they travelled to Olympic House in Switzerland to express the country's interest in hosting the Summer Olympic Games in South Africa in 2036. McKenzie announced that they are finalising the funding process for video assistant refereeing (VAR) to ensure fairness in football matches, from the Premier Soccer League to international fixtures – meeting global standards. 'It is a necessity. We see stadiums vandalised when bad refereeing happens, and the success of teams like Mamelodi Sundowns makes global teams want to play here, but they get second thoughts because we don't have VAR.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Daily Maverick
F1: The Movie brings high-speed thrills to the big screen
F1: The Movie makes for a thrilling watch that will have fans on the edge of their seats. As for the plot? It could have done with a serious shift in gear. Formula 1 is at the top of its game. The sport has a global fan base of 826.5 million, superstar drivers and countries often vying for a place on its annual calendar – it commands worldwide attention. Formula 1's long and storied history has been both documented and fictionalised in films such as Rush, Senna, Ferrari, Schumacher, Netflix's Drive to Survive and now, F1: The Movie. With the championship in its 75th year, there is arguably no better time to capitalise on its hype than now. The film follows racing driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), who is convinced to return to Formula 1 with the struggling APXGP F1 Team on the brink of being sold. He is partnered with rookie driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), whom he is encouraged to mentor and pass down his years of racing knowledge to – but the pair immediately clash, not only on the track but also in the garage, where tensions are high and neither is used to coming second. The production worked hard to make this a real blockbuster. Seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton was brought in as a producer for the film, and his expertise was aimed at making this the 'most authentic racing movie that's ever been made'. Chassis from Formula 2 vehicles were built up to look like Formula 1 cars, and filmmakers worked with the Mercedes F1 team to build custom bodywork according to real-world regulations. Cameras were then built into the models at 16 different places, giving viewers gripping perspectives of racing not seen before. 'It was a machine built for shooting a Formula 1 movie – completely custom, but a real race car at the heart of it,' director Joseph Kosinski told the F1 Explains podcast. Filming took place over two years at real race weekends and circuits including Silverstone, Spa and Yas Marina, and alongside real Formula 1 drivers on the grid, in the paddock, on the podium and on the track. The results are spectacular visuals that truly capture the spectacle and sheer magnitude of the sport. The audience is treated to shots of wide, open skies above hundreds of thousands of fans, the roar of the crowd rising up from the grandstands, the smoke of flares coloured in Ferrari red and Dutch orange. We ride onboard through every sweeping corner of the racetrack, and feel the pure speed when the pedal hits metal. There are heart-in-throat moments as drivers fight for position, the thrill when they win a tussle and shock when they crash out with sickening crunches of carbon fibre meeting barrier. This is undoubtedly a technically stunning film. However, the movie's push for authenticity is also what lets it down in many places. To be clear, there is a lot one could nitpick here, especially for a passionate F1 fan: there are moments where remaining faithful to regulations and rules of engagement has been abandoned in favour of drama and suspense, and that is to be expected in any Hollywood film. But the decision to film alongside real race teams and drivers blurs the lines between fact and fiction, and can take the viewer out of the experience when paired with the unrealistic moments mentioned above. It also lets the plot down: of course, Formula 1 drivers are not actors, and they aren't expected to be. This results in very little tension in the racing scenes, as viewers cannot be introduced to the rivalry between competitors that is fundamental to the sport and, by extension, any racing movie. One can forgive this lack of developed secondary characters due to the filmmakers' deliberate choice to favour authenticity. However, there isn't much character development for the stars of the film, either. Pitt plays a charismatic and driven driver who has been at the heights of racing fame and fallen to its lowest lows. He is a complicated character who takes massive risks, on and off the track, yet his motivations for being a driver remain elusive. Sonny will eventually admit that he is 'chasing that moment of peace… where everything goes quiet' and he is one with the car, but outside of that one line of script, viewers will be hard-pressed to understand what makes him want to be a racing driver. Joshua Pearce's story is similarly surface-level. Sonny's rookie teammate is portrayed as young and cocky, and while he undergoes some personal development in the course of the film, his storyline never digs deep into his passions, desires or drives. In one scene, he does point out that he had to work 'twice as hard' as other drivers to get to where he is, but the film does not explore that further, which is a shame. There are no other Black men other than Hamilton on the grid, in the film or in the real world, and filmmakers missed an opportunity to present multidimensional, passionate racers of colour – something that has been woefully overlooked in the media for years. Kerry Condon, who plays the team's technical director, Kate McKenna, is also a victim of poor writing. To prepare for her role, Condon worked with former Formula 1 strategists Bernie Collins and Ruth Buscombe – both women who have been instrumental in proving that motorsport is not just a man's game. Unfortunately, Kate is reduced to Sonny's love interest who is only capable of building a fast car once he starts working with her. Other female characters don't fare too well either. Jodie (Callie Cooke), a pit crew mechanic and one of the only team members to have a speaking role, is repeatedly presented as out of her depth as she fumbles around the garage, bumping into drivers and misplacing equipment. Simone Ashley, who spent the past year promoting the film, was cut from the final product almost entirely. Again, filmmakers had an opportunity to break down the stigma around who belongs in racing, and it is a shame that Kate and Jodie were not allowed to shine as smart, strong women in motorsport in their own right. This film brings Formula 1 to the masses, yet it lets a core demographic down by reducing women to stereotypes that women like Collins and Buscombe have been working to dismantle. Ultimately, followers of the sport may leave the cinema disappointed for valid reasons. At the same time, there is a lot the movie gets right. The excitement of fans is tangible, the pure speed is exhilarating, the racing is gritty and dramatic. These are things that make the sport so special. DM
