Latest news with #BernieEcclestone
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
F1 rolls the dice with new Monaco GP rule – can it save the famous race?
Last year's procession around the principality – where the order of the top-10 did not alter once – was the final straw. In an era where the show is king for F1's owners Liberty Media, something had to change at the sport's most famous race. Where better to roll the dice than Monaco? Ahead of the 2025 season, the team bosses met and concocted a plan to revitalise a grand prix where overtaking is nigh-on impossible. All drivers will have to run three sets of tyres in the 78-lap race on Sunday, making two pit-stops effectively mandatory – unless there is a red flag, like last year. Advertisement Suitably, on Thursday, Williams driver Carlos Sainz described the mystery element of the new rule as something of a 'lottery' for raceday. The typical raceday simulation plans all teams carve out beforehand will not be so straightforward now. It has been described in some quarters as a 'gimmick' and, no doubt, the sport enjoys a fresh trick with an eye on spicing things up. In modern times, there was the ludicrous double-points on offer for the 2014 season finale in Abu Dhabi, meaning Lewis Hamilton had to finish second instead of sixth to guarantee the world championship. Fortunately, he won the race, while Nico Rosberg finished a lap down due to an engine issue. It was not repeated. Bernie Ecclestone, coming to the end of his 40-year tenure in charge of the sport, did not digest the learnings for long, though. By the season-opening race of the 2016 campaign in Australia, a new one-by-one elimination qualifying format was widely ridiculed, resulting in a lack of cars out on track setting times. It survived for race two in Bahrain, but no further. More recently, there was the 2019 introduction of a bonus point for whoever set the fastest lap in the race, provided they were in the top 10. Unfortunately, Red Bull taking advantage of their sister team and Daniel Ricciardo's final race in Singapore last year – where he set the fastest lap but came home last, thus not receiving the bonus point but taking it away from title contender Lando Norris – triggered a change for 2025. Fastest laps on raceday are now irrelevant. Advertisement We also have sprint races now – six a year – which add to the weekend spectacle. F1 has never been afraid to move the needle, in the hunt for excitement and eyeballs. This year's rule change in Monaco should be applauded; the easier option would have been to stand still. Usually, qualifying in Monaco is the most important of the year and, whilst still vital, various strategies can now be at play across the grid with multiple pit-stops. For example, if you are at the back, could you stop on lap one and lap two and then race to the end? Meanwhile, at the front, when do you spread out your pit-stops? Who will blink first? Charles Leclerc's win in 2024 did not take away from the lack of entertainment during the race (Getty Images) The Monaco GP is often described as processional (Getty Images) "I guess it can go both ways, where it can be quite straightforward, or it can go completely crazy because of safety cars coming into play or not making the right calls,' said Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen. Advertisement Usually a hardline traditionalist, even the Dutchman seems intrigued by the new rule. "I think it will spice it up, probably a bit more. Normally, when you have that one stop, once you have a good pit-stop and everything is fine, then you drive to the end. You just have to stay focused and not hit the barrier. Drivers will have to use three different set of tyres on Sunday (Getty) "But maybe with a two-stop, it can create something different. People gambling, guessing when the right time is to box. So hopefully it will spice it up a bit more." Lewis Hamilton added: "I think it's good to try something different, if you keep doing the same thing over and over and over you're going to get the same result, so I think it's cool that they're trying something different. Advertisement "Whether or not it's the answer, we'll find out. It's definitely going to be different to what we've had in the past years. Whether that's better or not, I have no idea, I can't predict, but I like the way it's looking." It could be a damp squib. Or it could change the game. Yet with a contract now in place until 2031 – the sport's traditional crown jewel event is going nowhere – Monaco needed to renovate and this unprecedented rule change will add a sense of mystery to proceedings come Sunday afternoon. And, ultimately, is that not what every sport craves?
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
F1 rolls the dice with new Monaco GP rule – can it save the famous race?
Last year's procession around the principality – where the order of the top-10 did not alter once – was the final straw. In an era where the show is king for F1 's owners Liberty Media, something had to change at the sport's most famous race. Where better to roll the dice than Monaco? Ahead of the 2025 season, the team bosses met and concocted a plan to revitalise a grand prix where overtaking is nigh-on impossible. All drivers will have to run three sets of tyres in the 78-lap race on Sunday, making two pit-stops effectively mandatory – unless there is a red flag, like last year. Suitably, on Thursday, Williams driver Carlos Sainz described the mystery element of the new rule as something of a 'lottery' for raceday. The typical raceday simulation plans all teams carve out beforehand will not be so straightforward now. It has been described in some quarters as a 'gimmick' and, no doubt, the sport enjoys a fresh trick with an eye on spicing things up. In modern times, there was the ludicrous double-points on offer for the 2014 season finale in Abu Dhabi, meaning Lewis Hamilton had to finish second instead of sixth to guarantee the world championship. Fortunately, he won the race, while Nico Rosberg finished a lap down due to an engine issue. It was not repeated. Bernie Ecclestone, coming to the end of his 40-year tenure in charge of the sport, did not digest the learnings for long, though. By the season-opening race of the 2016 campaign in Australia, a new one-by-one elimination qualifying format was widely ridiculed, resulting in a lack of cars out on track setting times. It survived for race two in Bahrain, but no further. More recently, there was the 2019 introduction of a bonus point for whoever set the fastest lap in the race, provided they were in the top 10. Unfortunately, Red Bull taking advantage of their sister team and Daniel Ricciardo's final race in Singapore last year – where he set the fastest lap but came home last, thus not receiving the bonus point but taking it away from title contender Lando Norris – triggered a change for 2025. Fastest laps on raceday are now irrelevant. We also have sprint races now – six a year – which add to the weekend spectacle. F1 has never been afraid to move the needle, in the hunt for excitement and eyeballs. This year's rule change in Monaco should be applauded; the easier option would have been to stand still. Usually, qualifying in Monaco is the most important of the year and, whilst still vital, various strategies can now be at play across the grid with multiple pit-stops. For example, if you are at the back, could you stop on lap one and lap two and then race to the end? Meanwhile, at the front, when do you spread out your pit-stops? Who will blink first? "I guess it can go both ways, where it can be quite straightforward, or it can go completely crazy because of safety cars coming into play or not making the right calls,' said Red Bull 's four-time world champion Max Verstappen. Usually a hardline traditionalist, even the Dutchman seems intrigued by the new rule. "I think it will spice it up, probably a bit more. Normally, when you have that one stop, once you have a good pit-stop and everything is fine, then you drive to the end. You just have to stay focused and not hit the barrier. "But maybe with a two-stop, it can create something different. People gambling, guessing when the right time is to box. So hopefully it will spice it up a bit more." Lewis Hamilton added: "I think it's good to try something different, if you keep doing the same thing over and over and over you're going to get the same result, so I think it's cool that they're trying something different. "Whether or not it's the answer, we'll find out. It's definitely going to be different to what we've had in the past years. Whether that's better or not, I have no idea, I can't predict, but I like the way it's looking." It could be a damp squib. Or it could change the game. Yet with a contract now in place until 2031 – the sport's traditional crown jewel event is going nowhere – Monaco needed to renovate and this unprecedented rule change will add a sense of mystery to proceedings come Sunday afternoon. And, ultimately, is that not what every sport craves?
Metro
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
7 of the most expensive houses in the world – with price tags reaching the billions
Caroline Westbrook Published May 14, 2025 11:08am Link is copied Comments They say that your house is the most expensive purchase you'll ever make - and for many getting on the property ladder remains a pipe dream. But what if money were no object? Then you might want to consider moving into one of the world's most expensive homes with eye-wateringly high price tags which, in some cases, even run into the billions. However, these are the sorts of properties which come complete with every home comfort you could ever want, meaning you might never need to leave the house again. Here's the homes with the biggest asking prices in the world, according to (Picture: Getty Images) Kicking off in the UK, this property is located slap bang in the middle of a street known as Billionaires Row - renowned for housing some of the world's most expensive homes, including this one. Its owners have included F1 magnate Bernie Ecclestone as well as Indian steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, with the street itself also being home to diplomatic missions and embassies. If you want to live here, be prepared to shell out a cool $222 million (£176.6 million) (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo) Over to the French Riviera for the sixth most expensive property on the list, which is a luxurious apartment sitting on top of a skyscraper in the principality of Monaco. The flat sits on the fifth floor of the building, around 170 metres high, and boasts such luxuries as a rooftop pool and a private screening room. Although it's also caused controversy due to the tower's impact on the cityscape and the influence on prices in the neighbouring French town of Beausoleil. None of which have made much difference to the price tag of $330 million (£262.7 million) (Picture: Caters) Aka the 'Palace of Bubbles', this unusual property near Cannes in the south of France was built in 1989 for French industrialist Pierre Bernard, but was later bought by fashion designer Pierre Cardin. The house features 1,200 square feet of space along with 10 bedrooms - each of which has been individually decorated by a different artist - 11 bathrooms, an open-air 500-seat amphitheater, swimming pools and water features. And it's worth around $420 million (£330 million) (Picture: Getty Images) Back to France for this luxurious estate, which is situated on the Riviera and is one of the oldest properties on this list, dating all the way back to 1830 - although it came into its own when it was acquired by King Leopold of Belgium in 1904, who renovated the property and gave it its name. It's an impressive 18,000 sq ft, with 14 bedrooms and a library filled with rare books. It's worth around $450 million (£352 million) (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images) Another French property, this one is located in Villefranche-sur-Mer and was another property owned by King Leopold II of Belgium. In fact it was built for his mistress, Caroline Lacroix, and later used as a military hospital during the First World War. It's had several owners in its time, most recently Russian billionaire businessman Mikhail Prokhorov, who bought it off previous owner Lily Safra in 2008. Its opulent interiors and 50-acre grounds will set you back around $750 million (£598 million) (Picture: Getty Images) Located on Altamont Road, said to be Mumbai's most exclusive street, Antilia - named after a mythical island off the coast of Europe - is said to be worth an eye-watering $2,000,000,000 (£1.5 billion), making it the world's most expensive private residence. The property is owned by billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani, and while it's unclear which of his family members live there, the house takes some serious looking after, with its 50-seater cinema, full-service health club and spa, three helipads and nine elevators. Luckily the staff of 600 are on hand to take care of everything (Picture: Getty Images) An obvious one, of course, but Buckingham Palace in London remains the world's most expensive property, with its luxurious state rooms, neoclassical decor and the world famous balcony which has taken centre stage during royal weddings, coronations and jubilees. Bucky Pal has 775 rooms in total which include (deep breath) 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. You can't buy it but if it were for sale you could expect an asking price of around $4.9 billion (£3.9 billion) (Picture: Getty Images) This article was originally published in April 2024
