#news - NATO chief answers questions on Ukraine: Daily Express

3 December 2024

Press conference by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ahead of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels.

#DailyExpress #News

#F1 - 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Preview Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

 

Press Information 03 December 2024

 
F1: Race Preview
 
2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Preview

 
The final round of the 2024 F1 season takes place at Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.

• Toto Talks Abu Dhabi
• Fact File: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
• Stat Sheet: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

 
Toto Talks Abu Dhabi
 
After 12 incredible years, we get ready to write the final chapter in our racing story with Lewis this weekend. It has been quite a journey. When we first started working together in 2013, we couldn't have imagined what was to come. Six Drivers' World Championships. Eight Constructors' titles. 84 wins. 78 pole positions. 153 podium finishes. The most successful driver and team partnership in F1 history. Many highs that we have enjoyed. Some crushing lows that we've overcome together.
 
Our relationship has meant so much more than just numbers and statistics, though. It is a legacy that transcends our sport, with a lasting impact beyond the racetrack. One that has strived to increase diversity in our sport. To fight for inclusion. Lewis has been the catalyst for so much of this and we have been honoured and proud to work hand-in-hand with him. That work won't stop at the end of this year. But it began because of the impetus led by Lewis.
 
This weekend is a celebration. A celebration of everything that we have accomplished together. Lewis's association with Mercedes goes back 26 years. Every lap of his career so far has been powered by the three-pointed star. We will honour this unparalleled story in Abu Dhabi and across the following week as we visit Kuala Lumpur, Stuttgart, then finally Brixworth and Brackley. And honour it knowing that, whilst this phase of our relationship is coming to an end, Lewis will always be a part of our family.
 
For now, though, our full focus is on the race weekend. There is no better way to mark the end of our time together than with a strong performance on the track. The entire team is focused on adding one more highlight to the reel. We also want to end the season on the front foot. That will help us carry momentum into the winter and onwards as we open the next chapter in our story in 2025. With George as the senior driver and Kimi as an exciting rookie talent, our future is bright. But let's end this present chapter in the right way. Thank you, Lewis: for one final time, let's do this.
 
 
Thank You, Lewis!
 
As part of our celebrations of Lewis's time with the team, our Title and Technical Partner PETRONAS organised for him to drive three of his former cars at Silverstone recently.
 
 
Race Record - Lewis Hamilton with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
 

		Starts		Wins		Podiums		Poles		Front row		Fastest laps		DNF		Points		Laps Led		Races Led
Mercedes		245		84		153		78		128		55		14		3,937.5		4,210		142

 
 
Fact File: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Abu Dhabi 2024 will be the 246th and final Grand Prix with Mercedes for Lewis Hamilton, a partnership that has delivered six World Drivers' titles, eight World Constructors' titles, 84 wins, 153 podiums, and 78 pole positions.
• It stands to be the 356th and final Grand Prix for Lewis with a Mercedes-Benz powered car in F1, ending a run that started on the seven-time world champion's debut in the sport in March 2007.
• Abu Dhabi made its F1 debut in 2009 as the sport's first ever twilight race, with the start taking place at sunset. Around 4,700 light fixtures are used to illuminate the track.
• Several modifications were made to the track layout ahead of the 2021 race, changing the lap length from 5.554 km to 5.281 km.
• These changes including removing the chicane at the start of the second sector and widening the following hairpin. The twisty chicanes at the start of the final sector were also replaced by one long, banked corner.
• Similar to other twilight and night races on the calendar, FP1 and FP3 take place in the daytime. FP2, Qualifying and the Grand Prix itself take place at night or as the sun sets.
• That poses a challenge to the engineers and drivers who must accommodate for the changes in tyre and car behaviour owing to the differing ambient and track temperatures.
• The pitlane at the Yas Marina Circuit is unique in F1, in that it features a tunnel that runs underneath Turn One. Drivers pass under the track at the pit lane exit, re-joining on the left-hand side of Turn 2.
• In 2023, Yas Marina Circuit overtook Adelaide as the track at which the most season-ending F1 races have been held (12).
• The circuit has seen four world champions crowned. Sebastian Vettel in 2010, Lewis Hamilton in 2014, Nico Rosberg in 2016 and Max Verstappen in 2021.
• Mercedes has six wins at Yas Marina. Four with Lewis Hamilton (2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019), Valtteri Bottas (2017) and Nico Rosberg (2015)
• In 2023, George Russell's third place finish helped clinch P2 in the Constructors' standings.
• George also sealed his F2 title at the circuit in 2018, before making the step up to F1 the following season.

Preview

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

QatarGP

 
 
Stat Sheet: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
 
2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
 

Session		Local Time (GST)		Brackley (GMT)		Stuttgart (CET)
Practice 1 (Friday)		13:30 - 14:30		09:30 - 10:30		10:30 - 11:30
Practice 2 (Friday)		17:00 - 18:00		13:00 - 14:00		14:00 - 15:00
Practice 3 (Saturday)		14:30 - 15:30		10:30 - 11:30		11:30 - 12:30
Qualifying (Saturday)		18:00 - 19:00		14:00 - 15:00		15:00 - 16:00
Race (Sunday)		17:00		13:00		14:00

 
 
Race Records - Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team in Abu Dhabi
 

		Starts		Wins		Podium Places		Poles		Front Row		Fastest Laps		DNF
Mercedes		14		6		14		6		11		3		2
Hamilton		15		5		10		5		11		3		3
Russell		5		0		1		0		0		0		1
MB Power		15		7		21		8		17		5		11

 
 
Technical Stats - Season to Date (Pre-season Testing to Present)
 

		Laps Completed		Distance Covered (km)		Corners Taken		Gear Changes		PETRONAS Fuel Injections
Mercedes		6,870		35,161.044		115,803		337,298		275,080,000
Hamilton		3,400		17,414.584		57,175		166,372		136,280,000
Russell		3,446		17,635.719		58,250		170,062		137,840,000
MB Power		25,790		131,876.684		432,557		1,264,903		1,028,840,000

 
 
Mercedes-Benz in Formula One
 

		Starts		Wins		Podium Places		Poles		Front Row		Fastest Laps		1-2 Wins		Front Row Lockouts
Mercedes (All Time)		316		129		298		141		265		109		60		84
Mercedes (Since 2010)		304		120		281		133		245		100		55		80
Hamilton		355		105		202		104		176		67		N/A		N/A
Russell		127		3		15		5		14		8		N/A		N/A
MB Power		586		222		615		233		471		221		95		124

#Putinswar - Why Russia Invaded Ukraine: Russia’s Endless Appetite for Imperial Expansion | Oleksiy Goncharenko: Helsinki Commission

3 December 2024

September 28, 2022: Seven months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Oleksiy Goncharenko spoke at a side event hosted by the U.S. Helsinki Commission at the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

Goncharenko discussed Russia’s pattern since 2000 of waging wars of imperial aggression against its neighbors, colonizing those neighbors, and then using conquered populations to wage further wars of conquest. Oleksiy Goncharenko is a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the president of PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees, and Displaced Persons.

#F1 - CHAOS & PENALTIES: 2024 #QatarGP Wrap: The Inside Line

3 December 2024

MotoGP mainstay, Qatar’s Lusail circuit celebrated its two-decade tenure with a thrilling Formula One race weekend that had the lot. Sunday’s Grand Prix, though, belonged to four-time World Champion-elect Max Verstappen, who stayed out of trouble in a chaotic, triple Safety Car affected race for his ninth win of the season.

Watch the video, and tell us what you think in the comments…

Mercedes

Saturday

Sunday

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#USA - "Instrument of Vengeance": Mehdi Hasan on How Trump & Kash Patel Could Weaponize FBI Against Critics: Democracy Now!

2 December 2024

We speak with journalist Mehdi Hasan, founder and editor-in-chief of _Zeteo_, about the incoming U.S. administration and President-elect Donald Trump's picks for key roles, including lawyer Kash Patel to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Trump reportedly considered Patel for FBI deputy director during his first term but dropped the idea after pushback from within his own administration. Hasan describes Patel as a "toady" whose threats against political opponents and journalists should be disqualifying, but that he aligns with Trump's goals of further politicizing the FBI. "He wants to use it as an instrument of vengeance." Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET. Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

#USA - Musk PANICS As Alexander Vindman EXPOSES His Dirty SECRET: Occupy Democrats

29 November 2024

The man who got Donald Trump impeached, Alexander Vindman, just exposed Elon Musk’s sinister secret live on MSNBC. Well done, Alexander

Senate Democrat defends Vindman against Musk’s ‘treason’ threat

#USA - ‘A serious mistake’: Schiff blasts Department of Justice over dismissal of Trump charges: MSNBC

26 November 2024

Congressman Adam Schiff breaks down the mistakes made by the Department of Justice that led to Trump's charges being dismissed in his federal elections case. 

#JackSmith #DonaldTrump #DOJ