Max Verstappen hailed his third Formula One world title as the finest of his career – and vowed to celebrate by downing a few sparkling waters. The 26-year-old Dutchman has emulated Sir Jackie Stewart and Ayrton Senna after being crowned a triple world champion with six grands prix still remaining – equalling Michael Schumacher’s 21-year-old record. Red Bull’s Verstappen has dominated Formula One since he beat Lewis Hamilton to clinch his maiden championship at the deeply controversial season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021. And his coronation of this most one-sided of campaigns was confirmed on lap 11 of 19 of a frantic sprint race when Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull crashed out under the floodlights of the Lusail International Circuit. Verstappen has failed to win just three of the 16 rounds so far this season, and he became the first driver in history to win 10 consecutive races following a remarkable unbeaten streak from the opening weekend of May in Miami to the Italian Grand Prix on September 3. Verstappen’s title parade will start here at 8pm local time (6pm BST) when the lights go out on Sunday’s 57-lap Grand Prix. “This championship is the best one,” said Verstappen. “The first one was the most emotional because that is when my dreams were fulfilled. But this has been my best year in terms of performance. “I am the most proud of this one because of how consistent I have been. I will have quite a few sparkling waters tonight, but I will be here tomorrow.” Verstappen’s championship-winning campaign has been one largely led from the front but the Dutchman dropped from third to fifth at the end of the opening lap of Saturday’s sprint race. After being usurped by Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc off the line, Verstappen momentarily got out of shape at the opening right-hander, with Fernando Alonso nibbling at the back of his machine. Verstappen survived, and then slung his Red Bull underneath Lando Norris for fifth. Two safety cars followed as Liam Lawson and Logan Sargeant beached their respective cars and Verstappen – on the slower, but more durable, medium rubber – set about his comeback. First to be swatted aside was Leclerc on the main straight on lap nine, with Sainz the Dutchman’s next victim on the following lap. On lap 11, the championship was officially over. Esteban Ocon attempted to overtake Nico Hulkenberg on the inside of the second corner, and with Perez to the right of the Haas driver, Ocon lost control of his Alpine and took the Red Bull with him. It summed up the Mexican’s woefully disappointing campaign. Perez shared two wins apiece with Verstappen from the opening four fixtures but his demise has been dramatic. He is 177 points – the equivalent of more than seven victories – behind the man driving identical machinery. On lap 16, Verstappen eased past Russell with Oscar Piastri 2.6 seconds up the road. However, the impressive McLaren rookie could not be caught as he claimed his first win in F1. It did not matter for Verstappen who could celebrate becoming just the 11th driver to win the title on more than two occasions. “Max, you are a three-time world champion,” roared Red Bull’s jubilant team principal Christian Horner over the radio. “That is unbelievable. It has been an incredible year for you.” Verstappen, who starts on pole on Sunday, could claim the 49th win of his career with only Hamilton (103 victories), Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) ahead of him. Verstappen turned 26 only last week, and the prospect of emulating the seven championships shared by Hamilton and Schumacher is surely possible. “I am enjoying the moment and hopefully we will keep this momentum going for a while,” said Verstappen, whose deal with Red Bull runs until 2028. “It is different to other sports where you can set out targets and if I keep in good shape then these things are possible. “But in F1 it doesn’t always work like that. It depends on the package. I have quite a few more years in me to operate at my best but we will see how long that is. It is more about how long I want to be here. “I live in the moment and I have achieved way more than I ever thought was possible.” Read More Angry Lance Stroll shoves personal trainer and storms out of interview Max Verstappen fastest in Qatar practice as he closes in on world championship Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher F1 Qatar Grand Prix LIVE: Sprint race updates and results at Lusail Max Verstappen hails third F1 world title as his best

Ask any single person and they’ll tell you, straight up, that dating sucks. These days it’s mainly done online, with singles perusing through a sea of endless profiles in hopes they’ll find the one. For the past decade, dating has relied on technology as the number one tool used to search for love with Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge reigning supreme. Now, we’re onto a new technological chapter in the world of love: artificial intelligence.

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Prue Leith has said that the state “sometimes” needs to step in to deal with child obesity, after a report claimed that every UK government in the last 30 years has feared being labelled a “nanny state”. The Great British Bake Off judge said politicians must make a “really massive effort” to address issues that contribute to obesity and give people practical lessons and skills. Speaking at a hearing of The Times Health Commission, she said: “Sometimes the state has to be a nanny. We don’t mind the fact that the nanny state insists we go to school to learn maths. “So the nanny state who has to pay enormous sums of money to rectify the problem of obesity has every right to want the nation to learn to like good food and to learn about nutrition.” The Times Health Commission is a year-long inquiry set up to consider the future of health and social care in England. Leith continued at the hearing: “The long and short of getting people to eat healthy food is that if they don’t like it, they won’t do it. Even if they do it for a week they won’t do it for longer. So the only way to tackle it, I think is to get them to like it.” The South African chef cited cooking lessons as an effective way of helping people to learn how to eat healthier. “I think government after government have played around with this at the edges, there has been a little bit of enthusiasm and then it’s dropped again. It just has to be a really massive effort,” she added. Leith also believed there not “any point in lecturing everybody” about nutrition and said: “The poorest person in the country knows that vegetables are better for them than chocolate bars. But the knowledge isn’t enough. “So people who just say, ‘education, education’, yes, education is important. But the main thing is physical. Getting to like it,” she said. Leith’s comments come after the Institute for Government (IfG) published a report in April that claimed “fear of ‘nanny statism’” has resulted in politicians being “afraid of interfering in people’s choices, especially their diets”. Dr Dolly Theis, an expert in obesity policy at the University of Cambridge, told the Guardian: “Some governments have done much more than others. But the IfG is right that a general desire to avoid accusations of nanny statism, a lack of understanding about the issue, and a lack of political prioritisation have all contributed to this chronic policy failure.” This week, the government said in a new report that the link between the “higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and adverse health outcomes are concerning”, but did not recommend that a new labelling system be put in place to inform consumers of the risks. The report stopped short in spite of MPs suggesting in parliament that health warnings should be considered on packaging for “highly addictive” ultra-processed foods. In a previous statement, the Department for Health and Social Care said: “We are taking firm action to help people live healthier lives, including introducing restrictions on where unhealthy food is placed in supermarkets, calorie labelling on menus, and we work closely with industry to make it easier for people to make healthy food choices. “Trials of new obesity treatments and technologies are being backed by £20m of government funding, and we will introduce restrictions banning adverts on TV for foods and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar before 9pm, as well as paid-for adverts online.” Read More Nigella says extravagant dinner parties are a thing of the past – I wish she was wrong From Queen Camilla to Mary Berry: Who is in the Royal Box on the 10th day of Wimbledon? What are pani puri? The much-loved Indian street snack known by different names across the country Jennette McCurdy says her mother would ‘measure her thighs’ when she was 11 Children say ‘I’m bored’ 7 times a week – 7 ways to prevent it What are weight loss injections and what’s the controversy?

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