When the Dutch Grand Prix returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2021 – after a 36-year absence – organisers could frankly not have foreseen a future more favourable. A Dutch race reincarnated by-and-large due to a Dutch hero, timed exquisitely for his era of ultra-domination. To the extent that, now, anything other than a Max Verstappen triumph come Sunday would be as big a shock as Formula 1 has seen all season. Verstappen-mania in the Netherlands has long been at fever pitch, with the ‘Orange Army’ previously travelling across Europe to support the man born in Belgium but with Holland in his heart. But now Zandvoort, on the coast of the North Sea, sees thousands make the journey from Amsterdam and beyond to revel and rave in this electro-music, orange-clad razzmatazz amid the sand dunes. Verstappen, coasting to a third-straight F1 championship title this season with a 125-point lead with 10 races remaining, is on track to break more ground. Win on Sunday and he will equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive victories from 10 years ago, also set while at Red Bull. On Friday, fresh from a four-week break, he set down an ominous marker by going fastest in first practice – and only marginally sniffed out of first spot in practice two by his friend Lando Norris, a session delayed by a bizarre double-crash involving Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo. Formula 1’s return in the Netherlands this weekend feels all the more appropriate given the sheer levels Verstappen is reaching this season. The 25-year-old is on track to reach a half-century knock of victories by the time the year is out – he is currently on 45 with 10 to go – and powered by a Red Bull which is the standout car this year, nothing has stopped his ascent to near-perfection. Not even his team-mate Sergio Perez, armed with the same machinery, has proved a match for Verstappen. Since Azerbaijan in April, Verstappen has won eight races on the trot – 10 if you include sprints – and has been repeatedly unfazed on the occasions he has not started on pole, simply picking off his rivals with supreme ease when needed. Saturdays do offer the chasing pack a glimmer of hope, though. If there is any weakness in this Verstappen-Red Bull partnership, it is qualifying. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have claimed pole position this season, with Fernando Alonso a shave away in Monaco too. For Leclerc though, speaking to the media on Thursday, it mattered not an an iota. In fact, the pessimism made for a grim forecast for all non-Verstappen fans out there: two-and-a-half years of the current trajectory continuing. “They [Red Bull] have a really big margin,” the Ferrari driver said. “It’s going to be very, very difficult to catch them before the change of regulations [in 2026].” Lewis Hamilton was a tad more measured, but remained far from optimistic: “The fact is Red Bull are ahead and they have most likely started development on next year’s car a month before anybody else. It is very, very possible that Charles could be right.” Beyond the expectancy, even inevitability now, of a Verstappen victory on Sunday, there are always potential avenues for something different. Rain is forecast, intermittently, over the next two days which could bring some unpredictability. The last two races in Zandvoort have been close-run affairs, though ultimately Verstappen ended up on top of the podium. A non-Red Bull pole-sitter would certainly make at least the early stages intriguing. But the man who is on track to be one of the Netherlands’ biggest sporting stars ever does not feel any burden. “It doesn’t bring a weight on my shoulders of extra pressure,” he said on Thursday. “"It is just amazing to be here, see all of the fans and drive such an incredible track. “Hopefully it [the race] will continue for a while,” A third championship is simply a matter of when for Verstappen and Red Bull. Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin are in their own battle for second-place. The more pertinent question now, for the history-books, is can anybody stop them? And can they really complete an unprecedented perfect season? Read More Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo crash in Dutch Grand Prix practice Lewis Hamilton gives blunt response to Felipe Massa’s legal action over 2008 F1 title Charles Leclerc gives gloomy prediction on how quick Ferrari will catch Red Bull Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo crash in Dutch Grand Prix practice F1 Dutch Grand Prix: When is practice on Friday in Zandvoort? F1 Dutch Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and times as Formula 1 returns

The NFL is touting the global demand for its product ahead of its five international games, confirming cities in Brazil and Spain are under review as potential future hosts

England coach Sarina Wiegman said the crisis surrounding Spanish football in the wake of their World Cup win “really hurts” and shows there is still a “long way to go” in the women’s game and society. Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales has been provisionally suspended by FIFA for an initial period of 90 days, pending an investigation into his behaviour at the World Cup final earlier this month when he kissed Spain midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medals presentation. Hermoso has said she did not consent to the kiss, and along with her 22 squad mates, has said she will not play for the national team until Rubiales resigns. Wiegman saw off competition from Spain’s under-fire head coach Jorge Vilda to win UEFA’s Women’s Coach of the Year award and dedicated her prize to Spain’s players. “We all know the issues around the Spanish team and it really hurts me as a coach, as mother of two daughters, as a wife and as a human being,” Wiegman said at the awards ceremony in Monaco. “The game has grown so much, but there’s also still a long way to go in women’s football and in society. “I would like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team. This team deserves to be celebrated and deserves to be listened to, and I’m going to give them again a big applause and I hope you will join (me).” Another of Spain’s World Cup winners, Barcelona star Aitana Bonmati, has been named UEFA Women’s Player of the Year. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Spaniards head to the polls on Sunday for their first-ever vote in the summer heat, raising question about

The Chicago Bears still have a lot of work to do, but a few veterans on the team could be relegated to the bench because of rookies. For a team like the Chicago Bears that went 3-14 in 2022, there are still several holes to fill and opportunities to be seized. That includes the division and seve...

Shantall Lacayo moved from Nicaragua to settle down in Miami with her family to realize her creative dreams

MLB The Show is known for two popular game modes. Diamond Dynasty, which is MLB's version of an Ultimate Team, and Road to the Show.

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY Foreign bank lending to Australian office real estate hit a record high in the

Britney Spears shocked the world when she shaved her head back in 2007, and now she has revealed why she did it. The then-26-year-old's dramatic makeover made headlines around the world at the time and the images of Spears shaving her head from a Los Angeles hair salon remain an infamous pop culture moment. Now, 16 years on, the 'Baby One More Time' singer has opened up in her new memoir The Woman in Me about how her decision behind the transformation was in response to the tabloid scrutiny she has dealt with from a young age. “I’d been eyeballed so much growing up. I’d been looked up and down, had people telling me what they thought of my body, since I was a teenager,” she told People. “Shaving my head and acting out were my ways of pushing back." From 2008, Spears was under a court-mandated conservatorship which her father Jamie Spears was in charge of and this meant the pop star didn't have control over certain matters in her life such as her personal and financial affairs. “Under the conservatorship I was made to understand that those days were now over,” she wrote. “I had to grow my hair out and get back into shape. I had to go to bed early and take whatever medication they told me to take.” Spears was under the conservatorship for 13 years. Jamie was removed as her conservator in September 2021 before it was completely lifted in November 2021, following the singer's plea to a judge to end the ruling as she declared: "I want my life back." In celebration of the conservatorship ending, Spears was pictured holding a glass of champagne and in the post wrote: "I’m celebrating my freedom and my B day for the next two months." “I mean after 13 years…I think I’ve waited long enough. I’m so happy my lawyer Mathew Rosengart came into my life when he did… he has truly turned my life around… I’m forever thankful for that.” Elsewhere, the 41-year-old also claimed in her memoir that she fell pregnant during her three-year relationship with fellow superstar Justin Timberlake. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

The Bradley Beal trade has the All-Star going to the Suns, but a third team might get involved in order to facilitate Chris Paul landing with a contender.The Bradley Beal trade sent shockwaves throughout the league with the Wizards sending the All-Star to the Phoenix Suns. But it also might not ...

By Andrew Goudsward (Reuters) -Covington & Burling must identify some clients caught up in a 2020 hack on the law

Many have raised alarms about the potential for artificial intelligence to displace jobs in the years ahead, but it's already causing upheaval in one surprising industry where workers once seemed invincible: tech.