Formula One bosses were dealt a hugely embarrassing blow after first practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix was cancelled. The running under the lights of the Las Vegas strip was suspended when Carlos Sainz broke down in his Ferrari with just eight minutes on the clock. And then 11 minutes later, at 8:49pm local time, it was announced the session would not be resumed – it emerged Sainz’s failure was caused by a loose manhole cover. Television replays showed Sainz being jolted in his cockpit as the cover struck the underneath of his machine as he approached 200mph on the Las Vegas Boulevard. Esteban Ocon also smashed into the debris – against the backdrop of Caesars Palace, Bellagio and Venetian hotels – causing significant damage to his Alpine. Ferrari described the damage to Sainz’s car as “extensive”, while Alpine said Ocon will require a new chassis. Ferrari team principal Frederic Masseur said: “He (Sainz) said I hit something on track, and he didn’t know what it was. It is just unacceptable for F1.” An FIA spokesperson said: “Following an inspection, a concrete frame around a manhole cover has failed. “We now need to check all of the other manhole covers which will take some time. “We will be discussing with the local circuit engineering team about the length of time it will take to resolve and we will update with any resultant changes to the schedule.” Second practice is due to begin at midnight local time (8:00 GMT). But there are significant doubts if there will be any running today at the 3.8-mile temporary street venue. Speaking on Sky Sports, the highly-respected TV pundit and former driver Martin Brundle, said: “That’s it for today from my experience. “Fixing that and checking everything else, letting it dry and making sure it won’t come out again is going to be a big job. “Theoretically, they are going to re-open the Strip (for public use) after the F1 practice sessions. That is a very, very big issue if there are other areas like that around the track.” The problems of loose manhole covers at street venues is not a new one in the sport. Jenson Button struck a dislodged drain in practice in Monaco in 2016, while George Russell also ran over a drain cover in Azerbaijan four years ago. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on Sky: “It’s a shame that we are not allowed on track. “They are going to have to check all the manhole covers and weld them or do something because you can see the damage that it has done. “It’s a great shame for the fans but safety comes first. We have got to get this right and hopefully it won’t take too long.” The cancellation of opening practice comes 24 hours after triple world champion criticised the staging of the Las Vegas Grand Prix – the first here in four decades and maiden event on the strip – as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”. Read More Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory On this day in 2015: Susie Wolff ends her bid to get on an F1 starting grid Lando Norris ‘gutted’ to miss out on Brazilian GP pole after McLaren blunder

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The Las Vegas Grand Prix started in farcical fashion on Thursday night as first practice was cancelled due to a loose drain cover on track. FP1 had only been going for eight minutes under the lights before Carlos Sainz’s car stopped on the long Vegas strip. Replays show his Ferrari car went over a loose drain cover before the Spaniard veered to the side and stopped the car. A red flag was thrown and, shortly after, the stewards announced the session would not resume and are now in a race against time to fix the issue on the surface before second practice starts at midnight, local time (8am GMT). The message from race control said: “Session will not be resumed due to track repairs.” Alpine later announced that Esteban Ocon’s chassis would be changed due to damage from the drain cover. It is a shambolic start to the race weekend for Formula 1, who are the sole promoters of the inaugural race on the streets of Sin City. Fans in the grandstands jeered when the news came over the PA system that the session was aborted. More to follow... Read More F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and times in Sin City F1 clothing craze sweeps retailers ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 drivers have their say on $2bn giant orb lighting up Las Vegas Grand Prix

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F1 heads to the US again for the highly-anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix on the world-famous strip and the penultimate race of the 2023 season. Max Verstappen won his 17th grand prix of a sensational season last time out in Brazil, with Lando Norris claiming second place once again and Fernando Alonso clinching third spot ahead of Sergio Perez after a tremendous late battle in Interlagos. Mercedes endured a torrid weekend to forget in Sao Paulo, while Charles Leclerc was forced to retire before the race even began due to a mechanical issue with his Ferrari car. F1 now returns to Vegas for the first time in 41 years for a 50-lap race around the picturesque 3.8-mile, 17-turn circuit. The race has a 10-year contract and will take place under the lights on Saturday night in Sin City. Follow live updates from the Las Vegas Grand Prix with The Independent Read More How Formula 1 cracked America Lewis Hamilton makes F1 ‘circus’ plea after backlash from Las Vegas locals ‘I would not be shocked if King Charles showed up’: Las Vegas opens its doors to Formula One

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A kind of refined beauty, made up of draped pearls, mod suits, and tiered frill, formed what we know to be Princess Diana’s bespoke wardrobe through the 80s, while a modern elegance juxtaposed with a bit of casuality took hold of her 90s apparel. In general, the icon, famed for her charitable actions and discernible humility, inadvertently left a lasting impression as the archetype for understated luxury, and Elizabeth Debicki’s renewed role as the “people’s princess” in season six of the Netflix special The Crown, captures that very sentiment. Back with the first four of the final episodes, The Crown has offered a fictionalised behind-the-scenes take on the royal family’s history from Queen Elizabeth assuming the throne in season one all the way up to Princess Diana’s devastating death in season six. And though the actors’ portrayals of each figure are meant to leave stylised impressions of their personalities, their costumes have left viewers with an all-too-realistic picture. Amy Roberts and Sidonie Roberts, the show’s wardrobe designer duo, have worked to fit each actor in garments representative of emblem outfits seen on the royals over the years – Debicki’s assumption of Diana being markedly authentic. The Roberts pair did not fault in the first half of season six, which released on 16 November, dressing Debicki in identical replicas of Diana’s ensembles in the summer of 1997. In the first episode, Diana is pictured on holiday in St Tropez. The Catherine Walker red dress seen on the actual royal on that very same trip is extremely similar to the one seen on Debicki. Between the high, square neckline – very depictive of 90s style – and the double, gold buckle waist belt, Debicki’s costume is almost an exact match for the Walker original, with the exception of the fabric shade. Diana’s was a more of a coral red with a hint of orange to make the hue a less potent ruby. However, in the show, the sophisticated shift garment is pinker. But the massive gold clip-on earrings worn by Debicki look exactly like the real ones. Because the season majorily recounts Diana’s time in the Mediterranean with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, just before her untimely death, Amy and Sidonie were tasked with dressing Debicki in the many one-piece swimsuits Diana wore that summer. “There were lots of swimsuits on Diana this year,” Sidonie told Harper’s Bazaar ahead of the release. “She’s wearing them for four episodes – in fact, the majority of her outfits on her rail for this season were swimsuits.” Diana’s actual leopard print halter-neck, made by Gottex Swimwear, was re-released by the company, therefore allowing the show’s costume to be the exact style and design seen on her. But of Diana’s more illustrious waterproof wear, was her low-back light blue suit worn on Fayed’s yacht. Not only did Debicki favour this particular one-piece out of all her wardrobe changes throughout season six, but the designer pair were especially determined to do the bodysuit justice – which they did. “That blue swimsuit is so iconic,” Sidonie remarked. “That image of her, what we call ‘walking the plank’ and sitting at the end there, it’s so iconic that I think for an actor when they’re in that, it makes them feel completely in their character.” Each swimsuit seen on Debicki in season six came from Gottex as Diana donned the brand repeatedly. On shooting in the shimmery, aqua-coloured piece, Debicki noted: “There was just something about that swimsuit and recreating that moment that felt very sacred and important, and it was very important we got it right.” “It’s as close as possible to the real imagery and yet what I get to do as an actress, kind of enter into that space, which all the things around it feel so accurate, and then I get to discover what’s emotionally in that moment,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. The first four episodes of The Crown season six are now available to watch on Netflix. Read More How Princess Diana’s The Crown season six outfits compare to her actual wardrobe Fans react to most ‘heartbreaking’ scene in The Crown What’s fact and what’s fiction on The Crown season 6? The story of Dodi Fayed - Princess Diana’s last partner The story of Kelly Fisher, Dodi Fayed’s model ‘fiancé’ he dated alongside Diana Did Princess Diana really confront the paparazzi in Saint-Tropez?

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Naomi Watts has admitted that going through menopause in her mid-thirties felt like “the end of her worth”. Watts, now 55, said she thought of menopause as “equating to the end” of her career, when she experienced it three years after her breakthrough performance in David Lynch’s 2001 psychological thriller Mulholland Drive. In an interview with Times Radio on Thursday, the two-time Oscar-nominated actor added that the lack of conversation around menopause – or the end of menstruation – “told me that you don’t matter anymore”. She continued: “So I kind of spent a lot of time spinning out and turning in on myself, feeling panicked about the end of my career, the end of my worth. If I can’t bring children into the world, my partner will probably leave me. What do I mean? Where’s my purpose?” Watts has been advocating for greater awareness and sensitivity around the subject, with the actor launching her own menopausal beauty brand Stripes last October. In the interview, she noted that, while women come together to discuss their periods, first kisses, or experiences with getting pregnant, the conversation around menopause has remained shrouded in secrecy and shame. However, Watts acknowledged that she wouldn’t have spoken about her own experiences when she was younger. Opening up about her decision to talk about going through early menopause publicly, she said: “Maybe it was just the right timing, maybe that the average age of menopause is 51. Maybe I just had to get past that milestone to actually admit that that was me. However, Watts added, her outlook has since changed because she “got on top of the education” and has a better understanding of it. “I’ve also got my friends,” she continued, underscoring the importance of having a community. “We can moan about it if we have to, laugh about it and share our experiences openly. “I think when the conversation is off the table, that’s the worst part of it,” Watts said. The Impossible actor has previously said that going through early menopause was “incredibly isolating”, with the NHS estimating that premature menopause – before the age of 40 – affects one per cent of women in the UK. The symptoms are the same as perimenopause, or the years of transition leading up to menopause. These usually include changes in the pattern and/or frequency of menstrual cycles, anxiety, mood changes, hot flushes, and hair loss or thinning. Read More ‘It was the most isolating experience’: Meet the women with early menopause Smoking causes 150 cancer cases every single day in UK, study finds Millions of women able to get contraceptive pills over the counter next year Smoking causes 150 cancer cases every single day in UK, study finds Millions of women able to get contraceptive pills over the counter next year Woman with cystic fibrosis had weeks to live – now she’s climbing mountains

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