List of All Articles with Tag 'person'

Daniel Ricciardo is pondering. This year, a presence in the paddock – but not on the racetrack – has been a curiously flummoxing existence for someone so synonymous with a seat at the 20-man table. In his own words, he has been doing “everything the drivers are doing… other than the driving.” So aside from the obvious of the lights-to-flag racing, what has the Australian found the most difficult about his eight months away from Formula 1? “I’d say the starting grid on Sunday,” he says, a glint in his eye, a longing for something previous. “I love that feeling before you’re about to race. It’s intense, it’s nerve-racking but it’s awesome. I miss that buzz.” Well, miss it no longer. The Honey Badger is back. Officially on loan from Red Bull to sister team AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season, Ricciardo last week replaced the axed Nyck de Vries and will be in the cockpit in Hungary this weekend. It represents a lifeline – his lifeline – back into the sport, a carving of an opportunity so desperately craved. In the end, he only missed 10 races. And all it took was one Silverstone tyre test after the British Grand Prix, at the wheel of the fastest car in F1 this year. A pace which would have put him on the front row of the grid a few days earlier. Never a duo to hesitate, Red Bull chiefs Helmut Marko and Christian Horner made the call swiftly. “After Abu Dhabi last year, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever race again,” he reveals to The Independent, with a casualness which implies a deep-down admittance that he wasn’t done just yet. “But coming back this year, I removed all ego and status. “I do think this year will be the best thing that’s ever happened to me and it will boost me now for the rest of my career. It honestly came at the right time… everything happens for a reason.” How a career can change in a year. Because, although we didn’t know it at the time, last year’s British Grand Prix was the breaking point for McLaren and Ricciardo’s uncomfortable marriage. A day after the Aussie finished second-last out of all the finishers at Silverstone, McLaren big boss Zak Brown made initial contact with Oscar Piastri. As Ricciardo interjects, this is where “all the s*** went down!” Nothing short of gutted at the time – “it sucked” – the 34-year-old now takes the judgement call as a positive. A chance to regroup, reassess and especially in the initial stages, relax. “I’ve really enjoyed this time off, to have the time for myself,” he says. “Last week I went home to Australia for my birthday, I haven’t done that since I was 17… so 17 years ago. “It honestly came at the right time. Look, I wish those two years were better. But it’s given me a mental break because the competition is intense, as much as we love it. It consumes a lot of you so I feel for me to bring my cortisol levels down a little bit, I just feel a lot more balanced this year.” Ricciardo hadn’t missed a grand prix since June 2011. 11 years, 232 races later and so came to pass a rest he now admits was much-needed and well-utilised. A huge NFL fan and a supporter of the Buffalo Bills, he attended the Super Bowl in Arizona. The same week, he thrived in the modern anarchy of golf’s WM Phoenix Open. He even went to the prestigious Met Gala in New York. But more than any showbiz spectacles, he felt like a normal human being again. “I didn’t want to see a gym for a while,” he says. “I just wanted to eat and drink with my mates. Out of principle, I wanted to give myself a break. Just to allow myself to put on a few kgs. It felt really good, I trained just once in December and January.” But then, around the launch of Red Bull’s 2023 car in New York, a flip. “I got to February and remember thinking ‘yeah, I’m done.’ I’d had enough. I didn’t feel like drinking every weekend and partying all the time. I wasn’t going crazy but I thought ‘this life isn’t for me just yet.’ “And then I became very self-motivated. I wanted it to come from me, I didn’t want someone telling me to run. I had this urge and desire to be back on the grid – and I’ve never enjoyed training so much. I’ve got more energy to train and the desire has increased, especially not being jet-lagged every fricking week!” Much to the surprise of many, while Ricciardo did take up the “third driver” role with a Red Bull team he claimed seven of his eight grand prix wins with from 2014-2018, he opted against racing even part-time in other racing series. For a lover of America, the likes of IndyCar and NASCAR were not explored. Not even a one-time jaunt at the 24 hours of Le Mans. Why? “Two reasons,” he starts. “Still a big part of me wanted a break from competition. It’s probably the thing I love most in life is competition, it’s why I race. But equally, it’s really tiring and draining. The last few years did take it out of me. “The other element is I still feel really strongly about being in this sport. The moment I start to engage in something else, the perception is: ‘Is he thinking of an alternative career?’ “There’s been times where I’ve been really keen to do Le Mans. I was desperate in 2015, speaking to Andreas Seidl who was running the Porsche project and was asking Red Bull to let me do it. But now, it’s not something that I need to do before I die. “I’ve given so much to F1 that I don’t have the capacity to do something else at the level and effort that I’ve put into this sport.” And how Ricciardo’s decision has bore fruit. Attaching himself back in the ecosystem where it all began with Toro Rosso, the Australian who has catapulted himself into a sporting celebrity with his warm, charming personality has ended up back at the modern-day equivalent team in AlphaTauri. Simulator sessions – even with ex-race engineer Simon Rennie now running the programme at Red Bull – are never enough for any racer. Cue the second coming. Now entering the twilight years of his career, can he see himself ‘doing an Alonso’ and racing into his 40s? Given his perseverance to reclaim a spot on the grid this year, the response is something of a surprise. “Ideally not,” he says. “Ideally, I’d have had enough success in the next five years. I think there’s something cool about going out on top. “This is my element but what this year has shown is I’m OK after retirement, I do have hobbies and other things going on. For lots of athletes, the thought of retirement is scary – what do you do now? You’ve lived this crazy life for so long that it can be daunting. “But for me, let’s say the next 3-5 years of awesome success and then… peace!” Now up against Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri, with Max Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez already under pressure after a string of poor performances, a spot with Red Bull next year is not the ludicrous suggestion it may have been six months ago. 2025 may still be the more realistic target. Ricciardo admits “if one step here then gets me here… then I have to be open-minded” with regards to future seats. Nice guys come last, as the episode title for his McLaren demise in Netflix’s Drive to Survive insinuates. Yet for Ricciardo, a re-opening of a door which looked closed could trigger a renaissance. A planned road trip across the United States will have to wait. Instead, a chance to race in his beloved Las Vegas in November has come to fruition – and a chance to get back to the front. The ultimate ambition – race wins, maybe even a world championship – is still at the forefront of his mind. “That is the reason I would come back,” he signs off. “I still believe I can do it. I feel like the Red Bull Daniel. He is still here.” Read More Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat Daniel Ricciardo returns to F1 as he replaces Nyck de Vries Daniel Ricciardo shaped void will take some filling by Oscar Piastri at Australian GP Sebastian Vettel hints at return to F1: ‘I have some ideas’ Red Bull has handed Daniel Ricciardo the first step to Sergio Perez’s seat Daniel Ricciardo returns to F1 as he replaces Nyck de Vries

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Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana is set to join Manchester United after a deal was struck with both player and club, the PA news agency understands. The 27-year-old shot-stopper has been top of Erik ten Hag’s wish list this summer as United replace long-serving David De Gea. United have now reached an agreement with Serie A side Inter to sign Onana for an initial 51m euros (£43.8m) with a potential further 4m euros (£3.4m) in add-ons. Personal terms are also understood to have been agreed with the goalkeeper, who is set to sign a five-year deal with the option of a further season. A medical is imminent but it remains to be seen whether the respective paperwork will be completed in time for Onana to be on Wednesday’s flight to the United States for their pre-season tour. The Cameroon international will become United’s second signing of the summer after bringing in Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount earlier in the month for an initial £55m. The goalkeeper should slot seamlessly into Ten Hag’s system thanks to his ability and confidence on the ball, which he used to great effect at Inter and prior to that under the Dutchman at Ajax. A new goalkeeper had not initially been a key priority for the United boss this summer, but towards the end of the campaign it was decided to pursue a new number one. Onana is now set to succeed De Gea after his recent departure on a free transfer, while speculation continues over the future of Dean Henderson and Tom Heaton. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Former Manchester United winger and Wales manager Ryan Giggs is “relieved” at being cleared of domestic violence allegations made by his ex-girlfriend after charges were dropped. Kate Greville told police and lawyers she did not want to go through the ordeal of a second trial after jurors failed to reach verdicts in the high-profile first trial last year, Manchester Crown Court heard. Giggs, 49, was not in court on Tuesday as lawyers said there was no longer any realistic prospect of conviction and it was not in the public interest for Giggs to go on trial for a second time over allegations made by Greville and her sister Emma. Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, offered no evidence against Giggs at the 20-minute hearing as the allegations were formally dropped. Judge Hilary Manley entered “not guilty” verdicts on the charges of coercive and controlling behaviour and assault against Kate Greville and common assault of her sister. Giggs had been accused of controlling behaviour over a three-year period involving Greville. He was also accused of assault by “losing control” and headbutting Kate Greville and the common assault of Emma Greville by elbowing her in the jaw, during a row at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester, on November 1 2020. Giggs denied the offences and underwent a month-long trial, ending last August when the jury failed to reach any verdicts, and a retrial was scheduled to begin on July 31. But on Tuesday, prosecutor Peter Wright KC told Manchester Crown Court that the case had been considered at the highest levels at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and a decision had been made not to proceed with a second trial. Wright said Giggs’ ex-girlfriend Greville had “indicated an unwillingness” to give evidence in a retrial as giving evidence in the first trial had “taken its toll” on her and her sister Emma. Wright said: “This is not a decision taken lightly.” Chris Daw KC, defending Giggs, said: “Mr Giggs is deeply relieved the prosecution has finally come to an end after almost three years in which he’s been fighting throughout to clear his name. “He has always been innocent of these charges – there’s been very, very many lies told about him in court.” At a series of hearings earlier this year, the court was told of difficulties the prosecution had faced in proceeding with the retrial. These included Kate Greville’s reluctance to now go through with a second trial. Earlier this month, Wright, at a court hearing which could not be reported at the time, said: “What she (Greville) has indicated is a wish not to give evidence by reason of her own mental and physical wellbeing, so seriously affected by the process. “You may recollect at the previous trial for example she gave evidence over a considerable period of time, cross-examined for what was three days, and during the course of that process she was both visibly distressed, weary, and expressed the view that she had felt violated by the defendant’s conduct and in giving evidence while maintaining her account, demonstrating a growing frustration in terms of the process. “I make the observation, a general observation, ambivalence on the part of complainants in these circumstances is not an unknown phenomenon to the courts.” Judge Manley told the prosecutor the question of whether Greville was willing to co-operate or not had to be decided. She added: “The position can’t continue indefinitely.” Wright said: “This is a matter that’s been considered at a senior level both regionally and nationally within the CPS, notwithstanding any objective assessment of the seriousness of the allegations. “What is underlying this is the further general principal consideration of the prosecution of the alleged abusive men so far as coercive and controlling behaviour is considered, the wearing down of complainants, is not to be interpreted by the public and by men as a passport to an acquittal – is that underlying question of considerable public interest that we are continuing with.” But Daw, defending Giggs, told the hearing: “As it stands, the prosecution has no case. “The position we submit is: what matters is the interests of justice. “What we have here is an attempt to cobble together a case built on hearsay and an unwilling witness almost three years after the event. “This is not about the public interest.” A spokeswoman for the CPS said: “At all stages we keep cases under careful review, to ensure our legal test is met. This means there must be a realistic prospect of conviction based upon the available evidence and a prosecution is in the public interest. “We have determined there is no longer sufficient evidence available to proceed in respect of the controlling or coercive behaviour charge and that it is no longer in the public interest to prosecute the remaining assault charges. “This decision was made following detailed discussions with Greater Manchester Police and consultation with the complainants. At no stage has she indicated that the account she gave either in her witness statement, ABE interview (achieving best evidence, the police interview during criminal investigation) or at trial, was untrue Peter Wright KC, prosecuting “It is not the function of the CPS to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.” During Giggs’ time at Old Trafford, Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and three League Cups. Giggs stood down as Wales manager following a period of leave since November 2020. He won 64 caps for Wales and is co-owner of Sky Bet League Two side Salford. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Manchester United agree deal with Inter Milan for goalkeeper Andre Onana Can England beat the weather to level Ashes series? Fourth Test talking points England may need weather check and bolder approach in fourth Test – Ben Stokes

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