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Oscar Piastri future; showdown with Alpine, Daniel Ricciardo McLaren, Lewis Hamilton turned down role in Top Gun

Oscar Piastri future; showdown with Alpine, Daniel Ricciardo McLaren, Lewis Hamilton turned down role in Top Gun

Alpine is reportedly set for a legal showdown with Oscar Piastri amid reports the Australian driver will join McLaren next season.

The 21-year-old was announced last week as Fernando Alonso’s replacement at Alpine only for Piastri to take to social media to declare he would not be driving for the team.

It came amid reports that McLaren had told Daniel Ricciardo he would not have a seat in 2023.

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Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer said they could seek compensation, expected to be in the millions.

“Going to the High Court is over 90 per cent certain that’s what we’ll do,” he told Reuters.

“If the [board] says ‘your license is only valid at Alpine’ and then he [Piastri] says ‘that’s great but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year,’ then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation.”

Szafnauer said Alpine would assess how much money they have invested in Piastri’s development.

This figure would include the costs associated with independent tests as well as thousands of kilometers in the team’s 2021 car.

According to Reuters, one power unit costs as much as $2.55 million (AUD)

“We haven’t sat down with the accountants to figure out everything we’ve spent,” said Szafnauer.

“We will have to do that if we go to the High Court.”

According to TheRace.com, the fact Alpine believe the matter will head to the court implies that the team is resigned to losing Piastri to McLaren with their focus now on compensation rather than holding onto its rising star.

Oscar Piastri has said he will not drive for Alpine in 2023.
Oscar Piastri has said he will not drive for Alpine in 2023.Source: Getty Images

HAMILTON’S REVEALS BIG HOLLYWOOD BLOW

Lewis Hamilton has sensationally revealed he had to turn down a role as a fighter pilot in Top Gun: Maverick, describing it as “the most upsetting call” he’s ever made.

The seven-time world champion counts himself as a good friend of actor Tom Cruise, who played the lead role in the 1986 original and the recent Hollywood blockbuster that has grossed a whopping $AUD1.8 billion.

Hamilton recalls being invited to the set of one of Cruise’s movies as the starting point of their friendship.

“One of the nicest people you’ll ever meet,” Hamilton told Vanity Fair.

“He invited me to his set years ago when he was doing Edge of Tomorrow, and then we just built a friendship over time.”

Once Hamilton caught wind a Top Gun sequel was in the works, he was desperate to be involved given his love of the film as a child.

“So when I heard the second one was coming out, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I have to ask him,’” Hamilton said.

Tom Cruise bumps fists with Lewis Hamilton before the British GP at Silverstone. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

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“I said, ‘I don’t care what role it is. I’ll even sweep something, be a cleaner in the back.’”

Cruise obliged, but he wasn’t going to give Hamilton a cameo appearance.

Instead, the megastar wanted the Mercedes driver to be one of the fighter pilots.

There was just one catch: filming was set to take place during the back-end of the 2021 F1 season when Hamilton was locked in a tense battle with Max Verstappen for the world championship.

Knowing he had to turn down the chance of a lifetime, Hamilton was devastated when he made the call.

“I’m a perfectionist,” Hamilton said.

“The most upsetting call that I think I’ve ever had.”

F1 TRACK SET TO MAKE APPEARANCE IN … CALL OF DUTY?

Christmas has come early for the cross section of F1 and Call of Duty fans.

Infinity Ward, the developers of the video game, released a trailer that confirmed the Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore will be a playable map in the latest edition of the famous franchise.

In an official statement, Infinity Ward confirmed the map would be playable in the Modern Warfare II Beta for fans to get a taste of what’s to come.

“The Modern Warfare II Beta is set to feature a robust multiplayer experience going beyond the Core 6v6 experience with a variety of meticulously designed maps of various sizes, and an equally impressive set of Modes, Progression experiences, and other aspects that will be more thoroughly revealed at Call of Duty: Next,” the statement read.

“In addition, we revealed a fly-through of Marina Bay Grand Prix, where combat occurs within the main infield of an urban race circuit, one of the 6v6 Multiplayer maps confirmed for the Beta.”

The pit lane in Singapore will look a little different in this year’s Call of Duty. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

There does not look to be any official F1 branding or names of the drivers, suggesting it is not an official partnership between them and Call of Duty.

Funnily enough, the worlds of F1 and Call of Duty have intertwined previously, as Lewis Hamilton was a non-playable character in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, released in 2016.

LONG LIVE VEGAS! F1’S FIRST DATE IN SIN CITY LEAKED

What happens in Vegas might very well have great implications in the title race as the date for the Las Vegas GP has been leaked.

A Letter of Intent for the race between Liberty Media and the Convention Bureau was posted on Twitter and eagle-eyed fans noted the date.

The Las Vegas GP is slated to take place on November 18 and it would remain on that date until 2027 when the contract expires.

Based on the current F1 calendar, it would mean the race in Sin City would be the penultimate race of the season as the Abu Dhabi GP will take place on November 20 this year.

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Categories
Business

NSW government announces driverless bus trial in 2023

NSW government announces driverless bus trial in 2023

Self-driving buses could hit NSW roads as soon as next year, with trials for the futuristic vehicles preparing to begin.

The Perrottet government has announced it will invest $5m for an on-road connected and automated vehicle (CAV) bus trial to kick off the beginning of the future on NSW roads.

With driverless vehicles predicted to hit our roads commercially in less than a decade, the government is working to set up a CAV-friendly road network to keep up with the likes of San Francisco, Paris and Singapore.

The state government says the trial will be subject to “robust testing” to ensure the buses will operate safely.

A government spokesperson said where and when the vehicles will pop up will depend on proposals from industry groups, which are being called on to get involved with the first 18-month trial in 2023.

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello is hoping the project puts NSW on the map as a world-leading adopter of CAV technologies.

“Vehicle connectivity and automation are game-changing technological innovations with the potential to sustainably transform the future mobility of people and goods,” Mr Dominello said.

“Globally, these technologies are advancing rapidly and already appearing in vehicles on the market today.”

He said the move would put NSW “in the front seat” in the race to roll out of the new technology.

The strategy will introduce, test and deploy CAVS on the road network, shape policy, prepare the road network ready for the new models and develop physical and digital testing capabilities for the driverless cars.

Part of the project will also include supporting freight services and increasing knowledge of autonomous vehicles.

Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward said the strategy would “revolutionise the way we travel”.

“The CAV readiness strategy outlines six priority areas focused on integrating this new technology into our transport system,” Ms Ward said.

“This will include working within the national regulatory framework over the next five years so we’re ready for the safe commercial deployment of CAVS in Australia.”

Ms Ward said adopting the new technology would help the state keep up with constituents’ expectations.

“Getting ahead of the game will make it easier to upskill our transport staff so customers have a seamless service when it is officially on our roads,” she said.

Regional Transport and Roads Minister Sam Farraway said NSW had already set several national and international firsts in autonomous vehicle technology.

“This is big-picture thinking – by putting NSW one step ahead it will bring investment opportunities, knowledge and better customer outcomes,” he said.

The state introduced the world’s first fully automated shuttle service in a public setting through the Coffs Harbor BusBot trial, which was completed late last year.

“This builds on what NSW has already achieved through autonomous shuttle trials, partnerships with local universities and investment in the Future Mobility Testing and Research Center at Cudal,” Mr Farraway said.

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Categories
US

Pelosi confirms trip to Asia, but no mention of Taiwan

Pelosi confirms trip to Asia, but no mention of Taiwan

BEIJNG (AP) — The speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, confirmed Sunday she will visit four Asian countries this week but made no mention of a possible stop in Taiwan that has fueled tension with Beijing, which claims the island democracy as its own territory.

Pelosi said in a statement she is leading a congressional delegation to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan to discuss trade, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, security and “democratic governance.”

Pelosi has yet to confirm news reports that she might visit Taiwan. Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against meddling in Beijing’s dealings with the island in a phone call Thursday with his American counterpart, Joe Biden.

Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make its decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step US leaders say they don’t support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the US government, would be the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997.

The Biden administration didn’t explicitly urge Pelosi to avoid Taiwan but tried to assure Beijing there was no reason to “come to blows” and that if such a visit occurred, it would signal no change in US policy.

“Under the strong leadership of President Biden, America is firmly committed to smart, strategic engagement in the region, understanding that a free and flourishing Indo-Pacific is crucial to prosperity in our nation and around the globe,” Pelosi’s statement said.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the communists won a civil war on the mainland. Both sides say they are one country but disagree over which government is entitled to national leadership. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars of trade and investment.

The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but maintains informal relations with the island. Washington is obliged by federal law to see that Taiwan has the means to defend itself.

Washington’s “One China policy” says it takes no position on the status of the two sides but wants their dispute resolved peacefully. Beijing promotes an alternative “One China principle” that says they are one country and the Communist Party is its leader.

Members of Congress publicly backed Pelosi’s interest in visiting Taiwan despite Chinese opposition. They want to avoid being seen as yielding to Beijing.

Beijing has given no details of how it might react if Pelosi goes to Taiwan, but the Ministry of Defense warned last week the military would take “strong measures to thwart any external interference.” The foreign ministry said, “those who play with fire will perish by it.”

The ruling party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, has flown growing numbers of fighter planes and bombers around Taiwan to intimidate the island.

“The Air Force’s multi-type fighter jets fly around the treasured island of the motherland, tempering and enhancing the ability to maintain national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” military spokesman Col. Shen Jinke said on Sunday, referring to Taiwan.

Pelosi said her delegation includes US Reps. Gregory Meeks, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Mark Takano, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; Suzan DelBene, vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee; Raja Krishnamoorthi, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and chair of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Andy Kim, a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees.

A visit to Taiwan would be a career capstone for Pelosi, who increasingly uses her position in Congress as a US emissary on the global stage. She has long challenged China on human rights and wanted to visit Taiwan earlier this year.

In 1991, as a new member of Congress, Pelosi irked Chinese authorities by unfurling a banner on Tiananmen Square in central Beijing commemorating those killed when the Communist Party crushed pro-democracy protests two years earlier.

“It’s important for us to show support for Taiwan,” Pelosi, a Democrat from California, told reporters this month.

But she had made clear she was not advocating US policy changes.

“None of us has ever said we’re for independence, when it comes to Taiwan,” she said. “That’s up to Taiwan to decide.”

On Friday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby tried to tamp down concerns.

“There’s no reason for it to come to that, to come to blows,” Kirby said at the White House. “There’s no reason for that because there’s been no change in American policy with respect to One China.”

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Mascaro reported from Washington.

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