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No Writer
Aug 17
UK facing 'most changeable week' of weather since June - as water company imposes first hosepipe ban in 50 years

The Met Office said rain, and possibly thunderstorms, would come to much of Britain after the latest heatwave caused temperatures to soar as high as 38C last week. Following the recent spell of hot weather, Wessex Water became the latest water firm to announce a hosepipe ban on Monday, with the measure coming into effect from midnight on Tuesday. The restrictions, impacting Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, mark the first time the supplier has imposed a ban in 50 years, and affects all 1.4 million of its customers. The cooler weather comes as a jet stream of air in the country's north that allowed high pressure to dominate, resulting in last week's excessively hot conditions, travels south, the forecaster said. This shift will cause low pressure to dominate and drift southwards, resulting in an unsettled outlook in the middle of the week and temperatures to fall as the wind switches to a northerly direction. The temperature will slip into single digits in some locations, including in the Brecon Beacons in Wales, where lows of 6C are forecasted for the early hours of Saturday, and South Newington in the Cotswolds, where a low of 8C is predicted. Check the weather where you are Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: "I can't promise rain for all of us through the week ahead, but in the south at least, it's looking like the most changeable week we've seen here - well at least since the end of June." Mr Morgan said Britons will see some "quite menacing skies" with "dark clouds one moment and some sunshine the next". Rain is expected in Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Monday, with some more showers in England's South East early in the day. Some parts of the country, especially in the South West, will see temperatures well into the 20s, including predicted highs of 28C and 26C in London and Southampton respectively. UK wildfires - follow latest More rain is forecasted for Tuesday, with the UK's north and central regions warned to expect a wet start to the day, with the showers moving "erratically" southwards throughout the day. Wednesday will be dry in the south of the UK, but there will be a mix of sunshine and rain in the rest of the country. Showers will become more widespread and heavier from Thursday, with a chance of thunderstorms. The UK faced heatwave conditions last week, with the temperature hitting 38.1C in Kew Gardens, west London, last Thursday - making it the hottest day of the year so far. Wildfires have ravaged parts of the UK, including the West Midlands, where a blaze in Stourbridge destroyed 19 homes. Read more from Sky News:Jason Arday's family thank supportersPM urged to approve North Sea projects West Midlands Fire Service said they had been able to lift cordons as households who had been evacuated started returning to their homes over the weekend. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service also responded to "significant wildfire activity" on Sunday, with crews attending 14 blazes. About 200 military personnel and crews from London, Greater Manchester, Cumbria, and Bedfordshire were deployed to the region to assist firefighting efforts. Millions of people in England and Wales received an alert on their mobile devices warning them of a "very high risk of wildfires nationally" on Friday. The alert came after Prime Minister Andy Burnham described Britain as a "tinderbox" and put in place a temporary ban on disposable barbecues. Fire services across the country have reported high levels of demand, including South Wales Fire and Rescue Service which said on Saturday it had received 736 calls compared with an average of about 300. The hot weather has seen hose pipe bans imposed across the country, including from Thames Water, Southern Water and Anglian Water.

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No Writer
Aug 17
Hayden Panettiere: US actress who starred in Heroes and Nashville dies aged 36

"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," her father Skip said in a statement to Sky's US partner NBC News. "She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her - and to the millions who watched her onscreen." Her father went on to ask for privacy "as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss". Police in Greenville, South Carolina, said in a statement that an acquaintance of Panettiere's placed a 911 call and emergency services responded but were unable to save her. "The case is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner's Office. The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call," it said. The statement added that no further details were available for release at this time. Her publicist, Kasey Kitchen, said Panettiere's death was being investigated, according to NBC News. "There's an investigation ongoing," Kitchen said in a statement. "We should know more tomorrow." Panettiere also starred in the Scream franchise of horror movies. Earlier this year, Panettiere released her memoirs This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she opened up about her experiences with postpartum depression, addiction, and recovery. This led to her decision to give up custody of her only child Kaya in 2018, whom she shares with her former partner Wladimir Klitschko, the Ukrainian professional boxer. In an interview with podcaster Jay Shetty after the release of her memoir, Panettiere spoke about the custody arrangement for her 11-year-old daughter, who lives full-time with Klitschko in Ukraine. "I think there's been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child," she said. "That could not be farther from the truth." Panettiere described herself as being in a "horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse" while "just trying to find my way back, my way out of the darkness". Panettiere first appeared in commercials when she was just 11 months old - and went on to become a child actor with roles in soap operas including One Life To Live and Guiding Light. Her feature film debut came when she was nine years old, as the voice of Princess Dot in A Bug's Life. Read more from Sky News:Hundreds honour Bonnie Tyler in WalesFour Renaissance paintings stolen in Italy Panettiere, who would have turned 37 on Friday, was propelled to fame in 2006 through her role as a cheerleader with superpowers in Heroes. When she later recalled the first time she was tracked by paparazzi after the show's release, Panettiere said the moment was "just sheer terror". On the show's appeal, she said: "I think Heroes is really hot because it's just a really great combination of everything that people love - they love reality, they love sci-fi and things like X-Men where they get to dream of something bigger. "And at the core of it are these human stories that people can relate to, very rugged. And it's just grabbed everyone in every age group." She went on to win three Teen Choice Awards for the role. Panettiere later played a brash country music upstart in Nashville, which ran for four seasons on US broadcaster ABC, before being cancelled and revived on CMT. It was while filming Nashville that she first entered rehab in 2015. The actor did her own singing in the show, which earned her some hits on the country music charts and two supporting actress nominations at the Golden Globes. In 2024, she described pain and grief after her younger brother died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed heart condition the previous year. "When you lose somebody that you saw in all the important moments in your life, standing right next to you, it just rocks your world," she told NBC's Today show.

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Paul Kelso, business and economics correspondent
Aug 17
Oil and gas industry urges PM to approve controversial North Sea developments

The Rosebank oil field, 80 miles northwest of Shetland, and the Jackdaw gas field, east of Aberdeen, are awaiting a formal decision from the government after a previous approval by a Conservative administration in 2023 was quashed by the Scottish courts. The projects have become a lightning rod for debate about the UK's energy security, the pace of the energy transition and the government's commitment to climate targets. Supporters of the projects say that domestic production of oil and gas is economically and environmentally preferable to importing fossil fuels the UK will continue to consume even as it transitions to renewable power. Opponents argue that any new fossil fuel extraction will put the UK in breach of its net zero commitments and do little to reduce customer bills. With consultations on both Rosebank and Jackdaw now concluded, developers Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian national energy company Equinor, said the projects will deliver economic benefits to the UK. "Rosebank and Jackdaw are nationally significant projects," said chief executive Neil McCulloch. "Together, they can provide more domestically produced energy, support high-quality jobs and apprenticeships, generate substantial economic activity and tax revenues, and give the UK's world-class energy supply chain confidence for the future." The Scottish Conservatives said the decision would be the difference between "life and death" for North Sea industry, while Offshore Energies UK, which represents wind power generators as well as the oil and gas industry, called on the Government to be "honest" about the UK's energy demands. "The reality is that oil and gas still provide around 75% of the UK's energy, keeping our cars moving, planes flying, homes warm and industries running," said chief executive David Whitehouse. "If we do not produce this oil and gas here with lower emissions under one of the most tightly regulated regimes in the world, we do not end demand. "It just means more imported oil and gas - often with a higher carbon footprint, while more jobs, taxes and industrial value are shifted overseas. The government must be honest about this." Read more on Sky News:Speculation Miliband will approve drilling new oil and gas field 'unfounded'North Sea oil - is it time to reconsider drilling? Environmental groups Greenpeace and Uplift have rallied in opposition to the developments, leading the court challenge that saw the courts rule the original approval of Rosebank and Jackdaw unlawful. Both projects have had to be resubmitted to regulators, accounting not just for carbon emissions produced in construction, but by the fossil fuels extracted. Robert Palmer, deputy director at Uplift, said: "The case for Rosebank has completely collapsed. The science shows that the world already has far more oil and gas than can be burned safely if we want to maintain a liveable climate, the economics show it won't lower bills or make Britain more energy secure, and the summer's record heatwaves and devastating wildfires have made the consequences of fossil fuel dependence impossible to ignore. "Enough is enough. Burnham needs to look out of the window and acknowledge that this project will make the climate crisis worse and do nothing but rip off Britain."

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No Writer
Aug 17
Man City's Community Shield defeat to Arsenal revealed the scale of the job facing Enzo Maresca on eve of new Premier League season

The manner of that loss has raised qualifying questions, the only real clarity offered by the Premier League champions. Mikel Arteta's side brutally exposed a series of City shortcomings: defensively disorganised, missing a midfield and lacking leadership, to name but a few. Under a week from the start of their campaign proper, City appear worryingly incomplete. "We have it quite clear what we need to do, and for sure we are going to do something before the transfer window closes," Maresca reassured after the game, before it was confirmed later the same evening that Rodri would be departing for Barcelona. Not sure that was exactly what he had in mind. Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream PL games with no contract📺 City's trust in Maresca is such that defeat in the Community Shield will not cause a huge internal stir. There does, however, need to be a period of introspection. Does the Italian have the tools he needs to play the system he intends to? Sunday suggests not. Beyond being schooled by a slicker side in possession, all three of Arsenal's well-worked goals scored from open play, City's lack of imposition should be a major concern. Maresca's XI was packed with creators and scorers but none were effective. They played 200 more passes in the opposition half than Arsenal, yielding one big chance to Arsenal's four. That was missed by Erling Haaland. Given Nico O'Reilly, Elliot Anderson and Haaland only returned from their post-World Cup breaks a few days prior, it's a wonder they were involved at all. None of that trio were particularly productive, albeit their underperformance comes with caveats and will rank low on Mareca's list of misgivings. Much higher on his evolving catalogue of to-dos will be addressing how disconnected City's units are, all playing individually, much to Arsenal's aid. Mateo Kovacic's role as the central rotator did not work. Nor, for the most part, did O'Reilly's progression into midfield to create the 3-2 shape Maresca favours in build-up. All O'Reilly succeeded in doing was leaving huge voids of space for Noni Madueke to run into. At one point Ben White was even playing like a winger. The talented 21-year-old, for all his many strengths - and he has great potential to thrive in a de facto central midfield role - was swamped by the class and nous of Arsenal's enforcers. He cannot yet do what Bernardo Silva or Rodri can do. When the Gunners did arrive with numbers and intent to threaten, City held such a high defensive line it almost bated the obvious opening. No player engaged. And so Martin Odegaard's mind was made up for him. He used the generosity of his time and space to measure a cross for Christos Tzolis to tee up Kai Havertz. Child's play. Maresca drew criticism for a similar tactical failing while in charge at Chelsea. A high line with a passive press is an accident waiting to happen in the Premier League. City obviously have work to do between now and the close of the transfer window on September 1. Enzo Fernandez remains a target but comes with baggage. He's a player that often splits opinion - booed by sections of his own fanbase at the weekend - despite striking up a good working relationship with Maresca during their time together at Chelsea. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Man City news & transfers🔵Man City fixtures & scores | FREE Man City highlights▶️ He is not a Rodri replacement. Albeit no one is. The Argentine does offer two things City's midfield currently lacks, though: goals and guile. Fernandez is a fighter and while that trait sometimes lands him in hot water, it is also necessary to add presence in an area of the pitch that needs it most. City were so lightweight on Sunday, Arsenal had carte blanche control. Tijjani Reijnders is another set to move on, further weakening midfield options and piling responsibility on relatively young shoulders. Anderson is only 23. Key transfer target Ayyoub Bouaddi just 18. Kovacic, at 32, is perhaps too far the other side of peak. Where is the balance? A percentage of these problems can of course be attributed to rustiness. It was only game one, and not a consequential game at that. Haaland will get sharper. Anderson will learn how to better anchor midfield with some help. And the misshapen back four will iron out with a bit of time and work on the training pitch, as well as a better understanding of pressing distances in this system. City are not required to play Arsenal every week, remember. Sunday will have revealed plenty of uncomfortable truths for Maresca, not least how the gap to Arsenal appears to be widening rather than narrowing. He has three-and-a-half months' worth of soul-searching to do before their next bout in late November. But he should also take comfort in the timing of such a revealing performance, perhaps a blessing in disguise in terms of evolution under his new rule, still with the means and support to do something about it. Better get cracking, then. Watch Manchester City vs Bournemouth live on Sky Sports Main Event on Sunday; kick-off 2pm

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Paul Kelso, business and economics correspondent
Aug 17
Oil and gas industry urges PM to approve controversial North Sea developments

The Rosebank oil field, 80 miles northwest of Shetland, and the Jackdaw gas field, east of Aberdeen, are awaiting a formal decision from the government after a previous approval by a Conservative administration in 2023 was quashed by the Scottish courts. The projects have become a lightning rod for debate about the UK's energy security, the pace of the energy transition and the government's commitment to climate targets. Supporters of the projects say that domestic production of oil and gas is economically and environmentally preferable to importing fossil fuels the UK will continue to consume even as it transitions to renewable power. Opponents argue that any new fossil fuel extraction will put the UK in breach of its net zero commitments and do little to reduce customer bills. With consultations on both Rosebank and Jackdaw now concluded, developers Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian national energy company Equinor, said the projects will deliver economic benefits to the UK. "Rosebank and Jackdaw are nationally significant projects," said chief executive Neil McCulloch. "Together, they can provide more domestically produced energy, support high-quality jobs and apprenticeships, generate substantial economic activity and tax revenues, and give the UK's world-class energy supply chain confidence for the future." The Scottish Conservatives said the decision would be the difference between "life and death" for North Sea industry, while Offshore Energies UK, which represents wind power generators as well as the oil and gas industry, called on the Government to be "honest" about the UK's energy demands. "The reality is that oil and gas still provide around 75% of the UK's energy, keeping our cars moving, planes flying, homes warm and industries running," said chief executive David Whitehouse. "If we do not produce this oil and gas here with lower emissions under one of the most tightly regulated regimes in the world, we do not end demand. "It just means more imported oil and gas - often with a higher carbon footprint, while more jobs, taxes and industrial value are shifted overseas. The government must be honest about this." Read more on Sky News:Speculation Miliband will approve drilling new oil and gas field 'unfounded'North Sea oil - is it time to reconsider drilling? Environmental groups Greenpeace and Uplift have rallied in opposition to the developments, leading the court challenge that saw the courts rule the original approval of Rosebank and Jackdaw unlawful. Both projects have had to be resubmitted to regulators, accounting not just for carbon emissions produced in construction, but by the fossil fuels extracted. Robert Palmer, deputy director at Uplift, said: "The case for Rosebank has completely collapsed. The science shows that the world already has far more oil and gas than can be burned safely if we want to maintain a liveable climate, the economics show it won't lower bills or make Britain more energy secure, and the summer's record heatwaves and devastating wildfires have made the consequences of fossil fuel dependence impossible to ignore. "Enough is enough. Burnham needs to look out of the window and acknowledge that this project will make the climate crisis worse and do nothing but rip off Britain."

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No Writer
Aug 16
Hundreds gather for Bonnie Tyler procession in Wales ahead of funeral

The legendary Welsh rock singer, whose real name was Gaynor Hopkins, died aged 75 last month in Portugal. Fans lined Newton Road in the Mumbles, where she lived, to watch the procession as the singer was transported back to her former home. Others waited outside Tyler's home on nearby Mumbles Road, where floral tributes were laid. Among those waiting to pay their respects to Tyler was Carys Edwards, 18, who says the singer was "an inspiration to everybody". She said: "Her music touched a lot of people, especially me. "I'm quite surprised how many people came here today, but then not as well, because she was such an icon. "She was always coming home and making sure that she came back to her fans in Wales. "Her songs really did touch a lot of people here in Wales, we loved her a lot. "When we found out she passed away, it was such a heartbreak to all of us. We cried and everything." Carys' mother, Melanie Smith, 53, added: "Most importantly, she was a Swansea girl, and she didn't forget that." Michael Bone, 58, and his partner Alan Hawkins, 54, travelled from Derby to watch the procession. Mr Bone said: "We thought it'd be nice to pay our respects. "For me personally, it's because in my teens, her music was quite prolific, for me it was her most iconic period in the 1980s." Read more from Sky News:'What on earth is a bus gate? It cost me ÂŁ35'Au Vodka founders to toast ÂŁ500m windfall from Sazerac sale A celebration of Tyler's life for family and friends will take place at Swansea Minster on Monday, before the singer makes a final journey through her home village of Skewen, located just outside the town of Neath. Famous for her 80s hits Total Eclipse Of The Heart and Holding Out For A Hero, Tyler was nominated three times for a Grammy award, and represented the UK in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. She was awarded an MBE for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II in 2023. Her final full live concert was at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on 19 March.

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No Writer
Aug 14
Why Farage may face a second by-election despite Clacton win

The veteran politician, who was deputy Labour leader under Gordon Brown, explained on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast how the process of investigating the Reform leader will now continue after he won the Clacton by-election today. Mr Farage resigned as Clacton's MP over scrutiny surrounding the ÂŁ5m he was given by Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before he decided to stand to become an MP in 2024. He has maintained it was for personal reasons - namely security - and not political, which is allowed under the rules. Politics latest: Farage ÂŁ5m gift inquiry reopened He said he wanted the people of Clacton to decide if they still had faith in him, and declared that they did after he won the by-election his resignation triggered with a larger majority than in 2024. The parliamentary standards commissioner had to pause the investigation into whether Mr Farage had broken Commons rules by failing to declare the money when he resigned, but shortly after he won the by-election, it was announced the inquiry has been resumed - in keeping with the rules. Baroness Harman said: "The standards commissioner will decide whether or not it's a breach of the code - I would think it's almost inevitable it is, and almost inevitable that he would decide it's a serious breach. "I think it's most likely the standards commissioner would propose a sanction which is more than a 10-day suspension from the Commons - which would trigger the possibility of a recall petition, where if 10% of the voters in Clacton vote for a recall petition that will trigger another by-election." She added she thinks 10% would be reached judging by the 26.7% of voters who chose Count Binface rather than Mr Farage in this week's by-election. And Baroness Harman said she thinks all the main parties would stand a candidate, unlike this time when they boycotted it. "I think at that point it will have been established that he has broken the rules seriously in relation to trying to keep this ÂŁ5m secret, that the voters in Clacton, if they re-elect him don't care about that," she said."But I think voters in other parts of the country might not agree with the voters of Clacton and might think this man is not suitable to be prime minister." Pollster Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, also told the podcast there is a danger for Mr Farage in accepting the ÂŁ5m in that people will see him as "the same as the rest of the political class", when he has tried to appear anti-establishment. He added: "I think that the danger of this ÂŁ5m is that people compare it to things like the freebies, they compare it to some of those, I mean, I've had groups where people have compared it to the PPE scandal, and they just start to go, 'oh, goodness, this is going to be more of the same as well'."

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No Writer
Aug 17
F1 title race: Assessing rivals to Kimi Antonelli and factors that will decide 2026 fight ahead of Dutch GP season resumption

Mercedes driver Antonelli, who does not turn 20 until next week, exceeded all expectations to establish a 50-point lead at the top of the standings going into the summer break after the first 11 rounds. The season resumes live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend with the Dutch Grand Prix, the first of 12 remaining scheduled races, and one of two remaining Sprint events. Where would Kimi Antonelli rank among surprise F1 title winners?Sky Sports' Dutch GP schedule | F1 2026 standings | F1 2026 calendarDownload the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺Who could catch Antonelli? Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari - 2nd, 50 points behind Antonelli The seven-time world champion is Antonelli's nearest challenger and is driving a Ferrari that has been the car most consistently capable of challenging Mercedes during the first half of the season. A scrappy run of performances before the break saw the momentum Hamilton had built earlier in the summer fizzle out, but the 41-year-old will no doubt return refreshed and fully intent on rediscovering his best form in Zandvoort. A strong start in Zandvoort is important for all the drivers chasing Antonelli, but perhaps especially for Hamilton and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who may well need to gain a significant upper hand within the team to have the support required to mount a sustained challenge. George Russell, Mercedes - 3rd, 59 points behind Antonelli If there was a driver who needed the summer break, it was Russell. Luck, and then form, deserted the Brit over the first half of the season, but he still has what was undoubtedly the fastest car on the grid across the first 11 races. If a refreshed Russell, who had something to smile about over the summer break as he got engaged, can somehow rediscover his best form, he still has plenty of time to re-establish himself as a factor in the title battle. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari - 4th, 81 points behind Antonelli After a tough run of races, Leclerc appeared to finally get to grips with the SF-26 over the final month before the break. The Monegasque won at Silverstone and outscored Hamilton at the last three races. However, his spring struggles have left next to no margin for error during the run-in, with the challenge of hauling in Hamilton a first hurdle for him to worry about before catching Antonelli. Lando Norris, McLaren - 5th, 91 points behind Antonelli The reigning world champion was very much out of this conversation until he produced an absolutely dominant victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix in the final race before the break. The significant upgrade package McLaren brought to Hungary appeared to work very well, and Norris may well have won by half a minute if it were not for the fact he spent half the race stuck behind his team-mate Oscar Piastri after being overtaken on the first lap. If McLaren's car works as well in Zandvoort as it did in Budapest, Norris cannot be discounted. Which factors will be decisive? Upgrades - With this being the first season of a new regulations cycle, there remains the possibility of major swings in performance as the teams continue to bring upgrades. Although there are minor changes to the regulations for 2027, the teams can be expected to keep pushing hard in terms of development, as most of what they bring to their cars now is likely to provide useful knowledge - and potentially performance - next season. After seeing McLaren leap forward in Hungary, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur pointed out that his team's approach has been to bring regular upgrades rather than big packages like the one the Woking squad had in Hungary. Although some of the summer break represents a shutdown where work is not allowed to be done, major upgrades are expected to arrive up and down the pit lane in Zandvoort and for the Italian Grand Prix a week later. There is also the matter of engine upgrades. The FIA's Additional Development Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system has already allowed Ferrari to bring an update to their power unit. Another one could bring them closer to the performance of the field-leading Mercedes power unit, which it remains unclear whether they have been able to upgrade after it was initially, highly controversially, adjudged to be less strong than Red Bull's. Reliability - While the Mercedes power unit has been the strongest, it has also had far more major issues than Ferrari's. Both Mercedes and McLaren, who use their rival's power unit as a customer, have suffered multiple costly failures. Despite having less grunt, Ferrari's power unit has proved highly reliable, which has been a key factor in keeping both the team and its drivers in the hunt for this year's titles. Antonelli, who has suffered this season at the hands of a wheel-guard failure as well as an engine blowout, will be left vulnerable if he suffers any more DNFs. Penalties - The cost of poor reliability is not necessarily limited to the weekend it occurs on, with an irreparable power unit potentially leading to penalties later on in the season. Each driver has a limit of four power units for the season, and both Antonelli and Russell are expected to need to exceed their allowance after losing an engine to reliability earlier in the season. Top teams usually opt to take the penalty at a circuit where overtaking is relatively easy, allowing them to use the fresh power unit to surge back through the field and minimise the potential damage. Driving (styles) - The radical change from last year's cars to this year's has required significant adjustment from the drivers. Russell and Leclerc comfortably outperformed their team-mates last year but have been on the receiving end this season, while Piastri has recently appeared unable to match Norris. While Leclerc seemed to make some positive adjustments, Russell was still trying to find a method that works in Hungary, and only finding a style that works for the Brit is going to give him a chance. As for Antonelli, Hamilton and Norris, they all seem to be enjoying the way the nimbler 2026 cars handle. It could be fascinating to watch three generations of drivers battle at the top of their games over the remaining races. Experience - While it will not help in terms of pure speed, experience could be a crucial factor coming down the stretch. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was able to apply huge pressure to Norris and Piastri, who were both seeking a maiden title, at the end of last year. As Antonelli potentially gets closer to the finish line, the pressure on the Italian will ramp up. It also remains to be seen whether Hamilton, whose last title came in 2020, could feel a similarly extreme level of pressure as he seeks a record eighth championship. One would expect Hamilton to be comfortable in the heat of a title battle, while Norris also holds an edge over Russell and Leclerc having come through the fire 12 months ago. While Antonelli does not have the experience himself, his team certainly does. His race engineer Peter 'Bono' Bonnington was in Hamilton's ear for six of the Brit's seven championships, and has already played a crucial role in guiding his young driver throughout the season so far. Calendar - This element is very much out of the hands of the teams and drivers. Ongoing conflict in the Middle East means doubt remains over whether the final two rounds of the season can go ahead as scheduled in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The Bahrain Grand Prix, which was unable to take place in April, is going to be held in Malaysia in October, while the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been lost completely. F1 president Stefano Domenicali says contingency plans are in place for the last two races to be held at alternative venues in Europe, with a deadline for a decision coming around the middle of September. However, gossip in the paddock potentially points towards only one of the two season-ending races being replaced, with Italy's Imola circuit expected to step in. All will be revealed on the front over the next month, but one less race would, at this stage, provide a major boost for Antonelli out front, and a blow to those chasing him. The Formula 1 season resumes after the summer break with a Sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix from Friday, with every session live on Sky Sports. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

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