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By Obinna Ejianya (9News Nigeria – Melbourne, Australia)

More Facts and Controversy Over Red Bull’s Christian Horner Alleged Sexting Scandal

Red Bull’s principal, Christian Horner, has found himself at the center of a controversy involving alleged sexting with a female employee. The Formula One community has been shaken by the scandal, with calls for Horner’s resignation and the threat of legal action. Screenshots of a purported inappropriate conversation between Horner and the employee were leaked through an anonymous email and circulated among influential figures in the F1 world.

The father of Formula One driver Max Verstappen, Jos Verstappen, has publicly called for Horner to step down from his position, citing potential tension within the team. However, Horner has denied the allegations and has been exonerated through an internal review. His wife, Geri Halliwell, known as Ginger Spice, has shown her support for him.

The scandal unfolded when an anonymous email containing screenshots of the alleged conversation was shared with media outlets, team members, and senior personnel in Formula One. The email, sent from two different addresses, included a link to a Google Drive folder with 79 screenshots. The subject line of the email read: “Christian Horner investigation evidence.”

The leaked text messages, which allegedly involve Horner discussing the employee’s outfit choices, flexibility, and requesting selfies, were obtained by Page Six. Horner has vehemently denied all accusations.

Jos Verstappen’s statements calling for Horner’s resignation have raised concerns about potential turmoil within the team. Red Bull, however, has released a statement asserting the team’s unity and focus on racing.

According to reports in The Sun, Geri Halliwell, Horner’s wife, has made certain demands following the scandal. One of her requests is for Horner to reduce or cut contact with the female colleague involved. Red Bull is reportedly unable to terminate the employee’s contract due to lack of grounds.

In response to the alleged sexting scandal, Horner has reportedly threatened legal action against an online Formula One magazine that published the name of the employee. Horner’s lawyers have accused the magazine of defamation, breach of privacy, and data protection rights. The article generated significant traffic, causing the website to crash.

A spokesperson for Red Bull has stated that the magazine’s article contains inaccuracies and is subject to a legal complaint.

The alleged sexting scandal involving Christian Horner, the principal of Red Bull’s Formula One racing team, and a female employee has caused significant controversy within the Formula One community. Leaked screenshots of the alleged conversation have led to calls for Horner’s resignation and the threat of legal action. Horner has denied the allegations, been cleared of wrongdoing by an internal review, and received support from his wife, Geri Halliwell. The situation has prompted responses from Jos Verstappen, Max Verstappen’s father, and has resulted in a legal dispute with an F1 magazine.

Analysis of Red Bull’s Christian Horner Alleged Sexting Scandal

Facts and Analysis:

1. Leaked Text Messages:

• An anonymous email containing screenshots of the alleged conversation between Christian Horner and the female employee was shared with media outlets, team members, and senior personnel within Formula One.
• The email was sent from two different email addresses and included a link to a Google Drive folder containing 79 screenshots. The subject line of the email was “Christian Horner investigation evidence.”
• The text messages allegedly involved Horner asking about the employee’s outfit choices, flexibility, and requesting selfies. He also allegedly asked the employee to delete the chat.
• Horner has denied all allegations made against him.

1. Jos Verstappen’s Response:

• Jos Verstappen, the father of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, has called for Horner to step down from his position, citing potential tension within the team.
• Verstappen expressed concern that the team could be torn apart if Horner remains in his role.

1. Geri Halliwell’s Demands:

• Geri Halliwell, Christian Horner’s wife, reportedly made several demands following the leak of the texts.
• One of her requests was for Horner to reduce or cut contact with the female colleague involved. However, this is challenging due to the colleague’s role at Red Bull.
• Halliwell also expressed a desire for the female colleague, whom she knew before her appointment, to be less involved in the situation. However, there are no grounds for the colleague to be terminated.

1. Threat of Legal Action Against F1 Magazine:

• An online Formula One magazine reportedly named the employee who received the alleged messages.
• Christian Horner’s lawyers sent two legal letters to the magazine, accusing them of publishing an unlawful, defamatory article that breached privacy and data protection rights.
• The article generated significant traffic, causing the magazine’s website to crash.
• The magazine’s editor, Tom Rubython, confirmed receiving legal warnings and requests to take down the article but insisted on seeking an injunction if required.
• Red Bull stated that the article contained inaccuracies and was subject to a legal complaint.

By Obinna Ejianya (9News Nigeria – Melbourne, Australia)

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From Princely Onyenwe

Monday’s statement by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) that one of its members, Uyi Iluobe, was murdered by relatives of his patient at a hospital in Oghara, Delta State is a serious allegation. Iluobe’s death, according to the NMA President, Uche Ojinma, as “response of the relatives to the loss of a patient from suspected gunshot injuries can never be justified and has taken violence against doctors and other healthcare workers from injuries to murder.”

Ojinmah added that “It is unbelievable that in the face of a debilitating medical brain drain, the few doctors that patriotically decided to stay back and take care of our fellow citizens are being murdered by same Nigerians.”

I join in commiserating with the family of the deceased doctor but rushing to the conclusion drawn by the NMA on this matter is most unfortunate.

Yesterday, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe debunked insinuations that the doctor was killed by relatives of a patient. “The rumour doing the rounds that he was murdered by the family of a patient who died in the hospital is false.

There is no record of any patient’s death in the hospital,” according to Edafe who confirmed that the doctor was indeed killed within his hospital premises.

I started from the premise that the NMA’s conclusion is unhelpful, but I also understand the reason why they did so.

Attacks on Doctors by families of patients who die are becoming prevalent in Nigeria.

Last week in Kwara State, following the death of a butcher by name Alhaji Saliu at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), his relatives went berserk by attacking a medical doctor on duty.

This prompted the hospital to seize the corpse while the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) declared a five-day strike.

The UITH corporate affairs manager, Mrs. Elizabeth Ajiboye, explained that the patient was brought to the hospital with severe complications and the doctors on duty did all they could to save him without success.

“Three of the patient’s relations pounced on one of the doctors on duty, pinned him to the wall, and punched him severally but he managed to escape from them,” explained Ajiboye who justified the seizure of the corpse by the hospital.

It took the intervention of senior citizens before the corpse was eventually released for burial, although the management insists on prosecuting the violent family members.

Last month, an angry man and his son attacked a medical doctor and a nurse at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi-Aba, Abeokuta.

The tag team of father and son reportedly rained heavy blows on the doctor shortly after they were informed of the death of a 53-year-old woman at the emergency ward.

Ogun State NMA chairman, Kunle Ashimi, who condemned the incident said the woman had a serious heart condition. “She was at the end stage of heart failure. This was explained to the relatives when she was brought to the facility but, notwithstanding, we also believe in miracles, and we feel that we should do our best to see what can happen.”

Apparently because a miracle didn’t happen, “the husband and son of the deceased descended on the doctor that had been taking care of the patient when the news of her death was announced,” according to Ashimi.

That these assaults on doctors have gone on for so long with little attention paid by relevant authorities is disturbing.

At the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan three years ago, family members of a septuagenarian attacked a doctor and nurses on duty over the death of their patient, before they were arrested by the police.

“The relatives of one Usman Zubair, a 74-year-old man, who was receiving treatment in the hospital, went wild and attacked the medical personnel when they learnt of his death.

The deceased had secondary Grade A diabetes, and his ankle was amputated to enable him to live a normal life, but he later gave up” explained the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Olugbenga Fadeyi.

“The family of the deceased came around, became unruly, mobilised other miscreants to assault Dr Adeleke Adedapo and some of the nurses on duty and also vandalized chairs and tables in the hospital ward.”

Meanwhile, attacks on doctors by families of deceased patients is a global challenge but it is more prevalent in some countries than others. In a story titled ‘The family will kill you if the patient dies: the doctors facing attack in Iraq’s hospitals’ published on 9th August this year by The Guardian of London, it was reported that “In Baghdad 87% of doctors say they have experienced violence at work, some involving guns, and most at the hands of patients’ relatives.”

A May 2016 New York Times report, ‘A Danger for Doctors in China: Patients’ Angry Relatives’ highlights the same problem.

Interestingly, India, where most Nigerians seek medical solution, is renowned for attacks on doctors by relatives of patients who die.

In an online petition initiated by Dr Sumit Periwal to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi already signed by 1455, 298 persons when I last checked on Tuesday morning, he shared several accounts of how medical doctors have been assaulted by family members of patients in India.

“We, Doctors, are responsible for this situation. When the media discredited us, we did not speak. When politicians and local goondas barged into hospitals and caught our collars, we did not speak.

When mobs threatened us, we did not speak. When hospitals and ICUs were vandalized, we did not speak,” Periwal wrote. “But we must speak now. The list of assaults on doctors is endless. A chronicle of so many assaults on doctors across India is given below. And so many more go unreported.”

One of the dozens of cases listed by Periwal occurred on 10th June 2019, when a doctor was subjected to “brutal assault by a mob of 200 who were brought in two lories on the death of a 90-year-old patient at NRS Medical College, Kolkata.”

Another happened on 30th July 2020 when “a doctor of a super- speciality hospital was repeatedly stabbed and attacked by the son of a COVID patient who passed away in the hospital.”

And on 23rd April 2021, “20 Policemen assaulted a doctor with rods for not getting bed in Allahabad Medical College, amid corona crisis when there is lack of beds, medicines, and oxygen.”

Dr Raghury Hedge, specialist in ophthalmic plastic surgery & ophthalmic oncology, shared the harrowing experience of his father, also a medical practitioner who was nearly killed for what was no more than an act of kindness, blaming the problem on the society.

“The inability of the society to acknowledge altruism of the doctors will be the reason to discourage the next generation of brilliant students from taking up this unforgiving profession”

He then posed some questions: “What is the law of the land doing to prevent these Kangaroo courts from passing judgment on doctors? Who will take care of the damage to life, property, and reputation that a doctor must suffer? When will the media, politicians and the community wake up? Who will highlight this ugly barbaric side of healthcare in India?”

We should pose the same questions in our country. Besides, given unfounded insinuations that the killing of Dr Iluobe was because he rejected a gunshot victim, that has raised some pertinent issues.

Going by provisions of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017, health workers are mandated to treat gunshot victims. But there are two problems. Section 3, subsection one of the Act specifies that “A hospital that receives or accepts any person with a gunshot wound shall report the fact to the nearest police station within two hours of commencement of treatment.”

In cases where such victims are cult members, health workers are aware of the danger of reporting to the police as required by law. For that reason, many doctors and hospitals would rather err on the side of caution by rejecting a gunshot wound patient rather than admit and compromise their safety.

There is another problem associated with the Act:

My friend and medical practitioner, Henry Ewunonu has always argued that the sections which criminalize refusal to treat victims do not factor in the reality that most clinics lack the capacity for handling these injuries and that any delay in the name of providing first aid before referral could worsen the case.

This is an issue that would have to be looked at by critical stakeholders in the health sector, but we will come back to it another day. That is not the thrust of this intervention.

I have read the accounts of families of several patients suggesting they would not have lost their loved one if the healthcare professionals (or the hospital) who treated them had applied a duty of care.

I don’t know what the regulations are concerning negligence by health professionals, but I subscribe to the idea that they should be stringent enough to deter the kind of laxity that we witness in an environment where innocent lives can be, and are often, cynically wasted due to carelessness. But I also know that there are cases where families of victims simply find it difficult to accept that people die.

“One fascinating book I recommend on this is ‘Did He Save Lives? A Surgeon’s Story’ by David Sellu, a respected British surgeon whose distinguished career of over four decades was brutally terminated in 2010 when a patient died under his care in a private hospital”

Prosecuted and convicted for the patient’s death, Sellu’s practice licence was suspended, and he served 15 months in prison for what was not his fault.

He eventually won the appeal against his conviction, but the damage had already been done. Notwithstanding my misgivings about the NMA statement, it is a fact that professionals in the health sector are becoming increasingly endangered in Nigeria.

Anybody who has followed the social media must have read several unverified stories that are used as fodders by the ‘May-Nigeria-not-happen-to-you’ mob. Once someone relays an account of how a relative died (and the whole story is most often never told) in hospital, commentators jump to conclusions that it ‘the usual Nigerian malaise’. Almost as if people don’t die in foreign hospitals.

Yes, there are cases of criminal negligence, and they must be dealt with. But it is not right to conclude that all cases of death in our hospitals are due to the negligence of health professionals.

At the root of this crisis is the propensity for jungle justice in Nigeria. I have written countless columns on the subject.

But while jungle justice for all manner of offences, and even for no offence at all, may have been with us for a long time, we should do everything to prevent a descent to anarchy that the barbarism of attacking health professionals for the death of patients exemplifies.

If there are issues of negligence, there are appropriate channels for reporting professional misconduct and seeking redress.

That is the civilized way. We must deal with the impulse that drives Nigerians to take the law into their own hands when things don’t go their way.

9News Nigeria (Owerri) For inquiries on this news contact 9News Nigeria Imo State @08036856526

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From Princely Onyenwe

As the EMBER months are here, the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has reiterated his Government’s commitment to protecting lives and properties in Imo state.

He has therefore requested for immediate alert of Government on any suspicious movement and gathering cum activities capable of causing Insecurity anywhere in Imo state, mostly at the rural communities.

At a press briefing in Owerri, the State capital, Governor Hope Uzodinma disclosed that the security incident at the Eke Ututu market in Orsu Local Government, was a successful neutralization of a illegal bomb factory.

The Governor said the operation was successfully carried out the brave efforts of men of the security forces in the State.

The governor however gave the assurance that the successful operation against illegal bomb manufacturers was an important step in restoring sanity to the community and its environs.

He therefore urged all peace-loving citizens and friends of Imo State to ALWAYS ALERT SECURITY AGENCIES or Government of SUSPICIOUS activity in their locality capable of undermining peace and security.

He promised that while the fight to secure and protect the lives and prosperities of Ndi Imo can never be compromised, the Government will rebuild the Eke Ututu market and compensate those impacted by the operation.

Recall that during ember months towards the festive season, crime prone are rated high across the country but maintained that Imo state is ready to battle Insecurity, drug addiction, rape, kidnapping and other firms of crime headon.

This will give Imolites a free enjoyment of the season and restore sanity and calmness in the state.

9News Nigeria (Owerri) For inquiries on this news contact 9News Nigeria Imo State @08036856526

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MEXICO CITY (9News Nigeria) – Lewis Hamilton said he felt humbled to become a five times Formula One world champion on Sunday, and the enormity of his achievement had yet to sink in.

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Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton dominated the Chinese Grand Prix to take his first win of the year and move into a share of the championship lead.

Hamilton’s victory, in a race enlivened by a wet start and some terrific wheel-to-wheel battles, ties him with first-race winner Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel was second, hardening impressions that 2017 will be a fight between the two multiple champions.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen moved up from 16th on the grid to finish third.

Anyone’s race – no matter where you start from

The grand prix could have swung in favour of either Hamilton or Vettel depending on how events had played out.

In the end, fate decided for Hamilton, who was able to control the race from the front throughout and respond to his pursuers, who were always kept well out of arm’s length.

Vettel had to fight back after losing out on strategy in a chaotic opening, which kept the shape of the race in doubt through a series of incidents and accidents.

Verstappen further heightened his already burgeoning reputation as one of F1’s most exciting drivers with a strong performance to challenge Hamilton early on.

The Dutchman, up from 16th to seventh on the first lap, took the final podium spot, but was under pressure in the closing laps from his more measured team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who Verstappen had overtaken impressively in the early stages.

Source – BBC

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Former Formula 1 and motorcycling world champion John Surtees has died at the age of 83.

Surtees is the only man to have won the grand prix world championship on both two wheels and four.

He won four 500cc motorcycling titles – in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960 – and the F1 crown with Ferrari in 1964.

Surtees died at St George’s Hospital, London, on Friday afternoon after being treated for an existing respiratory condition, a family statement said.

“We deeply mourn the loss of such an incredible, kind and loving man as well as celebrate his amazing life,” the statement added.

Read more: John Surtees obituary

Legendary F1 commentator Murray Walker told Radio 5 live: “It’s an absolute hammer blow for me and for British motorsport in general.

“I have been privileged to commentate on him and to know him as a friend and he’s undoubtedly one of the greatest people who’s ever lived in the history of motorsport.”

Surtees was awarded an MBE in 1959, the same year he won the Sports Personality of the Year award, the OBE in 2009 and the CBE in 2016.

He won six F1 races in 111 starts between 1960 and 1972, and also drove for Honda, Lotus, Cooper, Lola and BRM.

Surtees was world champion in the 350cc motorcycling category as well as 500cc from 1958-60.

He later set up his own F1 team and was behind the wheel when it made its debut at the 1970 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch.

Team Surtees managed two podium finishes but never won a race before folding in 1978.

Surtees went on to become chairman of the British team in the now-defunct A1 Grand Prix series, while his son Henry began competing in Formula Two but was killed in an accident at Brands Hatch in 2009, aged 18.

The family set up the Henry Surtees Foundation in aid of people recovering from brain and physical injuries and to support motorsport-related educational programmes.

Surtees remained involved in motor racing into his eighties, competing in classic car and bike events up until last year.

Source – BBC

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LONDON (Reuters) – Nico Rosberg stunned Formula One on Friday with the shock announcement that he was retiring only days after winning his first world championship with Mercedes.

“From the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became world champion,” the German said in a statement on Facebook.

“On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time,” the 31-year-old added.

“I took my decision on Monday evening.”

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)

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By Alan Baldwin

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton won the Mexican Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, his landmark 51st career victory cutting Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg’s overall lead to 19 points and keeping the German waiting for a first title.

The pole-to-flag victory was the triple world champion’s eighth of the season and put him level with France’s Alain Prost in the all-time lists of winners. Only Michael Schumacher (91) has more.

Rosberg, who would have clinched the title had he won and Hamilton finished 10th or lower, crossed the line 8.354 seconds behind to anchor champions Mercedes to a sixth one-two finish of the season.

The German can still clinch the title with a race in hand if he wins at Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit in Brazil in two weeks’ time.

“Lewis has been too fast this weekend,” said Rosberg. “I just have to accept second place.”

The race was largely processional until it exploded into controversy in the final laps with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finishing fourth and then promoted to the podium before demotion back to fifth.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was third on the track but was then handed a five second penalty for gaining an advantage by going off, pushing him down to fifth before Vettel’s penalty for dangerous driving lifted him back to fourth.

That left Australian Daniel Ricciardo in third place but without a podium appearance and the chance to pour the champagne into his boot for another trademark ‘shoey’ celebration.

The Vettel-Verstappen-Ricciardo controversy provided the major talking point of the day, with bad language flying and accusations going to and fro.

“He has to let me go, he has to let me go,” Vettel, who had been trying to pass Verstappen on the 67th of the 71 laps, exclaimed furiously over the team radio as the Dutchman refused to concede the place.

Vettel also directed a foul-mouthed outburst at race director Charlie Whiting, which was heard on television and for which he apologised, and then swerved across to the Red Bull driver after the finish with a finger raised and wagging.

“I was using a lot of sign language. You have to understand the adrenaline,” said the four-times champion.

Verstappen said Vettel should go back to school.

“I don’t know how many times he is using very bad language,” said the teenager. “I will speak to him because this is how ridiculous he is handling it, he is just a very frustrated guy at the moment.”

TIME PENALTY

Verstappen joined the Mercedes drivers in the waiting room before the podium ceremony but was hauled out after his penalty was imposed, with Vettel running hastily down the pit lane.

The arguments and accusations continued afterwards, with Vettel and Ricciardo then summoned to stewards and the German accused of changing his line while braking as Ricciardo tried to pass him.

In a race that saw all but one of the 22 starters finish, the safety car was deployed on the second lap when Mexican Esteban Gutierrez tagged Pascal Wehrlein’s Manor and pushed him into Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber.

There was more drama at the front where Hamilton made a good getaway but then locked up and trekked across the grass, cutting the first corner.

That incident, which left him battling serious tyre vibrations until his first pitstop, was held up by Verstappen as inconsistent stewarding, with the Briton also gaining an advantage but escaping any sanction.

Verstappen and Rosberg also made contact at the start, with the Dutch driver trying to find a way through on the inside from third place on the grid, but stewards took no action.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was sixth, Nico Hulkenberg seventh for Force India and the Williams pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa eighth and ninth.

Mexican Sergio Perez, the crowd favourite, took the final point for Force India in 10th place after a long battle with Massa.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris and Ian Ransom)

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By Alan Baldwin

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton celebrated his 50th Formula One victory on Sunday with a pole-to-flag U.S. Grand Prix drive that kept his title hopes alive and trimmed Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg’s lead to 26 points with three races remaining.

Rosberg, who had been chasing his 10th triumph of the season, finished second on a sunny Texan afternoon with a big crowd but little drama — even if Hamilton spent much of it worrying about reliability.

The straightforward victory was Hamilton’s fourth in Texas in five seasons and ended a barren stretch for the triple world champion dating back to his last win in Germany in July.

“This has always been a good hunting ground for me,” said the Briton, the third driver after Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost to win 50 races, in a podium interview conducted by British actor Gerard Butler.

“I love being here in the States, it very much feels like home,” he added, with tennis player Venus Williams and skier Lindsey Vonn watching on.

“All I can do is do my best and continue to drive as I have this weekend,” said Hamilton, who confessed he had completely forgotten that it would be his 50th win. “Nico has been driving fantastically well all year so the battle will continue.”

Rosberg, finished 4.5 seconds behind and had dropped back to third at the start before events lent the German a helping hand.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who had seized second at the start, was third for Red Bull but his Dutch team mate Max Verstappen failed to finish due to a gearbox failure.

Rosberg, whose advantage means he can still take his first title without having to win again this season, said it was ‘damage limitation’.

The German has 331 points to Hamilton’s 305, with seven points the difference between a win and second place.

The Mercedes drivers are the only ones in title contention and the team has already won the constructors’ championship for a third year in a row.

Hamilton, who won his third title at the circuit last year after a Rosberg error gifted him the race win, shook hands with his team mate as they waited to go on the podium.

The body language contrasted to the 2015 aftermath, when Hamilton tossed Rosberg a cap and had it thrown back at him.

VERSTAPPEN STOPPED

Verstappen had pushed Rosberg hard early on but any hope of getting between the Mercedes drivers ended when he pitted with his team not expecting it.

The 18-year-old then dropped to a crawling pace before pulling across the gravel and parking up but marshals were unable to move the Red Bull to safety without the use of a crane, leading to a virtual safety car.

That allowed the Mercedes drivers to pit and gain time on Ricciardo, who had already done so. “They basically got a free pit stop,” said the exasperated Australian over the radio.

Verstappen said the team had told him to keep going initially.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished fourth but a bungled stop put paid to team mate Kimi Raikkonen’s race with the Finn leaving before the wheel had been fully detached.

“I saw some sparks coming out. At the end of the pitlane the team told me to stop … the rear wheel nut had not fitted properly,” said Raikkonen, who let the Ferrari roll back before parking up.

Ferrari were fined 5,000 euros ($5,439.00) for the unsafe release.

Fernando Alonso was fifth for McLaren with fellow-Spaniard Carlos Sainz sixth for Toro Rosso and Brazilian Felipe Massa seventh for Williams.

Mexican Sergio Perez finished eighth for Force India, after fighting back from the rear following a first lap tangle with Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, and McLaren’s Jenson Button was ninth.

Kvyat collected a 10 second time penalty for causing the collision.

Frenchman Romain Grosjean collected a point for Haas, the first U.S.-owned team in 30 years who were making their home debut, but Mexican team mate Esteban Gutierrez failed to finish.

($1 = 0.9193 euros)

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Andrew Both and Pritha Sarkar)

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On the greatest driver’s track, Nico Rosberg drove a Japanese Grand Prix befitting a world champion, a title with which he looks increasingly likely to end the year.

And yet somehow the Suzuka weekend was all about the German’s Mercedes team-mate, who provided drama both on and off the circuit.

As Rosberg dominated the competitive action, Lewis Hamilton made headlines for the wrong reasons. On track, he looked out of sorts for much of practice. And although he came oh so close to beating Rosberg to pole position, another bad start led to a difficult race and a third place that takes the title race out of his control.

Rosberg will not approach it this way, but all the German needs to do now is finish second to Briton Hamilton in the four remaining races and a first world title will be his.

Did it really have to be this way?

Lewis Hamilton
The controversy started on Thursday when Hamilton Snapchatted his way through the drivers’ news conference
They say that an elite sportsman should clear his mind of unnecessary distractions – Sir Jackie Stewart calls it mind-management. Hamilton, though, was not taking that approach in Japan.

There have been questions about how Hamilton handled the Singapore weekend where he was dominated by Rosberg two races ago, with it leaking out that he was “not really on it” there.

But according to insiders at Mercedes, there was no questioning his commitment to the task in terms of his work in private with the team in these past two races in Malaysia and Japan.

Read more: Hamilton – I’ll give F1 title race everything
Read more: Mercedes withdraw Max Verstappen complaint
In public, though, things did not go so well at Suzuka.

Hamilton was, to put it politely, disengaged from his primary responsibilities in the official pre-race news conference on Thursday.

Rather than answer questions about his remarks following his retirement with engine failure in Malaysia, he referred questioners to his social media outlets, where he had posted messages in support of his Mercedes team.

While other drivers answered questions, Hamilton spent considerable time on his smartphone. It soon emerged he was posting on the social network Snapchat pictures of himself and fellow driver Carlos Sainz with bunny ears and rabbit faces.

Carlos Sainz tweet to Lewis Hamilton
Carlos Sainz responded to Lewis Hamilton over the Snapchat images the Briton created during the drivers’ news conference
Hamilton said he found this “quite funny”. Some will agree; others won’t. Such is the way of humour.

In terms of his general detachment during the news conference, some journalists felt it inappropriate and wrong; others were not bothered. Again, such is the way of things.

Afterwards, though, a respected journalist went down to the Mercedes area to tell Hamilton he thought he should not have behaved in such a manner.

Later, Hamilton posted two messages on Twitter. “Today was meant to be fun,” he said, “not at all disrespectful. Some people take themselves too seriously. I had a blast, highlight of my day!

“Re press conference, it’s been the same for 10 years. It’s not the media or mediator, it’s the format. Fans should be asking the questions!”

Inevitably, Hamilton’s behaviour was highlighted more on some media outlets than others. None of the reports went particularly hard on him, in the way they sometimes can. But he seemed to take offence at some of them and on Saturday he made his feelings clear.

At his post-qualifying news conference in the Mercedes motorhome, he sat down, tapping his fingers on the small table in front of him. He was smiling. The journalists were smiling back. So was the Mercedes communications boss. Hamilton turned to his colleague: “You’re not going to be smiling in a minute.

Then he addressed the media: “I’m not here to answer your questions, I’ve decided.

Lewis Hamilton
In a BBC Sport poll, 46% thought Hamilton was cracking under the pressure of the title race
“With the utmost respect, there are many of you here who are super-supportive of me and they hopefully know I know who they are. There are others, unfortunately, that often take advantage of certain things.

“The other day was a super light-hearted thing, and if I was disrespectful to any of you guys, or if you felt I was disrespectful, it was honestly not the intention. It was just a little bit of fun. But what was more disrespectful was what was then written worldwide.

“Unfortunately, there are some people here who it is not them who has done it. And unfortunately the decision I will take affects those who have been super-supportive, so that is why I am saying with the utmost respect.

“But I don’t really plan on sitting here many more times for these kind of things so my apologies and I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

And with that, he walked out.

What did Mercedes think of Hamilton’s behaviour?

On race morning, I went down to Mercedes to ask team boss Toto Wolff what he made of the events of the weekend.

“Let him do his talking on the track,” Wolff said. “His performance in the car justifies some collateral damage.”

Rosberg and Hamilton
While the media attention swirled round Hamilton, Rosberg cruised to his ninth win of the season
Wolff is an approachable and likeable man with an easy manner and a strong sense of humour, and he was genuinely relaxed about the situation.

Read more: Mercedes accept ‘damage’ over Hamilton’s behaviour
Listen: Hamilton makes disastrous start
After the race, he sat down in his own news conference as a couple of journalists were sharing a joke about an unrelated matter.

“You are laughing now,” Wolff joked, in obvious reference to Hamilton’s remarks the previous day, “but you won’t be laughing later.”

Be in no doubt, though, that Wolff’s charm is allied to a streak of steel. In the nicest possible way, he made it clear that he would be sitting down with Hamilton before the next race in Austin, USA.

It is unlikely their chat will be confined to building Hamilton back up again after the disappointments of an engine failure in Malaysia and a defeat by Rosberg in Japan left him 33 points adrift in the championship and needing some kind of major problem to befall the German to get back into the fight.

Why did Hamilton do it and what next?

Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton took full responsibility for his poor start at Suzuka
Later, Wolff made a particularly perceptive observation: “Lewis is very strong. He needs the enemy. Sometimes more than one. That’s how he functions.”

Hamilton is not the first F1 driver to do so, but why he needs to make his enemy the media is not clear. The same can be said for his apparent lack of understanding – after 10 years in F1 – of the fact that it is not the media’s job to support him. They are there to report what happens objectively and fairly.

The suggestion from some who should know is that Hamilton’s actions on Saturday were a reaction to the pressure of the weekend – the combination of his irritation at some of the coverage with the fact he had been out-qualified by Rosberg at a race at which Hamilton badly needed to beat his team-mate.

There is no doubt that his behaviour has put Mercedes in an uncomfortable situation. They cannot afford to have their major star at loggerheads with the media, especially over what is essentially a storm in a teacup, and it is hard to imagine they will let the tension linger for too long.

For all his wealth and star status, Hamilton needs his team and has an obligation to them.

As a result, it would be a surprise if the situation was not resolved sooner rather than later. How exactly that will happen, though, is another matter.

Hulkenberg headed for Renault

Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg has driven for Force India in four of his six seasons in F1
Now F1 is getting to the business end of this season, the shape of the new one is falling into place. The line-ups of most of the major teams have been resolved, but there are still question marks over, particularly, Renault.

While there is no official word, several sources said in Japan that Nico Hulkenberg would next year join the French team from Force India.

Renault is keen to have an established and proven quantity to lead their team as they enter what will effectively be the first real season of their new venture, this one being very much a transition year after their late takeover of Lotus last winter.

Listen: ‘For pity’s sake make him go’ – Vettel
Hulkenberg has a contract for 2017 with Force India, who are far more competitive at the moment than his likely destination. But he has been tempted by a multi-year contract on serious money with a factory team and is expected to make the move, and the word from inside Force India is they will not stand in his way.

Meanwhile, it is looking increasingly as if Jenson Button’s announcement last month that he would not be racing next year is in fact retirement by another name.

That impression was already building as a result of an inconsistency of the message coming from Button, the odd slip in some of his answers making him sound less likely to be involved on any significant level next season. In Malaysia, he said it was “quite possible” he would never race in F1 again.

Stoffel Vandoorne
McLaren reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne was out on track in Alain Prost’s 1989 championship-winning car
In Japan, two sources told BBC Sport over the weekend that it was indeed the case he was effectively retiring.

It is a fact that McLaren have a contractual option for Button to race in 2018, but the chances of them taking that up seem at this stage to be almost zero.

Of course, it’s possible that Button’s replacement Stoffel Vandoorne will struggle – although it would be a major surprise given how impressive he was on his debut in Bahrain this year.

And even if Fernando Alonso decides to call it a day at the end of next year, Sebastian Vettel will be on the market. The German’s honeymoon at Ferrari is well and truly over and even though a new contract is on the table, it is far from clear it will be signed.

The best evidence is that Button is heading into the final four races of an illustrious career. For his sake, one has to hope they go better than the dire performance the entire McLaren team showed at engine supplier Honda’s home race.

Sebastian Vettel
Vettel was heavily criticised in the Italian media following his involvement in a first-corner crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton put in a scintillating performance to take pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The world champion was 0.414 seconds quicker than Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, with the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo next.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen continued the two-by-two in fifth and sixth places.

Hamilton has a great chance to recover some of his eight-point title-race deficit to Rosberg in Sunday’s race.

Hamilton is back, back, back

The Briton was dominant throughout, with Rosberg only fifth after the first runs in final qualifying and having to rely on a last-gasp lap to vault up to the front row.

Hamilton looked fast in final practice and took that form into the start of qualifying as he topped all three sessions.

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He was nearly 0.6secs up on Rosberg in second qualifying and then a massive 0.911secs clear after the first runs in Q3, on which Rosberg had a snap oversteer and ran wide off the track through the fast Turn Six.

Hamilton lost the championship lead to Rosberg following the German’s victory in Singapore two weeks ago but has been driving this weekend as if intent on recovering it in one go.

Rosberg has moved into that position after winning the past three races to overturn what had been a 19-point advantage for Hamilton after the German Grand Prix in July.

Hamilton said: “It’s been a difficult few weeks with Nico’s wins but today the car felt fantastic. I really enjoyed the lap – but could have been faster.”

Rosberg said: “Lewis’ lap was very quick so it was always going to be difficult. I would have come close but I had a mistake in the last corner. Something just wasn’t going right there.

“But anyway, second place – I’ve got to live with that now and, as we know from this year, second does not mean victory is not possible.”

That is a reference to the difficulty with starts both Mercedes drivers have had intermittently throughout this season.

Keep an eye on Red Bull for the race

Although Mercedes dominated qualifying, there is the possibility they will face a challenge for the victory from both Red Bull and Ferrari.

Verstappen, who out-qualified Ricciardo for only the third time in their 12 races as team-mates, was the fastest driver in the race-simulation runs in Friday practice, with Mercedes and Ferrari closely matched just behind.

Hamilton said: “The [newly resurfaced] track is generally better, a lot smoother and works better with the tyres. It will be a difficult race because they were looking strong on the long runs, but I think we will be pretty strong too.”

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Perez feels the force

Behind the top three teams, Force India’s Sergio Perez was seventh as it emerged he has, after weeks of speculation, apparently completed the deal that will keep him at the team in 2017.

His team-mate Nico Hulkenberg was eighth, ahead of Jenson Button’s McLaren and Felipe Massa’s Williams.

Button’s team-mate Fernando Alonso was last after deliberately doing only one lap good enough to get him within the 107% qualifying rule, as was the plan as a result of an engine penalty that meant he was going to be at the back of the grid.

Renault’s Jolyon Palmer was disappointed to be 19th, 0.3secs slower than team-mate Kevin Magnussen as he was knocked out in Q1 and five places behind him on the grid.

Palmer: “It was crap, I drove terribly. I made a wrong choice on the set-up. Terrible.”

Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying results

Malaysian Grand Prix coverage details

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Nico Rosberg won the Singapore Grand Prix to move ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the World Championship standings.

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Nico Rosberg set the pace just ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull as Lewis Hamilton hit trouble in second practice at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Rosberg was 0.275 seconds quicker than Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, with the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo close behind.

Hamilton failed to complete a clean lap on his qualifying simulation on the ultra-soft tyres and ended up seventh.

He finished his session early because of a recurring hydraulic problem.

Will this mess up Hamilton’s race?

Hamilton was unable to do any of the race-simulation runs the teams do in the second part of the session on heavy fuel loads.

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He was also unhappy with the balance of the car on the ultra-soft tyre that was used for the fastest runs, although Mercedes believe they should be able to solve that problem with set-up changes.

Hamilton, who is two points ahead of Rosberg in the world championship, is nevertheless heading into the weekend at a disadvantage.

However, he can console himself with the knowledge that he had been fastest of all after the first runs in the session were complete, before he started to run into difficulties.

“We had a small hydraulic issue at the end of FP2 but it doesn’t look like anything serious,” said Hamilton. “The guys are working on it and it should be fine for tomorrow, which is the main thing.”

Could Red Bull challenge Mercedes for the win?

The evidence of the day was that Mercedes are not struggling in the same way as they did last year in Singapore, when their previously dominant car was more than a second off the pace of Ferrari and Red Bull.

Listen again: A look ahead to the Singapore Grand Prix

But, considering the long 3.15-mile lap, the margin between the world champions and their closest challengers is much smaller than normal.

Verstappen was 0.380secs off Rosberg’s pace, with Ricciardo just 0.025secs further adrift after recovering from a spin during which he brushed the wall without major damage.

Verstappen was running a Renault engine upgrade which will not be available to Ricciardo until Saturday and which team boss Christian Horner said was expected to be worth in the region of 0.1secs a lap.

And on race pace, Red Bull appeared to have an advantage but the picture was not completely clear.

“We knew they wouldn’t have a massive gap here this weekend,” said Ricciardo. “We know if we get it right we can be very close in qualifying.”

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was fifth quickest after an unconvincing qualifying simulation run, 0.7secs slower than Raikkonen and a second slower than Rosberg.

Disappointment for McLaren

Vettel’s problems put him back in the mix with the midfield runners, headed by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg in sixth.

Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz was eighth, ahead of Fernando Alonso’s McLaren, a position with which the former champions are likely to be a little disappointed.

They expected to be battling for seventh behind the big three, but Alonso was 0.6secs slower than Hulkenberg.

The Spaniard’s team-mate Jenson Button, meanwhile, was struggling – he was three places and a whopping 0.795secs behind Alonso, who is admittedly at his absolute best around the challenging Singapore track.

Alonso had to park his car on track at the end of the session after encountering a gearbox problem.

Englishman Jolyon Palmer was 17th fastest, just 0.005secs behind Renault team-mate Kevin Magnussen as both men fight for their future in F1.

Singapore Grand Prix practice results

Singapore Grand Prix coverage details

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