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Daniel Ricciardo has made some telling changes to his driving style during the four years he spent away from Red Bull, according to team principal Christian Horner. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The eight-times grand prix winner has returned to the team he raced for between 2014 and 2018. Ricciardo spent two years at Renault (now Alpine) and two more at McLaren in the interim. His McLaren spell ended in disappointment, as the team cut short his contract by a year due to poor performance. Ricciardo subsequently agreed to return to Red Bull in a test and reserve driver role and has already returned to work in their simulator. The Australian driver is attending his country’s round of the world championship with the team. “It’s great to have him back in blue,” said Horner in today’s FIA press conference at the track. “This is the first grand prix he is attending this year,” Horner continued. “He’s really throwing himself into it, sitting in all the … [Read more...] about Red Bull discovered “habits” Ricciardo picked up from other cars’ “limitations” · RaceFans

Fernando Alonso was quickest in a rain-interrupted second practice session in Melbourne ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The Aston Martin driver set the fastest time early in the session before rain began to fall around the 15 minute mark, which put a stop to any further improvements on the timing screen. Alonso’s 1’18.887 put him almost half a second quicker than Leclerc’s Ferrari. With clouds drifting over Albert Park threatening rain before the session began, the temperature had dropped significantly compared to the opening hour of practice as the second hour of running got underway. With a 40% risk of rain expected, there was a rush of cars onto the circuit as the green light appeared at the end of the pit lane, drivers dicing for track position over the first two sectors of the lap to secure a clear track to start their runs. Carlos Sainz Jnr won the race to start the first flying lap and he duly set the … [Read more...] about Alonso leads Leclerc as rain interrupts second practice · RaceFans

Pictures from practice for the 2023 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free More images will be added here F1 pictures 2023 Australian Grand Prix practice in pictures First pictures from the 2023 Australian Grand Prix weekend 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in pictures 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying day in pictures 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix practice in pictures View more F1 pictures 2023 Australian Grand Prix Red Bull discovered “habits” Ricciardo picked up from other cars’ “limitations” No Mercedes upgrades before Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Second qualifying session under consideration for F1’s Baku sprint round 2023 Australian Grand Prix practice in pictures Alonso leads Leclerc as rain interrupts second practice session Browse all 2023 Australian Grand Prix articles … [Read more...] about 2023 Australian Grand Prix practice in pictures · RaceFans

Formula 1 is considering a change to the format of the first sprint race weekend of the year in Baku. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The series’ CEO Stefano Domenicali said earlier this week he wants more competitive sessions to take place during weekends. The sprint race format which was introduced at limited rounds in 2021 was one step towards achieving this. Under its current sprint weekend structure, F1 holds a qualifying session on Friday which sets the starting order for Saturday’s short race, which in turn decides the grid for the grand prix. However F1 is considering a revised format under which a second qualifying session would be held to decide the starting order for the sprint race. “In Baku we are talking about having a second qualifying in the moment,” Haas team principal Guenther Steiner explained. “We don’t know how we do it and if we do it.” One criticism of the sprint race format has been that it makes the second practice session on … [Read more...] about Second qualifying session under consideration for F1’s Baku sprint round · RaceFans

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the time will not be bringing any significant upgrades to improve their W14 until the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in late May. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The team are fighting to catch up to rivals Red Bull after being out-performed by the champions over the opening two rounds. The Mercedes drivers were also beaten by Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin in the first two races. Having admitted Mercedes will likely have to abandon the fundamental design concept of its W14 car which inherited the concept of its predecessor from last year, Wolff has previously accepted that Mercedes’ scope for extracting significantly more performance from its 2023 car in its current guise remains limited. While the team will work on upgrades for the W14 this season, Wolff admits there will be no performance-focused upgrades on their car until Imola. “The next three races, we won’t be adding any performance,” he told Sky after … [Read more...] about F1: No Mercedes updates before Emilia-Romagna GP · RaceFans

A man has been arrested for inappropriately touching a girl, according to the Webb County Sheriff’s Office. Jorge Alberto Charles, 30, was served with arrest warrants on March 15 charging him with two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact. On June 1, 2021, the Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation regarding a sexual offense against a child. The case was initially reported to the Laredo Police Department on May 25, 2021. A 9-year-old girl cried out that a man identified as Charles had touched her private parts, according to court documents. Sheriff’s officials took over the case after they discovered that the case happened in their jurisdiction. The child would undergo a forensic interview. The child recalled that while living at a residence in Los Centenarios off of U.S. 59, Charles touched her private part and her chest area one time when she was about five or six years old. The sexual contact was over her clothing. She recalled that during the … [Read more...] about Affidavit: Man asked girl to ‘play with his little toy’

After one of the nation’s deadliest school massacres left 20 children and six adults in his Newtown community dead in 2012, the Monsignor Robert Weiss began receiving calls from fellow priests and Catholic school officials around the country — with many wanting to know what could be done to provide protection for their students and parishioners At the parish school at the St. Rose of Lima Church, where Weiss has pastored since 1999, he said officials were asking themselves the same question. In response to the attack, as well subsequent edicts from local officials, Weiss said the school replaced windows with bullet-proof glass, hired a retired police officer to provide armed security, built fencing and installed a system of security cameras to blanket the K-8 campus. In the years since, Weiss said the school has continued to beef up its security measures, most recently installing a system allowing the principal to lock down the school “with the push of one button.” “I … [Read more...] about CT has spent $6.7 million to bolster security at private schools. Some advocates say it’s not enough

Texas attorneys battled in federal court before U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal on Wednesday afternoon over the constitutionally of Harris County's felony bail system , one that advocates in the case say disproportionately punishes low-income individuals unable to afford bail. The Texas Civil Rights Project, Civil Rights Corps, and Susman and Godfrey LLP filed the federal lawsuit in 2019. According to lawyers, the following steps based on Rosenthal's ruling are most likely to go to trial or appeal the case to the Fifth Circuit. Lawyers for the plaintiffs maintain the outcome of Russell v. Harris County will determine if the county violated the Plaintiff's rights by incarcerating them because they can't afford cash bail, a systematic issue impacting defendants at the Harris County jail. More specifically, attorneys said the system violates the Equal Protection and Due process Clauses of the U.S. Constitution and could change the scope of the county bail practices. “Poor … [Read more...] about Harris County bail reform battle takes center stage at federal court

Ramadan, one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims worldwide, is here. It's a time of worship, reflection, community and for many, fasting (sawm) from dusk to dawn for 30 days. As Houston is home to a thriving Islamic community (the largest Muslim population in Texas), there are a wealth of restaurants where those who practice can break fast with a pre-sunrise meal (suhur) or evening feast (iftar). Keep scrolling for 11 excellent halal restaurants in Houston. Abu Omar Halal Houston's first halal food truck has transformed into a mini foodie empire, with a squadron of mobile eateries and brick and mortar spots now scattering the city from Friendswood and Spring to downtown and the Med Center—and even reaching far-flung places like Tampa, Florida. Each locale slings the same craveworthy roster of shawarma, falafel and gyro available in wrap form, piled high over rice and veggies or beds of crunchy fries, or served "Arabi" style—stuffed inside a griddled wrap along with … [Read more...] about 11 outstanding halal restaurants in Houston to visit during Ramadan