Lewis Hamilton’s boss Toto Wolff has conceded Mercedes will have to scale Mount Everest to topple Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team next season. Mercedes clung on to second place in the constructors’ championship by the skin of their teeth – and a £10million cash boost – as Verstappen ended the most dominant season in Formula One history with another victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Dutchman, taking his 19th win from 22 rounds, finished 17 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez. But, mercifully for Mercedes, the Mexican driver was demoted to fourth following a five-second penalty for a collision with Lando Norris. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was elevated to second with Mercedes’ George Russell third. Lewis Hamilton finished ninth in the other black-liveried machine. Had Perez outscored Russell, Mercedes and Ferrari would have been tied, with the Prancing Horse second in the team standings by virtue of Carlos Sainz’s win in Singapore. But following Perez’s sanction, Mercedes ended the campaign three points clear of Ferrari to land a £105million reward, rather than £95m. However, it marked a second straight season without a victory for Hamilton – a losing streak which now stands at 45 races – and Mercedes’ first winless campaign in a dozen years. They finished an eye-watering 413 points behind Red Bull, who have long since turned their focus to next year’s machine. Last season, Mercedes were 244 points behind the world champions. “Red Bull won by 17 seconds today, and haven’t touched the car since July or August, so you can pretty much guess where they’re going to be next year,” said a despondent Hamilton. Picking up the baton, Wolff added: “From Lewis’ perspective, he had a bad weekend. Fact. But that doesn’t do anything on him being the greatest driver in the world. “If we are able to give him a car, he will be fighting for a world championship. I have no doubt. But it is clear if you have a car like we have now, you are not at ease with it. “Red Bull started the new regulations in 2022 with a massive advantage and they have been able to maintain it. “We have a lot of respect for their achievements – from the engineering side, and the driver – and beating them under the current regulations is against the odds. Mount Everest is in front of us.” Hamilton and Mercedes will hope a brand new design will fire them back to winning ways following their no-sidepod flop abandoned on the eve of the opening race in Bahrain. Wolff continued: “We had to be honest that this car was never going to be good enough to fight for a world championship. We took the decision in April to go back to the drawing board and come up with something different for next year. “We are changing the concept. We are moving away from how we laid out the chassis, the weight distribution, the airflow, literally every component has been changed because only by doing that do we have a chance. You could get it wrong also. Everything is possible.” Mercedes have carried Hamilton to six of his record-equalling seven world championships. But the 38-year-old will head for the off-season wondering if he will ever win again, let alone mount a season-long championship challenge. With only minor tweaks to the sport’s technical rulebook before a complete overhaul in regulations in 2026, Hamilton has already expressed his fear that Verstappen will be untouchable for the next two years. Wolff added: “We have a board in our factory that shows all the world constructors’ championships since 1958. The table runs until 2050 so there are 27 open. And I would like to look back in 20 years and see many more Mercedes stars. “I hate retrospective views. But when we look back and consider the decade we had – second, first, first, first, first, first, first, first, first, third, second – and when you look at it from that perspective, you say, ‘that was OK’. “But from a micro-view there is one guy (Verstappen) that has won 19 races, and that of course, is not good enough.” Read More Lewis Hamilton cannot wait for season to end after qualifying 11th in Abu Dhabi George Russell fastest as rookies handed chance in first Abu Dhabi practice Class action lawsuit filed over farcical start to Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 Abu Dhabi GP LIVE: Race results and reaction at Yas Marina Max Verstappen sets new landmark as he ends dominant season with Abu Dhabi win When does the 2024 F1 season start?

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Famous actors and writers have come together to raise funds for the Union Solidarity Coalition's new eBay auction to held crew members who have lost their healthcare due to SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Actos and writers such as Adam Scott, Sarah Silverman, Bob Odenkirk, Lena Dunham, Liz Feldman, Natasha Lyonne and John Lithgow, are offering unique experiences to the highest bidder in order to raise money for the Coalition. Some of the offers up for grabs include: Adam Scott walking your (LA-based) dog, dinner with Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, a mural in your home painted by Lena Dunham, a watercolour portrait of your dog by John Lithgow, and Natasha Lyone will help you solve The New York Times Crossword. Currently, the highest bid is a watercolour dog portrait by John Lithgow, which has 28 bids with the highest being $3,550. Other high bids include The Bear apron signed by the cast of the series for $1,525, Natasha Lyonne's crossword help for $2,132, and a Zoom with the cast of New Girl for $3,050. Over on social media, many couldn't believe what celebrities were offering and wished they had the funds to donate. Film and TV journalist Hannah Strong tweeted "never been sadder to be a poor person": Others shared what they would bid on if they had the money: Others praised those taking part to raise money for the crew that need it: The movie and television industry has been at a standstills since May when the WGA went on strike after the union failed to agree on a new contract with streamers and studios. In July, the SAG-AFTRA union joined writers on the picket line after it failed to negotiate a contract with streamers and studios. The Union Solidarity Coalition was founded by Hollywood writers/directors to help crew members who have lost their healthcare as a result of the strikes. Proceeds from the auction will benefit these crew members. The auctions will close on September 22. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Morag, an imposing Highland cow with a caramel coat, ambles out of the main shed at Dumble Farm in northern England and stands ready...

Ukraine has said that a Russian missile strike in the northern city of Cherniv has killed seven people and injured 90 others. Children and police officers were among the dead following the strike, which hit a central square in the history city, about 92 miles northeast of the capital, Kyiv, as locals walked to church to celebrate a religious holiday. Mr Zelensky confirmed the news while on a visit to Sweden on Saturday. “An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging service. Earlier, Kyiv said it shot down 15 Russian drones overnight as the Kremlin targeted sites across Ukraine. Ukraine’s Air Force said Vladimir Putin’s troops used Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack targets in the country’s central, northern and western regions. Seventeen drones were launched in total, Ukraine said, and it was not immediately clear what happened to the other two. Read More Ukraine war troop deaths and wounded nearing 500,000, say US officials Russia shuts down human rights group that preserved the legacy of Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov Footage appears to show moment drone attack hits building in central Moscow