Latest news with #MonacoGrandPrix
New York Post
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Anti-Jeff Bezos protesters in Venice vow drastic action to disrupt $7m wedding, make guests ‘choke on their wedding cake'
Anti-Jeff Bezos protesters out to disrupt his Venice wedding to Lauren Sanchez have threatened to make them 'choke on their wedding cake'. Local protesters have branded the Amazon founder and his helicopter pilot fiancée as 'oligarchs' and said they will take whatever action necessary to spoil the fairytale $7m wedding, which the locals mayor's office said will be held on Bezos' $500 million superyacht Koru, set to be anchored just outside the floating city. 'We'll throw ourselves into the canal if we have to, we'll make sure they choke on their wedding cake,' activists leading the protests said, according to the Italian edition of Vanity Fair magazine. Advertisement 8 A poster showing Jeff Bezos with a red clown nose and tape over his eyes. The text reads 'Veniceland: A playground for the olicharchy' No space for Bezos!/ Instagram 8 Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez at the Monaco Grand Prix 2025 Formula One race on May 25. IPA / 'We don't object to the marriage, but to the hubris of this technocrat feudal overlord who acts with such entitlement,' the local No Space for Bezos movement said. Groups protesting against Bezos — the third richest man in the world with a net worth of $226 billion — have also threatened to blockade the major waterways into the city, effectively cutting off supplies. Advertisement If that happens, as well as causing problems for the wedding organization, it would immediately cause prices to spike for anyone within Venice city limits, one of Europe's top tourist destinations, during high season. 'If they block the canal we wouldn't receive our goods. They would definitely block the Grand Canal, which is what transporters use to deliver goods in the morning. 'They start from Tronchetto and then arrive at Rialto [bridge in the center of the city], so it would create quite a lot of issues. The goods wouldn't arrive,' a representative for the Despar supermarket in Venice told The Post. 8 A huge banner hoisted onto St Marks' bell tower in Venice, one of the most recognizable landmarks of the city, protesting Bezos' wedding. Venezia NON è Disneyland/ Instargam Advertisement 8 The No Space for Bezos campaign — which sees the billionaire's wedding as the ultimate symbol of over-tourism — has been distributing stickers across Venice ahead of the wedding, which is set to take place next week. AFP via Getty Images 8 The iconic Rialto bridge in the center of the city was draped with a protest sign, as one of the city's famous gondola operators look on. REUTERS Sources also said protesters were planning to arm themselves with water pistols to create more disturbances around the wedding. A number of yacht berths have been reserved for six days for the wedding – expected to take place between June 24 and 26 – including at Marittima, San Basilio, Zattere, Punta della Dogana, and Riva dei Sette Martiri, twice the number locals were told would be allocated by authorities. Advertisement Details of the wedding are shrouded in secrecy but it will include a rumored 200 guests — also expected to be mostly drawn from the jet setting ultra-rich. Bezos' Koru yacht was just off the coast of Croatia Tuesday morning, according to 8 Jeff Bezos's $500 million superyacht, Koru, at sea. The yacht is the world's largest sailboat, measuring 417 feet. AbacaPress / 8 A guide to the Koru, showing what it has aboard. Mike Guillen/NY Post 8 People gathering in Venice to protest against the wedding of Bezos and Sanchez on June 13. AFP via Getty Images Over the last weekend, protesters in Venice hung a huge banner over St. Mark's tower in the city with 'Bezos' in blue capital letters and a red cross over it. The No Space for Bezos campaign – using a play on words related to the billionaire's Blue Origin space exploration company – have also unfurled banners and distributed stickers throughout the city. The Venice protests come against a backdrop of locals taking action against what they call over-tourism across southern Europe. Meanwhile, staff at Paris' Louvre art gallery, the most visited museum in the world, went on strike yesterday, saying it allows too many visitors in. Advertisement Around a thousand residents of Barcelona protested last Sunday by marching through a popular tourist area and spraying water pistols while slapping stickers reading 'Tourist Go Home!' on businesses and lamp posts. Other protests have taken place in Genoa in Italy, Portuguese capital Lisbon and the Spanish island of Majorca. Residents say they are being priced out of their towns by the influx of tourists from around the world and the hotels and other infrastructure built to accommodate them.
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Four-time world champion Verstappen skips Brad Pitt F1 movie to stay with family
Max Verstappen caused a stir in F1's most glamorous paddock on Thursday after choosing to attend to his duties as a new father instead of going to an exclusive screening of the new Brad Pitt film 'F1: The Movie'. Red Bull's four-time world champion and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll were the only absentee drivers for the preview showing of the Hollywood movie in Monaco on Wednesday evening — all part of the build-up to this weekend's Grand Prix. Verstappen, who is no fan of promotion and marketing work beyond the needs of his own team, said he had declined the invitation well in advance. As to changing nappies, he made no comment. "I told Formula One Management (FOM) that I would not be there," he said. "They knew about it. I just wanted to spend more time at home. It wasn't a mandatory event and it was my private time. "And I prefer to spend that private time at home especially as in F1 you're away from home so much already. It's pretty normal, I think. Now my family is growing, I definitely prefer more time at home." Stroll said he was doing "just stuff", adding that: "At some point, I'll watch it." Both drivers, and the 18 who attended, are in the principality for the Monaco Grand Prix, the second of three races in a 'triple header' of three consecutive events in Italy, Monaco and Spain, following six season-opening flyaway races in Australia, Asia, the Gulf and Florida. The long-awaited film is due to go on general release next month and stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. It was directed by Joseph Kosinski, who made 'Top Gun: Maverick' among others, and the producers include Jerry Bruckheimer and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari. Hamilton attended the screening after which most drivers were enthusiastic about the production, many praising the authenticity of the racing sequences. Carlos Sainz of Williams said: "I truly enjoyed it... For us F1 experts, we're going to see things that we sometimes see with Netflix that you can tell are a bit Hollywood-esque. "But I truly believe that for a new fan, it will attract an audience and will do very well with people who don't know anything about F1. For the hardcore fan, for the journalists and us (drivers), we see things that maybe are too American or a bit too Hollywood." He added that the filming of racing sequences were "insane, honestly insane" and "for me the best part." Drivers, team bosses and other guests attended the showing which Hamilton's Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc described as "really cool". "Honestly, I didn't know what to expect," he added. "No idea. But the story-telling is really cool and the images are just incredible. I really enjoyed it." Pierre Gasly of Alpine said: "Beautiful! It was really cool to see it for the first time. I think it is a real dive into our world of Formula One so I'm sure people will like it." Williams' team chief James Vowles said: "I thought it was absolutely fantastic. They did a really good job of being authentic to who we are and how we go racing. "I rate films by goosebump moments and I had three or four of them that were just really brilliant build-ups that then ended in a fantastic way. It is a fantastic package."
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Motor racing-Wolff dismisses Red Bull protest as petty and embarrassing
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - May 24, 2025 Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of practice REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw (Reuters) -Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff has dismissed Red Bull's failed protest of George Russell's Canadian Grand Prix win as petty and embarrassing. Stewards threw out the protest some five and a half hours after the chequered flag came down on the race in Montreal on Sunday. The team had accused Russell of unsportsmanlike behaviour, suggesting he had tried deliberately to get second placed Max Verstappen into trouble while the safety car was deployed, knowing the champion was at risk of a ban. "It took team Red Bull Racing two hours before they launched the protest, so that was in their doing. Honestly, it's so petty and so small," Wolff told Sky Sports television at the New York premiere of the Brad Pitt movie "F1" on Monday night. "They've done it in Miami. Now they launched two protests. They took one back because it was ridiculous. "They (Red Bull) come up with some weird clauses, what they call clauses. I guess the FIA needs to look at that because it's so far-fetched it was rejected," added the Austrian. "You know, you race, you win and you lose on track. That was a fair victory for us, like so many they had in the past. And it's just embarrassing." Russell and four times world champion Verstappen have a long-standing rivalry and Red Bull have protested twice in the space of five races against the Mercedes driver. In Miami in May they protested the Briton's third place, arguing the driver had failed to slow when yellow flags were waved during a virtual safety car period. Verstappen was fourth that time. That protest was also rejected. The win in Canada was Mercedes' first in 10 races so far this season. Wolff, who has also had plenty of past run-ins with Horner, wondered who was behind the Red Bull protests but cleared Verstappen of any guilt. "I don't even know what you refer to as 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' or something. What is it all about? Who decides it? Because I'm 100% sure it's not Max, he's a racer. He would never go for a protest on such a trivial thing," he said. Horner said Red Bull had no regrets about the protest and were simply exercising their rights because they saw something they did not think was correct. The next race is in Austria at Red Bull's home circuit on June 29. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Christian Radnedge)
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Thai cabinet approves US$1.2 billion bid to host Formula 1 race in 2028
General view of the F1 logo ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. BANGKOK – Thailand's cabinet has approved a US$1.2 billion (S$1.5 billion) bid to host a Formula One street race in its capital Bangkok in 2028, government officials said on June 17. If successful, the Thai capital would win a contract to host a race each year from 2028 to 2032, government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub told a news conference. 'In the next two to three years, Thailand will have world-class competition, which we never thought would actually happen in Thailand,' Jirayu said. Tourism Minister Sorawong Thienthong told reporters the bid is worth about 40 billion baht (US$1.23 billion). In March, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met with Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali and said that Thailand would commission a feasibility study into hosting a Grand Prix on a Bangkok street circuit from 2028. Hosting the race will help promote tourism, a key driver of Thailand's economy, the government has said. Formula One already has a crowded schedule of 24 races around the world with four in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay circuit in South-east Asia. Thailand has an FIA-accredited track in Buriram in the north-east of the country, which currently hosts a round of the MotoGP motorcycling world championships, but the proposal is understood to be solely for a street race in the kingdom's capital. Ms Paetongtarn had previously said on social media following the talks with Domenicali: 'Thailand sees the opportunity to host a Formula One Grand Prix in the future as a key initiative to elevate our profile as a hub for international tourism and global events.' Thailand has representation on track via Thai driver Alexander Albon of Williams, who is eighth in the drivers' standings on 42 points – but he has yet to win a race or be on the podium this season. Neighbouring Vietnam was set to make its F1 debut in 2020 but the inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and Hanoi has not appeared on the race calendar since. The country inked a 10-year deal – costing US$60 million a year – with F1 in 2018, betting that the glamour of the sport could reshape Hanoi's staid image and reflect the country's economic lift-off. But after the 2020 cancellation, the race was dropped from the 2021 calendar when city mayor Nguyen Duc Chung, a major supporter of the GP, was arrested. In January 2024, it was reported that Malaysia's state oil company Petronas was looking to bring back F1 races to the country in 2026 after a nine-year hiatus. Malaysia hosted a grand prix at its Sepang International Circuit from 1999, but staged its last race in 2017 due to declining ticket sales and rising costs. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Thai cabinet approves $1.2 billion bid to host Formula 1 race in 2028
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - May 22, 2025 General view of the F1 logo ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's cabinet has approved a $1.2 billion bid to host a Formula One street race in its capital Bangkok in 2028, government officials said on Tuesday. If successful, the Thai capital would win a contract to host a race each year from 2028 to 2032, government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub told a news conference. "In the next 2-3 years, Thailand will have world-class competition, which we never thought would actually happen in Thailand," Jirayu said. Tourism Minister Sorawong Thienthong told reporters the bid is worth about 40 billion baht ($1.23 billion). In March, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met with Formula One chief Stefano Domenicali and said Thailand would commission a feasibility study into hosting a Grand Prix on a Bangkok street circuit from 2028. Hosting the race will help promote tourism, a key driver of Thailand's economy, the government has said. Formula One already has a crowded schedule of 24 races around the world with four in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Singapore Grand Prix in Southeast Asia. Thailand has an FIA-accredited track in Buriram in the northeast of the country, which currently hosts a round of the MotoGP motorcycling world championships, but the proposal is for a street race in the kingdom's capital. ($1 = 32.52 baht) (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by David Stanway and John Mair)
