The race report from Suzuka actually mentioned that more than half Aston Martin’s deficit to the front was caused by the chassis.

That information came from a very senior and knowledgeable figure over the course of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

It also tallies with what other teams are seeing on the GPS data to which all have access, in terms of the cars’ speed on different parts of the track.

The exact split in terms of the losses that can be attributed to car and engine at Aston Martin-Honda is not known, and it’s probably not possible to know, as of course the behaviour of the engine can also have an impact on the cornering performance of the car.

It’s worth adding that, while it’s true that much of the public focus has been on the Honda engine, and especially the severe vibrations that have been causing reliability problems, team principal Adrian Newey has been clear that the car is also lacking.

It’s also the case that it’s not clear where the vibrations are coming from – are they intrinsic to the engine, or is there something about the way the engine is mounted to the chassis that exacerbates them?

In Australia, Newey said that on the chassis side “we’re maybe the fifth best team, so sort of potential Q3 qualifiers on the chassis side, but with the potential to be up front at some point in the season”.

On average over the four qualifying sessions of the first three races, including for the sprint in China, the Aston Martin is 3.6 seconds off the pace.

The fifth fastest team on average are Alpine, at 1.268secs off the pace, followed by Haas at 1.567secs.

So Aston Martin are about 2.3secs off qualifying in the top 10, with the majority down to the chassis and the rest the engine.

In other words, put a Mercedes engine in the car, and it would be about where Alpine or Haas are. Exactly as Newey suggested.

Given the Aston Martin’s troubled birth – effectively starting again when Newey arrived in March last year, a delayed entry into the wind tunnel until April, and a consequent compressed development programme – that sounds entirely feasible.

The car is overweight, and is especially poor in high-speed corners.

The fundamental point, though, is that it doesn’t really matter where exactly the deficit lies between car and engine. Both Aston Martin and Honda are a long way from being competitive, both know that’s the case, and both have a lot of work to do.

No player in Europe comes close to matching Harry Kane’s goalscoring record this season – but could an untimely ankle problem scupper his Ballon d’Or chances?

The Englishman has scored 53 times in 45 appearances for club and country this term but knows goals alone won’t be enough to land the award, which is why he will be desperate to be fit for Bayern Munich’s crunch Champions League game against Real Madrid on Tuesday (20:00 BST).

Kane, who missed Saturday’s dramatic 3-2 victory at Freiburg because of the injury, ended his trophy drought by winning the Bundesliga last season, but more domestic honours in Germany won’t secure him football’s most prestigious individual prize.

Rightly or wrongly, the Ballon d’Or isn’t simply a case of rewarding solo brilliance. It is increasingly a prerequisite to also being part of a team that lands one of the game’s biggest titles – the Champions League, World Cup or a continental equivalent such as the European Championship.

Kane will get two bites at the cherry this year, captaining England at the World Cup in the summer, but his first – and arguably best – chance comes with Bayern.

The Bavarians have been in scintillating form this season, winning 37 of 43 games, but will need their talisman fit and firing as their European credentials are tested in a quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu.

“I could score 100 goals this season, but if I don’t win the Champions League or the World Cup, you’re probably not going to win the Ballon d’Or,” Kane said in November. “It’s the same with any player. You have to be winning those major trophies.”

History suggests he is right. Since 2006, almost 80% of Ballon d’Or winners have claimed the accolade in a year when they also lifted either the Champions League or a major international tournament, such as the World Cup, Euros or Copa America.

Only two players have defied that trend in the past two decades and both are all-time greats who can be considered outliers. Lionel Messi won the award in 2010, 2012 and 2019 despite Champions League semi-final exits for his Barcelona side, with Cristiano Ronaldo taking the prize in 2013, when Real Madrid bowed out of the competition at the same stage.

You can see that especially clearly in the kinds of businesses now emerging from the corridor. This is not just a story about general tech optimism. It is about serious, research-led sectors where Britain genuinely has depth. AI is an obvious example, but so too are life sciences, healthtech, quantum, deeptech and data infrastructure. These are fields where brilliant science on its own is not enough. Founders need capital, commercialisation support and a network that understands how to turn complex ideas into scalable companies.

Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay wants more bosses to offer a four-day working week to help boost staff productivity and wellbeing.

More Scots workers should be offered the chance to do a four-day week without a loss of pay, the Greens have said.

Co-leader Gillian Mackay said her party wanted the next Scottish Government to commit to rolling out a reduced working week to more public sector agencies.

A pilot project launched in 2024 saw two quangos – South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) and Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) – trial a four day working week for all staff.

It saw 259 employees implement a 32-hour working week for a year without any loss in pay or benefits for staff, while committing to maintaining standards of service.

Staff at the two organisations reported less work-related stress and greater satisfaction with their jobs and work-life balance.

Almost all workers (98 per cent) at SOSE believed the four-day week trial improved motivation and morale, while there was a decrease in workers taking time off sick and a 25 per cent fall in those taking sick days for psychological reasons.

OPINION

Paul Hutcheon

READ MORE: SNP has ‘one rule for themselves and another for everybody else’ when dealing with complaints

The SNP Government said last year it would use the findings to inform its wider public service reform programme – but stopped short of rolling out a four-day week more widely.

Mackay said: “Too many people feel trapped in a system where life revolves around work. Our economy has been built on a broken idea that people exist to work, instead of work existing to support people’s lives.

“The Scottish Greens believe that work should give us the means to live, not take over our lives entirely. That’s why we are committed to rolling out the four-day work week across as much of Scotland’s public sector as possible.

“A four-day week – without loss of pay – would transform how we work, helping people spend more time with their families, support their communities and live fuller, happier lives.

“We’ve already seen the benefits it has through recent successful trials, and we want to build on them.”

She added: “The four-day work week is also good for wider society as well. At a time when our NHS and mental health services are under pressure, reducing work-related stress and exhaustion helps to ease that pressure.

“That’s why we want to work with trade unions and employers across Scotland to promote and normalise the benefits of a four-day working week, with no loss of pay.”

To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here

Alison Hammond has said she was approached to become a host of Strictly Come Dancing – but turned the offer down.

The presenter, who rose to fame as a contestant on Big Brother and is now known for hosting This Morning, was one of the names speculated to be in the running to replace outgoing Strictly hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.

Winkleman and Daly announced last year that they were stepping down from their position as presenters of Strictly; in recent years, the popular BBC series has been at the centre of a number of scandals.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Hammond confirmed that she had been contacted about the vacant Strictly role, but was unable to accept it.

“I have, actually,” Hammond said, when asked about being approached for Strictly. “You didn’t expect that answer, did you? I can’t lie, I’m incapable.”

“I’m so busy, babes, that I’m not sure it’s going to happen,” she continued. “It’s unrealistic. I’m so happy they considered me but, like Traitors, I can’t do it because everything clashes.”

Hammond is juggling a number of other projects, including a presenting role on The Great British Bake Off and the forthcoming Channel 4 series Your Song.

She continued: “I would have loved to have done it – anybody that gets it, they’re going to land the perfect job. But I’m so happy with everything I’ve got. What would I drop, to do Strictly?”

A number of other names have also been mooted as potential Strictly hosts, including Zoe Ball, Rylan, and Fleur East.

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day

New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day

Advertisement

New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Asked about the speculation in January, Ball told The Times that Daly and Winkleman would be a “tough act to follow”.

“I think everyone’s name is being thrown into the mix,” she said.

“Obviously, there’s part of me that would love to do it. But I will still be watching, whoever hosts it.”

Another possibility is dancer Janette Manrara, one of the current hosts of Strictly spin-off series It Takes Two.

Asked about the possibility by Woman and Home magazine this year, Manrara responded: “To be honest, I keep giving the same answer: who doesn’t want that job? If you love fun, family entertainment that makes people’s hearts smile, it’s the dream job. So, I think anybody that is in my field would love to do it, so we’ll just see. We’ll see what happens!”

The series will return to BBC One later this year.

Tony, who built a career as a radio sports reporter and is now a press officer for QPR, has been so determined to complete the challenge that he went part-time at work this season to be able finally finish his adventure.

He has also had to manage his personal life around his football trips, including marrying his wife in summer to avoid missing matches.

In 2023, he was presented with a trophy to mark his achievement of attending every one of QPR’s home matches for the past 50 years.

“I actually almost missed my daughter being born”, he says. “My wife went into hospital six days beforehand so I slept on a chair in the hospital for five nights and all the time I’m thinking, ‘QPR are at home in a few days’.

“In the end, my wife had the baby, then I ran out of the hospital into my car and made it to Loftus Road just in time.”

Tony’s love of watching football at all levels means he has attended games in some unusual circumstances, including way below even non-league.

“I got a special invitation to go inside Feltham Prison in 2011 to watch a match as the only spectator,” he says.

“The prison team was in a league alongside companies with shift workers and obviously couldn’t play away games!

“I had to get there an hour before kick-off, had my phone taken off me, got searched and then three prison guards took me and the away team through to a nice little ground in the prison with proper dugouts.

“It was just after the London riots so the prison team was full of good young players and they won the match.”

There was no programme or ticket to show for the trip and no half-time brew but the exit was memorable.

“On the way out, some of the prisoners came out of their cells and started lambasting the away side for losing the game,” Tony says.

“One of their guys replied ‘lost the match but at least we’re going home, lads’ and we were then rushed out of there very, very quickly.”

A child was struck by a bottle and at least nine police officers were injured during disorder before the match at Windsor Park

An MLA in South Belfast has called for a “managed response” to avoid a repeat of disorder before a football match in the city last week.

A child was struck by a bottle and at least nine police officers were injured during disorder before the Irish Cup semi-final football match on Friday, April 3.

A fan parade of around 200 supporters, which was approved by the Parades Commission, resulted in fireworks, flares, and bottles being thrown ahead of the match between Cliftonville and Dungannon Swifts at The National Stadium in Windsor Park.

READ MORE: Teen charged to court after Belfast football match disorderREAD MORE: Irish Cup semi-final disorder sees child struck by bottle and nine police officers injured

A 19-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour, doing a provocative act, possession of fireworks/flares at a regulated match, indecent behaviour and attempted criminal damage. He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 1.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster on Monday, DUP MLA, Edwin Poots, said residents “may have to block the road” next time. He said local residents were “hugely angry” but added it was “not something new” as during last year’s final, also between Cliftonville and Dungannon Swifts, disorder broke out in the area.

Mr Poots said: “We have been engaging with the police over the past two years. The last time Cliftonville came to Windsor Park there were complaints the police were too heavy handed and that they were too restrictive to the Cliftonville football supporters.”

He said that for “some bizarre reason” the policing effort was reduced on Friday.

“On this occasion, they let off fireworks, they threw bottles, they threw eggs, they chanted IRA slogans and sang sectarian songs,” he continued.

“I’ll make it very clear: the local community are not going to accept it anymore. If that involves them having to come out and sit on the road in large numbers and ensure that these people will not be able to access Windsor Park, that’s what’s going to happen.”

Alliance MLA, Paula Bradshaw, said the provocative behaviour should be met with a managed plan to ensure there is no repeat. The South Belfast MLA has said there is “no justification” for residents taking matters into their own hands.

She added: “Provocative comments are no way to respond to provocative behaviour. What is required after a minority of fans let themselves and the game down on Friday night is a managed response to ensure there is no repeat.

“People living locally have every right to be disgusted by anyone acting or chanting provocatively. However, there is no justification for taking matters into their own hands. Public authorities must have a comprehensive plan to address this situation and provide assurance that any attacks on public servants or sectarian chanting and provocative behaviour will be robustly dealt with.

“I understand the local frustrations regarding what appears to have been an inadequate response to the situation on Friday. However, I am also concerned about the nine police officers who were injured during the incident. No public servant deserves to be assaulted or abused.

“I will work with the authorities to ensure such behaviour is prevented from occurring again in the area, but I will also reinforce that it is for the police and other authorities to deliver this assurance.”

Speaking on Saturday, PSNI South Belfast district commander Superintendent Finola Dornan said during the procession “provocative conduct” and “heavy use of pyrotechnics and fireworks” was observed.

“While the majority of football fans attending Friday evening’s match behaved in a peaceful manner, a number of people chose to engage in disorderly behaviour and provocative conduct,” she said.

“During an approved public procession ahead of the match, which involved approximately 250 people, our officers witnessed provocative conduct and the heavy use of pyrotechnics and fireworks – despite various warnings being issued against this.”

She said there appeared to be a number of potential breaches of the Parades Commission determinations in relation to the procession which will be investigated.

She added: “The vast majority of fans were there to enjoy the match, however there was completely unacceptable behaviour from a proportion of fans both before and after the match, at what should have been an enjoyable and safe event for all attending.

“Police will not tolerate disorder or criminal behaviour of any kind and, as always, we will continue to work with football clubs to address any inappropriate behaviour linked to people attending matches and ensure that the local community is kept safe.

“We will therefore be conducting a thorough evidence-gathering operation in the wake of last night’s occurrences.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

There were reports of an ‘explosion’ and smoke on the runway reportedly caused by a wedding

Advertisement

An EasyJet flight aborted it’s landing after concerns over a ‘projectile’ on the runway. The incident happened in Orly airport, Paris when the plane was arriving from Venice, Italy.

Air Traffic control were concerned on Easter Sunday (April 5) at around 5:40pm, when smoke at ground level of runway 3 caused the pilot to pull up for the safety of passengers. According to La Parisien, mini-explosions could be seen with reports suggesting they were caused by fireworks.

DailyStar reports multiple people were reportedly seen at the corner of Rue Lamartine and Rue du 8-Mai-1945 in Villeneuve-le-Roi (Val-de-Marne), which is close to Staf transport company’s warehouse. According to the French publication, a type of firework had been set off by the group as part of a wedding celebration.

A spokesperson for EasyJet told the La Perisien that “at no point was the aircraft struck by any projectile.”.

In a statement, easyJet said: “easyJet can confirm that the captain of flight EJU4874 from Venice to Paris Orly on 5 April elected to perform a routine ‘go around’ on arrival into Orly due to perceived fireworks in the vicinity of the runway. EasyJet’s pilots are highly trained in order to perform ‘go arounds’ as a precaution and in line with our procedures and the flight landed normally.

“At no point was the safety of the passengers onboard compromised. The safety and well-being of its passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.”

Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives… To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here.

E-bike and e-scooter fires reached a record high last year, an investigation has found, with concerns being raised over batteries sold through online marketplaces

Advertisement

FIRES caused by e-bikes and e-scooters hit a record high last year, an investigation has revealed, prompting warnings to riders about purchasing from online marketplaces.

Fire brigade statistics obtained by the Press Association reveal that 432 e-bike blazes were recorded across the UK in 2025. That represents a 38% rise from 313 the previous year, and is more than five times higher than the 84 incidents recorded in 2021.

There were 147 e-scooter fires last year, marking a 20% increase from 123 in 2024. In 2021, that figure stood at 88. E-bike and e-scooter fires are frequently triggered by the failure of batteries, conversion kits or chargers.

Products purchased from online marketplaces have been found to carry a greater risk of malfunctioning than those sold by established retailers, as they are not subject to the same level of regulation.

Nick Bailey of BatteryIQ, which provides a system to monitor the safety of e-bike batteries, said the e-bikes and e-scooters involved in fires are “always cut-price products sold through online marketplaces with lax quality control”.

He went on to say: “There’s also a growing black market in DIY and counterfeit batteries, particularly for delivery riders, built using battery cells reclaimed from used disposable vapes.

“I wouldn’t keep a battery in my home without continuous monitoring – regardless of what the manufacturer’s sticker says.” The Press Association submitted Freedom of Information requests to all 49 fire services across the UK, requesting figures for e-bike and e-scooter fires recorded annually between 2021 and 2025.

Thirty-seven services supplied comparable data. London Fire Brigade (LFB) logged far more e-bike and e-scooter fires last year than anywhere else, with 171 and 35 respectively.

Nottinghamshire recorded the highest number of e-bike fires (30) beyond the capital, with Greater Manchester following (13). Avon Fire and Rescue Service reported the next highest figure (10).

Greater Manchester experienced the most e-scooter fires (13) outside London, ahead of Avon Fire and Rescue Service (10). Fires involving lithium batteries used in e-bikes and e-scooters can spread quickly and generate toxic vapour.

Eden Abera Siem, 30, died in hospital after firefighters rescued her when a blaze, which investigators determined was likely caused by a failing charging e-bike battery, erupted at her home on Lordship Lane, Wood Green, north London on 21 June last year. It marked the fourth fatal e-bike fire in the capital.

Lesley Rudd, chief executive of charity Electrical Safety First, said the problem of fires caused by substandard e-bike and e-scooter batteries is “swiftly becoming a runaway train that needs to be stopped”.

She continued: “Poorly made batteries and accessories, often sold via under-regulated online marketplaces, are of huge concern, and are a major route through which dangerous devices are entering people’s homes. Without strong and enforceable changes, lives are at serious risk and further loss of life is, sadly, inevitable.”

Last week the Government unveiled three consultations outlining proposals to strengthen product safety across the UK, which include online marketplaces being legally obliged to “prevent, identify and remove dangerous products being sold via their platforms”.

Spencer Sutcliff, deputy commissioner of LFB, stated that the brigade is “extremely concerned around the issue of e-bike and e-scooter fires, and the devastating impact these fires can have on lives and livelihoods”.

He further noted that its firefighters “continue to be called out to a worrying amount” of such incidents. Privately-owned e-scooters have been prohibited from Transport for London’s (TfL’s) network since December 2021 owing to their fire risk.

This ban was extended to non-foldable e-bikes across the majority of TfL services in March last year, following an e-bike catching fire on a platform at Rayners Lane Tube station.

Private e-scooters are forbidden from use in public spaces throughout the UK, though they are frequently ridden illegally across many urban areas.

Legal trials of rental e-scooters on roads have been under way in towns and cities across England since July 2020. Under UK legislation, e-bike motors are required to cut out upon reaching 15.5mph. However, police are increasingly discovering that many have been tampered with to achieve significantly higher speeds.

Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer rights policy, said: “Online marketplaces are increasingly saturated with unsafe products. E-bikes and e-scooters are just some examples of items that can pose serious risks to consumers, while also undercutting responsible businesses that comply with the law.

“The Government has launched a much-needed consultation on updating the product safety framework, including duties for online marketplaces to prevent unsafe products from being sold by third-party sellers.

“These duties must be strong and enforceable, with clear measures in place to protect consumers and reduce the risk of fires and other harm.”

There was a colour party of people wearing face coverings, sunglasses and paramilitary-style dress, carrying the Irish flag and republican flags

A dissident republican parade has taken place in Derry.

The annual Easter Monday parade in Derry marks the Easter Rising against British rule in Dublin in 1916.

The parade started in the Central Drive area of Creggan before making its way to the City Cemetery.

A police helicopter monitored the procession overhead but there was no visible police presence on the ground.

There was a colour party of people wearing face coverings, sunglasses and paramilitary-style dress, carrying the Irish flag and republican flags.

A crowd of a couple of hundred people followed the parade to the cemetery, including a number of young people with their faces covered, some carrying petrol bombs and planks of wood.

The event, billed as the “Unfinished Revolution National Easter Commemoration”, concluded with speeches at the cemetery.

A small fire was started in the middle of the road outside some shops in the Creggan area.

The organisers of the parade – the National Republican Commemoration Committee – had applied to the Parades Commission for permission for the Easter Monday event.

In its determination allowing the march to proceed, the commission explicitly prohibited the wearing of paramilitary-style clothes and flags linked to proscribed organisations.

In a statement the PSNI said that from the beginning of the parade to when it dispersed, “a number of participants were observed to be wearing paramilitary-style uniforms, believed to be an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000, and a breach of the Parades Commission determination”.

Area Commander of Derry City and Strabane, Chief Superintendent Gillian Kearney, said: “The outcomes of our investigations from previous years illustrates that where offences occur, we will investigate.

“As this is now a live investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment any further.”

To ensure you don’t miss out on all the latest from Belfast Live, be sure to make us your preferred source on Google.