Frenchman Hadjar said he was surprised to be third, expecting Ferrari to be ahead of him, but on his debut for the Red Bull team he did what so many of his predecessors could not and delivered when Verstappen hit trouble.

The four-time champion spun off and crashed at Turn One on his first lap of the session when his rear axle locked, catching him by surprise.

He was shaking his hands after he climbed out of the car, because he had held on to the steering wheel on impact, but said nothing was broken.

“I have no idea (what happened),” he said. “I just arrived to Turn One and the rear axle just completely locked up out of the blue while hitting the pedal, so this is something very weird that I’ve never experienced in F1 before. So just need to understand what went wrong.”

He will start 20th, ahead only of the Williams of Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, neither of whom were able to take part in the session after reliability problems in final practice.

Behind the Racing Bulls, the new Audi team had a strong session with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg taking 10th and 11th places, with the Haas cars of Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon 12th and 13th.

Bortoleto missed a chance to start higher because his car broke down on the way back to the pits after the second knockout session.

Alonso took the opportunity to underline how much difference finally managing to complete some laps had made to a team that were five seconds off the pace on Friday by reducing that to 2.5secs in qualifying.

The major airline said earlier that all flights had been suspended but has since issued a fresh update

Emirates has issued another new update stating that flights to and from Dubai will resume amid the Middle East conflict.

The major airline shared an update on X this morning (Saturday, March 7) at around 11.08am Dubai time stating that all flights to and from Dubai had been suspended until further notice. Bosses warned people ‘do not go to the airport’ in the update.

But Emirates has now confirmed that this post ‘is no longer current’ with all operations resumed. Passengers with bookings have been told to head to the airport.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

The update said: “Our post from 11:08am Dubai time regarding operational status is no longer current, and has been deleted to avoid causing unnecessary confusion. Emirates has resumed operations.

“Passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights may proceed to the airport. This includes customers transiting in Dubai, if their connecting flight is also operating.

“Customers can check the flight schedule for upcoming flights, as well as book seats to travel: http://emirat.es/nowoperating Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly.

“We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised.”

This update comes after people heard several blasts this morning in Dubai, with Emirati authorities saying there had been ‘a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception’, according to Sky News. Several loud bangs were also heard in Abu Dhabi as more missiles were intercepted this morning.

The US and Israel have continued to batter Iran with nationwide strikes, and in turn, Iran has kept up retaliatory strikes on Israel, US bases and across the region. Thousands of Britons have left the region on commercial flights while the first Government charter plane landed at London Stansted shortly before 1am on Friday.

A second Government charter flight carrying British citizens from Oman landed at Gatwick Airport at 12.30am on Saturday as efforts to help people trapped in the war zone continue. The Titan Airways flight departed from Muscat International Airport at 5.30pm before a short layover in Cairo, Egypt.

Iran was hammered with more missiles overnight after the US carried out its ‘biggest’ bombing yet during the Middle East conflict.

The US military marked the seventh day of the Middle East war with more bombing in Iran last night.

Air sirens rang out in Tehran as explosions rocked the densely populated city of more than nine million people. Intense fire and smoke were also seen rising from Mehrabad International Airport in the early hours of the morning.

More than 1,200 people have been killed in Iran alone during the conflict, which has spilt into the neighbouring countries, the Gulf region and Lebanon.

Donald Trump’s administration’s senior official claimed last night’s offensive was America’s ‘biggest bombing campaign’ in Iran.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business: ‘We’ll do the most damage to the Iranian missile launchers, the factories that build the missiles. 

‘And we are substantially degrading them. And, you know, our campaign has been overwhelming.’

The US Central Command claimed it has hit over 3,000 targets during the first week of ‘Operation Epic Fury,’ adding that it is ‘not slowing down.’

Trump’s provocative comments have added fuel to the flames over the conflict, with the US president saying there will be ‘no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender.’

Trump also said the MAGA slogan – Make America Great Again – should be turned into ‘MIGA’, ‘Make Iran Great Again’ in a ranting post on Truth Social yesterday.

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, responded by saying that the unconditional surrender is a ‘dream that they should take to their graves.’

He called for the conflict to be solved through diplomacy, and apologised to Iran’s neighbouring countries ‘that were attacked by Iran.’

‘From now on, they should not attack neighbouring countries or fire missiles at them, unnless we are attacked by those countries,’ Pezeshkian said in a pre-recorded address.

Across the Persian Gulf, flights were grounded in and out of Dubai airport, one of the busiest travel hubs in the world.

Emirates, the Kingdom’s flagship carrier, said it has halted all flights in the city until further notice.

Evacuation flights have been able to take off from neighbouring Oman and Saudi Arabia as other countries scramble to ferry off citizens.

Around 140,000 British nationals registered themselves with the Foreign Office, and the first evacuation flight landed at Stansted on Friday night.

The second chartered plane touched down at Gatwick overnight.

Around 300,000 British nationals are estimated to be stuck in the Middle East.

The White House has suggested the war could take up to six weeks.

Trump has previously hinted that the US could go on for ‘far longer.’

Fears are growing over the impact on the global economy and trade after the Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed since the start of the conflict.

Very few ships dare to pass through the 24-mile passage after Iran threatened it would strike any US, Israel or European-linked vessels.

The Strait handles around 20% of the world’s oil supply.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: US bomber ‘the Bone’ that can hit 900mph while carrying 24 missiles lands in UK

MORE: How fuel prices have surged since start of Iran war

MORE: Why are wealthy Dubai residents stuck abroad racing back to the UAE?

Holloway puts the symbolic ‘BMF’ title on the line in a second fight between the lightweight rivals, 10 and half years after their first clash in Canada in August 2015, in which a bout between two then-rising featherweight contenders ended in the first round following a shoulder and neck injury sustained by Oliveira.

The airline says services between the UK and Dubai will now gradually resume, with a reduced schedule operating until further notice.

Flight EK36 is set to depart from Newcastle at 1.10pm today (March 7) and arrive in Dubai at 12.25am tomorrow (March 8). Yesterday’s EK36 successfully landed in Dubai at around 12.36am.

However, Friday’s inbound flight EK35, which was due to arrive in the North East at 11.20am from the United Arab Emirates, was cancelled, as was the outbound EK36 from Newcastle to Dubai, cancelling services for the seventh day in a row.

In an update on X this morning (March 7), Emirates said it would resume operations and continue to monitor the situation. 

A spokesperson said: “Emirates will resume operations. Passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights may proceed to the airport.

“This includes customers transiting in Dubai, if their connecting flight is also operating. Customers can check the flight schedule for upcoming flights, as well as book seats to travel via http://emirat.es/nowoperating.

“Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly.

“We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised.”

It comes just days after the US and Israel launched a military operation in Iran on Saturday that sparked the closure of several airspaces.

Passengers were left stranded with flights diverted and cancelled across the globe.

People watch an Emirates plane (Image: MAJA SMIEJKOWSKA)

Despite flights being grounded in Newcastle, Manchester Airport and some London airports, alongside Dublin Airport, they are till running to Dubai on a limited basis via Emirates and Virgin Atlantic.

The cancellation of flights has left thousands of people stranded in Dubai, including many from the North East.

One Bishop Auckland family jetted to Dubai for a birthday, but is now unable to leave.

A Darlington family also described the terrifying moment three missiles were “shot down” from the sky above them as they were lounging by the pool.

The strikes led to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the United States and Israel.

Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the UAE killed one person, state media said, and debris from aerial interceptions caused fires at the city’s main port and on the facade of the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel.

Hundreds of thousands of British nationals are believed to be present in the Gulf, and those in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE have been urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office.

Cllr Sue Haworth says she has been contacted about an “excess” of shared living properties in the area and is being lobbied to crack down on the issue.

Her comments follow a planning application by fellow Farnworth politician, Cllr Hamid Khurram, to turn the property at 20 Broadway, on the Andrews Estate, into a six-bed HMO.

Cllr Khurram wanted to stress that it would not be a ‘traditional’ HMO, and would be geared towards professionals working at the nearby hospital, though Cllr Haworth still raised concerns.

She said: “I am being lobbied by local residents about an excess of HMOs at the Andrews Estate and the Bradford Road area nearby.

Cllr Khurram has submitted plans to turn this property into a six-bed HMO (Image: Google Maps)

“This is because of the planning application just behind Kingsland Road that is being built, which provides for 90 bedrooms in HMO format across three blocks.

“There are already other existing HMOs in the area at streets such as Greenland Road, Winifred Road, Briarfield Road and Bradford Road.

“We also know that throughout the borough there are HMOs not notified to the authorities, either because they have under five bedrooms and do not need licences or landlords have not been open about them.

Plans for the ground and first floors of the property (Image: Bolton Council)

“Bolton has an Article 4 declaration now for HMOs, which is functioning just like a head count, really.

“I am regularly told that the council does not have a policy regarding HMO proliferation and overdevelopment – residents say they feel very let down by this.”

Cllr Haworth goes on to point out that other councils have a policy whereby new HMOs cannot be developed in an area if 10 per cent of the homes within 100m are HMOs already.

She says this would – in this case – prevent the Broadway HMO plan because of the “shared living blocks” being built “around the corner”.

Protesters turned out to oppose the plans Image: Public

When discussing Cllr Khurram’s HMO application, he said: “It’s a very good property for professionals – doctors, nurses.

“It’s not your traditional style HMO where you are putting a lot of people in a small space.

“I can assure the community that this will only be offered to professionals.

“To be honest, I can totally understand how HMOs are coming across, but not every HMO is like that – the rooms in it are bigger than my own!”

The application will be debated by Bolton Council‘s planning department at a later date.

George Russell threw down the gauntlet in final practice before qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, going six tenths quicker than anyone else. But a spectacular crash involving his team-mate Kimi Antonelli made it a bittersweet session for Mercedes.

Antonelli looks set to miss qualifying entirely after he lost control at turn two with just over 10 minutes of FP3 remaining, spinning backwards into the barriers and sending debris and wheels flying. Fortunately, the Italian teenager emerged from the shunt unhurt but it was not the start to the weekend he would have wanted after a topsy-turvy rookie season.

When the session resumed, with four minutes remaining, Russell immediately went eight tenths quicker than the next quickest car, drawing gasps from the fans at Albert Park. “That’s a mighty lap from George Russell,” agreed Martin Brundle on Sky Sports F1. “They [Mercedes] have been sandbagging!”

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton also went for a flying lap at the end, and while he managed to go second quickest, he was a full six tenths slower than Russell despite being on a brand new soft tyres. Russell’s effort came on the same tyres he had been using when Antonelli crashed.

Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc was third quickest, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen. World champion Lando Norris was eighth, a full 1.390sec slower than Russell.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll did not make it out of the pits due to yet another Honda power unit related issue.

Earlier, in a bizarre chain of events, the FIA announced that it was axing the “straight line mode” activation zone between Turns 8 and 9 at Albert Park following concerns raised in the drivers’ briefing on Friday evening, only to reinstate it hours later following significant push-back from teams.