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Fubara dumps PDP, defects to APC

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress from the Peoples Democratic Party.

Fubara announced his defection at a stakeholders meeting held at the government house in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

The Rivers State Governor joined Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori; Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno; Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah; and his Bayelsa counterpart, Duoye Siri, all of whom defected from the opposition PDP.

Speaking at the meeting, the governor said, “We can’t support President (Tinubu) if we don’t fully identify with him, not just the backyard support.

“So we have taken that decision here today that everyone who has followed and suffered with me, the decision this evening is that we are moving to the APC.”

His defection came after visiting President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on Monday.

He reportedly arrived at the Presidential Villa about 5:01 p.m. and was received by the Presidential Protocol Liaison Officer before being escorted to the President’s office and departed at about 5:45 p.m.

Although the details of the meeting were not disclosed.

Recall that on March 18, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months over political tension in the oil-rich South South state.

The President said the decision was taken to restore stability in the state that has been witnessing political turmoil as a result of the disagreement between the state governor and the state lawmakers.

He then appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, who has now been appointed an ambassador, as the state’s administrator to oversee governance.

Six months later, Fubara resumed office and pledged to restore peace and reconciliation in the state.

The governor, in a statewide broadcast, described the period (emergency rule) as enormously challenging but necessary to restore order and safeguard democratic institutions.

He said that, as governor, he chose to abide by the declaration and to co-operate fully with President Tinubu and the National Assembly, prioritising peace above personal or political gain.

“I resisted pressure to challenge the constitutionality of the emergency declaration, suspension of democratic structures, and other measures taken during the turbulent period,” he said.

The governor noted that after Tinubu brokered peace among contending parties, he, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and the Rivers State House of Assembly later resolved to bury the hatchet.

He said reconciliation was embraced in the best interest of Rivers’ people and for the progress of the state. (Punch)

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Iran to play at least one World Cup game in U.S.

Iran will play at least one of its World Cup matches in the United States though the tournament draw on Friday avoided a group-stage clash between the geopolitical rivals.

The Iranian team, representing a country targeted by U.S. airstrikes in June and whose citizens are subject to a travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration, will open its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Seattle or Inglewood, California, on June 15.

Iran’s next two games could be played across the Canadian border in Vancouver or in Inglewood and Seattle. FIFA will confirm the detailed game schedule Saturday.

The United States was drawn to play Australia, Paraguay and a third team to be determined in the European playoffs in March.

Iran’s participation in the tournament, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, has already presented diplomatic challenges.

Last week Iran said it would boycott the draw after several officials including soccer federation president Mehdi Taj and general secretary Hedayat Momebeni were denied U.S. travel visas. The federation later modified its stance saying Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei would attend the event at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Ghalenoei was present at Friday’s draw.

Iran was among 12 countries subject to a travel ban ordered by Trump’s administration on June 5. A second World Cup nation, Haiti, also is on it.

Exemptions were promised for teams and support staff traveling for the World Cup, but not for fans.

The Trump administration called Iran a “state sponsor of terrorism” and barred visitors except for those already holding visas or coming special visas issued for minorities facing persecution.

Later in June, Trump ordered a bombardment of Iran by so-called “bunker buster” bombs and cruise missiles targeting underground uranium enrichment plants. Within days he declared a ceasefire in a 12-day war between U.S. ally Israel and Iran.

Iran is an established force in soccer, ranked No. 20 in the world by FIFA and second only to Japan among Asian national teams.

Team Melli, as the squad is popularly known, is preparing to play at its seventh World Cup. Its best known player is forward Mehdi Taremi, who has played for Inter Milan, Porto and now Olympiakos.

Iran’s most problematic diplomatic relations among its future World Cup opponents are with Egypt.

Their diplomatic ties were severed in 1979 after Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel and remained strained until recent years.

New Zealand’s government condemned the death in September 2022 of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police.

Amini’s death just a few weeks before the last World Cup played in nearby Qatar brought domestic politics into the stadiums where Iran played.

The team refused to sign Iran’s national anthem before its opening game in Doha against England, and there were clashes between fans and pro-government supporters at its second game against Wales.

Many fans displayed the “Woman, Life, Freedom” slogan to protest the government before Iran’s World Cup campaign ended with a 1-0 loss to the U.S. (JapanToday)

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‘‘Battle After Another’ leads Golden Globes nominations with nine’’

Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged “One Battle After Another” leads the nominations for the Golden Globes with nine, organizers announced Monday, as the race to the Oscars kicked into high gear.

Norwegian family dramedy “Sentimental Value” was second with eight. It is followed by period horror movie “Sinners” with seven and Shakespeare family drama “Hamnet” with six.

“Wicked: For Good” ended up with five nominations – a disappointing showing for the smash hit musical, which failed to secure a nod for best musical/comedy.

The Globes, set for January 11, are widely seen as a bellwether for the Academy Awards.

The Golden Globes offer separate awards for dramas and comedies/musicals – widening the field of stars who could walk the red carpet, and fueling the suspense.

“One Battle After Another,” which centers on an aging revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his teenage daughter (Chase Infiniti), leads the contenders in the comedy/musical categories.

The film is a rollicking ride featuring leftist radical violence, immigration raids and white supremacists.

It won a pile of nominations, including best comedy/musical picture, best director and five acting nods: DiCaprio, Infiniti, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Teyana Taylor.

“Sentimental Value,” a moving story of a fractured family, won nominations for Swedish legend Stellan Skarsgard and co-star Renate Reinsve.

It is one of several foreign language films to gain traction in the main categories, along with Brazil’s “The Secret Agent” and South Korea’s “No Other Choice.”

On the drama side, past Oscar winners Jennifer Lawrence (“Die, My Love”) and Julia Roberts (“After the Hunt”) will do battle with Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), Reinsve, Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”) and Eva Victor (“Sorry, Baby”).

Each main category will have six nominees, not five as in past years.

On the drama side, beyond the leader “Sentimental Value,” the top contenders all delve into the past.

“Sinners,” from “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, stars Michael B. Jordan as twins in the criminal underworld who encounter a sinister force as they return home to racially segregated Mississippi in the 1930s.

The film was a runaway box office success, and both Coogler and Jordan secured nominations. It led the nods for the Critics Choice Awards on Friday with 17.

“It has so much going for it – it’s a big moneymaker, it was a culturally significant hit,” explained Davis.

“Hamnet,” from Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao, stars Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare, who tries to forge a career as a playwright while his wife Agnes – played by Buckley – contends with the perils of plague and childbirth in Elizabethan England.

Both stars earned nominations, along with Zhao.

Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of “Frankenstein” earned five nominations including one for Jacob Elordi as the iconic monster.

Oscar nominations are due on January 22, so the picks for the Globes will begin to map the road to the Academy Awards.

The Globes also honor the best in television, with HBO’s black comedy anthology “The White Lotus,” sci-fi office thriller “Severance” and searing teen murder saga “Adolescence” leading the contenders.

Last year’s Globes gala hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser was a hit with audiences, with more than 10 million tuning in.

Glaser will return as host of the January 11 gala in Beverly Hills. (Vanguard)

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Salah a ‘‘disgrace’’ for Liverpool outburst – Carragher

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher labelled Mohamed Salah “a disgrace” on Monday after the Egypt star’s stunning outburst at Reds boss Arne Slot.

Salah said he had been “thrown under a bus” and had no relationship with Slot after he was left on the bench for last Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds.

It was the third successive game that Salah had been kept out of the starting line-up by Slot amid the forward’s loss of form this season.

In response to Salah’s astonishing rant to reporters, Liverpool axed the 33-year-old from the squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Inter Milan.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher, a 2005 Champions League winner with Liverpool, said: “I thought it was a disgrace what he did after the game.

“Some people have painted it as an emotional outburst. I don’t think it was. I think whenever Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he has done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it’s choreographed with his agent to cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position.

“He’s chosen this weekend to do this now, and he’s waited I think for a bad result… everyone involved with the club (feeling) like they’re in the gutter, and he’s chosen that time to go for the manager and maybe try to get him sacked.”

Salah is a two-time Premier League champion with Liverpool and has also won the Champions League during his iconic eight-year spell at Anfield.

But, although he only signed a new contract in April, Salah hinted he might have played his last game for Liverpool as he prepares to jet off to the African Cup of Nations after their Premier League clash with Brighton at Anfield on Saturday.

Salah has been linked with a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League and and Carragher added: “What he’s done off the pitch, I think the club have made the right decision in terms of him not going abroad. Whether he will play for Liverpool again, I don’t know.

“I hope he does, because he’s one of the greatest players we’ve ever had, but if you continue like that, and statements like that, if he doesn’t play, who knows.” (Guardian)

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Frank Gehry, world renowned architect, dies at 96

Frank Gehry, who in the second half of the 20th century forged a new language in architecture, becoming one of the most famous architects of his time, has died at the age of 96, according to a spokesperson at Gehry Partners. He died at his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness.

Gehry was born in Toronto, Canada. After studying architecture at the University of Southern California and urban planning at Harvard, he set up his practice in Los Angeles in 1962.

Redeveloping his own home using utilitarian materials — cinder blocks, plywood, corrugated metal and chain-link fencing — helped jump-start his career in 1978 in and around the state.

“We bought this tiny little bungalow in Santa Monica and for like 50 grand, I built a house around it,” he told TED founder Richard Saul Wurman in a 2008 discussion. “And a few people got excited about it.”

He was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989, which vaulted him and his work to international acclaim.

But Gehry was in his late 60s when he received the commission for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, perhaps the most critically-acclaimed and renowned building of his career.

In 1998, the late Philip Johnson, the godfather of American modern architecture, stood in the atrium and was moved to tears. According to Vanity Fair, he anointed Gehry “the greatest architect we have today.” It was a rare moment in architecture: critics, academics and the public collectively enraptured by a single building.

Gehry transformed our idea of what was architecturally possible, shaping and sculpting buildings with the same software used to design fighter jets. The titanium-clad Guggenheim swooped, curved and shimmered by a river, which Vanity Fair correspondent Matt Tyrnauer likened to “a gargantuan bouquet of writhing silver fish.”

Fish were a recurrent theme in Gehry’s work, but his designs were also sparked by ideas as diverse as the shape of Japanese Buddhist temples, ice hockey and Stratocaster guitars.

The Guggenheim led to a series of high-profile commissions: the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle (2000), Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (2003), the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris (2014) among them. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016. Gehry brought spectacle and showmanship to the field, undoubtedly, but did not see such qualities in himself.

“You are not going to call me a f***ing ‘starchitect’?” he told a Financial Times reporter in 2013. “I hate that.”

In person, Gehry was a plain-speaking, soft-spoken and good-humored, if occasionally cantankerous, communicator.

He had many close collaborators over the years, and those who knew him spoke to both his momentous impact and his character.

Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, who worked with Gehry across multiple projects including the Louis Vuitton Foundation, called the architect “a dear friend” in a statement posted to X.

“I owe to him one of the longest, most intense, and most ambitious creative partnerships I have ever had the privilege to experience,” he said. “He will remain a genius of lightness, transparency, and grace.”

US representative and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called him “a gentleman titan of architecture and a master communicator of the future,” in a statement posted to X, praising his contributions to global visual culture.

“Frank left an indelible mark on his beloved Los Angeles, in California, across America, and indeed around the world — not only through his designs, but also through his generosity,” she said.

Describing his aesthetic, Gehry once told Vanity Fair: “Overall, the kind of language I’ve developed, which culminated in Bilbao, comes from a reaction to Postmodernism. I was desperate not to go there.”

He simply had an aversion to historical pastiche.

“I said to myself, ‘If you have to go backward, why not go back 300 million years before man, to fish?,’” he continued. “And that’s when I started with this fish shtick, as I think of it, and started drawing the damn things, and I realized that they were architectural, conveying motion even when they were not moving.” (CNN)

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Mainoo ‘‘being ruined’’ at Man Utd, says Scholes

Manchester United great Paul Scholes says Kobbie Mainoo is “being ruined” by his lack of chances under Ruben Amorim, suggesting his best option is to leave Old Trafford.

The 20-year-old had a breakthrough season in 2023/24, which ended with the academy graduate scoring in the FA Cup final and breaking into the England squad.

But the midfielder has gone from starting the Euro 2024 final to struggling for game time at United.

He requested a loan move in August but was turned down.

Mainoo, still waiting for his first Premier League start of the season, was not brought off the bench in Thursday’s 1-1 draw with lowly West Ham United.

That disappointing result left Man United eighth in the Premier League ahead of Monday’s trip to bottom club Wolves.

United boss Amorim said last week that he considered Mainoo “a starter”, but Scholes reacted angrily in a now-deleted Instagram story that reposted the manager’s quote.

“The kid is being ruined, not being played in a team that can’t control a game of football,” said the former United and England midfielder, who won 11 Premier League titles at Old Trafford.

“Hate seeing home-grown players leave but it’s probably best for him now, enough is enough.”

Mainoo’s only start for United this season came in August’s humiliating League Cup exit at Grimsby and Amorim’s reluctance to use him has been a major talking point.

“I understand what you are saying,” he told reporters on Thursday following the draw against West Ham.

“You love Kobbie. He was… he starts for England, but that doesn’t mean I need to put Kobbie (in) when I feel I shouldn’t put Kobbie (in), so it’s my decision.”

Mainoo won the last of his 10 England caps in September 2024 and appears unlikely to make Thomas Tuchel’s squad for next year’s World Cup.

Amorim said he understood that the lack of time on the pitch could be demoralising for the midfielder but said his target was to win matches.

“I just try to put the best players on the pitch,” he said.

Pushed on whether the upcoming departures of Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo for the Africa Cup of Nations could present an opportunity for Mainoo, Amorim said: “I don’t know what is going to happen. It depends.

“If I see in the training it is the best thing, I will put it. That is the only way I know how to respond to that.” (Guardian)

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Chelsea’s Maresca says rotation unavoidable

Enzo Maresca said he had no choice but to rotate his Chelsea squad when questioned Friday over his team’s damaging 3-1 defeat at Leeds in midweek.

The loss at Elland Road on Wednesday left the Blues in fourth place, nine points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

“We did many things bad,” Chelsea boss Maresca said. “Probably we also paid the bill for playing one hour with 10 players against Arsenal.”

The Italian, who has previously been criticised over his rotation policy, made five changes for the game at Leeds.

Wesley Fofana was not included in the squad and Moises Caicedo was suspended while Malo Gusto, captain Reece James and winger Pedro Neto were named as substitutes.

But Maresca said his hand was forced.

“Most of the rotation we do is because the other one they cannot play,” he said. “So we have players in this moment not able to play every three days.

“And the reason why we have done most of the rotation in the past is for this reason.

“It’s always the same thing — when you pick 11 players and you win it’s fine. When you pick 11 players and you don’t win, it’s always the reason why.

“For sure, playing with 10 players for one hour (in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal) then going to Leeds is not the best situation for us.”

Maresca was asked ahead of Chelsea’s game at Bournemouth on Saturday whether his young side needed an injection of experience.

“We always talk about experience when we drop points but when we beat Barcelona and drew against Arsenal, no one was mentioning about experienced players,” he said.

He added: “I know that we are always looking for experience but it was a bad game (at Leeds) for all of us.” (Guardian)

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Netanyahu says Israel and Hamas will enter ceasefire’s second phase soon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel and Hamas are “very shortly expected to move into the second phase of the ceasefire,” after Hamas returns the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza.

Netanyahu spoke during a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and stressed that the second phase, which addresses the disarming of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, could begin as soon as the end of the month.

Hamas has yet to hand over the remains of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer who was killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. His body was taken to Gaza.

The ceasefire’s second stage also includes the deployment of an international force to secure Gaza and forming a temporary Palestinian government to run day-to-day affairs under the supervision of an international board led by U.S. President Donald Trump.

A senior Hamas official on Sunday told The Associated Press the group is ready to discuss “freezing or storing or laying down” its weapons as part of the ceasefire in a possible approach to one of the most difficult issues ahead.

Netanyahu said few people believed the ceasefire’s first stage could be achieved, and the second phase is just as challenging.

“As I mentioned to the chancellor, there’s a third phase, and that is to deradicalize Gaza, something that also people believed was impossible. But it was done in Germany, it was done in Japan, it was done in the Gulf States. It can be done in Gaza, too, but of course Hamas has to be dismantled,” he said.

The return of Gvili’s remains — and Israel’s return of 15 bodies of Palestinians in exchange — would complete the first phase of Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan.

Hamas says it has not been able to reach all remains because they are buried under rubble left by Israel’s two-year offensive in Gaza. Israel has accused the militants of stalling and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all remains are not returned.

A group of families of hostages said in a statement that “we cannot advance to the next phase before Ran Gvili returns home.”

Meanwhile, Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday called the so-called Yellow Line that divides the Israeli-controlled majority of Gaza from the rest of the territory a “new border.”

“We have operational control over extensive parts of the Gaza Strip and we will remain on those defense lines,” Zamir said. “The Yellow Line is a new border line, serving as a forward defensive line for our communities and a line of operational activity.”

Merz said Germany, one of Israel’s closest allies, is assisting with the implementation of the second phase by sending officers and diplomats to a U.S.-led civilian and military coordination center in southern Israel, and by sending humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The chancellor also said Germany still believes that a two-state-solution is the best possible option but that “the German federal government remains of the opinion that recognition of a Palestinian state can only come at the end of such a process, not at the beginning.”

The U.S.-drafted plan for Gaza leaves the door open to Palestinian independence. Netanyahu has long asserted that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel’s borders.

Netanyahu also said that while he would like to visit Germany, he hasn’t planned a diplomatic trip because he is concerned about an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, the U.N.’s top war crimes court, last year in connection with the war in Gaza.

Merz said there are currently no plans for a visit but he may invite Netanyahu in the future. He added that he is not aware of future sanctions against Israel from the European Union nor any plans to renew German bans on military exports to Israel.

Germany had a temporary ban on exporting military equipment to Israel, which was lifted after the ceasefire began on Oct. 10.

The Israeli military said it killed a militant who approached its troops across the Yellow Line.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed more than 370 Palestinians since the start of the ceasefire, and that the bodies of six people killed in attacks had been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours.

In the original Hamas-led attack in 2023, the militants killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 others hostage. Almost all the hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed at least 70,360 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says that nearly half the dead have been women and children. The ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas government and its numbers are considered reliable by the U.N. and other international bodies. (JapanToday)

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Japan considers income tax hike in 2027 to cover increase in defense spending


Japan’s ruling party, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is considering raising the country’s income tax in January 2027 to cover part of a substantial increase in defense spending, sources close to the matter said Thursday.

The plan being floated within the Liberal Democratic Party would collect revenue for defense-related spending through a special income tax, the sources said.

Before Takaichi became premier in October, Japan decided to boost its defense-related spending to a combined 43 trillion yen over five years through March 2028 to cope with growing security threats.

The increase will be partly funded by raising corporate, tobacco and income taxes, but details have yet to be worked out on the timing of the income tax hike at a time of persistent inflation hurting households.

The plan under discussion within the LDP would raise the income tax so it would translate into upwards of 200 billion yen in added revenue, according to the sources.

A special income tax levied to finance rebuilding projects after the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster would also be reduced in an apparent effort to soften the expected blow to taxpayers.

But given that the temporary disaster-related income tax would then be extended to bring in the same amount of revenue overall, the envisioned defense-use income tax would still represent an added burden for households in the long term.

Before entering a coalition arrangement with the Takaichi-led LDP, the formerly opposition Japan Innovation Party was against tax hikes to pay for increased defense-related spending.

The corporate and tobacco taxes will be raised beginning next April, with an additional levy of 4 percent of the amount paid in corporate taxes. The tobacco tax hike will start with higher levies on vaping products.

Through the increases in the three tax categories alone, the government intends to secure slightly over 1 trillion yen annually by the end of March 2028. (JapanToday)

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Max Verstappen falls just short of a 5th straight F1 title after stunning comeback

No Formula 1 driver puts pressure on his rivals quite like Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull star did it to Lewis Hamilton in 2021, winning his first title on the last lap of the season and preventing Hamilton from clinching a record eighth F1 title.

Verstappen came close to winning the title again this year, mounting an incredible late charge to crank up the pressure on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Earlier in the season, the McLaren teammates were contesting the F1 title between themselves.

But Verstappen changed all that.

Heading into Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it had become a three-way battle.

Verstappen did all he could.

He won in Abu Dhabi from pole position for a third straight race win, a season-leading eighth and 71st of a stellar career.

It was not quite enough to overtake Norris, who won his first F1 title by placing third in the race and ending up just two points ahead of Verstappen in the standings.

But it showed why Verstappen commands so much awe.

“This Max guy is pretty hard to beat,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky with a large dose of understatement.

One race earlier, at the Qatar GP, Brown had jokingly compared Verstappen to a horror movie ghoul who keeps resurfacing.

“He’s like that guy in a horror movie, that right as you think he’s not coming back, he’s back,” Brown said in a podcast interview before the Qatar race. “What an unbelievable talent he is. He never makes mistakes. He seizes every opportunity. We’ve never thought he was out.”

After winning the Dutch GP on Aug. 31, Piastri led Norris by 34 points and was 104 ahead of Verstappen, who back then had won just two races compared to seven for Piastri. Verstappen took advantage of McLaren’s errors to barge his way back into contention.

“(When) you lose the championship by two points it looks painful. But on the other hand, if you look from where we were in Zandvoort, more than 100 behind, then it’s not too bad,” Verstappen said. “I’m very proud of the whole team. We could have also very easily given up at that point.”

Verstappen is already considered among the F1 greats, alongside Hamilton, seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.

Despite his relatively young age, the 28-year-old Dutchman is already third all-time for race wins behind Schumacher (91) and Hamilton (105). Verstappen has 127 podium finishes and 48 pole positions — one area where he is not as clinical as Hamilton (a record 104 poles) was in his prime with Mercedes.

When Norris won the Brazil GP sprint race in early November, he moved 39 points ahead of Verstappen with four races to go.

A few weeks later, Verstappen had dramatically turned the tables and all the pressure was on Norris and Piastri.

“It’s probably fair to say that the world discovered an even more extraordinary Max this season,” Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said. “A bit because of the magnitude of the comeback. A bit because he has been so relaxed.”

Verstappen has been more amiable since becoming a father earlier this year, and has made a concerted effort to reign in his occasionally scathing rants over team radio.

He was all smiles and friendly with Norris when they watched highlights of Sunday’s race in the cool-down room.

In the past, bursts of rage or flashes of frustration would get the better of Verstappen.

Less so now.

But one thing that hasn’t changed is his intense desire to win and deep self-belief, whatever the odds.

“The fightback has been really fun,” Verstappen said. “I don’t see it like losing (the championship).” (JapanToday)