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A FERRARI double rained on the parade of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris’ charge to the title.

It truly was the Wild West on track from start to finish as Norris and Verstappen produced an almighty scrap as they battled nose to tail for third-place from 12-laps to go.

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Lewis Hamilton’s body language says it all as he exited the US GP early[/caption]

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Victory meant extra birthday fizz for Charles Leclerc[/caption]

The top two positions had already been snatched from their clutches as birthday boy Charles Leclerc capitalised on a poor start from pole-sitter Norris to cross the line in first.

Carlos Sainz took second-place eight seconds behind his teammate but no one will care.

All eyes had been on Norris and Verstappen’s all out war with the Dutchman producing a defensive masterclass until five-laps-to-go.

Norris overtook the Red Bull on lap 51 but went off the track and was slapped with a five-second penalty meaning he had to settle for fourth behind third-place Verstappen.

The Texas rodeo continued as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was forced to RETIRE just three laps in after spinning off at Turn 19 and beaching himself on the gravel.

Norris knew it was pretty much do or die in Texas, given Verstappen soared to victory in Saturday’s sprint-race and stretching his lead to 54 points in the driver’s championship.

Verstappen’s world championship lead is now up to 57 points, having  built it by five points across the weekend, while Norris’ hopes of chasing down the Dutchman have been massively dented with five rounds remaining.

The McLaren driver, whose starts have been his Achilles’ heel, got off well but left too much space for Verstappen to bulldoze inside.

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Verstappen and Norris had a fierce duel for third spot[/caption]

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It is the fifth race this season that he has started on pole but not been in the lead after the opening lap, having done the same at the Spanish, Hungarian, Dutch and Italian Grands Prix.

The Red Bull ran Norris wide on the way out of the first corner, and Leclerc swept through to take the lead from fourth.

The other Ferrari, of Sainz, also nipped past Norris, leaving the McLaren in fourth.

McLaren reported the incident as they felt Verstappen pushed him wide, but really Norris was not aggressive enough and only had himself to blame.

Norris said on his team radio: “He clearly pushed me off. He had no intent to make the corner.

“Even he went off the track. I had to avoid crashing into him or him into me.”

There was a safety car on lap 3 as disaster struck forHamilton who was forced to retire as he spun off and beached himself on the gravel on Turn 19.

It was the exact same spot his teammate Russell spun out in qualifying and there wasn’t much the seven-time world champion could do about it.

It prompted the first Safety Car since the Canadian Grand Prix in June and at the restart Leclerc struggled to create a gap to Verstappen but managed to make it through the first corner in the lead.

On lap 17 Toto Wolff came on the radio to slam the “total joke” five-second penalty for an overtake on for allegedly forcing Valtteri Bottas off the track in an overtake earlier on.

Half way through and Leclerc was a whopping ten seconds ahead of Verstappen, but the Ferrari driver did not want to be left out as bait for too long before pitting.

He said on his team radio: “Don’t leave me out for too long. I do not want to be under pressure.”

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Verstappen eventually pipped Norris for the final spot on the podium[/caption]

By lap 36, Norris and Verstappen were tussling for third place as the McLaren was closing in on his rival.

Verstappen was fuming and said on his team radio: “These tyres just aren’t good. I can’t brake, I can’t attack anything.”

Second-placed Sainz was relentless and by lap 43 hit back with another fastest lap, cranking up the pressure on his teammate out front.

Norris continued to snap at Verstappen’s heels and closed the gap to just 0.6 seconds with 12 laps to go.

The Dutchman knew he had a race on his hands and kept the McLaren at bay with text-book defense until lap 52.

Norris got the move down at Turn 12 but it appeared to be off the track and Verstappen fumed on his team radio: “He overtook me outside of the track.”

Hamilton said after the race: “I have never spun especially on the second lap, it’s devastating to not be in the race because I love this race.

“It’s obviously a similar situation to George yesterday, the car is very sensitive, it started bouncing, I wasn’t even pushing. I lost a load of the rear and it came round.”

On hoping for another win in the Mercedes with five races to go, he added: “Of course, that’s what we’re working towards.

“That is painful, it’s never happened to me before but this weekend the confidence had gone already from the first spin we had.

“We need to go back to the drawing board and figure out what has been wrong with the car this weekend because it’s not been normal. We will work on it and try and come back stronger.”

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Verstappen’s third place leaves him top in the overall table on 354 points, with Norris second on 297 after he finished fourth[/caption]

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LIAM Payne’s dad has refused to leave his son’s side and is “determined to accompany him home” to Britain.

Former One Direction star Liam died after falling 45ft from his hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires at 5.04pm on Wednesday.

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Liam Payne has died aged 31 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel in Argentina[/caption]

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Liam’s Geoff Payne visiting a memorial outside the Casa Sur Hotel[/caption]

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Liam with Geoff in 2020[/caption]

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The star chatting with fans outside his Buenos Aires hotel hours before his death[/caption]

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One of Liam’s final Snapchat posts before his death[/caption]

Liam’s father Geoff Payne is currently in the Argentinian capital organising plans to repatriate his son’s body.

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It comes as…

• Liam Payne’s devastated sister Ruth breaks silence in emotional statement
• Cheryl Cole’s mum & friends rally around her
• Britain’s Got Talent auditions resume as Bruno Tonioli replaces Simon Cowell
• Molly-Mae reveals friendship with Liam Payne in emotional statement
• Liam’s devastated dad ‘trying to bring his son’s body home’
• The star spent £10,000 in one night helping people on GoFundMe
• How Liam healed his One Direction rifts

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Geoff, who lives with Liam’s mum Karen in Wolverhampton, visited Casa Sur Hotel, the hotel where Liam had been staying on Friday.

He thanked fans who had gathered outside the hotel for their kind words and viewed tributes that had been left to the star.

The family are now working to bring Liam’s body home once a post-mortem is complete.

There are no direct flights between Buenos Aires and London, but the family are said to want as few stops as possible.

A source told the Mirror: “Liam’s loved ones just want him home, back where he belongs among his family.

“They have been tackling the logistics about how best to get his body back to the UK.

“Geoff is determined to accompany his son home.”

It comes as MTV bosses are set to pay tribute to One Direction singer Liam at next month’s Europe Music Awards.

The ceremony will take place at Manchester’s newly built Co-Op live Arena on Sunday November 10.

Liam was in the city just weeks ago filming new Netflix talent show Building The Band alongside Kelly Rowland, 43, and Nicole Scherzinger, 46.

The show, which was to be hosted by former Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean, now hangs in the balance as US based bosses decide what to do.

It’s understood that Liam’s close friend and former collaborator Rita Ora, 33, will be involved in MTV‘s plans.

The tribute could range from a live musical homage or a simple video in memoriam montage.

The Sun can reveal producers are keen to honour the late star who dominated the music industry as part of the boy band from 2011 to 2016.

He later used the celeb-packed music ceremony to help launch his solo career.

Liam performed his debut single Strip That Down at the show in 2017.

The single, which was penned by Ed Sheeran, was Liam’s first of 6 UK Top 40s as a solo singer.

One Direction received twelve MTV EMA gongs out of their sixteen nominations.

They won three out of four in 2012, four out of six in 2013 and five out of six in 2014.

A source said: “Bosses have all agreed that they want to host a tribute to Liam during next month’s MTV EMAs.

“In the coming days they will start drawing up official plans.

“Officially Rita is yet to be announced, but she is hosting this year’s awards and will be involved in whatever MTV decides to do.

“She and Liam have been close for years and grew in the industry together. Obviously she is devastated by his passing.”

Rita and Liam teamed up on the 2018 single For You which featured in the film Fifty Shades Freed, part of the final movie in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.

The track was nominated for Best Music Video at the 2019 Brit Awards.

Last week Let You Love Me singer Rita broke down on stage in Osaka as she performed the track during her Japanese tour.

During the song Rita displayed a black and white image of her and Liam in the studio together.

After looking at the sky and holding her head in her hands, Rita told fans: “I can’t even sing this right now”.

A source said: “Rita is heartbroken but was keen not to let fans down and continued with her shows.

“She is being supported by her husband Taika Waititi who is out in Japan with her.”

Liam previously said of his bond with Rita: “Rita is someone I call a true friend and it was an absolute pleasure working with her.”

The last time the EMAs were in the UK was 2017, they were hosted at Wembley Arena with both Liam and Rita in attendance.

Liam performed his debut single Strip That Down while Rita helped host the evening as well as performing a mash up of her hit tracks Your Song and Anywhere.

Liam tragically died in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday after falling from his third floor hotel balcony.

He was just 31-years-old.

Since then tributes have flooded in around the world from fans and celebs alike – with many praising Liam’s kindness and desire to help others.

Yesterday [sun] Liam’s devastated fans held outdoor memorial services for the singer up and down the country.

Events took place in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

Despite the rain hundreds of supporters gathered at the Peter Pan statue in London’s Hyde Park- singing his songs and bringing floral tributes to the singer.

One left open letters to the singer – praising him for soundtracking them through their younger years.

In one letter, fan Helen, 30, wrote: “I was one of the very lucky people in my teenage years to see you on numerous occasions.

“You were so kind, polite and friendly, every single time. You appreciated your fans so much. Back then I was over the moon to meet you as a fan but also as a person – Liam you were just so lovely.”

She added: “You died young but if love could’ve saved you, my goodness you really would have lived forever.”

Fans are also also buying and streaming One Direction songs to help Liam dominate the charts come Friday when they are announced.

On Sunday night the Official UK Charts confirmed that three One Direction songs are on track to reenter the charts.

Their 2014 single Night Changes is currently sits at No16 while Story of My Life and What Makes You Beautiful are at 21 and 47 retrospectively.

Three solo tracks Liam are also rising up the charts.

His final single Teardrops, released in March this year, is currently at No65 followed by For You with Rita Ora at 67 and Liam’s debut track Strip That Down with Quavo at 75.

MANY people know the delight of tucking into a delicious bacon sandwich –  but you can cause a mess if fat spits out the frying pan.

According to a bestselling cookbook author, we should all be putting away our pans and instead cooking bacon in the oven for the best results.

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It turns out there may be a healthier way to cook bacon than the method you’ve been using[/caption]

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Cooking bacon in the frying pan has risks of oil spitting[/caption]

Rachel Farnsworth, founder of The Stay At Home Chef, said: “We love bacon, but it is a pain. How many grease-stained shirts and first-degree burns from oil popping can we tolerate before saying ‘enough’? Well, a lot. Because it’s bacon.

“However, once we discovered cooking it in the oven, we couldn’t go back to the old-fashioned way.”

The food expert said that not only is cooking bacon in the oven easier, but it will also help it to taste nicer and have a better texture.

This is because when it is fried in the pan, the fatty part cooks faster than the pink meat.

This means the outer bit of bacon gets overly crispy, while the middle part is undercooked.

If you use the oven instead, the heat circles around the meat and it cooks more evenly.

The expert also said you should avoid adding oil or butter when cooking bacon – particularly as the bacon fat renders when cooking, so it does not need anything added.

This is because it can make it too greasy with a “charred film” over it.

Speaking to the Express, Rachel said: “Cooking bacon in the oven is so stinkin’ easy! It’s going to take longer than you’re used to, but we promise you, it’s worth it. Plus, it’s all hands-off cooking time. No more watching the stove and dangerous flipping of the bacon!”

What is the best way to cook bacon in the oven

You first need to preheat your oven to 200C and arrange your bacon flat on a single baking sheet, without any parts overlapping.

To avoid scrubbing the sheet, you should use parchment paper under the bacon.

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Lay the bacon on a single baking sheet for the oven[/caption]

Rachel explained: “The best way to cook bacon in the oven is on parchment paper because it allows for an easy cleanup. Once you’re done and it’s cooled down, simply roll all that grease up into the centre of the parchment paper and throw it away!”

Then add the baking sheet to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes if you like your bacon chewy, or 25 to 30 if you like it crispy.

Once you have taken the bacon out of the oven, put it on a paper towel to remove excess fat.

MANCHESTER UNITED chief Darren Fletcher faces an FA charge after claims of a fiery tunnel bust-up with officials.

United were furious as defender Matthijs de Ligt was ordered off the Old Trafford pitch in first-half stoppage time with blood on his head and face.

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Matthijs de Ligt sustained a nasty head injury and blood poured down his face[/caption]

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De Ligt left the field for treatment but was sent back to the sidelines as the ref felt it was not patched up enough[/caption]

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Ethan Pinnock scored for Brentford while De Ligt was off the field[/caption]

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Darren Fletcher supposedly confronted the ref in the tunnel[/caption]

This was the result of an earlier injury which medics had twice tried to patch up.

As soon as De Ligt left the field, Brentford scored from a corner, sparking outrage with manager Erik ten Hag and No 2 Ruud van Nistelrooy booked for protesting.

Van Nistelrooy continued his protests down the tunnel, while former United midfielder and technical director Fletcher waited inside where he allegedly verbally confronted ref Sam Barrott and fourth official Gavin Ward.

The FA will now await the referee’s report before deciding whether to take further action.

United came back to win the game with Alejandro Garnacho scoring just after the break and Rasmus Hojlund getting a 62nd-minute winner.

Yet Ten Hag was still fuming with the ref’s decision after the game.

He raged: “It was dry blood so he was already treated for the injury.

“I didn’t understand why he was sent off.

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“I went over to Matthijs and he said, ‘It is dry blood and I have to come off I don’t know why’.

“It was a huge moment because Brentford is very good at corners and you are missing one of your best headers.”

A WOMAN has allegedly been raped at a children’s playground – with cops hunting a suspected teenage attacker who was with three other men.

Four unknown men reportedly approached the woman at the Toddler’s Cove playground in Canterbury at around 9.30pm on Friday.

One of the men allegedly assaulted the victim after the others had left the scene. 

The suspect was white and described as eastern European and around 18 or 19 years old.

He had tight black curly hair which covered his ears and was wearing a white tracksuit top and white bottoms.

He carried a small white bag around his waist, Kent Police said in an appeal this evening.

Two of the other men with the teenage suspect were white and of a similar age.

The fourth man had darker skin and wore a green fleece and black trousers.

Kent Police said: “We are continuing to pursue several enquiries to establish the full circumstances.

“This includes forensic analysis at the scene and checks for CCTV opportunities.

“Anyone with information which may assist the investigation is urged to come forward.”

If you have any information call Kent Police on 01622 652006, quoting reference 46/177215/24.

You can also contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555111.

Motorists with dashcam who may have been near the area have been urged to check for footage.

Businesses and residents with doorbell cameras or CCTV are also asked to check.

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