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LANDO NORRIS and Max Verstappen joked they had a “fight in a local pub” as the duo prepare for another fierce title battle.

The pair locked horns from Miami in May last season, where Norris sealed a maiden win and brought the fight to Red Bull, until Las Vegas where Verstappen was crowned champion in November.

Red Bull dominated the first five races which ultimately left Norris with a mountain to climb, although McLaren won their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.

When Verstappen was asked about the pair’s relationship yesterday, he joked: “Yeah, it’s a terrible relationship,

“We don’t get on any more. It’s taken it’s toll. Yeah. Big drama.”

McLaren driver Norris, the early bookies’ favourite for the new season, added: “We had a fight the other day in a local pub,

Verstappen then laughed and replied: “We had to get escorted [out]. I always say, you should see the other guy… but he still looks good, so, whatever.

“think we both look forward to more of last year, more battles. I don’t think it’s just going to be us,”

An inevitable first collision between Norris and Verstappen arrived in Austria in June which cost them both the lead in the Red Bull Ring, having gone wheel-to-wheel on several occasions.

A battle erupted in Texas when Norris was controversially penalised for a late overtake on Verstappen when they were both off track and the Dutchman came out on top again.

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Norris even called Verstappen “dangerous” when the championship battle reached boiling point at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Verstappen was given two 10-second penalties for his driving against Norris for two incidents in the same lap but still managed to finish sixth.

Norris then delivered a more serious answer, added: “I think there’s going to be others involved, which will make it more exciting for everyone.

“But yeah, I know they’re going to be tough battles and I’m sure some of them are not always going to end the way I want or hopefully Max wants, but we’re racing drivers.

“We get along. We’ve always said those kind of things. I know everyone tries to make their own points and say what’s correct and what’s not correct, but we respect each other a lot and we look forward to more racing on track.”

Verstappen was then asked if he had any more to add, replying with a smirk: “No, that’s beautifully said.”

Pre-season testing began in Bahrain this week, with the first race opener coming up in Melbourne at the Australian Grand Prix on March 14-16.

GENE Hackman moved to a huge $3.8million home in New Mexico for a quiet life after he stepped away from the bright Hollywood lights.

The movie legend, 95, was tragically found dead at his house alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their dog on Wednesday afternoon.

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Gene Hackman lived in a secluded $3.8million mansion[/caption]

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The Hollywood star moved from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the 80s[/caption]

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Hackman with the Oscar he won for Unforgiven at the Academy Awards in 1992[/caption]

Gene moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the 1980s and stayed there ever since.

The two-time Oscar winner owned a luxurious $3.8million desert getaway to live a reclusive lifestyle.

Hackman was rarely spotted in public after he retired from the screen.

His beautiful home, which he shared with his wife Betsy, was reportedly an 8,761-square-foot property surrounded by trees and greenery.

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It comes as…

• The star was found dead alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa and their pet dog at their home in Santa Fe, cops said.
• Gene was last spotted with his wife in 2024 just weeks after his 94th birthday
• Cops have not revealed the acting legend’s cause of death but say there are no signs of foul play
• Police also said an “active investigation” has been launched into the couple’s shocking death
• Tributes to Gene and Betsy pour in from fellow Hollywood actors and stars
• Gene made a haunting comment on his “fear” of death
• The actor’s pal revealed how he went from the least likely to succeed at school to a two-time Oscar winner
• Gene had a “difficult” relationship with his kids and lost touch with his son
• The police statement has been released in full
• How Gene met his second wife, who he was married to for 34 years, at the gym

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It is unclear how many rooms the stunning property had but some reports suggest it could have four bedrooms and four bathrooms, which gave the actor a slice of luxury in the quiet New Mexico desert.

He previously opened up about the love he had for his secluded property, in an interview with Architectural Digest from 1990.

Hackman bought a house on a hilltop with 360-degree views that he totally redeveloped.

“I think it’s like being an actor. I interpret what’s already there,” he told the magazine.

The star said he bought his New Mexico home after he fell in love with the area while working on movies there.

“It had a kind of magic in it,” Gene said.

Gene lived in Montecito, California, with his ex-wife Faye Maltese, which he explained was very different to his newer property.

“I wanted a big room with a great-hall feeling, with other rooms opening off it, not closed off with a lot of walls,” he said.

“It’s totally different from my other houses.

“The Montecito house was very formal.”

SHOCK DEATH

The actor and his wife were found dead at their mansion on Wednesday afternoon.

Cops have said there are no signs of foul play but the alarm was sounded when neighbors called the cops to report concerns over the couple’s well-being, per ABC News.

Mystery currently surrounds their shocking deaths as police have not revealed their cause of death but are desperately awaiting a search warrant to scour the property.

“All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,” Adan Mendoza, the Santa Fe County sheriff said.

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He purchased the home after falling in love with the Santa Fe area[/caption]

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This is the last public picture of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa before they were found dead[/caption]

“On February 26 2025 at approximately 1.45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found deceased,” a police statement said.

Hackman was last seen publically with Betsy in March 2024 at a restaurant in Santa Fe.

The Oscar winner appeared frail as he used a cane and grabbed onto his wife’s arm for support when walking.

He previously revealed that one of his only fears in life was death.

“I try to take care of myself. I don’t have a lot of fears. I have the normal fear of passing away,” he told Empire in a 2009 interview.

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Gene Hackman in the 1971 film The French Connection[/caption]

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Gene and wife Betsy in LA in 1986[/caption]

Sir Chris Hoy has revealed he suffered a broken back as a result of his terminal cancer and was told by doctors he could not pick up his six-year-old daughter.

The six-time Olympic champion, who announced last year he is dying with prostate cancer, said he suffered a spinal fracture due to secondary tumours spreading.

Worried doctors told the successful Scot that he could not do any lifting or pick up his young daughter, Chloe.

Hoy, 48, said being told he couldn’t pick up his child was ‘horrendous’ and that was the moment he felt like his diagnosis was ‘really impacting my life’.

Medics were able to use a ‘cement’-like material to fix his fractured vertebrae.

Hoy announced he was suffering from stage four prostate cancer in October last year, adding that he has two to four years left to live.

Speaking to the Mid Point podcast, Hoy said: ‘When I had the first diagnosis and scans, some of the secondary tumours in my spine had actually burrowed into the bone so badly it had fractured.

‘So I had a fractured vertebrae.

‘When they saw it on the scan they were like ‘we’re going to have to be really careful here, you can’t do any lifting, you can’t pick up your kids, you can’t do anything’.

‘Being told not to be able pick up your six-year-old daughter, that was like ‘right, this is really impacting my life’.

‘So I had some injections. They basically drill into your vertebrae, squirt this cement material in and it sets and it fuses and it makes the vertebrae as good as new again.

‘So I’m back to lifting weights again.

‘As soon as you’re told this might be taken away from you, or it has been taken away, you suddenly appreciate everything, the basic things.

‘It’s like losing your wallet, when you find it… you’re not in a net gain situation but you’re so grateful for it.

‘The thought of not being able to pick up your child, the thought of that not being a possibility was horrendous, and then for now I’m doing OK.’

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)- A sit in and protest is being held outside the Augusta office of Congressman Rick Allen. Several groups are organizing this event, including the league of women voters. They want a face-to-face meeting with their representative in Congress. Organizers of today's protest plan to call out Congressman Rick Allen for what they [...]

AUGUSTA (WJBF) - The Richmond County Sheriff's Office is currently on the 5000 block of Mike Padgett Highway, near Hephzibah-McBean Road, in reference to a tanker truck that has caught fire.  Mike Padgett Highway is currently shut down both north and southbound traffic.  No word on injuries. Motorists should find an alternate route. This is [...]

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