MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER:You can't be a Formula One driver and lecture on saving the planet. You might think you can. But you can't.

Formula One bosses have unveiled the first images of the sport's cars for the future. It is hoped that the new machines will provide closer action, and make overtaking easier.

JONATHAN MCEVOY IN AUSTIN: The props of his life were showing up in Texas as Lewis Hamilton edged ineluctably towards one of the greatest achievements in the history of British sport.

Lewis Hamilton is on the cusp of winning his sixth world championship on Sunday but first he will be hoping to end his qualifying drought which stands at seven races.

Hamilton has not always been a mere dot disappearing beyond the horizon to rivals. He even struggled to win races before learning his trademark driving style from a friend.

Despite a poor qualifying that leaves Hamilton fifth on the grid at the Circuit of the Americas, the Brit is on course to retain his title as he needs just eighth place to secure a sixth world championship.

JONATHAN McEVOY IN AUSTIN: The next chapter of that attempt involves matching - and then beating - Michael Schumacher's record of seven titles and 91 wins. He is nine victories short.

Lewis Hamilton has been backed by his Mercedes boss to rewrite the sport's record books for years to come after winning the Formula One world title for the sixth time.

Just a finish of eighth place was needed to secure the four points to land Hamilton out of reach of his last remaining title rival - Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. The Brit finished in second.

Ferrari have responded angrily after Red Bull driver Verstappen suggested the Italian team's poor performance on Sunday was linked to the closure of a potential engine loophole.

The Austrian said that having secured the both championships this season, he would stay in Europe to attend to other matters, with Mercedes set to make its Formula E debut on November 22.

Verstappen has 100 starts and seven wins to his name since becoming the sport's youngest driver and next season he could yet become the youngest champion.

Champions Mercedes are likely to stay in Formula One after major changes come into play in 2021 but that cannot be taken for granted, team principal Toto Wolff said on Tuesday.

Schumacher clinched his first of seven titles in one of the sport's most controversial incidents when he collided with Hill to pip his British rival to the title by just one point at the race in Adelaide.

He drove spectacularly in the wet here in 2016 but could only finish third on that occasion. Last season he was unlucky to be punted out of contention by backmarker Esteban Ocon while leading.

JONATHAN McEVOY IN SAO PAULO: Verstappen drove spectacularly in the wet here three ago but could only finish second on that occasion after a collision with backmarker Esteban Ocon.

JONATHAN McEVOY IN SAO PAULO: The 89-year-old Ecclestone thinks a clean break would suit the six-time world champion better than seeking a final hurrah with Ferrari.

Former Labour cabinet minister Lord Hain has written to Downing Street calling for Hamilton to be rewarded with an upgrade on the MBE he received after he won his maiden championship in 2008.

Lewis Hamilton is hoping to return to winning ways at the Brazilian Grand Prix as he races for the first time since winning his sixth world championship in the United States. Follow the race live here.

There may be signs that the new wave are starting to make a challenge for Hamilton's throne heading into 2020 already following a thrilling Brazilian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen leading the chasing pack.

The American singer, 41, put on a racy display in a revealing beaded dress by Julien McDonald as she posed with the Formula 1 champion, 34, at the awards bash in the Royal Albert Hall on Monday.

He's a six-time Formula One world champion and she's won an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss.

INTERVIEW BY LAURA LAMBERT: Eliud Kipchoge will not let his achievements be reduced to a pair of hi-tech shoes. For him, Nike's controversial trainers only help so much.

Naturally, the whole sporting shindig began with a song, a mournful dirge to my ear. The BBC, we have long realised, has given up comprehensive TV coverage of games.

Thom Evans has reportedly been bidding for Nicole Scherzinger's affections for the past six years.

The rugby hunk, 34, cut a casual figure as he stepped out for a low-key day with new love interest Nicole Scherzinger, 41, in Los Angeles, California on Friday.

The Chinese Grand Prix has become the latest sporting event to fall victim to the coronavirus after Formula One confirmed that it has been postponed. 

F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel said the drivers are prepared to pull out of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne - effectively cancelling the event - due to coronavirus fears.

Red Bull racing chief Helmut Marko has revealed his unusual plan to arrange a 'Corona Camp' in a bid to ensure that the Formula One season is not blighted by the coronavirus outbreak.

EXCLUSIVE BY JONATHAN McEVOY: F1 giants McLaren became the sport's first team to place staff on furlough, with their drivers volunteering to take pay cuts themselves.

Lewis Hamilton has paid an emotional tribute to Sir Stirling Moss after the British motor racing icon died at the age of 90. The British world champion said he is grateful for his 'friendship' with the icon.

Pope Francis has approved altering 'lead us not into temptation' to 'do not let us fall into temptation' because he believes it shifts the responsibility onto Satan.

Madonna revealed she would like a meeting with Pope Francis in a wide-ranging interview with Andrew Denton which aired on Tuesday night. 

Pope Francis is in Mauritius to honour a 19th century French missionary who ministered to free slaves. Roughly 100,000 people attended the service during country's first papal visit since 1989.

Speaking at a three-day event, Pope Francis warned Silicon Valley and tech giants in the audience to be ware AI doesn't lead to a new 'form of barbarism', resulting in the manipulation of millions.

Speaking in Rome on Friday, Pope Francis said it's 'a duty' to introduce 'the sin against ecology' to the Catholic Church's teachings as a way to protect 'our common home'.

Pope Francis warned that technology and globalisation were homogenising young people to the point where their uniqueness and cultural individuality were endangered.

Netflix built a replica of the Sistine Chapel after the Vatican denied them access to film the Two Popes there. The Vatican refuses requests for any narrative filming in the chapel.

A visibly indignant Pope Francis had to pull himself away from a woman in a crowd in St Peter's Square today after she grabbed his hand and yanked him towards her.

The Palazzo Migliori was set to be turned into a luxury hotel after it became vacant last year and could have charged top rates with its prime location just off St Peter's Square.

MICHAEL GOVE: The financial crisis and other failures of leadership from a past generation of political leaders have turned people against distant and unaccountable power-brokers.

Veteran employee Gilbert Serna, 36, and loyal customer Adria Gonzalez, 37, have been credited with saving dozens of lives by directing people to safety during the massacre on Saturday.

Bloomberg's ranking of the world's richest families has revealed how heirs at the top of the list are watching their fortunes grow by millions of dollars every hour.

Richard D. Clayton, 26, of Winter Park, Florida was arrested on Friday after authorities said he posted, '3 more days of probation left then I get my AR-15 back. Don't go to Walmart next week,' on Facebook.

Dole Fresh Vegetables, which sells in Target and Walmart, issued a warning to customers on Friday to trash their 6oz bags and 10oz clam-shell boxes of baby spinach that have a sell-by date of August 5.

The new fall-themed release will be available on Spam.com and Walmart.com starting on September 23. Hormel previously joked about releasing the product in 2017.

The former Texas congressman was applauded by a Democratic audience but an outspoken state GOP lawmaker was accused of issuing death threats with his response to O'Rourke.

Kevin Butcher was selecting an outfit for his father's burial in a Milford Walmart on Monday with his wife, Sherri, but neither of them knew how to tie a tie.

Peter James McGaughran, 32, of Delaware was arrested on October 2 after surveillance footage captured him choking a Walmart cashier in an unprovoked attack in Stuart, Florida

The crooner was found with methamphetamine when he was picked up in Burbank earlier this month. DeBarge was approached by police after being seen trying to open an SUV with wire.