'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
Oscar Piastri will join McLaren on a multiyear deal in 2023 after Formula One's contracts board ruled in his favor and against Alpine on Friday.
Alpine was in dispute with Piastri -- the team's reserve driver -- after he said he didn't want promotion to the Alpine seat vacated by Fernando Alonso for next year.
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer wanted to retain the 21-year-old Australian driver.
The matter went before F1's Contract Recognition Board this week and the four-person tribunal ruled that McLaren had an existing contract in place.
"The only contract to be recognized by the board is the contract between McLaren Racing Limited and Mr Piastri dated 4 July 2022," governing body FIA said in a statement. "Mr Piastri is entitled to drive for McLaren Racing Limited for the 2023 and 2024 seasons."
Piastri won the F2 title last year.
"I'm extremely excited to be making my F1 debut with such a prestigious team as McLaren and I'm very grateful for the opportunity that's been offered to me," Piastri said. "The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance, and I'm looking forward to working hard alongside Lando (Norris) to push the team towards the front of the grid."
McLaren CEO Zak Brown called Piastri "one of the up-and-coming talents" and said he can succeed alongside the British driver Norris, who has six career podiums in F1.
"In Lando and Oscar we have a young, exciting F1 lineup with a huge amount of potential, standing us in good stead to achieve our future ambitions," Brown said. "Oscar is an exciting addition to the McLaren family, and we look forward to seeing him grow with our F1 team."
Alpine said it accepted the ruling, which leaves it with a vacant seat next year.
French driver Pierre Gasly, who drives for AlphaTauri, has been linked to the seat. So has Daniel Ricciardo, who is splitting with McLaren at the end of this year.
"We consider the matter closed on our side and will announce our full 2023 driver lineup in due course," Alpine said in a statement. "Our immediate focus is the Dutch Grand Prix and securing points in our fight for fourth in the constructors' championship."
Alonso is driving for Aston Martin next year as a replacement for four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, who is retiring.
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.