'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.
Having won in front of his own fans last weekend, Max Verstappen did it on enemy turf on Sunday to leave the Red Bull driver within touching distance of a second straight F1 title.
Boos rang out from the passionate red-clad tifosi fans when Verstappen stepped onto the iconic Monza podium for the first time in his career, after winning the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
"I had a great view," said a tactful Verstappen, whose previous highest finish at the track was fifth in 2018. "The atmosphere for me was not amazing. But it is what it is."
Verstappen now has a 116-point lead over Charles Leclerc, who finished second after another questionable strategy decision from Ferrari on its home track. With just six races remaining, the Dutch driver could clinch the title in Singapore next month.
Verstappen started seventh after he was among a number of drivers hit by grid penalties but made his way up to third by the first corner of the second lap. The Red Bull driver then picked off George Russell in a Mercedes at the start of Lap 5 setting up the hunt for polesitter Leclerc in his Ferrari.
"The start was very good," Verstappen said. "It was enjoyable to drive today even though it was quite hot out there. Great day for us."
The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) gave Verstappen an opportunity as it came out on Lap 12 after Sebastian Vettel's final race at Monza came to an ignominious end, with the four-time world champion pulling up at the side of the track after complaining about a power issue.
Ferrari decided to bring Leclerc in to change to medium tires, allowing Verstappen to take the lead. Leclerc rejoined the race in third.
"I think we all had a doubt, I think if I wouldn't have done it Max would have done it," Leclerc said.
"It was a bit unfortunate because in the middle of the pit lane we had the virtual safety car ending so we didn't get all the benefit of stopping at that moment. And from that moment onward we were a little bit on the back foot."
It has been a strange season for Ferrari, full of botched strategy decisions and bizarre incidents, but Leclerc believes it was just unfortunate timing at Monza.
"I think if you look at our season as a whole, for sure there's been mistakes and we need to get better," Leclerc said. "If today was a clear mistake, I don't think so. It was just our choice and looking back at it you just cannot predict whenever the VSC is going to end.
"So, yeah, nothing to blame on anybody there. Just a bit unlucky and probably missing a little bit of pace too."
Leclerc moved past Russell and then briefly regained the lead when Verstappen pitted on the 26th lap but the pair swapped places again seven laps later when the Ferrari driver pitted for new tires for a second time.
The safety car came out again shortly after last year's winner, Daniel Ricciardo, pulled up on Lap 47 prompting most drivers to pit for soft tires.
However, a final battle never materialized when the race finished behind the safety car with Verstappen securing his fifth straight victory and his 11th of the season -- one more than last year.
Russell was third, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lewis Hamilton, who had both fought through the field after starting at the back of the grid following penalties.
Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez had also been hit by grid penalties and had started 13th but, despite an eventful race that also featured a brake fire, he managed to finish sixth and also pick up the extra point for fastest lap.
Lando Norris was seventh, after a poor start from third, with Pierre Gasly just behind him.
Williams reserve driver Nyck de Vries finished his first-ever F1 race in ninth. The 27-year-old was a late replacement for Alex Albon after the Thai driver was diagnosed with appendicitis.
"Wow, wow. Thank you, thank you very much. This has been incredible, points on debut, thank you," De Vries said on team radio after crossing the line, before then uttering an expletive and adding "my shoulders are dead, dead."
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.