Hundreds of drivers failing to show up for tests in Bristol
Hundreds of candidates are failing to attend driving tests that were booked, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.On average, a candidate fails to attend a test at both Bristol centres in Avonmouth and Kingswood every day, data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) shows.While many learners find booking a test in their home city almost impossible, every day there is likely to be a test cancelled because nobody turns up.Speaking in April, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: "We inherited an enormous backlog of learners ready to ditch their L-plates but being forced to endure record waiting time for their tests."
Between October 2023 and September 2024, 439 tests did not go ahead in Kingswood because candidates did not show up, an average of 37 every month.During the same period, 344 tests did not go ahead in Avonmouth for the same reason, an average of 29 every month. In both centres, this represents about 3% of all tests conducted.Just four tests did not go ahead on average each month in the two Bristol centres because candidates arrived late; while six tests did not go ahead because of mechanical failure, the second most common reason after candidates not turning up.Learner drivers across the country have been struggling to book tests for several years now, with a giant backlog first building up during the pandemic. The crisis has since got worse, with companies using bots to book tests and then resell them to learners at an inflated price.Ms Alexander said in April: "I am instructing DVSA to take further action immediately to reduce waiting times which will see thousands of additional tests made available every month. We're acting fast to get Britain's drivers moving."The DVSA said in April that it was "continuing to reduce waiting times, and to encourage learners to only book their test when they're ready".
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BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Win gives Norris 'confidence' before Silverstone
Lando Norris said his victory in the Austrian Grand Prix was "fulfilling" and "gives me good confidence" as he heads into this home race at McLaren driver drove just the sort of race he needed under intense pressure from team-mate Oscar Piastri to deliver his third win of the season and cut his deficit to the Australian in the championship to 15 the most important aspect of this for Norris was that it served as confirmation of a positive trajectory he has been on in the past few weeks after a difficult start to the season - and that it helped lay the ghosts of the last race in Canada, where he retired after running into the back of his sister McLaren."I don't need to prove any points or prove anything to anyone, honestly. I like to prove things to myself, probably more than anything," Norris said. "It's been a good clean weekend. Felt very comfortable and very on top of the car and performed exactly as I want to and as I need to."It's not that I've not been able to do it before, and the pace has always been there at certain points. It's just there's been some different reasons for different things."Certainly, coming in today and yesterday to do the job that I did, I'm pretty happy."But it doesn't come easily. It doesn't come just because I've turned up this weekend and things are better. I'm working a lot."I'm doing a lot more work than I used to away from the track with the team, on the simulator, with my own team, trying to improve everything that I can, both on and off the track. It's more a positive thing to see a lot of those things paying off immediately. Still need more, still want more. So, we'll keep working." Austria potentially a 'pivotal' race Norris was referring to the effort that has been put in by driver and team to address the difficulties he has suffered this season and which have put him on the back foot in the fight with being the superior McLaren driver on balance in 2024, that position was usurped by Piastri from the start of this win in Austria still leaves him two victories short of Piastri's tally in 2025, and the Australian still has four pole positions to his team-mate's three. But Austria was a potential pivotal race in a number of one thing, it is Norris' second win in four races - he also delivered from pole in Monaco at the end of last problem for Norris is that Monaco and Austria were punctuated by a convincing win by Piastri in Spain and, more importantly, Canada, where Norris made mistakes in qualifying that left him seventh on the grid, and then retired from the race after running into the back of his team-mate in a misjudgment while they were battling for fourth place late in the race. McLaren sat down with Norris - as they do with both drivers after every race - to review Canada, which team principal Andrea Stella described as a "benign situation" caused by "a misjudgment of proximity to the car ahead".This - Stella added in Austria - had been influenced by the fact that Piastri's car was in energy recovery mode at the time, "so he had less power, so the closing speed was faster than Lando could have anticipated".Stella added: "The conversations were all about the fact that the speed is there."Lando, pole position and victory in Monaco. When he touched the wall in qualifying in Canada, he was in line for pole position. He was the fastest car in Canada in the race. Pole position in Austria."The speed is there, we just have to polish a few things in execution and results will come, which is what Lando has demonstrated here in Austria."So very proud of Lando, very proud of how everyone handled the situation in Canada and the fact that we ended up more united and stronger." Norris 'very resilient' Norris' issue this season has not been that he has been lacking pace. It has been that he has been struggling to string laps together in qualifying to prove it. And that has been because of a specific issue with the car that has affected him more than Piastri - a lack of feel from the front Canada, McLaren introduced a tweak to the front suspension geometry aimed specifically at reducing the "numbness" or "lack of cueing" the drivers were feeling. Norris adopted it, and used it again in Austria. Piastri has not used it all, because he felt he did not need tweak is not a performance part per se. But because it increases the feel provided to the driver through the steering mid-corner, which Norris relies on heavily, it allows him to access more of the potential of the car more said: "It is to do more with the feeling that the driver has through the steering wheel in terms of understanding what's happening with the front tyres."It's available to Oscar, but this belongs to the category of things which is almost like a set-up option. It's not in itself something that increases the grip that you have available."Stella added: "We are in a period in which we definitely see that Lando is very resilient."So, credit to the work that Lando has done from a technical point of view, but also from a personal development point of view."And this is typical of all the athletes, all the champions. They never stay in the same place. It's a constant evolution from technical, like I say, professional point of view and personal." Piastri 'pushes the boundaries' Norris race in Austria was founded on a quite brilliant pole position lap, with the biggest margin of the gap was exaggerated by the fact that both Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen were unable to complete their final runs in qualifying because of a spin for Alpine's Pierre Gasly at the final all Norris' rivals were impressed by his lap time, and he never looked like being beaten to race was a different matter. The first stint was a close battle between the two McLarens. Piastri's pass of Charles Leclerc's Ferrari into Turn One after the start allowed him to be within one second of Norris at the end of the first lap, and that gave him the use of the DRS overtaking aid, which gives a 0.7-second in turn, allowed Piastri to pressure Norris. And Norris, having to defend, had no possibility to get his battery back up to full power. It meant the two McLarens were tied together for the first stint.A couple of errors from Norris in the final two corners of lap 10 allowed Piastri to pass him into Turn Three on lap 11, but Norris fought back and reclaimed the position at Turn laps later, a bold dive for the inside at Turn Four from Piastri led to him locking his brakes and nearly collecting his team-mate. That earned him a censure from the team for taking too big a risk with the cars, something Piastri said was "fair comment"."Locking up and missing the back of your team-mate by not a lot is certainly pushing the boundaries," he added. "Even if I hadn't been told anything, I didn't think it was a wise decision to try that one again."It was close at some points, probably pushing the limits a bit much from my side once or twice."But we're fighting for race wins in Formula 1. It's going to be pretty tough work and pretty hard. I thought it was an entertaining race. After the first stop, maybe we didn't do the right thing giving Lando some breathing room, but the first 20 laps were pretty intense. So, it was a good battle."The fight was close all race, and after a strong middle stint from Norris, Piastri closed up again in the final stint. But Norris was able to control the gap and tick off the win. Silverstone 'more of a positive distraction' Austria was a race that made observers be thankful McLaren are operating a policy of open competition between their drivers, for Norris and Piastri were in a league of their acknowledged that an aerodynamic upgrade at the front of the car - involving new front wing, suspension fairings and brake ducts - had contributed to remains to be seen just how much they have moved the team forward compared with the rest of the field; Stella also pointed out that Austria is a track that would have favoured McLaren anyway, because their car was already strong in long, medium-speed corners, such as those that make up the final two-thirds of the lap at the Red Bull Ring. And also that Norris is "a little bit of a specialist in Austria".Next comes the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where both Mercedes and Red Bull have reasons to believe they can put up more of a his win, Norris says, he's "excited" for "the best race weekend of the year, in my opinion".And he rejected the idea that he was under any extra pressure there."Of course, it's a place I want to win more than anywhere else, but it doesn't change anything," he said. "It just puts a bit more of a smile on my face every morning when I wake up."It probably distracts me in a good way more than anything... more of a positive distraction, I would say, more than a pressure."There's pressure in every race. There's pressure to win today, to be on pole yesterday. I don't think I can put myself under any more pressure."
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Lando Norris sets sights on British Grand Prix victory after win in Austria
Lando Norris said he wants the British Grand Prix to come now after reigniting his world championship charge with a brilliant win over rival Oscar Piastri in Austria. Norris will head to his home race at Silverstone in a week's time a driver reborn after he came out on top of his thrilling wheel-to-wheel duel with McLaren team-mate Piastri in the Styrian mountains. After claiming the third win of his stop-start campaign, the Englishman has reduced the title deficit to Piastri to 15 points from 22. Max Verstappen is now 61 points off the title pace after he was taken out on the opening lap by Mercedes' teenager Kimi Antonelli. A crowd touching 150,000 is expected at Silverstone next weekend, while Norris will also have a dedicated area for his fans, the Landostand, at Stowe corner. But Norris said: 'For me, it is not more pressure. Of course, it is the place I want to win more than anywhere else. It puts a smile on my face when I wake up there every day, and it distracts me in a good way. 'There is pressure in every race and I cannot put myself under any more pressure than I do. So, it is something to look forward to, to enjoy every lap, enjoy the experience, and to have so many of my fans in my own grandstand cheering me on. 'I am very excited. I would want it to come now. But I need a good sleep first.' Norris' championship hopes were in tatters after the Canadian Grand Prix a fortnight ago following a collision with Piastri which the British driver said made him look like a fool. But Norris put his McLaren on pole by more than half-a-second here, and did not crumble under the pressure from Piastri amid their breathless ding-dong battle. 'It is certainly fulfilling for me and it gives me good confidence,' continued Norris, 25. 'I don't need to prove anything to anyone, only to me. It has been a good clean weekend. I have performed exactly as I wanted to do and needed to. 'But it doesn't come easily. I have not just turned up and things are better. I am working and doing a lot more away from the track than I used to with the team, on the simulator, and my own team in trying to improve everything I can. It is positive to see that paying off immediately. And it is a good step in the right direction. But I still want more and still need more so we will keep working.' Norris and Piastri traded places on lap 11 as they fought for the lead before the latter came within centimetres of crashing into his team-mate nine laps later when his lunge at turn four almost backfired. A warning to the Australian arrived from the McLaren pit-wall. Piastri subsequently apologised over the radio for the close shave. 'It was stressful for sure, and not the most comfortable position to be in,' admitted Norris. 'There were a lot of laps where I was looking in my mirrors. We both want to race hard and fair and it goes both ways. We have to put Montreal behind us and behind me for sure. It is something I wish didn't happen but it was nice we could push to the limit here. There were some close moments but nothing that would make (team principal) Andrea (Stella) or the pit wall sweat too much.'
BreakingNews.ie
6 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Young man fighting for life after BMW overturns in Piccadilly Circus
A young man is fighting for his life after a BMW crashed in Piccadilly Circus, central London. The black car overturned in the early hours of Sunday and was lying on its roof near the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, known as Eros. Advertisement Two men aged 22 who were in the vehicle were taken to hospital, one of them in a life-threatening condition. The car was lying on its roof near the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain (Lucy North/PA) No pedestrians were injured and no other vehicles are thought to be involved, the Metropolitan Police said. Road closures are in place around Piccadilly Circus. The Met said it was called at about 5.30am, with London Ambulance Service paramedics and the London Fire Brigade. Advertisement
