Author: quyen1

IMAGO / PanoramiC

Lewis Hamilton can’t seem to catch a break. In a notable setback for Hamilton’s aspirations for a simple race win, the Mercedes outfit has confirmed the irreparable damage to the power unit utilized by the former champion during the Australian GP. This revelation follows a meticulous investigation into the root cause of the malfunction.

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Mercedes engineers have determined that the engine’s complications are irreversible, rendering it ineligible for reinstatement into the allocation pool. In a report by Motosport.com, the team’s forensic analysis they traced back to a quality control issue, not a fundamental design flaw. This means it’s likely a one-off problem, but it’s still bad news for Hamilton’s season.

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In F1, drivers are only allowed four engines per season. So, losing one this early means Hamilton might have to use an engine later, which would mean starting further back on the grid.

Mercedes has checked over the other engines Hamilton and George Russell have and they seem fine, revealing no parallel issues.

Lewis Hamilton frustrated with Mercedes’s problems

Lewis Hamilton’s Australian GP came to a premature end when he radioed in the engine failure that incapacitated the vehicle. Reflecting on the incident, Hamilton expressed his frustration, stating, “I didn’t feel it coming. Definitely frustrating because it was so early in the race, it was open to be able to progress forward and on a different strategy to everyone. But these things happen.”

When asked about the lessons learned from the race, Hamilton remarked, “Nothing more than I’ve known before… We didn’t look terrible in the high-speed [corners] but we’re slow in the low-speed this weekend, whereas in the last race, we were bad in the high-speed, good in the lower stuff. Yeah – a real struggle this weekend.”

Lewis Hamilton’s Australian GP exit has been a sign of the times at Mercedes, with Hamilton yet to have a good race weekend. Fine margins define success in F1. As the season progresses, Hamilton and Mercedes will undoubtedly regroup, drawing upon their resilience and expertise to overcome challenges and pursue victory in the races to come.

Credits: IMAGO/ NurPhoto

Back-to-back underwhelming performances this season have jeopardized Daniel Ricciardo, as his RB seat is far from safe. The Australian driver is counting his days, and in doing so, he makes a desperate demand to prove his worth and, therefore, save his seat.

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Scott Mitchell-Malm from The Race recently spoke to Ricciardo and asked if he needed a new chassis in his VCARB 01 to overcome an undetected problem. Mitchell-Malm posed the question after Ricciardo was found to be struggling with his car repeatedly.

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“That was certainly something I raised the possibility of if I’m still struggling,” said the RB driver from Land Down Under to Mitchell-Malm. “Before we just tell me I’m shit, let’s at least get that sorted and put everything to bed.”

The 34-year-old has been struggling in the last few races, and his on-track performances have spoken negatively for him. He was no match for his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who consistently outperformed him this season and last.

Tsunoda out-qualified Ricciardo on all three occasions and finished ahead of the latter in two. The only exception was Bahrain, and that too because of team order, which put the experienced Aussie at the knife’s edge.

How is Daniel Ricciardo losing his ground?

Daniel Ricciardo did not have the start of the season he was hoping for, and things took a worse turn in Bahrain, the first race of 2024. The two RB drivers disagreed during the closing stages of the race after the team directed the Japanese driver to concede the position and swap with his teammate.

Tsunoda, upon getting the call, was extremely unhappy. The swap occurred in the end, but it was a little too late for Ricciardo to catch up on Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. This led the drivers to air their grievances during the race, and in the aftermath, a rift followed.

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Interestingly, both RB drivers are competing for Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat for next year. However, it looks to be a very big ask for Ricciardo, given that his underperformance in the next few races might take away his RB seat.

In addition, Perez has been doing his job optimally at Red Bull and looks in control of securing the contract extension for 2025. This combined puts Daniel Ricciardo in an uncomfortable position, a quicksand he’s trying to get out of.

Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC

Mercedes and Red Bull shared some brilliant championship battles in the last one and a half decades. Even though they were not always the championship protagonists, they claimed the last 14 championships and took their names to a great height. However, as time has changed, so has the position of these two teams. While Red Bull is still at the top, Mercedes is no longer their only challenger. Max Verstappen, the star driver of the Austrian team, recently shed light on this and hailed Ferrari as their new competitor for this season and probably the next.

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“In general, yes, Ferrari is our real, great rival. Until now, it has been,” said the Dutch driver as per Motorsport Italy. “Both Ferrari drivers are fast, so it depends on who can be consistent throughout the season, regarding who between Leclerc and Sainz will be our biggest threat.”

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In the ground effect era, which was reintroduced in F1 in 2022, Ferrari started as a strong team. But Adrian Newey’s Red Bull eclipsed them later in the season. Despite this, Ferrari kept themselves in contention in 2023 and 2024; the Prancing Horse is right back to being the only true contender against Verstappen.

Moreover, Carlos Sainz is the only non-Red Bull driver to win races since George Russell in 2022. The Spaniard displayed a valiant performance in the 2023 Singapore GP and 2024 Australian GP.

With an improved SF-24 in 2024 that boasts better race pace, improved straight-line speed, and less tire degradation, the Italian giants are all set to give Red Bull’s RB20 a run for their money, unlike Mercedes and their W15.

Ferrari’s rise saw Mercedes’ fall

As Ferrari kept improving, it was the other way around for Mercedes. The Silver Arrows’ downward spiral has not stopped since 2022, and they hit a new low in 2024. Toto Wolff’s team could only register one win in two and a half seasons, and that’s shambolic, to say the least, as per their standards.

To come out at the top of the 2022 regulations, Mercedes came to the track with a bold zero side-pod concept. And even though it did not work out for them, the Silver Arrows engineers remained adamant with their concept and set the team further back in development. This resulted in poor outcomes for their drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Sadly, their downward spiral has continued in the current season.

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After misunderstanding their concept in 2022, the Brackley-based team took plenty of time to fix it. They introduced a new concept for W14, but it also had issues, including poor balance and an unstable rear. Hamilton openly criticized these flaws, but the engineers didn’t pay much attention to his comments.

Following the consistently poor results, Hamilton announced his shock move to Ferrari before the 2024 season started. The 7x champion shocked not only his rivals but also his team boss Toto Wolff.

Credits: IMAGO/PanoramiC

Street circuits have been an exciting prospect in Formula 1, providing a unique challenge for drivers and a thrilling spectacle for fans. F1 owners Liberty Media, are in talks to bring another street circuit race, this time in Osaka, Japan’s third biggest city. Even though a race in Osaka might be fascinating, Sergio Perez isn’t a particularly keen man to race there, if it comes at the cost of Suzuka.

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“I think Suzuka is a historic place that should be kept on the calendar,” said Perez to PitDebrief as per Junaid Samodien on X. “When you see cars going through sector one, it’s very spectacular on TV as well.” However, Perez did not entirely dismiss the idea of racing on street circuits. “I think also street tracks, where they get some good battling, should be a good way to create good racing. People want to see good racing; it doesn’t matter where,” the Mexican driver said.

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According to reports, the plan to bring a race to Osaka is on the right trajectory. The city’s tourism board has been working on it for the last two years and has proposed the ambition to F1 in January of this year.

Following that, a race in the third-biggest city behind Tokyo and Yokohama was a go. The race will reportedly occur on city streets, similar to Monaco and Las Vegas, and would be a privately funded but publicly supported business model. This makes Osaka one of the many street circuits F1 is eyeing to include in the future.

What are the other tracks F1 is in talks with?

Besides Osaka, the only circuit that’s getting massive attention for now is Madrid. The Spanish capital will hold its first race in 2026 through the Spanish Grand Prix. This means that the legendary Circuit de Catalunya track will host its last F1 race in 2025.

Apart from this, F1 is also in talks with the Saudi Arabian Tourism Board over their new prospect, the Qiddiya Speed Park Track. Although it is not exactly a hard-core street track, it is going to be one of the most outlandish F1 tracks ever made, consisting of 21 turns and a 20-story elevated peak.

This track will replace the current Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the Saudi Arabian GP, another street circuit introduced in F1 recently. The Qiddiya track is set to be completed as early as 2027.

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Even though a part of fans might be all excited about new tracks such as this, the majority are not. Formula 1 has added numerous street circuit races to the calendar in recent times, such as Jeddah, Miami, and most recently, Las Vegas, and fans did not take them very kindly.

The street circuits, according to them, not only supply snooze-fest but also bring the risk of elimination of old and vintage tracks. Such as the iconic Spa-Franchorchamps or F1’s crown jewel, Monaco, from the F1 calendar.

IMAGO / Motorsport Images

The crowds roared for Carlos Sainz as, once again, the Spanish driver drank the victor’s champagne. The storylines behind this win are his appendicitis surgery weeks ago, losing his seat to Lewis Hamilton, and now being the only driver with wins in the Max Verstappen reign of terror. Indeed, it was all reason enough to party, but Sainz missed his own.

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Choosing to stay back in Australia for another week, Sainz may have missed out on the party of a lifetime. Admitting to SkySports F1, Sainz revealed, “I heard the flight back from Melbourne to Dubai and then Bologna was good fun.”

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The guestlist comprised Sainz’s father, his engineers and mechanics, David Coulthard, Toto Wolff, and his best friend Lando Norris, taking over the back of the bar. “So basically, there was everyone except me, celebrating the whole flight for an hour at the back of the bar, and I missed it.”

Sainz’s words have a hint of regret in their voice. It sure did sound like a party one did not want to miss.

Charles Leclerc sits out the Carlos Sainz party

The Australian GP unfolded a triumphant saga for Ferrari, clinching a commanding one-two finish. That should be cause for celebration, too, but Charles Leclerc admits it’s all bittersweet. Sainz surged to victory, edging out his teammate on the track. Yet, amidst the celebration, a pang of disappointment courses through Leclerc as he conceded victory to his teammate.

After Sainz’s triumph, Leclerc fielded inquiries about his emotions following his teammate’s result. Reflecting on the outcome, Leclerc confessed, “I would lie if I said I’m happy about it. But Carlos did a great job with his success, and now it’s up to me to react and hopefully win the next race.”

As the F1 season unfolds, Leclerc would be hungrier than ever for the win. While Sainz revels in the glow of victory, Leclerc remains steadfast in his determination to script his success.

Credits: Imago |
L: Lando Norris R: Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso once owned a fashion and accessories brand called Kimoa. The clothing company has become a part of Alonso’s brand image as an F1 driver. The Spaniard continues to be the ambassador for Kimoa despite selling it after it suffered losses. However, five years ago when he owned the brand, Alonso often made creative and marketing decisions. One such call was to loop in Lando Norris for an advertisement of Kimoa, which was also an official partner of the McLaren F1 team back in the day.

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As seen in a Twitter (now X) video, this ad featured Alonso and Norris trying out a Kimoa surfboard at the McLaren Technology Center (MTC). The ad starts with Alonso narrating how people suggest him to switch off from racing.

Later on, we see Alonso and Norris at the pond beside the MTC, each trying the Kimoa surfboard. Meanwhile, a McLaren engineer calls the Spaniard to remind him that they have an engineering meeting, so he needs to attend the same immediately. So, Alonso asks Norris to have a race with him and end their surfing time to enter the MTC.

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This advertisement was prior to 2019 when Norris was only a reserve driver for the team. Meanwhile, Alonso was the lead driver in an unstable McLaren team setup that was underperforming massively. Apparently, things did not go great for Alonso’s fashion brand as well.

Kimoa suffered losses of over $3 million in the next few years and eventually, the two-time champion sold the brand to a US-based group – Revolution Brands. The company was running at an under-par revenue that affected its net worth and eventually had a cascading effect on the brand’s worth due to compounding losses.

Fernando Alonso is much more than F1

Fernando Alonso owning a brand like Kimoa shows how he has a lot more going on in his life besides just his F1 career. Even after selling off the brand, the Spaniard is the ambassador of the fashion company. Many Kimoa product categories have Alonso-themed products, be it caps, jackets, sunglasses, and other fashion accessories.

However, besides Kimoa, Alonso has not launched any other brand until now. So, he is quite dedicated to endorsing Kimoa despite not owning a majority stake in the brand anymore. Meanwhile, the brand is no longer a partner of McLaren as well. This is because, after 2018, Alonso retired from F1 and moved away from McLaren.

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While the 42-year-old retired back then, Lando Norris stayed and got a promotion in his place to a race seat at Woking. Since then, Norris has become the primary face of the Papaya team.

On the other hand, even Alonso has evolved a lot since those tumultuous days in 2018. The two-time champion went away to try out Endurance racing in the WEC and even won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second time in 2019. The #14 driver was suffering a lot at McLaren as a result of the team’s underperformance.

So, this two-year break away from F1 helped him to refresh and recharge his battery. Eventually, Alonso returned to F1 in 2021 with Alpine and then made a great move to Aston Martin to have a stellar 2023 season with multiple podiums.

Currently, the 42-year-old is thinking about his future while continuing at Aston Martin, as to where he goes for 2025. Alonso can choose to extend his stay at Silverstone or move to another side.

Victoria Beckham reflected on the major 1998 World Cup moment when her husband David was blamed for England’s exit.

Victoria Beckham admitted she still holds anger and “wants to kill” those who blamed David Beckham for England’s 1998 exit from the World Cup.

After meeting in 1997, David and Spice Girl star Victoria quickly became one of the most adorned A-list couples worldwide.

Their dreamy love story has proved to stand the test of time as they recently celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary.

Throughout their marriage, the couple welcomed four children, sons Brooklyn, 24, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 18, and daughter Harper Seven, 12.

However, the couple faced many trials during the early days of their relationship which will be explored in the athlete’s upcoming Netflix documentary, Beckham.

Read more: David Beckham plants sweet kiss on daughter Harper’s lips as she applies makeup

Victoria Beckham said David was “depressed” after the 1997 world cup (Image: Netflix)

While the mini-series will be football-focused, it will include insightful interviews with teammates, friends and family including Victoria.

In the action-packed trailer, the fashion designer spoke on the aftermath of David being sent off in the tense World Cup.

After he received the red card in the last 16 1998 game against Argentina, England lost on penalties.

This led to an overwhelming bombardment of hate and abuse from fans, which Victoria says left David “depressed.”

David Beckham was sent off during England’s 1997 game against Argentina (Image: Netflix)

Reflecting on the events, the Posh star stated: “I mean, the absolute hate, the public bullying, to another level.

“He was depressed, absolutely clinically depressed,” adding: “I still want to kill these people.”

While Victoria looked back at the moment with fury, David remembered the outrage as the hardest time of his professional and personal life.

In the trailer, the 48-year-old states: “What I went through was so extreme. The whole country hated me. Hated me.

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“It changed my life, I felt very vulnerable and alone. Wherever I went I got abuse every single day.”

He continued: “People look at you in a certain way, spit at you, abuse you, come up to your face and say some of the things that they said. That was difficult.”

Victoria revealed she had also informed her husband they were expecting their first child on the eve of the match.

Then for the next two years, the star was “booed” in stadiums across the country, and an effigy of him was even hung outside a South London pub.

Credits: Imago

Ahead of the 2024 season, a bombshell was dropped on the F1 community when it was announced that Lewis Hamilton will be joining Ferrari in 2025. Given the continued struggles of Mercedes since 2022, the move made sense to most people, especially taking Hamilton’s age into consideration. However, despite Ferrari currently thriving, Toto Wolff is certain Hamilton is 100% committed to the Mercedes program and isn’t looking over the fence to see what is going on at Ferrari.

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As per a report published by Autosport, Wolff agreed that Mercedes’ inferior mechanical package is infuriating for Hamilton, as it is for the entire team. But he does not question the seven-time world champion’s integrity and commitment.

“He’s in a situation obviously where, on one side, it’s super frustrating to see that we are not getting it. On the other side, look over the fence. It’s pretty good what’s happening there. But that is not his main priority today.”

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Wolff reaffirms his faith in Hamilton’s loyalty as long as the Briton is a Mercedes driver. Hamilton won six of his seven world championships with the team and has been with them for over a decade. Given the same, Wolff has no doubts that Hamilton will give his all for Mercedes in his final season with the Brackley-based outfit.

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However, Mercedes’ struggles continue to grow. Ahead of the 2024 season, Mercedes expected a resurgence on the track. But the reality couldn’t be more different. The Silver Arrows have started on a disappointing note, with their car unable to compete for podiums with Ferrari and Red Bull. In fact, they are slower than McLaren, and also Aston Martin, with the latter being evident in Australia two weeks ago. A double DNF in Melbourne only added to their misery, as they look to get themselves out of the slump.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes headed for different futures

Mercedes’ start to the season has been thoroughly underwhelming, failing to secure a top three finish in the first three outings. Although the senior engineers at the team insist that they are finding solutions to the on-track problems, they don’t seem to be rectified when the time comes.

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Aerodynamics has been Mercedes’ biggest Achilles heel, with high-speed corners affecting their pace on almost all the circuits. Meanwhile, their rivals (Ferrari and McLaren), who were close to them in 2023, seem to be making bigger strides.

As things stand, Mercedes is P4 in the standings, with 26 points, compared to 55 for McLaren and 93 for Ferrari. When they started the season, the Silver Arrows hoped to compete for P2 at the very least. But that could be a far-fetched dream, if their performance doesn’t improve.

Hamilton, despite Wolff’s previous claim, would be looking forward to driving for a team that can compete for wins at the very least. It is clear by now that Mercedes is not that team at the moment. Although the 39-year-old would love to end his Mercedes stint on a winning note, the prospect of driving for Ferrari next year would be more appealing.

Mercedes is hard at work to turn their fortune around. The Silver Arrows have identified several key personnel they Crelike to bring on board. However, convincing them to join the team could be a tough job. Especially given the departure of the 7X world champion.

Mike Tyson was given the moniker of the ‘Baddest Man On The Planet’ due to his brutal knockouts inside the ring. But the sport has witnessed some phenomenal talent after him. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are two heavyweight titans that come to mind in recent times. ‘AJ,’ is the former heavyweight champion, and Fury, on the other hand, is the current WBC heavyweight champion. Moreover, do you ever wonder, what would happen if they ever faced, ‘Iron Mike,’ in his prime? In a recent turn of events, a resurfaced answer made rounds online in which Tyson made a bold claim about a fantasy match between him and the two. He asserted that he would have defeated them if he were to fight them in his prime.

However, he does acknowledge them to be commendable fighters but finds himself better. The two are significantly bigger than Tyson but the former heavyweight champion has an impressive track record of defeating boxers bigger than him. But in the game of fantasy match-ups, one can only speculate. So let’s take a look at who the fans fancy in this hypothetical fight and their reasons behind it.

Would a prime Mike Tyson defeat Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in their prime? Fans weigh-in

The post was uploaded  by MMA Leader on their Facebook account. In the post, the fans speculated, debated, and discussed a hypothetical bout. The caption of the post gave an insight into the interview in which Tyson stated, “If you’re asking me if I was 20 years old, then yes, there’s no doubt. They’re really good fighters and I respect all these skills. It would have been very tough fighting them.” 

One fan not only thinks Tyson would have defeated them but asserted he would have done it simultaneously. He stated, “Tyson would of beaten both 2v1 in his prime.”

Along similar lines, another fan predicted Tyson to win because of his ferocity. He stated, “Yes. He is stronger and he does play in the ring. He finishes his opponents with hard punches and runs after them to do the damage which the recent heavyweight didn’t gave. The recent are decorated champions.”

However, on the contrary, one fan predicted Fury to win. He stated, “He would never of beaten Fury as Fury would of dodged that fight too.”

Meanwhile, one fan thinks if Tyson was the champion in same era, fighters like Joshua would not be even ranked. He stated, “Mike was the best ever in his prime. Aj Wouldn’t even be in the top 20 in Mike Tyson prime time.”

Lastly, one fan thinks Tyson defeats them on the same night. He stated, “Beats them both on the same night.”

Jake Paul and KSI were both beaten by Tommy Fury but had different reactions.

A video comparing the stark contrast in how KSI and Jake Paul reacted to their respective defeats to Tommy Fury has gone viral.

Former Love Island star Fury has beat the two frontrunners of the YouTube boxing scene in consecutive fights to move to 10-0 in his professional career.

He bested Paul via unanimous decision in Saudi Arabia in February before controversially getting the victory over KSI via majority decision in the Misfits Boxing main event in Manchester on Saturday night.

Fury emerged victorious on the judges’ scorecards despite having a point taken off him for a punch to the back of KSI’s head in the second round.

The result was branded a “robbery” by KSI, who claims he will now appeal the “outrageous” decision as he felt he won the fight.

In the ring, while being interview by Ariel Helwani, KSI told Fury: “It’s a robbery, bro. How many jabs did you land? You got hardly any shots off.

“You weren’t landing. Look at your face. Look at your eyes, look at you, bro.”

Image: Getty

The Nightmare was so furious that he was seen venting to the judges and kicked an LED screen.

Paul also came up short against Fury and suffered his first career defeat but interestingly he took the narrow loss gracefully.

He still had issues with how the fight was scored but was much more measured in how he conducted himself.

“All respect to Tommy, he won. Don’t judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses. I’ll come back and I think we deserve that rematch.

“It was a great fight, a close fight. I got a 10-8 round twice so it is what it is. Look, I’ve already won in life.”

DAZN CEO Joe Markowski and Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn both felt as though KSI was the rightful winner.

Image: Getty

On social media, he had more of a well thought out reaction and reflected his incredible journey from posting videos in his room all those years ago.

KSI wrote: Appreciate all the kind messages from everyone. In the ring and watching it back I feel like I should have won. Either way I feel like I accomplished what I wanted to in the end.

“This little untalented nerd was able go toe to toe with a professional boxer.

“Use me as the living proof that hard work and self belief can get you anywhere in this life.”

Paul, who was in his brother Logan’s corner for his win over Dillon Danis in the co-main event, did plenty of KSI mocking on his social media.