Wolff accepts 'reality' that Mercedes F1 car is off the pace
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff accepts the “reality” that their Formula One car is not good enough to challenge their main rivals this season. “We understand, crystal clear,” Wolff said on Friday at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Wolff's comments came a day after seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes was so far off the pace that he would need three teams to fall out of a race just for him to have a chance to win.
news.yahoo.comHamilton cleared to race in Bahrain after jewelry inspected
Formula One's governing body inspected Lewis Hamilton's jewelry before the seven-time champion was cleared to practice Friday ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Hamilton has clashed with governing body FIA over a jewelry ban enacted last year and indicated he had piercings that cannot be removed. Hamilton said he had to keep the stud in because of complications linked to a blood blister on his nose, which occurred because he kept having to take it out for races.
news.yahoo.comHamilton urges Bubba Wallace to hold head high moving ahead
Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton wants NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace to stay off social media, hold his head high and ignore his detractors as Wallace returns from a one-race suspension. Wallace found an ally in Hamilton in 2020 when, as NASCAR's only Black driver at the top level, Wallace became a central figure of the nation's racial justice reckoning.
news.yahoo.comAustin and its booming crowds an F1 favorite for drivers
Fernando Alonso remembers the quiet times in Austin. Back when the two-time Formula One champion could jog the city streets without being noticed, move through a hotel lobby with ease and drive to the Circuit of the Americas for the United States Grand Prix without planning for traffic well ahead of time. If anything demonstrates the explosive growth of F1 in the U.S., it's the projections of more than 400,000 fans expected to pack the city and the circuit this weekend for the 10th anniversary of the Texas race that put the series' glamorous footprint back on American soil.
news.yahoo.comF1 stewards clear Hamilton in jewelry clash; Mercedes fined
Lewis Hamilton was “not trying to make a statement” by wearing a nose stud at the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday, and the seven-time Formula One champion got his wish for leniency granted when stewards cleared him for putting it in again. No action was taken against Hamilton, but his Mercedes team was fined 25,000 euros ($24,500) for not declaring on their team forms that he was wearing the nose stud. Hamilton said he explained to stewards before qualifying started that he needs to keep the stud in due to complications linked to a blood blister on his nose, which occurred because he kept having to take the stud in and out between races.
news.yahoo.comRefreshed Leclerc eyes F1 comeback; Hamilton encouraged
Charles Leclerc really needed the Formula One break to clear his mind. Leclerc won two of the first three races for Ferrari as Verstappen's Red Bull had reliability woes. The mental strain built up before the summer break for Leclerc as he was confronted with confusing team calls, while also getting furious at some of his own driving errors.
news.yahoo.com4-time F1 champion Vettel to retire at end of season
Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel will retire at the end of the season to spend more time with his family, the German driver said Thursday. Vettel won his four F1 titles from 2010-13 with the Red Bull team. “The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it,” Vettel said.
news.yahoo.comHamilton and Russell crash in qualifying, Verstappen on pole
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell both walked back to the paddock after separate crashes, while Formula One leader Max Verstappen narrowly won the pole for the sprint race ahead of both Ferraris. The sprint race sets the starting lineup for Sunday’s grand prix. Verstappen earned his third pole of the year, while Hamilton was chasing his first since the penultimate race of last season.
news.yahoo.comHamilton says "archaic mindsets" about color must change
Formula One great Lewis Hamilton said “archaic mindsets” have to change after retired champion Nelson Piquet reportedly used a racial slur against him. Hamilton’s comments came after F1 and FIA condemned racist language. The only Black driver in F1, Hamilton is a seven-time world champion.
news.yahoo.comHamilton's raised Mercedes bounces champ to needed podium
It was the roar of the fans that Lewis Hamilton missed, and so it was fitting that when he most needed a boost, he heard it from the largest crowd in Canadian Grand Prix history. Montreal is, after all, the site of Hamilton’s first Formula One podium. The new Mercedes built to F1’s 2022 specifications is miserable to drive; Hamilton’s back hurts from all the bouncing, in part because Mercedes rides it low to the ground for maximum performance.
news.yahoo.comBumpy ride: Mercedes aided ahead of F1's Canadian return
Record crowds are expected to welcome Formula One back to Canada following a two-year pandemic pause, and the series returns to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal attempting to rectify the aches of Mercedes and its 37-year-old champion. The FIA on Thursday at last addressed the “porpoising” effect that has bogged down several of the new 2022 cars, most notably Mercedes and seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. “My back is killing me!” Hamilton at one point screamed over his radio last Sunday.
news.yahoo.comHamilton, Russell question safety of bouncing F1 cars
Lewis Hamilton said he woke up in pain Saturday because this season's Mercedes car has a tendency to bounce up and down at high speed. Now the seven-time Formula One champion and new teammate George Russell have questioned whether new 2022 rules force them to compromise their safety. Hamilton said his “back was a real mess” after Friday practice and credited performance coach Angela Cullen for getting him in condition for Saturday qualifying.
news.yahoo.comEye-popping day for Hamilton at Monaco GP as Leclerc cruises
Lewis Hamilton can still race with his jewelry intact. “It feels like my eyeballs are coming out of their sockets,” Hamilton said after a pair of practice sessions around Monaco's downtown streets. Hamilton has been at odds with Formula One's governing body since the FIA ruled drivers cannot compete while wearing jewelry.
news.yahoo.comColumn: F1's hyped 1st trip to Miami a money-losing success
The Miami Grand Prix was hot, from the party scene to the weather, but it faced nearly impossible expectations. The celebrity watching was top level, certainly for a motorsports event. There was Paris Hilton, using a portable fan to cool herself as she danced in front of the McLaren garage on race day.
news.yahoo.comFIA concludes Masi made a 'human error' at F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Motorsport's governing body FIA concluded Saturday that ex-Formula One race director Michael Masi made a “human error” but acted in good faith at the controversial season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year. Masi was replaced as race director last month after the wild Abu Dhabi ending. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won his first world title after overtaking Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton on the last lap following a controversial restart procedure.
news.yahoo.comMercedes boss Wolff wants more discussions on mental health
As the driving force behind Formula One's most successful team, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has reached the summit of success alongside star driver Lewis Hamilton. Embarking on a new season, Wolff also wants to throw his weight behind furthering discussions on mental health to help people suffering in sport and beyond. "What I want to do is encourage people to seek help and not see it as a stigma, of being a dysfunctionality,” Wolff said Saturday during a news conference at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
news.yahoo.comVerstappen tops 2nd practice at Bahrain GP, Hamilton is slow
Formula One champion Max Verstappen quickly got back to business for Red Bull by leading the second practice session at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix under floodlights on Friday. Rival Lewis Hamilton continued to struggle for Mercedes and was only ninth fastest. “As you can see we're a long way off,” Hamilton said.
news.yahoo.comHamilton has no plan to compete in his 40s like other greats
Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has no plans to emulate sporting greats like Tom Brady and Roger Federer by competing in his 40s. The 44-year-old Brady is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, while the 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer will be 41 if he comes back to play in late summer as planned after knee surgery. Hamilton is F1's record holder for most wins (103) and pole positions (103) and is tied with fellow great Michael Schumacher on a record seven titles.
news.yahoo.comHamilton not in optimistic mood on final day of F1 testing
Lewis Hamilton was not feeling optimistic as the last day of Formula One preseason testing Saturday raised questions about how Mercedes will fare when the season starts next weekend. Hamilton missed out on a record eighth F1 title on the last lap of the last race last year and is looking to grab his crown back from Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
news.yahoo.comMasi exits as F1's race director after Abu Dhabi controversy
Michael Masi will be replaced as Formula One's race director following the late controversy surrounding the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last December, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said Thursday. Motorsport's governing body reached its decision after conducting a detailed analysis of the wild ending at the season finale, where Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won his first world title after overtaking Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton on the last lap. The 44-year-old Masi is staying with the FIA but in an undetermined role.
news.yahoo.comHamilton ends silence, posts "I'm back!" on social media
Lewis Hamilton returned to social media Saturday following a lengthy silence that dates to last season's controversial Formula 1 finale. Hamilton had dropped out of public sight after he was denied a record eighth championship in the December finale in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton did one brief postrace interview following his Dec. 12 loss to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.
news.yahoo.comMercedes files 2 protests after Hamilton loses F1 title
Mercedes filed two protests after Lewis Hamilton lost the Formula One world title to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the last race at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. Verstappen overtook Hamilton on Lap 58 in thrilling style after a crash involving Nicholas Latifi brought out the safety car with just a few laps left and confusion surrounded the restart. One protest was regarding the overtaking and the other concerned the safety car restart procedure. Before Latifi's crash, Hamilton was coasting to world title No. 8.
news.yahoo.comVerstappen wins 1st F1 title with last lap pass of Hamilton
The most dramatic Formula One season in years ended, of course, in one of the most dramatic finishes possible when Max Verstappen snatched the world championship away from Lewis Hamilton with a pass on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi GP. Hamilton was five laps away from passing Michael Schumacher in the record books with an eighth championship Sunday until a crash gave Verstappen and Red Bull one final chance. Whatever Hamilton said over his radio when Nicholas Latifi crashed to bring out the safety car was only played as one long beep to cover the expletives.
news.yahoo.comOne race to go to decide F1's best title fight in years
On the pole for the Formula One finale is Max Verstappen, a breakthrough young star with an entire sports-obsessed country behind him. Next to him on the starting grid at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday is Lewis Hamilton: The seven-time world champion is a trailblazer — the only black driver in F1 — a global sports icon and activist for social change. One of them will emerge as the world champion: Either Hamilton earning a record eighth title that would break a tie with Michael Schumacher. Or Verstappen, who would be the first Dutch victor in F1 history.
news.yahoo.comHamilton wins 3rd straight in chaotic Saudi Arabian F1 race
Lewis Hamilton passed Max Verstappen with six laps remaining Sunday to win the chaotic inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and pull even on points with his rival as Formula One's thrilling championship race heads into the title-deciding finale. Red Bull was allowed to negotiate a penalty for Verstappen, Mercedes head Toto Wolff slammed his headset in rage, and Hamilton drove into the back of his title rival before ultimately passing Verstappen for the win. Verstappen was dejected after finishing second and incredulous over the bizarre debut race in Saudi Arabia.
news.yahoo.comMercedes F1 boss apologizes as fire survivors slam sponsor
The head of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One racing team apologized Friday for the way the team announced its partnership with a company involved in a London high-rise where a fire killed 72 people. The team announced a sponsorship deal this week allowing building products maker Kingspan to put its logo on the nose cone of world champion Lewis Hamilton’s car beginning with a weekend race in Saudi Arabia. Survivors and family members of the people who died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire immediately condemned the deal and asked the team to sever its ties with Kingspan.
news.yahoo.comTradition and tacos at the Mitla Café
During the Depression, Doña Lucia Rodriguez opened the doors of the Mitla Café in San Bernardino, Calif., along old Route 66, because she didn't want her family members to go hungry. Since then, the Mexican restaurant has fed generations from all walks of life, and served as a gathering spot for community organizing. Correspondent Lilia Luciano steps inside the family-run business that also served as an inspiration for another notable establishment, Taco Bell.
news.yahoo.comVerstappen given five-place grid penalty ahead of Qatar GP
Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen was given a five-spot grid penalty on Sunday ahead of the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix for violating a yellow flag in qualifying. Verstappen holds a 14-point lead over Lewis Hamilton in the standings and was scheduled to start second alongside the seven-time champion on the front row at Losail International Circuit.
news.yahoo.comHouston community plagued by pollution
The cases of childhood leukemia in Houston's fifth ward, a low-income and predominantly Black community, are five times higher than the state average, according to the Texas Department of Health. Residents are blaming a toxic rail yard. Janet Shamlian takes a look.
news.yahoo.comFDA authorizes boosters for all US adults
The U.S. booster campaign is getting a lot simpler now that regulators have opened extra vaccine shots to all adults. The Food and Drug Administration’s Dr. Peter Marks says the new approach will streamline booster decisions as COVID-19 cases begin rising again across the country (Nov. 19)
news.yahoo.comFDA approves boosters for all US adults
The U.S. booster campaign is getting a lot simpler now that regulators have opened extra vaccine shots to all adults. The Food and Drug Administration’s Dr. Peter Marks says the new approach will streamline booster decisions as COVID-19 cases begin rising again across the country (Nov. 19)
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