
Aston Martin Formula 1 boss excited for Silverstone Grand Prix
"It's very definitely our home race and we're looking forward to seeing all the fans with green T-shirts and green caps on and hopefully we can put on a good show."The team, owned by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, is eighth in this season's constructors' championship with two-time world drivers' championship winner Fernando Alonso and Stroll's son, Lance, racing for it.Formula 1 is marking its 75th anniversary in 2025 and Cowell, who formerly worked for the Brackley-based Mercedes team, said he had many fond memories of races at Silverstone."I guess seeing Lewis Hamilton with the gold [Royal Automobile Club] trophy a few times," he said. "Having contributed to that was a special moment".
Aston Martin's £200m home features a factory and wind tunnel for testing the performance of its cars.Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton's Motorsport Show about the building, Guy Austin, who designed the campus, said: "You look out of the window here, look at the view everybody gets out of this building... it's extraordinary. There's no other Formula One team that offers that."Creating the very best environment allows us to attract the very best talent and hopefully retain the very best talent because we're creating the best environment in Formula 1. "I can confidently say that, because I've delivered every factory in this country for Formula 1, apart from McLaren."
Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
The rare career of Josh Taylor showed the privileged burden that boxing can bring
It is not going to be easy for Josh Taylor to walk off into the boxing sunset after a remarkable career inside the ropes. It was also a brutally short career, a rare career in British boxing; it was unusual because of the speed, the relentless hard matchmaking and the success. Taylor, who is now 34, is the only British boxer to have held all four of the accepted and respected belts in the modern era of a sport packed with division and false claims. In a business where men – it is different for the women – often have 20 or more fights before finally getting a chance at a world title, Taylor held a version of the world title after just 15 fights. He had been a professional for less than four years at that time. In British boxing history, the world champions have been seasoned by years of learning their trade and being used as part of a bargaining system by promoters and managers. Taylor broke with tradition, altered the expected path of boxers and in just his 18th fight, he held all four of the belts. He was Josh Taylor, undisputed champion. World champions like John Conteh in the Seventies, Alan Minter in the Eighties, and Lennox Lewis in the Nineties served typically extended apprenticeships, featuring for long spells on undercards and waiting for an opening, waiting for a chance. Conteh won his world title in his 27th fight, Minter his 43rd fight, and Lewis in his just his 23rd. Lewis had the benefit of two Olympics as experience, including the gold in Seoul, but still danced slowly down the well-trodden and careful path. It was a path that Taylor seemed to reject; he was ready to be fast-tracked by the time he became a professional boxer. Taylor had two Commonwealth Games medals and had been to the Olympics in 2012 when he finally turned professional in 2015. He had stayed after the London Olympics to compete and win a gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He was the unofficial mascot for the Games, used in adverts, and his face was plastered all over Glasgow and Edinburgh. It was a privileged burden and one he comfortably repaid. He had hard fights early on, winning the Commonwealth professional title in just his seventh fight when he stopped Dave Ryan, a noted hard man, in the fifth round in front of a devoted flock in Edinburgh. The real fights were getting closer for Taylor. The bigger wins followed: unbeaten Ohara Davies ruined in seven in 2017, former world champion Viktor Postol given a boxing lesson in 2018, and the unbeaten and dangerous Ryan Martin stopped in seven. All three fights were in Glasgow; Scotland had a boxing hero. Postol had just lost to the great Terrence Crawford – Taylor possibly did a better job. This was not a hype gravy train. In 2019, also in Glasgow, Taylor met the IBF light-welterweight champion, Ivan Baranchyk, who was 19-0 with 12 knockouts; Taylor won on points, he had his first world title, but the boxing world was about to shrink. The run continued, the darkness of Covid was coming. Taylor fought six unbeaten men in a stunning consecutive sequence, including five in world title fights; he unified the titles, fighting in front of a sold-out O2 in London when he beat the fancied Regis Prograis in late 2019. Prograis was the WBA champion. It was a stunning fight, contender for Fight of the Year. Prograis was shell-shocked at the end – it should have been the fight that transformed Taylor, made him a star, but his next fight was nearly a year later and behind closed doors at York Hall in front of less than 50 people; Covid hit hard and few in boxing suffered more from the fallout than Taylor. It robbed him of momentum and a chance to win all four belts in front of an outdoor crowd in Scotland. That is the harsh reality. Taylor travelled under too many radars during this exceptional sequence because of the Covid restrictions. It was a cruel twist, a twist as cruel as the eye injury that forced him after just 23 fights to walk away last week. 'I have certainly not had the best of luck,' he said, and he is right. He won his first world title in May of 2019 and lost the last of the four belts he owned in June of 2023; he fought just four times in the middle during a four-year spell when, under different circumstances, he could have become a major star. In 2021, he went to Las Vegas to fight Jose Ramirez; all four of the recognised belts and the Ring magazine belt were on the line; Ramirez was unbeaten in 26, but he was dropped twice and lost. Taylor had become the undisputed world champion in just his 18th fight. There were just a hundred or so in the Virgin complex on the night to witness history. None of Taylor's family and friends could be there. The bad nights followed, including last year, when Jack Catterall avenged a heavily debated loss to Taylor from 2022. In May of this year, he lost for the third consecutive time when he was narrowly beaten by Ekow Essuman. The eye injury was there; the end was near. Taylor will not make an easy traveller, but he will go off into the horizon with a spectacular legacy. The first and only undisputed British world champion in modern boxing. That is, trust me, enough.


The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Newcastle United transfer news: Benjamin Sesko, Yoane Wissa, Randal Kolo Muani and more
Having ended their trophy drought with Carabao Cup success last season, Newcastle United now have work to do in the transfer market. With a return to the Champions League, the Magpies need to strengthen their squad to compete at the highest level. Boss Eddie Howe has made it known that he is looking to work fast this summer, seemingly not wanting to repeat the sort of saga that saw Marc Guehi remain at Crystal Palace despite strong interest last summer. The Saudi-backed club were without any major recruits over the past two seasons due to PSR rules, but started the summer with a big move for Anthony Elanga – with the Nottingham Forest winger joining in a deal worth £55m – and are set to make more notable additions as they continue a pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. Here's everything you need to know about Newcastle United 's summer transfer plans: There are four key areas of improvement this summer. The first is up front, with the club seemingly hunting for another striker to join - or potentially replace - the prolific Alexander Isak. Despite the club being desperate to hold onto their talisman, the Swede is exploring other options and seemingly wants to join Liverpool. Newcastle needed reinforcements on the right flank too as they prepare to do battle in the Champions League, and with squad depth likely playing a key part in their recruitment plan this summer, the club sealed a deal for Elanga earlier this month. In midfield, the Magpies have plenty of options, with the likes of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes probably in no need of additional support. However, another central defender would be a major plus as the club returns to Europe's top club competition, with Guehi having been the notable target last summer. Finally, Newcastle have been linked to signing a new goalkeeper, which has become an apparent area that would benefit from improvement. Despite Nick Pope's class, his injury record has sometimes meant Howe is forced to contend with his his back-up. James Trafford appeared to top the list of targets, but the Burnley stopper now looks set for a return to Manchester City. Done deals Ins: Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest, £55m), Antonito Cordero (Malaga, free transfer) Outs: Lloyd Kelly (Juventus, £15m), Sean Longstaff (Leeds United, £12m) Jamal Lewis (out of contract), Callum Wilson (out of contract) Potential targets Benjamin Sesko, RB Leipzig As the club braces for a monster bid from Liverpool for wantaway Isak, Newcastle are eyeing up RB Leipzig frontman Benjamin Sesko as his potential replacement. The Slovenian striker was heavily touted with a move to Arsenal earlier in the window, but the German club held firm on his £70m price tag. After already being pipped to Hugo Ekitike by the Reds, a hefty cash windfall from the sale of Isak would no doubt provide them with the funds to complete the move. Yoane Wissa, Brentford Newcastle are also said to now be interested in Brentford's Yoane Wissa as they look to bolster their attacking options. The Congo international could be available for around £50m, with the Bees holding that valuation for their record goalscorer, who grabbed 20 goals in all competitions last season. However, as Newcastle begin to accept the reality that they may now be without their superstar striker, their interest in Wissa - who would be seen as more of a support act to Isak - is starting to cool. Randal Kolo Muani, PSG Reports have emerged that the Magpies could be interested in Randal Kolo Muani after their failed pursuit of Ekitike. They are said to want a striker whether or not Isak leaves, and the PSG man – who spent last season on loan at Juventus – could be a good cut-price option. Axel Disasi, Chelsea Reports from France continue to link Axel Disasi to Newcastle, as was the case during the January window. Chelsea signed the centre-back for around £38m and could be open to a sale, with the Frenchman having spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.


The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Expensive t-shirts are not more durable, first study into the garment finds
There is no correlation between the price and durability of t-shirts, a first major study into the popular garment has found. The most expensive t-shirt tested by the University of Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC) and environmental group Wrap was outperformed by one costing just a 30th of its price. The study concluded that price has 'very little' to do with the durability of most t-shirts sold in the UK, and that spending more money does not guarantee the item will be more hard-wearing. Researchers tested the durability of 47 t-shirts – 24 male and 23 female designs – from UK clothing brands, including luxury items. They washed the t-shirts using a standard mixed 30C wash cycle followed by a tumble dry 50 times. The t-shirts were graded for pilling – when small balls form on the surface of an item, and the main reason people dispose of the garments – as well as colour fading, shrinkage and general appearance. Of the top 10 best performing t-shirts, six cost less than £15, outperforming many more expensive tees including the most expensive costing £395. The research found more hard-wearing t-shirts tend to have a percentage of synthetic fibres in the composition such as polyester, polyamide, and elastane. Cotton t-shirts tended to have higher shrinkage than synthetic ones, which can be exacerbated with tumble drying. However, the research found four of the 10 top garments were made of 100% cotton. LITAC's Dr Eleanor Scott said: 'If circularity in fashion is to be truly effective, durability must come first. 'Durability underpins the reuse and resale market, as well as keeping our loved items in use longer. Crucially, these findings show that durability is not a luxury reserved for the few — it's achievable at any price point.' Mark Sumner, Wrap's programme lead on textiles, said: 'Most shoppers use price as an indicator of how hard-wearing clothes are – 'the more I spend, the more I'm bound to get out of my purchase'. 'But our study shows this is totally misleading. The most expensive t-shirt we tested cost £395 and ranked 28th out of 47, while a £4 t-shirt was placed 15th. 'The most durable t-shirt cost £28, but the one ranked second worst was £29. So, if you're judging on price alone – buyer beware.' PhD candidate at LITAC, Kate Baker, who presented the findings to the Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference in Aalborg, Denmark, said: 'This research is another step forward in the road to developing a way of measuring how durable the clothes we wear are. 'Improved clothing durability is critical for the future of circularity and providing the opportunity for people to wear the clothes they love for longer.' The reports recommends that consumers wishing to ensure their t-shirts are as hard-wearing as possible choose heavier weight cotton options, while those with a blend of cotton and synthetic fibres also perform well.