Brown hails McLaren's 200th win as close to perfect
BUDAPEST - McLaren boss Zak Brown hailed the team's 200th Formula One win, with Lando Norris ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri in a one-two finish in Hungary on Sunday, as close to perfect.
The win was Norris's fifth of the season and McLaren's seventh one-two in 14 races as well as the team's fourth in a row.
"You're never perfect in a race but I think that was as close to perfect as you can get," Brown told Sky Sports television.
"The drivers were awesome, pit stops amazing, strategy was great to get Lando up there, Oscar drove brilliantly. I couldn't be prouder of this racing team."
Norris and Piastri crossed the finish line 0.698 of a second apart, with the pair almost touching when the Australian tried to make a move on his British teammate on the penultimate lap and locked up.
Team principal Andrea Stella said it had been 'firm' racing but also fair between rivals now separated by just nine points.
"We had a bit of a lock-up with Oscar but at the same time Lando left some space because he knew that Oscar would have been at the limit of braking," said the Italian.
"We keep being very proud of our Lando and Oscar for racing. I think this is a great way of honouring Formula One racing. These are the value of McLaren."
Despite celebrating his ninth career win, Norris said he needed to improve because he was making life too hard for himself.
He won from third on the grid, after dropping to fifth at the start and then making a one-stop strategy work with Piastri on two.
"It's going to be a good and tough battle probably until the end. It takes a lot out of you trying to focus so much for every single session, race, everything. So, it's going be a long second half of the season, I'm sure," he said.
"There are those things I need to improve on and want to improve on. I'm not giving myself the best opportunities. Even though the results have looked great, I'm not making my life very easy for myself at the minute.
"So if I can work on those things, then I'll be in a better place."
McLaren are only the second team to chalk up 200 grand prix wins since the world championship started in 1950. Ferrari, yet to win this season, are on 248. Mercedes, next after McLaren, have 130. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
25 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Tommy Fleetwood leads St. Jude in search of first PGA Tour title
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tommy Fleetwood plays a shot from a bunker on the 18th hole during the second round of the St. Jude Championship. WASHINGTON – England's Tommy Fleetwood positioned himself to strike for a first PGA Tour title this weekend, firing a six-under 64 to take a four-shot lead in the weather-hit second round of the St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. The Briton used birdie bursts early and late on TPC Southwind to build a 36-hole total of 13-under 127. He had a four-shot lead over overnight leader Akshay Bhatia, Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose when play was suspended for the day because of thunderstorms. Morikawa fired a five-under 65 and was joined in the clubhouse on nine-under 131 by fellow American Bhatia, who posted a 69. Rose was nine-under with two holes remaining when the sudden storm brought the round to a halt, organisers suspending play for the day two hours later. Fleetwood, a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour, has six runner-up finishes on the US tour, including a playoff loss to US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley at the Travelers Championship in June. 'Maybe this weekend is the weekend,' he said. 'It hasn't happened for me yet on the PGA Tour, but I would much rather be up there and not quite get it done than not there at all.' He started the day one shot off the lead and got going early with birdies at the second, third and fourth. He then dropped a 16-foot birdie putt at the 13th to launch a run of four straight birdies, and had plenty of cushion even after a closing bogey at 18. 'Those were two nice runs to get on,' Fleetwood added of his birdie bursts. 'Yesterday I felt like I stayed very patient, and then today after a hot start I wasn't feeling that comfortable with my swing, so actually then to get on a run after that – I hit great shots into 13, 14, I played those holes really, really well, played them perfect.' Two-time Major winner Morikawa climbed the leaderboard with a round highlighted by a hole out for eagle from the fairway at the ninth. For Bhatia, coming off a career-best round of 62, it was a frustrating day. After two birdies and a bogey in the first four holes he made all pars the rest of the way. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, coming off his fourth Major title at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, was also frustrated on the way to a four-under 66 that featured eight birdies and four bogeys. It left him six shots off the lead. AFP
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Toronto champion Ben Shelton to start Cincy against Argentine outsider
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox American Ben Shelton talking to his team in Toronto, where he won his first Masters 1000 title. CINCINNATI – Newly minted Toronto Masters champion Ben Shelton will open his account at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Sunday against Camilo Ugo Carabelli, after the Argentine defeated Kei Nishikori 7-5, 6-3. World No. 7 Shelton arrived in the American Midwest on a private jet after winning his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto on Thursday night, and will make his start after a first-round bye in the final major tune-up before the US Open begins on August 25. The 47th-ranked Ugo Carabelli dominated 2014 US Open finalist Nishikori as the former top Asian in tennis succumbed to 42 unforced errors and lost serve five times. The Japanese player was competing for the first time since retiring injured at Geneva in mid-May. Ugo Carabelli has played his best on clay, reaching four semi-finals on the dirt this season and will aim to carry the momentum to the hard court. But he faces a big challenge. As Cincinnati fifth seed and with confidence still strong, the 22-year-old Shelton could be a formidable contender for a pre-Open title double. 'I hope that this (Toronto) week kick starts me and gets me more consistent with the type of tennis that I want to play day-in and day-out,' he said in Canada. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SAF regular serviceman dies after being found unconscious at Hendon Camp swimming pool: Mindef World Trump says he will meet Putin on Aug 15 in Alaska Opinion This US-India spat is going from bad to worse Life The crypto bros are back: 'The hubris never really left' Asia Chinese villagers hit by worst floods in generations say they had no warning Asia 'Very nerdy' hobby of doujinshi self-publishing is a growing billion-dollar market in Japan Business Are you set to retire comfortably in Singapore? Singapore Senior Gentlemen's Circus debuts to engage older men to stay active 'It's certainly going to push me to work harder. I feel like I have a good grasp now on the things that really work for me against guys who are playing some of the best tennis in the world, and the things that I need to continue to work on.' Back-to-back events running 12 days each might be a fitness wild card as the bloated schedules of the ATP-WTA tournaments become commonplace. Fellow top 10 players including Novak Djokovic – who is skipping Cincinnati – Alex de Minaur and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner have all come out in favour of the old school one-week tournament format. Meanwhile, Borna Coric, who was ranked 152nd when he won the title in 2022, fell at the first hurdle, a 6-3, 7-5 victim of American qualifier Emilio Nava. Coric has lost all six of his ATP-level matches in 2025, winning his last in December at the United Cup in Australia. In WTA action, Caroline Garcia, the former top 10 player from France who has plans to retire this year, played for the first time since Roland Garros in May and beat Briton Sonay Kartal 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. After needing more than two hours to prevail in a roller-coaster match, Garcia admitted that as she battled in the sweltering heat she had moments when she wondered why. 'For a couple of minutes that was going on in my head,' she said. 'It was so hot, so tough out there, I didn't play a lot of matches in the last couple of months. At the end of the first set I was exhausted. 'I felt like I let my opportunity go away, and it was a long way to the end of the match. 'But for some reason I got a lot of support from my team and the people here, and I wanted to try to the end,' added the Frenchwoman, who has a wild card for the US Open, which will be her last tournament. French compatriot Leolia Jeanjean also advanced with 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 win over Yulia Starodubtseva. Taylor Townsend handed her fellow American Danielle Collins her fourth first-round loss here in five appearances, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). In other news, Spaniard Paula Badosa has withdrawn from the US Open as she recovers from a back injury, tournament organisers announced on Friday. The world No. 12 has suffered a string of injuries, including a chronic lower back issue that even had her considering retirement. Last month, the former world No. 2 announced she would be sidelined for a few weeks due to yet another back injury. AFP, REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Marc-Andre ter Stegen back as Barcelona captain after signing La Liga medical authorisation
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BARCELONA – Barcelona have reinstated Marc-Andre ter Stegen as first-team captain after announcing on Friday that the goalkeeper has authorised the club to send his medical report to La Liga. The announcement comes after the German hit back at suggestions he is to blame for Barcelona's inability to register new players, insisting that his back surgery and recovery timeline were fully approved by the club. His three-month rehabilitation created an unexpected headache for Barcelona, who had asked him to sign a long-term medical leave that would allow them to clear 80 per cent of his wages until mid-season and comply with La Liga's Financial Fair Play rules, thereby allowing them to register new players. But ter Stegen's announcement on social media that he would be sidelined for only three months irked the club management as La Liga rules require a player to remain out of action for at least four months to be considered a long-term injury. The disagreement led to the 33-year-old being stripped of the club's captaincy on Thursday. 'The club announces that the player Marc-Andre ter Stegen has signed the authorisation necessary for the club to send La Liga the medical report relating to his surgery,' Barcelona said in a statement. 'The disciplinary case has been closed and the player is captain of the first team once again with immediate effect.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump says he will meet Putin on Aug 15 in Alaska Opinion This US-India spat is going from bad to worse Asia Chinese villagers hit by worst floods in generations say they had no warning Singapore 'This is home', for retired shop owner putting up 11th flag display in Toa Payoh to mark SG60 Singapore Nation building is every Singaporean's responsibility, not the work of one party alone: Pritam Asia 'Very nerdy' hobby of doujinshi self-publishing is a growing billion-dollar market in Japan Business Are you set to retire comfortably in Singapore? Business When a couple's two-home dream turns into nightmare Ter Stegen was adamant that club officials had always been kept in the loop about his treatment and rehabilitation. 'The decision to undergo surgery was made after consultation with medical professionals and fully approved by the club,' he said earlier on Friday in a statement on Instagram. 'Moreover, I announced publicly the minimum recovery timing that I shall need after that, which had been communicated to me by most reputed experts and always in coordination with the club.' Barca signed 24-year-old goalkeeper Joan Garcia from local rivals Espanyol last month, while Marcus Rashford was signed on loan from Manchester United. However, both players are yet to be registered with the new La Liga season kicking off on August 15. Despite ter Stegen signing the authorisation, La Liga's Medical Committee must still rule on his case, with their estimated recovery time for the goalkeeper determining whether Barcelona can use part of his salary to register new signings. The controversy highlights Barcelona's financial struggles as they battle to register new signings once again. Last season, the club approached Spain's National Sports Council to allow them to field Dani Olmo and Pau Victor until the end of the season after La Liga said they did not have the capacity to register the two players based on their accounts. REUTERS
