Latest news with #KimiRaikkonen
Reuters
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Ice Boy? No thanks, says polesitter Piastri
BARCELONA, May 31 (Reuters) - Oscar Piastri has acquired a reputation for keeping cool under pressure, and even after winning, but just don't call him "Ice Boy". The Australian, leading the Formula One championship for dominant McLaren, was offered the nickname after taking pole position with a mighty lap in the heat of qualifying for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. A reporter suggested Piastri could be the progeny of Finnish "Iceman" Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion for Ferrari, such was his nonchalant attitude. "I'm not sure I want to go under the name 'Ice Boy'," replied the Australian, raising a laugh from others in the room. "I think the emotions are different each time. Certainly, there's been qualifyings and races where it's not been nonchalant and there's been a lot of emotion behind them. "But then there's others where you go out and you know that if you do a good enough job, you can achieve the result you want. "Don't get me wrong, it's incredibly satisfying, but I think I'm just not a particularly emotional person. That's just how I am, really." Piastri added that he could have his emotional moments but he also knew that Saturday was only part of the job done and the real celebrating could wait until after Sunday's race. The 24-year-old, born in Melbourne and schooled in England, has won four of the eight races this season and Saturday was his fourth pole of the campaign. He is three points clear of teammate Lando Norris, who won from pole in Monaco last Sunday to close the gap, but has shown no sign of feeling the pressure. "It's a nice thing to have, starting on pole, but it's not the end of the weekend. The points are tomorrow. After the races, it depends a bit on the race," said Piastri. "If you've had a battle with someone the whole race and then you win, then yeah, you're pretty pumped up. But if you've got a bit of a gap, then you kind of know with a few laps to go that it's going to go your way, and then it doesn't spill over so much."
CNA
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Ice Boy? No thanks, says polesitter Piastri
BARCELONA : Oscar Piastri has acquired a reputation for keeping cool under pressure, and even after winning, but just don't call him "Ice Boy". The Australian, leading the Formula One championship for dominant McLaren, was offered the nickname after taking pole position with a mighty lap in the heat of qualifying for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. A reporter suggested Piastri could be the progeny of Finnish "Iceman" Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion for Ferrari, such was his nonchalant attitude. "I'm not sure I want to go under the name 'Ice Boy'," replied the Australian, raising a laugh from others in the room. "I think the emotions are different each time. Certainly, there's been qualifyings and races where it's not been nonchalant and there's been a lot of emotion behind them. "But then there's others where you go out and you know that if you do a good enough job, you can achieve the result you want. "Don't get me wrong, it's incredibly satisfying, but I think I'm just not a particularly emotional person. That's just how I am, really." Piastri added that he could have his emotional moments but he also knew that Saturday was only part of the job done and the real celebrating could wait until after Sunday's race. The 24-year-old, born in Melbourne and schooled in England, has won four of the eight races this season and Saturday was his fourth pole of the campaign. He is three points clear of teammate Lando Norris, who won from pole in Monaco last Sunday to close the gap, but has shown no sign of feeling the pressure. "It's a nice thing to have, starting on pole, but it's not the end of the weekend. The points are tomorrow. After the races, it depends a bit on the race," said Piastri. "If you've had a battle with someone the whole race and then you win, then yeah, you're pretty pumped up. But if you've got a bit of a gap, then you kind of know with a few laps to go that it's going to go your way, and then it doesn't spill over so much."
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE NASCAR star Katherine Legge on bouncing back from death threats and sexism to thrive in a man's world
The screenshots on her phone tell the story of the Rockingham incident last month. Dozens of sexist and disgustingly sexual comments. One Instagram direct message told her she should hang herself. Some of the more tame comments call her a 'DEI hire', a 'drama queen', that she belongs in a kitchen. The crime? Getting rear-ended by another driver who was going too fast into a corner, spinning her out, and sending her into the side of a NASCAR legend at a track that hasn't seen a stock car race in 21 years. Clearly, they don't know Katherine Legge. They don't know the two-and-a-half decade long career that's taken her from karting, to becoming the fastest woman at the Indianapolis 500 and now, to NASCAR. No, the mere existence of a woman in the sport offends the internet's sensibilities. Katherine Legge has fought and driven too hard and too long to care about your jibes. You don't get to NASCAR, arguably the most contact-heavy form of top-flight racing in the world, by backing down from fights. Legge's done it her whole life. Now, she's sharing her story to a younger audience in the form of a children's book while working to prove she's worthy of a full-time drive. The native of Haslemere, Surrey began in British open-wheel racing in Formula Three, Formula Renault and Formula Ford. Legge was the first woman to ever achieve pole in a Zetec race and even broke a lap record achieved by eventual F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen. However in 2004, Legge's career hit the first of many similarly shaped road blocks: financing troubles. As the story goes, Legge went to the UK offices of auto engineering firm Cosworth and refused to leave until she met with company boss Kevin Kalkhoven. After eventually meeting her, Kalkhoven gave her a seat with Polestar Motor Racing in the first three rounds of the 2005 Toyota Atlantic Championship. Legge repaid the favor by winning the first race of the series. She'd go on to win twice more and finished third in the championship standings. That same year, Legge would reach rarified air by testing a Formula One car - with Minardi giving her the opportunity roughly a month after the Italian outfit ran its last ever race at the 2005 Chinese Grand Prix, eventually being bought by Red Bull and becoming Toro Rosso. Her career then took her to the Champ Car circuit, then to DTM, before jumping into an IndyCar seat in 2012 with Lotus Dragon Racing. Legge scored a career-best finish in the Indianapolis 500 in her first attempt, climbing from a 30th place qualifying spot to finish 22nd in her rookie year. However, the slow Lotus engines needed replacing mid-season and her drive became inconsistent - with Dragon only using one car per race after the Indy 500 for the rest of the 2012 season. She'd return in 2013 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and Team Pelfrey - once again climbing up the grid from a qualifying spot of 33rd to finish 26th. Further Indy 500 starts followed in 2023 and 2024 after stints in various other circuits - most notably IMSA and Formula E plus a run in the 24 Hours of Daytona. However, Legge failed to finish either race due to a crash in 2023 and an engine failure in 2024. There remained hope for her to return to the Indy 500 this year, however, she was unable to secure a seat for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing'. 'I had never been a driver that brought sponsors to a team,' Legge revealed at a sit-down interview in the New York offices of the Daily Mail. 'I'd always been a driver that got either hired by the team or the manufacturer, or somebody had called me, or I'd called them and they wanted me in the team. And so it was [2023] with Bobby [Rahal] that e.l.f. came on board, and that's how that started the ball rolling when they were like, "This is cool. We want to do more of this. We want to be primary. We want to do this massive activation at Indy. We want to do the drone show." 'And it took on a life of its own, which was super neat to see because it really did start that girl power movement that I'd been trying to do for two decades. I'd been helping other young drivers come up through. 'So I really want to do more Indy 500s. It's in my blood. But I also want to do all the things that make me uncomfortable again, that I want to do, that I can look back and go, I did NASCAR, I did this.' After an absence from the Brickyard, Legge returned in 2023 but suffered a crash in the race With IndyCar out of the picture, NASCAR beckoned. Legge was able to bring over her partnership with cosmetic company e.l.f. for a string of races in the Xfinity Series and the top-flight Cup Series. While she'd dipped her toes in the pond with NASCAR before, 2025 is her first true season in stock car racing. Race 1 was a Cup series drive with Live Fast Motorsports in the fourth race of the season at Phoenix. A spin ended a race where Legge admits she made 'a couple of bad mistakes' - noting that the lack of practice doesn't allow her to get the best acquainted with a track or the car. Then came Rockingham. After starting 31st, Legge says she was 'holding my line' going into a turn at the course that saw its first action since the fall of 2004. As the leaders passed her, Legge says the driver behind her - William Sawalich - took too much speed into the turn and rear-ended her, spinning her car. Kasey Kahne - a former Cup series Rookie of the Year, and 18-time Cup Series winner, and voted as one of the 75 greatest NASCAR drivers of all time - was making his first start in NASCAR since 2018. When Legge spun, Kahne didn't have time to react and hit the front end of her car. Kahne and Sawalich finished the race (14th and 25th respectively), but Legge did not. Legge says, 'had the spin not taken Kasey Kahne out, it would have been a non-issue... but the fact that it did probably is what started a barrage of... dislike from the fans, let's say, which is good because at least they're passionate right?' Passion is what drives the sport. It's what makes it entertaining. But passion goes too far. Legge says that she found some of the sexist remarks 'funny', saying she laughed at some of the more ridiculous ones. She even says she got sent Venmo requests for money, but doesn't exactly know why. 'It doesn't bother me because I'm thick skinned,' she tells Daily Mail. 'I've been the only girl in racing for two decades. 'I know that people like Bubba [Wallace], and Denny [Hamlin], and Joey [Logano], and all those guys get the same thing. I think the difference is just with some of the ones that I got, they were very directed at my appearance on my body or my sexuality... It was amazing to me what makes people think these things up.' Legge revealed the death threats she received in an episode of her podcast, 'Throttle Therapy'. Rather than be seen as complaining, Legge says she brought these up to voice the concerns of young girls - currently and in the future - who may come across similar abuse. 'We did that podcast episode and we commented on it and we brought it to light because whilst I might be thick skinned enough that it's like water off a duck's back, I don't know that if I was me 20 years ago, whether it would have been the same thing, right?,' Legge remarked. 'I don't know whether the girls coming up through, maybe that's a barrier to them because it's a lot. I just think that it's a factor of social media today, which I didn't necessarily have when I was first starting out, so I didn't get to see or experience of that. 'But this generation, I don't know whether they're hardened to it or whether it is something that bothers them and gets under their skin. I mean, it's a form of bullying at the end of the day, and I think that it's unacceptable. 'The fact people are anonymous and behind a keyboard makes them think that it's okay to type this stuff. But I can tell you not one person has said it to my face. So I think it's worth calling out.' Legge also wants to highlight that other drivers aren't held to the same standard. She pointed out one driver, a rookie like herself, spinning and noted how 'everybody gives him a break'. But when the Rockingham incident occurred, 'Somehow that was my fault because people said I was going too slowly in the middle of the corner. No, the closing speed looked so bad because he drove in way too quickly.' Legge looked to bounce back from Rockingham at the next week's race at the venerated Talladega Superspeedway - considered one of the greatest tracks in NASCAR. She was running in the top-ten for most of the race until Aric Almirola looked to make a pass, came across the front of her car, and wrecked them both. After the race, Almirola admitted fault, saying 'she didn't do anything wrong, not at all, she's holding her line and she was there - I turned across her nose.' The following week at Texas, she finished her first race on the circuit - crossing the line 32nd after getting lapped due to taking damage. 'I've been hit, I think, in every single NASCAR race. And there's a lot more contact in NASCAR that I have to get my head around to get used to,' she admitted. Legge also says that her lack of experience with the cars puts her at a disadvantage to drivers who take part in a full calendar: 'They know the car like the back of their hand. It's part of them. They become one with the car. 'And so for me to jump straight in, I think we showed relatively fast speed.' Even with a career as experienced as hers, Legge says there's still circuits and races she's dying to try - such as Mount Panorama and the Bathurst 1000 in Australia. 'I think I've got a few good years left in me yet,' says Legge - who will turn 45 this year. She says she's 'fitter and stronger than I've ever been.' Throughout the discussion with her, Legge shared the ups of her career as well as the frustrations. The desire to keep racing has led her to racing disciplines of many kinds, but a lack of sponsorships has kept her from consistently sticking with one circuit or style. Knowing the 'boys club' that is auto racing, it's not the wildest jump to think that the financial hardship and lack of consistency from team owners could be due to the fact that Legge is a woman. She quickly and flatly denies this: 'Not at all. I think racing is really hard, no matter who you are - black, white, male, female, it doesn't matter.' Legge points to the growing female audience in motorsports as a sign of change. She also says that being a woman in the sport serves as a 'unique selling point', but that it goes 'for you and against you'. 'I'm just really fortunate that people have given me the opportunity to go out there and learn and showcase. Hopefully then, I can prove myself enough that one of the top teams does think that it's commercially viable and we're going to get the results for them,' Legge says. She continues: 'Throughout my whole career, it's been like scrapping and fighting and scratching my way into opportunities. 'I would love to have been with a Penske or a Ganassi or somebody like that for the whole time. And then you really see what you're capable of, right? Because I think it's really hard to judge people when they're not in that situation.'
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Norris vs Piastri vs Verstappen is playing out like 2007 repeat
After McLaren's dominant one-two in Miami this month, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were asked whether their rivalry this season could evolve into a 'Hamilton vs Rosberg scenario from 2016', a year when Mercedes had a dominant car and their two drivers were allowed to slug it out to a bitter conclusion. Norris was non-committal. 'Time will tell,' he replied. Piastri, though, gave an interesting response. 'We said that we're trying to repeat 2007,' the Australian told the assembled media, laughing. McLaren had better hope not. That season very much ended in tears for McLaren, not to mention a $100 million fine. After Sunday's race at Imola, however, it is starting to feel as if we could be heading in that direction. If not in terms of the poisonous rivalry and paranoia that developed between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, McLaren's two drivers in 2007, then in terms of the Woking team having an excellent car but their drivers costing each other so many points that a third driver was able to sneak in at the death and steal the title from under their noses. For Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, read Max Verstappen in 2025. The Dutchman is loitering with serious intent. More than loitering. Red Bull's four-time world champion has had the slower car at six out of seven races so far this season, arguably all seven. But he is right there, in third place, just nine points behind Norris in second and 22 points – fewer than a single race victory – behind Piastri in first. Sunday's race was absolutely fascinating in terms of what it has done to the narrative of this season. From fears post-Miami that McLaren were going to run away with the season, and make it a clear two-horse race, a la 2016, suddenly Norris and Piastri are trying to assert themselves over each other, still in a friendly do-what-is-best-for-the-team way, while looking nervously over their shoulders at a machine-like driver who has been there, done it, and got the T-shirt. Verstappen does not look as if he is going away. If he can remain this close while Red Bull are struggling with their car, what can he do if they get on top of it? Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, appeared to suggest in his post-race debrief in Imola that the team had unlocked something, although Gary Anderson, writing for Telegraph Sport on Monday, was doubtful about that, saying they were likely only 'minor upgrades' that they took to Italy and suggesting it was more a case of finding a good operating window. 'I do not think Red Bull had the fastest car at Imola by any means,' the former Jordan technical director concluded. Time will tell on that. But when you have Verstappen in the mix, you do not always need the fastest car. The 27-year-old tends to maximise what he has, which is often enough, particularly if McLaren's drivers make mistakes, as Norris did in qualifying and Piastri did in the race. It will be fascinating to see how the Australian reacts the next time Verstappen goes for a 'win it or bin it' (Horner's description) move on him. Piastri admitted he was overly tentative on Sunday, partly because he felt it was not worth the risk making contact as he had what he presumed to be the faster race car. Next time he may not be so accommodating. Then again, can he risk a collision with Norris there to pick up the pieces? Norris is in a similar boat. That was his problem all the way through last year. Time will tell whether McLaren reassert themselves. If they continue to enjoy the buffer they have generally had so far this season, they should be fine come Abu Dhabi. But if Red Bull's improvement is real, if they have found a better balance across different types of track, we could well have a genuine three-way title fight. Piastri joked about 2007 in Miami, but the potential for a repeat if that was the case would be very real.
Reuters
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Norris shuts out social media as F1 battle heats up
IMOLA, Italy, May 16 (Reuters) - Lando Norris has turned away from the distraction of social media as the Formula One title battle with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri heats up. "I've not been on social media for a few weeks now," he told British media at Imola ahead of the seventh race of the 24-round season. "It's just not something I enjoy. I don't need to. It's my life. I can do what I like," he added when asked whether it was a consequence of the circumstances. The Briton won the season-opening race in Melbourne and stayed ahead until Piastri took over at the top in Jeddah last month. The Australian extended his lead to 16 points in Miami on May 4 with his fourth win in six races and at Italy's old-style Imola circuit on Sunday could chalk up his fourth successive victory. Norris, one of Formula One's most popular drivers, has a 9.9 million-strong following on Instagram and is known for being outspoken about mental issues and for making self-critical comments. Reminded of how 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen -- a man famously unenamoured of social media -- used to say that in an ideal world he would throw his phone into a lake, Norris replied: "I'm probably the same." "I enjoy not going on my phone as much as I used to. "I still use my phone and I'm still texting my friends and all these things. I just see social media more, from my perspective, as a waste of my time and energy and I just don't need it," he said. "I don't want it. I don't find it interesting. "I just feel like I've got more time to do things that I want to do. I just want to spend time with my friends. I go and play golf and train and do things that are productive." Sunday's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will be Lewis Hamilton's first in Italy for Ferrari and the seven times world champion made headlines earlier in the week when it was noticed he no longer followed anyone on Instagram. With 39.5 million followers, Hamilton had never followed many accounts but is now not following Ferrari or teammate Charles Leclerc -- or even his Mission 44 foundation and pet bulldog Roscoe. The Briton has made a similar clean slate previously, doing the same after losing out on an eighth title in the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when at Mercedes. "Lewis can do what he wants. Good for him," said Norris, whose Instagram feed has four posts from May with the most recent on the ninth.
