Latest news with #KymIllman
News.com.au
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Chilling Jack Doohan secret comes to light after Alpine demotion
Jack Doohan was reportedly dealing with such serious threats to his safety that he had deployed a 24-hour security team at the Miami Grand Prix. The chilling detail has come to light after the Australian was dropped by his Alpine team just six races into the 2025 Formula 1 season. The basket case team has been in chaos in recent weeks, headlined by Doohan's sacking and the shock resignation of former team principal Oliver Oakes. Rumours of Alpine's plan to promote Franco Colapinto at Doohan's expense swirled from the moment the Argentine made the curious decision to switch from Williams to take up a reserve driver role with the team that previously raced under the 'Renault' flag. It made Doohan arguably the most under-pressure driver on the grid — and it has now been revealed the 22-year-old was dealing with much more serious matters. Social media abuse from F1 spectators in Argentina is something Doohan battled publicly throughout the year — but according to leading F1 photographer Kym Illman, there was another chilling layer to the messages Doohan was receiving. 'He was receiving all sorts of threats online so much so that he had around-the-clock security in Miami and was planning on keeping that security for the Brazilian Grand Prix,' Illman said on Instagram. 'It was plain to see by those close to the Aussie that those threats weighed heavily on him. 'People had discovered his personal email address and were sending email threats which resulted in Jack, his girlfriend and even his father holding real concerns for their safety in Miami and on top of that, Jack's sleep was affected. 'I'm certain Franco wouldn't be endorsing any of that behaviour from what is a minority of his fanbase.' Doohan has been dating Australian Ebony Zippora Gold. The pair have been seen at several public events together, but have not discussed their relationship in public. According to UK media, Gold currently lives in Monaco. Jack Doohan is also based out of Monaco like many F1 drivers. Colapinto has developed a hard-line following in his country of 45 million people with the football-mad nation's interest in Formula 1 skyrocketing since he made his debut last year. Some of those followers reportedly took the disgusting step of abusing Doohan to get their rising star back into a driving seat. Alpine's decision to drop Doohan and install Colapinto alongside Pierre Gasly did not go over well with Jack's father Mick Doohan. The motorcycle legend attempted to come to the defence of his son as he took aim at the F1 team over the brutal move. The five-time MotoGP world champion posted a graphic of Doohan and Gasly's race results from the season so far on his Instagram stories. He was attempting to highlight just how poorly the Alpine car has been performing but F1 fans pointed out that the graphic he shared only served to emphasise how Jack was outclassed by his teammate. For the record, Gasly's results are 11th, 11th, 13th, 7th, DNF, 13th and Doohan's results are: DNF, 13th, 15th, 14th, 17th, DNF. F1 drivers are measured closely against their teammates first and foremost, and Doohan finishing behind Gasly would not have gone unnoticed within Alpine. Mick Doohan sharing Pierre Gasly and his son Jack’s results from this season on his Instagram stories … ðŸ¤' Alpine replaced Jack for Franco Colapinto on Wednesday. — Daniel Valente ðŸ�Žï¸� (@F1GuyDan) May 7, 2025 Mick has been a constant presence trackside throughout his son's career so far as Jack climbed the ranks, winning races in junior categories and Formula 2 before landing an F1 seat. Last month Mick shared a photo of a massive mural for his home showing himself racing on a motorbike and Jack alongside him in the Alpine F1 car. It remains to be seen if Jack will get another chance to rekindle his F1 career, with Colapinto and Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron both highly touted prospects likely. Alpine is ninth in the constructors' standings and the team has been mired in turmoil to start the season, culminating in the resignation of team principal Oli Oakes this week. The team's executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who is also Doohan's manager, will also take on the team principal duties previously performed by Oakes. Briatore, who oversaw multiple world titles for Benetton in the 1990s and Renault in the mid-2000s, was the dominant figure of the 'Crashgate' scandal which saw his driver Nelson Piquet intentionally crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help Renault teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. 'I am very proud to have achieved my lifelong ambition to be a professional Formula 1 driver and I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me achieve this dream,' Doohan said in an Alpine statement after his demotion. 'Obviously, this latest chapter is a tough one for me to take because, as a professional driver, naturally I want to be racing. 'That said, I appreciate the team's trust and commitment. We have long-term goals as a team to achieve and I will continue to give my maximum efforts in any way I can to help achieve those. 'For now, I will keep my head down, keep working hard, watch with interest the next five races and keep chasing my own personal goals.' The F1 season continues at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday 18 May at 11pm AEST.
Scottish Sun
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Stunning beer prices at Miami GP revealed as F1 fans face staggering cost for drinks, steak sandwiches and pizza
It comes after F1 set a record with a new circuit contract Price formula Stunning beer prices at Miami GP revealed as F1 fans face staggering cost for drinks, steak sandwiches and pizza FORMULA ONE fans at the Miami Grand Prix are facing a huge dent in their wallets after the prices of food and drink at the circuit were revealed. Miami is welcoming F1 fans from around the world for the fourth season in a row after its initial introduction on to the race calendar in 2021. Advertisement 3 The prices of food and drink at the Miami Grand Prix have been revealed Credit: Reuters 3 Food prices at the event are extortionate including more than £22 for some pizzas Credit: Instagram / @kymillman 3 Alcoholic drinks can also cost anywhere from £9 for a beer to £98 for a bottle of bubbly Credit: Instagram / @kymillman While the track which surrounds the Hard Rock Stadium - home of the Miami Dolphins - is not a favourite among drivers, fans are treated to the Coachella of F1. And like the UK festival, the price of refreshments and scran are quite the tough pill to swallow. F1 photographer, Kym Illman, revealed the remarkable price for goods at the circuit, which is the first of three visits to the United States for the motorsport in 2025. Taking to his social media page, Illman showed off the crazy price of a number of items including beer, bottled water, pizza and nachos BEFORE tax. Advertisement The video starts off with Illman outside of a food stand selling Italian cuisine. He reveals a pizza will cost fans between $16-$18 (£12-£14) and pasta will cost $25 (£19), reports from other outlets report other pizza stands hiking prices as high as $29 (£22) for a chicken pizza and $22 (£16.50) for a cheese pizza. If you fancy some fried calamari it would set you back a $23 (£17), while sushi costs between $6-$18 (£4.50-£13.50), tacos cost $18 and nachos cost $19 (£14.30). Meanwhile, a "budget option" turkey sandwich comes in at $18 while fans are charged $30 (£22) for a steak sandwich, $24 (£18) for a Chicken Royale with cheese or $14 (£10.50) for an Ultimate Game Day hot dog. Advertisement BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Fries are an extra $6 (£4.50) Vendors are also squeezing fan budgets with drink prices. 10 Years of Max Verstappen documentary trailer Beer prices work out at around $13 (£10) for a Heineken, while a local brand is marginally cheaper at $12 (£9). Advertisement A more lavish Strawberry Daiquiri or Frozen Margarita will cost a cool $20 (£15). Meanwhile, a glass of Bubbly will cost $27 (£20) with a bottle coming out to $130 (£98). Bottled water is also far from wallet friendly at $6 a pop. These extraordinary prices are here to stay in F1 after it was announced on Friday that the track's contract had been extended to 2041, making it the longest contracted circuit on the calendar. Advertisement This season has seen Miami host a Sprint Race once again, with Lando Norris profiting from a Safety Car in a thrilling wet to dry race which saw three drivers crash out and four others hit with time penalties. Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a strong race after a brilliant strategy call to change to slick tyres which got him up to P3 before he suffered a disaster in qualifying later on. Max Verstappen scored pole position for Sunday's race in the session a day after he announced the birth of his baby daughter, Lily, with Kelly Piquet.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
F1's overtaking problem risks wrecking a potentially great season
Max Verstappen leads going into the first corner at never needs to look back - Getty Images/Kym Illman It was an unguarded remark which summed up the thoughts of millions of viewers around the world, many of whom had got up at the crack of dawn to watch events unfold in Japan. 'That's all the highlights? That's all that happened in that race?' asked an incredulous Oscar Piastri as the top three finishers were shown a replay of the in-race 'action' from Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix in the cool-down room. Sadly, it really was. A grand prix on one of the most exciting race tracks in the world, in what is shaping up to be one of the tightest seasons in living memory – and yet it was almost completely devoid of drama. Advertisement There was certainly precious little in the way of overtaking. For only the fourth time in the sport's history – and the first time ever on a permanent circuit – the top six drivers finished in exactly the same order they started. The only on-track change in the top 10, in fact, came when Lewis Hamilton passed Isack Hadjar for seventh in the opening laps. Thereafter it was, Hamilton admitted afterwards, 'a pretty lonely race' for him. The seven-time world champion was not alone in feeling like that. 'It was a very boring race for me,' said Charles Leclerc. 'Yeah, not the most exciting race,' agreed Lando Norris. 'Suzuka has become a bit of a new Monaco,' was the verdict of Carlos Sainz. At least the Principality has super yachts and azure waters to take your mind off the lack of racing. What a let-down. Of course, one man's snoozefest is another man's thriller. Suzuka is a pure drivers' circuit, with its fast flowing corners. And there was undoubtedly a certain beauty in the way in which Max Verstappen won from pole, taming his uber-sensitive Red Bull, keeping the faster McLarens at bay, never putting a foot wrong. But let's be honest. As a race it was pretty dull. The concern is that while we have all the ingredients for a humdinger of a season – four teams in close proximity, the two drivers from the leading team taking points off each other, the most successful driver in the history of the sport trying to reinvent himself at the most famous team in the sport etc etc – this type of race could become the norm. Advertisement It is already trending that way. Across 2024 there were 70 fewer overtakes than in 2023, despite there being two extra races. And so far this season all three drivers who have qualified on pole position have gone on to win the respective grands prix. Four if you include the sprint race in China. What has already become abundantly clear is that clean air is king. Which is somewhat frustrating when you consider the current regulations were specifically designed to remedy that issue. And even more so when you consider this set of rules came in at the end of one of the most exciting, overtaking-filled seasons in living memory: 2021. With luck, the last two races will not be representative of the 21 to come. Bahrain next week will prove to be a desert classic and Saudi Arabia the week after a no-holds-barred streetfight. Who can forget that mad race in Jeddah in 2021 which left Hamilton and Verstappen locked on points heading to the finale in Abu Dhabi? The worry, though, is that Fred Vasseur is right. 'Yes, it will probably be a quali championship,' the Ferrari team principal said on Sunday when asked whether what we saw in Japan would be a consistent theme this year. What a shame that would be. Of course there will always be tension if teams and drivers remain close. But this season's ingredients are so good it would be a shame if they were served up in a series of bland dishes. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
