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Straits Times
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
McLaren's Lando Norris takes pole position for Monaco Grand Prix
– Lando Norris said it has been 'a long time coming' after he put McLaren on pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix on May 24, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc alongside on the front row for his home race. McLaren's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri qualified third with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton fourth and Red Bull's Max Verstappen fifth. 'I feel good. I don't think you realise how good this feels after quite a few struggles in the last few months,' said Norris, who has not won since the opening race of the season in Australia. 'Monaco is a beautiful place. The hardest track to do it and up against the hometown hero. I'm very proud of the whole team. We have worked very hard over the past few months. Very pleased. The team have done an amazing job, so thanks to everyone here and at the factory. These days don't come easy, so I'm proud to give something back to them.' Leclerc, meanwhile, rued a missed opportunity to clinch pole in front of his home fans after finishing 0.109sec back. 'There's always something more to be done, but at the end of the day, this was the best we could do. Just obviously very frustrated. We know that we don't quite have the car to go for wins this year but this weekend the car felt good, and starting second here, it's going to be tricky to take that first place,' he said. 'I like city tracks in general. I like to really go all-in to qualifying and take maximum risks, and sometimes it doesn't pay it off. On paper it was going to be a very difficult weekend for us. At the end of the day, it's not that bad.' Behind the top five, Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar qualified an impressive sixth, ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Haas' Esteban Ocon, his teammate Liam Lawson and Williams' Alex Albon. Heading into Monaco, Piastri leads the drivers' standings on 146 points, ahead of Norris (133) and Verstappen (124). 'It was intense. To beat Lando today was going to be tough. Well done to him. But, still pretty happy. It's been a pretty messy weekend so far, so to come out with a lap I thought was good is a decent result,' said the Australian. 'It felt pretty good... We have been doing some digging this weekend. To come out with this result is a decent effort.' Off the track, Formula One still hopes to return to Africa and is talking to three possible venues, chief executive Stefano Domenicali said, but any race deal looks a long way off. The continent is the major omission on a record 24-race calendar and last hosted a grand prix at South Africa's Kyalami circuit in 1993. The Liberty Media-owned sport is keen to rectify that but wants a stable venue that can become a fixture for the long-term. Financial issues have also been an obstacle in the past. 'Realistically speaking, I don't think we're going to have an outcome in the very short term,' said Domenicali, who did not name any potential cities or circuits. Rwanda and South Africa are reportedly the two main candidates, with Kyalami and Cape Town put forward as possibilities for the latter. REUTERS, AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
TimesLIVE
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
African F1 race return still looks a long way off, says Domenicali
Formula One still hopes to return to Africa and is talking to three possible venues, CEO Stefano Domenicali said on Saturday, but any race deal looks a long way off. The continent is the major omission on a record 24-race calendar and last hosted a grand prix at South Africa's Kyalami circuit in 1993. The Liberty Media-owned sport is keen to rectify that but wants a stable venue that can become a fixture for the long-term. Financial issues have also been an obstacle in the past. 'We cannot go to a new place ... without staying for a long time,' Domenicali said at a Monaco Grand Prix media event to announce a partnership extension to 2030 with the MSC Cruise Division. 'We are progressing our discussion with I would say three places in Africa. Realistically speaking, I don't think we're going to have an outcome in the very short term,' added the Italian, speaking on board the cruise ship Explora II in the Monte Carlo harbour. He did not name any cities or circuits. Rwanda and South Africa are the two main candidates, with Kyalami and Cape Town put forward as possibilities for the latter. Rwandan President Paul Kagame announced his country's bid last December, when Formula One's governing body held its gala awards ceremony in Kigali, but that has been complicated by fighting in eastern Congo involving Rwandan-backed M234 rebels. The Democratic Republic of Congo urged Formula One in February to end talks with Rwanda. Domenicali said Formula One remained committed to adding Africa to what is already a crowded schedule with more countries seeking to join. 'We are missing one continent and we want to connect also to that,' he said. 'It's a matter of finding the right plan and hopefully we are going to update you soon on that project.'
Straits Times
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
African F1 race return still looks a long way off
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - May 22, 2025 General view of the F1 logo ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo African F1 race return still looks a long way off MONACO - Formula One still hopes to return to Africa and is talking to three possible venues, chief executive Stefano Domenicali said on Saturday, but any race deal looks a long way off. The continent is the major omission on a record 24-race calendar and last hosted a grand prix at South Africa's Kyalami circuit in 1993. The Liberty Media-owned sport is keen to rectify that but wants a stable venue that can become a fixture for the long-term. Financial issues have also been an obstacle in the past. "We cannot go to a new place... without staying for a long time," Domenicali said at a Monaco Grand Prix media event to announce a partnership extension to 2030 with the MSC Cruise Division. "We are progressing our discussion with I would say three places in Africa. Realistically speaking, I don't think we're going to have an outcome in the very short term," added the Italian, speaking on board the cruise ship Explora II in the Monte Carlo harbour. He did not name any cities or circuits. Rwanda and South Africa are the two main candidates, with Kyalami and Cape Town put forward as possibilities for the latter. Rwandan President Paul Kagame announced his country's bid last December, when Formula One's governing body held its gala awards ceremony in Kigali, but that has been complicated by fighting in eastern Congo involving Rwandan-backed M234 rebels. The Democratic Republic of Congo urged Formula One in February to end talks with Rwanda. Domenicali said Formula One remained committed to adding Africa to what is already a crowded schedule with more countries seeking to join. "We are missing one continent and we want to connect also to that," he said. "It's a matter of finding the right plan and hopefully we are going to update you soon on that project." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
ARN News Center
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ARN News Center
Formula One extends Miami GP contract to 2041
Formula One handed Miami the longest contract on the calendar on Friday, securing the grand prix until 2041 with a 10-year extension on top of an existing decade-long deal. Miami is the first of three races in the United States - the others being Austin's Circuit of the Americas and Las Vegas - and Formula One is at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens this weekend. The race was held for the first time in 2022. Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said the extension marked "a strategic milestone of enormous importance". "In this moment of an incredible period of growth of Formula One, we want to make sure that we stay tuned and work together with the best partner that we have," the Italian told a press conference. "Miami will be part of our bigger strategy to be even stronger in the United States of America. This is a place where it is crucial to be. "We are getting bigger and bigger but we are still very small if you compare to the biggest sport franchise in the US... this will help us to grow in the right segment, in the right direction. "We want to think bigger and bigger. The only way to think big is to work together with partners that are the best and will help us to know an environment that we are still discovering." Liberty Media-owned Formula One has boomed in popularity, particularly in the Americas where it has plenty of potential for growth, thanks largely to the hit Netflix docu-series 'Drive to Survive'. A Hollywood movie 'F1', starring Brad Pitt, is due for release next month. Domenicali said also that there was a lot of interest in the US media rights package, currently held by ESPN, with discussions ongoing. He gave no details of the interested parties. Miami GP promoter Tom Garfinkel said the extension would enable organisers to invest more in the event and make improvements. The Hard Rock Stadium is home to the NFL Miami Dolphins and also a venue for football - including next year's World Cup - and concerts. The surrounding complex also hosts tennis and track day events. "This has a huge impact, both financially on South Florida but also locally here in the Miami Gardens community," said Garfinkel, adding they could now be sure the event was here to stay. "When you take someone to an event who's a casual fan who may not love the sport, that's when they really fall in love and become more of an avid fan," he said. "So we believe if we're here doing that year after year, we're just going to grow more fans here in the United States."
Gulf Today
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- Gulf Today
Formula One extends Miami GP contract to 2041
Formula One handed Miami the longest race contract in the sport on Friday, securing the grand prix until 2041 with a 10-year extension on top of an existing decade-long deal. The first of three US rounds on the 24-race calendar -- the others being Austin's Circuit of the Americas and Las Vegas -- is being held at the Hard Rock Stadium this weekend. It was first held in 2022. Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said Formula One wanted to think big and the extension marked "a strategic milestone of enormous importance". "In this moment of an incredible period of growth of Formula One, we want to make sure that we stay tuned and work together with the best partner that we have," the Italian told a press conference. "Miami will be part of our bigger strategy to be even stronger in the United States of America. This is a place where it is crucial to be. F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali talks to the media. "We are getting bigger and bigger but we are still very small if you compare to the biggest sport franchise in the US... this will help us to grow in the right segment, in the right direction." Liberty Media-owned Formula One has boomed in popularity, particularly in the Americas where it has plenty of potential for growth, thanks largely to the hit Netflix docu-series 'Drive to Survive'. Hollywood movie 'F1', starring Brad Pitt, is due for release next month. Red Bull boss Christian Horner said the extension was for "an insane amount of time" but was sure to help Formula One's growth. "Formula One really struggled in America a few years ago. Now we're here with three grands prix and Miami is one of the best. It's one of the landmark races that everyone wants to be at," he told Sky Sports television. "With that amount of longevity maybe they can invest a little bit in the track as well. "As an experience, to come to this race is definitely one to be on the bucket list." Domenicali said also that there was a lot of interest in the US media rights package, currently held by ESPN, with discussions ongoing. He gave no details. Miami GP promoter Tom Garfinkel said the extension would help build a fan base and turn the venue into a motorsport hub. The Hard Rock Stadium is home to the NFL Miami Dolphins and also a venue for soccer -- including next year's World Cup -- and concerts. The surrounding complex also hosts tennis and track day events. "This has a huge impact, both financially on South Florida but also locally here in the Miami Gardens community," said Garfinkel. "When you take someone to an event who's a casual fan who may not love the sport, that's when they really fall in love and become more of an avid fan," he said. "So we believe if we're here doing that year after year, we're just going to grow more fans here in the United States." Reuters
