Latest news with #Maranello
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Racing Unleashed and McLaren Racing Unveil the McLaren Racing Motion Simulator
CHAM, Switzerland, June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Racing Unleashed, a pioneer in high-end racing simulation, and McLaren Racing, an iconic name in global motorsport, proudly unveil the McLaren Racing Motion Simulator. Developed in close collaboration, this state-of-the-art simulator represents a breakthrough in racing simulation technology, combining precision engineering, immersive realism, and cutting-edge innovation. Now available for purchase, it delivers an unparalleled racing experience for sim racers and McLaren Racing enthusiasts. A Milestone in Motorsport Simulation Produced at Racing Unleashed's manufacturing facility in Maranello, Italy, the McLaren Racing Motion Simulator boasts a carbon fiber chassis, McLaren Racing-inspired liveries, and a meticulously designed cockpit for a truly immersive racing experience. Designed to replicate the intensity and precision of professional motorsport, it is intended for both training and entertainment purposes. The simulator will also be a permanent feature in the McLaren Shadow Studio at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC). "This partnership brings together the best of both worlds—McLaren Racing's motorsport excellence and our cutting-edge simulation technology—to create a truly game-changing product for sim racers and motorsport enthusiasts alike," said Florian Hürlimann, CTO of Racing Unleashed. "The simulator's placement at the McLaren Technology Centre is a great honor and reflects McLaren Racing's commitment to innovation and its belief in the potential of this project." Matt Dennington, Co-Chief Commercial Officer, McLaren Racing, added: "We're thrilled to be working with Racing Unleashed to be able to bring a new experience to racing fans. It's an exciting proposition to be replicating our race cars for the sim space and give users an extremely accurate representation of what it is like to drive the real thing." Unmatched Performance and Innovation The McLaren Racing Motion Simulator is the result of extensive collaboration between Racing Unleashed and McLaren Racing's engineers. Key features include: Carbon Fiber Chassis Exclusive McLaren Liveries MCL38 Steering Wheel Replica Three Degrees of Freedom Motion System (3DOF) Active Seatbelts Custom-Fit Cockpit Adaptive Driving Assistance Driving the Future of Racing Simulation With McLaren Racing's "Forever Forward" philosophy and Racing Unleashed's commitment to "The Most Engaging Motorsport", this partnership is setting new standards for performance-driven, cutting-edge racing experiences. Now, fans, drivers, and private customers alike can experience the thrill of motorsport like never before. For full details and order inquiries, visit: For more information, pictures and the complete press release, please visit: Photo - - - View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Racing Unleashed AG
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Lewis Hamilton's social media empire shows how much Oscar Piastri can grow
From recreating a famous scene from a cult Hollywood movie to high-end fashion shoots, 'iconic' team debuts and daredevil exploits away from the track – one driver is the clear-cut king of social media on the Formula 1 grid. His first season for Ferrari might not be humming as much as he would like, but seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton remains far-and-away the most popular driver based on his huge social media following. The undisputed 'rock star' of the F1 grid, the British driver is open to sharing his passions away from the track with his fans – and they lap it up. Hamilton has a combined following of more than 48 million across platforms Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), more than double the next closest driver – his Monegasque Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc (22 million combined). Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen has more than 18 million combined followers, while Australia's championship leader Oscar Piastri has almost 5 million across both Instagram and X. While Hamilton shares plenty of action from race days like most of the other drivers, it is his fashion-forward life away from the track which has opened him up to a massive audience. The 40-year-old almost broke the internet when he shared the first image of himself as a Ferrari driver in January wearing a double-breasted suit and long black coat standing alongside a Ferrari F40 out the front of team founder Enzo Ferrari's old house in Maranello. The image, which was dubbed 'iconic' by his former Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, had more than 56K comments on it on Instagram, including fellow Brits Lando Norris replying 'Don' and his former Silver Arrows teammate George Russell 'Auguri fratello'. In March, Hamilton also set the web alight when he celebrated his first season at Ferrari by recreating an iconic scene from cult 1980s movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In the scene featuring his 'dream car', Hamilton plays the garage employee who takes the Ferrari owned by Cameron Frye's father for a joy ride through the Chicago streets. The video, which landed just before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and his first race with the Scuderia, also went viral on social media. 'No better way to start the season than by fulfilling another dream,' Hamilton wrote on Instagram. 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off has been one of my favourite movies since I was a kid. This is to pay homage to the iconic film and to celebrate my first season with Ferrari. 'It definitely took a lot of cutting edge tech, production and planning to get right. Had to get the exact car too … it's been a dream car since seeing the movie.' Hamilton also regularly appears in fashion shoots on his social media, including his iconic looks from the Met Gala. He has also shown his adrenaline-chasing exploits away from the track, sharing videos of himself skydiving, surfing and on the ski slopes. Hamilton's beloved bulldog, Roscoe, has also featured regularly in his social media feed. Social media's next most popular driver on the grid, Leclerc also isn't afraid to have a bit of fun on social media, posting a video last week testing his speed off the track with an attempt at cracking the world record for the most ice-cream cones scooped in one minute (he didn't succeed). He has also flaunted his talent away from the cockpit as a pianist tinkering the ivories with his faithful canine companion, Leo, sitting at his feet. Like Roscoe, Leo also features often in Leclerc's social media feed and even has his own Instagram account. Leclerc's home town of Monaco provides a picturesque backdrop for many of his fashion collaboration shoots, while he has also shared his off-season snowscapades. Piastri might be leading the drivers' championship standings, but the Melbourne-born star is still building his social following. The title frontrunner posts mostly about his days at the track and some behind the scenes of his training and preparation, but has shared some personal snaps alongside his girlfriend Lily Zneimer holidaying during the off-season and some sweet images of himself as a kid. Piastri's love of cricket also features, sharing his catch-ups with the Australian cricket team, including a picture alongside captain Pat Cummins captioned: 'Bowling royalty meets part-time medium pacer'. But the 24-year-old's mic-drop moment on social media happened before his F1 career had even taken off in August, 2022, when he famously rejected Alpine's announcement that he would be racing for the team the following year. Piastri's viral tweet had 392K likes, was shared 97K times and had 13,000 comments. 'I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year,' Piastri wrote. I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year. — Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022 Piastri also shares images of his regular paddle ball battles, which has become a favourite pastime among many of the F1 cohort. Verstappen prefers to focus on his action at the track, but has shared some personal snaps alongside his partner Kelly Piquet and, most recently, celebrating the birth of their first child together, a daughter named Lily. 'Welcome to the world, sweet Lily,' Verstappen wrote. 'Our hearts are fuller than ever – you are our greatest gift. We love you so much.' Verstappen's love of sim racing also features regularly, with the Dutch champion recently featuring in a social media video from his sim racing team cutting a virtual lap of Mount Panorama. Piastri's teammate Lando Norris' interest in photography features heavily in his timeline with the McLaren star often pictured with his own camera in hand. Norris, who boasts the fifth most followers on Instagram with 10 million, had more than 8000 comments on a picture he posted last year of Verstappen and himself from their karting days congratulating his Red Bull rival on his fourth straight championship. 'Congrats on the 4th title in a row mate, awesome drive this year. Was fun fighting you for it. Feels like yesterday we took this pic in karting,' Norris wrote on Instagram. The Brit's most viewed video on Tik Tok was a collaboration with Australian Olympic gold-medal winning skateboarder Keegan Palmer, which had 11.7m views. The drivers aren't afraid to engage in a bit of banter, either, with Russell last week quipping on his social media that 'Dinner (is) on you tonight Albono!!!' to Alex Albon after the Williams driver held him up during the Monaco Grand Prix. Albon replied, 'I'll take you to a drive thru' with a laughing emoji. He did end up taking Russell out to dinner and picked up the bill, revealing ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix the Mercedes star ordered a lobster pasta, but skipped on dessert. The fourth most followed driver on Instagram, Williams' 'smooth operator' Carlos Sainz shares his love of cycling regularly and the slick Spaniard captured plenty of attention wearing a tuxedo to attend this year's Cannes film festival. In a nod to the original smooth agent, 007 James Bond, Sainz posted a playful video having fun with his on-track nickname. 'My name is Operator. Smooth Operator,' Sainz said before walking off laughing. The Instagram video before his walk on the Cannes red carpet captured almost 8000 comments.
The Drive
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
Ferrari Designs Haven't Hit the Same Since It Broke up With Pininfarina
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Name a pretty Ferrari and there's a 90% chance it says 'Pininfarina' on the side. The Italian design house began penning Ferraris in 1951, but the two shockingly parted ways in 2013. In an interview with Motor1 , Ferrari design boss Flavio Manzoni explained the decision to go at it alone, and, while it makes complete sense from business and technical points of view, it was a bummer for everyone involved: Ferrari, Pininfarina, and the fans. 'At the beginning it was very, very tough for [Pininfarina] because after more than 60 years of collaboration they had to accept the idea that Ferrari wanted to create [its] in-house design center,' Manzoni recently told Motor1 . 'But it was also necessary, because Ferrari was the only car manufacturer in the world without any internal design center, which [was] a bit strange, and also risky.' Ferrari Roma. Ferrari Just that alone is enough reason for Ferrari to move its design department in-house, rather than continue outsourcing to Pininfarina. Design houses like Pinifarina aren't nearly as popular as they were in the 1950s and '60s, so what if Pinin suddenly went out of business? Ferrari would be screwed. The ability to be fluid and create its own designs without relying on anyone else was necessary for Ferrari. More importantly, though, Maranello needed more technological freedom. So many of its modern cars rely heavily on active aerodynamics and have highly complex integration between bodywork and chassis, especially now that battery packs are being crammed in. A more cohesive process is necessary, with an in-house throughline between early sketches, technical development, and the final product. 'The other problem was that the level of technical complexity of the cars was increasing a lot,' Manzoni said. 'So it was necessary to work as a team with synergy, not with the designers working somewhere else and with engineers in Maranello.' Just because I understand the decision doesn't mean I have to like it, though. All of my favorite Ferrari designs were done by Pininfarina. OK, so that's kind of by default, considering how long their relationship was. But very few of Ferrari's post-Pininfarina designs have really captured me in the same way. I like the Roma, that's an undeniably pretty coupe, and the 12Cilindri is pretty cool. But neither of those two is as good-looking as something like the Pininfarina-designed 599. Almost all of Ferrari's own designs have been pretty mid in comparison. Ferrari 458 Speciale The 458 Italia, for me, is the delineator, as everything after it seems to have aesthetically failed to spark that same Ferrari magic. Even the new 296 GTB, which is the brand's best-looking mid-engine car since the 458, just falls kind of flat. It lacks that specialness that made even its questionable-looking cars interesting, like the 348. However, that doesn't mean this will always be the case. Ferrari has only been designing its own cars for less than a decade, so its process for creating a design and making it safe, aerodynamic, and capable of fitting its hybrid technology is still quite new. So as it continues to develop its process, its cars should only get prettier. At least that's the hope. But if you'll excuse me, I'm going to figure out which organs of mine I can live without so I can buy a 458 Spider. Got tips? Send 'em to tips@ Nico DeMattia is a staff writer at The Drive. He started writing about cars on his own blog to express his opinions when no one else would publish them back in 2015, and eventually turned it into a full-time career.
Free Malaysia Today
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Free Malaysia Today
Piastri keeps calm and takes the pole from Verstappen
The 24 year old has only increased in confidence and speed as the season progresses. (AP pic) IMOLA : Formula One leader Oscar Piastri kept calm under pressure to put McLaren on pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday with Red Bull's Max Verstappen joining the Australian on the front row. George Russell qualified third for Mercedes at Imola with McLaren's Lando Norris fourth in a session that was twice red-flagged after Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine's Franco Colapinto crashed in the first phase. Ferrari, meanwhile, suffered a new low in front of their home fans, with Charles Leclerc 11th and Lewis Hamilton 12th ahead of the seven-times world champion's first race in Italy for the Maranello-based team. The pole, in one minute 14.670 seconds, was Piastri's third of the season as the 24 year old chases a fifth win in seven races and fourth in a row to stretch his 16-point lead over Norris. 'It was a very tough session with all the delays, the red flags,' said Piastri, who won in China and Bahrain from pole and has only increased in confidence and speed as the season progresses. 'The lap was good. I had about four cars in the last corner, which didn't help, but it was enough. So, very happy with the job I've done and excited for tomorrow,' he said. Four-times world champion Verstappen had been on provisional pole, in 1:14.772 with Piastri 0.049 slower, but the Australian dug deep for the extra milliseconds when it mattered. Verstappen, winner of the past three races hosted by Imola, managed to improve his time but not enough to beat Piastri's final effort and fell 0.034 short. 'Everything was going really well, just this softest compound is very difficult to keep alive around the lap,' the Dutch driver said of the Pirelli tyres. 'Sector one was good and then the tyres again fell away from me from there onwards by tiny margins.' Russell set his time on the medium tyres. 'It's always a surprise when you're so close to the McLaren because they're so quick at the moment,' said the Briton. Ferrari despair Ferrari's hopes of challenging champions McLaren never materialised. 'My God, my God,' exclaimed Leclerc over the team radio as the realisation sunk in after he crossed the line in front of the massed ranks of Ferrari fans. 'Definitely devastated and gutted because the car was genuinely feeling pretty good,' Hamilton told reporters. 'I felt like the car setup was right and we just can't go quick enough. 'We threw the soft (tyre) on at the end and for some reason, it just did not come alive, there was no grip.' Mercedes' Italian rookie and local hero Kimi Antonelli also failed to make the top 10 and will line up only 13th. Fernando Alonso will line up fifth for Aston Martin, an impressive turnaround for a team that has struggled this season and for a former Imola winner and double world champion who has yet to score a point in 2025. Williams pair Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon were sixth and seventh fastest. Canadian Lance Stroll made it two Astons in the top 10 and provided further proof that their upgraded car is heading in the right direction, with eighth on the grid followed by Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar and Alpine's Pierre Gasly. Tsunoda and Colapinto, the latter returning to the grid after a stint with Williams last year and in place of dropped Australian Jack Doohan, were both taken to the medical centre for checks after their crashes. The Red Bull driver's crash led to a 15-minute delay for track repairs and red flags were waved again when Colapinto went onto the grass approaching Tamburello and lost control, spinning and hitting the barrier head on. Witness football history in Malaysia as Manchester United take on the Asean All-Stars – it's the clash you can't afford to miss. Book your seat now at before they're gone!
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Lewis Hamilton lauds Imola experience - as seven-time world champion leads Ferrari fightback at home race with fourth place finish
Lewis Hamilton 's face lit up and the Tifosi waved flags after the £60million man in red's race of redemption for Ferrari. 'Incredible,' smiled the seven-time world champion of competing in front of the fervent home fans. Yet it was only fourth place for him, albeit an eventful, charging one — and, let's not forget, that is not what he had in mind when trumpets heralded his arrival. But only 24 hours before it had been far bleaker. Hamilton qualified 12th, a place below team-mate Charles Leclerc. It was Ferrari's worst qualifying showing in all 32 grands prix staged at Imola, this quaint track just over an hour, and a traffic jam, away from the Scuderia's Maranello HQ. Had they got Saturday right, Hamilton, or Leclerc who finished sixth, might have mounted the podium. Hamilton was helped by the two stoppages caused by broken-down cars, having dropped a place at the start to Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, whom he could not overhaul in their long early duel. He made a host of later passes, including on George Russell, Alex Albon and Leclerc. Other than for his sprint victory in China, when he showcased his enduring skills as a tyre whisperer, it has been a tough initiation at Ferrari. So this experience was balm. 'What an amazing experience,' Hamilton enthused. 'On the (pre-race) drivers' parade, all the others were all doing their normal thing, but I was taking pictures and a film of the crowd and Ayrton (Senna)'s memorial. It was a sea of red everywhere. 'It was reminiscent of when I was growing up, sitting at home on my couch, eating a bacon sarnie, and watching Michael Schumacher racing here with Ferrari, seeing the connection he had with Ferrari. It was an incredible experience to think I'm now here in one of the two Ferraris and having that connection with such a passionate group of people.' Ahead of Monaco next weekend, Hamilton was cautiously positive. He said: 'I felt really aligned with the car in China and the only other time is today. The set-up was great. Monaco has been strong in the past. 'It is still a question of getting the tyres working on low-speed tracks. We can figure that out next week.'
