Latest news with #SpanishGrandPrix
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Nico Hulkenberg Makes Big Claim About Sauber After Maiden F1 Podium Finish
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Sauber Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg has made a significant claim about his team, stating that it is now a "serious competitor" in the midfield. The German driver made the admission after securing his first podium finish in F1 at the British Grand Prix. Hulkenberg's P3 finish at Silverstone reportedly made bigger headlines than Lando Norris' race win at his home venue. The last stage of the British GP saw Hulkenberg fend off seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari in the fight for the third spot. Sauber, which is set to be taken over by Audi, is a classic example of what teams can do when the regulations remain consistent over multiple F1 seasons. Hulkenberg has scored points in five races thus far, while his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto secured a points finish in Austria. This has elevated Sauber's position in the championship standings to P6, a stark contrast to its last position finish from last year. Sauber is currently ahead of Alpine, Haas, Aston Martin, and Racing Bulls in the championship. Speaking on his Silverstone race finish, Hulkenberg acknowledged that the situation would have been different if the British GP had been a dry race. He said: Nico Hulkenberg of Germany and Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber answers questions in the TV media pen during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025... Nico Hulkenberg of Germany and Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber answers questions in the TV media pen during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom. More"I think that's pretty good for starters today. If we had a dry race, it would have been a very different day and outcome for us." The 37-year-old driver admitted that the team made significant improvements after the Spanish Grand Prix. He added: "Whilst we've made some really good improvements since Barcelona, today [at Silverstone] is obviously circumstantial, and the conditions made this race and this result possible. "But I feel in the midfield fight we've definitely gained some momentum, and we are a serious competitor there. That's where our fight is, but it's always about maximising every race, every weekend, and just trying to do well." Newsweek Sports reported Hulkenberg's comments on his podium finish. He said: "I always knew, you know, we have it in us, I have it in me somewhere. "I mean, what a race, coming from virtually last, doing it all over again from last weekend. It's pretty surreal, to be honest. "Not sure how it all happened, but obviously, crazy conditions, mixed conditions. It was a survival fight for a lot of the race. "I think we just were really on it, the right course, the right tyres, in the right moment, made no mistakes. And, yeah, quite incredible."
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Lance Stroll Trashes Aston Martin Car In An Explosive Rant
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll voiced his displeasure with the current car in an explicit-loaded rant. Stroll started the British Grand Prix in P17, but the rain and safety cars allowed the 26-year-old to work his way up the grid and score points. He ran as high as third and looked on for a potential podium finish. Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg ended up securing the last step on the podium. Lance Stroll of Canada and Aston Martin F1 Team looks on in the Pitlane during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 06, 2025 in Northampton, England. Lance Stroll of Canada and Aston Martin F1 Team looks on in the Pitlane during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 06, 2025 in Northampton, England. Photo byStroll finished seventh, netting a nice haul of points for the driver, though his radio message after the race was extremely blunt: "Yeah crazy is an understatement, I mean it's the worst piece of sh*t I've ever driven to be honest," he told his engineer. The statement from Stroll isn't rare - he is known for losing his temper. According to ESPN, the Canadian driver damaged multiple items in the team's garage after being eliminated in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix. He ended up not racing in Spain due to a hand injury, which potentially resulted from his frustration. Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Stroll was notably upset about how his season went. "So I think there's, there's definitely, you know, just been like some cr*p going on and just not kind of putting it together," he said. In the same press conference, the long-time F1 driver hit back at critics who believe that he doesn't even want to race in the sport. "I think Formula 1 is a business with very short-minded opinions," he added. "And if you have two good races, you're the best driver in the world. And if you have two bad ones, you're not good enough. You shouldn't be here anymore and you're s**t. "So I think you know that's the business. That's how it's always been. It's how it always will be. "I think you know when you have a crap day. You don't enjoy having a crap day. If you have a good day, you enjoy having a good day. So I think that's just how it is." This season, Stroll has scored 20 points at the halfway mark of the season. He scored those points in three out of the first 12 races. Aside from those impressive finishes, he typically does not fight for points and is often stuck at the back of the grid. Stroll will hope for a more comfortable time behind the wheel of the Aston Martin in the second half of the season. More F1 news: How Lewis Hamilton Made the F1 Movie Production More Expensive For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Otago Daily Times
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: Jochen Mass, racing driver
Jochen Mass. Photo: file German racing driver Jochen Mass turned his back on a career in the merchant navy to ascend to the peak of motor sport. Mass drove in 105 F1 grands prix, winning the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix in a McLaren. Mass was on the podium a further eight times in a career which spanned from 1973 to 1980, with a brief comeback in 1982. That year Mass was involved in the crash in which Gilles Villeneuve was killed. After leaving F1, Mass established himself in long-distance sportscar racing with Porsche, and then Sauber-Mercedes. His victories included the 1989 Le Mans 24 Hours race. Mass then became a mentor to young drivers, including rising star Michael Schumacher, as well as a regular driver on the historic cars racing circuit. Mass died on May 4, aged 78. — APL/agencies
Sunday World
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Former Belfast Grand Prix driver tells of ‘surreal' experience on blockbuster movie set
The Belfast man was at the heart of the action on F1: The Movie which features genuine footage of the horrific 1990 crash which almost cost him his leg Martin Donnelly lies on the track as his Lotus disintegrates aganist the barriers at the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix of 1990. Martin Donnelly lies on the track as his Lotus disintegrates aganist the barriers at the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix of 1990. The Belfast man was at the heart of the action on F1: The Movie which features genuine footage of the horrific 1990 crash which almost cost him his leg. The surreal film experience started with an unexpected call from Lewis Hamilton, executive producer on the movie, and led to Donnelly directing Pitt in the pit lane. The star plays Formula 1 driver Sonny Hayes whose career stalls after an accident, until he's brought back to mentor a rising star, played by Damson Idris. Brad Pitt Martin, from west Belfast met Pitt and director Joseph Kosinski, who made high-octane Top Gun: Maverick, at Silverstone before filming started. 'The first thing Brad Pitt said to me was 'you're my hero. How the hell are you still with us?' and we chewed the cud for half an hour,' says the 61-year-old. 'He's not above himself, and he's a lovely guy to speak to. 'When Lewis took him out on to the track in the car he had a real talent for driving.' The dad-of-three was also surprised to be asked to show the actor how he should behave in the pits when filming started at Brands Hatch. Martin shared his lucky ritual, which was to get in on the left side of the car, and put his left leg in first. 'Brad was asking me for directions, like where he should be standing, and I was thinking to myself, 'is he talking to me?' Martin Donnelly lies on the track as his Lotus disintegrates aganist the barriers at the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix of 1990. 'I told him what I did, which was to ask the car to be kind to you, and took him through my superstitions.' Luck was on Martin's side in 1990 when he survived one of the most memorable crashes of Formula 1. During a practice lap in Jerez in Spain for Lotus a mechanical failure sent his car into the crash barriers at 160 mph. Viewers watched in horror as Martin, still strapped to his seat, was flung down the tarmac, breaking both legs, and left unconscious with his limbs horribly twisted. The filmmakers had considered basing their story on Gerhard Berger's 1989 crash, when his car burst into flames, but when Lewis Hamilton showed the director footage of Martin's accident they decided to get him on board. They then tried to recreate the crash but nothing compared to the real footage, which is used in the movie. Formula One racing driver Martin Donnelly undergoing rehabilitation 'I would have patented that footage if I'd known that someone from Hollywood was going to play my life,' says Martin. 'If I had done that I'd have more money now than Brad Pitt. 'When they were filming they tried throwing a mannequin from a trailer but Joseph decided the footage wasn't good enough and it was easier to get permission from Formula 1 to use the actual footage. 'It's odd watching yourself getting thrown about like a ragdoll, lying in the middle of the circuit with someone leaning in to feel for a pulse. 'But at the premiere I missed it. I got up to go to the toilet and when I came back Brad was sitting with my kids and he said 'you missed your bit'. I'll have to go back and see it again.' Martin still works with Lotus and runs his own driving academy in Norfolk. After his accident he continued to race in other categories, including the British Touring Championship in 2015, but his injuries ended his dream of top level competition. Medical personnel surround British driver Martin Donnelly after his car crashed He completed a test with Jordan in 1993, however the death of his friend Ayrton Senna a year later helped make his decision to leave F1. His injuries were so catastrophic he was put in an induced coma for weeks and struggled to speak when he came out of it. He suffered head and lung injuries, had two heart attacks, and was given the last rites by a priest. He also learned that Spanish surgeons were preparing to amputate his left leg when F1 medical director Professor Sid Watkins intervened. 'Sid grabbed this 19-year-old kid at the circuit who could speak Spanish and English and went to the hospital where the two surgeons were all gowned up and ready to take my leg off, because my femur was out through the skin,' says Martin. 'The surgeons were asking who Sid was and he was telling them I was his patient and this kid was translating. Sid took his belt off to tourniquet the blood and got me back to England. 'They were worried after I came round that I wasn't speaking, until a doctor put a syringe into me one day and I grabbed him and said 'that f*****g hurts'. He told Sid, 'your colleague said his first words, and told me to f*** off'. 'I went through operations to get mobility back in my leg, but when Senna's accident happened on May 1 1994 I said let it go. Enough is enough. 'And I'm here to talk about it,' he says. The movie, on which he's given a special credit, has taken $144 million so far at the box office and become Pitt's biggest ever movie launch. 'Who doesn't love a bit of Brad,' says Martin. Martin Donnelly at the London premiere News in 90 Seconds - July 10th
Newsweek
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Christian Horner's Comments on Ferrari Resurface After Red Bull F1 Exit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Christian Horner's thoughts about the Ferrari F1 team have resurfaced after his abrupt exit from Red Bull Racing on Wednesday. The Milton Keynes-based team announced it was parting ways with Horner with immediate effect. Horner served Red Bull for 20 years, playing a big role in achieving six constructors' championships and eight drivers' championships. Red Bull showcased its most recent dominance under his leadership in the current ground effect era that began in 2022. The following year, in 2023, saw the outfit secure 21 Grand Prix victories out of a 22-race calendar. It was in the same year that Horner was asked about a potential move to Ferrari. The then-Red Bull boss stated that Ferrari must prioritize becoming a winning team, and admitted that heading it was a high-pressure job. He said: "I think the biggest problem for Ferrari is that it's a national team. It needs to get back to being a race team. Scuderia Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner arrive in the paddock together during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on... Scuderia Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner arrive in the paddock together during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 26, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico. More"It's an Italian institution and there's probably too many people at the top end. Everybody has an input and has a say. "From the outside looking in, one of our strengths is that we move quickly, we make decisions and we stick to them. And if we make the wrong decision, we change the decision. "I think, for Ferrari, the newspapers have such an influence on what happens there. So it's a lot of pressure being at Ferrari." Rumors about Horner joining Ferrari swirled again in the paddock during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend a few weeks ago. F1 journalist Joe Saward recalled Ferrari chairman John Elkann's interest in Horner back in 2022 and revealed whether the Briton would still be interested in leading the red team. He wrote: "This story was true about three years ago when Ferrari chairman John Elkann jetted over the England and dropped in to see Christian and asked him if he would like to move to Maranello. Horner said 'Thanks for the offer' and Elkann rang his pilots and told them to spool up the jets. "Horner's response is unlikely to change if Ferrari does come calling again, but he said that they had not. For many in F1 joining Ferrari is considered a career move akin to throwing oneself on a bonfire (with a flameproof wallet) because the team seems to be unfixable. It is nearly a generation since Ferrari won its last Formula 1 title. "It is probably inevitable that Vasseur's future is beginning to be questioned. He has been there for a couple of seasons and things have not gone particularly well." While these were Saward's thoughts about Horner before his Red Bull ousting, it remains to be seen if Horner would change his mind about Ferrari after Red Bull parted ways with him.
