Latest news with #Zen-like
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Get to know maybe the coolest, calmest F1 driver in history
Oscar Piastri might just be the coolest Formula 1 driver there has ever been. The Australian exudes a sense of calmness that seems to permeate his entire being. He doesn't criticise his rivals. He doesn't shout on the team radio. He doesn't really do controversy. This quality has been notable since he made his debut in F1, just over two years ago. Now, seven races into a season that he could end by achieving his life's dream at the age of 24, it is proving to be one of his killer strengths as he navigates his first title campaign. Piastri says this "comes quite naturally", but as in many cases in elite sport, it's the work that's done to hone the talent that makes the difference. "Whether that's from my genes, I don't know," Piastri says. "But there is a lot of conscious effort on maintaining that. Maybe it comes a bit more naturally, but (it's) trying to sit in that nice zone where you can be calm and know what works for you. "I'm still a human and I still have emotions, so I still have to control it. And that is a strength of mine. "Ninety-nine per cent of the time I'm probably as calm as it looks. There's definitely moments in the car where it puts my emotions to the test. But it kind of goes back to the work you do, kind of putting things in perspective." How 'delicious' Verstappen move caught McLaren by surprise Piastri wins from Norris in Miami to extend lead Piastri signs new long-term contract with McLaren Piastri's Zen-like personality, and the desert-dry humour that comes with it, is beginning to create him quite the following. But he is a simple soul, and it comes as no surprise to hear he cares not for the trappings of F1. "I don't get bothered that much by kind of all the fanfare that goes on," Piastri says. "And I appreciate all the support that I get. But I'm here to drive race cars. I like driving race cars. I like going fast. I like trying to beat other people. That's what I'm here for. "I feel like I'm a pretty simple person. And, yeah, my sense of humour is pretty dry, and I don't give much. But that's just me being me. "In this sport, it's very easy to kind of get lost trying to be something you're not, and kind of fit to a mould. "I feel like I can just be myself. And I think with more experience and once you have some good results and you become more comfortable, then you can come out of your shell a bit more. But for me there's not that much shell. It's just how I am." Piastri credits some of his mentality on having to make it to F1 from so far away. He moved to Europe as a 14-year-old. His father, Chris, stayed with him for the first six months, but then he returned to Australia and Piastri went to boarding school in England. Piastri says this made him "grow up quite quickly - you get a lot of life experience very early on". "It was definitely a big decision, but I never had to question it too much," he adds. "My kind of way of looking at that was, 'OK, I want to become a professional racing driver. If I can do it in Formula 1, then that's even better. And the way of getting there is by going to Europe.' "So, again, removing the emotion from it to an extent, I kind of went, 'I want to achieve this dream of mine. This is how I get there.'" Piastri is leading the championship by 13 points from his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris heading into this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix. His breakthrough year came in 2024, when he took his maiden grand prix victory in Hungary, and followed it up with a second in Azerbaijan, founded on the sort of brave, clinical, decisive overtaking manoeuvre that has become his trademark. Those incisive racing skills have paid off this year. He already has two of the best overtaking moves of the season to his name. A brave pass on Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari in the wet around the outside of the fastest corner on the track in Melbourne and - even better - on Hamilton again in the dust around the outside of the kink approaching the high-speed chicane in Saudi Arabia, a move that was critical in ensuring he took the lead from Verstappen around the pit stops in Jeddah. Is there a parallel between his unruffled personality and his decisiveness on track? "I don't know if it's a parallel," he says, "but they're certainly linked. "In some ways, they're kind of opposites, right? My calm personality and some of my moves are on the aggressive side. But I do think that those moves come from being able to be calm and think clearly." Although Verstappen caught him unawares with his stunning pass into the first chicane in Imola on Sunday, Piastri has already shown he is not intimidated by the four-time champion's uncompromising approach to racing. Last year, in a BBC Sport interview, Verstappen gave a rare insight into his philosophy of racing, saying: "When I race with someone, he will not be able to overtake me around the outside." But Piastri has already proved he has what it takes. He took the lead from Verstappen at the start in Jeddah, and did so again in Miami - with a move that started by going around the outside, and which provoked the Dutchman into braking too late, allowing Piastri to cut back to the inside. "Even without Max saying that, just from watching him through the years and now racing against him, I already knew that," Piastri says. "And I feel like in all honesty, I have - maybe it's a slightly less brutal approach - but it's certainly not dissimilar. "Max and I race each other in quite a similar way. Very robust, uncompromising, and I think we both push the limits to an extent. "I always try to be fair, but it's a very fine line between good, hard racing and just overstepping the mark, and it's always difficult to find that balance. "But I feel like the both of us have a lot of respect for racing each other. We know what to expect, especially after a few battles this year." What impresses about Piastri in battle is the preciseness. He doesn't waste energy. He doesn't go for a move that's not on, or try a half move that is not going to come off. He waits, and pounces when the moment is just right. "I learned pretty early on in my career that normally when you do things half-heartedly in a race car, that's normally when things go wrong," he says. "Whether that's pushing on a qualifying lap or especially overtaking someone, normally actually the best way to not get yourself in trouble is by just committing to things. "That's obviously a bit of a mental hurdle to get over, but I feel like once I got over that in my karting days, then it's been more or less a strength of mine ever since." The racing skills have been apparent in Piastri from the start in F1. Where he has stepped it up this season is in his outright performance. Last year, Norris was unquestionably McLaren's lead driver, the one usually taking the fight to Verstappen. Piastri beat the Briton only four times in qualifying in the whole season, and his average lap-time deficit to his team-mate was 0.147 seconds. This season, the score is 6-3 in Piastri's favour over all qualifying sessions, including the sprints, and now the average time advantage is 0.146secs for him. This is the foundation for his four wins, to Verstappen's two and Norris' one. How has he turned things around so effectively? "The team's done a great job with the car," Piastri says. "And the team's also done a great job with myself. That part goes both ways. We've found gains in every area. The driver being one of them. "Just trying to chase performance in every category, basically. "Last year what was hampering me was my qualifying performances, which I think ultimately came down to a slight lack of pace overall. And going about trying to find that pace has been definitely a challenging exercise, but obviously a very worthwhile one." The answer, he says, has been "trying to just find the last couple of hundredths (of a second) in every category you can. And they all add up. "The first place you look at is obviously the driving and the data, and no two people will drive in an identical way. But normally there's some traits from one driver that are better than the other. And some from another that are better than your team-mate's. "So Lando has obviously been a great reference for that, being very, very quick the whole time we've been together. "I am maybe a faster driver. But I don't think it's because I can now do things that I couldn't do before. It's just that I'm able to tie it together a lot more. "You work on the technical aspects of driving. Whether it's how you brake and turn, how you apply your steering lock. It's quite hard to teach yourself to drive un-instinctively, but it is possible." The contrast with Norris - who has spent much of the year so far explaining how the car does not behave in the way he wants, and how that has been holding him back - is obvious. But both McLaren drivers are in the title fight - Verstappen is currently third, 22 points behind Piastri. Does he have any concern that Verstappen could sneak through the middle as he and Norris take points off each other? "It is a possibility, yes," he says. "But, on both sides of the garage here, we want to win because we've been the best driver, the best team, including against the other car in the team. You always want to earn things on merit and you want to be able to beat everyone, including your team-mates. "So that gives Lando and I the best chance of our personal goals of trying to become drivers' world champion, while also achieving the main result for the team, which is the constructors' championship. "If we do get beaten by Max, of course that would hurt, but we would know that we both had the same opportunity, we were racing everybody out there and that's just how it panned out. "For us it's the most straightforward, the fairest way of going racing and that's what we've asked for." And does he think about the fact he can end the year as world champion? "A bit, yes," he says. "But I've also thought about it before this year as well. "It's very easy to kind of just go: 'Yeah, that's the situation I'm in', but what I've been doing in the past 10 years, especially the past two years, has all been building to try and prepare for when I'm in this situation. "And it's very easy for me to just go: 'Well, if I execute this practice session, execute this qualifying session, execute this race, naturally my championship's going to start to look pretty rosy.' "It's obviously still very early in the year, and once you get later in the season, the pressure ramps up. "Potentially some of the decisions you make on the track start to change a bit. But for now, it's just about trying to score the most points I can and go out there and try and win every race." How to follow Monaco Grand Prix on the BBC Has F1's iconic Monaco Grand Prix become boring? F1 Q&A: Did McLaren miss a trick in Norris v Piastri battle? Monaco Grand Prix Preview
Gulf Weekly
22-05-2025
- Health
- Gulf Weekly
Freedom from gadgets
1. For someone who has spent most of her life working in the media, the constant news barrage took its toll on my health. So, many years ago, I decided to spend one precious day a week without using my mobile, a digital detox for my sanity. I deliberately shut out the world, silencing notifications from my mobile and embracing the quiet. Twenty-five years of this practice has given me immense joy, peace and stability. People always tell me that I look happy and younger than my age! Going offline has also taught me patience and endurance, making me a better person, ready for any challenges that life has to offer. I continue to 'detox' to this day, especially during weekends. The irony of it - I am happiest whenever I am not touching my mobile. Prioritising my mental health above all is the best decision I've ever made in my life. - Nanju Francisco, 59, Filipino media specialist 2. Living a day without the phone? Unthinkable, right? Trust me, it is both liberating and refreshing. Ironically, I attempted this a few weeks ago and felt refreshed albeit just for a day but it was worth it. Jumped out of bed, resisted the urge to 'Wordle', instead dived into the newspaper with my cuppa. The GDN it was! Then hopped on my bicycle for a long ride into oblivion; soaked in nature, listened to the many tunes of happy birds and got doused with a spray of water from a garden sprinkler, gone wild. Liberating! Withdrawal symptoms sans phone? Sure! Not checking it constantly for updates on social media made me calmer and Zen-like as I immersed myself in other hobbies. As the day progressed, I got restive and called friends I had not seen in a while on my landline. Sadly, a gadget meant to connect us is losing its flavour as it slowly disconnects us from the real world and real people. No thanks to social media, the 'digital drug' that's getting us hooked. I plan to make phone-free days a habit rather than a one-off challenge. – Sheela Pai, 63, retired Indian banker 3. The digital detox challenge is something I do regularly. I often take time away from gadgets. Even on a daily basis, I have set a time limit after which phone usage is only to attend to important calls. Instead of spending hours scrolling , I love to read and write. For news updates, I prefer to listen to the radio or read the newspaper. Going for regular evening walks with my son Parth is a must, which gives us time to connect with nature, observing the sunset and sunrise, listening to chirping birds from dawn to dusk - it uplifts me. And, I never carry the phone. Meditating on a regular basis also helps me distract myself from screens. I am happy, calm and relaxed when I step away from my device. I have observed that I don't crave screentime and continue to pursue my hobbies and have meaningful interactions with loved ones. – Parul Sharma, 40, Indian homemaker and part-time teacher 4. GDN and GulfWeekly reporter Nader Adnan also accepted the challenge! Here's what he had to say. Going into this challenge. I avoided all screen time, except occasionally checking my phone for urgent or work-related messages. I avoided social media in its entirety, and learned very quickly that I did not miss it. It was refreshing going through the day without negativity or doom scrolling. Instead, I went through my camera – photography is one of my hobbies – and discovered a couple of new settings and features I've never seen before! I like going for walks and usually do so with headphones. No screen time however meant no music, and it felt weird walking around the neighbourhood without songs in my ears. I ended up actually observing my surroundings more mindfully. I realised that other than a couple of instances here and there, I did not really miss my phone that much, although it did feel weird paying for something in cash instead of BenefitPay!
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
The irresistible calm of Operation Sindoor briefing hero Vikram Misri
Rest assured, Vikram Misri will not mind being told he is no Shah Rukh Khan. He will also not mind being told he is no Aamir Khan or Salman Khan. Yet during Operation Sindoor, the 60-year-old's popularity was soaring faster than a BrahMos missile and dwarfed that of the three Khans, who incidentally are almost as old as he is. This was for a reason, at once simple and increasingly rare: the Indian Foreign Secretary became the man of the moment, because following Kipling's sage advice, he kept his head while all about him were losing theirs. Misri's mastery of his brief came when many of the already hotheaded TV anchors had turned totally rabid, even spewing the choicest of abuses on primetime TV! Sleep-deprived journalists like us in online media, meanwhile, were left scrambling for the crumbs of information we could retrieve from the fog of war every day and night. Into this daily circus would step a composed Misri, head and hair in place, as the oasis of reason. We must acknowledge that the Foreign Secretary had the advantage of being well-briefed. But still to say the right words, to avoid getting carried away in the slightest and to exude Zen-like poise while doing so counted for a lot. Sun Tzu in his classic treatise The Art of War noted: "It is the unemotional, reserved, calm, detached warrior who wins, not the hothead seeking vengeance and not the ambitious seeker of fortune." Going by that wisdom, Misri, with his immaculate presence, won the briefing war for us. He was helped in his endeavour by his two new lieutenants, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who also brought discipline and dignity to the mix. These were two officers who must have battled their way to get to where they were and had done so in the finest manner possible. To see them all being celebrated was heartwarming. Grace is astounding and India thankfully didn't need a hymn to be reminded of this. The mindless cacophony clogging the airwaves at other times was more than enough, thank you. Coming back to Misri, it is illuminating that despite beginning his career in the ad world, he prefers to shun the limelight whenever he can. His glittering career, which began with his entry into the Indian Foreign Service in 1989, had seen him serve as the First Secretary at the 2001 Agra Summit between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf. Hailing from a Kashmiri Pandit family and having grown up in Srinagar, Misri had attempted to do his bit to bring calm to the valley by 'putting in late hours even after everyone else had retired' at the grandest India-Pakistan peace summit ever. He was serving as Ambassador to China in 2020 when the clashes in Galwan erupted and is said to have played a crucial role in keeping the conversations going. Fittingly, when India and China agreed in October 2024 to disengage troops, it was Misri, a China expert, who made the announcement as Foreign Secretary from the Indian side. Offering another glowing testimony to the 'thorough professional' is his unique record of having served as private secretary to three Prime Ministers -- IK Gujral, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi. The lover of crime thrillers was the Deputy National Security Advisor (Strategic Affairs) from January 2022 to end-June 2024. He took over as India's 35th Foreign Secretary fifteen days after leaving that role. The fan of Al Pacino's Dog Day Afternoon might have many more dog days awaiting him since he is in the hot seat till July 2026 at least. But trust him to continue to go about his job in the most gentlemanly of ways. What a relief that is!
Vancouver Sun
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
LEAFS TAKEAWAYS: Matthews, Marner, Woll step up for shutout of Panthers
Just when the Maple Leafs' season was heading south to elimination, they've pointed it north for a Game 7. Their previously Not Ready For Prime Time Players — Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner — combined on the game-winning first goal at Sunrise, Fla., on Friday night, but it was a true group effort from Joseph Woll out, to fix the GPS in a 2-0 win, setting up a winner-take-all Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena. Our takeaways on the victory at Amerant Bank Arena. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. It was the kind of goal Matthews and Marner score with ease in regular season, but denied to them in so many playoff games when heavy foes such as Florida shut down their ice. Early in the third period of 0-0 game, an interception by Marner at the Panthers blueline led to a quick pass to former Rocket Richard Trophy-winner Matthews for a five-hole dart on Sergei Bobrovsky, who had a .982 save percentage entering Friday. 'He's a special player and your best players rise to the occasion,' Woll told the media in Sunrise, flipping the criticism that Matthews has endured at this time of year. Matthews was grateful to not only shift the conversation from his 13 games without a playoff goal against Florida, to everyone closing ranks around Woll and his injured first-line left winger Matthew Knies. 'Gutsy win to keep our season alive, gutsy win all around,' he said. 'Break through late and play solid defence to close it out. It feels good to see that (goal), but the job's not done yet.' Max Pacioretty, who added an insurance goal, called Matthews' marker 'an unbelievable shot from an unbelievable player', noting no one on either side wanted to muff a third-period chance as the tension tightened collars. 'That's why he's our captain,' Pacioretty said. '(Pressure) didn't bother them both tonight. They played a great game. Everyone will want to talk about their goals and points, but so many plays are in my mind of them winning puck battles and stick battles to seal the win. 'They bring so much to a team and it showed tonight.' Marner, his much-forecast last game as a Leaf now given at least a 48-hour reprieve, has kept a Zen-like attitude since a terrible Game 5 that underlined his own playoff woes since 2018. 'We knew we wouldn't get many looks, the thing we liked about it was just staying patient with our game,' Marner said. 'We got a couple of big (penalty) kills to start off.' On the Matthews topic, Marner complimented him for not letting outside forces get into his kitchen as his low playoff production was ripped coast-to-coast. 'It's what you love to see,' Marner said. 'There's a lot of trust in that room.' Don't expect secretive coach Craig Berube to divulge anything on Knies' lower-body injury that had him grimacing on the bench between the breaks in shifts he was given. It looked like his hip or thigh took the worst of a reverse hit by 6-foot-6 Florida defenceman Niko Mikkola in the first period. But Knies came back out for the second period and kept conversing with Berube to assure him he could play limited shifts. The coach moved Pacioretty or Bobby McMann into the left wing spot on the top line. Unlike a few bottom-six forwards who have been in and out — Calle Jarnkrok and Pontus Holmberg returned for Game 6 after a night off in favour of David Kampf and Nick Robertson — power forward Knies would be a huge loss. Berube said he couldn't answer whether Knies plays Sunday. The Leafs overnighted in Florida. 'I used him in situational play down the stretch, if he was good to go, understanding where he was at,' Berube said From a five-goal hook in Game 5 to 22 saves and his first career post-season shutout, Woll has set himself up to finish the series, even if Anthony Stolarz makes a miracle comeback from his suspected head injury. Then again, elimination contests have become old hat for St. Louis native Woll, who owns a record of 4-1 and a .958 save percentage in such games, twice beating Florida, counting a 2023 win, twice extending the Leafs against Boston last spring. 'We weren't worried about him for one second,' insisted McMann. 'He was just solid all the way through, square to pucks, no rebounds, sliding across for back doors, he was all over it tonight.' Now it's a chance in Woll's first Game 7, which has proven to be the witching hour for Toronto playoff hopes. James Reimer, Frederik Andersen, Jack Campbell and Ilya Samsonov have all preceded him losing at least once in that scenario. Until Friday, the Leafs had not enjoyed a second-round shutout since Curtis Joseph against the Ottawa Senators in 2002. '(Game 5) was just one game. You play a lot of games and that's a skill in itself,' Woll said of staying positive. 'A lot of work goes into being just where you are. You have to get out of your own way, it is something I've learned. It's what the best competitors are able to do and just let it flow through them. 'The biggest thing I'm feeling now is the confidence in our group.' Lhornby@ X: @sunhornby
Ottawa Citizen
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
LEAFS TAKEAWAYS: Matthews, Marner, Woll step up for shutout of Panthers
Just when the Maple Leafs' season was heading south to elimination, they've pointed it north for a Game 7. Article content Their previously Not Ready For Prime Time Players — Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner — combined on the game-winning first goal at Sunrise, Fla., on Friday night, but it was a true group effort from Joseph Woll out, to fix the GPS in a 2-0 win, setting up a winner-take-all Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena. Article content Article content Article content It was the kind of goal Matthews and Marner score with ease in regular season, but denied to them in so many playoff games when heavy foes such as Florida shut down their ice. Article content Early in the third period of 0-0 game, an interception by Marner at the Panthers blueline led to a quick pass to former Rocket Richard Trophy-winner Matthews for a five-hole dart on Sergei Bobrovsky, who had a .982 save percentage entering Friday. Article content 'He's a special player and your best players rise to the occasion,' Woll told the media in Sunrise, flipping the criticism that Matthews has endured at this time of year. Article content Matthews was grateful to not only shift the conversation from his 13 games without a playoff goal against Florida, to everyone closing ranks around Woll and his injured first-line left winger Matthew Knies. Article content 'Gutsy win to keep our season alive, gutsy win all around,' he said. 'Break through late and play solid defence to close it out. It feels good to see that (goal), but the job's not done yet.' Article content Article content Max Pacioretty, who added an insurance goal, called Matthews' marker 'an unbelievable shot from an unbelievable player', noting no one on either side wanted to muff a third-period chance as the tension tightened collars. Article content 'That's why he's our captain,' Pacioretty said. '(Pressure) didn't bother them both tonight. They played a great game. Everyone will want to talk about their goals and points, but so many plays are in my mind of them winning puck battles and stick battles to seal the win. Article content 'They bring so much to a team and it showed tonight.' Article content Marner, his much-forecast last game as a Leaf now given at least a 48-hour reprieve, has kept a Zen-like attitude since a terrible Game 5 that underlined his own playoff woes since 2018. Article content 'We knew we wouldn't get many looks, the thing we liked about it was just staying patient with our game,' Marner said. 'We got a couple of big (penalty) kills to start off.'
