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F1 Austrian GP: Five quick takeaways

F1 Austrian GP: Five quick takeaways

Yahooa day ago

Lando Norris fights back
Lando Norris is back in this title fight. He said after qualifying on pole position that it was 'nice to see the old me back every now and again' - and he backed that up with a great performance under pressure in the race.
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Norris showed shades of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he held off the threat of two Ferraris to take the victory that cemented the constructors' championship for McLaren. For a driver so frequently criticised for his mental fragility, he showed fortitude and strength when it mattered most.
He showed the same once again at the Red Bull Ring. Norris came under pressure from his team-mate Oscar Piastri from the start but did not crumble. Could this be a new start for Norris? I hope so, for it feels like their title battle is now a two-horse race and we need to keep it entertaining to the very end of the season.
- Ben Hunt
Max Verstappen's title hopes fade
Defending his world title in 2025 was always going to be an uphill battle for Max Verstappen, but after the Austrian Grand Prix, it now seems an impossible task. Red Bull lacks pure pace and is extremely vulnerable in hot conditions, as qualifying in Spielberg showed. Despite introducing the first part of a floor upgrade, Saturday at its home track turned into another painful reality check.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
On Sunday, things went from bad to worse. A mistake by Kimi Antonelli ended Verstappen's race before it had properly started – and with it, his championship hopes. Every time Verstappen was asked about the title fight during his conversations with Dutch media, he replied: 'What title fight? I don't even look at McLaren.'
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After a DNF in front of his own fans in Austria, that sentiment seems fitting for the rest of this season. Verstappen will have to wait longer for a potential fifth world title.
- Ronald Vording
Ferrari's strongest weekend in 2025
One track is not enough to provide definite answers on Ferrari's upgrades, but the first sample is positive. Qualifying pace has been Ferrari's main struggle this year, and Saturday was not just good but 'fantastic,' according to Lewis Hamilton.
There are a couple of factors to consider, though. Firstly, this is a unique track, and the picture could look very different next week at Silverstone. Secondly, it appears some teams, including Red Bull, were caught by surprise at how much the tyres were impacted by rising temperatures. All in all, this was probably Ferrari's strongest performance of the year, and that should at least provide a motivational boost for the team.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
However, challenging McLaren at the moment remains too big a task - not just for Ferrari, though.
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- Oleg Karpov
Gabriel Bortoleto seals his best F1 weekend with first points
'Let's see what we can achieve in the next race. It's disappointing not to be in the points,' said Gabriel Bortoleto after finishing 14th last time out in Canada, while his team-mate Nico Hülkenberg secured his second consecutive points finish with eighth place.
Redemption came quickly for the Brazilian, who delivered a superb performance at the Austrian Grand Prix. Bortoleto showed pace from the start on Friday, finishing inside the top 10 in every practice session before earning his first Q3 appearance in qualifying.
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
On Sunday, Bortoleto drove a solid race, consistently running inside the top 10 and eventually finishing eighth at the Red Bull Ring to score his first Formula 1 points.
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This result is exactly what the reigning Formula 2 champion needed after a slow start to the season as he adapted to life in Formula 1. With more than half the season still to go, it will be interesting to see what Bortoleto can achieve in a Sauber car that is increasingly emerging as a serious midfield contender.
- Federico Faturos
Austria is a great track for racing
Motorsport purists will fondly remember the Osterreichring, a challenging three-mile circuit which ran through the scenic Austrian mountains and was very fast and free flowing.
It joined the F1 calendar in 1970, but dropped off at the end of 1987 as the FIA deemed its demanding layout too dangerous.
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So, Austria modified the venue and returned to F1 in 1997 with the A1-Ring, now the Red Bull Ring, and often, when changes like this happen for safety reasons, the track is made worse - looking at you the Nurburgring.
Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
But on this occasion, the Red Bull Ring is just as good as its predecessor - if not better! What's amazing about the Austrian track is how its short, free-flowing nature paves way for such relentless racing.
Just look at today's grand prix: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri continuously battled for the lead and you couldn't take your eyes off it, because they just kept going at it and something was happening each lap. Laps which are over in the blink of an eye.
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It wasn't a one-off either, think Norris and Max Verstappen last year, Verstappen with Charles Leclerc in 2019, or even the latter pair again in 2022.
Everything seems to happen at Turn 3 too, whether it's successful overtakes or drivers misjudging an attempt down the inside and clattering into someone - Andrea Kimi Antonelli today, Sebastian Vettel in 2020 and David Coulthard in 1999.
The track offers no rest bite with the best wheel-to-wheel action on the F1 calendar. So, while the futures of many European circuits look in doubt, thank goodness Austria is here to stay with its recently announced extension until 2041…
- Ed Hardy
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Your Euro 2025 cheat sheet. Plus: USWNT's Biyendolo gets well-deserved recognition
Your Euro 2025 cheat sheet. Plus: USWNT's Biyendolo gets well-deserved recognition

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Your Euro 2025 cheat sheet. Plus: USWNT's Biyendolo gets well-deserved recognition

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Borussia Dortmund, a powerful past and the next step: ‘We have to reach people's hearts'
Borussia Dortmund, a powerful past and the next step: ‘We have to reach people's hearts'

New York Times

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Borussia Dortmund, a powerful past and the next step: ‘We have to reach people's hearts'

From within the gloom, a new Borussia Dortmund era might be emerging. Six months ago, they were languishing in the Bundesliga's mid-table, in a pit of form that saw Nuri Sahin sacked as head coach. But under the hard sun of the Club World Cup, everything looks much brighter. Dortmund will face Monterrey in a last-16 clash in Atlanta on Tuesday (9pm ET/3am Wednesday German time). After a dramatic turnaround under Niko Kovac, Sahin's replacement, which saw the team climb from 11th in the Bundesliga to fourth over the final eight weeks, they will also be competing in next season's Champions League. Advertisement Suddenly, the beginnings of momentum. Dynamic winger Jamie Gittens has been sold to Chelsea but Jobe Bellingham has been signed from Sunderland to strengthen the midfield and has started well. More incomings are expected to follow. Off the field, more good news. Telecommunications company Vodafone has committed to a long-term deal to be Dortmund's front-of-shirt sponsor from next season, part of a commercial restructuring that will see the club earn an extra €10million (£8.5m, $11.7m) each season. Twelve months on from the divisive agreement with weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall, the mood has changed, and so is the public face. In May 2024, Lars Ricken became the club's CEO for Sport. Hans-Joachim Watzke, CEO since 2005, will soon step away from his role and Ricken, the former Dortmund and Germany international midfielder, previously the head of the academy, was promoted into a newly created role. It has lifted him into the limelight in a way that, at times, has been difficult. When the score changes in a Dortmund game, for better or for worse, Ricken is now one of the faces that the television cameras pick out accusingly in the crowd. 'I'm used to the attention,' Ricken tells The Athletic. 'I played for the club for 15 years, so the media has always been interested in me but, of course, I feel the responsibility now — not only for the sporting side and with the coaches and the players, but I think we have 10million fans in Germany alone, and that can create a lot of pressure. 'As Hans-Joachim Watzke once told me, sometimes it will be very lonely around you, and he was right, especially after a loss or during a crisis. That's why I need people around me who aren't there just when we are successful, but also share responsibility when things aren't going so well.' For now, things are better — and largely owing to one of the biggest decisions of Ricken's tenure: the hiring of Kovac in February. It was more than a coaching change. Sahin, like his predecessor Edin Terzic, was not only a former player but also a fan of the club who had been born in the region. He had Dortmund in the blood — and that was something that Ricken wanted to avoid when choosing his replacement. Advertisement 'We had two coaches with Nuri and Edin Terzic, two guys from Dortmund, and I thought that there were a lot of expectations from fans and from the media that in every game and in every interview they had to show their passion and love for the club,' he says. 'For that reason, I wanted an external coach who could just focus on his role, and with Niko's experience as a player and a coach, I thought he was the right person.' It sounds simpler than it really was. Jurgen Klopp left Dortmund in 2015 but his legacy was the expectation of a certain style of play, and one that Kovac did not necessarily conform to. His teams were more disciplined and structured. They counter-attacked more, their pressing was never quite as rabid, and their football was not as bold. There were plenty of doubts, especially after Dortmund lost their first two Bundesliga games under Kovac, but his appointment has proven a triumph, with his side winning seven of their final eight games and snatching final Champions League qualification on the final matchday. Ricken is not surprised. 'I was talking to Arsene Wenger a few days ago when he came to one of our training sessions, and he was saying that the best time for a coach is between 43 and 65 — Niko is 53 now,' he says. 'You can see his development; how important his experience has been and how he has been able to develop a great relationship with the players, and get so many of them playing to their strengths. 'I'm not the only one responsible for bringing Niko to Dortmund but since he's been here, we've been second in the (form) table behind Bayern Munich.' Part of that improvement can be traced to a simple change: Dortmund are working harder. When Kovac took over in February, they had run only the 14th-furthest distance in the Bundesliga and, collectively, were averaging 114km per game as a team. On the penultimate weekend of the season, when Dortmund beat defending champions Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 away from home, they ran 121.5km as a team, further than any other side across that match day. Individual players have improved. Others have returned from injury. But, overall, the team is much more resilient, much harder to beat. Advertisement But the issue of style is interesting. Outside Germany, the assumption remains that Dortmund are still the team Klopp left behind. But 10 years have passed since then. The game has changed. So, how does Ricken want their playing identity to develop? 'Dortmund is a special place. It's a working-class region where hard work is just as important as the glamour of top football,' he says. 'Let me give you an example. In a team meeting some time ago, Niko was showing a video from our game against Barcelona in the Champions League, where Niklas Sule ran back 40 yards to catch an opponent who had gone beyond our defensive line. Nicky caught him, slid in and won the ball, knocking into the stands. 'The camera then switched to the crowd, who were celebrating the tackle like it was a goal. That's BVB: we want all of that. 'So, it's tough football but also technical, high-quality football, with quick transitions, courage and intensity. We don't need to pass the ball from the left to the right and back 100 times. Other teams are better at that. 'We want football that makes our fans look forward to the next game.' On those matchdays, when the cameras pick out Ricken and his facial expressions, they usually catch sight of Carsten Cramer, too. The club's managing director for sales and marketing is tall, with a shaved head and thick-rimmed glasses. He's distinctive and prominent. In 2024, Dortmund recorded total revenues of €514million, the largest component of which was €215m in commercial revenue (up from €188m the year before, and €141m in 2020). Matchday revenue is sizeable and stable, but Dortmund's 81,000-capacity Signal Iduna Park is exclusively used for football, meaning little room for growth. In December 2024, the Bundesliga announced a new domestic broadcasting contract beginning next season, which will provide €1.121bn per year. It's healthy, the second-richest in Europe, but nowhere near the €1.67bn the Premier League earns domestically each year. Advertisement Internationally, that gap is a chasm. The Premier League earns €1.69bn for selling its broadcasting rights overseas each season. The Bundesliga collects €263m. German football's 50+1 rule, which mandates that 50 per cent of the shares (plus one) in clubs be owned by their members, prevents major external investment from making up for that shortfall, placing greater emphasis on commercial activity. The new Vodafone deal, which will see the company logo on Dortmund's shirt, will earn the club between €30m-€35m each season for the next five years. On Dortmund's home kit, the logo will be black rather than the traditional red, in keeping with BVB's traditional colour scheme, and the partnership will also allow a separate deal for its training kit. 'Of course, we're really excited about this opportunity to work together with such a powerful global brand, with such a good reputation,' Cramer tells The Athletic. 'This could become a new success story for the German market. 'I remember seeing the Vodafone Manchester United shirt, the one David Beckham wore, so I've got a good feeling and I think this is a big step towards a fruitful future.' One of the challenges for Cramer is that many of Dortmund's virtues are intangible. Their wage bill is the second-highest in the Bundesliga but it is still less than half the size of Bayern Munich's, and, as such, they have few transcendent players. They do not deal in raw success, either. They have not won the Bundesliga since 2012. They have reached two Champions League finals in the time since, but Bayern have been German champions 12 times in the 13 seasons since then. That's a long shadow, but Cramer is bullish around this issue; it doesn't diminish Dortmund's brand, he says. It just changes the way it has to be sold. 'If you are looking for a challenger — if you are looking for an emotional brand and for a club that's really attracting the people, that is able to be a bonding force — then I would say that there is no big German alternative to Borussia Dortmund, or to the experience of coming to our stadium and watching football with 81,000 people,' he says. Advertisement The stadium is undoubtedly one of Europe's great footballing temples but its noise and atmosphere do not export. So, while this Club World Cup is an opportunity for Dortmund commercially, it's also a battle against wealthier, more visible clubs, with more famous players, fought without the club's biggest asset. By Cramer's telling, the pitch is a slower persuasion; a different sell to simply dangling superstars or turning up with armfuls of silverware. 'Well, this is our fourth appearance in the U.S,' he explains. 'We've played three summer tours in the U.S. before and we have a history of U.S. national team players, with Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna. We also have Mathis Albert (16) and Cole Campbell (19), so we're quite connected to America. 'But we never go to a market once. We don't just rush in, get some money out, and then move on, and try to develop another market somewhere else. We do it twice, three times. It has to be sustainable. We want to reach as many as possible and with as much intensity as possible. That means meeting and spending time with people, with fans. 'The more the people know about us, the more they will become invested. That is our very simple objective. Before we left Germany, we defined our KPIs (key performance indicators): how many people we want to reach, how many clients we want to meet, which content we wanted to produce, how many fan clubs we want to build, how many academy setups we want to develop in the next years.' Dortmund came prepared, and the progress is significant. Since arriving in the U.S., they have acquired an additional two million followers across their social media channels, they have produced a documentary on their U.S. players, which has been launched across 15 different media platforms, and, throughout the tournament, have worn a special edition kit that was a collaboration between Puma, the club's manufacturer, and KidSuper, the New York-based designer. 'The activation always has to be local,' says Cramer. 'If you have no understanding or no cultural fit to the territories where you are, then it doesn't work. When we open our offices in the different territories, the staff is always a mix of Germans and local people, because if you have no cultural understanding, you don't know how to activate and it doesn't just work to send a copy-and-paste approach around the world. 'People's interests are different. People's interest in football is different, too. The U.S. is a completely different market from Asia. 'But what's not different is the club. We don't change our DNA just to attract people. Whatever we do has to reach people's hearts. Our stadium is emotional and intense. Everything we do needs to be emotional and intense, too.' Advertisement Are Borussia Dortmund themselves on the pitch again yet? Are they the wild animal that they once were under Klopp or the nightmare in transition that Thomas Tuchel made them in the years after? No. Not yet. The team — while stylistically different by design — does not have the power of the sides that made them and their black and yellow colours famous in the first place. There's a long way to go and many more decisions to get right, but it would be a mistake to see them purely as a club chasing their past, or even to define their objectives too literally. 'Maybe its success is only when you win the German championships,' says Ricken. 'But it's not only about that. It's about attitude on the pitch and willingness to fight. So, while I can't promise that we will win titles and trophies, our supporters will know how important the club is by how we play on the pitch.'

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