Watch Esteban Ocon Tear Up Goodwood In Haas F1 Car
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Haas F1 driver Esteban Ocon is at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, celebrating ten seasons of Haas in Formula One. The four-day event in Sussex sees automotive fans, brands, racing teams, and iconic drivers gather in one place to celebrate speed and motoring.
The Goodwood Hillclimb sees drivers take off down the narrow track as the engine note echoes through the large crowds of fans. Haas was present at the iconic event to celebrate its anniversary.
As well as Ocon, his teammate Oliver Bearman, team principal Ayao Komatsu, and team owner Gene Haas were also present.
A video shared by the American outfit shows the Frenchman smoking the venue with fresh donuts in the VF23 F1 car from the 2023 season.
Gene Haas fired up the same car on Friday for his hillclimb run. Revealing his first-hand experience of driving his team's F1 car, he said:
Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Haas F1 VF-24 Ferrari does donuts during the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 12, 2025 in Chichester, England.
Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Haas F1 VF-24 Ferrari does donuts during the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 12, 2025 in Chichester, England."My first impression of being in the Formula 1 car was that it's very tight in there," said Haas after making his way up the famous Goodwood hill.
"There are a lot of nuances you have to learn about the clutch, shifting, and there are a million things going on. The hardest thing to do though is to try to drive a very fast car at a very slow speed."
Komatsu drove the VF24 from 2024 on Thursday and Friday. He wrote:
"I've absolutely loved today. Yesterday I was a bit nervous because everyone told me this course is tricky, so I drove it very slowly.
"Then, when I knew what I was dealing with, this morning I was so relaxed and just enjoyed every second – the process of getting the car to the start line, being inside the car and driving this amazing machinery.
"Doing all that in this amazing setting, the Festival of Speed, is such a privilege. I'm very grateful for the experience."
Haas has witnessed considerable growth after Komatsu took over the team's leadership ahead of the 2024 season. In 2023, the team finished at the bottom of the constructors' championship, leading many to make purchase offers to Gene. Komatsu pointed out that the team was not for sale. He said before the Festival of Speed:
"Honestly, he's seen lots of changes. He's so engaged now. He understands the details as well. What's the best way to put it? He's always been very passionate about the sport and the result. He always wants us to improve, which is what we need from the owner. He was always behind us.
"I don't know everything, but in the last 18 months he's had numerous offers to buy the team. He's not interested. He really enjoys being the owner of the F1 team. Currently one out of 10, from next year one out of 11. That's such a privileged position to be in.
"He came in at a time when F1 wasn't like this. He stuck with us during such a difficult period of COVID. Now he's enjoying it.
"Honestly, Gene's so committed. He's coming here [to Silverstone], obviously. He's arriving Friday or tomorrow and then staying for Goodwood. He's enjoying it. That's the main thing.
"We are grateful that we have such a passionate owner, so committed. He's not interested in selling at all. I can tell you recently I had some people really pushing to buy it, [Gene's] not interested. He got even annoyed that these guys are asking so many times."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hunt's live MLB All-Star Auction remains unique midsummer experience
During the 1996 MLB All-Star Game, Hunt Auctions ran its standard vendor playbook used at card shows, including The National, by setting up a booth and offering the chance to interact with and purchase vintage baseball items. The game was in Philadelphia, just an hour drive from Hunt's headquarters in Exton, so the auction house worked with the Phillies to set up during the weekend. That arrangement carried over to subsequent games until Hunt eventually approached MLB to be its official Auction House of the All-Star Game. Advertisement That was in 2005. More than 20 years later, the partnership is still running strong, with this year's live auction highlighted by a post-career Jackie Robinson jersey and one of the finest playing days autographed Babe Ruth baseballs in the hobby. When Hunt Auctions founder David Hunt first approached MLB about the partnership, he remembered the league being receptive. 'They have done a really good job at celebrating and recognizing their past is unequaled by any other American sport,' Hunt told cllct. This recognition allowed Hunt to find its footing during the All-Star festivities. Hunt Auctions, which is primarily known for vintage baseball, stays true to itself in its offerings, but also adapts to the locales of each year's game. Advertisement When the game came to Yankee Stadium in 2008, Hunt sold the Whitey Ford Collection. This year, the auction on July 15 consists of a number of large private Braves collections. One of the other unique aspects of the event is the appraisal fair, which allows fans to bring items to the experts at Hunt to get an idea of the value. It's also key for the relationship with MLB to keep the auctions tightly curated and not allow any items that might shine a poor light on the league. 'You know, you don't enjoy a two decade-plus relationship with the league by doing things the wrong way,' Hunt said. 'So we've always been very, very, very strict about what can be sold and only selling things that are appropriate to sell. And guaranteeing everything we sell, because those values clearly align with the way that Major League Baseball conducts themselves, and that's something that they rightfully demanded from Day 1.' Advertisement Hunt Auctions has always been known for its live auction events, a rarity in today's online world. While phone and internet bidders are allowed at the yearly event, Hunt sees the live aspect as invaluable. 'One thing that we've been known for for the entire 35 years of our company is physical live auctions, a true live auction with bidding paddles and excitement and adrenaline and, you know, the whole nine yards,' Hunt said. 'And we believe in it. I mean, it's sort of the foundation of our company.' Especially in the context of the MLB All-Star Game live auction, which sees plenty of fans without specific interest in collecting watching the event for a few minutes before carrying on, the live aspect can act as a tool in recruiting new collectors. Then, of course, there is the ability to hold the memorabilia in your hands. 'Physically handling a piece and seeing it in front of you, there is no technology that will match that,' Hunt said. 'There just isn't. It's not possible. So I think that's a really valuable piece, and if that costs us a bit more to bring that to collectors, we're happy to do it.' Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible content.
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
Schupak: I took the 'Rory McIlroy Tour' and played his childhood course. Here's what I learned
HOLYWOOD, Northern Ireland — I always wanted to get my picture with the famous Holywood sign. Not the one with two 'l's' high in the mountains in Los Angeles, an American landmark and cultural icon, but the one pronouncing this town of approximately 10,000 lying on the shores of Belfast Lough, between Belfast, Northern Island's capital, and Bangor. This one proudly proclaims upon entrance: 'Welcome to Holywood, historical gem of the Lough and home of Rory McIlroy.' Just a quarter-mile away, perched high in the Holywood Hills of County Down is Holywood Golf Club, a picturesque 18-hole parkland course where the Grand Slam champion cut his teeth. In April, after McIlroy won the Masters to become the sixth golfer ever to complete the career Grand Slam, the club launched the Rory McIlroy Tour to formalize a way for his golf fans from all over the globe who had been showing up unannounced for years to celebrate his journey to golfing greatness. The tour costs 22 pounds for adults and 17 per child (age 16 and under). It includes fresh Irish scones with jam and cream. The advertisement also offers a coffee or tea but I was given the choice of a Guinness and had the barkeep pour me one of those instead. There are photo opportunities with replicas of his trophies and memorabilia – no Green Jacket just yet! – and a chance to purchase 'the Home of Rory McIlroy' memorabilia in the pro shop. I had some time to kill before my 'tee time' so I drove through the town, past Sullivan Upper School, where he attended grammar school, and parked nearby the famed maypole at the crossroads in the town's center. Its origin is uncertain but according to folklore, it dates from 1700 when a Dutch ship is said to have run aground on the shore nearby. The crew erected the broken mast to show their appreciation of the assistance offered to them by the townsfolk. It was a good landmark to find the aptly named Maypole Bar, which the locals call Ned, and McIlroy biographer Tim Gay claims in his book 'Rory Land,' pours the finest Guinness in all the Emerald Isle. When I arrived for the tour, Paula Denvir, a member since 2010 and last year's ladies club captain, met me in the parking lot. The course overlooks Belfast Harbor, where McIlroy's grandfather worked the docks which would later launch the ill-fated Titanic. 'It was fine when it left here,' Denvir joked. She started the tour at the club's fitness center, which overlooks the 18th green, and an indoor training center equipped with Trackman and several simulator hitting bays that have become popular during the winter. McIlroy personally funded this wing of the clubhouse, which opened in 2019, and Denvir said it has created a new revenue stream of members who only want to use the world-class gym. From there, she led me on a private tour of the Holywood clubhouse, where McIlroy's father, Gerry, was the bar manager. At age seven, a full five years before junior memberships typically began, a young and precocious Rory believed he was ready for the course. 'He said, 'I won't hold anybody up. I'm one of the fastest players and I know all the rules of golf,' ' Denvir recounted in one of the many stories that she shared. The walls of the 'Rory Room' filled in the rest. There's a collage of photos of McIlroy through the years and the ones of him from a tender, young age are the best, including with the likes of Darren Clarke and Nick Faldo. There's a framed photo of McIlroy in jacket and tie holding the trophy as champion of the 2003 Ulster Boys Under 18. Next to it resides a photo of McIlroy's caddie, Harry Diamond, who won the same title in 2002. Scorecards of the course record are framed, too. Surprisingly, a McIlroy once owned the course record, but not Rory – his uncle, Colm, held that honor. The trophy cabinet is chock full of McIlroy baubles, including all the big ones. McIlroy has donated clubs and bags he's used to win Ryder Cups and majors. Denvir unlocked the cases and took out the replica trophies. 'Lift away,' she said. Then she led me through the bar where more than 100 members gathered to watch the final round of the Masters in April. 'It was unbearable at times,' Devnir said. 'You should have heard all the expletives. We all just sat in there going, 'Seriously, this is what you're putting us through.'' But Devnir kept the faith and the celebration that ensued was worth all the heartache. Her husband, the current club president, did 12 hours of media the next day. They stamped McIlroy's signature on a scorecard for me and I bought a ballmark and a club logo hoodie from the well-stocked pro shop with merchandise that reflected that this was the home of the Grand Slam champ. Devnir said that when the Irish Open was played at Royal Portrush, McIlroy had stayed in Holywood and used the gym before making the 60-mile drive north, and predicted he might do the same this week. After the Rory Tour, I took on the 6,015-yard hillside course. The terraced fairways slope towards Belfast and rarely provide a flat lie. I can see how his trademark draw was shaped at holes such as the first, where everything kicks right and the dogleg fifth. It's a quirky course with some killer views from up high by the 10th green. McIlroy noted in his Tuesday press conference that it had probably been 15 years since he last played the course. But should he stop by this week to use the gym or enjoy a pint at the bar where his father once poured the drinks, his primo parking spot will be waiting for him.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Who is Amanda Anisimova? The teenage prodigy who went from world number 191 to Wimbledon finalist
Amanda Anisimova will face Iga Swiatek in the women's singles final at Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon after the American beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the last four. The 13th seed completed a deserved win over Sabalenka in a dramatic match on Centre Court on Thursday, and Sunday will mark a first Grand Slam final for the 23-year-old. Advertisement Her early career had shown plenty of promise, marked by a semi-final at the French Open in 2019 at the age of just 17, though she took a brief career break due to mental health and was ranked 191st in the world this time last year. And a run to the final completes a remarkable turnaround from this time last year, with Anisimova having failed to qualify for the main draw in SW19 in 2024. But who is the American, and what has her career looked like so far? Anisimova made the final of the French Open junior competition in 2016 (Getty Images) Anisimova was born in Florida in 2001, with her parents having emigrated to the States from Russia. She took up tennis at a young age and quickly showed herself as a talented player, becoming junior world number two in 2016. Advertisement And despite only being 23, Asinimova has long been touted as a Grand Slam finalist, having won the US Open girls' title in 2017 by beating Coco Gauff in the final. 2019 would prove to be a breakout year, with the then-17-year-old beating Sabalenka in the second round and defending champion Simona Halep in the quarter-finals of the French Open. Though she would lose in the semi-finals to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty, a first WTA title win cemented her status as a promising Grand Slam contender. Anisimova was in shock at the win over Sabalenka, saying that making the final was "indescribable" (Getty Images) However, the death of her father and coach Konstantin before the US Open in 2019 stopped the youngster in her tracks, and it wasn't until 2022 that she had another run in a Grand Slam, reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Advertisement She then missed much of the 2023 season for mental health reasons, eventually returning in 2024 when ranked outside the top 400 players in the world. Last year at Wimbledon, she lost in the third round of qualifying while ranked 191st in the world, and she is now only the second player in the Open era to reach a women's singles Grand Slam final after losing in qualifying at the previous year's event. "To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon I would not believe you. Especially not this soon," Anisimova said after her semi-final win. "It's been a year's turnaround. To be in the final is just indescribable, honestly." Anisimova will be playing the first Grand Slam final of her career on Sunday (Getty Images) Her performances this year have been mixed, with the American losing to Emma Raducanu in the early rounds of the Australian Open and the Miami Open, while she also exited the Madrid and Rome Open at the round of 64 stage. Advertisement However, she has picked up form in the lead-up to Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round at the French Open – where she lost to Sabalenka – and then the final at Queens last month. She will enter the top 10 in the world rankings after Wimbledon, taking her to a career-high ranking. It seems that the American has taken to the grass courts in the UK, perhaps illustrated by the difference in results from the match against Sabalenka at Roland Garros. The 23-year-old served well in the win over the world number one while also showcasing her impressive backhand – something that has earned her a reputation as one of the best returners in the women's game. Anisimova has already guaranteed a career-high ranking with her run at Wimbledon (Getty Images) After her semi-final victory, Anisimova said that 'a lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game'. Advertisement "Just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself [has] been incredibly special to me,' she explained. And she could yet go one better this weekend, with the chance to write herself in the annals of Wimbledon history in Sunday's final.
