Brown hails McLaren's 200th win as close to perfect
BUDAPEST - McLaren boss Zak Brown hailed the team's 200th Formula One win, with Lando Norris ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri in a one-two finish in Hungary on Sunday, as close to perfect.
The win was Norris's fifth of the season and McLaren's seventh one-two in 14 races as well as the team's fourth in a row.
"You're never perfect in a race but I think that was as close to perfect as you can get," Brown told Sky Sports television.
"The drivers were awesome, pit stops amazing, strategy was great to get Lando up there, Oscar drove brilliantly. I couldn't be prouder of this racing team."
Norris and Piastri crossed the finish line 0.698 of a second apart, with the pair almost touching when the Australian tried to make a move on his British teammate on the penultimate lap and locked up.
Team principal Andrea Stella said it had been 'firm' racing but also fair between rivals now separated by just nine points.
"We had a bit of a lock-up with Oscar but at the same time Lando left some space because he knew that Oscar would have been at the limit of braking," said the Italian.
"We keep being very proud of our Lando and Oscar for racing. I think this is a great way of honouring Formula One racing. These are the value of McLaren."
Despite celebrating his ninth career win, Norris said he needed to improve because he was making life too hard for himself.
He won from third on the grid, after dropping to fifth at the start and then making a one-stop strategy work with Piastri on two.
"It's going to be a good and tough battle probably until the end. It takes a lot out of you trying to focus so much for every single session, race, everything. So, it's going be a long second half of the season, I'm sure," he said.
"There are those things I need to improve on and want to improve on. I'm not giving myself the best opportunities. Even though the results have looked great, I'm not making my life very easy for myself at the minute.
"So if I can work on those things, then I'll be in a better place."
McLaren are only the second team to chalk up 200 grand prix wins since the world championship started in 1950. Ferrari, yet to win this season, are on 248. Mercedes, next after McLaren, have 130. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Manhattan shooting renews focus on CTE, concussion risks in amateur sports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A police officer stands next to the glass window with a bullet hole near the scene of a deadly mass shooting in Manhattan, New York City, U.S. July 29, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo NEW YORK - A deadly Manhattan office shooting by former high school football player Shane Tamura has renewed attention on how head injuries are managed in amateur football. Tamura, 27, fatally shot four people before killing himself, leaving a note blaming chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, and the NFL for his actions. National Football League headquarters are in the Park Avenue building where the shooting occurred. Tamura, who played at a Los Angeles charter school, had not been diagnosed with CTE, which can only be confirmed post-mortem. New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner said it will conduct a neuropathological assessment during his autopsy, with results expected in a few weeks. But persistent questions about the effectiveness of strategies for tracking and managing repeated head trauma in young athletes are again facing scrutiny. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the National Federation of State High School Associations that oversees high school football in the U.S., said her organization "does not know how many serious concussions are reported each year.' "Concussions occur among all age groups and in many activities, but are often not reported. Those at the scholastic level might involve reporting to a school nurse, athletic trainer, or coach," Niehoff said. Concussions are sometimes called "snowflake injuries" to reflect their unique and unpredictable nature. Monitoring student-athletes is difficult for organizations like the NFHS, since state associations have no oversight once students graduate. A 2023 Boston University CTE Center study that examined the brains of 152 youth, high school, and college athletes, most of them football players, who had died under age 30, found 41% showed signs of CTE. Suicide was the most common cause of death, but not all athletes with symptoms had CTE, the study found. There was no statistically significant difference in clinical symptoms between those with the brain disorder and those without. "They only played high school or college level and still had developed the changes of CTE," said Boston Center Director Ann McKee. "It's not well understood that kids playing amateur level sports are at risk. This isn't a disease only of pro athletes," she said, calling it a public health issue. "There's an urgent need to address it at the amateur level." According to NFHS data, about 30% of athletes with concussions may have symptoms lasting over four weeks. The NFHS has not labelled brain injuries in amateur sports a public health concern, in contrast to the Boston CTE Center. Protocols are in place to protect athletes suspected of incurring head injuries, requiring immediate removal from play at all levels. However, there are major differences between professional and amateur protocols. The NFL uses a five-step return-to-play process, including evaluation by an independent neurological consultant. Most high schools cannot afford independent neurologists, relying on athletic trainers, who may lack specialized concussion training, to assess injured players. Technology also plays a role in player safety. Professional teams use helmet impact sensors and analytics to monitor hits. High school programs rarely have access to such technology and rely on visual observation and self-reporting by athletes, who may feel pressure to keep playing. "We know that many changes have been made in sports to address potential head injuries," Niehoff said. "We also know that as we learned more about concussions, the number of reported concussions increased." AGGRESSION NOT A UNIVERSAL SYMPTOM Some individuals with CTE show increased aggression, but violence is not a universal symptom. Several ex-NFL players, including Jovan Belcher, Irv Cross, Conrad Dobler, Chris Henry, Vincent Jackson, Terry Long, Junior Seau, Demaryius Thomas and Frank Wycheck, were found to have CTE after their deaths. Some faced behavioral or mental health challenges such as dementia and depression following distinguished careers in the violent sport. Long, Seau, and Belcher died by suicide. Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend before taking his own life. Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was convicted of murder and died by suicide in prison at age 27. A posthumous examination revealed severe CTE. "Aggressive behaviour can be part of the syndrome, but it isn't universal and we don't know why some patients develop it and others don't," said Dr. Brent Masel, executive clinical professor of neurology at the University of Texas. "We can't explain where the problem lies in the brain. We're miles away from trying to figure that out," he said. "Just like with Alzheimer's disease, some become aggressive and some don't. Why that happens and whom it happens to, we don't know.' Progress in prevention and treatment has been slow. "We really haven't moved the needle much relative to the prevention of CTE... except we're a little better in treating the symptoms," said Masel. "Not every athlete with a history of contact sports who develops psychiatric issues is going to go on to develop this problem," he said. "The last thing you want is everybody in a panic that their child is going to end up doing something like that," Masel said. "So the most important thing is to reassure the public that the chances of their child ending up doing what Tamura did are slim." REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
World Aquatics C'ships in S'pore deemed as success by athletes, fans and officials
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox French swim star Leon Marchand was among the athletes who thrilled at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. SINGAPORE – It had not been the most ideal of starts for the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, with sparse crowds at the water polo and artistic swimming competitions, and a one-day delay to open water swimming due to high levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria off Sentosa. But, as the 24-day competition progressed, the Republic recovered well and has earned praise from athletes, officials and fans alike as the flagship aquatics event was staged in South-east Asia for the first time. Originally awarded to Kazan, Russia, the competition was relocated in 2023 after World Aquatics stripped the country of hosting rights following its invasion of Ukraine. 'For any major multi-sport competition, it has its challenges,' said Mark Chay, co-chair of the WCH Singapore 2025 organising committee. 'I'm proud and happy to see our local organising committee come together, be nimble, agile, to actually tackle some of these. 'This puts us in a good position to host more major international events in the future. On the horizon is the 2029 SEA Games (in Singapore), and these are valuable learning points. 'With the WCH, we've shown the world that Singapore is a destination for global sporting events.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore launches review of economic strategy to stay ahead of global shifts Singapore A look at the five committees reviewing Singapore's economic strategy World Trump says he will 'substantially' raise tariffs on India over Russian oil purchases Singapore Strong S'pore-Australia ties underpinned by bonds that are continually renewed: President Tharman Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Sport Singaporean swimmer Gan Ching Hwee at 'crossroads' after World Aquatics C'ships display Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Pritam Singh had hoped WP would 'tip one or two more constituencies' at GE2025 World-class acts, facilities Despite initial concerns, a total of about 140,000 spectators attended the July 11-Aug 3 event to watch a record field comprising nearly 2,500 athletes from 206 countries and territories in action at three venues: the purpose-built 4,800-seater WCH Arena, OCBC Aquatic Centre and Sentosa. There were also sell-out sessions at the finals of diving, swimming, water polo and artistic swimming. At the WCH Arena, fans were treated to world-class swimming action, including three world records – in the men's 200m individual medley, mixed 4x100m freestyle and women's 4x100m medley – and 12 championship records. Beyond the action, many athletes The Straits Times spoke with lauded Singapore for its efficiency and facilities. David Popovici, who completed the 100m and 200m freestyle double in Singapore, was one of them. He said: 'My favourite thing is that you see green everywhere. You see nature everywhere and I think that's great. Everyone here has been so civilised and polite. I'm sure a lot of other countries could learn from that.' On the organisation of the event, the Romanian, who was making his third appearance at the world meet, said he had not witnessed or heard of any issues. 'Even my family said that it's amazing how fast the queues go, how well organised everyone is,' he noted. He found the makeshift venue to be 'just as good as all the other good ones' he has been in, adding: 'I put it very high up (on my list).' David Popovici of Romania clinching gold in the men's 200m freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 29, 2025. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY German diver Lena Hentschel, a bronze medallist at the 2023 edition, said: ' I feel like Singapore has done amazing, I've only heard good feedback, not just from our teammates but other teams from around the world. 'The venue (OCBC Aquatic Centre) is great, the hotels are good, everything worked really well, so we can't complain and we would love to come back.' Canadian swimmer Joshua Liendo, 22, had a similarly positive experience and hopes to see more meets held here. Asked what could have been better, he said he would have loved to see more fans at the 4,800-capacity WCH Arena. In comparison, the Aspire Dome at the 2024 edition in Doha could accommodate up to 8,000. He said: 'Maybe a bigger stand size to get some more crowd and for it to be louder. I mean, I've loved the energy but if there's some more fans, that'd be pretty sweet.' Mixed experience for fans Spectators relished the rare chance to catch aquatic sports at the highest level. Product manager Ng Eng Han, who watched the water polo and swimming events, said: 'With this world-class event coming to our doorstep, it's a massive opportunity to see world champions and record holders live.' For first-time visitor Phillip Hawke, whose son Charlie helped Australia win bronze in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay, the experience was seamless. The 52-year-old said: 'It's a great venue, transport is easy and the volunteers are fantastic. We hope to see Singapore host more of these swim meets.' However, not all feedback was glowing, with fans frustrated by unallocated seating in the WCH Arena. While she enjoyed the events, Suzhou native Wu Yihong, who watched several days of the swimming competition, said she had to arrive at least three hours early each day to secure a good seat to cheer on the Chinese swimmers. 'In most of the competitions I have been to, I get to choose my seat number so I try to choose closer to the pool,' said the 20-year-old, who also travelled to the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 Budapest championships. 'But here, people can sit anywhere they want to, so there is a need to come as early as possible to ensure I can get in early and sit where I want to.' David Marsh, 63, who flew in from Thailand with his wife and nine-year-old son, noted that the experience had been mainly good, but said the unnumbered seats resulted in disruptions during races. The corporate safety manager in oil and gas said: 'We saw a few people get angry and lose their patience because the start of a race and people just arriving, or just at the end of the race when things are getting exciting and people are trying to find seats.' Despite efforts such as community roadshows at nine malls across Singapore to promote the event, some were surprised by the lack of local fans. These roadshows featured interactive stations offering experiences such as simulating standing on a high diving platform through virtual reality among other activities. Ng, 38, enjoyed connecting with other spectators, but noted that the majority of those he interacted with were foreign fans. Public servant Eleanor Lim, who brought her niece to watch the artistic swimming competition, felt it was a missed opportunity to promote the sports here. The 34-year-old said: 'When I asked my friends, they barely knew it was happening. 'It's a waste because there are world records being broken and you're trying to promote swimming in Singapore, but it's just that people don't know about it and I thought that was a pity because it's a huge thing .' Leaving a legacy As the event drew to a close, World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki did not rule out a return to the Republic, calling Singapore 'a fantastic host'. He said: 'You stepped in on this event from Kazan, so it wasn't like we have been talking for four years... 'We went fast track, and you stood tall, you got a great pool, a great facility and a great competition calendar.' For many local athletes, including national swimmer Letitia Sim, competing on home ground was particularly meaningful. The 22-year-old said: 'There are a lot of younger kids coming in to watch and that's really good to help hopefully motivate people that this can be them in the future.' National coach and performance director Gary Tan was heartened to see efforts to engage the wider community through initiatives such as clinics involving World Aquatics ambassadors, but stressed that it was important to build on the experience of hosting this meet. One key question remains about the future of the WCH Arena. At a pre-event press conference, WCH 2025 organising committee co-chair Alan Goh said authorities were considering retaining the facility to help athletes prepare for the 2029 SEA Games and for public use. Tan said: 'What's important is, you've got to see it's a carry through. 'Hopefully this would be a catalyst for us in the next world champs in Budapest, knowing that we've really gained the experience to compete at the world's championships and seen it on our doorsteps, how do we get better?'
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
EU to suspend US tariff countermeasures for 6 months
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BRUSSELS - The European Union will suspend its two packages of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs for six months following a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, a Commission spokesperson said on Monday. The EU-U.S. agreement leaves many questions open, including tariff rates on spirits, and Trump's executive order last week setting tariffs on most EU goods at 15% did not include carve-outs such as for cars and car parts. EU officials have said they expect more executive orders to follow soon. "The EU continues to work with the U.S. to finalise a Joint Statement, as agreed on 27 July," the spokesperson said in a statement. "With these objectives in mind, the Commission will take the necessary steps to suspend by 6 months the EU's countermeasures against the US, which were due to enter into force on 7 August." The retaliatory tariffs are in two parts: one in response to U.S. steel and aluminium duties, and the other to Trump's baseline and car tariffs. REUTERS
