Latest news with #AlanBaldwin
The Star
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Swimming-World championship 10km open water event postponed
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The women's 10km open water event at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore was postponed on Monday due to poor water quality off Sentosa. World Aquatics said in a statement that the opening event, scheduled for Tuesday, would be moved to Wednesday after readings exceeded acceptable thresholds. "While testing in recent days has consistently shown water quality at the venue to meet World Aquatics' acceptable thresholds, analysis of samples taken on 13 July surpassed these thresholds," it said. "The decision to postpone racing was made in the best interests of athlete health and safety." The men's 10km is now due to start the open water schedule on Wednesday, with the women immediately after. The indoor swimming events at the Singapore Sports Hub run from July 27 to August 3. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond)
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Motor racing-Just frustration: Piastri explains radio cursing at Alpine
By Alan Baldwin Motor racing-Just frustration: Piastri explains radio cursing at Alpine LONDON -McLaren's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri said cursing at former employers Alpine over the radio at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix was just a humorous way of expressing his frustration. The Australian made a comment after having to go off track to avoid Renault-owned Alpine's Argentine driver Franco Colapinto. "Alpine still managed to find a way to me over all these years later, huh?," he told race engineer Tom Stallard in an exchange not broadcast on television at the time. Piastri told Reuters at a McLaren fan event in London's Trafalgar Square on Wednesday that his swearing had just been spur of the moment. "It was just kind of a frustrating coincidence. My qualifying got hampered by an Alpine. I got impeded in the race by both the Alpines. So, it was kind of just a build-up of a few things," he said. "And it was more out of frustration. "I still have a lot of friends at Alpine. A lot of people that I respect a lot. "It was just kind of an ironic coincidence that the things that hampered me a bit in the weekend were all with Alpine. But, yeah more just me trying to express my humour and frustration in the race." Piastri joined McLaren after being named by Alpine as their driver for 2023, only for the Australian to very publicly reject the seat with a statement that has become part of Formula One lore. Then Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer questioned the driver's integrity, and threatened legal action, but McLaren won easily when the matter went to the contract recognition board. Alpine are now last in the championship, and are still going through turmoil, while McLaren won the constructors' title last year and are runaway favourites again. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Motor racing-F1 has a plan if Middle East races cannot happen
By Alan Baldwin Motor racing-F1 has a plan if Middle East races cannot happen - Domenica LONDON, - Formula One has a plan to keep the show on the road should season-ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi be affected by conflict in the Middle East, chief executive Stefano Domenicali said on Tuesday. The Italian emphasised there was no current concern they might not be held. Qatar is due to host the penultimate round of the championship on November 30 with Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina following on December 7 with what has been a title decider in the past. Iran responded to U.S. participation in Israel's 12-day air war against Iran last month by firing missiles at a U.S. airbase in Qatar, just across the Gulf from Iran. Airline services in the Middle East have been heavily disrupted with some countries closing their airspace for a period. Domenicali said Formula One was in daily contact with promoters in the Middle East, who he said remained relaxed, and closely monitoring the situation. "To say something on that is very, very difficult," he replied when asked if he felt there was a real risk of the races not happening. "So far, we don't have this kind of signal and so we are really hoping not. So I don't want to even think about it, mainly for the bigger picture and not for the racing itself... and of course in case of, we have a plan. "But let's hope this will not be even thinkable." Qatar and Abu Dhabi are the last two races in a triple-header on successive weekends that starts with Las Vegas on November 22 with the cars then flown straight to the Middle East. While weather conditions in December would make it tricky to host replacement races at some European tracks there are warmer options such as Portugal's Algarve circuit, which was used during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Europe is big, the temperatures are quite mild in certain areas," said Domenicali, who agreed one circuit might host both races. "Definitely we cannot go in places where there will be snow. "But as I said, I am not even thinking about that. "We are not worried at all that this will have an effect on the championship." Formula One raced in Saudi Arabia in 2022 despite attacks launched by Yemen's Houthis on an oil facility near the Jeddah street circuit. Domenicali said Formula One was there then because it was sure of the guarantees of safety but recognised situations could change fast. "We just need to be always ready and monitor the situation," he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Motor racing-Dominant McLaren sure to attract more scrutiny, says Horner
By Alan Baldwin HT Image LONDON, - Formula One champions and leaders McLaren will attract more scrutiny and face more questions about their cars simply because they are so dominant, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner. McLaren have won five of six races this season and took a dominant one-two in Miami on Sunday, with championship leader Oscar Piastri ahead of teammate Lando Norris while George Russell's third-placed Mercedes was more than half a minute behind. There was plenty of chatter about tyre temperatures afterwards, and questions about how McLaren were managing better than others to keep them under control. After unsubstantiated suspicions last year, without any formal protest, that McLaren might be putting water in the rear tyres to cool them down, team boss Zak Brown ostentatiously sipped from a drinking bottle with 'tire water' stickers on it. He also made the point that anyone suspecting his team of illegality should launch a formal protest if they really believed it. "I'm not suggesting that there's anything illegal on the car," Horner, who had Max Verstappen start on pole but finish fourth, told reporters. "Well done to McLaren, they were in a league of their own. "Of course in Formula One there are always going to be questions that are raised. " did exactly the same about the front suspension on our car last year. So it's inevitable when you're running at the front, as we have for the last few years, you always come under more scrutiny. "McLaren have got the car to beat at the moment, that's quite clear. They're going to be tough to beat over the next few races." McLaren are already 105 points clear of second-placed Mercedes. "We're just not good with the tyres over an extended run. And McLaren shows how it's being done," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "They are definitely doing an excellent job by being able to go fast around the corners without overheating them . So this is what we need to look up to and engineer our way out." Wolff said the top people at McLaren Brown, principal Andrea Stella and chief designer Rob Marshall were "good people with integrity. "I have no doubt that these guys stay within the rules. It's just really good development. They've understood how to manage the tyre much better than everybody else. And in my opinion, it's totally legit. "It started two years ago in Austria. They brought an update that was much better than they expected. And part of the development since then was also nurturing the tyres in the right way." Wolff said Mercedes needed to find out where to focus their development attention and identify the main performance contributors. "And we are on it. Completely on it. So it's not like we are looking at it like Bambi in front of the headlights. We are on it. We are in there. We are trying to find out, we are experimenting. And we are going to definitely be able to challenge." This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Star
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Motor racing-Formula One extends Miami GP contract to 2041
MIAMI (Reuters) -Miami will stay on the Formula One calendar until 2041 in a 10-year extension that makes the race the longest contracted round of the world championship, the sport announced on Friday. The Miami Grand Prix is the first of three rounds in the United States and takes place this weekend around the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. It was held for the first time in 2022, the start of an initial decade-long contract. "Extending this agreement until 2041 is a strategic milestone of enormous importance, which strengthens our presence in America and consolidates the ever-deepening bond with our fan base there," said F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali in a statement. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
