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So much that even the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy has reacted to…
So much that even the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy has reacted to…
It is Thursday when the hearing will be held to decide if Fernando Alonso and Alpine’s claim to the FIA makes sense. The French team and the Spanish driver are confident that they are right after a very busy weekend in F1, at the United States Grand Prix, held in Austin , where the Spanish driver experienced everything: from an accident from which only a miracle and his skill prevented greater evils, until a vibrant and heroic comeback that, hours after the end of the race, the FIA considered illegal and therefore useless.
All the emotion, all the effort that the Spaniard had put in and all the enthusiasm of the Spanish fans ended ina penalty of 30 seconds that left Alonso without points and with the feeling that something is wrong in the FIA.
The indignation in the Spanish fans was capitalized because they had finally vibrated with the Spanish Alpine after a season full of frustrated hopes, of successes that were not and of cars that were not reliable. Although in Austin he did not win Alonso’s race, coming back without a rear-view mirror, with the car half broken, it was a miracle and a hero. Leaving it to nothing sank the Spaniards.
So much that even the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy has reacted to…
So much so that even the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy has reacted to what happened this weekend. The Spanish driver gave them a car to show off in the place where Rafa Nadal’s team is training the tennis players of the future. Fernando Alonso’s car is spectacular, but something is missing, according to what they say in the message posted on the networks: “ Oops! We just saw that our @alo_oficial car at the Rafa Nadal Museum is also missing a rear-view mirror. We hope not to be sanctioned by the FIA”, they assure.
https://twitter.com/rnadalacademy/status/1584489913767972864?s=20&t=cgiwKXY8sCTHrSymniDCLA
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The mirror has been what has created the great controversy in F1 because Haas requested the sanction by ensuring that the car did not meet the minimum requirements to return to the race and compete with the rest. According to the Haas team, their protest only wants the FIA to be “constant” and monitor everything they have to monitor. Alpine’s defense, which it hopes will be successful in its exhibition, consists of something very simple and difficult to refute: the FIA inspectors examined Fernando Alonso’s car and did not consider that it was not in a condition that it could not be in the race. In other words, they had already seen it and it had already passed the exam, so it is absurd to think that it did not comply with what was established if the FIA itself considered that it did.
A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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