Sports
F1 Now Makes 3 Stops A Season In The United States. Could Miami Become A Victim Of Oversaturation?
Miami Gardens, Florida – Formula One returns to the United States for the first time in six months, with the Miami Grand Prix being the first stop.
But Las Vegas’s spectacular debut last November was considered one of the finest races of the 2023 season, while the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, is a staple event that appeals to die-hard F1 fans.
Miami was the big party when it started in 2022, but the question is if its status has slipped to the point that Sunday’s race is only the first of three events in what has traditionally been NASCAR country.
Tyler Epp, president of the Miami Grand Prix, acknowledged that ticket sales for the third running of the event had been “soft,” but predicted an increase ahead of Sunday’s race. Epp feels the United States can support three events since they are so diverse.
AP – VOR News Image
F1 Now Makes 3 Stops A Season In The United States. Could Miami Become A Victim Of Oversaturation?
“It feels like the decision to make this race about Miami and everything that Miami has to offer was the right decision because it does separate us from Las Vegas and Austin, and frankly Montreal and Mexico and all of North America,” he said. “I still believe we are a unique property. We are the first of the three, and we like our position.
“The communication between the three races in the States is good,” he said. “We haven’t seen the market softened directly because of Vegas, at least we don’t think so, and we root for the other races in this country to make sure the power of F1 continues to drive for the fanbase.”
Teams have praised Miami’s progress since it introduced the 19-turn, 3.361-mile course in the parking lot of Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dolphins. Team hospitality was relocated to the field last year when the stadium was decommissioned in 2022, and the entire track was resurfaced ahead of the 2023 event.
The track includes 11 pedestrian bridges, more than any other on the Formula One schedule. The width of some bridges has been quadrupled to improve foot circulation across the enormous complex, which hosts concerts and parties while cars turn laps.
“If you compare where we are now, three years later, to where we were at the start, it is a huge difference,” said Williams team principal James Vowles. “This was a carpark, fundamentally, that they converted into a top-tier Formula 1 track.”
When asked if adding Las Vegas to the F1 calendar had “diminished” Miami’s position as a see-and-be-seen event, seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton reacted angrily.
“Diminished? No, I believe the sport has grown in popularity around here. It’s gotten a lot more attention,” Hamilton explained. “Every city I visit, people are excited. It is now recognized as a sport in the United States. Previously, it was only an annual event. Now we’re part of the culture here, which is pretty fantastic.”
Max Verstappen won the first two races in Miami and, after winning four of the first five this season, is anticipated to win again on Sunday. His domination has prompted criticism about the racing’s competitiveness, notably in Miami.
In March, event organizers announced Guenther Steiner, former Haas team principal, as a race ambassador. The popular Steiner from the F1 docuseries on Netflix has relished promoting the event. He does not believe the circuit is a problem.
AP – VOR News Image
F1 Now Makes 3 Stops A Season In The United States. Could Miami Become A Victim Of Oversaturation?
“The race track is a very good race track, it’s just that sometimes some races are more interesting than other ones,” commented Steiner. “If you’ve got Max dominating the way he was the first two races, whatever I say to (organizers), they cannot do anything about that.”
McLaren boss Zak Brown anticipates more Red Bull staff leaving the company due to team principal Christian Horner’s claims of unethical behavior against an employee.
According to reports, Brown’s Assessment Adrian Newey, the chief technical officer and architect of Red Bull’s championship-winning cars, is set to leave the company in early 2025. Brown said he would have been surprised to learn Newey was leaving Red Bull six months ago, but the Horner issue has resulted in an increase in employment applications circulating the paddock.
“Given everything that’s gone on since the start of the year and knowing Adrian pretty well, and he’s a very high-integrity individual, I’m not surprised he’s moving on,” he added. “What’s going on there is somewhat destabilizing. He’s the first domino to fall, but based on the resumes floating around, I doubt he’ll be the last.
Red Bull’s parent firm exonerated Horner of misbehavior, and his accuser was suspended. The employee has protested Red Bull’s decision, and representatives have filed a complaint with F1’s regulating body on his behalf.
Carlos Sainz Jr. is taking his time finding a seat for 2025 and has denied that he turned down an offer from Audi.
“That’s not correct,” Sainz remarked. Some things do not depend entirely on me, and there will be some waiting to be done. It’s not like we’re entirely halted; we’re still interacting with folks and doing what we can to advance.”
Audi is taking over the Sauber team, and existing drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have contract seasons. Audi has already recruited Nico Hulkenberg of Haas as their first driver, leaving only one spot open.
After only the fifth race of the season, Hulkenberg’s signing last month surprised Bottas.
AP – VOR News Image
F1 Now Makes 3 Stops A Season In The United States. Could Miami Become A Victim Of Oversaturation?
“The timing is quite early and a little surprising, but the driver market is clearly moving, and it also makes sense. He’s German, and Audi has made it obvious that they want a German driver, so everything’s fine. “Let’s see what happens next,” Bottas stated.
Next year, Lewis Hamilton will take Sainz’s place at Ferrari. Sainz and Hulkenberg were colleagues at Renault at the end of the 2017 season and in 2018, but Sainz has stated unequivocally that he would not rush into a 2025 choice.
Mercedes must replace Hamilton, and Verstappen’s statements that he is satisfied with Red Bull raise questions. Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull expires in 2028, but a schism between Horner and Verstappen’s father has led to speculation that Jos Verstappen is attempting to negotiate his son’s departure from the company.
“The only guarantee I have is that I want to make the correct decision. That’s why it’s taking a little longer, and I want to consider all of the choices before making a decision,” Sainz explained.
SOURCE – (AP)
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics promises to be unlike any other.
In a novelty for the Games, the show will be held on Paris’ famed River Seine rather than in a stadium.
Here is everything you need know about the ceremony…
What to expect from the spectacular opening ceremony.
The eye-catching celebration will take place over a 6km stretch of the Seine. It will start at Austerlitz Bridge and culminate among the gardens, fountains, and palaces in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero.
Almost 100 boats will carry over 10,000 athletes and dignitaries as they cruise past Paris’ prominent monuments such as Notre Dame Cathedral and Pont Neuf.
The boats will transport the parade’s participants as well as the artistic portion of the celebration, which will highlight Paris and France’s history and culture.
The performers’ identities, however, have been kept a mystery.
Thousands of people are still expected to line the river and streets, with millions more watching on television all over the world.
“I’d like to show France in all its diversity,” said Thomas Jolly, the French actor and theatre director appointed as the ceremony’s creative director, a post previously played by Danny Boyle in London 2012.
“Illustrate the richness and plurality shaped by its history, which has been influenced and inspired by the diverse cultures that have passed through it, while itself serving as a source of inspiration.”
The ceremony will also involve the ceremonial opening of the Games, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
Many of the finer elements have been maintained as a surprise.
What is the date and time of the opening ceremony?
The ceremony will commence at 19:30 local time (18:30 BST) on Friday, July 26.
It is scheduled to take little under four hours, with the last parts taking place as the sun sets over the French city.
Fortunately, the Paris weather forecast for Friday evening is positive.
In what sequence will the nations be introduced?
In accordance with tradition, Greece will be the first nation introduced during the ceremony.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, an NBA star, is one of their flagbearers for the games.
Greece will be followed by the Refugee Olympic Team, with hosts France being the last to be unveiled.
Because of their countries’ involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, Russian and Belarussian athletes participating as individuals will not participate.
How to follow the opening ceremony on BBC.
The opening ceremony will begin live at 17:45 BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app.
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will provide radio coverage beginning at 19:00 BST.
There will also be live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app, bringing you all the action from Paris.
Source: BBC
Sports
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
PARIS — Coco Gauff, a tennis player, will join LeBron James as a flag bearer for the United States Olympic team at Friday’s opening ceremony.
Coco, the reigning US Open winner, is ready to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Games, becoming the first tennis player to carry the American flag. Team USA athletes selected her and James.
“I believe the Olympics are the priority. It’s equal to the Grand Slams. I wouldn’t put it above or below because I’d never played before. “This is my first time,” Gauff explained earlier this year. “I always want to do well and get a medal.”
Coco Gauff | AP News Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
Coco and James, the 39-year-old NBA’s all-time top scorer, engage in sports outside the traditional Olympic realm and receive media attention year-round rather than every four years.
Coco, 20, joined the American team for the Tokyo Olympics as a youngster three years ago but had to withdraw because she tested positive for COVID-19 just before flying to Japan.
Coco, who now lives in Florida, has won Grand Slam titles in both singles and doubles. She earned her first major triumph in New York in September, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the singles final of the U.S. Open, and then won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June with Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova.
The Paris Olympics will be played on the same clay courts at Roland Garros used for the French Open. The bracket draw will take place on Thursday, and play will begin on Saturday.
Coco is seeded second in singles, matching her current WTA ranking behind Poland’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and will be one of the medal favorites.
Coco Gauff | AP news Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
She and her normal doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, are seeded first in the women’s doubles. Gauff may also compete in mixed doubles; however, those pairs have yet to be determined.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on it, because I want to fully enjoy the experience,” Gauff said of her Olympic debut. “Hopefully I can have the experience multiple times in my lifetime, (but) I’ll treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
SOURCE | AP
When LeBron James was chosen for his first Olympics in 2004, he was unsure what the opening ceremony entailed.
This time, he’ll be a star of the show.
His fellow American Olympians chose James to be the male flagbearer for the United States at the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on Friday night. He is the third basketball player — and the first men’s player — to carry the United States flag at the start of an Olympics, following Dawn Staley in 2004 and Sue Bird in 2021.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James told reporters. “As a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only me, but to my family, all the kids in my community, my teammates, other Olympians, and so many more people throughout the country with huge dreams. Sports have the capacity to unite us all, and I’m honored to be a part of this historic occasion.”
The 39-year-old James learned of the distinction Monday in London, just hours before the United States men’s team was supposed to play its final pre-Olympics exhibition game against World Cup champion Germany.
“We understand how much of an honor it is to be in that position and I think Bron’s entire career, on and off the court, speaks for itself as him being worthy of that honor,” Curry said on the video announcing his nomination.
“He has represented what it means to be excellent both on and off the court in his commitment to service and to uplifting the community in all ways that he knows how has been a lifelong passion,” Curry pointed out. “And the work speaks for itself.”
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
The female U.S. flagbearer is anticipated to be revealed on Tuesday. In 2020, the International Olympic Committee announced that country delegations would have two flagbearers at the Olympics’ opening ceremony, one male and one female, to encourage gender equality. The United States is set to send around 600 competitors to the Paris Games, with approximately 53% women.
“Being chosen by your teammates to carry the flag is a tremendous honor—and a testament to LeBron’s passion for Team USA and dedication to his sport,” U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said.
James, a global icon, four-time NBA champion, and the league’s all-time leading scorer about to begin his record-tying 22nd NBA season, is set to compete in the Olympics for the fourth time, having previously won bronze in 2004, gold in Beijing in 2008, and gold again in London in 2012. He participated in the opening ceremony at his previous three Olympics.
This will be an unprecedented Olympic opening ceremony, with thousands of participants sailing along the River Seine at nightfall toward the Eiffel Tower. According to Olympic officials, the route is a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) one, with some 320,000 spectators expected to watch from the river bank and an estimated 1 billion more watching on televisions around the world.
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
Not all Olympic athletes attend the opening ceremony; many miss it for logistical reasons, such as having to compete the next day. James and the four-time defending gold champion U.S. men shall begin Olympic competition on Sunday, when they face Serbia in Lille, France.
James and the American Olympians will have to wait longer than virtually any other nation for their voyage on the Seine. According to IOC protocol, Greece will lead the march, with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo serving as one of its two flagbearers. The Refugee Olympic Team and over 200 more national delegations will follow. The United States is slated to be next-to-last in the procession because Los Angeles will host the next Summer Olympics in 2028.
As the host, France will be the last nation to participate in the opening ceremony procession. Its men’s basketball team, which includes reigning NBA rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, begins Olympic competition on Saturday and is not scheduled to attend the opening ceremony.
SOURCE | AP
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