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Tag: Lando Norris

  • Austin’s Formula 1 Weekend Was a High-Octane Rodeo of Speed and Spectacle

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    Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing. Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

    Formula 1 is back in Austin, the “Home of Horsepower.” Instead of riding bucking broncos, the world’s fastest drivers are revving 1000 horsepower V6 engines around one of the year’s trickiest tracks.

    During race weekend (October 17-19) in Austin, the city is plastered with F1 imagery, from posters of Lando Norris’ face alongside 6th Street to the full range of Pirelli tires that adorn the lobby of the Thompson Hotel.  

    It’s the one weekend in Austin where lines around the block aren’t solely reserved for BBQ restaurants. Instead, Formula 1 fanatics queue for fans zones set up around the city like, the Atlassian Williams Racing Fan Zone where they can drive esports simulators, Lewis Hamilton’s Plus 44 store pop-up and former F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo’s Enchanté pop-up.

    Matthew McConaughey participates in the grid tour before the start of the United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. AFP via Getty Images

    Digital luxury lifestyle concierge service Velocity Black is the official luxury lifestyle partner of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 team, and members get access to some of the weekend’s most exclusive offerings, including the team’s hospitality suite in The Paddock Club, a hot lap, garage tours, pit lane walks and a lunch at the Aston Martin House, where drivers casually walk by as you munch on brisket croquettes and local tostadas.

    “Whether it be VIP hospitality, garage tours and hot lap access at F1 races, fine dining experiences or exclusive entertainment, we are committed to unlocking truly unforgettable moments across the globe,” says Sylvain Langrand, CEO of Velocity Black. 

    Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow attend the Uber One Rodeo. Getty Images for Uber

    Off the track, there was a private dinner at the iconic Franklin Barbecue with an intimate live performance by Grammy Award-winner Gary Clark Jr. And should members want to beat the Austin traffic, Velocity Black  arranges helicopter transports to and from the circuit.

    “F1 and Austin have acclimated to each other,” legendary BBQ pitmaster Aaron Franklin told Observer at a private dinner for Velocity Black members. “Now, people come here specifically for F1, and are more interested in the local scene and local culture. We had the McLaren team here last night, and they’re all just a bunch of really cool nerds. I love meeting people during race weekend that I wouldn’t normally have the chance to meet.”

    Roller coasters dot The Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) and it seems like the mandatory dress code is cowboy hats and boots. When cars aren’t rounding the circuit, musical performances throughout the weekend include Kygo and Garth Brooks, Turnpike Troubadours, as well as local Austin talent.

    This year, Austin was a sprint weekend, meaning there was an extra mini-race with more points on the line for the championship battle. Track temperatures weren’t the only scorching hot thing on Saturday, as the sprint race was off to a spicy start. The crowd gasped as both McLarens made contact, forcing them out of the sprint race and any chance at points. Overall, a bad day for Oscar Piastri, currently leading the driver’s championship, as he only placed P6 in qualifying, while his teammate and championship rival, Lando Norris, came in at P2.

    Glen Powell on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas. Formula 1 via Getty Images

    And on race day, COTA was hot as H-E double toothpicks, but celebrities still lined the track, including Matthew McConaughey, Glen Powell, Malin Akerman and Adele. Max Verstappen dominated, winning the race with Lando Norris coming in second and Charles LeClerc third. There were plenty of overtakes and on-track action, but no red flags. Although the race wasn’t as exciting as the sprint, it was consequential for the driver’s championship, with Lando narrowing the gap to Oscar Piastri by 14 points.

    And as the sun set on Austin, the city was electric with bars packed with F1 fans, and private events and parties, like the Esses Magazine one-year anniversary party with two special guests, as the Visa Cash App RB drivers Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson made an appearance. At the One Party by Uber, a musical performance by the Zac Brown Band opened with a traditional Texas rodeo.

    While partaking in a BBQ dinner, another Texas tradition, Jak Crawford, an F2 driver and Texas native told Observer, “My favorite thing about race weekend in Austin is the food. The brisket, it’s so good here.” While he hasn’t raced here yet he says, “I can’t wait to drive here, it can be a really tricky circuit.”

    Austin’s Formula 1 Weekend Was a High-Octane Rodeo of Speed and Spectacle

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    Katie Lockhart

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  • Normally nervous Norris not feeling extra pressure heading into Italian GP amid F1 title chase

    Normally nervous Norris not feeling extra pressure heading into Italian GP amid F1 title chase

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    MONZA, Italy (AP) — Lando Norris claimed he’s not feeling the pressure — no more than normal at least.

    Norris secured a dominant victory at the Dutch Grand Prix last time out to continue to chip away at Max Verstappen’s lead at the top of the Formula One standings.

    The McLaren driver moved to within 70 points of Verstappen with nine races remaining and much of the focus will be on how the title fight could develop at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

    “I don’t think of (the expectation) at all,” Norris said on Thursday. “There’s always pressure. I still get so nervous before qualifying, before the races I still get just as excited and just as nervous.

    “I barely eat anything on Sundays, I struggle to drink anything on Sundays, just because I’m nervous and because of the pressure,” the 24-year-old Briton added. “But I think it’s how how you turn that into a positive thing, how do you not let it affect you in a bad way, how can you actually use it in a good way to help you focus on the correct things and so on.”

    It was clear last weekend at Zandvoort that Norris’ team had the fastest car following McLaren’s latest upgrades. That points to what could be an increasingly competitive title fight with Verstappen in the last nine races of the season after the Dutch driver was far ahead of the rest in 2022 and 2023.

    McLaren also cut the gap to Red Bull in the constructors’ championship to 30 points as the team chases its first title since 1998.

    It was only a second ever win for Norris. The other victory was in Miami in May, and he has finished second four times since then.

    Verstappen had never been beaten on his home track but Norris has been quick to temper enthusiasm about a reignited title race.

    “Monza’s a very different track. It gives the team a good amount of confidence and always a little bit of a boost, but it doesn’t change your feeling,” Norris said. “We know we’ve been performing well the whole year since Miami, we’ve been doing a very good job and this was a weekend where everything just went perfectly.

    “We’re pushing hard every weekend, of course our goal is to catch in both, especially from a constructors’ side it looks a lot more doable than the drivers’ side. But I’m doing my best, the team’s doing their best and that’s all we can hope for.”

    Verstappen said last weekend that “something has been going on lately with the car” and that Red Bull needs to figure out how to combat twin problems of a lack of pace and higher-than-expected tire wear.

    The three-time defending champion is now without a victory in five races, his longest winless run since 2020. But Verstappen appeared unfazed by his narrowing lead.

    “Listen, I just do the best I can,” he said at Monza. “If I win it or not, it’s not going to change my life. Would I like to win it? Yes, of course.

    “But it’s not in my hands with the performance of the car because I just try to do the best I can, try to give feedback, try to make it faster. If that’s going to be enough to the end of the year, I don’t know.”

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    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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