Viva Italia! (3 mins)

Winter Olympics medals standings 5pm EST on Feb 9th

Italy is having a moment.  Many of the best athletes from around the world are gathered in Italy right now to compete for Olympic glory.  

McLaren, Verstappen, anything can happen (4 mins)

Hypothetical points standing after last two races (Norris finishes 2nd & 5th)

The 2025 Formula 1 season is hurtling toward one of the most unpredictable and tightly contested Drivers' Championship finishes in the 70-year history of the sport.  After the Grand Prix last night in Las Vegas there is still a high-stakes 3-way duel between Lando Norris (McLaren) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull).  

McLaren are on track, but are their drivers?

It seems that McLaren's leadership, their drivers, and their entire team in Woking (County of Surrey, southwest of London) are doing it again. The McLaren team created a car, the MCL39, that is widely considered to be the current benchmark for F1.  It has been praised for its high aerodynamic efficiency and balance. There are even whispers of "tricks", that's how dominant this car is.  But the McLaren's edge largely comes down to excellent downforce and a well-tuned set up.  Relative to the other teams, it appears their current car is particularly good in managing rear tire temperatures.  And the results on track this year speak for themselves.  After the British F1 GP this weekend, the McLaren drivers have won 9 of the 12 races so far this season.

McLaren's best team in a quarter century

Formula One officially began as a world championship competition less than 5 years after the end of World War 2, with the first race held in the United Kingdom, marking the start of the sport's official championship.  That first race took place at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK on May 13, 1950.

Silverstone is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station, and it is not surprising that the racing started there.  Several prominent figures in Formula 1, including drivers, engineers and team owners, had prior experience in the RAF as e.g. pilots or aircraft engine mechanics.  This expertise was put to good use and no doubt contributed to the sport's early engineering and organizational success.  

F1 heats up as Verstappen joins the immortals

Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive Formula 1 World Championship title at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix this Saturday night. The 27-year-old Dutchman finished fifth in the race, which was won by George Russell of Mercedes. This historic achievement places Verstappen alongside the immortals, legendary drivers like Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel, and Alain Prost who have all won at least four world championship titles.

Here are the main take aways from the race in Vegas:

Now professional athletes can invest in their own leagues

Ever dreamed of owning stake in the sports team or league that you play for or work for?  That is beyond the means of most of us.  But what if you could invest in a team as an accredited investor, would you do it?  Now may be your chance.  Over the last ten years or so team valuations, salaries, and athletes’ own brands have grown tremendously, but not everyone has the ability to capitalize on this.  That may be about to change.  Specifically because the professional athletes themselves want to share in this equity upside and are pushing for ways to do that.

Who is the Greatest Of All Time in F1?

Hamilton is not the first world champion to move to Ferrari with grand ambitions.  But history offers mixed results for such high-profile moves.  Let us take a walk down memory lane shall we.

Hamilton announces 2025 move to Ferrari in F1 bombshell

The recent announcement of Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari in 2025 sent shockwaves through Formula One. Hamilton is a 7-time world champ and, arguably, the greatest ever F1 driver. Ferrari is the sport's most decorated team.

    The Ferrari team boasts an illustrious and successful history in Formula One, it has 16 World Constructors' Championships, the most in F1 history.  And it has 15 Drivers' Championship wins.  

Max Verstappen Takes Victory in Action-Packed Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix

Yesterday was the much-hyped relaunch of Formula 1 racing in Las Vegas, after a wait of 40 years.  It was a star-studded affair as you can imagine, with the likes of Shaq, Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, Gordon Ramsay, Usain Bolt, Lindsey Vonn, and Lupita all there for the event. The race did not disappoint. Current world champion, Max Verstappen, emerged victorious in a thrilling race that featured plenty of overtaking and drama. The Dutchman overcame a five-second time penalty to beat rivals Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez to the checkered flag. 

Another global sport that Ryan Reynolds invests in

In November 2020, Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney made headlines when they announced that they had purchased Wrexham AFC, a semi-professional football club in North Wales. The duo, who are known for their work on films and television shows such as Deadpool, Free Guy, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, had no prior experience in football management, but they were determined to turn Wrexham into a success. 

Ryan Reynolds invests in Formula One

 

Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and Michael B. Jordan are the latest celebrities to invest in Formula One, joining Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners in a 24% equity stake in Alpine Racing. The deal struck this summer (2023) is reportedly worth €200 million, which values Alpine Racing at approximately £706 million. 

Danny Ricciardo will dazzle again

Daniel Ricciardo is an Australian racing driver who currently races in Formula One for the Red Bull second team, Scuderia AlphaTauri. He previously raced for Red Bull and this year was picked up as a test driver for the season, but this week (July 12th 2023) was promoted to the grid by Red Bull after they unceremoniously sacked rookie Nyck De Vries.