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Title will come down to fewest mistakes – Norris

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Andrew Benson
F1 Correspondent at the Hungaroring
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Lando Norris says the Formula 1 world title will be decided this year by which contender makes the fewest mistakes.

Norris trails McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 16 points heading into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, following Piastri’s win in Belgium last weekend.

Norris said: “It’s just who qualifies first and second more often. And you kind of just hold on in Turn One and then go from there. There’s not been many races where positions have swapped through a race.

“So therefore it’s more who can make the least mistakes when they qualify first.”

Norris, who has won four races to Piastri’s six so far this season, was on pole in Spa last weekend but was overtaken by Piastri on the first lap.

The Briton acknowledged there were “certain things” he could have done better in Belgium, but insisted “nothing which means I could have won the race”.

Norris said: “I don’t feel like I did a bad job. I didn’t have the best run but at the same time we had some, not problems, some incorrect settings with the battery. Which meant he had a slight advantage of battery compared to me, which certainly didn’t help. But I also didn’t do the best (first) two corners.

Norris also pointed to a slow pit stop and a lock-up in Turn One while he was trying to chase Piastri down and which cost him a total of four seconds of race time when he lost by less than that.

Norris has acknowledged already this season that he made too many mistakes in qualifying in the early part of the season, when Piastri went on a run of four wins in five races.

And he said he had adjusted his approach from always pushing to the limit to give himself a little more margin for error.

“Sometimes this year, even 95% would have been fine,” Norris said.

“These are some of my mistakes from earlier on in the season. I mean, I tried before at 101%. Sometimes that’s amazing. Sometimes that’s, I think, as good as you can get.

“I do believe that. But also at times I should drive at 95% or even 90% and that’s not enough to be on pole or P2 sometimes.

“So yeah, I regret trying to… I mean, I do regret trying to be so good at the beginning part of the season. And I think now already I sometimes settle for a 95% lap and that’s still good enough.”

Piastri said: “I have a lot of confidence in myself that I can do it. Not every weekend has been perfect, but there’s not many weekends in my whole life that have been perfect.

“Just trying to put together a solid, consistent year is ultimately going to be important.

“The pace in the last few weekends, especially Spa, I’ve been very confident in and very proud of.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is 81 points behind Piastri – more than three clear wins. And Norris said that while it was “never impossible”, the Dutchman was “quite a long way back”.

He added: Max is still quite easily one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1. So as a driver, I wouldn’t rule him out.

“But we have a better car, we have a better team. So I have my confidence in them that we can stay ahead.”

Mercedes driver George Russell said: “Oscar’s been very solid. I think he gets the most out of himself every single weekend, is my takeaway, he’s very consistent, doesn’t get flustered, and just delivers reliably.

“Whereas I feel Lando’s got huge raw speed, but probably the hit rate isn’t as high as Oscar’s.

“But they’re two incredible drivers, and I think they’ll continue fighting for quite a while. But Oscar doesn’t seem very phased.”

Russell also pointed to a penalty Piastri received for braking behind the safety car at the British Grand Prix, which cost him the win to Norris.

“It swings so quickly, doesn’t it? The momentum shifts so quickly,” Russell said. “But I think Oscar was a bit unfortunate in Silverstone. He could have also won the race in Austria, it could have gone very differently.

Related topics

  • Formula 1

Title will come down to fewest mistakes – Norris

By in News, Sports News
Getty Images
Andrew Benson
F1 Correspondent at the Hungaroring
  • 10 Comments

Lando Norris says the Formula 1 world title will be decided this year by which contender makes the fewest mistakes.

Norris trails McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 16 points heading into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, following Piastri’s win in Belgium last weekend.

Norris said: “It’s just who qualifies first and second more often. And you kind of just hold on in Turn One and then go from there. There’s not been many races where positions have swapped through a race.

“So therefore it’s more who can make the least mistakes when they qualify first.”

Norris, who has won four races to Piastri’s six so far this season, was on pole in Spa last weekend but was overtaken by Piastri on the first lap.

The Briton acknowledged there were “certain things” he could have done better in Belgium, but insisted “nothing which means I could have won the race”.

Norris said: “I don’t feel like I did a bad job. I didn’t have the best run but at the same time we had some, not problems, some incorrect settings with the battery. Which meant he had a slight advantage of battery compared to me, which certainly didn’t help. But I also didn’t do the best (first) two corners.

Norris also pointed to a slow pit stop and a lock-up in Turn One while he was trying to chase Piastri down and which cost him a total of four seconds of race time when he lost by less than that.

Norris has acknowledged already this season that he made too many mistakes in qualifying in the early part of the season, when Piastri went on a run of four wins in five races.

And he said he had adjusted his approach from always pushing to the limit to give himself a little more margin for error.

“Sometimes this year, even 95% would have been fine,” Norris said.

“These are some of my mistakes from earlier on in the season. I mean, I tried before at 101%. Sometimes that’s amazing. Sometimes that’s, I think, as good as you can get.

“I do believe that. But also at times I should drive at 95% or even 90% and that’s not enough to be on pole or P2 sometimes.

“So yeah, I regret trying to… I mean, I do regret trying to be so good at the beginning part of the season. And I think now already I sometimes settle for a 95% lap and that’s still good enough.”

Piastri said: “I have a lot of confidence in myself that I can do it. Not every weekend has been perfect, but there’s not many weekends in my whole life that have been perfect.

“Just trying to put together a solid, consistent year is ultimately going to be important.

“The pace in the last few weekends, especially Spa, I’ve been very confident in and very proud of.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is 81 points behind Piastri – more than three clear wins. And Norris said that while it was “never impossible”, the Dutchman was “quite a long way back”.

He added: Max is still quite easily one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1. So as a driver, I wouldn’t rule him out.

“But we have a better car, we have a better team. So I have my confidence in them that we can stay ahead.”

Mercedes driver George Russell said: “Oscar’s been very solid. I think he gets the most out of himself every single weekend, is my takeaway, he’s very consistent, doesn’t get flustered, and just delivers reliably.

“Whereas I feel Lando’s got huge raw speed, but probably the hit rate isn’t as high as Oscar’s.

“But they’re two incredible drivers, and I think they’ll continue fighting for quite a while. But Oscar doesn’t seem very phased.”

Russell also pointed to a penalty Piastri received for braking behind the safety car at the British Grand Prix, which cost him the win to Norris.

“It swings so quickly, doesn’t it? The momentum shifts so quickly,” Russell said. “But I think Oscar was a bit unfortunate in Silverstone. He could have also won the race in Austria, it could have gone very differently.

Related topics

  • Formula 1

US appeals court hears arguments about legality of Trump tariffs

By in News, World News

A lower court in the US has heard oral arguments over US President Donald Trump’s authority to impose new tariffs after it was determined that he had overstepped his bounds by imposing massive new import taxes.

The president’s claim to have emergency powers on the side of the appeals court on Thursday raised questions as to whether what Trump calls his “reciprocal” tariffs, which were announced in April, were justified.

Arguments are being heard by a panel of all the court’s active judges, which includes members of the Democratic and Republican presidents, who have been appointed eight and three each.

The judges on the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, DC, pressed government lawyer Brett Shumate to explain how Trump was able to impose tariffs as a result of the IEEPA, a 1977 law that was previously used to impose sanctions on enemies or freeze their assets.

Trump is the first president to impose tariffs through IEEPA.

Shumate was frequently interrupted by the judges, who repeatedly questioned his arguments in vain.

One of the judges claimed that “IEEPA doesn’t even mention tariffs” and that it doesn’t even mention them.

According to Shumate, the law grants “extraordinary” authority in times of need, including the ability to completely stop imports. He claimed that IEEPA permits tariffs because it “regulates” imports during a crisis.

The states and businesses that opposed the tariffs argued that the US Constitution grants Congress, and not the president, control over tariffs and other taxes, and that they are against IEEPA.

The government’s claim that the word “regulate” includes the ability to tax would be a vast expansion of presidential power, according to Neal Katyal, a lawyer for the businesses.

As customs duties in June quadrupled to a record amount, reaching $ 27 billion in revenue, and have over $ 100 billion through June for the fiscal year that ends on September 30, the federal government is starting to realize this revenue. In a Trump-supported bill that was passed and signed into law this month, that income might be crucial to making up for lost revenue from extended tax cuts.

Trump wrote in a social media post on Thursday that “taxes are making America GREAT & RICH again.” Good luck in today’s significant case in America, to all of my excellent attorneys who have worked so hard to save our country.

However, according to economists, the duties could cause US consumers to see higher prices and lower corporate profits. Trump’s “on-again, off-again” tariff threats have shook the world’s financial markets and hampered US companies’ ability to control supply chains, production, staffing, and prices.

The tariffs are a “regressive tax,” according to Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield, one of the states that are challenging the levies.

Companies ranging from Stellantis to American Airlines temporarily suspended their financial guidance after Trump started imposing his wave of tariffs, which has since been revised down. Companies from a variety of industries, including Procter and Gamble, the largest consumer goods brand in the world, made the announcement this week that it would need to raise prices for a quarter of its products.

In his second term, the president has aggressively used tariffs as leverage in trade negotiations and to counteract what he has termed unfair practices, making them a key component of his foreign policy.

pressure from the outside of business

Trump has claimed that the US’s most restrictive trade agreements from April are a result of persistent US trade imbalances and declining US manufacturing power. He’s used them, however, to put pressure on non-trade issues in recent weeks.

He imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil in response to Jair Bolsonaro’s prosecution, a key Trump ally who is accused of staging a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election.

Trump also threatened to sue Canada for refusing to recognize a Palestinian state, calling for a “very difficult” trade agreement.

He claimed that because China, Canada, and Mexico were not doing enough to stop fentanyl from crossing US&nbsp borders, tariffs against them was appropriate. That claim has been refuted by the nations.

The Democratic states and small businesses that are challenging Trump were joined on May 28 by a three-judge panel of the US Court of International Trade.

It claimed that tariffs on long-standing trade deficits were not permitted by IEEPA, a law intended to address “unusual and extraordinary” threats during national emergencies. The administration’s appeal has been considered, and the appeals court has allowed the tariffs to continue in effect. The court’s decision will come at an uncertain time, and the losing party will likely file an US Supreme Court appeal quickly.

The case won’t have an impact on tariffs levied by more traditional legal bodies, such as steel and aluminum duties. Following shorter-term trade agreements with Britain, Indonesia, and Vietnam, the president recently announced trade agreements that would set tariff rates on goods from the European Union and Japan.

According to Trump’s Department of Justice, limiting the president’s ability to impose tariffs could stifle ongoing trade talks, while other Trump officials claim that negotiations have continued without much change following the initial setback in court. Trump has set a Friday deadline for raising tariffs against nations that haven’t reached new trade agreements.

Barcelona agree shirt sponsorship deal with war-torn DR Congo

By in News, Sports News

Barcelona players will have “DR Congo – Heart of Africa” emblazoned on the back of their training shirts from the start of next season, after the top Spanish football team agreed on a four-year deal with the central African country.

The partnership will reportedly cost the Democratic Republic of Congo 44m euros ($50m; £38m), although the club has not disclosed the figure it will receive.

A rebel group has seized large parts of eastern DR Congo this year, although a ceasefire has recently been agreed.

But the authorities have defended the agreement, saying that it will help raise the profile of the country.

As part of the deal, Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium will host what the club called an “immersive exhibition… to showcase the cultural diversity and sporting tradition” of DR Congo.

The country’s Sports Minister, Didier Budimbu, told BBC Focus on Africa that the agreement includes a training camp for 50 young Congolese players and 10 coaches.

Barcelona says it will also run camps for children across a range of sports, including basketball, handball and roller hockey.

DR Congo has signed similar deals with Italian side AC Milan and French team AS Monaco. Last month, Budimbu described them as part of a strategy to “reposition” DR Congo as a leader in tourism and investment opportunities.

But some think the money should rather be spent in the country.

“When you talk about tourism, it should be about things to see when people come here… for me, rather than investing that money [abroad], they should invest that money to build the country first,” Muzinga Lemfu, resident of the capital, Kinshasa, told the BBC.

But another resident, Freddy Kabengele, saw the advantages of the deal and said he was happy “to show DR Congo off to the world and also to bring tourists to the country”.

Since 2018, DR Congo’s regional rival Rwanda has had a sponsorship deal with English side Arsenal promoting tourism in the country with the slogan “Visit Rwanda” on the sleeves of the players’ shirts. French team Paris St-Germain and German side Bayern Munich have similar deals.

These have also come under fire, especially recently as Rwanda has been accused of backing rebels in DR Congo in a devastating conflict in the east, which it denies.

In February, DR Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner wrote to the clubs questioning the “morality” of the arrangement.

The Rwandan government dismissed the accusations of sports-washing as a “distraction”.

Some critics of the Congolese government have expressed concern that the European deals could overshadow the fighting in the east and the authorities’ troubling human rights record.

In June, Rwanda and the DR Congo signed a peace deal aimed at ending decades of fighting.

In 2023, a deal that South Africa’s tourism board pursued with Tottenham Hotspur did not come to fruition after complaints from the public.

John Torode looks tired on stroll after wife Lisa breaks silence on MasterChef exit

By in Entertainment News, News

After his wife Lisa Faulkner broke her silence on his departure from the BBC show, former MasterChef judge John Torode was seen taking a walk with his dog and a friend this week.

John Torode was seen out on a walk this week after his wife Lisa Faulkner shared a message with fans(Image: Getty Images)

Former MasterChef judge John Torode was spotted on a stroll with his dog Rory this week. It comes after his wife Lisa Faulkner broke her silence amid the scandal over the show and she later said that Rory had kept her smiling through it.

John, 60,’s contract extension was announced earlier this month. Production company Banijay claimed that a Lewis Silkin firm’s investigation into Gregg Wallace’s behavior “substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against” John. However, John asserted that he had no memory of the accusations he was made of.

John was seen enjoying a walk with his dog Rory and a friend in London earlier this week amid the fallout from the scandal. It comes as the presenter’s former co-star Gregg continues to promote his health and fitness coaching following his own departure from MasterChef.

READ MORE: Gregg Wallace breaks silence as he lands new Autism role after MasterChef axeREAD MORE: MasterChef contestant ‘edited out’ of new series after asking BBC to axe show

Peter Horton, John Torode and John's dog Rory on a stroll in London.
John Torode (right) was seen out on a walk with his pal Peter Horton (left) and dog Rory earlier this week(Image: NASH / BACKGRID)

On Tuesday, John was spotted enjoying a leisurely stroll with Rory and restaurateur Peter Horton in the capital city. According to legend, the pals were seen chatting while John’s dog was accompanying them on a stroll together.

The former MasterChef host chose to have a casual look after the event, which appeared to be yawning in some photos. For the walk two days ago, John was seen sporting a blue t-shirt, a grey hoodie, blue joggers, and two blue trainers.

It comes after his wife Lisa, 53, broke her silence after John’s departure from MasterChef, which he had co-hosted since it relaunched in 2005. She thanked fans for their support in a video on Instagram just a few days ago.

Hello there, Lisa said in the video message. Just a quick hello and a check in. I’m here to say thank you for your lovely comments, which are incredibly important. She thanked her followers by saying, “So thank you. “

Peter Horton, John Torode and John's dog Rory on a stroll in London.
The sighting comes following John’s departure from MasterChef, which has made headlines this month(Image: NASH / BACKGRID)

She later revealed that the couple’s dog has kept her smiling lately amid John making headlines over his exit from the TV show. She made the remark in a post on the platform alongside a photo of herself and Rory on Tuesday.

Over the past few weeks, Lisa wrote, “Our little shadow.” I can’t tell you how much Rory has made me smile. She always greets a new day with her positivity, wagging her tail, and smiling! Be More Rory is my real motto.

Earlier this month, the BBC said: “John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language against him. This allegation, which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace, was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm, Lewis Silkin. John Torode denies the allegation.

He has stated that he does not believe the alleged incident occurred and that he has no memories of it. Additionally, he asserts that any racial expression is completely unacceptable in any setting. This upheld finding is taken seriously by the BBC. We have already stated that we have to take action against the makers of MasterChef, Banijay UK, and that we will not tolerate any kind of racist language. The MasterChef contract between John Torode and will not be renewed.

Lisa Faulkner and dog Rory sat in a garden.
His wife Lisa Faulkner broke her silence on his exit from the BBC show recently and later said that dog Rory had kept her smiling(Image: @lisafaulknercooks/Instagram)

I soon after, John posted a statement that read, “I am seeing and reading that I have been “sacked” from MasterChef and I repeat that I have no memory of what I’m accused of. The inquiry couldn’t even identify the year or date that I was supposed to have said something incorrect.

I had hoped that I would have some influence when I left a show I’ve worked on since its relaunch in 2005, but events in the last few days seem to have prevented that. I’ve been thinking about my life and how it will change over the coming and future over the past few months.

“Celebrity MasterChef, which I recently filmed with Grace Dent along with two fantastic Christmas specials will be my last. Personally, I have loved every minute working on MasterChef, but it’s time to pass the cutlery to someone else. For whoever takes over, love it as I have.

As I continue to concentrate on the numerous other exciting projects I have been working on, “I will watch fondly from afar.” After 20 years of eating, my stomach will be grateful for a rest, but what a relief it has been. Life is ever-changing and ever-moving, and occasionally there were other people’s true happiness and fulfillment. I appreciate you for MasterChef’s many years.

Continue reading the article.

Production company Banijay previously stated that the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace were supported by the Lewis Silkin legal team’s investigation into an alleged racist abuse of John Torode that occurred in 2018. Banijay UK and John Torode have formally discussed this matter, and Lewis Silkin has upheld the extremely serious complaint. We have reached an agreement between Banijay UK and the BBC that we won’t renew his MasterChef contract.

New poll finds Americans perceive less racial discrimination in US

By in News, World News

According to a new poll that highlights a shift in perceptions, only 40% of Americans think that Black and Hispanic people are subject to “quite a bit” or “a great deal” of discrimination.

Only 10% of those surveyed believed that white people were discriminated against, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released on Thursday. 30% of those surveyed also felt the same way about Asian people.

Since an AP-NORC poll conducted in April 2021, there has been a decline in the number of people saying that Asians and Black people are subject to significant discrimination, according to a statement posted on the NORC website.

Donald Trump’s poll comes as he continues to criticize initiatives that promote diversity at universities and the workplace and to impose restrictions on institutions that don’t align with his political goals in an effort to combat left-wing ideas.

In the spring of 2021, over 60% of respondents in the polls said that Black people in the US are “quite a bit” or “a great deal” of discrimination in response to the massive protests against racial injustice following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The percentage has now dropped to less than 50%.

Only 39 percent of white respondents said that Black people face significant discrimination, while about 74 percent of Black respondents claim that their communities continue to experience significant discrimination.

Additionally, Americans are more skeptical of corporate initiatives to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, frequently referred to as DEI. Numerous large corporations have begun to halt these initiatives.

Deiving indefinitely was not a factor in the majority of cases, and a quarter of respondents predicted it would lead to further discrimination against minorities.

When a Black girl is seen in an engineering course or is in a space that other people are expected to be, they are only expected to get there because of those things, says Compton, California’s 48-year-old Black Democrat. Someone saying, “You’re only here to meet a quota,” negates it. “

The Trump administration has gone beyond debating DEI efforts to put pressure on institutions and organizations he sees as opposed to his political goals. For instance, the president has threatened to withhold federal disaster aid from states that don’t support his efforts to repeal anti-discrimination laws and launch investigations into businesses that use DEI policies, which he has portrayed as racist against white people.

The Trump administration’s policy of mass deportations, which have sparked concern in immigrant communities across the country, is also supported by a majority of those polled.

The majority of people, according to AP-NORC, believe that immigrants without legal status also face discrimination, which is the highest level of any identity group. According to “four in ten people who live legally in the United States are subject to this level of discrimination.”