Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

An experienced performance coach helping you reach your potential – Paddock Magazine’s Dániel Horváth sat down to have a chat with John Noonan performance coach, who also works with Frederik Vesti of Prema Racing. We utterly enjoyed this conversation with John, who has lots of experience and he truly has an inspirational personality.

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When did you decide that you want to become a performance coach, how did your journey start?

Well, I guess like many coaches, my dream was to be a pro athlete, but sadly my football skills weren’t quite up to scratch, which lead me to study more in the sports area, and sports science very quickly became a big passion. It was around the early 2000’s, I pursued University studies alongside working as a trainer in public gyms, experimenting with different training routines whilst getting to grips with coaching. I’d enjoyed my early experiences and started to get some experience working with professional sports as a strength and conditioning coach, in particular Premier League football. It was through these formative years learning how to prepare athletes for competition that my interest in the performance sciences grew.

After a few years, I was fortunate to gather working with professional rugby and eventually TeamGB athletes in preparation for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. I really enjoyed the challenge of understanding how to prepare individuals to excel in competition, which lead me to work more with individual sports, such as pro golf, squash, and eventually motor racing. Now in my fifth-year coaching drivers as a Performance Coach, working with individuals like Frederik Vesti, providing a hybrid of training, performance therapy and mindset coaching.

Are you in the market for a new car? Whether you’re upgrading an existing vehicle or investing in your first, there are multiple factors to consider before making such an important purchase. We know that buying a car can be overwhelming with all of the information out there, so we’ve put together this blog post to help guide you through some key considerations every car buyer should take into account before committing. 

From researching models and makes to finances and additional features, we will help arm you with the knowledge needed when venturing out onto those fresh dealer lots. Check out our list of top considerations for purchasing your perfect ride!

Establish a budget and payment plan

Buying a car can be exciting, but it’s important to establish a budget and payment plan beforehand. Assessing how much you can realistically afford in terms of monthly payments, insurance, taxes, fees, and other costs associated with owning a car will help ensure that you don’t overspend and can comfortably meet your financial obligations. 

It can be tempting to go for the flashy, high-end models, but keeping your financial capabilities in mind will help you make a smart purchase that you won’t regret later on. A carefully thought-out budget and payment plan can help make the entire process less stressful and allow you to focus on enjoying the ride.

Research the different types of cars available and what each offers

When it comes to purchasing a new car, there are countless options available to suit different needs and preferences. 

Ahead of this year’s Singapore Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton visited a Mangrove Plantation Project funded by the Title and Technical Partner PETRONAS, on the small South Malaysian island of Tanjung Surat. He learnt more about the project and the local community. He also witnessed the planting of the mangrove conservation programme’s 30,000th tree, marking the first key milestone of the project being achieved.

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The project, set up by PETRONAS in 2021, aims to enrich local biodiversity through reforestation, contribute to carbon sequestration, and provide opportunities to the local community.

The 30,000 mangroves, which have been planted by the local community and volunteers from the nearby PETRONAS Integrated Complex (PIC), will capture approximately 42 tons of carbon dioxide per year, and will support in protecting the local area from the threat of natural hazards, such as coastal erosion and flooding from storm surges.

Lewis Hamilton said:

Qatar Airways was recently announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2022 World Airline Awards and currently flies to more than 160 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, currently named the ‘Best Airport in the World” by Skytrax World Airport Awards 2022.

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At the end of February, Formula 1 announced Qatar Airways as new Global Airline Partner in multi-year deal.

“The best partnerships thrive because of mutual values. Both Qatar Airways and Formula 1 share passion for innovation, precision, and luxury. As a brand, we believe in the power of sports to unite people, therefore we have been selective with picking the most thrilling sporting events and sponsoring a variety of new and prominent sporting initiatives. With 23 stops on the 2023 circuit, F1 is a global sport, requiring a Global Airline Partner that offers extensive global connectivity. Hence, Qatar Airways demonstrates the perfect companion for one of the most sought- after motorsports worldwide” – said Mr. Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways to Formula1.com.

With the highly anticipated Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix quickly approaching, the one thing on F1 fanatics’ mind is ‘how do I get tickets to this world-class race!?’. That’s where Qatar Airways flies in with their Ultimate F1 Fan Packages!

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake will offer fans a ryed they don’t want to miss, as it launches a limited-edition, wind tunnel-tested rye whiskey with WhistlePig Whiskey. The leaders in independent craft whiskey, a team partner since 2022, have unveiled the latest offering in their WhistlePig PiggyBack Legends Series, a high Rye Whiskey selected by drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, with barrels trialled in the team’s wind tunnel in Hinwil, Switzerland – to ensure a thrilling taste in every sip.

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The Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel whiskey is bottled at 96.77 proof, a nod to Valtteri’s racing number, 77, and the precision of racing. Zhou’s Chinese roots are reflected by the whiskey’s finish with lychee and oolong tea: the herbal and floral notes of the oolong complement the herbaceous tone of WhistlePig’s signature PiggyBack 100% Rye, rounded up with a juicy tropical fruit finish and a touch of spice.

Like the team’s C43 racing cars, trial barrels were tested in the team’s wind tunnel in Hinwil before hitting the track. Select barrels then endured varying levels of G-forces at the WhistlePig farm and distillery in Vermont for the finishing touch, accelerating the interaction between the whiskey and the wood staying true to the physical nature of motorsport.

READ MORE: Sergio “Checo” Perez shuts down the streets of Madrid

Employee well-being is not another talking point but a serious issue for most businesses. Studies say that only half of the United States workforce has positive emotional and mental well-being. Employees must start covering much more than employee health insurance because strategies like time off have been shown to have a significant positive effect on employee well-being.

The HR department has become crucial for managing, improving, and ensuring employee well-being. This article looks at the different ways HR practitioners and leaders do this.

Providing The Resources Employees Need To Get Help

About half of employees say they would reach out to HR if they have emotional and mental health challenges, while the same number had talked to HR about job-related stress or worry. HR departments must do a better job of providing with employees the resources they need to get help if they are experiencing job-related stress.

By doing so, they will encourage employees to take advantage of these resources, with the result being better employee well-being.

The magical city of Venice hosted the world premiere of “Whatever it Takes”, a documentary film about Scuderia AlphaTauri, covering the history of the Faenza-based team since it first appeared on the Formula 1 scene back in 2006.

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In its first incarnation as Scuderia Toro Rosso, the team was initially conceived to provide two more cockpits and a way for Red Bull junior drivers to learn the craft of Grand Prix racing. It has been hugely successful in producing two world champions, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, while a quarter of the 2023 grid comprises its former drivers.

Apart from looking back at its 18 years in the sport, the feature-length film takes the viewer behind the scenes at the Italian factory and in its wind tunnel in the UK. It provides a rare insight into what it takes to compete in motor racing’s blue riband category, featuring interviews with drivers and all the key players.

The film, created in co-production with Digital Lighthouse – the team’s Media Partner, and directed by Luca Curto, was shown to an invited audience of fans, team partners and press members during an event at the famous Palazzina Grassi. The event was hosted by Federica Masolin, the renowned presenter of Sky Italia’s Formula 1 coverage.

Liberty Media Corporation (“Liberty Media”) (Nasdaq: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, FWONA, FWONK, LLYVA, LLYVK) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire greater than 90% of QuintEvents, LLC (“Quint”) in a transaction valuing the company at $313 million. Quint will be attributed to Liberty Media’s Formula One Group tracking stock, and the transaction, which is expected to be accretive, will be funded with cash on hand.

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Quint is a global provider of official ticket, hospitality and travel experiences to many of the world’s most prominent sports and entertainment events. Quint packages and sells ticket and hospitality inventory with unique experiences through marquee relationships with sporting event rightsholders, including Formula 1 (“F1”), the NBA, the Kentucky Derby and MotoGP.

Greg Maffei, Liberty Media President and CEO, said:

We are excited for Quint to join the Liberty family and strengthen our position in sports and live entertainment. Brian Ruede, Brian Learst and their team have built an innovative business that delivers unique consumer experiences at the world’s most sought-after events. Quint is a high-growth company with attractive free cash conversion. As a commercial partner to F1, Quint has proven their product development and sales expertise by creating the F1 Experiences program. We have high conviction in the demand for premium live events and will work with Quint’s management to enhance F1 offerings and bring Quint’s services to more sports.

Brian Ruede, Quint CEO, added:

We could not be more thrilled for the Quint team to join forces with Liberty Media. “This has been an incredible journey and is a transformative moment for Quint and our position in the experiential and travel economy. Liberty Media is the right partner for our next evolution of growth. Together, we can deepen our commitment to our existing partnerships through the continued development of our tech stack and service offering while providing a pathway to expand into complementary, vertical markets to enhance our customer and partner experience. This is just the beginning.

Betting in the sports world is hardly a new concept. But if you zoom in on Formula 1, live betting is like the DRS (Drag Reduction System) of gambling, deployed strategically to turbocharge your wagering experience. It’s not just about predicting the outright winner or how many pit stops a driver will take; instead, you’re thrust into a whirlwind of real-time decisions as races unfold, a thrilling chase where analytics, intuition, and sometimes sheer luck intersect at breakneck speeds.

The Matrix of Real-Time Strategy

As a race progresses, parameters shift as fluidly as an F1 car negotiating chicanes. One moment, Lewis Hamilton is in the pole position; the next, a rogue tire blowout alters the race dynamics. Live betting is where you can pivot your strategies in lockstep with these ever-changing variables. You’re not just a spectator; you’re an active participant, deftly manoeuvring through odds for F1 that fluctuate faster than a pit crew swaps tires.

In this realm, the odds are not static monoliths. They’re living entities that breathe in sync with the race. A novice would think that lower odds signify a better bet, but let’s disabuse ourselves of that notion. Lower odds often correlate with frontrunners, but Formula 1 is an unpredictable beast. Mechanical failures, sudden weather changes, and split-second mistakes can toss the script out of the cockpit window. Reading live odds is like interpreting an evolving algorithm, one that demands a nuanced understanding of track conditions, driver form, and team strategies.

Hedging, Arbitrage, and the Fine Art of Timing

In live F1 betting, when you place your bets, it can be as vital as what bets you place. Consider the strategy of hedging. If you’ve placed a pre-race bet on Max Verstappen, but midway through, it’s clear that Charles Leclerc is surging, a live bet on Leclerc can mitigate your losses.

Then there’s the clandestine world of arbitrage. Astute bettors exploit gaps between differing bookmakers’ odds. These discrepancies are more common in live betting due to the fierce nature of real-time odds adjustments. However, executing this strategy effectively takes a keen eye and rapid reflexes.

I was recently talking to a couple of former Grand Prix team colleagues and remarked how lucky we had all been to have worked in the sport during the era of spectacular sponsorship and new car launches, probably the mid 1980’s to the late 1990’s.

One of them made the point, however, that it was, of course, the number of multi-million-dollar tobacco sponsorships that were in existence at that time, that allowed the huge budgets to be allocated for this purpose. It’s a fair point, but it’s surprising that we haven’t really seen these stunning live sponsorship launches being re-introduced in a different category of business.

Maybe there is just no demand for them. A great shame in my opinion. Maybe they would send out the wrong image. Who knows? Whatever the reason, these live events were great fun and certainly memorable. I have to say that whilst the trend for on-line launches might be more cost-effective, in my opinion they lack the sheer magic and innovation of the live events.

Today in F1, by comparison, it seems that there is an increasing attempt to show us as many celebrities as is possible from the showbiz world, whether in a pit garage or on the grid, with it blatantly obvious that they are only there to punt their latest movie or book or song and are not at all interested in the racing, other than to get their face in photos with a front row driver. That’s how it is today. Who am I to argue if it sells tickets? I still miss the focus being on the drivers, team members and cars.

Back to the live events! The first launch that I attended was set up by one of my former teams, Benetton F1. It was held in London in 1993 at the impressive ITV Thames Television studio. One of the largest studios was set up with grandstand style seating, looking down onto the stage floor area. The lighting was very dim, but in the middle of the stage was the new Benetton F1 car that would be raced by Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger that season.

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel delighted over 60,000 motorsports fans on Saturday with a comeback to Nordschleife in an F1 car at the Red Bull Formula Nürburgring, which featured vehicles and drivers from different generations of motorsport and a variety of racing series.

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One of the most challenging circuits in Formula 1 history, Nordschleife is longer than six modern-day circuits combined, has over 70 corners and has an elevation similar to the height of the Eiffel Tower – over 300 metres (1000 ft) from the lowest to the highest point of the track.

While the latest modern-day F1 race occurred in 2020, the German fans’ memory still holds the image of German Vettel celebrating the 30th of his 53 Grand Prix wins with Red Bull Racing in 2013 at the Eifel Grand Prix.

Vettel, who once again sat in the cockpit of his championship-winning RB7 race car, said: “I feel like I’m in a time capsule – a lot of memories have come up once I got into the car. It will be a lot of fun going on the big track and doing it in a way I am happy with. Somehow, everything fits together here today – including that we are now running the car with CO2-neutral fuel.

Qatar Airways, the 7-time World’s Best Airline, is now the Official Airline Partner of the BWT Alpine F1 Team as part of a multi-year agreement and will work together to promote the Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2023. The partnership comes after the announcement of Qatar Airways’ Official Airline and Global Partner with Formula 1 earlier this year.

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The partnership will include specialized branding on the driver helmets and caps for the Qatar Grand Prix 2023 and various events held during the race weekend featuring the BWT Alpine F1 Team and Qatar Airways executives, cabin crew and the public. The airline’s partnership with BWT Alpine F1 Team showcases the airline’s continued commitment to promoting and expanding motorsport within Qatar and globally.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said:

We are proud to be partnering with the BWT Alpine F1 Team on a multi-year partnership to help us promote the airline at the Qatar Grand Prix 2023 and deliver the best quality experiences for our passengers, customers, and fans attending the Formula 1 race. Our organizations are committed to precision engineering and excellence to make the most significant technological advancements in our fields and drive the most environmentally sustainable outcomes for our respective industries. We look forward to hosting the Formula 1 community at the Qatar Grand Prix 2023 and wish the BWT Alpine F1 Team all the best for the remainder of the season.

David Gendry, VP of Alpine Sponsoring, Partnerships and Communications, said:

We are proud to team up with Qatar Airways, an incredible global airline with such high standards. Alpine and Qatar Airways share the common objectives of a sustainable future and using sustainable fuels, in line with Formula 1®’s goal of becoming net zero by 2030. We look forward to a close collaboration representing a unique opportunity for Alpine to strengthen its presence in Qatar further and connect with fans in the region. The team looks forward to visiting Qatar at the beginning of October for the Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2023.

MN recently legalized recreational marijuana. HF100 legalized the sale of adult-use weed within the state in May 2023. However, you’ll need to put the champagne back on ice because sales probably won’t begin until 2025.

Therefore, the only way to legally access the substance involves getting medical marijuana in Minnesota. In this article, we outline how to apply for MMJ in MN, offering information on the substance’s legality within the state in the process. 

Apply for Medical Marijuana in Minnesota: A Quick Guide

If you’re an MN resident aged 18+ with one of the qualifying medical conditions, you’re potentially eligible for MMJ. The state’s list of conditions is lengthy and includes cancer, glaucoma, Alzheimer’s, ALS, and HIV/AIDS.

There is a significant body of research outlining the possible health benefits of marijuana. For instance, this review of studies found that using CBD and THC for Alzheimer’s is potentially more effective than using either cannabinoid alone, giving credence to the Entourage Effect theory. It seems as if cannabinoids such as CBD can suppress the causal factors of Alzheimer’s. 

Since recreational sales won’t begin for some time, only MMJ cardholders can legally discover whether the substance is effective for their medical condition.

Günther Steiner has been in post as team principal of Haas F1 since the American outfit joined Formula 1, and he sat down with Paddock Magazine’s Dániel Horváth to discuss various topics regarding motorsports, business and management.

You started your career as a mechanic and you’re now the team principal of the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team. How did you manage to work your way up?

It’s a little bit of everything, really. You need to work hard and have dedication and passion for the sport. You need to be in the right place at the right time. It definitely helps if you have some luck, I can’t deny it. You can only make it if you get the chance at the right time. It’s mainly the passion for the sport. I’ve always liked racing cars and the world of racing; however, I’ve never dreamt of working in Formula 1. I just did what I enjoyed; when you enjoy what you’re doing, you can do a good job. I couldn’t do a job if I didn’t enjoy it.

When did you decide that you want to work in motorsports?

When I was about 20 years old. Actually, there was no motorsport where I come from, so I never thought I’d do something in this business. I moved from Northern Italy to Belgium to get my first job in motorsport. Times were different back in the ’80s, and when I moved away from home, I took a risk. I left my job, and I tried this one. Thank God it worked out. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now.

When working in any industry, it goes without saying that effective communication is key to success. Whether you are managing a team or providing customer service, the ability to effectively express yourself and understand what someone else has said can be integral to progress within an organization. But how do you ensure everyone is on the same page? How can you stay connected with those who have different ideas and opinions? In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the solutions to help ensure effective communication while working. With these tips and tricks up your sleeve, staying connected should become easy!

Improve your listening skills

Having good listening skills is crucial for effective communication. When someone is speaking to you, it’s essential that you focus on what they’re saying and be actively engaged in the conversation. For starters, try repeating back words they said or summarizing their points so as to ensure understanding. Ask follow-up questions for clarification if needed, and make sure to take notes as necessary.

Keep all communication respectful

It is important to remember that effective communication should be done with respect and kindness. Everyone has different opinions, so it is necessary to remain polite in any conversation. Name-calling, criticism, or sarcasm only serves to create an unprofessional environment and can lead to misunderstandings. Instead, focus on what the other person has said, be open-minded, and make sure to remain respectful in all forms of communication.

Utilize technology to stay connected

Technology can be a great tool for staying connected. With the help of video conferencing platforms such as Skype or Zoom, you can have face-to-face conversations with people from anywhere in the world. Discussion boards are also helpful for managing large groups and getting feedback while in the comfort of your own home. Additionally, online chat rooms provide an opportunity to chat with your colleagues in real time. For those who are on the move, such as managing fleets, radios with a web-based tracking application can be used for keeping tabs and staying updated about the team’s activities. Utilizing these technologies can help ensure everyone is on the same page and effective communication is maintained while working.