Formula E Season 9 launches GEN3 era at Mexico City E-Prix

Formula E's GEN3 car will make its debut at the Mexico City E-Prix. (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 13 January 2023
Follow

Formula E Season 9 launches GEN3 era at Mexico City E-Prix

  • All you need to know about the new season as fastest and most efficient electric car yet makes its debut at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit

RIYADH: Season 9 and a new era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship begins this Saturday with the competitive debut of the GEN3 car at the 2023 Hankook Mexico City E-Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.

It is the fastest and most efficient race car to take part in the all-electric series yet.

A capacity crowd of 40,000 spectators is expected to fill the grandstands, with a carnival atmosphere in the famed Foro Sol stadium section welcoming the 22 drivers from 11 teams.

The second and third rounds of Season 9 will take place at the Diriyah E-Prix in Riyadh on Jan 27-28.

Here’s all you need to know about the launch of the new season.
The teams

The off-season saw plenty of changes as only one team has retained the same driver line-up that finished last season.

DS Automobiles has partnered with PENSKE AUTOSPORT, signing two of the sport’s biggest names — reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne and Formula E’s only double champion Jean-Eric Vergne — to launch their Season 9 campaign.

The pair were highly competitive in testing, recording the second and third fastest times respectively. Vandoorne will be looking to mount a strong title defense to match Vergne’s unique double-title honor.

Two iconic names in world motorsport — McLaren and Maserati — line up on the Formula E grid for the first time this season.

The former is among the greatest names in motorsport, with 20 Formula 1 World Championship titles, 180 Grand Prix wins and three Indianapolis 500 victories to its name, as well as a Le Mans 24 Hours win at the first attempt.

Rene Rast, multiple DTM champion and former Formula E racer, will compete in the distinctive papaya of the new NEOM McLaren Formula E Team alongside Jake Hughes, who impressed in testing on the way to recording the fourth-quickest time of the week.

In partnership with MSG Racing, Maserati marks its return to single-seater competition for the first time in more than 60 years and is set to become the first Italian marque to compete in Formula E. Both Maserati and McLaren have cited Formula E as key to their EV development programs, with the championship’s intense sporting laboratory driving learnings from the racetrack to road models.

Maserati’s rich motorsport heritage is evident throughout their return to racing. Launched on the streets of their Italian hometown of Modena in the iconic blue color, the Maserati Tipo Folgore pays homage to the Trident’s first racing car, the Tipo 26.

Maserati MSG Racing will see the return of Edoardo Mortara, who will look to build on his most successful Formula E campaign yet of four wins among six podium finishes last season, alongside new teammate Maximilian Guenther. It was a strong start for the team in Valencia, where Guenther topped five of the seven timed sessions and set the benchmark pace in Spain at a third official Formula E test.

Jaguar TCS Racing is the only team on the grid to field an unchanged driver line-up. Mitch Evans was in the hunt for his first Formula E world champion title until the final weekend of last season, ultimately finishing second. Across the garage, teammate Sam Bird was frustrated by an injury that meant he was unable to take part in the final two races of the season — numbers 99 and 100 in Formula E history — leaving Lucas di Grassi to become the only driver to achieve the ever-present feat.

Andre Lotterer joins Jake Dennis at the now Porsche-powered Avalanche Andretti Formula E team, while Season 6 champion Antonio Felix Da Costa will partner Pascal Wehrlein at TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team.

Nick Cassidy stays at Envision Racing, where he is joined by long-standing Nissan driver and Season 2 champion Sebastien Buemi.

Buemi’s departure means the Nissan Formula E Team also has a fully refreshed line-up with Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz, who stood in for Antonio Giovinazzi in Seoul in the last race of Season 8.

Mahindra Racing welcomes ‘Mr 100’ and Season 3 champion Lucas di Grassi to partner Oliver Rowland.

NIO 333 Racing retains Dan Ticktum. He partners with Sergio Sette Camara, who put in some impressive performances last year for DRAGON/PENSKE AUTOSPORT, while Robins Frijns and Nico Mueller will race for the new ABT CUPRA Formula E Team.
Sporting changes for Season 9

Alongside the revolutionary technology on-track, Formula E’s sporting regulations have undergone updates aligned to the GEN3 era. A lap total will replace time in setting a race distance, with additional laps added for Safety Car and Full Course Yellow interruptions to racing.

Hankook Tire becomes the exclusive Technical Partner and Tyre Supplier of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from Season 9. Two years of research and development has gone into producing the Hankook iON Race tire, which in Formula E is used in all conditions, wet and dry. Nearly 30 percent of the new tire is made of sustainable materials while Hankook completely recycles every set of tires after use.
Return to Mexico City

On Saturday, Formula E makes a seventh visit to a circuit that has been a feature on the calendar since Season 2, except for a trip to Puebla in Season 7 — Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The 19-turn, 2.630 km circuit is a perfect mix of long, fast straights and a technical infield section that passes right through the legendary Foro Sol stadium section where tens of thousands of fans sit. 

A new chicane has been added on the back straight this season, while the Attack Mode activation zone is now on the outside of Turn 15 at the exit of the stadium section, presenting more of a challenge this time around.

Last season, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team dominated in Mexico City to claim their first ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race win.

Pascal Wehrlein led home teammate Andre Lotterer for a Porsche one-two. The team inflicted an extra lap on the field with just a couple of seconds remaining on the clock.


Bridges outduels Wembanyama, Celtics lose again

Updated 26 December 2024
Follow

Bridges outduels Wembanyama, Celtics lose again

  • Knicks’ Bridges took the glory with a brilliant 15-point fourth-quarter display that left him with a season-high 41 points and the win
  • Dallas Mavericks lost their Slovenian star Luka Doncic with a calf injury in the second quarter of their 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves

 

Knicks’ Bridges took the glory with a brilliant 15-point fourth-quarter display that left him with a season-high 41 points and the win

Dallas Mavericks lost their Slovenian star Luka Doncic with a calf injury in the second quarter of their 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals

AFP LOS ANGELES: Mikal Bridges and the New York Knicks edged Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 117-114 in a Christmas Day thriller at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

French star Wembanyama put up 42 points with 18 rebounds and four blocks for the Spurs but Bridges took the glory with a brilliant 15-point fourth-quarter display that left him with a season-high 41 points and the win.

“It was great, man. I think just to feel the excitement from the crowd, my teammates, my coaches, this is who I play for,” Bridges told broadcaster ABC.

“They give me the energy, give me the confidence to go out there and play,” he added.

Wembanyama was just three points short of the Christmas debut scoring record of 45 set by Wilt Chamberlain in his rookie season in 1959.

The 20-year-old, who stands 7-foot-3 (2.21m), was 16-31 on shooting and made six of 16 three-point throws and while Bridges took the applause from the home crowd, he was quick to praise the Frenchman.

“From 40 feet out, from right under the rim, from 15 feet out, he’s just unbelievable, just to see what he’s doing, credit to him and how much work he has put in,” said Bridges.

The 28-year-old Bridges, who was traded from the Brooklyn Nets in July, shot 17-25 from the field and was six for nine on three-point attempts as his team improved to 20-10.

San Antonio were just a point behind with two minutes remaining before Bridges made back-to-back jumpers to open up a five-point lead.

Josh Hart came up big for New York at the death, grabbing two misses to ensure the win and leave the Spurs on a 15-15 record.

Karl-Anthony Towns with 21 points and Jalen Brunson with 20 points and nine assists were crucial for the Knicks in the win.

Jeremy Sochan supported Wembanyama with 21 points for the Spurs.

Defending champions the Boston Celtics (22-8) lost back-to-back games for the first time this season when they were upset at home by the Philadelphia 76ers 118-114.

Injury-prone 76ers star Joel Embiid hurt his ankle in a pregame fall but was able to start and showed his importance with 27 points, nine rebounds and the game clinching free throws at the end to clinch the win for the 11-17 Philadelphia.

Tyres Maxey scored 33 points and made 12 assists with his 13 points in the fourth quarter crucial as Philadelphia, who had led by 16 at the break, recovered from Boston’s third quarter rally.

Jayson Tatum top scored for the Celtics with 32 points and also grabbed 15 rebounds.

It was far from a Merry Christmas for the Dallas Mavericks who lost their Slovenian star Luka Doncic with a calf injury in the second quarter of their 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.

Doncic, who had scored 14 points, limped out of the game and did not return. The Mavericks did manage a brave comeback attempt without him, before falling short.

Anthony Edwards put up 26 points for Minnesota.

The Timberwolves led 57-40 at the half and extended that advantage to 28-points before Dallas, led by Kyrie Irving who made 39 points, started to work their way back into the contest.

It was close at the end but Irving missed a three-point shot that would have given Dallas the lead in the last minute and a two-foot shot from Edwards and a pair of free throws from Julius Randle made sure of the win.

“Kyrie to me is the greatest point guard and so when he gets going, it’s tough to stop him,” said Edwards.

“We got a couple of big stops down the stretch and got some buckets so that helped us,” he added.

The Los Angeles Lakers scored a 115-113 road win over Golden State Warriors.

Lakers big man Anthony Davis didn’t return for Los Angeles against Golden State after spraining his left ankle midway through the first quarter. Davis stepped awkwardly and rolled the ankle while moving through the paint toward the Lakers basket and exited with 4:48 remaining in the quarter.


Sydney-Hobart yacht crews set off on gale-threatened race

Updated 26 December 2024
Follow

Sydney-Hobart yacht crews set off on gale-threatened race

  • Race crews face rough weather and big waves as they move down Australia’s east coast, then tackle the notorious Bass Strait toward the Tasmanian state capital Hobart
  • LawConnect and rival Comanche battled for the lead as crews vied to be first out of the harbor

SYDNEY: Crews of more than 100 yachts set sail Thursday on a “boat-breaking” Sydney-Hobart yacht race, with gale-force winds and high seas forecast for the grueling bluewater classic.

Under blue, mid-summer skies, spectators crowded onto boats and lined the shore of a breezy Sydney Harbor as a starting cannon set the fleet of 104 on a dash to the open ocean.

Race crews face rough weather and big waves as they move down Australia’s east coast, then tackle the notorious Bass Strait toward the Tasmanian state capital Hobart.

Weather is a critical factor in the 628-nautical mile event, first held in 1945.

Six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued in 1998, when a deep depression exploded over the fleet in the Bass Strait.

“We are seeing strong wind warnings developing through the afternoon today and getting up to gale, so about 35 knots,” meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse said in the last briefing hours before the start.

A strong south-westerly change would move across Bass Strait early on Friday morning, potentially bringing showers, lightning, thunder, and waves of up to 4.0 meters (13 feet).

In the first minutes of the race, reigning line honors champion LawConnect and rival Comanche battled for the lead as crews vied to be first out of the harbor.

“These conditions are probably the worst forecast I’ve ever had to go through. The odds of boat damage are obviously very high,” LawConnect skipper Christian Beck said ahead of the race.

But the forecast conditions could favor LawConnect, he said.

“We’ve had a crew that’s been together for six years. We hope our crew is our main strength. The harder it is, the more that comes to our advantage,” Beck said.

LawConnect edged Comanche to win by just 51 seconds last year, and the two 100-foot supermaxis are again expected to battle for line honors.

“It’s going to be a fast and furious first night out there on our way down to Hobart,” said Matt Allen, co-skipper of Comanche, a four-time line honors champion and the race record holder.

“It’s probably going to be boat-breaking sort of conditions,” Allen said ahead of the race. “The really small boats are really going to cop it a few times in this race.”

Fellow skipper James Mayo said strategy would be key for Comanche, which surged over the finish line in one day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds to set a new mark in 2017.

“It’s about keeping the boat in one piece, you know there’s going to be some good rides,” Mayo said.

Two other supermaxis are entered — Wild Thing and Maritimo.

Alive, last year’s overall winner of the Tattersall Cup, which takes into account boat size and other factors, will again be in contention to defend its title.

Other previous overall winners in the fleet include Centennial 7 (formerly Celestial) and Love and War.


Lamar Jackson breaks NFL QB rushing record, accounts for 3 TDs in Ravens’ 31-2 romp over Texans

Updated 26 December 2024
Follow

Lamar Jackson breaks NFL QB rushing record, accounts for 3 TDs in Ravens’ 31-2 romp over Texans

  • Jackson threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 87 yards and another score

HOUSTON: Lamar Jackson broke the NFL career rushing record for quarterbacks in Baltimore’s 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans on Wednesday, bolstering his case for MVP as the Ravens moved closer to the AFC North title.
Jackson threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 87 yards and another score. He pushed his career rushing total to 6,110 to move past Michael Vick, who had 6,109 in his 13-year career.
The Ravens (11-5) have already wrapped up their third straight playoff berth and need a victory over Cleveland next week to win the division over Pittsburgh. The Steelers dropped a third straight with a loss to Kansas City on Wednesday.
Jackson, the MVP last season and in 2019, put on a show rivaled only by the spectacular Super Bowl-caliber halftime performance by Beyoncé to give Baltimore its third straight win. And he needed just more than three quarters to do it, giving way to Josh Johnson with about 10 minutes left and the game long decided.
Jackson threw 9- and 1-yard TD passes and was not touched on a 48-yard scoring scamper that made it 24-2 in the third quarter.
Derrick Henry ran for 147 yards and set the Ravens season record with his 16th touchdown on a 2-yard run in the first quarter. He eclipsed Ray Rice (2011) and Mark Ingram (2019).
Baltimore dominated a Houston team reeling after losing dynamic receiver Tank Dell to a season-ending knee injury Saturday.
The AFC South champs struggled to finish drives and got their only points on a safety in the second quarter. C.J. Stroud threw for 185 yards, but was sacked five times and threw an interception and Joe Mixon managed just 26 yards rushing as the Texans (9-7) lost a second straight.
Rookie Kamari Lassiter dropped Henry for a 4-yard loss for the safety with about 10 minutes left in the first half to cut the lead to 10-2.
Dameon Pierce then returned the kickoff 45 yards to get the Texans to their 43. But they came away empty when Mixon was stopped on the 1 after grabbing a short pass on fourth-and-3.
Jackson then orchestrated a 99-yard drive to pad the lead. He scrambled to evade the rush and found Mark Andrews for a 67-yard gain to get the Ravens in the red zone with just more than two minutes left in the first half.
Isaiah Likely’s 9-yard TD reception two plays later made it 17-2. It was the first 17-2 halftime score in NFL history.
Kyle Hamilton intercepted Stroud’s pass on the first drive of the second half. Two plays later, Jackson’s long TD run made it 24-2.
He set the rushing record on a 6-yard run on Baltimore’s next drive. Later in the drive, he scrambled to escape several defenders before finding Andrews for a 1-yard score to leave Baltimore up 31-2.
Injuries
Ravens RB Rasheen Ali injured his hip in the third quarter and didn’t return. … Texans TE Cade Stover returned after missing two games following an emergency appendectomy.
Up next
The Ravens host the Browns, and the Texans visit the Titans next weekend. The game dates have yet to be determined.


World No. 1 Sabalenka ready for more Slam success

Updated 26 December 2024
Follow

World No. 1 Sabalenka ready for more Slam success

  • Sabalenka: I love Australia and I always come here hungry and always come here ready
  • The 26-year-old enjoyed a sensational 2024, reaching seven finals and winning four titles, including the US Open

BRISBANE: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka says she is “fresh and ready to go” in her bid for a third straight Australian Open title, warning she has plenty of room for improvement.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a sensational 2024, reaching seven finals and winning four titles, including the US Open.

Her year was kickstarted by defending her Australian Open crown, beating China’s high-flying Zheng Qinwen in the final.

Should she win it again, she will become the first woman to claim three straight Melbourne Park singles titles since Martina Hingis between 1997-1999.

“I feel fresh and ready to go,” the Belarusian said, according to the WTA website Thursday, after arriving for the Brisbane International which starts on Sunday ahead of the Australian Open from Jan. 12.

“I love Australia and I always come here hungry and always come here ready.

“I feel all the support here, and I think that’s the best thing about Australia, that people are really, really, into tennis.”

Sabalenka also began 2024 in Brisbane, reaching the final without losing a set only to crash to Kazakstan’s Elena Rybakina in the decider.

She spent time in the off-season at her home in Florida before heading to the Middle East to prepare for Australia and will use the Brisbane tournament to fine-tune her Grand Slam preparations.

“You work hard on lots of things in the pre-season,” she said.

“The first tournament before the major tournament is the one where you can try it out and see what’s going to work well for you, and what’s not.”

Despite her rise through the ranks to be the player to beat heading into 2025, Sabalenka said there were still parts of her game that need work.

“Oh, there is so many things to improve,” she said.

“I mean, I’m not that good with maybe my game at the net in singles. There is a lot of things to improve in my touch game.

“There is so many things, even my serve is not as good as I want it to be, so there is always (elements) to improve.”


Mahomes throws 3 TDs as Chiefs clinch AFC’s top seed by breezing past the skidding Steelers 29-10

Updated 26 December 2024
Follow

Mahomes throws 3 TDs as Chiefs clinch AFC’s top seed by breezing past the skidding Steelers 29-10

  • Kansas City (15-1) spent three hours toying with the Steelers (10-6) like a cat batting around shreds of leftover wrapping paper

PITTSBURGH: Andy Reid donned a Santa Claus suit in a giddy Kansas City Chiefs locker room on Christmas Day, then handed his team a present it increasingly looks like it deserves: home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
How Reid managed to slide into the costume so quickly after Kansas City’s clinical 29-10 victory over the reeling Pittsburgh Steelers to lock up the top seed in the AFC for the fourth time in seven years is a mystery (though he hinted there’s an elf involved).
How Reid’s team manages to pull away from the pack year after year is not.
A lot of Patrick Mahomes. A dash of Travis Kelce. A splash of speed. A defense that quietly goes about its business, even when its leader is standing on the sideline in sweatpants.
Yes, it has been ugly — by Kansas City’s lofty standards — at times while the Chiefs have chased a third straight championship. Yet as the playoffs loom, the group that looked so vulnerable for most of the season suddenly seems to be rounding into form.
And the road to the Super Bowl will once again go through Arrowhead Stadium. Just the way the Chiefs like it.
“Getting the No. 1 seed is important,” Mahomes said after throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. “It’s like winning a playoff game.”
Even if how the Chiefs locked it up didn’t exactly feel like one.
Kansas City (15-1) spent three hours toying with the Steelers (10-6) like a cat batting around shreds of leftover wrapping paper. The Chiefs raced to an early 13-point lead and were never really threatened by Pittsburgh, which has dropped three straight to see its chances of capturing the AFC North take another hit.
“That sucked, to be blunt,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.
It often does when Pittsburgh is on one side of the line of scrimmage and Mahomes is on the other. Mahomes is now 4-0 against the Steelers with 17 touchdowns against just one interception. He connected on first-half scoring tosses to Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson and added a history-making 12-yard touchdown flip to Kelce to seal it in the fourth quarter.
The grab was the 77th scoring reception of Kelce’s career, breaking a franchise record set by Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. The 35-year-old Kelce celebrated by dunking the ball over the goal post, a nod to Gonzalez’s signature move. The gesture drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, though it hardly mattered. Harrison Butker made the longer extra point and the Chiefs were firmly in control.
“It’s just showing Tony some love,” Kelce said with a laugh on the day he joined Gonzalez and Jason Witten as the only tight ends to reach 1,000 receptions. Kelce finished with eight catches for 84 yards while playing for an offense that is starting to get its swagger back.
The defense wasn’t bad either, even with five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Chris Jones sidelined by a calf injury. Jones’ teammates hardly looked gassed while playing for the third time in 11 days.
“It was tough,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “I mean, three games in 11 days is crazy for anybody. But I thought we handled it very well.”
The Steelers did not. Pittsburgh went 0-3 during the span, a brutal stretch against Super Bowl contenders Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City in which the Steelers looked outclassed.
Perhaps more troubling than the losses is the way they played out. Pittsburgh lost each contest by at least 14 points and could find itself starting the postseason on the road after playing fast-and-loose with the two-game division lead it enjoyed just three weeks ago.
“I think that there’s highs and lows in every season,” Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson said after throwing for 205 yards with an ill-timed pick in the end zone in the first quarter. “We’ve got to make sure that we end this last game on the right footing and right belief.”
That hasn’t been an issue in years in Kansas City. Not with Mahomes at the controls. He spread his 29 completions to eight different players, including a career-best eight to Worthy and four to Hollywood Brown, whose return from injury has given the Chiefs another playmaker in what is starting to look like another stacked deck.
“We’re playing, especially offensively, our best football of the year,” Mahomes said.
Looks like it. The two-time MVP hardly bothered by the ankle injury he suffered against Cleveland, throwing touchdowns to cap Kansas City’s first two drives. And while the Steelers drew within 13-7 and 16-10, they never had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the second half.
Instead, the Chiefs — who spent most of the first three months of the season squeaking by most weeks — zoomed away with the No. 1 seed and several weeks to rest before a bid for a three-peat that certainly looks doable.
Injuries
Chiefs: RB Isiah Pacheco left in the second half with a rib injury.
Steelers: DT Cam Heyward exited briefly in the fourth quarter but managed to return.
Up next
Chiefs: finish up the regular season by heading to Denver.
Steelers: host Cincinnati in the regular-season finale.