Floods economic impacts

If a single 2018 incident demonstrated just how disjointed Formula 1 has become, it was the Haas versus Force India protest filed late on Thursday in Abu Dhabi. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Significantly, the protest came within F1 hours of scrutineering and ahead of the season’s final championship round. Also crucial to proceedings is that Abu Dhabi steward Garry Connelly also officiated in Belgium, where Racing Point Force India was declared a new team holding a new entrant license. Thus there was no cause to postpone or reconvene the matter at a later date, enabling both the hearing and the crucial (and expected) outcome – namely that the Force India cars were legal – to be handed ahead of FP3 on Saturday. However, Force India’s victory actually represents a defeat as we outlined here immediately after verdict. The road map of the mess F1 found itself in has been detailed in these pages since Force India plunged into administration at end-July. But … [Read more...] about Haas’s protest a legacy of F1’s missing Concorde Agreement – RaceFans

“The stewards decide to dismiss the protests lodged by Haas Formula One Team”, concluded the stewards’ verdict on the team’s case against Force India. But what looks like a defeat on paper may prove a victory in the long-term. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Contrary to the bottom line verdict in the Haas F1 Team versus Racing Point Force India (RPFI) matter – in which the former unsuccessfully alleged that the latter is not, in fact a constructor as defined within the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations, and thus not an eligible in the 2018 F1 championship – Haas are the real winners here, for the stewards found that RPFI is a factually new team. Team principal Guenther Steiner admitted this was their goal when he spoke to Sky after the verdict was handed down. “The argument was they are, in our opinion, a new constructor, because they came in with a new licence.” This was a point Force India tried to challenge in the hearing. The stewards rejected … [Read more...] about Analysis: Why Haas’s protest ‘defeat’ was really a win – RaceFans

Last month we outlined how precariously Formula 1’s fortunes hinge upon its share price , in turn driven by factors surrounding the sport and the subsequent opinions of investment analysts. Yet, many of these have seldom – if ever – seen a grand prix live or on TV, and base their (critical) analyses on developments that profoundly affect stock value. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free In a nutshell, uncertainty immediately knocks the price; positive, hard news gradually boosts it. At the time we flagged two dates: November 8th, on which F1’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media would field investor calls on Q3 earnings; and November 14th, Liberty Media’s Annual Investor Day, at which the results and prospects of group entities are presented to shareholders. F1 in particular seemed to leave the investment community distinctly lukewarm. During the investor call F1’s share prices – A Class FWONA and C Class FWONK – dipped. Steeper falls followed the call’s … [Read more...] about RacingLines: What is and isn’t behind F1’s share price moves – RaceFans

In the round-up: Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says the team is now dedicating its development effort to its new car for the 2019 F1 season . Become a RaceFans Supporter and go ad-free RaceFans operates thanks in part to the support of its readers. In order to help fund the development and growth of the site please consider becoming a RaceFans Supporter. For just £1 per month/£12 per year you will also be upgraded to an ad-free account. Sign up and find out more below: Become a RaceFans Supporter RaceFans Supporter FAQ What they say Steiner was asked whether the team had decided to switch its focus to its car for next year. We decided. We are doing the ’19 car. We have to because otherwise you fall too far behind. And also when you look at our car now in the midfield we are quite solid so it’s no point to keep on working on this one because we have to look at the future. We make developments and we will bring them to the car in the next races. They … [Read more...] about RaceFans round-up: Haas switches car development focus to 2019

Sebastian Vettel admitted he wasn’t at his best in 2018 after being beaten to the drivers’ championship by Lewis Hamilton. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free A series of mid-season errors by the Ferrari driver boosted Hamilton’s lead in the championship, which he won with two races to spare. “I don’t think I ever had any problems raising my hand if I made a mistake,” said Vettel/ “Knowing as well, as a racing driver, how quickly things can go wrong, how things could have gone differently this year, I think I have to review a couple of things. “But there’s other things that I think went wrong and don’t need a lot of reviewing and not over-complicating things too much. I think I know what I need to do. “Certainly, here and there, looking back I haven’t been at the top of my game so I look at myself first. I think I can be better than I was at times this year. “Having said that though, I think we also had a lot of races where we got everything out of the … [Read more...] about Vettel admits he wasn’t “at the top of my game” in 2018 · RaceFans

White Oak Music Hall will become the center of the old-school metal universe this weekend, when dozens of bands and thousands of fans flood into Houston for the annual Hell’s Heroes music festival. Previous editions of the fest have been confined to the White Oak’s two indoor stages, but this year, the celebration will spill out onto the much larger outdoor lawn. It’s the festival’s biggest year yet, and for fans of traditional heavy metal, speed metal, thrash, and related subgenres, Hell’s Heroes is without equal on the American circuit. “A lot of people travel from all over the country, from random small cities,” Hell’s Heroes organizer Christian Larson says. “And then all [these bands] get to have one giant show, where all their fans from across the country are all in one place.” Including the Thursday pre-party and multiple late-night afterparties, Hell’s Heroes will cram upwards of 40 hours of heavy metal thunder into three days. Unless you don’t plan to eat or go to the … [Read more...] about 10 bands to see at Houston’s premier metal festival, Hell’s Heroes

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 EDITORS: EMBARGOED UNTIL SUNDAY, MARCH 19 - - - PITTSBURGH - During every Adam Sandler stand-up show, he straps on his electric guitar and sings a song. Unlike the bite-size ditties he's peppered through the set about selfies or baggy shorts, this one concerns his late, great "Saturday Night Live" buddy, Chris Farley. It is a perfect tribute. Sandler, singing softly as he strums in G, captures the complicated beauty of Farley as clips of his most memorable high jinks play on a giant screen behind him. The crowd roars as he references Farley's electrifying SNL turns as a Chippendales dancer and a motivational speaker "living in a van down by the river." There is a hush as Sandler slips into the bridge, a peek into his friend's vulnerability. "I saw him in the office, crying with his headphones on "Listening to a KC and the Sunshine Band song "I said, 'Buddy, how the hell is … [Read more...] about Adam Sandler doesn’t need your respect. He just wants to make you laugh.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 The automobile has been a fixture of urban life for more than a century. Then came the coronavirus pandemic. Congested streets turned into pedestrian safe havens. Now many want to make those changes permanent - but it won't happen without a fight. Golden Gate Park is pretty serene, as far as battlefields go. On a recent, unusually sunny afternoon, the emerald of this city's green space was alive with people moving about its main thoroughfare. Cyclists buzzed past roller skaters, who shimmied around joggers, who lapped the many pedestrians. One runner paused to play a roadside piano. A father and son rallied on a ping pong table. Dogs abounded. The one constituency not present: cars. For some, this fact explained the peace. For others, it signaled defeat. Despite its bucolic environs, Golden Gate Park has emerged as one of the most high-profile fronts in a … [Read more...] about Inside the movement to remake America’s city streets

As if Houston's notoriously steaming summers weren't enough: now we're at risk of boiling alive during the spring, too. According to experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Houstonians should brace themselves for an especially sweltering spring this year. "Above-average temperatures are favored for much of the southern and eastern half of the U.S. For April through June, the greatest chance for above-average temperatures exists from the southern High Plains eastward to Florida, and northward along the East Coast," NOAA officials wrote in their 2023 Spring Outlook . The NOAA's seasonal temperature outlook for April, May and June shows that Houston—and nearly all of Texas—should see temperatures about 50 to 60 percent above normal for those months. This places Houston and the Lone Star State among just a handful of southeastern states with temperatures forecasted to get more than 50 percent above normal ranges from past years. This means things … [Read more...] about Houston is in for one hell of a hot spring, experts warn