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The Brazilian GP was deemed by many to be a bad race in the making for Max Verstappen . Furthermore, this statement was also believed by the Dutchman’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase (GP), who ruled out the possibility of having the reigning champion step onto the podium. This gave the spark required for Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko , who bet on Verstappen’s ability to get a good result out of the weekend against GP and won $100.
Gianpiero Lambiase and Helmut Marko have been betting throughout the 2024 F1 season on Max Verstappen‘s ability to drag the RB20 to the top. Though the 44-year-old race engineer has remained pessimistic while making bets, the Austrian has been contrastingly bold and has earned a decent chunk owing to the Dutchman’s impressive exploits.
Subsequently, the next episode of this stake war took place in Brazil. Verstappen was scheduled to take an engine penalty around Interlagos and McLaren remained the faster car throughout the weekend. This led to GP insisting that with the lurking torrential weather conditions, the 27-year-old could not have made it to the top three, but Verstappen proved him wrong by doing one better and winning the race.
We put a hundred dollars on it. I only said a podium and no victory. Max always wants to do better.
Helmut Marko via De Telegraaf
This banter between Marko and GP is supposed to continue for a few more races. However, Verstappen’s race engineer’s bad predictions have mostly turned out the other way. So GP could go on betting against the Dutchman for a few more races, which might help them seal out the championship earlier.
Max Verstappen credited his go-karting days for excellence in wet conditions at Interlagos
Apart from this, the 27-year-old put in 17 fastest laps over the course of the 69-lap race. This demonstrated his confidence in the murky conditions that loomed around the track. Subsequently, Verstappen dwelled deeper into why he has great control of his car in wet weather conditions which dates back to his junior days.
The reigning champion elucidated how lessons learned in junior categories stuck around with him.
Back in the day in go-karting, the guys that were good in the wet are good nowadays also in Formula 1. I was racing them in go-karting, so it definitely is a thing that you pick up when you’re younger practicing a lot. It rains a bit more where we come from than some other places, you go out there practicing, get more comfortable, and definitely tuning your skills to be better. You carry that into Formula 1, evolve and become even better and you use that to your advantage in races.
Max Verstappen via F1TV
Nonetheless, Verstappen’s advantage in the driver’s championship has extended to 62 points over McLaren’s Lando Norris . This has meant that he has a real possibility of winning his fourth driver’s title under the sparkling lights of Las Vegas. Keeping this in view, the interest around Round 22 of the 2024 F1 season will be huge all over the world.
More must-reads:
- Lando Norris faces key post-break stretch in F1 championship pursuit
- 'Clearly separated himself': Why one QB is winning Browns' competition
- The '2024-25 NFL passing-yard leaders' quiz
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Chargers star's brutal injury shows why players should hold out with new contracts on line
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'Clearly separated himself': Why one QB is winning Browns' competition
Recent reports have indicated that veteran Joe Flacco holds a significant lead in the Cleveland Browns' quarterback competition over Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel and 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders. For an article published on Wednesday, Lance Reisland of the Cleveland Plain Dealer explained why Flacco "has clearly separated himself from the quarterback competition" heading into the Browns' preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday. "His performance is rooted in elite mechanical consistency in his footwork, balance and ability to transfer weight efficiently through his throws," Reisland said about Flacco. "These traits have allowed him to remain composed under pressure, stay on time through full field progression reads, and consistently deliver accurate passes at all three levels of the field." During the 2023 season, Flacco won four of five starts while playing under head coach Kevin Stefanski to guide the Browns to a playoff berth. None of Cleveland's other active quarterbacks has ever taken a meaningful in-game snap in Stefanski's offense. Gabriel seemingly won't be ready for regular-season action anytime soon, and Pickett missed a handful of practice days while dealing with a hamstring injury. Sanders reportedly will start against Carolina, but he's Cleveland's fourth option at the position. Even if he looks like a revelation on Friday night, all signs point to Stefanski going with Flacco for Cleveland's Week 1 game against the division rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. As of Wednesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Flacco as a -265 betting favorite to get the nod for the Cincinnati matchup. "Flacco’s blend of polish, poise and veteran field-command paired with his ability to operate from under center or in shotgun, against pressure or in structure, makes him the clear best option to start Week 1," Reisland continued. "He’s executing with rhythm and timing, manipulating coverages and elevating the offense every time he’s under center. He looks fully prepared to lead this team on day one." While that doesn't necessarily mean Flacco will start when Cleveland faces the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 on Sept. 14, it appears the Browns' QB1 gig is his to lose.
Veteran center attempting NHL comeback
Free-agent center Adam Ruzicka turned to the KHL last season and had a solid showing in Russia with Spartak, but notably hasn’t signed a new deal there yet. Spartak adviser Valeri Kamensky told Alexander Abustin of Sport-Express that the reason Ruzicka hasn’t re-signed yet is because he’s holding out hope to get another NHL opportunity. The 26-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Calgary back in 2017, going 109th overall. He spent parts of four seasons with the Flames before being claimed off waivers by Arizona in early 2024. However, a month later, Ruzicka and the Coyotes agreed on a mutual contract termination, making him an unrestricted free agent. After another NHL chance didn’t materialize in short order, he ultimately signed with Spartak in late May 2024. Ruzicka was certainly productive in Russia, notching 26 goals and 19 assists in 65 regular-season games, good for fifth in team scoring. He was even better in the playoffs, picking up seven goals and five helpers in 12 postseason contests, making the most of his opportunity to play a more offensive role after being more of a depth player in the NHL. Over his four NHL seasons, Ruzicka has played in 117 games, picking up 14 goals and 26 assists. However, a good chunk of that production came in 2022-23 when he recorded 20 points in just 44 games with Calgary before his output tailed off the following year. He’s not too far removed from being a legitimate depth contributor at the top level. Kamensky acknowledged that discussions are underway with Ruzicka, so if he doesn’t get another NHL look, he’ll simply re-sign. But, for now at least, it appears he’s hoping to get another chance at the top level first.
Paul Skenes continues home dominance in Pirates' shutout
Paul Skenes tossed six shutout innings and struck out eight to lead the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night. Despite allowing a career-high seven hits (five singles), Skenes (7-8) delivered another dominant performance to bolster his case for the National League Cy Young Award. Skenes also beat the Reds for the fourth time in four starts in his career and first time this season. Jared Triolo and Henry Davis each had two hits and two RBIs to give Skenes more than enough of a cushion to secure a win for the third time in his past four starts. It was Skenes' third consecutive start with eight or more strikeouts. It was also the Pirates' fifth shutout of the season in a Skenes start and their 14th overall shutout. It was the Reds' 10th shutout loss. Skenes lowered his major-league best ERA to 1.94 and continues to be exceptionally good at PNC Park, where he has not allowed an earned run since June 3. Bryan Reynolds, who also had two hits, homered in the first inning off Reds' starter Brady Singer (9-9), who lasted only 3 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on six hits, walked four and struck out two. Reynolds' home run came with two outs. Singer proceeded to issue three consecutive walks to Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen and Jack Suwinski to load the bases, setting up a two-run single by Triolo, which gave the Pirates a 3-0 lead. Cruz and Spencer Horwitz each had an RBI and Davis belted a two-run home run off Reds reliever Brent Suter in the bottom of the seventh. Gavin Lux had three hits, and TJ Friedl and Matt McLain each had two hits to lead Cincinnati offensively. But the Reds went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. McLain and Elly De La Cruz hit back-to-back singles off Skenes with one out in the first. But Austin Hays grounded into an inning-ending double play to end the threat. -Field Level Media
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