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The Mercedes AMG Patronas team is a big name in the world of Formula 1, and that is mostly because of the team’s insane achievements over the turbo-hybrid era. When Lewis Hamilton entered the Brackley outfit in 2014, everyone was sceptical of why he would choose a new seat at Mercedes over continuing at McLaren since he had already won a World Championship with the papaya army. However, Hamilton’s bet turned out to be perfect as, between 2014 and 2021, Mercedes came out to be an invincible force that other F1 teams could never defeat.
By winning eight back-to-back World Constructors’ titles, Mercedes positioned themselves as one of the biggest teams in F1. However, they witnessed a giant fall from grace as soon as some new rules were introduced in 2022 and their cars had to be redesigned to comply with them. This led to several challenges as both their racers complaining of porpoising and it ultimately led to Mercedes getting only one Grand Prix victory in 2022 because of newcomer George Russell.
2023 was just as uneventful for the German manufacturers as they ended a season with zero Grand Prix victories. But the team is set to witness an all-round change as their Boss Toto Wolff has claimed Mercedes would be taking on a new route for their car development this year. And as they recently unveiled their W15, F1 technical expert Craig Scarborough has aired his opinions about the tricky ‘legal compliance’ of the new car’s front wings.
I’m sure there’ll be some conspiracy theories and bits and pieces with people saying that it’s illegal, but as far as I can see, it’s a cheeky, but permissible way of playing with the front wing. Craig Scarborough said, as reported by Express Sports UK.
Why is the legality of Mercedes’ new front wings being called into question?
As the new F1 racecars of all the teams for the 2024 season are being unveiled one by one in recent times, the fans have been discussing about the various aspects of each challenger. While their have been rumors that Red Bull‘s latest car has attributes that are strikingly similar to Mercedes, there have also been some talks about Mercedes’ latest car front wings being borderline illegal.
This is because the front wings can enable Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to prevent rival cars from following them. This way, they would not be helping their opponents by giving them clean air to increase their speed. The method the front wings would use to prevent rival cars from lining up behind the W-15 is known as ‘outwash’. According to the latest F1 rules, the design mandates that have been proposed have been given to prevent outwash in the first place.
Thus, Mercedes would be bringing back a concept that has been outlawed in Formula 1. And this is the reason why there have been discussions about the legal compliance of the latest Silver Arrows challenger in F1 town. It remains to be seen whether the FIA, too, believe that their is something wrong with the W-15 and they end up penalizing Mercedes for it.
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Jacksonville Jaguars Announce Unfortunate Decision After Win Against Chiefs
The Jacksonville Jaguars ended their 16-year losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night after a thrilling 31-28 victory at EverBank Stadium. Trevor Lawrence turned in another strong performance to help lead the Jaguars to victory with 18-of-25 completed passes for 221 yards and one touchdown. It wasn’t all good news for the Jaguars, though, who improved to 4-1 after taking down Patrick Mahomes and the mighty Chiefs. They lost starting tight end Brenton Strange in the first half after the former Penn State Nittany Lions star suffered a hip injury. Strange was unable to return to the game, and tests have determined a significant quad issue for the 24-year-old. The Jaguars took to social media on Tuesday to announce that Strange has been placed on injured reserve (IR), which means he will be forced to miss at least four games due to his hip problem. “The Jacksonville Jaguars have made the following roster moves: Placed TE Brenton Strange on injured reserve Signed WR Tim Jones to the practice squad Released WR Erik Ezukanma from the practice squad,” JaguarsPR posted on X. In five games played this season, Strange has already registered a team-high 20 catches for 204 yards. He hasn’t scored a touchdown yet, but is currently on pace to set career-high receiving marks. This injury is a tough blow amid his strong start, and the hope is that Strange will be able to pick up where he left off once he’s healthy enough to return. The silver lining for the Jaguars here is that Strange has reportedly avoided a season-ending injury, and the team expects him to be back in around a month. For now, Jacksonville will need to turn to the likes of Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long to fill the void at tight end. The Jaguars also announced on Tuesday that they’ve brought in WR Tim Jones to the practice squad, while Erik Ezukanma has been released. It remains to be seen if Jones will be able to do enough to earn a spot on the active roster. Jacksonville’s next game is on Sunday as they take on the 3-2 Seattle Seahawks in a home game at EverBank Stadium for Week 6.
Cowboys coach makes it sound like personnel change some were expecting won't happen ahead of Week 6
Raiders Made Three Moves Including Signing LB Jamin Davis
The Las Vegas Raiders announced they have signed LB Jon Rhattigan from the Steelers practice squad and also added LB Jamin Davis to the practice squad. The Raiders cut QB Jeff Driskel to make room on the practice squad. Davis, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Commanders back in 2021 out of Kentucky. He was in the final year of his four-year rookie contract after having the team decline his fifth-year option when Washington elected to waive him in October 2024. Davis then caught on with the Packers’ practice squad a few weeks later. The Vikings signed him to their active roster before waiving him in December when he was claimed by the Jets. The Jets cut Davis loose coming out of the preseason this year. In 2024, Davis appeared in nine games for the Commanders and Vikings, recording 18 total tackles and a sack.
Eagles receive good and bad injury news ahead of matchup with Giants
The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off one of their worst losses of the season after the Denver Broncos scored 18 unanswered points in the fourth quarter last Sunday to win 21-17. The Eagles have a short week due to playing their divisional opponent, the New York Giants, on “Thursday Night Football.” They have the opportunity to fix the problems on offense, as the Giants are one of the worst defenses (26th, 377.2 yards) in the NFL. However, the Eagles could struggle on defense, as they may also be down one of their better defensive linemen, Jalen Carter. The Eagles received one positive and one negative piece of injury news for two key players Being a short week, the Eagles have a limited amount of time to practice and formulate a game plan, but also have a limited amount of time for their players to heal after a few came out of the Eagles' loss to the Broncos battered and bruised. Running back Saquon Barkley was one of those players who wasn't 100% healthy following the loss, as he found himself on Monday's injury report and did not practice with the team due to a knee injury. Barkley taking time to rest seems to have paid off, as he was a full participant in practice as of Wednesday’s injury report. Defensive linemen Jalen Carter was a new addition to the report, as he was limited in practice due to a heel injury. Carter is currently listed as "questionable" for Thursday night's game. Eagles need both Saquon Barkley and Jalen Carter to win against the Giants Even without Carter and Barkley, the Eagles have a better roster than the Giants, but having both makes the gap even wider. Saquon is one of the best running backs in the league and has extra motivation to play the Giants, as they're his former team. In one career game against them since signing with the Eagles, Barkley ran for 176 yards on 17 carries and scored one touchdown in their matchup last October, per StatMuse. Not having a game with over 100+ yards rushing this season, Saquon could have his first one of the season against his former team, as the Giants have the 26th-ranked defense (140.0 yards) against the rush. Hopefully, Carter is available, as he is the glue that holds the Eagles' defense together. Carter is credited with playing in every game, except he was disqualified from the Eagles' season opener against the Dallas Cowboys after he spat on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Carter has three solo tackles, seven assists and has not recorded a sack. If Carter can't play, the Eagles will need to rely on Jordan Davis to step up and fill in for Carter. Davis has 11 solo tackles, eight assists and a sack in five games this season. Davis will also need to pick up the slack for Carter on special teams, as the two have a blocked kick on their stat sheet against the Los Angeles Rams, which Davis ran back for a touchdown.
Major changes coming to transfer portal, but challenges still remain
College football's transfer portal window is undergoing a significant overhaul, with two major changes on the horizon that will substantially impact how programs recruit players. The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee has approved specific dates for a one-time-only transfer portal that will replace the two existing windows. The new transfer portal will be open for 15 days, from Jan. 2-16. Previously, there was a winter portal window in December and a spring transfer portal in April. The committee's approval of these dates was expected to become official at the conclusion of its October meetings on Wednesday, per NCAA News on X. The problem with a December window is that it occurred while many teams were involved in bowl games, along with those invited to play in the College Football Playoff. The spring portal, meanwhile, was challenging for coaches because it fell toward the conclusion of most squads' spring practices. Eliminating these two transfer portal windows and sticking with just one window moving forward is logical, although it presents issues. Huge changes are coming to the transfer portal window The biggest challenge with this one-time-only transfer portal in early to mid-January is that some athletes will still be competing in the CFP. For those participating in the event, they will have five days after their team's final postseason game to enter the portal. The new portal window closes on Jan. 16. The CFP national championship game this year is on Jan. 19. That means players who suit up in the title contest could enter the portal from Jan. 20-24, even though the portal will have officially closed on Jan. 16. Depending on where a player in the portal might want to transfer to, he could run up against challenges due to classes at his new school starting before he can enter the portal and make a decision about where to head next. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship last season, is among those who are opposed to a one-time-only transfer portal. "I don't think it's a good idea at all," Day said last month. "In the conversations that we had with the Big Ten coaches, I think the majority of them agree. I just don't quite understand how teams that are playing in the playoffs are expected to make the decisions and sign their upcoming players while they're still getting ready to play games. It doesn't make any sense to me." Day's argument is valid, but there's no perfect solution here. Moving back a single window after the CFP title game won't work, and the transfer portal being in December during bowl season or in April after spring practices is flawed. While there are challenges that will arise with the transfer portal being open from Jan. 2-16, it's the best option of the three. Another significant change that will be enacted is the Division I Administrative Committee's decision to limit athletes to 15 days to enter the transfer portal after a head coaching change occurs. Currently, it is 30 days. Athletes must also wait five days after a new head coach is hired or announced to enter the portal, although players whose head coaches have already departed are grandfathered in under previous rules. That's a massive change, as athletes would often flock to the portal in droves once a head coach left or was fired. Now, they have to wait.
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