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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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Phillies’ 1.83 ERA starter drawing trade interest ahead of deadline
The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Not only do they have a great front five, but there goes, potentially, eight pitchers deep with MLB talent. Unsurprisingly, with such a surplus of talent, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in their starters. Ranger Suarez, whose contract expires at the end of the year, would be a typical trade deadline candidate. But he's going nowhere. Instead, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in Phillies right-handed prospect Mick Abel. The 23-year-old starter could be a trade chip if the Phillies find a suitable trade target. "... Same goes for Mick Abel," Gelb writes, "who is drawing trade interest." The Phillies right-hander has impressed in his brief Major League stint, even if he now sits at a 5.04 ERA in six starts. His ceiling, which he displayed in his MLB debut, is enough to captivate teams around baseball. In the minors, Abel has been dominant this season. He has a 1.83 ERA in 12 starts in Triple-A, a significant improvement over his 6.46 ERA in 2024. Abel's progress this season has been incredible, and has teams interested in trading for him. If the Phillies find a trade partner for an outfielder or a dominant reliever, Abel could be a centerpiece of a deal to land such a player at the deadline. With the crowded rotation, Abel might not have a starting role on the roster for the rest of the season. He could go to the bullpen for the postseason run or be dealt to land a high-profile reliever or outfielder. But, regardless of what the Phillies do with Abel, this report from Gelb is a good sign. If teams around baseball are interested in Abel, then his progress isn't just a facade; it's something teams are willing to buy in on.
Commanders' Jayden Daniels discusses Terry McLaurin's holdout amid contract dispute
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin reportedly wants "to bring a deal together" with his current employer regarding a contract extension. Still, he nevertheless elected to stay away from the team during the start of training camp practices this week. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels was understandably asked about McLaurin's absence. "I would talk to Terry like if he was here, just checking up on him, at the end of the day, that's just a relationship that we have on and off the field," Daniels said, Newsweek's Justin Grasso shared. "This is just business in the NFL. You know, we know Terry's working. We don't really have to worry about him doing any of that, but at the end of the day, he's still one of our brothers." After the Commanders made Daniels the second overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, McLaurin became the favorite target of the signal-caller, who ultimately earned Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors. According to ESPN stats, McLaurin finished the 2024 season with team highs of 82 receptions, 117 targets and 1,096 receiving yards. He was also second in the entire league with 13 touchdown catches. Per ESPN's John Keim, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn insisted on Wednesday that the McLaurin situation is simply "part of the business of our league." McLaurin is in the final year of his current contract, and NFL reporter Henry McKenna of Fox Sports suggested earlier in the week that the 29-year-old could "be interested in working out something similar" to the five-year, $150M deal that the Pittsburgh Steelers handed wide receiver DK Metcalf in March. "It helps out a lot [we worked together last year]," Daniels added about McLaurin. "If this was last year, probably different because we didn't know each other. Now, we have a whole year under our belt, and just the relationship we built on and off the field. We don't really have egos when it comes to our relationship with each other, so it's going to be seamless. I know Terry's working, though. ...Whenever the time comes and he's back out on the field, I don't think we'll miss a beat." As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Commanders team, which lost this year's NFC Championship Game, sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX. Such information suggests that now may not be the best time for Washington to be stingy, regardless of McLaurin's contract requests.
Penn State QB Drew Allar gets candid about team's struggles against top opponents
It is no secret that Penn State has struggled to win big games under head coach James Franklin. While the Nittany Lions have finished with double-digit wins in six of the past nine seasons, including a 13-3 season in 2024 that culminated with a loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, they have struggled to beat quality opponents. Quarterback Drew Allar, who enters the 2025 season with the fifth-shortest odds (+1600) to win the Heisman Trophy, per FanDuel, was honest about Penn State's lack of success during his appearance at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday. "We definitely need to get over the hump," Allar said, per ESPN's Jake Trotter. "There's no question about it." Penn State is only 4-20 against top-10 opponents under Franklin, although the three losses last season were all by one score. Allar is 23-6 as a starter, but threw a costly interception against Notre Dame that ultimately led to the game-winning field goal from the Fighting Irish. With experience on its side and lofty expectations entering the season as the No. 1-ranked team in ESPN's offseason poll, Allar pointed to better execution as a key to Penn State's success. "We definitely need to find different ways to come out with different results in those games," Allar said. "We haven't really been blown out of the water by any team. ... it's just about execution. ... finding those areas to make one or two more plays throughout those games. ... That's going to be our focus." One key for Penn State is the return of its two leading rushers from last season, Kaytron Allen (1,108 yards) and Nicholas Singleton (1,099 yards), who combined for 20 TDs. That experience, along with Allar's improved accuracy (66.5%) and career-high 3,327 passing yards from 2024, gives the Nittany Lions a lot of upside going into 2025. Allar did have an uptick in interceptions (eight) and was sacked 19 times last season, which are two concerning areas, especially against top-ranked opponents. That must improve for Penn State to reverse course and finally win meaningful games. For now, the focus is on its lack of success in those games under Franklin. If Penn State can execute and not beat itself, perhaps one of those games will eventually go its way. Until then, it will face the same questions as it looks to put its past struggles in big games behind it.
Commanders unveil surprise defensive wrinkle at camp that could shake up the NFL
The Washington Commanders will have a squad full of new faces on the field this season, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The pass-rush unit in particular has been a work in progress all offseason, with veterans Javon Kinlaw, Deatrich Wise Jr., Jacob Martin, and Eddie Goldman all among the additions to a defensive line that will need all the help it can get. Then, just when it seemed like the smoke had cleared, Adam Peters went out and signed Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller. How will all the new pieces fit together? We may have gotten a glimpse on the first day of training camp. Commanders already pulling out all the stops to make revamped defensive line work It's going to require some creativity to find efficient combinations with the Commanders' defensive front, particularly on the edge. Joe Whitt Jr. duly obliged with an intriguing formation that nobody saw coming. It was expected from the moment Miller signed that his primary position would be on the edge, despite playing most of his career as an outside linebacker. It's unclear if he will be a starter or more of a situational piece, perhaps a specialist to mostly come in on third downs, and this specific set seems to imply the latter. What's more intriguing here is using Luvu as an edge rusher, while moving Dorance Armstrong Jr. inside. The hard-nosed linebacker became a quick fan favorite after he was signed on a bargain last offseason, finding a long-term home in Washington following stops with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. Luvu racked up a career-high eight sacks en route to being named a second-team All-Pro last season. He certainly knows how to rush the passer when given opportunities. Armstrong is a player who could perhaps benefit from being moved around a bit, especially if Miller is going to take some of his snaps on the outside. He was solid but unspectacular during his first season in Washington after coming over from the rival Dallas Cowboys, compiling five sacks. More will be needed this time around. It's also notable that this set does not include Kinlaw, Washington's highest-priced defensive acquisition this summer. The former San Francisco 49ers star is another player who Whitt has hinted at wanting to use in different ways, so it will be interesting to see where he fits if Armstrong is going to take snaps inside. All in all, it's clear that Whitt is trying to make the most out of a situation that everyone knows is less than ideal. Only time will tell how it works out. More Commanders news and analysis
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