Jamaican Alex Powell entered Round 5 of the F4 UAE Championship with a mathematical chance to win the title, but mechanical problems would hamper his weekend and ultimately scuttle his chances in the championship.
Powell started his quest on a strong note, securing P3 in both qualifying sessions on Saturday morning. However, during Race 1, his clutch started to slip, taking away any opportunity to challenge for the win and valuable points. With skillful management of the slipping clutch, he secured a 3rd place podium finish, although it wasn’t enough to keep him in contention for the overall championship.
In the reverse grid for Race 2, Powell started in P10, making his way through the field to 8th before half the distance of the race. An over-exuberant competitor forced Alex wide off track into a very sandy area; recovering from the excursion dropped Alex to 11th place, where he finished out of the points.
While any chance of a Top-3 finish in the championship was now gone, Alex could still finish in the Top-5 with a good result in Race 3. Unfortunately, disaster struck before the very start of the race. While waiting for the red lights to extinguish, signaling the start of the race, the clutch problems resurfaced, this time resulting in his car creeping forward before the actual start, then stalling completely. Powell was out of the race before it began and eventually finished 6th in the Driver’s championship.
Still, Powell's accumulated points proved to be crucial for the Team Championship, won by his Mumbai Falcons team. He also finished 2nd in the Rookie championship.
"Not the weekend we hoped for. Some mechanical circumstances were completely out of my control. A special thanks to Prema and the Mumbai Falcons team for all their hard work over the course of the championship! Let’s keep pushing, and I’m already looking forward to the F4 Italian Championship," Powell said after the event.
The 16-year-old Jamaican sensation will next compete in the F4 Italian Championship, beginning in May.
McLaren not ready to challenge Red Bull...yet - Norris
Lando Norris says McLaren still need more time if they want to challenge Red Bull consistently after taking his maiden victory in the Miami Grand Prix.
Norris was helped by a well-timed safety car that allowed him to jump ahead of Max Verstappen in Miami to become just the third different driver to win a Grand Prix this season.
The 24-year-old currently sits fourth in the F1 drivers’ standings after three podium finishes, and he expects another competitive race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday.
"I'm confident we can make steps forward, but I've made it clear we're not going to be there every weekend," Norris said.
"We need more if we are to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari more consistently.
"We definitely took a step forward, but other teams have upgrades, too. So, we're not getting ahead of ourselves.
"I still think we’re the third-best team at the moment, but that could change if we have another good weekend here, and I'm confident with our rate of development that by next year we can challenge a lot more often for wins and, in the big picture, challenge for the title."
Norris’ victory in Florida followed a major aerodynamic development to the McLaren, and he believes it will be an even better match to the track on Sunday.
"We are just better suited for Imola, potentially the upgrade a little bit as well,” he added.
"Imola has generally been one of our more successful tracks - and for me as driver."
Newey expects to join another team after Red Bull exit
Adrian Newey admits for the first time that he expects to join another F1 team when he leaves Red Bull.
The legendary designer will depart the team in early 2025 after 19 years and is free to join a rival outfit ahead of the 2026 season.
While he did not reveal where he might go, Ferrari are regarded as favourite to land Newey as he is known to have had conversations with a Ferrari representative, while other teams have also reportedly made their interest known.
In an interview with his manager Eddie Jordan, Newey admitted he is "seriously considering changing teams, going somewhere else and doing another four or five years or whatever."
He added: "I feel a bit tired at the moment, but at some point, I’ll probably go again."
Newey’s decision to leave Red Bull was influenced by the tumultuous period behind the scenes for the Formula One constructors’ champions.
Controversy surrounded team principal Christian Horner at the start of the season as he was accused of engaging in inappropriate controlling behaviour towards a female member of staff, accusations he denied and was cleared of following an independent investigation.
Newey reflected on the decision to leave after almost two decades with the club.
"To walk away from Red Bull was a very hard decision but it was one I needed to take for a whole host of reasons. They had been my family," he continued.
"I never really thought it would be big news so for it to be in all the flipping papers and on the telly was a bit of a shock."
JPL finalists Mount Pleasant, Cavalier join teams from T&T, Dom Rep as early qualifiers for Concacaf Caribbean Cup
Reigning Jamaica Premier League champions Mount Pleasant FA and Cavalier FC have booked spots in this year’s Concacaf Caribbean Cup where they will again challenge for a berth in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
By virtue of setting up a repeat of last year’s final, Mount Pleasant, hunting their second local top-flight title, and Cavalier, seeking redemption from last season’s defeat, joined three other clubs from Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago as early confirmations.
This will be Mount Pleasant’s debut in the Caribbean Cup and first appearance in a Concacaf tournament, while Cavalier makes a return after an unbeaten run in the group stage, before finishing as runner-up to Suriname’s Robinhood FC. It also and earned them a debut appearance in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
From Dominican Republic, Cibao FC, will make its second appearance in the Caribbean Cup as the 2023 league champion from the Dominican Republic. Cibao has become a regular to Concacaf competitions, appearing in the 2018 Champions League and the 2020 and 2022 Concacaf League.
Based in Santiago de los Caballeros, Cibao became the first team in the history of the Dominican Republic to secure an official international title when they won the 2017 Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship.
Meanwhile, Moca FC, also out of Dominican Republic, returns for a second crack at the Caribbean Cup due to their standing in the 2023 season. Moca reached the semifinals in the previous edition and won the third-place match to qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, making its debut earlier this year. Gustavo Ascona is the club’s all-time leader with four goals in the competition.
Trinidad and Tobago’s AC Port of Spain will make a second appearance in the Caribbean Cup. The club will be aiming to achieved new milestones by getting their first win in the tournament and, by extension, secure a first Concacaf Champions Cup participation.
The remaining clubs in the annual 10-team tournament –that crowns a Caribbean champion and determine participants from the region for the Concacaf Champions Cup –will be determined as their respective nations wrap up their domestic seasons.
A draw will be held on June 6 to divide the teams into two groups of five.
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