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F1 2024: The Season of Surprises—No Dominant Streaks, Just Pure Racing


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In 2023, F1 races had an unspoken pattern — lights out, the cars race around for a fixed number of laps, and Max Verstappen won the race. Red Bull was dominant as out of 22 races, they had lost only once, and no matter how you marveled at the Austrian team’s dominance, racing had lost its charm.

In 2024, however, the story has unfolded quite differently. While the season initially seemed set to mirror the previous one—Verstappen winning seven of the first ten races—it has since turned into a battle among four teams.

Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes all started competing for victories, and it coincided with Red Bull’s fall from grace. Multiple issues, both behind the scenes and on the track, started plaguing the Milton-Keynes-based outfit, and surprisingly, Verstappen started finding it difficult to win races.

Surprises along the way

Verstappen’s own driving did not really fall off, but Red Bull’s inferiority and struggles with development gave other teams the opportunity to make major strides. Predicting race winners ahead of each Grand Prix weekend became increasingly challenging—a welcome problem for the F1 community.

The unique characteristics of each circuit played to the strengths of the various contending teams and drivers, allowing for multiple Grand Prix winners throughout the season. There have been seven different Grand Prix winners so far in 2024, with six of those drivers winning multiple races. The only star to have won just once is George Russell.

Verstappen still leads the pack with seven race wins, followed by Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris with three wins each. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, and Oscar Piastri each have two victories.

McLaren’s resurgence

At the 2024 Miami GP, McLaren brought a seven-fold upgrade package that bolstered their performance to the extent that they became F1’s fastest team, a tag they hadn’t held since the early 2010s. Norris, out of nowhere, started competing for race wins and became a serious contender for the title.

Yes, he missed on several opportunities to get the better of Verstappen, but overall, the Red Bull driver had not been under so much pressure since 2021 when seven-time World Champion Hamilton pushed him to the limit.

With McLaren winning five races so far this season and both drivers consistently scoring points, they currently top the Constructors’ Championship standings with four race weekends to go. If they manage to hold on, McLaren would win its first title since 1998.

Ferrari are late to the party

Ferrari was not in contention for the Constructors’ title in the early stages of the season, but they entered the foray in the last few months. After a difficult finish to the first half of the season, the Maranello-based outfit approached the post-summer break races with a determination to succeed.

They have won three races since the resumption of the season, including a 1-2 finish and 1-3 finish in back-to-back weekends in Austin and Mexico City respectively. This has given Ferrari a golden opportunity to fight for its first Constructors’ crown since 2008. They are just 29 points behind McLaren.

Mercedes’ inconsistency

Mercedes cannot be left out of the conversation while discussing the 2024 season and the surprises it brought. The most dominant team in the turbo-hybrid era (2014-2021), Mercedes had been in a slump since 2022, winning just one race in two seasons.

2024, however, saw the Mercedes name return to the top again, with Russell winning the Austrian GP. Then came Hamilton, who won his first race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP at Silverstone and followed it up with a victory in Belgium.

Among the race-winning teams of 2024, Mercedes has unfortunately been the most inconsistent. One weekend, they’re the fastest on the grid and in the next, they’re struggling to break into the top five.

Any more surprises?

With just four race weekends remaining, both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships are up for grabs. Individually, Norris is just 47 points behind Verstappen, having gained a 10-point advantage over his rival in Mexico by finishing P2, four places ahead of the Dutchman.

Norris needs to gain around 12 points per race on Verstappen to win his first-ever title. In the Constructors’ Championship, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull remain in contention for the crown. Based on recent form, it appears McLaren or Ferrari may take the title.

However, given the unpredictability of 2024, could Red Bull have one final trick up its sleeve?

The post F1 2024: The Season of Surprises—No Dominant Streaks, Just Pure Racing appeared first on The SportsRush.



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LeBron James and Bronny Topple Kobe Bryant and Joe, Become the Highest Scoring Father Son Duo in NBA History


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In Wednesday night’s matchup between the Lakers and Cavaliers, Bronny James scored his first NBA points in the fourth quarter of his team’s 134-110 loss and became the second member of his family after his father, LeBron James, to bank a shot in the league. It also helped them create history as they became the highest-scoring father duo in league history.

The record was previously held by former 76ers guard Joe Bryant and his son, the late, great Kobe Bryant. They combined for 38,895 points.

The Lakers icon scored 33,643 points and is the fourth-highest scorer in NBA history. His father scored 5,252 points in his 13-year NBA career. As lopsided as it seems, the difference between the Bronny and LeBron is significantly larger.

Together, they have tallied 40,582 points. The four-time NBA champion has scored 40,580, while the rookie has two. They sit comfortably atop the father-son point-scoring list with a nearly 7,000-point difference.

LeBron has more points than any other father-son duo in NBA history, but Bronny’s first points qualify them as a duo. The four-time MVP and Kobe aren’t the only 21st-century greats on the list.

The Currys are in the mix

It’s hard to envision any father-son catching up to LeBron and Bronny in the near future. However, Warriors superstar Stephen Curry can help him and his father Dell Curry topple Joe and Kobe Bryant.

The two-time MVP and the former Raptors guard have a combined 36,393 points. The latter scored 12,670 points, while the Warriors guard has 23,723 and counting. As a duo, they trail the Bryants by 2,503 points.

Assuming he can stay healthy, Curry will need at least until the end of the 2025-26 season to help him and his father climb to the second spot on the father-son scoring list.

The post LeBron James and Bronny Topple Kobe Bryant and Joe, Become the Highest Scoring Father Son Duo in NBA History appeared first on The SportsRush.



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“Dennis Rodman Is an Inspiration to My Life”: DK Metcalf Gets Honest About His Previous Funky Hairstyle


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DK Metcalf is often experimenting with different looks, be it in his clothes or hairstyle. And while his brave choices attract a mixed set of opinions from fans, the Seattle star continues to flaunt it — something Dennis Rodman would be proud of. Especially since the Seahawks receiver draws much of his inspiration from the NBA icon.

Rodman was a pioneer not only with his rebounding skills on the court but also for his bold fashion vision off it. He truly ruled the ’90s with his eccentric choices — from his black sheer tank tops to leopard-print buzzcuts. Metcalf agrees with this sentiment as well.

In a segment with GQ, the wide receiver reacted to fan comments, including one speculating whether Rodman was the ‘hair inspiration‘ for Metcalf’s blond buzzcut. The fan couldn’t have been more on point.

The Seahawks star immediately confessed his love and admiration for the NBA icon. It wasn’t just Rodman’s hairstyle that drew him in—his lifestyle did too. So much so that Metcalf called Rodman a badass, saying that he has been nothing short of an inspiration and a role model.

“I would say Dennis Rodman is an inspiration to my life,” said the Seahawks receiver. “He does not care what people think about him. He’s going to do him regardless, and I love that. That’s who I model my game after. Being a badass.”

While Rodman was dismissed by some for being bizarre and eccentric at the time, today the NBA star is recognized as a fashion icon of the ’90s. Metcalf appears to be following in his footsteps, having sported some eye-catching outfits in the past that got fans talking, much like the NBA icon did in his era.

DK Metcalf’s unconventional fashion choices

The Seattle star began dipping his toes into fashion when he moved to Seattle. As Metcalf shared himself, he always wished to explore this side of him, but only got his chance to express himself following his NFL draft in 2019.

“I believe I’ve always wanted to do it, but never really got to express myself how I have wanted to,” shared Metcalf via FLAUNT. “So, when I moved to Seattle, it was like, ‘Okay, now I can really be who I want to be.’ It took knowing myself and finding myself to get to that point.”

Since then, we’ve seen Metcalf stun everyone with his unconventional fashion statements. Last year, the star receiver turned up to a Seahawks game donning an all-black fit. What stood out the most, however, was his black leather skirt.

More recently, he caught many eyes when he showed up at a Falcons game on the road in a burst of colors below his torso. But it wasn’t just a collage of colors on the pants he was wearing. It was stuffed with colorful small animal toys, created through a collaboration between Le rêve Nazam and Balenciaga.

 

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DK Metcalf is en route on a brave fashion journey in his time away from the field, expressing himself unapologetically through his bold attire choices and pushing the limits of traditional masculinity. While he often becomes the target of trolls, judging by his choice of role model, the receiver isn’t backing down anytime soon.

The post “Dennis Rodman Is an Inspiration to My Life”: DK Metcalf Gets Honest About His Previous Funky Hairstyle appeared first on The SportsRush.



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