Miami, FL
F1 News: Toto Wolff Addresses Upcoming Miami Upgrades After China Difficulties – ‘Hopefully Worth a Bit’
Following a challenging Grand Prix in China for Mercedes, Toto Wolff spoke candidly about the team’s performance issues and the anticipated upgrades for the upcoming Miami Grand Prix. Wolff remains hopeful that these changes will significantly enhance the car’s competitiveness.
The Chinese Grand Prix left much to be desired from the perspective of Mercedes, as both their cars struggled to keep pace with the leading pack, culminating in a modest ninth-place finish for Lewis Hamilton and a sixth-place finish for teammate George Russell. Team Principal Toto Wolff provided insights into the difficulties faced and the steps being taken to address these concerns ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
Acknowledging the team’s less-than-ideal performance, Wolff expressed concerns over the pace and efficiency of the Mercedes cars in Shanghai to Sky Sports F1;
“I think considering where we put the cars altogether, drivers and team, was not a good position for today. Not good enough overall.
“Lacking pace. We have got to dig deep. We have got something coming for Miami that looks like a good step, let’s see where that brings us out.”
He admitted that the team had taken some aggressive experimental approaches with Hamilton’s setup, which unfortunately did not pay off.
“It’s not an OK car. We can see what the mistakes are on the car. We wanted to go a bit more aggressive to see if it was something so different we needed to do on that car and you can see Lewis today took it on him, that was maybe a step too far.”
This experimental strategy left Hamilton battling at the back for most of the race, with the 7-time world champion himself remarking on the lack of performance throughout the race.
Despite these setbacks, there’s optimism within the team, spurred by the forthcoming upgrades set to be introduced at the Miami Grand Prix. Asked about how much this could bring to the Brackley squad, Toto offered a little information:
“Let’s see. Hopefully a bit.”
Hamilton, reflecting on his surge up the pack, looks forward to the changes coming when the F1 circuit hits the United States.
“I’m grateful to get into the points. I didn’t expect a lot more this weekend.
“Hopefully we have a step forward coming at the next race. Until then, we will be back at the factory next week and try and position the car better for Miami and have a better weekend.”
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LJ45PNL2SNEI5FED2OUEJ57C4E.png?w=400&resize=400,240&ssl=1 "Atlanta City Council approves plan to give up to K to Atlanta residents who buy an E-bike")
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LJ45PNL2SNEI5FED2OUEJ57C4E.png?w=80&resize=80,80&ssl=1 "Atlanta City Council approves plan to give up to K to Atlanta residents who buy an E-bike")
Should the CFP committee rethink the playoff schedule format?
Extended breaks and logistical challenges have reopened questions about whether the College Football Playoff committee should adjust the playoff schedule format.
Mississippi football’s Nick Cull avoided an ejection during the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 8.
As Malachi Toney reeled in a catch from Carson Beck at the Miami 49 in the first quarter, he was hit by Cull in a helmet-to-helmet collision. Right away, the officials flagged Cull for targeting, with both Toney and Cull staying down on the field with an injury.
After officials reviewed the play, the call on the field was overturned, as the officials determined that Cull did not launch and the collision seemed to be incidental. Replay assistant Matt Austin concurred with the call on the field.
The play had a major impact on the game as well. If the call had been upheld, Miami would have had the ball at the Ole Miss 34-yard line with a chance to expand its 3-0 lead. However, a few plays later, the Hurricanes were forced to punt from the 49-yard line.
On the first play of the second quarter, Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacey scored on a 73-yard run to give the Rebels a 7-3 lead.
Because he was not called for targeting, Cull was not ejected from the game, which means Ole Miss will have him for the remainder of the game, if he can clear the concussion protocol. He was in the tent following the play.
Cull has 15 total tackles and three pass deflections this season for the Rebels.
Meanwhile, Toney went to the medical tent briefly for the Hurricanes, but returned to the game.
A crash involving an unmarked Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office vehicle was reported in Northwest Miami-Dade on Thursday morning, and the morning commute was impacted as a result.
Few details have been released, but the crash was reported in the area of Northwest 79th street and Interstate 95.
Video from the scene showed that the vehicles had heavy damage.
The sheriff’s office said the crash also involved a civilian vehicle, and no injuries were reported.
No other information was released.
The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that guard Anthony Edwards is now available to play in Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat after originally being listed as questionable with right foot injury maintenance.
Here’s the rest of the injury report and game preview:
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Tyler Herro: Available – Toe
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Out – Ankle
Nikola Jovic: Available – Groin
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
TIMBERWOLVES
Anthony Edwards: Available – Foot
Terrence Shannon Jr.: Out – Foot
Joan Beringer: Out – G League
Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. EST, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: TV: Peacock,
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida) 100.3 FM (Minnesota)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (20-16) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13) meet for the second and final regular season matchup after just facing off three days ago with Minnesota recording a, 125-115, win in Miami on January 3. The teams split the series, 1-1, last season with each squad winning on the road. The Heat are 36-35 all-time versus Minnesota during the regular season,
including 19-16 in home games and 17-19 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Norman Powell
F Andrew Wiggins
TIMBERWOLVES
G Donte DiVincenzo
G Anthony Edwards
C Rudy Gobert
F Jaden McDaniels
F Julius Randle
Spread: Heat +5.5 (-112), Timberwolves -5.5 (-108)
Moneyline: Heat +166, Timberwolves -198
Total points scored: 239.5 (over -106, under -114)
QUOTABLE
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on the forced turnovers: “That is and has to be our identity. We have to play with a recklessness and activity level that exceeds our opponent, and thats not to put down our talent level or anything like that, it’s more about we look different when we’re flying around and making plays and making it tough for the opponent.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
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