Red Bull's Verstappen crowned F1's fan favourite in global survey
World championship leader Max Verstappen topped title rival Lewis Hamilton as Formula One's fan favourite in the sport's latest global survey published ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix on Thursday.
Feedback from 167,000 fans, with an average age of 32 and coming from 187 countries, placed Red Bull's Verstappen at the top of the popularity stakes with Mclaren emerging as the favourite team.
Monza, Spa-francorchamps, Silverstone and Monaco were the most loved circuits.
The survey was commissioned by Formula One and Motorsport Network and conducted by Nielsen Sports, who said it was their largest involving a single sport.
Verstappen leads Mercedes' seven-time world champion Hamilton by six points with six races remaining and the 24-yearold Dutchman was particularly popular among the 25-34 age bracket and across all regions.
Mclaren's 21-year-old Lando Norris, yet to win a race, was second overall, but ranked highest by female fans.
Mercedes' Hamilton was third overall but top in Britain and among the over-45s.
“His appeal, and that of fellow multiple world champion Fernando Alonso, appears more polarized than most,” the survey found.
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali told reporters he was surprised, although the result could be explained by the generally younger demographic.
“For sure it's a sign that we don't have a problem with drivers for the future,” he said.
Mclaren's Daniel Ricciardo of Australia was fourth, and second most popular among female fans, with Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel, a four-time world champion, fifth.
The results showed greater interest and engagement than before, with female participation in the survey growing to 18.3 per cent from a previous 10 per cent in 2017.
Three quarters of those who responded lived in a country with a Grand Prix.
The survey said Mclaren had “experienced a renaissance.” They were tops in Europe, the Americas and Middle East and Africa, but second to Red Bull in Asia-pacific.
Allegations upsetting to skater’s ex-partner
Figure skater Vanessa James said she was “deeply disappointed” in the alleged behaviour of her former pairs partner Morgan Cipres, who is reported to have sexually harassed a 13-year-old girl four years ago.
“I would like to say that I'm deeply disappointed that my ex-partner would engage in that type of behaviour,” James said on a Thursday conference call with reporters. “It's extremely important that, you know, we believe victims and support them, and I really commend them for their bravery.”
The U.S. Center for Safesport investigated a report that in December 2017, Cipres, then 26, sent two photos of his penis to a 13-year-old female who trained at the same Florida rink where Cipres and James skated. In December 2020, the Florida state attorney's office charged Cipres with transmission of material harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony.
James, 34, skated with Cipres for France at the Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, but has switched allegiances to pair up with partner Eric Radford for Canada. The two are preparing for Skate Canada International in Vancouver next week.
Cipres now lives in France and hasn't commented on the charge.
Celtics centre Kanter sparks furor in China
Boston Celtics centre Enes Kanter was pilloried on Chinese social media and his name appeared to be blocked on the popular Weibo messaging platform after he criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping and China's treatment of Tibet.
Kanter, who has a history of activism against his native Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, tweeted a two-minute video of himself expressing support for Tibet and wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the image of the Dalai Lama, its exiled spiritual leader.
China's Tencent Holdings Ltd. wasn't showing highlights from the Celtics' Wednesday overtime loss to the New York Knicks on its sports platform. There was a written time line of the game available. Celtics games were pulled from the Chinese internet, the New York Times reported
Race factor removed as NFL weighs claims
The NFL and former players have agreed to eliminate racebased methods of weighing claims in the league's US$1 billion settlement program over brain injuries under a proposal filed in federal court.
Former players Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport alleged in a proposed class-action filed in federal court in 2020 that the “race-norming” process, used to evaluate cognitive function, assumed a lower baseline cognitive functioning for Black players than their white counterparts, making it more difficult to qualify for a settlement award.
The suit was dismissed earlier this year.
Wednesday's filing — obtained by Reuters — said the practice had “long been used in standard clinical neuropsychology” and was recommended by experts as part of the settlement agreement, but that the joint proposal scraps any further use. The proposal is pending court approval.
“The NFL parties have committed to fund a working group of experts to develop methods that do not reference race, specifically applicable to the population of NFL Players,” the filing said.
76ers’ Simmons passes on workout
All-star point guard Ben Simmons didn't participate in a scheduled individual workout at the Philadelphia 76ers' practice facility on Thursday, ESPN reported.
Simmons told officials he had tightness in his back after arriving at the team's facility, according to the report. The team did not practice on Thursday.
It's not known if Simmons will suit up for the 76ers in their home opener against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Simmons was suspended for the team's season opener against New Orleans.