Motorsports
After Monte Carlo, Leb also won the Champions League
In the duel between the two “Sebs” in the final of this year’s Race of Champions, Sebastian Leb won against Sebastian Vettel – while father and son Solberg won the national team title for Norway.
Within a month, Sebastian Leb was second in the Dakar Rally, won the Ford Puma Rally1 at the WRC in Monte Carlo and became the sport’s oldest winner with his 80th triumph and now his fourth career win in the Champions League on the ROC’s first visit Sweden.
Leb beat his Dakar opponent Matthias Extrom (who raced with Audi in Saudi Arabia) in the semifinals, while Vettel overcame his ‘obstacle’ of Tom Christensen from Le Mans in his own semifinal. The fight between the two “Seb” was rated as marginal in their quadruple match in the final – which would be judged by the three wins.
In the first of their three encounters with the Polaris RZR buggy, Leb won by taking advantage of a small contact Vettel had with the first turn wall. In the second, the French made it 2-0 and overtook the initially small lead of the German, but in the third Vettel reduced the lead to 2-1 after a mistake made this time by Leb with the RX2e electric cross car.
Her fourth and final race at the Pitea circuit on the Baltic Sea was again contested with the Polaris and the nine-time WRC World Champion won by a margin of eight tenths of a second. Lemb thus shares the record of 4 wins in the ROC with his compatriot and also former WRC champion Didier Oriol.
At this year’s Champions Race, in which a total of 18 top drivers in world motorsport took part, victory between the national teams for Norway was achieved by the 2033 WRC champion Peter Solmberg together with his son, the factory driver Hyundai in Paverg.
In the finale they met an unexpected crew with little ice racing experience – the American team consisting of NASCAR champion Jimmy Johnson and IndyCars driver Colton Hertha.
In the first match with the Polaris Pro XP, Peter Solmberg took the win ahead of Johnson (who had minor mechanical issues) and Oliver from Hertha. In the second battle with the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, NASCAR legend defeated Olver Solberg, but a mistake by Hertha ultimately gave father Solberg victory and the title in Norway.
“It was a very big dream that Oliver and I realizedsaid Peter Solmberg at the end, claiming his driving was inspired by Leb’s victory in the Monte Carlo Rally ten days ago.
The Norwegians beat hosts Sweden in the quarterfinals and the Scandinavian team in the semifinals, while the Americans unexpectedly defeated Germany and Finland.
Johnson had won the Champions League in singles in 2002 but had no experience on the ice and for Hertha – the youngest 24-hour winner of the Daytona LMP2 – it was an unprecedented experience.
Within a month, Sebastian Leb was second in the Dakar Rally, won the Ford Puma Rally1 at the WRC in Monte Carlo and became the sport’s oldest winner with his 80th triumph and now his fourth career win in the Champions League on the ROC’s first visit Sweden.
Leb beat his Dakar rival Matthias Extrom (who raced with Audi in Saudi Arabia) in the semi-finals, while Vettel overcame his ‘obstacle’ set by Tom Christensen from Le Mans in his own semi-final. The fight between the two “Seb” was rated as marginal in their quadruple match in the final – which would be judged by the three wins.
In the first of their three encounters with the Polaris RZR buggy, Leb won by taking advantage of a small contact Vettel had with the first turn wall. In the second, the French made it 2-0 and overtook the initially small lead of the German, but in the third Vettel reduced the lead to 2-1 after a mistake made this time by Leb with the RX2e electric cross car.
Their fourth and final race at the Pitea circuit on the Baltic coast was again contested with Polaris and found the nine-time WRC World Champion winner by a margin of 8 tenths of a second. Lemb thus shares the record of 4 wins in the ROC with his compatriot and also former WRC champion Didier Oriol.
At this year’s Champions Race, in which a total of 18 top drivers in world motorsport took part, victory between the national teams for Norway was achieved by the 2033 WRC champion Peter Solmberg together with his son, the factory driver Hyundai in Paverg.
In the finale they met an unexpected crew with little ice racing experience – the American team consisting of NASCAR champion Jimmy Johnson and IndyCars driver Colton Hertha.
In the first match with the Polaris Pro XP, Peter Solmberg took the win ahead of Johnson (who had minor mechanical issues) and Oliver from Hertha. In the second battle with the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, NASCAR legend defeated Olver Solberg, but a mistake by Hertha ultimately gave father Solberg victory and the title in Norway.
“It was a very big dream that Oliver and I realizedsaid Peter Solmberg at the end, claiming his driving was inspired by Leb’s victory in the Monte Carlo Rally ten days ago.
The Norwegians beat hosts Sweden in the quarterfinals and the Scandinavian team in the semifinals, while the Americans unexpectedly defeated Germany and Finland. Johnson had won the Champions League in singles in 2002 but had no experience on the ice and for Hertha – the youngest 24-hour winner of the Daytona LMP2 – it was an unprecedented experience.
Photos from the Race of Champions:
Jessica Martinez is an author at Sportish, a publication dedicated to sports news and analysis. She covers various topics related to sports and provides insightful commentary on the latest developments in the world of sports.
Motorsports
Two Formula 1 teams reached the limit of new rules
Formula 1 is preparing to enter a new era of regulations. Starting from the 2026 season, the aerodynamics and power plants of the vehicles will change significantly. Many people are already calling these innovations the biggest in the history of the championship.
In addition, the physical parameters of the machines will also change. The cars will become smaller: 10 cm narrower, 20 cm shorter and also 32 kg lighter; minimum weight will drop to 768 kg.
However, reaching this new cap will be extremely difficult for most teams. New power plants include a significantly larger share of the electrical component – with the internal combustion engine the ratio will now be 50/50, which will make the unit heavier. From the new season, there will also be a rule requiring at least 55% of the vehicle area to be painted, and new active aerodynamic features with real-time mode switching will be introduced.
All of this increases the weight of the car, and teams will need to simultaneously work to increase efficiency, reliability and reduce the weight of the cars. Audi is reportedly already the first team to reach the minimum points mark. Earlier, information also appeared that the German manufacturer replaced the mechanism for switching active aerodynamic modes with an electronic one.
There have been recent reports that Alpin can also reach a minimum weight of 768 kg. Of course, the lower the mass, the faster the car. But the question remains whether this will compromise reliability in the early stages of the new regulation. We will learn the answer to this very soon.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Motorsports
Former F1 pilot: “Look, everyone has already forgotten about him. Only a month has passed”
Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that it will be extremely difficult for Yuki Tsunoda to return to the royal motorsport.
The Japanese driver joined Red Bull at the start of 2025, replacing Liam Lawson after two races. Even though he performed better than his predecessor, the team decided to replace him and there was no place for Tsunoda in the youth team.
In five years in Formula One, Tsunoda has competed in more than 100 Grands Prix. His best result was fourth at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He failed to score a single podium or victory despite having several prize chances, but neither the team nor the driver realized these.
Montoya believes that Yuki is forgotten by almost all teams today:
“Look how sad Formula 1 is. Nobody even thinks about Yuki anymore. It’s only been a month and a week since the last race and Yuki is no longer on anyone’s radar. That’s the reality of this sport. One day you’re a hero, the next day you’re a nobody. When you’re a hero, you have to take advantage of that opportunity.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Motorsports
VERSTAPPEN: Red Bull’s advantage? “I will not explain this”
Max Verstappen has said he does not pay much attention to rumors that some teams may have possible technical advantages in their new Formula 1 power units.
It has recently been claimed that Mercedes and Red Bull have found a way to further increase engine power, while other teams are trying to eliminate this possible advantage. The FIA will meet with power unit manufacturers on January 22 to discuss the issue before the season starts.
Rumor has it that such optimization could produce around 15 hp, which is a significant figure at the beginning of a new era in technical regulations.
When asked whether Red Bull had an advantage in the pre-season, Verstappen replied:
“It’s impossible to know. Everyone is trying to do the best they can and I, especially me, have to focus on driving the car. I’m not here to be an engine engineer and explain all the details. Ultimately, this is a matter between the FIA and the engine manufacturers. I drive the car and I believe we always do everything we can to get the best out of the engine.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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