Formula 1’s recent popularity still feels a little strange to longtime fans of the sport, particularly in the US, where it had been so niche for so long. But the past five years have seen F1 rise meteorically, and a new, much younger fanbase infused with enthusiasm for the cutting-edge race cars and the athletes who pilot them has emerged. F1 Arcade capitalizes on that popularity, combining food and drinks—including Lewis Hamilton's agave tipple—with dozens and dozens of race simulators that let you race against friends or compete in teams against others.

With Washington, DC, chosen for F1 Arcade's second US location, I obviously had to go check it out.

My first visit to the arcade in DC's Union Market district was several weeks ago at the launch party, an affair that was packed with influencers and loud music. But I returned earlier this week, having booked a 45-minute, five-race session playing head-to-head against a friend. Prices vary depending on the number of races and whether you're that at peak time, starting at $22/player for three races off-peak and going up to $42/player for five races at peak time. There's no charge for people who are just spectating (or eating and drinking), not racing.

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Team USA, led by two-time Olympic medalist Jack Alexy, dominated the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay to win gold and break the world record on the first day of the short-course swimming world championships in Hungary Tuesday. 

Alexy, who took home his first gold medal in the same event at the Paris Olympics in 2024, broke the American and world championship record with a lead-off time of 45.05 seconds. 

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Luke Hobson, Kieran Smith and Chris Guiliano completed the relay to win the gold medal and set the world record with an official time of 3:01.66. It eclipsed the previous record by two seconds. 

The win capped off a big day for the Americans that included five world records and four golds.

US SECURES FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN MEN'S 4X100-METER FREESTYLE RELAY

Kate Douglass set a world record in the women’s 200 individual medley with a time of 2:01.63, followed by teammate Alex Walsh in second place. The women’s 4x100 team also set a world record, winning gold with a time of 3:25.01. 

American Shaine Casas also set a course record with his gold medal swim in the men’s 200 individual medley. 

Competition will continue Wednesday with the women's 800 freestyle final, women's 50 butterfly final, men's 100 backstroke final, men's 50 butterfly final and the mixed 4x50 medley relay final. 

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Social media influencer Breckie Hill put rumors to rest that she was the reason why pop star Sabrina Carpenter and Irish actor Barry Keoghan broke up following a dis from an online rival.

Hill said in a video posted to her social media she had just gotten out of the hospital following a ski accident. She said she broke her back.

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"No, I did not get with Barry. I never encountered this man in my life," Hill said. "The only time I’ve seen him is on my TV screen from watching ‘Saltburn.’"

Hill made clear she "would never want to home wreck any relationship" having been cheated on herself. She also said a video she posted on one of her social media channels that internet sleuths determined had something to do with her alleged affair with Keoghan was taken out of context.

"This whole story is so crazy to me," she said. "… The whole thing is crazy to me, but I was truly just re-posting these videos laying in a hospital bed thinking how crazy it is someone thought I was home-wrecking the Sabrina Carpenter’s relationship … that just would never happen."

Hill added that she has never "gone through a worse time" in her life.

The influencer’s video came after LSU star gymnast Olivia Dunne took a shot as rumors fueled about the reason for Carpenter and Keoghan’s breakup. 

"When her true colors are finally revealed in the national media," Dunne wrote in a screen-captioned video on her TikTok page.

OLIVIA DUNNE REVEALS 'FRUSTRATING' PART OF SOCIAL MEDIA FAME WHILE COMPETING IN NCAA GYMNASTICS

"I love Sabrina… it’s about who homewrecked her relationship."

Dunne and Hill’s relationship is far from amicable.

The rivalry apparently started when TikTok fans of both personalities started to notice the resemblance between the two. Hill apparently started to post photos in the same fashion as Dunne, according to the Sporting News.

Hill said in an appearance on YouTuber Lofe’s video last year that she "had beef" with Dunne.

"She’s such a b----," Hill said in the video. "Also, every single person that’s met her has been like, ‘Oh, she’s so mean in person.’"

Hill said Dunne got mad about comments between friends of each other, and it appeared to spiral out of control. Lofe said in the video that Dunne and Hill should compete in a YouTube gymnastics competition.

Hill was asked if she would "slap" Dunne if she was "here right now," and she replied, "Yes."

Hill later told Barstool Sports’ "BFFs Pod" she would not have done it and the comments were just made "for the YouTube video."

"I can understand why she would be upset about that."

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• The 2024 F1 season featured plenty of drama and memorable moments on the track.
• We saw everything from an impressive rookie debut to a feisty battle for the drivers' championship.
• This article is part of "Behind the Wheel," a series about the highly competitive and high-tech world of Formula 1.

From an impressive rookie debut to Max Verstappen winning his fourth-straight drivers' championship, this Formula 1 season was chock-full of drama, first-ever wins, and career-defining moments.

With just one more race left in the year, we take a look back at the defining moments of this F1 season.

The rookie driver Oliver Bearman's last-minute call-up and impressive drive

In just the second race of the season, Ferrari had to call up 18-year-old reserve driver Oliver Bearman. Taking the place of Carlos Sainz, who had to undergo an emergency appendectomy, Bearman shocked the F1 world with a seventh-place finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Bearman's impressive driving undoubtedly helped earn him a full-time F1 seat, as he would later sign with Haas.

Carlos Sainz's quick recovery and victory

Just 16 days after undergoing emergency surgery in Saudi Arabia, Sainz returned to his Ferrari and took home the checkered flag in Australia. Sainz's quick recovery and victory carried even more significance as it was announced before the season that Lewis Hamilton would take his seat in 2025 — meaning Sainz would be a free agent after this season. The Spanish driver eventually signed with Williams Racing.

Zhou Guanyu drives in his first home race

While Zhou Guanyu made his Formula 1 debut in 2022, the Chinese Grand Prix was suspended for a few years because of the pandemic. The Chinese driver was finally able to drive in his home race, which took place in his birth city of Shanghai.

Lando Norris breaks through and gets his first career win

It took over 100 races, but Lando Norris got his first-ever Formula 1 win at this year's Miami Grand Prix. This victory catapulted Norris toward the top of the standings, and he would go on to challenge Verstappen throughout the season for the drivers' championship.

Charles Leclerc wins his hometown Monaco Grand Prix for the first time

After years of mishaps and bad luck, Charles Leclerc overcame the "Monaco curse" and took home the checkered flag for his Ferrari team. He became the first-ever Monégasque to win the Monaco Grand Prix.

Drama between friends at the Austrian Grand Prix

After battling for the lead throughout much of the race, Verstappen and Norris made contact with just seven laps remaining. As a result, Norris retired his car, Verstappen dropped to fifth, and George Russell slid in for the win. Off the track, Verstappen and Norris are friends, but this race would lead to questions as to whether the top two drivers on the grid could maintain their friendship.

Lewis Hamilton wins at home

In his final race representing Mercedes at the British Grand Prix, Hamilton put together a vintage drive in front of his home fans. He took the checkered flag at Silverstone and snapped a 945-day winless streak.

Oscar Piastri claims his maiden victory amid team drama

Piastri crossed the finish line first at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but not without intrateam drama. Both McLaren drivers ran at the front for much of the race, with Piastri initially leading. But after McLaren's pit-stop strategy inadvertently put Norris ahead, the team instructed him to yield the position back to his teammate. After 15 laps and many tense radio exchanges with his race engineer, Norris finally let Piastri pass, and the drivers finished first and second on the grid.

Max Verstappen's epic comeback win in Brazil and clinching the title in Vegas

Starting from 17th on the grid in Brazil, Verstappen put on a clinical driving display as he overtook car after car in rainy conditions to take home the checkered flag. This would give Verstappen a sizable lead over Norris in points, with Verstappen clinching the drivers' championship one race later in Las Vegas.

The 2024 F1 season will end with Verstappen claiming his fourth drivers' championship, solidifying him among the top drivers in the history of the sport.

The Jacksonville Jaguars added a Super Bowl champion quarterback to its roster on Tuesday as the team was dealt a major injury to their depth chart over the weekend.

Trevor Lawrence suffered a concussion from a brutal hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. The defender was suspended for three games over the blow. Lawrence’s status going into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans is not known just yet. 

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He still has to clear concussion protocol and make sure the sprained AC joint he was dealing with was also OK.

In the meantime, the Jaguars added John Wolford to the quarterback room. He was signed to the practice squad and could be in line to be the backup for Mac Jones should Lawrence get ruled out for the game against the Titans.

Wolford was a part of the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl team during the 2021 season. He has played in seven games in his career, starting four of them. He has 626 passing yards and one touchdown pass in that span. In those four starts, he is 2-2.

TOM BRADY EXPLAINS WHY HE HAS 'MIXED EMOTIONS' AFTER SEEING AZEEZ AL-SHAAIR'S BRUTAL HIT ON TREVOR LAWRENCE

He started his career with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He made his way to the Rams in 2019 and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. The Buccaneers released Wolford before the start of the 2024 season.

Jacksonville also has C.J. Beathard on its roster as well.

The Jaguars are 2-10 this season. The team was ranked No. 30 in the latest Fox News Digital Sports NFL power rankings.

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• Netflix's six-episode series "Senna" is a fictional retelling of F1 driver Ayrton Senna's life.
• The show follows his rise to fame and his death at the San Marino GP in 1994.
• F1 reporter Laura Harrison isn't based on a real person, but she serves a key purpose.

Famed Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna's life and career is the subject of Netflix's latest limited series "Senna."

The six-episode scripted show, starring Gabriel Leone as the titular character, chronicles Senna's early years in karting, his triumphs as a three-time Formula 1 world champion, and his fatal crash at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.

The series includes many of the notable people in Senna's life, like his family members, his rivals, and key Formula 1 figures. However, the show also introduces a fictional character, a journalist named Laura Harrison (Kaya Scodelario).

Here's how she fits into the story.

Laura Harrison is a reporter who meets Ayrton Senna during his days racing in Formula Ford

When Senna moves from Brazil to England to compete in Formula Ford, he catches the attention of Laura Harrison, a reporter for the Norfolk Express.

She first interviews Senna after he wins his first Formula Ford race and tells him that he's talented, but he seems to have a more aggressive driving style than other drivers. Harrison's story about Senna's rivalry with Enrique Mansilla subsequently makes the front page of the Norfolk Express.

As Senna progresses in motorsport, Harrison also makes moves in her career. By the time Senna reaches Formula 3, Harrison has become a reporter at Autosport, a real magazine focused on motorsport news.

The show doesn't spend much time on her backstory, aside from a quick comment about being fluent in Portuguese because her mom is Brazilian and a later mention that she has a British husband. She and her husband have a daughter named Claire, but by episode three, the pair have divorced, and Harrison juggles her job as a reporter with her co-parenting duties.

She and Senna continue to run into each other when Senna embarks on his career as a Formula 1 driver.

Their dynamic remains purely professional, with Laura observing the behind-the-scenes drama from the sidelines, getting exclusive scoops, and writing unbiased cover stories for Autosport. After Harrison writes one story in which Senna's rival and McLaren teammate Alain Prost calls the Brazilian driver a "traitor," Senna distances himself from her.

Laura Harrison isn't based on any real-life people that Senna knew

Years after publishing the story, Harrison starts working on a piece about Senna's career.

The weekend of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, Harrison gives Senna a tape recording with one final question for her article: "Thirty years after getting your first go-kart from your dad, 10 years in Formula 1, three world championships, why do you keep racing?

Senna records his response to Harrison and has the tape recorder sent back to her. Then he dies during a crash that occurs on the track during the Imola GP.

After his death, Senna's parents, Milton da Silva and Neyde Senna, listen to his tape recording, where he explains his passion for the sport and why he never stopped racing.

Although there's no real-life equivalent of Harrison, she serves as an amalgamation of the reporters and journalists who followed Senna's superstardom.

Within the Netflix series' narrative, Harrison represents the media's role in Senna's career and helps to neatly tie up the show in a way that pays homage to his achievements.

All episodes of "Senna" are streaming on Netflix.

• F1 driver Ayrton Senna died after a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy on May 1, 1994.
• Senna's crash was one of two fatal accidents that occurred that weekend on the track.
• After Senna's death, better safety measures were established.

Netflix's new limited series "Senna" dramatizes the life of late Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna, chronicling his achievements as a three-time world champion and his fatal crash in 1994.

The six-episode scripted series, starring Gabriel Leone as the titular character, shows the Brazilian driver's humble beginnings in karting, his move to Europe to compete in Formula Ford, and the highs and lows of his 10 years in Formula 1.

But Senna's death, the result of a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix on May 1, 1994, looms over the series. The final episode of "Senna" recounts that ill-fated weekend in Imola, Italy.

Here's what happened leading up to Senna's crash and how his death at 34 years old changed the course of F1.

Senna voiced concerns about his car's performance prior to race day

Senna made his F1 debut with Toleman in 1984 and moved to Lotus the following year. After his switch to McLaren in 1988, Senna saw the most success in his career, winning the world championship in 1988, 1990, and 1991.

For the 1994 season, Senna jumped to Williams, a team that performed well the prior year. He hoped to score wins with the team, but the F1 cars underwent massive changes after electronic aids were banned. These electronic features were an advantage that helped the drivers on the circuits. Without them, there was no traction control, special brakes, or electronic suspension.

In archival interview footage featured in the 2010 documentary "Senna: No Fear, No Limits, No Equal," Senna said that the car felt "immediately less stable without the electronic suspension" and harder to drive, leading to spinning out and going off-track.

By the time of the San Marino GP, the third race of the 1994 season, the handling of the car was still poor and Senna was uncomfortable driving it.

In footage taken during the practice session on Friday, April 29, 1994, Senna was seen telling the Williams team about issues with the car's balance.

On the weekend of the San Marino GP, 2 drivers died in 2 days: Roland Ratzenberger and Senna

On Friday, Jordan driver Rubens Barrichello crashed and suffered non-fatal injuries. Then, during the qualifying session on Saturday, Simtek driver Roland Ratzenberger experienced an even more severe crash and died from injuries that took place on the circuit.

Ratzenberger's death shook up Senna. Still, he decided to participate in the race on Sunday.

"Ayrton got very, very upset and cried a bit," F1 doctor Sid Watkins said in the 2010 documentary. "And that's when I said to him, 'You know, Ayrton, you've been three times world champion. You're the fastest man in the world.' And he liked fishing, so I said, 'Why don't you quit? And I'll quit and we'll just go fishing?'"

In Watkins' book "Life at the Limit," the doctor said that Senna's final words to him during that conversation were: "Sid, there are certain things over which we have no control. I cannot quit, I have to go on."

While on lap seven of 58, Senna's FW16 crashed at the Tamburello corner. The reason for the incident remains unknown, but Senna's car crashed at an angle where the suspension shaft hit his helmet.

Senna was airlifted to Bologna's Maggiore Hospital and an official announcement about his death was made by the hospital.

However, Watkins believed that Senna died on the Imola circuit, due to the impact of the crash.

"We got him out of the cockpit, got his helmet off, and got an airway into him," Watkins recalled in the documentary. "And I saw from his neurological signs that it was going to be a fatal head injury. And then he sighed, and his body relaxed, and that was the moment — I'm not religious — that I thought his spirit had departed."

Better F1 safety protocols were enacted following Senna's death

Senna's body was transported back to São Paulo. Three days of national mourning took place and thousands of people lined the streets of Brazil to honor the F1 driver.

Senna's funeral was attended by his parents, Milton da Silva and Neyde Senna; his sister, Viviane Senna; his ex-girlfriend and Brazilian TV host, Xuxa; his then-girlfriend and model, Adriane Galisteu; and his F1 rival, Alain Prost, who was a pallbearer.

Before his crash, Senna had spoken to Prost about reviving the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) out of concern for the drivers' safety. After Senna's death, the GPDA was reestablished. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) also appointed Watson to improve safety standards and cars received new features designed with driver safety in mind.

There were no fatalities at F1 races for 21 years, until French driver Jules Bianchi's death in 2015.

Senna is considered to be one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, and his legacy extends beyond motorsport.

The Ayrton Senna Institute was founded by his family in 1994. It strives to change the lives of children through education. According to a postscript at the end of "Senna," the organization has helped more than 36 million youths in Brazil.

This year, in honor of the 30th anniversary of Senna's death, seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who became an honorary citizen of Brazil in 2022, drove Senna's 1990 championship-winning McLaren MP4/5B prior to the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 3. Hamilton called the moment "the greatest honor of my career."

All episodes of "Senna" are streaming on Netflix.

• Netflix's drama series "Senna" follows the Formula 1 driver's career and 1994 death.
• The show touches on his relationship with his ex-wife, Lilian de Vasconcelos Souza, and girlfriend, Adriane Galisteu.
• Senna didn't have any kids, but he was dating Galisteu at the time of his death.

Netflix's new limited series "Senna" gives the Hollywood treatment to late Formula 1 star Ayrton Senna's professional career and personal life.

The six-episode scripted series, starring Gabriel Leone as the titular character, retells many of the most well-known parts of Senna's racing career, from his beginning in karting to his eventual success in Formula 1 as a three-time world champion. It also touches on the Brazilian driver's death at 34 years old at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix after he crashed into a concrete wall.

"Senna" also delves into the driver's romantic relationships. Senna never had kids, but he had three serious relationships throughout his life: Lilian de Vasconcelos Souza, his first wife; Xuxa Meneghel, a Brazilian TV host; and Adriane Galisteu, a Brazilian actor, TV host, and model, who was also his girlfriend at the time of his death.

Here's what to know about his relationships with de Vasconcelos Souza and Galisteu.

Senna was briefly married to Lilian de Vasconcelos Souza, his childhood friend

In the Netflix series, Senna and his girlfriend Lilian (Alice Wegmann) move from Brazil to Norfolk, England, so he can compete in Formula Ford, typically an entry-level race for Formula 1 drivers.

As Senna progresses as a driver, she struggles to adapt to living in England. When Senna breaks his promise and pursues racing beyond the year he agreed to, he and Lilian divorce.

Their relationship played out similarly in real life.

According to Tom Rubython's 2004 biography "The Life of Senna," Lilian de Vasconcelos Souza (alternatively spelled Liliane Vasconcelos Souza) was from a "wealthy Brazilian family."

She and Senna were childhood friends who married in February 1981 in São Paulo shortly before moving to England.

As depicted in the Netflix drama, de Vasconcelos Souza didn't have a life of her own in the UK. She mainly attended Senna's races and supported his career.

When Senna decided to drive in England for the 1982 season, de Vasconcelos Souza told him their marriage would end. The pair quietly divorced, and she stayed out of the spotlight.

In a 2010 interview with Brazilian news site G1, de Vasconcellos Souza, who was then working as a designer, reflected on her relationship with Senna and her omission from Asif Kapadia's documentary "Senna: No Fear, No Limits, No Equal."

She said it was "a very well-made film," but she was "bothered" that she wasn't included in it given her relationship with Senna. De Vasconcellos Souza also said she always knew she "was his second passion" after racing.

Additionally, De Vasconcellos Souza told G1 that she and Senna's different views of having kids in the future caused their split.

She said she became unintentionally pregnant with Senna's child, and he told her the plan would be for her to raise the baby in Brazil while he stayed in Europe to continue his racing career. De Vasconcellos Souza said she miscarried three days later.

"At that moment, something was cut off inside me because his goal was to enter Formula 1, and mine was to have a husband that I loved and to start a family," she said.

After her divorce from Senna, she remarried and had a son in 1984. De Vasconcellos Souza was in her third marriage when she heard about Senna's death on TV. She didn't attend Senna's wake or funeral but stopped by the cemetery where he was buried. She also visited his mom, Neyde Senna, and stopped by his São Paulo home.

Senna was in a relationship with Brazilian model and actor Adriane Galisteu at the time of his death

The final two episodes of "Senna" depict Senna's relationship with Galisteu. In the show, they properly meet when Senna celebrates his Brazilian Grand Prix victory at a club.

In the last episode, she calls Senna, scared and concerned, after hearing about Simtek driver Roland Ratzenberger's fatal crash on the Imola track during qualifying. When Senna dies from a crash into a concrete wall the next day during the race, she's seen watching the tragedy unfold on TV.

In real life, Galisteu and Senna dated from 1993 until his death at the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy.

Galisteu met Senna when she worked as a hospitality hostess for the oil company Shell at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix. Although they crossed paths in the hospitality suite during the race weekend, they didn't have their first interaction until Senna's Brazilian GP celebration at Limelight Club.

During their relationship, they traveled the world together, visiting Monaco, Hungary, and other destinations where the F1 races occurred.

According to Rubython's biography, Senna planned to stay in Portugal with Galisteu for five months during the European race season in 1994 and not return to Brazil during that time, which was customary for him. This caused a rift between them and Senna's family, who felt Galisteu wasn't good enough for him.

Galisteu saw Senna for the last time on April 3, 1994, weeks before his death. She was taking an English language course in Brazil in preparation for spending time in Europe and living with Senna.

Per the biography, Galisteu said that Senna told her he had plans to marry her someday, switch from Williams to Ferrari, and conclude his career with the Italian team.

Galisteu watched the San Marino GP from a TV in Senna's Portugal home. She was among the mourners at Senna's funeral in Brazil in May 1994.

After Senna's death, Galisteu married Brazilian businessman Roberto Justus from 1998 to 1999. She's been married to Alexandre Iódice since 2010, and they have a son named Vittorio.

Galisteu still models and is active on Instagram, where she posts pictures of her photoshoots, her family, and tributes to Senna.

All episodes of "Senna" are streaming on Netflix.

The United States will have a second team competing in Formula 1 from 2026, when Cadillac Formula 1 will join the sport as its 11th team. The result is a complete 180 for the sport's owner, which was highly resistant to the initial bid, first announced at the beginning of 2023.

"As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It's an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world's premier racing series, and we're committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," said GM President Mark Reuss. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level."

Team first, engines later

We will have to wait until 2028 to see that full engineering potential on display. Even with the incoming changes to the technical regulations, it's far more than the work of a minute to develop a new F1 hybrid powertrain, let alone a competitive package. Audi has been working on its F1 powertrain since at least 2023, as has Red Bull, which decided to make its internal combustion engine in-house, like Ferrari or Mercedes, with partner Ford providing the electrification.

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• Formula 1 and General Motors announced that Cadillac will join the sport as its 11th team in 2026.
• The move reflects the growing push to popularize F1 in the US in recent years.
• The US now hosts three Grands Prix every year. 2024's Miami GP attracted record viewing figures in the country.

Formula 1 has reached "an agreement in principle" with General Motors to support adding its Cadillac brand as the sport's 11th team during the 2026 season.

The announcement comes just months after Andretti Global's bid to join the grid as a US-based team, which was backed by Cadillac, was rejected. The team, led by the US' most successful F1 driver, Mario Andretti, had been pushing to join the sport for several years.

Instead of an Andretti-Cadillac team, a GM-Cadillac team has been granted entry, and the statement revealing the addition does not mention Andretti. Andretti said on X that he will be involved in the Cadillac team but not in its day-to-day operations.

Formula 1 did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Traditionally, a total of 10 teams make up the F1 grid with a total of 20 drivers.

"With Formula 1's continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Greg Maffei, president and CEO of Liberty Media, the owner of Formula 1, said in a press release on Monday.

Americans have been increasingly exposed to F1 since the sport's 2017 takeover by Colorado-based Liberty Media. Three races are now held in the country every year: the Miami Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix in Austin, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Netflix's "Drive to Survive," a behind-the-scenes documentary about the sport, has also been credited with increasing F1's popularity in the US.

According to F1, 3.1 million people watched ABC's coverage of the Miami Grand Prix in March, breaking a record for the sport's largest US audience.

The previous TV record in the US was 2.6 million viewers, which was set in 2022 for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.

In 2023, Logan Sargeant became F1's first full-time American driver in over 15 years, though his team, Williams, dropped him during the 2024 season.

• Exposure to light is key in adjusting drivers' body clocks to new time zones.
• The Las Vegas Grand Prix is "the nastiest one of the season," one performance coach said.
• This article is part of "Behind the Wheel," a series about the highly competitive and high-tech world of Formula 1.

In Formula 1, sleep is a precious commodity.

The global series' 24-race calendar spans 21 countries across five continents. Teams travel from China to Miami to Italy over the course of just a few weeks — making jet lag a constant problem throughout the season. It's such a concern that many teams employ doctors and coaches dedicated to helping drivers adjust quickly to different time zones.

"In the case of Formula 1 drivers, sleep is right up there as one of the main things we can control to put them in the best place possible to perform," Tom Clark, a senior performance coach with the Alpine F1 Team, said. "It's a thing we prioritize very highly. Being exposed to jet lag, we can manipulate it so we're ahead of the curve."

Even now, as the 2024 season heads into the home stretch, Clark is preparing for next year, looking up available flights for the team and mapping out calendars to see how early his drivers can make it out to a race based on other team responsibilities.

"Drivers have a great many commitments, so we can't always prioritize sleep and jet lag above all else," he said. "But we start planning right away so we have the best options available to negate jet lag and put the athletes in the best position."

Monitoring light and 'zeitgeber'

When it comes to fighting jet lag, Clark said, there's one main factor to consider: exposure to light.

"Light from the sun and light from electronic devices, and the absence of light — if we can manipulate those things in accordance to where we're trying to travel, we'll be able to shift the body clock closer to that given time zone," he said.

As an example, Clark points to Esteban Ocon, the Alpine driver with whom he works most closely. In preparation for heading to Las Vegas this week — about a nine-hour time shift from Ocon's home in Switzerland — Clark began shifting the driver's bedtime and wake-up time later and later last week.

"We also look at his timing to light exposure, which we try to replicate to the time zone he's traveling to," Clark said. "From a basic first principle, that's what we do fundamentally to thrive in the new environment."

Additionally, Clark closely monitors Ocon's "zeitgeber" — a German word for external circadian time cues that contribute to the body's clock. This includes physical activity and fitness, socializing, and eating.

"All of those have an influence on moving the body clock closer" to the new time zone, Clark said, adding: "But it's light that is the most influential, so that's what we prioritize the greatest."

'Las Vegas is the nastiest one of the season'

Plane travel is another factor. When traveling west, Clark wants his drivers to take daytime flights so that they stay awake. When flying east, he encourages them to sleep on flights — particularly when the series heads to Australia, which entails about a 24-hour door-to-door travel period.

With Formula 1 heading to Las Vegas this weekend to kick off the final triple-header of the season, Clark said the battle against jet lag would be particularly important.

"Las Vegas is the nastiest one of the season," he said, adding that because the race happens so late — the Grand Prix begins about 10 p.m. local time — drivers have to modify their sleep schedules so that they essentially become nocturnal, sleeping during most of the day.

"If you're like Esteban and you get a huge amount of sleep, he effectively will sleep the entire daylight hours of Las Vegas — which actually might be quite a normal thing for most Vegas visitors and tourists," Clark said with a laugh. "It's a bit of a weird way to live, but it's a necessity to cash in on the sleep opportunities that we have. We use other means to help with what we lose from not seeing the sun, like vitamin D supplements. We'll have to contend with that during the week."

Once the Las Vegas Grand Prix ends, the series immediately shifts to Qatar, meaning every team member once again has to rapidly adjust their body clocks.

"Effectively, you're doing a full circulation of the globe in time zones in the space of just a couple of weeks," Clark said. Last year, when Las Vegas was also part of a triple-header, many people discovered they could "continually be in a state of sleep deprivation and poor quality of sleep if you don't prioritize it," he added.

Clark began working with Alpine in 2018 in a performance role and said he viewed battling jet lag as an "elephant in the room" when it came to race prep. "We were doing everything we could from a training, nutrition, and recovery standpoint, but when it came to sleep, there wasn't much in place," he said. "That's where my appetite came from to pursue and understand jet lag more."

Most Formula 1 teams, he said, now task their performance coaches and doctors with monitoring drivers' sleep patterns and adjusting them to new time zones.

Outside Formula 1, Clark is pursuing doctoral work on jet lag — a topic that, he said, is not studied extensively in academic literature.

"Jet lag itself is a hard thing to research and understand just by the nature of it," he said. "You can study it in a lab environment, but you can't replicate getting on a plane, the large amount of time in the air, all the stresses you go through at the airport, and arriving in a widely different culture and environment."

That makes Formula 1 an ideal industry in which to conduct this research, with the sport featuring perhaps the most condensed global travel of any other sport series.

"I've been working within the Formula 1 population and yes, it's not the easiest thing to fit in around my day job," Clark said, laughing. "But it's fascinating, and I'm enjoying it very much."