Celebrity Life

Not many cars could make a Lamborghini look restrained, or a Bugatti seem slow, but Delage has done exactly that. Meet the D12 hypercar, and it is the newest offering from this French luxury automotive brand, which has risen from the ashes after its 70-year hibernation. Before we talk about this extreme new hypercar, it […]

The post Delage D12 is a Formula 1 racer for the road! appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

When mere seconds can make the difference between the best and the rest, there’s really only one name that matters. The worlds of motorsport and watchmaking have much in common. Both rely on ground-breaking technologies and innovations, constant development and precision that together push the envelope to achieve incremental – indeed, often infinitesimal – yet crucial improvements that make the difference between being the best time and again, rather than merely one of the rest.

Rolex, the brand that, above all, represents the epitome of watchmaking excellence, has been directly linked with motorsport for almost 90 years. It’s no coincidence that, in the 1930s, its watches were worn by the British pioneer Sir Malcolm Campbell when he captured the imagination of men and schoolboys everywhere by setting multiple world land-speed records in his car named Bluebird.

Rolex’s near-legendary Cosmograph Daytona, which first appeared in 1963, was named after the famed racing circuit in Florida and was designed specifically with the requirements of racing drivers in mind. And in the early 1970s, Rolex teamed up with its first Testimonee from the world of motor racing, the great Scottish-born driver Sir Jackie Stewart, who was not only crowned Formula 1 World Champion three times but famously led a push for safety that continues to this day and has helped save the lives of countless competitors in what is, by any reckoning, one of the most dangerous sports of all.

“The levels of precision, engineering and innovation upheld by the top echelons of motor sport, and particularly Formula 1, are very similar to those set by Rolex,” says Stewart, who remains a proud Rolex Testimonee. “They’re leaders in their respective fields and have made a habit of turning unconventional thinking into the norm, resulting in many pioneering moments in their histories.”

More recently, Stewart has been joined in the ranks of Rolex Testimonees by other motorsports legends, such as multiple Formula 1- and Le Mans-winner Mark Webber, the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, and Tom Kristensen, who won the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans race a record nine times. Moreover, Rolex has partnered the epic Le Mans sportscar race since 2001 and its 24-hour counterpart at Daytona since 1992; in 2013, it also became the official Global Partner and Official Timepiece of the Formula 1 series in 2013.

Says Stewart, “Competition is a tremendous motivator and motor racing has it in abundance – the sport innovates at an incredible rate, faster than any other activity I know. Think about the amount of testing and simulation that’s carried out by a Formula 1 team before a component ever makes it to a track … Rolex is the same; the brand’s watches have been proven in the harshest environments around the world.”

No wonder that, when it comes to choosing a timepiece to be worn day after day, and in the ultra-competitive world of motorsport, so many leading drivers have a Rolex on their wrist.

The post Rolex and Motorsport: The Winning Team appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

When mere seconds can make the difference between the best and the rest, there’s really only one name that matters. The worlds of motorsport and watchmaking have much in common. Both rely on ground-breaking technologies and innovations, constant development and precision that together push the envelope to achieve incremental – indeed, often infinitesimal – yet crucial improvements that make the difference between being the best time and again, rather than merely one of the rest.

Rolex, the brand that, above all, represents the epitome of watchmaking excellence, has been directly linked with motorsport for almost 90 years. It’s no coincidence that, in the 1930s, its watches were worn by the British pioneer Sir Malcolm Campbell when he captured the imagination of men and schoolboys everywhere by setting multiple world land-speed records in his car named Bluebird.

Rolex’s near-legendary Cosmograph Daytona, which first appeared in 1963, was named after the famed racing circuit in Florida and was designed specifically with the requirements of racing drivers in mind. And in the early 1970s, Rolex teamed up with its first Testimonee from the world of motor racing, the great Scottish-born driver Sir Jackie Stewart, who was not only crowned Formula 1 World Champion three times but famously led a push for safety that continues to this day and has helped save the lives of countless competitors in what is, by any reckoning, one of the most dangerous sports of all.

“The levels of precision, engineering and innovation upheld by the top echelons of motor sport, and particularly Formula 1, are very similar to those set by Rolex,” says Stewart, who remains a proud Rolex Testimonee. “They’re leaders in their respective fields and have made a habit of turning unconventional thinking into the norm, resulting in many pioneering moments in their histories.”

More recently, Stewart has been joined in the ranks of Rolex Testimonees by other motorsports legends, such as multiple Formula 1- and Le Mans-winner Mark Webber, the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, and Tom Kristensen, who won the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans race a record nine times. Moreover, Rolex has partnered the epic Le Mans sportscar race since 2001 and its 24-hour counterpart at Daytona since 1992; in 2013, it also became the official Global Partner and Official Timepiece of the Formula 1 series in 2013.

Says Stewart, “Competition is a tremendous motivator and motor racing has it in abundance – the sport innovates at an incredible rate, faster than any other activity I know. Think about the amount of testing and simulation that’s carried out by a Formula 1 team before a component ever makes it to a track … Rolex is the same; the brand’s watches have been proven in the harshest environments around the world.”

No wonder that, when it comes to choosing a timepiece to be worn day after day, and in the ultra-competitive world of motorsport, so many leading drivers have a Rolex on their wrist.

The post Rolex and Motorsport: The Winning Team appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

When mere seconds can make the difference between the best and the rest, there’s really only one name that matters. The worlds of motorsport and watchmaking have much in common. Both rely on ground-breaking technologies and innovations, constant development and precision that together push the envelope to achieve incremental – indeed, often infinitesimal – yet crucial improvements that make the difference between being the best time and again, rather than merely one of the rest.

Rolex, the brand that, above all, represents the epitome of watchmaking excellence, has been directly linked with motorsport for almost 90 years. It’s no coincidence that, in the 1930s, its watches were worn by the British pioneer Sir Malcolm Campbell when he captured the imagination of men and schoolboys everywhere by setting multiple world land-speed records in his car named Bluebird.

Rolex’s near-legendary Cosmograph Daytona, which first appeared in 1963, was named after the famed racing circuit in Florida and was designed specifically with the requirements of racing drivers in mind. And in the early 1970s, Rolex teamed up with its first Testimonee from the world of motor racing, the great Scottish-born driver Sir Jackie Stewart, who was not only crowned Formula 1 World Champion three times but famously led a push for safety that continues to this day and has helped save the lives of countless competitors in what is, by any reckoning, one of the most dangerous sports of all.

“The levels of precision, engineering and innovation upheld by the top echelons of motor sport, and particularly Formula 1, are very similar to those set by Rolex,” says Stewart, who remains a proud Rolex Testimonee. “They’re leaders in their respective fields and have made a habit of turning unconventional thinking into the norm, resulting in many pioneering moments in their histories.”

More recently, Stewart has been joined in the ranks of Rolex Testimonees by other motorsports legends, such as multiple Formula 1- and Le Mans-winner Mark Webber, the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, and Tom Kristensen, who won the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans race a record nine times. Moreover, Rolex has partnered the epic Le Mans sportscar race since 2001 and its 24-hour counterpart at Daytona since 1992; in 2013, it also became the official Global Partner and Official Timepiece of the Formula 1 series in 2013.

Says Stewart, “Competition is a tremendous motivator and motor racing has it in abundance – the sport innovates at an incredible rate, faster than any other activity I know. Think about the amount of testing and simulation that’s carried out by a Formula 1 team before a component ever makes it to a track … Rolex is the same; the brand’s watches have been proven in the harshest environments around the world.”

No wonder that, when it comes to choosing a timepiece to be worn day after day, and in the ultra-competitive world of motorsport, so many leading drivers have a Rolex on their wrist.

The post Rolex and Motorsport: The Winning Team appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live, including how sport is consumed.

Competitions and races had to be shelved for a while with participants testing positive and various border restrictions restraining movement.

Perhaps none bears the brunt more than Formula One where races are rotated among global cities, attracting millions of travellers revelling in the glamour and festivities revolving around each race. Not to mention, race drivers, engineers, mechanics, journalists and officials who have to shuttle between home bases and organising cities, along with the logistics planning to ensure every relevant part arrives on time for the subsequent race.

[caption id="attachment_211898" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Lando Norris & Carlos Sainz Jr from the McLaren F1 Team. Both wear the Richard Mille RM 50-03 Manual Winding Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph McLaren F1. (Image: Philippe Louzon)[/caption]

After a four-month hiatus, F1 races have resumed in Europe and a number of races have admitted a small number of spectators – a far cry from usual standards – to enliven the atmosphere. Prior to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the McLaren F1 Team and its drivers Carlos Sainz Jr and Lando Norris granted us some minutes for a virtual interview. Here, they speak about Lewis Hamilton’s record-breaking streak, adaptation to Covid-19 and Richard Mille watches.

With Lewis Hamilton achieving a new world record of 92 F1 victories thus far (Hamilton has since bagged his 93rd win at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix), setting a very high benchmark. Does it put pressure on young drivers such as yourself? Does it feel unachievable for you?

Carlos Sainz Jr: Not at all; at least not for me personally. I can only control what is within my control, but my target is to get a first win. I’m not even thinking about seven world championships or 92 wins, which by the time Hamilton retires, hopefully it will be more than 100 wins.

My target is to get a win, more podium finishes and one day fight for the world championship.

Now in F1, you depend a lot on the machinery, being at the right place, at the right time, having the best car. Hamilton being one of the best drivers in history has had the possibility to go after the world championship year after year with the best car on the grid. Kudos to him as he has managed to maximise it more than anyone else.

But for the future generation, I hope that the playing field remains super level and that we can all have a crack at the championship. We can fight between both drivers for the world championship and see who comes up on top.

How has Covid-19 changed your preparation as an F1 driver? How do you view the existential threat to F1 going forward from a driver’s perspective?

Lando Norris: I think the main thing is we are back racing. Not that many months ago, we weren’t thinking that we would be back racing this year at all. First of all, that (resuming racing) is a very good thing and we are already introducing more fans to the races, which is very nice to see again. It adds a lot to the atmosphere.

But from our side as drivers, I don’t think it changes that much. It is more about the travelling and the time spent at home, which is a bit different from normal. You can’t go out with your friends as much. You can’t go out and enjoy a lot more of your personal life, whether it is going to do different sports or going to watch different games – it is not the same for everyone right now.

But F1 is the priority over everything else. When I am at home, it is easy to just stay at home and not do anything else. Except perhaps a bit of golf every now and then, and driving on the simulator. There is not much else that I do in the meantime apart from the training, which I have to do for myself physically. These are the few things I do in my life now, which is part of the Covid-19 routine. I am sure it is the same for pretty much every other driver and probably for everyone that works in F1. It is a bit of a shame and it will probably continue for a while.

You (Norris) tweeted a photo back in July 2020, dismantling your own F1 car while wearing a Richard Mille RM 11-03 McLaren Automatic Flyback Chronograph. How confident were you that you weren’t going to damage it while doing so?

Lando Norris: I don’t know. It is still in one piece and I am wearing it right now. It is still my favourite watch I have worn. It is very scratch resistant. Taking apart an F1 car is very technical. There are a lot of gaps and little things here and there, and little bolts that you have to undo. But it is a watch that can withstand a lot of knocks, scratches and still remain in one piece.

I do worry sometimes though and I don’t do anything that serious or too far in packing up that I feel will risk damaging the watch. I do what I know.

This story first appeared on Prestige Malaysia

The post F1 drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris on Racing, Covid-19, and Richard Mille appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.