{"id":570276,"date":"2026-08-01T12:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/570276\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T12:31:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:31:12","slug":"the-kids-came-for-f1-and-nascar-plus-fifa-says-nevermind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/570276\/","title":{"rendered":"The kids came for F1 and NASCAR, plus FIFA says nevermind"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! Objects today may be closer than they appear. Inside:<\/p>\n

Kids: The fountain of youth in F1 and NASCAR<\/p>\n

In Formula 1, a driver who turns 20 this month will come out of the summer break as the clear favorite to win the world championship. In NASCAR, a broad injection of young talent is asserting itself in the title picture.<\/p>\n

I find this fascinating. These guys have been driving civilian cars on the world\u2019s roads for only a few years. Now here they are, throwing their weight around at the top of motorsport.\u00a0How?<\/p>\n

Eight of the 22 drivers on the F1 grid are between the ages of 18 and 25.\u00a0The move to get younger is a few years old now<\/a>.\u00a0The leader is Kimi Antonelli, who\u2019s favored to become the youngest world champion ever, by a margin of\u00a0three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

NASCAR\u2019s youth movement is more diffuse.\u00a0Already this season, a trio of drivers between 23 and 24 have won Cup Series races: Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim,\u00a0who\u2019s now won two<\/a>\u00a0before even becoming a full-time Cup Series driver. Those three are\u00a0forming a not-so-friendly rivalry<\/a>\u00a0that could be central to the sport for 10 or 20 years. There\u2019s also 20-year-old Connor Zilisch, who\u2019s had a challenging rookie season but is still\u00a0one of the most prized young drivers to ever join the Cup Series<\/a>. And more not too far behind, with the O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series teeming with promising drivers in their early 20s.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t overstate it, because grizzled vets are still doing well in both series.\u00a0Denny Hamlin (45) leads the Cup Series, and Lewis Hamilton (41) is second in F1\u2019s championship race.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s hard not to notice all the youngsters frequently winning races, so what gives?\u00a0I asked two of the smartest people in motorsport writing,\u00a0The Athletic\u00a0F1 writer Luke Smith and NASCAR writer Jordan Bianchi, to elaborate.<\/p>\n

Luke, when was the last time F1 had this much young talent?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac\u00a0I can\u2019t recall a time where the F1 grid has ever been quite so young and for the talents to be this good.\u00a0Max Verstappen\u2019s emergence as a 17-year-old in 2015 was striking, yet he wasn\u2019t joined by many others the same age. Antonelli at 19 may now be the headline name \u2014 and probably F1\u2019s brightest young star since Verstappen \u2014 but we\u2019ve also got Ollie Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar all at 21. There\u2019s even an 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad.\u00a0It\u2019s exciting for F1\u2019s future to have such a gaggle of wildly talented youngsters.<\/p>\n

Jordan, you\u2019ve expressed a similar sentiment in NASCAR. Why\u2019s it happening?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac One of the biggest barriers to young drivers getting top-level opportunities was a lack of experience,\u00a0often resulting in them not getting chances until their mid-to-late 20s.\u00a0But the advent of technology, particularly simulators, has helped young drivers bridge the experience gap.\u00a0Also, like in F1, drivers now are also getting involved in motorsports at a very young age. And this is happening to such a degree, it\u2019s not only commonplace to see teenagers regularly competing in NASCAR national series events, but their youth doesn\u2019t equate to a lack of experience because of how extensively they raced prior to advancing to this level.<\/p>\n

Thanks to both Luke and Jordan. It\u2019s a young person\u2019s game now.<\/p>\n

News to Know<\/p>\n

\n Frederic J. Brown \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

FIFA backs down<\/p>\n

Private investors will\u00a0not\u00a0be offered a stake in future World Cups, after all. FIFA president Gianni Infantino\u00a0scrapped the short-lived proposal<\/a>\u00a0late Friday after fierce opposition \u2014 most notably European nations\u2019 threat to boycott FIFA events \u2014\u00a0and condemnation from his own staff. The juicy question now: Will the U-turn save him in next spring\u2019s election? Sebastian Stafford-Bloor writes that the debacle is part of \u201ca growing pattern of unilateral behavior<\/a>\u201d by FIFA\u2019s boss.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac One of the frequent refrains from the past few days is that Infantino has been trying to sell something that does not belong to him. Increasingly, he acts as if it does, with this latest affair further evidence that, rather than an administrator, he sees himself more as football\u2019s broker, the owner of its power and the arbiter for what it should be used for.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0a good read<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More News
\nTony Romo\u00a0was\u00a0placed on leave<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0CBS Sports\u00a0after his arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.\u00a0J.J. Watt\u00a0will take his place on the lead\u00a0CBS\u00a0crew, and Romo\u00a0may have his work cut out<\/a> to get that spot back.
\nSpurs superstar Victor Wembanyama\u00a0will get\u00a0a signature shoe<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0Nike.
\nThe\u00a0Giants\u00a0are\u00a0suspending payment<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0center fielder Harrison Bader\u00a0after he injured himself crashing his scooter. (Wild that he was suspended for doing that in college, too.)
\nA judge granted an injunction giving athletes who started college in 2022 a fifth year of eligibility \u2014 which the\u00a0NCAA\u00a0is expected to appeal. The ruling could benefit teams that left roster spots open just in case.\u00a0Full story here<\/a>.
\nThe\u00a0Big Ten\u00a0and\u00a0SEC\u00a0finally\u00a0gave their blessing<\/a> to a Senate bill designed to stabilize college athlete compensation.
\nIs\u00a0Aaron Donald\u00a0going to unretire and join the\u00a0Rams?\u00a0Coach Sean McVay: \u201cIf there\u2019s an arrow, it\u2019s pointing up.<\/a>\u201d
\nAfter a week helping\u00a0Patriots\u00a0coaches, former\u00a0NFL wideout\u00a0DeAndre Hopkins\u00a0is expected to\u00a0join the staff<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0Georgia Tech.
\nSolid pick for U.S. fans looking for a club team to follow:\u00a0Middlesbrough, who will have three\u00a0USMNT\u00a0players with\u00a0the addition<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Columbus Crew wingback Max Arfsten.
\nLawyers for\u00a0NBA veteran Terry Rozier\u00a0say\u00a0a single text message<\/a>\u00a0should end the federal sports gambling case against him.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0Find more news here 24\/7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch Guide\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Daniel Bartel \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

First up:\u00a0Our sports streaming guide for the whole month of August<\/a>. For today \u2026<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Golf: AIG Women\u2019s Open
7 a.m. ET on USA, then 12 p.m. on NBC\/Peacock
Haeran Ryu leads at -7 as she tries to become<\/a> the first woman to win three straight majors since Inbee Park in 2013. Nelly Korda, also chasing her third major this year, is six back.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa MLB: Yankees at Cubs
7:15 p.m. ET on Fox
Two lefties, Max Fried and the recently acquired David Peterson, will start. The Cubs\u2019 Pete Crow-Armstrong is now a real competitor to Shohei Ohtani in the NL MVP race.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa MLS: Inter Miami at Columbus
7:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
Or pick another match.\u00a0There\u2019s a whole, big slate of soccer today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Get tickets to games like this here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks<\/p>\n

\n Illustration: Dan Goldfarb \/ The Athletic; Bryan Bennett, Kevin Sabitus \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about that time when fantasy football opportunities start bubbling up and existing leagues get into gear. New to it all, or just need a refresher?\u00a0Presenting our ultimate fantasy football beginner\u2019s guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The MLB trade deadline is ever closer (6 p.m. ET Monday) and we\u2019ve got comprehensive live coverage of every move \u2014 as well as predictions and other musings \u2014 right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m rewatching \u201cFleabag\u201d (for the fourth time!). Season 2 gets the most shine and deservedly so: It\u2019s unmatched for me in TV. But Season 1 deserves its flowers, too: endlessly dark, funny, complicated and, yes, healing. \u2014 Hannah Vanbiber<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s professional baseball is back, starting today.\u00a0Here\u2019s what to expect<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa5 Our Jon Greenberg tried the White Sox\u2019s\u00a0new sushi push-pop<\/a>, \u201cThe Muneshot,\u201d created in honor of Munetaka Murakami.\u00a0It\u2019s good, apparently<\/a>!<\/p>\n

These are always fun: Jayson Stark on the\u00a010 weirdest and wildest MLB games of July<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going back to a favorite Uruguayan steakhouse of mine tonight and I can\u2019t stop thinking about another chance to eat\u00a0provoleta<\/a>. \u2014 Lauren Merola<\/p>\n

My fellow Wirecutter kitchen experts and I recently tasted our way through IKEA\u2019s vast assortment of packaged foods (yes, they offer far more than their iconic Swedish meatballs). We crowned\u00a018 surprisingly delicious standouts<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 including instant mashed potatoes that pass for homemade and really great gummies. \u2014 Lesley Stockton<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Oneil Cruz\u2019s\u00a0home run off the top of the foul pole<\/a>\u00a0(back in April).<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, and check out our other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":570277,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":["post-570276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/570277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}