September 16th Throttle 🏎️💨

Mclaren Takes The Lead In the F1 Constructors Championship

Red Bull has finally been dethroned‼️ At least for the time being. Mclaren has overtaken Red Bull to climb to the top of the constructors championship. Oscar Piastri put on one of the best drivers of his career to take the race win from pole-sitter Charles Leclerc. Norris had an impressive drive as he was able to take P4 after getting out in Q1 and qualifying in 17th position for the Grand Prix.

For the second weekend in a row, Mclaren has now outscored Red Bull. Mclaren has vastly improved over the season as in Bahrain Norris was 48 seconds behind the race winner. Now, they are consistently winning races as the papaya cars have won four races so far this season. Mclaren was behind Mercedes in terms of race pace and development but they are now out ahead. I think Mclaren will take home the constructors championship at the end of the season but the drivers championship is likely to remain with Verstappen unless Lando pulls a few wins out of the hat and Verstappen has a bad few races.

Lotus Pulls The Tarp Off Its Theory 1 Electric Sportscar

Lotus is looking toward an electric future and thankfully it includes the super kind of cars. Lotus has just unveiled the Theory 1 electric supercar which is the rebirth of the Lotus Esprit, an icon of the 70s driven by the likes of James Bond. Lotus is going all out for the electric feature with the Theory having 987 horsepower and a center driving position‼️ It also has a curb weight of 3,500 pounds and will do 0-60 in 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 200 miles per hour. Thankfully, Theory 1 is not a tank (I am looking at you BMW).

Inside is a carbon tub with three seats with the interior coming with a heads-up display. An odd feature of the car is its “on-demand” buttons which used a “reactive textive textile” to allow buttons to appear when needed, and disappear when they are not. The car is powered by a 70.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack which can deliver 250 miles of range. Its 957 horsepower figure is much less the the 2,00-hp Evija, its other electric sportscar. However, this means the car is 660 pounds lighter and Lotus returns to its roots. Ben Payne, the Vice President of Design for Lotus, said this period has been a lot about maximalism with companies having to one-up one another in terms of tech and design. He wants Lotus to steer away from this course and use a design philosophy that is more about the driving experience.

Genesis Makes Plans To Race In The 24 Hours Of Le Mans

There is about to be a new kid on the Le Mans Grid‼️ Hyundai Motorsports has just announced it plans to enter cars in the top-level prototype class of endurance racing under the Genesis Brand. The top-level prototype class of endurance racing is intense with brands such as Cadillac, Porsche, Lamborghini, BMW, and Ferrari being among the title contenders in any given year. The announcement came in the form of an Instagram Post from the FIA, the governing body for the World Endurance Championship and other racing series. Genesis said details such as technical partnerships and a driver announcement will be shared at a later time.

Genesis has revealed in their own Instagram Post they will compete with the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) rules. These rules are slightly different than the LMH rules which are used for the top hypercar class in Le Mans but it is likely Genesis will compete in both. Hyundai and Genesis both have never competed in endurance racing before, but they have teased interest through a series of concept cars in the past. Genesis has previously teased the low-slung X Gran Berlinetta concept which was their contribution to the Vision Gran Turismo series. They also neased the X Gran Racer this summer which featured some very realistic aerodynamics. Overall, I can’t wait to see Genesis join the WEC as I do believe they could be a very competitive team.

Mail Carriers Love The USPS’s Ugly New Mail Truck

The life of a USPS postal service agent cannot be very fun as they ride around America in underpowered and AC-less trucks from the 1980s. Thankfully, the USPS is finally upgrading its fleet of postal trucks almost 40 years later. Oshkosh Defense is well-known for the production of fire trucks. Last month, the postal service began running routes in parts of Georgia with the new trucks. Mail carriers loved the new trucks and especially liked the addition of Air conditioning. One mail carrier told the Associated Press that the addition of A/C “…felt like Heaven blowing in his face”. Mail Carriers also liked the taller cargo area meaning they did not have to crouch upon entering.

The USPS’s fleet of Grumman Long Life Vehicles lived up to their name, operating for close to four decades, their replacement is long overdue. The Next-Generation Delivery Vehicle also adds many safety improvements such as a 360-degree camera, and front and rear parking sensors which all make life easier for mail carriers. The USPS plans to purchase 106,000 delivery vehicles from Oskhosk through 2028. Initially, USPS planned for at least 66,000 of these models to be electric, but has now increased that number to 75%. The USPS is taking electrifying its fleet seriously and is aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by 40% before 2030. Despite its ugly looks, I am excited to see these vehicles hit the streets of America as it will make life easier for everyone, not just mail carriers.