Volume 45: Flashy is Always Better Than Boring
*in most cases
Welcome back to What Needs Knowing. Happy February! January is behind us and with that, some of us can relinquish the lofty goals we set for ourselves around New Year’s. Of course, some are worth keeping around but after a month, I’m sure you can tell the difference between the two.
What’s Worth Knowing
A note: This week I chose to touch on a lot of exciting topics instead of just one. The current cadence of picking between What’s Worth Knowing or a single, more robust piece is working well for my writing brain at the moment. Next week you can expect something more long-form but for now, please enjoy this mini-recap of the last week in sports, tv, and music.
Six more weeks of winter! I’ll take it!
Formula 1 hibernation is almost over. The season starts in late March but February is when teams finally give normies like us a look at the car they have spent months developing. Red Bull unveiled their car today and also announced an upcoming partnership with Ford when new regulations next take affect in 2026. My initial thoughts on the design: it is exceedingly boring and looks incredibly similar to last year’s car. Do better, Red Bull.
Bonus: Drive to Survive Season 5 premieres on February 24th. It will be interesting to see where they take the storyline, especially with Max Verstappen re-entering the show after refusing to participate in Season 4 and ultimately being unhappy with the way the show portrayed his role in Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 heartbreak. Yes, if you’re wondering where I stand on the controversy, I firmly believe Max Verstappen did not win the World Championship in 2021 fairly. Alas, he won his second World Championship fair and square last season. Watch the trailer and mark your calendars:
Things are getting complicated for The Ocean Race in the Atlantic as the IMOCA fleet has split. After getting through the Doldrums (the low-wind area near the equator), the boats are having a difficult time making the turn towards Cape Town. Weather conditions are unideal and this leg has officially become a major test for navigators, who are in charge of plotting a safe and fast route to the next port considering current conditions, forecasts, and avoiding unhelpful currents or sea state. The tough conditions have caused race organizers to adjust the expected arrival time in Cape Town to February 11th and teams have announced they will begin a “light” ration of food and stored power to ensure their supplies last for their entire trip. Intense stuff!
Mikaela Shiffrin won her 85th World Cup race last weekend, bringing her within one win of Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 86th career World Cup wins. She has a brief break from racing before heading to the World Championships in France next week. If she wins races during that event, it will not count towards her World Cup tally. I am still optimistic that she can tie the record before the end of this season.
I agree with Timothée Chalamet, Apple TV+ is killing it right now with their streaming content. And if I was a betting girl and took the hint from all their recent commercials, they are going to announce something big with Timothée during the Super Bowl next weekend. The newest show I’ve been enjoying is Shrinking. It is written and produced by Brett Goldstien—everyone’s favorite (grumpy) soccer player, Roy Kent. Give it a watch:
This week, I’ve enjoyed the soundtrack for the second season of Ginny & Georgia, a surprisingly good show on Netflix. Their musical director put together an eclectic mix of genres that was the backdrop to my working days this week.
Parting shot: I told myself that I would take a photograph of all the snow and powder I got to enjoy last weekend. But I was having too much fun. I’m not mad about it.
Thanks for joining me this week! I hope you enjoy the quick snapshot of everything I’m enjoying at the moment. As always, reach out if there is topic you want to learn more about and if you enjoy this newsletter, consider sharing it with the people that matter to you. See you next week,
-Mackenzie “road warrior til I die” Timbel