Red Bull decide to sack driver just days after Christian Horner exit
Last week, Red Bull announced that Horner had been 'relieved of his operational duties' having lead the team for over two decades.
The dismissal of the team principal, husband of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, comes after months of tension within the team and a sharp decline in performance on the track.
While Max Verstappen has won two races this season and sits third in the standings, he will relinquish his championship crown to either Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris of McLaren.
The RB21 is proving incredibly difficult to drive, as evidenced by the woeful results of Verstappen's teammates, who have scored a combined seven points to the Dutchman's 165.
Young Liam Lawson was picked by Horner to replace Sergio Perez for 2025 but was brutally axed after just two races, with the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda replacing him.
The Japanese driver has not fared much better however, failing to finish higher than ninth and not scoring any points in the last five grand prix.
And it seems patience has run out for the 25-year-old, with GPblog claiming that Red Bull have decided not to extend his contract, though he will be allowed to see out the rest of the season.
It might not be the end of the road for Tsunoda however, as it is said his representatives recently held talks with Cadillac who are joining the grid in 2026, while he also continues to be linked to Aston Martin.
If all this is true, Red Bull could have an entirely new driver line-up next year with four-time champion Verstappen in talks to join rivals Mercedes. More Trending
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar would be first in line to step up to the senior Red Bull team following his impressive start to life in F1, with Lawson also under consideration.
This would open the door for 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad, a Red Bull junior and Formula 2 star, to be fast-tracked to Racing Bulls and become the fifth British driver on the grid after Norris, Sir Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Ollie Bearman.
The F1 season continues with the Belgian Grand Prix on July 27.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Inside Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell's sprawling countryside homes with mini farm
MORE: How much did Christian Horner make as Red Bull chief before dismissal?
MORE: Inside Christian Horner's marriage to Geri Halliwell as he's sacked from Red Bull
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
6 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Brendan Rodgers drops imminent Celtic transfer hint as boss makes his priority clear
The Hoops kick off their title defence this weekend against St Mirren but have endured a frustrating window so far Brendan Rodgers hopes Celtic will have another new face through the door this week. The Hoops have had three bids kicked out by Go Ahead Eagles for £6million-rated midfielder Jakob Breum. Celts are also locked in talks with Manchester City over a loan deal for promising defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey. And with the title defence kicking off this weekend, Rodgers hinted that a new signing is imminent. He told Sky Sports: "Yeah, well, we hope this week there might be some news on that. "Coaches and the transfer market don't move at the same pace. A coach always wants a player in immediately, but the transfer market doesn't always work like that. "There's a lot that goes into it - but it's also the reason for pre-season. You want your team together as quickly as you can so you can get some good work in, get the togetherness, get the spirit, everything formed. "But, of course, we know that traditionally it can be a challenge. By the end of the window, hopefully that will be the case. In the meantime, we're working very, very hard. "We're excited by what's here at the moment and looking forward to the weekend." Kieran Tierney and Benji Nygren are among the six new Bhoys who have arrived at Parkhead over the summer. But the champions have offloaded a dozen players and banked £17million from Nicolas Kuhn's sale to Como. He said: "Listen, as I said, a coach will always want the players in. I think it's arithmetic. It's purely counting. "We've lost players and we want to replace those players with quality. So it's not an opinion, it's where it's at. "We've lost key players and we want to replace those as quickly as we can in order to keep developing. "I'm very hopeful that we can do that." Rodgers is desperately searching for more firepower having also lost Kyogo in January without replacing the Japanese goal machine. He said: "For us it's tweaks because obviously last year we scored the most amount of goals in over 50-odd years of any Celtic team. "So that tells you there's a lot really good with the team. Clearly you want to improve each season. "But I think the attacking department will always be the strength of my team. "So that's something that we want to always improve on. "Whether that's through tactical ideas or players, it's an area that we always want to improve." Celtic will discover who stands between them and the Champions League league phase when the playoff draw is made on Monday. Fans have demanded the Parkhead board loosen the purse strings but Rodgers is refusing to hit the panic button. He said: "For me the focus is very much on what's here. We know we have work to do and I'm hopeful that we can get that done by the end of the window. "But in the meantime, the players have worked fantastically over the course of this pre-season. "It's been nice with the guys are coming in. They've added that quality to the group. "We've got some younger players coming in, like young Callum Osmand, who's a young player for the future. It was a great opportunity for us to take him from Fulham, which was great. "We still have work to do in the market, but I'm really excited. The focus is really on the players that are here, of course, and they've been working very, very well. "Hopefully by the end of the month, as I said, we'll be a stronger squad for the end of the transfer window."
Daily Mirror
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool owner's wife delivers Japan tsunami update as Reds make Yokohama friendly decision
Arne Slot's side are due to take on Yokohama F. Marinos on Thursday evening in Japan, despite serious warnings over possible tsunamis following an earthquake in the Pacific Ocean Liverpool are preparing to play a friendly during their pre-season tour of Japan on Thursday amid tsunami warnings in the country. Arne Slot 's side have been in Tokyo during a tour of the Far East and are scheduled to play Yokohama F. Marinos at 11:30 BST, which is 19:30 local time. At the time of writing, the match at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama – a city just south of the capital, on Tokyo Bay – is still poised to go ahead, despite scary warnings from the Japanese government. Earlier on Thursday, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit far-eastern Russia, just off the coast of the Kamchatka peninsula. It has sparked tsunami and flood warnings all across the Pacific Ocean, with Russia, China, Japan, the United States and Ecuador among those bracing for waves. The Japan's Meteorological Agency said in a statement: "Tsunamis are still being observed, and there is a risk of damage from tsunamis. Tsunamis can strike suddenly. Please do not leave safe places until the warning is lifted. "When the tsunami coincides with high tide, there is a possibility that the water level will rise further than it currently is.' Japan's government has warned that waves could reach as high as 3m (9ft) and has urged residents on the east coast to evacuate to higher ground. The warning is in place from the island of Hokkaido in the north to Wakayama prefecture in the south and affects 1.9million people. Yokohama is around halfway down the east coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu, but has not yet been impacted. Liverpool owner and Fenway Sports Group (FSG) chief John W. Henry's wife, Linda Pizzuti, was with the squad in Tokyo earlier on Thursday and posted an update on social media. She took to Instagram to post a picture from her balcony, showing water and the Tokyo Bay, writing: "Tsunami warnings in parts of Japan, but Tokyo Bay is calm." It seems as though the match will go ahead without any interruptions after Liverpool released their line-up against Yokohama. It sees Giorgi Mamardashvili playing in goal, in the absence of Alisson, who has been given permission to fly home to deal with a personal issue. Hugo Ekitike starts up front, alongside fellow new signing Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo. Milos Kerkez, a £40million signing from Bournemouth starts at left-back, with Conor Bradley at right-back after Trent Alexander-Arnold 's departure for Real Madrid.
Daily Record
37 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Motorists warned after nine out of ten drivers admit to breaking this strict rule
Drivers could be fined £200 and hit with six points if they are caught breaking the law. Warnings have been issued after nine out of 10 drivers admitted to not being able to stay off their mobile phones when driving. Despite being against the law, motorists said they can't seem to break the habit of looking at their devices when behind the wheel. This is despite the risk of £200 fines and six penalty points if caught. The increased use of advanced roadside cameras is also helping to detect mobile phone use by distracted drivers. Following changes in March 2022, motorists who use a handheld mobile phone while behind the wheel will be deemed to be breaking the law. This includes taking photos or videos, scrolling through music playlists, using streaming services, or playing games, as the government closes a loophole previously exploited by dangerous drivers to escape conviction. A report from IMS, a global authority in telematics and connected motor insurance technology, has highlighted the problem of mobile phone use while driving. The research shows that only 10% of motorists manage to drive from start to finish without interacting with their device. The data is based on survey results from 500,000 drivers over the past year, originally shared exclusively with This is Money. IMS's CEO Paul Stacy said: 'Our latest findings show the scale of the issue distracted driving has become on British roads and make clear that the vast majority of us are guilty of it. 'The insurance industry is increasingly using smartphone technology to monitor and manage the road risk of policyholders that buy a usage-based insurance product, and from this data, we can see that smartphone distraction remains a significant contributor to road collisions and insurance claims.' RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis continued: 'We saw a reduction in motorists admitting to illegal handheld phone use after the penalties were toughened in 2017 following pressure from the RAC, but numbers are on the rise again now. 'In fact, our research shows the proportion of young drivers making and receiving calls illegally hit its highest rate in eight years in 2024. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'Enforcement of the law is critical, so we encourage police forces to roll out more roadside cameras to catch people in the act and get them to change their ways.' Government data showed that last year, mobile phone use was a contributing factor in 23 road fatalities. However, official statistics also show that 'distraction or impairment' was the third most common cause of fatal crashes, playing a role in 34.9% of deadly incidents.
