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The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Max Verstappen confirms he is staying at Red Bull
Max Verstappen has confirmed for the first time that he will stay with Red Bull – after George Russell admitted he is on the brink of a new Mercedes contract. Verstappen's break clause from his Red Bull deal can no longer be activated, after his fourth-placed finish in Belgium last Sunday ensured he will not be lower than third in the world championship at the summer break which follows this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. Asked at the Hungaroring if he can say for certain that he will be at Red Bull in 2026, Verstappen replied: 'Yes. I never really said anything about it because I was just focused on talking to the team about improving our performance, future ideas and next year and that is why I had nothing really to add. 'But I think it is time to stop all the rumours. For me, it was always quite clear that I was staying anyway and that was the general feeling in the team because we were always in discussion about what we could do with the car and when you're not interested in staying, you stop talking about these kind of things, and I never did.' Mercedes have made little secret of their desire to sign the four-time world champion. As it stands, Russell – who despite a series of impressive performances this year – is without a deal for 2026. Speaking prior to Verstappen, Russell, who it is understood has received a contract offer from Mercedes in the past week, said: 'Conversations have started. We are now heading into the summer break. 'I have spoken a lot with (Mercedes CEO and team principal) Toto (Wolff) this week, but we have not spoken once about the contract because we are both trying to solve the performance and getting the team in the right place. And that is genuine. 'I want to go into the summer break and enjoy the only two weeks off I have in the year. I don't want to be thinking about contracts. 'And there isn't really a major time pressure now from my side, nor from Mercedes' side, because of the Verstappen situation and I presume he is staying at Red Bull. 'Not that I was ever concerned about that but from the team's perspective I guess that has an impact. 'From my side, I was never concerned I was going to lose my seat. I want to go into this weekend and try and get the team back on track and perform better than we have shown at the past six races. Then I am going to go straight on holiday for two weeks and do a week's training and I want to enjoy that to be honest.' It was then put to Russell, 27, that he will be driving for Mercedes next season, but it is now just a question of how his contract looks. He replied: 'Yes, I guess so.' Despite the continued speculation surrounding suggestions Verstappen could trade Red Bull for Mercedes, those close to the Russell camp have indicated for a number of weeks the 27-year-old is extremely confident of striking a contract extension. Russell has scored 157 points to rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli's 63 after 13 of the 24 rounds. Mercedes are third in the constructors' standings, 296 points adrift of McLaren.
Auto Car
24 minutes ago
- Auto Car
The CEO of Jaguar and Land Rover is retiring after two years in the top job
In a recent interview with Autocar, Mardell revealed that he had driven the new GT and said it was the "most fun I've had" in his time as JLR boss. "It was stunning in terms of its speed, its acceleration, its performance, but also how it delivered the power with a real sense of character," he said. "The chassis team are really excited about the possibilities of the vehicle.' Speaking more generally about Jaguar's prospects as an all-electric luxury brand, Mardell said he was "certain we will have wait lists which are significant relative to the volumes we aspire for with the first product'. He continued: "In today's market conditions, I don't see anything which is going to concern me about the success of the new Jaguar in this new world at all, actually.' Mardell leaves JLR in a position of far greater stability than that it was in when he took the top job, but the company still faces strong headwinds. Chief among those is the imposition of new tariffs on foreign-built cars in the crucial US market, which accounts for a huge proportion of sales of JLR's most profitable models. The UK recently secured a trade deal that reduced the US import tariff on its exported cars from an initially mooted 25% to 10%, which is good news for the Solihull-built Range Rover models and the Halewood-produced Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport. But that levy only applies to the first 100,000 cars shipped to the US in a year, meaning any JLR models shipped above that number are liable to attract the higher 25% fee. Similarly, while the EU has now struck a deal with the US, cars shipped from the region to North America will still attract a 15% tariff, which will have significant implications for the Defender and Discovery, both built in Slovakia. Mardell's eventual replacement will also have to negotiate JLR's inevitable shift to a pure-electric line-up over the coming years, in the face of waning global demand for premium EVs.
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Conor McGregor loses appeal against civil jury's finding he sexually assaulted a woman
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor on Thursday lost his legal appeal against a civil court's finding that he sexually assaulted a woman at a Dublin hotel. In November a jury at the High Court in Dublin found McGregor liable for assaulting Nikita Hand, who says he 'brutally raped and battered' her in a hotel penthouse in 2018. He was ordered to pay Hand almost 250,000 euros ($285,000), as well as about 1.3 million euros ($1.5 million) in legal costs. Hand, 35, successfully sued McGregor in civil court after prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely. The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. McGregor alleged that Hand fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. He launched an appeal, but at a hearing earlier this month his lawyer unexpectedly withdrew a request to introduce new evidence. Three appeals court judges in Dublin on Thursday dismissed the appeal 'in its entirety.' Hand was in court for the ruling, but McGregor was not. The 37-year-old fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime in the ring, has become known for anti-immigration statements and criticism of Irish politicians. He has flirted with the idea of running for president of Ireland. U.S. President Donald Trump, a UFC fan, invited McGregor to the White House to mark St. Patrick's Day in March. McGregor also faces a lawsuit in Florida for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in the bathroom of the Kaseya Center, home arena of the Miami Heat, during a 2023 NBA finals game with the Denver Nuggets.
