logo
F1 could see a sensational driver pairing next year

F1 could see a sensational driver pairing next year

Independent4 hours ago

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, has indicated openness to a potentially explosive driver pairing of Max Verstappen and George Russell at Mercedes.
George Russell, following his victory in Canada, believes ongoing talks between Mercedes and Verstappen might be delaying the renewal of his own contract, which is set to expire in six months.
The prospect of Verstappen and Russell as teammates is fraught with tension due to their rocky history, including a recent incident at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Wolff stated he can imagine any line-up, comparing the potential dynamic to the tumultuous rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, which delivered championships but also chaos.
While Verstappen's contract with Red Bull runs until 2028, performance clauses could allow for an early release, and a new deal for Russell is not currently imminent.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Beware 'two-metre Messi'! Meet the 6ft 6in starlet aiming to fire Germany to U21 glory against England
Beware 'two-metre Messi'! Meet the 6ft 6in starlet aiming to fire Germany to U21 glory against England

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Beware 'two-metre Messi'! Meet the 6ft 6in starlet aiming to fire Germany to U21 glory against England

Two years ago Nick Woltemade found himself on the bench in the third division of German football. Now he is being pursued by Bayern Munich and has the chance to break English hearts on Saturday night. Woltemade, 23, or Woltemessi as his Stuttgart team-mates call him, is deceiving in that his 6ft 6in frame does not tell the story of his capabilities. There is a grace and elegance to his technique on the ball which has drawn comparisons with Jamal Musiala, and his pace and dribbling are also typical of a tricky winger a foot shorter. 'His combination of skills is special; you rarely see that,' Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness has said of Woltemade, this tournament's top scorer with six goals. 'He has very fast feet, good ball control and strong dribbling.' Although he dislikes his Messi nicknames — two-metre Messi is another — he is unique among Germany's young stars. His six goals here have varied: three with his right foot, one with his left and two with his head. Useful as a second striker, as an all-out No 9 or playing at No 10, England's toughest assignment has been saved for the final.

How Lee Carsley's half-time rocket fired his Young Lions stars to the brink of glory at U21 Euros
How Lee Carsley's half-time rocket fired his Young Lions stars to the brink of glory at U21 Euros

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

How Lee Carsley's half-time rocket fired his Young Lions stars to the brink of glory at U21 Euros

In a funny sort of way, losing to Germany during the group stages was the best thing that could have happened to this young England team. Manager Lee Carsley and his staff did not see it that way though after being unceremoniously turned over by Germany's second string in Nitra. There were raised voices in the dressing room that night. At half-time, with England 2-0 down, the hairdryer was delivered and players returned for the second half much improved. They won that spell 1-0 and analysts left with a pep in their step. As the players filtered on to the team bus, they did so armed with the knowledge that they fell below Carsley's standards in that first half and any hope of success hinged on an improvement. One senior FA source noted that England would beat Germany if they got a second crack at them. Tonight in Bratislava, they have that chance. 'I knew in the second half against Germany we clicked,' Carsley said. 'The resilience they showed, the character they showed, the way they responded, there was definitely an improvement. 'I spoke to them at half-time that when things are 50/50, you make sure you keep moving forward or worst case scenario you stand still. You don't go backwards and that's what they did, they moved forward and those are the type of players we need to win at senior level.' Tweaks paid off handsomely and adaptability has certainly been one of Carsley's biggest strengths in Slovakia. Left back Jack Hinshelwood did not start the first two games, but is now a shoo-in for the final. Jay Stansfield is another. He got his first start up front in the quarter-final against Spain and has not released his grip on the shirt since. Those around the camp praise his contagious energy and Carsley's man-management of the League One winner has not gone unnoticed. Much of the build-up to this title defence centred on regulars that Carsley (right) would be without. No Liam Delap, who has kept in touch with captain James McAtee with 'messages every day,' Rico Lewis, Jamie Gittens or Jobe Bellingham, all away at the Club World Cup. No Jarrad Branthwaite, Taylor Harwood-Bellis or Adam Wharton, all injured. Carsley warned things would look 'clunky' and 'unorganised' early on as a result. He was not wrong, even if it was not immediately apparent in the 3-1 opening win over the Czech Republic. But now he has a group that believe, rather than hope, they will get over the line. 'I've got a lot of belief in them,' Carsley added. 'They're an exciting team. They're really together and have grown as the tournament's gone on. Hopefully they get what they deserve.' England manager Thomas Tuchel is jetting in from the Club World Cup, while Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has cut short his yacht retreat in Majorca to head for Bratislava. Around 150 friends and family are also making the trip, eager to spur on a group looking to replicate the achievement of England's youngsters who won this tournament back-to-back in 1982 and 1984. There is more finesse to this group now, a bite and physicality that was absent in that defeat by Germany and tonight's opponents know the England of 10 days ago is not what they see now. 'The group-stage match will have no bearing on the final,' said Germany coach Antonio Di Salvo. 'A final is a final and every team that reaches a final plays to win. England have improved and they were very dominant against Spain. It will be an even game.' England wanted a second crack at Germany and tonight they get it. History beckons.

How Club World Cup is paying for Man City & Chelsea's summer signings
How Club World Cup is paying for Man City & Chelsea's summer signings

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

How Club World Cup is paying for Man City & Chelsea's summer signings

Manchester City and Chelsea are already quids in from playing in the Fifa Club World Cup - and they could yet end up earning loads of their summer signings' transfer fees have even already been paid near-empty stadiums, extreme weather conditions and poor pitches dominating the news agenda during the group stages of the competition, it is easy to overlook just how much money clubs are earning as the tournament goes teams pocketed tens of millions just for Sport looks at how much you can earn at the Club World Cup - and how much the English teams have made already. How does the prize money work? If Manchester City win the tournament they would land about £92m in total - but Chelsea would earn slightly potential prize money was initially reported as £97m but the exchange rate between US dollars and British pounds has changed since get a participation fee for playing, which for European teams varies depending on "sporting and commercial criteria".City's fee is the maximum of £27.9m. Chelsea are on the upper end of the scale but do not get quite as much, BBC Sport has been teams qualified for the tournament by winning the Champions League in the past four from North America, Africa, Asia and Oceania get just under £7m, with South American clubs landing about £ prize money rises depending how far you go (regardless of which continent you are from).In the group stages, wins are worth almost £1.5m, with about £750,000 for a drawReaching the last 16 earns clubs £5.5mThe quarter-finals are worth £9.6mA semi-final spot lands teams another £15.3mReaching the final and losing is £21.9mWinning the competition is worth £29.2mThe total prize pot Fifa has offered is $1bn (£730m), which is believed to be a record amount. How much have the English teams earned so far? Manchester City have earned prize money of roughly £37.8m - which is the most any team has bagged because they were the only side to win all their group have earned a little bit less. They had a smaller participation fee and, while their group-stage defeat by Flamengo didn't cost them a place in the last 16, it did cost them almost £ additional prize money from here on in is the same for each club who progress to an equal and Chelsea each stand to earn £9.6m if they win their last-16 ties - with the potential for more big earnings if they go face Benfica on Saturday (21:00 BST) and City play Al-Hilal on Tuesday (02:00). How does the prize money equate to signings? It is only 23 days since Chelsea paid £30m to sign Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, who scored in their 3-0 win over ES that transfer fee has probably been paid off already - or near enough - by the Blues' prize money. Or else it has pretty much covered the £29m they will pay for Palmeiras winger Estevao Willian after the Club World City paid £31m for Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, who assisted a goal in their 5-2 win over fee has already been paid off by their earnings - with an extra £7m or so. The £30.5m City paid Lyon for forward Rayan Cherki, who scored in the 6-0 win over Al Ain, would also be covered by a run to the if they win the tournament, they would also have earned enough for about two-thirds of the £46.3m fee they paid AC Milan for Netherlands midfielder Tijjani put the total potential prize pot of £91.9m into context, only about 12 transfer fees in football history amount to more. How does prize money compare to other competitions? Favourably - especially when you consider the tournament is 'only' seven games long for the St-Germain earned about £95m for winning the Champions League last season, but their campaign was 17 matches in money in the 38-game Premier League is more nuanced and dependant on revenues, but in 2023-24 champions Manchester City took home £ the other end of the scale, Crystal Palace only pocketed £3.9m for winning the FA Cup this means a team would have to lift the FA Cup 24 times to earn the same amount of prize money as City - who lost to Palace at Wembley - would by winning the Club World Cup. What do managers make of the prize money? Speaking in March when the prize fund was first announced, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said his squad "don't deserve" to see any of the money on City have impressed so far in the competition - not least in Thursday's 5-2 thumping of Juventus - it follows a tough and trophyless campaign."We don't deserve a bonus this season," said Guardiola. "The bonus, if you win, I don't know how much, it's for the club."The managers, the backroom staff, the players, we don't deserve - not even a watch."Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says he hasn't felt any extra pressure because of the riches on offer."The owners just want the best for us and for the players game by game, and they are not talking about the final prize or the final reward in terms of money," said Maresca before their final group game against ES Tunis."They never put pressure on me or the players in terms of we need to win this tournament because of the money." In March, European Leagues president Claudius Schafer says he "fears for the future" of domestic competitions because of the distortion created by the Club World Cup prize money."If an Austrian league club gets $50m, that has a huge influence on [that] league," he will have earned at least £11.5m despite going out in the group Seattle Sounders warmed up for a game in T-shirts with 'Club World Ca$h Grab' written on the front, in an argument involving MLS players over Zealand champions Auckland City, whose team are made up of amateurs on expenses, are also involved in a similar issue.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store