All3Media owner RedBird IMI among suitors for Coulthard-owned TV firm
Sky News has learnt that RedBird IMI has tabled an offer for Whisper Group, which has been exploring a sale for several months.
Sources said the auction process was at a critical stage with a buyer potentially being selected within days.
Money latest:
RedBird IMI, which had hoped to take full control of The Daily Telegraph before a change of media ownership law meant that its Abu Dhabi state involvement had to be curtailed, already owns All3Media, the TV production giant behind a string of hit shows.
However, its interest in Whisper is said to have been expressed through RedBird IMI rather than being conducted using All3Media as the acquirer.
RedBird is now in the advanced stages of taking control of the Telegraph newspaper titles, with IMI restricted to owning a maximum 15% stake.
The identities of the other bidders for Whisper were unclear on Thursday evening.
Whisper Group was established in 2010 and won a BAFTA for its coverage of the Women's Euros in 2022.
It is working with advisers at KPMG on a deal.
Whisper is already 30%-owned by Sony Pictures Television, which acquired the stake in 2020.
Sony replaced Channel 4's Indie Growth Fund as an investor in the business.
A majority of the shares in Whisper are owned by its founders and management team.
The company is best-known for its sports productions, and is responsible for Channel 4's Formula One coverage as well as international cricket, boxing and the Paralympics.
Whisper employs about 300 people, and has operations in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Riyadh.
Its chief executive, Sunil Patel, co-founded the producer alongside Mr Coulthard and Mr Humphrey.
It is said to be plotting further expansion in sport in the form of bigger events and rightsholders, as well as in events, where its clients include Red Bull.
Whisper is also focused on growing its presence in the US, where it currently works with Tom Brady's Religion of Sport, and the Middle East, where it is partnered with Neom and Saudi Pro League teams.
Outside of sports rights, it has produced documentaries about Ben Stokes, the England Test cricket captain, and Sven-Goran Ericsson, the late England football manager.
It has also diversified into entertainment programming, producing the Wheel of Fortune gameshow hosted by Graham Norton.
Its most recent accounts disclosed a £4.3m pre-tax profit for the year to March 31, 2024.
Both RedBird IMI and Whisper declined to comment.
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New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Verstappen on a charge, Leclerc flustered
Dominant McLaren grabbed another 1-2, as Spa-Francorchamps hosted round 13 of the 2025 Formula One world championship Getty Images Oscar Piastri has won the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, despite a delayed start of 80 minutes due to rain at Spa-Francorchamps. Lando Norris qualified on pole but the race began with a rolling start behind the safety car due to the wet conditions. Then once the racing began, Piastri produced a brilliant move to grab a race lead that he held to the checkered flag. Charles Leclerc completed the podium, while Lewis Hamilton recovered to finish P7 after a disastrous qualifying saw his Ferrari start 18th. F1 returns next weekend with the Hungarian Grand Prix. Join the conversation: live@ GO FURTHER Belgian Grand Prix briefing: Piastri wins, Hamilton impresses after chaotic start Getty Images LAP 39/44 — Max Verstappen sensing a potential podium as he starts pushing Charles Leclerc in third. The gap is close to within one second and DRS range now. Max chasing, which is never good news — and listening to team radio, it sounds like Leclerc is rattled. Or at least, he wants to be left to it. LAP 38/44 — Six laps to go and Lando Norris is starting to take a few tenths per lap out of his teammate. The gap is inside six seconds now. There's also a suggestion that we could yet get some more rain. The question is, will it come before the checkered flag… LAP 35/44 — And Oscar Piastri agrees with his team. The Australian will try to make these medium tires last the course. This will help too. Lando Norris locks up at La Source and loses a little more time. The gap remains at eight seconds, and Norris' engineer tells him these tires are starting to get tricky. Getty Images Lando Norris is starting to make more inroads on Oscar Piastri, taking six-tenths out of him on that last lap. Piastri is told on the radio McLaren still thinks the best bet is to go to the end on this set of mediums. If Piastri is to consider another stop, he needs to do it sooner than later. LAP 33/44 — Lewis Hamilton now within 0.5 seconds of Alex Albon in P6. He has DRS… LAP 32/44 — It was 1.2 seconds that the Pouhon mistake cost Lando Norris, as he was forced to take the escape road on the inside. Make a note of that loss and check back at the checkered flag. It does currently look like we'll get through all 44 laps here, for the record. Unless something shakes up the rhythm. There are cars starting to pit onto a second set of medium tires too. So if Oscar Piastri did want to pit, it would have to be soon... LAP 31/44 — Lando Norris was close to getting within seven seconds of Oscar Piastri. Then the gap leapt out to more than nine seconds, owing to a small mistake at Pouhon. That was a few laps ago and now Norris is starting to take big chunks out of his teammate's advantage again, getting back to 8.3 seconds — which is where we were a while ago. If he can keep up that chomping, he will make some serious inroads. Meanwhile, McLaren seems happy for Piastri to stay out and Piastri seems happy with his tire wear so far. So finely poised, this. Getty Images LAP 28/44 — Nice little move from Kimi Antonelli up the inside of Fernando Alonso at Les Combes. That's the youngest driver on the grid taking the oldest. Antonelli getting up to P14, which is a healthy improvement for the under pressure Mercedes driver. LAP 24/44 — Fascinating radio exchange for Oscar Piastri, who is effectively told by his team that it's his call whether he pits again or tries to get his medium tires to the end of the race — which would appear to be a stretch. We don't even know if Lando Norris' hard tires will make it that far. It does seem strange that the McLaren engineers wouldn't have an idea over what to do for the best, rather than leaving it up to the driver. It's going to make for a fascinating climax to this race though. The gap between the leading McLarens remains a little over eight seconds. Lewis Hamilton is clearly up for this fight. He's on the radio asking about the gap to Alex Albon ahead, seemingly frustrated he can't seem to get closer than the one-second margin right now. His engineer has told him to lift and coast. Hamilton replied: 💬 'Have we got a problem?!' To which Riccardo Adami said: 💬 'No.' Getty Images LAP 21/44 — Gabriel Bortoleto is on the Sauber team radio pleading to be let through as he says is quicker than Nico Hülkenberg ahead of him. The team agrees in the end. It's P9 and P10 for the two Saubers, which I'm sure they'd take at the checkered flag too. Still dry and all fine out there right now, which is great news! But everyone will know that could change quite quickly. LAP 19/44 — Lando Norris may be on slower tires in theory, but he is flying on them too. He has the fastest lap so far with a 1:46.865s The gap between him and Oscar Piastri up ahead is now 8.3s. Sadly for Lewis Hamilton, his progress seems to have slowed down — although P7 will still be an excellent result. We're not at half-race distance yet though, of course. LAP 16/44 — The extra lap and a slow stop with the left front, has caused Lando Norris to fall nine seconds back from Oscar Piastri at the very front. But running the hard tire might give Norris a chance to go to the end without pitting, while Piastri on mediums may need another stop as they're not designed to last as long. Could be decisive in the battle for the win, but the McLaren is very good at managing its tires. LAP 15/44 — Perfect pit call by Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari there. He's already up to P10, having been P13 before pitting. I think he'll gain another three spots once Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon all come in too. And he has. It's P7 now, and chasing Alex Albon… Getty Images LAP 14/44 — Those cars still on inters: Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon. Lando Norris has just pitted, and put on the hard tire. The remaining three come in now too. Norris is the only car on the hard tire. Everyone else on the medium. Big call. LAP 13/44 — Here it comes. Oscar Piastri comes in for mediums too. Lando Norris will have to stay out as there's no chance of doing a double stack and getting both McLarens in. DRS has been enabled for the first time too. Only four cars left on the intermediate tires now. LAP 12/44 — And now Lewis Hamilton takes the gamble. He's one of the first cars to go onto slicks, and the medium tire at that. Let's see how that pace looks now. Nico Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso also on the medium tire. Everyone else still on the inters. Getty Images LAP 12/44 — Only the McLarens are quicker than Lewis Hamilton right now. Keep an eye on him. LAP 10/44 — Oscar Piastri reports that it's only the straight to Turn 5 that is wet at the moment, and it may not be far off being able to switch to slicks...
New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
Your views on Horner's Red Bull exit
McLaren grabs another 1-2, after Spa-Francorchamps hosted round 13 of the 2025 Formula One world championship Getty Images Oscar Piastri has won the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, despite a delayed start of 80 minutes due to rain at Spa-Francorchamps. Lando Norris qualified on pole but the race began with a rolling start behind the safety car due to the wet conditions. Then on the first visit to Les Combes once the safety car had come in, Piastri produced a brilliant move to grab a race lead he held to the checkered flag. Norris was in hot pursuit in the final laps, hoping his hard tires would get him within striking distance. But the Brit made one too many mistakes, never getting close enough to challenge his McLaren teammate for victory. As for further down the order, Lewis Hamilton made great progress to finish P7 after a disastrous qualifying saw him start in 18th. You can follow all the live reaction below. Result: 1 PIA, 2 NOR, 3 LEC, 4 VER, 5 RUS Join the conversation: live@ GO FURTHER Belgian Grand Prix briefing: Piastri wins, Hamilton impresses after chaotic start Getty Images Christian Horner's sacking was the biggest story by a distance, heading into this Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Here are some of your views on the news… 💬 Ben G: 'Scenes! Probably overdue if this is the fallout from the scandal. Otherwise, maybe feels a bit kneejerk if it's related to this year's performance.' 💬 Christian V: 'This either Max Verstappen's (and Jos') condition to remain in Red Bull, or a consequence of Max already leaving for Mercedes. Funny how this came out of nowhere and not after months of rumors and speculation like with the drivers.' 💬 Arin S: 'Horner has always been a divisive figure, even more so than Toto and Zack. He still clearly cared for his drivers. Something seemed off with RB since Newey left. A good amount of people clearly didn't want to be in such a political environment.' 💬 Annie M: 'Epic reign, epic fall. Not sure F1 is better off without him.' 💬 Crk J: 'With all sincerity, the very best of luck to Laurent Mekies. Hopefully he is given adequate opportunity and proper operational control. As long as Helmut Marko remains connected to the team, RBR will never truly have moved on from whatever ails them.' 💬 Dominic A: 'They should install Horner as Racing Bulls team principal and, if he does well, maybe he gets another chance at the big team.' Remember, you can add your thoughts with an email whenever you wish. That address again: live@ Getty Images Christian Horner's sudden dismissal as team principal sent shockwaves through Red Bull Racing. As the team navigates its first race weekend without the only boss it has ever known, our own Luke Smith examines how Horner's replacement — Laurent Mekies — is trying to unite the squad and keep Max Verstappen committed. This is all eyes on Red Bull, and its first weekend in F1 without the man who had been its prominent leader… GO FURTHER How Red Bull adjusts to F1 life after Christian Horner: 'It was a shock to me' Christian Horner led Red Bull Racing from obscurity to F1 dominance over 20 years. He became the face of the team for fans of 'Drive To Survive.' Then just three days after the British Grand Prix and to much surprise — following scandal, poor form and a lengthy power struggle at the top of the team — Horner was sacked. This is the first F1 weekend featuring a Horner-less Red Bull since the team arrived in the sport. Our F1 correspondent Luke Smith dissected what happened, and you can take it all in below. GO FURTHER Why Red Bull sacked Christian Horner now, after a year that never stopped spiraling Luke Smith UPDATE: It's raining now... I'm down on the grid and happy to report no rain right now. But it's meant to heave it down in about 20-30 minutes. The teams have got their wet weather tires ready on the grid as the cars head over to their starting spots. Sign up to The Athletic If you're a Formula One fan — and you love a plethora of other sports too — there is no better place to follow all your other favourite teams, leagues and players than on The Athletic . In soccer we've got the final of Euro 2025 later today between England and Spain, while U.S. Open tennis and Ryder Cup golf are both coming into view. Throw in the MLB season hitting its straps and NFL preseason hitting the radar, and there is plenty to follow. We have the lot covered and much more besides, so make sure you're fully informed with access to our full experience. And you're in luck — you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here. Getty Images Heading into this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, there was reason for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari to feel optimistic. Hamilton has been building momentum after a rollercoaster start to life with Ferrari and there was a set of upgrades for Spa that Ferrari hoped would boost its performance, including a new rear suspension. Charles Leclerc grabbed third on the grid for today's race, outqualifying sprint race winner Max Verstappen. But Hamilton languished in a lowly 16th as his miserable Spa weekend continued, having already been eliminated in the first stage of sprint race qualifying. Hamilton told reporters: 💬 'Everyone does that, takes that curb. But I'm out, so… From my side, another mistake. So I've really got to look internal. I've got to apologize to my team, because it's just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s. 'It's (a) very, very poor performance from myself.' Hamilton is a five-time winner of the Belgian GP, including last year when he inherited victory after George Russell's disqualification. You have to go back to his debut season in 2007 for the last time he finished the race but failed to stand on the podium, crossing the line in fourth place. It's a track he loves and where he flourishes. Barring something remarkable — and it looks like we're getting a wet race — this will go down as another dip in this fluctuating first season with Ferrari. GO FURTHER How Lewis Hamilton's Belgium GP weekend unraveled despite Ferrari upgrades Getty Images With those pit lane starts, here is how the starting grid will look at Spa… 1: LANDO NORRIS (MCL) LANDO NORRIS (MCL) > 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) Oscar Piastri (MCL) 3: Charles Leclerc (FER) Charles Leclerc (FER) > 4: Max Verstappen (RBR) Max Verstappen (RBR) 5: Alex Albon (WIL) Alex Albon (WIL) > 6: George Russell (MER) George Russell (MER) 7: Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) > 8: Isack Hadjar (RB) Isack Hadjar (RB) 9: Liam Lawson (RB) Liam Lawson (RB) > 10: Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 11: Ocon (HAS) / 12: Bearman (HAS) 13: Gasly (ALP) / 14: Hülkenberg (SAU) 15: Sainz (WIL) / 16: Colapinto (ALP) 17: Stroll (AST) Then in the pit lane, they will line up in the order of Lewis Hamilton (FER), Kimi Antonelli (MER) and Fernando Alonso (AST). Getty Images A reminder here that Lewis Hamilton will start today's Belgian Grand Prix from the pit lane, as reported by our F1 correspondent Luke Smith earlier today. Ferrari opted to take a number of new power unit elements for Hamilton's car ahead of the race, after Hamilton qualified a lowly 16th yesterday. As Luke explained: 📝 'It's very normal for teams who have drivers at the rear of the field to opt for a pit lane start, as it also means they can make changes to the car setup outside of parc ferme. 'That could be especially useful today for Ferrari with Hamilton as in theory, it could bank on a very wet race where a higher downforce setup would pay off — rather than what he (and everyone else) ran in qualifying.' Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso will also start from the pit lane, after their respective (P18 and P19) qualifying performances yesterday. Getty Images And let's bring you this too. This is the 2025 season's pole position tallies and average qualifying positions (AQP) for the field. It's now four poles each for the top three drivers, following Lando Norris' excellent qualifying yesterday… 1: OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL) — 4 poles / 2.15 AQP — / 2: Max Verstappen (RBR) — 4 poles / 3.15 3: Lando Norris (MCL) — 4 poles / 3.31 4: George Russell (MER) — 1 pole / 4.46 As for those without a pole so far in 2025… 5: Charles Leclerc (FER) — 5.46 6: Lewis Hamilton (FER) — 7.69 7: Kimi Antonelli (MER) — 8.77 8: Alex Albon (WIL) — 9.77 9: Isack Hadjar (RB) — 9.92 10: Fernando Alonso (AST) — 11.38 Getty Images Did any 2025 qualifying patterns snap at Spa yesterday? You bet they did… Ferrari was one of only two teams to avoid a Q1 exit this season — but its record was ended with that Lewis Hamilton Q1 failure, leaving McLaren out on its own. Likewise for Hamilton, who suffered a Q1 and SQ1 exit in consecutive days here. The joys of a sprint race weekend, right Lewis? The good news for Alex Albon, George Russell and Isack Hadjar was that they remained clear of a Q1 exit this season. And sadly for Nico Hülkenberg, he remains the only driver to tackle all 13 qualifying sessions this season and not make it into Q3 at least once. Getty Images How did yesterday's Belgian Grand Prix qualifying shake up the intra-team battles over the course of this year? The tallies are below — with the Spa victor underlined… Aston Martin: ALONSO 13-0 Stroll 13-0 Stroll Mercedes: RUSSELL 12-1 Antonelli 12-1 Antonelli Red Bull: VERSTAPPEN 11-0 Tsunoda 11-0 Tsunoda Ferrari: LECLERC 9-4 Hamilton 9-4 Hamilton Racing Bulls: HADJAR 9-2 Lawson 9-2 Lawson Williams: ALBON 8-5 Sainz 8-5 Sainz McLaren: PIASTRI 7-6 Norris 7-6 Haas: OCON 7-6 Bearman 7-6 Bearman Sauber: Hülkenberg 6-7 BORTOLETO Hülkenberg 6-7 Alpine: GASLY 6-1 Colapinto 6-1 Colapinto Alpine: GASLY 5-1 Doohan * * Red Bull: VERSTAPPEN 2-0 Lawson * * Racing Bulls: Tsunoda 1-1 Hadjar * It was hard not to smile at Fernando Alonso making it 13 out of 13 against Lance Stroll, even when the Aston Martin didn't finish ahead of another car in its double Q1 exit. * Inactive teammate pairing Getty Images Here is how the cars finished following yesterday's qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix today — although the grid will look a little different at the back… 1: LANDO NORRIS (MCL) > 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) Oscar Piastri (MCL) 3: Charles Leclerc (FER) Charles Leclerc (FER) > 4: Max Verstappen (RBR) Max Verstappen (RBR) 5: Alex Albon (WIL) Alex Albon (WIL) > 6: George Russell (MER) George Russell (MER) 7: Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) > 8: Isack Hadjar (RB) Isack Hadjar (RB) 9: Liam Lawson (RB) Liam Lawson (RB) > 10: Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 11: Ocon (HAS) / 12: Bearman (HAS) 13: Gasly (ALP) / 14: Hülkenberg (SAU) 15: Sainz (WIL) / 16: Hamilton (FER) 17: Colapinto (ALP) / 18: Antonelli (MER) 19: Alonso (AST) / 20: Stroll (AST) The perception was that Lando Norris had been playing second fiddle to Oscar Piastri this weekend — but that theory was put to bed by the Brit in grand prix qualifying yesterday. Norris looked on top of things in each session and then timed his final lap in Q3 to perfection, with a 1:40.562 that was enough to put his car on pole. The gap to his McLaren teammate was under 0.1s, while Charles Leclerc's P3 was a surprise to everyone — including the driver and his Ferrari team. Alex Albon (P5) and Yuki Tsunoda (P7 and finally in receipt of some Red Bull upgrades) also excelled. But for Lewis Hamilton, the qualifying nightmare at Spa continued. Just 24 hours after exiting sprint race quali at the first hurdle for a spin on his final run in SQ1, this time the Ferrari driver thought he'd nailed the lap time he needed to make Q2 — only to see it deleted for exceeding track limits. It was a tight call, but there were no arguments. Hamilton and Ferrari had suffered their first Q1 exit of the entire season. Ouch. Even without a sprint victory, McLaren still got to eke out a few more points towards its constructors' championship lead by finishing second and third. In truth, it doesn't take much looking over the standings to convince you McLaren already has the constructors' championship sewn up. It is something I called ahead of the British Grand Prix — so make a note of that in case I've cast a curse on Woking. The battle to finish fifth is definitely on over the second half of the season, especially when those teams will have to figure out a time to switch total development focus over to the significant regulation changes for 2026. Max Verstappen's sprint win improved Red Bull's position compared to Ferrari and Mercedes, while Haas closed the gap to the teams ahead... 1: 473 points — McLAREN — 2: 227 (-246 ) — Ferrari 3: 210 (-17) — Mercedes 4: 180 (-30) — Red Bull 5: 62 (-18) — Williams 6: 41 (-21) — Sauber 7: 37 (-4) — Racing Bulls 8: 36 (-1) — Aston Martin 9: 35 (-1) — Haas 10: 19 (-16) — Alpine It is nine points between the top two following Oscar Piastri's second in Saturday's sprint race — a place ahead of Lando Norris and behind victor Max Verstappen. You can see it's a tight championship battle, even if it is coming down to an intra-team fight. It's finely poised behind the McLarens too, although George Russell lost ground after a pointless sprint. Nico Hülkenberg sitting ninth is arguably the performance of the season so far, while Franco Colapinto's performance has been only marginally better than the driver he replaced at Alpine. They are the only two drivers this season not to score a point… 241 points — OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL) — 232 (-9) — Lando Norris (MCL) 173 (-59) — Max Verstappen (RBR) 147 (-26) — George Russell (MER) 124 (-23) — Charles Leclerc (FER) 103 (-21) — Lewis Hamilton (FER) 63 (-40) — Kimi Antonelli (MER) 46 (-17) — Alex Albon (WIL) 37 (-9) — Nico Hülkenberg (SAU) 27 (-10) — Esteban Ocon (HAS) 22 (-5) — Isack Hadjar (RB) 20 (-2) — Lance Stroll (AST) 19 (-1) — Pierre Gasly (ALP) 16 (-3) — Fernando Alonso (AST) 16 (0) — Carlos Sainz (WIL) 12 (-1) — Liam Lawson (RB) 10 (-2) — Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) 8 (-2) — Oliver Bearman (HAS) 4 (-4) — Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 0 (-4) — Franco Colapinto (ALP), Jack Doohan* (ALP) * Inactive driver The drivers are just arriving for their parade around Spa-Francorchamps — and it's fair to say it is WET out there… Getty Images Here is who picked up points from Saturday's sprint race around Spa on Saturday… 1: MAX VERSTAPPEN (RBR) — 8 points — 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) — 7 3: Lando Norris (MCL) — 6 4: Charles Leclerc (FER) — 5 5: Esteban Ocon (HAS) — 4 6: Carlos Sainz (WIL) — 3 7: Oliver Bearman (HAS) — 2 8: Isack Hadjar (RB) — 1 Getty Images Oscar Piastri was happy to take that sprint race pole from Friday's qualifying, but also labelled it the worst pole position of the year given the minimal advantage from earning it. Maybe he was right too. Max Verstappen was able to pull off a fabulous overtake at Les Combes after Lap 1 of 15 in Saturday's sprint race and despite mounting pressure towards the end, that was job done. Lando Norris came home third as the top three finished within 1.5 seconds of each other, while a double-points finish for Haas also caught the eye in a sprint that didn't muster much by way of overtaking action.
New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
F1 Belgian Grand Prix live updates: Follow reaction as Oscar Piastri beats Lando Norris to victory
McLaren grabs another 1-2, after Spa-Francorchamps hosted round 13 of the 2025 Formula One world championship Getty Images Oscar Piastri has won the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, despite a delayed start of 80 minutes due to rain at Spa-Francorchamps. Lando Norris qualified on pole but the race began with a rolling start behind the safety car due to the wet conditions. Then on the first visit to Les Combes once the safety car had come in, Piastri produced a brilliant move to grab a race lead he held to the checkered flag. Norris was in hot pursuit in the final laps, hoping his hard tires would get him within striking distance. But the Brit made one too many mistakes, never getting close enough to challenge his McLaren teammate for victory. As for further down the order, Lewis Hamilton made great progress to finish P7 after a disastrous qualifying saw him start in 18th. You can follow all the live reaction below. Result: 1 PIA, 2 NOR, 3 LEC, 4 VER, 5 RUS Join the conversation: live@ GO FURTHER Belgian Grand Prix briefing: Piastri wins, Hamilton impresses after chaotic start A note from race control pops up… 💬 'Risk of rain for F1 race is 100%' Quite. It also confirms the formation lap will be started from behind the safety car… We have FIVE minutes to go until lights out at the Belgian Grand Prix. So, go press play below and LET'S GO… I have to say, we've seen some of the cockpit footage as the cars drove around to the grid earlier, and the rain started to fall. That visibility is nasty. We may yet get a delayed start too — and it's probably worth noting that the race will be limited to two hours of running if there are delays once it is underway. I've come back from the grid a bit early because it's raining that heavily. Less than 15 minutes to go until we're due to start. X/F1 This is a really interesting graphic from F1, showing how the performance of the respective teams has altered compared to McLaren at the front. Those in green show teams that have caught up. Those in red are the teams that have lost further ground. That said, it's only two tracks — the change in performance from the opening round in Australia, compared to the previous round in Britain — and for that reason, none of us should make too many concrete conclusions. With a wet race ahead here in Spa too, it won't just be car performance that delivers our final result either. Getty Images How do things stand right now? As Kimi Antonelli said during Thursday's FIA news conference: 'That's the one million-dollar question.' Lewis Hamilton, who was sat next to the Mercedes rookie, added: 'I can help you with the contract. I know how to work Toto (Wolff).' Speculation has continued to circle about Mercedes' driver lineup for 2026. With 12 race weekends done and just one more to go after today before the summer break, nothing has been officially announced from Mercedes about the future of Antonelli or his teammate, George Russell. Both contracts are up at the end of the season and Russell has faced continued questions regarding it, particularly as rumors grew over whether Max Verstappen could make a move to Mercedes. But Antonelli said he's never been worried about his racing future: 💬 'I know the situation. I know what the team wants, especially looking at the future. Also, Toto has been clear recently, so that's good to see. 'Me and George are working well together. We're trying to help the team to find performance again. I think we're doing a good job, and there's a really good atmosphere. 'I'm sure the team knows what's best, especially for next year, and I'm pretty confident I'm in a good position.' Antonelli's weekend has been tough. He exited both sprint and grand prix qualifying in the opening session, finished the sprint race P17 and starts today from the pit lane. The pressure is on and the Italian needs a positive performance here, now… GO FURTHER Want Max Verstappen, Toto? Then make a blockbuster George Russell partnership work for F1 Getty Images Really interesting nugget from the legend that is Martin Brundle — as a fellow Norfolkian, I'm allowed to be biased — as he tackles his grid walk for Sky Sports' coverage. He points out some wet tires on a rack, noting that they are the only tires that are not allowed to be heated ahead of being put on a car. I guess it makes sense too. It really is raining now, and Lewis Hamilton has already had it confirmed to him that this level of rain will continue for another 30 minutes or so. A race start behind the safety car? It feels like it right now... Getty Images Max Verstappen has had a different voice on the other end of the radio this weekend at Spa with his regular race engineer, GianPiero Lambiase, missing due to personal reasons. Lambiase was also absent for the Austrian Grand Prix last month, also for personal reasons. He has been replaced again by Simon Rennie, who previously served as Daniel Ricciardo's race engineer at Red Bull before becoming the team's simulator chief in recent years. Verstappen and Lambiase, known by his nickname of GP, have struck up a close bond in their years working together. The only race since Verstappen's Red Bull debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix that Lambiase wasn't on the other end of the radio, was in Austria. And it clearly had little impact yesterday, as Verstappen raced to an excellent sprint victory. Same again today? Getty Images Christian Horner's sacking was the biggest story by a distance, heading into this Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Here are some of your views on the news… 💬 Ben G: 'Scenes! Probably overdue if this is the fallout from the scandal. Otherwise, maybe feels a bit kneejerk if it's related to this year's performance.' 💬 Christian V: 'This either Max Verstappen's (and Jos') condition to remain in Red Bull, or a consequence of Max already leaving for Mercedes. Funny how this came out of nowhere and not after months of rumors and speculation like with the drivers.' 💬 Arin S: 'Horner has always been a divisive figure, even more so than Toto and Zack. He still clearly cared for his drivers. Something seemed off with RB since Newey left. A good amount of people clearly didn't want to be in such a political environment.' 💬 Annie M: 'Epic reign, epic fall. Not sure F1 is better off without him.' 💬 Crk J: 'With all sincerity, the very best of luck to Laurent Mekies. Hopefully he is given adequate opportunity and proper operational control. As long as Helmut Marko remains connected to the team, RBR will never truly have moved on from whatever ails them.' 💬 Dominic A: 'They should install Horner as Racing Bulls team principal and, if he does well, maybe he gets another chance at the big team.' Remember, you can add your thoughts with an email whenever you wish. That address again: live@ Getty Images Christian Horner's sudden dismissal as team principal sent shockwaves through Red Bull Racing. As the team navigates its first race weekend without the only boss it has ever known, our own Luke Smith examines how Horner's replacement — Laurent Mekies — is trying to unite the squad and keep Max Verstappen committed. This is all eyes on Red Bull, and its first weekend in F1 without the man who had been its prominent leader… GO FURTHER How Red Bull adjusts to F1 life after Christian Horner: 'It was a shock to me' Christian Horner led Red Bull Racing from obscurity to F1 dominance over 20 years. He became the face of the team for fans of 'Drive To Survive.' Then just three days after the British Grand Prix and to much surprise — following scandal, poor form and a lengthy power struggle at the top of the team — Horner was sacked. This is the first F1 weekend featuring a Horner-less Red Bull since the team arrived in the sport. Our F1 correspondent Luke Smith dissected what happened, and you can take it all in below. GO FURTHER Why Red Bull sacked Christian Horner now, after a year that never stopped spiraling Luke Smith UPDATE: It's raining now... I'm down on the grid and happy to report no rain right now. But it's meant to heave it down in about 20-30 minutes. The teams have got their wet weather tires ready on the grid as the cars head over to their starting spots. Sign up to The Athletic If you're a Formula One fan — and you love a plethora of other sports too — there is no better place to follow all your other favourite teams, leagues and players than on The Athletic . In soccer we've got the final of Euro 2025 later today between England and Spain, while U.S. Open tennis and Ryder Cup golf are both coming into view. Throw in the MLB season hitting its straps and NFL preseason hitting the radar, and there is plenty to follow. We have the lot covered and much more besides, so make sure you're fully informed with access to our full experience. And you're in luck — you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here. Getty Images Heading into this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, there was reason for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari to feel optimistic. Hamilton has been building momentum after a rollercoaster start to life with Ferrari and there was a set of upgrades for Spa that Ferrari hoped would boost its performance, including a new rear suspension. Charles Leclerc grabbed third on the grid for today's race, outqualifying sprint race winner Max Verstappen. But Hamilton languished in a lowly 16th as his miserable Spa weekend continued, having already been eliminated in the first stage of sprint race qualifying. Hamilton told reporters: 💬 'Everyone does that, takes that curb. But I'm out, so… From my side, another mistake. So I've really got to look internal. I've got to apologize to my team, because it's just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s. 'It's (a) very, very poor performance from myself.' Hamilton is a five-time winner of the Belgian GP, including last year when he inherited victory after George Russell's disqualification. You have to go back to his debut season in 2007 for the last time he finished the race but failed to stand on the podium, crossing the line in fourth place. It's a track he loves and where he flourishes. Barring something remarkable — and it looks like we're getting a wet race — this will go down as another dip in this fluctuating first season with Ferrari. GO FURTHER How Lewis Hamilton's Belgium GP weekend unraveled despite Ferrari upgrades Getty Images With those pit lane starts, here is how the starting grid will look at Spa… 1: LANDO NORRIS (MCL) LANDO NORRIS (MCL) > 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) Oscar Piastri (MCL) 3: Charles Leclerc (FER) Charles Leclerc (FER) > 4: Max Verstappen (RBR) Max Verstappen (RBR) 5: Alex Albon (WIL) Alex Albon (WIL) > 6: George Russell (MER) George Russell (MER) 7: Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) > 8: Isack Hadjar (RB) Isack Hadjar (RB) 9: Liam Lawson (RB) Liam Lawson (RB) > 10: Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 11: Ocon (HAS) / 12: Bearman (HAS) 13: Gasly (ALP) / 14: Hülkenberg (SAU) 15: Sainz (WIL) / 16: Colapinto (ALP) 17: Stroll (AST) Then in the pit lane, they will line up in the order of Lewis Hamilton (FER), Kimi Antonelli (MER) and Fernando Alonso (AST). Getty Images A reminder here that Lewis Hamilton will start today's Belgian Grand Prix from the pit lane, as reported by our F1 correspondent Luke Smith earlier today. Ferrari opted to take a number of new power unit elements for Hamilton's car ahead of the race, after Hamilton qualified a lowly 16th yesterday. As Luke explained: 📝 'It's very normal for teams who have drivers at the rear of the field to opt for a pit lane start, as it also means they can make changes to the car setup outside of parc ferme. 'That could be especially useful today for Ferrari with Hamilton as in theory, it could bank on a very wet race where a higher downforce setup would pay off — rather than what he (and everyone else) ran in qualifying.' Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso will also start from the pit lane, after their respective (P18 and P19) qualifying performances yesterday. Getty Images And let's bring you this too. This is the 2025 season's pole position tallies and average qualifying positions (AQP) for the field. It's now four poles each for the top three drivers, following Lando Norris' excellent qualifying yesterday… 1: OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL) — 4 poles / 2.15 AQP — / 2: Max Verstappen (RBR) — 4 poles / 3.15 3: Lando Norris (MCL) — 4 poles / 3.31 4: George Russell (MER) — 1 pole / 4.46 As for those without a pole so far in 2025… 5: Charles Leclerc (FER) — 5.46 6: Lewis Hamilton (FER) — 7.69 7: Kimi Antonelli (MER) — 8.77 8: Alex Albon (WIL) — 9.77 9: Isack Hadjar (RB) — 9.92 10: Fernando Alonso (AST) — 11.38 Getty Images Did any 2025 qualifying patterns snap at Spa yesterday? You bet they did… Ferrari was one of only two teams to avoid a Q1 exit this season — but its record was ended with that Lewis Hamilton Q1 failure, leaving McLaren out on its own. Likewise for Hamilton, who suffered a Q1 and SQ1 exit in consecutive days here. The joys of a sprint race weekend, right Lewis? The good news for Alex Albon, George Russell and Isack Hadjar was that they remained clear of a Q1 exit this season. And sadly for Nico Hülkenberg, he remains the only driver to tackle all 13 qualifying sessions this season and not make it into Q3 at least once.
