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Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Inside F1's biggest feud & Max Verstappen and George Russell's sour relationship
Whenever there is a spat in Formula 1 these days, more often than not it's the same two men at the centre of it. Max Verstappen is no stranger to rubbing people up the wrong way but it's more surprising that George Russell, usually a more sedate, measured character, is the one who ends up clashing with the Dutchman the most. They have known each other since they were children – both are 27, Verstappen 138 days older than his British rival. In 2012, they were both winners in the European Karting Championship held in Lincolnshire. Last September, Russell posted a photo of them celebrating with each other as teenagers. But things have soured in recent years, particularly since Russell stepped up to Mercedes and began to compete with Verstappen at the sharp end of the F1 grid. The first major clash came at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix when Russell punched a hole in the sidepod of Verstappen's Red Bull during the Sprint race. The latter waited for Russell in the pit lane to confront him, leading to a tense argument on TV at the end of which the Dutchman called his rival a "d***head". But the real fireworks came last December, starting with a grid penalty for Verstappen at the Qatar Grand Prix after impeding Russell during qualifying. He won the race anyway but was clearly still seething, telling reporters after the race that he had "never seen someone trying to screw me over that hard". It all kicked off a week later in Abu Dhabi, the season finale, when Verstappen claimed Russell had "lied" to the Qatar stewards to get him penalised. That made the Brit snap – he and boss Toto Wolff spent an entire media session in the Mercedes hospitality unit "setting the record straight". The highlight was Russell claiming that Verstappen had threatened to "put my head in the f***ing wall". He also said: "I think [Verstappen] has been enabled because nobody stood up to him. Lewis [Hamilton] stood up to him in 2021 and Lewis lost that championship unfairly." Still, despite that history, he was surprised by Verstappen's petulance in Barcelona on Sunday. What the f***?" he asked over the radio before telling Sky Sports afterwards that he had not expected his rival to pull a stunt like that. Instagram But the fact Verstappen was penalised and dropped to 10th, doing significant damage to his own title chances, allowed Russell to take the moral high ground. "Ultimately, I came home in P4 and he came home in P10," he said pointedly. In modern F1, where driver relationships are more cordial than ever, what happens on track is usually quickly forgotten. The exception seems to be when it involves these two, with little love lost there despite having known each other for half their lives. It's hardly a Senna vs Prost level rivalry but, if one day Verstappen and Russell end up being direct title rivals, that could certainly change.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Max Verstappen faces race ban threat after George Russell drama at Spanish GP
Max Verstappen has enough penalty points to be teetering on the edge of a Formula 1 race band after his furious clash with George Russell towards the end of the Spanish Grand Prix Max Verstappen is just one point away from triggering a Formula 1 race ban. That is because he was given three more by the stewards for clashing with George Russell in the latter stages of the Spanish Grand Prix, taking him up to a total of 11. Drivers who accumulated a dozen points in a 12-month period trigger an automatic one-race ban under FIA rules. To date, the only racer in F1 to ever reach that figure was Kevin Magnussen, who missed the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as a result. That is the fate Verstappen is now very close to befalling himself. He was given three penalty points for causing a collision with Russell late on in the Barcelona race, having lost his temper when told by his Red Bull team to hand track position back to his Mercedes rival. He was given a 10-second time penalty for his actions, which dropped him down to just 10th place in the final classification. That cost him a lot of points and has now put him at real risk of a race ban – especially as very few of his points will expire any time soon. Sign up to our free weekly F1 newsletter, Pit Lane Chronicle, by entering your email address below so that every new edition lands straight in your inbox! Two are set to expire on June 30, meaning he will have to get through the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix without picking up any more. If he fails to do so, then he will be banned for a race. And then he will have to wait for October 27 for his next set of points to disappear. Explaining their decision to hand the three penalty points to Verstappen, the stewards said: "From the radio communications, it was clear that the driver of Car 1 [Verstappen] was asked by his team to give the position back to Car 63 [Russell] for what they perceived to be an earlier breach by Car 1 for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage. "In fact, we had later determined that we would take no further action in relation to that incident. The driver of Car 1 was clearly unhappy with his team's request to give the position back. "At the approach to turn five, Car 1 significantly reduced its speed thereby appearing to allow Car 63 to overtake. However, after Car 63 got ahead of Car 1 at the entry of turn five, Car 1 suddenly accelerated and collided with Car 63. The collision was undoubtedly caused by the actions of Car 1. We therefore imposed a 10 second time penalty on Car 1." That explanation confirmed that the call which came from Red Bull, advising Verstappen to cede a place to Russell, should not have been made. The stewards were never going to punish him for it. And that was the final straw for Verstappen in terms of losing his temper, and so the incident may never have happened had the team not been overly cautious with their instructions.
The Independent
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
FIA impose immediate rule change over rear wing ahead of Chinese Grand Prix
The FIA are imposing tougher restrictions on flexing allowed from rear wings ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. Wing deflection was a key topic of debate during pre-season, which saw Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache accuse McLaren and Ferrari of using a 'mini-DRS trick'. This relates to the slight bending of the rear wing under load, as first seen on Oscar Piastri 's McLaren during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which creates a small slip outside of DRS zones and appears to boost straight-line speed. After being bombarded with complaints, the FIA moved to monitor the on-track deformations of cars during practice sessions prior to last weekend's Australian Grand Prix. The governing body has analysed the footage captured and now concluded that a 'tougher test' on the upper rear wing is warranted at the next event in Shanghai. Updating Article 3.15.17 of the technical regulations, the FIA released a statement on Monday confirming that it has significantly reduced the passing measurements for the rear ring slot gaps from 2mm to 0.5mm. The former measurement, introduced in early 2025, was adhered to by cars in Australia on Sunday, which saw Lando Norris beat world champion Max Verstappen in a dramatic, rain-swept outing. The FIA added that all cars that raced at the Australian Grand Prix were deemed to be legal. But now, cars will need to adjust to the new ruling which sees the measurement reduced by 75 per cent. The FIA have accounted for the short notice of this change, though, and will add a tolerance of 0.25mm to the new limit. This will only apply for the Chinese Grand Prix, which takes place this coming Sunday on March 23. McLaren will hope to continue their fine start to the campaign in Shanghai, who currently top the tables for both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships following last week's enthralling victory in Melbourne.
The Independent
12-03-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Zak Brown claims McLaren have ‘best driver line-up' in F1 after Oscar Piastri deal
Oscar Piastri has signed a multi-year deal with McLaren on the eve of the opening race of the new Formula 1 season, as the Australian seeks a first championship title at last year's constructors'-winning team. He finished fourth last year, winning in Hungary before claiming a second victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and is one of the favourites for this season. Piastri was already under contract until 2026 and has now secured his long-term future with the British team. With McLaren expected to carry over their constructors'-winning form into the new season, Piastri is set to battle with teammate Lando Norris - last year's runner-up - for the world title. 'It's a great feeling knowing that I'm part of McLaren's long-term vision,' Piastri said. 'The team had the belief in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we've gone on over the past two seasons to help return McLaren to the very top of the sport has been incredible. 'There are so many talented and special people working at McLaren who have helped me to become a Formula 1 race winner very early in my career. Therefore, I'm very proud to be continuing to represent this legendary team for many years to come. 'I'm excited to fight for the big prizes as a McLaren driver and after last year's fantastic achievements, it has made me even hungrier to stay at the sharp end.' McLaren CEO Zak Brown continued: 'It's fantastic to confirm Oscar's extension with McLaren. Not only is he an incredibly talented driver, but his work ethic and cultural fit within the team made it a no-brainer to extend his time in papaya. 'We've got the best driver line-up on the grid, and in the past two seasons, we've seen how much of an asset to the team Oscar is both on and off track. 'He was absolutely fundamental in adding to our legacy with the 2024 constructors' championship last season, so we're all excited to see what we can do in the years to come as we continue to fight for world championships together.' The new F1 season starts with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.
The Guardian
12-03-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Oscar Piastri locks in Formula One future with long-term McLaren deal
Australian star Oscar Piastri has secured a multi-year contract extension with Formula One champions McLaren ahead of the season start in Melbourne on Sunday. The 23-year-old, who was already under contract until 2026, has now locked in a long-term future with the British team. Piastri finished fourth in the championship last year, claiming his first F1 victory in Hungary in his second season before winning again at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. With McLaren expected to carry over their constructors'-winning form into the new season, Piastri looks set to battle with team-mate Lando Norris – who was second last year behind Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen – for the 2025 world title. 'It's a great feeling knowing that I'm part of McLaren's long-term vision,' Piastri said. 'The team had the belief in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we've gone on over the past two seasons to help return McLaren to the very top of the sport has been incredible. 'There are so many talented and special people working at McLaren who have helped me to become a Formula One race winner very early in my career. Therefore, I'm very proud to be continuing to represent this legendary team for many years to come. 'I'm excited to fight for the big prizes as a McLaren driver and after last year's fantastic achievements, it has made me even hungrier to stay at the sharp end.' McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said Piastri's new deal was a 'no-brainer' for the team. 'It's fantastic to confirm Oscar's extension with McLaren,' Brown said. 'Not only is he an incredibly talented driver, but his work ethic and cultural fit within the team made it a no-brainer to extend his time in papaya.' 'We've got the best driver line-up on the grid, and in the past two seasons, we've seen how much of an asset to the team Oscar is both on and off track. He was absolutely fundamental in adding to our legacy with the 2024 constructors' championship last season, so we're all excited to see what we can do in the years to come as we continue to fight for world championships together.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion The new F1 season starts in Melbourne on Sunday.
