Latest news with #DriversChampionship
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Max Verstappen will quit F1 THIS YEAR, claims former Red Bull mechanic with Dutch driver chasing record held by Michael Schumacher
Max Verstappen will quit Formula One after winning a fifth consecutive Drivers championship title, a former Red Bull mechanic has claimed. Verstappen is looking to match Michael Schumacher 's record of a fifth title in a row, though he faces an uphill task trying to make up the ground to McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Despite holding on to beat Norris to the crown last year, Piastri has been the quickest on the grid for much of the 2025 season, and leads the standings by 10 points from his team-mate, and is 49 clear of Verstappen Verstappen is on a £60m annual retainer at Red Bull until 2028, though there are opt-out clauses, and has told the team he wants to stay at least for next year. However incoming regulation changes mean he may wait to see how Red Bull adapts before making a decision on his future. Mail Sport has previously reported he could potentially move in 2027, with Mercedes and Aston Martin possible refuges, but sources close to Verstappen indicate that if the 27-year-old were to jump ship he would only do so once in his career. However, he has now been backed to fight back and snatch the championship this year by a former member of the Red Bull pit crew - before quitting the sport entirely. Former Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas was asked on Lucas Stewart's YouTube channel how many titles Verstappen would win, when he responded: 'Five. I think Max is going to win the Drivers' this year, and then I think he's going to call it a day.' Nicolas insisted, however, that he did not have any information about the Dutch driver's plans for the rest of his career. Verstappen lost even more ground in his latest outing, after dropping from P5 to P10 following a penalty for ramming his car into Mercedes' George Russell's car at the Spanish Grand Prix, and now trails Piastri by 49 points. But Nicholas remained adamant that the Red Bull star should always remain the favourite despite what the standings say. 'To not back Max is just like lunacy, I think. The guy is just really really good. 'Not in terms of just his technical skill and his talent, but I've watched Max grow into this guy that can do everything. 'He does everything well now.' Verstappen became a father for the first time earlier this season, as he and girlfriend Kelly Piquet welcomed Lily into the world in May. The F1 star announced the birth alongside an Instagram post, writing: 'Welcome to the world, sweet Lily. Our hearts are fuller than ever - you are our greatest gift. We love you so much.' While Lily is Max's first child, model Piquet, 36, already has a daughter, Penelope, born in 2019, from her previous relationship with Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat, 30. Verstappen will join Nico Hulkenberg as the only drivers with children on the F1 grid. Asked if he had any advice for Verstappen as a new parent, the Kick Sauber driver responded: 'I hope it's a good sleeper.' Meanwhile, his rivals banished any suggestions that he will be any less competitive following his daughter's birth. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton said: 'I just wish him all the best. It's such an amazing, special thing. I spoke to him briefly in Saudi and saw how excited he was. Big congrats to him.'
The Age
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Age
Nine ‘definitely' keen on Formula 1 broadcast deal amid EPL speculation
Foxtel currently broadcasts every race of the F1 championship behind a paywall, apart from the Australian Grand Prix, which is aired by Network 10. Network 10 owner Paramount is also likely to consider a bid for the full rights package. The rights to the F1 championship are soon to officially go to market, with Foxtel understood to be in the final year of its three-year contract renegotiated in 2022, worth around $45 million a year. Foxtel's new parent company, DAZN, is the broadcast partner in Japan, Portugal and Spain. Foxtel was approached for comment. Formula 1 has emerged as a statistical anomaly among sports, with a rapidly growing fan base, in part owing to the success of Netflix's Drive to Survive, with younger fans, and crucially, women, its highest growing demographic. Around 41 per cent of its fans are now women. The Australian Grand Prix, held annually in Albert Park and recently reinstalled as the season-opener, is broadcast by Network 10, as it is protected by federal anti-siphoning laws, which demand certain sporting events of national interest remain free to access. This year's event in Melbourne attracted a record crowd across the four days. Piastri, in just his third year, is currently leading the drivers' championship for McLaren, and has won the three most recent races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami. He has emerged as a fan favourite globally and is tipped to challenge for the Drivers Championship for many years to come. F1 rights bring with it an audience of between 200,000 and 400,000 subscribers, according to industry figures. Across the past decade, the championship has added five more race weekends, with 24 different circuits on the 2025 calendar. The F1 season would complement Stan's existing motor sports offering, which includes Indycar, the World Endurance Championship, and the World Rally Championship. Stan also holds the rights to all four tennis grand slams, as well as the Summer and Winter Olympics and the Paralympics. Loading Last month, Nine agreed to a new broadcast rights deal with Rugby Australia worth $210 million across five years. Wallabies, Wallaroos and Super Rugby matches will air across Nine, 9Now and Stan. Nine owns Stan, and is also the owner of this masthead. Stan's subscriber base has stagnated over the past few years, facing increasing competition from international streamers with more money for programming. Meanwhile, Foxtel has a much more extensive suite of motorsports rights, which includes NASCAR, MotoGP and the Supercars championship. Its rights package for the latter also expires in 2025. It is one of several negotiation battles Foxtel faces this year, with its partnership with the NRL also set to be tested, while also recently losing its exclusive access to ESPN, the broadcaster of the NBA and NFL, now also offered as part of a Disney+ subscription.
Sydney Morning Herald
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
Nine ‘definitely' keen on Formula 1 broadcast deal amid EPL speculation
Foxtel currently broadcasts every race of the F1 championship behind a paywall, apart from the Australian Grand Prix, which is aired by Network 10. Network 10 owner Paramount is also likely to consider a bid for the full rights package. The rights to the F1 championship are soon to officially go to market, with Foxtel understood to be in the final year of its three-year contract renegotiated in 2022, worth around $45 million a year. Foxtel's new parent company, DAZN, is the broadcast partner in Japan, Portugal and Spain. Foxtel was approached for comment. Formula 1 has emerged as a statistical anomaly among sports, with a rapidly growing fan base, in part owing to the success of Netflix's Drive to Survive, with younger fans, and crucially, women, its highest growing demographic. Around 41 per cent of its fans are now women. The Australian Grand Prix, held annually in Albert Park and recently reinstalled as the season-opener, is broadcast by Network 10, as it is protected by federal anti-siphoning laws, which demand certain sporting events of national interest remain free to access. This year's event in Melbourne attracted a record crowd across the four days. Piastri, in just his third year, is currently leading the drivers' championship for McLaren, and has won the three most recent races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami. He has emerged as a fan favourite globally and is tipped to challenge for the Drivers Championship for many years to come. Optus, which broadcasts the Premier League, floated the idea of offloading its sports streaming service last year. Credit: Getty Images F1 rights bring with it an audience of between 200,000 and 400,000 subscribers, according to industry figures. Across the past decade, the championship has added five more race weekends, with 24 different circuits on the 2025 calendar. The F1 season would complement Stan's existing motor sports offering, which includes Indycar, the World Endurance Championship, and the World Rally Championship. Stan also holds the rights to all four tennis grand slams, as well as the Summer and Winter Olympics and the Paralympics. Loading Last month, Nine agreed to a new broadcast rights deal with Rugby Australia worth $210 million across five years. Wallabies, Wallaroos and Super Rugby matches will air across Nine, 9Now and Stan. Nine owns Stan, and is also the owner of this masthead. Stan's subscriber base has stagnated over the past few years, facing increasing competition from international streamers with more money for programming. Meanwhile, Foxtel has a much more extensive suite of motorsports rights, which includes NASCAR, MotoGP and the Supercars championship. Its rights package for the latter also expires in 2025. It is one of several negotiation battles Foxtel faces this year, with its partnership with the NRL also set to be tested, while also recently losing its exclusive access to ESPN, the broadcaster of the NBA and NFL, now also offered as part of a Disney+ subscription. F1's broadcast rights are being sold separately in Australia to an ongoing process in the United States, however a bid by Netflix for the global rights has been speculated. The sport's interest has grown significantly in the US since its last renegotiation with ESPN, the US now hosting three races. Nine owns this masthead. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.
Gulf Today
26-03-2025
- Automotive
- Gulf Today
Warrior Russell is a top three driver on the grid, says Mercedes' Wolff
After a relentless performance in the China Grand Prix on Sunday, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has labelled his star driver George Russell as a warrior and claimed he is definitely amongst the top three drivers on the grid and is working his way towards becoming number one. The Englishman is now Mercedes' main driver alongside the young gun Kimi Antonelli after the departure of Lewis Hamilton and currently sits in third place in the Drivers Championship, nine points behind leader Lando Norris. 'I never give 10 out of 10 because I think there is always something better. We haven't seen the perfect race, but considering the circumstances that George had in China, it is a 10 out of 10. 'He extracted the maximum of this car, the tyres, the strategy, and it was a brilliant drive. All these discussions about Lewis, who is the biggest person in the sport, leaving for Ferrari, is a great story, Kimi coming in as the youngest driver and the high potential, and little was said about George,' Wolf said in an interaction on Tuesday. Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli is interviewed. Reuters 'I always said that's not right because he's one of the top drivers out there. If you want me to name three that I consider to be the top [drivers], he's absolutely among those three, if not top two, and maybe on his way to top one,' said Wolff to Sky Sports. Wolf added, 'George is a warrior, in the car and outside of the car.' However, the 27-year-old is the only major driver on the circuit who currently does not have a contract for 2026, and Wolff refused to give any insight into George's future. 'George is a Mercedes driver, so we love having him on the team. He was a junior driver and a Mercedes-grown talent. I have something to be proud of, and this is where all my concentration goes,' said Wolff after the race on Sunday. Meanwhile, Hamilton went from the thrill of winning a sprint race for his new Ferrari team to the agony of being disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix the following day alongside teammate Charles Leclerc. There was so much drama at Ferrari that it overshadowed Sunday's Grand Prix win for Oscar Piastri, who looks like he might be the closest title challenger to his McLaren teammate Lando Norris this year. Ahead of next week's Japanese Grand Prix, here are five takeaways from Shanghai: Having both drivers disqualified for technical infringements is acutely embarrassing for Ferrari, which has two weeks to get to the bottom of the problem before the next race. Leclerc lost his fifth-place finish because his car was underweight, while Hamilton had a ride-height infringement. All Formula 1 teams set up their cars as close to the limits as possible, but having two cars excluded for different reasons could point to more than one problem with Ferrari's cars or working procedures. 'There was no intention to gain any advantage. We will learn from what happened today and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again,' the team said. There are also questions over how setup choices affect the two drivers' pace. Hamilton went from having a setup capable of winning the sprint race Saturday to being slower than Leclerc on Sunday, even though his teammate had a broken front wing. Agence France-Presse
