Latest news with #RedBullRacing
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Verstappen set to stay in driver's seat with Red Bull
Red Bull Racing will have Formula One superstar Max Verstappen for at least another season. Team adviser Helmut Marko said on Monday (Tuesday AEST) that the four-time defending F1 champion would return to the team in 2026, despite reported interest from Mercedes. A widely reported exit clause in Verstappen's Red Bull contract would have allowed him to leave the team at year's end if he were fourth or lower in the championship standings as of the Hungarian Grand Prix, which takes place this Sunday. After Australian Oscar Piastri's victory at the the Belgian Grand Prix last Sunday, Verstappen sits in third place in the standings and far enough ahead of fourth-placed George Russell (28 points) that he cannot be caught in Hungary. The understanding of Verstappen's situation was confirmed when Marko spoke to German outlet "Yes, I can confirm that Max Verstappen will drive for Red Bull in 2026," Marko said. Mercedes' cars are currently occupied by Russell and potential rising star Kimi Antonelli, but team boss Toto Wolff has not denied looking into pursuing Verstappen, the most successful F1 driver since his first championship in 2021. This month, Red Bull abruptly dismissed team principal Christian Horner and replaced him with Laurent Mekies. Verstappen's agent told a Dutch outlet at the time that Verstappen remained committed to the team despite the change.
News18
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- News18
Max Verstappen To Mercedes No More! Defending F1 Champion Set To Stay At Red Bull: Report
Last Updated: Max Verstappen will stay with Red Bull Racing through 2026. His fourth-place finish at Spa removed a potential exit clause, making a Mercedes move in 2025 unlikely. It seems like the Max Verstappen to Mercedes saga can finally come to an end, as the Dutchman remains posied to stay wit Red Bull Racing though the 2026 Formula 1 season. But why? Well, with his fourth-placed finish at Spa on Sunday, he has now moved beyond the conditions of a potential exit clause in his contract during the Belgian Grand Prix. Speculation surrounding Verstappen's future had intensified in recent months. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff openly expressed interest in signing the four-time world champion for 2025, should an opportunity present itself. Although Verstappen's current contract with Red Bull runs until 2028, it includes clauses that could have allowed him to leave early under specific circumstances. ESPN reported that Verstappen would have been free to exit the team if he ranked fourth or lower in the championship standings following the Hungarian Grand Prix, which preceded Formula 1's August summer break. However, after the race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, Verstappen extended his lead beyond the reach of fourth-placed George Russell. His victory in Saturday's sprint race gave him a 26-point buffer over Russell, a gap he widened by an additional two points during Sunday's grand prix. Given that a driver can earn a maximum of 25 points in a standard race weekend, Verstappen's lead effectively secured his contractual status. Notably, the Dutchman emphasized the importance of the remaining races this season in contributing to Red Bull's development for the new regulations in 2026. 'I think it's still important also this year to learn certain things because they will also have an effect on next year," Verstappen said on Sunday evening. 'Because the cars will be completely different, but there are still things that we can work on and take also to next year. 'So, of course, engineering and everything — the car design is already underway for next year — but we can still learn a lot also this year." view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Christian Horner Pokes Fun At Missed Belgian GP After Abrupt Red Bull Exit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal Christian Horner has been enjoying a different kind of "horse power" during the Belgian Grand Prix. Revealing his plans for race day, Horner shared a story on his Instagram account. The story is a video of him riding a horse, captioned "Different horse power this Sunday." The weekend marks Red Bull's first race without Horner, who was dropped from the team after the British Grand Prix. Christian Horner still enjoying some horse power on his first race day without Red Bull 🏇 — Autosport (@autosport) July 27, 2025 Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies has been promoted to fill Horner's position at Red Bull, and the Belgian GP marks his first race with the Milton Keynes-based team. While the reason for Horner's ousting has not been revealed, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has pointed out that performance concerns led to his exit, and that the decision was taken by the managing director of Red Bull GmbH, Oliver Mintzlaff. Newsweek Sports reported his comments: Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom. Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom."The decision was made by Oliver Mintzlaff. We informed Christian Horner of this on Tuesday in London after the Silverstone race, at the same time officially thanking him for these 20 years and for these eight World Championship titles. "This was the result of various factors, but above all, the performance wasn't quite as good as it could have been. "Fortunately, we were able to bring Laurent Mekies into the family. His responsibilities will be significantly reduced, with the main focus being on racing." Max Verstappen revealed that he was informed about the decision to drop Horner a day before the news broke, and hinted that the reason for his exit will be revealed. He said: "I have a good relationship with them, you know, so I think it's quite normal that they inform some people in the team before it goes out. I think it's a standard practice. "I gave them my opinion. And I keep that to myself. And if they want to say more about it, they will do. And you will hear about it." Verstappen also revealed that Horner's exit won't make a difference to his future with Red Bull, referencing the last one and a half years under his leadership, during which the team struggled. He said: "Now, I think people can have a difference of opinion here and then. And I actually expect that to happen because if everyone always agrees, there is a problem. You need to have difference of opinions. And yeah, that's now something that we work with in a different direction. I'm excited about it. "Like you said, I don't think it will matter at all for my decision in the future. And yet, the only thing that matters is that we work on the car and make it as fast as we can make it, really. And like I said, the last one and a half years have not been what we want to be. Now we try and be more competitive this year a little bit, but for sure also with the new regulations."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Christian Horner reveals his plans for first F1 race since Red Bull axe
Red Bull axed Christian Horner after 20 years as team principal and chief executive of the F1 team last week, meaning the Belgian Grand Prix is the first event he has missed in 406 races Axed Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner took to social media to show fans what he was up to on the first race Sunday since he was dismissed. A tongue-in-cheek post on his Instagram story showed the 51-year-old was not just sitting around watching the F1 action. Horner was in charge of Red Bull Racing for 20 years, having taken over before the team's debut on the grid in 2005. And he famously never failed to travel for a single race during that period, but is not at Spa-Francorchamps for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. For the first time in 406 F1 races, Horner has had to make alternative plans. A lover of horses as well as motor racing, he decided to explore his other passion having had the leadership of the Red Bull team taken away from him without warning. A video posted on his account shows Horner riding a horse along a country lane, and then an image of him posing atop his steed in front of a barn. He poked fun at his situation with a light-hearted caption, which read: "Different horse power this Sunday." Horner was replaced at Red Bull by Laurent Mekies, who stepped up from his previous role as team principal at sister squad Racing Bulls. The Frenchman got off to an ideal start on Saturday as Max Verstappen won the Sprint race in Belgium. While he holds both the team principal and chief executive titles, Mekies will have much less power than Horner previously did at the team. Adviser Helmut Marko confirmed as much when he said: "We were able to bring Laurent Mekies into the family. His responsibilities will be significantly reduced, with the main focus being on racing." Mekies knows that his first big job as Red Bull Racing boss is to ensure that the team keeps hold of its star driver for as long as possible. Intense speculation has suggested Verstappen could quit for rivals Mercedes by exercising a release clause in his current contract, which expires in 2028. It is understood that Verstappen is likely to stick with Red Bull for now, rather than leave ahead of the 2026 season. But Mekies is fully aware that the Dutchman is likely to go wherever the quickest car available is so he can add to his four F1 titles so far. "I'm sure Max wants a fast car and if we get him a fast car, I'm sure it's cancelling out all the other considerations," he said in his first press conference as Red Bull boss at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday. "So really the focus is very much to try to get to know the team as quickly as possible in order to see how we can support, how we can build the next step of competitiveness in order to get a fast car and hence to make it an easy call for Max."
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Formula 1: Verstappen starts new Red Bull era with sprint win, Lawson 10th
Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Formula One champion Max Verstappen won a "cat and mouse" Belgian Grand Prix sprint in Red Bull's first race under the leadership of Laurent Mekies following Christian Horner's dismissal, while New Zealand's Liam Lawson posted a 10th-placed finish. McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri finished second, after taking a dominant pole position for the 100km race, with the Australian increasing his advantage over teammate Lando Norris to nine points. Norris ended up where he started, in third place on a bright afternoon at the longest and second fastest track on the calendar. New Zealand driver Lawson produced a solid drive in the middle of the field, in a race that offered few opportunities. New Zealand driver Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls. Photo: ANTONIN VINCENT / PHOTOSPORT With only the top eight finishers picking up points for their team, Lawson added nothing for Racing Bulls but his team-mate Isack Hadjar managed an eighth-placed finish. Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari with Haas's Esteban Ocon fifth and Carlos Sainz sixth for Williams. "Well done Max. Very, very impressive defence, very well controlled. You didn't leave anything on the table there," Mekies told Verstappen over the team radio after the Dutch driver took the chequered flag. Verstappen, starting second, used straightline speed to slipstream into the lead at les Combes on lap one and held off Piastri for the remaining 14, with the Australian 0.753 seconds behind at the flag. The win was Verstappen's first, in either a sprint or grand prix, since Imola in May and it was knife-edge all the way. "I knew of course it was going to be very tough to keep them behind. So it's just playing like cat and mouse, DRS, battery usage," he said as the large contingent of Dutch fans celebrated. "The whole race was within seven tenths, so I couldn't afford to make big mistakes. I had one tiny lockup in the last corner, but apart from that it was, for us, a great result to keep them behind. "You have to drive over the limit of what's possible. Tyre management goes out of the window. I did 15 qualifying laps to keep them behind on a track where tyre management is important." Norris edged out title rival Oscar Piastri to take pole position for what could be a wet and chaotic main race at Spa-Francorchamps. McLaren team-mates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, 2025. Photo: PHOTOSPORT The Briton blasted around the long circuit in a best time of one minute 40.562 seconds on Saturday, with Piastri 0.085 slower, to secure his fourth pole in 13 races and 13th of his career. Norris will be chasing his third win in a row to cut the Australian's nine-point lead. "The car has been flying all weekend, Oscar's been doing a good job all weekend so we're pushing each other a lot," said Norris, who was third in the earlier sprint race with Piastri second. "It's tough because you kind of see where your strengths and weaknesses are. And you learn from each other quickly. It's a good but tough battle that we have at the minute." Norris said he was expecting rain and drizzle on Sunday and possibly a chaotic race. Lawson was ninth-quickest, one spot behind Hadjar. Liam Lawson. Photo: Josh McErlean Rallying/Facebook "It was a good session for the team having both cars reach Q3, but it's tough when you see P5 was so close," Lawson said. "The speed was building and we were learning throughout the session, but a moment at the end of the lap meant we lost some time, so with such close margins it's frustrating. "Regardless of the conditions tomorrow, we need to try and have a clean race while extracting everything out of the car." Leclerc will start third and Verstappen fourth. - Reuters
