Belgian Grand Prix practice - radio & text
Sprint qualifying at 15:30 BST
Laurent Mekies' first race as Red Bull boss after sacking of Christian Horner
Listen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 commentary at top of page from the Belgium Grand Prix from Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Sprint format explained
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Belgian Grand Prix practice - radio & text
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New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
Verstappen hits 200 (and more?) at Red Bull. Plus, Norris leads early in Hungary
Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic's twice-weekly F1 newsletter. Sign up here to receive Prime Tire directly in your inbox on Tuesday and Friday. Welcome back to Prime Tire, where today, as is so often the case in this Formula One era, it's a Max Verstappen special. I'm Alex, and Luke Smith will be along later. Verstappen's will-he-won't-he 2026 Mercedes transfer saga might be over — for this year at least — but he and Red Bull are still worth talking about for a nice healthy statistical reason. Verstappen, assuming he takes the start on Sunday at this weekend's Hungarian GP, is about to notch up a whopping 200 grand prix appearances for Red Bull. Advertisement And he'll do it at a venue that's already hosted a notable moment in that run: Verstappen's first F1 pole, which he claimed in the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix. Verstappen has long been Red Bull's longest-serving driver, as he passed the previous highest total (Mark Webber's 129) back at the 2022 Austrian GP. All told, 21 drivers have turned out for Red Bull. Verstappen pretty much outstrips them all in every metric that matters for Red Bull. He's matched Sebastian Vettel (113 Red Bull starts) in terms of titles (with his four from 2021-2024 against the great German driver's four from 2010-2013), but statistically sits ahead on success count back because Verstappen has more Red Bull wins (65 to Vettel's 38). Only three other drivers have won races for Red Bull in F1. Webber — these days Oscar Piastri's manager — scored nine wins for the team. Daniel Ricciardo managed seven from his century of Red Bull races, while Sergio Perez picked up five from his 90. This group are also the only five drivers to have claimed a Red Bull F1 pole. Pierre Gasly, however, joins this group in having claimed a fastest lap for Red Bull (the current Alpine star doing so twice, at the 2019 Chinese and Monaco races). Vettel does have Verstappen beaten in two particular parts of Red Bull's success stats pile. His wins and poles coming from a smaller starts total means Vettel leads the Dutchman in average return. Vettel won 33.6 percent of his Red Bull F1 races, while Verstappen is currently on 32.7 percent. This is far above the next highest average — Webber and fellow Aussie Ricciardo on seven percent. Vettel also claimed pole for an impressive 38.9 percent of his Red Bull starts, compared to Verstappen's 22.1 percent — and they are dead level right now on 44 poles each for the team overall. Since the 2024 United States GP, Verstappen has been in second place on F1's record list for most races started for a single constructor, when he passed the legendary Michael Schumacher's 181 for Ferrari. Ahead, only sits Hamilton's 246 GP races for Mercedes. Advertisement Should Verstappen start every race after 2025's summer break, he'll be on 210 Red Bull starts come the year's end. And if he sees out his current Red Bull deal to the end of the 2028 season, he'll finally topple Hamilton's record just before the end of the 2027 campaign. But, something tells me he won't. Verstappen might've claimed in Hungary on Thursday that it was 'time to basically stop all the rumors' about him possibly joining Mercedes, but he could've done exactly that several months ago by shutting down all the noise about the switch potential by just declaring he'd honor his current contract. Instead, he chose to let the speculation build. As is his want. But, as Luke pointed out in his column earlier this week, he's only confirmed he'll be driving for Red Bull in 2026 now there's no chances the break clauses in his contract can become activated in 2025 (as Verstappen won't dip down the drivers' standings beyond the critical third-place cutoff point pre-summer break). Therefore, if Red Bull's new engine and car package aren't up to scratch as the new rules design begins in 2026, he'll have an even bigger chance to walk away early (and drivers do have to put loyalty aside when really pushed, as much as its clear Max loves his current squad). Especially if Mercedes surges back to the front again, as it did in 2014, which led Hamilton to sweep so many F1 records before him. And there will be three Mercedes customer teams (including mighty McLaren), potentially squeezing Red Bull firmly into the midfield if history does repeat itself, let alone if Ferrari or Honda-powered Aston Martin come good. Max and new Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies are clearly starting off on the right foot, given what F1 saw of their relationship last weekend at Spa. That's to be expected as Mekies is a no-nonsense character and a respected engineer. But it's only a temporary reprieve. Red Bull just has to get better fast to keep its best asset long-term. Now, over to Luke in Hungary. Budapest is one of my favorite places to visit on the F1 calendar. But in an era of shiny new tracks and much redevelopment, the Hungaroring was starting to fall a bit behind the times. As much as it held some old school charm. That's all changed for this year. One day after last year's race, work began on a brand new pit building, which has been completed for our visit this year, as well as a new grandstand overlooking the main straight (above). Both are impressive structures, even if the media is (for this year only, apparently) confined to working from a windowless underground bunker before a proper media center appears. It's all part of a wider development program for the Hungaroring that is designed to turn this venue into a year-round 'multifunctional event centre' from 2026, which will be the 40th anniversary of the Hungarian Grand Prix. The changes haven't made the track feel at all soulless, instead serving as a welcome upgrade that everyone in the paddock is saying positive things about. More garage space and fresh facilities are always good news for teams. And the face-lift will also ensure this is a race that stays firmly with the times and, importantly, on the calendar whilst maintaining its character. Here's how things sit so far from the on-track action at the 2025 Hungarian GP weekend. Here are the main takeaways from today's on-track action in Hungary: Here's the moment during FP2 🎥#F1 #HungarianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) August 1, 2025 Final practice in Hungary takes place at 6:30 a.m. ET and 11:30 a.m. UK on Saturday, with qualifying to follow at 10 a.m. ET and 3 p.m. UK. Follow it all with us. 🏎 Check out what is a beautifully shot film featuring Verstappen and British TV presenter Chris Harris, where they discuss all things driving. It's lovely insight into what makes the world champion tick, with some extremely blatant fizzy drink product placement. 😔 Madeline Coleman examined what's been going wrong for Kimi Antonelli after his emotional scenes during a tricky Belgian GP weekend. 🇮🇹 Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur signed a new contract with the Scuderia this week — keeping in place beyond 2025. It's a show of faith given Vasseur has been hit hard in the Italian media this year, but Ferrari's bigwigs will still be expecting results to improve, fast. 📫 Love Prime Tire? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
Max Verstappen's Towel Throw Prompts FIA Action For Red Bull
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. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was investigated after throwing a towel out of his car during Free Practice 2 of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. The four-time champion discovered a towel in the cockpit of his RB-21 and flung it out as he drove through Turn 3. After the session was over, the FIA stewards summoned the Dutchman over the incident. The official infringement was labeled as an unsafe release because the team allowed the car to go out on track with the towel still in the car. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Photo byThere was no damage done to another car, but the towel could potentially get caught on the floor of a car or in a sidepod inlet. Verstappen explained the incident after FP2 concluded: "It's just a towel that you normally wipe your face with when you come back in, so it was still in the car when I went out," he told reporters. "Instead of it, of course, maybe potentially flying in between my feet, which is the dangerous part, I drove offline, and I got rid of it in the safest way possible, so I think the stewards understand that." More than an hour after the session, the FIA delivered a decision and handed the team a warning over the towel being left in the car. "The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 1 (Max Verstappen), team representative and reviewed video and in-car video evidence," the governing body said in a statement. "Shortly after Car 1 was released from its garage, the driver of Car 1 was observed to have thrown a towel out of the cockpit. "The driver explained that while in the garage, the face towel had slipped from his lap to the side of the seat, and the team was unaware that it remained in the cockpit. "When the driver realised it was there, he moved to the far right of the track and attempted to throw it as far away from the car and the track as possible. The Stewards determine that the towel had the potential to have become lodged in the footwell and to interfere with the driver's ability to fully control the car and that therefore the car was released in an unsafe condition. "The stewards consider this case to be distinguishable from a case where a hard (and therefore potentially dangerous) object is left in the cockpit and to be less severe than such a case. "Hence, a warning to the team is imposed." Verstappen and Red Bull dodged a harsher penalty from the stewards, but he still won't be happy after Friday's disastrous sessions. Red Bull looked far off the pace, especially Verstappen, who ended up finishing 14th in FP2. The team is known for struggling on Friday, only for a miraculous turnaround on Saturday and Sunday. They will need more magic if they hope to fight for a podium position.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
The key number set to keep Max Verstappen at Red Bull for 2026
Max Verstappen is now guaranteed to be positioned in the top three in the drivers' championship for the F1 summer break – meaning he cannot activate an exit clause in his Red Bull contract. The Dutchman's fourth-place finish in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday means that he's currently positioned in third, 28 points ahead of Charles Leclerc in the world championship. With just one race to go before the summer break, this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen can no longer finish below the top three. As such, an exit clause in Verstappen's £50m-a-year contract – which he can activate if he is lower than third in the drivers' standings by the summer break – cannot be triggered. Verstappen, 27, could be bought out of his contract by any potential suitor, including Mercedes, but that appears extremely unlikely. Regardless, Verstappen hinted at Spa that he is likely to stay at Red Bull for 2026, despite the team's underperformance this season. As a result, George Russell looks set to stay at Mercedes for at least the 2026 season, with talks expected to get underway shortly. The length of any new deal for the British driver, whether it be a one-year extension or a multi-year contract, remains to be seen. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insisted his 'absolute priority' was keeping his current driver line-up of Russell and Kimi Antonelli for next season. Meanwhile, Verstappen won the Belgian GP sprint race on Saturday, Red Bull's first win under new team principal Laurent Mekies, and insisted he was looking forward to working with the ex-Ferrari engineer, who replaced Christian Horner as team boss three weeks ago. 'I get along very well with him, so that's already a bonus,' Verstappen said. 'Hopefully, we can continue to strengthen our relationship in the coming weeks and months.' Verstappen now trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 81 points with 11 races left, as prospects of a fifth consecutive title appear to be slipping away.
