Max Verstappen ‘clear' about ending his F1 career in a Red Bull, says team boss
George Russell is out of contract at the end of the year but the Englishman is extremely confident he will be retained, while his team-mate, rookie Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli, also believes he will drive for Mercedes in 2026.
Verstappen has a deal with Red Bull which runs until 2028, although a performance clause could activate an early release. Verstappen is third in the world championship, 61 points title leader Oscar Piastri.
However, Horner said: 'Max has a contract until 2028, and he has made it quite clear that he would like to finish his career in a Red Bull car, from start to finish. That is something which is unique and special to him.
'Max has been with Red Bull since the start of his career, his success has come with Red Bull, he is a big part of our team and he has a great deal of faith in the team and the people around him.
'So, while there is always speculation and noise we all sit fairly comfortably with where we are at, and what the situation is.
'In any driver's contract there are performance clauses, and that exists for Max, too, but his intention is that he will be driving for us in 2026. The most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team and that is very clear.'
Verstappen is looking increasingly likely to be unseated as the sport's world champion with McLaren holding a clear advantage over the rest of the field. Horner has already declared a two-horse race between Piastri and British driver Lando Norris for the championship.
Norris is 15 points behind Piastri heading into his home race at Silverstone. The McLaren drivers appear to be handling the heat of vying for the title as team-mates but it is a recipe which traditionally does not end well in Formula One. Yet, McLaren CEO Zak Brown insists their rivalry will not boil over.
'The relationship they have is fantastic,' said Brown. We have put a lot of time and effort on building the chemistry within the team and that starts with the drivers.
'You saw how they handled their collision in Canada, and how they conducted themselves after that, and I see no reason why they can't have a battle all the way to the end, remain very good team-mates, and may the best man win. I am sure they will shake hands and congratulate each other after.'
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Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Oscar Piastri interview: the world champion hopeful schooled in England
Haileybury school in Hertfordshire has produced some notable alumni over the years. Clement Attlee, the post-war Labour prime minister, attended the co-educational independent school. Poet and novelist Rudyard Kipling and playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn are Old Haileyburians. Film-maker Christopher Nolan and actor Stephen Mangan were also on the school's books. In the world of Formula One, Haileybury can lay claim to one of the greatest: Sir Stirling Moss. The British icon, widely regarded as one of the finest motor racing drivers of all time, won more than 200 races in a variety of categories across a 14-year competition career. Famously, though, Moss never actually won the Formula One world title, finishing runner-up on four occasions. Oscar Piastri is hoping to make up for that omission on the school's CV this year. 'That's the plan,' says the Australian. 'It's going OK so far. I feel like I've taken a step forward this year. I feel ready.' Heading into this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, it is intriguingly poised. Piastri, with five wins under his belt in 11 races, leads the championship by 15 points from his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. By rights Norris should really be favourite for the title. The Briton is the more experienced driver and has been at McLaren for longer than Piastri. But Piastri is the odds-on favourite with the bookies. That he is so unbothered by that fact is the reason he is so heavily fancied. Piastri just seems to be bullet-proof. Ice cold. Where Norris has blown hot and cold this season, making numerous mistakes in qualifying and shunting into the back of Piastri in Canada, the Australian has been rock solid, his race-craft impeccable. Norris may still have him for outright pace, but Piastri is getting quicker and has definitely been the more consistent driver. 'I feel comfortable in the position I'm in,' he says when asked what it's like leading the Formula One world championship for the first time, as a 24-year-old. 'The way I look at it, if you're leading a championship, you're probably doing something right. And I feel like we have been doing quite a few things right. My ultimate performance has probably improved a bit this year, but I feel like I'm able to access it much more consistently so far. That's probably been the biggest thing.' Piastri was always a quick learner. He recalls growing up in Melbourne, always wanting to be first at everything. 'Even in my schoolwork,' he says. 'I wanted to do it better than anyone, and also do it faster than anyone, which kind of makes no sense. I would do it as fast as I could, but it kind of came at the cost of some accuracy. I soon learnt it's better to be accurate because otherwise you spend 15 minutes sitting there doing nothing, and it's not very useful for you when you get your score back.' There is actually rather an awkward postscript to the Stirling Moss-Haileybury connection. Moss later confessed to being unhappy at the school; bullied for reasons of his presumed Jewish origins. Piastri, though, says the school was the making of him. Moving 10,000 miles from Melbourne to the UK as a 15-year-old forced him to grow up. He spent four years as a boarder in Kipling House – England rugby player Nick Isiekwe was in the same house, although a few years older – and says it was a period in which he 'really developed'. Growing up in Melbourne he had always been sports-mad. AFL, cricket, athletics, basketball. Motor racing allowed little time for any of those, but he still turned out for the school's 3rd XI. Piastri's teachers remember a diligent and conscientious student who juggled his extracurricular activities with his academic work with great maturity. 'Oscar never demonstrated anything other than exemplary humility and remarkable composure throughout his four years at Haileybury,' recalled one teacher, Andy Searson, adding that Piastri was 'capable of bowling a heavy ball with an intimidating run-up'. The picture that emerges is one of a very grounded young man. Piastri met his girlfriend, Lily, at school when they were just 17, before they had even taken their A-levels (maths, physics and computer science, in Piastri's case, if you were wondering). They are still together six years later. 'Having that stability is nice,' he says of their relationship. 'Lily has been there from the start, from single-seaters to Formula One. A constant in what is quite a manic world.' Piastri is so nice, so calm, so well-prepared – 'the kind of schoolboy who had his pencils sharpened in front of him on his desk' as Damon Hill remarked on the Chequered Flag podcast earlier this year – it is easy to forget what a killer he is in the car. He appears bemused by the openness and vulnerability Norris displays on a weekly basis, even while praising it. 'Lando is a very open person,' he says of his team-mate. 'Speaking honestly, sometimes to his own detriment. But at the same time, it is a good quality to have. We are different people, but I do respect the way he goes about it.' As for whether he is less minded to smash his team-mate given how scrupulously fair Norris is, how lacking in sharp elbows, he just laughs. 'Not really,' he says. 'My opinion is you can't give an inch to anyone, regardless of who it is – in racing or in sport. And that doesn't really change. Especially once the helmet goes on. I get on with Lando. But once the helmet goes on, for all 20 of us, there are no more friends.' In this area, one senses the hand of Mark Webber, Piastri's compatriot who has been guiding his career from the start. Webber always had to fight his corner at Red Bull, forever battling for equal treatment in a team built around Red Bull wunderkind Sebastian Vettel. Piastri does not have that issue at McLaren. Webber has made sure of it. 'I think in terms of fighting my corner, it's been very, very valuable for me,' Piastri says of Webber's influence. 'Not that he has had to fight particularly hard in this environment. But just the experiences he had in his own career, being in a championship-winning team, fighting for a championship, there is a lot of hindsight which is very valuable for me. 'Some lessons you can only learn for yourself. But I definitely feel as if I've escaped a lot of [negative] lessons because of Mark's experience. Helping me avoid potential pitfalls. He thinks of questions either to ask me, or my engineers, or the team, before they occur to me. I feel like in the first couple of years of my career that was incredibly valuable and fast-tracked me to where I am now.' One thing is certain, if Norris is to prevail this season, it is not going to be handed to him. Piastri may have grown up on the playing fields of one of England's top public schools, but he remains an Australian through and through. He is teak tough and like all Australian sportsmen, appears imbued with self-confidence. Before he goes, I ask him for his predictions for the upcoming British & Irish Lions Test series. 'I don't actually follow the rugby that closely,' he says. 'Where I grew up, AFL was king.' What about the Ashes this winter? 'Oh, that's a different matter,' he says, smiling. 'Hopefully, I'll get to a game. Australia are going through a bit of a tricky spell at the moment. But on home soil? I'd always back Australia.' On British soil this weekend, one suspects he will back himself just the same.
Glasgow Times
19 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Holly McGill on her early breakthrough and her World Champs debut
It was three years ago that McGill broke onto the international scene, making her Commonwealth Games debut at Birmingham 2022 at the tender age of 16. It's in the past twelve months, though, that she has begun to really capitalise on her potential. The Edinburgh native, who turned 20 just a few weeks ago, made her GB senior debut at last year's European Championships and so she began this season with the explicit aim of retaining her place in the GB team. Given the current strength of British Swimming, this is no mean feat but McGill has proved her mental fortitude is as impressive as her talent, with her performance at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships in April - she won silver in the 200m backstroke and bronze in the 100m backstroke - enough to ensure selection for this year's World Aquatics Championships, which begin in Singapore on Friday. While her selection came as little surprise to many observers, McGill admits she was pleasantly surprised with how she handled her first ultra high-pressure British Championships. 'At the start of this season, I was well aware that I could swim very well at the British Champs and still not make it into the team for the Worlds - nothing was guaranteed because the 200m backstroke field is so tough,' she says. 'You never know quite how you're going to react when you're in that high pressure environment. 'Last year felt different for me because making the GB team felt much more of a long shot whereas this time, I knew I could do it so it was just a case of actually performing on the day. Luckily, it worked out." Holly McGill (l) won 200m backstroke silver at this year's British Championships behind her compatriot, Katie Shanahan (r) (Image: Sam Mellish) McGill began swimming purely as a result of her desire to copy everything her elder sister did so, as a 7-year-old, McGill duly followed her sibling to Heart of Midlothian Swimming Club. This was the same year as the London Olympic Games and although McGill had a passing interest in the 2012 Olympics - she can remember watching Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps but not much else - it wasn't until a few years later that she began to ponder taking swimming seriously. 'It wasn't until I was 12 that I started having bigger goals and I remember thinking that I'd love to go to the Olympics - but I had no idea what that meant or what I would need to do to get there,' she says. 'Around that time, Keanna MacInnes, who was also at Hearts, went to the 2018 Commonwealth Games and that did make me think well, if she can do it and she's come from the same kind of background and does the same kind of training as me then why shouldn't I be able to do it too?' As McGill hit her mid-teens, she became a very big fish in the relatively small pond of Heart of Midlothian swim team but a move to Stirling University, which is the home to a sizeable chunk of the GB squad including Olympic gold medallists Duncan Scott and Kathleen Dawson, meant McGill was shunted right down the pecking order. For some, this would be disconcerting but McGill insists being surrounded by swimmers who were better, and had achieved far more than her, was an extremely welcome change. 'In my last year at Hearts, I started realising I was one of the better swimmers but then moving to Stirling really grounded me because the swimmers there have so much experience and have achieved so much so it made me realise I still had quite a way to go to really make it," she says. 'I actually think it was a really good thing for me to go to the bottom of the ladder - seeing the skills these other swimmers had was a good reminder of how many things I still have to work on. 'The likes of Duncan (Scott) and Kat (Dawson) act like normal people and they're really nice so it's not like they're sitting speaking about winning Olympic medals but it is quite eye-opening training alongside people that I've looked up to for so long.' McGill is, she hopes, on the path to emulating her Stirling teammates by becoming an Olympian, with LA 2028 the goal. First, though, McGill is looking towards her second Commonwealth Games appearance at Glasgow 2026 where she will, she hopes, make more of an impact than she did as a teenager on her Commonwealth debut three years ago. 'Ultimately the aim is to get to LA in 2028 but first, there's the Glasgow Commonwealth Games,' she says. 'In 2022, I was only 16 and I had no idea what to expect in Birmingham. I was so wide-eyed to everything and I was just there to experience it all whereas next year's Commie Games, providing I get there, I'll be trying to really compete.' Alongside McGill in the British team for next week's World Championships in Singapore are her fellow Scots, Duncan Scott, who is going for his tenth World championships medal and fifth world title, Katie Shanahan, Keanna MacInnes, Lucy Hope and Evan Jones, who will be making his World Championships debut. The GB team also includes Olympic gold medallists Matt Richards, James Guy, Freya Anderson and Tom Dean.
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
F1 British GP live: FP3 updates and qualifying start time with Lando Norris fastest at Silverstone
F1 is back at Silverstone with the exciting British Grand Prix for round 12 of the 2025 season. Lewis Hamilton's heroics last year still live vividly in most fans' memories, and he's back in the Ferrari ready to salvage an otherwise disappointing season, with Lando Norris grabbing that crucial win last time out in Austria. Norris will be eager to pip McLaren teammate and championship rival Oscar Piastri and his speed in practice makes him the man to beat around this Silverstone track, with the Australian driver's lead now just 15 points after the first 11 races. Charles Leclerc picked up the final podium place for Ferrari last time out, while the weekend will focus closely on both Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who has been linked with a move to Mercedes, and arch rival George Russell, who remains calm heading into 2026 without his seat secure. Christian Horner concedes defeat in Max Verstappen F1 title bid 'The buffer McLaren has is significant. It looks very much like a two-horse race,' said Horner. 'You could see how McLaren are racing each other. They've got a cushion to the rest. For us we just focus on one race at a time. We don't even think about championships. 'What's truly impressive is when you look at how close Oscar is able to run behind Lando with a car fat on fuel, at the beginning of the race, and he's basically making love to his f****** exhaust pipe lap after lap after lap and the tyres are not dying. 'That is their advantage. I can't see any other car that would be able to follow that closely and not grain the front tyres or the rear tyres.' Jack Rathborn5 July 2025 08:00 George Russell adamant he will not be leaving Mercedes: 'Toto has never let me down' George Russell believes he won't be leaving Mercedes at the end of the season despite speculation linking Red Bull's Max Verstappen with the team. Russell, who is in the middle of his fourth season with Mercedes, does not currently have a contract beyond 2025 despite a strong first half of the season. Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen has long been courted by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and reports in Italian media this week state that the Dutchman is open to the prospect of joining the Silver Arrows next year. Russell revealed last week that Mercedes are in discussions with Verstappen. But Russell, who is in the midst of his first campaign without Lewis Hamilton as his teammate, insists he is unconcerned. 'There's a lot of conversations behind the scenes that are not public and I know where their loyalty lies,' Russell said, ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix. George Russell adamant he will not be leaving Mercedes: 'Toto has never let me down' Russell has not signed a contract beyond this season, while Mercedes are in discussions with Max Verstappen Jack Rathborn4 July 2025 20:09 F1 standings ahead of British Grand Prix 1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 216 points 2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 201 points 3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 155 points 4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 146 points 5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 119 points 6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 91 points 7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 63 points 8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 42 points 9. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 23 points 10. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 22 points 11. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 21 points 12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 14 points 13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 14 points 14. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 13 points 15. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 12 points 16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 11 points 17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 10 points 18. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 6 points 19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 4 points 20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points 21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points Jack Rathborn4 July 2025 20:09 Lando Norris sets the pace in FP2 It's a promising weekend for Lando Norris, who aims to build on his big win in Austria and win his home grand prix for the first time. And the McLaren driver follows in his countryman Lewis Hamilton's suit to top the timesheet after FP2 - making it an all-English affair so far at Silverstone! The Ferraris are on his tail and have made a statement after an underwhelming season so far, with both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finishing in the top three. Jack Rathborn4 July 2025 20:08 Lewis Hamilton returns to Silverstone in last chance saloon for first Ferrari year If you'd told Lewis Hamilton four months ago, amid the hoopla of Formula One's biggest-ever driver move, that he would be 'hoping and praying' for a strong result at his beloved Silverstone, he'd likely have laughed you out of the room. Either that or he'd have rolled his eyes. Take your pick. After all, this was the seven-time F1 world champion moving to the fabled Ferrari. A driver in need of rejuvenation after three years of frustration at Mercedes was joining a team seemingly on the up, having come within a whisker of last year's constructors' title. Everything seemed perfectly aligned. With the whole world watching, what could possibly go wrong? Well, come race 12 and the halfway stage of the 2025 season, the answer is unavoidable: pretty much everything. Lewis Hamilton returns to Silverstone in last chance saloon for first Ferrari year Hamilton has been on the podium 11 times in a row at Silverstone, but is yet to secure a top-3 finish this year Jack Rathborn4 July 2025 20:07 British Grand Prix 2025 schedule all times BST 5 July FP3 - 11:30am Qualifying - 3pm 6 July Grand Prix - 3pm Jack Rathborn4 July 2025 19:00
