Red Bull's post-Horner era begins with sprint qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix
There's just one practice session for the
Belgian Grand Prix
on Friday before Red Bull and Mekies get straight into competitive action with qualifying for Saturday's sprint race.
The hectic schedule is an extra challenge as Mekies takes over from Christian Horner, who had led the team since it entered F1 20 years ago until he was
abruptly fired
just over two weeks ago.
Red Bull's parent company still hasn't explained exactly what led to Horner's exit, and champion Max Verstappen's future remains uncertain. The Dutch driver said Thursday that Horner was like a 'second family' but that his removal
wouldn't affect
his plans.
Verstappen said he still hoped to remain with Red Bull for the rest of his career but noted that 'life is unpredictable.'
In an extra twist, Mercedes driver George Russell indicated to broadcaster Sky Sports on Thursday that he believed Verstappen and Mercedes remained in talks.
Besides the small question of Verstappen's future, Mekies will need to draw on his
extensive experience
in F1 to cope with a
daunting to-do list
.
He needs to deal with a decline in the team's results over the last year, prepare for big rule changes for 2026, and work out why Yuki Tsunoda is the latest in a series of Verstappen's teammates to struggle with the car.
Piastri's frustration
All the focus has been on Red Bull, but there's still a thrilling — and controversial — title race at McLaren.
Lando Norris' emotional
win in the rain
at the British Grand Prix cut teammate Oscar Piastri's standings lead to just eight points, while Piastri
fumed
at what he saw as an unfair penalty.
Belgium is the first test of the Australian's vow to harness the 'frustration' he felt in Britain to win more races. And just like at Silverstone, rain could play a big part this weekend. It could affect both Saturday's sprint and the Grand Prix on Sunday.
Crunch time for Hamilton
With half of the season gone and no Grand Prix podium finish yet, Lewis Hamilton has
declared
it's 'crunch time' for him at Ferrari.
The seven-time champion revealed Thursday he's been setting up a series of meetings not just with top team personnel, but with Ferrari's corporate leadership, to seek 'structural adjustments' and make sure his voice is part of Ferrari's development plans for 2026.
___
AP auto racing:
https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton make complaint amid Oscar Piastri's victory
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have both criticised the decision of F1 officials to delay the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, eventually won by Aussie championship leader Oscar Piastri. There was a delay of nearly an hour and a half due to rain and poor visibility at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Sunday, with a red flag ordered after an initial formation lap behind the safety car. The cars were brought back into the pit lane and the starting procedure halted, and the race didn't get underway until some 90 minutes later. After the long wait, the FIA eventually cleared the race to start once standing water had been removed from the track. Pole-sitter Lando Norris had said: "I can't see a lot behind the safety car, so I can't imagine what it's like for everyone else." But Verstappen and Hamilton both accused officials of being overcautious. A four-time world champion, Verstappen said Race Control should have kept the field out on the track to clear the standing water, rather than red-flag it. "It wasn't even raining," he said. "Of course, between Turns One and Five, there was quite a bit of water. "But if you do two or three laps behind the Safety Car, then it would have been a lot more clear - and the rest of the track was ready to go anyway. It's a bit of a shame. I knew that they would be a bit more cautious because of Silverstone, but this also didn't make sense. Then, it's better to say 'let's wait until it's completely dry' and we'll start on slicks because this is not really wet weather racing for me." Lewis Hamilton agrees with Max Verstappen Ferrari veteran Hamilton said organisers had overreacted after Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli and Alpine's Isack Hadjar collided at Silverstone in poor visibility. "We started the race a little bit too late, I would say," Hamilton said. "I kept shouting that 'it's ready to go it's ready to go', but they kept going round and round. "I think they're probably overreacting from the last race, where we asked them not to re-start the race too early because the visibility was bad. This weekend, I think they just went too far the other way. We didn't need a rolling start." The race eventually began with a rolling start after four laps behind the Safety Car. Hamilton finished seventh with a stunning drive after starting 18th on the grid. He said the conditions made things interesting, and would have loved a traditional 'rain race'. Carlos Sainz believes right call was made But Williams driver Carlos Sainz supported the decision to delay the race as "a safe call", given the history of the high-speed circuit. "My respect to the Race Director because he told us after Silverstone – and the accidents at Silverstone – that he would play it safer here and that is what he did," said Sainz. "On a normal track, yes. I think maybe we could have started earlier by five or 10 minutes. But at Spa-Francorchamps, and with the history of the track, it is better to be safe than sorry. You got the whole race. You got to watch the full race. So, I don't think it was a bad call. A safe call, yes." There have been 53 fatalities - including two in the last six years - due to poor weather conditions at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. "That's why it's better to be safe than to have an accident and to be regretful," added Sainz. DRIVER STANDINGS (after 13/24 rounds)Piastri opens up a 16-point gap over Norris#F1 #BelgianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) July 27, 2025 RELATED: Oscar Piastri responds amid uproar over Aussie's act on podium F1 driver in danger of being axed after incident with Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri extends lead in F1 championship Piastri's victory put him 16 points clear of Norris in the championship. "Oscar just did a good job. Nothing more to say," conceded Norris. "Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge, and had the slipstream and got the run. "So nothing to complain of. He did a better job in the beginning, and that was it. Nothing more I could do after that point. I would love to be up top, but Oscar deserved it today." with agencies
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Fox News
POST-RACE INTERVIEWS: Alex Palou, Colton Herta & more after Java House Grand Prix of Monterey
Check out the post-race interviews from Alex Palou, Colton Herta and more after the NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Java House Grand Prix at Monterey.
NBC News
7 hours ago
- NBC News
Tadej Pogačar 'speechless' after winning fourth Tour de France
Tadej Pogačar blasted his way to a fourth Tour de France victory on Sunday, besting rival Jonas Vingegaard by 4:24 across the famed Champs-Élysées finish line. Billed as a clash between two titans, this year's race was filled with ghosts of Pogačar's past, including the Hautacam, Mont Ventoux and the Col de la Loze climbs where he had lost significant time in previous Tours to Vingegaard. This year, Pogačar, of UAE Team Emirates XRG, conquered them all. 'Just speechless to win the Tour de France, this one feels especially amazing,' he said. 'Just super proud that I can wear this yellow jersey.' Vingegaard, of Denmark, suffered significant time losses early in the race beginning with his botched performance during the Stage 5 time trial. He crossed the finish 1:20 behind Pogačar, who continued to build a steady time gap that eventually became too large for Vingegaard to overcome. Despite launching attack after attack and maintaining an upbeat attitude during interviews, Vingegaard, of Visma–Lease a Bike, proved to be a mere mortal compared to Pogačar's superhuman prowess. 'Battling against Jonas was a tough experience, but I must say to him respect and big, big congratulations to him for his fight and incredible race,' Pogačar said. As of Sunday, two-time Tour winner Vingegaard has finished runner up to Pogačar three times. He will next take on the Vuelta a España, Spain's grand tour, in August. His teammate, Belgian rider Wout van Aert, won Sunday's rainy stage that featured three climbs around Montmartre instead of the traditional ceremonial ride into Paris. Van Aert stunned onlookers in the last kilometer around the hill, known for its artistic history and the Sacré-Cœur basilica, as he dropped Pogačar in a final attack on the steepest section. 'We came to this tour with ambition to also win the yellow jersey but the strongest rider in the race and biggest rider on the road won,' said van Aert. 'I'm proud of how we raced as a team, how we kept trying every day.' German climber Florian Lipowitz, of Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, finished third in the general classification, coming in 11:09 behind Pogačar, and taking home the white jersey for best young rider. His podium finish is all the more impressive considering this was his Tour debut. He was meant to be riding in a supportive role for teammate and Tour veteran Primož Roglič from Slovenia. But in the end, Lipowitz, who is 11 years younger than 35-year-old Roglič emerged as the stronger rider. And Roglič, who has crashed out of several grand tours in recent years, appeared happy to just finish the race. Indeed, this year's Tour was filled with unforgettable performances by the next generation of emerging talent. Few people could have predicted the rise of Irish climber Ben Healy, who wore the yellow jersey for two days early in the race after launching strong attacks based purely on instinct. His team, EF Education-EasyPost, came into the race without its team leader, Richard Carapaz, but Healy quickly stepped into the role. He took the Stage 6 win and was awarded with the Tour's 'Super Combative' prize for what his team described as 'exploits' on the road. 'It is one thing to achieve what you set out to achieve; it is another to do it with a smile,' team sports director Charly Wegelius said in a statement. Italian sprinter Jonathan Milan, of Lidl–Trek, dominated in the green jersey for much of his Tour debut. The contest for points classification appeared to open in Stage 3 when the reigning champion, Jasper Philipsen, of Alpecin–Deceuninck, was thrown over his handlebars during an intermediate sprint. The Belgian fastman was forced to abandon with a fractured collarbone and at least one broken rib. Milan and teammate Quinn Simmons, from Durango, Colorado, soon began a relentless campaign to best the remaining sprinters and succeeded. Simmons, donning his iconic handlebar mustache and American flag road champion's jersey, was seen at the front of the peloton nearly every day for three weeks. He proved to be the perfect lead out man for Milan, who wouldn't let rain or crashes slow him down. In the end, Milan edged out Pogačar in the final points classification and Simmons proposed to his girlfriend — she said yes! — after crossing the finish line.
