Adrenaline pumping and tyres burning – Red Bull Show Run hits up Bulgaria's capital city of Sofia with a bang
Adrenaline pumping and tyres burning - Red Bull Show Run hits up Bulgaria's capital city of Sofia with a bang
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News.com.au
10 hours ago
- News.com.au
Red Bull's four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen tipped for explosive switch to Mercedes
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff on Friday suggested he was interested in signing Max Verstappen to partner George Russell in a potentially explosive driver line-up for the 2026 season. During a series of interviews, it emerged that he had made contract with the four-time world champion and that this had affected contract talks with Russell who has been in outstanding form this year. Russell told Sky Sports F1 that it was entirely 'normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing', adding that a team that aims to win the championship has to go for the best drivers, engineers and pit-crews to succeed. 'But from my side, if I'm performing as I'm doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team.' Wolff has flirted with the idea of recruiting Verstappen for some time, but also expressed satisfaction with the current partnership of Russell and teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli – a precocious talent, but not yet an experienced or metronomic points-scorer. It may be, as many seasoned observers believe, that Wolff feels he can manage the testy rivalry between Russell and Verstappen, who have clashed several times in the last year both on and off the track. But, he conceded, it remains much more likely that Russell will stay at Mercedes next year – his contract ends this season – than that Verstappen, who is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, will arrive. 'He has been part of our program for 10 years,' Wolff said. 'He's always performed to the expectations and he's continuing to do so. These are normal business contract discussions as I have been doing for 30 years... And contract discussions are not held in Town Halls.' He added in a separate interview: 'At the moment, clearly you need to explore what's happening in the future, but it doesn't change anything of what I said before about George, about Kimi, about the line-up that I'm extremely happy having'. Verstappen declined to comment on the speculation when asked in a news conference on Thursday, but he is known to be frustrated with his Red Bull car this year. 'I don't think we need to talk about that,' the 27-year-old said. 'It's not really on my mind. Just driving well, trying to push the performance and then we focus on next year.' Much may depend on events at Red Bull where long-serving team consultant Helmut Marko is a key part of Verstappen's inner circle, but may be considering his own future amid reports that four-time champion Sebastian Vettel has been approached to replace him. In the wake of the departures of F1's most successful designer Adrian Newey to Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley to Sauber-Audi, it could be that Verstappen is also ready to leave. Next year will see F1 move into a new era with major rule changes requiring new engines and new cars – an opportunity that may favour a Mercedes revival.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Oscar Piastri says he wants a 'fair opportunity' from McLaren to win the F1 drivers' championship
Formula 1 drivers' championship leader Oscar Piastri says all he wants is "a fair opportunity" in his quest to become world champion. Piastri has a 22-point lead over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, with the duo participating in a championship fight that has captivated audiences through the first half of this season. Four-time defending world champion Max Verstappen, who has two grand prix wins this year, has not given up the fight and is 43 points adrift of Piastri. After predicting that on-track drama was "inevitable" ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Norris drove into the back of Piastri late in the race as the teammates battled for fourth. Norris, who then went into the barrier, failed to finish while Piastri finished fourth and established the season-high 22-point lead in the championship. The championship battle resumes at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, with McLaren insisting their two drivers are free to race each other in pursuit of the title. Piastri, who has won five grands prix this season, refuses to entertain the idea of McLaren prioritising one driver over the other, as the team attempts to win the drivers' championship for the first time since 2008. "I think, for me, I just want — and we all want — a fair opportunity trying to win both championships, especially in the drivers' championship, because ultimately, it can only be one of us," he said. "I think the situation has to change dramatically to start having those conversations, and they're a very long way away at the moment. "So at the moment, all I can ask for is a fair chance to try and win the championship, and that's what I want as well. "No, I'm not willing to enter those talks at all." McLaren enjoys a commanding 175-point lead in the constructors' championship, a title they won in 2024. But George Russell's win in Canada proved Mercedes had made improvements, while Verstappen has been ever-present at the front of the grid. Verstappen is hoping upgrades on his Red Bull Racing car this weekend will provide the boost he needs to try and claw back the deficit he has to both McLaren drivers. "The team has been working hard to get these parts," Verstappen said. "Of course, I'm very happy that we have an upgrade here, and yeah, every little bit forward will help us be more competitive and hopefully close the gap a little bit. "But at the same time, we also know that others are also bringing bits throughout the year. "So, we just need to keep working hard, keep trying to close that gap down."
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
City thrash Juventus to maintain 100% record at Club World Cup
Manchester City turned on the style to seal top spot in Group G at the Club World Cup with an emphatic 5-2 win over Juventus on Thursday. The third straight victory for Pep Guardiola's side increases the chances of City avoiding a meeting with Real Madrid in the last 16 -- a fate that may now await Juventus. City and Juve will not know their opponent until the final pair of games in Group H conclude later on Friday. A positive day for City saw 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri make his first start since rupturing his ACL in September and Guardiola's side, featuring several new faces, look significantly improved on the team which struggled to finish 13 points behind Premier League champions Liverpool last season. City were on top from the outset with a Bernardo Silva header forcing Juve keeper Michele Di Gregorio to save with his feet in the fifth minute. Four minutes later, Guardiola's new-look side had the lead when after a characteristic, patient build-up, Rayan Ait-Nouri split the Juve defence with a superb pass which Jeremy Doku collected and dispatched into the far corner. Juve were gifted an equaliser when City's Brazilian keeper Ederson's pass out was intercepted by Teun Koopmeiners who marched into the box and confidently fired home. Juve returned the gift though in the 26th minute when French defender Pierre Kalulu, under no pressure, turned a low cross from Matheus Nunes into his own net. A short but intense downpour just before half-time cooled the stadium down and Guardiola introduced his prolific Norwegian striker Erling Haaland at the break and it took just seven minutes for him to find the scoresheet. - Rodri return - Tijjani Reijnders fed Matheus Nunes whose low cross found an unmarked Haaland in the middle and while it wasn't the cleanest of finishes from close range, the striker celebrated his 300th career goal. Rodri left the field in the 66th minute to applause as Ilkay Gundogan took over his role in the centre of midfield but City continued to over-run the Turin side. Haaland latched on to a long ball from Ederson and looked for fellow sub Phil Foden in the middle but put his cross beyond the England man only for Savinho to recover it and set-up Foden for a simple conversion. Savinho then made made it 5-1 when after a Haaland shot was saved by De Gregorio's feet, the Brazilian met the loose ball with a thundering drive which flew in off the underside of the bar. Juventus had created little but restored a little pride when Kenan Yildiz produced a lovely touch and clever pass to set Dusan Vlahovic free and the Serbian beat Ederson from the edge of the box. "It has been a long time since we had a performance like this on and off the ball. The players were committed and we are happy to beat a top side," Guardiola said afterwards. "This is just one game, but I think the players felt again what it was like to be a good team. The belief always comes from your performances, not your past," added Guardiola, who was delighted to have Rodri back at the heart of his team. "We have missed him a lot. He knows exactly what he has to do with the ball, and his personality. I didn't expect him to play as many minutes. He will be ready for the next one. Everybody gave an incredible performance," he said. For Juventus it was a mauling that they will need to quickly recover from before their last 16 game. "They have much stronger players than us and I'm not going to look for excuses," said Croatian coach Igor Tudor. "We suffered. We weren't able to steal the ball, we were deep and we didn't play well with the ball. We paid for everything, we had to be perfect but they always arrived first to the ball," he added. "This defeat does not put anything into perspective, we played against the best team in the world. I have nothing to reproach my players for, we'll take this blow, now we'll rest and move on".
