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Scottish Sun
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Christian Horner's fate may have been sealed after ‘cold' interaction with Red Bull owners at Austrian Grand Prix
CHRISTIAN HORNER'S fate my have been sealed after a frosty interaction with Red Bull's owners in Austria, reports claim. Horner was sensationally SACKED by Red Bull with immediate effect after 20 years as team principal on Wednesday. 7 Christian Horner reportedly endured a cold reception at the Austria Grand Prix Credit: Getty 7 Chalerm Yoovidhya holds the majority 51 per cent stake in Red Bull Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Horner has faced a turbulent 18 months on and off the track, after the sexting scandal over inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague leaked in March 2024. The Brit, 51, has had several rows with Jos Verstappen, father of star driver Max, since the fallout, with several high-profile figures quitting the team, including legendary chief designer Adrian Newey. Reports of hostility among Red Bull's team have continued to grow even after Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation. And there has been reports of a growing rift between Horner and Red Bull's Thai owners, who chose not to sack him after the scandal broke. READ MORE HORNER NEWS Chris cross Horner SACKED by Red Bull after 20yr stint just 12 months on from sext scandal F1 journalist Joal Lischika reported seeing the owners greet Horner "coldly" in the hospitality unit at the Austria Grand Prix weekend in June. The Yoovidhya family, through Chalerm Yoovidhya, holds the majority 51 per cent stake, while the late Dietrich Mateschitz's son, Mark Mateschitz, inherited his 49 per cent share. To make matters worse Red Bull suffered its worst home race result in recent history, with Max Verstappen crashing out after three laps after being hit by Mercedes No2 Kimi Antontelli. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda had a particularly difficult time, being lapped twice on his way to finish dead-last of those who crossed the chequered flag. 7 Max Verstappen was wiped out by Kimi Antonelli in Austria 7 Despite reports, Horner and the majority owners put on a show of unity as they posed for pictures in the paddock in Austria Credit: AFP CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Four-time world champion Verstappen, 27, qualified down in seventh, while Tsunoda finished qualifying in P18. Despite reports, Horner and the majority owners put on a show of unity as they posed for pictures in the paddock in Austria on June 29. But according to Lischika, there was apparently a growing feeling that Horner simply held too much power, after taking charge of operations during Red Bull's inception in 2005. Red Bull's Christian Horner gives low down on car before F1 season kicks off with Australian Grand Prix Horner, married to Spice Girl Geri Haliwell, was chairman of Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Technology, Red Bull Power Trains, and marketing. The owners have since appointed Laurent Mekies as the new CEO of Red Bull Racing, stepping up from the Racing Bulls team. Horner reportedly had another row with Jos at Silverstone on Sunday, according to former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher. Schumacher told the Boxengasse-podcast: "There was another argument or a heated exchange, at least visually and verbally between Jos, Christian Horner, and the press officer. "You could see that Jos was anything but happy with the situation". 7 Geri and Christian appeared hand in hand at the Bahrain Grand Prix after the scandal broke 7 It comes after a series of rows between Verstappen Snr and Horner, with the Dutchman repeatedly calling for Horner's dismissal after the sexting scandal broke hours before the Bahrain race in 2024. Horner's wife Geri was reportedly devastated by the scandal, but stood by her husband in showing signs of solidarity at key races. In total, Horner won EIGHT drivers' championships and six constructors' titles. For the first time ever, a new team principal, Mekies, will lead Red Bull at the Belgian Grand Prix on July 27 after a three week break.
The Irish Sun
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Christian Horner's fate may have been sealed after ‘cold' interaction with Red Bull owners at Austrian Grand Prix
CHRISTIAN HORNER'S fate my have been sealed after a frosty interaction with Red Bull's owners in Austria, reports claim. Horner was Advertisement 7 Christian Horner reportedly endured a cold reception at the Austria Grand Prix Credit: Getty 7 Chalerm Yoovidhya holds the majority 51 per cent stake in Red Bull Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Horner has faced a turbulent 18 months on and off the track, after The Brit, 51, has had several rows with Jos Verstappen, father of star driver Max, since the fallout, with several high-profile figures quitting the team, including legendary chief designer Adrian Newey. Reports of hostility among Red Bull's team have continued to grow even after Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation . And there has been reports of a growing rift between Horner and Red Bull's Thai owners, who chose not to sack him after the scandal broke. Advertisement READ MORE HORNER NEWS F1 journalist Joal Lischika reported seeing the owners greet Horner "coldly" in the hospitality unit at the Austria Grand Prix weekend in June. The Yoovidhya family, through Chalerm Yoovidhya, holds the majority 51 per cent stake, while the late Dietrich Mateschitz's son, Mark Mateschitz, inherited his 49 per cent share. To make matters worse Red Bull suffered its worst home race result in recent history , with Max Verstappen crashing out after three laps after being hit by Mercedes No2 Kimi Antontelli. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda had a particularly difficult time, being lapped twice on his way to finish dead-last of those who crossed the chequered flag. Advertisement Most read in Motorsport 7 Max Verstappen was wiped out by Kimi Antonelli in Austria 7 Despite reports, Horner and the majority owners put on a show of unity as they posed for pictures in the paddock in Austria Credit: AFP CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Four-time world champion Verstappen, 27, qualified down in seventh, while Tsunoda finished qualifying in P18. Advertisement Despite reports, Horner and the majority owners put on a show of unity as they posed for pictures in the paddock in Austria on June 29. But according to Lischika, there was apparently a growing feeling that Horner simply held too much power , after taking charge of operations during Red Bull's inception in 2005. Red Bull's Christian Horner gives low down on car before F1 season kicks off with Australian Grand Prix Horner, married to Spice Girl Geri Haliwell, was chairman of Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Technology , Red Bull Power Trains, and marketing. The owners have since appointed Laurent Mekies as the new CEO of Red Bull Racing , stepping up from the Racing Bulls team. Advertisement Horner reportedly had another row with Jos at Silverstone on Sunday, according to former F1 driver Schumacher told the Boxengasse-podcast: "There was another argument or a heated exchange, at least visually and verbally between Jos, Christian Horner, and the press officer. "You could see that Jos was anything but happy with the situation". 7 Geri and Christian appeared hand in hand at the Bahrain Grand Prix after the scandal broke Advertisement 7 It comes after a series of rows between Verstappen Snr and Horner, with the Dutchman repeatedly calling for Horner's dismissal after the Horner's wife Geri was reportedly devastated by the scandal, but stood by her husband in showing signs of solidarity at key races. In total, Horner won EIGHT drivers' championships and six constructors' titles. Advertisement For the first time ever, a new team principal, Mekies, will lead Red Bull at the Belgian Grand Prix on July 27 after a three week break. 7
USA Today
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
The potential Max Verstappen to Mercedes F1 drama, explained
The F1 summer break may be anything but relaxing for Mercedes and Red Bull this year. Two of the top four teams in the Constructor standings are battling off the track once again, this time for the services of four-time World Champion Max Verstappen. As Red Bull driver's team continues to struggle on the track — most recently with a disaster of a home race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria —rumors of Verstappen leaving Red Bull for one of its biggest rivals are heating up. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes he'll have his 2026 driver lineup set by the end of summer break. He's already confirmed his interest in adding Verstappen. That leaves current Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in complete limbo during F1's silly season. Here's how we got here and everything we know about the situation so far. Why would Max Verstappen leave Red Bull? Yeah, it's best to start with the most obvious question here. Verstappen has been Red Bull's Golden Boy for a decade now. After bursting onto the scene in 2015 as the youngest driver to ever start an F1 race, while with for Red Bull's sister team — then known as Toro Rosso — the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen has been one of the sport's hottest commodities, winning four straight drivers titles from 2021-2024. But the 2025 campaign has been more challenging than anyone could've expected. That's partly because McLaren has far and away the best cars on the track this year, and partly because Red Bull's car is simply not up to standard. It seems like every time Max is on the track lately he's complaining about the car being "undrivable". It's not just a problem with Verstappen's car, either. Red Bull's second seat has cycled through multiple drivers the last few years and still faces major issues. Verstappen's current teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, hasn't finished better than 10th in any race this season. And that's after Red Bull swapped in Yuki for Liam Lawson. So, Red Bull's car is a massive problem that won't be resolved any time soon. If Verstappen is going to maximize his prime, his best option might be to get out of a contract that has him locked in with Red Bull until 2028. How Max Verstappen could break his Red Bull contract Red Bull is likely to fight as hard as it can to retain Verstappen, but ultimately Max's contract is a bit easy to break out of, as Sky Sports notes: Verstappen has a clause in his contract that will allow him to leave Red Bull after this season in the scenario he is not in the top four of the Drivers' Championship at the start of the F1 summer break, which follows the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 3. Verstappen is currently third in the standings, nine points ahead of Russell and 36 points in front of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with three rounds until the summer break. A maximum of 83 points can be won across those three events, with Belgium being a Sprint weekend." Following the Austria Grand Prix — which saw Verstappen forced to retire after a collision with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli on Lap 1 — here's how things look with the drivers standings: Given how Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren have performed recently, it wouldn't be a surprise if Max and Red Bull continue tumbling down the table. Especially considering the usually aggressive Verstappen has to avoid accumulating penalty points or risk a suspension. That's all the opening Wolff and Mercedes need to poach the 27-year-old. Aren't Verstappen and Red Bull massive rivals with Mercedes? They sure are! The delicious messiness of Formula One drama never ceases to amaze. Verstappen previously had an intense rivalry with then-Mercedes champion driver Lewis Hamilton from 2016-2023 as the two battled for world titles. Now Verstappen finds himself in an ongoing tangle with Mercedes' top driver George Russell. Add to that the fact Mercedes drives and Verstappen have collided with each other over the last few races, throw in a dash of public tampering and you've got a wildly combustible situation. What about the current Mercedes drivers? George Russell's contract is up after this year. Many assumed a new deal would be struck following his emphatic victory at the Canadian Grad Prix, but no decision has been made yet. Antonelli is on a one-year deal — though certain performance results can reportedly trigger an extension. Wolff has previously said Antonelli "will probably need a three-year program. That's how long a young driver needs to challenge a more experienced and faster teammate. But we would never have entrusted the seat to a driver who we don't consider a potential world champion." The 18-year-old who joined Mercedes following Hamilton's departure for Ferrari earned his first podium in Canada. What has Mercedes' Toto Wolff said about the Verstappen pursuit? Per ESPN: Wolff has insisted that his monitoring of the Verstappen situation has no bearing on his ongoing discussions with Russell. Speaking after Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, Wolff said he wants the situation around Russell resolved during the four-week break. "You need to be respectable towards the stakeholders in all of that process," he said. "The organization, the drivers, everybody. You need to understand the way forward. "And I don't want to be sadistic in letting a driver wait or not taking any decisions when it should be taken. So I feel we're in a good space. We're [in] June. "Obviously there's lots of discussions around. I've been open with it and transparent. And at a certain stage in the next couple of months -- until the summer break, we need to know. Until the summer break, everything is going to be done." What has Red Bull's Christian Horner said about Mercedes' pursuit of Verstappen? Here's what Horner told Sky Sports F1 in Austria: 'It is a lot of noise, and I think Max gets quite annoyed by it. We are very clear with the contract we have with Max until 2028. Anything is entirely speculative that has been said. We tend to not pay too much attention to it. 'I can imagine George is frustrated that he hasn't been given a contract yet, but that's between him and his team. The situation with Max – we know clearly where we are at, as does Max. Everything is subject to noise and obviously within the contract remains confidential to the two parties.' What does Mercedes' pursuit of Verstappen mean for the rest of the F1 grid? Normally when three drivers are battling for two seats, there's the possibility of one getting booted from the grid entirely. That may not be the case this year. With Cadillac joining F1 as the eleventh team next season, there are two new seats becoming available. So even if Antonelli or Russell end up losing their spot at Mercedes after this season, it doesn't mean they are out of options. In fact, there are more lineup possibilities than ever for 2026.
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
‘Norway Chess strongest women's event… Anybody can win': World No. 8 Anna Muzychuk
Anna Muzychuk's dedication towards chess can be testified by a look at her busy calendar. After a remarkable win at the prestigious Nicosia Women's Grand Prix in March, the Ukrainian Grandmaster shifted her focus completely towards the Austria Grand Prix, currently underway. While it would be her final Grand Prix of the ongoing cycle, the 35-year-old would travel a week later for the highly anticipated 2025 edition of Norway Women's Chess to compete against some of the top talents of the sport. Anna Muzychuk "It's great to have successes, but you always have to go forward and focus on the next tournaments and next goals," Anna said. With reigning World Champion Ju Wenjin, Indian legend Koneru Humpy, along with Lei Tingjie, Vaishali R and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh in the fray, Anna, who finished as the runner-up last year in the inaugural edition of Norway Chess Women's tournament, expects a strong and unpredictable competition this year. "I think it's the strongest women's event if we are looking at the ratings. It will be super tough. Each participant has a real chance to win it. I think it will be exciting, and I am really looking forward to it," she further added. Anna's persistence and relentless passion for the sport came from her upbringing. With her sister Mariya also a chess player, and her parents being coaches, she began making her moves on the board at an exceptionally young age while growing up in Western part of Ukraine. With Chess being immensely popular, Anna and her sister, Mariya, who is also a grandmaster now, and is also competing at the Austria Grand Prix, had to spend a lot of hours training to keep up with the competition. "I was born in 1990 when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. It became an independent country a year later, but still all chess traditions were quite developed in our area. We had coaches, tournaments and chess was quite popular. There were so many players from our time from where I grew up and we competed together in various tournaments. Many of us went on to become grandmasters, hence our generation was really strong," Anna said. But the pursuit of excellence always comes with sacrifices and hard choices, especially in sports. Anna explains the challenges that come with a life in Chess. "In Chess, we can see young players becoming grandmasters at the age of 12. To achieve that, you have to work a lot," Anna said. "Nowadays, you cannot start too late if you want to be a top level player. Every time, you have to think if you are ready to sacrifice your childhood. Whether you want to be a part of fun activities with other children or work on chess and try to achieve more. It depends on the child and also a lot on the parents because they have to be supportive," she further added. The Ukrainian international has already achieved every milestone in her career, with multiple world titles in Blitz and Rapid Chess tournaments, and the Grandmaster title among them. But she continues to hope to one day complete the set by winning the Women's World title in classical chess, a title she narrowly missed out in 2017. With her focus on her sporting goal, is Anna now able to find a balance between personal and professional life? "It's always difficult. We see that some players manage both parts of life. But even if you are not at the very top, it's still hard. Right now, I am not married and do not have kids. So when I do have them, then I will be able to better tell how I am managing both," she said. In her free time, whatever little she could find, Anna prefers to be with her friends and family, or attend some musical concerts. She also has a keen interest in learning foreign languages, programming, and also recently found a keen interest in hairstyles. "If not for a chess player, maybe I was doing something in the hairstyle industry," she said with a laugh. Anna has also been quite vocal on equal rights for women over the years and also has been an advocate for growth of female players in chess. With Norway Chess providing equal pay for men and women, Anna feels it will motivate more female players to pick up the sport. "All the participants are really thankful to the organizers of the Norway Chess for making equal price fund for both men and women. It will give additional motivation to all the girls around the world," she signed off.
