Latest news with #MaxVerstappen
The Independent
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Lando Norris fastest again in final practice for Austrian Grand Prix
Lando Norris laid down a marker ahead of qualifying by finishing fastest in final practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. Norris, who set the quickest time at the Red Bull Ring on Friday, was again the fastest man in the concluding running before qualifying. Norris' best effort was enough to see off McLaren team-mate and championship rival Oscar Piastri, who holds a 22-point lead in the standings, by 0.118 seconds. Max Verstappen finished third for Red Bull, two tenths behind Norris, and a place clear of Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton was fifth in the other Ferrari, 0.466 sec off the leading pace. George Russell, a winner last time out in Canada, took sixth spot. Qualifying for Sunday's 11th round of the season gets under way at 1600 local time (1500 BST).
BBC News
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Austrian Grand Prix final practice before qualifying
Update: Date: 11:42 BST Title: Norris gets ready Content: Lando Norris has his helmet on and has hopped into his McLaren. He was the fastest driver in second practice and will be hoping to replicate that performance. Update: Date: 11:40 BST Title: Sea of orange Content: Fans are decked out in their gear with their signs and there is a sea of orange across the crowds. Max Verstappen performs strongly at the Red Bull Ring, will he get pole? Update: Date: 11:38 BST Title: Verstappen fastest Content: Max Verstappen is on a flying lap, going purple in all three sectors. He loves this track, grabbing race and sprint wins - can he do it again? He's joined on track by the Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Update: Date: 11:35 BST Title: Post Content: Our first car is out on track. Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin is the first car to get going at the Red Bull Ring. Meanwhile, Lando Norris is sat on top of a counter having a chat to his trainer Jon. It's all very cool and calm at the moment. Update: Date: 11:34 BST Title: Tyre talk Content: What tyres have Pirelli packed for the trip to Austria? It's the C3 hard tyres, C4 mediums and C5 soft compound. The green intermediates and blue full wets are also available, if needed. Update: Date: 11:32 BST Title: All quiet on the track Content: The drivers are not in a rush to head out on to the track just yet, Charles Leclerc's been signing hats for fans before he made his way into the garage. Update: Date: 11:30 BST Title: Go! Go! Go! Content: Lights out, time for third practice! Take your Brad Pitt and Sebastian Vettel masks off Max and Yuki, it's time to go driving. Update: Date: 11:30 BST Title: 'Zero chance of rain' Content: Rosanna Tennant5 Live F1 reporter at Red Bull Ring It's lovely and warm here, 24C. But if you look up, there is a lot of cloud cover, especially over the circuit. There are some dark clouds but I've checked the weather forecast and there is a zero chance of rain, so hopefully we get a dry final practice session. Update: Date: 11:29 BST Title: What is the weather like in Spielberg? Content: Sunny intervals and gentle breeze is forecasted for third practice. There is also no signs of rain. Update: Date: 11:27 BST Title: Tune in Content: BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra Rosanna Tennant, Ben Edwards, British racing driver Alice Powell and F1 correspondent Andrew Benson will be joining us for the radio commentary. Commentary is available via the 'listen live' tab at the top of this page. You can also listen on BBC Sounds or by asking your smart speaker to play BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. Update: Date: 11:25 BST Title: Drivers' dinner Content: F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali took the drivers out for a meal on Thursday before the Austrian Grand Prix weekend began. Lots of smiles from the 19 drivers that were in attendance. My question is, who would you sit next to? Update: Date: 11:24 BST Title: Mercedes move to second Content: After their double podium, Mercedes have moved up to the second spot, Ferrari are in third with just 16 joints behind them. McLaren continue to show their dominance this season, with a total of 375 points in the constructors standings. Update: Date: 11:22 BST Title: Piastri continues to lead Content: McLaren's Oscar Piastri continues his lead in the championship, 22 points ahead of his team-mate Lando Norris, who did not finish the race in Canada. Max Verstappen may be in third place in the standings, but the gap between him and Norris is just 21 points. George Russell is comfortably in fourth after he won in Montreal. Esteban Ocon moved up to ninth, after collecting points last time out. Update: Date: 11:20 BST Title: Why isn't there a sprint race in Austria? Content: Ask Me Anything BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team have been answering F1-related questions. Here's one on why there isn't a sprint race at the Red Bull Ring this year. Formula 1 have replaced the Austrian Grand Prix sprint race with Belgium for the 2025 season. Austria held a sprint at the Red Bull Ring on three occasions from 2022-2024 – all three won by Max Verstappen. It had become a staple part of the race weekend's schedule over the years because of the short, fast and high-speed nature of the circuit, making it the perfect location for a sprint. Although Formula 1 has not said why Austria has been dropped, it can be assumed, because of the growing popularity of the sprint, the sport wants to widen the sprint race format to different locations. Update: Date: 11:18 BST Title: What happened in Friday's sessions? Content: If you missed yesterday's sessions or need a recap, here's what happened: Now you will notice that this session will not be the sprint race we are all used to seeing at the Red Bull Ring... Update: Date: 11:16 BST Title: Welcome! Content: Hello everyone, welcome to our live text coverage of third practice and qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix. Third practice goes green at 11:30 Lights out for qualifying at 15:00 Will McLaren continue to show their dominant performance? Or will we see someone else on pole? We will find out later in qualifying, but for now there is just 15 minutes to go before an hour of third practice.
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Red Bull Insider Confirms Mercedes Chasing Max Verstappen
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 senior advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed Mercedes' pursuit of four-time world champion Max Verstappen for the 2026 season. His statements confirm George Russell's revelation about Mercedes' ongoing talks with Verstappen. Mercedes tried hard last year to sign Verstappen after Lewis Hamilton announced his signing with Ferrari for the 2025 season. But with Verstappen keen on continuing with Red Bull, Wolff signed rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Now, it appears that Mercedes has once again shown interest in having Verstappen on board for the 2026 season, the year when F1 enters a new era of regulations with new cars that could potentially reset the grid. Having Verstappen in one of its cars would add a layer of confidence to Mercedes' 2026 prospects, especially as all teams head into a big unknown with cars set to run on 50 percent electric power. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 26, 2025 in Spielberg,... Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 26, 2025 in Spielberg, Austria. MoreMarko revealed why Mercedes wanted to sign Verstappen in an interview with OE24, ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. When he was asked about Mercedes' interest in Verstappen to potentially prevent Aston Martin from signing him in the future, Marko said: "We won't go into that, because Max will stay at Red Bull next year." Quizzed as to why the rumor about Wolff's interest in Verstappen has been so persistent, the 81-year-old Red Bull advisor added: "Toto wants to win. And he knows full well that if he has a Max Verstappen, his chances are better." Related: Toto Wolff Drops Big Hint on Talks with Max Verstappen for Mercedes Seat Russell, whose Mercedes contract expires at the end of 2025, acknowledged his team's interest in signing the Red Bull driver. Despite showcasing his racing prowess, Russell's place in the team hasn't been confirmed for the next season. The Briton hinted that the delay behind his contract extension was Mercedes's discussion with Verstappen. Newsweek Sports reported his comments in Austria: "It's not something that I'm pressing massively because, as I've always said, the performance is the priority, and I feel with the performance I'm showing at the moment - still in line with the performance I've shown over all these years - I've got zero reasons to be worried. "But obviously, it does help if there was pen on paper. But let's see." He added: "From my side, I don't think I have anything really to worry about. I think, as a team, it depends where you put your aspirations. "We're second best at the moment, maybe third best. We might be overperforming slightly to be second best. "As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you're going to be back on top you need to make sure you've got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that's what Mercedes are chasing. "So, it's only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. 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."
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Why Max Verstappen SNUBBED Lewis Hamilton's F1 film after he 'refused' to take part in nightclub scene with Brad Pitt
Max Verstappen has admitted that he would prefer to stay at home and look after his two-month old baby rather than attend black tie events after he snubbed two premieres for Lewis Hamilton 's new F1 film. 'F1', which counts seven-time world champion Hamilton as an executive producer, was released on Wednesday amid fanfare from fans and drivers. Formula One stars were given a first glimpse of the movie, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, in a private screening before the Monaco Grand Prix last month. The film's premiere in New York was attended by drivers Lando Norris, Ollie Bearmam, Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz. But Verstappen swerved both events and admitted he has not even watched the film yet, instead preferring to spend time looking after his newborn. The Red Bull driver welcomed his first child at the beginning of May with partner Kelly Piquet. The Dutchman, 27, told The Sun: 'Being authentic is not something I have to try and focus on. It's just who I am. 'I don't like to be on the red carpet and dress up in a suit. I don't like to interact with people that I don't really know, and have a fake smile and fake chat. It's horrible, I just don't enjoy it. 'I prefer to hang out with my friends and spend time with my little family. I also have a lot of other projects going on outside of F1. 'So any extra work like red carpets is not what I want to do. I'm at a stage of my career where I've achieved so much professionally. 'I'm just focusing outside of it now, like my big passions to make life more enjoyable and not just being performance driven.' 'With the nappies, some are more smelly than others!' The four-time world champion even declined to take part in an extra nightclub scene for the film with Brad Pitt. Other drivers took a greater interest in the movie. 'I'll just say, for the pure F1 fan, be open-minded to Hollywood films,' Williams driver Carlos Sainz said. Formula One teams were keen to help producers and granted the actors unprecedented access to their facilities. McLaren handed them access to their Woking headquarters while Williams allowed them to use their wind tunnel for four days. Silverstone was essentially rented out to film-makers for three months in summer 2023, leaving junior drivers unable to use the track. Hamilton's production company Dawn Apollo features in the opening credits and has been credited with playing a decisive role as he helped train Pitt and Idris in Formula 2 cars. Joseph Kosinski, who was behind Top Gun: Maverick, and directed the latest potential blockbuster, revealed ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix: 'Lewis was the first person I reached out to. 'I sent him an email and said, 'I want to make it as authentic as possible. Will you help me?' And luckily, Lewis said, 'Yes'. 'He was involved in all the technical details with fascinating advice. In Hungary, for instance, he said, 'If Brad's going to let someone pass during a blue flag and he wants it to be as tight as possible, he's only going to do that at turn six'. That kind of detail, I couldn't have gotten from anywhere else.'
New York Times
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
F1 Austrian GP live updates: Follow latest from qualifying and FP3 at the Red Bull Ring today
Those who want to step back from the corporate labelling might like a little history lesson here. This former airfield was soon remodelled into a racing track, hosting its first action as the Osterreichring in 1969 and holding its first grand prix a year later. After decade-long absence following numerous crashes and a Hermann Tilke redesign, the A1 ring was back on the calendar from 1997. Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz then bought the track in 2004 after another impending absence from the calendar — and the renamed Red Bull Ring has been an F1 mainstay since 2014. In that 11-race run, Red Bull (well, Max Verstappen) has won the Austrian Grand Prix four times. There were also two Styrian Grands Prix held at the circuit in 2020 and 2021 — named after the province in Austria — as F1 looked to work around the COVID pandemic. Verstappen also won one of those. The track is relatively short, comes with just 10 corners (if you're generous to the kink labelled Turn 2) and plenty of gradient changes, both uphill and down. Only Spa-Francorchamps has a greater elevation change through a lap. The highlight is Turn 9, also known as Rindt, as the cars tear through the high-speed right hander in the midst of a roaring trip downhill. Here are the key circuit facts: Circuit length: 4.326 km (2.688 miles) (2.688 miles) Laps: 71 Lap record: 1:05.619 (Carlos Sainz, 2020) (Carlos Sainz, 2020) First GP: 1970 You can take a trip around the delights of the Red Bull Ring with Madeline Coleman 's circuit breakdown, which is linked below. GO FURTHER Austrian GP track breakdown: F1's mountain sprint at the mighty Red Bull Ring
