George Russell edged out Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris to pole position for the British GP as the race’s three home drivers waged an intense fight to head Sunday’s Silverstone grid.
For the first-time ever in the history of the British GP, and the first time anywhere in F1 since 1968, the front three positions on the grid will be taken up by a trio of British drivers.
Russell, who won last week’s Austrian GP after profiting from the collision between Norris and Max Verstappen, took his second pole in four races by a 0.171s margin from Hamilton after a final lap of 1:25.819.
On a difficult and disappointing day world championship leaders Red Bull, Verstappen qualified only fourth after his pace was compromised by floor damage sustained when an error sent him through the gravel at Copse corner amid on-off rain during a frantic Q1 session.
Sergio Perez spins and beaches his car in the gravel bringing out the red flag and he is out in Q1!
But qualifying was again far worse for team-mate Sergio Perez whose recent woes deepened after he spun out at the same turn, beached his car in the gravel and qualified on the back row in 19th place.
With the Red Bulls out of the pole picture, Russell, Hamilton and Norris took centre stage in front of the passionate home Silverstone crowd and turned the battle for pole in to an exclusive all-British fight.
Karun Chandhok analyses George Russell and Lewis Hamilton’s fastest laps during qualifying of the British GP.
Oscar Piastri was fifth in the second McLaren with Nico Hulkenberg again impressing in qualifying to take sixth, ahead of both Ferraris as the Scuderia suffered fresh disappointment.
Carlos Sainz was only seventh while Charles Leclerc was knocked out in Q2 and will start from 11th.
More to follow…
British GP Qualifying: Top 10
1) George Russell, Mercedes
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
3) Lando Norris, McLaren
4) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
6) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas
7) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
8) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
9) Alex Albon, Williams
10) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)
Here’s what you can look forward to during coverage of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
Sunday July 7 8:15am: F3 Feature Race 9:50am: F2 Feature Race 11:50am: Porsche Supercup 1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up 3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX 5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction 6pm: Ted’s Notebook
F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Bernie Collins and Ted Kravitz are the latest guests on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast as they discuss Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull and analyse how the 2025 grid is shaping up.
With host Matt Baker, the trio look at how the 2025 grid is shaping up after Red Bull decided to give Sergio Perez a new deal, before their sister squad RB took up an option to extend Yuki Tsunoda’s contract by a further year.
The largest question left for 2025 is where Carlos Sainz will end up with Lewis Hamilton taking his Ferrari seat.
The initial team that were reportedly looking to sign Sainz were Sauber, who will become the Audi works team in 2026, with the German manufacturer keen to have Sainz as their lead driver.
However, Williams are also reportedly interested, with Sainz’s choice becoming a real key for how the grid will look come next season.
On the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Bernie Collins and Ted Kravitz discuss the recent reports about Alpine considering an engine change in 2026
Baker, Kravitz, and Collins also look at how Verstappen’s career trajectory may shape up. The defending world champion is contracted with Red Bull until 2028 but Kravitz and Collins question whether he will see out his contract there, leave early, or make a shock Hamilton-esque move once his contract is up.
The trio also discuss what the 2026 regulation changes will look like for the teams and their cars.
Sky Sports F1’s live Spanish GP schedule
Image: Spanish GP
Thursday June 20
1.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
Friday June 21
7.45am: F1 Academy Practice 8:50am: F3 Practice 10am: F2 Practice 12pm: Spanish GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm) 1.55pm: F3 Qualifying 2.50pm: F2 Qualifying 3.35pm: Spanish GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm) 5.25pm: F1 Academy Qualifying 6.15pm: The F1 Show
Saturday June 22 9.35am: F3 Sprint 11:15am: Spanish Romagna GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am) 1.10pm: F2 Sprint 2.10pm: Spanish GP Qualifying build-up 3pm: Spanish GP Qualifying 5pm: F1 Academy Race 1
Sunday June 23 7.45am: F1 Academy Race 2 9am: F3 Feature Race 10.30am: F2 Feature Race 12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Spanish GP build-up 2pm: The SPANISH GRAND PRIX 4pm: Chequered Flag: Spanish GP reaction
Formula 1 heads back to Europe as the championship moves on to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix. Watch every session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from June 21-23 live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Christian Horner insists Max Verstappen will not be changing after again defending his driver following his clash with Lando Norris at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion was handed a 10-second penalty for the incident on lap 64 with the pair fighting for the lead which resulted in them colliding and allowed Mercedes’ George Russell to sweep through for victory.
Speaking at Red Bull Racing headquarters in Milton Keynes ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, team principal Horner backed Verstappen’s approach and expects more close racing between him and McLaren rival Norris.
“I understand they’ve spoken already, I don’t think there is any issue,” Horner told Sky Sports News. “Certainly, from Max’s side, he’s not going to change.
“There’s an element, I think, of Lando learning how to race Max and they’re discovering that. Inevitably, there is going to be more close racing between the two of them as the cars look so close over the forthcoming races.
“Max is a hard racer – he’s probably one of the hardest racers on the circuit and everybody knows that if you’re going to race against Max, he’s going to give as good as he gets.”
Verstappen eventually finished fifth in Austria, although the clash brought an end to Norris’ race and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was among those to fiercely criticise the Dutchman amid the fall-out at the Red Bull Ring.
Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to give his verdict on whether Max Verstappen or Lando Norris was at fault for the crash which saw both of them surrender the chance of winning
However, Horner refuted Stella’s assertion that it was a direct result of Verstappen not being punished for incidents when he and Lewis Hamilton were fighting it out for the world title three years ago.
“He raced incredibly hard in 2021, he’s a tough racer, and he hasn’t really been racing anyone for two years because he’s been out front so much,” Horner said.
“The conflict between the two of them has been building over two, three, four races where they’ve been racing each other closely and hard, and at some point that was always going to spill over – and it did at Turn 3.
“He was punished in 2021 if he did something wrong just as Lewis, who he was racing so hard that year, was for things he did wrong.
“I think it’s wrong and unfair to label a driver like that and I’m sure in the heat of the moment it was frustrating for Andrea, but that’s just tough racing. He worked with Michael Schumacher [at Ferrari] for so many years – he of all people should know that.”
Norris was left fuming after his collision with Verstappen saw him have to retire from the Austrian Grand Prix
As one of three British drivers on the grid, Norris will likely have sizeable support at Silverstone when Formula 1 rolls into the Northamptonshire circuit for the British Grand Prix this weekend.
Horner is not concerned about the possibility of Verstappen facing a hostile reception though.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a partisan crowd for the British drivers as it is for Max in Holland, but I think whenever we go to those tracks there is always respect for the other drivers,” Horner said.
“I hope Max gets a reasonable reception and I’m sure it’s going to be all orange again this weekend – perhaps not Max Verstappen fans, more McLaren fans.
“That’ll be water off a duck’s back to him, he’ll have his head down and he won’t change. He’s the racer he is and I’m sure he’ll race just as hard this weekend.”
F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
While Max Verstappen’s collision with Lando Norris unsurprisingly dominated the headlines at the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s biggest issue at their home circuit was the continued underperformance of Sergio Perez.
Verstappen was on course to complete a Sprint and race double at the Red Bull Ring before a slow second pit stop gave Norris the chance to attack him and led to a collision with eight laps to go that ruined both of their chances.
Given Verstappen’s Red Bull and Norris’ McLaren were the two fastest cars on the track, it would be fair to assume that the most likely candidates to pick up the pieces would have been one of their team-mates.
Instead, it was Mercedes’ George Russell who gleefully accepted the second grand prix win of his F1 career and a first victory for Mercedes since November 2022.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who finished second, could count himself unfortunate, having cruelly had a qualifying lap that would have put him third on the grid deleted for a track limits breach. Starting from seventh, the Australian made solid progress and was a threat to Russell in the closing stages.
Highlights of the Austrian Grand Prix from Red Bull Ring.
But with Piastri chasing Russell to the chequered flag, and securing a useful haul of 18 points for the Constructors’ Championship, where was Verstappen’s team-mate?
On the final lap, Perez was unsuccessfully attempting to pass the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg for sixth and being left to settle for seventh place, which would have been P9 if it weren’t for the crash up front.
Remarkably, this was Perez’s best grand prix finish in the last five races, three of which have been won by Verstappen.
Sergio Perez’s 2024 results
Event
Qualifying
Race
Bahrain
5th
2nd
Saudi Arabia
3rd
2nd
Australia
6th
5th
Japan
2nd
2nd
China
2nd
3rd
Miami
4th
4th
Imola
11th
8th
Monaco
16th
DNF
Canada
16th
DNF
Spain
11th
8th
Austria
8th
7th
New contract signed despite dismal form
After making a very solid start to the season that left him second in the drivers’ standings after six rounds on 101 points, 35 back from Verstappen, Perez has completely fallen apart.
In the five rounds since Miami, Perez has scored just 15 points, leaving Verstappen to fight alone, both in terms of race strategies and the constructors’ championship, in which Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes are each attempting to chase Red Bull down.
Perez said he was aiming for a positive weekend in Austria after suffering several ‘nightmare’ races this season.
Verstappen has amassed 101 points during the last five rounds, while the six drivers representing the other front runners have scored from between 52 to 74 points during that time. Perez has dropped to fifth overall, with Piastri and Russell just six and seven points back, respectively.
Perez’s loss of form has been compared to last season when his level dropped after a strong start that included two victories and two second places in the opening five races.
However, Red Bull’s 2023 advantage over the rest of the field in race pace was such that even with several shocking qualifying performances, Perez only finished outside of the top six in three of the 20 races he completed.
Top eight drivers’ points totals in last five rounds
Driver
Team
Points
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
101
George Russell
Mercedes
74
Lando Norris
McLaren
73
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
71
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
58
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
52
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
52
Sergio Perez
Red Bull
15
In 2024, with the chasing pack right on Red Bull’s tail, Perez is on a streak of five races without finishing in the top six.
In a decision that is being made to look more and more questionable by the week, two races into Perez’s current barren run, Red Bull gave him a two-year contract extension, ending speculation that he could be replaced for 2025.
If the team thought that giving Perez a new deal would relieve pressure on him and lead to better performances, they were wrong – at least to this point.
Along with the highly lucrative sponsorship money Perez brings in from his home region, the other main motivating factor for keeping him in place was surely to placate Verstappen, who remains the subject of interest from rivals Mercedes.
Having only just signed a new contract with Red Bull, Sergio Perez failed to make it out of Q1 at the Canadian Grand Prix.
However, while Verstappen may not want a team-mate capable of challenging him for victories on a regular basis, Perez’s lack of competitiveness is becoming a major issue for Red Bull.
Ferrari had cut Red Bull’s lead at the top of the constructors’ standings to 24 points after the Monaco Grand Prix, but a disappointing run of form since for the Italian team has allowed Verstappen to almost single-handedly extend his team’s advantage to 64 points.
Horner: Pressure remains irrelevant of contracts
Horner has defended Perez throughout his poor run of form, but during an interview with Sky Sports F1 in Austria on Saturday, appeared to hint for the first time that Perez’s contract alone isn’t enough to guarantee his 2025 seat.
“We’re doing our best to support him and to fire what it is that’s missing,” Horner said.
Damon Hill unpicks what Red Bull can do to further support Perez after the Mexican driver crashed out of successive races.
“The first four, five races were very competitive and whatever’s happened that’s caused him to drop off… At Suzuka, one of the toughest tracks in the world and a real drivers’ circuit, he was a tenth of a second off Max, here with nine corners, the gap is obviously significantly greater. We just need to get to the bottom of it and help him recover.
“Checo’s position within the team, and what he’s contributed to the team warranted that [contract]. But of course, there’s always pressure to perform and that is irrelevant of contracts, which we’re obviously never going to go into the detail of.”
While Perez’s new contract was initially announced as a two-year deal that would see him remain with the team until the end of 2026, Horner – perhaps accidentally – revealed in Canada last month that it was a ‘one-plus-one’ deal, leaving escape clauses after the first year.
Perez and Carlos Sainz were forced to retire their cars after they both suffered separate crashes at the Canadian Grand Prix.
At this point, the bigger question appears to be whether Perez will make it to the start – rather than the end – of the first year of deal.
“Checo knows it’s a pressure business and he knows the scrutiny that there is, particularly in a car that’s winning a lot of races and performing with the other driver the way it is,” Horner said.
“So that’s F1, and that pressure just naturally exists on any team-mate that is under delivering. The media start asking questions and it’s very easy to lose your head.
“Now what I’ve been impressed with Checo over the last four years, is that whenever the pressure has really been on, and it’s on at the moment, he’s always been able to bounce back. And he’s going to need to dig deep to do that.”
Who would replace Perez?
When the possible alternatives to Perez are considered, it does become slightly more understandable as to why Red Bull were willing to keep him around.
Carlos Sainz is a free agent but the outgoing Ferrari driver’s arrival would have the potential to unsettle Verstappen and was therefore never realistic.
Alex Albon had been heavily linked with a return to Red Bull but instead chose to sign a long-term deal with Williams.
Perez revealed it was a ‘straightforward’ negotiation that resulted in the Mexican driver signing on for another two years with Red Bull.
That leaves the two most obvious candidates as the drivers at Red Bull’s junior team, Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo.
Tsunoda started the season very strongly and earned a one-year contract extension of his own, but his form has deteriorated at the moment where strong results could have put the Red Bull hierarchy under pressure to consider him.
While Tsunoda has failed to score points in the last three grands prix, Ricciardo’s performance has picked up with two points-scoring finishes, but the Australian has not yet done enough to earn an extension with RB, let alone a promotion to Red Bull.
That leaves Red Bull in the strange position of having little they can do for the moment about their Perez problem, aside from hoping for what appears to be an increasingly unlikely turnaround in his form.
Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)
Image: The British Grand Prix takes place this Sunday live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase
Thursday July 4 1.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference 6pm: The F1 Show
Friday July 5 8.35am: F3 Practice 9.55am: F2 Practice 12pm: British GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm) 2.05pm: F3 Qualifying 3pm: F2 Qualifying 3.45pm:British GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
Saturday July 6 9.15am: F3 Sprint 11.15am:British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am) 1.10pm: F2 Sprint 2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up 3pm: British GP Qualifying 5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday July 7 8:15am: F3 Feature Race 9:50am: F2 Feature Race 11:50am: Porsche Supercup 1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up 3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX 5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction 6pm: Ted’s Notebook
F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Lando Norris says he is “excited” to see if McLaren can mount a challenge against Max Verstappen in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix by maintaining their strong recent race pace.
As had been the case in Sprint Qualifying on Friday, Norris qualified second behind Red Bull’s Verstappen on Saturday, but the 0.4s margin between the top two was far greater than it had been 24 hours earlier.
Setup changes made by Red Bull, after Verstappen had held off a strong challenge from Norris and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in the 23-lap Sprint race, appeared to have a hugely positive impact as the Dutchman dominated.
Despite admitting Verstappen’s performance was somewhat ominous, Norris held on to the hope that McLaren can maintain their recent trend of being stronger on Sunday than Saturday.
Highlights of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix
“It’s another day,” Norris said. “Things can change and conditions are going to be very warm again.
“The races have been very good to us lately, one of our strengths relative to qualifying, so I’m excited to see what we can do.”
Norris displayed promising early pace in the Sprint as he overtook Verstappen for the lead, but lost concentration to allow the Red Bull straight back through along with Piastri.
Max Verstappen somehow held off a charging Lando Norris to maintain the lead during the early stages of the Sprint
Asked what his plan is for the start of Sunday’s race, Norris said: “Kind of the same, but not.
“Just tidying up a few things from before. I know what I did wrong, it was obviously very clear.
“From the pace advantage Max had today, that’s probably going to carry into something tomorrow as well.”
Verstappen hopes ‘improved balance’ translates to race
Having ended a streak of three races without a pole position, Verstappen was hopeful that the clear improvements Red Bull made after the Sprint will carry over into the race.
“That’s of course something that I hope is going to be good as well,” he said.
Max Verstappen looks ahead to his front-row battle with Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix, saying it’ll be a long race with many factors
“I will find out tomorrow. I felt like the car just improved a bit balance-wise, which hopefully will help the tyres tomorrow as well because it’s still going to be a hot and long race.
“So you really have to look after the tyres, and that’s what we’ll try to do.”
Having helped him dominate the sport for much of the last two years, Verstappen has been uncomfortable in the RB20 in recent weeks despite battling his way to some impressive results.
Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to analyse how Red Bull’s Max Verstappen comfortably beat McLaren’s Lando Norris to start on pole for Sunday’s race in Austria
Asked how the team have been able to optimise the car at the Red Bull Ring, he added: “Just a more stable balance, a bit more connected front to rear. And that worked out well.
“I think we made the right changes. And then you can see that it’s little things that sometimes can actually make quite a bit of a difference in lap time.
So I’m, of course, very happy with that because, like I said before, we haven’t had the easiest of runs, and I think pure pace has been a bit harder for us compared to the last two years. So this is definitely very positive for everyone.”
Russell confident of podium chance
While the front row is reverse from last week’s starting order in Barcelona, third place remains the same, with Mercedes’ George Russell having benefitted from Piastri being demoted due to a track limits violation.
Russell produced a stunning start in Spain to take the lead around the outside of the first corner, but admits that he is more likely to be focused on the cars behind him this time around.
George Russell admitted his battle isn’t with Lando Norris, but with keeping the Ferrari’s and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri behind
The second and third rows will both be Mercedes-Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc starting alongside Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton, respectively.
Despite his lack of expectation in terms of troubling Verstappen and Norris, Russell is confident of holding off the Ferraris and a potentially charging Piastri from seventh for the final podium spot.
“Lando and Oscar seem a little bit quicker than us,” Russell said. “Obviously Max is down the road at the moment.
Highlights of the Sprint from the Austrian Grand Prix
“I’m confident Lewis and I can probably beat the Ferraris tomorrow and probably hold up Oscar’s progress, but it’s a long race, high degradation, anything could happen.
“I think it’s a bit more challenging here. These guys always get their elbows out. So maybe this time sit back and watch it all take place. Last week I lost a lot time battling with Lando and probably focused too much on the guys ahead of me and ultimately that cost me a position to Lewis. I think the race is behind tomorrow.”
Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule
Sunday June 30 7.25am: F3 Feature Race 8.55am: F2 Feature Race 12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up* 2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX* 4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction* 5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s triple-header continues with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Max Verstappen claimed his 40th F1 pole position by beating Lando Norris in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who won the Sprint earlier on Saturday, has been on top form all weekend and took pole by 0.404s from Norris on the shortest track on the calendar in terms of lap time.
Oscar Piastri had gone third fastest in qualifying but had his lap time deleted for track limits at Turn Six, so George Russell was promoted to third, with Carlos Sainz in fourth.
Piastri dropped four places to seventh, behind Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who nearly crashed at the end of Q3 at the penultimate corner.
Sergio Perez qualified eighth, with Nico Hulkenberg in ninth but under investigation for two pit lane infringements, and Esteban Ocon was 10th.
More to follow…
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Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule
Saturday June 29 12.25pm: F2 Sprint 2pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up 3pm: Austrian GP Qualifying 5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 30 7.25am: F3 Feature Race 8.55am: F2 Feature Race 12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up* 2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX* 4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction* 5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s triple-header continues with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Max Verstappen says the latest public feud between his father Jos and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is “not nice” and “could have been avoided”.
Following clashes between the pair earlier in the year, the conflict reignited at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix as Verstappen Snr claimed that Horner had effectively blocked him from taking part in the Legends Parade ahead of Sunday’s race.
After Verstappen Snr had told De Telegraaf that he found Horner’s actions “very disappointing”, the Brit responded on Friday by insisting that there had been “no veto” from him.
After delivering another superb drive to extend his lead at the top of the world championship by winning Saturday’s Sprint in Austria, Verstappen was once more left to answer questions about the relationship between his father and team boss.
“Naturally, of course it’s not nice. Not for myself, not for my dad, not Christian, not for the team,” he said.
Highlights of the Sprint from the Austrian Grand Prix.
“Of course you don’t want these things to happen. My dad has been quite clear about the reason behind it and of course I can understand his opinion on it.
“Because at the end of the day, he gets asked to drive the car, finds out he’s not wanted to drive the car. My dad doesn’t actually care about driving the car, but he got asked ‘please, do it for the Dutch fans?’ Red Bull, we have a great relationship with, home track. So I understand.
“On the other hand, I’m here to focus on the performance side of things, so I want a good relationship with everyone. But of course, this scenario could have been avoided.”
What caused latest Verstappen-Horner spat?
Verstappen Snr was scheduled to drive Sebastian Vettel’s 2012 title-winning Red Bull in the pre-race parade around the team’s home track but the Dutchman said he had pulled out after alleged interference from Horner.
Max’s father, in quotes attributed to him by De Telegraaf, said: “In recent days I have heard from several sources that Christian Horner has done everything he can not to let me drive. And otherwise to ensure that nothing would be filmed. Then I think: say it to my face. This is not necessary for me, I find it very disappointing.”
Asked for his response to those claims, Horner said: “The Legends Parade is something which is organised by the circuit.
With Mercedes’ Toto Wolff touting a move for Max Verstappen, Red Bull boss Christian Horner joked he would allow his father Jos to move to the Silver Arrows instead!
“There was no veto from my side and I’m sure the legends will be in action later.”
The relationship between Horner and the father of F1’s world champion driver has been in the spotlight ever since the start of the season when Jos Verstappen explosively suggested the Red Bull team was “in danger of being torn apart” if the team principal remained in his position.
That came after the conclusion of the Red Bull GmbH investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour against Horner by a female colleague. The grievance against Horner, who has always denied the claims, was dismissed. The complainant subsequently appealed the decision.
Max Verstappen somehow held off a charging Lando Norris to maintain the lead during the early stages of the Sprint.
On the state of his relationship with Jos, Horner added: “You can’t control everything in life. I can’t control relationships with drivers’ fathers. My focus is on performance with drivers and the team. That’s where it will remain.
“I’ve never had an issue with any of our drivers’ fathers in the past and whatever Jos’ issues are, I’ve really got nothing to comment on.”
Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule
Saturday June 29 2pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up 3pm: Austrian GP Qualifying 5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 30 7.25am: F3 Feature Race 8.55am: F2 Feature Race 12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up* 2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX* 4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction* 5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s triple-header continues at the Austrian Grand Prix with the Sprint format at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Max Verstappen admits his team cannot afford “messy” weekends to continue winning in Formula 1, such are the tight margins between Red Bull and McLaren ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen and Lando Norris have fought for the win in four of the last five events as the field has closed up since the latter won the Miami Grand Prix in early May.
Ferrari and Mercedes were slightly off the pace last time out in Barcelona but the short lap time at the Red Bull Ring, which is the shortest of the year, should make things extremely competitive.
McLaren are the team with momentum though and it was this time 12 months ago when they put their first major upgrade on the car, which marked the start of their move towards the front of the pecking order.
“I think McLaren at the moment, they’re just very solid. They’re good everywhere, every single track,” said Verstappen, who leads the championship by 69 points from Norris.
“You could see in Barcelona, they were very good on their tyres. They could just push more on them compared to, I think, everyone else on the grid without actually degrading off that much at the end of stints.
“Even the last stint, my last few laps were quite a struggle, where Lando was definitely catching up a lot, so these are things that we have to do better. Plus, of course, our known issues with the kerbs and bumps, low speed, basically.”
Max Verstappen dismissed rumours he’d leave Red Bull anytime soon saying he’s focused on next year.
Important to be quick out of the blocks
Austria is a Sprint weekend, so there is just one practice session at 11.30am on Friday before going straight into Sprint Qualifying at 3.30pm – live on Sky Sports F1.
In Imola and Canada, Red Bull found themselves on the backfoot but spent hours in the simulator overnight to find a sweet spot and Verstappen was able to get onto the front row.
“I would say Barcelona, we had just a normal weekend, we were just too slow,” said Verstappen on Red Bull’s inconsistent Fridays recently.
Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the Austrian Grand Prix.
“Then you try to keep on making adjustments and then luckily, I think in qualifying, it all felt a bit better. But that was probably just a normal progression that you have throughout the weekend.
“Before that, of course, we had some messy weekends. So we cannot afford that anymore, these kind of things. So of course, I just hope for a clean weekend, basically like we did in Barcelona, but hopefully a little bit more pace as well.”
As for McLaren, they appear to have a more well-rounded car that is easier to get into the optimal working window.
Oscar Piastri has struggled at the last two events but thinks McLaren’s car is able to be fast straight away on a race weekend.
“Barcelona aside, I have been comfortable with the car from the first lap in practice,” he said.
“I think we should be pretty confident we can hit the ground running. Last weekend was a reminder it’s not always easy to achieve that, but we should be confident we can be strong out of the blocks.”
Traffic to be an issue
The short lap time means traffic will be a major problem in Sprint Qualifying and Qualifying, especially in the first segment of each session.
Ideally, the drivers will want to be three seconds behind another car who is also on a flying lap to get a small benefit of the slipstream without being hindered by dirty air in the corners.
However, the drivers will also back up before starting their lap in the final two corners, which now features gravel close to the edge of the circuit.
It’s an area which Norris is highly aware of and he believes certain drivers tend to allegedly block more than others.
George Russell says it’s good to see Lando Norris at the top battling for wins but joked he hopes it won’t ‘last long’.
“It’s always crazy, especially on shorter circuits. There are common denominators of people who get in the way and stuff like that. It’s normally quite clear who does it,” said Norris.
“For us, getting out of the way of people is the highest priority of our communication and it doesn’t seem like that’s the case for other people. Nothing we can do about it.
“It’s always chaotic because you use it to try to get slipstreams at times but with a blind last two corners it’s sometimes hard to know because the speed difference between a slow lap and quick lap are pretty big. That’s the challenge of the circuit.
“It’s up to the drivers, if they don’t want to get a penalty, they should tell their engineer to give more information on where people are.”
Take a look at Lando Norris’ rollercoaster race in Spain as the McLaren driver came so close to his second Formula 1 win.
Close fight expected for rest of the season
Red Bull have a 60-point advantage over Ferrari and are 93 points in front of McLaren in the constructors’ championship.
Sergio Perez has scored just four points in the last three races, with Christian Horner admitting the Mexican must improve to help the team in the title race.
Whether Perez can consistently perform closely to Verstappen will dictate McLaren and Ferrari’s chances to reel Red Bull in.
“We are working flat out as a team to make every weekend better and more straightforward. I know there will be good weekends and bad weekends,” said Perez.
“Last weekend the margins were extremely tight and if you find a couple tenths it will make a massive difference. It’s important to be calm about it.”
Sergio Perez says he’s aiming for a positive weekend in Austria after suffering several ‘nightmare’ races this season.
Perez hasn’t beaten Verstappen when both drivers have seen the chequered flag for over a year and the close fight at the front has seen other teams get in between the Red Bull pair.
The 34-year-old says “it’s important to maximise form” and expects the close competition to continue all the way until the season-finale in Abu Dhabi.
“I think it will be like this for the rest of the year unless someone finds a magic bullet. But I don’t expect it.
“It’s getting harder and harder for people to find performance. There will be tracks where one team is very good at and vice versa.
“It will be down to the level of detail, level of precision and maximising weekends when you have the opportunity to win.”
Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule
Thursday June 27 12.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
Friday June 28 7.50am: F3 Practice 9am: F2 Practice 11am: Austrian GP Practice One (session starts at 11.30am) 12.55pm: F3 Qualifying 1.50pm: F2 Qualifying 3pm: Austrian GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 3.30pm)*
Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Saturday June 29 8.25am: F3 Sprint 10am: Austrian GP Sprint (race starts at 11am)* 12.25pm: F2 Sprint 2pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up 3pm: Austrian GP Qualifying 5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 30 7.25am: F3 Feature Race 8.55am: F2 Feature Race 12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up* 2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX* 4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction* 5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s triple-header continues at the Austrian Grand Prix this coming week – with the Sprint format returning at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Max Verstappen has faced fresh questions about his Red Bull future beyond the end of this season but said he is staying for 2025.
Despite being on a contract that runs to the end of 2028, Verstappen’s future at the team has been subject of on-off speculation all season following tension at the team at the start of the year following the investigation into Christian Horner and public interest from Mercedes as they search for a replacement for Lewis Hamilton.
In the latest show of interest from Red Bull’s rivals, Mercedes chairman Ola Kallenius told Sky Germany at last week’s Spanish GP that Verstappen “would look good in silver”, although team boss and co-owner Toto Wolff subsequently said there were not any ongoing talks with the triple world champion.
Horner has repeatedly said that there was no doubt Verstappen would remain with Red Bull but, with the rumours about 2025 never having completely gone away, Verstappen was quizzed about his plains again when he appeared in front of the media in Thursday’s drivers’ press conference ahead of this weekend’s Austrian GP.
“I think I’ve said this before. Naturally, of course, people are talking but it’s most important just that we just have a very competitive car for the future,” said Verstappen, who is leading this year’s world championship by 69 points.
“At the moment, of course, it is very tight but we are working very well as a team to try and improve more.
“For sure, I said this already with the team, we are working and focusing also on next year to try and be competitive again.
Max Verstappen swiftly takes the lead from George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix
Asked if that meant that if his Red Bull car was not fastest by the end of the year, he would leave: “I don’t think that’s how Formula 1 works where then suddenly you could say ‘well, bye guys!”
“It’s not how it works.
“I’ve got a long contract with the team, I’m very happy where I’m at and, like I said before, we are focusing already on next year with things that we can implement on the car. So, I guess that should say enough of where I’m driving next year.”
Verstappen was then later asked to give a direct ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer over whether he would still be at Red Bull in 2025.
“You didn’t get that out of my answer before?” he replied, with a smile.
“I mean, ok, yes.
“But that’s what I said, we are already also working on next year’s car. I think when you are very focused on that that means you are also driving for the team.”
More to follow…
Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule
Thursday June 27 12.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
Friday June 28 7.50am: F3 Practice 9am: F2 Practice 11am: Austrian GP Practice One (session starts at 11.30am) 12.55pm: F3 Qualifying 1.50pm: F2 Qualifying 3pm: Austrian GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 3.30pm)*
Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the Austrian Grand Prix
Saturday June 29 8.25am: F3 Sprint 10am: Austrian GP Sprint (race starts at 11am)* 12.25pm: F2 Sprint 2pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up 3pm: Austrian GP Qualifying 5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 30 7.25am: F3 Feature Race 8.55am: F2 Feature Race 12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up* 2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX* 4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction* 5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s triple-header continues at the Austrian Grand Prix this coming week – with the Sprint format returning at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Lando Norris has “emerged from the pack” as the most “consistent challenger” to Max Verstappen with Red Bull expecting the McLaren driver to remain a big threat to them at their home Austrian GP this weekend.
Verstappen and Norris have finished in the top two positions at five of the past six grands prix.
Although the reigning champion has won five of those races to Norris’ one, the McLaren driver finished on the Red Bull driver’s tail at Imola, Montreal and, last Sunday, Barcelona to suggest he could still yet prove a genuine title threat to Verstappen over the 14 races that remain in the record-length 2024 season.
Norris’ latest runner-up finish in Spain moved him ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc into a career-best second place in the Drivers’ Championship, with the 24-year-old trailing Verstappen by 69 points.
And reflecting on his driver’s narrow two-second victory over Norris at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: “If Lando would have had track position it would have been difficult to beat them.
“It was so close between the two of them and they were 18 seconds ahead of the rest.
“I would say that Lando has emerged from the pack as the most consistent challenger.”
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Horner added: “We’ve had four pole winners in the last four races. It’s very, very tight.
“But Lando I would say, he seems to have worked out these tyres, McLaren have done a great job as well, and they’re going to push us hard for the rest of the year.”
Watch as George Russell and Norris battle for P2 at the Spanish Grand Prix
Norris, who won his maiden grand prix at the start of May at the Miami GP, has now finished second 10 times in races – nine times as runner-up to Verstappen – since McLaren introduced their transformative car upgrade at last year’s Austrian GP.
A lap of the Red Bull Ring takes little over 60 seconds to complete and Horner said ahead of this weekend’s Sprint event: “On such a short lap, it’s going to be so tight and we expect McLaren and Lando to be fast again.
“Ferrari and Mercedes? Who knows. If you look at the gap to those guys after the race it was pretty similar to last year. The one who has stepped up is Lando.”
Max Verstappen reflected on his thrilling performance to take the win at the Spanish Grand Prix
Indeed, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff – whose improving team finished third and fourth at Barcelona ahead of the Ferraris – acknowledged that Red Bull and McLaren currently are a step ahead of the field.
“The McLaren was very quick [in Spain]. How quick, I don’t know, I think Max always has a little bit in the pocket and you see that makes that difference,” said Wolff.
“But definitely there’s not a lot at the moment between these two and they are definitely setting the benchmark.”
Is Norris a genuine title threat to Verstappen?
Although Norris’ championship deficit to Verstappen has grown by 13 points in the last two races despite McLaren having chances to win both – with the Dutchman now enjoying a season-high lead at the top of the standings of those 69 points – that could yet change quickly if the McLaren driver is able to convert his car’s ever-growing pace into a run of wins given how many points remain up for grabs this season (396).
This weekend’s Sprint event in Austria alone, which features a 100km race on the Saturday in addition Sunday’s main grand prix, offers an additional eight points compared with the majority of events.
A frustrated Lando Norris reviews the Spanish Grand Prix where he finished second.
Asked about his title chances after Spain, Norris said: “We should have got some points back on Max. Potentially, there was a chance to beat him in Canada. So two races that I finished second and he’s won
“But Max needs to stop winning in order to achieve that. Yeah, even though I moved into second in the championship, that doesn’t matter. I couldn’t care if I was second or 10th.
“It’s more about the gap to what Max is and he’s still extending it at the minute and that’s something we can’t afford to do or can’t afford to kind of let him run away with it at this point of the season.
“But we can do. You know, if I just made some better decisions in Canada and if I had a better start [on Sunday], we could have won two races. And I know there’s a lot of, and there kind of always has been a lot of ‘shoulda, woulda, couldas’, but we have what it takes. It’s just about putting it all together.”
‘Red Bull know where to improve’
Norris won a thrilling qualifying duel with Verstappen to claim just his second career pole position in Spain but then almost immediately lost that advantage at the start of the race when he dropped from first to third behind his victory rival and a fast-starting George Russell at the first corner.
George Russell snatches the lead from Lando Norris at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Having lost crucial track position, McLaren then extended Norris’ first two stints compared with the Red Bull with the Englishman coming back at Verstappen on pace on each occasion on fresher tyres after his pit stops before effectively running out of laps to attempt an overtake at the end of the race.
“McLaren certainly look fast at the end of stints, which is something we’ve seen at a couple of races now,” noted Horner.
“So their degradation seems to be good. But that’s a little bit offset by the strategy and the overlap in the tyre life.
“We had enough to get the job done and it’s the seventh victory of our 10 races. Four of them have been very hard but, again, the team are working at a level that we’re still delivering the pit stops, strategy etc but Max again demonstrated why he’s the world champion – at the key, key moments he delivers.”
The best of the action from an eventful Spanish Grand Prix.
Horner added: “He’s fantastic under pressure, he’s always been fantastic. Last year was a unicorn year, now it’s a more normal year. It’s not normal to win all the races, all of the time, and we’re having to fight very, very hard for them and Max is making the key difference.
“But we know where we need to improve. We are getting a better understanding of where our strengths and weaknesses are and we are doing enough at the moment to keep growing that championship lead.”
Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule
Thursday June 27 12.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
Friday June 28 7.50am: F3 Practice 9am: F2 Practice 11am: Austrian GP Practice One (session starts at 11.30am) 12.55pm: F3 Qualifying 1.50pm: F2 Qualifying 3pm: Austrian GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 3.30pm)*
Saturday June 29 8.25am: F3 Sprint 10am: Austrian GP Sprint (race starts at 11am)* 12.25pm: F2 Sprint 2pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up 3pm: Austrian GP Qualifying 5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 30 7.25am: F3 Feature Race 8.55am: F2 Feature Race 12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up* 2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX* 4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction* 5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s triple-header continues at the Austrian Grand Prix this coming week – with the Sprint format returning at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
