1+ hour, 50+ min ago (341+ words) Defending champion Max Verstappen boosted his chances of a fifth consecutive Formula One crown by capturing the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. The Dutchman sliced his deficit behind championship leader Lando Norris by more than half before next weekend's final race in Abu Dhabi. He now trails the British driver by 12 points. Verstappen finished in 1:24.38.241, nearly eight seconds ahead of Norris' McLaren's teammate Oscar Piastri. Carlos Sainz (Williams) finished third, while Norris placed fourth. "It's all possible now!" Verstappen said. "We will see. I don't worry about it too much." Verstappen was aided by an early error from the McLaren team. Just seven laps into the race, Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly clashed on Turn 1. With the field slowed, all of the drivers, except for Piastri and Norris, went to the pits and needed only one additional required stop. The…...

6+ day, 5+ hour ago (211+ words) Former Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher is joining Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season, the team announced Monday. Schumacher will drive the No. 47 Honda alongside RLL teammates Graham Rahal and 2025 Rookie of the Year Louis Foster. Schumacher, the 26-year-old son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, tested for RLL at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Oct. 13. A Swiss-born German, Schumacher made 43 F1 starts for Haas from 2021-22, with a best finish of sixth place. He moved to the FIA World Endurance Championship series in 2024 and posted three podium finishes in 16 starts. He won the FIA Formula 2 championship in 2020 and the FIA F3 European title in 2018. "I am delighted to confirm today that I will be competing in the IndyCar Series next year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, taking part in the full season," Schumacher said. "Having both an…...

1+ week, 11+ hour ago (265+ words) LAS VEGAS -- A stunning and potentially championship-altering development unraveled in the hours immediately following the Las Vegas Grand Prix early Sunday morning as McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified for skid wear that was less than the required thickness. Norris had finished second and Piastri fourth in the race behind winner and fellow championship contender Max Verstappen. The post-race inspection by F1A technical delegates found the rearmost skid wear on both McLaren MCL39 machines was found to be below the minimum 9mm thickness, leading a referral to race stewards. A re-measurement, in the presence of McLaren representatives, not only confirmed the violation but the measurements were even lower than first measured by the technical delegate. McLaren argued there were mitigating circumstances, according to F1A, with stewards dismissing the argument while "the FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the…...

1+ week, 13+ hour ago (292+ words) LAS VEGAS -- A stunning and potentially championship-altering development unraveled in the hours immediately following the Las Vegas Grand Prix early Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri could face DQ after Las Vegas Grand Prix LAS VEGAS -- A stunning and potentially championship-altering development unraveled in the hours immediately following the Las Vegas Grand Prix early Sunday morning, as FIA stewards summoned McLaren drivers and championship frontrunners Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for a rear plank that was less than the required thickness. The violation has exclusively resulted in disqualifications when brought to question in post-race investigations, most recently resulting in Nico Hulkenberg's disqualification at this past April's Bahrain Grand Prix. If Norris and Piastri are both disqualified, Red Bull's Max Verstappen would move within immediate striking distance of leader Lando Norris, sitting just 24 points behind the points leader with two weekends remaining on…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (220+ words) LAS VEGAS -- Lando Norris' attempt to rewrite his personal history at the Las Vegas Grand Prix couldn't have started any better. McLaren's championship front-runner will start the Saturday race from the front of the grid after clinching first place with a timely final lap at the conclusion of the third and final stage of a rainy qualifying session on Friday. Norris eclipsed Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.323, depriving the reigning four-time champion of what would have been his eighth pole of the season. Friday marked the first wet qualifying session since the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix last November, where Norris also claimed pole position and but Verstappen won that weekend's Grand Prix. Norris, 26, can move within proverbial inches of his first World Drivers' Championship with a win -- or even a positive result -- on Saturday. Norris previously struggled at the Las…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (579+ words) LAS VEGAS - An undecided World Drivers' Championship with three races remaining gives the third Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix a level of intrigue the previous editions lacked, but the spectacle-driven circuit on the Strip still hasn't become a favorite among the sport's drivers. In 2023, the first-ever practice session at the circuit was canceled after just eight minutes when then-Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz hit a loose drain cover after the concrete frame surrounding it failed. The 2024 Grand Prix went mostly without incident, though the race still presented a steep challenge for even the most skilled competitors on the grid. The driver with the most notable struggles in Las Vegas also happens to be the one with the most on the line heading into this weekend. Holding a 24-point lead over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the WDC standings with 83 available points…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (449+ words) LAS VEGAS -- For most of the 2025 Formula 1 season, it was a foregone conclusion that the World Drivers' Championship race would come down to McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who have benefited from an overwhelmingly superior car this season in comparison to the rest of the field. While McLaren has been at the forefront, reigning four-time champion Max Verstappen has lurked behind in the shadows. It was apparent from the opening round in Australia that Red Bull lacked the historic pace that Verstappen pushed to an unprecedented string of dominance, but the Dutchman has done just enough this season to give him a slice of life with three races left. Although Verstappen still trails Norris by 49 points and Piastri by 25 points, the fact that he still has a chance to steal a fifth consecutive title is borderline unfathomable given…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (497+ words) LAS VEGAS - McLaren's Lando Norris is set to join an exclusive club in Formula 1 history with his 150th start at Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix. Norris, once deemed a prospective phenom, can live up to all the hype he received in his youth and move even closer to his maiden World Drivers' Championship with a positive result in Sin City this weekend. Norris has been locked in a heated championship duel with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri throughout the season. Piastri started the season with four wins in the first six Grand Prixs and spent most of the season atop the WDC standings, leading Norris by as many as 34 points after Norris retired toward the end of August's Dutch Grand Prix due to a mechanical failure. Since that fateful day at Zandvoort, Norris has five podiums in six races and enters Las…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (361+ words) Drag racing legend John Force is retiring after 46 years on the track. Now 76, Force has not raced since June 2024, when his engine exploded at the NHRA Virginia Nationals, sending his burning car across the track at nearly 300 mph and into a concrete wall. He sustained a serious head injury and a fractured sternum. The winner of 16 Funny Car championships, Force discussed in a video posted to social media on Thursday about how the crash impacted him and led to his retirement. "I've been under doctors' care and I still am, so if I say anything wrong, please excuse me. It's time for me to retire," Force said, adding he asked himself this question: "Do I want to get back in the car and get hit in the head? And I don't." Force holds the record for National Hot Rod Association…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (324+ words) Ferrari is the most valuable of the 10 franchises in Formula 1, according to Sportico's latest team valuations published Thursday.,Ferrari checked in Ferrari leads as Sportico's F1 team values soar past $34B Ferrari checked in at $6.4 billion, and the 10 teams on the F1 grid combine to exceed $34 billion in total valuation as per Sportico's methodology. The average F1 franchise value is now higher than the average value of a Major League Baseball club, Sportico found. F1's $3.42 billion average valuation clears MLB's average of $2.82 billion, behind only the NFL and NBA in average franchise value. "The 10 teams shared total prize money payments of $1.27 billion in 2024, up from $1.22 billion the prior year," Sportico reported. "The distributions consider the previous year finish by teams on the track in the Constructor standings, as well as the current year revenue of Formula 1. Title-winning teams and teams that finished in the…...