News about Max Verstappen

JONATHAN McEVOY: Verstappen extended his championship lead to 57 points after Norris was demoted to fourth, a place behind the Dutchman, after serving a five-second penalty for overtaking him off the track. Norris accused the stewards of 'rushing' their decision, and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella added: 'The defending car (Verstappen) goes straight at the apex. Max is off the track as much as Lando is, giving Lando no chance to complete the manoeuvre.'

The former Spice Girl, 52, was beaming as she walked through parc ferme with her Red Bull boss husband at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. Geri looked glowing in a white crochet cardigan as she kept with her all-white clothing uniform for the day of racing. She was spotted congratulating third placed Red Bull racer Max Verstappen as she gave him a hug. Meanwhile British racing driver Lewis, 39, stepped out in another striking ensemble as he continues to unveil his quirky fashion throughout the tour .

Lando Norris criticised the stewards for 'rushing' the decision that cost him the chance to beat his championship rival Max Verstappen in a controversial late overtaking move. The two contenders were fighting for third place in the US Grand Prix, a fierce battle that saw Verstappen defend successfully until four laps from the end. At Turn 12, Norris got level with Verstappen's Red Bull but went off the track as he made the pass. The stewards, including former British racer Derek Warwick, handed the Briton a five-second penalty, meaning the pair switched places post-race. Verstappen, who also left the track, was classified third and Norris fourth.

JONATHAN McEVOY IN AUSTIN: What you can't do is offer your title rival the freedom of Texas and expect to beat him to the most fiercely contested prize in motor racing. That is what Lando Norris did in the US Grand Prix. Max Verstappen needs no second invitation. He is adept at threading his rampaging Red Bull through the eye of a needle with sledgehammer force, let alone blast down a hole he should never have been afforded. This was always going to be the latest severe test of Norris's mettle, with him starting on pole and Verstappen alongside him on the grid.

Follow Mail Sport's live blog of the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix for the latest lap-by-lap updates and leaderboard as Lando Norris aims to further close the gap on driver championship leader Max Verstappen.

JONATHAN McEVOY: Speaking before Lando Norris locked up on the final lap of the sprint race here to finish third and fall 54 points behind winner Max Verstappen , Brown addressed accusations that his rivals have been changing their ride height between qualifying and the race, which is not allowed under secure, 'parc ferme' conditions. Red Bull admit their cars are fitted with a device that allows them to make the modification, but they insist 'it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled'.

JONATHAN MCEVOY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS: Lando Norris took a vital pole position for the US Grand Prix to keep his flickering world title hopes alive. The McLaren man required a little stroke of luck to achieve the feat, provided by George Russell putting his Mercedes in the wall. At this stage, Max Verstappen was turning the screens purple, but the accident brought a halt to proceedings. Russell, who lost control at the penultimate corner, spun around and ended up in the tyre barrier. He was not hurt, with much of his speed curtailed as he careered through the run-off area.

JONATHAN MCEVOY IN AUSTIN: The world champion bagged all eight points to extend his lead to 54, arresting a slump dating back to his last win in Barcelona in June. His title rival Lando Norris was passed on the final lap to finish third behind Ferrari's Carlos Sainz - a real setback as the Briton carried too much speed into the first corner. Clearly, Norris' McLaren is no longer the cream of the crop as it has been in recent months, and he only just held on to his podium place under attack from Charles Leclerc 's Ferrari.

A frustrated Oscar Piastri has been eliminated from qualifying after the first practice session at the United States GP but the Aussie F1 star can probably count his lucky stars it wasn't much worse

JONATHAN McEVOY IN AUSTIN: Here at the Circuit of the Americas, 15 miles southeast of downtown Austin, the 24-year-old Briton faces the opportunity of a lifetime with a relaxed contentment heading into the US Grand Prix, the first of six races that will determine if he or Max Verstappen wins the most coveted prize in motor racing. At the resumption of the season, after a hiatus since he crushed everyone in Singapore with a superb drive in a dominant McLaren on September 22, he lies 52 points behind his best mate on the grid.

McLaren boss Zak Brown said the claim from Red Bull's Helmut Marko that Lando Norris is not mentally strong enough to dethrone Max Verstappen was 'inappropriate' and in 'poor taste'. Speaking ahead of this weekend's US Grand Prix, Red Bull motorsport adviser Marko said Norris is 'not the strongest mentally'. Norris, 24, has opened up in the past about his mental health struggles, particularly in the formative years of his Formula One career.

Max Verstappen has revealed what he thinks about Jurgen Klopp's appointment by Red Bull. Despite insisting that he wanted to take a break from football after his hugely impressive spell as Liverpool manager came to an end, Klopp was named as Red Bull's global head of soccer earlier this month. Klopp will start his new role on January 1 2025 on a four-year deal.

Formula One returns for the first time in a month this weekend - as Austin's Circuit of the Americas plays host to the United States Grand Prix. For those who will be following this weekend's action with a close eye - Sky Bet are offering four Price Boosts for this highly-anticipated meeting. The first two boosts we will be taking a look at include Alexander Albon to secure a points finish at 6/4, and Max Verstappen to win the United States GP at 9/2.

JONATHAN MCEVOY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS: Lando Norris was on Thursday night handed a potential boost in his world championship mission after the FIA forced his rival Max Verstappen's Red Bull team to modify their car. The intrigue centres on a controversial device that allows Red Bull to alter their ride height between qualifying and the race. The rules do not allow changes post-qualifying when cars are under parc ferme conditions. A senior Red Bull team representative admitted: 'Yes, it (the device) exists although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run. In the correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed a plan going forward.'

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Excitement is at fever pitch for the United States Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris fighting tooth and nail for the drivers' championship. There are storylines up and down the grid with fans set to descend on the racetrack, and now Zhou has revealed that the excitement extends as far as the drivers - with those behind the wheel also delighted to be in the southern state.

Fernando Alonso (right) has hit out at Red Bull ace Max Verstappen (left) over public swearing, despite other F1 drivers previously supporting the reigning world champion over his language. The defending world champion was recently reprimanded ahead of the Singapore GP for swearing during a televised press conference when questioned over qualifying struggles at the previous race.

OSCAR CAINER: Today, as fast Mars and slow Saturn harmonise, with Venus joining them to create a Grand Trine, we can react to changing environments with the panache of Formula One's birthday boy, Max Verstappen . He knows when to push and when to conserve his car's energy. By balancing separate but equal forces, we can forge ahead towards success and recognition. On your marks, get set... go!

Russell is currently spending his third season in a Mercedes car and is seeing his ambitions of becoming a world champion tested by the garage's struggles during his career at the sport's former dominant outfit. The 26-year-old defended brilliantly at the end of the weekend's Singapore GP to hold off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and finish fourth, and is a name under consideration within Red Bull's camp. The championship-leading garage are struggling in their attempts to deliver Max Verstappen a fourth consecutive world drivers title and could replace Sergio Perez soon.

JONATHAN McEVOY: Formula One's stars will convene the world's richest 'trade union' - the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) - to discuss the furore over Max Verstappen's punishment for swearing in a press conference ahead of last Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix. The triple world champion used the f-word in a televised media call, a transgression that the stewards punished by ordering him to complete F1's equivalent of community service. Verstappen, who gave pointedly short answers in subsequent press conferences in protest at his treatment, has since won the support of fellow drivers, who believe the sanction is draconian, according to the feedback he has received on the GPDA WhatsApp group. Even Lewis Hamilton, who has barely been heard swearing in his long career, urged Verstappen not to undertake his 'public service', the exact nature of which has yet to be determined.

Max Verstappen has threatened to turn his back on Formula One in the wake of his community service order for swearing. Verstappen was sanctioned by the sport's governing body after he described his Red Bull as "f*****" in a televised press conference prior to Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix. Verstappen effectively boycotted the FIA's mandatory post-qualifying media call on Saturday, in response to his punishment, and then kept his answers to a minimum after he finished second in the race.

JONATHAN McEVOY IN SINGAPORE: 'A lucky b*****d,' half-smiled Christian Horner wryly as Lando Norris took a commanding win in Singapore. Norris had a flick of luck, yes, but not only for the reason the Red Bull boss wished to convey. Horner was referring to the two brushes with the barriers that Norris survived in trimming Max Verstappen's world championship advantage to 52 points with 180 remaining. But he might have been citing the dominant McLaren that should carry Norris to the title this year. The maths of the day does not support the notion that the Briton is in such an enviably strong position. He only took seven points off Verstappen, who finished second, before - again - raising the question of how long he wants to remain in Formula One if he continues to be mired in its politics, such as being handed F1's equivalent of community service for swearing in a press conference, as he was on Friday.

While neither Ricciardo nor RB has confirmed those rumours, the 35-year-old appeared visibly upset when he spoke to F1's in-house broadcaster after the race, in which he finished 18th with the fastest lap of the Grand Prix.

The axe is looming over RB driver Ricciardo, with reports suggesting that the popular Australian will be replaced by rookie driver Liam Lawson at the United States Grand Prix next month.

JONATHAN McEVOY IN SINGAPORE: The world champion, who secured second place on the grid behind pole-man Lando Norris as their title battle intensifies, was venting his anger at being handed two days of 'community service' for swearing in a media call on Thursday. He is privately backed by several of his fellow drivers, with the sport's most decorated star Lewis Hamilton publicly urging Verstappen to boycott the punishment.