Also known as: four-time champion Max Verstappen
Red Bull driver who finished second at the Austrian Grand Prix and competed across multiple 2026 Formula One races.
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The Namibian
Max Verstappen finished fifth ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc
“Antonelli's Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who began the season as championship favorite and won the opening race in Melbourne, finished fourth ahead of Red Bull's fiery and rejuvenated four-time champion Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who spun on the penultimate lap.”
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli wins Miami Grand PrixThe Namibian
Max Verstappen has criticised the new hybrid era cars for producing artificial racing
“Verstappen has criticised the new hybrid era cars for producing artificial racing and said he was considering ending his F1 career.”
Leclerc on top for Ferrari ahead of Verstappen and PiastriThe Namibian
Max Verstappen won the Miami Grand Prix twice for Red Bull
“It has been won twice by four-time champion Max Verstappen for Red Bull and twice by McLaren with a win apiece for world champion Lando Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri.”
Antonelli bids for hat trick as F1 returns in MiamiThe Namibian
Max Verstappen openly questioned his future in Formula One after finishing eighth
“Red Bull's four-time world champion Verstappen openly questioned his future in Formula One after finishing eighth and lashing out again about the new cars and regulations.”
King Kimi, Max misery, Bearman smash: Japan GP talking pointsThe Namibian
Max Verstappen finished eighth after starting from 11th on the grid
“Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen, the winner in Japan for the past four years, was eighth after starting from 11th on the grid.”
Antonelli wins in Japan to become youngest F1 championship leaderThe Namibian
Max Verstappen was told to retire his car on lap 46
“Four-time world champion Max Verstappen continued Red Bull's poor start to the new season when he was told to retire his car on lap 46.”
Emotional Antonelli wins maiden grand prix with Mercedes 1-2 in ChinaThe Namibian
Max Verstappen finished ninth, out of the points
“He eventually placed ninth, out of the points.”
Russell wins exciting sprint race at Chinese GPThe Namibian
Max Verstappen qualified eighth for sprint, 1.734sec behind Russell
“Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was eighth, a colossal 1.734 sec adrift of Russell, and Isack Hadjar was only 10th behind the Haas of Oliver Bearman.”
Russell leads Mercedes one two in China GP sprint qualifyingThe Namibian
Max Verstappen described the new cars as Formula E on steroids and anti-racing
“When Verstappen grumbled publicly about the new cars in Bahrain, describing them as "Formula E on steroids" and "anti-racing", Russell leapt to their defence.”
New rules, same old suspects as F1 revs up for 2026 seasonMax Verstappen secured his first win of the year in a storm-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia, finishing ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton in third place.
4 October 2026 · The Namibian →
Max Verstappen secured his first win of the year in a storm-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia, finishing ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton in third place.
4 October 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell claimed his first lights-to-flag victory and eighth career win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, holding off Max Verstappen by 0.196 seconds in a Mercedes drive that was punctuated by two safety cars.
26 September 2026 · The Namibian →
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli claimed his eighth win of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix, finishing 4.351 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, after Lando Norris lost his lead when a Virtual Safety Car intervention coincided with Norris passing the pits, allowing Antonelli to gain track position.
13 September 2026 · The Namibian →
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday after starting from 19th on the grid, becoming the first home winner in 60 years. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver claimed his seventh win of the season, extending his lead in the drivers' title race.
6 September 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell set the fastest lap for Mercedes in Saturday's third and final free practice at the Italian Grand Prix, ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Russell clocked one minute and 22.219 seconds, outpacing Hamilton by 0.226 seconds, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished fourth.
5 September 2026 · The Namibian →
Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, securing back-to-back victories after also winning in Hungary. Max Verstappen crashed into the wall on the first lap, while George Russell took third place and completed the podium.
23 August 2026 · The Namibian →
World champion Lando Norris claimed his first win of the season with a 15-second victory over Max Verstappen's Red Bull at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. Kimi Antonelli finished third for Mercedes, extending his championship lead to 50 points over Lewis Hamilton.
26 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth victory of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes, finishing 1.9 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to extend his lead in the Formula One drivers' championship to 45 points over Lewis Hamilton.
19 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli topped times again for Mercedes at the Belgian Grand Prix's third free practice, clocking 1:45.990 to beat McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.139 seconds, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull.
18 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Lewis Hamilton returns to Spa for the 20th consecutive year, aiming to equal Michael Schumacher's record of six Belgian Grand Prix wins while racing for Ferrari. Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers' title race on 179 points for Mercedes after nine races, but has failed to score in two of his last three races as Ferrari have found resurgent form.
16 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Formula One race control ended the British Grand Prix under safety car conditions rather than allowing a final-lap showdown, following regulations strictly after the 2021 Abu Dhabi controversy when the previous race director was fired for misinterpreting safety car rules.
6 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Charles Leclerc claimed his first British Grand Prix victory for Ferrari, finishing 0.427 seconds ahead of Mercedes' George Russell after a dramatic race that ended behind a safety car. The win marked Ferrari's 250th grand prix victory and Leclerc's ninth career win.
5 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, the world championship leader, claimed pole position for Sunday's British Grand Prix in Saturday qualifying, beating Charles Leclerc's Ferrari by 0.175 seconds, with Lewis Hamilton third in the second Ferrari.
4 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for Saturday's sprint at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, topping every session and beating Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli by 0.011 seconds. The 41-year-old seven-time world champion will aim to add to his record nine wins in the main race on Sunday.
3 July 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell claimed his second win of the season and seventh career victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, finishing 1.611 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen in a close race. The result trimmed championship leader Kimi Antonelli's advantage to 40 points.
28 June 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell secured pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen crashed at Turn Nine. Russell correctly interpreted single yellow flags while others, including teammate Kimi Antonelli, mistakenly aborted their laps believing they were double yellows.
27 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, ending championship leader Kimi Antonelli's five-race winning streak and cutting his title lead to 41 points. Hamilton finished ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris, while Antonelli abandoned the race in the final stages due to a technical problem.
14 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest winner of the Monaco Grand Prix at 19 and achieved five consecutive race wins, equalling a record from 1952 for Italian drivers. The Mercedes driver led from start to finish and opened a 66-point lead over Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' championship.
7 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton are widely expected to end Ferrari's winless streak and finish Kimi Antonelli's winning run at Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton leads the championship by 43 points after his fourth consecutive victory in Canada, though Ferrari's car is considered better suited to the street circuit where Mercedes last won in 2019.
4 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli claimed his fourth consecutive victory for Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix, extending his championship lead to 43 points and becoming the first driver in F1 history to secure his first four wins in succession. Lewis Hamilton finished second for Ferrari and Max Verstappen third for Red Bull.
25 May 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell won Saturday's sprint race at the Canadian Grand Prix, finishing 1.272 seconds ahead of world champion Lando Norris of McLaren after resisting an attack from teenage Italian team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who finished third. The race featured a controversial incident on lap six when Antonelli attempted a move at Turn One but was forced off by Russell's defensive drive.
23 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, extending his lead in the drivers' world championship with his third consecutive victory from his first three pole positions. Antonelli finished 3.264 seconds ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, with Oscar Piastri third.
3 May 2026 · The Namibian →
World champion Lando Norris won Saturday's sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, leading team-mate Oscar Piastri in a 1-2 triumph that confirmed McLaren were back in top form, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finishing third.
2 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Charles Leclerc topped the sole Friday practice session at the Miami Grand Prix in his Ferrari, outpacing Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, while Mercedes were pushed aside despite winning the previous three races.
1 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli, the youngest F1 championship leader in history, will pursue a hat-trick of victories at the Miami Grand Prix this weekend after a month's racing absence due to the Middle East war. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver leads team-mate George Russell by nine points.
30 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position, becoming the youngest title race leader in Formula One history, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished eighth and openly questioned his future in the sport, calling the new cars and regulations "anti-driving." A crash by Oliver Bearman prompted drivers to call for regulation changes to address dangerous closing speeds between cars.
30 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, his second consecutive victory, becoming the youngest driver to lead the F1 world championship standings at 19 years old with 72 points. The Italian benefited from a mid-race safety car to move ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who finished second, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in third.
30 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Kimi Antonelli, the youngest pole-sitter in Formula One history, won his first grand prix in Shanghai, leading Mercedes to a one-two finish ahead of teammate George Russell. Both McLarens failed to start the race after separate technical issues.
15 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Mercedes driver George Russell won the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc second and Lewis Hamilton third. The 19-lap dash featured a late safety car, multiple lead changes, and pit stops as drivers switched to fresh tyres.
14 March 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell secured pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race on Friday, leading a Mercedes one-two ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli, with world champion Lando Norris third. Russell said the Mercedes car has been "amazing" to drive, building on his championship lead after winning the season-opening race in Australia.
14 March 2026 · The Namibian →