Author: quyen1

Lewis Hamilton‘s brother, Nicolas, has revealed he fell into a deep depression and considered suicide as a result of an ‘all-consuming’ gambling addiction.

Nicolas, 32, is the half-brother of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion but threw away thousands of pounds on gambling across a six-month binge.

He revealed that his addiction had started from a simple £2 bet on Arsenal to score before it spiralled into him playing online casinos and blackjack in his room in 2017.

Just two years earlier, Nicolas made history by becoming the first disabled driver to race against able-bodied competitors in the British Touring Car Championship.

However, after he fell into debt, Nicolas was forced to sell his Mercedes C63, a luxury car he described as his ‘pride and joy’, owing to his ‘naivety’ about finances.

+6

Nicolas Hamilton, Lewis Hamilton’s half-brother, has opened up on his gambling addiction

+6

Nicolas, also a racer, spent thousands on a six-month binge and spiralled into depression

+6

Writing in his new memoir, Nicolas has openly admitted he even contemplated suicide

The blue motor had been gifted to him by Lewis, Nicolas has detailed in his new memoir, but was sold off because he could not afford to settle a large tax bill.

Writing in ‘Now That I Have Your Attention’, Nicolas has spoken freely on the dark days he spent eating Pot Noodles in his room in a ‘hole’ he could not escape.

‘I felt so ashamed, using this amazing gift to pay my tax bill,’ he wrote.

‘It felt like I had practically stolen the money from my brother and I have never forgiven myself for that.

‘It destroyed me. I got a real wake-up call. I had no way of going forward because I’d lost everything.

‘I was stuck. I had a balcony at my flat and I was thinking what would I do if I just jumped off it.’

+6

After he was unable to pay off a tax bill, Nicolas sold a Mercedes gifted to him by Lewis

+6

Nicolas admitted he did not feel able to discuss his struggle with his family members

+6

Lewis encouraged Nicolas during his childhood, when he began to suffer from cerebral palsy

Nicolas’ addiction worsened three years into his brother’s spell with Mercedes, in 2017. Conversely, the sporting icon had been earning at least £24million a year.

But he did not feel able to discuss his struggle with Hamilton or his parents, and instead relied on daily calls to helpline Samaritans over a gruelling two-week period.

‘I wanted more of the winnings – and the losing didn’t really deter me. It just got me in a cycle,’ Nicolas told The Times.

‘I couldn’t stop thinking about it – I just wanted to go back to my computer. The whole day would go quite easily.

‘I could see it was a problem but I was too far in. I was scared to stop. I’d lost so much money that I felt like, if I stopped, I was in a hole that I wouldn’t get out of.’

Now, Nicolas has overcome his addition – and did not bet during a visit to a Las Vegas casino – and has admitted he is relieved ‘gambling is no longer an issue’.

Toto Wolff has revealed which driver is in the ‘strongest position’ to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

The Silver Arrows chief has a blockbuster decision to make in coming months with Hamilton, who has been with Mercedes since 2013, moving to Ferrari for 2025.

Carlos Sainz, the man who he will replace and winner of this season’s Australian GP, is an obvious candidate to go the other way and take Hamilton’s seat.

Max Verstappen would be the top choice in the event he departs Red Bull, while Fernando Alonso ate breakfast with Wolff in February, sparking the rumour mill.

Sebastian Vettel‘s name has also come up as he is an uncontracted four-time world champion.

Toto Wolff has named the driver who is in the ‘strongest position’ to replace Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton is making the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari for the 2025 season and there is lots of speculation about who will fill the vacant seat

However, Toto Wolff has named Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a mere 17-year-old F2 driver, as the candidate in the ‘strongest position’.

‘[Antonelli] is definitely a very strong contender. I want to see how his F2 season develops, but we will wait and see what happens with some of the other drivers in F1. I don’t doubt his raw speed, talent and ability.

‘We wouldn’t have supported him from go-karting until now if we didn’t believe that he has the potential to go into F1 and do so with Mercedes. Many young drivers have shown in the past that you can do that step.

‘My feeling at the moment is that I don’t want to rush [the decision], because Kimi is part of the ideas for next year and is very much in the strongest position, and that’s why we don’t need to rush into any other decision.

‘Obviously, some of the other top drivers are going to make a decision on what to do soon, but there’s a feeling that points me in a direction not to take the decision too quickly.’

Antonelli may be an unfamiliar name to those who don’t follow motorsport, but he is making waves at the level below F1.

Mercedes’ 17-year-old protege who currently drives alongside Ferrari’s own wonder kid Oliver Bearman with the Formula 2 team Prema.

Antonelli is set to be handed his first experience in an Formula One car later this month as Mercedes look to prepare the the young Italian driver for a potential seat next year.

Wolff named Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who has been with Mercedes since he was 11, as the candidate

F2 driver Antonelli will have the chance to test a Mercedes at Imola later this month

‘We want to give him the feeling of what a really good car looks like. And then we are going to put him in the 2022 car to see what the difference is,’ Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told F1 TV at the Japanese Grand Prix.

‘I’m really keen and happy to see [Antonelli] in a F1 car. He’s been with us since he was 11.

‘I have a picture of him standing next to me on the center console as a baby boy in go karting and now to witness that development into a F1 driver is something that I’m really proud of.’

Antonelli will drive the Mercedes W12 – which Lewis Hamilton drove during the 2021 season where he infamously lost the chance to claim his 8th World Championship to Max Verstappen.

The two-day test will take place in Imola on April 16 and 17, with the teenager the looking to acclimatise himself to an F1 car as he aims to impress Mercedes.

Fernando Alonso is set to announce that he has signed a new two-year deal to stay Aston Martin, Mail Sport can reveal.

The 42-year-old double world champion will also take on an ambassadorial role beyond that.

He courted – or was courted by – other teams, including Red Bull, who considered him as a replacement for Max Verstappen should their star man have looked to jump ship in light of the scandal in which the team has been embroiled for the last two months.

It is understood that a statement confirming that Alonso will stay is due in the next hour or so and that Alonso will conduct media interviews late this afternoon to discuss his continued involvement with the Silverstone-based team.

Alonso is recognised as one of the supreme drivers of his generation, of any generation, but his participation in Formula One beyond his 44th birthday will take him to an age no contemporary driver has accomplished.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso is set to commit his future to Aston Martin

The 42-year-old Spaniard snubbed interest from F1 rivals including Red Bull

Michael Schumacher, whom Alonso beat to the title in 2004 and 2005, retired from Ferrari at 37. He returned at Mercedes but finally left aged 43.

The Spaniard’s continuation will allow him to compete for Aston Martin under the new regulations to be introduced in 2026.

Aston will then be powered by Honda engines.

Bernie Ecclestone has revealed what he expects to come next at Red Bull after the scandal that has engulfed the world championship-winning team.

The 93-year-old – Formula One’s most iconic figure and a best friend of previously embattled team principal Christian Horner – says that everything is mending after the scandal that hit in February.

Horner was cleared of accusations of harassment made against him by a female employee by an internal inquiry, the complainant’s allegations having been dismissed as ‘dishonest’.

The woman in question has lodged an appeal, which is believed to be ongoing. She has enlisted an American legal firm to fight her corner. A final verdict awaits.

Ecclestone told this column: ‘It’s peace in our time. And Christian informs me everything’s fantastic with Geri.’

Bernie Ecclestone has shared his thoughts on the roiling scandal at Red Bull – and the state of Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner’s marriage

Horner served as best man to Ecclestone at his third wedding and the ex-F1 chief later returned the favour

The Spice Girl joined her husband at the grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (pictured)

READ MORE: Gripping Geri Halliwell’s tiny hand, Christian Horner carried his usual air of breezy invincibility. But the truth is he’s an embarrassment, writes IAN HERBERT

That was a reference to Horner’s Spice Girl wife, Geri Halliwell, who has shown total loyalty to her 50-year-old husband.

Halliwell, 51, made a public show of support by walking hand-in-hand with him in the paddock in Bahrain last month, and was again present for the second race in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a week later.

Ecclestone, who was best man at Horner and Geri’s wedding nine years ago and brought him into Formula One to head up the then new Red Bull team in 2005, believes the controversy is dissipating and that is will soon be business as usual.

‘Max (Verstappen) seems likely to stay, and it’s like all wars in so much as people get over things and move on,’ said Ecclestone, who ran the sport for four decades, from his home in Switzerland. ‘After the Second World War you weren’t allowed to mention Germany, and the Jews wouldn’t buy anything from there. It was understandable.

‘But after not too long everyone forgets that and they are buying Mercedes. So I don’t see why anyone would want to push Christian out, certainly not as time acts as a great healer. He is doing a super job, and a few weeks can make a big difference.

‘He has Geri’s support, and the whole team is doing well. There is no logical reason to upset that balance.’

Max Verstappen now seems likely to stay at Red Bull after a turbulent start to the season

But Mercedes team principal is equally confident that he can sign the Dutchman next year

I hear that Toto Wolff is confident he can sign Verstappen, winner of three of the last four races on his march to a fourth title, for Mercedes next year.

I doubt it. Others close to the scene say there is no chance. We’ll see, but there is a sense that the worst of the Red Bull saga is abating. Good results act as invaluable balm.

Could anyone win in the dominant Red Bull? Is Max Verstappen flattered by his machinery? It is among the questions one gets asked most.

The answer is that any of the top drivers, seven or eight of them, could make a success of it to the extent they would win a world championship, but none would do so quite as conclusively as the Dutchman.

How many could win 10 consecutive races, as he did last season, or nine as he has subsequently reeled off?

History says nobody. Ten in succession is a unique feat in the 74 years of Formula One.

The pulverising nature and margin of his wins makes him the best driver of the current time. We shall return to the question of where that places him in an all-time list in due course. For now, we’ll say it leaves him in the final shoot-out for history’s No 1 spot.

If you doubt that, ponder how Ferrari would prosper this season with him in the cockpit. Well, closer.

I hear that talks are advancing to add another couple of years to the Drive to Survive deal that has introduced a new audience to the sport. Figures are holding up, reasonably, despite shelf-life closing in. The rolling arrangement runs through this season and next.

Negotiations over an extension are ongoing and likely to be concluded successfully.

Few sports documentaries have managed to capture public imagination and boost viewership like Drive to Survive

This exposure walks hand-in-hand with the F1 movie that is due for release next year.

A statement on the success of Drive to Survive project is evident at every race. I saw it in Melbourne, where the crowd demographic had radically changed. It was a family event. Or a place for a lad to take his girlfriend, without her feeling she was at a male-suffocated event.

Netflix’s Drive to Survive is a brilliant initiative, lucked into by Sean Bratches, an American sports executive known for his bespoke blazers, when Liberty Media bought the sport in 2017. But a little bit of historical context should be added here.

The best televisual deal Formula One ever did was struck by Bernie Ecclestone when he put Formula One on the BBC (and more widely in Europe) in the Seventies and Eighties. With Murray Walker’s pants-on-fire decibels, the free-to-air enterprise transformed the projection of the sport, James Hunt’s championship-winning season in 1976 being a classic early case in point.

Ecclestone’s landmark television deal in the 1970s and 1980s allowed fans to follow the exploits of racing legends James Hunt and Niki Lauda (pictured in 1976)

Such was the fanfare around the final race, with Niki Lauda coming back from terrible burns in Germany to contest the title, the hoopla led the front page of the Daily Mail.

At the brutally rain-soaked finale in the foothills of Mount Fuji, the super-brave Lauda stopped, declaring it would be ‘insanity’ to persist. Hunt wrote the intro to our splash in his own words: ‘By all the laws of humanity, I should not be motor racing champion of the world.’

Still no word, by the way, on the identity of the KC who investigated the Red Bull saga. Answers on a postcard, please.

Andretti this week opened the doors on a new factory in Silverstone, preparing for their hoped-for entry into Formula One.

Their nomination was approved by the FIA but knocked back by Formula One Group (F1G), the sport’s owners, in January. F1G kept the prospect of Andretti’s entry ajar for 2028.

Perhaps F1G are right to turn the screw rather than rush potential backmarkers on to the grid. But, taken overall, a new team, not least one from America, would add cache – if up to standard.

Formula One Group have questioned the resonance of the name Andretti – a gesture which might have come as a surprise to world championship driver Mario (pictured in 1977)

F1G say the Andretti ‘name’ is not one that resonates in Formula One. I wonder. Mario Andretti, father of team boss Michael, won the F1 world championship, among a million other accolades, including the Indianapolis and Daytona 500s. Which are some achievements to hold in your hand when you open any argument. He was a motor racing driver of legend, as well as one of the nicest men you could meet.

As for the old Sauber team they are now called ‘Stake’. Resonate?

Lewis Hamilton will open his Ferrari career in Melbourne next year – as the Australian Grand Prix is reinstated as the opening race of the season.

The 2025 calendar was announced on Friday morning, with Ramadan having put paid to a start in the Middle East as has become usual.

The 24-race season will begin in Melbourne on March 16 and conclude in Abu Dhabi on December 7.

The schedule pairs Australia and China (March 23) as a back-to-back grouping.

Japan follows a fortnight later, with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, this year’s opening rounds, moving back to April 13 and April 20.

Lewis Hamilton will be making the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari from 2025 onwards

The British star will kick-start his Ferrari career with the Australian Grand Prix next year

The FIA confirmed the full F1 calendar for the 2025 season, which will begin in Australia before ending in Abu Dhabi at the start of December

The British Grand Prix on July 6, on the middle week of Wimbledon, but not clashing with the golf’s Open Championship at Portrush, which starts the following week.

The seven-time F1 world champion’s shock move to the famous Italian garage was confirmed before the start of the current season for 2025, with Hamilton now in his final year at Mercedes.

His arrival stunned the sport’s fans and competing teams alike as it was announced Hamilton would replace Sainz, who must now find a new seat at a rival team for next season.

Hamilton will partner Ferrari’s top driver in Charles Leclerc at the garage led by team principal Frederic Vasseur – despite Sainz enjoying the stronger start to the new season, with some supporters criticising the decision to swap drivers.

It was a case of normal service resuming on Sunday in Suzuka where Max Verstappen cruised to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver recovered from the disappointment of being forced into an early retirement last time out in Australia in emphatic fashion, finishing 12 seconds ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claimed third.

It was yet another weekend to forget for Mercedes, whose lack of race pace was laid bare and saw George Russell and Lewis Hamilton limp to ninth and 12th respectively.

Mail Sport were on the ground all weekend in Japan and here are five things we learnt…

Normal service resumed at the Japanese Grand Prix with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen winning

The Dutchman won in emphatic fashion but Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz impressed once more

Max is a machine

Pardon the obviousness of this one but hear me out.

Verstappen is used to winning. A lot. So much so that it cannot be easy for him to deal with the setback of falling short, as Verstappen did in Melbourne just over a fortnight ago.

Though that was down to a mechanical issue rather than driver error, a point-less race weekend Down Under would no doubt have still been eating away at the Dutchman as he spent his week off skiing on the slopes of northern Japan.

Verstappen looked like a man on a mission in Japan, his focus never wavering from the job at hand despite the additional pressure and commercial duties that come with a home race for the team’s engine supplier, Honda.

Yes, it always helps when you drive a car that currently operates in a different league to its competitors.

But this was an impressive show of mental resilience from Verstappen as he bounced back in some style.

Verstappen showed his mental resilience to bounce back from having to retire in Australia

Ferrari are firing…

Though Red Bull secured their third one-two finish of the season in Suzuka, it shouldn’t go unnoticed that the gap between the Red Bulls and Ferrari in the constructors championship is only 21 points.

That is largely thanks to a huge improvement in the consistency of their race performances this season.

The car looks to be a joy to drive in the longer stints for Sainz and team-mate Charles Leclerc, though there are certainly issues to iron out in qualifying. Leclerc, typically so strong at producing when it matters over one lap, was left scratching his head when he could only manage to secure eighth spot on the grid in Suzuka.

But, on the whole, the first four races of 2024 have highlighted just how significant the improvements have been with Ferrari’s car over the winter. They are timely steps forward, too, given they have two drivers currently operating at the very top of their game on race day.

Ferrari are firing at the start of the season after significant improvements over the winter

… And that’s an encouraging sign for Hamilton too

He didn’t take too kindly to the line of questioning when asked about it post-race, but Hamilton will surely be getting a little bit excited about how well things are going at the Scuderia given he will be sat inside that Ferrari from next season.

The timing of the Brit’s move to the Italian outfit looks like a smarter move by the day as Mercedes struggles rolled into another race weekend. There looks to be no simple solution to their various car conundrums either.

Hamilton is a consummate professional and will be steadfastly focused on finishing the job at hand at Mercedes.

But at the same time, there must be a part of him starting to get a little giddy over the fact that the days are ticking down until he is sat at the helm of that Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton walked out of an interview after being asked a question about Ferrari

Hamilton is focused on his job at Mercedes but his move to Ferrari looks smarter by the day

Someone snap Sainz up

In the infamous words of Rio Ferdinand with regards to then-interim Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: ‘Get the contract out, put it on the table, let him sign it, let him write whatever numbers he wants to put on there… let him sign the contract.’

That’s exactly what team principals up and down the grid should be doing with Sainz after another excellent showing from the Spaniard in Japan, which followed on from his miraculous recovery from appendicitis to claim victory in Melbourne.

The 2024 season is only four races old but now is the time for bosses to pull out all the stops and convince Sainz that their project is the one worth getting on board with. He is a quite frankly brilliant, and some would say smooth, operator.

Carlos Sainz backed up his victory in Melbourne with another impressive showing in Japan

Team principals should attempt to convince Sainz their project is worth getting on board with

Woe for Williams

Spare a thought for the good folk in the Williams garage, who must have clocked up some serious overtime hours already this season.

In Australia, the team were only able to race with one car after Alex Albon sustained heavy damage to his chassis in a crash. With no spare available, it was Albon, somewhat contentiously, who was selected to compete in the race while driving team-mate Logan Sargeant’s car.

There must have been a few hearts in mouths, then, when Sargeant’s car went flying into the tyre wall on his first lap in practice on Thursday.

There was thankfully no damage to the chassis with that spare not due to arrive until the Miami Grand Prix in a month’s time.

Williams’ Alex Albon, right, crashed out at Suzuka after contact with Daniel Ricciardo, left

But soon after the weekend did take a turn for the worse when Albon crashed out in the opening lap of the race after contact with Daniel Ricciardo.

Team principal James Vowles could really do with a weekend where both his drivers keep their cars on the straight and narrow.

Fury had been penciled in to fight Oleksandr Usyk in April and has had other rumoured fights but the latest claim is unreal.

Tyson Fury has a new rumoured next opponent and boxers are equal parts confused and annoyed, as no one’s heard of his challenger.

We should be less than four weeks removed from Fury or Oleksandr Usyk having been crowned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion.

Whoever had won the huge fight between the two world champions would have been the first undisputed champion at the weight since Lennox Lewis at the start of the century.

However the fight collapsed leaving boxing fans angry at yet another huge showdown going by the wayside and each party blaming the other for the issue.

In the weeks since then the message about the Gypsy King’s next fight has been typically muddled for a fighter who retired last year for a few months.

Andy Ruiz Jr and Zhilei Zhang have both been mooted as potential summer opponents, only for it to be announced that he wouldn’t be back in the ring until December.

That’s expected to be in Saudi Arabia against Usyk on the same bill that Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder fight, but now it seems the undefeated Brit will fight before then.

According to Australian outlet the Herald Sun, the 34-year-old WBC champion is in talks to fight Aussie heavyweight Demsey McKean in the contenders home country.

Fury’s next opponent doesn’t exactly ignite the passion. Image: Alamy

“Oh dear me, I had to go Google his name,” said one fan.

“Four top 15s express their interest in fighting Tyson Fury and as always he ignores them all to fight someone outside top 50,” claimed a second.

Recalling why Anthony Joshua’s fight with the WBA champion fell through last year, another replied, “AJ had a 10 day deadline in November to sign to fight Fury on December 17th because he need to be ready to fight Usyk in March btw.”

“Never ever let anybody tell you that Fury doesn’t put on the fights everyone wants to see. We’ve all been clamoring for … Demsey McKean,” added a fourth, rather sarcastically.

“Just when we thought Fury couldn’t sink any lower,” exclaimed another.

A sixth argued, “Strip fury of his belt, this is ridiculous.”

And another replied, “Can we all agree to stop taking him seriously now.”

Tweet not found

The embedded tweet could not be found…

Recently, the Mancunian has been involved with MMA stars as much as he has with boxing, after several callouts and social media spats.

He called out Joe Rogan who was then defended by UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, whilst Jake Paul has told Fury to fight the man who Jones replaced as champion, Francis Ngannou.

Any of them wouldn’t be much worse opponents than fighting 32-year-old McKean, despite Australian’s undefeated record.

Michael Jackson and Prince were the infamous pop stars in the 1980s. While they were born two months apart, the former skyrocketed to fame in a short spurt of time.

The two did not hesitate to show their dislike toward each other irrespective of time and place. And former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson pointed out one such case from 1983. In an episode of his Hotboxin’ podcast, Mike Tyson shared an infamous feud between the two pop stars and explained what Mickael Jackson did to embarrass Prince in front of a big crowd.

Mike Tyson shows a different side of Michael Jackson

In a recent podcast episode, Mike Tyson was joined by American rapper Tony Yayo. And he showed him a rather different side of the legendary pop star. The 56-year-old shared the infamous video of Jackson trying to humiliate Prince at a concert. This conversation started as Yayo asked about Prince running Jackson over with his car.

The video Tyson shared was from the 1983 James Brown concert, where Jackson and Prince were in attendance. ‘Iron’ Mike said he wanted his guest to know how “dirty” Jackson was. In the video, Jackson is seen making his way to the stage at the request of James Brown. MJ rocked it with his vocals and signature moves. And as he gets to Brown, it can be clearly seen that Jackson whispers something into Brown’s ear.

Tyson clarified that Jackson whispered to Brown to call Prince on the stage. On a separate event, per Quincy Jones too, Jackson said, “Call Prince up — I dare him to follow me.” As weird as this request might seem, Tyson claimed that the “MoonWalk” creator wanted ‘Purple’ to come up on the stage because Prince was drunk. After a while, Prince came up on the stage, and it was not a memorable night for the pop star. Not long ago, a picture of Tyson and Jackson caused a stir among fans when it surfaced online.

Why was there a feud between Michael Jackson and Prince?

With their professional success, they were meant to be compared against each other. But, Michael Jackson did not like being compared to Prince. And he made that clear on many occasions. At Brown’s concert, after pulling off a Jimi Hendrix impression on the guitar, Prince howled into the mic, fell into the crowd, and dragged a lamp post with him. After the unceremonious incident, Jackson’s reactions were the kind that was fueled by embarrassment.

This led to their professional rivalry turning personal, as seen in the James Brown concert. Jackson later commented, “He made a fool of himself. He was a joke…People were running and screaming. I was so embarrassed. It was all on video.” Comparisons drew a line between them professionally, and they never went along.

Credits: IMAGO / Motorsport Images

In a world where online frauds and social media scams have become a fearsome reality, famous athletes like Max Verstappen have to be extremely careful with their social media activity. Imposters indulging in identity theft for several cyber crimes under a famous sportsperson’s name would ruin that sportsperson’s personality and image severely. Verstappen had to answer one such serious question in one of his interactions with a Red Bull sponsor – Arctic Wolf. The Dutchman answered that he wouldn’t mind sharing his passwords with his sister, Victoria Jane Verstappen, as she is one of the people he trusts a lot.

Advertisement

In a YouTube video by Red Bull Racing, Verstappen is answering such questions in this fun activity alongside his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez. When asked whether sharing a password with a friend or a family member is safe, the three-time champion said, “[Yes], if you trust that family member.”

Victoria is quite close with Max, as the brother-sister duo have grown up together sharing the same passion for racing. Verstappen often hails his sister’s talent for racing and adores her a lot. Victoria’s kids are also fond of their champion uncle and the Dutchman also loves spending time with his sister and her kids.

Advertisement

Naturally, Victoria would be quite proud of her brother’s amazing success in F1. So, just in case, the Red Bull champ shares his passwords with her, there is no chance she would want to ruin the 26-year-old’s career and public image. Either way, Verstappen prefers to keep a low profile on his social media.

Unless there are any official sponsor commitments, interviews, or important personal life moments, Verstappen would stay away from posting any updates. Likewise, Victoria is also aware of her brother’s aversion to social media limelight.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez quizzed on cybersecurity and personal milestones

While Max Verstappen showed his openness to sharing passwords with his sister, he and Sergio Perez had some fun too in this quiz with Arctic Wolf. The Red Bull duo were messing up some basic cybersecurity questions and even questions about their personal career milestones.

Primarily, both were asked about their F1 debut results. Neither Verstappen nor Perez could guess where the other finished in their debut races. Both prompted each other how they got a disqualification [Perez] and a DNF [Verstappen] on their respective debuts.

Advertisement

Besides this, on the cybersecurity front, they could not answer what identity theft is, which is a tricky one to guess perhaps. However, when it came to basic online rules such as having a birthdate or name in a password and all, Perez answered with ease.

Apparently, on giving any wrong answers, the duo had to destroy a sand replica of the RB20 with a water jet spray. So, one may guess that the Red Bull duo may have botched some answers on purpose to have the fun of destroying the sand car replica!

Credits: IMAGO / Nordphoto

Lance Stroll continues to underperform compared to Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso, which many believe is hampering the team’s ambitions in the constructors’ championship. Because of this, an F1 expert labels Stroll as a “liability”. To him, even though very few can match two-time champion Alonso’s abilities, Stroll’s gap to him has been nothing short of surprising.

Advertisement

Josh Suttill, on an episode of The Race F1 podcast, shared his thoughts on Aston Martin’s chances of winning with Stroll in one of their cars. “I don’t think that Aston Martin can ever win the world Constructors’ Championship with Lance Stroll on the team. Until there is a significant increase in Stroll’s progress“.

The expert added that “he is a liability” and that he will continue to be one. Still, Suttill does not see team owner Lawrence Stroll firing his son, even though it is hurting his own team’s progress.

Advertisement

Suttill believes that the only way Aston Martin can win the championship with Stroll is if they have a Red Bull-like advantage. The Milton Keynes-based outfit dominated last year’s championship despite Sergio Perez winning only two of the 22 races the entire campaign (Max Verstappen won 19).

Therefore, Suttill’s point is noteworthy as a similar level of difference in quality seems to be seen between Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. Even this season, the Spaniard has already scored 24 points for the team after the first four races, whereas Stroll has just scored nine.

Lance Stroll had bigger love for tennis than F1

Lance Stroll’s love for playing tennis isn’t a secret. The 25-year-old, once admitted that he is “pretty good” at the sport, although, it would take some doing to beat stars like Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

Stroll made these remarks after David Croft suggested last year, that the Canadian was possibly seeking a career away from motorsports, thus explaining his underperformance. Furthermore, it was reported that Stroll was only in F1 because his father wanted him to. It is also noteworthy that Lawrence Stroll made over a $100 million from his son’s racing career.

Since Lawrence has always been a fan of F1, he wants his son to share his love for the sport. The Canadian billionaire also revealed in an episode of F1’s Beyond the Grid that he himself took part in several racing ventures like Grand Am in the past.

Advertisement

On the other hand, Lawrence has a business and a team to run. If Lance cannot fulfill the team’s long-term ambitions, he could be forced to make a very tough call.