Motorsports
Red Bull: “We were afraid that Niki Lauda would bring Verstappen to Mercedes”
Following Max Verstappen’s dominance in the 2014 Formula 3 race at Belgium’s Spa, Gerhard Berg pointed to Mercedes’ new big talent from the Netherlands emerging on the international motorsport scene.
But Red Bull’s reaction was immediate. The Austrian company have been keeping a close eye on Max Verstappen’s progress and when it became clear at Spa he was a very special driver, they rushed to secure him on a long-term basis – poaching him from Mercedes at the last minute.
In autumn, at the race of the Formula 3 European Championship in Spa, Belgium, changeable weather conditions prevailed. Max Verstappen was only in his first season with Van Amersfoort Racing, having made the unimaginable leap from karting to F3 last winter.
“The track kept changing between dry and wet” explained the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Red Bull’s consultant and responsible for the development of new drivers, Helmut Marko. “He kept throwing rounds at the others. He was two seconds per lap faster than everyone else. Where others braked, he shifted up a gear.
We spoke to Verstappen, but then Gerhard Berger became aware of Lauda for Mercedes. Nicky was immediately mobilized. We then made him an offer directly at the (F3) race in Spielberg and told him that he had to make a decision quickly.”
Six weeks after this Spa race, Max Verstappen had signed a multi-year contract with Red Bull. And right after that he did his first free tests in F1 with Toro Rosso at the Japanese GP that same year. A few months later, Max Verstappen – also with Toro Rosso – became the youngest driver to start a Formula 1 GP, aged 17 years and 166 days
14 months later he would be promoted to the ‘big’ Red Bull Racing team, replacing Daniil Kvyat and taking it on his debut to win the 2016 Spanish GP – after the two Mercedes were abandoned due to the crash of Lewis Hamilton with Nico Rosberg. At the age of 18 years and 228 days he became – and remains – the youngest GP winner in F1 history.
“Kvyat was faster than Ricciardo in 2015 in his first year at Red Bull. In the second year, from the first day of testing, he got the idea that there was a problem with the brakes. First he lost some speed, then he had accidents. Suddenly you felt the uncertainty. We had to react.” Marko explained about Verstappen’s replacement of Kvyat at RBR in the middle of the 2016 season.
The decision, the Austrian continued, also contributes to the intensifying rivalry that exists at Toro Rosso between Verstappen and Carlos Sainz – but also their fathers. “We had Sainz and Verstappen in the team at the same time. This was not a healthy relationship with Toro Rosso.
On one side was the astute politician Carlos Sainz Sr., on the other the effervescent Jos Verstappen. Sometimes there were extremes. With the promotion of Max, we solved the problem in one bold move.
Father Saint was offended to death, of course, and suddenly he didn’t seem to understand the world. Internally, we sometimes had to deal with some difficult decisions, even when outwardly everything seemed to be going smoothly.” Marco closed.
Source: sport 24
Hi, my name is Jayden James. I am a writer at Sportish, and I mostly cover sports news. I have been writing since high school and have been published in various magazines and newspapers. I also write book reviews for a website. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer and basketball.
2025 Formula 1 champion Lando Norris admitted that private messages and personal meetings with legends such as Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and four-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner played an important role in the championship fight.
Norris has spoken about the support he has received ahead of the decisive stages of the season.
“I have received so many powerful words of encouragement, messages and speeches from incredible people who are world champions in a variety of sports, from Lewis, Seb and many more.
Many people don’t know that I communicate with Seb. Some, especially Casey Stoner, wrote me a quick message just when I needed it most: “Think about this, believe in yourself, do this, do that.” That really helped me get back on track.”
Norris’ title chances were in serious jeopardy following the recent rise of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. However, McLaren’s successful strategy in Abu Dhabi on the final stage of the season allowed the Briton to finish third at the Yas Marina Circuit and formalize the championship title.
An important component of success was the pilot’s psychological resilience. Norris made mistakes throughout the 2025 season that could have cost him the title, but he managed to withstand the pressure while his teammate Oscar Piastri succumbed to the pressure at key moments of the season.
Norris concluded: “When you win the championship by just two points, I’m sure that the faith and support of the people around me brought me these two points. That’s why I’m grateful to everyone, because sometimes you only need two points to win the championship.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
McLaren pilot Oscar Piastri said that he was approaching the 2026 season with double motivation after winning his first Formula 1 championship and losing to his teammate Lando Norris.
While the Australian pilot completed the unsuccessful second half of the season in third place in the general classification, 13 points behind Norris, he gained a 34-point advantage after the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
After the Dutch stage, it appeared that the situation was completely under Piastri’s control. But a crash in Azerbaijan, as well as a series of poor performances in Austin, Mexico City and Brazil, slowly destroyed his title ambitions.
As a result, although the Australian player regained the pace he showed at the beginning of the championship at the end of the season, he did not have enough distance to close the gap in the final stages in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
While McLaren attributes Piastri’s difficulties primarily to tracks with low grip, at other tracks the driver has traditionally looked much stronger.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on the title, Piastri gained valuable experience against Norris and Max Verstappen, giving him confidence ahead of attacking the title again in 2026.
“I’m just hungry and ready for it. Of course, I’m waiting for a few weeks to get some rest and not think about racing.”
However, many new things await us when we return to work; significant changes to cars and engines.
You never know how you’re going to start the season with such a big update to the rules, but I trust the people around me.
“Personally, he has a lot of confidence in me this season; I’m ready to use this experience in 2026, regardless of the car.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Motorsports
MotoGP Ducati coach Gigi Dall’Igna: “Marc Marquez’s limitation was that he took risks that were unnecessary”
Gigi Dall’Igna He was one of the men who put his hand in the fire when he made the decision. Marc Marquez instead of Jorge Martin as a friend Pecco Bagnaia inside the box ducati official. But just one year later he was proven right. The Cervera native returned to the top of the motorcycling world with a landslide victory in the Desmosedici GP25.
Indeed, in recognition of this return to the top, DAZN released the documentary Volver, in which Ducati’s sports director reflects on the fact that Marc always pushes himself to the limit. Even when you don’t need to. And Dariña sees this as one of Marc Márquez’s few weaknesses thus far.
”His limitation is that he may take risks even when it is not necessary. If there had been a little more clarity, for example, some mistakes could have been avoided at some point,” Dall’Iña argued.
In this sense he also said: Marco RigamontiHe made his debut as a truck engineer for Marquez in 2025. For Italians, this exploration of boundaries is a trait that has brought them great success in the past.
“He always said this.I want to be remembered as someone who gave everything.. It shows on the track as he always pushes the bike to the maximum and always tries. He is not afraid to make decisions that go against the flow.. Moreover, he knows that if he makes a choice at the last moment that surprises the other drivers, it could give him an advantage,” Rigamonti said.
After becoming champion, Marquez was involved in an accident at the Indonesian Grand Prix and was forced to undergo surgery to recover from a shoulder blade injury. Just a few days ago, he was able to get back on a flat track motorcycle and is currently continuing to heal his right shoulder.
The goal, as Marc himself has reiterated both actively and passively, is to take part in the February test at Sepang. He doesn’t want to miss the start of the 2026 preseason.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
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