Massa and FIA both proclaim victory in the 'crashgate' incident.
" The court recognized the validity of my case."
Confusion and conflicting assertions of victory arose following the High Court in London’s decision regarding Felipe Massa’s lawsuit concerning the 2008 ’Crashgate’ incident. The former Ferrari driver hailed it as "a significant day for justice," stating that the court denied attempts by Formula One Management, Bernie Ecclestone, and the FIA to dismiss his case. "This is an incredible victory," Massa expressed in a statement written in all caps. "The court recognized the validity of my case. They tried everything to halt this case, but our battle is for fairness, and today we have prevailed." He further indicated that he feels "more determined and confident than ever" with a full trial scheduled for next year.
" The court recognized the validity of my case."
Confusion and conflicting assertions of victory arose following the High Court in London’s decision regarding Felipe Massa’s lawsuit concerning the 2008 ’Crashgate’ incident. The former Ferrari driver hailed it as "a significant day for justice," stating that the court denied attempts by Formula One Management, Bernie Ecclestone, and the FIA to dismiss his case. "This is an incredible victory," Massa expressed in a statement written in all caps. "The court recognized the validity of my case. They tried everything to halt this case, but our battle is for fairness, and today we have prevailed." He further indicated that he feels "more determined and confident than ever" with a full trial scheduled for next year.
Gasly and Verstappen are confused by Piastri's decline.
"I cannot explain that."
Two Formula 1 drivers have remarked that Oscar Piastri’s abrupt drop in performance is "odd" - even as the Australian feels he is now recovering from the downturn that hindered his championship campaign. Pierre Gasly expressed to AFP that he finds the situation difficult to comprehend. "It’s inexplicable," stated the Alpine driver. "One might feel dissatisfied with their team, but you don't forget how to drive overnight. He was less than a tenth behind his teammate all season, and now suddenly he’s six tenths behind. I find that peculiar." Title contender Max Verstappen concurred. "Honestly, I have no explanation for that. It strikes me as very strange," he noted. "I didn’t anticipate it turning out this way, but it’s not really my concern." Verstappen acknowledged he was taken aback by how composed Piastri remained.
"I cannot explain that."
Two Formula 1 drivers have remarked that Oscar Piastri’s abrupt drop in performance is "odd" - even as the Australian feels he is now recovering from the downturn that hindered his championship campaign. Pierre Gasly expressed to AFP that he finds the situation difficult to comprehend. "It’s inexplicable," stated the Alpine driver. "One might feel dissatisfied with their team, but you don't forget how to drive overnight. He was less than a tenth behind his teammate all season, and now suddenly he’s six tenths behind. I find that peculiar." Title contender Max Verstappen concurred. "Honestly, I have no explanation for that. It strikes me as very strange," he noted. "I didn’t anticipate it turning out this way, but it’s not really my concern." Verstappen acknowledged he was taken aback by how composed Piastri remained.
Ocon is feeling the pressure as Bearman spearheads Haas' efforts.
"It's a challenge to have both drivers perform well."
Esteban Ocon is facing significant pressure at Haas, as the team is engaged in a lucrative battle for sixth place in the constructors’ standings, with rookie Oliver Bearman contributing nearly all the points. In the last four grand prix, Haas has outperformed their direct competitors and enters the final three races with genuine momentum after a successful major upgrade in Austin. The financial difference between sixth and ninth in the championship is estimated to be around $27 million. However, the points are primarily coming from just one car.
Of the last 24 points earned by Haas, Bearman has accounted for 22. The 29-year-old Frenchman has not finished ahead of the 20-year-old Briton since the Silverstone race in July.
"It's a challenge to have both drivers perform well."
Esteban Ocon is facing significant pressure at Haas, as the team is engaged in a lucrative battle for sixth place in the constructors’ standings, with rookie Oliver Bearman contributing nearly all the points. In the last four grand prix, Haas has outperformed their direct competitors and enters the final three races with genuine momentum after a successful major upgrade in Austin. The financial difference between sixth and ninth in the championship is estimated to be around $27 million. However, the points are primarily coming from just one car.
Of the last 24 points earned by Haas, Bearman has accounted for 22. The 29-year-old Frenchman has not finished ahead of the 20-year-old Briton since the Silverstone race in July.
Kurtz is not positioning himself to be Wolff's successor.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has sold a portion of his one-third stake in the team to George Kurtz, the founder of CrowdStrike, in a deal that sets a new record valuation for the former world champions. Billionaire Kurtz has purchased 15 percent of Wolff’s 33 percent holding, which translates to about 5 percent of the entire team. Forbes reports that the transaction values Mercedes at an astonishing $6 billion. BBC estimates the cost of the stake at approximately $300 million.
The team's governance structure remains the same, with Wolff, Mercedes-Benz, and INEOS each retaining one-third ownership, and the leadership "remains unaffected" by the sale. Kurtz, a long-time partner with Mercedes through CrowdStrike, will join the team’s strategic steering committee alongside Wolff, Mercedes chairman Ola Kallenius, and INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has sold a portion of his one-third stake in the team to George Kurtz, the founder of CrowdStrike, in a deal that sets a new record valuation for the former world champions. Billionaire Kurtz has purchased 15 percent of Wolff’s 33 percent holding, which translates to about 5 percent of the entire team. Forbes reports that the transaction values Mercedes at an astonishing $6 billion. BBC estimates the cost of the stake at approximately $300 million.
The team's governance structure remains the same, with Wolff, Mercedes-Benz, and INEOS each retaining one-third ownership, and the leadership "remains unaffected" by the sale. Kurtz, a long-time partner with Mercedes through CrowdStrike, will join the team’s strategic steering committee alongside Wolff, Mercedes chairman Ola Kallenius, and INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Berger supports Mick Schumacher's transition to IndyCar.
"IndyCar is not as perilous as it used to be during my time."
Gerhard Berger believes that transitioning to IndyCar would be a "positive option" for Mick Schumacher. Recently, Alpine’s WEC program announced the multi-year signing of Antonio Felix da Costa, confirming Schumacher's departure from the French team. "I’m very thankful for these past two years," he shared on Instagram. Alpine responded with, "Wishing you all the best for what’s next!" This development adds to the growing speculation that Michael Schumacher's son is set to move to the U.S. for the 2026 season.
While Schumacher’s uncle Ralf and others have voiced concerns regarding safety in IndyCar, Berger expressed to RTL that such worries are outdated. "I believe IndyCar isn’t as dangerous as it once was in my day," Berger remarked.
"IndyCar is not as perilous as it used to be during my time."
Gerhard Berger believes that transitioning to IndyCar would be a "positive option" for Mick Schumacher. Recently, Alpine’s WEC program announced the multi-year signing of Antonio Felix da Costa, confirming Schumacher's departure from the French team. "I’m very thankful for these past two years," he shared on Instagram. Alpine responded with, "Wishing you all the best for what’s next!" This development adds to the growing speculation that Michael Schumacher's son is set to move to the U.S. for the 2026 season.
While Schumacher’s uncle Ralf and others have voiced concerns regarding safety in IndyCar, Berger expressed to RTL that such worries are outdated. "I believe IndyCar isn’t as dangerous as it once was in my day," Berger remarked.
Simone Resta: In 2026, everything will be different.
In Las Vegas Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta spoke about working on the 2026 car…
Question: There are only ten weeks until the winter tests, you have an opportunity to better understand the new rules. What are the biggest challenges in creating the new car?
Simone Resta: Thanks for the reminder about the ten weeks, it again shows the pace at which the teams are working right now. There are many technical challenges, both with the chassis and the power unit.
It’s a completely new power unit using environmentally friendly fuel. A completely new chassis. New aerodynamics, new tyres, fairly complex weight restrictions that must be met, new safety requirements. And none of this can be taken from the past. Overall, the task is very large in scale.
Racing in 2026 will be completely different, especially the races rather than qualifying.
In Las Vegas Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta spoke about working on the 2026 car…
Question: There are only ten weeks until the winter tests, you have an opportunity to better understand the new rules. What are the biggest challenges in creating the new car?
Simone Resta: Thanks for the reminder about the ten weeks, it again shows the pace at which the teams are working right now. There are many technical challenges, both with the chassis and the power unit.
It’s a completely new power unit using environmentally friendly fuel. A completely new chassis. New aerodynamics, new tyres, fairly complex weight restrictions that must be met, new safety requirements. And none of this can be taken from the past. Overall, the task is very large in scale.
Racing in 2026 will be completely different, especially the races rather than qualifying.
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The second practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix was twice stopped with red flags because of a manhole cover before turn seventeen that shifted when cars ran over it. Measures were taken at the circuit to prevent the problem from recurring in the remaining sessions of the race weekend.
The FIA issued a statement saying the problematic manhole cover had been welded. Inspection of other covers also revealed issues with some of them, and they were welded as well.
“The manhole cover that caused the red flags in second practice was dismantled and further inspected,” the FIA said. “A specific fault in the locking mechanism was found and was rectified overnight.
In addition to the work carried out to fix the identified problem, the cover of this manhole was welded to reduce the risk of it opening.
Overnight, all other manhole covers on and near the circuit were rechecked. Additional welding was carried out on a further 14 manhole assemblies.”
The FIA issued a statement saying the problematic manhole cover had been welded. Inspection of other covers also revealed issues with some of them, and they were welded as well.
“The manhole cover that caused the red flags in second practice was dismantled and further inspected,” the FIA said. “A specific fault in the locking mechanism was found and was rectified overnight.
In addition to the work carried out to fix the identified problem, the cover of this manhole was welded to reduce the risk of it opening.
Overnight, all other manhole covers on and near the circuit were rechecked. Additional welding was carried out on a further 14 manhole assemblies.”
Tech innovations showcased in Las Vegas
Three of the ten teams submitted information to the FIA about changes to the configurations of their cars, and formally these are a kind of technical updates, although they are only minor improvements related to the characteristics of the street circuit in Las Vegas.
McLaren
The British team, having secured the Constructors' Championship early, is now fighting for the drivers' title, in which both of its drivers are involved. The stakes are extremely high, so every possible reserve is being used, and updated wings have been fitted to Lando Norris's and Oscar Piastri's cars for this weekend.
The geometry of the adjustable element on the front wing has been changed – in order to achieve balanced operation of this key aerodynamic bodywork element in combination with the rear wing, which has been set up for a lower downforce level.
Three of the ten teams submitted information to the FIA about changes to the configurations of their cars, and formally these are a kind of technical updates, although they are only minor improvements related to the characteristics of the street circuit in Las Vegas.
McLaren
The British team, having secured the Constructors' Championship early, is now fighting for the drivers' title, in which both of its drivers are involved. The stakes are extremely high, so every possible reserve is being used, and updated wings have been fitted to Lando Norris's and Oscar Piastri's cars for this weekend.
The geometry of the adjustable element on the front wing has been changed – in order to achieve balanced operation of this key aerodynamic bodywork element in combination with the rear wing, which has been set up for a lower downforce level.
Button: McLaren is under tremendous stress
The third practice in Las Vegas went very badly for McLaren, and both of the team's drivers ended up at the bottom of the timesheets. This happened because toward the end of the session, when the track surface had improved significantly and speeds had increased, both of the team's cars developed problems, so Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were forced to stay in the pits.
Something happened to the championship leader's MCL39 with the energy recovery system (ERS), and both cars also had faulty telemetry. Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, who this weekend is commentating on the events in Las Vegas as part of Sky Sports' broadcast team, believes the problems will inevitably affect McLaren drivers' confidence, and the team faces a very tense qualifying session.
"For both of them it's a really awful situation," Button said.
The third practice in Las Vegas went very badly for McLaren, and both of the team's drivers ended up at the bottom of the timesheets. This happened because toward the end of the session, when the track surface had improved significantly and speeds had increased, both of the team's cars developed problems, so Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were forced to stay in the pits.
Something happened to the championship leader's MCL39 with the energy recovery system (ERS), and both cars also had faulty telemetry. Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, who this weekend is commentating on the events in Las Vegas as part of Sky Sports' broadcast team, believes the problems will inevitably affect McLaren drivers' confidence, and the team faces a very tense qualifying session.
"For both of them it's a really awful situation," Button said.
Max Verstappen: The track was very slippery.
Max Verstappen qualified second in Las Vegas, 0.323 seconds behind pole-sitter Lando Norris. The Red Bull Racing driver compared driving on the street circuit in the rain to driving on ice.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda saw his qualifying end in the first session, posting the 19th fastest time.
Max Verstappen (2nd): “The track was very, very slippery. It’s slippery even when the tarmac is dry, and driving in the rain was unpleasant. I enjoy driving on a wet track, but today the driving was comparable to driving on ice.
It took a long time to warm the tyres up to get them working. To my feeling we looked more competitive on the full wets, but the track was improving, so we had to switch to intermediates. It was difficult to get any grip from those tyres.
On the final lap I pushed a bit more, but it still wasn’t enough to fight for pole.
Max Verstappen qualified second in Las Vegas, 0.323 seconds behind pole-sitter Lando Norris. The Red Bull Racing driver compared driving on the street circuit in the rain to driving on ice.
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda saw his qualifying end in the first session, posting the 19th fastest time.
Max Verstappen (2nd): “The track was very, very slippery. It’s slippery even when the tarmac is dry, and driving in the rain was unpleasant. I enjoy driving on a wet track, but today the driving was comparable to driving on ice.
It took a long time to warm the tyres up to get them working. To my feeling we looked more competitive on the full wets, but the track was improving, so we had to switch to intermediates. It was difficult to get any grip from those tyres.
On the final lap I pushed a bit more, but it still wasn’t enough to fight for pole.
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Lando Norris: Qualifying was very tense!
Lando Norris won the qualifying session held in very difficult weather conditions – it is already the British McLaren driver's seventh pole of the season, and even the rain in Las Vegas couldn't stop him.
Lando Norris (1st): "It was a nervous, very nervous qualifying, and I didn't know that after me no one would have time to do a lap. I felt the first two sectors of the lap were pretty good, but the track was very slippery. It only took a small mistake attacking the kerb, and I made that mistake, and the car immediately started to spin — I almost hit the wall!
But my time was enough for pole. Far from the best conditions, but I'm glad the rain stopped and we were able to perform well. By the way, I even had a little nap before qualifying. I was expecting it to be dry, but when I woke up and saw it was raining, I thought it didn't bode well.
Lando Norris won the qualifying session held in very difficult weather conditions – it is already the British McLaren driver's seventh pole of the season, and even the rain in Las Vegas couldn't stop him.
Lando Norris (1st): "It was a nervous, very nervous qualifying, and I didn't know that after me no one would have time to do a lap. I felt the first two sectors of the lap were pretty good, but the track was very slippery. It only took a small mistake attacking the kerb, and I made that mistake, and the car immediately started to spin — I almost hit the wall!
But my time was enough for pole. Far from the best conditions, but I'm glad the rain stopped and we were able to perform well. By the way, I even had a little nap before qualifying. I was expecting it to be dry, but when I woke up and saw it was raining, I thought it didn't bode well.
Carlos Sainz: I'm happy with third place.
Carlos Sainz posted the third-fastest time in the wet qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Williams driver said the team adjusted the car setup after the third practice, which allowed him to fight at the front.
His teammate Alex Albon crashed the car at the end of the first session, but before that he had managed the 16th-fastest time.
Carlos Sainz (3rd): "I'm always optimistic and always try to prepare myself for a good result. This track suits our car when it's dry. In the third practice we didn't look particularly promising, so the team adjusted the setup, which helped on the wet track and allowed us to fight at the front in the first and second sessions of qualifying. I knew that after switching to intermediates the others would catch up to us. So I'm happy with third place. Of course, I'd like to be on pole, but we didn't have the pace for that.
Carlos Sainz posted the third-fastest time in the wet qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Williams driver said the team adjusted the car setup after the third practice, which allowed him to fight at the front.
His teammate Alex Albon crashed the car at the end of the first session, but before that he had managed the 16th-fastest time.
Carlos Sainz (3rd): "I'm always optimistic and always try to prepare myself for a good result. This track suits our car when it's dry. In the third practice we didn't look particularly promising, so the team adjusted the setup, which helped on the wet track and allowed us to fight at the front in the first and second sessions of qualifying. I knew that after switching to intermediates the others would catch up to us. So I'm happy with third place. Of course, I'd like to be on pole, but we didn't have the pace for that.
The stewards at the Las Vegas Grand Prix face a busy job after qualifying, as they must deal with several infringements. The first concerns Carlos Sainz’s unsafe return to the track in the first part of qualifying. The stewards must determine whether this impeded Williams driver Lance Stroll. The stewards are expecting representatives of Alpine and Mercedes. With the former, a hearing is due because after the third practice they failed to electronically return Franco Colapinto’s set of intermediate tyres. Mercedes also face a procedural breach: the team did not provide the FIA with the setup data for George Russell’s and Kimi Antonelli’s cars.
Charles Leclerc is worried about Ferrari's problems on a wet track that they can't seem to solve…
Charles Leclerc (9th): "Unfortunately, since my first days at Ferrari our car has had major difficulties on a wet track. We haven't found a solution. That doesn't mean we're not trying—we're doing everything we can, but it just doesn't work.
It's all very, very upsetting, because in junior categories I always performed great in the rain, it was my strong suit, and at Ferrari we have monstrous problems in the rain. The tyres simply don't work, there is no grip."
Lewis Hamilton (20th): "The feeling is awful. Very unpleasant. But all I can do is let it go. I'll try to make up for it in the race.
In practice I did everything I could, we prepared well, in the third practice the feeling was brilliant. At the end I didn't complete the lap, but I felt we were the fastest. And then—twentieth in qualifying. This year is definitely the toughest of my career."
Charles Leclerc (9th): "Unfortunately, since my first days at Ferrari our car has had major difficulties on a wet track. We haven't found a solution. That doesn't mean we're not trying—we're doing everything we can, but it just doesn't work.
It's all very, very upsetting, because in junior categories I always performed great in the rain, it was my strong suit, and at Ferrari we have monstrous problems in the rain. The tyres simply don't work, there is no grip."
Lewis Hamilton (20th): "The feeling is awful. Very unpleasant. But all I can do is let it go. I'll try to make up for it in the race.
In practice I did everything I could, we prepared well, in the third practice the feeling was brilliant. At the end I didn't complete the lap, but I felt we were the fastest. And then—twentieth in qualifying. This year is definitely the toughest of my career."
Esteban Ocon: It doesn't feel like we've gotten the maximum out of it.
In qualifying, the Haas F1 drivers were knocked out in the second session but believe they could have achieved more...
Esteban Ocon (13th): "It doesn't feel like we got the maximum out of this situation, we had much more pace. I had to lift on the penultimate lap, and when I started to attack again the tyres had cooled and I locked them up entering Turn 1.
I didn't improve my time on the last two laps, but we had enough speed to make it into the final part of qualifying. It's a shame we didn't get through to the final, but it's positive that even in such difficult conditions we were fighting."
Oliver Bearman (14th): "It was nice to get through to the second part of qualifying. In the first part I made a mistake, but I set a good lap on the previous run and went through.
In qualifying, the Haas F1 drivers were knocked out in the second session but believe they could have achieved more...
Esteban Ocon (13th): "It doesn't feel like we got the maximum out of this situation, we had much more pace. I had to lift on the penultimate lap, and when I started to attack again the tyres had cooled and I locked them up entering Turn 1.
I didn't improve my time on the last two laps, but we had enough speed to make it into the final part of qualifying. It's a shame we didn't get through to the final, but it's positive that even in such difficult conditions we were fighting."
Oliver Bearman (14th): "It was nice to get through to the second part of qualifying. In the first part I made a mistake, but I set a good lap on the previous run and went through.