Max Verstappen has revealed that Red Bull are holding discussions with Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, after surprisingly being named the sport’s benchmark power unit manufacturer.
Under the new Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system for 2026, the Milton Keynes-based team was judged to possess the best engine on the grid.
As the benchmark constructor, they will not receive any development upgrades this season.
Instead, rival manufacturers will benefit from extra development allowances to close the calculated performance gap.
Surprise over benchmark engine ruling
A leaked document shows that Mercedes are deemed more than two per cent behind the class leaders, granting them one engine upgrade this year.
Meanwhile, Ferrari, Audi, and Honda will receive two upgrades as they are considered more than four per cent adrift.
The ruling has caught the reigning constructors’ champions off guard, particularly as this is their first season producing their own power units.
“I think we were all a bit surprised in the team with that,” Verstappen admitted ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
“I think we can be proud of the job we have done but it never felt like we were, let’s say, the best.”
“That’s why we were surprised and that’s why I think we’re discussing with the FIA to understand what happened there.”
Overcoming pre-season reliability fears
There were initial concerns that the newly formed Red Bull Powertrains division would struggle to remain competitive against established manufacturers.
Despite ongoing reliability issues, the Dutch driver described his team’s efforts behind the scenes as highly impressive.
“Of course, we still have some reliability things, but overall, it’s honestly nice to be a part of it, and seeing the drive of the people, and what they want to do,” he added.
The three-time world champion noted that both he and the factory staff share a relentless drive and are equally disappointed when operations do not run perfectly.
He explained that while the squad feels a sense of pride, there remains significant confusion over suddenly being portrayed as the dominant force.
Track performance contradicts findings
The ADUO findings contrast sharply with track performance during the opening six rounds of the 2026 season.
Mercedes have dominated the early stages of the championship, building a commanding 79-point lead over Ferrari.
The Silver Arrows have clearly possessed the fastest car and demonstrated superior straight-line speed.
This early dominance makes the governing body’s engine assessment even more perplexing to the majority of the paddock.
Newcastle United have opened negotiations with Osasuna over a £34.5m deal to sign winger Victor Munoz as they look to replace the recently departed Anthony Gordon.
The 22-year-old rapid forward has emerged as a primary target following Gordon’s lucrative £69.3m move to Barcelona earlier this summer.
While a formal agreement has not yet been reached, the Magpies are eager to quickly trigger the player’s €40m release clause.
Moving quickly in the transfer market
Head coach Eddie Howe previously emphasised the vital need for recruitment efficiency during a press conference in May.
“You will find the best players that are available on the market won’t hang around for too long.”
“The speed at which the transfer market moves now is very quick. Teams are very efficient and we have to be there as one of those teams.”
The Premier League side have already demonstrated this proactive stance by securing promising 20-year-old goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen from Stade de Reims for £18.5m.
A strategic shift under Ross Wilson
This decisive early action represents a stark contrast to previous windows, where sagas such as Alexander Isak’s £125m departure to Liverpool dragged on until deadline day.
Sporting director Ross Wilson has fundamentally revamped the club’s operation to make smarter use of data since arriving from Nottingham Forest in October 2025.
The hierarchy are now pivoting away from expensive domestic stars, instead targeting younger, continental talents with significant growth potential.
Beating the World Cup spotlight
Munoz, who spent his youth career on the books of both Real Madrid and Barcelona, is currently away on international duty.
The former La Liga prospect is preparing for Spain’s opening World Cup fixture against Cape Verde in Atlanta on 15 June.
Newcastle are actively attempting to finalise the transfer before the attacker can catch the eye of rival suitors while playing for Luis de la Fuente’s side.
England manager Thomas Tuchel plans to deploy captain Harry Kane in a deeper false nine role at the upcoming World Cup to replicate his record-breaking club form.
The prolific scorer has just completed the most impressive season of his career at Bayern Munich.
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker netted an astonishing 61 goals in 51 appearances for the German giants.
Despite this incredible return, the 30-year-old frequently operated outside the penalty area to assist in deeper build-up play.
Replicating Munich success on the international stage
Pundits have previously questioned why such a lethal finisher would intentionally vacate the opposition box during crucial international fixtures.
However, dropping deep became a tactical necessity at the Allianz Arena due to injuries suffered by creative midfielder Jamal Musiala.
This tactical shift allowed the Three Lions skipper to showcase his exceptional passing range from central areas.
“This season, it’s allowed me to play a little bit deeper, use my qualities in that sense of turning and playing it forward, then arriving later in the box.”
Creating space for dynamic wide forwards
When the English marksman drops toward the centre circle, opposing defences are forced into a difficult tactical decision.
If a centre-back follows him, vital space opens up in the heart of the defence for rapid wingers to exploit.
Alternatively, if defenders hold their line, the striker becomes unmarked and gains time to execute dangerous forward passes.
Tuchel intends to surround his talisman with high-energy wide players like Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford to capitalise on these central gaps.
This dynamic system mirrors the successful tactical setups currently used by elite European clubs to unbalance deep-defending opponents.
Bangladesh secured a landmark first ODI series victory against six-time world champions Australia by clinching a five-wicket win in a rain-hit match in Dhaka.
The hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after comfortably chasing down a revised target of 192 from 41 overs.
Stand-in captain Josh Inglis watched his side endure a catastrophic start after winning the toss and electing to bat first.
Historic top-order collapse
The touring side suffered a spectacular batting failure, losing their top three batters without scoring a single run.
Pace duo Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman dismantled the top order, dismissing Matthew Short, Cooper Connolly, and Matthew Renshaw for ducks.
In a stunning statistical rarity, it was only the fourth time in international cricket history that a team has lost all three opening batters for zero.
The visitors found themselves reeling at 81-6 before Marnus Labuschagne and Xavier Bartlett mounted a crucial recovery.
Labuschagne anchors the innings
The resilient middle-order pair combined for a 103-run partnership to drag their struggling team towards a respectable total of 187-8.
Labuschagne compiled a patient, unbeaten 55 from 85 deliveries to stabilise the visitors.
Bartlett also struck a vital half-century before being bowled by Ahmed, shortly before a torrential downpour forced a three-hour delay.
Hosts cruise to target
Despite losing opening batter Tanzid Hasan to a two-ball duck, the home side faced little difficulty in navigating the revised run chase.
Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto laid the foundation with crucial knocks of 42 runs each.
An unbeaten partnership between Towhid Hridoy and Mehidy Hasan Miraz ultimately guided the Tigers across the finish line.
This latest defeat compounds a miserable tour for the reigning World Cup holders, who continue to struggle without injured regular captain Mitchell Marsh.
Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn is set to anchor Scotland in their first men’s World Cup match for 28 years on Sunday, capping a historic season at club level.
The 31-year-old recently lifted his first major silverware with the Premier League side, concluding his highest-scoring campaign under Unai Emery.
It marks a remarkable turnaround from his early days under the Spaniard, when the former Hibernian star initially feared for his place in the starting lineup.
‘He’s going to think, Who is this wee Scottish guy?’
That was the panicked reaction the all-action midfielder shared with friends following the managerial appointment nearly four years ago.
Ending historic trophy droughts
The tenacious talisman has developed a fortunate habit of ending long silverware waits at almost every club he represents.
During his time at St Mirren, the hard-working prospect was instrumental in securing their first cup triumph in 26 years.
He later played the full 90 minutes for Hibernian as the Edinburgh outfit ended a legendary 114-year wait to lift the Scottish Cup.
Now, the tireless playmaker transitions his golden touch to the international stage following back-to-back European Championship qualifications.
A lineage steeped in Scottish football
Achieving professional status is a statistical rarity, yet all three brothers from the working-class Glasgow outskirts have forged highly successful careers.
Older brother Paul captains Motherwell in the Scottish top flight, while Stephen is currently building an impressive coaching resume at Falkirk.
Footballing pedigree runs deep within their lineage, tracing back to their late grandfather Jack, who served as both Scottish FA president and Celtic chairman.
The foundation was laid at grassroots level by his mother Mary, who actively coached his school team on the red ash pitches of Clydebank.
Navigating ‘no ball games’ signs during his youth, the dynamic international has genuinely defied the odds to reach football’s grandest stage.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli insists he still has plenty to prove despite building a commanding 66-point lead in the Formula 1 championship after winning five of the opening six races.
The 19-year-old Italian currently sits comfortably ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ standings heading into the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
His team-mate George Russell, who claimed victory in the season opener, has endured a recent slump and trails the championship leader by 68 points.
But the teenager remains grounded about his blistering start to the campaign.
“There are questions that still need to be answered on my side – how much further I can go in a short period of time, how much I can push myself even further and how much I can grow and how big is the potential?”
Overcoming early career struggles
The rising motorsport star admitted that a mid-season dip during his debut campaign last year severely knocked his confidence.
He struggled for pace and suffered multiple incidents throughout the European leg of the calendar.
However, the Mercedes prodigy now views that turbulent period as a crucial factor in his rapid development.
“Last year I would doubt a lot myself, especially during that difficult period in Europe.”
“This year it’s a different story and you mature a lot after one year in F1 not only as a driver but also as a person.”
“Considering how bad it was in the moment, I am very grateful it happened because it made me grow a lot and taught me a lot about myself. This year I haven’t been questioning or doubting myself.”
Turning the tables on Russell
The contrasting fortunes within the Silver Arrows garage this year represent a drastic shift from the previous season.
The Italian finished his rookie year seventh in the standings, trailing his British stablemate by a massive 169 points.
He managed just a single podium finish in Canada last season, while his more experienced colleague secured two grand prix victories.
This year, the momentum has swung firmly in favour of the young title contender.
He currently leads their qualifying head-to-head battle with a 5-4 advantage and an average gap of 0.110 seconds.
Embracing the championship pressure
Russell has undeniably suffered from misfortune, including a botched pit stop that triggered a penalty in Monaco last weekend.
Yet the British driver openly conceded in the principality that he is struggling to extract maximum performance from the car.
Meanwhile, the championship leader attributes his own success to a deeper understanding of the sport and better energy management.
“The experience, being able to come back into the weekend and having done it the year before plays a massive difference.”
“You become more aware of your potential and you know better the team, it’s all little things that play a massive role.”
Despite carrying the weight of a title charge, the current frontrunner insists the mounting pressure has not derailed his focus.
Alpine have successfully advanced their Right of Review over two pit-lane speeding penalties handed to Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix, raising the prospect of a late change to the final race results.
The French manufacturer cleared a demanding initial threshold with the governing body after providing fresh evidence regarding faulty timing loops in the Monte Carlo pit lane.
Gasly crossed the finish line in third position on Sunday but was relegated to seventh after stewards applied two separate five-second time sanctions.
Both infractions recorded the 28-year-old at less than 0.5kph above the mandatory 60kph limit.
Faulty timing loops provide crucial new evidence
To trigger a formal review, competitors must present significant and relevant new information that was unavailable to race officials at the time of the original decision.
The Enstone-based outfit successfully argued that Formula One Management and the FIA were already aware of systemic issues with the pit-lane timing infrastructure prior to the race.
Crucially, the race stewards themselves had not been informed about these technical discrepancies before penalising drivers during the prestigious street race.
Driver maintains innocence over pit-lane entry
Telemetry data submitted during the hearing confirmed the former AlphaTauri driver had engaged his pit limiter well before crossing the mandatory entry line.
A witness statement detailed how engineers had previously warned him about the timing issues, prompting a deliberate and cautious approach during his pit stops.
The sport’s official timekeepers eventually furnished evidence proving the distance between the measurement loops was inaccurate, resulting in multiple drivers having their speeds overestimated.
Wider grid implications for Monaco standings
The dispute will now progress to a decisive second hearing where team representatives will formally request that the time penalties are completely quashed.
Following the chequered flag last weekend, an incensed Gasly had publicly described the regulatory situation as entirely unfair.
If the original podium finish is restored, the resultant points shift will alter the final Monaco classification and significantly impact rival teams in the constructors’ championship.
British tennis player Dan Evans has announced he will retire from professional tennis following this summer’s Wimbledon championships at the age of 36.
The former world number 21 confirmed his impending departure from the sport via an emotional statement published on his Instagram account.
He intends to compete in two final tournaments, culminating at the All England Club where he will likely require a wildcard entry due to his current world ranking of 217.
A memorable career on the international stage
The veteran is highly regarded for his passionate and committed performances while representing Great Britain.
He played a crucial role in securing the historic Davis Cup victory for his country in 2015.
More recently, the 36-year-old partnered Andy Murray in the men’s doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals during the two-time Wimbledon champion’s own farewell tournament.
ATP Tour successes and setbacks
During his time on the ATP Tour, the tenacious baseline competitor claimed two singles titles, including a prestigious ATP 500 triumph in Washington in 2023.
He also registered notable victories against elite opposition, famously defeating then-world number one Novak Djokovic en route to the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals in 2021.
However, his professional journey was interrupted by a one-year suspension in 2017 after a positive test for cocaine.
The current British number 10 has played sparsely this season, slipping down the world rankings following early exits in qualifying at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
‘The greatest honour of my career’
Reflecting on his journey, the outgoing star expressed deep gratitude for his time on the professional circuit.
“This sport has given me everything. The friendships, the experiences, the battles and even the hard days were special in hindsight.”
He thanked his family, coaches, and sponsors for their unwavering support through his career highs and lows.
“Representing Great Britain in both Davis Cup and the Olympics remains the greatest honour of my career and something I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
He concluded by promising to give everything he has one last time in his final two appearances.