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F1 LIVE: Lando Norris reveals scary details of robbery at Wembley after Euros final

F1 LIVE: Lando Norris reveals scary details of robbery at Wembley after Euros final

Lando Norris was put in a headlock and robbed of his £144,000 watch after the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, a court heard on Monday.

The Formula 1 star, then 21, was accosted in a car park outside the stadium by two men, with one gripping him in a headlock and the other ripping the Richard Mille 67-02 designer watch – one of only five in the world – from his wrist.

Liam Williams, 25, of Bootle in Merseyside, is accused of being the man snatching the watch, with Harrow Crown Court hearing that Williams allegedly left DNA on the McLaren driver’s wrist. Williams has pleaded not guilty to one count of robbing Norris outside Wembley on 11 July 2021, when England lost on penalties to Italy in the final of the European Championships. He appeared in court on Monday wearing a navy blue t-shirt and grey ripped jeans.

Elsewhere, Charles Leclerc lost his cool at his Ferrari engineer in Jeddah, Nico Rosberg insists Max Verstappen should be “more gracious” after the Red Bull driver showed his irritation post-race and Fernando Alonso poked fun at George Russell after podium swap.

Follow all the latest F1 news with The Independent

F1 LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES

F1 news: Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?

17:42 , Kieran Jackson

Comment by Kieran Jackson

Come on then, who’d have thought this was how it’d turn out already? No, really. Red Bull’s margin of victory in last year’s Constructors’ Championship was a mammoth 205 points but in 2023, that could well be surpassed. In fact, never mind surpassed: ridiculed and knocked out the park.

Just two races down and after a pair of comfortable – bordering on effortless – one-two triumphs, the gap is 49 points to Aston Martin in second. The only point Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have missed out on was the fastest lap in Bahrain. There’s 21 grand prix left; 27 races including sprints. The signs, for the rest of the pack, are nothing but scarily ominous.

There can be no doubt where most of the acclaim should be directed. Superstar designer Adrian Newey has created arguably his greatest beast yet; the RB19 was described as an evolution of 2022’s all-conquering machine and boy has that proved an underestimation.

Swap evolution for upgrade. Double upgrade. Aerodynamically supreme, as illustrated by the unstoppable surge in speed down the straights with DRS, this breed of car is lightning through the corners too. Their dominance in Saudi Arabia over the weekend was monumental: they topped all five sessions including practice.

Not that he needs an invitation, Christian Horner was basking in the prospect of his team’s greatest ever season.

Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?

F1 news: Lando Norris ‘put in headlock and robbed of £144,000 watch’ after Euro 2020 final

17:02 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris was put in a headlock and robbed of his £144,000 watch after the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, a court heard on Monday.

The Formula 1 star, then 21, was accosted in a car park outside the stadium by two men, with one gripping him in a headlock and the other ripping the Richard Mille 67-02 designer watch – one of only five in the world – from his wrist.

Liam Williams, 25, of Bootle in Merseyside, is accused of being the man snatching the watch, with Harrow Crown Court hearing that Williams allegedly left DNA on the McLaren driver’s wrist.

Williams has pleaded not guilty to one count of robbing Norris outside Wembley on 11 July 2021, when England lost on penalties to Italy in the final of the European Championships. He appeared in court on Monday wearing a navy blue t-shirt and grey ripped jeans.

In his statement given on July 12, Norris told police he parked his orange £165,000 McLaren GT sportscar in a VIP ‘Yellow’ car park outside the stadium travelling to the game with a friend called Max.

Norris ‘put in headlock and robbed of £144,000 watch’ after Euro 2020 final

F1 news: Fred Vasseur at a loss to explain Ferrari performance

16:42 , Kieran Jackson

After finishing sixth and seventh in Saudi Arabia, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur insisted the team have to understand why there is such a deficit in performance to Red Bull.

He said: “The most difficult in my business after a race like this is to understand what is going well and what is not. We have positive points, but we need a step on the reliability.

“Even the first stint of the race we can be happy with, but the race was based on the last stint and clearly we did not have the pace. In the tyre management we were a bit conservative, but it’s only a matter of one or two tenths. Nothing to do with the gap we had today. We need to understand the lack of performance and it’s not the tyre management.

“When it’s not going well, we need to be clear and honest with ourselves that the pace was not what we expected.”

Ferrari are currently fourth in the Constructors’ Standings.

Charles Leclerc (right) said it is his goal to win the world championship (PA Media/Ferrari) (PA Media)
Charles Leclerc (right) said it is his goal to win the world championship (PA Media/Ferrari) (PA Media)

F1 news: Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has no problem with Red Bull’s dominance

16:19 , Kieran Jackson

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has sided with rival Christian Horner in defending Red Bull’s dominant start to the new season.

Sergio Perez led home team-mate Max Verstappen at Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Red Bull secured their second crushing one-two finish in as many races.

Red Bull have now won 12 of the last 13 races, with Lewis Hamilton describing their machine as the fastest he has ever seen.

However, there are fears that Red Bull’s superiority could prove a turn-off for Formula One fans, undoing the sport’s dramatic surge in popularity in recent years.

But Wolff, who oversaw Mercedes’ run of eight consecutive constructors’ world championships, said: “We have had those years where we were as strong, but it is a meritocracy.

Mercedes chief has no problem with Red Bull’s dominance

F1 news: Lando Norris reveals why he failed driving test in podcast with Tom Daley

16:01 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris has amusingly revealed he failed his driving theory test first time round in a light-hearted podcast conversation with Tom Daley.

The McLaren driver, who is currently competing in his fifth season in Formula 1, appeared on Olympic diving champion Daley’s new podcast, Made With Love, and spoke about a variety of issues.

As well as divulging his theory test failure, Norris admitted he is more nervous driving on regular roads than the racetrack in F1.

“I’ve never been so sad in my life,” Norris told Daley, when reflecting on failing his theory.

“I feel like that’s when you need more brains and that’s just what I struggled with at the time. But second time and practical I passed, with flying colours.

Lando Norris reveals why he failed driving test in podcast with Tom Daley

F1 news: Ted Talk! F1 cult hero Kravitz on pit lane secrets and... cheese

15:53 , Kieran Jackson

Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson

Ted is talking about cheese. For a Formula 1 pit lane reporter functioning in a world of tyre compounds and floor specifications, Ted often finds himself talking about cheese. Usually at pre-season testing. A bizarre synonymity, some might say, and readers not drooling in the daily churn of digital F1 content may be a little lost already. Don’t worry, you’re forgiven.

Sky Sports’ ever-present pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz – of BBC and ITV before that – has a style of presenting so inimitable that the man himself has formed a devoted following of his own, hate it as he might. Ahead of his 22nd year of pit lane reporting and 27th working in the sport he loves, Ted’s methodology of fan interaction is constantly evolving. This year, forget TikTok: it’s all about TedTok. So, back to the cheese.

“TedTok was just too good for somebody to steal,” the 48-year-old tells The Independent, in the unusually formal setting for him of an office at Sky Studios. “So I’m just going to put nonsense about doing stuff with cheese on there.

“I put up a video of me and Anthony [Davidson] choosing the perfect cheese in Bahrain to carve away the venturi tunnels of the car to the floor edge… it’s harder than you think.

“You could have got a block of cheddar, but then it would’ve just crumbled away and the whole shoot would’ve been a disaster. This was 20 minutes and Anthony was quite right in choosing the right type of cheese… gouda!”

Ted Talk! F1 cult hero Kravitz on pit lane secrets and... cheese

F1 news: Fernando Alonso pokes fun at George Russell after taking back third place from Mercedes driver

15:29 , Kieran Jackson

Fernando Alonso could not help but poke fun at George Russell on Twitter after his podium at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was reinstated.

The Aston Martin driver came home third in Jeddah on Sunday before he was hit with a 10-second time penalty shortly after the race concluding, demoting him down to fourth and seeing Russell promoted to the podium.

But Aston appealed the verdict and were successful due to ambiguity in the rulebook, meaning Alonso did ultimately secure a podium – his 100th in Formula 1 – and Russell dropped back down to fourth.

And after Russell tweeted about picking up his first trophy of the season, Alonso replied on Monday with a picture of him looking upwards into a camera, accompanied with “Hola” and a “trophy” and “back” emoji.

It is Alonso’s second third-place finish in a row, after he finished on the podium in the opening race of the season in Bahrain.

F1 news: Lando Norris ‘put in headlock and robbed of £144,000 watch’ after Euro 2020 final

14:44 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris was put in a headlock and robbed of his £144,000 watch after the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, a court heard on Monday.

The Formula 1 star, then 21, was accosted in a car park outside the stadium by two men, with one gripping him in a headlock and the other ripping the Richard Mille 67-02 designer watch – one of only five in the world – from his wrist.

Liam Williams, 25, of Bootle in Merseyside, is accused of being the man snatching the watch, with Harrow Crown Court hearing that Williams allegedly left DNA on the McLaren driver’s wrist.

Williams has pleaded not guilty to one count of robbing Norris outside Wembley on 11 July 2021, when England lost on penalties to Italy in the final of the European Championships. He appeared in court on Monday wearing a navy blue t-shirt and grey ripped jeans.

In his statement given on July 12, Norris told police he parked his orange £165,000 McLaren GT sportscar in a VIP ‘Yellow’ car park outside the stadium travelling to the game with a friend called Max.

Norris ‘put in headlock and robbed of £144,000 watch’ after Euro 2020 final

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton makes astonishing Red Bull claim after Saudi Arabian GP

14:18 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton said Red Bull have built the fastest Formula One car he has ever seen after Sergio Perez saw off Max Verstappen to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Perez cantered to victory from pole position at the circuit on the Jeddah Corniche as Verstappen blasted his way from 15th to second following a mechanical failure in qualifying.

George Russell originally took third place after Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was demoted a position following a controversial post-race 10-second penalty but Alonso was reinstated in third at 1am local time following a successful appeal by Aston Martin.

Hamilton finished fifth, moving up two places from his qualifying position of seventh.

Red Bull have moved to another stratosphere this year, and their crushing one-two finish – a fortnight after they ruled the season-opener in Bahrain – will be a cause of major concern for Formula One bosses ahead of a record 23-round campaign. Red Bull have now won 12 of the last 13 races staged.

More below:

Lewis Hamilton makes astonishing Red Bull claim after Saudi Arabian GP

F1 news: Charles Leclerc’s furious Ferrari reaction on team radio reveals more frustration

13:56 , Kieran Jackson

Charles Leclerc hit out at Ferrari once more to underline his frustration during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver finished seventh in a dramatic race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which saw Fernando Alonso belatedly reinstated to the podium after an Aston Martin appeal.

The result leaves Leclerc 38 points behind Max Verstappen after just two races of the Formula 1 season. And the 25-year-old was especially upset with his race engineer Xavier Marcos Padros after communication over strategy broke down once more for the Scuderia.

Leclerc said: “Being behind like this is really ****. I don’t know what to do!”

Padros had earlier remarked: “Try to push from Safety Car Line One. Lewis Hamilton just pitted.” And Leclerc replied: “Xavi, you need to tell me that before!”

Charles Leclerc’s furious Ferrari reaction on team radio reveals frustration

F1 news: Nico Rosberg slams Max Verstappen’s reaction to finishing second in Saudi Arabia

13:23 , Kieran Jackson

Nico Rosberg insists Max Verstappen should be “more gracious” after the Red Bull driver failed to hide his irritation at coming second in Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion, who won the first race of the season in Bahrain, started P15 on the grid after a drive shaft failure scuppered his qualifying on Saturday.

However, the Dutchman stormed through the field in his rapid Red Bull, finishing second behind team-mate Sergio Perez.

Despite another Red Bull one-two Verstappen was unhappy in the post-race press conference, emphasising that he is “not here to finish second.”

Rosberg, the 2016 world champion with Mercedes, was decidedly unimpressed by Verstappen’s reaction in light of the team’s success in Jeddah.

Nico Rosberg slams Max Verstappen’s reaction to finishing second in Saudi Arabia

F1 news: Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?

12:59 , Kieran Jackson

Comment by Kieran Jackson

Come on then, who’d have thought this was how it’d turn out already? No, really. Red Bull’s margin of victory in last year’s Constructors’ Championship was a mammoth 205 points but in 2023, that could well be surpassed. In fact, never mind surpassed: ridiculed and knocked out the park.

Just two races down and after a pair of comfortable – bordering on effortless – one-two triumphs, the gap is 49 points to Aston Martin in second. The only point Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have missed out on was the fastest lap in Bahrain. There’s 21 grand prix left; 27 races including sprints. The signs, for the rest of the pack, are nothing but scarily ominous.

There can be no doubt where most of the acclaim should be directed. Superstar designer Adrian Newey has created arguably his greatest beast yet; the RB19 was described as an evolution of 2022’s all-conquering machine and boy has that proved an underestimation.

Swap evolution for upgrade. Double upgrade. Aerodynamically supreme, as illustrated by the unstoppable surge in speed down the straights with DRS, this breed of car is lightning through the corners too. Their dominance in Saudi Arabia over the weekend was monumental: they topped all five sessions including practice.

Not that he needs an invitation, Christian Horner was basking in the prospect of his team’s greatest ever season.

Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?

F1 news: Lando Norris ‘put in headlock and robbed of £144,000 watch’ after Euro 2020 final

12:26 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris was put in a headlock and robbed of his £144,000 watch after the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, a court heard on Monday.

The Formula 1 star, then 21, was accosted in a car park outside the stadium by two men, with one gripping him in a headlock and the other ripping the Richard Mille 67-02 designer watch – one of only five in the world – from his wrist.

Liam Williams, 25, of Bootle in Merseyside, is accused of being the man snatching the watch, with Harrow Crown Court hearing that Williams allegedly left DNA on the McLaren driver’s wrist.

Williams has pleaded not guilty to one count of robbing Norris outside Wembley on 11 July 2021, when England lost on penalties to Italy in the final of the European Championships. He appeared in court on Monday wearing a navy blue t-shirt and grey ripped jeans.

In his statement given on July 12, Norris told police he parked his orange £165,000 McLaren GT sportscar in a VIP ‘Yellow’ car park outside the stadium travelling to the game with a friend called Max.

Norris ‘put in headlock and robbed of £144,000 watch’ after Euro 2020 final

F1 news: Here’s the full standings from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

12:12 , Kieran Jackson

1) Sergio Perez

2) Max Verstappen

3) Fernando Alonso

4) George Russell

5) Lewis Hamilton

6) Carlos Sainz

7) Charles Leclerc

8) Esteban Ocono

9) Pierre Gasly

10) Kevin Magnussen

11) Yuki Tsunoda

12) Nico Hulkenberg

13) Zhou Guanyu

14) Nyck de Vries

15) Oscar Piastri

16) Logan Sargeant

17) Lando Norris

18) Valtteri Bottas

19) Alex Albon

20) Lance Stroll

F1 news: Toto Wolff, speaking after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix:

12:02 , Kieran Jackson

“We’d rather take one of those golden trophies than none! We’ve seen some performance gains compared to Bahrain... but on the flip side we want to race for wins soon, but the Red Bulls are a minute away.

Second in the C’Ship? “Yeah, first loser!”

On Lewis: “Both of the drivers under our guidance, we overmanaged the tyres a little bit. We could have pushed a bit more, but great recovery and yeah solid points.”

“The question is what is your benchmark? The Red Bulls are just so quick, we need to put our car in a different window - we’re changing the team and bodywork. The team in Brackley is just flat out.

“If it looks like an English double decker bus, we will do it if its fast. We’re making big elephant steps going forward but it’ll be a super fun journey to challenge Red Bull. We can see them - they are just far away at the moment.”

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

F1 news: Ted Talk! F1 cult hero Kravitz on pit lane secrets and... cheese

11:41 , Kieran Jackson

Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson

Ted is talking about cheese. For a Formula 1 pit lane reporter functioning in a world of tyre compounds and floor specifications, Ted often finds himself talking about cheese. Usually at pre-season testing. A bizarre synonymity, some might say, and readers not drooling in the daily churn of digital F1 content may be a little lost already. Don’t worry, you’re forgiven.

Sky Sports’ ever-present pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz – of BBC and ITV before that – has a style of presenting so inimitable that the man himself has formed a devoted following of his own, hate it as he might. Ahead of his 22nd year of pit lane reporting and 27th working in the sport he loves, Ted’s methodology of fan interaction is constantly evolving. This year, forget TikTok: it’s all about TedTok. So, back to the cheese.

“TedTok was just too good for somebody to steal,” the 48-year-old tells The Independent, in the unusually formal setting for him of an office at Sky Studios. “So I’m just going to put nonsense about doing stuff with cheese on there.

“I put up a video of me and Anthony [Davidson] choosing the perfect cheese in Bahrain to carve away the venturi tunnels of the car to the floor edge… it’s harder than you think.

“You could have got a block of cheddar, but then it would’ve just crumbled away and the whole shoot would’ve been a disaster. This was 20 minutes and Anthony was quite right in choosing the right type of cheese… gouda!”

Ted Talk! F1 cult hero Kravitz on pit lane secrets and... cheese

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton makes astonishing Red Bull claim after Saudi Arabian GP

11:17 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton said Red Bull have built the fastest Formula One car he has ever seen after Sergio Perez saw off Max Verstappen to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Perez cantered to victory from pole position at the circuit on the Jeddah Corniche as Verstappen blasted his way from 15th to second following a mechanical failure in qualifying.

George Russell originally took third place after Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was demoted a position following a controversial post-race 10-second penalty but Alonso was reinstated in third at 1am local time following a successful appeal by Aston Martin.

Hamilton finished fifth, moving up two places from his qualifying position of seventh.

Red Bull have moved to another stratosphere this year, and their crushing one-two finish – a fortnight after they ruled the season-opener in Bahrain – will be a cause of major concern for Formula One bosses ahead of a record 23-round campaign. Red Bull have now won 12 of the last 13 races staged.

More below:

Lewis Hamilton makes astonishing Red Bull claim after Saudi Arabian GP

F1 news: Fred Vasseur at a loss to explain Ferrari performance

10:59 , Kieran Jackson

After finishing sixth and seventh in Saudi Arabia, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur insisted the team have to understand why there is such a deficit in performance to Red Bull.

He said: “The most difficult in my business after a race like this is to understand what is going well and what is not. We have positive points, but we need a step on the reliability.

“Even the first stint of the race we can be happy with, but the race was based on the last stint and clearly we did not have the pace. In the tyre management we were a bit conservative, but it’s only a matter of one or two tenths. Nothing to do with the gap we had today. We need to understand the lack of performance and it’s not the tyre management.

“When it’s not going well, we need to be clear and honest with ourselves that the pace was not what we expected.”

Ferrari are currently fourth in the Constructors’ Standings.

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

F1 news: Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has no problem with Red Bull’s dominance

10:45 , Kieran Jackson

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has sided with rival Christian Horner in defending Red Bull’s dominant start to the new season.

Sergio Perez led home team-mate Max Verstappen at Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Red Bull secured their second crushing one-two finish in as many races.

Red Bull have now won 12 of the last 13 races, with Lewis Hamilton describing their machine as the fastest he has ever seen.

However, there are fears that Red Bull’s superiority could prove a turn-off for Formula One fans, undoing the sport’s dramatic surge in popularity in recent years.

But Wolff, who oversaw Mercedes’ run of eight consecutive constructors’ world championships, said: “We have had those years where we were as strong, but it is a meritocracy.

Mercedes chief has no problem with Red Bull’s dominance

F1 news: Fernando Alonso pokes fun at George Russell after taking back third place from Mercedes driver

10:28 , Kieran Jackson

Fernando Alonso could not help but poke fun at George Russell on Twitter after his podium at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was reinstated.

The Aston Martin driver came home third in Jeddah on Sunday before he was hit with a 10-second time penalty shortly after the race concluding, demoting him down to fourth and seeing Russell promoted to the podium.

But Aston appealed the verdict and were successful due to ambiguity in the rulebook, meaning Alonso did ultimately secure a podium – his 100th in Formula 1 – and Russell dropped back down to fourth.

And after Russell tweeted about picking up his first trophy of the season, Alonso replied on Monday with a picture of him looking upwards into a camera, accompanied with “Hola” and a “trophy” and “back” emoji.

It is Alonso’s second third-place finish in a row, after he finished on the podium in the opening race of the season in Bahrain.

F1 news: Nico Rosberg slams Max Verstappen’s reaction to finishing second in Saudi Arabia

10:14 , Kieran Jackson

Nico Rosberg insists Max Verstappen should be “more gracious” after the Red Bull driver failed to hide his irritation at coming second in Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion, who won the first race of the season in Bahrain, started P15 on the grid after a drive shaft failure scuppered his qualifying on Saturday.

However, the Dutchman stormed through the field in his rapid Red Bull, finishing second behind team-mate Sergio Perez.

Despite another Red Bull one-two Verstappen was unhappy in the post-race press conference, emphasising that he is “not here to finish second.”

Rosberg, the 2016 world champion with Mercedes, was decidedly unimpressed by Verstappen’s reaction in light of the team’s success in Jeddah.

Nico Rosberg slams Max Verstappen’s reaction to finishing second in Saudi Arabia

F1 news: Charles Leclerc’s furious Ferrari reaction on team radio reveals more frustration

10:04 , Kieran Jackson

Charles Leclerc hit out at Ferrari once more to underline his frustration during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver finished seventh in a dramatic race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which saw Fernando Alonso belatedly reinstated to the podium after an Aston Martin appeal.

The result leaves Leclerc 38 points behind Max Verstappen after just two races of the Formula 1 season. And the 25-year-old was especially upset with his race engineer Xavier Marcos Padros after communication over strategy broke down once more for the Scuderia.

Leclerc said: “Being behind like this is really ****. I don’t know what to do!”

Padros had earlier remarked: “Try to push from Safety Car Line One. Lewis Hamilton just pitted.” And Leclerc replied: “Xavi, you need to tell me that before!”

Charles Leclerc’s furious Ferrari reaction on team radio reveals frustration

F1 news: Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?

10:02 , Kieran Jackson

Comment by Kieran Jackson

Come on then, who’d have thought this was how it’d turn out already? No, really. Red Bull’s margin of victory in last year’s Constructors’ Championship was a mammoth 205 points but in 2023, that could well be surpassed. In fact, never mind surpassed: ridiculed and knocked out the park.

Just two races down and after a pair of comfortable – bordering on effortless – one-two triumphs, the gap is 49 points to Aston Martin in second. The only point Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have missed out on was the fastest lap in Bahrain. There’s 21 grand prix left; 27 races including sprints. The signs, for the rest of the pack, are nothing but scarily ominous.

There can be no doubt where most of the acclaim should be directed. Superstar designer Adrian Newey has created arguably his greatest beast yet; the RB19 was described as an evolution of 2022’s all-conquering machine and boy has that proved an underestimation.

Swap evolution for upgrade. Double upgrade. Aerodynamically supreme, as illustrated by the unstoppable surge in speed down the straights with DRS, this breed of car is lightning through the corners too. Their dominance in Saudi Arabia over the weekend was monumental: they topped all five sessions including practice.

Not that he needs an invitation, Christian Horner was basking in the prospect of his team’s greatest ever season.

Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?

F1 news: Max Verstappen irritated after finishing behind Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez

10:00 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen could not hide his frustration after coming home second behind team-mate Sergio Perez at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion, after a drive shaft failure scuppered his qualifying on Saturday, started 15th on the grid but stormed through the field to finish on the podium.

It was another one-two finish for Red Bull – following up an identical result in Bahrain – but Verstappen was unhappy, insisting he is “not here to finish second.”

The Dutchman does lead the World Championship however after securing a bonus point for setting the fastest lap of the race on his final lap.

“It’s not only about the pace of the car, we need to make sure we are reliable without any issues,” he told reporters after the race in Jeddah.

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)