F1

MAX VERSTAPPEN has penned a new £37million-a-year contract with Red Bull.And now the reigning champion is in the same pay bracket as bitter title rival Lewis Hamilton.
Max Verstappen is now in the same pay bracket as rival Lewis HamiltonCredit: Getty
The Red Bull star has penned a whopping £37m-a-year contract after winning the F1 titleCredit: Alamy
The Dutch driver, 24, will now be tied to the team until after his 30th birthday after committing his future to them.
He visited Red Bull’s factory in Milton Keynes yesterday to wrap-up his bumper extension after initially agreeing terms while in Barcelona last week for pre-season testing.
Verstappen’s pay rise has now fired him right up alongside £40m-a-year Hamilton as Formula One’s top earner.
However, given the length of his contract, it could be argued that it is the most remunerative package in F1 history.
Red Bull have yet to officially confirm that Verstappen has agreed to the extension but are believed to be set to confirm the news later this week.
However, Sun Sport understands that it is all done and despite reports elsewhere, it is worth £37m per year.

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had been trying to lure Verstappen over to them but that move broke down at Silverstone in 2020.
The driver was involved in a 180mph collision with Hamilton and needed hospital treatment afterwards.
But he was upset with how enthusiastically Mercedes celebrated victory while medics attended to him.
Verstappen begins his title defence in Bahrain in 18 days.
That will be his eighth season in F1 and debuting aged 17 in the 2015 Australian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso.

🏁 F1 2022 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info More

FORMULA ONE’S governing body, the FIA, have failed to follow other sports in taking decisive action against Russian athletes.F1 was swift to act by cancelling the Russian GP following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian driver Nikita Mazepin will be allowed to race in the F1 2022 seasonCredit: Getty
Russia have caused mass destruction and death by invading UkraineCredit: AFP
But, somewhat staggeringly, the FIA have decided to allow Russian and Belarusian drivers to continue to drive.
New president Mohammed Ben Sulayem presented the verdict from an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council held on Tuesday.
It means controversial Haas driver, Nikita Mazepin, will be allowed to continue to drive in F1 – assuming he is retained by his team.
Mazepin – son of billionaire oligarch Dmitry who has ties to Putin – will not technically be representing Russia and will race under an “FIA flag”.
Ben Sulayem said: “The FIA is watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and I hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation.
“We condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and our thoughts are with all those suffering as a result of the events in Ukraine.”
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A statement from the FIA confirmed that no competitions would take place in Russia and Belarus, until further notice and that flags, symbols or anthems associated with those countries would be used.
Ben Sulayem’s failure to take strict action on Russian drivers will upset Leonid Kostyuchenko, the President of the Federation Automobile d’Ukraine, who had urged the FIA to intervene.
Haas will now decide on whether to stick with error-prone Mazepin, whose father also part-owns Russian fertiliser company Uralkali, the F1 team’s sponsor.
Dmitry is close to President Putin and the two met only last month.
He is believed to be at risk of being targeted by the sanctions designed to paralyse the Russian economy. 
Mazepin, 22, already has one of the most controversial F1 racing careers, which was almost terminated before he’d even done a single race.
In December 2020, he posted an Instagram story in which he appeared to inappropriately grope a woman’s breasts.
Mazepin was involved in pre-season testing in Barcelona last weekCredit: PA
The Haas team rebuked Mazepin’s actions and called the video “abhorrent” and while the Russian later apologised, he subsequently deleted it from social media.
The controversy led to the hashtag “#WeSayNoToMazepin” trending on Twitter with fans calling on Haas to cancel his contract.
And in 2016, Mazepin was banned for a race for hitting fellow racer Callum Ilott twice in the face after the Brit accidentally blocked him during a practice session.
Meanwhile, fellow Russian, former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat, had earlier pleaded with the FIA not to ban Russian drivers.
Kvyat wrote on social media calling for a peaceful end to the conflict in Ukraine but stopped short of condemning the actions of Putin.
Referring to the war as the “situation in Ukraine”, Kvyat also said it was “unfair” that Russian athletes were being targeted. More

FORMULA ONE’S decision to cancel the Russian Grand Prix will hopefully spell the end of Vladimir Putin’s pathetic vanity project.
The race – due to be held in September in Sochi, the venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics – was ditched following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian GP in Sochi was dropped as F1 responded to Putin invading UkraineCredit: Getty
It is the swiftness with which F1 acted to dump the race from its calendar that should have the despot concerned, for the sport no longer needs him or his grubby roubles.
Putin has always used sport as a way to reaffirm his position as Russia’s leader.
The Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup – high-profile events, somehow procured but used to show the world he means business.
But his deal with F1 was something more personal.
It was a deal very publicly brokered with ex-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and one that was meant to show commitment until 2025 and also to involve Putin’s home city St Petersburg.
But with Ecclestone no longer in control, the Russian GP has turned out to be nothing short of an embarrassment.
Ecclestone convinced Russia to pay $50million (£37.3m) a year – at the time of the first race in 2014, it was more than any other venue on the F1 calendar.
In fact, only oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Qatar currently stump up more than the bill Russia gets handed each year.
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And, despite the huge sum, it is widely regarded as the worst on the calendar – for so many reasons.
Sochi itself is Russia’s largest resort city, optimistically dubbed as the “Russian Riviera” – it sits by the Black Sea but has disappointing beaches and, well, not much else.
The horribly dreary track is like racing around a giant car park and the rarely used theme park that sits behind the circuit is known in Formula One circles as “DismalLand”.
Back in that debut season, Putin attended the race and made the podium presentations – never one to miss his opportunity, he subsequently has stood on it a few more times.
In 2014, the sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine to annex the Crimean Peninsula were already beginning to bite.
I remember an Italian restaurant running out of pasta and pizza bases while it took another two and a half hours to knock up a burger and chips.
Attendances are always underwhelming and, without any Russian driver of any skill, there was never much interest in the sport in the country.
In 2023, the plan is to move the Russian GP to the newly constructed Igora Drive circuit outside St Petersburg that has cost north of £200m to construct and giving Putin his dream.
Lewis Hamilton met Vladimir Putin when he won the 2018 Russian GP and also triumphed last time out at Sochi in 2021Credit: AFP
But unlike in 2014 when Ecclestone was organising the sale of F1, the sport’s American owners, Liberty Media, no longer need Russia’s £50m – or the headaches that come with it.
This year, despite ongoing travel restrictions, F1 has no problem putting together a record-breaking 23-race calendar.
F1 say there are no issues with legalities with the Russian promoter and that crucially there are no shortages of venues willing to fill the gap.
Qatar is likeliest but Portugal, Turkey, and potential second races for Abu Dhabi, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia are all options.
Add into the mix extra races in Las Vegas and Germany in 2023, plus China’s return, there is very little need to go back to Russia ever again, which would be welcomed by everyone in F1.
FIA WAR SUMMIT
THE FIA will hold “an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council” today to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.
It comes after F1’s governing body was put under increased pressure to boot out Haas’ Russian driver Nikita Mazepin.
The FIA have been urged to stop all drivers competing with a Russian racing licence.
Haas could replace him with Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time Formula One world champ Emerson Fittipaldi.
But engine suppliers Ferrari want Italian Antonio Giovinazzi.
MOTO GP BOOST
MOTOGP chiefs hope their new fly-on-the-wall TV series gives the championship a boost – just like F1’s own Netflix effect.
The season begins this weekend in Qatar and MotoGP have a deal with Amazon Prime to show eight 50-minute episodes, launching on March 14.
The only problem is season four of F1’s Drive to Survive starts three days earlier.
MAX EX IS ELECTRIC
MAX VERSTAPPEN’S ex, Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky, is leading the electric offroad series, Extreme E.
Sweden’s Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky is worth a plug after her outstanding start to the electric offroad series, Extreme ECredit: Splash
The Swedish driver, 29, dated the Formula One champion for nine months when he drove for Toro Rosso – but the pair split up when he joined Red Bull in 2016.
Ahlin-Kottulinsky drives for Nico Rosberg’s RXR Extreme E team and holds the record of five podium finishes.
DOOR OPEN FOR HASLAM’S WSBK RETURN
LEON HASLAM, son of legendary Rocket Ron, could yet return to WorldSBK – that is despite choosing to race in the 2022 British Superbike Championship.
The 38-year-old Brit, who won the BSB title in 2018, is in advanced talks to make possible wildcard appearances for the Pedercini Kawasaki team. More

FORMER F1 driver Daniil Kvyat has pleaded with the FIA not to ban Russian drivers from racing.The former Red Bull driver is due to race in the World Endurance Championship this season.
Former F1 star Daniil Kyvat has urged the FIA not to ban Russian driversCredit: Getty
But he risks being hit by the blanket ban under pressure from the International Olympic Committee to prevent all Russian athletes from competing.
Kvyat wrote on social media calling for a peaceful end to the conflict in Ukraine but stopped well short of condemning the actions of his country’s leader, warmonger Vladimir Putin.
Referring to the war as the “situation in Ukraine”, Kvyat also said it was “unfair” that Russian athletes were being targeted.
He wrote: “I really hope for a peaceful solution to this situation in Ukraine, and that we can all live in peace.
“Hopefully all parties can find a solution by sitting together and through a respected dialogue. It horrifies me to see two brotherhood nations in a conflict. 
“I don’t want military actions and wars to influence the future of humanity. I want my daughter and all children to enjoy this beautiful world.
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“I would also like to highlight and address all sports federations across the world, including IOC, that sport should remain outside politics.
“And disallowing Russian athletes and teams from participating in world competitions is an unfair solution and goes against what sport teaches us in principle: the unity and peace.
“Who else if not us sports people will help to glue nations together in the upcoming times.”
It is difficult to dismiss Putin’s association with sport.
He has been a long-term supporter of the Russian GP and has stood on the podium on a number of occasions and issued the trophies. More

MAX VERSTAPPEN has revealed what was going through his mind during the final laps of last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.The Dutchman’s title chances were ebbing away, with rival Lewis Hamilton having expertly built a seemingly unassailable lead.
Lewis Hamilton looks on in the immediate aftermath of his controversial defeatCredit: Reuters
Verstappen would be handed the latest of lifelines in the form of the safety car, however.
Former race director Michael Masi, since sacked for his blunder, then ordered Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel to unlap themselves behind the safety car – leaving Hamilton at his Red Bull rival’s mercy.
In a new documentary for streaming service Viaplay, Verstappen has revealed what he was thinking during the race’s closing stages.
He said: “At that moment I tried to close the gap.
“I knew I wouldn’t close an eleven-second gap in five laps, but I said to myself, ‘I’m not going to give up now and drive slowly to the finish line. I’m going to give it my all to make it not look easy’.
“I wasn’t really happy at that moment.”
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Having seen Nicholas Latifi’s crashed car first hand, Verstappen realised he may have a slim chance after all.
He added: “I was hoping for a restart. That car was at a tricky angle to get out of there.”
Having nipped in for fresh tyres, Verstappen felt the nerves of his team, revealing: “They were very quiet (over the radio).
“They were I think also very nervous for the last lap.”
On old tyres Hamilton was a sitting duck, with Verstappen blitzing past him to seal his first world championship triumph.
The pair will do battle once again later this month, when the new F1 season gets underway in Bahrain.
And fans have been getting pumped, after the first trailer for the new season of the hit series Drive to Survive dropped yesterday.
⚽ Read our Football News Live blog for breaking news, transfer gossip and must-read stories
Max Verstappen is gearing up for a return to actionCredit: Splash More

THE racing world is mourning the passing of American star Danny Ongais who has died at the age of 79.Known as the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian’, Ongais’ long career saw him excel in Indy cars, F1 and drag racing.
Danny Ongais has passed at the age of 79Credit: Getty
The Hawaiian was hugely successful in the 1970s and 1980sCredit: Getty
He was known as ‘On Gas’ and the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian’Credit: Getty
Born in Kahului in 1942, the racing star started a long journey that would ultimately lead him to the most famous circuits in the world.
Following a spell in the US Army, he returned to his native Hawaii and became the state’s 1960 motorcycle champion.
That success would see him migrate from bikes to cars, kickstarting a phenomenal career that lasted more than five decades.
Ongais could seemingly turn his hand to any discipline and made eleven starts in the iconic Indy 500.
He made a foray into the world of F1 in 1977, racing for Interscope and briefly Team Tissot Ensign.
His best racing season came in 1978, where Ongais won five races and eight poles en route to an eighth-place finish in the USAC standings.
And that led to CART in 1979, where he would stay for the next eight years.
In 1981 he cheated death after a horrendous crash in Indianapolis, which left him with multiple leg, arm and internal injuries.
Ongais retired in 1988, but was convinced to return at the age of 54 in 1996 after the tragic death of Scott Brayton in Indy 500 practice.
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Putting on a racing masterclass, Ongais guided his car from its starting place of 33rd to an eventual seventh position.
He had one last shot at the famous race in 1998, but failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car.
Ongais was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 in the Drag Racing category.
Despite his flamboyance on the track, Ongais was notoriously camera-shy and spent much of his later years with his family in California.
He passed away aged 79 at his California home due to congestive heart failure.
Onglais raced for Interscope in Formula OneCredit: Getty More