From Verstappen’s hilarious reaction to winning ‘Driver of the Day’ at the Australian GP to Mercedes responding to rumours about Toto Wolff bidding for a minority stake in the Alpine F1 team, here are today’s main Formula 1 stories.
Verstappen gives hilarious reaction to winning ‘Driver of the Day’ in Australia
Through no fault of his own, the Dutchman had to start from P20 on the grid after a crash in Q1. The Red Bull driver worked his way up to eventually finish in sixth place, behind the two Mercedes, the two Ferraris and Lando Norris.
The vote at the end of the race declared the four-time world champion as the ‘Driver of the Day’. During his media sessions after the race, when speaking to ESPN, he was told about that result. “Yes!” the Dutchman shouted cynically while pumping his fist in the air and laughing.
Earlier today, rumours emerged in British media that Toto Wolff is leading Mercedes’ bid to purchase a minority stake in Alpine.
The team remains fairly tight-lipped when this website reached out. A spokesperson told GPblog: “Mercedes is a key strategic partner of Alpine and we are being kept apprised of the latest developments.”
Verstappen to race in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring 2026
Max Verstappen will compete at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring in 2026, the Dutchman and his team, Verstappen Racing, announced. The team will use a Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Nordschleife.
The car will be fielded together with Winward Racing. The team will compete in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie in preparation for the 24-hour event. They will enter NLS1, NL2 and 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers. Verstappen himself will also drive at NLS2, that no longer clashes with the Japanese Grand Prix.
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