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WHY CARLOS SAINZ’S COSTLY CLASH WITH ANTONELLI MARKS A PAINFUL US GP FALL

From hero to zero: Carlos Sainz retires from the US Grand Prix after a Lap 16 crash with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli. The Ferrari driver had finished 3rd in the Sprint race.

Why Carlos Sainz’s Costly Clash With Antonelli Marks a Painful US GP Fall
Following a Lap 6 incident, Carlos Sainz became the first driver to withdraw at the US Grand Prix.

After crashing with Kimi Antonelli and retiring, Carlos Sainz went from being the United States Grand Prix sprint race hero to finishing last in the main event. 

Sainz tried to dive to the top of the narrow left-hander between Turns 15 and 16 on Lap 16, but Antonelli swooped in to take his usual racing line. Sainz's front wing was wrecked as Antonelli was biffed backwards in the gravel.

The stewards will look into the incident after the race, and the Spanish competitor, who placed third in the sprint, immediately retired following the touch as Antonelli went on.

Despite the injuries, Antonelli is still competing. 

In other news, Esteban Ocon was exonerated of a possible jump start following a brief inquiry by the stewards, while Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto were not disciplined further for contact that caused the Williams to spin on the first lap.

Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Oscar Piastri are in fifth place behind Max Verstappen on Lap 11. 

LANDO NORRIS SINGLE: F1 CHAMPION CONFIRMS SPLIT FROM MAGUI CORCEIRO IN LEAKED VIDEO

F1 heartbreak: Analyse Lando Norris's split from Magui Corceiro, the "single man" leak, and their on-off relationship history.

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TikTok video captures Lando Norris confirming his breakup in Bahrain

Looks like Formula One world champion Lando Norris and his supermodel girlfriend, Magui Corceiro, have split up. The two started dating in 2023 and had a pretty on-and-off thing. She was right there with him when he won the title in Abu Dhabi – definitely an emotional night for both of them.

But now, it seems like it’s over. According to the Sun, a TikTok video caught Norris telling Carlos Sainz Jr that he’s “a single man". The audio’s not great, but you can hear Sainz asking if he and Magui are okay, and Lando just says, “No,” then adds that he’s single. This happened during pre-season testing in Bahrain while the drivers were getting their photos taken.

Magui, who’s also an actress from Portugal, used to date footballer Joao Felix before Lando. She and Norris broke up in 2024 and got back together, but it looks like they’ve called it quits again. People close to them say there’ve been signs for a while; things changed after Lando’s big championship win. The most obvious clue? Magui wasn’t at Lando’s big thank-you party in Bahrain, even though everyone else was there. Naturally, that got people talking.

Back in December, Magui broke down in tears after Norris won the world championship. She gave an interview to TV Guia, saying how happy they both were and how, in that moment, she forgot about the cameras. It all seemed pretty solid then.

Magui’s got a huge social following – around 800,000 fans on TikTok – and she’s done everything from acting in Portuguese dramas to modelling for brands like Intimissimi and Alo Yoga. She was even on Portugal’s Dancing with the Stars in 2020 and co-founded the eco swimwear brand Missus. She’s graced Vogue Portugal, too.

Norris himself talked about Magui in Vogue, saying they met a few years ago but only got together more recently. He called her “down to earth” and said he can just be himself around her. Apparently, he kept trying to get her into golf, but she hated it.

Neither of them has officially announced the breakup, but at this point, it looks like they’ve gone their separate ways.

DISASTER WARNING: OSCAR PIASTRI FEARS 2026 RACE STARTS COULD LEAD TO MULTI-CAR GRID ACCIDENTS

Oscar Piastri warns of chaos at the 2026 start! Discover why the new rules are a "recipe for disaster" and how McLaren found "warp speed."

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Piastri warns that clean launches now depend more on chance than skill

Oscar Piastri thinks there’s a lot of luck involved in getting a good start these days. Pre-season testing in Bahrain really made it clear that these new 2026 F1 rules have turned race starts into a much bigger headache.

He’s spoken up about this before, especially since so many teams and drivers are running into fresh problems under the new regs. The big one? F1 dropped the MGU-H from the engine formula, and suddenly, starts just aren’t as smooth. It’s a mess.

After last week’s first official test in Bahrain, Piastri didn’t sugarcoat it. He called the 2026 start a “recipe for disaster” because of how wildly different every driver’s launch is. Even the FIA and F1 noticed, so they decided to test out a longer starting procedure during the second test.

Here’s what they did: during the second test, they delayed the starting lights, giving drivers more time to spool up their turbos. Ferrari’s 2026 engine features a smaller turbo, allowing its drivers to maintain lower revs for longer periods. Others? They’re sitting there for up to ten seconds, just waiting.

Piastri says the new procedures and the extra week of testing in Bahrain helped a bit; things aren’t quite as all over the place now. But he’s honest: there’s still a ton of luck involved if you want to get a clean launch and avoid turbo lag or wheelspin.

Holding high revs to prime the turbo, now that the MGU-H is gone, is just one of the traps drivers can fall into. Piastri figures it’s going to take a while before all 22 drivers on the grid are nailing their starts every time.

He summed it up at the press conference in Bahrain: “Mine yesterday wasn’t so bad. I was last, but I also overtook four cars. There’s still a lot of luck involved, and we’re learning what makes a good start and what makes a bad one.

“There are a few pitfalls you can run into that cause problems. Managing the energy and the whole procedure – that’s one thing.

“The way we start is just totally different from last year. It’s trickier across the board. Some drivers are handling it; some just aren’t.”

On the other hand, McLaren looked like they were getting the hang of it by the last day of testing. Jolyon Palmer, watching from the sidelines, was impressed by Piastri’s practice start but even more blown away by Lando Norris.

Palmer thought McLaren had cracked the code. On Friday, Piastri shot off the line in the morning, but Norris outdid everyone in the final session. Palmer joked that Norris hit “warp speed".

He said on the F1 broadcast, “Warp speed, see you mate! That’s a brilliant start from Lando. McLaren is there. I’ve seen it all day. Oscar got a great start. In the pit lane, it looks good.

“I’d love to see that next to the Ferrari, honestly, because it’s really impressive. Their start is much better than Red Bull’s. I’d say it’s even better than Mercedes.”

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