F1 TITLE RACE: LANDO NORRIS INSISTS VEGAS SHAMBLES DIDN'T MATTER
Lando Norris remains focused on the F1 title despite his Las Vegas DSQ. The McLaren driver leads Verstappen by 24 points heading to Qatar.
Lando Norris says his focus on winning his first Formula One title hasn't changed, even after he and his McLaren teammate were kicked out of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. This result put Red Bull’s Max Verstappen back in the title chase. McLaren's team boss, Andrea Stella, says they didn't take excessive risks with their car setup in Las Vegas.
Verstappen won the race in Nevada, with Norris coming in second and Piastri fourth. But, after the race, officials found that the skid blocks on their cars were worn down too much, below the legal limit of 9 mm, leading to their disqualification.
Before the race, Verstappen trailed Norris by 49 points. Now, with Norris and Piastri losing their points, he's only 24 points behind—the same gap as Piastri—as they head to Qatar. Norris can still win the title here, but he insists he doesn't feel any extra pressure from Verstappen closing in.
We've seen him as a threat all year, even when he was further back, Norris said. We know what he and Red Bull can do, so nothing's changed.
There's no reason to change how we do things. We've been doing well, and I'm happy with our performance. We know what we need to work on. I didn't think we had a bad weekend or result in Las Vegas, so that's good.
Las Vegas was still a setback for Norris. If not for the disqualification, he would be heading to Qatar with a 30-point lead over Piastri and 42 over Verstappen, giving him a better shot at the title.
"Of course, it hurts," he said. Everyone puts in a lot of effort each weekend, and it felt like it all went to waste. The mechanics, engineers, and everyone at McLaren feel let down.
We're all bummed, but I found it easy to move on, take a few days off, and get ready for this weekend.
Piastri echoed these feelings and made it clear he wouldn't sacrifice his own chances to help Norris against Verstappen. We talked about it briefly, and the answer is no, he said. I'm tied with Max in points, and I still have a good chance of winning if things go my way, so that's how we'll approach it.
With a 24-point lead over his rivals and 58 points up for grabs this weekend (including a sprint race), Norris must score two points more than both of them to secure the title, or one point if he wins Sunday’s race.
McLaren's Andrea Stella addressed the situation, saying that he doesn't think the team pushed the car's ride height too close to the limit. He said the unexpected bouncing of the cars caught them off guard from the start of the race.
Based on practice data, we didn't think we were taking big risks with the ride height, and we even added a safety margin for qualifying and the race, he said.
The specific problem was the unexpected bouncing, which caused the car to move up and down a lot, Stella explained. This was worse because of the race conditions and wasn't something we saw in practice or expected based on our predictions.
KIM KARDASHIAN AND LEWIS HAMILTON SPOTTED ON ROMANTIC EUROPEAN TOUR TOGETHER
Kim Kardashian and F1 star Lewis Hamilton are turning heads across Europe as insiders reveal Kim's "Russell Wilson" nickname.
Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton are the latest celebrity duo making waves, and apparently, Kim’s already got a cheeky nickname for him. The two have been spotted out together in the Cotswolds, London, and Paris, just enjoying themselves and turning a few heads in the process.
Word is, Kim’s close friends are spilling a few details about this new romance. One insider claims Lewis isn’t looking to settle down right now, but Kim still has a special name for him—she calls him “her Russell Wilson”. If you know the reference, it’s a nod to NFL star Russell Wilson, who married singer Ciara after her high-profile breakup with rapper Future. Friends say Kim thinks of Lewis as a “sophisticated upgrade” from her ex, Kanye West.
Kim and Kanye—now legally known as Ye—were married from 2014 to 2021 and share four kids. Their co-parenting relationship is famously complicated.
Kim’s reportedly a bit anxious about how Kanye will react to her new thing with Lewis, considering Kanye and Lewis were friends back in the day. One source told the Mail, “They’re both cautious about Kanye’s feelings since he and Lewis go way back. Kim’s living for herself these days, but she doesn’t want to poke the bear. They know this could set Kanye off, so they’re keeping it light and just having fun for now.”
Kim and Lewis first crossed paths years ago at GQ’s 2014 Men of the Year Awards. Back then, they both showed up with their now-exes—Kim was with Ye, and Lewis was with Nicole Scherzinger.
Kanye even had Lewis over for Easter one year. He talked about it: “Lewis Hamilton’s over at my house, and we’re playing some music in my studio. We’re having Easter brunch—my wife’s family, my friends, everyone’s there. And everybody’s like, ‘What is this music?’ and I’m like, ‘It’s Lewis Hamilton’s music.’”
Since splitting from Ye, Kim’s dated Pete Davidson and moved on. Kanye’s remarried, too—this time to Australian architect Bianca Censori.
Those two have been in the headlines a lot, usually for their wild fashion choices. Things got especially wild when Bianca showed up at the Grammy Awards in a see-through gown. She arrived in a black fur coat but ditched it to reveal a sheer dress that left little to the imagination. People at the event were definitely stunned.
FERRARI SF-26 COMPLETES 121 LAPS IN HISTORIC LEWIS HAMILTON-LECLERC BARCELONA DEBUT
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed a "productive" 121-lap debut for the Ferrari SF-26 during 2026 testing in Barcelona.
Ferrari kicked off its on-track work for the 2026 Formula One season with a steady first day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc split driving duties in the team’s bold new car, and the whole thing felt like the start of a new chapter.
With the 2026 rules shaking up both the chassis and the power unit, Ferrari didn’t chase lap times. They zeroed in on checking systems, making sure their data lined up, and ironing out any reliability kinks. The weather threw a few curveballs—rain, some dry patches—but even so, they got through their plan and stacked up plenty of laps.
Leclerc seemed upbeat after his first taste of the new machine. He said it felt good to get back behind the wheel and start figuring out the car, even if the focus was just on systems and not raw speed. “We came here to understand how everything works,” he said. “With the weather mixed up, today was all about checks. We finished what we set out to do, and the car did what we expected. It’s a solid start and a decent base.”
Hamilton, now officially in Ferrari red, felt the same. For him, it was a busy day—lots of on-track time, plenty of new things to get used to—but he called it productive. “We got good mileage, learnt a lot, and didn’t hit any big issues. That’s what matters with so many changes coming in. This gives us a strong platform for the next few days.”
Ferrari’s Head of Track Engineering, Matteo Togninalli, stressed how important it was just to get through the day cleanly. “Given the conditions, it went well for us,” he said. Rain or not, they racked up the laps and—most importantly—avoided any real reliability problems. That’s the top priority when you’re shaking down a brand-new car and engine.
Performance talk? Still way too early for that. Right now, Ferrari’s just learning how this new car behaves, gathering data, and building up bit by bit as the days go on—keeping their focus squarely on themselves.