Englishman Matthew Southgate has been connected to the Open Championship for decades.
So it is no surprise that he displayed such emotion after qualifying for this year’s Open at Royal Troon, which will mark his sixth appearance in golf’s oldest major. Southgate carded a 6-under 136 over 36 holes at Royal Cinque Ports to take home medalist honors by three shots at the Southeast England qualifier.
“Sorry,” Southgate said, fighting back tears.
“Just reminds me of my Dad. The Open is the absolute best.”
His father, Ian, who sadly passed away in late 2020, loved The Open almost as much as his son. He grew fond of Tom Watson in the 1970s when the American began to dominate links-style golf in earnest. The elder Southgate also held a membership at Carnoustie, where Watson won his first Open in 1975. Ian Southgate knew everyone at the course and had for years, which explains why 10-year-old Matthew watched Jean van de Vedle’s infamous 1999 collapse play out from one of the most renowned places in golf.
“The marshalls called me and my friends over to sit on the Barry Burn bridge,” Southgate told the Global Golf Post at last year’s Open at Royal Liverpool.
“My legs were dangling over the water as I watched everything happen.”
Jean van de Velde stands in the Barry Burn in 1999.Getty Images
His Open championship memories as a youngster do not end there.
A decade later, when Watson held the 54-hole lead at The Open, the Southgate father-son duo got in their car on Saturday night and drove up to Turnberry. They could not miss the chance to see their favorite player make history.
Alas, Watson fell just short of Stewart Cink in a playoff. But Southgate has gone on to make plenty of Open memories since then.
He first qualified for The Open in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, where he missed the cut. But two years later, he tied for 12th at Royal Troon. Then he tied for sixth at Royal Birkdale, which saw Jordan Spieth win the Claret Jug. He earned an invite back to The Open in 2018—held at Carnoustie—but tied for 67th. At least he made the cut.
But that would be the last Open his father would see him play.
Matthew Southgate during 2024 Final Qualifying for The OpenPhoto by Tom Dulat/R&A via Getty Images
Southgate did not qualify for The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, and then, one year later, the R&A canceled their marquee event because of the pandemic. Southgate also missed out on 2021 and 2022, but he joined the Open radio commentary team for the 150th Open, lending his perspective about what played out at the Old Course.
Funny enough, this year, after qualifying, he joked about his broadcasting experience.
“That’s why I tried so hard over the last five holes; I didn’t want to work it again,” Southgate said, which drew plenty of laughs on The Open radio broadcast.
It’s tears for an emotional Matthew Southgate. This is how much The Open means to him.
Listen to the heartfelt moment as Southgate expresses his passion and determination in his journey.
“No, I can’t wait to see everybody. Troon is a magical golf course.”
Southgate also qualified for The Open last year at Royal Liverpool and played well. He tied for 23rd.
But the Englishman has not been at his best throughout 2024. His best finish came at the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan in April, when he tied for 18th. He has not made a cut on the DP World Tour since then.
“I have had such a tough time the last couple of months, but I played really well today,” Southgate said.
“It has been disaster after disaster, so to finally get something to go right just means everything.”
Now, he will play in The Open at Royal Troon for the second time, the course where Watson won his fourth Claret Jug in 1982. So, perhaps Southgate—like Todd Hamilton and Ben Curtis earlier this Millenium—can continue to play as well as he did in qualifying, shock the world, and win The Open as an ultimate longshot.
Regardless of what happens, his father will smile down upon him with great pride, knowing that his son has already accomplished so much.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
DeMar DeRozan is still performing at a near NBA All-Star level even after 15 seasons in the league. The veteran wing is coming off three fantastic seasons with the Chicago Bulls where he scored tons of points, produced so many brilliant moments in crunch-time, and rarely turned the ball over. DeRozan is now an unrestricted free agent on the brink of his 35th birthday, and with the Bulls seemingly pivoting to a long overdue rebuild, he’s in search of a new team. There’s only one problem: as almost all of the talent in free agency has already come off the board, there doesn’t seem to be an available fit for DeRozan at a salary slot commensurate with his talent.
There just doesn’t seem to be a market for DeRozan despite being the best unsigned player in the NBA right now. It’s looking like DeRozan may to accept a one-year deal and try to get more money in the summer of 2025, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“The kind of contract that (DeRozan) might want just is not going to be available,” Woj reported on SportsCenter. “It’s not left out there in the market place. It may not be as appealing to him, but it may look like a one-year deal for him somewhere. Let the market reset next year.”
.@wojespn’s DeMar DeRozan update suggests he may take a one-year deal due to a limited market for the salary he desires:
– The Bulls are willing to work on a sign-and-trade for DeRozan, but there doesn’t appear to be much interest on a multi-year deal anywhere.
Woj mentioned the Los Angeles Lakers as a team that could be interested in DeRozan, but only at the right cost. The most the Lakers could offer is the $12.8 million Mid-Level Exception … and even that might require LeBron James to take a discount. That would be a big paycut for a player who clearly outperformed his $27 million average annual salary the last three seasons, but it might be the best offer out there.
For all of his talent, DeRozan remains a difficult player to fit into existing team structures because he needs the ball to be at his best. With the ball in his hands, DeRozan is a master at getting to his spots, knocking down mid-range shots, and drawing a high-volume of free throws. At the same time, a player has be an absolute superstar to demand a very on-ball role and still power team success. DeRozan is very good, but he’s no Luka Doncic or prime James Harden at this point.
In a starring role, DeRozan is good but not quite good enough. In a supporting role, he lacks two essential things that every great role player needs: spot-up shooting and defense.
DeRozan entered the league in 2009 just before the NBA’s three-point boom. It’s remarkable that he’s remained so good in this era despite never really developing a three-point shot. For his career, DeRozan has made 29.6 percent of his threes on only 1.6 attempts per game. He was a little better behind the arc in Chicago, hitting 33.8 percent of his threes on 1.9 attempts per game across his three seasons. At the end of the day, he’s still not a willing enough or good enough shooter to make defenses pay for cheating off him in the halfcourt.
DeRozan just also isn’t very good defensively. He often needs to be hidden on the opposing team’s weakest offensive player. He struggles to get around screens, he’s late on rotations, and he just doesn’t provide much resistance.
Despite his limitations, there’s a world where DeRozan to the Lakers works well on the court for both sides. LeBron James will still get a heavy on-ball diet as he prepares to turn 40 years old, but James has also become an incredible spot-up shooter late in his career. James hit 47.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes last season on 2.6 attempts per game, per NBA tracking data. When James gets tired, DeRozan can cook and LeBron can space the floor.
The Lakers need to add talent however they can in an improving Western Conference. This is a 47-win team that still only won one playoff game last year. He may not be a perfect fit, but DeRozan would still be a wise addition at this point in the offseason, especially at a discount.
Sergio Garcia has failed to qualify for The Open Championship.
The LIV Golf star headlined the final qualifying event at West Lancashire Golf Club in Liverpool—one of four final qualifiers across the United Kingdom—but Garcia shot a 3-under 141 over 36 holes, missing out on one of the four spots available by two strokes.
“I tried my hardest to get into The Open; it would have been nice to make The Open my 100th major,” Garcia said on the radio broadcast after his round.
“I love The Open, and I love playing majors. But it’s tough when you’re that close and finish right on the edge. But unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it.”
Garcia attempted to qualify for last year’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool by way of West Lancashire Golf Club as well. But he said the course played tougher this year, thanks to more challenging conditions. That said, Garcia felt comfortable making his way around these seaside links, thanks to his experience from a year ago. He knew his lines and where to miss shots, but the conditions—and other factors seemed to have got the best of him.
The Spaniard expressed frustration midway through his first 18 holes, when R&A officials put Garcia on the clock for slow play, per Ben Parsons of Bunkered.
Sergio Garcia furious at his slow play warning at Final Open Qualifying – saying fans are causing the delays. Here he is taking his anger out at two R&A officials.
Garcia said that all the fans following him disrupted the pace of play, not his routine and deliberations.
“The marshals were trying to do the best job they could do, but obviously, we had to stop pretty much on every tee for two to three minutes to hit our tee shots because people were walking in front of the tee and on the fairway,” Garcia said per Parsons.
“Unless we wanted to start hitting people, we couldn’t hit. I don’t think they took that into account, and that was unfortunate. It made us rush. On a day like today, when the conditions are so tricky, and you might need a little bit of extra time here and there, it doesn’t help out. Because of that, I made a couple of bogeys that might cost me getting to Troon.”
He tied for fifth at the 2016 Open Championship, the last time Royal Troon hosted golf’s oldest major. That year, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson staged a duel for the ages, with the Swede fending off the American during an epic final round that saw Stenson win by three at 20-under-par. Stenson’s score of 264 remains the lowest aggregate score in Open history.
As for Garcia, the Spaniard could only make it back to Royal Troon via qualifying because of his LIV Golf affiliation, which has consequently plummeted his Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to 312th in the world. The R&A invites only the top 50 players to round out its 156-man field, meaning Garcia did not receive an automatic bid.
His exemption into this championship expired in 2022—five years after he won The Masters.
“You come out here, you play as hard as you can and hope it’s good enough,” Garcia added on the radio broadcast.
“If it’s not, then we’ll keep trying. Then, you know, The Masters will be my 100th major next April. That’s also a good choice.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
With the news that Klay Thompson is headed to the Dallas Mavericks for the upcoming NBA season, a run of over a decade for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson has ended. During that stretch Curry and Thompson combined for six appearances in the NBA Finals, winning four titles.
With their ability to shoot the three, the duo racked up triple after triple, earning the “Splash Brothers” moniker.
But after the news dropped that Thompson was headed to Dallas, Curry took to social media to say goodbye to his fellow Splash Brother. On his Instagram Stories, Curry posted a series of photos featuring himself and Thompson, as well as Draymond Green.
The series of photographs ended with a message from Curry that read in part “[e]ven though we won’t finish the journey together, what we did will never be done again … Changed the whole Bay Area. Changed the way the game is played … Go enjoy playing basketball and doing what you do.”
The NBA has not yet announced the schedule for the 2024-25 season. But that first game for Thompson at Golden State next year might be worth watching.
One of the burning questions following the Austrian Grand Prix was whether Max Verstappen and/or Lando Norris would change their racing style following a dramatic late-race collision that ended both drivers’ chances of securing a victory.
According to Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, Verstappen will not be changing a thing.
Speaking with Sky Sportsahead of the British Grand Prix the Red Bull boss backed his driver’s approach while noting that future incidents between Norris and Verstappen should be expected given how both drivers are performing at the moment.
“Certainly, from Max’s side, he’s not going to change,” said Horner.
“There’s an element, I think, of Lando learning how to race Max and they’re discovering that. Inevitably, there is going to be more close racing between the two of them as the cars look so close over the forthcoming races.
“Max is a hard racer – he’s probably one of the hardest racers on the circuit and everybody knows that if you’re going to race against Max, he’s going to give as good as he gets.”
Horner also addressed comments made by McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella immediately after the race. Speaking with Sky Sports F1 analyst Ted Kravitz, Stella outlined how the reluctance of race stewards to intervene in the past — such as during the 2021 season when Verstappen was battling with Lewis Hamilton — led to moments like the incident in Austria.
As you might expect, Horner had a different view.
“He raced incredibly hard in 2021, he’s a tough racer, and he hasn’t really been racing anyone for two years because he’s been out front so much,” Horner said.
“The conflict between the two of them has been building over two, three, four races where they’ve been racing each other closely and hard, and at some point that was always going to spill over – and it did at Turn 3,” began Horner. “He was punished in 2021 if he did something wrong just as Lewis, who he was racing so hard that year, was for things he did wrong.
“I think it’s wrong and unfair to label a driver like that and I’m sure in the heat of the moment it was frustrating for Andrea, but that’s just tough racing. He worked with Michael Schumacher [at Ferrari] for so many years – he of all people should know that.”
During his discussion with Sky Sports, Horner also addressed another burning question following the Austrian Grand Prix: Have Norris and Verstappen discussed the incident?
According to the Red Bull boss, that chat has already happened.
“I understand they’ve spoken already, I don’t think there is any issue,” added Horner.
How the two drivers handle similar battles going forward will be a major storyline throughout the rest of the 2024 campaign. But one thing is clear:
The FIA Press Conference schedules for this weekend’s British Grand Prix — which have yet to be announced — could be fascinating.
Sports reporting has been irrevocably changed by insiders. Our 24-hour, social media-fueled society values being first over being right, and that necessitates a power dynamic in which insiders have agents on speed-dial, willing to share carefully crafted talking points over independent reporting.
It’s part of a job where insiders trade blows over scoops like a prize fight — constantly living in terror that missing a scoop will put them a step behind in the dominance race. The far too cozy relationship insiders have with agents and teams has led to them being classified in their own employment class, far away from the word “journalism.” That is even murkier now there’s significant financial stakes in their scoops, especially when the biggest names in news-breaking also have agreements with sports gambling companies.
NBA insider Shams Charania, who lists FanDuel as an employer on his LinkedIn, has been at the forefront of questions over his scoops — and this time it’s based on a tweet about Paul George ahead of the NBA Draft.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ interest in pursuing Paul George has significantly waned in recent days, and the franchise is expected to be aggressive elsewhere with its salary cap flexibility and draft capital leading into next week’s NBA Draft, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium.
Only 11 days later, the Sixers signed George to a four-year, $212M deal. While it’s certainly possible the team just changed their mind, there’s strong reporting to the contrary. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne wrote a detailed account of Philadelphia’s pursuit of George, and at no point does it contain any of the “waning interest” that Shams tweeted out. In fact, Shelburne’s story indicates that the Sixers were so desperate for George that there was intense anxiety inside the organization that someone might jump them for his services, and their quest to land the All Star was “months” in the making.
“The LA Clippers star had always been Philadelphia’s No. 1 option, but before the Sixers could meet with him, they had to wait for him to actually become a free agent. For weeks they heard rumors that the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors would try to jump ahead of them by trading for George. For months they monitored the Clippers’ ongoing negotiations with George on an extension and wondered if they’d find a way to keep him in his hometown and continue his partnership with Kawhi Leonard.”
So, who are the “sources” that Shams spoke of when he reported that the Sixers were no longer interested? If he were a journalist we’d never ask him to divulge his sources because that’s one of the principles of journalism — but insiders have always been careful to never refer to themselves as “journalists” because of the grey area they operate in by being willing mouthpieces for those in power.
That makes it fair game to question who exactly told Shams the Sixers were cool on George? It speaks to the motivations of insider reporting, especially in light of the vast amount of money being wagered on sports betting, including futures bets on who will win the NBA title.
It’s also especially eyebrow-raising when the top reply to Shams’ tweet about the Sixers not being interested in Paul George is from FanDuel Sportsbook, bemoaning that we’ll never see Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey play together.
This report appears to have had a mammoth effect on gambling markets. As our own Liberty Ballers wrote, the futures odds on the Sixers to win the NBA Championship were impacted very heavily by the prospects of the team signing Paul George:
Sixers odds with Paul George rumors: +1000
Shams tweets the Sixers are “waning”: +1400
George signs with the Sixers: +800
So, in its most simple terms: Shams, who is partnered with a betting company, tweeted out something with no tangible source, it was parroted as fact by that betting company — causing futures odds to plummet, up until the point the team actually signed George.
The worst part is that it’s not the first time this has happened. Every shred of reporting from local and national journalists indicated that the Charlotte Hornets would select Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft — but hours before Shams had a “scoop” that nobody else did.
Sources: Scoot Henderson is gaining serious momentum at No. 2 with the Charlotte Hornets in tonight’s NBA draft. Hornets have been torn over the last week between Henderson and Brandon Miller. Team has final meetings today to settle on decision.
This led to massive shifts in betting markets, with so much money moving to Henderson as the No. 2 pick that he became the runaway favorite. After the draft it was apparent that Miller was always the Hornets’ guy, with there being very little debate over whether Henderson should be picked No. 2.
It led to major backlash from the sports betting community, who questioned whether Shams had an ulterior motive in trying to break the news, especially in light of his personal agreement with betting giant FanDuel. The company was also pressured to release a statement, saying FanDuel has no knowledge of Shams’ reports prior to him posting.
It doesn’t necessarily matter what the motivation for the tweet by Shams was when we know the effect. Whether it was manufactured to adjust betting lines or Shams was used by the Sixers to hide their intentions is immaterial, because people took his “reporting” as gospel, just as they did with the Scoot Henderson news last year.
If we look at this in the most positive light imaginable, that Shams was once again being used as a tool by a team, then it’s right to question a “first not best” style that rushes to parrot anything he’s told, whether or not it makes sense or contradicts previous reports. Even the most green reporter out of journalism school would get a tip like this and work to vet the info before sharing it, just to make sure they don’t mislead people.
Insiders continue to be happy to mislead people, however. After all, they’re very careful to ensure they don’t call themselves “journalists,” because that would open them up to annoying things like “standards” and “ethics.”
Akshay Bhatia’s three-putt on the 72nd hole, which left Cameron Davis as the only man standing at 18-under-par, and thus the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic champion, helped give CBS Sports a nice ratings bump.
The network drew an average of 2.472 million viewers for Sunday’s final round at the Detroit Golf Club, a one-percent increase from last year when Rickie Fowler bested Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin in a playoff. Fowler’s win garnered plenty of attention, as he has quite an impressive following among PGA Tour fans. It also marked Fowler’s first PGA Tour victory since 2019. With that said, inclement weather forced the tour to begin the final round early a year ago, leading CBS to air a tape delay in the afternoon, which negatively affected ratings.
Weather had an impact on this year’s tournament, too, mainly during Saturday’s third round.
Yet, luckily for the network, Mother Nature did not create any issues or delays on Sunday, thus leading CBS to yield the highest-rated non-major/Signature Event of the 2024 season, per Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal.
Cameron Davis poses with the trophy after winning the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic.Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
With Bhatia and Davis coming down the stretch, the broadcast peaked with more than 4 million viewers—4.028 million to be exact—during the 6:00 to 6:17 p.m. ET window, per a CBS Sports spokesperson. That’s an impressive figure, considering many of the game’s top players did not compete last week in Detroit.
Similar sentiments can be said about this week’s John Deere Classic, as Jordan Spieth headlines the field. CBS will air live third and final round coverage from the Quad Cities this week.
It will also televise next week’s Genesis Scottish Open live from the Renaissance Club in Scotland.
CBS Sports will then wrap up its 2024 golf season with two more events, which bookend the Summer Olympics in Paris: the 3M Open at the end of July and the Wyndham Championship in August. NBC Sports has the rights to broadcast the FedEx Cup Playoffs this year.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.
Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.
Let’s have a little fun today! Last week, a photo of this guy who got Paige Spiranac’s signature tattooed on his arm went viral. It inspired us to search the internet to see what kind of golf tattoos people get.
Some people love sports so much that they want a permanent reminder on their skin. They love it so much that they will get logos, players and other moments inked on them. I even have a University of Georgia ‘G’ on my ankle, so I understand people’s love for their teams.
Let’s look at how dedicated these fans are to golf with their tattoos.
Golf Tattoos
The tattoo that sparked this post was that a fan got Spiranac to sign his arm and made that signature permanent.
“Met Tony at an @xgolfamerica event where he asked me to sign his arm. An hour later he comes back with it tattooed on him,” Spiranac wrote.
This tweet has over a million views — it went nuts.
This post sparked us to ask our readers to send in some submissions. I also took a deep dive down the Twitter (now known as X) rabbit hole to find golf-themed tattoos, and this is what I saw.
A Tiger Woods logo — maybe the guy will get the new Sun Day Red logo now that the “TW” is no longer the one Tiger uses.
Another Tiger Woods inspired piece went viral last year. It is a collage of a Tiger with face tattoos, a chain, and a mouth grill. It also includes the iconic club twirl from the 2009 Presidents Cup. This is a work of art, even if it is a little scary.
Tiger won the 2019 Masters; of course, someone recreated it on their calf.
A Phil Mickelson tattoo? It seems Nolan got Mickelson’s logo on the back of his calf after he won the 2021 PGA Championship. Impressive.
This fan got the Callaway logo on his chest, and the brand noticed. It seems Callaway also hooked him up with a full bag of clubs.
These are just a few of the tattoos we found.
Would you ever get a golf-themed tattoo? If so, what kind of ink would you get? Let us know in the comments below!
ICYMI: Top stories across professional golf
Check out these stories:
Patrick Cantlay surprisingly pulls out of PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic
LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed, Thomas Pieters to play in DP World Tour’s BMW International Open
Can Jordan Spieth shake off frustrations and win again at John Deere Classic?
U.S. Senior Open: Richard Bland earns monumental 2nd major victory in dramatic playoff
Watch LPGA Star Charley Hull’s latest viral moment, reinvents the iconic club twirl
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
This weekend’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix is a home race for many teams, given that several factories are located near the historic Silverstone circuit. Williams is among those teams, as their Grove factory is just 41 miles down the A43 from Silverstone.
As such, Williams is going all out for this week’s race.
Among several activations the team has planned for the week is a London Fan Zone, right in the heart of Piccadilly Circus. But the most stunning plan the team has for the week is their theme livery for the British Grand Prix itself, a one-off “Union Jack” design that features not only the iconic flag of the United Kingdom but also the names of “all 1,005 team members” on the car itself:
According to the team’s official announcement, the FW46 will be “ … transformed to fly the flag in thanks and appreciation to everyone at the team’s Grove HQ, New York and London bases and at races who are working tirelessly on our mission to return the team to the front of the grid.”
“Silverstone is always one of the highlights of the year and I’m delighted we are thanking our staff as the centrepiece of our home race celebrations. Williams is transforming from top to bottom so we can fight our way back to the front, and our people and culture will be key to that success,” said Team Principal James Vowles. “It takes extraordinary effort from every individual at the factory and at track to race in Formula 1, and I’m especially proud of the resilience whilst under pressure we have demonstrated so far this year.”
Driver Logan Sargeant praised the design as the “perfect” tribute.
“I’ve always loved racing at Silverstone. The track has everything a driver wants with its quick and flowing nature,” said Sargeant. “I have fond memories of this place throughout my career, and it’s always been one that I’ve performed well at. Racing with the names of every single team member on the car is the perfect way to mark everyone’s hard work and a home race for Williams.”
One of the most climactic moments in recent Formula 1 memory took place just a few short days ago when an on-track battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen — that has been brewing for weeks — finally boiled over. A collision between the two on Lap 64 of the Austrian Grand Prix kicked off hours of debate over who was at fault, and speculation about what lies ahead.
However, the time for talking draws to a close quickly this week, as the British Grand Prix at the historic Silverstone Circuit is set to get underway, the final race of an F1 tripleheader that has taken the grid from Barcelona to Austria and now Silverstone … while changing the complexion of the F1 season.
Here are the tk burning questions ahead of the British Grand Prix.
Where do Max and Lando go from here?
This question is critical not just for the British Grand Prix, but for the rest of the 2024 F1 season, if not beyond.
Where do Lando Norris and Max Verstappen go from here?
Is their on-track battle which has been simmering for weeks — and the subsequent Lap 64 collision — the moment that changes everything on the grid? Or will a few days of respite and some internal discussions, perhaps even a pint or two, see both parties move on from the incident and turn the page? And what happens if, as expected, these two lock horns in Silverstone or beyond? Will either driver approach things differently in the wake of Austria?
Over on social media at least, there is hope that in the days and weeks ahead the two teams and drivers emphasize hard but fair racing, as the “Norris versus Verstappen” battle that is shaping up looks to be the most intriguing title fight since 2021. But, as we will note in a minute, that season was not without its share of controversial moments, beyond the final laps of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Then there is the potential for what things look like at Media Day Thursday. The bevy of post-race questions and answers in Austria seemed primed to build the incident into something even bigger, but will the assembled media look to move beyond the incident itself and to the future, or will the incident and what it means on a personal level be the focus?
Then there is the fact that the grid leaves Austria and Red Bull Ring behind to make the trip across the English Channel to Silverstone and the British Grand Prix, a home race for Norris. Will what is sure to be a charged environment factor into the equation?
Where Norris and Verstappen go from here is the burning question in the sport right now, and starting in just a few hours we will get our first glimpse at how that question is answered.
How will race officials handle things going forward?
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
One of the more fascinating viewpoints on the Norris-Verstappen clash came from McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella. As you might expect, the McLaren boss backed his driver to the fullest.
But he also had some criticism for how race officials have handled similar battles in the past.
Speaking with Ted Kravitz of Sky Sports F1 immediately after the Austrian Grand Prix, Stella pointed to how race stewards often took a hands-off approach in the past. “I see that the entire population in the world would know who is responsible except for a group of people,” began the McLaren boss to Kravitz.
“But the problem behind it is that if you don’t address these things honestly, they will come back. They have come back today because they were not addressed properly in the past when there were some fights with Lewis [Hamilton] that needed to be punished in a harsher way. You learn now to race in a certain way, which we can consider fair and square.”
Kravitz immediately pointed to the 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix which saw a similar duel between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, and an incident where it appeared to many watching that Verstappen had forced Hamilton off the track. But race officials took no further action.
You can see that incident here and make your own determination.
Returning to Stella, the McLaren boss indicated that Brazil 2021 was just one of “many” such incidents.
“Yes, there is many episodes,” continued the McLaren boss. “The fact is that we have so much respect for Red Bull, so much respect for Max – they don’t need to do this. It’s a way to almost compromise your reputation. Why would you do that?”
Stella then concluded his thoughts with Kravitz.
“I think the stewards found that Max was fully to blame in this episode. So it’s not about racing in a drivers’ way, it’s about racing within the regulations,” said Stella. “And the regulations must be enforced in a way that is effective, because when a car is out of the race as a consequence of this accident, the punishment needs to be proportionate to the outcome.
“And we had twice before that episode moving under braking. So I think it’s just evident we have to enforce the way to go racing because we want to have fun, we want to enjoy.”
So that leads us to the race stewards now, and how they will handle matters going forward. They may point to the penalty handed down to Verstappen in Austria — the ten-second penalty along with two points on his Super License finding him “predominantly at fault” for the collision — as a sign that they are intervening to ward off any further incidents on the track. Perhaps they are right. But you best believe that if the #1 and the #4 come close this weekend, a lot of eyes will be watching.
Not just the two drivers, but the race stewards as well.
Can Meredes keep their hot streak going?
As we have noted over the past few days the hottest team in F1 over the past three race weekends?
Mercedes.
Upgrades the team started rolling out at the Miami Grand Prix began bearing fruit in Imola and Monaco but turned into something of a bumper crop since then. Over the past three race weekends, the Silver Arrows have banked 100 points, more than any other team on the grid, including both Red Bull and McLaren.
And as we will see in a moment, much more than Ferrari.
Can Mercedes keep this streak going at Silverstone?
Word out of the team was optimistic on that front in the hours after George Russell’s win in Austria. In the team’s post-race report on Sunday Lewis Hamilton noted that Silverstone might suit the current configuration of the W15. “We now look ahead to Silverstone,” said Hamilton. “It is always such a special weekend, and I can’t wait to see all the fans there. It is a track that should hopefully suit us a little better than here in Austria so let’s see what we can do.”
Along similar lines, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff outlined that the success in Austria on a track that has not always been fertile ground for the team illustrates just how far they have come. “We now look forward to Silverstone next week. We are encouraged by our overall performance this weekend at a track that has not normally been a [favorite] for our cars,” said Wolff. “Our aim over the next few races is to continue to show progress and aim to get closer to the front.”
Can they keep it rolling this week?
Will we finally learn where Carlos Sainz Jr. is headed?
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
The clash between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen knocked what was the top-line question on the mind of everyone associated with F1:
Where is Carlos Sainz Jr. headed for next season?
Sainz remains the big fish in the driver transfer market, and while all signs pointed to the Spanish driver signing on the dotted line with Williams for next year, Alpine has emerged in recent weeks as a serious contender for his services.
Sainz outlined ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix that a decision was coming “soon,” but seemed to take a different approach in the moments after his podium finish in Austria. When asked about his contract situation after finishing third in the Austrian Grand Prix Sainz indicated he was not going to be pressured into deciding before he was ready.
“As I said before, for sure that pressure, I’m not going to receive it on a Sunday afternoon after a podium we are keen to enjoy. As I said before, I think it’s sometimes, like George was saying, we take it for granted when we’re on one of these podiums, celebrating, wearing a Ferrari suit, and I was thinking, try to enjoy this moment because who knows when it’s going to be the next time in the future,” said Sainz at the post-race FIA Press Conference Sunday. “So as much as maybe there are some teams that are nervous or pressuring me, it’s time for me also to enjoy this moment of being on a podium.
“And I’m going to be honest and straightforward with the teams, but it’s such an important decision for me also that I’m going to take all the time that I need to take it. And if there’s teams that cannot wait or are a bit impatient, I cannot do anything about it. It’s going to be my future, my decision, and I’m going to try and be as honest as possible with everyone and give myself the time that I need.”
If — hypothetically — Sainz were to sign with Williams, announcing it ahead of the British Grand Prix might be something the Grove-based outfit would be keen to do. Will that be what happens this week, or will this decision linger past the British Grand Prix, and perhaps into the summer shutdown and beyond?
If so, will that open the driver market floodgates?
If Sainz does announce his 2025 destination this week, will that open the 2025 driver floodgates?
Multiple drivers in recent weeks have pointed to Sainz as, to use the phrasing utilized by Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, the “cork in the bottle.” Speaking ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix during the FIA Press Conference Magnussen raised that notion when asked about his F1 future.
“He is,” said Magnussen while gesturing to Sainz when asked about why a decision was taking so long. “Carlos is the cork in the bottle. I think a lot of guys are waiting for him to make a move and then eventually all the other pieces of the puzzle will fall. That’s the truth of that.”
Magnussen found support in Zhou Guanyu a week later. During the Thursday driver press conference, the Kick Sauber driver had this to say when asked about his 2025 plans. “Like, it’s very easy to say: we’re all waiting for what Carlos wants to decide at the end of the day. But hopefully he can make his decision sooner,” said Zhou. “And then I think that will just turn around a lot the driver market.”
Looking at the options in front of teams and drivers alike, you can see how Sainz is that proverbial “cork in the bottle.” Assuming for the sake of this hypothetical Sainz decides to sign with Williams, which takes away one more seat for the drivers looking for a ride. That might see Alpine move towards either Jack Doohan or Mick Schumacher as an option, then Valtteri Bottas contemplating a return to Kick Sauber, and then perhaps Esteban Ocon taking one of the spots at Haas.
However, should Sainz shock the paddock and sign with Alpine, then the Williams seat could be the landing spot for Bottas, opening up Zhou for a return to Kick Sauber, and then on down the line.
So if Sainz does declare his 2025 intentions, it could certainly set several moves into motion.
If Sainz does announce his 2025 destination this week, will that open the 2025 driver floodgates?
Multiple drivers in recent weeks have pointed to Sainz as, to use the phrasing utilized by Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, the “cork in the bottle.” Speaking ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix during the FIA Press Conference Magnussen raised that notion when asked about his F1 future.
“He is,” said Magnussen while gesturing to Sainz when asked about why a decision was taking so long. “Carlos is the cork in the bottle. I think a lot of guys are waiting for him to make a move and then eventually all the other pieces of the puzzle will fall. That’s the truth of that.”
Magnussen found support in Zhou Guanyu a week later. During the Thursday driver press conference, the Kick Sauber driver had this to say when asked about his 2025 plans. “Like, it’s very easy to say: we’re all waiting for what Carlos wants to decide at the end of the day. But hopefully he can make his decision sooner,” said Zhou. “And then I think that will just turn around a lot the driver market.”
Looking at the options in front of teams and drivers alike, you can see how Sainz is that proverbial “cork in the bottle.” Assuming for the sake of this hypothetical Sainz decides to sign with Williams, which takes away one more seat for the drivers looking for a ride. That might see Alpine move towards either Jack Doohan or Mick Schumacher as an option, then Valtteri Bottas contemplating a return to Kick Sauber, and then perhaps Esteban Ocon taking one of the spots at Haas.
However, should Sainz shock the paddock and sign with Alpine, then the Williams seat could be the landing spot for Bottas, opening up Zhou for a return to Kick Sauber, and then on down the line.
So if Sainz does declare his 2025 intentions, it could certainly set several moves into motion.
Can Ferrari stop the bleeding?
Forget Sainz’s future team, what about his present one?
As noted above Mercedes has been the hottest team in F1 over the past three race weekends. But looking at the top four teams in the Constructors’ Championship standings, the team that has been the coldest?
Ferrari.
While Mercedes leads the way with 100 points over that period, followed by 84 for McLaren and 79 for Red Bull, Ferrari has just 39 points during this recent stretch. Following Charles Leclerc’s triumphant drive at the Monaco Grand Prix (and a podium finish for Sainz in that race), Ferrari has struggled.
Ferrari endured a difficult week in Montreal, as they endured a points-less result in the Canadian Grand Prix. Barcelona was a step better, as Leclerc delivered a P5 and Sainz a P6, but Austria saw another step back for Leclerc, as he finished seventh in the F1 Sprint Race, and out of the points in the main event.
Sainz salvaged something bigger for the team with his podium finish in the Austrian Grand Prix, but the Scuderia have seen their rivals either pull closer to them in the standings (looking at McLaren and Mercedes) or pull further away from them in Red Bull’s case.
Can they turn things around at Silverstone?
“I think, if anything, it just proves that the last two weekends haven’t been easy,” said Sainz on Sunday when asked about the team’s recent struggles. “We’ve been always the first Ferrari finishing behind the first Mercedes. Even if you count Canada, you could argue those three weekends in a row. So I think Red Bull and McLaren were in a league of their own this weekend. Then there was a step. There was George and me battling for that P3, P4. And yeah, that was not the situation at the beginning of the year.
“So it shows that we need to work hard. We need to understand what’s happened the last couple of races. And once we understand it, hopefully already for Silverstone, we can bring a step and improve our performance.”
Regarding Silverstone, Sainz indicated that the team was working hard back in Maranello to try and deliver the upgrades needed to boost performance, particularly in the higher-speed corners.
“Well, I see the factory pushing flat out, you know, to understand the troubles that we’ve hit in the last couple of weekends and trying to bring already for Silverstone a package that allows us to perform a bit better in the high-speed corners because it’s clearly been our weakness,” said Sainz. “Yesterday, Max was so much quicker through there, but not only Max, also Mercedes and McLaren were a clear step ahead of us in those type of corners. And we know Silverstone is the king of the high speed, so we need to do a step. Obviously, we want to be competitive there. And we are going to fight everything we can and try to find everything we can, sorry, to make ourselves more competitive there.”
With the quick turnaround, Ferrari is under tremendous pressure to deliver this weekend and stem the tide.
Which young driver shines in practice?
Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images
Two teams have already announced that young drivers will be handling driving duties in at least one practice session at Silverstone. Williams announced that Franco Colapinto would be stepping in for Logan Sargeant during FP1, while Oliver Bearman will be getting in the cockpit of the VF-24 for the third of his six scheduled practice sessions for Haas this season. Bearman’s most recent FP1 session for Haas came at the Spanish Grand Prix when he finished 19th out of 20 drivers in the opening segment of practice.
For Colapinto, this is just his second time in the cockpit of an F1 car, and his first F1 session. His debut in an F1 car came at post-season testing in Abu Dhabi last winter.
“I have so many emotions. I am extremely delighted and it’s a very important moment in my life and my career. I will be the most prepared I can; I will be doing a lot of laps in the simulator and studying the details needed to drive this year’s car. I’m really looking forward to experiencing the new car after driving last year’s in Abu Dhabi,” said Colapinto in the team’s announcement. “To be able to drive it at a track like Silverstone is a privilege, it is one of my favourite tracks and to drive it at the team’s home race means a lot. To all the Argentine fans – I hope you enjoy FP1 as much as I’m going to! It’s an important moment for our country and I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve been given. I’m going to give my all to make you proud!”
For Bearman, however, this is his third stint in a practice session for Haas this season, and it comes not only in a season where he made his F1 debut — and scored his first points — replacing an ailing Carlos Sainz Jr. in Saudi Arabia, but also as many expect he will be in a seat at Haas full-time next year.
And Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu admitted earlier this year that Bearman was “under consideration” for a seat. “Of course we are evaluating him,” said Komatsu. “If he is not [under] consideration, we wouldn’t be running him in FP1.”
How will these two young drivers take to the track this weekend, and will Bearman inch closer to a full-time spot in the grid?
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25515861/2159727187.jpg "The Open: Matthew Southgate fights back tears after qualifying the,open,matthew,southgate,fights,back,tears,after,qualifying,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-majors,golf-dp-world-tour,golf-news")
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25514532/2159947602.jpg "British Grand Prix: 7 burning questions as F1 heads to Silverstone british,grand,prix,burning,questions,as,f,heads,to,silverstone,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one")
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25514533/2159678931.jpg "British Grand Prix: 7 burning questions as F1 heads to Silverstone british,grand,prix,burning,questions,as,f,heads,to,silverstone,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one")