Sports
Max Verstappen is F1 champion again, but the 2025 season already looks wide open
LAS VEGAS — Max Verstappen’s fourth world championship, secured under the neon lights of Las Vegas Boulevard on Saturday night, has cemented his place among Formula One’s all-time greats.
This was a championship victory unlike his previous three. In 2021, he went toe-to-toe with Lewis Hamilton over the course of the season, the pair scrapping in a direct fight. 2022 and 2023 were years of domination for Verstappen, any threats to his supremacy proving fleeting at best.
2024 has been different, even though the year started as 2023 ended. Verstappen dominated early on, only for Red Bull to lose its position as the pace-setter. Not just one, but three teams — McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes — emerged as persistent threats. Red Bull’s slump, particularly its impact on Sergio Pérez’s form, is poised to cost it the constructors’ championship for the first time since 2021.
Seven different drivers have scored wins this year. While Verstappen’s immense ability has got him across the line to secure the championship, the stiffer competition foreshadows what he can expect in 2025. Given the regulations’ stability and the need for teams to put as much time and effort as possible into the complete rule overhaul for 2026, most anticipate the pecking order will remain largely the same: McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes — then everyone else.
As title defenses go, 2025 is already shaping up to be an even greater test for Verstappen.
Is Lando Norris the (way too) early favorite?
F1 has long craved this kind of open, close competition at the front of the pack. The cost cap, introduced in 2021 to foster financial stability, has made it harder for teams to spend their way out of trouble. Upgrades and car development must be carefully planned.
McLaren’s rise over the past two seasons, which could culminate in its first constructors’ title in 26 years, proves how to get things right. Every update added to the MCL38 car throughout 2024 has offered a step forward in performance, giving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri the chance to fight at the very front regularly.
In 2024, Lando Norris has established himself as a consistent threat to Verstappen. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Norris took advantage of that to mount the most serious threat to Verstappen. Norris’s first chance to properly get in a title fight brought hard lessons to learn. Often his own harshest critic, the Briton took full accountability — maybe even too much — for mistakes at points through the year that temporarily lessened the pressure on Verstappen.
Norris will likely enter 2025 as the championship favorite based on his form after McLaren took a major step forward with its car around Miami. Since the start of the second half of the season in Hungary, he has outscored Verstappen, delivering dominant victories at Zandvoort and in Singapore in a fashion reminiscent of Verstappen in the past two years.
It has proved to Norris that, in his words, “I have what it takes” to fight for a championship. He admitted on Wednesday in Las Vegas that he was “definitely not at the level I needed to be at the beginning of the year,” only to produce “by far some of my best performances that I’ve done” through the second half of the season.
Norris explained that it would also lead to a very different approach from all of McLaren in 2025. No longer chasing, it would be “going into a season with a mindset of let’s try and win it,” he said. “It’s a very different mindset to what we had this year.” The reset of a new season could be big for Norris.
But he isn’t the only McLaren driver who’ll be considering a title bid.
In only his second season, Piastri justified McLaren fighting so hard for his services back in 2022.. While his maiden victory in Hungary came in strange circumstances as McLaren stressed over its team orders, the fashion in which he controlled proceedings in Baku proved his star quality. There needs to be another step in form — Norris leads the qualifying head-to-head 18-4 — to really match Norris, but the positive signs are there.
Much as he’s done in recent months, Verstappen may have to fend off a two-pronged McLaren threat in 2025.
Hamilton and Leclerc should make for a potent duo at Ferrari next season. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)
Hamilton’s pursuit of an eighth title renews at Ferrari
Hamilton’s long, successful Mercedes career has been inching toward an underwhelming end. Months removed from the emotional high of ending his win drought at Silverstone and the inherited victory at Spa, he admitted on Sky after the race in Brazil, where he struggled to P10, that he “could happily go and take a holiday.”
The upcoming switch to Ferrari for 2025 is one that, a few months ago, might have looked ill-judged. Mercedes was on the rise through the summer European races, and Ferrari sustained a dip in form. Those roles have reversed since the August break to the extent Ferrari is now chasing McLaren for the constructors’ title. Mercedes is 175 points back of Hamilton’s future team.
Hamilton recently admitted he’s keeping a close eye on Ferrari’s progress, even though his focus remains on finishing in fashion with Mercedes. Regardless of the constructors’ battle outcome, Ferrari should be a threat from the start of next year to win races, giving Hamilton hope that he could mount a challenge for a record-breaking eighth drivers’ title.
The other dynamic of interest in Hamilton’s Ferrari move is how he will stack up against Charles Leclerc, a driver regarded as having championship-winning caliber when given the right car.
Leclerc has been the leader at Ferrari for some time and is on a long-term contract for a reason. Wins in Monaco, Monza and Austin have made this his most successful season to date, and without Ferrari’s mid-season slump in form, there’s good reason to think Leclerc would have been as much if not more of a threat to Verstappen as Norris.
Much of the focus will be on Hamilton when he switches to Ferrari at the start of next year and whether it could be the turning point that gives him a final run of success to close out his trophy-laden F1 career. But Leclerc is also ready to fight for a championship. Amid inevitable discussion over Hamilton’s level of performance toward the end of this year as he nears his 40th birthday, comparing the two Ferrari drivers will be enlightening.
Either way, Verstappen will need to keep an eye on the red cars in his mirrors next year.
And what of Mercedes?
Hamilton’s recent disappointing form has not been felt across the Mercedes team. George Russell felt he could have won in the rainy Brazil race without pitting before the red flag, and he took pole in Las Vegas after the team swept practice.
George Russell has proven more than capable of carrying Mercedes in 2025. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
It was a reminder that when Mercedes gets everything right, it can still threaten Ferrari and McLaren. Russell will head into 2025 as a team leader for the first time when 18-year-old Mercedes protege Andrea Kimi Antonelli joins him. Despite the hype around Antonelli, the expectations for his rookie season will understandably need to be managed, meaning Russell will naturally be expected to spearhead its efforts.
The challenge for Mercedes will be to finally remedy its struggles with its car under this generation of regulations. Since 2022, it has failed to fight at the front consistently, its form blowing from hot to cold, sometimes session to session.
Finally understanding that in the last year of the regulation cycle would be too little, too late, but it could at least give some hope of getting back in the title mix again.
Verstappen will remain very tough to beat
The potential of all three teams to take the fight to Red Bull in 2025 is tantalizing. But we should factor in how strong Verstappen will be regardless next year.
He proved through the second half of 2024 that even without the quickest car, he is still capable of getting big results and fighting against the likes of Leclerc, Norris and Russell. Red Bull worked to understand the balance issues that emerged midway through the season with its Austin update package, offering some encouragement. If it can fully resolve that for next year and restore Verstappen’s confidence in the car, he may go a step ahead again.
To Norris, that remained the biggest challenge. Regardless of the relative car performance, anyone wanting to dethrone Verstappen would still have to defeat him.
Max Verstappen will chase his fifth career championship in 2025. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
“I don’t think you’ll probably get a much better driver than Max ever in Formula One ever again,” Norris said. “That’s my opinion but that’s what I believe in and for me to go up against that belief, to fight against that person that I know is so good, it takes a bit more than what I probably achieved this season.
“But I think what I’ve done since the summer break is closer to what I need to be, and I think that is close to being good enough to be fighting for it next year.”
Carlos Sainz, the outgoing Ferrari driver, will likely be left to watch the lead fight from afar in 2025 upon his move to Williams. But he was excited by how this season was ending.
“It just shows that it could go anywhere,” Sainz said. “When you have four teams within two-tenths and they have a whole winter to work on the car and improve the car, those two-tenths could quickly switch around and create a different favorite. So all four teams, for me, could be in the fight.”
Speaking to the broadcast after the race, with Las Vegas’ iconic Fountains of Bellagio cascading behind him, F1’s four-time reigning champion acknowledged the challenge ahead to defend his throne.
“If you look at it to next year right now, I think it’s going to be a proper battle between a lot of cars,” Verstappen said.
Top photo: Getty Images; Design: Kelsea Petersen/The Athletic
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
ATLANTA — The FBI and Atlanta Police Department are getting ready for a massive security operation ahead of the World Cup semifinals between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium.
Both agencies have used drones to search for potential threats on the ground and in the sky. The FBI is enforcing the Federal Aviation Administration’s Temporary Flight Restrictions around the venue.
The FBI has confiscated more than 600 drones nationwide since the World Cup began. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office Marlo Graham said 86 of those drones were seized in Atlanta.
Graham said the FBI uses a “mechanism” that allows agents to see unauthorized drones in restricted airspace. Agents then work to mitigate the threat posed by unknown drones.
“We’ve been able to safely land drones that have been unauthorized in the flight restricted area,” Graham said.
The FBI has confiscated more than 600 drones at World Cup events since the tournament started. (FBI Atlanta)
While the FBI treats every drone as a potential threat, Graham said the threat level can increase depending on the size of the drone and how close it gets to the stadium.
“Obviously, the closer to the venue, the larger the crowd. We are fortunate here in Atlanta that we have a closed dome stadium,” Graham said. “We don’t want the game to be impacted because a hobbyist couldn’t control their drone, and it lands right when one of our star players was getting ready to score a goal.”
EXCLUSIVE: FBI ADDS ALLEGED COVID FRAUDSTER TO MOST WANTED LIST
The Atlanta Police Department’s Drone Unit has helped the FBI track down people suspected of flying in restricted zones.
Sgt. Kindu Franklin said most of the people caught flying drones around World Cup venues are hobbyists with no intent to harm the crowd of soccer fans below.
“In some cases, they just recently bought a drone just for FIFA to get some of the cool footage that they want to put up on their social media,” Franklin said. “There are different ways that you can weaponize these drones. So, we’re operating in a proactive manner.”
The Atlanta Police Department’s drone mission at the World Cup focuses on surveillance. (FOX)
The Atlanta Police Department’s drone mission is focused on surveillance. Officers are looking for potential threats, traffic issues and people the FBI suspects are flying drones illegally.
“So, what we want to do is give our command staff a view that they can’t get from the ground,” Sgt. James Cunningham with APD’s Drone Unit said.
ARMED MAN ARRESTED AT US CAPITOL BARRICADE AS POLICE PROBE WHY HE DROVE ONTO RESTRICTED GROUNDS
Cunningham’s unit can launch drones remotely from handheld controllers. Other drones are launched from docking stations strategically placed across the city, and officers control them from the back of an SUV using a computer and a PlayStation controller.
The Atlanta Police Department launches some drones from docks strategically placed across the city. They are controlled by a computer and a PlayStation controller. (Fox News)
The drone docks are used year-round to help the police get an aerial view of emergency situations before officers arrive. The computer shows the drone pilot where all the police body cameras and vehicles are in the area, allowing them to communicate better with officers on the ground.
For the World Cup, the drone docks let the department have more eyes in the sky and respond to emergencies faster.
“It’s going to cut down time. We’re going to get there quick. And then you’re going to get an aerial perspective of what you can’t see on the ground,” Cunningham said.
The Atlanta Police Department launches some drones from docks to get more eyes in the sky and respond to emergencies faster. (Fox News)
Cunningham said the drone unit has completed more than 1,400 flights and logged more than 550 flight hours since the beginning of June.
“Some people haven’t even done that in years or haven’t even reached those numbers in the life of their drone unit,” Cunningham said.
“We train for the environment. We live here, so we know what to expect,” Anais Paredes, an APD drone pilot, said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The FBI is asking that hobbyist drone pilots know the Temporary Flight Restrictions in their area before taking off.
There is a one-mile restriction around World Cup stadiums on non-match days, and a three-mile restriction on game day.
LAS VEGAS — From the time Austin Reaves joined the Lakers in 2021 as an undrafted prospect, his basketball life centered around playing with a savant in LeBron James.
That no longer will be the case.
Reaves re-signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $180-million deal, but James decided to move on as he prepares to play an unprecedented 24th season.
Reaves was stunned when he heard about James’ decision while playing golf in Lake Tahoe. Nearly two weeks later, Reaves says he still is trying to process the development.
“I kind of was thinking about it last night when I got here,” Reaves said Monday in his first news conference since re-signing. “Starting the season without him being on the team is going to be different for me. He’s kind of all I’ve ever known. Just him being around, joking around, acting like he’s 15. But that’s his decision and like I said in Tahoe, anytime I’ve talked about it, I got nothing but love and respect for him and yeah, let’s play some golf soon.”
The contract Reaves signed was the richest in NBA history for an undrafted player. At 28 and entering his sixth season, Reaves wanted to stay in L.A.
“I wanted to be a Laker the whole time. We had that period from when the season ended until the first [of July] to get something done and we figured it out before then,” he said. “My heart was in L.A. the whole time.”
Reaves will become one of the de facto leaders of the Lakers along with Luka Doncic. The two once again will be one of the most dynamic backcourts in the NBA.
“Obviously my relationship with the guys that were on the team last year,” Reaves said of why he wanted to stay. “And then Luka. I mean, he’s one of my best friends on this planet. Talk to him almost every single day. He sends me videos of his golf swing and asks me what he can do to get better and I tell him I’m not a coach.”
The Lakers have overhauled the roster: All the players who started alongside Reaves in the playoffs last spring are gone. With the signing of former Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams on Monday, the Lakers have eight new players, all of them arriving either via trades, free agency or the draft.
“They’re good,” Reaves said of the moves. “Obviously, I’ve been with the guys that are leaving for a couple years and with Bron for five years and I hate to see guys like that go. But the pieces that are coming in, I’m very excited about and I’m happy to get started today and see where it goes.”
Walker Kessler dunks during a game between the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers on March 23.
(Rob Gray / Associated Press)
One of those new players is Walker Kessler, a 7-foot-2 center the Lakers felt fit best around Doncic and Reaves because he’s a lob threat, rim-protector and good defender and is developing his three-point shooting.
The Lakers got him from the Utah Jazz in a trade and then signed him to a four-year, $130-million contract. The Lakers sent out two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033) and two first-round pick swaps (2028, 2030).
Kessler, who played only five games last season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, is aware the Lakers paid a big price to get him.
“It definitely makes you feel a certain way when you know an organization believes in you,” Kessler said Monday in his introduction. “And I think what they’ve invested, they’re showing that belief in a monetary value, not just with money, but like you said, assets. And for me, I’m somebody that if I know that they have that belief in me, I’m gonna run through a brick wall for them. That’s just how I’ve been wired my whole life and it definitely makes it a lot easier to go out there and compete for a team.”
Power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili could become a fan favorite, in part because of the tattoo he has on his lower left leg — a No. 24 in honor of Kobe Bryant.
Mamukelashvili, who signed a four-year, $52-million deal, averaged 11.2 points last season with the Toronto Raptors and shot 52.3% from the field, including 38.9% from three-point range.
“I got a Mamba Mentality tattoo. I just love his mindset,” Mamukelashvili said. “Growing up, I used to always say, “Mah-moo Mentality!’ So, I know it’s a little far from each other. But we are getting closer.”
When guard Collin Sexton, another new Laker, was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, James left and signed with the Lakers. When Sexton signed a two-year, $19-million deal with the Lakers this month, James left again.
Sexton could only laugh about missing out on playing with James.
“He’s just leaving every time I arrive,” Sexton said, laughing. “That’s what it is. No, but one of the other coaches made the same joke yesterday. It’s cool, I know. I’ve always wanted to team up with him for sure, but it’s definitely cool knowing him and just having normal conversations and stuff, so that’s cool.”
Sexton averaged 15.4 points and shot 48.5% last season with Chicago and Charlotte. He’s ready for whatever role coach JJ Redick and the Lakers want for him.
“They believe in me,” he said. “And I just feel like at the end of the day, whenever a coach believes in you and like he said, he’s going to be hard on me and yelling and screaming at me. So, I like that. I think that’s what gets the best from me.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
WWE will swing for the fences for the second straight year when it hosts one of its major premium live events of the year at a Major League Baseball ballpark.
The company announced on Monday that Survivor Series: WarGames will take place at Daikin Park in Houston – the home of the Astros – on Saturday, Nov. 28. It follows up the success of last year’s Survivor Series: WarGames event, which took place at Petco Park in San Diego – the home of the Padres.
COMPLETE PRO WRESTLING COVERAGE ON FOX NEWS DIGITAL
Roman Reigns lands a Superman Punch on Brock Lesnar during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 29, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
“Houston is the perfect host city to celebrate this milestone chapter in Survivor Series’ storied history, and we look forward to partnering with Houston First and the Houston Astros to deliver an unforgettable event,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a news release.
WarGames is a highly anticipated match, which has taken place yearly among wrestlers on the WWE roster since 2022. The premium live event has also seen some dramatic returns.
Stephanie Vaquer enters the ring during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
In 2023, CM Punk came back to WWE at the end of the show and shocked the entire sports world. Randy Orton also made his in-ring return during the match. Last year, a mystery attacker interrupted the WarGames match and gave the win to The Vision and company.
It’s unclear what is in the cards right now for the 40th edition of the event.
“We are proud to be able to help bring one of the world’s premier entertainment brands to Houston for what promises to be an unforgettable holiday weekend,” said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First, which partnered with WWE to bring the event back to Houston.
Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio celebrate their win during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Hosting WWE Survivor Series will bring thousands of passionate fans to our city and generate a significant economic impact for community. Houston has earned a reputation for delivering world-class entertainment events, and we look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to our destination.”
-
Videos45 minutes agoNew explosions near Iranian port cities, says state media | BBC News
-
Los Angeles, Ca47 minutes agoBig rig crash spills cinder blocks on 101 Freeway; lanes blocked in Tarzana
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoHow to watch ‘The Odyssey’ in IMAX, 70mm and more in metro Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoSold-Out SF Marathon 2026: The Races, Routes and Road Closures (Plus How to Watch It All) | KQED
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoTop 10 Dallas Cowboys of 2026: Rashan Gary is Complete EDGE Dallas Needed
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoGirl, 12, shot while sitting in parked car in northwest Miami-Dade, deputies say
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoGBH Daily: Come sail away
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoNew ice cream shop with a ‘waffle theater’ bets big on downtown Denver
