28/07/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | JULY 28, 2025

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R ED BULL chief Helmut Marko has said that the team’s poor performance this season was the main factor behind the decision to sack Christian Horner. On July 9, the team principal was dismissed from his role after 20 years at the helm and was immediately replaced by Laurent Mekies. The announcement came just three days after the British Grand Prix, the last race before the summer break. Max Verstappen finished third at Silverstone, with Yuki Tsunoda failing to register any points. That left the Dutchman 69 points off the overall leader, Oscar Piastri, in the drivers’ standings with Red Bull fourth in the Constructors’ race. Marko, who oversees the Red Bull driver development programme, has been notably quiet since Horner departed. The sacking followed an ongoing power struggle between the pair behind the scenes, but the Austrian has now broken his silence and insisted the decicision was not down to him. “The decision was made by Oliver Mintzlaff (managing director of Red Bull GmbH)” he said. “We informed Christian Horner of this on Tuesday in London after the Silverstone race, at the same time officially thanking him for these

Marko breaks silence Horner’s sacking down to poor performance, says Red Bull team adviser

In the build-up to yesterday’s race in Belgian, he was quizzed on whether he felt that a change in leadership was required at Red Bull. “Well, I don’t know,” Verstappen said. “At the end of the day, management and, of course, the shareholders, decided that they wanted a change and, at the end of the day they run the team and I’m the driver, so whatever they decide, it’s fully in their right to do what they want. That’s basically how it happened. “At the same time now, sitting here, you look back at those 20 years of Red Bull, I think we’ve had a lot of great years, great results. “I think the last one-and-a-half years have not gone how we would have liked, and management decided they wanted to see a shift, and then everyone else, of course, has to agree to that and look forward.”–Express Newspapers

subsequent appeal was also dismissed, and the saga is said to have had no bearing on this month’s decision. According to Marko, Horner’s departure is similar to a coach leaving their football club, with the two sports possessing similarities. “In Formula 1, things develop with the same patterns we see in football,” Marko told Kleine Zeitung . “If things don’t work out, the coach has to leave.” Ahead of yesterday’s Belgian Grand Prix, Marko praised the transition of leadership, filling the 82-year-old with hope. “The transition has gone very well,” revealed Marko. “Laurent is a people’s expert. He goes straight to the people, and hopefully that will have a positive effect.” Focusing on racing is exactly what Red Bull’s reigning World Champion Max Verstappen wants to do.

20 years and for these eight World Championship titles.” Adding results were behind the decision, Marko, 82, also confirmed Mekies would be stepping into a different role. “This was the result of various factors, but above all, the performance wasn’t quite as good as it could have been,” he said. “Fortunately, we were able to bring Laurent Mekies into the family. His responsibilities will be significantly reduced, with the main focus being on racing.” Red Bull have been plagued by turmoil in the last 18 months. Adrian Newey, widely perceived to be the greatest designer in F1 history, has joined Aston Martin, while sporting director Jonathan Wheatley has left for Sauber. Last year, Horner was cleared of inappropriate behaviour towards a female employee following an internal investigation. A

Lewis Hamilton. – AFPPIC

SHORTS Too early to judge Shubman: Kapil

FORMER India captain Kapil Dev yesterday said it is too early to judge new Test skipper Shubman Gill and his young team in England despite two defeats. Gill, 25, took over a team in transition after the retirements of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of the five Test tour of England. The visitors, who trail the series 2-1, lost the opener before they bounced back to level the series. They then went down in a closely-fought third Test at Lord’s. Ben Stokes’ England are in the box seat in the fourth Test and in sight of clinching the series. “The team came close to winning (at Lord’s) and then lost,”said Kapil.“It’s a new team and it is getting an opportunity. In the coming days, these boys will come back with tournament victories. “Any new team needs time to adjust. The new captain has to learn a lot and this series will be a learning step (for him).” Aussies beat Windies in fourth T20 AUSTRALIA claimed a three-wicket victory over the West Indies in the fourth Twenty20 international yesterday, barely needing to shift into top gear as they heaped more misery on the hosts who have yet to register a win in the five-game series. Chasing 206 in Basseterre, Saint Kitts, Australia lost opener Mitchell Marsh for a duck but Glenn Maxwell (47) and Josh Inglis (51) put together a 66-run partnership to lay the foundation for the chase. The visitors went on to clinch the win with four balls to spare and took a 4-0 lead in the series courtesy of Cameron Green’s knock of 55 off 35 balls – his third half-century in the four matches. Jediah Blades was the pick of the West Indies’ bowlers with 3-29 from his four overs. Earlier, spinner Adam Zampa took three wickets while fast bowlers Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett and Aaron Hardie took two apiece as the West Indies scored 205/9. Sherfane Rutherford topping the scoring for West Indies with his knock of 31.

Hamilton laments ‘unacceptable’ mistake

LEWIS an “unacceptable”error in qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday as Lando Norris turned the tables on teammate Oscar Piastri to take pole position. Norris, who trails Piastri by nine points in the world championship, was a step behind the Australian in sprint qualifying on Friday, but turned his fortunes around, setting a time which edged out his teammate by 0.085 seconds. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came home a surprise third in qualifying ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who won the sprint race earlier on Saturday. But as for Leclerc’s teammate Hamilton, a day on from qualifying third-last for the sprint race, it was another disastrous session for the Ferrari driver. The seven-time world champion arrived at Spa upbeat, with a new rear suspension HAMILTON lamented

out in both Q1s, a very poor performance from myself. “I don’t think there’s much we can do. Everyone is trying to do the best we can, we’ve had upgrades, but I think that’s it for the rest of the year.” Just after the halfway mark of the season, and trailing championship leader Piastri by a mammoth 138 points, Hamilton then effectively wrote off the rest of the campaign as the majority of teams shift their focus to new engine and chassis regulations next year. “I think the focus back at the factory is to focus on next year’s car,” he said. “This season has been a tricky one.” Despite all the clamour and hype surrounding his move to Ferrari, it seems the Scuderia ’s final set of upgrades this season have not provided the silver bullet many hoped would propel Hamilton back into contention at the top. – The Independent

captain Shubman Gill rallied the tourists from a dire position of none for two early in their second innings to 174-2 at stumps, still a deficit of 137 runs. All-rounder Stokes has led from the front against India, following surgery on his left hamstring at the start of this year. But there were fresh concerns for his fitness yesterday when he briefly retired hurt with cramp in his left leg while batting. England, already 2-1 up in this five-match series, remain favourites to take an unassailable lead on the final day at Old Trafford. But their task would be helped considerably if lively paceman Stokes, the leading bowler on either side this series with 16 wickets at 24.75, could re enter the fray. upgrade on the under-par SF-25 car, as he looked to claim his first podium of the season. But after a spin at the final chicane put him P18 and rendered his sprint race irrelevant – though the spin was put down to a mechanical error – Hamilton himself this time made a costly error at the top of the famous Eau Rouge corner. The Briton looked to have saved himself with a time quick enough for the top-15, before communication came from the FIA stewards that Hamilton had exceeded track limits at the top of Eau Rouge corner, marginally placing all four wheels outside the white lines. As a result, his lap was deleted and, staggeringly, the 40-year-old was knocked out in Q1 again. “Not great, from my side I made a mistake,”a despondent Hamilton said in the media pen afterwards. “We have to look internally. I have to apologise to my team, it’s unacceptable to be

England sweat on Stokes’ bowling fitness ENGLAND face a nervous wait to discover if Ben Stokes will be fit to bowl when they go in search of a series-clinching win over India in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

England assistant Marcus Trescothick, asked about the prospect of Stokes bowling said: “We’re hoping another night’s rest and physio work overnight that he’ll be back. “It’s just a build-up (of things). He’s had quite a big workload in the last few weeks. It’s just trying to monitor it.” Chris Woakes dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan with successive deliveries in India’s first over yesterday. But Shubman survived the hattrick ball and was dropped on 46 by Liam Dawson before reaching stumps on 78 not out, with Rahul unbeaten on 87. India now have fresh hope of clinging on for a draw that would set up a decider at the Oval this week. – AFP

The England captain delighted his teammates and a packed crowd in Manchester by transforming his overnight 77 not out into 141 – his first Test century in two years – as the hosts piled up a mammoth 669 for a first-innings lead of 311 runs. But he notably did not bowl at all in the 63 overs that India batted before the close of the fourth day at Old Trafford. His absence was all the more acute given Stokes took an impressive 5-72 in India’s first-innings 358. Instead he restricted himself to directing operations in the field as opener KL Rahul and India