Vegas afterglow: Verstappen shrugs off radio dare, Schumacher plots US switch, Ferrari cools the chatter, Pirelli trims 2026, Wolff cashes in but digs in
[Image: Max Verstappen steps onto the Las Vegas podium in mirrored shades, neon bouncing off the lenses. Alt text: Max Verstappen on the Las Vegas GP podium wearing sunglasses]
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Max Verstappen did the most Max Verstappen thing in Las Vegas: won with a grin you could see even behind the sunglasses, then chuckled at a late-race message sent McLaren’s way. As Lando Norris was told to press on and reel in the Red Bull, Verstappen heard the radio bravado and, rather than flinch, found it funny. The Dutchman said the call only sharpened his instincts; if Norris had arrived in the mirrors, Verstappen was ready to make life unpleasant. In the end, the McLaren had to back off to save fuel and the chase fizzled under the Strip’s glare.
It was a neat little window into the 2025 pecking order under the lights: McLaren tossing a dart, Mercedes in the mix, and Red Bull still the benchmark when it matters. Verstappen left town with the trophy and that familiar air of inevitability.
Mick Schumacher’s next chapter: full-time IndyCar with RLL
Mick Schumacher is heading stateside. The former Haas F1 driver has signed on as a full-time IndyCar racer with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, returning to single-seaters after his recent stint in Alpine’s endurance programme. For a driver who kept one eye on an F1 comeback — even flirting with Cadillac’s ambitions — the move is a clean break and a proper reset.
The timing matters: it’s a 2026 race seat, which gives Schumacher a clear runway to prep, test, and embed with RLL before tackling an IndyCar field that’s famously unforgiving. The immediate headline is obvious — Indy 500 debut — but the subtext is better: a chance to redefine himself in a series that rewards bravery and craft in equal measure.
Ferrari plays it cool after Hamilton’s blunt assessment
Lewis Hamilton’s frank admission that he’s “not looking forward to next season” grabbed attention, and inevitably the question landed at Fred Vasseur’s door. Ferrari’s team boss didn’t take the bait. Support the drivers, keep the internal noise low, focus on the graft back at Maranello — that was the gist. The message from Vasseur was basically: let the tape recorders roll, but judge us by the work you don’t see from Monday to Friday.
That’s a sensible stance for a team balancing an all-world driver pairing with the constant churn of development. The car does the talking soon enough.
Pirelli pares back for 2026: goodbye, C6
On the technical front, Pirelli announced its 2026 tyre roster will drop the softest C6 compound. The gap to the C5 wasn’t enough to justify keeping it, and streamlining the range should simplify strategy without neutering variation. One more group test remains in Abu Dhabi alongside the young driver running, then it’s homologation time.
The tyre story will be a slow burn across 2025, but the direction is clear: fewer gimmicks, a touch more clarity for teams and fans.
Wolff sells a slice, keeps the keys
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has sold 15% of the holding company that contains his stake in the team to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, handing the cybersecurity chief an effective 5% piece of the F1 operation. The valuation attached to those shares — around $300 million — pegs the team at a cool $6 billion, a number that speaks to F1’s commercial heat right now.
Just don’t read it as an exit. Wolff was unequivocal in Las Vegas: he’s not going anywhere. Consider it portfolio management, not a retirement plan.
What it all means rolling into the next race week
– Red Bull’s edge is still Verstappen himself. Give him a target and he tends to push it further away. McLaren and Mercedes have the pace in pockets, but Vegas showed how hard it is to pressure the champion into errors.
– Ferrari’s internal temperature looks manageable. Public comments are noise; development pace is the signal. The next upgrades will tell you more than any soundbite.
– Tyres will quietly shape 2026. Teams taking notes now will be the ones who hit the ground running when the regs flip.
– The money in F1 continues to surge. When a minority stake values a team at $6 billion, you’re operating in a different stratosphere.
Las Vegas reminded everyone of the sport’s current truth: you can plot and prod and try the radio theatrics, but you still have to pass the fastest guy on the grid. Right now, with shades on and shoulders loose, Verstappen’s making that look awfully hard.
