New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nBut could the big-spending atmosphere of Monte Carlo propel Christian Horner \u2014 who won the famous race seven times as a team principal \u2014 back into Formula 1?<\/p>\n
MERCEDES WITHDRAWS FROM ALPINE PURCHASE<\/p>\n
Mercedes has withdrawn from the race to buy a share in the Alpine team because it believes the asking price is too steep.<\/p>\n
According to the BBC, American investment vehicle Otro Capital, which owns the 24 per cent stake up for sale, is asking for US$720 million (A$1 billion) for its slice in the Renault-owned team.<\/p>\n
Mercedes, however, believes the price was above market value, and talks between the two businesses collapsed late last week.<\/p>\n
The price would have valued the Alpine team, which finished last in the 2025 constructors championship at $4.17 billion.<\/p>\n
Otro bought its 24 per cent share for \u20ac200 million (A$326.5 million) in 2023, which valued the team at around $1.36 billion at the time.<\/p>\n
Had the sale gone through, it would have tripled its money in just three years.<\/p>\n
Racer had previously reported that the title-leading F1 team \u2014 joint owned by Mercedes Group, team boss Toto Wolff and British chemicals company Ineos \u2014 was the frontrunner to acquire the stake, and the BBC has added that Mercedes had an in-principle agreement with Renault to buy the shares.<\/p>\n
But the British broadcaster reports that Mercedes considers its rival team to be worth no more than $3.3 billion because it does not turn a profit and has no recent history of success.<\/p>\n
As a comparison, deals for shares in the Mercedes team had it valued at an eye-popping $9.27 billion late last year, while a change in ownership at McLaren at around the same time \u2014 before it won either title last season \u2014 saw the team valued at $6.5 billion.<\/p>\n
Mercedes\u2019s withdrawal would appear to boost Christian Horner\u2019s hopes of buying the stake, with the former Red Bull Racing boss having targeted Otro\u2019s share as his route back into the sport.<\/p>\n
But the BBC has further reported that Renault has canned talks about a sale for now. Though the French car company\u2019s majority stake is not up for sale, Renault can veto the sale of Otro\u2019s shares until September, though the consortium can agree to its own deal after that.<\/p>\n
Horner is also believed to be in talks with Chinese auto giant BYD about a possible 12th entry, further meetings about which will take place around this weekend\u2019s Monaco Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
The Alpine team announced Gucci as its new title sponsor from 2027 last week in a deal reportedly worth around A$209 million.<\/p>\n
Marco Bezzecchi claims Italian GP | 01:20<\/p>\n
STELLA DENIES FERRARI RUMOURS<\/p>\n
McLaren principal Andrea Stella says he is \u201cfully committed to McLaren\u201d despite Red Bull Racing pushing speculation he\u2019s lining up a move to Ferrari.<\/p>\n
Rumours that Stella could return to Maranello began with news in April that McLaren had lured Gianpiero Lambiase from Red Bull Racing as its new head of racing from 2028 at the latest.<\/p>\n
Lambiase is best known as Max Verstappen race engineer, though he also holds the more senior position of head of racing at Milton Keynes.<\/p>\n
The Dutch media, where the story first broke, reported that McLaren had hired Lambiase after Stella signed a precontract to join Ferrari at a later date.<\/p>\n
McLaren, however, has strongly and publicly denied the reports.<\/p>\n
Several media skirmishes led to clear-the-air talks at the Miami Grand Prix, after which both teams apparently considered the matter dealt with.<\/p>\n
But Red Bull Racing Laurent Mekies has put the story back on the agenda. Sitting next to Stella in a press conference in Canada, the Frenchman said he was merely repeating what he\u2019d been told, suggesting it had come from Lambiase himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s certainly my understanding that GP is going to McLaren to become a team principal,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I told you at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we had a number of conversations before he was going to make the decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t ask me if it\u2019s going to happen; the timing of it is none of my business. I can just tell you the content of our conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stella, however, reiterated his denial that he was considering leaving the team he led to consecutive constructors titles in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely fully committed to McLaren,\u201d he said. \u201cOne of the things that makes me more proud of my experience as a team principal is that we managed to fill the cabinet at [McLaren Technology Centre] with trophies, and this meant that we needed to create another area of the cabinet, a new one.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me the mission is very clear: we need to fill that new area of the cabinet for the years to come at McLaren.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd GP? It\u2019s very simple. At McLaren, we want to employ the best people in Formula 1, the best expertise, the best leaders, and the fact that GP decided to join McLaren, for me, just speaks to the credibility of our team.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmploying GP is part of this vision, which is a vision of creating additive leadership that can integrate with the present leadership and create a stronger and stronger team at McLaren.<\/p>\n
\u201cI very strongly wanted GP to join McLaren. I am personally very stretched in my role as team principal, and I need a strong group of leaders working with me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the plan is very clear. Any other speculation leads us back to the silly season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s important for us is stability and that the best talents in Formula 1 want to join McLaren.\u201d<\/p>\n
Insane scenes as Bezzecchi wins at home! | 03:24<\/p>\n
FORD TARGETS VERSTAPPEN LE MANS ASSAULT<\/p>\n
Ford wants to tackle the Le Mans 24 Hours with Max Verstappen once it rejoins the race in the top class in 2027.<\/p>\n
The American auto icon is set to enter the World Endurance Championship\u2019s top hypercar tier next season, ending a 45-year absence from the race\u2019s victory-contending class.<\/p>\n
Its return to the famous French venue coincides with Verstappen\u2019s increasing interest in racing outside Formula 1, having entered his first N\u00fcrburgring 24 Hours last month. He has also expressed interest in tackling Le Mans.<\/p>\n
With Red Bull Racing now backed by Ford via an engine partnership, Rushbrook sees an obvious opportunity for the two to link up over their ambitions outside Formula 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would love to see that, yes,\u201d Rushbrook said, per Sportscar 365, about the prospect of a Ford-Verstappen Le Mans assault.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut a lot of things need to align for that to happen. Of course that would be incredible for us, for the sport, we\u2019d love to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rushbrook said it wouldn\u2019t necessarily have to wait until Verstappen\u2019s Formula 1 career was over, though he ruled out the Dutchman entering Le Mans with the Blue Oval next season.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot for 2027,\u201d he said. \u201cDepending on the schedules and what\u2019s going on, it could be during [his F1 career].<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just looking for the right opportunity for thing to align.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though Verstappen hasn\u2019t locked in any non-F1 racing since the N\u00fcrburgring 24 Hours, the Dutchman is remaining open-minded about his schedule, including another tilt at the German race next year.<\/p>\n
Verstappen tackled the race in a Mercedes GT3 this year despite reports suggesting Ford had pushed hard to have him enter in a Mustang, and Rushbrook underlined that he would \u201cprefer\u201d the Dutchman to be racing in one of his machines where possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe prefer our Ford drivers to stay in Ford,\u201d he said. \u201cWe understand why he did that. We love his passion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love what he does for us in Formula 1. We love who he is as a person. We love that he\u2019s a race, whether it\u2019s sim racing or that, it only makes him better.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the right program for him right now. But obviously we\u2019d love to him in a Ford in the sports car world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ford claimed outright Le Mans victory four times in succession with its legendary GT40 between 1966 and 1969.<\/p>\n
After disappearing from the race at the end of 1982, it returned in the lower GTE class in 2016, winning at its first attempt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Monaco Grand Prix is on a new date this year, but the shift backwards into June has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":707820,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[344314,2095,344312,344315,13273,64,63,689,344307,2090,170675,344299,2065,309912,1199,344298,339962,2055,344304,817,344305,344313,813,816,344310,2105,158171,5744,78378,344302,18190,825,344306,647,344311,327805,2041,2067,677,2119,668,284237,18255,344300,2109,344308,85,344316,13773,344303,344309,2614,660,344301],"class_list":["post-707819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-alpine-purchase","tag-america","tag-american-auto-icon","tag-american-investment-vehicle","tag-andrea-stella","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-british-broadcaster-reports","tag-british-broadcasting-corporation","tag-british-chemicals-company","tag-byd-company-ltd","tag-canada","tag-chinese-auto-giant","tag-christian-horner","tag-claims-italian","tag-consecutive-constructors-titles","tag-constructors-championship","tag-engine-partnership","tag-f1","tag-famous-french-venue","tag-ford-targets","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-french-car-company","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-horror-performance","tag-jorge-martin","tag-kym-illman","tag-mans-assault","tag-market-value","tag-max-verstappen","tag-media-skirmishes","tag-melbourne","tag-mercedes-backs","tag-mercedes-group","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-oceania","tag-pit-talk","tag-press-conference","tag-purchase-agreement","tag-renault-s-a","tag-senior-position","tag-silly-season","tag-speculation-leads","tag-sports","tag-sports-car-world","tag-team-principal","tag-team-stake","tag-uninterrupted-european-leg","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-victoria","tag-victory-charge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/707820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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