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Title: Wolff sells Mercedes stake to US billionaire George Krutz – Updated 23:05 UK
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has sold his 15% stake in the Formula One team to George Krutz, the American billionaire CEO and founder of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Completed ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the sale is expected to net Wolff nearly £230 million, valuing the Mercedes F1 team at a record-breaking £4.57 billion.
Despite the sale, Wolff will remain as CEO and team principal, continuing in his long-standing leadership role. Krutz’s acquisition gives him a 5% shareholding and a seat on the team’s strategic steering committee, alongside Mercedes chairman Ola Källenius and INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe. CrowdStrike has been a major sponsor of Mercedes for several seasons, so Krutz is already familiar with the organisation.
Wolff praised Krutz’s blend of racing passion and tech-industry expertise, saying his insight is “increasingly relevant to the future of Formula One”. Mercedes dominated from 2014 to 2021, winning eight constructors’ titles, and currently sits second in the championship, with George Russell securing two wins this season.
Krutz highlighted the shared philosophy between motorsport and cybersecurity: ‘Winning in racing and cybersecurity requires speed, precision and innovation. Milliseconds matter. Data wins.”
Max Verstappen has reportedly entered into negotiations with a rival Formula 1 team amid fears at Red Bull over his future – Updated 20:20 UK
Amid reports suggesting that his management has already held exploratory talks with Mercedes about a potential move for 2027 and beyond, Max Verstappen’s long-term future at Red Bull is again under scrutiny.
Although Verstappen confirmed earlier this year that he would remain at Red Bull for at least one more season, his contract, which runs until 2028, contains performance-related clauses that could allow him to leave early if the team fails to remain competitive. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Verstappen’s management has “already entered into negotiations” with Mercedes as a fallback option should Red Bull’s 2026 package underperform under the new regulations.
Every major team would pursue Verstappen if he became available, including the new Audi team, whose boss, Jonathan Wheatley, has expressed interest. However, a switch to Audi is seen as unlikely unless they make a sudden leap forward next year.
Mercedes, however, is widely tipped in the paddock to produce one of the strongest 2026 power units. Their reported engine advantage, combined with recent long-term deals for George Russell and youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli, adds intrigue to any future Verstappen move. Whether he would fit into Toto Wolff’s long-term plans remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Red Bull are under pressure as they continue to develop their first in-house power unit in collaboration with Red Bull Powertrains and Ford. While Verstappen was impressed on a recent visit, there is currently no benchmark against which to judge their competitiveness. With so much uncertainty surrounding the 2026 pecking order, the first races of the new era will be crucial, not only for title prospects, but also for shaping Verstappen’s career path.
If Red Bull fail to deliver a championship-capable car, Verstappen may consider leaving, with Mercedes appearing to be the primary alternative.
Verstappen wants Ricciardo’s old F1 number – Updated 11:00 UK
The Dutch driver is considering switching his race number for the 2026 Formula 1 season, and he has his eye on Daniel Ricciardo’s former number, #3.
Since becoming world champion in 2022, Verstappen has used the number 1, but with his hopes of winning the 2025 title almost gone, he will automatically revert to his original number, 33, next season. However, speaking to Dutch media in Las Vegas, Verstappen admitted that he wants something different:
“My favourite number is #3. We just need to see whether that is actually possible.”
Under current FIA rules, a driver’s personal number is only freed up if they have been out of F1 for two full seasons. As Ricciardo last raced in 2024, Verstappen would require special FIA approval to take over the number. His chances may be improved by Ricciardo’s retirement from motorsport altogether.
Verstappen also revealed that he had once wanted #69, joking: ‘My dad said that’s not a good idea… but it would be great for marketing — the number always looks the same!’
He likes #27 too, but noted that Nico Hülkenberg already uses it.
At the most recent F1 Commission meeting, driver-number rules were discussed, with the FIA confirming that proposals to allow mid-career number changes had been put forward — reportedly at Red Bull’s request.
If approved, Verstappen could drop both #1 and #33 and take over Ricciardo’s #3 from 2026.
Gerhard Berger has warned of a “crash risk” between McLaren teammates in the title fight – Updated 00:30 UK
The former Formula 1 driver believes that McLaren are at genuine risk of an internal collision as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri battle for the World Championship. In an exclusive interview with RTL, Berger said that both drivers are under intense pressure ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Norris is 24 points ahead of Piastri in the standings, and 49 points ahead of Max Verstappen. This gives McLaren a strong chance of securing the Drivers’ Championship, having already clinched the Constructors’ title. Berger sees Norris as the favourite: “I’m betting on Norris. If he avoids major mistakes and luck is on his side, he’ll succeed,” he said.
However, he stressed that Piastri remains dangerous despite his recent inconsistency. “Piastri shouldn’t be underestimated. He’s had a slump, but maybe that slump is over now,” Berger noted. Verstappen, he added, is performing reliably as always, but “the points gap is too big. He only has an outside chance, for example if both McLarens retire.”
With the title fight intensifying, Berger warned that the closing races carry elevated risks. “Both are fighting for the world championship. Both drivers will give it their all, and the team will be hoping that they don’t collide.”
He rejected any claims that McLaren are favouring Norris. “That’s nonsense to me,” Berger said, insisting that both drivers are treated equally in technical and team matters. While he acknowledged that Zak Brown “might like Norris a little more,” Berger argued that top drivers must be able to handle such pressure: “A professional earning that much money has to be able to cope with it.”
Looking ahead to Las Vegas, Berger predicts a strong performance from Verstappen, despite his deficit in the championship standings, saying he expects the four-time champion to win the race.
Lewis Hamilton drops ultra-rare Ferrari trading card, internet immediately loses grip on reality
Lewis Hamilton has unveiled his latest off-track masterpiece: a one-of-one Ferrari trading card, proving once and for all that nobody hustles merchandise quite like a seven-time world champion, even in a tough debut season. Designed by Topps and apparently blessed by the Enzo Ferrari estate, the Vatican and the entity responsible for Instagram algorithms, the card features a giant Ferrari crest, a heroic portrait of Hamilton and his trademark ‘Still We Rise’ signature in a shade of blue chosen specifically to make collectors weep. Naturally, the card is marked ‘1/1′, meaning there is only one and it is not yours.
Within five hours of being posted on Hamilton’s and Topps’ Instagram accounts, the card received over 100,000 likes, suggesting that the Venn diagram of Ferrari fans and people willing to spend four figures on a piece of cardboard is, in fact, a perfect circle. The piece is part of the ultra-premium Topps Dynasty line, which includes race-used suit patches, flags, gloves and probably Lando Norris’s hopes and dreams. Topps, which has held the F1 licence since 2020, is celebrating the championship’s 75^(th) anniversary this year with cards so exclusive that they often include actual diamonds. Yes, diamonds. Because nothing says ‘motorsport’ like a tiny gemstone glued to a tiny piece of cardboard.
This is not Hamilton’s first foray into the luxury economy of collectable cards, of course. He became the first F1 driver to have a card sell for $1 million, breaking his own previous record — even his collectibles have a winning mentality. Reflecting on the madness, Hamilton explained that he’s now completely hooked on opening premium card boxes — a hobby which, for ordinary people, involves worrying about credit card bills and feelings of shame, but for Hamilton involves brand partnerships and teenagers who are millionaires accidentally pulling his autograph from a foil pouch. With Ferrari releasing a special-edition helmet and race kit for Las Vegas, the timing of this release could not be better. Whether he wins the Grand Prix or not, Hamilton has already secured the ultimate prize: the undivided attention of the world’s hypebeasts.
Sergio Pérez has found renewed motivation in his ‘final project’ with Cadillac
A year away from Formula 1 has revitalised Sergio Pérez’s motivation and prepared him for a leadership role as Cadillac enters the sport in 2026. Following a challenging conclusion to his tenure at Red Bull in 2024, Pérez acknowledged that he had been operating on autopilot and only recognised the necessity of a reset once he was compelled to take a step back. He said that the break helped him rediscover his passion for racing and reassess what he wanted from the final chapter of his career.
He revealed that the final six months at Red Bull had drained his enjoyment of Formula 1, leaving him mentally fatigued and detached from the sport. Yet he continued to follow races closely throughout 2025, eventually realising that he still had “unfinished business”. When talks began with Cadillac, he found the team’s ambition and enthusiasm infectious, calling it the “dream scenario” for a comeback after 15 seasons in F1.
Pérez chose Cadillac over several other 2026 options because he was drawn to the chance to shape a new operation from the ground up. He has already immersed himself in simulator development, technical meetings, and early testing, taking an unusually hands-on role for a driver with his level of experience. With the sweeping 2026 regulations approaching, he believes that Cadillac can exceed expectations from day one, and he is determined to ensure that this final chapter is a success. “This is my big, final project in the sport,” he said. “I want to make sure it’s a successful comeback.”
Helmut Marko reveals move to Ferrari had already been signed
Helmut Marko has admitted that he came extraordinarily close to becoming a Ferrari Formula 1 driver. He revealed that he had already signed an offer from the Scuderia before the accident that ended his racing career. Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, the Red Bull advisor said that the deal had been offered immediately after he impressed in a Ferrari sports car race, qualifying on pole and finishing second.
He explained that the offer had been finalised before the 1972 French Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand, where a freak accident left him blind in one eye and forced his retirement from driving. This revelation highlights just how different his career, and Formula 1 history, might have been had the deal gone ahead.
Instead, he later teamed up with Dietrich Mateschitz to build Red Bull Racing into a modern F1 powerhouse. The team has won six constructors’ championships, multiple drivers’ titles, and is responsible for one of the sport’s most successful junior driver programmes.
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With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
