Red Bull would take points but no victory at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix’s sprint event, with Max Verstappen taking a 4th place finish.
Verstappen had won the previous two sprint races in Belgium and the United States, but there was no joy for him in Brazil as he finished 4th, in a race where he was unable to get onto at least the sprint podium in a chaotic race at Interlagos.
For his 4th place finish, Verstappen picked up 5 points, which sees him lose a little ground on championship leader Lando Norris after the McLaren was victorious in the sprint event, with second place man Oscar Piastri crashing out.
Teammate Yuki Tsunoda made limited advances after starting from the pit-lane, with Tsunoda finishing in 13th position, but primarily thanks to the misfortune of others.
Ahead of the full distance Sao Paulo Grand Prix taking place tomorrow (09/11), Verstappen remains third in the standings. The Dutchman is 39 points behind championship leader Norris, 30 behind Piastri and 62 ahead of George Russell.
Tsunoda sits 17th in the standings on 28 points, with the Japanese driver currently 7 ahead of former Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly in the Alpine and 2 behind RB’s Liam Lawson and Haas’ Esteban Ocon, who are level on points.
The second-to-last sprint race scheduled for 2025 marked part of one of the final race weekends of the year, with only 3 races of the season left after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend.
Verstappen began the race in 6th after struggling in sprint qualifying, while Tsunoda was taken off the grid and starting from the pits after Red Bull made set-up changes.
Off the line, Verstappen was able to pass Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin, although he initially settled in-between the veteran Spaniard and Russell.
Things then took a dramatic turn on lap 6, as Piastri crashed from third on the track into turn four after getting caught out by damp areas around the curb on the edge of the corner. Verstappen himself was picked up as having nearly lost the car in this section, though he was able to carry on. By contrast, two others weren’t so lucky, with Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto also crashing. The Sauber would continue while the Alpine would retire on the spot along with Piastri.
A red flag was duly brought out, with racing resuming with a rolling restart after a lengthy delay to proceedings. On that, Verstappen very nearly got involved in incidents after running wide, though he was able to stay ahead of Alonso. He was however unable to catch Russell, with the Dutchman spending the remainder of the race after the resumption stuck in fourth.
Tsunoda meanwhile remained in the lower section of the order. He was able to gain places from 19th on the grid, but all places gained came through the misfortune of others. This included Hulkenberg following his spin in the early stages, Liam Lawson after the RB was given a penalty for a first lap collision with Ollie Bearman and Alex Albon after the Williams suffered a puncture at the start of his last lap. That came after Albon picked up the front wing of Gabriel Bortoleto, who had an enormous crash in his Sauber at the start of the final lap, although he was able to walk away ok.
Red Bull’s attention now turns to the full-length Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which takes place at 5pm tomorrow but where they will be on the back foot after both drivers suffered eliminations in the first part of qualifying. Verstappen could only qualify 16th while Tsunoda qualified 19th, setting the slowest time of all as 20th place Bortoleto didn’t take part in qualifying at all.
This was Verstappen’s first time being eliminated in the first part of qualifying since the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, albeit that time was in a race where he did not set a time due to pre-planned engine penalties. It was also the first time since 2006 where Red Bull have seen both cars eliminated in the first part of qualifying in a race.
Milton Keynes City Council has published the next stage of its long-term vision for growth, the Milton Keynes City Plan 2050.
The MK City Plan is intended to set out how Milton Keynes can deliver new homes, attract investment, and create well-connected communities with access to schools, health services, shops, and green spaces, while protecting the environment and ensuring infrastructure is in place from the start.
Publication of the plan follows thousands of comments from residents, businesses and community groups that have helped shape the plan so far following a 2 year consultation.
Since 2023, the city council has run a wide-ranging engagement programme, including in-person events and an online campaign, which attracted around 7,000 comments. This stage allowed people to share views on how the city should grow, and their feedback has been instrumental in shaping the policies now included in the plan.
The process is now moving into a formal and technical stage. Before the plan is submitted to government for independent examination, MK City Council have said that they are inviting comments specifically on whether it is legally sound, based on robust evidence, and consistent with national planning policy. Anyone who wishes to comment on these aspects or suggest changes to ensure compliance with national requirements can do so by 22 December (5:30pm).
People who wish to comment can do so via the Milton Keynes City Council website.
Cllr Shanika Mahendran, Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, said, “Thousands of voices have helped shape this plan and we’re grateful to everyone who took the time to share their views. Milton Keynes is growing, and this plan is about making sure that growth works for everyone, delivering homes, jobs, and infrastructure in a way that protects our environment and strengthens our communities.”
The EFL have confirmed that Sky Sports have picked four MK Dons games for broadcast and will have new kick-offs.
Away matches against Gillingham, Grimsby Town, Walsall and Cambridge United were chosen as per Sky’s TV picks published earlier today (07/11) covering matches being played in January and February 2026.
The first moved is the Dons’ trip to Kent, which will remain on January 10th 2026 but will now be a 12:30pm kick-off.
This date is provisional, with the game subject to a further date change if MK Dons qualify for the Third Round of the FA Cup, which takes place on the same weekend. The Dons play Oldham Athletic in the Second Round early in December, while Gillingham are out of the competition after a defeat to Newport County.
The Dons’ trip to Grimsby Town will remain on January 31st 2026 but will now take place as a 12:30pm kick-off.
MK Dons’ match at Walsall was also chosen, but will now take place as a Monday night encounter. The game has been moved to an 8pm kick-off on Monday February 23rd 2026.
This means the Dons will have back-to-back games on Sky, as their match at Cambridge the following Saturday will also be broadcast. The match on Saturday February 28th will have a 12:30pm start.
No home match was chosen for broadcast in a weekend slot, although in keeping with Sky’s policy of televising all midweek League Two games, the Dons’ matches at home to Bristol Rovers and Crawley Town on January 27th and February 17th respectively will also be broadcast.
French DJ and producer David Guetta has been confirmed as performing at Silverstone as part of the 2026 British Grand Prix weekend.
With Silverstone putting on a range of concerts as part of the F1 race weekend at the British track, the first confirmed name for 2026 will see Guetta perform on Thursday July 2 as the opening night concert, with Silverstone confirming the performance will be a UK exclusive on his upcoming Monolith world tour.
In his career, Guetta has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, while songs involving him have been streamed over 40 billion times on streaming music sites. His work has seen him work with artists such as Sia, Rihanna, Kelly Rowland, Becky Hill, Akon, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj and Usher.
Guetta said on the Silverstone website that he was excited to perform as part of the weekend.
He said, “I’ve played some incredible shows around the world, but performing at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix is going to be something truly special.
“I’ve always been drawn to Formula 1 – the atmosphere, the adrenaline, the passion – it’s everything I love. I even made a music video inspired by F1 years ago. I can’t wait to bring my energy to the main stage and make it an unforgettable night.”
Further names are expected at Silverstone on the remaining three days, with the circuit saying that fans can expect news soon.
Silverstone have announced the return of their Christmas Lap of Lights event, which will take place over this festive season.
The event sees the home of British motorsport decorated into a glittering festive wonderland, where visitors drive their own cars around the legendary track, guided by a dazzling trail featuring ten immersive light installations, 35 lasers, and over 7,000 LED panels over the track used for the British Grand Prix F1 race among other motorsports events.
Silverstone will host its Lap of Lights events from 12 December 2025 to 3 January 2026.
After finishing the lap, visitors can continue their visit at Silverstone if they so wish with a glide around the Ice Trak rink, weaving through the iconic F1 garages before heading to Silverstone’s festive food and drink garage. Here, guests can savour such yuletide favourites such as German sausages, mince pies, mulled wine, hot chocolate and assorted sweet treats.
New for this year is Santa’s Garage in partnership with LEGO, where attendees can visit Father Christmas’s high-octane workshop to see an exclusive LEGO F1 car and trophy, get up close to real F1 cars and meet Santa and his team of mischievous elf technicians as they prepare his sleigh. It’s a festive pit stop that combines the magic of Christmas with the thrill of motorsport, creating memories to treasure.
And for those looking to tick off their Christmas list, Lap of Lights also offers the perfect opportunity to shop Silverstone’s official merchandise, ideal for finding unique stocking fillers and gifts for motorsport fans of all ages.
Route highlights include:
- Glittering Gateway through the iconic Copse Corner
- Sledspeed Straight charging through Maggots and Becketts
- Fastest Lapland finale down the legendary Hamilton Straight
Spaces are filling fast for the event. One ticket covers everyone. Secure your place from just £50 per car.
Tickets for Santa’s Garage are now on sale, with prices starting from £18.
Top up your Lap of Lights experience with an unforgettable skating session at the Ice Trak. Prices start from £8.45 per person.
