Archive December 1, 2025

Red Bull claim they “sincerely regret” comments made at the Qatar Grand Prix that caused Kimi Antonelli to be threatened with death.

After receiving harrowing messages on social media, some of which were death threats, Antonelli, according to Mercedes, changed his Instagram profile picture to black on Monday morning.

Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s race engineer, claimed over team radio that it “looked like” Antonelli had “just pulled over and let Norris through” after the Italian ran wide at Turn 10 on the final lap and fell to the McLaren driver in fourth place.

Norris now leads Verstappen by 12 points over Verstappen by 10 going into this weekend’s three-way title decider in Abu Dhabi after scoring an additional two points as a result of the incident.

Comments made before and immediately following the Qatar GP that claimed Lando Norris had been intentionally allowed to overtake him are obviously incorrect, according to a Red Bull statement released on Monday.

Replay video shows Antonelli letting Norris pass him while he loses control of his car. We regret greatly that Kimi has been subjected to online abuse as a result.

For the reason that Antonelli had purposefully let Norris through, the Red Bull statement was abdicated.

After I showed him the video of the incident, Team representative Bradley Lord, who was present, said he hadn’t seen it and that BBC Sport Lambiase apologized.

Mercedes claimed that the comments against Antonelli “represented a 100% increase in the abuse we sadly typically see on a Sunday of a race weekend.”

Because Anontelli’s channel is moderated, he won’t have seen the messages.

After the race, Wolff claimed that the remarks were “brainless.”

This is complete nonsense. Even hearing that blows my mind. We are competing for P2 in the important championship for contractors. A potential P3]race finish is up for grabs for Kimi.

“How foolish can you be to say something like this,” you ask? I’m irritated by the race itself and how it ended up.

The final line “I’m irritated by the error.” Hearing such nonsense blows my mind because I’m irritated by other mistakes.

“I spoke with GP]Lambiase.” They needed a P3, I suppose, to help them win the championship, but I saw him, and obviously he was upset at the time.

He just went off, I said to him. He had a short entry speed into that left-hander after the previous corner, put the gas down, and as a result, lost the position. Everything is now crystal clear with GP. We let the air in.

He claimed he had not witnessed the circumstance.

Antonelli claimed that he had been working hard to catch Carlos Sainz’s Williams, who was just in front of him.

The only thing that Antoniollelli said was that the dirty air and only the tires were overheating a lot.

I had to push myself a lot to get close to Carlos. I eventually entered DRS, or very close, but after Turn Nine, I entered a little more quickly and had a huge moment.

“A little unexpected, but just lost the rear and slammed into the back. Just need to understand why I made the error and what I did differently.

Grace Fisk, the captain of Liverpool, injured her calf in training, reducing England’s already exhausted defensive options for their final friendly game against Ghana.

The 27-year-old, who was initially called into the Lionesses pool during the October window due to Katie Reid’s withdrawal, was named in manager Sarina Wiegman’s original squad for the first time.

The defender will not have the opportunity to earn her first cap for England against Portugal on Tuesday (19:00 GMT) due to the injury.

She really enjoyed it and took a step up. She picked up this minor injury, which is disappointing, primarily for her,” Wiegman said.

“That’s the way it is, and I think it’s good she at least had the chance to train.”

That’s the good news, though, because I hope she recovers quickly and will start playing for Liverpool soon.

Wiegman has already lost a number of center-backs, and Fisk is the most recent replacement.

While Arsenal teenager Reid pulled out of last month’s friendlies due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Captain Leah Williamson is recovering from her knee injury from Euro 2025.

Following Gotham FC’s victory in the National Women’s Soccer League Championship final against Washington Spirit, both Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter are injured, and Jess Carter was rested.

Maya Le Tissier, the captain for Manchester United, could start her fourth straight game for England against Lotte Wubben-Moy or Esme Morgan of the Washington Spirit.

In their final two international competitions of the year, England have one eye on the 2027 Women’s World Cup, playing teams from four different continents.

Wiegman’s side will begin the qualification process next year, and it will give them another chance to face different opposition while celebrating their four-game “homecoming” series victory.

There are 63 places in Fifa’s world rankings between the nations, including Ghana, in addition to England.

Wiegman anticipates that Ghana will be a real test because The Lionesses are resounding favorites after defeating China with ease on Saturday.

We obviously want that, of course. You frequently see a lot of speed and physicality when we play the African nations, Wiegman said on BBC Radio 5 Live, and we talk a lot about that. Of course, they have their own unique play styles and different adjustments in how they want to play.

Ghana’s “how they want to play” is also clearly defined. They occasionally want to play a possession game, but they also want to be direct.

We don’t want them to play while we force them to, “because that’s what we want them to do.” We want that to advance to the next stage, so that’s a good thing.

Wiegman also hopes that the game, which will be played at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton in front of a crowd of 24, 000, will pique people’s interest and help raise the profile of the women’s game.

The women’s game is expanding, and it is expanding rapidly, as we’ve been saying all the time. With everything developing so quickly in England, she continued.

“I believe that this offers them an opportunity.” We interact, and I hope to receive a lot of attention in Africa, and especially Ghana.

Biniam Girmay, a legendary African cyclist, has become a member of NSN Cycling, which is owned by Andres Iniesta, the previous team’s owner.

Girmay won the Tour de France’s coveted green jersey in 2024, becoming the first black African to do so.

Iniesta co-owns the sports and entertainment company Never Say Never, who won the soccer team’s 2010 World Cup victory in the same year.

Girmay, who won the Giro d’Italia and the cobbled classic Gent-Wevelgem in 2022, joins NSN Cycling on a three-year deal after leaving the Belgian Intermarche-Wanty Gobert team.

The 25-year-old said, “I’m really happy to be here, especially with a new atmosphere and a new beginning, for me and the team.”

One of the most gifted riders in the pro-peloton, Girmay excels in challenging conditions like one-day races or single-stage Grand Tours, where he can exert immense power through the pedals.

Ethan Vernon and Jake Stewart are already known for their sprinting abilities, and he joins a team that already has them.

The sprint train of the team was always very strong, Girmay said.

Girmay is Israel-Premier Tech, making his debut on a team with a rich history.

Since 2014, the team, which has been owned by Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, had been under fire from pro-Palestinian protesters, sponsors, and riders for the Israel-Gaza war.

In response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the hostage of 251, the Israeli military launched an offensive against Gaza.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, there are currently 70 and 100 Palestinian deaths.

Adams, who is currently the self-declared ambassador to Israel, has close ties to the Israeli government and travels with government officials during US President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

The three-week race was canceled due to chaotic scenes, including some riders being pushed off their bikes by protesters, and the protests continued throughout the entire duration of the event.

Derek Gee, one of the team’s best riders, left the team after saying that riding for them “weighed heavily on his conscience” and that he had filed a lawsuit against him for 30 million euros over his contract.

The team has never provided any additional information about the dispute other than that it is involving the UCI’s arbitration board, the world’s governing body.

Despite the change in team ownership, BBC Sport is aware that the arbitration process is still ongoing.

Before Iniesta’s company, which he owns with Joel Borras, took complete financial control of the team and granted it a “Spanish structure,” Premier Tech, along with bike supplier Factor, eventually withdrew its support.

One of Girmay’s appeals will likely have been related to the potential double of his salary, which was reportedly paid more than a million euros annually at his former team, making him one of the highest-paid cyclists.

Another is the team’s ongoing involvement in local initiatives like the construction of a cycling track in Rwanda.

He states, “Riking is our culture in Eritrea; it’s in our blood.” And I want to improve African cycling as an African rider. As Israel Premier Tech, this team has already accomplished incredible things.