Of the innumerable jewels in the royal vault there are only some that remain in popular rotation today, glittering pieces filled with history and meaning that have been re-worn for generations.
These beloved heirlooms offer us a rare insight into the personal styles of their famously private wearers; some are chosen for their timeless designs, others gently adapted over decades to suit the prevailing tastes.
From sparkling tiaras to romantic bracelets, these are the stories behind 11 of the Royal family's favourite pieces.
One of the most recognisable royal jewels, the Lover's Knot tiara, was commissioned by Queen Mary in 1913 from E Wolff & Co, who supplied Garrard. Its design replicates a 19th-century tiara owned by her grandmother, the ******* ss of Cambridge, and inherited by her "beloved Aunt" Augusta, Grand ******* ss of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
The piece is topped with heart-shaped bow motifs and was originally set with 38 pearls (19 dangling, 19 upright). Queen Mary later had the upper pearls removed and replaced with enormous diamonds.

#royal #queen #knot

Billie Eilish had a special role in her brother Finneas O'Connell's wedding to Claudia Sulewski. The newlyweds both wanted Eilish to stand beside them during the wedding ceremony. Instead, they found another important way to include her in their big day. Eilish officiated the couple's wedding ceremony in Montecito, California.
Sulewski shared details about the wedding in a YouTube video released Wednesday, Sept. 9. The first person they called when they began planning was Finneas' sister Billie, she said. Finneas wanted Eilish as his best man, while Sulewski wanted her as her maid of honor. "So we thought, 'Okay, sounds like she needs to marry us,' " Sulewski said.
Sulewski became emotional while talking about Eilish's role in the ceremony. "And truly, officiating our wedding was, like, the greatest gift she could ever give us," she said. Sulewski, 30, married O'Connell, 29, during an outdoor ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 29. The couple chose not to have bridesmaids or groomsmen because they wanted to "keep the experience intimate," according to Vogue.
Several well-known guests came to Montecito for the celebration. Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard, Jason Sudeikis, Nina Dobrev, Emma Chamberlain, Rachel Sennott, and Stassie Karanikolaou attended. Eilish's boyfriend, Nat Wolff, was also invited. Eilish performed "Birds of a Feather" during the reception.
Eilish also supported Sulewski before the wedding during her final dress fitting at Oscar de la Renta's Beverly Hills boutique. She joined Sulewski through FaceTime and reacted to the dress with excitement.

#montecito

Kimi Antonelli's stunning victory in the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid will go down in Formula 1 folklore - and, remarkably, his team boss Toto Wolff said that he had seen it coming on Saturday.
After Sunday's race, Wolff said that beforehand he thought that one of his two drivers was going to be standing on the top of the podium.
It was an eye-opening statement given they started the race 17 places apart on the grid, George Russell on the front row alongside shock pole winner Pierre Gasly's Alpine; Antonelli on the penultimate row.
"I thought one of the two is going to win," Wolff said. "Either George, because he was on the front row, or Kimi because he's going to walk over water, here at Monza. And I felt that yesterday also."
Wolff was asked to explain why he felt a performance he was comparing to a miracle was on the cards.

#kimi #george #grid

A crash, a penalty… what next? For a man who's just turned 20, Italian hotshot Kimi Antonelli has already endured a tumultuous relationship with his home grand prix: the electrifying, old-school Monza circuit, long christened Formula 1's Temple of Speed.
Two years ago, on the same weekend that Toto Wolff announced that then-F2 driver Antonelli would have the small shoes of Lewis Hamilton to fill in 2025, Antonelli took part in his first F1 session. On his second flying lap, full-send around the final high-speed Parabolica corner, the teen dumped his car violently into the wall. Then, in 2025, Antonelli crashed again in practice before receiving a penalty for track limits and running Alex Albon off the circuit.
Coming in the midst of a helter-skelter rookie year, Wolff acknowledged that Antonelli's ninth-place performance had been "underwhelming," urging his protege to "just free up." Fast-forward 12 months, Antonelli is potentially 11 races away from becoming F1's youngest-ever world champion. And on Thursday, he acknowledged he feels "very free mentally."
Yet Antonelli's chances of becoming the first home driver to win the Italian Grand Prix since Ferrari's Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966 are slim, bordering on zero. The championship leader, 59 points clear at the top, will take a 20-place grid penalty this weekend as he exceeds his engine allocation for the season. Mercedes's thinking is that, with Monza's mammoth long straight, overtaking from the back of the grid will be easier come raceday. Still, it feels a shame to lose the budding romance of a potential first Italian winner in 60 years.
"In some ways, it makes me a bit more relaxed going into the weekend," Antonelli said in the FIA press conference. "That's why I'm going to be able to enjoy more the driving and the weekend itself. Also, it's a different opportunity.

#wolff #grand #home

Andrea Kimi Antonelli happy at Mercedes and he knows it is divided fan group with him leading and Ferrari doing well for Italian fans coming to the F1 Italian GP, as Lewis Hamilton chimes in.
When Antonelli arrived at the scene, it was not clear to everyone how well he could do, even though there was hype about him certainly. After how F1 2025 went, some enthusiasm dipped but midway into 2026, it is going through the roof for the Italian, especially in Italy.
When he went to pick up the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy earlier this year, there was massive stream of fans waiting for him. Even at race tracks, there is considerable growth in the numbers. In general as well, Italian fans are quite emotional about their sports persons and also teams.
Ferrari is at par with football if not larger, in certain sphere. For a top Italian driver to race for an Italian manufacturer is icing on the cake. The last to drive in F1 was Giancarlo Fisichella in 2009. It's been 17 years since and it will be longer than that as Antonelli is happy to be at Mercedes.
The Italian was taken up by the German team at a very young age and rose through the ranks, with Toto Wolff's backing. He is their prodigy, much like how Max Verstappen is for Red Bull and Charles Leclerc is in some ways for Ferrari. And for the near future, Antonelli doesn't see himself anywhere else.

#antonelli #Ferrari #even #race

Billie Eilish turned heads in a plunging corset dress while officiating her brother Finneas O'Connell's wedding with Claudia Sulewski on August 29.
The "Happier Than Ever" singer paired the off-the-shoulder evening gown with tiny drop earrings, dark lipstick, and an auburn bob.
Also in attendance were Eilish's boyfriend Nat Wolff, Kristen Bell and husband Dax Shepard, Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber, and Nina Dobrev.
Finneas O'Connell and Claudia Sulewski are officially married! On August 29, the couple tied the knot at a star-studded celebration in Montecito, California, per People. As friends and family gathered in black-tie attire, Billie Eilish had the honor of officiating her brother's wedding ceremony while rocking a plunging corset dress that beautifully complemented the storybook landscape.
Claudia Sulewski and Finneas O'Connell attend the LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles on November 1, 2025.

#finneas

Originally appeared on E! Online
UPDATE: FINNEAS and Claudia Sulewski are happier than ever.
Indeed, Grammy-winning producer—best known for his collaborations with sister Billie Eilish—married the CYKLAR Skincare founder in a star-studded ceremony in Montecito, Calif., on Aug. 29, according to Vogue.
The couple—who started dating in 2018—said "I do" at the San Ysidro Ranch in front of their closest family and friends, with Billie officiating the ceremony, according to photos obtained by TMZ. For the special occasion, the "Happier Than Ever" singer stunned in an olive green off-the-shoulder gown.
As for the celebrity guests? Among those who attended the nuptials were Billie's boyfriend Natt Wolff, as well as couples Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, to name a few.

#happier #originally

With Zandvoort now in the rear-view mirror, Formula 1 is ready to head to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, which is set to provide another crucial turning point in the championship battle. Below is the full schedule and session times for the weekend at the Temple of Speed.
After winning the last two races in succession, there will be plenty of attention on Lando Norris to see whether he can complete a hat-trick in Italy and firmly reignite his championship challenge. The McLaren driver arrives at Monza carrying significant momentum, with another victory potentially allowing him to make further inroads in the standings.
There will also be huge interest surrounding home favourite and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who will race in front of the Italian crowd at Monza with the added pressure of leading the **** le fight. His weekend, however, will be complicated by the grid penalty hanging over him, meaning the Mercedes driver will have an additional obstacle to overcome as he looks to deliver a strong result on home soil.
Toto Wolff explained that Mercedes' decision to make the engine change in Italy was driven entirely by performance considerations, with the team's simulations identifying Monza as the most favourable circuit at which to absorb the resulting grid penalty.
Photo: Race Pictures

#monza #italy #mercedes #weekend

Kimi Antonelli is going to start the Italian Grand Prix from somewhere near the back of the grid, and Mercedes chose that outcome on purpose.
Team boss Toto Wolff confirmed after the Dutch Grand Prix that the championship leader will take a fresh power unit at his home race in Monza, triggering a grid penalty that could push him to the back row depending on how many components get swapped. It's a deliberate hit to a driver sitting on one of the healthier points cushions in recent memory, and it hands a very specific kind of opportunity to Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc heading into the one weekend of the year built for making up ground through raw speed rather than clever strategy.
Under F1's power unit rules, teams get a fixed allocation of components for the season, and going even one over that limit on a single part triggers an automatic grid penalty the next time it's used. Antonelli's retirement in Barcelona earlier this year, an electrical failure that erased a big chunk of his points lead in one afternoon, is why Mercedes decided a scheduled penalty beats another unscheduled DNF. Wolff didn't dress it up when he explained the choice: "With Kimi, we're taking the full thing. Our calculations say that that's the best track to take it. Obviously, algorithms don't take their nationality into consideration. We're here to fight for a championship and not get the most PR."
Monza's reputation as the easiest track on the calendar to recover lost ground is part of that math. Pierre Gasly won there from tenth in 2020, Daniel Ricciardo won from a midfield slot the following year, and Max Verstappen took victory in 2022 after starting five places back. We covered just how thin these allocations have gotten across the grid after the Belgian Grand Prix, when a single weekend produced a 30-place penalty for Isack Hadjar and 10-place drops apiece for Lando Norris, Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz, all for the same rule Antonelli is about to run into at Monza.
Recovering from the back isn't quite the free pass it used to be, though. DRS is gone under the 2026 regulations, replaced by a manual override system that only unlocks within a fixed distance of the car ahead and draws from a battery that's already stretched thin at a circuit with almost no meaningful braking to recharge it. Monza asks cars to scavenge energy at full throttle instead of under braking, which is a very different proposition for a driver trying to slice through traffic than it was in the DRS era. Antonelli might still make Monza look easy. He just won't have quite the same tools to do it with.

#prix #back #penalty #take

Melania Trump's relationship with Donald Trump is once again under the microscope after a political author made a startling claim about what may really be keeping the first lady at a distance.
As Americans question Melania's absence from White House events this year, Michael Wolff, author of All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America, made a shocking claim on the August 25 episode of the Inside Trump's Head podcast.
More from SheKnows
Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Face a New Challenge in Their First Months of Marriage
"She hates his guts," Wolff said while revealing that the presidential couple rarely communicates or spends time together.

#wolff #made

Mercedes has officially decided its championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start from the back of the grid at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix after it decided to give the Italian a new power unit, exceeding his allowance for the year.
Drivers are allowed to use up to four power units for the season, but Mercedes' reliability woes over the first half of the campaign meant it has always been a question of when, not if, its drivers were going to exceed that allowance and take a grid penalty. Antonelli is currently already at the limit with his V6 and exhaust system, while Russell has no more room for either a combustion engine or turbocharger.
Antonelli had been in line for a grid drop at his home race in Monza in two weeks' time, and Mercedes has now officially confirmed it will change the ******* le favourite's engine. The 19-year-old is set for a full power unit switch, which sets him up for a back-of-the-grid start.
"With Kimi we are taking the full thing," Wolff confirmed, dismissing the notion that Mercedes could have been tempted to take into account Monza being Antonelli's home race.
"In theory, our calculations say that that's the best track to take it. Obviously, our algorithms don't take nationality into consideration. But we are here to fight for a championship and not get the most PR. So, that's what we are going to do."

#officially

Natalie Harp has drawn attention with her reported absence from a recent White House event attended by Melania Trump. The development comes as the first lady returned to public view after more than a month away from appearances alongside Donald Trump. Here is everything to know.
As reported by The Daily Beast, Natalie Harp, who has frequently accompanied Donald Trump in recent weeks, was reportedly not seen at the White House on Thursday when Melania Trump made a rare public appearance. The president's executive ***** istant did not feature in photographs from the event, where the first lady joined her husband in the Rose Garden to announce the expansion of her Fostering the Future initiative.
Harp's reported absence comes after she was repeatedly spotted with Trump during the past month. She was reportedly present with the president on numerous occasions, including during his trip to Turkey and his weekend visit to his golf club in New Jersey. According to reports, Harp was seen with Trump on at least 18 days over the previous month, while Melania did not appear publicly alongside her husband during the same period.
The circumstances have also drawn renewed attention to earlier claims about the relationship between Harp and the first lady. Trump biographer Michael Wolff has alleged that Melania's limited appearances alongside her husband were due to Harp's presence. Wolff claimed, "Melania, whose appearances with her husband were carefully negotiated and choreographed, would not show up if Harp was around." The biographer further added, "Since Harp was always around, Melania never was—appearing with her husband only in the last week of the campaign."
Melania's appearance on Thursday marked one of her first public appearances with Trump in more than a month. Addressing the crowd, she appeared to reference her extended absence with a lighthearted comment, saying, "I heard you missed me. Here I am," before welcoming attendees to the White House.

#Trump #husband #month

Former IndyCar Series driver and Formula 1 pundit James Hinchcliffe has questioned why Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff would consult Kimi Antonelli's father over F1 power unit penalties.
Antonelli currently leads the drivers' championship with 219 points, holding a 50-point lead over second-placed Lewis Hamilton following six race victories in the opening half of the season. Antonelli's team-mate George Russell sits a further nine points behind Hamilton in third.
However, looking ahead to the final 12 rounds of the year, Mercedes is preparing for tactical grid drops. Speaking ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix on the F1 Nation podcast, host Tom Clarkson mentioned the comments made by Wolff during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
Wolff indicated that Mercedes will likely take engine penalties in the second half of the year and suggested taking them at the Italian Grand Prix, which is Antonelli's home race, could relieve pressure on the 19-year-old by placing him further back on the grid. But Wolff added that he would be discussing this with Antonelli's father, Marco.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes

#grand #father #penalties

It's now official: Max Verstappen will remain with Red Bull Racing until 2030.
Four-time world champion Verstappen has reaffirmed his commitment to the Austrian team. As was the case last season, the Dutchman was once again linked with several of Red Bull Racing's rivals before committing to the team for the upcoming Formula 1 campaign.
Previously, Verstappen was linked with both Toto Wolff's Mercedes team and Zak Brown's McLaren. However, there was no place for him at either team, with Mercedes team boss and McLaren CEO confirming they will continue with their current driver line-ups in the 2027 season.
Photo: Race Pictures
Photo: Race Pictures

#bull #mclaren #racing

Buoyed by Mercedes' strong results in the first half of the season, Toto Wolff is hoping the team can add Zandvoort to its list of successes at the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix, a circuit where the Brackley-based team has yet to win since its return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2021.
The W17 has undoubtedly been the strongest car on the grid so far this season, at times even proving dominant, with six victories from the opening 11 races. That tally could have been even higher without a number of reliability issues that have forced both drivers to retire from races.
Speaking ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Wolff acknowledged that Mercedes still has work to do despite its strong first half of the season. The team has missed opportunities to maximise its points haul, while its rivals have managed to close the performance gap, increasing the pressure heading into the remaining 12 races.
"We have left points on the table, our rivals have reduced the performance gap, and we know the second half of the year will demand more from us than the first."
The Mercedes team principal believes the outcome of the championships will largely depend on how effectively the team executes each weekend and how much performance it can extract through development. Although Mercedes is currently on a slightly different upgrade schedule compared to its rivals, Wolff remains confident that there is further potential to unlock from the car and that the team has a clear plan for its upcoming developments.

#team #first

Big Bad Wolff bites Sporting Jax: Tyler Wolff scored a hat trick and host Sacramento Republic FC punished another sloppy defensive performance from Sporting Club Jacksonville, romping to a 5-0 shutout in USL Championship men's soccer on Aug. 1 at Heart Health Park.
Miscues spoil Sporting Jax night: Wolff, the son of two-time World Cup forward Josh Wolff, scored his first goal in the seventh minute after a Sporting Jax turnover at the edge of the penalty area. He scored his second on a 40th-minute breakaway and his third in the 69th minute following another giveaway in defense.
Second-generation hat trick: It's not the Wolff family's first hat trick against Jacksonville. On July 11, 1998, Josh Wolff scored all three visiting goals for U.S. Pro-40 Select, a short-lived experimental team made up of young players from across Major League Soccer squads, in a 3-2 win over the A-League's Jacksonville Cyclones at Mandarin High School.
Big night for Rodriguez: Midfielder Memo Rodriguez supplied three ******* ists for Sacramento (7-4-5), including corner kick deliveries leading to headed goals from Jared Timmer and Lee Desmond before halftime.
Quick free kicks: Sacramento outshot Sporting Jax (1-13-5) 19-1 and controlled 66 percent of possession. … Former United States men's national team defender Ventura Alvarado made his first start for Sporting Jax, playing the first 60 minutes, and Brazilian midfielder Jean Mota appeared for the last 13 minutes in his club debut. … With Ryan Edwards out, goalkeeper Jake McGuire served as Sporting Jax captain. … Alvarado, Harvey Neville, Emil Jaaskelainen and Jordan Rossiter all received yellow cards for Sporting Jax.

#sporting #rodriguez

Nebraska baseball earned a spot in the 2027 Battle at the Ballpark next season. The Huskers are one of four teams to play, including Air Force, Army West Point and Notre Dame.
The three-day tournament will be hosted by the San Antonio Missions, the San Diego Padres' Double-A affiliate at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium on Feb. 26-28, 2027. The tournament will have two games per day, with each team playing each other in a round-robin format.
Nebraska finished last season 43-17, leading to it hosting an NCAA Regional. The Huskers are the only team in the Battle at the Ballpark lineup that reached the NCAA tournament. Notre Dame earned a 31-22 record last season but missed the NCAA tournament after falling in the second round of the ACC tournament. Army finished 28-20 and fell in the Patriot League Baseball Championships. Air Force finished 27-28 and finished 2-2 in the Mountain West tournament.
Air Force and Army previously played against Creighton in the Battle at the Ballpark back in 2024. Now, Nebraska gets a turn to face Air Force and Army, along with Notre Dame. Fans can sign up for pre-sale ticket access at www.peak.com/events.
Contact/Follow us CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

#army #battle #finished #ncaa

Sources claim that Donald Trump and Melania Trump's marriage has hit a new low, with the couple reportedly "barely speaking" to each other. The pair tied the knot on January 22, 2005, and share one child, their son Barron Trump. While they have been married for nearly 21 years, reports suggest that their relationship has recently hit a rough patch.
All is reportedly not well in Donald Trump and Melania Trump's marriage, according to a report by The Daily Beast. Author Michael Wolff wrote a post on Substack to shed light on the matter. In his latest column, he claimed that White House staffers are afraid of Melania's unpredictability and the influence she holds.
"Everybody in the White House is afraid of Melania Trump and her power—that is, if she chooses to use it," Wolff wrote. They do not think she would use that power to threaten the administration. However, they cannot be certain, the author stated.
Wolff further claimed that amid all this, Donald and Melania's relationship is "at its lowest point." According to the author, the couple barely speak to each other, adding, "There is hardly even the pretense that she lives in the White House."
Melania is reportedly living in New York instead of residing full-time with her husband in Washington. Wolff also claimed that the White House is concerned about what Melania's next business moves could be. He wrote, "Of all the self-dealing among Trump family members, Melania's moves—not just about money, but about calling attention to herself—are seen as most disturbing to the White House, and most in danger of putting her on a collision course with the president."

A brief exchange between George Russell and Toto Wolff after the British Grand Prix caught the attention of fans on social media, with the former urging the team to address its straight-line speed deficit in the near future before the Austrian was quick to respond.
The British driver made the most of his home weekend by capitalising on another setback for teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who went from a potential British Grand Prix winner to finishing outside the points. That allowed Charles Leclerc to return to winning ways, while Ferrari significantly reduced the gap to Mercedes in the constructors' standings.
Speaking over the team radio after the race, the Briton urged Mercedes to focus on improving its straight-line speed, describing the weekend as an extremely frustrating one despite acknowledging that a series of fortunate circumstances had helped him secure second place.
Responding over the team radio, Wolff immediately pushed back on Russell's **** sment, telling the Briton that Mercedes' straight-line speed had been good during the race: "George, I think straight-line speed was okay in the race."
Photo: Race Pictures

First things first: I can’t picture Max Verstappen actually having sleepless nights. Not with four world championships under his belt, a loving family at home, and plenty of enticing options tempting him outside of Formula 1.
And yet, the fact that things are going so badly for him in F1 right now must really sting. What’s worse, there is no sign improvements in the short- or medium-term future. Within just one year, his situation in the pinnacle of motorsport has deteriorated drastically.
Just a year ago, the F1 world seemed to lie at his feet. Granted, even back then, Red Bull wasn’t as strongly positioned performance-wise as in previous years, but the future still looked incredibly promising.
During the summer break, fans on the internet were stalking his and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s yachts off the coast of Sardinia, and everyone was talking about a move to the Silver Arrows. Wolff, at least, made no secret of his desire to sign the Dutchman – if not now, then at least further down the road.
At the time, staying with Red Bull seemed like a clever move for Verstappen. It allowed him to wait and see which team nailed the new regulations best before deciding where he wanted to drive in 2027.

This time, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was able to joke about a safety car having a decisive role at the end of a chaotic and dramatic grand prix.
Nearly five years have passed since Wolff watched his then driver Lewis Hamilton have a record-breaking eighth world ****** le wrenched from his grasp as a result of the FIA race director failing to apply the rules correctly during a safety-car period.
Back then, Michael Masi - who was fired a couple of months later for his error - made that call to override his organisation's own regulations in a misguided attempt to not have the race finish under a safety car.
At Silverstone on Sunday, that's exactly what happened .
It might - for some - have been an unsatisfactory way to end a British Grand Prix that had gone from tense racing to extraordinary upheaval in the final few laps.

Buckle up, gearheads — the weekend of June 25–28, 2026 served up a little bit of everything: a Mercedes resurgence in the Austrian hills, a Kiwi steamrolling a road course in California, and an endurance classic that turned into a demolition derby before the first hour was even up. Two of the big six were dark this weekend, but the ones that ran absolutely delivered. Here's your fast-paced rundown of who won, who wrecked, and who's sweating the championship math.
George Russell finally woke up. The Mercedes man grabbed pole after Max Verstappen crashed late in qualifying, then converted it into his first win since the season opener in Australia — a 1.6-second victory over Verstappen, with teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli completing the podium just 0.3s further back. It was, in Toto Wolff's words, a "cold-blooded" drive, and exactly the kind of statement Russell needed after a sleepy start to 2026.
The race itself was a strategy chess match. Red Bull gambled by leaving Verstappen out five laps longer than Russell at the second stops — and it backfired hard, dropping Max 10 seconds back with fresher-shod Russell sailing away. Behind the leaders, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton staged a gloriously old-school wheel-to-wheel scrap, trading the Turn 3 hairpin and Turn 5 multiple times before Max finally made it stick. Hamilton hung on for fifth as Ferrari, again, chewed up its tires and faded into a midfield brawl.
Crashes and controversy: Verstappen's qualifying shunt was the big talking point — and Red Bull publicly apologized, admitting a technical issue on the car caused it. Antonelli had a scrappy afternoon, running wide at Turns 1 and 3 on the opening laps and copping criticism for a qualifying yellow-flag blunder that Fred Vasseur argued sent the wrong message. Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, was investigated but escaped punishment, bringing his McLaren home fourth. Carlos Sainz (power loss), Lance Stroll, and both Cadillacs of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas all failed to finish.
Championship implications: Antonelli still leads on 171 points, but Russell's 25 hauled him up to second on 131, leapfrogging Hamilton (125). The teenager's lead is now 40 points — healthy, but no longer untouchable with a charging teammate in the other Mercedes. In the Constructors', Mercedes (302) is romping clear of Ferrari (204) and McLaren (159).

George Russell claimed pole position for the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday with an extraordinary lap at the end of a dramatic qualifying session in which Max Verstappen crashed late on.
Russell clocked 1 minute 6.113 seconds in his Mercedes on the 4,321-kilometres Red Bull Ring in his final lap but faced an anxious wait whether he had slowed down sufficiently under yellow flags after Verstappen lost the car into a right turn and crashed into the barriers.
He was cleared a few minutes later by stewards and despite the incident took pole with a massive advantage of .236 ahead of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.
The advantage is even more stunning as Mercedes team principle Toto Wolff said Russell probably lost "one and a half tenths" when he lifted his foot off the gas for around 100m.
Lewis Hamilton was .295 back in third in the other Ferrari and championship leader Kimi Antonelli fourth in the other Mercedes, .301 back.

The stewards concluded that Russell's reduction in speed was adequate for a single yellow, and the matter was closed without penalty. Toto Wolff wasn't exactly surprised.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1, the Mercedes team principal made clear he never doubted the outcome:
"It was a 100m lift, single yellow. A 100m lift of George Russell loses a tenth and a half. It is completely on. It was a massive lift. Well done to George for how he managed it. I am proud. I think Kimi Antonelli was under the impression it was a double yellow." Antonelli, who finished fourth, had aborted his own final run after Verstappen's crash – a costly misread of the flag situation if Wolff's account is accurate.
Fred Vasseur, speaking to Sky Sports F1, accepted the stewards' call without much resistance – though not without reservation. "Just no further action, that the race control decided that he slowed down enough. We don't have access to the data of the mini sectors. The lap time is deleted if it's double yellow, it was not double yellow. To have a clear opinion on this you need to have the data, and we don't have access to the data."
Leclerc ended up second, Hamilton third – Ferrari has two cars starting from the front row and the row behind on a circuit where overtaking is far from straightforward. Vasseur's point about the mini-sector data isn't wrong, but his team isn't in a bad position regardless of how Saturday ended.

Max Verstappen's 2026 season took another painful turn at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday, when the four-time world champion binned his car at Turn 9 during a final Q3 flying lap, sliding across the gravel and into the barriers and triggering double-waved yellows that threw the closing moments of qualifying into chaos.
The crash itself was a product of desperation. Having been **** ped to tenth place when two Racing Bulls improved late in Q2, Verstappen arrived at Q3 already on the back foot, with just three soft tyre sets at his disposal after two had been used up in final practice. His opening Q3 run yielded a 1:06.475, a time that left him adrift of the leading pack and demanding a significant improvement on the second attempt. He never got there.
While Verstappen was picking gravel out of his sidepods, George Russell was celebrating what appeared to be pole position. His lap of 1:06.113 was the fastest of the session – but whether it counts is a genuinely question. Russell has been flagged for a potential yellow flag infringement, with officials investigating whether he saw double-waved rather than single-waved yellows when Verstappen's car came to rest. If the stewards delete the time, Russell's party ends quickly.
The rest of the Q3 picture had already shaped up into a Ferrari story before the investigation came up. Hamilton, buoyed by his victory in Barcelona, had gone quickest with seconds left on a 1:06.408, only for Leclerc to **** the position away with a marginally faster final lap. Kimi Antonelli, who had led both Friday practice sessions and enters the weekend as championship leader, clocked a 1:06.414. Toto Wolff's contribution to proceedings was getting on the radio to tell a visibly frustrated Russell earlier in the session to "George, just drive" as he exited the pit lane.
With ambient temperatures hovering around 34°C and the asphalt baking well into the 50s amid a sweeping European heatwave, conditions at the Red Bull Ring were punishing throughout qualifying.

There's a version of events where Toto Wolff sits Lewis Hamilton down and tells him Mercedes is moving on. It would have been one of the most uncomfortable conversations in Formula 1history. As it turned out, Hamilton saved him from ever having to have it.
Speaking on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, Wolff was asked whether any part of him felt relief when Hamilton made the decision on his own terms.
"Absolutely. I couldn't make the decision from a personal standpoint. We owe him so much. I didn't want to make the decision as Mercedes letting the greatest champion ever go. And maybe he felt that also."
Hamilton's departure came about through a break clause in his previous Mercedes deal, a one-plus-one agreement signed back in September 2023.
Mercedes and Wolff were surprised when Hamilton triggered that clause, though reports suggest it stemmed from the team's unwillingness to commit to a longer-term extension – the Briton wanted a multi-year deal, but his age and the Antonelli situation made Mercedes reluctant.

Toto Wolff has spent more than a decade watching Lewis Hamilton dismantle championship fields. He knows better than anyone alive what the 41-year-old looks like when the competitive instinct locks in. So when Wolff was asked after the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix whether he fancied battling his former driver for the ***** le, he knew from the twelve years of shared history that this was a fight he’d rather stay away from.
“I’d rather not fight with him for a ***** le, because I know what he’s capable of,” Wolff admitted.
Hamilton’s win moved him to 41 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, whose ***** le campaign hit its first real issue in Barcelona when a power unit failure ended his afternoon early. Wolff added that the momentum of a championship attempt can quickly change, and that Hamilton is exactly the kind of driver who exploits that kind of opening.
“If he smells blood, he goes,” Wolff said. “I’ve seen it many years where suddenly, the Lewis Hamilton train started to go, and then it’s very difficult to stop it.”
That’s from a man who watched the Briton claw back deficits that looked terminal during their time together at Mercedes, and who now has to consider whether Barcelona was the moment the same thing starts happening, this time dressed in red.