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• Verstappen's home Dutch Grand Prix to exit F1 calendar after 2026

  Max Verstappen's home Dutch Grand Prix will drop off the calendar after the 2026 season, Formula One confirmed on Wednesday.

  A one-year contract extension to host the race at the Zandvoort track, which returned to the schedule in 2021 after a 36-year absence, has been signed to ensure there will be two more events.

  The penultimate edition of the Dutch Grand Prix will take place from August 29-31 in 2025, with the decision a blow to home favourite Verstappen. 

  The Red Bull driver won the first three races after Zandvoort returned to the calendar, before McLaren's Lando Norris triumphed this year.

  Only Jim Clark (four) has won more times around the track than Verstappen, with his three triumphs level with Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda. 

  Stefano Domenicali, F1's president and CEO, said: "I am incredibly grateful for the work that the team at the Dutch Grand Prix have done in recent years.

  "All parties positively collaborated to find a solution to extend the race, with many options, including alternation or annual events on the table, and we respect the decision from the promoter to finish its amazing run in 2026."

  Robert van Overdijk, Director of the Dutch Grand Prix, said: "We are a privately owned and operated business, and we must balance the opportunities presented by continuing to host the event, against other risks and responsibilities.

  "We have decided to go out on a high with two more incredible Dutch Grands Prix in 2025 and 2026."

  The calendar is already at a record 24 races and Domenicali has spoken of some European races alternating to allow others to come in.

  The Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa and Imola in Italy are all seen as candidates for rotation from 2026.

  F1 is seeking to expand into Africa, and is holding talks with Rwanda about an event near Kigali. 

• Horner hints Perez 'knows the situation' amid Red Bull exit talks

  Christian Horner hinted that Sergio Perez's Red Bull future is up to the driver himself amid rumours he will lose his seat after this weekend's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

  Perez has been under pressure for most of this season after scoring just 152 of Red Bull's 581 points and rarely getting near team-mate Max Verstappen, despite starting strong. 

  He finished on the podium in four of the first five races of the campaign, netting him a two-year contract extension in June. 

  However, the Mexican endured another tough weekend in Qatar, failing to finish the race, which meant that Red Bull are now officially out of the hunt for the constructor's title. 

  Perez has now retired from 37 races, four of which have been this year. Only in 2012 (six) has he had more in one year in the competition (also four in 2014). 

  Despite having a drive on paper for the 2025 season, Horner conceded to Sky Sports F1 that his lack of results of late have cost the team.

  "Checo has been a wonderful driver for us. Certainly, in 2021, 2022, 2023, he contributed to Max's championship in 2021 and the constructors' in 2022 and 2023," Horner said. 

  "Most of all, he's a great guy. He's not enjoying the situation he's in at the moment. He knows the pressure of this business.

  "We are going to give him all the support we can all the way to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. What he decides to do, that will be his decision at the end of the day.

  "He's old enough and wise enough to come to his own conclusions. There's still a race to go."

  RB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson are the two leading candidates to replace Perez at Red Bull for 2025. 

  Tsunoda will drive the main Red Bull car for the first time in his career at the post-season Abu Dhabi Test next Tuesday.

  The Japanese driver has also got the better of Lawson in their five events as team-mates at RB, following Daniel Ricciardo's departure in September.

• Norris says he let McLaren down after costly penalty in Qatar GP

  Lando Norris said that he "let down" McLaren after a 10-second stop-and-go penalty saw him finish in 10th place at the Qatar Grand Prix. 

  The British driver was in a fight with newly-crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen for the race lead before the penalty, for ignoring double-waved yellow flags, dropped him to the back of the field. 

  Norris recovered places in the last laps to finish just inside the top 10, but the result meant that McLaren's bid to win the Constructors' Championship will now go down to the wire in the final race of 2024 in Abu Dhabi this weekend. 

  “Honestly, I don’t know what I’ve done wrong at the minute. Apparently, I didn’t slow under the yellow. I’m not an idiot – if I knew there was a yellow I would have slowed down," Norris told Sky Sports after the race. 

  “I don’t know if I’ve missed it or just been dumb. But, yeah, the rule is if you don’t slow down under a yellow, that’s the penalty, so it’s a fair penalty.”

  While Verstappen took the top step on the podium, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished second, with Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri in third. Ferrari, in a two-way fight with McLaren for the title, also had Carlos Sainz finishing in sixth place. 

  It meant that McLaren will head to Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead over Ferrari as they set their sights on a first constructors’ title since 1998.

  “The team gave me a great car, so I’m thankful to the team,” 25-year-old Norris said. 

  “Disappointed that I couldn’t have done a worse job than I did and not give them the points they deserve, so I’ve made the job of the team much harder than it needs to be. The team are doing a great job but I’ve let them down.”

  Norris, who had challenged Verstappen (429 points) for the world championship before the Dutchman secured the title in Las Vegas, now has 349 points in his bag - only eight more than Leclerc in third, with the duo set to battle for the individual and team honours in the season finale.