
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
Stefano Domenicali has been criticized for potentially failing as F1 boss if Max Verstappen chooses to leave the sport. Verstappen is currently struggling in the 2026 season, sitting ninth in the standings with only 12 points.
Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Stefano Domenicali has been warned that heās failed as F1 boss if he allows Max Verstappen to leave the sport.
The four-time world champion, now in his fourth season with Mercedes, hasnāt had the best of starts to the 2026 season.
After three rounds, Verstappen sits ninth in the standings with just 12 points. Heās already 60 points behind early leader Kimi Antonelli and hasnāt managed a podium finish so far.
Heās made no secret of his frustration with the sportās new regulations, which heās previously called āanti-drivingā.
And after the Japanese Grand Prix, reports emerged suggesting Verstappen is āseriously consideringā retiring from F1 at the end of this season. The 28-year-old still has one year remaining on his contract, but an exit clause tied to Mercedes performance could see him leave earlier than expected.
Mark Grain, the former McLaren staff member, shared his thoughts on the situation during an episode of The Two Mechanics podcast. He believes that if Verstappen does decide to step away, it reflects poorly on how the sport is being managed.
āI know Max doesnāt like the regulations, and itās not an uncompetitive car at Red Bull that is giving Max the ache, itās this generation of cars,ā he said.
āEven if he has a fast Red Bull, I would still say Max is still going āYeah, won the race, but these cars are horribleā.
āIf Stefano Domenicali lets Max go out of Formula 1, I see that as a failure. To let the most talented race car driver on the planet ā who is the fastest in the world ā then he should be in Formula 1.
āIf heās not there then thatās a failure of Formula 1 as an organisation.ā
Kenny Handkammer, who used to be a Red Bull mechanic, backed up Grainās comments about Verstappen, adding that the sport had already fallen short under the new regulations.
He said: āAnd then there are these rumours, well, they arenāt rumours, it is happening, there is this massive scramble to reconfigure the regulations for Miami.
āWhich is already a failure, right? Theyāve already failed if you are having to rewrite the regs four races in.ā
But Grain took a different view of the regulation changes, seeing them more as a natural step forward than an outright failure.
Grain said: āI see that as an evolution. I think these regs are such a big step that it was always going to take a lot of debugging and I know this is under-egging it. I know itās a bigger challenge.
āBut you had to get out there. You had to get racing. It needs these reworks.ā
Kenny Handkammer then replied: āI agree with that, but you wouldāve thought with the capacity of the FIA and how many years they have worked on it that it would come out of the box a bit cleaner.ā
The start of Formula 1ās new era has been rocky so far, and those in charge will need to work hard if they want to keep Verstappen involved and help grow its fanbase.
Read more:
Stefano Domenicali is criticized for potentially failing in his role if Max Verstappen decides to leave Formula 1.
Max Verstappen is currently in ninth place in the 2026 F1 standings with just 12 points.
Max Verstappen is 60 points behind the early leader, Kimi Antonelli, in the 2026 season.
No, Max Verstappen has not managed a podium finish so far in the 2026 season.

Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
A look at every first-round pick by Packers GM Brian Gutekunst since 2018.
Alex Ovechkin hints he may not have played his last game with the Capitals
Texas Longhorns welcome top-10 prospects Monshun Sales and John Meredith III this Thursday.
Subaru vs Hyundai: A New Rivalry at the 2026 Nürburgring 24h
Carlos Alcaraz pulls out of Barcelona Open after wrist injury
See every story in Sports ā including breaking news and analysis.