Formula 1

Carlos Sainz's race weekend is over -- the star Ferrari driver will not compete in the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday ... after the team revealed he was diagnosed with appendicitis.

The 29-year-old Spanish driver -- who sat out of Wednesday's media availability -- tried to fight through the illness during practice sessions on Thursday ... but called it the "toughest day" he's ever had in the sport due to the track's high G-Force.

Sainz was hoping to get over the stomach bug and return to full health in time for the race ... but it simply wasn't in the cards.

The team said in a statement he will need surgery to fix the issue ... and Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman will take his spot in P3, qualifying and the race.

It's a big bummer for Sainz -- he finished third at the Bahrain GP last weekend, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.

The lengthy investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior made against Christian Horner has concluded ... with the Red Bull team principal officially cleared of any wrongdoing.

The Formula 1 giant confirmed the findings of the probe on Wednesday ... saying it is "confident" the inquiry was handled in the most "fair, rigorous and impartial" manner.

Red Bull -- the six-time constructors' champion -- launched the investigation earlier this month ... although the nature of the allegations was never made public.

The complainant has the right to appeal.

Horner -- who has adamantly denied the claims -- can now shift focus to the start of the 2024 season, which kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend.

Red Bull's statement continued ... "The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned."

"Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is at the center of an investigation ... after a staffer within the Formula One organization accused the longtime boss of alleged inappropriate behavior.

The energy drink giant released a statement on Monday ... saying,  "After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation."

Red Bull added the probe is being conducted by an outside party ... and it takes the situation "extremely seriously."

Horner -- who has been with the organization since it joined the grid in 2005 -- has denied the allegations ... although the nature of the claims was not revealed.

Horner is by far the most successful team principal in the sport today -- winning the constructors championship six times at the helm ... and overseeing six drivers championships, most recently with Max Verstappen.

Outside of F1, he's also famously married to Geri Halliwell ... AKA Ginger Spice.

It's unclear if this will have any effect on the upcoming F1 schedule ... as the first race of the season kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix in March.

A huge shakeup is coming on the Formula One grid ... with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes -- his home since 2013 -- for Ferrari next year.

Ferrari announced the massive news just minutes ago ... saying, "Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract."

39-year-old Hamilton is one of the most dominant drivers in F1 history -- he won six titles with Mercedes from 2014 to 2020 ... after securing his first championship with McLaren in 2008.

There had been rumors connecting Hamilton and Ferrari for a while ... but Sir Lewis temporarily put an end to the speculation when he agreed to a massive, two-year deal with Mercedes in 2024.

According to reports, Hamilton is eligible to opt out of the contract after the 2024 campaign ... which would pave the way for him to join Ferrari -- which currently seats drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Leclerc recently inked a long-term contract with Ferrari, and Sainz will keep the seat warm for Hamilton until this season comes to a close in November.

Hamilton hasn't shied away from his love for Ferrari in the past -- he told ESPN last year he always wondered what it would be like to drive in the team's iconic red.

Ferrari is a historic team in the sport, but has failed to live up to its own standards in recent years.

The Haas Formula One team will have a new leader in charge in 2024 -- longtime team principal Guenther Steiner has shockingly left his position after 10 years, the organization announced Wednesday.

Steiner -- a star on Netflix's 'Drive To Survive' -- held the role since Haas joined the grid in 2016, reaching as high as fifth in the Constuctor Standings in 2018.

It was a rough 2023 campaign, though ... as Haas finished last with just 12 points.

According to F1, Steiner met with team owner Gene Haas following the 2023 season ... and it was decided they would go their separate ways.

Haas' director of engineering, Ayao Komatsu, will take over as team principal.

"I’d like to start by extending my thanks to Guenther Steiner for all his hard work over the past decade and I wish him well for the future," Haas said in a statement.

"Moving forward as an organization, it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances. In appointing Ayao Komatsu as Team Principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management."

"We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organization," he added. "We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team."

AJ McLean's pit stop on the Vegas Strip -- during the Formula 1 Grand Prix festivities --  had A-listers doing laps around the glitzy event, and got AJ onstage with The Chainsmokers.

The Backstreet Boys star put the pedal to the medal inside XS Nightclub at the Wynn Las Vegas Thursday night, as the trio performed a special rendition of his band's mega-hit "Everybody" -- but not before F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton and Will.i.am kicked things off at the exclusive invite-only opening ceremony the night before.

On Friday, TikToker Alix Earle jumped into the DJ booth with Swedish House Madia at XS ... while Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Michael B. Jordan, French Montana, and Saweetie partied in VIP.

The whole weekend was packed with celebs in town for the main event ... Saturday night's race, where RiRi and her man A$AP Rocky immersed themselves in the action. No doubt, it was a nice break from reality for the rapper, ahead of his courtroom appearance Monday in his shooting case.

Turns out Rihanna, A$AP Rocky and a ton of other celebs love cars that go real fast ... especially if they're speeding down the famed Strip for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The much anticipated glitzy event -- which got off to a very rocky start -- turned into a massive success ... based on the actual racing action, and the A-list talent who showed up for Saturday night's race.

RiRi and her man sat in with Team Ferrari, putting on headphones to hear the drivers during the race ... while the likes of David Beckham, Heidi Klum, Shaquille O'Neal, Paris Hilton, Cara Delevingne, Axl Rose and Patrick Dempsey roamed the track right before the race.

Arguably, Justin Bieber nabbed the best seat in the house for the race ... as he got to wave the checkered flag as Team Red Bull's Max Verstappen crossed the finish line for his 18th victory of the season.

Ferrari's Charles LeClerc, who started in pole position, finished 2nd and Red Bull's Sergio Perez was third.

The race was Formula 1's first in Las Vegas since 1982's Caesars Palace Grand Prix, and it was easily the most talked about race on the schedule this year.

But, it almost turned into a major flop -- locals were pissed about the monthslong construction and traffic delays, spectators railed about sky-high ticket and hotel prices ... and then, during the first practice session, a drain hole cover flew up and damaged a car driven by Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.

However, in the end, the race itself turned out to be pretty exciting ... making sure normie spectators, and celebs alike, got their money's worth.

A Formula One car turned into a flamethrower during a practice run in Las Vegas Thursday night, spitting out a stream of fire that was caught on dramatic video ... forcing officials to cancel the rest of the session.

Check out the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports ... several F1 cars, including a Ferrari, are zooming around the track built along the Vegas Strip for Saturday's celebrity-studded Formula One Grand Prix. Journey, J Balvin, John Legend, Keith Urban and Steve Aoki are all set to perform at the three-day event.

In the 19-second clip ... Carlos Sainz's Ferrari roars down the track past The Cromwell Hotel and, suddenly a burst of flames shoots out from the back of the race car before it disappears from our view. One stunned onlooker reacts by yelling, "Wooooooo!"

It was later revealed the incident was caused when Sainz drove over a loose drain cover, causing serious damage to his car.

Ferrari was forced to replace Sainz's chassis, engine and battery ... which sparked a 10-place grid penalty for the race.

Thankfully, no one was injured ... and the police and fire departments did not have to respond to the scene.

Sainz sounded off on the track conditions in a social media post Friday morning ... saying, "Eventful and long day. We seem competitive and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

"However, the situation of the manhole damage and the 10-place penalty is not acceptable, but we’ll deal with it."

Formula 1's biggest stars can find out why it's called Sin City this weekend ... 'cause one Nevada brothel is opening its doors and offering each driver free sex ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix!!

TMZ Sports is told ... famous Chicken Ranch brothel workers Addison Gray and Alice Little are really excited to welcome the race to their home turf for the first time since 1982 ... and they want to make sure every driver leaves Vegas happy.

We're told the licensed sex workers are offering a special one-on-one session at no charge for all the guys on the grid ... just in case they want to see some action prior to Saturday's race.

"It’s Formula 1 fever in Las Vegas this month and we’re all psyched up for the big event," Little told us.

"Any driver that wants to get their hearts racing and celebrate the F1 with me and Addison will be treated to 100% complimentary coitus."

Drivers aren't the only ones gettin' perks -- Gray and Little said they're also giving a 50% off deal for anyone flocking to the desert for the festivities.

"Our discount will help Vegas visitors and residents blow off some steam with a couple of generous ladies so that they can chill out during race week," Little said.

"Everyone who made F1 in Vegas possible deserves a break, and we’re here to provide some well-oiled appreciation."

Gray said the Grand Prix also needs a little bit of spice anyway ... especially since they stopped using Grid Girls years ago.

"Since Formula 1 banned their fabulous grid girls in 2018, the events have been overwhelmingly lacking in much-needed sex appeal," Gray said.

"Our discount isn't just a gesture of love for F1; it's an invitation for fans to revel in an experience where sex appeal is celebrated, not sidelined. Because in our world, glamour isn't forbidden; it's the star of the show!"

Machine Gun Kelly es la última celebridad en ser entrevistada por Martin Brundle y el resultado fue bastante bizarro.

El rockero/rapero estuvo en Sao Paulo el domingo para tomarse fotos con todos los carros de carreras que competían por el Gran Premio de Brasil y como de costumbre, Brundle, (el famoso piloto convertido en locutor) estaba allí haciendo lo suyo para Sky Sports F1, caminar por ahí en busca de estrellas para entrevistar.

Finalmente, encontró a MGK y trató de charlar con él de forma improvisada. Fue similar a sus otras entrevistas, algo torpe y algo incómoda.

Mira por ti mismo; está claro que Kels y el músico/rapero no estaban en la misma página, ya que parece que no podía oír a Martin con todo el ruido a su alrededor. Sin embargo, las pocas preguntas que pudo escuchar las respondió de manera extraña, lo cual generó algunas risas.

Definitivamente fue tan hostil como algunas de las otras entrevistas de Martin, a veces, el tipo es directamente desairado por las celebridades, pero no está claro si consiguió lo que quería de MGK.

Machine Gun Kelly is the latest celeb to be interviewed by Martin Brundle -- and just like most of MOTS stop-and-chats go ... this one was equally awkward, if not more hilarious.

The rocker/rapper was out in Sao Paolo Sunday to take in all the race cars zipping by for the Brazil Grand Prix -- and per usual, Brundle -- the famous driver-turned-broadcaster -- was out there doing his thing for Sky Sports F1 ... walking the grid and looking for stars to talk to.

Eventually, he tracked down MGK and attempted to chat him up impromptu ... and it kinda went the way his other interviews go -- very clunky and a little embarrassing for everybody.

Watch for yourself ... it's clear that Kels and MB weren't really on the same page, as it appears he couldn't quite hear Martin with all the noise going on around him. However, the questions he did hear ... he answered a bit oddly, which made for some great laughs.

This one definitely turns as hostile as some of Martin's other interviews -- sometimes, the dude gets straight-up snubbed by A-listers -- but it's unclear if he got what he wanted out of MGK.

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are taking their on-field chemistry to a completely new sport -- the Kansas City Chiefs superstars are teaming up as investors in the Alpine Formula One team ... part of a massive, $210 million investment!!

Otro Capital announced a star-studded list of sports superstars that are joining its partnership with Alpine on Tuesday ... which includes the pair of two-time Super Bowl winners, golfer Rory McIlroy, boxer Anthony Joshua and soccer players Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata.

Otro said it hopes the addition of popular athletes from all different parts of the sports world will bring new fans to Alpine ... and help in areas like media, tickets and merch.

Mahomes spoke about the business move ... saying, "I've always had a passion for all sports. The opportunity to lead an investor group with Travis in Alpine F1 alongside Otro Capital was one I couldn’t pass up."

"It's an exciting time for the sport and this is an opportunity to bring our shared values to the world stage. I’m looking forward to being a part of its growth."

Kelce added ... "I am thrilled to lead an investor group and join forces with Patrick and the team at Otro Capital on this exciting venture with Alpine F1. Our shared passion for excellence and innovation forms the cornerstone of this partnership."

"It’s about being able to contribute to a sport that demands precision, teamwork, and relentless pursuit of success. I am looking forward to this new chapter and can’t wait to see what we achieve together."

Alpine -- which also has financial backing from actors Ryan Reynolds, Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenney through Maximum Effort Investments -- is currently sixth in the constructor standings thanks to drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly ... so it'll be interesting to see if the Chiefs duo's success can rub off on them.

Max Verstappen's Hungarian Grand Prix trophy has been made whole again -- the F1 superstar was gifted a fixed award after it was destroyed during a post-race champagne celebration last month ... and he's not letting his buddy Lando Norris come near it!!

The 25-year-old Red Bull driver showed off his repaired keepsake in a selfie with the culprit on Tuesday ... and both guys joked about the mishap after Max was reunited with his prize.

""Fantastic, it's in one piece!!" Max said.

"Don't let me touch it," the McLaren star joked ... to which Max responded, "Yeah, Lando's not allowed to touch it."

Of course, Lando knocked Max's trophy off a ledge as the podium finishers celebrated with bottles of bubbly after the July 23 race ... and after he initially joked it off, he later apologized for the accident.

"I obviously had no intention in ever doing such a thing," Lando said days after the race. "I know how much it means to the Hungarians and part of their culture and so forth ... and I did apologize to Max."

Huge bummer for Daniel Ricciardo -- the AlphaTauri driver will not compete in the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend ... after breaking his wrist in practice.

The accident went down during the second round of laps on Friday ... when McLaren's Oscar Piastri crashed into a barrier, which led to Ricciardo wrecking his car as well.

The 34-year-old -- who was visibly in pain -- was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment ... and it was later revealed he busted his wrist in the crash, forcing him to back out of this weekend's race.

Liam Lawson will take Ricciardo's seat for AlphaTauri ... which elected against bringing back Nyck de Vries, who started the season on the grid for the organization.

Ricciardo was slated to make his third start of the season ... and has yet to score a point for AlphaTauri.

DR is beloved in the sport ... and many fans were thrilled when he returned to competition in July. He's racked up eight wins and 32 podiums throughout his career.

Tom Brady is racking up teams like Super Bowl rings -- the retired NFL superstar has become part owner of yet another sports organization ... this time, it's the Birmingham City Football Club.

The G.O.A.T. announced the business move in a hype video on Thursday ... saying "he's officially coming on board" the English Football League Championship squad.

"And maybe you're asking what do you know about English football, Tom?" Brady said in the clip. "Well, let's just say I've got a lot to learn. But I do know a few things about winning, and I think they may translate pretty well."

Brady -- who joins the club's current owners, Knighthead Capital Management LLC -- will also serve as chairman of the advisory board.

"I know success starts with the work put in when the world isn't watching," Brady added. "I know a team is nothing without the city that shows up and stands behind it."

"Most importantly, I know I like being the underdog. The road's been long for Birmingham, but these fans have never stopped believing."

The Blues will hope Brady's winning will rub off on them ... 'cause the team finished 17th in England's second-tier league last season.

Birmingham City also addressed the move in a statement ... saying Brady will work directly with the team's sports science department to share his knowledge on "health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programs."

"I'll see you at St Andrew's soon," TB12 added. "It's time to get to work."

Brady has clearly found a new hobby in sports ownership after retiring in February -- his collection now includes Birmingham City, the Las Vegas Raiders, the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, a Major League Pickleball team, and, most recently, an E1 World Championship electric boat racing franchise.

Lando Norris is issuing a mea culpa after accidentally destroying Max Verstappen's Hungarian Grand Prix trophy last weekend ... vowing to be more cautious with his celebrations moving forward.

The 23-year-old McLaren driver -- who finished second in Sunday's race -- went viral when he knocked the reigning champ's new hardware off a platform after slamming down his champagne bottle during their podium party.

Lando initially cracked jokes about the whole mishap ... saying Max should've been more careful with his prize.

But the young star has since had a change of heart ... owning up to his mistake in an interview ahead of this weekend's Belgian GP.

"I obviously had no intention in ever doing such a thing," Lando said Thursday. "I know how much it means to the Hungarians and part of their culture and so forth ... and I did apologize to Max."

Lando acknowledged he probably shouldn't have made funny comments after the incident ... admitting he'd be annoyed if it happened to his trophy.

"I do apologize for it and obviously to the people who put the time and effort into making it, I really didn't mean for it to happen. I'll make sure I'm a lot more careful next time."