PressBox, Author at NXTbets Inc

August 25, 2026

Vinales misses Aragon as Tech3 recalls Espargaro

Maverick Vinales will miss the Aragon MotoGP round as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury, with Tech3 KTM again calling on Pol Espargaro as his replacement. Tech3 said the decision to sideline Vinales was made jointly by the rider, KTM and the team, and team manager Nicolas Goyon said the priority was to give him the time he needs to recover properly.

Vinales has not raced since MotoGP returned from the summer break and has been dealing with the lingering shoulder problem since a crash at Sachsenring in 2025. Summer testing also found a small tear in the infraspinatus muscle. Tech3 said there was no definite return date, although it is targeting the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano on Sept. 11-13, and Sky Italia reported that Vinales is trying conservative therapy rather than surgery, which would sideline him for the rest of the season.

Espargaro stepped in for Vinales at Aragon after also replacing him at the British Grand Prix, where he finished 13th. He said a return at Aragon should feel better as he regained confidence. Vinales’ long-term future in MotoGP remains uncertain, with Tech3 and Vinales already set to part ways after 2026 and his prospects for 2027 still unsettled.
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August 25, 2026

Netflix renews Drive to Survive for 2026 F1 season

Netflix has confirmed that Formula 1: Drive to Survive will return for a ninth season, with the new installment set to cover the 2026 Formula 1 campaign. The company has not announced a release date, though one report said the season is expected in early 2027, and filming will continue through the 2026 championship.

The upcoming season is expected to follow Kimi Antonelli becoming the youngest championship leader in Formula 1 history, along with the shifting competitive order as development battles unfold among Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. Netflix said fans can expect more Formula 1 action in the second half of the 2026 season.

Drive to Survive debuted in 2019 and has helped bring millions of viewers to Formula 1 by taking audiences behind the scenes with drivers, teams and paddock life. Box to Box Films will again produce the series, and executive producers James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin said they are excited to make another season and go “deeper than ever before” into the sport’s hidden spaces. The renewal extends the show to 78 episodes across eight seasons, and the most recent season, released on February 27, drew millions of viewing hours globally.
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August 24, 2026

RCR tabs Austin Hill for No. 33 Cup seat starting in 2027

Austin Hill will move into a full-time NASCAR Cup Series ride with Richard Childress Racing in 2027, taking over the No. 33 Chevrolet after finishing 2026 as the car’s interim driver. Hill said he was grateful for the opportunity and eager to build on what he has learned in Cup, while Richard Childress said Hill’s growth and work ethic have positioned him for the next step. Richard Childress Racing also said Hill will remain in the No. 33, which the team changed from No. 8 to preserve Kyle Busch’s legacy.

Hill has driven the No. 33 since Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway and has made 30 Cup starts, with a best finish of ninth at the 2025 Chicago Street Race and two top-20 finishes in the No. 33, including 18th at Pocono. He is expected to run double duty in Cup and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series through the end of 2026 before leaving that series for his first full-time Cup campaign. The move leaves Josh Berry without a 2027 ride, while Jesse Love is set to take over Berry’s No. 21 car next season. Hill is currently seventh in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings, where he has already clinched a playoff berth and won two races this season, and he has 16 career wins in the series and 24 victories across 291 combined starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
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August 24, 2026

McLaren, Ferrari pull away as Mercedes slows 2026 development

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the team could not afford to develop its 2026 car at the same pace as McLaren and Ferrari, arguing that the cost cap left Mercedes unable to match the heavy upgrade packages its rivals have brought in recent months. Wolff said Mercedes had taken a more conservative approach, spread its upgrades across the season and made few significant updates since the Canadian Grand Prix in May, while McLaren and Ferrari continued adding new parts and pulling clear in the development race.

The pressure on Mercedes increased after McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort for his second straight victory. McLaren and Ferrari both introduced new parts there, after McLaren had made a major upgrade in Hungary and Ferrari had upgraded in Spain in June. Mercedes won the first six races of the season, but Ferrari and McLaren each won two of the next six after their upgrade programs began to pay off.

Wolff said Mercedes had not allocated its $215 million cost cap allowance in a way that let it keep up with rivals. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he did not believe Wolff’s financial explanation and said Mercedes would likely start turning wind-tunnel performance into track upgrades. Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur called Wolff’s criticism of Ferrari’s upgrade rate “quite ironic,” saying Ferrari had not brought more parts than Red Bull or other teams. After the Dutch Grand Prix, Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell said McLaren were faster than Mercedes following the recent updates, as Mercedes tried to respond to its rival’s improved form.
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August 24, 2026

Bastianini joins Trackhouse for 2027 MotoGP season

Enea Bastianini will join Trackhouse for the 2027 MotoGP season on a two-year deal, with the team saying he will replace Ai Ogura and partner Raúl Fernández. Trackhouse announced the signing on Monday and said its 2027 lineup is now complete after extending Fernández earlier this month. Ogura is set to move to Yamaha’s factory team alongside 2024 champion Jorge Martin in MotoGP’s new 850cc era.

Bastianini will leave Red Bull KTM Tech3 at the end of this year after two difficult seasons. He joined Tech3 at the start of the 2025 campaign after a difficult spell with Ducati’s factory team, finished 14th in the riders’ championship in his first Tech3 season and scored one podium in two years. One season before joining Tech3, he finished fourth in the championship while riding for Ducati.

Trackhouse said Bastianini will begin working with the team at pre-season testing in Valencia after the 2026 season and will help develop Aprilia’s RS-GP prototype under new tires and regulations. Bastianini said he was excited for the new challenge and hoped to bring his experience and fighting spirit to the team. Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said Bastianini’s winning pedigree and top-level experience made him a strong fit as the team chases trophies.
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August 23, 2026

Megan Abubo mixes surf, travel on France World Tour stop

World Tour stop in southern France gave Megan Abubo a mix of surfing and travel, as she spent long beach days in the Hossegor and Seignosse area, ate at local restaurants, shopped at markets and tested sandbars between sessions. She stayed with fellow competitors Amee Donohoe and Sam Cornish and said the trip included affordable wine, local food, long daylight hours and late mornings that took some adjusting.

Abubo finished 17th in the event and said she was disappointed with the result. After the contest, she joined other early losers for a night out, then spent the rest of the week sightseeing, relaxing, surfing and training before heading to Brazil. She described the trip as a mix of work and vacation.

Before leaving France, Abubo cut her hand while surfing and went to the hospital with Jessi Miley-Dyer. Abubo said Miley-Dyer drove her there and had trouble handling the manual transmission on the way.
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August 23, 2026

Hamlin clinches regular-season title as Blaney takes New Hampshire

The Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway became a playoff-shaping race in changing weather, with rain delays, wet-weather tires, nine cautions and aggressive late restarts. Ryan Blaney recovered from a slow pit stop and a loose lug nut to win the race for the second straight year at New Hampshire, beating Bubba Wallace by 0.586 seconds. Blaney led a race-high 115 of 301 laps, earned his third win of the season and the 20th Cup Series victory of his career.

The finish also settled several playoff spots. Denny Hamlin finished seventh to clinch the regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed for the Chase, while Blaney moved into second in the standings. Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Carson Hocevar, William Byron and Daniel Suárez locked into the postseason at New Hampshire. Wallace’s runner-up finish left him 75 points above the cut line, and Ryan Preece remained the first driver below it, 31 points back, with one regular-season race left at Daytona.

Ross Chastain’s postseason hopes ended after an engine failure forced him out on lap 41, leaving him last in the 36-car field. Josh Berry finished third after leading 73 laps and extended a top-10 streak to four races, while Carson Hocevar recovered from two spins to finish 19th and Tyler Reddick rebounded from an opening-lap spin to finish eighth. The race ran with a Chase-style feel even though New Hampshire is not scheduled to host a playoff race again until 2027.
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August 23, 2026

Zandvoort Closes Its F1 Chapter With Street and Grandstand Party

Zandvoort bid farewell to Formula One and the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday with a Final Lap party, ending the seaside circuit’s modern run after organizers decided not to pursue a new contract. Local organizers said they could not take on the financial risk without government support. The event was the sixth and final Dutch Grand Prix of the modern era, and celebrations continued in the grandstands and in the streets late into the evening.

The circuit opened in 1948 and joined the Formula 1 world championship in 1952. After a 36-year absence, Formula One returned in 2021 and turned Zandvoort into one of the sport’s most popular weekends, drawing tens of thousands of orange-clad Max Verstappen fans known as the Orange Army. Former sporting director Jan Lammers said the comeback had once seemed like “a crazy idea,” and said the return brought more success and fan support than organizers had expected.

Drivers marked the farewell by praising Zandvoort’s old-school layout, fast corners and limited runoff. Verstappen said the track would be missed and called it “one of the most rewarding and special circuits to drive.” Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll also said they would miss the circuit. Verstappen won the first three Dutch Grands Prix after Formula One returned to Zandvoort, while McLaren drivers Norris and Piastri won in 2024 and 2025.
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August 23, 2026

Norris recovers to seal second straight F1 win at Zandvoort

Lando Norris won a rain-hit Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort that was interrupted by a first-lap crash for Max Verstappen and marked the circuit’s final race on the Formula 1 calendar. Norris started from pole, recovered after losing the lead at the restart, and sealed his second straight victory to stay in the championship fight, although he said McLaren still did not have a car strong enough for a full title challenge.

Verstappen’s home race ended in the opening-lap chaos after he lost control in the damp final corner and hit the barriers, bringing out a red flag. Antonelli briefly led after the restart, but Norris retook control on lap 54 and finished 11.536 seconds ahead of the Mercedes driver. George Russell took third after Mercedes ordered him to let Antonelli back through on fresher tires, and the team said the move was the safest way to protect its result with Ferrari closing in behind.

Oscar Piastri finished sixth after a slow pit stop and a drop in pace, Charles Leclerc was fifth, Lewis Hamilton fourth, Liam Lawson seventh and Fernando Alonso ninth, which gave Aston Martin its best result of the season. Norris’s win left Antonelli still leading the championship, with Norris 83 points back.
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