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The Max Verstappen will-not-be saga got fresh fuel this week, and this time it’s coming from someone who has been inside the paddock long enough to read between the lines.

The four-time world champion has Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes on his shortlist if he triggers a performance-based exit clause buried in his Red Bull contract, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner told Casino.org. With Red Bull fourth in the constructors’ standings and Verstappen having scored all but four of the team’s 30 points, the conversation is no longer theoretical.

“In my opinion, Max can only go to 3 teams: Ferrari, McLaren, or Mercedes,” said Steiner. “But is there anything available at the moment? Probably not, but will they make something available for Max Verstappen? That’s the big question.”

Max Verstappen Where there is smoke, there is fire

That’s why it’s not just empty frog chatter. Verstappen is technically contracted to Red Bull until 2028, but the deal reportedly includes a performance-based exit clause. Most relevant: If Max is not in the top two in the drivers’ list during the summer break, the door opens for an early departure at the end of the season.

Right now, that door is wide open. Red Bull are fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with just 30 points after four rounds. Verstappen himself is seventh in the drivers’ standings, and has scored all but four of the team’s points. The car is a problem. The trajectory is worse.

Steiner pointed to recent history as a template for how this might change. Ferrari sidelined Carlos Sainz to make room for Lewis Hamilton. Top teams free up seats for generational talent. They just do.

“Just look back at when Ferrari let Carlos go, who was doing a good job, because the goat came Lewis Hamilton,” said Steiner. “So, I think there needs to be something like that, but that’s what Max will be looking for.”

Each team in the shortlist has its own complexities. Mercedes have been linked to Verstappen for years through their relationship with Toto Wolff, although that discussion has cooled recently, partly because Kimi Antonelli currently leads the championship and George Russell is going nowhere. Ferrari already have Hamilton and Charles Leclerc under contract. McLaren has defending champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the two drivers that most American fans will name first if you ask them who is actually winning races at the moment.

But in the case of McLaren there is a dilemma worth noting. GP Lambias, Verstappen’s long-time race engineer and the calmest voice he has ever heard in his ear, is leaving as chief racing officer at Woking until 2028. It’s no coincidence that anyone in the paddock thinks it’s a coincidence.

“He’ll look at these three teams and talk to them,” Steiner said, “but I don’t think there’s any team that is focused on him.”

Translation: Max is shopping. The only question left is whether anyone is actually ready to buy. With the summer holidays still a few months away, expect the noise over Verstappen’s future to grow before it subsides. Red Bull’s recovery deadline is the real deadline, and right now, they are way off track.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1…More about Scott Gulbransen

The San Diego Padres went from spending like crazy under owner Peter Seidler to continually cutting payroll following his demise. With the team finalizing a record-breaking sale, it appears the new leadership will take things back in the other direction.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, “Early speculation around baseball is that newly minted owner Jose E. Feliciano “will be in it to win” and could be very aggressive in improving the team. This could include getting into a bidding war for Tarik Skubal.

RELATED: MLB Power Rankings Week 4, Padres sit on top

Heyman wrote that he believed the Padres could begin to “recapture the winning strategy” that fans had fallen in love with under the late Seidler. This could play out over the winter during MLB free agency, with San Diego potentially joining the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets in the pursuit of two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

This would be a strategy that would certainly be music to the ears of Padres general manager AJ Preller. He has consistently been one of the most aggressive decision makers in baseball, as demonstrated last summer when he sent prospect Leo DeVries to the Athletics to acquire All-Star closer Mason Miller.

Another thing worth noting is the Padres’ long-standing interest in acquiring Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran. Although he is believed to be unavailable right now, that could change if the team is still struggling this summer. In that case, San Diego stands out as a potential trade partner.

The Padres would almost certainly have to spend more than $50 million per season to land Skubal, making him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history. It will be interesting to see if San Diego finds ways to cut the salaries of specific players to make signing Scoble a little easier.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

“Sunday Night Football” on NBC is definitely the most popular game every week during the NFL season. Led by Mike Tirico and Chris Collinsworth, the primetime slot features the sport’s premier matchups on the football field. However, can NBC Sports lose Sunday Night Football to another competitor in the NFL?

NBC is “at risk” of losing its Sunday Night Football package amid rising prices for NFL broadcast rights, John Aurand reports. Netflix is ​​”inspired to offer the sun and the moon” for Sunday night games if NBC is ever in danger of losing the primetime slot.

If Netflix ever acquired the NFL rights package, it would be the second weekly primetime slot the streaming platform is after. Amazon Prime Video acquired a “Thursday Night Football” package in 2021, which will air games during the 2022–23 NFL season.

As of now, Netflix only has NFL games on Christmas, starting in 2024. The 2026–27 NFL season is the last year of his deal with the game. Meanwhile, the NFL’s current media rights deals run through the 2033 season, but the league has a contractual opt-out clause to end them early after the 2029 season.

So, if Netflix wants to participate in Sunday Night Football, it probably won’t be possible until 2030. The NFL will likely opt to renegotiate contracts through the 2033 season. The game announced its current blockbuster 11-year media rights deals on March 18, 2021.

NFL fans love watching Sunday night games on NBC, but the network may be in danger of losing it to streaming platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Sunday Night Football is the NFL’s biggest game of the week, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see a bidding war.

READ MORE: NFL Insider predicts surprise Browns starter for 2026 – it’s Deshaun Watson

Austin Konensky is a writer at SportsNut, covering the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA and more. His work can also…more about Austin Konensky

The NCAA is looking to extend March Madness, and a decision is coming soon. As Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reports, NCAA leadership and members of the association’s basketball committees are expected to expand the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to 76 teams.

If successful, eight games would be added to the existing “First Four” played on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the original first round. The new “Preliminary Round” will see 24 teams play 12 games at two host venues on Tuesday and Wednesday. After this, the 12 winners will join the other 52 teams.

The NCAA has been considering expanding the March Madness bracket for several years. In the first two days, there will be a drastic change in the format of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. In this scenario, the original round of 64 will remain. Just the way of making it will be different.

This expansion will give the NCAA more games in the first two days instead of the traditional four matchups. In this new format, games will be played throughout the day from Tuesday to Sunday. According to Dellenger, Big 12 and ACC leaders have pushed aggressively for an expansion of March Madness.

This bubble will allow teams to extend their seasons beyond conference tournaments. This may allow more power league schools to make the March Madness bracket, but as seen in this year’s edition of the tournament, mid-major programs have left their mark.

As of now, nothing is official, but the March Madness expansion may be coming soon. The NCAA Tournament ends on April 6, so an announcement may be coming soon. If so, it would change the way March Madness operates.

READ MORE: 10 replacements after Hubert Davis fires North Carolina after March Madness

Austin Konensky is a sports writer at SportsNut, covering the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA and college football. His work…More about Austin Konensky

With six weeks remaining in the regular season, James Borrego is making a final case to remove the interim tag. For better or worse, as the rookie-led New Orleans Pelicans embark on a crucial post-All-Star Game stretch, the acting head coach knows exactly where the front office’s magnifying glass will be focused. Any shortfall means being in the news for all the wrong reasons after the 82-game task is complete.

Borrego, replacing Willie Green, will have to show he can solve two persistent issues that have plagued the Pelicans this season. Slow starts and inconsistent clutch production have been an issue for too long given the top-level talent available. Players have to close out games, but the coaching staff is ready to make a plan at the starting point.

“It’s a responsibility when you try to get your team off to a good start and set the tone for the night. We haven’t done that (this season), but that’s the goal, we have a job ahead of us,” Borrego said. “We have explored some other areas of development, but the beginning is extremely important. We have our eye on that and will make appropriate adjustments.”

The Pelicans are 24th in the standings based on first-quarter scoring alone and 18th in first-quarter points per game. Borrego’s group is winning only 27% of the time in the first quarter. Unfortunately, after hosting the Warriors on February 24, New Orleans embarks on a six-game road trip. The end of the season is more difficult. Seven of the team’s last 10 games are underway, culminating with facing the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 12.

If the team can even get 10 wins over the final six weeks of the season, Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver will probably give Borrego an honest chance at a full season. However, a slow start and inconsistent clutch production will leave the front office with no choice but to look to outside options.

Spanish side Mallorca are hoping that Ciel Larkin can continue to shine at Southampton, so they can get rid of him permanently.

This is according to Ultima Hora. The Spanish outlet has today covered the striker and Mallorca’s hopes of securing a permanent move from Southampton this summer.

He points out that it is never easy to leave Mallorca on loan, as the Spanish club does not have a particularly good record on that front.

This season, four players have left on similar deals, and none have yet ‘developed or relaunched’ their careers away from the island.

southampton hopes

Larin is actually on his second loan after struggling with Feyenoord. He canceled his deal there to join Southampton.

Mallorca was happy to do so, and were focused on securing the best possible deal with the Saints, while keeping an eye on the future. This is because Larín’s presence significantly hinders the work of sporting director Pablo Ortales.

Larin is on a high salary at the Spanish club, and they also have ‘arrears arrears’ on him. Those are both issues they want to resolve in the summer transfer window.

Southampton have an option to purchase and at San Moix, they hope the Saints will exercise it for the 30-year-old. This will, in fact, be the solution to a big headache for them.

Luckily, it looks like Larin has achieved success. He has two goals in three games so far, one more than he managed in limited minutes with Feyenoord.

Saints in the playoffs?

It is a positive start that has made Mallorca hopeful of a permanent deal. They don’t want the 30-year-old back.

whether southampton The utilization of his section remains to be seen. This will depend on Larin’s performance but also on what division they are in next season.

the saints are 10^th Currently but just two points outside the top six so the race is far from over. A strong finish to the campaign could lead them to sign the Canadien permanently. That’s certainly what Mallorca wants to happen.

Charlie Gray has been around in the Manchester City first team so far this season.

He has been on the bench several times in the Champions League and Premier League. Additionally, he made his first team debut in the Carabao Cup against Brentford in the quarter-finals.

Gray is now 19 years old and has also captained Manchester City U19 in the UEFA Youth League. He has been a regular in the competition, starting the last three matches and scoring against Real Madrid and HJK Helsinki.

Now there is a possibility of citizens losing talent in the next few months.

Bologna wants a young player from Manchester City

TuttoBolognaWeb Report regarding the player’s situation, making it clear that he intends to leave Manchester City. His contract at the Etihad expires in the summer and as things stand, there is no sign of it being renewed.

Bologna are keeping an eye on Gray and are interested in bringing him to Italy. The club’s management team highly values ​​the young player and wants to beat Lazio to his signature.

The deal is being hailed as a ‘big hit’ by directors Marco De Vaio and Giovanni Sartori. They are trying to lay the foundations for a move, with Premier League clubs also interested in the midfielder.

move can help gray

Bologna could prove to be a very good move for Gray. This is largely due to the club’s reputation for shrewd recruitment and developing young players.

He famously did this for Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee before they made the big step up to the Premier League. Recent Juventus signing Emil Holm has also developed well at Bologna after joining from Spezia. Santiago Castro is also a prime example with Premier League clubs To keep an eye On Argentina.

Sartori remains one of Italy’s most capable directors at the moment. He was crucial behind the rise of Atalanta and is also playing a role behind Bologna’s rise in stature.