On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Max Verstappen was left fuming after a tense moment with Charles Leclerc in final laps of the Spanish Grand Prix, accusing the Ferrari driver of ramming into him during a dramatic restart.
It all unfolded on Lap 61 of 66. As the safety car peeled into the pits and the field bunched up for a final run to the finish, Verstappen lit up the rear tires exiting the final corner, nearly spinning as he tried to get the jump. The mistake opened the door for Leclerc, who pounced and slipped past him into Turn 1.
But the chaos didn’t end there. Verstappen immediately cut across the chicane to hold off George Russell behind him, prompting fresh scrutiny as he retained fourth place despite going off track.
On team radio, the Red Bull driver was livid: “He rammed into me. He did the same. That’s a penalty!”
From the replay, the contact appeared menial at best, with Leclerc executing a overtake following Verstappen’s error with only a slight touching of the two cars.
The moment capped off a challenging weekend for the reigning world champion, who has struggled to match the pace of the McLarens. Oscar Piastri held firm to take a win, with Lando Norris and Leclerc rounding out the podium.
Verstappen literally ramming into Russell. pic.twitter.com/aptK9e2WPY https://t.co/BbNpzFZiDA
— deni (@fiagirly) June 1, 2025
Verstappen ultimately was handed a 10-second penalty. He was told by his team to swap the position with George Russell but was unhappy with the call and made contact with the Mercedes star.
As the title race tightens and tempers flare, Verstappen’s clashes are becoming a headline fixture of the season.
More must-reads:
- Lincoln Riley calls out NCAA amid lawsuit filed by USC player
- Report reveals if Commanders intend to trade WR Terry McLaurin
- The '250-strikeout MLB seasons' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Aaron Boone Makes Feelings on Marcus Stroman Clear After Release From Yankees
The New York Yankees revamped their bullpen on Thursday, acquiring relievers Camilo Doval, David Bednar, and Jake Bird ahead of the 6 p.m. Trade Deadline. However, that spelled the end of Marcus Stroman's tenure with the team. With fellow pitchers Luis Gil (lat), Fernando Cruz (oblique), Mark Leiter Jr. (fibula), and Ryan Yarbrough (oblique) all on their way to returning, New York needed to clear a roster spot. The club cut Stroman on Friday, who has a 6.23 ERA over nine appearances this season. Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave his thoughts about Stroman before the team's bout with the Miami Marlins, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "The [public] perception around Stro, for us, did not meet the guy we got to be around for the last couple years," he said. "He's an awesome competitor. ... I feel like he's a guy I'll stay in touch with for the rest of our lives." Stroman signed a two-year deal with the Yankees in January 2024 after spending two seasons with the Chicago Cubs. The right-hander was 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 appearances last season. The Toronto Blue Jays selected Stroman No. 22 overall in the 2012 MLB Draft. The former Duke Blue Devil stayed with Toronto until 2019, when it dealt him to the New York Mets at the Trade Deadline. He then signed a two-year deal with the Cubs in December 2021. Stroman is a two-time All-Star and was the 2017 World Baseball Classic MVP.
'Most likely scenario' for Terry McLaurin revealed
A recent report indicated that teams potentially interested in acquiring Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin learned that the club is "not trading" him before the 2025 season begins. The 29-year-old, who is in the final year of his current contract, may have responded to this news by requesting a trade on Thursday. However, ESPN's Bill Barnwell shared Friday that he doesn't "think there's a strong chance McLaurin gets traded" before September. "There's been no suggestion from the Commanders' side that they're looking to deal him, even after his request," Barnwell wrote. "Trading him now would likely result in landing 2026 draft picks, which won't help the Commanders in a season in which they're hoping to compete. And there just aren't many teams with the cap space or cash budget at this point of the offseason to give him the sort of deal he appears to want." McLaurin allegedly does not want to accept less money than DK Metcalf, who received a five-year, $150M deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. Whether or not McLaurin "deserves" such an extension is irrelevant as it pertains to his importance to Washington and the market for players at his position. McLaurin finished the 2024 campaign with team highs of 82 receptions and 1,096 receiving yards as quarterback Jayden Daniels guided Washington to the NFC Championship Game and earned Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors. Additionally, McLaurin was second in the NFL with 13 touchdown catches. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Washington sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026. That shows why Barnwell and others are convinced that acquiring future draft assets for McLaurin makes little sense for the win-now Commanders. "The logical thing is for McLaurin to stay with the Commanders, for the two sides to come to terms on a new deal or some sort of raise, and for Daniels to have his best pass catcher on the field in Week 1," Barnwell concluded. "It's still the most likely scenario." On Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala and Dianna Russini of The Athletic noted that "several teams that called Washington about [McLaurin] before his trade request on Thursday were told the team will not trade him." Commanders general manager Adam Peters seems to understand he still has plenty of time to work something out with McLaurin before Washington opens the regular season against the New York Giants on Sept. 7.
‘Concerns’ Emerging for Matt LaFleur, Packers Coaching Staff
Matt LaFleur and the Packers coaching staff remain one of the most respected across the NFL, but some are beginning to wonder if this group is capable of bringing a Lombardi back to Green Bay. While the Packers made the postseason in each of quarterback Jordan Love’s first two seasons as the starter, Green Bay regressed last fall and there are some significant questions at cornerback, pass rush, and along the offensive line as the 2025 season nears. If Green Bay makes big strides this season, and Love makes a leap, it could turn out to be one of LaFleur’s most impressive coaching jobs to date in his career. Is it Time to Worry About Matt LaFleur, Packers Coaching Staff? There’s real optimism about Jordan Love taking the next step and the Packers making noise in the NFC North, but not everything in Green Bay is trending in the right direction — especially on the coaching side. ESPN’s Ben Solak sees some red flags developing if 2025 plays out similarly to 2024. “Two key coaching points give me pause in Green Bay,” Solak writes of LaFleur and staff, for ESPN. “It ended the season dead last in defensive success rate against dropbacks but second in EPA per dropback faced. How? Tons of interceptions. The Packers ripped off 17 picks, tied for third most in football, and recovered 14 fumbles. They finished third in defensive EPA on takeaways (behind Denver and Buffalo), and though I don’t think their defense was poorly coached by any stretch, it probably punched above its weight last season. “The second is Green Bay’s performance against elite teams. It ended the season 1-5 in its division (beating only Chicago on a game-ending field goal block) and lost to the Eagles twice, including in the playoffs. The best defensive coordinators — Vic Fangio, Brian Flores and Aaron Glenn — were able to flummox Love and expose that opportunistic defense. Green Bay’s staff never found a solution as the season went on.” If the Packers are going to take that next step, LaFleur and his coordinators will need to prove they can scheme consistently — not just rely on turnovers or hot streaks. Defensive volatility and an offense that falters against elite play-callers isn’t a recipe for sustainable success. Follow Matt Lombardo on Threads at @MattLombardoNFL. To read more of our articles and in-depth NFL coverage, click here.
One player from each AFC team who deserves Hall of Fame call
Let the (preseason) games begin. With the Detroit Lions-Los Angeles Chargers Pro Football Hall of Fame Game kicking off 2025 action, Yardbarker NFL writers mulled a player — past or present — on each AFC team who merits enshrinement in Canton. AFC East BUFFALO BILLS | LB Von Miller | As the NFL’s active leader in sacks (129.5), Miller — who's now with the Commanders — is a sure bet for the Hall of Fame even though he missed 14 games in three years with Buffalo. In 10 seasons with Denver, Miller earned a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, made eight Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams and was named MVP of Super Bowl 50, the last defensive player to win the award. MIAMI DOLPHINS | WR Tyreek Hill | His subpar 2024 season aside (81 catches, 959 yards, six TD catches), the 31-year-old receiver boasts a Hall of Fame resume (eight Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pro nods in nine years). Hill led NFL receivers with 1,799 yards in 2023 and has six 1,000-yard seasons in his career, two fewer than Cris Carter, who spent the last five games of his Hall of Fame career with Miami. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | Kicker Adam Vinatieri | The NFL’s all-time leading scorer (2,673 points) narrowly missed induction as a finalist in 2025, his first year of eligibility, and will be an automatic finalist in 2026. Vinatieri, who retired in 2021, holds records for most field goals made in the regular season (599) and playoffs (56) and helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls before winning another with the Colts in 2007. NEW YORK JETS | QB Aaron Rodgers | The enigmatic passer disappointed as a Jet, but four first-team All-Pro honors, four NFL MVP awards and a Super Bowl MVP with the Green Bay Packers can’t be overlooked. Rodgers’ 62,952 passing yards are the seventh most in league history, and his 4.34 touchdown-to-interception ratio is the best of any quarterback, past or present. — Bruce Ewing AFC West DENVER BRONCOS | WR Rod Smith | Smith played a key role when the Broncos repeated as Super Bowl champions in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. The three-time Pro Bowler had 152 receiving yards in a 34-19 Super Bowl XXXIII win over the Atlanta Falcons, tied for the sixth most in a Super Bowl. The undrafted WR starred for Denver from 1995-2006, becoming the club’s career leader in receiving yards (11,389). KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | QB Patrick Mahomes | Star tight end Travis Kelce would be an excellent pick, too, but the Chiefs had won only one Super Bowl before Mahomes became the starter during the 2018 season. The 2017 first-round pick has won three Super Bowls and two MVPs in eight seasons with the Chiefs. Expect Mahomes, who turns 30 on Sept. 17, to keep bolstering his stellar resume. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | QB Philip Rivers | Rivers, who retired as a Charger in July, never reached a Super Bowl during his career, but neither did former Chargers QB Dan Fouts. That didn’t prevent him from making the HOF in 1993. The same should go for eight-time Pro Bowler Rivers, who ranks sixth in career TD passes (421). LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | Guard Steve Wisniewski | It’s surprising Wisniewski isn’t in Canton already. Per Pro Football Reference, his HOF monitor score (76.58) is higher than that of HOF guard Mike Munchak (72.7). The former O-lineman is also a member of the HOF’s All-1990s team. — Clark Dalton AFC North BALTIMORE RAVENS | LB Terrell Suggs | Suggs, who played from 2003-19, and former Ravens guard Marshal Yanda were finalists for the 2025 class but missed out. Suggs was one of the more dominant pass-rushers of his era, accumulating 139 career sacks, earning seven Pro Bowl nods, one first-team All-Pro, a Defensive Player of the Year award and an NFL-record 202 tackles for loss. He was a key part of two Super Bowl winners. CINCINNATI BENGALS | QB Ken Anderson | The Bengals did not win a Super Bowl during Anderson’s career (1971-86), but that is pretty much the only thing separating him from other Hall of Fame quarterbacks, especially from his era in the 1970s. Anderson has an NFL MVP award and led the league in passing twice, completion percentage three times and passer rating four times. CLEVELAND BROWNS | Edge Myles Garrett | Garrett is still active, but it’s not hard to see the path his career is on. He has been the more dominant pass-rusher in the league from pretty much the day he arrived. He may not win a title in Cleveland, but he is going to finish as one of the best Browns players of all time and one of the best defenders of the modern era in the NFL. PITTSBURGH STEELERS | QB Ben Roethlisberger | Roethlisberger, who retired in 2022, does not have many individual accolades, but spending nearly two decades as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and earning two Super Bowl rings will be more than enough to get him in. It is just a matter of how long he might have to wait for induction. — Adam Gretz AFC South HOUSTON TEXANS | DE J.J. Watt | Widely considered to be a first-ballot lock, Watt — who retired following the 2022 season — will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028. His career could have been even better if not for several seasons being shortened by injury, but Watt is one of only three players to win three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. Few players were capable of changing the game the way a healthy Watt could. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | Kicker Adam Vinatieri | The three-time Pro Bowl selection made 29 game-winning kicks in his career, including two that won Super Bowls for the Patriots. Vinatieri has four Super Bowl rings and could be considered the most clutch kicker of all time. There are four kickers in the Hall of Fame, and it is almost impossible to argue against Vinatieri becoming the fifth. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | RB Fred Taylor | The wait continued in 2025 for Taylor, a Hall of Fame finalist for the second straight year, but he did not get the nod. Taylor, who retired in 2011, ranks 17th in NFL history with 11,695 rushing yards and holds numerous Jaguars records. The only running back ahead of him on the all-time rushing list who is not in the Hall of Fame is Frank Gore, and he is likely to get into Canton eventually. TENNESSEE TITANS | RB Derrick Henry | Titans legends Eddie George and Steve McNair advanced in the Hall of Fame voting process for 2025, but there is a good chance neither will get into Canton. Henry, meanwhile, is already 19th on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 11,423 yards and coming off a season in which he ran for 1,921 yards. Henry, who spent the majority of his career in Tennessee, should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. — Steve DelVecchio
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
