BREAKING: Renault Group boss Luca de Meo steps down

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Luca de Meo has stepped down from his role as the CEO of Renault Group after five years in the role.
The Italian joined the French company from Seat-Cupra five years ago, and his Renaulution business plan, involving the revival of the Renault 5 as an EV, an influx of new SUVs and the transformation of Alpine into an electric performance brand, has been view as pivotal in reviving the firm's fortunes.
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Daily Mirror

28 minutes ago

• Daily Mirror

Managing Mercedes as Antonelli signs plus Verstappen and Russell decisions made

It's not even midway through the 2025 Formula 1 season, and anticipation is already high regarding Mercedes' line-up for next year amid fresh rumours Max Verstappen could join Toto Wolff and the Mercedes team are approaching a major crossroads in regards to their driver line-up for next season. And with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli set to see their contracts expire in December, resolutions are needed sooner rather than later. Antonelli, 18, replaced Lewis Hamilton at the end of 2024 when he signed a one-year deal with the Silver Arrows. Russell's three-year contract is also due to run out when this season concludes, and the team is running it close in terms of making a decision over their pairing for 2026. ‌ Then there's the looming figure of Max Verstappen, who has long been admired by team principal Wolff but is contracted at Red Bull until 2028. However, there have been inklings he could exit that deal early, and Mercedes face a conundrum in whether they should be the ones to execute that break-up. ‌ After years spent on the F1 throne, Mercedes now faces going a fifth straight year without a title to its name. With that in mind, Mirror Sport has taken a crack at determining which composition makes the most strategic sense before preparations begin for the 2026 campaign. Kimi Antonelli re-signs This feels like the easiest decision of the lot. Ignoring the fact Mercedes need results now and not in a few years time, Antonelli simply seems too promising a talent to part ways with, not to mention the fact he's a cheap expense on the salary bill. The teenager has adapted well to the demands of F1, and aside from a couple of retirements for which he can't be held responsible, he has largely overperformed in his senior debut. Montreal turned out to be a fabulous weekend for Mercedes as Antonelli snagged third place to go along with Russell's win, making the former the third-youngest podium finisher in F1 history. That's after the Italian already became the second-youngest points-scorer in F1 and the youngest to both lead a race and set a fastest lap (at Suzuka). So while he may sit seventh in the standings for the time being, Antonelli has provided plenty of reasons to believe that ranking could rocket over time. In short, releasing Antonelli now in favour of a more senior name feels like a decision Mercedes would inevitably come to regret in time. And while he may not be ready to lead the team to silverware in the immediate future, there's every sign that time may not be too far off. ‌ George Russell retained Taking into account the fact Mercedes have been fighting with an inferior car in recent years, Russell has been a model professional throughout those travails. And it would be an indictment on the team if their response to that loyalty was to drop the axe on their current No. 1. And it's not as though Russell hasn't been producing the goods, as evidenced when Mercedes' rear suspension changes opened the path to victory in Canada. The Briton has as many podium finishes as Verstappen this season (five) and now boasts just one fewer win, admirably filling Hamilton's shoes as lead driver. Wolff acknowledged Russell's progress at the Canadian Grand Prix this past weekend. And he said the 27-year-old is giving his bosses "all the reasons" to re-sign him on fresh terms following his pole position, which he would later convert into a win. ‌ "He's giving us all the reasons to do that quickly," said the Mercedes chief. "We know what he's capable of doing and he has been leading this team now since a while. He has the pace and the right attitude. He's been a Mercedes junior [for] such a long time, and we are on track in doing what we've always planned." There's also the fact F1 is at its core a numbers game, and Russell currently costs almost three times less than Verstappen. His reported £15million-a-year wage is liable to grow if he signs an extension but it's still far from matching Verstappen's reported £40m-a-year expense. ‌ That's a gargantuan amount that could otherwise be dedicated to the research and development of a winning car. And in truth, that's where the battle for F1 supremacy is currently being won, or in Mercedes' case, lost. Max Verstappen rejected The much harder route would be to persist in recruiting Verstappen, who still has another three seasons to run on his Red Bull contract. And that means on top of paying the Dutchman's salary, the Silver Arrows would also have to compensate his current outfit for terminating his deal early. There's also the fact Mercedes would likely have to radically improve his wages, with Aston Martin also vying for his signature. Previous reports have suggested a record-breaking amount in the hundreds of millions would be required to lure the four-time world champion. ‌ That's money Mercedes cannot, or rather should not, be willing to risk considering success still isn't guaranteed with him suddenly in silver. Not to mention the political implications given his numerous fallouts with the likes of Hamilton and Russell in recent years, simultaneously rubbing up Mercedes' legions of fans the wrong way. Wolff has rarely shied away from waxing lyrical about Verstappen and said in March 2024 that he would "love" to have him aboard, per Sky Sports. He added at the time: "This is a decision that Max needs to take and there is no team up and down the grid that wouldn't do handstands to have him in the car." ‌ If only handstands were all that's required, Wolff would have recruited the 27-year-old long ago. Instead, Mercedes are better off dedicating themselves to the much cheaper solution in Russell, who is only marginally worse off than Verstappen this season in what many would call a worse car. There's also the major risk that Mercedes would be investing in a star who has already past his peak and no longer has the hunger of old. He has already made numerous nods to a potential early retirement, which is rarely a good sign when it comes to sustaining success. His frustrations have been on display for all to see after spending much of 2025 thus far trailing the superior McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. And it may be Mercedes simply sees more of the same, the only difference being they'd be the ones footing the bill.

The Independent

34 minutes ago

• The Independent

Whitehall isn't working – here's how the PM can fix it

It never rains but it pours for Keir Starmer. He is fighting to stop the Iran crisis wrecking his one success as prime minister – a solid performance on foreign affairs in which he somehow maintains a productive relationship with Donald Trump. Insiders tell me Starmer's efforts are aimed at persuading Iran to enter meaningful talks on its nuclear programme and then convincing a highly sceptical US president that Iran is serious about negotiations. But if Trump goes ahead with his threat to bomb Iran, Starmer's special relationship with him could conceivably be stretched to breaking point. The prime minister can't escape his woes on domestic matters. His intense diplomacy was interrupted on Thursday by the unwelcome news that Vicky Foxcroft had resigned as a whip in protest at the government's cuts to disability benefits. She might not be the last to quit a government post before the crunch vote on £5bn of welfare cuts on 1 July, when Starmer faces the biggest Labour revolt of his premiership. Some parliamentary aides to ministers are on resignation watch. The government's robotic response to Foxcroft's departure, which failed to acknowledge her respected work as shadow disabilities minister before last year's election, angered some Labour MPs. Many will rebel with a heavy heart. They accept the need to reduce the ballooning welfare budget, but think the panicky cuts ahead of Rachel Reeves's spring statement symbolise how the government repeatedly reacts to events – in this case, living from hand to mouth to stick within the chancellor's fiscal rules – instead of having a long-term reform strategy. For some Whitehall-watchers, Starmer will not improve matters unless he reforms the centre of government. Critics think the relationship between No 10 and the Cabinet Office isn't working, leaving the other side of the triangle, the Treasury, to call the shots. The result: the winter fuel allowance catastrophe and now the welfare rebellion. Even some in Downing Street admit privately a shake-up is needed. Sam Freedman, a former special adviser and author of an excellent book, Failed State, suggests loosening the Treasury's grip by forming an Office of Budget Management, run jointly by the Treasury and Downing Street, which would oversee future spending reviews to ensure they reflect the PM's priorities. Freedman believes Starmer should consider a change Tony Blair introduced in his second term, which improved public service delivery. To prevent the whole operation being sucked into reacting to events, three units focused on different timescales: a policy unit on day-to-day oversight of Whitehall departments; a delivery unit on a small number of the PM's priorities (in Starmer's case, that would be his five missions); and a strategy unit on difficult long-term challenges. This ensured a more strategic state. One problem today is that the 'missions delivery unit' is based in the Cabinet Office rather than No 10. The Institute for Government (IFG) think tank has made a sensible proposal to abolish the Cabinet Office and set up an expanded 'Office of the Prime Minister', which would then take charge of the missions. Do such structures really matter? Yes. They are even more important when a PM makes a virtue out of his pragmatism and lack of ideology, as Starmer does. Like many predecessors, Starmer complains the Whitehall machine is slow to crank into life when he demands action. Often fair – but civil servants also have a point when they grumble that this government does not give them clear enough marching orders. For example, the government's own commitment to Starmer's missions – later relaunched as six milestones in his 'plan for change' – is now being questioned in Whitehall. Ministers promised the missions would be the 'guiding star' of the government-wide spending review unveiled by Reeves last week, and that cabinet ministers would collaborate on cross-departmental working and budgets. Only one problem: there was little money to go round. So the review again became a trial of strength between the Treasury and individual ministers trying to protect their departments. Starmer's 'mission-driven government' was caught in the crossfire and some Whitehall officials think the idea suffered serious damage. The IFG calculates that two of the missions – on economic growth and clean energy – did well out of the spending review, but the other three – on health, safer streets and opportunity – look difficult to achieve. Another reason why the missions matter is that this government doesn't have the option of pumping in extra cash to secure the improvements to public services voters want, as Blair and Gordon Brown enjoyed. Although Reeves won headlines for her big boost to building projects, her squeeze on day-to-day budgets is viewed in Whitehall as a 'standstill settlement'. So reform and efficiency savings will be needed to secure tangible improvements – not least in the NHS. The missions can play a part in prioritising these goals. With many public services still struggling in the voters' eyes, standing still will not win Labour a second term.

Daily Mirror

2 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Alexander Isak update emerges as Viktor Gyokeres rejects £11m-a-year offer

Arsenal are expected to be amongst the Premier League's top spenders this summer as Mikel Arteta and Co look for a new striker and further signings to help them in their latest title bid Arsenal are still on the hunt for a new No.9. And with the transfer window starting to heat up, the Gunners could soon be making a play for their top target. It still remains unclear exactly who that is; Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko are seen as the two most likely options to spearhead Arsenal 's attack in the upcoming 2025-26 season and both are expected to leave their respective clubs this summer. ‌ Arsenal and Liverpool also hold an interest in Alexander Isak, although it is expected the Newcastle star will stay put for now. ‌ With Mikel Arteta also keen on adding a new wide forward to his attacking ranks plenty of activity is expected in north London over the coming weeks. Here, Mirror Football rounds up all the latest transfer news from in and around The Emirates... Isak staying put All parties believe that it's a 'certainty' that Alexander Isak will remain with Newcastle this summer despite interest in the Sweden international's services from Arsenal and Liverpool. Both Arsenal and newly minted Premier League champions are in the market for a new No.9 this summer and Isak - the top-flight's second highest scorer last term with 23 goals - is a signing both clubs would love to make. However, Newcastle are in a position of strength after qualifying for the Champions League and, as per The Telegraph, it's expected they will keep hold of their star striker this summer. ‌ Gyokeres rejects huge offer Viktor Gyokeres is said to have rejected a significant approach from Juventus which would have seen the sought-after Sporting Lisbon star land a lucrative contract worth £11million-a-year. It emerged earlier this week that the Italian giants had tabled the huge offer in a bid to land Gyokeres ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United. ‌ But with Arsenal being Gyokeres' preferred destination, Corriere dello Sport report that Juventus have been informed the Swede will not be joining them. Zubimendi in London Martin Zubimendi flew into London Friday to finalise his summer transfer from Real Sociedad, according to The Athletic. ‌ Zubimendi, 26, came close to joining Liverpool last year before a change of heart at the eleventh hour, but it emerged back in the spring that a move to Arsenal was as good as done. And official confirmation of said deal could now be imminent with Zubimendi in the UK to put pen to paper.