Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris Top Formula 1's Highest-Paid Drivers

Lando Norris may have won the 2025 F1 championship, but he ranked third in Forbes’ Formula 1’s highest-paid drivers 2025 list this year with about $57.5 million. Max Verstappen remained the sport’s top earner at $76 million, followed by Lewis Hamilton at $70.5 million in his first season with Ferrari. Overall, the 10 highest-paid drivers made $363 million this year, up 15% from 2024, with several, including Charles Leclerc, seeing significant salary increases.

Drake’s OVO brand is releasing a Marvel collaboration on Friday, rumored to focus on the X-Men character Iceman, tying into his long-teased album of the same name. The drop appears to be the final step in a year-long rollout of themed posts, livestreams, and singles, with the apparel blending OVO’s style with Iceman’s icy visual theme to set the mood for the album’s release.

Amazon’s Prime Video announced Tuesday the addition of Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton as an NBA on Prime contributor during the 2025-26 season, starting with an appearance on NBA Nightcap on Tuesday night. He’ll share short video features documenting his recovery from the Achilles injury he suffered during the NBA Finals earlier this year. The announcement comes as Prime Video begins coverage of the NBA Cup quarterfinals, with games on Tuesday and Wednesday, and exclusive broadcasts of the semifinals and championship on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively.

U.S. job openings ticked up slightly to 7.67 million in October, the highest in five months, but rising layoffs and falling hiring signaled continued cooling in the labor market. Layoffs climbed to 1.85 million, the most since early 2023, largely driven by accommodation and food services, while hiring fell by 218,000 after a strong September. The data reflects softer labor demand amid higher costs and economic uncertainty, even as investors expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by a quarter point on Wednesday.

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have sold a minority stake in the club to Apollo Sports Capital, joining the Allyn family as new investors. The funding will support the redevelopment of the STōK Cae Ras, including a new Kop stand set to open in 2027. Reynolds and Mac remain majority owners, with Wrexham now in the EFL Championship after three straight promotions and sitting 12th in the table.

Amazon Music has recruited Nas to perform a special “In the Paint” concert on Saturday during the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas. Fans at the Toshiba Arena Plaza can watch live, while Prime Video viewers will see a portion of the set, with the full performance later available on Prime Video, Twitch, and the Amazon Music app. Nas is also releasing his new collaborative album Light-Years with DJ Premier on Friday, continuing a partnership that began with classic tracks from his 1994 debut, Illmatic.

Starz is developing a drama about Ippei Mizuhara, the former translator for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who was fired in 2024 after being accused of stealing millions from Ohtani to cover gambling debts. Alex Convery will serve as showrunner and writer, with Justin Lin directing and co-writing. The series will follow Mizuhara’s rise from drifter to high-profile figure and his downfall in the gambling scandal. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and tax evasion in June 2024, receiving nearly five years in prison, while Ohtani was not implicated.

The seventh annual Sports Power Brunch, honoring the most powerful women in sports, will be held on Feb. 4 at the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco. Honorees include Maria Taylor, Marissa Solis, Becky Hammon, Kim Ng, Harpreet Basran, and Amanda Chin. Hosted by ESPN’s Elle Duncan, with Monica McNutt on the purple carpet, the event celebrates women breaking barriers in sports. Partial proceeds will support the Sterling Legacy Fund in memory of LaTonya Story’s son, Sterling.

NBCUniversal has nearly sold out its advertising inventory for the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Telemundo, despite the tournament being over six months away. Telemundo has 90% of its spots booked, with ad spending roughly double that of the 2022 World Cup. Major advertisers include Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Diageo, McDonald’s, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Xfinity. Telemundo will air 92 of the 104 matches live, Universo will carry 12, and all games will also stream on Peacock and the Telemundo app from June 11 to July 19.

21 Savage confirmed that his new album, What Happened to the Streets?, will arrive on Friday. The 14-track project features all new songs with no pre-released singles. The British-born rapper recently appeared on Summer Walker’s “Get Yo Boy.” His previous album, American Dream, topped the Billboard 200 in January 2024, marking his fourth chart-topping project and adding 14 Hot 100 entries.

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