Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies has confirmed that there are no plans to replace Yuki Tsunoda with Isack Hadjar before the end of the 2025 season.
Hadjar became the latest first-time podium finisher during the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend having qualified an impressive fourth and benefitting from Lando Norris’ late retirement to finish third.
The Racing Bulls driver has impressed during his maiden campaign with his speed and race results, which culminated last weekend in becoming the youngest Frenchman to take a Formula 1 rostrum.
Even before last weekend, speculation was growing that Hadjar would be promoted to the Red Bull team sooner rather than later, the 20-year-old stating before the Canadian Grand Prix back in June that “I wouldn’t feel ready”.
Tsunoda himself was already moved to the Red Bull team from Racing Bulls in place of the underperforming Liam Lawson, the pair swapping places after just two races of the current campaign.
However, the 25-year-old has endured a difficult time since joining the senior squad, claiming just four points finishes in 14 Grands Prix, although the Japanese driver ended a run of seven races without scoring last weekend with his P9 in Zandvoort.
Despite struggling to match team mate Max Verstappen, Tsunoda’s place with the team seems secure for the remaining nine Grands Prix.
“I think the short answer is yes,” said Team Principal Mekies when asked on Friday ahead of the Italian Grand Prix whether Hadjar would remain with Racing Bulls until the end of the season.
“I think we made it clear, very public, we have time with our driver decision. We have enough drivers in the driver programme to cover quite a few scenarios for next year. We don’t have a reason to rush.
“No, we do not plan to change during the season. Yuki has been making a good step in the last three races, we want more, but he’s doing a good job. First time in the points after seven races, best Qualifying with the team at Spa, he’s on a positive trend.
“It’s extremely nice to watch Isack’s progress and to see him performing at the level he did in the last race. [It] was a fantastic demonstration of the progress he has been doing during the season but we are relaxed about the driver topic, we have all the cards on the Red Bull side.”
In a dramatic shift of tone, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday (September 5, 2025), rebranding the U.S. Department of Defence as the “Department of War”.
The move, projected as a reassertion of U.S. military dominance, comes at a time when Mr. Trump has spent months campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The order authorises Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to use the secondary title “Secretary of War” in official correspondence and public communications, according to a White House fact sheet.
The Pentagon’s website was changed from defense.gov to war.gov, and signs around Mr. Hegseth’s office were replaced. On social media, the Pentagon’s X account rebranded as the “Department of War”, complete with a new seal for its profile picture and banner image. Mr. Trump also announced that new stationery would soon be in circulation.
The Department of War was created in 1789, then renamed and reorganised through legislation signed by President Harry Truman in 1947, two years after the end of World War II. The Congress debated for two years before passing the 1947 National Security Act. The sweeping law created a single Pentagon department called “The National Military Establishment”. It also created the National Security Council to advise the President and established the Central Intelligence Agency. The new name – NME – unintentionally read as “Enemy,” prompted the Congress in 1949 to rename it as the “Department of Defence.”
Even though Mr. Trump has rebranded the Department of Defence to the Department of War through an executive order, the move is riddled with legal flaws.
According to a White House fact sheet, the rebranding permits the use of “Department of War” as a secondary title in official communications. That includes revised email footers, signage, and social media branding.
A sign that reads “Pete Hegseth – Secretary of War” hangs as a worker prepares a wall for new signs after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Defence to be renamed as the “Department of War”, at the Pentagon in Washington.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Even using the new title in a secondary capacity comes with a significant price tag. Updating signs, branding, and letterheads — both at the Pentagon and across military installations worldwide — could cost tens of millions of dollars. That figure runs contrary to Mr. Trump’s administration’s long-touted efforts to cut government spending.
While the optics are dramatic, the legal foundation of Mr. Trump’s move is far shakier. The National Security Act of 1947, passed by the Congress and signed into a law by President Truman, codified the Department of Defence as the statutory title of the nation’s military establishment. While the executive order can permit internal and non-statutory use of the new title, it cannot legally override the name.
For it to carry legal weight, the Congress has to pass legislation amending the 1949 statute. Until the Congress passes that legislation, the renaming remains unofficial in legal terms. Mr. Trump is expected to submit the change to the Congress for approval in the coming weeks.
What Trump hopes to achieve
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the media on the day of the signing of an executive order to rename the Department of Defence the “Department of War”, accompanied by U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, in the Oval Office, at the White House.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Mr. Trump said the change was intended to signal to the world that the United States remains a force to be reckoned with. He also criticised the current name — Department of Defence — as “woke”. “I think it sends a message of victory. I think it sends, really, a message of strength,” Mr. Trump said, as he authorised the use of “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Pentagon.
The decision comes with Mr. Trump’s broader second-term ambitions: to centralise power and project toughness thereby rallying his political base while reframing America’s military posture in global space.
Throughout his presidency, Mr. Trump has leaned heavily on the military to support his policy agenda — including immigration enforcement and domestic law-and-order initiatives. He has deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., and has signalled an intention to expand military involvement to other Democratic-led cities like Chicago and New York. He has also ordered military strikes in the Caribbean, targeting what the administration calls “Venezuelan cartel boats,” and authorised a controversial bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in June.
The rebranding, he said, sends a “message of victory” to the rest of the world.
The latest rebranding forms part of Mr. Trump’s wider push to project strength both at home and abroad during his second term, aligning with his revived “Make America Great Again” policy.
Mr. Trump had earlier complained that the current department name was overly “defensive”. “I don’t want to be defence only. I want defence, but I want offence too,” he said.
Still, the path ahead is uncertain. Until the Congress enshrines the name change into law, the “Department of War” exists only in rhetoric, not reality. And with legal and logistical roadblocks mounting, it remains to be seen whether the new label will be more than a political flourish.
Munich: Oliver Zipse, Chairman of BMW, presents the BMW iX3 on stage at the world premiere before the start of the International Motor Show (IAA Mobility) as the first model in BMW’s “New Class”. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa (Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images)
dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
Europe’s auto industry has weathered President Trump’s tariff turbulence but when it gathers in Munich on Tuesday leaders will be grappling with more existential problems.
These include the threat to Europe’s auto industry from China, made worse by the European Union’s precipitate race to force an EV new car monopoly by 2035.
The IAA Mobility 2025 (short for Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung) show will open September 9 through September 14 as sales are treading water in Europe and economies stagnate.
GlobalData said new car sales in Western Europe slid 1% in the first half and will contract 1.1% for the whole year to 11.42 million. That doesn’t seem too bad until you remember pre-Covid, sedan and SUV sales were about 4 million a year higher.
Consultants Accenture said Europe’s economic weakness matters but this is a cyclical problem. It’s the structural problems that need to be addressed like the switch to electric vehicles and the threat from China.
“The competitive landscape is changing dramatically, and these changes are here to stay. The shift toward electromobility is irreversible and while we can debate the details, the transition itself will happen,” said Jürgen Reers, Accenture’s Global Lead Automotive & Mobility.
“At the same time, Chinese competitors are not going to disappear. There will be further changes and market consolidation, but the fundamental shifts are structural — not cyclical, not temporary, but permanent,” Reers said.
“The crucial question is: Will Europe succeed in securing and restoring structural competitiveness in the long term, making the mobility industry sustainable and economically viable,” he said in an email exchange.
The physical makeup of the show underlines the problem.
China outnumbers Europe
“Of the 29 carmakers present in 2025, 10 are European and 14 Chinese,” said French automotive consultancy Inovev in a report.
“Of the 31 expected new products or renewals presented in our analysis, 23 are electric vehicles, 3 plug-in hybrids and 2 F-HEVs (fuel-cell hybrids),” the report said.
And it’s not just electric vehicles from the east that threaten to undermine balance sheets. China is also aiming to challenge what many Europeans thought was its industry’s unassailable lead in internal combustion engine technology. This might turn out to be as useful as the Maginot Line.
Europe’s ICE technology, culminating in the premium sector of Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Porsche is threatened, according to Professor Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer’s Center for Automotive Research.
The European auto industry is also lobbying politicians to persuade the European Union to drastically modify its rules which mandate that all new cars sold by 2035 must emit no carbon dioxide, effectively forcing them to sell only electric cars. While legislating to force Europeans to only buy new EVs by 2035, its parliamentarians failed to notice only China had the technology to supply them at affordable prices.
Reality check required
Last month, Mercedes CEO Ola Kaellenius joined other auto industry leaders using strong language to demand the EU’s CO2 plan be killed or diluted.
Ola Kaellenius, chief executive officer of Mercedes. Photographer: Ben Kilb/Bloomberg
“We need a reality check. Otherwise, we are heading at full-speed against a wall,” he said, adding the European car market could collapse if the CO2 plan goes ahead. Kaellenius is also head of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen will host European automotive sector executives September 12 to discuss this demand.
The bottom line for the industry is a change to “technology choice” which would extend the lives of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, extended range electric vehicles, and allow so-called e-fuels to power ICE cars.
Meanwhile the show will star BMW’s new EV technology known as Neue Klasse. The BMW iX3 will be the first iteration of the new technology said to deliver about 30% more range and 30% faster charging. This technology and design will be used for over 40 new or updated models across EV and ICE models.
Volkswagen’s cheap EV lags BYD’s
Other notable models at the show include the Mercedes GLC and Volkswagen ID.2, now known as the ID.Polo. The latter will be the cheapest EV yet for VW and its own mass market brand, and Skoda and SEAT. Its expected price is around €25,000 ($29,400) and it will launch next year. Meanwhile BYD’s equivalent, the Dolphin Surf, is already on the market starting at €7,000 ($8,200) less.
The Volkswagen concept car, the ID.2, will be sold as the VW ID Polo. Photo: Marcus Brandt/dpa (Photo by Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
CAR’s Dudenhoeffer says it’s not just EVs from the likes of BYD that are a threat in Europe, it’s ICE too and again because of China’s price leadership. And it’s aimed at the mass market as well as the premium sector.
“Our analysis shows that we can’t simply assume that our combustion engine monopoly protects us. China is showing that it largely no longer exists. The story of the European combustion engine monopoly is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. They are aiming for the center of the market, not the periphery,” CAR said.
If European automakers feel they face an irresistible Chinese force which will inevitably consume them, they might take some comfort from a recent Reuters’ BreakingViews opinion column.
China heading for a crash?
The column headed “China’s carmakers are heading for a crash” talked about a vicious price war in China that has lasted more than two years. China’s auto industry suffers from acute overproduction. Sales last year totalled 27.6 million, but production capacity hit 55.6 million. This explains the vigorous Chinese attempt to build up sales in foreign markets, and Europe is potentially the richest, given that U.S. tariffs effectively block sales there.
The Chinese industry badly requires consolidation.
“Bankruptcies and redundancies look hard to avoid. Absent a sudden huge surge in demand, swathes of China’s car industry are on a collision course with financial ruin,” columnist Katrina Hamlin said.
When it comes to video games, AAA games are considered to be the top end of the spectrum. Video games that have a super high-end budget, massive scale, and take a big commitment to develop and market. The likes of GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, former GTA games, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II and Part I, God of War Ragnarok, all of these are AAA games.
GTA launches on May 26, 2026.(Rockstar Games)
Big-budget games meant for mass audiences. But GTA 6 has recently been touted as the first “AAAAA game.” What does this mean? This is just a cheeky way of saying that GTA 6 is going to redefine what scope and scale mean. This comes from a games developer, Devolver Digital’s co-founder Nigel Lowrie.
Nigel, in a recent interview, said that when it comes to the GTA series, nothing comes close to its “scope and scale.” In an interview with IGN, he said that there are AAA games and then there are AAAA games, but GTA is the “AAAAA game.”
“It’s just bigger than anything else both in the scope and scale of the game and the kind of cultural impact that it has and the attention it demands,” he told IGN.
Why so much hype?
Well, time and again, GTA 6 has been touted as the biggest video game launch of all time, and analytics firms have predicted that it is going to generate big revenue. Recently, in July, Josh Chapman, who is a managing partner at Konvoy, shared details about his predictions for GTA 6, including the price it could come at and how much revenue it could generate for Rockstar. Convoy said that GTA 6 could generate a big figure of $7.6 billion in total revenue within just 60 days of launch.
He also said that the pricing of the game could be around $80, which is certainly more than what you typically pay for a normal AAA game on the PS5 or Xbox Series X or S, which happens to be $69.99. He also said that GTA 6 is going to be the next UGC platform, which is short for User Generated Content. He said that this could allow for big creative payouts for mod creators and more. He added that GTA 6 could sell around 85 million copies within just the first 60 days of launch.
GTA 6 launch date
Rockstar earlier this year finally revealed the second trailer of the game and also announced the launch date of the game, which happens to be 26 May 2026. This was notably delayed from its earlier expected release in the second half of 2025. Many reports are suggesting that Rockstar could delay the game further because of the scope of the project, but many at the same time say that the delay is unlikely.
Henry was part of the France squad that won the 1998 World Cup on home soil at the age of 20, while Mbappe was only 19 when he helped Les Bleus win the tournament in Russia in 2018.
Both are behind Giroud’s 137 appearances in France’s list of most capped players, with Henry ending his international career with 123 caps and Mbappe currently on 90.
France were aiming to defend their status as world champions at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and duly reached the final.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick to take the final to penalties, only for his side to lose to Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Mbappe is now well on track to surpass Giroud, who retired from international football last year following France’s defeat by Spain in the European Championship semi-finals.
“The record is getting closer, but it’s not something I think about,” Mbappe said. “I don’t know if it’s because I think I can beat it, or because I think there are more important things.
“Reaching this milestone so early is crazy, but I like it. I want to keep going and, above all, win games and titles.”
Against Ukraine, Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise gave Didier Deschamps’ side the lead after 10 minutes in their first match in Group D of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada.
Paris St-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele replaced club team-mate Desire Doue at half-time but went off injured in the 81st minute and was replaced by Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike, who came on for his debut.
While One UI 8 is already available on some Samsung Galaxy devices, a new schedule finally offers some insight as to when the company will be rolling out the Android 16 update to more of its catalog.
If you have a modern Galaxy phone, the company’s take on Android 16 will arrive at some point. But Samsung’s update schedule can certainly vary – and by quite a lot – from device to device.
A schedule from Samsung has surfaced an early schedule for the rollout of One UI 8 and Android 16 for a large list of Galaxy devices, giving us an idea of what to expect in the coming months. These dates will likely vary between regions, and are claimed to mostly focus on Asia.
That said, here’s the list as it stands today (via SammyGuru):
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Galaxy S25 Ultra – September 18
Galaxy S25+ – September 18
Galaxy S25 – September 18
Galaxy S25 Edge – September 25
Galaxy S24 Ultra – September 25
Galaxy S24+ – September 25
Galaxy S24 FE – September 25
Galaxy S24 – September 25
Galaxy A56 5G – September 25
Galaxy A36 5G – September 25
Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra 5G – October 1
Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra – October 1
Galaxy Tab S10+ 5G – October 1
Galaxy Tab S10+ – October 1
Galaxy Z Fold 6 – October 2
Galaxy Z Flip 6 – October 2
Galaxy S23 Ultra – October 2
Galaxy S23+ – October 2
Galaxy S23 FE – October 2
Galaxy S23 – October 2
Galaxy S21 FE 5G – October 2
Galaxy A26 5G – October 2
Galaxy A17 5G – October 2
Galaxy A16 5G – October 2
Galaxy S22 Ultra – October 6
Galaxy S22+ – October 6
Galaxy S22 – October 6
Galaxy Z Fold 4 – October 6
Galaxy Z Flip 4 – October 6
Galaxy A55 5G – October 6
Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ 5G – October 9
Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ – October 9
Galaxy Tab S10 FE 5G – October 9
Galaxy Tab S10 FE – October 9
Galaxy Z Fold 5 – October 13
Galaxy Z Flip 5 – October 13
Galaxy A54 5G – October 13
Galaxy A52s 5G – October 13
Galaxy A25 5G – October 16
Galaxy A23 5G – October 16
Galaxy Tab Active 5 5G – October 16
Galaxy Tab Active 5 – October 16
Galaxy M34 5G – October 20
Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra – October 23
Galaxy Tab S9+ – October 23
Galaxy Tab S9 – October 23
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – October 23
Galaxy Tab S8+ – October 23
Galaxy Tab S8 – October 23
Galaxy Tab S6 Lite – October 23
Galaxy XCover 7 – October 23
Galaxy XCover 6 Pro – October 23
Galaxy M33 5G – October 27
Galaxy M15 5G – October 27
Galaxy A53 5G – October 30
Galaxy A35 5G – October 30
Galaxy A34 5G – October 30
Galaxy A33 5G – October 30
Galaxy Tab A9 – November 5
Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro 5G – November 7
Galaxy XCover 7 Pro – November 10
There are some notable oddities here, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 being updated after the Galaxy S23 series, and the Galaxy S21 FE being updated before the Galaxy S22 series.
Beyond that, though, Samsung is also planning some One UI 8 Watch updates for Galaxy Watch models, which break down as follows:
Galaxy Watch 7 – October 1
Galaxy Watch 6 Classic – October 1
Galaxy Watch 6 – October 1
Galaxy Watch FE – October 1
Galaxy Watch 5 Pro – November 3
Galaxy Watch 5 – November 3
Galaxy Watch 4 Classic – November 3
Galaxy Watch 4 – November 3
More on Samsung:
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