Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious injury collision that happened in a village on the outskirts of Milton Keynes.
The incident happened at 4.12pm on Tuesday (17/12) when there was a collision between two vehicles on Whaddon Road, Mursley.
The collision was between a a blue Mercedes A200 and a blue Mazda CX-5, with the two cars travelling in opposite directions.
The driver of the Mazda, a man in his twenties was taken to hospital with serious injuries where they remain in a stable condition.
A passenger in the Mazda, a man in his forties was also taken to hospital but has been discharged with minor injuries.
The driver of the Mercedes, a man in his twenties, was taken to hospital but has since been discharged with minor injuries.
Thames Valley Police confirmed that no arrests have been made.
Investigating officer PC Steve Leathersich of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said, “We are investigating this collision and asking for the public’s assistance.
“If anyone was driving along the road and has dash-cam footage or witness information to this incident we would ask them to please contact us.
“Anyone with information can call 101 quoting reference 43240610064 or they can add information via our online reporting form.”
Red Bull have announced that Liam Lawson as the team’s new race driver alongside Max Verstappen in 2025.
The New Zealander, who will turn 23 in February before the season opener, has been confirmed as the replacement for Sergio Perez at the Milton Keynes-based F1 team.
Lawson has previously raced for Red Bull’s second team, making 5 starts in 2023 as a stand-in for Daniel Ricciardo and then 6 in 2024 as a replacement for Ricciardo.
The New Zealander beat Japanese team-mate Yuki Tsunoda to take the seat with Red Bull, with Lawson to partner the 4-time world champion Max Verstappen.
News of his confirmation to join the team came the day after it was confirmed that Red Bull will be releasing Perez from the team after 4 seasons with the team.
Lawson said in a statement that he was delighted to get the job and was looking forward. The driver had previously been in Red Bull’s junior program at levels up to and including Formula 2.
He said, “To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old. It’s been an incredible journey so far. I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB for their support, the last six races have played a huge part in my preparation for this next step. I also want to thank, Christian, Helmut and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I am super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a World Champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I can’t wait to get going!”
Christian Horner, Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO, added, “I’m delighted to announce that Liam Lawson will join the Team in 2025. Liam’s performances over the course of his two stints with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls have demonstrated that he’s not only capable of delivering strong results but that he’s also a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top. His arrival continues the Team’s long history of promoting from within the Red Bull Junior Programme and he follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and of course, Max Verstappen. There’s no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in F1, is a daunting task, but I’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.”
Red Bull Racing have confirmed that Sergio Perez will no longer drive for the Milton Keynes-based team.
Perez leaves Red Bull after four seasons together, with an agreement to release the Mexican driver from his contract announced today (18/12) after several weeks of speculation that he was set to leave the team.
The 34-year-old has been dropped despite initially signing a contract extension in June for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, with a long period of poor form seeing his position ultimately become untenable and the team decide to drop him.
Red Bull has not confirmed who it will replace Perez with. It is strongly rumoured that Liam Lawson is set to earn a promotion from Red Bull’s second team VCARB to replace him, although team-mate Yuki Tsunoda did impress the team in a test at Abu Dhabi after the final race of the 2024 season. French driver, Red Bull junior and Formula 2 runner-up Isack Hadjar is reportedly set to be promoted to fill the seat of whichever one of Tsunoda or Lawson moves into the senior Red Bull Racing squad.
Perez had won five races for Red Bull, winning one race in 2021 and two each in 2022 and 2023, as part of 29 podiums overall after joining the team from Racing Point. He finished fourth in the driver’s championship in his first season with the team, third in his second and second in his third.
But poor form saw him finish in eighth place in 2024, finishing 285 points behind world champion team-mate Max Verstappen, with many seeing this form as the reason why Red Bull only finished third in the Constructor’s Championship, 77 points behind champions McLaren.
The Mexican failed to score a podium after the fifth race of the season, managing only two finishes in the top six after that race in China and only one after F1’s summer break.
In a statement published by Red Bull, he said, “I’m incredibly grateful for the past four years with Oracle Red Bull Racing and for the opportunity to race with such an amazing Team. Driving for Red Bull has been an unforgettable experience and I’ll always cherish the successes we achieved together. We broke records, reached remarkable milestones, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible people along the way.
“A big thank you to every person in the Team from the management, engineers and mechanics, catering, hospitality, kitchen, marketing and communications, as well as everyone at Milton Keynes, I wish you all the best for the future. It has also been an honour to race alongside Max as a teammate all these years and to share in our success.
“A special thank you to the fans around the world, and especially to the Mexican fans for your unwavering support every day. We’ll meet again soon. And remember…Never give up.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing, added, “I would like to thank Checo for all he has done for Oracle Red Bull Racing over the past four seasons. From the moment he joined in 2021 he proved himself to be an extraordinary Team player, helping us to two Constructors’ titles and to our first 1-2 finish in the Drivers’ championship. His five wins, all on street circuits, were also a spectacular mark of his determination to always push to the limit. While Checo will not race for the Team next season, he will always be an extremely popular Team member and a treasured part of our history. Thank you, Checo.”
Northampton are out of the EFL Trophy after they were beaten 3-0 by Nene Valley rivals Peterborough United.
Eight days from beating Peterborough in League One, the Cobblers’ hopes of a quick pair of wins were hurt when TJ Eyoma was sent off after being shown a straight red card just before half-time.
The hosts duly scored a trio of goals after the break, with Ricky Jade-Jones, Ryan De Havilland and Abaraham Odoh scoring the three strikes that won the match for Peterborough.
Defeat means an end of Northampton’s interest in the EFL Trophy for another season, with the Cobblers now on league duty only having also already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season.
Eyoma was dismissed in the 42nd minute after being deemed to have denied a goalscoring opportunity with a foul on Malik Mothersille.
Although Northampton made it to half-time on level terms, a flick home by Jade-Jones a few minutes after the restart put the hosts ahead.
Four minutes later, De Havilland breached the home side’s rear-guard to make it 2-0, before a deflected strike by Odoh sealed the deal for the hosts on a night when the Cobblers’ defence was repeatedly tested and they could’ve conceded more.
Northampton will seek a return to winning ways and points in their battle to remain in League One on Saturday, as they welcome Charlton Athletic in their final clash before Christmas.
Northampton Town have confirmed the departure of Martyn Waghorn after the club and player agreed to mutual termination of his contract.
The 34-year-old had initially joined the Cobblers in early November on a free transfer after being released by his prior club Derby County, with Waghorn scoring once in 8 appearances for the club. His goal came in an EFL Trophy match against Burton last month.
Northampton interim manager Ian Sampson told the club in an official statement that he was happy with Waghorn’s work but that the time for a separation had now come.
He said, “Martyn came in and helped us through the last few weeks. All parties have now agreed to terminate the contract and we thank Martyn for his time with the club and we wish Martyn and his family all the very best for the future.
“He is a first class character and a good man and we have enjoyed having him in the dressing room.”
Waghorn himself added, “I have enjoyed my albeit short time with Northampton Town. This is a good club and I thank everyone for making me so welcome. I wish everyone involved all the very best for the future.”
