A key door seems to have closed for Carlos Sainz, amid new rumours that Red Bull has agreed a new single-season deal for Sergio Perez next year. It is believed the Ferrari-departing Spaniard recently let a deadline set by Audi-owned Sauber pass, as he holds out for better options at Red Bull and Mercedes. But another rumour is that Toto Wolff is only offering Sainz, 29, a single-year offer to race at Mercedes next year – keeping the door open for the team chief’s 17-year-old protege Kimi Antonelli for 2026. “All the stories about Kimi do him no good,” Wolff said, “because he has to focus on F ..read more

Ferrari is set to give its Imola-spec car upgrade a trial run during a ‘filming day’ at the Italian team’s own Fiorano circuit. Red Bull is also planning a car upgrade for Imola next weekend – the second major aerodynamic update for the dominant outfit so far this year. Lando Norris won in Miami last weekend at the wheel of McLaren’s heavily revised ‘B’ car, giving Formula 1 hope of a closer contest going forward. “Miami was a good race for Formula 1,” Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur said. “We had a good all-round battle for victory and the podium places – three or four teams were in the fight ..read more

Ferrari are simply one of the most consistent teams out there in the current Formula 1 season. With Carlos Sainz gathering three podiums this year, which included a mega race win in Australia and with Charles Leclerc also continuing the silvery run of form amplified by his most recent podium finish at Miami, things are looking good for the Maranello-based outfit at the moment. As a matter of fact, in the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari even scored a spectacular 1-2 finish, punctuated by Leclerc closely-following his race-winning teammate. Most recently, Ferrari were found to be quick and ..read more

A former FIA steward has slammed the current state of Formula 1. On the surface, the sport is actually thriving in popularity, with F1 declaring that last Sunday’s Miami GP was the largest US television audience in F1 history. But Joaquin Verdegay, a regular F1 steward in the past as well as a high-ranking Spanish motor racing official, thinks the sport has actually lost focus. “The races now are more intended to be a party than a sporting spectacle,” he told A Diario. “I got the impression that the Miami GP was a happening organised to sell trays of nachos.” Verdegay was also asked about Fer ..read more

The 2024 pecking order looks set to keep evolving at next weekend’s return to action in Imola. When the championship-leading Red Bull trailed McLaren’s Lando Norris home last Sunday, the German newspaper Bild cheekily declared in its headline: “Formula 1 winner is NOT Verstappen”. Max Verstappen did, however, emerge fastest from both of the qualifying sessions, as well as winning the Saturday sprint. But he also complained of poor car handling all weekend and on Sunday damaged his car by hitting a bollard. Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel told Viaplay: “We heard Max say ‘I can’t turn in’. I se ..read more

Christian Horner says he has “no concerns” about the ongoing health of Red Bull Racing, even though key rivals are predicting a staff exodus. Design guru Adrian Newey has stepped down from his Formula 1 duties at the energy drink company’s premier team – without naming his next destination. A clear frontrunner is Ferrari. But the Maranello marque’s CEO Benedetto Vigna told Formula Passion: “He (Newey) is one of our clients, participating in track events. “But a lot of things are always said in the newspapers,” he added. Another rumour is that Red Bull’s long-time sporting director Jonathan Wh ..read more

Truth be told, about as interesting as the sight of the incredible Lando Norris winning his maiden F1 triumph (as seen most recently at Miami) is the prospect of where Adrian Newey could go next in his glorious F1 journey. It’s a question that has left fans, as seen in the last few weeks, a bit perplexed. One moment, there is clarity and the other, total confusion. The biggest question- even after Lando Norris’s refreshing triumph at the Miami Grand Prix made different headlines for a change- returns back to its original stage: Where might the great Adrian Newey go next? Will the legendary fi ..read more

By Tejpreet Bhurji The 2024 Formula 2 Championship has brought a fresh wave of talent to our screens, particularly the young guns from various Formula 1 junior programs. These drivers are not just competing for the championship; they are auditioning for a coveted seat in Formula 1. With the likes of Gabriel Bortoleto, a reigning FIA Formula 3 Champion and McLaren junior, and Toto Wolff protege Kimi Antonelli, the grid is peppered with potential future F1 stars. Get to know some of the stars of Formula 2 here… Alpine Kush Maini became a member of the Alpine Driver Academy in October ..read more

Already having signed Nico Hülkenberg as their driver with a multi-year contract, Kick Sauber is in search to fill the second available seat, ideally to stay with them through the transition to Audi in 2026 and new regulations coming in the same year. With many rumours going around, the Managing Director of the Sauber Group of companies and Team Representative of the Kick Sauber F1 Team, Alessandro Alunni Bravi said that “all the teams have a short list” of their candidates. And it seems the Spanish driver, currently out of contract for next season and doing his last year with Ferrari, is on ..read more

Formula 1 is being urged to change tack as Kevin Magnussen is left on the cusp of a race ban after a horror Miami GP weekend for the Haas driver. The Dane arrived in Miami still recovering from a virus he picked up in Shanghai – before being accused of “unsportsmanlike behaviour” for the way he drove in the sprint race. Magnussen, who is yet to secure a contract for 2025, admitted he deployed extreme tactics to keep the cars behind him in order to “protect” teammate Nico Hulkenberg’s points-paying position. The FIA cleared Magnussen of the unsportsmanlike charge, but he collected so many time ..read more