This Week – 26/04/2024
Hello, this week if F1 2024 taught us anything so far off track expect the unexpected, the civil war at Red Bull has led to the departure of Adrian Newey in the coming year. While Red Bull dominates the sport appears to be in a revolution, seismic shifts, unexpected change, also drivers on the move a new points structure and an unpredictable fight for runner-up.
General News
A proposal to change F1’s points structure looks on course to get the support it needs to go through, but a final decision was postponed until July, with top teams making clear they will not block it. The plan by Liberty and the FIA is to extend points from tenth to twelve for Grands Prix.
This has been prompted by the concerns that the top ten because of the close midfield battle, as there are so few opportunities to score, a proposal will be put to a meeting of the F1 Commission this week to change the points system.
The current allocation of points for the top seven positions will remain unchanged if the change is made, but things will shuffle around from eighth and below.
The points shake-up has been framed in a way that it should not impact the leading teams from a competitive viewpoint, plus will not mean they score more, which could increase the points-based entry fee they must pay to the FIA each year.
For the proposal to go ahead and get implemented for the 2025 season, it will need to earn a simple majority support from the teams, so requires five outfits to approve it as well as being supported by the FIA and FOM.
Following the meeting on Thursday, a statement said, “Commission members discussed a proposal for changes to the distribution of Championship points. It was agreed that further analysis of proposed changes was required with a view to a proposal to be presented to the F1 Commission meeting in July.
Esteban Ocon believes the proposed new points system for would be like “putting a plaster on a big cut”. That means that Alpine driver Ocon would have scored his first points of 2024 in the Chinese GP last weekend, the Frenchman thinks the main issue remains that the midfield teams are too far off the front-running team.
When asked about the new points system. said Ocon “Well, it’s putting a plaster on a big cut, let’s call it like this. It’s a way of helping the current situation, I think. It would definitely work because we would have been scoring points today.
“But I would prefer to be able to race at the front and to have every team closer. I think it is fair to say that it is a small gain on what we are trying to do: making all the cars closer.”
Kevin Magnussen believes that the new system as he reckons it would help more drivers feel like they are fighting for something, the Dane going as far as suggesting everybody should get points.
Magnussen said, “Maybe points for everyone would be better so that you always have something to fight for. It’s not going to change the end result in the championship, but I think it just means that it’s a more interesting fight between the bottom five.
Also, the commission discussed pre-season testing next year, for the last four years testing has been held in Sakhir ahead of the opening race, however, a new approach will be required for 2025 as Australia is returning as the host of the opening round.
A proposal will be put forward to Formula One Management for consideration.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says he would be keen to see more sprint events on future calendars. This season six sprints will be held, the first last week in Shanghai and the second next week in Miami.
Sprints have been treated to mixed reviews by drivers and fans, with the additional competitive sessions compared to free practices generally raising interest, but also increasing the load on team personnel.
A tweaked format for 2024, with teams now allowed to make car adjustments between the sprint race and grand prix qualifying, was seen as a step forward. China’s entertaining sprint, with a somewhat different pecking order compared to the actual grand prix, further emboldened Domenicali to suggest there is a case to go beyond six sprints per year in the future.
He told Sky Sports “The qualifying sprint in those incredible conditions, we had a lot of running [in the rain] and that reminds us that we have the duty to make sure that every day there is some action on the track to respect the fans that are coming here and want to have fun.
When asked if that could mean more sprints in the future, he replied: “Why not? Why not? I would say this is great because it keeps the tension on every day and this is something that will be discussed in the future. Now, let’s see how this year with the sprints will go. But that’s a point of discussion for sure that I want to discuss in the next F1 Commission.”
Ferrari and Aston Martin are expecting the FIA to tidy up its sporting regulations for 2025, following a protest last weekend in Shanghai. Aston Martin protested Carlos Sainz rejoined Q2 after spinning off the track which cost Lance Stroll.
Aston decided to protest the results based on article 39.6 of the F1 sporting regulations, which states that “any driver whose car stops on the track during the qualifying session or the sprint qualifying session shootout will not be permitted to take any further part in that session.”
The stewards dismissed the protest as it had been clear from previous instances that the rule is only intended for cars that re-join a qualifying session after having received outside assistance from marshals or recovery vehicles, while Sainz continued under his own power.
the incident re-opened a discussion about tidying up the rulebook, as previously it was agreed that the outside assistance element should be added to 39.6, but didn’t make it into the 2024 sporting regulations. The incident highlighted the gap in the sporting regulations.
Aston Martin’s performance director Tom McCullough explained, “It’s just clarifying things and in the end, a lot of discussion with the stewards and you’ve got to respect the decisions they’ve come to.”
“But hopefully it’ll get tidied up and be less ambiguous going forward because it’s pretty stated clearly in the messaging system that the car stopped. And that article says that that car shouldn’t take part further in qualifying. So, that’ll get tidied up going forward.”
McCullough revealed Aston’s long-time sporting director Andy Stevenson immediately called out the potential rules breach once Sainz’s car had stopped on track.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur agreed that an explicit clarification is welcome to avoid further confusion, pointing out that F1’s sporting regulations have become ever more complex. Saying “I don’t know if it’s clear, but for sure we need to have some understanding of what’s happened. We asked the race director if we could restart, and he said yes, and it was end of the story. We have to define exactly the situation.”
Red Bull
BBC News and Autosport are reporting that Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey is to leave the team following the controversy involving allegations about team principal Christian Horner.
Newey, regarded as the greatest F1 designer in history, has told Red Bull he wants to move on. The British designer has been linked to Ferrari joining Lewis Hamilton to form a dream team ahead of the regulation change in 2026.
Aston Martin has also been linked and made an offer to the Englishman will be of interest to all leading teams now his availability is known. Newey’s contract with Red Bull lasts until the end of 2025 but he is said to believe he can negotiate an exit that allows him to work with another team from next season.
Despite only signing a fresh Red Bull deal last year, Newey’s future at the Milton Keynes squad has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks. Newey is not happy with the power struggle and that has led to his decision to resign.
Max Verstappen is said to have lost faith in Horner, despite him having a contract until 2028 it has been reported that Newey’s future could trigger a break clause. Mercedes have been open that they would seek him as a replacement for Hamilton.
Ferrari
Carlos Sainz says his fight with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc cost them both valuable ground in China. Leclerc and Sainz lined up sixth and seventh respectively, but both lost positions to Mercedes driver George Russell and Haas man Nico Hulkenberg as they crossed paths in Shanghai’s first corner complex.
Sainz was pushed wide by an understeering Leclerc, who visibly struggled to get his tyres up to temperature at Turn Two, further illustrated by a huge moment for the Monegasque in the second sector. While Russell was harder to pass in middle part of the race.
He told DAZN, “It was a bit of a crazy race. What we did at the start cost both Charles and I one or two positions and that cost us a lot in the race. Then we tried to follow the Mercedes, we tried to overtake him but he stopped and then we stopped, we put the hard tyres on very early.”
“In the last stint, I had to go very long, but we still managed to hang on for fifth, which I think was the maximum we could do.”
Asked what went wrong on a weekend where Ferrari were tipped to do well, but Sainz says they don’t have the answers yet.
Ferrari and American technology giant HP have signed a landmark, long-term title sponsorship deal. The multi-year deal will see the team’s entry renamed as Scuderia Ferrari HP, and extend to both its F1 Academy and F1 eSport entries from next weekend’s race in Miami.
The American technology company and its distinctive blue logo will feature on Ferrari’s F1 livery from next week’s Miami Grand Prix onwards as well as on its team kit and overalls
Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna said “Our founder passed on to us his continuous will to progress. From this stems our drive to innovate on the road and on the track, as well as our commitment to a sustainable future, from carbon neutrality to the education of the younger generation.”
Vigna’s HP counterpart Enrique Lores added: “With technology, performance and exceptional craftsmanship fuelling the future, the partnership between HP and Ferrari is a natural fit. Both brands are built on rich histories that have endured the test of time.”
HP will also supply Ferrari with its services, ranging from computers, printers and other hardware to conferencing technology. Its subsidiary which focuses on cloud and networking solutions will continue its partnership with Mercedes, the two brands were split off into two separate entities in 2015.
McLaren
Lando Norris says McLaren’s performance in Shanghai provided “more evidence” that he can claim his maiden victory during the 2024 season. Norris finished second in the Grand Prix after the sprint gave him not much confidence that he could finish ahead of the Ferrari’s.
Norris is also yet to claim an F1 Sprint race victory, a failure that was highlighted by his then-rookie teammate Oscar Piastri triumphing in Qatar last year. He said, “I have already said it, I don’t need any more confidence. There’s more evidence [from China]. I said it at the beginning of the year that I think we can fight against Red Bull and we’ll be able to get a win this year.”
But admitted “It does need to be right place, right time. I don’t think on average we’re close enough for the time being. But I want to believe”
He naturally sometimes perhaps struggles and has been open about his mental difficulties, something he wants to change.
Oscar Piastri says the team needs to better understand why its “up and down” performances fluctuate so much. While it has had an encouraging start to the season they have struggled to find the consistent form to fight Ferrari and Mercedes.
The most confusing is the fact that at venues where McLaren expected to do well, like Suzuka, it struggled, while tracks like Shanghai where it had anticipated being on the back foot it actually proved to be quite strong. That mystery Piastri says should be a focus, and understanding that could help the team unlock performances in the future.
He said “We need to understand why we’re quick on certain days and not quick on other days/ I think we’ve got some good ideas, but we just need to make sure our reasons that we think why we’re good are actually why. We thought we would struggle quite a lot here [in China].”
“So it’s very encouraging that Lando’s able to finish second on a track we thought we’d struggle at. It’s exciting for what’s to come in the future, and with some new parts coming to the car, it’s encouraging signs.” I think this is a headache facing all of the teams trying to chase Red Bull, as that a fight I think is going to run all season.
RB
RB team principal Laurent Mekies says the separate incidents that saw Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda double retire in Shanghai were “unnecessary.” During the safety car Ricciardo was hit from behind by Lance Stroll behind, while Tsunoda was involved in a race-ending clash with Kevin Magnussen at the restart.
This caused both drivers to retire from the race, but Mekies felt that both of the incidents against his drivers could easily have been avoided by their rivals, who were subsequently given penalties for their part in the crashes.
Asked by Motorsport.com about whether the accidents were clumsy or a consequence of the frantic midfield fight, Mekies said: “I don’t know really, but I think both looked unnecessary. It’s not like those where you see how it’s always going to end up in a crash. No, both looked quite unnecessary. So I would like to hope that they are one-offs in an otherwise intense battle.”
Mekies felt the incidents had robbed his squad of another points-scoring finish, especially as Ricciardo had produced what up until his race exit looked like being his best weekend of the season so far.
Adding, “We got both our cars taken out by competitors in one lap, so obviously it’s a big missed opportunity. We feel we were fighting for that one point in the group with the usual guys, and it would have been a nice and tight battle.”
Ricciardo he says was attacking Lewis Hamilton, and could have been chasing Nico Hulkenberg. Ricciardo spoke out against Stroll after the race for the needless way the Aston Martin driver had run into the back of him, while Tsunoda expressed his annoyance at the manner in which Magnussen had hit him.
Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg will leave Haas to join Sauber next year ahead of its transition to Audi in 2026. On Friday, the team announced the German would leave the team at the end of the season.
He was out of contract at Haas and was long known to be on Audi F1 CEO Andreas Seidl’s shortlist. Hulkenberg will now join the team, which will still be known as Sauber in 2025, one year ahead of Audi’s official F1 entry in 2026 on a multi-year deal. He previously raced for the Swiss-based team in 2013.
Hulkenberg said “I’m returning to the team I worked with back in 2013 and have fond memories of the strong team spirit in Switzerland. The prospect of competing for Audi is something very special. When a German manufacturer enters Formula 1 with such determination, it is a unique opportunity.”
Hulkenberg and Seidl previously won the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche. Seidl added, “We are very pleased to welcome Nico back here in Hinwil from 2025 and to compete with him in Formula 1. With his speed, his experience and his commitment to teamwork, he will be an important part of the transformation of our team – and of Audi’s F1 project.”
Sauber has made an offer to Carlos Sainz as well as the Spaniard will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, but he is still considering his options given there are other potential vacancies at F1’s top teams.
If Sainz does put pen to paper, that would mean Sauber’s current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou are both set to leave the squad at the end of the year. While Hulkenberg looks set to be replaced by Ollie Bearman following his debut in Jeddah on loan from Ferrari
Andretti
Andretti Cadillac has posted job openings for sixty roles at its prospective team as it presses forward with its ambitious plans to enter the sport. Despite being rejected for 2026, but given an opportunity for 2028 or 2029, it continues to step up its programme.
Its advertising sixty jobs include senior F1 roles suck as head of aero development, head of mechanical design and various other engineering positions including aerodynamics and CFD, model design, electronics, control systems, IT, vehicle performance and manufacturing.
All roles are based in its Silverstone Park estate on the periphery of the Grand Prix circuit and across the road from Aston Martin’s new headquarters.
Speaking to the Associated Press, F1 champion Mario Andretti said there would be more sit-down meetings with F1 chiefs, including at next week’s Miami Grand Prix. the 1978 world champion told AP, “We only had one meeting with them, that’s a problem. We haven’t had enough. I think that’s why I really welcome our next meeting. Let’s sit down.”
“There were some opportunities missed along the way, but we’ve got to look forward, not back. I’m remaining hopeful, because we never stop working towards this.”
Andretti was convinced F1’s rejection was based “definitely on the financial side” as he and his son Michael, who owns and runs the team, felt they were never told about any other convincing reasons.
The Week Ahead
Next week F1 heads to Miami for round six, I think being Logan Sergeant’s home race there will be a bit of focus on him. Sargeant, I think needs though we are only a quarter of the way through the year he needs a solid weekend under the pressure of home and starts progressing on not necessarily higher up results given how Williams have been performing this season.
Miami is also, like Las Vegas, Monaco, and Singapore, I feel an important weekend in terms of business off track. This is a show for the sport and while it may not be a good race on track given the two races we have seen so far that might be because of the dominance by Max Verstappen. Red Bull are the team to beat, also the US is an important place for all the teams and we know it has been since Drive To Survive.
There is however one story which continues to run in the background, the fallout from the internal power struggle at Red Bull. This week feels like Adrian Newey has been brought into it as questions are now being asked about his future as he is said to be unhappy with the infighting that as we explained could open more questions about Max Verstappen’s future.
We could over the next three weeks, between now and Imola, hear about upgrade strategies for the rest of the season. Though given we have had five races we have already seen the bigger to midfield teams bring some upgrades for Imola and/or Barcelona, but Imola is in the middle of three street circuits, with Montreal being classed as a permeant street circuit.