News From The F1 World

Since the latest Formula 1 round in Brazil a fortnight ago and prior to the trip next weekend to Las Vegas, it’s been a busy time on the F1 news front. Things kicked off with the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (usually referred to as simply the GPDA) issuing a strongly worded public letter to the sport’s FIA governing body, criticising its latest campaign against any swearing, however limited, by drivers. Obviously, we should not condone swearing, but regrettably, we live in a world where we frequently hear such words on numerous television programmes and elsewhere. F1 drivers used to be renowned as fearless, swashbuckling characters who travelled the world, chased and bedded beautiful women, risked their lives every time they went on track, and occasionally threw in a few swear words along the way. However, this no longer seems acceptable, officially at least.

This all reminded me of a memorable personal moment back in 2007 when I was dispatched to the home of Sir Stirling Moss in London’s Mayfair to interview him for part of a major new book on Formula 1, called the F1 Opus. Both he and his wife Susie were delightful, and we became friends, although sadly both are now deceased. My pre-booked 45-minute interview with Stirling ended up lasting over three hours, as he regaled me with endless tales about his racing exploits and his off-track experiences as a leading celebrity of his time. There was one word which he loved to use time and again—"crumpet"—as he enthused about all the lovely young ladies with whom he was more than happy to spend time during F1 race weekends around the world!

In other news, Sir Lewis Hamilton made some very public anti-Mercedes comments during his cool-down lap after the recent São Paulo Grand Prix, and his words triggered speculation that he might be dropped for the final three rounds of the season in favour of his 2025 replacement, 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli. However, this is not due to happen, despite Hamilton having had a difficult year and being set to arrive in Vegas, sitting only seventh in the Drivers’ Championship behind his current teammate, George Russell. It was interesting that Toto Wolff, the principal of the Mercedes team and part owner, responded to Hamilton's criticism and his impending departure for Ferrari with five succinct yet poignant words: "Everyone has a shelf life."

Ferrari’s ultimate boss, John Elkann, secretly attracted Hamilton away from Mercedes earlier this year with a massive financial offer, knowing his signing would bring his group of companies a major monetary gain with the multiple champion set to wear a famous red racesuit for the first time, and the Ferrari share price rose significantly when news of Hamilton’s signing was revealed back in February. Formula 1’s oldest driver is Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso at 43, and Hamilton will be 40 when he starts his time with Ferrari. It remains to be seen if the seven-time champion will be able to match, let alone outpace his new teammate, Charles Leclerc, next season.

Elsewhere on the driver front, the Audi-owned Sauber team, which has yet to score a single point in 2024, has dropped both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu for next season, but it seems possible that the former may return to Mercedes as a reserve pedaller. Sauber’s drivers next year will be Nico Hülkenberg, who currently races for Haas, and the 20-year-old Brazilian, Gabriel Bortoleto, who heads this year’s F2 Championship. Bortoleto’s forthcoming arrival fits so well with the recent trend for F1 teams to promote highly talented young hotshoes like Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman rather than simply persist with far older and more expensive alternatives. Meanwhile, it seems likely that Red Bull will retain the services of the underpressure Sergio Pérez until the end of the season before decisions are made about the driver line-ups for Red Bull and RB in 2025.

Audi’s progress towards being a fully fledged entry on the Formula 1 grid with effect from 2026 has been far from a smooth affair, with key personnel changes and its parent company, Volkswagen, facing challenging times in terms of world car markets and sales. As such, a highly expensive foray for Audi into F1 would not sit well in this scenario, and it seems probable that financial support may be forthcoming from Qatari investors, with an announcement perhaps to be made during the forthcoming Formula 1 round there.

The F1 reporting community tends to pick up on most news stories and usually well before they become public knowledge, but during the break between the Brazilian and Las Vegas rounds, it came as something of a surprise when the FIA announced that Formula 1’s German race director, Niels Wittich, was leaving his role “to pursue new  opportunities." The fact that this was to take place with immediate effect rather than at the end of the season was both interesting and highly unusual, with both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship titles still to be decided. Portugal’s Rui Marquez, the existing F2 and F3 race director, will replace him from Las Vegas onward, with Wittich being just the latest high-profile FIA official to leave during the last year.

Lastly, following the extension of Silverstone's contract to host the British Grand Prix to 2034 earlier this year, news emerged this week that Monaco has secured a contract to stay on the Formula 1 calendar until at least 2031. This was an interesting development because, as I personally know, the setting and atmosphere during race weekends are always spectacular. However, the tight nature of the circuit and the size of current F1 cars make overtaking virtually impossible, resulting in a somewhat processional racing until drivers make mistakes or rain falls. However, Monaco featured during the first Formula 1 season back in 1950 and has been ever-present since 1955, earning its own special place within the sport’s history.