Formula 1 may still be in the throes of its mandatory summer shutdown, but the news grind has not slowed. We have some exciting updates in today’s F1 news roundup, including more rumors about Aston Martin and the futures of Sergio Perez and Yuki Tsunoda.
Cold water has been poured on the speculation linking Max Verstappen to Aston Martin, a team not on his ‘wishlist’. However, another Red Bull rival remains in the frame. Three-time World Champion Max Verstappen, who looks set to claim a fourth consecutive title with Red Bull in F1 2024, is under contract with the team until the end of 2028. Despite this, intense speculation over an imminent departure from the team has been rampant.
Aston Martin’s ambassador, Pedro de la Rosa, may have accidentally revealed to Fernando Alonso that Formula 1 design guru Adrian Newey will join the team. Newey, who has established himself as one of the greatest F1 designers of all time with 25 titles claimed through his designs, is set to become a free agent early in 2025. His departure from Red Bull is confirmed, as he sees out his tenure working on the RB17 hypercar.
In a bid to get Sergio Perez back to the required form to hold on to the Constructors’ title, Red Bull is reportedly considering reverting to the early-season RB20 spec for Perez. Perez’s future at Red Bull came under serious threat going into the summer break after an alarming slump in form. The Mexican driver has been without a podium finish since April’s Chinese Grand Prix and is now down to P7 in the Drivers’ Championship. This predicament led to a meeting between Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner to discuss the dilemma.
The F1 2024 season has been a wild ride for Mercedes. They began the year as the fourth fastest team; however, by the last race in Belgium, they had emerged as the fastest. This impressive leap in performance is largely due to their exceptional engineering team, who have meticulously transformed the W15 into a powerhouse on the track. This turnaround hints at exciting prospects for the second half of the season.
Yuki Tsunoda revealed that Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Helmut Marko told him to ‘calm down’, with Daniel Ricciardo playing a significant role in this advice. Tsunoda, who has raced with Red Bull’s junior team since joining the grid in 2021, has had his strongest and most consistent campaign yet in F1 2024, scoring 22 points compared to teammate Ricciardo’s 12 across the opening 14 rounds.
With these developments, the world of Formula 1 remains as dynamic as ever, filled with rumors, strategic decisions, and the ever-evolving performance of teams and drivers. Stay tuned as we continue to follow these stories throughout the season.
