Ferrari have provided an update on Carlos Sainz’s health ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, after the Spanish driver was forced to miss the previous race in Jeddah.
Sainz was withdrawn from the F1 weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the two-time race winner forced to undergo surgery after being diagnosed with appendicitis.
Ollie Bearman stepped into his place as Ferrari’s reserve driver, who caused a sensation with a P7 in the race.
However, ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari confirmed that Sainz was looking likely to return to the cockpit of the SF-24 with Bearman remaining on call as reserve driver, alongside his Formula 2 duties with PREMA racing in Melbourne this weekend.
Should he not be required to step in for Sainz, Bearman will be keen to kick-start his F2 campaign, with the Brit currently on zero points after failing to score in Bahrain, before being withdrawn from the event in Jeddah.
Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, predicted that Ferrari would be “front runners” at the Australian circuit, with the team having provided the sternest challenge so far to Red Bull having been able to grab two podiums in the first two races.
Carlos Sainz is expected to be back in the car, having had to miss Jeddah with appendicitis. He and team mate Charles Leclerc will most likely be fighting at the front of the field, as they have done in the first two rounds.
The team in a pre-race statement.
I’ll let you know tomorrow when I get back in the car and the G-forces throw me around a bit. But I feel ready. I’ve done as much as possible to recover and you cannot imagine the effort and logistics that I have done to be fit for this race. Progress, I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made and now, as I said, it’s time to jump in the car and see how I feel.
Sainz on how much of a challenge it would be to get back in the car.
Pirelli’s C5 tyre – the softest of the five compounds – will make its debut this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix. This has been nominated alongside the C4 and the C3.
This is a softer selection compared to last year, when the C2, C3 and C4 were chosen. But it’s not the first time that the softest compound has been seen in Melbourne as back in 2022 Pirelli brought the C5 to Albert Park.
The decision to go with a softer compound was taken after analysing last year’s race which centred around the C2 tyre. The C2 tyre last year was used for 46 out of 58 laps by 10 drivers, and three drivers running it for more than 50 laps. The Grand Prix last year was characterised by numerous stoppages which included three safety car and three red flag with two restarts and a rolling start aswell.
The Albert Park track is made up of 14 corners, having recently been redesigned to make it more flowing. Historically, a one-stop strategy has been the favoured option but the move to a softer tyre may change that. The track isn’t too hard on tyres, with degradation being a bigger factor than wear. In Australia currently it’s the beginning of autumn and there could be some weather-related surprises, with temperature swings and rain having made their mark on the race weekend in the past.
We also have a packed programme as Formula 2 and Formula 3 are supporting F1 this weekend.
The Australian Grand Prix is a firm favourite in the world of F1, thanks to its stunning location and the buzzy atmosphere of host city Melbourne. Pirelli's C5 compound makes its debut this weekend. 🇦🇺#Fit4F1#Formula1#Pirelli@F1pic.twitter.com/4OZPkvdPAc
Seeing as the season is in full swing, driver contracts are always a big topic, but I think this year’s silly season is going to be one to remember as it already kicked off before the season even started!
However, we know that sometimes contracts mean nothing, and there is always a way to get out of them early… 12 drivers contracts are up at the end of the season.
Red Bull-
Max Verstappen – 2028 Sergio Perez – 2024
Mercedes-
Lewis Hamilton – 2024 George Russell – 2025
Ferrari-
Charles Leclerc – “Several more seasons” Carlos Sainz – 2024
McLaren-
Lando Norris – 2026 Oscar Piastri – 2026
Aston Martin-
Fernando Alonso – 2024 Lance Stroll – Rolling
Alpine-
Esteban Ocon – 2024 Pierre Gasly – 2024
Williams-
Alex Albon – 2025 Logan Sargeant – 2024
RB-
Daniel Ricciardo – 2024 Yuki Tsunoda – 2024
Sauber-
Valtteri Bottas – 2024 Guanyu Zhou – 2024
Haas-
Kevin Magnussen – 2024 Nico Hulkenberg – 2024
That’s all 20 drivers contract lengths, obviously we know Lewis is moving to Ferrari next season, so there is a vacant seat at Mercedes which definitely doesn’t come around too often… There are also a few junior drivers and drivers sitting on the sideline waiting for an opportunity.
Those being, Liam Lawson, Felipe Drugovich, Ollie Bearman, Frederik Vesti and Theo Pourchaire. All five drivers are linked to F1 teams and I could possibly see maybe one or two of them coming in for the 2025 season. Not only this but looking at Formula 2 aswell, depending on how the drivers go in this season they could maybe be a possibility aswell.
Now all we have to do is wait until the next team announces whether they are sticking with their drivers or going to have a little bit of a switch around…
Free Practice 1- Mitch Evans started his Sao Paulo weekend in the best way possible, as the Jaguar TCS Racing driver topped the first free practice session of the weekend.
The Jaguar team come into the weekend as the favourites after dominating the race result here last season. The British manufacturer achieved their first 1-2-3 result here as a powertrain supplier, and will look to replicate it again.
This 2.93km street circuit is home to the longest straight in Formula E, and will certainly be a prime overtaking spot. ERT’s Dan Ticktum was using the session to find the limits, going off at the entry into the first chicane and having to rejoin the track down at Turn 3 where ATTACK MODE is.
With halfway through the session, Stoffel Vandoorne was fastest on track. However, track evolution meant the times kept tumbling. Edoardo Mortara of Mahindra Racing went second just 0.028s off Mitch Evans. Ticktum slot into third with less that two minutes to go.
Free Practice 2- NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird topped the timesheets for the second and final free practice in Sao Paulo, as the grid prepare for qualifying. The Brit, who stood on the podium here last year, set a time of 1:12.773s in a session that was impacted by a red flag.
Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans also suffered an unlucky mechanical issue which limited the running time for him. Team Principal, James Barclays confirmed that the problem was with the car’s front driveshaft but the team were quick to try and fix it.
Maximilian Guenther went quickest 10 minutes into FP2, but despite the German’s rapid pace he will be starting toward the back of the grid as he picked up a 20 place grid penalty for changing his gearbox before FP2.
Double waved yellows were waved with nine minutes of practice left to go, after Edoardo Mortara received a warning on the steering wheel of his Mahindra Racing telling him to stop the car. The six time race winner pulled his car over to the side off the track just after Turn 3, and brought out the red flags as his car needed to be recovered.
The session did get back to green flag racing for the last minute, but left no time for setting fast laps. Instead, the grid completed some practice starts ahead of the race.
Qualifying-
TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein managed to grab a second Julius Baer Pole Position of the season, beating DS Penske’s Stoffel Vandoorne but just 0.002s – the second closest pole margin in Formula E history.
It was a dramatic session for the Jaguar powertrain cars, with Evans being the highest placed car in fourth. Nick Cassidy, who leads the championship, failed to make it through to the Duels and will start ninth, with both Envision cars down in 17th and 18th.
DS Penske had a very strong qualifying, as Vandoorne starts second and Jean-Eric Vergne just behind him in third. A great result for new Deputy Team Principal Phil Charles.
Nico Muller made a surprise appearance in the Duels, but an earlier incident meant he wasn’t able to make it to the track in the Quarter finals.
Maserati’s Maximilian Guenther will start from the back of the pack due to the grid-drop penalty mentioned earlier – the German’s penalty also incurring a stop/go penalty on the race.
The full top 10 are- P1: Wehrelin, P2: Vandoorne, P3: Vergne, P4: Evans, P5: Bird, P6: Mortara, P7: Muller, P8: Da Costa, P9: Cassidy and P10: Dennis.
Round 4-
Sam Bird sealed one of the most dramatic victories in Formula E history in the Sao Paulo E-Prix Round 4, with a stunning final lap move on former teammate Mitch Evans to secure NEOM McLaren’s first victory in the World Championship and his first with the team.
Wehrlein started sharply to lead with Vandoorne following as you were into Turn 1 in second, with Evans jumping Verge for third. Porsche’s da Costa made a demon launch, gaining two spots to sixth off-the-line and defending hard from Mortara’s Mahindra to hold that spot over lap 1.
The lead group squabbled constantly as each looked to maximise their energy consumption while keeping pace with leader Bird. Evans had briefly took third before losing it at Turn 1 on lap 6 to Wehrlein.
A Safety Car was required for the recovery of a rogue Andretti front wing as Nato hit Di Grassi as the pack squeezed through the first chicane. The Brazilian also lost his front wing while standings leader Cassidy gave the front of his car a nudge into the same corner at the start of lap 8.
More lead changes happened once green flag conditions continued, as Da Costa and Evans hit the front then dropped back into the mix with their second attack mode activations- but Jake Dennis had been quietly working his way through from 10th at the start to lead on lap 12.
Lap 16 saw a huge moment, with Drivers’ World Championship leader Cassidy’s three-race podium streak coming to an end as the Jaguar driver smashed into the wall through Turn 9 as he slid wide at speed – his front wing falling loose beneath his front wheels.
Through the clamour before the Safety Car, Bird managed to retake the lead and had half a percent of usable energy in hand over Evans, now in second. Lap 20, saw the green flag fly again with Bird leading Evans, Wehrlein, Dennis, Da Costa, Vergne, Rowland, Vandoorne, Guenther and Buemi in the top 10.
As the laps ticked down, Bird and Evans continued to hold the advantage. Despite Dennis in third, keeping 1.5% usable energy in hand, his car was running too hot to capitalise. Inside the final seven laps, including three added on for those periods under the Safety Car, Evans appeared to have done enough with a move around the outside of Bird at Turn 3 for P1.
However, the McLaren driver was not done. He could not resist a last-ditch manoeuvre on his old teammate. Bird went all the way around the outside of Turn 10 is last chance to make something stick and hung on to take the inside line and the lead into Turn 11, steering to the win with Evans just half a second back.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bird, P2: Evans, P3: Rowland, P4: Wehrlein, P5: Dennis, P6: Da Costa, P7: Vergne, P8: Vandoorne, P9: Guenther and P10: Buemi.
We don’t have to wait too long till the next race, as it’s less than two weeks away on the 30th March and we head to Japan for the Tokyo E-Prix!
Alpine’s unsettled 12 months have continued with the announcement that Technical Director Matt Harman and head of Aerodynamics Dirk de beer have left the team, with Alpine announcing a subsequent technical re-shuffle.
Following the Bahrain Grand Prix – which saw Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly start from the back of the gird, with neither driver managing to score points – it was then announced that Harman and De Beer would leave the team.
The announcement comes in the wake of a slew of high-level changes in 2023, with Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer, Sporting Director Alan Permane, Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry and CEO Laurent Rossi all departing with Bruno Famin confirmed as full-time Team Principal earlier this year.
Alpine will move to a structure of having a trio of Technical Directors, with Joe Burnell as Technical Director (Engineering) David Wheater as Technical Director (Aerodynamics) and Ciaron Pilbeam as Technical Director (Performance).
We have decided to make these organisational changes as we can clearly see that we are not where we want nor need to be in terms of performance level and it is time to take another step in terms of organisation and people. The new three-pillared structure with three Technical Directors, each specialising in different areas, will bring better work and collaboration across our technical areas and contribute to delivering performance from the factories to the race track. I trust fully in the abilities of Joe, David and Ciaron to work closely together in bringing the team the performance and improvements that it needs. Finally, I would like to thank Matt and Dirk for their efforts over the last couple of years at the team and wish them the very best in the next chapter of their careers.
Aston Martin have announced that 18 year old American Jak Crawford will be joining their Young Driver Development programme for 2024.
Crawford will be going into his second year in F2 with DAMS, having previously raced for Hitech alongside Isack Hadjar. Both drivers were previously both part of the Red Bull junior programme, but now Crawford has made his way across to the green of Aston Martin.
Aston Martin’s junior programme gives talented young drivers the opportunity to test older F1 machinery, with Crawford set for a stint in the AMR22 later this year. Not only this, he will also be tasked with simulator work to give valuable feedback to the team, as well as getting a taste for media duties and the marketing commitments that go in hand with the F1 world.
I am proud to take this next step in my career. The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team is a great place to learn and grow, and the programme ahead sounds exciting. I cannot wait to start working with everyone – especially on the simulator where I can make a contribution to the team’s performance on race weekends. I’m thrilled to get the chance to drive the AMR22 car later this year. It is a big motivator for me to work hard and make the most of this great opportunity.
Crawford on the news.
As part of the growth of the team we want to offer talented young drivers a valuable development programme and I have no doubt Jak will flourish in this environment. As part of the growth of the team we want to offer talented young drivers a valuable development programme and I have no doubt Jak will flourish in this environment. He has shown great potential throughout his junior career and we look forward to supporting his learning and development as he steps into the AMR22 for the first time.
Doriane Pin led from the front and never looked back as she claimed her first F1 Academy victory. Alpine’s Abbi Pulling fended off Maya Weug early advances with a podium in second and retained the bonus point for the fastest lap.
Following an extra formation lap, Pin nailed a textbook getaway at lights out to lead comfortably into Turn 1 from Pulling and Weug. Lovinfosse managed to get the better of Bianca Bustamante off the line, demoting the McLaren driver to sixth.
After starting eighth, Chloe Chambers quickly made up ground, finding her way past Lia Block on lap 2. Immediately piling the pressure on the second ART Grand Prix car of Bustamante.
Tina Hausmann, Aurelia Nobels and Jessica Edgar went three wide down into Turn 1, but it was the Aston Martin car of Hausmann that emerged in front in ninth. Out front, Pin’s 1.2 second lead evaporated at the appearance of the Safety Car on lap 3. A nudge from Amna Al Qubaisi at Turn 4 sent Reema Juffali into a spin, but both were able to pit and rejoin the race.
Block was forced to go on the defensive, being hunted down by Hausmann. The pair locked up, going deep out of the final corner and gifting Jessica Edgar the chance to sneak her way through to eighth.
In the battle for the final points-paying position, Hamda Al Qubaisi got a good run on Nobels down into the final corner, but the PUMA driver defended hard. A mistake on the next lap gave Al Qubaisi the benefit of the slipstream to send a move down the inside of Turn 27, but the MP Motorsport ran wide at the opening chicane and had to let the Brazilian back through.
Block’s race unravelled on the penultimate lap. Comfortably in eighth the Williams driver bounced over the kerb and spun into the barrier as she tried to close in on Bustamante. In the fight for fourth, Lovinfosse tried a look around the outside of Nerea Marti down to Turn 1, but clipped the rear of the Tommy Hilfiger car and sent her into a spin.
Despite leading the race, Pin was not fully satisfied as she tried to wrestle the fastest lap point away from Pulling on the final lap. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to get the clean sweep, taking the victory by 0.848s to Pulling.
The full top 10 are- P1: Pin, P2: Pulling, P3: Weug, P4: Chambers, P5: Bustamante, P6: Hausmann, P7: Nobels, P8: Lovinfosse, P9: H Al Qubaisi and P10: Schreiner.
Day 3-
Doriane Pin closed her first F1 Academy weekend in perfect fashion bringing home her second consecutive victory on the streets of Jeddah.
Pin immediately pulled to the left at lights out to cover off Pulling who kept close within her tow. Just behind, Nerea Marti was on the attack, slipping past Lola Lovinfosse into Turn 2.
The Charlotte Tilbury driver instantly had to go in the defensive as her and Chloe Chambers went side-by-side through Turns 6,7 and 8. The Haas driver emerged out in front after going over the run-off and earned a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Lovinfosse repaid the favour, gliding past the slipstream. However, Chambers locked up into the first corner, knocking the French driver into a spin. Unable to avoid, Lia Block made contact necessitating a Safety Car. The Williams driver was able to continue after a nosecone change, with Lovinfosse retiring.
With the field bunched together on the restart, Pulling attempted to find her way through on Pin on the short-lived return to Green Flag racing. Fighting over the final point, Carrie Schreiner was sent into a spin whilst battling with Emely de Heus. Forced to take avoiding action, Reema Juffali found the barriers requiring another Safety Car.
Pulling was waiting to pounce on lap 10 restart. Despite Pin going early into the final corner, the Alpine driver caught on and stayed with her down the main straight. Weug found herself vulnerable to Marti.
Recovering from her earlier contact, Block found herself back within the points in seventh. Sandwiched between the Al Qubaisi sisters, the ART Grand Prix car lost out to Amna but kept Hamda at bay.
Out front, Pin set out to earn the grand slam she was denied in Race 1, taking the fastest lap away from Pulling on her final attempt. The PREMA Racing driver took the chequered flag by 1.9s ahead of the Brit and Weug.
However… Doriane Pin has received a drive-through penalty for crossing the chequered flag twice and completing two laps at full speed until the Red Flag was shown. As the penalty could not be served in-race, it has been converted into a 20-second penalty added to her elapsed race time.
Amna Al Qubaisi has been issued a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Lastly, Lola Lovinfosse has been handed a five place grid penalty for the next race for causing a collsion.
As a result, Abbi Pulling is promoted to race victory, Maya Wueg in second and Nerea Marti rounding out the podium.
The full top 10 are- P1: Pulling, P2: Weug, P3: Marti, P4: Edgar, P5: H Al Qubaisi, P6: Bustamante, P7: Schreiner, P8: A Al Qubaisi, P9: Pin and P10: Chambers.
The next race weekend for F1 Academy is the 3rd to 5th May in Miami!
The second race week is complete! And when you think about it we’ve had a bit of a crazy week including Carlos Sainz being ruled out of the Grand Prix meaning Ferrari Academy Driver Oliver Bearman stepping in to make his debut!
But Max Verstappen remained dominant to make it two from two victories so far as he enjoyed a strong start from pole, with an early Safety Car making an appearance aswell. Sergio Perez makes it a second consecutive one-two result for Red Bull, however it wasn’t all smooth sailing as he was handed a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release. And Charles Leclerc rounding out the top three.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Leclerc, P4: Piastri, P5: Alonso, P6: Russell, P7: Bearman, P8: Norris, P9: Hamilton and P10: Hulkenberg.
A great result from Piastri! P4, the Australian driver had spent a significant portion of the race trying to get past the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.
P7 on debut for Mr Ollie Bearman! What a drive from the Brit, definitely one to be proud of. Hopefully this will be the drive to show teams what he can do for an F1 seat next year…
A good result from Fernando Alonso! However his teammate had been the cause of the Safety Car as he crashed into the barriers on Lap 7 unable to continue in the race.
Points for Haas! Hulkenberg scored their first points of the season, he was helped out by Magnusssen as he kept a pack of drivers at bay behind in order to give Hulkenberg space when returning to the track from his pit stop. It’s nice to see a bit of teamwork from the two drivers.
Alpine, Esteban Ocon finished in P13, however Pierre Gasly race was practically over before it started. The Frenchman retired soon after the start, as he reported a gearbox issue on the formation lap.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen made it two pole positions from two in 2024, as rookie Oliver Bearman impressed on his debut as a stand in for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Championship leader Verstappen has looked in complete control so far, with his best lap time being a 1:27.472s which was 0.3s clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. With Sergio Perez rounding out the top three.
The full top 10 is- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Alonso, P5: Piastri, P6: Norris, P7: Russell, P8: Hamilton, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Stroll.
First of all we have to mention Ollie Bearman, he qualified P11 after only having one practice session. Obviously he would be disappointed himself after being so close to Q3 but I think everyone is really impressed with him, as it’s no easy job filling in the Ferrari seat! Hopefully he could potentially score some points in the race…
A good result from Alonso, starting on the second row, he will be hoping to turn that into some good points this weekend. However his teammate starting 10th, an improvement from last week but still not very good.
A decent result from the McLaren boys, and just behind them is both Mercedes’ who failed to improve on their second runs. So with those four drivers that will be an interesting battle when the lights go out.
A little shoutout to Yuki Tsunoda, P9! Makes up for a frustrating end to the Bahrain Grand Prix last week, the team will be looking to see if they could score some points this weekend.
Looking a bit further back, Nico Hulkenberg couldn’t replicate what he done last week, due to a power issued which ended his session early, his set to start the race 15th.
Alpine’s struggled continue as both drivers exited Q1, with no improvement from the week before. The team will be hoping upgrades will soon come…
Doriane Pin quickly got up to speed around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit topping the timesheets in the opening Free Practice session of the 2024 F1 Academy season.
Keeping pace with the PREMA Racing car, Alpine’s Abbi Pulling secured second only two tenths behind. Williams driver, Lia Block made the most out of her final effort leaping up to P3.
Once the lights went green to signal the start of Round 1, the 16 car field ventured out on the medium tyres. Pin set the initial benchmark at 2:09.664.
Times quickly tumbled with both Maya Weug and Bianca Bustamante going top of the leaderboard before Pin once again went fastest with a 2:06.050.
Pushing it to the limit, track evolution meant there was plenty of pace still to be found. Pulling went over a tenth ahead of Pin, but the French driver quickly regained the time to beat, becoming the only driver inside the 2:04s, finishing 0.212s clear of Pulling.
The full top 10 are- P1: Pin, P2: Pulling, P3: Block, P4: Marti, P5: Weug, P6: Lovinfosse, P7: Chambers, P8: Schreiner, P9: Hausmann and P10: Edgar.
Qualifying-
From start to finish, Doriane Pin was the driver to beat in the first qualifying session. Setting a 2:03.472 with six minutes remaining, the Mercedes driver hold on the top spot remained firm, taking both pole positions by 0.785s and 0.684s.
Abbi Pulling and Ferrari’s Maya Weug were locked in a battle for second, with the Alpine driver beating out the Dutch driver for a spot on the front row for both races.
10 drivers bolted out the pits at lights out and immediately set about getting the medium tyres ready underneath them. Pin was the first to get a time on the board, before Pulling went top.
Campos Racing’s trio opted to play the waiting game, holding off their outlaps until 18 minutes to go. It seemed to pay off as Nerea Marti slotted inside the top three on her second effort.
MP Motorsport driver Dennis Hauger made a solid start to this weekend’s action in Jeddah setting the fastest time in free practice.
Hauger led the way for most of the session but completed a lap of 1:43.793 late in the proceedings to lead his nearest rival, Kush Maini by over a tenth.
The Norwegian and the rest of the 21 drivers were quickly out on track setting fast laps on the medium tyre as they looked to get up to speed around Jeddah in the 45 minutes of practice time ahead of Qualifying.
With 15 minutes of running in the books, Hauger had set the benchmark time thanks to his lap of 1:45.558 with Enzo Fittipaldi in second 0.197s behind. Moments later Fittipaldi’s Van Amersfoort Racing teammate Rafael Villagomez brought out the Red Flags after the Mexican driver crashed into the barriers at Turn 17.
The drivers were back on track setting laps with a quarter of the session remaining. The track was now offering more grip which Hauger used to his advantage to improve on his pace-setting efforts twice, before completing a final lap of 1:43.793 to end the quickest of all.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hauger, P2: Maini, P3: Martins, P4: Bearman, P5: Crawford, P6: Verschoor, P7: Correa, P8: Maloney, P9: Antonelli and 10: Bortoleto.
Qualifying-
Oliver Bearman had been targeting a rebound from Sakhir and secured pole position in style in a head-to-head against Kush Maini. The PREMA driver set a 1:42.217 to beat the Invicta Racing driver to pole by just 0.025s. Jak Crawford made a late improvement to secure third on the grid for DAMS Lucas Oil.
At the start, two preparation laps gave way to the first flying efforts, and it was Bearman who set the pace to beat with a time of 1:43.207. Despite having two purple sectors in one and two, Kush Maini filtered through in P2.
There was a larger gap after the top two, with Richard Verschoor leading the next group of runners. The Dutchman set a decent first effort in his Trident as his time of a 1:43.774 saw him go third-fastest.
A return to the pits for fresh tyres gave way to more fast laps and Roman Stanek of Trident was the first to record an improvement, taking provisional pole with a 1:42.747.
Aron then provided the next best effort, lowering the time to beat until Bearman delivered a 1:42.217 to take the top spot. Into the final three minutes and the drivers began their next set of push laps. Crawford lifted his DAMS into third. Bearman bailed on his final lap leaving Maini to finish just 0.020s down.
The full top 10 is – P1: Bearman, P2: Maini, P3: Crawford, P4: Martins, P5: Fittipaldi, P6: Antonelli, P7: Hauger, P8: Hadjar, P9: Verschoor and P10: Aron.
However… Ollie Bearman has now been withdrawn from F2 this weekend as he makes his F1 debut for Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz who has appendicitis.
Reema Juffali has been announced as the first F1 Academy Wild Card entry for the 2024 season, joining the grid for the first round.
Developing a passion for racing as a child, Juffali made history in 2018 as the first-ever female racing driver from Saudi Arabia. After a points-scoring debut season in the F4 British Championship the next year, she became the first Saudi Arabian woman to compete in an international race in her home country, racing in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY on the streets of Riyadh.
In 2021, she had a stint in the GB3 Championship which was followed up with a successful endurance racing debut, with Juffali finishing second in her class at the 2022 Dubai 24 Hours. Alongside this she founder her own team, Theeba Motorsport, to improve Saudi Arabian access and participation in motorsport through educational and internship programmes.
The team secured victory on debut in the 2022 International GT Open, making Juffali the first Saudi Arabian woman to win an international motor race. The team went on to bring home the Vice Championship title in the series’ Prom-Am class.
Last year saw her continue to break new ground, as she became both the first female and first Saudi Arabian driver to claim pole position in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup.
It is an honour and a privilege to be representing my country, especially in my hometown. The day F1 arrived in Jeddah was the clash of both my worlds and now I am actually going to be participating! I’m really looking forward to it and happy to share the experience with my friends and family who are based here. As the saying goes: ‘if you can’t see it, you won’t believe it’. So, hopefully Saudi fans can see that there is a Saudi racing driver out there and it will get them to thinking that ‘this is something I can do!’. It is for this reason I have decided to take this challenge on. This is just the beginning!
Just a few days on from the opening race of the season, Formula 1 has decamped from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia for round 2. From a track with a very abrasive asphalt, where degradation is high and stability under braking and traction are key factors, we now move to a track with quite a smooth surface and very high speeds.
At 6.174 kilometre in length, it is the second longest track on the calendar with 27 twisty corners, the most of any circuit and the drivers will tackle it 50 times on Saturday.
Based on the experience of the previous three races here, Pirelli has chosen its three mid-range compounds, the C2 Hard, C3 Medium and C4 Soft. In Jeddah, it is quite possible to have a one-stop race with the drivers swapping between Medium and Hard depending on their grid positions.
As this is a street circuit, there are not many run-off areas and so the risk of accidents is quite high, aswell as seeing the Safety Car on track or even having the race red flagged. Overtaking here is pretty tricky, with the best opportunity coming on the entry to Turn 1.
Not only this but of course with a street circuit, track evolution can be very high and in qualifying it will be crucial to choose the right moment to go out on track to set a good time.
Formula 1 has announced that the British Grand Prix will remain on the calendar until 2034 inclusive following a 10-year extension with promoter Silverstone and its owner, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC).
The new agreement between the three parties will see the Northamptonshire circuit race into its ninth decade, having hosted the first-ever F1 Grand Prix in 1950.
A host of famous F1 names have taken the chequered flag at Silverstone over 74 years of competition, from Giuseppe Farina in 1950 to Max Verstappen in 2023, while Lewis Hamilton holds a record eight British Grand Prix victories.
Two other members of the 2024 grid have claimed victory around the 5.89km, 18-corner circuit, including two-time winner Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, who took his maiden win at the venue in 2022.
Recent years have seen the British Grand Prix become on of the largest attended events on the F1 calendar, with 2023 attracting some of the biggest names in sport, music and culture, as the race drew in a record crowd of 480,000 across the weekend.
I am delighted to announce that the British Grand Prix will remain on the calendar for 10 more years with this agreement. Silverstone is an iconic venue at the heart of F1 history and as it approaches its ninth decade hosting Grands Prix, the event continues to attract fans from around the world for fantastic racing on track and the amazing fan experience off it. I would like to thank Peter Digby from the BRDC, Stuart Pringle and the whole Silverstone team for their hard work and dedication to take the British Grand Prix to new heights and I look forward to working closely with them as they look to further improve the facilities and fan experience over the next 10 years.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
I am delighted we have secured a 10-year extension to host the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. This contractual security will provide a solid base for the further development of the venue as we continue to improve and transform the circuit into a year-round international motorsport and leisure destination. The 2024 Formula 1 season will start with nine BRDC Full and Honorary members on the grid and the importance of our continued support of young drivers is particularly evidenced by the success of Lewis, Lando [Norris], George [Russell] and Alex [Albon].
Peter Digby, Chairman of the British Racing Drivers’ Club.
This long-term commitment reflects the importance of the British Grand Prix to Formula 1 and their acknowledgement of our ability to deliver a world-class experience for the British fans who are among the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable in the world. The cheers of support for the home teams, and particularly for the British drivers on the grid, makes the Silverstone atmosphere unique and I am looking forward to harnessing this passion for our sport and taking the event to the next level in the coming decade.
Stuart Pringle, Chief Executive Officer, Silverstone.
Van Hoepen covered off teammate Nikola Tsolov on the run to the first corner, but the Bulgarian driver was able to sweep around the outside to take the lead. Further back, Dino Beganovic suffered damage in the opening exchanges after contact with Santiago Ramos at Turn 1, with the PREMA driver being handed a 10-second time penalty.
After losing the lead from reverse grid pole, Van Hoepen was able to stick with his ART teammate and with DRS, the Dutchman swept back through on lap 4. The battle then continued up the hill with the Bulgarian driver squeezing his way through. Whilst they was battling, it allowed Max Esterson to close back up on the pair.
Christian Mansell had been battling hard with Sami Meguetounif of lap 5, and after initially losing a spot to the Trident driver, the Aussie fought his way through into Turn 1 for seventh.
That allowed Luke Browning the momentum up the hill into Turn 4 to pull of a pass around the outside of them to take P7 himself. However, the move was completed off the track and he earned a 10 second time penalty.
Looking back towards the front, the lead battle became a five-car fight as Lindblad and Fornaroli caught up to Esterson. As the race reached the halfway point, van Hoepen retook the lead with a pass into T1 on Tsolov, once more though, the Bulgarian fought back and through and re-passed his teammate into Turn 8.
On lap 13 and after being tracked closely over several laps by Lindblad, van Hoepen got a little too wide at Turn 11, which opened the door for the Prema driver to take second place.
Lindblad didn’t stop then as he claimed the lead of the race on lap 15, with a DRS pass into the first corner. But Tsolov fought back through immediately, re-taking first on the run up to Turn 4 again. One lap on and the PREMA driver made the move stick into the first turn.
The full top 10 is- P1: Lindblad, P2: Van Hoepen, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Tsolov, P5: Tramnitz, P6: Esterson, P7: Mini, P8: Boya, P9: Goethe and P10: Meguetounif.
Day 3, Feature Race-
Dino Beganovic suffered a terrible start from pole, with a slow getaway which left Browning free to surge into the lead. Beganovic baulked the momentum of PREMA Racing teammate Gabriele Mini behind him, allowing Meguetounif to steal a march and rise to second.
Mini’s poor start allowed Mansell and Santiago Ramos in the Trident to move through for fourth and fifth places on the opening lap. The third Trident of Leonardo Fornaroli had dropped to eighth off the line but moved ahead of Nikola Tsolov out of Turn 3 on Lap 3 to move up one spot.
The fighting behind, had allowed Browning to stretch his lead to 1.2s at the one-third mark, though that advantage slipped to half a second after Mansell regained DRS behind. Despite not having the drag reduction advantage, the Hitech driver was able to keep his pursuer at arms length heading into the second half of the race.
With 10 laps to go the top eight drivers were tracking one another, separated by five seconds but within DRS range of the car ahead. A wide moment at Turn 10 for Ramos put him off track, but the Mexican driver was able to keep Mini at bay to hold fifth.
After defending for much of the race, Browning began up to his pace in the closing laps toe extend his lead slowly but surely over Mansell by a few tenths per lap.
The full top 10 are- P1: Browning, P2: Mansell, P3: Tramnitz, P4: Meguetounif, P5: Ramos, P6: Mini, P7: Fornaroli, P8: Lindblad, P9: Dunne and P10: Goethe.
The first race of 24 is complete, so let’s take a look at how it went in Bahrain!
Max Verstappen converted pole position into the race win with a controlled drive, which led home Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to start his latest title defence.
Verstappen maintained his advantage as the race got under way, he never looked back over the 57 laps, where he crossed the line 22 second ahead of his teammate.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Sainz, P4: Leclerc, P5: Russell, P6: Norris, P7: Hamilton, P8: Piastri, P9: Alonso and P10: Stroll.
A decent result from Ferrari, P3 and P4, especially with Leclerc as he was struggling with the car and it not responding the way he wanted as well as having a big problem with the brakes… Not a very good sign for the Italian team for the first race.
A decent result for both Mercedes and McLaren, some decent points on the board for them both. Piastri and Hamilton had a little moment where the McLaren driver was coming out the pit lane and ended up side by side with Hamilton who had stopped a lap earlier. The McLaren got his nose ahead into Turn 1 but the experienced a slide on the exit which dropped him behind the seven time world champion.
Not a good weekend at all for Alpine, a shocking qualifying result in P19 and P20, they then went on to finish P18 for Gasly and P17 for Ocon, a big change from last year. They team definitely have a lot of work to do.
There was also a bit of drama between the two VCARB’s as the team asked Tsunoda to move to the side for Ricciardo giving his alternate soft-tyre run to the finish, promoting the Japanese racer to shout “are you kidding me over the radio?” only to eventually adhere to the instruction. I can see tensions rise between Tsunoda and the team this season, for it to only be the first race and him having problems with the team it doesn’t set of the best image…
The first qualifying session of 2024 is complete, let’s take a look at how it went!
Max Verstappen grabbed pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc in second and the Mercedes of George Russell in third.
Verstappen produced a 1m 29.421s with his first run in Q3 and worked his way down to a blistering 1m 29.179s during the second runs to ultimately finish two-tenths clear of Leclerc, with Russell a tenth further back.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Russell, P4: Sainz, P5: Perez, P6: Alonso, P7: Norris, P8: Piastri, P9: Hamilton and P10: Hulkenberg.
What a great result by Max Verstappen, just how he wants to start his title defence! I don’t think he expected the grid to have been that close and I don’t think he will expect to sail away with it in the race aswell…
Both Ferrari’s in the top four! A great start for the Italian team, hopefully they can keep it the same or even better in the race and start the season off strong.
George Russell, P3, great start by him. I believe Mercedes were actually quite shocked at their pace in practice as they topped the timesheets on Thursday. The car definitely looks more of an improvement than last year, but we will have to see what their race pace is like, and a good way for them to properly see is Lewis starting in 9th so his got some ground to make up!
A special shout out to Nico Hulkenberg! First Q3 appearance of 2024, and qualifies P10, Haas will be wanting to score some points today to start the season off strong.
VCARB – they have definitely made an improvement since last year, both drivers into Q2, Yuki just outside the top 10 in P11, and Daniel Ricciardo in P14. They are in a position where they could possibly score some points.
Now one team we have to talk about is Alpine, P19 and P20 i’m not overly surprised by this for some reason, and I don’t think they are either. Obviously they have a lot of work to do in the race, but we will have to see if this carries on throughout the season aswell…
Isack Hadjar made a fine start to the opening round of the weekend in Sakhir by topping the timesheets in Free Practice. The Campos Racing driver left it late in the session to complete a lap of 1:45.099 to lead MP Motorsport rookie Franco Colapinto by 0.137s.
As the lights turned green, most teams opted to keep their cars in the pitlane although Hadjar was the first driver out on track to complete a lap, however it was his Campos teammate Josep Maria Marti who set the early benchmark with a time of 1:45.849.
But then the Rodin Motorsport pair of Zane Maloney and Ritomo Miyata, with the former going to the top of the leaderboard with a time of 1:45.588.
Now with the session winding down to a close and the drivers now returning to the track for a final few laps, Hadjar secured the top spot.
Qualifying-
Kush Maini scored his maiden pole position in FIA Formula 2 as he beat out teammate Gabriel Bortoleto to seal a P1 start for Saturday’s Feature Race.
On his final attempt in Qualifying, Maini completed a lap of 1:41.696 to go to the top of the timesheets, Bortoleto followed his teammate across the line two-tenths off the pole-winning effort.
It was Maini who set the early pace for Invicta Racing, aided by a strong middle sector, he completed a lap of 1:42.533 to lead Hauger by just 0.045s.
With 10 minutes gone, the driver returned to the pitlane for some fresher tyres. However, that was when Campos elected to send Hadjar and Josep Maria Marti out on track for the first time in the session.
The rest of the field then emerged from the pit lane ahead of their final runs with Maloney going fastest. But the Bajan’s time was quickly eclipsed by the Invicta pair.
Maloney and a number of other drivers including ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins, made their second attempts at the top spot, but with the Pirelli rubber not offer more than one push lap.
However… Kush Maini has been disqualified from the final Qualifying classification after his Invicta Racing car was found in breach of the Technical Regulations.
The Stewards found that the height of the left undertray front external strake of the car was below the required minimum height and therefore not in line with the Technical Regulations.
As a consequence, all of Maini’s times set during the Qualifying session has been removed. And will be starting the Sprint Race & Feature Race from the back of the grid. Instead, Gabriel Bortoleto has inherited pole position.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Hadjar, P3: Maloney, P4: Hauger, P5: Miyata, P6: O’Sullivan, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Martins, P9: Barnard and P10: Crawford.
Hitech Pulse-Eight driver, Luke Browning picked up from where he left off in pre-season testing, where he ended practice as the fastest driver with a time of 1:47.828s.
Installation laps opened practice, but it was a long wait until the teams and drivers ventured out of the pitlane for serious running. Joseph Loake of Rodin Motorsport led the way with 15 minutes left.
That was until Fornaroli came through to secure the top spot with a 1:48.599, just as a Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Mini suffered a spin at Turn 4, beaching his car in the gravel trap as the VSC quickly became a Red Flag.
Practice resumed with six minutes left of running time and everyone was eager to make the most of it. Browning and Fornaroli exchanged fastest efforts until the British driver crossed the line, with Beganovic being another late improver, moving up to third late on.
Qualifying-
Dino Beganovic claimed pole position for PREMA Racing, setting a 1:46.431 to take the first P1 of the season. The Swede driver left it until the final moments to leap up the times.
After several warm up laps, Max Esterson hit the front for Jenzer Motorsport, setting a 1:47.573 to lead early on, 0.047s ahead of Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli.
Mari Boya was next to go quickest overall, setting a 1:47.307 though that was quickly beaten. Fornaroli returned to the top of the timesheets, with Beganovic moving up to second.
Once again, the field boxed for the final time and were back out for the final flying laps with six minutes left. Green and purple sectors began to fly and Christian Mansell put ART Grand Prix to the top with a 1:46.843 for the rest to beat.
The full top 10 are- P1: Beganovic, P2: Browning, P3: Mini, P4: Meguetounif, P5: Ramos, P6: Fornaroli, P7: Tramnitz, P8: Mansell, P9: Lindblad and P10: Esterson.
F1 Sprint will return for a fourth season this year and a format tweak is set to make the spectacle more engaging than ever.
As confirmed in December, Brazil will host its fourth consecutive Sprint weekend, with Austria to stage its third, Austin and Qatar return for a second year, and China and Miami joining the line-up for the very first time.
The F1 Commission met to discuss a range of matters and, shorting after the gathering concluded, the Sprint format update was communicated.
For this year, the Sprint Shootout will move from Saturday to Friday, following an initial free practice session for track acclimatisation and set-up work.
The 100km Sprint will then take place on Saturday, ahead of qualifying for the Grand Prix later that day. With the Grand Prix itself sticking to Sunday.
The regulatory refinements for these changes will be presented to the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) on February 28th.
Away from the Sprint, a proposal to increase the power unit allocation to four per driver for the 2024 and 2025 season was agreed. Additionally, DRS activation for the race will be anticipated to one lap as opposed to two laps after the start of the race, or the re-start following a Safety Car.
Formula 1 returns to Bahrain for the first round of the 2024 season, with the usual grand prix weekend schedule being brought forward a day, as will be the case next week in Saudi Arabia.
The teams always come to Sakhir with plenty of information about how the car and tyre package works on this particularly abrasive track, where traction and braking stability are key to performance.
Track evolution is somewhat limited, with temperature being the biggest influence with two of three free practice sessions tale place in the heat of the day, making it harder to get a read on race data. Another factor often affecting the cars is wind, which causes sand to blow onto the track and making the balance unpredictable.
The Bahrain Grand Prix offers a number of different overtaking opportunities, particularly in Turns 1, 4 and 11. Tyre degradation also playing a part in it, with different race strategies coming into play. Last year, a two-stopper using the C1 and C3 was the favoured strategy with the C2 used by only one team (McLaren).
Nikola Tsolov will continue with ART Grand Prix this year, completing the 2024 Formula 3 grid. The Bulgarian driver will be racing in his second season in the Championship.
Tsolov finished his rookie campaign 22nd in the Drivers’ Standings, earning two points finishes in the second half of the season. He also became apart of the Alpine Academy last year in February, after he was an Affiliate in March 2022.
Prior to joining Formula 3, the 17 year old was victorious in Spanish F4, where he won the 2022 Championship with a dominant campaign. He accumulated a record 400 points, taking 13 race wins and a further five podium finishes en route to the title.
Not only this, he has had stints in Formula Regional Middle East Championship, Macau Grand Prix and Eurocup-3.
I feel very much at home at ART Grand Prix, which is one of the greatest teams ever, so it’s a pleasure to continue with them for a second year in F3. I know the team, the circuits, the procedures and, apart from the tyres, I won’t have to learn anything new. Winter testing showed that we were consistently at the top of the timesheets, and the main target will be to be at the front at every race weekend.
Tsolov on the news.
Niko has had to take a giant step forward coming from Spanish F4 and, despite the difficulties faced by the team in 2023, his determination and focus have only strengthened. The raw results haven’t been there, but we’ve seen Niko’s formidable talent grow throughout the season and the entire team is looking forward to getting off to a good start in 2024 so we can deliver results together in line with our ambitions and our work.
PHM AIX Racing have finalised their driver line-up for the 2024 Formula 3 season following announcement that Nikita Bedrin will race for the team.
Bedrin returns for a second year in Formula 3 after sealing two podium finishes in 2023 at the Budapest Sprint Race and the Spa-Francorchamps Feature race with Jenzer Motorsport.
However, Bedrin has plenty of history with PHM AIX Racing, previously racing for the team in 2022 at the Formula 4 UAE, ADAC F4 and Italian F4 Championships – where he became a race winner at the former two events. He also won two races for the team at the Formula Regional Middle East Championship in 2023.
Welcome Back to the team, Nikita. Besides Taylor Barnard, PHM AIX Racing is supporting and educating Nikita in the third season now. No doubts about his raw speed and talent, Nikita matured on and off track and convinced us to give him another chance to prove himself, after a difficult first season in 2023. Although being compromised by some bad luck, he was able to show some respectable highlights last season with two podiums under very difficult conditions in F3. No doubts, with Nikita, his former FRMEC Teammate Joshua Dufek and Tasanapol, we have a very promising driver line-up, and I am sure, that with all the effort and work the team has done through the winter break, we will compete consistently for points and podiums.
The 2024 Formula 2 grid is now complete following PHM AIX Racing’s announcement that Taylor Barnard will be making the step up from Formula 3.
The Brit progresses to F2 after racing for Jenzer Motorsport last year in F3, finishing 10th in the Championship with the highlight being his maiden victory at the Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race.
The 19 year old, shares a strong history with PHM AIX as he raced for the in the Formula 4 UAE Championship in 2022, as well as in both the Italian and ADAC F4 categories that same year – finishing as the runner-up in the latter after achieving five wins and 10 podiums.
The following year, again with PHM AIX, he took part in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, scoring two wins and seven podiums on his way to finishing second.
I am delighted to announce I will be competing in FIA Formula 2 with PHM AIX Racing. It is another step up the ladder towards my dream and of course I wish to be more prepared, but I will do everything in my power and more to perform.
Barnard on the news.
On behalf of the whole team I can say that we are more than pleased and happy to have Taylor onboard. Being the most successful PHM Academy Driver, it is the logical step to evaluate Taylor as best promising option to be as successful as possible. He deserves the chance and until now, he fulfilled our expectations through all classes with pure dedication, will, natural talent and speed and increasing technical precision. All these efforts brought up good results, meaning in the last three FIA F3 Rounds 2023 he was the most successful driver by points. Taylor is teaming up with Joshua Duerksen and they know each other very well. We, as a still young PHM AIX Racing team, are aware that we are facing the most competitive Grid below Formula 1. The team is highly excited to have these two extremely motivated F2 Rookies in the field and I am expecting an increasing performance throughout the season and some positive surprising results.
MP Motorsport have confirmed that Alex Dunne will join the team for the 2024 FIA Formula 3 campaign. The Irishman finished second in the 2023 GB3 Championship and took part in post-season F3 testing with Hitech Pulse-Eight.
Dunne claimed five race victories during the GB3 campaign, falling just short of taking the title in what was his rookie season in the series.
Prior, to GB3, Dunne made his single seater racing debut in 2021, taking part in partial Spanish and ADAC F4 Championship campaigns. He took three poles, three fastest laps and three podiums across both series’.
In 2022, he competed in a trio of F4 Championships, winning the British F4 title and also winning races in the UAE and Italian Championships with multiple race wins across the trio. His 11 wins, poles and 17 podiums in British F4 gave him his first ever single seater title while 11 trips to the rostrum and three victories in the Italian series put him runner-up in the standings.
Dunne also topped the final Formula 3 test of 2023 around a rainy Imola circuit in what was his first taste of F3 action.
I’m thrilled to start my first full season of FIA F3 with MP Motorsport. They are proven winners in every category that they compete in, and I’m sure that they will use their experience to help me build on my initial experiences with the F3 car in the post-season FIA F3 test at Imola and then at Macau. I will be up against the best drivers at this level of single-seater racing, but that’s what I’m here for. I relish the challenge ahead and can’t wait to get started!
Dunne on the news.
We are truly excited to welcome Alex to our FIA F3 team. He has had an outstanding year in GB3 and then, fresh into an FIA F3 car, proved his innate pace at Imola and Macau. His Macau performance in particular was hard to overlook, so we were happy to pounce and snap him up for our final FIA F3 seat. Along with Tim and Kacper, we will have three very quick young drivers all eager to prove their point. I’m confident that they will all shine in their debut seasons.
F1 Academy has announced that the top five classified drivers in the 2024 Drivers’ Standings will get FIA Super Licence points. This important development represents recognition of F1 Academy’s competition structure, commitment to driver development and the technical skills required to race in the series.
The Champion of the 2024 season will receive 10 Super Licence points, while the drivers in second and third place will collect seven and five points respectively. Three points will go to fourth and fifth place gets 1 point.
A further initiative designed to help strengthen the talent pool in the regions in which F1 Academy races, from this season the series will also introduce Wild Card entries at select races across its calendar. Working with race promoters, F1 Academy will identify talented young women from the host region and offer the Wild Card entry for a specific weekend.
At races where there is a Wild Card entry, reigning Team Champions, Prema Racing, will operate the wild card car in addition to their three cars and offer support and training to the selected driver. Further details of Wild Card entries will be announced in due course.
Not only this, but an additional update has been made to the Sporting Regulations to specify that drivers may only compete in two seasons of F1 Academy. The introduction of this rule will ensure that every year there are opportunities for the most talented young women coming through the karting and single seater ranks to compete in the series.
After a positive inaugural season we are making two significant steps forward for 2024. Our top five drivers receiving FIA Super Licence points is testament to the strength of F1 Academy’s on track proposition and will help fuel their progression as they move up the single seater pyramid. The introduction of the Wild Card entrants will promote regional talent, engage with local communities, and increase the talent pool in the regions in which we race which will be important for our long-term growth and ensure we are creating even more opportunities for women to get involved in our sport.
MP Motorsport will be fielding an unchanged roster with race winners Hamda Al Qubaisi, Amna Al Qubaisi and Emely De Heus all embarking on their second F1 Academy season.
Driving for Red Bull Racing, Hamda will be the highest-placed returning driver in the field. The 21 year old Emirati racer fought hard to secure third in the Drivers’ Standings with four wins to her name.
23 year old, Amna will be competing for Visa Cash App RB, having claimed two wins in Spielberg and Barcelona alongside a further two podium finishes last year.
Emely De Heus will drive for Red Bull and will be looking to build upon her top nine finish last year after achieving one victory and two podiums.
We are thrilled to be welcoming Hamda, Emely and Amna, three incredibly talented drivers, into the Red Bull Academy Programme and are looking forward to working with them closely this season. This is a landmark moment for us and is testament to our complete commitment to the future of women’s motorsport. F1 ACADEMY provides an opportunity to promote genuine change in our industry and this is a great stepping-stone to help ensure that the drivers progress to the next level. This is a pivotal moment for women in motorsport and we are excited to see what this season brings.
Sarah Harrington, Red Bull Academy Programme Manager.
I’m happy to confirm Hamda, Amna and Emely as our F1 ACADEMY line-up for 2024 and as members of the Red Bull Academy programme. This means we will stick with the drivers whose talent we are familiar with — all three have already become true members of the MP Motorsport family in recent years. Together, we look forward to a challenging new F1 ACADEMY season in which we hope to repeat and further improve on our strong 2023 results. Hamda proved to be one of the title favourites while Amna and Emely each took their wins. And since we narrowly missed out on the teams’ title last year, we hope to go one better this year! Also, I’m grateful for Red Bull’s unwavering support of our efforts and we aim for a successful partnership together.
Formula 1 has announced a five-year extension with the Japanese Grand Prix that will see the Suzuka circuit remain on the F1 Calendar until 2029.
The high-speed 18 corner Suzuka Circuit is a favourite of drivers and fans alike, with the iconic ‘S’ Curves and 130R amongst the highlights at what is one of F1’s most celebrated tracks. Suzuka has played host to many memorable moments in Formula 1, with 12 drivers’ championships settled there, including most recently in 2022 when Max Verstappen sealed his second consecutive title.
In 2024, the Japanese Grand Prix will move to a new slot in April – between races in Australia and China – as part of F1’s effort to rationalise its calendar, creating a more efficient flow of races and reducing the distance that freight travels around the world as part of its journey to become net zero carbon by 2030.
This new slot will also see Formula 1 visit Japan during the world-famous cherry blossom season, offering fans the opportunity to take in fantastic racing and see one of the earth’s most iconic natural spectacles.
Last year’s Japanese Grand Prix was attended by 222,000 passionate fans across the race weekend, up from 200,000 in 2022. It also saw more than 20,000 people attend the first F1 Fan Festival in downtown Tokyo, with appearances by drivers including Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon and hometown hero Yuki Tsunoda.
Suzuka is a special circuit and part of the fabric of the sport, so I am delighted that F1 will continue to race there until at least 2029. As we prepare to return to Japan earlier than usual this season, I would like to express my huge gratitude to the promoter and team at Honda MobilityLand for supporting our effort towards greater calendar rationalisation as we look to make the sport more sustainable. Our fans in Japan embrace Formula 1 with a unique passion and we look forward to working with the promoter to give fans the experience they deserve for years to come.
Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1.
I am pleased that we will be able to continue hosting the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit from 2025 onwards. I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Stefano Domenicali and other related Formula 1 members. We aim to create a sustainable future and currently we are preparing to welcome many fans for the 2024 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix in April, the first time the event will be held in the spring season. We will continue to work together with the local communities and government agencies, including Mie Prefecture and Suzuka City, so that Suzuka can continue to be loved by fans around the world and contribute to the prosperity of motorsports culture and industrial development.
Tsuyoshi Saito, President and Representative Director of Honda Mobilityland Corporation.
Lewis Hamilton, seven-time F1 World Champion will be making a sensational switch from Mercedes to Ferrari next year on a multi-year contract.
Hamilton has raced for the Silver Arrows since the 2013 season and has won six of his seven world titles with the team, adding to the crown he achieved at McLaren earlier in his career.
Not only this, but he re-committed to Mercedes last summer, signing a new deal to keep him aboard through 2025, but he used the release clause which has allowed him to move to the Italian team.
Hamilton’s decision comes after two challenging seasons for the Brackley squad, who have struggled to adapt to F1’s latest ground effect era and have dropped behind Red Bull in the pecking order.
It means Hamilton will link up with Charles Leclerc, who recently agreed an extension with the Scuderia “beyond 2024” while Carlos Sainz will have to make way at the end of this year.
I have had an amazing 11 years with this team [Mercedes] and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.
Lewis Hamilton on the news.
In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride; Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come. We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal and CEO.
Following today’s news, Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024. We still have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the team and for the Tifosi all around the world. News about my future will be announced in due course.
Pietro Fittipaldi and Oliver Bearman have been named as Haas’s reserve drivers for the upcoming F1 season, providing back-up to regular racers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
Brazilian-American driver Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time world champion Emerson, has represented Haas since 2018, initially carrying out test duties before stepping up to reserve.
He also has two F1 starts to his name with the US-led operation, having replaced Romain Grosjean at the 2020 Sakhir and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following the Frenchman’s crash in Bahrain.
A former Formula Renault, MRF Challenge and World Series Formula V8 3.5 champion, the 27 year old is preparing to embark on a full campaign in the IndyCar series in 2024, racing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Bearman meanwhile, is back by Haas’s power unit partner, Ferrari where he will hold similar reserve duties for 2024 after impressing in his rookie F2 season.
The Brit who also took part in FP1 with Haas in Mexico and Abu Dhabi last season, was back in action for Ferrari earlier this week when he took to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya aboard the 2022 specification F1-75 as part of a Pirelli tyre test.
I’m happy and proud to be going into my sixth season with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team. I’m looking forward to continuing our work in development and supporting the team in the best way I can throughout the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
Fittipaldi on the news.
I’m really happy to be part of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team for the upcoming season. I had a great experience last year working with everyone at the team and I’m looking forward to building on that this year. There are several events I’ll be doing FP1s at – alongside the reserve duties, which is exciting. I’m grateful to Haas F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari for their faith and for supporting me.
Bearman on the news.
Oliver did a tremendous job for us last season settling in well and working through both his FP1 run programs in Mexico and Abu Dhabi and then with his test program. We’re looking forward to giving him the opportunity for more outings in FP1 in 2024 – with testing at a premium this is key running time, both for us to evaluate Oliver’s progress but also to enable him seat time in a Formula 1 car. Having Pietro with us for a sixth season is valuable as he again provides continuity and he’s been a great contributor to our program over the years – both on and off-track. We’re excited he’s landed a full-time IndyCar ride this season, so he can do what he loves to do – and that’s to race, but he’s there for us too as part of the Haas family.
Jordan's Track Talk 