The Official Formula One Thread!

[Speedbird-1]

Frenchman Isack Hadjar has been promoted to Red Bull's second team to race alongside Japanese Yuki Tsunoda during the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The announcement fills the final seat on the 20-car F1 grid.

Valtteri Bottas is returning to Mercedes as their reserve driver for 2025.

[joli160]

Smart move from Mercedes, if the new kid fails they have options

[77T]

Originally Posted by Speedbird-1

Frenchman Isack Hadjar has been promoted to Red Bull's second team to race alongside Japanese Yuki Tsunoda during the 2025 Formula 1 season.

This should prove entertaining, in the least for the radio traffic, if not for the driver debriefs with Mekies.


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[dba]

Originally Posted by Speedbird-1

Valtteri Bottas is returning to Mercedes as their reserve driver for 2025.

Good thing. I'm predicting he's in the race seat by Miami.

[SDGT3]

Day 26 without Formula One. Only those that know will see it

[jatco]

Originally Posted by SDGT3

Day 26 without Formula One. Only those that know will see it

Is this a popular, known locale or only in you neck of the woods.? A clubhouse of sorts???

[Speedbird-1]

Reminds me of Eau Rouge.

[SDGT3]

Originally Posted by jatco

Is this a popular, known locale or only in you neck of the woods.? A clubhouse of sorts???

Not in my neck of the woods, just a little reminder of Eau Rouge at Spa

[jatco]

Originally Posted by Speedbird-1

Reminds me of Eau Rouge.

And you're the Winner,..... Congrats

[Speedbird-1]

Originally Posted by jatco

And you're the Winner,..... Congrats

Hahaha…thanks Thomas.


(I’ve stood at almost that exact spot………at Spa)

[Robinn]

Lewis Hamilton will work with Riccardo Adami when he joins Ferrari in 2025. Adami was Carlos Sainz's race engineer.

[Robinn]

Formula 1 has announced TAG Heuer as the first individual partner as part of its 10-year deal with LVMH.

Replacing Rolex, TAG Heuer becomes the championship's official timekeeper and branding will be used globally after LVMH struck a decade-long agreement to bring a number of its luxury brands to F1.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/t...eper/10686622/

[dba]

Originally Posted by Robinn

Formula 1 has announced TAG Heuer as the first individual partner as part of its 10-year deal with LVMH.

Replacing Rolex, TAG Heuer becomes the championship's official timekeeper and branding will be used globally after LVMH struck a decade-long agreement to bring a number of its luxury brands to F1.

I wonder if this deal also brings back Moet & Chandon as the official champagne on the podium.

[1st amg]

Originally Posted by Robinn

Lewis Hamilton will work with Riccardo Adami when he joins Ferrari in 2025. Adami was Carlos Sainz's race engineer.

And Lewis is taking loads of Italian language school.

[Speedbird-1]

.

[Speedbird-1]

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 Correspondent
Published
2 hours ago
The Belgian Grand Prix has secured a new contract that will keep it on the Formula 1 calendar for four out of six years from 2026-2031.
It is the first deal of this type signed by F1, which is seeking to find ways of accommodating new events in an already crowded calendar.
The contract dictates that the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit will host races in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031.
However, in 2028 and 2030 Belgium will be replaced by another race.
The details of which other venues will rotate with Spa are yet to be confirmed.
Barcelona, in Spain, and Imola, in Italy, both want to keep their races, even though they are out of contract after this year.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is being replaced as the venue of the Spanish Grand Prix by a new circuit in Madrid from next season.
The Dutch Grand Prix's deal ends after 2026 but organisers in the Netherlands may want to revive it at some point, and F1 is also exploring ways of returning the French and German races to the calendar.
France is the birthplace of motorsport, while Germany is also one of the oldest venues, but both have become unviable in recent seasons.
France returned to the schedule in 2018 but fell off the calendar again after 2022, while Germany has not hosted a race since 2019.
A return of the Turkish Grand Prix, last held in 2021 after returning to the calendar in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, is also an option.
Rotation of European races also gives F1 an option to add new races outside the sport's European heartland, which currently accounts for about one third of the calendar.
F1 is working on a race in Rwanda, in central Africa, on a new circuit being built outside the capital Kigali, which will not happen before 2028 at the earliest.
Thailand is also interested in a race, but that would likely not be before 2030. The prospects of a return of South Korea to the calendar, which had been explored in both Seoul and Busan, are diminishing.
F1 president Stefano Domenicali said: "The Belgian Grand Prix was one of the races that made up our maiden championship in 1950, so as we kick off our 75th anniversary year it is fitting that we can share the news of this important extension.
"Spa-Francorchamps is rightly lauded by drivers and fans alike as one of the finest race tracks in the world and it has played host to some incredible moments over its many seasons in Formula 1.
"In recent years it has undergone significant work to improve the facility and overall fan experience, and I would like to pay tribute to the promoter and the Government of Wallonia for their dedication and passionate support for F1 in Belgium."
Last year brought F1's longest ever season, at 24 races, a schedule that continues this year, which starts in Australia on 14-16 March.
The team's contracts with F1 dictate a maximum of 25 races a year.
Those deals have to be renegotiated for the period starting in 2026, F1's next regulatory period, but there is widespread agreement that the sport is already at the upper limit of what is possible in terms of the calendar, and the maximum number of races is not expected to change in the new contracts

[SDGT3]

Spa, Monza and Silverstone should be permanent fixtures on the calendar. Not having Spa in 2028 and 2030 is a travesty. Not having a race in France or Germany when you have so many ties with current manufacturers and past champions is equally as regretful.

[codecow]

As much as it pains me, the US doesn’t need 3 races. They should ditch the lowest revenue race.

[joli160]

Originally Posted by SDGT3

Spa, Monza and Silverstone should be permanent fixtures on the calendar. Not having Spa in 2028 and 2030 is a travesty. Not having a race in France or Germany when you have so many ties with current manufacturers and past champions is equally as regretful.

Totally agree

[piratfisk]

Originally Posted by SDGT3

Day 26 without Formula One. Only those that know will see it

Hahahahah love this.

I really think that ditching Las Vegas should be considered. The racing blows & TBH, Las Vegas blows, too. If this was at Road America (IDK how hard it'd be to upgrade the track from level two to one), that would be amazing. Or Sonoma!

[77T]

Originally Posted by Speedbird-1

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 Correspondent
...
The team's contracts with F1 dictate a maximum of 25 races a year.

That's a good article. One item I would add is that the corps of officials at all levels has been stretched thin. Frankly we aren't replacing our "greying" (yet effective) officials fast enough.

Anytime an ASN adds a new F1 event there are greater demands in that homeland.

FIA brings a traveling crew but hundreds of skilled people are needed at many levels to make the event safe for drivers.

On a different point someone else made - 3 GPs in the US.
USA is in better shape due to concerted efforts to train professional level officials.

All told, the Americas have 6 GPs but F2 & F3 don't fly over. I'd like to see a rationalization of the dates beginning in 2026 so it's worth having a better race experience for fans and our drivers (all of the Americas). I would like to see more of the feeder series coming over.


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[SDGT3]

The FIA has introduced new guidelines which could see F1 drivers receive points deductions or a possible ban for misconduct violations, including swearing

[piratfisk]

Originally Posted by SDGT3

The FIA has introduced new guidelines which could see F1 drivers receive points deductions or a possible ban for misconduct violations, including swearing

Gotta get rid of MBS.

[SDGT3]

Originally Posted by piratfisk

Gotta get rid of MBS.

IIRC, his contract with the FIA is up for renewal soon. As vocal as the drivers have been, the team principals have been very quiet during this entire episode. That should be worrisome for MBS.

[77T]

The posted penalty guidelines mentioned fines but not license points. For a 3rd offense in same category of behavior there is a deduction of Championship points.

MBS is President of FIA, an elected position which is up for a new election this year IIRC.


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[piratfisk]

Originally Posted by SDGT3

IIRC, his contract with the FIA is up for renewal soon. As vocal as the drivers have been, the team principals have been very quiet during this entire episode. That should be worrisome for MBS.

Originally Posted by 77T

MBS is President of FIA, an elected position which is up for a new election this year IIRC.

This is great news. I can't wait for his asinine nannying to go.

[SDGT3]

What if he stays?

[shaunylw]

Originally Posted by SDGT3

What if he stays?

Then max is going to rack up 7 figures in fines lol.


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[77T]

Originally Posted by SDGT3

What if he stays?

This is the best question to ask and the fact is he can't lose unless someone stronger mounts a challenge with a complete slate of officers.

The procedure for an FIA challenger against the president requires him/her to assemble a full slate of officers for the election and that involves several steps. As of now, none have taken the steps.

1. Nomination Process: The FIA president typically starts by opening the door to candidates including various officer positions. This may involve consultations with member clubs and stakeholders to identify suitable candidates. As of November 2024, none...
https://racingnews365.com/ben-sulaye...e-election-bid

2. Approval by the General Assembly: The proposed slate of officers usually requires approval from the FIA's General Assembly. This body consists of representatives from member clubs and plays a critical role in the governance structure. WHO will they back? Reading the tea leaves started in mid-December. See:https://www.skysports.com/amp/f1/new...ed-ben-sulayem

3. Submission of Candidacies: Candidates for the officer positions must formally submit their candidacies, often accompanied by endorsements from member organizations.

4. Election Campaign: Once the slate is finalized, candidates may engage in a campaign to present their vision and agenda to the FIA membership.

5. Voting: The election is conducted during the General Assembly, where member clubs cast their votes. Should be finished by end of. November or early December 2025..

6. Announcement of Results: After the votes are counted, results are announced, and the new officers take their positions for their term.


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[Lol-x]

Charles LeClerc could be ended by Hamilton this year....