[StarrySky]

It looks like Sergio Perez is out of RedBull after Abu Dhabi. RedBull wants Sergio to make a decision, but from what Horner says in this clip, it sounds like the only decision for Sergio to make is "Should I retire or get fired?"

https://imgur.com/a/VldrHvV#lMQbO44

[volkman10]

The 2024 season is about to end and the teams and drivers are already being defined. Only 1 is missing:

Red Bull: Max and Perez
McLaren: Norris and Piastri
Ferrari: Lecierc and Hamilton
Mercedes: Russell and Antonelli
Aston Martin: Alonso and Stroll
Alpine: Gasly and Doohan
Williams: Albon and Sainz
RB Visa Cash: Tsunoda
Haas: Ocon and Bearman
Kick Sauber: Hulkenberg and Bortoleto

[AtheK]

Red bull should really look at getting Sainz and look to go for Constructor champions next year, without newy and max not having the fastest car, they will need to have second driver perform consistently.

I am sure Sainz will agree to be second fiddle to max then be driving the williams.

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Red bull should really look at getting Sainz and look to go for Constructor champions next year, without newy and max not having the fastest car, they will need to have second driver perform consistently.

I am sure Sainz will agree to be second fiddle to max then be driving the williams.

Doubt Carlos would want to even move to Redbull after his stint at Toro Rosso. More chances are Redbull will promote one of their juniors to play second fiddle to Max whilst Carlos (hopefully) can outshine at Williams and get a more apt team for himself.

I also believe that Hamilton or Alonso will retire at the end of next year, thus creating an opening at one of the bigger teams. Let's see, it's all speculations at this point. Checo had it coming from a mile away, and the final nail in the coffin was the last few races when Max started showing domination again. VCARB might as well bring in Hadjar from F2. Seems like quite a promising talent to me, and I don't see them promoting anyone else as of now.

[StarrySky]

There was a rumour that RedBull would try to get Sainz released from the Williams contract, but it seems to have died down. Now it seems their interest in Colapinto has also cooled.

RedBull have been reluctant to promote Yuki, but Yuki has been getting the better of whoever they put in the other VCARB seat to audition for Perez's seat. He is going to test with RedBull after the Abu Dhabi race, going head-to-head with Lawson again. So it should be between them for the 2nd RedBull seat.

If RedBull are not satisfied with either and still want to get rid of Perez, they could go for Bottas or Magnussen. Both will be ready to play second fiddle to Max from the outset, which I doubt Sainz will be ready to do. Will Bottas/Magnussen be any better than Perez? I am not sure. But I guess at this point, it doesn't matter for RedBull. They have been ridiculed for keeping Perez this long (even renewing the contract mid-season). After losing millions in prize money due to finishing third in WCC, I doubt if the RedBull employees will be too thrilled with Perez either.

[AtheK]

Well this sums it up perfectly, what a joke Perez has been from so long.

[nova.19_exe]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Well, this sums it up perfectly, what a joke Perez has been from so long.

I think the only reason RB has held on to Perez for so long is the sponsor money that he brings in.

My opinion would be to let Perez go and try to get Sainz to RB, rather than driving a Williams.

[volkman10]

2026 is going to be the last year for the Zandvoort circuit.

Formula 1 to celebrate final Dutch Grand Prix in 2026 after one year extension at Circuit Zandvoort confirmed.

Formula 1 and the Dutch Grand Prix promoter have announced a one-year contract extension which will see Circuit Zandvoort remain on the Formula 1 calendar through the 2026 season. After much consideration and discussion, the decision has been taken by the promoter not to remain on the calendar after 2026.

Robert van Overdijk, Director of the Dutch Grand Prix:

While today's announcement marks the end of a monumental era, we are confident that fans will have much more to look forward to at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2025 and 2026, including the Sprint weekend in 2026."

"We are a privately owned and operated company, and we must balance the opportunities presented by continuing to host the event, against other risks and responsibilities. We have decided to say goodbye with great success with two more incredible Dutch GPs in 2025 and 2026. We wanted to take this step while our event is adored and supported by passionate fans, residents and the Formula 1 community.

Source: F1

[Chetan_Rao]

Left field idea. Red Bull should put Hulkenberg in the second car. Solid and consistent without being spectacular, pretty much made-to-order for what they need.

[volkman10]

The Cadillac Formula 1 team will race with Ferrari engines from 2026.

Link:

[ninjatalli]

My view - this is all a game of money & sponsorships. Red Bull tried hard to get Colapinto not just because he's shown promise; but rather many of Checko's backing sponsors would still stay put with a driver from Latin America (Colapinto comes from Argentina); so kicking Checko out won't be a monetary hit to Red Bull.

Horner wants Checko to "quit" rather than pushing him out because of contract conditions. If Checko quits, then Red Bull won't be penalized.


- - - - - -


Sergio Perez brings an estimated $30-40 million USD in merchandise and sponsorships alone whilst Verstappen lost sponsorships for Red Bull in 2024.
Source: Reddit

Dutch supermarket Jumbo withdrew its financial support this year and while Verstappen still has personal sponsorships, they're not directly tied to Red Bull.

As for the Perez-specific Red Bull sponsors, they reportedly cover Perez's approximately $10 million annual salary and still leave $30m extra for the team and according to the Spanish sports newspaper Marca, multiple new sponsors for 2025 have now signed up with Red Bull. Horner is said to have just given the green light to start production of 2025-spec team clothing and merchandise featuring the new sponsors' names, and one of them is a big, major sponsor that will join the likes of Grupo Carso (Carlos Slim's group).

Basically, Checo is bringing enough sponsorship money to pay for half of Max's salary -- perhaps more!

That's why Checo's group is asking around £15.7m (some sources have them at $75m USD!) to leave the team because they would definitely need to pay up all those sponsors who have already signed on for 2025. That's a lot of money just to have the privilege to put Lawson in that seat.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Left field idea. Red Bull should put Hulkenberg in the second car. Solid and consistent without being spectacular, pretty much made-to-order for what they need.

That was the logic they kind of used when they picked Checko 4 years ago. And the sponsor money and LATAM markets reach he brought in. They can't just repeat that while they have Hadjar and Lawson waiting in the wings.

Originally Posted by AtheK

Well this sums it up perfectly, what a joke Perez has been from so long.

Actually Checko has been the perfect wingman for Max when the Red Bull car was the best on the track. Having two grand prix winners on the line is a BIG PAIN for the team principal - that's an age old unsolvable problem. Remember the start of 2023? Both Max & Checko had won 2 races each with a flip-flop. Back then Checko was claiming he's fighting for the championship; Max wasn't happy. But he then won the next 10 races consecutively and all Checko could showcase are feeble accusations that the car upgrades were more tuned for Max's preferences.

If you look at his Red Bull years, only 2024 was a problem. 2021, 2022, 2023 - Checko has a long list of podium finishes. Even more if you consider top 5 finishes. That's the perfect wingman for the champion. And that fantastic blocking of Hamilton in Abu Dhabi 2021 race; Max wouldn't be close to Hamilton on the last lap if it wasn't for Checko.

Max would have had a torrid time with someone like Sainz as a teammate always nipping at his lead; he wouldn't have had to fight with other teams; but rather with own his team mate. And we know what a sore loser he is - probably both RB cars would have been crashing into each other all year. No wonder Max is still supporting Checko for 2025 (recent interviews).

Originally Posted by nova.19_exe

I think the only reason RB has held on to Perez for so long is the sponsor money that he brings in.

+1 to this. He brings in HUGE amount of money.

My opinion would be to let Perez go and try to get Sainz to RB, rather than driving a Williams.

That's a no-go. Sainz comes from the Red Bull camp ages ago. Yet they didn't approach him when the Hamilton signing news came out. If they wanted him, they would have got him 6 months ago.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Having two grand prix winners on the line is a BIG PAIN for the team principal - that's an age old unsolvable problem.

Agree. Perez is indeed the right second driver alongside Max. Alex Albon would have been a nice alternative but he never showed that kind of promise, despite the chances.

Anyone else, and they are bound to get ambitious - be it Sainz, Gasly or even Tsunoda. This is also why I feel there may be fireworks (not the happy kind) at Ferrari. Leclerc is the blue-eyed boy of Ferrari, and Hamilton of F1; no one's going to play second fiddle. Similarly, Russell would have hated Sainz coming to Mercedes; he'd not be the No. 1 driver yet again.

Perez can and should do better, and I'm sure he knows that too.

[Cyborg]

Perez does bring in a lot of money, this is the only reason he’s still around at Red Bull.

I don’t think he will be around in 2025 because he’s cost Red Bull prestige which is priceless by them losing the constructors championship because of his pathetic performances in a car which could have won them the constructors championship also by a decently competent second driver.

I am sure in light of his poor performances this year there will be some sort of agreement which will be worked out which will make him retire

Cheers

[volkman10]

Developments in the regulations for the DRS. With this they try to prevent what happened to McLaren again this year.

These measures come after a controversy generated by the flexibility of McLaren's rear wing during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This design allowed it to deform and increase top speed, even without DRS activated. Following consultations between the FIA and the teams, the new rules seek to close any regulatory gaps.

- The changes include that the DRS flap will have to comply with greater restrictions even at rest.

-Another notable update states that there must be a minimum separation of between 9.4mm and 13mm between the rear wing elements when DRS is disabled. This distance will be measured with a spherical gauge and seeks to prevent teams from taking advantage of an advantage against the nature of the regulations.

-In addition to these adjustments, the FIA will also introduce specific procedures for events with high temperatures with which it seeks to protect the safety of drivers. If the heat index exceeds 30.5°C during a session, the race director may declare a "Heat Hazard". In this case, teams will need to install additional cooling systems for pilots. Likewise, the minimum weight of the single seaters will be increased by 5 kg, reaching 805 kg.

-In terms of tyre testing, from now on, teams will be able to use "mule" cars during post-season testing to evaluate new tyre sizes. In addition, greater freedom will be granted in the management of energy reserves during periods of factory closures.


Link:

[volkman10]

FIA publishes F1 2025 drivers, with Perez at Red Bull. The only gap pending to know was that of the Visa CashApp RB, where the initials 'TBC' appeared, which means 'still to be confirmed'.
It is an official document that the international federation usually issues once the team managers send the documentation so that they can register the riders, with their corresponding numbers, official names, team nomenclature, chassis and power units.







RB changes its name again for 2025 and will be Racing Bulls officially.

RB will officially be Racing Bulls from the next Formula 1 season.

For the 2024 Formula 1 season, AlphaTauri became Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team, as this is the name under which the team is registered on the official FIA entry list.
However, the team came to be popularly called RB... something that will change next year.

Link: