Round-up: Government defeated over Australian GP, Ferrari pair join Audi and more
Welcome to Friday’s edition of the RaceFans round-up.
Comment of the day
McLaren can clinch the constructors’ championship at the next race, but as Max Verstappen has scored 96% of Red Bull’s points, shouldn’t it be a lot closer?
Did Tsunoda play a part in this? His poor results are clearly slowing the Red Bull.
With a more evenly matched team mate, would Red Bull be second? Would the constructors’ championship still be on the wire at this point? @Spoutnik
‘A source with knowledge of the contract said F1 had pushed for an expanded race period to increase their control over access to the park and images broadcast from the circuit to extract more money from sponsors. ‘They want to own the whole lot, Netflix-style,’ the source said. The collapse in support for legislation may leave the Victorian government in breach of its Formula 1 contract.’
‘Both Germans, Zimmermann and Schmidt are returning to their roots, having now joined the Audi Motorsport Center in Neuburg. Making a strong national brand like the Four Rings a major player in the sport will certainly have been a special motivation for them. Zimmermann was at Ferrari eleven years ago, hired in 2014 which marked the era of hybrid engines in Formula 1 and was fundamental in the launch of the current generation of Ferrari engines (066), Schmidt arrived from Mercedes in 2016.’
‘The collaboration will see the FIA expand its use of Siemens’ Xcelerator software portfolio to drive innovation in race car design while reducing the environmental impact of developing and testing prototypes.’
‘The two-day schedule will conclude with the participating drivers, aged 15 – 21, getting behind the wheel of F1 Academy machinery with a total of six hours of testing available throughout the day.’
‘Ferrari announced the multi-year renewal of Nicklas Nielsen’s contract, with the Danish driver set to continue representing the Prancing Horse as an official driver in endurance racing.’
Giacomo Ricci: ‘Freddie is an exceptionally talented driver who has consistently shown himself to be among the very best, in every category he has raced, from karting to single-seaters. It is a source of great pride for us to welcome him into the team, and we are convinced that a driver of his calibre will bring significant value to the entire organisation.’
‘Already with the first joker, the main topic was to improve drivability and consistency of the car for the drivers. This we did with the brakes and now basically the update of the car is going exactly in the same direction.’
RaceFans always endeavours to credit original sources. Want to share a relevant motorsport link with us? Send it in via the contact form.
Social media and links
Opposition parties slam brakes on proposed grand prix change (The Age)
‘A source with knowledge of the contract said F1 had pushed for an expanded race period to increase their control over access to the park and images broadcast from the circuit to extract more money from sponsors. ‘They want to own the whole lot, Netflix-style,’ the source said. The collapse in support for legislation may leave the Victorian government in breach of its Formula 1 contract.’
Due pezzi grossi lasciano la Ferrari: chi sono e cosa cambia per Leclerc e Hamilton (Corriere dello Sport – Italian)
‘Both Germans, Zimmermann and Schmidt are returning to their roots, having now joined the Audi Motorsport Center in Neuburg. Making a strong national brand like the Four Rings a major player in the sport will certainly have been a special motivation for them. Zimmermann was at Ferrari eleven years ago, hired in 2014 which marked the era of hybrid engines in Formula 1 and was fundamental in the launch of the current generation of Ferrari engines (066), Schmidt arrived from Mercedes in 2016.’
FIA partners with Siemens to drive innovation, safety and sustainability in racing (FIA)
‘The collaboration will see the FIA expand its use of Siemens’ Xcelerator software portfolio to drive innovation in race car design while reducing the environmental impact of developing and testing prototypes.’
Landmark F1 Academy rookie test set to drive forward series’ future talent pipeline (F1 Academy)
‘The two-day schedule will conclude with the participating drivers, aged 15 – 21, getting behind the wheel of F1 Academy machinery with a total of six hours of testing available throughout the day.’
Pourchaire becomes official driver for Team Peugeot in 2026 (Peugeot)
‘He will replace Stoffel Vandoorne, whose contract ends after the Six Hours of Fuji, in the cockpit of the Peugeot 9X8 number 94.’
Ferrari announces contract renewal with Nicklas Nielsen (Ferrari)
‘Ferrari announced the multi-year renewal of Nicklas Nielsen’s contract, with the Danish driver set to continue representing the Prancing Horse as an official driver in endurance racing.’
Adidas becomes official partner of the future Audi Formula 1 Team (Audi)
‘Multi-year partnership makes Adidas the official apparel partner for Audi in Formula 1.’
Trident to field Freddie Slater for his 2026 FIA F3 season (Trident)
Giacomo Ricci: ‘Freddie is an exceptionally talented driver who has consistently shown himself to be among the very best, in every category he has raced, from karting to single-seaters. It is a source of great pride for us to welcome him into the team, and we are convinced that a driver of his calibre will bring significant value to the entire organisation.’
BMW confirms Evo joker usage for M Hybrid V8 aero update (Sportscar 365)
‘Already with the first joker, the main topic was to improve drivability and consistency of the car for the drivers. This we did with the brakes and now basically the update of the car is going exactly in the same direction.’
RaceFans always endeavours to credit original sources. Want to share a relevant motorsport link with us? Send it in via the contact form.
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