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3 weeks ago

F1 news - latest: Sergio Perez faces Red Bull decision and Abu Dhabi test updates including Carlos Sainz

F1 updates with post-season testing in Abu Dhabi giving Carlos Sainz and Williams valuable time on track

Kieran Jackson
Tuesday 10 December 2024 21:00 GMT
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Christian Horner's nine-word response to Toto Wolff 'terrier' dig

F1 post-season testing is here in Abu Dhabi as the dust settles on the 2024 season.

Lando Norris secured a dominant victory at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to win McLaren their first constructors’ championship since 1998, with Max Verstappen already secure of the drivers’ championship following a tough year for Red Bull.

As Lewis Hamilton prepares to join Ferrari and says his farewells at Mercedes, teams and drivers will be dialling in pace and experimenting ahead of the 2025 season.

Including Carlos Sainz and Williams, with the Spaniard determined to carry over late-season momentum from his own performance after calling time on his spell with the Scuderia. Yuki Tsunoda is also driving for Red Bull, with Esteban Ocon testing for new team Haas.

Follow live updates from the Abu Dhabi post-season test below:

Pinned

Sergio Perez responds to 2025 Red Bull question marks:

“Well, at the moment, I don’t know,” Perez said, when asked about his future.

“I just know that I’ve got a contract to race next year. And unless something changes in the coming days, that’s going to be the situation for next year.”

When probed about Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda being strongly linked with his seat, the Mexican said: “I think at the moment all I can say is I got a contract, that I signed up in the middle of the year to race for the team for the next two years. So, we’ll see what happens and how the conversation goes in the coming days.

“We are talking to try to see what’s best moving forward.”

A reminder that Tsunoda is driving the Red Bull in the post-season test this week. Perez, meanwhile, has been linked with an ambassadorial role with the team for 2025 but does have a race contract until the end of next season.

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson8 December 2024 18:44
3 weeks ago

Carlos Sainz makes surprise admission over Williams plans after final Ferrari race

“Being very honest with you, I don’t think so. I think, I’m not going to lie, my last laps, as much as I was pushing like hell for this team and trying to, I was already starting to feel things in the car and trying to say, ‘remember how this feels’.

“Because tomorrow and Tuesday I need to remember, why is this car quick in this corner and why does it feel good? Because I know probably what I’m going to find tomorrow, and Tuesday needs some margin of improvement in the corners that I was feeling the car. So this just sums up that I’m already looking also ahead.

“I’m extremely motivated for the challenge that I have ahead of me. Today is a day to try and enjoy as much as possible with the team as my last day in red. We still have some days in Maranello coming up, but obviously my competitive mind is already looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and to see how I can make that Williams car faster.”

Mike Jones10 December 2024 21:00
3 weeks ago

WATCH: Lewis Hamilton opens up on 'wave' of emotions ahead of final Mercedes race

Before yesterday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton was asked to sum up his emotions on a day he raced his last race as a Mercedes driver.

Take a look at what he said below:

Lewis Hamilton opens up on 'wave' of emotions ahead of final Mercedes race
Mike Jones10 December 2024 20:00
3 weeks ago

Max Verstappen: How the four-time champion stacks up against other F1 greats

Max Verstappen put the finishing touches on his fourth Formula One world title with sixth place in Abu Dhabi.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how he compares to the rest of an elite group.

Max Verstappen: How the four-time champion stacks up against other F1 greats

The Dutchman has 63 race wins, second only to Lewis Hamilton (105) and Michael Schumacher (91).

Mike Jones10 December 2024 19:00
3 weeks ago

Lewis Hamilton’s farewell at Mercedes ends the greatest era in F1 history – but not in the way you think

The bemusement reverberated across the paddock. It is difficult not to overemphasise the brutal reaction the cut-throat Formula One circus – whether it be media, ex-drivers or fans – had in September 2012 when, to the astonishment of everyone, Lewis Hamilton decided to leave McLaren for Mercedes.

Even the wishes of his father and manager, Anthony, were ignored. As Jeremy Clarkson put it so tactlessly on a 2012 episode of Top Gear: “Is that not a bit like moving from Manchester United to West Ham?” And sorry Hammers fans – it was not a compliment.

Yet six world championships, 12 years and 84 grand prix victories later, Hamilton’s bold plunge into unchartered waters was his best-ever decision.

Full piece below:

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes farewell ends the greatest F1 era – but not how you think

Hamilton races his final grand prix for Mercedes this weekend after six world championships, 12 years and 84 grand prix victories. But his Silver Arrows legacy goes beyond those numbers, as Kieran Jackson explains

Mike Jones10 December 2024 18:30
3 weeks ago

F1 2024 season awards: Best driver, biggest shock and worst race

Overtake of the year

Alex Albon, Canada – This was a spectacular manoeuvre.

Down the back straight at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Albon weaved to the outside to surge past Daniel Ricciardo, before slipping ahead of Esteban Ocon down the inside before the final chicane.

Exquisite car placement in-between two cars.

Podium places: Max Verstappen, Brazil; Oscar Piastri, Azerbaijan

Mike Jones10 December 2024 18:00
3 weeks ago

F1 2024 season awards: Best driver, biggest shock and worst race

Moment of the year

Lando Norris winning the Miami GP – This was a tough call. But Norris had been waiting for his first F1 victory for so long that, when it came, the jubilation was palpable.

It was also the first indication of McLaren’s rapid race-pace, setting up a thriller of a 2024 season.

Podium places: Lewis Hamilton wins British GP, Max Verstappen wins Brazil GP

Mike Jones10 December 2024 17:30
3 weeks ago

F1 2024 season awards: Best driver, biggest shock and worst race

Biggest disappointment

Daniel Ricciardo – This was a close-run thing between three drivers: Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Logan Sargeant.

Sargeant’s axing after the Dutch Grand Prix had been some time coming and, given his consistent placing at the back of the grid, perhaps it wasn’t totally surprising.

Yet Ricciardo’s inability to produce even a glimpse of his prime speed was a mighty old shame. It was no secret that Perez’s Red Bull seat was up for grabs if he could. Therefore, the Aussie shades it.

Podium places: Sergio Perez, Logan Sargeant

Mike Jones10 December 2024 17:00
3 weeks ago

F1 2024 season awards: Best driver, biggest shock and worst race

Biggest surprise

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari – OK, a tad cheeky given it was prior to the 2024 season commencing, but nothing stunned the F1 (and sporting) world more than this transfer.

It was quite the day when Mercedes, astonishingly, did not deny reports surfacing from the Italian media that Hamilton had opted to leave his beloved Silver Arrows and end the most successful partnership in F1 history.

Inevitably, next year’s transfer was a constantly present topic in the background throughout the year. Did it impact Hamilton’s performance? Who knows. Either way, we all cannot wait to see how it unfolds.

Podium places: Adrian Newey leaving Red Bull/joining Aston Martin, Mercedes promoting Kimi Antonelli 2025

Mike Jones10 December 2024 16:30
3 weeks ago

F1 2024 season awards: Best driver, biggest shock and worst race

Best team

McLaren – It shouldn’t be understated how monumental an achievement this was for the papaya.

After the first four races, McLaren were third in total and already 72 points off Red Bull. But from Norris’ win in Miami onwards, they managed to take the fight to the reigning world champions and surpass them, as well as thwart the late challenge from Ferrari.

Full credit to team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown for their hotshot driver line-up selection and their astute mechanical hiring, with ex-Red Bull engineer Rob Marshall playing a leading role in McLaren’s sudden surge in speed, particularly on the straights.

Podium places: Ferrari, Haas

Mike Jones10 December 2024 16:00

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