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Abbi Pulling has been confirmed as the F1 Academy champion after a disastrous qualifying session for her Mercedes-backed rival Doriane Pin in Abu Dhabi.The Alpine junior had been crowned on Saturday in Qatar last weekend, but the cancellation of race two due to barrier repairs and the subsequent introduction of a third race in Abu Dhabi meant the job was not quite done.This was because although …Keep reading

Lando Norris led a McLaren 1-2 in second practice for Formula 1’s 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi, with Nico Hulkenberg third for Haas.At Red Bull, Max Verstappen was again frustrated with his RB20’s handling as he ended up down in 17th, while McLaren’s constructors’ title rival Ferrari had a low-key session and Williams endured further setbacks on both its cars.After Zhou Guanyu set the …Keep reading

If Sergio Perez indeed gets pushed out by Red Bull – or decides to jump himself, which seems the more unlikely scenario – after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, all signs point to Liam Lawson as the name that will be prioritised in the conversation between Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and the company’s shareholders on Monday after the race.And Lawson is a solid driver. The word in the paddock is that …Keep reading

Red Bull Formula 1 team principal Christian Horner has shrugged off Mercedes chief Toto Wolff’s criticism after the pair weighed in on a high-profile spat between their drivers Max Verstappen and George Russell.Verstappen and Russell came to blows at last week’s Qatar Grand Prix over how Verstappen felt Russell went overboard trying to land him a penalty for impeding in qualifying.The spat …Keep reading

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has admitted that giving Sergio Perez an early contract extension this year to try to clear the Mexican’s mind of worries “did not work”.The Milton Keynes-based squad is expected to make a call on its 2025 driver line-up next week, with mounting speculation that it could elect to drop Perez in favour of one of its RB youngsters Liam Lawson or Yuki …Keep reading

Charles Leclerc is set for a 10-place grid penalty at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Ferrari was forced to fit a new battery for the last race of the season.The Monegasque is hoping to help Ferrari beat rival McLaren to the constructors’ championship this weekend in their close-fought battle.However, his hopes have suffered a blow with the change of battery meaning he has used more than his …Keep reading

Charles Leclerc was fastest in Formula 1’s final FP1 session of 2024 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, two tenths clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris.Ferrari driver Leclerc was stranded in the garage for the opening 25 minutes of the session with a battery issue, but immediately picked up the pace when he got out on track.After getting a few laps on the board, he took aim at Norris’ then-benchmark of a …Keep reading

Mercedes was at pains to point out that Toto Wolff’s “yapping little terrier” jibe had been directed at his opposite Formula 1 team principal number at Red Bull, Christian Horner.Its communications team knew he was planning to say something on the media day for the season finale here in Abu Dhabi. But not that he’d so overtly infiltrate George Russell’s press briefing – standing over his …Keep reading

RB has offered a glimpse at 2025 design ideas with a new front wing that it has brought to the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.The squad is still locked in a fight for sixth place in the constructors’ championship and has managed to get its final development of the season on the car for the finale at the Yas Marina circuit.The squad hopes that the new design, which required new nose structure …Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he underestimated just how difficult his final season with Mercedes would be from an emotional point of view.The seven-time world champion revealed at the start of the year that he would be leaving the German manufacturer for Ferrari, ending what will have been a 12-year partnership.While it was hoped getting the news out early would allow Hamilton and Mercedes to …Keep reading