The bulk of the Formula One news this week revolves around an announcement that will completely change the Spanish Grand Prix in the years to come, as well as two major driver contract extensions. Additionally, the 2024 car launch schedule has been finalized.
A Madrid street circuit will become the new host of the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026 onward, as part of a 10-year contract with the city. The proposed 5.47km circuit will feature a combination of street and non-street sections of circuit with a predicted lap time of 1m 32s around the 20 corner. The circuit still must undergo approval by the FIA. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which has been the home of the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991, now faces an uncertain future. A second event in Spain has not been entirely ruled out, although it may be unlikely given the fullness of the Formula One calendar.
Formula One may be eyeing a potential race in Chicago, as they file multiple trademarks. The trademark applications were filed January 19 by Formula One Licensing BV and include four variations of “Chicago Grand Prix” and “Grand Prix of Chicago”. While there has been no mention of a Formula One race in Chicago, a race in the city would fit into the sport’s recent interest in American events and street circuits. However, it’s important to note that it is not unusual for companies to file trademarks for possible future expansion, as this prevents others from beating them to it. Formula One Licensing also holds trademarks for a number of non-existent Grand Prix races, including races in New York (USA), London (England), Nice (France), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Indonesia, the Philippines, Poland, and Bulgaria.
The organizers of the Australian Grand Prix have put their foot down following an FIA investigation into the reckless actions of spectators at the 2023 event. Fans managed to bypass security and flood onto the circuit while the cars were completing their cool-down lap, creating a potentially dangerous situation. The event organizers have announced that spectators will be banned from entering the circuit this season. A decision of whether the ban should be permanent will be made at a later date.
Formula One will be introducing a new stronger wheel rim design for the 2024 season. This was done to solve the recent problem of the rubber tyre coming free from the rim during a crash. A notable incident happened at the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix when a tyre from Alex Albon’s Williams struck Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri. After developing and testing the new rims with various teams at the end of 2023, Formula One’s sole rim supplier, BBS, has concluded work on the new design.
Tickets for the brand new F1 DRIVE experience in London went on sale this week. The karting experience is designed for people of all ages and skill levels, featuring three different circuits. The venue boasts cutting edge karts designed to provide the most authentic Formula One driving experience with karts that include a high-tech LED data display on the steering wheel, realistic F1 engine sounds, team radio with a virtual race engineer, DRS, and audio commentary by David Croft. Tickets start at roughly $45 for a 15 minute practice session and 15 minute race session.
Oliver Bearman will be joining the Ferrari reserve driver lineup for 2024. He will be sharing the role alongside the team’s existing reserve drivers, Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman. Bearman has been competing in the junior formulae with Prema Racing as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Last year, he finished sixth in the Formula 2 championship, which he will be participating in again this year.
Charles Leclerc has signed a new multi-year contract to stay at Ferrari. The 26-year-old’s current contract was set to end after the 2024 season. Although the specifics of the deal have not been revealed, it’s been reported by the Italian media that it will run until the end of 2029.
Lando Norris has extended his McLaren contract long term. The deal he struck in 2022 had him at the team until 2025. McLaren did not reveal how long the new deal will last, but it’s believed to keep him at the team until at least 2027. Norris has been a rumoured target for larger teams like Red Bull and Audi.
Lando Norris’ entertainment and fashion brand, Quadrant, has secured a partnership with popular YouTube start WillNE. The seven-figure deal will see WillNE become a co-owner of the brand. Quadrant was founded in 2020 and is involved in a variety of activities including esports events, social media content production, and a clothing line.
Following great success from his book in 2023, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has announced that he is working a second book. His first book, Surviving to Drive, sold more than 150,000 copies, due in large part to his unfiltered style. Steiner gained notoriety for his expletive-filled appearances in the Drive to Survive Netflix docuseries that premiered in 2019.
Netflix has announced that the sixth season of Drive to Survive will be released on February 23. It will featured all of 10 teams on the grid, despite Ferrari and Mercedes having resisted involvement in previous seasons.
AlphaTauri has officially rebranded itself to the Visa CashApp RB Formula One team. As reported in last week’s edition of the Weekly F1 Recap, the name change comes as no shock, as the team had already let slip their new name via social media. Although originally believed to be short for “Racing Bulls”, the team will simply become known as “RB” according to their press releases.
And with RB having announced their car launch date of February 8 at Las Vegas, the schedule of car launches has been confirmed ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain on February 21. The car launches will be as follows:
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