There was no shortage of Formula One drama this week, with two major headlines dominating the news. These headlines surrounded a shocking announcement regarding Lewis Hamilton’s future career and some devastating news regarding Andretti’s bid to join Formula One. But there’s so much more to catch up on in this week’s instalment of the Weekly F1 Recap.
Lewis Hamilton will be moving to Ferrari in 2025 as part of a multi-year contract with the team. Hamilton has been with Mercedes since 2013, where he won six of his seven World Championship titles. However, a massive performance slump with the introduction of the new regulations in 2022 has seen the Brit on a winless streak. The news comes a week after Charles Leclerc signed a long-term deal with Ferrari. Carlos Sainz will be exiting the team at the end of 2024 to make room for Hamilton. It’s unclear where Sainz’s future lies.
Andretti Cadillac’s bid to enter a Formula One team for 2025 or 2026 was rejected by Formula One Management (FOM), insisting they “do not believe that the Applicant has shown that it would add value to the Championship”. This is despite the team having already started development work on their car at their new UK base with newly hired senior employees attracted from other teams. The FIA approved Andretti’s application in October last year, leaving the final decision up to FOM. FOM requested an in-person meeting with Andretti via email, which the team claims landed in a spam folder and was never read. During the application review process, FOM concluded that Andretti would be unlikely to be competitive, especially given their plans to work with General Motors to develop a brand new power unit programme. They also concluded that “F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around”. However, FOM has left the door open to a potential 2028 application from the team, if the team were to come with a General Motor power unit.
Liberty Media was ranked the most valuable sports empire, according to Forbes magazine. With a value of $18.2 billion, Liberty outranked Kroene Sports and Entertainment (owner of Arsenal FC, the Los Angeles Rams, and Denver Nuggets) in second place and Fenway Sports Group (owner of Liverpool FC, the Boston Red Sox, and the Pittsburgh Penguins). This is despite Liberty Media’s decision to convert the Atlanta Braves into a separate company, which represented more than 10% of the company’s sports assets.
Nyck de Vries has lost a legal battle and now owes 50% of his Formula One income. While competing in Formula 2 with Prema in 2018, de Vries obtained a €250,000 loan from the Investrand company. The loan was given on the condition that if de Vries became an active Formula One driver before the end of 2022, he would pay the company 50% of the income he earned during his entire Formula One career. Investrand later agreed that de Vries’ time as a test driver for Mercedes would not count as being an “active driver”. When Alex Albon became ill during the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, de Vries took the race start in the Williams. Although de Vries contends that the race was part of his reserve driver contract, the Amsterdam District Court disagreed. Nyck de Vries is considering an appeal.
Haas has revealed the livery for their VF-24 car, becoming the second team to do so this season. The unveiling was done via a digital render. Although the primary colour scheme of their 2024 challenger has remained unchanged from the previous year’s car, the team have opted to paint the nose black, giving the car an overall darker appearance. The team will unveil their new car in a launch event on February 11.
Oliver Bearman will be joining Haas as a reserve driver for 2024, alongside his Formula 2 campaign and Ferrari reserve driver duties. The news comes just one week after Ferrari announced the 18-year-old junior driver would be joining their team of 3 reserve drivers. The partnership will see Bearman participate in six free practice sessions throughout the season at the Emilia Romagna GP, Spanish GP, British GP, Hungarian GP, Mexico City GP, and Abu Dhabi GP. Bearman will be working alongside Pietro Fittipaldi, who has been with Haas since 2019.
Sauber has signed Formula 2 driver Zane Maloney as a reserve driver for 2024, becoming part of the Sauber Academy. He joins Theo Pourchaire in the role. Maloney was previously part of the Red Bull. He finished 10th with Rodin in the 2023 Formula 2 championship with 4 podiums, having finished runner-up with Trident in his sole Formula 3 season the year prior. He will continue racing with Rodin in Formula 2 alongside his reserve driver duties at Sauber.
The Japanese Grand Prix will remain at Suzuka until at least 2029, as they reach a five-year contract extension to stay on the calendar. The circuit’s current contract was set to end after this season. This seemingly eliminates the threat from Osaka, which expressed interest in hosting the Japanese Grand Prix at a street circuit. Although not as long as the contracts agreed to by other circuits, a five-year deal is still longer than Suzuka’s previous contract. This leaves Silverstone as the only circuit yet to reach a deal to host a race beyond the 2024 season.
RB has recruited former FIA technical director Tim Goss to the role of chief technical officer. Goss, who had an extensive F1 career with McLaren spanning decades prior to joining the FIA, left the FIA a couple of weeks ago. However, Goss will not officially start in his new role until October.
RB has also appointed Alan Permane as racing director, as previously rumoured. Permane spent his career advancing through the ranks at Benetton, which eventually become Renault then Lotus then Renault again and finally Alpine. He was axed from Alpine in July last year as part of a management overhaul.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
