There was no racing this week, but there was a ton of action off the track, including news of a huge engineering figure leaving his current team. Plus, the 2025 driver market got a little clearer with a driver swap. And Ferrari will be trying a new colour for the next round of the championship. And so much more.
Adrian Newey is set to leave Red Bull at the end of the season, despite being contracted until the end of 2024. The news has yet to be officially confirmed by the parties involved and it is unclear where his future role would be. Newey, widely regarded as one of the most successful car designers, has been with Red Bull since 2006 and has played a crucial role in designing the cars that helped Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen win championships. His future on the team has been a topic of interest since the pre-season controversy within Red Bull. Newey has ties with many teams, including former employers Williams and McLaren, and would be welcome at any team on the grid. Aston Martin boss Lawerance Stroll has reportedly offered Newey a job and Ferrari has also shown interest. A less talked about home could be Sauber, which is set to become Audi in 2026. The Swiss outfit has been hunting for talent in recent months. At 65 years old, it’s also possible the Brit, with nearly four decades of F1 experience, could retire. This scenario seems especially likely considering a non-compete clause in his Red Bull contract would likely make him unavailable to other teams until at least 2027, meaning he would not have any major input on a new team until the 2028 car. At this point, he will be nearly 70.
Nico Hulkenberg will move to Sauber in 2025, leaving Haas after two seasons. The German has been racing in F1 since 2010, joining Haas in 2023 after a three-year hiatus. Hulkenberg has been linked to an Audi move for some time, having previously worked with Audi F1 CEO Andreas Seidl in the World Endurance Championship with Porsche. The team has also reportedly talked with Carlos Sainz as it prepares to become the Audi team in 2026. With Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu out of contract at the end of the year, it’s unclear who Hulkenberg is replacing. Oliver Bearman, who had a strong Formula One debut when he replaced an ill Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia, is the top candidate for the vacant seat at Haas.
Plans to introduce a new rear-facing camera later in the season were approved during an F1 Commission meeting this week. The new cameras will debut at the Spanish Grand Prix in June. Formula One has had rear-facing cameras for a while now, but they are located near the cockpit in the middle of the car. The new cameras will be mounted to the rear crash structure, offering a new angle free from obstructions.
The decision on whether to adopt changes to the points system has been deferred until July. The changes, which would see more points up for grabs in the midfield, were discussed at the F1 Commission meeting on Thursday. The FIA and all 10 teams attended it. While the proposal only requires support from five teams, it was deemed unnecessary to rush the decision. Instead, the implications of the changes will be reviewed further and the topic will be presented again at the next F1 Commission meeting in July.
Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali plans to discuss adding more sprint races to the calendar for 2025 at the next F1 Commission meeting. The sprint races, introduced in 2021, have undergone numerous changes to try and make the system work. The current schedule holds six sprint weekends, but Domenicali said during an interview that he enjoys the format because “it keeps the tension on every day” and wants to discuss adding more at the next F1 Commission meeting.
A new free 24/7 Formula One streaming channel is set to be launched ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. The ad-supported channel, which C15 Studio will operate, will be distributed on streaming platforms including Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee, and Pluto TV with no subscription required. It will feature replays and highlights of F1, F2, F3, and F1 Academy. To avoid conflicts with ESPN, the US broadcast rights holder until 2025, and the in-house F1 TV service, there will be a five-day hold until content from the most recent weekend will be featured on the channel.
Ferrari announced it will run a blue one-off livery at the upcoming Miami Grand Prix to honour the Italian company’s 70th anniversary in the American marketplace. The original breakthrough was signified by a special blue and white livery used in the 1964 United States Grand Prix and 1964 Mexican Grand Prix. The Miami livery will feature two shades of blue: Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino. Azzurro La Plata is a light blue worn by Alberto Ascari and other Ferrari drivers throughout history. Azzurro Dino is a dark blue last worn by Clay Ragazzoni before the standard Ferrari red uniform was introduced. The special livery will be unveiled in Maimi, with the having already launched a limited edition collection of team gear.
Hewlett-Packard has joined forces with Ferrari to become the team’s new title sponsor from the Miami Grand Prix onward. The “multi-year” deal sees Ferrari officially become Scuderia Ferrari HP. In addition to sponsorship appearances on the team’s equipment, the American technology giant will also provide the team with services ranging from computers to printers to other hardware.
A 1991 Honda NSX once owned by Aryton Senna has gone up for sale in the UK. The late World Champion played a role in the development of the first generation of the Honda NSX, having worked closely with Honda engineers when test-driving prototypes. Honda gave Senna some production models as part of the partnership, one of which he used as his car in Portugal. The car was imported into the UK by Robert McFagan during a trip to Portugal. The car’s history comes at a price of £500,000 (~$622,000), which is well above the average NSX, even considering its low 39,100 milage.
Andretti is pushing ahead with the expansion of their F1 project, opening job vacancies for 60 new employees at their new Silverstone base. This is all despite the outfit having gained entry to the 2026 grid. The vacancies include engineering roles in the aerodynamics, CFD, manufacturing, vehicle performance, and model design departments. It also includes numerous senior-level positions such as head of aero development and head of mechanical design.
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.
