Speaking in an interview, Max Verstappen revealed a shocking health issue he experienced in the months after his high-speed clash with Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 British Grand Prix. It was one of multiple collisions during the duo’s hard-fought duel for the 2021 World Drivers’ Championship title. On the opening lap of the race, the two were battling for the lead at Copse when they made tyre-on-tyre contact. This sent Verstappen hurtling into the tyre barrier, suffering a massive 51G impact. When discussing the 2021 United States Grand Prix with Red Bulliten magazine, Verstappen revealed he had suffered from vision issues for several months after the crash but neglected to tell anyone because he was battling for the World Championship title. He went on to win his first World Championship title in the closing stages of the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
So the track sometimes started to go really wavy for me and during that race I was battling, of course, Lewis catching me but at the same time battling myself because I was struggling with my vision. It was like riding a wave on a boat while going at 300kph.
Max Verstappen speaking to Red Bulliten
So I had to try to control my breathing in a different way to try to get rid of the problem – nothing else was working. For quite a number of laps, I was almost about to stop the car because I couldn’t see properly. It happened at tracks that were very bumpy or had loads of advertising boards. I never told anyone at that point as I had a world championship battle.
Formula One has revealed which six races will host a sprint race in 2025. Five of the races that hosted a sprint this season will continue to do so in 2025, including China, Miami, Austin, Brazill, and Qatar. However, the Austrian Grand Prix will not host a sprint weekend in 2025, having been replaced by the Belgian Grand Prix. Belgium hosted a sprint race in 2023 but was changed to a regular weekend in 2024. The Brazilian Grand Prix remains the only venue to host a sprint race every season since the format was introduced in 2021.
Ferrari’s technical director of the chassis area, Enrico Cardile, has left the team with immediate effect. The Italian will join Aston Martin in 2025 as Chief Technical Officer, although no start date has been announced. Cardile has been with Ferrari for more than two decades, joining their GT Championship project fresh out of university. He joined the Formula One team in 2016 as Head of Aero Development before being promoted to Technical Director. Cardile is one of many recent hires as Aston Martin makes heavy investments in their technical department.
Sauber has hired former Mercedes chief engineer Stefan Strahnz as Programme Director, as the team continues to expand its management ahead of Audi’s planned takeover in 2026. Strahnz has worked in a variety of engineering management roles at Mercedes over the past 13 years, initially starting his career with Toyota, BAR, and Renault 10 years earlier.
Pirelli conducted another two-day tyre test after the British Grand Prix, this time with the help of McLaren, Haas, and Williams. Although the original plan was to test Pirelli’s hardest slick compounds, weather conditions forced Pirelli to focus on the intermediate tyres. Only limited slick running was possible near the end of the second day after the sun made an appearance. Mick Schumacher was behind the wheel on the McLaren the first day and Lando Norris took over the second day. Williams’ current driver lineup participated in the test, with Alex Albon in the car on the first day and Logan Sargeant on the second. Pietro Fittipaldi represented Haas on Monday and Oliver Bearman completed the test on Tuesday. A total of 474 laps were completed during the two days.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed was held this weekend, featuring a large variety of Formula One cars and other racing and road cars. Some highlights include the iconic 1954 Maserati 250F, 1961 Ferrari 156, Aryton Senna’s 1988 McLaren MP4/4, Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2001, and 2004 Williams FW26. The event also featured a tribute to the late Niki Lauda, featuring many cars driven by the three-time World Champion, including the 1972 March 721, controversial 1978 Brabham BT46, and the iconic Ferrari 312T he drove to the championship in 1975 and 1977. Red Bull also had a large presence in the event to support the unveiling of their RB17 hypercar, driving an assortment of Red Bull machinery. Max Verstappen became the first reigning F1 World Champion to run in the event, piloting the RB16B he raced to his first championship in 2021. Numerous other Red Bull drivers of the past and present participated in the event.
Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar was unveiled at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Designed by Adrian Newey, the RB17 will be Red Bull’s first production car, with a limited production of 50 cars set to start sometime next year. The project was first announced in 2022 and has undergone a few changes since then, most notably using a 4.5L V10 engine instead of an F1-inspired V8 turbo. Further changes are set to come, with the production model expected to be smaller with improved styling compared to the version presented at Goodwood. Newey has been shifted to the project since the announcement of his planned departure from Red Bull in March 2025 and has vowed to finish the project before then.
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.
