Lewis Hamilton has been linked to an investment in the KTM MotoGP team, with “concrete talks” held with the seven-time World Champion. Hamilton was previously linked to an investment in Gresini Racing after Fausto Gresini’s wife, Nadia Padovani, took over operations following his death in 2021. But nothing came materialized from that rumoured interest. KTM has faced significant financial challenges recently, although the team insists it will not impact their current motorsport programme. The team hopes a renewed interest in MotoGP thanks to Liberty Media’s acquisition of the sport will attract new investors.
Formula One has extended its sponsorship agreement with Crypto.com until 2030. The Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange first teamed up with Formula One in 2021 as part of a $100m sponsorship deal. The increased promotion has helped to grow the company’s user base by more than 10x, with the company boasting an impressive 100m users earlier this year. The renewed deal will focus on creating more exclusive fan experiences.
The current front-wing flex tests will not be revised in 2025 according to FIA head of single-seaters Nikolas Tombazis, despite controversial accusations in 2024. Flex wings were just one of the many cheating scandals to plague 2024, with Ferrari and Red Bull pointing at McLaren and Mercedes as potential violators. Starting at the Belgian Grand Prix, the FIA fitted the cars with cameras as part of a fact-finding mission. All front-wings were deemed legal, as they had passed the FIA’s load tests. The FIA will not introduce any new tests for 2025, largely due to the complexity of doing so. “One of the challenges in the front wing is that, compared to other parts of the car, the front wing loading is much more varied between cars in a given location and so on,” Tombazis explained in an interview with Motorsport.com. “We had made it quite clear to teams since 2022 at least, that we were not planning to introduce any further tests on the front wing and we stuck to that.”
The Rosberg X Racing Extreme E team, founded by former F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, has announced it will cease operations after the 2024 season concludes. Rosberg founded the team in time to compete in the inaugural Extreme E season in 2021, winning the championship in 2021 and 2023. Extreme E is the first rally series to use electric vehicles but will transition to hydrogen-fueled cars in 2025 as part of a new Extreme H series. The 2024 season has so far been abandoned after only four of the ten planned races while the series organizers “review alternative solutions” to complete the series.
Although he will not race for the team in 2025, Franco Colapinto will get lots of track time as the Williams reserve driver in the upcoming season. Colapinto joined the team with nine races remaining in the season, replacing the outgoing Logan Sargeant. He scored an impressive five points with the team, but will ultimately be forced to the sidelines by incoming Carlos Sainz. Williams team principal James Vowles has assured fans that the Argentine will still get plenty of testing as part of the permitted Testing of Previous Cars programme, which allows teams to run two-year-old cars for tests during the season. Vowles likened this to Esteban Ocon’s stint on the bench after sitting out the 2019 season as a Mercedes reserve driver before returning the following year.
Alpine special advisor Flavio Briatore has revealed that the French team was interested in recruiting free agent Carlos Sainz to the team, but that the squad wanted a long-term deal. “I spoke to Sainz. He was interesting for us, but only for four years,” Britore explained when speaking with Auto Motor und Sport. “It makes no sense to take a driver like Carlos for one or two years. Either he believes in our programme or he doesn’t. I don’t need a driver who costs me a lot of money and is looking to go to another team when the opportunity arises.” Sainz, who was looking for a 2025 seat after being replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton, eventually settled at Williams.
Speaking of Alpine’s current driver lineup, Flavio Briatore was blunt in admitting that their 2025 driver lineup is not set in stone and could be changed if a driver isn’t performing. Briatore has previously mentioned the team’s interest in rookie Franco Colapinto, but his only opportunity with the team wouldn’t come until at least 2026. “The only certain thing is death,” Briatore told Le Parisien. “We start the year with Pierre and Jack, I guarantee it. After that, we’ll see during the season.” Rookie Jack Doohan will partner Pierre Gasly for 2025, with the former already having raced for the team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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.
