In the F1 in brief section, F1Maximaal.nl keeps you informed of the latest news from the premier class of motorsport that does not qualify for an extensive mention, but is of course relevant to mention on the website.
Haas is the last team to reveal the presentation date: February 2
The Haas team has also now officially confirmed the presentation date for the 2024 car: February 2. The American team was the last team not yet to have an official date for the launch of the 2024 car, and now completes the roster with this official news. It will be the first launch without former team boss Guenther Steiner, after it was announced earlier this month that the Italian was replaced by Ayao Komatsu.
Williams wins prize for Gulf livery
The Williams team has received a special prize for their Gulf livery, Formula1.nl writes. The team won the Brand of the Year award at the Race Media Awards, for the car’s special livery seen at the races in Singapore, Japan and Qatar. This so-called Gulf livery consisted of the same color combination that was also seen on the Ford GT40. This Ford car competed in Le Mans in the 1960s. Williams’ livery was chosen by fans in 2023, and Williams will now receive the award for this interaction.
The bullet is clear: Fans are no longer allowed on the track during the Australian GP
Things went terribly wrong during the Australian Grand Prix in 2023: the red flag was waved no fewer than four times and the final phase of the race quickly became one big chaos. Amid all the hustle and bustle, the organization made a big mistake, because shortly after the end of the race the fans quickly ran onto the track while there were still cars driving around. This created an extremely unsafe situation, and the organization could therefore count on an investigation and a warning from the FIA. A similar incident occurred in 2017, so strict measures had to be taken. The investigation has now been completed and the decision has been made: the organization announced in an official statement on its own website that fans will no longer be allowed to enter the track after the race. There is still a possibility that the rule will disappear again in a few years, but the organization does not want to say anything about that at the moment.
Netflix announces release date of new Drive to Survive season
Formula 1’s winter break is slowly coming to an end, and that means things will slowly get going again. The cars will be presented at the beginning of February, and the winter testing days will take place in Bahrain from February 21 to February 23. For those who don’t want to miss anything, Friday February 23 will be a busy day, because Netflix has announced that the sixth season of Drive to Survive can also be seen on Netflix from that day. Drive to Survive will look back on the dominant season of Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing in its own way.
Verstappen wins virtual Formula 3 races: ‘This was very cool’
Max Verstappen has won the second and third rounds of Real Racers Never Quit (RRNQ). The Dutchman narrowly stayed ahead of Team Redline colleague Chris Lulham in the second race at Silverstone, with a difference of six-tenths of a second. Verstappen himself responded to his victory afterwards: ‘We had a few nice battles today. These cars are great to race with and we gave each other space. It was a lot of fun with Chris.’ Verstappen also narrowly outpaced Lulham in qualifying for the race at Mugello, with a difference of 0.022 seconds. The race at Mugello resulted in another Verstappen victory after another exciting battle with Lulham, with a tenth difference on the finish line. ‘I never thought I would get another chance at the end, but this was really cool. These short races are a lot of fun,” Verstappen said. “I had a lot of fun, and the close racing makes it even more fun.”
Verstappen triumphs in the virtual 24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona has now been completed, and Verstappen was able to record a victory after a long and secretly exciting race. Together with teammates Gianni Vecchio and Ole Steinbraten, the number four Team Redline #69 car crossed the virtual finish line first. It became even more exciting when Verstappen came into contact with Josh Thompson of Team Redline #70 during a session at night, but in the end the team ended up in the lead. The three gentlemen did not relinquish the victory.
Verstappen participates in the 24 Hours of Daytona sim race
Max Verstappen will be in action on Saturday, January 20, at 1:15 PM Dutch time, during one of the biggest sim racing events of the year: the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Dutch champion will participate as a driver for Team Redline, and will be accompanied by sim racers Diogo Pinto, Ole Steinbraten, Gustavo Ariel, Sam Kuitert, Gianni Vecchio, Sebastian Job, Josh Thompson, Florian Lebigre, Luke Bennett, Alexey Nesov and Cooper Webster. The race can be followed live via Team Redline’s Twitch channel. It is not the first time that Verstappen has participated in the sim racing event. Last year the Dutch driver was also on the participants list, but it was not his turn to get behind the wheel. His team had to withdraw the car from the race early.
Sainz senior celebrates fourth Dakar victory and first victory with Audi
Carlos Sainz senior wins the 2024 Dakar Rally for the fourth time and can triumph for the first time with Audi. The 61-year-old thus achieved a special milestone, as it was the first time he took part in the grueling rally with an electric car from Audi. The father of the Ferrari driver increased his lead over rival Sebastian Loeb, who had an earlier breakdown. Sainz senior only had to complete his stage to win, even though he has not won a single individual stage.
Corruption investigation into Singapore GP promoter, race not in danger
Singapore Grand Prix promoter Ong Beng Seng is part of a corruption investigation, Motorsport.com reports. However, there is no reason to think that his work as a Grand Prix promoter was detrimental to the Singaporean government. The race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit will therefore continue as usual. The Singapore government even says it is happy with organizing the race.
Mercedes adds great female talent to its junior team with Doriane Pin
Mercedes has confirmed that Doriane Pin will be added to the junior team of the German racing stable. The twenty-year-old Frenchwoman made a splash last year in the World Endurance Championship, but will now switch to the F1 Academy. In the female racing class, some drivers are now supported by the Formula 1 teams and will also drive with the colors of the racing stables. Pin will also compete in the Formula 4 Championship in the United Arab Emirates.
Verstappen’s participation in series of sim races confirmed, many Dutch people present
Team Redline, the sim racing team of which Max Verstappen is a member, has confirmed the Dutchman’s participation in Real Racers Never Quit, a series of sim races in different cars. The six events will take place on January 16, 23, and 30, and on February 9, with the first race at the Daytona International Speedway in GT3 cars at 8:00 PM ET on January 16. Other participants include Thierry Vermeulen, Felipe Drugovich, Rudy van Buren, and Job van Uitert. The races can be followed live on Team Redline’s Twitch channel.
Verstappen started preparations for 2024 with a new trainer
Max Verstappen started his preparations for the coming Formula 1 season on Monday, reports De Telegraaf. This is the first time that the Red Bull driver will work with his new trainer Rupert Manwaring. He is the replacement for the departed Bradley Scanes, who assisted Verstappen for four seasons. The Dutchman has a month and a half to get back to his target weight. Then the test days are already planned, in Bahrain.
Newey turned down offer to work on spacecraft: ‘I find motorsport more fascinating’
Many teams would like to add Adrian Newey to their team. Yet the Brit also received an offer from space technology. Newey doesn’t know whether a spacecraft with his name on it would have been very special to him. ‘For dangerous, I think. There is a requirement that they have to come back in one piece,” the Red Bull Racing designer jokes at Top Gear. ‘An American company called me about ten years ago to ask if I would be interested in joining them to work on a spacecraft. But I find motorsport more fascinating.’
McLaren brings old beer sponsor back to Woking
McLaren announced on Friday that the Spanish beer brand Estrella Galicia 0.0 will appear on the British team’s cars in the coming years. The beer brand also worked with the McLaren Formula 1 team in 2019 and 2020, but then joined Carlos Sainz to the Ferrari team. The collaboration with Sainz is now coming to an end. This is because Ferrari had to choose between Estrella and Peroni and the racing team from Maranello opted for the latter brand.
Alpine first team to successfully start up power source
In the run-up to the winter tests in Bahrain, which will take place from February 21 to 23, the teams want to tick off a number of important objectives. Starting up the new power unit is one of them, something Alpine was the first team to succeed in. The employees of the French racing team, which has not yet announced a date for the unveiling of the new car, were visibly satisfied with reaching the important milestone in the development of the A524, according to images on social media.
F1TV pro subscription immediately significantly more expensive
F1TV has immediately made a price increase on the pro subscriptions. People who take out a subscription now will therefore already have to deal with this price increase. Subscribers will now pay 95 euros per year or 11.90 euros per month. Previously, these subscriptions cost 65 euros per year or eight euros per month. It was also previously announced that Viaplay prices would increase, although it remains to be seen how long the streaming platform will retain the Formula 1 broadcast rights.
Aston Martin announces AMR24 presentation date
The date on which Aston Martin will unveil its new battle weapon for 2024 has been circulating on the web for some time. However, there has been no official confirmation from the British team of owner Lawrence Stroll. See you Thursday afternoon then. Aston Martin announces on Instagram that the AMR24, driven by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, will indeed be shown to the world on February 12.
