Author: quyen1

Jake Paul got the job done in the end. But man, how tough is Nate Diaz!

Jake Paul has defeated Nate Diaz, securing a victory courtesy of the judges’ scorecards.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer showed great improvements since his last bout, sticking to his jab and moving much quicker than the former MMA star, even managing to drop Diaz in the fifth round with a perfectly-timed right hand.

But man, how tough is Nate.

The UFC icon proved just how durable he is, standing in the pocket and taking some heavy punches – he even dragged Paul into deep waters in the later rounds.

However, it wasn’t enough in the end and Paul that got his hand raised in back-and-forth war of attrition where both men took turns in going blow-for-blow.

DAZN

Jake Paul came out swinging in the first round, bombarding the former UFC star with a barrage of punches.

But Diaz weathered the storm and stayed standing, taking his time to work out the former Disney actor’s movements.

And in the second and third rounds, momentum began to sway towards Diaz – fighting from the inside and catching Paul a couple of times.

In the fifth round, though, Paul took the fight by the scruff of the neck and dropped Diaz with a clean shot to the temple.

Diaz was clearly rocked, stumbling into the ropes before eventually making his way to his feet.

He beat the referee’s count, but when Paul tried to pile on more pressure and get the finish, Diaz did what he does best and dug deep.

Avoiding Paul’s shots, the 38-year-old even managed to launch attacks of his own, despite being dazed and groggy.

Into the later rounds, Diaz’s infamous gas tank was clear for all to see.

His endurance allowed him to continue to march forward and mount some decent attacks, even wobbling Jake in the dying embers of the eighth round.

But to be fair to Paul, he also showed some guts and managed to stick behind his jab and score points.

Throughout the entire bout, Diaz was showboating and pretending to be hurt – much to the enjoyment of those inside Dallas’ American Airlines Center.

In the end, it was Paul who got his hand raised after coming out on top in the eyes of the judges.

Overall, it was a very entertaining fight and one that should be run back – this time in a steel cage and with four ounce gloves.

Credits: IMAGO / Michael Potts

The RB20 might be an aggressive successor to the ever-dominant RB-19 from last year, but the 2024 challenger from Red Bull is still far from perfection. Despite claiming three 1-2 finishes in four races coming into this season, Adrian Newey’s car may have an Achilles heel that could show up on street circuits from the Miami GP onwards.

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Max Verstappen, speaking about the same, revealed that the car still has its vulnerability in low-speed corners and issues with tire graining despite the improvement over the winter. The RB19 struggled in this sector last year and the underwhelming performance in Singapore last year was a perfect example of that. Similarly, they could struggle in Miami which has some low-speed corner sections and is a hybrid street track.

“The RB20 has improved in low-speed corners, but street circuits don’t just have low-speed corners as a feature,” said the Dutchman, who took the pole position in Melbourne [which is also a street track] despite the issue, as per FormulaPassion. “We will have to verify the behavior of the car when passing over curbs, in absorbing dips and bumps.”

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This comes amid the contrasting situation with Ferrari, as their car has improved significantly off late. The SF-24 is excellent in low-speed corners, the exact sector where the RB20 is weak. Therefore, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc can exploit this and pose serious problems for Verstappen and Co. at street tracks like Miami and particularly Monaco. Given how Monaco has plenty of low-speed corners and several bumps and kerbs, it could test the RB20 more rigorously, and Ferrari could benefit.

Despite the clear deficit from the Italian outfit as noticed in the Japanese GP where they were the second best by a big margin, Frederic Vasseur’s team still holds the chance to cover up the gap with a car that has improved straight-line speed, race pace, and low tire degradation.

Red Bull well aware of the Ferrari threat

Following their debacle in Australia, Red Bull were reluctant to take any gamble and therefore, brought in some upgrades to keep their hold on the championship. The RB20 was spotted with an upgraded inlet and that surely did its work in Suzuka with another 1-2 finish at the end of the day.

It surely put Ferrari into its place after the Milton-Keynes-based team claimed their authority yet again, but one must consider that the Italian outfit are yet to come up with major upgrades.

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As per reports, the Maranello-based team are all set to introduce major upgrades to the SF-24 at Imola during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which comes right after the Miami race.

Nevertheless, one must take into account that Red Bull did not push any significant enhancement into its RB19 after the summer break. Despite this, they managed to win all the remaining races except the one in Singapore. This reflects that the RB20 may have a lot of potential upgrades in store that could unlock more performance.

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Credits: IMAGO PanoramiC

Max Verstappen was back to his dominant best in Japan, securing a race win by over 12 seconds. The Dutchman secured his third-consecutive race win in Suzuka and was cheered loudly on the podium by Penelope, the daughter of Kelly Piquet. After his win in Suzuka, Verstappen explained to Viaplay that he was happy to win for the sake of his girlfriend and Penelope.

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“I think Kelly [Piquet] is happy that nothing happened today, otherwise she (Penelope) might think she doesn’t bring luck. But it was nice to see,” said Verstappen.

The race in Australia saw Verstappen suffer a DNF for the first time in two years. It brought an end to a 43-race finishing streak, with his previous DNF coming at the same venue back in 2022. Starting the Australian GP from pole position, Verstappen soon lost the lead to Carlos Sainz before complaining about losing pace from the car.

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Soon after, smoke started coming off the back of the Dutchman’s car, ringing the alarm bells for Red Bull. As the 26-year-old made his way to the pits, a fire broke out from one of his rear brakes. As a result, Verstappen’s race came to a premature end.

The DNF was a heartbreaking moment for Verstappen, given its significance. For the first time in his relationship with Kelly Piquet, her daughter, Penelope, had come to see the Dutchman race.

The daughter of Piquet and former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat was pictured interacting with members of Red Bull as she cheered for her ‘Maxie.’ Given the same, the DNF would certainly have hurt Verstappen on a deeply personal level.

Max Verstappen might have jinxed his own race in Australia

Max Verstappen’s last DNF before 2024 came at the same venue in 2022. Ahead of the latest edition of the race, Verstappen faced a question about the durability and reliability of the RB20.

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In response, Verstappen said that he didn’t want to jinx it but claimed it had been the strong point of the team until then. Verstappen’s words spelled doom for his team, as they not only lost the race but also failed to finish on the podium. Sergio Perez was the lone Red Bull driver out on the track, but a P5 finish was the best he could do.

Both Red Bull drivers had a faint idea of the Ferrari challenge in Australia. During the drivers’ parade before the race, Verstappen claimed his goal would be to try to do the best he could. However, he added Ferrari seemed very strong.

Sergio Perez agreed with the words of Verstappen, as he outrightly claimed they might not be the fastest team in Australia. He claimed that it would be a “super close” race with Ferrari and McLaren. Interestingly enough, Ferrari ended up securing a 1-2 finish, while McLaren secured a 3-4 finish with Lando Norris taking the podium place.

Credits: IMAGO PanoramiC, IMAGO Eibner

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been all praises for Max Verstappen recently. The Austrian has made it clear that if the Dutchman makes himself available in 2025, the 26-year-old will be his first choice to sign as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement. Verstappen seems to have been taking note of Wolff’s recent remarks as he called out the Mercedes boss after his Japanese GP win.

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Wolff most recently claimed that Verstappen will cruise to his fourth title and that no one will catch him this season. When asked about what he made of the 52-year-old’s remarks, Verstappen said, “Lately Toto has been really nice. Saying lots of nice things about me”!

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Verstappen interestingly also gave his reply with a smirk on his face. The three-time champion is well aware that he is arguably the most sought-after driver on the current grid because of the way he has dominated the past few seasons.

With 22 wins in his last 26 races since the start of last season, Verstappen has perhaps established a level of dominance that will never be matched in F1. Only two other drivers have won a race in this period: Sergio Perez (2) and Carlos Sainz (2).

Interestingly, it were both these two drivers who joined Verstappen on the Japanese GP podium. While Sainz is also available on the 2025 driver market after Ferrari decided to replace him with Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff would still prefer to sign Verstappen if he was given the choice.

Max Verstappen could take advantage of Toto Wolff’s desperation

With Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season, Toto Wolff finds himself in a difficult position. The Austrian will have to make a crucial decision over the next few months about who he would want to replace Hamilton with. While Wolff’s preferred choice is Max Verstappen, the ball seems to be in the Dutchman’s court.

The 26-year-old already has a long-term contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season and has no reason to leave the team, with whom he has now won three championships with. The only reason why reports emerged that there was a possibility that Verstappen could leave was because of the reported power struggle at Red Bull.

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With that now seeming a thing of the past, Wolff too is perhaps aware that he has no control in influencing Verstappen’s decision. However, the Austrian did admit that he would go as far as performing “handstands” if that is what it took to sign Verstappen.

“Let’s word it like this. It is a decision that Max [Verstappen] needs to take and there is no team up and down the grid who wouldn’t do handstands to have him in their car,” explained Wolff. If Verstappen does decide to leave Red Bull at all, he could take advantage of Wolff’s desperation to negotiate a good deal with Mercedes.

Credits: IMAGO / Motorsport Images

Right before the start of the Japanese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton saved himself and his wallet when he narrowly avoided colliding into Sergio Perez‘s RB20 parked on the track. According to a clip, Hamilton was passing the cars, riding his scooter, and this was when he stumbled after hitting a cable on the ground. Had Hamilton fallen on track, he could have easily injured himself and therefore, increased his as well as the team’s jeopardy in Japan. If not on track, but fallen on Perez RB20, a fine was on the way for sure!

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Going by the record, Max Verstappen once had to pay a hefty $50,000 fine for touching Hamilton’s Mercedes back in 2021, and one wouldn’t expect the seven-time world champion to get away either.

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The video of this incident is now doing rounds on the internet and this led to fans cooking insane stories out of it. Given below are some of the reactions from X (formerly Twitter), and @Stefanie had the most interesting comment who pointed out the fine:

@F1 Mood lauded Hamilton for recovering himself:

@Arham is glad that F1 avoided a Red flag:

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@Kenneth Loggins took a jibe here for sure:

Lewis Hamilton and his love for scooter

Lewis Hamilton might drive an F1 car and race around the track at over 200 miles an hour, but keeps an interesting choice for his non-racing hours. The Mercedes star’s unique taste sees him travel around the paddock in his personalized scooter.

Hamilton has been using the ride since 2019 due to his urge to control environmental damage, and this led him to choose the electric-powered scooter over anything else because it’s fast and portable.

While many wonder what scooter the most successful F1 driver on the planet uses, well, it’s one from the Chinese technology giant, Xiaomi. According to reports, the 39-year-old rides the Xiaomi Electric Scooter Pro 2, but not a regular one. Hamilton’s ride is an officially licensed product of the Mercedes AMG F1 team and therefore, sports the same color as that of their challenger.

However, the Briton’s choice came to a standstill after the recent prohibition at the Australian Grand Prix this year, and so was his long-time rival and competitor Fernando Alonso’s. According to the rule by the organizers of the Melbourne race, scooters weren’t allowed inside the venue during the race weekend! So, the duo were far from impressed, to say the least, but couldn’t help either.

Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC and Kelly Piquet’s Instagram

Max Verstappen had a disastrous outing at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix after his car experienced brake heating issues. This prompted Penelope Kvyat, to ask him the reason for his retirement. To this, the Dutchman replied that his car was on fire. However, things were back to normal for Verstappen in Japan and this was of course, of utmost importance to him for Penelope’s sake.

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Penelope, also known as P, the daughter of Kelly Piquet, is often known for her lovely cameos during Verstappen’s simulation racing streams back at home, but this time she was present in Melbourne for the race, where the Red Bull star had his first retirement in 44 races.

Now, coming into Suzuka, the 26-year-old is glad that he did not have to retire early, that too in front of P, again. Penelope traveled with her mother Kelly to Suzuka to witness the race. In the end, she succeeded in seeing the Dutchman on the top step of the podium, and this was a big relief for the three-time world champion, to say the least.

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Explaining the ordeal, Verstappen said in an interview with Viaplay after the Suzuka International Racing Course race, “I think Kelly’s glad nothing happened today, because otherwise of course she [Penelope] might feel as if she brings bad luck!”

Following this, Verstappen also pointed out that it was beautiful to see P underneath the podium after his seamless victory at Suzuka, where he claimed his third win of the season so far.

Well, this is a part everyone can agree with, seeing the little P happy, to be fair. But moving on, the race win might have been crucial for Verstappen, and Piquet, but most importantly it was for Red Bull. The Milton Keynes team needed this victory to keep their hold on the championship lead.

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How important was the win in Japan for Max Verstappen and Red Bull?

After a forgettable journey to Australia where Max Verstappen had to retire early, and Sergio Perez barely managing P5, this blockbuster return to the top was absolutely a necessity for Red Bull.

As the Austrian team stumbled, Ferrari saw the opportunity and claimed their first 1-2 finish in two years in Melbourne and reduced their gap to the defending champions to just 4 points in the Constructors’. Carlos Sainz‘s win and Charles Leclerc’s P2 also brought the Prancing Horse forward as a genuine threat to Verstappen and Co.

However, the front row lockout in the Japanese GP qualifying and an equally good 1-2 finish in the race shifted the momentum back in Red Bull’s favor.

For now, the Milton-Keynes-based team are absolute favorites to take home the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, but they still need to keep Ferrari under check on tracks like Monaco and Singapore where the Scarlet cars could be relatively faster in low-speed corners.

Credits: IMAGO PanoramiC

Since Ferrari confirmed that they will part ways with Carlos Sainz after this season, the Spaniard has been in the form of his life. The 29-year-old’s third-place finish in Japan last Sunday meant that he has finished on the podium in every race he has competed in this season. As a result of his current form, former F1 driver Damon Hill believes it would be a tragedy if the racer from Madrid does not secure a seat in 2025. Among all the teams that could potentially sign Sainz, Hill has ruled out Red Bull because of the Verstappen family.

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As quoted by Ferrari News’ X handle, Hill said, “I think it would be an absolute tragedy if Carlos Sainz doesn’t find a top seat next year. He deserves to be in a top team. Look at his drive today. Mercedes is the only option. Red Bull won’t work with Max. The team is run by the Verstappen family“.

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Verstappen joined Red Bull in 2016 and since then, multiple experts have pointed out, and reports have suggested that the team develops its cars to suit the Dutchman’s strengths. Sainz would not want to find himself in such an environment as he would hope to be the number one driver himself.

With Lewis Hamilton replacing Sainz at Ferrari, Mercedes could be the most logical option for the Spaniard. Sainz could fancy competing against George Russell at the Silver Arrows to establish himself as the number one driver for the team. If Sainz does switch to Mercedes, it would be a straight swap between him and Hamilton. Meanwhile, even if Mercedes decides to sign another driver, Sainz’s current form suggests that he will not be short of suitors.

Carlos Sainz’s redemption season

Sainz has arguably been one of 2024’s best drivers and has outperformed Charles Leclerc every time they’ve dueled this season so far. Some experts also feel that he has outperformed the SF-24’s capabilities. He was right there to capitalize on Red Bull’s misery three weeks ago in Melbourne, when Verstappen DNFed and the Madrid-born driver ended up winning the Grand Prix.

When it comes to the battle between Sainz and Leclerc so far this season. the Spaniard seems to have the edge. So far, Sainz has registered three podiums while Leclerc has just managed two despite competing in an additional race (Sainz did not compete in Saudi Arabia).

It is this level of form that is likely to help Sainz receive several offers from teams in the coming months. One such side could be Sauber, who will become Audi in 2026. Reportedly, the Spaniard already has an offer from Sauber, owing to his Audi connection.

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While Sainz may have this offer from Sauber, he will only hope to use this option as his last resort because the Swiss outfit is currently struggling at the back of the grid. And a three-time race winner like Sainz will not want to find himself in such a situation.

IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz’s fathers have one thing in common- rallying. While talking about how dangerous the sport is, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez chimed in and revealed how his father Antonio Perez Garibay is more exposed to danger.

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Jos Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Sr. compete in rallying. They are 52 and 61 years old respectively, and at their age, the sport they compete in could be extremely demanding. But according to Perez, it isn’t as perilous as the environment his father has delved into which is politics.

“Don’t worry guys, my dad is into politics, so he’s more in danger. Don’t be concerned, guys,” said the Red Bull star from Mexico, whose father is a famous politician in his home country.

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Garibay, the proud father of the 34-year-old driver, is linked to the ruling NGM party and has a strong connection with Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has been in power since 2018.

Unlike Garibay, Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen, and Sainz’s father Carlos Sainz Sr. are miles away from politics. They are competing in the world of rallying, a dangerous sport in its own right. However, their reported off-track rivalry has never spilled into any on-track spat, which could have added to the danger.

How Jos Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Sr. have a rivalry

Jos Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Sr. compete in different rallying series, so they don’t have a direct rivalry at the moment. However, things were never very smooth between the two of them, because of their sons.

Max and Carlos are both very competitive drivers, whose fathers want the very best for them. At Toro Rosso in 2015, the two of them were teammates in what was their rookie season. Back then, there were numerous reported rifts and moments of tension between Jos and Sainz Sr, who both wanted Red Bull to prioritize their respective sons.

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It affected team dynamics at the Faenza-based outfit and something that drove Sainz out of Red Bull. Since then, Max Verstappen has been the main driver at Red Bull. Now, ahead of the 2025 season, Sainz is rumored to be linked to a return to Red Bull, but being teammates with the Dutch driver a

Credits: Imago

Lando Norris had a race to forget in Suzuka after McLaren’s strategy ruined all the hard work he put into qualifying. Norris was the quickest driver behind the Red Bulls and started the Japanese GP from P3 on the grid. Unfortunately, he ended the race in P5.

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The McLaren cars were already suffering from a tire degradation issue as pointed out by Oscar Piastri earlier, and on top of that, a miscalculated strategy by the Papayas put Norris behind the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, come the end of the race.

“It’s a shame. It doesn’t feel great when you start third and go backwards. It feels like you are fighting a losing battle,” said the British driver to Sky Sports. While Leclerc pitted twice, Norris’ team decided to bring him in for one more stop just to hold George Russell off. This decision proved to be wrong in the long run, as Leclerc managed to get the better of the Briton.

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Piastri, too, had a very forgetful outing by his standards. The Melbourne-born driver started from P6 but crossed the line in P8, struggling to hold off Fernando Alonso and George Russell. Both McLaren drivers lost out on two places each at the end, meaning, the team lost out on valuable points.

In their bid to catch Ferrari in the standings, it was a huge blow for the Woking-based outfit. Currently, they are in P3 with 69 points, 51 behind the Maranell0-based outfit. Heading into the Chinese GP, the team will be looking to keep improving in order to break into the top 3 once again.

How are McLaren struggling despite improvement?

McLaren’s pace was considerably better at this year’s Japanese GP compared to 2023. They were three-tenths of a second faster in qualifying this season, but could not come close to matching last year’s double podium result.

This is because the progress they made came at a cost. The increased pace made the tires of the MCL38 vulnerable. The car is more prone to tire degradation at high speed, and this led to Lando Norris and Piastri having to work tirelessly to keep the tire temperature on check while trying to push to the limits.

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Their direct rivals Ferrari, on the other hand, worked hard over the winter break to make the SF-24 much kinder on the tires. Last year, degradation was their Achilles heel, but the drivers of the Scuderia are much more comfortable with tires in 2024.

McLaren has to improve on this front if they want to close the gap of Ferrari and Red Bull eventually. If not, occasional podiums on certain circuits could be their only sign of success in 2024.

Credits: Imago

Charles Leclerc put in a brilliant recovery drive on Sunday in Japan following a poor qualifying session. The Monegasque driver started the race in P8 and improved to a P4 finish, thanks to some brilliant tire management. Despite the recovery, Leclerc remained critical of his overall performance on the weekend. Quoted by PitDebrief, Leclerc detailed what was lacking from his weekend in the last two races and what he could do to improve his overall performance.

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Race pace hasn’t been an issue for the Ferrari cars this season. However, the last two races have seen Leclerc struggle in qualifying, which is his strong suit. Leclerc believes it has to do with him not putting his tires in the “right window” in the lap right before his timed one. Should he be able to achieve that, the pace will come back instantly. With his race pace and strategy on point, Leclerc is firm that better qualifying is his major focus. Once he achieves that, all that needs doing will be to put all of it together.

“Now I need to put everything together on the Saturday. And then I’m sure we’ll have many more happy weekends.”

Ahead of the race in Suzuka Leclerc knew he needed to hustle to ensure a good race result. Given the same, he opted for a one-stop strategy, which called for some excellent tire management skills in the 53-lap race. The challenge did not scare Leclerc, who was able to move past both McLarens, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to take up P4. There is, however, still a gap between Ferrari and Red Bull’s pace. It was on display in Suzuka as P2 finisher Sergio Perez was able to build an 8-second lead over third placed Carlos Sainz.

Charles Leclerc banking on Ferrari closing Red Bull gap

After a strong end to the 2023 season, Ferrari‘s primary aim in 2024 is to close the gap to Red Bull. While the Austrian team was by far the most dominant team on the grid last year, Ferrari hopes to change that. Australia was a prime example of the improved Ferrari car, as Perez had a hard time keeping up with the race leaders. Leclerc, too, is hopeful of improved pace from the Ferrari car, which will further his chances of winning races this season.

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To improve their pace, Ferrari will need to bring some upgrade packages to their car. Understanding the need well enough, Fred Vasseur and Co. plan on bringing the first major upgrade to their car at the Emilia Romagna GP in Italy. Certain reports claimed that Ferrari might prepone their upgrade, given the race win by Sainz. However, Vasseur refuted all such claims, asserting Ferrari will stick to their schedule.

A massive upgrade package could be key for Ferrari in taking the challenge to Red Bull. The Maranello-based team stands as the only team to beat Red Bull in 2023 and 2024, but they haven’t yet become title challengers. With an upgrade package, the Italian outfit might be able to vie for race wins consistently.