Author: quyen1

Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei and IMAGO / Motorsport Images

After denying a return to racing for a year or so, there has been a change of tone from Sebastian Vettel. As more time has passed since his retirement at the end of 2022, the four-time champion has become more open to a return to F1. Naturally, the timing of the change of heart and rumors of his F1 return coincide with Lewis Hamilton’s blockbuster move to Ferrari in 2025. As a result, reports have connected Vettel to Mercedes as a potential option to replace the Ferrari-bound seven-time champion. However, Toto Wolff feels that the ball is in the German’s court to make up his mind on his F1 return.

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“I think Sebastian [Vettel] still has to make up his own mind about whether he even wants to come back. We will definitely talk, but we do that anyway. Even if there is only a small chance, we will still try to have an active discussion”, Wolff told ORF, as quoted by Junaid on X (formerly Twitter).

Vettel also spoke to Sky Sports F1 lately and revealed how he has been in conversation with the Mercedes boss. However, the scope of discussion was mainly about the current happenings, including Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, and not an active discussion about his willingness to join Mercedes.

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Given that Mercedes is a German brand, it does check out one alluring factor for the 36-year-old, if he makes his mind up to return to the sport. Previously, reports have connected him to make a grand F1 return with Audi, which joins the grid in 2026.

However, with the Brackley outfit having a vacancy now, it would be quite difficult for the four-time champion to not think about it at all. At the age of 36, Vettel can still find the motivation to come back and fight for wins, if Mercedes can provide him a car capable of doing so.

What else is Sebastian Vettel planning to do besides F1?

Currently, Sebastian Vettel is perhaps on an exploratory mission to look at options for a possible racing return. While there is a decent chance of Mercedes offering him Lewis Hamilton’s seat, the German driver is also looking at options besides F1.

Vettel participated in a test with Porsche Penske’s WEC team and drove their Hypercar just a couple of weeks ago. After this test, he cited how it was a lot of fun to get behind the wheel of an Endurance car. However, many suggest that this test meant much more than an exhibition run for the four-time champion.

There are speculations that Vettel wishes to participate and race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Whether that happens this year or in 2025 remains to be seen. But, if Porsche can provide Vettel with a decent offer to race for their Hypercar team, it could be quite the grand return to motorsport.

Credits: IMAGO / Eibner

Sebastian Vettel has finally made an announcement, but sadly, it’s not about his return to motorsport. The German maestro, unusually, has decided to launch his own brand of energy drink, called ‘Perple’, thus, moving away from his Red Bull loyalty. This will mark Vettel’s direct rivalry against Red Bull, arguably the biggest energy drink brand in the world.

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Vettel‘s inspiration to launch a drink came from his racing days when he faced “nasty” consequences after gel or liquid intake. He revealed that he suffered from cramps in his stomach while driving due to the effect of G-forces.

As the four-time world champion retired from motorsport, he has indulged in multiple environmental and sustainability projects. This drink project seems to be another new addition to his post-retirement activities. ‘Perple’ [a combined form of performance and pleasure], is a drink that the 36-year-old claims to be safer and better than the ones present in the market.

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“I discovered this drink and you know got involved more towards the end of my career, the drink is today called Perple, we are launching it and that’s why I’m in London,” said Vettel in an interview with The Fast and The Curious podcast. “The product works, I didn’t have any of these nasty side effects you know. To me, it’s been a game changer”

Vettel has raced with the Red Bull fraternity for over half a decade in the early 2010s, but his association goes way beyond. He was a Red Bull Academy driver prior to that, and remained with them till 2014, winning four titles. Nevertheless, Red Bull had an immense contribution to the German’s racing career, but that did not stop him from being critical.

Sebastian Vettel called Red Bull out over the Christian Horner ordeal

The recent allegations against Christian Horner have been the lowest point in Red Bull’s history. Reputation-wise, it has been a disaster, and the way the team handled the entire situation, got them into the quicksand even more.

The ordeal garnered criticism from all around, and Sebastian Vettel too opened up as he decided not to sit back and relax. Despite the Austrian team clearing grievances against Horner over the allegations of misconduct from a female employee, Vettel said that the case wouldn’t have attracted such huge attention if Red Bull maintained transparency.

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Vettel’s concern goes hand in hand with Toto Wolff and Zak Brown, who talked about transparency as well. The two leading figures of the sport strongly asked the FIA and F1 to come out clean in Horner’s case.

Interestingly, Sebastian Vettel’s comments arrived amidst the rumors of his return to Formula 1 with Mercedes. The German former driver was on talking terms with Toto Wolff, but nothing has been confirmed as yet.

Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC

Forget about drivers. Adrian Newey, the master designer, is currently the hottest property in Formula 1. As Red Bull is going through a rough patch behind the scenes, rivals are making every effort to poach Newey. The latest to join the list is Aston Martin. Helmut Marko reacted to the development and is well aware of the void Newey will leave if he decides to move on.

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Speaking with Motorsport.com (Dutch), Marko said, as quoted by F1 Maximaal, “There is no doubt that Newey is the most coveted designer in the entire paddock. Everyone wants him on board. This is not the first offer he has received, and most likely it will not be the last.” He added, “It would be a significant loss.”

Motorsport Italy earlier made claims about Aston Martin making an offer to Adrian Newey. Team owner Lawrence Stroll is reportedly a huge admirer and is ready to offer Newey whatever it takes for him to leave Red Bull.

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Stroll isn’t the first to approach the Red Bull CTO, though. Earlier reports (from Italian publications) claimed that Newey established a connection with Ferrari. The parties reached an advanced stage in negotiations and reportedly plan on meeting for the second time to seal the deal. As per the same report from funoanalisitecnica.com, the meeting is set to take place sometime between the Japanese GP and the Chinese GP.

Helmut Marko, well aware of Newey’s value, further weighed in on his importance for Red Bull. The Austrian revealed how the Brit plays a role that goes beyond that of just an engineer. As per Marko, Newey is a star attraction for young engineers who join Red Bull just to work with him.

The Adrian Newey legacy at Red Bull

Adrian Newey joined Red Bull with an already booming cult status. The 65-year-old joined the team right from its inception when Red Bull took over Jaguar in 2005. Before that, he has experience working with the heavyweights like McLaren and Williams.

Newey bagged the 1998 and the 1999 world championships while working with the Woking outfit. Mika Hakkinen narrowly missed out on another one in 2000. In a league of his own, Newey has won 25 world championships, two of which came last year through Red Bull’s constructor’s and Max Verstappen’s driver’s championship trophies.

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Clearly, he is cruising through a purple patch with Red Bull currently. But is the current turbulence enough to drive him away from Milton Keynes? It could be as Newey himself once admitted that never getting a chance to work with Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton was a loss for him. Both of those could happen in the event he decides to jump ship to Maranello in 2025.

Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei and IMAGO / Motorsport Images

Sebastian Vettel has recently opened up on the phone conversation he had with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. During his interview, the German former driver made it clear that he had never called to ask for a seat with the Silver Arrows. Speaking about the same on the most recent episode of The Fast and The Curious podcast, Vettel said,

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“I’ve been in contact with most teams because I’m also trying or thinking of some events potentially this year together with Formula 1. So to pitch them or launch them, speaking to all the teams, also Toto, and of course, you also talk a lot about what’s going on, but it wasn’t the main topic. I didn’t call to ask for a seat or to ask for a drive”.

Although Vettel revealed that he is planning a collaboration with the teams of F1, he did not provide any further details on the same. This could also be a reason why the 36-year-old has been in constant touch with Wolff, presumably to decide about how they can collaborate together.

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Meanwhile, when it comes to the potential of a racing return, Vettel did not rule out a comeback. It has been more than a year since the former Red Bull driver retired from F1 as he last competed at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Aston Martin.

Will Sebastian Vettel return to F1?

Following the announcement of Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, there have been numerous reports that linked Sebastian Vettel to Mercedes. The Briton’s switch next year would vacate a seat at Silver Arrows, and Vettel is regarded as the perfect replacement.

Vettel has over a decade of experience in F1 and also has 299 race starts to his name. Furthermore, he is also a four-time world champion and a 53-time GP winner. Therefore, his immense experience makes him a prime candidate for the seat at Brackley.

When asked if he would be ready to join Mercedes, Vettel stated, “Obviously I retired not to come back. But I did say that you never know and the circumstances, whatever feelings, you never know what happens and might change.”

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Vettel played a crucial role in his final couple of seasons with Aston Martin as he helped the Silverstone-based team develop a car that was capable of fighting for podiums in 2023. If Mercedes do end up signing him, then they could utilize all of Vettel’s experience to get back to winning ways.

Credits: IMAGO / Kirchner-Media, IMAGO Motorsport Images

Sebastian Vettel has recently opened up on why he is hesitant to return to F1, especially as a reserve driver. The German former driver claimed that he does not want to make an appearance as a reserve driver because of his lack of fitness. While he is confident that he is fit in almost every aspect, he revealed the one area that concerns him.

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Speaking of the same on the most recent episode of The Fast and The Curious podcast, Vettel said, “The neck is probably not ready to go. Because you know it’s really the best training is driving the car, but the rest is pretty much okay“. F1 drivers need strong necks while driving to cope with the high G-forces while navigating corners at high speeds.

Sebastian Vettel’s point is important to note because of what transpired with Oliver Bearman in Saudi Arabia. Photos showed that the young British driver’s cushioned cockpit headrest worked overtime in Saudi Arabia due to the presence of G-forces as it squished.

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The drivers usually experience forces between 4 to 5 G, but under extreme circumstances, it reaches a value as high as 6.5 G. This can have a significant impact on drivers’ bodies, especially on their necks.

How strong are the necks of F1 drivers compared to a normal human?

The necks of an F1 driver are usually broader and stronger. The primary reason behind this is to withstand the massive G-forces while racing.

However, how much does it differ when compared to that of a normal human being? Lando Norris, the star driver of McLaren, collaborated with AngryGinge13 earlier this year to find out how much force an F1 driver and a normal human’s neck can withstand.

According to a video posted by Norris’ Quadrant, the McLaren driver had no concerns while handling a weight of 25kg. However, his friend even struggled with 5kgs.

Prior to this, Norris also had a challenge with Niran Yesufu last year, and the result was similar. Yesufu seemed to struggle with a 14kg force mounted on his head. On the contrary, Norris was very comfortable with a weight of even 45kg.

Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei and IMAGO / PanoramiC

Toto Wolff has a big decision to make in 2024 – who shall replace the outgoing Lewis Hamilton for next season? However, Wolff does not wish to rush this decision and is looking from a futuristic perspective on this driver change. Amid all this deliberation, the Austrian boss wishes to give the Mercedes Academy prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli a better shot of being one of the top contenders for 2025. While Wolff and Co. were already planning to put Antonelli in previous Mercedes cars to give some running, now the Austrian is looking to put him in their 2021 car. Wolff hopes that doing so will give Antonelli some exposure in a car with which Mercedes last tasted success.

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Will Buxton tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) that Wolff has confirmed that Antonelli will be testing the Mercedes W12 from 2021, as they want him “to get the feel for F1 in a good car”. It is no secret that the Silver Arrows have dropped the ball in the new ground effect regulations era since 2022.

So, despite it being legal to test the 2022 car, the team wants their Italian prodigy to test the 2021 model first. According to GP Blog, Antonelli will jump in the W12 on April 16th at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

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This will be the first of many tests for the 17-year-old F2 prodigy this year. Wolff is keen on getting Antonelli ready for a potential chance to step up to F1 in 2025. So, this test program is going to be a crucial one and the Mercedes boss will have a close eye on how Antonelli performs.

Wolff commented on the same, “What we have done is added more days, but what you will see in the next few months has been in place, whether or not he’s going to sit in a Formula One car next year.”

Is Toto Wolff taking a risk with Andrea Kimi Antonelli?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be 18 in 2025 and at that tender age, it is always a bold and risky call to hand an F1 debut to any driver. While Red Bull took such a bold risk with Max Verstappen, the Dutchman did not disappoint. He is a generational talent and there is no two ways about it.

Now, there have been similar noises around Kimi Antonelli too. The Italian sensation has turned several heads in the junior formulas and is skipping F3 altogether to race in F2 this year. Verstappen made a similar sort of move in his career when he moved from F3 to F1 in 2015 and skipped F2 altogether.

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So, one would wonder if Antonelli is also an exceptional talent like Verstappen. Wolff would want to believe so. The Mercedes boss regrets to date that he did not give the opportunity to Verstappen back in the day and lost his services to Red Bull. Thus, the 52-year-old will want to avoid such a case with Antonelli.

If the Italian is as promising as everyone rates him, the Austrian boss won’t want to wait to give him his F1 debut. While people may say, it could be a risk that could backfire, Mercedes need to take such a risk to avoid losing Antonelli, as it happened with Verstappen, and regret about it later.

Credits: IMAGO Motorsport Images

The start to the 2024 Japanese GP weekend has been chaotic. The first free practice session was affected because of a red flag following Logan Sargeant’s massive crash. Meanwhile, teams were barely able to gather any data during FP2 as well because of rain. Teams, as a result, did not gather enough data, but Lando Norris already believes that McLaren do not have the pace to fight the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull.

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As quoted by f1maximaal.nl, Norris told F1TV, “I think we are very close to Aston Martin and Mercedes. They (Ferrari and Red Bull) are still ahead of us, but our car is performing in the right window and we keep trying things. However, it is now clear that we lack downforce and need a well-balanced car in the slow corners“.

The Briton added that there is a possibility that McLaren can improve in these areas of concern. However, he cautioned that doing so will result in the team losing out in other aspects.

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Although the 24-year-old does not believe that McLaren can fight the Ferraris and Red Bulls, he is still happy with the progress his side has been making. Norris believes that they are currently in a good position and will be able to provide a tough fight to Aston Martin and Mercedes in the midfield battle.

Similarly to Norris, Oscar Piastri hailed McLaren for their recent improvement. The Australian made his remarks after topping the time charts in a rain-affected FP2.

Oscar Piastri agrees with Lando Norris’ assessment

Although Piastri does not believe that McLaren were able to gather enough data due to the way the first two free practice sessions panned out, he is happy with his team’s current position. The Melbourne-born driver believes that McLaren has a “competitive car“.

However, in his interview with F1TV, he did admit that McLaren may not be able to match the kind of strong pace they had in Australia. The Albert Park circuit favored McLaren’s strengths as it has several high-speed corners. Suzuka too has high-speed corners, but not as many as Melbourne (per Autosport).

However, there are more than enough high-speed corners for McLaren to have an advantage over the likes of Mercedes, who usually struggle in this area.

While McLaren are likely to have an exciting battle with Mercedes for the midfield spots, they are unlikely to have the pace to match the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull. After the first three races of the 2024 season, there is more than enough evidence that both Ferrari and Red Bull have a clear advantage in pace when compared to the rest of the grid.

Credits: Imago

Regarded as one of the most competitive drivers in his prime, Sebastian Vettel lived and breathed racing, not just on the track but off it. In fact, his competitiveness knew no bounds. Away from F1, while doing his daily chores, the 4-time world champion would do things like ‘take the racing line’ to reach his destination faster and ahead of others. However, those days are long gone. Vettel is no longer that menace he used to be, as he revealed in a recent interview.

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While talking about his life and future endeavors on The Fast and The Curious podcast recently, Vettel unraveled that he “calmed down” in life for his kids. The 36-year-old is a father of three. Therefore, he had to change his mindset to be an example to them.

“[I] calmed down a lot, I mean I was racing in the past in the supermarket, trying to be the first and you know overtake final meters to get ahead and stuff like that but I’ve calmed down,” said Vettel. “I need to be responsible nowadays, I’m a father of three kids so I need to set an example as well.”

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Even though he has become calmer in the aforementioned situations, his habit of hurrying through things remains. In the interview, Vettel  stated that he still cut corners here and there and while driving and joked that it’s still not illegal in the rule book.

However, the four-time world champion does not cut corners in traffic anymore, even though he misses the world of racing. Talking about the latter, the former Red Bull driver has been heavily linked to make an F1 return in 2025.

Sebastian Vettel’s chances of coming out of retirement

After 16 years in F1, 4 titles and 53 race wins, Sebastian Vettel hung up his helmet at the end of the 2022 season. His career full of magic and determination came to an end at the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP with Aston Martin. However, many experts and drivers, including Lewis Hamilton insisted at the time that Vettel would show up to the grid again, eventually.

Vettel admitted to being happy with retirement, and is enjoying his time with family at home. This is one of the reasons, the German former F1 driver feels he could choose to never return to the world of racing full-time.

Despite this, numerous reports linked Vettel to Lewis Hamilton’s soon-to-be vacant seat in Mercedes. To many, Vettel rounds up as the perfect replacement for Hamilton’s seat after the seven-time world champion moves to Ferrari next season. Vettel is a four-time champion, one of F1’s greatest and could Mercedes steer into a new era smoothly. Hamilton himself will be happy to see Vettel in Mercedes but would rather have the team prioritize youth (as per MailSport)

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However, an F1 return looks far away as Vettel remained tight-lipped over his return to the pinnacle of motorsport, even though he has been testing Porsche’s hypercar in rumored preparation for a full-time comeback.

Credits: Imago

F1 Academy is an initiative lauded by many, as it provides women with a chance to make a mark in the world of single-seater racing. Although it will take some time, the promoters of the series, including boss Susie Wolff want the girls to reach F1 someday. Three-time champion of F1 Max Verstappen, too, is happy about what F1 is trying to do, but questions how they are doing it.

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Per Verstappen, the young drivers in F1 Academy are not competing with the right cars. If their aim is to reach the pinnacle of motorsports one day, it is essential for them to drive better, more competitive cars.

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As quoted by De Limburger, Verstappen said, “It’s good that Formula 1 is now paying extra attention to women in motorsports with F1 Academy, although I question how they are doing it. The cars they drive are far too slow. If you ever want to get them into Formula 1, it really has to go to a higher level”

F1 Academy has some of the biggest talents in motorsports, and has inspired a whole new generation of girls to pick up their dream of making it to F1. But the problem, as pointed out by Verstappen lies in the fact that they use F4 spec cars. They use a Tatuus F4-T421 chassis, used in the F4 championships around the world since 2022.

Verstappen’s criticism did not stop with just calling F1 out. He decided to go one step ahead and question the teams’ involvement in helping the F1 Academy stars grow.

F1 teams not doing enough, says Max Verstappen

From 2024 onwards, it was mandatory for all 10 F1 teams to sponsor one F1 Academy driver. Their livery and branding would follow these drivers throughout the course of the campaign, and all the teams have complied. Verstappen, however, has a question. What next?

“It’s all very nice having girls sponsored by F1 teams, but what are we actually helping them with? There is no next step for them now,” the Dutchman asks.

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Verstappen’s concern stems from the fact that even if the drivers perform well in, or win the F1 Academy Championship, they have no future in the world of motorsports guaranteed.

So far, getting into F1 for these young talents seems like a far-fetched dream, despite the push made by the sport’s governing bodies. However, it was a necessary step, as admitted by many. A predecessor series named W-Series was started in 2019 but it failed due to financial mismanagement and poor governance overall.

Thankfully, F1 Academy is not making the same mistakes, as revealed by renowned F1 journalist and former communications director Matt Bishop.

IMAGO / PanoramiC

Coming back to racing after the Australian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz will be hoping for a good outing in Suzuka. The Spanish driver added a little excitement to this season, and fans hope for it to continue. Sainz, too, would be praying for a strong outing in the Qualifying session so he can set the pace for the feature race. In a photo clicked by F1 photojournalist Kym Illman sees Sainz join his hands as if in prayer. However, Illman clarified the gesture came following a fault on Sainz’s part rather than praying for a good result.

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F1 follows strict rules and adheres to them no matter what. Given the exclusivity of the paddock, carrying passes that grant access to the area is a must. Even the drivers need to stick to the code of conduct and carry these passes. On the second day of the Japanese GP weekend, Sainz forgot to carry the pass and found himself in an awkward situation.

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Thus, as he reached the entry gates, Sainz had to join his hands to plead to the attendant to let him pass. Thankfully for the Ferrari driver, the attendant was able to recognize him. Sainz was allowed to pass through the swipes despite not having his pass.

While Sainz had little problem getting into the paddock, the case isn’t the same for all F1 drivers. Back in 2014, at the Australian GP, Lewis Hamilton suffered an oil problem with his car in FP1. Returning to the paddock on foot, the Briton had to pass through the swipes. However, given he did not have the gate pass with him, the attendant intervened. They asked Hamilton if he had a pass. In no mood to explain, a frustrated Hamilton said, “I’m a driver,” and barged his way along.

Carlos Sainz would be hoping to continue his form in Japan

Sainz has had a strong start to the 2024 season, securing impressive results thus far. He secured P3 at the season opener in Bahrain before having to miss out on the Saudi Arabian Grand owing to an appendectomy. The 29-year-old made a strong comeback in the following race, securing the top spot on the podium.

Hence, having secured a podium spot in both of his races, the Spanish driver currently enjoys a 100% podium record. Heading into the race in Suzuka, Sainz’s primary aim would be to continue the form and take the fight to the Red Bull drivers.

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The goal is doubly important for Sainz, given he doesn’t have a driving seat for 2025. Replaced by Hamilton, the three-time Grand Prix winner remains ‘jobless’ for next year and needs to find a decent team. To achieve the same, Sainz needs to continue performing at the top of his abilities. FP1 in Japan proved to be a step in the positive direction for Sainz.

He finished P3 behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, respectively. Opting to not partake in FP2, Sainz then drove 27 laps in FP3. Despite finishing the session in P7, Sainz was able to improve his best lap time from FP1 by a little over 0.100 seconds, potentially boosting his confidence for the race.