The starting grid is known for 2024 and for the first time in 75 years of F1 history the same drivers who raced the final event in Abu Dhabi will return to their same teams for the start of the next season. The drama that surrounds each Lewis Hamilton contract is settled for at least another eighteen months despite Christian Horner spicing things up as the season drew to a close, revealing Hamilton in fact wanted to drive for Red Bull Racing.

Russell is also now contracted until the end of 2025 but Lando Norris is the driver creating some issues in the driver market. The McLaren driver is also tied in for two more seasons but the question is where he will go next should his Woking based team fail to deliver him a car capable of wining races and titles.

 

 

 

Sainz demands contract extension

Charles Leclerc is coming to the end of a multi-year deal which will have lasted for five years since he signed long term for the Scuderia back in 2020. Whilst Ferrari’s other driver contract also runs for another season, he too is looking for certainty beyond the upcoming year but it seems the Italian team is playing hard ball.

Back in June, Carlos revealed he was not going to hang around waiting for Ferrari to issue him with a new contract.

“I’m not going to lie, I don’t like going into my last year of a contract without really knowing where I’m racing the next year,” said there Spaniard.

“I went through that process both with Red Bull and Renault, and I know it’s not ideal as an athlete, and as a driver. It’s just not the right thing. And that’s why I have put this winter as a reference to try and figure out my future.”

Did Williams bottle their BIG decision?

 

 

 

Spanish driver linked with Audi

Sainz had been linked with the new Audi project set to join the F1 grid in 2026, though he denied this stating his loyalty was with Ferrari.

“My priority, and my main goal, is to win [a title] one day with Ferrari. And I think I’ve made that clear, very, very often. And that’s why I will give my priority to them this winter.”

However Sainz Jnr who has two Fq wins and eighteen podiums made it clear he wouldn’t be pushed around by his Italian team giving them a deadline.

“If not, it will also be time to look elsewhere. But that’s my priority and what I want to sort out in the winter.”

RB19 fallacy that will “surprise” other teams

 

 

 

Ferrari eye up Norris for 2026

Today La Gazzetta is reporting that a shiny new five year deal is agreed with their favoured driver, Charles Leclerc is is to be announced “soon”. Yet it appears there is a sticking point for Sainz new deal as the parties are still some distance apart.

The Spanish driver wants a deal extending beyond 2024 that will last another two years to the end of the 2026 season when the next big rule change hits F1. Yet La Gazzetta claims this is a sticking point for Ferrari who only want to commit for another two seasons up to the end of 2025.

It appears Ferrari have one eye on Lando Norris who is yet to win a Formula One race despite having just completed his fifth year in the sport. Norris becomes a free agent in two more years and Ferrari are clearly eying him up as a future prospect to refresh their line up which will have been retained for five consecutive seasons.

The Charles Leclerc deal is kind of a slap in the face for Sainz despite Ferrari president recently insisting the team plan to retain the same driver line up beyond the end of 2024.

Toto Wolff’s F1 naivety is embarrassing 

 

 

 

Ferrari promises can ‘evaporate’

However, Ferrari promises can famously evaporate as Sir Sterling Moss recalls from his days in Formula racing.

“Ferrari called me down to southern Italy to drive the new four-cylinder that had been designed for use in Formula Two,” Moss revealed.

“I went down there and found the car in a garage. I got in and an engineer came over to me and said: ‘What are you doing?’ I said: ‘I’m Stirling Moss and I’m driving this,’ to which he quickly replied: ‘No you’re not, Piero Taruffi is’.

“That really pissed me off. Taruffi was a nice guy and a good driver, but Enzo Ferrari had simply changed his mind without telling me. At that point I vowed to myself that I would never race for him and I never did.”

Pitt/Hamilton movie with ‘substandard plot’ in trouble

 

 

 

LeClerc dubious F1 record

Ferrari were the team to drive for back then and Moss’ decision cost him dear as the Scuderia won five of the next eleven titles, while Moss famously became the best F1 driver never to claim the championship.

Leclerc is set to earn the same amount as Verstappen and has even been afforded a performance exit clause at the end of 2027 should Ferrari fail to deliver him a car he can challenge for titles with.

The Monegasque driver made his debut for Ferrari in 2019 and has won five times for the team, but none since July 2022.

Charles now holds the dubious record of having the most pole positions in F1 history (23) without winning the world championship.

Alonso/Verstappen ‘dream team’ could become a reality

 

 

 

Vasseur believes Red Bull mistakes will come

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur believes there is light at the end of the tunnel for his team and that if they are able to pressurise Red Bull and Verstappen more, the mistakes will come.

“There is no doubt about the fact that he was dominating all the season, and the only issue for us is that, as everybody, he will do more mistakes when he will be under pressure.

“But nobody was able to put him under pressure this season except us at the last two or three events, or except Carlos in Singapore.

“And it’s where he started to do some mistakes, or perhaps Red Bull did some mistakes in terms of set-up. We were too far away to put this kind of pressure on them.”

But there is always next year, eh Fred?

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