ADRIAN NEWEY DEPARTURE RUMOURS FLY AS RED BULL ISSUE RESPONSE – F1 NEWS ROUND-UP

Thursday’s F1 news saw Adrian Newey dominate the headlines, as rumours about him possibly leaving Red Bull emerged.

A meeting of the F1 Commission met on Thursday, but it was Red Bull’s Adrian Newey who stole the spotlight in terms of the news headlines.

Is an Adrian Newey bombshell on the way?

A report from Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport at lunchtime suggested that the legendary car designer has already made a decision to quit Red Bull with an eye to joining a rival team.

Newey is said, according to the report, to be unhappy at Milton Keynes in the wake of the internal politics that happened within the organisation in recent months, and now aims to jump ship – perhaps even as early as 2025 ahead of the new regulation cycle.

Red Bull respond to Adrian Newey rumours

With the BBC and De Telegraaf joining Auto Motor und Sport in reporting the possibility of Newey leaving, sources told PlanetF1.com that there are currently no preparations being made for a Newey departure.

A Red Bull spokesperson told PlanetF1.com that: “Adrian is contracted until at least the end of 2025 and we are unaware of him joining any other team.”

But, while Red Bull may not have received any communication that the designer might want to leave, the possibility of Newey retiring or taking a sabbatical before the end of his current contract at the conclusion of 2025 is a realistic one.

Update on Carlos Sainz’s future from his manager

A matter that was put before the F1 Commission – a meeting of team representatives with the FIA and FOM – was whether to vote on whether or not to proceed with tweaks to the existing F1 points structure that will see more cars outside the top 10 rewarded for their finishing positions.

But, rather than rushing into making a decision, the vote has been put back, for now.

“Commission members discussed a proposal for changes to the distribution of Championship points, as described in Articles 6.4 and 6.5 of the Sporting Regulations,” said the FIA.

“It was agreed that further analysis of proposed changes was required with a view to a proposal to be presented to the F1 Commission meeting in July.”

Nico Rosberg reveals Mercedes bills for crashes with Lewis Hamilton

The 2016 F1 World Champion had a few comings together with Lewis Hamilton – with each drivers shouldering the blame for the various clashes and incidents they had over the years as teammates – and has now revealed how Mercedes used to make them pay for it.

While Rosberg didn’t go into detail on which crash was the most expensive, the German driver once had a bill of £360,000 after one of their collisions.

“Because Lewis and I crashed, the team ended up making us pay for the damage,” Rosberg revealed when speaking on the Business of Sport podcast.

“We had to sign a contract that from now on, if we crash, no matter whose fault it is, we will pay for the damage. I remember how much I had to pay that was £360,000 that I shelled out for one of these accidents. That was very painful.

“After that, we definitely made sure that we didn’t collide again.”

Helmut Marko labels Lance Stroll ‘unbelievable’ after Daniel Ricciardo clash

With RB driver Daniel Ricciardo being eliminated by an error from Lance Stroll in China, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was less than impressed with the Canadian racer.

“Daniel Ricciardo was hit by Lance Stroll in China and unfortunately was robbed of all chances,” Marko wrote in his Speedweek column.

“Things went much better for Ricciardo in China. I find it unbelievable that Lance Stroll called him an idiot after the chequered flag fell.”

2024-04-25T21:27:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd