VERSTAPPEN, ANTONELLI AND MULTIPLE DRIVERS CLEARED BY FIA INVESTIGATION

Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

The FIA have cleared 11 drivers of infringements during sprint qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Half the grid was noted for failing to follow the maximum delta time of 1:28.0.

Verstappen one of 11 drivers cleared by FIA

They were: Esteban Ocon, Arvid Lindblad, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Gabriel Bortoleto, Max Verstappen, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas.

The investigation took place after the session, with all of the drivers cleared.

The FIA said in a statement: "The Stewards thoroughly reviewed Marshalling/Positioning data, timing data, on-board cameras and CCTV cameras.

"All drivers concerned stayed at or above speeds necessary to stay below 1:28.0 around the vast majority of the circuit.

"However, in all cases the Stewards determined that the drivers took appropriate actions to not impede other drivers, and in all cases, they slowed down significantly to allow other drivers to pass while giving those drivers a clear track.

"The Stewards therefore determine that all drivers concerned did not drive 'unnecessarily slowly', and that they were above the maximum time because they took appropriate steps, and we therefore take no further action.

"Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 5 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.

"Decisions of the Stewards are taken independently of the FIA and are based solely on the relevant regulations, guidelines and evidence presented."

Russell, who was under investigation, took pole position for the sprint race, which will take place tomorrow at 12:00 PM CEST.

The investigation was Verstappen's second of the session after he was cleared for a potential impeding incident with long-time rival Lewis Hamilton.

The FIA stewards noted the potential infringement in SQ1 when Verstappen and Hamilton came close together at Turn 3.

Eventually, the stewards announced that no further action would be taken.

The full results from sprint qualifying are as follows, with the drivers who were under investigation in bold.

- Connor Andrews

SERGIO PEREZ VS. VALTTERI BOTTAS | STATS

 

DAVID COULTHARD DELIVERS INSTANT FOUR-WORD VERDICT AFTER CADILLAC SIGN VALTTERI BOTTAS AND SERGIO PEREZ

Credit: Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1/Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto/Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E via Getty Images

Cadillac have finally ended the speculation around their first F1 driver line-up by announcing Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Both drivers will make comebacks in their mid-30s.

Perez lost his Red Bull seat at the end of last season via a pay-off. He’d spent four years at Milton Keynes but, while there was always an element of inconsistency, he truly unravelled in 2024.

Bottas, who used to go up against Perez at Mercedes, had already dropped into the lower midfield with Sauber. Both he and teammate Zhou Guanyu were axed at the end of a four-point campaign.

As it stands, Cadillac will have the oldest line-up in Formula 1 next year. Both drivers are contracted for multiple seasons, which indicates that the team don’t see the moves as risky.

David Coulthard calls Cadillac’s F1 driver line-up ‘perfect’

David Coulthard is a Red Bull ambassador, which makes him a former colleague of Perez. He was among the first big names to react when Cadillac announced their line-up on Instagram.

Coulthard wrote that Graeme Lowdon and co. had made a ‘perfect driver line-up’ in addition for their first season. Between them, Bottas and Perez have won 16 Grands Prix.

For reference, only McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes boast two race-winning drivers. Cadillac expect to be at the back next year, but these two drivers can help them operate like a top team.

Coulthard’s counterpart Martin Brundle agrees that Cadillac have formed a ‘great line-up’. He did warn, though, that the veteran duo will have to manage some ‘early frustrations’.

Kimi Antonelli reacts to Mercedes colleague Valtteri Bottas landing Cadillac drive

Like the rest of the teams, Cadillac will make their 2026 ‘debut’ behind closed doors in Barcelona. This will relieve some of the pressure surrounding a brand-new set-up.

Reports have already claimed that Bottas could take part in a TPC run, using an old Ferrari, to sharpen up the team’s mechanics and engineers. Theoretically, there would be nothing stopping the free agent Perez from getting involved, either.

Ferrari will supply Cadillac’s engine for their first few years of their existence. They then plan to introduce their own power unit and become a fully-fledged works team, although their original drivers may have retired by then.

Kimi Antonelli has congratulated Bottas, who has mentored him at Mercedes this season. He wishes the Finn good luck on his ‘next adventure’.

- David Comerford

WHY CADILLAC WILL USE RIVAL'S CAR FOR F1 TESTING DEBUT

The Cadillac team will conduct on-track Formula 1 testing this year using a car supplied by another team as it ramps up preparations for its debut in 2026. 

Sergio Perez, who was officially confirmed today as a Cadillac race driver for next year, says “there are some plans with the team to test [a] Formula 1 car before the end of the year".

Valtteri Bottas, who has also been announced as his team-mate, is under contract to Mercedes, so will continue to conduct reserve driver duties for the rest of the year, meaning it’s Perez who will primarily be available for test running in ’25. 

Cadillac will not have a car of its own available until pre-season testing begins in late January next year, but it is permitted to run a car provided by another team.

Although Cadillac has not confirmed what machinery it will use, it would be logical for it to run a Ferrari under TPC [testing of previous cars, which permits the use of 2022-2024 F1 machinery] regulations. 

While beneficial for Perez, who has been out of F1 since the end of last season, it is primarily of value to help the team’s preparations.

It will be part of what’s internally called the ‘race ready’ programme, designed to get Cadillac as sharp as possible ahead of its debut in Australia next March, which is currently focused on race weekends in terms of simulated running. 

“We don’t have a TPC car or a current car that we can operate, but we are already simulating race events,” said team principal Graeme Lowdon when asked by The Race about testing plans. 

“The next one that we're doing is Monza, and we simulate it as if it is a complete race, from start to finish with full integration of everybody in the team from Thursday all the way through to Sunday.

“We’ve got a very clear plan in our build-up to Melbourne next year and it doesn't involve just simulating races, which is really, really important. The last one we simulated, we probably had 50 or 60 engineering people fully involved over the whole weekend, both in the UK and the US, all getting used to working with each other.

"And we need to be in a position that when we get to Melbourne, we're not in a position where people are hearing voices for the first time, or working with each other for the first time, or anything else like that.

“And we’ll be introducing car testing as well this year. Obviously, we have to work with others to be able to do that, but there's that's perfectly allowable under the regulations.

“We just have a plan to steadily build up so that when we get to Melbourne, we hit the ground running, and the drivers themselves play such an important part in it. And the one thing I can tell you, just spending time with them is, I don't want to put words in their mouths, but there's a huge amount of enthusiasm to get going.”

The extent of the on-track programme is not clear, but in keeping with Lowdon's intention to prepare the team it is likely to involve a full complement of operational trackside personnel, or as close to that as possible, with the intention to simulate parts of the race weekend.

- Edd Straw, Scott Mitchell-Malm

WHO SHOULD CADILLAC SIGN AS TEAM-MATE TO VALTTERI BOTTAS FOR THE 2026 F1 SEASON?

Cadillac has secured the signature of Valtteri Bottas, but who should the American team sign next?

XPBimages

Cadillac has signed Valtteri Bottas to form the first half of its F1 driver line-up ahead of the American squad's debut season in 2026.

That news was broken by RacingNews365 and Formula.hu. Now, as the motorsport world waits for the General Motors-backed project to formally announce the Finnish driver, who should be partnered with the 10-time grand prix winner.

There is a plethora of options open to Cadillac. Will it look to add more experience to its fledgling team alongside the 35-year-old, or will it stump for youth to give its pairing a more balanced blend?

There is plenty of proven F1 talent - young and older - available to the team, including some big names currently sitting on the sidelines, like Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen.

Whilst the latter is racing this year in endurance, would he welcome another comeback to the so-called pinnacle of motorsport?

Then there are the tested, but not yet fully proven drivers, such as Mick Schumacher and Zhou Guanyu.

Or, will Cadillac go for a complete unknown, be it a junior or reserve driver, like Jak Crawford, Alex Dunne or Felipe Drugovich, or even an IndyCar champion in Alex Palou?

There is also Yuki Tsunoda as a viable option. His seat at Red Bull is not fully secure, and he is out of contract at the end of the current campaign anyway - would the Japanese driver relish a change or scenery?

- Samuel Coop

BREAKING NEWS: VALTTERI BOTTAS RETURNS TO MERCEDES

 

F1 MERCEDES-AMG | GREATEST DRIVERS IN FORMULA 1 HISTORY

 

VALTTERI BOTTAS ON SIR LEWIS HAMILTON

 

Q3 STREAK | RED BULL RACING VS.VALTTERI BOTTAS

 

VALTTERI BOTTAS ON RAIN DURING FP2 IN CANADA 🇨🇦

 

VALTTERI BOTTAS VS. ZHOU GUANYU | ALFA ROMEO

 

BOTTAS' 103 IN A ROW CONSECUTIVE Q3 STREAK ENDS

 Valtteri Bottas' consecutive Q3 streak started in Australia and ends in Australia.

He holds F1 record of 103 appearances.

ALFA ROMEO F1 TEAM | C42

VALTTERI BOTTAS TAKES P1 AHEAD OF THE SPRINT QUALIFYING RACE | MERCEDES AMG | F1

 

VALTTERI BOTTAS SAYS BYE AND THANK YOU TO MERCEDES AMG | #F1

 

I would like to thank @MercedesAMGF1 for the 5 years together. We have achieved quite some things, that I will never forget. And hey, we have still this season to Win! Let’s get it 💪https://t.co/2LOhwh1teb#VB77 @F1 pic.twitter.com/iMJljyTNNc

— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) September 6, 2021

LEWIS HAMILTON FULL RADIO WHEN HE LET VALTTERI BOTTAS OVERTAKE | AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

TEAM ORDERS FOR VALTTERI BOTTAS! | ALL TEAM RADIO'S DURING MERCEDES TEAM ORDERS | AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2021

NOBODY LISTENS TO VALTTERI BOTTAS TEAM RADIO | F1 2021 FRENCH GP

UNBOXING: LEWIS AND VELTTERI'S FIRST LOOK AT THE 2021 TEAM KIT

F1: JAPANESE GRAND PRIX | SUZUKA CIRCUIT | PICTURES