PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WITH F1 MCLAREN CEO ZAK BROWN

President Trump and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown took an apparent FaceTime call in the presidential suite during Sunday's IndyCar race in Washington, D.C. Brown, a race car driver himself, oversees the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team.

- CBS

'DISGUSTING: OSCAR PIASTRI'S AUSSIE INTERVIEW BAN AHEAD OF ABU DHABI GP

Explosive new claims of bias towards Oscar Piastri’s McLaren teammate have rocked F1 ahead of this weekend’s season-ending Grand Prix.

Just days out from its shot at a drought-breaking F1 drivers’ title, McLaren is in disarray amid revelations Oscar Piastri has been banned from speaking to Australian media.

The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix gets underway this weekend, with championship leader Lando Norris in the box seat on 408 points and his McLaren teammate Piastri in the mix on 392.

They are separated by Max Verstappen (396 points), with all three in mathematical contention to claim this year’s title.

Yet instead of a buzz around the F1 world over a thrilling end to this year’s championship, McLaren is in damage control following a damning report from CODE Sports.

An article from the masthead that landed on Thursday afternoon (AEDT) addressed the year-long speculation the British outfit would prefer Englishman Norris take out this season’s crown.

Oscar Piastri reacts after finishing second at the Qatar GP. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

 

Talk McLaren has favoured Lando Norris (right) has bubbled along for months. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
 

McLaren is well placed to win a first drivers’ world title since Lewis Hamilton’s salute back in 2008, but that is barely rating a mention outside of its Woking base.

The team’s much maligned ‘papaya rules’, which insist the two drivers are on a level playing field, have been all but debunked by this stage as Aussie Piastri has repeatedly had odds stacked against him by his own team.

The latest was their mea culpa after McLaren was the only team not to pit after an early yellow flag in last week’s Qatar GP, blowing a dominant Piastri’s hopes of victory and handing the win to Verstappen.

Smiling team boss Zak Brown has said ad nauseam all is well among the team, but CODE stated it’s well known that is no longer the case, calling the situation “bordering on toxic”.

A pitiful team representation when Piastri celebrated his second place in Qatar only added fuel to the fire and the Victorian admitted he was “speechless” over team radio after they blew his shot at a victory that would have drawn him much closer in the title fight.

Piastri has now been banned from holding individual interviews with Australian media, with CODE stating the team feels he is too busy, although that sounds flimsy at best and downright laughable in reality.

A number of journalists and McLaren team insiders spoke to CODE about the situation and all were united in condemning the treatment of the 24-year-old Aussie.

One was quoted as saying: “It’s disgusting to see what’s happening. It’s like he’s fighting with one arm tied behind his back.”

“He’s constantly being undermined by the team. The bias against Piastri is unquestionable.”

Fans are also well and truly fed up with the perceived treatment of the young Aussie star.

McLaren’s official X account posted a tweet on Thursday morning with the caption: “23 races, 20 countries visited. Country 21, round 24, Abu Dhabi, let’s do this.”

A number of fans used that opportunity to vent their feelings.

One wrote: “From now on, I’ll remember 2025 F1 season, not for McLaren winning the constructors championship, but for the sneaky ways they found to prevent Oscar Piastri from becoming World Champion.”

 Another replied: “23 races, 20 countries visited, 90% support for Norris, 10% support for Oscar. 100% loser team.”

Many F1 fans have tired of the message coming from Zak Brown (right) and McLaren. (Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1 via Getty Images)
 

A third offered: “And you destroyed a young man’s spirit – poor Oscar.”

Whatever its approach to this point, McLaren will be unable to gag Piastri in the lead-up to and after this weekend’s race.

He has mostly kept his cool and maintained his dignity to this point, when many others in such a competitive arena would have blown their stack."

Unless he finds a way to win this year’s title – needing to win the race in Abu Dhabi and have Norris finish sixth or lower – Piastri’s ultimate reaction to a season of missed opportunities could prove as fascinating as the race itself.

- James Dampney

 

'A LOT OF DRAMA': MCLAREN BOSS ZAK BROWN WEIGHS IN ON CHRISTIAN HORNER'S RED BULL DISMISSAL

Imago

McLaren Racing chief Zak Brown said he was unsurprised by the dismissal of Red Bull boss Christian Horner, but the timing was a little unusual.

Red Bull did not give a reason for the decision, but thanked Horner for his work and said he will "forever remain an important part of our team history."

Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls replaced Horner in his role as team principal and chief executive of the Red Bull team.

Horner had been Red Bull team principal since it entered F1 as a full constructor in 2005. He had performed his team and media duties as normal throughout the British Grand Prix last week.

Brown, who has an extensive rivalry with Horner and Red Bull, said he was not taken aback by the decision to let Horner go, but did wonder about the timing.

Left to right: Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen. Getty

"Maybe the timing but not the result," Brown said when asked if he was shocked by the news.

"There has been a lot of drama there over the last couple of years, so it doesn't seem like that drama has been calming down -- maybe it's been getting worse.

"So, I'm not surprised, any time in the middle of the season. But we're head down on our championship.

"They've got Max [Verstappen] still knocking on the door, so we've got to pay attention to that. But, yeah, tremendous amount of success they've had."

Horner is the latest in a series of high-profile executives to leave the team over the last year and a half. Car design great Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley departed for Sauber, which is soon to become the Audi works team. All of these changes have followed the 2022 death of Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire co-founder of Red Bull who created its F1 project.

The announcement also comes more than a year after Horner was accused of misconduct toward a team employee.

An investigation conducted on behalf of the Red Bull company dismissed the allegation, as did a further investigation conducted after the employee appealed against the initial ruling, Red Bull said at the time.

Horner remained in charge of the F1 team throughout the entire process.

Horner oversaw eight F1 drivers' titles — four for Sebastian Vettel and four for Verstappen — and six constructors' titles during his time with the team.

But McLaren has dominated this season in F1, while Red Bull's performance has dipped, though defending champion Verstappen remains third in the standings and the team is fourth.

As for Horner, Brown believes the former Red Bull boss will land on his feet.

"Given his age and his history in motor racing, I'd be surprised if he didn't show up somewhere in motor racing," Brown added.

"But I don't know his other interests, whether he wants to go run a football team or what have you. So, we'll see."

-  Sacha Mirzabegian, with AP

FIA PRESIDENT OPEN TO SCRAPPING 'HEADACHE' F1 COST CAP

Mohammed Ben Sulayem is considering a scrapping of F1's cost cap

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is reportedly seeking to scrap the Formula 1 cost cap, something he believes is a “headache”.

The rule, which was introduced in 2021, is in place to close the competition between teams at the front and the back of the F1 grid, via a restriction on spending, with a sliding scale on aerodynamic testing.

Teams that are found to have overspent are subject to punishment, such as Red Bull, which was handed a $7 million fine and aero testing restriction two years ago.

However, the much-maligned head of the sport’s governing body is, according to a report by the Associated Press, considering a removal of the rule altogether.

“I’m looking at the cost cap and it’s just giving the FIA a headache,” Ben Sulayem was quoted as saying by the AP.

“So what’s the point of it? I don’t see the point. I really don’t.”

The comments came amid a suggestion from McLaren CEO Zak Brown that F1 teams that complain about a fellow constructor should be required to pay a financial deposit in order to do so.

This came after Red Bull lodged a complaint after last Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, on the grounds that Mercedes’ George Russell had overtaken under yellow flags.

Brown believes that if such complaints are proven correct, the deposit should be paid back, but if they are unfounded – as it was in this instance – the fee should count against the cost cap.

Whilst being in agreement in principle, Ben Sulayem did not concur that the cost cap should be affected, saying: “You cannot just accuse someone without a written complaint, and that protest, you have to pay money.”

The F1 cost cap : level playing field initiative that courts controversy

The cost cap has enabled some teams to compete with the most financially viable teams which regularly compete at or near the front of the F1 grid.

It can be reached by the smaller teams through means such as sponsorship, which was the reason that Haas, for the first time in its history, was recently able to reach the cost cap, via a cash injection from title sponsor MoneyGram.

However, there is another controversy surrounding it, with teams being afforded an offset depending on the height of their country’s salary levels.

This proves to be a benefit for Audi, which makes its full F1 debut next year, due to being based in Switzerland, having transitioned from the country’s Sauber team.

- Jack Oliver Smith

MCLAREN MAKE WITHDRAWAL DECISION WITH MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT EXPECTED - REPORT

McLaren are one of the most successful and respected teams in F1 history

Reigning F1 Constructors’ Champions McLaren have decided to withdraw from the all-electric Formula E category, it has been claimed.

It comes just weeks after the manufacturer announced plans to enter the World Endurance Championship, featuring the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race, from 2027.

McLaren set to exit Formula E after Le Mans return announcement

McLaren have had a presence in Formula E since rebranding the former Mercedes team ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The team, which is supported by Saudi Arabian firm NEOM, has had limited success since McLaren’s involvement, winning just a single race over the last three seasons.

Sam Bird, a Formula E regular and a former Mercedes F1 tester, and Taylor Barnard are currently racing for the team.

Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri: McLaren head-to-head scores for F1 2025

A report by The Race has claimed that Zak Brown, the McLaren chief executive, informed team principal Ian James that the manufacturer will end their support of the team ahead of the 2026/27 season.

The decision was reportedly communicated at the Jeddah E-Prix in February, an event that took place on a heavily modified version of the circuit which hosted last week’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s decision to withdraw has left James with the task of finding ‘alternative commercial, naming and manufacturer’ partners ahead of the 2026/27 era, which will mark the beginning of Formula E’s so-called ‘Gen4’ era featuring new cars.

The news of McLaren’s expected Formula E exit comes a fortnight after the Woking-based team announced that they will enter the WEC, the top tier of endurance racing, in 2027.

McLaren previously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, with the WEC welcoming a swarm of new manufacturers since the hypercar rules came into force.

McLaren’s F1 rivals Ferrari, Aston Martin and Alpine currently compete in the hypercar class, along with Porsche, Toyota, BMW, Peugeot and F1 2026 entrants Cadillac.

In a statement confirming McLaren’s WEC entry, Brown declared that the team hope to win all three races comprising motorsport’s triple crown – the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500 – in the same year from 2027.

He said: “We’re back to the World Endurance Championship and competing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall win.

“In 2027, we will be entering the Hypercar class – we’re very excited.

“Thirty years ago, we won on our debut at Le Mans, in a car that wasn’t even supposed to race, and that sealed for us being the only team in history to have ever won the triple crown: the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“Now, with this exciting news, we’re going to try and win all three of these big races in the same year.

“We’re up for it, we’re ready, we’ll see you at the track.”

McLaren are expected to provide more details of their WEC plans at this year’s Le Mans race in June, with outgoing Jaguar Formula E team principal James Barclay expected to lead the endurance team.

- Oliver Harden

FIA BOSS REVEALS 'NEW BLOOD' FOR 2025 F1 SEASON AFTER SHOCK RACE DIRECTOR EXIT

Niels Wiitch was removed from his role as F1 race director in the final weeks of last season

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has revealed there will be more than one F1 race director this season.

Former F1 race director Niels Wittich was removed from his role towards the end of last season in a surprising move by the sport’s governing body.

Wittich’s replacement in the hot seat has not been confirmed but – following Johnny Herbert’s departure as a driver steward last month – Ben Sulayem has revealed that “new blood” will feature in FIA race control from the first race in Australia on 16 March.

Asked about who will be the next F1 race director, Ben Sulayem replied at a press conference in Spain: “Who and how many is a question we will know soon, in the next few days.

“But for sure there will be new blood and there will be more than one [race director]. That’s for sure.

“There have been people learning, there have been people working behind all the time. You can’t just throw somebody into this big challenge.”

McLaren CEO Zak Brown stated last month that his team would be willing to contribute towards paying for full-time FIA officials, yet Ben Sulayem insists that the 10 teams overall do not want to help fund a stewarding crew.

“The teams can complain, drivers can complain, but then they don’t want to pay for it,” Ben Sulayem added.

“I’m being very, very honest and straight with you, this takes a lot of investment. It has taken us more than two and a half years to get to what we are achieving now. Do we have the results? We will know the results when the season starts.

‘It is very important. What if the race director decides not to go or if he gets sick? It’s the same as the FIA. If something happens to me tomorrow, the FIA will continue to function without me, so this has to be a system. It’s not about individuals.

“There are a lot of mistakes and then you blame the FIA. It’s easy to blame the FIA. Why can’t you be productive in your criticism and say: ‘How can we find a solution?’

‘But where is the solution? The solution is in training, the solution is to bring people in.”

Wittich first served as joint F1 race director – the person in charge of enforcing FIA rules, safety cars and parc ferme regulations – with Eduardo Freitas in 2022, following the exit of Michael Masi after the controversial end to the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi.

Prior to Masi, Charlie Whiting held the position of F1 race director and was a highly respected figure for two decades from 1997-2019, before his sad passing prior to the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.

- Kieran Jackson

BROWN BACKS VERSTAPPPEN AFTER CONTROVERSIAL FIA DECISION

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has asserted it is up to the F1 television production to filter out remarks containing swear words rather than the drivers to tone down their language.

Last year, Max Verstappen was handed a community service obligation for swearing during an official FIA press conference.

The penalty came shortly after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem outlined he wanted to see drivers eliminate swearing from their vocabulary altogether.

"A public letter from the Grand Prix Drivers' Association to Ben Sulayem last year outlined the difference between swearing to insult others and as part of a casual conversation.

Speaking on the James Allen on F1 podcast, Brown highlighted he does not see the need for swearing in a press conference.

“The swearing I agree with in certain circumstances, meaning in a press conference where everything is quite chilled out, there's no emotion involved, there's no reason to swear,” he said.

“You don't see Michael Jordan in the NBA - I know I'm dating myself because he's not played for a while - but you don’t see athletes or managers in press conferences just dropping F-bombs.

“I think that's inappropriate and we should set a good example.”

 - Fergal Walsh

ZAK BROWN AT THE AUTOSPORT BUSINESS EXCHANGE

 

MARKO REFLECTS ON HIS 'BIGGEST MISTAKE' IN F1 DRIVER CHOICES

XPB

Red Bull motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, has played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of numerous Formula 1 stars, including Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, and Daniel Ricciardo.

However, while Red Bull’s driver program has provided dozens of young talents with opportunities to join motorsport’s elite, many were unable to fully realize their potential at the highest level.

Reflecting on those who fell short of expectations, Marko recently acknowledged that signing Nyck de Vries to AlphaTauri in 2023 stands out as the "biggest mistake" of his distinguished career.

A Promising Start That Faded Quickly

De Vries first turned heads with an exceptional debut performance at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, where he stepped in for Williams at short notice and scored points with a stellar ninth-place finish.

This performance, coupled with his impressive résumé – which included championships in Formula 2 (2019) and Formula E (2020-21) – earned him a seat at AlphaTauri for the 2023 season.

However, the Dutchman's F1 tenure proved short-lived. Over the first half of the season, de Vries struggled to adapt to the highly competitive environment, being comprehensively outperformed by teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

AlphaTauri

His struggles culminated in his mid-season replacement by Daniel Ricciardo, marking the end of his brief stint in Formula 1.

“My biggest mistake? No doubt about it, it’s Nyck de Vries,” Marko said , speaking to Autosprint.

“He did very well on his debut for Williams in Monza. But once he got to AlphaTauri, he didn’t progress.

“He had an incredible track record, FIA F2 champion, also Formula E world champion, but with us the stopwatch said Nyck was the wrong choice. And in trying to go faster, he made mistakes.”

A Career Beyond F1

Since leaving F1, de Vries has returned to familiar territory, rejoining Formula E – where he previously thrived.

However, his 2023-24 campaign with Mahindra Racing yielded a lowly 18th position in the electric series’ Drivers’ standings.

His 2024-25 campaign sees him driving for Mahindra Racing for a second w team, while he also competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota.

The 29-year-old is on the FE grid again this season, while he’s also been retained by the works Toyota squad in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Still a Foot in F1’s Door

Despite his unproductive stint in F1, de Vries has maintained a link with F1.

Late last year, he completed a TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) session with McLaren, fueling speculation about a potential simulator or reserve driver role with the Woking-based team.

With the Woking-based team losing its reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa to Alpine, de Vries may be called upon to fulfill the back-up role.

"We are going through our test programme and evaluating some drivers," commented McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown said.

"Nyck is one of them. It's about a possible position as a simulator driver, test driver and tyre tester. Unfortunately, they won't let me do that, so we have to look at others!

“Nyck is obviously a great talent, so we want to see if we can rekindle the relationship with him. He's done a good job and we'll see what will happen."

- Phillip van Osten

MCLAREN TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED WITH F1 TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP IN SIGHT

McLaren are on the verge of winning the team's first Formula 1 constructors' championship since 1998 but CEO Zak Brown said on Thursday he is keeping the champagne on ice knowing full well how quickly fortunes can change in the sport.

McLaren lead the standing with 593 points, 36 ahead of Ferrari with defending champions Red Bull still in the running with 544 points ahead of Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix.

"I feel great with where we are," Brown said at an event promoting the British team's partnership with Mastercard.

"But it's high stress. A 36-point lead can evaporate in one race weekend when you've got Ferrari, who could easily finish first and second, which can happen in a street race as we saw in Brazil.

"For those people who have come up to me with a foregone conclusion that we've already won the championship, I kind of want to punch them in the nose."

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said the construtors' championship was the priority after Lando Norris finished sixth in Brazil earlier this month, putting Red Bull's Max Verstappen on the brink of a fourth successive drivers' crown.

There are two more races to go after Las Vegas and the constructors' championship could go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi in December.

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur said recent results had little bearing on who would come out on top.

"It's not a matter of momentum this season," he told reporters after Thursday's first practice.

"If you have a look, I think Red Bull were dominating the first three or four races at the beginning of the season. Then we had a good sequence and then it was Mercedes during the summertime and then it was McLaren again and us again.

"It's so tight that it's moving from one weekend to another."

Brown said staying consistent will be key to locking up the title.

"A lot of people have asked what we are doing differently now," he said. "We don't want to do anything differently. We want to do exactly what got us to where we are. Take it one session at a time, feet on the ground.

"The minute you think you've done it before you're in the end zone is a big mistake to make. So I feel good about where we are but we're very focused and we're not going to celebrate until hopefully we've earned the right to celebrate."

- Reuters 

FERRARI'S SAINZ CLAIMS VICTORY IN MÉXICO, VERSTAPPEN PAYS PRICE FOR RUTHLESS TACTICS

MEXICO CITY, Oct 28 — Carlos Sainz cruised to an emotional victory for Ferrari ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris in Sunday’s incident-filled Mexico City Grand Prix as Red Bull’s series leader Max Verstappen was handed two 10-second penalties on his way to sixth.

The stewards took a dim view of Verstappen’s aggressive driving, the Red Bull driver twice forcing his title rival Norris off the track.

Norris grabbed second from Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari near the finish as the Briton enjoyed a major boost in his quest to deny Verstappen a fourth consecutive world championship.

The McLaren driver cut 10 points off the gap to Verstappen which now stands at 47 with four race weekends remaining.

Verstappen paid a heavy price for his show of ruthlessness with Norris commenting: “I knew what to expect from Max. I respect him a lot as a driver and I expected it but it was not very clean driving in my opinion.

“It was a very tough race and I spent a lot of it just trying to avoid crashes.”

It was the second week in succession that the two title-chasers had clashed following a penalty for Norris at the United States Grand Prix.

McLaren boss Zak Brown described this latest example of Verstappen’s aggressive streak as “ridiculous”.

“Enough is enough. Let’s just have some good clean racing moving forwards. I think the stewards are on it, I think that’s clear by the penalties that were given. The stewards did a good job this weekend.”

Asked about his drivers’ crown prospects Norris said: “I’m just keeping my head down, we’re doing good job as a team, focus on ourselves, that’s all I can do for now.”

Sainz meanwhile is ensuring he leaves Ferrari with his head held high as he switches next season to Williams to make way for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

“Gracias Mexico!” said a beaming Sainz.

“It is incredible to see this crowd. I have felt their support all week and it gave me a lot of strength — I said I wanted one more win with Ferrari and to do it here with this mega-crowd is incredible.”

It was Ferrari’s first victory in Mexico since Alain Prost triumphed in 1990 — enabling them to move ahead of Red Bull in the constructors’ championship — and Sainz’s second win of the season and fourth of his career.

Hamilton finished fourth ahead of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Kevin Magnussen finished behind Verstappen in seventh to deliver Haas’s best result in Mexico ahead of Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren, who started from the back end of the grid, Nico Hulkenberg in the second Haas and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

Tsunoda out

The race began in a festive atmosphere with Verstappen winning the start from pole-sitter Sainz to lead the run to the first corner where RB’s Yuki Tsunoda crashed out after making contact in the midfield squeeze.

The race was yellow-flagged to retrieve the debris. Replays showed he collided with Alex Albon’s Williams going into the braking zone. Albon retired.

Verstappen accelerated as racing resumed on lap six with Sainz soon showing Ferrari’s potential and then sweeping inside him to lead on lap nine at Turn One.

The Dutchman fought but Sainz hung on and next time round on lap 10 Norris made a move at Turn Eight where Verstappen responded by forcing him wide and off-track.

Norris handed the place back.

“I was ahead the whole way through the corner,” said the Briton. “This guy is dangerous. I have to avoid a crash. I’ll end up in the wall.”

As they squabbled, Leclerc moved up to second while Norris tried again at Turn Four on the next lap only to be pushed off again.

“He overtook me off-track and pushed me off,” said Norris.

The stewards noted both incidents and then issued Verstappen with a 10-second penalty for fouling Norris. “That’s quite impressive,” said a sarcastic Verstappen.

Behind the leaders two-time former champion Fernando Alonso, in his record 400th Grand Prix weekend, pitted his Aston Martin and retired after 17 laps before a second stewards’ penalty for Verstappen — a further 10 seconds for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

After a flurry of pit stops Verstappen climbed to sixth as Norris chased Leclerc, passing him for second on lap 63 when the Monegasque slid wide at the final corner.

With five laps to go, Norris was seven seconds behind Sainz as Hamilton finally passed Russell for fourth, setting up a frantic finale. 

— AFP

MCLAREN CHIEF ZAK BROWN SAYS RED BULL EXPLANATION FOR CONTENTIOUS DEVICE DOESN'T STACK UP

Red Bull confirmed on Thursday they have agreed a plan with the FIA to make alterations to their car following complaints from rivals over a contentious ride-height device on the RB20; watch Sprint Qualifying on Friday night at 10.30pm live on Sky Sports F1

Getty 

McLaren chief Zak Brown says Red Bull's explanation for the existence of a contentious ride-height device on their car "doesn't stack up" and that he expects "massive consequences" if they are found to have been using it illegally.

Red Bull, whose driver Max Verstappen leads McLaren's Lando Norris by 52 points at the top of the Drivers' Championship ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix, confirmed on Thursday that they have agreed a plan with the FIA to make alterations to their car following talks with the sport's governing body.

McLaren were among rival teams who suspected a device on the RB20 could enable Red Bull to advantageously change the car's ride height via the 'bib' at the front of the floor when in restricted 'parc ferme' conditions, which would be in breach of the sport's regulations.

While confirming the existence of the device, Red Bull insisted it could not be used for anything untoward as it was not accessible to use when the car was fully assembled.

The FIA earlier said that it had "not received any indication of any team employing such a system," but that the use of such a device would be against the rules. The governing body also said it would increase its monitoring from Austin onwards to make sure no such systems were being used, with the application of seals on the parts in question a possible method.

What is a front bib/T-Tray in F1?

Sky Sports' Nigel Chiu:

A front bib, or T-Tray, sits underneath and towards the front of an F1 car.

It is a mounting point for the wooden plank, which all F1 cars have.

Imagine a T-shaped tray, that’s what a front bib is, similar to a splitter on a more conventional racing car, or road car.

The front bib can change the ride height of the car and, in qualifying, teams will want to run the car as low to the ground as possible to create downforce.

But, if it is too low, then the wooden plank will be worn out and regulations limit the amount of plank wear a car can have.

At the 2023 United States Grand Prix, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were disqualified for too much plank wear.

By adjusting the front bib, the front wing height can also be impacted, which affects the balance of the car.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports F1's Danica Patrick on Friday morning in Austin, Brown said: "Why would you design it to be inside the car when with the nine other teams it's designed to be outside the car?

"Ingenuity is part of Formula 1, and then there are black-and-white rules. You cannot touch your race car, other than for things like driver comfort.

"They chose their words very carefully, saying 'when the car is fully assembled', but you're allowed to not have the car fully assembled in parc ferme when you're working on driver comfort.

"Also, what doesn't quite stack up is the comment that you can't modify it. Well then why does the FIA feel they need to put a seal on it? If it's not accessible post or during parc ferme, then why put a seal on it?

"So, I'm very happy to see the FIA is on it. I think it needs to be a very thorough investigation because, if you touch your car from a performance standpoint after parc ferme or in parc ferme, that is a black and white, material, substantial breach, which comes with massive consequences."

The controversy follows McLaren being asked by the FIA to alter a 'mini-DRS' rear wing device on their car after last month's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Norris went on to claim a dominant victory in Singapore the following week.

Brown added: "I think transparency is critically important in today's day and age. I still have questions. I know from talking to other team bosses, they still have questions.

"Until those questions are answered I think it is still an ongoing investigation to bottom out. What do we know? I would like some more answers before I'm prepared to go, 'right, they were, they weren't'. But I think the FIA will bottom it out."

Red Bull give remarkable demonstration as Marko denies illegality

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko insisted following first practice in Austin on Friday that Red Bull's device is "completely legal" and that he guesses "nearly every team has it."

Marko told Sky Italy: "It's completely legal and it was known to all the other teams because you know we had informed the FIA about that.

"I guess nearly every team has it. And you can't change it between qualifying and the race, so that's the main thing.

"So, nothing illegal. I don't know why so much fuss is being made about it. I think someone is trying to take away the attraction of some other issues.

Also following the opening session in Austin, Red Bull appeared to perform a demonstration of how the device operates for two FIA officials in their garage.

Watching the demonstration from the pit lane, Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz said: "This is the Red Bull number one mechanic Ole Schack demonstrating to two scrutineers from the FIA's technical department exactly how they do it.

"I never thought that they were actually going to be this open. Ole Shack is actually showing how he puts the device into the footwell of the car, once the driver is out, which adjusts the ride height of the front of the car.

"So part of this is for the FIA to actually understand how the device works in a little bit more depth, because today and yesterday would have been the first chance the FIA would have had to do it. And how they're going to measure it, perhaps with a seal, perhaps with any other form of measurement.

"And what happens once Sprint qualifying and the first parc ferme period begins later this afternoon Austin time? The FIA needs to understand 'well, how are we going to measure whether you're changing the floor in parc ferme as the allegations have been against you.'"

The FIA said the demonstration was part of checks they are carrying out on all cars in relation to front bib adjustments.

"We are just checking that all the cars comply with our new requirement," an FIA spokesperson said.

How the controversy came to light

The fresh technical controversy blew up on Wednesday when the FIA confirmed that it had been made aware by some teams of the presence of a ride-height-altering device on a rival's car.

The governing body made clear the use of any such device under parc ferme conditions would be against the regulations and that it was altering its procedures from Austin to make sure no such systems were being used.

"Any adjustment of the front bib clearance during parc ferme conditions is strictly prohibited by the regulations," said the FIA statement.

"While we have not received any indication of any team employing such a system, the FIA remains vigilant in our ongoing efforts to enhance the policing of the sport.

"As part of this, we have implemented procedural adjustments to ensure that front bib clearance cannot be easily modified.

"In some cases, this may involve the application of a seal to provide further assurance of compliance."

With what has become a thrilling F1 season set to resume in Austin after a near month-long break, the issue was the talk of the paddock on Thursday morning, with speculation rife over which team had such a device.

The mystery was suddenly dispelled when Red Bull released a statement confirming that their RB20 did contain such a tool.

"Yes, [it] exists, although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run," a Red Bull spokesperson said.

"In the numerous correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed a plan going forward."

Red Bull's statement came shortly before title contenders Norris and Verstappen fulfilled their media obligations ahead of the Sprint weekend.

Norris said the device could have aided Verstappen this season if Red Bull were exploiting it, and that the FIA's newly implemented procedural adjustments could impact the RB20's performance for the six remaining rounds of the campaign.

"It's one thing having it on your car, it's another thing on how much you exploit it and use it, which we have no idea on," Norris said.

"If it has been helping them, if they have been utilising it in a way people think they have, maybe it will shift in our direction.

"But, when you talk about things like that, they won't have got several pole positions or wins because of that device.

"I don't think it will change anything in the scheme of things. Maybe at certain qualifyings when it has been split by hundredths or thousandths, you might say, 'okay, maybe this has helped in this direction or that direction'."

With Red Bull adamant the device was not being used to contravene the parc ferme regulations, Verstappen said the fact that details of the feature were available to other teams on FIA servers under regulations revolving around open-source parts showed they were not trying to hide anything.

Asked about the reaction inside the team to Thursday's events, Verstappen said: "Nothing. I mean, it's open source, right? Everyone can see it.

"For us, it was just an easy tool when the parts were off that it was easy to adjust. But once the whole car is built together, you can't touch it. So, for us, it doesn't change…

"When I read it, I was thinking about 'are there other teams doing it?' And then I found out it was related to our team. We never even mentioned it in the briefings, so it's just an easier tool to adjust stuff."

Verstappen added that it had "no" benefit on car performance.

- Sky F1 

TEAM PRINCIPAL ANDREA STELLA SIGNS NEW DEAL

Andrea Stella has signed a contract extension with McLaren. Photo by Xavier Bonilla/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Team principal Andrea Stella is remaining with McLaren after signing a multi-year contract extension, the Formula One team said Thursday.

Contract terms were not announced.

Stella, 53, joined McLaren in 2015 and worked his way up to team principal, promoted to the role in 2022. Since then, McLaren drivers have two grand prix wins and 18 podiums to go with a sprint victory.

"It's a privilege to be part of the McLaren Formula 1 team, and I am honored to continue in my role as team principal," Stella said. "We've made great strides forward in the past year and a half and we still have a lot more work to do to consistently fight at the front of the grid, which poses an exciting challenge."

This season, drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have 10 straight podium finishes, including a one-two result at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 21.

As a result, McLaren is challenging Red Bull for the world championship, trailing by just 42 points.

Both drivers have signed contract extensions.

"His impact on McLaren F1 in his role as team principal has been profound, not only through our results on track and the trajectory of the team but also in his development of our culture and mindset," McLaren CEO Zak Brown said.

"With multi-year extensions already agreed with Lando, Oscar, and now Andrea, we can confidently continue on our quest to become world champions. We're all looking forward to the years to come under Andrea's leadership."

F1 racing resumes Aug. 25 with the Dutch Grand Prix.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN WAS ON TOP OF THE WORLD AFTER WINNING THE INDY 500. THIS YEAR FEELS MUCH DIFFERENT

AP Photo 

 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A social media post designed to introduce drivers in the Indianapolis 500 to the general public put Josef Newgarden in an awkward light when the reigning race winner was asked a simple question.

“Which IndyCar driver would you take on a road trip?” asked the questionnaire.

“Solo” Newgarden responded.

An odd answer for a driver who a year ago was practically inseparable from Scott McLaughlin, his Team Penske teammate. The “Bus Bros.” had a media company, a YouTube show and merchandise. They appeared to be the best of friends and McLaughlin celebrated Newgarden when the Tennessean finally broke through to win his first Indianapolis 500.

Twelve months later, the Bus Bros. are no more, the friendship apparently unraveled after Newgarden went solo and unfollowed everyone on social media — including his wife — in a bid to rebuild his love of racing. Winning the Indy 500 wasn't as fulfilling as he had expected; for the two-time IndyCar Series champion, racing had become a grind of too many failures and not enough successes.

Insulated but re-energized when he returned for this season, Newgarden scored an emphatic victory in the opening race in St. Petersburg, Florida. Six weeks later, IndyCar discovered illegal push-to-pass software on the three Team Penske cars and threw out both Newgarden's win and McLaughlin's third-place finish.

AP Photo 

Newgarden returns to the speedway for Sunday's race as the defending Indy 500 winner but caught in a cheating scandal that has damaged his pristine reputation and that of Team Penske. A deeply embarrassed Roger Penske suspended four team members, including team President Tim Cindric, Newgarden's strategist.

If the drama is distracting Newgarden, he's not let on.

He qualified third to complete Team Penske's first front row lockout in Indy 500 qualifying since 1988. McLaughlin won the pole and Will Power qualified second.

Asked how different this year has felt from last season, when Newgarden won in his 12th try, he felt nothing much has changed.

“Feels really similar to me in a lot of ways. I feel a lot of respect for this facility and this race, this track,” Newgarden said before turning the topic to how good his Chevrolet was a year ago. "We were fortunate enough as a team, as a group, where it just fell into place for us. We had a great car. ... it was our day.

“I feel the same in that regard. I think I’ve got another great race car,” he continued. “I had sort of let go of the fact that I was ever going to win this race. It’s such a tough race to win, I think you had to be comfortable with that. I think that rings true for a second. I’m happy to be here, happy to have a shot.”

PADDOCK UNREST

There remains dissatisfaction about the scandal, particularly from teams who simply don't believe the Team Penske explanations as to how Newgarden, his engineers and McLaughlin found nothing to be amiss when their horsepower boosts worked when they should not have. It took IndyCar said Penske drivers had manipulated the push-to-pass software system on their cars; Penske and Cindric called it a miscommunication and breakdown in process.

Zak Brown, head of Arrow McLaren Racing, said the Penske punishments were too light; he called Cindric's presence at Penske's sports car win at Laguna Seca two weeks ago while under suspension “a bad look.”

There is skepticism that Cindric won't be involved in some form in the race. IndyCar set no parameters on what the suspended team members can or can't do, leaving the discipline to Penske to dole out. Penske owns not only the race team, but IndyCar itself, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500.

“Do I think Tim Cindric is engaged during the Month of May? Yes. In what way, I don't know the rules they set out, I don't know that,” Brown said. “But do I believe that Tim Cindric is sitting on his couch, turning on the race and watching it as 5 of 6 million other people are? No.”

Newgarden can win a $440,000 bonus from trophy-maker BorgWarner if he becomes the first driver to win back-to-back Indy 500s since the award was established in 1995. It's been claimed only once — by Helio Castroneves after 2001 and 2002 victories — and only five drivers in 107 runnings have won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in consecutive years.

Newgarden is the race favorite, followed by McLaughlin and Kyle Larson, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The odds made McLaughlin a little nervous and same for Larson, who couldn't understand why anyone would “waste their money betting on me.”

Said McLaughlin: “My first Indy 500, I was headed out to driver intros and some guy screamed at me he'd bet $20,000 on me to win. And all I could think was ‘Why?’”

AP Photo 

LARSON EFFECT

This year's race has NASCAR star Kyle Larson in the field as he attempts to become the fifth driver in history to complete “The Double” and race in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

The 2021 Cup Series champion is the first driver to attempt the 1,100 miles of racing since Kurt Busch in 2014. Weather is not in his favor with the Indy forecast calling for rain on Sunday.

Larson qualified fifth for his debut Indy 500 and a year's worth of prep has gone into his joint effort between Arrow McLaren Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. Rick Hendrick, his boss, now seems to be having second thoughts about pulling Larson from Indy to get him to Charlotte Motor Speedway in time for the evening's NASCAR race.

“At this point, just hoping the weather cooperates to get all 1,100-miles in. It’s been something I’ve looked forward to for close to two years,” Larson said. “It doesn’t look too promising for Indy on Sunday, but I think for me, where I sit, if it’s going to rain, I hope it rains all day. That way it can just get pushed to Monday or something. We can get (NASCAR) in on Sunday night and then come here Monday.”

McLaren boss Zak Brown said the decision would be solely for Hendrick to make.

CHEVROLET vs. HONDA

Chevrolet clearly had the speed benefit in qualifying when the engine maker claimed the first eight spots in qualifying. But Honda showed it can hold its own in race trim, which means there is no obvious favorite for Sunday.

“I think Chevrolet has a little bit of a power advantage right now, but you never know once the race starts,” said Chip Ganassi, who failed to qualify any of his five Honda-powered cars inside the top 12. “I’ll take a handling car any day over horsepower.”

BROWN'S OWN DOUBLE

Brown has his own eye on the weather and a plane ticket on hold for Saturday to take him to the Monaco Grand Prix if it appears the Indianapolis 500 will be rained out.

He would then attempt his own version of “The Double” and watch his F1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on Sunday in Monaco, then return to Indianapolis for the 500 on Monday. If he decides to stay in Indianapolis but the 500 is rained out, Brown said he'd travel to North Carolina to cheer on Larson in the Coca-Cola 600.

“I just hope it's not a rain delay,” Brown said. “I hope it's either a washout, chucking down rain and we're not racing Sunday and leave, go to Charlotte, and come back. That's the delay I want.”

- JENNA FRYER

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HORNER AFFAIR: MINTZLAFF ALREADY WANTED TO TERMINATE HIM!

A magazine publishes an explosive story that meticulously documents the affair surrounding Christian Horner - who was almost fired by Red Bull.

(Motorsport-Total.com) - The affair surrounding Christian Horner, the team boss of Red Bull Racing, is not coming to an end. After a highly explosive data leak became known , which was leaked to hundreds of people in the Formula 1 paddock on the sidelines of the season opener in Bahrain, a story that contains new explosive material is now appearing in the March issue of the industry magazine BusinessF1 .

On 17 pages, the Horner affair is detailed in detail and, among other things, the name of the employee who made the allegations against Horner is mentioned for the first time. It is told how the woman collapsed on the sidelines of a racing weekend and, crying, told colleagues for the first time about her boss's transgressive behavior.

Many of the details of the story weigh heavily on Horner. If they are true, it is hard to imagine that the 50-year-old will survive the affair as team boss of Red Bull Racing. However, it is important to note: As of today, many of the details are difficult to clearly verify, which is why our editorial team is refraining from publishing them.

What can be verified, however, is an exciting sub-strand of the story that casts Red Bull GmbH's handling of the Horner affair in a completely new light. As is well known, Formula 1 team bosses such as Toto Wolff and Zak Brown in Bahrain had publicly criticized the non-transparent handling of the matter .

It was on the morning of February 2nd, just one day after the announcement of Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari, that the next earthquake began to emerge in Formula 1. The decision-making level at Red Bull GmbH in Fuschl had already become aware of the allegations made by Horner's personal assistant weeks ago, discussed them intensively - and came to the conclusion that morning that Horner's behavior was impossible to reconcile with the company's code of conduct is.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL ON LEWIS HAMILTON

 

INDYCAR LEADER PALOU IN NEW CONTRACT ROW OVER 2024

USA TODAY Sports 

A fresh row over 2021 champion Alex Palou's IndyCar future flared up on Saturday after his Chip Ganassi Racing team reacted angrily to McLaren boss Zak Brown saying the Spaniard was reneging on a deal to join his outfit next year.

Palou's apparently now ex-management also chipped in, saying they were "bitterly disappointed" by the 26-year-old driver's decision.

"Anyone that knows me knows that I don't make a habit of commenting about contract situations," team owner Chip Ganassi said in a statement.

"Subsequently, I have been quiet since day one of this story but now I feel I must respond. I grew up respecting the McLaren team and their success. The new management does not get my same respect."

WLOLFF SAYS WOULD-BE NEW F1 TEAMS SHOULD BUY AN EXISTING ONE

Reuters 

Formula One has 11 teams at Silverstone this weekend, one of them the creation of Brad Pitt and Hollywood moviemakers, but in reality the existing 10 remain resistant to expanding their numbers.

Several would-be newcomers are seeking to become an 11th or 12th team but that would bring with it a dilution of revenues for the rest.

Most of the 10 also believe the $200 million fee to be shared out among them as compensation is set too low given recent valuations.

ZAK BROWN ON THE CURRENT TECHNICAL REGULATIONS

F1 2021 BRITISH GRAND PRIX | TEAM PRINCIPALS CONFERENCE | TOTO WOLFF, CHRISTIAN HORNER, ZAK BROWN