MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Five races into the Formula One season, Max Verstappen and the globetrotting series have arrived in the United States for the first of three appearances in a year that the Red Bull driver has apparently already kept under wraps has .
Verstappen has four wins in five races heading into this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, an event he won in the first two iterations.
Don’t put this F1 season behind you so quickly. The actual race was marred by an off-track scandal, and the soap opera has spread far to Miami.
Red Bull dysfunction
Adrian Newey, technical director at Red Bull Racing and architect of its record-breaking and championship-winning cars, said this week that he would step down early next year. The context, of course, is that the team has dealt with allegations of inappropriate behavior towards an employee by team boss Christian Horner.
Red Bull has cleared Horner of any wrongdoing and the employee has been suspended. But the employee has appealed Red Bull’s findings and representatives for the employee claim to have filed a report with the FIA, Formula One’s governing body. The FIA has not acknowledged any complaint and the only person still speaking about the scandal appears to be Verstappen’s father Jos; The former F1 driver has claimed that Newey’s departure is related and that the entire organization is at risk of imploding.
Whatever the case, Newey and Horner flew together from England to Miami on Thursday.
Andretti Commandment
Mario Andretti spent Wednesday collecting congressional signatures on Capitol Hill in support of Andretti Global’s ongoing bid with General Motors to secure a spot for a “truly American team” on the F1 grid.
Formula 1 management, owned by the American company Liberty Media, rejected Andretti’s request late last year, but the organization continues to work to make it happen. Michael Andretti officially opened the factory for his F1 team in England last month and so on with representatives from General Motors, met with F1.
Even though the meeting didn’t start off very friendly, Michael Andretti said, he felt better at the end. A second meeting is planned for this weekend in Miami.
His father left Washington with a letter and twelve signatures from Congress in support of Andretti Cadillac’s efforts.
“If you want access to our markets, if you want access to our fans, you have to give our companies access. You must provide access to our auto workers. They must provide access to Americans themselves,” said Rep. John James (R-MI).
The letter, addressed to Greg Maffei, president and CEO of Liberty, expressed concerns that FOM may be violating American antitrust laws and asked what the reason for the rejection of Andretti’s application was.
Meanwhile, British lawmaker Greg Smith welcomed a “vote of confidence” in Andretti Global during a business and trade meeting on Thursday to “ensure greater trade between the UK and the US in the automotive and motorsport sectors”.
Günther Steiner
One of the breakout stars of Netflix’s Formula 1 docuseries has been let go from his role as Haas team boss, but Günther Steiner has been busy with side projects, including being an ambassador for this weekend’s race.
Steiner also decided this week to sue Haas, alleging breach of contract over unpaid commissions in his final years leading the North Carolina-based team. Steiner also believes that with his image he is entitled to compensation for Haas goods.
Referring to Steiner’s popularity with Drive to Survive in the lawsuit filed in North Carolina, he said: “This exposure was extremely valuable to the up-and-coming racing team, particularly as it sought additional revenue streams to compete in the notoriously expensive Formula One environment to nourish.” .”
bits and pieces
Ferrari has blue on its car at Miami, the first time this color has appeared on an F1 machine since 1964. Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino are “tones of blue that reference Ferrari’s rich heritage and continue to be appreciated by fans” but are only used in Miami.
Free agency is rampant and Carlos Sainz Jr. is still looking for a job after Ferrari announced earlier this year that it had signed Lewis Hamilton for 2024. That leaves a spot open at Mercedes, but everyone seems to be waiting to see whether Verstappen will honor his existing Red Bull contract or try to leave with Newey.
Spanish media reports suggest that Sainz may have already turned down Audi, which signed Nico Hulkenberg last week, freeing up a place at Haas.
It’s not clear who Sainz is waiting for – Red Bull, Mercedes or both – but he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry.