Newey To Leave Red Bull As Norris Claims First F1 Victory

After a Formula 1 Sprint and Grand Prix doubleheader in Shanghai just two weeks ago, we had a repeat version in Florida this weekend as F1 returned to Miami for a third visit. Following Max Verstappen’s victory in Saturday’s Sprint, it was the equally popular Lando Norris who claimed his first F1 victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix after his 110th race for McLaren. The other big subject of conversation in the Miami paddock, though, was the decision by Red Bull’s legendary designer, Adrian Newey, to leave the team next March.

As confirmed by a Red Bull press release last Wednesday, he is to step back from direct involvement with the outfit’s Formula 1 operations, although he will attend a few more races this year, including Miami this weekend. His primary focus before leaving will now be on completion of the business’ RB17 hypercar project. His primary focus will now be on completing the business' RB17 hypercar project before leaving. It's clear that he feels now is the right time to pass the F1 baton on to his successors. His relationship with team principal and CEO Christian Horner has always been cordial, and they count each other and their families as close, longtime friends.

Last Tuesday, the Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur, chose to travel to London for discussions with Newey instead of flying with his squad from Italy to Florida.

But the recent power struggles within the team may have also contributed to his desire to move on, despite the fact that he only signed a new contract last year. At least Red Bull’s civil war now seems to be pretty much over, with Horner openly receiving the full support of his bosses and Ford remaining committed to the team despite Newey’s change of plan. His departure will be felt, but there’s already a very strong technical team in place alongside him, and Verstappen, although wishing Newey was staying, has been quick to point out that his loss will be far less dramatic than it might sound to those without knowledge of Newey’s changed role within the team these days.

Newey has been with Red Bull alongside Horner since its arrival in Formula 1 back in 2005, and before that, he had enjoyed significant success with both the McLaren and Williams teams too. He has a brilliant mind as a technical guru, but is quietly spoken and reticent on an interpersonal human level. As such, it was no surprise to learn that the former F1 team boss. The bottom line is that Red Bull's rivals find it hard to believe that the team has agreed to let him join a rival as soon as next March, should he so wish.

... Eddie Jordan has been leading the negotiations for him about his departure, with the ebullient Irishman always anything but reserved and very much enjoying the limelight whilst driving a hard bargain.

It’s unclear where Newey’s ultimate future might lie, but Mercedes, Aston Martin, McLaren, and Ferrari would be leading contenders for his services, with the latter the clear favourites. Williams has also thrown its hat into the ring, but Newey declared on Saturday that he feels he needs a bit of a break and claimed to have no secret plan to join a rival outfit. Last Tuesday, the Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur, chose to travel to London for discussions with Newey instead of flying with his squad from Italy to Florida. This decision sparked a flurry of rumours when he witnessed Ferrari vice chairman Pierro Ferrari exchanging warm greetings and a handshake with Newey on the grid before Saturday's Sprint race.

If the latter does join the iconic Scuderia, his impact would arguably be greater than the arrival of Sir Lewis Hamilton next year, and the multiple champion has said he would love to work with him for the first time in their respective F1 careers. However, at 65, does Newey really want to relocate to Italy and enter one of the most politically charged management environments in all of Formula 1? An alternative for Newey would, of course, be to just walk away from the intense heat of F1 competition after such a great career and enjoy a well-earned retirement pursuing his other interests, including maritime ones, as he has long not needed to work for financial reasons. Newey has recently bought an expensive ocean-going Oyster yacht after being personally involved in the design and build process, and a major global adventure afloat would no doubt thrill him.

Elsewhere in the Formula 1 paddock, it’s clear that there’s still no love lost between Mercedes’ under pressure team principal, CEO, and part owner, Toto Wolff, and his Red Bull nemesis, Horner. Wolff has irritated Horner and Red Bull parent company senior executive Oliver Mintzlaff by continuing to publicly make it very clear that he would love to steal Max Verstappen from Red Bull to be the departing Hamilton’s replacement with effect from next season. It is rumoured that Mercedes may be preparing a massive world-record financial offer in an attempt to attract the reigning champion. Verstappen and Hamilton are believed to earn around £40m a year, and the Dutch driver was asked in Miami if a potential annual salary of up to £150m from Mercedes might sway his judgment. He responded by saying, “No, I’m happy with what I’m earning already here at Red Bull, and, as a racing driver, it’s not just about money, but very much about having a car fast enough to fight for victories and not just P5 or P6. Toto knows this too.” So, Verstappen made it abundantly clear that he values car performance way above money in terms of determining his future. Wolff’s behaviour also led Horner to respond to his rival by suggesting that he should stop dreaming about poaching his lead driver and simply focus on making his own car faster and more competitive! Horner was also keen to point out that, upon arriving in Miami, Mercedes was still behind its own customer team, McLaren, in the latest Constructors’ Championship standings, adding that Mercedes driver George Russell will be out of contract at the end of next year and may well also fancy a move away from Wolff’s team if things don’t improve there, leaving the Austrian needing a further replacement driver if so.

Meanwhile, Ferrari has recently announced a multi-year title sponsor deal with the American technology giant Hewlett Packard (generally referred to as simply HP), with the team’s official name being amended to Scuderia Ferrari HP. Quite appropriately, with F1’s temporary home this weekend being in the USA, the new lead sponsor’s distinctive blue logo has, with immediate effect, appeared prominently on the cars, the drivers’ race suits, and all other teamwear. Also, the team ran a one-off change of livery on both of its cars in Miami; although still predominantly red, they also included two shades of blue, and the drivers’ race suits were an eye-catching light blue.

This may sound harsh, but the young American has been given plenty of opportunities to show what he can do, and F1 is, after all, a pure meritocracy where only the best tend to survive

.In other news, Formula 1 has announced a new free streaming channel in the USA, which will feature race replays and other highlights of F1 and its feeder series (F2, F3, and the F1 Academy). The Formula 1 Channel is a 24/7 service for US viewers and will also include reruns of classic Grands Prix and racing documentaries. The content of the new channel will stay well clear of its current US rights holder, ESPN, and coverage of the most recent race weekend will only be available after a five-day delay.

Recent speculation suggests that Mercedes' 17-year-old Italian rising star Andrea Kimi Antonelli could replace the underperforming Logan Sargeant at Williams. This may sound harsh, but the young American has been given plenty of opportunities to show what he can do, and F1 is, after all, a pure meritocracy where only the best tend to survive. The FIA governing body has confirmed that it is considering a request for Antonelli to be granted a superlicence (required to compete in Formula 1) ahead of the standard minimum age of 18, which Antonelli reaches in late August. However, Wolff declared in Miami that a promotion for Antonelli into F1 sooner rather than later would definitely not happen, with the young driver's focus needing to remain on his debut F2 season and the private F1 tests Mercedes is conducting with him.

The current F1 driver market is so much like a complex game of chess, and there’s something akin to a log jam at the moment until Verstappen makes his future plans clear. Also, with the now-Audi-owned Sauber team set to become an Audi entry with effect from 2026, the automotive giant has been keen to sign up two strong drivers for next season onwards, and both Carlos Sainz and Nico Hülkenberg have been its leading targets. The latter, currently racing for Haas, has now agreed to do so, but Sainz is yet to make a choice between an apparently highly lucrative offer from Audi or waiting for a potentially better opportunity car-wise to arise elsewhere. This would likely occur with Red Bull. Hülkenberg’s forthcoming departure from Haas does at least open up a perfect opportunity for Ferrari’s young British reserve driver, Oliver “Ollie” Bearman, who made a brilliant F1 debut appearance in Saudi Arabia two months ago. This could well be his first full-time F1 race seat. At the same time, this puts both current Sauber drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, in grave danger of being dropped, as it appears that Audi does not see either as part of its future, even though the Chinese pedaller might help the company sell more road cars in his vast home country.

The current F1 driver market is so much like a complex game of chess, and there’s something akin to a log jam at the moment until Verstappen makes his future plans clear.

Over in the Red Bull camp, it seems it would be wise for them to keep the improved Sergio Pérez (even if he remains noticeably off Verstappen’s pace in the same car) waiting for any possible new contract until much later in the season, as his hunger to receive a new deal always seems to make him drive faster. Glancing at the sister RB team, the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda is so far doing enough to deserve retention, if not a promotion to the main outfit, but Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo arrived in Miami feeling like he was looking down the barrel of a gun and wondering if the trigger was about to be pulled.

Turning to the ontrack action in Florida, Verstappen headed McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in Friday’s sole free practice session, which was soon interrupted by red flags after Charles Leclerc had lost control of his Ferrari. After the subsequent qualifying period for Saturday’s Sprint race, it was Verstappen who claimed pole position, with Leclerc, Pérez, and, surprisingly, Ricciardo, the best of the rest. Mercedes struggled, though, with Russell and Hamilton only 11th and 12th fastest. When those famous five red lights went out to signal the start of the first ever 19-lap Sprint around the Hard Rock Stadium circuit, the air temperature was 30 °C and the racing was just as hot. In fact, it boiled over at the opening right-hand corner because, although the leading Verstappen and Leclerc swept through cleanly, the Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso were busy colliding with each other, and Hamilton arrived with way too much speed and used them as a brake! You had to feel for Norris, though, who was quietly minding his own business before being hit from behind by Stroll, ending his race and bringing out the Safety Car to enable the removal of his stricken vehicle. The stewards awarded Norris a 50,000 euros fine after he had opted to cross the live track on foot back to the pits without permission, with half of the penalty suspended unless he repeated the offence during the remainder of the season. Due to the ontrack debris, the Safety Car led the field through the pitlane to avoid the affected part of the circuit before racing resumed on lap four.

Piastri soon passed Leclerc into second place, and although Verstappen started to extend his lead, there was an entertaining battle to the rear between Piastri, Leclerc, and Sainz.

Pérez soon usurped Ricciardo for third position and he tracked Verstappen and Leclerc to the chequered flag. To his credit, though, Ricciardo drove well to keep the fifth-placed Ferrari of Sainz at bay. Down the order, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen had an entertaining, if at times robust, scrap with Hamilton, but the feisty Dane was guilty of ignoring track limits and ended up with three separate penalties worth a total of 25 seconds. Surprisingly, Hamilton escaped punishment for his involvement in the first corner accident, only to ironically receive a 20-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane while in the chain behind the Safety Car. This merely compounded a bad day at the office for Mercedes, with Russell only 12th and Hamilton 16th. The good news, though, was that there was so much drama during this short race that it was way better than an hour-long practice session, which would have been the case on a non-Sprint weekend.

Later on Saturday afternoon, the qualifying session for yesterday’s Grand Prix took place, and it was Verstappen who claimed a highly impressive seventh pole position in a row, while his teammate Pérez was fourth fastest behind the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz and just ahead of the McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri and the Mercedes cars of Russell and Hamilton. What a difference a few hours made, though, for Ricciardo, who was only 18th quickest and was set to start dead last after the application of a grid penalty carried forward from China.

The pre-race atmosphere was electric amongst the sell-out crowd, and the formation lap for the Grand Prix began at precisely four pm local time (nine pm back in the UK). One-stop strategies were expected to be the norm for most drivers, and so it proved to be. Come the start, Verstappen sprinted into an immediate lead, but, with Leclerc suffering excessive wheelspin, Piastri shot from sixth on the grid to third place, and Pérez came oh so close to taking his teammate Verstappen out at the first corner. Piastri soon passed Leclerc into second place, and although Verstappen started to extend his lead, there was an entertaining battle to the rear between Piastri, Leclerc, and Sainz.

That awful day, now thirty years ago, will remain etched in my memory forever...

A brief Virtual Safety Car period followed after the leader had collided with a bollard at the Chicane, and, following his pitstop, he rejoined in fourth place behind the yet-to-stop Piastri, Sainz, and Norris. All the leading runners pitted except for Norris, who benefited significantly when Magnussen and Sargeant clashed and the Safety Car was forced to intervene. This gave Norris a cheap pitstop in terms of time loss, and the highly likeable 24-year-old emerged back on track in the lead ahead of Verstappen, Leclerc, and Piastri before racing resumed on lap 33. Norris then went on to comfortably extend his lead over Verstappen following the restart and fully deserved his highly popular victory, with all the other drivers, including his close friend Verstappen, making a point of congratulating him post-race. It was Piastri who set the fastest lap of the race, but the young Australian failed to earn the additional point due to finishing outside the top ten following a clash with Sainz.

So, the podium trio comprised of Norris, Verstappen, and Leclerc. Fourth ontrack Sainz received a post-race five second penalty for the incident with Piastri, demoting him to fifth behind the two-stopping Pérez and ahead of sixth placed Hamilton.

Next up in two weeks' time is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in north-eastern Italy, close to the HQs of both the Ferrari and RB teams, and, of course, where Ayrton Senna sadly perished back on 1 May 1994, during the San Marino Grand Prix. That awful day, now thirty years ago, will remain etched in my memory forever, but the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is a traditional circuit that I still love to visit, and we can't wait to see what further developments happen there both on and off track.

2024 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix

1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1hr30m49.876s
2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +7.612s
3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +9.920s
4 Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) +14.650s
5 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +16.407s
6 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +16.585s
7 Yuki Tsunoda (RB) +26.185s
8 George Russell (Mercedes) +34.789s
9 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +37.107s
10 Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +39.746s
11 Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) +40.789s
12 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +44.958s
13 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +49.756s
14 Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) +49.979s
15 Daniel Ricciardo (RB) +50.956s
16 Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) +52.356s
17 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +55.173s
18 Alex Albon (Williams) +1m16.091s
19 Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +1m24.683s
20 Logan Sargeant (Williams) Retired

2024 Formula 1 Miami Sprint

1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 31m31.383s
2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +3.371s
3 Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) +5.095s
4 Daniel Ricciardo (RB) +14.971s
5 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +15.222s
6 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +15.750s
7 Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) +22.054s
8 Yuki Tsunoda (RB) +29.816s
9 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +31.880s
10 Logan Sargeant (Williams) +34.355s
11 Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) +35.078s
12 George Russell (Mercedes) +35.755s
13 Alex Albon (Williams) +36.086s
14 Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) +36.892s
15 Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +37.740s
16 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +49.347s
17 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +59.409s
18 Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +1m6.303s
19 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Retired
20 Lando Norris (McLaren) Retired

2024 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship

1 Max Verstappen 136
2 Sergio Pérez 103
3 Charles Leclerc 98

2024 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship

1 Red Bull 239
2 Ferrari 187
3 McLaren 124