🏎️ Perez Faces Uncertainty at Red Bull

In this week’s email:

• Perez Faces Uncertainty at Red Bull 😧

• Ferrari's Struggles Deepen Amid Aerodynamic Woes 🛠️

• Audi Secures BP Partnership  🤝

• F1 reveals sprint race calendar for 2025 🏁

Perez Faces Uncertainty at Red Bull Ahead of Summer Break 😧

Sergio Perez's future at Red Bull Racing is in jeopardy as he faces scrutiny amid a downturn in performance. While he started the season strongly, supporting Max Verstappen well, his results have declined sharply with only 15 points in the last six races. This has raised concerns about his ability to contribute consistently, especially with Red Bull aiming to secure the Constructors' Championship.

Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have hinted at potential changes during the upcoming summer break. Historically a period for driver reevaluations within the team. Despite Perez recently signing a contract extension, performance clauses may trigger a review of his position if he doesn't narrow the gap to Verstappen in points.

The next two races before the break at Hungary and Belgium will be crucial for Perez to prove himself. While Marko and Horner believe in his capability to recover, speculation surrounds possible replacements such as Daniel Ricciardo or even an external candidate like Carlos Sainz. Perez acknowledges the pressure and emphasizes the importance of these upcoming weekends to regain form and secure his future at Red Bull.

Ferrari's Struggles Deepen Amid Aerodynamic Woes 🛠️

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are currently facing significant challenges in Formula 1 following a series of disappointing performances. Culminate in an 11th-place finish at the British Grand Prix. Leclerc expressed frustration, describing the recent races as worse than a nightmare. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that their current level of performance is simply not acceptable.

The root of Ferrari's struggles can be traced back to an aerodynamic upgrade introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix. This upgrade was aimed at increasing downforce by lowering the car, but it unintentionally caused the car to experience instability and bouncing at high speeds, severely affecting overall performance.

Acknowledging the challenge, team principal Fred Vasseur attributed the primary issue to aerodynamic factors. Ferrari's attempts to address these problems have been complicated by the unpredictable nature of aerodynamic effects, particularly the bouncing issue which impacts tire wear and lap times.

Looking forward, Ferrari is evaluating whether to continue refining their current setup or introduce a revised package after the summer break in August. Their objective is to swiftly resolve these issues and improve their competitiveness, aiming to recover and achieve stronger performances in upcoming races and beyond.

Audi Secures BP Partnership for Sustainable Fuel in F1 🤝

Audi has solidified a technical collaboration with BP for its upcoming Formula 1 venture. Centered on supplying 100% sustainable fuel mandated by 2026 regulations.

BP will provide lubricants under its Castrol brand and marketing presence for BP, Castrol, and Aral (operating in Germany). The partnership extends BP's history in motorsport. Previously with Alpine, now focusing on Audi's new V6 turbo hybrid engine and e-fluids for hybrid components.

Audi emphasizes the strategic importance of the partnership for their future F1 team. Aligning with their commitment to cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices in motorsport.

F1 reveals sprint race calendar for 2025 🏁

F1 has seen increased viewership for sprint weekends compared to traditional weekends with three practice sessions. Reinforcing its decision to continue with the sprint format.

The current 2024 layout, where the sprint race precedes qualifying on Saturday, is expected to remain unchanged. Changes made for this season allowed teams to adjust setups between the sprint race and qualifying by opening parc ferme. Ensuring setups could be optimized without penalties.

These adjustments aimed to make sprints more distinct events, separate from full-length grands prix. In 2025, changes to the calendar prevent consecutive sprint weekends in China and Miami, with sprint rounds after the summer break spaced out more evenly.

2025 F1 sprint race calendar:

Chinese GP - March 22nd
Miami GP - May 3rd
Belgian GP - July 26th
US GP - October 18th
Sao Paulo GP - November 8th
Qatar GP - November 29th