🏎️ Pérez to Stay at Red Bull for Remainder of 2024

In this week’s email:

• Pérez to Stay at Red Bull for rest of the season 😮

• F1 Summer Shutdown Underway 😎 

• McLaren Extends Stella's Contract ✍️

• FIA Announces Key Rule Changes for F1 📜

Pérez to Stay at Red Bull for rest of 2024 Season 😮

Sergio Pérez will retain his Red Bull seat for the remainder of the 2024 season. Despite recent performance issues. After a period of scrutiny due to his struggles, including failing to finish higher than seventh since May. While scoring significantly fewer points than teammate Max Verstappen.

Red Bull decided to keep Pérez following a review. Discussions had considered potential replacements like Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson, but Pérez will continue with the team. Red Bull's focus remains on supporting Pérez and addressing the performance issues affecting the car.

F1 Summer Shutdown Underway 😎

The "summer shutdown" in Formula 1 is a mandated by the 2024 FIA regulations is underway until mid-August. During this period, teams are prohibited from car performance-related activities, including design, research, and testing. The shutdown aims to give teams and drivers a much-needed break in the demanding F1 season and helps manage costs and team workload.

Despite the halt in performance work, some essential operations continue, such as maintenance of team facilities and non-performance-related administrative tasks. Teams use this time for facility upkeep, such as servicing machinery and repairing infrastructure. The shutdown is strictly enforced by the FIA, though adherence largely relies on team integrity.

McLaren Extends Stella's Contract Amid Team's Continued Success ✍️

McLaren has extended its contract with team principal Andrea Stella for several years. Stella joined McLaren in 2015 and became team principal in 2022.

He has been instrumental in the team's recent successes, including two Grand Prix wins and 18 podium finishes. Previously, he worked at Ferrari for 15 years.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown praised Stella's leadership and impact on the team's culture and performance. The extension follows similar deals for drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, as McLaren aims to continue its strong performance and challenge for the championship.

FIA Announces Key Rule Changes for F1 📜

During the F1 summer break, two significant rule changes were announced by the FIA.

1. Driver Assistance Rule: The updated regulation now states that any driver whose car stops on track and receives physical assistance during qualifying or sprint sessions will be barred from continuing in that session. This change addresses issues like those seen with Carlos Sainz's red flag incident in the Chinese GP.

2. Penalty Enforcement: To close a loophole exposed by Fernando Alonso’s unserved penalty in China, the FIA revised the rule so that penalties from sprint races can be carried over to the main race if not served due to retirement. This aims to ensure that penalties have real consequences and are not evaded by early retirements.

These updates aim to clarify regulations and enforce penalties more effectively.