Horner not invited to Verstappen party
Jos Verstappen celebrated his 52nd birthday on Monday. Red Bull motorsports consultant Helmut Marko was also invited to the party in a luxury hotel in Dubai. However, team boss Christian Horner was not invited, reports the Picture.
Max Verstappen’s family is known to have a good relationship with Marko because the Austrian always supported the three-time world champion and stood behind him. It’s different with Horner, who you would like to get rid of.
“As long as he is there, there will be tension,” said Papa Jos loudly Daily Mail said. And: “It’s going to explode. He’s playing the victim while he’s the one causing the problems.”
© Motorsport Images
Saudi Arabia presents new Formula 1 circuit
Saudi Arabia has officially announced the new course in Qiddiya, which will host the country’s Grand Prix in the future. The course in Jeddah was only intended as a temporary solution until the new route goes into operation – this is currently planned until 2027.
The new course, which was designed by Alexander Wurz and Hermann Tilke, is supposed to be something very special and have numerous differences in height. A total of 108 meters in altitude should be overcome over 21 curves. The first curve is said to be 20 stories high and is called “The Blade”.
A mix of street circuit and permanent racetrack with various possible configurations is planned.
There will be special viewing points, a music area and even a roller coaster for fans.
“We are building the facilities so that we can ultimately host the biggest and best motorsports events in absolutely every category,” said Mike Reininger, CEO of Qiddiya Investment Company.
Pirelli: These are the tires for Saudi Arabia
Tire manufacturer Pirelli will bring the medium compounds C2, C3 and C4 to the racetrack for the second race of the season in Jeddah. These are exactly the same as last year.
Strategically, we can expect a completely different race than Bahrain, where most drivers made two stops and the only other option was three stops, which was only tried sporadically.
According to the manufacturer, a one-stop strategy is more likely in Jeddah, with a change between medium and hard – depending on the starting position.
Steiner: Soap opera must come to an end
Günther Steiner has his own opinion on the subject of Christian Horner. The former team boss of Haas demands Picture: “This soap opera must come to an end!”
Because in the end it simply harms everyone involved. “One says something, another hits back and then the first one comes back and hits it again – at some point you don’t even know who is pursuing what goal. It’s not nice for Horner, nor for the team. That’s why we have to do it quickly a line must be drawn.”
Steiner himself was in Bahrain as a TV expert for RTL. He takes his departure from Haas calmly: “It was a relief. I wasn’t even shocked when Gene told me.”
What’s next in terms of sport?
Will the same picture await us in Saudi Arabia as in Bahrain? Our data expert Kevin Hermann investigated this question, who looked in detail at the performance of all teams – and of course also at the questions: Will Max Verstappen’s dominance continue? And how bad is Alpine really?
You can see this in the latest strategy meeting on the Formula1.de YouTube channel.
Investigation against FIA President
Our next problem child is FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem. Because he is now being investigated because he is said to have interfered in a Formula 1 race – and of course that doesn’t work.
A report from the BBC Now it’s about the race in Saudi Arabia last year, where he is said to have personally intervened to overturn the penalty against Fernando Alonso.
The FIA Ethics Committee is now dealing with the case and has to investigate its own president. My colleague Juliane Ziegengeist wrote more about this.
In any case, this once again casts a bad light on Formula 1, which did not cover itself with glory in the first few months. There was the embarrassing farce surrounding Andretti, which was simply a power struggle between the FIA and Formula 1, there were the headlines about Christian Horner – and now this scandal at the FIA.
We would all prefer if we could write sporting headlines. But unfortunately Bahrain was an absolute bore. Let’s hope things are different this week.
© Motorsport Images
Famin: Resignations have nothing to do with performance
Our first problem child is Alpine, who not only got off to a terrible start, but also had to deal with two important personnel departures: head of technology Matt Harman and head of aero Dirk de Beer handed in their resignations and triggered a restructuring.
Both are said to have taken this step before the start of the season – perhaps because they knew how bad it would be? Finally, Harman presented the car extensively at the presentation. But according to team boss Bruno Famin, they have nothing to do with each other.
“There is no connection between our performance and the departure of Matt and Dirk,” he emphasizes Motorsport.com. “Rather, we thought about how we could take the next step in the Alpine project.”
The team hasn’t made much progress in recent years. “We’re not really generating the momentum of progress that we want. And then we thought it was time to change our approach from a technical perspective, and that’s the real reason for the changes.”
The role model is McLaren, which also turned its technical structure inside out after a weak start to the 2023 season and then achieved good success. “Of course we saw that,” said Famin.
© circuitpics.de
What is exploding today?
Good morning! We are already one day before the media day before the next race in Formula 1. However, what is happening next to the track currently seems to be much more interesting than what is happening on the track.
While we can almost expect the next Verstappen victory in Saudi Arabia, we don’t know what fire will happen next off the track: with the Christian Horner affair, the restructuring at Alpine and the investigation against FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem There are currently some fireplaces.
That’s why we’re excited to see what will happen today. Norman Fischer will keep you up to date on this today and will warmly welcome you here in the ticker.
If you have any questions, suggestions or complaints, you can use our contact form. You can also find us on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube, and if you have any questions, you can also use our X-Hashtag #FragMST. Here we go!