Latest news with #Constructors'
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Why did Christian Horner get fired by Red Bull?
If you're waking up on Wednesday morning and you're a F1 fan, you're waking up to stunning news: Christian Horner, who has been the team principal at Red Bull for all of two decades ... has been fired. Why would the team fire a man who has led the team to six Constructors' Championships and who helped drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen win Drivers' titles? Let's start with the statement from Red Bull itself, per Formula 1: 'Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today (Wednesday 9 July 2025) and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO of Red Bull Racing,' said a Red Bull spokesperson. 'Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO Corporate Projects and Investments thanked Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years.' 'We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years,' added Mintzlaff. 'With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1. 'Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history.' Let's go over what else might be happening here: Why would Red Bull fire Christian Horner now? Let's start with performance: Red Bull won Constructors' titles in 2022 and 2023, but the team finished third behind champions McLaren and runners-up Ferrari last season. This year? Red Bull is a dismal fourth, not at all what the expectations are given that they have Verstappen -- arguably the best driver on the grid, in his prime. Perhaps that means you have to point to the car's performance, and that's on Horner and his squad. But maybe there's more going on behind the scenes than we know about. There have been rumblings about Verstappen leaving for Mercedes if he can use a clause in his contract to get out of his Red Bull deal. And if the best driver in the world -- how do you replace a talent like him? -- is unhappy? Well, that might be on Horner too. There was an investigation into Christian Horner's behavior in the workplace There were allegations about how he treated a woman who worked for Red Bull. But he stayed with the team after the allegations were dismissed. From Motorsports Wire: The allegation, which was first levied at Horner on Feb. 5, was investigated by Red Bull's parent company, Red Bull GmbH. Horner was cleared of those allegations on Wednesday, four days out from Formula 1's season opener in Bahrain. As such, Horner will remain team principal and will be present when the team hits the grid for the race on March 2. It is still unknown exactly what the allegation against Horner was. A female employee accused Horner of what has been described as "controlling and inappropriate behavior", though the details have not been officially described. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf wrote in an article that the allegations regarded sexual misconduct, but a new report from London-based newspaper The Times reported Wednesday that such complaints were not levied against Horner. It's hard to say if all of that is another reason why he was on a shorter leash with Red Bull, but perhaps. Who is Alan Permane, who is Christian Horner's replacement? He was the Racing Bulls racing director this year and got promoted. He previously worked for Alpine as their sporting director. Who is replacing Christian Horner as Red Bull Racing CEO? That would be Laurent Mekies, who was team principal at Racing Bulls.
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Piastri frustrated after penalty costs him British GP win and chips away title lead
A couple of races ago, it looked like Oscar Piastri was firmly on course to win the World Championship with McLaren. But after Sunday's dramatic outing at Silverstone, the young Australian showed that he is human after all. It was the first time this season fans and fellow drivers saw any real emotion from the usually composed 24-year-old, who openly vented his frustrations over a steward's decision that cost him victory. Piastri had been leading the race but was hit with a 10-second time penalty for braking 'erratically' behind the safety car. The penalty allowed his team-mate Lando Norris to capitalise, taking the win and narrowing the championship gap from 15 points to just eight. The incident occurred after the safety car was deployed following a crash involving Isack Hadjar. Piastri, travelling at over 200 km/h, suddenly slowed to around 60 km/h in rainy conditions, causing Max Verstappen — behind him — to take evasive action. Despite the setback, Piastri still managed to claw his way back to second place in tricky conditions, ensuring a dream one-two finish for McLaren. But he didn't hold back in the post-race press conference. 'I'm not going to say much, I'll get myself in trouble. Apparently, you can't brake behind the safety car any more,' he said. 'It obviously hurts at the moment. A different sort of hurt, because I know I deserved a lot more than I got today. I felt like I drove a really strong race. It hurts — especially when it's not in your control.' McLaren team principal Andrea Stella took a more diplomatic stance, defending the FIA Race Director's decision while calling for improved communication. 'The decision was a bit harsh,' Stella admitted. 'But the FIA have a difficult job to do. They try their best to be consistent, and there are many different scenarios that change with subtle differences. 'It is always difficult to make the right calls, whether you're a steward, the FIA, or a team. What is important is that we keep the dialogue going. We'll have a good conversation with the FIA and the stewards, and we'll see how this situation could have been interpreted differently.' According to race regulations, the race leader must maintain a pace that 'involves no erratic braking nor any other manoeuvre' that could endanger other drivers once the safety car lights are switched off. Piastri's rapid deceleration may have been viewed as a breach of this rule — hence the penalty. Despite the disappointment, the Australian still leads the World Championship standings, though his cushion over Norris has been reduced. As for McLaren's internal title battle, CEO Zak Brown reaffirmed the team's commitment to letting both drivers race freely. 'We still promote fair competition between both drivers,' he said over the weekend. With McLaren more than 200 points clear of Ferrari in the Constructors' standings, the fight for both titles looks increasingly like a two-horse race — with Norris and Piastri neck and neck.
News18
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- News18
'Strategy Was Wrong...Didn't Capitalise': Former F1 Champion Lambasts Ferrari For 'Clumsy Weekend' At Canadian GP
Last Updated: Rosberg criticized Ferrari's chaotic Canadian Grand Prix, calling it a "clumsy weekend" that highlighted their lacklustre season, causing them to slip to third in the standings. Nico Rosberg didn't hold back as he evaluated Ferrari's chaotic Canadian Grand Prix, describing it as a 'clumsy weekend" that encapsulated the team's lacklustre season so far. On The F1 Show, the 2016 World Champion analysed a series of blunders—from flawed strategy decisions to missed chances—that resulted in Ferrari slipping to third in the Constructors' standings, now trailing a revitalised Mercedes. 'It was a bit of a clumsy weekend from Ferrari," Rosberg stated. 'They had strong pace at times—Charles [LeClerc] was quick in qualifying and kept up with the McLarens during the race—but the tyre strategy was wrong, and they didn't capitalise on the opportunities they had." Rosberg highlighted Ferrari's choice not to attempt a one-stop strategy with LeClerc, even though there was a clear opportunity to try it. Instead, they pitted him early, which put him into traffic and compromised his race. Additionally, the team made a poorly timed pit stop for Lewis Hamilton, costing him valuable track position. LeClerc's troubles began with a crash in FP1 that caused him to miss FP2, and despite showing impressive pace in qualifying, a mistake on his final Q3 lap ended any hopes of a top-three start. Hamilton's race was further affected when his car hit a groundhog on Lap 13, causing damage that impaired his performance. Ferrari ended the race in fifth and sixth positions, while Mercedes achieved a dominant one-three finish, overtaking the Italian team in the standings. This continued a trend for Ferrari: showing speed in moments but failing to deliver consistently over an entire weekend. Regarding the decision not to risk a one-stop with Leclerc, Vasseur conceded that Ferrari missed a relatively low-risk opportunity: 'Charles was right—we didn't have much to lose. But we lacked enough data to be confident the hard tyre would last 50 laps." Vasseur commended Mercedes' turnaround in Montreal, using it as a benchmark: 'They were nowhere for three races and suddenly put two cars on the podium. It's about preparation and execution from Friday morning, and they nailed it. We didn't." With IANS Inputs
The Irish Sun
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Lewis Hamilton responds to retirement question after Mercedes struggles and ‘worst F1 race he'd ever experienced'
LEWIS HAMILTON has shut down rumours that he is going to quit F1 ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion was down in the dumps after race the 'worst he had ever experienced'. 4 Lewis Hamilton has shut down rumours that he will quit F1 anytime soon 4 Hamilton was overtaken on the last lap to finish sixth in Barcelona Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur revealed after the race that both Hamilton and his teammate cars , but would not disclose further details. The Italian team's principal has come under fire since Barca with rumours swirling of an exit for the Frenchman. Hamilton said: 'Embedding new people, new personnel, or engineers or who run the organisation takes time to adjust, the impact of that is significant. 'I am here to win with Fred , he has my full support. Also to everyone that's writing stories of me considering not racing, I've literally only just started my first year. READ MORE F1 NEWS 'I'm here for several years and here for the long haul there is no question where my head is at and what I'm working towards achieving with this team. 'So there's zero doubts. Please stop making up stuff.' To add insult to injury, Hamilton was pipped to P5 by Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber on the last lap, as Max Verstappen dropped down to P10 following his CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Most read in Motorsport Ferrari finished the 2024 season with perhaps the fastest car on the grid and came second to McLaren in the Constructors' title race by a whisker. Now they trail McLaren by 197 points after the first nine race weekends and the chances of a championship appear all but over. Former Formula 1 track in Valencia has been left abandoned This has sparked speculation over Vasseur's future , which Hamilton has hit out as 'nonsense'. He said: 'It's definitely not nice to hear that there are stories like that that are out there. Firstly, I love working with Fred . 'Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here, which I'm forever grateful for. And we're in this together. We're working hard in the background. 'Ultimately, it's nonsense what people have written. Most people don't know what's going on in the background.' 4 Hamilton talked down rumours about Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur 4
Scottish Sun
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Lewis Hamilton responds to retirement question after Mercedes struggles and ‘worst F1 race he'd ever experienced'
Hamilton also snapped back at questions about his Ferrari team principal 'PLEASE STOP' Lewis Hamilton responds to retirement question after Mercedes struggles and 'worst F1 race he'd ever experienced' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LEWIS HAMILTON has shut down rumours that he is going to quit F1 ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion was down in the dumps after Barcelona last time out, labelling the race the 'worst he had ever experienced'. 4 Lewis Hamilton has shut down rumours that he will quit F1 anytime soon 4 Hamilton was overtaken on the last lap to finish sixth in Barcelona Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur revealed after the race that both Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc suffered issues on their cars, but would not disclose further details. The Italian team's principal has come under fire since Barca with rumours swirling of an exit for the Frenchman. Hamilton said: 'Embedding new people, new personnel, or engineers or who run the organisation takes time to adjust, the impact of that is significant. 'I am here to win with Fred, he has my full support. Also to everyone that's writing stories of me considering not racing, I've literally only just started my first year. READ MORE F1 NEWS The pits Abandoned F1 track overgrown and covered in rubbish 13 years after last race 'I'm here for several years and here for the long haul there is no question where my head is at and what I'm working towards achieving with this team. 'So there's zero doubts. Please stop making up stuff.' To add insult to injury, Hamilton was pipped to P5 by Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber on the last lap, as Max Verstappen dropped down to P10 following his 10-second penalty for running into George Russell. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Ferrari finished the 2024 season with perhaps the fastest car on the grid and came second to McLaren in the Constructors' title race by a whisker. Now they trail McLaren by 197 points after the first nine race weekends and the chances of a championship appear all but over. Former Formula 1 track in Valencia has been left abandoned This has sparked speculation over Vasseur's future, which Hamilton has hit out as 'nonsense'. He said: 'It's definitely not nice to hear that there are stories like that that are out there. Firstly, I love working with Fred. 'Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here, which I'm forever grateful for. And we're in this together. We're working hard in the background. 'Ultimately, it's nonsense what people have written. Most people don't know what's going on in the background.' 4 Hamilton talked down rumours about Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur
