F1 latest news: Max Verstappen Red Bull exit rumours denied as Lewis Hamilton returns to social media

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of all the latest developments from Formula 1’s pre-season.

Red Bull boss Helmut Marko has said he is confident world champion Max Verstappen will not leave his team for Mercedes in the event that Sir Lewis Hamilton decides not to race in the upcoming 2022 season.

Hamilton has hardly been seen since the controversial conclusion of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 12 December, in which he was pipped to an eighth-consecutive championship when Verstappen overtook him on the final lap, and is thought to be “disillusioned” and weighing up his future in motor sport.

“I do not think that Max will leave us then,” Marko told Autorevue. “The events at Silverstone have left too big a crack, especially with [his father] Jos. I think that makes him less likely to switch sides.”

Verstappen pledged his loyalty to Red Bull after winning his first world title, saying: “I think they know I love them. And I hope we can do this for 10-15 years together. There’s no reason to change ever. I want to stay with them for the rest of my life. I hope they let me but yeah, it’s insane.”

Sarah Rendell has more.

While we have only seen Sir Lewis once since the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi GP – when he picked up his knighthood at Windsor Castle – he has appeared in a promo video for Mercedes alongside his new teammate George Russell that appeared on the Chinese social network Beibo to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

That suggests that he could stay on whatever the FIA Commission’s inquiry concludes regarding last year’s final race.

Here’s a little more on that.

The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) says no decision has yet been made on the future of race director Michael Masi concerning the controversial conclusion to events in Abu Dhabi.

A number of teams have reportedly demanded his removal over his decision to permit some cars to unlap themselves but not others, which saw Verstappen hang on right behind Hamilton before overtaking him on the final lap to clinch his first world title.

“At this stage, no decision has been taken on the outcome of the detailed analysis currently underway into the events of the last Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“As previously announced, the findings of this detailed analysis will be presented at the F1 Commission meeting in London on 14 February after an open discussion with all F1 drivers and then finally have to be approved at the World Motor Sport Council meeting on 18 March in Bahrain, under the authority of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.”

Here’s Sarah Rendell’s report.

The victorious Dutchman, 24, says he has a “good relationship” with Formula 1’s stewards, despite his aggressive driving style causing him to be punished several times during the 2021 season and accrue seven penalty points.

Most notably, the Red Bull driver was deemed to be at fault for his crash with Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix in September.

“Overall, I had a really good relationship with the stewards, even when I saw them,” Verstappen said, according to Motorsport-Total.com. “There is no bad blood there. [But] we are also looking at how we can improve as a team for next season. It’s quite natural to look at everything.”

Harry Latham-Coyle has more.

The coming season will bring a massive overhaul of the rules for cars and their aerodynamics, with some tipping the changes to be the most drastic in Formula 1 history, adding to the excitement of the unveiling of this season’s new models.

10 February – Aston Martin

11 February – McLaren

14 February – AlphaTauri

17 February – Ferrari

18 February – Mercedes

21 February – Alpine

While the launch cars we will be shown are rarely identical to the versions that finally hit the track, they often provide a crucial insight into the engineering tweaks and design adjustments forthcoming on the finished versions.

Here’s more from Dylan Terry.

In case you missed it, the big news yesterday was the publication of new FIA rules stipulating that all Formula 1 staff must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 next season.

The policy drawn up by the sport’s governing body will be written into the regulations for the new season and will apply to all drivers, teams, media and hospitality guests, with no exemptions granted.

The sport hopes the rule will avoid a repeat of the Novak Djokovic fiasco that overshadowed the build-up to last month’s Australian Open.

All of the grid’s current drivers are understood to be vaccinated.

Philip Duncan has more.

The Italian manufacturer had its worst season for 40 years in 2020 but improved in 2021 thanks to the performances of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc behind the wheel.

But ex-Ferrari star Felipe Massa says the team’s recent problems have always been down to the car, not its drivers.

“That did not surprise me,” he told Spanish daily AS. “Ferrari’s best years were with [Michael] Schumacher, then 2006, 2007, 2008.

“After 2009, Ferrari was no longer the team of the hour. There have been many changes and it is important to keep a cool head. That is difficult at Ferrari.

“Ferrari’s problem is not a driver problem, it’s a car problem, a team problem. Sainz and Leclerc form a very important driver pairing.”

Sarah Rendell has more.

Here’s another nugget from Red Bull chief Helmut Marko’s interview with AutoRevue in which he hails Max Verstappen’s partner Sergio Perez for his support work while deriding Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas as a “loser”.

Whereas Bottas became stuck in the midfield throughout the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Perez was able to hold off Lewis Hamilton at the front of the race while Verstappen pitted, according to Marko.

“That’s the big difference between him and Bottas, who is a loser when it comes to overtaking,” he said. “He’s super fast, but he can’t overtake in traffic.”

Bottas will be hoping to prove Marko wrong as he drives for Alfa Romeo in 2022, having left Mercedes when the season ended.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner says new regulations in the 2022 F1 season will see different teams enter the title race and distract from his team’s rivalry with Mercedes.

Speaking to Indian broadcaster WION, Horner explained: “I think there could be a shakeup in the order.

“You could see teams like Ferrari, McLaren, maybe even one or two surprises, because it’s a complete reset of the regulations and ourselves and Mercedes were very much involved in last year’s championship fight.

“So inevitably, that takes a little bit of distraction and emphasis away from the following year. We expect to have some very fierce competition out there this year and I think it is going to be an exciting championship ahead.”