F1 news LIVE: Las Vegas Grand Prix race plans revealed as Daniel Ricciardo rejected ‘stratospheric’ Red Bull offer

The Saudi Arabian minister for sports says his government will give Formula 1 and its stakeholders “whatever they want” in order to return to the country to race again in future.

Formula 1 first raced in Saudi Arabia last December and did so again last weekend, against a backdrop of human rights abuses in the country and the bombing of a state-owned oil facility just ten kilometres from the Jeddah street circuit where the grand prix was held.

Perez had taken pole position in Saudi Arabia with a strong qualifying performance, and the Mexican had appeared well placed to finish with at least a podium after holding his lead early on, but suffered a moment of misfortune, pitting as scheduled just a single lap before the introduction of the safety car.

Horner described the timing as “desperately unlucky” for a driver who has not finished in the top two at a Grand Prix since claiming his second career F1 victory in Azerbaijan last year.

“[It was] desperately disappointing for [Perez’s nickname] Checo, because, what an incredible lap to get that pole.

“He converted that into the lead, was controlling the race beautifully, we pitted on the lap that was discussed pre-race and then bang: a Safety Car. Sometimes they work for you, sometimes against, and it was unlucky.

“Checo had good pace at the beginning of the stint, was just starting to get tyre deg, we could see Charles [Leclerc, P2] getting within the undercut… then the Safety Car gives the others a free stop – desperately unlucky for Checo.”

After both Red Bull drivers had failed to finish the season-opening race in Bahrain, Verstappen got back on track with a strong victory, pipping Charles Leclerc to the win in Jeddah.

The 24-year-old won his first Drivers’ Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December and will again be among the leading contenders as he seeks to contend his crown.

Both the Dutchman and Sergio Perez had suffered engine issues in the first week of the season, and Horner was pleased that Red Bull were able to get back on track and score their first points of the 2022.

“Yes, it was great to rebound after the issues we had and what a great race,” the Red Bull team principal said.

“It was a very strategic race for Max, not taking too much out of the tyres to make sure he had enough to attack at the end, and some great racing between him and Charles; thankfully he had enough to hang on at the end.”

Jenson Button has suggested that Lando Norris may yet regret signing a long-term deal at McLaren.

The 22-year-old agreed a deal through to the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season with the team in February.

The contract was signed ahead of Norris’ fourth F1 season, with McLaren seemingly well placed to build on a promising 2021 which saw them vie with Ferrari as the best of the rest behind title rivals Red Bull and Mercedes.

While the Italians have kicked on and look likely to challenge for the world title, topping the standings after two races, Norris and teammate Daniel Ricciardo have endured a tougher first few weeks of the season.

While the young British-Belgian driver was able to finish seventh at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Ricciardo is yet to score and Norris languished down in 15th in Bahrain having battled issues with his front braking system.

The duel between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon “ruined” the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Alpine, according to former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher.

Alonso and Ocon fought hard during the first few laps of the race in Jeddah, coming close to a collision that could have ended their evenings prematurely on several occasions.

Veteran Alonso was eventually forced to retire due to a power issue, with Ocon taking sixth, and the Spaniard described the in-team battle as “good”, but “very intense”, after the conclusion of the race.

Otmar Szafnauer was installed as team principal ahead of the 2022 season, arriving from Aston Martin, and appeared frustrated by his drivers on the pit wall, shaking his head during the on-track skirmishes.

His failure to exert control has been criticised by Schumacher, now a pundit in Germany after making 180 starts in F1 between 1997 and 2007.

Long-time Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has described the team’s car for the 2022 Formula 1 season as a “prima donna”, and believes that rivals Ferrari have the more complete design.

An offseason overhaul of aerodynamic regulations forced manufacturers to make significant design tweaks, with Mercedes so far struggling for straight-line speed and Red Bull enduring some difficulties.

That has led a resurgent Ferrari to set the early-season pace, claiming a one-two at the Sakhir circuit and then following it up by filling out the podium behind Verstappen in Jeddah.

Marko, the head of driver development at Red Bull, agrees that the Italians have the more stable performing car – but thinks that the RB18 has the top-end potential for success if Verstappen and Perez can keep it under control.

Formula One boss Max Mosley was found with a fatal gunshot wound to his head after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, an inquest heard today.

The former president of the motorsport’s governing body FIA died at home in Chelsea, west London, last May, aged 81.

The inquest heard that he was told he had just “weeks” to live, and that chronic bladder and bowel pain would only lessen with palliative care but could not be cured.

Mr Mosley told his personal assistant of 20 years he was going to take his own life the day before he did so, the inquest also heard.

As the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix meandered towards a seemingly anticlimactic finish, photographer Mark Thompson watched on from a deflated Red Bull garage anticipating an early night.

“With 15 minutes to go I was in the garage thinking ‘we’re not going to win this’,” he remembers. “You’re almost in neutral, you’re thinking this is an early night, that’s the way it goes. Then, bang! All of a sudden we were winning and everything went mental. It went absolutely crazy.”

Thompson is no stranger to the chaos of F1 having photographed every grand prix for 24 years (“which is either really cool or really sad,” he says, “whichever way you look at it”) before Covid ended his streak.

You can read the full behind-the-scenes interview with Mark here:

Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, says racing Ferrari is “slightly different” but insists Mercedes, and their drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, will be back soon.

“I’ve got no doubt about that,” he told Sky Sports. “When Mercedes get their problems sorted they’re going to be in there so that’s potentially six drivers who are going to be in contention every weekend. For the fans that’s going to be fantastic.”

Introduced in 2011, the drag reduction system increases a car’s top speed to enable greater ease of overtaking.

The system can only be activated in certain zones of a track, and solely when a car is within a second of the car in front.

Formula 1 technical chief Pat Symonds has suggested that he would like DRS to only be required in the future to lap back-markers, rather than for drivers to contest positions.