In a video that the F1 Chequered Flag shared,  Verstappen can be seen making his way to the Red Bull motorhomes. There, the group prepared the room with balloons and several photos in his honor, as he just won the world championship. One of the photos showed a young Verstappen, dressed in all red, sporting the Ferrari colors.

As soon as he saw that photo, Verstappen apologized to Christian Horner. Later in another interview, the Dutchman explained why he donned the Ferrari shirt. Verstappen’s father Jos, shared a good friendship with Ferrari and F1 legend Michael Schumacher, which contributed to his childhood fashion choice.

max explaining why he wore a ferrari shirt as a kid to the reporter so annoying (lovingly) pic.twitter.com/Jm5cS2JNjF

— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) February 20, 2024

He is happy to be at Red Bull, and even though he recognizes Ferrari’s amazing history, and brand value, Verstappen will not be lured away from Milton-Keynes.

Could Max Verstappen choose Mercedes?

Mercedes will now have to look for a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, before the 2025 season commences. Rumor has it that Toto Wolff was even open to having Verstappen drive for them. The reason behind this is simple. Verstappen is the best in F1 at the moment, and has won three consecutive world titles.

However, Red Bull will not be worried about Verstappen ditching them. Speaking about the same to OE24, team chief Helmut Marko reminded everyone of Verstappen’s history with Mercedes.

He said, ” Too much has happened in the past. I just remember Silverstone or the turmoil at the finale in Abu Dhabi. This runs deep.”

What Marko intended to convey is that Verstappen would never forget incidents like the 2021 Silverstone crash, and prejudice he experienced on social media after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Finale.

While winding up, the Austrian made it apparent that Verstappen is very committed to Red Bull. The Dutchman and Red Bull have inked a long-term deal that expires in 2028. The 26-year-old will therefore not be thinking about moving to Mercedes, at least unless Red Bull drop off massively.

The post Baby in Red, Champion in Blue- Max Verstappen Resists the Ferrari Temptation That Lured Lewis Hamilton appeared first on The SportsRush.

The latest installment follows the 2023 season, which turned out to be a record-breaking campaign for Max Verstappen. He aimed to improve his 2022 performance and did an unexpectedly impressive job. However, it looks like the emphasis will be on the smaller storylines this time around.

Formula 1: Drive To Survive Season 6… the official trailer

Full series lands on Netflix on Friday 23 February 2024!#F1 @netflix pic.twitter.com/FktCJMMU11

— Formula 1 (@F1) February 20, 2024

The season opener will focus on Aston Martin and their growing financial issues. Lawrence Stroll wants to do everything in his power to ensure his team’s resurgence, and cameras follow him in his pursuit. The next three episodes capture Nyck de Vries’ axing, McLaren‘s dip, and the battle between Haas and Williams, respectively. Alpine drivers take center stage in episode 5 as their rivalry reaches new heights.

Episode 6 follows Lewis Hamilton as the 7X world champion contemplates his future in F1. The following episodes see a light shine on athletes and celebs investing in Alpine while also focusing on Ferrari bringing Fred Vasseur on board. Episode 9 lays emphasis on Daniel Ricciardo coming back to a driving seat after almost a one-year break. The season finale dives deeper into the rivalry of Mercedes and Ferrari at the end of the 2023 season.

Why isn’t Max Verstappen in DTS season 6?

It is no surprise that Max Verstappen is not the focus of Drive to Survive. In an interview with TIME, he expressed his concerns over the growing marketing-centric moves by the sport’s authorities. He believes the sport is starting to lay emphasis on things that aren’t as important as racing.

Hence, he grows wary of where F1 is headed. With three F1 championships already under his belt, the Dutchman isn’t hungry for any records. Hence, if the dramatization continues, Verstappen will not stick around to experience it.

Max Verstappen says he’s reluctant to get featured frequently in Netflix’s Drive to Survive series:

“Certain things are a bit more private and privacy for me is very important. I like things to be portrayed how they actually are and not with a lot of spice to it”

“I have an… pic.twitter.com/8svQnVMRTu

— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 1, 2023

Drive to Survive had a massive impact on the sport’s viewership numbers, especially in America. With the earlier seasons detailing Verstappen’s story, the Dutchman saw a huge fanbase form in the US. However, the 26-year-old isn’t a fan of the dramatization of his story. He doesn’t want to hear his story from someone else’s perspective. Furthermore, given the series is essentially a recap of a season, Verstappen feels it is unnecessary for him to be a part of the narrative since he already knows what will happen.

The post Drive to Survive Goes Beyond Max Verstappen- Untold Underdog Storylines Take Center Stage in Season 6 appeared first on The SportsRush.

According to Windsor, Hamilton choosing Ferrari is not a brave decision but logical. The seven-time world champion isn’t gambling on Ferrari being quicker than Mercedes. In fact, Windsor suggests that Hamilton just wants to enjoy the twilight years of his F1 career, away from all the drama and negativity, which started becoming a norm at Mercedes over the last two years.

On the CameronF1 podcast, Windsor explained,

“He’s thinking, ‘I’m at the backend of my career, I really want to enjoy my Formula 1. I’m really not enjoying it at the moment, even if Mercedes is a quick car, I’ve got all this drama with George [Russell]. I just want a change of scenery, I want to enjoy my life, I want to breathe.'”

Red Bull team principal Horner compared this move to Hamilton’s shock transfer from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013. At that time, the move was thought to be a mistake, but Hamilton ended up winning six titles with the Silver Arrows. The tough decision that Hamilton made, turned him into an F1 legend. Horner feels that this bravery could pay dividends once again.

Windsor on the other hand believes that Hamilton is chasing peace of mind and being more relaxed at Ferrari could also help him perform better out on the track.

Has George Russell forced Lewis Hamilton out of Mercedes?

Windsor is a firm believer that one of the major factors driving Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes at the end of this season is his teammate George Russell. It is widely speculated that Hamilton never really wanted Russell alongside him at Mercedes. Instead, he preferred the companionship of Valtteri Bottas.

That being said, at the end of 2021, the team and especially Toto Wolff believed it was the right time to bid farewell to Bottas. Mercedes thought  Russell was the perfect candidate to shadow and eventually take over the reigns from Hamilton. In other words, from Hamilton’s point of view, Mercedes was probably planning for a future without him.

Toto Wolff has already endorsed George Russell to lead the Mercedes #F1 team once Lewis Hamilton departs for Ferrari in 2025

But that doesn’t change the fact that the coming 2024 campaign is filled with pressure for Russell, as @Nauckas explains

— Autosport (@autosport) February 14, 2024

This may have miffed the seven-time champion to an extent. Additionally, in his very first season alongside Hamilton, Russell beat him in the championship standings. This might as well have started the countdown on Hamilton’s stint with the team.

From 2025 onwards, Hamilton and Russell will go up against each other, suiting up for different teams.

The post “Not a Brave Decision”: Ex-Team Boss Denounces Max Verstappen and Christian Horner’s Praise for Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Move appeared first on The SportsRush.

Verstappen stated, as per X (formerly Twitter), “We must also pay tribute to the entire group of people behind it [success]. Because it’s not just Adrian, it’s the whole group of engineers around him who also do an incredible job”. 

️ | Max on the importance of Adrian Newey in Red Bull

“Adrian has so much experience and knowledge. Both about the past and about the present. You can talk to him more in racing style.”

At the same time, we must also pay tribute to the entire group of people behind it. Because… pic.twitter.com/G0ONfhyt0x

— RBR News (@redbulletin) February 20, 2024

With 21 victories from 22 races in 2023, Red Bull has set yet another record that looks insurmountable. Now, the team from Milton Keynes will hope to achieve a similar kind of success in 2024 since the regulations remain relatively stable.

Max Verstappen does not believe 2024 will be as dominant as 2023 for Red Bull

In their pursuit of the 2023 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles, Max Verstappen and Red Bull broke more records. While chasing perfection, Verstappen himself won a record 19 of the 22 races. In the process, the Dutchman also set another record as he won 10 straight races, beginning in Miami and ending in Italy.

That is not it as he also registered a record for the most podiums and points in a season. However, despite having such a stellar season last year, Verstappen believes that in 2024 the F1 field is going to converge.

During his chat with racingnews365.com, the three-time champion said, “The competition around us has been quite up and down. So I expect next year, people are learning a lot with this new regulation as well, that naturally [the field] will be quite a bit closer.”

Although Red Bull were a class apart last season, the competition was indeed very close behind them. Now, the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin will hope that they have been able to use the learnings from the 2023 season and find some more performance for their 2024 cars.

The post “It’s Not Just Adrian”: Max Verstappen Honors Red Bull’s Unsung Heroes While Praising Newey’s Genius appeared first on The SportsRush.

Even before the season began, the Monegasque was well aware of what was to come during the testing in Bahrain. After driving his Ferrari and witnessing what Red Bull’s RB19 was capable of, the Monegasque threw in the towel.

In a recent interview on the YouTube channel IDREAU, journalist Julien Fébreau recalled his conversation with Leclerc. Fébreau quoted him as saying, “It’s over, season is over.” 

The Canal+ commentator tried consoling Leclerc, urging him not to come down heavy on himself. However, the 26-year-old remarked, “It’s not only me or Ferrari. Ferrari, Mercedes, everyone will get destroyed by Red Bull.”

Full translation of Julien Fébreau, F1 commentator since 2004 (currently with Canal+) talking about Charles Leclerc (time code in the link) :https://t.co/SGMBfnn49k pic.twitter.com/0e6FSjkoP0

— Lea~ (@sebchalea) February 19, 2024

After suffering a royal drubbing in 2022, Ferrari was seething to exact revenge in 2023. Charles Leclerc, in particular, had missed out on several race wins a year before, owing to some unlucky DNFs and strategic blunders. However, that dream of taking the fight to Verstappen remained a dream for another year.

The Prancing Horse walked away with a silver lining, though. They were the only non-Red Bull team to win a race in the season. However, to Leclerc’s disappointment, that came through his teammate Carlos Sainz.

Charles Leclerc prepares for another title showdown

Team principal Frederic Vasseur minced no words while assessing Ferrari’s failed 2023 season. The French manager highlighted the need to bring about several radical changes in Ferrari’s design strategy. As the SF24 was in the final stages of development, Vasseur revealed the team had managed to achieve that with 95% new components from the SF23.

The Maranello team unveiled its 2024 challenger on February 13, also hitting the track on the same day for the shakedown. Leclerc, who was the first to take it out for a spin, gave positive feedback.

He said, “I remember that after the first lap last year, or it was the first three [or] four laps, I wasn’t really happy with the behavior of the car. The car was very, very difficult to drive. This year, the car feels healthier and in a better place.”

Jump onboard the SF-24 as @Carlossainz55 & @Charles_Leclerc get their first laps in for 2024! #SF24 #F1 pic.twitter.com/QhwxlZjNUb

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 14, 2024

The Monegasque, however, was quick to curb the expectations. He highlighted how important it was to not judge Ferrari in solitude. Leclerc pressed on the need to see how much progress other teams have made before making a comparative analysis of the “competitiveness”.

The post Charles Leclerc Knew Red Bull Will Destroy Ferrari and Mercedes in 2023 Before the Season Began – “It’s Over” appeared first on The SportsRush.

Kelly Piquet’s daughter, Penelope, has been a part of Verstappen’s family now for a while. The duo often have some cute wholesome moments that get caught on camera mainly at their home. Verstappen fondly calls her P and she often comes to disturb and distract him, while the Dutchman is competing in sim racing.

There have been several such instances when clips of Verstappen’s Twitch streams show Penelope distracting him while he is racing on his simulator. A recent footage on Twitter (now X) shows the 4-year-old coming to the Red Bull driver with her balloon.

This startled Verstappen as he was reacting to P and suddenly realized he may lose control of his online car. But it just shows how only Penelope could be the person who could distract Verstappen’s focus when he is racing.

p just wanted to show her pink balloon the only one that can distract max pic.twitter.com/xzcpizlGDN

— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) February 18, 2024

Max Verstappen uses sim racing as a serious tool to hone his skills

Max Verstappen lives and breathes racing. Thus, whenever he gets free time, the Dutchman engages in sim racing at home. While this is something that is a hobby for him, it also helps the three-time champion hone his racing skills for the big days in F1.

Verstappen is completely dedicated when he races online on his simulator. He likes to keep it as realistic to the real-life car experience as possible. Especially on race days, the 26-year-old keeps it very serious around his simulator at the Red Bull motorhome.

As quoted by GP Blog, he stated, “I make sure no one is interfering. I close the doors and no one is allowed within 10 meters of my simulator.”

Verstappen believes sim racing is very helpful for a racing driver to improve his abilities. One can hone their adaptability to different track types and racing conditions, given how advanced the modern-day simulator rigs have become.

The post Caught On Camera: The One Person That Can Make Max Verstappen Lose His Focus While Racing appeared first on The SportsRush.

Wolff said in the recent Chequered Flag podcast,

“I think as a team we need to have an overview at any time during the year or how the driver market goes. And like I said before emotionally that can be quite a new ride this year. But yeah, whether it was Nico back in the day where we looked at the option or Lewis now having 10 months to react it’s about the same.”

Mercedes will most likely find a replacement to Hamilton before the 2025 season kicks off. However, Wolff knows that whoever they sign, will be nowhere close to the talent of seven-time world champion Hamilton.

It’s been a crazy few days which have been filled with a whole range of emotions.

But as you all now know, after an incredible 11 years at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, the time has come for me to start a new chapter in my life and I will be joining Scuderia Ferrari in 2025.

I… pic.twitter.com/ysie0XxAFe

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 3, 2024

Outside of on-track performances, Hamilton is a huge commercial draw for any team. His absence will be of huge blow to Mercedes in this aspect. Now, Toto Wolff has to be on his toes, and try his best to secure the team’s future, much like he had to back in 2016.

In 2016, Rosberg called Toto Wolff to share the news of his shock retirement, that put the latter in jeopardy. Wolff also had to find a driver who was okay with the number two role, as it was clear Hamilton would be leading things.

In the end, Wolff and Valtteri Bottas agreed on a deal that saw him depart from Williams to drive alongside Hamilton. Bottas left the team at the end of 2021 after spending five years and now, Hamilton will also do the same next year.

Mercedes bracing for life after Lewis Hamilton

2025 will be a tricky transitional year for a lot of teams. It will be the last season under the current regulation and as per expectations, multiple teams are going to be at an even-steven stage. Hence, it is important that Mercedes goes into it without any internal issues.

Firstly, Wolff’s team will be with a new driver as Hamilton’s replacement. Secondly, there will be enormous pressure on the Silver Arrows to deliver amid the strong opposition from the likes of Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, and Aston Martin.

Lewis Hamilton speaks publicly for first time on ’emotional’ Mercedes exit and Ferrari move pic.twitter.com/awLXVtNfK4

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) February 14, 2024

Wolff could also be wary of Hamilton taking Mercedes’ secrets over to Ferrari, but its not a major concern as he believes that the Stevenage-born driver is a true professional and has the integrity to avoid doing something of this sort.

When it comes to driver replacement, multiple names come up. Fernando Alonso, Mick Schumacher, Alex Albon Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli have all been linked. Everyone except for Antonelli and Schumacher, sees their contract terminate at the end of the 2024 season, and now it is up to Wolff to secure the best possible driver.

The post For Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton’s 10 Months’ Notice Period Is as Hard as Chaos Bestowed by Nico Rosberg appeared first on The SportsRush.

As per Autosport, Perez said, “It just shows how much this team is looking to move forward and pushing all the boundaries. It’s really great to see. It just shows the hunger that there is in this team.”

“You know, we had such a dominant car last year that you wouldn’t imagine us changing the concept as much, and I think it’s really brave from Red Bull to do that.”, stated the Mexican driver.

Newey had no reason to go for a drastic change like this after their mega dominance in 2023. The Milton-Keynes-based team took 21 wins out of 22 races. With this, they took their tally to 38 wins in 44 races in two years following the introduction of new regulations in 2022. In terms of points, Max Verstappen and Co. were miles ahead of the rest.

Season 2024 pic.twitter.com/uJk3IRGGTC

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 16, 2024

Therefore, Red Bull had the luxury to subtly improve their car and release the RB20. But Newey had other ideas. He knew rivals would try to close the gap this year. Teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes have good chances of cracking the winning code and Newey knew he had to stay a step ahead.

As Red Bull expectedly may provide Perez with a race-winning car once again, fans would expect him to step up in 2024. After a dismal season in 2023, the Mexican star is set to be back in his groove and win races.

Can Perez perform at Red Bull this year?

Sergio Perez had an underwhelming season where he claimed only two wins, compared to his teammate Max Verstappen’s 19. The 34-year-old also finished 290 points behind the Dutchman in the Drivers’ Championship. Verstappen amassed 575 points, while Perez claimed 285 points.

As Perez gears up for his 14th season in Formula 1, he is more cautious than ever. He explained that he had issues with the car while engineers developed his car. With much of the development being done, Perez expects to be at his very best in 2024.

Can’t wait to see this helmet out on track pic.twitter.com/wCVsBltduS

— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) February 14, 2024

Nonetheless, the 34-year-old needs to perform. Firstly because he couldn’t prove his worth in Red Bull while driving the RB19 alongside Verstappen. Secondly, this is his last contractual year at the Austrian team. Therefore, the Mexican star needs to up his game if he wishes to stay in contention for a Red Bull contract in 2025.

Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda are all waiting in the wings for their Red Bull berth. Hence, Sergio Perez needs to be more than just a support driver in Red Bull to help them claim the Constructors’ Championship.

The post Sergio Perez Lauds Red Bull for Its ‘Bravery’ as No Major Car Concept Overhaul Was Asked Amidst Domination appeared first on The SportsRush.

According to Motorsport.com, the Dutchman revealed this detail during the unveiling of the RB20. He said, “When I arrived at Red Bull eight years ago, I basically adopted this design from Daniel [Ricciardo] and it hasn’t changed much since then. Yeah, I copied it all from him.”

Max Verstappen highlighted that Ricciardo‘s steering setup goes well with his aggressive driving style. Hence, the three-time world champion believes it was a “logical thing” to take such insights from his senior teammate. So to date, he uses the same design, with minor changes over the years.

Verstappen then also justified why he doesn’t wish to change his steering wheel setup. He mentioned if he is “happy with how the steering works”, then he sees no need to change anything as such.

Over the years, Max Verstappen has had to make some adjustments to his steering wheel. This was when Red Bull Racing switched engine suppliers in 2019 from Renault to Honda. However, the Dutchman cited that those changes were not major and not very relevant. It was just to get it more in line with Honda’s requirements.

The quirks of an F1 Steering wheel

When Walter Koster cited in the famous 2014 press conference how Sebastian Vettel once stated that he had to start his car like a computer, it gave people an idea of how complicated an F1 steering may be. That is the reason every steering wheel is customized as per a driver’s needs.

Normally, an F1 steering wheel has roughly 25 different buttons and switches, according to Mercedes F1’s official website. So, teams have to customize the layout of all these buttons to ensure the driver is comfortable and knows the positions of all his switches.

It is naturally up to the driver to handle all the settings of his steering wheel during a Grand Prix. To juggle the concentration of keeping the car on track at 200 mph and hitting the right buttons at the right time is all the talent and skill that drivers get millions of dollars in salary for.

Shifting gears using the gear paddles, and changing their brake balance for different corners, all these aspects need hours and hours of testing and practice. Naturally, drivers get used to it, and making changes to their steering wheel becomes a part of their subconscious.

The cost of an F1 steering wheel is around $50,000, according to Red Bull’s official website. However, there are no reliable reports that accurately estimate the price of F1 steerings of different teams and drivers.

Still, the approximate range will be around $50k to $100k. Given a driver carries around three to four steering wheels at a race, this cost is estimated to be between $200k and $300k.

The post Max Verstappen Admits ‘Copying’ All of Daniel Ricciardo’s Steering Wheel When He Joined Red Bull appeared first on The SportsRush.

Verstappen has, on more than one occasion, slammed the concept of Sprint Races. However, even with F1 revamping the schedule, the #1 driver is least interested. Soymotor.com quoted the 26-year-old as saying, “The change makes a little more logic, but I am not more excited about winning or fighting in this type of races.”

F1’s sprint race format is set to be reshuffled for 2024 with grand prix qualifying to be moved to Saturdays, following a recent #F1 Commission meeting

Are you a fan of the potential changes? pic.twitter.com/yUGuPIMeXB

— Autosport (@autosport) February 11, 2024

The new Sprint format is intended to make the Grand Prix weekend more exciting than before. With a Qualifying session each on Friday and Saturday along with two races back-to-back, the entire weekend will have full-throttle action non-stop.

That being said, Verstappen still remains unimpressed. He has always been a very strong critic of the concept, and has even gone as far as saying that the idea is to only generate maximum revenue.

However, despite his criticism, he is yet the most successful driver during Sprint Race weekends. The Dutchman has so far won a whopping  7 out of the 12 Sprint Races that have taken place.

Why does Max Verstappen disagree with Lewis Hamilton about Sprint Races?

When the concept was first introduced for the 2021 season, even Lewis Hamilton was apprehensive about it. However, soon after, the Briton began enjoying such weekends. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen continues to remain unimpressed.

Back at the 2021 Sao Paulo GP, the stewards forced Hamilton to start from P20 in the Sprint Race. After a heroic performance, he scrambled up to P5 for the main race on Sunday. He then again got a 5-place grid penalty.

However, from P10, he went on to win the race. After his win, Hamilton dubbed the race as “the most special race of my career,” per Formula1.com.

One of the most iconic F1 2021 moment is definitely in Brazil when the marshal snatched the flag from a verstappen fan and ran to hand it over to Lewis Hamilton.

What we witnessed during that weekend too was a true champion’s drive. pic.twitter.com/L9Rb9I6CNX

— (@lewisstargirl) May 25, 2022

On the other hand, Verstappen has never been inspired by any of the Sprint Races he’s taken part in or won. Despite winning more than 50% of the Sprint events, he still remains one of the harshest critics of the concept.

Moreover, the extreme commercialization of the sport has also irked the Dutchman. As a result, he has been touted to drop out of the sport before he even turns 30.

The post “I Am Not More Excited”: Despite Reforms From Formula 1, Max Verstappen Isn’t Keen on Participating in Sprint Races appeared first on The SportsRush.