Perez insists he’s staying at Red Bull

In brief

Perez insists he’s staying at Red Bull

Following Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s comments Liam Lawson was “highly unlikely” to join the team before the end of the year, Perez insisted he will still race for them next season.

“It’s just rumours,” he told the official F1 channel. “At the end of the day, I think there needs to be a little bit more professionalism as well from the media, not to spread rumours like that. Because at the end of the day, the ones that lose credibility are the ones are spreading those rumours.

“You will see me in Vegas, you will see me next year and then and I’m not the one that that worries about it.”

Verstappen tells Dutch media he has “wrong passport” for F1

Speaking separately to members of the Dutch media yesterday, Max Verstappen claimed he is treated differently because he has the “wrong passport” for the F1 paddock.

He took issue with a view expressed by former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, now an FIA steward, that he deliberately forced Lando Norris off the track at turn seven during last weekend’s race. “Those statements are quite abnormal and accusations quite extreme,” said Verstappen.

Villeneuve statue stolen

A 40-year-old bronze statue of Gilles Villeneuve has been stolen from the museum in his home town of Berthierville in Canada. The statue was cut off at the ankles, leaving only the feet.

“It breaks my heart when you see that all that’s left of the statue are the boots,” the general director of the Gilles-Villeneuve museum Alain Bellehumeur told Le Journal de Montreal. “For us, it was a historical and highly symbolic monument.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Quebec provincial police hotline on 1 800 659-4264.

Formula E moves pre-season test

Following the serious which claimed over 150 lives in Valencia over the last week, Formula E has announced it will move the pre-season test sessions from the Circuit Ricardo Tormo next week to the Jarama circuit in Madrid.

“Following consultation with local authorities, the FIA and our colleagues at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, we have decided not to proceed with our pre-season test in Valencia, planned for 4th-7th November,” the series said in a statement. “While it may have been possible to go ahead logistically, it is important not to create any distraction or use valuable resources that are much better served supporting the local community.

“The full event schedule will be confirmed in due course, as we navigate a number of logistical and operational challenges which will determine if it’s possible to move our test operations to Madrid within this timeframe.”

“Our first thoughts are with the community of Valencia,” they added.

Links

Scandals, crashes & rivalries – eight dramatic F1 title battles (BBC)

‘Hamilton was aiming to make history by winning the title in his maiden season – an achievement that looked likely heading into the final two races in China and Brazil. However, a retirement at the Chinese Grand Prix and a seventh-placed finish at Interlagos – following a technical problem – meant Hamilton lost the title by one point to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. Both he and Alonso ended the campaign tied on 109 points, with Hamilton classified in second on results countback.’

Formula 1 plugs net-zero water consumption ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix (KTNV)

‘The water used for F1 is accounted for via a machine called an Atmospheric Water Generator. It grabs water vapour from an MGM Grand evaporative cooling ‘wet tower’ and recycles it – a resource that would otherwise be lost to the air above. The unit cost $400,000 to build last year and was made possible by a partnership between the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Formula 1, MGM Resorts, and a local nonprofit called Waterstart.’

I raced in tragic Senna ‘Black Sunday’, shared podium with Schumacher 28 days later and then became a pro… (TalkSport)

Mark Blundell: ”It was the podium that I didn’t know was my last one at that stage because you never do. Looking back on it, again, point scoring in those days was quite a tough situation and reliability was also a bigger factor in what went on. Just having a podium full stop in Formula One is always going to be an achievement.”

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Altogether for Ayrton 🙏

The grid came together and celebrated the legacy of the legendary Ayrton Senna 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/U0jixQJKQh

— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) October 31, 2024

Ayrton Senna quote on Sebastian Vettel’s T-shirt at Interlagos today:

“Wealthy men can’t live in an island that is encircled by poverty.

“We all breathe the same air.

“We must give a chance to everyone, at least a basic chance.”#F1 #BrazilianGP #RaceFans pic.twitter.com/DbvaenyVvi

— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) October 31, 2024

This from August:

“As part of our ongoing fight against online abuse, recent investigations have shown that there is a direct link between negative comments from drivers and team members and increased hate directed towards officials on social media”: https://t.co/jiVEMiZCrd#F1

— Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) October 31, 2024

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Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Joe Jones, Rits and Tara!

On this day in motorsport