The upcoming F1 film, produced by Top Gun: Maverick's team and featuring Lewis Hamilton as a consultant, will start production soon at Silverstone. Brad Pitt, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and director Joseph Kosinski have been working with F1 teams to include real race events in the film. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali emphasized the need to control the film production to avoid interference with real races. Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei highlighted that F1 cannot rely solely on Drive to Survive for promotion and that the film will bring the sport to a new level.
Click here to read the full article by Adam Cooper (Motorsport.com).
South African F1 organizers hope Kyalami will join the 2024 calendar, potentially replacing Spa-Francorchamps, which lacks a secure contract. Officials are confident a deal with Liberty Media is possible, which might lead to the iconic Belgian circuit losing its spot. The 2024 season may also see Saudi Arabia hosting the opening race, with Japan possibly moved to March due to restrictions on Middle-East races.
Formula 1 was set to return to Shanghai International Circuit for the Chinese Grand Prix, but COVID concerns led to its cancellation. The article recalls memorable moments from past Chinese Grands Prix: Michael Schumacher and Christijan Albers' pre-race crash in 2005, Schumacher's final F1 win in 2006, Lewis Hamilton's pit lane agony in 2007, Sebastian Buemi's wheels falling off in 2010, and significant first wins for Red Bull and Mercedes in 2009 and 2012, respectively.
Click here to read the full article by Ewan Gale (RacingNews365.com).
Daniil Kvyat revealed that he had rejected a contract with Ferrari before losing his Red Bull seat in 2016. Kvyat had been approached by Ferrari to replace Kimi Räikkönen, but chose to stay with Red Bull. However, he was demoted to Toro Rosso and later lost his seat there as well. After a year as Ferrari's reserve driver and a return to Toro Rosso, Kvyat left Formula 1. He now competes in the WEC with Prema Racing and recently finished P3 in the first event of the 2023 season.
Click here to read the full article by Sam Cooper (Planetf1.com).
Former Minardi and Red Bull F1 driver Robert Doornbos was violently robbed of his Rolex watch in Amsterdam. Assailants placed a tracker on the Dutchman’s car before hitting him on the head with a bat and stealing his watch and phone. Following the incident, Doornbos has stopped wearing expensive watches. This comes after other incidents involving F1 drivers Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, who were also robbed of their luxury watches.
Click here to read the full article by Graham Shaw (GPFans.com)
