June 2024: Word on the beat

λ Andretti Global, Michael Andretti’s proposed F1 team, announced its new Silverstone base last month, despite its rejection by F1 of an entry in 2025. The team is now targeting another attempt for ’26. The new site occupies 48,000 sq ft and the team currently has around 80 people working on the F1 project, with a technical department headed up by former Renault technical director Nick Chester.

λ Alpine F1 boss Bruno Famin has strenuously denied that the Enstone-based F1 team is for sale by its owners Renault.

λ The acceptance of a new multi-year Aston Martin contract by Fernando Alonso, above, has seemingly simplified the 2025 driver market. He was not prepared to wait around to see if Max Verstappen would choose to move (in which case he might have been recruited as the replacement) and it’s believed there was no desire on Red Bull’s part to pair him with Verstappen. This has taken Aston Martin off the options list for Carlos Sainz who is left trying to decide between a firm Audi offer or vague possibilities at Mercedes or Red Bull. But the current favourites at those teams remain Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Sergio Pérez respectively.

λ The response by Christian Horner, above, to Toto Wolff’s interest in recruiting Verstappen away from Red Bull to Mercedes: “I don’t think Toto’s problem is with his drivers. He’s got other elements he needs to be focusing on rather than on drivers who are unavailable.”