Tyre cooling trick results emerge; on-board Verstappen footage claim made – round-up

Henry Valantine 11 Nov 2024 10:00 PM

Max Verstappen sitting alone on the pit crew chairs

Max Verstappen may see his data studied by rivals in the run-up to the final rounds.

Monday’s F1 news is wrapped up for you all in one place, with plenty to digest from around the paddock as this break rolls on.

We have a lot to bring you up to speed upon, so let’s not dilly-dally and get straight on, shall we?

F1 news: No evidence of tyre cooling after FIA inspections – report

A report has claimed there was no evidence found by the FIA of supposed liquid being held in wet-weather tyres in order to cool them, to keep control of their temperatures.

The report from Motorsport.com suggests the FIA found no evidence of ‘extra moisture’ in tyres and wheel rims after an inspection in Brazil.

It is claimed that Red Bull’s suspicions originated at the September’s Singapore Grand Prix, where Lando Norris won from pole position to beat Max Verstappen by 20.9 seconds in one of the most dominant displays of F1 2024.

Drivers ‘absolutely’ should look at Max Verstappen Brazil onboards

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes Max Verstappen’s rivals will be looking at whatever they can from his Interlagos display last weekend, to see just how he managed that drive.

Asked if the other drivers will be studying Verstappen’s onboards on the Red Flags podcast, he said: “Oh, yeah. Absolutely, absolutely.

“They analyse everything, everything will be analysed: how did he do it? Because that is the way you learn it, how to get there yourself.

“You cannot ignore it, you need to look at it.”

Sebastian Vettel at Le Mans in 2025? Don’t rule it out

Sebastian Vettel tested a Porsche 963 Hypercar earlier this year with a view to a potential drive at Le Mans, but nothing came to be for this season.

As for next year, however, Porsche’s LMDh director Urs Kuratle is keeping the door open for such a move.

He told Sportscar365: “I’m not ruling it out.

“Sebastian and Porsche AG, they have a friendly relationship. They talk to each other. I cannot rule it out at the moment but it’s not set.”

Toto Wolff reveals Michael Masi conversations prior to Abu Dhabi drama

Toto Wolff remains unsupportive of the decisions made by former FIA race director Michael Masi during the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and the Mercedes team boss explained he had tried to help guide him during a tough season for the sport.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Wolff said: “I really tried to speak to Michael and guide him all along the year, and speak to him and say, ‘Listen, I’ve been in this sport for a long time. Listen to the drivers. Don’t always be stubborn in your decision making. Don’t be arrogant.’

“And I tried that for the good of the sport, and obviously also for us as a team, not to be vulnerable to situations that could be totally detrimental.

“So in that sense, this is just, what happened is inexcusable. Now, you could say the empathy should make me realise how he feels.

“I realise how he feels, and I know that’s not good and bad, but he could have thought about it all year long when people, not only me, tried to support in the right way.

“So sometimes you have to just realise that someone is just doing his own thing or taking his own decision. So for me, I don’t care about it anymore.

“You and I speak about it, we waste three minutes of our time, but he has no relevance.”

Fred Vasseur opens up on Lewis Hamilton Ferrari deal

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur explained how signing Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari “wasn’t difficult”, and how negotiations progressed relatively quickly.

“It wasn’t difficult actually,” the Ferrari team boss told Gazzetta dello Sport, “Ferrari has always been in his thoughts in some ways and now the stars have aligned.

“But he comes to win, not on vacation. And I’m convinced that we have everything to try.”

Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Sebastian Vettel