Mercedes’ Silverstone crash ‘regret’; Colapinto to Alpine ‘imminent’ – round-up

Jamie Woodhouse 08 Jan 2025 10:00 PM

Lewis Hamilton side-by-side with Max Verstappen. Silverstone July 2021.

Another day is in the books and that means it is time to bring you up to speed with the latest Formula 1 headlines.

In our fast-paced offering today, you will find Mercedes addressing their handling of the Silverstone 2021 crash involving Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, a reportedly “imminent” move for Franco Colapinto and much more, so let’s get to it…

Mercedes would change Silverstone 2021 response

The 2021 title tussle between Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was full of drama, twist, turns and controversy, but one of the biggest flashpoints was their collision at Silverstone’s Copse corner, Verstappen left needing precautionary checks in hospital after a huge 51G impact with the wall.

Hamilton ultimately won the race and Red Bull took issue with a perceived lack of concern from Mercedes over Verstappen’s health and wellbeing, and Mercedes’ chief communications officer and team representative Bradley Lord told PlanetF1.com that in hindsight, they could have handled the aftermath of that incident in a “different way”.

Franco Colapinto set to join Alpine?

We could be set for a very early twist in F1 2025, as it has been reported that a deal for Alpine to take Franco Colapinto from Williams is “imminent”.

Briatore has confirmed that talks took place with the Argentine over an F1 2025 drive, with Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan their line-up for the new season as it stands.

Lewis Hamilton to be boosted by tyre-friendly Ferrari?

The F1 2025 grid will certainly sport a revamped feel compared to the 2024 line-ups, and arguably the biggest mover is Lewis Hamilton as he begins Ferrari life after a historic 12-year Mercedes stint which produced six World Championships.

Improving his tally to seven overall, Hamilton’s search for a record eighth rolls over into his Ferrari career and as the team introduce a “completely new” car for the F1 2025 campaign, tyre management will reportedly serve as its secret weapon.

Lewis Hamilton snubbed in World Champion picks

Before signing off for the winter, the Sky F1 pundits were asked to pick their F1 2025 World Champion, with Max Verstappen, who will go chasing his fifth consecutive title, backed by David Croft only.

Hamilton meanwhile got precisely zero votes.

Spa to rotate on F1 calendar under new deal

At a time where competition for a place of the F1 calendar continues to intensify, the Belgian Grand Prix will remain, though with a twist.

Formula 1 has agreed a new multi-year deal that will see the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa feature on the 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031 schedules, but miss out in 2028 and 2030.

Williams Franco Colapinto