F1 news: Verstappen rubs salt in Hamilton's wounds as Red Bull reject contract proposal

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Red Bull boss Christian Horner and his counterpart at sister team RB, Laurent Mekies, have differing views on a new points system which could soon be voted through at an upcoming F1 commission meeting.

The change would see points awarded to drivers all the way down to 12th when, under the current regulations, only drivers 10th place or higher score points.

"We think it's fundamentally correct to do that," Mekies told RacingNews365.

RB and Red Bull bosses have traditionally voted together on key issues such as this one, but the points system change could see them diverge, as Horner claims to be 'ambivalent' to the proposal.

Sergio Perez is at risk of being banned from an F1 race at some point this season after accumulating eight penalty points.

Drivers are given a one-race suspension if they pick up 12 penalty points and Perez is the one most at risk along with Williams star Logan Sargeant.

No F1 driver has accumulated enough penalty points over 12-month period to be hit with the ban but a number of drivers moved a step closer after a drama-filled Chinese Grand Prix in which 11 points were handed out.

Perez didn't receive any points and still remains top of the charts but Lance Stroll's tally now stands at seven after he was punished for a crash with Daniel Ricciardo.

Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, is halfway to a ban on six points after being punished for his involvement in George Russell’s crash in Melbourne, and his contact with Carlos Sainz in the Shanghai sprint race.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is 'afraid' of Carlos Sainz's inconsistency, according to former F1 star Christijan Albers.

Sainz is among those in the running to take Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes seat when he joins Ferrari in 2025.

But Albers is not convinced that he will swap places with the Brit and end up at the Silver Arrows.

"There are still options at Mercedes, but Toto is afraid because he is inconsistent," Albers told De Telegaaf's Formule 1 Podcast.

"Sainz does not always perform consistently, or always at a top level. Mercedes needs a top driver, or you have to create a new star, so [Andrea Kimi] Antonelli or [Liam] Lawson or [Oliver] Bearman. But they also have no experience."

Helmut Marko has backed Christian Horner's opposition to those who claim Max Verstappen's F1 dominance has made the sport 'boring'.

Nobody can lay a glove on Verstappen at present, and the Red Bull star has won every Grand Prix he has started so far this season.

Red Bull boss Horner has called on fans to appreciate Verstappen's superb performances rather than dwell on the lack of competition.

And the team's motorsports advisor Marko has issued a similar message, telling De Telegraaf: "It’s not boring at all.

"If the achievements of a sportsman are extraordinary, then you have to accept and be able to appreciate it. And above all, don’t say it’s boring. It’s Max’s credit."

Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg believes that Lewis Hamilton, his ex-team-mate, is driving at a 'similar level' to Charles Leclerc.

The German feels as though their comparable performances should create an interesting battle when they join forces at Ferrari in 2025.

"We're all looking forward to that dynamic," Rosberg told Sky Sports. "Charles doesn't seem like someone who goes into conflict too much with his team-mate, so that will make it easier, maybe it won't be too extremely spicy.

"Nevertheless, Charles is probably the second-best qualifier out there after Max Verstappen, one could possibly say at the moment, so it will be a tough battle for both. I think the level could be pretty similar, so it will be great to watch."

Nico Hulkenberg is close to agreeing a move to Audi in 2025, according to Sport1.

Hulkenberg has raced for Haas since the start of last season and the 36-year-old will be out of contract at the end of the year.

The report states that 'only the signature is missing' for Hulkenberg to join the team currently known as Sauber, which will change to Audi in 2026.

Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou are both set to be axed by Sauber, and Hulkenberg could be joined by Carlos Sainz if the team's bosses get their wish.

Former F1 star Robert Doornbos has laid into Charles Leclerc by suggesting the Ferrari star is 'too nice' to win a world title.

Leclerc will be joined by Lewis Hamilton at the Scuderia next season.

And Doornbos feels he needs to develop a certain cutting edge to stand a chance of outperforming the seven-time world champion.

"Leclerc is too nice to be world champion," he told Ziggo Sport. "A Hamilton or a [Max] Verstappen, that is not possible with Leclerc.

"Suppose Ferrari gets the best car next year, then Hamilton will eat [him]. Leclerc doesn’t seem harsh to me when I look at the mistakes he makes and how he is with his engineers."

Toto Wolff has insisted that Mercedes were 'just not good enough' at the Chinese Grand Prix as the Silver Arrows endured yet another tough weekend.

"Not satisfied at all," said Wolff. "Maybe a small highlight with second place in the sprint race, but the performance is not there.

"We can keep telling ourselves that there were bright spots at the weekend, but we have to take a step.

"We’ll bring a bit of something to Miami, where hopefully we can expect something, but today we’re just behind the Ferraris and behind [Lando] Norris.

"It's just not good enough."

Fernando Alonso has issued a glowing review of Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll, who he believes will continue to lead the team from strength to strength.

"He’s a great man, great boss and a great owner of the brand," Alonso told Channel 4.

"I think at the end Lawrence is a racer, one of us, and loves motor racing, loves cars. I think what he has done with this team is just probably unprecedented.

"Taking it from Racing Point, Force India, and taking everything to the highest level possible. And now we are fighting with Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull.

"So to have leading the project someone that loves racing is very rewarding for everyone."

Carlos Sainz’s manager, Carlos Onoro, is 'still playing the game' as he looks to secure the Spaniard's future on the grid next season.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Onoro said: "Let’s say it’s an interesting period of time at the moment.

“The driver market has been all over the place lately and I think we will see some movements in the upcoming weeks but for the moment, the juggling continues.

"You can sleep well between China and Miami, don’t worry. There will be no big news at least coming from us, for sure not. We’re still playing the game so we’ll see."

Ferrari will reportedly announce Hewlett-Packard as their new title sponsor ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.

The deal may be worth as much as £80m per year, rivalling Red Bull for the most valuable title sponsorship in F1.

The big reveal is planned for the race in Miami, according to SportBusiness, but the new team name won’t come into effect until next season.

Max Verstappen will surpass Lewis Hamilton's career race-winning rate if he takes victory at next weekend's Miami Grand Prix.

Hamilton's fall from grace over the last few years has seen his winning rate slip from 36.3 per cent to 30.3 per cent.

Verstappen will overtake that figure with another victory in Miami, which seems likely given how dominant he has been this year.

Martin Brundle has voiced his opposition to a proposal to expand F1's points system from next year onwards.

It has been reported that teams will vote to decide whether points should be awarded to 11th and 12th-placed finishers.

Brundle is not on board with the proposal, though, with the Sky Sports pundit taking to social media to make his feelings known.

He wrote: "Formula One world championship points must be hard won and treasured. Valued. Not some kind of lucky dip where everyone wins a prize."

Helmut Marko has revealed that Red Bull are unwilling to grant Sergio Perez's request for a new three-year contract.

His current deal will expire at the end of the season and Red Bull are yet to decide whether to keep him or replace him with another driver.

Speaking to Dutch media, Marko said: "We are not yet in a position to finalise everything.

"It has nothing to do with regulations, he knows he has to perform. First he wanted a three-year contract, but we will find a solution."

Ferrari have announced they will run a special blue livery at the Miami Grand Prix to mark the 70th anniversary of their presence in North America.

The Italian outfit are famous for their iconic red colour scheme but will sport a unique livery with two different shades of blue.

It will be revealed in Florida ahead of next weekend's race but a launch date is yet to be confirmed.

The two shades of blue, Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino, were previously seen on the race suits of Ferrari drivers in the 1950s and 1960s.

George Russell wants Mercedes to go back to basics in a bid to save their faltering season.

Speaking after the Chinese Grand Prix, the 26-year-old revealed his desire for the Silver Arrows to focus on wind tunnel testing in order to add more downforce.

"The more downforce you have, the faster you'll go," he said. "The setup is the cherry on the cake [but] I think there is no silver bullet.

"We just need to keep on adding performance and focusing on the basics, which is in the wind tunnel and in the CFD, just adding downforce. Maybe sometimes it's as simple as that.

"I think we've understood enough so far that we just need to add downforce. We've changed philosophies and we've changed concepts quite a few times now over the last two years."

Max Verstappen appeared to make fun of Lewis Hamilton over his lack of recent F1 victories during a livestream on Twitch.

The Dutchman was playing EAFC with friends when the British national anthem was heard playing over the top of the video.

With a deadpan expression, Verstappen bluntly quipped: "Haven’t heard that one in a while!"

Hamilton is still waiting to end his barren spell following his last Grand Prix win in Saudi Arabia three years ago.

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