F1 Today | Plan change for Red Bull and FIA explain.....

Where would Formula 1 be without rumour and speculation? Especially when there’s no World Championship title battle. It actually makes you wonder how many things went under the radar during the 2021 season. There will be more reactions to that during the press event on Thursday ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix. In the meantime, F1 today summarises the most important storylines over the last 24 hours.

Likely a change of plans for Red Bull

In Formula 1, the teams Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri have a special relationship. The latter falls under Red Bull as a subsidiary team. According to well-known F1 journalist Joe Saward, this construction will probably no longer be allowed in 2030. This is potentially bad news, as Saward also reports that the collaboration between the two teams will be strengthened with AlphaTauri moving to Milton Keynes.

F1 journalist Saward writes in his blog, The Green Notebook two striking things. First, Red Bull and AlphaTauri are said to be working even more closely together, as a UK headquarters for AlphaTauri is being built next to the Red Bull campus site in Milton Keynes. Secondly, Saward reports that it is likely that the 2030 Concorde Agreement will include a ban on such constructions as those of Red Bull and AlphaTauri.

FIA explain fine boost

The stewards could previously impose a maximum fine of €250,000. Now it will be €1 million. In Formula 1, that means quadrupling the maximum fine amount. In other classes, the maximum cash penalty will also be significantly increased, but in no discipline is the maximum amount as high as in F1.

With the release of the FIA’s decision earlier this month, it was already mentioned that the initial amount is no longer in line with the current needs of motorsport. The rules regarding penalty amounts have not been updated in 12 years. To Speedcafe.com and others, Ben Sulayem explained: “The teams are now talking about billions in terms of what each team is worth, and we’ve still not improved our regulations dating back to Jurassic Park.” See the full story here.

Cooling the fires…

All Fabrega posted in a message on X was: “I don’t want to believe the rumour they told me in the paddock now. No.” From there, the rumour took on a life of its own. The Spanish media quickly agreed that a “magic switch” might be coming up between Alonso and Perez.

According to a further rumour, Alonso would leave Aston Martin and take a seat alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Perez would more or less return to his former team. Perez left Aston Martin when it was still Racing Point. While the hearts of many F1 fans were already beating faster – a dream team consisting of Verstappen and Alonso seemed to be in the making – Fabrega has now put an end to this rumour. The journalist clarified what he meant on Wednesday afternoon.