Long-time Red Bull mechanic Nicholas takes on ambassador role, Monaco GP set for mandatory extra pit stops, and other big updates

Long-time Red Bull mechanic Nicholas takes on ambassador role

Calum Nicholas, Red Bull’s senior engine technician, has announced his departure from the race crew to become an ambassador for the team. Having worked on Max Verstappen’s car and played a key role in Red Bull’s pit-stop success, Nicholas steps away after 13 F1 seasons, 233 Grands Prix, and multiple championship wins. His announcement comes just before the release of his book Life in the Pitlane.

Click here to read the full article by Jamie Woodhouse (planetf1.com)

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Monaco GP set for mandatory extra pit stops

The FIA plans to add more mandatory pit stops at the Monaco Grand Prix to improve racing and help with the lack of overtaking. Wider F1 cars have made passing even harder, with drivers slowing down by two to three seconds to save their tires for a one-stop strategy. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc supports the change, saying it could make race strategy more exciting and improve the usually slow Sundays. Stricter aerodynamic tests for front and rear wings will also be introduced in 2025, starting with rear wing checks at the season’s start and front wing tests from the Spanish Grand Prix.

Click here to read the full article by Balazs Szabo (f1technical.net)

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Key race engineer pairings for 2025

Race engineers play a crucial role in optimizing F1 drivers' performance and are often their only direct communication during races. In 2025, notable pairings include Gianpiero Lambiase continuing his long-standing partnership with Max Verstappen at Red Bull and Riccardo Adami working with Lewis Hamilton in his debut season at Ferrari. At Mercedes, Peter Bonnington, known for his success with Hamilton, will mentor rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Laura Mueller becomes F1's first female race engineer with Esteban Ocon at Haas. Other significant changes include Bryan Bozzi partnering with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari and Richard Wood stepping up to guide Liam Lawson at Red Bull.

Click here to read the full article by Oleg Karpov (motorsport.com)

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What to expect from pre-season testing

F1 returns this week with pre-season testing in Bahrain from February 26-28, giving all 10 teams three days of unrestricted track time to test their new cars. Each driver gets about 12 hours on the track, split between morning and afternoon sessions. Teams use this time to collect data, fix any issues, and prepare for the season opener in Melbourne on March 16. Lap times can be interesting, but judging real performance is hard because of different fuel loads, engine settings, and testing plans.

Click here to read the full article by Lewis Larkam (crash.net)

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First glimpse of secretive RB21 2025 contender

Red Bull has unveiled its 2025 F1 car, the RB21, which Max Verstappen will use to chase his fifth consecutive drivers' title. The car was shown just before pre-season testing in Bahrain and has changes to fix the balance problems from last year’s RB20. Verstappen and Sergio Perez struggled with those issues as McLaren and Ferrari overtook Red Bull by the end of the 2024 season. Technical director Pierre Wache says the team focused on making the RB21 easier to balance without sacrificing performance, with testing set to begin Wednesday.

Click here to read the full article by Filip Cleeren (motorsport.com)