Hamilton engineer to remain with Mercedes in expanded role

Peter 'Bono' Bonnington has been promoted to head of race engineering at Mercedes and won't be following Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari. Bonnington will finish the 2024 season as Hamilton's race engineer before taking on a new role at Mercedes with a different driver in 2025. This promotion ends speculation that he might join Hamilton at Ferrari, where Hamilton is expected to work with Riccardo Adami. Despite their long partnership, Mercedes included a 'non-poaching' clause in Hamilton's deal, preventing Ferrari from taking key personnel like Bonnington.

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

‍

FIA refutes claims of targeted braking system rule change

The FIA has denied that the recent changes to F1 regulations were aimed at stopping any team from using a banned braking system. The new wording in Article 11.1.2, which now bans asymmetric braking torques, was meant to prevent future issues, not target a specific team. This change was approved by all F1 teams and was intended to clarify the rules for the future. The FIA stated that no team was using such a system, and any issues would have been addressed with a technical directive rather than a rule change.

Click here to read the full article by Samuel Coop (racingnews365.com)

‍

Inside drivers' luxury homes

Many F1 drivers keep their private lives secret but have impressive properties. Lewis Hamilton’s £30 million Monte Carlo mansion has fantastic sea views. Sebastian Vettel owns a $7 million farmhouse in Switzerland and values his privacy. Kimi Räikkönen’s Swiss mansion, bought for £24 million, has luxury features, while Michael Schumacher’s estate in Gland, Switzerland, includes a private lake and several buildings. Daniel Ricciardo’s $13 million home in Beverly Hills has great views and luxury amenities.

Click here to read the full article at planetf1.com

‍

Jarno Opmeer joins Red Bull Sim Racing from Mercedes

Jarno Opmeer has joined Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing from Mercedes on a multi-year deal. The 24-year-old Dutch driver, a multiple world champion, will race alongside Frede Rasmussen. Opmeer is excited to start with Red Bull and has his first race tonight. Joe Soltysik from Red Bull says Opmeer's addition boosts their chances of winning the Team Championship.

Click here to read the full article by Nicole Mulder (gpblog.com)

‍

KSA orders ban on Stake Ads at Zandvoort

The Dutch gaming authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has ordered Formula 1 and the Sauber racing team to halt advertising for Stake during the Zandvoort races, including the Dutch Grand Prix, due to Stake's lack of a Dutch license. Stake, Sauber's main sponsor, cannot offer or advertise gambling in the Netherlands because it does not hold a KSA license. The KSA mandates that operators without a license must implement geoblocking to prevent Dutch access, yet illegal gambling participation persists. Consequently, the KSA has instructed Sauber to avoid using the Stake name this weekend and asked the Dutch Grand Prix organizers to prevent any Stake advertisements.

Click here to read the full article at casinobeats.com