F1 news LIVE: Adrian Newey gives hint over next move as Lando Norris speaks in Imola
Follow all the latest news from the world of F1 ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
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Formula 1 returns to Europe for the first time this season as the iconic Imola circuit hosts the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend.
Lando Norris claimed a stunning win – his first in F1 – last time out in Miami, beating Max Verstappen after a perfectly timed safety car and securing McLaren’s first win since September 2021.
Nonetheless, Verstappen still has a healthy 33-point lead in the drivers’ championship to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third following another podium in Miami.
There’s work to do for Lewis Hamilton, though, who is enduring his worst-ever start to an F1 season, currently languishing down in ninth. Last year’s race at Imola was cancelled due to heavy flooding in the region, while Verstappen triumphed in 2022 and 2021.
Follow all the latest news from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with The Independent
Adrian Newey drops major hint over next move after Red Bull exit
Adrian Newey admits he is “seriously considering” joining another F1 team after he leaves Red Bull next year.
The 65-year-old design guru, who is credited with the current iteration of Red Bull car which is dominating the sport at the moment, is leaving Red Bull at the start of 2025 following 19 years with Christian Horner’s team.
Newey stated last week he was looking forward to a break, stating he was “a bit tired.” He added that he has not made up his mind yet about his future.
However, with Ferrari favourites to land Newey, the designer has revealed he will “probably go again” and join another team in the sport.
Full piece below:
Adrian Newey drops major hint over next move after Red Bull exit
Newey has been linked with Ferrari after announcing his departure from Red Bull at the start of 2025
Lando Norris
On Miami - and striving for more: “It’s only one race. I want another one. It wasn’t like I was pole and led from the beginning, that’s the next target - to be at the front at the start. Not rely on a safety car. Formula 1 is not about one weekend, you learn about a bigger picture.
“It could be we go out and be third again and we’re too far behind to get a podium. You move on to the next one - I got to a point where I’m always accepting help from people... I’m always very happy to have advice... but I like to do things my own way. I can deal with the good times and the bad times. I’m in a much better place than I am a few years ago, just matured.”
Lando Norris:
On Imola: “We want these circuits, they’re more challenging for us as drivers. But generally it’s harder to overtake. The pit lane is so long here that it takes away strategy element. History is always a part of every sport. We love it but we want to race more, that’s why some of them are getting dropped. We want to be able to come to these tracks to race.
“I went to the Historique race [in Monaco]. Sounds, sound needs to be improved. Cars were lighter.”
Carlos Sainz:
On Imola: “It’s what we miss from the new venues, this old-school feeling. A big fan of coming back to places like Imola, Monaco. There’s a bit of work to do for these tracks for the show, for overtaking. We need to see how we can make the old school tracks more exciting and racing better.”
“This is a top-three circuit where you feel a Formula 1 car more than anyone else, at its peak. I love that.”
Daniel Ricciardo:
“Miami was a different weekend - massive high and Sunday story was completely different. You want to get back to it. It’s always nice to have a weekend off but right now I prefer to be racing, it’s good to be here.
“I know what is required from this car, I’m comfortable in it. The Saturday evening is not always easy to put together, it can mean a Q1 exit. It’s competitive - you’ve got to put it all together.”
Lando Norris:
“I celebrated appropriately for the occasion. But it’s another weekend, prepared and ready to go. I still think about it a lot but at the same time, you have to turn your focus to the next weekend. Hopefully try and replicate a similar thing - it was an incredible weekend, will remember for the rest of my life.
“We are better suited to Imola, it’s been one of our most successful tracks as a team and for me as a driver. We’re confident we can take steps forward, we won’t be there every weekend. I was lucky with the safety car and strategy worked out perfectly. I was quickest on track, the whole weekend was turning into something good. The car made some good steps forward, we have more things coming in the future.
Where are McLaren in the pecking order: “We’re third.”
Kevin Magnussen:
On penalty points: “The next time is a race ban so I’ll have to [be safer]. These situations where I’ve had to play the support role for my team-mate have been paying off! Since the rules as they are, I didn’t make the rules. I’m on 10 points so I have to be careful not to get a race ban.”
Carlos Sainz:
“Hopefully a bit of a step coming in the car this weekend. I still think it’s track dependent, Miami was a better suited track for our car. It felt back to normal. Hopefully Imola is a good track for us. We’re going to need to keep developing....”
On 2025 move, is it going to take some time? “I think so, it’s not moving too quick.”
FIA press conference:
Here’s who we are expecting in the press conference room at 1:30pm (BST):
- Pierre Gasly
- Carlos Sainz
- Kevin Magnussen
- Zhou Guanyu
- Lando Norris
- Daniel Ricciardo
The rest of the drivers will speak to members of the broadcast press, too.
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