P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Two major announcements made as F1 begins to wind down toward its summer break. Catch up with all the best of the day’s news here.
Red Bull announced Jonathan Wheatley’s departure as he takes on the team principal role at Audi after serving as the sporting director for the organization for a long time. Meanwhile, Andrea Stella signed a multi-year contract extension as the team boss at McLaren, credited with the team’s significant improvement since 2022.
The FIA has made changes to its sporting regulations regarding grid penalties during sprint race weekends, eliminating the previous rule that rendered penalties redundant if a driver retired during the sprint. In another development, Red Bull decided to retain Sergio Perez for the rest of the 2024 F1 season, despite expectations of him being sidelined to counter McLaren in the constructors’ championship.
Williams’ commitment to Mercedes power units was cited as a crucial factor in Carlos Sainz’s decision to join the team, with a multi-year agreement already in place for Sainz’s next season with the squad. Finally, Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes at the end of the season prevented the team from implementing team orders at the Belgian Grand Prix, according to former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer.
