Motorsports
Why Hamlin’s pit crew has had a rough 2024 season
It’s no secret that the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew of Denny Hamlin’s car this season is in a slump. This was a crew leading the charts in individual and average pit stop time for the first quarter of the 2024 season. But as the playoffs approached, things seemingly started to fall apart, leaving the fate of Hamlin’s appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 round at Phoenix in uncertain hands.
It’s not that a driver’s performance can’t make an impact on a race, but a pit crew can certainly make or break it. We saw this with the No. 11 crew’s heroic performance in the final laps of the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway in March. Hamlin entered pit lane in third but his pit crew sent him out into first place as they beat the crews of the two leading cars by over a second. We’ve also seen the flip side of this over the summer as the No. 11 crew moved too quickly during a pit stop at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway that resulted in having to jack the car back up to tighten a right rear wheel which lost them over ten positions while sitting on pit road.
“They were just outlier good,” shared the No. 11’s Crew Chief, Chris Gabehart. “My group is a hard working group, very analytical group and they kind of tried to make that better but couldn’t. Then they got into some injuries — that has probably not been very high profile for eight, or ten, maybe twelve races changed the way they could approach the week.”
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Yahoo! Toyota Camry
Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images
Top tier NASCAR pit crews spend about three to four days per week on practice and preparation for races. The daily schedule is typically set up in multiple hourly blocks split between things like pit stop practice, weight training, cardio, rehab, and film review. With NASCAR racing on so many different types of tracks, this means that there are typically new positions for things like the wheels each week because of changes to suspension setups. So the pit crew needs weekly practice to get used to that new specific setup. Organizations like Joe Gibbs Racing also have development pit crew members that they can use as backups, for instance to use when one of their crewmates are injured, but pit stops require so much chemistry and tight choreography that it can take weeks for a new member of crew to get into that rhythm, let alone adjust for the unique setups from track to track.
“When you’re hurt you can’t practice like you were, especially when you were thrashing every week when that’s kind of your style. So, they had to throttle back a little bit,” Gabehart said. “Then the pressure of the playoffs comes and it’s very disjointed as you know. You go from an Atlanta to a Talladega to a road course, and for a pit crew it’s hard to find a weekly rhythm because races aren’t pit-crew focused. Then you’re expected to step up at Kansas and perform and step up at Bristol and perform — so I think it’s been a rhythm thing for that group coupled with the pressure of the playoffs as any pit crew is going to live. We’ve seen that.”
Based on Gabehart comments it’s easy to see how lower profile injuries can impact the success of a pit crew. Having races like Atlanta and Watkins Glen to start the playoffs doesn’t help restore that cadence either, as those races are more reliant on fuel fill time than tire change time, so it wasn’t until Bristol before the crew had an opportunity to follow a rhythm where they needed to complete fast tire changes.
They still had some hiccups after that but Gabehart is confident in their performance and what he observed at Homestead last weekend.
“The speed and the greatness is still there, we just got to put a whole race together.”
A new Red Bull chassis didn’t help Sergio Perez turn his fortunes around as he could only qualify in 13th place for the sprint race in Brazil.
The under-fire Red Bull driver continues to struggle for form after a poor performance in the US GP in Austin followed by his shocking home race in Mexico last weekend, where he finished 17th.
The pressure on Perez is ramping up, and again questions have resurfaced as to whether he will be retained by Red Bull next season, despite having a contract in place.
Perez was quizzed about his latest poor result and reeled off a list of excuses.
He said: “We had a good FP1 and then we had a little bit of understeer with the track [temperature] coming down.
“We tried to [deal with] it with the brake balance and the tools that are available and then I ended up a little bit too rear-limited.
“And then was a bit confusing on the programme. We thought we might have a chance for a second lap, and unfortunately, we didn’t.
“Today we did struggle quite a bit and looking forward to tomorrow’s qualifying, really. We got caught out with the conditions, unfortunately. And that really was the difficult bit.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner had earlier revealed the team had reverted to an old chassis to help boost Perez’s confidence.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Horner again pledged his support for his driver but stopped short of providing a ringing endorsement.
He said: “We’re doing our best to try and help rebuild his confidence. He had a horrible weekend in Mexico.
“We’ve changed his chassis this weekend. It’s an older chassis, that we’ve put him into just to give him that extra boost of confidence.
“Sergio is a seasoned campaigner. He’s been around long enough that he knows this is a results-based business.
“He knows that this season has been under-par for him. Nobody’s more acutely aware of that than Sergio, but we’re doing our best that we can to support him.”
Meanwhile, team-mate Max Verstappen will line up on the second row after qualifying in fourth place for the sprint.
The world champion also criticised the bumpy track for not helping his cause.
He said: “As soon as we went into qualifying, it looked like we were definitely off the pace.
“The car was a bit difficult on the bumps. They did the resurfacing but they actually made it worse to drive. It’s extremely bumpy everywhere, so that’s not good for our cars.
“All the bumpy areas, the car is jumping around a lot, and it’s costing me quite a bit of lap time.
“Normally when you’re already quite a bit off over one lap, I don’t think we are particularly strong in the race. So we’ll have to see how that goes tomorrow in the sprint.
“I also know there’s maybe some weather around that can come, but maybe not for the sprint.”
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After every F1 qualifying session, Motorsport.com publishes each team’s qualifying record in terms of team-mate duels.
This record is based exclusively on qualifying results so that grid penalties don’t alter the statistics.
When a driver can’t put in a representative lap time due to a technical issue or an incident, this will be mentioned in the table.
Red Bull 
| Max Verstappen |
24-1 (19-1 without sprints) |
Sergio PErez |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bahrain |
5 (+0.358s in Q3) |
| 1 |  Saudi Arabia |
3 (+0.335s in Q3) |
| 1 |  Australia |
3 (+0.359s in Q3) |
| 1 |  Japan |
2 (+0.066s in Q3) |
| 4 |  China (sprint) |
6 (+0.347s in Q3 – rain) |
| 1 | China |
2 (+0.322s in Q3) |
| 1 |  Miami (sprint) |
3 (+0.235s in Q3) |
| 1 | Miami |
4 (+0.219s in Q3) |
| 1 |  Imola |
11 (+0.530s in Q2) |
| 6 |  Monaco |
18 (+0.349s in Q1) |
| 2 |  Canada |
16 (+0.966s in Q1) |
| 2 |  Spain |
8 (+0.658s in Q3) |
| 1 |  Austria (sprint) |
7 (+1.322s in Q3) |
| 1 | Austria |
8 (+0.888s in Q3) |
| 4 |  Great Britain |
19 (+6.006s in Q1 – went off) |
| 3 |  Hungary |
16 (+0.799s in Q1 – crashed out) |
| 1 |  Belgium |
3 (+0.606s in Q3 – rain) |
| 2 |  Netherlands |
5 (+0.387s in Q3) |
| 7 |  Italy |
8 (+0.040s in Q3) |
|
6 (+0.210s in Q3) |
 Azerbaijan |
4 |
|
2 |
 Singapore |
13 (+0.899s in Q2) |
|
1 |
 United States (sprint) |
11 (+0.954s in Q2) |
|
2 |
 United States |
10 (no lap time – track limits) |
|
2 |
 Mexico |
18 (+0.808s in Q1) |
|
4 |
 Brazil (sprint) |
13 (+0.535s in Q2) |
Mercedes 
| Lewis Hamilton |
6-19 (5-15 without sprints) |
George Russell |
|---|---|---|
|
9 (+0.225s in Q3) |
Bahrain |
3 |
|
8 (+0.144s in Q3) |
Saudi Arabia |
7 |
|
11 (+0.059s in Q2) |
Australia |
7 |
|
7 |
Japan |
9 (+0.242s in Q3) |
|
2 |
China (sprint) |
11 (+0.058s in Q2) |
|
18 (+0.489s in Q1) |
China |
8 |
|
12 (+0.028s in Q2) |
Miami (sprint) |
11 |
|
8 (+0.040s in Q3) |
Miami |
7 |
|
8 (+0.270s in Q3) |
Imola |
6 |
|
7 (+0.078s in Q3) |
Monaco |
5 |
|
7 (+0.280s in Q3) |
Canada |
1 |
|
3 |
Spain |
4 (+0.002s in Q3) |
|
6 (+0.216s in Q3) |
Austria (sprint) |
4 |
|
5 (+0.063s in Q3) |
Austria |
3 |
|
2 (+0.171s in Q3) |
Great Britain |
1 |
|
5 |
Hungary |
17 (+0.881s in Q1) |
|
4 |
Belgium |
7 (+0.349s in Q3 – rain) |
|
12 (+0.396s in Q2) |
Netherlands |
4 |
|
6 (+0.073s in Q3) |
Italy |
3 |
|
7 (+0.415s in Q3) |
Azerbaijan |
5 |
|
3 |
Singapore |
4 (+0.026s in Q3) |
|
7 (+0.533s in Q3) |
United States (sprint) |
2 |
|
19 (+0.618s in Q1) |
United States |
6 |
|
6 (+0.295s in Q3) |
Mexico |
5 |
|
11 (+0.258s in Q2) |
Brazil (sprint) |
6 |
Ferrari 
| Charles Leclerc |
15-9 (12-7 without sprints) |
Carlos Sainz |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bahrain |
4 (+0.100s in Q3) |
|
5 (+0.250s in Q3) |
Australia |
2 |
|
8 (+0.104s in Q3) |
Japan |
4 |
|
7 (+0.352s in Q3 – rain) |
China (sprint) |
5 |
|
6 |
China |
7 (+0.008s in Q3) |
|
2 |
Miami (sprint) |
5 (+0.354s in Q3) |
|
2 |
Miami |
3 (+0.073s in Q3) |
|
4 |
Imola |
5 (+0.263s in Q3) |
|
1 |
Monaco |
3 (+0.248s in Q3) |
|
11 |
Canada |
12 (+0.037s in Q2) |
|
5 |
Spain |
6 (+0.005s in Q3) |
|
10 (no lap time in Q – technical issue) |
Austria (sprint) |
5 |
|
6 (+0.193s in Q3) |
Austria |
4 |
|
11 (+0.254s in Q2) |
Great Britain |
7 |
|
6 (+0.209s in Q3) |
Hungary |
4 |
|
2 |
Belgium |
8 (+0.723s in Q3 – rain) |
|
6 |
Netherlands |
11 (+0.225s in Q2) |
|
4 |
Italy |
5 (+0.006s in Q3) |
|
1 |
Azerbaijan |
3 (+0.440s in Q3) |
|
9 (no lap time in Q3 – track limits) |
Singapore |
10 (no lap time in Q3 – crashed out) |
|
3 |
United States (sprint) |
5 (+0.030s in Q3) |
|
4 (+0.088s in Q3) |
United States |
3 |
|
4 (+0.319s in Q3) |
Mexico |
1 |
|
3 |
Brazil (sprint) |
5 (+0.104s in Q3) |
| Charles Leclerc | 1-0 | Oliver Bearman |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Saudi Arabia |
11 (+0.530s in Q2) |
McLaren
| Lando Norris |
19-6 (16-4 without sprints) |
Oscar Piastri |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Bahrain |
8 (+0.069s in Q3) |
|
6 (+0.043s in Q3) |
Saudi Arabia |
5 |
|
4 |
Australia |
6 (+0.257s in Q3) |
|
3 |
Japan |
6 (+0.271s in Q3) |
|
1 |
China (sprint) |
8 |
|
4 |
China |
5 (+0.108s in Q3) |
|
9 (+0.311s in Q3) |
Miami (sprint) |
6 |
|
5 |
Miami |
6 (+0.081s in Q3) |
|
3 (+0.017s in Q3) |
Imola |
2 |
|
4 (+0.118s in Q3) |
Monaco |
2 |
|
3 |
Canada |
4 (+0.082s in Q3) |
|
1 |
Spain |
10 (no lap time in Q3 – went off) |
|
2 |
Austria (sprint) |
3 (+0.208s in Q3) |
|
2 |
Austria |
7 (+0.330s in Q3) |
|
3 |
Great Britain |
5 (+0.207s in Q3) |
|
1 |
Hungary |
2 (+0.022s in Q3) |
|
5 |
Belgium |
6 (+0.046s in Q3 – rain) |
|
1 |
Netherlands |
3 (+0.499s in Q3) |
|
1 |
Italy |
2 (+0.109s in Q3) |
|
16 (+0.576s in Q1) |
Azerbaijan |
2 |
|
1 |
Singapore |
5 (+0.428s in Q1) |
|
4 |
United States (sprint) |
16 (+0.962s in Q1 – time deleted) |
|
1 |
United States |
5 (+0.620s in Q3) |
|
3 |
Mexico |
17 (+1.092s in Q1) |
|
2 (+0.029s in Q3) |
Brazil (sprint) |
1 |
Aston Martin
| Fernando Alonso |
17-8 (15-5 without sprints) |
Lance Stroll |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Bahrain |
12 (+0.399s in Q2) |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia |
10 (+0.726s in Q3) |
|
10 (+0.480s in Q3) |
Australia |
9 |
|
5 |
Japan |
16 (+0.770s in Q1) |
|
3 |
China (sprint) |
15 (+0.558s in Q2) |
|
3 |
China |
11 (+0.186s in Q2) |
|
8 (+0.044s in Q3) |
Miami (sprint) |
7 |
|
15 (+0.205s in Q2) |
Miami |
11 |
|
19 (+0.459s in Q1 – went off) |
Imola |
13 |
|
16 (+0.291s in Q1) |
Monaco |
14 |
|
6 |
Canada |
9 (+0.473s in Q3) |
|
11 |
Spain |
14 (+0.244s in Q2) |
|
13 (+0.031s in Q2) |
Austria (sprint) |
12 |
|
15 |
Austria |
17 (+0.163s in Q1) |
|
10 (+0.332s in Q3) |
Great Britain |
8 |
|
7 |
Hungary |
8 (+0.201s in Q3) |
|
9 |
Belgium |
15 (+1.458s in Q2 – rain) |
|
7 |
Netherlands |
9 (+0.224s in Q3) |
|
11 |
Italy |
17 (+0.396s in Q1) |
|
8 |
Azerbaijan |
14 (+0.978s in Q2) |
|
7 |
Singapore |
17 (+0.410s in Q1) |
|
14 (no lap time – track limits) |
United States (sprint) |
13 (no lap time – track limits) |
|
8 |
United States |
14 (+0.330s in Q2) |
|
13 |
Mexico |
14 (+0.126s in Q2) |
|
16 |
Brazil (sprint) |
19 (+0.302s in Q1) |
Alpine 
| Pierre Gasly |
11-14 (8-12 without sprints) |
Esteban Ocon |
|---|---|---|
|
20 (+0.155s in Q1) |
Bahrain |
19 |
|
18 (+0.004s in Q1) |
Saudi Arabia |
17 |
|
17 (+0.365s in Q1) |
Australia |
15 |
|
17 (+0.308s in Q1) |
Japan |
15 |
|
16 |
China (sprint) |
17 (+0.088s in Q1) |
|
15 (+0.240s in Q2) |
China |
13 |
|
16 (+0.312s in Q1) |
Miami (sprint) |
13 |
|
12 |
Miami |
13 (+0.047s in Q2) |
|
15 (+0.475s in Q2) |
Imola |
12 |
|
10 |
Monaco |
11 (+0.389s in Q2) |
|
15 |
Canada |
18 (+0.146s in Q1) |
|
7 |
Spain |
9 (+0.268s in Q3) |
|
9 (+0.523s in Q3) |
Austria (sprint) |
8 |
|
13 (+0.085s in Q2) |
Austria |
10 |
|
20 (+5.247s in Q1 – rain) |
Great Britain |
18 |
|
20 (+0.117s in Q1) |
Hungary |
19 |
|
12 (+0.175s in Q2 – rain) |
Belgium |
10 |
|
10 |
Netherlands |
17 (+0.277s in Q1) |
|
14 |
Italy |
15 (+0.028s in Q2) |
|
DSQ (fuel flow) |
Azerbaijan |
19 |
|
18 (+0.354s in Q1) |
Singapore |
15 |
|
12 |
United States (sprint) |
17 (+0.052s in Q1) |
|
7 |
United States |
13 (+0.435s in Q2) |
|
8 |
Mexico |
19 (+0.468s in Q1) |
|
7 |
Brazil (sprint) |
17 (+0.422s in Q1) |
Williams 
| Alexander Albon |
14-2 (13-0 without sprints) |
Logan Sargeant |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Bahrain |
18 (+0.373s in Q1) |
| 12 | Saudi Arabia |
19 (+0.419s in Q1) |
| 12 | Australia |
DNS |
| 14 | Japan |
19 (+0.176s in Q1) |
| 18 | China (sprint) |
20 (+0.111s in Q1) |
| 14 | China |
20 (+0.974s in Q1 – spin) |
|
20 (+0.307s in Q1) |
Miami (sprint) |
19 |
|
14 |
Miami |
17 (+0.144s in Q1) |
|
14 |
Imola |
– (no lap time – track limits) |
|
9 |
Monaco |
17 (+0.397s in Q1) |
|
10 |
Canada |
13 (+0.251s in Q2) |
|
19 |
Spain |
20 (+0.356s in Q1) |
|
19 (+0.236s in Q1) |
Austria (sprint) |
15 |
|
16 |
Austria |
19 (+0.120s in Q1) |
|
9 |
Great Britain |
12 (+0.242s in Q2) |
|
13 |
Hungary |
14 (+0.114s in Q2) |
|
11 |
Belgium |
19 (+1.508s in Q1 – rain) |
|
DSQ (technical infringement) |
Netherlands |
– (no lap time – crash in FP3) |
| ALEXANDER ALBON |
5-2 (4-1 without sprints) |
FRANCO COLAPINTO |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Italy |
18 (+0.519s in Q1) |
|
10 (+0.329s in Q2 – pitlane incident) |
Azerbaijan |
9 |
|
11 |
Singapore |
12 (+0.007s in Q2) |
|
18 (+0.448s in Q1) |
United States (sprint) |
10 |
|
16 |
United States |
17 (+0.011s in Q1) |
|
9 |
Mexico |
16 (+0.369s in Q1) |
|
9 |
Brazil (sprint) |
14 (+0.431s in Q1) |
RB 
| Yuki Tsunoda |
13-8 (12-6 without sprints) |
Daniel Ricciardo |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Bahrain |
14 (+0.149s in Q2) |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia |
14 (+0.461s in Q2) |
| 8 | Australia |
18 (+1.297s in Q1) |
| 10 | Japan |
11 (+0.055s in Q2) |
|
19 (+0.571s in Q1) |
China (sprint) |
14 |
|
19 (+0.303s in Q1) |
China |
12 |
|
15 (no lap time – track limits) |
Miami (sprint) |
4 |
|
10 |
Miami |
18 (+0.293s in Q1) |
|
7 |
Imola |
9 (+0.209s in Q3) |
|
8 |
Monaco |
13 (+0.376s in Q2) |
|
8 (+0.236s in Q3) |
Canada |
5 |
|
17 |
Spain |
18 (+0.090s in Q1) |
|
14 |
Austria (sprint) |
16 (+0.024s in Q1) |
|
14 (+0.123s in Q2) |
Austria |
11 |
|
13 |
Great Britain |
15 (+0.680s in Q2) |
|
10 (+0.030s in Q3 – crashed out) |
Hungary |
9 |
|
18 (+1.142s in Q1 – rain) |
Belgium |
13 |
|
13 |
Netherlands |
16 (+0.340s in Q1) |
|
16 (+0.044s in Q1) |
Italy |
12 |
|
12 |
Azerbaijan |
15 (+0.210s in Q1) |
|
8 |
Singapore |
16 (+0.369s in Q1) |
| YUKI TSUNODA |
3-1 (2-0 without sprints) |
LIAM LAWSON |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | United States (sprint) |
15 (no lap time – track limits) |
| 11 | United States |
15 (no lap time – grid penalty) |
| 11 | Mexico |
12 (+0.033s in Q2) |
|
18 (+0.545s in Q1) |
Brazil (sprint) |
8 |
Sauber
| Valtteri Bottas |
23-2 (19-1 without sprints) |
Zhou Guanyu |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Bahrain |
17 (+0.001s in Q1) |
| 16 | Saudi Arabia |
– (no lap time – crash in FP3) |
| 13 | Australia |
20 (+0.848s in Q1) |
| 13 | Japan |
20 (+0.541s in Q1) |
| 9 | China (sprint) |
10 (+2.493s in Q3 – rain) |
| 10 | China |
16 (+0.336s in Q1) |
|
18 (+0.093s in Q1) |
Miami (sprint) |
17 |
|
16 |
Miami |
20 (+0.361s in Q1) |
|
16 |
Imola |
17 (+0.208s in Q1) |
|
19 |
Monaco |
20 (+0.516s in Q1) |
|
17 |
Canada |
20 (+0.926s in Q1) |
|
12 |
Spain |
15 (+0.511 in Q2) |
|
18 |
Austria (sprint) |
20 (+0.472s in Q1) |
|
18 |
Austria |
20 (+0.214s in Q1) |
|
16 (+1.241s in Q1 – rain) |
Great Britain |
14 |
|
12 |
Hungary |
18 (+0.550s in Q1) |
|
14 |
Belgium |
20 (+2.244s in Q1 – rain) |
|
18 |
Netherlands |
19 (+1.093s in Q1) |
|
19 |
Italy |
20 (+0.344s in Q1) |
|
17 |
Azerbaijan |
18 (+0.628s in Q1) |
|
19 |
Singapore |
20 (+0.482s in Q1) |
|
19 |
United States (sprint) |
20 (+1.324s in Q1 – time deleted) |
|
18 |
United States |
20 (+0.076s in Q1) |
|
15 |
Mexico |
20 (+0.679s in Q1) |
|
15 |
Brazil (sprint) |
20 (+2.117s in Q1) |
Haas 
| Nico Hulkenberg |
16-7 (14-5 withOut sprints) |
Kevin Magnussen |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Bahrain |
15 (+0.678s in Q2) |
|
15 (no lap time – technical issue) |
Saudi Arabia |
13 |
|
16 (+0.267s in Q1) |
Australia |
14 |
|
12 |
Japan |
18 (+0.310s in Q1) |
|
13 (+0.005s in Q2) |
China (sprint) |
12 |
|
9 |
China |
17 (+0.448s in Q1) |
|
10 |
Miami (sprint) |
14 (+0.284s in Q2) |
|
9 |
Miami |
19 (+0.236s in Q1) |
|
10 |
Imola |
18 (+1.013s in Q1 – impeded) |
|
12 |
Monaco |
15 (+0.285s in Q2) |
|
19 (+0.761s in Q1) |
Canada |
14 |
|
13 |
Spain |
16 (+0.229s in Q1) |
|
17 (+0.196s in Q1) |
Austria (sprint) |
11 |
|
9 |
Austria |
12 (+0.085s in Q2) |
|
6 |
Great Britain |
17 (+0.976s in Q1 – rain) |
|
11 |
Hungary |
15 (+0.231s in Q2) |
|
16 |
Belgium |
17 (+0.192s in Q1 – rain) |
|
14 |
Netherlands |
15 (+0.080s in Q2) |
|
10 |
Italy |
13 (+0.287s in Q2) |
|
6 |
Singapore |
14 (+0.503s in Q2) |
|
6 |
United States (sprint) |
8 (+0.215s in Q3) |
|
12 (+0.070s in Q2) |
United States |
9 |
|
10 (+0.479s in Q3) |
Mexico |
7 |
| NICO HULKENBERG |
0-2 (0-1 without sprints) |
Oliver Bearman |
|---|---|---|
|
13 (+0.223s in Q2) |
Azerbaijan |
11 |
|
12 (+0.335s in Q2) |
Brazil (sprint) |
10 |
Charles Leclerc has been summoned by the FIA stewards at the Brazilian Grand Prix for swearing in the post-race press conference in Mexico last weekend.
The Monegasque swore when describing his late-race moment in the Mexico City race, where he ran wide at the final corner as he fought hard with Lando Norris.
“I had one oversteer and then when I recovered from that oversteer, I had an oversteer from the other side and then I was like, ‘f***’,” he said.
Quickly realising that the use of swear words in press conferences is now frowned upon after Max Verstappen was punished for cursing in Singapore, Leclerc immediately apologised.
“Oh, sorry! Oh no, I don’t want to join Max,” Leclerc said.
Leclerc was seen in conversation with an FIA official after the press conference, and it is understood a note was sent to the race stewards earlier this week advising them of a potential rules breach.
With the stewards in Brazil only convening properly on Friday morning, it took them until shortly after the start of sprint qualifying to react to that note and decide that the matter did need a proper hearing.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
They stated that Leclerc was being called up for an “alleged breach of Article 12.2.1.k of the International Sporting Code – Language during the Mexico FIA Post Race Press Conference.”
Leclerc’s summons came after Verstappen, who has been punished with a day of community service for his swearing, expressed some surprise in Brazil for his Ferrari rival not being questioned by the FIA.
“Apparently, it only counts for me anyway, because after the race in Mexico, someone was swearing. I didn’t hear anything from it,’ he said.
“It’s weird. Actually what he says is worse than what I said in the context, and it was a much more important press conference with more people watching.”
The hardline stance from the FIA on swearing came in the wake of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem expressing his displeasure at the language of drivers in F1.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, he said: “I know, I was a driver. In the heat of the moment, when you think you are upset because another driver came to you and pushed you…when I used to drive in the dust [and something like that happened], I would get upset.
“But also, we have to be careful with our conduct. We need to be responsible people and now with technology, everything is going live and everything is going to be recorded. At the end of the day, we have to study that to see: do we minimise what is being said publicly?”
When Red Bull’s second Formula 1 team rebranded to RB at the start of this year, it came after abandoning an original idea to become Racing Bulls.
At the time it was felt that an official title of the ‘Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula 1 team’ was too much of a mouthful, so RB it would be.
Fast forward to now and a change of plan is in the offing. The team is set to go back to what it was intended from the off, replacing its RB moniker with the Racing Bulls tag for the 2025 season.
After a campaign where it has felt that the RB abbreviation has not really engaged with fans or the media, it has reached the conclusion that its initial idea was actually the best.
And it makes most sense, with the official company name being ‘Racing Bulls S.p.A’, its email addresses being from ‘Racing Bulls’ rather than ‘RB’ and most people in the paddock referring to it as that as well.
Speaking to ServusTV about the plans in Brazil, team CEO Peter Bayer said that the shift from RB to Racing Bulls was not as dramatic as some have suggested – and was certainly not a major rebrand.
“Racing Bulls. Visa Cash App Racing Bulls – nothing will actually change,” he said.
Peter Bayer, CEO of RB F1 Team, Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of RB F1 Team
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
“The only question throughout the year was: ‘What does RB mean, what does RB mean? Now we’re making it official: RB means Racing Bulls.”
But a change from RB to Racing Bulls, which will formally be confirmed when the FIA publishes its entry list for next year, does not actually mean its entire identity is changing – especially when it comes to the car name.
This is where the situation becomes slightly complex. That is because what we know the chassis name to be – the VCARB01 – isn’t actually officially what the chassis is under the wording of the regulations.
There is a difference in the rules between what the chassis is called, and what the car name is.
According to Article 8.2 of F1’s Sporting Regulations, the official name of the team “must include the name of the chassis.” But the chassis is not the car’s name.
So in FIA terms, there is a chassis definition – where Mercedes has the Mercedes, Ferrari has the Ferrari and RB has the RB.
Then there is what the teams officially call their car – and what we know them to be. Mercedes has labelled its 2024 challenge the W15, Ferrari the SF-24 and RB the VCARB01.
Liam Lawson, RB F1 Team VCARB 01
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
For next year, it is understood RB’s chassis on the entry list will be known as the ‘Racing Bulls’, while its car will be called the VCARB02.
And while the Racing Bulls identity will be more obvious next year, it is understood that much of the current Visa CashApp RB branding and its logo will remain identical – as that happily works from a corporate perspective.
Additional reporting by Frederik Hackbarth
Enzo Fittipaldi will slide in the cockpit for an evaluation test in IndyCar machinery with Arrow McLaren later this month at The Thermal Club, the team confirmed on Friday.
The 23-year-old Miami-born Brazilian American currently competes in Formula 2 with Van Amersfoort Racing, where he currently has one win and two podiums and sits 12th in the championship standings.
Arrow McLaren, which has already set next year’s lineup with Pato O’Ward, Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel, confirmed the news via a statement:
“Arrow McLaren will satisfy their allotted evaluation test with Enzo Fittipaldi at The Thermal Club on Tuesday, November 19,” the statement read. “Each lap in our cars is important as we continue preparations for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season, and we’re proud to extend this one to Enzo, whose family is so closely connected to the history of McLaren Racing.
“We’re eager to collect learnings and apply them in the form of a points race at The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix on March 23. For removal of doubt, our 2025 lineup is firm with Pato, Nolan and Christian.”
Pietro Fittipaldi, Enzo Fittipaldi in October 2023 at Sebring International Raceway.
Photo by: Dale Coyne Racing
The grandson of two-time Formula 1 World Champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, Enzo is also the brother of Pietro Fittipaldi. Pietro is a reserve driver for Haas F1 Team, who also just completed his first full-time IndyCar season with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
This will mark just the second time that Enzo, the 2018 Italian Formula 4 champion, has driven an IndyCar. In October 2023, he pounded laps at Sebring International Raceway for Dale Coyne Racing, sharing the track with brother Pietro, who was testing with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at that time.
The upcoming test with Arrow McLaren is set for Nov. 19 just outside of Palm Springs, California, the venue that previously hosted the $1 Million Challenge — a non-points exhibition for the IndyCar Series — during the 2024 season. The Thermal Club will next host a championship round in North America’s premier open-wheel champion on March 23, 2025.
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