Mercedes continued their resurgence in a roller coaster finish that saw the top three drivers decided by less than 1.2 seconds. Unfortunately, the stewards would still have a say in the result, disqualifying Russell when his car was found to be 1.5kg (~3.3lbs) underweight. This nullified a sublime display of tire management that would’ve seen Mercedes capture their first 1-2 since Brazil 2022. Instead, Mercedes “settled” for Hamilton’s second win of the season. Piastri, who stalked the Mercedes pair in the final laps of the race, finished second. Charles Leclerc, who surprisingly inherited Pole due to Verstappen’s expected grid penalty (new power unit), was the beneficiary of circumstance again, inheriting P3. Verstappen recovered well from his P11 starting position to capture P4; Norris, who saw a costly mistake in Lap 1 take him out of contention early, rounded out the top five.

Much of the post-race narrative was understandably focused on Russell’s disqualification. However, the guts it took for Mercedes and Russell to deliver on the one-stop should not be lost. There’s a good reason Toto was on the line to Susie before they’d even taken the podium! And while everyone seemed hellbent on rubbing it in (those were tears of joy 😭!), it was still a demonstration of what Russell and Mercedes are capable of. We should expect to find them on the podium again this season, and definitely at the appropriate weight. You’re still the Tire Whisperer to us, George!

• Jolyon Palmer Digs Into The Data Behind Russell’s Race and Disqualification (Formula 1)

• Mercedes Pace & Russell’s DQS Explained (The Race)

• How Mercedes Cost Russell His Second Win Of 2024 (ESPN)

It’s been a rough season for Sergio Perez, who has faced constant questioning over his future at Red Bull. It is not without warrant though, with Checo scoring 28 points in his last 8 races compared to 103 in the first 6 races. Despite this, Red Bull announced that it would be keeping Sergio in his seat when the teams return from the summer break. This seemingly settles the matter of Perez, but also the fates of rumored replacements Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tusnoda, who were confirmed to remain at RB after the break. This also leaves Liam Lawson, who filled in for an injured Ricciardo at RB (nee Alpha Tauri) last season, without a full-time drive. If this all feels familiar, it’s because this is not the first time a teammate of Max has received the dreaded vote of confidence. We bet Pierre Gasly & Alex Albon have some thoughts on whether Perez should make plans for Red Bull in 2025, but time will tell.

• Ricciardo To Stay At RB After The Summer Break (Motorsport)

• Helmut Marko Hints At Driver Reshuffling In 2025 (PlanetF1)

• Horner Says Upcoming Ricciardo/Lawson Test Is “All About Content” (F1onSI)

We can only assume that our constant pleas led Carlos Sainz and Williams to quickly announce his move to the team in 2025. A dapper looking James Vowles announced the race-winner would be joining the the team for “2025, 2026, & beyond”. However, it was actually Esteban Ocon who kicked things off, announcing that he’d be joining rookie Ollie Bearman at Haas. Never to be outdone, Alpine rang in the anniversary of the firing of former Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer by announcing the exit of current Team Principal Bruno Famin. With Sainz and Ocon’s futures decided, and Red Bull’s second set spoken for, expect the other pieces to fall together quickly.

• Sainz Rejection Latest Setback For Audi (The Race)

• How Williams First Approached Sainz (Motorsport)

• Vowles Shares Surprise Red Bull Didn’t Sign Sainz (Racer)

• Change Continues At Alpine With Bruno Famin Exit (Sky Sports)

• Binotto Joins Audi As CTO/COO; Andreas Seidl Out (Formula 1)

• Alpine In Talks With Mercedes Over Power Unit Partnership (Motorsport Week)

• Logan Sargeant Denies Marcus Ericsson Claims Of Unrest At Williams (PlanetF1)

As has been the story of the last few months, Max and Red Bull continue to benefit from the inconsistency of their most direct competitors. McLaren seems the only team posed to challenge them in the Constructor standings, despite Mercedes’ recent resurgence. The papaya duo continue to make a case for the best driver combo on the grid, though if Norris doesn’t ultimately catch Max, it will be due in part to the points he drops to his teammate.

In the Driver’s Championship, Max Verstappen stays at the top of the standings, with Lando Norris gaining 2 points further on Max’s lead. With this victory, Lewis Hamilton jumps two spots to take sixth. To rub salt in the wounds of George Russell’s horrible Sunday, his disqualification sees him tumble two places into eighth, behind Sergio Perez.

In the Constructor’s Championship, McLaren narrows the gap to Red Bull to 42 points, while Ferrari benefits from George Russell’s misfortune, to keep their lead over Mercedes. In the midfield, Daniel Ricciardo captured a crucial point as RB look to stay ahead of Haas for sixth.

Like the Formula 1 drivers, personalities, and journalists soon to be flocking to IG to show off their lavish lifestyles, we too will be taking a summer break (minus the yachting). Whether, you plan to hone your karting skills, catch a movie, or just sleep in on Sundays, we wish you and yours a wonderful summer break! We will be back on August 27th, after the action at the Dutch Grand Prix!

Until Next Time,

We’re Listening!

[email protected]