Author Archives: PressBox

Christian Horner wrote in his autobiography, Drive, that Lewis Hamilton held a secret meeting with Red Bull in 2012, as the driver was unsettled at McLaren and asked what it would take to join the team. Horner said the meeting took place at Adrian Newey’s home near Ascot, and that Red Bull’s leadership was excited by the idea of pairing Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel. Helmut Marko was wary about the impact Hamilton could have on Vettel, and Red Bull ultimately backed away because the move would have required staggering sums of money.

Horner wrote that Niki Lauda later offered him the Mercedes team principal role more than a decade ago, after he had spoken with Hamilton about leaving McLaren. Horner said he turned down the offer because he felt loyal to Dietrich Mateschitz and Red Bull. Mercedes later appointed Toto Wolff as team principal, and Wolff has held the job since 2017.

Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 and went on to win six more world championships with the team before moving to Ferrari in 2025. Horner stayed with Red Bull until 2025, during which he won five drivers’ championships and three constructors’ championships.

Sentronics Holdings Ltd. filed a federal patent lawsuit in Texas on Oct. 16 against Allengra GmbH, accusing the German company of infringing U.S. Patent No. 11,391,609 with the fuel-flow meters used by every Formula 1 team. The patent covers a fuel-flow measurement method using phase-modulated ultrasonic signals, and Sentronics said testing in late 2024 confirmed the alleged infringement.

Sentronics, which said it supplied Formula 1’s fuel-flow meters to the FIA from 2018 to 2025, alleged that Allengra knowingly encouraged use of the meters at U.S. races. Allengra won the contract to supply Formula 1’s fuel-flow meters from 2026 to 2030.

In the lawsuit, Sentronics sought a permanent injunction or permanent ban on sales or supply of the meters in the United States, along with damages, lost profits and royalties. The company also said it could seek triple damages if willful infringement is proven and requested a jury trial. The case was not expected to affect the 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin because Sentronics was not seeking an emergency order to stop the meters from being used.

Haas unveiled a Godzilla-themed livery for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, calling it the team’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” look. The design is part of Haas’ season-long collaboration with TOHO Co., Ltd. and was created to celebrate the upcoming film release.

The updated VF-26 design adds light blue accents and bold patterns to Haas’s usual red-and-white colors, with more blue on the sidepods and rear wing and an image of Godzilla on the engine cover. Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon will drive the special cars, and both are set to wear one-off merchandise and race suits to match the livery.

Haas previously ran a Godzilla-themed design at the Japanese Grand Prix, making this the second time it has used the concept this season. The team planned activations around the event at Circuit of the Americas, where the United States Grand Prix is Haas’s second of three home races this year. Haas entered the weekend seventh in the standings with 30 points and said it was aiming for a strong result to support its midfield campaign.

McLaren is selling five historic Formula 1 cars from its Heritage Collection through dealer Tom Hartley Jr., with each car being offered individually and the group spanning 32 years of the team’s Formula 1 history. McLaren has not disclosed prices, but the cars are expected to fetch between £5 million and £10 million each.

The lineup includes two 1991 MP4/6As raced by Gerhard Berger and tested by Ayrton Senna, a 2012 MP4/27A raced by Jenson Button and tested by Lewis Hamilton, a 2021 MCL35M raced by Lando Norris, and a 2023 car raced by Norris. McLaren says the 2012 car helped it win seven grands prix that year, while the 2021 MCL35M brought the team its first victory since 2012 when Daniel Ricciardo won in Italy.

McLaren says the 2023 car is the newest Formula 1 car ever offered to a private buyer, and the older examples will be fully restored before delivery. McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown said the cars should be driven and enjoyed rather than left in storage. The sale follows McLaren’s 2021 deal that brought £4.8 million for Lewis Hamilton’s 2010 Turkish Grand Prix-winning MP4-25.