Foto: JAKUB PORZYCKI/NURPHOTO/SHUTTERS / SHUTTERSTOCK EDITORIAL/IBL
1. The lie spread about Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz took home Ferrari’s first podium when he crossed the finish line as the third car in the F1 premiere.
Television footage showed the two Red Bull drivers celebrating with their team in the parc fermé – while Sainz looked around, seemingly looking for his own team-mates.
The clip of Sainz went viral on social media, where Ferrari was criticized for “abandoning” its driver, who will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton in the team next season.
Spanish Brand however, refutes this information. They write that all of Sainz’s mechanics and parts of his family were on the podium to celebrate. Marca also writes that Formula 1’s new initiative to sell VIP tickets to the area led to Ferrari’s staff finding it difficult to get there as quickly as they usually do.
2. Mohammed ben Sulayem under investigation
The president of the International Motor Sports Federation, Mohammed ben Sulayem, is in a bad mood.
First, De Telegraaf stated that he tried to get Max Verstappen to go out and openly support Christian Horner.
Then the BBC reported that a whistle-blower had contacted the FIA’s ethics committee, accusing the president of meddling in the outcome of last year’s Saudi Arabian GP. Ben Sulayem is now under investigation for the incident.
Now Ben Sulayem is accused of another incident. It is again the BBC that reports that before the Las Vegas GP last year, the president tried to get those who inspected the track to find safety flaws, so that it would not be approved to run on. However, the track was approved and the Las Vegas GP was run as planned.
3. Max Verstappen defends his father: “No liar”
There is quite a storm around Red Bull.
Now Max Verstappen goes out and defends his father – after he demanded the resignation of team manager Christian Horner.
– I have not asked if he regrets his statements. But I know him well, and even during my karting days he was very outspoken. He is not a liar, that is for sure, says Max Verstappen according to motorsport.com.
At the same time, he says that he himself does not want to take sides publicly.
– My father and I are very close, we talk to each other every day. But I’m not the kind of person who likes to talk about stuff like this. I just want to focus on driving. And if there are any problems, then we have to try to deal with them internally.