Adam Cooper F1

Sauber has confirmed that team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi will leave the Hinwil outfit at the end of this month.

Since the departure of Fred Vasseur to Ferrari the Italian has been the main public face of the organisation, although it was always seen as a temporary arrangement as he didn’t actually hold the team principal title.

He maintained the role even after Andreas Seidl joined as CEO and again for the first few months after Seidl was kicked out and Mattia Binotto replaced the German. With former Red Bull man Jonathan Wheatley arriving as team principal in a few months Audi has clearly decided to rationalise the management team heading towards its official arrival in 2026.

A lawyer by training and previously manager to drivers such as Stoffel Vandoorne Alunni Bravi joined Sauber as general counsel and board member in 2017. He was appointed managing director in 2022.

“Having worked closely with him in the months since my arrival to Hinwil, I want to pay tribute to Alessandro, a true team player who came to embody the essence of Sauber throughout the years,” said Binotto.

“Alessandro played a wide range of roles within the team, steering it through difficult and exciting times alike. As he moves onto a new venture, the whole company would like to thank him for all his energy and contributions over the years and wish him the best for the future.”  

Alunni Bravi added: “It is an emotional time as my journey with Sauber reaches its end. Since I joined in 2017, I have seen this team grow and change beyond what anyone could have imagined.

“This organisation went through exciting and difficult times alike, all without ever losing its spirit and its commitment, which is something I find inspiring, and I was proud of being able to represent the team as its public face in the last two years.

“As I move on to a new project, I want to thank Finn Rausing, all those who put so much trust and faith in me at Sauber and Audi, and all the colleagues I have been working with for the last eight years. This team is a family and has a bright future ahead.”

Liberty Media has a new CEO with a strong background in sports and media

Formula 1 owner Liberty Media has named Derek Chang as its new its new president and CEO and replacement for Greg Maffei, who left the role at the end of last month.

Chang will start his new job on February 1, with chairman John Malone holding the role on an interim basis until then.

He has been a director of Liberty since March 2021, and thus already has an understanding of the business, including its F1 interests.

Chang has worked for a variety of media, sports and entertainment companies, and his CV includes spells with EverPass Media, DIRECTV, Scripps, Charter and TCI. He holds an MBA from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale.

He was the CEO of NBA China from 2018 to 2020, running offices in Shanghai and Beijing, suggesting that he will play a role in increasing F1’s footprint in the country.

“I am thrilled to welcome Derek as the CEO of Liberty Media,” said Malone. “His expertise in both operating and investment roles, extensive understanding of our industries and familiarity with Liberty make him the ideal leader for Liberty’s next chapter.

“Personally, I have worked with Derek for over 25 years and am consistently impressed by his leadership style, breadth of expertise and global perspective. I look forward to supporting him and the Liberty management team as they continue to drive shareholder value.”

Chang said: “I have had the privilege of working with John Malone and the Liberty team for many years during my time at TCI and DIRECTV and later as a board member of Starz and Liberty, and I have long admired their track record of value creation for investors and partners.

“Our current focus is clear: optimising the portfolio structure with the split-off of Liberty Live and supporting the growth of our attractive operating assets, including F1 and MotoGP post-acquisition, to continue their momentum and invest for the future.

“Looking further, Liberty has always been long-term minded in its investment mandate yet nimble to move quickly on new opportunities. Both of these things will remain true in our strategy going forward.”

The future of the Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps has been secured – but only with a rotational deal that means that the race will take place in four of the next six seasons.

The new arrangement guarantees that the event will happen in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031, with another European event set to take its place in 2028 and 2030.

Spa was one of the last races on the current Formula 1 calendar that did not have a deal running beyond 2025, with many GPs now secure until well into the 2030s.

The event’s longer term prospects have been under question for years. However recent major upgrades to the venue reflected a renewed effort by the local authorities to secure its future.

In addition the recent confirmation that the Dutch GP will be dropped after 2026 gave Spa extra momentum as the closest thing to a home race for Max Verstappen and his legions of fans.

“The Belgian Grand Prix was one of the races that made up our maiden Championship in 1950, so as we kick off our 75th anniversary year it is fitting that we can share the news of this important extension,” said F1 boss Stefano Domenicali.

“Spa-Francorchamps is rightly lauded by drivers and fans alike as one of the finest racetracks in the world and it has played host to some incredible moments over its many seasons in F1. In recent years it has undergone significant work to improve the facility and overall fan experience, and I would like to pay tribute to the promoter and the Government of Wallonia for their dedication and passionate support for F1 in Belgium.”

Pierre-Yves Jeholet, vice president of the Walloon Government and minister of the economy, added: “The circuit provides the region with high quality sports infrastructure capable of hosting exceptional events, and thanks to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, Spa-Francorchamps, and through it, Wallonia, is placed at the centre of global attention.

“In addition to this international showcase, the event generates significant economic benefits for Wallonia, as well as for Belgium. The extension of this relationship over several years will also allow the circuit teams to plan for the future, which is hugely positive.”

Fernando Alonso has cautioned that there “are not many miracles” in Formula 1 – but he believes that his Aston Martin team can enjoy a reset ahead of the upcoming season and benefit from lessons learned.

The Silverstone outfit endured a difficult 2024 but still finished finish a distant fifth in the World Championship, with most of its points scored in the early part of the year.

The team endured a four-race run between Austin and Las Vegas with no points logged at all before Alonso secured seventh and ninth places in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

He was eventually classified ninth in the World Championship, behind the drivers from the top four teams.

“The last two races, finishing in the points, for sure it’s a good thing to finish on a positive note after, I think Austin, Mexico, Brazil, pointless,” he said when asked by this writer about the end of his season.

“And now I think we can reset. We can learn from all the difficulties and the mistakes of this year, and apply those learnings into next year’s project.

“The next few months are obviously very interesting, with Enrico Cardile joining the team. Adrian Newey in March or April or whatever.

“And yeah, 2026, new rules, Honda coming to the team. So exciting times. Happy to be in the team in this transition and this exciting project. And I’m enjoying all the process of it.”

Alonso insists that he has reason to be optimistic about the future as the pieces start to fall into place.

“I think the new factory now is completed,” he said. “Also the new wind tunnel is going to be open soon. Andy Cowell I think did change already some of the weaknesses that he found in the team.

“So we have trust on the new management. I think things are moving in the right direction. So happy for that.

“But in F1, there are not many miracles. You need to be passionate, you need to find that sweet spot in the car, you need to find that upgrade that really awakes everything in these ground effect cars, as McLaren proved last year, they started last and then won races in the in the mid-season.

“And we need to learn from them. This is a good example of how things can be can be done. And we will try to reset this winter, and come back stronger.”

Expanding on the inspiration to be drawn from McLaren’s progress he added: “The biggest change was last year.

“They didn’t do much in 2019, they didn’t do much in 2020, they didn’t do much in 2021, they didn’t do much in 2022, they didn’t do much in 2023 – until Austria, when they were on the podium.

“And in Austria, they introduced a package that they gained six/seventh tenths or whatever, and that was the beginning of a series of packages that put the car as the fastest eventually, so that Austria package, if we want to call it, this is something that we need to work on.”