In the round-up: Aston Martin Lagonda will remain sponsors of their branded F1 team until 2030
In brief
Aston Martin Lagonda extends sponsorship of F1 team
Aston Martin Lagonda, the production car wing of the larger Aston Martin group of companies, has extended its sponsorship of the Aston Martin F1 team until 2030.
The Silverstone-based team, who previously competed as Racing Point from 2018 after falling into adminstration as Force India and being bought out by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll, has raced in Formula 1 as Aston Martin since 2021.
Aston Martin Lagonda also purchased shares in the F1 team last November. The team announced last week that it had extended its contract with driver Fernando Alonso until at least the end of the 2026 season.
Piastri sure gap to Red Bull closing
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri says he is confident that all of Red Bulls rivals are catching up to Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez despite the team winning three of the first four rounds of the 2024 season.
“I think generally everyone – certainly the teams around us – seem to be a bit closer to Red Bull,” Piastri told the Fast and the Curious podcast.
“I think we still have a decent amount of work to do, but we’re definitely closer than I think we were last year. You look at the qualifying delta – even in Japan, I think last year we were half a second off Verstappen for pole and this year I think Lando was just under three tenths. So we’re getting closer. I would say there’s a bit more optimism around everyone.”
Alpine sign Anurag to academy
Alpine has announced it has signed 16-year-old Singaporean driver Kabir Anurag to their driver academy.
Anurag is racing in the Italian F4 and Euro 4 championships for this season, having raced in the Formula Winter Series across February and March, where he placed 14th with two fifth place finishes across 11 starts.
“It is an honour to have the support and trust of Alpine and have the opportunity to work with the team’s driver development programme to progress in my career both on and off the track,” Anurag said. “I will be starting my rookie season in Italian F4 and Euro 4 this year, and I am looking forward to showing what I can do in Alpine colours.”
Rosberg launches $75m venture fund
Nico Rosberg, the 2016 Formula 1 world champion, has announced he has launched a $75m (£60m) venture capital fund that he claims will be used to support ‘innovative startups’.
Rosberg Ventures will support other venture capital…
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