Perez insists he’s staying at Red Bull

In brief

Perez insists he’s staying at Red Bull

Following Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s comments Liam Lawson was “highly unlikely” to join the team before the end of the year, Perez insisted he will still race for them next season.

“It’s just rumours,” he told the official F1 channel. “At the end of the day, I think there needs to be a little bit more professionalism as well from the media, not to spread rumours like that. Because at the end of the day, the ones that lose credibility are the ones are spreading those rumours.

“You will see me in Vegas, you will see me next year and then and I’m not the one that that worries about it.”

Verstappen tells Dutch media he has “wrong passport” for F1

Speaking separately to members of the Dutch media yesterday, Max Verstappen claimed he is treated differently because he has the “wrong passport” for the F1 paddock.

He took issue with a view expressed by former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, now an FIA steward, that he deliberately forced Lando Norris off the track at turn seven during last weekend’s race. “Those statements are quite abnormal and accusations quite extreme,” said Verstappen.

Villeneuve statue stolen

A 40-year-old bronze statue of Gilles Villeneuve has been stolen from the museum in his home town of Berthierville in Canada. The statue was cut off at the ankles, leaving only the feet.

“It breaks my heart when you see that all that’s left of the statue are the boots,” the general director of the Gilles-Villeneuve museum Alain Bellehumeur told Le Journal de Montreal. “For us, it was a historical and highly symbolic monument.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Quebec provincial police hotline on 1 800 659-4264.

Formula E moves pre-season test

Following the serious which claimed over 150 lives in Valencia over the last week, Formula E has announced it will move the pre-season test sessions from the Circuit Ricardo Tormo next week to the Jarama circuit in Madrid.

“Following consultation with local authorities, the FIA and our colleagues at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, we have decided not to proceed with our pre-season test in Valencia, planned for 4th-7th November,” the series said in a statement. “While it may have been possible to go ahead logistically, it is important not to create any distraction or use valuable resources…