F1 news - latest: Sergio Perez faces Red Bull decision and Abu Dhabi test updates including Carlos Sainz

Max Verstappen enjoyed a fine start to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but soon got into trouble and was hit with a 10-second penalty after a collision with Oscar Piastri at Turn 1.

And Martin Brundle claims the Red Bull star and four-time world champion was “wholly at fault” for his Turn 1 crash with Oscar Piastri.

The Dutch driver was livid and shouted over his radio: “Could we ask for 20 seconds? Stupid idiots.”

But Brundle too exception, stating on Sky Sports: “You can’t say that, that’s just not fair – they’re applying the regulations,” said the former F1 driver. “You don’t run into other people, then you won’t get the penalties.”

Fernando Alonso has joked that he deseres a bonus after helping McLaren win the Constructors’ title.

After spending five years of his 21-year career with McLaren, the Spaniard worked alongside CEO Zak Brown in Woking.

Brown is “a very good friend of mine,” said Alonso, with experience alongside Andrea Stella during their time together at McLaren in 2015, meaning the former world champion has influenced both men on their journey to deliver a title for the papaya.

“Yes,” Alonso said when asked if should be included in the bonus scheme. “I should be part of his bonus.”

“We’ll sit down and reflect on this season and how we move forward,” Christian Horner says on the decision around Sergio Perez’s future.

“There’s no immediate rush. All the permutations are available to us internally. So I think the first thing is to sit down with Checo and have that conversation now that the season is completed.

“I think you can see the importance of having two drivers scoring on a regular and collective basis in the Constructors’ Championship is crucial.

“Ferrari will be strong with their lineup next year, and McLaren has a strong lineup. Mercedes will have an inexperienced driver in one of their seats. For us, it’s very important that both of our drivers are delivering and there’s not a significant gap.”

“Obviously, those discussions will happen between Checo [Perez] and the team,” Christian Horner said.

“Now we’ve got the season out of the way, we’ll sit down with him and reflect on the season, and obviously, where it’s gone wrong.

“Collectively, we will work out what is the right and appropriate way forward. Checo has been a great servant of this team.

“Thinking back to this race in 2021 – the contribution that he made, the 2022 and ’23 Constructors’ World Championships, five race victories, second in last year’s Drivers Championship… he’s done an awful lot for this team.”

Brazilian driver Gabriel Borteleto claimed the 2024 F2 championship at the season finale in Abu Dhabi after title rival Isack Hadjar dramatically stalled at the start.

While Bortoleto cruised into the lead at lights out from second on the grid, French driver Hadjar (starting in third) failed to get off the mark.

Hadjar, who is in contention for an F1 seat at Red Bull’s sister team RB in 2025, was wheeled back into the pits but did manage to get going again. However, he was two laps down in the 33-lap feature race.

Bortoleto, 20, ultimately finished in second place, while Hadjar finished a lap down. Bortoleto becomes the first driver since Oscar Piastri to win F3 and F2 back-to-back.

“Yeah I stalled, I need an explanation, man,” Hadjar said at the start. “I can’t believe all this hard work for that. The worst moment of my life, right now.”

Max Verstappen will undergo his community service in the capital of Rwanda later this week, as a punishment for swearing.

The Red Bull driver, who claimed his fourth F1 world championship in a row this year, was punished by FIA stewards in Singapore in September for saying his car “was f*****” in a press conference.

The 27-year-old Dutchman was told to he had to “accomplish some work of public interest.”

Details of this have now been revealed, with Verstappen working with junior competitors as part of a grassroots programme in conjunction with the Rwanda Automobile Club.

An FIA statement read: “Verstappen will travel to the FIA Awards Ceremony which takes place as part of the General Assemblies next week in Kigali, Rwanda to collect his fourth consecutive FIA Formula One World Championship trophy.

“I’m not sure that he needs tons of hours of acclimatisation,” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur told Autosport.

Lewis Hamilton is now set to try out a 2022 or 2023 version of the Scuderia’s car after missing the last available option to try out the 2025 version before pre-season Bahrain test next year.

“He is experienced enough to be quick on the first day, or at least very soon. We’ll have one or two TPC days, plus the test in Bahrain, and that will be enough.”

“Look, I know Fred wanted it to happen. For me, I was in two minds,” said Hamilton. “Driving the red car for the first time in Abu Dhabi does not excite me. In a perfect world, you get to drive it, not be seen, and do the first rollout next year.

“When I did raise it, obviously with Toto [Wolff], they had all these plans that I’ve got to go and see some of the sponsors and say their farewells. So I don’t think it was ever going to actually be allowed, even if I had asked to have done it, because I’m contracted to the team until December 31st and that’s totally fine. But it doesn’t bother me again because I wasn’t going to do the test.”

“It’s not what I wanted to do. I told Fred that’s not what I wanted to do. Am I missing out on something? For sure. It definitely delays the process and makes the start of the year harder, but we’ll do our best to recover.”

Each team will have a tyre test allocation and a young driver allocation:

Alpine: Pierre Gasly, Jack Doohan

Aston Martin: Lance Stroll, Felipe Drugovich/Jak Crawford

Ferrari: Charles Leclerc, TBC

Haas: Esteban Ocon, Ryo Hirakawa

McLaren: TBC, Patricio O’Ward

Mercedes: George Russell, Andrea Kimi Antonelli

RB: Liam Lawson, TBC

Red Bull: Yuki Tsunoda, TBC

Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto

Williams: Carlos Sainz, Luke Browning

While the 2024 season is over, F1 will hang around in Abu Dhabi for the post-season test.

It could prove crucial for some drivers, especially the likes of Carlos Sainz who begins a new chapter in his career after linking up with Luke Browning to test the Williams.

Drivers and teams will assemble on Tuesday to experiment around Yas Marina Circuit.

Though Lewis Hamilton will not be present in the Ferrari, that’s because the Briton has committed to a number of farewell procedures and events after an emotional end to his time at Mercedes.