F1Weekly Podcast # 1125
NORRIS HAS PICKED UP HIS TROPHY AND MAX CALLED IN SICK…
THIS WEEK’S RUMORS….OSCAR TO FERRARI AND LECLERC TO MCLAREN BUT…I’M SURE THIS IS FAKE NEWS SO…LET’S GET TO…
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR HAMEED…THIS WEEK WE HAVE THE GIORGIO PIOLA INTERVIEW PART 0NE THIS WEEK AND PART 2 NEXT WEEK…
FIA, Formula 1 Group and all 11 race teams officially sign the ninth Concorde Agreement, securing strength and stability for the sport in pivotal five-year agreement.
– Multi-year Concorde Governance Agreement signed by the FIA, Formula 1 Group and all 11 teams, securing the World Championship through 2030
– Paves the way for a more professionalised sport and represents a new era of collaboration between the FIA and Formula 1 Group
– Long-term commitment enhances sporting reliability, global reach and stability for teams, fans and broadcasters.
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, and Formula 1 Group, the Commercial Rights Holder, have today announced the signing of the Concorde Governance Agreement, a crucial contract defining the regulatory framework and governance terms of the FIA Formula One World Championship until 2030. This follows the announcement in March that the 2026 Commercial Concorde Agreement had been signed by all the teams and Formula 1 Group. Together, these agreements constitute the ninth Concorde Agreement, representing a major step forward in the professionalisation and global development of the sport.
First introduced in 1981, the Concorde Agreements are designed to promote sporting fairness, technological innovation and operational excellence, and align all key stakeholders around a shared vision for structured governance and continued growth of the sport. Each iteration of the Concorde Agreements has shaped the FIA Formula One World Championship into the global spectacle it is today.
The ninth Concorde Agreement announced today marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration between the FIA and Formula 1 Group, who have worked together to write the next chapter in Formula 1 history, demonstrating mutual respect, transparency and shared purpose between the two organisations. It confirms the participation of all FIA Formula One World Championship teams, including the incoming Cadillac Formula 1 team, through the end of the decade, and provides a stable foundation for the sporting and technical evolution of the sport.
The Concorde Agreement underscores the commitment of the FIA, Formula 1 Group and all teams to continue growing and developing the sport, and to keep driving the momentous expansion it has seen in recent years. The new contract enables the FIA to invest further in improved race regulation, race direction, stewarding and technical expertise for the benefit of the Championship, and means the sport can continue to evolve, providing exciting technological innovation and sporting action for fans, broadcasters and partners, all within a stable and structured regulatory framework. Combined with record viewership growth, a dynamic race calendar, and increasing engagement from younger audiences, the FIA Formula One World Championship enters this next chapter with unprecedented momentum.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, said: “The ninth Concorde Agreement secures the FIA Formula One World Championship’s long-term future and I am proud of the dedication that has been invested in this process. I would like to thank Stefano Domenicali and his team in what has been a strong collaboration, building a framework grounded in fairness, stability, and shared ambition. This agreement allows us to continue modernising our regulatory, technological, and operational capabilities, including supporting our race directors, officials, and the thousands of volunteers whose expertise underpin every race. We are ensuring that Formula 1 remains at the forefront of technological innovation, setting new standards in global sport.”
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1 Group, said: “Today is an important day for Formula 1. As we celebrate seventy-five years of this incredible sport, we are proud to write the next chapter in our long and amazing history. This agreement ensures that Formula 1 is in the best possible position to continue to grow around the world. I want to thank the President of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem and all the teams for the collaboration and determination to achieve the best results for the entire sport in our discussions. We have a huge amount to be proud of, but we also are focussed on the opportunities and exciting potential for Formula 1 in the years ahead.”
STOFFEL VANDOORNE AND JAK CRAWFORD COMPLETE END-OF-SEASON TEST FOR ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO IN ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, 9 December 2025: Aston Martin Aramco brought its 2025 on-track activities to a close today with a comprehensive post-season programme in Abu Dhabi, completing a total of 227 laps of the 5.554km Yas Marina Circuit across the Pirelli Tyre Test and the Young Driver Test.
Test & Reserve Driver Stoffel Vandoorne returned to the cockpit for a day dedicated to testing the new range of Pirelli tyres for the 2026 Formula 1 season. His programme focused on understanding compound behaviour across a mixture of long and short runs while gathering valuable data. He completed 108 laps (571km).
Young Development Driver Jak Crawford, fresh from finishing second in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship and completing his second Formula One FP1 session of the year, took part in the Young Driver Test. In his third outing in the AMR25 in the past two months, Jak completed 119 laps (629km), working through varying set-up explorations and long-run evaluations.
With the 2025 post-season test complete, the team now returns to the AMR Technology Campus where development of the AMR26 continues during the busy winter months.
Post-season test in numbers:
Stoffel: 108 laps | 571 km | Best lap: 1:27.743
Jak: 119 laps | 629 km | Best lap: 1:23.766
Stoffel Vandoorne, Test & Reserve Driver, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team, said: “It’s always valuable to get back in the car and contribute to the team’s development. Today was focused on understanding the characteristics of the 2026 Pirelli tyres, and we were able to complete a full programme with plenty of representative running. The tyres behave differently to the current compounds, so getting an early read on them is important. I hope the team will be pleased with the data we’re bringing back to the factory as we look ahead to next season.”
Jak Crawford, Young Development Driver, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team, said: “Every time I get in the AMR25, I feel myself taking another step forward. Today’s focus was on building mileage and understanding how to adapt the car to different setup profiles. I’m grateful to the team for the opportunity today as well as FP1 last week, and I’m really happy with how both sessions went. I’m now looking forward to some time off before stepping into the role of the team’s Third Driver next year.”
FORMULA 2
Alexander Dunne leads the way on the final day of post-season testing at Yas Marina.
Alexander Dunne ended 2025 in fine form, setting the fastest lap of the final day of the Yas
Marina post-season test. The Rodin Motorsport driver’s 1:37.153 led the way in the morning
session, before Oliver Goethe continued his strong performances over the three days with
1:38.274 in the afternoon.
MORNING
New medium tyres were used by most teams to start the day, with Van Amersfoort
Racing’s Rafael Villagómez leading the way after the first laps with a 1:39.387. On the next push
lap, Kush Maini went to P1 with a 1:39.864, only for Dunne to eclipse that by 0.105s to go to the
top. There was a brief Red Flag period just after, with Sebastián Montoya having stopped on
track at Turn 14.
Once the action resumed, VAR switched to the Supersoft tyre with Villagómez and Nicolás
Varrone, and the former went quickest on a 1:37.715. He then improved to a 1:37.502, putting
over half a second between he and Cian Shields in P2, with his teammate in P3. As the
first hour came to a close, Villagómez improved to a 1:37.300, with Maini his closest rival, 0.169s
down in P2.
The gap continued to come down to Villagómez, with Nikola Tsolov, Mari Boya and Rafael
Câmara all taking turns going up to second. Maini eventually beat the VAR driver’s time by
0.137s, before Dunne returned to P1 with a 1:37.153, putting him just 0.010s clear out in front.
Race runs, pit stop and race start practices were then the focus for the rest of the session, with
Dunne ending up on top ahead of Maini, Villagómez, Dino Beganovic and Câmara.
AFTERNOON
Boya got the afternoon underway with the fastest time of a 1:40.152. But he was later moved
down to P2 by Goethe, who went quickest on a 1:38.274. Long runs then became the focus for
most of the afternoon session, as the drivers looked to get their final race simulations in for the
year. However, a few did move up the timesheets with Montoya going to P2 ahead of his PREMA
teammate Boya
Then came Laurens van Hoepen for TRIDENT in third, as well as Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, who
jumped up to P4 with just under an hour to go. Into the final 20 minutes and Roman Bilinski
moved up to fifth for DAMS Lucas Oil.
Heading into the last five minutes, Rodin sent their drivers out for a couple of flying
laps. Dunne was just 0.083s shy of Goethe’s time in second, while Stenshorne followed him
across the line to go to P3. The duo went for second push attempts but could not improve,
leaving Goethe on top in the afternoon.
That wraps up the 2025 season, but 2026 is just around the corner with Round 1 in Melbourne
set for March 6-8
RED BULL RACING
ISACK
“It was great to get my first laps in as an official Oracle Red Bull Racing driver. It’s nice to know that I’ll be able to come back in January and already have met and worked with more of the Team, having met a lot already through testing over the last couple of years. They welcomed me really well and I already feel comfortable with this group. Of course, this is a totally different car to the one I will be driving in Barcelona but it was good to get a feel of the tyres. It’s also important to bank the data now and it’ll definitely help over the coming months as we build towards the new season.”
AYUMU
“I managed to complete a lot of laps at the post-season test today and it was great to work with Oracle Red Bull Racing again. I drove round here on Friday for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, so it was nice to get back out on track so quickly. It has been a very long season for everyone, and the test comes so soon, but everyone was really focussed on gathering important data heading into a crucial year with the new regulations. I’ve been able to do a few Formula One tests this season and drove the RB21 in Bahrain for FP1 so it felt good to get back into the car and see how my driving has developed over the last eight months. I hope that the Team can use this data and I was happy the laps I put in.”
BEN
Head of Performance Engineering
“We’ve enjoyed a really successful day of testing here in Abu Dhabi ,rounding out another long season. The programme today was split across both cars, with Isack following the test programme for the 2026 Pirelli tyres and Ayumu doing the Young Drivers’ Test for us, where he lapped in the RB21 using the current tyre. Both drivers did an excellent job today, they gave us really detailed feedback and managed to complete the full programmes without any issues for either car. It’s been hugely valuable for the Team to work with Isack, it’s given us the chance to get to know him better and develop that relationship heading into next year. We’ll take the findings from this test back to Milton Keynes and use them to refine our simulation tools ahead of Barcelona in just seven weeks’ time. Finally, I’d like to say a big thank you to Honda for providing us with great Power Units and phenomenal support over the last seven years. They’ve been a fantastic partner and we look forward to racing them next year.”