A living legend stays in Formula 1, while a storm is brewing at the Sepang International Circuit.
The "silly season" is nearing its end, as only two F1 teams are now left with vacant seats for 2027. While all that is happening, a literal storm is brewing in Malaysia, which could potentially make F1's return to Sepang even more interesting.
Aston Martin locks in their 2027 driver lineup
Aston Martin is relying on the status quo for 2027, extending the contracts of their current drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. 2027 will be the fifth year of the Alonso-Stroll pairing, and the Silverstone-based outfit is hoping for a more productive campaign next season.
That is, of course, if they fix their car's horrible performance and reliability issues.
Ferrari publicly backs their current team principal
Amidst persistent rumors and clamors of a possible leadership turnover, Ferrari put their full weight behind supporting current team principal Fred Vasseur. Maria Conti, Ferrari's head of communications, said that the Scuderia has "full confidence" in Vasseur's leadership.
It has been an up-and-down season for the Prancing Horse, but Vasseur recently promised that they're expecting improvements soon. Ferrari is currently second in the Teams' Standings with 378 points, but McLaren is quickly closing the gap from behind.
A Stormy F1 return in Malaysia?
F1 returns to the Sepang International Circuit for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. However, drivers might have to navigate challenging weather this weekend. According to Malaysia's Meteorological Department, isolated thunderstorms and rain are expected from Friday to Sunday.
Strategy and luck will play a huge part at Sepang, especially if the rain comes and goes during different parts of the qualifying session on Saturday and the main race on Sunday.
Herta still believes in his F1 path
It has been a frustrating Formula 2 season for former American IndyCar star Colton Herta, but he remains focused on becoming an F1 driver someday. Herta knows that the path isn't as straightforward as people expected it to be, but he's still aiming to join the F1 grid by 2028.
Herta has been adamant that he has zero interest in returning to F2, though. Let's see if Cadillac, an American outfit, will sign him as their reserve driver in 2027.
Zak Brown keeps his door open for Max Verstappen
McLaren CEO Zak Brown admitted that he had discussions with Max Verstappen during the summer, before the Dutch driver signed a lucrative extension with Red Bull Racing. Verstappen's current contract with Red Bull will take him through the 2030 F1 season.
And yet, Brown hasn't closed his doors on Verstappen potentially joining the team sometime around 2028 or beyond. It's important to note that Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen's long-time race engineer, will join McLaren in 2028.
