It was one of those F1 Fridays where the news ticker barely caught its breath.
The FIA has kicked open the door for a new era in the World Rally Championship, confirming a tender to find a fresh commercial rights holder. Crucially, the governing body says it will “work with” current custodians Red Bull and KW25, plus JP Morgan, as it ushers the rights to market. Industry whispers have put a ballpark figure near $550 million for the package, with Liberty Media understood not to be in the hunt. However the auction shakes out, the WRC’s next promoter will inherit a storied series in need of a sharper commercial punch.
Valtteri Bottas, meanwhile, is swapping aero for aero bars this weekend, lining up for the Monsterrando cycling race. The Mercedes reserve’s form on two wheels is hardly news to his fans, but the timing’s interesting: PlanetF1 reports he’s struck an agreement to return to the F1 grid with the Cadillac project in 2026, expected alongside Sergio Perez. Nothing formal yet, but Bottas back in the big show would be a neat full-circle twist for one of the paddock’s most popular operators.
Back to federation business, the FIA issued a pointed rebuttal after a Dutch outlet ran claims linked to GPDA chairman Alex Wurz and the future direction of karting. The statement pushed back hard at the assertions and the framing of the interview. Wurz, who’s chaired the drivers’ association since 2014, sits at a sensitive junction between grassroots pathways and the top tier, so expect the FIA to keep the communication tight on that file.
File this under “blast from the past”: the Caterham name could be steering toward an F1 revival. Investment group SKM Capital, fronted by 24-year-old Saad Kassis-Mohamed, is plotting a new entrant called SKM Racing, with the intent to resurrect the Caterham brand for a 2027 bid. It’s very early days—money, facilities, and an FIA slot are big hurdles—but the nostalgia play will resonate with fans who remember the plucky green cars from the early hybrid era.
And a word to the wise from Martin Brundle aimed at George Russell. The Sky F1 pundit gently chided Russell for saying he’d “pay” for a title shot, noting that such lines can “hurt us” in broader debates around driver value and the sport’s economics. With Max Verstappen set at Red Bull for 2025 and Russell moving toward a new multi-year deal at Mercedes, the Briton doesn’t need to sell himself short. He’ll get his swing at the title fight soon enough—no cheque required.
