With Christmas just around the corner (no pun intended), catch up on all the latest F1 news before things get really quiet.

Here are all the main headlines from Monday’s F1 news cycle.

F1 news: ‘Pretty dark’ Lewis Hamilton job revealed in Mercedes book

Few of us are likely to consider the extent that some of F1’s superstars have to considered their personal safety while out and about in public – and you can’t get much more of a superstar than Lewis Hamilton.

Aspects of just how cautious his security detail have to be on a regular basis have been revealed in the new book Inside Mercedes F1: Life In The Fast Lane by Matt Whyman.

During the race weekend at Spa in 2023, with Hamilton being handed gifts by fans while walking through the paddock, Whyman wrote that, “Just now, the visiting bodyguard is focused on not dropping any of the gifts in his arms, from good luck charms to drawings, cards and teddy bears.

“They’ve been presented to the driver by fans as he made his way through the paddock.

“Handing in the haul for safekeeping, the guy confirms he’s checked everything for trackers and thrown away the liquids.”

This resulted in Mercedes communications manager Adam McDaid scrambling to get a box for the items, saying ‘That’s pretty dark’, acknowledging the chance – however slim – that Hamilton could be targeted in a moment of opportunism.

Read more: ‘Pretty dark’ Lewis Hamilton bodyguard job comes to light in new Mercedes reveal

Lewis Hamilton learning Italian as Stefano Domenicali issues warning

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has offered some advice to Lewis Hamilton on how best to integrate into his new team during the F1 2025 season.

Domenicali, a former team boss at the Scuderia, was speaking to Italy’s Autoracer about Hamilton’s upcoming switch to Maranello.

“He will bring a lot of interest,” Domenicali said.

“He is learning to speak Italian and to understand how to integrate into our culture. I told him, it is fundamental for him to be able to do this as well. In Ferrari he will find a different environment than before.”

Hamilton’s move pairs him with Charles Leclerc which will create an intriguing dynamic, as Leclerc – the chosen one looking to restore title glory to Ferrari after coming through their academy – goes up against an F1 icon in Hamilton who is looking to win that eighth World Championship which would move him ahead of Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher.

And Domenicali hopes that the peace will remain.

“Charles will obviously have to accept that having someone like Lewis in the house will not be an easy partner,” Domenicali warned. “At the same time Lewis will definitely have the ability to transmit this positivity of his in trying to achieve his record. He has it as clear as if it were on the centre bar of the Halo.

“They love each other very much and I hope they will love each other again at the end of the year.”

Read more: Lewis Hamilton takes action on Domenicali Ferrari request with Leclerc warning issued

Christian Horner acknowledges ‘huge challenge’ for Red Bull

F1 2025 marks the final year of the incredibly successful partnership between Red Bull and Japanese manufacturer Honda, with the engine makers switching to Aston Martin for a proper return to the sport for the new regulation cycle.

Faced with uncertainty after Honda’s official withdrawal after 2021, Red Bull Powertrains was established to create an autonomous arrangement for the World Champion team and, while there’s confidence it can hit the ground running with its first power unit in 2026, Christian Horner has admitted it represents a huge hurdle to overcome.

“We’ve got a massive regulation change, they’re changing the engine and the chassis in ‘26 and we’re building our own engine for ‘26, in partnership with Ford Motor Company, and that’s a huge challenge,” Horner explained on talkSPORT.

“So we’re taking on Ferrari and Mercedes, you know, as a subsidiary of Red Bull, and that is by far our biggest challenge in the sport.

“But we’ve got the right group of people, we’ve got the right facilities, and most importantly, we’ve got the right mindset and culture and a can-do attitude to say, ‘Look, we can take them on.’

Read more: Christian Horner identifies ‘by far our biggest challenge’ in huge Red Bull change

Isack Hadjar ‘turned heads’ during critical Abu Dhabi test

With Red Bull making big changes on the driver front, the promotion of Formula 2 title protagonist Isack Hadjar into the Racing Bulls car for F1 2025 is further indication of the talent pool widening for next season.

Hadjar will be paired up with Yuki Tsunoda, with the Japanese driver having failed to secure a promotion to the senior team as Liam Lawson got the nod, and Horner revealed the young French driver might be a big challenge for Tsunoda to overcome if he is to keep himself talked about as a possible future Red Bull star.

“Isack is another talent. He’s quick. He jumped in the car, he was faster than Yuki in the test last week, which turned heads,” Horner revealed.

“He’s definitely a raw talent and needs a little bit of polishing, but he has the speed.

“He was unfortunate in Formula 2 to miss out at the last race due to technical glitches with start line software, from what I understand.

“But he’s impressed as well, particularly with his speed. It will be interesting to see how things pan out.”

Read more: Christian Horner delivers fresh Yuki Tsunoda blow as Hadjar ‘turns heads’

Michael Schumacher to become a grandfather

While Michael Schumacher’s life behind closed doors continues away from the glare of the public spotlight, the German will celebrate some happy news in April 2025 as his daughter Gina-Marie has announced she is pregnant with her first child.

Having got married in a ceremony in Majorca in June, the equestrian star will make Michael and his wife Corinna grandparents for the first time when the new arrival is born.

It’s welcome news for the Schumacher family, at a time when an unsavoury blackmail case involving a former family bodyguard has begun legal proceedings in the German legal system.

Read more: Michael Schumacher to become a grandfather as daughter announces pregnancy