Monday’s fast-paced F1 news includes a controversial lying scandal involving Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton revisited 16 years on as Red Bull play their F1 2025 joker card.

Let’s charge through the day’s headlines at the speed of light…

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton, Red Bull and more

Revisited: The 2009 ‘liegate’ scandal involving Lewis Hamilton

This weekend’s F1 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix will see Lewis Hamilton make his long-awaited debut for Ferrari.

He will surely hope that it will go better than his visit to Melbourne in 2009, which ended in disqualification after defending champion Hamilton was found to have misled the FIA stewards.

Sixteen years on, we tell the full story of how ‘liegate’ unfolded.

Read more: ‘I am not a liar’ – When Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Australian GP

Helmut Marko: Max Verstappen the ‘joker’ in Red Bull’s pack

Helmut Marko has described Max Verstappen as Red Bull’s ‘joker’ as the team prepare for a challenging start to the season.

Verstappen recently admitted that the RB21 car is not yet in a position to challenge McLaren, with the reigning Constructors’ champions regarded as the strong favourites for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Marko has acknowledged that McLaren have a “head start” on Red Bull, but Red Bull have got Verstappen on their side…

Read more: Red Bull prepare ‘joker’ card with McLaren driver observation made

Isack Hadjar vows to ‘keep radio button off’ ahead of F1 debut

In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Isack Hadjar has vowed to keep the team radio button switched off ahead of his Racing Bulls debut in Australia.

Hadjar is the latest graduate of Red Bull’s famed driver academy with the French-Algerian signed as Yuki Tsunoda’s new team-mate for F1 2025 following Liam Lawson’s promotion to a Red Bull seat.

The 20-year-old developed a reputation for irate team radio messages en route to second in the F2 standings last year.

Read more: How F1’s ‘Petit Prost’ is tackling rookie season after ‘way too slow’ F2

Franco Colapinto heading to Australian GP as Alpine plan to rotate reserves

Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto will attend the first two races of the F1 2025 season in Australia and China, PlanetF1.com understands.

Colapinto is one of three reserve drivers on Alpine’s books this season, with Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa also sharing the role.

It means Colapinto will be watching on from trackside as Jack Doohan, the driver he has been rumoured to replace at Alpine, participates in his home race at Albert Park.

Read more: Franco Colapinto heading to Australian GP as Alpine driver plans emerge

Jody Egginton to join Red Bull Advanced Technologies

Racing Bulls technical director Jody Egginton is to take up a new role as engineering director at Red Bull Advanced Technologies, it has been announced.

Egginton had spent more than a decade at Racing Bulls, joining the team formerly known as Toro Rosso in 2014 after spells with Force India and Team Lotus and rising to the role of technical director in 2019.

The move comes a week after Adrian Newey, the former chief technical officer of Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, officially started work at Aston Martin following his high-profile switch.

Read more: Red Bull secure key appointment as F1 technical director confirms new role