Police on standby for ‘Lewis Hamilton mania’ at Fiorano test

Tuesday’s fast F1 news includes police on standby ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut and a move for F1 presenter and Drive to Survive favorite Will Buxton.

Let’s dive straight into today’s top F1 headlines…

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton, F1 pundit departure and more

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut puts the police on alert

Italian police are on high alert ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari test as F1 mania sweeps the nation, a prominent reporter has revealed.

Hamilton is set to make his on-track debut for Ferrari at the team’s Fiorano test track next week following his massive switch from Mercedes for the F1 2025 season.

The sight of the seven-time world champion in a Ferrari F1 car for the first time is set to draw a huge crowd.

Read more: Lewis Hamilton’s test is set to cause chaos at Ferrari headquarters

Will Buxton leaves F1 TV to head up FOX IndyCar coverage

Popular F1 host Will Buxton will cover IndyCar for FOX from the 2025 season after announcing his departure from F1 TV.

Buxton has been a fixture in the Formula 1 fold for more than a decade, with his profile rising further through his appearances on the Netflix docu-series Drive to Survive.

Read more: Will Buxton makes FOX IndyCar move as F1 exit confirmed

Sergio Perez sponsors to follow Franco Colapinto to Alpine?

Alpine has been tipped to strike deals with a number of key Sergio Perez sponsors following the signing of Franco Colapinto from Williams for the F1 2025 season.

It comes amid claims the Enstone-based team paid a fee of €20 million (£16.58m/$20.50m) to sign Colapinto as the team’s new reserve driver.

Colapinto has attracted a large following in his native Argentina following his Williams cameo in the second half of F1 2024.

Read more: Alpine discover Sergio Perez ‘gold mine’ as €20m Colapinto fee emerges

Liam Lawson opens up the Fernando Alonso line

Red Bull driver Liam Lawson says he had no intention of “p***ing off” Fernando Alonso after their row at last year’s United States Grand Prix.

Alonso took exception to Lawson’s defensive tactics during the sprint race in Austin, criticizing the youngster over team radio before confronting Lawson in the parc ferme after the race.

Lawson went on to incur the wrath of Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz at the next race in Mexico.

Read more: Liam Lawson’s message to Fernando Alonso after sudden US GP feud

What if Max Verstappen moves to Mercedes?

Max Verstappen has been linked with a move to Mercedes for the F1 2026 season.

If the unthinkable happens, who would Red Bull target as his replacement? And how would that shake up the rest of the F1 grid?

We’ve tried to predict the domino effect if Verstappen pulls the pin, with Lando Norris and George Russell on the move.

Read more: How Max Verstappen for Mercedes could shake up the F1 2026 driver market