On a weekend when Brundle’s hugely popular grid walk returned, with Covid restrictions limiting access before the start being lifted for the first time, the former grand prix driver did his best to grab some of the celebrities invited by F1's organisers.

But an attempt to speak to rapper MTS was rebuffed, as her entourage tried to push Brundle out of the way.

“I think she’s happy… okay boss,” said Brundle to an aggressive bodyguard before asking the artist if she had any rap for F1.

After she replied saying: “I have no rap today, I’m sorry…” Brundle asked who she would be supporting, before another minder stepped in.

One of MTS’s crew then told him that he ‘couldn’t do that’ – before Brundle hit back and said: “I can do that, because I did.”

Coverage of the grid clash went viral on social media on Sunday, as it prompted fans to suggest that celebrities should not accept invites to attend F1 races if they were not willing to help support the show and be interviewed.

Brundle himself took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to make it clear he was not intimidated by celebrities – and urged them and their bodyguards to change attitudes.

“I have felt under pressure on the grid before but by people called Senna, Prost, Schumacher, Mansell, Piquet and so on,” said Brundle.

“Bodyguards visiting the grid for the first time don’t bother me, everyone’s got a job to do, but they could maybe learn some manners and respect on our patch."

​​​​​​​Brundle’s incident with MTS was not the only awkward moment on his Austin grid walk as he was also ignored by tennis star Serena Williams.

Having famously been blanked by Venus Williams a few years ago, Brundle tried to speak to her sister before the start – but was completely ignored.

Taking the moment in good spirits, Brundle said: “It’s a double fault; it’s a double fault.”

Andretti will not be buying into the Sauber-run Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team, The Race understands.

The Andretti organisation had been keen to find a way into F1 and was pursuing a takeover of Sauber’s controlling company and the Alfa Romeo F1 team as a result.

Andretti had the chance to purchase a majority stake in Islero Investments, widely reported to be 80%.

A deal looked possible as Sauber’s owner, which is ostensibly Swedish billionaire Finn Rausing, appeared to have named a price Andretti was willing to meet.

However, the Andretti side believed the deal to be further advanced than Sauber, and the first major indications of something being potentially agreed emerged in the United States.

It even led to some in the F1 paddock to suggest it was not just a formality but a deal had been concluded successfully.

As reported by The Race last weekend, though, the chances of a deal going through were not as high as previously thought.

It appears that once the negotiations reached a more important stage, Sauber’s true price was not one Andretti was willing to meet.

Auto Motor und Sport reported that Rausing wanted a fee for the team that Andretti seemed willing to pay but also a $50m-a-year guarantee for the team for five years – paid upfront.

This would be to ensure Sauber had the funding to run at the budget cap in case there was any issues with sponsorship.

Alfa Romeo’s renewed commercial deal and new funding was set to increase the team’s running budget in 2022 so this guarantee would effectively protect Sauber should anything be jeopardized.

That appears to have put a price on the team Andretti is not willing to meet and multiple sources have now indicated to The Race there will not be a deal.

Rausing is a private man who is unlikely to have welcomed the rumour that accompanied Andretti’s interest.

However, Sauber never moved to declare that the negotiations were not happening.

Last weekend, Sauber CEO and Alfa F1 team principal Frederic Vasseur was asked for an update on the Andretti deal and replied: “I have absolutely no comment to make. It’s not my business.

“I’m not involved in this kind of discussion, and we have absolutely no comments to do, as we did in the past.”

He added: “I’m focused on running the team. It’s not my business at all.”

What this means for Alfa Romeo’s 2022 driver line-up is unclear but Formula 2 driver Guanyu Zhou had been considered the favourite for some time.

Andretti’s IndyCar driver Colton Herta never seemed a realistic option for next season because he is ineligible for a superlicence.

But Vasseur had hinted last week that the uncertainty over who would own the team may have played a part in the delay in confirming who Valtteri Bottas’s team-mate will be.

“For sure the ownership could be linked to some choices and it’s a crucial choice for the team,” Vasseur admitted.

“And you can’t imagine owning a company and not being part of the discussion.

“But again, I have no comment to make on this.”

With the team ownership set to remain unchanged though, Vasseur should be free to cement a Sauber-led line-up.

That is likely to mean Bottas and Zhou (pictured above) with the well-backed Chinese driver potentially only on a one-year deal.

Formula 2 championship leader Oscar Piastri is considered an outside contender to beat Zhou to the seat as he lacks the same level of funding.

Current Alfa driver Antonio Giovinazzi is not expected to retain his seat.

Last weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin’s Circuit of The Americas was the second most-viewed U.S. Formula 1 race of all time, according to ESPN’s figures.

The race was broadcast on ABC and the full telecast averaged 1.2 million viewers, leaving it second only to the 2007 USGP at Indianapolis, which averaged 1.4m on FOX.

Those figures make it the third most-viewed Formula 1 Grand Prix on ABC on record dating back to 2001, as well as the fourth most-viewed grand prix on ESPN Networks on record since 1994. The figures also make the race ESPN’s highest-rated since it regained rights to F1 in 2018.

The race itself pulled in 1.5 million viewers on average from lights out to the end of the podium ceremony, and was the most-viewed race of the season so far, surpassing the French Grand Prix (1.1m) and British Grand Prix (1m) earlier this summer, largely thanks to it being the first race on the U.S. timezone since 2019.

Compared to the last race at COTA two years ago, last weekend’s event saw the TV audience increase by 42%, while the season as a whole now averages 945,000 viewers per race. That’s up 55% on the 2020 average, and 40% on 2019 (672k).

After their exit from F1 mid-season in 2019, the shady energy drink company has tried getting its name back to relevance in the sport,

TV coverage of F1 2022 Testing will be split, with only highlights of the first test in Barcelona being shown instead of full live coverage, according to Auto Motor und Sport.

The first Test in Catalunya will be from 23-25 February, with three days of running for the drivers to use their brand new machinery for the first time.

However, fans of Formula 1 should only expect to see end-of-day summaries from Barcelona on TV, with the focus from a media perspective to allow online and print journalists and their coverage to take priority in that first week of running.

But at the second Test in Bahrain, the blanket TV coverage to which fans have become accustomed should return as normal. Fans will able to watch the cars’ every move on their way around Sakhir from 11-13 March, before the season gets underway at the same circuit a week later.

The reason behind this move is claimed by a report from Auto Motor und Sport in Germany to be financial, with circuit officials in Bahrain wanting to give the cars a grand reveal, and supposedly paying handsomely to do so, which may not have been as appealing a prospect if the cars had their full on-track reveal in Barcelona.

There had been rumours of extending running up to five days per Test to increase from the usual three, but AMuS say that this may no longer be the case.

Testing has taken on an added importance in 2022, with a completely new set of technical regulations and new tyres to try and get used to for both teams and drivers, as quickly as possible.

​​​​​​​With the new tyres in particular, Pirelli said previously that they support any increase in Test running for the cars to adapt as well as possible – although the majority of teams and drivers have been able to run their test compounds at some point this season.

After predictions that the 2022 machinery would be significantly slower than the current crop of cars, there are now thoughts that they could offer a similar lap time to their predecessors, although drivers agree that the cars feel very different, due to the aerodynamic changes involved – with Sergio Perez going so far as to say “everything will feel bad” to start with, because of how good the current cars are to drive.

As F1 gears up for the arrival of all-new cars and tyres next year, teams are set to have their first proper opportunity to evaluate new 18-inch wheels at the Yas Marina circuit in the days after the season finale.

As part of the annual two-day rookie test, teams will get to run with the new tyres on mule cars that have had their suspension adapted to deal with the larger wheels.

But Williams has elected against building a mule car just for the Abu Dhabi test, so looks set to miss the event completely.

Williams head of vehicle performance Dave Robson said: "Unfortunately we won't be doing anything. We won't be running there as we don't have a mule car and that stops us from running at the test.

"My understanding is if you don't have a mule car then you are not entitled to do the test. So we won't be there."

Robson explained that the decision to not build a mule car was made for financial reasons, with Williams not convinced that the benefit of running at the Abu Dhabi test was worth the expense of creating a bespoke car.

With the Abu Dhabi test the only opportunity for teams to experiment with the tyres prior to next year's first pre-season test, Robson is in no doubt that Williams will be behind in its knowledge compared to its rivals.

However, he is convinced that there is plenty of time to be able to catch up before the 2022 campaign gets fully under way.

Asked how much of a disadvantage he felt not running in the Abu Dhabi test would be, Robson said: "We've not done any exercise to put numbers on it.

"We know that the mule car would have been beneficial but unfortunately, at the time we had to commit to that, we just didn't have the resource to do it.

"It was a decision that was made an awful long time ago and we can't do anything about it.

"What will we ultimately lose? We will start winter testing probably a little bit on the back foot I would think.

"But I would hope that if the car is running well, we should be able to catch up quickly.

"We would like be at the test but we are not. Ultimately though, we won't be far behind once the races start."

Formula 1 could drop the rule which forces drivers who qualify in the top 10 to start the race on tyres they used in Q2.

Since 2014 drivers who set the 10 quickest laps in Q2 have been required to start the race using the tyres with which they set those times.

The fastest cars, which can often make the cut-off for Q3 on a harder compound of tyres than their rivals, therefore gain a strategic advantage through the rule. Meanwhile those who fail to reach Q3 benefit from a free tyre choice.

The rule has prompted occasional complaints from teams who believe they have been disadvantaged. Fernando Alonso is among its critics. “They try to invent one rule that could benefit the show and they just benefit the big teams,” he said in June.

F1 motorsport director Ross Brawn said today the rule may be changed for future seasons.

“One of the unfortunate things about the Q2 race tyre [rule] is it gives those who are really quick even more of an advantage because they can easily choose whichever tyre they want for Q2,” said Brawn. “Whereas those who are desperate to get into the final qualifying need to run a soft tyre.

“So it’s had a slightly contrary effect, I would argue. I don’t think removing it is a big issue. It is certainly something we’re looking at for the future, whether that Q2 race tyre is still something that overall is better or worse for the race.”

A rethink of the rule has come about as a result of F1’s sprint qualifying format experiment. In sprint events all drivers have a free tyre choice for the grand prix. This has led to some strategies which would not ordinarily arise, such as Lewis Hamilton starting the Italian Grand Prix on hard tyres.

F1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli recently completed development work on its new range of 18-inch tyres for the sport’s change in wheel format next year. Brawn is encouraged by the progress they have made.

“One of the things Pirelli have been trying to do is to make the less tyres less thermo-sensitive. They want to have the ability for a driver to push a tyre and, if they go too far, for it to come back. That’s a little difficult with the tyres we have now. And they seem to be making progress in that respect.

“So we think the drivers are starting to enjoy the characteristics of the new tyres. But until we fix the final spec and we see how they’re working with the new car then we can’t properly assess it.”

Although a final sprint qualifying trial is set to take place at this month's Brazilian Grand Prix, F1 chiefs have already seen enough to be convinced that the format is a big hit with the majority of fans to be carried forward.

While a final decision about the 2022 plans will be made in conjunction with teams and the FIA over the winter, F1 owner Liberty Media is working on its vision for what it thinks should change next year.

F1 managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn has reiterated that six events is the target for 2022, with every race promoter having expressed an interest in holding one next year.

A final decision on which races will get awarded a sprint weekend has not been made, but they are likely to be spread evenly throughout the campaign.

Despite recent suggestions of sprints becoming standalone events, potentially with reverse grids, Brawn has made it clear that there will instead only be an evolution of the sprint rules for 2022.

With uncertainty about the impact that F1's new 2022 cars will bring, he thinks it is sensible that the sport waits to see how things pan out next year before changing the sprint system too much.

However, he says there are key tweaks that will be put to teams, including a change of points system, the awarding of pole position and the name of the sprint.

Speaking to selected media on Monday, Brawn said: "We've in principle agreed with the teams that we will look towards six events for next year. There is quite a lot to get sorted before then, and our view is that we should take some progressive steps for next year but not radical steps.

"And that's partly because we have the new car coming along, and everyone needs to settle down with the new car coming.

"We need to see the impact of the car. So we've been relatively conservative and evolutionary for 2022. But we're positive about the concept and very pleased that F1 has been brave enough to try an alternative concept at three races to see how it works."

Brawn says that while F1 will not radically change the sprint format, there are some key revisions being looked at, with the most significant being the points on offer.

"There's no doubt that we're discussing with the teams how Saturday could be made a bit more challenging, a bit more engaging," he explained.

"I'm very optimistic that the new cars will help, because of their ability to race each other. And what's in discussion is how can we make the rewards for a Saturday greater, so there's much more incentive to race on a Saturday in terms of points.

"I think probably reverse grids etc, I'd be quite excited by that I must say. But I think it would be perhaps a step too far. But there's a few things which are on the table for discussion.

"The pole position on a Friday: it has clearly not been popular not having a pole position for Friday. So that's on the agenda.

"The naming of the [sprint qualifying] event, as we all call it a race: if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck…. The naming of the event is something we want to tidy up.

"And then perhaps the points distribution for a Saturday could make it more challenging and inviting for drivers to race."

While F1 only awards points for the top three sprint finishers (3-2-1) at the moment, Brawn says that the system could change for it to offer as much as a third of the current system used for races.

This could mean the race winner getting between eight and 10, with points then being offered perhaps as far down as the top 10.

"Personally we proposed something around a third of the points that you get in a race for the sprint," he said.

"That was the initial proposal, which was not taken up because the feeling was that we need to see how the sprint functions first before we allocated the points. So we think that will be the starting point for the discussion.

"It's significant enough to be worth going for and it goes far enough down that people in lower positions still want to fight for it. But it is not of a number that has over-influence on the championship.

"It will have an influence on the championship, it must have and that's what we want, but not an excessive amount."

Brawn says he has few complaints about the way the sprint spectacle has played out so far, with events hosted so far at Silverstone and Monza.

And although the Saturday sprint event itself has not produced a great deal of entertainment, it is the wider impact that the format has on improving Friday action and the race that has left Brawn happy.

Asked by Motorsport.com if he felt a boring Saturday was a concern considering the impact elsewhere on the weekend, Brawn said: "Personally I think it is a price worth paying if Saturday is not a sort of crash and bang event. I'm not sure it's ever going to be.

"I think the overall weekend has improved so much that we would go with that."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff expects his future driver George Russell to respect Lewis Hamilton while racing each other.

The current Williams driver was heavily linked to a Mercedes seat throughout 2021, and his move to the Brackley based team was confirmed in September. The 23-year-old will replace Valtteri Bottas, who moves to Alfa Romeo at the end of this season.

Fans and pundits worldwide expect Russell to give Hamilton a run for his money. While Bottas had a good spell with the Silver Arrows, he never really challenged his teammate for the title.

However, no one expects Russell to be a ‘second driver’ in the team. People have been quick to predict another Nico Rosberg-Lewis Hamilton situation at Mercedes in 2022.

Team Principal Toto Wolff, on the other hand, insists that the 2018 F2 Champion is aware of the boundaries he must respect.

Toto was adamant about the fact that no matter how big a driver, they are not bigger than the team. He lets all of his drivers know the same thing.

“This is Mercedes. We have no place for the genius jerk. Even a superstar driver has to respect team values.”, said Toto. “I wouldn’t hesitate in the future if a driver talked bad about the team or wasn’t appropriate, I would first deal with it internally and if that didn’t yield results I would take the driver out of the car. On the bench, yes.”

“And George Russell is another intelligent young man. He will slot into the team but that doesn’t mean he has to hold back when driving. You can’t expect a lion in the car and a puppy out of it.”

“But there are certain boundaries within the team that must be respected and George knows them very well. Once the lights are green, only the drivers are responsible.”

Toto Wolff had many problems to deal with when Nico Rosberg and Hamilton were teammates at Mercedes. The two rivals (once best friends) took their battles to another level that led to problems within the team. The two drivers often clashed with each other on track and, according to Rosberg, came close to clashing off it.

Mercedes will be looking to avoid something similar come next year, and Wolff is confident that no such problems will arise.

Reverse grids are back on the agenda in Formula 1. The idea has been suggested on multiple occasions, with Liberty Media keen to continue to ramp up excitement for new and existing fans.

Formula 1 has revealed a plan to ramp up interest for fans - with the key involvement of the sport's print media.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, key top engineers at the F1 teams will need to reveal their cars' latest technical upgrades on the Friday of grand prix weekends.

"We are planning a big presentation for the press, where the journalists can take a close look at the cars and talk to the engineers," said F1 managing director Ross Brawn.

The measure will accompany a new measure in the 2022 rules, where teams will also need to tell the FIA on Fridays which new parts will run on their cars in qualifying and Sunday's race.

From next year, to tighten up the weekend format, scrutineering will take place on Friday morning instead of Thursday afternoons.

The public will then be let in on the key details, Brawn said.

"We want the fans to get a deeper insight," he said. "This will increase the overall interest in Formula 1, because the technical side is fascinating to so many fans."