So will there be another quiet day in the world of F1? That wasn't entirely the case as the FIA president was under fire after the contract with Max Verstappen was exposed.
These days, it seems like you can't go more than a few hours without some serious F1 news. So here's everything you may have missed on Monday, March 4th.
Max Verstappen's release clause revealed
After Jos's bombshell, there was more drama at Red Bull as F1-Insider.com claimed there was a release clause in Max Verstappen's contract.
Apparently this allows Verstappen to resign immediately if Helmut Marko does, a scenario that has become more likely in recent weeks following Christian Horner's investigation.
read more: Max Verstappen's Red Bull exit clause revealed following Christian Horner investigation
FIA President reports to Ethics Committee
According to the BBC, further bombshell statements were made against Mohamed Ben Sulayem, which have been reported to the FIA's Ethics Committee.
The BBC reports that a whistleblower has told the FIA that Ben Sulayem is suspected of intervening to cancel a penalty given to Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso at the 2023 Saudi Grand Prix.
The penalty in question was a 10-second penalty given to the Spaniard for a mechanic touching his car before a 5-second penalty was imposed.
When Alonso pitted to serve his penalty for not lining up in the box on the start line, the rear jack was placed on the car too early, so Alonso was unable to serve his first penalty correctly and received a further 10 I was given a second grace. .
The penalty initially dropped Alonso to fourth place behind George Russell, but it was later overturned and the Aston Martin driver returned to the podium.
read more: FIA president under investigation for allegedly interfering with race results
Alpine announces major technology reforms
All is not well with Alpine. The atmosphere around Enstone was grim because of the car that started last and almost stopped at the same spot in Bahrain.
To kick-off the season, the French constructor announced technical changes, with three replacements for chief Matt Herman.
This is a similar move to what McLaren made last year, but only time will tell if it pays off for Alpine as much as it does for McLaren.
read more: Alpine announces major staff shake-up with two high-profile departures and three new technical directors
Jos Verstappen's future absence explained
Earlier in the day, reports circulated online that Jos Verstappen had been banned from the paddock by Red Bull for the upcoming race in Saudi Arabia.
However, Max's father is not, and is competing in the race himself.
He will take part in the Rallye des Anuts, which has been on the calendar for many years, and remains Red Bull's welcome guest at F1 races.
read more: The truth behind Jos Verstappen's plan to miss the Saudi Arabian GP
George Russell denies Lewis Hamilton set-up claims
Meanwhile, at Mercedes, the two drivers were at odds over who had the best set-up.
Lewis Hamilton claimed to have followed a different path to George Russell, but George Russell claimed their paths were “quite similar”.
“A lot of people are saying that,” Russell said.
“To be honest, I don't really see the big difference, because as far as I know the cars are pretty similar.
“I don't really pay attention to his setup. In fact, my race was more set up for the race than the setup he ran. At least it was on Friday. [for qualifying]”
read more: George Russell publicly questions Lewis Hamilton's Bahrain GP set-up claims
