Tuesday’s F1 news is led by Ralf Schumacher’s response to Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s father’s homophobic insults.

Let’s dive into the main headlines of the day, with David Coulthard coming to the defense of Perez’s teammate and F1 2024 champion Max Verstappen…

F1 news: Ralf Schumacher, David Coulthard, Max Verstappen and more

Ralf Schumacher responds to homophobic insults from Sergio Perez’s father

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has responded to an apparent homophobic insult made by the father of Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.

Antonio Perez Garibay appeared to poke fun at Schumacher’s sexuality in a recent interview, saying the F1 pundit appeared to be “in love” with his son after questioning Perez’s place in the Red Bull team.

Schumacher revealed he was in a same-sex relationship earlier this year, and the former Jordan, Williams and Toyota star issued a response via social media.

Read more: Ralf Schumacher responds to controversial comments from Sergio Perez’s father

David Coulthard highlights ‘problem of prejudice’ regarding Max Verstappen

Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard claimed in an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com that people have a “prejudice problem” if they cannot see the genius of Max Verstappen.

Verstappen claimed arguably the biggest victory of his F1 career at the last Brazilian Grand Prix, taking a giant step towards a fourth consecutive World Championship by winning from 17th on the grid.

Amid accusations of bias in the British media, Coulthard argued that the perception of Verstappen as a person should not cloud his judgment about the racing driver.

Read more: Critics of Max Verstappen hit back with ‘prejudice issue’ after Brazilian GP ‘lesson’

Jacques Villeneuve: Lewis Hamilton’s ‘mind and heart’ are already at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton’s mind and heart are already with Ferrari before his F1 2025 move, in which he will leave Mercedes.

This is the opinion of 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. He believes Hamilton is currently making some moves as he prepares to leave Mercedes.

Hamilton, who announced earlier this year that he would join Ferrari on a multi-year contract from F1 2025, has only three races left in his Mercedes career, starting with this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Read more: Jacques Villeneuve claims Lewis Hamilton ‘just ended his contract’ ahead of Ferrari move

Toto Wolff clarifies Lewis Hamilton’s comments

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has insisted he was not suggesting Lewis Hamilton was in decline when discussing the seven-time World Champion’s “shelf life”.

“Everyone has a shelf life,” Wolff says in a new book about the Mercedes team, which some believe is a reference to Hamilton’s decline in talent.

Hamilton, who debuted in F1 in 2007 at the age of 22, will turn 40 in January.

Read more: Toto Wolff clarifies Lewis Hamilton’s ‘shelf life’ statement as he approaches the end of his Mercedes career

Carlos Sainz stands behind Williams move despite father’s Audi F1 advice

Carlos Sainz believes that joining Williams will be the right decision in the short and medium term, despite his father warning him against trying his luck in the Audi F1 project.

Sainz announced during the summer break that he would join Williams for F1 2025, leaving Audi F1 to sign Gabriel Bortoleto as Nico Hulkenberg’s teammate for next season.

Sainz revealed that his father and rally star Carlos Sainz Sr. told him “thousands of times” how good Audi F1 would be in the future, but he has no regrets about trusting Williams.

Read more: Carlos Sainz reveals his father’s ‘100 percent’ Audi F1 warranty