Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Piastri surprised to beat Ferrari after P4 in Austria.
Oscar Piastri conceded that it was a “a bit of a surprise” that Ferrari were not stronger in the Austrian Grand Prix, with the Australian feeling positive after beating both of the Scuderia’s cars in P4 while Lando Norris had to settle for P7 following a tricky opening lap.
28 Jun 2026
Formula One - Official Site

Asked after the Grand Prix if it was something of a surprise to move up to fourth, having started from seventh on the grid, Piastri answered: “A bit, yeah. I think today was a really strong afternoon. I think it was a bit of a surprise that the Ferraris were not stronger, but on a personal level I thought it was a really good race.”

“Barcelona was a big struggle and [we] had some things to learn and improve on from there, and I feel like this weekend’s been a massive improvement from that, in a race that in some ways was a bit similar. Overall very happy with today.” Despite this, Piastri admitted that it was “very difficult to know” whether their level of performance at the Red Bull Ring was track-specific – meaning that the team's position against their rivals is not totally clear.

“I think when it’s this hot, that seems to be beneficial for us at the moment,” he explained. “It has been in the past few years, and I think this year it’s still a bit of a trend, but we’re lacking the performance to go with it. So yeah, I think it was again a positive we’re able to beat Ferrari – we’ve still got a lot to find to catch Mercedes, and now Red Bull look very quick as well, so it’s going to be a constantly changing order, I think.”

‘Piastri surprised to beat Ferrari’;

Piastri surprised to beat Ferrari after P4 in Austria

McLaren's Oscar Piastri was pleased to finish ahead of both Ferraris at the Austrian Grand Prix.

www.formula1.com

Oscar Piastri bemoans ‘magicless’ reality of ‘very tough’ McLaren situation
Oscar Piastri could only manage seventh on the Austrian Grand Prix grid, but was only 0.009s slower than Lando Norris.
28 June 2026
Jake Nichol & Sàndor Mészáros
RacingNews365

"I feel like we've done a good job of extracting everything we can out of the car, and it is not the first time we've got to Q3, and we need that last half-a-tenth or tenth," Oscar Piastri told media, including RacingNews365. "Lando and I have been within half-a-tenth of each other nearly every lap we've done this weekend, so when you've got two drivers that are so close all the time, it is probably a sign that extracting big chunks out of the car is very tough.”

"That is just where we are, but it is also not a huge surprise. For us to be as competitive as we were on Friday and in FP3, we expected Ferrari, especially, to be in the mix. Russell has had a very up-and-down weekend. Max was a surprise as well, but they've got a different, new car as well, so it is not a surprise, and we know where we are lacking overall.”

“Extracting everything we can out of the car”;

Oscar Piastri bemoans ‘magicless’ reality of ‘very tough’ McLaren situation

Oscar Piastri could only manage seventh on the Austrian Grand Prix grid, but was only 0.009s slower than Lando Norris.

racingnews365.com

Lando Norris rues poor start as George Russell wins Austrian Grand Prix
28 Jun 2026
Philip Duncan Press Association F1 Correspondent and Spielberg
Somerset Live

Lando Norris felt that his race was affected by losing positions on the opening lap but spoke positively about the pace of the car in clean air. “I think [the pace was] okay, just track position dominated today, so I lost out on Lap 1 to a couple of cars and lost out to [Isack] Hadjar in the first round of pit stops because they had to box Oscar first, which is the way that we do things,” the Briton said.

“So yeah, unfortunate from my side, and just impossible to get back past a car that’s quicker. Max [Verstappen] is P2 and almost winning the race, so the chance to beat Hadjar was not possible today from my side. But otherwise I think clearly the car in clean air was very strong, I just lost a little bit too much in the very beginning.”

‘Lando Norris rues poor start’;

Lando Norris rues poor start as George Russell wins Austrian Grand Prix

Norris ended up seventh after losing places on the first lap

www.somersetlive.co.uk

Lando Norris identifies crucial moment that ended Austrian GP hopes
Lando Norris endured a disappointing Austrian GP, with the opening lap proving critical to his race at the Red Bull Ring.
29 June 2026
Nick Golding & Sàndor Mészáros
RacingNews365

"I mean, difficult for everyone, I think," Lando Norris told select media, including RacingNews365. "There was nothing easy about the race with the temperatures we had. I just lost out on lap one to a couple of cars and then lost out in the pit stops by having to box Oscar first to cover Hadjar.”

"I lost out, and that was it, really. So, not a lot to complain about otherwise. We just lost track position, and track position was the most important thing. So, unfortunate, but that's the way it is."

Addressing his early fight with Piastri, Norris replied: "For a few corners, yeah. It's always difficult, especially in some corners, not to over-push because your team-mate is there. And, of course, he got the outside, so he did a good job. That's all."

"I lost out, and that was it, really”;

Lando Norris identifies crucial moment that ended Austrian GP hopes

Lando Norris endured a disappointing Austrian GP, with the opening lap proving critical to his race at the Red Bull Ring.

racingnews365.com

‘We’re a long way behind’: Norris' blunt verdict after Austrian GP
28/06/2026
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

“We’re a long way behind,” Lando Norris said after the race. “There’s a reason he [Russell] is on pole by four tenths. I think we still struggled with the balance and it’s still incredibly difficult to drive the car,” Norris explained.

“I expect that’s probably a similar story for everyone on track today, so we didn’t change anything, we still have the same struggles and we just need time still to improve it. I mean I would say the pace seems to be a little bit better than we probably expected into Sunday, the shock was probably Ferrari today struggling so much,” Norris said.

‘Norris' blunt verdict’;

‘We’re a long way behind’: Norris' blunt verdict after Austrian GP

Lando Norris has conceded McLaren remains well short of Formula 1's leading force after a disappointing Austrian Grand Prix.

f1i.com

Lando Norris highlights biggest shock of Austrian GP after anonymous F1 race
Lando Norris pinpoints what surprised him most in a difficult F1 Austrian Grand Prix.
28 Jun 2026
Adam Cooper
Crash.Net

“There was nothing easy about the race today with the temperatures we had,” McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris said regarding his race. “I just lost out on lap one to a couple of cars, and lost out then in the pit stops with having to box Oscar first to cover Hadjar. I lost out, and that was it, really.”

“So not a lot to complain of, otherwise just lost track position, and track position was the most important thing today. Unfortunate, but that's the way it is. I would say the pace seems to be a little bit better than we probably expect into Sunday.”

‘Anonymous F1 race’;

Lando Norris highlights biggest shock of Austrian GP after anonymous F1 race

Lando Norris pinpoints what surprised him most in a difficult F1 Austrian Grand Prix.

www.crash.net

McLaren addresses pace deficit in F1 ‘race of upgrades’
28 Jun 2026
Jack Oliver Smith and Tiana Soans
Motorsport Week

Despite sitting third in the standings, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella believes that on pace alone, McLaren is the fourth fastest team. Admitting that his team are unable to continually compete at the front of the field. “By pretty much every circuit, every condition, Mercedes is the fastest car, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes follow,” Stella explained to media, including Motorsport Week.

He continued by emphasising the increasing gap between the front teams. Ultimately, McLaren’s upgrade effectiveness is determined by the successes of its rivals. And in this group of three cars, then the upgrades are what make the difference,” Stella highlighted.

“And we have seen that with the upgrades that Ferrari has taken, plus the engine upgrade that they have here, they just made a step forward. Red Bull upgrades here are quite impressive in terms of volume of upgrades, and here they were faster than McLaren.”

‘On pace alone, McLaren is the fourth fastest team’;

McLaren addresses pace deficit in F1 ‘race of upgrades’

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has delivered a frank assessment of the competitive order in Formula 1, amidst several team

www.motorsportweek.com

 

[Fortitude]

Verstappen runs out of laps in Austrian Grand Prix win chase.
The Red Bull Racing man was close to bringing his first win of the season back to Milton Keynes. Max Verstappen came up just a few laps short of his first victory of the season in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.
29th Jun 2026
Toby Lock
Sports Editor, MK Citizen

The Dutchman had a thrilling battle with Lewis Hamilton in the early stages, with the pair trading blows before the four-time champion got the better of the Ferrari driver, mounting a challenge to close the gap to the Brit out in front. Russell though had the measure of Verstappen, keeping him at arm’s length but it was not as simple as that. Verstappen stopped later than the Mercedes in the final stint, and closed an 11-second gap down to just 1.6 by the chequered flag, but he was coming under increased pressure from behind by an ever-later stopping Antonelli, who closed within two seconds on the final lap.

“It was a very good race for us,” Verstappen said afterwards. “We did some good racing and I didn’t expect us to be that strong against the Mercedes. It was a great effort from the team: they have worked really hard to get the upgrades to the car so thank you very much to everyone. It was better than expected and the race pace was a lot better than we thought. I didn’t think we would fight for the win when I jumped in the car this morning, so to finish sitting here in the top three is a really positive result for us.”

‘Verstappen runs out of laps’;

Verstappen runs out of laps in Austrian Grand Prix win chase

The Red Bull Racing man was close to bringing his first win of the season back to Milton Keynes

www.miltonkeynes.co.uk

Max Verstappen details Red Bull’s “very big step forward” with major F1 upgrade
Max Verstappen was in the hunt for victory at the Red Bull Ring after Red Bull introduced a significant upgrade
30th Jun 2026
Sam Hall
Crash.Net

Asked where the remaining deficit to Mercedes is, Verstappen said: "Well, I started fifth. I was closing the gap constantly every stint. So, I don’t know, it’s hard. I mean, I was catching George, Kimi [Antonelli] was catching me. Yes, it was close. We still have some areas, of course, that we want to work on within the car. Like I said, half of the race, I ran a car that was not in top shape. Plus, my brakes today were not really functioning well compared to the rest of the weekend.”

"So that’s something that, of course, you manage, and you learn how to drive with it, but it’s not ideal. So, it’s stuff that we’ll look back at and try to understand. But for us, this has already been a very big step forward compared to the previous races. I mean, look at the last race. In the race, I was just by myself, really not challenging anything. So, on a track where the tyres are deg-ing, that’s a good sign."

“Very big step forward”;

Max Verstappen details Red Bull’s “very big step forward” with major F1 upgrade

Max Verstappen was in the hunt for victory at the Red Bull Ring after Red Bull introduced a significant upgrade

www.crash.net

Red Bull’s upgrade package reignites the battle with Mercedes
29 Jun 2026
Francesco Bianchi
GPblog.com

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Laurent Mekies announced that the team would bring a substantial package of upgrades to the Austrian Grand Prix, including a drastic reduction in the car's weight. Consequently, a series of new features appeared on Friday in key areas: cooling inlets and sidepods, a floor, and an evolved version of the FTM located behind the engine exhaust outlet.

As for the changes to the cooling inlets, as highlighted in the drawing below, they now have an identical shape to those of the Mercedes W17. Compared to the previous version, which featured a significantly forward-moving lower lip to create a greater undercut, the new version features a "shark mouth" cooling inlet shape, with a very pointed shape at the ends and a larger frontal section near the chassis (yellow arrows).

‘Substantial package of upgrades…’;

Red Bull’s upgrades shake up the fight with Russell in Austria

Red Bull’s Austria upgrade package delivers a clear performance step, helping Verstappen close the gap to Mercedes in a tight battle at the front.

www.gpblog.com

Verstappen still identifies things to 'understand' despite fighting for victory in Austria
29 Jun 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

"I think what was satisfying is that this was the first time I felt like actually I could fight for the win," Max Verstappen began after claiming his second podium of the season at the Red Bull Ring. On the other hand, Max Verstappen still noticed some issues.

"I do think that the first half of the race, we were more competitive, because for whatever reason in the second half, something felt off on the rear of the car, where everything was just extremely difficult, from bumps, kerbs, traction, it was just completely gone. So that’s something that we need to understand again, what went wrong there. But yes, the first half I felt really good."

The Dutchman also locked horns with Lewis Hamilton on multiple occasions today. "I mean, I was closing the gap even after the battles that I had with Lewis. It was cool, but it made us of course lose quite a bit of time."

‘Things to understand';

Verstappen still identifies things to 'understand' despite fighting for victory

Verstappen hails Red Bull’s Austrian GP upgrades as a big step, fights for win, finishes a second behind Russell, but reports rear-axle and brake issues

www.gpblog.com

Max Verstappen eager for Red Bull understanding after race-defining change
30 June 2026
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

"I think what was satisfying is that this was the first time I felt like actually I could fight for the win," said Max Verstappen. "I do think that the first half of the race, we were more competitive, because for whatever reason in the second half, something felt off on the rear of the car, where everything was just extremely difficult, from bumps, kerbs, traction, it was just completely gone.

"So that’s something that we need to understand again, what went wrong there. But yes, the first half I felt really good. I mean, I was closing the gap even after the battles that I had with Lewis. It was cool, but it made us of course lose quite a bit of time. So yeah, every time catching up. But then in the middle of the second stint, something happened with the car on the rear axle, which made me lose pace, and that just stayed there until the end. So that’s a bit of a shame.”

"But still, to be that close to a win, I think is great effort from the team. They have worked really hard to get these upgrades on the car here, and this is the first time, I think, in the race where I felt really competitive. And I could push a bit more. So that is definitely the positive, I think, of this weekend."

‘Max Verstappen was a real victory contender in Austria’;

Max Verstappen eager for Red Bull understanding after race-defining change

Max Verstappen was a real victory contender in Austria, until his Red Bull RB22 suddenly felt completely different.

racingnews365.com

These were the laps Russell won the Austrian GP against a metronomic Verstappen
29 Jun 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

In the end, Verstappen just missed out on attacking Russell for the victory. On fresher tyres, the Dutchman was constantly cutting the gap to Russell. That steady progress was slowed down considerably by the Mercedes driver on Laps 62 and 63.

That was when George Russell was able to complete his final laps in the low 1:11s at the Red Bull Ring, meaning that over those two laps Max Verstappen only gained around two tenths on his rival. Those were also the laps during which Verstappen was close to his best pace in the final stages of the race.

Lap Russell's time Verstappen's time Gap
Lap 61 1:11.113 1:10.828 5.327
Lap 62 1:11.162 1:11.077 5.242
Lap 63 1:11.068 1:10.936 5.110
Lap 64 1:11.291 1:10.846 4.665

Still, Verstappen kept cutting the gap and once again showed why he is one of the best on the current grid. From Lap 62 onwards, the Dutchman completed only a single lap slower than 1:11.3 and consistently matched similar times throughout the stint, reminiscent of the 'metronomic' Verstappen we have come to know over recent Formula 1 seasons.

‘Metronomic Verstappen’;

These laps secured Russell's victory at the Austrian GP against a metronomic Verstappen

George Russell wins Austrian GP after crucial low 1:11 laps, fending off Max Verstappen as Kimi Antonelli charges late on fresher hards with stunning 1:10 pace

www.gpblog.com

Did this Red Bull decision cost Max Verstappen the victory in Austria?
29 June 2026
Gerd Jansen
RacingNews365

Once Verstappen finally cleared Hamilton, he immediately began reducing the gap to the Mercedes. Before - and for much of the period after - the opening round of pit stops, Verstappen consistently lapped significantly quicker than Russell, at times by more than half a second per lap. That pace advantage suggested victory was still very much within reach, but the race appeared to turn on lap 43.

Russell made his final pit stop, while Red Bull simultaneously prepared Verstappen's car for what looked set to be a matching response. Instead, Verstappen was kept out. Initially, the overcut looked like a calculated gamble. In reality, it quickly unravelled. On fresh tyres, Russell was approximately 1.5 seconds per lap faster than Verstappen, whose ageing tyres rapidly lost performance.

By the time Red Bull finally called Verstappen in on lap 49, the damage had already been done. When Russell entered the pits, Verstappen was just one second behind. Six laps later, that gap had ballooned to around 11 seconds. Although Verstappen's newer tyres allowed him to dramatically reduce the deficit over the closing laps, the lost time proved impossible to recover.

‘Could Red Bull's strategy have cost the Dutchman victory?’;

Did this Red Bull decision cost Max Verstappen the victory in Austria?

Max Verstappen finished less than two seconds behind George Russell at the Austrian Grand Prix, but could Red Bull's strategy have cost the Dutchman victory at the Red Bull Ring?

racingnews365.com

 

[Fortitude]

Verstappen and Hamilton issue Silverstone warning over critical F1 energy flaw.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have both raised concerns ahead of the British Grand Prix that the Silverstone layout could expose a key limitation in the current F1 hybrid energy deployment systems.
1 Jul 2026
Sam Cooper

“Silverstone, I love the track, but I did a few laps on the simulator, I just started laughing,” h Max Verstappen said after his P2 in Austria. “It felt like a different track, to be honest. You barely have battery around the lap. It’s just constantly flat. So yes, it’s going to feel very different compared to what we are used to around Silverstone, because of the layout of the track. Here [Red Bull Ring] you have long straights and big braking zones, so you can charge the battery.”

Lewis Hamilton echoed Verstappen’s comments, noting that Silverstone contains “lots of straights” with limited recovery zones. “There’s lots of straights in Silverstone, lots of straights and lots of deployment, and not many places to recover the power,” he said. “Maybe the deficit won’t be as big as there, I don’t know, but there are a lot more straights, so hard to say. I hope we’re in a better place. I hope that just by the fans we get there we get an extra bit of performance.”

‘Silverstone warning’;

Max Verstappen 'started laughing' as Silverstone warning emerges

Is the worst of F1’s energy deployment headaches behind us, or are we still heading into the sharp end of it?

www.planetf1.com

Who's smiling ahead of the British Grand Prix – and who desperately needs a good result?
30 Jun 2026
Kieran Lynch
GPblog.com

Who is smiling ahead of the British Grand Prix?
In 2026, Mercedes appear the team to beat, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell winning all but one of the races so far this season. In Austria, Russell took his first win since the season opener in Austria and will now look to close the 40 point gap to championship leader Antonelli further, as he looks to win on home soil for the first time in his career.

Max Verstappen: The four-time world champion is back in contention for victories after finishing just 1.6 seconds behind Russell at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton: Austria was no doubt disappointing for Lewis Hamilton after the highs of Barcelona. However, he managed to beat Leclerc again at a track where the Monegasque runs strongly, and a fifth place finish was a decent result despite his troubles on the day.

Who is under pressure going into Silverstone?
Charles Leclerc: Pressure continues to mount on Leclerc thanks to the improvements made by his teammate Hamilton, as well as his own relative lack of performance…
Williams: After finishing fifth in the constructors' championship last season, 2026 has been a struggle for Williams. Both cars were knocked out of Q1 in Austria…
Nico Hulkenberg: After a strong 2025, it has been a tough season for the German and Audi in general. Hulkenberg is yet to score his first points of the season…

‘Who's smiling/under pressure?’;

Who arrives at the British GP smiling – and who's feeling the pressure?

British GP preview: Russell chases Antonelli in title fight, Verstappen resurges, Hamilton confident at Silverstone; pressure on Leclerc, Williams, and Hulkenberg

www.gpblog.com

Lewis Hamilton finds 'hope' for Silverstone after Austrian "reality check"
30 Jun 2026
Sam Hall
Crash.Net

Lewis Hamilton gave British fans a reason to be hopeful ahead of the Silverstone Formula 1 weekend. Lewis Hamilton is banking on the backing of the Silverstone fans to power him to a ninth British Grand Prix victory, and a first home success with Ferrari.

The seven-time champion more often than not seems to find an extra ounce of pace when racing in front of his home fans, and after a tough weekend at the Red Bull Ring where he fell to a distant fifth-place finish, Hamilton is aware of the challenges that he will face on the high-speed Silverstone layout. "Lots of straights and lots of deployment, and not many places to recover the power," he told media, including Crash.net.

"Reality check";

Lewis Hamilton finds 'hope' for Silverstone after Austrian "reality check"

Lewis Hamilton gave British fans a reason to be hopeful ahead of the Silverstone Formula 1 weekend

www.crash.net

Max looks forward to British GP: 'Could be a tougher race'
1 July 2026
Niels Hendrix
Verstappen.nl

Next up is the British Grand Prix, but first Max Verstappen quickly reflects on the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. The Dutch Oracle Red Bull Racing driver said: “Austria was a great race for us and it felt good to be finally fighting for the win again. P2 was a solid result and we found good pace and it was nice to be battling on track as well. Now we are straight on to the next race of the double header. I love the track at Silverstone and it has a lot of history.”

Max added: “I think it will feel quite different and more challenging, especially with the energy deployment in this track. Because of the layout and the high-speed corners it could be a tougher race, but it looks like it will be warmer than expected so we will see. It is nice for the team to be closer to home and it is always a busy one with a lot of things happening in the week.”

'Could be a tougher race';

Max looks forward to British GP: 'Could be a tougher race'

<p>Next up is the British Grand Prix, but first Max Verstappen quickly reflects on the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. The Dutch Oracle Red Bull Racing driver said: “Austria was a great race for us and it felt good to be finally fighting for the win again. P2 was a solid result and we...

news.verstappen.com

Newey lays bare Aston Martin’s real issues and recovery blueprint.
The Silverstone-based outfit entered the year surrounded by immense fanfare. A high-profile factory transition fueled by billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, coupled with an exclusive works engine partnership with Honda, positioned Aston Martin as a prospective powerhouse.
30/06/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

“We were relying on tools and processes that had been patched and bodged for years,” said Adrian Newey. “You could trace some of them right back to the very early days of the Jordan team that was based here in Silverstone, long before Aston Martin returned to the grid. At some point, a system that’s just patch on patch stops being fit for purpose. That’s where we had got to. The result was a very frustrating car build. Parts weren’t being ordered at the right time – not because people weren’t doing their jobs, but because the underlying system was failing them.”

“When you design in a rush, weight is the first thing that suffers because you don’t have the time to thoroughly optimise everything. Aerodynamically, we also took a bold direction – which was largely pushed by me – without the luxury of exploring multiple concepts in depth because time was against us. I wouldn’t say the direction we’ve taken is fundamentally wrong, but it has thrown up challenges we didn’t anticipate.” Rather than frantically bringing incremental bodywork updates to a fundamentally compromised platform, the team elected to freeze performance development during the opening flyaway rounds to anchor down reliability. That conservative approach will finally draw to a close at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where a heavily revised iteration of the AMR26 is slated to break cover.

“It’s very important,” Adrian Newey emphasized. “Fernando is really looking forward to the upgrade and, if it performs we hope he’ll be in the cockpit for another season. Given his experience, his feel for the car, his ability to guide development, he’s a tremendous asset. But he wants to see clear, tangible progress. If we can show that we’re moving decisively in the right direction, he’s absolutely committed to being behind the wheel.” For Aston Martin, the coming weeks now represent a defining moment. Adrian Newey believes the team's problems have been identified, the underlying systems are being modernised, and a substantially revised AMR26 is ready to prove that this season's struggles can still become the foundation for a more competitive future.

‘Aston Martin as a prospective powerhouse’;

Newey lays bare Aston Martin’s real issues and recovery blueprint

Adrian Newey has delivered his most candid assessment yet of Aston Martin’s difficult 2026 Formula 1 campaign.

f1i.com

 

[Fortitude]

British hopes on a high for Silverstone weekend.
George Russell heads to Silverstone on a high and hoping to give British Formula One fans a home winner at Silverstone for the third year in a row after Lewis Hamilton in 2024 and Lando Norris last July.
1 Jul 2026
The Straits Times

The chance of all three standing on the podium -- a Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren combination in whatever order -- is real after the trio provided the first British one-two-three since 1968 in Barcelona last month. "I’m sure it’s going to be great," said Russell of the return to Silverstone after winning in the heat of Austria last weekend and trimming Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli's championship lead to 40 points.

Norris will be racing at home for the first time as world champion, chasing a first win of the season more in hope than expectation after two podiums so far in 2026. "We go to Silverstone as champions... and we go realistically, in condition to hopefully fight for podiums," said McLaren team boss Andrea Stella. "But the victory will be difficult."

‘British hopes on a high’;

British hopes on a high for Silverstone weekend

George Russell hopes to give home fans a third British winner in a row. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

www.straitstimes.com

5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the British GP
Chris Medland picks out the biggest talking points as F1 heads to Great Britain for the ninth round of the 2026 season.
1 Jul 2026
Chris Medland
Formula One - Official Site

RUSSELL HAS MOMENTUM: The timing couldn’t be better, as Russell arrives at his home race as the most recent race winner, and having taken 28 points out of Antonelli’s championship lead over the past two rounds.

RED BULL BACK IN THE MIX: Austria was the first time they were truly in the fight for victory with a car that appeared to be on a par with the Mercedes. A significant aerodynamic upgrade helped on that front, with Verstappen a threat for pole position before his Q3 crash, and then hunting down Russell through the race.

FERRARI’S UP-AND-DOWN FORM: Arriving at Silverstone so soon after his special first win for Ferrari will only heighten excitement among Lewis Hamilton fans, and could add to the special atmosphere at a track that features a straight that carries Hamilton’s name.

A MASSIVE CROWD AT A HIGH-SPEED TRACK: One of the biggest crowds of the season, who always show up for a festival of racing in the British countryside. Silverstone becomes surrounded by campsites while all manner of extra entertainment is on offer when cars aren’t running on track.

MORE BRITS GETTING HOME SUPPORT: On top of Russell and Hamilton, Lando Norris will be looking to secure his first win of the season… … With Ollie Bearman set for his second appearance at home in F1, Arvid Lindblad also makes his debut as the only rookie on the grid this season.

‘5 storylines’;

5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the British GP

Chris Medland picks out the biggest talking points as F1 heads to Great Britain for the ninth round of the 2026 season.

www.formula1.com

Round-up: Russell praises Wolff’s commitment to staff through Mercedes’ lean spell, and more
1st July 2026
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Chess fan Russell plots his next move after tough start to F1 season (Financial Times): 'It would have been easy during the difficult years in Mercedes for Toto (Wolff, team principal) to fire people and bring in new faces. But Toto stood by them, trusted them, and now we’ve come through the other side and are fighting for the championship. That’s something I admire a lot.'

Russell has mental strength to win F1 battle, says former boss (Reuters): 'It ⁠is the psychological battle that wins the war at the end of the day. And I think George, because he has got a layer of maturity over Kimi at this stage, just by sheer numbers, that's where he will win the fight.'

‘Wolff’s commitment to staff’;

https://www.racefans.net/2026/07/01/round-up-1st-july-2026/

Lando Norris admits to 'lying' and 'hiding things' from Oscar Piastri in McLaren debriefs
1 Jul 2026
SPORTbible

Speaking on the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast, Lando Norris claimed that white lies are often told between team-mates, and those sneak in to conversations to make sure that there is still a competitive strategy for each driver, specifically for McLaren’s duo. “It takes so little to go in that direction as teammates, it’s easy to do,” Norris said. “It can be a collection of things, it depends how strong you are as a teammate. It can be hiding things, just lying. You know, lying, not upholding to things you have said before the races.”

Norris insists that he doesn't do that often, and that there is a fine line that can't be crossed when it comes to ‘lying’ and executing team orders professionally. He referred back to the time in Budapest 2024 where he followed team orders to allow Piastri back through to win the race, despite leading the championship at that point and losing crucial points.

“The team wouldn't be the same as they are now. [We] probably wouldn't have won the Constructors’ for the last two years, which probably means I wouldn't have won the Drivers’ Championship last year. That's how easily things can go wrong in Formula 1. I think if I won that race, McLaren wouldn't have achieved what they have.”

‘Lando Norris admits to 'lying' and 'hiding things'…’;

Lando Norris admits to 'lying' and 'hiding things' from Oscar Piastri in McLaren debriefs

Lando Norris cheekily holds back from his team-mate Oscar Piastri in debriefs - and has given an exact example of when he has done it.

www.sportbible.com

Oscar Piastri outlines McLaren improvements with alarming admission
1 Jul 2026
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Oscar Piastri confirmed he and McLaren had extracted the maximum from the car in Austria, also highlighting applying lessons learnt from a challenging few races. “It felt like a good race, and we were able to execute well and apply some things I’ve learned over the last few weeks,” Piastri said.
“The pace was stronger than we expected, and to be able to successfully challenge and beat Ferrari was a definite positive for the team. I feel like we got the absolute most out of the car and that’s a good feeling.”

For Piastri personally, Austria was a reminder of his ability to manage a race weekend with clinical efficiency — something that has become a quiet hallmark of his still-young Formula 1 career. The pace may not always be there, but the execution increasingly is. The question now is whether McLaren can give him the machinery to convert that composure into something more tangible before the season slips away. McLaren may have a new livery for Silverstone, but it will need to find significant lap time to challenge for victory at its home circuit.

‘McLaren improvements’;

Oscar Piastri outlines McLaren improvements with alarming admission

Oscar Piastri has outlined where McLaren needs to improve following his fourth-place finish at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.

www.motorsportweek.com

McLaren dismiss cost cap concerns as Stella reveals development plan
1 Jul 2026
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

McLaren is confident it has enough financial firepower to stay in Formula 1’s development race, with Andrea Stella revealing the team specifically protected budget for an upgrade battle under the cost cap. “We always said in relation to the 2026 season that irrespective of the starting position it was going to be at the battle of development,” Stella explained to PlanetF1.com and other media in Austria.

“So, we wanted to make sure that this was not only a point for the technical development, but also was going to be a point for the financial availability. “Like there’s no point in saying that it’s going to be a battle of development if you cannot afford it. So we sort of allocated our budget such that we protected a certain amount of this budget to be in condition to develop the car.”

“At the moment we don’t have a concern that we will not be able to develop the car because of budget. We are completely focused in making sure that from a technical point of view, we are in a condition to create the aerodynamic upgrades, mechanical upgrades, some stuff also coming on tyre conditioning, such that we can make the MCL40 faster.”

‘Enough financial firepower’;

Andrea Stella's blunt response to concerns McLaren could run out of budget

McLaren running out of money?

www.planetf1.com

McLaren warns Mercedes: Stand still and you'll be caught
01/07/2026
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

The competitive reality of Formula 1 is simple, according to Andrea Stella: resting on your laurels is the quickest way to fall backward. “Mercedes started the season with a decent chassis advantage. But Mercedes have also continued developing the car,” Stella told reporters in Spielberg.

“They introduced a substantial upgrade in Canada. If they had raced here with the Melbourne-specification car, they probably wouldn’t have won today and we might have had a different winner. So even for Mercedes, this is a development race. If you look at the submission form, Mercedes bring small developments almost every race, just like most of the other teams. This is a development battle for everyone.”


“We want to be the team, and we want to be the drivers, that challenge Mercedes and the Mercedes drivers in the championship. There’s still a long way to go this season, and McLaren‘s mission is very clear. We want to be that team,” Stella declared.

‘We want to… …challenge Mercedes’;

McLaren warns Mercedes: Stand still and you'll be caught

The competitive reality of Formula 1 is simple, according to Andrea Stella: resting on your laurels is the quickest way to fall backward.

f1i.com

 

[Fortitude]

F1 - 2026 British Grand Prix - Thursday Press Conference Transcript.
Lance STROLL (Aston Martin), Lando NORRIS (McLaren), Gabriel BORTOLETO (Audi), Arvid LINDBLAD (Racing Bulls), Lewis HAMILTON (Ferrari), Valtteri BOTTAS (Cadillac).
02.07.26
FIA (Press Release)

Q: Lando, let’s start with you. Just describe how it feels to be racing at home as the reigning world champion.
Lando NORRIS: Pretty damn cool. I mean, every year here is cool, honestly, so the championship isn’t the thing that makes it much better or much worse. It’s just always a pleasure, always a joy to drive in front of your home fans, friends, family, the whole lot, and team as well, so I’ve always loved it. I’ve always enjoyed it since 2019, my first time here, but of course now and after last year, winning both the race and, of course, the championship, then I can almost just come here a little bit more relaxed, to not feel like there’s pressure to have to win my first home Grand Prix, but there’s more want from inside to try and win it the second time.

Q: Lance, let’s come to you. Not a home race for you, but very definitely one for the team. Just how special is this for Aston Martin?
Lance STROLL: Yeah, always a special race for us as a team. We’re just across the road, so a lot of people from the factory that don’t always get a chance to see the cars, this weekend they’ll come with the family, get a chance to see the cars. And yes, it’s always nice for everybody in Silverstone.

Q: Gabi, let’s come to you now. Eleventh place, you’ve owned that for the last few races. How frustrated are you by the recent run?
Gabriel BORTOLETO: I’m not frustrated. I think realistically, in the last races, it’s everything we could achieve. Racing Bulls, they were a little bit ahead of us the whole weekend and then obviously no one had any issues with the car during the race, so we just finished actually where I put the pace of the car. I don’t think we could have done much better than P11. Obviously, three P11s in a row, it’s always so close to the points. I want to score points for the team.

Q: Lewis, if we could start with you, twenty years strong, so it’s pretty deep.
Lewis HAMILTON: I think it’s my twentieth year, right? Someone told me my twentieth year, so it’s been building for a long, long time, since my first pole position here in 2007. It’s phenomenal when you come here. I heard that we’re going to have the biggest crowd this weekend that we’ve probably ever had. And I mean, it’s such a privilege for us Brits to be here representing the country, also in the height of all this great sporting moment. You’ve got Wimbledon going on, the World Cup as well, with England winning yesterday, it was good as well.

Q: Arvid, let’s come to you. We just heard about the bond between Lewis and Silverstone. It’s your first British Grand Prix. Just how excited are you about the next four days?
Arvid LINDBLAD: Yeah, I’m extremely excited. It’s going to be a very special moment for me. I remember being here in 2013, when I was five, and was sitting in Maggots and Becketts with my dad, and as I was watching the cars go past, when I was really sort of learning about my love for the sport and asking him questions, you know, “Is it possible to be there one day? Could that be me?” And yes, 13 years later, to be coming here as a Formula 1 driver will be incredibly special.

Q: Valtteri, let’s come to you. Not your home race, but you have stood on the Silverstone podium four times. Just tell us about your memories of this place and what it feels like for you to come here.
Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, the podium here is pretty epic, so I’m very lucky to have been there a few times. And it’s just a fun track and a fun weekend. It feels almost like a festival rather than a Grand Prix. There’s so many people just having a great time, not only supporting the Brits, but I feel like for the whole group there’s good support, so good energy. So yeah, that’s why I always love coming here.

‘Thursday Press Conference Transcript’;

F1 - 2026 British Grand Prix - Thursday Press Conference Transcript

PART ONE – Lance STROLL (Aston Martin), Lando NORRIS (McLaren), Gabriel BORTOLETO (Audi)Q: Lando, let’s start with you. Just describe how it feels to be racing at home as the reigning world champion.Lando NORRIS: Pretty damn cool. I mean, every year here is cool, honestly, so the championship...

www.fia.com

How many fans are at Silverstone this weekend? British Grand Prix expected to set new F1 attendance record in style
1st Jul 2026
Charlie Haffenden
Banbury Guardian

This weekend’s British Grand Prix is on track to set a new attendance record for a Formula 1 event, with well over half a million spectators expected. With the F1 Sprint format returning and a host of high-profile concerts penned in, a staggering 565,000 fans are expected to descend on Silverstone Circuit from Thursday to Sunday.

The previous attendance record for an F1 race weekend has stood for 31 years, with the 520,000 at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide the best total until now. For Sunday’s race alone, Silverstone has sold more than 175,000 tickets – also a new record for the Northamptonshire venue.

Silverstone chief executive Stuart Pringle told the Press Association: "What does it mean to be hosting the largest Grand Prix ever? It feels entirely appropriate for the place which ran the first round in Formula 1 in 1950. “The British fanbase and the history of strong attendance makes it fitting that it is us (clinching the record) and it reinforces how important the British market is to Formula 1.”

‘F1 attendance record’;

How many fans are at Silverstone this weekend? British Grand Prix expected to set new F1 attendance record in style

This weekend’s British Grand Prix is on track to set a new attendance record for a Formula 1 event, with well over half a million spectators expected.

www.banburyguardian.co.uk

F1 boss says he is determined to keep British Grand Prix at Silverstone 'forever' - and insists it 'deserves' a spot in the calendar ahead of this weekend's record-breaking race
1 July 2026
JONATHAN MCEVOY
MailOnline

Silverstone has received a boost ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix by being told they are welcome to discuss a new deal to keep the race ‘forever’. Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali delivered the vote of confidence as fans prepare to descend on the old Northamptonshire airfield, which is due to host a crowd of 565,000 across the four-day weekend – beating by 45,000 the attendance record set in Adelaide 31 years ago.

‘I am ready to discuss that (a new deal). It is just a matter of sitting down and finding the right conditions. Silverstone deserves to be on the calendar. It is forever. There is no other place in the UK, not Brands Hatch, not Donington, that has the necessary capacity for Formula One. We are too big. They are doing a good job on minimising any problems on the logistic side with so many people coming – a good problem to have.”

‘At Silverstone 'forever'…’;

F1 boss says he is wants to keep British GP at Silverstone 'forever'

JONATHAN McEVOY: Silverstone has received a boost ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix by being told they are welcome to discuss a new deal to keep the race 'forever'.

www.dailymail.com

British GP predictions: False Lewis Hamilton hope, Russell on toast, McLaren resurgence
2 Jul 2026
Editor
PlanetF1.com

Double Ferrari podium as Hamilton makes history. By Michelle Foster
History beckons Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone, and the Briton will answer the call with a tenth British Grand Prix victory. Better yet for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc will join his teammate on the podium.
Ferrari’s false hope. By Mat Coch
The Barcelona Grand Prix did something dangerous; it offered Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton fans hope. I fully expect the Scuderia to fade, just as it did in Austria, but not before raising the hopes and dreams of the patriotic crowd to stratospheric levels.

All-British podium at Silverstone. By Jamie Woodhouse
George Russell gets my vote to make it back-to-back wins, further strengthening his title race comeback. Lando Norris, on home soil, matches his best result of season with a P2. And in P3, the record nine-time British Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton.
McLaren gets both its cars on the podium. By Henry Valantine
Too far-fetched? I don’t necessarily think so. Silverstone is a very different challenge overall with far fewer slow corners, but if (it’s a big ‘if’) the team can manage its deployment as well as the factory team, I’d put them right in the hunt this weekend.

Kimi Antonelli will put George Russell back in his place. By Oliver Harden
George Russell may have won, but the fastest Mercedes driver in Austria last weekend was Kimi Antonelli. The race was lost for Antonelli not only with the yellow flag drama of qualifying, but also at the start. Antonelli will prove at Silverstone that reports of a Russell resurgence are greatly exaggerated and that, in almost every area as a racing driver, he is already more advanced.

‘Predictions’;

Lewis Hamilton history or disappointment, all British podium and more predictions

What's your prediction for the British Grand Prix?

www.planetf1.com

Everything we learned on day one of F1's British Grand Prix
2 Jul 2026
THE RACE TEAM
The Race

British Grand Prix Thursday featured a horde of drivers lamenting how bad the 2026 Formula 1 car experience will be around Silverstone, and plenty of insight into what’s going on behind the scenes at teams up and down the grid.
When Honda will bring new engine (and what it's working on)...
(Almost) everyone thinks Silverstone will be a mess…

Norris's surprisingly open response to Verstappen rumours…
Ocon will experiment with repaired floor…
Sainz has a plan for a new F1 rule…

Hamilton's had to 'realign' with Ferrari's higher powers…
But Hamilton expects engine weakness to punish Ferrari here…
An unexpected most polarising topic…
Alonso complicates Newey's wish for his F1 future…

‘Learned on day one’;

Nine things we learned on day one of F1's British Grand Prix

F1 2026 cars spoiling Silverstone, Lego race causing both fear and excitement, and much more from British GP Thursday

www.the-race.com

 

[Fortitude]

Hamilton delivers statement lap to top British Grand Prix FP1 ahead of Antonelli.
Lewis Hamilton delivered a statement lap in Friday’s practice at the British Grand Prix, where the nine-time Silverstone winner beat Kimi Antonelli by two-tenths of a second.
3 Jul 2026
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Nine-time British Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton led out the field ahead of an intense FP1, with just one hour of practice before Sprint qualifying. The Ferrari driver clocked the opening lap time of the session, a 1:34.6, but soon dropped down the order as the Mercedes-powered teams put in their opening gambits.

Hamilton was quickest heading into the final 20 minutes, the Briton two-tenths up on Antonelli with Hadjar third in the Red Bull. Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg had a moment as Lawson, about to begin a flying lap on new soft tyres, found Hulkenberg in the middle of the track.

Swapping to the soft tyres late in the session, Piastri took over a second off the time he’d set on the hard Pirellis. He was momentarily P1, before Russell and then Antonelli overhauled him. Antonelli then set a 1:29.4, almost half a second faster than Russell’s best. Hamilton responded to Antonelli’s statement lap with one of his own, a 1:29.2 for the Ferrari driver to take P1 away from the Mercedes driver.

‘Statement lap’;

Lewis Hamilton sends Silverstone crowd wild with stunning Ferrari statement lap

Tenth British GP win on the cards?

www.planetf1.com

British Grand Prix Free Practice 1 - Results
03/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Full results from Free Practice 1 for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, round 9 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.
2026 British Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 results
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:29.260s 32
2 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.213s 29
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.599s 31
4 George Russell Mercedes +0.678s 31
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.887s 25
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.980s 27
7 Lando Norris McLaren +1.028s 27
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +1.078s 28
9 Nico Hülkenberg Audi +1.483s 29
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.590s 28

‘Free Practice 1 – Results’;

British Grand Prix Free Practice 1 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 1 for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, round 9 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.

f1i.com

What happened in practice at F1's British GP
03 Jul 2026
JACK COZENS
The Race

Lewis Hamilton put Ferrari on top in the sole Formula 1 practice session ahead of sprint qualifying at the British Grand Prix. Hamilton was 0.051s shy of Mercedes driver Antonelli through the first two sectors, but appeared to have a step on the competition in the final sector - and duly ended up 0.213 seconds clear on a 1m29.260s. Antonelli was the only driver within half a second of the pacesetting time; Charles Leclerc did back Hamilton up by putting the other Ferrari third in the times, but he was 0.599s behind his team-mate, with George Russell almost seven tenths down as Mercedes and Ferrari locked out the top four positions.

An early Oscar Piastri spin at the second part of Becketts - the McLaren driver touched the apex kerb through the fast right-hander - was one of only two moments of real note in FP1, the other being a bit of needle between Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg at Village as Racing Bulls driver Lawson tried to start a push lap. Piastri was fifth but 0.887s down, with Max Verstappen almost a tenth further back in a Red Bull that had looked far more competitive a prospect on hard tyres at the start of the session. Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar were seventh and eighth.

‘Ferrari on top’;

What happened in practice at F1's British GP

Lewis Hamilton put Ferrari on top in the sole Formula 1 practice session ahead of sprint qualifying at the British Grand Prix

www.the-race.com

British GP: Hamilton edges Antonelli in single Silverstone practice
03/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Nine-time British Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton gave Ferrari the perfect start to the team’s Silverstone weekend by topping the only practice session ahead of Sprint Qualifying, producing a late flyer that left the home fans with plenty to cheer about. The seven-time world champion posted a best lap of 1m29.260s on the soft tyres, edging championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.213s after a fiercely competitive hour of running.

The Ferrari driver produced a superb lap with six minutes remaining to move to the top, and despite several late improvements elsewhere, nobody managed to dislodge him. Antonelli remained in the Mercedes garage for the closing stages, leaving Hamilton's benchmark untouched.

Charles Leclerc climbed to third late in the session with a 1m29.859s, finishing just ahead of Russell, who settled for fourth on 1m29.938s. Piastri recovered from his earlier spin to complete the top five, ahead of Max Verstappen, while McLaren teammate Lando Norris finished seventh.

‘Home fans with plenty to cheer about’;

British GP: Hamilton edges Antonelli in single Silverstone practice

Lewis Hamilton gave Ferrari the perfect start to the team’s Silverstone weekend by topping the only practice session.

f1i.com

Lewis Hamilton throws down Mercedes challenge in blistering British GP practice
Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest time in the sole practice session for the 2026 F1 British Grand Prix.
3 July 2026
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Lewis Hamilton emerged fastest from the sole practice session ahead of the British Grand Prix, comfortably besting Mercedes. With 12 minutes remaining in the session, the soft tyre runs began in earnest, with Piastri the first to complete a lap. He posted a 1:30.147, which was ultimately good enough for fifth place with Antonelli roaring to a 1:29.473s from his 1:30.777, an improvement of 1.304s from hard to soft.

This stood as the benchmark until Hamilton beat the Mercedes on his showing, with a 1:29.260, to best the Italian by 0.213s. Leclerc was initially 0.8s behind Hamilton but a second attempt was enough for him to climb to third with Russell in fourth.

Verstappen was 0.046s clear of Norris in sixth and seventh, with Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg, and Liam Lawson rounding out the top 10. Hulkenberg and Lawson were involved in an incident as the Audi left the pits that briefly caught the attention of the stewards, but no further action was formally taken.

‘Lewis Hamilton throws down Mercedes challenge’;

Lewis Hamilton throws down Mercedes challenge in blistering British GP practice

Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest time in the sole practice session for the 2026 F1 British Grand Prix.

racingnews365.com

FP1: Hamilton sets the pace for Ferrari in the sole Silverstone practice
3 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Ferrari's seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton gave the Silverstone crowd an early reason to celebrate by setting the fastest time in the sole practice session ahead of the British Grand Prix. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion, already the most successful driver in British Grand Prix history, is chasing a record-extending 10th victory at his home circuit this weekend.

Ferrari enjoyed an encouraging start to the weekend, although there was a sizeable gap between its two drivers. Charles Leclerc completed the top three but was almost six-tenths of a second slower than Hamilton, underlining the Briton's impressive performance around Silverstone.

‘Sets the pace’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/28836

Lewis Hamilton outpaces Mercedes in sole Silverstone F1 practice at British GP, McLaren struggles
Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the only practice session at the British Grand Prix.
3 Jul 2026
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the sole practice session ahead of his home Formula 1 race, the British Grand Prix. Hamilton was fastest on both the hard and soft tyres and ended up 0.213 seconds quicker than championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes.

It was a particularly difficult session for McLaren, with Piastri suffering a big spin through the high-speed Becketts sequence, while team-mate and reigning world champion Lando Norris was over a second off the pace in seventh.

‘McLaren struggles’;

Lewis Hamilton outpaces Mercedes in sole Silverstone F1 practice at British GP, McLaren struggles

Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the only practice session at the British Grand Prix.

www.crash.net

Why McLaren won't get latest spec Mercedes engine for British GP
3 Jul 2026
JON NOBLE
The Race

McLaren is having to wait at least another race to get hold of fresh Mercedes engines, despite other customers introducing them at Formula 1’s British Grand Prix. Following its successful introduction by Mercedes in Austria, the latest specification power unit has started to be rolled out to Mercedes’ customers at Silverstone this weekend – but will not be running in all cars. Alpine is fitting a fresh internal combustion engine (ICE) and turbo to both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto's cars, which will be their third of the season. At Williams, Carlos Sainz is to have a new ICE following the failure that put him out in Austria last weekend.

It has emerged, however, that while McLaren had previously been on a similar timeline to the other Mercedes squads in moving onto its second power units in Miami, it will not be following suit in moving onto the latest specification just yet. The team has not explained the reason why, but it is understood to be related to the fact that it has been told there is still mileage left in its current engine so there is no need to swap over just yet. This is a consequence of its early season reliability woes, including its double did not start in China, which has left it behind on distance covered.

‘Won't get latest spec Mercedes engine’;

Why McLaren won't get latest spec Mercedes engine for British GP

McLaren is having to wait at least another race to get hold of fresh Mercedes engines, despite other customers introducing them at Formula 1’s British Grand Prix.

www.the-race.com

 

[Fortitude]

Hamilton pips Antonelli to British GP sprint pole.
Lewis Hamilton has taken his first pole of any kind in 2026, pipping Kimi Antonelli to top spot in British Grand Prix sprint qualifying by just 0.011s.
4 Jul 2026
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

The home favourite topped every part of sprint qualifying, storming to his third career sprint pole position and his first since China last year. Antonelli claimed his fourth consecutive sprint front row start, having looked likely to take top spot before Hamilton’s superb last lap stole it away from the championship leader.

Max Verstappen took third, edging the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc by just six thousandths of a second. George Russell was a further three hundredths back in fifth, ahead of the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with the top seven covered by less than four tenths of a second.

‘First pole’;

Hamilton pips Antonelli to British GP sprint pole

The home favourite topped every part of sprint qualifying, storming to his third career sprint pole position and his first

speedcafe.com

2026 British Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying F1 results (Silverstone)
3 Jul 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

F1 results from sprint qualifying at 2026 British Grand Prix
British Grand Prix sprint qualifying 2026: SQ1 results
1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:29.273
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.107
3 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +0.197
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.310
5 George Russell Mercedes +0.402
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.416
7 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.473
8 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +0.577
9 Nico Hulkenberg Audi +0.834
10 Lando Norris McLaren +0.869

‘Sprint Qualifying F1 results’;

F1 results: Lewis Hamilton sets British Grand Prix sprint pole

The F1 results from sprint qualifying at the F1 2026 British Grand Prix as Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton set pole position at Silverstone.

www.planetf1.com

Lewis Hamilton beats Kimi Antonelli to Silverstone F1 sprint pole at British GP
Lewis Hamilton's blistering pace continued in sprint qualifying at the British Grand Prix.
3 Jul 2026
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Lewis Hamilton pipped the Mercedes of Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli to claim pole position for the British Grand Prix sprint race. Seven-time world champion Hamilton continued his blistering practice pace in sprint qualifying to top each of the three sessions and outpace Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds in a one-lap shootout in SQ3.

Hamilton delighted a raucous home crowd at Silverstone with a brilliant lap to secure pole, and a big wobble coming out of the final corner suggested the rejuvenated 41-year-old Briton had more time in hand. Hamilton, who is seeking a record-extending 10th British Grand Prix victory at Silverstone, described his sprint pole as an “amazing surprise”.

‘Lewis Hamilton's blistering pace’;

Lewis Hamilton beats Kimi Antonelli to Silverstone F1 sprint pole at British GP

Lewis Hamilton's blistering pace continued in sprint qualifying at the British Grand Prix.

www.crash.net

Lewis Hamilton sizzles with spectacular Silverstone Sprint pole position
Lewis Hamilton is on pole position at Silverstone for the 2026 F1 British Grand Prix Sprint.
3 July 2026
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

SQ3: In what turned out to be a one-lap shootout at the end of SQ3, it was Hamilton who roared to pole, with a time of 1:28.376. That was 0.011s faster than Antonelli with Verstappen third. Charles Leclerc was fourth ahead of Russell and Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in sixth and seventh.

Lewis Hamilton roared to Sprint pole position at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, defeating Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011s. At the location of the very first Sprint race in 2021, Hamilton recorded just his third pole position in the format with a blistering lap of 1:28.376.

That was enough to defeat championship-leader Antonelli to after the Mercedes' lap of 1:28.387, to continue his record of qualifying second for every Sprint in 2026. Hamilton's other two Sprint poles came at Silverstone in 2021 and China in 2025.

‘Lewis Hamilton sizzles’;

Lewis Hamilton sizzles with spectacular Silverstone Sprint pole position

Lewis Hamilton is on pole position at Silverstone for the 2026 F1 British Grand Prix Sprint.

racingnews365.com

Lewis Hamilton stuns Silverstone with last gap F1 Sprint pole
3 July 2026
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Lewis Hamilton took a stunning Sprint pole position for the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, beating Kimi Antonelli by the smallest of margins. The crowds at Silverstone took their places for the first competitive session of the weekend, with hopes high for a British pole position after Lewis Hamilton finished fastest in the only practice session of the weekend.

With just three minutes to go, the top ten in contention for Sprint pole position at the F1 British GP finally took to the circuit, once again opting not to queue. The final runs then began in earnest, Piastri setting the initial pace. Norris found pace to put his early woes to bed, before Antonelli took provisional pole.
But Hamilton dug deep to take provisional pole position by 0.011s, with Verstappen 0.321s away from the leading pair. The second Ferrari of Leclerc was fourth, Russell a distant fifth, the two McLarens sixth and seventh, with Isack Hadjar and the two Racing Bulls completing the top ten.

‘Stuns Silverstone’;

Lewis Hamilton stuns Silverstone with last gap F1 Sprint pole

Lewis Hamilton took a stunning Sprint pole position for the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, beating Kimi Antonelli by the

www.motorsportweek.com

Sprint Qualifying Report: Lewis Hamilton takes British GP Sprint pole in Silverstone thriller
Lewis Hamilton thrilled the Silverstone crowd by taking Sprint pole for Ferrari ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen
3 July 2026
John Smith
Total Motorsport

Lewis Hamilton⁠ produced a stunning lap at Silverstone to take Sprint pole for Ferrari⁠ at the British GP⁠, beating championship leader Kimi Antonelli⁠ by just 0.011 seconds. Hamilton found just enough to edge ahead, taking Sprint pole and immediately telling Ferrari over team radio: “Great job, great job.”

“I love this place, I love this crowd and I can’t express how big a dream it is and still to this day, building up to this race and the flow you get if you get the set-up right,” Hamilton said after the session. “The car has felt really good today so thank you to the guys back at the factory. I’m really grateful to get the pole, I was quick but it was only ten milliseconds or something like that so really grateful.”

“Look, we are ahead of Mercedes, those guys and Red Bull have so much power here. But my team keep on pushing, it won’t always be like this, but this is an amazing surprise. I am ecstatic!” The crowd response told the story. Hamilton waved to the fans as he completed his slow-down lap before parking up, climbing out and standing on the nose of his Ferrari to salute the Silverstone grandstands.

‘Crowd response told the story’;

Sprint Qualifying Report: What happened in F1 Sprint Qualifying at the British GP

Lewis Hamilton thrilled the Silverstone crowd by taking Sprint pole for Ferrari ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.

www.total-motorsport.com

British GP Sprint Qualifying: Lewis Hamilton storms to Silverstone pole to beat Kimi Antonelli as George Russell struggles
3 July 2026
Sky Sports

Hamilton had strongly played down Ferrari's prospects at Silverstone in interviews on Thursday owing to Ferrari's supposed straight-line speed deficit to championship leaders Mercedes. But on a high-speed circuit where power is king, the Ferrari SF-26 looked competitive from the outset, with Hamilton producing another masterclass around Silverstone to lead the resurgent Scuderia's charge again.

A jubilant Hamilton, whose pole was cheered by the large Friday crowd at a sun-kissed circuit, said afterwards that Ferrari's form relative to Mercedes so far had come as an "amazing surprise". Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle said: "Lewis made the difference. That was a classic Lewis Hamilton Silverstone lap."

‘Lewis Hamilton storms to Silverstone pole’;

British GP Sprint Qualifying: Lewis Hamilton storms to Silverstone pole to beat Kimi Antonelli as George Russell struggles

Lewis Hamilton tops every segment of Sprint Qualifying to pip Mercedes Kimi Antonelli to first pole of Silverstone weekend; watch Saturdays Sprint at 12pm (build-up from 11am) with Qualifying for the British Grand Prix at 4pm, live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky One

www.skysports.com

British GP: Hamilton pips Antonelli for takes Sprint Qualifying pole
03/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Lewis Hamilton thrilled the home crowd by securing pole position for Saturday's Sprint at the British Grand Prix, edging Mercedes title leader Kimi Antonelli by the narrowest of margins in a dramatic Silverstone shootout. Antonelli looked set to deny the seven-time world champion after briefly taking provisional pole, but Hamilton responded with a near-perfect lap to send the British fans into celebration.

Max Verstappen qualified third, though the Red Bull driver finished over three tenths adrift of Hamilton's benchmark. Charles Leclerc slotted into fourth after narrowly losing out to Verstappen, while George Russell endured a frustrating final run. The Mercedes driver dropped significant time through the opening sector and had to settle for fifth.

‘Dramatic Silverstone shootout’;

British GP: Hamilton pips Antonelli for takes Sprint Qualifying pole

Lewis Hamilton thrilled the home crowd by securing pole position for Saturday's Sprint at the British Grand Prix.

f1i.com

 

[Fortitude]

Hamilton stunned by Ferrari engine performance: 'I was like, is this real?'.
Lewis Hamilton admitted he was pleasantly surprised by how much smaller the engine gap to Mercedes proved to be than expected, while once again praising everyone back at Maranello for the relentless work that has allowed Ferrari to continue making progress.
3 Jul 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Lewis Hamilton: "The engine drop-off is not anywhere near what we anticipated. Yesterday they were scaring me. They were like, 'You're gonna be six tenths off in a straight line to these guys. In the last race, we were four tenths off in the straight line. But today all of a sudden we're kind of there. And I was like, is this real? Are they going to turn up in qualifying? And we were right there competing with them. I always want to bring it back to everyone back at the factory because I can't say it enough. They're just pushing."

Hamilton also reflected on Ferrari's progress compared to last season, explaining that the team had often felt stuck with little room for improvement. He credited the engineers for continuing to find performance through a steady stream of upgrades, adding that the constant development has transformed the car and left it feeling better than ever around Silverstone. "Last year we were kind of stuck in a rut, not a lot we could do. Now they're finding things, they're adding things to the car and this weekend, every single weekend we're bringing small little bits and adding performance to this car and it felt awesome."

'I was like, is this real?';

Hamilton surprised by Ferrari's engine performance at Silverstone: 'I was like, is this real?'

Lewis Hamilton admitted he was pleasantly surprised by how much smaller the engine gap to Mercedes proved to be than expected.

www.gpblog.com

Hamilton in shock as Ferrari's Silverstone pace defies expectations
03/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Lewis Hamilton arrived at Silverstone expecting Ferrari to struggle. Instead, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion left Friday evening on Sprint pole after a remarkable turnaround that even he admitted caught him completely by surprise.

Having topped the only practice session before edging championship leader Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011s in Sprint Qualifying, Hamilton produced one of his strongest performances since joining Ferrari – and confessed it exceeded even his own expectations.

Hamilton revealed the mood inside Ferrari before the weekend had been far from optimistic, with simulations suggesting the Scuderia would lose significant time to Mercedes on Silverstone's long straights. The reality proved dramatically different. "I am so happy. So, so happy," Hamilton said after the session.

‘Remarkable turnaround’;

Hamilton in shock as Ferrari's Silverstone pace defies expectations

Lewis Hamilton left Friday evening on Sprint pole after a remarkable turnaround that even he admitted caught him completely by surprise.

f1i.com

5 elements behind Ferrari's shock Silverstone turnaround
3 Jul 2026
JON NOBLE
The Race

Power unit not compromised: Ferrari’s ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) update at the Austrian Grand Prix had flattered to deceive as the team found itself unable to match Mercedes around the Red Bull Ring. But it has since emerged that its performance there had been heavily compromised by the altitude and heat. The Ferrari engine is known to run hot in normal conditions – so at the heat and with thinner air last weekend it was always going to face difficulties.

Preparation: Some teams are better at their simulation and preparation than others – and Ferrari has a bit of history in regularly hitting the ground running.
Easier car to drive helps on the straights: One of the traits of the 2026 cars is that the interaction between how the car handles and how it uses energy has never been more interlinked.

Tyre temperatures: After an Austrian GP where the tyre challenge was entirely about not overheating, Silverstone has so far been an opposite case.
Hamilton's home advantage: One factor that also should not be underestimated is that Hamilton is a master of Silverstone. And while home crowd advantage doesn’t transfer to much (if any) real benefit on track, what does is driving to the limit on a track you love where you know the quirks and tricks to be quick.

‘5 elements’;

5 elements behind Ferrari's shock Silverstone turnaround

Off the back of Austria, Ferrari expected more doom and gloom - but turned it around to take sprint pole at Silverstone. Jon Noble explains the factors that led to the U-turn

www.the-race.com

Hamilton reveals how Ferrari engineers "were scaring me" before his magical performance in qualifying
3 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

The Ferrari driver explained that both the circuit and the performance of the SF-26 exceeded his expectations. “If you heard me in the press conference, I was like ‘the track's not going to be the same, because that's what we all thought’. And the track's still phenomenal. The track still feels great. The engine drop-off is not anywhere near what we anticipated."

Lewis Hamilton also revealed just how pessimistic Ferrari's simulations had been before qualifying. “On top of that, yesterday they [Ferrari engineers] were scaring me. They were like, ‘you're going to be six-tenths off in a straight line to these guys’. And in the last race, we were four-tenths off in the straight line. I always want to bring it back to everyone back at the factory, because I can't say it enough. They're just pushing. Like last year, we were kind of stuck in a rut, not a lot we could do."

“Now they're finding things, they're adding things to the car, and every single weekend, we're bringing small little bits and adding performance to this car, and it felt awesome." Finally, Hamilton paid tribute to Silverstone itself, dismissing pre-weekend concerns that the circuit would lose its magic under the new regulations: “Silverstone – it's the best track to drive.”

"Were scaring me";

https://www.f1technical.net/news/28838

Antonelli blown away by Ferrari's pace: 'They have done an incredible step forward'
3 Jul 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Kimi Antonelli admitted he was disappointed to miss out on Sprint pole by just 0.011s to Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone, but insisted the fight for victory remains wide open ahead of Saturday's Sprint. Looking ahead to Saturday's Sprint, Antonelli praised Ferrari's step forward in performance and acknowledged that Hamilton is currently in excellent form. Even so, the Italian insisted he relishes the challenge and is fully focused on making the most of the race.

“It was so, so close, and it was a shame. To be fair, SQ1 I felt a bit bad, I didn’t feel great in the car, but then we made a slight balance adjustment and SQ2 felt night and day, and we suddenly were back on the pace. SQ3 there was a little bit left on the table, but it was a decent lap, and unfortunately super close to Lewis. But congrats to him, and on our side we’ll focus on tomorrow now.”

“The car felt good. Ferrari have done an incredible step forward, so definitely it’s going to be very tough. Plus, Lewis is in great form, but that’s good, we like the challenge and we’ll try to make the best out of it.” Finally, when asked if he can win tomorrow, Kimi Antonelli replied: “Of course. We’ll go for it and we’ll try to do our best. It’s not going to be easy, but everything is on the table to do well.”

‘Antonelli blown away’;

Antonelli taken aback by Ferrari's pace: 'They have done an incredible step forward'

Kimi Antonelli admitted he was disappointed to miss out on Sprint pole by just 0.011s to Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone.

www.gpblog.com

F1 Today | Hamilton stars on home soil as Russell baffled by Ferrari performance
3 Jul 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

George Russell bewildered by Ferrari pace after disappointing British GP Sprint Qualifying. The Briton was left disappointed after qualifying fifth for the Sprint at Silverstone, admitting he could not explain why he was unable to match the pace of teammate Kimi Antonelli and pole-sitter Hamilton. Although the Mercedes driver felt the car was performing reasonably well and expected to take another step forward in qualifying, he instead found himself lacking the speed to fight at the very front.

George Russell insisted the W17 felt better than anticipated around Silverstone, particularly through the high-speed corners, making the final result even more confusing from his perspective. While he stressed that Saturday's running will be more important, he acknowledged the team needs to understand where the missing lap time came from.

George Russell also admitted he had not expected Ferrari to be the benchmark at Silverstone, pointing out that the Italian team had struggled with power unit performance and energy management in recent races. While he has long considered Ferrari's chassis to be one of the strongest on the grid, he confessed he was surprised by the Scuderia's pace this weekend and felt some aspects of its performance compared to the rest of the field were difficult to explain.

‘George Russell bewildered/baffled’;

Hamilton stars on home soil as Russell baffled by Ferrari pace

Lewis Hamilton continued his impressive run of form by claiming Sprint pole for the British Grand Prix, beating Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011s at Silverstone.

www.gpblog.com

 

[Fortitude]

Kimi Antonelli wins the British Grand Prix sprint race - spoiling the home party at Silverstone as he soars past Lewis Hamilton to extend his lead at the top of the championship.
The seven-time world champion started the day on pole position but was unable to prevent Antonelli - the teenage Italian driver who succeeded him at Mercedes - from passing him on the ninth lap during a frantic, 17-lap tussle at Silverstone.
4 July 2026
JONATHAN MCEVOY
MailOnline

Lewis Hamilton was denied victory in the sprint at Silverstone when he was decisively passed by world championship leader Kimi Antonelli midway through the race. While it was a disappointment for the seven-time world champion, he could do nothing more to resist the oncoming Mercedes man.

Hamilton and Antonelli were clearly the cream of the field and theirs was a private duel. Worryingly for home hopes ahead of the British Grand Prix itself on Sunday spectators, it is advantage Kimi. This despite Hamilton, who is in good form for Ferrari this season, getting quickly away from pole and scorching into a decent lead in the early stages of the 17-lap contest. He controlled proceedings for now.

But gradually, the Italian was closing in on the Briton to within the crucial one-second barrier, and decreasing. He nearly passed Hamilton at Brooklands but the old stager deployed his boost to repel the attack…..

‘Spoiling the home party at Silverstone’;

Antonelli soars past Hamilton to win British Grand Prix sprint race

Kimi Antonelli extended his lead at the top of the drivers' standings by claiming victory in the British Grand Prix sprint race ahead of home favourite Lewis Hamilton.

www.dailymail.com

F1 Sprint Results Today: Full British GP 2026 Sprint Classification
Antonelli passes Hamilton to claim maiden Sprint win
4 July 2026
John Smith
Total Motorsport

2026 British GP Sprint Race results
Here are the complete F1 Sprint results from Silverstone.
Pos Driver Team Gap
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes Leader
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +2.745
3 Lando Norris McLaren +9.783
4 George Russell Mercedes +10.639
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +12.620
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull +16.550
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren +17.551
8 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +30.233
9 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +30.953
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +35.110

‘Sprint Results’;

F1 Sprint Results Today: Full British GP 2026 Sprint Classification

Kimi Antonelli passes Lewis Hamilton to win the British GP Sprint as Lando Norris completes the podium at Silverstone.

www.total-motorsport.com

Kimi Antonelli beats Lewis Hamilton in sprint race at F1’s British Grand Prix
4 July 2026
Associated Press

SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Kimi Antonelli returned to winning ways on Saturday by denying Lewis Hamilton a crowd-pleasing home victory in the sprint race ahead of the British Grand Prix.

Hamilton started on pole and held off Antonelli until lap eight of 17, when the Italian swept past with the help of electrical power. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” Antonelli told the team over the radio after taking the win. Lando Norris took third in McLaren’s white-and-green throwback livery after winning a thrilling back-and-forth battle with George Russell and Max Verstappen early on.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!”;

Kimi Antonelli beats Lewis Hamilton in sprint race at F1's British Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli has returned to winning ways by denying Lewis Hamilton a crowd-pleasing home victory in the sprint race ahead of the British Grand Prix.

apnews.com

Antonelli defeats Hamilton in British GP F1 sprint race energy battle
4 Jul 2026
VALENTIN KHOROUNZHIY
The Race

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli reinforced his Formula 1 2026 championship lead with an assertive win in the British Grand Prix sprint race at Silverstone.
Home hero Lewis Hamilton had started from pole in the Ferrari, and controlled the early phase of the 17-lap contest - but ultimately had no answer to the race pace of the Mercedes and Antonelli.

The Italian had challenged him already off the line, but Hamilton covered off the attack into Abbey, then established an early buffer as Antonelli came under attack from the fast-starting McLaren of Lando Norris on the run to Copse. Antonelli was back ahead on the Hangar straight, but with Hamilton a second clear at that point. Hamilton and Antonelli then established a massive buffer over third as the rivals behind squabbled for the final podium position.
But despite Hamilton's efforts in leading the breakaway, around five laps in Antonelli began to close in at speed - and on lap eight the move was done on the Hangar straight.

Hamilton briefly kept pace with Antonelli but had to settle for a second-place finish, 2.7s off the leader in the end - with a further seven seconds separating him and third place. Both McLarens - Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri - had got off to good starts, but only Norris could really make it count, fighting off George Russell in the early going and then being aided by Russell coming under attack from Max Verstappen's slow-starting Red Bull.

‘Antonelli defeats Hamilton’;

Antonelli defeats Hamilton in British GP F1 sprint race energy battle

Kimi Antonelli reinforced his 2026 F1 championship lead with an assertive win in the British Grand Prix sprint race at Silverstone

www.the-race.com

2026 F1 British Grand Prix - Silverstone Sprint results
Check out the full results from the Silverstone Sprint ahead of this weekend's 2026 F1 British Grand Prix!
4 July 2026
RN365 Staff
RacingNews365

Kimi Antonelli secured victory in the Silverstone Sprint, performing a mid-race overtake on polesitter Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton and Antonelli immediately broke away from the field, before the championship leader made his move on the Ferrari driver before cruising to the win.

From pole, Hamilton managed to finish in a comfortable second, ahead of Lando Norris in third for McLaren. Mercedes' George Russell and Charles Leclerc completed the top five, while Max Verstappen had to settle for sixth.

‘Silverstone Sprint results’;

2026 F1 British Grand Prix - Silverstone Sprint results

Check out the full results from the Silverstone Sprint ahead of this weekend's 2026 F1 British Grand Prix!

racingnews365.com

Verstappen once again hurt by poor Red Bull start during British GP Sprint
4 Jul 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Max Verstappen once again experienced a poor start at the British Grand Prix. This time, it happened during the Sprint. The Red Bull Ford power unit's difficulties at the starts have been a recurring theme so far this season. Despite the FIA declaring that the Milton Keynes-based team has the best power unit in terms of the internal combustion engine, this has been its weak point throughout the campaign.

This time, the issue was not as severe as it was at the Monaco Grand Prix. However, starting from third on the grid, the Dutchman once again lost three positions off the line. Hadjar, who lined up in P8, also lost several positions and is currently running outside the points at Silverstone.

‘Red Bull Ford power unit's difficulties’;

Poor Red Bull start costs Verstappen again in British GP Sprint

Max Verstappen suffers another poor start in the British GP Sprint, dropping three places as Red Bull’s launch issues persist; Hadjar also slips outside points

www.gpblog.com

 

[Fortitude]

Unstoppable Kimi Antonelli threatens to spoil the party AGAIN with Mercedes star claiming pole position for British Grand Prix in dominant fashion - hours after denying Lewis Hamilton victory in sprint race.
Kimi Antonelli is threatening to be the serial party-pooper at this year’s British Grand Prix after taking pole position for Sunday's race.
4 July 2026
JONATHAN MCEVOY
MailOnline

The Italian built on his victory in the sprint earlier in the afternoon to lead the field going into the showpiece event in from of 175,000 spectators mostly rooting for the home drivers led by Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion qualified third, 0.347sec behind Antonelli, the championship pacesetter. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc separated Hamilton and the pole-sitter, 0.175sec off the top.

Antonellis, aged just 19, pressed himself as the star of the day when he passed Hamilton eight laps into the sprint and, with pole, is favourite to romp away to his sixth win of a spectacular season so far. That prospect spells bad news for not only Hamilton, 47 points off Antonelli in the standings, but for George Russell, 43 back, and due to start fourth. Hamilton said: ‘I am not satisfied, but I’m happy to be up here. Both of these guys (Antonelli and Leclerc) did a great job.

‘Unstoppable serial party-pooper’;

Unstoppable Antonelli claims pole position for British Grand Prix

JONATHAN McEVOY AT SILVERSTONE: Kimi Antonelli is threatening to be the serial party-pooper at this year's British Grand Prix after taking pole position for Sunday's race.

www.dailymail.com

British GP Qualifying Results: Full Classification from Silverstone
Antonelli beats Ferrari pair to Silverstone pole
4 July 2026
John Smith
Total Motorsport

2026 British GP qualifying results
Here are the complete qualifying results from Silverstone.
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:28.111
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.175
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.347
4 George Russell Mercedes +0.370
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +0.635
6 Lando Norris McLaren +0.766
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.782
8 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.921
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +1.194
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.605

‘British GP qualifying results’;

British GP Qualifying Results: Full Classification from Silverstone

Kimi Antonelli takes pole for the British GP ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes and Ferrari lead the fight.

www.total-motorsport.com

Kimi Antonelli beats Ferrari duo to British Grand Prix pole at Silverstone
4 Jul 2026
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Kimi Antonelli made it count when it mattered most, beating the Ferraris to pole position at the British Grand Prix. The championship leader clocked a 1:28.111 to take pole position by 0.175s ahead of Charles Leclerc while Lewis Hamilton was third fastest.

The drivers left the pit lane almost wing to wing in Q3, including Lindblad despite the Racing Bulls driver having just one set of new soft tyres available. Hamilton hit the front with a 1:28.5, 0.03s up on Leclerc. But the Ferrari drivers were demoted by the Mercedes teammates as Antonelli hit the front with a 1:28.3, a tenth quicker than Russell. Hadjar was fifth in the early running ahead of Verstappen.

The drivers ventured out for a second run with four minutes on the clock, Antonelli getting proceedings back underway. “Why am I first,” he said in frustration. There was a moment in the pit lane with Lindblad and Piastri, with the Racing Bulls driver noted for an unsafe release that forced Piastri to hit the brakes. Antonelli took two-tenths off his previous best to cross the line with a 1:28.1, Leclerc moved up to second place, Hamilton marginally improved but couldn’t take second away from his teammate.

‘Kimi Antonelli made it count when it mattered most’;

Kimi Antonelli crushes Ferrari's Silverstone dream with stunning pole lap

Is that the Grand Prix done and dusted?

www.planetf1.com

Antonelli beats Ferrari pair for pole, Russell fourth after crashing in Q1
4th July 2026
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Andrea Kimi Antonelli beat the Ferrari drivers and his team mate to claim pole position for the British Grand Prix. Despite being the first of the drivers to set his final lap in Q3, his nine rivals crossed the line behind him with slower times.

They included his team mate George Russell, who fell from second place after his first run to take fourth on the grid. But despite that late blow, Russell could feel relieved his session hadn’t ended when he hit a barrier during the first round. The Ferrari pair beat Russell’s time with their final laps, led by Charles Leclerc, who will join Antonelli on the front row of the grid.

‘Antonelli beats Ferrari pair for pole’;

https://www.racefans.net/2026/07/04/antonelli-beats-ferrari-pair-for-pole-russell-fourth-after-crashing-in-q1/

British Grand Prix 2026 F1 qualifying results
4 Jul 2026
THE RACE TEAM
The Race

Kimi Antonelli is having a great day at Silverstone, after he took pole for the British Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver beat a resurgent Charles Leclerc, who broke the recent trend to beat team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

‘Qualifying results’;

British Grand Prix 2026 F1 qualifying results

Results from F1 qualifying for the British Grand Prix 2026

www.the-race.com

Five things we learned from Qualifying for the F1 British GP
4 Jul 2026
Ben Hunt
GPblog.com

Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone with a sensational flying lap to consolidate his position as F1's No.1. The Italian put on a masterclass to take pole - following on from his victory in the sprint race. Here's what else we learned from Silverstone.

Hamilton came into this weekend full of confidence a delivered a rousing pole for the sprint race while Leclerc wilted. However, in qualifying for the GP, it was Leclerc who will line up in second and Hamilton a place behind in third on the grid.

It is all poised for an exciting start to Sunday's race, where Hamilton is going in search of victory. He said: "I am happy to be up here, Charles has been making good improvements and we are slowly closing the gap to Mercedes. Whether we can keep up with Kimi, we will see but we will see what we can do with the strategy."

‘Five things we learned: Leclerc gets the better of Hamilton - for now, Verstappen throws the toys out his pram, again, Things are uncomfortable for Russell, Silverstone sizzles in the sunshine, Aston Martin remain in trouble’;

Five key takeaways from qualifying for the F1 British GP at Silverstone

Antonelli takes British GP pole at Silverstone after sprint win; Leclerc P2 ahead of Hamilton; Verstappen P7 after outbursts; Russell P4; Aston Martin struggle

www.gpblog.com

Kimi Antonelli wary of double Ferrari threat in British Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli banked his first British Grand Prix pole position - and was able defeat both Ferraris.
4 July 2026
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Kimi Antonelli is wary of the threat posed by both Ferraris starting behind in the British Grand Prix after roaring to pole position. Antonelli roared to his first Silverstone pole with a time of 1:28.111, which was 0.175s clear of Charles Leclerc in second, with Lewis Hamilton in third.

"Yeah, for sure, it's not going to be easy, you know," the Italian said. "I've got two Ferraris behind me, and for sure they're going to work together, but their pace is good. But ours was strong in the sprint race, so hopefully we can keep that tomorrow, and hopefully we can do a good race.”

"I mean, was a bit stressed because I never really liked going first for the last run, but the last lap was very tidy. I have to be honest, it came all together. It was very tricky with the wind, because it was very gusty and unpredictable, but we built our way through qualifying, and to bring the pole home is very satisfying."

‘Kimi Antonelli is wary of the threat posed by both Ferraris’;

Kimi Antonelli wary of double Ferrari threat in British Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli banked his first British Grand Prix pole position - and was able defeat both Ferraris.

racingnews365.com

 

[Fortitude]

How Kimi Antonelli overcame ‘unnatural’ F1 issue to score British GP pole.
Kimi Antonelli has explained the counterintuitive and “unnatural” driving style that secured him pole position for Sunday’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix.
4 Jul 2026
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Kimi Antonelli alluded to the challenges, labelling qualifying as an “unnatural” experience. “It was not easy”, he said to media in the post qualifying press conference, including Motorsport Week. “but I think if you say I didn’t actually, but for sure it’s tricky, because with this power unit, you need to, sometimes driving in a certain way, that feels a bit unnatural.”

“Sometimes, going on throttle later, so in high speed, you carry more speed and you go on throttle later, then you may lose a little bit on exit, but then you regain it, because by delaying your throttle point, then you get more energy, and a bit later into the straight as well, so it’s just tricky, you know, you need to work your way around, and that’s why sim work has been extremely crucial.”

“Because, just to make sure that these kind of things kind of become natural, because in the first place, you’re even like, why do I need to lift? You know, so, it’s just tricky at times. But with the team, we’ve done a lot of preparation, and luckily these kind of things have become kind of second-hand.”

“Sim work has been extremely crucial”;

How Kimi Antonelli overcame ‘unnatural’ F1 issue to score British GP pole

Kimi Antonelli has explained the counterintuitive and "unnatural" driving style that secured him pole position for Sunday's Formula 1 British

www.motorsportweek.com

Charles Leclerc Ferrari breakthrough at British GP as new goal set
4 Jul 2026
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Charles Leclerc revealed that his feeling was “back” in the Ferrari SF-26 during British Grand Prix qualifying. It was the first time Leclerc experienced it since his drop in form began. “I’m pleased,” he said of the achievement. “It’s been a few tough races where the feeling was not quite right, where I was struggling to put everything together. On the Sundays, we’ve had things that sometimes we couldn’t score points, so to be back with a good feeling, there’s been so much work behind the scenes to get back that feeling inside the car.”

“Today is probably the first time where I had it back. So that is a good thing. But at the same time, I know how much I’ve struggled to be consistent recently. So it’s only the beginning, but it’s a good step in the right direction.” He added: “At the moment I’m obviously trying to look at a bit of everything, because I was losing quite a bit of time.”

“I just didn’t have much pace recently, so you’ve got to look at every single thing you do, whether it’s driving style, everything, really. We’ve worked, I think, really, really well. I’m happy with that P2, obviously. I wish I was on pole, but Kimi did an incredible lap, and he deserves it.”

“I’m pleased”;

Charles Leclerc Ferrari breakthrough at British GP as Lewis Hamilton reacts

Is Charles Leclerc back? He outqualified Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone.

www.planetf1.com

Lewis Hamilton reveals power unit issue cost him pole position for Ferrari at British GP
Hamilton had to settle for third on the grid for Sunday's British Grand Prix.
4 July 2026
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

What caught Lewis Hamilton out at the British GP on his last effort of the day, as he reveals a power unit issue down the Hangar Straight cost him pole position for Ferrari. “I think in run two, actually my run two was pretty decent,” Hamilton told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “But I lost my deployment. There was a problem with the deployment, basically, and I lost like three tenths down the back straight.”

“But that got fixed towards the end. I just struggled more in this qualifying session with the car, a lot more understeer. But yeah, I’m still happy to be up here.” But as a nine-time winner of the British GP and a 106-time Grand Prix winner who dominated the Barcelona GP recently, can the legendary driver fight hard on Sunday to upset the script and take the victory at his home race?

“I mean, we couldn’t this morning [Saturday], so I don’t think that really changes,” Hamilton continued. “And he’s just gone quicker than, way quicker than I went yesterday. So, nothing’s changed between this morning and nothing will change between today and tomorrow. We’ll do our best to hold on to them. But ultimately, if he gets a clean run, he’ll be gone.”

‘Power unit issue cost Lewis Hamilton pole position’;

Lewis Hamilton admits Ferrari problem hurt British GP qualifying bid

Lewis Hamilton says a deployment problem cost him three tenths in British GP Qualifying as Kimi Antonelli took pole.

www.total-motorsport.com

F1 - 2026 British Grand Prix Post-Qualifying Press Conference Transcript
04.07.26
FIA (Press Release)

PARC FERMÉ INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Jolyon Palmer)
Q: It’s Kimi Antonelli on pole position. Kimi, you said at the end, "Why were we going out first?" Well, hey, it didn’t matter. That was a great lap.
Kimi ANTONELLI: Yeah, I mean, I was a bit stressed because I never really like going first for the last run. But yeah, the last lap was very tidy, I have to be honest. It came all together. It was very tricky with the wind, because it was very gusty, unpredictable. But yeah, we built our way through qualifying and to bring the pole home is very satisfying.

Q: Charles Leclerc, congratulations. That was a much more Charles Leclerc performance in qualifying from the very first lap. You’ve got to be pleased to be back.
Charles LECLERC: Yes, I’m pleased. I mean, it’s been a few tough races where the feeling was not quite right, where I was struggling to put everything together. On the Sundays, we’ve had things that sometimes we couldn’t score points. So to be back with a good feeling, there’s been so much work behind the scenes to get back that feeling inside the car. But today is probably the first time where I had it back, so that is a good thing. But at the same time, I know how much I’ve struggled to be consistent recently. So it’s only the beginning, but it’s a good step in the right direction.

Q: And Lewis, huge cheers all the way around for you today. Third place. You obviously had the high of Sprint qualifying yesterday, but are you satisfied still to be starting in the top three at Silverstone?
Lewis HAMILTON: Am I satisfied? Of course not, I’m P3, but I’m happy to be up here. However, these guys did a great job today. Charles has obviously been making good improvements and we just didn’t have the pace, unfortunately, of the Mercedes. It’s been kind of a thing for a while, but we’re slowly closing the gap. And to have both of us up here is great for the team.

‘Post-Qualifying Press Conference Transcript’;

F1 - 2026 British Grand Prix Post-Qualifying Press Conference Transcript

DRIVERS 1 – Kimi ANTONELLI (Mercedes)2 – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari) 3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Ferrari)PARC FERMÉ INTERVIEWS(Conducted by Jolyon Palmer) Q: It’s Kimi Antonelli on pole position. Kimi, you said at the end, "Why were we going out first?" Well, hey, it didn’t matter. That was a great...

www.fia.com

Verstappen motivated by only ‘life’ and ‘breathing’ at British GP: ‘For me, no enjoyment’
4 July 2026
Nate Saunders
TSN

SILVERSTONE, England -- Max Verstappen has joked that "life" and "breathing" are the two things keeping him motivated to keep racing at the British Grand Prix this weekend. Verstappen had said coming into the weekend that his experience of racing Silverstone in Red Bull's simulator had made him laugh due to the high energy management needed.

"I guess the faster you are, the better it is, right?" said Verstappen, who qualified for Sunday's race in seventh. "But for me, no enjoyment, unfortunately. I mean, it's still a great track. I know how it felt like before. It's a little bit different, let's say like that. The problem is that you slow down so much before the corners. It makes it a lot less interesting." Verstappen had found himself in the middle of "yo-yo racing" during the sprint race, with George Russell and then Charles Leclerc breezing past him down the straight.

Asked how it felt to be in the middle of it all, Verstappen said: "It just depends how much you understand pure racing. It's how you define it, I guess. I mean, in the sprint race we were getting destroyed in the very high speed. "I had George behind me who was catching me in dirty air in the high speed, so that says quite a lot. But even in the low speed, I'm just not happy with how the car has been handling the whole weekend. So it's a clear disconnect."

‘Life’ and ‘Breathing’;

Verstappen motivated by only ‘life’ and ‘breathing’ at British GP: ‘For me, no enjoyment’

SILVERSTONE, England -- Max Verstappen has joked that "life" and "breathing" are the two things keeping him motivated to keep racing at the British Grand Prix this weekend.

www.tsn.ca

F1MATHS: The numbers that confirm Silverstone's technical challenges
5 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

One of Formula 1's ultimate high-speed circuits: Perhaps the most remarkable statistic is that drivers spend almost 80 percent of the lap at full throttle, placing enormous demands on engine performance, aerodynamic efficiency and overall car balance.
Aero efficiency is everything: Unlike tracks that feature numerous slow-speed corners, Silverstone rewards cars that remain stable through its succession of ultra-fast bends.

Tyres face one of their toughest tests: Silverstone has long been known as one of the most demanding circuits for tyre management.
The wind can change everything: Silverstone's open layout introduces another unpredictable factor: the wind. With little natural shelter surrounding the former RAF airfield, wind direction and strength can change dramatically throughout the day.

Circuit improvements for 2026: Several maintenance and safety improvements have been carried out ahead of this year's British Grand Prix.
The Numbers behind the challenge: The circuit's official Formula 1 lap record still belongs to four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, who set a 1:27.097 while driving for Red Bull Racing in 2020.

‘Technical challenges’;

F1MATHS: The numbers that confirm Silverstone's technical challenges - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

 

[Fortitude]

Charles Leclerc wins British Grand Prix after late drama for Antonelli and Verstappen.
Charles Leclerc secured a surprise British Grand Prix victory as he escaped a late-race attack from Kimi Antonelli after the Mercedes driver broke his front left wheel shield, costing him time in the pits and on the track.
5 Jul 2026
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Leclerc was leading at the restart, but only by four seconds ahead of Antonelli, with Hamilton third ahead of Verstappen, Russell, Norris, Hadjar and Liam Lawson. “Something is broken in the car!” was Antonelli’s pained cry. “Something is broken!” He pulled into the pits with his W17 fitted with a new front wing. He came out behind Russell in fifth place. It, however, wasn’t the wing as he went straight on with Norris taking sixth off him.”

Leclerc went into the final laps holding a 27 second lead over his teammate Hamilton, only for the Safety Car to be deployed on Lap 48 as Verstappen lost it into the gravel. The Monegasque driver pitted for a set of soft tyres, as too did Hamilton. Russell stayed out, taking second place ahead of Hamilton.

The Safety Car was reportedly set to pit before the final lap only to stay out, with the race ending behind the Safety Car. Leclerc won the Grand Prix ahead of Russell and Hamilton, with Norris, Hadjar, Lawson, Lindblad, Bortoleto, Antonelli and Colapinto in the top ten at the line. But Antonelli’s penalty dropped him outside the top ten into 16th place with Gasly taking the final point.

‘Surprise British Grand Prix victory’;

Kimi Antonelli looked set to strike before late Mercedes drama handed Leclerc victory

A late twist denied Antonelli as Leclerc held firm to secure a dramatic Silverstone win.

www.planetf1.com

British GP Results 2026: Full Race Classification from Silverstone
Leclerc takes first 2026 win after late Silverstone drama
5 July 2026
John Smith
Total Motorsport

2026 British GP results
Here are the complete race results from Silverstone.
Pos Driver Team Gap
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari Leader
2 George Russell Mercedes +0.427
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.772
4 Lando Norris McLaren +1.149
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +1.598
6 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +2.023
7 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +2.214
8 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +2.413
9 Franco Colapinto Alpine +3.229
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine +3.445

‘Full Race Classification’;

British GP Results 2026: Full Race Classification from Silverstone

Charles Leclerc claims his first win of 2026 at Silverstone as late drama costs Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.

www.total-motorsport.com

Leclerc wins British Grand Prix in Safety Car finish after disaster strikes Antonelli
5th July 2026
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Charles Leclerc claimed his first Formula 1 victory for almost two years after misfortune struck Andrea Kimi Antonelli late in the British Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver was closing on Leclerc with 10 laps to go when the front-left wheel shield on his car dislodged, causing a significant aerodynamic imbalance.
Antonelli, who had delayed his single pit stop in order to attack Leclerc late in the race, dived into the pits a second time where he received a fresh set of tyres and a new front wing. However Mercedes were unable to address the loose part until he came in a third time. By this time he had fallen to 10th place.

Leclerc’s win was cemented by a late Safety Car period triggered by Max Verstappen, who spun out at Stowe with four laps to go. The stage appeared to be set for a final lap restart, however the Safety Car remained on track, ensuring no change of position before the line.

‘Leclerc wins… … disaster strikes Antonelli’;

https://www.racefans.net/2026/07/05/leclerc-wins-british-grand-prix-in-safety-car-finish-after-disaster-strikes-antonelli/

Antonelli suffers late heartbreak as technical issue costs him British GP win
5 Jul 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Kimi Antonelli lost the race lead due to an as-yet unidentified technical issue and was forced to pit. He rejoined the track but was lapping significantly slower.

Shortly afterwards, the Italian was forced to concede several positions after reporting a broken suspension over radio. Mercedes later confirmed that the issue was caused by a front-left wheel shield failure.

‘Late heartbreak’;

Antonelli suffers late heartbreak as technical issue costs him British GP victory

Kimi Antonelli lost the race lead due to an as-yet unidentified technical issue and was forced to pit. He rejoined the track but was lapping significantly slower.

www.gpblog.com

British Grand Prix: Max Verstappen swears repeatedly as Red Bull car spins out of podium place
5 Jul 2026
Nate Saunders
ESPN.com

Max Verstappen swore repeatedly about his Red Bull car after spinning out of a podium place in the final laps of the British Grand Prix.
Verstappen was running in third when he lost control of his car, spinning out and into the gravel at Stowe right in front of the Lando Norris Grandstand.

After his car came to a stop, the Dutchman swore over the radio. "I'm stuck, mate," Verstappen said. "F--- this car, f---! Unbelievable. F--- this." The four-time world champion has been exacerbated with both his Red Bull's lack of competitiveness and Formula 1's new cars this year.

His Silverstone DNF is unlikely to improve his feeling about the 2026 season. Verstappen's retirement from the race brought out a safety car with five laps remaining. The race finished under the safety car, with Charles Leclerc taking the win ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

"I'm stuck, mate," Verstappen said. "F--- this car, f---! Unbelievable. F--- this";

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/49224483/british-grand-prix-formula-1-silverstone

Leclerc wins British GP after bizarre safety car finish
5 Jul 2026
JACK BENYON
The Race

Charles Leclerc survived a rogue umbrella interrupted and an aborted one-lap shootout to win a bizarre British Grand Prix at Silverstone, as championship leader Kimi Antonelli was robbed of a very likely win by an apparent bodywork failure. The Ferraris darted ahead at the start and Lewis Hamilton acted as a buffer in the early running - not by design, but he complained of front left graining - which allowed Leclerc to build a four-second gap at the front. Antonelli cleared Hamilton at Copse on lap 11/52 but was still 2.9 seconds behind when Leclerc pitted, on lap 25.

A virtual safety car for Nico Hulkenberg retiring his Audi with a hydraulic issue gave the Red Bulls the chance to try and execute a two-stop strategy, but Verstappen crashed at Stowe on lap 48/52, losing the rear in a very odd accident that was followed by a lot of swearing on the radio. Leclerc and Hamilton pitted, but Russell stayed out to jump Hamilton and try his luck on used mediums against the newly soft-shod Ferraris.

Race control declared that the safety car was coming in with a lap remaining - but the restart was effectively cancelled moments later, for a yet-to-be-confirmed reason, and it meant the race finished under the safety car - to the boos of the Silverstone fans. It meant Leclerc ended what had been a barren run of form and a winless streak which dated back to the 2024 COTA race.

‘Bizarre safety car finish - to the boos of the Silverstone fans’;

Leclerc wins British GP after bizarre safety car finish

Formula 1's British Grand Prix ended in bizarre fashion with an aborted safety car restart, as Charles Leclerc claimed his first win in well over a year

www.the-race.com

 

[Fortitude]

One year on from Christian Horner’s exit, Max Verstappen has never been unhappier.
I always thought Verstappen would stay at Red Bull, but things felt different at the British Grand Prix…
5 July 2026
Matt Majendie
The i Paper

Christian Horner isn’t afraid to make a scene. His return to the paddock at Silverstone a year on from being axed by Red Bull in the wake of the last British Grand Prix certainly felt like no coincidence. But 12 months on from his post-Silverstone departure, where do Red Bull find themselves now? If we wind the clock back to 2025, Max Verstappen had just endured a torrid race, spinning in the wet before eventually clambering his way back up to fifth. Two races later, he claimed his hopes of the title or even winning a race were effectively nil. We know what happened in the intervening months and grand prix weekends as he came remarkably close to wrestling the drivers’ title away from Lando Norris.

If we wind the clock a year further forward in time at Silverstone, this specific weekend is infinitely worse. Verstappen has been spitting feathers about a Red Bull car with bad balance and a lack of pace down Silverstone’s lengthy straights, and he had the ignominy of finishing his weekend in the gravel trap after spinning off. His final words over the race radio: “F*** this car, unbelievable”, hardly painted a rosy picture of life at Red Bull. Horner’s successor, Laurent Mekies, needs credit for bringing a more collaborative approach to running the organisation, particularly on the engineering side which is his background. The arguing and paranoia have dissipated, but are the team better or worse off? It’s still too early to tell in terms of the car, given the lengthy lead times in F1, but there is no doubting this is a moment of great peril with Verstappen’s future hanging in the balance.

“F*** this car, unbelievable”;

One year on from Christian Horner's exit, Max Verstappen has never been unhappier

I always thought Verstappen would stay at Red Bull, but things felt different at the British Grand Prix

inews.co.uk

Christian Horner FIRST paddock appearance since F1 exit!
5 Jul 2026
Sky Sports F1

Max Verstappen FURIOUS Post British GrandPrix Crash Interviews!
5 Jul 2026
TurboLap

Mekies confirms issue rear wing: 'We apologize to Max'
5 July 202
Niels Hendrix
Verstappen.nl

For the second week in a row, Laurent Mekies, CEO and team principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing apologized to Max Verstappen: “We had an issue with the rear wing of Max’ car, so that’s on us. We apologize to Max. It is not the first time that we have had an issue like that, that took him off track. That’s never pleasant. What’s most important is that he is okay.”

Mekies continued: “The pace was certainly better than what we had shown so far this weekend. We made some progress there. We were a bit weak on the hard tyres in the middle part of the race, but Max was very strong during both stints on mediums at the beginning and at the end of the race. It could have been a podium. Good enough to take both McLarens and a Mercedes, but we wasted it today. It’s on us to progress.”

Looking forward to the next race, at Spa-Francorchamps, Mekies concludes: “For us it is only the second race with this new package. We certainly have run into a lot more difficulties this weekend, to get the car in the right place. The race gave us good indications that there is some positive in terms of pace there. But first and foremost, we need to sort out the reliability and make sure we get our drivers at the finish and able to push without issues.”

'We apologize to Max';

Mekies confirms issue rear wing: 'We apologize to Max'

<p>For the second week in a row, Laurent Mekies, CEO and team principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing apologized to Max Verstappen: “We had an issue with the rear wing of Max’ car, so that’s on us. We apologize to Max. It is not the first time that we have had an issue like that, that took him off...

news.verstappen.com

Verstappen says Red Bull wing is 'super-dangerous'
6 Jul 2026
The Straits Times

SILVERSTONE, England, July 5 - Max Verstappen described Red Bull's rear wing as 'super-dangerous' after he crashed out of the British Grand Prix on Sunday while fighting for a podium place. The four-time Formula One world champion did not hold back after crashing into the gravel at Stowe late in the race in an incident that triggered the safety car.

"While turning into the corner, the rear wing is not fully attaching, and you lose a lot of downforce for that. You just spin off the track,” said the 28-year-old Dutch driver. At this point, it’s super dangerous because I could have really hurt myself two times. I was lucky in Austria; I was lucky here. But that’s why you get really fed up with it.”

‘Max Verstappen described Red Bull's rear wing as super-dangerous';

Verstappen says Red Bull wing is 'super-dangerous'

SILVERSTONE, England, July 5 - Max Verstappen described Red Bull's rear wing as 'super-dangerous' after he crashed out of the British Grand Prix on Sunday while fighting for a podium place. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

www.straitstimes.com

Red Bull could park trick wing for Spa after Verstappen incidents
5 Jul 2026
JACK BENYON
The Race

Red Bull has not ruled out going back on its 'upside down' - or 'Macarena' - rear wing in the wake of a second rear wing failure in as many races. Max Verstappen crashed on his final flying lap in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix when his rear wing didn't close properly, and the result was the same while Verstappen was running fourth and crashed at Copse in Sunday's British Grand Prix, although both Red Bull and Verstappen say the exact cause was different.

The Race's Jon Noble asked Mekies if ensuring that 'zero chance' could mean reverting to the more conventional rear wing used by all teams apart from itself and Ferrari, which also uses the upside-down wing. McLaren has a version - but is yet to race it. "The answer, Jon, is that we will do whatever is necessary to be on the safe side," Mekies insisted. He added: "We have raced quite a few races with that concept now. We have raced this since Miami. There have been a number of races, so it's too early in the analysis to establish whether it's an issue with the concept or something else. But we are going for sure to leave no stone unturned when it comes to it, and we have all the options open."

‘Red Bull could park trick wing’;

Red Bull could park trick wing for Spa after Verstappen incidents

Red Bull has not ruled out going back on its 'upside down' - or 'Macarena' - rear wing in the wake of a second rear wing failure in as many races

www.the-race.com

Red Bull open to major car change after second Max Verstappen failure
The Red Bull boss has spoken of the rear-wing issue which affected Max Verstappen in the British Grand Prix.
6 July 2026
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies says the team is open to potentially removing the 'Macarena' rear wing from its car after Max Verstappen's British GP crash. In the closing stages at Silverstone, Verstappen spun off at Stowe after an issue with his rear wing not properly re-attaching the airflow in time, in a similar occurrence to what happened during the Austrian GP qualifying.

"We will do whatever is necessary to be on the safe side." When then asked if the team could go back to an older rear wing concept, without the Macarena opening, Mekies indicated that this was a possibility. "We have raced quite a few races now with that concept, and it is too early in the analysis to establish whether it is an issue with the concept, but we are going to leave no stone unturned when it comes and all options [are possible]"

"We will do whatever is necessary to be on the safe side";

Red Bull open to major car change after second Max Verstappen failure

The Red Bull boss has spoken of the rear-wing issue which affected Max Verstappen in the British Grand Prix.

racingnews365.com

 

[Fortitude]

Leclerc crowned 'King of Silverstone' as international media react to chaotic British GP.
The British Grand Prix was nothing short of a spectacle, and the international media have not held back in their assessment of the race.
6 Jul 2026
Samson Ero
GPblog.com

La Gazzetta dello Sport: The Italian outlet led with the headline: "Leclerc is the king of Silverstone! He beats Russell and Hamilton." It also highlighted that the Ferrari driver had secured his first victory since 2024 and had done so on Hamilton's home turf. "Charles returns to the victory he's missed since 2024, and does so on the home turf of the man who was overshadowing him at Maranello. Antonelli is sensational but unlucky: he crashes while in full recovery, finishes far behind, but proves to be twice as fast as Russell."

AS (Spain): The Spanish outlet focused on the dramatic manner in which the race concluded and how it ultimately handed victory to Leclerc. It also noted the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Antonelli's retirement and the impact on the championship battle. "A ruined end that Leclerc celebrates. The Ferrari driver emerged victorious from a race that ended with a safety car period after Verstappen's retirement. A dramatic end for Antonelli: he went home empty-handed, and Russell closed the gap. Hamilton secured third place. Sainz finished twelfth and Alonso eighteenth."

Auto Motor und Sport: The German publication largely focused on Mercedes' misfortune, noting how Antonelli once again lost crucial points in the championship fight despite looking well placed for victory. "This drama cost Antonelli the victory. Andrea Kimi Antonelli loses important points at the British GP. The Mercedes driver was on his way to victory, then a rare defect on his Silver Arrow slowed him down."

'King of Silverstone';

International media crown new 'King of Silverstone' after chaotic British Grand Prix

International media react as Leclerc wins chaotic British GP; Antonelli loses lead to technical issue, Verstappen retires, Hamilton penalised, Russell gains points

www.gpblog.com

Charles Leclerc FULL UNCUT TEAM RADIO After The 2026 British GP!
5 Jul 2026
F1Fun4u

Leclerc reveals what he wants to "prove on multiple track layouts" after his brilliant win in Silverstone
6 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

For Charles Leclerc, however, the victory represented far more than just 25 championship points. "It means a lot," he said after climbing from the car. "It means a lot because when things get tough, and that's literally the situation I've been in the last few races, obviously there's a lot of negativity around me in general, with narratives being created, and it's never a nice environment to work in.”

"But to keep our head down and to keep working very hard and get the result that we got today, I'm super proud of the whole team that have been pushing me and helping me to find that feeling again with the car. As I said, it's only a first step and I've got to prove that on multiple track layouts. But on such a track where confidence is key, I wouldn't have been able to do that without the feeling, and so that's really good."

"It means a lot";

Leclerc reveals what he wants to "prove on multiple track layouts" after his brilliant win in Silverstone - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

Lewis Hamilton congratulate Charles Leclerc like a big bro | Wholesome scenes after race
Jul 5, 2026
F1 Chequered Flag

Leclerc changes the narrative with Silverstone success
6 Jul 2026
The Straits Times

SILVERSTONE, England, July 5 - Charles Leclerc spoke of how he had shut out negative noise and changed narratives as the Ferrari driver celebrated his first Formula One win since 2024 at Silverstone on Sunday. The Monegasque has struggled to extract the most from his car this season while teammate and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton has hit a sweet spot.

This year Leclerc has come under fire, particularly after he crashed twice on home streets in Monaco. He also crashed in Spain and said he felt ashamed. "It means a lot because when things get tough, and that's literally the situation I've been in the last few races, obviously there's a lot of negativity around me in general with narratives being created," Leclerc said after the ninth win of his career and first since the October 2024 U.S. Grand Prix in Austin. "And it's never a nice environment to work in."

Leclerc said he was "super-proud" of his team for helping him to regain the missing feeling with the car at a fast track where confidence is key. Sunday was Ferrari's second win in three races. He said he had tried to "cancel the noise" as much as possible, and tried not to look at his mobile phone but to focus on what was important and relevant. "Things are said and you go from hero to zero, from zero to hero, in like two days in this sport," he added.

‘Shut out negative noise’;

Leclerc changes the narrative with Silverstone success

SILVERSTONE, England, July 5 - Charles Leclerc spoke of how he had shut out negative noise and changed narratives as the Ferrari driver celebrated his first Formula One win since 2024 at Silverstone on Sunday. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

www.straitstimes.com

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc REACT to double Ferrari podium
5 Jul 2026
Sky Sports F1

Charles Leclerc details ‘mentally challenging’ 2026 after ending F1 win drought
5 Jul 2026
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

In the post-qualifying press conference, Leclerc acknowledged the risk Antonelli posed, and the disappointment of the crowd at the race finishing behind the Safety Car. “With Kimi, it would have been close,” he said. “He was very fast when he was coming towards me. It would have been very difficult to keep that first place.”

“Then I heard he had a problem so I was like ‘OK, now I have a big gap and it should be straightforward’. Then with the Safety Car, some backmarkers had to pass us, so I did all the Safety Car time at 100kph, so my tyres were very cold. Not great for the fans around the track but in the helmet I was happy that there was not a restart to keep that win.”

‘Mentally challenging’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/07/05/charles-leclerc-details-mentally-challenging-2026-after-ending-f1-win-drought/

LIVE: F1 Race Press Conference - British GP | Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton
5 Jul 2026
Formula 1 Info

 

[Mark]

Apparently some big news to drop today. Last time there were rumours like this it was Hamilton to Ferrari.

 

[Fortitude]

Apparently some big news to drop today. Last time there were rumours like this it was Hamilton to Ferrari.

Verstappen shock in Formula 1? 'Major announcement before the end of the day'
6 Jul 2026
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

Will Buxton, former Formula 1 presenter and current analyst of the sport, says there will be a major announcement before the end of the day. The Brit calls it "absolutely massive," but does not say what is about to happen.

It’s all speculation, of course, since Buxton offers no further hints. However, plenty of people are responding to his tweet and referencing Verstappen’s situation. Buxton’s followers expect that the anticipated announcement will indeed be about the former Formula 1 world champion.

‘Speculation’;

'Absolutely massive' announcement rumoured: Fans immediately think of Verstappen'

Will Buxton hints at an ‘absolutely huge’ announcement today; speculation about an IndyCar move involving Scott Dixon or Formula 1 news surrounding an unhappy Max Verstappen.

www.gpblog.com

 

[Mark]

We have both Verstappen able to activate his exit clause and Horners gardening leave ending.

 

[Fortitude]

We have both Verstappen able to activate his exit clause and Horners gardening leave ending.

A lot of speculation for sure…

Peter Windsor: Verstappen Will Leave Red Bull For Mercedes!
6 Jul 2026
Cameron Cc:

 

[Mark]

He's usually credible!

Maybe George knows and has for a while?

 

[Fortitude]

Antonelli suffers late heartbreak as technical issue costs him British GP win.
Kimi Antonelli lost the race lead due to an as-yet unidentified technical issue and was forced to pit. He rejoined the track but was lapping significantly slower.
5 Jul 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Shortly afterwards, the Italian was forced to concede several positions after reporting a broken suspension over radio. Mercedes later confirmed that the issue was caused by a front-left wheel shield failure.

‘Technical issue’;

Antonelli suffers late heartbreak as technical issue costs him British GP victory

Kimi Antonelli lost the race lead due to an as-yet unidentified technical issue and was forced to pit. He rejoined the track but was lapping significantly slower.

www.gpblog.com

Kimi Antonelli HEARTBREAKING FAILURE TEAM RADIO After The 2026 British GP!
5 Jul 2026
F1Fun4u

Mercedes reveals cause of race-wrecking Kimi Antonelli damage and how close he came to British GP win
Mercedes has explained the cause of Kimi Antonelli's race-wrecking damage at the British Grand Prix.
5 Jul 2026
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

“We had the problem with the wheel shield that broke,” Wolff confirmed to media including Crash.net on Sunday at Silverstone. “It looks like it is brake duct, cake tin, wheel shield,” the Austrian added. “Something got stuck in there and that’s why he wasn’t able to turn. I’ve seen the car but it’s not yet clear.”

“We’re going to take the whole car back to the factory in order to take it apart there to see really where it happened, why it happened, and why we had severe consequences of him not being able to turn it.” Wolff praised Antonelli’s determination to drag his damaged car to the finish in a bid to salvage some points. If it was me, I would have made the call 10 laps to the end because of safety issues,” Wolff said. “But then the suspension looked ok, that’s the biggest issue. He was then basically surviving from lap to lap and saying that he could do that.”

Speaking separately to F1 TV after the race, Wolff revealed that Mercedes’ simulations suggested Antonelli would have caught Leclerc with six laps remaining. “That would have been an epic end of the race," Wolff said. ”He would have caught Charles six laps to the end with a huge tyre offset. But you know, it's a mechanical sport. These things can happen."

‘How close he came to British GP win’;

Mercedes reveals cause of race-wrecking Kimi Antonelli damage and how close he came to British GP win

Mercedes has explained the cause of Kimi Antonelli's race-wrecking damage at the British Grand Prix.

www.crash.net

Kimi Antonelli's FULL TEAM RADIO During Car Failure In The Closing Stages of the 2026 British GP
5 Jul 2026
F1 Xhilarate

Mercedes explain Kimi Antonelli's costly Silverstone technical issue
6 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Explaining the dramatic swing in fortunes, Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin admitted the failure came at the worst possible moment. "Kimi had a very unfortunate race," he said. "His start wasn't as good as yesterday, but he was able to pass Lewis on track and was closing Leclerc towards the first stop."

Shovlin detailed the thinking behind Mercedes' strategy, which had put Antonelli in a strong position to attack during the closing laps. "We delayed pitting him to generate a tyre life advantage and once onto the Hard tyre, it looked like we would catch him in just a few laps," Shovlin continued. Instead, an unexpected mechanical issue destroyed those hopes: "We then suffered a sudden wheel shield failure which felt to Kimi like the suspension had failed."

Mercedes initially feared a more serious suspension problem and brought Antonelli into the pits to investigate before attempting to minimise the impact. "We made a couple of stops to understand and improve the issue, and even then he was on track to finish in the top 10 but the Safety Car finish, combined with the penalty for leaving the track during the problem, dropped him out of the points."

‘Costly Silverstone technical issue’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/28879

Kimi Antonelli and George Russell REACT to opposite British GP finishes
5 Jul 2026
Sky Sports F1

Antonelli fired up after Silverstone setback: ‘The momentum is there’
06/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Kimi Antonelli left Silverstone with zero championship points, a penalty, and a bruised result sheet – but absolutely no dent in his confidence or belief. Even as the performance dropped away, Antonelli’s radio exchanges with race engineer Peter Bonnington revealed a driver refusing to concede. Despite being given the option to retire, he pushed on – chasing even the smallest reward from a collapsing race. That mentality, he insisted, remains central to his approach.

“I just showed that I have the mindset that I try every time I go on track, I do my best, that I try to give everything,” he said. “And that even today, despite things that were already going against us, I saw there was the possibility to get one point. And I was just trying my best to achieve that, and I was going to achieve that. But then the safety car came. I just didn't really have the possibility to even try for that.”

“I think we lost a lot of points,” he said. “But the momentum is there because I think this weekend we showed the speed. And we showed, as well, what the potential can be, when I'm in a good place, when also we're in a good place with the team, with the car. We showed what we are capable of, so I think that the momentum is still there, and actually it makes the fire grow even more to go out there in Spa and try to do even better.” For a driver whose race briefly unraveled in spectacular fashion, the message afterward was strikingly consistent: the setback may have hurt the scoreboard, but it did nothing to shake the trajectory he believes he’s on.

‘The momentum is there’;

Antonelli fired up after Silverstone setback: ‘The momentum is there’

Kimi Antonelli left Silverstone with zero championship points, a penalty, and a bruised result sheet – but absolutely no dent in his belief.

f1i.com

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Mercedes take the blame for Antonelli's Silverstone blank
6 Jul 2026
The Straits Times

LONDON, July 6 - Mercedes have shouldered the blame for Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli's failure to score points in Sunday's British Grand Prix, the Italian's second such blank in the last three races.

Antonelli started on pole position at Silverstone and after losing two places straightaway to Ferrari had fought back to have a possible victory in his sights when his car suffered a mechanical failure with 11 laps to go.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said the team's strategists had predicted Antonelli, 19, would have caught Ferrari's eventual winner Charles Leclerc six laps from the end without the problem, caused by a broken front wheel shield around the brake duct.

‘Mercedes take the blame’;

Mercedes take the blame for Antonelli's Silverstone blank

LONDON, July 6 - Mercedes have shouldered the blame for Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli's failure to score points in Sunday's British Grand Prix, the Italian's second such blank in the last three races. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

www.straitstimes.com

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