Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

George Russell reveals Silverstone 'luck' after rescuing podium finish.
George Russell managed to overcome a puncture to finish second in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
5 July 2026
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

George Russell has conceded to being "lucky" as the British GP finished behind a safety car, allowing him to secure his first podium at Silverstone - and trim Kimi Antonelli's championship lead. Russell suffered a mid-race slow puncture, requiring a second pit-stop, which dropped him out of the fight for third place.

But he was able to recover in the closing stages and moved himself into the runner-up spot. This was brought about by a safety car under which second-placed Lewis Hamilton pitted, but Russell did not. It promoted him to second and secured an 18-point haul, thus reducing Kimi Antonelli's points lead to 25 after a wheel shield failure and five-second time penalty for track limits dumped him out of the points.

"It is my first podium, so really pleased to be standing here," Russell said. "It was obviously unlucky to get the puncture, and then I got very lucky at the end with the safety car, I was glad. It would have been great for the fans for it to have restarted, but from my side, the tyres were so cold, so I was kind of glad to just bring it home in second,” he added. “A tough weekend, but overall glad to be standing there."

'Luck';

George Russell reveals Silverstone 'luck' after rescuing podium finish

George Russell managed to overcome a puncture to finish second in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

racingnews365.com

George Russell's Full Team Radio During the Safety Car at the 2026 British GP
5 Jul 2026
F1 Xhilarate

"I'm Not Satisfied!" - George Russell's BRUTALLY Honest Silverstone Reaction
@GoalDunkDrive

George Russell 'beyond anger and frustration' at F1 misfortune
George Russell may have been lucky to take second at Silverstone, but his British Grand Prix was not without more bad luck for the Mercedes driver.
6 July 2026
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

George Russell admitted he has gone "beyond anger and frustration" at his wretched run of luck this F1 season, after a puncture during a thrilling three-way battle with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone. Despite that, the Mercedes driver somehow still ended with a second-place finish, following a chaotic and eventful climax to the British Grand Prix.

"I don't really know how to sum it up, to be honest, because it's been a very challenging weekend," Russell told media, including RacingNews365. "Things within my control haven't been good enough; things outside of my control haven't been good enough, which has all resulted in poor pace."

'Beyond anger and frustration';

George Russell 'beyond anger and frustration' at F1 misfortune

George Russell may have been lucky to take second at Silverstone, but his British Grand Prix was not without more bad luck for the Mercedes driver.

racingnews365.com

George Russell FULL TEAM RADIO After The 2026 British GP!
5 Jul 2026
F1Fun4u

"The performances need to be better, I need to be better," claims Russell after his first home podium
6 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

"I don't really know how to sum it up, to be honest, because it's been a very challenging weekend," Mercedes driver George Russell admitted after climbing from the car. "Things within my control not good enough, things outside of my control haven't been good enough, which has all resulted in poor pace," noted Russell.

"I was having a great battle with Max and Lewis, going against two of the greatest of all time, and I felt I could have passed Max. And with the straight-line speed over the Ferraris, I felt I could have held off Lewis as well." Russell believed a third-place finish would have been a fair reflection of his race before disaster struck: "So P3 was probably a fair and would have been a good result behind Charles and Kimi. Then the puncture, I just couldn't believe my luck. I've gone beyond sort of anger and frustration now."

“Challenging weekend”;

"The performances need to be better, I need to be better," claims Russell after his first home podium - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

F1 Race Press Conference - British GP | Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton
5 Jul 2026
Formula 1 Info
@Angez-n4v1s: I’m so glad to see George step in and answer that malicious question aimed at Lewis. Five years later, he’s still speaking up for him just like he did back then.
@PlymouthArgyle1: As much as People Hate George Russel, The Question About the Race Restart and Everything, Abu Dhabi was Bound to Be Brought back into this and Funny thing the Question was meant to be for Lewis But George Russel answered and Defended Lewis. Which I found quite interesting and I think everyone deserves a friend like Russel becuz In Abu Dhabi Cars Unlapped themselves and apparantly we went so called "MOTOR RACING" for 1 Lap and which Unfortunately Costed Lewis his Record Breaking 8x WDC. Now The Same Conditions should Apply here as well. That Last Lap Should Have Occurred here as well And Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton Would Have Gotten the 1,2. But No The FIA rules aren't consistent & we didn't Go "MOTOR RACING" Today. But Today, Lewis Hamilton Pitted for the Faster & Fresher Tires, Which he should Have done in 2021 I am sure Lewis Hamilton Did not Wanna be there at that Point, We Know How Fierce of a Competitior he is and He would have been really sad losing that P3 to Russel AND Russel knows that but he can't really do anything about it.

Mercedes "can't afford to continue suffering from these reliability issues," claims Wolff
7 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Reflecting on the race, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff praised Russell's resilience after what had initially looked like a disappointing afternoon. "That was a dramatic race," Wolff said. "We are super happy for George as he has not quite gelled with the car as he would have liked this weekend."

"He has shown great resilience though, kept working hard and even after the puncture that took him out of the fight for P3, battled back," noted Wolff. Wolff also admitted Mercedes was relieved that the Safety Car remained on track until the chequered flag, preventing Hamilton from attacking Russell on his fresh tyres. We were hopeful that the Safety Car would stay out at the end as we had Lewis (Hamilton) right behind on fresh tyres and so it proved; a first home podium here at Silverstone is a well-deserved result."

Looking ahead, Wolff acknowledged that while Mercedes remains in a strong championship position, the team must eliminate the reliability problems that have affected recent races. "We will now reset and recalibrate before heading to Spa and Hungary for the final double header before the summer break," continued the Austrian. "We are in a strong position in both championships but know we can't afford to continue suffering from these reliability issues. That is something that all of us are working hard to get on top of and improve."

"That was a dramatic race”;

Mercedes "can't afford to continue suffering from these reliability issues," claims Wolff - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

Toto Wolff Reacts to Max Verstappen Mercedes
@SplashF1

 

[Steve Boyd]

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.

Must have been talking about Nigel Farage.

 

[Fortitude]

Hamilton reflects on his home race that “was pretty bad from the get-go”.
Lewis Hamilton admitted his British Grand Prix “was pretty bad from the get-go” after a five-second penalty for a jump start and balance issues derailed his chances of fighting for victory, despite ultimately recovering to finish on the podium at Silverstone.
6 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Speaking after the race, Hamilton was blunt in his assessment of his performance and opening-lap mistake: “Yeah, not that great. Charles did a mega job today, fully deserves the win,” he said. “From my side, pretty bad from the get-go. I jumped the start, which I have done very few times in the 380-odd races that I’ve done.” He went on to explain how early setup decisions and changing balance conditions made the opening stint particularly difficult.
“And then just balance-wise, I noticed Charles went up on his balance, I think compared to qualifying, added more wing, and I felt the car was really oversteer with the diff settings that we had had. So, I took out wing and then I had the biggest understeer at the beginning of the race. So, he just pulled away from me," the seven-time world champion continued.

Hamilton admitted the combination of setup issues and the penalty left him unable to fight at the front. “I just couldn’t even turn the car until halfway kind of through that first stint, I managed to start turning the car a little bit better with some diff changes, but by then the gap was already huge.”

‘Blunt in his assessment’;

Hamilton reflects on his home race that “was pretty bad from the get-go” - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

Lewis Hamilton explains error that led to costly jump start at British Grand Prix
6 Jul 2026
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

With the race ending behind the safety car, Hamilton was unable to reclaim the lost position to George Russell's Mercedes. “From my side, pretty bad from the get-go,” Hamilton said after the race. “I jumped the start, which I have done very few times in the 380-odd races that I've done.”

Asked what happened at the start, Hamilton replied: “My hand just moved just like that. Don't really know where it went. I didn't mean to do it. I didn't even tell my hand to do it. But anyway, it happens.” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur felt the penalty was “harsh”.

“From the sensors we don’t see the car moving on the grid but it’s true that on the video you see the sticker on the tyres moving a little bit. It’s not me judging if it’s a false start or not,” the Frenchman said. Pressed on whether he agreed with the punishment handed out, Vasseur replied: “I think it’s a bit harsh when the sensor are not moving.”

“I didn't even tell my hand to do it”;

Lewis Hamilton explains error that led to costly jump start at British Grand Prix

Despite finishing P3 Hamilton's race was marred with a number of issues including a penalty for jumping the start

www.crash.net

Hamilton Blames Setup Error for British GP Struggle
7 July 2026
Jack Renn
F1 Chronicle

The Setup Decision That Erased Friday’s Speed: The problem traced back to wing angle. After main qualifying on Saturday, Leclerc opted to run more front wing on his SF-26 than he had used in qualifying, gaining front-end stability around the circuit. Hamilton’s engineers moved in the opposite direction, trimming front wing in search of straight-line performance.

“I noticed Charles went up on his balance, I think compared to qualifying, added more wing, and I felt the car was really oversteer with the diff settings that we had had,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “And so, I took out wing and then I had the biggest understeer at the beginning of the race.” He was direct about where the fault lay. “I was just lacking front end,” Hamilton said. “We massively under-egged it with the front wing and that’s my fault and the engineering fault.”

The consequences were immediate. A car without front-end grip at Silverstone is a car that cannot be driven quickly through the circuit’s fast, flowing corners. Hamilton had that problem from the first corner on Sunday, and no quick way to fix it in the opening laps. “All the magic that I had on Friday just disappeared through the weekend,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “I just didn’t have it today.” He managed to improve the car’s handling through differential adjustments as the race progressed, but by the time the SF-26 became more manageable, Leclerc had pulled clear. Then a second problem emerged before the first pit stop.

‘Setup Error’;

Hamilton Blames Setup Error for British GP Struggle | F1 News

Lewis Hamilton spent all of Friday at Silverstone faster than anyone else on the circuit. Two days later, the record nine-time British Grand Prix winner was

f1chronicle.com

Lewis Hamilton questions Ferrari after British GP blunder
Hamilton fell behind George Russell after a late pit stop under the safety car
5 July 2026
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Lewis Hamilton questions the blunder by Ferrari to pit him under the safety car at the British GP, as the seven-time Formula 1 champion says he wouldn’t have stopped if he knew he was going to lose second place on Sunday.

So the fans in the home crowd were shocked to see Hamilton come out behind Russell in what appeared to be a major blunder by Ferrari, prompting him to question their decision at the British GP as he insists he would have stayed out otherwise.

“I mean, the team asked me to stop,” Hamilton told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “I assumed in stopping that we would be holding position. If they told me, ‘You’re stopping and you’re losing position,’ I wouldn’t have done it.”

‘Appeared to be a major blunder by Ferrari’;

Lewis Hamilton questions Ferrari call after British GP podium loss

Hamilton says he would not have pitted under the Safety Car if he knew he would lose second place.

www.total-motorsport.com

Ferrari stands by decision to pit Hamilton before 'surprise' safety car finish
5 Jul 2026
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Ferrari anticipated that the race would restart and Hamilton would be able to overtake Russell and potentially challenge Leclerc for victory, but that scenario never transpired as the British Grand Prix finished under safety car conditions.

“You can discuss about Lewis if it was a good call to pit. If we don’t pit Russell would pit for new softs and all hard in front of him and we are taking the risk also,” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur told media including Crash.net on Sunday evening at Silverstone.

“We are a bit surprised that the safety car stayed out so long and we were expecting a restart. We can discuss at length about the call but if I have to do it now I would do the same. It’s a good way to take the opportunity and the points.”

‘Ferrari anticipated that the race would restart’;

Ferrari stands by decision to pit Hamilton before 'surprise' safety car finish

Lewis Hamilton dropped to third place after Ferrari pitted him behind the safety car at Silverstone

www.crash.net

FIA confusion over Safety Car message rekindles memories of Abu Dhabi 2021
5 Jul 2026
Ben Hunt
GPblog.com

Lewis Hamilton and a last-lap safety car was always going to be a controversial combination. He remains scared from the fiasco in Abu Dhabi in 2021 where he was denied a record eighth title after a 'human error' saw a misinterpretation of F1's overly complicated rulebook that presented Max Verstappen with a golden opportunity to pass Hamilton on the final lap.
On that occasion, it proved decisive in the outcome of that year's championship and the sport changed forever.

Somewhat ironically, Latifi was DJing at the British GP as he has since called time on his racing career, but the FIA's message had confused and denied this race a grandstand finish.
The FIA released an explanation as to the confusing message in a short statement. It said: "The Safety Car period regulation, Article B5. 13.5, states that one lap must be completed following the unlapping procedure. This process was followed by Race Operations. The 'Safety Car In This Lap' message was displayed erroneously due to a software error."

The FIA removed the message as quickly as they could, but it was too late, it had been distributed. A correction was issued and while insiders say that it did not disrupt their own interpretation of the rules, it does raise some concerns about procedures and processes.
This comes after Alpine had successfully reinstated Pierre Gasly's podium in Monaco after appealing against his time penalty for speeding in the pitlane. On this occasion, the errors was due to cutting a corner setting the timing loop out, which is part of F1's mandate.
Nonetheless, the penalties wrong distributed by the Race Stewards, has influenced the race and that cannot simply afford to happen.

‘FIA confusion’;

Abu Dhabi 2: This latest FIA error requires a thorougher explanation - not a 41-word statement.

FIA software error leaves British GP finishing under Safety Car, denying Hamilton a late shot; Brundle criticizes process as governance questions grow

www.gpblog.com

Fred Vasseur dampens Ferrari title talk after Silverstone success
6 July 2026
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

"The championship fight should be your words," Fred Vasseur began his reply when asked by media, including RacingNews365, if the team could sustain its momentum and challenge Mercedes for the titles. "After Barcelona, we had the comments that 'Ferrari is back in the championship' and after [Austria], we had the comments that 'Ferrari is nowhere.'!”

"We have exactly the same approach with everybody at home, that is to say: 'Guys, we had this weekend, and now let's focus on Spa.' We are not nowhere, we are improving step-by-step, but I never try to draw a conclusion after one race, two races, that it is a good result or a bad result. I am just focused on trying to do more, and being better, and I think it is true for me, it is true for everybody at the factory, and then it is your job to speak about the championship."

‘Ferrari title talk’;

Fred Vasseur dampens Ferrari title talk after Silverstone success

The Ferrari boss has dampened down talk of a title challenge after its Silverstone victory.

racingnews365.com

 

[Fortitude]

Norris admits McLaren 'pretty shocking' despite unlikely P4 at Silverstone.
McLaren's Lando Norris has said he does not know how the team achieved his P4 result at Silverstone, complaining of an "undriveable" MCL40 at the British GP.
6 Jul 2026
Henry Eccles
GPblog.com

Given McLaren's inconsistently of late, a welcome haul of points from Lando Norris, but the papaya team know they have a lot of work to do to catch the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari. Speaking to media, including GPblog, Norris reflected honestly on his race: "Everything but the result, pretty shocking.”

"I don't know how we finished P4 today, honestly. But a big part of it nowadays is reliability, I don't know what happened to Kimi , and Max, and things like that. A big part of it is just not making mistakes and reliability, and we got that bit right today but the pace was pretty poor. Not a nice car to drive, one of the hardest cars I've ever driven in Formula 1. Many things we need to do better."

Despite pointing to a lack of upgrades relative to McLaren's rivals, 26-year-old nonetheless complained of an "undriveable" MCL40. He said: "I don't know... a lot of people didn't do a good job I guess. There's no way we can finish P2 in Miami and have a car like this today. Other people have brought a lot of upgrades and updates since, and we kind of haven't, so yeah, nothing has brought us that much performance. I don't know, the car was just undriveable."

‘Does not know how the team achieved his P4 result’;

'Pretty shocking' - Norris downbeat despite unlikely P4 at Silverstone

McLaren's Lando Norris has said he does not know how the team achieved his P4 result at Silverstone, complaining of an "undriveable" MCL40 at the British GP.

www.gpblog.com

Clever Lando Norris idea shut down in untelevised McLaren team radio
8 Jul 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

The full exchange between Norris and his race engineer, Will Joseph, went as follows:
Norris: “You’re not allowed to box, are you? You can’t win it in the pit lane?”
Joseph: “No, you’re not.”
Norris: “Shame.”
Norris’s idea had echoes of the 1998 British Grand Prix, which saw Michael Schumacher cross the finish line to win in the pit lane amid a dispute over a 10-second time penalty. Schumacher’s 1999 victory took place on the old Silverstone layout, which saw the pit lane located on the straight leading to Copse corner.

Joseph: “So, Lando, it’s a bit cr*p for the Lando Stand, but there’s no overtaking on this in lap. And if other people do, it doesn’t matter. You don’t.”
Norris: “Yeah, Lewis did already.”
Joseph: “And pickup, please.”
Norris: “Lewis has overtaken everyone. I mean, everyone’s overtaking.”
Joseph: “You just do the right thing.”
Norris: “Yeah, I’m just trying to stay out of everyone’s way.”
Joseph: “You just do the right thing.”

“So, Lando, it’s a bit cr*p for the Lando Stand”;

Untelevised Lando Norris team radio after controversial British GP decision

Untelevised team radio from the F1 2026 British Grand Prix has revealed the moment a clever Lando Norris idea was shut down by McLaren.

www.planetf1.com

Lando Norris's Full Team Radio During the Safety Car at the 2026 British GP
6 Jul 2026
F1 Xhilarate

Lando Norris - 'McLaren have a lot to improve' after difficult British GP
"The positive is the results, and that’s really the only thing that matters at the end of the day, but the pace to get them was really, really not good. We need to take a big step forward."
6 Jul 2026
Daniel Clark
Somerset Live

"Considering how not nice it’s felt out there, P4 and a P3 this weekend in the Sprint is quite remarkable, honestly," said Lando Norris said to the Formula 1 website when asked to sum up his weekend. "Of course we were lucky today, but the race is also about finishing. It’s about reliability and not making mistakes. I don’t know what happened to Max and Kimi.”

"Poor start today, I don’t know why, so we have to understand some things. Also the car just wasn’t very nice in any way whatsoever today, so we have a lot to improve. The positive is the results, and that’s really the only thing that matters at the end of the day, but the pace to get them was really, really not good. We need to take a big step forward."

"Of course we were lucky today”;

Lando Norris - 'McLaren have a lot to improve' after difficult British GP

"The positive is the results, and that’s really the only thing that matters at the end of the day, but the pace to get them was really, really not good. We need to take a big step forward."

www.somersetlive.co.uk

'Undriveable' - Lando Norris laments McLaren's lack of F1 upgrade progress
Lando Norris is looking for more from McLaren after a tough weekend at the British Grand Prix
8 Jul 2026
Sam Hall
Crash.Net

"We've been slow all year, but it's not this slow," Lando Norris added. "Other people didn't do a good job, I guess. There's no way we can finish P2 in Miami, and from a car like this. Other people have bought a lot of upgrades and updates since, and we kind of haven't - nothing that has brought us that much performance. I don't know, the car was just undrivable, honestly."

While this saw plenty of overtaking, this was quite often down to drivers deploying energy in different areas of the track. "[It was] the same as always, I'm not a fan of it," said Norris. "It's not how Formula 1 should be, but it's the way it is, so I can't really complain anymore."

'Undriveable';

'Undriveable' - Lando Norris laments McLaren's lack of F1 upgrade progress

Lando Norris is looking for more from McLaren after a tough weekend at the British Grand Prix

www.crash.net

Norris Says McLaren Must Improve After Silverstone
8 July 2026
Jack Rennon
F1 Chronicle

A Problem Norris Flagged Before the Race: “It was pretty poor really in terms of gap to the cars ahead,” Norris said after qualifying. “I thought my lap was pretty strong, it was my best lap by half a second, so thankfully I was not 1.3 seconds off. It was a good lap. I think I got everything out of it.”

He described the car’s shortfall in blunt terms. “We’re just slow. I thought we improved the car in some areas but we need to understand, like we’re just slow in the straight, we’re slow in every corner. We lack downforce and we have too much drag. So yeah, we’re in a pickle,” Norris said.

A Title Defence Under Pressure - Norris is defending the championship he won last year, and the pace deficit at Silverstone leaves McLaren needing its upgrades to arrive quickly if that defence is to remain realistic. Both Ferrari and Mercedes have shown stronger race pace across recent rounds, and Norris’s own admission that the car “wasn’t very nice in any way whatsoever” points to a wider handling problem rather than a single-track issue.

‘McLaren Must Improve’;

Norris Says McLaren Must Improve After Silverstone | F1 News

Reigning World Champion Lando Norris says McLaren "have a lot to improve" after a difficult British Grand Prix that yielded fourth place at their home event.

f1chronicle.com

Stella hints at major "Hungaroring upgrade" after McLaren were only “fourth fastest” at Silverstone
7 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella conceded that his team were only the fourth-fastest outfit at the British Grand Prix, despite leaving Silverstone with a solid haul of points after Lando Norris finished fourth and Oscar Piastri endured a race-ending first-lap incident. “Today’s Grand Prix is a welcome result with good points overall for the team, but we are under no illusions about where we stand," he said. “We were the fourth-fastest car out there, and we benefited from the misfortune of others. Therefore, today’s result was a mixed bag for the team."

“We are pleased to come away with a fourth-place finish for Lando, which is beyond what we felt we deserved on pure pace. The strategy team did an excellent job though with the late stop, and Lando drove well to capitalise on the opportunities that arose during the race." Looking ahead, the McLaren boss stressed that improving car performance remains the team’s top priority as the midfield fight tightens and top teams continue to set the benchmark. “The clearest takeaway from this weekend is that we must improve the performance of the car.”

“We have a consistent gap to the front-runners that we need to close if we are to be in contention for podiums and wins, which is our ultimate goal." Stella confirmed that upgrades are already in development, with the team targeting a step forward at the next major milestone in the season. “We have some major upgrades planned for Hungary, and until then, the entire team trackside and at the factory must continue to work hard and maximise every opportunity."

"?Hungaroring upgrade?";

Stella hints at major "Hungaroring upgrade" after McLaren were only “fourth fastest” at Silverstone - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

Lando Norris Stopped for Her and Made Her Day
@EverythingRacing

 

[Fortitude]

"I was in no man's land," claims Hadjar after his lonely race in Silverstone.
Isack Hadjar believes Red Bull had the potential for an even stronger result at the British Grand Prix despite securing fifth place, with the French rookie admitting he left Silverstone feeling encouraged by his growing confidence in the RB22.
6 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

"My pace at the start was good, and we finished strongly as well. We got off the line well and I stayed with Max in the first stint," stated Isack Hadjar. "After pitting onto the Hard we struggled and I couldn't find the grip to stay close to Lando. Throughout that middle stint I was in no man's land, so it was a little boring for me."

A front wing adjustment during the race helped restore the balance Hadjar had enjoyed earlier in the afternoon: "We lost time with changing the front wing, but it took our pace back to where it was at the start and I could really push." Like several drivers, Hadjar was denied the opportunity to attack in the closing stages when the race finished behind the Safety Car.

"It's a shame that we couldn't have that last lap as I had such a good feeling in the car to go out and really attack the cars ahead." Despite narrowly missing out on a shot at fourth place, Hadjar left Silverstone encouraged by the progress he has made with the car over the course of the weekend. "Overall, I've felt comfortable in the car all weekend and feel like I've got on top of the package which is good going forwards," concluded the Frenchman.

"I was in no man's land";

"I was in no man's land," claims Hadjar after his lonely race in Silverstonee - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

Isack Hadjar's Team Radio After the 2026 British Sprint Race
4 Jul 2026
F1 Xhilarate

Solid points for Red Bull's Hadjar at the British Grand Prix
7th Jul 2026
Toby Lock
Milton Keynes Citizen

“Ultimately, I can be happy with the result,” Isack Hadjar said afterwards. “Finishing fifth is solid points for the team, but I felt we could've had more. My pace at the start was good, and we finished strongly as well. We got off the line well and I stayed with Max in the first stint. After pitting onto the hard we struggled and I couldn't find the grip to stay close to Lando (Norris).”

“Throughout that middle stint I was in no man's land, so it was a little boring for me. We lost time with changing the front wing, but it took our pace back to where it was at the start and I could really push.”

“It's a shame that we couldn't have that last lap as I had such a good feeling in the car to go out and really attack the cars ahead. Overall, I've felt comfortable in the car all weekend and feel like I've got on top of the package which is good going forwards.”

‘Solid points’;

Solid points for Red Bull's Hadjar at the British Grand Prix

The Frenchman brought him solid points after out-qualifying his Red Bull Racing team-mate

www.miltonkeynes.co.uk

"IT'S CRAPPY LAP!": Isack Hadjar Team Radio after qualifying in P5 at British GP
4 Jul 2026
ThatOneFormula

Isack Hadjar bemoans 'waste of a race' after British GP issue
Isack Hadjar scored another top-five result for Red Bull last Sunday at the British Grand Prix but endured an issue during the race.
9 July 2026
Fergal Walsh & Sàndor Mészáros
RacingNews365

“Just a very good start this time, very good,” Hadjar told media including RacingNews365. “Just the pace in the first three laps, very nice. I was kind of kind with Max. But it's good to follow him, which I was doing really well.”

However, his race soured slightly when he suffered a drop off in pace, which righted itself after he changed his front wing during a pit stop. “And then suddenly a huge drop off of pace,” he said. “[I thought] ‘OK, maybe it’s something wrong I did in terms of tyre management.’ I went on the hard, new tyres [and I had] no pace. I was very confused.”

“I was told we were missing load on the car. And once they changed the front wing, went back [out] again. I nearly gained two seconds straight away. A waste of a race, really.”

'Waste of a race';

Isack Hadjar bemoans 'waste of a race' after British GP issue

Isack Hadjar scored another top-five result for Red Bull last Sunday at the British Grand Prix but endured an issue during the race.

racingnews365.com

Isaac Hadjar | Radio Log | British GP, 2026 #isaachadjar #redbullracing #britishgrandprix #formula1
7 Jul 2026
F1 Namaste!

Adrian Newey holds Red Bull RB22 inspection at British Grand Prix
7 Jul 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey was spotted examining the Red Bull RB22 of Isack Hadjar on the grid ahead of last weekend’s British Grand Prix.

And the Aston Martin boss was spotted keeping a close eye on his old team on the grid at Silverstone last Sunday.

Images from race day show Newey paying close attention to the Red Bull RB22 of Hadjar as it was wheeled into position on the grid by a group of mechanics (below).

‘Red Bull RB22 inspection’;

Adrian Newey launches Red Bull investigation at British Grand Prix

Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey was spotted carrying out an investigation of the Red Bull RB22 the 2026 British Grand Prix.

www.planetf1.com

 

[Fortitude]

Racing Bulls Close In on F1’s Top Four.
Liam Lawson believes Racing Bulls are closing in on Formula 1’s top four teams after the squad collected another double points score at the British Grand Prix, with the New Zealander taking sixth ahead of team mate Arvid Lindblad in seventh.
9 July 2026
Jack Rennon
F1 Chronicle

Built on an Upgrade That Delivered - The turnaround in form traces back to the upgrade package Racing Bulls introduced at the Canadian Grand Prix, which included a new front wing and a redesigned underfloor, and which both drivers credited with transforming the car. Before that, the team had gone through a run of quieter results. From Montreal onward, Racing Bulls have collected points with both cars in every round, a run that now stretches to four consecutive Grands Prix and has pulled the team level with Alpine at the front of the midfield battle.

Lawson’s own streak carries its own significance. His sixth place at Silverstone made him the first Racing Bulls driver to score points in five consecutive races in over a decade, last managed by Max Verstappen back in 2015, and only the third driver in the team’s history to manage it at all. Lawson has now scored more points in 2026 than he collected across the whole of last season, a run of form that has pulled him to within three points of Pierre Gasly’s Alpine in the drivers’ standings.

With two drivers delivering results, Racing Bulls look well placed to keep chasing down Alpine for top spot in the midfield, and perhaps to start closing in on the bigger four teams if the gaps keep narrowing the way they have across this season. The team will need that momentum to continue through Belgium and Hungary if they are to turn a good run into a genuine championship position before the summer break arrives.

‘Closing in on Formula 1’s top four’;

Racing Bulls Close In on F1's Top Four | F1 News

Liam Lawson believes Racing Bulls are closing in on Formula 1's top four teams after the squad collected another double points score at the British Grand

f1chronicle.com

Racing Bulls praised for 'nurturing' Liam Lawson after 'borderline embarrassing' Red Bull treatment
7 Jul 2026
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

Liam Lawson and Racing Bulls' strong start to the F1 season has been lauded by Naomi Schiff, who highlighted the impressive way the New Zealander has rebounded after his experience at Red Bull. When it was put to Schiff that Lawson and Racing Bulls have been a revelation this season, she agreed.

"It has been," the former W-Series driver said, speaking on Sky Sports F1. "It was really tough what they did to Liam Lawson; they promoted him into that seat quite quickly, and they removed him from that seat even quicker.”

"And yes, that is very demotivating. I think it's borderline embarrassing sometimes for drivers; you come in there, you think you've made it to the big team, and then you just get whacked back, and that's not nice — it's not, it's not a good feeling. But he's managed to turn it around, and I think if anything, it's for the better."

“Turn it around”;

Racing Bulls praised for 'nurturing' Liam Lawson after 'borderline embarrassing' Red Bull treatment

Liam Lawson has put together a remarkable run of form to start the 2026 F1 season, and Naomi Schiff has suggested why.

racingnews365.com

DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award: 2026 Austrian GP (Arvid Lindblad / Racing Bulls)
29 Jun 2026
DHL

Arvid Lindblad Sat at Maggotts Aged Five Asking His Dad If F1 Was Possible. Now He Gets to Answer That Question
4 July 2026
Jack Rennon
F1 Chronicle

It was the summer of 2013. A five-year-old sat in the grandstands at Maggotts and Becketts with his father, watching the cars come through the long sweeping left-hander in a wall of colour and noise. At some point the boy turned to his dad and asked the only question that felt important. Was it possible? Could that ever be him?

Thirteen years on, Arvid Lindblad is 18 years old and racing in Formula 1. On Thursday at Silverstone, ahead of his first British Grand Prix as an F1 driver, he revisited that memory. “I’m extremely excited. It’s going to be a very special moment for me,” he told reporters in the paddock. “I remember being here in 2013 when I was five and sitting at Maggotts and Becketts with my dad. As I was watching the cars go past, it was when I was really learning about my love for the sport and asking him questions. Is it possible to be there one day? Could that be me? Thirteen years later, to be coming here as an F1 driver will be incredibly special.”

Lindblad decided he wanted this weekend to carry something beyond the standard race-week fanfare. The helmet he is wearing at Silverstone is unlike anything he has raced with before: a hand-drawn visual record of his life in motorsport… The sketches are deliberately childlike. The kind of pictures a boy might draw if he was trying to imagine a future he could not yet see clearly. “I wanted something that really reflected my journey to this point, almost like a map of it as such,” Lindblad explained. “When I was five or six, I believed I could be in F1, so I wanted the images to be almost like me envisioning my journey as my five-year-old self.”

‘Asking His Dad If F1 Was Possible’;

Arvid Lindblad Sat at Maggotts Aged Five Asking His Dad If F1 Was Possible. Now He Gets to Answer That Question | F1 News

It was the summer of 2013. A five-year-old sat in the grandstands at Maggotts and Becketts with his father, watching the cars come through the long sweeping

f1chronicle.com

F1 British GP 2026 | Arvid Lindblad Faces a Special Racing Bulls Challenge
3 Jul 2026
CURVY KING

Further Liam Lawson team radio messages emerge after Austrian GP team orders
30 Jun 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Further untelevised team radio messages from the Austrian Grand Prix after a team orders drama between Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Racing Bulls’ impressive start to the F1 2026 season continued in Austria, where Lawson and Lindblad recorded a third consecutive double-points finish by finishing ninth and 10th respectively.

As reported by PlanetF1.com on Monday, Lawson and Lindblad were involved in a team orders drama on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring. Lawson had been reassured that his teammate would not attack him while the pair were managing tyres and brake temperatures. However, Lindblad overtook his teammate at Turn 4, with Lawson telling the team: “Last time I’m f**king listening, man.”

The full exchange on the cooldown lap went as follows:
Alexandre Iliopoulos (Lawson race engineer): “Liam, P9. Very well done.”
Lawson: “Yeah, very good job everyone.”
Iliopoulos: “Well done. We maximised everything.”
Permane: “Liam, it’s Alan.”
Lawson: “Copy, Alan.”
Permane: “Be cool. Yeah? We’ll sort it out. Don’t worry. Be cool.”
Lawson: “Yeah, copy.”

“Last time I’m f**king listening, man”;

More Liam Lawson team radio emerges after team orders drama

Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane to Liam Lawson: "Be cool. Yeah? We'll sort it out. Don't worry. Be cool."

www.planetf1.com

"Last f***ing time I'm listening man" - Liam Lawson - Full Team Radio Austrian Grand Prix 2026
30 Jun 2026
RAWE CEEK

Lawson clears air on team orders drama
Liam Lawson says a team orders flashpoint with Arvid Lindblad at the Austrian Grand Prix was resolved during the race after he reclaimed the position from his Racing Bulls team-mate.
3 Jul 2026
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

Speaking at Silverstone ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Lawson said he had already moved on by the time the Austrian Grand Prix finished. “It honestly wasn’t really much to do with me, and it’s something that, for me, was resolved in the race; I got my position back, so honestly, by the time we finished the race, I was completely fine,” Lawson said.

“It’s something that is obviously part of Formula 1, being in a big organisation and a team, so I just tried to do my part in the race, and it was more of their discussion than mine.” Asked whether the post-race debrief involved Lindblad being reminded to follow team instructions, Lawson replied: “Yeah.” Lindblad also indicated the matter had been dealt with, saying at Silverstone that it had been discussed and was “all sorted.”

‘Already moved on’;

Lawson clears air on team orders drama

Team radio emerged during the week of the New Zealander reacting angrily at the Red Bull Ring after Lindblad overtook

speedcafe.com

What Really Happened Between Lawson & Lindblad?
30 Jun 2026
Tommo

 

[Fortitude]

'An encouraging year' | Renault CEO praises Alpine improvement.
Francois Provost, Chief Executive Officer of Renault Group, is pleased with the progress Alpine have made this season.
7 Jul 2026
Sky Sports

‘Alpine improvement’;

F1: Renault CEO Francois Provost praises Alpine improvement

Francois Provost, Chief Executive Officer of Renault Group, is pleased with the progress Alpine have made this season.

www.skysports.com

Alpine building foundations for F1 success, says Renault boss
7 Jul 2026
The Straits Times

LONDON, July 7 - Renault has a long-term plan for its Alpine Formula One team but CEO Francois Provost has parked the French carmaker's previous timelines for returning to the top to focus on immediate improvement. Provost told Reuters at the weekend's British Grand Prix that the recovery, led by de facto team boss Flavio Briatore and managing director Steve Nielsen, was real.

"My unique priority today is to stabilise the team, set a strong foundation for the team and start to recover this year, which is the case," he said. "Our objective is P6 (sixth place) minimum. This is the first stage. Based on this we'll set our new vision, our new ambition. When the team is completely lost, when you are nowhere, first you have to set very short-term priorities and refocus the team on delivering very concrete things. This is what I call the one-year plan," he said.

"It is doing well on the performance side and it is doing well on the sponsorship side, so I'm reasonably satisfied but humble. I know that the journey will be a long way. I don't want to disturb the team and everyone with uncertainty. There is a clear reference today, I do not develop engines for Formula One," he said. "We have the Mercedes engine which is a good engine. It's clearly a trigger of our recovery this year."

‘Alpine building foundations’;

Alpine building foundations for F1 success, says Renault boss

LONDON, July 7 - Renault has a long-term plan for its Alpine Formula One team but CEO Francois Provost has parked the French carmaker's previous timelines for returning to the top to focus on immediate improvement. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

www.straitstimes.com

Alpine Formula One team sponsored by Clarkson's Farm
5 Jul 2026
The Grand Tour Fans

Jeremy Clarkson’s farm fuels Alpine at British Grand Prix
5TH JULY 2026
Alexandra Carter
This is Oxfordshire

Diddly Squat Farm will help fuel BWT Alpine Formula One Team as the British Grand Prix at Silverstone gets underway, giving the team a distinctly local flavour for its home race weekend. The Oxfordshire-based outfit has struck a deal with Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm, located just six miles from its Enstone factory, to supply a range of locally sourced food, drinks, condiments and produce.

Jeremy Clarkson has frequently spoken about his passion for Formula One and his support for what he jokingly calls the “Chipping Norton Formula One Team.” That connection has already led to celebrations with Hawkstone beverages from the farm following podium finishes in recent seasons, creating a growing tradition between the two.

Alpine sporting director Steve Nielsen welcomed the collaboration, highlighting the team’s close links to the surrounding farming community and the opportunity to showcase British produce on a global stage. Lisa Hogan, co-founder of Diddly Squat, described the partnership as “special,” adding that she hopes the team enjoys the produce and achieves success on track.

‘Diddly Squat Farm will help fuel BWT Alpine Formula One Team’;

Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm partners with F1 team for Silverstone GP

Diddly Squat Farm will supply Alpine with local food and drink at Silverstone as the Oxfordshire team prepares for its home Grand Prix.

www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk

How Clarkson Accidentally Changed British Brewing
6 Jul 2026
Britain's Best

How Jeremy Clarkson is fuelling Alpine's Silverstone F1 push
3 Jul 2026
Sam Hall
Crash.Net

“It is with great pleasure to team up with our local Formula 1 team at Silverstone this weekend," said Lisa Hogan, Clarkson's partner and shop manager. "The British Grand Prix is one of the highlights on the British sporting calendar so to have Diddly Squat Farm Shop associated, and to play a small role, with the team this weekend is certainly quite special. We hope the team and its drivers enjoy some of our local produce and wish them a successful weekend on track.”

“We are delighted to rely on Diddly Squat Farm to supply us with local farm food this weekend at Silverstone," said Alpine managing director, Steve Nielsen. "As a team, we have enjoyed an excellent relationship with Jeremy Clarkson, who has been very supportive of us for several years. It's great that we are able to help promote British farming and highlight the importance of farming to the local area.”

"Our base at Enstone is surrounded by farms so we are well aware and full of admiration for what farmers do in bringing food to our tables. It's a special occasion to bring local food to Silverstone to keep our team and drivers well fed this weekend so thanks to Jeremy and the team at Diddly Squat Farm for their ongoing support.”

“Enstone is surrounded by farms”;

How Jeremy Clarkson is fuelling Alpine's Silverstone F1 push

Pierre Gasly paid Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm a visit ahead of the British Grand Prix

www.crash.net

Clarkson's Farm Fed an F1 Team... Then THIS Happened at SilverstoneThe Bizarre
7 Jul 2026
Celebs Vibes

‘WE’RE JUST TOO SLOW’ – Alpine pair assess ‘damage limitation’ in British GP
Alpine secured valuable double points in the British Grand Prix to stay marginally ahead in their battle with Racing Bulls.
6 Jul 2026
Formula One - Official Site

PierreGasly initially came out on top in a feisty intra-team battle early on, but a slow second pit stop dropped him behind the Argentine driver and he was unable to reclaim the position.
“Good damage limitation for the team – three points – just a bit annoying to lose P9 to Franco because we had a slow stop on our side.”

“I exited five seconds behind and then it stayed that way so [I’m] not very happy with that. It doesn’t really change the world. We’re just too slow here. The entire first stint I was chasing [Gabriel] Bortoleto, who was pulling away, and the [Racing Bulls car] as well. We’re slow and we need to definitely improve very quickly.”

‘Alpine secured valuable double points’;

Alpine pair assess ‘damage limitation’ in British GP

Alpine secured valuable double points in the British Grand Prix to stay marginally ahead in their battle with Racing Bulls.

www.formula1.com

 

[Fortitude]

Bearman Calls Haas Pace at Silverstone Painful.
Ollie Bearman says Haas were “not quick enough” at his home Grand Prix, calling the team’s lack of pace at Silverstone “painful.”
9 July 2026
Jack Renn
F1 Chronicle

Ollie Bearman pointed to a pattern that has followed him through recent race weekends: strong pace undone by poor getaways. He had qualified thirteenth for the race, one place further back than his Sprint grid slot, and admitted the team has not found consistency at the lights. “We’ve been having some issues of getting consistency on the starts,” Bearman said. “Yesterday was a good start, today was terrible again and I just went backwards and that put us in a position to get spun around into Brooklands.”

That reference to “yesterday” was Saturday’s Sprint, where Bearman had made a clean getaway. Sunday’s race told a different story from the first corner, and the contact with Albon at Brooklands left him at the back of the field before the race had properly begun. Recovering from the back of the pack at Silverstone is never easy, and Bearman found the Haas simply lacked the speed to make progress once he was running in traffic.

“After that I was running at the back and then after that, we were just slow, we were not quick enough to overtake,” he explained. “Struggled a lot in the dirty air and then I managed to have a bit of clean air and show some good pace, but still, not quick enough. It’s painful.” The word choice was deliberate. Bearman has been open in recent weeks about the gap between Haas and the midfield teams above them, and Sunday’s result, a lone point-less finish at his home race, deepened that frustration.

“It’s painful”;

Bearman Calls Haas Pace at Silverstone Painful | F1 News

Ollie Bearman says Haas were "not quick enough" at his home Grand Prix, calling the team's lack of pace at Silverstone "painful."

f1chronicle.com

Ollie Bearman brought to tears driving Senna's iconic car
8 Jul 2026
Sky Sports F1 and TGR Haas F1 Team

'NOT QUICK ENOUGH' – BEARMAN REFLECTS ON 'PAINFUL' BRITISH GRAND PRIX FOR HAAS
Haas came away without any points from Silverstone as Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon struggled for pace.
7 Jul 2026
F1 Chronicle

Ollie Bearman admits that Haas were "not quick enough" in the British Grand Prix, and that the American team's lack of pace is "painful". The Briton endured a difficult home event during Sunday's 52-lap race at Silverstone, having been knocked into a spin on the opening lap at Brooklands by Alex Albon.

Bearman also expects the team to struggle over the next two weekends in Belgium and Hungary, with no major upgrades planned until after the summer break in August. He added: "We haven't got a whole lot on the horizon unfortunately, so it's going to be a tough two races before the summer break."

Haas team mate Esteban Ocon finished behind Bearman in P13, having pitted under the first VSC which lasted only a matter of seconds as an umbrella was retrieved from the track, while the pit stop itself was slow. "Not quite the perfect race let's say but we had a car that was performing normally, without big issues, I didn't have the degradation problem that I had for many races," said Ocon.

"Not quick enough";

Bearman reflects on 'painful' British GP for Haas

Ollie Bearman admits that Haas were "not quick enough" in the British Grand Prix, and that the American team's lack of pace is "painful".

www.formula1.com

Ollie Bearman Silverstone 2026
2 Jul 2026
Darren & Nicola

Why did Haas slip down the pecking order?
4 Jul 2026,
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Haas endured another frustrating Sprint Qualifying session at the British Grand Prix, with both drivers eliminated in SQ1 as the American team's recent struggles continued at Silverstone. Bearman had suggested ahead of the weekend that Haas had been out-developed by its direct midfield rivals in recent races, and Friday's performance appeared to reinforce that assessment. While the team introduced an updated rear wing for Silverstone, the Briton admitted it was not enough to offset the gains made by rival teams.

"It's a shame as I think if everything went well, we would've been through, but I started the lap with low battery – only by 10 percent, but still at this track where it's so sensitive, that more than covers the gap to get through," Bearman explained. He believes Haas has slipped backwards in the increasingly competitive midfield battle. "We brought an updated rear wing, and it seems to be working as expected, but everyone around us that we're competing with has brought more, and that's it – it's a sign of where we are."

"We brought an updated rear wing, and it seems to be working as expected, but everyone around us that we're competing with has brought more, and that's it – it's a sign of where we are." Bearman also acknowledged that significant improvements are unlikely to arrive immediately, with the team not expecting any major upgrades before the summer shutdown. "We don't have any big updates coming before summer break, so I expect the next few races to be a big push. It's a shame, but it's how it is," noted the Briton.

‘Haas had been out-developed’;

Why did Haas slip down the pecking order? - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

Driving Dreams with Ollie Bearman
1 Jul 2026
Silverstone Museum

Bearman admits Austria form was a “punch in the face” as Haas struggles emerge
Oliver Bearman described Haas' lack of pace in Austria as a "punch in the face" ahead of the British Grand Prix
2 Jul 2026
Adam Cooper
Crash.Net

Oliver Bearman says it was a “punch in the face” when he was happy with the behaviour of the Haas Formula 1 car in Austria, only for it to be off the pace compared to midfield rivals. “Last week, we optimised everything, and we were eighth fastest, and that's a really tough one to take. We actually finished one spot ahead of where we should have, but that was nowhere near the points, almost getting lapped by the VCARB.”

“So it's been a bit of a punch in the face, to be honest, that weekend in Spielberg, because we came from Barcelona with a really poor balance, but actually a relatively competitive race pace, and all of those things. We saw, let's say, what was missing, and what was stopping us from being in the fight for points. But Austria was a really tough weekend, and a slap back to reality.”

“A really tough one to take”;

Bearman admits Austria form was a “punch in the face” as Haas struggles emerge

Oliver Bearman described Haas' lack of pace in Austria as a "punch in the face" aheadof the British Grand Prix

www.crash.net

'British talent is on Red Bull's radar as option to replace Verstappen'
11 Jul 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Sky Sports' lead commentator, David Croft, has claimed that British youngster Bearman is also on Red Bull's radar. He added that the team's current principal, Laurent Mekies, knows the Haas driver well, having previously worked for Ferrari. He said: "Over your shoulder is the Red Bull hospitality unit. Laurent Mekies, the team principal, was the man that signed Ollie Bearman to the Ferrari Academy.

“I know Red Bull are keeping very close tabs on Ollie Bearman. If he hasn’t got a way into the Scuderia, that might be a very good option for Red Bull and for Ollie.” Martin Brundle added: "His route to the works Ferrari team has been cut off. At the same time, Haas, they’re the smallest team, and they’ve been struggling to develop that car and keep pace. He’s just got to keep doing what he does, somehow, Ollie, and he’s driving beautifully. (...) But he’s a little bit locked in at the moment. He might have to find a Plan B."

GPblog has previously learned that Bearman is set to stay as one of Haas' drivers next season. An agreement is not yet in place, but it is likely to happen. A new deal would need to be reached with Ferrari (again). The Scuderia previously loaned him out until the end of 2026. With Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc under contract, Ferrari currently has no open seats for the talent. "I have what it takes [to drive for Ferrari]," Bearman previously answered this website question.

‘Ollie Bearma - on Red Bull's radar’;

'British youngster is on Red Bull's radar as option to replace Verstappen'

Oliver Bearman is said to be on Red Bull Racing's radar amid growing speculation over Max Verstappen's future with the Austrian team.

www.gpblog.com

Gene Haas - the owner of Banbury’s Haas F1 Team - pledges $1 million towards Silverstone engineering centre
8th Jul 2026
Charlie Haffenden
Banbury Guardian

The Gene Haas Foundation, the charity established by American entrepreneur Gene Haas, the owner of the Banbury-based TGR Haas F1 Team, has pledged $1 million towards a new engineering facility at Silverstone Circuit. The donation, announced during the British Grand Prix weekend, will fund the Gene Haas Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, which will be built at the home of British motorsport.

Kathy Looman, executive director of the Gene Haas Foundation, said: "This project of upgrading the labs at Silverstone UTC is an exciting next step in our collaboration. For years, I have been witnessing the impact and joy of young engineers and technologists as they learn to design and create with the latest technology.”

"The Gene Haas Foundation has been partnering with UTCs for a few years now, training instructors, providing scholarships and sponsoring competitions. This project is an exciting next step. I look forward to the future with the joint goals of providing hope and opportunity to this and future generations."

‘$1 million towards a new engineering facility at Silverstone Circuit’;

Gene Haas - the owner of Banbury’s Haas F1 Team - pledges $1 million towards Silverstone engineering centre

The Gene Haas Foundation, the charity established by American entrepreneur Gene Haas, the owner of the Banbury-based TGR Haas F1 Team, has pledged $1 million towards a new engineering facility at Silverstone Circuit.

www.banburyguardian.co.uk

 

[Fortitude]

James Vowles makes brutally honest Williams admission as pressure cranks up.
The former Mercedes strategy director is feeling the pressure at Grove after a pointless run-out at Silverstone in both the sprint and feature races.
12 Jul 2026
Connor Andrews
GPblog.com

Williams are eighth in the constructors’ standings with just 11 points from the opening nine races, a huge drop-off from the highs of fifth last season. Since then, the new era of rule changes appears to have caught out the British squad, and Vowles was honest about what went wrong while speaking at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Asked about the second half of the season, he told the event’s broadcasters:

“It is impossible to answer. I think the reality behind it for us is we didn’t get it all right till the winter; really the second half for us is making sure we dig deep on all of that and start moving forward relative to the rest of the field. It’s about undoing some of the elements that were frankly wrong and coming back; that’s what the second half looks like.”

“More [than that], it’s our future going forward because clearly this year was a huge challenge for us, not just us, because you can see the top four teams pulling away and the rest of us not there. We know we’re not at a winning level yet, I said that all the way through. Our goal is to make sure we’re there and quickly. The team right now is less focused on the end of this year in as much as we’ll fight for everything we can, but more making sure we rectify everything we got wrong along the journey.”

“We didn’t get it all right till the winter”;

James Vowles makes brutally honest Williams admission after nightmare run

James Vowles admits Williams "got it wrong" after a disappointing start to the Formula 1 season as Carlos Sainz questions the team's timeline for success.

www.gpblog.com

Williams boss orders review over F1 development concerns
Williams has launched a two-week review of its development program as team principal James Vowles targets a reset at the Belgian Grand Prix.
13 Jul 2026
Ben Waterworth
//
Speedcafe

Speaking on the latest episode of The Vowles Verdict, the Williams chief admitted the team was not adding performance to its car quickly enough. “I would say right now what’s clear is our rate of bringing performance to the car – which is a little bit nuanced in how I mean that – is not at the rate required in order for us to move forward,” Vowles said.

“Step one of all of that is to make sure that we take time to fully understand not just what we’ve done in Silverstone, but really what we’ve done across the entire season,” he said. “How quickly we evaluate that, and typically I would expect that to be done within the next two weeks, then defines what we do in Spa, what we do in Budapest, what we do across the remainder of the season and what we do going into next year at the same time.”

‘Launched a two-week review’;

Williams boss orders review over F1 development concerns

The Grove team endured another disappointing weekend at Silverstone, where its latest upgrades failed to deliver the expected improvement. It

speedcafe.com

Sainz sees ‘serious issues’ as Williams launches FW48 review
12 Jul 2026
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Williams driver Carlos Sainz said he was “worried” in the aftermath of the British Grand Prix. Sainz believes that Williams is having “serious issues with developing this car,” having been left underwhelmed by the Silverstone update. He requested an analysis of the situation, which has been granted.

Williams brought a new front wing to Silverstone, looking to boost an FW48 machine which has been slipping towards the back of the midfield. Both Sainz and Albon made Q2, the first time that had happened since Monaco, though Sainz was left disappointed on race day as his point-less run extended to four grands prix. When PlanetF1.com and others caught up with Sainz post-race, he made his feelings clear over Williams’ present predicament.

“Concerning and frustrating, because it starts to be a bad trend this year that we don’t seem to really find a lot of lap time when the upgrades are coming,” he said. “We need to have a good sit down now this week, analyse what’s happening, because unfortunately we’ve shed a lot of weight out of the car by now, but the gap to the front is increasing and the gap to the rear of the midfield keeps increasing, so we don’t seem to be finding the lap-by-lap [pace] we expected.”

‘Serious issues’;

Carlos Sainz sees 'serious issues' as Williams launches FW48 investigation

Carlos Sainz was "worried" after Silverstone. Can Williams turn this project around?

www.planetf1.com

Why Williams is worrying Sainz so much
10 Jul 2026
JOSH SUTTILL
The Race

Williams fast-tracked a new front wing for Silverstone that was originally targeted for Spa. The 2026 car’s problems went well beyond the weight, with both drivers complaining of significant aero balance issues throughout the season, as well as a general lack of good old-fashioned downforce. The new front wing was supposed to deliver a small step forward, following on from a big package in Miami, which took a chunk of excess weight out of the car.

“We definitely felt that this front wing was a big step forward in the windtunnel and the simulator, and we expected definitely more, more of an uplift from it in performance,” Sainz explained. “Unfortunately we haven't been very competitive this weekend.” Sainz is baffled at Williams’s apparent in-season regression. “I don't know if with this set of regulations we're not understanding the flow dynamics and the flow aerodynamics well or what is happening,” Sainz said.

“But my feeling is that at Suzuka we were 1.6, 1.8 seconds with a very overweight car. [At Silverstone] we're two seconds off with a much better weight. It means that something is not going into the car. There's some load there missing somewhere. We need to go find why and we need to be serious about finding the issues and create some bounce back from here.”

‘Worrying’;

Why Williams is worrying Sainz so much

Carlos Sainz has expressed his concerns that Williams’s Formula 1 team might be going backwards

www.the-race.com

Williams F1 boss assesses chances of retaining Carlos Sainz
Williams is determined to keep hold of Carlos Sainz beyond the current season
3 Jul 2026
Adam Cooper
Crash.Net

James Vowles is confident that the Williams Formula 1 team can hang on to Carlos Sainz, despite a disappointing start to the 2026 season. “He and I talk not daily, but probably every two days,” said Vowles when asked by Crash.net if he had concerns about hanging on to the Spanish driver. “And I think I'm right in saying he came out yesterday and said this is where he wants to be, this is where he wants his career to be, so he and I align.”

“Is he frustrated by where we are today? Yes. Being candid, I'm frustrated as well at the same time. What he is looking for is: do you have the ability to put this in the right perspective, turn it around, and add performance at the right rate? And that's what we have to demonstrate to him. I'm confident we'll be able to do this. I think this weekend will be a good reset point against the last two, and what he's looking for is that.”

‘Williams is determined to keep hold of Carlos Sainz’;

Williams F1 boss assesses chances of retaining Carlos Sainz

Williams is determined to keep hold of Carlos Sainz beyond the current season

www.crash.net

Sainz calls poor British Grand Prix weekend “a wake-up call” for Williams
9th July 2026
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Carlos Sainz Jnr said Williams’ poor performance in the British Grand Prix after introducing a highly anticipated upgrade for its FW48 should prompt a reaction from the team. Sainz admitted the team’s Silverstone weekend “was much more difficult than we had anticipated and hoped for.”

Carlos Sainz Jnr said the team needs to go further in understanding the problems with its car. “I feel like I’m performing at a high level, and the team also pushed flat-out to arrive here with two front wings, which is reassuring and good to see,” he said. “However, we now need a deeper analysis of what’s going on with our car, as we’re lacking too much performance.”

“A wake-up call”;

https://www.racefans.net/2026/07/09/sainz-calls-poor-british-grand-prix-weekend-a-wake-up-call-for-williams/

Carlos Sainz 'worried' after explaining 'serious' issue Williams must fix
Williams started the 2026 season on the backfoot, but Carlos Sainz is now worried after not making midfield progress.
7 July 2026
Jake Nichol & Sàndor Mészáros
RacingNews365

"We had a good start, and I thought from there the race was on, because maybe the dirty air, I could hold them off for the rest of the race, but as soon as we settled in, we saw that the Alpine and Audis were simply too quick for us," Carlos Sainz Jnr told media, including RacingNews365.

"It is concerning and frustrating because it is starting to be a bad trend this year that we don't really seem to find a lot of lap time when the upgrades are coming; we need to have a good sit-down, because we've shed a lot of weight out of the car, and the gap to the rear of the midfield keeps increasing.”

"[Now] I am upset, but worried is maybe the right word. Nobody likes to be overtaken, especially after good starts and getting ourselves in the points and then dropping back. It has been a pattern this season; it was frustrating. But when I go to the factory, I will be smiling and trying to put all my energy into trying to improve the situation, because it is clear to me now that we are having serious issues.”

‘Williams started the 2026 season on the backfoot’;

Carlos Sainz 'worried' after explaining 'serious' issue Williams must fix

Williams started the 2026 season on the backfoot, but Carlos Sainz is now worried after not making midfield progress.

racingnews365.com

 

[Fortitude]

BORTOLETO BELIEVES SILVERSTONE POINTS UNDERLINED AUDI’S F1 POTENTIAL.
Gabriel Bortoleto scored for Audi at Silverstone, ending a run of near misses stretching back to Monaco.
8 Jul 2026
Formula One - Official Site

Gabriel Bortoleto converted his P11 grid slot into eighth place at Silverstone on Sunday, and in doing so scored Audi’s first points since Australia – reiterating that “the team deserve it” after a run of near misses.

"The team deserve it, we have been going through a few races with no points," Bortoleto said after the race. "[It] has been tough for all of the team to see that the pace is there, the potential is there but because of one or other reason, we cannot capitalise on that. But today we truly showed why we are here and our true pace, we are currently on tracks like this a bit behind Racing Bulls with lots of straights. But realistically it was a good position to finish P8."

"It’s big and the team is very happy, I just want to give them a hug you know." said the 21-year-old. "I don’t have time, we have to come here [to the media pen] straight away after but I really want to see them, say thank you after a long weekend. We almost stayed out after Q1, what could have been if we didn’t do Qualifying. They managed to put the car out there and put a good Qualifying and a good performance."

“The team deserve it”;

Bortoleto hails Audi progress after Silverstone points

Gabriel Bortoleto converted his P11 grid slot into eighth place at Silverstone on Sunday, and in doing so scored Audi’s first points since Australia – reiterating that “the team deserve it” after a run of near misses.

www.formula1.com

Gabriel Bortoleto's Team Radio After Scoring Point for Audi at the 2026 British GP
6 Jul 2026
F1 Xhilarate

Gabriel Bortoleto issues order to outspoken F1 rivals: 'That's life'
Gabriel Bortoleto has told some of his F1 rivals to "adapt" to the new regulations instead of criticising.
7 July 2026
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Gabriel Bortoleto has told outspoken F1 rivals to accept the current regulations after energy management fears at Silverstone. "I don't think you've lost the magic of the sport, we are still driving f***ing quick through Copse, at 280kph and I am still lifting to do that corner," Bortoleto told media, including RacingNews365.

"It is not easy flat, and you're not using the grip that we have, and last year was a different [rules] concept, but I think we should turn a page. These are the regulations that we are living in right now, and if there are still people complaining about it, just move the page; these are the regulations we've got until 2030.”

"And then in 2030, when we go to the new regulations, we will talk about it again, but we cannot spend three years talking about the same people every time. Because it is what we have, the cars are still fun to drive, it is different, and we need to adapt to that, and it is life."

'That's life';

Gabriel Bortoleto issues order to outspoken F1 rivals: 'That's life'

Gabriel Bortoleto has told some of his F1 rivals to "adapt" to the new regulations instead of criticising.

racingnews365.com

Exclusive: Nico Hulkenberg offers Audi 'headwind' insight as major steps targeted
In an exclusive RacingNews365 interview, Nico Hülkenberg discussed the start to Audi's life in Formula 1 and the ongoing challenge of developing a power unit from scratch.
10 July 2026
Nick Golding & Sàndor Mészáros
RacingNews365

Asked for his reflections on the campaign so far, Hülkenberg told RacingNews365 during an exclusive interview: "Yeah, I think the season is going okay. I think the start was tough, but I think it was always clear that it would be a bit of a headwind, especially at the beginning. The ex-Sauber side has experience and has been in Formula 1 for a long time. But especially on the engine, gearbox and hydraulics side, we did everything from scratch and by ourselves for the first time.”

"So, yeah, we had a few difficulties and battles with reliability at the beginning of the season, but I really feel we've already progressed a lot. When I think back to Barcelona and Bahrain in winter testing compared to now, the car has evolved a lot, especially on the power unit side. Whilst we don't have too many points, there has been a lot of progress, but it's not really reflected in the championship yet."

‘Ongoing challenge’;

Exclusive: Nico Hulkenberg offers Audi 'headwind' insight as major steps targeted

In an exclusive RacingNews365 interview, Nico Hülkenberg discussed the start to Audi's life in Formula 1 and the ongoing challenge of developing a power unit from scratch.

racingnews365.com

How do Audi assess their progress after introducing a comprehensive upgrade package in Austria?
3 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Gabriel Bortoleto believes Audi is heading firmly in the right direction after the team's extensive upgrade package delivered encouraging results at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix. One of Audi's biggest weaknesses during the opening phase of the season was its poor race starts, which regularly left both drivers losing positions before the opening corners. However, the Austrian Grand Prix offered signs of improvement, with Bortoleto making up a place off the line.

The rookie remains cautious about declaring the problem solved, though. "I don't know, to be honest," he said when asked whether the start issues were now behind the team. I think last race was very good in that sense. I managed to overtake one car in the start. It was the only car I overtook the whole year [so far] in the first lap."

"But at the same time, we need to keep building in that sense. I feel like we were able to do that last weekend and we need to do it again here and next weekend. And then at some point, if we keep doing it every weekend, we can say that we improved the starts. But it cannot be a coincidence of only one weekend. But definitely we are in a happy place now comparing to previous ones."

‘Audi is heading firmly in the right direction’;

How do Audi assess their progress after introducing a comprehensive upgrade package in Austria? - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

Binotto wants ‘rethink’ of FIA’s flawed ADUO system
11/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Audi F1 boss Mattia Binotto has thrown a wrench into the paddock’s fragile peace by demanding that the FIA completely rethink its controversial Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system. In my opinion, the limit has been that it has exclusively measured performance on the track. A car with an overall advantage can afford not to fully exploit the potential of its power unit,” Binotto told Motorsport.com.

“It’s possible, for example, that Mercedes had an engine with superior potential, but had no need to push it to the limit because it already had an advantage thanks to the car. If that were the case, it could have also gained additional development margin. That’s why I think the regulation needs to be rethought in this regard. This wasn’t the original intent of the ADUO: the goal was to help those who were actually falling behind, not to create situations in which the true potential of a power unit might be difficult to assess.”

“On the results, I’m not questioning the work done by the FIA,” he explained. “They have all the tools and data necessary to make their assessments, despite the limitations that any measurement system inevitably entails. However, I believe it’s important to remember the original objective of the ADUO,” he added. “When it was first discussed, the concept was that of a sort of safety net. If a manufacturer was far behind at the start of the regulatory cycle, with regulations virtually frozen and very little room for development, it would risk dragging that disadvantage for five years.

‘Thrown a wrench into the paddock’s fragile peace’;

Binotto wants ‘rethink’ of FIA’s flawed ADUO system

Audi F1 boss Mattia Binotto has urged the the FIA to rethink its controversial Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system.

f1i.com

 

[Fortitude]

Aston Martin facing 'worst race of the year' ahead of much-anticipated F1 upgrade.
"We know that Spa’s going to be really difficult and probably the worst circuit of the year for us," Lance Stroll told media, including Crash.net.
14 Jul 2026
Sam Hall
Crash.Net

Lance Stroll conceded that Spa-Francorchamps will be the "worst circuit" for Aston Martin, with the track set to highlight the ARM26's shortcomings before a major upgrade arrives at the Hungarian Grand Prix. "It should be really difficult for us there, and, hopefully, Budapest is a big uplift in performance. We just have to be patient for the upgrades when they come," Stroll added. "Hopefully, it brings a lot of performance."

Aston Martin team principal and legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey commented recently, "We've taken this difficult spell as an opportunity to overhaul how we work. On the chassis side, we're quite a long way overweight. Some of that comes from integrating the power unit and dealing with vibration issues we've had to work through with Honda, but we also didn't do as good a job as we should have on our side at saving weight.”

"When you design in a rush, weight is the first thing that suffers because you don't have the time to thoroughly optimise everything."

'Worst race of the year';

Aston Martin facing 'worst race of the year' ahead of much-anticipated F1 upgrade

Lance Stroll is braced for a tough weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix

www.crash.net

Newey admits Aston Martin guilty of not consulting F1 drivers enough
12 Jul 2026
JACK COZENS
The Race

Aston Martin team principal and technical director Adrian Newey feels the outfit has been guilty of failing to consult with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll adequately during the process of developing its Formula 1 car. The works Aston Martin-Honda package has been the slowest on average at the start of the 2026 season and the new rules era, and has scored only one attrition-assisted point from the opening nine rounds.

Two-time champion Alonso, who is yet to decide whether he will extend his F1 career into a 24th season, has voiced frustration at that strategy and a lack of incremental upgrades. Speaking at Aston Martin's Silverstone factory prior to the British Grand Prix, Newey acknowledged it had been "extremely frustrating" for Alonso and Stroll "to not be able to race competitively with all the problems we've had, reliability and performance".

"Whilst it might not seem like it, we are very much listening to their comments and trying to act upon it," Newey insisted. "If people don't feel as if they're being heard then they of course get very frustrated; it's human reactions. So perhaps we've been guilty of not spending enough time with Fernando and Lance, Jak [Crawford, reserve driver] here, kind of going through exactly what we are trying to achieve with the upgrade package."

‘Guilty of failing to consult’;

Newey admits Aston Martin guilty of not consulting F1 drivers enough

Adrian Newey feels Aston Martin has been guilty of failing to consult with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll adequately

www.the-race.com

Newey admits Aston ‘guilty’ of leaving F1 drivers out of the loop
13/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Adrian Newey explained why the team chose a path that almost guaranteed its deficit would grow before it could shrink. "Our learning curve was behind, but it became quite obvious very quickly that we were not going to be competitive in the early races,” he continued. "So we took the painful, but I believe correct, decision to not do any development through the first half of the year, knowing that would actually mean, as everybody else develops of course, the gap to the front would actually get bigger.”

"But with the view to then really getting ourselves better-organised, putting a lot of different systems into place for the future and then really doing our research properly because the '26 car was done in a very compressed timescale. "So it's enabled us to step back a bit, take a bit of pressure off ourselves - because I think we actually put ourselves under too much pressure over the winter - and take a deep breath and really understand our problems: what we need to achieve both medium term - which will be with this upgrade package that we hope to have ready in Hungary as a first stage, a second stage in Zandvoort.”

Having described it as "extremely frustrating" for Alonso and Stroll "to not be able to race competitively with all the problems we've had, reliability and performance", Newey said he had made a point of sitting down with both race drivers to explain the team's roadmap. He revealed he had been "going through with both Fernando and Lance exactly what we're doing, what we have planned with the upgrade package, what we have planned through going into the '27 season".

‘Out of the loop’;

Newey admits Aston ‘guilty’ of leaving F1 drivers out of the loop

Adrian Newey has delivered a candid admission that lays bare one of Aston Martin's biggest failings this season.

f1i.com

Lance Stroll points to ‘very broken’ Aston Martin after triple FIA penalty
9 Jul 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets, Stroll admitted it was difficult to remain within track limits given the unpredictable handling of the AMR26. Asked if he agreed with the penalties, Stroll replied: “Maybe, I guess. We had a lot of understeer in the race and the car’s very broken, so it’s even hard to stay within the track limits.”

“A lot of different behaviour every lap, every corner. Just a challenging race. The whole year has been so far.” Asked to clarify if he meant the car was broken physically during the race, he added: “No, just aerodynamically very broken.”

Footage from Stroll’s car at the British Grand Prix showed him applying a large amount of steering lock through some corners, including Copse and the Maggotts/Becketts section. Put to him that he was still pushing hard despite the limitations of the car, he replied: “Yeah, for sure! Out there racing and pushing, so I’m always trying to give it everything I can.”

‘Very broken’;

Lance Stroll breaks silence on triple FIA penalty after British Grand Prix

Lance Stroll was handed three penalties in the space of nine laps at Silverstone.

www.planetf1.com

Alonso warns Aston Martin fans: ‘No upgrade will ever be enough’
11/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

“I think, for the fans, they want us to win races and to fight for the championship,” Fernando Alonso explained, quoted by Crash.net. "This year, whatever the upgrade is and whatever we can improve, it will never be enough. We will always miss an extra package. So, it has to be clear to the fans that we are working day and night to improve the car.”

“We will get better. We will win races. Not this year, so this is only the first step in the plan; it cannot be the last one. So for me, it's important to feel in Hungary that we understand what the weaknesses of the car are, and we are tackling them, especially on the aero package that is the first one that is coming,” the 44-year-old added. “We're struggling with very specific things this year behind the wheel, and if those are improved in Hungary and we can drive the car to the maximum, then I think there is a very clear path and a good momentum that we can take for next year.”

“So that, for me, is the most important thing. We didn't know if it would be race seven or race 12 or at the end of the year, but we knew that ‘Okay, this is our starting place and position. This is not good enough. We are lacking downforce, power, gearbox, experience, all these kinds of things. So, we need to make a study, we need to regroup, and we need to make a plan’,” Fernando Alonso said.

‘No upgrade will ever be enough’;

Alonso warns Aston Martin fans: ‘No upgrade will ever be enough’

Fernando Alonso has warned Aston Martin fans that the team's highly anticipated Hungarian GP upgrade won't be enough.

f1i.com

Fernando Alonso names 'most important' expectation from Aston Martin upgrade
14 July 2026
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Fernando Alonso has named his most "important" expectation from Aston Martin's huge upgrade when it is delivered. "This is the first one which is coming, and we are struggling with very specific things this year behind the wheel, and if those are improved in Hungary, and we can drive the car to the maximum, then I think there is a very clear path and a good momentum that we can take for next year. For me, that is the most important thing."

'Most important';

Fernando Alonso names 'most important' expectation from Aston Martin upgrade

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin are waiting until the Hungarian Grand Prix to deploy a huge upgrade package.

racingnews365.com

Fernando Alonso told he's in the 'worst moment' of his F1 career by former teammate
9 Jul 2026
Connor Andrews
GPblog.com

Few drivers know Fernando Alonso as well as Giancarlo Fisichella, and even fewer probably feel more sorry for him. Yet through it all, Alonso has never added a third world title, and right now, he’s never been further from doing so.

Surprisingly, though, Fisichella doesn’t see that happening this time, as he told F1’s Beyond the Grid Podcast: “Honestly, Fernando is now maybe in the worst moment of his career, he’s 44, he’s fighting for the last four places, that’s not good for him. He needs to find some motivation, and the motivation comes best if you have a good car, probably in a few races they will get the ‘Spec B’ and maybe Fernando can have more fun.”

“I hope so for him. I heard maybe he wants to race even next year. Absolutely [he can’t go out like this] it’s not nice to see, in the last two positions, the last row, he doesn’t deserve it, I hope for him to get a better car and a chance.” While no one would begrudge Alonso stepping away from the sport, the Spaniard himself says he’s yet to decide what 2027 will hold.

'Worst moment';

Fernando Alonso's former team-mate makes heartbreaking admission over F1 future

Giancarlo Fisichella says Fernando Alonso is enduring the toughest period of his Formula 1 career as Aston Martin struggles, and gives his take on his 2027 future.

www.gpblog.com

 

[Fortitude]

Bottas: Cadillac facing ‘no man’s land’ reality despite progress.
Valtteri Bottas has admitted that Cadillac's progress is still being overshadowed by a frustrating reality, with Formula 1’s newcomer continuing to occupy what he describes as "no man's land" despite edging closer to its nearest rivals.
12/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

After a difficult run that included double retirements following reliability problems in Austria, Silverstone at least offered Cadillac something it had been missing: both cars reached the chequered flag. For a team still finding its feet in its maiden F1 campaign, simply seeing both cars finish represented a welcome boost.

"It's definitely good to finish, and the last three races we haven't, so now finally, we did it," said the Finn. "Lots of good information, but it's still pretty clear that we're in a little bit of a no man's land over there. But we seemed at times a bit closer to Haas or the Williams."

The team is rushing another batch of fresh components to Belgium next week in hopes of finally bridging the gap. "We have two weeks to try and make it faster," Bottas said, looking ahead to the next challenge with a determined but weary outlook. I'm sure we will have something in Spa to add to the car. So, we just need to keep chipping away."

‘No man’s land’;

Bottas: Cadillac facing ‘no man’s land’ reality despite progress

Valtteri Bottas has admitted that his Cadillac team's progress is still being overshadowed by a frustrating reality.

f1i.com

Behind the Scenes of the British Grand Prix 2026 | Cadillac Formula 1® Team
10 Jul 2026
Cadillac Formula 1® Team

Gary Anderson's theory on Cadillac's costly F1 problem
2 Jul 2026
GARY ANDERSON
The Race

The new Cadillac Formula 1 team’s brake overheating problems led to both its cars retiring early in the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, and it’s not the first time they it has had problems in this area. This is something that needs fixing as soon as possible, but brake problems are never just brake problems. First and foremost, you need the brake material to work in its operating window. You have to assume Cadillac has disc and pad material on the car that is capable of stopping it, and that it will work from roughly 300 degrees centigrade up towards 1000 degrees. Within that window, the brakes should do the job.

Cadillac’s brake front ducts do look a bit small for those sorts of circuits. For a new team, that is not the right risk to take as its priority should be to finish races. You learn far more from finishing than from squeezing out a tiny aerodynamic gain and then cooking the brakes. And if other cars fall out of the race, you need to be there to pick up a point if it comes your way. That is why it was so surprising to see Valtteri Bottas suffering a brake fire on the first lap. They have full fuel tanks, the brakes are critical, and they are at the back, so in those first few laps, if you have brake concerns you should be braking 10 metres earlier than everybody else, just to get the brakes stabilised, burn off a little fuel, and understand where you are.

For it to happen that quickly suggests something strange was going on. Given it has happened more than once, this does not look like just an Austria-specific problem, it is more than that. And the team had tried to take action to improve its brake cooling. Cadillac does not need a miracle. It just needs to stop pushing the cooling compromise so hard and ensure it has proper mass flow through the ducts. Then, it will be finishing races.

‘Cadillac's costly F1 problem’;

Gary Anderson's theory on Cadillac's costly F1 problem

Why do we keep seeing Cadillacs stopping with their brakes on fire? Here's Gary Anderson's take

www.the-race.com

The Small Town Building Cadillac’s First Formula 1 Car
17 Jan 2026
General Motors and 3 more

How do Cadillac intend to solve their overheating issues from Spielberg?
3 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Cadillac arrives at Silverstone hoping to finally unlock the potential of its latest upgrade package after reliability issues overshadowed what had been an encouraging weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix. Ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix, Bottas revealed that Cadillac has already introduced changes aimed at preventing a repeat of the Austrian problems.

"We've made some modifications to the brake cooling here, but anyway, much lower stress for the brakes on this track, so we should be OK here," Bottas explained. "But of course we've got to be prepared for the next hot races, potentially Budapest being troublesome. But it's been a big issue, obviously not having finished the last two races. But the team is working as hard as we can to solve these issues, and I'm just going to move on."

‘Finally unlock the potential of its latest upgrade package’;

How do Cadillac intend to solve their overheating issues from Spielberg? - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

Valtteri Bottas Cadillac MAC-26 Onboard - Silverstone GP | F1 2026 REAL LIFE GRAPHICS MOD | No HUD
13 Jul 2026
Mantra F1

Race Simulator: Inside the Driver's Seat | Cadillac Formula 1® Team
14 Jul 2026
Cadillac Formula 1® Team

Perez delighted to have regained the confidence he lost 'during the final six months at Red Bull'
2 Jul 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Sergio Perez is very pleased with his performances so far this season and says he has regained the confidence he lost during the final phase of his time at Red Bull Racing.

Perez said: "I've been very pleased with my level of performance, what I've delivered during the year in terms of qualifying, race, it's been pretty solid and I'm really happy. I think the confidence is completely back. I'm really happy and confident and it's like the confidence that I lost in the last six months at my previous team, it's all back and I do believe that I'm operating at a very high level."

He added: "Just feeling at one with the car, with the team, that brings the whole confidence back and knowing that you can perform at your very best." Over his years in Formula 1, Perez has been considered to be among the best in terms of tyre management. The Cadillac driver believes that translated to the current generation of cars as well. He concluded: "Yes, definitely. You can see my race pace. It's extremely good. Qualifying has been good, but I think it's the race pace where I make a bit of a difference."

‘Regained confidence’;

Perez finds confidence again: 'Regained what I lost during my last six months at Red Bull'

Sergio Perez says confidence is back with Cadillac after strong qualifying and race pace; Monaco penalty cost points as team enters critical development phase

www.gpblog.com

What Red Bull Never Revealed About My Shock Exit: Sergio Perez
12 Jul 2026
High Performance and High Performance Racing

Red Bull realized Perez's worth only after he left: ‘I overdelivered’
13/07/2026
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Reflecting on his approach to the daunting task of racing alongside Verstappen, Sergio Perez explained his early mindset. “So, instead of me thinking, ‘Oh, why?’ I say, ‘Look, I come here, and I make the most of it in all regards.’ And it’s what I did,” he recounted. “I went there with the tools available that I had at my expense. I think I overdelivered in all areas over there. It worked out perfectly.”

“Of course, it turned out to be there were some very tough times, very tough periods towards the end as well. The pressure and everyone internally. We had too much success, or people got bored, I think, and they were fighting each other, and all the drama around. But they were fantastic, four years, I think I overdelivered, and only once I left and they brought in all the other drivers, they realised the job that I’ve done for them for four years.”

That final claim has been backed up by cold numbers. Red Bull’s assumption that Perez’s struggles were entirely his own doing quickly evaporated during the 2025 season. His replacements found the tricky, Verstappen-centric car completely unmanageable. Liam Lawson's promotion lasted a mere two races before he was dropped, while Yuki Tsunoda scraped together just 30 points across the entire year before facing the axe himself. With the toxic atmosphere of Milton Keynes firmly behind him, Perez is channeling his energy into his new chapter with Cadillac.

‘I overdelivered’;

Red Bull realized Perez's worth only after he left: ‘I overdelivered’

Sergio Perez believes he overdelivered during his four years at Red Bull, a team operating for the benefit of a single driver.

f1i.com

 

[Fortitude]

Belgian GP predictions: Surprise winner, unexpected podium and early chaos.
Spa-Francorchamps has a habit of producing unforgettable races, but Formula 1’s new energy management rules threaten to add an entirely new layer of unpredictability to this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
16 Jul 2026
Editor
PlanetF1.com

Chaos will dominate the early stages - By Mat Coch. Chaos threatens to overshadow this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix thanks to the well-documented failings of the F1 2026 regulations.
A first Red Bull podium for Isack Hadjar - By Jamie Woodhouse. Max Verstappen’s best Red Bull teammate since Daniel Ricciardo? Isack Hadjar is starting to insert his name into that conversation. Hadjar gained fresh nods of approval at Silverstone where he outqualified Verstappen and picked up a P5 finish.

F1 2026 naysayers to voice fresh, and loud, round of criticism - By Henry Valantine. I sigh slightly in writing this, but Spa is likely to be the circuit which has raised the most eyebrows so far in terms of how superclipping will affect proceedings – despite the changes that have already been made to address early concerns.
Max Verstappen will drag Red Bull to a surprise win - By Oliver Harden. Watch out for Max Verstappen every time F1 visits a traditional drivers’ circuit this season.

‘Belgian GP predictions’;

Surprise Verstappen win, in-race chaos and other Belgian GP predictions

What is your prediction for the Belgian Grand Prix?

www.planetf1.com

2026 Belgian Grand Prix Fast Facts: Tyres, Track and the Numbers That Decide Spa
16 July 2026
Jack Rennon
F1 Chronicle

The Belgian Grand Prix runs this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, the longest lap in Formula 1 and the penultimate round before the summer break.

The Belgian Grand Prix runs this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, the longest lap in Formula 1 and the penultimate round before the summer break. Pirelli has nominated the C2, C3 and C4 compounds, the harder end of its range, for a circuit that punishes tyres through sustained high-speed loads, and the supplier’s own preview points to rising track temperatures and a genuine chance of two-stop strategies. Here is everything worth knowing before lights out, from the tyre nomination to the microclimate, plus the numbers behind the strategy calls.

The Strategy: A Cheap Stop and a Reliable Weapon - Any two-stop temptation gets a helping hand from the pit lane itself. Spa hosts the cheapest pit stop in Formula 1, an 18.4 second median cost across five seasons of measured data, because the lane bypasses the La Source hairpin complex. And once a team commits to stopping, the undercut succeeds 71 percent of the time here, the most reliable strike rate of almost any circuit measured. Cheap stop, dependable undercut, and a supplier openly predicting elevated degradation: if the one-stop pattern that has defined 2026 breaks anywhere, the ingredients are all on the table this weekend. The full strategic picture, circuit by circuit and number by number, sits in the Belgian Grand Prix data preview.

‘Belgian GP predictions’;

2026 Belgian Grand Prix Fast Facts: Tyres, Track and the Numbers That Decide Spa | F1 News

The Belgian Grand Prix runs this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, the longest lap in Formula 1 and the penultimate round before the summer break. Pirelli has

f1chronicle.com

Fernando Alonso raises F2 speed comparison fears for F1 at Belgian GP
13 Jul 2026
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Fernando Alonso believes that, like Silverstone, Spa will see a repeat of deployment issues, leading to cars decelerating on the long straights.
“Silverstone and Spa, they are very thirsty on energy, and you cannot deploy in all the straights,” Alonso said to media, including Motorsport Week. “Next week, it’s going to be the same thing. If you deploy at Spa from Turn 1 to 5, finito for the rest of the lap”.

Outlining the challenges facing drivers, Alonso believes that cars could go over a minute without deployment, which would have dramatic consequences for the speed of the cars at the end of the lap. He then gave a warning of an unfavourable comparison to Formula 2 cars, believing F1 could end up with less power than its support series.

“You need to save a little bit there to have deployment from [Turn] 14 to the Bus Stop. But, if you deploy on those two straights, which is the optimal deployment, then there is a one-minute Sector 2 with no deployment at all. And with no deployment at all, we cannot forget that this year we have significantly less power than last year, and less power than F2. That’s the case when you cut the deployment. So, it’s a challenge.”

‘F2 speed comparison’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/07/13/fernando-alonso-f1-f1-speed-fears/

Charles Leclerc eager to prove 'outstanding' Ferrari win was not a fluke
Charles Leclerc has set the expectation for Ferrari following its surprise British Grand Prix success last time out.
16 July 2026
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

"Personally, I don't really focus on that. I think where I'll be focusing is just to try and get that feeling again in the car," Leclerc told media, including RacingNews365, when asked if he could fight for the win in Spa. If I have that feeling in the car, I'm confident that I will extract the maximum out of this car. If I don't, then it might be trickier.”

"But then the overall result, of course, we are pushing extremely hard as a team in order to fight and challenge Mercedes. We were expecting a very difficult weekend at Silverstone. I think prior to the weekend, we were expecting even more of a difficult weekend in Spa. Considering we obviously won [at Silverstone], maybe we are a bit closer than what we initially thought.”

“But it's still to be proven, and for that, we also need to understand why it was an outstandingly good weekend compared to our expectations. So, we'll focus on all that. But personally, I won't be focusing on just winning because that will be the wrong approach. I'll just focus on the process in order to get the best feeling and to maximise this car."

‘Not a fluke’;

Charles Leclerc eager to prove 'outstanding' Ferrari win was not a fluke

Charles Leclerc has set the expectation for Ferrari following its surprise British Grand Prix success last time out.

racingnews365.com

McLaren to debut Mercedes power unit upgrade at Spa
McLaren will introduce Mercedes’ latest power unit at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix after holding off implementing the upgrade for two race weekends.
15 Jul 2026
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

Speaking ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, McLaren technical director of applied engineering Neil Houldey confirmed the team would introduce the upgraded power unit alongside a new rear wing assembly. “Our preparation has been thorough, using extensive simulation work to get ahead of what we know will be a very demanding weekend for energy management,” Houldey said.

“We’re arriving at Spa with a new rear wing assembly, an upgrade we’ve had in the pipeline as part of the car’s development pathway. We’re confident that this update will add a bit of performance to our car, but we are fully aware that after a difficult British Grand Prix, mainly in terms of pure performance, even this round won’t be that easy, so we won’t be expecting any big change in terms of competitiveness.”

“We need to get the current Mercedes engine. We’re the only one without the new engine, which will be coming for us shortly,” Brown said at Silverstone. “Of course, we’d like to have it. Anytime you have performance that you know is coming, but you don’t have it on your car yet, you want to get it as quickly as possible. But I wouldn’t say it’s a frustration. It is just what it is. We just keep our head down and keep pushing hard. It’ll be in the back [of our cars] in not too long.”

‘Mercedes’ latest power unit’;

McLaren to debut Mercedes power unit upgrade at Spa

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will use the revised specification at Spa-Francorchamps, which was developed as a reliability upgrade

speedcafe.com

Aston Martin braced for 'worst race of the year' at Belgian GP despite upgrade hope
16 Jul 2026
Henry Eccles
GPblog.com

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll has said he is expecting Spa-Francorchamps to be the "worst circuit of the year" for the British team at this weekend's Belgian GP. New upgrades are expected for the team in green in the following races - but not before Stroll and teammate Fernando Alonso face what is expected to be an energy starved circuit at Spa.

At Spa-Francorchamps, Stroll and Alonso face their toughest challenge yet, with the Belgian GP circuit expected to be low on energy recovery opportunities but rewarding of high straight-line speed. Previewing what could be dubbed a 'second home race' considering his mother was born in Belgium, Stroll told media:

"We know that Spa’s going to be really difficult and probably the worst circuit of the year for us. It should be really difficult for us there, and, hopefully, Budapest is a big uplift in performance. We just have to be patient for the upgrades when they come. Hopefully, it brings a lot of performance."

'Worst race of the year';

'The worst of the year' - Aston Martin braced for another miserable weekend at Belgian GP

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll has said he is expecting Spa-Francorchamps to be the "worst circuit of the year" for the British team at this weekend's Belgian GP.

www.gpblog.com

 

[Fortitude]

F1 - 2026 Belgian Grand Prix - Thursday Press Conference Transcript.
16.07.26
FIA (Press Release)

Q: Max, if we could start with you, please. Back at Spa, one of your favourite tracks. From a performance point of view, what can we expect from you and Red Bull?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, I don’t know. Let’s see tomorrow, to be honest. I don’t know how we are going to perform. It’s as simple as that, to be honest.

Q: Alex, let’s come to you. It’s been a bit of a tough run since scoring points in Monaco. What have been the biggest issues with the car?
Alex ALBON: Just a bit of everything, really. I think there’s not one specific trend that we’ve seen in the last two races. More than anything, other teams bring upgrades. We had a smaller one in Silverstone. It worked, but you also have to be honest: the gap to the other midfield cars is at such a point that the upgrades we’ve got on the car are bringing performance, but not enough to fight with them.
Q: Esteban, let’s come to you now. Can we start by looking back, because it’s 10 years since you made your Formula 1 debut here at Spa with Manor. What are your memories of that first weekend?
Esteban OCON: Yeah, crazy. Crazy to think it’s been 10 years. Time flies, really…

Q: Charles, why don’t we start with you, please? Congratulations once again on the win at Silverstone last time out. Just how much confidence does your success there give you coming to Spa?
Charles LECLERC: It feels good, and this I cannot hide. Obviously, after the previous races where I was struggling with the car and trying to find a feeling with the car, it feels good to see that the work pays off. At the same time, as I said, it was only on one track, and now I want to reproduce that on different tracks. So, yes, it felt good, but in terms of confidence, I’m always confident that if I do a good job inside the car, then the results come. If I feel confident with the car and just at ease with the car, the results will follow. For that, I need to work, so it’s what I’ve been trying to do in the past few days: to try and understand, first, why we were much better than what we expected at Silverstone, in order to try and reproduce that more often in the future.

Q: Kimi, let’s come to you now. Can we throw it back to Silverstone first of all? You had a lot of pace, but it turned into, obviously, a frustrating Sunday. What positives do you take from that weekend?
Kimi ANTONELLI: It was a very strong weekend overall, so that was the positive. We were up there in every session, and that was a positive, to see that the pace is good and the momentum is still there despite a few difficulties that we had previously. So, yeah, that’s a real positive. On my side, I just need to deliver and try to maximise all the things that I have in my control. The rest, I cannot really do much about it, other than just try to drive as fast as I can and keep delivering in performances.

Q: Liam, let’s come to you. Can we start by talking about something non-F1 related? You drove Bruce McLaren’s GT40 at Goodwood last weekend. You said your hands were shaking after the run. Can you explain why it was such an emotional moment for you?
Liam LAWSON: Yeah, it was pretty cool. Obviously, growing up in New Zealand, motorsport in New Zealand and Formula 1 especially, there’s a lot of history. It’s been a long time since the success of those guys. Obviously, Bruce starting McLaren, and that car specifically is what won that race. There’s a pretty sick movie that’s about it. It’s obviously more about the Ken Miles car, but it’s in the movie. For me, as a New Zealander growing up learning about the history, and having relationships and mentors with people who were close to, or knew, the families of Bruce and Chris Amon, it was very, very cool. So, yeah, very special. I probably won’t ever have a feeling like that again in a race car.

‘Transcript’;

F1 - 2026 Belgian Grand Prix - Thursday Press Conference Transcript

PART ONE – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Alex ALBON (Williams), Esteban OCON (Haas)Q: Max, if we could start with you, please. Back at Spa, one of your favourite tracks. From a performance point of view, what can we expect from you and Red Bull?Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, I don’t know. Let’s see...

www.fia.com

Lando Norris Hit with 10-Place Belgian GP Grid Penalty
McLaren hopes Spa's overtaking opportunities will soften the blow as its difficult Formula 1 title defense continues.
16 JUL 2026
PHILLIP HORTON
AutoWeek

“We know it’s better [to take the penalty here] than Zandvoort, and better than Hungary,” said Reigning World Champion Lando Norris, pointing out the relative simplicity of passing at Spa-Francorchamps. “I hope it’s not the end of my weekend before it’s started.”

‘10-Place Belgian GP Grid Penalty’;

Lando Norris Hit with 10-Place Belgian GP Grid Penalty

McLaren hopes Spa's overtaking opportunities will soften the blow as its difficult Formula 1 title defense continues.

www.autoweek.com

Red Bull opts for back-of-the-grid start with Hadjar after PU change for Belgian GP
16 Jul 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Isack Hadjar is set to start from the back of the grid at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix. The Frenchman confirmed the news in an interview with Canal+. Hadjar will take a new power unit for the Belgian Grand Prix, meaning he will start from the back of the grid regardless of where he qualifies, the Red Bull driver told the French broadcaster on Thursday.

Red Bull Racing has opted not to use its 'Macarena' wing at Spa this weekend after it caused two incidents involving Max Verstappen over the previous two Grands Prix. Hadjar also addressed the team's decision to GPblog, among others, in Belgium. He said: "I mean, visually, it's obviously a big change, but in the car, it's not, it's less than you might think. It's hard even for us to measure the loss, going back to it. So we still reckon to have like similar competitiveness to last weekend, for example, even though it's definitely a less impressive rear wing.”

“But we're making sure the other one comes back to us as soon as we can and in a safer way as well. I guess I got quite lucky for two rounds in a row [that it did not happen to me]. So yes, this one was really down to luck. It could have happened to none of us and it could have happened four times to the both of us. So, on this one, he took it for me unfortunately and to be honest he's probably his problem is my problem as well, and we need to fix it."

‘Back-of-the-grid start’;

Red Bull joins McLaren in taking power unit grid penalty for Belgian GP with Hadjar

Isack Hadjar has confirmed he will start the Belgian Grand Prix from the back of the grid following a power unit change, he said in an interview at Spa-Francorchamps.

www.gpblog.com

Everything we learned from day one at F1's Belgian GP
16 Jul 2026
JOSH SUTTILL, JON NOBLE, JACK BENYON, BEN ANDERSON, EDD STRAW, VALENTIN KHOROUNZHIY
The Race

Bearman 'flattered' by Red Bull rumours: Sky F1 commentator David Croft's highly-publicised claim that Red Bull was keeping an eye out on Ollie Bearman as a potential signing took, as expected, about 0.05s to come up during Bearman's Thursday debrief. "I mean, first of all, it's quite flattering to hear things like that, with a team like Red Bull who are incredibly successful," Bearman said. "And to be connected with them in any way, even if it's just rumours, is very nice. But like I said, it's just rumours and I'm fully focused on what I'm doing here with Haas at the moment." It wasn't exactly 'come and get me' but wasn't the opposite of that.
Why Verstappen isn't engaging future rumours: Max Verstappen took just 30 seconds and 16 words to kill off the latest wild rumours that had got ahead of themselves in the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix.
Yo-yo racing might not feature: Heading into Spa, the likelihood of rapidly draining batteries meant the prevailing view was that there would be a lot of yo-yo racing, with cars blasting past one another when the other had used its battery power, as had been the case before in F1 2026.

Cadillac has one more race to 'survive' brake issue: Cadillac may have impressed with many aspects of the job it has done in its debut Formula 1 season, but there are still some areas where it has fallen short. One of these is in mastering its brake cooling…
Williams is turning to 2027 already: While Williams still has hopes that an upgraded and (more importantly) lighter B-spec car due to arrive at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix can turn its season around, the first hint of thoughts turning more long-term has emerged.
Where F1 drivers stand on safety car change: After the disappointing ending of the safety car finish at the British GP, there was plenty of talk on media day about whether a rule change was needed to avoid it. Asked about whether the race director should have more freedom to throw a red flag to ensure there’s a racing finish, Hamilton said: “Yeah definitely. It happened in Australia I think one year [in 2023] it was one of the best races…”

There’s parts fears for Aston Martin’s crucial B-spec car: Chief trackside officer Mike Krack said “everybody has done a good job in trying to put mitigations in place, but also have plan Bs for if one or two components can't make it”.
...meanwhile, Alonso's finding joy elsewhere: Fernando Alonso is among the loudest critics of the current, battery-dominated version of F1. He says he’s trying to find and cling to any positives where he can, but ultimately is having to turn to museum pieces to find pure joy in driving again.
Only Lindblad has full Racing Bulls upgrade
Racing Bulls is looking to strengthen its position at the head of F1’s midfield with the debut of another upgrade package at Spa - but the full package will only be on Arvid Lindblad’s car.

‘Everything we learned’;

Everything we learned from day one at F1's Belgian GP

Formula 1's penultimate race before the summer break has already told us plenty

www.the-race.com

 

[Fortitude]

F1 – Verstappen leads Ferrari duo in Belgian Grand Prix opening practice.
Max Verstappen set the pace in Free Practice 1 for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver finishing 0.145 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at Spa-Francorchamps.
17.07.26
FIA (Press Release)

Verstappen quickly moved to the top on mediums with a 1m48.237s, two tenths clear of his team-mate, before lowering the benchmark to 1m47.859s. Hadjar then used the advantage of the soft tyre to take over at the front with a 1m47.778s.

The order changed again as teams began their qualifying-style runs. Kimi Antonelli was among the first front-runners to switch to softs and briefly claimed top spot with a 1m47.603s. George Russell showed strong pace in the opening sector of his lap but lost time towards the end of the circuit and finished behind his team-mate.

Verstappen then produced the fastest lap of the session, stopping the clock at 1m47.070s. Hadjar also improved, while Antonelli was pushed down the order as Ferrari and McLaren began their soft-tyre efforts.

‘Verstappen leads Ferrari duo’;

F1 – Verstappen leads Ferrari duo in Belgian Grand Prix opening practice

Max Verstappen set the pace in Free Practice 1 for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver finishing 0.145 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at Spa-Francorchamps.When the lights went green a queue of cars formed at the pit exit with Sergio Pérez leading the field...

www.fia.com

F1 Full Results | Max Verstappen sets the pace at Belgian Grand Prix FP1
17 Jul 2026
Henry Eccles
GPblog.com

Pos. Driver Team Time

1 VER RBR 1:47.070

2 HAM FER 1:47.215

3 LEC FER 1:47.277

4 HAD RBR 1:47.322

5 ANT MER 1:47.603

7 NOR MCL 1:47.931

8 RUS MER 1:47.959

9 LIN RCB 1:48.234

10 BOR AUD 1:48.406

‘F1 Full Results’;

F1 Full Results | Verstappen edges out Hamilton at Belgian GP FP1

Can anyone challenge Mercedes at Spa? Check out who topped the timing charts at the first practice session of the 2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix.

www.gpblog.com

What happened in F1's Belgian Grand Prix FP1
17 Jul 2026
JOSH SUTTILL
The Race

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace in opening practice at Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix ahead of the two Ferraris. Red Bull parked its ‘Macarena’-spec rear wing for the Spa weekend after back-to-back crashes for Verstappen in Austria and Silverstone.

But it made a strong start to Spa as Verstappen and team-mate Isack Hadjar took turns at leading FP1. Verstappen ultimately ended up on top with a 1m47.070s, the first time he’s topped a practice session in 2026.

He was 0.145s clear of his closest competition, Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari. The British GP winner Charles Leclerc was third, 0.207s off Verstappen. Hadjar, who will start from the back of the field due to multiple engine component changes beyond his allowance, was fourth fastest ahead of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.

‘What happened’;

What happened in F1's Belgian Grand Prix FP1

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace in opening practice at Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix ahead of the two Ferraris

www.the-race.com

Belgian GP: Verstappen tops opening practice from Hamilton
17/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Max Verstappen laid down the first marker at Spa-Francorchamps, topping the opening practice session for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix as Red Bull showed impressive early speed. The early stages of FP1 belonged to Red Bull, with Verstappen and teammate Isack Hadjar trading places at the top of the timesheets during the opening 20 minutes.

Verstappen initially set the benchmark on medium tyres, becoming the first driver to dip below the 1m48s mark with a 1m47.859s lap. Hadjar responded immediately, finding a small improvement on soft tyres to briefly take control of the session. Kimi Antonelli then interrupted the Red Bull dominance with a 1m47.603s effort, but Hadjar returned to the front before the half-hour mark with a 1m47.322s lap.

Verstappen, however, had more to come. Switching to soft tyres, the Red Bull driver produced a 1m47.070s effort to reclaim top spot and underline the strength of the RB22 package around the high-speed Spa layout. The Red Bull drivers appeared particularly strong through the middle sector, where they gained significant time compared with their rivals.

‘Max Verstappen laid down the first marker’;

Belgian GP: Verstappen tops opening practice from Hamilton

Max Verstappen laid down the first marker at Spa-Francorchamps, topping the opening practice session for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix.

f1i.com

Will Max Verstappen win the Belgian Grand Prix?
Could this be the weekend the four-time F1 champion ends his winless drought this season?
17 July 2026
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen enjoyed a positive start to his Belgian Grand Prix weekend by finishing quickest in the opening practice session. It was a surprise, as it was the first time this season that neither a Mercedes nor a Ferrari driver had topped FP1.

Additionally, Verstappen is supposedly lacking straight-line speed around Spa-Francorchamps in his RB22 due to the team ditching its 'Macarena' rear-wing for this weekend and reverting to its original spec. Yet the four-time F1 champion was fastest, and yes, whilst it might be only FP1, it has provided a solid platform on both which he and Red Bull can build into the remainder of the weekend.

Team-mate Isack Hadjar was fourth on the timesheet, with the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc splitting the pair. So with the swathes of orange in the grandstands roaring on Verstappen, could this be an opportunity for him to score his first win of what has so far proven to be a difficult campaign?

‘Will Max Verstappen win?’;

Will Max Verstappen win the Belgian Grand Prix?

Could this be the weekend the four-time F1 champion ends his winless drought this season?

racingnews365.com

Martin Brundle hints at Max Verstappen F1 2027 decision
17 July 2026
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Martin Brundle has hinted at the decision that Max Verstappen could Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. Verstappen’s future continues to be the subject of intense debate as the paddock gathered for the Belgian GP, with Verstappen not keen to discuss the matter on media day.

“In a way, it’s private business. It always amazes me how many big meetings and deals are done in the paddock. You’d think they would do that away from a Formula 1 race weekend, but that’s not how it goes. So my gut feeling is that Max will stay at Red Bull next year. A sabbatical? I don’t think it’s out of the question either.”

“Gut feeling”;

Martin Brundle hints at Max Verstappen F1 2027 decision

Martin Brundle has hinted at the decision that Max Verstappen could Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. Verstappen's future continues to

www.motorsportweek.com

 

[Fortitude]

Antonelli outshines Russell with dominant Belgian GP FP2 display.
Antonelli lays down marker to Russell in Belgian GP FP2.
17 Jul 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

The session was interrupted by two red flags. The first came just a few minutes after the start when several drivers dragged gravel onto the circuit, forcing marshals to clear the track. The second was triggered by an unusual crash for Pierre Gasly, who ended up in the barriers sideways, with his Alpine A526 coming to a halt missing its rear wing.

As for the times, the championship leader topped the session with a 1:45.944, the only driver to break into the 1:45s. Lando Norris was the only one able to stay within touching distance of the pace. Max Verstappen finished third after setting the fastest time in the morning session. Despite reporting unusual gearbox issues over team radio, the Dutchman still ended the afternoon in a strong position.

Lewis Hamilton claimed fourth place, with Isack Hadjar completing the top five. George Russell, meanwhile, endured a difficult session, finishing only eighth and ending up more than a second slower than his teammate. Charles Leclerc also struggled for pace, ending the session outside the top 10 in 11th.

‘Dominant Belgian GP FP2 display’;

Antonelli sends strong signal to title rival Russell after topping Belgian GP FP2

Kimi Antonelli stole the spotlight as FP2 at the Belgian Grand Prix came to a close, setting the fastest time of the day ahead of Lando Norris.

www.gpblog.com

Belgian Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results
17/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, round 10 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.
2026 Belgian Grand Prix - Free Practice 2 results

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:45.944s 18
2 Lando Norris McLaren +0.190s 18
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.472s 21
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.747s 16
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +0.770s 20
6 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.982s 11
7 Franco Colapinto Alpine +1.203s 20
8 George Russell Mercedes +1.285s 20
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +1.350s 20
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.490s 16

‘Free Practice 2 – Results’;

Belgian Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, round 10 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.

f1i.com

Antonelli dominates Russell by 1.2 seconds in pivotal Belgian GP practice
17 July 2026
PA
TSN

George Russell finished an alarming eighth in practice for the Belgian Grand Prix as his world championship rival Kimi Antonelli set the pace. Russell took advantage of Antonelli’s failure to finish at the last round in Silverstone to trim the Italian teenager’s title advantage to 25 points having been as many as 68 back after last month’s Monaco Grand Prix.

However, Russell ended the second session in Spa-Francorchamps trailing Antonelli by a distant 1.2 seconds. “The rear tyres felt too cold, and I was sliding around a lot, but not 1.2 seconds cold,” reported a concerned Russell over the radio.

‘Antonelli dominates’;

Antonelli dominates Russell by 1.2 seconds in pivotal Belgian GP practice

George Russell finished an alarming eighth in practice for the Belgian Grand Prix as his world championship rival Kimi Antonelli set the pace.

www.tsn.ca

Antonelli cautious of Spa threats after Mercedes' "massive turnaround" to top FP2
Kimi Antonelli was fastest in second practice for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, but he isn't getting too excited just yet
17 July 2026
Sam Hall
Crash.Net

Kimi Antonelli hailed the "massive turnaround" to put Mercedes back in the game at the Belgian Grand Prix after the Italian topped second practice, but remained cautious about the looming threats from behind. "It was a massive turnaround with the car because in FP1, we struggled a lot more than anticipated, so it was a good change," said Antonelli. "But of course, a lot of work to do because Red Bull is quick, McLaren was up there. So we just need to put things together.”

"The long run felt quite strong as well, but obviously, the car changed quite a bit between the two sessions. A lot of work to do overnight to be ready for tomorrow and Sunday.” Blaming "over-sliding" for his problems in the opening session, Antonelli was caught out by a slowing Carlos Sainz on an early effort in the second session, with the Italian seen to gesticulate in the direction of the Williams driver.

“He backed off out of a fast corner," he explained. "You exit in seventh gear and I had to abort, and it was quite risky, so of course, I was not happy about it. What I said, probably in the heat of the moment, is not the best, but it was quite a dangerous moment.”

‘Mercedes' "massive turnaround" to top FP2’;

Antonelli cautious of Spa threats after Mercedes' "massive turnaround" to top FP2

Kimi Antonelli was fastest in second practice for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, but he isn't getting too excited just yet

www.crash.net

Pierre Gasly smash brings halt to second Belgian GP practice
That was a major hit for Pierre Gasly!
17 July 2026
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Pierre Gasly suffered a heavy smash to bring out the red flags for a second time during the second practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen caused an early stoppage when running wide through Stavelot, spraying gravel across the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, leading to a short stoppage whilst marshals swept the track clean.

With 14 minutes remaining, Alpine driver Gasly was on a flying lap when he emerged out of the Fagnes chicane, only to lose the rear of the car, leading to it clipping the end of a barrier. Gasly spun once before the front of the car suffered a secondary collision with a barrier, sparking a second 360-degree spin.

The end result was a destroyed rear, and although Gasly attempted to initially continue, it was clear he had to stop on track. The incident led to a 12-minute delay, and just two minutes of running remaining. Although several cars returned to the track, it was for nothing more than conducting practice starts.

‘Heavy smash to bring out the red flags’;

Pierre Gasly smash brings halt to second Belgian GP practice

That was a major hit for Pierre Gasly!

racingnews365.com

Max Verstappen explains furious 'unacceptable' gearbox complaints at Belgian GP FP2
17 Jul 2026
Henry Eccles
GPblog.com

Max Verstappen said: "I mean, it's been alright for me, I didn't really have big problems. The car has been quite in a good window. Probably in FP2 you see a little bit more of the real gap still, but that's nothing shocking or unexpected. It's just a bit of a tough track with the energy management as well. It seems like we're a bit slower on the straight compared to some of our competitors. But balance-wise, it's been quite okay."

When asked about his tetchy radio message to 'GP,' Verstappen admitted he is "always sensitive" around such issues, pinning the problem down to a software update. The Dutchman said: "I'm always very sensitive to these things because I want to work on that and improve it. I think there was like a software update or downgrade that it took a bit of time for the shifts to learn, basically, and then it got a bit better again at the end."

It was then asked to Verstappen whether the downshift issue was just a normal niggle heading into the weekend. "Yeah, some bits were working well and then sometimes it wasn't working, but overall the car has been in a decent window," Verstappen concluded.

'Unacceptable';

'I'm sensitive to these things' - Verstappen explains furious gearbox complaints in Belgian GP FP2

Max Verstappen has said his RB22 is in a "decent window" despite a furious radio message from the Dutchman during FP2 at the Belgian GP.

www.gpblog.com

UPDATED: Ferrari under threat as FIA launches double Belgian GP investigation
17 Jul 2026
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Ferrari is under investigation by the FIA following a tyre breach during Friday practice at the Belgian Grand Prix. Under F1’s rules, teams are required to return two sets of tyres for each car to Pirelli after each practice session on a Friday.

According to a note by the FIA’s Formula 1 Technical Delegate Jo Bauer, Ferrari electronically returned two sets of dry tyres for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton following Friday’s FP1 session at Spa. However, the team failed to return the tyres physically before the start of FP2.

Bauer reported the breach to the FIA stewards, who launched an investigation. The Ferrari team manager is required to report to the stewards at 19:10 local time in Belgium.

‘Ferrari under threat’;

Ferrari facing FIA investigation over double Belgian GP breach

Ferrari could be in trouble at Spa over a tyre breach affecting both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

www.planetf1.com

 

[Fortitude]

'He's on another planet!' | Antonelli sets blistering lap in Belgian GP P3.
18 July 2026
Sky Sports

Kimi Antonelli sets BLISTERING lap in final practice session! Kimi Antonelli goes fastest by a huge margin during the final practice session at the Belgian GP.

‘Blistering lap’;

Belgian GP: Kimi Antonelli sets BLISTERING lap in final practice session!

Kimi Antonelli goes fastest by a huge margin during the final practice session at the Belgian GP.

www.skysports.com

Belgian Grand Prix Free Practice 3 - Results
18/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Full results from Free Practice 3 for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, round 10 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.
2026 Belgian Grand Prix - Free Practice 3 results
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:45.990s 13
2 Lando Norris McLaren +0.139s 21
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.148s 14
4 George Russell Mercedes +0.367s 12
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.392s 17
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.760s 17
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.795s 20
8 Nico Hülkenberg Audi +0.934s 20
9 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +1.059s 18
10 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +1.106s 19

‘Full results’;

Belgian Grand Prix Free Practice 3 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 3 for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, round 10 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.

f1i.com

'I've destroyed the car' | Hamilton crashes out of final Belgian GP practice
18 July 2026
Sky Sports

Belgian GP: Lewis Hamilton crashes out of final Belgian GP practice! Lewis Hamilton crashes at Turn 13 during the final practice session at the Belgian GP.

'I've destroyed the car';

Belgian GP: Lewis Hamilton crashes out of final Belgian GP practice!

Lewis Hamilton crashes at Turn 13 during the final practice session at the Belgian GP.

www.skysports.com

Ferrari races to repair Lewis Hamilton’s car for Belgian GP qualifying after practice crash
18 July 2026
Associated Press

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Ferrari is rushing to get Lewis Hamilton’s car repaired in time for qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix later Saturday after the seven-time Formula 1 champion hit a barrier in practice. Hamilton ran wide over a gravel trap and clipped the barrier with his rear-right wheel, smashing the suspension and causing other damage to the back of the car.

“I’ve destroyed the car, mate, sorry,” he told the team over the radio. The British driver was left to watch the end of the third practice session from behind a wall as the rest of the field headed to the pits ahead of qualifying.

Defending champion Lando Norris has a 10-place grid penalty, while there are also penalties for Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and the two Aston Martin drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

“I’ve destroyed the car, mate, sorry”;

Ferrari races to repair Lewis Hamilton's car for Belgian GP qualifying after practice crash

Ferrari is rushing to get Lewis Hamilton’s car repaired in time for qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix later Saturday after the seven-time Formula 1 champion hit a barrier in practice.

apnews.com

Ferrari fined twice after tyre procedure breach during Belgian Grand Prix practice
18 Jul 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Ferrari has been handed two separate €5,000 fines after breaching the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations during Friday practice at the Belgian Grand Prix. In explaining the decision, the stewards revealed that Ferrari admitted the mistake during the hearing.

"The Stewards heard from the team representative of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton) who acknowledged the breach and attributed it to an oversight." The FIA determined that the breach was procedural rather than an attempt to gain a sporting advantage, opting to impose financial penalties without any sporting sanctions against either driver.

‘Ferrari fined twice’;

Ferrari fined twice after tyre procedure breach during Belgian Grand Prix practice - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net

 

[Fortitude]

Belgian GP Qualifying Report: Kimi Antonelli repels Max Verstappen at Spa.
Kimi Antonelli proved to be the class of the field at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
18 July 2026
John Smith
Total Motorsport

Antonelli beats Verstappen to pole: The final Q3 runs were shaped by interruptions, strategy and one outstanding lap from Antonelli around one of Formula 1‘s most demanding circuits. The Italian once again delivered when the pressure was highest, extending a remarkable run of one-lap performances that has become a defining feature of his championship campaign.

The result gives Antonelli another major opportunity to strengthen his advantage at the top of the standings, although he knows Verstappen will line up directly alongside him for Sunday‘s race. “It’s great to be on pole,” Antonelli said. “It was not a very straightforward session, the track changed a lot. But we were able to improve lap by lap and to bring home pole, which was nice.”

“But tomorrow is another day and obviously I have Max starting next to me so it’s going to be important to get a good start and then be ahead into Turn 5. The last lap was good. I improved a lot in sector two especially so it was a nice lap. Of course there was still a little bit there and there, but happy with that.”

‘Kimi Antonelli proved to be the class of the field’;

Belgian GP Qualifying Report: Kimi Antonelli repels Max Verstappen at Spa

Total-Motorsport.com supplies the qualifying report as Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the Belgian GP for Sunday, July 19.

www.total-motorsport.com

Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying results
18/07/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Full results from qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, round 10 of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
2026 Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying results
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:46.304s 1:45.142s 1:44.361s
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:45.930s 1:45.589s 1:44.678s
3 Lando Norris McLaren 1:45.865s 1:45.454s 1:44.801s
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:46.185s 1:45.689s 1:44.869s
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:46.278s 1:45.397s 1:44.893s
6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:46.124s 1:45.543s 1:44.895s
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:46.433s 1:45.671s 1:45.016s
8 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:46.191s 1:45.629s 1:45.143s
9 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:46.609s 1:46.082s 1:45.628s
10 Isack Hadjar Red Bull 1:46.062s 1:45.823s DNFs

‘Qualifying results’;

Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying results

Full results from qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, round 10 of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

f1i.com

Verstappen's radio message reveals Red Bull delight after P2 at Belgian GP Qualifying
18 Jul 2026
Henry Eccles
GPblog.com

Max Verstappen was immediately delighted with Red Bull after teammate Isack Hadjar provided the Dutchman with a handy tow on his way to securing the second spot on the front row for the Belgian GP. Initially, it looked like Verstappen had got too close to Hadjar on his final run down to the Bus Stop chicane at Spa-Francorchamps, but the four-time world champion was pleased with Red Bull's execution of the move.

"Well done, that was really, really well executed. So thank you guys for that. I don't really start that often up front in Spa, so that's also nice," Verstappen said on the radio following his P2 finish, referencing the fact he has often taken grid penalties at the Belgian GP. Speaking post-Quali, Verstappen reflected further on the tow. He said: “It was definitely helping me, otherwise I would not be standing here. Otherwise I think I would be like P6, or something.”

“So, I think Isack today, knowing that has to start at the back of the grid, he did a really good job giving me a tow in the final sector, and that’s why we’re standing right here.“For sure, tomorrow I think I’ll be looking in my mirrors at the people around me, but at least today we had a really good result. I think the car has been quite decent the whole weekend, not on the level maybe that Kimi was doing. But we’re happy to be on the front row with how we executed as a team."

“Really well executed”;

Verstappen radio message reveals Red Bull delight after Belgian GP Qualifying: 'Really well executed'

Max Verstappen was immediately delighted with Red Bull after teammate Isack Hadjar provided the Dutchman with a handy tow on his way to securing a P2 start at the Belgian GP.

www.gpblog.com

Antonelli denies Red Bull's tow game to storm to Belgian GP pole
18 Jul 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Q3: The opening runs in Q3 saw Norris unexpectedly take provisional pole, with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc both less than a tenth behind. Max Verstappen followed in fourth after benefiting from a tow provided by his teammate, while Lewis Hamilton went fifth and George Russell could only manage sixth.

Following a brief red flag caused by gravel dragged onto the track by Oscar Piastri, forcing the marshals to clear the circuit, the field headed out for their final runs. Max Verstappen was the first to cross the line and, once again benefiting from a tow from his teammate, moved into second. Kimi Antonelli then secured pole position with a 1:44.361, while George Russell finished fourth, ahead of Charles Leclerc in fifth and Lewis Hamilton in sixth.

‘Antonelli denies Red Bull's tow game’;

Antonelli claims stunning Belgian GP pole despite Red Bull's tow attempt

Kimi Antonelli backed up his dominant pace from practice by claiming pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

www.gpblog.com

F1 2026 Belgian Grand Prix: Full starting grid after flurry of penalties
The full starting grid for the F1 Belgian Grand Prix, following qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.
18 Jul 2026
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix - Starting Grid
Pos Driver Nat. Team
1 Kimi Antonelli ITA Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
2 Max Verstappen NED Oracle Red Bull Racing
3 George Russell GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
4 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari HP
5 Lewis Hamilton GBR Scuderia Ferrari HP
6 Oscar Piastri AUS McLaren Mastercard F1 Team
7 Arvid Lindblad GBR Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team
8 Gabriel Bortoleto BRA Audi Revolut F1 Team
9 Liam Lawson NZL Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team
10 Pierre Gasly FRA BWT Alpine F1 Team

‘Full starting grid’;

F1 2026 Belgian Grand Prix: Full starting grid after flurry of penalties

The full starting grid for the F1 Belgian Grand Prix, following qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.

www.crash.net

Kimi Antonelli on Max Verstappen alert after stunning Belgian GP pole display
Kimi Antonelli is once again starting from pole position in Spa-Francorchamps, with the target being to extend his lead in the drivers' standings.
18 July 2026
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Kimi Antonelli knows just how important the start of the Belgian Grand Prix will be, with Max Verstappen joining the Italian on the front row.

"It's great to be on pole," said Antonelli. "It was not a very straightforward session, the track changed a lot. But we were able to improve lap by lap and to bring home pole, which was nice.

"But tomorrow is another day and obviously I have Max starting next to me so it's going to be important to get a good start and then be ahead into Turn Five.

‘Once again starting from pole position’;

Kimi Antonelli on Max Verstappen alert after stunning Belgian GP pole display

Kimi Antonelli is once again starting from pole position in Spa-Francorchamps, with the target being to extend his lead in the drivers' standings.

racingnews365.com

 

[Fortitude]

Antonelli wins Belgian Grand Prix as Hamilton penalised for Russell clash.
Kimi Antonelli extended his lead in the Drivers’ standings with a victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, where his nearest challenger, George Russell, retired on the opening lap after being hit by Lewis Hamilton.
19 Jul 2026
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

With George Russell, retired on the opening lap after being hit by Lewis Hamilton. That was the first penalty for Hamilton, who, having finished fourth behind Antonelli, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, also faces a post-race investigation for an unsafe release.

Russell and Lewis Hamilton made contact, the Mercedes driver out at Turn 6. Oscar Piastri was up to fourth, ahead of Hamilton and Liam Lawson. As Russell put his hands to his helmet, Hamilton told Ferrari: “Car crossed over in front of me. I was right behind another car so I had no front end.” Race Control noted the incident.

Championship leader Antonelli took the chequered, adding 25 points to his tally, with Leclerc and Verstappen joining him on the podium. Hamilton was fourth at the line, but under investigation, followed by Piastri, Hadjar, Norris, Bortoleto, Lindblad and Colapinto. Hamilton, though, is still facing an investigation for an unsafe release.

‘Antonelli wins’;

Kimi Antonelli wins as Lewis Hamilton penalised for George Russell clash

Did Lewis Hamilton end George Russell's title challenge?

www.planetf1.com

F1 2026 Belgian Grand Prix – Race Results
19 Jul 2026
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

Position Driver Team Gap
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1.9s
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 11.5s
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 17.2s
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren 18.9s
6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull 23.3s
7 Lando Norris McLaren 24s
8 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 49.1s
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 50.4s
10 Franco Colapinto Alpine 76s

‘Race Results’;

F1 2026 Belgian Grand Prix – Race Results

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix and additionally benefitted from teammate George Russell's first-lap clash to

www.motorsportweek.com

‘Angry’ George Russell pinpoints Mercedes issue as factor in Spa GP-ending Lewis Hamilton clash
19 Jul 2026
Evie James
Motorsport Week

Speaking to media, including Motorsport Week, Russell pinpointed a battery issue that resulted in his slowness, causing Hamilton to close. “I made a good start, I made a great first corner and I was tucked up right behind Verstappen, but for whatever reason the battery decided not to recharge at Turn 1, so I went around the first corner the battery didn’t charge and I exited the first corner 35 percent down so and because of that because it didn’t charge.”

“I also had a boost problem the turbo didn’t sort itself out so I had no power I got to the top of Eau Rouge with zero percent on the battery. Quite frankly, it was dangerous, you know? I got swamped by three cars, shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place, that’s why I’m most angry.”

‘Angry’;

‘Angry’ George Russell pinpoints Mercedes issue as factor in Spa GP-ending Lewis Hamilton clash

George Russell said he is "numb to the disappointment" after yet another title-chance-denting moment saw him taken out by Lewis

www.motorsportweek.com

Kimi Antonelli pinpoints 'lucky' Belgian GP twist after George Russell crash
19 July 2026
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

Kimi Antonelli has conceded the way the Belgian Grand Prix unfolded is "lucky" for his F1 drivers' championship hopes after poor races for his two closest rivals. The Mercedes driver had to fight his way past Charles Leclerc, who was the beneficiary of a cheap pit stop under virtual safety car conditions at Spa-Francorchamps.

"It’s great to be back on the top step after obviously a few difficult rounds," Antonelli said after climbing from his W17. It was a hard-fought race. We lost first place with a VSC, but then we managed to make our way back. It was a tough win because Charles was quick and we had to hold onto them."

"I think the momentum was always there," the Italian teenager added. "It was just about getting the result, and today we were a bit lucky with what happened in terms of the championship, but that's why you've got to try to take every opportunity, because we saw that it can really swing the situation very easily. So yeah, we just got to keep performing, keep bringing the results, and then we'll see what happens at the end of the year."

'Lucky';

Kimi Antonelli pinpoints 'lucky' Belgian GP twist after George Russell crash

Kimi Antonelli stormed to his first victory since the Monaco Grand Prix, with his triumph at Spa-Francorchamps the sixth of his F1 career.

racingnews365.com

Antonelli holds off Leclerc for Belgian GP win
Kimi Antonelli has returned to the top step of the podium at the Belgian Grand Prix, fending off an impressive Charles Leclerc to claim his seventh victory of the season.
20 Jul 2026
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

The Italian appeared set for a comfortable win early after leading from pole and resisting an initial challenge from Max Verstappen, before a mid-race Virtual Safety Car allowed Leclerc to take the lead. Antonelli remained patient, gradually reeling in the Ferrari before reclaiming the lead with 10 laps remaining and crossing the line 1.9 seconds clear of Leclerc to extend his championship advantage over Lewis Hamilton to 45 points.

Hamilton finished fourth behind Verstappen but could yet drop down the order, with the Ferrari driver under investigation for an unsafe release during his only pit stop. His points, along with Antonelli’s victory, nevertheless proved important in the championship battle after George Russell failed to complete a lap at Spa, crashing out at Les Combes following contact with Hamilton as the pair fought for position.

It was a disastrous result for Russell, who had entered the weekend on a strong run of form but now heads into the summer break the equivalent of two grand prix victories behind his teammate.

‘Antonelli holds off Leclerc’;

Antonelli holds off Leclerc for Belgian GP win

The Italian appeared set for a comfortable win early after leading from pole and resisting an initial challenge from Max

speedcafe.com

Why Hamilton was penalised for Belgian GP clash + why Leclerc wasn't
19 Jul 2026
VALENTIN KHOROUNZHIY
The Race

"During the corner, Car 44 [Hamilton] experienced understeer and, despite attempting to avoid Car 63 [Russell] by applying corrective steering, made contact with the right-hand side of Car 63 with its left-front wheel," the verdict read. The stewards determined that Car 63 remained within the available racing room and that the collision was caused by Car 44 being unable to maintain sufficient separation. The stewards recognise several mitigating circumstances. Car 44 acknowledged the presence of Car 63, attempted to leave appropriate racing room and made a genuine attempt to avoid contact. The collision resulted from a loss of front-end grip rather than from an aggressive or deliberate manoeuvre. In addition, the incident occurred on the opening lap, where reduced grip and compressed racing conditions are recognised."

"Although Car 81 had achieved some overlap with Car 16, its front axle was not ahead of the front axle of Car 16. From the stewards' perspective, there was no realistic possibility of Car 81 completing the overtake from that position. The stewards also determined that Car 16 did not deliberately force Car 81 off the edge of the track. Instead, Car 16 followed the normal racing line before the entry to Turn 5 by moving slightly to the left to open up the corner. As a result of both cars' positions, side-to-side contact occurred between them."

‘Why?’;

Why Hamilton was penalised for Belgian GP clash + why Leclerc wasn't

Here's why Lewis Hamilton was penalised for his incident with George Russell - and why Charles Leclerc avoided sanction for clashing with Oscar Piastri

www.the-race.com

Victory for Antonelli at Spa, but it was far from easy
19 Jul 2026
Steven De Groote
F1 Technical

Kimi Antonelli has won today's Belgian Grand Prix. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc made him work hard for it but that was clearly better pace in the Mercedes. Driver of the day Leclerc still finished a close second while Max Verstappen was happy to make it to the podium in third place. When the red lights went, Antonelli had a decent start but it was Verstappen who took the lead into Eau Rouge. That had Verstappen in the lead on the Kemmel straight, enabling Antonelli and Leclerc to draft behind him, both passing him into Turn 5.

At the start of lap 15, Antonelli very slowly was building a gap, up to just 2.3 seconds on Verstappen. Leclerc was consistently at or within a second of Verstappen but at no point was he threatening the position. Leclerc did however up his pace slightly after Hamilton's message and successive overtake attempts. Verstappen then pitted at the end of lap 17 with Antonelli doing so a lap later to cover off the Red Bull. That put Antonelli down to 5th with Verstappen 2.5 seconds behind him. Ahead of them are the Ferraris and the closely matched McLarens with Piastri clearly having lost some performance in that collision with Leclerc.

On lap 20 there was a VSC to clear some debris off track. It was perfectly timed for Ferrari which called both cars in immediately. For Leclerc this meant he came out of the pitlane ahead of Antonelli while Hamilton could limit the damage of serving his 5s penalty. Antonelli needs three more laps to clear Norris so when he finally did pass, Leclerc had already pulling a 3 second advantage. Antonelli still seemed to have an advantage and started cutting into that advantage by 3 to 4 tenths a lap. …the gap between the two front runners had crumbled down to less than a second by the start of lap 33. At the end of the next lap the gap was down to 0.5 seconds giving Antonelli his first chance to pass the Ferrari, one he used to perfection…

‘Far from easy’;

Victory for Antonelli at Spa, but it was far from easy - F1technical.net

www.f1technical.net