Author Archives: PressBox

Formula 1 teams arrived at Silverstone with a wave of targeted upgrades for a circuit expected to place unusual demands on the 2026 cars, especially on aerodynamic efficiency, cooling and rear stability. McLaren led the front-running development push with a new front brake duct and revised floor parts, while Red Bull brought updated rear wheel bodywork and revised cascade wings. Ferrari, Racing Bulls, Williams and Haas also introduced changes, with teams across the grid focusing on flow conditioning and thermal management for the British Grand Prix weekend.

Ferrari’s package drew the most attention after both SF-26 cars struggled with overheating in Austria the previous weekend. The team brought a consolidated rear-corner update that included larger inlets and outlets, plus a reshaped rear section designed to improve aerodynamic efficiency and manage heat. Ferrari also aimed to optimize winglet loading, a sign it was trying to balance performance gains with durability after thermal weakness was exposed at the Red Bull Ring. In Austria, Lewis Hamilton finished fifth after a three-race podium streak ended, and Charles Leclerc finished eighth despite using an updated Ferrari power unit.

Mercedes arrived at Silverstone as the championship leader but did not bring upgrades, and it had made only four car changes since its first major package at the Canadian Grand Prix. Aston Martin, Alpine, Audi and Cadillac also came without new parts, while Aston Martin said its larger update would wait for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The weekend also marked the return of the Sprint format, and Hamilton took Sprint pole at Silverstone ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.

Christian Horner is set to make his public return to Formula 1 at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend, his first race attendance since leaving Red Bull last July. After about a year away from motorsport, he has spoken with several current and prospective Formula 1 teams as he looked for a way back into the sport.

Horner is also launching his first memoir, DRIVE, which is scheduled for publication on October 22 through Transworld Publishing. The book is described as a candid account of his more than two decades in Formula 1, covering his 20-year tenure leading Red Bull Racing, the team’s rise from its 2005 debut to dominance, eight Drivers’ Championships, six Constructors’ Championships and 124 Grand Prix victories. The audiobook will be narrated by Horner, and Transworld secured the UK and Commonwealth rights after a bidding war.

Horner said the memoir will reflect on the people, decisions and political battles that shaped his career and on the turbulent final years of his time at Red Bull, including scandal and internal power struggles. He was removed as Red Bull’s chief executive and team principal days after last year’s British Grand Prix, with his exit later formally confirmed in September. His departure followed allegations of inappropriate behavior, which he denied and was twice cleared of by an independent KC, and he has said he has unfinished business in the sport.

Charles Leclerc pushed back against suggestions that Ferrari has started favoring Lewis Hamilton, saying nothing meaningful had changed inside the garage and that the team still felt like family. The debate picked up after Hamilton made a skydive comment and Leclerc said Ferrari had banned him from doing the same. Leclerc said he was focused on his own side of the garage and was not yet thinking about team orders, though he added Ferrari’s interests would come first if such a call became necessary later in the season.

The comments came before Hamilton’s home British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where he took sprint qualifying pole and Leclerc qualified fifth. Hamilton’s form has lifted him to third in the championship on 125 points, while Leclerc is sixth on 79 and has not finished on the podium since the Japanese Grand Prix in March.

Leclerc said the gap reflected a performance swing rather than a shift in Ferrari’s loyalties, and he said Hamilton appeared more settled at the team. Ferrari remains second in the constructors’ standings and is still working to improve its processes. Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said Ferrari may eventually need to back Hamilton if he remains the stronger mathematical title bet, noting that Hamilton has recovered from a slow start with three straight podiums and a win in Barcelona, while Leclerc’s season has included only two podiums, a crash in his home race and a mechanical retirement in Barcelona. Hamilton also passed Leclerc three times in last weekend’s race in Spielberg, underlining the difference in momentum between the two drivers.

McLaren is delaying the introduction of Mercedes’ latest Formula 1 power unit specification, with CEO Zak Brown saying the team is not rushing to switch because its current engines still have usable life left and the mileage already built up on them needs to be managed. McLaren did not use the revised unit at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, making it the only Mercedes customer team still on the older specification at that stage of the season.

Brown said the timing was a strategic decision tied to reliability and engine-cycle management rather than a rejection of the upgrade or a supply dispute. He said McLaren expects to receive the revised Mercedes package, which is described as a reliability-focused change and includes modified batteries, for the Belgian Grand Prix, when the team plans to make its next scheduled engine swap. The approach is also aimed at reducing the risk of later grid penalties from exceeding power unit component limits.

Mercedes introduced the updated specification after earlier retirements raised durability concerns, first using it at the Austrian Grand Prix and later on George Russell’s and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s cars. Williams and Alpine had already adopted the new package, and most Mercedes customer teams were running it at Silverstone. Brown said McLaren was not upset by the delay and expected the team to improve through car and engine upgrades, close the gap to Formula 1’s front-runners and still win races later in the 2026 season. McLaren entered the British Grand Prix third in the constructors’ standings and remained winless in 2026, while Mercedes had won seven of the first eight races.

Lewis Hamilton grabbed sprint pole for Ferrari at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, edging Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli by 0.011 seconds in a session held in extreme heat with track temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius. Hamilton was fastest in practice and in all three Sprint Qualifying segments, posting a 1:28.376 on his way to his first pole in either Formula 1 qualifying format since the previous season’s Sprint in China. The result came three weeks after his win in Barcelona and marked an encouraging sign for Ferrari in his second season with the team.

Max Verstappen recovered from a difficult session to qualify third, Charles Leclerc was fourth and George Russell finished fifth at his home race. Lando Norris damaged his car in SQ1 but still advanced to SQ3 and qualified sixth, ahead of Oscar Piastri in seventh, Isack Hadjar in eighth, Liam Lawson in ninth and Arvid Lindblad in 10th. Pierre Gasly missed the final segment by a small margin, while Haas driver Ollie Bearman was the first to be eliminated in SQ1, missing advancement by 0.010 seconds.

Russell said Ferrari looked unexpectedly strong at Silverstone and described Mercedes as being on the back foot this season, adding that “some things aren’t quite making sense.” He said the Mercedes W17 felt good in the high-speed sections but the team was still missing lap time. Antonelli said he left some time on the table in SQ3 and that a balance change helped him feel better, while also backing Mercedes to fight for victory on Saturday.