Author Archives: PressBox

McLaren brought its H-wing rear wing to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, debuting the rotating concept on both MCL40 cars as it looked for more speed on the circuit’s long straights. The low-drag device, McLaren’s version of a concept first seen on Ferrari’s car in pre-season running, was designed to switch between cornering and straight-line configurations. McLaren had previously tested a prototype in Austria and a revised version in Hungary, where it reported positive results after holding the original prototype back from the Austrian race because of technical concerns.

Technical director Neil Houldey said McLaren was also bringing a new low-drag rear wing specification and other aerodynamic tweaks, with the team planning to assess the options before finalizing its qualifying setup. Monza was the first planned race appearance for the H-wing in a low-drag, high-speed configuration.

McLaren also ran a tweaked livery at Monza and planned to use it again at the Spanish Grand Prix to promote its partnership with OKX. The team described the joint designs as a highlight of its season. Lando Norris arrived at Monza after back-to-back wins in Hungary and the Netherlands and was trying to win a third straight race, which would be the first such streak of his Formula 1 career.

Red Bull has confirmed a major engineering staffing change, with Tom McCullough set to join the team at the start of 2027 as head of racing, replacing Gianpiero Lambiase. Lambiase has been serving in a dual role as Max Verstappen’s race engineer and Red Bull’s head of racing since his promotion in October 2024, and he is due to move to McLaren by 2028 as chief racing officer after gardening leave. Red Bull had already ruled out Verstappen’s former performance engineer Tom Hart for the race engineer vacancy after Hart turned down a move to Williams.

McCullough is leaving Aston Martin at the end of 2026 after more than a decade with the team and its predecessor operations. He spent four seasons as chief race engineer before becoming performance director, then stepped away from senior trackside duties in early 2025 and focused on Aston Martin’s Performance Technologies division. Red Bull said it was delighted to bring him in and said he will add experience and expertise to the role.

Alpine will give reserve driver Paul Aron Friday’s first practice session at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, with Pierre Gasly stepping aside for the opening hour to comply with Formula One’s rookie FP1 rules. The run is expected to be Aron’s fourth practice appearance of the season and his second with Alpine, after earlier outings for Audi in Barcelona and Austria and for Alpine in Hungary.

The session is also intended to help Alpine assess its latest upgrade package and fine-tune the car’s setup. Aron said he was looking forward to helping the team with that work, and after FP1 he was due to return to Alpine’s Enstone base for simulator duties later in the weekend. He was also set to come back to Monza on Saturday.

Gasly was not scheduled to take to the track until FP2, and he said Monza was a special event because he lives in Milan and won his first Formula One race there in 2020. He said Alpine arrived at Monza encouraged after scoring points in Zandvoort and wanted to build on the upgrade package as it chased more points in the championship fight.

Jenson Button praised Fernando Alonso as one of F1’s defining drivers, saying racing him was much like racing Michael Schumacher because both were hard but fair and always on the limit. Writing in an Aston Martin column ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Button said Alonso’s aggression, adaptability and unmistakable style made him stand out, and he added that the Spaniard will be remembered as one of F1’s greats.

Button said he hopes Alonso keeps racing a little longer and suggested the 45-year-old may want to stay in F1 beyond 2026 so his son can see him compete. He said he does not know Alonso’s plans, but believes the Aston Martin driver still has “so much more to give.” Alonso’s current contract runs through the end of the 2026 season.

Alonso remains the biggest unresolved name in the 2027 driver market, with top teams already tied up and Alpine having confirmed its lineup. Alonso has said he remains committed to Aston Martin’s long-term project, and Button hopes the former McLaren teammate stays with the team and fights for wins. For now, Button said the realistic options are Alonso staying at Aston Martin or retiring.

Formula 1’s 2027 driver market is unusually stable, with recent contract extensions locking down most of the grid and leaving only a handful of openings. Max Verstappen is secured at Red Bull through 2030, Lando Norris has extended with McLaren until at least 2030, Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari deal runs to at least the end of 2030, and Alpine has re-signed Franco Colapinto alongside Pierre Gasly. McLaren are set for 2027 with Norris and Oscar Piastri, Ferrari are sticking with Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, and team academies at Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren have helped push stability over riskier outside hires.

Even with the grid largely settled, Red Bull’s two teams still have unresolved seats, including Isack Hadjar’s seat and both Racing Bulls drives. Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad and Nikola Tsolov are among the drivers in contention for those openings. Mercedes is expected to keep George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for 2027, Audi is expected to keep Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, and Williams will stay with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.

The remaining uncertainty is concentrated at the edges of the market. Fernando Alonso’s decision on whether to continue at Aston Martin could create a major vacancy, and Haas may have the only other realistic opening if it moves on from Esteban Ocon. Red Bull’s lack of pace could reopen driver-market talks, while a future rise from Aston Martin or another team could create new opportunities. Ferrari could also face a later vacancy if Hamilton retires before or around the end of his current contract, which runs through 2028, with Oliver Bearman viewed as an internal candidate.