Author Archives: PressBox

Mercedes has formally sought a Right of Review from the FIA over George Russell’s Monaco Grand Prix penalty, arguing that new evidence from the pit-lane measurement error and the later reversal of Pierre Gasly’s sanction could affect Russell’s result and championship points. Russell was penalized for pit-lane speeding, then received a drive-through penalty after the original punishment was not served correctly, a sequence that dropped him out of the points and ended his race in 12th place. Mercedes says it is pursuing the case for Russell’s benefit, even though team principal Toto Wolff said the team does not expect it to succeed.

The appeal centers on the same Monaco pit-lane measurement issue that led Alpine to overturn Gasly’s penalties. Stewards acknowledged the pit lane had been measured too short, with one account saying it was 77 meters short, and the error affected five drivers in total. Gasly’s penalties were rescinded and his result was restored to third, his first podium since November 2024. Mercedes is arguing that the Gasly ruling provides grounds to revisit Russell’s case, though stewards must first decide whether the evidence is genuinely new, relevant and significant. The FIA has confirmed the review process has begun, but Mercedes still has filings to complete before the case can move forward.

Wolff said Mercedes wanted clarity and a seat at the table when such decisions are made, but also warned that reopening a penalty already served during the race would be difficult under the sporting regulations. He said the team had missed the 96-hour appeal window and believed the matter could open a can of worms if it created a broader precedent. Red Bull and McLaren have also signaled appeals or possible appeals over the Gasly ruling, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri said he was mind-blown that only Gasly’s penalty had been overturned. Red Bull said it wanted clarity on how in-race penalties that are not appealable should be handled, turning the Monaco dispute into a wider debate over fairness and race governance.

Leonardo Fornaroli is set for another step in his Formula 1 climb this week, with Haas scheduled to run the 21-year-old McLaren reserve driver in a two-day Testing of Previous Cars session at Jerez on Wednesday and Thursday. The test, which will use Haas’s VF-25, is being treated by the team as an appraisal of Fornaroli and a chance for him to build more F1 mileage. Haas reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa is also expected to take part.

The Jerez outing comes as Fornaroli’s profile rises after a rapid run through the junior categories. He won back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in 2024 and 2025, putting him in a small group of drivers to achieve the same feat as Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Gabriel Bortoleto. He has already done Testing of Previous Car runs for McLaren at Silverstone and the Circuit of the Americas, and McLaren does not have an obvious opening for him in 2027 because Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are both on long-term contracts.

Fornaroli’s recent McLaren debut in Formula 1 practice at Barcelona added to the interest around him. He drove Lando Norris’s car in FP1, finished fifth fastest, and was praised by McLaren for his pace and professionalism. Team principal Andrea Stella said Fornaroli’s speed, consistency and professionalism made him an asset for the future, and said McLaren is working to find him a race seat. The Haas test now gives him another opportunity to strengthen his case for a Formula 1 drive.

Charles Leclerc says he needs to be fighting at the front with Lewis Hamilton after a difficult Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Barcelona, and Martin Brundle warned that the Ferrari driver must respond in the next two races at Austria and Silverstone to stop Hamilton becoming Ferrari’s clear team leader. Leclerc said it was up to him to “up my game” after a Q3 crash left him 10th on the grid. He recovered to sixth before a BBW (brake-by-wire) failure left him without power steering in Turn 2 and forced him to retire. He said his biggest mistake was qualifying poorly, added that he wants cleaner events, and said he hopes to rebound at the Austrian Grand Prix. Leclerc has failed to finish his last two races.

Hamilton, meanwhile, extended his momentum with a dominant win for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix, his record-extending 106th Formula 1 victory. He used a flawless three-stop strategy to finish nearly 20 seconds ahead of George Russell, while Kimi Antonelli’s retirement left Mercedes short of a stronger result. Ferrari’s win was its first Grand Prix defeat of Mercedes this season. Hamilton’s points lead over Leclerc now stands at 115 to 75. Leclerc said he credited Hamilton and the team for earning the victory on their own, and he said the virtual safety car likely helped Hamilton’s strategy, though he did not think it would have changed his own result much.

Piero Ferrari said Leclerc’s Spanish Grand Prix weekend was hurt by the qualifying mistake and the power steering failure, but said he has strong confidence in Leclerc’s ability. He said he expects Leclerc to rebound strongly after Barcelona and that the Monegasque driver will remain a major contender in the 2026 title fight. Piero Ferrari also said Leclerc’s switch to Carbone Industries brake parts was an improvement.

Red Bull left the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona facing a blunt assessment of its pace, with team principal Laurent Mekies calling it a “reality check” after the team struggled to match Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Mekies said the track’s long straights and fast corners exposed Red Bull’s weaknesses, and he put the team about three to four tenths off the pace needed to fight for pole positions or race wins. Red Bull said it was still the fourth-fastest team on the grid there, although Mekies said the gap to the leaders was narrower than in earlier races on similar circuits.

Max Verstappen finished fourth in the 66-lap race, about 40 seconds behind winner Lewis Hamilton, with late retirements from Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc helping lift him up the order. Verstappen said Red Bull remained behind the front-runners and described the team as a work in progress, with no wins yet in the 2026 season and only one podium, a third place in Canada. He said Red Bull needs more upgrades and better overall performance, and warned that without major development the team would stay in fourth place on upcoming tracks.

Mekies said Red Bull’s poor starts had been a season-long problem and that the team still had many areas to improve in its first year as a power unit manufacturer, including the chassis and the power unit program. Red Bull is now looking for incremental gains in power unit output, chassis performance, cornering speed and straight-line pace. Isack Hadjar finished sixth after recovering from a poor start, after dropping out of the top 10 on lap one despite starting sixth.

George Russell said a back-to-basics reset of his car setup and mindset restored his confidence and helped him take pole position for the Barcelona Grand Prix. After a difficult run since Miami, he abandoned recent setup experiments, stopped following teammate Kimi Antonelli’s direction and returned to methods that had worked earlier in the season and in past years. The change made him feel like his old self again and more in control of the Mercedes.

The turnaround followed scoreless weekends in Canada and Monaco that left Russell third in the standings and 68 points behind Antonelli, who had won five straight Grands Prix. Russell said he had overthought his approach and made several wrong decisions in recent races. In Barcelona, he topped two of the three practice sessions and said he spent every lap in the top two, while Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called him the fastest driver all weekend.

Russell’s pole was a sharp turnaround ahead of his 100th Mercedes Grand Prix start. He said the result mattered less than regaining comfort and confidence, and he expected a tough race from Antonelli, the McLaren drivers and other rivals.