Author Archives: PressBox

Former F1 driver and pundit Juan Pablo Montoya urged regulators to discipline Max Verstappen after Verstappen’s on-record criticism of Formula 1’s new regulations. Speaking on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Montoya called the comments “disrespectful” and said they had “crossed a line.” He told officials to “park him” and to add “seven, eight points” to Verstappen’s Super Licence, saying drivers may dislike new rules but must “respect the sport.” Montoya also argued that tangible sanctions would change how high-profile drivers message their objections and suggested Verstappen’s public remarks could be influenced by his team.

Verstappen had likened the 2026 cars to “Mario Kart” and described the new rules as “Formula E on steroids.” Those remarks were among the most vocal criticisms alongside comments from Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll, who called the rules “fundamentally flawed.” The debate followed concerns that some overtakes were influenced more by deployment strategy than by on-track performance, an issue highlighted by incidents involving Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in Japan. The FIA and Formula 1 disclosed refinements during a five-week break and teams introduced tweaks ahead of the Miami race aimed at improving starts and wet-weather safety, changes that appeared to improve racing in Miami.

The exchange has sharpened a wider dispute about enforcement and reputational risk as Formula 1 prepares for major regulatory change. Commentators and former drivers offered differing views. Montoya framed the matter as both a disciplinary and reputational issue and advocated penalties that could escalate to race suspensions. Damon Hill said fans appreciate outspoken drivers. The episode underscores growing tensions between drivers and governing bodies over how rule changes are discussed publicly and what disciplinary measures are appropriate.

Lewis Hamilton said he will stop using Ferrari’s simulator ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, after concluding the virtual work “sent him in the wrong direction” and did not correlate with the real SF-26. Hamilton said he “does not like simulators,” that he will “back away” from simulator use and will test alternative preparation methods before Montreal. He added he will continue to attend factory meetings with Ferrari and pointed to his best weekend of the season in China, when he did not use the simulator, as justification for pausing simulator work. Hamilton said he will judge the change by his on-track performance in Canada.

The decision followed a frustrating Miami weekend in which Ferrari brought 11 upgrades to the SF-26 that the team described as a “new car” after extensive simulator work at Maranello, but the package still left the team behind McLaren and short of Mercedes on track. Hamilton qualified sixth and was classified sixth after a post-race penalty for teammate Charles Leclerc; he was seventh on the road after heavy first-lap contact with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto that damaged his car, and he finished the Sprint more than 15 seconds behind Leclerc. Hamilton said poor simulator-to-track correlation left him with a set-up that did not work, a problem he said was amplified on a sprint weekend with limited practice, and he urged Ferrari to reduce aerodynamic drag, estimating a loss of roughly three to four tenths in straight-line speed.

Mercedes and Hamilton’s engineers will re-evaluate how they use virtual tools, analyze both simulator and live-track data, and identify a more reliable route for setup and race preparation. The public withdrawal from Ferrari’s simulator underlines broader questions about how teams balance simulator development with real-world validation during a tightly contested F1 season.

Jorge Peiro and other reports said Flavio Briatore pressed Alpine to replace Franco Colapinto with reserve Paul Aron ahead of the 2026 season, but Alpine instead renewed Colapinto’s seat in a deal finalized at the Mexico City Grand Prix last November. Reporters linked the renewal to Colapinto’s commercial connections in Latin America, pointing to special Mercado Libre liveries in Miami and Montreal, a visible Argentine presence at Imola and a Buenos Aires show run that drew 600,000 people. Commentators differ on the scale of that commercial pull; Nelson Valkenburg said Colapinto does not bring “that much money,” while Jennie Gow said Colapinto “brings so much money.”

On track, Colapinto produced a turnaround that strengthened his case to keep the seat. He delivered a career-best P7 at the Miami Grand Prix, calling it “my most perfect weekend,” and showed consistent pace from practice through the race. Team upgrades, including new parts, wings and a chassis, plus a concentrated factory effort and a switch to Mercedes-supplied engines, were credited with the improvement after a difficult start to the season. He had also scored points in Shanghai and recorded a second top-10 of the season in Miami.

Briatore praised the Miami performance, said Colapinto was proving doubters wrong and arranged extra track time for the driver, pointing to solid pit stops and strong teamwork with Pierre Gasly as factors. Alpine said it will review the new items ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and assess why Gasly did not benefit from the upgrades to the same extent. Peiro noted Paul Aron’s credentials, including third in the 2024 FIA Formula 2 championship and three FP1 outings, as context for why some pushed for a change. Some reports said Colapinto failed to score a point before the end of the year, while other coverage records his points in Shanghai and the career-best in Miami. Alpine sits fifth in the constructors’ standings and faces pressure to translate Colapinto’s improved form into consistent results as the team finalizes its plans for 2026.

The FIA has opened a formal review of multi-team ownership in Formula 1 and put Mercedes’ reported bid for a 24% stake in Renault-backed Alpine under regulatory scrutiny. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said he was “looking into” whether owning two teams should be allowed, adding that “owning two [teams] is not the right way” and warning such arrangements could damage the sport’s “sporting spirit.” He said the FIA will use its authority to protect competitive integrity while it assesses whether the practice is permitted and appropriate.

Mercedes emerged as the frontrunner after submitting a bid reportedly led by CEO Toto Wolff for Otro Capital’s 24% stake, which reports say carries control over driver and team-principal appointments. The stake has also attracted a bid led by Christian Horner and interest from other parties. Renault owns the remaining 76% of Alpine and retains the right to approve any sale until September, but Alpine’s corporate disclosures say Otro Capital is barred from selling its shares until at least November, complicating any immediate transaction. Some reports say Renault may prefer a sale to Mercedes for manufacturer synergies, and other figures, including McLaren CEO Zak Brown, have criticized the potential deal.

Ben Sulayem said the review has broader implications for existing dual-ownership structures, most notably Red Bull’s long-standing ownership of Racing Bulls, formerly Minardi. Red Bull bought Minardi in late 2005 for roughly £20 million and has used the team to develop academy drivers such as Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and Max Verstappen. Reports said Racing Bulls was the subject of months of rumors and that Red Bull rejected a reported £1.1 billion bid in 2025. Any change to FIA policy could force sales, affect other paddock transactions, and sharpen governance and competitive-integrity questions as teams, owners, and the regulator weigh commercial deals against the sport’s regulatory framework.

Mercedes’ recurring problem with poor race starts has become an urgent threat to its title bid, team principal Toto Wolff warned after both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell suffered bad getaways this season. Wolff called the start issues “not acceptable” for a championship-contending team and blamed them on team-side clutch and grip estimates. The problem has been dramatic in scale: Antonelli dropped a total of 26 places on opening-lap incidents across the opening weekends and the Miami sprint and main race. Wolff said the weakness is solvable but must be fixed quickly, and he noted the FIA was not planning further changes to the start procedure, so the solution must come from within Mercedes.

The start troubles have cost track position even as Mercedes retained strong race pace. Antonelli still won the Miami Grand Prix from pole, his third consecutive victory and the first time a driver converted his first three pole positions into three wins, moving 20 points clear in the Drivers’ Standings. Mercedes has four wins from the opening four Grands Prix. Wolff said the inconsistent starts nearly cost Antonelli the Miami result and nearly prompted radio intervention over repeated track-limit warnings, and he praised race engineer Bono for calm handling of those warnings. George Russell recovered to fourth in Miami after a difficult weekend that included contact and a clipped rival, showing both drivers were affected by compromised opening laps.

Mercedes has already started targeted fixes and development work. Engineers identified a three- to four-tenth sector-one deficit and simplified the car’s energy-deployment strategy to correct that shortfall. The team is preparing a first major upgrade package, including planned power updates, for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal and has elevated improved race starts to a top priority alongside those upgrades. Wolff said better launches, together with the pending power upgrades, would be needed to turn the team’s existing pace into more comfortable race wins as rivals McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari brought significant upgrades at Miami and the development race intensified.