Author Archives: PressBox

Fernando Alonso criticized Formula 1 rivals for continuing to pour effort into 2026 car development despite the FIA cost cap, joking that some teams must have a “money machine” in their factory. He pointed to Ferrari’s update package in Barcelona, Red Bull’s planned major upgrade for Austria, Cadillac’s long list of changes and McLaren as examples of teams still finding performance late in the season. Alonso also cited the FIA’s Friday documentation on visible car changes as evidence that some teams were pushing harder than others under the rules.

Alonso contrasted that approach with Aston Martin’s decision to pause smaller updates and wait for a larger package around the summer break. The team has found the AMR26 difficult to improve through minor changes, so it has chosen a one-step development push under technical partner Adrian Newey’s direction. Chief trackside officer Mike Krack said the issue came down to budget management and commitment, and Alonso said he supported the plan because Aston Martin needed more than “a few tenths” while running near the back of the grid.

Aston Martin has scored only one point this season, with Alonso saying his Monaco 10th-place finish accounted for it, although one report said that result came after penalty-related position changes rather than on pure pace. Alonso said the team had been working “flat-out” and urged people not to underestimate it. Carlos Sainz also described the budget pressure facing Williams, saying the team planned aero upgrades for Silverstone and Azerbaijan, was managing its spending carefully and was delaying lighter components until earlier parts had been fully used.

The FIA has rewritten Formula 1’s 2027 technical regulations to ban Ferrari-style exhaust winglet concepts, closing a loophole Ferrari used to generate rear downforce. The update, published after approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Macau, adds an exclusion zone around the tailpipe in Article C2.3.7 and tightens rules on exhaust-support structures, with the FIA saying it wants to stop similar ideas from developing further.

Ferrari introduced the device on its SF-26 during pre-season testing in Bahrain, directing exhaust gases toward a small winglet above the tailpipe to improve airflow and rear downforce. The concept remained legal under the 2026 rules and will stay legal for the rest of this season. Ferrari has been evaluating whether to keep running it at every circuit, and in Austrian Grand Prix practice Lewis Hamilton’s car kept the winglet while Dino Beganovic’s ran without it.

The revised wording also appears aimed at a separate tailpipe-bracket loophole that Mercedes and other teams had found earlier in the season, with teams including Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull later developing similar interpretations. Those versions will also be blocked when the 2027 rules take effect, as the FIA moves to cut off aerodynamic workarounds across the grid.

Ferrari’s Austrian Grand Prix weekend began with another reminder of how much work the team still faced, as Charles Leclerc said after Friday practice that the team was likely to struggle at the Red Bull Ring. Leclerc said Ferrari’s running exposed weaknesses in both straight-line speed and cornering, and he called for a lot of work overnight before qualifying. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in both practice sessions, while Leclerc was eighth in FP2 after missing FP1 so rookie Dino Beganovic could drive the SF-26.

Leclerc said the problems were broader than his absence from first practice and said he was surprised by Ferrari’s lack of cornering pace, since that had usually been one of the team’s strengths. He said there was no obvious fix for the straight-line deficit, and both he and Hamilton were unhappy with the car. Team principal Fred Vasseur also described the day as difficult, saying Austria’s hot, high-altitude conditions were unfavourable and that Ferrari’s new engine was only a decent step forward rather than a major breakthrough.

Ferrari had arrived in Spielberg with a fresh power unit introduced through the ADUO performance-balancing mechanism, part of an upgrade push aimed at improving its chances of returning to the podium. Leclerc said the development pointed the team in the right direction, but he did not consider Ferrari the favourite for the weekend and said Mercedes still had the edge on the circuit’s long straights. He said the update was progress rather than a complete fix, and while he expected Ferrari to be competitive in the race, he thought the team might be more vulnerable in qualifying.

Red Bull’s first major test of its Austria upgrade produced a troubled opening day at the home grand prix, with both Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar running into engine-related and driveability problems around Turn 3 at the Red Bull Ring. The team had introduced an aggressive upgrade package, including floor and rear-suspension changes, but the issues limited Friday running and left Red Bull without a clear read on the new parts.

Verstappen finished fourth in both practice sessions, but he was more than half a second off Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in second practice and repeatedly reported a loss of revs at the Turn 3 hairpin. His car also hit anti-stall twice in first practice and had to return to the garage. Hadjar lost time after a late engine change delayed his FP1 start, completed only 11 laps and finished 12th in the first session before improving to seventh in FP2. Both drivers said the car still lacked the right balance, especially under braking and in traction-sensitive corners like Turn 3.

Technical director Pierre Wache and team boss Laurent Mekies said Red Bull needed overnight work before FP3 and qualifying. Wache said the car’s performance was inconsistent with the new package, though long-run pace looked promising. Mekies said the team was struggling with the car’s behavior entering and exiting Turn 3. Hadjar said the upgraded car still felt like the usual Red Bull and that the team had work to do to catch up, while also needing more consistent pace across sessions rather than relying on qualifying speed.

Red Bull’s F1 team is facing fresh staff-turnover speculation after chief engineer Paul Monaghan was linked with a possible move to Cadillac, with Aston Martin mentioned as a less likely option. The reported switch has not been confirmed, Monaghan has not set an exit date, and sources said any move would probably involve gardening leave that would delay a start until next season. Monaghan, who is under contract through the end of 2028, is also understood to have told Red Bull he wants to stay, though reports suggest he may be seeking a more senior role elsewhere. He is expected at the Austrian Grand Prix, while Red Bull and Cadillac have declined to comment.

Laurent Mekies confirmed Monaghan was working at the track on Friday and said Red Bull’s focus is on retaining and attracting talent, without discussing the rumours in detail. He said the team has enough technical depth in-house and rejected the idea that recent departures are materially weakening it. Monaghan’s potential exit would add to a wider run of senior departures in recent years, including Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Will Courtenay and Rob Marshall, while Gianpiero Lambiase is also expected to move to McLaren in 2028. The staff changes have renewed speculation about Max Verstappen’s future, with sources noting he could have a performance-related exit clause after 2026, but Mekies said the driver’s main concern is having a competitive car and that improving performance is the key to keeping him long term.

Racing Bulls has denied reports that it has already committed Formula 2 driver Nikola Tsolov to a Formula 1 seat for 2027, even as speculation over Liam Lawson’s future with the team has intensified. Team principal Alan Permane said the team has not discussed a 2027 lineup change and is satisfied with the current driver pairing, while a Red Bull insider described the chatter as part of Formula 1’s traditional silly season.

Lawson, who was demoted from Red Bull after only two races in 2025, said ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix that it was too early to talk about 2027 and that he was focused on the present. He said he felt he was in a strong position, with his performances at Racing Bulls improving his case. Lawson is 10th in the drivers’ standings, has scored points in five of the first seven rounds this season and has collected 28 of Racing Bulls’ 41 points in 2026.

The rumors have centered on Tsolov, a 19-year-old Red Bull junior who is in his rookie Formula 2 season and second in the standings with three wins, including feature-race victories in Melbourne and Monaco. Permane said Tsolov does not yet have the super license required for Formula 1, which is why Ayumu Iwasa was used in FP1 sessions instead. Racing Bulls also said no formal agreement exists for 2027, and Permane said both current drivers are meeting the team’s expectations.

Kimi Antonelli set the pace in both Friday practice sessions for the Austrian Grand Prix, giving Mercedes the early edge at the Red Bull Ring. He led FP1 by 0.040 seconds from teammate George Russell, and he stayed on top in FP2 as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris pushed him late. Mercedes opened the weekend with a one-two in first practice, while Antonelli’s FP2 benchmark left McLaren and Red Bull chasing the reference time.

The opening session was heavily affected by reliability problems. Lando Norris lost most of FP1 after a hydraulics leak, Max Verstappen was hit by an anti-stall problem and later software issues, and Red Bull also had a disrupted day with running delays for Isack Hadjar. The session ended under a red flag after Sergio Perez stopped on track, while Lewis Hamilton placed fifth for Ferrari and Dino Beganovic was ninth in Charles Leclerc’s car. Ferrari also used the weekend to assess its new engine and earlier aerodynamic changes.

Antonelli carried that form into FP2 with a best lap of 1:07.209, finishing 0.237 seconds clear of Piastri and 0.325 ahead of Norris. Verstappen was fourth and Hamilton fifth, with Russell sixth after a difficult lap. The session ran in 48C track temperatures and was interrupted by a virtual safety car after Perez stopped at Turn 6, while Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac smoked and returned to the pits with suspected suspension damage. McLaren also abandoned a rear-wing test during practice and said it would continue the development at a later race.