Ralf Schumacher told Sky Deutschland’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast that Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso should consider retiring “to give young people a chance” and urged Ferrari to promote Oliver Bearman. Schumacher framed the remarks as opinion intended to spark discussion about veteran drivers making way for younger talent and possible mid-season or end-of-season moves. Bearman, a four-year member of Ferrari’s driver academy who impressed during a loan at Haas, could already challenge, or even be better than, Charles Leclerc and, in Schumacher’s view, might offer more to the team than Hamilton.

Former engineer Aldo Costa said Hamilton’s bid for an eighth world title now looked unlikely, arguing drivers tend to decline at 41 and calling Leclerc an “extremely strong” teammate. Hamilton, 41, is in his second season at Ferrari after leaving Mercedes at the end of 2024 and earned his first Ferrari podium with a third-place finish in Shanghai earlier this season. He was outpaced by Leclerc in Australia, Japan and Miami and had won only one head-to-head with Leclerc so far this season; his Miami result ahead of Leclerc came only after Leclerc received a post-race 20-second penalty. After four rounds Hamilton trailed championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 49 points and sat eight points behind Leclerc. Leclerc has seven podiums and one pole this season.

Fernando Alonso will turn 45 in July, recently became a father and is out of contract with Aston Martin at the end of the season; he has said he will decide “sometime in the summer” whether to extend his contract or race elsewhere. Separate reports also noted Alonso had publicly called for Hamilton to consider retirement. The combination of veteran contract uncertainty, public calls for retirement and suggestions to promote young drivers such as Bearman has kept succession planning at Ferrari and the wider generational shift in Formula 1 in the spotlight.

Andrea Stella said McLaren’s strong Miami weekend reinforced the belief the team can still defend its drivers’ and constructors’ titles, but he urged caution, calling the result “a breakthrough” and warning “it was only the fourth race.” He stressed McLaren must keep developing the car and framed Miami as an important step rather than proof the title defense is assured, and he said the team “definitely” intends to defend its constructors’ crown.

McLaren’s recovery followed a difficult start to the season marked by reliability problems and a double non-start for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in China. The team introduced its first major upgrade package to the MCL40 in Miami, where Norris won the Sprint and the upgraded cars produced a double podium in the Grand Prix, finishing second and third. After four rounds McLaren sat third in the constructors’ standings on 94 points, 86 points adrift of leaders Mercedes, with Norris fourth and Piastri sixth in the drivers’ table.

Stella publicly backed his driver pairing, saying McLaren “probably fields the strongest driver pairing” in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and arguing that if they remain consistently together they could pose a major threat. He also praised 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, noting Antonelli’s three wins in the opening four races, a Miami hat-trick, and a surprise points lead, and credited Antonelli’s driving, consistency and close work with his engineers. Stella acknowledged Mercedes’ W17 has outpaced McLaren’s MCL40 early in the year, underscoring the need to make the car faster to fully capitalize on McLaren’s driver strength.

Lewis Hamilton urged F1 and the FIA to give drivers a formal seat at the table as the sport rewrites technical and sporting rules, saying drivers currently lack stakeholder status and meaningful influence over decisions that affect their safety and competitiveness. He said regulators have acknowledged drivers’ input, including on planned 2027 power-unit changes, but that acknowledgement has not translated into decision-making power. Hamilton pointed to midseason tweaks this season and the specific adjustments made for the Miami race as examples, and singled out the Pirelli tyre program as an area where closer collaboration could improve product and safety outcomes.

The debate resurfaced after several drivers from Williams, Ferrari and Audi joined FIA working groups, prompting questions in the paddock about whether such participation could tilt rules toward particular teams. Williams team principal James Vowles defended driver involvement, saying trusted drivers such as Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz are motivated by the health of the sport rather than narrow team advantage, but he warned against biased agendas and said too many voices could complicate decision-making. Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto stressed the FIA remains the ultimate authority on regulations and framed current driver input as broader consultation tied to the regulatory rewrite, not an expansion of disproportionate power.

Fred Vasseur said drivers were not excluded from discussions, reiterated that drivers have always provided technical feedback, and praised the governance system that allowed unanimous midseason rule changes. Tensions have produced concrete interventions and criticism: F1 introduced engine-regulation tweaks ahead of the Miami Grand Prix that drew criticism from fans and drivers, including Max Verstappen, and F1 management agreed to alter 2027 plans by increasing internal combustion engine output from the near 50-50 split with electric power. Vowles reported that FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis had consulted GPDA director Carlos Sainz. Those criticisms, consultations and technical adjustments underline continuing questions about how technical changes are made and who should have formal influence over the sport’s governance as it implements major changes.

Max Verstappen’s decision to make his Nürburgring 24 Hours debut produced unusually high ticket demand and forced a complete sell-out of the event for the first time in its history, organizers said, with only a limited number of day tickets remaining. Verstappen is due to race on May 16-17, 2026, with the four-hour-plus start scheduled for May 16 at 15:00 local time (14:00 UK). He will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for a Red Bull-linked Team Verstappen run by Winward Racing, alongside co-drivers Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella.

Verstappen’s recent outings on the Nordschleife helped spark the surge in interest. He raced earlier in 2026 in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie with Winward, took pole position and showed front-running pace before a potential win was lost after a technical infringement led to disqualification. Lando Norris said he was excited to see Verstappen at the 24 Hours and praised a specific action Verstappen performed during his previous Nürburgring run. Public and media attention has followed the Dutch driver beyond the Formula 1 paddock.

The Nürburgring 24 Hours began in 1970 and has hosted more than 30 drivers with Formula 1 experience. With four world championships and more than 230 Grand Prix starts, Verstappen is the most decorated and experienced Formula 1 competitor ever to enter the race. Past F1 world champions to race the event include Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Jack Brabham, and Lauda remains the only F1 champion to have won the Nürburgring 24 Hours, in 1973. The event’s record holders among former F1 drivers include Hans-Joachim Stuck, with 19 entries and three overall wins, Markus Winkelhock, with 16 starts and three wins, and Pedro Lamy, who has five overall victories. Observers and organizers framed Verstappen’s entry as the latest chapter in a long-running tradition of Formula 1 drivers crossing into endurance and GT competition.