McLaren has held preliminary talks with Max Verstappen about a possible move from Red Bull, according to reports that say the team is positioning itself in case he becomes available. The most discussed scenario would pair Verstappen with Lando Norris, with Oscar Piastri potentially moving to Red Bull in return. No deal has been agreed, and the talks remain early.

Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull through 2028, but reports say his deal may include a release clause tied to his championship position at the summer break. Heading into the Austrian Grand Prix, different reports placed him seventh in the standings, 60 points behind second place and 101 behind leader Kimi Antonelli. Red Bull’s 2026 performance decline has fueled the speculation, and the team is preparing a major weight-saving upgrade for the Austrian race. One Italian report also said Red Bull made a notable adjustment to Verstappen’s contract and offered reassurances about its direction.

McLaren’s interest has grown as trusted Red Bull figures have departed, including Verstappen’s longtime race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who is on gardening leave after leaving Red Bull in April and is expected to join McLaren by 2028 at the latest. Norris is expected to stay at McLaren, but Piastri could be vulnerable despite his contract through 2028, with one report citing a strained relationship between Piastri and chief executive Zak Brown. Verstappen has also been linked with Mercedes, though George Russell said his seat is secure and Mercedes is expected to keep Russell and Kimi Antonelli in its current lineup.

Mercedes was forced to revise a controversial serrated-edge diffuser after rival Formula 1 teams questioned whether the upgrade was legal, with Ferrari asking the FIA for clarification and other teams raising similar concerns. The disputed design, introduced on Mercedes’ Montreal and Canadian Grand Prix upgrade package, used spike-like profiles and diffuser extensions to increase aerodynamic effect. The FIA reviewed the part after the Barcelona Grand Prix and issued guidance that took effect at the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.

Mercedes removed the serrated profiles from its W17 at the Red Bull Ring, and images from Austria showed the spike-like elements gone, even though some diffuser extensions remained. Mercedes said the changes were minor and the performance gain from the original concept was small. Racing Bulls was also told to alter its diffuser extensions, while Ferrari’s SF-26 and a similar Haas design were described as still appearing to comply with the rules.

The issue remained unresolved, with the FIA said to be considering whether to ban the Mercedes design, allow more time for changes or take no action. Mercedes was reportedly trying to delay any ban until after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and Ferrari framed its intervention as a request for clarification rather than a cheating allegation. The controversy was seen as a political victory for Ferrari, even as Mercedes remained ahead in both championships.

Lewis Hamilton said a heavy crash during Ferrari’s private pre-season testing in Barcelona in January 2025 caused a neck injury that affected the opening months of his first season with the team. Hamilton said the impact knocked a disc into a nerve, left him in pain for about nine weeks and limited what he could do during that period. He said he managed the injury with daily physiotherapy and chiropractic treatment, along with painkillers and an injection, while he continued racing.

Hamilton linked the physical setback to what he described as the worst season of his 19-year Formula 1 career. He finished sixth in the 2025 championship, 86 points behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, and went through the year without a podium for the first time in his Formula 1 career. He later took his first Ferrari victory in Barcelona on his 31st attempt, and said that win was helped by improvements to the car and the team environment.

Speaking after that breakthrough, Hamilton said he was not focused on the championship title. Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, he said he wanted to concentrate on trying to win the weekend and take each race one at a time.

Six rookie drivers will take part in first practice at the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring as teams use the FIA rule that requires full-time drivers to give up two practice sessions per season to drivers with no more than two Grand Prix starts. Ferrari, Racing Bulls, Haas, Williams, Audi and Aston Martin are all handing their cars to juniors in Friday’s opening session.

Ferrari confirmed that Formula 2 driver Dino Beganovic will drive Charles Leclerc’s car in FP1, marking his fourth Formula 1 practice appearance and his latest run after outings in Bahrain and Austria in 2025 and in Barcelona earlier this season for Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc will miss the session and will have one less hour of track time than Hamilton over the weekend. Ferrari said the move helps it meet Formula 1’s rookie running requirements.

Williams will also run Luke Browning in Carlos Sainz’s car, after his planned FP1 appearance in Barcelona ended early because of an electrical problem. His Austrian outing was part of a previously announced plan to run in both Barcelona and Austria. Racing Bulls will field Ayumu Iwasa in Liam Lawson’s seat, Haas will give Ryo Hirakawa his first FP1 run of 2026 in Esteban Ocon’s VF-26, Audi will put Paul Aron in Gabriel Bortoleto’s car for his seventh FP1 appearance, and Aston Martin will run Jak Crawford in Lance Stroll’s car for his fourth practice session.

Flavio Briatore said Franco Colapinto could remain at Alpine beyond the 2026 Formula 1 season if his form and relationship with the team keep improving, as the team weighs its 2027 driver lineup before the summer break. Briatore said the 23-year-old Argentine has made major progress mentally and technically, with Colapinto rebounding from a scoreless 2025 season to score 16 points this year, finish sixth in Canada, and record top-10 results in China, Miami, Canada and Barcelona while outqualifying Pierre Gasly several times.

The driver discussion has come as Alpine’s 2026 campaign has turned sharply upward under the new regulations and Mercedes engines. Alpine has scored points in every race, sits fifth in the constructors’ standings and leads the midfield after seven rounds with 57 points. Gasly, who scored a Monaco podium after a penalty reversal, backed Briatore’s revival plan and called the French team’s improved competitiveness and morale a sign that the reset has given Alpine a real chance to recover after a difficult 2025 season.

Briatore has also stressed that Alpine’s immediate priority is improving the car rather than changing drivers, and he described Gasly as one of Formula 1’s top six drivers and the leader the team wanted. Rumors have continued about a possible Fernando Alonso return to Enstone in 2027, but neither Alpine nor Alonso has confirmed any move.

Pirelli said the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix could lean toward a one-stop strategy, a shift it linked to the current tyre range and better tyre consistency. The supplier has nominated its softest allocation for the Red Bull Ring, with the C3 as hard, the C4 as medium and the C5 as soft, but it still expects tyre management to be difficult because of Spielberg’s rough asphalt, heavy braking zones, repeated acceleration phases, rear-tyre traction loads and downhill braking forces. Late-June heat is expected to add to thermal degradation, while mountain weather could still bring sudden changes. Pirelli also said qualifying position may be important for any team trying to control the race from the front and make a one-stop plan work.

Each driver will get two sets of hard tyres, three sets of mediums and eight sets of softs, with intermediates and full wets available if needed. Drivers who reach Q3 will receive an extra set of soft tyres. In a dry race, every driver must use at least two slick compounds. Pirelli said the race weekend will test tyre construction under high stress more from thermal degradation than abrasive wear, and that current tyre construction and track evolution could make longer stints more viable than in previous years. Most teams needed two pit stops last year, but Pirelli said the one-stop option is now more realistic.

The Austrian Grand Prix will be staged at the 4.326-kilometre Red Bull Ring in Spielberg from practice on Friday, June 26, to qualifying on Saturday, June 27, and the race on Sunday, June 28. The circuit, which has 10 corners, sits 660 metres above sea level and has a 63-metre elevation change. It has a Formula 1 history dating back to 1964, and the 2025 race produced 81 overtakes. Max Verstappen has taken four pole positions and four wins at the venue, while McLaren leads the constructors there with seven victories.