Hello, welcome to This Week, a week where Stefano Domenicali insisted that drivers aren’t being restricted in what they say and why he is hoping that Max Verstappen stays. McLaren cautions against a title push following a win in Budapest, while Ferrari revealed areas where the team needs to improve if Lewis Hamilton is to stay in the championship fight
It wouldn’t be the summer break without a departure, robberies, engagement and possible baby news off-track. But we are nearly ready to go again…
General News
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says drivers “can have their opinion” and are not being stopped from criticising the sport’s power unit regulations. The 2026 technical regulations have divided opinion, with Max Verstappen among those to voice his concerns about the rules, which have led to a different style of driving and racing.
The four-time champion has been one of the biggest critics of the yo-yo style of racing – which sees passes then re-passes- as “anti-racing” and joked last month that someone would “probably shoot me outside the door” if he criticised the rules.
The Red Bull driver clarified a week later in Budapest, “I’ve spoken my mind about these regulations already a long time, and in the beginning, most people were saying, ‘ah, he’s complaining; he should shut up’.”
“But I have to say that the last few races, more and more people are seeing the same thing that I could see coming already a long time, and it’s not about me not liking not winning anymore.”
While Domenicali says he would prefer to discuss things behind closed doors to find solutions, but respects all the drivers’ opinions. The Italian told Sky Sports, “You know me, we are not here to put tape on the mouth of anyone. The beauty of our sport is that everyone can have an opinion, but the opinion is an opinion.”
“There is someone who has the duty to have a line. There are certain drivers that prefer, of course, certain things. That in the process we have highlighted the need to be constructive in that respect.”
Verstappen has been considering his future all season, but changes in ICE / electrical split have seen his threats to quit become quieter; however, questions remain over whether he will drive for Red Bull or another team.
Domenicali said: “Max is an incredible driver. I’ve stated so many times that maybe I’m getting older to repeat that! Max is in a situation where if he loves Formula 1. We discuss together the regulations for the future. I have an incredible relationship with him.”
“F1 is big enough for him to be part of us, but of course he will decide his future, the way that he prefers to do. The sport will look ahead, but my opinion is that Max will stay with us, and I really hope so, and that’s what I’m stating. The sport is big, much bigger than anyone else, all of us.”
McLaren
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has issued a warning to his team’s rivals for the remainder of the 2026 season, as he expressed confidence in the team’s ability to maintain momentum once it has been gained.
Lando Norris took the team’s first win of the season in Budapest, putting him ninety-one points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, while McLaren closed the gap on the Italian’s Mercedes team to a hundred and fifty-nine points. To retain his title, Norris would also need to leapfrog Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Charles Leclerc, while Ferrari are only seventy-two points back from Mercedes in the team standings.
His performances have raised questions about whether McLaren can do that. Asked just that, Stella told Sky Sports, “That’s a difficult question, but there’s a very clear answer. If we can continue the season as we did in Budapest, we can still achieve a great deal.”
“To do so, we must keep pushing with the development of the MCL40 and ensure we outpace our rivals – who certainly aren’t standing still – in this race within the race, which is the competition over updates.”
“The result will depend on how effective the solutions we bring to the track prove to be. In the first part of the season, we struggled more than we expected in this regard too, but I believe that in recent years, once we’ve gained some momentum, we’ve been able to maintain it.”
McLaren will be looking to draw inspiration from Norris’ rival last year, Max Verstappen, who overturned a hundred-and-four-point lead to finish two points behind him. McLaren had played down the upgrade package they brought to Hungary ahead of the event, but the results spoke for themselves as Norris took pole before showing searing pace to win the race.
McLaren says Ferrari’s vast number of upgrades over the first half of the 2026 season is an “inspiration” as it aims to keep rolling out updates of its own. Ferrari has been one of the most impressive teams when it comes to upgrades this season, with new parts at nearly every race.
McLaren has also singled out Ferrari as the team that has impressed the most with the quantity and quality of its car upgrades so far, with them looking at its own processes to try and match Maranello’s design and manufacturing pace.
Engineering technical director Neil Houldey, Motorsport.com, “I think we’ve done a pretty good job of bringing a lot of upgrades that have added performance to the car. But when you look around at our competitors, there are teams [like] Ferrari, who’ve done a fantastic job this year to just drive that development forward.”
Asked if he felt Ferrari had front-loaded its development budget under F1’s cost cap, and therefore perhaps created opportunities for McLaren to make a bigger splash after the summer, Houldey replied: “Well, I think we’ve been front-loading what we’ve got available.”
“I’d say from a volume stand it does look like Ferrari have managed to do a lot, and it’s something for us to look at and understand how they were able to achieve that. How they turned around this stuff so quickly, it’s an inspiration for us to look at and say: ‘Come on, we did well in 2024. We did well in 2025. But actually, how do we do even better in 2026 and moving forward into 2027?”
Speaking about the team’s plans for the rest of the season, Houldey says they are going to keep developing this year’s car because they believe they can learn for next year even if they change key elements of its car design such as its wheelbase and suspension geometry.
Mercedes
George Russell has announced his engagement to his long-term partner Carmen Montero Mundt. The couple announced their engagement last weekend with a social media post, with a simple caption of a ring and a white heart; Russell shared photos from the occasion. From the photos, the Briton popped the question at an intimate, candlelit dinner on a beach.
The Portuguese businesswoman met Russell in early 2020 and is a regular presence in the F1 paddock, frequently attending race weekends alongside Russell. Montero Mundt works in the financial sector and recently unveiled a skincare brand, Barriers. Originally from Spain, she relocated to the UK to pursue higher education, earning a degree in business management and finance from the University of Westminster
Russell has previously credited Montero Mundt with providing him with stability and the ability to disconnect from racing. He told The Times in June, “Carmen brings me stability when it comes to racing and also a way to disconnect.”
“Without doubt she’s my future. So [I hope we’ll be married] in due course. It won’t be next week, but it won’t be longer than five years. So somewhere in that timeframe.”
Red Bull
Isack Hadjar has been one of the strongest teammates to Max Verstappen, but not the position that has come under the most pressure in recent years. And that is perhaps the biggest compliment Isack Hadjar could receive following his promotion to Red Bull.
The Frenchman is the Dutchman’s seventh teammate in eight years, but unlike his six predecessors, he hasn’t appeared to struggle. He, however, says he hasn’t been surprised by that and believed that the complete overhaul of the technical regulations would present the best opportunity to make the step up to Red Bull, and he now feels that has been confirmed.
Hadjar told Motorsport.com, “I actually haven’t surprised myself this year, to be honest. I’ve just been driving at a high level, definitely better than last year. That’s normal because it’s my second season. I’m still not very experienced, but I’m improving a bit.”
That is also reflected in the data. Figures from Paceteq show that Hadjar has so far trailed Verstappen by an average of 0.237 seconds in qualifying, a smaller margin than his predecessors in Red Bull’s second seat.
It should be noted that Verstappen struggles to hustle the car and drive it in a way he wants, giving Hadjar more opportunity to maximise results. But he is clear he still needs to improve on his race pace.
He explained, “I would say Max that has been very impressive on Sundays, all around. I think my one-lap pace has been pretty good, but how well he is managing the races is on a different level. That’s what I’m focusing on and working on.”
The data suggests that Hadjar that his deficit to Verstappen is just over two tenths, the gap in terms of race pace has been larger. On average, Hadjar has lost 0.490 seconds per lap to Verstappen on Sundays, underlining that this is indeed where there is still the most room for improvement.
That was evident once more at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the young Red Bull driver never truly felt comfortable in the RB22. Adding, “We didn’t succeed in finding the sweet spot and in having something driveable for me. It was not possible the whole weekend. On paper, Hungary looked like it was a track that was going to suit us, and I was confident, but the car just didn’t really come alive.”
As Hadjar said himself it’s reassuring that he has been matching and beating Verstappen, though there is always room for improvement given the way the Dutchman has ‘broken’ teammates. I think the Frenchman has delivered the second-season step you need to have a long career.
Verstappen has unveiled a special-edition helmet design ahead of what will be his final home race at next weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix. The design is inspired by the traditional white and blue colourway of Dutch Delftware ceramics.
The design incorporates intricate floral patterns and ornate blue detailing around the lower edges of the helmet. Standard Red Bull and Oracle branding remains at the front, adding pops of colour, while Verstappen’s trademark lion logo is integrated into the design on the top.
He wrote on Instagram, “For my last home race. Dankjewel (thank you) Zandvoort,” alongside the photos. At the time of writing, the post had already reached over 305,000 likes. Another post captioned “An iconic Grand Prix. Unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime. Final home race, a special helmet, a homage to The Netherlands and Zandvoort.”
Ferrari
Team principal Fred Vasseur has revealed areas where the team needs to improve if Lewis Hamilton is to stay in the championship fight. The seven-time champion has remained in the championship race due to a combination of consistent form and reliability issues from main rivals Mercedes.
He sits fifty points behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli at the top of the standings. While the gap is far from insurmountable, Mercedes has generally appeared to have a performance edge over Ferrari, meaning the Italian squad likely need to find further gains if he is to maintain his challenge. Ferrari also remain in the hunt for the constructors’ title, with Mercedes only seventy-two points clear despite their early-season dominance.
Vasseur told Sky Sports, “The first half of the season was in stages. Until Spain, Mercedes was flying. After Spain, when we came back, we scored more points than Mercedes in the last four or five races.”
The Frenchman was speaking after the final round before the summer break in Hungary, during which Ferrari and Hamilton made a series of errors that saw him finish fifth when the car was at least fast enough to be in the podium places.
He added, “Where do we have to improve? If I draw a conclusion based on Hungary, I would say execution. But execution so far was probably a good one for us from the beginning of the season. We know that we have to improve on the engine side and we will do it. The inertia on the engine is much higher than on the chassis.”
After McLaren’s win in Budapest, the feeling is that the team is being held back by the power unit, but they have the best chassis on the grid. Ferrari has one more opportunity to upgrade the power unit. While Vasseur acknowledges there is room for improvement of the engine, he insists the team must continue to work hard to bring further upgrades to the chassis.
Adding, “The most important thing will be to be able to keep the pace in the development. McLaren did a good job for a while, but they don’t have exactly the same philosophy [as us] because they are bringing a big package.”
Hamilton has graded his efforts for the first half of the season, a campaign in which he sits second in the championship at the summer break. Last year, the seven-time champion was facing questions about whether he could win again, but a year on he is fighting both Mercedes and possibly Lando Norris,
some questioning whether he still had the pace to battle for consistent race wins or an elusive eighth title. However, he answered critics in spectacular fashion, by taking his first win with Ferrari in Barcelona, positioning himself as the chief rival to Kimi Antonelli for the crown.
However, when asked to judge his opening stanza for 2026, Hamilton was less complimentary than some might be, saying: “Slightly above average, maybe.”
On his title chances, he added: “I’m thinking about just one race at a time. I’m just trying to figure out how I can maximise each weekend, so I’m generally not thinking about ten races from now.”
There is a minimum of ten races to go, though the sport is looking to replace at least one of the final two races
Charles Leclerc and his wife, Alexandra Leclerc, who married in a private Monaco ceremony earlier this year, are currently holidaying in Sardinia. But Recent photographs from their luxury yacht getaway have fuelled rumours that the couple are expecting their first child, with Alexandra appearing to show a baby bump.
As of the time of writing on Friday, there has not been an official announcement, but Leclerc’s brother, Arthur, shared photos of Alexandra cradling her bump, and Charles used a soundtrack called New Dad in one of his latest Instagram posts.
The two were married earlier in the year after approximately three years together, holding a private ceremony in Monaco. Speaking to F1.com at the time, Leclerc described it as “one of those days that I’ll forever remember. And same for Alex, and the same for our family.”
Adding, “It was family only, and it was very small and secret in a way, which we really enjoyed. We’ll do another one with all of our closest friends in actually quite a bit of time… (it will) take some time to organise it properly.”
Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad has called on the team to ‘keep doing what we’re doing’ and not throttle back in its constructors’ championship battle with Alpine. At the summer break, Racing Bulls has established itself as the class of the midfield, moving into fifth place with a double-points result in Hungary.
Racing Bulls’ form has seen the team fail to score on only one occasion this season. Just five points separate the two teams ahead of a return to action in Zandvoort next weekend, and Lindblad has pressed his team to maintain its recent advantage. He told Crash.net, “We’re fighting Alpine, and we’re seven-eight tenths quicker in quali. I don’t think it’s really about hanging on.”
“I think it’s about continuing to focus on ourselves and bring updates, which I know the team has got good stuff coming. So, I really don’t think the mindset’s hanging on, it’s about pushing on. We’re doing a really good job. The team has brought really good stuff. They’re performing really well.”
Since the start of the European season, the Swedish-English driver hasn’t failed to score, he is subject to rumours of a promotion if Max Verstappen goes through with his threat to quit. The promotion of Red Bull junior driver Nikola Tsolov has seen speculation that it would be Lawson moved aside and not the Briton, should a change in the line-up be pursued for 2027.
Focusing on this season, Lindblad added: “I think going into the summer break now is a massive confidence booster for everyone in the team, looking at where we started the year.
“So, it’s about more of the same and keeping doing what we’re doing, because the momentum we’ve got and the look at our trajectory of points in the last six races, seven races, it’s impressive.”
Reflecting on his maiden season, he says it is proving to be a “dream” as he evaluates an impressive first half of the 2026 season. Asked by F1.com if his season so far has been everything he had imagined it would be, Lindblad said, “Definitely ‘and more’. It feels like I’ve had many nice moments, even in such a short span of time. The team have been amazing, they’ve been really welcoming, and they’ve really helped me get up to speed.”
“I’ve been quite vocal about it, but I’ve been living my dream this year. It’s something that I always dreamed would come true, so it’s been very fun, and very special.” Lindblad described his home race at Silverstone as a ‘proper sentimental moment,’ as he thought ‘Wow, this is really happening.’
Aston Martin
Honda Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer Shintaro Orihara has revealed “secret” details about the manufacturer’s upgraded power unit. The partnership between the two has been disappointing, both an underwhelming chassis and power unit putting the team more often than not at the back of the pack.
This was after fixing a vibration problem that left both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll at risk of sustaining permanent injuries to their wrists. In Budapest, the team brought significant upgrades, with Stroll finishing twelfth over two seconds ahead of teammate Alonso.
Having tested the new Honda power unit following that weekend, Aston Martin will be eager to see further progress when action resumes in Zandvoort. Speaking in a video on social media, Orihara revealed details of what has been changed ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
He said, “We focused on improving engine performance to make combustion faster. So, it’s kind of a secret, but I can disclose a little bit. We changed pre-chamber to make combustion faster, and also we changed the piston shape to get good combustion. Also, we modified some lubrication systems to reduce friction. So, we had quite a big list to improve engine performance.”
Asked for specific horsepower improvement that the team can expect, Orihara added: “I can’t disclose the detailed number, but we have achieved our internal target, and I’m confident in what the HRC Sakura factory guys achieved for the Spec 2 engine.”
Alpine
Franco Colapinto has reacted after being burgled while on holiday in Italy during the summer break. The Argentinian was enjoying his break near Lake Como in Italy when he was targeted by thieves.
Writing on Instagram, the Alpine driver shared a series of pictures of some items that had been stolen, stating, “[The] Last photos with this stuff. I was at the lake and my suitcases, clothes and mate [a caffeine-rich herbal drink like tea, common in Argentina] kit disappeared. I hope whoever took it all enjoys it.”
In a further now-deleted post, he quipped, ” Who would have thought that Italians would steal everything from a Latino? I’m sure they won’t like the mate.”
Colapinto isn’t the first driver to be burgled on holiday: Jenson Button and his first wife, Jessica, were gassed and burgled in Saint-Tropez in 2015 during the summer break
Cadillac
Cadillac have sacked team principal Graeme Lowdon and replaced him with Marcin Budkowski in what the US manufacturer claims is a “planned leadership transition”. Budkowski was previously the de facto team principal of Alpine between 2018 and 2022, having been at the FIA.
He takes over Cadillac halfway through the season, with the team yet to have scored a point during the first eleven rounds of the 2026 season. The Pole has a quarter of a century of experience in the sport, having worked as an aerodynamicist at Prost, Ferrari and McLaren before heading the FIA’s F1 technical department. He had a brief stint as joint team principal at Alpine
Lowdon had been team principal of Cadillac since December 2024 and had overseen the team’s preparations for and arrival on the F1 grid, with the experienced drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. While Budkowski has spent the last four years doing consulting and punditry.
Budkowski said, “Cadillac has an extraordinary foundation and ambition. This is a phase of huge opportunity for the team, one that will be defined by a clear objective: maximising car development within the cost cap and turning every team function on to compete. That means building an elite organisation with a winning mindset – driven, relentless in the face of setbacks, obsessed with detail and process, and able to execute with precision on race day.”
That’s the last regular This Week until 18th October; we will be back next weekend with This Grand Prix, which will also be with you for Malaysia and Singapore due holiday’s and other commitments.
