Hello, welcome to This Week, a week on from Montreal, McLaren defends its strategy call despite Oscar Piastri admitting the team \u201clook like idiots,\u201d as Max Verstappen renews threat to quit, why the Australian is Red Bull\u2019s target?<\/p>\n
Has George Russell already conceded the championship to his championship-leading teammate Kimi Antonelli? As the sport returns to Europe next week, and with six races in eight weeks, the most intense parts of the first half of the year begins\u2026<\/p>\n
The FIA has banned straight mode on safety grounds for next weekend\u2019s Monaco Grand Prix after concerns that the cars would be too fast through The Tunnel and into the braking point at the Novelle\/Harbour Chicane.<\/p>\n
The race will therefore be run with fixed aerodynamic surfaces and without straight mode. This is a major change, as there will not even be the DRS option that was available until last year. Monte Carlo thus becomes a unique event that teams will try to prepare for in a specific way.<\/p>\n
The race among the manhole covers and curbs of the street circuit becomes a great opportunity for anyone hoping to challenge the otherwise unbeatable Mercedes. The change in regulations could favour Ferrari, who lack power but is believed to have the best car in terms of chassis and aerodynamics through medium- and low-speed corners.<\/p>\n
This could be the team\u2019s best chance for a race win this season as horsepower is not the dominant performance factor, as the team look for maximum downforce. This means that downforce will be the dominant factor, which could lead to some surprises. So far, Mercedes has displayed an embarrassingly large advantage over the competition.<\/p>\n
Mercedes must therefore be considered one of the clear favourites, even if Ferrari will have to play the role of the team whose car seems almost tailor-made for the streets of Monaco. McLaren may also be in the mix because it has the shortest wheelbase, which is key on the streets of Monte Carlo.<\/p>\n
It will be interesting to see who chooses to invest special resources into the Monaco Grand Prix. Since there is no point in using rear wings such as Ferrari\u2019s \u201cMacarena\u201d design or Red Bull\u2019s reverse-wing concept, could someone develop a solution specifically for Monte Carlo?<\/p>\n
Team principal Andrea Stella defended a failed Canadian Grand Prix tyre gamble despite Oscar Piastri admitting the episode made the team look “like idiots”. The team were the only team in the top four to start on the inters, while it gave them a better getaway, they pitted both cars at the end of the first lap.<\/p>\n
From third, Norris actually took the lead from the two Mercedes but pitted at the end of the second lap as his intermediates began to overheat. Piastri said during the extra formation laps caused by Arvid Lindblad that McLaren had “made a mistake”, delaying the start around seven minutes later than scheduled.<\/p>\n
But it could also point to a bigger problem when it comes to tyre warm up, as Norris explained, \u201cin the cold conditions we couldn’t get the fronts up to temperature, which made the car hard to handle, but even so I think we were on for decent points. There are still plenty of positives to take from the weekend. Our pace was strong, we fought the Mercedes, and the support from the fans was brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piastri told Sky Sports, \u201cIt was raining and between the anthem and getting in the car, it was pretty wet on the ground. You could clearly tell where it was wet and dry. Getting to the grid on slicks was not easy; getting to full throttle was tough. Unfortunately for us, it stopped raining. If it rained a little bit more, we would have looked like heroes. It didn’t, so we looked like idiots.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Stella thinks that if the rain \u201clasted for a few more minutes and the start happened at the right time\u201d, the drivers on dry tyres would have struggled.<\/p>\n
Explaining \u201cAt the time that you had to make a decision as to what tyres to fit, and with not necessarily a clear idea as to when the rain would stop, the track was greasy and the right tyre at that time was the intermediate tyre.\u201d Teams are required to fit the tyres for the start two minutes before, when it looked like it was going to rain.<\/p>\n
Piastri has described as “flattering” reports suggesting Red Bull have identified him as their No 1 target should Max Verstappen leave the team – but says it came as news to him. Earlier this month, there were reports that Red Bull was targeting the Australian as their \u2018Plan B\u2019 if the four-time champion goes through with his threat to quit.<\/p>\n
Verstappen’s contract at Red Bull runs to the end of the 2028 campaign, but there are known to be performance clauses contained in it which would allow the Dutchman, who has repeatedly been linked with a move to Mercedes, to exit earlier in certain circumstances, should he wish.<\/p>\n
The most relevant one at the moment appears to be if he is to be outside of the top two in the Drivers’ Championship by the summer break. He is currently seventh in the standings with six races to go before the August recess. Verstappen has been one of the biggest critics of these regulations, and in Montreal suggested further tweaks are likely to be required to convince him to stay.<\/p>\n
Piastri’s own McLaren contract runs until at least the end of 2028, but, asked in Canada about Red Bull’s suggested interest in him were they to need a Verstappen replacement, the Australian driver said: “It is news to me, yes. There’s obviously not been any discussions or anything but it’s flattering, yes. There’s not really much more than that, really.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully it proves my stock as a driver, which is a nice thing, but I’m very happy with where I am. I’ve got a lot of confidence in this team that we’re going to be able to win races and hopefully championships in the future, so I’m very happy where I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piastri\u2019s genius decision to walk away from Alpine in 2022 arguably saved his career because of the difficulties and controversy around Jack Doohan being swapped with Franco Colapinto. Instability within the team resulted in changes of management with four team principals and five technical directors in four years. They finished last in last year\u2019s constructors\u2019 championship.<\/p>\n
George Russell says the world championship is now Kimi Antonelli’s to lose as his Mercedes team-mate profited from the Brit’s retirement in Canada to open up a forty-three-point lead after five rounds. In the race in Montreal, the two were engaged in a thrilling, tense and close battle until Russell retired just before half distance with a power unit issue.<\/p>\n
Antonelli went on to secure his fourth straight Grand Prix victory, after triumphs in China, Japan and Miami. He told Sky Sports Italy, “It feels like it is [Antonelli’s championship] to lose now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell added, “I’m proud of my weekend. Pole in the Sprint, won the Sprint, pole in Qualifying, I was leading when I stopped. I had a good battle with Kimi. I don’t feel like there was anything more I could have done this weekend. I will leave satisfied. I’m pretty damn frustrated with what happened, but what more can I do?”<\/p>\n
He is currently lacking “lady luck” in his rivalry with the Italian; the Englishman has lost out in qualifying in Melbourne and Shanghai, firstly a red flag giving Mercedes more time to fix the car Antonelli had crashed in practice, allowing the 19-year-old to post a lap and eventually qualify second, behind Russell. In Shanghai, he only got one run in Q3 because of an issue.<\/p>\n
The deployment of a Safety Car at the Japanese Grand Prix which gave Antonelli a cheaper pit stop and put him ahead of Russell. But added, \u201cI don’t wish any bad luck on anybody. I just want to fight hard and fight fair. We have equal opportunity but right now, lady luck is not on my side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Antonelli said he was determined to “keep raising the bar” as he looks to hold off challenges from Russell and the chasing pack. Antonelli said, “I’m not thinking about the championship. I think it’s still very, very early to talk about that. I’m just focusing on race by race.<\/p>\n
Adding \u201cThe [points] gap doesn’t mean that I can relax and just take it easier. Instead, I need to keep raising the bar because it’s not going to be easy. Competitors are getting closer. Also, George is super, super quick. So definitely I’m just going to focus on myself, enjoy the driving and try to drive as fast as possible.”<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen says his future in the sport will depend on the changes to the engine regulations for next year, saying failure to make changes would be “mentally not doable” for him. Verstappen has been among the biggest critics of the controversial 50\/50 split between combustion and electric power introduced this year, labelling the new formula as “anti-racing.”<\/p>\n
A recent “agreement in principle” to reduce electric power and increase combustion power for 2027 aims to introduce a 60\/40 split for next season, but the exact details of how that will be achieved have not been signed off.<\/p>\n
Speaking about the agreement in principle for next year, he says he would stay, ratification has been bogged down in politics, with some pushing for a delay until 2028. Verstappen said, \u201cIf it stays like this, it’s going to be a long year next year that I don’t want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked what it would mean for his future, he added, “It’s just mentally not doable for me if it stays like this. It’s really not.”<\/p>\n
Opposition to the changes for 2027 centres around knock-on costs and the complications that would arise for the sport’s existing engine performance catch-up mechanism (known as Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities).<\/p>\n
Verstappen said he hopes the sport’s governing body, the FIA, and Liberty, will be able to work together to ensure the changes are made.<\/p>\n
Adding \u201cLet’s stay on the positive side. We are still, I think, looking towards making those change. Of course, some people that maybe have a bit of advantage at the moment will try to be difficult about it, but if the FIA is strong, and also from the FOM side, they just need do it.”<\/p>\n
Asked if he would consider a sabbatical in 2027 if the changes are pushed back until 2028, Verstappen made clear that if he quits F1, he will not come back. Saying \u201cNo, There’s a lot of other fun things out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team principal James Vowles is not concerned his drivers might want to jump ship as the team has struggled at the start of this season. Saying \u201cSpeak to Alex, speak to Carlos; they want to be part of this journey, and that’s the best I can tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
This was how he responded to suggestions that the team needs to show drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz it is heading in the right direction. The suggestion is nothing far-fetched, given the outfit has tumbled from fifth in the 2025 constructors\u2019 standings to eighth currently, with the FW48 notoriously overweight as F1 moved to new technical regulations.<\/p>\n
Having joined Williams ahead of the 2023 season, Vowles has been striving to improve not just the team\u2019s personnel and facilities but also its processes, and the Briton insists the project is on the right track. His eventual goal is to have the team challenging for championships.<\/p>\n
He told Motorsport.com, \u201cFirst of all, it is really important to me and to my board \u2013 so I’m not talking about the drivers \u2013 to demonstrate we’re not the Williams of old.\u201cThe Williams of old would have [had] a difficult winter and we would have languished back there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to demonstrate we have the capability to fight back up the field and add performance at a very high rate, and we are doing that at the moment. It’s important to me, the support of our board, because what it shows you is all the systems and fundamentals you’ve put in place are still good in that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vowles added that Albon and Sainz have demonstrated an interest in fixing problems when they come up. Also, the team can fight their way back up the field and add performance at a high rate, both on and off the track. Williams are also hoping that over the next few years the investment starts to bring them to the front of the midfield from where they hope to go onto championship fights.<\/p>\n
Oliver Bearman says he does not have a deadline in his mind for his “ultimate target” of driving for Ferrari in the future. Bearman made his F1 debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Ferrari when he substituted for Carlos Sainz, who underwent surgery for appendicitis.<\/p>\n
Later in that season, he stood in for Kevin Magnussen, in Baku, when the Dane was given a race ban for reaching twelve points on his licence and Sao Paulo, when he withdrew because of illness. Bearman joined Haas full-time from 2025 and has largely had the upper hand on teammate Esteban Ocon.<\/p>\n
Bearman told the PA, \u201cThere’s no dates that I need to be doing X, I don’t really care about that, I want to continue to become the best version of myself, give this team the best chance to fight and continue to enjoy it. For me of course, I’m contracted to Ferrari, they’ve put trust in me since the very beginning, so it’s natural that my ultimate target is to be with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is to continue building with Haas, I’m super happy with the trajectory that we’re on, so no timeline, no problems. I think the end of this year is important because a lot of people are having their contracts ending, so I think everyone wanted to see how the pecking order was in 2026 and that will then determine what 2027 looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bearman is seen as a potential successor to Lewis Hamilton, but the seven-time champion has made clear in recent days to keep going, so he might need to be patient to get his opportunity.<\/p>\n
Alpine continued their step forward last weekend in Montreal, however Pierre Gasly\u2019s latest points finish masked the underlying issues that have hampered him over the past two weekends are still present.<\/p>\n
Gasly has been one of the standout performers of the opening rounds of 2026, but took a notable step backwards in Miami and Montreal as Alpine brought upgrades. The Frenchman once again outqualified teammate Franco Colapinto, after reporting a mysterious change to the behaviour of his car.<\/p>\n
After the race, Gasly said, \u201cIt’s [been] the same thing since the first lap in practice in Miami. We see it on data, we’re pretty clear on what’s happening and we’ve just got to understand exactly where it comes from, and it’s going to be part of the work we’ll have to do ahead of Monaco.”<\/p>\n
Gasly doesn’t feel the same level of confidence in the A526 in low-speed traction, making it harder to drive the car on the limit. After a disastrous sprint qualifying session, in which Gasly qualified in nineteenth, Alpine took his car out of parc ferme to try various set-up changes.<\/p>\n
Things further unravelled in GP qualifying, when the Frenchman hit a groundhog in Q1, which left him with damage that saw him eliminated in Q2, while Colapinto advanced to Q3. That also explained why he and his team didn’t make a big deal out of being impeded by Lewis Hamilton, which may have saved the Ferrari driver from a grid penalty.<\/p>\n
But the upgrades appear to deliver what Alpine expected, and Colapinto has been stronger, there are also theories that Alpine has somehow changed something in the behaviour that Gasly hasn’t enjoyed. Which the Frenchman added, \u201cWe’ve made a few tweaks with our upgrades since Miami, which make them work now, so I think we’re pretty happy with that. On my side, we’ve tested quite a lot of things, parts-wise in the sprint, and also again today I was running the older floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alpine will be known as Gucci Racing Alpine in 2027 after signing a landmark \u00a0with the luxury brand. The French fashion brand will become the title sponsor, replacing BWT from 2027.<\/p>\n
As part of the deal, the brand says it is creating Gucci Racing, “a new business and experiential platform built around the values of performance, precision, discipline and excellence at the intersection of luxury and sport.”<\/p>\n
Former Alpine CEO Luca de Meo, who now heads up Gucci’s parent company Kering, was a key player behind the deal. During the multi-year deal, the team will adopt Gucci colours for its F1 livery, a departure from its current blue and pink colour scheme.<\/p>\n
president and chief executive officer of Gucci Francesca Bellettini said, \u201cThis partnership with Alpine Formula 1 Team writes a new chapter: Gucci becomes the first luxury fashion house to serve as title partner in Formula 1.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat reflects our ambition for the brand and the role we want Gucci to play on this stage. Formula 1 represents today a unique convergence of performance, culture, and global reach, and Alpine Formula 1 Team is the right partner to bring this vision to life.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added Gucci Racing was about what the brand was and where they want to take it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dive into the latest buzz in the world of F1 with our comprehensive analysis and round-up of this week’s top stories. Discover the strategic moves by top teams, and what it all means for the ahead season. Stay ahead of the curve with insights on and off the track. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,18],"tags":[2339,664,754,2213,1996],"class_list":["post-16001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-analysis","category-this-week","tag-2339","tag-f1","tag-formula-one","tag-news-analysis","tag-this-week"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16001"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16007,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16001\/revisions\/16007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}