Max Verstappen has signed a new contract at Red Bull until the end of 2030. Verstappen had been contracted until 2028; however, his dislike of the current regulations and a well-known break causes, had prompted suggestions he could walk away at the end of the year.<\/p>\n
Red Bull has had a difficult season following the regulation changes, after which they have lacked performance, with Verstappen\u2019s best results coming with second-place finishes in Spielberg and Budapest. The lack of performance has led to Verstappen voicing frustration on a number of occasions, but in the end he has decided to stick with what he knows.<\/p>\n
Verstappen said, \u201cWe have the best people and I’m excited to keep working together with everyone to get back to the top again. This remains the ultimate goal that all of us have been working towards and will continue to pursue. I have always said it: the team is like a second family for me, and I feel very at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to the team hoping to be able to win races. What we went on to achieve together has been simply lovely and we have shared many incredible moments and won four World Championships.<\/p>\n
The decision comes despite his trusted race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase signing to join McLaren by 2028.<\/p>\n
Verstappen’s renewal included praise for team principal Laurent Mekies, who took over last July after former boss Christian Horner was sacked following a turbulent eighteen-month period and a decline in competitiveness.<\/p>\n
Verstappen said, \u201cGetting to work with Laurent now for over a year has also been great, I see a clear vision he has for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Isack Hadjar will miss this weekend\u2019s Dutch Grand Prix after suffering a wrist injury during training. Following reports on Wednesday morning that Hadjar’s participation was in major doubt, Red Bull confirmed his absence for the first race after the sport’s summer break and announced that Lawson will step up from junior team Racing Bulls to drive alongside Max Verstappen in Zandvoort.<\/p>\n
Yuki Tsunoda, who serves as a reserve driver for both teams, will replace Lawson for Racing Bulls and drive alongside British rookie Arvid Lindblad at the Sprint weekend.<\/p>\n
A Red Bull statement said, \u201cOracle Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar has sustained a wrist injury during the summer shutdown that will prevent him from racing at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix. We will be welcoming back Liam Lawson, who will replace him in the RB22 this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawson previously replaced Daniel Ricciardo after a crash in FP2 broke his hand in 2023. It\u2019s understood that Hadjar’s wrist injury was sustained doing boxing drills that involved punching a sandbag as part of his training during the summer break. The Frenchman is understood to have regularly used boxing as part of his training.<\/p>\n
Hadjar will have two further weeks to recover ahead of the next race, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza from September 4-6.<\/p>\n
The French-Algerian has so far delivered a relatively strong first campaign for Red Bull after being promoted to the team following an impressive rookie season with Racing Bulls, and is expected to remain as Verstappen’s teammate next year.<\/p>\n
Lawson’s return to Red Bull comes after the New Zealander was brutally dropped by the team just two races into the 2025 season, having been named as Sergio Perez’s replacement during the off-season.<\/p>\n
A Racing Bulls statement said: “Visa Cash App Racing Bulls can confirm that Liam Lawson will race for Oracle Red Bull Racing at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend due to Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury. As a result of the driver change, Reserve Driver Yuki Tsunoda, will race for Racing Bulls in Zandvoort this weekend, alongside Arvid Lindblad.<\/p>\n
Hadjar\u2019s seat is not reportedly at risk for 2027; however, it could decide the second Racing Bulls seat for next year now that Verstappen has committed his future to Red Bull and Arvid Lindblad\u2019s strong rookie season means he is likely to stay.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
George Russell says his Mercedes seat “never felt under threat” from Max Verstappen before the Dutchman ended speculation over his future by signing a contract extension with Red Bull. Before today\u2019s announcement there has since Lewis Hamilton had announced his departure to Ferrari in February 2024, repeated rumours that Verstappen could join Mercedes.<\/p>\n
Mercedes had targeted him as a teammate for Russell; however, given the rise this season of teammate Verstappen had been touted as a replacement for the Brit, given the fine form that has taken his teammate Kimi Antonelli to the top of the Drivers’ Championship.<\/p>\n
Verstappen has signed with the team until 2030; Russell suggested Mercedes’ talks with the Dutchman’s camp over the last couple of years may have been overblown. It’s only really a topic for us when we’re sat in front of you guys in the press, and you want to ask these questions and understand what’s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was always very clear from within Mercedes what the reality was over these past couple of years. Maybe those conversations were slightly more public than the conversations his team were having with the likes of McLaren, or Ferrari, or whoever else it may have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think in reporting this story it was always blown a bit out of proportion, as Verstappen is a multiple champion and one who has control of the drivers\u2019 market. We had to report it as leaving Red Bull would have been almost as seismic as Hamilton\u2019s move to Ferrari.<\/p>\n
McLaren emerged as a possible alternative for Verstappen when it was revealed earlier this summer that they had held talks with his camp. The possibility of the switch also appeared to be made more plausible by the fact the Red Bull colleague he works most closely with, his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, has agreed to join McLaren.<\/p>\n
But it appeared to me implausible, given McLaren would have to lose one of their drivers who were fighting for the title last year. Like we said there’s nowhere to go in the top four teams.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton has called on Ferrari to “apply the pressure” to title rival Kimi Antonelli as he seeks to chase down the Mercedes driver in the championship battle. At the halfway point as the season resumes, the seven-time champion is fifty points behind the Italian and ten ahead of George Russell.<\/p>\n
Hamilton said: “There are pros and cons to it. He’s obviously very fast. He’s doing an amazing job. When you are 19, you don’t really have much else going on in your life really, so you don’t have many other pressures. I remember when I was that age and things are relatively easier in life, I would say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNonetheless, it’s not saying he hasn’t still got a hard job ahead of him, but he’s been doing great. I’m not really looking at any weaknesses because I don’t think he has shown any this season. I think we’ve got to just work hard to just continue to apply the pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercedes have had the faster car in the first half of the season, but Hamilton is hoping that their upgrades, the first of which are being used this weekend, can bring them closer and continue their progress.<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cHopefully we are going to continue to progress in development. The team are working really hard. We’ve got our first little step this weekend, which I’m really grateful for because they are under a huge amount of pressure to continue to bring parts, as every team is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we are going in the right direction with the car. Obviously, Mercedes are still the leaders. McLaren are now up in there, and obviously Red Bull are now super quick so there are four teams are all very close. But we just focus on doing our job the best we can. I think we can do a better job in the second half, so that’s our goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zandvoort is one of four circuits Hamilton has never won at and presents him with his last opportunities to add a record-extending thirty-second Zandvoort to that list, as it leaves the calendar. The others are Madrid, Las Vegas and Miami; Hamilton says he is highly motivated to claim victory.<\/p>\n
He said: “I’ve won at pretty much all the other tracks, but I don’t think I’ve won here before, so I definitely want to change that. I’m massively driven. It’s just such an incredible circuit, great crowd here\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVery special, particularly for Max as he comes here and has the incredible support through the weekend. They really create the atmosphere. It’s a track I’ve yet to really truly conquer in Formula 1, so it’s definitely something I want to try to do this weekend.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
FP1 saw Charles Leclerc fastest, setting a 19.075 on the soft tyre, going just under half a second faster than the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. Leclerc set his fastest time just after halfway through the session, then no one was able to challenge him for the top spot. Verstappen managed to split the Ferrari drivers, going six hundredths faster than Lewis Hamilton.<\/p>\n
FP2 Hamilton topped the times with a 18.729 to go just under a tenth and a half ahead of Leclerc. Lando Norris was third, the McLaren driver going three and a half tenths off the pace set by the Ferrari. Verstappen put his Red Bull fourth as he went over a quarter of a second faster than the Mercedes of George Russell<\/p>\n
FP3 was topped by Norris with a 17.939, putting himself just over a tenth faster than Hamilton. Norris set his fastest time towards the end of the session to top the times as Hamilton edged out the championship leader Kimi Antonelli by just over a hundredth. Leclerc meanwhile was nearly a tenth and a half faster than the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri, after the Ferrari aborted his final attempt at Piquet (Turn One).<\/p>\n
Qualifying, Norris beat Hamilton with a 17.207 to secure pole just over a hundredth of a second to take pole. Hamilton went over two tenths faster than Leclerc while championship leader Kimi Antonelli was fourth. He was unhappy he had been sent out first on the final Q3 runs.<\/p>\n
Norris has taken his first win as world champion with a dominant fifteen-second victory. The Englishman controlled the race after taking the lead a quarter of the way through, then retained the net lead of the race by undercutting Antonelli when he dived past at Piquet (Turn One) on lap forty.<\/p>\n
Verstappen and Antonelli, the Red Bull driver eventually coming out on top, building a three-and-a-half-second gap during the closing stages. Charles Leclerc was fourth after Ferrari teammate Hamilton was demoted a place after a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Round twelve marks the halfway point in the season, as the sport returns from a summer break with the final race for now at Zandvoort and the penultimate Sprint weekend of the season. There is still all to play for between now and wherever this season ends; there is plenty to play for.<\/p>\n
All the pressure is on nineteen-year-old Kimi Antonelli to become the youngest ever F1 world champion in 2026. There are reasons for both optimism and caution. A 50-point lead after the summer break has never been overturned, yet the last two seasons were unable to seal the title at the first serious opportunity.<\/p>\n
What makes it even more impressive is that Antonelli has made huge strides from last year, when he endured an up-and-down rookie campaign, highlighted by that tough European run mid-season.<\/p>\n
Then add a reinvigorated seven-time world champion chasing a record-breaking eighth title and the story becomes even more compelling. Back in Melbourne, it was seen as very much George Russell\u2019s to lose, but Antonelli\u2019s run of wins has ripped up the narrative and made him the favourite. IF he doesn\u2019t fall into the same trap as Lando Norris in 2024 or Oscar Piastri in 2025.<\/p>\n
Ferrari faces a big test over the next four weeks as that will tell us if they can beat Mercedes on pace and performance. Rather than taking advantage of Mercedes’ woes, if they are to win this championship, they need to be proactive. Nonetheless, Ferrari outscored them in each of the three races before the summer break and, with reliability on their side, aren’t to be ruled out yet<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen has another teammate, his old teammate Liam Lawson, who replaces Isack Hadjar after he injured his wrist in training, while Lawson is replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who was replaced by Hadjar at Red Bull this season. This is key for everyone as it could decide who partners Arvid Lindblad, who is expected to stay at Racing Bulls next season, as Hadjar is believed to have impressed enough to keep his seat for 2027.<\/p>\n
There is the opportunity for Lawson to impress and really make his mark as somebody who has bounced back from his torrid time there last year.<\/p>\n
As we will explore in more detail below, this weekend is key for Honda and Aston Martin. Having made progress with the aero upgrades in Budapest, can Honda do the same? They need a power boost to catch the back of the midfield, and some estimates suggest the new parts could bring as much as 30bhp to the car around Zandvoort. Now, the Dutch track isn\u2019t the most power-sensitive circuit on the F1 calendar.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think we will get major upgrades this weekend, being a sprint, they\u2019re more likely to come in Baku after the uniqueness of Monza and the unknown of Madrid. McLaren could go well here as generally it shares the same characteristics as Budapest, and they have minor circuit-specific things for Monza.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Honda has attempted to downplay expectations surrounding its updated power unit that Aston Martin will run at the Dutch Grand Prix. After a step forward with its aero upgrades four weeks ago in Budapest, Aston are hoping that the major power unit upgrade delivers another step in performance.<\/p>\n
But Honda has stressed not to expect miracles from the updated power unit. Honda\u2019s new engine made its track debut during a filming day in Hungary at the start of the summer break. Orihara confirmed the power unit ran without issues. The team will also be hampered by the limited practice running, as this is a sprint weekend.<\/p>\n
Honda trackside manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said, \u201cI can’t explain how much gap we can reduce by this update. In Formula 1, we should be realistic, so we can’t bring a magic update. But we believe we bring some good steps by this update.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSurely we have some gap to compete, but in Hungary, Aston Martin brings big update. Every 50 milliseconds or 100 milliseconds is very important to improve our position, and I believe our update can bring that type of improvement on lap times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orihara suggested that the dyno testing had improved driveability which has been one of the areas where they\u2019ve made progress. This testing was also completed without any issue, which he says was positive for Honda, as well as there not being a return of the vibration issues they had at the start of the season.<\/p>\n
The main focus for the weekend at Zandvoort will be optimising the drivability of the new engine as Honda looks to find more baseline power. \u00a0Orihara explained, \u201cOur weak point is engine power. So we focus to improve engine performance this time. We just focus to improve engine performance, especially combustion characteristics, and also reduce friction to get more performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven’t changed anything [on the] software side, the ERS side. But improved engine performance helps also deployment. So we will check how our deployment works with this engine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if there will be further power unit updates before the end of the year, Orihara replied: “This is the only major update for this year. But if we find something, a good solution to improve our performance by a small modification, that can be on the table. But [the next] major update will be in 2027.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
McLaren has confirmed they will bring more upgrades to this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix after claiming their first win of the season in the final round before the summer break.<\/p>\n
Lando Norris produced a dominant display in Hungary after McLaren had brought a significant set of new parts to Budapest. Ahead of this weekend\u2019s sprint race they have brought upgrades to the rear of the car.<\/p>\n
McLaren’s official event preview said: “This weekend will see the team introduce further aspects as part of its ongoing development pathway. These parts will be focused on the rear side, to complete the package introduced in Hungary, a new rear wing and new rear brake ducts. The aim will be to validate the new parts quickly, understand their contribution across the weekend and maximise every opportunity available.”<\/p>\n
McLaren technical director for applied engineering, Neil Houldey, added: “We know other teams will bring developments too. Therefore, it will be another tough event, and our focus is on getting everything we can out of the car. If we execute well, we can put ourselves in the fight with the leading teams.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cadillac has dismissed rumours that the team could be up for sale after a federal investigation was launched into the TWG Global founder, Mark Walter. Although Cadillac, a subsidiary of General Motors, gives the team its name and manufacturer backing, the controlling stake is owned by TWG Motorsport.<\/p>\n
Last week, the team announced the departure of team principal Graeme Lowdon, with Marcin Budkowski returning to F1 as his replacement. The investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), is investigating whether Walter used a series of undisclosed corporate entities and intermediaries to mask financial transactions<\/p>\n
The story began when the NBA team Los Angeles Lakers for a record price of $12.5billion just a year after purchasing the team for $10billion. The sale was to a group led by former Disney chief executive Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, Donald Trump’s brother-in-law.<\/p>\n
This sale has prompted speculation of further assets that Walter could look to shift, including the Cadillac F1 team.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Thursday at the Dutch Grand Prix, Adrian Atkinson, executive director of General Motors global motorsports communications, read an unprompted statement on behalf of TWG on the situation facing the team.<\/p>\n
He said \u201cJust before we start, obviously a little bit of news around at the moment on TWG. Together is a statement. This is from TWG Global. TWG is not considering a sale of the Cadillac team or any other part of TWG Motorsport. And just for your information, Dan Towriss is in Washington for the IndyCar race this weekend, so he is not here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if he had sought assurances on the situation before signing with the team, Budkowski said: “There was absolutely no discussion about that. There is no doubt for me that – there’s no influence there. The new factory, my appointment; there’s key personnel that, hopefully, we will be able to announce soon as well. I think it just shows the commitment and the investment behind the project.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz will stay at Williams next season, making him there longest serving driver after signing a one-year contract extension for Albon and a multi-year deal for Sainz. The British-Thai has been at Williams since 2022 and is the longest-serving driver in their history.<\/p>\n
Albon had been considering his future after a slump in Williams’ fortunes this season, which followed a surprise fifth-place finish in the championship in 2025. He said: “The transformation this team has made is difficult to put into words. One tough year doesn’t tell the full picture, and it only gives me more motivation to keep building and pushing together with the factory and our fans to achieve great things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur story is not over yet, so my full focus now is on doing whatever it takes to get us back up the grid.\u201d Williams are one of several teams who hoped these new regulations would move them forward following their investment over the last five years. Instead they have slipped backwards and are ninth in the championship, going into this weekend.<\/p>\n
On his extension, Sainz said, \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to announce my continued journey with the Williams F1 Team family. I truly believe in the people that form this team, both at the factory and at the race tracks, and the investments and hard work that are happening in the background.\u201d<\/p>\n
The decision at least partially reflects a lack of convincing options elsewhere on the grid. The top four teams did not have seats available to him, which left him with options only to move to other teams in the sport’s midfield. Williams has been on the backfoot all season, they missed the Catalan Test and has struggled with an overweigh car.<\/p>\n
There had been speculation that Sainz was potentially looking to move on for next year with his contract expiring at the end of 2026, but his only option would have been another midfield team.<\/p>\n
In that context, he has decided to commit to Williams and trust that the changes Vowles has made following this year’s difficulties will work rather than risk the uncertainties of another option. But leaves options if one becomes free in 2028.<\/p>\n
Vowles said: “Alex has been a leader of this transformation project since day one and we have plenty of unfinished business that we are determined to achieve. Alex is one of the best drivers on the grid and knows better than anyone the enormous improvements we have made in recent years \u2013 re-signing him shows the belief we both have in the direction we are heading.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The appeal by McLaren and Red Bull to reinstate Pierre Gasly to third at the Monaco Grand Prix will be heard next week. The Alpine driver crossed the line in third on 7 June, but two five-second penalties for pit lane speeding demoted a furious Gasly to seventh, handing Red Bull\u2019s Isack Hadjar a podium.<\/p>\n
But the French outfit immediately lodged a right of review bid because it had evidence that he had not exceeded the 60km\/h limit and even took additional margin to stay below.<\/p>\n
During the right of review hearing, FOM and F1\u2019s timekeeper TAG Heuer admitted that there had been an error with the distance measurement in the pitlane from which speeds were taken. This resulted in average speeds being over-reported and so stewards accepted the error as evidence that Gasly should have his penalties rescinded and thus, his third-place reinstated.<\/p>\n
The only difference was that other drivers had already served their penalties during the race, causing disbelief among teams that Alpine had been successful with its protest. Oscar Piastri held a particularly strong opinion as the McLaren driver made an extra pitstop to serve his penalty, causing him to cross the finish line in fifth behind Gasly and Hadjar.<\/p>\n
George Russell was arguably the hardest done by as the Mercedes driver lost a potential podium when he pitted, only for stewards to determine he hadn\u2019t served the penalty correctly.<\/p>\n
This resulted in a drive-through penalty that dropped the title contender out of the top ten into twelfth, causing him to fall 68 points behind his championship-leading teammate Kimi Antonelli.<\/p>\n
The case will be heard by the International Court of Appeal on Tuesday 25 August.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The latest news and analysis behind the headlines ahead of this weekend\u2019s Dutch Grand Prix, looking at the biggest talking points going into this race in Zandvoort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16310,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,2209],"tags":[2339,103,198,2348,348,2325,423,558,589,590,709,2377,814,921,2232,998,2376,2375,1131,1152,1283,1287,1290,1298,1363,1364,2371,1401,1439,2296,2349,1637,2344,1642,2374,2360,1843,2223,2372,2373,2210,2149,2152,2211,2186,2190],"class_list":["post-16312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-analysis","category-welcome-the-grand-prix","tag-2339","tag-alex-albon","tag-aston-martin","tag-aston-martin-honda","tag-cadillac","tag-cadillac-ferrari","tag-circuit-zandvoort","tag-donald-trump","tag-dutch-gp","tag-dutch-grand-prix","tag-ferrari","tag-fia-court-of-appeal","tag-george-russell","tag-honda","tag-isack-hadjar","tag-james-vowles","tag-jared-kushner","tag-josh-kushner","tag-lando-norris","tag-liam-lawson","tag-max-verstappen","tag-mclaren","tag-mclaren-mercedes","tag-mercedes","tag-monaco-gp","tag-monaco-grand-prix","tag-neil-houldey","tag-netherlands","tag-north-holland","tag-racing-bulls","tag-racing-bulls-ford","tag-red-bull","tag-red-bull-ford","tag-red-bull-racing","tag-sec","tag-shintaro-orihara","tag-lewis-hamilton","tag-talking-points","tag-twg-global","tag-us-securities-and-exchange-commission","tag-welcome-to-the-grand-prix","tag-williams","tag-williams-mercedes","tag-wttgp","tag-yuki-tsunoda","tag-zandvoort"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16312","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=16312"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16315,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16312\/revisions\/16315"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}