Welcome to the Dutch Grand Prix
Norris has ‘no regrets’ about first half of season
Lando Norris says insisted he has no regrets when reflecting on the opening fourteen races of his 2025 championship campaign, though he has picked out moments in China and Canada where he could have been “a little bit smarter”.
His Canada clash with teammate Oscar Piastri is the more obvious one; Norris had been frustrated as an attempt to pass on the exit of Montreal’s hairpin had come to nothing, and he made the wrong decision when trying to thread his McLaren down the inside of a rapidly closing gap on the start-finish straight.
But in Shanghai’s SQ3, he locked up at Turn Fifteen and that saw him miss out on pole by half a second to start fifth. Although Norris was keen to point out that he did not regret those moments, stating that they offered learning opportunities, in retrospect, he felt that he needed to tell himself ‘don’t try and be a hero’ in the moment.
He told reporters ahead of this weekend. “Could I have, at times, made maybe better decisions? I think so. The main one was China sprint qualifying; I think my lap was good enough for pole until the final hairpin, where I locked up.”
“If I’d had that thought probably just before braking – ‘it’s a long season, don’t try and be a hero’ – then I would have finished it. I lost eight points there. If I go back to Canada, if I could rerun that and just be a little bit smarter and not take so much risk, could I have not lost quite a few points there? Yes.”
He doesn’t regret them, but wishes he could have done better and do them again. Norris at the same time he doesn’t saying that when you learn.
Looking ahead to the remaining nine Grands Prix, Norris says he is “ready to go” for what he expects to be “a long, tricky, challenging second part of the season”.
He added, “The deeper meaning [of momentum] is does it give you more confidence and give you more knowledge and give you a better mindset? Just the fact of having two good races doesn’t mean I’m going to have a third good one.”
Piastri reflects ahead of second half
Oscar Piastri has taken a moment to reflect on his battle against McLaren team mate Lando Norris this season, with the championship situation finely poised ahead of the decisive ten-round run-in.
The team has dominated most of the season winning eleven of the fourteen Grands Prix, often with them pushing each other for victory, with Piastri having one more win than Norris. The most dramatic moment has been their collision while fighting for victory during the closing stages in Montreal.
Writing on the team’s website, Piastri said, “Our relationship hasn’t really changed. The competitive environment is quite different this year, yes, but our relationship is pretty much the same. The way we work together, how we try and help the team, and what we want from the car, it is all the same.
“I think we’re both very conscious that we want to have success with this team for a long time. That is not lost on either of us. Healthy competition is important, of course, but it is important to keep the team united, and I think we both have that in the back of our minds.”
The Australian is in his third season, while Norris is in his seventh, with Piastri saying he has handled the pressure of fighting for the title well but says last year they weren’t really fighting for the championship.
He added, “Obviously, you don’t want to give away points, but it has been far too early to be thinking of the season in that way. At this stage, you just want to go into the weekend trying to get the most out of it as you can, rather than thinking of the championship overall.”
McLaren, meanwhile, look almost certain to retain the constructors with eleven point scoring opportunities remaining, they have double the points of Ferrari.
Mastercard announced as McLaren title sponsor
McLaren has announced an upgrade in its partnership with Mastercard with the payment provider becoming its official naming partner. From next season, the team will be officially branded as ‘McLaren Mastercard F1 Team’, signalling the payment provider stepping up its commitment to the team.
The two had only signed a multi-year deal last summer, their was however, also a suggestion that both were keen to elevate the partnership beyond a traditional sponsorship formula into ways to rewards its customers and attract F1’s ever-growing fanbase.
With the naming partnership, Mastercard says it will launch the so-called ‘Team Priceless’ programme that will allow fans of the team to get access to behind-the-scenes experiences, including track hot laps, and meet and greets with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said, ““There is no one more important to us than our awesome fans, so I could not be more delighted to enter this next chapter in our partnership with Mastercard with a promise to our papaya family around the world: that we will continue to put our fans first, bring them even closer to the team, and offer incredible experiences.”
“Mastercard is a fantastic partner who shares our passion and values, so to have them on board as naming partner will offer us the perfect launch pad to keep pushing on and off track – and I cannot wait to see Team Priceless come to life in 2026.”
Mastercard’s chief marketing and communication officer Raja Rajamannar added: “Our partnership has been grounded in putting fans in pole position since day one, and becoming the Official Naming Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team takes that commitment to the next level. McLaren Racing represents the pinnacle of innovation, precision, and performance, values that mirror our own as we push boundaries and deliver winning experiences.”
Russell claims his seat is not at risk
George Russell has revealed that he never thought his seat at Mercedes was under threat for 2026, claiming ‘it was more of a question of who his teammate would be’. The Englishman’s contract ends as does his teammate Kimi Antonelli, leading to speculation that either one of them could be replaced by Max Verstappen.
But that speculation ended when the four-time world champion confirmed last month that he would stay at Red Bull, meaning Russell and Antonelli are now expected to remain with Mercedes. Most of the rumours suggested that it would be Russell who would be replaced despite him having a difficult season.
Asked ahead of this weekend’s race, if he ever believed his Mercedes future was in doubt, Russell said: “No, not at all, to be honest. It was more of a question of who my teammate was going to be. I think I’m quite rational to how this sport works, and the team felt like they didn’t need to sign a deal. I didn’t really feel I needed to push it so much when it got to a certain point. I believe in myself more than ever.”
“I’ve always believed in myself, and my results have always shown that. It’s not just the form of this year, but through my whole career since the age of ten years old. So, yeah, if you back yourself and if you perform, you’ll never have anything to worry about.”
But this whole saga was started by Russell himself in Montreal, when he claimed Verstappen “has always been on the radar” for Mercedes. At Zandvoort, Russell was asked if he started the saga deliberately, but he denied that was the case, claiming “I didn’t think it was a secret” that Mercedes was interested in Verstappen.
Russell added “Maybe it was a… What’s the word? Like, an unkept secret, but I didn’t realise it wasn’t common knowledge.”
The four-time grand prix winner is yet to sign a contract extension, but Russell and Mercedes are in no rush, having just returned from the summer break and saying that ‘nothing would happen in August’, but added “We’re in positive talks at the moment.” He also says that was because there was no time pressure from the team to get the deal done, which is why its taking time.
Russell confirmed “my goal is to win with Mercedes, it’s clear as that”, but it is not yet known if that will translate into a multi-year contract extension, or one that just covers the 2026 campaign.
Hamilton hopes to rediscover his love of F1
Lewis Hamilton says he hopes to rediscover his love for the sport after admitting his enjoyment for the sport was diminished before the summer break by the pressure of driving for Ferrari. The seven-time world champion joined Ferrari from Mercedes over the winter, fulfilling his boyhood dream of driving for the Italian team.
Despite the sprint pole and win in Shanghai, the team has struggled for performance as Hamilton has found it difficult to adapt to a new car. Following his Q2 knockout in Budapest four weeks ago, he claimed he was “just useless” after qualifying outside the top ten and suggested Ferrari would be better off replacing him.
Speaking ahead of the resumption of the season this weekend, the Ferrari driver said his approach to the final ten races of 2025 would be to enjoy the experience of being a Ferrari driver. He said, “I feel determined to and motivated to [move forward]. We are just going to be working, keep our heads down, try to change a few things in our approach and start to enjoy ourselves.”
“There’s been so much pressure in this first half of the season, it’s not been the most enjoyable. So I think just remembering that we love what we do, we’re all in this together and yeah, trying to have fun.”
Asked where he felt the pressure was coming from, Hamilton added: “Just to get on top of everything, the amount of work we have, all the new partners, the amount of shoots we’ve done, getting integrated into a new team, and it’s a big, big team, the biggest brand in our sport as well. So a combination of all those different things has been a lot.”
Off the back of the sports most successful team signing the most successful driver, there was high expectations going into 2025, but team principal Fred Vassuer said during the break they had ‘overestimated’ the challenge. While Hamilton said the combination had created a level of unwanted “noise” around the team.
Hamilton says his focus for the rest of the season was to have fun, because it was the reason he got into this sport was to have fun. Saying he wants to get back to that and all the noise has clouded us from getting to enjoy it.
But he is not expecting a sudden turnaround in results in the second half of the year, but said F1’s summer break over the past three weeks had been a chance to reset ahead of this weekend’s race at Zandvoort.
Adding, “Not much has changed, necessarily, but the good thing is, when you get time to unplug like that, it’s a reset. I had time to go through this past week, particularly, to go through where we’ve been, things we want to improve on, processes, things we want to try and change moving forwards.
Perez returning to “enjoy” F1 again
Sergio Perez says he decided to return to F1 with Cadillac to “enjoy” the sport again after the bruising experience of his final year at Red Bull. The Mexican’s racing comeback for next year with new team was confirmed on Tuesday with Perez signed up by the General Motors-backed entry in a highly experienced line-up with Valtteri Bottas, who himself has been on the sidelines this year.
Perez was dropped by Red Bull at the end of last season after a difficult second half of the season, despite signing a new two-year contract. Following his year out, the six-time winner says he came to the conclusion he “missed” the sport and that he still had “a lot more to give”.
Fresh from Tuesday’s announcement, Perez told Sky Sports, “I’ll be honest, it wasn’t an easy decision because I’ve had the privilege to have a fantastic career in the sport and, to be honest, I felt like I’ve done it all in the sport.”
“But the longer it went on and the more I thought about it, I obviously spoke with my family about it, and we all felt like this is the right thing for us as a family, as a project, to get back to enjoy it. The last year especially, was very hard. It was very demanding and I didn’t enjoy it.”
Perez says he enjoys the sport mainly driving and he wants to give back the love to the sport which has given him so much and everything. Perez revealed he had been in talks with Cadillac chiefs about a 2026 drive since last December, once it had become clear he would be leaving Red Bull.
He says that the project “excites me because it’s starting from zero and I can put all my years of experience into the team”.
Outlining the attractiveness of the team, Perez said: “The ambitions that there is behind it with [chief executive] Dan Towriss, the TWG project behind it, the commitment they’re having. It’s not just a new team, it’s a team that is coming full in and you can see with the drivers. They’ve gone for a lot of experience, they’ve done the same with a lot of the engineering team, a lot of the group.
Talking Points Zandvoort
Round fifteen sees the season resume and roar back into life with nine races to go to decide the championship between what looks to be an exclusive McLaren fight for the drivers’ championship, where every point will count.
Zandvoort’s 2.646-mile circuit winds it way through the sand dunes and is known for being a high-adrenaline circuit with fast straights, technical corners and room for overtaking, so it usually delivers a dramatic race. Drivers love this old circuit, which is tight and undulating creating little room for error.
Ahead of the restart of the season, Oscar Piastri leads his teammate Lando Norris by nine points with Max Verstappen eighty-eight points further behind, while McLaren is two hundred and ninety-nine ahead of Ferrari. Norris has, however, won three of the last four races.
last time out in Hungary when Piastri very nearly drove into Norris as he attempted to pull off a late pass for the lead, with a stern warning coming down the radio moments after the incident. Despite Montreal, when they collided, things have remained cordial outside the car, A tight contest up until the end of the season appears almost certain, but it remains to be seen just how fierce the battle could become as the tension builds over the coming weeks.
This is Verstappen’s home race, but I think, given the trend we have seen this season, it could be difficult in normal conditions given the flaws we know Red Bull has, to challenge McLaren for victory. He has dominated three of the four races that have been held here, but we know there are problems with the car and internal politics at the team. Verstappen can be there; it will be interesting how Red Bull fights with Ferrari and Mercedes, who have also won this season.
In Budapest, Red Bull had another difficult weekend despite Verstappen finally putting an end to speculation linking him with a move to Mercedes in 2026 by saying he is staying with Red Bull next year. Since then, he has been seen with Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff.
Verstappen already explained in Hungary that social encounters with Wolff have no bearing on his future, but it’s hard to believe the Austrian isn’t thinking about more than just friendship when he is around the sport’s top driver. For that reason, it will be fascinating to hear what each has to say when they are inevitably asked about the link-up, with Wolff’s answer likely to be more telling, with Verstappen having set out his stance.
Also, bound up in this is the future of George Russell, who said in June that his own contract extension was being held up by the team’s pursuit of the Dutchman.
Mercedes have insisted throughout the saga that their status as both Russell’s employer and management means they have no concerns over losing the Brit, with Antonelli in the same situation having come through the team’s junior programme. However, some suggested that the pendulum in the contract negotiations had been swung back in Russell’s favour by Verstappen saying in Hungary that he was staying with Red Bull for 2026.
Lewis Hamilton will be hoping that the break has been a reset for him after a disappointing Hungaroring qualifying effort led him to declare himself “useless” and suggest the team should replace him. There was never any doubt that Hamilton would be back after the break, and workout images recently uploaded on his social media account with the caption “no days off” suggest he is fully refocused.
But the seven-time champion remains in search of a first grand-prix podium for Ferrari, with his career-longest streak of races without finishing in the top three now at sixteen; his pole and sprint win in Shanghai feels a long time ago. There’s a feeling that he must regain some confidence before the end of the season to ensure belief remains he can compete for a record eighth drivers’ title in 2026 should Ferrari produce a contender.,
The weather forecast for this weekend is unusually cooler for late August as a band of weather moves in up the English Channel bringing rain and maybe thunder but it should be overcast all weekend with temperatures around nineteen degrees. But given the seaside location, the weather can change quickly.
Lawson reflects on Zandvoort debut two years on
Liam Lawson says his debut at Zandvoort in 2023 brings back memories of “just fear and pressure,” as he prepares for this weekend’s race. Speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s racing, Lawson was brutally honest as he reflected on his first weekend driving in the championship.
He said, “You know, it’s funny because I don’t think it’s good memories. My memories of that weekend [his debut in 2023 at the Dutch Grand Prix], most of them were just fear and pressure. It was just a very tough weekend. I think I was very relieved to get through it. And I learned a lot from it, going into the next few races that I had. But it wasn’t a fun weekend.”
He expanded, describing the weekend as “chaotic”.
Before adding, “No, honestly, I didn’t [enjoy it]. It was so chaotic. Qualifying was very tricky. The race was… even trickier. So it was very much survival, trying to learn everything I could. I remember there were probably 20 laps in there that it dried up and I got into a rhythm.”
But he says that changed when it started to rain making it an enjoyable experience. Lawson’s debut in the series came after Daniel Ricciardo suffered a broken hand after a crash in Friday’s second free practice session.
With little practice time on a track that is famously difficult to navigate, made only more difficult by severe weather conditions, Lawson qualified last on the grid while his then-team-mate Yuki Tsunoda qualified fourteenth but dropped to seventeenth after impeding Lewis Hamilton. Tsunoda’s race was difficult, with the New Zealander finishing two places ahead of him. Lawson was ‘reasonably satisfied’ with the result.
Lawson took on a full-time seat at RB in 2024 after Ricciardo was dropped by the team following the Singapore Grand Prix. The rookie quickly proved his place, finishing ninth at in Austin after starting from the back of the grid. 2025 has not been quite as fruitful, however, with the young driver being promoted to a Red Bull seat, only to be quickly dropped back to Racing Bulls after just two races.
Speaking about his season Lawson said, “think in general I’ve felt pretty good recently. The speed’s been there most of the year, I would say. It’s just been consistency that’s been coming recently. I’m very aware that in Formula 1 it’s very tough to sometimes keep that. So I’m just trying to carry that form and learn from what’s been working. And I know that at some point it will come into some difficulties.”