F1 news: Lewis Hamilton told to retire in 'cheating' verdict as team decide on sack

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas had both been expected to be named Cadillac drivers for the 2026 season.

But GPBlog claim that Perez's role is not certain and the new team are looking at alternatives to pair with Bottas.

That includes Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich, who has raced for Cadillac in other series.

And McLaren junior Alex Dunne, alongside fellow F2 starlet Jak Crawford, remain of interest.

Jos Verstappen claimed that the British public have an incorrect opinion of his son Max.

He believes that the viewpoint stemmed from pipping Lewis Hamilton to the 2021 title in controversial circumstances at Abu Dhabi.

"Every now and then I see a video of that last lap," Jos told De Telegraaf. "It remains special. How Max puts his car next to Hamilton's and overtakes him...

"While we actually had no chance up to that final phase. Hamilton was simply too fast at that moment.

"I think that a lot of people, maybe especially the British, have a wrong image of him.'

''That he's an a**hole, or something. Perhaps that's also due to the present time with social media. But I absolutely do not recognise that."

Scottish BMX professional Kriss Kyle jumped over a moving Formula One car in what he described as “one of the scariest things” he's ever done.

And there was no amateur driving that car either, as David Coulthard stepped behind the wheel again.

Kyle had to time his jump perfectly in order to get the right amount of air above the car. What an incredible sight.

George Russell was reportedly approached by both Aston Martin and F1 newcomers Cadillac before committing to Mercedes.

Toto Wolff confirmed that a contract extension for Russell was all but confirmed, though no announcement is expected over the summer break.

Sport.de claim that both Aston Martin and Cadillac spoke to Russell over a proposed move, while the Brit was also on Christian Horner's radar before he was sacked by Red Bull.

Daniel Ricciardo has hinted that his career in Formula One is over.

The Aussie has not been with a team since leaving the Red Bull umbrella and said in an airport interview that he is looking to fill the lack of adrenaline in other ways.

“Yeah, second-half of my life I’ll try and find that another way I guess,” he said.

“It took me a long time to actually realise I was doing it [living his dream]. Because yeah, it’s a dream and you think about it as a kid, and then when you’re there and you make it, you’re like, ‘Oh wow!’

“It happens very quick. But, obviously, I’m very appreciative for the career I had and very grateful to do it that long.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff thinks that the idea of Ferrari sacking his counterpart Fred Vasseur is "totally stupid."

There had been rumours from Italy that the team were considering axing Vasseur, amid complaints from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc about their vehicles.

Both drivers backed Vasseur and he was handed a new contract, however.

And Wolff has insisted that any other decision would have been a huge mistake.

"Any other choice would have been truly stupid," Wolff said. "I have known Fred since we were in our early 20s and I know his value as a motorsports man. I know his entrepreneurial vision and his strength.

"Having someone like him on your team is a blessing, and you have to remember how much time it takes, in F1, to create a successful project."

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has admitted that he is aware of the risk his team are taking by not backing a single driver.

Both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are fighting for the Drivers' Championship and McLaren have allowed their men to fight one another on the track.

"Of course, we recognise that incidents have happened and will happen again," Brown said. "It’s all about how well you’re prepared for those moments and how you deal with them.

"I think Montreal was a shining example of how well everyone handled the situation. We know the risk of not throwing our weight behind one driver, but we will give Oscar and Lando equal opportunity to fight it out on track to win the drivers’ world championship.

"That’s exciting for us, and for the sport. We believe the benefits of racing this way far outweigh the consequences - despite the fact we know incidents can happen. I’m not naive.

"The adrenaline and pressure will rise, but the team will continue to work in harmony and manage the situations as they come. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic end to the year. I can’t wait to get back on track once the summer shutdown is over."

The Formula One Group has received a sizable recent boost as a result of Brad Pitt's 'F1' film.

Following its release in June, it has contributed to the group's 40 per cent rise in revenue year-over-year.

Executives hailed the impact of the movie on revenue as “as a mid-teens number for the quarter."

President Stefano Domenicali also pointed to the cultural impact of the movie, as well as the economy it could generate around the sport moving forward.

“I would say the effect of the movie is not only, of course, about the dollars and economical input, but the sport will have an incredible opportunity to grow its awareness and to generate the circular economy around that,” Domenicali said.

The nature of Christian Horner's preferred route back into F1 is likely to stop him from joining forces with Aston Martin.

That's according to The Inside Track Podcast, who claim that Lawrence Stroll does not want to give up his control with the team.

Horner is likely to buy at least part of a team in addition to being a large part of that side's strategy. Alpine was considered more likely than Aston martin.

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has called for Lewis Hamilton to retire.

The advice comes amid a turbulent first season at Ferrari, which was candidly addressed by Hamilton in Hungary last weekend.

"Lewis is very talented, was and probably still is," Ecclestone explained. "But like a lot of leading sports personalities, when they reach the top, there is only one way to go, and it’s not a good direction.

"It’s only down. They get tired. Lewis is tired. He’s been doing what he is doing forever.

"He needs a rest from it for good, a total reset to do something completely different.

"He may not think it but he will soon get used to doing other stuff away from motor racing in retirement.

"I think he should have done it a while ago. The guy is not a cheat. But he would be cheating himself if he goes on."

Diego Loverno, Ferrari's sporting director, rushed to stop Charles Leclerc from exploding after a fit of rage during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Leclerc slipped from pole position to fourth, unbeknownst to him due to an issue with his car, having already fumed at his team over the radio.

Auto Sport Web claim that Loverno rushed to Leclerc's side at the end of the race to stop him from 'exploding to the media' before knowing all the facts.

Loverno was not planning to speak with his driver so soon after the race, but felt compelled to get involved or risk further PR damage.

Frits van Eerd, a former CEO of supermarket chain Jumbo and sponsor of Max Verstappen, has been handed a two-year prison sentence.

Read more about this breaking story here...

David Coulthard has opened up about his battle with Bulimia during the early stages of his racing career. The former Red Bull icon spoke about the eating disorder during an appearance on the High Performance podcast.

“Yes,” he revealed. "I didn't see it as pressure. I saw it as a necessary thing to make weight. You know, horse jockeys, we're familiar with jockeys having to do saunas and whatever to lose body weight, to be on weight to do whatever the event is they're doing. Boxers - I'm sure they're another - gymnasts, I assume. And there'll be others who have bulimia or anorexia as a result of body dysmorphia because they don't see in the mirror what they feel is a reflection of them as an individual.

“I would step on the scales and I was a pound overweight - that was going to affect my performance. I weighed myself twice a day as a teenager: in the morning when I got up, and in the evening when I went to bed.

“That gave me my average weight, and I could tell a few days out if I was in the right area for the race weekend. I was tall for my generation of drivers, so making weight [became harder]. The junior age in karting was 11 to 16 - when I was 11, I was carrying a lot of ballast in the car, because I was racing against fully grown men who have gone through puberty and are shaving. Then there was a point when I was 15, 16 years old, I'm tall, and the weight is accommodating for an 11-year-old, so it was more of a compromise. It was a necessary evil which I didn't discuss with anyone. I just knew that if I was overweight, then whatever dinner I'd had that night was not going to stay inside me."

Alpine have reportedly decided to give Franco Colapinto the rest of the season to impress, despite the Argentine racer suffering a heavy crash in a mid-season test at the Hungaroring.

Colapinto was called in to replace Jack Doohan just six rounds into the 2025 campaign, but the 22-year-old has struggled to produce results and remains without a top-10 finish heading into the summer break.

However, according to a report from PlanetF1, Alpine bosses will give Colapinto the rest of the season to impress, with no plans in place to use the likes of Valtteri Bottas and Paul Aron as the squad’s fourth driver of the season.

Read more about this story here…

Toto Wolff has brushed off talks of a ‘crisis meeting’ after the Belgian Grand Prix. George Russell sparked speculation of crunch talks within the Silver Arrows’ camp after suggesting that there would be a deep dive into the team’s form after the race.

“That’s always such nonsense, this talk of a ‘crisis meeting,'” team principal Wolff said. “We have meetings every week to assess where the car stands and what we can improve.

“And one of those meetings was last week, exactly as planned, with the drivers. We do that regularly, every few months. That was the ‘big’ meeting. And it was very interesting.”

Lando Norris has experienced a ‘mental shift’ according to Johnny Herbert, with the British racer now ‘more serious’ in his title fight against team-mate Oscar Piastri. The 25-year-old reeled off three wins in four Grands Prix during the build-up to the summer break, and is now only nine points behind his title rival.

“It's definitely a mental shift because think about the bubbly Lando we knew when he first came into the sport,” Herbert told Grosvenor Casino. “It is not there at all. Even the bubbly Lando that we probably saw earlier this year is not there anymore.

“And when we saw him in that cool down room after the race, it was a very professional Lando Norris. It was a very different mentality that I think he's taking into his cockpit because he knows how important it is for the Championship.

“He's got to be racing for Lando. Yes, he's part of that team, but at the end of the day the driver's got to be selfish and look after his own interests. As I've said before, it may be the only opportunity they have because of the rule changes coming next year. He’s got to put every single fibre of his being and effort into making sure that he is mentally in the right place and physically in the right place. And he's been doing that. That consistency has really started to shine through.”

Johnny Herbert believes that there is a real possibility that Lewis Hamilton will retire from Formula One if his performances don’t improve during the final 10 rounds of the season. The Brit was extremely dejected after a miserable weekend in Hungary last time out.

“I can see there's a point in a driver's career when you must make a decision,” ex-FIA steward Herbert told Grosvenor Casino. “But it's very hard for a driver to make the decision at the right time.

“If things don't click and get better, then maybe it will be something he will have a hard thought about and realise it's not there anymore and maybe it is time to move on and try other things in his life.”

Laurent Mekies has explained why Red Bull can’t simply copy elements of the Racing Bulls 2025 challenger. The Faenza-based squad had the quicker car in Hungary last time out with Liam Lawson finishing ahead of Max Verstappen on track.

“No, I think the question is fair, but there's a genesis of the car,” Mekies explained. “Where the cars are coming from is too different for anyone to transfer anything from a car to another. It's what Formula One is today.

“You know, it's 10 independent teams all coming with their own ideas about where to develop the car, what difficulties they found along the way, which development paths they have ended up having due to that. And there is nothing you could take from a car to another. It's really down to how it was developed from early on.”

Former Red Bull icon David Coulthard believes that Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 success was ‘condensed into too short a period’. The eight-time Grand Prix winner dropped off the grid in unceremonious fashion after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

“You see some drivers who evolve well,” Coulthard told the High Performance podcast. “You see others who get affected by the success, and that affects their trajectory.

“I think Daniel Ricciardo would be an example of that. One of the bright young talents that arrived in Formula One, one of the best overtakers of his generation, always exciting to watch. And then just suddenly, as he left Red Bull, Renault was OK, McLaren, Lando outperformed him in both years, even though Daniel won a race.

“And then it never really worked out again at AlphaTauri. Now he’s a happily retired, I assume wealthy individual. But it all felt like it was condensed into too short a period.”

Toto Wolff has made it clear that he is happy with his driver combination, but that he simply had to explore the possibility of bringing Max Verstappen into the team.

"Yes. I’ve always said that I’m happy with my team, with Russell and Kimi Antonelli, but suddenly Max’s future became uncertain, so we also talked to him,” the Mercedes boss explained to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But I was always very clear with George: 90 per cent of the time, he would have stayed with us, but I had to talk to Verstappen as well. Now the situation is clear and everything can return to normal."

Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley has confessed that he ‘still gets goosebumps’ when thinking about Max Verstappen’s last-lap pass on Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"That was such an intense period,” the former Red Bull man explained. “The emotion I felt when Max crossed the line first is indescribable. I still get goosebumps now.

“Mercedes later filed a double protest. I entered the room and they even had a lawyer with them. Fortunately, we were proven right and we could make the team cheer again. There's so much passion among the people, they sacrifice so much. If they then collaborate with someone like Max, they think: 'this feels like the right thing to do'."

Ralf Schumacher has explained the difference between Max Verstappen’s titles during the ground effect era and the 2025 championship battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

"Max hasn't really had any real opposition within the team so far," he said on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast. "That is partly due to him and partly due to his teammates.

"As a result, things always look so easy with him, just like they did with my brother at the time. It's different with Piastri and Norris. They have to go to extremes every time to beat the other to secure their position within the team. And that position is extremely important when it comes to the further development of the car.

"The more pressure there is, the greater the chance, logically, is that you make a small mistake. You also saw that with [Charles] Leclerc at the beginning of the season. He has now secured his place. Then you don't have to go to the limit, take that little extra risk where you might lock your wheel, exceed a track limit or drive just too fast over a kerb."

Punters are backing Lewis Hamilton to continue racing for at least a couple more years despite his downbeat comments at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion has struggled up against Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc this season and he's no spring chicken at 40 years old.

But the market reckons there's more life in his F1 career yet.

Here are the latest odds on when Hamilton will retire, courtesy of AceOdds...

2025: 5/1

2026: 3/1

2027: EVS

2028 and onwards: 6/4

Former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has joked that George Russell should be given a 'contract for life' at Mercedes.

Russell has spent much of this season fearing for his future despite leading the team.

But with Max Verstappen committing to Red Bull for next season, the Englishman is set to sign an extension with the Silver Arrows.

"I think he should have a contract for life, in my opinion," Steiner said on the Red Flags podcast.

"Without joking, I think he should get an extension. He's doing a good job and if they want to win a world championship at the moment they need George there, because Kimi [Antonelli] is not delivering as anticipated."

Lewis Hamilton was 'perfectly normal' during the post-qualifying driver's briefing in Hungary, according to F1 journalist Jon Noble.

The Ferrari star was hard on himself in the immediate aftermath of failing to get through Q2 and putting his car 12th on the grid.

And he made some worrying comments over the course of the weekend, including that the team should 'change driver'.

But Noble explained on The Race F1 podcast: "When Lewis stepped out of the car on Saturday, he saw he’d been knocked out in Q2 in 12th, and Charles Leclerc is on pole position.

"I was told that in the driver’s briefing, an hour and a half later, Lewis was perfectly normal, delighted for Charles when he came in. It’s a very different scenario."

Dutch former racing driver Michael Bleekemolen has given his take on Red Bull's struggles this season.

He believes the way their form has nosedived is 'very strange', and called the fact that it affects his compatriot Max Verstappen 'annoying'.

Bleekemolen told racingnews365: "They've all been dominant for a while, but you always see it collapse at some point. So, historically speaking, that's not surprising. It's just strange, or rather annoying, that it affects one of the best drivers in the field.

"[Verstappen] certainly won't be going into the summer break feeling good, but that doesn't mean he won't be there next year.

"Now has nothing to do with 2026; it will be a completely different matter. But what's happening now is strange. Very strange. They were dominant at first, but now suddenly everything is gone. And that's a real shame."

It's already pretty clear which team will be walking away with the Constructors' Championship this year.

But here's how the team standings are shaping up anyway...

1. McLaren - 559

2. Ferrari - 260

3. Mercedes - 236

4. Red Bull - 194

5. Williams - 70

6. Aston Martin - 52

7. Kick Sauber - 51

8. Racing Bulls - 45

9. Haas - 35

10. Alpine - 20

F1 stars have nearly a month during the summer break to stew on the current set of Drivers' Championship standings.

Here is how the top 10 shapes up...

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 284

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 275

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 187

4. George Russell (Mercedes) - 172

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 151

6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 109

7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 64

8. Alex Albon (Williams) - 54

9. Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber) - 37

10. Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 27

Cadillac and Aston Martin both hold an interest in George Russell, according to Sky Sports.

Just a few weeks ago they may have been clinging onto hopes of actually signing the Englishman due to the fact his Mercedes future was up in the air.

But with Max Verstappen staying at Red Bull, Russell is expected to sign a new contract with the Silver Arrows.

Mercedes team representative Bradley Lord has spoken out on why the Silver Arrows have not yet confirmed their driver line-up for next year.

There had been uncertainty surrounding George Russell's future until Max Verstappen committed to Red Bull.

Although the Englishman is expected to stay on with Mercedes and race alongside Kimi Antonelli in 2026, the decision has not been formally announced.

Lord said: "The fact that we haven’t yet announced what we’re doing in 2026, there can be myriad reasons for that.

"Our full confidence, our full intention is exactly that [continuing with Russell and Antonelli] for 2026, as Toto [Wolff] has said many times.

"At some point in the future, there will be an announcement, a confirmation of what we’re doing in 2026."

George Russell appears to be having plenty of fun after jetting off for his summer holiday.

He has taken to Instagram to share a few pictures of himself on a yacht with his girlfriend, Carmen Montero Mundt.

Russell captioned the post: "Logging out. Ciao for now."

Fernando Alonso believes Gabriel Bortoleto's 'exceptional' results have gone under the radar because he is not British.

"He commits few errors, always putting pressure, he’s the best rookie of this generation," said Alonso, who is also Bortoleto's manager.

"If he was English, or something, and finished sixth in a Sauber, he’d be in all the news tomorrow. What he does is exceptional."

Bortoleto came home in sixth place at the Hungarian Grand Prix, a result which secured him back-to-back points finishes.

Jacques Villeneuve believes Yuki Tsunoda is the worst driver to have partnered Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

"Tsunoda is probably the worst of them all so far," said the Canadian.

"A lot of people say it’s unfair, that the car is made for Max, but Max might be the only one who actually gives good feedback to the team.

"So yes, they develop the car so it gets better and better for him. They’re not there trying to make it difficult for the number two driver.

"The thing is, there’s not many like Max. If you look in the past, there were more than one at his level in the paddock.

"And then you had a few good drivers and then a few average as well. Now there are a lot of good drivers instead of only a few."

Lewis Hamilton has maintained that he is going nowhere for the foreseeable future in spite of his ongoing plight at Ferrari.

The veteran Brit hinted at internal struggles after missing out on a points finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"When you have a feeling, you have a feeling," he said. "There’s a lot going on in the background that is not great."

Hamilton was quick to insist that his motivation remains as high as ever, though, adding: "No, I still love racing."

Jos Verstappen has defended his son's character by suggesting the four-time world champion is widely misunderstood.

Speaking to De Telegraaf, he said: "When I see or speak to Max in private, he’s still the same Max as he was 10 or 15 years ago.

"I think that’s very important and wonderful. I’m proud of that.

"I think a lot of people, perhaps especially the English, have the wrong impression of him that he’s a jerk.

"Maybe that’s also due to the current social media era. I don’t identify with that at all."

Franco Colapinto was involved in a frightening crash during the Pirelli tyre test in Hungary this morning.

Images on social media showed his Alpine in the barriers with considerable damage.

Colapinto was taken to the on-site medical centre for precautionary checks but was not injured in the crash.

A statement from Alpine read: "During day two of Pirelli tyre testing at the Hungaroring, Franco Colapinto had an incident at Turn 11.

"Franco was assessed on site at the medical centre and is OK."

Sky Sports have received complaints from F1 insiders about Nico Rosberg's behaviour towards Jos Verstappen, according to GPBlog.

It comes after Rosberg confronted the elder Verstappen about his comments on Christian Horner during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

The report states that some people have complained to Sky Sports with Rosberg's conduct described as 'unacceptable'.There are also said to be questions about whether Rosberg should have been on the grid in the first place.

George Russell has confirmed that it is only a matter of time before he extends his Mercedes contract.

His current deal will expire at the end of the season but he is almost certain to be handed fresh terms.

"I've got nothing to be worried about," said Russell.

"Nothing's going to happen over the summer because, honestly, I just want to have a rest and recharge and come back stronger for the second half of the year.

"There's no time pressure either way now. So it'll happen when it will happen. It's a when, not if.

"I'm 27 now, and I've been with the team for four years. Next year would be my fifth.

"We want to build the relationship together, but it's got to be right and I don't want to rush it. I've been waiting 12 months.

"I'm not going to rush it in the course of two weeks, so we'll sit down when the time is right."

Gian Carlo Minardi has accused Ferrari of giving preferential treatment to Charles Leclerc over Lewis Hamilton.

He believes the veteran Brit is frustrated that certain promises have been broken.

"From various interviews, I understand [that] Lewis is complaining about things that were promised to him but haven’t arrived," Minardi told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"It’s difficult to make judgments, in any case. I think Ferrari are trying to find a better direction for Leclerc right now."

Charles Leclerc has been hit with another punishment after receiving a five-second penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

He was penalised for erratic driving while battling with George Russell in the latter stages of the race.

Now, it has been revealed that Leclerc has also had one penalty point added to his licence.

It is the only penalty point he has received over the last 12 months.

Drivers automatically trigger a race ban if they accumulate 12 penalty points within a 12-month period.

Zak Brown believes F1 is in a 'healthier' place without Christian Horner in the paddock.

The former Red Bull team principal has been replaced by Laurent Mekies and Brown is a fan of the change.

"I'm happy Laurent's in the role he is in," he said. "I like Laurent, that'll be healthy, and maybe we can get back to focusing on competition on the track.

"There's always going to be some political aspects to the sport, but I think it is going to be healthier with Laurent.

"I'm a fan of Laurent, I have known him for a long time and it'll be good to go racing against him."

Aston Martin have opted not to give interviews to Sky Germany due to recent negative coverage of the team, Express Sport understands.

It follows alleged unbalanced reporting from the broadcaster.

They wanted to speak to Mike Krack during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend but saw their request turned down, according to Bild.

Team owner Lawrence Stroll also rejected a conversation live on air.

Explaining to their viewers, Ralf Schumacher said: "I know they’re not giving us any more interviews because they don’t like us that much at the moment.”

Co-pundit Peter Hardenacke added: "We were a bit too critical of the people at Aston Martin."

Stefano Domenicali has backed Lewis Hamilton in his quest to win his eighth championship title, revealing that he will be back in strong form after the summer break.

This statement arrives after the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, where a dejected Hamilton said that he was "useless" and that Ferrari should change the driver.

The seven-time world champion was hugely upset after qualifying P12 for the race at the Hungaroring.

The Grand Prix was likewise poor, as Hamilton didn't gain positions and finished in the same place he started, outside of the points.

Domenicali, who has led Ferrari in the past, praised Hamilton and confirmed his faith that he will come back stronger after the summer break.

He told Sky Sports F1: "Lewis is a jewel, an incredible athlete. So no matter if it is a difficult moment, he will react, and I am pretty sure he will show the reason why he is here.

"He wants to achieve his 8th title, and he will triumph again. So stay with Lewis and he will do a great race, and be very, very strong after the summer season."

Previosuly unseen team radio footage from the Hungarian Grand Prix has revealed the moment Carlos Sainz called for the FIA to give a penalty to Pierre Gasly.

It comes after the Alpine driver saw two penalty points added to his superlicence, in addition to a 10-second penalty, for causing a collision at Turn 4.

Gasly’s run of two consecutive points finishes came to an end in Budapest, where the Alpine driver finished a disappointing 19th.

The Frenchman originally finished 17th on the road, but dropped two places in the final classification due to a 10-second penalty for a clash with Sainz.

Gasly and Sainz were battling for position in the closing stages in Hungary when Alpine driver misjudged his braking at Turn 2 and made tyre-to-tyre contact with the Williams, knocking Sainz on to the painted run-off area on the outside of the corner.

After Lewis Hamilton somewhat turned on himself and his own "useless" exploits in Hungary, Ferrari chief Fred Vesseur has had enough.

Vasseur has publicly defended his driver previously, stating after the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix that people "have to stop" the spotlight being placed on his adaptation.

The Frenchman did so again in Budapest, after being asked whether he feels that he is getting the performances he expected from Hamilton, given the vast financial outlay required to bring him from Mercedes.

“We are taking drivers because we want to compete in the championship and to score points and to win races," Vasseur said.

Zak Brown believes that the politics of F1 will be in a better place after Christian Horner’s departure from Red Bull. The McLaren Racing CEO had a long-running feud with the axed Red Bull boss, but has since held peace talks with his replacement, Laurent Mekies.

“I think that it went too far,” Brown said in Hungary. “There’s always going to be politicking, and let’s try and shut down their flexi wings and that stuff. But when you start getting into frivolous allegations, I think that’s just going too far.

“If I look up and down pit lane now, I see us fighting each other hard politically, but there being a line that’s not crossed. I think that line got crossed before, and I think it was unhealthy. So I think that we’ll see a little bit of a change for the better.”

Toto Wolff has backed former driver Lewis Hamilton to bounce back from his struggles after an emotional outpouring at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"No, it was Lewis wearing his heart on his sleeve," Wolff said when confronted with Hamilton’s comments. "It's very much what he felt when he was asked after the session, he was very raw, he doubted himself, and we've had it in the past, that when he felt he had underperformed his own expectations, he's been emotional.

"He's emotionally transparent since he was a young boy and adult, so he is going to beat himself up. He is the GOAT, and he will always be the GOAT, and nobody is going to take that away, and for sure not a single weekend or race season that has not gone to plan. 

"It is something that he needs to remember, that he is the greatest of all time. Lewis has unfinished business in Formula One, so in the same way that Mercedes underperformed over this latest set of regulations and never got happy with ground effect cars, maybe it is linked to the driving style. 

"He shouldn't go anywhere next year with the brand-new cars, which are completely different to drive, new power units which need an intelligent way of managing the energy, so it's absolutely on for Lewis. I hope he stays on for many more years."

Bernie Ecclestone has suggested that Lewis Hamilton would be ‘cheating himself’ by sticking with Ferrari past his prime, following a difficult run of form heading into the summer break.

“Lewis is very talented, was and probably still is,” Ecclestone told the Daily Mail. “But like a lot of leading sports personalities, when they reach the top, there is only one way to go, and it’s not a good direction. It’s only down. They get tired. Lewis is tired. He’s been doing what he is doing forever. 

“He needs a rest from it for good, a total reset to do something completely different. He may not think it, but he will soon get used to doing other stuff away from motor racing in retirement. I think he should have done it a while ago.

“The guy is not a cheat. But he would be cheating himself if he goes on. He should stop now. If I were looking after him, I would negotiate with Ferrari immediately and say, ‘If you have someone to replace Lewis, he’ll step aside.’”

Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley has applauded rookie starlet Gabriel Bortoleto for his maturity and commitment, after the rookie scored his career-best finish with P6 at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"I have to say that it's the closest, most collaborative driver pairing I think I can even remember in all my time in Formula One," Wheatley explained.

"Gabriel has a fantastic work ethic. He has a capacity for taking on new information. He's proving every way to be the future star that we expected him to be. And Nico is part of that journey with him.

"On the other side of the engineering table, you've got this extraordinary experience and Nico's proven talent. I mean, we're talking about Gabi a lot today, but Nico did a tremendous job. You don't really see it or you don't notice it, because it didn't result in a points finish. But as a team, we're very pleased with both of our drivers."

Yuki Tsunoda plans to ‘keep doing what he is doing’ after the summer break as he looks to save his F1 career. The Japanese racer is without a top-10 finish in his last seven Grand Prix starts, raising significant questions about his future.

Looking back at his pace at Silverstone and in Spa, he said: “Yeah, I mean, that's positive, and it's showing that I'm making progress. After I introduced the package much closer to Max, if you see on the paper - on the short runs especially - it's quite clear that I'm closing the gap to Max.

“Yesterday [qualifying in Hungary] was probably one of the closest gaps in the last four years, which I think the team was proud of, and I think I can be proud of that. So I'll just keep what I'm doing.”

Andrea Stella has confirmed that he sees Oscar Piastri’s lunges on team-mate Lando Norris at the Hungarian Grand Prix as being within the confines of McLaren’s ‘Papaya Rules’ philosophy. The Australian narrowly avoided colliding with the Brit at Turn One in the closing stages.

“When you have two great drivers, like Lando and Oscar, who race for a victory in a Formula One Grand Prix, and race for the Drivers’ Championship, it’s always going to be very close,” Stella said.

“But that was firm racing, it was fair racing at the same time. It was definitely within our principles. We had a bit of a lock-up with Oscar, but at the same time, Lando left some space, because he knew that Oscar would have been at the limit of braking.

“We keep being very proud of how Lando and Oscar are racing. I think this is a great way of honouring Formula 1 racing, these are the venues of McLaren, it’s going to be, hopefully, a matter between the two McLaren drivers. Even if we saw Ferrari today was in the competition for the victory for two-thirds of the races, I think we have a very entertaining and interesting final part of the season.”

Ferrari have completed two new signings for the Ferrari Driver Academy with Alba Larsen and Niccolo Maccagnani coming on board for 2026. 

Larsen made her debut in the F1 Academy series earlier this year and has made a positive impression, finishing in the points on seven of the eight occasions. 

Maccagnani joins with an impressive karting career under his belt, having tested open-wheel single-seaters as he prepares for his 2026 programme to come together.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has provided an update on Lewis Hamilton’s mindset after a miserable weekend at the Hungaroring. The Brit caused concern with a series of dejected interviews after one of his toughest weekends in Formula One.

“I don’t need to motivate him, honestly,” the Ferrari boss said. “He’s frustrated, but not demotivated. It’s a completely different story. I can perfectly understand the situation, and you can, sometimes you are making comments on what the driver is saying to the car, but if you put the microphone on some other sportsman in football and so on, I’m not sure that it would be much better.

“Sometimes they are making [dramatic] comments, even when they jump out of the car. I can understand the frustration, but we are all frustrated and sometimes, if you ask me, I can’t say this, I will go to the stewards.

“But sometimes just after the race, or just after the quali, you are very disappointed and the reaction, the first reaction is harsh, but we all know that we are pushing in the same direction.”

Martin Brundle has offered his thoughts about Charles Leclerc’s mysterious management during the Hungarian Grand Prix, after George Russell suggested the Monegasque racer’s Ferrari was ‘close to being illegal’. 

“Here's what I believe that could be about,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column. “This Ferrari works much better closer to the ground, especially at the rear, and we often see it heavily bottoming out. This can wear the 'plank' underneath and render the car illegal, as happened in China earlier this year.

“We know they sometimes lift off the throttle in high-speed corners to protect that wear when the car is heavily aero loaded. In Budapest at his pit stops they raised tyre pressures, which raises the car but gives away grip, and the team also reduced front-wing angle. 

“This hurt his pace, and Leclerc eventually finished an angry 42 seconds behind the winner, which included a five-second penalty for unreasonably banging into the side of Russell into Turn One when he was being passed for the final step on the podium. Charles has only won once from his last 16 poles.”

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes that Lewis Hamilton should quit Ferrari immediately, and that Fred Vasseur should look at Isack Hadjar or Gabriel Bortoleto to replace him.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he suggested: “If I could steal him, I’d take Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls. He has done super well in his first year and is a great guy. I also rate our friend from Brazil [Gabriel Bortoleto]. He is talented. Both of them are sensible, too.”

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has rejected Max Verstappen’s suggestion that the team has no chance of winning a Grand Prix in normal circumstances before the end of the campaign. The Dutchman finished ninth at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.

“It was a tough weekend,” Mekies said in response to Verstappen’s comments. “I don’t think what you see this weekend represents where the car is at. We accept the fact that we are probably not very strong on tracks like here, but what we have seen today was outstanding. 

“So, if you look, no question McLaren are faster, but look at Spa, Max was able to fight certainly on Saturday and surprise everyone in the Sprint. So, let’s see.

“The season is still very long. Even if car development is going to heavily slow down or is pretty much going to be minimum from now on, we still have a lot of things we can learn, as this weekend showed. 

“And through that, as difficult and as uncomfortable as it is, fundamentally, you learn through these sorts of weekends. So better to have them early on. We will learn, and if we are able to extract a bit more of the car, thanks to weekends like today, then hopefully we can put up a better fight.”

Good morning and welcome to Express Sport's rolling F1 news coverage. The summer break is underway with 10 races remaining of the 2025 season. We'll keep you up to date with the latest developments from the paddock as silly season heats up.