Allison on catastrophic battery failure behind Russell retirement
Mercedes chief technical officer James Allison said a “catastrophic” battery failure caused George Russell’s retirement from the Canadian Grand Prix, with the team still working to understand exactly what triggered it. Allison said: "On George's PU failure, it was an engine kill caused by a failure in the battery, which just suffered a catastrophic failure a third of the way into the race and brought George's race to an end there. We can see enough at the end of the race that the battery was fairly unhappy, with some heat damage there. We'll have to figure out in the coming days and weeks exactly what caused that and put it right."
Mercedes uncovers details of George Russell's “catastrophic failure”
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Mekies on Red Bull's first 2026 podium in Canada
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says there is “probably no reason to get too excited” about the team’s first podium of 2026, after Max Verstappen finished third at the Canadian Grand Prix. Mekies said: "In Miami we finished 40 seconds from the win. It was a bit closer here now. There is probably no reason to get too excited in a way that you could also have a track layout effect, a track that could be forgiving for certain aspects of the car. But at the very least, again, we confirm Miami, the guys managed to get something more."
Red Bull: ‘No reason to get too excited' over F1 Canadian GP podium
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Stella on McLaren retrying new front wing in Monaco
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the team will try its new front wing again in Monaco after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri reverted to the previous specification during the Canadian Grand Prix sprint weekend. Stella said: "We knew that this front wing had some element of deviation from an aerodynamic point of view. So we've tested the wing. We want to repeat some testing and gain some further information. So before we adopted [it] in a sprint event, we wanted to be just more reassured that we understand the full extent of the changes we're making on the car... So we will definitely see this wing again in Monaco."
Why McLaren will try rejected front wing again in Monaco
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Hulkenberg on intermediate tyre gamble in Canada
Nico Hulkenberg said starting the Canadian Grand Prix on intermediate tyres was “a risk worth taking” even though it left him and Audi team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto out of the points after the track dried and forced an early stop. Hulkenberg said: "It was a challenging race for us. Looking back, the conditions at the start evolved differently from what we expected. It was a risk worth taking with what we knew at the time, but in the end the opening phase didn't really play out in our favour and that put us on the back foot quite early. Even after that, we didn't quite have the pace to recover in the way we wanted."
'A risk worth taking' – Hulkenberg reflects on Canada tyre gamble
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Zak Brown's FIA letter explained as McLaren pushes for F1 ownership crackdown
Interview: The hidden F1 2026 ordeal critical to performance
Was Mercedes' Canada ‘flashpoint’ the moment that sets the tone for the F1 2026 title fight?
Stella on Lambiase's leadership role at McLaren
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says he is “very stretched” in the role and that the arrival of incoming director of racing Gianpiero Lambiase is intended to add leadership alongside him, not replace him. Stella said: "Employing GP is part of this vision, which is a vision of creating additive leadership that can integrate with the present leadership and create a stronger and stronger team at McLaren. I am personally very stretched in my role as team principal, and I need a strong group of leaders working with me."
McLaren confirms Gianpiero Lambiase to help relieve ‘stretched' Andrea Stella
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Hamilton on F1's current power delivery issues
Lewis Hamilton says F1’s current power delivery still gives him “a weird feeling” and “doesn’t feel like what motorsport should be”, echoing Max Verstappen’s criticism after they finished second and third at the Canadian Grand Prix. Hamilton said: "It's definitely not second nature, that's for sure. It continues to be a weird feeling. You go down the power, you open up the SM, and then the power dies halfway down the straight, and the RPM starts dropping. It doesn't feel like what motorsport should be. The engine should be ringing its neck off right to the end of the straight."
Lewis Hamilton agrees with Max Verstappen over 'weird feeling'
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Bearman on having no timeline for Ferrari move
Oliver Bearman says he has “no timeline” in mind for a future move to Ferrari as he continues his Formula 1 career with Ferrari-backed customer team Haas. Bearman said: "There'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."
Oliver Bearman addresses Ferrari future after Lewis Hamilton retirement claim
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Piastri on Red Bull links amid Verstappen exit reports
Oscar Piastri says it is “flattering” to be linked with a potential move to Red Bull, after reports claimed the McLaren driver is their top target if Max Verstappen leaves the team. Piastri 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. Hopefully it proves my stock as a driver, which is a nice thing, but I'm very happy with where I am."
Piastri 'flattered' by possible Red Bull interest amid Verstappen uncertainty
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Hamilton on Ferrari power deficit against Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari’s power deficit is keeping them from being able to fight Mercedes, as the FIA prepares to apply its new Additional Development Upgrade Opportunity regulations for the first time. Hamilton said: "If you take away the power deficit, we're in the fight with these guys. But unfortunately that's not the way it is today. Even when you get the overtake [mode], when you get within a second, they still pull away. So that's how much grunt that they have, and we're massively down. But I really hope with this new rule that enables us to try to improve [and find] some performance, so we can get back in the fight with them."
Power deficit is keeping Ferrari out of the fight with Mercedes – Hamilton
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What we've learned about Alpine's $150million Gucci deal
Round-up: Russell's battery suffered “catastrophic failure” in Canadian GP, and more
Will Montreal prove to be the first of many Mercedes flashpoints in F1 2026?
Ben Sulayem proposes ending FIA term limits
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is proposing the removal of term limits for the presidency, a change that would allow him to stay in the role beyond the current maximum of three four-year terms, or 12 years. The statute change will be discussed and voted on at next month’s FIA General Assembly and is expected to pass, with the FIA saying it is intended to create a “consistent approach to tenure across all FIA bodies” and that it remains “subject to approval by the World Councils and by the General Assembly”.
Ben Sulayem wants to scrap FIA presidency term limits
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Stella on Piastri Red Bull rumours
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella dismissed speculation linking Oscar Piastri with a move to Red Bull, saying the rumours are part of Formula 1’s “silly season” and insisting McLaren are happy with their driver line-up. Stella said: "I think the reaction is in your question – you mentioned the silly season, and I think we are already fully in this silly season. When we think about Oscar, we couldn't be happier. I think we are seeing the best Oscar in the cockpit and also a happy Oscar, and the best version of himself outside the cockpit."
‘Fully in silly season' – McLaren dismisses Oscar Piastri Red Bull talk
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Lawson on surviving to points after practice issue in Canada
Liam Lawson said Racing Bulls “just survived” on the way to a points finish at the Canadian Grand Prix after a technical issue in practice left him with only five laps and forced him to sit out sprint qualifying. Lawson said: "We put the car nearly in Q3, but missed out, and then [on Sunday], we just survived. A lot of guys retired, and we survived."
Liam Lawson voices F1 relief: 'We just survived'
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Krack on Aston Martin reliability progress and performance gap
Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack says the team have “come a long way” on reliability but must cut out operational errors and find more performance after the Canadian Grand Prix. Krack said: "At the end of the day, from a reliability point of view, aside to the operational stuff that we mentioned earlier, I think, you know, on the PU side, there was not a single issue, not a single fault. So, I think we have come a long way, but the performance is not where it should be."
Aston Martin boss explains F1 progress despite operational cracks showing in Canada
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Permane on Racing Bulls following technical regulations with Red Bull
Alan Permane says Racing Bulls are “very rigorously” following Formula 1’s technical regulations in their relationship with Red Bull Racing, after McLaren CEO Zak Brown wrote to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem criticising dual ownership and suggesting Racing Bulls had acted to aid the senior Red Bull team. Permane said: "Our relationship with Red Bull Racing is very much a customer-supplier relationship. We take some suspension from them, we take gearboxes from them, and various other components that are allowed under the technical regulations, which we follow very rigorously. A lot of work goes into ensuring that we are respecting those rules. So, I don't see any issue with the way we operate currently."
Racing Bulls hit back at Zak Brown claims to FIA
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Hadjar on fair FIA penalties in the Canadian Grand Prix
Isack Hadjar said the FIA’s penalties were “fair” after he was twice punished by stewards during a chaotic Canadian Grand Prix, including a 10-second stop/go for failing to slow under double yellow flags and a later 10-second penalty following a defensive move against Charles Leclerc. Hadjar said: "I don't mind the penalties. I think that's fair. He's a very clean driver, so I just apologise, because it was a bit stupid."
Isack Hadjar accepts FIA punishment after chaotic Canadian GP
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Question of the week: Should Mercedes interfere in George Russell and Kimi Antonelli's battle?
Cadillac to consider Valtteri Bottas F1 axe, Colton Herta lined-up as replacement – report
'Mercedes don't need to intervene in Antonelli-Russell battle'
‘George' – Untelevised George Russell radio in Kimi Antonelli battle
Antonelli not thinking about title despite championship lead
Kimi Antonelli says he is not thinking about the Formula 1 world title yet, despite leading the championship by 43 points. Antonelli said: "Yeah, but to be fair, I'm not thinking about [the] championship. I'm just focusing on race by race. I think it's still very early to talk about that. And of course, now I have this gap but that doesn't mean that I can relax and just take it easier. Instead, I need to keep levelling up and keep raising the bar because it's not going to be easy and competitors are getting closer, and also George is super quick."
Kimi Antonelli not thinking about F1 title despite 43-point lead
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Perez on his performances since returning with Cadillac
Sergio Perez says he has proved to himself he is “one of the best” drivers in Formula 1 with his performances since returning to the grid with Cadillac. Perez said: "I'm very happy with my performances. I'm happy I came back and have proven to myself that I'm one of the best out there. That to me is really nice, and I'm very happy with the level of driving I'm doing."
Perez feels comeback has proven he is ‘one of the best' in F1
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