Fernando Alonso said McLaren is an “incredible organisation” as the team celebrated its 1000th grand prix, with the Aston Martin driver joining the Woking outfit’s milestone event. Alonso said: "It is an incredible organisation. 1000 grands prix in Formula 1, but not only Formula 1, with endurance racing, with IndyCar. So, yeah, happy to be here, and wishing them the best for the future."

McLaren broke Friday night’s 10pm curfew in Monaco to fix the problem that stopped Lando Norris in second practice, costing the reigning world champion track time. The team said it “carried out extensive work” and “elected to break curfew last night and replace the wiring harness, and also changed the ESME pack within the permitted allocation”, adding the changes were within Norris’s allocation so he should avoid a penalty.





Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari race engineer Carlo Santi is like his “Italian Bono” and that the team’s engineering set-up is “a million times better” than it was last year, speaking in Monaco. Hamilton said: “I do feel like Carlo is like my ‘Italian Bono’. I told Bono that the other day in terms of, he’s a bit of an OG. He’s an older guy that’s been around the block. He’s very calm… The engineer set-up is a million times better than it was last year.”
Martin Brundle says George Russell is in a “worst-case scenario” at Mercedes after being upstaged by team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who has won four races in a row and opened a 43-point lead in the championship. Brundle said: "It is a worst-case scenario for George. He went into Mercedes just as they stopped dominating, he's done the hard yards, he's been brilliant, and now they've got the fastest car in the field, this kid, this teenager turns up and steals all the thunder. Now it is all about whether George is old and wise enough to know what goes around, comes around. It is a long way to go, but a 43-point deficit… is quite painful."

Fernando Alonso said Aston Martin needs to improve its engine behaviour and front-end grip after a difficult Friday at the Monaco Grand Prix. Alonso said: "Yeah, it's very clear. We need to improve the engine response and the engine behaviour around the upshifts and downshifts, and this energy recovery - obviously, we have this complex system that we recharge when we brake, and this has to interact with the downshifts and the way we approach the corners. And on the chassis side, I think we were missing a lot of front end, so we will make changes to improve the front end and front grip."

Aston Martin team ambassador Pedro de la Rosa says the team is “definitely not yet” seeing light at the end of the tunnel after a difficult start to 2026 left it struggling at the Monaco Grand Prix. De la Rosa said: "Definitely not yet. We are where we are. It's a difficult start, especially because we are in a position that we were not expecting to be in. We know that in the next few races we have no upgrades. However, we can see the upgrades coming, but they're far away."

Max Verstappen joked that if he ended up in the barriers near his Monaco home during this weekend’s grand prix, at least he would get back to his residence quickly, with the Red Bull driver set to pass his own front door on the Circuit de Monaco. Verstappen said: "I don't know, I haven't thought about that yet. Hopefully, I don't park it in the wall on the other side. Then I'd be home in no time."

Flavio Briatore said he would welcome Christian Horner at Alpine if the former Red Bull boss is part of a consortium looking to buy Otro Capital’s minority stake in the Enstone-based team. Briatore said: "I'd be happy to work with anybody, honestly. I think the point in this moment is, I don't know if Christian is involved in some group that want to buy or not. For me, welcome, I have zero problem, especially with Christian. I have a super relationship with Christian."




Oscar Piastri admitted he was surprised by how far off the pace McLaren looked in practice in Monaco, with the Australian seventh in second practice, more than a second behind session pacesetter Lewis Hamilton. Piastri said: "It's been a tough day for us, for sure. So some things to find overnight. We always expected Ferrari to be quick, and they look very, very quick but we were hoping we would be a fair bit closer. Let's see what we can try and muster up for tonight."

Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle says Charles Leclerc would have been talking to McLaren and Mercedes before signing his new multi-year Ferrari contract, after Leclerc confirmed rival teams had shown interest. Brundle said: "No, no, it wouldn't have been everybody. But obviously he'd be talking to McLaren and to Mercedes at least."

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur will miss Monaco Grand Prix qualifying after undergoing medical checks, with the team saying he is “under observation at a local medical facility”. Ferrari added: “No further medical information will be provided,” and said it “look[s] forward to seeing him back at the track soon.”













Oscar Piastri said McLaren were “hoping we would be a fair bit closer” in Monaco practice after ending Friday more than a second off the pace in seventh. Piastri said: "It felt okay, just not as speedy as we would like, unfortunately, so it was a difficult one. We made a bit of progress for FP2, but we went from a second and a half off to a second off. So, it's been a tough day for us. Some things to find overnight. We always expected Ferrari to be quick... but we were hoping we would be a fair bit closer."

Charles Leclerc says qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix will be “very tight” after Ferrari topped Friday practice, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen looking “very strong”. Leclerc said: "Max has been very strong. Red Bull have been very strong and Lewis has been very strong. At the end of the day, it's not been a disastrous day. We are very close to Lewis in FP2. I'm not so worried but it's going to be a tough qualifying for sure, and it will be very tight. If we can do a step forward with the brakes, it can help us for the fight for pole."

Charles Leclerc says he is still “struggling” with Ferrari’s brakes at the Monaco Grand Prix and that the team has not yet found a solution, with the issue continuing from the Canadian Grand Prix. Leclerc said: "Unfortunately, for the past two weekends I've been facing some issues with the brakes, and I'm struggling on my side with them at the moment. So we're trying to find a solution. We haven't found one so far, but we'll keep working on it and try to make sure we take a step forward for tomorrow."

Fernando Alonso says the 2026 Formula 1 cars are “probably the worst generation” he has driven in Monaco, blaming the battery-charging rules for making the engine braking inconsistent. Alonso said: "No, I don't think so [that the 2026 cars were at their best in Monaco]. This is probably the worst generation of cars I ever drove in Monaco. The way you charge the battery, with the braking and lifting off and things like that, obviously creates a lot of inconsistency into the engine braking of the car. Hybrid cars should not be racing. It's as simple as that."

Lance Stroll says Aston Martin’s gearbox will “completely lose sync” through Monaco’s Lowes Hairpin, forcing the team to “re-sync gears” and costing “huge lap time”. Stroll said: "It was a little bit better in Canada, but then every time we're under like 40 kph, we lose sync of the gears, so we have to re-sync gears. So here, for example, every time we go through Lowes Hairpin, we're going to completely lose sync of the gears, and then we're gonna have to sync those again, which is huge lap time every time you have to sync a gear."


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