Drivers on 2026 power unit rules
Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen said last weekend’s entertaining Canadian Grand Prix does not mean F1’s 2026 power unit rules are now in a good place, even after the energy deployment tweaks introduced in Miami. Hamilton said the cars are better to race but the power delivery still feels wrong, especially with qualifying still a concern, adding: “It doesn't feel like what motorsport should be… Ultimately the car is fundamentally a better design, so we can race and get close and follow each other closely, and I think that's the best part of it. The power part, I think, is less exciting.” Antonelli said the system can still “trigger” drivers because of the battery and throttle management required, and warned “there's still work to do”, while Verstappen said Montreal’s spectacle “has nothing to do in that sense with the rules”, adding: “For me F1 just needs to be more pure and I really hope that what they try to do next year will go through because I think that is the minimum necessary to make it a bit more natural and a bit more back to normal.”
Entertaining Canadian GP doesn't mean rules are fine, F1 drivers say
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Komatsu on Haas' 2027 driver line-up timing
Haas boss Ayao Komatsu said the team will start considering its 2027 Formula 1 driver line-up around May to July. Komatsu said: "Around now time, like May, June, July. I think everybody's looking at next year's drivers. It's not just us, everyone."
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Bottas on setup and power issues in Canada
Valtteri Bottas says his Cadillac was “not 100%” at the Canadian Grand Prix and that unresolved set-up and power issues left him short of confidence in the car. Bottas said: "We had a few issues [in Montreal] with the setup, the car was very different in each session, and even [in the grand prix], there were some things that we couldn't fix, so the car is not 100%. For sure, it's not yet in a place where I can gain good confidence with the car, but also we know that my power wasn't 100%."
Valtteri Bottas points finger at Cadillac car: 'It's not 100%'
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No straight mode zones in Monaco
For the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, the FIA has designated no straight mode zones, so drivers will not be able to flatten their active front and rear wings anywhere on the lap. With Monaco’s lap dominated by traction and braking phases, and with straight mode cutting drag by around 20% and adding up to 20km/h, the FIA has judged there is too little benefit and too much risk in having cars arrive at the next corners faster. Overtaking support will still come from the energy deployment system, with Monaco’s activation zone set before the final corner.
Why F1 cars won't run active aero in Monaco
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Mekies on Red Bull's Canadian GP encouragement after Miami upgrade
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says there is no reason to get “too excited” by the team’s Canadian Grand Prix performance, even after Max Verstappen’s third place in Montreal delivered Red Bull’s first podium of the season and offered encouragement about the upgrade package first introduced in Miami. Mekies said: "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 boss sends 'too excited' warning after podium breakthrough
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Rushbrook on Ford's satisfaction with Red Bull partnership
Ford global director Mark Rushbrook says the company is “very happy” with its partnership with Red Bull Racing after Max Verstappen finished third at the Canadian Grand Prix to give the Red Bull Ford Powertrains project its first podium. Rushbrook said: "We're very happy with where we are right now. Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Powertrains – they're great partners, and that's what we knew three-and-a-half years ago when we struck the deal. The partnership with them has been incredible to develop an all-new power train together with them, based in Milton Keynes, and I'm incredibly proud to have that power unit on track in the Red Bull Racing cars and the Racing Bulls cars as well."
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Wolff on Russell's resilience after Canadian GP retirement
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says George Russell is the most resilient driver in the paddock and will recover from retiring from the lead of the Canadian Grand Prix with a battery failure. Wolff said: "Things have been going against him in the last few races. Today certainly would have been big points to collect. He was in the lead, but, if there's one guy that I would choose in this paddock in terms of resilience and determination, that would be George. He's had to overcome adversity previously, whether it's from karting onwards to junior formulas, and he's not gonna give up that fight."
Toto Wolff names George Russell's key F1 title strength after Canada blow
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Verstappen on surprise Canadian GP podium finish
Max Verstappen says he was surprised to finish on the podium at the Canadian Grand Prix, pointing to George Russell’s retirement and McLaren’s strategy as key factors in Red Bull’s first top-three result of the season. Verstappen said: "To be honest, I was feeling better in Miami with the car, so I'm a little bit surprised with being on the podium here. But you also have to look at it with George retiring, McLaren making a mess of the strategy. For me to be here, of course I'm very happy."
Max Verstappen voices shock over end to Red Bull cold streak
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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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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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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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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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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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