PlanetF1 reports the FIA has confirmed its ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) scheme for the 2026 F1 power unit regulations will come into effect after next weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The FIA said the first ADUO assessment period has been adjusted to cover the season’s first five races (Australia, China, Japan, Miami and Canada) due to calendar disruption, with results to be communicated no later than two weeks after the Canadian GP.
Max Verstappen says dealing with traffic could be one of the toughest challenges he faces on his debut at this weekend’s Nurburgring 24 Hours, with weather and reliability also key unknowns. Verstappen said: "It can be anything really [about the toughest challenge he will face this weekend]: dealing with traffic, you don't know what happens with your car or whatever, [weather] conditions. Is there rain involved or not? That will make it a lot harder. If it's fully dry and beautiful, then it's a bit different. You're just trying to go basically as fast as you can without taking too many risks."
Pierre Gasly says Red Bull’s struggles at the start of the new season have been “quite surprising”, with the team yet to score a podium after the opening four rounds. Gasly said: "After Bahrain, I was sure that they were part of the top four battles. Looking at Australia, they looked pretty strong there. I think they hit the ground in a very good way. But for whatever reason, after that, it was a lot more difficult. It's been quite surprising."

Lando Norris says he will be watching as much of Max Verstappen’s Nürburgring 24 Hours challenge as possible this weekend. Norris said: "I'll be watching maybe not the whole 24 hours, but as much as possible and spotting Max because he's a guy that I respect a lot. I've enjoyed watching him and Christopher Haase racing the last few weeks."




Alex Albon says the Miami Grand Prix has become “enjoyable” for him as the event has improved how the weekend is run, speaking in a Williams video with former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard. Albon said: "But then as time has gone on, I feel like they've improved the structure of the races and just the teams, the way they've sorted themselves out coming to Miami as well. It's enjoyable now. I really enjoy it."

RacingNews365 reports Max Verstappen will miss Wednesday’s opening ceremonial parade through Adenau ahead of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring after organisers advised against his attendance on safety grounds, given the expected crowds. For the same reason, Verstappen is also set to miss the meet-and-greet and autograph session at the circuit later in the weekend, with organisers stressing it is a safety decision rather than unwillingness on his part.

Jolyon Palmer says Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli is unlikely to let his title fight with team-mate George Russell turn acrimonious at this stage of the season. Palmer said: "He is young. He's out of contract at the end of the year currently, which seems amazing right now. I don't think he's going to nuke the team by going all acrimonious on George for the gain of seven points or 10 points, or whatever the swing might be, at least at this stage. Maybe, if they're close in September, October, we'll start to see what the real Kimi is like at that point."







Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack says he will not be drawn on when the team will bring performance upgrades to the AMR26, with the team focused on improving reliability and extracting more from its current package. Krack said: "I think we have obviously seen over the last weeks and months... the way... we have made steps on the reliability and on the reduction of the vibration, on the improvement of the drivability. I think we have already seen quite substantial upgrades so far. So I will not get drawn into next race, the race after, or whatever is going to come... but... we also must acknowledge that it is a big gap to close."
McLaren CEO Zak Brown says the team have thought about producing their own version of the radical ‘Macarena’ wing after Ferrari and Red Bull ran similar designs. Brown said: "We have [thought about it]. As you can imagine, all the teams look at what each other do. It's clever and we think it could be beneficial, so not surprised to see another team using it."

Ford’s Mark Rushbrook said he would prefer Max Verstappen to race in Ford machinery rather than the Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 the Red Bull driver is set to use at the Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend. Rushbrook said: "We prefer our Ford drivers to stay in Ford. We understand why he did that [the Mercedes deal]. That's the right program for him right now, but obviously we'd love to [have] him in a Ford in the sportscar world."


Lando Norris says F1 drivers are often "blindsided" to the business and cost factors behind rules and regulations, as he backed Lewis Hamilton’s suggestion that drivers should have a greater say after regulation changes were approved for Miami without them being involved. Norris said: "Sometimes I think we have to accept, as drivers, we're very blindsided to the externals from a business side of things, how teams work, how all of that is organised. We have to accept that we're maybe not always completely correct, but I think the majority of things that we think of as drivers and what we want for the sport is a win-win. It's just how some of those things are done and not always able to be easily implemented."


Toto Wolff says Mercedes must "contain" the hype around 19-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli and limit the demands on his time after the Italian’s strong start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. Wolff said: "The bigger problem is the Italian public. Now that they are not qualified for the football [World Cup], it's all about [Jannik] Sinner and Antonelli. After Sinner won in Madrid, it's the two that are superstars, and that's something that we need to contain. There are so many requests for his time from the media, from sponsors, and it's on us to keep the handbrake on that. That is the risk, that he is being carried away too quickly."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the reigning Constructors' champions “definitely” want to defend their title, but warned it is too early to focus on championships with the 2026 season only four races old. Stella said: "If we now start to consider championships at the end of the season, then I think we need to be a bit careful because we are just at the fourth race... We have said already before Miami that the championship is not a sign-off, so our logic is to look at the long term, try and defend the championship... but definitely we want to defend the championship."






Spanish Grand Prix general director Luis Garcia Abad insists there is “no doubt” this year’s race at the new Madring circuit in Madrid will go ahead, rejecting rumours Formula 1 could replace the event on the calendar because of construction delays or FIA homologation concerns. Garcia Abad said: "It is not possible in terms of the contract. Rumours are rumours; every day, everywhere in the F1 paddock. But it's not the case... No doubts about that. The FIA, FOM, and ourselves, we don't have any problem in terms of delivering the event properly."

Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg says critics of Formula 1’s 2026 regulations should stop watching if they do not enjoy the racing, adding that the sport has always had to move with the times as technology changes. Hulkenberg said: "To be honest, it's always been like that in F1, hasn't it? F1 is about leading in technology, and you have to go with the times. I think when you look at the racing now, the first three races we've had [in 2026], it's been entertaining. It's been good to watch with plenty of on-track action. And I mean, if you don't like it, you don't have to watch."


Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says George Russell will “return” as a serious threat from the Canadian Grand Prix and be ready to “make life difficult” for his rivals after a challenging weekend in Miami. Wolff said: "Russell hasn't done as well, in some cases due to team problems, or bad luck, and in Miami due to his own mistakes. That said, we know George's value, and we know he'll return, starting from Canada, very competitive and ready to make life difficult for his opponents."

Fernando Alonso says he expects to decide on his Formula 1 future after the summer break, with the Aston Martin driver in the final year of his contract. Alonso said: "I'm open to everything. Until probably after the summer break I will not really sit down with the team and make the decision. We need to see also how the car improves and how we see things into next year."

Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds says he would like Max Verstappen to privately test the series’ new Gen4 car so he can give his feedback, after the four-time world champion described Formula 1’s latest machinery in pre-season testing in Bahrain as “Formula E on steroids”. Dodds said: "If Max were to jump in this car, he would have never driven anything like this. Max wouldn't have driven anything that can accelerate 30 per cent faster than his Formula 1 car, not that I'm aware of anyway, with permanent all-wheel drive. It would be pretty exciting for us, privately, to hear his feedback in driving something like that, to see what the sensation is for someone who is a generational talent."

Carlos Sainz says Alpine is still “clearly” ahead of Williams despite the team’s improved Miami Grand Prix, after revealing its upgrade package was meant to be on the car for the opening race in Australia but only arrived in Florida. Sainz said: "We finally put the upgrade on the car that was supposed to come to race one, because of all the delays we had at the beginning of the season. Now it's on the car, it's performing at least at the level of the midfield cars. Clearly, this weekend, we were I think sixth fastest, but then Alpine is 20 seconds in front of us. So we need to put our heads down and, from here, make this the new baseline and start improving."
Alpine has issued a brief response to PlanetF1.com amid rumours that Gucci could replace BWT as its title sponsor for the 2027 F1 season. The team said it is “constantly looking for new partnership opportunities” and is in contact with a wide range of potential partners, but added that discussions are kept confidential and only disclosed once “confirmed and agreed by all parties”.
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