Former FIA steward Johnny Herbert says he received online abuse including messages saying "Death to Herbert", and that it mostly came from Dutch fans who took issue with him questioning Max Verstappen. Herbert said: "That's easy! The Dutch fans who took issue with me questioning Max Verstappen. Actually, they weren't just Dutch. They were from other countries as well: 'Death to Herbert.' They were the worst. They accuse me of being biased. They still do to Martin Brundle. They say, 'You're biased to Lewis Hamilton.' Well, we are British – and Lewis is a Brit. You're Dutch and you support Max and you're saying we're biased, but you want us to support Max. They can't have it both ways. Of course we are going to support a British driver, but it's objective."

Audi Formula 1 Racing Director Allan McNish said working with Ayrton Senna at his first McLaren test made him realise that talent “only gets you so far” without a work ethic and focus on detail. McNish said: "Ayrton was talking about engine friction and various other things, and that was a benchmark. It made me realise very, very quickly, that if you want to be successful in the game, you've got to step up at every level. Talent only gets you so far. There is a work ethic and a focus on detail that you have to put in. And that was as a driver, but I don't think it is different in any other way of life."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said leading the team comes with a “significant responsibility” to protect its legacy, after it marked 60 years since its Formula 1 debut and its 1,000th grand prix at this season’s Monaco Grand Prix. Stella said: "It is certainly a significant responsibility, coupled with a sense of pride, which I'm sure is shared by all my colleagues in the team. It is a privilege to lead this team because of what it represents in the history and present of Formula 1, but above all because of the way the team continues to look ahead and tackle challenges: striving every day to be better than yesterday. There's a desire to write new chapters that live up to the tradition we carry on our shoulders, and to do so in true McLaren style."

Mercedes technical director James Allison says Formula 1’s new regulations are still “immature”, which is driving an unusually rapid development race as teams continue to find big performance gains. Allison said: "One of the defining characteristics of this regulation cycle is just how immature the regulations still are. Development rates are enormous compared to previous years. On the aerodynamic side, the gain rate we're seeing in the wind tunnel is roughly six or seven times greater than it was last season. It's roughly half a second every couple of months, which is a very significant rate of progress."



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