Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack says the team has made a small step towards fixing Fernando Alonso’s seat discomfort ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, but further tweaks may be needed after the issue forced Alonso to retire at the Canadian Grand Prix. Krack said: "We were here from Tuesday morning with Fernando, so a lot of work went into it on Tuesday, with a lot of variations. Now, the driving is the real test [because] we see it statically; it's not always the same. But I think we made a really small step in the right direction. He was mildly confident that this is going to be an improvement, but I would not be surprised if we have to do another tweak over the sessions to get him really comfortable."

Charles Leclerc says he signed a new multi-year Ferrari contract because he loves the team and believes in its project, after Ferrari confirmed the extension ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc said: "It's not that I had a timeline in my head, but why it was very clear. I love the team, I think that's pretty obvious from the outside. It's been eight years with the Formula 1 team, 10 years with Ferrari as a whole. They've been one of the first people to believe in me and to help me get to where I am today. I believe in the project most of all."


Sergio Perez says a driver needs “the right circumstances” for their talent to show in Formula 1, as he clarified comments that he was “one of the best” ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. Perez said: "When you look at my last six months at Red Bull, you wouldn't think that I'm one of the best out there but when you understand the circumstances at that point, and the people that understand performance at the end of the day. When you see the level of performance I'm putting with my team, you realise that I'm one of the best out there and, at the end of the day, you require the right circumstances for your talent to be able to show it."

George Russell says the world championship is Kimi Antonelli's "to lose" as he heads to the Monaco Grand Prix 43 points behind his Mercedes team-mate after retiring from the Canadian Grand Prix with an engine failure while leading. Russell said: "If I look at it from my competitor's position, you're kind of in a position now that you've got such a buffer, it feels like you can only keep it or you can only lose it. It's his to lose. My mindset is to enjoy every single race, try and win every single race, the same as I've done this whole season. I'm going to fight the same, I'm not going to change my mentality at all."

Charles Leclerc says Monaco is the one track he would “bet” on Ferrari, but he still expects Mercedes to be the team to beat this weekend. Leclerc said: "No [I don't agree with the Ferrari favourite tag]. I think we are in a better place. If there's one track I will bet on us, it's probably Monaco. However, I still believe that Mercedes have had a significant advantage since the beginning of the year. So I think they will be very, very strong... But Mercedes, I think, will still remain the team to beat."

Fernando Alonso says he backs Adrian Newey’s approach of pushing the limits, after pain caused by an uncomfortable seating position in his Aston Martin forced him to retire from the Canadian Grand Prix. Alonso said: "Sure, that's always his philosophy, to try to find the limit. When you find the limit, you go half a step back. That's the way it is, and that's where we are at the moment."

🔵 Alex Albon on Williams' prospects in Monaco: “No groundhogs in Monaco so should be a bit smoother! The weight penalty affect is a bit lower here. I’m just excited, it is a nice track and deployment wise, quite user friendly so should be an enjoyable weekend.” On Williams’ progress: “In Melbourne we were closer to the Aston and the Cadillacs, in Montreal we were behind Alpine so we are more competitive. Weight we have been chipping it off, but there is still more to do. We are clearly going forwards. The fact we could overtake some cars in the midfield in Montreal shows we are not back to where we were last year, but getting there.” On his future at Williams: “I have put so much effort and work into it, I would love to see it through.” ⚪ Gabriel Bortoleto on Audi’s chances in Monaco: “I think it can be a good weekend for us, but plenty of work is needed on driveability. Chassis-wise, we are not in a bad place, we are fighting for Q3. Monaco can bring us some good stuff.” On Audi’s progress: “[Audi] have done an amazing job, putting the car where it is now - fighting for top 10 with a completely new power unit is an amazing thing. In Australia Q3, P9 in the race - expectations went quite high. Now we are building and putting out baseline in a good place.”
🔴 Charles Leclerc on signing a new Ferrari contract: “I love the team, that is pretty obvious from the outside. They have been one of the first people to believe in me and help me get to where I am today. I love this team and I believe in this project. I really believe in Fred [Vasseur] and am onboard with his vision. We are seeing lots of innovation on the car, and the long-term vision is what makes me believe in this project more than ever.” On 22 cars in Q1 at Monaco: “[Twenty-two] cars on this track will be tricky, it is not ideal in Q1 but we will have to adapt.” 🟠 Lando Norris on McLaren's chances in Monaco: “I think we are optimistic. We want to come into weekends with the belief that it is possible. We know where we stand compared to the other cars. It is true Ferrari don’t have as much power down the straights but they have more downforce, and that should be an advantage this weekend.” 🔵 Max Verstappen on Red Bull’s expectations in Monaco: “I don’t know how the car is going to feel tomorrow. Monaco can give you some surprises but realistically, the car is okay at low-speed, but here you need to be good on the bumps and the kerbs and we are not… “We want more grip, more power, the tyres to work in a better operating window - you want to be better everywhere. In Montreal we were lacking in the straight, and in the corners, the ride over the bumps, we were not the best. We will see. [Qualifying] is the highlight of the weekend, and where you need to perform.”
Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin’s gearbox downshift problems must be fixed before Monaco because “random” behaviour under braking could cause him or Lance Stroll to crash into the wall. Alonso said: "We've been struggling with the gearbox since Miami, and Monaco is not the place to have a random downshift. You will have rear locking or pushing, and then you will crash into the wall, and the driver will look stupid, but we are a passenger sometimes when you put one gear down."


Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says Mercedes is leading the early powertrain pecking order as Formula 1 awaits the FIA’s first review under its Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities programme. Mekies said: "Today we think the pecking order is Mercedes in terms of powertrain ahead of the field, and it means eight cars, so it is very significant. We think behind them there is a group where we see us, Ferrari and Audi, and we certainly see a consistent gap compared to the Mercedes-Benz-powered cars. And then it's probably fair to say that we read Honda further back."




Jolyon Palmer says Ferrari will “definitely” win a race this season and believes they have a strong chance in Monaco, with Charles Leclerc his pick to deliver it. Palmer said: "Ferrari will definitely win a race this year. I think they will be in with a great shot in Monaco. I think I would put that on Charles because I think he's just such a Monaco specialist and it's his home race and everything else."
Martin Brundle labelled Mercedes the "biggest spoiler" of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend after saying the team appeared to have sorted out the start issues that had troubled them earlier in the 2026 season. Brundle said: "The biggest spoiler of the weekend, for us and not them, was that Mercedes appear to have completely sorted out their starts and, in fact, George Russell from sprint pole was best away."

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli says neither he nor team-mate George Russell wants to “upset” Toto Wolff as the pair fight each other for the F1 drivers’ title, with Mercedes holding talks over their rules of engagement after on-track battles at the Canadian Grand Prix. Antonelli said: "We are both in an excellent position, we both have a great car, and we both want to win. During the races, we naturally want to treat each other fairly, we don't want to cause chaos in the team, and of course, we don't want to upset Toto."









Sergio Perez says his confidence was hit by his struggles in his final period at Red Bull, but his performances since returning to the grid with Cadillac have convinced him his underlying speed was still there and that circumstances around him played a big part. Perez said: "When you struggle the way I struggled in my last period at Red Bull, it hurts your confidence. Then the last three, four races, the level of performance that I'm able to put – qualifying, race, race pace – makes me feel like the speed has been always. There are a lot of circumstances as a driver you cannot control. A lot of drivers go through it... but it's all about the circumstances around you."
Valtteri Bottas says rumours that his Cadillac seat was at risk were “made up” for “headlines and clicks” after speculation followed the Canadian Grand Prix. Bottas said: "It's part of the sport. It's not the first time there's rumours. It's a bit of a shame that somebody makes up complete b******* but that's normal in this spot. I know my situation, the team knows my situation and they support me 100 percent. Headline and clicks, that's my theory."







Helmut Marko says Mercedes’ main threat could come from a fight between team-mates Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, rather than from rival teams. Marko said: "Although I find it very refreshing how the young Antonelli lets the car fly. But Russell is the experienced one, who will also strike back. That they tear each other apart in the process is the only hope. Otherwise Mercedes is gone."

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