Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson says Formula 1 should consider a NASCAR-style “overtime” restart rule to help avoid races finishing under the safety car, after the British Grand Prix ended under caution at Silverstone. Lawson said: "In NASCAR they always do one more lap, I don't know if we could do that. Obviously we have fuel levels and stuff like that to manage. It's a shame to end a race like that under safety car. If there's a way that we don't do that, I think that would be great."

Charles Leclerc says he did not fully understand why the British Grand Prix finished behind the Safety Car, even though the decision sealed his win at Silverstone after Max Verstappen spun into the gravel late on. Leclerc said: "It's true that it's always a shame to finish a race under the Safety Car. I didn't fully understand why. I think there was a rule that says that once the cars are unlapped, you need to wait one more lap. This is maybe something we can look into."

Max Verstappen says he never doubted Andrea Kimi Antonelli would take a big step forward and become more consistently competitive in his second season in Formula 1, after a rookie year in which he had a mid-season slump in form. Verstappen said: "He made quite a quick jump to Formula 1 and it's normal that in your first year there are certain mistakes that you make. I think we all make them. Of course, when you're driving for a top team, it's always highlighted a little bit more. But for me, there was never a doubt that he would make a jump the year after and already be a lot more consistently competitive."

George Russell says adapting his driving and car set-up to the demands of the 2026 Formula 1 cars has been like trying to draw the Mona Lisa. Russell said: "It is like if somebody asked you to draw the Mona Lisa, and you've got the Mona Lisa next to you. Do you think you could achieve it straight away? Maybe with practice you will, and with these new power units, these new tyres and cars, I'm having to set the car up in a way that is not suited to my driving style, I am having to drive in a way I haven't for my whole career, and having to adapt to it."

Lewis Hamilton believes the new Madrid Formula 1 circuit will be “a difficult place to overtake”, after Ferrari became the first team to run at the Madring during a filming day ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in September. Hamilton said: "We only had a few laps, so it was very dusty for new circuit. As you would expect, there was no grip. So, your tyres were basically just covered in dust, and that's the whole time. So, it looks like it will be a qualifying lap sort of circuit, and there's not really any straights. So, it looks like a difficult place to overtake."

Fernando Alonso admits he is not expecting much from Aston Martin at the Belgian Grand Prix and says his “main focus” on Sunday is getting home in time to watch Spain in the World Cup final. Alonso said: "It will be different. As we don't expect much this weekend. The main focus on Sunday will be to get home and watch the match, to be honest."

Lewis Hamilton says “it’s time to really crack the whip” as he heads to the Belgian Grand Prix looking to close the gap in the title fight to Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton said: "It's time to really crack the whip and do better. Don't know what to expect this weekend if I'm honest with longer straights. But I love this track, the weather is great and I'm really proud of the team and incremental steps that we're taking."

Lewis Hamilton says continuing to avoid Ferrari’s simulator has “massively” helped his performance after he decided to stop using the team’s Maranello sim ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix because he felt the correlation was not good enough. Lewis Hamilton said: "No. Massively. I tried all last year with it, but as I said, when I was at Mercedes for the first few years I didn't use it. I've been driving simulators since 1997 and they can be really powerful and really useful tools, but they can also mislead you. Since I stopped, my performance has gone much, much better."

Oscar Piastri has played down rumours that Max Verstappen could take his McLaren seat by confirming he expects to stay at the team in 2027. Asked by media including RacingNews365 whether he will race for McLaren in 2027, Piastri replied: “Yes,” before adding: “I didn’t realise it was a point of contention.” He said he is “very comfortable with where I am” and that Zak Brown and Andrea Stella have been “very reassuring”, adding: “So I trust the team here and the things I have been told.”


Charles Leclerc says he is not worried about Ferrari running out of budget cap spending room, after Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff suggested the Scuderia might “run out” of development money as the season goes on. Leclerc said: "On that, I trust Fred [Vasseur] more than anything. I'm sure Fred is on top of that, so am I worried? I am not, because I fully trust Fred and I know that he knows what he's doing."

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