McLaren to trial rear wing in Austria
McLaren will trial an “experimental rear wing” in Friday practice at the Austrian Grand Prix as part of a package that will include minor rear-corner updates, with technical director Neil Houldey saying the team is “optimistic” it can be “in the fight at the front” in Spielberg. The new wing is expected to share similarities with Ferrari’s rotating ‘Macarena wing’ concept. Mercedes has also confirmed updates for Austria, with Toto Wolff saying the focus is on “improving both performance and reliability” after recent technical failures.
Time for the 'McLarena'? Front-runners confirm upgrades for Austria
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FIA declares Austrian GP heat hazard
The FIA has declared a heat hazard for this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring after forecasts indicated the heat index could exceed the 31.0°C threshold during the race. In a statement, FIA director Rui Marquez said: “having received a forecast… predicting that the Heat Index will be greater than 31.0 °C at some time during the Race… a Heat Hazard is declared.” Drivers can optionally run a cockpit cooling system, with those choosing not to required to add ballast for parity.
FIA declare Austrian GP 'heat hazard' as scorching temperatures loom
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FIA preparing Mercedes diffuser clarification
The FIA is preparing a technical clarification on the extensions Mercedes added to its rear diffuser after Ferrari asked for a ruling on whether the design is legal. RacingNews365 reports the document is being readied to take effect from the Austrian Grand Prix, although Mercedes is pushing for it to be delayed until Silverstone because its freight has already left for Austria.
FIA issue technical clarification following request from Ferrari
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Lowdon on Cadillac's Austrian Grand Prix upgrade package
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon says the team will bring a “substantial” upgrade package, including new sidepods and a new floor, to this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. Lowdon said: "We are however, pleased to be able to bring another substantial upgrade package this weekend. With new sidepods and floor, it's a significant amount of work, and we hope that it will continue our trajectory of steadily catching up to the midfield."
Cadillac confirms ‘major' F1 upgrades package for Austrian GP
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Mekies on Austrian upgrade package not being enough
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said the upgrade package due at the Austrian Grand Prix “alone will not be enough”, as he played down expectations after the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Mekies said: "Everyone has been working very hard for that package. And, you know, there is no doubt that the Austrian package alone will not be enough. We know we'll have some further steps needed. But what is important is that on that continuous closing the gap trajectory that we have been on to since post-Japan, is that we continue to get closer, that we don't talk anymore about four tenths, but hopefully about less."
Red Bull to launch important but not extreme Austrian GP upgrade
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Lawson on Verstappen's support after Red Bull demotion
Liam Lawson said Max Verstappen was “very supportive” during and after Lawson’s brief spell as his Red Bull team-mate, following Lawson’s demotion to Racing Bulls after two races last season. Lawson said: "Max was just always very real... he’s somebody who just wants to race cars and loves to talk about cars, loves to talk about racing. So when I came in, I noticed he would always make an effort to, like, just acknowledge me and say hi and stuff like this... and then when I went to Red Bull through all of it, he was very supportive... I spoke to him about it, basically, and he was... very supportive."
Max Verstappen's support helped Liam Lawson through brutal Red Bull exit
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Sainz on Williams still being too far off despite weight issue
Carlos Sainz says Williams would still be too far off the front even if the FW48 was no longer overweight, after speaking following the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Sainz said: "I think if you get rid of the overweight, you put yourself in the fight for those points – but that's not really enough. The overweight might put you one second off the leaders, fighting with an Alpine. That's not where we promised we'd be this year."
Carlos Sainz: Even without extra weight, Williams is “not where we promised we'd be”
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Vasseur on Hamilton's resilience after tough Ferrari weekends
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said he had “zero merit” in Lewis Hamilton’s mental resilience, and credited the driver for being able to reset after tough weekends during his first season with the team. Vasseur said: "I have zero merit on this, it's more Lewis himself. I think he was able to come back after a tough moment, after a tough weekend. He was able to come back to do a full reset and to continue to push, to continue to come at the factory on Tuesday morning, and this commitment, it's a huge support [for the team]."
Fred Vasseur makes ‘zero merit' claim over Lewis Hamilton mental resilience
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Lawson on muting Formula 1 social media accounts
Liam Lawson says he has muted every Formula 1-related social media account after being targeted with online abuse. Lawson said: "It's happened so much now, especially with all that's happened over the last 12 months, that you just honestly start to ignore it because there are so many opinions and rumours and things that go around that are just so untrue and if you really focus on every single one, it would drive you crazy. And that's something I just pretty much removed from my life. Every single Formula 1 account is muted. It's just completely muted."
Liam Lawson opens up on toxic F1 social media after online abuse
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Wolff on Mercedes reliability issues and Austria updates
Toto Wolff says Mercedes’ “Achilles heel” this season has been reliability and that the team must put together clean weekends, with updates coming for the Austrian Grand Prix to improve performance and durability. Wolff said: "Our Achilles heel so far has been reliability. We have lost a large amount of points across both cars in recent races; if we don't put together clean weekends, our competitors will happily take advantage. We are not standing still in our efforts; we will bring a few updates to Austria this weekend with a focus on improving both performance and reliability."
Wolff demands Mercedes ‘response' in Austria as upgrade arrives
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Briatore on difficulty of Alpine's Gucci title sponsorship deal
Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore said the team’s title sponsorship deal with Gucci, which starts in 2027, was “really difficult” to complete compared with his previous agreements in Formula 1. Briatore said: "Gucci is one of the big deals done, I think, in all my time in Formula 1. We've done Mild Seven, we've done Telefónica, ING, we've done a lot of things, but this one was really difficult to do. There's too many parties involved, and I'm very happy because they're upgrading the team as well."
Alpine share insight into 'really difficult' Gucci deal
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Towriss on Cadillac's planned 2029 V6 and possible V8
Dan Towriss says Cadillac is on track to run its own V6 power unit in Formula 1 from 2029, and insists the General Motors-backed team would also be happy to build a V8 if the sport changes direction later. Towriss said: "We're on track for a V6 power unit in 2029. There's also talk of a V8 coming later as well, and I think as GM has gone on the record, we'd be very happy to build a V8 engine as well. And so, a lot of work, a lot of negotiation across the power unit manufacturers left to do, and we'll see what happens."
Cadillac deliver fresh update on timeline for own F1 engine
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Zak Brown receives MIA award
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has been named the 2026 recipient of the Motorsport Industry Association’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsport Industry, presented at the House of Lords during the MIA’s annual summer reception on Tuesday. Brown said: “A huge thank you to the MIA for this honour – I will proudly take the award back to the McLaren Technology Centre to share it with the whole team,” adding that “Formula 1 is the ultimate team sport”. He joins past winners including Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss, Toto Wolff and Ross Brawn.
Zak Brown joins motorsport legends as prestigous award winner
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Stroll on preferring V8 engines without battery element
Lance Stroll says Formula 1 would be better off with V8 engines and no battery element, as the FIA ratified revisions to the post-2026 power-unit rules that will increase the internal combustion share from 2027. Stroll said: "I think it would be better without any batteries, without any electrical component, but it's in the right direction for sure. I think it's what everyone expected, that anybody that knows about driving and stuff over the last year would have told you that these cars would have sucked to drive."
Lance Stroll backs V8 return as F1 2026 engine plans revised
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Wolff on Bonnington being the best in the business
Toto Wolff says Mercedes race engineer Peter Bonnington is “the best in the business”. Wolff said: "Bono is a superstar; he's worked with the greats. He was fortunate enough to work with Michael and then Lewis, and now Kimi, and he is the optimum combination of an engineer. Nerdy when he needs to be nerdy to look at the science and the data, but also super compassionate when the driver needs support... For me, [Bonnington] is the best in the business."
Toto Wolff hails Mercedes 'superstar' keeping Kimi Antonelli in check
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Briatore on possible Colapinto contract extension
Flavio Briatore says Alpine will explore extending Franco Colapinto’s contract if he continues performing at a high level. Briatore said: "If Franco is performing like he's performing now and the relationship between Franco and Pierre is like now, it's the same we have with [Fernando] Alonso at the time, with [Giancarlo] Fisichella, with [Jarno] Trulli, super relationship. Why not?"
Briatore hints at Alpine's plan to keep Colapinto into 2027
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Santi to remain Hamilton race engineer
Ferrari expects Carlo Santi to remain Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer, despite Santi originally being drafted in as a temporary solution for 2026. BBC Sport reported the team has no plans to make a change, with a Ferrari spokesperson saying: “Carlo and Lewis are working pretty well together and there’s no plan to replace him.” Hamilton praised Santi after their Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix win, saying: “It was great to have him up there [on the podium].”
Future of Lewis Hamilton's F1 race engineer confirmed by Ferrari
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