McNish on Audi's chassis and power unit package
Audi boss Allan McNish said he would not back Gabriel Bortoleto’s suggestion that Audi’s R26 chassis could be “fighting for the top three” with a more powerful engine, insisting the chassis and power unit have to be judged together as a complete package. McNish said: "I think it is quite clear in the numbers where we are in medium and high-speed corners, and we are very good. We can still improve a little bit in the low speed, and there are a few other bits and pieces, but for the top three, top four, I wouldn't go for it. It is a car and a power unit, and that is the important thing. So it is a complete package, and that's what we talk about, a complete package."
Audi boss responds to eye-catching Gabriel Bortoleto 'top three' claim
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Wolff on Antonelli learning from Austrian GP mistakes
Toto Wolff says Kimi Antonelli will not repeat the mistakes he made in qualifying and the opening laps of the Austrian Grand Prix, after the Mercedes driver bailed out of his final Q3 lap because he mistook a single yellow flag for a double and then ran wide repeatedly while trying to attack early in the race. Toto Wolff said: "The first few corners, this is where the race got lost. Full attack mode, missing braking in Turn 1, missing braking in Turn 3, missing braking in Turn 4. But, as I said, this is exactly what I expect from him. Like yesterday [in qualifying], the yellow, that's never going to happen to him in his life again. To not see whether it's a double yellow or a single yellow."
Toto Wolff: Kimi Antonelli's mistakes in Austrian GP will never happen again
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Wolff on Ferrari's update rate under the 2026 cost cap
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says Ferrari must be “running out of money soon” under Formula 1’s 2026 cost cap, after being surprised by how many major updates the team has been able to bring to its SF-26. Wolff said: "On the chassis, we're always bringing small enhancements here and there, because simply we're always a little bit surprised that Ferrari can throw these huge updates at the car in the way they do. In my opinion, they need to be running out of money soon, cost cap money, because we can't do that, simply lacking the buffer and cost cap to be able to bring so many parts in the way they do."
Toto Wolff predicts Ferrari will ‘be running out of money soon' in cost cap concern
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Claire Williams on Russell's edge over Antonelli in title fight
Claire Williams says George Russell is capable of beating Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the “psychological battle” for the world championship. Williams said: "From my experience of George, I think he is perfectly capable of winning that psychological battle when it comes to trying to win a world championship, competing for that against your team-mate, who is invariably going to be the hardest competitor or rival that you have, because you're in the same equipment. In those championships, where team-mates are racing one another, it's the psychological battle that wins the war. And I think George, because he's got a layer of maturity, perhaps, over Kimi at this stage, that's where he will win the fight."
"Perfectionist" Russell has a psychological edge over Antonelli, says his former boss
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Verstappen on Red Bull's seven-part Austrian GP upgrade
Max Verstappen said Red Bull’s seven-part upgrade was a “very big step forward” after he finished second at the Austrian Grand Prix and was able to run closer to the front. Verstappen said: "But for us, this has already been a very big step forward compared to the previous races. I mean, look at the last race. In the race, I was just by myself, really not challenging anything. So, on a track where the tyres are deg-ing, that's a good sign."
Max Verstappen details Red Bull's “very big step forward” with major F1 upgrade
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Bottas on Cadillac's reliability after Austrian GP retirements
Valtteri Bottas says Cadillac must improve its reliability after both he and Sergio Perez retired early from the Austrian Grand Prix with brake fires. Valtteri Bottas said: "If we don't finish the races, then we can't really learn much out of the car and the package either. The priority is now pretty clear in Silverstone. We have to finish the race. That's when we can learn."
Valtteri Bottas calls for Cadillac reliability fixes: 'We can't learn if we don't finish'
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Norris on McLaren needing multiple upgrades to catch up
Lando Norris says McLaren are “two, three months behind” their rivals in car development and will need a series of upgrades to close the gap. Norris said: "One good upgrade, no [is not enough]. We need three, four, five, but it depends. Sometimes you take one little piece at a time, sometimes you try and make something so everything goes together because it's a new philosophy. We're like two, three months behind. That's not one upgrade; that's a lot of bits. I don't think we're going to be quickest anytime soon but hopefully over the next three, four, five months we can catch up."
McLaren 'three months behind' rivals - Norris
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Lawson on Racing Bulls partnership with Lindblad
Liam Lawson says his partnership with Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls has been “working well so far” amid rumours linking Red Bull Academy driver Nikola Tsolov to his seat for 2027. Lawson said: "Yeah, it's been working well so far, but a long season to go, so at the moment we're in a good groove, and I'm very happy, just trying to keep the momentum rolling."
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McNish on Audi's best weekend despite missing points
Audi racing director Allan McNish said the team’s Austrian Grand Prix weekend was its “best” of the season so far, despite missing the points again after Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th and 12th at the Red Bull Ring. McNish said: "To be honest, I think it was our best weekend so far in terms of all the runs through Free Practice, Qualifying, race, getting the maximum out of the car. Performance around this circuit was always going to be a little bit trickier, although we brought the upgrades, and they actually tallied up pretty well. But the VCARBs were quicker. End of story. So both Gabi and Nico, I thought, drove very, very well."
Why McNish thinks Austria was 'best weekend so far' for Audi
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Audi hails ‘best weekend so far' despite pointless run in Austria
Perez avoids penalty for grid move
The FIA stewards decided not to penalise Cadillac’s Sergio Perez for moving on the grid before the start signal at the Austrian Grand Prix because he had already retired, meaning any five-second time penalty would have had no effect and would not convert into a grid drop for the next race. In their decision, the stewards said: “it does not seem appropriate to apply any time penalty” and “decide not to impose any penalty”.
FIA confirms Sergio Perez decision after Austrian Grand Prix investigation
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Perez on Cadillac's unacceptable Austrian GP brake overheating
Sergio Perez said Cadillac’s double retirement with brake overheating at the Austrian Grand Prix was “totally unacceptable”, describing Spielberg as his “worst weekend” so far in 2026. Perez said: "I think we underestimated the effect of traffic. We've been having issues all weekend – I think it's been the worst weekend. It feels like we took four or five steps backwards. So there needs to be a massive process, thinking on how we're doing things, especially when it comes to upgrades, because today what happened was totally unacceptable and very unfortunate as well for the team."
Perez: Cadillac's reliability failures in Austria 'unacceptable'
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Max Verstappen's F1 future: Are McLaren talks serious, or a way to put pressure on Red Bull?
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An unseen team-mate controversy happened in Austria when a driver ignored a team order command to hold position 😳
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Houldey on McLaren delaying experimental rear wing use
McLaren technical director of engineering Neil Houldey said the team did not use its experimental ‘Macarena’-style rear wing at the Austrian Grand Prix because it failed further tests McLaren needed to complete before signing it off to run on track. Houldey said: "When it arrived, we did some further testing that we knew we had to do to sign it off before it was able to run. Unfortunately, it didn't pass the tests we needed to complete, so we're sending it back and we're going to delay that. We'll try and run it when we've next got some fixes that we need to put in place."
McLaren explain 'experimental' rear wing no-show
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Stella on McLaren's cornering deficit to Mercedes
Andrea Stella says most of McLaren’s three-to-four-tenths gap to Mercedes is coming through the corners because Mercedes’ car generates more downforce, and that McLaren needs to minimise drag on its MCL40 while working closely with Mercedes HPP on power-unit exploitation. Stella said: "When it comes to our gap to Mercedes, it's always been between three and four tenths; it comes in the corners predominantly, probably 70% in the corners and 30% on the straights. In the corners, it is very clear why that is the case. It is a fact that their car generates more downforce than our car. The only thing I know is which is under our control is that we need to minimise the drag on the MCL40... while we keep a very tight collaboration with HPP."
McLaren pinpoint major Mercedes deficit as fresh instruction issued
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Hadjar on battling Hamilton in the Austrian Grand Prix
Isack Hadjar said he was “too kind” to Lewis Hamilton when they went wheel-to-wheel during the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Hadjar said: "It was just cool. There was nothing that I necessarily learned, but maybe I was a bit too kind to Lewis into Turn 4. I don't remember a race in my career where I fought with the big boys, like the Ferrari and the McLaren, so that was good fun. That was a first, and I think we succeeded quite well."
Isack Hadjar names Lewis Hamilton regret after 'big boy' F1 fight
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Brown on Norris and Piastri staying at McLaren
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown says he would be “very surprised” if Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri left the team, amid rumours about Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull. Brown said: "Well, I'd be very surprised if Oscar or Lando went elsewhere as they are very happy. You know, we've got contracts but even contracts aside, they are very happy here and we are very happy with them. If for some strange reason, someone slipped on a banana peel getting out of the tub then yeah, of course, Max is a four-time World Champion."
Brown on McLaren stance amid talk of a move for Verstappen
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Hamilton on Ferrari energy deployment tailing off against Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari need to investigate why their energy deployment “tails off” compared to Mercedes after the Austrian Grand Prix. Hamilton said: "Ours tails off, and particularly Mercedes, they just keep going. So we've got to look at why and how we can improve that. But that's not going to come for a while."
Lewis Hamilton requests Ferrari investigation after ‘weird' Austrian GP observation
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Leclerc on lacking a clear picture of Ferrari's SF-26
Charles Leclerc admitted he does not yet have a clear picture of what he wants from Ferrari’s SF-26 after another difficult race at the Austrian Grand Prix, where he dropped from second on the grid to eighth at the finish. Charles Leclerc said: "It was just an incredibly difficult race, with very, very low grip overall. I just struggled to get the car, and especially the tyres, into the right window, particularly the rears, and was just missing a lot of rear grip. But at the moment, there's always a reason why there's a struggle, and that probably means I don't really have a clear picture of what I want from this car. And, yeah, I've got to find that."
Frustrated Charles Leclerc searching for answers as Ferrari struggles continue
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Russell on his calm and controlled Austrian GP win
George Russell said his Austrian Grand Prix win did not feel “cold-blooded” after Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described it that way, insisting it was a calm, controlled drive despite pressure from Max Verstappen. Russell said: "It didn't quite feel like that, to be honest. It felt a really calm and controlled race. But with the upgrades on the Red Bull, Max was in the fight for pole yesterday, really great race pace from him today. He pressured me in the middle stint and forced me to stop with 28 laps remaining, which was quite uncomfortable."
George Russell reveals disagreement with Toto Wolff 'cold-blooded' comment
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Verstappen on Red Bull's issues despite Austrian GP second
Max Verstappen says Red Bull still has “too many issues” to fight for the Formula 1 title, despite his close second place to George Russell at the Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen said: "We still have too many issues. If that's from a start to just procedural issues in the background, that I think you guys don't know about, but I know about. It's not a big criticism, I think everyone is aware. But we always want to be better, we chase to be the best. So, we just need to focus on all of those things."
Could Max Verstappen mount a title challenge? "We still have too many issues"
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