Lando Norris says Lewis Hamilton can “stick the middle finger up” to people who doubted him, after Hamilton took his first win as a Ferrari driver at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Norris said: "At the same time, he's obviously had a lot of people talk badly about him and he's got a lot of crap online from a lot of people, so it's nice that he can stick the middle finger up to all of them."

Lando Norris says Ferrari would “embarrass” the rest of Formula 1 if they improved their engine, as he believes they are already “the class of the field” in cornering performance. Norris said: "We are lucky that Ferrari don't have a better engine at the minute. If they had a better engine, they would be dominating. They are the class of the field in terms of cornering performance and we are not even close to them. We are a long, long way from where we need to be. If they make improvements on the engine side, they will embarrass everyone."

Kimi Antonelli says he does not like being compared to Ayrton Senna, insisting it is “not really fair” at this stage of his Formula 1 career. Antonelli said: "Wow, what a strong question. No, I haven't read about that, and to be fair, I don't really also like the comparison because I don't feel like I should be compared to someone who has made the history of the sport and I haven't done not even a single bit of what he has been able to achieve. So I don't feel like it's very fair… it's just the beginning… and I feel like I'm still very far from his level."

Liam Lawson says suggestions Red Bull demoted him after two race weekends at the start of 2025 to protect him because he was struggling mentally are “entirely false”. Lawson said: "The whole thing was played out to be me being mentally struggling and all this stuff, and like they were doing it to protect me. That honestly just could not be further from what it was actually like."

Liam Lawson said he “pretended like it never even happened” after being switched out of Red Bull following his two-race stint with the team in 2025. Lawson said: "I tried not to, but I definitely did. I tried to just, as much as possible…I even pretended like it never even happened, because I spent two races there. And the way it all went down was just so crazy that I just honestly was like, 'I'm going to pretend that I never even went there'."




Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said it would be “silly” to use any on-track co-operation between Red Bull and sister team Racing Bulls that was not aligned with Formula 1’s sporting regulations, after rivals raised concerns about the relationship between the two teams. Mekies said: "We will be more than silly, knowing all the attention in the world that there is on this topic, to be thinking of having a treatment that would not be compatible with the sporting regulations."




James Vowles says Williams turned Alex Albon’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix into a test session after a loose onboard camera forced an extended pit stop. Vowles said Albon was not in a points position and the team wanted to avoid the risk of the camera falling off and triggering a safety car or VSC, adding: “What we do not want to be doing is impacting the race of others.” Vowles said Williams then used the stop to change Albon’s set-up and run “test items”.



Haas has announced that 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Ryo Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon in first practice for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, marking his first FP1 outing of the season. Hirakawa will drive Ocon’s VF-26 alongside Oliver Bearman in the first of the four rookie FP1 sessions Haas must run in 2026.

Carlos Sainz says Lewis Hamilton’s upturn at Ferrari has been helped by the 2026 regulation change and a car that suits his driving style, after Hamilton’s maiden Ferrari win at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Sainz said: "Some cars suit us, others don't. Then you move to a team where the car is perfectly suited to your style, and suddenly you look like a god. Lewis also deserves a lot of credit for turning things around from last year to this year in the way he has. He's also benefited from the regulation change because if he'd been stuck with last year's car for another three years, maybe we wouldn't be seeing the Lewis we're seeing this season."
Mercedes technical director James Allison says claims on social media that the team is showing favouritism between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are “utterly alien” to anyone working inside a Formula 1 team. Allison said: "All I can say is, if you ever wanted that feeling of favouritism… to understand where it sits on our psyche, you'd need to come and work in a team, because, if you were lucky enough to come and work in a team, you would instantly be imbued with the culture of that team. You would understand how utterly alien that thought is to anyone in a team."

Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe says Honda “will never give up” on turning around its 2026 power unit after what he described as a very challenging start to the season with Aston Martin. Koji Watanabe said: "As one team, we will continue to work hard together, building on this strong foundation. We will never give up, no matter what. We understand that the results so far have been frustrating, and we share that feeling. However, we believe that our hard work will pay off, and we will keep pushing forward."

Carlos Sainz says Williams’ poor start to the 2026 season, which left the team “two-and-a-half seconds off the pace” early on, has prompted changes that have restored his belief in the project. Sainz said: "If we hadn't hit this bump, I think there might have been some things in the team that never would have changed thanks to the shock of that bump. James and his team took very strong action to correct them, to erase them from the system, and to make sure it does not happen again. So that made me recover a lot of faith and belief in the project. I think it's propelled some very interesting changes inside the team, and some very interesting changes of mentality and changes of approach that were needed."

George Russell says Lewis Hamilton is “going to be a real threat” in the 2026 Formula 1 title race after the Ferrari driver’s recent run of form, which includes a breakthrough win in Spain that has lifted him to second in the standings. Russell said: "It was a big, bold move to join Ferrari, and to see it now paying off for him is very special to see given the magnitude of the decision. And, yeah, he's going to be a real threat… Hopefully it doesn't continue for too long."

Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe said Aston Martin and Honda used their team gathering at the Spanish Grand Prix to strengthen trust and speak openly, as the partnership works through a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. Watanabe said: "Our relationship with Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team is growing stronger every day. At the recent Spanish Grand Prix, we had a team gathering, which gave us the great opportunity to communicate openly and strengthen our trust. I also enjoyed speaking directly with many members of the team. As one team, we will continue to work hard together, building on this strong foundation."
Liam Lawson said a “crazy” set-up change agreed with Red Bull for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix “destroyed” his race, and he was shocked to be told the next day that he was being switched out of the team. Lawson said: "And it sucked for this race, like the car was so hard to drive, and it just killed the fronts, and like basically destroyed our race, but honestly I didn't care at the time, because I was like: 'There's a reason we've done this,' and then flew back to the UK for simulator on whatever it was, a Tuesday or Wednesday, and then on Monday I get the phone call: 'We are switching you.' I was like: 'What?'"

Lewis Hamilton says the FIA and Formula 1 need to do more to stop the rising cost of karting making motorsport inaccessible to families from lower- and middle-income backgrounds. Hamilton said: "There's no accountability in terms of the people that run these organisations or run these sports. I don't know how, but there needs to be some way to make it accessible, and it is ridiculous. I know someone that has a kid who is eight years old that is spending over a million dollars a year... I just think today it's highly unlikely, if not impossible, for someone from a normal background to be able to make it to a place to compete with those that are spending a million. It shouldn't be allowed."


Ferrari could introduce its first FIA-permitted ADUO power unit upgrade as soon as this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, if it receives approval in time, Autosport reports. The update is expected to run alongside a newly developed Shell fuel, with the revised power unit already set to be sent to the Red Bull Ring pending sign-off. The details and performance gain are not confirmed, though Italian reports have suggested modest horsepower and lap-time improvements, with a second ADUO upgrade planned for later in the season.
Laurent Mekies says Red Bull’s upgrade package for the Austrian Grand Prix will not be enough on its own to close the gap to the front. Mekies said: "Everyone in Milton Keynes has been working very hard for that package, and 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 it's on that continuous closing the gap trajectory that we have been on since post-Japan, that we continue to get closer, that we don't talk anymore about four-tenths, but hopefully about a lot less."


Isack Hadjar says Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen is willing to help and share information when asked, but does not seek advice from him. Hadjar said: "He definitely doesn't ask me for advice, but if I ask him, he answers. If I need information, he's very open, very kind. So, he doesn't hide anything because he knows he's strong."

HRC president Koji Watanabe says Honda’s Formula 1 project with Aston Martin needs to be judged over the mid-to-long term rather than this year, after a difficult start to their partnership. Watanabe said: "There is a shared understanding that improvement is necessary and at the same time, there is also a clear understanding that the project must be evaluated over the mid-to-long term period, not this year. It will not dramatically change the situation overnight so our approach is unchanged and we will continue to work with a long-term perspective."

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