Lando Norris says he has driven better in the first half of the 2026 season than he did at the same point last year, even though he is not leading the championship. Norris said: "I think in terms of my driving, and my own performance as a driver, honestly, I'm very happy. I feel like I have been doing a good job of maximising the car's potential. I feel like I've driven better in this half of the season than I probably did to this point last year, to a certain extent, but sadly I'm not leading the championship."

Pirelli motorsport director Dario Marrafuschi says the tyre choice for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang will be based on data from Formula 1’s last visit to Malaysia in 2017. Marrafuschi said: "If I remember well, the last race in Malaysia was in 2017. Since 2011, we went [there] all the years, so we have a good history. 2017 was the first year with wider tyres at that time, compared to the previous one. And... it was reasonably close to what we have today. So I would base our decisions on 2017 results and would go for a choice in line with what we did that year."




Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey says he is “pretty confident” Fernando Alonso is enjoying his time with the team and that their relationship will continue, amid speculation over whether the two-time champion will stay beyond the current season. Newey said: "Obviously, Fernando is an amazing driver. He brings huge amounts to the team, both in his feedback and his ability. So, for us, of course it's important. I'm pretty confident that Fernando is enjoying his time with us and that we will continue with our relationship."

Sergio Perez says Max Verstappen’s “pure” leadership during their four seasons as Red Bull team-mates from 2021 to 2024 made him a faster Formula 1 driver. Perez said: "It really taught me how to lead the team as well. Max is a pure leader in how he pushes everyone around him in performance. He knows exactly what he needs to go quick and where he's lacking. He's a tremendous hard worker as well. So, learning that from Max and seeing that firsthand for four years in very different cars, that has definitely made me a faster driver."

United States Grand Prix boss Bobby Epstein says Formula 1’s ticket sales can keep growing because race venues are not limited by the kind of fixed capacity restrictions that apply in stadium sports, as he reports demand for October’s Austin event is tracking towards a record crowd. Epstein said: "Because we're not confined by the boundaries of a sports field, we're able to continue to grow the on-site experience. We can add more programming and more things for people to do, and I think that then allows the fan to bring a friend, and that friend can get engaged, and that just continues to work. It's much harder to do just in a seated arena or stadium."

Lewis Hamilton says the 2026 regulations are not especially suiting any one driving style, as he dismissed the idea that his improved form this season is down to the new generation of cars favouring him more than the ground-effect era. Hamilton said: "I don't think it's more particularly more rewarding to anybody. I think we've all had to make adjustments. I don't feel like I've made more adjustments than in any other era."

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says the team expects to decide earlier than last year when to shift its development focus from the 2026 car to its 2027 project. Mekies said: "I don't know for the other guys, what is sure is that at some stage we'll need to make a call on the balance between this year and next year. I expect that to happen earlier than what we have done last year. Especially as the regulations are now what they are. So we will decide."

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