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].”

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?"

PlanetF1 reports F1’s heat hazard protocol could be triggered at the Austrian Grand Prix, with air temperatures forecast to peak in the mid-30s°C and track temperatures expected to exceed 50°C. A heat hazard can be declared when the heat index is forecast to rise above 31°C, activating rules that require teams to fit the driver cooling system and allow a higher minimum car weight; drivers can still choose not to wear the cooling vest, in which case 0.5kg of cockpit ballast is added for parity.
Valtteri Bottas admits he has “a long way to go” to turn things around at Cadillac after failing to score a point in the opening seven rounds of his return to Formula 1. Bottas said: "It definitely hasn't come my way yet, and a lot of it is the inconsistency with the setup. Even some parts of the car quite often feel different to what you expect. Also, at the beginning of the year, having such a big gap between the races and not spending that much time on track hasn't helped. But I'm really hoping that now we get into a better flow, a better rhythm, understand the issues we've been having with the car better, and go from there. So, it's still a long way to go."

Valtteri Bottas says Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari win at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix could be a sign the latest car is the first to have some of the seven-time world champion’s “DNA” in it. Bottas said: "Yeah, maybe this type of car is a bit different to in the past. Maybe it is the first car that has a bit of his DNA in it. Those small things can make a big difference because in the end, in this sport, we are talking about such fine margins."

Former Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost said Formula 1’s battery harvesting and “super-clipping” under the new engine rules means drivers such as Max Verstappen can no longer exploit their advantage of braking late. Tost said: "I can also understand the frustration of the top drivers. Drivers like Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, or Fernando Alonso used to be able to exploit their strengths under braking. But if you have to lift off the throttle 10 or 20 metres before the braking point to recharge, that advantage is lost."
Ferrari will introduce its first ADUO-assisted power unit upgrade at the Austrian Grand Prix after being granted two upgrades this season under F1’s catch-up mechanism, having been deemed at least 4% behind the benchmark Red Bull. The team expects a performance gain, but insists it will not immediately reshuffle the competitive order. Power unit technical director Enrico Gualtieri said: “This update is not a major step, and it will not, on its own, change the competitive order,” adding that “Performance is built progressively, not only through hardware changes, but also through how effectively you optimise the package race by race.”





Drivers and teams are set to face extreme heat at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, with the local weather warning upgraded as the weekend goes on. A yellow warning is in place for Friday, when a maximum of 33°C is forecast, but it is set to move to an orange warning for Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures are expected to rise to 35°C on Saturday and 36°C on race day, with some forecasts suggesting it could approach 40°C.

Sky Sports F1 presenter Rachel Brookes has confirmed she has left the broadcaster, announcing on social media that she is “moving on to exciting new ventures” days before the Austrian Grand Prix. Brookes wrote: “I have left the Sky F1 team but F1 still has my heart & so I'll still be involved in it… see you at Silverstone!” She has been part of Sky’s F1 presenting line-up since it gained UK rights in 2012.




Ferrari has lined up a second ADUO power unit upgrade for 2026, with a newly designed turbocharger expected after the summer break – likely at Zandvoort or Monza – as it tries to close the gap to Mercedes. After the first ADUO checkpoint post-Montreal, FIA measurements found Ferrari’s performance deficit exceeded 4% versus the Red Bull-Ford internal combustion engine, triggering two in-season development opportunities. Ferrari’s first ADUO update is due in Austria, centred on combustion-chamber changes including a steel-alloy cylinder head and higher operating temperatures.

Max Verstappen is expected to continue talks with Red Bull over his Formula 1 future during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, with no agreement yet reached despite his contract running to 2028. RacingNews365 reports that performance-related exit clauses have left his position beyond this season in doubt, and that discussions have included the possibility of Red Bull buying out the clause to stop it being triggered. Verstappen said earlier this month in Spain: "If there is anything new about what I'm doing, I will let you know."

Max Verstappen says Red Bull’s “new package” is an “exciting” chance to gain lap time as the team heads to its home Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg. Verstappen said: "We have a new package we are bringing, so it is exciting to see how much this could look to give us in lap time. Austria is of course a home Grand Prix for the team. It is a very interesting track and all of the corners are quite different, so it is really important to get a good balance out of the car."

The opening at Turn 1 on the right-hand side has been closed. New fences have been installed between Turns 1 and 2 on the left and right-hand side to protect the advertisement bridge. The barrier at the shortcut between Turn 2 and Turn 7 has been moved to a better position. An additional row of tyre barrier (double row) and Tecpro have been installed at Turn 2 on the right-hand side. The line of safety devices at Turn 4 on the right-hand side has been extended. Addition of track rejoining solution at Turn 9. The transition between Turn 9 and Turn 10 on the right-hand side is smoother (off-track). The pit wall at the beginning of the start/finish straight has been extended and the pit exit lights and speed limit sign have been moved 50 meters (anticipated). Four new pit garages have been constructed towards the Pit Entry end of the Pit Lane. As a consequence, the Pit Entry Speed Control Line is 140 metres earlier. A new Medical Centre has been constructed with a new helipad, which is on the roof of the rear building. The Pit Wall has been reconstructed opposite the new pit garages. Openings in the pit lane where the gates are situated, are highlighted with orange paint. Parts of the pit lane working area have been ground down to remove bumps. A blue line has been added outside the white line at the Turn 1 entry and at the Turn 8 exit. A new signage gantry has been installed over the track between Turn 1 and Turn 2. The steel barrier on the right-hand side at the exit of Turn 1 has been extended to the edge of the link road. A new Geobrugg barrier has been installed on the right-hand side between Turn 8 and Turn 9. A new area of asphalt has been laid at the exit of Turn 9 beyond the gravel trap, to assist cars running wide and then rejoining the track.

CIRCUIT CHANGES The steel barrier on the right-hand side at the exit of Turn 1 has been extended to the edge of the link road. A new Geobrugg barrier has been installed on the right-hand side between Turn 8 and Turn 9. A new area of asphalt has been laid at the exit of Turn 9 beyond the gravel trap, to assist cars running wide and then rejoining the track. TRACK INFO Length of lap 4.326 km Lap record 1:07.924, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, 2025 Start line / Finish line offset 0.128 km Total number of race laps 71 Total race distance 307.018 km Pitlane speed limits 80 km/h in practice, qualifying and the race


![The laws [of physics] in F1: A look at the ingenious Mercedes loophole thumbnail](https://app.seedstream.org/imageCache/4620965118932379.webp)
Ferrari has confirmed it will introduce its first power unit upgrade of the season at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, using its first Additional Development Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) token on an internal combustion engine update. Power unit technical director Enrico Gualtieri said: “The update we are bringing to Spielberg is a relatively minor one”. Charles Leclerc will sit out FP1 at the Red Bull Ring, with Ferrari academy driver Dino Beganovic stepping in as the team works through its mandatory rookie practice sessions.



Racing Bulls has confirmed Liam Lawson will sit out first practice at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, with Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa driving in FP1 at the Red Bull Ring. It will be Iwasa’s second Formula 1 practice outing of 2026, after running in Isack Hadjar’s car for Red Bull in Spain.

Audi has confirmed Alpine reserve Paul Aron will take over Gabriel Bortoleto’s car for FP1 at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. Aron, who previously appeared in FP1 for Sauber last year and drove for Audi earlier this month in Barcelona in place of Nico Hulkenberg, is being used as part of F1’s requirement for teams to run rookies in four practice sessions across the season. With this outing, both Bortoleto and Hulkenberg will have sat out one FP1 session each and must miss one more later in the year.
Liam Lawson says Red Bull created a false narrative that he was “mentally struggling” when he was dropped from the senior team after two races in 2025 and sent back to Racing Bulls. 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... I spent two races there, and the way it all went down was just so crazy that I honestly was like, I'm just going to pretend I never even went there."
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