Stella on customer team disadvantage in resolving McLaren reliability issues
Andrea Stella says McLaren’s status as a Mercedes customer team has become a disadvantage in tackling reliability issues, after problems in Canada and Monaco included a gearbox retirement for Lando Norris and a power-unit-related DNF. Stella said: "Never before we felt that being a customer team has put us on the back foot. And when I say this, and I want to be clear here, to avoid any misunderstanding: it's not because you are a lower priority for [Mercedes] HPP. [It is] because you have less opportunities to integrate, to stay on the same timeline when it comes to addressing reliability problems or exploitation of the power unit from a performance point of view... when you are a works team."
McLaren admits Mercedes customer team status has become a disadvantage in F1 2026
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Leclerc to switch brake configuration
Ferrari brake supplier Brembo has pushed back against Charles Leclerc’s claim that brake issues contributed to his Monaco Grand Prix crash, saying it is “premature to draw definitive technical conclusions” before the data has been analysed. Leclerc described the braking as inconsistent and “borderline dangerous”, and said he will switch to Lewis Hamilton’s brake configuration from the next race in Barcelona to address the problem. Brembo said it does not yet know the cause of the issues and wants telemetry reviewed with Ferrari’s engineers.
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Wolff on Russell rebound after Monaco penalty mistake
Toto Wolff says he has “no doubt” George Russell will bounce back after dropping out of the points in the Monaco Grand Prix, with Mercedes making a “mistake” that led to his late drive-through penalty. Wolff said: "The Montreal race was [Russell's] to win. We let him down. Today, probably, we could have had a podium, if not for the penalty mistake. And I've talked with him yesterday and today – this is a long championship. Luck swings in your direction, and then sometimes it doesn't. I'm not stressed at all for his performances because we know he's one of the best."
‘He's one of the best’ – Wolff confident in Russell comeback
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Stella on McLaren's reality check after Canada and Monaco
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the last two rounds in Canada and Monaco have been a “reality check” for the team, after it lacked race pace and hit reliability problems including Lando Norris’ gearbox issue in Canada and a power unit problem in Monaco. Stella said: "There's certainly an important reality check that comes from Canada and Monaco. And the reality check is first of all looking at the facts, we have not been fast enough, I would say especially in terms of race in both Canada and here. We have not been reliable enough and when we look at reliability, we have had issues pretty much in all areas of the car. Today was power unit... but for Lando in Canada it was the gearbox."
McLaren concede to F1 'reality check' after painful setbacks
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Russell on still believing he can win 2026 title
George Russell says Kimi Antonelli’s 68-point lead is not too big and he still believes he can win the 2026 Formula 1 title, despite his Mercedes team-mate winning the past five grands prix. Russell said: "No, it's not [too big a point deficit to overcome]. You look at Verstappen last year - but I need to get myself out. I don't know how we keep ending up in the same position. Things I need to improve for sure. But I know on clean weekends what I can do and it's just unfortunate. I still very much believe in myself and know what I can do. I think we're not even 30% of the way through, but there's a lot of points down the drain."
George Russell: 'I can still become F1 world champion in 2026'
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Vasseur on Ferrari staying focused after mixed Monaco weekend
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says the team must stay focused and positive after a mixed Monaco Grand Prix in which Lewis Hamilton finished second and Charles Leclerc crashed out amid brake problems. Vasseur said: "We need to keep our focus on ourselves, continue working hard and maximise every opportunity. The mood within the team is positive, the direction is the right one and we have another opportunity in just a few days' time to keep moving forward."
Vasseur gives verdict after mixed Monaco GP for Ferrari
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Wolff on Mercedes' Monaco penalty serving mistake
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the team “clearly” made a mistake in failing to serve George Russell’s Monaco Grand Prix pit-lane speeding penalty correctly, a sequence that led to an extra drive-through and left Russell out of the points. Toto Wolff said: "There will have been a dozen pit lane speeding incidents, that's number one. So I can't really give you an answer. As for not serving the stop, clearly our mistake, we need to look at our communication, whether we actually expected him to come in. What I remember is about staying out and not coming in, but nevertheless, you've got to be on it, then to hold him, and we didn't."
Mercedes take blame for devastating George Russell Monaco GP spiral
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Hamilton on Ferrari needing more downforce
Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari “need more downforce” and “a lot of work” to reach Mercedes’ level after finishing second in Monaco. Hamilton said: "I think for me it's really the car. The car is good, but we need more downforce ultimately. With the tyres, with the different scenarios we had out there, I ran out of tyres quite early in the first stint... I think just with all different things that have been thrown at us, it was massively challenging but really grateful for the day... and I've just got to keep working harder to see if I can finally take that next step for them."
Hamilton ‘grateful' for Monaco podium but ‘I need to work harder’
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Leclerc on switching to Hamilton brake specification after Monaco issue
Charles Leclerc says he will switch to the same brake specification used by Lewis Hamilton from next week’s Spanish Grand Prix after a brake issue he says caused his crash at the final corner in Monaco. Charles Leclerc said: "Out of the four brakes, I had three brakes not working. In an F1 car, it's never a good thing. The front left was working well, the front right was half working, and the two rear brakes were not working at all. The only thing I can say is that we have a solution in-house and I'll go to Lewis' configuration from the next race onward which hopefully will be a step."
Charles Leclerc confirms major change after Monaco GP crash
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Stroll on engine braking issues in Monaco crash
Lance Stroll said engine braking issues “pushed” him into the wall in his race-ending crash at the Monaco Grand Prix, after he went straight on at Antony Noghes and hit the barrier. Stroll said: "We were just getting to the end of the race, and then we had some engine braking issues throughout the whole race. All season we've been having engine braking issues, some corners it's pushing, some corners it's pulling, and it's doing different things all the time. So on that particular corner and lap it just pushed me into the wall, like the throttle pedal was 50% open."
Lance Stroll on Monaco F1 crash: ‘The engine pushed me into the wall'
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Verstappen on Monaco start engine failure and first-lap retirement
Max Verstappen said he was left “praying” other cars would avoid him after an engine failure caused his Red Bull to bog down at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix from second on the grid, before he retired at the end of the first lap. Verstappen said: "I had no power, so I was steering left with the friction of the wheels, and I was just praying that everyone would go to the right. But everyone luckily reacted."
Max Verstappen left 'praying' in scary Red Bull failure near-miss
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The story behind Monaco's flurry of pitlane speeding penalties
Hamilton and Hadjar avoid Monaco penalty
Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar escaped punishment at the Monaco Grand Prix after being investigated for allegedly leaving more than 10 car lengths to the safety car, as set out in Article B5.13.2. The FIA stewards took no further action, pointing to guidance issued at Canada 2025 that allowed some tolerance on safety grounds while drivers prepare tyres and power units. In their decision, the stewards wrote: “in the interests of safety it would allow a certain degree of tolerance… Accordingly no further action is taken.”
Why Hamilton and Hadjar went unpunished for F1 safety car breaches
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Newey returns to Monaco paddock
Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey was seen inspecting both McLaren MCL40 cars on the grid ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, PlanetF1.com reports. PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher spotted Newey first looking over Lando Norris’s car before walking across to examine Oscar Piastri’s McLaren as well. It marked Newey’s return to the paddock after he had not attended a race since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, following reports last month that he had suffered a bout of illness.
Adrian Newey holds double McLaren MCL40 inspection at Monaco Grand Prix
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Antonelli on Mercedes rear-wing upgrade at Monaco
Kimi Antonelli said Mercedes’ rear-wing upgrade for the Monaco Grand Prix was a “surprise” in how much it transformed the car, after he took pole position and went on to win the race. Antonelli said: "It was a really strong weekend and the team did an incredible job, first of all with the rear wing that we brought, but as well with the turnaround that we had between Friday and Saturday. The car just changed massively and obviously gave me a lot more confidence to push around this track. And yeah, I've just really been able to enjoy."
Kimi Antonelli hails Mercedes trick in 'surprise' Monaco obliteration
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Russell on weird state of mind after Monaco setback
George Russell said he is in a "very weird state of mind" after the Monaco Grand Prix, where a pit-lane speeding penalty escalated into a drive-through and left the Mercedes driver 12th. Russell said: "I am in a very, very weird state of mind because I've had very low moments in my career where maybe I've had a run of two or three bad races on my own personal performance, but I've never had a run of bad luck such as this. It didn't happen when the car was P7 two years ago, or a P3 or P4 car last year, and now I've got the car, it feels very painful, but there is still a long way to go."
George Russell makes startling admission after Monaco GP spiral
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