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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🗞️ Latest Stories
Perez on quickly getting back up to speed in Ferrari test
Sergio Perez says he was surprised by how quickly he got back up to speed when he returned to a Formula 1 car after taking a year out on the sidelines. Perez said: "I was actually surprised when I did the test in the middle of last year with Ferrari, with the 2023 car, how quickly I got up to speed. When I jumped in the Ferrari, within a couple of laps, a couple of runs, I was already up to speed, up to the pace."
Sergio Perez voices 'surprise' element to F1 comeback
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Permane on Lawson's form amid 2027 seat speculation
Racing Bulls' Alan Permane said Liam Lawson has been “amazing” this season and is doing exactly what the team has asked of him, amid speculation Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov could replace the New Zealander next year. Permane said: "Liam has been amazing this year, honestly. We talk a lot about Arvid, and rightly so, but Liam had a very difficult start. However, this year, Liam has done exactly everything we have asked of him. He's totally focused, he's still very fast, he takes opportunities when they arise, he doesn't make mistakes and he's doing a fantastic job."
Liam Lawson gets clear Racing Bulls verdict as Nikola Tsolov question lingers
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Round-up: Silverstone only suitable venue for F1 in UK says Domenicali and more
Newey on Alonso's Aston Martin future and Hungary upgrade
Adrian Newey says Fernando Alonso is looking to Aston Martin’s planned upgrade at the Hungarian Grand Prix as a sign of “clear, tangible progress” as he weighs up whether to stay in Formula 1 for another season. Newey said: "It's very important. Fernando is really looking forward to the upgrade and, if it performs we hope he'll be in the cockpit for another season. Given his experience, his feel for the car, his ability to guide development, he's a tremendous asset. But he wants to see clear, tangible progress. If we can show that we're moving decisively in the right direction, he's absolutely committed to being behind the wheel."
Adrian Newey drops Fernando Alonso F1 retirement hint amid ‘painful' Aston Martin decision
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🇬🇧 SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT
Length of lap 5.891 km Lap record 1:27.097, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2020 Start line / Finish line offset 0.134 km Total number of race laps 52 Total race distance 306.198 km Pitlane speed limits 80 km/h in practice, qualifying and the race CIRCUIT CHANGES A number of repairs and improvements have been made to barriers, fencing, track edges, run-off areas, access points, and marshal posts around the circuit. Minor repairs to the track surfaces in pit lane and the pit exit road have been undertaken. Blue lines to be added at the exit of Turns 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, 17, and 18. A blue line is to be added at the apex of Turn 8. Drainage improvements between turns 8 and 9.
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F1 - 2026 British Grand Prix Preview
Pirelli confirms Silverstone tyre compounds
Pirelli has nominated its hardest compounds for this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone: C1 as the hard, C2 as the medium and C3 as the soft, citing the circuit’s high severity and tyre degradation. With it being a Sprint weekend, each driver’s slick allocation drops from 13 sets to 12: two hards, four mediums and six softs, plus intermediates and full wets if required. Pirelli expects teams to aim for a one-stop race using C2 and C3.
What tyres will the teams and drivers have for Silverstone?
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Mekies on FIA ADUO ruling risk for Red Bull
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says the team has been put in a position of “risk” by the FIA’s ADUO ruling, which has left Red Bull unable to upgrade its engine this year. Mekies said: "You're right. There is a large risk there for Red Bull, so you are completely right in exposing that risk. It is one of the reasons why it is vital for Red Bull, and more generally for the sport, that we get that picture right... you always would like to reach an earlier conclusion, but it's more important that we reach the right one, even if it takes a bit more time."
Red Bull warns of 'risk' after FIA ruling
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The Race
@wearetherace
🇬🇧 We all know what happened at Silverstone for Nico Hulkenberg *last* season... but even prior to that it was his strongest track on the calendar!
Can he add to his tally there this weekend?
13h ago
Daniel Valente 🏎️
@F1GuyDan
🚨 The state of McLaren in 2026 🚨
Mercedes: 400 laps led this season
Oscar Piastri: 391 laps completed this season
Lando Norris: 386 laps completed this season
13h ago
Autosport
@autosport
If Lewis Hamilton wins at Silverstone this weekend, he'll become the first driver in F1 history to record 10 victories at a single circuit. Home 🏆🇬🇧
12h ago
Daniel Valente 🏎️
@F1GuyDan
Max Verstappen in qualifying at Silverstone since joining Red Bull:
• 3 poles
• Undefeated vs. teammates (11-0)
• 100% rate of making Q3 (11/11)
• Has always started 5th or better
He loves this track.
12h ago
5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the British GP
Why Ferrari should be 'optimistic' for Silverstone after Austria blip
Formula 1
@F1
Sir Lewis is the only driver on the grid to score points in every round this season, so far! 💯
#F1 #BritishGP
9h ago
Daniel Valente 🏎️
@F1GuyDan
🚨 Ferrari could become the first team to reach 1000 laps completed this season
1. Ferrari - 996 laps
2. Mercedes - 970 laps
3. Alpine - 951 laps
The race to 1000 is on.
9h ago
Daniel Valente 🏎️
@F1GuyDan
The last two winners of the British GP are the two most recent British drivers’ champions
2024 - Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧
2025 - Lando Norris 🇬🇧
7h ago
Formula 1
@F1
We've seen eight different drivers on the podium so far 👀🤩
#F1
5h ago
Autosport
@autosport
Max Verstappen and George Russell have picked up the same number of points across the last 5 Grands Prix 📈
5h ago
Motorsport Week's 2026 F1 Austrian GP Driver Ratings
The technical mastermind behind Williams' F1 success
Stella on McLaren's protected development budget
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the team is not concerned about running out of cost-cap budget for car development because it protected funding to fight an upgrade battle this season. Stella said: "We sort of allocated our budget such that we protected a certain amount of this budget to be in condition to develop the car. At the moment we don't have a concern that we will not be able to develop the car because of budget. We are completely focused in making sure that from a technical point of view, we are in a condition to create the aerodynamic upgrades, mechanical upgrades... such that we can make the MCL40 faster."
McLaren dismiss cost cap concerns as Stella reveals development plan
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Sainz on not considering other options beyond Williams
Carlos Sainz says he is not looking at other opportunities on the grid when asked about his future at Williams at the Austrian Grand Prix. Sainz said: "Not really. I'm not. Seriously, I'm not, because I have so much work to do here in Williams right now over the next few races and the amount of simulator sessions we're doing, the amount of meetings that are being held over the last few months. I've also told my team to leave me a bit on my own until the summer break, just to try and help Williams and improve the situation as much as possible."
Williams drivers spark intrigue over responses to F1 future question
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Bortoleto on Audi's surprising pace against Racing Bulls
Gabriel Bortoleto said it was “a bit surprising” for Audi to run as close as it did to Racing Bulls during the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Bortoleto said: "But I think it was a bit surprising. We didn't maybe expect it to be that close to them. I think our pace showed up to be a bit better."
Audi driver expresses biggest “surprise” of their Austrian GP
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Vettel on racing after Hubert's fatal Spa crash
Sebastian Vettel said he “did not want to race” at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix after witnessing the fatal Formula 2 crash that killed 22-year-old Anthoine Hubert at Spa-Francorchamps. Vettel said: "I called my wife, Hanna, and told her I did not want to race the next day after the accident. I slept poorly that night; yet I decided to race. After that weekend, I felt differently about my sport, which I only grasped after I retired."
Sebastian Vettel reveals impact of witnessing fatal crash: 'I did not want to race'
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Norris on McLaren future
Lando Norris says he could “very, very potentially” be a one-team Formula 1 driver, insisting he wants to stay at McLaren “forever” despite admitting there is “only one place I’d ever be interested in” elsewhere in the long term. Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast ahead of Silverstone, Norris said: “My contract still goes for a good amount of years so I know I’m not leaving any time soon,” and added: “For me, that’s my goal, to be with McLaren forever, but I also love winning.”
Norris explains if he sees himself as a one-team driver
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Stella on Mercedes' early advantage and upgrade threat
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says Mercedes’ early advantage could disappear if they stop bringing upgrades. Andrea Stella said: "Mercedes started with an advantage of a few tenths of a second, but if they don't continue introducing substantial upgrades, I wouldn't be surprised if another team becomes the fastest car during the second half of the season. We already saw a glimpse of that today with Verstappen."
McLaren warns Mercedes: Stand still and you'll be caught
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What you need to know about the growing battle for a 2027 F1 seat
F1 British Grand Prix Preview: Silverstone's time to shine as championship hots up
How every Silverstone corner got its name
Our Predictions for the 2026 British Grand Prix
The growing battle for a 2027 F1 seat: What you should know
Stella on McLaren's straightline speed deficit to Mercedes
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team needs to investigate why it is losing time to Mercedes on the straights, despite both using Mercedes power units. Stella said: "The 30% happening in the straights, it might have to do with some additional aerodynamic drag that we have on our car, but we are also looking at the way we exploit the power unit, because the speed deficit is quite significant. You will be able to see that, for instance, there's probably one-and-a-half tenths, one tenth at least, that we lose in the straights, and definitely we need to go and look into why that is the case."
McLaren still to investigate why it's losing to Mercedes on the straights, despite same PU
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Verstappen and Hamilton on Silverstone energy limits
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have warned that Silverstone could expose a key limitation in F1’s current hybrid energy deployment, with long flat-out sections offering fewer chances to recover electrical energy through braking. Verstappen said he “just started laughing” after simulator laps, adding: “You barely have battery around the lap… it’s just constantly flat… It’s going to be a tough one.” Hamilton agreed the circuit has “lots of deployment, and not many places to recover the power”, but added: “Maybe the deficit won’t be as big… hard to say.”
Verstappen and Hamilton issue Silverstone warning over critical F1 energy flaw
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Brown on Verstappen interest and McLaren's fixed line-up
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown says he would sign Max Verstappen if he had an extra seat available, but insists Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are staying put despite speculation linking the four-time world champion with a move. Brown said: "Well, I've got two awesome racing drivers, so if I had a third car, I'd sign them in a heartbeat. Lando and Oscar have their names engraved on their race seat, and they haven't emptied out their lockers, so they're not going anywhere. No, I don't have a seat available. If a seat was available, then of course you have that conversation."
Zak Brown makes daring Max Verstappen claim amid rampant McLaren rumours
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All the F1 British GP special liveries unveiled so far
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