1 hour ago

Tombazis on 2026 power unit algorithms

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has played down the idea of banning the “self-learning elements” in 2026 power units after Oscar Piastri complained at Spa that qualifying can be decided by “computers behaving or misbehaving”. Speaking to media including Motorsport.com, Tombazis said the frustration was “understandable” but argued removing such algorithms would be too simplistic, warning it would likely worsen clipping as drivers would “use all energy on corner exit” and then run out earlier on the straights. He added: “I don't think humans can rationally control all of these parameters.”

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Should F1 ban power unit algorithms? Here's why the FIA says no

motorsport.com

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12 hours ago

Briatore on Alpine not beating McLaren and Ferrari

Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore says the team “have everything to win” but he does not understand why it is not beating McLaren and Ferrari, after pointing to its Mercedes engine partnership and capital expenditure investment in the factory. Briatore said: "We have everything to win. Because, you know, the agreement we've done with Mercedes is a super agreement, because we picked up the right partner. And we're investing in CapEx a lot of money in the factory. We have everything. We need to put the pieces together... But I'm sure this team, I don't know why we're not winning. I don't know why we don't beat McLaren. I don't know why we don't beat Ferrari."

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Briatore questions Alpine's results: ‘Why are we not winning?’

f1i.com

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12 hours ago

Piastri on McLaren closing its performance gap

Oscar Piastri says McLaren can make another big step forward this season to close its current performance gap. Piastri said: "We're under no illusions that we're lacking some performance, and we really want to chase it. We've got good ideas on how we can do it. And I think everybody's hungry to get back to where we have been and taste that success again."

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Oscar Piastri makes striking McLaren call despite being 'under no illusions'

racingnews365.com

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12 hours ago

Wache on Red Bull's entry stability and mid-corner understeer

Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache said the team’s current package has limitations around entry stability and mid-corner understeer, and that its early-season problems included a lack of load and mechanical issues that affected steering feel. Wache said: "Clearly, we have some limitations, like every racing car, in terms of stability on entry and mid-corner understeer, and we try to avoid those aspects by using some mechanical tools to achieve it. On your second question, regarding the issue with the car at the beginning, clearly we were missing some load compared to some others. We also had some mechanical gremlins on the car, which meant the driver didn't feel the car through the steering."

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Red Bull chief explains “limitations” of its 2026 F1 car

crash.net

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12 hours ago

Resta on Mercedes' planned post-shutdown upgrade package

Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta said the team has deliberately paced its upgrades this season and is planning a “more sizeable” package after the summer shutdown. Resta said: "Ultimately, I think we tried to have strong development for the first race from the winter test. Then we have had, at almost every race, a little step here and there, and then another big step in Canada. Probably, after the shutdown, we will try to focus on having something more sizeable on the car."

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Mercedes explain unusual F1 upgrade strategy as day of reckoning looms

racingnews365.com

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12 hours ago

Lord on Antonelli's 2025 reset after mid-season slump

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord said Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s recovery from his 2025 mid-season slump came from finding a better way to prepare and a “reset” around the time of the Baku race. Lord said: "I think he's found the method that worked for him in order to get the most from the team, understand the effort that is needed ahead of the weekend in order to arrive prepared, because track time is such a scarce and valuable commodity. So it was a really useful reset around sort of Baku time [in 2025] for him to really double down - redouble his efforts with Bono [Peter Bonnington], with the rest of the team around him."

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Mercedes pinpoints crucial moment Kimi Antonelli overturned early F1 career slump

motorsportweek.com

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12 hours ago

Orihara on Aston Martin power unit progress after vibration issues

Honda trackside manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said he is proud of the progress the manufacturer has made with Aston Martin’s power unit after its early-season vibration problems. Orihara said: "I'm proud of what we have achieved, and what our factory guys have achieved, from winter testing to now. We solved the big vibration issue, and we made big progress in terms of durability and energy management. So I'm quite confident about what we can achieve, based on what we have achieved this year."

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