PlanetF1.com reports that Formula 2 leader Nikola Tsolov will complete his first Formula 1 test later this month with Racing Bulls at Imola, driving the team’s 2025 VCARB02 under Testing of a Previous Car rules alongside its final filming day of the year. Tsolov, who does not yet have the FIA Super Licence, is being given the outing to build mileage, with Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer previously saying the team was considering a TPC test because he “needs a licence to drive in Friday practice sessions” and is “still lacking a few kilometres”.
Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss says rumours linking the team with young drivers for a potential 2027 race seat are “not substantiated”, while stressing that “things can always change” in Formula 1. Towriss said: "I'll throw the caveat though. It's Formula 1. Things can always change. There are no changes planned at the moment for '27, but things can always change. I know there's been some of the rumours out there with some of the young drivers. They're not substantiated, so that's not something I would focus on."
Toto Wolff says it is “too early” to call Kimi Antonelli the Formula 1 title favourite despite the Mercedes driver holding a 50-point lead at the midpoint of the season, pointing to the number of races still to come and his team’s reliability. Toto Wolff said: "It's too early to say. I'm superstitious. Even though the gap is 50 points, there are so many races to go. A DNF or two can just swing things massively, and we've not been great on reliability."

McLaren Racing Director Randeep Singh said a change in leadership under Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella has removed a “blame culture” at the team, which he credits with empowering staff as McLaren’s revival led to a double championship last season. Singh said: "The main thing is just the leadership changed with Andrea and Zak, and I think that's just empowered everyone to go about their jobs. There's no blame. There's none of that here. You just get on with constantly improving. Good things, bad things, and you treat them the same way. So that's really empowering."

Colton Herta says his first Formula 2 season has been an “eye-opening” experience, with adapting to Pirelli tyres without blankets the biggest challenge as he targets a potential Formula 1 race seat with Cadillac. Herta said: "I would say the tyre [is the biggest challenge]. I think the Pirelli, specifically coming from cold, without having the tire blankets, it's quite particular. If anything, it kind of sets you up nicely because it's easier when you get to Formula 1, because once you have the tyre blankets, it's all about maintaining temperature, not bringing it from whatever it might be, 30, 40 degrees, to what it gets to. So if anything, I think it simplifies it a little bit."

Liam Lawson says his unusual route into Formula 1, joining as a reserve and filling in for races, has left him feeling less experienced than people might assume despite having been around the sport for a long time. Lawson said: "I came into Formula 1 in a very strange way compared to most other people. I came in as a reserve, filling in for some races. I did that sort of for two seasons before I even got my initial shot. So yeah, I have a different introduction to F1 than most people, and it's meant that I've actually been in the sport for quite a long time. So I definitely don't feel very experienced, but I guess maybe I'm viewed that way."
Arvid Lindblad's manager Oliver Rowland says Liam Lawson has been the "perfect benchmark" for the 19-year-old alongside him at Racing Bulls in Formula 1. Rowland said: "He is the perfect benchmark for us. I mean, this guy has got more experience, is a little bit older. He's also very, very calm, and there are no games going on, which is really, really refreshing, actually, for someone so young, and it just helps the team focus on what they want to do."

King Willem-Alexander will present the winner’s trophy at this year’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, marking his first official visit to a sporting event in the Netherlands to hand over a prize. He and Queen Máxima have attended the race regularly since its return in 2021, but previously only in a private capacity. The Dutch Grand Prix runs from 21-23 August and is set to be Zandvoort’s final appearance on the F1 calendar before it drops off in 2027.





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