Verstappen on Red Bull's title challenge limitations
Max Verstappen says Red Bull still have “too many issues” to mount a title challenge this year, despite their strongest weekend of the season so far ending with him finishing second behind George Russell. Verstappen said: "We had very good pace but I think to fight for a title we need to be more 'all-round'. I think we still have too many issues, from the starts to just procedural issues in the background, that even I think you guys don't know about, but I know about. It's not a big criticism or whatever. I think everyone is aware but we always want to be better, we chase to be the best."
Red Bull “still have too many issues” to fight for title this year – Verstappen
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Norris on Ferrari's struggles in Austria
Lando Norris said he felt sorry for Ferrari after Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton dropped out of podium contention in Austria. Lando Norris said: "The shock was Ferrari, struggling so much. So, to be honest, I feel bad for them. I mean, when you have no power, you have to push like hell in the straights, in the corners, and you can't do that with these front tyres. A tough race for them."
Lando Norris admits he felt sorry for Ferrari after Austria struggle
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Piastri on McLaren changes after tricky Barcelona weekend
Oscar Piastri says McLaren’s decision to “attack things pretty differently” after a “tricky” Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend was backed up by his fourth-place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix. Piastri said: "We put a lot of effort into understanding why Barcelona was so tricky, and we attacked things pretty differently for this weekend, and I think the result is evidence of that work. So from that side, I am really happy, but you just don't get a trophy at the end and wish for a bit more, but that was the absolute most."
Oscar Piastri issues McLaren 'evidence' in progress defence
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Hamilton on Ferrari lacking pace in Austrian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari "just lacked pace" in the Austrian Grand Prix and he did not know why, after switching to a three-stop strategy in the hot conditions at the Red Bull Ring. Hamilton said: "I think that was pretty much it, for some reason we just lacked pace. On Sunday morning, in the strategy meeting, they said: 'It's a two-stop, a three-stop is four seconds slower.' They gave us that information, and I was dead set that it was a three for me, because I thought the degradation was going to be super high, particularly as the track temperature was the highest we've had in a long time, mid 50s to 60-degree track temperature."
Lewis Hamilton puzzled by Ferrari anticlimax after 'dead set' prediction
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Piastri cleared by stewards in Austria
Oscar Piastri will face no further action after being summoned to the stewards at the Austrian Grand Prix over an allegation he drove unnecessarily slowly on reconnaissance laps and exceeded the time limit between the Safety Car lines. After hearing from Piastri and a McLaren representative and reviewing video and timing data, the stewards said it was “evident that the car was well within the specified delta time”.
FIA announces verdict after Oscar Piastri summoned in Austria
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Who slept best last night: George Russell
Who slept worst last night: Valtteri Bottas
Russell on tyre management and adapting to Mercedes' 2026 car
George Russell said he drove “quite abnormally” to manage his tyres at the Austrian Grand Prix as he continues to adjust to Mercedes’ 2026 car. Russell said: "Coming into this race weekend maybe my previous approach would have really hurt me on a track like this. And I drove the race very differently and quite abnormally, to be honest, to manage the tyres, and it worked quite well. Last year, I really knew how to handle the tyres on hot tracks, cold tracks, smooth surfaces, rough surfaces. And this year, I don't, to be honest. So, I'm rebuilding that."
How Russell resorted to "abnormal" driving style to win F1 Austrian GP
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Sainz on Williams needing Silverstone upgrade package
Carlos Sainz said Williams’ weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix was “still not good enough” after he retired from the race, and added the team needs the upgrade package due at Silverstone to help it become more competitive. Sainz said: "To be honest, it's still not good enough. What I had today was a car that was closer to Barcelona and the rest of the year where I felt more comfortable with, but at the same time, we've had a run of very poor weekends in these high speed, hot tracks. We still need an upgrade which Silverstone will bring. Hopefully it means we start to get a bit more competitive."
Williams Austria performance 'not good enough' – Sainz
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Bortoleto on missing out on points after Austrian GP P11
Gabriel Bortoleto said he drove “the best race I could” at the Austrian Grand Prix but still missed out on points for Audi after finishing 11th. Bortoleto said: "It is what it is. I think I did the best race I could. I overtook the Alpine that was ahead of me. We had really good race pace but I couldn't capitalise on P10 because I think the Racing Bulls were just a bit ahead of us this weekend. No one broke down ahead of us. This race was very clean for everyone."
Bortoleto disappointed to miss out on points in Austria
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Lawson on Racing Bulls' step in long-run pace
Liam Lawson says Racing Bulls have “definitely made a step” in long-run pace after the team secured another double points finish at the Austrian Grand Prix. Lawson said: "It's good. Honestly, the car's been good all weekend. Compared to last week as well, we've definitely made a step in long run pace, so I'm very happy."
Lawson feels Racing Bulls ‘made a step' in Austria
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What's really going on with Verstappen’s McLaren F1 talks
Analysis: Did this Red Bull decision cost Max Verstappen the victory in Austria?
Russell on resilience after tough spell and return to winning
George Russell said he “needed a lot of resilience” to recover from a tough spell without a win, after the Mercedes driver took victory from pole position yesterday for his first win since the season-opening race. Russell said: "It's been a tough couple of months with some really tricky races, with races that felt like everything was going against me, then some races with some tough performances. Obviously, I've got a really incredible team mate next to me who, week-in, week-out, is delivering some pretty spectacular performances. So, for me, going into Canada, going into Barcelona from quite a low point, I needed a lot of resilience to be able to get back and deliver some strong performances. So to get the last two poles, to get the win here this weekend, especially on a track which I don't think is so suited to me, I'm really, really proud of."
Russell “needed a lot of resilience” to rebound from win-less spell
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Russell on lacking full confidence in Mercedes consistency
George Russell says he still does not have full confidence in consistently getting everything “aligned” with his Mercedes, despite his Austrian Grand Prix win from pole position. Russell said: "I have a lot of confidence in myself, knowing I can do it. I have less confidence in being able to get everything aligned with the car, the set-up and the tyres, because it's just been so up and down for me. And even this weekend, at points I was six tenths behind Kimi, and then come Q3 I was two tenths ahead. I don't honestly have a major answer for that."
George Russell unable to answer 'major' question despite breakthrough Austria win
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Vasseur on Ferrari focusing too much on Mercedes in Austria
Fred Vasseur admitted Ferrari were “too focused on Mercedes” with their approach during the Austrian Grand Prix. Vasseur said: "Looking back, we were probably too focused on Mercedes today. We pushed too hard in the opening laps with both cars and then perhaps reacted too aggressively with the strategy, trying to stay with them when, realistically, that wasn't our race today. We will learn from this, refocus on ourselves and immediately turn our attention to the British Grand Prix next week."
Ferrari boss admits 'we focused on Mercedes too much' in difficult Austrian GP
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Wolff on Ferrari's upgrades under the cost cap
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he is surprised Ferrari can keep bringing major upgrades under Formula 1’s cost cap after it introduced a new engine specification and other updates at the Austrian Grand Prix. Wolff said: "We're a little bit surprised that Ferrari can throw these huge updates at the car in the way they do. In my opinion, they need to be running out of money soon, cost cap money, because we can't do that. We're simply lacking the buffer in the cost cap to be able to bring so many parts in the way they do."
Mercedes boss questions how Ferrari can afford "limitless" F1 upgrades
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Ferrari on Austrian GP tyre issues
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc said Ferrari’s Austrian Grand Prix unraveled due to severe rear tyre degradation in the heat, leaving them sliding backwards and “confused” about the car’s balance and set-up direction. Hamilton said: “The rears just dropped off on every set… We just couldn't keep up with everyone today.” Leclerc fell from second to eighth, lamenting “missing a lot of rear grip” after feeling happy with the car in qualifying. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said the drivers “over-pushed the first couple of laps” while trying to stay with faster cars, forcing strategy changes, and also said traffic led to power unit overheating that limited performance.
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc confused by woeful Ferrari race pace in Austria
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Perez and Bottas retire with brake problems
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas both retired from the Austrian Grand Prix in the opening laps after suffering brake problems. Perez said the weekend had been “very frustrating” and added: “I expect a massive internal discussion on our processes… because we have to step up because we cannot have these sort of issues.” Bottas said his Lap 2 retirement was sudden, adding: “I could start to smell some smoke… and then suddenly everything was on fire, front brakes on fire.”
Perez and Bottas reflect on Cadillac issues
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The Race
@wearetherace
🗣️ "As a whole I think it's difficult to understand the pecking order this year."
Charles Leclerc's baffled by the big race-to-race performance swings:
19h ago
Autosport
@autosport
Toto Wolff: "Honestly, I think Max was the most important factor this weekend. He just knows how to get everything out of the car that's in it. You see that with his teammates as well. That is why you should never, ever leave the Verstappen factor out of consideration or
18h ago
Adam Cooper
@adamcooperF1
Just a few hours too late to spice things up - rain in Austria as the F1 teams are packing up:
17h ago
The Race
@wearetherace
👀 Lewis Hamilton has finished ahead of Charles Leclerc in the last 5 grands prix.
Here's how the Ferrari team-mates compare across the key statistics so far this season:
17h ago
Autosport
@autosport
Silverstone feels like a "totally different track" with these new F1 cars according to Max Verstappen 👀
16h ago
Formula 1
@F1
Absolute cinema! 🎦🍿
Relive the feisty battle in Austria between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen ⚔️
#F1 #AustrianGP
15h ago
ESPN F1
@ESPNF1
Max's reaction to being asked about his chances in the title race this season 😅
14h ago
2026 F1 Austrian GP race analysis by Peter Windsor
George Russell's breakthrough, Ferrari's setback as F1 title race shifts again at Austrian GP
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Verstappen on Silverstone under 2026 energy management rules
Max Verstappen said he “started laughing” when he drove Silverstone on Red Bull’s simulator because energy management under the 2026 engine rules left him with “barely” any battery for much of the lap, which he expects will make the British Grand Prix “a tough one”. Verstappen said: "Silverstone I mean, I love the track, but yeah, I did a few laps on the simulator, I just started laughing. It felt like a different track to be honest. You barely have battery around the lap, it's just constantly flat. So it's going to feel very different compared to what we are used to around Silverstone because of the layout of the track... It's going to be a tough one."
Why Verstappen "started laughing" driving Silverstone on Red Bull simulator
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