James Vowles says Williams’ production delays over the winter and early stages of the 2026 Formula 1 season could end up helping the team by forcing changes it might not otherwise have made. Vowles said: "Now, it's sorted. I actually think it's one of the best things that can happen to us. It's often darkest before the dawn. And frankly, that's where we are at the moment. And it's allowed us to make quite a few changes that I'm not sure we would have made otherwise."



Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes are “fully in synergy” and that it will take “a huge amount” for anyone to catch his former team in the 2026 title race. Hamilton said: "Look, I mean, Mercedes is a phenomenal team. You're seeing them perform at such an amazing level, and it's really beautiful to see when a team's fully in synergy. What they've brought and what they've done this year is mighty, and I think it's going to take a huge amount for anyone to close them down."
Charles Leclerc says he is not focused on simply winning this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, but on repeating the feeling he had in the Ferrari at Silverstone to show the team’s British Grand Prix-winning performance was not a one-off. Leclerc said: "Personally, I don't really focus on that. I think where I'll be focusing is just to try and get that feeling again in the car. If I have that feeling in the car, I'm confident that I will extract the maximum out of this car. Considering we obviously won [at Silverstone], maybe we are a bit closer than what we initially thought. But it's still to be proven."

Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin’s heavily upgraded AMR26, due to debut at the Hungarian Grand Prix, will not be enough to win races this season, but must give him and Lance Stroll a car they can push to the limit to set a clear development direction. Alonso said: "We will not win races this year. This is only the first step into the plan. It cannot be the last one. For me, it's important to feel in Hungary that we are understanding what are the weaknesses of the car, and we are tackling them… if those are improved in Hungary, and we can drive the car to maximum, then I think there is a very clear path and a good momentum that we can take for next year. So that's for me the most important thing."
Max Verstappen has signed McLaren junior Dries van Langendonck to Verstappen Racing in his first move into driver development, with the four-time F1 champion’s outfit set to provide “additional support and guidance” as the 15-year-old progresses in single-seaters. Verstappen said his team and management will, “with the simulator support of Verstappen Racing Pro Simulation, assist Dries to reach the ultimate goal of Formula 1”. Van Langendonck will remain part of McLaren’s junior programme while racing full-time in British F4 in 2026.


Max Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen has sought to dampen speculation about the four-time champion’s Red Bull future, saying he intends to see out his contract to 2028. Speaking to Austrian publication OE24, Vermeulen said a recent meeting in Amsterdam involving Vermeulen, Jos Verstappen and Helmut Marko was not significant, calling it “a private meeting that had been arranged long ago”. Vermeulen added: “Max wants to finish his time with Red Bull… He has a contract until 2028 and would like to fulfil it,” and said the existence of an exit clause “doesn't mean we'll activate it”.



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