Williams team principal James Vowles says the team is targeting “the next level” as it continues its recruitment drive, including the signing of former McLaren man Piers Thynne alongside Claire Simpson, Fred Judd and Steve Booth. Vowles said: "We are clear in our ambition to build a team that can win world championships and Piers has unrivalled recent experience in doing exactly that. I am also delighted to welcome Claire, Fred and Steve – we are attracting extremely talented strategic recruits from throughout the paddock who will add to the foundations we have already put in place over the past few years and help take us to the next level."
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu says fans should accept that Monaco Grand Prix Sundays will remain difficult for overtaking, and he does not expect the 2026 regulation cars to change that. Komatsu said: "So Monaco, I think it will be the same. I don't think it's enough now to see overtaking at Monaco, but we have 22 events on the calendar [this year], I think Monaco is very, very unique. I think rather than trying to make Monaco Sunday work, this is my personal opinion, I think we should just accept Monaco Sunday is that. But Monaco is an amazing location, totally different vibe. It's all about Saturday."

Williams team principal James Vowles says the team has a pathway to reach a championship-winning level “around about 2030” as it continues a wide-ranging overhaul of how it operates. Vowles said: "We are not championship level yet. And there's a pathway that's in front of us all the way up until around about 2030 in order to achieve that. But what I'm pleased to see is it's a little bit like an engine. Once you get it going, it starts moving faster and faster."

Charles Leclerc said his struggles compared with team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the Canadian Grand Prix were not down to any setup difference on their Ferraris, after Hamilton chose not to use the simulator before the weekend. Leclerc said: "There's none of the performance we are seeing today down to a setup. A setup is, you can say, there's a tenth in a setup, but at the end of the day, it's not that much. So, no. No, no, no. It's more about my feeling and just the way I drove today. Not having confidence on a day like this, I just didn't push enough."
Former F1 team principal Franz Tost says Formula 1’s 2026 regulations, with a 50/50 split between combustion and electric power, disadvantage the most talented drivers because they can no longer brake at the last moment. Tost said: "With the current regulations you no longer brake at the last moment. If you now take a braking point of 100 meters, which is then the last moment to brake, you now get off the gas 20 to 30 meters earlier and just roll through the corners. Top drivers like Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri or Fernando Alonso get their performance precisely from the braking point and the speed towards the apex of the corner. And now? If you just roll through the corner, they no longer have an advantage there."



Max Verstappen joked that he will “order a new back” for Monaco as he said Red Bull is still struggling on bumpy circuits and over kerbs. Verstappen said: "Anywhere that it's bumpy is going to be difficult for us. Oh yes, that is going to be great. I think I'm going to order a new back!"

Lance Stroll says Aston Martin’s next upgrade is planned for Zandvoort, with the team still needing more downforce and power after fixing its vibration problem in Miami. Stroll said: "We have an upgrade for Spa or the one after Spa. I don't know which one… Zandvoort, yeah. Is it going to be enough to fight for the front? No. But yeah, these things don't happen overnight, so everyone's pushing as hard as possible and we're doing everything we can to bring as much lap time to the car as quickly as we can."

Zak Brown says racing McLaren’s 1000th grand prix in Monaco is “a perfect opportunity” to recognise the team’s motorsport history, after McLaren unveiled a special livery for the Monaco and Barcelona grands prix. Brown said: "Lining up on the grid to race McLaren's 1000th grand prix in Monaco this year provides a perfect opportunity to recognise our rich history in motorsport. We're only the second team to reach this incredible milestone, so what better moment to reflect on our past, our present and our future."






Kimi Antonelli says Mercedes has not yet seen the “full benefit” of the upgrade package it introduced at the Canadian Grand Prix, because conditions in Montréal made tyre management unusually important, and he expects a clearer read at Monaco and Barcelona. Antonelli said: "This weekend is a bit unique, because tyres are so important to get them in the right window, so I think we're not seeing the full benefit of this new package. I think when we go to Monaco and Barcelona, we will see much better the benefits of this package, because here is just such a weird condition that just by having the tyres in the right window, it makes a big difference."
Mercedes head of trackside operations Andrew Shovlin said Formula 1’s new Overtake Mode made it hard for cars to break away from each other during battles at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Shovlin said: "The regulations make it quite hard to break away because the car behind can harvest a bit more energy. In Montreal, because it was really cold and there's low speed corners, the cars actually followed really well. The two cars get a little bit locked together in a battle. The energy does help the one behind keep up. It's just quite hard for [the leader] to break away."

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli says Ferrari will be the team to beat at the Monaco Grand Prix because its rear winglet is giving the car “a lot of downforce at low speed”. Antonelli said: "Yeah, I think Ferrari is going to be the team to beat in Monaco. It's going to be very interesting [to see] how we do there, but for sure Ferrari is the favourite, because also with that winglet they have in the back, it's giving them a lot of downforce at low speed."

Audi F1 boss Mattia Binotto says Carlos Sainz’s decision to sign for Williams in 2024 was his own, rather than following his father’s preference for him to join Sauber ahead of Audi’s takeover for its 2026 entry. Binotto said: "Because honestly, I think he made his own choice and that was important. I would even say that he made his own choice, and not his dad's choice, which is great for him."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has dismissed rumours about Oscar Piastri’s future, saying the Australian is not set to leave the team despite links with Red Bull and a contract that runs until the end of 2028. Stella said: "You mentioned the silly season, and I think we are already fully in this silly season. When we think about Oscar, we couldn't be happier. I think we are seeing the best Oscar in the cockpit and also a happy Oscar, and the best version of himself outside the cockpit. So definitely it's very clear, the direction for maximum stability at McLaren."

Max Verstappen heads into the Monaco Grand Prix with a clean FIA super licence after the penalty points from his 2025 Spanish Grand Prix clash with George Russell expired. Verstappen had been given three points for the Barcelona incident, when the stewards ruled he caused the collision after the safety-car restart, and that took him to 11 points within a 12-month period - one short of an automatic one-race ban. With those points, and other earlier infringements, now outside the 12-month window, he no longer carries any active penalty points.



Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin’s “fundamental problem” and a three-second gap to the front will not be fixed until later in the season, with bigger gains needing more engine power and an improved aerodynamic package. Fernando Alonso said: "But the fundamental problem and the three seconds off the pace will have to come from the power of the engine and from the aero package and that will only come in the second part of the year."

Kimi Raikkonen says Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has the mental strength to handle a Formula 1 title fight, as the Italian leads the 2026 standings. Raikkonen said: "He'll have to avoid imitating Piastri in 2025. At one point, the Australian McLaren driver seemed to have the title in his pocket, but he couldn't handle the pressure. The Italian won't fall into the same trap."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says he is fully committed to staying with the team amid reports linking him with a move to Ferrari. Stella said: "When it comes to myself, I'm definitely fully committed to McLaren. And for me the mission is very clear: we need to fill that new area of the cabinet for the years to come at McLaren."

Williams team principal James Vowles says the team is prioritising the production of spare parts for the Monaco Grand Prix after a punishing Canadian GP weekend left it short on inventory, including from Alex Albon’s heavy Friday crash and his race collision with Oscar Piastri. Vowles said: "Now, what we've had to do as an impact of all of that is to make sure we prioritise and have sufficient stock levels for Monaco because whatever happens, we're about to go into probably the hardest track in terms of attrition and you simply can't get away with having the cars built up with no spares around you. That's where we need to put ourselves in a strong position for Monaco."

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