Wolff on Mercedes not changing its driver line-up
Toto Wolff says Mercedes “don’t want to change things” with their driver line-up, playing down links with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Wolff said: "Yeah, we don't want to change things. We've said it also to George, and I think it's a line-up that is good for us. I'm very happy with the two of them."
Mercedes boss Wolff dismisses Verstappen links
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P1) George Russell P2) Charles Leclerc P3) Lewis Hamilton P4) Kimi Antonelli P5) Max Verstappen P6) Lando Norris P7) Oscar Piastri P8) Isack Hadjar P9) Liam Lawson P10) Arvid Lindblad P11) Pierre Gasly P12) Gabriel Bortoleto P13) Oliver Bearman P14) Nico Hulkenberg P15) Esteban Ocon P16) Franco Colapinto P17) Carlos Sainz P18) Alexander Albon P19) Sergio Perez P20) Valtteri Bottas P21) Fernando Alonso P22) Lance Stroll
Antonelli and Russell on racing wisely
Mercedes drivers Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell say they will need to race each other “more wisely”, with Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari now a growing factor in the title fight. Antonelli said: “From now on it's going to be important to race even more wisely,” while Russell added: “It’s very clear, the team wants to win the race, it doesn’t matter if it’s myself or Kimi.”
Mercedes pair reveal title fight change as Lewis Hamilton threat grows
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Antonelli on aborting final Q3 lap after yellow flag mistake
Kimi Antonelli said he mistook single-waved yellow flags for double-waved yellows and aborted his final Q3 lap in Austrian Grand Prix qualifying after Max Verstappen’s crash, costing him a chance of a front-row start. Antonelli said: "Yeah, I mean, I saw double yellow even, so it probably was my mistake. But yeah, I aborted the lap and that was it, so my mistake."
Kimi Antonelli owns up to costly F1 qualifying error after Max Verstappen shunt
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Alonso on Aston Martin's encouraging step from FP1 to qualifying
Fernando Alonso said Aston Martin’s progress from first practice to qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix was “very encouraging”. Alonso said: "I don't know, I think the steps we did since FP1 to quali were very encouraging. We are at the back of the grid. Even Cadillac, our closest rival, made a big step here with upgrades. But the team is still working like if we were fighting for points or podiums."
Fernando Alonso confident of progress despite Aston Martin's gap to Cadillac in Austria qualifying
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F1 drivers could face Austrian GP 'gamble' in hunt for race victory
Russell insists Mercedes future secure
George Russell has played down suggestions Max Verstappen could replace him at Mercedes by insisting his own future at Brackley is not in doubt. Russell said in Austria: “I’ll be racing here next year, 100 per cent… It’s not even a question mark.” Toto Wolff also backed the current pairing, saying: “We don’t want to change things… very happy with the two of them,” as Verstappen’s camp reiterated to De Telegraaf it wants to stay at Red Bull provided it can fight at the front.
New Max Verstappen blow as Russell issues Mercedes future update
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Hadjar on brake feel issues in Austrian GP qualifying
Isack Hadjar said he could not drive with his usual late-braking style in Austrian Grand Prix qualifying because he had little feel from the brakes on his Red Bull RB22, after taking eighth on the grid. Hadjar said: "Just can't smash the brakes, really. I'm a late braker, heavy braker, and this weekend I have not been able to use any of that. Then it compromised the whole rest of the corner. You can't brake, you can't do anything. I lock everything – no feel for tyre vibrations."
The Red Bull car issue that hampered Hadjar's Austria F1 qualifying
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Stella on McLaren's need to catch Mercedes in aero development
Andrea Stella says McLaren must increase the “intensity” of its development programme if it is to catch Mercedes, with the team principal acknowledging McLaren is “two to three months” behind Mercedes on aerodynamic development. Stella said: "We talk about three months of development that we need to catch up. There's only one way of doing so, which is to out-develop competitors. We need to rev our engine higher. We need to have more intensity in the business. We need to be good at delivering effective solutions. What I see in the pipeline is very promising, especially in terms of aerodynamic upgrades, but at the same time we need to land with these upgrades trackside as soon as possible."
Andrea Stella calls on McLaren to step up development "intensity" to catch Mercedes
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Bortoleto on Audi's straight-line speed deficit
Gabriel Bortoleto says Audi would be fighting for the top three if it had the same straight-line speed as Mercedes or Red Bull, after qualifying 12th at the Red Bull Ring and pointing to a power unit deficit. Bortoleto said: "Absolutely. I mean, I think if we had the same top speed as Mercedes or Red Bull, we would have been fighting for top three, just easy. I think you guys have access to GPS data, so you can compare the corners in Q2 and we are very quick in basically all the corners. We lose a lot on the straights."
Gabriel Bortoleto makes bold claim about Audi's F1 chassis
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Briatore on Otro Capital stake sale talks
Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore says Otro Capital’s reported asking price for its minority stake in the team is “completely crazy”, and insists Alpine is not involved in talks over the sale. Briatore said: "I know a lot of people talking about this 25%, and the price is completely mad for me, the price is completely crazy. Exactly, exactly. It's too high. But, anyway, this is the market. This, Formula 1 is, the team now is working this kind of money. It's fantastic for Formula 1. But, really we are not involved in any negotiation with Otro. This is more Renault and not us."
'Completely crazy' - Flavio Briatore slates Alpine F1 ownership saga
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Extreme heat forecast for Austrian GP
Drivers and fans at the Austrian Grand Prix are set to face extreme heat, with 35°C forecast at the Red Bull Ring and the region under an orange temperature warning. Humidity is expected to be around 39% with only a light breeze, while thunderstorms are flagged in wider forecasts but with a very low chance of affecting the race, so a dry 71 laps is expected. The heat is likely to amplify tyre degradation and cooling concerns.
2026 F1 Austrian Grand Prix weather update: Drivers facing extreme conditions
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Alonso on Aston Martin's drivability and deployment gains
Fernando Alonso said his upbeat Aston Martin radio message after qualifying 21st for the Austrian Grand Prix reflected genuine gains in the car’s drivability and energy deployment consistency, even though the team remains at the back of the grid. Alonso said: "Since FP1, I think we made huge steps on drivability, on gearbox, downshift, upshift, and energy consistency. I think the deployment has been a little bit inconsistent for the first part of the year, so you got to qualifying, on every lap you have a different speed on the straights and approaching to the corners. And I think it was the first quali of the year that I had the same deployment all three laps, and that allowed me to push the limits in the corner, because I knew the approaching speed to the next corner."
Fernando Alonso explains positive Aston Martin radio messages despite disaster qualifying
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Stella on Norris brake duct change during qualifying
Andrea Stella said McLaren had to replace a cracked brake duct on Lando Norris’ car during qualifying after an attempted glue repair made the damage worse. Stella said: "On the brake duct, it initially looked like a crack that we could repair with some glue. We attempted it, but then when the car went for - I think it was the second run in Q1 - then we saw that the crack was propagating despite the glue. So at some stage we decided to change it. We knew that it took 10 minutes, so we wanted to make sure that we finished the run in time to be able to go out with the new part installed."
McLaren reveal rush to fix Lando Norris issue after worrying 'crack'
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Verstappen on what Red Bull need to show him to stay
Max Verstappen says Red Bull already know what he needs to see from the team in order for him to stay, after being asked during the Austrian GP weekend whether he had specific targets for the rest of the season or particular things he wanted from Red Bull. Verstappen said: "They know, but I don't need to talk too much about it."
“They know” – Max Verstappen says Red Bull knows what's needed to keep him for F1 2027
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The 'suffering' that will make repeat Ferrari masterstroke difficult
Austrian GP Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all?
Vasseur on no double yellow after Verstappen's Austria qualifying crash
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur said race control’s decision not to deploy double yellow flags after Max Verstappen’s crash in Austrian Grand Prix qualifying risks encouraging drivers to keep pushing in similar situations. Vasseur said: "The point is for me that I don't understand why we don't have a double yellow in this case. I think the negative side of this is that next quali, if you have a crash, everybody will push."
Fred Vasseur warns qualifying yellow flag call sends wrong message: "Everybody will push"
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Hamilton on Ferrari strategy with Leclerc against Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton says having Charles Leclerc starting alongside him near the front gives Ferrari a chance to work together on strategy to try to put Mercedes under pressure at the Austrian Grand Prix. Hamilton said: "It's going to be very tough to challenge them, but with a long run down to Turn 3, hopefully together we can. It's great having Charles here as well, because we can hopefully work together in a strategy and try to apply pressure to them."
Lewis Hamilton outlines key advantage in Mercedes pressure pursuit
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Norris on McLaren qualifying where it deserved in Austria
Lando Norris said McLaren were “just where we deserve to be” after qualifying sixth for the Austrian Grand Prix, despite the team’s encouraging pace in Friday practice. Norris said: "I feel like everyone was probably expecting more, even us – we were probably expecting a little bit more, just from a position point of view. But you saw just how close it was... So we are just where we deserve to be."
Norris: McLaren 'where we deserve to be' but race brings opportunity
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Antonelli on Ferrari sandbagging claim after Austrian qualifying
Andrea Kimi Antonelli accused Ferrari of “sandbagging” in Friday practice at the Austrian Grand Prix after the team’s turnaround in qualifying. Antonelli said: "For sure, yesterday [Friday] they were sandbagging definitely, so I mean for sure their pace is going to be much better and we saw how strong they were in Barcelona, so let's see. It's going to be, again, another race where you need to manage tyres and trying to extract the maximum out of it."
Antonelli fires ‘sandbagging' accusation at Ferrari after turnaround
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Russell on yellow flag call after Verstappen qualifying crash
George Russell said single-waved yellow flags were the right call after Max Verstappen crashed in the closing moments of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Russell said: "I think in that instance, a single yellow was correct because, as I said, a double yellow is immediate danger. Lifting a hundred metres before a corner or lifting off with a single yellow, you're never going to lose control of the car. Verstappen, the only reason he was in the wall that far away is because he was attacking and lost the car. So I think the single yellow was correct."
George Russell delivers 'common sense' verdict after contentious yellow flag call
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