Wolff on new Mercedes engine issue at Belgian GP start
Toto Wolff says the loss of power George Russell suffered on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix was caused by a “new” Mercedes engine issue that would not have been spotted on the simulator. Wolff said: "When it comes to [the race], all Mercedes engines had a lack of energy out of Turn 1, so it wasn't only George. It was a new thing. It was something that we wouldn't have identified on the simulator because you need to look for it, and so it was a new issue."
Toto Wolff reveals 'new issue' behind mysterious George Russell Mercedes engine problem
Open original
🗞️ Latest Stories
Komatsu on Haas upgrades and VF-26 handling limits
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said the team’s recent upgrades have delivered the downforce it expected, but the VF-26 still has fundamental handling characteristics that mean the performance is not always usable. Komatsu said: "We brought new parts in Montreal. They have delivered mostly on the areas we expected. The issues we have, when you talk about under-delivery, that's not linked to the upgraded package. It's from race one, Bahrain testing. I think the upgrades have delivered the performance, but the issue is something else, the characteristics. The downforce itself is delivered. But is it a usable downforce or not? Not really, depending on circuit."
Haas upgrades are working but the search for performance continues
Open original
Colapinto on Alpine needing to improve a too-slow car
Franco Colapinto says Alpine are “too slow” and need to improve their car, despite him scoring a point at the Belgian Grand Prix to keep the team level with Racing Bulls on 61 points in the midfield battle. Colapinto said: "We need to improve the car a lot, we are too slow at the moment. Even though we maximised the weekend with a good Quali and a good race, the car needs to be quicker and we are just losing quite a lot of lap time in some corners compared to the Audis and the [Racing Bulls]."
Alpine holds midfield lead but drivers admit: “We're too slow”
Open original
F1 drivers have become hostages to AI
Fornaroli, Hirakawa and Aron in FP1
McLaren junior Leonardo Fornaroli will replace Oscar Piastri in FP1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, marking his second grand prix weekend outing of 2026. Haas will also run a rookie in first practice, with Toyota's Ryo Hirakawa driving Oliver Bearman’s car, while Alpine reserve Paul Aron will stand in for Franco Colapinto for his third FP1 session of the season. F1 teams must field rookies in four FP1 sessions per year, split two per car.
Piastri, Colapinto, Bearman to skip FP1 as rookie drivers join F1 Hungary weekend
Open original
Verstappen on his radio exchanges with Red Bull
Max Verstappen says his pointed radio exchanges with Red Bull during the Belgian Grand Prix are part of keeping the team sharp, and that he “demands the most and the best” from those around him. Verstappen said: "Well, all the things that you mentioned were not related to each other. The tyres were cold, and looking at the laptop was about other stuff. I just like to keep people on their toes. I know that everyone is doing their best, but we are not here for fun, so we have to keep being sharp at every time during the race. I demand the most and the best because that's also what they expect from me."
Max Verstappen 'keeping people on their toes' with Red Bull 'demand'
Open original
Resta on Russell's Belgian GP energy deployment deficit
Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta said the team is still struggling to understand the causes of George Russell’s energy deployment deficit at the Belgian Grand Prix. Resta said: "We've had some problems with the deployment on George's car that we really need to understand and bottom out going to the next event. George studied that quite a lot and was able to change it and adapt going into Spa, but still, we can still see some difference in the deployment between these two cars."
Mercedes "still struggling" to understand George Russell's deployment issues
Open original
Related stories (3)
Mercedes digging in but still puzzled by Russell's deployment issues
Mercedes makes worrying admission over serious issue hurting Russell
Mercedes confirms initial George Russell findings after Belgian GP investigation
Wolff on Mercedes rejecting team orders in title fight
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the team will not use team orders to back Kimi Antonelli’s Formula 1 title bid, despite Antonelli leading team-mate George Russell by 50 points after the Belgian Grand Prix. Wolff said: "Since Barcelona, we would in any case always give preference to the race victory. And if it meant that Kimi or George were ahead, this is what we would do. This is a constructors' championship as much as a drivers' championship. We would never take a victory away from any of the drivers. So if it is George who is ahead, even though he's behind in the championship, at that stage of the season, we wouldn't do that."
Mercedes rejects team orders despite Kimi Antonelli's 50-point lead
Open original
How F1 drivers have become hostages to AI in 2026
More in the app
Download AppDownload SeedStream for more F1 stories
Get the full feed, faster alerts, and the stories worth following on your phone.