Lewis Hamilton praised Ferrari’s upgrade package after taking the front row in Barcelona and said he believes the SF-26 will win races. With Mercedes still strong, Hamilton outlined the tactical challenges for tomorrow’s Grand Prix, highlighting tyre management, the start and a flawless team performance.
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Lewis Hamilton praised Ferrari’s upgrade package after taking the front row in Barcelona and said he believes the SF-26 will win races. With Mercedes still strong, Hamilton outlined the tactical challenges for tomorrow’s Grand Prix, highlighting tyre management, the start and a flawless team performance.
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Fernando Alonso delivered a blunt assessment of Aston Martin after both AMR26s crashed out in Q1 at Barcelona, saying the team has “the worst car and the worst engine.” He outlined handling inconsistencies that made the car difficult to drive and reiterated hopes for mid-season upgrades.
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Max Verstappen admitted he was surprised by the pace he found in Barcelona qualifying after a difficult practice run, but warned the race will be decided by tyre degradation and strategy. High track temperatures and used tyre allocations leave Red Bull facing an uphill battle on Sunday.
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Kimi Antonelli accepts a P3 start in Barcelona but believes race conditions and tyre management give him a shot at victory. He highlights strong race pace and the advantage of the clean side of the grid as keys for tomorrow's strategy.
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Lewis Hamilton says telemetry shows he braked very late into Turn 4, and he believes Charles Leclerc may have tried to replicate that approach — a move that ended in a Q3-ending accident for the Ferrari driver. The incident leaves Leclerc starting tenth for the Catalan Grand Prix while Hamilton sits second on the grid.
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Red Bull has refined the RB22’s front wing ahead of the Barcelona weekend, while some of the rear-wing concepts brought to Monaco remain in use. Small but targeted updates aim to give more adjustability at the front as the team chases stable balance for Max Verstappen.
The changes are incremental rather than wholesale, reflecting Red Bull’s approach of iterative development while waiting for larger upgrades from Milton Keynes.
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Fernando Alonso says retirement is not imminent but will come when he no longer feels competitive. The two-time champion rejects the ‘team-breaker’ label and recalls his loyalty during difficult McLaren-Honda and Ferrari years.
Alonso insists he has always supported his teams and that his public comments have been consistent with protecting team unity, while leaving his final decision on his future open.
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Toto Wolff has warned against overexposure of Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the young Mercedes driver charges to the championship lead. Wolff singled out Italian media for sensational headlines and says the team is actively shielding Antonelli from marketing and press pressure.
The Mercedes team principal argues that protecting the 19-year-old from hype is crucial after last season’s overexposure contributed to a dip in form.
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Ferrari has delivered a comprehensive second upgrade to the SF-26 in Barcelona, focusing on reducing drag while raising downforce through significant aerodynamic and bodywork changes. The package rethinks front-wing philosophy, sidepod and belly design, diffuser geometry and exhaust-blowing systems as the team chases Mercedes and McLaren ahead of an engine update in Austria.
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Williams team principal James Vowles says he supports McLaren and Red Bull if they appeal Pierre Gasly’s reinstated Monaco podium, calling the situation “a mess” for other drivers affected. Vowles highlighted the complication for George Russell and Oscar Piastri and urged clarity over how the results are handled.
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Will Buxton warns that Pierre Gasly’s reinstated Monaco podium — overturned after Alpine’s successful Right of Review — creates a complex precedent that could ripple through the championship. Teams including Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull are assessing legal options after similar penalties affected George Russell and others.
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FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has outlined an ambitious plan to reduce Formula 1 car weight to around 630kg by 2031 while returning to V8 power units, aiming to cut costs, simplify technology and revive the on-track sound fans remember. According to {SOURCE}, the proposal would be enforced by the FIA even if manufacturers resist.
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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the FIA’s Additional Upgrade Development Opportunities (ADUO) engine assessment is based on measured data, not political favours, after Red Bull Powertrains was identified as the early benchmark. Wolff warns the process is not frozen and sees ADUO as a protection mechanism to maintain competitive balance.
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F1's light-hearted 'Towelgate' has been settled after Kim Kardashian returned the favor to Monaco winner Kimi Antonelli with a personally embroidered towel. Antonelli thanked Kim as the incident that amused the paddock came to a close.
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Speculation is mounting that Fernando Alonso could return to Alpine for what may be his final F1 contract, reuniting the two-time world champion with the team where he won his titles. The move would be full circle — and potentially disruptive to Alpine’s current driver lineup.
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Oscar Piastri has hit out at the FIA after Pierre Gasly’s Monaco podium was reinstated following the withdrawal of a Right of Review. Piastri called the decision “murky” and warned it could set a precedent of chasing results through the courts rather than settling them on track.
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Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has called for clearer, more timely rulings after Pierre Gasly’s reinstated Monaco podium demoted Isack Hadjar. Mekies says non-appealable penalties being applied and then reversed mid-weekend undermines on-track decisions and fan clarity.
The controversy spotlights how post-race decisions can impact race strategies and results, and has prompted teams to consider appeals and legal reviews.
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Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve says Kimi Antonelli has the ‘luck of champions’ as the young Mercedes driver strings together wins and extends his championship lead. Villeneuve drew a parallel with Michael Schumacher’s knack for surviving incidents that once defined dominant careers.
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Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton is a genuine threat for the Spanish Grand Prix after an eye-catching qualifying performance in Barcelona. With tyre management expected to decide the race, Wolff says the start will be crucial — if Hamilton leads early, it will be hard for rivals to catch him.
Hamilton revealed a key setup change between FP3 and qualifying transformed his car, leaving Ferrari optimistic about race prospects despite Mercedes securing pole.
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