Red Bull Target Piastri for 2027 as Verstappen Exit Clause Pressure Mounts
Red Bull have turned their attention toward McLaren’s Oscar Piastri as a potential 2027 replacement for Max Verstappen, sources indicate. Verstappen remains contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, but performance-based exit clauses allow him to leave if he falls below fourth in the drivers’ championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Despite finishing fifth in both the Miami sprint and main race to more than double his points haul, Verstappen sits seventh with 26 points — 74 adrift of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. With Verstappen openly critical of the 2026 regulations throughout the season, Red Bull are reportedly exploring alternatives should he exercise his exit option.
Sources: GPFans
Hamilton Fears Ferrari ‘False Dawn’ as 11-Part Miami Upgrade Falls Short
Lewis Hamilton has expressed frustration at Ferrari’s Miami upgrade package failing to deliver the expected performance leap, with reports suggesting the seven-time world champion fears the team’s 2026 trajectory represents a false dawn. Ferrari brought 11 new components to Miami, the most of any constructor, yet their race pace deficit to Mercedes improved by just 0.07 seconds per lap, from 0.53s to 0.46s. Hamilton drove most of the grand prix with front suspension damage following an early collision with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, finishing fifth. Leclerc spun on the penultimate lap, incurring a 20-second post-race penalty that dropped him from sixth to eighth in the final classification.
Sources: GPFans, Sky Sports
Red Bull Chief Designer Craig Skinner Was Pushed Out, Dutch Reports Reveal
New reports from the Netherlands contradict Red Bull’s official account of Craig Skinner’s exit, suggesting the team’s chief designer was forced out rather than having resigned voluntarily ahead of the 2026 season. Skinner, a 20-year Red Bull veteran who rose through the aerodynamics department before earning promotion to chief designer in 2022, played a key role in designing the RB19 that won 21 of 22 grands prix in 2023. Dutch sources indicate repeated clashes with technical director Pierre Waché contributed to the departure. Ben Waterhouse has since been promoted to chief performance and design engineer, with Andrea Landi hired from Racing Bulls as head of performance.
Sources: GPFans
Sky Sports Locks In Exclusive UK Formula 1 Rights Until 2034 in £1bn Deal
Sky Sports will remain the exclusive live home of Formula 1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland until 2034 after agreeing a five-year extension to its broadcast partnership with Liberty Media. The contract is reported to be worth £1 billion, extending Sky’s rights beyond its previous commitment through 2029. All races, qualifying and practice sessions will continue exclusively live on Sky Sports F1 and available on NOW streaming, with home nation races shared on free-to-air. Sky Italy’s deal was also extended to run through the 2032 season. Viewing figures have grown 14 percent over the past three seasons, culminating in a record-breaking 162 million viewer hours during the 2025 campaign.
Sources: Sky Sports, Autosport
Verstappen’s Mercedes Title War ‘Far from Over’ After Miami Recovery
Max Verstappen and Red Bull demonstrated genuine improvement at the Miami Grand Prix, finishing fifth in both the sprint and main race to more than double the points Verstappen carried into the weekend. Despite sitting seventh in the drivers’ standings with 26 points — 74 behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli — Red Bull’s Miami performance has renewed belief within the team that the title battle remains open. Verstappen holds a performance-based exit clause allowing him to leave Red Bull if he falls below fourth in the championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix, adding urgency to the team’s development program ahead of the Canadian sprint weekend on May 22–24.
Sources: GPFans
Liberty Media Posts 53% Q1 Revenue Surge to $617m Despite 2026 Rule Controversy
Formula 1 commercial rights holder Liberty Media reported first-quarter 2026 revenues of $617 million, a 53 percent increase on the equivalent period in 2025, despite the controversial new power unit regulations drawing mixed reactions from drivers and fans. The jump was driven partly by one additional race in Q1 2026 compared to the prior year, alongside strong growth across broadcasting rights, hospitality and sponsorship. Liberty Media CEO Derek Chang cited sustained commercial momentum and growing global audiences, with F1 viewership trending upward across key markets. The positive result comes as the sport faces decisions around 2027 engine regulations and further calendar expansion.
Sources: GPFans
Mercedes Start Failures ‘Not Acceptable’ — Wolff Eyes Canada Upgrade Push
Mercedes principal Toto Wolff declared the team’s persistent race-start failures ‘not acceptable’ following another poor launch weekend in Miami, where championship leader Kimi Antonelli lost a combined 24 places across the sprint and grand prix starts. Antonelli has dropped 18 places off the line across the season’s first three rounds before Miami. Wolff attributed the failures to mechanical setup issues — not driver error — specifically clutch calibration and grip estimation. Mercedes plan to arrive at the Canadian Grand Prix on May 22–24 with a significant upgrade package, their first major update of 2026, as rivals McLaren and Ferrari continue to close the pace gap.
Sources: Motorsport.com, The Race
Miami Data: Red Bull Close Gap by 0.3s While Ferrari’s 11-Part Package Yields 0.07s
Lap time analysis from the Miami Grand Prix weekend reveals a stark divergence in upgrade outcomes: Red Bull’s seven-part package closed their pace deficit to Mercedes from approximately 0.7 seconds per lap to under 0.4 seconds — the largest single-round performance gain of any team. Ferrari’s 11 new components, the most brought by any constructor, yielded only 0.07 seconds of improvement, narrowing their deficit from 0.53s to 0.46s. McLaren’s seven updates helped Lando Norris take the first non-Mercedes pole position of the 2026 season, reinforcing their status as Mercedes’ closest challenger. Red Bull’s new head of performance Andrea Landi, poached from Racing Bulls, begins work ahead of the Canadian sprint.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Sky Sports
Drivers' Championship
1. Kimi Antonelli — 100 pts
2. George Russell — 80 pts
3. Charles Leclerc — 59 pts
4. Lando Norris — 51 pts
5. Lewis Hamilton — 51 pts
6. Oscar Piastri — 43 pts
7. Max Verstappen — 26 pts
8. Oliver Bearman — 17 pts
9. Pierre Gasly — 16 pts
10. Liam Lawson — 10 pts
11. Franco Colapinto — 7 pts
12. Carlos Sainz — 4 pts
13. Esteban Ocon — 1 pts
14. Alex Albon — 1 pts
15. Isack Hadjar — 0 pts
16. Fernando Alonso — 0 pts
17. Lance Stroll — 0 pts
18. Nico Hülkenberg — 0 pts
19. Gabriel Bortoleto — 0 pts
20. Sergio Pérez — 0 pts
21. Valtteri Bottas — 0 pts
22. Arvid Lindblad — 0 pts
Constructors' Championship
1. Mercedes — 180 pts
2. Ferrari — 110 pts
3. McLaren — 94 pts
4. Red Bull — 26 pts
5. Alpine — 23 pts
6. Haas — 18 pts
7. Racing Bulls — 10 pts
8. Williams — 5 pts
9. Aston Martin — 0 pts
10. Audi — 0 pts
11. Cadillac — 0 pts
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