Verstappen exit clause confirmed as champion flies to Red Bull UK factory
Max Verstappen visited Red Bull's UK factory in Milton Keynes on Thursday as his Formula 1 future grew increasingly uncertain. Manager Raymond Vermeulen publicly confirmed the existence of a performance-linked exit clause in Verstappen's contract that will activate if the four-time world champion is not among the top two in the championship standings at the summer break. With Verstappen sitting seventh on 55 points, 101 behind leader Kimi Antonelli, the clause's activation appears near-certain. Verstappen has been linked with a move to Mercedes throughout 2026. Following a meeting with Red Bull company chiefs, the champion declined to publicly commit his long-term future to the team.
FIA reviewing ADUO engine findings as surprised Red Bull disputes benchmark verdict
The FIA has yet to officially confirm the results of its first Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities assessment, with the governing body reviewing findings ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix and holding discussions with all power unit manufacturers. Red Bull, whose power unit was judged the strongest in the field, expressed surprise at the finding. The team stated no single data sample indicates it holds an advantage over Mercedes. Under ADUO rules, Mercedes will receive one additional power unit upgrade this season, while Ferrari, Audi and Honda each receive two, having been assessed as more than four percent below Red Bull's benchmark performance.
Sources: Sky Sports F1
Ferrari bringing new power unit elements to Austrian GP to boost Hamilton's title bid
Ferrari is set to introduce new power unit elements for Lewis Hamilton at next week's Austrian Grand Prix, providing a horsepower boost as the team targets championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes. Ferrari has been classified under the FIA's ADUO system as more than four percent below Red Bull's benchmark combustion engine performance, making the team eligible for two additional power unit upgrades during the 2026 season. Hamilton closed within 41 points of Antonelli following last Sunday's Barcelona Grand Prix, when Antonelli retired with a mechanical failure. Ferrari and Hamilton hope the new elements will narrow the car's power deficit heading into the European summer races.
Sources: GPFans
Mercedes abandons Monaco penalty review petition, accepting Russell's championship damage
Mercedes has abandoned its petition to review George Russell's Monaco Grand Prix time penalty, which dropped the British driver out of the points. The team filed the petition after new evidence emerged that Monaco's pit lane timing equipment had measured incorrect distances, which led to rival Pierre Gasly's own penalties being cancelled. However, team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the petition had a low chance of succeeding before Mercedes informed the FIA stewards on Thursday evening of its decision to withdraw, ahead of a virtual hearing that had been scheduled for Saturday morning. Russell's championship points total remains unaffected by the withdrawal.
Sources: RaceFans, Motorsport.com
Wolff calls ADUO the correct approach for F1 and warns against Balance of Performance
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has urged Formula 1 to maintain the ADUO engine equalization system and resist pressure to adopt a Balance of Performance approach to managing power unit performance gaps. Speaking this week, Wolff strongly opposed Balance of Performance in motorsport, calling it a 'political mess' in other racing series. He argued F1's data-driven ADUO methodology is the correct framework and should not be replaced by subjective evaluation. Wolff's comments followed the FIA's ADUO assessment, which granted Mercedes one additional upgrade token and Ferrari, Audi and Honda two each, while Red Bull — identified as the benchmark engine — receives no additional upgrades.
Sources: RaceFans
Sainz proposes radical format in which drivers race each manufacturer's car to crown a champion
Williams driver Carlos Sainz has proposed a radical restructuring of Formula 1 to separate driver and constructor championships, imagining a format in which each driver runs two races with each manufacturer's car across a 20-event season. Sainz said he has 'always envisioned a Formula 1 where the manufacturers and drivers are separate,' describing a hypothetical structure he acknowledged 'will never happen, of course.' The proposal reflects Sainz's ongoing concerns about how manufacturer performance advantages shape championship outcomes, a debate intensified in 2026 as the new power unit regulations have produced a competitive hierarchy influenced largely by each constructor's engine performance.
Sources: GPFans
Tsunoda completes two race distances in Red Bull TPC test at Barcelona
Yuki Tsunoda completed the equivalent of two race distances during a Red Bull Testing of Previous Cars session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week, running as the team's 2026 reserve driver. Tsunoda lost his full-time race seat at the end of the 2025 season when Isack Hadjar was promoted to the senior Red Bull line-up. The Japanese driver continues to receive regular TPC running to maintain racecraft and remain available should the team require a late substitution during the season. Red Bull's session at Montmelo came during the calendar gap between the Barcelona Grand Prix and next week's Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.
Leclerc, Zhou, Stevens and Fornaroli complete reserve driver test programmes at Barcelona and Monza
Ferrari deployed two reserve drivers at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for Formula 1 testing sessions this week. Arthur Leclerc completed 141 laps over 657 kilometres with a best lap of 1 minute 17.430 seconds, while former Sauber driver Guanyu Zhou ran 130 laps covering 605 kilometres. McLaren also conducted a Testing of Previous Cars session at the Monza circuit during the same week, running reserve drivers Will Stevens and Leonardo Fornaroli. The sessions form part of each team's permitted TPC allocation and provide reserve drivers with valuable mileage and feedback opportunities during the calendar break before the Austrian Grand Prix.
Sources: RaceFans
Drivers' Championship
1. Andrea Kimi Antonelli — 156 pts
2. Lewis Hamilton — 115 pts
3. George Russell — 106 pts
4. Charles Leclerc — 75 pts
5. Lando Norris — 73 pts
6. Oscar Piastri — 68 pts
7. Max Verstappen — 55 pts
8. Pierre Gasly — 41 pts
9. Isack Hadjar — 34 pts
10. Liam Lawson — 28 pts
11. Oliver Bearman — 18 pts
12. Franco Colapinto — 16 pts
13. Arvid Lindblad — 13 pts
14. Carlos Sainz Jr — 6 pts
15. Alexander Albon — 5 pts
16. Esteban Ocon — 3 pts
17. Gabriel Bortoleto — 2 pts
18. Fernando Alonso — 1 pts
19. Nico Hülkenberg — 0 pts
20. Valtteri Bottas — 0 pts
21. Sergio Pérez — 0 pts
22. Lance Stroll — 0 pts
Constructors' Championship
1. Mercedes — 262 pts
2. Ferrari — 190 pts
3. McLaren — 141 pts
4. Red Bull — 89 pts
5. Alpine — 57 pts
6. Racing Bulls — 41 pts
7. Haas — 21 pts
8. Williams — 11 pts
9. Audi — 2 pts
10. Aston Martin — 1 pts
11. Cadillac — 0 pts
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