Daily News 19

Author: Jordan Hayes

  • Analysis: Why Franco Colapinto Was Rewarded with an Alpine Contract Extension

    Analysis: Why Franco Colapinto Was Rewarded with an Alpine Contract Extension

    Franco Colapinto has secured a contract extension with Alpine Formula 1 Team, locking in his race seat for the 2027 season alongside teammate Pierre Gasly. The announcement rewards the Argentine driver’s significant step forward in performance during the 2026 campaign.

    From Reserve to Race Leader

    Colapinto joined Alpine as a reserve driver in 2025 following a strong nine-race debut with Williams at the tail end of 2024, where he replaced Logan Sargeant. He was promoted to a race seat early in the 2025 season after Jack Doohan’s departure, ultimately fending off a challenge from reserve driver Paul Aron to retain the drive for 2026.

    Turning Point in 2026

    The 23-year-old’s early season form was inconsistent. Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore stated at the time that he felt Colapinto was “lost” before finding himself and his form and maturing into a “different” driver later in the season.

    That maturity translated into results. Colapinto has scored points in six of the first 12 Grands Prix of 2026, with a season-high finish of sixth place in Montreal. Combined with Gasly’s continued high performance — the Frenchman is under contract until at least the end of 2028 — Alpine sits sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, meeting the minimum target Briatore set for the year.

    Stability for a Rebuilding Project

    Alpine evaluated other options but was ultimately convinced by Colapinto’s improved on-track pace, growing maturity, and tenacity. His strong working relationship with Gasly fosters team harmony, while his rapport with Briatore and the wider engineering group has deepened.

    Commercial factors also played a role. Colapinto brings significant financial backing and a massive South American fanbase, enhancing the team’s sponsor appeal in the region. This all-round package led to the decision, with the driver believed to have been informed during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend at Zandvoort.

    Focus Shifts to 2027 Ambitions

    With the driver lineup settled early, Alpine can concentrate fully on its primary challenge: closing the performance gap to the frontrunners. The team remains in a rebuilding phase, and lineup stability is seen as critical to accelerating development.

    The early renewal also removes contract uncertainty for Colapinto, allowing him to focus on maximizing results over the remainder of 2026. Alpine is currently battling for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, a position the team believes is achievable by season’s end.

    That momentum would set up 2027 — when the squad will be rebranded as the Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team — with ambitions to significantly reduce the deficit to the top teams.

    Williams Door Closed

    Speculation linked Colapinto with a return to Williams, the team where he made his F1 debut. However, the British outfit has retained Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon for 2027, making Alpine the most logical and, ultimately, the only viable landing spot.

    Colapinto is reportedly very happy within the Alpine structure. Having failed to score in 2025, he absorbed the pressure to deliver in 2026 with impressive resilience. The challenge now is to maintain his upward trajectory and return to consistent points finishes for the rest of the season.

  • F1 Fans Divided Over Lewis Hamilton’s Frustrated Team Radio Message

    F1 Fans Divided Over Lewis Hamilton’s Frustrated Team Radio Message

    Formula 1 fans have delivered their verdict on Lewis Hamilton’s “sassy” team radio messages during the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where the Ferrari driver openly expressed his frustration with the team’s strategy.

    The seven-time world champion complained that he was being held up by Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, despite the Monegasque driver running on a different strategy.

    Hamilton later questioned whether he was being used as a “guinea pig” after asking to pit and change his hard tyres, only for Ferrari to keep him out on track.

    Although Hamilton has since apologised for his comments and admitted that he did not show the best version of himself during the race, fans debated the incident on social media.

    “Ferrari pitwall is the one who should apologise; either they should clearly tell Charles to ‘box or swap with Lewis’ 1 lap before,” one fan commented on Reddit.

    Another added: “I’ve been saying this from Hungary, Ferrari want to play fair to their drivers, but they need to realise each race they need to prioritise which one has better strategy.”

    A third fan criticised Ferrari’s approach, writing: “Why bother having your drivers on different strategies if you aren’t going to use team orders to maximise results… F***ing Ferrari man. It’s like they want us all to think they’re playing 3D chess, problem being they showed up with checkers pieces,”

    Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari. Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

    “Loving sassy Lewis,” another fan posted. However, one commenter argued that Hamilton should have kept his criticism for a private post-race discussion.

    “I hate to see this slander broadcast. It’s just disrespectful towards his team. The team that provides him with the second-best car on the grid. Save it for face-to-face, when the cameras are not on you, Lewis.”

    Hamilton accepted responsibility for his comments in a post-race message to fans.

    “I’ve listened back to some of my radio and TV comments. In the heat of the moment, frustration can come out, especially when you care as deeply as I do. But that wasn’t the best version of me.

    “I take responsibility for that, and I’ll be better. That passion comes from believing in this team, the people in it, and what we’re building together. The direction is clear. The belief is there. And the fight is absolutely still on.”

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • Cameron Brink Attacks Enes Kanter Freedom: “He’s a stupid piece of s**t”

    Cameron Brink Attacks Enes Kanter Freedom: “He’s a stupid piece of s**t”

    Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink delivered a forceful rebuke of Enes Kanter Freedom’s public campaign targeting transgender eligibility in the WNBA, dismissing the issue as a manufactured controversy designed for attention. Speaking to The Mirror US after practice, Brink did not mince words about Freedom’s motives or the impact on the transgender community.

    Brink calls controversy a ‘non-issue’ and criticizes Freedom directly

    “For me personally, when it comes to the trans issues I believe you’re talking about, I think it’s a non-issue and it’s people trying to just come for the trans community, and I just don’t stand for that,”

    Brink told the outlet. She then added a personal condemnation of Freedom:

    “I don’t know what the f**k his name is, Enes Kanter, like he’s a stupid piece of s**t.”

    The comments arrive as Freedom continues to pressure the league into a wider political and cultural debate despite there currently being no transgender women playing in the WNBA.

    Accusations of manufactured outrage for ‘clickbait, views, and likes’

    Brink’s objection centered not only on Freedom’s position but on what she described as his exploitation of the league’s platform.

    “I think people are tuned in [to the WNBA] for the right reasons,”

    Brink said.

    “It’s great that we can all talk about things that are important and hard, and you can have your opinions on that.”

    She drew a sharp line between open discourse and what she views as opportunism:

    “But I think taking something that’s like a non-issue right now and trying to use it for clickbait, for views, for likes, and then targeting a vulnerable community is just really low.”

    That stance aligns with Brink’s previous public advocacy for inclusion in women’s basketball. She has spoken about having teammates who use they/them pronouns and has argued against players receiving attention solely based on appearance.

    “I want everyone to be accepted, not just paid attention to because of how they look,”

    Brink previously told UPROXX.

    Ejection from Chicago Sky game escalates dispute

    The latest flashpoint occurred Sunday at Wintrust Arena during the Indiana Fever–Chicago Sky game. Freedom was escorted from the building following a verbal exchange with Natasha Cloud. According to Freedom’s account, Cloud told him, She’s not going to sleep with you, after he reacted to a Sophie Cunningham three-pointer. Freedom said he responded that he was not there to sleep with her, but instead to protect women and support her.

    The Chicago Sky subsequently banned Freedom from home games, though the WNBA has not issued a league-wide ban.

    Freedom’s draft declaration adds another layer

    Earlier this month, Freedom announced his intention to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft while claiming to identify as a woman, framing the move as a challenge to the league’s eligibility framework. The argument surrounding Freedom has now moved well beyond league policy and into a broader fight over motive, publicity, and who is being affected by the debate.

    Brink left little ambiguity about her own view. She believes the WNBA is being used as a stage for a controversy that does not currently exist on the court, and that the people caught in the middle are members of the transgender community.

  • Franco Colapinto Secures New Alpine Deal for 2027 F1 Season

    Franco Colapinto Secures New Alpine Deal for 2027 F1 Season

    Alpine Retains Franco Colapinto for 2027 Formula 1 Season

    Alpine has confirmed Franco Colapinto will remain with the team for the 2027 Formula 1 season, extending the Argentine driver’s stay for a second full-time campaign.

    The 23-year-old will continue alongside Alpine lead driver Pierre Gasly, who has been Colapinto’s team-mate since the Argentine joined the French team at the seventh round of the 2025 season.

    Colapinto entered the 2026 season under pressure to impress Alpine executive Flavio Briatore after an inconsistent 2025 campaign. He responded with more reliable performances in Alpine’s significantly improved car, scoring 19 points compared with Gasly’s 44.

    His best Formula 1 result came in Montreal, where he finished sixth. After 12 rounds of the current season, Colapinto sits 12th in the drivers’ championship.

    “I am very pleased to remain with this team in 2027,” he said. “I feel very happy and very settled here and it’s been even better that we have made significant progress this year compared to last. We have a lot more milestones to reach and I know the team is working so hard in finding performance and making the car better and better.

    “Our long-term goals are obvious – to compete and win – and I am grateful to the team, Flavio [Briatore] and Steve [Nielsen], for the trust placed in me to be one of its drivers going into the future. I’m looking forward to seeing how everything plays out and focusing on my job on-track first and foremost.”

    Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Pierre Gasly, Alpine. Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

    Colapinto earns long-term Alpine opportunity

    Colapinto made his Formula 1 debut with Williams in 2024, completing a nine-race stint after replacing Logan Sargeant. Alpine signed him for 2025 as part of a group of reserve drivers supporting Gasly and rookie Jack Doohan.

    However, Doohan was replaced by Colapinto after the Miami Grand Prix. Colapinto initially struggled to deliver significantly stronger results than the Australian as Alpine dropped towards the back of the field.

    His promising underlying pace, combined with strong backing from Argentine sponsors, helped him retain his race seat for the 2026 season.

    “We are very happy to confirm our driver line-up for 2027 with Franco staying as a race driver alongside Pierre,” Briatore said. “For me, having consistency is very important. We are now settled from a driver point of view and I have said many times that, while this is an important piece of the puzzle, the most significant we have to get right is designing and building a fast race car which absolutely remains our number one priority.

    “We have seen Franco truly grow and mature into a great driver this year. His results in Miami and Montréal especially confirmed what I already knew: Franco belongs in Formula 1 and he belongs at this team. I expect both Franco, and Pierre, to continue doing a fantastic job on track and for the entire team to push relentlessly until we are fighting, and winning, at the front end of this sport.”

  • Why Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Case Is So Complex—and Why the Outcome Could Take Weeks

    Why Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Case Is So Complex—and Why the Outcome Could Take Weeks

    Nearly three months after the Monaco Grand Prix, the final result of Formula 1’s most prestigious race remains unresolved.

    Pierre Gasly’s time penalty for speeding in the pit lane was overturned in the week after the race, restoring him to third place and demoting Isack Hadjar. The dispute did not end there.

    McLaren and Red Bull have challenged the decision before the FIA’s International Court of Appeal (ICA), which heard the case last Wednesday. However, the parties involved have indicated that an immediate verdict is unlikely. A decision, or at least an explanation of the decision, could take another two to three weeks, in line with the usual procedure for an ICA case.

    Why the Monaco GP appeal is taking so long

    The full-day hearing was unusual. The ICA heard arguments from all sides, but the judges need time to reach a considered judgment because of the complexity of the legal issues and the wider implications for Formula 1.

    McLaren has linked the case to broader “principles of fairness”. Hadjar and Oscar Piastri both lost positions and championship points after Gasly’s penalty was overturned, but both teams argue that more is at stake. They have described the events in Monaco as a potentially dangerous precedent.

    Gasly has been handed Hadjar’s trophy, but nearly three months later he still doesn’t know whether he is allowed to keep it
    Photo by: Erik Junius

    McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described a “double intent” behind the appeal at Zandvoort, saying the issue goes beyond the points lost in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

    “We think that the process that happened after the race in Monaco is a process that needs to be reviewed from a fairness [point of view] for all competitors. The fact that the penalty was removed introduces some significant elements of concern,” McLaren’s team principal said.

    “There’s obviously more related to this case. It can go into the technical aspects of how the pit limiter speed was calculated. But for me, at a high level, it’s more the fairness and the principle that needs to be clarified and possibly reinstated. I think what happened sets some significant concerns.”

    Stella’s comments refer to the precedent that could be created if drivers and teams are encouraged to avoid serving time penalties during a race and instead challenge them after the chequered flag.

    Oscar Piastri and George Russell were among the drivers who paid the price in Monaco. The Mercedes driver unsuccessfully attempted to serve his time penalty and received an additional drive-through penalty as a result. He ultimately finished without points in the principality, with no opportunity to change the outcome afterwards despite Mercedes exploring its options.

    The teams also believe that if the measurements were inaccurate for everyone, accepting the system’s flaws is part of the responsibility of competing in a championship. Otherwise, the case could open a can of worms.

    According to McLaren and Red Bull, the appeal also concerns the wider implications and the fairness of the sport
    Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

    Why a fair Monaco GP result may be impossible

    McLaren and Red Bull argue that the case sets an important precedent, but the ICA judges are effectively being asked to choose between two unsatisfactory outcomes. An ideal solution for the Monaco race is no longer available.

    Following the Monaco Grand Prix, officials established that the pit-lane measurement was inaccurate. There was a 77cm discrepancy in the distance between two timing loops, meaning the speed readings were incorrect and it could not be proven that drivers such as Gasly had exceeded the limit.

    Now that the measurement has been shown to be inaccurate, reinstating Gasly’s time penalty would be difficult in hindsight. However, other drivers who may have been wrongly penalised cannot recover the time they lost. As a result, achieving a fair outcome for everyone is virtually impossible, regardless of the ICA’s eventual decision.

  • Alex Brundle Calls Arvid Lindblad’s Dutch GP Penalty “Harsh”

    Alex Brundle Calls Arvid Lindblad’s Dutch GP Penalty “Harsh”

    F1 TV analyst Alex Brundle has described Arvid Lindblad’s drive-through penalty at the Dutch Grand Prix as “harsh”, arguing that drivers should not be punished for making a secondary overtake while taking evasive action.

    Why Arvid Lindblad was penalised at Zandvoort

    The race at Zandvoort was disrupted on the opening lap when home favourite Max Verstappen crashed at Turn 14. Lindblad was one of the drivers behind the four-time world champion and, while avoiding the incident, passed Pierre Gasly’s Alpine on the approach to Turn 1.

    The stewards classified the move as a yellow-flag infringement and issued the Racing Bulls rookie a costly drive-through penalty.

    Speaking on F1 TV’s post-race show, Brundle sympathised with Lindblad’s position.

    “I think it is harsh. The accepted way to go about it as a driver is if you’re effectively avoiding the crash, you avoid the crash and you do everything that you can to make sure that you don’t become part of the accident,” Brundle explained.

    “It’s difficult to then add in extra things that the drivers have to be aware of during an incident to make sure that they don’t then pass a car secondarily to that.

    “It depends how far you are away from the incident. But if you haven’t actually passed a yellow flag and if you’re actually trying to get around the incident, I think it’s harsh then to penalise you for passing another driver while you’re actually taking evasive action.”

    Lindblad explains Dutch Grand Prix incident

    The 19-year-old Racing Bulls driver discussed the incident from his perspective after the race.

    “Max lost it, then he came across the track, and there was debris everywhere. I couldn’t really see anything,” Lindblad told F1 TV. “I tried to avoid making contact. I think I almost hit one of his tyres. Then I was just holding my line and trying to just go straight to not have any incident or anything.

    “Then I passed Pierre into Turn 1. But I didn’t see any flags or anything. So it was a bit of a shame. I also think the penalty is a bit harsh. I think we can all be honest. It took me out of the race, basically. It was quite extreme for such an incident, but fine. It is what it is.”

    Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

    Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • ‘We’re not in any rush’ – Ayao Komatsu Updates Haas’ 2027 F1 Driver Plans

    ‘We’re not in any rush’ – Ayao Komatsu Updates Haas’ 2027 F1 Driver Plans

    Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu Downplays Driver Line-Up Urgency Amid Development Struggles

    Haas Formula 1 Team Principal Ayao Komatsu has stated the team is in no hurry to finalize its 2025 driver lineup, emphasizing that the immediate priority is maximizing the performance of current drivers Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon. The comments come as the American-owned squad endures a difficult mid-season slump following a promising start to the campaign.

    Strong Start Gives Way to Points Drought

    Haas opened the season with competitive form, highlighted by Bearman’s impressive fifth-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, the team’s trajectory has since reversed sharply. A run of six consecutive rounds without scoring points has seen Haas slip down the constructors’ order as midfield rivals—most notably Racing Bulls and Alpine—have outpaced them in the development race.

    The downturn has intensified speculation regarding the team’s plans for the 2027 regulatory cycle and beyond. While neither seat has been officially confirmed for next season, paddock consensus suggests rookie Bearman is more likely to retain his drive than the experienced Ocon. Potential candidates such as Ferrari junior Rafael Camara and Red Bull-affiliated Yuki Tsunoda are widely viewed as waiting in the wings should a vacancy arise.

    Komatsu: Focus Remains on Current Duo

    Speaking ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix—where Haas ultimately suffered a double DNF—Komatsu was reluctant to engage with the driver market speculation.

    “We’re not in any rush. We’re focused on our two drivers, Ollie and Esteban, trying to get the best out of them. They’ve got the tough challenge, right?

    “You know what they’re capable of. You know, Ollie has shown it repeatedly. Esteban, when he is happy with the car, you know what he can do.

    “So we need to really just focus on providing them with the best possible car, best set-up adaptation, and get the best out of them. And then both of our drivers are fully focused.”

    The points disparity between the teammates is stark: Bearman has accumulated 18 points to Ocon’s three. However, the rookie recently cautioned that the standings do not accurately reflect their on-track rivalry, citing apparent “inconsistency” between the parts fitted to their respective cars.

    Smallest Team Faces Biggest Regulation Challenge

    Komatsu acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing Haas, the smallest operation on the grid, under the current regulatory framework.

    “This is the biggest regulation change ever. So us being the smallest team, we expect that we’re going to really be struggling to keep up with the other big boys in the development race.

    “We started the season extremely well, much better than anyone can think of, and then from that moment I think that’s the reality. With our constraints, we’re trying to develop the car as fast as possible, but the other guys are putting performance on the car faster than us. That’s the reality.”

    The team principal was quick to defend his personnel, stressing that the deficit is a resource issue rather than a capability one.

    “Then, to be fair, honestly, it’s nothing against the guys in the team – they’re doing a fantastic job, they’re working together, and then for us to have a chance to keep up with the other guys, everything has to be perfect, right? Everything. In life, that’s not something you can ask for all the time.

    “I really do think I need to provide them with a better environment, facilitate it, so that they can show what they’re capable of. I’m sure of that. But the good thing is those tough times show the character, right? And then there’s no blame culture.”

    Engineering Focus: Downforce and Drivability Deficits

    Komatsu outlined the specific technical areas where the VF-24 is underperforming, confirming the engineering group has a clear diagnosis of the car’s shortcomings.

    “We looked at the problem: what’s the issue, where are we lacking downforce, why the drivability is not great, what are the drivers struggling with? We’re all on the same page, trying to fix the issue, trying to put performance on the car. But of course, again, that takes time.”

    He concluded with a message of resilience, drawing on the team’s recent history of overcoming adversity.

    “Lots of things we’re putting in place will take time for it to materialise, but we’ve just got to believe in ourselves, the teamwork, support each other, and we’ll get through it like we did the last two years.”

  • Nico Rosberg Praises Nico Hulkenberg’s “spectacular” Dutch GP Save

    Nico Rosberg Praises Nico Hulkenberg’s “spectacular” Dutch GP Save

    2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg praised Nico Hulkenberg’s “spectacular” reaction after the Audi driver narrowly avoided a high-speed collision with team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto on the opening lap of the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Although the rain had stopped before the race began, several wet patches remained on the circuit. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lost control on a damp section while navigating the banked final corner and crashed into the barriers. Bortoleto suffered a similar incident but managed to continue after spinning 360 degrees.

    As Bortoleto spun across the track in front of him, Hulkenberg was briefly engulfed in tyre smoke. When the smoke cleared, he found his Audi team-mate directly ahead.

    Speaking during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, Rosberg highlighted how the 39-year-old avoided a potentially major crash.

    “It just shows how quick those drivers react. Hulkenberg went in; he knew more or less where Bortoleto was, where his trajectory was going,” Rosberg explained. “He has a white wall, but then at the last moment sees him and bam, reacts and avoids [a crash].

    “It was a spectacular reaction from Hulkenberg, so I don’t think it was just luck. I think there was also some skill there to avoid that big crash.”

    Hulkenberg went on to secure his best result of the season by finishing eighth, earning four valuable points for Audi. Bortoleto recovered from his spin to take 13th place.

    Hulkenberg explains Dutch Grand Prix near-miss

    The German driver later described the incident while speaking to Sky Sports Germany.

    “Yeah, it was tricky and dicey. Naturally, I saw it all happen almost in slow motion at that speed.

    “But Turn 14 was simply still completely wet and, on slicks, it’s a bit of a thriller, of course. I saw him lose the car—like I said, slow motion and at speed. But then you don’t know exactly whether he’s going to slide up or slide down, what’s going to happen.

    “And it was clear to me: hey, I have to try to somehow get around this. On top of that, there was all the debris and the smoke from Max ahead. So it looked wild and spectacular. I slowed down and tried to wait as long as possible before deciding which way to go. A sheet of paper would have fitted between us, but not much more.”

    Nico Hülkenberg, Audi

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • Williams Collapses in F1 Pecking Order: ‘Aston is a different league right now’

    Williams Collapses in F1 Pecking Order: ‘Aston is a different league right now’

    Williams Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz says the team is currently faster only than Cadillac, while team-mate Alexander Albon has criticised the excessive number of blue flags the team faced during the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Williams made a steady start to F1’s new era, scoring 11 points in the opening six rounds and sitting eighth in the constructors’ championship after the Monaco Grand Prix. However, Sainz finished only 12th at the following race in Barcelona, and neither Williams driver has since managed a result better than 15th. The team has also struggled to progress beyond Q1 in qualifying.

    At Zandvoort, Albon narrowly reached Q2 in both qualifying sessions, while both Aston Martin cars were eliminated early. Fernando Alonso then delivered an impressive one-stop strategy to finish ninth in Sunday’s race, as Albon and Sainz slipped towards the back of the field.

    “We are pretty much where we expected, which is towards the back,” Williams’ Spaniard lamented. “We are only quicker than Cadillac at the moment. You saw the Astons in race pace, they are a different league right now. So we couldn’t fight them. We couldn’t fight anyone, really.”

    “You can’t imagine in the middle of the race how many blue flags you get,” Albon added. “I literally mean that every other lap is a blue flag.

    “When we pit too early on that first stint, we come out behind a group of midfield cars that we were racing. They all boxed to miss all the blue flags. But because of us pitting early, we had no choice but to take the blue flags. It’s like you get dirtier every lap to cars that you’re not even trying to race, you’re in the marbles. The ones that did box in front of you to miss the blue flags, they’ve now got new tyres, and they’re catching up to three or four seconds a lap because of the blue flags. So, within five laps, the cars that just pitted in front of you are already behind you.”

    Williams struggles with blue-flag traffic

    Albon made those comments before reviewing the race and its data. He was primarily referring to Gabriel Bortoleto, who made his second of three pit stops on lap 34 while running directly behind the Anglo-Thai driver and approaching the point at which the leaders would lap him.

    The Audi driver caught Albon just eight laps later, leaving the Williams driver repeatedly dealing with blue flags and traffic from cars he was not directly racing.

    Neither Williams driver expects the team to challenge for points at the upcoming races in Monza and Baku, despite both circuits being considered potentially suitable for the Mercedes-powered FW48.

    “If you look at the last five races, this is where we’ve been for the last five races. It is where we are,” said Sainz, who scored a podium finish in Azerbaijan last year.

    “We’ve had a very tough weekend on my side with some consistency of the parts, which haven’t allowed me to set up the car correctly for the race. We have to learn from it. There will be some interesting data points to go through as a team with the struggles that I’ve had. We will be able to, for sure, conclude on them and probably help us to understand better in the future.”

    Asked specifically about Monza, Albon added: “It’s always a good track for us. Low [downforce], not much combined cornering, so that tends to suit our car. We’ve got the best power unit on the grid, so it should help us. But I’m not expecting points.”

    Williams sits ninth in the constructors’ standings with 11 points. Audi is ahead on 16 points, while Aston Martin is behind on three.

  • George Russell Describes “tough” Battle to Keep Lewis Hamilton Off the Dutch GP Podium

    George Russell Describes “tough” Battle to Keep Lewis Hamilton Off the Dutch GP Podium

    George Russell has revealed the defensive tactics he used to hold off a late challenge from Lewis Hamilton for the final podium place at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.

    The Mercedes driver started the Zandvoort race from second on the grid, but was overtaken by team-mate Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap. Russell moved back ahead after the pit stops, although Antonelli was running an alternative strategy with a tyre advantage.

    Mercedes subsequently instructed Russell to move aside in the closing stages, allowing the championship leader to reclaim second place. That left Russell defending from Hamilton, who was charging through the field while leading both Ferrari drivers late in the race.

    “It was tough,” Russell said after the race when asked how he kept the seven-time champion at bay.

    “I think Kimi’s and my race was kind of the opposite. I had a tough medium stint, he had a very strong medium stint, then I had a strong hard stint, he was struggling. But that VSC gave Lewis the free pitstop, and obviously Kimi pitted as well.

    “From there on in, I knew I was going to be under threat, but I was managing enough in the high-speed corners to allow me to be fast in sector three and defending into Turn 1. So, I was pleased with that performance.”

    George Russell finished third behind Kimi Antonelli. Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

    Russell expects Mercedes challenge at Monza

    Russell acknowledged that Mercedes had endured a “challenging couple of weekends” after McLaren won in Hungary and then triumphed again at Zandvoort following the summer break.

    Mercedes remains ahead in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, but McLaren has continued to improve through successive upgrades. Ferrari is also expected to introduce a new engine at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, meaning Mercedes cannot afford to become complacent.

    “I think these coming two or three race weekends will be a challenge for us both [Antonelli and him], purely because we’re out of sync with the upgrades,” Russell added.

    “I think we will be slightly more competitive [at Monza]. However, I believe Ferrari have an engine upgrade incoming, and the truth is we just don’t know. But I do believe that these high-degradation circuits [like Zandvoort] really suit McLaren very well, and especially Lando. He’s always been a bit of a specialist in those conditions. We also saw it last year. Monza may be slightly different, but I think they are the team to beat right now.”

    Russell is currently second in the drivers’ standings, level with Hamilton on 183 points. Both Mercedes drivers are 59 points behind championship leader Antonelli.