George Russell has revealed how he defended his podium position from a late attack by Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton at Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix.
Russell explains how he held off Hamilton
Russell qualified second for the race at Zandvoort but was overtaken by Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap. The Mercedes driver moved back ahead of his young team-mate after the pit stops, although Antonelli was running an alternate strategy with a tyre offset.
Mercedes subsequently asked Russell to give up second place in the closing stages so Antonelli could reclaim the position. That left Russell defending from Hamilton, who was charging through the field and had already passed 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
Mercedes faces growing McLaren and Ferrari threat
Russell acknowledged that the podium capped a “challenging couple of weekends” for Mercedes after McLaren won in Hungary and again at Zandvoort following the summer break.
Mercedes continues to lead both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, but McLaren has been improving steadily through successive upgrades. Ferrari is also expected to introduce a new engine at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, leaving Mercedes with little room for complacency.
“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 on 183 points, level with Hamilton. Both Mercedes drivers are 59 points behind championship leader Antonelli.
The FIA’s ADUO announcement—covering the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities for Formula 1 power units—had been a long time coming. After the results of the first assessment period were shared with teams and manufacturers at the Monaco Grand Prix, the press release was ready in almost exactly its final form. Only the section covering the second period was missing.
The delay was caused by Red Bull’s significant dissatisfaction with the first-period result, which was reportedly raised behind the scenes with the involvement of Oliver Mintzlaff.
Red Bull had limited options to challenge the outcome. Although the ADUO system has clear weaknesses, the teams and manufacturers agreed to its framework last year. Red Bull Ford Powertrains could request only a factual review, and that did not alter the result. FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said the governing body’s measurements were accurate, despite Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies arguing that there was not a single data point showing Red Bull had the best engine.
Red Bull highlighted its deficit at power-sensitive circuits. According to Mekies, that shortfall was greater than at tracks such as Monaco and the Hungaroring, where power units have less influence. However, the performance picture at energy-starved circuits is also affected by energy management and how effectively each power unit handles that challenge.
Those factors are not included in the FIA’s ADUO calculations, which measure only the power output of the internal combustion engine (ICE). The FIA cannot disclose the precise measurement methods and data publicly because they involve intellectual property and confidential information.
“Due to the confidential nature of this information, no further details on power unit performance index measurements will be communicated,” the FIA statement reads.
As a result, the FIA announcement states only that Mercedes falls into the 2%-4% deficit category. That gives the manufacturer one upgrade opportunity in 2026 and another in 2027. Ferrari, Audi and Honda are all classified in the plus-4% deficit category, granting each two new homologations—and therefore two update opportunities—in the current season, followed by two more next year.
The ADUO system was designed to help manufacturers such as Honda that were significantly behind, but it has become a political battleground in Formula 1.
These manufacturers also receive additional financial headroom under the power unit manufacturers’ cost cap. Mercedes High Performance Powertrains can receive an allowance of up to $3 million, while Ferrari can receive up to $4.65 million.
The FIA has also introduced an additional safety net for manufacturers in serious difficulty, such as Honda. A manufacturer more than 10% behind the best ICE would be eligible for a cost-cap allowance of up to $11 million per ADUO period, plus an additional $8 million for 2026 as a whole. However, Honda was understood not to have fully met those criteria after the first assessment period.
The Japanese manufacturer can nevertheless accept the FIA’s analysis.
“I think the number we received from the FIA looks reasonable. I would say that number is fair. And also, thanks to ADUO, we are now working hard to develop our engine,” chief engineer Shintaro Orihara told Motorsport.com.
Red Bull’s opposition to championship standings may have backfired
The second assessment period produced no additional upgrade opportunities, indicating that the performance picture had not changed significantly.
For Red Bull, that could theoretically mean one of two things: either the newcomer remains at the top of the ICE ranking, or its deficit is below 2%. The latter would also produce no upgrade opportunity.
However, Motorsport.com understands that the ranking and the gaps between manufacturers remain broadly unchanged. Red Bull Ford Powertrains is therefore rated by the FIA as having the best internal combustion engine in Formula 1.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has acknowledged that Mercedes has the best overall power unit. However, ADUO assesses only the ICE, exposing one of the system’s central weaknesses: the measurement applies to just one part of the power unit, while the resulting upgrade opportunities extend further and cover electrical components as well.
Mercedes has the best power unit in F1, as Toto Wolff also acknowledged, but it has nevertheless received an upgrade opportunity.
Red Bull remains behind on the electrical side, but its strong ICE ranking prevents it from addressing that weakness under the current rules. The newcomer is therefore effectively checkmated.
That is a weakness in the system, although the FIA cannot be entirely blamed. Tombazis has told the media that he was open to including more parameters, but the teams and manufacturers pushed to keep the process as simple as possible.
One example is turbocharger size, which Tombazis wanted to include in the assessment. That did not happen, allowing Ferrari to benefit from a deliberate design choice. The Italian manufacturer enjoyed an advantage off the line at the start of the season because of its smaller turbo, but sacrificed some power as a result. ADUO now allows Ferrari to address that trade-off, particularly after it received two upgrade opportunities.
That raises questions about whether it is fair to reward or penalize deliberate design decisions, but it is how the current system operates.
The FIA also intended to factor championship standings into the ADUO calculations. The system was not designed to give the dominant manufacturer even more opportunities to develop, but insiders say Red Bull was among those that opposed including the championship position.
That stance was understandable based on the circumstances at the time, but it has proved counterproductive for Red Bull. When the discussions took place last year, the team could reasonably have thought: As a newcomer, we are probably going to be more than 2% behind, but if the chassis is good, we could still be relatively high up in the championship standings. In that case, it would logically be advantageous if the FIA did not take that aspect into account.
The reality has been the opposite. Red Bull’s ICE is highly competitive, but its chassis was below par at the beginning of the season. As a result, the championship standings are unfavorable from Red Bull’s perspective, and including them in the ADUO system could have provided the team with a lifeline.
Red Bull’s chassis has been below par, meaning that, with hindsight, the team would have benefited if championship standings had been included.
FIA acknowledges ADUO weaknesses as Red Bull faces final opportunity
The ADUO results explain why Red Bull is the only manufacturer prohibited from developing its power unit during the season. There is still one opportunity to change that: the third assessment period, which concludes after the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Red Bull does not control its own fate, however. Its position depends on its rivals. If they do not use their upgrade opportunities on the ICE—Mercedes in particular—and do not suddenly extract more performance from it than they have so far, Red Bull will remain unable to develop its power unit.
The ADUO results have therefore revealed more than Red Bull’s position in the rankings. They have also exposed weaknesses in the system, something the FIA readily acknowledges. Motorsport.com asked Tombazis in Hungary whether ADUO was currently working as intended.
“I think our measurement, in my opinion, has proven to be very accurate,” he replied. “With that said, has everything worked fine? No, because obviously people are not happy and so on. Do we need to think about improvements in the future? Yes, I would say so.”
When announcing the results, Tombazis again indicated that the system could be revised in the coming years:
“This is the first year of ADUO so naturally there are areas which we may evolve over time, in discussion with all the PU manufacturers.”
Behind the scenes, that process remains at an early stage and will need to produce more concrete proposals in the coming months.
The current outcome is perhaps the clearest illustration of ADUO’s weaknesses. The manufacturer with the best overall power unit receives development opportunities based on its ICE deficit, while a manufacturer that is weaker on the electrical side cannot address that problem because of its ADUO classification.
That issue will require consideration over the longer term. For now, however, the teams and manufacturers—including Red Bull—must also accept responsibility, having agreed to the system last year.
Ferrari has been awarded two upgrade tokens through Formula 1’s Additional Upgrades and Opportunities (ADUO) system to modify the power unit in its SF-26. The team has assembled the two updated engines for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but must still decide whether to introduce them at next week’s Italian Grand Prix.
The final decision is expected at the end of this week, when Ferrari approves the parts being sent to Monza. Although the timing may appear unusual, it reflects the complexities created by the current Formula 1 regulations.
Ferrari’s upgraded engine faces final testing
Formula 1’s mandatory summer shutdown has not worked in Ferrari’s favour. The closure of the Maranello factory extended the testing period for the new engine, designated 067/6. Before it can be used during a race weekend, the power unit must pass an endurance test by completing at least six grands prix on the test bench without reliability problems.
Ferrari’s Gestione Sportiva engine department reportedly has 21 cells equipped with advanced test benches. However, cost limits and the aim of maintaining a level playing field mean that only two or three dynamometers are used, with strict time restrictions further extending the process.
If a reliability issue emerges and a minor modification is required, the approval procedure must stop and the entire testing process must begin again. As a result, Ferrari is taking a cautious approach before giving the green light for the ADUO2 engine to be installed in the SF-26 cars that Hamilton and Leclerc will drive at Monza.
The Ferrari cars are also expected to run a special celebratory livery commemorating Michael Schumacher’s time with the Maranello team.
New Ferrari power unit targets Mercedes
The upgraded project is expected to remain a six-cylinder engine while delivering approximately 15 additional horsepower and a revised power curve. Ferrari hopes the changes will reduce its qualifying and race deficit to Mercedes and improve the hybrid system’s charging phase.
The Ferrari cars could feature a new engine and livery in Monza. Photo by Eric Le Galliot.
Ferrari has modified both the Garrett turbochargers and the combustion chamber to make better use of the new Shell fuel approved for Monza. The expected performance gain comes from the combined effect of the higher-calorie fuel and the more advanced combustion system.
Ferrari is not arriving at Monza as the outright favourite. The Temple of Speed’s characteristics do not appear to suit the SF-26 on paper, but the team hopes Hamilton and Leclerc can qualify close to Mercedes, which is expected to lead the field.
Mercedes home driver Kimi Antonelli will also face an engine penalty at his home race and is expected to start at least 20th.
Italian Grand Prix to test 2026 engine hierarchy
The Italian Grand Prix will be an important test of the Formula 1 engine order following the adjustments permitted under the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system. Monza will provide a particularly demanding benchmark because its layout makes electrical energy recovery difficult.
According to the FIA’s latest engine assessment, Red Bull remains the benchmark for internal combustion engine performance. Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and Audi are all attempting to close the gap after receiving upgrade tokens for use during the 2026 and 2027 Formula 1 seasons.
Ferrari is preparing for next week’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where anticipation is building for the debut of a new engine expected to significantly reduce Mercedes’ power advantage. The Scuderia hopes the upgrade can reignite the Formula 1 world championship battle, with Lewis Hamilton second alongside George Russell behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Ferrari will also unveil a special tribute to Michael Schumacher at the 97th Italian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion remains one of the most beloved figures in Formula 1 and a defining part of Ferrari’s history.
Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2004. Photo: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Ferrari to honor Michael Schumacher at Monza
The Italian Grand Prix at the Temple of Speed takes place 30 years after Schumacher claimed his first victory with Ferrari in 1996 and 20 years after his final win for the team in 2006. Between those victories, he delivered a decade of unprecedented success, securing five world titles and 71 wins during the most glorious period in Ferrari’s history.
Hamilton’s and Charles Leclerc’s SF-26 cars will therefore feature a special livery dedicated to Schumacher. Monza will provide an appropriate stage to recognize the German driver’s extraordinary performances, which have since become legendary.
Michael Schumacher, world champion with Ferrari’s F1-2000. Photo: Sutton Images
Schumacher has lived in an unknown condition since suffering a dramatic skiing accident in Méribel on 29 December 2013. His wife, Corinna, and their family continue to care for the former champion and will have the opportunity to witness the Formula 1 community’s enduring affection for one of the greatest figures in racing history.
A series of initiatives dedicated to Schumacher is being prepared for Monza and will be officially announced in the coming days. The Italian Grand Prix is expected to draw a huge crowd, not only because of the championship battle involving home favorite Antonelli and Ferrari, but also because of the tribute Ferrari is planning for Schumacher.
Leclerc Questions Ferrari Pit-Stop Timing at Dutch Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc openly questioned a Ferrari strategy decision during the Dutch Grand Prix that potentially cost him a podium finish at Zandvoort. The pivotal moment came on lap 43 when the team called the Monegasque driver into the pits, leaving him with insufficient tyre advantage to challenge George Russell for third place in the closing stages.
“I didn’t really understand why we had to box so close to George’s pitstop,” Leclerc said after the race, speaking to Sky Sports. “Because that really was kind of signing to finishing behind George, because with a two or three laps difference, for me there wasn’t much I could have done, and I felt like there was a bit more in my tyres.”
Leclerc had been running within a second of Russell before the Mercedes driver pitted at the end of lap 40. Extending his stint could have created a tyre-life offset similar to the strategy that delivered Lando Norris the race victory. Norris, after being held up by Kimi Antonelli, stopped seven laps later than the Italian rookie and used fresher tyres to close the gap and seize the lead. Ferrari, by contrast, brought Leclerc in just three laps after Russell.
“I was very surprised to box so early when we had done exactly what we wanted,” he said. “George was pitting and so that was the time for us to do five, ten laps longer to build a tyre delta and to come back at the end on George.
“Unfortunately, two laps later I was told to box, which I did I think three laps later.”
Hamilton Factor and Radio Exchange Reveal Tension
One contributing factor may have been Lewis Hamilton, who was on an alternative strategy and caught Leclerc at a critical juncture. The seven-time champion demanded a position swap, though it remains unclear whether Ferrari pitted Leclerc to avoid impeding his teammate. Leclerc confirmed he preferred to stay out.
“I need to review the way the situation was looking,” he said, when asked whether he’d been willing to swap positions with Hamilton and extend his stint, “but I was happy to go longer.”
The team’s initial call came on lap 42, prompting a sharp response from Leclerc over the radio.
“What do you mean? This fucks my race if I stop two laps after Russell.”
“Hello?”
“Yeah coming back to you”
“Charles, we want to box”
Leclerc drove past the pit entry, still disagreeing, only to receive the command again on the following lap.
“So box Charles box, will be for hard.”
After the stop, he rejoined roughly six seconds behind Russell and trimmed the deficit to under two seconds within a dozen laps. However, the pace delta proved too small for a pass at Zandvoort, where overtaking demands a larger advantage. A virtual safety car on lap 55 allowed Ferrari to pit Hamilton, and Leclerc stopped as well, locking him into fifth. Both Ferraris finished behind Russell.
Missed Undercut Opportunity
The race highlighted Ferrari’s inability to convert strong pace into a podium due to multiple execution errors. Leclerc’s afternoon was compromised early when he lost position to Oscar Piastri at the restart. Stuck behind the McLaren during his first stint, he could not deploy the Ferrari’s speed.
The team delayed his first stop and fitted mediums versus Piastri’s hards to facilitate an overcut, but a slow pit stop left Leclerc six seconds adrift. He closed the gap in six laps and passed Piastri on lap 34, by which time Russell was only three seconds ahead. Ferrari then had a window to undercut the Mercedes but hesitated.
“I think it’s a lot about execution,” admitted Vasseur, speaking to Sky Germany. “Pace was good and even strong, I think, compared to Mercedes. The issue is that at the second start we lost position on Piastri. We were stuck behind him. We lost a lot of time – and then when we were able to be in front, at one stage we were quite close to the undercut on Russell. But there was a group of cars, a bit of confusion – and we didn’t do it.
“It’s our mistake, my mistake. But overall it’s more a matter of execution.”
At the end of lap 40, Ferrari instructed Leclerc to “Box opposite to Russell,” but the Mercedes driver pitted immediately, eliminating the undercut chance. Vasseur acknowledged the error, though pitting a lap earlier might not have succeeded either, as Leclerc would have emerged behind a train of lapped cars including Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto, and Arvid Lindblad.
With the undercut gone, the only viable path to third was extending the second stint to build a tyre delta against Russell — a tactic Ferrari ultimately declined to use. Despite Vasseur’s assertion that the Scuderia’s race pace surpassed Mercedes’, it was Antonelli and Russell who stood on the podium, with Hamilton and Leclerc close behind.
Qualifying Pace Identified as Root Cause
Leclerc emphasized that while strategy errors were costly, the fundamental limitation was Ferrari’s qualifying performance. Starting from the third row at a circuit where overtaking is difficult forced the team into reactive strategic gambles.
“I mean a frustrating race to be honest,” Leclerc said after the finish, “because things went the wrong way for things we cannot really control, with the virtual safety car timing, it wasn’t so great for us. But at the end of the day I think the pace was strong, we had a good overtake on Oscar, I think good tyre management.
“The thing we need to understand is our qualifying pace. This is truly where we are lacking at the moment.”
