GPFans News

In this exclusive GPFans interview, former f1 team principal, Gunther Steiner shares his thoughts about the up and coming new v1 team Cadillac and if McLaren are too intervering regarding the drivers' championship fight between Oscar Pastri and Lando Norris.

Lewis Hamilton has underlined that he's not planning on retiring from Formula 1 any time soon. Some of his critics, including former F1 owner Bernie Ecclestone, believe it is best for the seven-time champion to step aside, but the Brit is deadset to turn his fortunes at Ferrari around.

This weekend in Baku, McLaren has the chance to secure the first big prize of the season – the Constructors' Championship. With eight race weekends still to go, it's a clear sign of their dominance in 2025. But how does this stack up against Red Bull and Mercedes during their peak years? We explore it all in this GPFans Special.

The Red Bull hierarchy have decided on three of the four drivers for the 2026 F1 season, according to Auto Motor und Sport, with only the second Racing Bulls spot still being up for grabs.

For the first time since 2016, Formula 1 will feature 11 teams and 22 cars on the grid. Cadillac is entering the sport with Bottas and Pérez behind the wheel. But as a brand-new outfit starting completely from scratch, they face some serious challenges. In this GPFans Special, we break down why their debut might not be as smooth as it seems.

Team orders — after last weekend, they're once again a hot topic in Formula 1. The FIA once banned them, but today they're completely legal. Why do teams use them, why do drivers follow them, and how does F1 really see these instructions?

David Coulthard believes his former team McLaren have manipulated the Italian Grand Prix by swapping Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the end of the race. While swapping drivers is certainly nothing new, it normally never happens when team-mates are direct rivals for the championship, and Coulthard can't help but feel uneasy about the situation.

Max Verstappen has credited his new team principal Laurent Mekies for how much he's pushing the team in the right direction in terms of car development. Verstappen added it's better than under Christian Horner's management, where changes would be extreme and the team wasn't on top of the car.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has warned McLaren that the team orders they are deploying could be a very slippery slope by setting a precedent that is difficult to undo.

According to The Race, Mick Schumacher has turned down Cadillac's offer to become their F1 reserve and WEC driver. Currently racing in WEC with Alpine, the former F3 and F2 champion is also in talks with McLaren about joining their endurance team in 2027.

Cadillac has announced Colton Herta as one of its test drivers for 2026, as the American will also compete in Formula 2 in a bid to secure enough Super License points to race in F1. Herta has left his seat at Andretti in IndyCar and will actively pursue a seat with the Cadillac F1 team in the near future.

Jacques Villeneuve has absolutely slammed Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli for his collision with Charles Leclerc on Sunday at Zandvoort, calling it a move you'd normally only see in Formula 3 or 4. On top of that, the former world champion questioned whether Antonelli should be in F1 altogether.

Lewis Hamilton has been given a grid penalty following the Dutch Grand Prix, where he was the first driver to drop out of the race. Hamilton will have to serve this penalty this weekend at Ferrari's home race, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

The FIA have announced ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix that they're going to increase the pitlane speed limit from 60 to 80 kilometres per hour.

It's official! Cadillac have announced their line-up for their debut season in 2026 and they've gone for experience as both Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will be suiting up for the American team next year, when they will form the 11th team on the grid.

German outlet Auto Motor und Sport have reported Isack Hadjar will be promoted to Red Bull Racing in 2026, while Yuki Tsunoda will be left without a seat at both Red Bull and Racing Bulls. Arvid Lindblad will be promoted to F1 and drive alongside Liam Lawson, according to the very reliable German outlet.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has responded to Max Verstappen's claim that the papaya cars are the quickest in medium-speed corners. Stella agrees, noting that McLaren's advantage lies almost entirely in those sections – which make up the majority of turns on the F1 calendar.

An interesting story has emerged regarding Red Bull Racing. According to Japanese sources, Red Bull's majority stakeholder, Chalerm Yoovidhya, wants his fellow countryman Alex Albon to return to the team should Max Verstappen leave in the future. Yoovidhya had reportedly already inquired about Albon for next year, before Verstappen announced that he would not be leaving the team.

The Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro, has announced that Formula 1 will almost certainly return to Portimão in 2027. Montenegro stated that F1's return to his country only needs to be formalized next year, as Portugal has already secured MotoGP for both 2025 and 2026.

A new report from PlanetF1 suggests Sergio Perez is set to be announced as the lead Cadillac F1 driver for next season, with a rookie expected to fill the second seat.

Red Bull sacking Christian Horner is one of the key reasons why Max Verstappen has stayed at the team, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes. Schumacher argues the dismissal showed to Verstappen that they were willing to do anything to turn the team's fortunes around.

Ferrari have extended the contract of team principal Fred Vasseur. The Frenchman was under real threat to lose his job according to the Italian media only last month, but Ferrari have put an end to this speculation by extending his contract by multiple years.

The FIA left many fans disappointed in Belgium. Spectators were eagerly anticipating a thrilling wet race at Spa-Francorchamps, but the FIA delayed the start for so long that the race effectively took place after the rain had passed. Why did the FIA make that decision and could things have been handled differently?

The saga is over, everyone. Red Bull Racing have confirmed Max Verstappen will be staying at the team for 2026, squashing all rumours of a potential move elsewhere like Mercedes.

According to De Telegraaf, who are usually very reliable and well-informed when it comes to Max Verstappen in particular, the Dutchman is definitively staying at Red Bull Racing in 2026.

Both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton believe the FIA waited for far too long to get the Belgian Grand Prix underway. Hamilton argues there was an overreaction from Silverstone last time out, where visibility was very poor, while Verstappen argued no delay was ever needed as it wasn't actually raining anymore.

Argentina are hopeful they can get Formula 1 back to the country in a few years' time. The Autódromo de Oscar y Juan Gálvez in Buenos Aires has been completely renovated and has been confirmed to host MotoGP again in 2027. The next step is to bring F1 over.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said the team intends to keep George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for next season but continues to flirt with Max Verstappen. Wolff added he doesn't think there will be any quote “big surprises” in the summer, but also said Verstappen would look great in a Mercedes car.

With 332 points still available, Dr. Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen's bid for a fifth title is far from over. Red Bull Racing will bring new upgrades to Belgium this weekend to boost the Dutchman's championship chances. In this GPFans Special, we look at what Red Bull has left to keep his title hopes alive.

The Verstappen rumour mill doesn't stop as Dutch F1 commentator Nelson Valkenburg has revealed he's been primed to be ready for a Verstappen press event this weekend in Spa. Both Verstappen's camp and Mercedes are said to take a decision on next year over the summer, meaning this press event could well be it.

Dr Helmut Marko has said he's not worried about any potential meetings Max Verstappen has had with other teams, adding he assumes the Dutchman will stay put at Red Bull Racing.

Dr Helmut Marko is still holding out hope for Max Verstappen to defend his Formula 1 title despite being down a very nice 69 points to championship leader Oscar Piastri. Marko still thinks Red Bull's latest upgrades can make a big difference.

Lewis Hamilton would leave Ferrari pretty quickly if the team would sack Fred Vasseur and appoint Christian Horner according to journalist Will Buxton.

Should Mercedes actually sign Max Verstappen, it would mean that not George Russell, but rather Kimi Antonelli would have to make way. The Italian would be loaned out to Alpine if this were to happen while Russell and Verstappen drive for the works team.

According to Auto Evolution, Sergio Pérez is set to return to F1 next season with Cadillac. Perez has been negotiating with the new team for seven months and will be its lead driver coming into next season.

Liberty Media has been pulling the strings in Formula 1 since 2017, but there are signals that the company is considering selling the sport. What has Formula 1 achieved under Liberty Media, and why is a sale being considered? In this GPFans Special, we'll walk you through it.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said the team will definitively decide on its driver line-up for 2026 during the summer break. Both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are on expiring deals, but Wolff has been courting Max Verstappen, who could potentially replace Russell at the Silver Arrows.

A remarkable story is developing as according to renowned F1 journalist Julianne Cerasoli, Max Verstappen could trigger the much-discussed exit clause in his Red Bull contract as of today.

Oscar Piastri has admitted that his turn 4 lunge, where he locked up and nearly collected his team-mate Lando Norris, was pushing the limits, and is something he will not do again.

If Max Verstappen gets a penalty point on his superlicense this weekend, he'll be suspended for next week's British Grand Prix. Red Bull have prepared for this in advance as Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has revealed.

Carlos Sainz Senior has announced he is withdrawing from the upcoming FIA presidential elections. Sainz was tipped by many to challenge or even beat current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in December, but the Spaniard has decided on his Dakar preparations with Ford instead.

The experts and analysts saw McLaren's front suspension in all its glory for the first time in Canada. According to many, this is where the secret lies behind the MCL39's excellent tire management. In this GPFans Special, we dive into the conclusions drawn from the photos — and could this be what makes McLaren so strong in 2025?

McLaren will prioritise Oscar Piastri over Lando Norris for the drivers' championship this year as the latter driver simply makes too many mistakes, according to former F1 driver and Sky Deutschland punt Ralf Schumacher.

According to The Race, Christian Horner and George Russell have spoken about the Brit's availability, although no offer was ever made to put Russell next to Max Verstappen.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has announced the team have several upgrades coming for the upcoming Austrian and British Grands Prix.

Isack Hadjar has admitted he wouldn't feel ready at the moment to make the step up to Red Bull Racing, seeing as to how much both of his team-mates this season, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, have struggled in the car.

The Canadian Grand Prix has left us with more than enough to chat about. Something that has not been discussed as much, however, is the drop-off in pace from the McLaren. In today's GPFans Special, we're diving into what happened to the MCL39's speed, or lack thereof, in Montreal.

Lando Norris has been given a very late five-second time penalty for his collision with team-mate Oscar Piastri. Normally, a post-race time penalty translates to a grid penalty for the next race, which in this case is the Austrian Grand Prix, but that's not the case this time.

Red Bull Racing lodged two complaints with the FIA after the Canadian Grand Prix. Red Bull claimed George Russell drove unpredictably behind the Safety Car, and showcased unsportsmanlike behaviour on the radio. After five hours, the FIA have now reached a verdict.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem will make a bid for a second term as FIA president in December. Even though there have been several controversial incidents in recent years in which Ben Sulayem was involved, nearly 40 automobile federations are still in favor of seeing him serve a second term. In this GPFans Special, we delve into the potential battle for one of the most important positions in motorsport: the FIA presidency.

Red Bull Racing team advisor Dr Helmut Marko has revealed when the team will fully shift its focus to developing the 2026 car rather than further upgrading the current contender. While Max Verstappen is now close to 50 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, Marko underlines that while he still has a chance to defend his title, Red Bull will keep developing the RB21.