A very difficult interview considering that it’s pretty clear what will be happening but not official announced. Sad to see him go like this.

Wasn’t it announced already Haas paid the $12 Mio. to Uralkali and Monza is safe?

Still don’t know how the Swiss court could rule in favor to Mazepin/Uralkalis with all that embargos in place against Russia.

Currently still a rumor, but Motorsport Italy is usually solid with its sources. It seems Doohan showed better times than Mick Schumacher in the shootout. For German fans, Mick still has chances with Audi.

And he’s not…or at least Mercedes screwed it up again

Edit: Sainz signed with Williams. Truly silly season. So Antonelli announcement for Mercedes soon?

I doubt that Sainz has a clause for Red Bull. This option is unlikely, as it’s tied to two scenarios:

1. Red Bull needs to kick out Perez, ideally during the summer break.
2. The replacement for Perez, probably Ricciardo, needs to underperform significantly in this interim role.

It’s clear that neither Lawson nor Tsunoda will get a shot for the second Red Bull seat. If they only decide to kick out Perez after this season, Sainz may have a chance at Red Bull, but so does Horners favorite Ricciardo.

Until then, Sainz will likely sign with Alpine or get the Mercedes seat, as Antonelli has publicly stated that he still needs some time to develop, which means either he takes a stint in the Williams seat or another year in F2.

Honestly, I doubt that Horner, who reportedly protected Perez so far and pushed for his contract extension, can keep him in his seat any longer.

Unfortunately, we likely won’t see Tsunoda or Lawson in Perez’s seat after the summer break; instead, Ricciardo will probably take over until end of the year.

This could also shift the driver market, possibly leading to Sainz moving to Red Bull if Ricciardo underperforms.

Honestly, it feels like Mercedes tries to catch a bigger fish right now. Probably aiming for Verstappen or Alonso, and maybe Sainz as a fallback. That’s why the hype around Antonelli gradually disappeard and his comment makes another year in F2 absolutely clear.

My guess:

• Audi: Sainz
• Williams: Antonelli
• Mercedes: Ocon
• Alpine: Schumacher
• Haas: Bottas / Bearmen

Sainz will most likely join the most promising team left on the grid.

Toto will likely try to get Antonelli on the grid, but I doubt he will immediately promote him to a Mercedes seat. 1-2 years at Williams would be good training and keep other egos (like Russell, who spent too long there) in check. Ocon will likely fill the gap at Mercedes, where two experienced drivers are needed.

Bottas and Bearmen are a safe game for Haas, as they probably look for someone with potential (Bearmen) and experience (Bottas). Zhou might be also an option due to the sponsorship money.

Mick Schumacher at Alpine is more of a hopeful guess, as I believe Briatore will want someone with experience and a team player. Doohan might be faster, but Mick brings insights from Mercedes, and Toto is very persuasive in French.

I believe a decision was reached behind the doors, and Ocon won’t drive for Alpine next year. We might see a driver swap if Ocon continues his rampage, but for now, they are sticking with him since the team needs stability and he isn’t a bad driver after all.

Good. Ocon’s ego has caused multiple unnecessary accidents both within and outside of the team. If Ocon’s seat was already at risk, this will definitely push him out.

I hope Alpine can find more team players to develop the team from scratch. Maybe Mick will get a second chance in F1 now.

I would have bet that Albon was also a contender for the Audi or Mercedes seat. Williams must have a promising outlook if he decided to stay with them instead of gambling on a one-year stint at Mercedes.

I would have bet that Albon was also a contender for the Audi or Mercedes seat. Williams must have a promising outlook if he decided to stay with them instead of gambling on a one-year stint at Mercedes or a restart with Audi.

Honestly, I assumed Audi had its eye on him. He could also be a strong candidate for a one-year stint with Merc until they get Kimi ready for the seat.

Albon is definitely eyeing more promising offers than Williams at the moment

It seems like having a Frenchman at the helm of Ferrari could once again pave the way for success.

Once more, Mercedes is losing people, and with all these major departures, their outlook seems rather bleak.

Every driver dreams of collaborating with Newey. That final smile hints that Ferrari might be deep in discussions.

As Palmer demonstrated in his video analysis, Alonso has made similar moves in the past, likely with the same intention: catching his opponent off guard and inducing a driver error.

While Russell’s reaction may have been exaggerated, given how closely he was tailing Alonso, the maneuver was unexpected and dangerous, leaving Russell with little time to react. While Alonso has gotten away with such maneuvers in the past, this time the marshals decided to penalize him, though it’s debatable as similar incidents have gone unpunished before. But this crash was clearly Alonso’s fault.

It’s absurd to question the car’s reliability based on just one issue.

No doubt, it would add excitement to the sport if Red Bull faced car problems, giving other teams an opportunity to challenge them. However, we’re dealing with Red Bull and Max Verstappen here.

“So, I had to adapt the way I communicate in order to not create even more pressure in the team because it would break us […] It’s not because of a lack of trying that we are not competitive. So, I’d rather be helpful and encouraging and say, ‘That’s interesting’.”

Toto Wolff appears optimistic, but there’s an underlying acknowledgment that Lewis Hamilton’s exit marks a significant shift from Mercedes’ previously unshakeable culture of success.

It serves as a sobering reminder of past mistakes in aerodynamic design and the tendency to overlook driver feedback, a concern Hamilton has frequently raised.

As a result, Mercedes is now in a rebuilding phase, working to recapture the winning spirit that characterized its earlier triumphs. The decision on their replacement for Lewis will be a make or break for the whole team.

The interesting aspect in all of this is: what actually went wrong in the development of the car? As Gasley stated in the article, they went from fighting with Carlos for P4 last year to fighting Hulkenberg for P14.

Read the fine print at the bottom ;)