Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Ambitious Wolff sends warning to rivals as F1 heads to Austria.
"There is still a long way to go this season. We will look to maximise our points scoring and hopefully be able to challenge for the podium once again," says Wolff, thereby issuing a warning to his competitors.
23 Jun 2025
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

It was a great moment for Mercedes in Montreal, after Russell's deserved victory. Looking back on the last race in Canada, Wolff says: "Victory and a double podium in Montreal were a reward for the hard work of everyone at Brackley and Brixworth."

But he also says: "Though we have made solid progress with our car in recent weeks, we know that we cannot expect this level of performance each and every weekend. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with its absence of high-speed corners and a more closed tarmac that puts less stress on the tyres, suited the W16."

"The team executed well and took advantage of that, but we know that our rivals will likely be much more competitive in Austria this weekend." The Mercedes team boss definitely sees opportunities for his squad: "Building on the momentum from Canada is therefore our focus. The track in Spielberg will be a good test of our recent updates and provide another reference point for our progress."

‘Made solid progress with our car in recent weeks’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/verst...ments-by-wolff


Toto Wolff delivers Mercedes warning as new 'focus' revealed.
Toto Wolff is not getting ahead of himself - or letting his team - after a first victory of the current F1 season.
24 June 2025
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

Toto Wolff has cautioned that Mercedes "cannot expect" to permanently enjoy the "level of performance" it showed at the Canadian Grand Prix. George Russell claimed an assured victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which included pole position and fastest lap, whilst team-mate Kimi Antonelli secured his maiden podium finish in F1.

However, their team principal has sought to temper expectations, highlighting how rival F1 teams will be significantly more competitive at the Red Bull Ring than they were during the weekend in Montreal, which complemented the characteristics of the W16.

The 53-year-old laid out his target for the Austrian Grand Prix, as well as underlining what the weekend in the Styrian hills can help the team establish.

‘Not getting ahead of himself’;

https://racingnews365.com/toto-wolff...focus-revealed


Toto Wolff discloses 'never confident' stance over 'different ball game' facing Mercedes
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is taking nothing for granted after the Brackley squad's impressive 1-3 result in Montreal.
21 June 2025
Samuel Coop & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

When asked how confident he is over his team replicating the performance it showed in Montreal over the coming rounds, Wolff was direct in his response. "Never confident, because the swings in performance are still there," the Austrian told media including RacingNews365.

"You see it last year that on some tracks, it wasn't even close to who was second but we dominated throughout the weekend, and that's a little bit the pattern we have seen [in Canada]." Wolff went on to highlight the contrasting demands of the circuit in Spielberg, commenting how it will be a "different ball game" there.

"And Austria is going to be a different ball game, different track layout, different challenges," the 53-year-old explained. "So all of our eyes and brains are concentrated on Austria now. This is done, tick the box.”

‘Taking nothing for granted’;

https://racingnews365.com/toto-wolff...acing-mercedes


Toto Wolff Declares Mercedes F1 Engines ‘Good as Gold’ Despite Reliability Issues
June 22, 2025
Nelson Espinal Newsweek
The Charlotte Observer

The Mercedes engine is under the spotlight after a run of problems throughout the past couple of race weekends. In Canada, Williams driver Alex Albon retired from the race after seven laps. The power unit caused the retirement.

Williams is not the only Mercedes customer to have gone through problems with the engine; Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso couldn't finish the Monaco GP after a loss of power. Even the Mercedes car suffered problems this season. Kimi Antonelli retired from the Emilia-Romagna and Spanish races due to engine-related issues.

"I mean, our engines have been as good as gold since the introduction of the hybrid era, and so strong. And now it's the final year, all sights are on next year, and this group are fully on top of the reliability issues that we have," Wolff explained. "And statistically, if you look at the many years, the failures we had were very minimal. So we need to learn now what happened. I don't know what happened to Alex (Albon), actually. And I'm sure we'll understand it."

‘Good as Gold’;

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sp...mainstage_card


Toto Wolff now giving signals around the F1 paddock that a big driver decision is imminent at Mercedes
17 June 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Journalists Tom Clarkson and Lawrence Barretto have noticed a change in Wolff’s body language that suggests he’s very close to making a decision on Russell’s future. Toto Wolff body language change suggests Mercedes extension for George Russell is ‘close’.

Clarkson was asked on The F1 Nation Podcast why Russell doesn’t have a contract for 2026 yet and said: “He wants to stay at Mercedes. I think Toto Wolff is still playing the Max Verstappen card but I think he’s realising that that’s slipping away and I think we’ll see a George Russell contract soon probably.

“Particularly if he keeps banging in performances like this.” Barretto replied: “Yeah I’m going to say a bit of body language changed a little bit with Toto a couple of weeks ago. There’s a little bit more of a glint in his eye, a bit of a smirk when you talk to him about George and that contract and it does feel like it’s close. I think to your point Tom, I do think he wanted to leave the door open as long as he possibly could in case he could get Max.”

‘Toto Wolff now giving signals’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/tot...ow-very-close/


Montoya puzzled as Mercedes keeps contract-less Russell in limbo while courting Verstappen
21 Jun 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

“George has actually been in a bad mood ever since he entered Formula 1,” Montoya told AS Colombia when commenting on Russell's edgy contract situation. He joined a team that was used to winning, but just at a time when it wasn't happening anymore. That was tough for him, but he has developed well and has done a good job so far.”

“The problem now is that he still doesn't have a contract. After that victory, you would think it was already sorted. He and Max are the two most sought-after drivers without long-term certainty.” speculation about an early exit — something Mercedes, according to Montoya, is eagerly capitalizing on: “Max technically has a contract, but George is the most wanted driver in the field who currently doesn’t have a contract.”

This makes Russell, according to Montoya, vulnerable to a potential attempt by Red Bull to back their shoulders: "So if you look at it that way, Red Bull could come in with a lot of money to cover themselves in case Max leaves''. This only applies if Verstappen were to leave, because a Verstappen–Russell duo at Red Bull, according to Montoya, is not on the cards: "Would he go to Red Bull to work with Max? I would say: absolutely not."

‘Contract-less Russell in limbo’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/monto...ing-verstappen

[Fortitude]

Ferrari expected to bring very first major upgrade ahead of Austrian GP.
According to recent reports from Italian media, Ferrari is expected to introduce a major floor upgrade in an attempt to fix the issues that have plagued the SF-25 during the first part of the season.
24 Jun 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Having started the season with the ambition of fighting for both world titles after losing the Constructors’ Championship to McLaren last year, Ferrari soon found itself dealing with an SF-25 that has proven significantly lacking in performance. Ferrari's engineers radically overhauled the SF-25 compared to its predecessor, but so far, the results have not vindicated the new design philosophy.

The main area under scrutiny is the rear suspension, which was heavily revised compared to last year. Its suboptimal stiffness is believed to cause instability and issues with ride height management, leading to a loss of aerodynamic load and increased floor wear.
As a result, Ferrari has often been forced to run with higher ride heights than originally intended—something that inevitably translates into several tenths lost per lap.

‘Major floor upgrade’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/rumors/fer...of-austrian-gp


Will Norris rebound after Montreal blunder? Six Austrian GP talking points
24th June 2025
Will Wood
RaceFans

This year’s first true on-track dogfight between McLaren team mates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri last time out in Canada did not end well. McLaren and Norris will both be eager to bounce back at the Red Bull Ring. But last year’s Austrian Grand Prix was one of the most frustrating weekends of the season for the Woking team.

Norris lost a potential victory after a controversial clash with Verstappen in the later stages of the grand prix. Piastri was left ruing the loss of what could have been his first grand prix victory after his best qualifying time was deleted by the stewards, dropping him from a potential third on the grid to seventh. He finished the race second behind winner Russell, who picked up the lead after Verstappen and Norris’s late race skirmish.

Verstappen and Russell to resume their rivalry? Having clashed in more ways than one in recent rounds, the two will be the focus of attention again over the next two weekends. First at Red Bull’s home circuit in Austria, a track that has been effectively a second home race for Verstappen in his F1 career, and then next weekend at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where Russell will likely enjoy strong support from the local fans.
How many last chances for Colapinto? “The next five races will give us an opportunity to try something different and after this time period we will assess our options,” team consultant Flavio Briatore said at the time. He has subsequently suggested Alpine’s deadline is a little softer than that. Nonetheless, just six weeks on from that announcement, Colapinto has already reached the final race of his originally stated tenure.

Taking it to the limit: In recent seasons, the Austrian Grand Prix has been the centre of Formula 1’s continued struggle to get to grips with track limits in the sport. It came to a head in farcical fashion in 2023, when well over 100 laps set during the grand prix were deleted due to drivers running wide at the exits of corners
Normal service resumed: The Austrian Grand Prix has been a sprint round since the year after the format was introduced. But that has changed this year.

‘Six Austrian GP talking points’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/06/24/...alking-points/


Jolyon Palmer names the driver he believes will beat Oscar Piastri to win the Austrian Grand Prix
24 June 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Speaking via F1 Nation, Palmer is backing the Red Bull driver for his third win of the season in Austria. He thinks the McLarens will follow behind, with Norris returning to the podium after a dismal weekend in Canada.

“I agree with the top three, but I think this is a Max win in Austria,” he said. “So I’m going to go Max, Oscar, Lando, on the podium, getting the confidence back.”

“So I’m going to go Max”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jol...an-grand-prix/


2025 Austrian Grand Prix: Top 5 Storylines Including Oscar Piastri vs. Lando Norris
JUNE 25, 2025
SCOTT GULBRANSEN
Sportsnaut

Can McLaren Rebound at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix? All eyes at Spielberg will be on McLaren’s response after the dramatic Canadian Grand Prix collision between teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Can Ferrari Swing 2025 Momentum with Upgrades? Another crucial storyline involves Scuderia Ferrari’s introduction of significant performance upgrades amidst mounting team pressure.

Will Max Verstappen Dominate Red Bull Ring Again? Attention will also be on Max Verstappen, balancing home circuit dominance with penalty point vulnerability.
Will Mercedes Momentum Continue at 2025 Austrian Grand Prix: Adding to the excitement is Mercedes’ recent resurgence after a dream weekend in Canada. George Russell secured his first win from pole, and rookie Kimi Antonelli impressively clinched his maiden F1 podium with a third-place finish.

Is Sauber Separating Itself in the Midfield? Sauber’s unobtrusive yet significant improvement creates an interesting midfield storyline.

‘Top 5 Storylines’;

https://sportsnaut.com/f1/2025-austr...-lando-norris/


Mercedes will learn if they’ve successfully copied McLaren with George Russell’s car at the Austrian Grand Prix
24 June 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

The Red Bull Ring will test Mercedes’ rear suspension upgrade more than the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. While track temperatures rose to around 50° at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, its lack of high-load corners and Mercedes’ rear suspension upgrade returning meant Russell and Antonelli could control their rear tyre temperatures much easier than at tracks like the Red Bull Ring.

So, Mercedes will go to this weekend’s Austrian GP looking at a chance to prove if their rear suspension update inspired by McLaren was a success, or if the Canadian GP venue’s layout was a larger contributor. Track temperatures are forecast to exceed 50° at the Red Bull Ring. Hot track temperatures have been a major thorn in Mercedes’ side for the last few seasons, with the Brackley bunch prone to graining and thus a lack of grip. The Red Bull Ring also has long-radius corners with the double-left Turns 6 and 7, plus a high-load corner with Turn 9.

‘Hot track temperatures have been a major thorn in Mercedes’ side’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mer...an-grand-prix/


Stunning Piastri lesson rivals can’t deny; jarring proof of F1 curse: What we’ve learned 1-10
June 24th, 2025
Michael Lamonato from Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)

1. OSCAR PIASTRI IS THE REAL DEAL
2. FERRARI FAITH WAVERS AFTER TEAM AND LEWIS HAMILTON’S POOR STARTS
3. McLAREN WILL WIN THE TITLE… BUT IS BEATABLE IN RACES

4. LANDO NORRIS HAS CRACKED UNDER PRESSURE
5. THE RULE CHANGE DIDN’T SAVE MAX VERSTAPPEN’S SEASON
6. GEORGE RUSSELL HAS STEPPED UP FOR MERCEDES

7. THE SECOND RED BULL RACING SEAT IS CURSED
8. ALPINE IS STILL IN A FUNK, AND ITS DRIVER SWAP HAS PROVED NOTHING
9. WILLIAMS IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH THE RIGHT DRIVERS
10. THE ROOKIES WERE WORTH A SHOT

‘What we’ve learned 1-10’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...cf2beb991f6b5d