Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Hints of McLaren ‘anxiety’ after Verstappen Azerbaijan GP win.
McLaren mistakes highlight Verstappen pressure. Cracks are already starting to appear for McLaren after Norris clipped the wall in qualifying and Piastri crashed into the barrier in Sunday’s race, believes F1 journalist Brandon Sutton.
26 Sep 2025
Joe Krishnan
Total Motorsport

F1 journalist Ewan Gale thinks it would be very unlikely that Verstappen wipes out the deficit in the remaining seven races, but his return to prominence is giving McLaren a headache.

“For me, I think it’s a stretch to say he [Verstappen] is in the title race. But what he will be doing is he’ll be causing anxiety to the McLaren drivers. They’ll be starting to look over their shoulder a little bit more rather than focusing on themselves,” he said.

“A lot has to happen for Verstappen to be in the title race. It needs McLaren to have another probably two off races. He probably needs Norris and Piastri to get into each other and take each other out of one of the races. But, as it stands, Piastri pretty much needs to finish third in every race and every sprint at the moment and he’ll still be ahead of Verstappen.”

‘Giving McLaren a headache’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...azerbaijan-gp/


Montoya: “Piastri’s Baku Errors Show He’s Feeling the Heat in F1 Title Fight”
30 Sep 2025
James Rees
F1 Chronicle

Oscar Piastri’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix performance was “terrible,” according to former McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who fears the Australian is beginning to crack under championship pressure. “Piastri lost his temper,” Montoya said. “I’ve been telling you, ‘Wait and see,’ and it was noticeable. For a while, when he was under direct pressure from Lando regarding the points, he was still performing well. But in Baku, the race was terrible.”

Montoya suggested the Australian misjudged his rivals in the opening laps. “Apart from jumping the start, the start itself was terrible. Then he thought he would pass people quickly. He calculated his braking based on those around him, but they braked late, so he braked later—and bang. Welcome to a street circuit. The mental problem for me is more complicated now, because you’re going to another street circuit, which is 100% a Lando track,” Montoya explained.

“You’re not in a position to attack Lando, because if you make another mistake, you’re going to create a world of unnecessary headaches. He has a big advantage, but as we’ve seen, that can change in a week. What he has to do is finish second or third, avoid mistakes, and create stability. Because another crash at this moment…”

“Piastri lost his temper”;

https://f1chronicle.com/montoya-pias...1-title-fight/


Villeneuve counters Norris' comments: 'That's not true'
29 Sep 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Jacques Villeneuve has responded to Lando Norris’s comments about his indifference to criticism. "That’s not true. There's not one driver, not one sportsman that says that. It's a way of trying to keep the pressure away. Everyone knows what's being written. Everyone gets affected even when you don't want it to. It’s somewhere at the back of your mind because it makes you think. Lando says that to try and minimise it. You have to because you don't want it to affect you too much. Just saying that means it's affecting him.”

In post-race comments following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Norris admitted Red Bull’s dominance at Baku. The Brit suggested that the Austrian outfit operated on “another level” through much of the weekend. Norris also acknowledged a troubling reality for McLaren, revealing that the team had been off the pace compared with Verstappen and Red Bull all weekend. With his seventh-place finish in Azerbaijan, Norris managed to gain six points on his teammate in the championship battle, but lost another 19 to Max Verstappen...

‘Norris acknowledged a troubling reality for McLaren’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/ville...thats-not-true


Golf analogy made as Oscar Piastri’s F1 title ‘jitters’ scrutinised
Oscar Piastri's mistake-ridden weekend in Baku has been examined.
30 Sep 2025
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Oscar Piastri suffered from “jitters” amid the pressure of the F1 title fight hotting up, according to former driver Jolyon Palmer. “I think we saw, just purely, a chink in the armour,” Palmer told the F1 Nation podcast. “We just saw a driver making a really basic human mistake. I can’t see anything other than he just got jittery. He must have got jittery.”

“I was trying to relate this across sports. I was thinking something like The Masters, you play four rounds of golf. Rory McIlroy has played golf for years and years and years, he knows how to put from three yards. But suddenly you are on the back nine on the final day and basic shots become really tricky and you tense up. You start swinging in a weird way, and I think that’s what happened to Oscar.”

“He starts ninth. So he’s a bit tense. You are starting from the mid-pack in Baku. It’s really narrow, especially at Turn 2, Turn 3, Turn 4. The amount of time someone has been bundled into the wall there at the start is pretty high. And he’s got his championship rival ahead of him. I think he’s simply got a bit twitchy. That’s just pressure, it’s jitters and the rest of it was compounded by the first mistake.”

“A chink in the armour”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108295...rs-scrutinised


The key McLaren weakness that recent F1 races have exposed
29 Sep 2025
Lena Ferle
Motorsport Week

McLaren boss Andrea Stella: “From a performance point of view, if you had asked me, ‘What is the most difficult weekend?’, I would have said it would be Baku or Las Vegas,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.

“We know very well that the characteristics of our car mean that it is very competitive in long and medium speed corners, of which there are none in Baku, likewise in Las Vegas. The car is not particularly effective in straight line braking, of which there is a lot [in Baku and Vegas], or when you have to go through prescribed trajectories. The car really wants to roll in the corners, like Turn 1 at Zandvoort is a McLaren corner, of which you have none in Baku or Vegas.”

“But having said that, the car was fast enough to compete for pole position [in Baku], which is a credit to the engineers who have designed a pretty versatile car, even when not operating within the strengths of the car itself. So, Baku and probably Las Vegas, it will definitely not be a surprise that there are cars as competitive as McLaren.”

‘Key McLaren weakness’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...-have-exposed/


McLaren in a hurry to fix Norris' recent bane in title fight
26 Sep 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has admitted that recent pit stop issues remain a concern as the championship closes in. The spotlight fell on Norris once again after a slow 4.1-second stop in Baku, following a similar problem in Monza where a front-left wheel issue cost him nearly six seconds.

Andrea Stella has stated, “The pit stop itself didn’t make any difference because we would have ended up pretty much in the area of Leclerc... For me, the most important takeaway was that the car wasn’t fast enough. With a fast enough car, I think we would have been able to overtake and then have some free air and in free air actually use the full potential.”

Stella added McLaren are committed to improving. “We have seen that the racing, if anything, is getting tighter and tighter, so the impact of a pit stop now gets more and more important,” he said. “It’s an area in which we have already concentrated our efforts, but we need to keep working. Every tenth counts for the championship.”

‘Pit stop issues remain a concern’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/mclar...etting-tighter


McLaren told to take immediate action to avoid looking ‘dumb’
McLaren have been offered some advice heading into the closing stretch of the 2025 F1 title fight.
26 Sep 2025
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Guenther Steiner has urged McLaren to back Oscar Piastri over Lando Norris in the F1 2025 title race. “In the end, you want to win the drivers’ championship as well, not only the constructors’,” Steiner told The Red Flags podcast. “The team is more important than the driver, and the drivers are, as I always say and not diminishing, just part of a team.”

“And both cannot win, so instead of having two fighting and lose it all, you get somebody to win. As much as Lando is the face and the favoured son, I think McLaren needs to be above that, and will be above that. It is crazy, but you have to do it. In my opinion, you have to do it to win.” Steiner added: “I think they will take the decision, because otherwise, if they lose it because of that decision, how dumb do they look?”

With Verstappen lurking, Steiner is adamant that the time has now come for McLaren to throw all their weight behind Piastri. Asked when he would make the call to back one driver over the other, Steiner replied: “I would make it now. “I would do, because I just want to make sure I win the championship. I said I think Max cannot get near, but if I already get the feeling there is a risk, why would I take it?”

'Avoid looking dumb';

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108249...-f1-title-race

[Fortitude]

Giedo van der Garde adamant that Max Verstappen will win 2025 F1 title because of one McLaren weakness.
“I don’t think Piastri or Norris will become world champion, but I think Max will,” van der Garde declared. “His car has become much more competitive. If you think about it, there are actually only two Grands Prix that are going really well for McLaren.”
25 September 2025
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde believes his compatriot will surely replicate Michael Schumacher’s feat of five consecutive drivers’ titles this season, referencing the mistakes of McLaren as the main catalyst. “I don’t think Piastri or Norris will become world champion, but I think Max will,” van der Garde declared. “His car has become much more competitive. If you think about it, there are actually only two Grands Prix that are going really well for McLaren.”

“They are Singapore, where Lando Norris is really good, and Qatar. But what about the others? I bet Max will win Abu Dhabi, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States. He’s 69 points behind Piastri, which is a lot, but we mustn’t forget that Lando and Oscar have never been world champions. So they too will have nervous moments. They too will make mistakes. They too will end up off the track. And Max? He has nothing to lose; he’ll give it his all. Believe me: he’ll become world champion.”

The biggest weapon in the Dutchman’s arsenal is the fact that he doesn’t have anything to lose. At Monza, Verstappen couldn’t care less about the McLarens behind him as they squabbled for position through the use of team orders. Now pinned as the underdog in the 2025 title fight and equipped with a more manageable car than before, Verstappen can unleash some of the best drives of his F1 career to try and claw his way back into the battle.

‘Max doesn’t have anything to lose’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/gie...aren-weakness/


Why McLaren sees Max Verstappen as a ‘disruptor’ to F1 ambitions
30 Sep 2025
Anirban Aly Mandal
Motorsport Week

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has admitted that Max Verstappen still poses a threat to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s 2025 Formula 1 title ambitions. “I think you have got to pay attention to Max,” he told Bloomberg while calling the 27-year-old a “disruptor”. “We have got to keep doing what we’re doing. The constructors’ is looking very good. We had a chance to wrap it up in Baku, but let’s not talk back at Baku. Hopefully we can get the job done in Singapore.”

“What we want to do is we want our two drivers and Max – but we’d like to kind of get him out of there – to fight for the championship and just give them equal opportunity, equal equipment, which is what we’re doing,” he added. “May the best man win. That’s what we want to do. We’d like to not play a role, if at all possible,” contemplated Brown.

“Lando had a mechanical [failure, at Zandvoort] and things can happen, safety cars and things of that nature. Our goal is to just set Lando and Oscar up to be competing for the championship down to Abu Dhabi, and may the best driver win.”

‘Max Verstappen as a ‘disruptor’’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...-f1-ambitions/


Verstappen pushes McLaren into impossible sacrifice, sees Steiner
26 Sep 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Guenther Steiner believes Max Verstappen can still play a role in shaping the 2025 championship battle, and that McLaren may be forced into a tough call between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Speaking on the Red Flags podcast, the former Haas team boss argued that even if Verstappen has the best car at this stage, he won’t win every race. What matters, he said, is the pressure Verstappen’s presence puts on McLaren.

“I think even if Max has got the best car, he still can just make, you know, he will not win them all anyway, in my opinion. And so, but it could open up, that it gets competitive and that McLaren has to change the papaya rules and support one driver actually supported to win,” Steiner said.

‘The pressure Verstappen’s presence puts on McLaren’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/verst...n-favoured-son


Oscar Piastri ‘isn’t invincible’ as Australian racing icon drops Norris claim
25 Sep 2025
Elizabeth Blackstock
PlanetF1.com

David Brabham, son of the legendary Australian Formula 1 champion Jack Brabham, has pointed out that Oscar Piastri no longer looks invincible following his errors at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Australia’s first Formula 1 World Champion, Jack Brabham, secured titles in the highest form of motorsport in 1959, 1960, and 1966. Since then, only one Australian driver, Alan Jones, has managed to bring WDC honors back home to the country — but in 2025, Oscar Piastri appears to be on track to achieve the same feat.

So out of character was Piastri’s poor weekend that David Brabham, son of Jack Brabham, told RacingNews356 that “it was a surprise to see Oscar make such mistakes. “I think this could give Lando hope; it shows that pressure is starting to build and that Oscar can be cracked after all.”

“Oscar has made mistakes now,” Brabham argues. “Maybe that was even necessary. Now he can regroup, focus, and come back stronger for the rest of the season. It’s going to be interesting, because we’ve seen that Oscar isn’t invincible,” Brabham summed up. “If Lando seizes his moments, everything can change.”

‘Oscar Piastri no longer looks invincible’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/oscar-...s-norris-claim


Oscar Piastri handed 'weakened' defence as McLaren prediction delivered
Guenther Steiner does not envisage Oscar Piastri's poor Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be detrimental to his confidence as the F1 drivers' championship enters its closing stages.
1 October 2025
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

Oscar Piastri will not have "weakened his confidence" through his calamitous weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, according to former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner. "Oscar, up to now, has made very few mistakes in his career.

"Baku was one where he did, but I think he’s one of those guys who can say: 'I made mistakes, I get over it, I get back to being my normal self.' I don’t think it weakened his confidence. Now, going back to what I would call more normal circuits, I think McLaren will be stronger again."

"The races Max won were on high-speed circuits, with the Max factor involved — like Baku, where that guy can just pull it off sometimes," Steiner said. "But he cannot do it consistently, because his car is not as good as the McLaren." He added: "You can never write Max completely off... [but] if everything goes as it should, he cannot win it anymore. He’s just too far back, and the McLarens at the moment are the better car."

"You can never write Max completely off...”;

https://racingnews365.com/oscar-pias...tion-delivered


Oscar Piastri feeling positive ahead of Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix
30 Sep 2025
Michael Doyle
ABC Online

Formula 1 drivers' championship leader Oscar Piastri has said he is "very keen" to go racing again after his worst weekend of the season. Piastri crashed out on the first lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, after crashing out of qualifying a day earlier.

"I'm very keen to get back in the cockpit," Piastri said in the lead-up to the weekend. "On paper, and with the temperatures involved in Singapore, our car has been proven to be comfortable in the past, and with that in mind, I'm looking forward to a really positive weekend."

"Very keen";

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-...prix/105831828


Toto Wolff reaches verdict over stunning Max Verstappen F1 title upset
Toto Wolff has reached his judgement on whether Max Verstappen can launch a stunning F1 title upset.
1 October 2025
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Toto Wolff believes it is a "long shot" for Max Verstappen to pull off a stunning F1 title upset and defeat McLaren. "I think you always need to keep your feet on the ground and stay humble," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365.

"He is on a good run, the car is good, and with Max Verstappen, you always need to be wary of what he can achieve, especially if he sees that the [title] is back on the cards. But 69 points is a long shot, things need to work in his favour, but a DNF for the championship leader, and Max scoring 25 points, things can swing quickly."

"Long shot";

https://racingnews365.com/toto-wolff...f1-title-upset

[Fortitude]

F1 paddock rallies with sympathy for Lewis Hamilton after death of Roscoe.
“After four days on life support, fighting with every bit of strength he had, I had to make the hardest decision of my life and say goodbye to Roscoe,” Hamilton wrote.
01 Oct 2025
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Hamilton’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc sent a heart, while erstwhile Mercedes stablemate George Russell replied: “I’m so sorry for your loss mate.” Pierre Gasly, who owns Simba, a Toy Poodle responded: “So sorry for your loss.” Esteban Ocon wrote a similar message of support for Hamilton: “We are all thinking of you Lewis. We will miss you Roscoe, RIP.” Mercedes said: “Our thoughts are with you, Lewis. Roscoe brought so much joy to those who met him and he’ll always be a part of our family.”

Hamilton’s new home Ferrari shared: “So sorry for your loss, Lewis. Roscoe was an amazing dog, and he will never be forgotten.” McLaren, his first team in F1 back in 2007, added its own poignant message: “Our thoughts are with you, Lewis. Roscoe was a star of the paddock and will be missed.” Red Bull commented: “Really sorry for your loss, Lewis,” Sauber adding: “He’ll be so missed in the paddock! Sorry for your loss, Lewis.”

Williams posted: “All of our thoughts are with you Lewis. So sorry for your loss,” as boss James Vowles added: “My deepest condolences Lewis. Thinking of you both.” Alpine also shared its own message of sympathy. “So sorry for your loss, Lewis. We’ll miss seeing Roscoe around the paddock.” F1 concluded: “Rest in Peace Roscoe Hamilton, a true star in his own right…. The FIA also posted a message: “The FIA family is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Roscoe. Our thoughts are with you Lewis.”

‘F1 paddock rallies with sympathy’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...ath-of-roscoe/


Tributes Pour in From F1 Paddock After Lewis Hamilton's Dog Roscoe Dies
September 30, 2025
Nelson Espinal Newsweek
Bellingham Herald

F1’s official account: “Rest in Peace Roscoe Hamilton, a true star in his own right.
“Lewis Hamilton's beloved Roscoe brought smiles to the paddock and warmed the hearts of fans all over the world. Our thoughts are with Lewis during this difficult time.
“Rest easy Roscoe, from paddock pup to Dogue icon, thank you for the pawprints you left on all of our hearts.”

The seven-time World Champion adopted Roscoe in 2013, and the pair have been inseparable ever since. In fact, both the driver and Rosce were on a vegan diet. The new diet allowed for Roscoe’s health problems to be minimized until recently, when the dog battled through issues that he had always battled throughout his life.

Roscoe became a social media icon, with 1.4 million followers on Instagram in an account dedicated to the dog. There were several shots of him living his best life alongside Hamilton. Roscoe was a true star in the F1 paddock and around the world. His presence will be missed.

‘Tributes Pour in’;

https://www.bellinghamherald.com/spo...mainstage_card


Lewis Hamilton pays touching tribute to “amazing friend” who cared for Roscoe
“While I was travelling, she would take care of him and loved him as if he was hers. She was there every day, all day.”
01 Oct 2025
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Lewis Hamilton has paid a heartfelt tribute to his friend Kirstin, who cared for his late dog Roscoe while he was away racing in F1. On Monday, Hamilton confirmed that Roscoe had passed away following a battle with pneumonia.

In a post on his Instagram story, Hamilton thanked his “amazing friend,” Kirstin, lauding her as a key reason why Roscoe had such a long life, exceeding the typical lifespan for a Bulldog. Hamilton wrote: “I want you to take time to uplift my amazing friend Kirstin. She trained both Roscoe and Coco and treated them like family. She helped look after their health and it is really through her that Roscoe lived so long.”

“While I was travelling, she would take care of him and loved him as if he was hers. She was there every day, all day. Even with a family and other dogs to look after, she never missed a day. We stood together when letting Roscoe go. I am so grateful to have had her in my life and Roscoe’s life. There is nobody like you Kirstin. Thank you.”

“It is really through her (Kirstin ) that Roscoe lived so long”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108296...o-cared-roscoe


Lewis Hamilton's dog Roscoe dies in F1 star's arms as he shares devastating news
The driver's beloved pooch passed away last night.
29 Sep 2025
Daniel Moxon and Rachel Cronin
Daily Record

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed the tragic news of his beloved bulldog Roscoe's death today. The seven-time Formula 1 champion had remained at his faithful companion's side since last Wednesday, when he rushed the bulldog to a vet clinic following a "scary few hours" where his pup's condition rapidly declined.

However, matters took a turn for the worse on Friday, September 26, when Hamilton revealed his dog had slipped into a coma, reports the Mirror. He told followers on social media: "Please keep Roscoe in your thoughts. I want to keep you all updated. Roscoe caught pneumonia again and was struggling to breathe.

‘Lewis Hamilton's dog Roscoe dies in F1 star's arms’;

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entert...-dies-35985733


‘Hardest decision of my life’: Hamilton’s heartbreak after death of beloved dog
September 30th, 2025
AFP from Afp
Fox Sports (Australia)

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he made the “hardest decision” of his life to put his 12-year-old bulldog Roscoe to sleep. The British former world champion missed a Formula One tyre test in Italy on Friday to be with his sick pet, who had been hospitalised with pneumonia.

The 40-year-old Ferrari driver said Roscoe had died in his arms on Sunday. “After four days on life support, fighting with every bit of strength he had, I had to make the hardest decision of my life and say goodbye to Roscoe. He never stopped fighting, right until the very end,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram.

“I feel so grateful and honoured to have shared my life with such a beautiful soul, an angel and true friend. Bringing Roscoe into my life was the best decision I ever made, and I will forever cherish the memories we created together. It is one of the most painful experiences and I feel a deep connection to everyone who has gone through the loss of a beloved pet.”

‘Hardest decision of my life’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...b460ddbc45bf36


Jeremy Clarkson offers sympathy to Hamilton following Roscoe’s passing
30 Sep 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson also reacted to the passing of Roscoe. Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson also reacted under one of Ferrari driver's posts. The Briton wrote: "Really sorry to hear that. It's hell."

‘Jeremy Clarkson offers sympathy’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/jerem...oscoes-passing