Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

"A great result and a fantastic reward", claims Colapinto as he scores career best result in Montreal.
Alpine enjoyed their most successful weekend of the 2026 season at the Canadian Grand Prix, with Franco Colapinto finishing a career best sixth and Pierre Gasly climbing from 14th on the grid to eighth.
26 May 2026
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Franco Colapinto was thrilled with both his own performance and the team’s progress. He said: “From where we started the weekend to having a double points finish for the team, is a great result and a fantastic reward for everyone at the team who has been working so hard. I'm very proud of the work we've collectively been doing and it's a great team result today.” He celebrated his best F1 finish: “It's also my best result in Formula One, which makes me very happy and builds on the performance we showed in Miami.”

Colapinto acknowledged that Alpine benefitted from others’ misfortune but maximised their own opportunities: “We know we benefitted from others' misfortune, and it's never a nice feeling to benefit from their issues, but we maximised everything we could and brought the car home.” He also described his near miss with the wall: “It was extremely low grip out there and slippery, especially at the start in the opening laps on a harder compound tyre to those around us.

"I also had a scary moment exiting the pits after my stop, where I hit a wet patch, then went on the white line and drifted towards the wall. Thankfully I hit the wall side on and got away with a small amount of damage, which didn't require repairs or impact the performance.” Looking ahead, he added: “As we know, there's still more we need to do to be more competitive, bring more performance to the car and get closer to those ahead of us on merit.”

"A great result and a fantastic reward";

https://www.f1technical.net/news/28581


‘Damage limitation’ pleases P8 Gasly in Canada
Pierre Gasly knows Alpine have work to do, despite coming home in the points in Montreal.
May 25, 2026
Formula One - Official Site

After qualifying 14th for the Canadian Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly looked in for a difficult afternoon at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. But the Frenchman put in a strong drive to climb into the points on Sunday and finish eighth, which he was quick to call “damage limitation.”

"I must say I’m happy with the… I’ll call it damage limitation. The whole weekend, with all the struggles yeah, I'll take these four points definitely,” Gasly said after the race. Pretty pleased with that, a very good weekend for the team as well, sixth and eighth so 12 points, it’s been a while since we scored that.”

“A lot of positives and I’m looking forward to the next coming days and I really like working with the team and digging a bit deeper into the performance and why there were the limitations on my car have been what they have been. We will work with the guys, and it will be important for Monaco with all the traction issues we have.”

‘Damage limitation’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...02eLQhdq0e2100


Gasly in the points, but still puzzled by Alpine performance loss
27/05/2026
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Pierre Gasly left Montreal with another solid haul of points for Alpine, but the Frenchman’s smile barely concealed a growing concern simmering underneath the Frenchman’s season. Yet behind the result lies a conundrum neither Gasly nor the Enstone squad can fully explain: somewhere inside the upgraded A526, performance has quietly slipped away. And the more Alpine searches for answers, the stranger the problem appears to become.

“It’s [been] the same thing since the first lap in practice in Miami,” Gasly said after last Sunday’s race. We see it on data, we're pretty clear on what's happening and we've just got to understand exactly where it comes from, and it's going to be part of the work we'll have to do ahead of Monaco.”

“As a team, we've got a good understanding coming out of the weekend and we can exclude the parts, but they still will be important to analyse deeper and understand, once the car gets back at the factory, how to get that performance back.”

‘The stranger the problem appears to become’;

https://f1i.com/news/565245-gasly-in...ance-loss.html


Pierre Gasly puzzled by sudden 'fundamental' Alpine mystery
Pierre Gasly has started the season strongly, but a sudden slump has left him scratching his head.
30 May 2026
Jake Nichol & Sàndor Mészáros
RacingNews365

Pierre Gasly has explained the sudden "fundamental" issues he is facing with his Alpine F1 car, despite a strong start to the season. "I don't really know what's going on since Miami, but at the moment on my side we're absolutely nowhere," a downbeat Gasly reflected after qualifying in Montreal. It was an easy top 10, the car was quite consistent, but I couldn't brake, couldn't turn in, couldn't accelerate. There was no grip. Hopefully, the team can help to find these answers.”

"You can ask the team, but I am not going to comment [on taking upgrades off], but there is just more to it, because it's a case of fundamentally, something not clicking since Miami, and there is a lot of work to do. I think it is something more fundamental [than upgrades], which we're trying to understand, and on the data, there is quite clearly stuff which does not make sense, but we haven't found the fixes yet. It was the same thing, and we saw it from the first lap of practice in Miami," he said.

"We see it on the data, it is pretty clear on what is happening, and we've just got to understand where it comes from, and that'll be part of the work for Monaco. That's why I'm happy finishing P8 from 14th. I can just feel what I feel, and you can see on the data the difference, but I don't think it is set-up related. We just need to get back to the factory, understand a bit more because there is performance, but since Miami, clearly something has changed in terms of extracting potential, and I need to get it back."

“I couldn't brake, couldn't turn in, couldn't accelerate”;

https://racingnews365.com/pierre-gas...alpine-mystery


Mercedes walks away from ‘overpriced’ Alpine F1 share purchase
Mercedes has reportedly backed away from buying a stake in Alpine over cost
30 May 2026
Lewis Duncan
Crash.Net

Mercedes has reportedly backed out of negotiations over buying Otro Capital’s minority share in the Alpine Formula 1 team over cost. Mercedes has been linked to buying a 24% share in Alpine since the early months of the year, with plans progressing to the point of an agreement in principle with Renault.

The report claims that Otro was looking for £536m for its share in Alpine it purchased for £171m three years ago. Mercedes is reported to have considered Otro’s asking price for its share in Alpine, which values the team at £2.2 billion, too high for an outfit that isn’t profitable right now. Mercedes is thought to have considered Alpine’s value to be somewhere in the region of £1.6-£1.8 billion.

At one stage, this looked like Horner’s most likely route back into the F1 paddock, before Mercedes became involved. However, even with Mercedes backing away, Renault is thought to have elected not to continue talks with Horner. In recent weeks, Horner, who lost his role with Red Bull midway through the 2025 season, has been linked to leading a potential BYD entry into F1.

‘Mercedes has reportedly backed away’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/109641...share-purchase


Mercedes end Alpine share pursuit as key difference arises
Mercedes will no longer pursue a share of the Alpine F1 Team.
30 May 2026
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Mercedes has pulled out of its discussions to purchase a minority share in Alpine after a key difference in valuation arose. Otro Capital's 24 per cent share in the Enstone-based F1 operation. However, Otro was demanding too much for its stake, prompting Mercedes to pull out of the deal after concluding that the asking price was too high.

In Mercedes' view, the French team is worth between £1.6 billion and £1.8 billion, making its valuation of Otro's 24 per cent share significantly lower than the asking price. There has been significant interest in Otro's share in Alpine, according to former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

However, it is believed that Renault, which can veto Otro selling its share until September, has ended any talks for now. The F1 outfit also announced this week a new major partnership with luxury fashion brand Gucci from 2027, in a long-term deal worth a significant fee.

‘Mercedes end Alpine share pursuit’;

https://racingnews365.com/mercedes-e...ference-arises

[Fortitude]

‘Couldn’t handle the pressure’: F1 champ’s blunt Piastri assessment.
Kimi Raikkonen believes Oscar Piastri "couldn't handle the pressure"… …backing championship leader Kimi Antonelli to avoid the same fate.
1 Jun 2026
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

“Antonelli won’t lose focus; he’s showing maturity,” Kimi Raikkonen said. “He’ll have to avoid imitating Piastri in 2025. At one point, the Australian McLaren driver seemed to have the title in his pocket, but he couldn’t handle the pressure. The Italian won’t fall into the same trap.” Raikkonen believes the Italian’s approach behind the scenes is a key reason why he is capable of sustaining a championship challenge across the remainder of the season.

“Yes, and he believes in it. You can see it in the way he approaches the races, in the spirit he puts into it,” he added. The Finn also suggested Antonelli’s recent results are not possible without possessing exceptional ability, highlighting the teenager’s run of four straight victories. “Obviously, in Formula 1, you don’t win four consecutive Grands Prix unless you have special talent,” Raikkonen said. “Antonelli’s numbers are a feat. Having the right car is crucial, but it’s always been that way, throughout history.”

Although Raikkonen has rarely spoken publicly since ending his Formula 1 career in 2021, he admitted he has followed Antonelli’s rise with particular interest. “Naturally, I follow Antonelli’s exploits with great sympathy,” he explained. “I’m amused that he shares my name (Kimi), even though I think it’s just a coincidence. He’s certainly very talented.”

‘Capable of sustaining a championship challenge’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2026-k...nterview-rare/


'Mercedes encouraged to let Russell and Antonelli battle it out for the title'
31 May 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Mercedes let Kimi Antonelli and George Russell battle it out at the Canadian Grand Prix for victory. With the two drivers putting on a strong show, fans back Mercedes to allow the teammates to race without any restrictions. Former Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner was also pleased to see the two drivers battle it out, as he hailed the Mercedes CEO and team principal as last weekend's rockstar.

In The Red Flags podcast, he commented: "He didn't interfere, didn't say anything. Just let them out there. And you have no idea. The Rockstar should be the person who is cleaning his pants. And but fair play to him. When he has such a position, he's just like, ‘Hey, guys, what is happening here? You know, no, he let them go, let them race.”

“That's why I say for Toto, not to put an end to it, what was remarkable, good in my opinion. That was, we can, I can be joking about the smell of Toto's pants, but in the end, he deserves that in my opinion, because that is what made this interesting."

‘Last weekend's rockstar’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/merce...-for-the-title


Mercedes make 'too close for comfort' acknowledgement after George Russell-Kimi Antonelli fight
Mercedes will allow its drivers to fight each other this season, but under one crucial condition.
31 May 2026
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has acknowledged that George Russell and Kimi Antonelli's battles during the Canadian Grand Prix were "too close for comfort". Asked on the Nu Silver Arrows radio show what it feels like to watch Russell and Antonelli battle, Shovlin explained:

"It (your heart rate) does go up a bit, but when you look at most of it, it is absolutely fine and you always want to let the drivers race. If the team is doing a good job, you've had the right conversations beforehand and you don't have to interfere. There were a couple of points in Canada where it got too close for comfort.”

"There was one point where it looked like one car could have ended up going into the back of the other and we will do everything to avoid that, but the two of them want to be allowed to race. They know that they need to deliver on their end of the bargain, which is race fairly without risking DNFs and don't hit each other. We had good discussions over the weekend and we'll have good discussions ahead of the next race."

'Too close for comfort';

https://racingnews365.com/mercedes-m...ntonelli-fight


Antonelli: 'Mercedes knows, they can't put a leash on us with Russell'
31 May 2026
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Kimi Antonelli wants to avoid a repeat of the 2016 scenario with George Russell as the Mercedes teammates battle for the 2026 World Drivers' Championship. However, he stressed that Mercedes cannot put them on a leash either. The current Formula 1 championship leader did not switch off from motorsport despite not competing this weekend. He received the prestigious Trofeo Bandini award in Italy and also waved the chequered flag at the MotoGP race in Mugello.

At the media conference ahead of receiving his award, he said that the German team wants to let its drivers compete freely against each other, as it trusts them to race fairly. "They know very well, especially in the position that we are now, you cannot put the leash on us. But they also want to make sure that there's not an unpleasant situation. If they feel like it, in the next few races, they will tell us to race a bit easier."

The Mercedes squad has experienced a tough teammate battle in the past, when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg went head-to-head to achieve the biggest prize. Antonelli highlighted that he wants to avoid a similar situation. "Of course we're going to race each other hard, but we'll try to be as fair as possible, avoiding any crashes or contacts because we want the best as well for the team. We want Mercedes to win, as well. We're gonna go at each other, for sure, but in a fair manner."

“You cannot put the leash on us”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/anton...s-with-russell


Wolff concedes W17 upgrades 'didn't bring the performance gains we had expected'
31 May 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Speaking to GPblog and other media outlets after the race, Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff acknowledged that the upgrade package introduced in Canada had fallen short of Mercedes' expectations. "It didn't bring the performance gains that we had expected on paper, but it's very difficult to assess. We didn't see the McLarens today at all. We had the pace, we had the gap, but how much that is, is it what we have anticipated, I think it's very difficult to judge yet."

Toto Wolff also suggested that Monaco may not provide a clear answer either, with the team instead planning to continue gathering data over the coming races before reaching any firm conclusions about the effectiveness of the package. "Montreal was a sweet circuit for us last year. Is that shining a better light on our performance than it would be on any other circuit? Probably Monaco, we won't know it either, so we need to continue to monitor and to analyze."

‘Performance gains were not as expected on paper’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/wolff...e-had-expected


Gary Anderson's take on the upgrade Mercedes seems unsure of
31 May 2026
GARY ANDERSON
The Race

It was a brave decision for Mercedes to introduce its first major upgrade package of the 2026 Formula 1 season in Montreal given how competitive it was in Canada last year, it being a sprint weekend and its early-season dominance. Amid all that, Mercedes could easily have tripped itself up when striving to improve performance. Even though it locked out the front row of the grid for both races and won twice, this was not straightforward.

Looking in detail at the upgrade and starting from the front, Mercedes introduced a completely new front wing assembly and profile. Like the front wing, the bargeboard area is subject to some fairly serious developments. When you get a change in the flow direction coming around the front tyre, everything else needs to be optimised around it. To go with those bargeboard developments, the edge detail of the rear part of the floor has also been revised fairly dramatically.

This area (bargeboard developments ) is where you need to create some form of aerodynamic sealing, otherwise the low pressure underneath the floor giving you the underfloor downforce won’t be as low as it could be, which would mean less downforce and with that less grip. The changes make sense from the outside, and the performance in Canada suggests they have at least been reasonably successful, but let’s see how the car goes in Monaco and, more importantly, Barcelona before making a definitive judgement.

‘The upgrade Mercedes seems unsure of’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/g...ems-unsure-of/