Toto Wolff expressed 'pain' over Mercedes' P2 finish, highlighting the massive 364-point gap to McLaren. The team now looks to a 2026 reset with major regulation changes.
Former strategist Bernie Collins suggests Mercedes' three-team engine supply deal for 2026 will provide a crucial data advantage, while newcomers like Cadillac face a monumental challenge just to compete.
Max Verstappen revealed he was supposed to pay for the annual drivers' dinner, but Pierre Gasly discreetly settled the bill first. Verstappen joked that he'll make sure to pay next year.
Rookie Kimi Antonelli praised Max Verstappen for his "wonderful" support and advice during his debut F1 season, calling the four-time champion a key mentor for newcomers.
Sauber capped its final F1 season with a ninth-place finish, highlighted by Nico Hulkenberg's maiden podium. The team now hands over a stable platform to Audi, which enters in 2026 with a proven driver lineup and new technical leadership aiming to transform the midfield outfit into a works team contender.
Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari contract reportedly includes a 2028 option only he can activate. This gives the seven-time champion significant leverage over the team after a disappointing debut season, potentially tying Ferrari's hands for their future line-up.
Aston Martin F1 owner Lawrence Stroll says the team must be patient with new engine partner Honda in 2026, acknowledging the time needed to develop and integrate a brand-new power unit under major regulation changes, while still maintaining "very high" long-term expectations for the works partnership.
Ollie Bearman forecasts a difficult start for Arvid Lindblad, who will be the sole rookie on the 2026 F1 grid. Bearman, who debuted alongside four others in 2025, believes navigating the new regulations alone, without the shared experience of fellow newcomers, presents a unique mental and competitive challenge for the talented Swede.
1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve identifies Lando Norris's mid-season mental shift—stopping his habit of public self-criticism—as the decisive factor in his 2025 F1 title win over Max Verstappen.
A major controversy over the interpretation of F1's 2026 engine compression ratio limit threatens to split the grid. Mercedes and Red Bull's design approach, which complies with a static FIA test, is argued by rivals Ferrari, Audi, and Aston Martin to breach the on-track limit, potentially yielding a 0.4-second per lap advantage that could be locked in for the entire season due to homologation rules.
Ferrari's Enrico Gualtieri explains the 2026 F1 power unit revolution, where electric power matches combustion engine output and energy management via software becomes the key performance factor. The removal of the MGU-H and tripling of electric power creates new challenges, putting a premium on driver strategy and software integration for success.
Carlos Sainz says Williams' strong 2025 season, which yielded fifth in the constructors' standings and two podiums for him, fully justifies his decision to join the team. He credits Team Principal James Vowles' honest assessment of the project's strengths and weaknesses for his smooth transition, while acknowledging the work still needed to bridge gaps in processes and tools ahead of F1's 2026 regulation changes.
