This past week has produced as much off-track news as any period this season. A driver market that was expected to simmer until summer has already started to boil, with Red Bull’s future, McLaren’s stability, and Williams’ ambitions all generating significant paddock heat.
Also, Christian Horner has resurfaced in the most consequential company, and both Verstappen and Hamilton used Montreal’s media day to draw lines in the sand on their respective futures.
Here’s the latest
Max Verstappen ended months of genuine uncertainty on Saturday morning in Montreal, confirming he will remain in Formula 1 beyond 2026, conditional on the FIA following through on its proposed 60-40 combustion-to-electric power split for 2027.
The four-time world champion had spent much of the season questioning whether F1 still held enough appeal to continue, describing the current regulations as anti-racing and raising the prospect of walking away entirely.
Speaking to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, he confirmed he was staying, but only if parties kept their word on the incoming changes, adding that the direction of travel was “almost back to normal.” His Red Bull future, however, was conspicuously left open. His contract with the team runs until 2028 but contains performance-based exit clauses that activate around the summer break if he sits outside the top two in the standings. He is currently fifth, 60 points off second place, making the clause accessible. Verstappen said he would prefer to remain connected to Red Bull in some capacity but stressed there was no urgency to resolve that question.
The announcement did little to calm the paddock’s speculation machine. Earlier in the Canada week, his father Jos had been photographed in extended conversation with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff outside the Silver Arrows’ motorhome, a scene that echoed last year’s summer, when a similar back-channel drove months of transfer rumour. Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies moved swiftly to dismiss the meeting as insignificant.
(Source: GPFans)
Lewis Hamilton used the Canadian Grand Prix media day to put an end to persistent speculation about his future, confirming he is contracted to Ferrari until at least the end of 2027 and dismissing suggestions he might leave the sport before that deal expires.
Speaking to assembled press at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Thursday, the seven-time world champion was characteristically direct. He referenced the number of people he felt were trying to write his retirement for him, made clear that was not something occupying his thoughts, and said he was already planning the next five years of his career. He confirmed his deal ran until at least 2027, going further publicly than Ferrari has previously been prepared to say about the length of his arrangement.
Former driver and broadcaster Martin Brundle added further detail at the weekend, stating his understanding was that Hamilton also holds a unilateral option to extend his stay at Ferrari into 2028, meaning the decision would rest entirely with the driver rather than the team. Hamilton’s 2025 campaign at Ferrari had been difficult; he failed to reach the podium in a full season for the first time in his career and was consistently outpaced by Charles Leclerc. This year has been more encouraging, though Ferrari has yet to demonstrate it can regularly match Mercedes and McLaren.
His strong performance in Canada will be encouraging.
(Source: Sky Sports)
Oscar Piastri broke his silence in Montreal on reports linking him to Red Bull as a potential long-term replacement for Max Verstappen, calling the speculation flattering but insisting there had been no contact of any kind from the Milton Keynes team.
The reports, first confirmed by Autosport earlier this month, stated that Red Bull had identified Piastri as its preferred option in any scenario where Verstappen departed, whether to another team, on sabbatical, or out of the sport entirely. Piastri’s manager, former Red Bull driver Mark Webber, was reported to be actively monitoring top-tier opportunities. Speaking to the media ahead of the weekend, Piastri said the links were news to him, that no discussions had taken place, and that, beyond acknowledging it reflected well on his standing, there was nothing further to say.
McLaren moved on multiple fronts to reinforce that position. Team principal Andrea Stella stressed the strength and happiness of his current driver pairing, making clear he had no desire to change it. CEO Zak Brown, who had previously acknowledged Red Bull’s interest while expressing confidence in retaining Piastri, again underlined the same message.
(Source: Autosport)
Williams announced four senior hires in the week of the Canadian Grand Prix, led by Piers Thynne from McLaren, in the most significant statement yet of James Vowles’ ambition to rebuild the team into a genuine championship contender over the coming years.
Thynne, who joins as a newly created chief optimisation and planning officer in August, was central to McLaren’s operational transformation across their back-to-back constructors’ championship seasons in 2024 and 2025. He spent more than 18 years with the Woking outfit in progressively senior roles, eventually reaching chief operating officer. His brief at Williams will cover manufacturing, operations, robotics, advanced manufacturing technology, and long-term structural planning, areas Vowles has identified as fundamental weaknesses following the team’s troubled start to 2026, when the FW48 arrived late and overweight.
Three further appointments were announced alongside Thynne. Claire Simpson joins as head of aerodynamic development from Mercedes, where she spent 12 years. Fred Judd arrives as head of performance optimisation from Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, where he oversaw power unit engineering for customer teams across a 17-year tenure. Steve Booth becomes head of vehicle engineering, having served as Alpine’s chief engineer on their 2026 project. Vowles described the group as exactly the kind of experienced, high-calibre talent his rebuild requires, and confirmed further senior appointments are expected before the season concludes.
(Source: Formula 1)
Christian Horner’s return to Formula 1 has taken its most concrete shape yet, with reports confirming the former Red Bull team principal held multiple meetings with BYD Vice President Stella Li at the Cannes Film Festival as the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer considers a bid to enter the sport as a 12th constructor.
Horner, whose non-compete clause following his departure from Red Bull in July 2025 expired earlier this month, was photographed at a BYD event during the festival and is separately understood to have met with company chief executive Wang Chuanfu. Sources familiar with the discussions told ESPN that both parties see genuine potential to move forward, though BYD is not believed to be close to any formal commitment. The manufacturer’s preference, sources indicate, is for a brand-new team entry rather than a minority stake purchase in an existing outfit. BYD’s net worth has been reported at $125 billion.
BYD’s interest in F1 is not new; its vice president confirmed earlier this year that discussions had taken place with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend in Shanghai. Domenicali has been measured in response, noting any bid would need to be of significant commercial scale and that the sport is already stretched logistically. The Concorde Agreement does permit a 12th entrant.
Horner has simultaneously been linked to a bid for the 24 per cent Alpine stake held by Otro Capital, a decision on which is expected within weeks. His F1 return, in one form or another, appears increasingly inevitable.
(Source: ESPN)
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