Alexander Albon had his future defined this Tuesday with the confirmation that he will remain at Williams in 2027. The Formula 1 day also featured a new attempt by Red Bull to keep Max Verstappen until 2033, praise for Gabriel Bortoleto, and Mercedes’ concern about reliability for the second half of the season.
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Williams announced Albon’s renewal before the Dutch GP, ending doubts about one of the team’s seats for the next championship. The driver has been with the Grove team since 2022. At the same time, Carlos Sainz also appears close to agreeing to stay, amid the team’s discussions to define the lineup that will continue the project.
Verstappen’s future returned to the spotlight. According to journalist Ralf Bach from F1-Insider, Red Bull offered a new five-year contract that could keep the four-time world champion with the team until 2033. The proposal would involve a lot of money, but the main obstacle would be the exit clause existing in the current contract. Verstappen would not be willing to easily give up this mechanism and might prefer a shorter agreement to assess Red Bull’s competitiveness in 2027.
Gabriel Bortoleto also gained prominence on the eve of the return to the tracks. Allan McNish praised the Brazilian’s work ethic and highlighted this behavior as an important characteristic for the moment Audi is experiencing. The team wants to start the second half of the championship at a strong pace after the progress shown in the first 11 rounds.
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At Mercedes, the mood is cautious despite leading the championships. The team showed concern about the sequence of reliability problems faced in 2026, precisely when Ferrari and McLaren are increasing pressure in the competition. Kimi Antonelli arrives in Zandvoort leading the Drivers’ World Championship with 219 points, while Lewis Hamilton is second with 169.
Aston Martin will have one of the main technical novelties of the comeback. Honda confirmed that it will introduce a new power unit specification in Zandvoort, classifying the Dutch GP as a “milestone” for the project. The update comes after the chassis evolution presented in Hungary and will have only one free practice session to be evaluated, since the weekend will feature the Sprint.
Formula 1 returns to the tracks this Friday, the 21st, to start the activities of the Dutch GP. The Sprint takes place on Saturday, while the race that opens the second half of the season will be held on Sunday, the 23rd.
