Formula 1 had a Wednesday marked by technical news, criticism of the 2026 cars, and movements behind the scenes of the teams. McLaren confirmed more updates after the victory in Hungary, while Honda explained why its new power unit started the season below expectations.
Read more F1: Gasly criticizes 2026 cars and says the essence of driving has been lost
McLaren is already preparing small evolutions for the first stages after the break and is studying a more significant package for the Azerbaijan GP. The performance of the MCL40 at the Hungaroring, where Lando Norris achieved the team’s first victory and first pole position in 2026, confirmed the effectiveness of the latest parts, but the team still considers the car difficult to drive and seeks to facilitate performance extraction.
At Aston Martin, Honda revealed that it only realized in January the true extent of its performance and reliability problems. Difficulties with the battery during testing limited data collection, while the manufacturer had to prioritize the durability of the unit and give up power. An update mainly focused on the combustion engine was tested at the Hungaroring and will be used at the Dutch GP.
The current cars also returned to the center of discussions. Max Verstappen agreed with Gabriel Bortoleto in stating that drivers need to constantly adapt their driving style to the demands of the equipment, especially in energy management. Pierre Gasly was more critical and said that the regulations took management too far, reducing the possibility of attacking every corner at the limit.
Read more F1: Rossi reveals support for Antonelli in the title race
Off the track, Alpine began to be valued by Renault at US$ 3.5 billion during negotiations for the sale of Otro Capital’s 24% stake. Christian Horner has already made an offer for the share, but the French manufacturer retains approval power and reaffirmed that it intends to keep control of the team.
The Brazilian public also received a new opportunity to follow the São Paulo GP at Interlagos. The last ticket sale will open on August 27 at noon, exclusively for Porto Bank cardholders, as the other sectors of the circuit are sold out.
Read more F1: Mercedes’ strategy for the W17 will be put to the test after the break
