Spain or pain for Russell as Stroll irks rivals and Hamilton plays inspector – round-up
Mercedes driver George Russell
Wednesday’s fast-paced F1 news includes an ominous warning for George Russell, criticism for Lance Stroll, and Lewis Hamilton playing inspector.
Let’s blast through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed…
It’s Spain or pain for George Russell
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David Coulthard has warned George Russell that if he doesn’t beat Kimi Antonelli at the Barcelona Grand Prix, he can give up on his dream of winning this year’s world championship.
“Let’s be honest. If he doesn’t beat Kimi, it’s over. No World Championship.”
Although Russell was the pre-season favourite to claim the title, it is Antonelli who has hit a rich vein of form with five Grand Prix wins on the trot.
The Italian leads the Drivers’ standings by 66 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with Russell a further two off the pace.
The Briton, though, is not throwing in the towel.
“I still very much believe in myself and know what I can do,” he said. “I think we’re not even 30 per cent of the way through, but there’s a lot of points down the drain.”
Read more: ‘No World Championship’ – Russell handed brutal Antonelli warning ahead of Barcelona GP
No laughing matter for Lance Stroll’s rivals
Lance Stroll may have laughed after he nearly bottled it in the tunnel at the Monaco Grand Prix, but his rivals weren’t laughing when he held them up.
Stroll had an eventful 57 laps at the Monte Carlo street race as he almost lost it in the tunnel on the second lap of the race, held up Kimi Antonelli and then Charles Leclerc, before crashing at Turn 19 on lap 57.
Neither Antonelli nor Leclerc was impressed with his antics.
In fact, the latter felt it deserved a penalty.
Read more: Stroll branded ‘real idiot’ by Antonelli as Leclerc demands penalty in unheard team radio
Major Aston Martin upgrade on the table after first F1 2026 point
Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey has been “working away” on a major upgrade to the AMR26 car during his stint away from the F1 paddock.
Newey returned to the paddock at the Monaco Grand Prix, notebook in hand as he was spotted examining the McLaren MCL40 and the Alpine A526.
The design guru, though, revealed he already has a few ideas on how to improve the Aston Martin on his drawing board as he didn’t spend his time in the sick bay resting on his laurels.
“I’ve just been working away on updating the car and an update that we will have ready probably just before the summer break,” he told F1TV.
Newey’s return coincided with Aston Martin’s first points finish of the season, with Fernando Alonso promoted to 10th following a post-race penalty for Cadillac driver Sergio Perez.
Read more: Adrian Newey confirms Aston Martin plan of action after Monaco GP return
Newey wasn’t the only inspector at the Monaco Grand Prix
However, Newey wasn’t the only rival taking a good hard look at another team’s car.
Lewis Hamilton was spotted examining Kimi Antonelli’s race-winning Mercedes W17 in the immediate aftermath of the Monaco Grand Prix, the Briton even getting down on his haunches to have a good look at the rear of the W17.
Hamilton saw a lot of that throughout the 78-lap Grand Prix as he chased Antonelli for the win, but he never looked to have the pace to challenge the Mercedes driver.
But making the most of that, the Briton says he can now report back to Ferrari on what he saw from the Mercedes W17.
“It was a good experience because it gives me a much better idea of where I need to have the team learn and improve, not only from what I’m feeling but what I’m seeing as well,” he told PlanetF1.com and other media.
“There’s lots of things that we need to be adding to this car.”
Read more: Lewis Hamilton caught inspecting Mercedes W17 at Monaco Grand Prix
IndyCar to F2 to Formula 1: A huge milestone for Colton Herta
Colton Herta will take his first official step into Formula 1 at this weekend’s Barcelona Grand Prix after Cadillac confirmed he will replace Sergio Perez in Friday’s opening practice session.
It is a monumental moment for the 26-year-old American, who walked away from a successful career in the IndyCar Series to join HiTech in Formula 2 with an eye on making it into Formula 1.
“I’m excited for Barcelona,” said Herta. “I feel ready to get out there.
“I’ve had time in the simulator at Charlotte, learning the track and the procedures to follow during the session.
“The aim is to have a clean session and help the team gather the data it needs, as well as getting used to the F1 car.”
Herta is one of several drivers replacing a regular race driver as the F1 teams begin to tick off their mandated four FP1 young driver outings for the season.
Read more: Colton Herta’s road to F1 reaches huge milestone with Cadillac announcement
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