Horner F1 paddock return sparks Max Verstappen response as influencer thrown out – roundup

Jamie Woodhouse
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen pictured at the 2026 British Grand Prix

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen features prominently in the F1 news headlines as the week draws to a close.

Verstappen has responded after Christian Horner made his F1 paddock return at Silverstone. Meanwhile, an influencer was thrown out of the event on behavioural grounds. All of this and more, so let’s take a fast-paced run through the latest F1 news.

Max Verstappen still in contact with Christian Horner

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Horner was sacked as Red Bull team boss in the aftermath of the 2025 British Grand Prix. A year later, he was back in the F1 paddock for the first time since.

Silverstone 2026 may have marked Horner’s re-emergence in the F1 paddock, but Verstappen spoke of how he and his former boss are still in regular contact.

Read more: Max Verstappen responds as Christian Horner makes F1 paddock return

Influencer sees British GP paddock pass immediately revoked

Coinciding with Formula 1’s rapid popularity growth over recent years, has been a much stronger celebrity presence in the paddock.

PlanetF1.com can reveal that an Instagram influencer had her paddock pass immediately revoked for abusive behaviour at the British Grand Prix.

Read more: Influencer thrown out of British Grand Prix after abusive incident

Damon Hill in disagreement with Alonso over Verstappen comment

Fernando Alonso has claimed that F1 is “a bit unfair” in light of Verstappen’s struggles at Red Bull in the F1 2026 season.

His comments drew a firm “load of rubbish” retort from 1996 world champion Damon Hill.

Read more: ‘What a load of rubbish’ – Damon Hill in disagreement with Alonso over Verstappen comment

Ross Brawn makes rare F1 paddock appearance

Former Ferrari, Mercedes and Formula 1 chief Ross Brawn was in the house at last weekend’s British Grand Prix, it has emerged.

Brawn, who joined the board of directors of the Pramac Racing MotoGP team in May, was spotted on the grid at Silverstone.

Read more: Ross Brawn makes rare F1 paddock appearance after motorsport return confirmed

Charles Leclerc Ferrari ‘data’ validated at Silverstone

It was at the 2026 British Grand Prix where Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ended his run of poor results by taking his first win of the season.

While the noise was building outside of Maranello, team boss Fred Vassuer was being told by Leclerc’s “data” not to doubt him. That faith has been rewarded.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read more: Charles Leclerc Ferrari data validated after British GP breakthrough