Horner’s BYD talks under microscope as Cadillac sets record straight over Bottas – roundup
Aston Martin boss Adrian Newey clutches his trusty notebook on the grid at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix
Friday’s fast-paced F1 news includes the FIA dropping Straight Mode for the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, Adrian Newey donating £10,000 to a fundraiser and Mercedes investigating the cause of George Russell’s Canada DNF.
With Christian Horner’s talks with BYD under the microscope, and Cadillac addressing rumours over Valtteri Bottas’s future, here’s today’s roundup…
BYD, Christian Horner and a potential F1 entry
PlanetF1.com revealed last week that Christian Horner is in talks with BYD over a potential future F1 entry.
The former Red Bull team principal has held a series of meetings with vice president Stella Li over recent weeks, most recently in Cannes earlier this month.
PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher, who broke the story, asks what form BYD’s F1 entry could take given that FIA is openly discussing a move away from the current engines and back to V8s.
Read more: BYD Formula 1 ambition raises major questions as Christian Horner talks emerge
Cadillac sets record straight over Valtteri Bottas rumours
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon says there “is no foundation of truth in any of the rumours” that Valtteri Bottas could be replaced ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.
It comes after PlanetF1.com revealed on Thursday that the speculation was wide of the mark.
Sources have indicated to PlanetF1.com that Bottas’s experience has been instrumental in Cadillac’s respectable start to its debut season.
Read more: Cadillac boss destroys ‘fiction’ Valtteri Bottas rumours with emphatic public response
FIA drops Straight Mode for Monaco Grand Prix
The FIA has confirmed that Straight Mode will not be available to drivers at next weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
It marks the first time that moveable rear wings have been dropped for a race weekend since SM’s predecessor, DRS, was introduced back in 2011.
The Monaco lap had previously featured one DRS zone, located on the main straight.
Read more: FIA makes surprise Monaco Grand Prix decision as key change emerges
Adrian Newey makes £10,000 donation as Rob Wilson faces live-saving kidney transplant
Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey has donated £10,000 to a fundraiser set up for respected driver coach Rob Wilson, who is facing a life-saving kidney transplant.
Wilson has coached a number of drivers over the years, including 2007 and 2016 world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg, as well as Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll.
Bottas and Perez are among the high-profile names to have also made donations, along with McLaren boss Zak Brown.
Read more: Adrian Newey makes £10,000 donation to F1 unsung hero facing life-saving kidney transplant
Mercedes confirms findings after initial George Russell DNF investigation
James Allison, the Mercedes technical director, has revealed that “heat damage” contributed to George Russell’s “catastrophic” battery failure at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Russell recorded his first retirement of the F1 2026 season in Montreal, where he came to a halt after 29 laps to bring an end to his thrilling battle with teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Russell’s DNF saw him fall 43 points behind Antonelli in the drivers’ standings.
Read more: Mercedes confirms findings after initial investigation into ‘catastrophic’ Russell DNF
