Former FIA steward Tim Mayer has entered the FIA presidency race, looking to replace incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The son of former McLaren team principal Teddy, Mayer began his motorsport career in America in the ’90s, working primarily with CART and IndyCar. In the early 2000s, he left CART in favour of the IMSA and ALMS sports car series. Eventually, he joined the FIA as a steward in various motorsports, including Formula One. In November last year, Mayer was dismissed from his role as F1 steward, citing a disagreement with Ben Sulayem over a fine issued to the organizers for the 2024 United States Grand Prix. The FIA election is set to be held in December.
Actor Keanu Reeves will host a documentary that will showcase the behind-the-scenes story of the Cadillac F1 Team’s journey to the grid. The American team will make its Formula One debut in 2026 after a hard-fought battle for approval. Award-winning director and producer Simon Hammerson will also work on the project alongside award-winning producer Neil Duncanson. This is not Reeves’ first time hosting a Formula One show, having also hosted the four-part miniseries Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story in 2023. Cadillac’s documentary is set to be released in March 2026, ahead of the team’s first race in Australia.
Sauber opened its new technology centre in Britain’s “motorsport valley.” The team is currently based in Switzerland but will be taken over by German car manufacturer Audi next year. Although their main headquarters will remain in Switzerland and the power unit department will be based in Germany, the company hopes that opening a third British location will help them tap into the motorsport talent pool in the region. The new location in Oxfordshire is in the region where seven other F1 teams are based, allowing them to attract outgoing team members from competitors without forcing them to relocate.
Lewis Hamilton led the way in the opening free practice session of the British Grand Prix weekend, although Lando Norris was not far behind. There were two new faces, with Arvid Lindblad making his F1 practice debut with Red Bull and Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron driving the session for Sauber. The session saw the home favourites swapping the lead, with George Russell and Norris spending time at the top. In the end, Hamilton set a pace 0.023s quicker than Norris to take the lead.
Lando Norris promoted himself to the top of the timesheets in the second free practice session on Friday, leading the Ferrari duo. Windy conditions left teams struggling to perfect their setups, catching some drivers like Carlos Sainz, who spun at Luffield, off guard. As times began to tumble during qualifying simulations, only Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen lapped within half a second of the leading McLaren.
The final free practice session saw Charles Leclerc set the pace in a battle that finished with the top four drivers all within 0.108s. As clouds loomed overhead, there were some reports of light rain from the Monegasque driver, although nothing that altered the session. There were two late-session red flags, the first of which was for debris from Oliver Bearman’s Haas. The second red flag came shortly after the session resumed when Gabriel Bortoleto lost control of his Sauber at Maggotts and Becketts, bouncing over the grass and into the gravel. His suspension was too damaged to recover. Bearman caught the stewards’ attention, crashing at the pit entry during the red flag. He was handed a ten-place grid penalty for failing to slow under the red flag.
Come Saturday afternoon, Max Verstappen found the speed to earn himself pole position for the race. Franco Colapinto had a disappointing time in Q1, taking a wide line over the kerbs in the final corner and spinning into the barriers. The Argentine initially tried to drive back to the pit lane but stopped near the pit exit, bringing out the red flags. This left the Alpine mechanics with plenty of work to do overnight, forcing them to start from the pit lane in the race. Williams suffered a disappointing showing in Q2, both cars failing to make it to Q3. Q3 also eluded Yuki Tsunoda once again, dropping to P12 in the closing stages of the session. Oscar Piastri set the initial time to beat in Q3, but a mistake on his final hot lap allowed Verstappen to set a quicker lap. Home drivers Lando Norris and George Russell earned their slots on the second row of the grid, followed by an all-Ferrari third row led by Lewis Hamilton.
On race day, Lando Norris crossed the line first in front of his home crowd, after a controversial and dramatic race. Pre-race rain left the track in damp conditions, prompting all 20 drivers to start the formation lap on the intermediate tyres, although some took the gamble on the slicks as the rest of the field lined up on the grid. Norris and Lewis Hamilton fought for much of the opening lap, although the seven-time champ couldn’t advance higher in the order. The VSC was deployed early for an opening lap collision between Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson, only to be redeployed when Gabriel Bortoleto spun into the barriers. Max Verstappen’s tyres quickly lost performance on the relatively dry circuit, dropping the polesitter behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. As rain fell, the safety car was deployed. Race resumed, but only momentarily, as Isack Hadjar rear-ended Kimi Antonelli at Copse due to poor visibility. There was drama behind the safety car, with the stewards handing Piastri a ten-second penalty for erratic braking that nearly collected Verstappen. The Dutchman went on to spin during the restart, dropping out of contention for the race win. The pit stop for slicks later in the race placed Piastri behind Norris, despite the Aussie’s pleas to swap positions with team orders. This gave Norris the victory over his teammate, but more shocking was Nico Hulkenberg’s podium debut after a stunning drive from P19 on the grid. Click here to read the full summary of the race.
There will be no racing for a couple of weeks as the teams and drivers prepare for the Belgian Grand Prix at the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It’s a sprint weekend, so fans can look forward to the sprint on July 26 and the race on July 27.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
