Max Verstappen and Lewis HamiltonThursday’s fast-paced news was dominated by the continuing Max Verstappen to McLaren rumours, but Ferrari need not worry as Lewis Hamilton is expected to continue. Let’s blast through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed… Max to McLaren? Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull for McLaren remains far from certain, but a series of developments have transformed a paddock rumour into one of F1’s biggest talking points. For now, nothing has been agreed, and until contracts are signed, there remains every chance the Dutchman stays exactly where he is. And yet something has undoubtedly changed… Aston Martin’s ‘full potential’? Aston Martin will, according to Pedro de la Rosa, start to show its “full potential” after the summer break, as the Budapest upgrade is only the start of what should be a big upswing in the team’s performance. The intent with the upgraded AMR26 is to allow the Aston Martin drivers to be able to get in the mix in the midfield, with a notable step forward in terms of ultimate lap time. “It has to help the drivers fight, basically… fight, enjoy themselves, have a more predictable platform, faster, and eventually more competitive,” he told PlanetF1.com. Max Verstappen: Not fair to say anything Max Verstappen refused to comment on speculation over his Formula 1 future after a frustrating British Grand Prix left him in a position to trigger the reported Red Bull exit clause that could allow him to leave the team at the end of the season. It has been widely reported that the Red Bull driver can trigger the clause if he is outside the top two positions at the summer break, and today he is seventh and 78 points down with a maximum of 50 in play. The Dutchman, though, refused to comment on his future after the race. “It’s not fair to say anything about that also right now,” he said. Three penalties? Lance Stroll blames ‘broken’ Aston Martin Lance Stroll has claimed the unpredictable “behaviour” of his Aston Martin resulted in his triple FIA penalty for track limits at the British Grand Prix. Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets, Stroll admitted it was difficult to remain within track limits given the unpredictable handling of the AMR26. “We had a lot of understeer in the race and the car’s very broken, so it’s even hard to stay within the track limits,” he said. “A lot of different behaviour every lap, every corner. “Just a challenging race. The whole year has been so far.” Hamilton to leave Ferrari? Not a chance Fred Vasseur has insisted that it is “not the time” to discuss a new contract for Lewis Hamilton after an impressive start to the F1 2026 season. It comes after reports in Italy ahead of last weekend’s British Grand Prix claimed that the seven-time world champion is close to activating an option to remain with the team for 2027. “Who spoke about the extension? I will discuss with him for the extension, not with everybody,” said Vasseur. “He is still under contract with us and it’s not time to discuss about an extension.” 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!
