Wednesday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Mercedes bracing itself for FIA penalties for Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in the second half of the F1 2026 season.
Let’s blast through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed…
Mercedes braced for ‘inevitable’ Kimi Antonelli, George Russell grid penalties
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Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord has admitted that it is “almost inevitable” that Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will be forced to take grid penalties in the second half of the F1 2026 season.
Despite winning all but two races so far, Mercedes has had a patchy reliability record with Antonelli and Russell suffering race-ending mechanical faults in Barcelona and Canada respectively.
Lord fears both drivers will incur engine-related grid drops before the year is out.
Read more: Mercedes makes major Kimi Antonelli and George Russell F1 penalty admission
Cadillac appoints Marcin Budkowski as new team principal
Graeme Lowdon has been replaced as Cadillac team principal with former Renault man Marcin Budkowski appointed to the role.
Lowdon, the former Marussia chief executive, leaves Cadillac having played an instrumental role in the team’s Formula 1 entry.
Cadillac sits at the bottom of the F1 2026 constructors’ standings having failed to score a point across the first half of the season.
Read more: Cadillac appoints new team principal as Graeme Lowdon leaves role
Lewis Hamilton among biggest winners of F1 2026 season
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has been named among the biggest winners of the F1 2026 season so far.
Hamilton has enjoyed a much-improved second season with Ferrari in 2026, claiming his first victory for the Scuderia in Barcelona in June.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, the Alpine team, Cadillac driver Sergio Perez and Malaysia, which will host the Bahrain Grand Prix in early October, have also made the list.
Read more: Five biggest winners of F1 2026
Juan Pablo Montoya tips Lance Stroll to leave Aston Martin
Aston Martin will have “two free seats” for the F1 2028 season if the team does not make a significant step forward in 2027.
That is the claim of former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who believes Lance Stroll could follow Fernando Alonso out of the exit door at Silverstone.
Montoya’s prediction comes despite Stroll being the son of Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, who has invested heavily in the team since acquiring the former Force India outfit in 2019.
Read more: Lance Stroll ‘will’ leave Aston Martin if F1 car fails to improve
Former Sky F1 pundit Danica Patrick hits back at bodyshaming trolls
Danica Patrick, the former Sky F1 pundit, has responded to online trolls after being bodyshamed following a recent Instagram post.
Patrick, who parted ways with Sky F1 ahead of the F1 2026 season, posted an image of herself in a bikini while on holiday in Ibiza.
One comment directed at the 44-year-old read: “You need a hamburger.”
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Read more: Danica Patrick fires back at Instagram trolls after bodyshaming
Originally published by Planet F1 —
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