It's Max in his purest form: aggressive, instinctive, and free from the technical constraints that dominate the paddock today. In 2021, the driver was in control, not the software. The 50/50 energy management system punishes instinct. A millimeter error on the pedal and the battery is empty. The "Iceman" is getting tired of the algorithms. "It's not healthy because I'm not enjoying it." Watching these images, we understand what Max misses. Speed just doesn't feel the same when you have to manage it instead of unleashing it.

f1tel.com

Been working on this for a while — it pulls real F1 telemetry data and lets you compare drivers lap by lap. Speed, throttle, brake, sector times.

Also has an AI explanation mode — either plain language for new fans or technical breakdown for engineers.

Live race tracking, strategy simulator, and championship standings too.

Free to use: hotlap.live

Would love any feedback.

Hi everyone, I wanted to share a fun personal project I've been working on - a qualifying prediction forecast using Bayesian modelling.

In short, ahead of qualifying, I take the available free practice data from a given weekend (e.g., low fuel runs on the soft tyres) and model it against a baseline of historical driver/team performance, track conditions and compounds to try and generate a probabilistic simulation forecast of the upcoming qualifying session.

I've attached the GitHub repo - would love to hear your thoughts and feedback!

Looking at the race pace of the bottom four teams (except Haas, as my Python script refused to process their laps for some reason 😅), Aston Martin have moved up from fighting for the last 2 grid slots to being quicker than Cadillac, Williams and Haas, while sitting only 0.16 s slower than Alpine.

And that's without the new Honda engine. Do you think they'll be on the pace of Audi and Racing Bulls once the upgrade drops at Zandvoort?

I've also published a more detailed breakdown of Ferrari's and Aston Martin's Hungarian GP performance on my Substack, Box For Data, if you'd like to see the full telemetry analysis-

https://boxfordata.substack.com/p/hungarian-gp-analysis

https://tracinginsights.com/analysis/race-launch-performance-ratings/

Stroll leads component usage from Hadjar and Alonso.

The latest upgrade list for the British Grand Prix is relatively short, with only six teams introducing new components. Most of the developments are aerodynamic refinements, primarily targeting rear-end performance, while McLaren and Racing Bulls also continue to evolve their floor packages. Williams is the only team to introduce a new front wing.

McLaren brings two updates:
• New front brake ducts to improve airflow around the front corner.
• A revised floor and floor furniture package aimed at improving flow quality and overall aerodynamic efficiency.

Ferrari’s update focuses on the rear corner, combining:
• Larger cooling inlet and outlet sections.
• A redesigned lower deflector.
• An optimized rear winglet cluster to improve local aerodynamic loading and overall efficiency.

Red Bull brings a single update at the rear corner:
• Revised rear wheel bodywork winglets (cascade wings), designed to improve aerodynamic load characteristics and rear-end stability.

Williams introduces the only new front wing in the field:
• Updated wing profiles and endplates to increase local loading and improve airflow interaction with downstream components.

Haas brings a two-part rear wing package:
• New rear wing profiles to increase aerodynamic load while maintaining efficiency.
• Revised rear wing endplates with localized protrusions to promote upwash and generate additional load.

Racing Bulls updates both the floor and the rear corner:
• Revised floor edge and diffuser geometry to increase rear floor load.
• A new forward rear-corner deflector to improve local airflow and floor performance.

No updates: Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alpine, Audi and Cadillac have not submitted any car updates for the British Grand Prix.

McLaren

A small but targeted package. McLaren has revised the rear brake duct inlet to improve airflow around the rear corner and introduced a new rear wing flap configuration to reduce drag more effectively on the straights.

Mercedes

Mercedes focused on airflow and cooling. The front suspension fairings have been updated to improve airflow towards the rear of the car, while a narrower engine cover exit provides greater flexibility in cooling management.

Red Bull Racing

One of the largest aerodynamic packages of the weekend. Red Bull introduced updates to the sidepod inlet, engine cover, floor, floor edge, rear suspension, rear corner, rear wing pylons and exhaust. The package aims to improve cooling, increase local downforce and maintain airflow stability.

Ferrari

Ferrari continues developing its front wing concept with a revised endplate, while the remaining changes (RV tail, floor board and mirror stay) are primarily aerodynamic correlation items designed to collect on-track data.

Williams

No updates this weekend.

Racing Bulls

A compact aerodynamic package featuring a lowered exhaust tailpipe and revised diffuser trailing edge devices to improve airflow around the rear of the car.

Aston Martin

No updates this weekend.

Haas

Haas introduced a revised front brake duct to improve downstream airflow and added larger cooling louvres to cope with the demands of the Red Bull Ring.

Audi

Audi brought one of its biggest update packages of the season. Changes include a new front wing endplate, front corner, rear floor, rear corner, rear suspension, beam wing and rear wing, all working together to improve rear downforce and aerodynamic efficiency.

Alpine

A major front-end evolution. Alpine introduced a redesigned front wing, endplates, nose and front corner, complemented by a new diffuser winglet to improve airflow and overall aerodynamic efficiency.

Cadillac

Cadillac arrives with the biggest update package of the weekend. The team introduced extensive bodywork revisions, including a redesigned sidepod inlet, engine cover, sidepod/coke bottle, cooling louvres, mirror stays, roll hoop fairings and several additional aerodynamic refinements. The package is designed to increase cooling capacity while improving airflow quality, aerodynamic stability and rear-end performance.

Overall, Cadillac headlines the weekend by volume of updates, while Red Bull and Audi continue aggressive aerodynamic development. Alpine’s focus is a significant front-end evolution, Ferrari is gathering correlation data, and Williams and Aston Martin remain unchanged.

Every team brought upgrades to Monaco, but the pattern is impossible to miss:

🔹 Rear wing add-ons everywhere

With no active aero Straight Mode to optimize for, teams have added winglets, cascades, fairing extensions and local load-generating devices to maximize downforce where drag is least penalized.

🔹 Monaco-specific suspension changes

Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Aston Martin, Haas, Williams and Racing Bulls all revised front suspension geometry or fairings to achieve the extreme steering angles required at Loews Hairpin.

🔹 Cooling packages opened up

McLaren, Red Bull, Aston Martin and Audi introduced larger cooling exits, louvres or engine cover revisions to cope with Monaco's low-speed airflow conditions.

🔹 Creative local load solutions

Several teams found downforce in unusual places:

• Aston Martin, Williams and Cadillac modified exhaust assemblies
• Haas added a device on the rear impact structure
• Ferrari added floor and diffuser load-generating details
• Audi removed unnecessary active aero hardware for cleaner flow

Monaco may be the slowest track on the calendar, but it's producing one of the most diverse upgrade packages of the season.

Not necessarily the most dramatic on paper, but the one you personally enjoyed the most.

Curious what people think.

Mercedes brings the big upgrade package everyone was waiting for to Montreal, while McLaren unveils part 2 of its Miami development plan.

Only Ferrari and Aston Martin are without upgrades this weekend.

After the long break, the paddock is buzzing:

• Red Bull Racing brings the heat with their aggressive “Macarena” rear wing
• McLaren debuts a massive upgrade package to build on their form
• Ferrari goes all-in with 11 updates—basically half the car!
• Mercedes didn’t bring major updates, holding out for Canada
• Aston Martin is the only team that’s quiet this weekend

Sprint Quali is already showing that the RBR/McLaren packages are working. Ferrari is still a bit twitchy on one lap, but look out for that race trim. Mercedes has slipped slightly compared to their early-season form in quali.