Overview
- Ferrari chairman John Elkann publicly expressed full confidence in Fred Vasseur at a Washington event, a message team figures say helps shut down speculation about Christian Horner.
- Ferrari matched its top result of the season in Austin, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton pointing to the podium form as proof the team is progressing through the recent noise.
- Max Verstappen has slashed his deficit to Oscar Piastri from roughly 104 points to 40 after Austin, prompting outside calls, including from Günther Steiner, for McLaren to prioritize Piastri to defend the lead.
- Red Bull confirmed that 18-year-old junior Arvid Lindblad will drive Verstappen’s car in FP1 in Mexico under the expanded rookie-outing rules, while Ferrari will field Antonio Fuoco with Hamilton sitting out the session.
- Helmut Marko indicated Red Bull plans to finalize its 2026 driver choices after the Mexican Grand Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda described as stabilizing but still needing results as decisions near.