Alexander Albon had his future set this Tuesday with the confirmation that he will remain at Williams in 2027. The Formula 1 day also featured a new attempt by Red Bull to keep Max Verstappen until 2033, praise for Gabriel Bortoleto, and Mercedes’ concerns about reliability for the second half of the season.
Williams announced Albon’s renewal ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, closing the doubts about one of the team’s seats for the upcoming campaign. The driver has been with the Grove squad since 2022. At the same time, Carlos Sainz also appears close to finalizing his stay, amid the team’s discussions to define the lineup that will carry the project forward.
The future of Verstappen returned to the forefront. According to journalist Ralf Bach, of F1-Insider, Red Bull offered a new five-year contract that could keep the four-time world champion with the team until 2033. The deal would involve a lot of money, but the main hurdle would be the exit clause in the current contract. Verstappen would not be willing to easily relinquish this mechanism and could prefer a shorter agreement to assess Red Bull’s competitiveness in 2027.
Gabriel Bortoleto also drew attention on the eve of his return to the track. Allan McNish praised the Brazilian’s work ethic and highlighted precisely this attitude as a key trait for Audi’s current moment. The team aims to start the second half of the season at a strong pace after the progress shown in the first 11 rounds.
At Mercedes, the mood is cautious despite the championship lead. The team expressed concern about the ongoing reliability issues faced in 2026, precisely as Ferrari and McLaren intensify the pressure in the competition. Kimi Antonelli arrives in Zandvoort as the leader of the Drivers’ World Championship, with 219 points, while Lewis Hamilton sits in second place, with 169.
Aston Martin will receive one of the main technical updates of the restart. Honda confirmed that it will introduce in Zandvoort a new specification of the power unit, labeling the Dutch GP as a “milestone” for the project. The update follows the chassis evolution shown in Hungary and will have only one free practice session to be evaluated, since the weekend will feature the Sprint.
The Formula 1 returns to the track this Friday, the 21st, to commence activities for the Dutch Grand Prix. The Sprint takes place on Saturday, while the race that opens the second half of the season will be contested on Sunday, the 23rd.
