🏎️ F1 - Ferrari's next superstar?

Quite possibly.

At just 19 years old, Kimi Antonelli has already become the youngest Formula 1 World Championship leader in history and is rapidly establishing himself as one of the sport's biggest stars. For Ferrari, that is almost impossible to ignore.

Ironically, Ferrari had the chance to sign Antonelli years ago during his karting career. Instead, Toto Wolff moved first, bringing the young Italian into Mercedes' junior programme while Ferrari hesitated.

Today, Antonelli is firmly committed to Mercedes and there is little reason to believe he will leave anytime soon. But Formula 1 careers are long. Just look at Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. If Antonelli enjoys a similarly lengthy career, there will be plenty of opportunities for Ferrari to make another attempt—whether that is in five, ten or even fifteen years' time.

For Ferrari, the attraction is obvious. An Italian driver leading Ferrari back to World Championship glory is the ultimate dream of the Tifozi.

It may still be years away. But the more Antonelli achieves, the more it feels like a match made in heaven.

Max Verstappen suffered two major accidents within just a few days—first in Austria and then again at Silverstone. Both happened at the end of a high-speed straight, immediately after the active rear wing transitioned from its low-drag to high-downforce position.

Coincidence? Red Bull doesn't think so. The team confirmed that the rear wing was behind both incidents.

Earlier this season, Lewis Hamilton experienced remarkably similar moments in China and during practice in Austria, although he managed to recover the car. Ferrari and Red Bull are currently the only teams using rotating rear-wing concepts, yet Ferrari appears to have eliminated those instabilities while Red Bull continues to struggle with them.

The difference lies in the philosophy behind the two designs.

Ferrari's solution uses the natural airflow to help keep the rear wing fully closed under braking and through the corners, providing the driver with stable and predictable rear downforce—essential for attacking every corner with confidence.

Red Bull's concept works in the opposite direction. Its rotating mechanism must continuously overcome the aerodynamic forces acting on the wing to return it to the fully closed position. At the limit, even the slightest inconsistency during that transition can unsettle the rear of the car—exactly what appeared to happen in both Austria and Silverstone.

That leaves Red Bull with one of the biggest technical challenges of the season. With the ultra-fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit coming next, the team can hardly afford another rear-wing-related accident. If there is even the slightest uncertainty, many paddock insiders believe Red Bull could temporarily return to its previous, more conventional rear-wing design until a permanent solution is found.

Williams was one of the very first teams to shift its full focus to the all-new 2026 regulations. The expectation was clear: sacrifice some short-term performance in exchange for a major step forward this season.

Instead, the gamble has backfired.

The FW48 started the year almost 28 kg overweight—a huge disadvantage in Formula 1, equivalent to roughly one second per lap before any aerodynamic or mechanical shortcomings were even considered. On top of that came persistent balance issues and a lack of usable downforce, leaving Williams fighting at the back of the grid rather than in the midfield where many expected them to be.

The team's first major upgrade package also arrived much later than planned and delivered only modest gains. That inevitably raises questions about the correlation between Williams' simulation tools, wind tunnel data and real-world track performance.

Now all attention turns to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Williams is expected to introduce its biggest upgrade package of the season.

If that package finally unlocks the car's potential, the team may yet rescue its campaign. If not, the spotlight will inevitably turn to the team's long-term technical direction—and to the team’s star driver Carlos Sainz, who joined Williams believing he was helping rebuild a future race-winning team.

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