F1 Today | Verstappen at Red Bull factory, Ferrari completes first laps at Madring

Over the past few days, Verstappen's future has been one of the most hotly debated topics in Formula 1. GPblog was the first to report last Tuesday that various sources in the paddock were pointing to an imminent announcement of a deal between the Dutchman and McLaren. For now, those involved are keeping quiet about the potential switch.

After the British Grand Prix, Verstappen can simply use his exit clause included in his Red Bull Racing, should he choose to do so. That is because he will not be in the top two of the drivers' standings by the summer break. Verstappen needs to let Red Bull know about his decision by October at the latest.

On Wednesday, Verstappen paid a visit to the Red Bull Racing factory in Milton Keynes, the team posted on social media. This comes after a disappointing weekend for the four-time world champion. Verstappen was on course to finish on the podium, but an issue with his rear wing caused him to end up in the gravel at Stowe through no fault of his own. He did not mince his words about the incident either.

After the race, he said to GPblog, among others: "Well, at that point it's super dangerous, because you can really hurt yourself, two times. I was lucky in Austria and I was lucky here, but that's why you get really fed up with it."

It was confirmed to GPblog on Tuesday that Ferrari would become the first team to complete laps at the Madring circuit, which was added to the Formula 1 calendar for the 2026 season. Today, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were in action.

During a filming day, teams can complete up to 200 kilometres on track. That provides the Italian outfit with valuable extra knowledge ahead of the first race weekend at the Madring in September, while its rivals are likely to arrive at the circuit without any prior experience unless, of course, they also hold similar events in the Spanish capital.

Current Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey drove the RB17 hypercar he designed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The British master designer was emotional after his run.

"It’s an incredibly special moment, it’s been a long time in the planning, I think I did my very first steps with the car over Christmas in 2020 going into 2021 so it’s been a long time in gestation, but the guys and girls back at the factory they’ve done a really amazing accomplished job to get it here and it’s really special to have the car here and drive it up the hill for the first time," he said.