A bombshell F1 return with Lewis Hamilton exploit uncovered in Hungary – round-up

It’s been another blockbuster day of F1 news, as a former paddock stalwart makes their return to the grid with Audi, among other key headlines.

We won’t keep you any longer than we have to, so let’s dive straight in on what has been another dramatic day from the world of Formula 1.

F1 news: Mattia Binotto joins Audi as Andreas Seidl departs

Yes, former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has joined the Audi F1 project in place of Andreas Seidl, in a huge management shake-up at the top of the German marque.

There had been reports of discontent between Seidl and former Sauber board chairman Oliver Hoffmann, who has also departed the Audi project, and Binotto has been brought in as chief technical and chief operating officer to oversee the team’s F1 operation when they enter the grid in 2026.

It’s a massive piece of news for the sport’s newest entrant next season, make no mistake.

Read more: Huge Audi F1 shake-up with Mattia Binotto in and Seidl, Hoffmann released

New F1 Commission meeting brings further changes

The latest F1 Commission meeting has taken place, with the findings from it released to confirm that World Championship points will stay as they are moving forward with a unanimous agreement.

On top of that, the teams will have a significant nine test days to get ready for the 2026 season with all-new cars in place, and there was confirmation for when we can expect a new update on the fresh batch of rules.

All that and much more below.

Read more: F1 points system and cost cap update with big pre-season switch confirmed

Did Lewis Hamilton take on ‘grey area’ with Max Verstappen in Hungary?

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen came to blows at Turn 1 as they fought over the final podium position in Hungary, but while Hamilton said he looked to take the corner, Verstappen believed he moved under braking.

Hamilton put it down to being a racing incident and Verstappen avoided a penalty after a stewards’ summons, but as former Mercedes test and sim driver Anthony Davidson pointed out, the nature of their clash led things into a “grey area”.

“He’s going for the gap here, thinking it’s going to be straight and Lewis goes in,” he said while analysing their collision on Sky F1 .

“At some point, you have to turn into the corner. That’s this grey area that all these drivers play around with. Max was doing it in Austria. Lewis is doing it here. You’re making it uncomfortable for the driver trying to overtake you.”

Read more: Lewis Hamilton accused of exploiting ‘grey area’ against Max Verstappen in Hungary shunt

Kimi Antonelli makes F1 2025 admission after latest win

Sticking with Mercedes, junior driver Kimi Antonelli took an impressive feature race victory at the Hungaroring at the weekend, but he admitted when asked about the prospect of stepping up to Formula 1 next year there is still a lot he wants to work on.

“I mean… I don’t know if I will be ready, to be honest,” said the 17-year-old.

“I’m still learning a lot in F2. Definitely I still do quite a few mistakes. A few details that really matter, I’m still not doing that right.”

Read more: Mercedes F1 2025 driver search takes fresh twist after big Kimi Antonelli admission

Nico Rosberg offers Andrea Stella team orders advice after Hungary drama

When speaking to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella in the wake of their dramatic team orders near-miss at the Hungaroring, 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg made the point of saying what he would have done in that situation if he was managing the team.

“I will allow myself to make a statement first before a question,” he said on Sky F1. “I strongly recommend that you guys in managing this intra-team battle between the two drivers, you need to be extremely clear and firm.

“Today there was the word ‘your convenience Lando.’ That for a driver leaves the door very wide open to use all the kinds of grey areas so that would be my strong recommendation going forward.

“Very clear, strong instructions from the pit wall to the drivers, otherwise you end up with a whole bunch of difficulties between the drivers and I talk from experience.”

Read more: McLaren respond to Nico Rosberg’s ‘strong recommendation’ after team orders saga