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Demolition and a shocked Verstappen in F1 today

F1 Today | Demolition job underway, Montoya reminisces and Wolff changes

14 August at 22:00
  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

The return of Formula 1 is getting closer and closer. But for now, the attention is still on off-track events. In Hungary, a demolition job is underway as the circuit undergoes some serious changes. Max Verstappen leaves someone shocked and Juan Pablo Montoya wonders how he would get on in modern F1. Here's a roundup of the days Formula 1 news.

Montoya reflects and compares

Take the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix, a race that Montoya had to start from the back because of unsportsmanlike and dangerous driving. In qualifying he drove much, much slower than necessary and braked some 180 metres earlier after Beau Rivage. As a result, Jacques Villeneuve, who was on a fast lap, was scared by Montoya and drove into the back of David Coulthard's car, who in turn could no longer avoid Ralf Schumacher. Therefore, Beau Rivage suddenly became Beau Ravage.

In today's times, such incidents as in Monaco, combined with his outspoken way of communicating, would no longer be accepted in Formula 1. He reflected on this in an interview with GPblog.

Huge demolition work at Hungaroring

A month after Oscar Piastri celebrated his first Grand Prix victory in Hungary, the pit building on the long straight has now been (almost) completely demolished. Photos shared on the track's Instagram show that - apart from a tower - nothing is left standing. This marks the start of the second phase of the Hungaroring's renovation. Check out how the circuit looks now.

Verstappen shocked former F2 driver

Max Verstappen has many fans around the world. Also in the motorsport world. Former Formula 2 driver Clement Novalak told the Track Limits podcast that he is a big fan of the Dutchman. 

Novalak has since left formula racing behind and moved to the LMP2 class of the European Le Mans Series, but until last year he was active in Formula 2. Last season, he won the feature race at Zandvoort. In total, the Frenchman spent two years full-time in Formula 2. See his thoughts on Verstappen here. 

Wolff had to change approach

When Toto Wolff first joined Mercedes' Formula One Team in 2013, the German team were on the rise, with first winning Grands Prix that season, and then in 2014, they were already on top of F1's world, mastering the regulation change. However, once another regulation change happened in 2022, Mercedes were left behind, something that was hard for the Austrian.