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Verstappen, Mercedes and Piastri: The key factors in F1’s silly season

Formula 1
Monaco GP
Verstappen, Mercedes and Piastri: The key factors in F1’s silly season

Why Toto Wolff may need to try some distraction tactics

Feature
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Why Toto Wolff may need to try some distraction tactics

From “a new back” to the front row: What’s behind Verstappen’s surprise Monaco pace?

Feature
Formula 1
Monaco GP
From “a new back” to the front row: What’s behind Verstappen’s surprise Monaco pace?

The two worrying trends for Russell against Antonelli in F1 2026

Formula 1
Monaco GP
The two worrying trends for Russell against Antonelli in F1 2026

How Antonelli's "magic lap" stole pole from Verstappen in Monaco

Feature
Formula 1
Monaco GP
How Antonelli's "magic lap" stole pole from Verstappen in Monaco

Why Norris was expecting poor Monaco GP qualifying

Formula 1
Monaco GP
Why Norris was expecting poor Monaco GP qualifying

Leclerc explains crash that cost shot at Monaco GP pole

Formula 1
Monaco GP
Leclerc explains crash that cost shot at Monaco GP pole

Why Verstappen "felt like myself again" in Monaco GP qualifying

Formula 1
Monaco GP
Why Verstappen "felt like myself again" in Monaco GP qualifying

Not up to Mercedes to make Formula 1 exciting - Niki Lauda

Niki Lauda has dismissed suggestions Mercedes is damaging Formula 1 with its current domination

After securing another front-row lock-out of the grid for the Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg duly followed up with their 15th one-two as team-mates in an uneventful race.

Mercedes non-executive chairman and three times F1 champion Lauda brushed aside criticism of the potential harm being done to F1.

"I'm not in charge of the politics," said Lauda.

"Together with Toto [Wolff] I can only run the team in the best possible and most professional way and win every bloody race.

"That's what I'm here for, and the rest I don't know."

Mercedes' rivals are pushing for engine homologation rules to be opened up to make the field competitive, though any such change would require Mercedes' agreement.

Suggested to Lauda it was up to Mercedes to 'take a lead' on measures to improve F1, he replied: "We do. We win the races for you.

"Look at the Canadians - 12 per cent more people here for this so-called boring sport, and with no noise. All these Canadians are crazy."

Referencing the fact ticket sales are down for his forthcoming home race in Austria, Lauda added: "I said to Austrian television 'You crazy Austrians think like the Canadians and all come to Spielberg'."

Following the pitstop strategy blunder that robbed reigning champion Hamilton victory in the Monaco GP last month, Lauda was naturally satisfied with the fact Mercedes did not put a foot wrong at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"It was a perfect result, nothing wrong, we couldn't have done a better job," said Lauda.

"The only difference is that the whole strategy and whatever we had to produce, was back to normal. Perfect drivers, perfect, nothing wrong.

"I'm always nervous when they're fighting in general all the way to the end because you never know what can happen. Thank god nothing happened so my nervousness was wrong."

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