Verstappen Racing claimed its first-ever victory in the top class of the GT World Challenge Europe last weekend, ending a season blighted by misfortune.
And for driver Jules Gounon, the triumph belongs to one man above all others: owner and four-time F1 drivers' champion Max Verstappen.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen honoured after historic victory: 'We have one guy to thank'
Ferrari set for continued upgrade push in highly-anticipated Mercedes pursuit
Ferrari arrived at the summer break as Mercedes' most credible championship rival, having secured two victories and accumulated 307 points across the opening half of the 2026 season.
Yet the headline numbers only tell part of the story. Beneath the surface, something more structurally significant has been taking shape at Maranello, and it is rooted not in the results themselves but in how the SF-26 has been developed.
READ MORE: Ferrari set for continued upgrade push in highly-anticipated Mercedes pursuit
Mercedes explain unusual F1 upgrade strategy as day of reckoning looms
Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta has laid out the thinking behind the team's contrarian development approach, which is geared towards the second half of the F1 season.
The Italian engineer highlighted how the team produced a strong launch car, which has been supplemented with incremental updates and one larger step, before its planned upgrade push after the summer shutdown.
READ MORE: Mercedes explain unusual F1 upgrade strategy as day of reckoning looms
Red Bull send emphatic 'don't sign up' message amid F1 resurgence
Laurent Mekies insists Red Bull does not "sign up for anything other than winning races" in F1 after the Milton Keynes-based team endured a winless first half of the F1 season.
It is the first time the six-time constructors' champions has gone into the summer break without at least one victory since 2015, and it is the first time Max Verstappen has failed to triumph in the opening part of the year since 2017.
READ MORE: Red Bull send emphatic 'don't sign up' message amid F1 resurgence
Max Verstappen hails Red Bull backing in pursuit of 'other projects'
Max Verstappen has hailed the support he has received from Red Bull, which has allowed him to embark on other projects outside of F1.
Verstappen has been associated with the energy drink-backed company for over a decade and has established himself as one of the sport's most successful drivers in that period.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen hails Red Bull backing in pursuit of 'other projects'
Aston Martin receive rare F1 praise after seismic boost: 'You can't critique'
Aston Martin has received rare praise from former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, who insisted the outfit cannot be "critiqued" following its positive Hungary performance.
It has been a season of ongoing and escalating criticism for Aston Martin, which for the opening 10 rounds was at the bottom of the pecking order and in a serious state of bother.
READ MORE: Aston Martin receive rare F1 praise after seismic boost: 'You can't critique'
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