26 September 2026 19:51
Liam Lawson says he ‘doesn’t understand’ Azerbaijan Grand Prix stewards took no further action against Racing Bulls team-mate Arvid Lindblad, who spun him around in today’s Formula 1 race.
After Alexander Albon crashed out on lap 30 in Baku, causing a safety car intervention, Lawson and Lindblad lay 12th and 14th ahead of the restart.
When the green flag was waved, Franco Colapinto ...
26 September 2026 19:35
Ferrari is practically Italy’s second religion – so whenever it falls short of its lofty ambitions, speculation follows that its leaders are under threat.
After showing considerable promise in the pre-season and early races following the 2026 rules reset, Ferrari has drifted into a competitive no-man’s land epitomised by Charles
Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finishing fourth and sixth ...
26 September 2026 18:58
Not for the first time, Baku was the epitome of a race of two halves. A flavourless main course washed down with an indulgent dessert, triggered by a mid-race pair of safety cars. With one dab of the brake pedal, the lap 36 restart melee doubled the number of candidates for the loser category, while the list of winners boasts a number of unlikely heroes.
Winner: George Russell
Things got a ...
26 September 2026 18:18
Williams team principal James Vowles has praised the Grove outfit's relentless factory effort to deliver a major upgrade package for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, despite the team only walking away with one point from the weekend.
Williams arrived at the Baku City Circuit with a substantial update, which included two new chassis, an extensive weight-saving programme and a revised aerodynamic ...
26 September 2026 18:08
At the Baku City Circuit, the words Russell spoke after qualifying became reality: the Mercedes driver had already predicted on Friday that, despite starting eighth, Verstappen would pose the biggest threat for victory, and that proved to be the case in a thrilling finale around the streets of Baku.
Verstappen fell just 0.196 seconds short of his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at ...
26 September 2026 17:59
Franco Colapinto has been given a five-place grid penalty for the Malaysian Grand Prix, following the pile-up he caused in today’s Formula 1 race at Baku.
The Azerbaijan GP was neutralised by the safety car when Alexander Albon crashed out shortly after mid-race, but Colapinto had a monumental lock-up on the inside at the restart. The Alpine driver careened into Pierre Gasly’s sister car ...
26 September 2026 17:44
Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad has received overall praise from Formula 1 fans following his media pen apology to team-mate Liam Lawson after their collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The team was in contention for a strong double-points finish in Baku before a late safety car restart triggered chaos in the midfield. Heading into Turn 1, Lindblad locked his brakes and made contact with ...
26 September 2026 17:36
Alpine F1 executive Flavio Briatore has been left "extremely disappointed" with his team's double DNF in F1's Azerbaijan GP, criticising Franco Colapinto for "a very poor move" to take out team-mate Peirre Gasly.
On a lap 36 restart, Colapinto locked his front tyres on the dusty, low-grip inside of the Baku street circuit, slamming into the side of Pierre Gasly, taking both drivers out of the ...
26 September 2026 17:09
“I cannot believe it, so many points gone...”
Pierre Gasly’s initial reaction to the pile-up that occurred at the restart of Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix said it all.
Gasly led the midfield throughout the race and was seventh when the safety car intervention caused by Alexander Albon’s crash ended, with team-mate Franco Colapinto 10th, while the rival Racing Bulls were down in ...
26 September 2026 17:04
If Kimi Antonelli's sensational Monza comeback win was a drive for the ages, then his much more subdued encore in the streets of Baku was just a footnote in his fledgling career.
After tagging the wall in qualifying, Antonelli was facing his second comeback race in three weekends from 16th on the grid. But while the 6km Baku City Circuit certainly offered more passing opportunities than F1's ...
26 September 2026 16:59
For those watching the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, many would agree that George Russell delivered a dominant drive to take a lights-to-flag Formula 1 victory from Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Yet dominance isn't a word often used when the margin of victory is as small as the gap separating the duo when the chequered flag flew at the end of 51 laps of the Baku City Circuit, four-time champion ...
26 September 2026 16:44
1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve branded Oscar Piastri's Azerbaijan Grand Prix lock-up as a "rookie mistake".
The Australian driver suffered a double lock-up during the race at the Baku City Circuit while he was running third. Defending from Red Bull's Isack Hadjar down the main straight, Piastri locked the brakes and went wide into the run-off area. The incident took him out of ...
26 September 2026 16:20
1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has backed Red Bull's Azerbaijan Grand Prix strategy.
During the closing stages of the race on the demanding Baku City Circuit, Max Verstappen and team-mate Isack Hadjar were running one behind the other.
Although Hadjar had a tyre advantage, the Milton Keynes outfit chose not to instruct the four-time champion to yield track position to allow the ...
26 September 2026 15:37
Alpine driver Franco Colapinto has apologised for the "big mistake" that saw him knock team-mate Pierre Gasly and McLaren driver Lando Norris out of F1's Azerbaijan GP.
On a lap 36 restart in the streets of Baku, Colapinto locked up his cold front tyres on the low-grip inside line into Turn 1 and clattered into the side of Gasly, with Norris also collected in the incident.
The incident ...
26 September 2026 15:21
Reigning world champion Lando Norris says he thinks Franco Colapinto deserves "at least a one-race ban" for causing a pile-up at F1's Azerbaijan GP.
On a lap 36 restart in the streets of Baku, Colapinto locked up his cold front tyres and aimlessly speared into Alpine team-mate Gasly into Turn 1, with Norris also collected by the tangling pair.
The incident knocked both Gasly and Norris out ...
26 September 2026 14:48
Russell uses his chance to close the gap
Well, let’s not overstate anything. There’s no championship battle as such - and George Russell’s Baku win didn’t really increase his chances dramatically. From one percent to about two, probably - but hardly more.
Yet, one must say: well done. Given the advantage Mercedes had over the opposition, it would still be over the top to get too ...
26 September 2026 14:47
Mercedes driver George Russell has taken a dominant pole-to-flag victory at F1's Azerbaijan GP, overcoming two safety cars to beat Max Verstappen and clinch his third grand prix win of 2026.
Russell took pole by a massive eight tenths on Friday and confirmed Mercedes' dominance in race trim. The Briton led either side of a pair of mid-race safety cars to snare his first win since June's ...
26 September 2026 12:43
Williams team-mates Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz have revealed that a small group of Formula 1 drivers will be using the time between the Bahrain Grand Prix (in Malaysia) and the Singapore Grand Prix to go on a boys' trip.
The rescheduling of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which will be held at the Sepang International Circuit due to the conflict in the Middle East, has allowed the drivers to use the ...
26 September 2026 11:20
After three pole positions in the last four rounds, qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was underwhelming for the McLaren Formula 1 team, which has struggled all weekend.
The MCL40 was described as “miles off” by Lando Norris following Thursday practice, which he ended 1.5s off the pace – a figure that was mostly representative as he aborted a quicker lap but wouldn’t have gained ...
26 September 2026 10:47
After a very strong European leg of the Formula 1 season – which was actually an Achilles’ heel last year – Kimi Antonelli made a rare mistake during qualifying in Baku.
The championship leader hit the inside wall at Turn 1 during his second Q1 push lap, bringing his qualifying session to an early end and leaving him to start Saturday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 16th on the ...
26 September 2026 10:00
1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Esteban Ocon's grand prix career will end when his time with Haas concludes, arguing the Frenchman is running out of options on the grid.
Ocon joined Haas in 2025 after a five-year stint with Renault, which later became Alpine. The 30-year-old finished 15th in the drivers' championship in his first season with the American outfit, but was ...
26 September 2026 09:37
Lando Norris believes he now must give it all to have the slightest chance of winning the 2026 Formula 1 world title – hence a driving error in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Norris has scored 83 points since McLaren introduced its most substantial upgrade of the season in Hungary, meaning he is now competing with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for the runner-up spot in the ...
26 September 2026 08:53
A problem with the internal combustion engine cost Max Verstappen a good starting position for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The four-time world champion readily acknowledged that he probably could not have matched George Russell’s pole time, but given the large gap behind him, a place on the front row would have been a logical outcome.
However, due to a problem with Red Bull’s ...
26 September 2026 08:29
Despite a wretched campaign with Aston Martin and its new engine partner Honda, or perhaps because of it, Fernando Alonso hasn't lost his biting sense of humour.
"I pushed into Turn 15 and I locked up. So, a driver error there, and because of that we are not on pole."
After keeping its powder dry for a big upgrade in Hungary, Aston Martin finally appeared to be at least competing for ...
26 September 2026 08:11
After every Formula 1 qualifying session, Motorsport.com publishes each team's qualifying record in terms of team-mate battles.
This record is based exclusively on qualifying results so that grid penalties don't alter the statistics.
When a driver can't put in a representative lap time due to a technical issue or an incident, this will be mentioned in the table.
Read ...
26 September 2026 01:00
Having qualified third in Baku after enduring a difficult build-up to the main sessions, Oscar Piastri was happy with the grid position he earned for Formula 1's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
However, the McLaren driver thinks expecting to go much further in the race is unrealistic, given the gap to Mercedes. While the Australian lost just 0.001s to Charles Leclerc in Q3, the deficit to George ...
25 September 2026 22:23
Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner has labelled Williams's complaints regarding capital expenditure limits "crocodile tears", questioning team boss James Vowles for continually moving the timeline for the Grove outfit's recovery.
Since taking over Williams in 2023, the Briton has repeatedly pointed to the team's outdated infrastructure as a primary limiting factor in its bid ...
25 September 2026 21:58
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has detailed a bizarre off-track encounter with American television host Jimmy Fallon, who interrupted his business dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant by sending a takeaway pizza to his table.
Domenicali made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the pair reflected on Fallon's first experience of F1 ...
25 September 2026 21:31
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says the championship is closing in on 1 billion global fans, driven by a younger audience, an increase in female viewership and more access to driver personalities.
Speaking during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Domenicali discussed F1's ongoing expansion and its success in growing in the United States.
"We are almost at 1 billion ...
25 September 2026 20:36
Williams’ 2026 car had infamously been overweight after Formula 1 switched to a new technical ruleset, but a brand-new chassis introduced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has provided substantial performance.
Carlos Sainz was consistently quick in Baku, finishing 11th in Q1, then ninth in the next two segments of qualifying. Williams had never done so well this year – its best results had been ...
25 September 2026 19:04
Esteban Ocon has blamed his Q2 exit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on yellow flags – and rued “all the s**t” he’s been dealing with across a tough 2026 Formula 1 campaign at Haas.
Ocon has infamously been plagued by inconsistency in the way car parts perform – an issue that has been acknowledged by the American team – in 10 out of 15 rounds so far, according to him.
This hasn’t ...
25 September 2026 18:24
A technical problem caused a lack of top speed on Lando Norris’ McLaren Formula 1 car in Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying, with the reigning world champion down in fifth.
Despite having outqualified team-mate Oscar Piastri 9-1 in the 10 previous sessions, Norris found himself three tenths’ adrift in Q3 – his worst deficit of the season. A lock-up in Q3 didn’t help, but as it happens ...
25 September 2026 18:07
Williams driver Carlos Sainz has been handed a five-place grid drop for Saturday's Azerbaijan GP in Baku as a punishment for speeding under yellow flags in qualifying.
At the end of Q3, Sainz was the last of three cars to be hindered by a yellow flag in Turn 3 for Lando Norris, who had gone off into the escape road. As Sainz approached the braking zone, Norris had already returned to the ...
25 September 2026 17:37
After setting the fastest time in final practice and feeling good about the upgrades, Verstappen hoped to pull off a surprise in Baku, but an engine problem threw a spanner in the works.
Initially, it appeared to be related to deployment issues and therefore problems on the electrical side of the power unit, but speaking to the (very small) group of Dutch media in the Baku paddock, Verstappen ...
25 September 2026 17:22
Formula 1 heads into Saturday in Baku with George Russell on pole and a major opportunity to cut into Kimi Antonelli championship lead after his Mercedes team-mate crashed out of qualifying.
Russell dominated the final part of qualifying to take his fifth pole of the season, beating Charles Leclerc by more than eight tenths. Oscar Piastri starts third for McLaren, ahead of the returning Isack ...
25 September 2026 16:52
Having qualified on pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, George Russell tipped Max Verstappen as his most immediate danger in the race – but joked about his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli's remarkable Monza comeback.
Such a scenario could be on the cards again since Antonelli hit the wall on his second flying lap in Q1, damaging his front suspension and steering as well as the ...
25 September 2026 16:41
Lewis Hamilton has rued Ferrari’s qualifying strategy at Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, explaining it left him without a slipstream.
Hamilton’s performance worsened throughout qualifying on Friday in Baku, as he outpaced team-mate Charles Leclerc by exactly one tenth in Q1 before ending up 0.257s and 0.495s adrift in the following two segments respectively. As a consequence, he was ...
25 September 2026 16:36
Isack Hadjar qualified fourth in Baku with a strong performance in qualifying - but believes there was more on the table for him and Red Bull on Friday in Azerbaijan. Had he not missed the last three weekends, he's adamant, he would have been second.
“Nothing outstanding," he said of his session to the media, including Motorsport.com. "I just feel like I just need more laps in the car to ...
25 September 2026 16:23
*The Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have been sent to the back of the grid after multiple power unit component changes
*Carlos Sainz got a five-place grid penalty for a yellow-flag infringement
2
Charles Leclerc(Ferrari)
1
George ...
25 September 2026 16:13
F1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli says he needs to "do a much better job" after an "unnecessary" qualifying incident in Baku left him 16th on the grid.
Antonelli made an unforced error in Q1 when he tagged the inside wall in Turn 1 left-hander to start his second flying lap, sustaining terminal suspension damage that forced him to park his Mercedes W17.
Antonelli's first lap had already ...
25 September 2026 16:02
Sky Sports Formula 1 pundit Jamie Chadwick has claimed that Kimi Antonelli's crash during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a return to old habits, branding his Q1 shunt an unnecessary risk given Mercedes' pace.
Antonelli, who currently leads the drivers' championship by 81 points over his team-mate George Russell, prematurely ended his qualifying session after clipping the wall on ...
25 September 2026 15:14
Mercedes driver George Russell has beaten Charles Leclerc to take a dominant pole at F1's Azerbaijan GP, while team-mate and title favourite Kimi Antonelli crashed out of Q1.
At the 6km Baku City Circuit, Antonelli tagged the barriers on the inside of the Turn 1 left-hander during Q1, unable to limp back home in his Mercedes W17 with terminal front-left suspension damage. Antonelli had already ...
25 September 2026 11:37
Red Bull's Max Verstappen surprisingly took the fastest time in third and final practice for F1's Azerbaijan GP, pipping Mercedes driver George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton on Baku's tricky street circuit.
Verstappen took command at the very end of the one-hour session as teams switched to qualifying runs, defying Mercedes' favourite status in Baku by catching a big slipstream to go ...
25 September 2026 11:11
Formula 1 should overhaul its sprint race points system and reassess aerodynamic testing restrictions to accommodate an expanding sprint calendar, according to presenter Will Buxton.
The 2027 F1 calendar includes 10 sprint race weekends in Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Canada, Monaco, Great Britain, Italy, Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
During an appearance on the Up To Speed podcast, Buxton ...
25 September 2026 10:37
Lewis Hamilton was reprimanded for impeding Liam Lawson during Thursday's second practice in FP2 but this wasn't the end of the matter.
Even before a single car had turned a wheel on the Baku City Circuit, concerns had been raised about how cars running slowly to harvest or conserve electrical energy through the final corners could represent a hazard to those on a push lap.
In previous ...
25 September 2026 10:15
Red Bull has introduced its final significant upgrade package for the RB22 in Baku. After the opening practice sessions, technical director Waché concluded that the correlation is good and that the package – which includes a new floor and revised sidepods – is doing what was expected of it.
Behind the scenes, the focus has already been on the 2027 challenger for some time, partly because ...
24 September 2026 19:10
Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has warned that "heads will roll" if Williams's upgraded FW48 fails to deliver an immediate step forward in performance.
The Grove outfit has struggled all season with an overweight car. After 14 rounds, it sits ninth in the constructors' championship with 11 points: six points from Carlos Sainz and five points from Alex Albon.
But it has now ...
24 September 2026 19:07
Mercedes made a very strong statement during Thursday’s practice sessions at the Baku City Circuit. George Russell topped the times in both sessions, with the first non-Mercedes car almost a second adrift at the end of the day (Max Verstappen at 0.827s).Mercedes will introduce its long-awaited upgrade package for the W17 in Malaysia, but even without new parts on the car, rivals have been ...
24 September 2026 18:31
Formula 1 heads into Friday in Baku with Mercedes firmly on top after George Russell led championship leader Kimi Antonelli in second practice for the Azerbaijan GP.
Russell topped FP2 by more than half a second from his team-mate, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton followed in fourth and fifth, while Lando Norris was the leading McLaren in sixth after ...
24 September 2026 18:16
1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve says the lack of female drivers on the current grid is fundamentally a numbers game.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1 in Azerbaijan alongside three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, who became the first woman in over a decade to test a Williams F1 car this week, Villeneuve pointed to the small talent pool as a major issue for women in ...
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