Formula 1 news

03 April 2026 18:36
Haas Formula 1 team principal Ayao Komatsu has admitted he would have laughed if he had been told the American outfit would be fourth in the constructors' championship after the first three rounds of the season. 
The Gene Haas-owned team has emerged as one of the paddock's most surprising challengers in the early stages of the new season. After the first three rounds, Haas sits fourth with 18 ...
03 April 2026 18:26
Alpine's Pierre Gasly backs calls to tweak the divisive 2026 Formula 1 regulations and improve qualifying, but disagrees with the negativity around the new rules taking away opportunities for the drivers to make a difference. The new regulations, which place a huge emphasis on electric energy management, have significantly changed how drivers and teams approach qualifying, with the need to ...
03 April 2026 17:18
The Suzuka race highlighted why the 2026 Formula 1 regulations can both create exciting races – thanks to hybrid energy deployment strategies that cause near-constant passing – but also what the critical issues are that need addressing, starting at next week’s meeting between F1, the FIA, and the teams.
Precisely because of this dynamic of overtakes and counter-overtakes, the Japanese ...
03 April 2026 16:57
David Coulthard believes George Russell needs to "start eroding" his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli's confidence in order to fight for his first drivers' championship.
Russell was tipped as a favourite for the 2026 drivers' championship title ahead of the season, but Antonelli's strong streak, which has included two grand prix wins in the first three rounds, has dented the Briton's title ...
03 April 2026 15:55
Charles Leclerc and his wife Alexandra have shared their wedding gift from Prince Albert of Monaco after the couple tied the knot ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The Leclercs got married in a small, private civil ceremony in Monaco before a larger celebration with their extended friends and family next year. While they initially kept the ceremony quiet, news quickly spread of their ...
03 April 2026 15:39
It is often said that the hard part is not getting there, but staying there – so perhaps the real challenge isn’t winning in Formula 1 (which it absolutely is, very much so), but repeating it.
Kimi Antonelli has done just that: after becoming the second-youngest driver to win in F1 history at the Chinese Grand Prix, he followed it up by winning again in the Japanese Grand Prix a few weeks ...
03 April 2026 13:36
Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack has stated “there are no issues” between the team and engine supplier Honda, despite their troubled start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Aston Martin switched from a customer Mercedes engine supply to a works partnership with Honda for 2026, as it attempted to finally become a top team amid colossal investment by billionaire team owner Lawrence ...
03 April 2026 11:51
Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle believes empliying Jonathan Wheatley would be a "smart move" for Aston Martin, though he cautioned that the Silverstone outfit must stabilise its management structure.
Audi confirmed on 20 March that Wheatley had left his role as team principal with immediate effect due to personal reasons. While the 58-year-old is yet to confirm his ...
03 April 2026 11:47
Max Verstappen has expressed interest in racing in Super GT, but admits the lack of a true blue riband event makes a guest appearance difficult to justify.
The four-time Formula 1 champion turned his first laps in a Nissan Z GT500 car at Fuji Speedway last month, as part of a promotional shoot organised by his employer Red Bull.
It marked only his second in a contemporary Super GT prototype ...
03 April 2026 11:10
Alexander Albon has weighed in on the impact of Formula 1’s 2026 regulations, which he said were discussed in the drivers’ briefing.
Closing speed between cars deploying energy and others harvesting it has been a hot topic since pre-season testing and was thrust under the spotlight by Oliver Bearman’s hefty Suzuka crash, when the young Briton lost control of his Haas car at 308km/h when ...
03 April 2026 10:10
Charles Leclerc believes “huge gains” are within reach in all compartments of Ferrari’s 2026 Formula 1 car – including its power unit, chassis, aerodynamics and tyre management.
Ferrari has emerged as Mercedes’ main challenger so far this season, but failed to prevent the Silver Arrows from winning the opening three grands prix following front-row lockouts.
The Scuderia has made ...
03 April 2026 07:35
Haas Formula 1 team principal Ayao Komatsu has made an unexpected appearance at Coventry City Football Club.
Komatsu, who took the reins at the American F1 team ahead of the 2024 season, took advantage of a rare gap in the race calendar after the Japanese Grand Prix to return to his old stomping ground.
Speaking previously to Autosport about his passion for football, the Japanese team chief ...
03 April 2026 00:26
Daniel Ricciardo has shed light on the origins of his iconic 'Shoey' podium celebrations.
During an interview with Ford CEO Jim Farley, who compared Ricciardo's 'Shoey' to Dan Gurney's inaugural champagne spray at Le Mans in 1966, the Australian explained that he adopted the move as a nod to his home country.
"I believe when I did it, a friend of mine kind of did some history on it and I ...
02 April 2026 23:00
Williams Formula 1 team principal James Vowles has revealed that Alex Albon's unusual burst of late pitstops during the Japanese Grand Prix was a deliberate decision to transform the final laps of the race at Suzuka into a live testing session. 
The Grove outfit has had a troublesome start to the 2026 season after it missed private testing in Barcelona and arrived at the season-opening ...
02 April 2026 19:00
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says everyone in the Formula 1 paddock agrees the world championship needs to return to "flat-out qualifying” as soon as possible.
F1’s new power units, with nearly 50% electrical power, mean energy management has become a key factor of performance. In qualifying, this translates into downshifting and/or lifting and coasting before corners, and ...
02 April 2026 18:39
Former Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo has opened up about knowing when it was the right time to retire from the championship in a candid interview with Ford CEO Jim Farley.
The Australian driver made his F1 debut in 2011 when he was loaned out by Red Bull to Hispania Racing to replace Narain Karthikeyan for the remaining 11 races of the season. By the end of the year he was promoted to a ...
02 April 2026 18:00
It was at the Japanese Grand Prix last year that Jonathan Wheatley made his first appearance as team principal of what is now Audi's works Formula 1 team. After two decades as sporting director of Red Bull, he gave all the indications of being massively enthusiastic about an ambition fulfilled – and delighted to move to Switzerland.
Less than 12 months on, Mattia Binotto – the ‘head of ...
02 April 2026 16:35
Red Bull Formula 1 star Max Verstappen will compete in the 24h Qualifiers at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife on 18-19 April.
The four-time F1 champion will compete alongside Lucas Auer in the two four-hour races, one on Saturday evening and the other on Sunday.
This is made possible by the cancellations of the F1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing Iran conflict.
The 24h ...
02 April 2026 14:30
There’s a very curious aspect of Alex Albon’s Japanese Grand Prix that largely went unnoticed. It’s no secret that Williams is paying a high price for the extra weight of its Formula 1 car, estimated at over 20 kg, which has delayed development in several areas. This is a condition that penalises the FW47, and one the team hopes to mitigate with a gradual weight-reduction programme.
While ...
02 April 2026 14:00
A delegation will travel from Argentina to the Miami Grand Prix to meet with Formula 1 executives and showcase the progress made at the Buenos Aires circuit, as officials aim to be ready to return to the F1 calendar should an opportunity arise in 2027.
The historic home of motorsport in Argentina – the Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez – is currently undergoing redevelopment to host the MotoGP ...
02 April 2026 13:51
Construction is well underway at Saudi Arabia's Qiddiya Speed Park, with new images and videos emerging of the progress at the site.
Designed by renowned circuit architect Hermann Tilke in collaboration with former Formula 1 driver and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Alexander Wurz, the Qiddiya layout is like no other track on the current calendar.
The main feature that has grabbed ...
02 April 2026 13:12
The Alpine Formula 1 team has denied claims that it has been sabotaging its second driver Franco Colapinto’s car.
Motorsport understands the claims were made on social media by primarily Argentinian fans and gained traction due to a difference in car specification at the Chinese Grand Prix.
After finishing 10th in the main Shanghai race, 49 seconds behind team-mate Pierre Gasly – which ...
02 April 2026 11:56
Red Bull is ‘paying the price’ for its 2025 Formula 1 title bid with Max Verstappen, as resources were diverted from its 2026 challenger, team principal Laurent Mekies has admitted.
Last season, Verstappen managed to overturn Oscar Piastri’s 104-point championship lead in the last nine grands prix of the season, falling just two points short of the Australian’s McLaren team-mate Lando ...
02 April 2026 11:17
Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll will take advantage of an unexpected break in the Formula 1 calendar to contest his maiden GT race.
The Canadian is named on the entry list for the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe at Paul Ricard on 11-12 April.
Stroll will drive an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 entered by Comtoyou Racing, sharing the driving duties with former Manor grand prix driver ...
02 April 2026 10:14
After another disappointing Formula 1 qualifying session, Max Verstappen appeared in the Suzuka media pen on Saturday afternoon. Of course, being knocked out in Q2 did not help, but he found what he had experienced an hour earlier even more disappointing. A qualifying session that, despite an FIA intervention that made things slightly better, was in his view still not as it should ...
01 April 2026 18:20
Ferrari F1 team boss Fred Vasseur believes May's Miami Grand Prix will be the start of a "new championship" as teams "push like crazy" for a first real opportunity to roll out major upgrades.
Some teams had already trickled out upgrades at last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, but most frontrunners are keeping their powder dry for the Miami Autodrome race on the first weekend of May. In some ...
01 April 2026 16:00
Three races across three very different types of circuits are enough to suggest that Mercedes is the dominant force in Formula 1. The Silver Arrows are back on top – and it will take a lot for its rivals to stop the team from winning both championships. As for the drivers’ title, Russell was the on-paper favourite heading into the season, and he underlined that status with a dominant win in ...
01 April 2026 15:07
Formula 1 race starts in 2026 come freighted with many uncertainties, but one thing is virtually guaranteed: the sight of both Audis, having qualified well, falling off faster than John Lithgow at the end of the movie Cliffhanger.
Poor starts are just one symptom of an issue that affects all aspects of the Audi power unit’s performance, and the team has acknowledged there is no short-term ...
01 April 2026 13:30
For so long had the Formula 1 paddock only seen sponsor-laden team wear before Lewis Hamilton. Yes, there were hints of an interest in fashion from a number of drivers - Michael Schumacher knew how to throw on some leather and fur once upon a time. 
But it was Lewis Hamilton that really intertwined fashion with F1, and his impact in this way has been transformative. Now in his second year with ...
01 April 2026 12:35
Red Bull is used to fighting at the front in Formula 1, having mastered the ground effects era to claim consecutive world titles and previously dominating from 2010 to 2013. Now, the Milton Keynes team is coming to terms with a harsh new reality as it lags behind the frontrunners in F1’s new era.
“There is nothing to be happy about today,” remarked team boss Laurent Mekies on Sunday after ...
01 April 2026 10:13
Suzuka has two sides to it. It’s a stunning track, one of the most captivating on the calendar and a true gem on the calendar. But, especially in recent years, overtakes has become extremely difficult here due to a layout that offers few real opportunities to attack and the lack of multiple DRS zones from the previous rules era to facilitate such manoeuvres.
However, the new 2026 regulations ...
01 April 2026 10:05
After the shock announcement that Jonathan Wheatley had left his role as Audi Formula 1 team principal with immediate effect on 20 March, former F1 TV pundit Will Buxton has thrown his weight behind Allan McNish to take the Briton's position.
While head of Audi F1 project Mattia Binotto has assumed the responsibilities of team principal in the meantime, Buxton argued that the German outfit ...
01 April 2026 08:00
1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has opened up about his title fight with his team-mate Damon Hill in 1996.
The Canadian driver entered his rookie F1 season with Williams in 1996 and was straight into a title fight with his team-mate Hill. He ultimately finished second behind the Briton with 78 points, compared to Hill's 97. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher ended the season in third ...
01 April 2026 00:39
Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has given an insight into his insane garage, which features multiple F1 cars as well as his first kart.
The Scotsman recently revealed details about his extraordinary private collection of machinery during an appearance on the Cars & Money podcast. Coulthard has proudly retained his very first and final go-karts from 1982 and 1988.
The collection ...
01 April 2026 00:35
Red Bull drivers often have fun off-track perks with experiences in other motorsports such as drifting and rally. It was no different for Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson during their downtime in Australia, where the Red Bull and Racing Bulls drivers took on a drift kart challenge with New Zealand drifting legend 'Mad' Mike Whiddett.
The drivers were tasked with clipping a proximity wall ...
01 April 2026 00:05
Liam Lawson revealed he was left "mentally drained" following the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix.
After securing a hard-fought ninth-place finish at Suzuka, the Racing Bulls driver explained the mental toll that the new regulation cars have on the drivers.
"Good, a little bit mentally drained," he told F1 TV after the race. "It's very intense this year. You have a lot more that you're thinking ...
31 March 2026 23:35
Photos of Oscar Piastri's custom McLaren 750S have emerged on social media. 
The Australian driver recently took delivery of the 750S, which is the lightest and most powerful series-production McLaren to date. While Piastri's is a custom specification, the 750S is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces a blistering 750PS (740bhp) and 800Nm of torque. This has resulted ...
31 March 2026 22:52
Oscar Piastri recently traded in his McLaren Formula 1 car for the world of Australian V8 Supercars. Returning to his Aussie roots, the 24-year-old joined fellow countryman and Supercars driver and 18-time race winner Cam Waters.
"To be honest, I probably watched the V8s more than I watched F1 because the time difference was a lot kinder. Used to watch the drag races here with my dad," ...
31 March 2026 22:35
Lewis Hamilton opened up on his first podium finish with Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix, claiming he "never had to work so hard to get a podium".
While the seven-time champion secured the Chinese sprint race win with Ferrari in 2025, he failed to reach the podium at a grand prix. Now, after coming back from a rejuvenating winter break and gelling with the new era of regulations, Hamilton ...
31 March 2026 22:05
Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 analyst Karun Chandhok has urged Aston Martin to stop finger-pointing amid the Silverstone outfit's troublesome start to the 2026 season.
The Lawrence Stroll-led team headed into the 2026 season, which welcomed a new wave of regulations into the championship, with a new power unit partnership with Honda and the technical leadership of Adrian Newey. It's ...
31 March 2026 21:21
Kimi Antonelli reached a new milestone at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, becoming the youngest championship leader in Formula 1's history. F1 TV pundit Alex Brundle commended the Italian driver's "tremendous performance" during the race at the Suzuka circuit. 
Antonelli arrived in Japan on the back of his maiden F1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he became the second-youngest driver to ...
31 March 2026 18:45
Set aside for now the irony of Max Verstappen criticising the state of Formula 1 while eulogising GT3 racing – the epitome of an artificial formula where the competitors regularly bemoan the balance of performance regime. His body language in recent grand prix weekends has signalled that his hints about fading motivation are real.
“Every day I wake up, I convince myself again. And I ...
31 March 2026 16:50
Oscar Piastri had a tough start to Formula 1’s new era in 2026. But after a second-place finish in the Japanese Grand Prix, his McLaren boss Andrea Stella believes the “best version” of the young Australian was on show last weekend.
Piastri failed to start the first two grands prix of the year after crashing on the way to the grid in Melbourne and being hit by a mechanical issue ahead of ...
31 March 2026 14:34
Just days after the Japanese Grand Prix, Ferrari is preparing to return to the track. During the forced break caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix, the Scuderia has planned two on-track sessions with the SF-25.
Tomorrow, Ferrari’s test team will be at Mugello to begin two days of TPC (Testing of Previous Cars). There will be no race drivers at Ferrari’s ...
31 March 2026 11:31
With his victory at the 2026 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix and his team-mate’s fourth-place finish, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli became the new championship leader. In the process, he earned the record as the youngest driver ever to top the F1 championship.
Antonelli’s achievement is even more remarkable when you remember he is the first driver to lead the championship at under 20 years old ...
31 March 2026 10:37
Pierre Gasly described Alpine’s 2026 challenger as the best Formula 1 car he’s had in his career, after beating Max Verstappen to seventh position in the Japanese Grand Prix.
After Alpine sacrificed its 2025 campaign to focus on F1’s new technical regulations, Gasly has again spearheaded its effort – and this time higher up the grid.
The 30-year-old qualified seventh in the last ...
31 March 2026 00:25
According to F1 TV analyst and racing driver Alex Brundle, the current Formula 1 drivers are facing an immense level of mental exhaustion during grands prix.
Speaking after the Japanese Grand Prix, Brundle noted a trend among the drivers: "I don't know if it's coming across to the viewer, but every driver that comes and stands next to us, they are drained. They have worked hard. You can see ...
30 March 2026 23:10
F1 TV analyst Alex Brundle has lauded Oscar Piastri's "really smart" moves during the Japanese Grand Prix.
Piastri, who has suffered a horrible start to the 2026 season after failing to start both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix, delivered a strong drive from third on the grid to a second-place finish.
While McLaren has struggled to kick off the season with the dominance it enjoyed ...
30 March 2026 20:46
Williams team principal James Vowles reflected on the "painful" Japanese Grand Prix, explaining that the Grove outfit will use the race at the Suzuka circuit as a "line in the sand".
The Vowles-led team endured a challenging weekend at Suzuka. Carlos Sainz finished 15th, while his team-mate Alex Albon crossed the line in 20th. 
Taking to social media platform X after the race, Vowles was ...
30 March 2026 19:22
Did the safety car, triggered by the heavy crash of Haas driver Oliver Bearman on lap 22, cost Oscar Piastri the victory in Japan? At that point, the McLaren driver was in the projected race lead and had already completed his mandatory pitstop.
However, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli benefited from the timing of the safety car and was able to make a comparatively inexpensive tyre change ...