Formula 1 News

Charles Leclerc significantly impressed by topping the final morning of pre-season testing for the 2026 Formula 1 campaign, while further problems struck Aston Martin in Bahrain.
The Ferrari driver set a 1m33.689s lap on the C3 tyre inside the opening hour, and that is the third session Leclerc has topped across the last two weeks.
Alongside going fastest, the Monegasque completed the ...Keep reading

Formula 1 is actively looking into doubling the number of sprint races from six to 12 per year from 2027, and is investigating other format changes to regular weekends.
F1's commercial rightsholder Liberty Media has been keen to expand the number of sprint races for a while as it has found they lead to more interest from fans, broadcasters and race promoters, even if they place a bigger burden ...Keep reading

F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali has urged fans to "stay calm" over the series' new 2026 regulations, which have already come under fire before the season has started.
F1's wholesale regulation changes for 2026 revolve around a much more powerful electric motor and sustainable fuels, measures which have attracted involvement from Audi, GM and Ford and enticed Honda to make a U-turn on ...Keep reading

In the weeks leading up to the season opener in Melbourne, the words “compression ratio” have dominated paddock conversations. Since rivals caught wind of the fact that Mercedes complies with the 16:1 limit during static tests at ambient temperature but is able to achieve a higher ratio while running, the topic has become political and inflated.
During the first week of pre-season testing ...Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli went quickest on the penultimate day of Formula 1’s pre-season testing in Bahrain on Thursday.
The Mercedes driver set the best time so far for 2026-spec machinery at the Sakhir track, going over six tenths faster than anyone prior to today, with a 1m32.803s – narrowly quicker than Oscar Piastri.
McLaren and Red Bull traded fastest laps during most of the day, with ...Keep reading

Ferrari has debuted a novel approach to its rear wing active aerodynamics package in the second week of Bahrain's pre-season Formula 1 testing, sporting an upper wing flap that rotates over 180 degrees to run upside down.
With Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel for Thursday's running, Ferrari put its new rear wing development into practice. With a turning axis positioned at the leading edge of the ...Keep reading

Lando Norris has set a new fastest lap at Formula 1 Bahrain pre-season testing to head Max Verstappen, while Ferrari debuted a trick rear wing before being hit with a mechanical problem.
F1 world champion Norris posted a 1m33.453s on the C3 compound tyres to go 0.006s quicker than George Russell’s previous best set yesterday afternoon, taking top spot in the morning session by 0.131s from Red ...Keep reading

Formula 1’s first Bahrain test has highlighted a topic that will be discussed in the F1 Commission’s next meeting: race starts. The new power units are making those more difficult, as engines need to rev very high for an extended period of time in order to get the turbo in the right window.
The issue has reached a point where teams are requesting regulatory intervention ahead of the ...Keep reading

Formula 1’s 2026 season-opening Australian Grand Prix currently looks like a race nobody wants to win.
Of course, that’s not the case, but it jokingly underlines that, at this stage of the pre-season, everyone is keen to avoid the role of clear favourite.
Although that has always been the game during F1 testing, this year it is going to extreme lengths. On the very first day in Bahrain ...Keep reading

Formula 1’s 2026 season-opening Australian Grand Prix currently looks like a race nobody wants to win.
Of course, that’s not the case, but it jokingly underlines that, at this stage of the pre-season, everyone is keen to avoid the role of clear favourite.
Although that has always been the game during F1 testing, this year it is going to extreme lengths. On the very first day in Bahrain ...Keep reading