F1 Australian GP: Leclerc tops first 2026 practice as McLaren and Aston Martin hit trouble
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc headed team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to lead the first practice session of Formula 1’s new era that starts at the Australian Grand Prix.Leclerc’s last-minute effort of 1m20.267s demoted team-mate Hamilton after a relatively uneventful first practice session of F1’s new regulations era.Most teams wasted little time getting up […]
Is Verstappen’s Nurburgring start already finalised?
Whether Max Verstappen will be driving in the legendary Nurburgring 24 Hours this year is a hot topic of debate. The course for that appearance had been set by the Nurburgring Endurance Series (NLS) bringing forward the second round of the championship to avoid a clash with the Formula 1 calendar. So now it’s clearly […]
The qualifying challenge and chaos teams face at Australian GP’s Albert Park
One aspect of Formula 1’s 2026 regulations that has become increasingly evident through feedback from the engineers and drivers is the track-dependent nature of the new cars. There’s a cast of circuits where drivers won’t have to stray too far from their natural driving inputs to harvest energy, and another group of tracks which will […]
How the new F1 cars will challenge the drivers
Formula 1’s 2026 cars present a very different challenge to the drivers. Racing this year will not only rely on natural aptitude and reflex, but on mental acuity and bandwidth to get the most out of the new generation of machines. What does it take to be successful, and where are the limits with the […]
Inside the strategy system that’s won 20 F1 world championships
Success in Formula 1 rests on a delicate balance of several factors: the car, the drivers and the strategy. When performance levels are very close, it’s often the tactical choices made on the pitwall that tip the scales. Strategy has become one of the most complex disciplines in modern F1, with teams analysing dozens of possible combinations behind the scenes as they […]
Honda reveals cause of «extremely challenging» Aston Martin F1 engine issue
Honda is working to solve crippling vibration issues in time for Formula 1’s 2026 season opener in Australia after a disastrous series of tests with Aston Martin. Aston Martin and Honda suffered a rough start to their partnership in pre-season testing, with minimal mileage at the Barcelona shakedown after the AMR26 was delivered late. A […]
The scrutiny on Ferrari laid bare
As Italy’s ‘national team’ in Formula 1, Ferrari has cultivated a huge and fervent fanbase throughout its 76 years racing in the championship. Monza, for example, would scarcely be the same without its Rosso Corsa-decked grandstands. Although Ferrari has not enjoyed championship success since 2008, the support for the team in its Italian heartland remains […]
How latest Iran-US war is impacting F1 and WEC
The FIA has been monitoring the geopolitical situation in the Middle East ahead of the World Endurance Championship’s season opener in Qatar, as the Formula 1 paddock travels to Australia.On 28 February, the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei as well as other Iranian officials.Iran […]
Why Vasseur was surprised by F1 2026 starting procedure complaints
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur felt some degree of bewilderment when Formula 1’s starting procedure was put under scrutiny during testing ahead of the 2026 season, stating the need to manage turbo lag «was known from day one».As part of the wide-ranging technical regulation changes for 2026, the cars no longer carry the MGU-H — […]