Key Highlights: Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen will race in the GT World Challenge Europe Cup season finale at Portimao. The entry places Verstappen on the same grid as nine-time motorcycle racing grand prix champion Valentino Rossi. The Portimao outing comes in the middle of an intense racing schedule that will see Verstappen ...
Key Highlights: Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna firmly dismissed rumours of tension with team principal Frederic Vasseur, recalling how he once read reports that the pair could not stand each other while sharing dinner together. Vigna emphasized that Maranello intervened publicly to back Vasseur to shield team personnel and their families from misleading speculation amplified by ...
Key Highlights: The debate regarding Formula 1 driver cooling vests has resurfaced during the race weekend in Malaysia. George Russell advocated for an FIA budget cap allowance to develop cooling equipment, citing extreme cockpit heat. Max Verstappen rejected the proposal, maintaining that heat resilience is down to driver fitness and physical conditioning. The contentious debate ...
Key Highlights: Max Verstappen captured pole position at Sepang powered by a Red Bull Powertrains/Ford unit, snapping a 16-race streak of Mercedes-powered poles in 2026. Lewis Hamilton secured a front-row start alongside Verstappen, with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc lining up directly behind them. Extreme ambient temperatures and abrasive track conditions resembling Sakhir are projected ...
Key Highlights: George Russell advocated for FIA intervention to mandate cooling systems or supply standardized driver gear after Mercedes prioritized car performance over bespoke cooling vest development. Formula 1 regulations already permit up to $125,000 in cumulative cost cap exemptions for teams developing effective, comfortable driver cooling systems during declared heat hazards. Rather than neglecting ...
Key Highlights: Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured third on the starting grid after initially believing he had qualified fourth, trailing polesitter Max Verstappen by five-tenths of a second. Antonelli gained the higher starting spot due to an engine-related grid penalty handed to Isack Hadjar, who exceeded allocations with his seventh internal combustion engine. The promotion ...
Key Highlights: McLaren Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri hosted Harry, a young two-stroke kart racer and two-time leukaemia survivor, for a special garage tour during a busy Grand Prix race weekend. Piastri signed memorabilia, showed Harry the inner workings of an F1 steering wheel, and passed along valuable racing guidance focused on fun and purposeful ...
Key Highlights: Lando Norris suffered an ongoing straightline speed deficit costing an estimated 0.1 to 0.2 seconds per lap during qualifying. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella clarified that the problem centers on top speed rather than an overt, detectable Mercedes power unit deployment malfunction. The team acknowledged the performance gap on Norris’ car across multiple ...
Key Highlights Lewis Hamilton secured a front-row start alongside pole-sitter Max Verstappen, claiming it was his “best lap of the year.” Hamilton’s time of 1m35.428s put his Ferrari within 0.298s of Verstappen, ending a front-row qualifying drought dating back to July. Ferrari faces tire degradation and straightline speed challenges against Red Bull at the Sepang ...
Key Highlights: Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, capturing his first pole since the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi. The qualifying triumph marks the maiden pole position for the technical partnership between Red Bull and Ford’s power unit. Verstappen outpaced Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton by nearly three-tenths of ...
Key Highlights: Max Verstappen clinched his first pole position of 2026 at the Sepang International Circuit, signaling major progress for Red Bull Racing after earlier car degradation woes. Verstappen attributes the turnaround to setup refinements, effective Baku upgrades led by Pierre Waché, and the punishing Malaysian heat negatively impacting Mercedes. Despite the top qualifying spot, ...
Key Highlights: Lando Norris qualified sixth—promoted to fifth due to a penalty for Isack Hadjar—finishing six-tenths behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen at Sepang. McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri qualified seventh as both drivers struggled with straight-line speed, track surface grip, and high tire degradation. Red Bull dominated qualifying with Verstappen taking pole and Hadjar third, leaving McLaren ...