Toto Wolff says Max Verstappen is in a 'horror show' at Red Bull, calling the RB22 'horrendous to drive' as the champion struggles early in 2026. Wolff argues the issue is car-specific, not solely the new rules Verstappen has criticized as 'fundamentally flawed.'
Audi’s first race with its own power unit produced a points finish, and former Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto used a L’Équipe interview to starkly contrast Audi’s structured approach with Ferrari’s lack of recent success, sparking a pointed rivalry.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas personally pitched Adelaide as an emergency host for a 2026 Formula 1 race after the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs were cancelled. He called F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali with a ready plan, though the series opted not to replace the events. The bold move highlights Adelaide's active ambitions to return to the F1 calendar, building on its recent success in securing a MotoGP race for 2027.
Lewis Hamilton speculates Mercedes may be using a hidden high-power 'party mode' in qualifying, explaining their strong one-lap pace. Ferrari is confused by a performance gap that appears only in qualifying sessions, not the race, adding complexity to their title challenge.
Liam Lawson discusses his dramatic F1 career shift, from being dropped by Red Bull to securing a strong points finish with Racing Bulls in China, highlighting the team's strategic execution to overcome a lack of pure pace.
Haas driver Esteban Ocon now holds the Formula 1 record for the most race entries without ever starting from pole position, reaching 182 qualifying sessions. In a curious twist, the top three drivers on this list are all French: Ocon, followed by Romain Grosjean and Pierre Gasly.
Haas rookie Oliver Bearman described a heart-stopping near-miss with Isack Hadjar on the first lap in Shanghai, saying he 'almost killed' the spinning Red Bull driver. After taking to the run-off to avoid a crash, Bearman dropped to last but staged a remarkable recovery drive to finish fifth, maintaining his perfect points-scoring record in 2026.
Sergio Perez apologized for causing a first-lap collision with Cadillac teammate Valtteri Bottas at the Chinese GP, calling it his misjudgment. The incident damaged Bottas's car and spun Perez, who also suffered energy deployment issues, limiting both to finishes outside the points in the team's second race.
Red Bull Racing needed no persuasion to allow Max Verstappen to race in the Nürburgring 24-hour event, with team boss Laurent Mekies citing the driver's infectious passion. Verstappen sees it as the perfect time to explore legendary endurance races, refusing to wait until after his F1 career to chase other motorsport dreams.
Max Verstappen's frustration erupted after another poor start in China dropped him down the order, underscoring Red Bull's significant struggles with the 2026 regulations. The four-time champion retired from the race and admitted to feeling like a passenger in an uncompetitive car, raising serious doubts about his title defense.
Bernie Ecclestone revealed he would rather face a "machine gun" than discuss his £1 million donation to Tony Blair's Labour Party, a scandal linked to F1's lobbying for an exemption from a tobacco ad ban. Declassified memos later showed Blair acted faster than admitted to seek the favor, breaking what Ecclestone believed was a pact of silence.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is a surprising advocate for F1's new 2026 racing style, describing intense battery-management battles as 'not artificial' and tactically engaging from the driver's seat, even as most of his rivals criticize the fundamental shift.
