F1 has canceled the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix due to regional concerns and freight deadlines, dashing plans for the season opener. However, local organizers haven't fully abandoned hope for a rescheduled date later in the year, though the packed calendar and extreme summer heat make it a long shot.
Lewis Hamilton credits a Christmas Day reset and feeling fully embedded at Ferrari for returning to his peak form, securing his first podium for the team in China. He warns rivals there's more performance to come as he continues to learn the car.
Following his Indian Wells tennis triumph, Jannik Sinner praised fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli's first Formula 1 victory at the Chinese GP, calling it a special day for Italy. Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, held off fierce competition to secure a historic win.
F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve says the sport's new 2026 regulations are fun for fans but represent a type of racing he would have hated as a driver, highlighting a generational shift in what defines competition at the highest level.
Fernando Alonso humorously pointed out Aston Martin's deficiencies in F1's crucial energy management battle, calling it the 'battery world championship.' This comes after another tough weekend in China where both cars retired, highlighting the team's early struggles with reliability and performance under the new 2026 regulations with power unit partner Honda.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella backs Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to recover mentally after both cars failed to start the Chinese GP due to electrical issues. While the double DNS deals a heavy blow to their championship points, Stella highlighted the team's positive 'winner's mindset' cultivated during their 2025 title run.
F1 figures Ralf Schumacher and Max Verstappen have slammed the proposed 2026 regulations, calling the overtaking system "artificial" and comparing it to Mario Kart. They argue the new rules risk undermining driver skill and reducing the sport to a gimmick, sparking a crucial debate about F1's future identity.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is urging caution over the hype generated by Kimi Antonelli's debut F1 win in China, fearing excessive pressure from his home nation of Italy could harm the 19-year-old rookie's development as he faces the challenge of competing against experienced teammate George Russell.
Kimi Antonelli scored a historic maiden F1 victory at the 2026 Chinese GP, leading a Mercedes 1-2. Lewis Hamilton took his first Ferrari podium in third, as several drivers had weekends ruined by errors and poor reliability.
Toto Wolff links Max Verstappen's harsh criticism of F1's 2026 racing style to the driver's current difficulties with an unstable Red Bull car, contrasting it with positive feedback from rival Mercedes and Ferrari drivers who have enjoyed closer battles under the new rules.
F1's 2024 technical rules have split driver opinion, with Hamilton loving the close racing and Verstappen deriding it. The FIA will evaluate after China, but teams warn against rash changes, with a fuller review likely after the Japanese GP.
Onboard footage from the Japanese GP reveals Fernando Alonso momentarily letting go of his Aston Martin's steering wheel due to severe vibrations. Alonso confirmed the issue caused major discomfort and hindered his performance, raising concerns about driver safety and the team's need for a technical fix.
