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Lambiase to continue as Verstappen's engineer amid rival interest
Gianpiero Lambiase will remain as Max Verstappen's race engineer this year in an unchanged head of racing role, despite rival Formula 1 teams trying to lure him away from the squad.The Italian's future in F1 has been the subject of speculation over recent weeks after it emerged that Aston Martin has been targeting a deal to get him on its future roster in a senior role - at team principal or CEO l...
Every F1 team's 2026 launch plans
The 2026 rules overhaul marks arguably the biggest reset in Formula 1 history, with both the chassis and engine regulations changing at the same time.And that means plenty of intrigue about what those challengers will look like in particular.Here's what F1 teams have confirmed about their launch plans so far:Red Bull + Racing Bulls: January 15 (livery only)Red Bull and sister outfit Racing Bulls w...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/every-team-f1-2026-car-launch/
F1 2026 car reveal brought forward due to crowding
Haas is now set to become the first team to reveal images of its 2026 Formula 1 car, after bringing forward its launch to avoid an over-congested day.The American-owned outfit had originally planned to go public in releasing digital renders of its VF-26 on January 23 – the same day that both Ferrari and Alpine are holding events.This was also going to be a day after Mercedes, which appeared to hav...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/haas-f1-2026-reveal-brought-forward/
Perez's final Red Bull F1 criticisms explained
Sergio Perez is preparing for his Formula 1 return with Cadillac while shedding the last of the baggage from a turbulent late-2024 exit from Red Bull, where he believes "everything was a problem" with him. Perez rejoins the F1 grid this year after a season on the sidelines following Red Bull's decision to drop him for 2025 - as it mistakenly believed Liam Lawson, and then Yuki Tsunoda would achiev...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/sergio-perez-final-red-bull-f1-criticisms-explained/
What F1 rules reset means for McLaren's major tech revival
McLaren's Formula 1 championship double in 2025, and back-to-back constructors' titles, showed that as a customer team it had truly mastered the ground effect ruleset.As its engine supplier Mercedes endured four years of false dawns and fresh problems in its attempts to try to unlock the secrets of domination in that rules era, McLaren clearly - eventually, after a slow start - got to grips with w...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/what-f1-rules-reset-means-for-mclarens-major-tech-revival/
When is F1 2026 pre-season testing?
The first collective on-track running of Formula 1's 2026 season is just around the corner, with three multi-day pre-season tests planned ahead of the Melbourne season-opener. With all-new chassis and engine regulations for 2026, the 11 F1 teams (don't forget Cadillac has joined the grid!) will have more testing time compared to the last few years, to help them get to grips with their new cars. Te...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/when-is-f1-2026-pre-season-testing/
Every F1 team's 2026 launch plans
The 2026 rules overhaul marks arguably the biggest reset in Formula 1 history, with both the chassis and engine regulations changing at the same time.And that means plenty of intrigue about what those challengers will look like in particular.Here's what F1 teams have confirmed about their launch plans so far:Red Bull + Racing Bulls - January 15 (livery only)Red Bull and sister outfit Racing Bulls ...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/every-team-f1-2026-car-launch/
Every F1 team's 2026 launch plans
The 2026 rules overhaul marks arguably the biggest reset in Formula 1 history, with both the chassis and engine regulations changing at the same time.And that means plenty of intrigue about what those challengers will look like in particular.Here's what F1 teams have confirmed about their launch plans so far:Red Bull + Racing Bulls - January 15 (livery only)Red Bull and sister outfit Racing Bulls ...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/every-team-f1-2026-car-launch/
Mark Hughes: Ferrari is resisting the Hamilton-led change it needs
If Lewis Hamilton had been able to join Ferrari with, say, Adrian Newey (in the Rory Byrne role), Andrea Stella (in the Ross Brawn role) and Christian Horner (as Jean Todt), and as a four-headed force they had been able to demand just a budget and a totally hands-off approach from corporate management, then Hamilton may - just may - have had a chance of achieving what Michael Schumacher did at Fer...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/ferrari-f1-flaws-lewis-hamilton-question-mark-hughes/
Gary Anderson's verdict on F1's frustrating ground effect era
The 2022-25 ground effect regulations didn't do what they were expected to do. That's partly because the FIA did not, or was not able to, react quickly enough to fix what was wrong with the rules.Making the cars better at following was a difficult target so, in reality, there were always going to be issues with the original rules. I understand that and there was great intention behind them. A lot ...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-frustrating-ground-effect-era-gary-anderson-verdict/
Why Mercedes went from F1 dominator to four years of failure
Mercedes is tipped by many to be back on top in Formula 1 for the start of the new regulations era in 2026. There are good reasons for this, given the team’s illustrious history, the quality of its personnel, top-notch facilities, spectacular success last time the engine regulations were overhauled in 2014, and it being at the centre of an early potential 2026 loophole. However, there are also dou...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/why-mercedes-went-from-f1-dominator-to-four-years-of-failure/
How the FIA will react if 2026 F1 racing isn't good enough
The FIA says it will step in and take action to ensure that overtaking in Formula 1 is neither too difficult nor too hard with the new 2026 rules.A total revamp of the regulations for the new season has thrown up a lot of uncertainty about just what the wheel-to-wheel racing is going to be like. While the FIA and F1 are hopeful that a combination of active aero and an engine overtake mode will spi...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/how-the-fia-will-react-if-2026-f1-racing-isnt-good-enough/
Every British F1 world champion ranked
No other country even comes close to matching the level of success the UK has enjoyed in the Formula 1 world championship, with Lando Norris becoming the 11th different driver from a cold, wet island in the North Sea to claim motorsport’s biggest prize.It was only a blown tyre that prevented a Brit from being crowned champ during every decade of the world championship era, and with yet another hig...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/every-british-f1-world-champion-ranked/
The game-changer in F1's 2026 fuel revolution
Presented by ShellShell’s partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP in the Formula 1 World Championship stretches all the way back to the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. The latest step in its remarkable journey of technology and innovation is the introduction of Advanced Sustainable race fuels in 2026.History of Race Fuels from 1950 to todaySo what exactly are Advanced Sustainable race fuels and how big a cha...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/promoted/game-changer-f1-fuel-revolution/
The Formula 1 stories you read the most in 2025
Formula 1’s (joint-) longest season ever produced plenty of news, from shock sackings to driver market drama to a surprise title fight. Below you’ll find the 10 F1 stories you engaged with the most on The Race in 2025. 10 - Red Bull makes its 2026 F1 driver call http://the-race.com/formula-1/red-bull-f1-2026-line-up-decision-racing-bulls-hadjar-tsunoda-lawson-lindblad/A common theme of any modern ...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/the-formula-1-stories-you-read-the-most-in-2025/
Every F1 driver's best and worst 2025 race performance
The 2025 Formula 1 season comprised 594 race drives, if you include the sprints and account for occasions where cars did not start, with 20 drivers on the grid and a total of 30 races.We’ve picked out the best and the worst by each driver.This factors in their performance and execution relative to the machinery, as well as myriad other considerations, including mistakes or the lack thereof. And re...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/every-f1-driver-2025-best-worst-race/
The best worst team that F1's ever had
Alpine was a dismal, distant last in Formula 1 in 2025, with some small consolation in that it is the best worst team in F1 history.No team has ever finished last while scoring as many points as Alpine, even though it finished 48 points behind the next-lowest team, Sauber.And while its car was just about the slowest on average, the Alpine wasn't irredeemably bad, as its qualifying results show.Pie...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/the-best-worst-team-that-f1s-ever-had/
Ranking F1's rookie crop + what they must prove in 2026
Every now and then, a Formula 1 season produces a rookie crop that goes on to have a profound impact on grand prix racing. Based on the evidence so far, 2025 could be one of those. It’s far too early for bold declarations about it matching up to some of the great rookie fields in history, such as 2001 when Kimi Raikkonen, Juan Pablo Montoya and Fernando Alonso were among the newcomers, or 2007, wh...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/ranking-f1-rookie-crop-what-they-must-prove-in-2026/
How F1 teams broke the ground effect era
Formula 1’s ground effect regulations of 2022 to 2025 were the most thoroughly researched, systematically-written and well-conceived in the history of grand prix racing. But the cars it created ultimately became exactly what the rules set out to avoid, extremely difficult to race thanks to how difficult it became to follow.They produced enormous levels of downforce and were seriously fast, and wer...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/how-f1-teams-broke-the-ground-effect-era/
Did Ferrari's Hamilton swoop weaken its F1 line-up?
Just under a couple of years ago, I posited the question: how can anyone really be confident that Ferrari's marquee signing, Lewis Hamilton, will be a definite upgrade on Carlos Sainz when time rolls around to make the switch?The argument against this was laid out in the column was, in truth, a slightly detuned version of itself, just out of a worry of coming off as contrarianism-for-clicks amid t...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/did-ferrari-lewis-hamilton-swoop-weaken-f1-line-up/
Why PepsiCo is back in F1 after so long away
For a company as big and well known as PepsiCo, its return to Formula 1 team sponsorship after 34 years away has inevitably prompted some intrigue about why now?After all, PepsiCo already had its foot in the door of grand prix racing through a global partnership with F1 that involved three of its core brands: Gatorade, Sting and Doritos.But there is good reason as to why it has committed to a majo...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/promoted/why-pepsico-is-back-in-f1-after-so-long-away/
Red Bull attempted to interfere with Norris grid marker
Red Bull’s pre-race rules breach at the United States Grand Prix involved a team member attempting to interfere with a reference marker McLaren placed on the pitwall next to Lando Norris’s grid slot.McLaren has long used a strip of tape on the wall nearest to Norris as a visual marker for him when lining up in his grid box.This typically involves McLaren positioning Norris’s car as far forward as ...
How F1's greatest ever team was stopped
“There was definitely a period when Ferrari was almost as good as it could get. I couldn't see how we could make it any better.“We had a brilliant car, we had a technical team that was singing and all the crew were great, drivers were top class. It was difficult to see how it got any better.”That was how former Formula 1 chief and multiple championship winning team boss Ross Brawn replied when ask...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/how-f1s-greatest-ever-team-was-stopped/
Verstappen's Nordschleife GT3 debut victory + what comes next
There was no real contest in NLS9, the ninth round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series, a four-hour race on the Nordschleife. Starting third on the grid, three seconds off pole, Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen seized control of the race at the very first corner and never looked back.Watch the race in full hereFrom then on, the #31 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, carrying the colours of Verstappe...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/endurance/verstappens-nordschleife-gt3-debut-victory-what-comes-next/
What McLaren will do now after reviewing its team order controversy
McLaren’s team orders switch between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at Formula 1’s Italian Grand Prix proved to be one of the most controversial moments of the title battle so far.The request from the pitwall in the closing stages for Piastri to give up second place to Norris, who had dropped back as the consequence of a slow pitstop, prompted some in-the-moment kickback from the Australian and op...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mclaren-monza-team-order-review-piastri-norris/
Why Sainz's first Williams F1 season is going so badly
The disparity between expectations of Carlos Sainz and the reality of his first season with Williams is stark. While the team’s form has improved dramatically, leaping from ninth in the constructors’ championship in 2024 to fifth and leading midfielder this year, Sainz himself has disappointed. The numbers tell a troubled story. Sainz has scored just 16 points from seven top-10 finishes, including...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/why-carlos-sainz-first-williams-f1-season-going-so-badly/
Tsunoda has a unique problem among Red Bull's second F1 drivers
As Max Verstappen roared away at the front of Formula 1's Italian Grand Prix last weekend, it will not have gone amiss on the Red Bull pitwall that there was a spell where its other car was bringing up the rear.After being one of the earliest stoppers, Yuki Tsunoda found himself needing to push past those who had undercut him - but he damaged his floor in a clash with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson at ...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/yuki-tsunoda-unique-problem-red-bull-f1-2026-max-verstappen/
What's really going on with delayed F1 V8s return plan
Formula 1’s engine manufacturers were caught by surprise on Friday afternoon at Monza when FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem notified them he had cancelled a planned summit meeting to discuss a potential switch to V8 engines for 2029.After months of discussions trying to pull together a framework agreement about stepping away from the next generation turbo hybrids towards a V8 engine powered by f...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/whats-really-going-on-with-delayed-f1-v8s-return-plan/
Bearman one incident away from F1 race ban
Ollie Bearman is now two penalty points away from earning a Formula 1 race ban after the Italian Grand Prix stewards deemed him to have caused a collision with Carlos Sainz.Bearman and Sainz collided at the dela Roggia chicane, with Bearman's Haas down the inside of Sainz's Williams. Both drivers spun and picked up damage, which ended their hopes of a points finish.The stewards judged Bearman to b...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/ollie-bearman-one-incident-from-f1-race-ban-carlos-sainz-clash/
What's made McLaren beatable at Monza
After a run of races where McLaren appeared to have been stretching its advantage at the front of the Formula 1 field, the Italian Grand Prix has been its most challenging weekend for a while.Recent experiences of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri enjoying a couple of a tenths of a second advantage over the rest of the field in a private fight at the front have been replaced at Monza with it being pu...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/whats-made-mclaren-beatable-at-monza/
Why Piastri avoided grid drop for Italian GP practice infringement
Oscar Piastri has escaped with a reprimand for an infringement during FP2 at Formula 1’s Italian Grand Prix as the stewards made an important distinction to a penalty issued earlier in the season.Piastri and McLaren faced the Monza stewards after FP2 for entering the fast lane in the pitlane prior to the restart time for the session, following a red flag for Kimi Antonelli’s off. The stewards foun...
Ferrari's real F1 problems beyond brutal Dutch GP collapse
Ferrari’s double retirement from Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix brought a miserable end to a weekend that had started out badly, with one of the worst practice days the squad had had in years.A mistake from Lewis Hamilton that put him in the wall at Turn 3, followed later with Charles Leclerc getting taken out by Kimi Antonelli in the exact same banked corner, was another one-two punch in the guts i...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/ferrari-real-f1-problems-sf-25-dutch-gp-leclerc-hamilton/
Herta switching to F1 ladder would be a terrible mistake
Rumours of a Formula 2 switch for IndyCar driver Colton Herta will not let up.The prospect of such a move - one that would be motivated by the desire to accrue more Formula 1 superlicence points - feels like fantasy, but is being taken seriously by key paddock insiders.Yet the task he'd face in F2 would be harder still following last weekend's IndyCar season finale at Nashville, where Herta lost a...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/colton-herta-formula-2-f1-ladder-terrible-mistake/
Mark Hughes: How Zandvoort forced F1 drivers into gambling with disaster
A race full of anticipation and significance. A weekend that began with Oscar Piastri struggling for pace relative to McLaren team mate Lando Norris but with Piastri ultimately leading start to finish from pole – and Norris posting a rare retirement from close behind late in the race. An aggressive starting tyre gamble from Red Bull, which facilitated Max Verstappen at his magical knife-edge best ...
Dutch Grand Prix F1 2025 starting grid after Haas penalty
Oscar Piastri defeated McLaren team-mate and Formula 1 2025 title rival Lando Norris by just 0.012s in their duel for Dutch Grand Prix pole position.Max Verstappen was third, a quarter of a second back, with rookie Isack Hadjar an eye-catching fourth.The only post-session change was at the tail of the field, where Ollie Bearman taking new Ferrari engine components beyond the season limit for his H...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/dutch-grand-prix-f1-2025-qualifying-results/
The pitlane games causing 'chaos' in F1's midfield battle
Formula 1's a relative game – so success is not only dependent on a team doing the best job itself. It can also make life difficult for the opposition.So in a season where the margins in qualifying are so tight, and the grid position gains from being on the right side of a few hundredths are so big, it's no surprise to hear that intriguing tactics are being unleashed.These games were blown into th...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/the-pitlane-games-causing-chaos-in-f1s-midfield-battle/
What's behind Hamilton going from 'useless' to pushing Leclerc
Formula 1’s August break has clearly done Lewis Hamilton the power of good. No longer is he declaring himself “useless” or suggesting Ferrari needs to recruit his replacement.It clearly hurt Hamilton quite deeply to see his Ferrari F1 team-mate Charles Leclerc qualify on pole for the pre-summer break Hungarian Grand Prix while he himself toiled and failed to qualify inside the top 10.Hamilton race...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/whats-behind-hamilton-going-from-useless-to-pushing-leclerc/
Mark Hughes: Piastri upstaged Norris differently this time
Long corners, many of them of low-medium speed, and the usual Zandvoort gusty wind gave McLaren even more of an advantage than usual in Dutch Grand Prix qualifying, further separating the usual two contests: that between the McLaren drivers and that for the honour of best of the rest. Both were super-close, but existed in different territory. McLaren's worldIn the McLaren world, in a car which was...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mark-hughes-piastri-upstaged-norris-differently-this-time/
Haas referred to stewards for unusual F1 rule breach
The Haas Formula 1 team has been referred to the stewards for an unusual alleged rule breach after Dutch Grand Prix qualifying.Haas had the two slowest cars at Zandvoort as Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman qualified 18th and 19th, only ahead of the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll that did not set a laptime after crashing.However, on Saturday evening, a report from FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reveal...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/haas-referred-to-stewards-for-unusual-f1-rule-breach/
What was behind the many crashes on dramatic Dutch GP Friday
An unforgiving circuit, low-grip surface and gusty winds made for a dramatic first day of Formula 1 track action after the summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix. Here are the main incidents that befell multiple drivers as several offs and multiple red flags meant Friday practice at Zandvoort was surprisingly dramatic. Kimi Antonelli Beached in FP1Antonelli: "I'm stuck in the gravel" And we have our...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/dutch-gp-2025-friday-practice-crashes-stroll-verstappen/