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The two corners behind Ferrari's 'worst Friday' of 2025
Charles Leclerc says "probably the worst Friday of the season" falling right after Formula 1's summer break is a big "wake-up call" for Ferrari at the Dutch Grand Prix.Ferrari was hoping to bounce back from Leclerc's lost victory chance at the Hungarian GP but has not made a strong start to the Zandvoort weekend.Lewis Hamilton was the faster Ferrari driver in FP2, but he was 0.848s slower than Lan...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/two-corners-behind-ferrari-worst-f1-2025-friday-dutch-gp/
Mark Hughes: Is Aston Martin really McLaren's closest rival?
Wind, threatening rain and a low-grip surface muddied the Zandvoort competitive picture on the first day of running, but perhaps the most noteworthy ringing bell amid the offs and red-flag interruptions was that of Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso - on paper at least - the closest rival to McLaren's Lando Norris, who dominated both sessions.Norris was comfortably fastest over a single lap and ov...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mark-hughes-is-aston-martin-really-closest-to-mclaren-dutch-gp/
What happened in second Dutch GP F1 practice session
Lando Norris kept McLaren on top in second practice for the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix, but only narrowly from Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin in a session that featured crashes for Lance Stroll and Alex Albon and a high-speed spin for Lewis Hamilton.Alonso was the only non-McLaren F1 driver to lap below 1m10s in this session, splitting the McLarens of Norris and championship leader Oscar Piastri with a...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/what-happened-in-second-dutch-gp-f1-practice-session/
The 2025 Alpine mistakes in big Briatore admission
Alpine Formula 1 boss Flavio Briatore has admitted to making mistakes with the rapid promotion of Franco Colapinto to a race seat and also the development of its 2025 car.Briatore made his second media-facing appearance of the season in the official FIA team representatives press conference as F1 returned from its summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix.With Alpine last in the championship, one of tw...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/alpine-2025-2026-f1-mistakes-colapinto-gasly-flavio-briatore/
F1 Dutch Grand Prix 2025 practice results
Below you'll find results from every practice session at the 2025 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix. Practice 1 1) Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m10.278s2) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.292s3) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.501s 4) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.563s5) Alex Albon (Williams) +0.893s 6) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.940s7) George Russell (Mercedes) +1.108s8) Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1.180s9) Gabr...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-dutch-grand-prix-2025-practice-results/
What Wolff really meant by 400km/h F1 2026 claim
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has clarified what he meant by recent comments suggesting next year’s Formula 1 cars could top 400km/h on the straights.Wolff’s bold claim came in an interview with German publication Auto Motor Und Sport over the summer break, where he suggested that this peak speed was on the table thanks to the increase of electrical energy that will be available for F1's new rules era....
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/what-toto-wolff-really-meant-by-400kmh-f1-2026-claim/
Why Audi is making its drivers wait for first F1 2026 sim run
Audi’s Formula 1 duo Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto must wait a bit longer to try out the 2026 car on the simulator, with their team deliberately holding back their first runs.As Audi gears up for its official F1 entry as a works team next season, it has emerged as an outlier among manufacturer squads in how it is approaching its sim preparations.While many have elected to get their race dr...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/audi-2026-simulator-sauber-drivers-hulkenberg-bortoleto/
F1 Dutch Grand Prix 2025 practice results
Below you'll find results from every practice session at the 2025 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix. Practice 1 1) Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m10.278s2) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.292s3) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.501s 4) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.563s5) Alex Albon (Williams) +0.893s 6) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.940s7) George Russell (Mercedes) +1.108s8) Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1.180s9) Gabr...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-dutch-grand-prix-2025-practice-results/
Bizarre Verstappen off ends opening F1 practice session
Lando Norris showed formidable pace to lead first practice at the Dutch Grand Prix in the first on-track session after the 2025 Formula 1 summer break as Max Verstappen beached his Red Bull in a bizarre incident after the chequered flag.Home favourite Verstappen carried out a practice start and then ran far too deep into Tarzan - the long, right-hand first corner - piling into the gravel trap befo...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/bizarre-verstappen-off-ends-opening-f1-practice-session/
A new Brawn GP? What Ferrari's expecting from F1 2026
The possibility of a left-field winner. Dramatic performance swings between teams depending on track characteristics. Scope for a Brawn-style double diffuser controversy.Those are some of the predictions that Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is making about Formula 1's biggest ever rule change in 2026, as teams face a step into the unknown with little real idea of what is coming.
While Vasseur is hopin...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/a-new-brawn-gp-what-ferraris-expecting-from-f1-2026/
Red Bull isn't chasing Palou for F1 seat - what's really going on
The Red Bull Formula 1 team is not trying to sign freshly crowned four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou, despite reports to the contrary earlier this week.An article written by the Indy Star - a leader in IndyCar journalism covering the Indianapolis area where most of the teams are based and its biggest race takes place - cited sources indicating the Red Bull squad wanted Palou to slot into its dr...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/red-bull-isnt-chasing-palou-for-f1-seat-whats-really-going-on/
Pressure sapped Hamilton's enjoyment from Ferrari switch
Lewis Hamilton says “so much noise and pressure” has made it difficult to find enjoyment in his dream Formula 1 switch to Ferrari.Hamilton has had a bruising start to life at Ferrari with an inconsistent first half of the season, winning the sprint race in round two at Shanghai but he hasn’t scored a grand prix podium, while team-mate Charles Leclerc has netted five of them.
There have been big...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/so-much-pressure-and-noise-ruined-hamiltons-ferrari-enjoyment/
Red Bull didn't realise 'huge difference' old spec had on Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda believes Red Bull has now recognised a car specification discrepancy made a "huge difference" to his performances before Formula 1's summer break, and says he now has a clearer idea of how much time he has to save his seat.Tsunoda has not scored a point since the Imola round in May, an event where his heavy qualifying crash sparked a long run of being behind team-mate Max Verstappen o...
'I'm not surprised' - Perez on Tsunoda/Lawson's Red Bull struggles
Sergio Perez is not surprised to see his Red Bull Formula 1 replacements struggle badly this season and believes his own achievements are now being given "much more value".The decision to drop Perez for Liam Lawson, who lasted just two races before Red Bull turned instead to Yuki Tsunoda, has been ill-fated for Red Bull.
Lawson was shockingly off the pace in his first two events as Max Verstapp...
What Ferrari analysis of Leclerc's race-losing F1 problem has revealed
Ferrari has outlined the conclusions of its investigation into Charles Leclerc’s mysterious pace collapse in Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix, officially ruling out anything having broken on his car.Leclerc appeared to have had things under control in the early stages of the Budapest race, having started from pole position and he was able to hold back McLaren’s Oscar Piastri over the opening two s...
'Aura of inevitability' - what's really behind Piastri title charge
Was it always leading to this?Back-to-back rookie Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles, the stunning McLaren swoop that stole him from under Alpine's nose, the progress from podium finisher to race winner to possible world champion each year across just three seasons in Formula 1 - Oscar Piastri's metronomic surpassing of each milestone, and the perfect timing of a revived McLaren hitting its stride, me...
How Sauber went from disaster to 2025 breakout star
The notion that Sauber could emerge as the leading contender in Formula 1's midfield was laughable after what Nico Hulkenberg later described as "major trouble" during pre-season testing.The car was slow, unwieldy and didn't behave as the simulation tools predicted. Yet in the six events leading up to the August break, it was transformed and, for the first time since Audi began taking control in 2...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/sauber-f1-2025-disaster-to-breakout-star/
Eight unanswered questions for the rest of F1 2025
The 2025 Formula 1 season fires back into life at this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix for the final 10 weekends of this era before a big reset in 2026.McLaren is in an near-unassailable position at the top of one F1 title race, but there's still plenty to watch out for across these final races, from the neck-and-neck drivers' title fight to some big unanswered driver market questions.How tense will Mc...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/eight-unanswered-questions-rest-of-f1-2025/
What we've learned about Cadillac F1 signing Perez and Bottas
Cadillac’s first F1 driver line-up is official, and its announcement has revealed a lot more than just confirmation that Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will race for F1’s newest team in 2026. This is what we’ve learned speaking to the Cadillac team’s owners, its team principal, and Perez and Bottas themselves. Perez doubts needed resolvingBoth Perez and Bottas will rejoin the F1 grid after a yea...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/what-we-have-learned-about-cadillac-f1-signing-perez-and-bottas/
Why Cadillac will use rival's car for F1 testing debut
The Cadillac team will conduct on-track Formula 1 testing this year using a car supplied by another team as it ramps up preparations for its debut in 2026. Sergio Perez, who was officially confirmed today as a Cadillac race driver for next year, says “there are some plans with the team to test [a] Formula 1 car before the end of the year". Valtteri Bottas, who has also been announced as his team-m...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/cadillac-to-make-f1-testing-debut-using-rivals-old-car/
The alternate F1 reality where Albon leads the championship
Alex Albon leads the Formula 1 world championship for Williams with a 39-point advantage over season-long rival Isack Hadjar, but two wily veterans have closed the gap dramatically in recent races to create what could yet become an epic title fight.That’s quite the narrative, and while it’s a fictional one it is one rooted in reality. It’s what happens when you create a ‘Class B’ championship that...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/the-alternative-f1-reality-where-albon-leads-the-championship/
F1's most curious driver - who may be Verstappen's next team-mate
Formula 1 drivers come in varied forms: confident, arrogant, self-critical, affable, aggressive, hyper-competitive, difficult, paranoid, sceptical, to name just a few options.They are never just one thing, because drivers are still just human beings, and the more complex and interesting the better. Isack Hadjar might just be the most intriguing of all.The enigmatic Red Bull rookie has been a fasci...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1s-most-curious-driver-who-may-be-verstappens-next-team-mate/
The first hint of how 'extreme' F1 2026 designs will get
Formula 1 teams have been quietly working away for months on their 2026 cars, but none of them know how in-line their design ideas are with everyone else.However, a first clue has emerged about one aspect that looks set to produce a “curious” variation across the grid - with squads having taken vastly different approaches.It involves the all-new rear braking system, changed for 2026 because of rev...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-2026-extreme-brake-designs-brembo/
Inside Schumacher's unusual pre-F1 comeback test
Patrick Coorey was a young engineer still making his way in racing with the Super Nova team just a few years after coming over from his native Australia. He’d worked with some good drivers – Mike Conway, Tiago Monteiro, Adam Carroll, and Jose-Maria Lopez to name but a few.In December 2009 he was at Super Nova’s East Anglian headquarters preparing for the new GP2 season where he would be engineerin...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/inside-michael-schumacher-controversial-gp2-test/
Winners and losers of F1 2025 so far
A four-week pause isn't exactly in keeping with the fast-paced nature of the now 24-race long Formula 1 season, but its annual summer shutdown does allow for the chance to reflect on the performances of teams and drivers with more context than the weekend-by-weekend grind would.And that's just as well when you consider just how much has happened up and down the grid already in F1 2025.
With so ...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/winners-losers-f1-2025-so-far/
Colapinto crash disrupts Alpine's 2026 F1 tyre test
A large Franco Colapinto crash has disrupted Alpine’s Pirelli 2026 Formula 1 tyre testing programme at the Hungaroring.Following last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, several teams stayed at the Budapest track to support the latest 2026 development work organised by Pirelli.Alpine, McLaren and Racing Bulls participated in the first day of the test on Tuesday, with Alpine then staying on for a secon...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/franco-colapinto-crash-disrupts-alpines-2026-f1-tyre-test/
Did McLaren handle Piastri-Norris fight fairly? Our verdict
The McLaren drivers' eventual split-strategy certainly made for a gripping end to Formula 1's Hungarian Grand Prix.But was that strategic split - which ultimately decided the outcome of the race - handled fairly, especially with the two-stopping Oscar Piastri telling McLaren on multiple occasions he wanted the "best chance" to try to beat one-stopping race-winner Lando Norris?Here's our verdict:Pi...
Why Leclerc has retracted his Ferrari Hungary rage
Charles Leclerc says a chassis problem on his Ferrari Formula 1 car caused the dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix slump that triggered his radio fury, not - as he initially suspected - the team making a front wing set-up change in a pitstop.Leclerc defeated the McLarens - which had dominated practice - to take pole position and looked well-placed to do likewise in the first half of the race as he kept ...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/charles-leclerc-hungarian-gp-ferrari-problem-explanation-rage/
Everything you need to know from FP1 at F1's Hungarian GP
Lando Norris led a McLaren 1-2 in FP1 for the Hungarian Grand Prix, a session that featured a clear and persistent threat to the McLaren dominance and two 'new' drivers to evaluate.Charles Leclerc was a thorn in the McLaren drivers' sides but Norris looked absolutely supreme at the top of the time sheets.He was as much as seven tenths clear at one stage, and only a soft-tyre run from team-mate Osc...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-2025-hungarian-gp-first-practice-mclaren-1-2/
Mercedes makes another spec u-turn to stop F1 form tailspin
Mercedes is rolling back the rear suspension Formula 1 upgrade it debuted in Imola in a bid to find the reason behind its 2025 performance drop-off. The team has comfortably been the weakest of the top four teams since the start of the European season, with its only podiums - a grand prix win and a third place - coming during an anomalously strong Montreal weekend. The otherwise-poor run of form c...
Vasseur's Ferrari is improving - but it's still not enough
Ferrari has given team principal Fred Vasseur a big vote of confidence, just as the second part of its major Formula 1 upgrade package looks to have helped the team secure its status as McLaren's nearest challenger in 2025.With Mercedes' recent decline and Red Bull's current over-reliance on Max Verstappen, Ferrari is now 28 points clear in second in the championship thanks to Charles Leclerc's fi...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/vasseur-ferrari-f1-improving-but-it-is-still-not-enough/
Too messy from Norris? Our verdict on Belgian GP McLaren battle
Lando Norris had the opportunity to really erode his team-mate Oscar Piastri's Formula 1 championship lead in the Belgian Grand Prix - but instead ended the race 16 points back.Did Norris let a big opportunity slip - and did he cost himself a chance to get back at Piastri with errors in the final stint of the grand prix?Our writers give their views on the state of play in the current all-McLaren t...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/belgian-gp-mclaren-battle-verdict-f1-piastri-norris/
Tsunoda's Red Bull breakthrough at Belgian GP explained
A last-minute effort by Red Bull to get its latest floor on Yuki Tsunoda's car before qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix proved to be the catalyst for his best Formula 1 grid position since he moved to the team.After a long upgrade offset run compared to team-mate Max Verstappen, which was initially triggered by his sizeable Q1 crash at Imola in May, Tsunoda was given a boost on Saturday aftern...
Mark Hughes: Where Norris vs Piastri pole battle was won (and lost)
Lando Norris turned the tables on McLaren Formula 1 team-mate Oscar Piastri from Friday at Spa, qualifying on pole for the Belgian Grand Prix by 0.085 seconds.But after Max Verstappen had shown in Saturday morning's sprint race the value of starting second here - he was able to slipstream by sprint polesitter Piastri on the opening lap and subsequently stay there - being shaded by Norris may not a...
Belgian GP F1 sprint starting grid 2025 with one pitlane starter
Formula 1 world championship leader Oscar Piastri took a commanding pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps.Max Verstappen's Red Bull beat the second McLaren of Lando Norris to second in a session in which both Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari all fell in the first two segments.Franco Colapinto will start from the pitlane having qualified 19th. Alpine elected...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/belgian-grand-prix-f1-sprint-qualifying-results-2025/
Where has Leclerc's qualifying magic gone?
Extraordinary qualifying performances have been Charles Leclerc's calling card throughout his Formula 1 career. But by his own estimation, he's "not doing the job" in qualifying in 2025.Is that really true? His qualifying performances this season relative to Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton have been strong, but the numbers are slightly less overwhelming than you might expect. His underlying pace ...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/where-has-charles-leclerc-f1-qualifying-magic-gone-2025/
Our summer motorsport book guide
The long, bright evenings. A warm breeze in the air (if you're lucky). Time to allow the mind to wander with thoughts of a summer break, and time away from it all.A proper holiday is not complete without a good book. A break from a screen, a return to an analogue format in the face of a digital onslaught. Luckily, for motorsport fans, there's a huge array of recently released titles to choose from...
Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/our-summer-motorsport-book-guide/
A 'painful' Williams run is exposing all its lingering F1 weaknesses
As the prolific early-season Williams form has turned to dust in recent Formula 1 races, a trend has emerged offering a tempting potential answer for why.
In the first eight races of 2025, Williams scored 54 points, more than double the next best team in the midfield. Pace-wise it had the fifth-fastest car on average in that time, hovering around 100.7-100.9% of the pole time in qualifying. Ale...