If qualifying is supposed to be the ultimate test of driver skill and all-out car performance, then F1’s Saturday afternoons are far removed from that axiom.The 2026 power unit compromises which have yielded some action-packed racing so far have also destroyed the essence of qualifying – at least for now, Read more
Max Verstappen is at a loss with his Red Bull Formula 1 car after his Japanese Grand Prix qualifying ended as early as Q2.The four-time world champion was ninth-fastest in the opening segment of qualifying and set the 10th-quickest lap early in Q2, 0.024s behind team-mate Isack Hadjar and 0.049s Read more
Since the first on-track running of this Formula 1 season, vibrations have already been troubling Aston Martin and Honda. The consequences are twofold. Initially, the vibrations caused damage to the battery, resulting in reliability problems and very limited mileage for the Silverstone-based team.In addition, the issue has physical effects on Read more
Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso feels Suzuka’s driving challenge is “gone” with the 2026 regulations as they are.The storied Japanese Grand Prix venue is a driver favourite with its challenging first sector Esses and its high-speed Degner and Spoon sequences. However, due to the energy saving demands of F1’s Read more
Kimi Antonelli grabbed his second career Formula 1 pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix, also his second in a row, as Max Verstappen was eliminated in Q2.Antonelli enforced his dominance on Mercedes team-mate George Russell so far this weekend, with the Italian youngster quicker than his elder in the Read more
Ferrari is “just not quick enough” to trouble the front of the grid, thinks Lewis Hamilton, as the Scuderia hopes fixing its car balance will get it ahead of 2026 Formula 1 rival McLaren in Japan.Charles Leclerc and Hamilton finished fifth and sixth in second practice on Friday, shipping around seven Read more
The new-generation of Formula 1 cars have changed how Suzuka’s first sector is tackled: beyond the reduced downforce, which lowers cornering speeds, drivers now barely touch the brake pedal, because the hybrid system decelerates the car through transitions to maximise energy recovery in a key section.Over the years, Suzuka has fascinated Read more
Oscar Piastri halted Mercedes dominance by pipping Kimi Antonelli to top second practice for the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.The McLaren driver set a 1m30.133s which was 0.092s quicker than Antonelli, whose Mercedes team-mate George Russell completed the top three after dominating opening practice.FP1 saw the championship leader Read more
During the opening weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season, much of the media attention was on the number of batteries that Honda had to its disposal in Melbourne.But that Friday, Adrian Newey made an unrelated, even more interesting comment. The legendary designer revealed that Aston Martin did not know Read more
Ferrari brought its so-called (by team boss Frederic Vasseur) ‘Macarena’ wing to the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix. But ahead of free practice on Friday, it decided to not to use the innovative rotating rear wing flap, even though there were enough spare parts in the Suzuka garages to build Read more