Motoring News

Chris Medland breaks down the key talking points as F1 heads to Japan for the third round of the 2026 season.

Pedro Acosta believes the 2026 KTM MotoGP bike isn’t “that good” after slipping to seventh place in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Following MotoGP’s last-minute decision to shorten the Goiania race to 23 laps due to ‘track degradation’, Acosta opted for Michelin’s soft rear tyre even as the majority of the grid stayed on the more durable medium compound.
The strategy paid off in ...Keep reading

The cancellation of the Bahrain and Jeddah grands prix may be detrimental to Red Bull – unlike some other Formula 1 teams.
F1’s Middle Eastern rounds have been scrapped due to the impact of the ongoing Iran war in the region, creating a five-week gap between the Suzuka and Miami events, this weekend and in early May respectively.
Red Bull had a tough Chinese Grand Prix, with Max ...Keep reading

Mario Andretti has reflected on the start of the season for the new Cadillac Formula 1 team, sharing encouraging news ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
The American outfit, which joined the grid as the 11th team in 2026 after a long approval process, has been realistic with its approach to the start of the season.
"There had been a lot of anxiety, no question," Andretti told the Drive to ...Keep reading

Criticism of Formula 1’s new regulations has been growing among some factions of the paddock, and Williams’ Carlos Sainz is the latest to voice his concerns over the series’ new era.
For 2026, F1 rolled out new regulations that call for smaller, more agile cars and mandate for power units that rely on a near-50:50 split in electrical and internal combustion power. As a result, drivers ...Keep reading

Guenther Steiner has backed Charles Leclerc to beat Lewis Hamilton in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
While the seven-time champion entered the 2026 season rejuvenated after a personal 'reset' and claimed his first Ferrari podium at the Chinese Grand Prix, the former Haas team principal believes that Leclerc will be hungrier for the championship.
During an episode of The Red Flags Podcast ...Keep reading

MotoGP’s first visit to Brazil in more than two decades delivered plenty of action, but the on-track spectacle was overshadowed by a series of incidents.
The layout of the newly-renovated Goiania track proved to be a hit with the riders, but the constant changes in grip levels, intermittent rain and worsening track conditions kept them guessing throughout the weekend.
Crashes became a ...Keep reading

All the key BBC coverage details for the Japanese Grand Prix, which takes place from 27-29 March.

When it comes to the debut of the new short track package at Darlington Raceway, there might be a Venn Diagram overlap between those who had really good cars and those who felt like it improved the racing.
As a result, there may also be a similar overlap for the opposite.  
Ultimately, most drivers said the increased horsepower and reduced downforce configuration did not fundamentally ...Keep reading

This isn’t supposed to happen anymore.
With the introduction of the NextGen car in 2022, a single-source supplied spec car, the conviction was that no one would be able to dominate modern Cup Series campaigns the way Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Larson had back in the day.
Parity!
There have been just six races, of course, but Tyler Reddick, Billy Scott and the 23XI Racing No. 45 ...Keep reading

After four wins in the first six races, Tyler Reddick holds a monumental points lead in the regular season standings. He is now enjoying his biggest lead yet, 95 points ahead as Ryan Blaney moves back into the runner-up spot after a tough day for Bubba Wallace.
Around the cutline, Daniel Suarez has now moved back inside the top 16 while his Spire teammate Michael McDowell drops below.
The ...Keep reading

At Darlington Raceway, 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick earned his 12th career win and his fourth in the first six races of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season.
He was followed by Brad Keselowski in second, a driver who was hoping to end a two-year win drought, but had to settle for two stage wins and a runner-up finish. Ryan Blaney fought back from a loose wheel to finish third, Carson Hocevar led the way ...Keep reading

Tyler Reddick may have started first and finished first, but there was a lot happening between it all. He struggled with electrical issues early and needed to shut off the fans, causing the temperature to rapidly rise in the car. He had to manually drain hot water from his broken cool suit, complained about possible brake problems, faced a green flag pit stop mishap, the team had to change a ...Keep reading

Alex Rins and Alex Marquez say they were struck by flying pieces of asphalt amid what they described as “unacceptable conditions” during the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Following the sinkhole disruption ahead of Saturday’s sprint, MotoGP’s return to Brazil was impacted by another major controversy on Sunday as the grand prix had to be cut short by eight laps due to what was officially ...Keep reading

Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez says the late-race error that cost him a podium finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix came at a point where the “asphalt was going out”.
Sunday’s race at Goiania was reduced by eight laps due to what MotoGP described as a ‘track degradation’ issue. While the championship or the FIM did not provide clarification, Michelin indicated that the ‘track ...Keep reading

Marco Bezzecchi bounced back from a lacklustre performance in Saturday’s sprint to lead a 1-2 for the factory Aprilia MotoGP team at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Bezzecchi grabbed the lead at the start and never looked under threat at Goiania, claiming his fourth successive grand prix victory and the eighth of his career. 
Bezzecchi’s team-mate Jorge Martin continued his impressive ...Keep reading

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard believes that the vibration issues that Aston Martin is battling against are 'more of an issue for the reliability than for the driver'.
Aston Martin has had a difficult start to the year. With a new power unit partnership with Honda and the first Aston Martin F1 car designed under Adrian Newey, expectations were high for the Silverstone outfit. But ...Keep reading

Darlington is no longer being treated as the official 'Throwback Weekend,' but there's still several teams opting to pay tribute to the sport's history by recreating iconic paint schemes.
Last December, two-time Southern 500 winner Greg Biffle was killed alongside six others in a tragic plane crash. This weekend, there are several paint schemes honoring the NASCAR legend, in both the Cup and ...Keep reading

Mercedes has reacted to the ‘hurtful’ disqualification that cost Max Verstappen, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella victory in Saturday’s NLS Nordschleife race. 
The #3 Winward Racing Mercedes dominated the delayed season opener of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) from pole, but were disqualified post-race.
This was because the team used seven sets of tyres as opposed to the ...Keep reading

Formula 1 fans have delivered their verdict on Racing Bulls' special Japanese Grand Prix livery.
The Italian team unveiled the livery during a Red Bull Tokyo Drift event on Saturday. The striking design features a white base and cherry red accents, and, having been created with Japanese calligrapher Bisen Aoyagi, incorporates traditional calligraphy into the livery.
It's safe to say that ...Keep reading